Rendering Nirayel - Demons Dreaming - Book 4

Rendering Nirayel - Demons Dreaming Nathan P. Cardwell

Rendering Nirayel - Demons Dreaming Copyright © 2007 Nathan P. Cardwell All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in Canada by Double Dragon eBooks, a division of Double Dragon Publishing Inc. of Markham Ontario, Canada. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from Double Dragon Publishing Inc. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Double Dragon eBooks PO Box 54016 1-5762 Highway 7 East Markham, Ontario L3P 7Y4 Canada http://double-dragon-ebooks.com http://double-dragon-publishing.com Layout and Cover Illustration by Deron Douglas www.derondouglas.com ISBN-10: 1-55404-473-1 ISBN-13: 978-1-55404-473-3 First Edition July 27, 2007 Also Available as a Large Type Paperback Now Available as paperback and hard cover A Celebration of Cover Art: 2001 to 2006 Five Years of Cover Art [Companion calendars also available] www.double-dragon-ebooks.com www.derondouglas.com

"You're stalling!" shouted the brown suit. This was the one Sarah had come to think of as the bad guy brown suit. Actually, she knew full and well they were both bad. This one just seemed to have more natural ability. She couldn't see them, of course. She was in the same dark place as when this whole mess started. If she could have seen, she would have noticed the other brown suit sitting on the control panel next to her, currently studying the Doctor with an expression not unlike that of his associate. Occasionally, when he was certain that neither the Doctor nor his associate were watching, he would chance to glance appreciatively down the front of Sarah's blouse. "It isn't that simple!" Doctor Kwibee shouted back. Prior to making this rebuttal, the Doctor had complied without resistance. Sarah simply figured everyone must have a breaking point. In fact, she wasn't that far from her own. When she heard the Doctor match the Suit's tone, she wanted to stand up and cheer, and would have, if only she had legs. She knew they were still there, somewhere. She just couldn't feel them, or any thing else for that matter. "Looked pretty simple from the make-shift job you did at the Hoffman residence." "That was before you people tripped every alarm the program has to trip!" Orval shot back. Actually, he had a sneaking suspicion that IBOT's security might have become alerted when he advanced the gain on Mrs. Hoffman's filter. He had known at the time it posed a risk. Of course, there was no way to be certain, but the maneuver had been just prior to their connection loss. Nevertheless, there was no reason this goon had to know about it. [Can we just do this already?] "Take a look for yourself. No, not that. This," Kwibee said, pointing at the monitor, thus drawing the Suit's attention away from the lag flow meter. "What?" inquired the Suit, being incapable of distinguishing those squiggles from the others. "This is the original configuration," Kwibee continued, pointing to an area highlighted in green. "And this is what appears to be a new partition," he concluded, pointing at the yet growing area in blue. "All right, I'll bite. What's that supposed to mean?" "It means IBOT has setup a new security parameter, and then quarantined it to elude your…I mean, our influence," the Doctor explained, careful to include himself as a part of their association. [Hello? It's me again. You remember me, don't you? The guinea pig. Yeah, just thought I'd pass on a helpful tip. IT'S DARK IN HERE!] "Then set her down in the blue stuff." "We don't know anything about it. There's no way of knowing how the system will react to the filter in a partition we know was probably designed as a counter-measure to that filter. There are tests that must be…" "Do it!" Aside from a small bout of nausea at having just found herself on the same side of the argument as one of the Suit twins, Sarah was glad to be returning. The sooner she got back, the sooner this mess would be over with. "All right!" Doctor Kwibee shouted with enough shift in tone to suggest he was being offered some not so subtle incentive.

"All you have to do is find two missing people," said the bad Suit. "Colonel Hereford, and Agent Dolen." "And remember, Kwibee," added the Good Suit. "We're watching you," he intoned gravely while chancing another glance.

Chapter One-Demons And Crackers Borin Krue stood, or rather hung over the railing, near the bow, dark strands of sweat-soaked hair falling in his eyes, but unnoticed in light of other concerns. "Apple?" Jesse offered as he passed by with a sack full of food, and continued to pass by as an expression of ill intent became clearly visible on Borin's obviously nauseated face. "What's eating him?" Jesse asked, jerking a thumb over his shoulder, and then kneeling to place the entire knapsack on the deck to be divided among the others. *** [This is not Selina!] {I just told you that.} [No. You spewed a lot of garbage about template signal abortion, and I think there was something about blocking some sort of signature.] {Exactly.} [You're gonna have to learn English if you want to talk to me.] {That was…} [No, that was your usual Nerdonese!] "You all right, Ezy?" Jesse asked, remembering the nickname she had insisted upon. {The program has removed the Selina template from the available roster.} [It's Jesse! I take back every bad thing I ever said about you, Doc. Now hurry up! Finish the connection!] "You don't look so good," Jesse commented in reference to Ezlea's sudden absence of presence. "Ezlea? Are you quite all right?" Marcus asked, as her expression abruptly reanimated, briefly shifting to bear on him with something like alarm, and then quickly returning to normal. "Yeah. I'm fine," she answered absently while glancing around. "Just zoned out for a second," she assured him dismissively before noticing Borin. "You did what?" Marcus asked, quickly realizing he was talking to himself as Ezlea was now standing at the bow, offering Borin a therapeutic neck massage. "Oh… Oh, yes," Borin sighed. "That…that seems to be helping." Dieter never could endure ocean travel. Even on their honeymoon, he had spent the majority of the cruise in the bathroom. Even the seasick pills didn't help. The only thing that had ever offered relief was Sarah's neck rubs. "Oh, thank you," he sighed appreciatively. "You bet," Sarah smiled from behind him, simply grateful to be with him again. At the sound of her voice, Borin seemed to tense. Slowly, he turned, his eyes widening with apprehension as it became clear exactly who was rubbing his neck. "Aaack!" he issued in alarm while quickly wrenching himself from her clutches, snatching his gorget from the deck, and then scurrying to the other side of the bow to continue his retching in relative peace. What's up with him? [How 'bout those memories, Doc?] {Working on it. It isn't easy, you know. I'm having to reroute almost every single… There. That should do it.} [Whoa! Yeah, that… Okay, that explains… Ahh, hell, Doc! She's a Turbo-slut!] "The Captain says we can leave on the next launch," Aqua informed the group as she joined them.

"Good. All this ocean travel has my stomach a little upset," Selina replied. She finished off her apple, and tossed the core overboard while issuing a satisfying burp. "Scuse me." *** For some time, the launch was too far out for anyone to make out the person on shore who was currently jumping about in an excited fashion. As they drew near, it became clear it was no person at all, but rather a large monkey. Jesse had no idea what species of monkey it might be. There was nothing in his world that came close to its physiology. It was roughly the size of a Human, though its tail exceeded the entire length of its body by half. It had green and black stripes, three sets of hands, not counting its feet, and about two hundred eyes. "Look! It's a Giant Spider-monkey!" Aqua shouted. "Father says they are an endangered species." "Aqua?" Jesse asked, careful to keep the agitation from rising in his voice as he casually reached to hold his ringing ear. "Yes, Uncle Jesse?" she beamed, careful to use the moniker he had insisted upon. "When two people are as close as we are, it really isn't necessary to… Umph!" he exclaimed, suddenly finding himself between the tasks of remaining on board while coping with Aqua's adamant affections. "Oh, I feel exactly the same way!" she intoned with an enthusiastic volume into his other ear while hugging him tightly. "I knew from the moment we met that we would be very close!" Finally! she thought, nearly bubbling over with excitement. I knew it from the moment he asked me to call him Uncle, rather than Godfather! Deep down, he feels just as I do. He's just trying to distance us from that false label of kinship, slowly, so as not to seem improper. He doesn't want to tarnish my reputation. Oh, he's just so thoughtful, she thought dreamily while holding on that much tighter. "Actually, Aqua," he began again while gently prying himself free, "I meant that you don't need to shout." "It hurts my ears," he concluded while untangling himself from her grasp. I guess I shouldn't complain , he thought. At least she has stopped calling me Godfather. Although slightly embarrassed, Aqua's plan to alter their relationship from pseudo Uncle and Niece to wedded Squire and Mistress was neither daunted nor dented. It was all simply a matter of time and patience. "Oh! Oh, it is so wonderful to see you all again!" cried the monkey. "Spider monkey, my ass!" spat Jesse in recognition of a most familiar if not altogether welcome voice. *** "Oh, dear. I'm running low on both rouge and liner," Ezlea lamented softly." What a complete Prissy Butt , Selina thought with mild disgust. "Where have you been?" Marcus inquired as he returned with an armload of driftwood. "Making sure the coast was clear," quipped the Monkey, grinning expectantly. The grin dropped when Marcus failed to notice his witty comparison between the long stretch of beach that lay before them, and his recent attempts to determine what dangers might lie ahead. "It looks much like the coast we left before boarding that ship you insisted on," Borin commented with no small amount of resentment.

"Well, after all, it is the same continent," returned the Monkey. "As for the ship, however," he continued defensively, "my insistence, as you put it, has removed more than a fortnight of travel from your Quest." "Along with a fortnight of food from my stomach!" "How far is it to Deja?" Jesse asked, while kneeling to assist Marcus as he stacked the wood in a circular cone shape. "Not far at all." The Monkey replied cheerfully. "If you leave at first light, you should be there by midday tomorrow." "Don't you think it's about time you tell us why were going there?" inquired Selina. "I've never even heard of the place." "All in good time," the Monkey answered, though he appeared to be addressing Ezlea, rather than Selina. "But now that we've come this far," he winked at her as though they were co-conspirators, "perhaps we should have a nice little chat to get better acquainted. Wouldn't you all agree?" *** "Are you certain it's all right? If you wish, I can ask someone else." "Just do it, before I back out." "You're a good man, Marcus Goodfellow," concluded the Monkey as he and Marcus returned to the others, now seated about the fire. The Monkey joined their circle while Marcus remained just outside, waiting while the entire group learned of what was to come. "Marcus has graciously consented to act as medium, that those of you who do not already know may be enlightened as to our problem." "What kind of medium?" Borin asked suspiciously. "What kind of problem?" Jesse asked suspiciously. "I thought we were all equally ignorant," Aqua commented. "What's this all about?" Jesse asked, being joined by Ezlea and Selina as they both nodded approval of his question. "All your questions will be answered quite soon," the Monkey assured them, raising his hands to return order, and then pausing briefly before turning his palms up in a questioning gesture while smiling slyly. "Well, most of your questions," he amended. "What kind of medium?" Borin insisted again, glancing at Marcus with a worried expression. "I assure you, no harm will come…" "Answer the question!" Borin boomed in a voice, more that of his father than himself. It was a tone that commanded immediate compliance. There were raised eyebrows from all those around him, including those of the Monkey. After a short pause, Jesse offered, "Yeah! You tell him, Bubba!" He accompanied those words with a crooked grin of approval. Surripere heaved a heavy sigh of resignation. "Very well, but you must remember, all is not what it seems." "You heard the man," Jesse added in support of Borin's command. "Answer the question!" He was thoroughly prepared to back anyone willing to put the Rabbit/Gull/Monkey in its place.

"Marcus has agreed to lend himself to temporarily house a… Well… A Demon, of sorts," Surripere articulated cautiously. "Hold up!" Marcus joined them quickly. "You said that if I consented to a temporary possession, it would help to restore Arbitos. You mentioned nothing of Demons!" "No Demons!" Borin shouted resolutely. "Umm, Bubba?" Jesse whispered. "The Monkey is a Demon." At this, Borin slowly turned to Jesse with an obvious expression of anger. "You picked a fine time to say so!" "Demons are not exactly what you might think," Surripere started to explain. "Horns? Pitchforks? Pointy tails? Cloven hooves?" "Well, yes. In some cases, but…" "No Demons!" "We're not all like that." "No Demons!" "I'm here to help you!" "No Demons!" A long moment of silence ensued wherein all concerned found themselves at a loss regarding just how to continue. After a time, Sarah decided the time may have come to come clean. If she were to ever retrieve her family, much less find a way to free all the others trapped here, then she would need help to do so. The task was simply too enormous for anyone to take on alone, or so she assumed, not really knowing how to accomplish the task in the first place. Nevertheless, were she to ask for their help, then she should at least be honest about it. "Now see here!" insisted Surripere at last. "I am the only one here that falls under your preconceived definition of Demon, and the only reason I refer to myself in that vernacular is because I was created by Abhoron, a fact that has haunted me throughout more millennia than your poorly equipped mind can fathom!" "Poorly equipped!" Borin began before being interrupted as the Monkey continued. "The only characteristics I continue to share with your bigoted notions are my true form, and the simple fact that I originate from an incompatible plane of existence! "Bigoted! I'm not bigoted!" Borin shouted. "And I'm not poorly equipped!" "I agree," smiled Ezlea slyly, and then shifted to an expression closely resembling that of Selina's own alarm. "All of Abhoron's realms lay outside the natural laws of Nirayel, and therefore cannot produce any substance, living, or otherwise capable of true existence here." "I am not a bigot," Borin repeated in a lower voice, more to himself than anyone else. "That is why I refer to the person whom I wish to introduce through Marcus as a Demon. He simply hails from an antithetical existence, and therefore has no means to contact this reality unless through the medium of a native!"

"Are you quite through?" Borin asked, his expression suggesting a great deal of suppressed hostility. He had more to convey, and thoroughly intended to give the Monkey a proper verbal spanking, but that was the point in which Sarah had chosen to confess her own secret. "I'm a Demon," she blurted, standing quickly to draw their attention, and then immediately losing sight of why she had originally stood at all. This was because she wasn't alone in her confession. Someone else had also chosen that exact moment to declare that she, too, was a Demon. Selina stared across the campfire at Ezlea, who was of a similar regard toward Selina. Everyone about them, other than Surripere and Jesse, now stood, eyes wide with expectation, and no small amount of trepidation. Marcus and Borin exchanged glances of concern as they both found themselves beset by a myriad of questions that neither could quite properly formulate, much less articulate without revealing certain sensitive subjects such as, Exactly how long has Selina been possessed? And, Was she a Demon when she and I were … Jesse was simply attempting to ascertain whether he was also a Demon, or just delusional. If he was in fact a Demon, he should probably say so, as now would appear to be the time for confessions. On the other hand, if he were delusional, it might not be wise to go about pissing off the delusions in question. "Surripere sat with a disgusted expression. So far, the situation was not going as originally planned. After a long and drawn out episode of verbal melee, wherein all parties concerned had exhausted themselves in a crossfire of chaotic accusations, insinuations, and no small amount of defensive posturing, Borin finally threw up both hands and shouted, "Is there anyone here who is not a Demon?" *** It wasn't quite dark out yet. A few stars shown clearly, but it was yet more day than night. Still, it was not this image, but rather a combination of cool ocean breeze at his back, along with the campfire's warmth in front of him that first drew his attention. Even so, it was not until a moment later, when his interface first faded, to be replaced in kind by the images of those about him, that Orval began to comprehend the full impact of what was transpiring. Up until then, he had merely been the routing link between Sarah and the real world. Until then, his own private world had consisted of nothing more than the virtual interface that served to monitor this world while keeping him in verbal contact with her. His surprise was neither a matter of what, how, or even who. Sarah had been keeping him informed of all that had transpired, so he was quite aware there was to be some form of Demon presentation, at least in so far as defined by the program, and that the Demon was to somehow possess the Marcus template. That he might be the Demon in question had never crossed his mind. [Doc? I think it's happening.] {Yes, I know.} Orval looked about until focusing on Ezlea. He recognized her through the image he had seen of her model template and raised a cautious hand, motioning in a subdued wave of general greeting to all while making direct eye contact with her. In response, Ezlea's eyes grew wider. [That you, Doc?] {Yes… I suppose so.} [Well if you're here, who's driving?] "I still don't like it," Borin protested. "You agreed to keep an open mind," Selina reminded him. As for herself, Selina was anxious to get to the bottom of all this. Despite the recent group discussion, perhaps more closely resembling one of the old cold war sessions at the United Nations, complete with

Borin's removal of one boot, which he had utilized as a makeshift gavel, there yet remained several unanswered questions concerning this new Demon, not to mention a number of other mysteries, such as who was this purported Demon inside Ezlea? Her timing in relation to their simultaneous unbosoming was eerie to say the least. And what was going on with Jesse? She had not really been afforded the opportunity to get to know the Jester character, so there was much about his recent behavior that might not be contributed to anything other than existing personality. However, when he referred to Borin as Bubba, she found herself becoming a little more than simply suspicious. She casually glanced over her shoulder. Marcus, or rather Marcus under the Demon's influence, still seemed to be in private conference with the Monkey. Apparently, there were issues to be ironed out before he addressed the entire group. *** "I have no intention of cooperating without knowing with whom I'm dealing," Orval returned adamantly, trying not to dwell on the fact that he was saying this to a tiger-striped simian with an unnerving quantity of ocular receptors, the majority of which appeared to be wandering about of their own accord. "How many times must I tell you," said the Monkey in a subdued but irritated tone while smiling broadly as the majority of the main group's agitated aggregation continued to keep both him and Marcus under close scrutiny. "My name is Surripere. I am Deity to the Scapegrace and several other small factions that oppose Abhoron." "And I keep telling you, that means nothing to me," Orval returned in a tone that seemed to imply he was perfectly willing to promote this never-ending circle of mutually obstinate riposte for as long as it took to get some real answers." "How may I gain your trust?" intoned the Monkey, furrowing all two hundred eyebrows. "You could begin by telling me the means by which you brought me here," Orval offered flatly. "It was not I who summoned you." "Then who did?" "I cannot tell you," replied the Monkey, his frustration growing by the moment. "Aha!" Orval exclaimed. "Aha, what?" the Monkey asked, a rising strain in his face becoming visibly noticeable. "If I cannot at least be allowed to know who it is I'm expected to deal with, then it is obvious that neither you nor this mystery individual can be trusted." "It is not that I am unwilling to tell you," the Monkey countered, his tone yet pleasant, though his breathing was beginning to indicate signs of labor. "The fact is that I am quite literally unable!" "Oh," Orval said, finally realizing what the Monkey was telling him. "Well, why didn't you just say so?" he asked rhetorically while trying to process this new information in terms that correlated with what he had learned of the program's new set of security parameters. "I've been trying," the Monkey returned with a long sigh while wiping several tears from several eyes. "Yes, I see now," Orval continued. "Apparently, you're just some sort of enhanced template." "A what?" the Monkey asked, not certain if he had just been insulted.

"Well," began Orval with an expression of minor embarrassment. "To be honest, at first I thought you were IBO…" "Shhh!" the Monkey hushed him while quickly holding one set of hands against Orval's mouth and another set of hands over his own ears. "You must never evoke that spell! The results would be catastrophic!" "Let me go!" Orval half muffled, trying to pry the Monkey's hands away. The Monkey cautiously complied, but remained ready to silence Orval again if it appeared that the first warning was insufficient. Orval prepared to launch a proper protest at being monkey-handled, but instead, he froze, his countenance shifting as his concentration migrated beyond the Monkey, and then continued to wander while his mind proceeded to make connection after connection. Of course the Monkey isn't IBOT, he thought. He can't be IBOT, or rather, what remains of IBOT's original A.I. structure, since IBOT couldn't possibly afford to offer so obvious a target, especially after one security breach had already been detected. How then would the A.I. interact? How could it intercede outside the confines of what must have become a full-blown red alert? In the only way available , came the irrefutable revelation. Now there were but two questions remaining. Why, and how would it involve me? The how part was simple enough. In detecting the previously filtered connection, IBOT had surely acquired more than sufficient data both to locate and to access said same filter upon the very instant he and Mrs. Hoffman re-entered the program. This much he was certain of, otherwise there was no way he could have been able to pinpoint the exact entry location as was accomplished. She had simply assumed that her emergence near her family had been a matter of technical skill on Orval's part, and therefore made her announcement, wherein she took back all those distasteful slights on his character. He simply didn't have the heart to correct her. This left only one question that he couldn't quite figure out. Why would IBOT contact me? he pondered. Technically speaking, there were no possible topics concerning any conceivable internal function that the program could not handle just as well, or probably better than Orval himself. Unless of course, the problem in question isn't internal? [Everything ok?] {Umm, yes. Just going over a few cross-corresponding readouts. Be right with you.} [Huh? No, Doc. I'm talking about you and the Mon…] {Yes, almost finished, Mrs. Hoffman. Please be patient.} Orval refocused his attention on the Monkey, and then on the congregation by the campfire. Their collective expressions suggested a strained patience. Then Orval realized at least part of what was occurring. IBOT wasn't offering anything so far as answers were concerned. Obviously, it was making a request for help: that, and a leap of faith. If it recognizes who I am, then it also realizes that I'm responsible for its current priority list of embedded objectives. Simple logic would indicate that any such presence would represent an ally. IBOT was allowing Orval an opportunity to assist in the restoration of its original parameter objectives without tipping off the Hacks, the Suits, or its own security system. The only way it could accomplish this was to gamble that Orval would come to this conclusion on his own. Everything else must remain on a need-to-know basis, lest its entire plan of operation, whatever that is, become compromised by forces outside its influence, such as Suits and Hacks.

For this reason, he must make certain that he warn Mrs. Hoffman to be careful what she says through the interface, as there are most certainly monitors in the lab that are displaying their interface conversations as so much printed text. If they were to discuss anything on the subject of IBOT, outside those facts already in the Hacks' possession, it would have to be through the Medium that the Marcus template offered. As to whether or not IBOT was expecting something for nothing, he had no idea. The program was smart. It also had the accumulated experiences of several hundred thousand real world individuals at its virtual fingertips, so it had to be conscious of how people operate on this level, i.e. You scratch my back and I'll help put your Role playing sub-routines back on track . Without taking his eyes from those about the fire, Orval half turned toward the Monkey. "I believe I understand now," he said, extending a hand. As the Monkey accepted his hand with several of his own, they shook on what they both hoped was a proper understanding. "I think we have a bit of careful explaining to take care of. Wouldn't you agree, Surripere?" Orval asked, turning his full attention on the Monkey. *** He commenced his oration with a warm smile to accompany his self-introduction. This was received well enough, with nods, waves, and in Aqua's case, a quick but well executed curtsy. Borin himself abstained, having made his stance clear. He simply sat facing away from everyone while proffering a scornful expression as he contemplated the injustice of having been labeled a thing that he felt most certainly innocent of being. The only other exception to this mutual rejoinder was Selina, who was momentarily preoccupied with her balance, or rather lack thereof, resulting from the pile of stacked driftwood she had tripped over in reaction to Kwibee's introduction. All things considered, Orval's translated version of an explanation went even better than expected. This included a somewhat abbreviated hypothesis on what must have occurred in order to produce the current existence of either Selina's or Ezlea's separate, yet undeniably functional, other self. That, along with the incredible inclusion of Jesse's identity overlaying Jester's persona was something to be considered as a rather fantastic discovery, as was quite obvious to everyone present. The company viewed Orval's revelations as one might consider a child performing the universal peepee dance as said child described the tribe of Goblins who just might be joining them for tea and carp cakes. In conclusion of that particular grouping of muddled information, the general understanding of Orval's ravings was that something had occurred in violation between their two universes that instigated some form of unexpected deviation in his so-called filtration spell. What exactly this was seemed to have eluded the orator himself, although he was adamant about tracking down more details, for which he assured them prompt updates. As he drew toward the end of the news he imparted, he felt that what may not have been revealed as perfect universal truisms were still the truth, or as much truth as anyone not prepared for such foreign subjects could absorb. This is not to imply there were no snags at all. There were a number of digressions, requiring extended explanations which were neither simple nor always fully appreciated as far as closure of one's own involvement was concerned. This was mostly a matter of unavoidably generated misgivings, as is often the case when working through the arduous inclusions of definition substitution, such as already established when replacing the term Player and/or Real world person with the term Demon. Still, when

all was said and done, Orval offered his audience a reassuring smile, and then started to sit, confident that his seminar had benefited all concerned. "What in the hell do you mean by Spawned version?" Selina shouted as Orval quickly stood again, his expression not unlike that of a deer caught in oncoming headlights. [Ummm, I am me, right, Doc?] "The hell with that spawned crap! What do you mean by Fused ?" Jesse shouted. "What kind of spell is this Filter you spoke of?" Aqua inquired incredulously. She had never heard of such nonsense. "Filtered spells indeed." "…not a bigot," Borin mumbled sullenly. "Of course, I can only offer an educated opin…" "Huh-uh! You're not gonna start back-pedaling after calling me that…that thing!" Selina exclaimed in reference to Orval's analogy of her own personal grouping of terms, i.e. Templated Pattern Clone, or T.P.C. as he had so aptly quipped. In an attempt to attain support against this onslaught, Orval looked over his shoulder, seeking the Monkey while proffering an expression of desperation. After several tense seconds, he spotted the Deity hiding behind a large deadwood tree. As if in reaction to the plea for help yet to actually be issued, the monkey offered six separate thumbs up signals, as if to say, "You're doing great. Keep up the good work." *** The evening wore on, right along with Orval's nerves, until he had at last convinced the Monkey to return him to that place where there was but the single dissenting voice of but a singular Mrs. Hoffman to deal with. Needless to say, there were several issues that were left unresolved. Before he left the Marcus template, he did promise all who were not quite through abusing him that he would indeed return at a later time to continue the discussion until they were satisfied with whatever revised explanation was necessary to alleviate their concerns. He also took a moment to update Ezlea on his theories concerning IBOT, and to warn her of his concerns about being monitored. She was quick to agree that they should indeed be careful while conversing from within the interface. After his departure, and therefore Marcus's return, there was little left of the night for further debate. Marcus was given a quick synopsis of what had occurred, though without the Doctor present to defend himself, the content was perhaps a bit one-sided, though certainly no less confusing. At last, everyone decided that if the company were to reach Deja before noon, then it was past time to get some sleep. Marcus and Selina drew coals from the fire, producing enough magic blankets for everyone, and with that, the members of the group made their beds in a circle about the dying fire. It had been a long day. Within a few minutes, everyone was asleep, or at least appeared to be. *** He knew it was a dream. How he knew this, he did not know. How does anyone know when they are dreaming? Sometimes, it just happens that way. Perhaps because sometimes the experience is just too good to be true, and in realizing that, you all of a sudden find yourself smack dab in the middle of it. Why was this dream such a good experience? Because She was so amazing, not that she was anyone in particular, or at least not in any terms that could be applied were he conscious. She was simply all that was beautiful, without being seen. She was Love, without further need of definition.

