Crystal Points

Crystal Points

Emania, Land of Infinite Gods

I shall gather myself into myself again,

I shall take my scattered selves and make them one,

Fusing them into a polished crystal ball

Where I can see the moon and the flashing sun.

I shall sit like a sybil, hour after hour intent,

Watching the future come and the present go,

And the little shifting pictures of people rushing

In restless self-importance to and fro.

-Sara Teasdale, "The Crystal Gazer"

Episode 5: Rei-chan finds the way? The Wealthy City on the River!

Blackness was mingled with moonlight, shining from more orbs in the sky than the Earth would ever see, the current number being three, though still waxing. Into the darkness, six figures slipped, familiar in the sense that there were six, five female, one male. Yet only four of these were pretty soldiers, though the man among them was warrior enough, and the remaining female a princess. With efficient precision they slipped though the shadows, the gates and the castle, escaping what lay behind them, and the threat it carried.

They spoke little as they pressed forward, and within an hour there came blasts from behind them, trumpet blasts, echoing through the valley, sending the alarm that something had happened, and that soldiers were being deployed from the castle.

Two little figures flew up though the branches, skimming the treetops and using keen eyes to watch for pursers. Through the night they pressed forward, edging their horses to a gallop and trusting the sharp eyes of the little dragonets above. No words were needed in their flight. Balan led the way, knowing the paths better than princess or stranger. Back trails, weaving their way though the tapestry of forest, knitting around rock and giant tree, though thickets and underbrush.

Back and forth across a running creek, losing the scent from baying hounds in the distance. Thoughout the day, the feeling of distance began to catch up with them, and they relaxed somewhat, and explanations were dealt out, the reasoning behind their flight, and the betrayal of Caradoc from his kind to demon armies. Why, they didn't understand, but it mattered little. They had to leave. Towards the setting sun, to the west, and far west. Mountains rose up beyond them, jagged peaks high, shrouded in clouds and valleys dipping low in mist.

Lands beyond their own. Worlds, even, and broken though by the four travelers, summoned by magic spell. It seemed incredible, and it was. Foretold, though little believed, save for the sorcerers who lived on the Fire Mountain.

It was again growing dark, and they traveled without rest.

"....I can hardly believe Caradoc would want to destroy the Points...." Rory murmured, half to herself. Then, louder, "And you from another world...Balan, I can't believe you didn't tell me this...."

From where he had taken point, Balan looked back at the chain of women behind him, looking at the tired faces. He had set a punishing pace, and they were unused to such traveling. "It was their right to say anything. I guessed, that's all," he answered, then turned back to the front, alert to pursuit.

"Minna," Rei wondered aloud, "I was thinking. Why is the Caradoc guy looking for the Points themselves? I mean, Lenora summoned us here to find them and to use them, ne? I was kind of assuming we were the only ones to be able to do that."

It was Ami who replied, "Hai, Rei-chan, I've been thinking about that too. There's something we're missing about it all. But...we can't assume. This thing about us, princesses and soldiers...it's a myth. A fairy tale, ne?" She looked at Balan and then Rory for confirmation, and received it after a moment. Then she continued, "Even in our world, fairy tales...they aren't believed very often. Even religions. Some people believe in one god, others many. Some not at all. Some people even take on delusions of grandeur. Stories aren't usually taken at face value, regardless of the source. It seems we are a self-fulfilling prophecy, making it up as we go. There don't seem to be any rules...."

The group was quiet for awhile, thinking about this, the only sounds the empty plod of the horses on the trail.

Rory yawned, and wobbled in the saddle a little from weariness. Minako watched her rub her eyes, and yawn a second time, gripping hard the reins in her hands, trying to stay awake.

"Ah...minna," Minako began, looking up the column of riders, subtly angling her horse closer to Rory's, to grab her if she teetered out of the saddle. At Minako's words, the line of heads swiveled around, waiting to hear her speak. Exaggeratedly, Minako yawned, arching her back in a dramatic stretch. "Minna, I'm so sleepy. We've put a lot of distance between us and Ansur." She glanced over at the creek running not to far away. The dip down to it could be seen, and the babble of water over stone heard in the air, which was faintly filled with the sounds of evening birds chirping. "I'm getting hungry too. We really should stop and sleep."

As she spoke, they slowed and stopped, looking around as though unsure of the spot. But no one wanted to argue. A full night and day of adrenaline and running away was catching up to them, and even the dragons looked tired, draped on the shoulders of their mistresses.

"I agree," Makoto said, and was seconded by Balan, and nods from Ami and Rei. Slanting red twilight streaked though the trees, and a moth fluttered though the dusty air. It was a flat, dry area just above the creekbed. The quiet was filled with the sounds of groaning, four of them very unaccustomed to riding in the saddle, stretching out cramped thighs. "Oh my god...." Makoto groaned as she tried to move her knees together, and succeeded in lurching forward uncomfortably. "Ow...."

