*Spoiler alert: Minor references from The Missing Princess Books 2, 3 & 4.*

CHAPTER 4 Research

"Come be introduced to your horse," Ilena said calmly to Izark. He followed her to where the horses were waiting. They were short and stocky, closer to Earth's horses than the ones in Izark's world which were more slender. These had thick curly hair, and the saddles were almost not saddles at all, more like what he was used to than the ones on Noriko's world.

Izark had always had an affinity for animals. He could actually communicate with them on his world as a demon. It would be interesting to see how that translated here. He folded his arms and looked at the waiting horses that had all turned to face him as he walked up. As he looked at each of them in the eye, one by one, they all 'bowed' to him, putting one leg in front and bowing their heads over it. He nodded to each one as it bowed. One didn't 'bow' in the same way. Rather it lowered it's head to him. He lowered his head to it in return.

When he had looked at each one, he turned to look at Ilena. No particular horse had said it was his yet and he wasn't sure what he should do about that. She was looking at him with a rather intense look. The people standing behind her were rather astounded. "You said you were a 'demon' in your world." Izark raised an eyebrow and nodded a single nod. "Is that a natural creature?" He reluctantly nodded again. "So you're a king in your own right." He sighed.

"I was born to be the Sky Demon, the 'king' of demons on my world. I chose the light, however, so things turned out just a little differently than most people thought."

Ilena looked at him a little longer. "You've spoken to them naturally and they've acnowledged you without you asking them to. These horses are special. They come from Tarc, not Clarines. The Clarines horses are taller, regal, but have a different way of interacting with us. They speak the same, though. Any horse will let you ride it, but they should carry their current riders." She turned to the others. "Call your horses."

Obi whistled and the horse that had only bowed it's head walked over to him stately. That made sense, that he would ride the stallion. Petroi whistled and another strong, but lithe horse walked to him. Thayne called a name and his horse moved, but it had already begun when Petroi's had moved. Izark smiled to himself. The partnered horses understood their partners. Two more names were called out almost simultaneously and two horses moved quickly to Henry and Marcus. Ilena made a hand motion and a mare moved to stand by her. Ilena laced her fingers into the curly hairs of her horse, holding it as if to comfort herself. The two stood comfortably together, as if old companions.

There were two horses remaining. Ilena looked at him, then over his shoulder. Izark turned and was surprised to find Liam standing behind him. Liam gave him a slow smile, that almost turned into a challenging grin. Izark raised an eyebrow. "Is it because we have the same energy?" Izark asked.

Liam's eyebrows went up. Ilena giggled. "Yes, Izark, but that's not how we would say it. For the time we are on this mission, you two will be partners. It's a good match."

Izark frowned slightly. "What was that?" he asked. They both looked at him blankly. He looked around at the others. "Obi, if I may?"

Obi walked over, his horse following him. "What is it Izark?"

"When Ilena said that Liam and I would be partnered, there was one of those 'click's' but it was very faint, and seems to have an additional thing attached to it. Do you know what it is? ...Ah, I'm sorry to ask when we're in a hurry, but Noriko and I need to understand how the light works in this world for me to be fully effective." Ilena graciously let the question be answered.

Obi thought, while giving Izark an interesting look. "The clicks are almost always board placements or movements. Partnerships are important to Ilena. She almost never leaves people unpartnered, or if they are, not for long. Liam has been unpartnered since Ilena's nurse, Leah, has retired to only home service, no longer serving in the Family structure or the office, only attending to her and the children. His position is unique as well. But you are both very similar, so the pairing works well."

Obi paused, his brow wrinkling. "Partnerships are also important in service. Mitsuhide and Kiki. Ilena and me. Master and Mistress." He turned a bit. "Boys, come here a minute." The two pairings of guards came over to made a full circle of eight. The horses circled them, facing them as well, as if joining in the conversation, the other two coming close, but not quite joining in.

Obi gestured to Marcus and Henry. "They have been partners for a long time, since young boys. Henry is the responsible, mother-type, where Marcus is the wild one who needs to be restrained. Together they balance, and in that balance, balance Ilena. When she needs restraint, Henry steps in. When she needs compassion, Marcus is the one to give it." He looked back at Izark. "Can you 'see' a bond of a partnership? We can see it in the actions, feel it with our own partners, but that is all."

Izark looked at Marcus and Henry, then looked from within the world of light inside himself. The two had the usual glow of personal light energy around them, but there did seem to be something. "Will you separate?" he asked. They obediently walked apart from each other. Izark nodded. "Yes, there is a thread, or cord, between them." He studied it for a moment, then noticed with surprise there was a similar cord connecting them with their horses. He turned to Petroi and Thayne. They also obediently stepped farther apart as well. He tipped his head, then frowned. "There is the same connection, but there are other threads."

"They had other partners before they were partnered. Their loss was rather great as well." Ilena explained.