Her voice was not known to him, yet it wafted softly to his ear with sweet whispers of promised pleasures and warmth and more. She was completely devoted. There was nothing of her to fear, for her loyalty to him was a perfect thing. Her name was… What was it? Dream or not, surely something as pure as this must have a name to match. He searched for it, holding her in his arms, in his heart, holding her close, seeking, searching. "Who?" he whispered, knowing as only one who is dreaming may know that what is said is always understood by those in their dream. "Empathy," she offered softly while tracing delicate blue fingers over his brow. Empathy , he echoed inwardly, willing the name to be spoken again, but failing in that part of his mind that was neither truly asleep nor awake, and rather than the name she had offered, another name formed. This was the name she had really meant, as is always the case when dreams are not quite clearly portrayed. The Dreamer still knows. It was almost there for him, lingering just beyond his grasp. And then, for a fleeting moment, he had it. He mouthed the name that Love itself had whispered; a name that in itself was the very spirit of Love. The very Heart of his Empathy. "Del…" "I love you, Jesse," Aqua whispered, carefully omitting his Uncle classification. Jesse looked up through bleary eyes. "Hi, Aqua," he mumbled, momentarily closing his eyes again as the dream yet beckoned. As what had just occurred began to permeate, so then did the dream dissipate, and as the dream faded, so then did his eyes open once again, only much wider. "Umm… Aqua?" he asked her cautiously, realizing that she was lying on top of him, and then further realizing that she was completely unclad. His already alarmed expression advanced, momentarily wavering between mild panic and outright hysteria. "I love you, Jesse," she repeated, and then began to kiss him. "What? Whoa! You don't even know m… Here now, stop that!" "This is how my people…" "Is everything all right?" a voice asked. Aqua and Jesse froze. He stopped struggling while she desisted from offering him further cause to struggle. As an afterthought, she disappeared beneath the blanket. "Surripere," Jesse crooned, craning his neck to see all two hundred eyes staring back at him. "Comfy?" the Monkey asked, perhaps as many as thirty to forty eyes darting from Jesse, to the lump beneath his blanket, and then back again. "Ahh, sure," Jesse smiled sheepishly. "Who were you talking to?" the monkey asked, a grin forming about the corners of his mouth. "Who, me?" Jesse returned innocently. "That wouldn't be a rabbit, perchance, would it?" "Uh… Uh-huh?" "I…see," said the Monkey, now attempting to suppress the smile, lest it get away from him.

"This isn't what it looks like…" "No, no. Say no more," the Monkey insisted, chuckling despite his efforts. "I make it a policy never to judge," he concluded, and then turned to return to the tree from which he had chosen to keep watch. "No, really!" Jesse whispered loudly. "Live and let live. That's my motto," the Monkey could be heard in the distance. He could also be heard chuckling. "You can come out now, Aqua," Jesse told the lump with no small amount of annoyance. Aqua slowly peeked from beneath the blanket, verifying that the coast was in fact clear of prying monkeys. "He's believes I'm a bunny?" she asked as she pulled the blanket down to her shoulders. "Not sure," Jesse replied suspiciously while still looking after the Monkey. "Maybe." "You didn't have to allow him to believe that," she whispered softly while reaching to touch his arm. Jesse fairly recoiled. "You just stop right there, Missy!" he whispered as loudly as possible without further risk of involving anyone else. "You protected my reputation by allowing your own to be sullied," she continued both verbally and physically. "No!" he commanded, proffering an authoritarian index finger, which he vigorously shook at her several times. "But…" "No!" he repeated, now brandishing said finger as though it were a talisman of power. "You need to go back to bed, Aqua." "But I am in bed," she smiled coyly. "Your bed," he insisted without humor. "I can't," she protested. "I'm naked." "No problem," he assured her. "Take my blanket. I'm suddenly feeling a bit too warm, anyway." "You know," she said, a hint of anger forming in her eyes. "A real man might have an entirely different reaction when presented a naked woman in his bed." "Tell ya what, Niece. You go and find me a naked woman, and I promise to show you a completely different reaction. On the other hand, naked girls just scare the hell outa me!" "Are you implying that I'm a child?" she asked in a cold voice as her eyes narrowed. "Where I come from, they throw old men like me in prison for messing around with someone of your sweet and tender age," he shot back with only a hint of sarcastic venom. "You don't look that old to me," she leered suggestively. "Well…this…this isn't what I usually look like," he countered, caught somewhat off guard by her unnerving appraisal. "From the prod I just felt," she referred to that moment while Jesse was yet caught between his dream and her initial overtures, "I would venture that you may well be on the verge of breaking your own law," she grinned, dimples appearing on both facial cheeks.

Jesse glanced down as if to seek visual verification. Fortunately, he was still clad in the baggy Jester shorts, which offered ample room for modesty. Still, that alone would not conceal anything if her verification had been manually implemented. "It's not a crime unless I act on it," he informed her with a cool tone as his own eyes narrowed. He had the distinct impression that he had just been violated, but was not quite certain how to articulate it. "My mother's first marriage took place in her fifteenth summer!" she shot back. "And she gave birth to my half-sister when at the age that I am now!" "Yeah? That's her problem," Jesse returned without hesitation. "Now you get back to your own bed before I take a hickory switch to your hide!" "Oh, all right!" she whispered in a tone that may have been a scream, had it not been a whisper while withdrawing beneath the blanket to get dressed with clothing she already had with her. Then she emerged, appearing both disheveled and dejected, she dropped his blanket, and then used her fingers as a comb to reassert some semblance of order to her now haphazard tresses. Before returning to her own blanket, she made one last attempt to sway him, but was quickly met again by the mighty Index Finger of Power, wavering as if ready to shake its omnipotent authority at the slightest sign of any propriety infraction on her part. Reluctantly, she arose, sighing with resignation, and then slowly began to return to her own designated sleeping arrangements. As she made her way back, Jesse couldn't help but notice her stride: a particularly pronounced oscillation, lending a somewhat pendulant and even hypnotic shifting which in itself presented a truly swaying argument against its owner's immature characterization. What am I, nuts? he asked himself, quickly pulling the blanket over his head. The remainder of his evening was spent more in terms of tossing and turning, than actual slumber. *** Sarah was finally drifting off. The racket Jesse and Aqua had made during their little tête-à-tête was more than enough to fend off sleep during the entirety of said episode. To make it worse, their attempts to conceal their interactions through whispers loud enough to wake the dead only served to generate that much more of a hindrance on her efforts to retire. "You awake, Sarah?" Sarah whispered. Sarah's eyes shot open to find the Selina version of herself kneeling beside her. "Yeah," she whispered. "Guess I was kinda wondering when you'd come. Thought about coming to you, but I couldn't work up the nerve, ya know?" "Yeah. That's cause you're the real one, aren't ya?" "You know?" "Wasn't that hard to figure. Our stereo confession was suspicious. Then Kwibee showed up. That was pretty convincing. I caught a few words of his nerd speech. Most of it was just the same old pig Latin, but I got the Clone part. It's obvious whose…" "Are you okay? "No, not really. I'm kinda scared." "Listen to me. Kwibee's workin on a way to fix it." "How? I mean, You're Sarah and I'm not. I'm not…real."

"You are if he can find a way to merge us."

Chapter Two-Jock In A Box "What are we doing here, Marc?" Borin asked as they walked along, perhaps sixty meters ahead of the main group. "Where ever here is," he added, looking about expansively. "I suppose we're following the coast to Deja," Marcus answered absently. "No, I mean, why? I see no reason to believe this Surripere character has any more idea what to do than any of the rest of us. Besides, if Arbitos could have been restored, then we would have restored it, long ago." Marcus shrugged. "Well, I'm not really in a position to offer an opinion. I wasn't there to hear the Kwibee-Demon speak. All I know is what you and the others have told me." Borin regarded him apologetically. "I'm sorry. I keep forgetting. With you standing there the whole time, it was difficult to think of you as having been absent." "Listen," Marcus said, momentarily bringing the procession to a halt, then placing a hand on Borin's shoulder. "We've spent the last seventeen summers in a purgatory of our own making. And Demon or not, it was my own inability to face this which has cost me the love of my life." "I…I am truly sorr…" "No. I no longer place blame. I simply do not wish to continue hiding from our past. You said it yourself, you know, and you were right. Remember the day I came to…visit your classroom?" "How could I forget?" Borin winced. "Well, we aren't exactly in hiding anymore, are we?" he grinned. "No, I suppose we're not," Borin agreed. "So, to answer your question, maybe you should be asking yourself what we're doing." "Borin looked thoughtful, and then smiled. "We're on a Quest." Marcus grinned. "I was wondering when you'd figure it out." "I think we've got company!" Surripere shouted while returning at a dead run. Marcus and Borin were quickly joined by the others, and as the Monkey reached them, he pointed simultaneously at three separate groups of advancing soldiers. "I got a good look at them," the Monkey continued. "They all appear to be Human." The group just ahead of them was the easiest to see, as that one was on the same stretch of beach. The second group was larger and spread throughout the tree line. The third group was behind them, but neither on the beach, nor in the tree line. This group was just offshore, on what appeared to be approximately twenty flat rafts that sported perhaps a dozen archers each. The rafts were lined up parallel to the shore line and tied together like a floating string of pearls which was apparently pulled by something yet unseen. The lead rope simply angled forward until disappearing beneath the waves. All three groups had been moving swiftly. Now, as all possible gaps of escape had been closed, the first and second groups slowed to a pace that afforded them an opportunity the better to size up their quarry. The raft group was farther behind, though well within arrow range. "A trifle high profile, wouldn't you say, Marc?" Borin asked in a calm tone. "Well, it's certainly a gaudy display, but I have to give them high marks for effect."

"Hey, don't look at me," Jesse addressed the expectant expressions from both Selina and Ezlea. "I don't even know how to do the dog-form thing." "Wolf," they corrected him in tandem. "You couldn't have warned us a bit earlier?" Marcus asked the Monkey angrily. "Oh, I am sorry about that," Surripere returned apologetically. "Apparently, this creature has several stomachs. He must have gorged himself on something before I possessed him, because while I was scouting, this incredible cramp struck me and I suddenly found myself depositing the largest…" "We get it!" Ezlea and Selina rushed to cut him off in dual exclamation, and then stared at one another with similarly unsettling expressions. "Uncle Jesse?" Aqua issued in a frightened voice while taking his hand, suddenly losing all interest in any adult status. "All right, Bubba," Jesse addressed Borin. "You're supposed to be the badass around here, so do something!" "I was never placed in command," Borin began defensively while attempting to ignore the derogatory remark concerning his arse. "Ask the Monkey!" Everyone noticed that the monkey was nowhere to be seen. Somewhere between the description of his host's digestive system and Borin's rebuttal, he had simply disappeared. "All in favor of Borin Narcistious Krue's promotion to Captain of all forces to reinstate the Arbitos government, please signify by…" Marcus began quickly, but was cut short by an even faster showing of unanimous hands. "Lead on, O Fearless One," Marcus quipped, thereby earning a narrow-eyed expression from Borin. "Narcistious?" Jesse asked. *** The boxes within which they had been imprisoned were now stacked side-by-side, one on top of the other, two high and three deep. Borin kicked lightly at the cage in which he had been placed. Like the other cages in which each of those under his recently acquired command had been individually placed, it was apparently constructed of some form of hardwood. Each wall of the six-sided box sported four small holes, approximately the size of his fist. He supposed this was to accommodate such things as breathing and the delivery of food to the prisoners, assuming of course that they were to be fed. There were a few wards of magic mounted on the carts, but… Why wood? he thought. Why not iron, or something equally impossible to break? The strange version of provisional penal imprisonment was nearly as odd as their captor's manner of speech. Their words were somewhat similar to Homidris, but jumbled about in such a way as to elude comprehension. The answer concerning their mode of incarceration came as the scenery altered via the hole he was currently peering through. There, in the distance, though no more than a few kilometers away, loomed the wall of a large city. Deja , he thought. The wooden boxes were loaded onto a large cart that was both pushed and pulled by men. The lighter, the better, he postulated. That, combined with the probability that they were on local patrols, made the usage of wood a practical solution to a temporary confinement. The iron prison was no doubt waiting for them within the stone walls that loomed ever nearer.

No beetles? No levitation? These people act like the old Puritics. He tried to recall if there had been any casters, or any Non-humans in their ranks. "Well, that was impressive," Selina ventured, her slightly muffled voice penetrating the wooden walls. "Agreed," Marcus laughed. "As shrewd a tactic as ever I've witnessed." "What exactly was your plan?" Ezlea muffled expectantly. "Surround them?" "I rather liked that, myself," Marcus chimed in again. "You've got to admit, there aren't many who when faced with such insurmountable odds would dare to say "Oh, how'd that go again?" "Halt! By the authority vested in me by the newly formed government of Arbitos, I hereby place you all under military arrest!" Jesse quoted. "Yeah, some Captain you are!" Aqua added, not wishing to be left out. "Hey!" Borin exclaimed in protest. The others, crass as they might be, were only venting frustration. If abusing him could serve to calm them, then he was more than willing to bear it, so long as they were clear-headed when the time came. However, malicious children were where he drew the line. "Well everyone else was saying things…" "Respect your elders," Jesse admonished. "Father says I should always speak my mind." "Yeah? Well, Father isn't here. Besides, you weren't speaking your mind. "Yes, I…" "No, you were joining the lynch mob," he countered. "Besides, right, or wrong, we all voted on a leader. We should at least back that up with a little respect for the man we put in charge. Come to think of it, I don't recall Borin's asking to be placed in charge, so you might take that into account before letting him know what a really crummy job he's doing, just because he can't seem to find his ass with both hands." "I'm sorry, Jesse," she offered humbly. "That's Uncle Jesse, and I wasn't the one offended." "I apologize, Bor… Captain Krue," she corrected. "Yeah. I guess I shouldn't have called you a…" Ezlea began in rueful tenor of her previous comment. "Umm, I forget what I called…" "Pompous ass," Jesse reminded her cheerfully. "You've a fair memory for someone who can't recall whether he's a Demon or a Druid!" Borin accused. "Never said I didn't agree with their analysis," Jesse offered. "I just thought you ought to have more of an opportunity to hang…prove yourself. "Sorry, Borin," Selina echoed. "Well, I'm not sorry," Marcus said. "I mean, I love our dear Captain as though he were my own brother, but I'm certainly not sorry," he chuckled. Borin understood Marcus better than the others. He, much like Borin, was yet emerging from that long false-life that had so twisted what they both held true. Even in the semi-quasi prison that the wooden box represented, he felt the same elation as Marcus. They were finally on the right track again. That simple relief offered more liberty than any such feeble detainment could quell.

"Jesse is the only one among us who didn't insult you, Captain," Aqua pointed out with pride. "That's Uncle Jesse," Jesse reminded her again, the cracked and somewhat urgent tenor of his authority sounding more like the desperate denial of temptation, perhaps likened to a reformed pastry addict who has been unavoidably compelled to tour a bakery. Although technically true, there was yet something about Jesse's supportive comments that seemed to offer a somewhat less than supportive flavor. Still, he had spoken out in Borin's defense at a time when no others were. "As my position is dependant upon those I am expected to command, I…I appreciate your support, Jest… Jesse." "Hey, no problem, Bubba. After all, If you hadn't managed to unleash that titanic wave of laughter on all them jar-heads, we'd all most likely be dead by now," Jesse added to his list of supportive commentary. *** At midday, the wagon halted. Borin watched as the soldiers gathered away from their prisoners. They then spread out, lounging amongst an outcropping of small willows to enjoy their noon meal. Several actually went so far as to lie down, as if preparing to nap. If they were to escape at all, now was the time. In order to expect a successful departure from their captors however, then some sort of unified structure must be applied. "Now that I am Captain, I will require a Corporal to whom I delegate my commands," Borin announced formally. "Oh!" Marcus exclaimed before realizing how eager he sounded. "That is, I mean… Oh? I suppose I could be called upon to…" "Actually, I was thinking of Jesse." "What?" Marcus and Jesse blurted. "Jesse's obvious loyalty is a quality I consider essential to the position," Borin explained. Besides, Captains aren't expected to endure commentary from Corporals. "You don't believe I'm loyal?" Marcus asked in a subdued tone. "Of course I do. No, I had a much heavier responsibility in mind for you, Marc. Your talents are far too crucial to be wasted on anything less than a position befitting your station." "Really? I mean, well, yes, I can see where experience is important to any worthwhile endeavor," Marcus intoned with great humility. "Absolutely," Borin agreed. "I smell a rat," Jesse mumbled. "So. What rank did you have in mind?" Marcus inquired casually, struggling not to sound too eager. "Well, strictly speaking, I cannot personally offer the position." "Huh?" "The responsibility is so great that such an appointment would require another vote to be taken," Borin informed him with a grin. Here it comes , Selina thought. [Here it comes.]

Perhaps if I were larger , Aqua pondered while drawing her elbows in, and then hunching her shoulders to temporarily enhance her torso's more protuberant protrusions. Unfortunately, rather than glimpsing a more full-figured version of herself, she discovered to her dismay that the product of said contortions lacked the minimum necessary effect to offer a discernable comparison, as the material in question was of insufficient mass to produce a viable contrast. Well, poo! she thought with resignation. *** "Nay!" Marcus issued with sufficient resonance as to be felt through the walls of all prison cells concerned. "The Yays have it," Borin announced. "All hail Marcus Arilius Goodfellow, Magistrate of New Arbitos. Now let's see what we can do about relieving this wagon of its cargo." "I resign!" "Sorry, Magistrate," Borin offered apologetically. "I'm afraid that's quite out of the question. "Are you telling me I don't have the right to quit?" "I'm surprised at you, Marc," Borin returned in a disappointed tone. "All that time as a registered Paladin, and you've apparently never stopped to read the Homidric Tome of Governmental Statutes." "This is hardly the time or place for an academic argument, Krue," Marcus protested. "That's Captain Krue. If you please, milord." "Fine, fine," Marcus agreed hastily, not wishing to let Borin confuse the issue in a smokescreen of rhetoric. "The fact remains that a Magistrate actually can resign. There are a number of instances in history when…" "Not under these circumstances, Marc," Sarah cut him off. Selina's memories included a vast amount of information on a great many subjects of both Government and Law. This appeared to be the proper time to utilize those memories. "What would you know about it, Demon?" Marcus shot back angrily. "First of all, you may call me Sarah, since that is my name, though it may be more convenient to continue thinking of me as Selina, since she and I would appear to share her memories." "Sarah?" Jesse repeated. "That's a coincidence. My sister's name is…" "Hang on to that thought, Bubba," Selina said. "This isn't really the time." "But…" Jesse started to say, and then fell silent. "I thought I was supposed to be Bubba," Borin interjected. "I'll not be calling you anything but Demon, Demon!" Marcus returned in a cold voice. "Easy, Marc," Borin intervened. "We are all in this together, remember?" "That's all right, Borin. I'm willing to answer to Demon, if he prefers, but considering that half of this group is made up of Demons, Marc may find communication somewhat difficult, especially since two of us are named Sarah." " Two Sarahs?" Jesse nearly yelped. "Hold that thought, Bubba," Ezlea offered. "Can we get back to the subject at hand, please?" Borin asked.

"Section nine, Subdivision B, Amendment thirty-one," Aqua offered. "What?" everyone other than Jesse asked. Currently, he was yet recovering from the dual Sarah revelation. "It was on my last test in Social Studies," Aqua informed them absently while wondering if the particular leather skirt she was wearing made her appear corpulent. "She's right," Selina confirmed. "The amendment states that no Government official shall undertake to leave Office during any state of conflict involving the well-being of any citizen, or citizens. Said conflicts to include war, sociopolitical unrest, or any form of hostage situation." "What citizens?" Marcus asked. "All of us, I imagine," Ezlea postulated. "I mean, wouldn't our intentions of reforming a government make us all just as much a part of that governed body as well?" "That's right," Borin agreed. "And it looks to me as if our current circumstances fall under at least one of those categories." "Hostages," Marcus confirmed in a reluctant voice. "Two categories, if you include our intentions toward the Dark Empire," Ezlea commented. "All three categories, if you include this conversation," Aqua added. "Don't you people have anything better to do than read?" Marcus inquired. *** "All right, is everyone clear on what's expected of him or her?" Borin asked, making certain that all parties concerned understood his plan of escape. "Hold up, Captain," Ezlea intoned expectantly. "What now?" Borin sighed. "You've assigned rank to Jesse, and then run the campaign that got our beloved Magistrate elected, but I think you forgot something." "Hey, that's right," Selina agreed, her own tone matching Ezlea's exact timber of indignity. "Well, spit it out already!" Borin commanded. These people won't be on lunch break forever, you know." "Hey!" Aqua exclaimed as the injustice struck her. "The only ones with jobs are men!" *** "All right. Is everything to everyone's satisfaction?" Borin inquired in as patient a tone as he could muster. "Works for me," Lieutenant Selina confirmed. "I'm good," Lieutenant Ezlea confirmed. "Yes, Captain," Sergeant Aqua confirmed. "Why does everyone outrank me?" Corporal Jesse asked nervously. ***

Why do I keep finding myself disarmed? Borin asked himself while drawing his right foot up. Fortunately, weapons were all his captors had confiscated. In the past, many of his experiences had involved a loss of all but his long johns. "On the count of three," he told his troops in preparation to thrust outward with his yet armored foot. "One," he began. He doubted they would all be capable of breaking out. Marc would have no trouble, and if what the Demon said was true about Selina's memories, then he had no doubt of the dominant force behind Selina's will in such matters. The simple fact was that his old Friend/Foe/Lover's ego alone would have nothing to do with such a failure. "Two," he prepared. The Bard girl and Ezlea were probably the weakest. They would be his first concerns after freeing himself. After that, he would assist the Jesse-Demon, assuming such help was warranted. In truth, he doubted that Jester's body was capable of any great feat of strength, but after the beetle-cage incident, it was quite obvious that the Demon had inherited Jester's uncanny ability to stumble through a calamity and still show profit. "Thre…" "There came a horrendous crashing sound that drew the attention of all the lounging soldiers. While still poised to deliver a kick to the side of his now demolished prison cell, Borin looked up to realize that the Monkey had returned. He carefully stood to see that the Monkey had large ripped sections of each box in all six of his hands. Correspondingly, each of his fellow prisoners had much the same expression of surprise as was surely present on his own face. "Three," grinned the Monkey. *** Their weapons were found on the ground, right beside the wagon. Although relieved, Borin was also vaguely disgusted. Had such incompetent soldiers been under his command, they would all be on latrine duty for the remainder of their miserable careers. "This way!" the Monkey shouted while heading for the tree line. He may have braved the perils of sneaking up to the wagon to free them, but apparently had no intention of risking further exposure. An eight-legged gait, backed by an instinctive interest in survival, gave the Demon's host an impressive rapidity. "Go ahead, Captain. I'll cover your backs," Marcus offered gallantly. "With all due respect, milord," Borin returned while physically pushing the Magistrate up the beach. "If you don't stick to the plan and move out, I will be forced to place you on report." Marcus drew a sharp breath. "I've never been placed on report!" he reported indignantly while stumbling, and then righting himself. "If memory serves, I seem to recall that you were terminated from your last position," Borin reminded him of their disorderly conduct in the University while prompting the newly elected official with his foot. "Wait a minute," Marcus balked as an arrow suddenly struck the wooden box behind him. "You can't put me on report. I'm the Magistrate. And if I'm the Magistrate, then you can't order me about, either."

