Back at the Castle of the Crystal, SkekTek wasn't having much luck in finding a solution to the problem. He didn't feel as panicked about it since the Emperor was busy with other things. One of them being that the Ornamentalist is unusually late since he was due back soon. However, he had to think of something that would keep them alive and keep his promise to Ghost. He even admitted to himself that his last experiment nearly cost him his life and might have deadly consequences for the Skeksis if Ghost's visions come true.

Just as he was fiddling with a piece of metal that might help the crystal have more power, SkekVar burst in the doorway. "Weakling!"

SkekTek nearly dropped his gear in fright. "What is the meaning of this?! Can't you see I'm doing something?"

"Save your tinkering for another time! The Emperor wants us in the throne room now!" SkekVar vanished before SkekTek could ask a question.

The Scientist pondered for a moment. I wonder what this is all about? He thought. From the grave expression on The General's face, the news must be grave indeed. He put down what he was working and moved as fast as he could. He arrived at the throne room in a matter of minutes. SkekTek soon began to take in the scene around them.

SkekVar still held the same expression as he did when he first intercepted SkekTek. SkekZok was stock still. SkekAyuk wringed his hands, panicked and huffed harder. SkekSil did his usual whimper. As for SkekSo, he was silent as ever staying at a Stonewood Gelfling guard that was in front of him. This Gelfling was in terrible shape. Bandages around his face and neck. An arm in a sling.

"What's going on?" SkekTek asked. His mouth went dry. Too terrified to know the answer.

SkekSo didn't move his gaze. "This Gelfling was part of The Ornamentalist's escort. Go on...Tell him what you told us."

The Gelfling turned to face SkekTek. "My lord...I...I regret to inform you that we were attacked by an unknown force."

"Not Aranthim?" SkekTek asked.

"We could not see them. They moved in a way that I've never seen before. They practically lured one group away before we could register what was going on." The Gelfling's voice began to waiver. "My comrades and I were only able to survive because we took shelter in the hollowed trees and rivers. They don't seem to like them for some reason. I-I tried to get to The Ornamentalist, but I was dragged into a bush and fight off- I don't know! It resembled a large Fizzgig with a stinger! I had some firefly from my lanturn. Drove the thing away. I heard a scream and made my way to the carriage. When I got to The Ornamentalist's carriage, all I found...was this." He pulled out the pearl necklace that SkekEkt would normally wear. He bowed his head. "I'm deeply sorry, my lords! We had to retreat! The situation was starting to grow too dangerous!"

"Wait at the barracks." SkekSo commanded. He glared at SkekAyuk. The Gourmand was ready to pummel the soldier. "When Commander Ordon comes back, he'll decide what to do with you next." The Gelfling bowed to him and left.

"Is there…" SkekTek gulped. "Any other proof of what happened?"

SkekVar wordlessly held out what seemed to be a claw. "This was recovered from one of the other guards after they received treatment." He brought it closer to SkekTek's face. "Smell."

SkekTek sniffed the black claw. He immediately wanted to throw up. It was absolutely revolting. Death. Just as the Gelfling described it. There was also the smell of disease and filth. The structure of the claw also showed that these monsters can kill the landstriders. "What shall we do?"

"For now…" SkekSo said. "We send a search party for any clues about these 'attackers'. See where they've taken SkekEkt. Find any information to use against them. We've faced the Aranthim. We can certain fend off them as well."

"What about Ghost! Collector! Scrollkeeper! They don't know about the danger still out there!" SkekTek covered his mouth at his outburst. His heart was hammering too much about what happened.

"I'll see to it that a message is sent to all the Skeksis in Thra." SkekZok said. "I'll also notify the All Maudra and the Stonewood Maudra about what happened."

The Emperor nodded. "Very well." SkekSo said. "Return to your regular duties until further instructions."

With that the meeting has ended. Every Skeksis went away with only the Gourmand and Emperor arguing under a low voice. SkekTek found himself scared. His steps became slower. Every part of him wanted to go to Ghost's room to warn her. But he knew she wasn't there. He wasn't one of faith and not of Thra, but he found himself praying to Thra that Ghost would return home. With her bright smile and cheerful eyes. High above the rafters, he wasn't the only one.

-(Caves of Grot, The Caravan)-

Laughter was heard inside the carriage. SkekLach was having a good time for once. SkekOk was trying hard to regain his breath. Ghost was beaming from ear to ear. Her hair was set up in a nice braid with a few beads as a form of gratitude from the Dousan clan. She had just finished her latest imitation of The Chamberlain. They had to rest a little after the ceremony before continuing on in The Caves of Grot. At that point, Ghost told them everything that happened. Including the race. Everyone was completely shocked by this. Even SkekMal was somewhat impressed by this.

