This is the seventh chapter. Yay! I'm writing this as I go along, so I have no clue what the outcome will be. Thanks to my amah-zing reviewers, pottervspendragon and lazyal007! You guys are the bestest! w00t w00t! Also, thank you people who read but don't review; if there are any.

The Boy with the Sacred Soul (Fusion for the Pendragon forums)

Bobby's Journal

Roxanne and I dragged Mark to the front of the warehouse. Nitra was sitting on a stool, with Howie holding an ice pack to her head.

"Wow! Who's that?" Howie asked.

"It's my friend," I replied, "Mark."

"Oh, what is he doing here?" Howie questioned, his eyes were wide and eager.

"That's what I'd like to know," I told him.

Roxanne mercilessly dumped Mark into a chair. He stirred and groaned.

"Works every time," she said with a smug smile.

Roxanne looked behind her and grabbed a coil of rope from the shelf. She proceeded to tie Mark's hands behind his back.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, alarmed.

"Bobby," Roxanne looked at me, her intense green eyes penetrated my soul, "he just tried to kill you. We can hardly take any chances."

"Right," I said with a nod.

"Hey, rise and shine," Roxanne said to the unconscious Mark, lightly slapping both of his cheeks.

Mark coughed, groaned, and swore lightly before opening his eyes. When he opened his eyes, I was shocked. They were piercing blue, like Saint Dane's!

"Saint Dane sends you his regards," Mark said in an eerie voice, directed to all of us.

Mark's head swiveled to meet Roxanne's eyes.

"And," he said to Roxanne, his voice had adopted Saint Dane's voice!, "your gifts will belong to me!"

And with that note, Mark started to disappear. He started to fade, just like that.

"Wow," we all replied in unison, "that was weird."

"Roxanne?" I questioned, five minutes after Mark disappeared.

"Yes?"

"What are your gifts?"

"My gifts…," she said with a heavy sigh, "able me to see into the people-know everything about them-who are suffering and in pain."

"So that means you know everything about Nitra?" I asked, glancing at Nitra lying down on one of the titanium shelves Howie had cleared for her.

"No," Roxanne replied, "people who are suffering mentally." She paused. "Like when someone close to you dies," she glanced at me dolefully through her shocking green eyes and continued, "I know everything about them. Their first memory, their first kiss, their favorite vacation, and everything else you can think of. It is a gift that can be very helpful to Saint Dane.

"Ah, I see," I said.

"And that," she said on the verge of tears, "is what got you killed. I'm so sorry."

With that, she flung herself into my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I wrapped my arms around her slim waist. She buried her face in my chest and started sobbing.

"It's alright," I said, making ourselves sway back and forth slightly. "I learned a lot of things. I learned what the founder of the Travelers looks like. I found out that every Traveler that has died watches over us. I found out many things. In a way, it helped."

She shook her head. I sighed and picked her up from behind her legs and wrapped her legs around my waist.

"Come on, Howie," I said, nodding at the door. "It's time to leave."

"OK," he replied, "one second."

He was sitting beside the makeshift bed that he made for Nitra. He whispered something in Nitra's ear, and she laughed. He got up and headed for the door. We both walked out into the sunset of Ibara.

Roxanne's Journal

I woke up with my blinds being opened. I squinted, my eyes not yet adjusted, trying to make out the figure that had disturbed my sleep. I gave up and slammed my head in my pillow.

"Awh, c'mon, Roxanne," the figure, Bobby, said. "We have to go to Denduron."

"Can't we hold off for one more night? It's not like we are going to find any tak anyways," I complained.

"Wrong," he said, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"What?" I said, still not fully awake. I wasn't a morning person.

"You heard me."

"How did you find out?"

"Alder sent me a message through my ring."

"Oh. So, where is the tak?"

"In a secluded mine, by the flume shaft," was his reply. (A/N: Thank you, pottervspendragon, for the wonderful idea!) "Alder wants us to get there as soon as possible."

"I guess, if it's for my old friend," I mumbled, my head still in the pillow.

"That's the spirit!" he said as he left.

"Wahoo!" I said sarcastically as I got up to take a shower.

AT THE FLUME (Bobby's Journal)

"Wow, I haven't been fluming since Press brought me back," said Roxanne, looking into the endless cavern that, when activated, was the flume.

"Is this fluming scary?" said Howie.

"Not at all," I said. "It is the most joyful experience of being a Traveler. But, Howie, you will have to flume making contact with Roxanne or I," I told him.

Roxanne stepped up to the mouth of the flume-Howie touching her shoulder. She yelled, "Denduron!" and disappeared.