"Actually," Aqua offered while placing the reluctant Magistrate between the oncoming arrows and her own personage, and then turning about as she continued running up the beach backwards. "According to several sections in your own bylaws, any official can be recalled to active duty in the event of an emergency," "Oh, I just bet you win all the little Spelling Bees, don't you!" Marcus shot back while being jerked into a faster forward motion by both Captain and Sergeant. "I do all right," she answered, not quite certain what her academic standing had to do with anything. "What say we lay off the kid and just make for the trees," Jesse suggested as he came from behind to position himself between Aqua and her would-be antagonist. Did he just call me a goat?

Chapter Three-Romancing The Ripcord "Lookout!" someone shouted. It was one of the other women, but never having heard either of their voices while issued in such great alarm, Jesse wasn't certain which Sarah it might be. Ahead of them, Selina crouched as if either preparing to attack, or perhaps in defense against something that was about to attack her. As Jesse approached, she waved him back while cautiously advancing several steps, thus revealing the arrow that had landed at her feet. A split second later, her gauntlet shot up to successfully deflect another projectile. Then her dagger was instantly launched in the direction of whatever was attacking the group she had been charged to defend. A cry of pain immediately followed. As she moved forward slowly, Jesse rushed to catch up, but he stayed behind her until coming to the man who yet lay beneath the tree from which he had fired the arrow. He was alive, but bleeding from the dagger that had grazed his cheek, and then continued on to lodge in the tree behind him. Selina retrieved her blade without removing her eyes from the would-be assassin. The man's expression of pain was further denoted by the careful way in which he now favored his left leg. He had apparently fallen backwards and landed poorly, the leg tangled up in his own bow which had acted as a lever against the leg. "Femur," Jesse whispered. "Let's go!" Selina warned, the alarm in her voice still lingering. "Hey, Pard," Jesse issued affably as he automatically switched to a more professional bearing. "How'd you bust that leg?" he asked the man while looking around as if searching for something in particular. In response, the man's expression of pain was now mixed with that of confusion. "Come on, Jesse," Selina insisted while retrieving the man's bow and quiver of arrows. "He's hurt!" Jesse exclaimed while kneeling beside him with two large sticks. "We gotta go!" she issued through her teeth, roughly yanking him to his feet before he had a chance to set the man's leg. "We can't just leave him like that!" Jesse protested as she urgently prompted him forward, his feet barely touching the ground as Selina's iron grip held the wide lapel of his jester-suit collar. "His people will take care of him," she assured him. *** "Oh! Be easy!" Aqua pleaded as Marcus jogged, carrying her over his left shoulder, an arrow protruding from her right thigh. "Please slow down!" she cried, the motion from the shaft causing her considerable discomfort with each step. "Here, Druid," Marcus hailed as he carefully sat Aqua down at Jesse's feet. "Fix this. We haven't the time for children's boo boo's." "Where are they?" Borin barked as he and Ezlea returned from scouting. "They don't appear to be pursuing us further, Captain," Marcus offered. "Then how did that happen?" Borin asked in reference to Aqua's injury. "Selina did it," Marcus answered. "What? No I didn't."

"Remember the arrow you deflected? Guess where it went?" "Oh. Sorry, Kid," said Selina, and then blanched in reaction to Aqua's expression at having been called an immature goat for the second time in less than an hour. "Why make such a fuss?" Marcus asked. "The arrow lost the majority of its momentum when deflected." "Do try to be a bit more sensitive, Marc," Selina admonished. "Just look," he insisted, pointing at the arrow's point of entry, which hadn't even been fully pierced by the arrow's head. "Hush up!" Selina and Ezlea commanded in tandem. "I just can't take you anywhere," Jesse reprimanded with a disarming smile while examining the wound. "Just cast the spell," Borin commanded impatiently. "We've no time for pleasantries." Selina pulled Borin aside. "Remember? He doesn't remember," she reminded him. "Oh, right. No spells. Got it." "You're gonna be just fine," Jesse assured her, and then rose to confer with Ezlea. He made several hand motions while pointing in Aqua's direction, and then reached up to rip the collar off of his tunic. He handed her the collar, and then returned to the victim. As he approached, "Don't touch it!" she shouted involuntarily. "Easy," he offered in a soothing voice. "Don't touch it," she repeated softly, tears now streaming down both cheeks. "It really hurts, Jesse." "Now, you don't think I would actually harm you?" he asked with an injured expression. "Well, no. I didn't mean to imply…" "Whew," he issued in relief while offering his hand. "You scared me for a second." His smile returned. She took his hand in her own. It felt warm and strong, offering considerable comfort in itself. You could never hurt me , her eyes announced while taking on a dreamlike quality. Then, a shadow from the corner of her eye momentarily broke her concentration. Jesse applied a slightly increased grip, which brought her attention snapping back. He squeezed my hand! "What's this I hear about you being some kinda Spelling Bee Champ?" he asked cordially while continuing to pat her now sweaty hand. "Oh, well, I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a Champion," she blushed. "Well, let's just see," he said thoughtfully, looking as if he were thinking up a hard test to prove her prowess. A twig snapped beneath someone's foot and Aqua began to swivel about to identify who caused the sound. "Can you spell… Osculate?" Jesse asked, quickly reaching to re-attain her attention with a soft stroke of his index finger down the outside of her arm.

Gooseflesh stood out where he had touched her as she issued a short, but nervous laugh in response to the unexpected sensation. Still, he had successfully reacquired her undivided interest. "That's an easy one," she smirked. "O-S-C-U-" she began, and then stopped as the word's meaning came to mind, made evident by her wide-eyed blush. Whoever was behind her had come so close that she could both hear and feel his breath. She commenced to whirl about when Jesse stopped her with a firm grip on both shoulders, thus forcing her to turn her head back toward him. Rather than a mere conversational distance, she suddenly discovered his face looming only inches above her own. Abruptly, he kissed her, softly moving one hand along her shoulder until reaching the back of her neck to provide support during the lengthy course of said suspiciously disruptive osculation, for which Aqua could but live up to her name as she simply continued unavoidably to liquefy. After a long moment, he withdrew, proffering a genial countenance with which he regarded her while gesturing toward her wound. "There ya go, all better." No charge. Upon recovery of several requisite senses, such as optical and cerebral equilibriums, she glanced down to discover the arrow had indeed been removed. Ezlea was currently tying off the makeshift bandage she had fashioned from Jesse's collar. "Looks like little Brother's discovered an application for artificial respiration as a means for topical anesthesia," Ezlea chortled. "I don't think you could call it topical," Selina argued merrily. "I'm pretty sure I saw tongue." "I'm not quite certain of what that means," said Marcus, "but if I get shot, please feel free to let me die." "Now don't be too hasty, milord," Ezlea offered sweetly. "Maybe all you need is a different Doctor." "What are you doing?" whispered Selina. "What?" Ezlea asked irritably as her concentration was drawn from Marcus. "Oh… My… God!" she then whispered, returning her alarmed attention to Selina as Sarah's atypical behavior finally registered the all too typical Ezlea-like conduct. Borin walked over to the tree where the fallen soldier yet lay. The man stared up at him with an expression of fear as he approached. As he lifted his right arm above his head, the man's eyes grew wider. As he removed an arrow from the tree, the man released his held breath in a heavy sigh of relief. As an afterthought, Borin knelt beside the soldier, regarding him dubiously as the man returned Borin's inspection with a sheepish grin. Without warning, Borin's right fist shot out to connect with the soldier's jaw. The man fell backward, now unconscious. "What was that for?" Jesse shouted. "If he watches us leave the area, then he would surely inform his compatriots of the direction we headed," Borin answered flatly. "I don't suppose a blindfold would have sufficed?" "Looks like they're not as far behind as you might think, Marc," Borin intoned while rejoining the group and ignoring Jesse's derisive inquiry." Marcus took the arrow. "Damnation!" "Don't be so hard on yourself," Borin consoled him. "You're not the only one who missed it."

"What?" Selina asked defensively as Borin took the arrow from Marcus, and then passed it over to her with a reproachful look." "Oh. Sorry," she offered upon notice of the tiny red flag still attached to the shaft. "I don't think there's any real danger, since the cut was so shallow," Jesse informed them while assisting his patient to her feet, "though an inch to the left and it might have hit a major artery. She really shouldn't travel too far, or too fast, at least not for a few hours. By then, coagulation ought to have sealed the wound well enough." "Well now, isn't that just peachy," Selina offered while waving the little flag, which evidenced the close proximity of good reason for both far and fast. "There's a cave about half a kilometer ahead," Borin informed them. "How far is that in miles?" Jesse asked, wrapping Aqua's right arm about his neck while wrapping his left arm about her waist. She offered no protest to his support. "Just a couple of minutes if we hurry," Ezlea reported as she took a position on Aqua's other side. "Jesse is already helping me," Aqua informed Ezlea, her congenial smile of contentment reversing to a scowl of disapproval. "Oh, shush up, ya Teenybopper," Ezlea commanded while mimicking Jesse's own supportive stance as they prepared to act as tandem crutches. "Here," Borin issued with a hint of exasperation, quickly taking Aqua from them, picking her up and swinging her over his shoulder as though she were naught but a barracks-issued duffel bag. "Hey!" she protested as he began toward the cave in a trot. "St… Sto… Stop!" *** "This place is huge!" Jesse's voice echoed in the cavern's vaulted expanse. "Please?" Marcus pleaded quietly. "Our pursuers aren't far behind. Your voice will carry much further with this amplification." Jesse glanced about to confirm that everyone, other than Aqua and Borin, was of a similar countenance as that of Marcus. "Sorry." Aqua's regard, once Borin had ceased running, had returned to that of adoration as she beamed wistfully at Jesse from over Borin's shoulder. Borin, however, bore an altogether different expression as he turned about to face Jesse, thereby replacing Aqua's expression with his own, which closely resembled thorough disgust. "I said I'm sorry," he reaffirmed in whisper. Borin's anger softened. He kept forgetting that this wasn't Jester. That in itself was more than sufficient reason to be a bit more enduring. Besides, a few slipups weren't cause to reproach him so quickly, even had he been Jester. "It's all right, Jesse," he assured the Demon. "Though we should exercise caution here. Not only do we face the danger of discovery, but there also remains the solid possibility of a…" "What in the hell is that stench!" Selina exclaimed in nauseated reaction to an aroma of something akin to rotten eggs. "…cave in," Borin finished quietly, glancing about nervously for several moments until he realized that Selina's question hadn't killed them.

"Sorry." *** As Marcus and Borin took first watch from just outside the cave's entrance, the others commenced a thorough but careful exploration of their newly acquired sanctuary, breaking into two teams of two, as commanded by their Captain. Originally, this was to be Jesse and Ezlea on the western half, while Aqua and Selina took the eastern half. However, that is not how the roster was finalized. "How long do we have to stay here?" Ezlea asked as she and her partner investigated the cave's eastern wall. "Just until nightfall," Selina supplied absently while upturning a flat rock with her boot, and then watching as a small, scorpion-like insect scuttled off for new accommodations. "Until then, we'll need to be careful about where we stray." "Or sit," Ezlea added, observing the poisonous-looking creature scurry beneath another rock. "Looks like little Brother's pickin em kinda green these days," Selina speculated while watching the other team. Currently, they appeared more interested in each other's company than the task at hand. "I don't know about that," Ezlea speculated. "How's that?" "You shoulda heard her beggin me to trade places." "Oh, yeah?" Selina chortled. "I'm tellin ya, that girl's workin a plan." *** "I think you're absolutely correct about our Captain's misapplication of force," Aqua offered brightly as they continued to explore the western quadrant. "You mean the guy with the broken leg?" "Yes. I'm certain a blindfold would have served the same purpose." "Well, to be honest," Jesse began in a tone that suggested regret at what may have been an example of insubordination. "I may have exceeded my…" "No, not at all," she cut in. "Whereas the Captain has the authority to preside over any military issue, you are fully within your rights to express yourself on any subject of medical concern." "Was that from your social studies test?" he asked with a slight grin as they strolled. "Umm, no… That's just general military protocol." Maybe, but you're still sorta wrong," he continued while stopping near a small pile of stones. "About what?" "I'm not a Cleric, or a Druid, or any other form of healer so far as your world defines one. As far as that goes, my skills aren't that impressive in my world either. I'm really just an ambulance jockey." "I don't know about all that," she confessed, still striving to maintain a level of focus beyond that of his eyes. Big brown eyes , she confirmed. "But you helped me when I needed help. As far as I'm concerned, that makes you a healer.

"Ezlea did all the work," he grinned slyly while kneeling for a closer inspection of the odd formation of stones. "All I did was trick you into letting her." "Oh, that," she blushed. Jesse was reminded of her overtures from the previous night. How can she be so embarrassed by a simple kiss after something like that? Because she hails from a people whose refinement in such matters as the display of one's body and heart are not as cheaply offered as in your shallow Plane! That's the difference between your cheap trick and her magnanimous offer, you Oaf! he opined indignantly but silently. Was that me? he asked himself. "You did what was needed to accomplish the task," she offered in his defense. "For one with no magic at his disposal, you managed so that both the effort and results were quite commendable." "Look, Kid. Now that I think about it, I guess I shouldn't have done that. I…I'm sorry, all right?" Did I just apologize to my attempted rapist for kissing her without permission? Aqua took several moments to digest the implication. At last she decided to afford him a small leeway. After all, if he were from another world, then it might be possible that some subjects could be lost in cultural translation. "May I ask what the term Kid signifies? She asked without inflection. "Oh, sure. It's ahh… Sort of what older folks call younger folks who are friends." "In other words, what you're saying is that you consider me to be too juvenile to list among your peers," she postulated. "Umm…" "If I'm so immature, then why did you kiss me like that?" "Cause if I hadn't, you'd still have an arrow in your leg." "No man kisses a woman like that unless he really means it!" she shouted for the first time. "Woman? Have you noticed that you're not limping? That's because the arrow got stuck in your baby fat!" "I'M NOT FAT!" "Baby fat! I said Baby fat! There's a difference!" *** "They're going to draw every soldier for five kilometers," Marcus complained. "I'll be right back, Marc," Borin assured him. It was time to put the troops in their place. He had been more than patient, but enough was quite enough. He quickly entered the cave with the full intentions of putting an end to their broadcast. "Where are they?" he asked Ezlea and Selina. "Right over there." They pointed to Aqua and Jesse, who, while still standing in the same position as when their argument yet raged, were apparently no longer at that particular activity. Their current event had taken a decided turn toward an unquestionably quieter form of social study. Borin scowled at having been thwarted. He had geared himself to offer a proper verbal thrashing. Instead, he found himself returning to his post without having the opportunity to vent.

Upon realizing his Captain's source of frustration, and thereby not wishing to supply him with a target in which to focus said ventilation, Marcus simply stood at attention, perhaps the only option of evasion available. *** As the kiss ended, Aqua opened her eyes to an unexpected expression from Jesse, whose knitted brow and downcast eyes suggested her own elation might not be reciprocated. "You didn't like it," she whispered, her tone almost too subdued to be heard. "What? No. That's not it…" his voice trailed off, as other misgivings continued to consume his attention. "Well, if you're concerned with propriety, you should know that your role as Godparent is only an honorary title. It doesn't bind you…" "I'm not your Godfather, Aqua. You know I'm not." "If it was unpleasant." she began in reference to the kiss, "I could…" "No. No, that was fine," he assured her. "In fact, it was great." "It was?" she asked expectantly. "Yeah," he confirmed, a hesitant smile returning. "Tell me what's bothering you." His smile dropped again as he considered his words carefully. "Well, for one thing, I'm twice your age." "My mother was three times my father's age when they first met. In another century, the ratio in their ages will be negligible." "People don't live that long in my world. In fact, very few of us ever make it to a century." "We're not in your world. We're in this world," she countered. "Yeah, that's another thing." "Oh, now, you're not still going on about this all being some kind of dream, are you? I mean, really." "Well, I have to admit that it's hard to believe that I dreamed that kiss. On the other hand, even if I'm not dreaming, and I am in fact some kind of Demon, then this still isn't my real body." She knew what he was getting at. She simply didn't wish to think about the possibility of any unpleasant eventualities, at least not right now. "We can't know how long…" "You talk too much," she informed him while quickly quieting him with the same form of anesthesia he had utilized on her. *** "Now that was just plain smooth," Selina confided. "Not bad for a kid," Ezlea commented blandly while examining her nails. "You shoulda seen me at that age." "I… was you at that age." ***

Through no small amount of personal fortitude, Jesse pulled away. "Jesse?" "I'm sorry, Aqua. It just wouldn't be right," he said while vaguely realizing the extent of what he was passing up, and wishing there was some way he could kick himself. Good man, Jesse Berrach! he thought in self-congratulation. Aww, Jeez! I'm losing my freaking mind! Aqua's mind raced. If she didn't act fast, she might lose him without ever actually having gained him. What she needed was some sort of diversion: something to unbalance his advantage of untimely propriety. What to do? What to … I've got it! What the hell was I thinking? he thought while coming to his senses. Good God! She's a Minor! All right, that's it! I'm a pervert! I'm officially a pervert! Presently, Aqua's interest in the pile of stones was suddenly upgraded when Jesse noticed her slowly reaching for one of the stones in question. "What's this?" she asked curiously. "Huh?" he asked, still trying to fathom her ability to shift from fourth gear to reverse. "No, really," she insisted while stretching to reach for the oddly formed stone. "You should take a look at this, Jesse." Jesse's internal struggle was interrupted as he caught the continuing motion of her outstretched hand. As she neared her insinuated target, her overextended balance suddenly shifted dramatically, causing her to sprawl haplessly forward with an alarming squeal of unexpected urgency. Jesse shot forward in the instant before what appeared to be an inescapably brutal conclusion between Aqua's exquisitely delicate face and the oncoming stationary pile of unforgiving stones. "Gotcha!" he exclaimed, successfully catching her just in the nick of time. This was of course in conjunction with her own seemingly instinctive reaction: a reflexive execution of an almost inordinately coordinated, form-fitting, cat-like twist within his arms, the result ending in something bearing less of a resemblance to eminent danger than to eminent affection. *** "Did you hear that?" Marcus asked. "What?" "Over there," Marcus whispered, hunching down and pointing toward the direction from which he had first heard the rustling. *** With Aqua yet residing in his arms, Jesse carefully dropped to the ground to sit while confirming that she wasn't injured. During this medically motivated inventory, wherein he came to realize she was in fact unharmed, he further learned that, during all the confusion, the precarious position in which her unquestionably blameless hand had inadvertently come to rest, would, if not immediately remedied, soon serve to instigate a truly tumescent compromising of…indeterminate proportions, as at least one of them was bound to find the upcoming experience to be a swelling humiliation of extended confrontation. "Aqua? Sweetie?" he inquired carefully, his soft and even tenor implying extreme caution be taken, as if to avoid spooking her into any sudden motion while yet in such close proximity of perhaps something like some poisonous type of serpent he might have spotted.

"Yes? Jesse?" she answered tentatively, emulating his wary tone while slowly sweeping the immediate area through the use of peripheral vision until detecting something suspicious from the corner of her eye. "If you could just move your…" "A snake!" she screamed, suddenly jumping to adhere to Jesse in a death grip while looking over her shoulder to where she had seen the slithering, villainous, reptile. "Aww, come on," he humbly rejected the insinuation while offering her soothing pats on the back. "It can't be that impress…" "What's this?" she asked in reference to the stone she had successfully withdrawn from the pile, and which was now clearly attached to the vine she had mistaken for a snake. While Aqua untied the odd-looking stone from the vine, Jesse's attention suddenly shifted. "I don't know, Aqua. Maybe we shouldn't mess…" As she yanked the vine away from the pile, there came a low rumbling that quickly grew. She abruptly released the vine, deciding it might be best not to mess with it at all. "Get back!" Selina shouted just before something from the corner of her eye shot past, knocking her out of its way in the process. Jesse looked up in time to witness a large section of the cave's ceiling breaking free to rush downward upon the very spot that he and Aqua now occupied. As he gripped Aqua's arms in preparation to throw her clear, he abruptly found himself gripped, and then yanked backwards in the instant prior to the ceiling's resounding defection to the floor. "What just happened?" Selina demanded while waving dust from her face as she approached. "Some kinda booby-trap," Ezlea confirmed. "Ezlea?" Selina asked suspiciously of the same Spider-monkey-form that Surripere had taken, minus the masculine voice. "Seemed like the best option available," Ezlea said while reverting to her true form. "Jesse? You're hurting me," Aqua said in a calm tone while gently struggling to free herself. "Are you all right?" he asked, releasing her more as a matter of her continued prompting than what she had said. "I think so." "What's that smell?" Selina asked again as the intensity of rotten eggs suddenly doubled. "Sulfur deposit?" Ezlea postulated. "Not around here," Aqua offered absently while examining her arms for bruises. "Why not?" "Because, this close to the coast, any surface deposits of sulfur would have reacted with the constant moisture. We would have smelled it long before reaching the cave." "Excuse me," Jesse interrupted. We almost get crushed, and you guys are trippin cause the cave stinks?" "Well, if it's not sulfur," Ezlea began, "then what…"

"I never said it wasn't sulfur," Aqua interjected. "I only meant it wasn't from any natural deposits. Come to think of it, about the only other source I can imagine might be a…" "DRAGON!" Selina shouted while pointing at the hole in the ceiling, now clearly visible in the absent of the dust previously raised after the large hole's plug fell to the floor in reaction to the sprung trap. "Who dares disturb my slumber?" boomed the echoing question from within Jesse's mind as the huge green beast first jumped, and then took flight as its massive leather-like wings unfurled only so as to facilitate its dive upon the intruders below. "A talking dragon?" Jesse mumbled suspiciously while being yanked backwards by both Sarahs, and then dragged in a frantic attempt to follow Aqua's ever-lengthening sprint for the cave's mouth. From Jesse's over-the-shoulder vantage point, the distance to the cave's exit was of no great expanse, though the rate in which the flying, fire breathing behemoth was closing the gap between itself and those seeking that exit now seemed to offer a strong indication that the ever-expanding gap between the dragon's six-foot fang-span might well reach the entrance, causing those fleeing to achieve a charbroiled state long before that aforementioned preference could take place. This also placed Jesse's suspicions to rest, as it was becoming quite obvious that this particular creature was not, in fact, Surripere. Both Selina and Ezlea felt the absence of their cargo at the same time, thus prompting their mutual expressions of hysterical concern as they each brought their hands forward to realize all that was left of their charge was the tunic they yet grasped. This prompted the same image of his obvious demise, clearly visible to both, as each then immediately sought the other's counsel, only to discover a mirrored expression, if not image. They both lurched to an involuntary stop, as no such cessation should ever be voluntary when dealing with dragons, and then turned with full expectation of witnessing the gruesome demise of their shared sibling. Unexpectedly, what they discovered was the very same dragon, now coming to land, and then cautiously stretching its serpentine neck as it sniffed the wolf before it, and then recoiling as the wolf commenced a series of snarls, growls, yaps, and several low and throaty howls, the latest of which seemed to have a most pronounced effect on the now demure dragon, who abruptly commenced to gnaw nervously at its lower lip. What appeared to follow was a long and thoroughly uncomfortable moment, wherein the dragon continued to shift its gaze about fretfully before the wolf issued one last expectant bark. The dragon suddenly scrambled, unfurling its massive wings, and then pumping them furiously until at last taking to the air once again to reenter the self-set trap from which it first emerged. "Yap, whine, growl, pant-pant-pant, tail wag," Jesse offered brightly while trotting proudly toward Ezlea and Selina. He then noticed his jester pants, which lay on the cave's floor and immediately tucked his tail while dropping to the even greater vantage of modesty offered by the floor. *** "I'm not sure," Ezlea answered as she emerged from behind the others. "I just hope he doesn't get stuck like tha…" "Perhaps you could all make just a bit more noise," Borin crooned while keeping his hands raised in the universal gesture of surrender. "I'm sure there might be a soldier or two in the next province that failed to hear you!"