Izark turned and looked at Liam. He also had a 'loose' thread. "Your previous partnership was not torn," Izark said. He turned back to look at Petroi and Thayne, then walked over to them. "May I?" he reached out a hand. It was in the air near Petroi, but not touching him. Petroi cautiously nodded. Izark 'touched' the torn thread and sent 'compassion' to it, and 'healing'. It slowly receeded until it looked more like Liam's. Still present, but a calmer portion of the energy. He turned to Thayne. "May I?" Thayne was staring at Petroi, he nodded silently, without looking at Izark. Izark repeated the healing of the thread for Thayne. Then he stepped back to his place and let go of the vision from the world of light and took a breath to settle back into his body correctly. Petroi and Thayne both had tears, silent ones, running down their cheeks. "Ah...sorry," Izark said, uncomfortable. They shook their heads.

"Thank you, Izark," Ilena said softly. He looked at her and she also had tears running down her cheeks. Izark blushed slightly.

"Don't let it worry you," Liam said from his shoulder. "Tears among us are considered cleansing. If there are connections you can see, don't look at Mother. She probably has several thousand."

Izark did look again, but this time to look at his and Liam's connection. It wasn't as solid. Likely time, experience...and he suspected that because it had been provisionally given - for this mission only. There was one more thing he wanted to see, though. He went a little deeper and saw it. A finer connection that went from that cord towards Ilena. He found the ones on her that had been torn in those same tearings of Petroi and Thayne's. They were already healing. He cautiously sent just a little healing to them directly, and they curled and dissipated and he could feel the same 'release' into joy that happened when Noriko let the light return...except this release was back into Ilena, not into the surroundings. 'Light...exists within. When it is 'released' it is automatically reabsorbed back 'into'. Trying to dissipate it into the world makes it reluctant. Is that why they have to be attacks? Should it be 'released' back 'into'?'

He could feel Noriko pondering, experimenting. 'Yes, 'into' is what it wants to do. I wonder...' He felt her pull on their connection. 'I put my desire to see you 'into' the link.'

'That worked. Interesting. There is also a link that forms between set partners, a visible link that allows people to interact smoothly. It's also present, that connection between people when they work together, even if an actual link isn't formed.'

'Like a stronger manifestation of the concept that each of us adds to the whole, what little we do individually adds until we have a greater result.'

'Yes. I think that's it.'

'Izark...this world may be even closer to the World of Light than your world.'

'I was thinking the same.' He returned to the people around them. "Noriko will study it further. What do I do next?" He was glad to see that they had recovered from crying by the time he returned.

Ilena waved at the two horses remaining. "You and Liam must chose your horses. Normally I would let you chose from all the herd, but we are short of time, and...you both can ride whichever horse you want, so chose. We need to make sure you know how to actually ride one of these."

As one, Izark and Liam turned to face the two horses. In what was a rather confusing to Izark, but perfectly natural process, the two horses and the two men all communicated with each other and the two horses walked to their respective riders. Izark's mouth twitched. "This has got to be the strangest world I've ever been on, as far as the world of light goes." He glanced at Obi. "If I'm learning anything, it's more how the world of light works." As one, he and Liam mounted their horses. Through their faint link, Liam taught Izark how to ride in one quick lesson that took about four minutes. It was all natural, anyway, so very easy. Shift your weight slightly forward to move forward. Sit back to stop or slow down. Shift left or right to steer that direction. They sat very still on their horses while Liam went through the high-speed maneuvers, letting Izark feel the 'shifting' within, rather than actually performing them. When the lesson was done, they looked at each other on the 'outside'.

"Did you get all that?" Liam asked, a confused look on his face.

"Yes. Isn't it how you use the link usually?" Izark asked, a little surprised.

Liam shook his head. "No. We use words, but it's faster even with them."

"Noriko and I even still have to use words on occasion for clarity, but for that sort of thing, the link through the world of light worked well." Izark looked at it and noticed it had indeed strengthened a little bit.

"Come in. We'll go shortly." Ilena called to them.

As if they were walking themselves, the horses turned and took them back to the others. She looked at them. "Gods, it makes me jealous," she looked at them hungrily. "To so naturally and so quickly be able to talk to the horses. It took me two months of hard work to figure it out."

*Pft!* Obi was laughing. "Woman, it takes most men far longer than that. You and your genius." He grabbed her around the waist and planted a kiss on her lips. "Not to mention, the spirit of the Naluk'." He spun away lightly from her as she threw a half-hearted knocking blow to his head.

Izark smiled as he lifted one leg and crossed it across the back of his horse in front of him. "You two are fun to watch." The other men chuckled and mounted their horses. Noriko walked up to Izark's horse, running her fingers through the hair on it. He watched her fingers as they tangled in it, pulled, pet. He reached down and captured one of them in his own hand, pulling her to him. "If you had one of these horses, you would never return to me." He scolded her lightly. He picked her up and set her in front of him, balanced on his leg and facing him, his strength being greater here than the other places they had been. He held both of her hands captive in his.

