Sorcerers and Queens

by Jennie Arnold

This is a collection of short stories that take place in the Wheel of Time Universe. The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Aes Sedai, a Warrior and a Queen all make their mark.

1. Chapter 1

~** Prologue **~

Mountains of ice rose up around two gray-clad figures. There was nothing but snow for miles around. The ice gleamed white but a streak of red fire marked one area. The locals called the wizards and the police. They called everyone they could think to call. They could see that they needed all the help they could get! The fiery-red could be seen for miles around. The two men in gray wizards' uniforms had miles of ground to cover on their own.

They had been called to the mountain to investigate the phenomenon. Villagers were desperate and the wizards were out of time.

"It's cold enough to freeze an egg."

"Talking isn't making it warmer, Bran. Let's just find the cause of this phenomenon and get out of here."

"Sounds like a good plan to me, Cal, but I don't think those mages agree. They have crossbows."

"Halt right there!" The man was over seven feet tall and shrouded in black.

"We don't want any trouble!" Bran shouted.

"We're just here to help the village," Cal backed him up. "There's no reason we can't all work together."

"I'm afraid we can't do that." Cal and Bran each found a steel tip pointed at their throats. "Place your hands behind your head and touch your forehead to the ground. Don't move until my men give you leave."

"What men?" Bran asked. "I don't see anyone here but the four of us." Bran turned and whispered to Cal. "This man is nuts... and not the good nuts with an N but the crazy nuts with a K."

"You don't spell nuts with a K," Cal told his friend.

"You would if you were crazy."

"Enough talking! Follow my orders or I will have no choice but to use force. Consider your circumstances."

"You're in the same circumstance, mate." Bran have a spear of light in his hands now. Cal held a sword of fire. "We're armed too."

"Your weapons are made of magic. They'll disappear long before my arm gets tired," the mage warned.

"I'm willing to wait it out," Cal said with more confidence than he felt. He knew that he was reaching a dead end. "But there is no reason that we can't leave here as friends. I have no shortage of funds."

"You don't need to bribe them." Bran's voice was different than Cal remembered. "Cal, you need to disable your weapon and go with these men." Bran's weapon was pointed at Cal now.

"What are you doing, Bran?"

"They won't hurt us. They have orders to bring us alive."

"They would say that. You know better than to believe them."

"You trust me, mate. Disable the weapon."

Three weapons were pointed at Cal now. He had no choice but to obey. The weapon disappeared. Three sets of hands gripped Cal's arms.

"I trusted you, Bran. Is this how you repay your friends?"

"I'm saving your life, mate. That light isn't from a spell. It's from a person."

Bran showed his friend the source of the light. It was a young woman with dark hair. Light and magic flew from her. She was barely conscience.

"What is this?" Cal asked in awe.

"This magic is property of the Argosian empire!" The guard with the bow proclaimed.

"You can't own a person!" Cal shouted.

"Stand aside, Cal," Bran said firmly. "These men know what they are doing."

"Do you know what they're doing?" Cal could not hide the anger from his voice. "Why are you helping them, Bran?"

"This is for the greater good."

"Can you answer a simple question with a simple answer?"

"There are no simple answers."

More armed men seemed to appear from the shadows. Cal's hands itched to do something. The magic in him roiled. Apprehension, fear and anger could not overshadow the feeling of utter betrayal. Bran had been more than a friend. They were like brothers. Now they were enemies...

"What did they offer you, Bran?"

"I don't get why most people want the things that they want. I don't want money or titles." Bran looked betrayed now. "You know me better than that."

"Why did you betray us?"

"I'm saving your life. You'll understand one day."

"I hope I never do." Bran squeezed Cal's shoulder in a familiar way that sent shivers up his spine.

"You know me. You know that I have your best interest at heart."

"I thought I knew you..."

"The empress wants to see you," Bran tried to explain. "You'll serve the empire one way or another."

"The empress has all the woman she needs. She would never bind a man until the prophesy is fulfilled."

Bran's voice took on a gentle tone before he said, "A man has been found. The rest of us are no longer safe."

"You gave yourself to her!" A spear came into Cal's hands. The steel of the arrows were quickly raised but Bran put a hand up to them in warning.

"You know what has to be done, Cal." Bran moved closer to Cal until his arm could reach out and touch the other man. Bran's hand closed tight around Cal's wrist. Cal felt a burn where the fingers brushed against his skin.

Realization hit him like a tone of bricks. "No," he whispered. "No! You can't lock away my magic! You know I'll run either way."

"Hiding won't do no good now."

Despair and hopelessness pressed in around Cal. Bran's eyes bore into him asking questions. Cal could not answer. Words were beyond him. Bran waited, as if he was hoping for an answer to an important question. Cal could not give him an answer and Bran could wait no longer.

"There's no need to fear. He can't reach his magic now."

The men with crossbows nodded to Bran and motioned even more men out of the shadows. "These two are ready for transport." Cal felt firm hands grip his shoulders and haul him to his feet. Men pushed him forward. Cal tried to watch Bran but men in Argosian uniforms quickly blocked his view. "The empress has ordered that they are not to be harmed any more than is necessary."

"Was any of this necessary?" Was all Cal could ask before he forced into the hull of a ship.

"We're going to meet the empress?" Cal asked as soon as he and Bran were alone. "We're not the answer to any prophecies!"

"The empress wants to hire us. She heard about the Hanalon job." Bran gave him a rare smile. "We have a reputation to up hold."

"She wants us to steal for her? Surely she has people to do that for her."

"No one as good as us!" Bran made it sound like they should be honored that the empress had asked for them. Cal felt anything but honored. He felt terrified!

"You can't really believe that! Armed guards didn't just appear to give us a job."

"You'll understand when she tells you the job. I know why you're nervous now but you don't need to be."

"Tell me the job," Cal ordered. "You already made the deal."

"I told them that I'd do anything to save you."

Cal felt the breath leave his body. "What? What did you agree to?"

"You heard what I said. I couldn't let them kill you."

Cal bent down and sat next to Bran. "What makes you think that they want to kill me?"

"They said that you would not take another breath if you refused them." Bran spoke in a quick voice.

"Who said that? The guards outside? The mage?"

"Someone even more powerful than guards!"

"Are people threatening you?"

"It's you I'm worried about."

Cal looked his friend in the eye. "Then tell me what's going on. Do you know anything about this empress? Can you guess what job she has in mind?"

"I don't know much. But I'll tell you everything that I know." Bran opened his mouth to do just that but the door swung open at the same time.

An imposing woman stood there in the lighted doorway. The people nodded and bowed in her wake. The ship itself seemed to respect her. The sailors and looked at her with awe and the waves seemed to slow. She wore a rich silk tunic and long pants in woven canvas. She looked the picture of a successful captain.

He was surprised to hear a different voice calling orders.

"Heave and shove!" Called a whistle-y voice. "Cast to the starboard track. Loose the top sails."

Could it be a first mate?

Cal moved to stand and get a better look but a man pushed him down. A booted foot pushed between his shoulder blades. Cal tried to relax. The booted leg seemed to do the same.

"Easy, now, son. No sudden moves. The High Lady just wants to talk to you."

"There is no need for force, Hiro. Our guests cannot hurt me. It would not be in their best interest," the mysterious woman explained. "We have much to discuss."

"As you wish, High Lady."

"Thank you for your mercy, High Lady. Your friend has been a first class idiot but you have shown me nothing but kindness." The guard over Bran kicked him for his effort.

"I have a job proposition for you. There are situations that require your skills. There are not many magicians who can transport between dimensions and call spears."

"I can't do anything with these cuffs on!"

"The three of us will come to an arrangement and your cuffs will come off." The High Lady looked to her guards. "Let them sit up. We're all going to share a little drink."

"As a show of good faith? I believe that the hostess should drink first."

"Your beliefs are not our concern. You are in my land."

"You kidnapped us! Why should we show good faith to you?"

"My guards will force you to drink if you refuse."

"We don't really have a choice," Bran tried to tell his friend.

"High Lady, I don't take kindly to being backed into a corner. This is not how to make an agreement!"