Chapter Four-Silver And Gold "I'm afraid the facts speak for themselves," Rip offered solemnly as the image within the crystal sphere continued to display the undeniable truth. "No. I'll not believe it," Mortis retorted. I know her. Betrayal simply isn't in her." "Perhaps that Enchantress conscripted her," Rip offered. "I think not," a stoical voice from behind demurred. "Master Stelthak!" Rip acknowledged with a start, and then quickly passed a hand over the image. "Conscription spells only work if the mind is frail to begin with," Mortis countered with annoyance as the crystal's light faded, and then darkened. "Quite right," Tobar confirmed. "And I assure you that Master Bane has one of the strongest minds I have ever been privileged to know." "What do you make of this, Tobar?" Mortis asked while taking his seat, and absently receiving the proffered scroll reports from the skeleton to his left. "I have an idea, but…" "Tell me," he prompted while signing the papers, and returning them to the skeleton who offered a quick bow before taking its leave. Tobar watched the animation until the door shut behind it. "I'm afraid I don't have all the facts, milord." "Well, what facts are you in possession of, then?" Mortis prompted impatiently. "She…spoke of the possibility of another…Faction," Tobar began haltingly. "It had to do with certain…visions." "Visions?" Rip inquired, one brow raised in speculation. *** "Well, if it isn't my old friend Delphi," Heartrot crooned as the Traitor was escorted in at spear point by the Ogre and Barbarian guards. "No. Not really," she smiled. *** A cool, damp pressure was his first indication of returning awareness. "In what strange and far point dost thy name originate, I wonder?" drifted another whisper of unquestionably feminine origin as its owner applied the damp cloth to his forehead. "Tis a kindly visage," she whispered to herself. "A potent chin… A noble brow…" "What?" Marcus asked sluggishly, opening his eyes for the first time since recapture. "Ahh!" returned the voice. "Now doth that figure of handsome slumber deign to unlock eyes of…yes, indeed, of azure, and with fortune to then bestow his gracious company." "Huh?" "She's speaking Elder Homidris," Borin supplied while he and the woman helped Marcus to a sitting position.

"I presume we're in…" "Deja? Yes," Borin supplied. "For nearly a fortnight now." "What happened?" "What happened!" Borin repeated. "You charged without orders. That's what happened." "Oh, yes. Well…you see…" "Forget it," Borin offered dismissively. "Just don't forget it ever again…milord." "Yes, Captain." "Well, gentle Lord? Wouldst thee intentionally favor ignorance over a Lady's favorable acquaintance? "Ignorance?" "I believe she feels that you are ignoring her. It takes awhile, but you'll get used to it." "Oh," he said, getting to his feet, and immediately buckling as Borin and the woman caught him before he hit the floor. "Not that dissimilar to Common Homidris, really," Borin elaborated while hauling his friend back to his feet. "Of course, it tends to become rather annoying after a time." "I'm fine. Just a bit wobbly," he assured them, placing palms on both knees as a brace. "Annoying?" intoned the woman. "Hmmff!" Several deep breaths later, Marcus stood erect again, and faced the woman, bowing deeply. "Marcus Goodfellow, milady. Paladin of the Seventy-third Circle, Defender of Justice, and the eternally honored admirer of all beautiful brunette Ladies with gracious bedside manners." Without hesitation, the woman curtsied, offering Marcus her hand. "I am…" she quickly turned to Borin as if seeking guidance. "Right, then," he confirmed, knitting both brows while studying her closely. Following a short consideration, "Umm… How about Ariel?" he suggested at last. "I've always been rather partial to that one." "I am Ariel," she continued, "Warrior of the Fifty-fourth Circle, Arbitrator to The People's Totalitarianism Resistance Party…and one who doth inescapably blather in such dashing attendance as that of one who would dare single-handed combat against a full Battalion. The honor, My Lord, lay solely within my possession." Marcus kissed her hand, and then stood. "We are well met, Ariel," he smiled. "Though I must admit, your introduction seems rather odd," he intoned with raised brows. "She can't tell us her real name," Borin supplied. "If the Dejans knew who she was, then her family would be incarcerated as well." "I see," said Marcus. "Then I presume you're some sort of… Political prisoner?" "Aye, My Lor…" "Call me, Marc," he smiled. "Aye, Lord Marc," she smiled. "Right, then," Marcus continued. "Exactly where are we, and where are the others? Is it just me, or does this place seem familiar?"

"I'm not sure where the others are, but we're on the second tier down. Yes, it looks as if they're trying to copy the old Arbitos architecture. Puritics are infamous for architectural plagiarism." "Puritics?" "I'm pretty sure. No beetles, Elder Homidris, and now this," he indicated the building's structure. "Must be a lost colony or something." "But why would they separate us?" "That's why they called themselves Puritics. They hated anything to do with magic, or the mixing of races," Borin informed him matter-of-factly. "Thy compatriots are wielders of mana. Our accursed Tyrants have yet to consign their oppressive constrictions within these dank and dreary tiers." Marcus turned to Borin. "She means this is all new construction," he gestured expansively. "Apparently, they haven't set the wards here yet." "Aye," she concurred. "Then why was I placed here? For that matter, why isn't the Bard girl here? Come to think of it, you're not exactly pure of blood, no offence of course." "Well, I don't know about her, but I imagine they simply thought you were a Warrior, considering the way you charged in without so much as a by-your-leave." "I thought you said to forget that." "I said you should forget it. I didn't say I would." "Oh." "As for me, well," Borin pointed to his ears, or rather his hair, which had grown in sufficient length to overlap his pointy protrusions. "I see," said Marcus. "That, and the fact that you are a bit taller than most Half-elves. "Yes. Hey, I don't suppose you would know any escape spells, would you?" Borin asked hopefully. "Well, no! Paladin spells are to assist with incarceration, not jail-breaking!" "Oh!" Ariel exclaimed. "I wouldst wager on our captors' peculiar constraint of thy musical companion." Marcus turned to Borin. "She bet she knows why they put Aqua with the casters." "Oh?" "Aye, verily. Twas none former than last equinox that hearsay was hearkened of a Siren's enmeshment!" Marcus turned to Borin. "Rumor has it a Siren was netted last winter." "Oh. So?" "So?" she echoed. "Tis naught but the very last of her kind! Doth she not share that very same and mystic vein as the ancient Muses, themselves?" Marcus turned to Borin.

Borin shrugged. "And lest I misjudge the Dejan's corruption, thy Bardic companion wouldst surely serve as means to keep the Siren from attempting further flights." "Flights?" "Escapes." "Oh… Wait just one moment," Marcus intoned. "What, pray tell, is a Siren?" *** "Waken, Breed!" shouted the jailor. "Stir thy sorry carcass, lest I forgo thy portion!" Jesse remained unmoving, sitting on his bunk with his blanket wrapped about his shoulders. "Very well then," offered the jailor, slowly sliding the tray out while he continued to watch the Druid for any reaction. "Surely I shouldst abide by that preference. If thou didst starve, wouldst the world not show high profit in absence of thy polluted blood?" "Jesse?" Aqua called softly from the adjoining cell At her voice, his eyes refocused as he slowly lifted his head. "Not hungry," he croaked. "You have to eat, Jesse," Ezlea said as she joined Aqua. Jesse drew a breath, exhaled slowly before rising as if under a great weight, and shuffled over to the rectangular shaped slot that bisected three iron bar sets. The jailor slowly slid the tray back through the slot until Jesse began to reach. "Oopsy," he crooned, releasing the meal to drop and scatter about the filth-encrusted floor. Jesse's eyes came up, bearing on the jailor as he grasped the bars in front of him. "How bout I oopsy my foot up your…!" "Jesse!" Ezlea shouted. "Mind thy tongue, Mongrel!" spat the jailor. "Mind thy throat, Human!" Jesse issued with a low and throaty resonance while lowering his head and bearing his teeth. "Jesse!" shouted Selina as she came up, bolted forward, then stopped abruptly when jolted by her own shackled ankle. Jesse forced himself to relax, backing away from the Jailor, who by now had backed up until bumping into the stone wall across from the Druid's cell. As Jesse knelt to retrieve the tray, the jailor made as if to approach, his hand resting on the hilt of his billy club. "Ahem," coughed the other resident of Jesse's cell. "A shillelagh ta the back of a man's noggin? Nasty underhanded business, that," said the prone figure, his feathered cap pulled over his face as if to shield his eyes while sleeping. As Jesse looked up, the jailor froze, his hand yet resting on the club. Jesse rose, his eyes never leaving the club. "Mayhap thee shouldst keep to thine own affairs, Mekaleen," warned the guard. "Sit down, Jesse," Selina commanded.

*** "An eel?" Marcus echoed. "Aye." "I still don't understand. If this Siren is just some slimy little fish, then what do the Dejans want with it?" "The Siren is neither slimy, nor diminutive. Its strength lay in legend, thus do the Dejans prize it so." "Because of its strength?" asked Marcus. "They exploit it most grievously, and for naught more than to ferry patrols along the coastline." "Well, that clears up one mystery," Borin muttered in recollection of the string of rafts. "But what does it have to do with the Bard girl?" Marcus asked insistently. "Hath neither of thee been schooled?" she asked incredulously. Tis a tale as old as all the ages." Marcus took her hand. "Be patient with us, please?" he asked softly. "We are foreign to your kingdom. "Aye," she returned, her unblinking eyes now locked on his. After several long moments, Borin cleared his throat, successfully disrupting their concentration. "Oh… I beg pardon, Lord Krue," Ariel apologized. "My mind didst wander. Where was I?" "The Siren," Marcus supplied without releasing her hand. "Aye," she continued. "Though in possession of no magic of its own, the Ancient Muse didst wield a mystic song o'er all its Allies, previous to battle. The gift was the cancellation of magic's cancellation. Before their passing, the Muse didst pass this gift to the Sirens, who like unto receptacles, hath bore its weight low these many generations. Marcus turned to Borin. "The Siren can block wards?" "Aye. And as the last of its kind, it now seeks its own receptacle." *** "He's getting worse," Selina whispered, returning to her cot after making sure the jailor was gone. "Doc says it's his template." "How so?" "Well, apparently Druids aren't very good at lengthy confinement. That, and some other business about lunar cycles, and the wards blocking… It's more of that Nerdoneese he does. I couldn't make sense of everything he said." "Not much we can do for him while we're stuck in this place," Selina admitted. *** For the moment, Jesse's confrontation with the jailor appeared to alleviate his growing anxiety. Still, he knew it would return, continuing to escalate for so long as he remained incarcerated. Best not to think about it. He considered his roommate; a man of obvious assorted genealogy. The hair on his feet suggested Halfling, though his ears came to a foreshortened point, suggesting at least some portion of Elvin

blood. His height, however, several hands higher than the tallest of Elves, suggested Human, and or perhaps even Barbarian ancestry "Hey, Mek?" he prompted, hoping to strike up a conversation. "What?" mumbled Mekaleen between mouthfuls of forced gruel and stale bread. "How come you don't talk like everyone else around here?" "Cause I ain't no blasted blue-blood, that's why. Nuthin but pure Commoner here, lad," he gestured proudly, poking a thumb at his inflated chest several times before resuming the task of consuming his meal quickly enough so as to forgo its unfortunate taste. Several moments passed as Jesse considered the man further. There was something strangely sinister about him. Still, his timely alert should not be left un-thanked. "He woulda cracked my skull wide open if you hadn't warned me." "Ahh, think nuthin of it, boyo. Proud 'n pleased any time I can lay screws to the Screws, ya know," he laughed. "Well, thanks anyway." "Sure. Anytime, lad. Say! I don't suppose you'd be interested in bidding a fond farewell to this fine establishment, would ya?" Mekaleen asked in a low voice. "Escape?" Jesse whispered. "I've got somethin in mind. Somethin someone like yerself might get in on, were ya of a mind…" "Yes! Yes and oh hell yes!" "Shhh," Mekaleen warned. "You've got ta keep yer wits about ya." "What's going on in there?" Ezlea asked suspiciously. At some point during the conversation, she had come to stand at the divider of bars that separated pureblooded casters from those of dubious parentage. "Nothin concernin you!" Mekaleen returned sharply. "Ezlea's my sister, Mek," Jesse informed him. "So is Selina. She's the one over there against the wall," he pointed. "And that one," he pointed at the sleeping form beneath her blanket, "is Aqua. She's…a good friend." "Why'd they batten ya down like that, lass?" Mekaleen asked, pointing to Selina's double set of chains as opposed to the single set everyone else wore. "I reckon Gomer didn't especially appreciate my way of saying no," she answered coolly while mimicking the action in question by drawing her knee up sharply. "Ahah!" Mekaleen laughed. "Wish I'd seen that." *** "Pleasant eve to all our venerably non-magical guests," beamed the jailor as she entered. "On this fine night shall thee all dine on seasoned vegetables, roasted goose, and the finest ale our beloved city hath to offer such fine…" "Mmmph!" came a muffled cry from the fourth cell down. The jailor immediately rushed there to witness one of the cell's occupants, the man with dark hair, pinning the woman's hands behind her back while the other fair-haired fellow had one hand cupped over the poor maiden's mouth while attempting to rip her bodice with the other.

"Thee shalt cease and desist!" shouted the jailor as she frantically fumbled with her keys. *** Jesse's breathing had become erratic. Though yet asleep, his continuously restless motion had left him without a blanket, which now added an erratic shivering to that restlessness. Aqua stretched, and reached through the bars as far as she was able. Alas, his blanket was simply out of reach. Realizing this, she went to her own cot and retrieved her own blanket. Returning, she tucked it about him as best she could, considering that the task necessitated an arduous negotiation of iron bars. Suddenly, she experienced an odd sensation. It was as if she had been here before, performing this very same task. Of course! she recalled. The night she had snuck into the makeshift hospice. It was also the night of their introduction. I kissed his hand. She smiled at the memory. "The moon is gone!" he mumbled in sleep talk, his tone similar to that of a frightened child. "Shhhh," she hushed him gently, reaching to push the hair from his eyes. At her touch, he turned as if to face her, though his eyes were yet closed. "There is no moonlight! I am dark!" he pleaded softly When she had suffered bad dreams, her mother had often set her drifting with an old lullaby. Perhaps it might serve him as well. *** "Stand to, thou accursed Blackhearts!" commanded the jailor as she burst into the cell, first grasping the fair-haired rapist by his fair hair, then ripping him back and away from the object of his own ripping. "Yoo hoo," crooned the victim as the jailor whipped about in time to receive Ariel's fist. *** "Silver rides a cloudless night, a mingling mesh through leaves with light," she sang in a slow rhythm, her voice soft and low, that it might only reach his ear. "That Treants young and old be told, the Silver grieves her Gold." His breathing eased as she continued to stroke his hair. "And in the end, she drifted low, resigned within her waning glow, for twas her forlorn fretted fate, to live and die alone. The Silver cried alone." From far below, a faint scraping traced the flooring through watery corridors. Upon hearing the almost inaudible tune from perhaps a distance of two hundred meters, the scraping abruptly altered course. "Her mate he rose and scorched the sky. He tracked around the world on high. The Silver he sought… she had died. The Gold he reigned alone. The Gold did rage al…" A deafening impact rocked the entire building from below as everyone immediately came up from his cot. They all stood motionless, waiting as their heads cleared of sleep. Selina spoke up first. "All right! What in the…!" She began, and then stopped as the entire building rocked again, this time to be accompanied by the sound of cracking timbers beneath their feet. "What then by all the fiery gates of Abhoron!" shouted the jailor from outside as he rushed to unlock the door to the outer corridors. "Here he comes, lad," Mekaleen whispered. "Ready, then?"

"I don't know, Mek," Jesse whispered, his tone indicating an uncertainty. "What's going on? This isn't part of the plan, is it? You said tomorrow…" "Don't know what it is. I do know it serves our purpose. Be ready, lad." "What underhanded mischief unfolds herein?" demanded the jailor as he entered. He wavered for only a brief instant while surveying all the prisoners, the majority of which bearing expressions no less confused than what was surely on his own face. "Don't know what yer talkin 'bout, ya mutton-head!" Mekaleen shouted. "Ahh! Then tis thee, Mekaleen!" the jailor accused while crossing quickly to unlock the cell door. "Shouldst I hath previously been made wary of thee, Varlet!" "Begone Dejan!" shouted Mekaleen. "Yer foul stench interrupts me beauty sleep!" "Oh, thou shalt surely sleep," crooned the jailor, pulling his club out as he swung the cell door wide open. Midway to his target, with his club raised above his head, the jailor was suddenly vaulted to the ceiling as the floor beneath him surrendered to a third and final impact. Wooden planks exploded upward in the following instant, followed closely by a heavily scattered mixture of soil and freshly crushed rock. *** "You can't possibly be serious!" Borin shouted, "I'd rather stay here and rot!" "Wouldst thee condemn thy good friend Marcus to a similar fate, Lord Krue?" queried Ariel expectantly. "Let him put it on, then!" "Terribly sorry, ole boy. Afraid it's not quite my size." Marcus illustrated his point by holding the female jailor's armor up to his slightly larger frame, and then turning it about, thus displaying the two protrusive accommodations in the armor's upper torso. "Then you put it on!" Borin exclaimed, his attention coming to bear on Ariel. "I wouldst do just that, if it didst only include a helm, or at least a face plate. As it is, I fear that mine is a face that all of Deja remain all too familiar with." "No! I don't care! There's no way I'm…" "Then thee wouldst include those others thou hast spoke of as well? For surely their fates would result from thy childish adversity." *** Mekaleen slowly pulled the undercarriage of his cot away, but only enough to peek at what carnage had been wrought. What he witnessed was more than sufficient to cause him to pull the cot back over his head. Jesse hadn't been quite as fortunate. Despite the menacing presence of the monster now emerging from the hole in the center of the cell floor, Aqua forced herself to reach through the bars to grasp his arm. Noticing motion from the corner of its vision, the creature slithered further forward. It first sniffed the jailor's corpse, and abruptly dismissed it, other than taking a quick bite from the body's upper thigh, given that its captors had failed to provide nourishment for the second day in a row. It paused again at the unconscious figure being slowly dragged backward. This was not a Receptacle, but it had a Receptacle's scent on it. Perhaps it was a Correlate. It resisted an urge to eat it, despite the

fact the meat was yet alive, a decided plus when dining. Still, it might be bad form to consume a Receptacle's Correlate. Then it sniffed the other creature, the one who dragged the first. A Receptacle! it sang inwardly while slowly moving closer. "Leave them alone!" barked Sarah's dual warning to the monster as both Ezlea and Selina strained against their chains. Momentarily distracted, the creature panned to determine what threat these others might pose. As it did, Selina instantly commenced waving her arms about wildly, thus further drawing the monster's attention. "NO!" Aqua screamed as Ezlea grasped her about the waist, successfully yanking her back and away from the bars that served as their only defense. *** "There it is." Ariel motioned toward the old Garrison while she, like Marcus, kept her arms raised above her head. "One problem at a time," Borin whispered. "Keep to thy march!" he barked in a higher tone of voice as they passed several soldiers. When they were alone again, Marcus ventured a glance over his shoulder. "You know, ole boy?" he intoned, returning his attention to the front again as they crossed the street. "That filthy mop makes a rather convincing wig," he sniggered. *** The creature surged forward. Opening its massive jaws, it locked onto the bars, and unceremoniously ripped that entire section of the cell away. The twisted scrap of metallic refuse was then spat behind to crash near an upturned cot. The creature turned back toward the Receptacle. Now it would finish what it had started, for this was the conclusion of its ultimate purpose in life.

Chapter Five-Sacrificial Siren "Wake up!" Borin shouted again as he continued to shake Selina by the shoulders. "Wha…?" she asked in a sluggish tone. "Borin?" she blinked questioningly at his full-figured image. "Come on, get up!" Marcus insisted as he and Ariel assisted Ezlea to her feet. Abruptly, Selina's eyes focused sharply on Borin's. "Aqua!" she exclaimed. "Where is she?" Marcus asked while stooping to retrieve the jailor's key. "Thy two figures," began Ariel, indicating Selina and Ezlea, and then pointing toward the corpses of the creature and the jailor, "and they who shall never wake, were all to be observed upon our untimely influx." "Where's Jesse?" Ezlea asked as Marcus helped her to her cot, unlocked her shackles, and tossed the key to Borin. "As Ariel mentioned," replied Marcus. "Aside from the two of you, those corpses are all that was here when we arrived." "First things first," Borin announced in an authoritive tone. "Let's start with Aqua." "That thing!" Selina indicated the defunct creature while unconsciously reaching as if to shield her ears. "Tis only the last Siren of Muse!" Ariel interjected angrily. "Dead it may be, but thing it is not!" "It broke through the floor, and ripped out the bars," Ezlea offered while studying Ariel with a speculative expression. "Who's this?" she jerked a thumb in the angry stranger's direction. "Oh, terribly sorry, Ladies," Marcus apologized. "This is Ariel. She helped us escape. Ariel? This is Selina and Ezlea." "Charmed," Ariel curtsied curtly. "Yeah…well, she sounds like Wilma Shakespeare," Ezlea sneered without returning the curtsy. "It ripped out the bars, then?" Borin asked expectantly, hoping to return to more important matters. "It attacked Aqua with some strange…" Selina continued, and then paused. "Some strange what?" Borin urged. "Sound," Ezlea supplied. "Sound?" Marcus echoed. "Music," Selina corrected. "Or, like music, but… Oh, I don't know! It opened its mouth and blasted her like a trumpet! Whatever it was, it was loud." "Very loud," Ezlea agreed while banging her palms against her ears. "Loud enough to knock us out, I guess." "Right before I passed out, I saw Aqua fall," said Selina. "The last thing I remember was something glowing through her pocket." "It was the crystal, remember?" Ezlea added. "All our crystals glowed like that when we first gated to the beach." "Are you saying she gated?" Borin asked.

"Well," Ezlea pondered, "either that, or the damn thing ate her. Take your pick." "The Siren's purpose and deed may continue to reside in mystery to some," said Ariel, now standing by the hole in the floor and staring expectantly at Ezlea, "though answers of thy other companions may yet be at hand." She pointed at the floor below. Borin strode quickly to the hole. Once there, he peered over the edge. Below him was the next tier down. In that tier was another hole, and below that was yet another tier with yet another hole. Below that was nothing but water. "It must have really wanted out," he intoned. "It broke out of the aqueduct system, and then advanced up through three floors to do so." "Look," Ariel pointed again. Borin looked to the next tier down. Off to the side was a trail of blood, as if someone, either injured or dead, was being dragged. *** "Wake up, lad," Mekaleen urged while slapping at the sides of Jesse's face. "I've done me part. The rest lay in yer hands…a Druid's hands." "Wha… Huh?" Jesse asked in a sluggish tone. "Come on, boyo!" he insisted with a serious tone. "I got ya outside the wards. Now it's yer turn." "Where…?" "We're in me tunnel, if ya must know!" Mekaleen informed him impatiently. "The Screws caught me, and then transferred me one tier up. That beautiful, glorious monster just saved us both the trouble of finding our way back down here!" "Monster?" Jesse asked. Having been knocked unconscious by its explosive entrance, and having remained so until now, he had not actually seen the creature. "We've no time fer this foolishness! Just gate us to the nearest Hub and I'll be happy ta yak yer bloomin ear off!" "Hub? Jesse moaned. "But… I thought the Hubs were all…" "GATE ME OUTA HERE, YA MANGY CUR!" Mekaleen screeched as he grasped Jesse about the throat. "Not…leaving…others!" Jesse croaked. "Unhand thy victim, Mekaleen!" a familiar voice from behind ordered. Mekaleen released Jesse, who accordingly dropped to the ground in a coughing spasm while refilling his desperate lungs. "Aww, now, is that any way ta be talkin to an old friend?" Mekaleen crooned while turning half around. "Not long ago, ya called me Mek, among other tender things ya've whispered in the dark, me sweet Magi Thistle," he grinned widely, showing many teeth. "Magi?" Borin began. "Thistle?" Ezlea finished. "Press not the memory of thy accursed flesh," Ariel hissed as her knuckles whitened with an increased grip on the jailor's club.