Rubbing her backside, Rei looked around, frowning. "We need to get food. And we didn't exactly bring anything with...."

There are fish in the creek. They would be good to eat.

"Lagu-chan says that there are fish in the creek."

There were a few nods of agreement at Ami's suggestion, and Rei commented, "Good. Who knows how to fish?"

I do.

"Lagu-chan, we don't have any fishing poles, or nets, or...."

"Then we don't use nets," Balan said with a shrug. He held up his hands, and grinned slightly. "We just grab them."

"I can cook them...." Makoto said as she considered the area around them. There was plenty of ground litter, leaves and sticks. She kicked some of the fallen flora away, revealing a large stone. She looked up through the branches, examining the largish leaves. "Anyone know how to start a fire?" Then she blinked, looking at Rei, who was putting her hand into the air, and opening her mouth to shout her henshin phrase. Amending, Makoto added hurriedly, "Ah, without probably setting the woods on fire?"

Rei looked a little disappointed.

"Balan, didn't you bring tinder, or flint?" Rory was drawing out a cloak, wrapping it around her shoulders. She hugged it tightly, the folds falling long to the ground. "It's going to get cold tonight."

You are all stupid.

"Hey!" Rei snapped, twisting her head to look at the dragon perched on her shoulder, with his nose in the air. Everyone else stared as Rei glared at Ken, who archly examined his talon.

You are all stupid.

"How am I stupid?"

To demonstrate, Ken lifted his sinewy neck, and breathed a perfect, needle thin gout of flame, only a few inches long, curling and smokeless.

I am the Element of Fire. You need to even think about where to get tinder? It is my power itself.

Ken looked smug as he settled back onto Rei's arm, curling his tail around the length of her hair as he settled his head on his claws. "I guess that answers that question," Rei sighed as she absently petted Ken's head. He was right after all.

"Then let's go fishing!" Minako grinned, grabbing Ami's arm and dragging her and Lagu down the small slope to the creek. "This is so cool! Like out of one of those old American adventure movies in the Old West...!"

Balan was shaking his head as the two girls disappeared, Lagu drifting slowly after them. "I'd better go rescue Ami before Minako drowns her."

"I'll come too..." Rei began, but was interrupted by a shrill shriek from Ken. "Nani? Ken-chan? Ow!" She flinched as Ken's sharp claws sank into her skin, and he began flapping wildly around her head in a furious panic.

Stupid! I won't go in the water! Fire! I'm Fire! Lagu is Water! Do you think I want to get into the water? I hate water!

"Okay, okay! Calm down! I didn't know you were afraid of the water. No one's forcing you!" Rei grabbed the irate dragonet off her before she got whacked in the head again with a wing. "Calm down, Ken-chan! We won't go into the damn water!"

After a moment, the red dragon began to relax, eyes still whirling fiercely as Rei tried to console him. "Everything all right, Rei?" She sighed as Rory looked concerned.

"Hai. We're going to...I don't know. Firewood collecting okay with you, Ken-chan?"

Yes.

"We'll get some wood for the fire. Ken-chan doesn't like the water much. I'll take a look around too, see if there's any berries or whatever. Plain fish...no rice or anything...." she sighed, and returned Ken to his usual perch, heading off into the trees, still visible to the camp, but heading out of earshot.

"Your friends are such characters, Makoto," Rory commented as she joined Mako over at the horses, rummaging through their saddlebags. "What are you looking for?"

With a sigh, Makoto buckled the bag closed again. "Nothing, apparently. Just trying to figure out how to cook without pots and pans."

Rory laughed lightly, shaking her head. Over the course of the day, she had bound her blonde hair up on her head, though much of it had now fallen messily out of its braid. "Princesses cooking...things must be so different in your world. I never have to cook."

"Well, princess I may be, but we haven't told you the whole story behind us yet. Don't worry, we will!" Makoto added as Rory looked at her, startled. "It's a long one."

From the stream, they heard a shriek of triumph out of Minako's mouth, and the two girls turned, peering, to see the red ribboned one brandishing a squirming fish in her hands. Within a moment, it had wriggled free, and was splashing back into the water, Minako falling on her face with a splash a moment later, laughing hysterically as she spluttered back up, soaking wet. Balan splashed his way over, offering a hand, which was accepted. Though a moment later, Minako pitched forward on a wet rock, and they both ended up in the creek.

Makoto and Rory giggled a little, watching the display. "You're all close to each other, aren't you, Makoto?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. It's been a long two years." Makoto's smile withdrew a bit, as she noticed a slight sadness pass over Rory's face. "Nan ja, Rory-hime?"

"Oh...nothing.... Won't anyone miss you, while you're gone? It's been a more than a week, at least, since you and Minako met Balan and I...won't your families worry?"

