"Jade.Jade.Jade, wake up. "

Jade opened her eyes slowly, since she was still sleepy. The light coming in around the door was pinkish-

orange, indicating that the sun was not fully up. As she wiped the blurriness from her eyes, Jade recognized

Melliea, who was standing over the cot, looking anxious.

Jade sat up suddenly, and asked, "What's up? Is everything alright?"

Melliea rung her hands, then stated, "You're leaving."

Her answer caught jade by surprise, and she quickly stuttered "What?! Why?"

Melliea shook her head, "I do not know, but less than an hour ago, Lord Sriven informed us of his imminent

departure, and gave instructions that you were to accompany him." Jade wanted to ask more question while she

scrambled to get dressed but Melliea couldn't, or wouldn't, tell her anything more. As soon as Jade was dressed,

Melliea handed her a muffin and a glass of juice, and quickly left the room. Jade followed, trying to keep up and

bolt down her breakfast at the same time.

"He could've waited at least 'till later in the morning." Jade muttered to herself as she hurried down the

corridors.

Jade, however, had forgotten Melliea cat-like ears, and she caught every word. "I assume you are referring

to Lord Sriven? You were lucky; the immortals, who have no need of sleep, rarely extend the courtesy to others.

Lord Sriven could have decided to leave in the middle of the night, since it makes no difference to him."

Jade just managed to finish eating as they arrived at a pair of double doors at the end of a wide hallway.

Melliea handed Jade a napkin and added, "If I don't see you again, goodbye, and please be careful."

The door swung inward, and Jade walked into an ornate room, decorated with silver, glass, jewels, and

fountains. The doors closed silently behind her, and Jade looked at Sriven, who was standing straight ahead of her.

After an awkward moment of silence, Jade stammered "Uhh.good morning?" hoping that was polite enough.

Sriven regarded her for a moment longer, then walked forward and stopped less than a foot in front of her. He laid

his hand lightly on her shoulder, and the room suddenly blurred. The grey walls faded away, and when everything

returned to normal clarity Jade realized they were in the central courtyard. Sriven turned and strode quickly

towards the main gateway. Jade practically had to jog to keep up. As they approached the massive walls that

framed the gates, Melliea slipped out of a corridor that ran in one of the walls. She slowed as Sriven passed her,

but he did not even glance down.

Melliea hastily passed a brown pack to Jade, saying, "I packed a few things you might need, and goodbye

again."

Jade stammered, "Thanks, and goodbye, too." She rushed to catch up with Sriven, who had stopped just

outside the gate. She skidded to a stop, and asked, "Were are we going, anyway?"

Sriven, who was looking along the ridge of mountains, replied, "The Tower At Dawn." The answer didn't

make sense to Jade, who was even more confused at his question, "Have you ever flown before?"

Jade didn't answer for a moment as she tried to sort out her thoughts, "Uhh.lots of times in an airplane."

Sriven frowned, "That's not what I meant."

"Well, a couple times I flew using the Rooster talisman."

Sriven looked at her questioningly.

"Uhm, it was a magical item made by Shendu." Jade tried to explain.

"You were able to fly using an artifact formed by a demon?"

Jade brightened "Yeah, that's about it."

Sriven sighed, looking annoyed.

"Hey, its not my fault, humans are made for flight." As soon as the words left her mouth, Jade realized it

was a mistake. She stiffened as her muscles froze, and breathing was suddenly difficult. The edges of her vision

darkened and a rumbling filled her ears.

Sriven's purple eyes glowed with an inner light, and his voice took on an icy, almost tangible quality. "You

shouldn't be disrespectful to those who can hurt you."

Abruptly everything returned to normal, and Jade almost collapsed as she regained control of her muscles.

Sriven acted as if nothing had happened. He held both his hands in front of him, and a dark blue haze that

flickered with silver sparks formed between them. The glow spread until it outlined his whole body. He stretched

one hand over Jade's head, and the haze poured out over her. It felt like a cold fog, and her skin tingled wherever

one of the silver sparks touched it. When Jade was completely outlined, Sriven abruptly turned away and said,

"Follow me." He rose off the ground and drifted towards the mountains. Jade tried to walk after him, but she

suddenly found herself drifting along, too. Sriven began to fly faster, and Jade began to fall behind.

Without looking back, Sriven called out, "Focus on a point on the horizon, make that your destination, and

pick a new point when we get close." Jade concentrated on one of the mountains, and gained speed until she and

Sriven darted over the terrain below.

After several hours, when the sun had passed its zenith, Sriven turned into the mountains, and they flew

between the peaks. The mountains were smaller here, and the range was slowly shrinking away to foothills. A

short distance into the mountains, they passed over a small forest of dead, brown trees. Thousands of black birds

took off from the trees and began to fly after them. Jade at first thought they were crows, but as they drew level,

she realized the smallest was the size of an eagle. When they cawed, sparks flashed out from their beaks, and fog

seemed to drift from their feathers. They stayed away from Sriven, but several closed in on Jade. One clawed at

her side, and another pecked at her arm, drawing blood. Jade cried in pain and surprise, as more of the birds

swerved near. Bolts of lightning flashed past, striking some birds and driving the rest away. Sriven was flying

along on his back, with lighting encircling his wrists.