All the energy in the room disappeared and reformed around the High Lady. She seemed to suck the life from everyone else in the room. Cal could see that this woman was no stranger to command. All eyes turned to her when she entered a room. Other people were sure to see leadership in her. Cal shuddered, knowing that she could – and would – call to more guardsmen.

"Don't think of this as a corner. This is an opportunity," Hiro said with sarcasm dripping from his voice. "We could be allies."

"Will the empress also give me a show of faith?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"I want her to drink first," Cal said quickly.

"If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you already."

"Let's just say I want a show of good faith."

The High Lady took a small snip from the first cup. "Better?"

"Not really but it will have to do." Cal and Bran both drained their cups in two gulps.

"Now we can all do business as civilized people." The High Lady patted Cal's arm in a friendly way. Cal could not help but flinch at the unwanted contact. "You have just ingested a latent poison. You have about a month until symptoms show and a year or so until the poison leaves your system."

"That can't be true!" Bran yelled on top of Cal's, "You drank from the glass!"

"You should know better than to believe your eyes. I will do what ever it takes to get this job done."

"You plan on gangling the antidote in front of me to make sure I finish your job on time?"

"You're not worried about poison? Fine! I'm worried about this job you have for me. You and Bran have both been very vague on the details."

"You have been hired to find someone for me," the High Lady told him.

"It might be a little easier if you tell the person's name."

"I need you to find a prince. My sources say that he has left his father's kingdom. We believe he's coming here. Your target's name is Lewis. He is a tall man in his early twenties with blond hair. He grew up in a small village and has only recently learned of his roots. Do not let your guard down around him. He knows magic."

"I take it that you're no longer afraid of my magic. You could just deny me my antidote if I let it get out of hand," Cal said, fighting the despair, anger and bitterness, all warring within him. "Your little potion will not interfere with my magic or my work, will it?"

"As I told you before, you're perfectly safe."

"I'm safe as long as I help you find this prince. I can't figure out why you picked me for this job. You have planned this out extensively and personally. I would be flattered but missing persons is not my usual type of work. What made you think of me?"

"This missing prince knows magic but I've never seen anyone with the control you have."

"Again, I'm flattered but were kidnapping and poison really necessary! Couldn't you just hire me like a normal person?"

"This conversation seems to be going around in circles. I can see that you're upset. Take some time to rest. We'll talk more later." The High Lady motioned to the guards behind her. They shot forward and pulled Bran to his feet, hustling him from the room.

"No!" Cal moved to stand but strong hands pushed him down. "Stop!" But they were all ignoring him now. "He helped you!"

"Get some rest," the High Lady ordered. One of the larger guards gave Cal a wack on the head. Cal felt a stab of pain. The whole world seemed to swirl to the point of an arrow. The world narrowed and then nothing but blackness.

Cal awoke, hours later, with stabbing pressure behind his eyes. He blinked, trying to clear his vision and his pain. It took some time for Cal to notice that there was someone else in the room with him.

"I thought you'd never return to the waking world."

"I'm not sure I'm glad to return." Cal rubbed his temples.

"Here," the man handed Cal a glass of water. "This will help. Sip it slowly."

Cal did as he was told. The water did seem to clear his head but a pressure still seemed to throb in time to the drumming of his heart. He rubbed his hand over his face. Memories came flooding back to him. "Where's Bran?"

"Your friend will be joining us shortly."

Cal gave his new minder a side-ways look. "Who are you?"

"My name is Avency. I'm here to keep you out of trouble." Avency removed a club from his belt, giving Cal a clear warning. "We should not have to wait long."

Soldiers' boots pounded on the tile outside. The door burst open and the High Lady strolled in. Soldiers followed her, dragging a bound Bran. Bran looked like he had been beaten as thoroughly as a clean rug. The Lady placed her hands on Bran's arms and patted his hands.

"Bran and I have been talking. He thought he could hide a few things about your past. He is a loyal friend," the Lady sounded proud. "He still told us everything we needed to know in the end. I am so sorry to hear about your loss."

"You don't know anything about me," Cal growled.

"I know plenty about loss. Your friend can tell you."

Cal looked to his bound friend. "You know each other?"

"We've had plenty of long conversations over the past few weeks. The High Lady made preparations for this long ago. Bran and I have had many long talks over the course of her plans. I know a great deal more than you think."

"I have nothing to hide!"

"They don't care about secrets," Bran insisted. "They only want to know about magic. I told them what the mages' school taught us. I only told them what anyone who sat in a classroom could hear. You can do the same. That's all they want to hear."

"I have no reason to help you!"

"You would tell us anything to help a friend," the High Lady insisted.

"I betrayed him!" Bran broke in. "Why would he help me?"

"Leave him alone!" Cal couldn't hold back a yell.

"You're ready to co-operate with us?"

"I'll tell you what I can about the mages' school. I was there for over three years."

"Bran told us all about the school. We need something new."

"I still visit the school from time to time," Cal said desperately. "I can tell you the up-to-date assignments from the masters themselves. I can delay intervention in certain places."

"We can't have you running off after this."

"I can't go too far. You've had me poisoned!"

"That coercion only goes so far. I do not trust you enough to give you a long rope."

"I don't know how you expect me to accomplish anything without magic or traveling."

"Bran will be along. He'll be able to do magic."

"Not if you torture him until he can't stand. He won't be any use to you then. He can barely stand now! Bran can't do magic with his face beat in like that."

"I can arrange for him to me healed... but I only do favors like that for people who help me. Can you manage to find the missing prince or not?"

Cal knew that there were no real choices. "I'll do all I can to help you find your prince but only if you help Bran. Heal him."

"It sounds like we understand each other." The High Lady shook Cal's hand and nodded to the men holding Bran. Both men were pushed forward. Cal felt the ground scrape his knees as he fell forward. Bran and Cal both landed on hands and knees. "You will both be healed and brought to the ruins of Ogianor. The Faera library was held there before the Faera moved to their floating cities. A surge of power was unleashed in the ruins with the Prince's unique signature. Your cuffs will be removed for this first assignment. Remember the poison and use your magic wisely. The two of you will need magic to find that prince."

"The prince has magic too. Can he use it to find himself?"

"He has not been trained in magic as you have... but it is best to assume that he can do anything that you can."

Cal tried to ask another question, the questions seemed to burn in his throat, but he did not get a chance to ask them. A rag was shoved in his mouth and a bag jerked over his head. Bran's yells were muffled by his own rag. Cal knew that the guards were being no more gentle with his friend. Cal felt fists flying near his head. He jerked and swerved but a fist landed and Cal blacked out.

The darkness receded slowly. Cal blinked in the bright sunlight and found stone pillars surrounding him. He tried to move his hands but they were tied to Bran's wrists.

"Bran?" He called in a croaked voice.

"I'm here. I'm awake."

"Where are we?"

"I imagine we're in the Faera City. That's where the Argosians said they were taking us."

"The Argosians said that they wanted us to use magic and help them. Why leave us tied?"

"Why knock us out and poison us? They don't exactly need a reason."

"They won't do anything for nothing... That's just the type of person that the High Lady is."

"We barely said three words to her! One conversation does not make us experts," Bran reminded his friend.

"Let's just say I know her type."

"Don't let the past change who you are, mate. They can't all be like her."

"I'm learning from my mistakes and using my experience," Cal challenged.

"Weather you trust her or not, we need a plan, mate! What can we do?"

A shadow fell from above the two men. "I'm afraid that you can't do much without my say-so." Hiro stood above them. "You didn't think that the empress would leave you on your own, did you?"

"I assumed that the poison made sure that we wouldn't do anything without it."

"The poison's just there to make sure we remember our place, mate. The empress wants us to know she's in control. The twatt," Bran motioned to Hiro, "is here to make sure we do as she says."

"There are codes that bind society," Hiro said in a dangerous voice. "The two of you will follow these rules."

"If we refuse?"

"You'll wish I left you tied up in these ruins." The dangerous tone was back in Hiro's voice. Cal chose not to answer this time. "You must pick something external and use it as a guide. Your minds cannot be trusted."