When he had her eyes back, she looked down, embarrased. "Sorry, Izark. It isn't long, but it is soft and curly, yes." He kissed her curled fingers, making her look up into his eyes. He captured her - on purpose. He'd made his eyes go sapphire blue when she looked down. When she had built up, he leaned forward and kissed her. Her explosion was a wave that went out from them in a wide ring, but she'd already learned to keep it gentle. He made sure his eyes were back to the normal of this world by the time he was looking in her eyes again

Noriko bit her lip, then looked at him earnestly. "Izark...Stay safe. Come back to me." He could feel her emotions build up. He waited until he sensed their peak, then answered softly, "I will. Noriko. Always." As the same connection he had seen happen between Shirayuki and Obi and Ilena when they had promised her they would return settled into him, he set his forehead against Noriko's and just 'felt' it. It was a bond of love, of promise. He watched where it went, then protected it. 'The bond feels like when you wrap your arms around me because you want to protect me.'

'Well, then remember it. That's what I want to do, always. Let it bring you home, Izark.'

He nodded and kissed her again. She took her hands back and flung her arms around him. They didn't care, not in this company that was already living in this level of softness anway, not to mention they were two lifetimes too old to be embarrassed by their own love any more.

*Sigh* "Perfect." - Ilena. "Um-hm." - Obi.

Noriko and Izark turned and looked at them in surprise. The two were openly staring at them, enjoyment and appreciation on their faces, their own arms around each other. Obi grinned. "We love to watch, too." They separated and mounted their horses. Izark let Noriko down, though he kept hold of her hand, and a waiting servant approached his horse to tie his bag to the back of the saddle. Another servant tied a similar bag to Liam's saddle.

Ilena looked at Izark. "Stay beside Liam. The longer you are in close proximity, the stronger the partnership will be and faster. You two will need to build it up on the way as best you can. We will need you two strong together." Again Izark had the sense she was 'seeing'. He nodded obediently.

Noriko squeezed his hand. 'Did you get to see the map?' Izark nodded. She continued, 'Let me know new things and I'll keep experimenting here and on my way. I will hope to see you tomorrow at the latest.'

'Likewise.' He gave a return sqeeze and she was gone, headed back to stand with Shirayuki. Together they stood side by side. Izark dipped his head at the princess, and his wife, then turned to Liam. Liam was looking at him with a proprietary, but relaxed look, and in his eyes was just a little more light as well. Izark raised an eyebrow at him. "That came through did it?"

Liam's lip twitched up. "I think I will greatly enjoy having such a powerful partner. Only two other people can reach my depths." He tipped his head at his master and mistress.

"Likewise," Izark said. "I will enjoy learning from you." He looked to the leaders of this party who had gotten them moving forward. "And from them."

Once they were on the road, as a group they leaned forward over the necks of their horses and the horses lept out into long strides that ate the length of space at high speeds, but the travel was not uncomfortable. It was new to Izark, who only had run a horse to escape things, and that fairly rarely, but he settled to it soon enough, then noticed the joy the others had in the speed. He considered it, then smiled. It was the same joy he felt when he ran just to run. He hadn't done that since he'd been young. His youth didn't bring fond memories, but singular instances like that one were.

Izark, they tell me you can hear at this level?

Izark glanced at Liam and nodded. He considered, then looked at his connection to Liam carefully. It was still 'young'. He tugged at it gently, pulling it 'down'. 'Can you hear me, Liam?' He sent from the second level. Liam looked at him quizzically. Izark raised an eyebrow.

After a bit, Liam asked, Experimenting?

Izark nodded and tried again. 'I'm lower, Liam, inside. Can you hear it? Come down a level deeper to where the communication level is. I think we should be able to do it. This place is close to the world of light and you said you are 'deep'. Come down and meet me here at this level.'

Izark, I can hear you, but I'm not sure you're hearing me. It was on the wind.

'I will listen closer. Try again.' Izark quieted himself in that layer and tried several different way to listen, since things were different in this world. What was it Noriko had said? He frowned, trying to remember. It had begun as a thought to 'push'...oh, right, 'into'. Desire 'into'. That might be why Liam could hear. He wanted to, and naturally for his world did the 'into'. Izark closed his eyes, took a breath, then put the desire to 'hear' 'into' his link to Liam.

'...though this really is rather odd for this world.'

'Well it was for us, too, actually.' Izark grinned to himself at Liam's sudden startle. He waited for Liam to steady again, then tried again. 'It is called 'mental telepathy' in Noriko's world but is not considered a real skill, only a thing of legend and lore.'

He had to practice the listening again. That really didn't come naturally. 'It probably isn't even lore here,' Liam answered. 'At least, I've never heard of it.'

'The whispers on the wind are smiliar, but above.'

'Mistress Ilena says they are at the level she thinks, and that Master Zen has heard it from the beginning because he also thinks at that level. He had to learn to put it in the background.'

