The journey to the village of Guursk was as pleasant as anyone could have wished for, all things considered. The former slaves were quite helpful in the few day’s time it took to get them all safely to the little hamlet nestled at the edge of the foothills to the Tomiak Mountains. The women tended to the children to ensure they didn’t get underfoot, and the men filtered into the watches to provide an extra set of eyes and ears, while Giacomo had shifted himself away from the slaves and into the band of travelers that had rescued the slaves. Together the group was able to successfully bring the freed slaves to Guursk where they would begin a new life. Guursk was a picturesque village that was situated across a small lake from the pass that led into the mountains. They all knew it would be hard to start fresh, but it was better than being a slave to the Dragonlords, and the villagers welcome them with open arms. There were many thanks, and even a few tears as the former slaves said their goodbyes and thank yous to their rescuers. It took a couple days to refresh supplies before the group, with the addition of the bard Giacomo, set out again. This time they headed across the lake ferry and into the pass into the Tomiak Mountains and their ultimate destination. The Tomiak Oracle.

The days wore on and the air got thinner as they followed the pass higher into the mountains. It was their third night in the mountains when the freak snow-storm struck and they were all forced to seek shelter in a small cave that Tob found just off the pass. The cave had been used at sometime, but it’s former ursine inhabitant was now long gone. The cave wasn’t the most comfortable of accommodations, but at least it kept them out of the bitter winds and driving snow that had blown so early. Eventually, however, the storm passed, and they were able to leave the cave after two days and return to the pass that would eventually lead them into the Valley of the Oracle.

The stark, snow-covered peaks loomed before them, and the going was more treacherous now that frost and snow lined parts of the pass. The air was brisk and the breath of man and beast was visible as white clouds of thin smoke that rapidly dissipated before them. Li-eira’s body ached from the cold and with the strain, but Coren noticed she was handling it better than he had expected. He couldn’t tell if it was her proximity to a possible answer about the darkness she feared or something else. There was, however, something stronger about her that he hadn’t seen before. Coren, having made this journey not too long ago, finally led them to the natural bridge of granite that spanned a massive chasm called Galen’s Drop.

“Legend has it,” Coren told them, “that thousands of years ago two Dragonlords fought in the sky above this very spot. Back then the Dragonlords weren’t all a vile and evil lot. They were wyrm masters, for certain, but this was before they had sold their souls to Arluth-Traugur. One of the Dragonlords sought to enslave the Oracle and control her gift of sight. Galen Wyrmfrost, a young Dragonlord and his wyrm Amberclaw, fought to save her. The only way he was able to defeat the other Dragonlord, however, was for he and his wyrm to drag the evil ones to their death. Galen’s dragon latched onto the other, and they all plummeted into the very earth, thus keeping The Oracle safe. The clan that protects her now, Clan Wyrmfrost, is a direct descendent of Galen Wyrmfrost.”

Giacomo wordlessly nodded at Coren’s tale. He had heard this story before, tales of the old Dragonlords weren’t very popular these days, but his teacher had been most absolute in his learning them. Perhaps the old man hadn’t been wrong after all.

They continued past the chasm until they stopped and looked down the pass which lead into the canyon ahead or turned back upon itself and eventually rose again deeper into the Tomiak Range.

“No drawn weapons,” Coren told them all. “The clan that lives here lives for one reason and one reason only. They are descendents of Galen Wyrmfrost and will do anything to protect the Oracle. Anything.” Coren then led them into the canyon. The valley of the Tomiak Oracle.

All of the buildings were carved from and into the very rocks that surrounded this ancient place. Their precise build, however, indicated that more than mere tools and sinew had carved the structures. There were small granaries and areas of agrarian development strategically located throughout the canyon. Water cascaded from an opening in one of the mountains walls and gathered in a pool by one of the buildings. Both Janus and Aislinn could tell that there was a definite balance to maintaining the survivability of this place and it’s inhabitants. It was, however, the structure at the end of the canyon that drew everyone’s eye.

Rose tinted marble steps rose from the canyon floor up to five hundred feet above them. The steps were wide enough for only two people to walk side-by-side, and there were no railings or. Clansmen were stationed every twenty-five feet up on narrow extensions that jutted out slightly over each edge. They were suicide guards. It would be nothing for them to push or pull someone over the edge to their death below, just as Galen and Amberclaw had dragged their foe to a shared death. The steps led up to a marble landing at the entrance to the Oracle. Fifty columns lined the front entrance where the steps led up to the landing and into the mountain. The Temple was not built by man alone, and it radiated a power that was palpable to everyone. Janus, Aislinn, Li-eira, and Giacomo could sense that the power that dwelt here was ancient and wild. Janus and Aislinn knew that it was outside the control of the Powers of Dryg-Gwra. It was as old as time itself. Coren then pointed to the canyon floor towards a small temple at the bottom of the steps and to the right.

“That’s where we need to go. If she will see you, we will find out inside there, where some of her priests live.”

Moments later, the group had made their way into the canyon, tethered their mounts, and cautiously made their way into the temple of the priest of the Oracle. None had spoken with the visitors and barely acknowledged their arrival. Two guards carrying spears eyed them as they approached the small temple and opened the massive bronze doors for them. One by one they entered and were greeted by a smallish man in a sage-green robe. His head was shaved smooth, and his hands were folded within the sleeves of his robe.

“Welcome,” he told them in more of a statement than a question. “You have journeyed far, I know, to seek her counsel.”

“You may wait here until she sends word, if you like, or we can provide you with other accommodations. The Great Bear,” he said as he indicated Coren dan Balor with a tone of familiarity, “is familiar with these instructions. I believe you took your rest at the public room last time you were here. Perhaps your companions would feel more comfortable staying in this building.”

He then spoke to the rest of the group. “Your animals will be well looked after. Also, you may find baths and food to your liking in the rooms adjoining this part of the temple.”

Aislinn, above most of the others, was in pure joy taking a hot bath. The not having to prepare meals was a bonus, for certain, but the hour she spent soaking did more to lift her spirits since Guursk than anything else might have. Yahim, who became Yasminna for this visit, was not far behind her friend in the sybaritic enjoyment of a real bath, once more. Once dry she donned Yahim's nice clothing, but stayed in her own thoughts, rather than the Chardian's.

Giacomo had been mostly silent since entering the Valley. His face showed no sense of dread or fear; but his normally flirtatious banter was silent. Best described, he seemed to be in some kind of thought or meditation.

The group didn’t have to wait too long to hear word back from one of the priests. It was that very evening when an acolyte appeared before the group. He looked similar to the priest of the day before. Where the priest was shaved clean, however, the acolyte had a top-knot that was held together by a crimson sash. He approached the group and motioned for them to follow. He led them into a small, side chamber that had cushions scattered about, but no true furniture.

“Valek will be with you momentarily” he told them before he left through the other door in this chamber.

Janus had been quiet, since they woke up that morning, the breathtaking sights, the aura of power, the minutae of bathing and eating, had all kept him prisoner in his own thoughts. But now, while they lounged waiting for the priest, he knew he had to speak, before things went any further. He owed it to them, to let them all know, at once.

"The nightmare changed last night, my friends. A wolf appeared, she paralelled our course, and remained at a distance, but she was with us." He didn't look up, his blue eyes were locked to his booted toes.

Until Janus spoke Yasminna had been reclining amid the pillows, deep in thought. After his confession she left off smoothing an unwanted crease in the fine blue linen trousers she wore and gazed thoughtfully at him, then at Li-eira. "It's about time," she murmured with a nod, then returned to smoothing the wrinkle, lost to her own brooding once more.

Li-eira's pale blue eyes regarded Janus as he spoke, full of sorrow that his vision didn't include the bear. But she was not surprised that she would be following him, she'd meant what she said to Janus and knew that the Oracle's prophecy wouldn't sway her feelings. She looked at Coren, who she'd made miserable with her unusual silence over the last two days, and gave him a reassuring smile. Hoping that he would know that he was welcome to walk beside her, wherever her path took her.

Coren did not look up and did not notice Li-eira looking his way. In fact, he'd not really spoken to Li-eira or the others much since the night before. He'd only spoken to tell them of their journey, the path they took and pieces of history about their destination. All strictly business.

He had not sat on the cushions but stood, a little apart from the rest. At the mention of the wolf entering Janus' dream, his shoulders slumped even more than they had been and he scuffed the floor of the temple with a dusty boot.