"The empress's can?" Bran challenged.

"You joined us of your own volition. You know the value of the empress's judgment."

"Your empress gave me a choice. I choice the best I could but that does not mean that I trust the empress. You just told me not to trust my own judgment."

"You've already made your choice. You're allied with the empress now and you need to work on your end of the agreement if you want to see the antidote."

Cal sighed in defeat. He turned to Bran before saying, "We'll start looking for this lost Prince. This is where he was last seen."

"No, mate," Bran corrected. "This is where the prince last used magic. We can use magic to measure how far his signature goes."

"Did the prince use the magic to transport out of here? Signatures won't help us if he used a defense spell."

"We gotta start somewhere."

"You two had better do something," Hiro complained.

Cal felt for the magic and was surprised to feel it come. It felt like an eternity before the power rushed into him. Cal remembered those early days when the magic didn't always come when he called.

"Magic is about knowing a thing inside and out," Cal remembered his instructor saying. "You must know it so well that a thing can become something else."

The instructor held up a rock. "Take this rock for example. It is a rock and it likes being a rock. So, what can we do or say to make it not want to be a rock?"

"Ask more questions," Cal whispered, remembering the answer. "Why does the rock like being a rock? Could it not do it better as part of a house or as gravel? To persuade a rock, a person must think like a rock."

Cal hardly had to say words anymore. The rocks knew him. He no longer needed to convince them of anything. Still, it was nice to stay in practice and it was even sweeter to have that feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day. Cal did not think about the past often but he had found a nostalgic side these past few months.

"The prince used magic to find something in these ruins." Cal followed the blue lines of signatures as he spoke. He touched the spot where the lines ended and looked about. It was a room filled with half-full book shelves. It was a library! "He must have taken a book."

"I can see that he took a book. Which book was he looking to find?" Hiro asked in exasperation.

"It has to be a book on this shelf," Cal reasoned.

"Unless he took the book with him when he left."

Bran stepped between the two men. "These books are shelved by subject. Look at the remaining books: History of Herun, Geography of Windplain and Herun Valley, Trading Agreements Across Herun, Kings of Herun and the Towers of Windplain. They're all about Herun. Could he be traveling to Herun?"

"The Valley of Windplain in Herun might be a good place to start," Cal agreed.

Hiro growled in exasperation. "I'll need to be able to tell the empress about more than one lead! I was told that you were the best but you're moving at a pace slower than a pig on ice!"

"The High Lady told us to get this job done right. She never mentioned speed."

"You've gotta pick quality over speed. Your empress already understands the choice," Bran told the Argosian. "No one wants to do this job twice, ya know? We had to be poisoned and kidnapped to do it once!"

"The empress is a woman of high standards. She expects the two of you to show progress before she gives you your antidote in two weeks."

"We already know what's at stake," Cal growled.

"You don't need to remind us," Bran agreed. "We know what has to be done."

"We need to go to Herun."

"Your magic needs to take us there. No more delays," Hiro ordered.

"That will take a lot of power to travel a distance like that."

"The mages mentioned that you were never short on power."

"We'll need some tools." There was an idea forming in Cal's mind.

Bran noticed the light in his friend's eyes. He must have had a similar idea because he could not hold back a smile. "I got ya, mate. I know where to find just the thing."

"You two need to stay focused," Hiro advised. "We have a time table."

"We can't travel without these supplies."

"They're essential," Bran backed up his friend.

"I'll see what I can arrange," Hiro growled.

"There's no need," Cal explained. "I know what I need and I know how to get it fast. I just need to be able to move."

"The empress sees you and your partner as an investment. She cannot let you just roam free with no direction."

"I know where I'm going, mate. No empress needs to tell me how to get no where. Just give me a compass and I'll find my own way."

"That's not how the empress works."

"We can't do out jobs if the empress won't let us move in our own way."

"The empress wants to be apprised of your plans, not keep you from working. Get your supplies and get moving. The empress has a deadline."

Cal smiled. "Bran, I hope you remember the directions to the Faera market."

"I remember the rhyme. My tutor would be proud of me, mate."

"You can lead me there?"

"You'll need to sleep but yeah."

"Stop your superstitious games and get the supplies!" Hiro commanded.

"We're on it," Bran assured him. He motioned to Cal and led him to the side. "Do your best to relax here. I don't think that he'll let us out of his sight."

"There will be enough time once we get to the market. Hiro won't be able to follow us there."

"Do you think that he'll try?"

"I wouldn't put much past that one."

"We can bet on him tryin' to follow us, mate. I could lay a trap or two of my own," Bran said with a truly wicked smile.

"Be careful, Bran."

"I'm always careful."

Bran sounded much too care-free for Cal's tastes. "I mean it, Bran! These people are dangerous."

"That's a bit like the pot and the fire, isn't it?"

Cal sighed. "You mean the pot and the kettle – but you've always been the risk-taker."

"I have not! I only do dangerous things to save you from worse stuff – and it can't be the pot and the kettle. The pot and the kettle never fight each other."

"You think that the pot and the fire fight?"

"Well, they have to at first, don't they? Then, the pot gets warm and they help each other."

Sometimes it was best not to argue logic with Bran. "Please just be careful and help me get the supplies. This prince needs help."

"We're not in the best position to help," Bran pointed out. "We're poisoned. Remember?"

"It's hard to forget," Cal had to fight to push all his thoughts back to the prince. "But we're in the perfect spot to help! Getting the prince out of his trouble gets us out of our's. We can warn the prince that he is in danger and promise to give him all the details if he gets us an antidote."

"Princes hire people for that sort of thing, don't they? It happens all the time."

"Money opens more doors than you'd think. You might not see the need for riches but chemists and healers do."

"People are right strange, mate."

"Let's just make sure that we're prepared for Hiro and his people."

Bran nodded. "I'll get supplies for Hiro and his merry men. You prepare for the prince."

"That's it, then?"

"That's all we can do."

"Do you think over people have these kinds of troubles?"

"Everyone has their problems."

Rormic looked for the man and saw that he was nothing but a dot. Rormic did the only thing he could think to do. He ran because he had to find Sakura.

Rormic's body screamed for rest but he ignored it. His muscles ached and his tired limbs were hard to ignore but he used all he had to sprint away from his tormentor. Rormic followed his since to the portal that they had walked through while Rormic was unconscious. He had no trouble finding it and running through it. Nothing could make Rormic slow. He hit the ground on the other side and he hit it running.

Rormic was getting used to the feel of the portals. He found that each portal had its own feel that told him where it leads to. Hattie and the Master had called each world and Rormic, not knowing any other method, copied them. Rormic saw the different worlds in a definite order but he could not explain how. The portals did not line up like a straight line. Still, Rormic knew the order the worlds did go in and he knew what to call each.

He knew that he had to keep running to get to his home world; to the world where Sakura and his mother were now traveling to the Forest Spirit's pool. He had to make sure that they were okay and warn them that trouble was on the way. They were in world 4 and he was in world 9 now. The deep voiced man was in world 7 but Rormic was sure that the man was on his way here now and he knew that he needed to move on as quickly as possible.

Rormic tried to ignore the world around him and just follow the feel of the portal. He was not really sure where he was but he did see that the abandoned buildings were behind him. The people in the manicured lawns in front of Rormic all gave him weird looks. Rormic did not stop or even slow to think about why they all looked at him that way. He just needed to keep moving.

A girl half Rormic's age ran up beside him. "You need to go to a hospital. You can stop running and we'll help you." The girl said all of these things in earnest but Rormic did not understand half of the words she said.

"I just need to get home," Rormic told her breathlessly, hoping she would leave him alone.

"I'll let you call your parents if you let my mom take you to the hospital."

Rormic shook his head and kept running. The girl ran with him for a few blocks but stopped after that. He was sure that he looked a mess but he had not thought that anyone would stop him. Rormic felt the pain move up his body with each step but he pushed everything away with thoughts of Sakura and worry for her. With this burst of energy, he sprinted into the house and out to the backyard through the portal.