"Storm Crows," he explained, "Vicious creatures." Then he grinned as if enjoying a private thought.

The sun was almost set by the time they reached the edge of the mountains, which gave away to a short

grassy area before turning into the sand of a beach. The water stretched away onto the distance, but the waves

lapped gently on the shore.

As they flew out into the gathering night, Sriven announced, "This is Aestivusmare, the great inland sea."

All land quickly vanished from sight, and the sun slipped below the horizon. Thousands of stars, however,

kept the water lit almost as brightly as the sun. Jade began to feel weary, and he slowly drifted lower, toward the

water, only to be woken by the spray from the waves. She jerked awake, and struggled to gain altitude. Sriven

noticed as she fell behind, and dropped back until he flew alongside.

"Keep flying" was all he said, however, before he suddenly dove beneath the waters with a tremendous

splash. For what seemed like hours, though it was probably only minutes, Jade was alone on the open expanse of

the lake. A splashing in the water drew her attention, and Sriven's head and shoulders rose above the waves. As

he continued to rise, it appeared as if he was standing upright, and indeed he was. His feet were planted on what

appeared to be a small island that briefly splashed along, matching Jade's speed. Then, with a flash of greenish-

silvery scales, an enormous head, as long as a school bus, surged upward. An eye the size of a beach ball regarded

Jade calmly, and Sriven motioned for her to fly nearer. As Jade flew over to him, he reached to grasp her arm, and

she dropped onto the rigid, rough surface. The creature's body was merely a shadow stretching backwards under

the water, with spines cutting above the surface.

Sriven introduced Jade saying, "This is Wreslinanestlempinaresemaniltristeln, the emperor of Aestivusmare.

He has agreed to give you a ride for part of our trip."

Jade hesitatingly offered a greeting, "Hello, Wreslinanes." she trailed off, having forgotten the rest of the

name.

She was shocked when the chuckle rumbled out from beneath her, followed by, "Wreslin will do, small one,

I know how tongue-tied some mortals can get. But what's your name?"

"J-J-Jade", she stammered.

"Jaaaaaaaaade." the sea serpent repeated her name, drawing out the sound until it eventually tapered off.

To say that Wreslin's voice was gravelly didn't do it justice. When the creature spoke it sounded like an

avalanche. "It is not often that one of my kind to has the pleasure of talking to a human. We have been all but

eliminated from the seas of your homeworld, hunted nearly to extinction by greedy or fearful men."

Jade's stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast. She sat and pulled the pack off

her back while undoing the clasp. Inside she found a loaf of bread, a wedge of cheese, several pieces of chicken,

and a flask of water, as well as a travel cloak with a hood. Jade dug into her meal hungrily.

Wreslin laughed again, saying, "The girl seems half starved, Sriven, you should be more attentive to the

mortals you drag along with you." When Sriven didn't respond, Wreslin continued, speaking to Jade instead.

"Sriven never was great for a dinner conversation, he stays as silent as the fish I eat."

His eyes never leaving the horizon, Sriven retorted, "Why don't you eat some of Allustel's creatures, that

would make for an interesting meal."

"Interesting yes, but not enjoyable. Our magics are to different to mix."

"What a pity." Sriven sounded completely insincere.

Jade asked, "Who's Allustra?"

For a minute she didn't think Sriven would answer, but then he spoke, slowly and deliberately,"The name is

Allustrel, and she is an elf. More specifically, the elf we are going to see."

Wreslin added, "Allustrel is a moon elf, and a powerful sorceress."

Neither Ssriven nor Wreslin would say any more about her, and Jade gave up. She went to sleep, using the

pack as a pillow, while the mighty sea serpent rushed onward, into the night.



Jade awoke, and lay still on the ground. 'Ground?' she thought. Looking around, Jade realized she was on a sandy beach. Sriven stood on the shoreline, watching Wreslin slip back under the water. When he was gone,

Sriven sauntered back up the beach and informed Jade, "We are close enough to walk from here." Jade scrambled

to her feet, grabbing the pack that had been, surprisingly, still under her head. She followed Sriven into the trees

that lined the beach. Jade yawned, and shivered slightly in the cool, pre- dawn air. The sky was already changing

from gray to pink; meaning sunrise wasn't far away. Jade noticed movements in the forest around them, and

quickly realized that several wolves were following them. The wolves were trying to stalk them, but weren't hard

to spot because of their colored fur. One was blue, and another was bright green, a third had pink patches and a

forth was striped like a zebra. After the wolves slipped away, Jade spotted an owl sitting on a tree branch,

watching them with all six of its eyes. Abruptly the trees ended and Sriven stopped at the edge of a large meadow.

"Now what?" asked Jade

"We wait."

"For what?"

"You should learn some patience."

Jade sighed; she was cold and damp from the dew. She perked up a bit when the first rays of sunlight

peeked over the horizon. Out in the center of the meadow, a large shadow swept across the ground. A smoky

outline rose into the air, and as the sun continued to rise, the shape solidified. A huge tower suddenly existed in the

previously empty meadow.

"The Tower At Dawn." Sriven grinned.