"I still can't believe you actually managed to outrace a behemoth that large!" SkekOk exclaimed. "Even when your heart was causing you trouble."

"I know how much those spectacles meant to you." Ghost said. She looked down for a moment as she also remembered it was similar to the incident at Ha'rar. "I'm just glad I was able to get through to them the way I did. I'm now starting to think that they only took those items because they were desperate."

"Desperate?" SkekLach asked. "For what?"

"To get away from something...or someone…" Ghost thought for a moment. "When I raced Elctor, he turned an angle where I saw a collar on underneath the black fur. Whoever had put it on him must have been powerful."

"Well," SkekOk said. "I make sure that the Emperor hears word about this." He flinched as he adjusted his spectacles. He still had a bandage where one of the Bladewings grazed his face. Thankfully it missed his eye. "I do wish that you at least punished those birds for what they did."

"I know. My hand still hurts but at least you're ok." The white Gelfling giggled. "I'm sorry. I'm just really excited about seeing the Grotten clan. Maybe I'll get to see my father."

SkekLach looked serious now. "Ghost…" He said. "If you're planning to do that, then you need one of us to go with you. I don't want to see you gloomy like back at Ha'rar."

"I'm sure I won't be." Ghost said, trying to be reassuring. "I read in my mother's journal that the last time she saw him, he was alive and heading back to get things ready for their new life together." Ghost had been reading the journal throughout the journey. A few entries made her cry as she learned that her grandparents were just as harsh with her mother as they did with her. She loved the relationship they both built together after that one fateful encounter of trying to fend off some Hollerbats that somehow made their way up to the surface from a nearby tunnel.

"Best if I go then." SkekOk said. "If it'll prevent you from taking on anymore misadventures."

Ghost simply nodded and looked back at the journal. On one page was an image of a Grotten Gelfling holding up a pale blue flower with its petals oddly shaped like a lanturn. His smile was warm and gentle. His dark eyes gave a sense of comfort that would give strength through the darkest time. Ghost couldn't help think of the one time where SkekMal used a piece of his robe to mend her wound. His claws were so gentle around her. His gaze was so filled with concern. His body warm as he simply held her when she started to feel a little faint just after the tithing ceremony was over. At that point, Ghost couldn't help but find herself imagining him actually in the same carriage and talking to her in a soft voice.

Once again, the ceremony was about to begin. Every Gelfling was gathered in a straight line. They all stared in awe. But it wasn't for the Lords of the Crystal. All eyes were on Ghost. Each handed all that they could to the Lords but whispers were starting to reach Ghost's ears.

"She looks like Merl."

"Really? She seems more Vapran."

"Look closely and you'll see the Grotten Heritage."

Ghost's eyes widened. Her heart hammering hard. As far as she saw, there was no Gelfling with that name present. Her hand reached out but soon felt a shoulder. She looked to see it was the elderly maudra.

Her dark, unseeing eyes were filled with kindness."I see you have questions." Maudra Argot said. "Perhaps I can answer them after we're done here."

Once everyone has left, Ghost was soon alone with SkekLach and SkekOk. They stared at Muadra Argot. Wanted answers to what happened to Ghost's father. Ghost was the first to ask. "Did you know my father?"

Muadra Argot nodded. "Yes, dear. Everyone knew him. He was one of the best caretakers for Nurloc that ever lived. A few times I would come treat his wounds. Apparently he got them from climbing the tunnels to Ha'rar." She chuckled. "That fool so loved your mother. Talked about her constantly." She walked over to Ghost and began to feel her. She gently stroked the white hair and ears. "You are just like him. Even if I can't see you properly."

Ghost felt tears in her eyes. "Why didn't I see him today? I thought all Gelflings gathered for the ritual."

Maudra Argot grew silent for a moment. Then sighed. "I'm afraid he died before he could meet you. There was an accident. Just as he was climbing up the rope, the rope snapped...and...well…"

Ghost's heart sunk. "No...N-no. He…" She soon found herself being picked up by SkekLach. Tears welling up in her eyes.

Argot bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Ghost...If he were alive, I'm sure he would've torn all of Thra to look for you."

Ghost cried. Her tears dripped down her cheeks. She felt SkekLach rub her back gently. When she was done, she looked up to Maudra Argot. "Do you know where I can find his resting place?"

-(Castle of the Crystal)-

Rian, Mira and Gurjin gathered in the hallway as SkekVar requested everyone to gather. When the surviving guards returned with grave wounds and no Ornamentalist in sight, there was great concern in the guard. Ghost has yet to return with Ordon, Scrollkeeper and Collector. It was bad enough that an enormous black monster was found flying above the Castle two nights ago, now a missing Lord and a violent attack has just made things worse.