Rormic found himself back in world 4, back in his own world. The Elk Clan was still over a day's hard run away but felt like he was home. Rormic looked around him in the peaceful forest and he felt such relief. Rormic could not stop himself from falling to his knees and giving into his tired body's needs. Blackness filled his vision and he slept.

Consciousness returned to Rormic hours later when the sun was no longer in the sky. Rormic jumped to his feet thinking, "Sakura! I have to get to her before anyone else does!"

He took off running towards the Elk Clan. Rormic had been running hard towards the portals before but this sprint made all the earlier ones look like walks in the park. Desperation forced Rormic to use every ounce of strength left in his body to get to Sakura.

Rormic was not sure if he should be disappointed to find that the Clan was already on their way to the pool of the Forest Spirit or not. He was glad that Sakura was on her way to safety but he was annoyed that he had to run for miles yet before he could warn her. Rormic's body begged him to stop and rest but his over-active mind pictured disaster after disaster. He needed to see that Sakura was safe before his mind would allow him to rest.

Rormic continued to run. He only stopped when exhaustion took over but even then, he tried to only rest for a few hours and then get moving again. He had done some quick first aid on his ribs and shoulder and the bandages and slings made running easier for him. Rormic finally caught up with the Elk Clan when they were entering the Forest Spirit's forests. The pools where the Forest Spirit actually lives were in the center of the woods.

Rormic felt hope and excitement for the first time in days. Rormic climbed to a tall hill overlooking the party. He wanted to look for Sakura and go straight to her instead of asking ten or more Elks where she was. He was sure that it would be quicker if he just found her on his own. With this thought in mind, Rormic took a close look at the traveling party. Rormic saw his mother and Sakura was next to her, riding on Ebon, the Clan elder. Rormic smiled and turned to run down and meet them. He turned to ran right into the person he most wanted to avoid: the deep voiced man who had tormented him for days!

Oreland tried to ignore the Argosian guards who surrounded him. The empress claimed that no one was a prisoner any longer but Oreland could not help but feel like a prisoner.

Guards watched him at all times and he was not allowed to leave the palace without an escort.

"I thought we agreed that we could come and go as we please," Matt argued.

The empress gave a small secretive smile before answering, "I agreed to give each of you a manor. It will take some time to build. Until they are complete, you are guests in my palace. My guests are given the best security. I cannot allow any of them to be hurt. Everyone travels with their own contingent of guards."

"Guests can leave when they want to," Oreland argued. "I thought you were a woman of your word!"

"Do not test me, boy!" the empress growled. "Has no one taught you manners? A guest would not return home without leave from his hostess."

"My manners!" Oreland screamed. "What hostess would have armed guards force her guests into rooms?"

"Show some respect, boy!" Sainade growled as she entered the room. She bowed to the empress before saying, "I am sure that you are busy, majesty. Please allow me to handle this boy and his temper tantrums for you."

"This is very thoughtful of you, Sainade," the empress said, taking a reign on her temper. "I believe that things will go much smoother after these peasants learn to consider others."

"Wanting sunlight is far from being selfish," Lewis said. "What does considering others have to do with getting out of this palace?"

"Dark Elves are still after you. They're after all of you!" Sainade reminded them. "Being out in a busy city is the last thing you should be doing. The innocent people there will be the ones to pay for your lack of caution. The Dark Elves will come even if they have to go through all those people to get to you. It is much safer for you here with trained guards."

"Trained guards were with us when shadows jumped out at me last time. Oreland and Matt were the ones to save me, not your guards," Lewis reminded them.

"I noticed that you are still here," Sianade said dryly. "The Dark Elves have not taken you yet and you know they have been trying to do just that for a month now. You cannot count how many times the guards have stopped kidnapping attempts."

"A murderer's not stopped every time I take a breath," Matt told her in an equally dry tone.

"If every shadow was trying to kill you, a murder would be stopped each time you survived stepping into a shadow," Sianade told him. "You should be grateful to the empress. Not questioning her methods."

"She's using us all for her own ends. This has nothing to do with compassion!" Lewis tried to hold back his anger as he spoke.

"You will come to appreciate the kindness the empress has shown you!" Sianade vowed, signaling to the guards.

Three guards moved as one to bring Lewis to his knees. Lewis fought back with kicks and sharp elbows but he could see lifeless eyes staring back at him. These men let an empress think for them. They had no will left! The empress had destroyed them, piece by piece.

Oreland watched helplessly as Lewis was pushed to his feet even as the taller man called to his magic. Oreland heard Sarilla gasp as she felt another woman pushing the magic away from Lewis.

"A velvet woman is using a silken to keep Lewis away from magic. He'll be helpless against so many guards," Sarilla whispered the Oreland in shock and fear.

"Do not be afraid. We'll find some way to help him," Oreland whispered back.

Oreland looked to Pete and Matt, hoping one of them had some idea but they were both being held back by guards. Oreland did the only thing he could think of: he went into the dream world.

This was the one place he had power and the one place where he could make a difference. He was in the valley of the dream world, looking up into the sky. Pictures began to form in the clouds.

Oreland saw a pitcher and a victor's wreath. He saw the empress's crown and a white raven. The pictures on their own did not make much sense but when Oreland saw all of them together, he got an idea. He quickly shifted back to the waking world.

Oreland opened his eyes. The world came into focus and the first thing he saw was Sarilla's worried face.

"I told you not to be afraid," Oreland told her.

"I saw you fall..." Sarilla's voice was edged with fear even now.

"I had to get to the dream world. I know what to do now." Oreland did not bother explaining more as he jumped into action.

Oreland saw the pitcher and matching vase. The same pitcher he had seen in the dream world. Oreland threw the pitcher at the empress's podium, which was covered in branches and white ravens, with a force that was stronger than his strength could account for. Someone screamed when the pitcher hit and the air around the podium began to ripple. There was a person falling to the ground in front of the podium. The person appeared from thin air and the sudden appearance left the villagers in silent shock.

Oreland saw Lewis stagger. He must be shocked by the magic's power as it rushed into him. The force of the magic made Oreland dizzy and he was far away from the center of that magic. The invisible person was a magic user and was somehow keeping Lewis from using magic!

"This is another of your velvet women?" Oreland asked the empress with venom.

"I have more servants than you can imagine," the empress said with fire in her eyes. "Each of them has a unique talent. I admit that this woman is one of my servants. She cushions and mutes elemental magic."

"You used this woman to control me?" Lewis asked in a shocked voice.

"I swore in our agreement that I would not try to control you or take your will but you must realize that me people need assurances and protections too." The empress spoke in a tone that made it clear that nothing could be more proper.

"You think that taking my magic will keep your people safe? I thought we were on the same side!" Lewis almost screamed.

"She doesn't trust us," Oreland declared in a carrying voice. "But the empress isn't afraid of us. She's afraid of the Faera."

All eyes turned to the empress at Oreland's revelation; even Sianade and the other velvet women. "I am more than a woman. I am an empire and the empire fears no one! The Faera pose a small problem but Arcadia is taking care of them."

"The Faera are our allies! How can you send Arcadia to spy on them?" Oreland challenged. Oreland pressed the square jewel of his thick gold ring and prayed that the Faera could hear and understand.

"What gave you the idea that she was spying? There is more than one lesson to learn here," Sianade advised.

"What have you done?" Alaina demanded more than asked.

"The velvet women are human," Matt pointed out.

Oreland saw Kiarlen press the jewel on her ring down before saying, "The Faera will instantly see that they do not belong."

"She is getting information from a ring of spies," Oreland said with confidence. "What Faera are agreeing to spy?"

"We have no need of Faeras," Sianade told them. "They are honest. They make terrible liars. Luckily, the Faera accept outsiders into their floating city. Those outsiders are easier to buy."

"Why are you telling us this?" Sarilla asked in fear. "We're supposed to visit with the Faera each week." Sarilla was pressing the princess-cut jewel on the thin ring.

"You leave the Faera to me," the empress growled. "Sianade! I leave these villagers to you."

Sianade held a cruel collar in her hand as she slowly moved towards the group of villagers. Matt, Lewis, and Oreland quickly pushed the women behind them while Pete called to the wolves in desperation.