'That's interesting...that it would be at the level of thought, external thought. This is internal thought, though it has to be desired. We wouldn't hear any random stray thoughts.'

'Oh, that's relieving, at some level.'

Izark nodded. 'My privacy is also important to me, but the only place that is removed is after you go through the door at the core of yourself to actually enter the world of light. There, thoughts and emotions are like the life force and are everywhere and in everything. You can purposely 'speak' to individuals, and when there are individuals, they will be polite and ignore, but for the most part it is also natural there, and gentle. As distinct beings others must be invited, or I suppose evil might be able to violate, but polite visitors don't go digging.'

'You've learned a lot, then, about all this?'

'Noriko has studied it and taught it to me, for the most part, though our gifts are different, so I've had to learn some things on my own. The top level is the level of connection - where the person one is connected to is located, how far, that kind of thing. This level is the level of communication. The next level down is the level of emotions - a rather dangerous level, actually...particularly when one's partner is female.' His wry humor went across the connection and Liam's humorous condolences came back. Izark raised an eyebrow. 'Actually that was just an example of that layer.'

'Oh, was it? That's natural for the partnership- the most connected part, actually. We very quickly know what our partner is feeling, so that we can help them be strong when they are weak.'

Izark considered that. That was also opposite of what he and Noriko would have expected. Liam waited patiently, and Izark could feel that patience through the link. He 'looked' at it for a while, 'feeling' the connection. 'That feels the least connected, to me?'

'It takes time to build, what Mistress Ilena said before we left. As we stay close to each other, it naturally occurs. The longer time we have together, the stronger the emotional connection - that is, the more correctly we 'guess' what the partner is feeling, and the more correctly we 'guess' what the partner needs to recover, or be comforted, or be strengthened. I'm particularly gifted in that and it's my role for Mistress Ilena. When Master Obi and she must be separated, I fill that hole for her, understanding her emotional weakness and what she needs to be strengthened in it. He far surpases me, though. He instinctively and without thought or consideration gives to her exactly what she needs. It comes easier to me now that I've been with them for several years, but they say because of the enforced time they were roomed together right after they were made partners, more than two months - the longest I've heard partners be that close - this link of theirs makes them almost as one. Not that life's perfect.' The last was wry with experience.

Izark snorted in agreement. 'As I said, Noriko and I also have to use words sometimes.' Liam's agreement and understanding was silent, but felt. 'Let me think a bit. I need to understand a thing.' He felt Liam's aquiescence and his slight withdrawal. Izark rose up to fuller awareness as well. He wanted to understand why this world's natural progression was the reverse of his and Noriko's. It was possible she and he saw it backwards even. That they actually 'rose' through the layers, not fell. They went further 'inside' is really what they did. He frowned. How was that related to the 'putting into'? He thought for some time, then sent what he'd come up with to Noriko to let her add it to her 'board' and figure it out. He smiled a little to himself. He liked that turn of phrase. It made it a better way to think of how Noriko worked when she was deep into her personal study of an issue. She worked on intimate boards, one puzzle at a time, not country-wide scale boards, but it was still the same.

He tried an initiation of conversation with Liam, 'putting' a desire to communicate at that level into their connection. He was mildly surprised when it went smoothly and easily this time.

'Yes, Izark?'

'When you are speaking on the wind to me, is it in the same language you use to speak to each other? At first when we come to new worlds, Noriko and I only get the translations of words spoken directly to us, so I can't tell the difference.'

'It's a different language, a coded language, though in the Scholar's Tavern Mistress Ilena used the regular language spoken at that level to speak to you. When we were on the castle wall watching you practice, they forgot and naturally used the coded language.'

'Thank you.'

'Ah...do you usually use this for communication?' The emotions were a bit chaotic - embarrassment, confusion, worry.

Izark sent back his standard 'soothing' at a low level. 'No. I'm using it to give us both practice and increase the connection. Plus, it's a little easier for me when we are running at high speeds. I didn't often before so I'm still a bit focused physically on staying put and riding.'

A little humor came across with the relief and acceptance. 'Ride with her, not against her and she'll be able to lengthen her stride a little and get more comfortable herself, then you'll both be more comfortable. Here, come to {here and see}.' The words seemed to shift location and distance.

Izark followed his presence back to where they had been before when Liam had taught him to ride through their link. It was a sideways motion into the plane he and Noriko would use to both speak and to see each other, but it was also in the realm of 'feel'. Izark was careful to let Liam lead. He would otherwise pull Liam into the actual 'seeing' and confuse them both. He felt and watched Liam's motion on his horse until he was riding his own horse the same. They let go of each other and Izark practiced it on his own until the stride was more comfortable and easier for both him and his horse. They both mutually sighed in relief... and they caught up to the others shortly thereafter.

Izark was surprised when two by two, but never pairings together, his companions began taking naps on their horses, while the horses still ran. 'Izark.'

He turned to look at Liam. 'Yes?'