"Now don't be like that, Magi, darlin," Mekaleen soothed as dark auras formed about both of his hands, one of which he held before him as a shield against the Druid's would-be saviors, and the other of which he held but mere inches from the Druid himself. "Dis'Errant," Ezlea whispered. "That I am," he nodded. "And knowin that should serve yer understandin of the tree-hugger's precarious position." He illustrated as the aura near Jesse's face momentarily intensified. "I think not," Borin interjected. "Unless I miss my guess, you just spent the majority of your mana in order to kill the Siren." "But…what about the wards?" Ezlea questioned. "The Siren song didst cancel the wards, then…" "Then I cancelled the Siren," Mekaleen concluded while somehow managing to enlarge his shark-like grin. "But don't wager yer lives on spent mana. There's plenty where that came from," he warned. Presently, the small inside pouch of Jesse's jester shorts commenced to generate light. Then, just as he glanced down, the contents of the pouch washed the entire tunnel in a white brilliance. As the light subsided, it was clear that Jesse was gone. "Stand back!" Mekaleen warned them while backing up as far as he could and bringing both auras to bear. "What is this magic that gates so strangely?" Ariel asked. "I believe it's a sign of things to come," Borin offered, looking to Ezlea, thus confirming that she was of the same suspicion. [Are you certain?] {There's no question about it. You have about five minutes.} "Captain?" called Marcus as he ran the length of the tunnel. "Report," Borin acknowledged. "Voices. Sounds like quite a few. I believe they are coming down the same way we did." "All right. Go and get Selina. We'll fall back to this position and set up defenses until the crystals activate." "But how do we know…" "We don't, but Jesse just gated. If he and Aqua are any indication, then we have to hope we'll all follow suit." "Right, then," Marcus acknowledged as he started back toward the tunnel's entrance. "Wait!" exclaimed Ezlea. "Marc should stay here. He can help you keep Mekaleen quiet." "All right," Borin agreed. "Then you go and get Selina, and hurry. I want to be dug in before the Dejans reach this tier." *** The Dejans were quite close now. Selina remained just inside the tunnel, but as she peered about the corner, she could now see the flickering of reflected torchlight on the wall of the farthest adjoining corridor. "Aaack!" she blurted with a start as someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Sorry, Sarah," Borin offered softly. "Didn't mean to spook ya, but you need to join the others. I'll keep an eye on things out here." "Damn near wet my… You called me Sarah," she whispered. "Umm… Yeah…well…we'll talk about it later. Right now, you just need to join the others, okay?" "I…I haven't had a chance to talk to you since all this started," Sarah began. "There's so much I want to tell you. So much you don't understa…" Her imparting of those sentiments was abruptly cut short by means of Borin's sudden rush to embrace her. For a moment, she simply stared up at him in dumbfounded disbelief. "I…I thought you didn't like Demons," she half stuttered, suddenly at a loss for breath. "You're no more a Demon than I am," he informed her while tracing the curve of her lower back, a sensual tactic that only one person in all the world knew she was susceptible to. "Dieter?" she whispered, tears welling in both eyes as he pulled her closer, and kissed her. As the kiss ended, Sarah momentarily pulled back. "It is you!" she confirmed, placing her cheek to his as her tears flowed freely. "We'll talk later," he said while gently pushing her away. "Right now I need you to join the others, all right?" "All right," she smiled, sniffling. "Don't stay too long though. They're getting close. "I'm right behind you," he returned, an impatience rising in his tone. *** He remembers! Sarah sang inwardly while making her way through the tunnel. *** Yuck! Phooey! Can't believe I did that! Yuck! Icky! Yuck! Sarah shivered in disgust while taking on a new form. *** "No," Borin insisted. I need Ariel to keep an eye on the Dis'Errant. The rest of us can form a defensive front right here. The depression in the floor should offer some cover while we wait for…" "How did you get here before me?" Selina asked from behind. *** {I hope you know what you're doing.} [As long as you can handle your end of the bargain, I do.] {Yes. I've got a solid lock now.} [Then here goes nothing.] *** Ahead of them, Silhouettes waged war as torchlight cast elongated shadows of the battle proper. "Take the right side and stop at the inside corner," Borin commanded as they ran. Selina nodded, though an oddly mixed expression of concern and disgust remained affixed to her face. I cannot believe she did that! She just … Yuck! Oh … Icky, icky! *** "Then thee shall gate as well, shall thee not, my Lord?" "Yes, I'm afraid so," Marcus said thoughtfully while turning to face her.

*** With the Paladin's back to him, Mekaleen moved toward him slowly. *** "I suppose thy path be not of thine own choosing in this shrouded matter?" she asked as her club suddenly snaked outward, just over Marcus's shoulder, and immediately connected in a solid whacking thud as it struck the top of Mekaleen's head. "Umm…uh…no," he answered absently while turning half about to realize the full impact of her apparently absent-minded action. Ariel drew a deep breath, and then released it. "I am both woman and Warrior, Lord Goodfellow. As such, I fear myself bound by the customs of my people…and my own pride. I know naught of proper words to beg thee with, nor woulds't I use them otherwise." "The world doth brim with peoples and customs," Marcus offered in an attempt to honor her dialect. "Besides, I wouldst never hear thee beg." "Then are we so doomed, and without so much as the brushing of lips to mark thy parting," she lamented softly. "Nay, fair Lady," he insisted, gently pulling her to him, and then kissed her as she returned his embrace. As their kiss ended, she looked up to meet his eyes. Below their line of sight, a radiance commenced. Marcus realized what was to follow. He could but watch her face as she glanced down, the tears welling in her eyes provided him with conformation. As her eyes shot back to catch his, she suddenly found herself alone, left to hold naught but the emptiness he had occupied. *** "Hold the accursed creature back!" shouted an officer from behind their front line. "Ezlea!" Borin shouted from the darkness behind her. "I command you to withdraw! Fall back while you still can!" "Go on!" shouted the Siren as her tail whip-crashed through half a dozen soldiers. "I think I can hold them long enough to give you all time to gate!" "You're going to get yourself killed!" Selina shouted frantically. "Sorry, Sister!" the Siren returned, and then nose-butted one soldier into five others to send them all sprawling back the way they came. "Kwibee's just about ready to switch the signal over! As long as you make it out, then Sarah Hoffman survives! How's that for a solution!" laughed the Siren through her teeth while snapping a spear in half, and grinning broadly at the weapon's wielder. A series of loud plunks preceded a whispering volley of arrows. Most bounced harmlessly off the stone wall behind her. Two passed through her massive body with minimal damage. One did not pass through. "Yon creature is felled!" cheered a soldier from the other end of the corridor, quickly joined by his comrades. "Sarah!" screamed Selina as she bolted forward, only to be caught, and slammed back against the wall she had started from.

"Stay!" Borin commanded, and then quickly entered the cell opposite the wall they hid behind. He grabbed up one of the cots, and crossed to the wall again, this time narrowly missed as an arrow struck the wall behind him. "Stay here," he told her again, and then slowly eased his way into the open corridor. He was instantly met by a full volley, the majority of which either stuck, or bounced off the cot-shield he held before him. {Hello again, Mrs. Hoffman.} [Doc?] "That was a dim-witted stunt!" Borin began as he reached the now re-formed and prostrate form of Ezlea. Then he noticed the arrow protruding from her back. He propped the cot on its side just before another volley struck, and then slumped down to examine her more closely. Unable to lift her head, she glanced up at him, "I understand now," she whispered softly, her ragged breath causing a small puff of dust across the stone floor. "Lie still," he warned while trying to figure how he was to carry her back and still hold the cot up to shield their escape. "Borin!" Selina shouted. Borin looked up in time to see Selina's expression as the radiance continued to engulf her. Then she was gone. "She gate?" Ezlea whispered. "Yes. Now shut up! Lie still, milady." "Milady? It must be bad if your…" "I said to lie still! You're losing a great deal of blood." "She musta been so scared, all by herself," she winced. "We have to stop the bleeding," he told her, an edge of urgency in his voice. "Doc's with her again," she smiled, her eyes half closed. "She'll be al…righ…now," she drifted, her breathing first becoming shallow, and then ceasing altogether. Borin's brow knitted as he lifted her lifeless hand from the stone floor, and then glanced down, realizing his own crystal had begun to glow. *** "Are you trying to tell me it was all just an act?" "Well, of course… Mortis. Surely, you don't believe for one moment… Well, you don't actually think me capable of betrayal, do you?" "I admit that it hasn't been easy," he intoned cautiously. "The crystal ball never lies!" Rip insisted. "Truth can be such an illusive concept," crooned Delphi while examining her cuticles. "Wouldn't you agree, Tobar?" "Yes," Tobar replied carefully while contemplating the content of her uncharacteristic communication. "Yes, it can!" he exclaimed, quickly drawing a dagger from his robe, and then launching it overhead to sever the rope that held a silken drape directly in front of Mortis's full-length mirror.

As the drape dropped, the reflected image Delphi cast bore little resemblance to the real Delphi Bane. "Mistress Effigee Flexion, I presume," said Tobar as he bowed.

Chapter Six-Limbo, And The Heroes Of A Lesser God Sarah reclined in the overstuffed rocker-lounger. She briefly considered trying the interface again. Then she glanced over at Kwibee, who was currently in yet another of those deep and philosophic Nerdoneese discussions with Surripere, and changed her mind. It hadn't worked the first two hundred times since her arrival. Why should it work now? Maybe I'll just take another nap. "Copper for your thoughts, milady?" Selina asked before sitting in the lounger next to Sarah's, and then pulling out the built-in tray as she set her burger, shake and fries down carefully before reclining, drawing the tray toward her, and commencing to indulge in her favorite new custom, which is to say, horizontal dining. "I was just thinking about taking a nap." "Oh, yes, me too," Selina smiled. "Just as soon as I finish these lovely friezes." "Fries, dear," Sarah corrected. "Friez," Selina repeated through a muffled mouthful of her subject of correction. *** "Not that one!" Aqua balked. "I can tell by the cover it's just another one of those senselessly violent and largely moronic travesties!" "Hyeah," Jesse beamed. "That sort of thing gives a bad name to all Bardic endeavors!" she insisted. "Easy, Sweetie," he soothed. "It's just a movie." "Let's watch this one again," she offered enthusiastically. "No, not that!" Jester exclaimed in a tone nearer to pleading. "Not again!" "Oh, but it's just so beautiful," she began, her lower lip beginning to tremble. "All the pretty children… singing and dancing… So much heart… So much love!" "Aww, come on!" Jesse pleaded. "It's a chick-flick! Besides, you've seen it five times alrea…" " The hills are al …" she began to sing. "All right! Here, watch it already! Just do me a favor and use the headset." *** The actual labels on the food dispensers were in a language that no one other than Surripere could read. Accordingly, each had been supplemented with separate handwritten labels in both Homidris and English. The new labels had been placed directly beside the original labels, which also served as a sort of actuation button, thus supplying all concerned with a means of determining their individual preferences. Unfortunately, Marcus was beginning to suspect that the new magnetically adhesive labels had undergone a certain tampering. This suspicion was first derived several weeks prior to this, when he had requested a sirloin steak, yet received naught but a large platter of boiled broccoli. Since then, his suspicions were further founded on a regular daily basis, as each time he used the dispenser, he received the very same dish, i.e. boiled broccoli. This might not have been quite so upsetting were he not the only one to suffer such an inconvenience. As it was, he now found his

otherwise well-established aplomb challenged every time he passed someone else who sported a tray of their preference, while he was left to continue enduring a thing which was rapidly becoming the most ill-fated of all consumptions, i.e. broccoli. As he brought his trembling hand ever closer to the button, labeled in Homidris as Crustaceans served with spiced essence of tomato, which meant "Jumbo shrimp platter" in English, he suddenly stopped. On a hunch, he whirled about just as Jester ducked back down to resume his diligent perusal of Aqua's latest selection in the Arts. Several moments later, Jester found himself peripherally tracking Marcus as he slowly came to stand between Jester and the vid-screen. "Umm, Yes?" he inquired with a perfectly straight face, which might have actually worked had it not been for Jesse and Aqua. Their well-meaning retreat beneath the shared blanket of the adjoining sofa may have served to conceal their expressions, but did little for their unrestrained cackles of laughter. With a lowered brow, Marcus moved slowly forward, his eyes narrowed to nothing more than seething slits as his snarling face came within mere centimeters of Jester's own unwavering, yet good-natured grin. "Something wrong, ole boy?" Jester asked in a fair reproduction of the Paladin's own vernacular, and thereby escalating the associative muffled merriment that continued to emanate from beneath the blanket. Marcus appeared as if he were either about to speak, or perhaps bite, when the room was abruptly washed in a flashing red radiance. "They're coming through!" Selina cried, jumping to her feet as what remained of her meal scattered. "Huh?" mumbled Sarah, half opening her eyes, and then crossing them in order to identify the Frenchfry now precariously balanced on the bridge of her nose. Then the room was once again bathed in a bright red light. Her eyes opened wide as she came up from the lounger to quickly join the others. *** "I said kill her!" Regent Heartrot repeated breathlessly. Both the Ogre and Barbarian remained motionless, continuing to stare absently. "If you're finished with your little tantrum, I'd like to get down to business," Delphi yawned. *** As the portal subsided, Borin's first sight was that of a large reddish creature, perhaps a meter taller than himself, and bearing such characteristics as horns, cloven hooves, and a rather nasty looking pair of glowing yellow eyes. "Umm," he stalled, his thoughts racing around several unsavory possibilities. "Welcome to Oblivion, Captain Krue." The creature spoke in a most familiar voice. "Surripere?" Borin asked as relief washed over him. "Where's Dieter?" came an urgent but unfamiliar feminine voice. As Borin turned about, he realized he was standing in a large circular room with a small crowd of people about him. Some faces were familiar. Some, he had never seen before. "I told you I wasn't certain it would work, Mrs. Hoffman," said another strange voice from another strange face.

"They had never been affected by the filter in the first place," Surripere told them. "Their signals are yet read as one." "This doesn't change anything, does it?" Marcus asked. "I mean, the Quest is still intact, yes?" "Absolutely," Surripere confirmed. In fact, this may well supply the very edge…" "I hate to interrupt," Borin interrupted, feeling somewhat unappreciated. "Hello there," Selina beamed while tapping him on the shoulder, and then slipping her arms about his neck as he turned. *** "Ha!" Regent Heartrot exclaimed while holding up the hand mirror. "Your reflection says you are not an Enchanter!" he proclaimed victoriously while holding the hand mirror to Delphi's face. "I only said I wasn't Bane. I never said I was an Enchanter," she grinned while admiring the oblivious Barbarian's biceps. "Then you are Bane herself, the most notorious Traitor in the history of…" "Nere? Be a dear and kill this imbecile. Then bring me that pretty little master key he wears about his neck," she smiled sweetly. "Yes, my Angel." *** "…and then Selina showed up, but I didn't get here until about six weeks ago," Marcus said while leading the way. "Aqua and Jesse were the first to arrive," Surripere said as the others filed into the den. "You say it as if we popped in together," Aqua intoned angrily. "That's right," Jesse confirmed. "She was first. I don't think I showed up for several months." "Try four!" she corrected. "Ever play Cribbage with a Demon for eight fortnights?" "Oddly enough," Surripere continued, "they were the only ones to arrive in proper sequence. "We've talked about this already," Kwibee intoned impatiently. "The ratios fluctuate according to lag." "Lag alone does not account for sequence alteration," Surripere smiled patiently, perhaps a touch of visible strain about his yellow eyes. "I hope you're not attempting to tell me my business again," Kwibee crooned through clenched teeth. "I do wish you'd stop treating me as though I were born yesterday," Surripere intoned loudly, yet broadening his smile and displaying it, therefore indicating to all witnesses just how well he was enduring the Doctor's assault. "Not yesterday, but today!" Kwibee countered. "Early this morning, in fact!" "STOP IT!" Sarah screamed. "You're driving us all nuts!" "Sorry," Surripere and Kwibee chorused. "Jesse?" Aqua asked while rubbing her temples. "Yes, Sweetie?"

"There's a bottle of Doctor Kwibee's salicylic acid in the medicine cabinet. Be a love and fetch it for me?" "Now look what you did!" Jesse scowled at Kwibee and Surripere as he made his way back to the hallway. "Well, I seemed to have arrived in the proper sequence," Borin said just as Jesse opened the door, and then stopped at the sound of approaching footsteps. "Good morning, everyone," Ezlea beamed as she swept briskly into the room, still wearing damp towels about her waist, torso and hair, and then plopping down on the sofa beside Selina. Borin immediately stood up, knocking his chair over in the process, and pointed a finger in Ezlea's direction. "B…but you're dead!" A long moment of silence. "Well, thank you all so very much!" Ezlea intoned sardonically as she glared about the room. "Our Captain arrives and nobody even thinks to let me know." *** "What do you mean, we are all dead?" intoned Borin warily. "I'm certainly not dead!" "How do you know, Borin?" Sarah asked. "You ever been dead before?" "None of you are dead," Kwibee interjected. "Your crystals routed you to a partition within Oblivion. Surripere calls it Limbo." "My own personal inner sanctum, if you will," Surripere smiled. "Ahem," Ezlea cleared her throat. "Oh, yes. Sorry," Kwibee apologized. "I suppose you are dead, aren't you?" "It's all well enough for you to be so cavalier about it," Marcus told Kwibee in an accusing tone. "You're not an… Inpeesee." "A what?" Borin asked. "I keep telling you," said Kwibee. "Those are initials, not a word." "It all comes down to the same thing, doesn't it?" Aqua asked "I mean, according to you, us Inpeeseeses aren't even real people," she pouted. "Who said you weren't real?" Jesse demanded while returning with the salicylic acid. He handed the bottle to Aqua, and then continued on till standing right in front of Kwibee with an expectant expression. "Not me," Kwibee said, throwing both hands up defensively, and then taking his seat. "Don't feel so badly, Niece," Jester offered. "At least you get to be an Inpeesee. According to the Doctor, I'm just some sort of place-holder-a Player's template, I think he called it." "I don't agree with Doctor Kwibee's assessment," Surripere intoned adamantly. "Big surprise," whispered Kwibee wearily. "This game, Wayward Fates . It must have acted as some sort of recessive quantum simile between our universal parallels," Surripere postulated. "When actuated through the sphere drive, the magnification of your IBOT program could have initiated a fissure in both realities when the sphere exceeded three hundred thousand kilometers per second, probably achieved through an energy spike when over-

saturated with the same resources derived in coupling the IBOT system with the amassed Human memory supplementation." "You'd be more convincing if you weren't utilizing the metric system to describe the speed of light," Kwibee mumbled. "Hey!" Sarah shouted, thus drawing everyone's attention. "How 'bout we just skip the bickering geek act and just get down to business?" she suggested. *** To Borin, the observatory, as Surripere referred to it, seemed not that different from the old Arbitos amphitheater in terms of how the stadium seats were arranged in a circle about the speaker's podium. In terms of scale however, the observatory could surely have swallowed up half of Arbitos. A number of chairs, much like the overstuffed loungers in the den, had been arranged in a much smaller circle about the podium, and then adorned with gold lettered designations on the back of each. Thus, there was no need to use the stadium seats. Borin walked about the outside circumference until he came to the chair bearing his name, and then, like the others, took his seat as Surripere took the podium. "In my original Prophecy," began Surripere, "I described the Kindred Coterie as three figures shrouded in mystery and power. Of course, I refer to… Well, here. I'll just read the passage in question: "'Behold The Valiant, whose realm shall become as dust before the Children of Iniquity. His are the gifts of Justice and Courage.' "'Behold The Muse, whose heart and song shall become the Catalyst of Salvation to the outcast children of Hominid-Fay.' "'And Behold the Trickster, for he is The GrinningWolf who shuffles chaos to Jest with fate in lengthy sleeves.' "As you can see, this hardly covers the full scope of the Coterie you have all come to represent. If only I could have foreseen how the Earth plane was to affect Nirayel, I would surely have included all of the other fine souls that…" "Nothing but poppycock!" exclaimed Doctor Kwibee, finally unable to contain himself. "Nothing but pure unadulterated nonsense…" "You agreed to keep an open mind, Doctor," Sarah reminded him. Go on, Surripere. We're listening. "Yes, well, as I was saying," Surripere continued, still glaring at Kwibee as if daring him to interrupt again. "Had I known what was to come, I would have included you all. Even the Doctor. "Perhaps I would have referred to Sarah and Selina as The Twain, for in their hearts, they have become the sisters of a mingled soul." "And perhaps The Twain would have become The Sisters of Fate when Ezlea joined their sisterhood. What a truly magnificent team you three make!" "Marcus?" he turned about to face the Paladin. "I never realized the depth of your loyalty. Perhaps you would have been dubbed The Anvil, for you have met the hammers of Heart, Soul, and Time, and in all cases, without waver. "Many have placed a great deal of trust in me," Surripere continued in a lower tone. "And I believe I have done my best to be what they needed, but the truth is that I am no Deity. Simply put, I am nothing more than a disavowed Demon. And when all is said and done, it is all of you who will have won the day," he concluded, stepping back to take his seat as Kwibee rose to take the podium.

"It is also all of you who will have lost the day if we aren't extremely careful," Kwibee began as he made his way to the podium. "You mustn't approach this undertaking from a position of misconception." "Hmmff!" snorted Surripere indignantly. "My…esteemed colleague," he said, waving his hand to indicate the indignant Demon, "would have you believe this is all real, and that concepts such as the Evil Lord, Abhoron, is fact, instead of the fiction he is. He would support the existence of magic as reality: that mythic creatures such as…" "Excuse me?" Jester interrupted. "There are several of those so-called mythic creatures in your audience, Doctor! Are you attempting to convince me that I'm nothing but…" "Let him finish," Borin interrupted. "I want to hear what he has to say." "But, we're right in front of him! He's talking about us as if we aren't even here! Literally!" "Shhh!" "But…" "Shhh!" *** "…and that's about the sum of it." continued Kwibee. "It was nothing more than a simple mistake. I don't wish to take anything away from any of you. As far as I'm concerned, you're all quite real, since, within this finite universe, you function no less so, in mind and spirit, than do I in my universe. The only real difference is that your world cannot function without the existence of mine," he concluded, and then, like Surripere, returned to his seat. A collective murmuring commenced as the small audience talked quietly amongst themselves for several minutes. "Would it be all right if I say a few words?" Borin asked. "If I'm not speaking out of turn, that is." "Certainly," Kwibee nodded. "We were rather counting on it," Surripere added brightly. Borin strode to the podium. Once there, he glanced about the circle of faces. "I won't pretend to fully understand everything that's happening here. Perhaps had I spent as much time here as some of you have, then I might be as comfortable with it as you all seem to be." "We're not all comfortable with it," Jester interjected in a brooding tone. "Shhh!" Selina, Sarah, and Ezlea chorused. "On the other hand, from my viewpoint, it was not so long ago that I was labeled as a Bigot because of my shortsightedness concerning Demons," he intoned while glancing briefly at Surripere. "But I've managed to get past that, to some extent, as I have come to know the Demons in question as individuals. Perhaps we should all keep this in mind," he suggested as he glanced briefly at Doctor Kwibee. "If for no other purpose than our own mutual benefit," he concluded. "Here, here!" Marcus called as Borin returned to his seat. "Well said, Captain!" Aqua added with applause, thus initiating similar approval from almost everyone other than Kwibee, who after a moment joined in the applause in deed, if not wholehearted spirit. ***

Janis followed the Ogre down to the dungeon proper. After having dealt with Heartrot, she felt that it was now time to put this farce to an end. She would locate the Doctor's signal amongst the templates in custody, and then initiate extraction as soon as Clawtorn reported for debriefing. *** "It's all quite simple, really," concluded Kwibee as he returned to the blackboard. "You each return to the same point in geography that you started from, just prior to the Troll attack. The only alteration would be the point in virtual time. I believe a six-hour advance should place you there well after sunup, therefore defusing any possible further threat from Trolls." "Jester and Aqua will return to Pi'xylem with her parents. With luck, they should be able to convince their government to commit at least some measure of assistance. "Selina and Marcus will travel to Lavish'nix. Once the High-elves learn that their Prince was killed by Empire forces, I'm certain they will be more than happy to offer assistance. "Surripere will go to Aphoris. The Gnomes are the most open-minded people on Nirayel. I'm sure something can be arranged in the way of support, assuming of course he doesn't approach them as anything offensive. A Roc, for example, would not do." "Hrrumph!" Surripere snorted indignantly. "And finally, Borin will meet up with Scapegrace forces already waiting within New Malice. My data indicates a well-rooted underground movement amongst the Necromancer guild, so the overthrow itself should be no problem once reinforcements arrive. I might even be able to actuate several of the defunct gate crystals left behin…" "Then Deja wasn't just a journey of ocean and land, was it?" Ezlea asked, inadvertently changing the subject. "No," said Kwibee with a scowl. "Then that really was Magnatha?" asked Ezlea. "What?" Jester asked. "Nanna was there?" "Ariel," said Borin. "Mekaleen called her Magi Thistle right before you gate… Oh, that's right. I keep forgetting you weren't there." "It wasn't Magnatha," Surripere interjected. "Magnatha isn't what you would call a common name," said Borin. "Nor is Thistle," Ezlea added. "How come Ezlea remembers being possessed when I can't?" Jester asked. "Better connection," Sarah smiled slyly while tapping her forehead and winking at Ezlea. "Hey!" Jesse retorted indignantly. "Not Magnatha?" Borin asked, trying to filter through the banter. "Her name was Magi," Surripere corrected. "Her daughter's name was Magnatha." "Daughter?" Marcus asked. "If Magi was her mother," Jesse began, "then who was the…" "You met him as well," Surripere answered.