"I hope Ghost is alright." Mira said. "She's finally able to explore Thra but now we have monsters attacking."

"Give Ghost some credit." Gurjin said. "She's been through worse. I think she can handle something like this."

Rian nodded. "My father's with her too. He'll make sure they're ok. He never would let anything happen to her." Rian took a deep breath and sighed. The young Stonewood warrior thought back to the one time that Ghost was covered in mud after some Stonewood boys ambushed her and tried to force her to eat mud. She was crying. Rian had never been so mad in his life. He told his father about it. Ordon made sure those boys were punished. Rian also promised to her that day that if she ever went back to Stonewood with him, he would protect her. Until she was sixteen trines, he had kept that promise.

SkekVar walked into the area with SkekZok in tow. "Alright, listen up! The Ornamentalist is missing. From what you've been told by the survivors, they didn't have enough time to search for clues to where he's gone. At least five different groups are going to be searching the area where the attack took place. Make sure you report what you find. If you find a creature that looks suspicious, bring it to the castle for questioning." He began pointing to several Gelfling. Then, he managed to point to both Mira and Rian. "You two will take the south portion."

Two emotions split in Rian's head. He was excited to do a mission chosen for him by one of the lords himself. Yet...It was dealing with a dangerous threat that took down one of the Skeksis. He felt a hand holding his. Rian gazed up into Mira's eyes.

Mira smiled at him. "It's going to be ok. At least we'll be together." With no one looking, she kissed him on the cheek.

-(Stonewood Forest, Deet)-

Deet's feet were beginning to hurt. She's been traveling in the forest for days and didn't seem to get anywhere. The young Grotten tried to ask for directions but some of the Stonewood Gelfling ignored her. She sat down on a tree root. Her feet ached. She took off her shoes and began to massage her feet. "Who knew that life up here would be this harsh?"

As she continued to rub, a silent creature was silently stalking behind the trees. It growled menacingly. A thin, lethal shape. It's face resembled a barracuda while the lower part of its body resembled a cheetahs. Spikes twitched on the tail. It approached closer.

Deet turned around just as it was about to pounce. She grabbed her shoes and jump out of the way. "Uh...Hello...My name's Deet...What's yours?" She was only met by a growl. "Well...Sorry if I bothered you. I think I'll be going now!" Deet began to run in a matter of minutes. Her bandana fell off her face. Sunlight blinding her. She found herself having a hard time navigating. "I used to get along with animals!"

To her horror, she tripped on a root. Fell hard on her back. She backed away as far as she could. The monster was only a few feet from her. Deet could think of only one thing that could help her. "You don't have to eat me! We could be friends." The monster reared up and Deet closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.

Suddenly, a voice called out to the creature. Standing on a ledge was a small creature, only a foot smaller than a Gelfling. He stood proud. His gaze fierce despite his round face. In his hand was a spoon. He waved it proudly and grabbed a vine.

"Be careful!" Deet called out.

The small creature bravely let go. He delivered one swift kick to the black fish eye. He backed away in time before the claws could touch him. His spoon caught a hold of one claw. He twisted and did a headbutt. The monster growled and got on its hind legs to deliver a devastating blow only to be knocked down by Deet. With two more thwacks of the spoon, the creature called off the creature with insults in its own language.

Deet slowly got up from her spot. "Thank you." She picked up her shoes and put them on her feet. "My name's Deet. What name do you go by?"

The little creature looked at her and smiled. "Hup."

"Hup...Is that your name?"

Hup nodded. "Podling."

"Oh...I've never met a Podling before." Deet smiled. "Nice to meet you Podling Hup. Do you by any chance know how to get to Ha'rar?"

-(Back at the Caves of Grot)-

Ghost was standing over a grave site that held the inscription of her father's name. Her eyes were sore from all the rubbing she did to keep herself from crying in front of the other Gelflings. Ordon was the only one who knew what was going on and was ordered by Scrollkeeper to make sure no one followed them. As much as they despise death, letting Ghost "meet" her father might help a little. Ghost took a deep breath. "Hello father...I'm Ghost. You're daughter…"

The white Gelfling gulped again. "I know that's strange but it's true. My mother...Your Sapphire...gave birth to me. Y-you'll be happy to know that the Lords of the Crystal took me in. I'm grateful to them and I think you would've liked them too." She wiped tears from her eyes. "I'm so sorry that we weren't able to meet properly, but I hope you two are happy now that you're finally together. Goodbye...father." Ghost finally sobbed and began to walk away. She felt Collector's gentle hand rubbing her back.

"Hey…" SkekLach said. "Look on the bright side, at least you know that your parents liked you. Let's head home now. Ok?"