'It's my turn. Come follow me to feel how it feels, but don't sleep yourself yet. You go after I wake up. I think we are closely enough connected now, you'll feel when I'm waking up. That's when you should try to sleep. We'll be running all night, so this is the time, even if you can only manage a light doze.'

Izark kept his thoughts and emotions to himself on that idea, but nodded, and followed Liam to learn how it was done. When Liam was waking up, Izark did notice it and was a bit surprised he did. He watched, expanded a bit to see the rising. Eyes stared back at him for a moment, both sets surprised. Izark carefully held still, fighting his natural reaction to flee sharply. It would hurt them both if he did. Somehow they'd almost merged. 'Liam?' he asked cautiously. The eyes blinked, then slowly the men disengaged, but stayed at that level.

Cautiously, 'Izark, is that what you look like in your world?'

Cautiously back, 'That isn't what you look like in your world, so I wouldn't think so. What did I look like?'

'Ah, brilliant blue eyes, darker than Master Zen's, black scales, a horn in the center of your head, slit pupils, like Master Obi's. It seemed like there might have been wings? but we were too close for me to tell.'

'That is my form when I am almost to my light form, and is considered my dark form, my demon form. Because I'm both a creature of the world of light and the physical world, that form can come upon me in the worlds, but I prefer it not to. It's a rather painful transformation, actually.'

'...I would think the horn would be.'

Izark sent back calm affirmation.

'...Has ...Noriko seen it?'

'Yes. She surprised me the first time. She was not as afraid of it as I was and consoled me. I had already been falling in love with her and that sealed it. If she could love somthing like that within me, I couldn't leave her or let her go.'

'...I can understand that. ...What did I look like?'

Izark thought back. 'I only saw large dark eyes. Come back here and let me look.'

'You aren't frightened? You seemed very afraid.'

'...Noriko and I have postulated that we will be fighting our next fight here in the world of light itself against darkness. Seeing you, a thing I haven't experienced before here, surprised me and made me think I'd already found a thing I promised I wouldn't yet. I'm not afraid of you...or me anymore.'

Carefully Liam moved closer to Izark at this very odd level Izark had never been in before. 'Well, you're more human in form.'

Liam was staring at Izark his eyes wide. 'You do have wings and a tail...and those are wicked spikes.'

Izark nodded. 'Noriko calls them my armor. It is both to frighten away enemies and to protect, and possibly harm any who will attack anyway.'

'You had to look like that, really?'

'Once. Ah, no, twice. Painful both times. The horn came more frequently as did the hand claws. I learned to control when they came and became...calloused, I suppose. Once I was fully connected to the world of light I didn't have to any more, so chose not to. That form is human with soft white wings - much preferable. Because I'm blocked from the world of light here, I can't access that form, though.' He couldn't keep his worry from leaking.

There was a pause, then comfort came back. Izark was slightly surprised, then sent back gratitude. He looked at Liam again. 'It's not quite feline, but the feel is...no, it's a cross between dragon and feline. Less [lizard] than what the pictures of Earth - Noriko's world - show dragons to look like.' He indicated his own tail and wings. 'She called me dragon, prefering it to demon. A dragon in her world is rather like a sky demon, though just as mythical. You have the dragon eyes, which are cat eyes, the pointy teeth like both.' He bared his teeth to show his own pointy canines. Liam nodded. 'But it doesn't look like scales and the tail is more like a cat's tail.'

Liam whipped around, then groaned. 'I don't know why, but that seems the greatest insult, to have to have a tail.' He looked back apologetically. 'A sorry, didn't mean anything by it.'

Izark shrugged. 'Tails are for balance. I haven't seen you move yet, other than up to the roof, but your balance is so fine I suspect you'd have to have a tail for the finer control or you'd be angry when you tried to move.' Liam's tail swished and he looked startled again.

'Have you been here before?'

'No.' Izark was careful. 'I was watching you come up from sleep, trying to understand that part of the connection. This is not a place I'm familiar with.'

'Is it the world between waking and sleeping, then?'

Izark considered that while Liam looked at his hands and played with the claws a bit. They were shorter, but looked sharper than Izark's. 'That would seem logical.' Izark finally said. 'But I don't know if it's peculiar to this world or not, since it's my first time.' He felt a tugging and held very still to stay put.

'Izark?' It was faint.

He sent a 'come here' into the link connecting him and Noriko, then sent a desire to know where Noriko was into the link as well so he could follow her progress.

'Izark? Are you okay?' It was stronger. 'I'm getting sleepy.'

'I'm okay, Noriko. Go ahead and doze. We think we're in the space between awake and asleep.'

Surprise came back, but also an affirmation and lots of curiosity. He smiled to himself. That was very like her. He felt nervousness and looked back at Liam. 'No, please stay. If you will welcome her, she will be less afraid of being here.'

Liam, who had been about to wake himself up, stopped in surprise. 'That is rather the opposite of what I would think.'