He remembered the last time he'd been here, the anticipation and the wonder. This time was different. He wasn't seeking an audience with the Oracle today. But, more importantly, this time a part of him almost regretted arriving here, like he was seeking to loose something now rather than gain understanding. The fact he had not been included in Janus' group but Li-eira had only added to that feeling.

Aislinn's pale blue eyes looked not at Janus or Li-eira, but at Coren. He didn't need or want pity, and he might not think he needed or wanted sympathy, but he had hers -- in abundance. She knew that that side of love was a bitter drink, indeed. There would be time for private, teasing gloating with Janus later. For now, she simply nodded at Janus's statement.

"Perhaps, until now, things were too much in flux to include either wolf or bear,"she said thoughtfully. "There were still choices to be made and until that happened, nothing could change, where the dream was concerned."

A moment later, Valek entered. He was the same priest that greeted them upon their arrival. He wore the same style of robe as before, only this one was the color of the sky at mid-day and had rose accents on the cuffs and hem. He nodded to each of them before taking his place upon one of the empty cushions.

“I have just received word that She has taken note of your most recent arrival. I have also heard that She has sent word that you are all to approach her for an audience this very evening at sunset. For your own safety, I would remind you, do not bring any weapons along the path,” he continued. “You may walk the path whenever you are ready. May you find that which you seek, and nothing more.” Valek then rose and left them. His words, however, echoed in Coren’s memory from the last time he was here and what told she would see him.

All of us? Coren didn’t know why he was being invited, nay summoned, to her presence. He had planned on sitting back and opening another skin while the rest of them went before her. Well so much for that idea.

Giacomo nodded in resignation, but the smile that normally hung about his face was replaced with a frown and a furrowed brow.

The ascent up the stairs was arduous and disconcerting. The narrow steps were bad enough with the sky darkening and torchlight that cast shadows upon the steps. The fact that there was nothing to stop someone from falling over the sides added a level of fear to the climb. Yasminna moved to Aislinn's side and took her arm companionably -- the lithe Sundar was not put off by the ascent but sensed Aislinn might be. Side-by-side they climbed. Step-by-step they rose above the canyon towards the landing and the entrance to the temple. They could see the polished marble columns looming larger as they made their way to the top. The columns were 100’ tall and were part of the mountain upon which they now stood. A pair of priests greeted them silently and escorted them to and through a set of golden doors that were near as tall as the columns. They were ushered into the massive room and the doors closed silently behind them.

Alone they stood until their eyes became accustomed to the dimly lit interior. Torches cast flickering, dancing shadows about and around the columns that rose above and beyond their field of vision. The room receded into the mountain from which it was carved, until they finally saw her where she sat upon the divan at the far end of the room. Dark of hair and tinted skin she was, a truly exotic beauty to behold. A contrast to the fair skinned and blonde residents of the northlands that guarded her, she resembled more a Sundaryan heritage yet there was something different about her eyes. A covering of thin, white gauze was draped about her body, and the light from the torches reflected off of the gold she wore. She rose from the lounge and moved towards a low table that was in front of her and to the right. There were scrolls and candles about the table and sticks of unlit incense were on each corner. Coren had forgotten how young and beautiful she was.

Her body moved with a sensual grace that was unmistakable, as she reached for and grabbed a taper to light additional candles and incense around the table. The scent of sandalwood and mint wafted about the room on unseen currents. Her catlike movements accented the shapeliness and firmness of her body, and she would occasionally toss glances at Janus and smile appreciatively as her eyes drifted slowly up and down to take him all in. Eventually she knelt in front of the table and watched them approach.

Slowly she scanned their faces. As her eyes briefly looked upon each of the travelers, they felt as though the Oracle had reached inside and pulled their very soul out with her gaze. It was fleeting, albeit very disconcerting, yet they all felt the power of her gaze. No malice nor evil intent lay hidden behind her eyes. There was, merely, the weight of countless years and untold knowledge. The silence was palpable. So far had they travelled, yet none of them seemed to be the first to want to break the silence. It was the Oracle, finally, that broke it.

““Welcome back, Bear”, she purred to Coren in a voice that was thick with so many layers of emotion it would be impossible to decipher half-truths or hidden meanings. “I see you have found your menagerie.”

Coren nodded but remained silent. He turned to look at the others and glanced at each in turn. Giacomo, Yasminna, Tob, Janus, Li-eira and Aislinn. Then something struck him and he quickly shifted his gaze back to the beautiful Oracle.

My menagerie, he thought. Suddenly he felt something out there, beyond his grasp, partially denied to him since his birth, further removed from his sight by the Dragonlords. But now, it might be closer than ever - although he truly didn't know what it was.

The Oracle then looked again at all the others that stood before her.

“For many reasons have you all come, come to seek an audience with me. Some reasons are known to you and, perhaps, some are not. Have you come to merely look,” she asked. “Or do any of you wish to speak?”

It may well have been a surprise to most of the group when Li-eira broke their combined silence. She who was usually so timid and meek stood as tall as her petite frame would allow before the beautiful woman. She felt plain and simple in the powerful seductive aura that encompassed the Oracle.

"Thank you for seeing us." Li-eira's tone was grateful but hurried, she could feel the heat in her face and neck and wanted nothing more than to be done with her fortune. The Oracle's eyes had laid her bare, and left Li-eira feeling as naked on the inside as the Oracle appeared on the outside. "I have come to ask you what power is trying to take me in my sleep. ...and to understand why."

I'm actually quite content to look Janus almost said, but he caught himself, his face cringing at the inappropriateness of that thought. But, what to say? If truly, she is not a fraud, she already knows why I am here. If she is a fraud, shes seeking some sort of preliminary information. Be careful here, Highlander, there is power here, without doubt, but it may not be what youre taking it for.

Grateful that Li Eira had spoken first, and granted him time to think, he finally said "My name is Janus, if you don't already know that. For myself, I seek definition to vagaries, and answers to riddles." He said softly, watching her closely as he spoke. Six weeks traveling with Yahim, and you didnt learn a thing, Country boy, well done.

Yasminna had released Aislinn's arm, but preferred to clasp hands with her friend, for moral support more than anything else. She moved them forward to stand near Janus... and Tob, who gently tapped the back of her hand with the back of his in an understated gesture of support. When Janus fell silent, she cleared her throat softly, suddenly aware that her mouth was as dry as the desert itself.

"Honored one," she began softly. "I come not with visions of my own, but with custody of one given to my sister, Shal-Azharah al'Sundarya, by a Daghasi Seer. Her Majesty wishes to know the meaning of this vision, and how she might act to make it come to pass."

Aislinn felt better for the contact Yasminna provided. "And I have tagged along because if the portents of these visions are true, I want to help and seek the best way to do that," she said. Then with a gentle nudge from her friend, she continued. "The other questions I have revolve around the past and I don't know if you have the answers for those. Janus's mentor, Goentryx saw fit to take me from my home, wherever that was, when I was no more than a babe and set me into hiding with a foster mother. Why?" she asked. "Who or what was I hidden from?" She paused slightly and when she continued her voice was barely above a whisper. "Who am I, that I needed to be hidden?"

"I am Tob," he began, uncertain as to what he should say, but certain that he should say something. This oracle was not a resource to be taken lightly, and the experience was filling him with awe as little else ever had. He dropped to one knee, removed his hat and bowed his head, as he had his few times at court, for the oracle was royalty if anyone ever was. He was both awestruck and a little bit frightened. A few puffed up Dukes had considered themselves as having some divine lineage, but they stank upwind as much as the next man. Nothing in his experience could have prepared him for this woman, this avatar of some primal force, this summons from and audience with fate herself. This was the divine, and it had summoned him.

"If I am to save the world, or my friends," Tob began, Speaking earnestly towards the Oracle's feet. "If we are, I need to know more, but I don't know what I need to know." His words came out very deliberately, not in a tumble of rambling thought, but in a forced march of reason. "You must know, and if all of our lives, from Sundarya to Tomiak, depend on it, you must tell me what you must. You already knew all of that, but now I guess I do too." It was as much a plea, a confession, and a prayer as a question.

For now, Coren simply stood there, to the side of the others, and said nothing. He merely wanted to hear what the Oracle had to say and was still a little surprised to be summoned into the Oracle's presence.

‘Are you the coward your father assumes? Are you such a liar that you can sing the truth for others, but cannot seek it for yourself?’ Giacomo asked himself. ‘Are you the worst kind of liar?’ He heard this last question in his father’s voice, it stung just as badly as his fist had.

