According to Elves, there isn't really any such thing as magic. Everything that we would describe as magic is just people able to exert more control over this world than others. "The Ainur aren't magical!" they say. "They're just able to exert control over most of the world." Similarly, the Elves have amazing control over nature and their own bodies, explaining why they heal rapidly and rarely ever get sick. Men have the magical talent of being able to avoid the snares of the Music, and escape this world forever. According to the Elves, anyways.

Most humans define all these things as magic, largely because they don't have anything to compare it to. The Elves are blessed with their own obvious power and are able to define it better than we can. For most, magic is another thing to be jealous of.

However, there are anomalies that defy this simple system. Most of them are easy to explain. Often, powers are granted by a special artifact, like a sword, ring, or gem. In fact, it is frequently claimed that those who possessed a Silmaril had increased power and ability. This is why Morgoth was near undefeatable, despite having given much of his power to his many servants.

Other times, special powers are granted by an auspicious day or location. Certain locations are said to make people who go to them blessed, such as magic springs, or (as some have hypothesized) Valinor. Certain days, such as the solstices or holidays, are also said to boost the power of people. Sometimes, major phenomena, such as massive storms, comets, volcanoes, and earthquakes can grant people powers. One final source of power, which has yet to be confirmed, is then gods. Some followers of various gods claim that they grant them magic.

However, the truly special are those who have inborn talents. These people are exceedingly rare, and are often very difficult to find. Their powers can range from minor, such as having self-healing like an elf, to major, such as being able to warp the world around oneself. Some of these people may have these powers because they are descended from Elves, but for the others, we can only speculate.

I have only met a few people with these kinds of abilities. One possessed the amusing ability to act as a lodestone for a few seconds at a time. Although his ability had few uses, Ar-Gimilzôr was fascinated by it and wanted to learn more. He spent the rest of his life searching for more talented individuals, but never found any. When Tar-Palantir was King, I told him of Ar-Gimilzôr's quest. He never pronounced interest in it, but when he later discovered one such individual working in the palace, he had him brought to him.

The person was an elderly man who had somehow escaped Ar-Gimilzôr's vigilant searching. We soon discovered how when he revealed his ability to fade into the background of things so that he could almost not be seen, and people seemed to not notice his absence. Tar-Palantir, amazed, gave the man a raise and sent him on his way. Not surprisingly, I never saw him again.

The last magical person I saw was shortly before Tar-Palantir died. Although he, much like his ancestors, was willing to die readily and peacefully, then was a large element of the court that wanted him to live as long as possible. They hired a woman who claimed to be a simple healer. However, I soon realized that she was in fact a necromancer, and was preparing to bind Tar-Palantir's soul to a healthier body so that he would live much longer. With a little help from my friends, I stopped the necromancer and saved Tar-Palantir. This element in the court was soon displaced by Ar-Pharazôn, who was at first disgusted by magic.

-From the Abridged Journals of Arnuzîr

Aulenmir decided to let Peladin and Sirilfa relax today as a reward for their good behavior in the town. They had some nice new toys and he was going to give them some time to play with them. He only wished that he had had the coin to but himself something shiny in the town, but he didn't and he couldn't think of anything that he really needed anyways.

Aulenmir did all the chores by himself, and although they certainly ran smoother with just him, they weren't nearly as fun or as fast without the kids. With all the food that he had bought, he didn't need to hunt much, and the snares held plenty of food already. Aulenmir briefly took down the snares. It was good to give the forest some breathing time every now and then.

When he was finished, he helped out Peladin and Sirilfa. Sirilfa was fairly independent, and Aulenmir wasn't sure his skills as a potter were good enough to help her anyways. She seemed to have a natural talent when it came to clay. The clay seemed to change shape according to her will, not to her hands.

Peladin's task, on the other hand, relied almost entirely on Aulenmir's aid. He had finally decided to make good on his earlier promise and teach Peladin how to write in Quenya, as well as some of the words. Peladin was fascinated by the skill required to accurately write one of the letters, and dedicated most of his time to practicing this. However, he also memorized a few words and their meanings.

