Venger's servants didn't even bat an eye as a huge crash of thunder rocked the castle. They did cower, however, at the roar of frustration that followed it.

Apparently his attempts to remove the curse were not going well, Shadowdemon thought. All thoughts of returning from his mission empty-handed vanished immediately. He HAD to find that shard! He slunk out of the castle before The Boss could catch him lurking.

The Boss was currently covered in a nasty black sooty powder, the result of a failed spell. The cause of his failure sat on a small table nearby, shining innocently at him in a most infuriating manner. He ignored the smoke curling from his singed wings and broken horn and tried to think of alternatives.

Enough of this. I cannot break the curse, and I cannot ignore it. I must get the remaining pieces! But this curse…I cannot stop thinking of her. I cannot focus on anything! I must punish that thief for giving me this weakness. What is the worst thing I could do to her? That's easy…what does she fear the most?

A truly nasty idea dawned in Venger's devious mind. It even had a certain poetic justice to it. He would trap her alone, forever, in the very ring she had once imprisoned him in.

He retrieved the Ring of the Mind from where he'd hidden it after the latest battle with Kareena. Now all I have to do is think of an appropriate way to deliver it to her...

Amidst the arguments that followed, nobody noticed when Dungeonmaster disappeared.

Bobby was all for just heading over to the fortress and asking Venger for the piece. Eric suggested trading Sheila for it, and earned another kick in the shin from Diana. Diana felt they should break in and steal it. Presto wondered aloud how long Venger's protective charm would last—perhaps they should be worrying about suffering a similar fate if it wore off! Hank, who had an idea of why Sheila was now in great danger, felt that their best chance was to guard her carefully until the curse wore off. Unfortunately they weren't sure if it would wear off!

Sheila stayed invisible and tried not to worry. All Dungeonmaster would tell her was that Venger was not likely to allow himself such a weakness—and that he would undoubtedly confront them again soon. "Beware the one you trust the most, my child," he'd told her with that infuriatingly calm voice of his. "One of you will still face a terrible choice."

"How are you holding up?" Hank asked her, reaching for her invisible hand.

"I'm worried," she replied.

"Don't worry, sis!" Her brother thumped his hand with his club. "That creep gets near you and POW!"

Eric regarded the diminutive Barbarian with a raised eyebrow. "I'm sure he's quaking in his boots."

"We'll get that piece back, Sheila, you'll see." Diana patted her friend's invisible shoulder. "And then we'll make it home, finally!"

"Thanks, you guys. I don't know what I'd do without you." Sheila sounded close to tears. They joked with her to cheer her up, which worked—until the valley of the ruins began to fill with a creeping, chilly fog.

A fog that, according to Eric, had Venger written all over it.

A very annoyed Shadowdemon watched as The Boss filled the valley with fog.

Why? This would only make a tough job that much harder. How was he supposed to find the children and the missing shard in these mists? He shook his head in frustration. He'd never understood what went on in that one-horned blue head…

He regarded the valley with narrowed eyes. And if he did find them, how was he supposed to know which of them held the shard that The Boss desired? Hmmm. Hatred. Something that powerful would be carried by the most responsible of them. The leader. The shard he sought would by carried by the Ranger.

"Stick together!" Hank called unnecessarily. Presto had already produced a length of rope, and everyone grabbed it and held on tightly as Hank led them away.

The sun was setting and it was getting darker. The shadows of the great shattered city towered over them menacingly, making them jumpy. It didn't help that the fog was clammy and chilly and had a really ugly swampy stench to it that grew stronger as they walked. There were no other sounds around them, and the kids were reluctant to break the silence themselves.

"Are you sure we're going the right way, Hank?" Diana called finally.

"Yup! The gate was this way!" Hank called back confidently. I think, he added silently.

"This fog is awful! It's worse than…oooh-blech!" said Presto.

"What's oooh-blech?" demanded Bobby.

"Like snot, only worse," quipped Eric, and there was a chorus of groans and eeeeeews from all around.

But not as many as there should have been.

"Hey—where's Sheila?"