Giacomo considered the reverence Tob was showing and he understood completely the man’s awe and wonder. The bard had been around enough braggarts and blowhards who said they had descended from divinity that here – confronted by the mouthpiece of fate – he wished each could stand to make their claims.

After Tob had finished his eloquent, rough-hewn petition, and the room went silent again, Giacomo decided that he must speak. “I am at your service.” He said, pausing ... knowing he needed to ask this next question as much as he dreaded the asking of it.

“Why did you summon this humble bard?”

“And so you have come. Come from beneath, between and behind all nations of the West save that which is sealed. Have any of you ever heard of or read the words of the poet Llorethyrr’nyn?”

“He was a choshu poet ,” Giacomo replied. ”He wrote all of his works over 4000 years ago. They say he went mad and failed to produce any works of note after his Quillnor eshu Deguathadathanaan.” The last words were spoken in a languge none of the others had understood. “It’s a beautiful but sad epic. Some consider it the masterful recounting of the Choshu and their civil war during the Age of Elves.”

“You know Ys-Llyruathar, the ancient language of the Choshu. I am impressed Giacomo Castigar. Your father should be proud. Know that at least one of the Baron’s sons would be proud. Llorethyrr’nyn, it seems, suffered from bouts of madness peppered with moments of lucidity. He came to visit me when the visions began, and I recorded them…here.” She pointed to a series of scrolls on the right side of the table. “I believe that there is one particular passage that you will all find somewhat…Shall I say personal?”

She unrolled one of the ancient parchment scrolls and began to recite the words to all in the room.
”A thousand lives meets sightless eyes and summons Fox to guard the Tree.
The Great White Beast of the north, slain, shall walk again with the She-wolf by her side.
Hawk shall rise as the full Moon sings a ballad to the Lord of Light.
In a silent shroud of noise, the palace below the sea of ice reveals a Disciple sought by three.
Unto one clings another. Third joins with the past of a bloodline forsaken, forgotten, denied.
The hardest of choices is often to choose the difference between wrong and right.
At last it is seen; the beams break through the clouds
As the child is ripped from the womb.
Divine and unholy. Hunger and blood are it’s shroud,
Revenge will arise from it’s tomb.”

She re-rolled the scroll and placed it down upon the table as she indicated the cushions for each of the visitors. “There is more that he wrote, but that must wait.” She then waited until each had sat upon the cushions in front of her.

She shifted her gaze until her eyes came to rest upon the young druid from Derugar. Her pupils dialated briefly and her tongue touched her lips ever so subtly. “I know of the sundering from your master and your home, Yanussach der Beldrementhellen,” she used the ancient tongue of the druids to pronounce his name. “I know of your visions and the unbreakable bond that has been formed between all save two. You know that what I speak of is true and of the pattern of the bonding to which I refer.”

She then turned to Li-eira. “I know that you fear this Darkness, Li-eira. You fear it’s hunger for you as you fear the unknown because it is unknown. You wish to name it. To know it. Do not think that naming it will end the chase, however. You have always been one to run from a conflict.” She looked briefly at Coren and Janus “Even of your own making. I wonder what makes you think you are ready to run towards this one?”

The Oracle's words bit deep, but Li-eira knew that they were true. She was relieved to hear her continue to speak because the question she asked of her was not one she could answer without ample time to think.

Next she looked at Aislinn before she continued. “The Orphan of Mathern. Without a family and seeking an answer to the why’s of the sundering of her world. A sudden chasm that formed tween her and the world she knew. Or thought she knew. Sometimes it is best to never know the past from which we might wish to visit.”

Finally, she looked at Coren who seemed the most uncomfortable. "Still unable to find the light within yourself my poor little cub? Still waiting for your mommy to show you the way?"

Li-eira's brow creased at the Oracle's words, she thought them mean and unnecessary. She wanted to say as much, but was quite certain that it wouldn't end well if she did.

Coren's eyes narrowed but he didn't react as much as expected.

"Now you see why I wasn't so eager to see her again", he muttered, shaking his head, distracted. Something was bubbling up in his mind, some memory perhaps.

Abruptly, much of the aura of mystery and otherworldliness simply evaporated for Yasminna. Was it really just another over-decorated room in a different kind of palace, where petty people full of themselves said cruel and hateful things to those they perceived to be in their power? Did I really come halfway 'round the world for this?

She fought the first tendrils of anger that wanted to rise, red and demanding, in her heart. No matter who this woman thought she was, Li-eira didn't deserve that. Aislinn didn't deserve that. By the Gods! I don't even like Coren dan Balor but I would never have said such a thing to him! These people come to you from all over the world for help, and the best you can do is start with childish taunting? Do you strangle babies and kick helpless old women, too?

The Oracle then took them all in with her gaze. “There is much that I see, and much that I know. This is true. The paths you shall walk are always of your own step. The question that remains, however, is whether you are willing to begin the journey and open the door that will only lead you to more doors? So tell me. There is so much you need to know. I understand, but where shall we begin?”

Janus squinted and rubbed his temples.Here we go... more riddles and vagaries. We should have went to the Great Library at Banamyr. Or the Isle of the dead. Fly eats the dung, spider eats the fly, bird eats the spider, cat eats the bird and leaves dung for more flies. These things I understand. Dammit, why am I here? Im just a glorified gardener and game warden, I've no patience for mysticism and not the mind for riddles.

Janus struggled mightily to remain open minded, to keep his voice filled with the calm of the forest, as Goentryx had taught him. He knew some of the others had minds keen for solving riddles, and he hoped that they would be able to make sense of all this.

He lowered his hands, and folded them in his lap. What was it she had said? "The question that remains, however, is whether you are willing to begin the journey and open the door that will only lead you to more doors?" This question irritated him, like the bite of a mosquito, and while all the others seemed to be treating her with reverance and humility, Janus was not so disposed. "Of course we are willing. We are here. Some of us have traveled great distances and all have endured hardships to get here. Despite my counsel on the matter, we are here. Seeking answers. I would think it would be appropriate for you to address the concerns of the others first, before the heart of the matter, the visions that Sent your 'Sightless eyes' to the 'Thousand Lives' and sent Yahim to guard the tree. So to speak."

"Yes, you have travelled far, and you have endured perceived hardships. The path before you, however, will make the path behind appear as a garden stroll. That said, Janus," she replied to him, "I shall be more than happy to oblige. Which of you would like to go first?"

Aislinn nodded at Janus, a slight smile on her face. He wasn't the only one unwilling to show intimidation or the awe and reverance the others were. Silently, she wondered how much of that from her was sheer bravado. "We know already there is much darkness and pain on the path we've chosen, Oracle," she said aloud in a clear voice. "We discussed that before we set on this journey and during the travel here. This was not lightly chosen. This is what's right." She paused and took a deep breath before continuing.

"That said, I'll step into this particular breach. You or others may not think it wise for me to delve into my past, but I would rather not be blind-sided by it, later. I would rather know all the information I can gather, now rather than be rendered incapacitated by confusion, denial, surprise or fear, later. Please, Lady. Tell me what you know about the family Goentryx took me from, why I was hidden and why he and they felt I needed to be hidden." Her blue eyes regarded the Oracle steadily, her spine straight and head held high.

Yasminna said nothing. She simply stood, reminding herself to breathe, fighting to stay calm. Her own experience had taught her that going to an oracle for answers was like going to the sea for a drink of water -- but it might be that Aislinn and the others would have to discover it for themselves. Though so help me if she offers Aislinn another smart-assed remark instead of a real answer, I may have to throttle her where she sits!

The Oracle simply nodded to Aislinn as she closed her eyes, spread her hands over the table, and leaned into it. Memories opened like flood gates for Coren as he suddenly recalled what was to happen next. Somehow this moment of his time with her had been blocked, and it all came back to him a mere instant before they all became witness. Her hands began to knead the cloth upon the table as her body slowly undulated and arched. Sweat beaded on her body and her head was thrown back. Her closed eyes suddenly opened to reveal orbs of black as blood began to trickle from them down her cheeks. Her scream was of pure pain as her body convulsed again. Her screams turned to sobs until finally a different voice issued from within the young woman.

Coren turned away and closed his eyes tight. He raised a weak hand to his head. Now I definitely know why I didn't want to see her again. he thought and shuddered. It was fey magic and Coren didn't trust it.