Ghost nodded. Then, her ears twitched. She could hear heavy breathing and footsteps coming this way. Ghost looked in every possible direction until she saw two large creatures sneaking up behind SkekOk. "Scrollkeeper! Behind you!" She flew between her and the massive beasts, causing SkekOk to squawk in surprise. Her wings were instinctively flared out.

The beasts were just as big as Elctor. One beast resembled a tiger with caracal ears and two pairs of amber eyes glowing bright. His orange-red fur ragged and covered in grave wounds. Next to him was a wolf-like creature with broken ice spikes along its body. The injuries were just as bad and the icy blue eyes were beginning to lose their light. His dark blue nose twitched. Then, spoke: "Wings of heaven...You are the one…"

"You will do. Bear our power." Said the tiger.

"Wha-" Ghost didn't have time to react. Both of her hands were trapped by the large jaws. Her screams were drowned out by a strange sensation flowing into her body. Her left arm felt like a torch hit her arm hard while her right felt as though it was bathed by the breath of winter. The intense pain caused Ghost to sink. Her body fell into darkness.

-(Somewhere in the last location where SkekEKt disappeared)-

Mira and Rian were searching every bush for whatever clue they could find. No luck. Mira sighed. "Why would anyone want to attack the Ornamentalist? He doesn't have any form of combat knowledge to speak of."

Rian peeked from his bush. "But he's very close to the other lords. They might want information from him." He walked further away from Mira. He scanned the ground. "There's got to be something that could help us." Suddenly, something glinted in his eyes. He rushed towards it. On his knees, the Stonewood warrior brushed away the dirt to reveal a strange pendant. The pendant was pure silver. It took on a shape of a bird that wasn't part of Thra. Owl-like with long, elegant tail feathers. Opals were set as milky eyes that gazed at a distance. He turned it around in his head. "What in Thra?"

Without warning, a scream rang in the forest. Rian perked up from his observation. He placed the object in his pocket and ran to the direction of the noise. He froze. Blue eyes wide with dismay and shock. "Mirrraaa!"

-(Castle of the Crystal)-

Ghost had what seemed to be another vision again. She wasn't sure, but she saw the Emperor swirling his staff in circles around a strange dark energy. The same purple she had seen on the Landstrider. Then, she saw a large lizard monster walking in the forest. Suddenly, she felt cloth in her hands. Her ears twitched as gurgling noises reached her ears.

"...Ghost?"

She heard it again. Her vision was filled with light and color. She blinked a few times as blobby shapes appeared before her. Then, it settled into the angular shapes of SkekTek and bulky SkekVar. They both looked at her with what looked like a mixture of relief and concern. "Hi…" Ghost said weakly. "Sorry I took so long." Before the white Gelfling could understand what was going on, SkekVar hugged her. Ghost squeaked in pain.

SkekTek smacked him lightly. "General! Be careful! She still has severe injuries in her arms!"

"Sorry." SkekVar backed away. "Glad to see you among the living, Snowflake." That was his favorite nickname for her since Pipsqueak was already taken by SkekSil.

Ghost smiled weakly. "Sorry that I worried you all. What happened?"

"You got bitten by those strange beasts." SkekTek explained. "Maudra Argot treated your wounds. The Collector and Scrollkeeper had to rush the journey to bring you back home so you could be safe."

Ghost's eyes looked thoughtful for a moment. "Is everyone else ok? I bet poor Ekty practically had a heart attack upon hearing that news." She giggled slightly at the idea of the Ornamentalist running around the castle in horror and screaming at the Podlings and Palace Guards at the top of his lungs. Then, she noticed the heavy silence that hung in the air. "What's wrong?" She quickly got up, ignoring the sting in her arms. "Did something happen?"

"You tell her. You do know she'll have to find out eventually." SkekVar said.

SkekTek was silent for a moment. He closed his eyes and sighed. "The Ornamentalist was kidnapped. His caravan was attacked as he was coming home. One of the guards tried to save him, but only his pearl necklace was found." His heart practically broke as Ghost's eyes were filled with sorrow. "I'm so sorry Ghost."

Ghost let out a soft sob. She found herself collapsing into his arms. Her cries began to escalate as her back was rubbed. "No! No! NO! It can't happen! Not to him!" She buried her face. Suddenly, a door was flung open to reveal Ordon and Gurjin. By the looks of their faces, more ill news is yet to come.

Gurjin bowed. Then, noticed Ghost. "Ghost! You need to come with us!"

"Gurjin!" Ordon scolded. "She needs to rest!"

Ghost gripped The Scientist's sleeve. "What...happened?"

"It's Mira!" Gurjin answered. "She's been attacked! I don't know how badly but she might not last!"

Wanted more Deet in this fic. I couldn't write the Podling language because I might mess it up. However, there shall be more angst to come! Also, please review!