Protect the women, Pete told the wolves. Sianade and her velvet women will be going after them!

The enemies smell like a storm, Snow sent to the wolves and Pete. Be careful, my brothers and sisters! The lightnings these women call are not like the ones from nature. Run from fires when they come but do not flee before the sparks start. Be strong and courageous! These humans are part of out pack now and we cannot let the enemy have them.

The wolves yipped their approval before darting towards the women in black velvet. The pack had battled lighting and fire in the wild and they had survived. The man-made disasters did not scare them now. The wolves had seen shadows come to life and waves rise to become thundering typhoons but still, the wolves held their land and their brothers and sisters. They had fought against these Argosians before, they had fought and won. This time would be no different.

Caidan began searching for wolves in the woods around his home. The wilderness was a free land. No one owned the wood so anyone who was brave enough to travel the deep forests could. Caidan was not sure that he was brave enough to walk through the words. He would have turned back but it needed to be done.

Caidan took a deep breath and tried to hold onto his courage. The woods were darker than the dark of midnight. Layers of leaves stopped all rays of light. Caidan walked slowly and carefully, worried about treading on the unseen. The dark made him uneasy and the uncertainty only added to his fear.

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself," Caidan reminded himself. "The darkness could hide a treasure as easily as a horror."

He had to bend down to find the tracks that would lead him to the wolf pack that roamed these grounds. Caidan saw evidence of flourishing life instantly. There were rabbit, deer, and boar for the wolves to eat; water was nearby. A pack of wolves could easily survive here. Caidan followed the small stream, confident that he would find wolf tracks.

"Wolf tracks are easy to spot," Caidan remembered his father's huntsman explaining. "There are three distinct parts." The huntsman pointed as he continued, "The biggest part is called the pad and there are toes above the pad. The smallest part is the three claws."

Caidan's hand brushed along the bank, looking for three parts of the print. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark but his hands still told him more than his eyes did.

Caidan slid this way and that in the slick mud. Still, Caidan did not stop. He put all these thoughts on finding the prints. He was so focused on the bank that he did not notice that wolves were following him on the opposite bank.

You're getting too close, Fin warned his pack sister. He'll see you.

Don't you remember what mother said about humans? Their noses are dead! He'll never find me!

Don't get cocky, Fin warned again. You make mistakes when over-confident. Remember what happened with the porcupine...

You were in just as much trouble then, the she-wolf reminded her brother. Sunny would have continued to tease her brother but a scent assaulted her nose and demanded all of her attention.

What is it? Fin asked with worry.

There's a pride of mountain lions near here, Sunny told her brother in a near whisper. We need to leave.

Should we warn the human?

He won't know that we're coming up to save him. He'll think that we're stalking him in a hunt. That man will do his best to kill us before we have a chance to warn him. Sunny wanted to run but she could tell that Fin had other ideas.

The male wolf ran towards the east side of the mountain and up a trail. A gray house came into view as Fin came over the rise. Fin made a B-line directly to the house. He threw back his head and gave a high howl.

"I hear ya! I hear ya!" a voice called from within. A grizzled head poked out of the door while the man's hands busily searched the table for the map he left there earlier. "My son raised ya from pups and now ya think ya gotta tell me everything," the man gripped.

The man made his way out of the door with a map in one hand and a hunting knife in the other. Fin saw that the man was ready so he made his way back to his sister.

You had to bring him! The she-wolf grumbled. The old one won't help!

He won't let another man die, Fin said with conviction. He doesn't like us but he will help the man.

I hope you're right. Sunny's eyes filled with worry. The man you followed needs all the help he can get.

He'll come running when he hears the screams, Fin assured his sister.

"Will ya slow down, crazy wolf? I can hardly keep up with you!" The man grumbled as he walked over the rise.

"Ah!" Even the old man could not avoid hearing the screaming now.

"What trouble have ya two brough' on me now?" The man moaned as he ran towards the screams.

He found a man at the center of a ring of mountain lions. He could see the man's panicked eyes from all the way from the trail. Whites showed the whole way around so that he was visible even in the dark.

Ymen, the mountain man, felt the pull of invisible strings tugging him towards the man in the center of the ring. He wanted to ignore the strings but he knew that he would need to give into the pull. He let himself fall into it and ran off the road, getting closer to the lion pride.

"Try to stay calm, lad. Old Ymen and his wolves will get you out of this!"

Caidan was too shocked to answer the old man. Hearing a human voice in this wildness was like hearing a friendly, English voice after spending decades in a foreign land. It was like meeting an old friend. Caidan felt himself relaxing only to tense again as the lions growled and bared their teeth.

Caidan wanted to watch the old man. He wanted to reassure himself that the man was real and not a figment of his imagination. The lions demanded all of his attention.

"Oh!" Caidan jumped as the face of a cliff touched his back. He could not move and the lions were closing in.

"Keep calm, boy. Help's on the way," the old man assured him.

"Help needs to get here quickly!" Caidan warned the old men. "I won't be here to save if you take too long."

A howl pierced through the air, a howl that made the lions scatter in all directions. Caidan could take look in all directions at once but his eyes went to the place that all the lions were fleeing from. It was then that he saw the figure standing behind the old man. Caidan knew that the source of the howl was on the hill even though the sound range in all directions like a bell in a cave.

"Is he with you?" Caidan asked the old man.

"No. He's new ta me," he whispered.

"I hope he's on our side."

Kiarlen used all the magic she could call forth to keep the velvet women and their collars away from her. She called the magic into her center until she could hold no more and then pushed it all out as quickly as she could. Kiarlen completed this ritual over and over again. She pushed harder and harder until the velvet women began to flew through the air...

And Kiarlen got an idea. Instead of pushing enemies away, she could fly her friends to safety.

"Did you see that?" Kiarlen asked Mistress Tilde with a squeak of excitement in her voice.

"See the women fly through the air? You must be stronger than you look, girl!"

"I can use the same magic to fly you and the others to safety!" Kairlen explained.

"There is no safety for us," Mistress Tilde said sadly. "Our homes have been destroyed."

"I can send you to the Faera city. They have proven to be our allies," Kiarlen said.

"We do need to warn them about the Argosians," Alaina reminded them.

"I pressed my ring," Sarilla said.

"I did too," Kiarlen chimed in.

As if to bring validity to their words, Faera sent tree after tree down to the earth and slid down them to reach the bottom in haste. The Faera were joining the fight and they knew how to fight!

The old stories used to say that an Faera's anger is like a mountain only harder to break. The stone itself did seem to break when the Faera put their mind to breaking it! Nature, plant, stone and twig all seemed to obey the Faeras' unspoken command. The very earth shook and the sky itself seemed to join the fight.

The clouds rolled and changed color as they had the first time the villagers had seen the Faera city. The Argosians saw it and the velvet women were in too much shock to call lightning.

Lewis called fire and sent the velvet women running. The shock had given way to fear and panic had set in. The women ran away from the carnage, unsure of where they were heading but running there all the same. It seemed to take only seconds for the room to clear out but the peace did not last.

An unnatural wind blew from the west and brought new dangers with it. Alina and Sarilla were both losing the battle to walk against the wind. Lewis and Oreland helped them both; their added weight helping to keep them firmly on the ground and their added strength helping the women move forward. Kiarlen was surprised when Matt gripped her arm to keep her from blowing sideways.

"Get to the trees!" Evrick yelled loud enough to be heard over the wind. Everyone slowly made their way towards the towering plants. They all moved as quickly as they could - or as quickly as they dared - towards the trees. The trees were whipping and shaking in the howling wind but their strong roots held them firmly to the ground. Kiarlen gasped in relief as her hands closed around the sturdy roots.

Kiarlen's relief is short-lived. The wind has a source, and the source was not the Creator, the source was not the Argosians. The velvet women were running faster than anyone else. The power was obviously not from them. There must be another power at play here.

Kiarlen felt ice in her stomach spread through her whole body. There's another enemy. Kiarlen tried to rub warmth into her hands and arms. As if the Dark Elves and the Argosians weren't enough! Kiarlen was not sure she could fight the fear, the cold and the wind. Her foot slipped on a wet, muddied and grassless piece of ground. The tree seemed to fly from Kiarlen's hands.