"A..a..a...cold night did he leave to find the palace under the sea. Goentryx did go and north did he fly until at last he found the place where the child was born. A girl...born to him who should not breed."

Li-eira's heart began to race. She felt something and recognized it as fear.

"Beldrem's favorite, protected by his power, stood in the room and saw the child of Tech-Loch, disciple of Traugur. Tech-Loch reached into the cradle and lifted his daughter to the altar. 'My lord, behold,' Tech-Loch shouted. 'As promised. A child of your disciple and a gift for you. I shall raise her and until such time as you are ready to take her as your own.'"

Li-eira felt it's presence and knew it's name. She could name the darkness and she saw it's face. She finally saw the fleshless creature that had hunted and haunted her. Her body began to tremble, but this time, unlike the others she was not physically paralyzed by her fear.

" 'She is born, Master, born for you. And what of your promise?' Goentryx saw the image of a beautiful young girl with golden hair appear before the Lichlord. 'As promised, Tech-Loch. This one shall be your bride. Her blood is mixed and her life will be long.' Later that night the Archdruid then gathered the winds and the seas to serve him. He stole the infant and brought her to her new home, to keep her safe from the Bright One. 'I shal call her Aislinn, the woman said, and we shall keep her safe.' "

The Oracle's eyes closed again and when they opened the blood had stopped flowing, and they had returned to their normal state. She spasmed as she tried to catch her breath. The cloth on the table was soaked with her blood tears and her sweat.

"Ne...Next," she whispered loudly. She reached for a small goblet next to the table and drank deeply. "Who...who next?"

Aislinn's normally pale complexion went completely colorless. Her blue eyes met and locked with Li-eira's, the pathmage was a frightful mess and she knew that her suspicions had been correct. Yasminna felt the priestess's hand clench and cling. "I see I was correct," she whispered. "Getting hit with this later would have been devastating. Well," she continued, looking for words. "Isn't this just ... fucking wonderful?" The whisper somehow made the swear word much more emphatic as it came from her throat.

Yasminna released Aislinn's cold hand in favor of a tight, supportive embrace. "If it is true," she said, whispering the words very softly, in Aislinn's ear alone. "If it is true. Even an oracle may misapprehend what she sees, and this one has already given us reason to doubt. Be strong. Do not despair." Though, on balance, I believe I would have preferred a smart-assed remark....

Janus nodded a bit, watching the Oracle more than he did anyone else. "That tends to explain why Goentryx never told me." He whispered. It was a lot to digest, and more than the others realized, he had heard the referance to the unnamed mixed blood child, and had a sinking feeling he knew who that was, too, though he dare not speak it aloud.

Coren wandered over to the other side of Aislinn and placed a hand on the cleric's shoulder. "I am... sorry." he said, the words inadequate. He only stopped briefly though. A moment later, he moved over to Li-eira and came close to her. He could tell immediately that something was terribly wrong.

Li-eira's face, like Aislinn's had become ghostly pale, the problems that she was so scared of a day ago, now seemed petty and unimportant. She met Coren's concerned gaze and reached out for his arm, her knees so weak with fear that she could barely stand on her own. "I'm the girl. Tech Loch is the darkness that seeks me." Her voice was distraught and lacked power, but it was loud enough for all of those in the room to hear. The fact that she'd admitted to being a half blood was completely lost to her as she drifted through this living nightmare.

As he had done on many a night when Li-eira had awoken from her nightmare, Coren held Li-eira close trying to comfort her. This was her darkest fear, brought to ahead. She now knew what she was facing. Would it help her fight on or knock the wind out of her sails, Coren wondered.

"There, lass", Coren muttered. "I'm here". He wondered what the Oracle had meant by mixed blood but he bit his lip. Now was not the time. He's ask Li-eira later once they'd left the Oracle's temple.

Thoughts raced and swirled in Aislinn's mind. She hugged Yasminna tightly, then broke away to look hard at each of her companions. Her eyes once again met and locked with Li-eira's. "It doesn't matter, you know. What other people have promised for us. We didn't agree to it, so they hold no power over us. I am Aislinn. I am a Child of Mathern," she said, eyes bright and alight with her calling. "That is something no one can take from me." She seemed to be talking mostly to Li-eira, since she surmised who the Disciple's bride was in the vision.

Eyes shining, Yasminna nodded firmly in response.

She managed a small nod of her head, purely for Aislinn's benefit. The sweet mother hadn't beheld the power of darkness yet, it was obvious or her eyes could not spill with such hope. ...but Li-eira was not defeated. She could feel the strength of her spirit, mind and body grow more powerful every day. Some of the power was her own doing, but the real change within her had been cultivated by her friends. Tech Loch hadn't taken her yet. ...and Janus' inspiring words of wisdom filled her heart again, There is always another option, life always finds a way. As long as your heart beats in your chest, you have options, and hope.

The Oracle still gripped the linens on the table and lifted her head to Aislinn and those that had clustered around her. It was apparent that she wrestled with something. Some conflict born long ago and waged inside the vessel called The Tomiak Oracle.

"The..paths you shall walk...are always of your own step," she said again in agreement and between breaths, "Please...I beg of you...who's next?"

Proud of her friend for her fierce courage, Yasminna reclaimed Aislinn's hand, mind racing. Information had tumbled into their midst, ideas forming and reforming around them like dunes of sand. The mixed blood girl... Li-eira? That explains a few things...

Coren hates the Choshu.... will he renounce her?

Aislinn, stolen and hidden by Goentryx because the Lord of Lies wants her... If the man could do all that, why isn't he protecting his own damned tree?

Who was Aislinn's mother? And now does a skeleton have sex anyway?? I suppose "magic" explains everything -- for ignorant peasants in the fields...

Janus looked lost in his thoughts and did not seem to be in any hurry to put his questions forward. Given the theatrical violence of the last answer, Yasminna couldn't really blame him. Now somewhat less overawed by the experience (but no less affected by what had just happened to her two female friends), the young Sundar woman squeezed Aislinn's hand a little, then cleared her throat again.

"I told you I came with custody of a vision given to the empress of Sundarya, by one of the Daghasi seers," she said, keeping her voice studiously neutral. "For my sister's sake, and my beloved Sundarya's sake, I will bring it forward now. Here is how my sister gave it to me: The vision was of a storm. Great clouds, dark and angry rolled across the West," she recited, recalling the tale with exacting memory. "Lightning split the darkness and revealed an empty field with a lone tree standing out amongst grasses of the plain. Lightning arced its way across the sky and down upon the plain as if seeking this lone tree yet never quite hitting it. Another flash of light revealed a black horse, riderless and unbridled racing towards the tree. The horse reached the tree just as a bolt came down to strike it. The horse reared up and caught the bolt in it's hooves. That is where the vision ended.

"Further questioning of the Daghasi revealed that the tree was a great oak, which does not grow in Sundarya. The horse was likened to Ubaya, the great steed which Sharrah Jabal al'Sundarya rode in the years of the Binding of the Tribes, and the symbol for my country."

Yasminna's dark eyes remained fixed on the Oracle's. "So much is clear. My questions are, what is the source of the storm, in this vision? And how may my sister act to cause Sundarya to stop the storm from taking the tree?"

The Oracle looked up at Yasminna and the Sundaryan princess saw the depths of torment that played about the young girl. "I need not search for the answer to your question. The horse is you, Yasminna. You are to help stop the storm that is about to wage war against the Tree of the West. Against Janus of Beldrem and all that stand with him."

Yasminna blinked. It was no small thing, to her people, to be likened to a horse -- one of the most powerful symbols of their mythology. Fox, horse... what's next, I wonder.

"And the storm?"

Yasminna would not be going home any time soon. It was a realization that troubled Tob deeply, even as it delighted a part of him. He glanced quickly about the chamber, at Tech Loch's promised bride and at his daughter, at the woman who the daghasi prophets said would save Janus from the storm, at the Arch-druid who had thwarted Trauger himself a lifetime ago. He was adding up the liabilities, looking for tactical advantages. He looked at Coren to see if, and how, he was taking all of this in. What had seemed a pilgrimage was suddenly fraught utterly with peril.

Janus about choked as he heard the words "War on Janus of Beldrem". But he recovered quickly, blinking, and trying to think. War against me?! Who am I?! Im just a boy who knew why the vultures were important. Beldrems Boots! This wasnt right. There had to be some mistake!"