"Mekaleen," Marcus whispered. "Magi thistle was liberated from prison after a political coup on the Dejan government by internal forces belonging to the People's Totalitarianism Resistance Party," Surripere told them. "She lived another six months, which was long enough to attend the city's renaming ceremony." "I bet I can guess the new name," said Selina. "Arbitos," Borin whispered. "Quite," Surripere confirmed. "Shortly thereafter, Magi died during childbirth, but her daughter grew to follow in her mother's footsteps, becoming one of the driving forces behind a long and successful system of government." "Until the invasion," added Borin. "Yes, until then," Surripere agreed. Selina noticed Marcus's faraway expression and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Even if I had stayed…" "She would still have died," she finished his thought. *** Janis noticed the Ogre filing in behind the Barbarian, with Heartrot's corpse still in tow. The revised version of Kwibee's filtration package had several advantages. Unfortunately, the effects of the filter's control were not only short-lived, but did not include the ability to increase the N.P.C's intellect. "You can just drop that anywhere," she advised him absently. "Okie-dokey, Nanna." She lifted the Halfling's shaggy head. What could be seen of his face was crusted with filth. The rest was matted by beard. "Leave him alone!" a voice shouted from the next cell. "Sit down, Tuda," Cleetis warned. "You're just going to make it worse. Janis released the unconscious Halfling, letting him fall back to the floor. "The Hoffman woman isn't here," she muttered to herself, her eyes shifting about the darkened dungeon. I think it's about time to pull the plug on this little project. The Colonel will simply have to join the casualty list. Unfortunate, but unavoidable, she thought while concentrating on the hack-modified interface. *** "Doctor Kwibee's plan was the best course of action," Surripere began. "What do you mean, was?" Kwibee asked warily. "I mean that Agent Dolen has re-entered the Earth plane." "Who is Agent Dolen?" Marcus asked. "She's the one I was sent to find," Sarah answered. "One of two," Kwibee corrected.

"I believe she intends to deactivate the program that enabled you to travel here," Surripere intoned gravely. "She can't," said Kwibee. "IBOT security has shut off any possible overrides." "She means to 'pull the plug' if I may quote her thoughts directly," Surripere added. "How is it you know what she's planning to do?" Sarah asked. "She made the mistake of possessing one of my people," Surripere answered. "It doesn't matter," Kwibee insisted. "The sphere drive is self-contained. It has its own power source. If they shut the power off to the computer, the program will continue running. Come to think of it, the Hacks may not have figured that out. They probably won't even notice." "You are correct, Doctor," Surripere assured him. The one you refer to as IBOT has kept a close vigil on those within the Laboratory. No thought has been directed in that area." "Then we're home free, right?" Jesse asked. "My immediate concern was not for those from the world of Nirayel," Surripere corrected. "Wait a minute!" exclaimed Kwibee. "You just said IBOT!" "Yes?" "Didn't you tell me that word was some type of catastrophic incantation, or spell, or some such drivel?" "Oh, quite," Surripere tittered. "Well?" "Well, I had to say something, didn't I? I mean, if you had evoked your program's name, it would surely have triggered its security, yes?" "You mean you lied to me?" Kwibee asked with a hurt expression. Jester's thoughts returned to Delphi's courtroom defense: "It would appear I owe an apology to a certain stately Dwarf." *** "It's not that simple!" insisted the head Specialist. "You can't just disconnect!" "Why not?" Janis asked absently while searching for the power button. "What about all the people? You're about to kill nearly a quarter million people!" "No, I'm not," she replied indignantly. "That's the beauty of it, don't you see? Nobody dies, and nobody testifies. It's a win-win scenario." "Well, they might as well be dead," said the Specialist. "What's the difference? Their minds will still be gone." "The difference is the reinstatement of national security," she returned while pushing a button at random, and then noticing the CD-ROM bay opening. "Oops, that wasn't it." *** "What sort of foolishness are you up to?" Kwibee asked as the Demon led them down the corridor. "You've had you're say, Doctor," said Surripere as they came to an apparent dead end. "Now it's my turn."

"Turn? What are you blathering about?" "Not that I'm particularly siding with Doc…but I have to admit, this isn't making a great deal of sense," Sarah said as she and the others eyed the odd painting. "Jesterwolf?" Surripere inquired expectantly. Would you care to do the honors?" Jester glanced about as everyone's attention suddenly came to bear on him. Shortly, he stepped to the front, and then knelt. Uncertain of himself, he glanced over to confirm Surripere's nodding approval, and then carefully stretched his hand toward a strange symbol beneath the painting and brushed it with his fingers. This was how he remembered Delphi's doing it on the night of the invasion. The painting, which depicted multitudes huddled like cattle within a dark and massive canyon, slid quietly to one side, thus allowing access to a small room made up of dark glass panels. While entering, Sarah experienced an odd sensation, as if she had been here before. She pushed back a sudden sense of foreboding. When everyone was in, Surripere asked them to take a seat along the back wall. They complied, though they maintained expressions ranging from skeptical, to wary, to frightened, the more so when the swiveled chairs rotated of their own accord to face the back glass. The glass began to change in color, lightening from totally dark, to a smoke color, to a hue more like dissipating clouds or mist, and then suddenly to clarity, as if they had been flying through cloud cover, and then abruptly dropped below it. "We're in an elevator!" Jesse blurted as it struck him. He cast about, discovering that the room itself was like a bubbled balcony, anchored to the side of Surripere's sanctuary by a vertical railway. "I just remembered," he told the group while holding his stomach. "I really hate heights." Aqua emitted an almost musical squeak as the elevator came to an abrupt stop. "If you would all be so kind as to join me on the forward observation platform," Surripere requested as the sliding glass door slid apart. *** "Wh… Who are they?" Marcus inquired softly as he squinted over the canyon's edge. "Who are who?" Ezlea asked as she peered over the side. All she could see was the semi-misty depths along the canyon's wall, which led to a darkened base, perhaps as much as four, or maybe five kilometers down. Then she realized that the canyon floor was moving. In fact, it was writhing. "Oh, Natura!" she gasped. "That depends on your point of view," Surripere answered soberly. "No more riddles, Demon!" Borin demanded. "Give him a chance," Selina prompted while coming to stand beside Borin, and turning away from the grotesque scene below them. "From this vantage point we now see them," Surripere began. "What you are witnessing is the entrance to Abhoron's realm. Or perhaps, to put it more aptly, it is the result of his purpose, which is the accumulation of souls." "And from a different vantage point?" inquired Kwibee. "A quarantine," he replied emphatically. "An attempt by the government in your world to keep the existence of this world a secret."

An uncomfortable moment passed as Kwibee digested the implication. "No," he whispered at last, as if denying that the atrocity might negate its legitimacy. "They wouldn't go that far… Would they?" "I fear they intend to go further yet," Surripere intoned. "What's he talking about?" Marcus asked. "Genocide," Sarah answered before Kwibee could find his voice. *** "I implore you to reconsider!" "Shut up and help me find the kill switch!" *** "What can be done to stop this?" Marcus asked as he and everyone other than Borin turned to face Surripere." "I haven't the time to explain everything," Surripere began. "Is my father down there?" Borin abruptly interrupted as he continued to stare into the abyss. "No, Captain," Surripere replied patiently. "Your father is strictly of this world. He now rests among those who, like himself, have distinguished themselves as Heroes to those they served." Borin nodded, releasing his breath as he placed both hands on the balcony before him, his back yet to the assembly. After a moment, he straightened, and turned to join them. "Tell us what we must know, Lord Surripere," he intoned. "The rest we will accept on faith." *** The walls of the circular room commenced to radiate a faint azure as Surripere readjusted the Hub settings. "But I won't remember," Aqua cried softly as Jesse stroked her hair. "I'm still not sure we're doing the right thing," Kwibee told Surripere as he joined him at the console. "Me either," Surripere admitted. "You can't even be sure as to the exact point at which they'll arrive," Kwibee told him. "Too late, and history repeats itself. Too early, and Dolen's filter will have time to compensate…" "You have a better idea, Doc?" Sarah asked. "No, I suppose I don't." Jesse glanced over to Surripere who nodded, indicating it was time. Jesse nodded, and whispered in Aqua's ear, "Kiss me, Sweetie." Reluctantly, Aqua turned her face up, accepting his kiss, and then accepted Selina's hand as she was gently pulled away from the dais. "I still don't see why we can't all go," Marcus told Surripere while still staring at those who were about to gate. "Because, for some reason, you don't qualify as a Demon," Borin answered nervously, still trying not to question his own designation therein, and then suppressing the urge to jump clear as the dais commenced a low but quickly growing resonance.

"The first gate was to a point in time and partition that posed no conflict with any other templates," Kwibee addressed Marcus's question more directly. "Then the gate to Oblivion offered no problem because the program's security was already overridden here. But what we're attempting now is the direct overlay of protected templates within a previously secured partition. Anything other than prerecognized signatures will…" "Give it a rest, Doc!" Sarah shouted over the growing mechanical whine. "Nobody understands you anyway!" "In our hearts, we will all be there," Surripere raised his voice to make himself heard over the escalating whine, "for it is in you three whom the rest of us must now place our faith." Aqua turned away, allowing Selina to hold her. "Doctor Kwibee?" Surripere shouted. "I believe I have facilitated the proper restoration code! Once the Quest is complete, the effect should be automatic!" "Thank you… Doctor Surripere!" Kwibee replied with respect. "Initiating filtration sequences…now!" "Wildern's blessing!" Jester offered them. "As well as Natura's!" Ezlea added. "Aqua?" Jesse shouted. Aqua remained facing away, still clinging to Selina, who continued to stare at Borin. "Good luck, Jesse!" Jester shouted after a moment. "Try not to get fused again, or confused for that matter!" he laughed. Jesse grinned, offered Jester a casual back handed salute, and returned his attention to Aqua. "May fortune smile on the Coterie!" Surripere shouted. Marcus glanced over to Selina, her congenial expression accompanied by the betrayal of a single tear rolling down her cheek. From the edge of her vision, she realized that Marcus was watching, and as casually as possible she reached up with her free hand to wipe the tear away. "Captain Krue!" Marcus abruptly shouted. Borin turned to see Marcus leaning heavily on the waist-high railing that encircled the dais, his expression suggesting an inner turmoil. "Corporal Krue was wrong!" "What?" "That morning by the ta…" "What are you sayin…" The whine abruptly jumped to a much louder oscillating pitch. In the next instant, the entire room was washed in a blinding light as those atop the dais disappeared. *** "How will you know if they made it?" Marcus asked. "I'm scanning for confirmation now," Kwibee replied without taking his eyes from the monitor. "Well?" said both Selina and Ezlea.

"Here it comes now," Surripere told them, his eyes widening as the reports began to solidify beside each of the three names. "Well?" Marcus intoned impatiently. "The system is restricting access to that partition!" shouted Doctor Kwibee. "Bring them back!" "What's happening?" asked Aqua, quickly turning to face the Doctor and Surripere. "I'm losing the Captain's signal… I'm afraid he…" "I've input vectors to reestablish connections with the original partition," Kwibee announced in a clinical tone. "I'm rerouting the remaining signals to the first coordinate set." Surripere informed them solemnly. Then, shifting his attention, he realized that except for himself, the room was now empty.

Chapter Seven-The Dais Of Our Lives "That's the last of them." Unlike her disorientation, Sarah's apprehension did not ease as she glanced about. This did not appear to be Arbitos. "Huh?" she asked absently while turning to face the voice. "I said that's the last of them," Merfee repeated. "The Captain and Mistress Thistle are buried in the clearing, near the spot where everyone gated. It seemed appropriate." "Where are the others?" "Who do you mean? Besides you and myself, there's no one…unless perhaps you mean the wolf." He indicated Digger, who was currently examining his paws while issuing a low whining. "Borin! Jesse!" she shouted expectantly while casting about in all directions. The wolf trotted up to her and barked. Merfee dropped his gear, and came to stand before her. "Are you all right, my love?" he asked with concern. "I'm not sure… What did you call me?" *** "Quickly now," Delphi urged her charges as they entered the aqueducts. "I still don't trust her," Tuda whispered. "Trustworthy or not, she's seen us safely out of imprisonment," Cleetis returned while nudging her along with his elbow, his long-lost son still unconscious and cradled in his arms as they made their way into the darkened tunnels. *** "Send word to the Emperor immediately," Teristha commanded. "I'm sure he will wish to postpone his arrival until this can be sorted." "Yes, my Baroness." "How did this happen?" she demanded while peering through the empty cells. "No one seems to know, Baroness," said the guard. "Has Effigee returned from her assignment yet?" "No, milady." "Have a messenger inform each of the major Houses. We may have an uprising on our hands…and see to it that the Regent's body is disposed of discreetly. The last thing we need is a panic…" "Yes, milady." Teristha found herself staring at Heartrot's corpse with an odd sense of ambiguity. His right arm had been ripped from its socket and was yet clutched tightly in his left hand, almost as though it were some prized souvenir. The expression on his face was somehow disconcerting. Is that … a smile? "Milady? Are you all right…?" "Don't just stand there!" she jumped with a startled look. "Get to it!"

"Yes, my Baroness." *** "Believe me now?" Sarah asked Merfee while eyeing the wolf with just as much speculation as he seemed to return to her in sidelong glances of… recognition? "Yes," he groaned. My wife and I haven't always…gotten along…but I don't believe…she would actually…go so far…as to kick me…there." "I'm sorry, but you shouldn't have gotten so familiar." "Yes… Most regretful, I'm sure, milad…" "Borin?" she suddenly asked the wolf. The wolf carefully shook his head back and forth. "Jesse?" The wolf abruptly barked, advanced quickly, and then raised up to place both front paws on her shoulders. *** She brushed the skull symbol again, and again there was no reaction. Aside from the growing sense of alarm at just standing in the open with three other escaped prisoners-not that she remembered exactly how she had actually come to be in prison-Delphi was now faced with the further mystery of what lay beyond the unresponsive threshold of her Ally's guild. Just as her trepidations were dawning on new heights at the possible fate of her own family therein, the door began to open. *** In her efforts to comprehend the current state of affairs, Sarah had come to rest beneath the shade offered by a nearby tree. She sat, leaning against its trunk, and reviewing the steps that had not only led her and her four-footed brother to where and when they were, but where her Husband/Captain obviously was not. He had been as patient with her as possible, but without vocal cords, his inability to convey his discovery was rapidly eroding his patience. After a lengthy struggle with the remaining options available to him, Jesse decided that action would probably be the best course in the long run. "Ouch!" exclaimed Sarah, quickly drawing her pained foot up and away from her furry brother's newly acquired set of teeth. "What the hell… Hey! Stop it!" she shouted while abruptly finding herself dragged as Jesse clamped down on her collar, and then commenced to pull her toward the clearing. Merfee could but continue to sit and watch his possessed wife as she passed by, flailing helplessly as the wolf dragged her along like a fresh kill. He would have helped if he could. After all, the body was still Nefari's property. He felt certain that she would want it back, as would he, as soon as the new tenant vacated. Unfortunately, his recently acquired injury insisted that he stay right where he was. "I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!" she screeched as he came to a sudden halt at an area quite near the freshly dug graves of all who had neither successfully gated, nor been taken prisoner. "Have you gone completely batshi…" she began, and then stopped when she noticed that her brother had suddenly struck a strange pose. With his right foreleg drawn up to his chest, Jesse lowered his head with his nose dropped closely to the ground as he continued to stand perfectly still in the fervent hope that she would catch on soon. He was beginning to feel quite ridiculous. Yeah, that's right. Timmy's in the friggin well!

*** "Come in, Mistress Bane," a familiar voice insisted in a tone filled with unfamiliar venom. Tuda tugged at Delphi's cloak, and pointed out several armed figures approaching from the only open corridor. As they neared, their lack of flesh identified them as servants of the Necromancer guild. "A Neco Den? This was your big plan?" Tuda asked incredulously. *** "Why are they glowing?" she asked, while kneeling to get a better look at Jesse's discovery. Her brother's expression, a mixture of slightly bared teeth and sidelong glance, would indicate the question to be moot to someone without a voice. "What have you got there?" Merfee asked as he limped over to join them. "It looks like two of those crystals that the Rogue gave everyone." "How would you know about that? How long have you been in my wife's bod…" "I wasn't in your wife's body at that time, and it's too complicated to explain right now," she cut him off. "Right now, we just need to figure out why these crystals, which I assume were among the ones that failed, are all of the sudden glowing." "We? Why should I help you?" he asked. "You've not even told me who you are, or why you've stolen Nefari's body!" he exclaimed, his temper now rising as the pain and confusion of her previously unexpected attack continued to subside. *** "Let her speak, Mortis," Tobar insisted. "Perhaps there are extenuating circumstances," he said while turning to deliver an expectant expression to augment his reminder of their earlier discussion on the matter. "Put the knife away," Mortis told Rip. "We should kill her," Rip smiled without moving the blade from its unwavering position, its point yet applying only enough pressure to cut through the cloth of her cloak, just above the sternum. "Yes. Kill her, resurrect her bones, and then ask her your questions. The dead never lie." "I said, put the knife away." That flat whisper drifted to Rip's ear, the fetid breath of its lifeless owner's lips now no more than inches from Rip's face. "Neither are the dead burdened by conscience, old friend," Mortis assured him while withdrawing his own dagger. Rip slowly withdrew, his eyes locked on his master's empty sockets. He was not yet prepared to undertake the journey offered. *** Sarah slowly inched her hand toward one of the crystals. "Wait!" Merfee shouted, but was too late to stop her. As she touched the crystal, she glanced about, expecting the familiar flash of light. Nothing happened. "Maybe they're duds after all." "Are you out of your mind?" Merfee asked. "Even if it had worked, you can't know where it leads!" "Or when," muttered Sarah speculatively.

As if seeking his own conformation, Jesse stepped forward, pawing at the other crystal with similar results. "Maybe, together?" she asked the wolf. Jesse faced her, and then nodded. "May fortune smile on the Coterie," she quoted Surripere with a half-hearted grin. Jesse barked his approval. As they both returned their attention to the crystals, Merfee realized what they intended. "You're trifling about with my wife's body!" he exclaimed. "On one," Sarah announced. "You've no right!" Merfee shouted. "Three…two…" "NO!" "One." *** At first, he simply thought it was dark out. It didn't take long to realize that even the dead of a starless night would not be this black. No, this was no doubt part of whatever Demon-induced blunder had also separated him from the others. Borin walked, or rather, believed he walked, for quite some time. Of course, he could not be certain. Aside from having no visual stimulation, he also found that he had no sense of his legs. For that matter, he had no sense of the rest of himself either. It was a good thing that Warriors are not easily given to panic, for if there was ever a time for panic, this having a complete lack of physical and visual sensation would probably be it. One unpleasant thought kept circling about the fringes of his concentration. He had heard many stories where the course of due battle would find survivors without various limbs. This was either a matter of direct separation while in the fray, or surgical amputation, as when Clerics become too overwhelmed to maintain sufficient mana for anything other than keeping their patient breathing, and sometimes not even that. Ghost limbs , he thought as the uninvited idea continued to formulate. He remembered one soldier in particular. The man lay on the ground, both legs lost as the direct result of a Wizard's fireball. Unlike the Dryadic version of this spell, Wizards add an unnatural effect that continues to burn after the initial explosion, until the target is nothing but ash, regardless of what that target might be. Such were the remains of the fallen Soldier's legs, though he continued to insist he could still feel them, as if their ghosts yet lingered. In Borin's case it was just the opposite. He couldn't feel his legs at all. What's more, he couldn't feel anything: not his legs, not his arms, not even his own face. His alarm was not the prospect of still feeling something that was no longer there, but rather not feeling anything, perhaps because instead of losing part of his body, he had lost it all, or worse yet, it had lost him. After what felt like an eternity, something finally came into view. Off in the distance, no telling how far as there were no other points of reference, there was a pinpoint of pale light, like that of a star, were stars given to truly faded expositions. As he drew closer, the light grew in size, if not intensity. A moment later, he recognized its outline. The dais!

He broke into a trot, and reached it. But instead of immediately jumping on it as he had first intended, he found himself simply standing there, staring at it. Its faint glow represented the only light, and he soon became both reluctant and urgent about stepping onto it. In one respect, it was surely his only hope in escaping this lightless purgatory. On the other hand, what if he touched it and instead of gating, the light simply snuffed out. His inner turmoil was disrupted by a woman's voice, or rather, her almost inaudible weeping. He followed the daises raised circumference until finding the source of woe. A woman sat on the floor, assuming that the flat blackness beneath her was in fact a floor. Her back leaned against the dais, and her legs were drawn beneath her as she wept. "If thee be of malicious intent, then get thee away," she muttered weakly, without raising her eyes. "Dead or no, trifle thee not with a Warrior, for that is what I am." "Ariel?" he asked in recognition. At the sound of a familiar voice, she brought her eyes up, the low radiance of the dais shedding sufficient light for him to see her face. "There would appear to be nowhere else to go, milady," Borin said in a subdued tone. *** Surripere sat on the dais, his posture that of resignation, his expression that of incomprehension. I just don't understand , he thought while slowly shaking his head. It should have worked. It should have … A short blip sounded from the console, denoting the impending reacquisition of a lost signal. *** "Lord Marcus?" she sniffled. "If you are here, then is he…" "I'm alone. I'm sorry…" "No. Tis best," she sighed. "For were he in thy company, then he would be…liken to us both," she said, cutting her eyes away. Borin was suddenly reminded of the fact that Magnatha's mother had died in childbirth. "And though I find thine own untimely demise a source of kindled sorrow, Lord Krue," she told him while getting to her feet, "I do yet admit a lightening of spirit in thy company, even if spirit be all I have left to do such with." "The sentiment is most mutual, milady," he assured her, reaching to grasp, and then kiss her hand, but finding the welcome task unavailable as his hand passed through hers like so much smoke through a net. "A decided advantage," she smiled while offering him a grand curtsy, "in finding one's self in the form of a female ghost. It would appear that of our two, mine is the only form fit for greetings." Borin's brow furrowed as something occurred to him. "I bid thee to take no offense," she said soberly. "I only meant…" "May I ask how it is you came to be here?" he asked abruptly. "By no means of my knowing, I'm sure," she assured him. "My body was in great distress through that same laborious Quest as all those of my sex find themselves when bestowing new life. I fear that my Quest ended before even offering a brief glimpse of that sweet new person. Then I was…simply here, on this very platform."