"The trees are returning," Evrick said in shock. "Press your rings and tell the masons what is happening. They can stop the trees and take you up to safety. Tell the masons about -"

Evick was cut off. Kiarlen thought it was just the wind growing him out but she turned to him and saw him struggling with a shadow. Kiarlen tried to pull herself off the ground and towards to Faera. His eyes were bulging and he needed help. The shadows were strangling him!

"Evrick!" Kiarlen called. "Hold on. I'm coming!"

Evrick twisted in the shadow's grasp, turning this way and that to get away. He was fighting for his life but the shadows were stronger than him. They flung him to the shadow of the tree where he disappeared!

"Evrick!" Kiarlen called again. Crawling her way to the tree's shadows with as much speed as she could muster, Kiarlen flung herself into the shadows. She called his name again and searched through the blowing dirt and leaves. Evrick was gone!

"What happened?" Pete yelled over the wind as he gripped Kiarlen's shoulder. "Where did he go?"

"Shadows were attacking him. They took Evrick," Kiarlen managed to explain before the trees sent Pete, Alaina, Lewis and Mistress Tilde into the sky.

Kiarlen was not holding onto the branch anymore. The tree managed to knock Kiarlen into the air. She was flying through the sky for several moments but she was nowhere near the Faera city. Kiarlen was flying towards the sea. She tried to take a deep breath in but the water appeared all too soon.

~** Chapter One **~

Pete opened his eyes with a groan. The landing had not been gentle and his head was all the worse for it. Despite the pain it caused, Pete forced himself to sit up. He seemed to be in the middle of a garden. There were plants all around him. Alaina and Mistress Tilde were sleeping near a tall elm tree. There were more different types of trees and flowers than Pete had ever seen.

"Where are we?" He couldn't help but ask.

"I am glad to see you awake, Pete," Tarale said as she walked purposefully into the garden. "I worried over the hasty exit and unplanned landing. You, humans, are so fragile! Still, we were able to get you away from the Argosians and into the floating city."

"Is the whole city like this?" Pete asked in wonder.

"There are many small gardens like this in the city," Tarale said with a touch of pride.

"Are the others there? In another garden?" Pete asked.

Tarale looked from left to right uncomfortably. She opened her mouth to answer but Alaina filled the silence first.

"I saw Lewis leave. The Dark Elves took him! Shadows covered him!"

"Shadows covered Evrick too!" Pete said in shock.

"What happened to my Evrick! What did you see?" Tarale asked in desperation.

"I wasn't there but Kiarlen saw it all," Pete explained. "She told me about it right before I was brought up. Kiarlen said that the shadows attacked Evrick. He fought them but they were stronger. They took him! Maybe the same thing happened with Lewis."

"The fight was different with Lewis. Shadows weren't fighting him," Aliana explained. "They were distracting him. The Dark Elf grabbed him while he was distracted. We have to go help him!"

"The Dark Elves travel to a different dimension in the shadows," Tarale reminded the humans. "How do you think that you can help him?"

"Your libraries must have something that can help me find him," Alaina all but pleaded.

"The libraries tell us about an elemental magic user who was able to travel between the dimensions but it does not tell us how" Tarale explained. "Our masons may be able to help you."

"Do they know much about elemental magic?" Alaina asked with excitement.

"We know more about the use of magic than those foreigners ever could," Mistress Tilde chided. "You taught well in our travels with Pete and Matt. We can figure out how to help Lewis together."

"Faeras do not possess elemental magic... or we haven't in the last 10 centuries. Our records are long. Still, we Faera know our history. We know the history of magic even if we do not have the ability."

Taralen led the three of them along the tree-lined walkways to the biggest building that Pete had ever seen. The building had to be over ten stories high! The tallest building in the whole village was only three stories and a fraction of the building's width.

"What do you keep in there?" Mistress Tilde asked in awe.

"This building is the Faera library. We keep books, scrolls, and knowledge in there," Tarale told the visitors. "There is a place of worship inside as well. All knowledge comes from the Creator."

A man was parchment for skin and eyes older than even the oldest grandfather in Winding opened the door of the giant building and came out to meet them. His eyes were dark, almost black, and his hair was white. The parchment of his skin turned gray in the sun. Pete was afraid he would break the man even though he was so tall.

"I am the master mason of the library," the man introduced himself. "How can I help you?"

"We need information on elemental magic," Alaina told him quickly. "There are legions that say elemental magic can be used to travel across the dimensions... I have to learn how to do it. Dark Elves have taken Lewis into their own dimension. He needs help!"

"We have books that may have some information but I think that the best thing would be to talk with the Creator," the master mason suggested.

"The wolves talked with the Creator in their caves in Winding. They are interested to see how you manage it without caves," Pete translated for his friends.

Tell the Faera that their city smells like the forests after a rain, Snow ordered with a wolfish smile. I feel comfortable here. This city is almost as nice as the forests but that does not mean I do not want to go home. Tell them that they are invited to use our cave if their worship place does not work.

"I'll let the mason know," Pete promised her.

Do not look at me like that, Pete, Snow chided. I am being polite.

You are spending too much time arguing and begging, Plum argued. Follow the Faera and help them talk with the Creator. We knew that they could be trusted because we followed Fate as they do. We are cut from the same cloth.

Yes, Snow agreed. I trust them and I do want to help find the Darkness Chaser.

"Do you have an idea about how to help Lewis?" Pete asked in surprise.

Maybe. I need to see what this mason finds. Do not tell the women who can control nature until I know more.

"You know I can keep a secret," Pete said, "but do not make me do it for long. My sisters could always string the truth out of me if they had long enough."

Alaina's breath caught. "Your sisters weren't in the village?"

"No." The ghost of a smile seemed to dance on Pete's face. "They went to visit relatives, Auman, before the Argosians came."

"How many people do you think made it out? How many of our villagers are still out there?" Alaina asked in a whisper.

"I've never been to Bridgeton but I know some people in Winding who are too stubborn to die," Pete told her.

Alaina forced out a smile and let the memories of her home overwhelm her. She missed her mother and her cousins; she missed her neighbors and friends. Alaina wanted to go home! It felt like forever since she had left her front door. It was hard not to let sadness overwhelm her with the memories. Alaina knew that she would never be able to go home again. Her home was no more - the Dark Elves had seen to that!

All of the villagers had lost their home in that one swoop the Dark Elves thought would win their prince. The scout had come to get Lewis back to his own realm but Lewis had refused to leave his home. The family he had in Winding had been the only family he had ever known.

Winding was his home as much as it was Pete's or Matt's. None of them would ever leave it. The Dark Elves thought Lewis would leave Earth if Winding was no longer in it but they did not know Lewis. Destroying his home only made him hate them more.

Pete was lost in the same type of thoughts. His sisters were safe and he thanked the Creator for that every day but his parents were in Winding when he left. He had no way of knowing if they were alive or dead. The Argosians had taken him from his home and the Dark Elves had made sure that he could never return. Pete was not sure he could forgive either of them for that... He had seen hate eat away at a man and he never wanted to live his life like that man. Still, forgiveness was easier said than done.

The Argosians and the Dark Elves had taken his home from him. They may have taken his family! If they had only taken things than Pete could forgive them. He could always buy more things but no one could replace people! Pete pushed down disappeared but not fast enough.

I feel your sadness, Plum told Pete. Pete believed her when she said it. She said the words with an equal amount of sadness in her voice. Do not let it eat away at you. Eating rotten meat does the body no good. Go hunting, brother and find happiness.

Live for the day, brother, Snow advised behind Plum. You cannot change yesterday so never worry about it. Think of tomorrow and the possibilities it brings.

"I am not worrying about yesterday, Snow. I'm sad because my family is gone," Pete tried to explain.

They are never gone, Plum said, confused at his confusion. You will see them again.

"I need their advice now. My father always knew what to do," Pete told the wolves.

