Every night,

I dream you're still here.

The ghost by my side;

So perfectly clear.

When I awake,

You'll disappear.

Back to the shadows

With all I hold dear.

Still here- Digital Daggers

Stowaway

Chapter 1

Emily looked down at the scattered buildings gradually shrinking beneath them as the Luna Moth pulled away. They had stopped there for fuel, supplies... and information. While the airship refueled and their captain yelled at the employees at the station; Emily, Vigo, and Trellis had wandered around town asking about a certain landmark on the border of Windsor and Gulfen. From what they had gathered from the locals who weren't too hostile, they were very close; it was less than 12 hours away to the northeast.

The ginger-haired Stonekeeper yawned and blinked her tired brown eyes. The trip so far had left her exhausted, but it was worth it. They now had their coordinates and were on the way to Trellis and Luger's birth home; Algos Island.

No one, not even the elf brothers, knew what they would find. However, it seemed important, judging from Max's tone as he told them to go there; just before he died.

Emily's face darkened and she gripped the railing in white knuckled hands. The image of him withering away to bone haunted her waking hours and visited her in dreams, but she didn't understand why. Max Griffin was a traitor, a liar, and a thief. She knew that she should hate him for what he did, but then she would remember that moment in the void; he had changed and in that very moment, he became a person, someone she could relate to. He had lost so much at a young age. He wasn't that different from her. Every time he crossed her mind she would be overwhelmed with guilt because, even though Vigo had told her that Max was already dead, Emily felt that she could have saved him if she had tried.

She pushed the thought away. She needed a distraction. They had 11 hours or so to kill, so she decided to visit the ship's library. She closed the door behind her and scanned the room. There was no one else there so she walked up to one of the bookcases, pulled out a hardcover novel, and sat down to examine her treasure. Two hours passed by uneventfully; Emily was almost halfway through her book (she was an avid reader) when she heard an odd noise. She froze, instantly wary. She closed the book softly, straining her ears to catch the sound.

There it was again! That high pitched whine from before, this time accompanied by an erratic scrabbling, like claws on a hard surface.

She stood up slowly, grabbing her wooden staff as her amulet blazed to life and a silky whisper twined through her skull.

'It came from the mess hall. Be cautious.'

The voice.

"Great." she grumbled, padding softly towards the wall opposite her that wasn't occupied by shelves. In that wall was a door that led to the Galley where everyone ate their meals. She stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath to quell her nerves, and grasped the knob. It turned with a soft click then pushed inward soundlessly.

The portholes that lined the walls cast bright light into the room and she had to squint in the glare. After her eyes adjusted she looked around. There was nothing special about the place, it was dominated for the most part by a long metal table with benches on either side. There were two more doors; one led outside, the other led to the kitchen. Everything was calm, there was nothing out of the-

Suddenly, something slammed into her, knocking her onto her back with a loud, "Ooof!" as the wind was driven out of her. She fought for breath with the thing sitting on her stomach, she heard it give a light bark before she felt it's cold, damp nose on her forehead, sniffing her hair.

'Wait a minute, ' she thought, doing a double take. 'Wet nose? Barking?'

The Stonekeeper reached up to push the beast off her. Her hands met soft, silky fur as she gently shoved at its shoulders. It got the message and leaped to the side, waiting for her to sit up before jumping back into her lap. Thanks to the new position, Emily was able to get a good look at her new companion for the first time. It looked to be an average sized canine, perhaps seven years old, with a black pelt. It had pointed ears and a plumed tail that thumped on the floor as it stared at her with its dark eyes.

'Wow. I didn't know that there were dogs in Alleldia. Not that I've seen, at least.' But here was one, sitting in her lap.

The sound of the library door opening behind them broke her train of thought. "Emily, are you in- what the hell is that?!"

She turned at the familiar voice and saw her fellow stonekeeper, Trellis, staring at the creature in shock. Said animal got up and moved to greet the elf, who took a cautious step back before extending a hand to be sniffed. His look changed from shock to fascination. 'He hasn't seen one either, apparently.'

Emily got to her feet, brushing herself off with a small smile and slightly raised eyebrows. She gestured to the dog. "Tell Enzo, we have a stowaway on board," she said.

AN. Hey, guys. Finally, my second FanFic on this site! This is actually the first one I ever wrote and I have quite a bit down for this particular story. I plan to edit the chapters I have then post them but I can't tell you how often I'll update; school sucks (mostly, though my English teacher is cool) and my editor is usually very busy. So, I don't know. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! =)