Ceye's note: Hey there everyone! Please try to read every character's dialogue in their respective voice. I spent a lot of time trying to make characters do and say things that stay within their personality. I've also written in the date that I wrote each chapter in case you're interested as to the workflow of this story. :)

* 1 * 2/22/13

Shandra was gone.

It hit them all like an arrow. One minute they were allied against Ammon Jerro's vicious warlock spells, and the next, Sandra was lying spread-eagle on the ground in front of them, the breath of life having been taken from her.

Ammon Jerro had decided to join the party, but this was unsurprisingly received very solemnly. Hardly anyone would have even let him live if he hadn't expressed remorse for killing his own granddaughter. Even then it was a tough pill for them to swallow, but at least he was tolerable, what with the look of constant distress and guilt plain on his face. He certainly wasn't trying to hurt them anymore, and had teleported them to safety outside the crumbling haven in time.

The Knight Captain sighed. She already missed Shandra, and the girl had barely died a few hours ago. "You really don't realize the importance of things until they're gone..." she declared aloud.

"She was a dear friend to us all," Casavir agreed, concerned about their Leader downtrodden expression. Ammon wisely chose to say nothing.

"Will you be alright, Lily?" asked Khelgar. He knew the sun elf and Shandra had been fairly close for the short amount of time they'd had together.

"Yeah. I'll be fine," the Knight Captain reassured the others, looking up from her rock. The party had stopped on the way back to the Keep to reflect, as they weren't really in the mood to return. The group was composed only of Lily, Khelgar, Casavir, Bishop, and Ammon Jerro now that Shandra was gone. Bishop hadn't said a word since threatening Ammon Jerro immediately after he killed Shandra. He was leaning against a high cave wall with his arms folded, looking angrily off into space. The expression was not new.

Finally, he spoke to their Leader, though without even looking at her. "Are we going to head back or what?" As soon as he said this, Bishop cast his eyes her way and immediately bit his tongue, catching sight of Lily's downcast, sad eyes. Even he felt his comment was a bit brutal given her uncharacteristic somber mood.

"Yeah," Lily affirmed, jumping off of her rock. "We should get going and let the others know, too."

Seeing she was relatively unaffected by his rudeness, he resumed his usual, harsh manner of speaking: "Then hurry up." He looked around and made a face. "I'm tired of this place." But he spoke in a softer tone now, revealing his melancholy discontentment for where they stood. Bishop was more interested in leaving to escape the place that gave the party so many unpleasant memories rather than because he was happy to head back to the Keep or something stupid like that.

With only a nod, the rest of the group began making their way back to Crossroad Keep, Lily leading the line with a discouraged, wistful expression.