Your father's advice is good because he told you what you already knew you needed to do, Plum told him. Her tone said that she did not understand why she needed to explain why water was wet. Still, she continued on, A child needs its father to confirm his thoughts but you are grown now. You can see the right decisions without being pointed in the right direction.

"I'm not sure what to think about the masons," Pete told Plum. "I can see that Mistress Tilde is not impressed with them and Snow seems to think that there is a miscommunication between them and the Creator."

Snow is worried, Plum agreed. She is our pact's leader now and she is not sure she is worthy of the challenge. Snow is going to question everything she does and face each unavoidable problem with caution. Plum gave a wolf version of a shrug. That is the way of things. She will learn and grow confident. You will learn and grow too, brother.

"Do you trust the masons, Plum?"

I must see what these masons think they know first, Plum decided. I agree with Snow's caution. A good hunter must be patient at times and a true wolf is a good hunter. This situation calls for caution and patients.

Pete nodded, seeing the logic in Plum's thoughts. He nodded but he stayed silent.

Alaina was obviously trying not to listen in on the half of the conversation that she could hear. She wanted Pete to have his privacy but she could not help the curiosity that rose up in her. She wanted to hear what he was talking about but she was not willing to fall to ease-dropping to do it. Pete himself ended her curiosity when he walked up to her.

"The wolves and I have been talking," Pete told her. "There are somethings you should know."

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Alaina could not hide the fear in her voice. This was her chance to save Lewis and she was desperate to see his face again. He had saved her time and time again when the invaders came. She had to do her part now.

"The wolves do not trust the masons. They say that the Creator's words may be being misinterpreted. No decisions should be made until the Faera show us where the Creator speaks to them. Mistress Tilde believes that she can use the room to verify what the masons say," Pete explained in a rush.

"You think that the Faera are lying? Why would they save us from the Argosians?" Alaina asked.

"The wolves and I agree that the Faera themselves follow the Creator and believe in Fate. The problem is that the masons may be misleading them."

"This sounds like a conspiracy theory out of a novel," Alaina said with a groan.

"It sounds too crazy to be true," Pete agreed.

Neither one of the humans could talk once they entered the hall of books. Neither one of them had seen more than fifty books together before... there had to be thousands here! The hall was nothing but shelves from ceiling to floor. The awe of so much knowledge silenced them. The wolves were not feeling the same sense of awe or wonder.

Alaina and Pete could both hear Snow make a loud snort from behind Plum. Something was clearly frustrating the young alpha wolf. Pete looked apologetically at Alaina. They both knew that Snow would need to talk with Pete. Alaina waved him towards the wolf. The village girl still needed to talk but she understood that the wolves needed him and could wait.

"What is it, Snow?" Pete asked with real concern.

Snow's eyes burned with a firestorm light as she answered, I thought the Faera were supposed to be smart! The halls of books only have a paper in them. I do not see any wisdom! How are we supposed to find the Creator here?

Pete quickly translated Snow's concern to the master mason, who had stopped to see what had caused Snow's distress.

"Wisdom lies with the Creator," the mason said in an even tone. "We mortals can only do our best and pray for guidance."

Does the Creator speak to you here? Snow asked incredulously. I cannot feel Fate moving.

"The Creator speaks to us wherever we are," the mason tried to explain in a gentle voice.

The wolves exchanged looks in confusion. After a moment of silence and thought, they turned to Pete.

Do humans speak to the Creator as the Faera do? Plum asked with genuine curiosity.

"Few humans try," Pete tried to explain. "You told me that most humans had forgotten how to listen to the Creator. He is still calling us and Fate write out His message in the stars and stories of centuries. When my kind does try, Fate brings our worries and praises to the Creator no matter where we are. There is no need for my kind to have a special cave. The Creator calls out from everything He has made."

Maybe you will be able to help the Faera reach Him here. Maybe you can hear the same instructions. Still, being away from the trees disturbs me, Plum told him.

I feel as if a hunter is watching me from this building, Snow sent, agreeing with Plum. The trees were safer.

"We are among friends," Pete tried to reassure her. "We are safe in the floating city."

"Maybe the Creator talks to them from books," Alaina suggested, unable to stop gaping at the number of tomes around her.

"The Faera really do seem passionate about their books. I don't think they are only for learning and entertainment," Pete agreed with her. "These books seem special somehow."

"It has taken many centuries and many lifetimes for all of our people to amass such wealth," the master mason explained with pride.

"I smell more than old paper and books here," Pete said worriedly.

Nature itself appeared to affirm Pete's words when a great wind rose up. The wind blew books, scrolls, and papers from the shelves while the Faera masons threw themselves at the shutters. The masons were trying to protect their papers but the trees outside seemed to be in the same battle. They too were fighting with the wind. They bent and danced and played with the wind. Never breaking but some were straining with the ground beneath them. The roots held their strength and went deeper and deeper.

The trees could not hold against such force. One tree erupted from the earth itself. It was soon joined by one... no, two... no, four more! Trees sprung dangerously in the air only to slam into the great hall's shudders and windows.

Pete felt his bones shake with the vibration of the hit. He could feel the wolve's anger but could not see what they were angry with. The Faera could not control the weather!

"What type of storm is this?" Pete asked Plum in confusion.

This wind is not from the weather, brother. A greater danger has come to us. We cannot hide any longer.

You must face him, brother, Snow agreed, but do not fear. We will help you.

"You'll help me do what?" Pete called in frustration.

He knew as soon as he had spoken that it was too late. The shudders broke against the wind and the wind surged it. It seemed to roar with triumph before slamming into Pete.

Pete held onto the shelves with white knuckles, fighting the wind himself. He could not see Alaina or the Faera. The wolves were biting and snapping at the wind but it was making no difference at all. Wave after wave of wind knocked Pete this way and that. He gripped and shelf harder but after an eternity of streaming like a flag Pete could not hold on.

Unconsciousness claimed him and he fell into the embrace of the dark...

"I already told you," Matt said for the hundredth time, "I don't know anything. I don't think the escape was planned but the Faeras clearly already knew something."

Matt had seen Kiarlen, Pete, and Alaina all fly into the air with those trees but he had been felt on the ground. Matt took his triangular emerald ring and continually pressed the jewel but the Argosians had taken it away from him once they were able to get near without fear of the trees.

Matt and Oreland had both been left. He tried not to take it personally. He was sure that none of his friends had meant to leave him, but it was hard when the Argosians seemed bent on getting every scrap of information they could from him.

"Why would the Faera leave us here if they thought that we could ruin their plan. Either the Faera know nothing or we know nothing. You cannot have it both ways," Oreland argued.

Matt was not sure he agreed with his friend's logic but he was not about to let the Argosians know that! The Argosians wanted to uproot a giant conspiracy that involved the villagers making alliances with the Faera long before the Argosians had ever shown up. No conspiracy existed but Matt doubted that telling the Argosians this would result in anything other than a swift kick and a trip down to see the empress.

The little woman could really pack a punch. She would never dirty her hands so but Matt could see from the way she moved that she could fight. The fire in her eyes told him that she was not afraid to fight him just because he was bigger or stronger. She walked in a way that said she knew that she owned the ground she walked on. Anyone who tried to lower her a peg or six would see that they were sorely mistaken. The empress would make a little wave with her little hand and her unspoken command would be obeyed.

Matt had to admit that her silence unnerved him. He would know what to expect if she said a word or two. But then, he expected that she remained silent for that reason alone. She did not want him to know what to expect.

Her little games would not work, though. Matt was no longer surprised when the punches came after the little man waved a hand. He still jumped each time, though. The empress would order him blindfolded if she knew that her tricks were no longer working. Still, he knew that he could only pretend for so long.

Oreland said that he slipped into the dream world any time the empress and her goons pressed him for information. He would be in a peaceful field while the empress ordered him to be punched or denied food and water. Oreland did not notice the things that were happening around him.

Matt could see the advantage of escaping the situation like that but there were clear disadvantages too. Matt feared that Oreland's body would die while he was away. Matt was not sure what would happen if Oreland's body died while his soul was not there.