I was next. I stepped up to the mouth of the flume and prepared to yell Denduron at the cave. Just then I heard Saint Dane's laugh behind me. I whirled around; preparing to be face-to-face with the demon Traveler, but no one was there!

"Come on out, coward!" I shouted at the empty structure. I gave a frustrated cry and whirled back around to face the mouth of the cave, thinking he would be there.

"Not yet, Pendragon, not yet," I heard him whisper in my ear before he yelled, "Denduron!" and pushed me into the activating flume.

DENDURON (Bobby's Journal)

I landed face down in the snow of the flume cave. I bolted up quickly, having just had a mouthful of foul tasting snow implanted in my mouth.

"Less than graceful landing, Bobby?" Roxanne said with a grin.

I grunted, and then stood up, brushing snow from myself. I spat one last time in the snow and cleared my throat. I looked over at Howie. He was wide-eyed and looking around everywhere. He opened his mouth to, most likely, ask a question when he was interrupted by a roar. I knew that roar. A quig roar.

"Shit!" I swore. "Everyone hurry and get dressed! We need to get out of here!"

We found clothes partially hidden by a mound of snow. We quickly pulled on the freezing clothes and looked at each other. What were we supposed to do?

Roxanne took the initiative. "Check your pockets, you guys! Look for a whistle!"

We all patted our pockets, looking for a whistle. We were frantic. Finally, Howie produced a piece of wood which we all recognized as a whistle.

I took it from Howie's hands, stood outside the cave, and blew…hard. I could hear the shrieks of the quigs and the thudding as they collapsed onto the earth, writhing in pain.

"Let's get out of here!" I shouted.

"No need to tell me twice," replied Howie.

We all raced out of the cave and down the hillside. I blew on the whistle every fifteen seconds, just to make sure the quigs were busy with their pain. I paused and- using a knife I found in my pocket while searching for the whistle- cut a jagged line in a quig while it was writhing in pain. It had the desired effect; the other quigs swarmed. We slowed to a halt at the end of the hill, doubled over, panting,

"Hey guys," a voice shouted behind us.

"Hey, Alder!" Roxanne and I said in unison.

"Roxanne, is that you?" the clumsy knight asked.

"Sure is. I missed you so much, big buddy!" she said, standing up.

"Me too," said Alder, picking Roxanne up and twirling her around. He set her down and looked at me. "Hey, Pendragon!" he boomed, treating me to a big bear hug.

"Hello, Alder," I said.

"So you got my message? I was wondering when you were coming."

"We came as soon as we got the message."

"Oh really?" Alder questioned us. "Here, in Denduron, it has been two months since I sent that letter."

"Wow, we had better get started on harvesting that tak," I said. "It's by the flume shaft right?"

"It looked like it on my reader, but I guess it's not there," Alder said with a shake of his head.

"Your reader?"

"Yes, I had it specially made for tracking tak."

"Oh, technologic!"

"Oh, yeah!" said Alder.

"Well, where is it?"

"Um…that's the problem. It's somewhere near the mine shaft. It's in the same mountain."

"You're joking right?" I questioned him. "That mountain's freaking huge!"

Alder shrugged. "It's the best the reader can do."

"Well, I guess we'd better get started," Roxanne said.

"No, you guys can hold off for just one day," Alder said. "I haven't seen you guys in so long! Especially you, Roxanne."

So we started toward the Milago village. When we came out of the forest, I was hit with shock. The village was so different!

Alder saw my shock and laughed. "It's different, no?"

"Definitely!"

"Oh, Alder Walder!" a woman's voice shrieked behind us.

"Oh gods," said Alder, slapping his forehead. "It's her!"

"Alder Walder?" I questioned.

"That her nickname for me," he hissed.

"Oh, Alder Walder, you have some new friends! Won't you introduce me?" the woman shrieked.

Who was this mystery woman? He voice sounded oddly familiar, but I wasn't sure. So I turned around and was face to face with…

…Queen Kagan. Still fat as ever. She was dressed in a huge, long, regal blue dress, so big it could shelter Howie, Roxanne, and I. It had mud caked around the hem, it was frayed and worn, and it looked as if she hadn't changed since I left.

"Oh!" she squealed. "I remember you! Alder Walder said you ran away!"

"Um…err…hello, Your Majesty," I said.

She scowled at me. "Hello," she said disapprovingly.

I cleared my throat and pushed Roxanne in front, who had inched behind me. I introduced her. "Your Majesty, this is our friend Roxanne."

"Hello, Roxanne," Queen Kagan said, outstretching a doughy hand. Roxanne shook her hand and smiled at her. I loved her smile. Queen Kagan looked Roxanne up and down, as though sizing her up, and half-smiled back at her. "Oh, my, what lovely eyes you have! I remember someone who had eyes just like yours, although his were blue."