At last, the sun had set and dinner had been eaten. "All right," roared Aulenmir. "Who's ready for story time!?"

"I am! I am!" screamed Sirilfa.

"Good. Let me just figure out where we last left off."

"Aldarion and Erendis were about to get married," Peladin answered helpfully

"That seems about right. Here we go!"

Everyone in Númenor was delighted by the news of Aldarion's betrothal. Everyone, that is, except for the Guild of Venturers that had been set up by Aldarion himself. Outwardly, they partied and feasted with everyone else, but inwardly they were displeased with their Prince. It had fifteen years now that Aldarion had spent wooing Erendis, fifteen years since he had last departed Númenor.

Now, the Guild still went on adventures, for they had many captains that had been trained by Aldarion himself (though none could surpass him in skill). However, Aldarion brought a certain prestige and power with him that no one else in the Guild could, for no nobles of Númenor wished to have a part in it. Without Aldarion, they made few voyages, and what voyages they did make were not exploratory, but rather they often went simply to Gil-galad's lands. Although they were welcomed there, it hardly made for epic stories that the mariners wished to part of.

In addition, following many years of having neglected the forests, good timber was becoming hard to get, and as a result they Guild suffered. They pleaded with Aldarion to at least return to this duty, for it was part of his duty as Master of Forests. At last, Aldarion acquiesced. At first Erendis would accompany him, but she grew saddened at this sight of her beloved trees being felled, and after a few times she visited him in the forests no more.

In Númenor, the time between betrothal and marriage was often long, sometimes lasting up to three years. However, it was seen as rude and uncustomary to go beyond that. And so, after three years of waiting, the people of Númenor were ready for the wedding to finally happen. In the spring of this year, Aldarion rode out to Erendis's house in Beregar, where Erendis was waiting for him.

Along his way, he glanced out over the sea, seeing that there was a wonderful west wind blowing, beloved by the mariners of Númenor, who only sailed west. The sea-longing struck Aldarion hard then, for it had been many long years since he had sailed. However, he gained mastery over himself and hurried on to Beregar, reaching it before the evening.

Although Erendis was glad to see him, she was somewhat surprised that Aldarion did not say anything about their upcoming wedding. She also noticed that Aldarion was often silent and brooding while others were festive and gay. When she confronted him about this, she noticed that his eyes were cold, as though blind to her once more, and she saw in them a fierce hunger that she had not seen in many years, though she new it well.

Erendis, however, said nothing, as did Aldarion. When they rode back to Armenelos and were further away from the sea, he seemed to recover, and became happy once more. However, he still struggled within himself.

As the year passed, Aldarion refused to talk of either marriage or the sea, but he was often working in Rómenna with the Guild, who were quite happy to have him back. Displeased with the delay, Tar-Meneldur summoned Aldarion to his chambers to counsel him. However, they had long made peace with each other, and their relationship was strong, not strained as it had been a few decades ago. Tar-Meneldur professed his desire to have a daughter-in-law (and grandchildren, of course), and was curious that Aldarion would delay marrying so an intelligent, beautiful, and strong woman.

For a long while, Aldarion was silent, brooding still over the sea. Then, he simply said, "It came over me again, father. I have been away for a long eighteen years, and I do not know for how much longer I can remain away. Already, staying on the ground hurts me, physically and mentally."

Meneldur looked at his son with pity, but not with understanding. Although Meneldur tolerated his son's love for the sea, he had never really grasped why he loved it so much. He could not understand the love that was tearing his son's heart in two. "You cannot have two wives, my son, for not only does Númenorean law forbid it, but so does common morality. You are Erendis's man, not the sea's."

Aldarion was hurt by these words, and rather than making him choose Erendis, they only further deepened the discord within him. For, although Meneldur knew this not, his counsel echoed the argument that Erendis had given Aldarion in Emerië. And Aldarion, not entirely unreasonably, reached the conclusion that Meneldur and Erendis had been meeting behind his back. And he stubbornly refused to go down the path they urged him on.

"Smiths may make swords, gardeners may grow, and kings may lead. Why then, can mariners not sail and still be married," Aldarion said angrily.

