What had I missed? Emlyn knew Char? Why did he never tell me? Through my inner turmoil (and trying to avoid the previously mentioned jam roll which was floating towwards me) I heard Emlyn answer, 'I hoped not, too.'

Were they enemies? Grudging allies? My imagination was going haywire, but it was halted by the sound of Char's voice when he spoke again. He seemed not to set much store by pleasantries, which surprised me. Char had always been so polite, but by the way he talked to Emlyn, I suspect he didn't think Emlyn deserved much respect.

'Where's Ella?' He demanded coolly, cutting straight to the point.

'Normally,' Emlyn said calmly, 'I'd say I'd never met the girl, but you obviously know that isn't the case. I suppose any fool could have tracked us down, but I didn't think it was necessary to cover our tracks. I thought you'd let it be.'

I grabbed the jam roll, which was now about a foot away and hurled it away from me. After having taken a bite, of course.

Char sounded impatient. I'd never heard him sound like this before. What had Emlyn done? 'I don't have time for your mind games. Tell me where she is.' There was a silence, and I think he was struggling with himself, before saying, '. . . please?'

'She doesn't want to see you.' Emlyn said quietly. 'Why are you so intent on finding her?'

'Who are you, to her?' Char said. 'Does she know who you are? What you did?'

Char had crossed the wrong line. Emlyn's voice was cold when he answered, 'I,' he said composedly, 'am her friend, actually. It's none of your business what I've told her or haven't. And I think she could be rational and understand that what I did was entirely honoura-'

'We could have gotten help!' Char shouted.

I was shocked. Never, in the whole time I'd known him, had Char ever shouted at anybody.'

'You would have doomed everyone. Also, it might interest you to know that she can hear you.' Doubt entered his voice, 'at least, I hope she can.'

Everyone was speaking in riddles. I wanted out. Not just because of the claustrophobia/agoraphobia that was so crushing inside this strange nothing, but because I wanted to confront them both about what they were hiding from me. And, although I tried not to admit it to myself, I so wanted to talk to Char, face to face.

And, the trifle obeyed me. The whole experience of going in was suddenly reversed, and the darkness shattered around me, and I suddenly found myself back in the clearing, highly disorientated, but otherwise well. Then I felt two pairs of extremely confused eyes staring at me.

'Well,' said Emlyn dryly, 'I think it's safe you're alive. How did you get out of there – did it reject you or something?'

'Ella,' Char breathed. I'd avoided looking at him until now. I didn't want to see his face; the betrayal, the hurt I was sure was there, but when I heard his voice, I just couldn't help myself from turning around to look at him. I answered Emlyn, but kept my eyes on Char's face. 'I wanted to come out.'

Then I snapped back into the present. 'What are you two on about? Tell me.'

Char and I just stared at each other for ages, until Emlyn coughed pointedly. 'I do exist, you know. Save the puppy eyes until you're alone. Very alone. With no one to be sick by watching.'

I tried to tear my eyes from his face. Emlyn theatrically took my face and turned it the other way round. 'There. That's not so hard, is it?'

What was his problem? 'Tell me what's going on,' I demanded.

Char spoke next, his voice slightly hoarse, 'Your . . . your friend never told y-' he began, but Emlyn released my face and cut him off:

'No editorials, please.'

Char gave him a look that would make an Allosaur go running for a tissue, and continued, 'He is Emlyn of the Sickness.'

Okay, I kind of did have to add a bit of background history here. Don't kill me, please.

'What?' I cried, jumping about a foot in the air, 'why didn't you tell me?'

The sickness had occurred when I was just twelve. It was a plague that had spread through Kyrria, killing every other person it infected, earning the title, 'the Kyrrian Death. Mandy had of course cooked a batch of healing soup, and distributed it as widely as possible, so we didn't get ill, but many people died.

The Royal Family eventually told the people they had a plan to go to other neighbouring countries for help, and that was where a certain fourteen year old boy had stepped in. He'd insisted that the disease was airborne, and was caught from person-to-person. He'd talked to the people, stood in the middle of the Town Square, made people see things his way.

Though some hated him for it, they knew he was right. Mandy had been there, and told me all about it. If anyone tried to leave Kyrria, someone would always be watching at the exits. Of course, the Royal Family, not having been at any of Emlyn's speeches, and suffering from 'Pride Issues' as father wryly called them, tried to send knights and messengers to the bordering countries, but they all seemed to mysteriously contract illnesses and insisted they were far too ill to go.

Eventually the disease died down, and, once people had recovered and gotten over their losses, they discovered that Emlyn had inexplicably disappeared. They searched for him, but he was never found, and eventually declared dead.

If everyone was honest with themselves, there were many rumours about the Royals assassinating him, but I didn't believe them. Personally, I always thought that he'd contracted the Kyrrian Death himself, and had been buried along with all the others.

'But,' I gasped, 'I thought you were dead! Everyone thought you were dead!'

'And how did they react?' Emlyn asked rhetorically, his voice emotionless.

'They . . .' I trailed off. Come to think of it, father's exact words upon hearing this were: 'If he's dead, that's a blessing in disguise. For him, mostly.'

Emlyn read my face easily. 'You see? What choice did I have? I'd have been a leper amongst the people. No one would ever trust me again. Do you know how many people died?'

I shook my head silently.

'Three million. But I've never regretted it. You see, many more people could have died, had the palaces orders been carried out.'

'But you were a hero!' I cried, 'everyone respected you! Every other country could have taken you in with honours!'

'I didn't want that!' He shouted, and I took a slight step back. 'I just wanted everything to go back to as it was normally. I wanted to be just Emlyn again, not Emlyn-of-the-Sickness! I wanted to live in Kyrria, in Frell! But, no. Do you remember what the Palace did, after everything was over?'

I remembered. But Char cut across him.

'Yes, all right! That wasn't my decision. My father-'

'You put out wanted posters for me! Look!' Emlyn snatched the fairy trifle off his belt and shook something into the air, catching it. 'Look.'

I took it from his. It was a poster not unlike the one done for me. The caption read, wanted for questioning about the Kyrrian Death. I looked at the picture. Emlyn looked much younger in it. More innocent. His hair was ruffled, and he was looking at the unseen artist with bright, sparkling eyes.

'I – I'm sorry.' I whispered. Everything was explained, now. Emlyn's unwillingness to talk about his past, the years spent living wild. 'But . . . but that was years ago. Couldn't you just . . . just forgive and forget?' I asked them both.

They looked at each other with mutual dislike.

'Bit of a stretch, maybe,' I muttered.

'Anyway,' Char said, his eyes flashing back to me again, 'anyway, that wasn't what I came here for. Ella,' he started.

'Shall I go now?' Emlyn asked. 'Only, I was never one for romantic tales. I have a weak stomach.'

Unable to help myself, I had to smile a little at that one. I couldn't picture Emlyn being romantic at all. But then I was serious again. 'No! Stay. Please.'

'Ella,' he complained, 'I wasn't joking.'

I stretched up to whisper in his ear. 'Could you free me if he tells me to do something?'

He groaned, pulling his hands over his face. 'Do I have your solemn word that you won't do something you'll – or I'll – regret?'

I just looked at him.

'Right,' he said grumpily, 'thought not. Go on, then, if you must.'

Taking a deep breath, I turned to face Char.