'She's like that. I told you, her first sight of me was a reaction of attraction, the complete opposite of what I expected as well.'

'Izark? And, who?'

Izark didn't look at her just yet. Liam's reaction was enough to make Izark decide he'd better get all his speaking out first. 'Noriko, this is Liam's demon form. We met here as I was watching him come up out of sleep. We surprised each other enough that we stayed and we were wondering where 'here' was.'

'Well, I'm mostly asleep above, so I would say at the nexus of sleep and aware. Can you move in that form outside of this place?'

'We haven't tried yet. It's been recent.' Her hand brushed his wing and he trembled slightly, remembering she had said she liked them as well. She'd only seen them once before, briefly, these black leathery ones.

'It's a form of spirit, so it didn't hurt, right?' She asked, concerned.

'Yes, it's spirit. No, it didn't hurt. Ah, you shouldn't look in my eyes, I would think.'

She sent back humor and a negation, then turned to Liam. 'Liam, may I?'

Liam's image trembled as if merely asking the question was going to send him into awareness. Izark and Noriko instinctively both wrapped him in light and comfort, holding him in place. Noriko's peaceful kindness added the flavor, or smell, or that undescribable sensation that made the hold gentle. 'Liam, it's not something to be afraid of. Likely in your world you won't ever have to be this, but it is a kind form.'

Liam blinked. 'Kind?' Disbelief colored the word.

Izark's amusement tinted the space between them. 'It looks to me like you wouldn't hurt as much to transform. Is that what you mean, Noriko?'

'Well, I guess there's that too,' she answered absently, then moved past Izark to walk up to Liam, who stiffened a little in alarm. Izark nearly woke up just looking at his wife's back. He had to tamp down his reaction with everything he had. He hadn't been wrong on his world. She was also a dragon, but she was a white dragon with delicate wings and as she moved, rainbows could be seen within the white and scattering off her translucent wings. He couldn't decide if the tail made him feel like Liam and was an affront to her, or if it was his favorite part of her. She carried it, most unconsciously, curled up in the air like a curious cat's tail and it waved slightly side to side with her walking.

When she reached Liam, she reached around him and gently took his tail in her hand. 'It is fur!' she said triumphantly. 'That's awesome, Liam!' The tail twitched in her hand, suddently freeing itself. Liam panicked at bit but Noriko laughed lightly. 'Tails have minds of their own, don't they?' She asked. 'I've watched cat's and dog's tails and really, they say everything, plus are essential for balance, particularly in cats...and creatures with wings.' She looked back into Liam's eyes. 'Oh, tawny - tiger's eyes. Like Obi's. They're a beautiful soft, too. They said you're assassin, right? Your smoky grey coloring is perfect for that, I would think.'

Izark could feel Liam blush and had to fight his own blush, and tamp down jealousy for the first time in a long time. He knew she meant only kind things by her words. He couldn't help moving closer as well, though, one step, before holding himself. Liam's eyes flicked to him, and rather than apology, it was more desperation that was sent to him. That helped him know what to do. 'Noriko, please, come back here. You've made him more nervous.'

Noriko's willingness came through, but she looked at Liam first. 'I don't know why we are here, or why we are learning these things, or why you are like this, too, in this far away place where it perhaps shouldn't be possible, but the world of light never does things without a purpose, without bringing many people more light and helping those in trouble who need help. If we are learning about this and you are as well, then we all will need it before this is at it's end. Please, don't be afraid of yourself, or of us. We'll need your help to help your world. Will you try?'

Izark sent Liam his own conviction, courage, and strength, as well as comfort. When Liam was strengthened by it, he nodded once, then disappeared, the light eddying around the space he had been in. Noriko sighed, then turned to face Izark. Izark was caught. He'd seen the light come from her eyes before, but here in this place, she definitely glowed. Her eyes were brilliant crystaline green. He wasn't sure if he moved or she did, but she was suddenly in his arms. He was careful. He didn't think he could hurt her here, but he didn't want to tempt it. The armor sticking out of his arms was on the outside, where it wouldn't hurt her unless he turned them too much. His claws were not retractable, so he also had to be careful with his hands, but he'd already practiced that many times with her early on.

He put his hand on the back of her head, feeling this form's curly hair cascading down her back in golden-white tresses, as soft as it looked. 'You're beautiful, Noriko.'

'You've said that before,' she teased him. He had said it often to her as she grew old and he didn't on his world and had kept the habit up when they both were growing old on hers.

'No, really, this form...is dragon, like I guessed, but it is beautiful.'

She put her hand up to his hair. 'Blue is too, I'm glad to see it again.' She ran her fingers, that were lightly tipped with short claws, through it like she had so many times before in that first lifetime. She reached the end of the long strand of hair, then paused. 'You say I'm dragon too?' He nodded, still lost in her. 'Do I have wings, too, then?' She tried to turn and look, then paused and her wings stretched out to either side until she could see the tips. Her eyes went wide.