"If smiths and gardeners were to tend to their work for over five years without ever returning to their wives, then they too would have few wives. The life of a mariner's wife is harsh, for she may not see her husband for many years. You have no need to be a mariner, but there is a great need for you to father a child," Meneldur replied sternly.

"Yet, Man must do more than just survive. He has other needs than perpetuating his line. I have many years yet before I must turn to thoughts of children."

"You may, but Erendis has not the same luxury as you," Meneldur pointed out.

"She waited for over a decade for my return before. I ask barely a fraction of that time."

"When that happened, the two of you were not yet betrothed, but now you are chained together. I imagine that when she waited then, it was not because she awaited your return, but because she was afraid to bind herself to you in case this very thing happened. And now that you have slain that fear, you are bound to her."

Aldarion was truly angry now, and shouted, "I will speak with my love myself then, and not quarrel with her by proxy!" He then left and spoke with Erendis herself of his desire to sail upon the great seas once more.

He looked upon her and saw that she had tears in her eyes. In a quiet voice, she said, "I thought you had come to me to speak about finally marrying."

Aldarion came over to her, comforting her. He promised that the moment he returned they would be married. However, seeing the fear and grief upon her face he changed his stance. He said that they would marry before the year was over, and then they would build the greatest ship yet seen. A house fit for a Queen, but upon the water. And he promised that he would show her the many grand forests of the world, the forests were the Eldar hunt, were the Ents sing. Forests that have been untouched by any but Oromë.

But Erendis still wept. "No, my love. I am glad that such forests are out there and exist, but I have no desire to ever see them. The woods of Númenor (and you) alone hold my heart. If I were to sail off with you, I fear that I wouldn't survive. Out of sight of my beloved land, I would wither away and die. The Sea hates me, and would not suffer my presence even could I be there. Go, and let her now that she has one! But tarry not as long as you have in the past!"

Aldarion was ashamed of his words, for his anger at his father was overcome by the love in her words. He realized, since she could not stand being off Númenor and he wanted to be away from it as soon as possible, that he must take a voyage soon and that once he had found release they would be able to live together in bliss.

He made ready to set sail, and the Guild was glad that he had at last done so, although no one else in the island knew what he was doing. He took only three ships this time, for he did not plan on going far. Erendis brought the bow of oiolairë for the third time, and waved a sad farewell to Aldarion as the ships passed the harbor walls.

It was over six years before Aldarion returned to Númenor. Queen Almarian, who had once supported him, was cold in welcoming him home, and he found that the Guild had fallen into disgrace, for the Númenoreans assumed that Aldarion had treated Erendis poorly, and had fled from her.

Indeed Aldarion had been gone for too long, but he had good reason. When he came to the harbor of Vinyalondë he found it in ruins, and he found it near impossible to restore. To make things even worse, Men living on the coast who had once been quite friendly and helpful were now afraid of the Númenoreans. They became openly hostile, and called them "elf-friends" as though it was some kind of curse. Aldarion also heard rumors of some distant Lord who hated the Númenoreans with every fiber of his being, although all of Aldarion's attempts to find this man failed.

Aldarion attempted to return home, but his ships were borne northwards by the winds and he tarried in Mithlond, talking with the elves. He discovered that some elves had gone rogue and were attacking the Men of Endor. The elves under Gil-galad's control were still friends of all Men, however.

At last, Aldarion was able to return. He was dismayed upon arriving to see that the oiolairë had withered and feared that something had happened to Erendis. A nearby mariner explained that it was due to the frost, but Aldarion was still worried.

He met with Erendis as soon as he was able. At first he stood in silence, but Erendis eventually bid him sit and tell her of his deeds. Aldarion spoke haltingly, but eventually the whole story was told. Erendis was thankful that he returned, but still professed her disinterest in the sea, saying that she would have withered like the oiolairë.

Aldarion said that he would understand if Erendis chose to dismiss him now, but she said that their love was not yet ended. Finally, they were going to be married.

"Why did you stop?" asked Sirilfa.

"Well, this a good stopping point," Aulenmir replied.

"Aww, I wanted to hear about the wedding," said Peladin.