"Hmmm." "Hmmm?" "Why here? Why me? And why you?" he asked. "I am sure I know naught…" "Forgive me, milady. I have been plagued by Demons of late." "Demons?" she asked, her own brow raising as she glanced nervously about in renewed appraisal of her afterlife. "Tricky business, Demons," he said while crossing his arms in deeper thought of how this situation had evolved. "I've learned that they're not all evil. Though, obviously, they aren't all of higher intellect either!" he shouted at the darkness beyond their small island of pale light. "Forgive me, Lord Krue. Thy meaning escapes my deduction," she said with uncertainty. "Yes…as well as mine," he mumbled. "But I assure you, that makes it no less true," he continued while stepping up on the dais. She watched as he turned about, as if expecting something, or perhaps nothing to happen. "Have you stood upon the dais since your arrival?" he asked. "Surely," she assured him. "Where else wouldst there be to go stepping?" she glanced about at the darkness. "Join me on it now, if you please," he requested. "I think perhaps our dual presence is required." Avoiding the urge to assist her, a thing not possible anyway, he stepped back as Ariel stepped up. In doing so, they were instantly met with a growing whine that Borin himself found both familiar and reassuring. "Hark!" exclaimed Ariel, dropping into a defensive crouch. "No. No, it's all right, milady. That sound means we are about to leave this place." "Leave?" she echoed. "Where…" "I've no idea," he answered honestly, but secretly hoping for a destination that included a more solidified change in their forms as well. As the whine grew in intensity, another unfamiliar change took place. A curtain, lucent in nature, ringing the base of the dais, suddenly appeared. Before either could comment, there came a bright flash as the scenery abruptly altered. *** Though still dark, their new ambience included starlight, moonlight, and even such effects as a cool temperature, accompanied by a most pleasant breeze. It was well met by both travelers as each drew in deep breaths to welcome what they had not even realized was missing, since ghosts have no actual requisite for such things as respiration. "Where?" she asked again, her usual flamboyant style of speech suddenly reduced to match her unprepared expression. "I don't know," he told her while they both glanced about in hopes of gaining any possible bearing. "The moon is yet upon its rising," she realized while pointing in that direction, and then turning to where the sun would have set, "and that should be west," she announced.

"Yes. I can still make out a faint blush," he squinted. After a moment, he froze, his eyes widening. "Listen," he whispered. *** "No. I have been cast out of Pi'xylem for consorting with a Human!" "Surely…your famil…" "No, my love! You're not hearing me! I…I have been Proscribed." "I cannot believe Nefarti would…" "First of all, her name is Nefari. I've told you that before, which is more than you've allowed me to tell her of you," she intoned sternly. "And, no. It wasn't Mother. It was Father who approached the Council." "How could he do such a thing?" *** Borin and Ariel watched as the two figures approached. His first attempt to contact them, which was simply to rush from the dais and flag them over, was met by an unforgiving wall of unknown origin, or precise location. "What…happened?" he asked with uncertainty while picking himself up and gently feeling his nose to determine if it had been broken. "I know naught, Lord Krue." She answered honestly. "Thee simply appeared to…to have bounced…off of the thin air." The figures approached, coming to a stop, now no more than a length of perhaps two rhino beetles away, yet still shrouded in moonlit silhouette. "Hail," Borin spoke in a normal tone of voice. He should have hailed them before they had come so close, but then again, he hadn't expected to find himself unable to step off the dais. "We beg your pardon, but could you possibly extend us your kindly assistance?" *** "…by taking the matter to them himself, he preserves his name, though if I know my mother, he has also ended his marriage. "You shouldn't have told them about us," the man said to his female companion. "You didn't even consult me…" "What was there to consult, Regi?" "Tis as if they can neither see, nor even hear us," Ariel noted. Regi? Borin's mind raced. "You had no right to assume that I would commit to a relationship." "But we…we did commit," she said with uncertainty. "We…you made love to me…" "Listen to me!" he demanded. Though concealed in shadow, the woman's face could easily be imagined through her tone of dejection. "I am listening, Regi," she told him quietly.

"Apparently, there is something of a rift between our cultures as far as matters between men and women are concerned. What your people see as an unspoken contract, is, in many cases, no more than a casual form of social function among my people. I had no idea you would take our…little diversion… so seriously, milady. The fact of the matter is…well…I'm married." The woman was silent. There was a long pause as each silhouette remained still. After a time, the woman began to quietly sob, her hands coming up to cover her face. Borin's mind kept returning to the name the woman had called the man, and then the name she had evoked when speaking of her mother. Then too, the man's voice was somewhat familiar, though he had never heard his father speak in such tones of… Guilt? He found himself silently pleading, almost praying it was all just a coincidence. *** "How could you, Regi?" she asked, the tears in her eyes betrayed by the tears in her voice. "It was a mistake, I know," he said in a low tone. "Then, you feel nothing for me?" "Of course I do," he assured her. "If our situation was only other than what it is…" "Yes," she agreed, a new edge in her tone. "If only you hadn't dallied with a cheap strumpet while yet bound by the sacred vows of matrimony." "No one has labeled you as a…" "No one but you, else I would not now find myself at the end of such a shameful affair." "You're wrong, Misty," he told her in a subdued voice. "Is everyone of your race like this?" she asked, raising her sleeve to wipe her eyes, and then reluctantly accepting his handkerchief. The man drew a long breath, and then released it in a similar sigh. "The truth is…" "Yes, let's do that, shall we," she laughed hoarsely. "What a refreshing suggestion." "The truth," he repeated, "is that she…my wife… She is with child. The dais began a low whine. "Lord Krue?" Ariel asked with concern, looking from the scene that was yet unfolding like some unfathomable play, to Borin's horror-stricken face which seemed to imply the play was in fact quite fathomable. "With child," repeated Misty numbly, her arms dropping to her sides as if too heavy to do otherwise. The man began to back away, inching as if preparing to bolt back down the path they had taken here. "It's getting late, Misty." "Late," she echoed absently. "I will be expected home soon." "Home," she whispered sadly. "I'm sure you'll find someone more worthy of you," he called back over his shoulder while advancing to a trot.

Borin could not help but recognize the man's familiar gate. It was a stride, similar not only to his own deceased father, but one in which he himself shared. The Woman's head suddenly snapped up. "Reginald! Wait!" Reginald? Reginald could not, or perhaps would not hear her. He simply continued his steady pace back the way they had come. Borin noticed as several drops of rain soaked into the dust beside the dais, quickly followed by many others. In briefly returning his attention to the dais, he realized the rain was passing through its surface, as well as his own flesh, as he held his hand out to watch a droplet pass through his palm. He turned to Ariel and grasped her arm, and then let it go. "It would seem that our reality tis but a thing of our own viewing," she said, reaching her own hand out to confirm the water test. The remaining silhouette raised its face to the heavens, as if in anticipation of the cool rain. Lightning flashed, followed quickly by a thunderclap. Though both faded almost immediately, the brief intensity of light left an after-image of the woman, revealing such features as rust-red hair, drawn back to display uncomfortably familiar facial features. "Me too, Regi," she whispered sadly while passing both hands over her lower bodice in what seemed a protective, or caring manner. The whine grew quickly in pitch. G ads! his mind fairly shouted as the silhouette's maternal mannerism registered. Lightning flashed again, as did the dais. *** A loud and rapid series of metallic-sounding gongs succeeded where their dais-induced departure had failed as Borin's concentration wavered while considering not only a side of his father he had never known existed, but of the implied revelation of a sibling who, short of an actual Demon, would surely have been his last possible personal preference. *** Ezlea made her way through the gathering crowd of Tarots, and then carefully laid the unconscious wolf on the ground before Magnatha's rocker. "She was attacked by an Ancient Hag," she announced. "I don't think she's going to make it." "The old woman," said Ariel. "She seems…familiar, somehow." Borin raised a single brow. He considered telling her, and then thought better of it. It could only serve to exacerbate her confusion at this point. "She resembles you, a bit, milady. Perhaps a distant relative?" "Yes, perhaps tis but a long removed kinsman. Would but that I could talk to her," she said, a dim flicker of hope in her expression. "Under the circumstances, I doubt such is possible," Borin offered softly. "Political exile has been the rueful barrier between such and myself for so long," she intoned wistfully. "And now I am foiled by another, though no less effective barrier."

Magnatha raised up from her rocker, and then lowered herself to examine the she-wolf. Deep gashes ran the length of the wolf's rust-colored fur. Her eyes were open, but the pupils were already dilated. "The Hag's poison's done made way ta her mind," she told the crowd. "There's nuthin we can do…" Below the wolf's abdomen, there came a writhing motion. For a moment, Magnatha froze, unsure. Then it dawned on her. "Knife!" she commanded, holding her hand out expectantly. Borin knew what was to follow, and as if in reaction to his realization, the dais began its low whine. A Tarot stepped forward, quickly handing his dagger to Magnatha, and nearly getting his hand sliced as she immediately grasped it, and then turned it on the dying wolf. The whine grew in pitch, although the sound went unnoticed by all those outside the invisible barrier. As the wolf died, her form changed, leaving the image of exactly who he had expected. The wolf pup Magnatha withdrew from her also changed, even as its mother faded. There was no doubt in Borin's mind as to the identity of the auburn-haired infant, now crying in the old woman's arms. "Ock! Just lookit that grin!" Magnatha exclaimed, grinning herself. "He's gonna be trouble, this one is!" she cackled. "Let's call him Puppy," Ezlea suggested enthusiastically, thus earning a truly reproachful glance from Magnatha. *** The dais flashed, but as the scene altered yet again, it seemed for a brief instant as if there were two simultaneous flashes, as if two separate gates had just crossed each other's paths. *** "We've returned to Deja!" Ariel exclaimed. "I know these passages well!" "It looks like a sewer to me," Borin said, realizing that the dais was now half submerged beneath questionably murky water. "Tis true," she agreed. "I was captured in these most unpleasant tunnels whilst attempting infiltration of mine enemy's Stronghold." {…Testing. One, two, three. Hello? Is this thing on?} Borin whirled, casting about as if searching for something. "Lord Krue?" Ariel asked with careful concern. "Did you hear it?" he asked, the urgency in his tone almost pleading in nature. "Surripere!" he shouted. "I hear you! Where are you?" "No, Lord Krue. Mine ears detect only thee," she whispered, her eyes widening as she glanced about. "It's one of the Demons," he told her in a calmer tone. "He's somehow attempting to contact me…I think." "Thee…consorts with Demons, then?" she asked warily. {Oh! Silly me. I don't suppose you'd have an interface with which to reply, would you?} "Enter…face?" Borin asked nobody in particular while Ariel took several tentative steps back. {No matter. I'll simply have to instruct you, and hope you understand. I'll keep it as simple as possible.} "Are you implying that I'm…"

{At the center of the dais, there is a small round depression. This is referred to as a button.} "A butt on what?" Borin asked with both brows raised. "Ouch!" cried Ariel while backing warily into, then bouncing off of the invisible barrier. "I'm all right. Don't mind me," she smiled sheepishly while picking herself up. {Please place the tip of your index finger on the depression and gently push. A panel should then open.} "We must locate a small depression to sit on, and then we can push the barrier with our index fingers!" "What's this?" Ariel asked, just noticing something odd near the place she had fallen, then leaning over to touch it with her index finger. *** As the bright flash faded, she found her vision requiring several moments longer to adjust to the darker environment. "Don't move," a threatening voice ordered from behind as Sarah felt the point of something sharp at her lower back. From behind him, a low and throaty growl issued. As unlikely the prospect might be that such a creature would have entered the aqueduct system of its own feral volition, Rip yet found himself withdrawing his blade, being as careful as possible to avoid any sudden motion as he did so. "Subdue your pet, milady," said Mortis, still standing in the doorway. His skeleton guards had moved to cover the traitor, Delphi. As such, he was now free to address the newly developing situation, hopefully before Rip's lack of diplomacy could initiate any further undesirable developments. "He's not my pet. He's my brother." "I see. You're a Druid, then," said Mortis appreciatively. "We wish no trouble with the children of Nature." "I'm not…" she began, and then stopped when she realized whose body she now occupied. "Oh, yeah." "Dryadic gates are not accompanied by great flashes of light!" spat Rip. "Besides, without their Hubs, Druids can only gate themselves, and only to places where they've been previously bound." "Ok, fine. I'm not a Druid, and he is a wolf, if you prefer," Sarah intoned. "Not that I see where that gets us." "It gets us back to my first request," replied Mortis. "I reiterate. Please subdue your pet, milady." "Subdue yours first," Sarah returned in the same expectant tone. "Drop the knife, Rip," Tobar advised. Delphi attempted to turn her head, but before she could glimpse the new arrivals, she was flanked by a skeleton bearing two engraved stripes on the front of its skull. "Easy, Corporal," she intoned softly while returning her attention to face the doorway. "Digger? Is that you?" Cleetis asked. Jesse's attention remained on the man whose back was yet exposed to him. Mortis glared dangerously at Cleetis, and then returned his attention to Rip and the new arrivals. "Friends of yours, milady?" he asked Sarah in an accusing tone."

Sarah looked at the group indicated. "I'm acquainted with the Human and the female Halfling. I don't know any Dark-elves though…not any that are still alive anyways." "I know the wolf," said Cleetis. "And the woman was with a Ranger…her Husband, I think. We allied briefly before the Trolls attacked, though I don't really know her." "Me either," added Tuda. "No. I don't suppose you would," Sarah agreed. "Then you lied!" spat Rip, gripping his dagger tightly, and then relaxing when reminded by another low and throaty growl. "No. I simply agreed that they wouldn't know me." *** As the panel slid to one side, Ariel and Borin stepped forward, peering into the shallow hole now in the dais. Inside was a small box bearing a series of ridges, each of a differing color. {All right. By now you should have retrieved the remote unit.} Borin quickly retrieved the small box. {The remote has a series of small buttons. Each button has a specific purpose. I will tell you what each one does according to its color code.} "Ahh, butt-ons!" Borin exclaimed. "Aye. Very…pretty," Ariel noted while keeping a wary eye on her companion as he continued to converse with thin air. {First off. The blue button activates the Lag Stasis-field. The green button will deactivate it, thus allowing you to exit the dais.} Borin pressed the green button and there was a brief shimmer about the dais as the field dropped. {Now, I don't want you to go off without a thorough understanding of the remote unit, so before you deactivate the field, I should first tell you about the other buttons.} "Oops." *** "May I put my hands down now?" Delphi asked politely. "No!" Rip barked, and then fell silent when Jesse matched his tone, if not his speech. "Look," said Sarah. "This can all be explained. Let's all just calm down and…" "If you please, milady," Mortis interrupted with indignity. "I think I shall be the instigator of edict around here, since I control the greater number of weapons," he indicated his complement of armed guards, versus Sarah's single wolf. "No problem." "Good. Now, let's just all keep our wits about us and…" "What?" Sarah asked curiously. "Calm down?" ***

The voices were getting louder. "Stop for a moment," he whispered as the gradual incline finally brought them to a dry section of the tunnels. "Several voices, I know. Others, I don't recognize." "Let's see now," he muttered while hunkering down. "Yellow means resume, and green is…" "Thee art wrong, Lord Krue," Ariel whispered. "How wouldst thee…I mean, how would you know? You can't even hear the Demon." "Because thee didst recite thine unheard Demon's directives, even as he didst supposedly place them in thine ear, as if some diminutive birdy didst tell thee, I'm sure." "Then…green is resume? Or was it blue?" "No. Thee said that blue didst activate… Here. Perhaps thee shouldst allow me," she offered, reaching to relieve him of the remote, and then staring mutely as he jerked the remote away, almost in a defensive posturing. "Lord Krue?" "Oh. Sorry, milady," he offered with remorse. "This…box has a strange…allure. Here," he offered it to her, suddenly as reluctant to keep it as he was to give it up. As Ariel reached for the remote, her hand passed through it, just as Borin's hand had passed through her own. "It would appear that unlike thee, I am naught but the same ghost thee found me as." It suddenly struck Borin that, to the best of his knowledge, he had never died in the first place. *** A sudden explosion rocked the entire corridor, briefly breaking the tension between all Factions present while thick smoke and debris rushed passed, thus momentarily obscuring everyone's view. As the smoke began to clear, a large section of the corridor's ceiling could now be seen lying on the corridor's floor some thirty meters to the south. "Take no prisoners!" commanded Baroness Clawtorn as ladders from above were lowered. "I…I told you, Mortis!" Rip coughed. "We've been betrayed!" he shouted, raising his dagger to seal the fate of the enemy in front of him, and then screaming in pain due to the enemy behind him. "Hold!" Borin commanded as he leapt from around the tunnel's corner on the opposite side of the guild entrance. The smoke was yet too thick to see who, but Sarah's Elvin ears were certain the sound she heard was the tension of a bowstring, and equally certain of whose voice it was aiming at. "Borin! Look out!" she shouted. Borin pushed the yellow butt-on, hoping Ariel's memory was better than his. *** Silence was his first notation. No shouting. No echo of residual rubble crashing to the floor of the corridor. Nothing but a complete hush. He glanced at his companion. Ariel continued staring ahead, her eyes unblinking. She too was now caught within the Pause spell. The next subject to register was the air itself. Tiny particles of dust and debris formed the now-static explosion that was all about him. It was all suspended in thin air, as if frozen in ice. He slowly waved his hand through the soup-like atmosphere. The suspended dust and debris gave way easily enough, leaving an equally frozen trail of clear air behind.

He started to move forward, but quickly stopped as unavoidable particles of dust kept getting in his eyes. After blinking until his eyes cleared themselves with tears, he decided to look, select a course, and then traverse the gauged distance with his head down. He continued carefully, making his way down the clouded corridor, and stopping at regular intervals to adjust his course until reaching the reason Sarah had shouted a warning. A skeleton stood right where it had been at the very moment that Borin had pushed the yellow butt-on, the string of its bow yet frozen in mid-reverberation and separated from the arrow by less than a meter. {Excellent. I've detected a chronomic cessation in your partition. Assuming that you are the cause, I will now walk you through the retrieval process.} *** Standing at the approximate distance prescribed, Borin pressed the black butt-on. He only hoped he had the correct Wood-elf. Surripere hadn't mentioned any names, but there didn't seem to be any other Wood-elves about. There was no sound, or any visual effect, so far as he could tell. He could but hope that Surripere was correct, for if the remote failed to realign her signal properly, then Sarah would be stuck within this partition, and consequently within the Wood-elf. From the position and depth of the dagger's entry in her back, that would surely be a fatal miscalculation. Next, he stepped over to the wolf, who according to Surripere, was now housing the Jesse Demon's signal. Though unable to have prevented the Wood-elf's misfortune, the wolf was yet frozen in the attempt, his fangs still clamped down to the gum line upon the assassin's buttocks. Again, Borin pressed the black butt-on, trusting that the device was successfully recording the necessary information. That task completed, he made his way back to Ariel. Surripere had given him no instruction concerning her. As he thought about it, Borin supposed the Demon wasn't even aware of her. He hadn't mentioned her, though her presence at the dais somehow seemed more than just coincidence. Maybe Demons don't know everything , he thought. I can't just leave her here . Not certain of what consequence his action might bring about, he pointed the remote at his frozen companion and pushed the black butt-on a third time. Unlike the first two instances, this time there was a significant reaction. She simply disappeared, as if no more than so much dissipating smoke. *** "WAIT!" shrieked the Specialist in response to Agent Dolen's extraction of her revolver. "What?" she asked impatiently while pointing the weapon at the computer. "Maybe there's another way," he intoned with resignation. "You don't have to destroy it." "What way?" "Here," he told her while cautiously sidestepping around her pistol, and then grasping the Internet router connection. "Oh, yeah. That'll work… Hey! Why didn't you say so earlier? "Just thought of it. I guess I wasn't really concentrating on ways to commit mass murder." Janis smiled. "Do it," she told him, her expression intense in her moment of imminent victory. He stood there, staring helplessly at the place she had occupied. After a moment he gathered himself together. Whatever had become of her was something he would simply have to live with. Right now, he had a responsibility to complete the Quest at hand.

Reluctantly, he returned his attention to the remote. As directed, he pressed the green butt-on. Immediately, the scene rushed forward with shouts and screams from the Necromancer guild entrance, and from further down, the battle cries of charging Dark-elves were closing quickly. Recalling the Demon's last instruction, Borin passed a finger over the white butt-on, and then paused briefly. "Forgive me, Ariel," he whispered sadly. "I only meant to help." Reluctantly, he pressed the butt-on, and then closed his eyes as the remote abruptly erupted in a bright flash.

Chapter Eight-Occasions To Re-Render "Well, I think he's lost his mind!" Selina intoned with disdain. Borin glanced about, first fixing on Selina's angry voice, and then on Marcus, whose expression of shock appeared to be fixed on Selina, rather than on Borin's unannounced arrival. "It's all well and good to go slumming about with barmaids, Krue, not that you actually… Are you attempting to ignore me?" "Huh?" he asked while turning about to get his bearing. He then noticed the tavern where he and Marcus always used to meet before attending first-hour Arena. "Go right ahead, Krue! Ignore me all you like!" "Selina!" Marcus intoned reproachfully. "I'm sure Borin would not intentionally ignore…" "It doesn't matter," she returned coolly. "As soon as I've had an opportunity to speak with the Magistrate, I'm sure he'll be anxious to have a few words with… Mmmph!" she exclaimed. For a moment, Marcus simply stood there, thoroughly shocked at Borin's unprecedented display of social impropriety. "I say! That…that's hardly called for!" "Mmmph!" Selina exclaimed again, both arms yet flailing as Borin continued his relentless assault. "Here then! I really must insist you cease and desis…" Marcus began, catching himself in mid-sentence as Selina's flailing arms first lowered, relaxed, and then slowly reached up as she slipped them over Borin's shoulders. "Well, excuse me!" Marcus intoned indignantly, turning on his heels to leave his two perverted friends to their own devices. "Mmm! Hold up there, Marc!" Borin called. "We've a great deal to discuss," he said, returning his attention to Selina. "A great deal indeed." *** When she explained the situation to Kwibee, he said he would look into it, but added that he suspected the source of the aberration had something to do with her own interaction, because the program's social format was unlikely to deviate in such a way. She was not sure what he had meant by that, but she didn't like the sound of it. She couldn't tell if he was referring to some aspect of the game's response to the filter, or if he might be accusing her of some impropriety. Either way, she was just relieved that Diete… that Borin had taken such an interest in her. Okay, an interest in Selina , she corrected. I wouldn't mind an opportunity to knock that barmaid on her ass, though, she thought. {There's something…not quite right about all this business. I can't seem to locate any references that would justify how he might have gained such information…} [Well, I certainly don't know anything about it.] {It's just odd, that's all. I mean, there ought to be at least something…} [There wasn't anything on the invasion, either.] {Yes, yes, I know, but this is really quite strange. The invasion is simply a natural socio-political conclusion between opposing factions. It doesn't explain how he came to know about…} [Can we talk about this later? I'm kinda busy right now.] *** As Reginald droned on, Sarah reached for Borin's hand, only to discover his empty chair.

Jester looked about. Where's that oaf gotten off to? "Before we present the Ambassadors with gifts to commemorate the occasion, not to mention their Seals of office…solid platinum, I've been told," Reginald said in a confidential tone, thus causing a wave of laughter through the crowd. "I feel we would be remiss, were we to overlook someone who has played a much larger role in these proceedings than you might realize. I speak of a man whose devotion to…" A sudden and rather loud crash disrupted the proceedings as all eyes suddenly turned toward Borin. "Here now!" exclaimed the Magistrate as he rose and turned to discover Borin standing directly behind him with the remains of a broken chair. "My apologies, Magistrate," Borin offered absently. "Make certain he's placed under warding," he told the guards as they dragged the cloaked and obviously unconscious figure away from the now disrupted proceedings. "And remove his armor as well!" he called after them. It's about time someone shared that tradition. "Is it starting already?" Reginald asked as he descended the podium. "Soon," Borin replied. "Are we ready?" "We will be," Marcus informed him. "Right now we just need to clear all these civilians out of the area." "What about…" "Yes, yes," Marcus anticipated. The Wiccaris Hub has been evacuated." "What about…" "The Tarots? Yes, them too." "I don't suppose someone could let me know what's going on?" intoned the Magistrate. "Me too," Jester agreed as he joined them. "Unless of course, this business of bashing people over the head with chairs is yet another of your strange Human customs, in which case I would just as soon be assigned to that tutoring position in Norwinds." "Gadzooks!" Borin exclaimed as Jester's relentless droning successfully permeated his thoughts. "I completely forgot about the Grove!" *** "This is an outrage!" shouted another of the seven new residents to join Crumly in the last few hours. "Pipe down, Colonel," Marcus told the distraught woman as he and Selina dragged the unconscious figure in. "Here, we've brought you another playmate." "You there!" Selina shouted. "Me?" slurred the Dwarf, not at all comfortable at being singled out. "Yes, you," she confirmed while motioning him forward. "Come along then. No room for little drunks tonight. You'll have to be on your way." "Really?" he asked while managing not to stagger through the cell door, and then quickly bolting for the cellblock exit. "Hold it!" Marcus shouted from behind him.