Alder and I exchanged a look. We both knew who that was. Saint Dane.

"Your Majesty," Alder interrupted, "I must make arrangements for my friends here. Please excuse us."

"Um-uh," Queen Kagan said, distractedly, "you have fun."

"Wow, she was weird," Roxanne said as we strolled out of earshot.

"Understatement of the year," said Alder. "Did either of you mess with her mind, or something like that?"

Roxanne and I shook our heads.

"Wait a second!" Roxanne exclaimed. "Where's Howie?!"

"Oh shit!" I had forgotten all about Howie.

"Relax, guys, I'm right here," we heard Howie's voice say.

"Well, where the hell are you?" Roxanne asked him.

"Right here," he said, as he stepped out of the bushes. Twigs were stuck in his spiky hair and brambles clung to his clothes. "I was hiding from the crazy, old lady. No way, I wanted to talk to her!"

We all laughed.

"Can't say I blame you!" Alder exclaimed.

Alder finally lead us to a medium sized, stone hut. He pushed back a grass screen that was covering the entryway and ducked in. We all followed suit.

Inside it was smoky and damp.

"So who's ready to party!?" Alder hollered.

We all cheered. Alder threw back a blanket that was hanging from the ceiling. Inside was a closet filled with kegs.

"Wow," I said, eyeing the kegs. "Got enough here?"

Alder laughed and grabbed a tankard from a nearby shelf. He uncorked the keg and filled the tankard to the brim. He passed it over to Howie.

Roxanne's Journal

After the party, there was a pot on the fireplace, boiling over. There were dirty dishes strewn across the eating space. A Denduron version of poker chips lay discarded on the floor. Tankards were left on their sides, abandoned after Howie, Alder, and Bobby were all too drunk to hold them. I was always good at not getting drunk. I was too used to it; I had first gotten drunk when I was six. I didn't have a very good childhood.

I was working on my twelfth tankard, twice the amount the guys had drunken, when I decided to get the unconscious guys to bed. I put down my drink and stood up, stretching. I walked over to an entranceway to the master bedroom, which was the only bedroom. I opened and closet door and found five rolls of fur-looking material. I figured they were a type of bedroll, so I shoved three under my arm and grabbed some coarse blankets and pillows from the bottom shelf of the closet. I swept the debris from the party away with my foot and plopped the bedrolls down. I kicked the bedrolls open with my foot and knelt down next to Howie. I pushed him over onto the bedroll. I rolled Bobby onto the other bedroll next. I glanced at Alder. There was no way in Halla I was going to drag him onto the bed, so I rolled him onto a bedroll. I wasn't going to let that bed go to waste, so I walked into the bedroom and sat on the bed. I signed and pulled my hair out of my ponytail. I walked over to the closet and grabbed another coarse blanket. I untied my boots and flung them across the room. I licked two fingers and pinched them over the flame in the candle by the bed. I lay back on the bed, looking at the underside of the thatched roof, thinking about everything and nothing. Sleep finally took over.

I felt the left side of the bed sink down. My eyes snapped open. I looked over at the figure, sitting on the bed besides me.

"What the…?" I hissed.

"Relax, Roxanne, it's just me," it was Bobby. "Something happened at the flume today and I wanted to tell you about it."

I propped myself onto one elbow and looked at Bobby. "What happened?" I asked.

"Just after you left the flume cave, I heard Saint Dane's laugh," Bobby told me, "I turned around, expecting to be face to face with him, but there wasn't anything or anybody there. But then, when I turned around, he whispered 'Not yet, Pendragon, not yet.' Then he yelled 'Denduron' and pushed me in the activating flume.

"Wow," I said, "that's bizarre."

"Yes, yes it is," Bobby said absentmindedly.

He turned his head toward me and I could tell he was smiling. "Mind if I stay here? That bedroll is very uncomfortable."

"Sure," I said with a laugh. "That was a very smooth move."

"Yeah," he laughed too, "it was."

"I hate to stop you from getting into Miss Martel's pants, Pendragon," said a voice from the corner of the room, "actually no. It's quite fun. I should do this more often."

"Come one, Saint Dane, what do you want?" I asked wearily.

"To stop you both from getting your tak," he replied. "Them too," Saint Dane gestured behind him. Standing behind Saint Dane was Mark and Nevva.

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OMG, I'm soooo sorry that took so freaking long to write! The chapter wasn't even all that good! Some of it was written when I was half-asleep. And I'm sorry to say, but the chapters will be coming a little slower. Not as slow as this one, not as fast as some of the others, because I have play practice every weekday, 4:30 to 6:30. And, once again, I'm very, very open to ideas, requests, flames, and criticism.