"Don't worry," said Aulenmir. "Hopefully we can do more of this tonight."

"Unca, I hava question," Sirilfa said thoughtfully.

"Ask away!"

"Why would Aldarion leave Erendis even when he knows that will hurt her?" she asked.

Aulenmir sighed. "Sometimes, good people do stupid things, and all good men have weaknesses. Aldarion's weakness was his love, and it lead him to do many stupid things. However, keep in mind that without many stupid things done by many otherwise good people, the world would be a very different place. It may be a better place, but in this better world there might be a chance that you and I don't exist."

"I don't think I'd want to be in that world," Sirilfa muttered sleepily.

Aulenmir noticed this and change subjects. "All right, you two, time to get some sleep. We'll continue tomorrow night."

Telimperion and Tu-Ankh walked over to the houses of healing. For once, they were in no hurry. After all, they technically had almost two weeks to get there. They stopped once or twice along the way to get some things from a few of the vendors in the city. Telimperion made sure that they weren't spending too much money, although Tu-Ankh said that it didn't really matter.

By the time they actually arrived at the houses it was nearly dusk. "Do you think they'll let us stay here?" asked Telimperion. "I don't really want to walk back in the dark."

"Me neither," Tu-Ankh replied. "We'll ask them once they are done looking at me."

When they walked inside a woman sitting at a desk looked up. "What brings you two here?" she asked. "Most sick people go one of the doctors, not here. I'm Irneth, by the way."

"Hello, Irneth," Tu-Ankh said politely. "I am here because I do not believe that my condition is treatable by most doctors."

Irneth looked at him curiously. "Is that so? Well, guess you'd better come with me, then." She walked out from behind the desk and through a hallway off to the side. Telimperion and Tu-Ankh glanced at each other, and then followed her.

Irneth halted in the first room that they came to. The room had a high ceiling with a few narrow windows at the top. There was very little illumination in the room, and it was painted in a rusty shade of red. "This is our examination room. One of our healers will be in with you shortly," she said.

Telimperion nodded. She talked with Tu-Ankh to pass the time. "What do you think they can tell us?"

"I don't know, but hopefully they have some information that will be useful," he said. "If not, then we'll have to hope that King Elessar is in a very helpful mood today."

"I hope so. I would hate for you to have to suffer more than you already have."

Tu-Ankh looked strait at her. "I'm not suffering when I'm with you."

Telimperion blushed and was glad that the room was to dark for him to tell. The awkward moment was ended luckily when the healer arrived.

The healer was a relatively short man, dressed in robes that matched the color of the room. He had dark hair and dark eyes, though his skin was rather pale. He smiled briefly. "Hello, my name is Ionath. I am going to help examine you today. First, I need you to tell me what you think may be wrong."

Tu-Ankh told Ionath everything that he had told Telimperion. At the end of his tale, everyone in the room was nearly in tears from hearing the story. Ionath regained control of his emotions. "All right, then. I will see what I can discover. Please, disrobe and lie back."

Telimperion turned away as Tu-Ankh unclothed himself, but couldn't help but watch the examination after Tu-Ankh lay down. She blushed again, and wondered what was up with herself today.

Ionath placed his hands on Tu-Ankh's stomach and forehead. He closed his eyes and appeared to be concentrating intently. To her shock, Telimperion noticed that his hands were glowing. It was definitely a good decision to bring Tu-Ankh to here and not some normal doctor.

After what seemed like hours, Ionath finally removed his hands and allowed Tu-Ankh to dress. He looked shaken, and was no doubt surprised by what he had seen in Tu-Ankh. He coughed to clear his throat and then began to speak. "I am afraid I cannot tell you much more than what you already know. What has been done to you is beyond my skill to determine. I do not wish to sound boastful, but if it is beyond my skill then it is beyond that of any other Man in this city as well."

"That is all right, healer Ionath. We understand," Telimperion said forgivingly.

Tu-Ankh frowned. "You said 'Man', correct?"

"Yes, why?"

"Oh, a thought just occurred to me. Anyways, carry on with your diagnosis."