Li-eira was grateful for Coren’s comforting embrace, with him by her side she could stand. She leaned her head against his bear cloak, listening intently to her companions and the Oracle as they spoke. Her slight frame stiffened perceptibly when the storm was described as a war against Janus of Beldram. She took a deep breath then and began the process of pushing away her self centered thoughts and feelings. She knew that they would need her strong in this upcoming battle, but still she took what comfort she could from the powerful warrior that stood by her.

As near panicked as his thoughts were, Janus gave no outward sign of that turmoil. Perhaps someone watching closely might have noticed his eyes moving left and right, as his mind worked, but he otherwise remained still. He pulled himself together, conjuring his will, forcing his thoughts to flow like the Eld on a warm summer day.

"I suppose its left to me, then..." He said finally. "There are so many questions, but where to start?" Why me? Where is Goentryx? Does he live? Why am I shunted from the Grove? Is it destroyed? Who sends me these visions? What is the Storm? Who is the Storm? How can I hope to stop it, with the meager abilities I have?" He stopped.... out of air, realizing he sounded the fool, but not sure he cared, this was ridiculous. "And thats just to start."

The Oracle looked at Janus, and her eyes softened. They no longer showed a hunger as they had when she first looked upon him. There was tenderness in her eyes and everyone in the room felt a lightness in the air that was absent before.

“The answers to your questions, Yanussach, are not meant to come from my lips. There are for another who has been waiting for you.”

The room was suddenly filled with the scent of spring as the ghostly image of Goentryx appeared upon the steps that led from the divan to the table. He looked around the room at those before him and he walked down the steps toward the table until he stood next to the Oracle. She circled one arm around his leg and rested her head against his hip.

Surprise, relief, anger, and joy all cascaded across Janus face, like logs tipping over the edge of a waterfall and plumetting.

”You may rest now, Ki’ Sung,” he told her. “You may rest.”

Slowly she crawled up the steps until she lay down upon the divan.

“Hello again, Janus,” he told his pupil. “Still with the questions are you?” he asked with a wink. “Let me see what I can do to answer those for you and your friends, but first…”

He stepped over to Aislinn and looked deeply into her eyes. “It is good to see you again, my child, although I know you don’t remember me.”

The priestess's face drained of color again. She'd hoped to remain a skeptic as Yasminna had done. Now, that was impossible. "So, it's true then?" she asked. "Tech-Loch is my father. However in the hells that happened," she said with a frown. Obviously the Sundar wasn't the only one thinking along those lines. "What of my mother? Did I have a mother, given the circumstances?"

Goentryx then returned to Janus. “Yes, my boy, I am alive although I am not on the Prime plane. It was the only way I could stay hidden once Traugur found out what I had done with Aislinn, and that prophecy had begun. It was the only way I could give any of you a fighting chance. I had to shutter the grove else you would not have left. I know there is much more you wish to know, all of you. Why don’t we all sit down and take this a little at a time? Shall we?”

Janus was dumbfounded. He had been so long the stoic druid, even when he didnt feel like it, putting that face on like a mask in the morning. Then moments ago he had been so close to running, even he wasn't sure why he hadn't taken off at a sprint for the forest, to hide and live as a crazy hermit. Now, at the sight of his Master, alive and well, and here in the Tomiak Mountains, he was suddenly the pupil once more, the boy who had tagged along, listening and learning, it was all almost too much.

"Master..... I, when did you... How long... " Plainly flustered, Janus said "Its good to see you." With a sigh.

Goentryx reached out with his incorporeal hand to touch his pupil on the shoulder. He smiled at Janus softly when he realized he could not physically console his pupil.

"It is good to see you again, my boy."

Janus wondered why the Oracle could touch his master, but he was ethereal, to him, the thought niggled at him, but he dismissed it quickly, there were other matters far more important to address, and he wasnt sure how long they would have to talk. First things first, Janus, plant the seed before you expect to see the fruit. He recalled those words plainly, from his Master, when his apprenticeship was new, and it was oft repeated in the ensuing decade.

"Why me, Master? Why am I plagued with this vision? Why not Bel-Dorren, or some other, more capable man, better equipped to deal with these threats?" It was as good a place to start as any, he thought.

Goentryx looked at Janus and raised an eyebrow in consternation.

"Are you so removed from your studies, lad? Consider the stream that becomes the river and reaches the sea. The journey is long and it could not make it from the mountain to the sea if it did not have the power of the stream propelling it to it's final destination."

His face relaxed again before he continued. "Bel-Dorren has not the strength for what lies ahead, my boy. I have travelled these lands for countless year. I can assure you that there is no man, nor woman, more capable of dealing with what lies ahead than you. You cannot do it alone, your visions have shown you this. But you are the willow in the coming storm. Eventually you will become the oak."

Janus nodded, at the analogy of the river, in his younger days, he would have explored it further, but now, he was content to accept his Mentors wisdom in the matter. "Master, is it Arluth Trauger who sends the Storm? Do you know what form it will take? Does the Bright One know that I am the willow? Is he tracking us now?" The questions tumbled from him in a Torrent, like they had when he was a boy, and Goentryx would reveal some wonder, some deep secret, that captivated the boy.

The Archdruid of the West looked at all those that were gathered in the room. "It is Traugur that is behind it all. He also knows of the prophecy and has his minions at work trying to derail it even now. He knows of each of you and will try to capture the same burning blade that you must seek shortly." He raised a hand to forestall the next logical question. "I have not the answer to that question, but fear not for I know who does. I have little time left before the wards of this place will no longer shield me from the Bright One's sight. I will answer anything else I can. From anyone."

Standing near to Janus, still holding Aislinn's hand, Yasminna closed her eyes in a moment's anguish.I can be wrong... for this I would love to be wrong... I did not think it would ever feel so frightening to be right.

The young Druid shook his head, gritting his teeth a bit in frustration. You have been a fool, Janus, a blithering fool. That thought steeled him, and the apprentice-boy fell away, replaced by the Druid-man. These good people have thrown their lot in with you, and the repayment for their devotion is to be hunted by unspeakable Evils of this world. How do you treat them Janus? Youve been blundering around the world, disregarding the advice of Yahim, thinking him paranoid, and he was right. Now the enemy will surely know we came here, he will follow. Fool. Just because you cant see the Tiger it doesnt mean he's not hunting you. He was suddenly filled with the terror of a thought, a horrible possibility, he would spend long hours praying against.

"Master," he blurted, "I have put Doughan and Kailee in grave danger, do you know if they live? Can you get a message to them, to warn them? What have I done?"

Goentryx's eyes narrowed as his pupil failed to grasp at least some of the severity of the situation. {Vwrg's beard, Janus}, his master's thoughts echoed in Janus' head. {You are no longer the young boy who I found that day in the forest. Look around you. They follow you because of you. Janus the Man. They follow you willingly. It's time to grow up and become that which you were born to be.}

Janus felt the rush of wind and heard the sounds of the animals of The Grove again. He felt Jaydn's heartbeat thump inside his chest as The Grove opened it's boughs to him. It was different this time, however. He had always felt it, but was part of it. This time, however, The Grove opened for him, not to him.

{They will be looking to you as their leader. They already do. Would you follow you? People will die. People will always die. It is the very nature of Beldrem's law. You, of all people, should know that.} Goentryx then softened some. {Rest assured, Janus. They are safe from Traugur's minions. Your actions have not put them in any danger.}

Janus thrilled to the feel of the Grove, the purity of life, the unfiltered joy of existance filled him. He heard the Masters voice, and he wanted to believe. He fell silent, relieved, and relaxed, the calm of the forest filling him once more. Like a cripple suddenly healed, he reveled in the restoration of The Grove. Quietly digesting the Masters rebuke, and reassurances. He had no words to express himself just then, the relief about Doughan and Kailee, his reuniting with the Grove, the realization that Goentryx lived. He felt as if He had been running in mud, and suddenly he could fly.

"Janus isn't the only one being searched for, obviously," Aislinn said into the brief silence. "Fostered though they be, I worry about my mother and uncle as well. But if time is of the essence, then we need to know who to contact next, Lord Goentryx." Her face and eyes held firm resolve, her Faith shone about her almost as a halo.

"I don't know why Traugur wants me, but I can only imagine it would be for greater devastation than if I were to fight that possession. I'm not his, I'm my own person and I am Mathern's vessel when She wills it. I plan on seeing this through as far as I'm able. However I can be of service, just point me in the direction."