Izark tensed his arms and body and held her as she played with extending them further and tried to figure out how to make them flap. He laughed in her ear. 'Don't leave me yet. I still want to enjoy this beautiful creature who has come to visit just as I get my turn to rest.'

She stopped playing with her wings and looked at him again. 'Oh, are you at a time you can visit?'

Izark sent assent. 'It's my turn to sleep while on horseback. I'll be happier staying right here, though.' He kissed her, mindful of his horn, not caring that his lips weren't really made for kissing. 'Care to learn how dragons mate?'

Noriko blushed bright red. They spent the rest of their time together learning and exploring a lot of things about themselves and this new space they were in. Liam finally had to call him out, though by that time they were seriously exploring the space, trying to understand how to get to it and what its limits were, and how it fit into the rest of their map, which seemed to be a bit woefully inadequate now that they were learning so many new things in this universe. Izark made sure to walk up with Noriko towards being awake until he was sure she would return to her body and he to his. He didn't want one of them to be lost in that part of the world of light without the other, and he had his connection to Liam to help him, but he wasn't sure if his connection to her would work the same since he had begun by going in through his and Liam's connection.

When she was safely on her way, and had told him she was awake, he finished rising up to his own body, carefully watching his own transition to try to understand it better. When he was in his body, he paused, then sat up slowly. His horse had stopped and the others were waiting for him. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, then waited to hear his orders. Liam pointed to his own eyes. Izark blinked, then pulled in his power and not only did his eyes change color, the horn retracted on his forehead back into his head. He put his hand to his head when it was done. "Well, the calouses are gone, of course." He looked at Liam, who had grinned slightly in reaction to Izark's own humor. "How much else came out?" Liam didn't answer. Izark looked at his fingers. They felt just a little painful at the tips. He flexed them. "They should have at that level." He looked at the horse, but he hadn't damage it, and was relieved. Then he frowned, "Actually, I'm surprised I'm still on the horse."

At that, Ilena smiled. "They're used to us wild people. You didn't smell any different, and Liam kept quiet about it. I'd like to hear more, but it will have to wait. This is our dinner stop."

Izark raised an eyebrow, but nodded. As they walked into the small village inn, Izark held back with Liam. "Dinner, already?"

Liam nodded. "We've been running all day. Sun's almost down."

"Was I asleep that whole time?" Izark was stunned.

Liam shook his head. "No, you weren't paying attention to time all day, but you only slept your cycle of two hours. You and Marcus had last shift for sleep." He looked at Izark a moment. "You really do look like that."

"How far did it go?" Izark asked.

"Just that far," Liam said.

Izark relaxed. "Good. I'd really not like to have it go farther when I'm not paying attention. Noriko gets very angry when I destroy perfectly good clothing." His eyes flew wide and his hand went to his head and he groaned. Liam held out his hand. In it was a perfectly split bandana. "Thank you," Izark said with relief. "It comes back each new world, thank goodness, but she made it for me. If I'd have lost it this time she would have been very angry."

"Not for splitting it?"

"No. The promise was she would always fix it, since the first time. It's been repaired so many times we don't count anymore, though I do try to take it off first when I know ahead of time it's going to happen." He put the bandana in his pocket and led them into the inn.

Hesitantly, Liam asked, "Is that the first time for her, too?"

Izark looked at him, then answered tightly, "Yes. I'd always suspected she was dragon also, but that's the first time to see it."

Liam also was holding himself tightly. He put his hand on Izark's shoulder and held it with a tight grip. "You're a lucky man, Izark. If possible, I'd really rather not see her again, or you need to do a better job of protecting her for your own sake. I'll have Mistress Ilena give you the lecture tonight." With that cryptic message, Liam released him and they moved to the table the others were already sitting down to, both of them quiet - until it was lecture time. Izark humbly listened closely and took it to heart. He felt bad for making his newest partner both very afraid of him, and afraid of Noriko.

-{o}-

'Izark?'

'Yes, Noriko?'

'Can you talk for a bit?'

'Yes, we're on the road again.'

'So are we. Apparently I just slept holding on to Kiki ...before.' He could feel her blush and he grinned (inside). He loved to tease her romantically. To have left-overs was fun, too. She knew he did it and often played along. This time had surprised her though, so it was even better. 'This land is very beautiful, with lots of trees here. It's very nice to know that monsters aren't going to come charging out of them. They say the forest only goes to about the southern edge of Wilant and further south into Clairnes is cleared land for farming - and sheep!'

Izark laughed at her, inside. She loved to play with hair and her outlet was to knit. If there were sheep here, and they were going to be here any length of time, she would certainly want to purchase yarn and needles. 'Is the horse you're on like these? They seem small for two.'

'No. They are big, more like the horses of my world, sleek, tall, broad in the barrel, unlike the ones in your world. Short-hair, which is probably a good thing.' She blushed for that, too and he sent back a tad of a teasing scold for her behavior with his horse. She laughed back. They stayed together companionably for a while.