"Absolutely. From what I can tell, the elves that did this to you had a few major goals. I am not entirely sure what the motives of these elves were. We know that they may have been trying to create men with the physical powers of elves, but with the magical capabilities of Men. However, I cannot figure out why they would want to do that.

"Their first goal was to bind your spirit to your body so that even if you were to die you could not leave your body. They accomplished this by killing you, then performing necromantic rites on your body to rebind your spirit to your body. It is interesting to note that their necromantic capabilities seemed to surpass even Sauron's. My theory is that they may have even learned the basics from Sauron, who taught them in the hope that they would do exactly this: improve on the art and then teach their improvements to him. Luckily, almost all of the Shapet were eliminated before he could learn these techniques.

"Anyway, I digress. Their second goal was to make it so that your body regenerated from any source of harm, so that if you were to die, your body would heal itself and then you would go on living. So, if someone stabs you through the heart, a normal man would die and stay dead. However, with you your heart would eventually heal and because your spirit never left your body once it did you would be ready to go again.

"Now, there are some potential ways out of this, but it's all very risk. Fire alone probably isn't enough, as your body would heal itself as it was being immolated. Permanent immolation, such as putting yourself into a volcano, might be enough, but there's a chance that you would just exist in eternal agony, so I'm not sure I'd risk it. Sorry I can't be of more help."

Tu-Ankh stood up. "It is all right. You tried your hardest and gave me some new information; that is enough. I thank you for your deeds and will live forever in gratitude."

Telimperion also stood up and together they left.

"You know, I just realized something," Tu-Ankh said.

"What's that?"

"Well, just a few weeks ago I wouldn't have been able to open myself up like that and tell a complete stranger my life story. But, ever since you came along, I've found myself able to do more and more things like that."

Telimperion blushed again. "Speaking of me…did you mean what you said in there? You know, about me."

Tu-Ankh smiled. "Yes. Every word. You have helped me so much, Telimperion. You have given me hope, a reason to live."

Telimperion smiled. Then, she leaned in and kissed Tu-Ankh softly. "You too, she said softly. Tu-Ankh smiled, and then kissed her too. They walked together, hand-in-hand, smiling happily all the way back to the inn.

"I see it!" called Hannish from out in front. Sure enough, right in front of them was the Guard House. The Guard House was actually a small building, about the size of a trading post. The Gondorian army used it to keep watch on Mordor so that things like the orc army currently in Gorgoroth didn't surprise them by destroying Ithilien. Everyone was relieved to find it, as they had been walking double time without resting for nearly twenty-four hours in order to find it. Mermacil summoned everyone in.

"Okay, hopefully our contact is still here. If not, we ask someone else what's going on. If no one knows, we find out where our contact is and pursue him there. If no one knows that either, then we head into Nurn and see what the Nurnians know. Everyone got that?"

Everyone responded with a simple "Yes, sir!"

Mermacil nodded. "All right. Remember, if anyone gives you trouble, don't hesitate to give it right back to them. Let's go!"

They quickly made their way over to the Guard House. The door was slightly ajar, so they didn't need to knock. "That's odd," said Mermacil. "Military code requires them to at least keep the door shut, if not barred, to protect against intruders." Mermacil pushed the door open further and was greeted by one of the most gruesome sights he had ever seen. Elarë shrieked, and Lt. Samnon nearly fainted.

Strewn about in the Guard House were dozens of dead men. Most of them had been grossly mutilated in various obscene ways. Blood and gore covered the room, and the overpowering stench of rotting flesh was so strong Mermacil wondered how they hadn't noticed it earlier.

"What could have done this?" asked Elarë.

"Orcs," said Lt. Samnon.

"But not just any orcs," said Kith'tar.

"Indeed. Nurnian orcs would never have done anything like this."

"Yes, they tend to respect humans that haven't done anything to hurt them."

"And this lot wouldn't have done that."

"So, that means-

"Yes, it must be-"

"The orcs of Gorgoroth!" they finished simultaneously.

"Very nice," said Mermacil. "Are you telling me we have to head all the way down to Nurn just to figure out why these orcs are here and why they attacked the Guard House?"

Just then, they heard a groaning noise coming from one of the bodies.