Goentryx looked fondly at Aislinn, and she recognized the expression of parental caring and concern. "You are so that and more, dearest Aislinn. Let me answer your question from earlier. Your birth mother was from Northreach. She was a slave of the Dragonlords gifted to Tech-Loch. The process is not one I wish to discuss, for it is full of rites and acts which go against anything natural. Sadly, she was no longer needed by him after you were born."

"It is good to see you, Master Goentryx," Tob said. He had not seen Goentryx in years, and was not entirely certain how he was looking at him now, but it was easy for Tob to remain practical. "We cannot hope to defeat Tech-loch and Trauger unnassisted. Under the ice, under the sea, to find someone and to get a flaming blade?"

"Tob ap Huwyll!!! My word it IS good to see you again," he said to the ranger. {Do not panic dear boy}, the words of the ancient druid sounded clearly in Tob's mind. {You are the only one that can hear this. I cannot find the words to tell you how grateful I am to see you standing beside Janus. He has needed you before, and he will need you again to help him see this through. Know that you have a special place on Beldrem's scale...and in my heart.} All the others could see was Goentryx nod his head to Tob in greeting.

"Ever the practical planner, eh Tob? The first leg of the next part of your journey is to Freehold actually. Someone is waiting there to meet you and to see Aislinn again. Your Uncle, Atreus is there," he said as he looked at the Child of Mathern. "He will be meeting you at the Temple of the Sun and is the one that can answer the questions about the blade and the palace under the sea."

He then looked up and nodded to an unseen companion. "My times does grow shorter, but we are still safe. What else can I do?"

Yasminna, who had stepped back from Aislinn as she moved toward the spectre of the old druid, narrowed her eyes and gazed intently at the old man. "Excuse me, my lord Archdruid -- but just who else is standing where you are, listening to this conversation?"

She couldn't help it, she just couldn't... but then, if I really am the fox sent to guard the tree, or the horse that catches the lightning bolt, then I'm supposed to be here, suspicious -- maybe overly suspicious -- asking these exact questions.

Goentryx smiled at Yasminna and she felt a warmth in that smile that she hadn't felt since she was a little girl. "It is a creature that lives on this plane where I am currently residing. It is a creature native to this elemental plane. And never stop asking questions", he said with a wink.

"All right." The Fox flicked him a small, half smile in response. "I don't usually follow orders very well, but this time I shall, just to be unpredictable. Is that creature loyal to you, lord Goentryx? Loyal beyond question?"

Goentryx nodded to Yasmina. "Aye, little Fox, it is completely loyal to me. Without question."

There was an overwhelming sense of dread that had settled into Li-eira's stomach. Her tongue had remained still while her mind had raced. There were so many questions that she had, who were my parents, why was I abandoned, why does Tech Loch want me, what will happen if I fall under his darkness? But all of those questions that concerned her own fears and curiosities went unasked for now. The urgency in Goentryx's voice did however make her ask the question that disturbed her above all else, because it would affect the safety and well being of her companions.

There was a tremble in the Li-eira's voice when she finally spoke. "My night terrors...when Tech Loch visits me in my sleep, I don't understand them nor do I know how to stop them. Does it endanger my companions? Can he read my thoughts or find our location? Is my presence a danger to my friends and this quest?"

"And regardless of those answers, is there something we can do to stop them?"Janus chimed in, unbidden. Li-eira was touched and relieved that Janus spoke one of her unasked questions. Her eyes strayed to look at him and lingered for more than a moment as she tried to place the subtle differences that she sensed in his voice and posture.

"Actually, my dear girl, his grip on you has slipped. The robe you were given after you became a PathMage will now completely protect you from any scrying." He glanced over at the sleeping oracle. "You can thank her for severing the connection that allowed him to find you in your sleep. Tech-Loch knows what has happened, but there is nothing he can do about it. You shall sleep easier at night now, I would think."

A sweet small smile stole upon Li-eira's lips as she looked first to Goentryx and then to the sleeping Oracle. She leaned less heavily upon Coren and allowed some of that hope to ignite within her. She only wished she knew how she could thank the Oracle for breaking Tech Loch's hold on her.

The questions were coming fast and furious into Janus' mind, now as time was growing short, he forced himself to pay less attention to the glory of his grove, and more on the here, and now. "Master, how long have you been contesting with The Bright One and his Minions? For at least the lifetime of Aislinn, I know, but how long before that?"

"I have been contesting him ever since I was chosen as a one of Beldrem's blessed. I would put that at a little over 500 years. Hibernation does wonders for one's visible signs of aging. You might learn it one day yourself." He then winked at Janus. "Things have come to a head, however, since she was born and since the Racewar began."

There were other questions, but his mind was working hard, and this was the first and most important of those that remained.

The young druid nodded at the response from his Mentor, his blue eyes fluttering around to his companions for a moment before he continued. "Then you should have some idea of which of The enemies Minions are hunting us. That information would be useful. Im also curious, as youve been to this Palace Under the Sea, where is it? Is it the same as the Palace under the sea of Ice that the Oracles poem spoke of?"

"To some degree, but I believe Atreus can tell you more about the creatures that are afoot. Traugur released his vurginord as soon as he heard that the wheels of the prophecy were in motion. They are creations of his unholy design. They can take many forms to travel, but that is the extent of my knowledge. Some hunt for you, others hunt for something else. As far as the palace under the sea, I believe Coren dan Balor knows how to navigate to that island."

Still holding Li-eira, Coren looked up. He looked confused and somewhat out of his depth. They appeared to be talking to the spirit of the Arch-druid who was, in turn, talking about Traugar, undead monsters, a burning blade and magic in general like they were all just discussing what to have for their next meal. The Oracle was bad enough but everything else was just a little too much for Coren. It riled Coren up and, as was often the case, this brought his grumpiness to the fore.

"What, me?" Coren exclaimed. "I'm having a hard enough time understanding exactly what's going on here. Island? Palace under a sea of ice?" Coren continued looking confused although a glimmer comprehension might have started twinkling in his cold eyes. "Do you mean the Guardian Isle? That place is permanently covered in ice".

Goentryx eyed the northman. "Aye, Coren, that would be the place to go."

Coren thought for a moment, then looked at the image of Goentryx in front of them. "I have a question or two". He let go of Li-eira for a moment and stepped forward pointing at the Arch-druid.

"What are you doing about all this?" he asked. "Why send a student to do a master's work?" he continued glancing across towards Janus. "Janus told us the Grove, or whatever it's called, has been blocked. Why shut him off from that? Why take Aislinn away from this Tech-Loch but not tell her about it or tackle Tech-Loch whilst you were there? Why let Li-eira suffer with these nightmares for so long? What are you doing, other than just telling the rest of us what to do?"

Tob interceded, outrage showing on his face. "You can't talk to Goentryx like that!" He began, pointing a finger in Coren's face. "He's been fighting the dark since you were a drunken pirate's ..." the finger hovered as discretion wrestled with anger for control of Tob's tongue.

"You just can't. And you can't either," he added, looking at Yahim, whose eyes widened in momentary surprise. "We might as well call your queen a liar."

Janus looked over at his lifelong friend, his blue eyes expressing pride in the man for his words of defense. "Easy Tob, easy. They are fair enough questions, if somewhat insulting. Remember they do not know him as we do. The fact that they are bothered enough to ask them means they deserve an answer." and Goentyx can more than hold his own. He did not add.

Yasminna drew a quick breath, eyes flat. "Fortunately, Lord Goentryx is secure in his power and position, and understood why I had to ask," she retorted coolly.

"It is alright, Tob. You must remember that everyone here has a voice. Your's has never been to question certain things. Yasminna's has always been to question. A fox that is not suspicious of a hen house with an open door is soon to decorate the woodsman's shoulders." He then winked at Yasminna and she saw the light in the old man's eyes.

One dark eyebrow winged skyward at that, and in spite of herself Yasminna chuckled, glancing away from the old man in uncharacteristic shyness. What is it about these druids that makes them so charming? Even Janus has it, this capacity to make a person like him, even if they feel they should know better.

{Nature can be very alluring, ti'fanneq. Very.}

Startled, not quite believing her own intuitive senses, Yasminna glanced back at Goentryx. It hung there for a brief but noticeable moment before the young Sundar woman's eyes widened. She blushed deeply, mouth rippling in private amusement, but the wily old druid was already turning back to face Coren and Tob.