'I've been thinking...' Izark relaxed in relief. She had some ideas to bounce back to him. 'Being in the dream world made me remember the hair monster and the first demon in your world we fought. It tried to make me be afraid based on my memories, but it couldn't do it because it couldn't access any memories of mine, though I never did understand if it was because I was from another world, or just hadn't made memories in that world. It could only use the memories it knew from when we arrived there. You said it accessed all of yours, though, right?'

'Right. The frightening ones from my childhood, the ones that made me sad, all the negative emotions it could pull up from the memories of my living there until it showed me one of you. I used that memory to remember the positive memories you'd given me to break free.'

Noriko considered that for a moment. 'What do they do with those? Is it the memory they want?'

'No. It's the negative emotions. Negative emotions are what feed demons. The demon kept the spirits of the villagers locked into it's barrier to continue to feed itself the negative emotions it made them generate.'

Noriko was a bit surprised at that answer. 'Well, then you definitely can't be a demon. That wouldn't feed you!'

Izark smiled a little to himself. 'I had someone else tell me that when I was younger, too, but it was hard to believe her at the time. Children believe what they are told the most.'

Noriko understood that. 'Is that why all the negative emotions were held in the moonstone crystals in the cavern of the source of evil?'

'Yes. They fed the priest, who himself became someone who fed on those. Rachef, himself, in the end was also feeding his spirit with them. That's why he died, too. That source of 'food' was gone, though he was still human at the same time. I think that is what they meant to do with me. Steep me in that environment until by necessity I also required those kinds of negative emotions to survive...that's my theory, though.'

'So...it is possible for a human to become to some degree a demon in that sense.' Izark didn't answer. He didn't want it to be true, not really. She pondered it for a while longer. 'Rachef was obsessed with the drive to feel accepted, and at the same time to be in complete control. Is it possible for people to be effected at a the lesser negative emotions, do you think? Like anxiety or worry or pride?'

'Possibly,' Izark said cautiously. 'It would seem plausible.'

'I've been thinking about the king. It still doesn't seem right to me. I understand they respect him highly, and it sounds like he doesn't have a desire to control or have power, or any of those things, but it does sound like he might be very concerned about the country. What if a 'demon' has been giving him memories, or dreams from that place we were in earlier today, like nightmares, to push him to think more and more about his concerns for the country, until he's begun to have obsessive anxiety? Or if he had it before and the demon is using it to its advantage. Ilena has been increasing light in this world. Perhaps if it's starving it's trying to push this country, that took it's food, into becoming its next feeding ground by toppling the king? If this country fell into chaos that would be a lot of people in misery. Especially if it took Ilena and Zen with it. They would only need to become sorrowful or distraught or angry, not even dead. Then it would have more food. Like they wanted to turn you into the sky demon by taking me away.'

Izark was stunned. They could actually all be going to be the feast of whatever creature they were after. If it got him, too, things might be very bad. But...they needed to face it and right now they didn't even know its lair. His personal protection might be that he was not a citizen of this world or dimention.

'If you could find out if the king's been having nightmares and difficulty sleeping because of anxiety, then we might have the clue we need to be sure that's what's happening. ...It might help you to know. When we are sleeping, we dream in a state we called [REM] which stands for rapid eye movement. Our scientists discovered that if they woke a sleeping person when their eyes began to move behind their closed eyelids, they woke disoriented for a bit, but when asked what was going on, they said they were dreaming. There was a period of time they took to recover, and then they were grumpy, if they were kept awake. If they were let fall back asleep, then they thought the short time of being awake was part of the dream. On my world we call that state between awake and asleep the place of dreams. I don't know if it is. I only know for sure that REM is the external sign of dreaming.'

'I'm concerned that the king is under the control of the demon. That it has made him believe a lie in order for him to believe he must be doing this so that he can be either enslaved or killed. There might be real assassins after him, but if there is an underlying evil, it needs to be addressed, too.'

'I'll talk to Ilena and Obi and see if I can explain it to them. If they won't believe me, I'll see what I can find out when we reach the king.' Izark promised.

'Thank you, Izark. That would make me feel better. ...Have you tried going 'up' yet? We talk about going 'down' into our core. And we've been experimenting with 'into', but have you tried 'up'? I've been thinking that if their world feels backwards, maybe we should be trying that direction? The 'into' is reverse of our 'expansion'. I can't see up for myself yet, but maybe if you could try?'

Izark blinked to himself, considering that. 'I'll try. If down is blocked, and by darkness, maybe we should try that way. How have you tried to get to 'up'?'

'By going up into it.'

'Have you tried 'pulling' it down to you yet?'

*Gasp* 'No, Izark! That's fabulous. I'll go try it.'

'Hey, hey,' He laughed at her instant enthusiasm, so typical of all her research. 'Don't leave me behind. I'd hate to lose you somewhere strange.'