"One of them must not be dead yet!" shouted Elarë.

"Thank Eru!" said Hannish.

The group rushed over to the man and knelt down beside him. "Are you wounded?" asked Kith'tar.

"Yes, but not severely," the man said. "One of the orcs knocked me out and left me for dead. Luckily, I escaped unscathed."

"Thank goodness you're all right," Elarë said.

"Indeed," said Mermacil. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"Benethro," the man said softly.

"Can you tell us why there is an army of orcs in Gorgoroth."

Benethro nodded weakly. "I sure can. I had been working out here for about four years when it all began. For that time, Gorgoroth had been entirely abandoned by any intelligent beings. Even the animals seemed to shy away from it. We only went in there when requested of us, which wasn't often, or when we needed to send a message very quickly.

"However, about six months ago we felt this awful presence settle into Gorgoroth. Although we stopped feeling the presence, we all knew it was there. It began calling the orcs to its service, and they came in droves. Now, it has the army that you see today."

"Can you tell us what it is? Or why it wants the orcs?"

"I don't know," said Benethro. "The Nurnians might know."

"Thank you, Benethro," said Mermacil. "You have given us invaluable knowledge."

He stood up. "Okay, looks like we have a new plan. We're going to head straight into Nurn. Our contact won't be able to give us any more useful information than Benethro did. First, however, we will rest here."

"Are we taking Benethro with us?" asked Hannish.

Mermacil thought for a moment. "No. I don't know him and he affect this team in to many unpredictable ways. We'll leave him with some supplies; enough for him to get out of Mordor, at any rate."

The party decided to set up their camp outside, away from all of the death. Mermacil planned to burn the bodies before they left, to give them a proper Gondorian burial. Exhausted from their quick march, the group soon fell asleep.

Altariel soon returned to her office, ready to put together all the pieces of the puzzle that she had been given. She took her sword out from underneath her mattress and brought it over to her side. She was reasonably sure that Arvegil wouldn't do anything to hurt her, but he wasn't the most rational man currently, and she wasn't totally sure what he was capable of. She had also warned the guards that patrolled her level of the building.

The first mystery that she had to think about was what King Elessar had sent her to do. Thanks to Mara's revelation, it was obvious that he wanted to reward his family, but he didn't quite trust the bond of blood enough to let him rule unwatched. However, the question still remained: why Altariel? Anyone could have observed Arvegil, why pick some green girl from the Vale?

Altariel wrote out a quick letter to King Elessar.

Your Majesty,

I am writing to update my status here in Arnor. I have informed Arvegil of my status as an Inquisitor. From what I have seen of him so far, he is not fit to serve as your Steward here. This is not my final decision; he may surprise me yet. I will search from your list of candidates for a suitable successor. Also, there has been some tension between the Hobbits and Men recently. I am working to resolve it right now.

Your ever-faithful servant, Lady Altariel

Altariel called for Mara then ordered her to mail the letter. Now she could focus on the important mystery: who was behind the killings? It seemed as though everyone had been ruled out. The Hobbits were unlikely to kill anyone, let alone one of their own. Altariel decided she would ask Sam for more specific details on who was killed. Perhaps there was a Hobbit family feud in the works here. However, Altariel doubted it.

Similarly, none of the Men were likely to kill their own kind, and it would have been difficult for them to get into the Shire and kill the Hobbits. It was possible that Altariel was looking at several unrelated killing sprees, but that required a lot of circumstance and she couldn't see any catalysts for the conflict. However, she put that on her list of possibilities.

Could it be that there was a third party involved?, she wondered. However, no one sprang to mind. The Elves had long lost any relevance in the region, and were also unlikely to want to kill anyone here or upset the region. The Icemen of the North were too far away to be concerned with so simple a subject, and the dwarves were isolationist to a disturbing extreme. There is no way they'd want to get involved with Arnor.

Altariel's gaze drifted over a map of Eriador that was hung on the wall of her office and came to rest on a section labeled "Angmar". Her breath caught in her throat. But, no, that was silly. Sauron and his servants had been defeated decades ago. All reports indicated that once the Ring had been destroyed, the Nine had been slain.