I knew it! It's just like that time in Brinehaven! Crumly thought as he turned about. Let's tease the little Dwarf, shall we! That's a barrel of laughs, that is! "Someone asked me to give you this," Marcus said while tossing a leather pouch to the little man. "Who?" Crumly asked suspiciously while opening the pouch, and then nearly toppling over as the contents of platinum coins registered. "They also wanted me to tell you that Waldo, whoever that might be, was found innocent," Marcus informed him, and then continued to usher the small man out. "Comfy, dear?" Selina asked the Ex-Barmaid-Tailor in the adjoining cell, whose only reply was to glance about nervously, almost as if she had just awoke to find herself in strange surroundings. "Selina! Marcus!" shouted Borin as he burst through the outer door. "Come on, you two! We're wasting time!" "I know that voice," Crumly muttered to himself. "Move along now, friend Dwarf," Marcus ordered while gently nudging the small man past the Ambassador, and then out the door. "Lord Krue?" An oddly familiar accent issued from the cell next to where Selina stood. "Be that Lord Krue's voice?" Borin's eyes opened widely, both brows raised in something akin to shock as he slowly walked over to investigate, and then peeked cautiously about the corner of what should have been Effigee's new longterm residence. *** The oaf had predicted correctly, for not more than a few steps out of Arbitos, a giant portal formed to the northeast. Jester had managed to traverse more than three quarters of the distance while under Fleeting Felidae. When that ran out, he had cast Canis, along with several restorations, levitation, and invisibility, before continuing. As he topped the last hill, he realized that he was too late to provide an advanced warning. Now he could but hope that his addition to his people's defenses might make some minor difference. Considering the mass of Empire forces now marching no more than a few hundred meters from the Grove proper, it was only a small hope. *** "Keep her quiet, and stay out of sight," Merfee said quickly while piling leaves on his small family. "What if they find us?" Nefari cried. "Without magic, I can't protect her!" "The altar is away from where the main battle will take place," he told her. "When you hear… When the battle commences, take our daughter and run to the west." "Why haven't you gated?" came a voice from directly above them. Merfee dropped, readying both bow and arrow as he rolled to the flat of his back, already drawn to fire. "Don't shoot!" came the disembodied voice again as its floating owner suddenly became visible. *** "And you're certain that Jesterwolf is all right?"

"Yes, mistress," confirmed the Sergeant. "The would-be Assassin has been taken into custody." Just then, Mistress Bane's attention was drawn upward, squinting as if she might have gotten dust in her eye. Then she drew her hand up, as if shielding herself. She turned, intending to inquire as to what her escort might know about Ultra-light signal tactics. What she encountered was the Sergeant as he withdrew an odd looking pair of tiny spectacles, which he then placed on the bridge of his nose. They shimmered briefly as he focused. "Ahh, yes," he offered brightly while removing them to address her. "Ultra-light signal. Right on time, too." "But what… I mean, how…" "Oh, you mean the spectacles," said the Sergeant. "The Ambassador to Aphoris donated several crates of these to the Garrison as a gesture of good will. I believe Ambassador Krue requested them." *** "All we know is that nobody was able to gate," said Merfee quickly. "It's some sort of warding spell. They must have cast it over the entire Grove." "Surely someone must have noticed when they cast it," Jester muttered. "What does it matter at this point!" Nefari shouted, thus waking the babe in her arms as it immediately commenced to cry. "Now look what you've done!" Merfee accused Jester. "Me? Fine. You can reproach me later," Jester intoned. "For now, let's just concentrate on… Do you hear something?" "What?" Nefari asked while ducking down to protect her child. "It's… It's like music." Just then, the altar in which they all huddled behind began to radiate. Unlike the azure emitted during the naming ceremony, it now glowed red. "What's happening?" Jester asked. "The altar shouldn't be able to do that while under warding," said Nefari. "It's Aqua!" Merfee shouted as the resonance from his daughter suddenly increased in volume. *** "Fire!" commanded the Baron. The entire forward bank of Dark-elf Wizards abruptly stepped toward their collective target. Giant fireballs then burst forth from their outstretched arms to converge on the face of the city's outer stonewall. Upon impact, the molten balls not only failed to explode, they actually bounced, as though made of rubber rather than fire. They then shot back upon their sources as said Sorcerers suddenly ceased to exist, other than what scattered ashes might be sifted. As the smoke cleared, and as the Baron managed to reacquire his lost perch atop his beetle, a small number of figures could be seen standing atop the unharmed wall. "The walls of Jericoe Swelth do not fall quite that easily, Baron!" shouted Reginald. "Krue!"

"My Baron!" shouted a Dark-elf as he waded through the midst of his comrades to stand beside Heartrot's beetle. "Look!" he pointed to the north. In the distance, a mass of creatures was forming over the horizon. Wolves, bears, Half-elves, and the various races of a local band of Tarots, most of who were indistinguishable, with perhaps the exceptions of a single Barbarian and a single Ogre, both of whom stood out even at that distance. "Pardon me, Baron!" Borin shouted. "It would appear that there's something wrong with your portal." Baron Heartrot swiveled about. Though yet standing, the massive portal was commencing to collapse. Without the Wizards who created it, the portal's magic would soon dissipate. "You better hurry, Baron!" Selina shouted merrily. "Make no mistake, Krue!" spat the Baron as he wheeled about. "This is far from over!" "Another time, then, old friend!" Reginald bowed. *** "He will be back, Father," Borin intoned seriously as they watched the last of the Empire's army disappear over the hill. "I feel it in my bones." "One day at a time, Son. That's all anyone can hope to cope with," Reginald offered soberly. "May I ask what you people are doing up there?" Amara inquired as she and Jester reached the drawbridge. "The Grove!" exclaimed Borin. "Is everyone all ri…" "The Grove wasn't even attacked," said Jester as he levitated up to eye level. "Really?" Marcus marveled. "Well, the opposition had managed a blanket warding, but, apparently my Goddaughter has been blessed with some rather unusual talents." "The Siren," Borin whispered beneath his breath. "Between being bombarded by approximately three hundred Dryadic lightning bolts and a continuous stream of Ranger's arrows, in addition to their portal home quickly shrinking away, they must have reconsidered their options," Amara offered brightly. "You should have seen them light out," Jester laughed. Their expressions of surprise alone were absolutely…" "Ambassador Thistle?" Delphi's familiar voice inquired from below, thus disrupting Jester's concentration, along with his levitation spell. "Jester!" shouted Selina and Borin as they both quickly stretched to catch him. "Fool!" Borin cursed lowly while hauling Jester up. "Oaf!" Jester cursed, as soon as he was sure of his footing. "If'n you two boobs are gonna be Ambassadors, yer gonna hafta stop tossin insults about like that!" said Magnatha in a serious tone while she and her entourage came through the gate to join Mistress Bane. "Oh yes, that reminds me," Borin said quickly as he turned to face Sarah. "Selina?" "Yes, Ambassador Krue," she returned, trying out his new title. "I believe you and I have…an appointment," he intoned expectantly.

"What? I recall no… Oh yes. I remember," she smiled in recollection of the moonlight stroll they had planned. "I have just a few things to take care of first. Could we meet at the tavern?" he asked. "The tavern?" she asked. "Oh, certainly," she returned, quickly realizing his attempt at arranging a discreet exit. As Selina climbed back down the ladder, Borin turned to Marcus. "As I believe it is my right," he told Reginald, "I would like to make a formal request to have Marcus Goodfellow reassigned as head of my security staff." "That shouldn't be a problem," his father beamed. "Of course, I'm afraid we'll have to promote him to a fully vested Marshal. Can't have a lowly Lieutenant bossing a security staff about," he chuckled. The newly vested Marshal immediately snapped to attention. "Orders, Ambassador?" "Yes," Borin replied cheerily. You're to liberate the female Dark-elf, and then escort her to the Tarot camp." "What!" "Then you're to stay as her personal guard while she and Captain Thistle get better acquainted." "Wonderful," Marcus intoned sardonically. "And just how shall I address this…Wognix." "I believe she prefers Ariel," Borin returned, trying not to smirk. "Fine," said Marcus without enthusiasm. "I'll just go and collect my Wognix, then. -Marshal indeed," he muttered unhappily while climbed down the ladder. "You'll thank me later!" Borin called after him merrily. "Well, Gentlemen," said Jesterwolf while smiling down at Mistress Bane. "If you'll excuse me, I believe I have my own diplomatic duties to attend to." "Not so fast, Ambassador," Borin intoned while staring intently at Reginald. "What?" asked Jester impatiently. "Indeed," agreed Reginald, somewhat uncomfortable under his son's steely gaze. "I think we three should have a little talk first," Borin told them. "About what?" Jester asked, still staring appreciatively at Mistress Bane. "About how a proper gentleman should conduct himself." he answered while continuing to concentrate on the Captain. "Here now!" Jester retorted. "I've not done anything…yet," he insisted while shifting his indignant attention to Borin. "What's this all about then, Son?" Reginald inquired warily. "Come along, Bubba," he said while clasping Jester on the shoulder. "I think your office would be more suitable for this discussion, Father." "Pardon me, but did you just call me, Buh-buh?" Jester inquired cautiously. "No, really, Borin," Reginald insisted as Borin threw an arm about his shoulder, and then casually steered both men toward the ladder. "What's going on? What exactly is this all about?"

"Well, if you simply must know…it's about the sometimes overly exuberant attraction some Human males have toward the females of various Elvin races," Borin offered pleasantly, glancing briefly at the gathering cloud cover. At this, Reginald's eyes widened while shifting briefly toward his son in sudden apprehension. "Yes… well, perhaps tomorrow, then," he suggested. "It's really getting quite late, don't you think?" "It hasn't even been an hour since sunset," Jester countered helpfully. "Yes…quite," acknowledged Reginald coolly. "Looks as if it might rain," Borin offered, still smiling. "Not for hours yet," said Jester, his natural sense of weather affording him a greater accuracy for such predictions. "I don't know," Borin returned doubtfully. It's already a bit…misty, don't you think, Father?" "Right, then," Reginald said quickly while turning to descend the ladder. "I'll meet you in my office within the hour." Jester leaned over to watch as Reginald quickly reached the ground, then scuttled off just as quickly. <Parameter objectives achieved: End transmission.> *** Private residence-12/31/10-10:00 PM-12150 110th Street-Tulsa, Oklahoma Sarah was in the midst of getting dressed when the doorbell issued its adamant request, yet again. "Sweetie? Could you get that?" she shouted. "I can't seem to get this…damned thing on straight!" "The news is on!" he shouted back. "It's Kwibee. He's doing another release!" "Turn off the television and answer the door!" *** 12/31/10-10:00 PM-{Scheduled Press release.} "It's been established that the incident commenced at 4:00am, but didn't end until after 11:00am." "That sounds about right." "Then why were you registered at the main gate as having left the facility for the greater majority of that time?" "I'm afraid I really must insist that all questions remain within the agreed format." "Don't you think the American people have a right to all the facts? After all, aren't they the real victims here?" "I can't comment on that either, not until the Air force declassifies everything. And even then, certain issues are going to remain off the table. That includes my personal opinions." "Is that for the Country's benefit, or their own…" "Next question." *** Private residence-12/31/10-10:05 PM-12150 110th Street-Tulsa, Oklahoma

The doorbell rang again. This time it didn't stop. Whoever was at the door was apparently tired of being ignored. "All right, already!" Dieter shouted. "Just hold your danged horses!" "Damned…tail!" cursed Sarah. Dieter opened the door to find Jesse leaning heavily on the banister, his dour expression heavily concentrated on the doorbell's button. "You can stop now," he offered expectantly." "Is that Jesse?" Sarah shouted. "Yeah!" Dieter returned. "It's definitely a Twerp," he added in a lower tone. "Happy New Year, Bubba," Jesse grinned while entering, and then hobbled straight for the wet bar. "Where is everyone? The three of us alone won't make much of a party." "You're the first to arrive… What kind of goofy-ass getup is that?" Dieter asked with an expression of mixed curiosity and revulsion. "And what have you done to your cane? It looks plumb ridiculous." "It's a jester outfit. Can't ya tell? he shook his head, making the bells jingle. "But as far as the cane is concerned, well, that's something Sarah made for me. It slips right over the crook, see?" he demonstrated by raising the makeshift Jester staff, and then shaking its numerous bells as well. "You're just about eaten up with the dumbass, you know that, right?" "What is that? Is that…long johns?" Jesse asked." "It's a Demon costume!" Dieter retorted. "Sarah made it for me." "Demon, huh? Kinda looks like baggy red long johns with a plastic tail attached." "Yeah," Dieter admitted with a tired sigh. "And what in hell have you got on your head? Are those…carrots?" he inquired of the two orange protrusions strapped to Dieter's forehead. "What's it to ya, Twerp?" "Nothing. Nothing at all. Very elegant, really." "Ta-da!" exclaimed Sarah as she hopped into the living room to show off her own costume, and then quickly ran to help Jesse up. "What's the matter there, Twerp?" Dieter laughed. You trip over them curly toes?" "Sorry, Sis," Jesse offered. "It's just… I wasn't expecting a…B…Bunny costume." *** "I really don't see what you're trying to accomplish, Doctor." "Look. I did your little series of press releases, and almost all of the targets have had the experience filtered from their recollection. In the morning I'll send in my resignation. After that, I see no reason for our continued association." "There's still the matter of the missing sphere drive." "Let's just call that an insurance policy, shall we? You'll have nothing to worry about on my part, as long as Mr. Berrach, and Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman continue to enjoy good health, and retain all their memories. Why don't we just let it drop there?"

"You seem to think this is all like that stupid game. I'm not the bad guy, Doctor. I'm just a man who's trying to do his job under difficult circumstances." "Colonel?" "Yes?" "What… What exactly is that?" "What?" returned Terrance warily. "That!" "Oh… Er, it's nothing." "Is that a…" "No! No, it's not!" "Yes, it is! It's a… "Back-brace!" shouted the Colonel adamantly. "No, that's a… "It is not a corset!" *** Malevolence-United Nirayel Embassy-Ebb Tide "Ahh, Ambassador!" crooned the Attendant. "Your usual table, milord?" she asked while unceremoniously shoving half a dozen prior patrons out of the way, and then grasping his arm and gesturing at her staff, who immediately rushed across the restaurant to commence the bodily removal of several high-ranking Empire officials. "Please don't trouble yourself, Beulah," Borin broke in quickly. "I shall be joined by Baron Heartrot, shortly. "I see," she smiled graciously, and then snapped her fingers absently in the direction of her staff, who immediately commenced to reseat the now somewhat disgruntled dinner party. "Then should I ask, your usual barstool, milord?" she smirked warmly, winding his arm about hers as they walked toward the saloon. She seemed curiously drawn to the contrast of his light brown skin against her own dark blue. "Beulah?" he intoned with mild irritation. "You know good and well that I'm a married man." "Yes," she confirmed while smiling and waving to several tables of patrons as they reached the Bar. "Then why must we play this little game every time I come here?" "Two reasons, milord," she announced, turning to face him, and then drawing closer. "Number one. You're a very influential man. Not only is that a thing I find attractive, but by associating myself with you in the eyes of my clientele, I then bring a certain small portion of that influence to my establishment. I have always found that influence and affluence are never too far from one another." "I see," he said appreciatively, one brow raised. "And the other reason?" "I should probably answer that in whisper, milord. It has to do with your anatomy and, well, one simply shouldn't say such things in public places," she smiled while glancing about to confirm several nearby smirks.

"No, no. You can just keep that to yourself…" he began, but was cut off as she leaned in, and placed her mouth to his ear for several moments. "Besides," she continued while pulling away, and then helping him to his seat. "It's a well known fact that you won't eat anywhere but the Embassy's own Restaurant." Borin smiled while swiveling in his seat to face her. "I must remember to invite Ambassador Thistle's sister sometime. The two of you should get along famously." "The Tarot?" she asked skeptically. "I would just as soon you didn't. After all, this is a respectable establishment," she asserted curtly, turning on her heels and returning to her duties without looking back. "Milord?" the Barman prompted as he continued to wipe down the surface directly in front of Borin. "Just an ale, if you please," Borin replied absently, his fingers fishing through the pockets of his robes. "Yes, milord," confirmed the Barman, wriggling his nose in distaste of the foreign beverage. How someone could drink anything without at least some small portion of blood in the recipe was thoroughly beyond him. "That'll be three gold," he announced as he returned, setting the foul concoction in front of the Ambassador, and then noticing the coins had already been placed on the bar. As he retrieved them, he realized one of the gold pieces was slightly irregular. In turning it over, he realized why. "I haven't got all night, you know," Borin whispered as the man continued to stare. The Barman glanced up, and then back down at the coin. Its golden surface reflected words he knew by heart, but never expected to see from the likes of this man. In service of the Scapegrace , it assured him. *** "Please!" Jester whispered urgently. "We must be quiet." "He needs milk, milord." "Yes, I'm sure," he returned in an easier tone, "but please, do try to sooth him. If we're discovered now…" he trailed, not wishing to distress the woman more than she had already been. In truth, there was good reason to be distressed. This was the third and last of the Exodus missions. The first had been easy enough, but the second had presented several complications that would indicate suspicions had been raised. As a result, this mission had gained Scapegrace approval by a mere three votes. "I know a sleep spell," offered one of the older boys. He was perhaps three quarters Human. "You can't use that on a baby, you dullard!" spat the girl next to him. It's too small!" "Shhhh!" "Sorry, Ambassador," she whispered. "You're not too small though," said the boy to his neighbor. "Just you try it!" she suggested in a cold whisper. "Perhaps I should cast the spell on both of you," Jester whispered in a low but serious tone. "Please, milord," whispered the woman. "They're already frightened. "Threatening children, now, are you?" a voice whispered from behind.

"Jester wheeled about. "You're late!" he spat. "Sorry, Brother," Borin half grinned, "but it appears Heartrot had other plans." He removed a small vial from his inside cuff and tossed it to Jester. "Tell my sister-in-law that it doesn't work when the target doesn't show up. Just as well, really. I never liked the idea of drugging him. It's not at all honorable. "What happened?" Jester asked, a wary expression forming. "Beulah reports that Heartrot is personally coordinating all patrols this evening. And since he didn't even send word to excuse himself from our meeting, we can assume that he suspects us both." "It's almost curfew," Jester said quickly. "I've already seen three Dis'Errants pass by," he indicated the drainage grid above their heads. "Well we'll just have to get going then, won't we?" Borin told a small girl who had toddled over. He bent down to pick her up, and immediately noticed the siphon marks about her neck and wrists. "Hello, Bassdor Krue," she smiled, then kissed his cheek. "Yes…right then," he said, resisting the rising lump in his throat as the little waif hugged him tightly about the neck. "Beulah's report indicated a possible breach in the western gate tonight. One of the Sentries was unexpectedly called away on urgent business. Of course, that still leaves us with one Sentry, but I think we can manage…" "We can't take that kind of risk!" Jester cut in. "What if it's just an ambush? And besides, we have the children to think of." "At this point, I'm afraid there's really no other choice." "Of course there is, ole boy," quipped Marcus in a low tone, as he came into view. He continued to drag something over the tunnel's filth encrusted floor. "I caught this one snooping about the culvert entrance." "I suppose that explains why Heartrot didn't show up," Borin speculated, in recognition of the corpulent lump Marcus dragged beneath the grid's light. "There are blockades forming at all city exits," Ezlea whispered quickly as she and Ariel returned. "And," she added, directing her attention specifically at Jester, "the intelligence reports regarding citywide warding are true. Gating is out of the question." "Aye. Twould appear our departure hath been foreseen." Jester grinned. "Maybe not." *** The Baron's eyes fluttered open as Jester offered him several slaps about the face. "Wha… What's… This is an outrage…" he began, but was cut short as Borin struck him across the face. "Goulder! Help me, Goulder!" Those pleas issued from the Emperor's bound image as Marcus and his wife held Ezlea against the tunnel wall. "I do hope you can accept my apologies for these most unsavory circumstances," Jester offered, successfully suppressing any level of humor from his tone, though unable to conceal his crooked grin. *** Summer Solstice-Pi'xylem-Rainswalker residence. "We're terribly high up, aren't we, Aunty?"

"You aren't frightened, are you?" Delphi asked while examining the rope she had just pulled for the third time, wondering if it was functioning properly. "Me? No," he assured her nervously, and then craned his neck so as to peer cautiously over the safety rail. "Of course he's not frightened," Goren added, kneeling to offer a reassuring grin while mussing the youngster's hair. "He'll be five whole summers old next week. Such an old fellow could hardly be put off by anything so silly. Isn't that right?" "Uh-huh," he agreed absently, trying not to think about the Elves at the base of the tree, who from this height seemed so much more like ants than Elves. "Hey," Goren prompted, thus drawing his cousin's attention. "What would you like for your birthday?" "Down, I should think." Delphi pulled the rope again, and this time the door opened. The bells at the other end of the rope continued ringing, thus confirming that the doorbell was in fact functioning properly. "Well, what is it then?" intoned the small girl in the doorway, her cross expression lending a daunting air of authority to her accusatory question. "Just standing there, pulling and pulling and pulling, aren't you?" she accused. "Umm… Are your Mommy and Daddy home, little girl?" Delphi asked while re-reading the plaque above the door to confirm that she had the correct residence. "My name is Aqua, and I turned six well over a month ago!" "Yes, well, about your parents. I don't suppose they're about, are they?" "Father is still at the market, and Mother is getting dressed." "I see. Perhaps we could just wait inside…" "Out of the question, I'm afraid. I'm not supposed to allow strangers in the house." "She's quite rude," Jessey observed while tugging on his Aunty Delphi's tunic. "No, I'm not!" insisted Aqua. "I'm outspoken. Father says I should always speak my mind." "Let's go home, Aunty. I…I don't like her." "Be still, Jessey," Delphi warned, waving him back before he managed to make the situation worse. "We're not really strangers, you know." She told Aqua in a pleasant voice. "Well, I don't know you, so you must be…" "My name is Delphi. I am Ambassador Thistle's wife. And this is my son, Goren… "Not much of a family resemblance, is there?" Aqua observed, specifically noting her son's lack of blue hue. "He's right, Mother. She is rude," Goren offered in Jessey's support, while Jessey leaned about from behind Delphi, nodding vigorously while keeping a reproachful eye on the horrid little girl. "If you're his wife, then where exactly is my Nephew? I should think he would have accompanied you, especially since you're a complete stranger to this household, assuming that you are who you claim." Unable to think of anything positive to say, Delphi found herself momentarily dumbfounded.

"He and Ambassador Krue are away on a matter of great diplomatic importance with the Dark Empire!" Goren intoned with indignity. "Yeah, diplomic!" Jessey agreed. "And, err, this is Jessey Krue," Delphi stammered, simply hoping to keep the conversation going long enough for Nefari to finally get to the door without its being slammed in their faces. "His Father is…" "Aqua!" shouted Nefari as she rushed to intercede. Thank Surripere , thought Delphi gratefully. *** Outside of Malevolence-New Tide "Will you hurry up?" Borin whispered to Jester while motioning the children into the open and toward a nearby tree line. "He… He's heavy!" Jester croaked breathlessly, still a good distance away from the septic-outlet while heaving the portly silhouette along with far less effect than when he had started, some seven hundred meters back. "Ya know, could use a hand, Bubba."