Coren turned to Tob, one eye cocked, ready to argue that they all should talk to folk like Goentryx like that. That they shouldn't just be blindly led by people they considered their betters. Still, it was more about asking what the Arch-druid, who was obviously far more powerful than any of them, was doing about all this.

But then Goentryx spoke.

Goentryx's eyes narrowed as Coren began his verbal assault. He knew the young man was on shaky ground with all the sorcery that was afoot.

"Do you really want the answers to those questions Coren son of Balor, great grandson of Balfor dan Ifus and heir to the lost waraxe Fjiggorn? Or are you asking for another reason?"

Coren's mouth hung open, his eyes wide. I'm the great grandson of Balfor? he thought, incredulously. Of Clan Ifus? The man who had brought all of the clans of Northreach together, who founded Freehold, who pushed the Dragonlords back time and again? And something about Fjiggorn, the fabled axe of legends?

"I... I..." Coren stammered. "I just wanted to know why someone as immensely powerful as yerself hadn't helped us out before. And what you were doing now". Still, the vehemency was gone from his words.

"I'm of clan Ifus?" Coren muttered to himself and his large form straightened, standing taller and prouder than it had in the last few days. A proud shiver scurried up Li-eira's spine and sent goosebumps down her arms as she watched her friend swell with pride.

"Aye Coren," Goentryx replied in a much softer voice. "You are the great grandson of the man that united the Ice Clans and drove a spear in the heart of the Dragonlords when he founded Freehold, the city that would become the beacon of hope for any and all escaped slaves of the wyrm masters. I knew Balfor dan Ifus, my boy. He would be very proud of you."

Aislinn sighed softly, relieved that yet another heated argument had been prevented. She was also relieved she wasn't the one to have to mediate it. Walking up to Coren, she started to put a supportive, friendly hand on his arm but stopped short. Almost as if she were afraid to touch anyone, just yet. Or perhaps it was their reactions to her she was afraid of.

"Just as we've been proud and grateful for your presence and guidance, Coren," she smiled, letting her hand fall back to her side. "Even if you've been too grumpy to notice," she tried for a grin, but her eyes lacked the usual sparkle they had when she teased. "Now, let's get the rest of Janus's questions answered before Goentryx has to cut this connection?"

"In point of fact Aislinn, Coren dan Balor asks questions here that need answering," Yasminna put in, somewhat apologetically. "Though I like to think I might have found a more polite way to phrase them, Coren's directness serves us well. My lord Archdruid, what have you been doing since you disappeared? What other plans have you in motion now? Who else works in our cause, and who against? If we know these things, we are less likely to duplicate your efforts with our own."

"To give it a voice, my dear, would be to put it out for anyone to grab. I prefer the safety of anonymity for now. Let's just say I have been in hiding. For me, well I have no more plans. My part in this is now over. I have already given you all direction to who else works with you. I know not who all are aligned with Traugur. I am not the master of this. I, like you all, had a part in the prophecy. My part is over. The wheel has turned past me.

"There seems to be an inconsistency here, Lord Goentryx," Yasminna said, eyes narrowing once more. "How is it that so much else has been spoken here aloud without fear of detection, already? Surely if such spying was a reason to withhold information, none of this should have been revealed."

"I can understand why you feel that way. Normally I would ask for an old man's indulgence, but you all have been through enough and have more mysteries ahead of you. Very well. I am currently located on an outer plane of existence where air elementals reside. This place", he indicated the temple, "allows me to open a conduit so that I may speak with you. It draws much of my power which is why I cannot keep it open forever."

When it seemed as though the urgency of the questions had stalled, Li-eira spoke up tentatively. She stood on her own two feet now, the initial shock had passed and she was slowly beginning to understand that there 'was' a bigger picture. She knew now that she somehow played a part in what was to come and that long lost answers from her past, might provide her the power to understand why she was a part of all of this. "Master Goentryx, if your time allows I have a question of personal importance. I know very little of my parents, who they were or why I was abandoned...is there anything you can tell me of my history?"

"I know that some of you might find this hard to believe," he replied with a glance to Coren and Yasminna. "But I do not know any more than you do. I am sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Li-eira replied with a sweet smile, trying her best to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

Janus looked over at Li-eira, his blue eyes expressing his support for her. When He looked back to Goentryx, his look had shifted, back to the look of steeled determination. "Master, who sends me the vision? Will The Bright Ones storm take the form of war, as it did the last time he tried to cover the world in his darkness?"

"It is the Powers themselves that send you these visions, lad. I am bound to not disclose anymore than that." He looked at Yasminna and said in all sincerity. "I cannot disclose more. I have no choice in this as it is Beldrem himself that has bound me. A river would be able to flow upstream before I could." He then looked back at janus. "I can tell you, however, that Atreus will be able to tell you more about the visions. As far as the storm, it will be a war. The West is already at war. The Racewar is only the first showers of the hurricane that is about to blow across the west."

Goentryx looked at everyone in the room and they saw him wrestle with something in his head. "The West will fall and Traugur's storm of dolfanc will blanket the nations unless so very many things happen. I do not wish to overwhelm you. You must understand. That is my reason for retiscence and obscurity. The road ahead is long. Very long. Your worlds have changed after today. That I know." Goentryx waited to see if Janus had any more questions or if anyone else spoke up.

Giacomo listened, his brow furrowing with worry and trouble. The Arch-Druid's words were starting to concern him. When Aislinn changed the topic, he sat back and took a deep breath. 'What have you gotten yourself into?'

"How much does my uncle know?" Aislinn asked softly. She already seemed more withdrawn than was normal. "Does he know now about where I came from, or has he known all along?"

"Your uncle knows a great deal more, my dear, a great deal. Both he and Sarah did know of your beginnings. Sarah actually volunteered to raise you and offer her heart and hearth to you."

If possible, the priestess's face drained of even more color. "I see," she said, just as softly. The softness and evenness of her tone spoke louder than an enraged shout about the arrows she felt in her heart. "Now at least I understand what I overheard Mother say," she mused silently. Words about withholding answers to questions not voiced, and not raising her to lie. "Thank you," she added aloud and stepped back, pulling her baladrana even closer about her.

Goentryx looked at her and wished there was something he could have done to ease her into the world he had just thrown her. Thrown them all. He had known this would not be easy for them, but that didn't change the fact that they still needed to know.

"Please do not judge them too harshly, my dear," he told her softly. "Although the words might ring a bit hollow, please believe me when I tell you that everything they did...They? It wasn't they it was we you old man....we did...We did it so that you might stand here today and have the chance to rail against the night and the reason for your birth. What began as a duty and a promise ended in love and admiration. I hope you can believe me."

The light had gone out of Aislinn's eyes, leaving them as cold as the ice and snow outside. "And what if your reasons have backfired?" she asked simply. "I've spent all my life believing in the deepest part of me that we were not game pieces on a board. Now, with your words, it seems that we are that, indeed. Why shouldn't I give in to the inevitable in that case?" The reasonable tone of the question might make anyone's heart stop and the small hairs stand on end.

"Because it is not inevitable!" Yasminna said, the passion in her words ringing in the silence like a bell. She closed the distance to Aislinn and took her by the shoulders, forcing the taller woman to look her in the eyes. "If it were inevitable, could Goentryx have moved of his own volition to thwart Tech Loch's plan? If it were inevitable, would your dear Mother Sarah have even bothered to raise you, to put goodness and truth and beauty into your heart and soul, where they could never be completely removed?" Her hands flexed, but she resisted the urge to shake Aislinn to emphasize her words. "Every choice Goentryx, Atreus, and Sarah made they made because they were given freedom to do it, Aislinn. Freedom to thwart the ends of Arluth Traugur, and the will to act to do just that. You have that freedom and will too -- who you are today, every step you have taken, every word you have said, every choice you have made since I've known you only underscores that enduring truth and do not ever forget that!"

There were a dozen logical replies Aislinn could make. Yet, she opened her mouth, only to close it again. She felt on terribly thin ice, as if the foundations of her faith had cracked. Tears sprang to her eyes and emotion stirred again within the crystal-blue depths. Yasminna's words slowly sank in and she nodded slightly. "You're right," she whispered. She enfolded her friend into a fierce hug. "I'm still hurt, angry and feeling betrayed, but I will hold onto that truth."