However, the though persisted, refusing to die down. Altariel began to consider other possibilities. If one related to Sauron had survived and relocated to Eriador, it could be commanding orcs to do its dirty work. Altariel decided that she was too tired to try and solve things any further. She would rest on this and take the problem on with a fresh mind.

Suddenly, she was interrupted by a knock at the door. She opened it cautiously with her hand on the grip of her sword. "It's me, Sam," a familiar voice whispered from the other side. He walked in and hurriedly shut the door behind him. Altariel noticed that he was bleeding and had several cuts on his face.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Assassins came after me," he whispered. "I fought them off with my sword. You are the only person I trust outside of the Shire, so I came here. Now, we need to-" he broke off suddenly upon hearing an ominous knocking at the door. "They're here," he whispered.

Before Altariel could even ask who was there, the door was abruptly kicked inwards. She pulled Sam out of the way and then pushed him behind her. Although when she first left the Vale she hadn't known how to fight at all, she had lost no time learning. The three men were all armed with daggers and weren't wearing armor. They were clearly not looking for a fight.

Within a few seconds, it was all over for them. Altariel barely even needed to try. She simply used her superior reach and skill and before Sam could even try and defend her they were dead. "Quick," she said to Sam. "We need to get out of here. I have a safe house just in case anyone ever came after me. We need to go there before-" She stopped talking to dodge a knife flung by a new assassin. She slashed quickly with her sword, killing them. "-anyone else comes after us," she finished.

Sam and Altariel ran through the woods for almost an hour before they finally got to Altariel's safe house. "Come inside and I'll take a look at your injuries", she said. Luckily, his injuries were only cuts and bruises and she was able to sew up his more serious cuts. "What do we do now?" he asked.

Altariel shrugged. "For now, we rest. We'll figure out what to do tomorrow."

Inside their tent, Liriel admired their backup. The newcomer impressed Liriel. He wore shining armor and had a rather large sword. Even if he had no idea what he was doing, he would be doing it in style. Guband gestured proudly to the man. "This is Turondo, the solution to the problem you encountered in the tunnel!" she announced.

Liriel frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the main problem you experienced down there was the sensation of that evil and nasty thing. Turondo will help fix that problem."

Liriel rolled here eyes. "I understood that part. What I wanted to know was how?'

Pazij interrupted their conversation. "Oh, that's simple. Turondo is a priest of Schulr, the Kirran goddess of light." She paused, expecting that Liriel would now understand.

Liriel sighed. "I didn't grow up here, remember? What does that mean?"

Pazij sighed as well. "My apologies, I keep forgetting. Schulr grants her priests magical abilities related to hope and guidance. Turondo can cast spells that will protect us from the thing down there."

Comprehension dawned on Liriel. "That's a very good solution. Now I have even more reasons to like him."

"Indeed," said Guband. "Also, if it turns out that whatever is down there is tangible, the four of us have plenty of power to fight it."

"Now I'm all confused again," Liriel complained. "What do you mean 'the four of us'?"

"Damn it, Guband!" yelled Pazij. She sighed again. "Now that Guband's spoiled things I may as well tell you. We were not assigned with you by accident, a fact. Guband and I also have powers, though not quite the same as yours. I can shoot fire from my hands, while Guband has minor control over the air around her." Guband demonstrated by blowing out the candle in their tent, and Pazij demonstrated by relighting it.

Liriel gaped at them. "I…I had no idea."

"Indeed. And if someone hadn't gone and ruined things you wouldn't have found out unless it was necessary."

"Well, I'm relieved to know that in addition to a group of soldiers I will have two more people like me with us."

Guband frowned. "Actually, we're not bringing the soldiers with us."

"Why not? Don't they help us?"

Guband shook her head. "Actually, not as much as you'd think. Anything that could defeat us without them could probably defeat us with them. Admittedly, while they would make good shield, Turondo can't protect all of them, so they would be worthless anyways."

"I guess that makes sense," Liriel admitted. She crawled into their sleeping bag inside the tent, and Guband and Pazij did the same. Today had been a day of astounding revelations. She couldn't wait to see what wonders the expedition would bring.