Matt could see a number of possible "could be's" but none of them made him any calmer. He was not sure if Oreland would only exist in the dream like Juniper did or if he would not exist at all. Frankly, Matt never wanted to find out the answer to this question. He posed it to Oreland after their first night of torture.

"Anything is possible," Oreland said musingly. "I could end up never dying, never feeling my body decay."

"You can feel the bruises in your body now," Matt argued. "You won't be able to enter your body if you die. Or maybe you can enter your body but the pain of death will only make you go into shock."

"You may be thinking too much about this, Matt. We cannot change what the empress does but we can change how we react to it," Oreland argued.

"My mother used to tell me something similar. She said that the people around us change when we change. I have a hard time seeing her agreeing with you on this, though. It's dangerous to ignore your body," Matt tried to caution his friend. "Anything could happen while you are gone. Can you defend yourself if your spirit is not there?"

Oreland paused for a moment, thinking, before saying, "Defending yourself when you are hurt or attacked is instinct. My body can react by instinct and by muscle memory if I am not there. My body will know what to do better than me."

"Lewis and Kiarlen have already left us," Matt said sadly. "I'm glad that they're safe but I wish that the two of us weren't so alone."

"You should come into the dream world with me, Matt." Matt looked at him incredulously. "You traveled there before. Why can't you travel now?"

"I can get there at night when the room is quiet and my mind is peaceful, but I could never travel during one of the empress's visits. I cannot think straight when the punches are thrown," Matt tried to explain.

"The solution to that is simple: don't wake up," Oreland said with ease in his voice and movements.

"What?" Matt rubbed his head and decided, "You talk crazy sometimes."

"Just go to the dream world while you're sleeping as you normally do but stay when the guards come to wake you. No one will be able to torture you that way," Oreland said.

Matt sat and thought about it for all of two seconds. "I'll meet you in the dream world then."

"I'll be in the valley where you first met Juniper."

"Did you meet Juniper before me?" Matt asked, surprised he had never thought of this before.

"I could not travel to the dream until Sarilla took the Argosians' spells off me. You were able to travel to the dream world long before I could. I met Juniper the first time I came here too but in a different valley."

"Those wolves don't make any sense sometimes," Matt said with a shake of the head.

"They make perfect sense to themselves. We're the ones who talk non-since to them," Oreland reminded him.

"That's what worries me. They understand so much but can tell us so little."

"I think that part of the reason the Argosians wanted Pete so badly was so he could explain the dream world to them in a way that they could understand. I could understand the wolves when I was a were but I could never explain the dream world."

"The Argosians want to understand everything but that's where they run into trouble," Matt said all of this as he realized it himself. "Somethings lose their magic when they're explained."

"We might be able to use that to our advantage if we hide in the dream world."

Matt nodded his agreement. "Let's get going then."

Matt closed his eyes and lost himself in that place between waking and sleeping. When he opened his eyes again he was on longer in a dark cell. He was in a sunlit valley surrounded by butterflies and colorful, swirling clouds. This was Juniper's valley!

Matt turned this way and that, looking for his friend. Oreland had said that he would meet Matt there but no one expected that Oreland would be having a little adventure of his own.

Oreland blinked up in surprise. This felt like the dream world and smelled like the dream world but it did not look anything like the dream world. Everything seemed to be made from the mist. Everything was hazy and not clearly defined. Grey blended with gray and only made Oreland dizzy and confused. He wanted to close his eyes again.

Oreland thought that the dizziness would go away if he closed his eyes but he did not quite dare to do even that small thing. Every movement seemed like an important milestone when ice ran up and down his spine. He could feel the mere look on his back. He could even-even blink when he felt stone cold eyes on his back.

"Come out into the light, whoever you are," Oreland called out a challenge. He felt ice and tingling spiders along his skin as soon as he said the words.

"So few have come to see me," a voice hissed.

The speaker was much too close for Oreland's taste but then anywhere in the vicinity was too close for Oreland. The thing before him was nothing like a man. Oh, it had two arms, two legs, and one head but its skin hung off of it in gelled masses. Holes where eyes should have been seemed to see into Oreland's very soul!

"Stay where you are," Oreland ordered. "Don't come any closer!"

"Oh, but you called me, my friend. I am Ornree, a denizen of the Eastern tribes and who are you, my new friend?" The thing asked with what would have been a smile if it had a visible mouth.

"I am... I am a wolf-brother. I have come here to speak to the wolves." Oreland did not like lying but something about this man told him that the truth was a weapon in his hands.

"You search for wolves, do you? I believe that you are lost, friend."

"What is this place? I should be in the dream world." Oreland asked, getting bolder now that he had spoken with the man without meeting his end.

"This is the shadow world, friend. You came here because you have enemies. Can you not see it? This is the place that can destroy all those who wish to destroy you." The creature, Ornree held out a hand coaxingly as it talked.

"What's to keep my enemies from coming here and using this place against me?"

"I am here, of course. I protect my friends. You are my friend aren't you, wolf-brother?" Ornree was not bothering to coax now.

"I think that I had better be your friend," Oreland decided guardedly.

"Oh, I am glad," Ornree said mockingly.

"As long as one of us is happy," Oreland said dryly.

Ornree laughed and laughed at that.

"As long as we are all being friends," Oreland began uncertainly, "what do you think about taking me to the wolves here?" Oreland hoped that the wolves would help him even without Pete. He hoped that they would not give him away.

"What a nice idea, friend," Ornree agreed. "Surely you can find the wolves here, being a wolf-brother and all. Why don't you call them?"

"I don't want to scare anyone," Oreland said, looking frantically for a way out.

"Who do you see to scare?" Ornree asked, waving his hands about. "It's just you and me out here. Wouldn't it be nice if it were you and me and a wolf or two?"

"I'm not sure they'll come with you here," Oreland said, getting suspicious of the creature all over again.

"Your sensitive nose can smell me, can it?" Ornree said with a hackling laugh.

"If I can smell you then the wolves certainly can," Oreland reminded him. "The wolves won't come for you and with you here they'll know that my call is really your's."

"Wolves would have come for a wolf-brother," Ornree said getting within arms reach of Oreland. "They're very rare. The wolves treasure them so."

Oreland twisted away from Ornree's hand but the man only gripped him harder. "If I were not a wolf-brother, how would I get here? Not just anyone can enter the world of dreams."

"Oh, you are special, my friend. There's no question about that. That is why you're still here, friend."

"Get me out of this shadowed place and take me back to the dream world!" Oreland demanded. "You have no right to make me stay here!"

"Don't worry yourself, my friend. You will not have to wait here alone. I doubt he will come if you are not here."

"Who are you waiting for? This trap was laid for someone and it doesn't look like that someone is me," Oreland said slowly.

"I need a real wolf-brother and I think he'll come for you."

"I am a wolf-brother," Oreland almost growled the words out. How many times would this man make him say it? He might start believing himself if he had to say it just one more time!

"Then howl, my friend. Prove yourself to me. Warn your own friends, your pack," Ornree challenged.

Oreland felt himself start to shake. He felt an urging deep within him. Oreland threw back his head and howled. He felt his mouth and nose change into the muzzle of a wolf, but unlike the Argosians terrible experiment, Oreland's mind remained his own. He could feel and think like a man but his eyesight and hearing were that of a wolf. His teeth were the teeth of a wolf but his heart and soul were still a man's. His howl was a wolf's howl.

The wind rose up and pulled at his hair and clothes. Oreland could quickly see that this wind was more than the wind. It smelled... wrong. The wrong wind made the wrong mist morph and change into a man. Oreland could see as he got closer that it was not just any man.

It was Pete.

"Pete?" Oreland was able to ask with his wolf's mouth. "How did you get here?"

"Oreland?" Pete asked, shock clear in his voice.

Oreland felt the world jerk as someone, something, pulled at his legs. The world went black again. Weights, tons of weights, seemed to fall on Oreland. It took a mile or more to open his eyelids.

His saw clouds rolling in a sunlit sky.

"Oreland?" Matt asked in excitement. "What happened to you? I was afraid you weren't coming."

Oreland pulled himself into a seated position with a groan and got ready to explain...