The young Sundaryan woman held her friend tightly, not crying only because she hated doing so. She could feel the remnants of that cold she'd heard in Aislinn's voice, like the snows and ice they'd battled through to reach this place. Child of the desert that she was, Yasminna fought that chill with all the heat and passion of the desert sun, willing it to melt the ice in this dear woman's heart so that her faith and love would flow like soothing waters once more.

"Your hurt and your anger are understandable, Aislinn." The words were whispered, but in this place they carried, nonetheless. "But in my heart I can feel it, Sarah and Atreus did not betray you. They did not. My dear friend, they saved you. And when your hurts are healed and your anger turned toward those who deserve it, your wise eyes will see it too."

"I'll work on it," the priestess promised her friend and the others that heard her words. "I just... need some time alone. To think... to meditate and try and reach Holy Mathern once more. She seems so far away just at this moment. But, we need to finish this, first. Then, I'll take my time."

The young bard nodded and smiled a little, they were friends; and they would hold together. It was looking less and less likely that they would be able to rely on anyone else.

The exchange between Aislinn and Yasminna touched Li-eira deeply. The power of their friendship seemed strong enough to battle the bite of darkness that had tried to grip the beautiful priestess' heart. The tears that finally wet her eyes, were ones of gratitude and hope, so eager was she to gain true acceptance from all of them. To give of herself to them as much as they had given to her, and hope that with Janus' help she would gain the acceptance she so desired.

Li-eira stepped forward to join Coren and took his arm, calling a silent truce and forgiveness for his ill behavior last night. He could tell that his friend had recovered considerably from when she first heard that she was promised to Tech Loch by Arluth Traugur.

Janus litened patiently, to every word, watching each movement and nuanced gesture. He did not try to fool himself into thinking he knew what Aislinn struggled with. He could only hope that her crisis of faith was fleeting. "I believe, with all my heart, that there is no inevitable fate. To struggle, is worth its wage. Even if one ulitmately fails, you can fail with the pride of knowing that you fought every step of the way. You raged against that which defeated you, that no hopelessness ever beat you."

"But, when your enemies close in about you, and in that darkest hour, you spit in their eye, and by some miracle, triumph? Then you will truly know the depth of your strength, your faith, your will." He spoke to Aislinn, but his blue eyes looked at Li eira, "As long as your heart pounds in your chest, there is hope. As long as you breathe, you have options. Life always finds a way."

Coren put his large, callused hand upon Li-eira's arm.

"Even when you are trapped by darkness, there is always the chance of escape", Coren added. "I, for one, know that to be true. There is always hope - hope that someone will see the bright sun behind the dark stormclouds".

He turned to look at Li-eira. She had seen the potential goodness in his heart where others hadn't. Unfortunately, at that moment, Li-eira's gaze was elsewhere.

Li-eira returned Janus' gaze, her fondness and admiration for him lighting the depths of her pale blue eyes. She felt a strange tingle start in her stomach and shimmer across her body, as he spoke the same words he had told her last night, but this time so they could all hear. She had no idea if they would effect the others the way they had her, but the flame he had ignited in her last night had been burning in her all day. And even as she stood now, she could feel the strength of her spirit, hot within her, and the power of her magic stronger than she'd ever felt it. It was as if the gods had used Janus as a vessel to lift her even higher on the Path of the Silver Hand that she had dedicated her life to.

It took the sound of Yasminna's quiet voice to snap Li-eira back into the grim present. She tore her gaze from Janus' handsome face and forced her attention to the questions that the Princess was asking. Her newfound power still blazed within her making it difficult to concentrate, and she knew from past experience that it would take some time to acquaint herself with the increased magical energies that now cursed through her veins.

Arms crossed over her chest unconsciously, brow furrowed in intense concentration, Yasminna never looked more like her late father than she did at that moment, though none of her companions would know that. "I would ask one more thing, at least," she murmured, one arm still around Aislinn's waist. "I do not know if you may answer it, my lord Archdruid, but I will ask it anyway. I understand that we are to oppose the Lord of Lies and his minions. I understand that if we knew all that was to pass, it might well interfere with how we do what we have to do. Given all that, I still find myself wondering: What is, or are, our mission objectives? Are we to attempt to destroy Traugur's minions? Ruin his plans?" Her head tilted slightly, signalling she understood the enormity of what she was asking. "Kill him?"

"It is not that knowledge might interfere, ti'fanneq, it would just overwhelm. That, and it falls to another to reveal that information. Not by choice, believe me, but by demand."

Giacomo straightened himself. "I'm not even sure that I'm supposed to speak; but, as I am part of this party, I will." He looked at Janus as if looking for a nod or some kind of approval. "You are about to send us off on this great quest; but you are withholding information. At some point in this journey, we will be faced with this grave task -- and if we are not prepared for it -- we will certainly fail. If the greatness of the job is too much for us, wouldn't it serve you - and your goals - to learn that we would break now and not on the precipice of that action? What can you lose by telling us now? What will we lose by learning it later? If you are withholding it for our sakes ... should you not trust us enough to make that decision?"

Goentryx looked at Giacomo for a moment and sighed. "You must believe me, Minstrel, when I tell you that I am not choosing to withold anything. I was granted the gift of seeing my pupil again and disclosing certain things. That gift, however, came with a price. That price is that there are things I cannot disclose. I am bound by Beldrementhellen to only reveal certain things. I do not believe that the task is too great for you. If you stay united. These goals are not my goals. These tasks are not my tasks. I set none of this into motion, and the agenda is greater than I. Please understand that."

Goentryx walked around some and continued. "I look before me and see things you might or might not. I see a princess who is so much more than that. Her empress, and sister, would only trust her with what befell her. I see A Child of Mathern that is more of a mother than any I have known before her. I see the descendent of Balfor dan Ifus and yet he is so like Balfor I am wont to lift a tankard with him and talk of our travels together. I see the brightest star in the West and she chooses to walk one of the darkest paths. Voluntarily. I see a baron's son who is the most gifted Minstrel I have ever heard." He then looked to his former pupil and best friend. "I see you, Tob ap Huwyll, the least selfish man I have ever known, and the best friend anyone could ever wish to call. And I see you, my boy. You are the greatest pupil I have ever had. You have honored an old man by listening to his stories and putting up with his moods throughout these years. I see the man who could become the greatest druid to ever walk the forests of the West."

"Nay, Giacomo Castigar, I do not think you will break. I do so wish it was mine to reveal, but Beldrem himself has forbade me this."

"I would rather have all our information now as well, Giacomo," came Aislinn's voice. It remained a little cold and dispassionate, but far from what it was just a few minutes earlier. "But I could definitely benefit from a little respite to fall back and regroup, as it were."

Yasminna nodded. "I realize that ignorance is not bliss, but I also honor the archrduid's obedience to Beldrem. I would no sooner ask him to rebel against that than I would expect any of you to ask me to rebel against my sister," she put in quietly. "We do not always like our orders, but for love and duty, we follow them nonetheless."

"He's a druid", Coren began to mutter, repeating the same words he'd said to Li-eira only a few days ago. "They concern themselves with more than mere human matters. They're interested in the scales of balance. If evil is rising they'll help the good, that's true. But the other side to that coin also applies. Like the weather, they're fickle".

He sighed and spoke up a little louder. "The druid plays a game but one not of his making. And I wonder if Beldrem is acting purely for the cause of good in this. Still, it does not matter. We'll do what needs to be done, because that's who we are. And because, if we don't, we'll be plagued by these riddles and dreams forever more".

Janus sighed, and shook his head. If there wasnt all this other, he would take the time to confront Coren, and his ignorance, yet again.But time was of the essence, and The Young Druid had one more, important question, for The Old Druid. "Goentryx, did you write down the recipe for the berryshine, somewhere?"
Janus smiled, knowing the question was ridiculous after the evenings revelations.

Goentryx laughed at Janus' question. "T'is not mine to give dear boy. It's actually the nymph Laisha's recipe. Have fun getting it out of her," the old man said with a wink.

His form began to get even thinner as they watched. "Chamdar's balls!" he excalimed. "I am losing my gate. Janus! Listen. No matter what you or anyone might think, you are ready. If you weren't, then Jaydn would not walk beside you, and the grove would not have accepted you. It will only answer to one master, and you are that master. You are not alone in what is happening. I will always be with you, but more importantly, your friends will be there as well. I will miss you boy. I look forward to the day when I may sit with you in your grove and share a smoke and some of Laisha's berryshine."

He then faded from view.

GM OOC: Feel free to add to this last part as I work on opening the final part of this chapter.