Makoto bit her lip, watching the continued fishing experience happening just beyond them. Ami was standing in the water now as well, eyes on the current, hands under the surface. She made a flinching motion, and suddenly a shining silver fish was in her hands, then flung onto the bank, where it flapped wildly on the grey rocks. Lagu was circling around Ami, and within a moment, dove, talons sinking into the water, and when she drew again into the air, she was laden with a fish as large as she was. Lagu's catch joined Ami's.

"Ami-chan's mother will, probably...her dad left a long time ago. Minako-chan's family too.... But we can't let the Silence come here. We've all fought before. We will again." Makoto continued, turning away from the scene below to find a clear spot on the ground, where they would build a fire. Already the light was fading, and she could see Rei's shadow moving among the branches, stooping every so often for another stick or log. Her arms were already becoming full, and even Ken was holding kindling in his claws. "Rei-chan has her grandpa, and Yuuichirou-san..." she laughed a little, thinking of Yuuichirou's somewhat obsessive dedication to Rei.

"What?"

"Yuuichirou. He's so in love with her."

"Her...ah...betrothed?"

Makoto burst into laughter at that, and Rei's head perked up, hearing it in the distance. After a moment, she returned to her work, and Makoto continued, "He wishes he was her boyfriend! Rei-chan likes to play hard to get."

"Oh..." Rory said, a little confused as to why Makoto found this so funny. She looked at Makoto and asked, "What about you? Your family?"

Makoto looked a little saddened, the laughter dying away. "They died when I was little, in a plane crash. I don't have anyone, other than Ami-chan, Rei-chan, Minako-chan and Usagi-chan...not really."

"No...boyfriend?" Rory asked, looking quietly at the noisy fishing expedition in the creek. Balan had managed to catch one as well, and Minako was still casting around in the water in her own attempt to get dinner. Balan was shaking his head at her futile efforts, kicking up too much water and chasing away any fish that may be around her feet. "No one?"

"No.... Is everything okay, Rory-hime?"

"Yes, just fine," she replied, turning away quickly and smiling as Makoto stood, being joined by Rei, who was returning.

"Here," she dumped her armload of branches onto the clear spot. "Ken-chan has the kindling...." Unceremoniously, the scarlet dragonet dumped his pile of sticks on top of Rei's contribution.

Arrange the wood, so I can start it.

Rei repeated this, giving Ken a small glare for rudeness. Then they organized the pile, separating out the largest branches to be added later. Ken crouched close, then breathed a tiny flame into the kindling and dry leaves in the center, setting them to a small glow. Smoke curled blackly up into the dying daylight, and the twigs began to crackle as fire consumed them.

As soon as this was completed, Ken took off into the air, circling once as he said something to Rei, then swooped into the trees. "He says he doesn't like fish, and he's going to go hunt. He'll be back soon."

"Minna! I caught one!" Minako was shrieking as she held up a small fish by the gills, its mouth agape. "Ew! It's so gross too!" She didn't seem particularly disturbed by that fact, but was saying it anyway. Balan and Minako were both soaking wet, drenched from Minako's earlier spill into the creek. Lagu was again riding on Ami's shoulder, looking pleased with herself as she serenely cleaned off her talons, fresh from catching some of the fish Ami was bringing with her.

The following process of cleaning and gutting the fish resulted in a mess, scales and bones everywhere as Balan desperately tried to give Minako and Rory instructions. Rei eventually gave up with it, irritated, at about the same time Ken came gliding back in, some blood still fresh on his muzzle from his own dinner. Rei busied herself with cleaning him up instead.

But eventually, the smell of roasting fish filled the glen, wrapped up in the leaves of a nearby tree, baking in the coals of the fire.

As they sat in a ring around the low fire, Balan peeled back the wide leaf around his fish, and sliced off a piece of the fillet, using his knife to slip it into his mouth. He grinned, "This is good," and continued to chew, leaving Minako to smile devilishly as Makoto thanked him for the compliment.

"So, where do we go from here?" Ami asked as she took her own portion from the baked fish. "I know we've been heading west, but what is in that direction?"

"Yeah," Minako continued. "I'd like to know where we're going."

"Aren't we looking for your Crystal Points?" Rory asked, looking surprised. "Balan and I will help you find them, and we'll save Emania."

"No," Balan countered immediately, frowning. "Princess, I know you're happy getting away from Ansur, but...."

"I am perfectly capable of joining you in the quest," Rory argued. "I can fight perfectly well. Minako, you remember, when we met, don't you?"

Minako nodded slowly, slightly reluctant to allow this. It was true that Rory had been the one to kick that goblin though the roof, but still...she wasn't a senshi. It would be too easy to slip into the trap of thinking of her as an Usagi. Rory couldn't henshin into Sailor-anything.

"I fought off that goblin. I protected myself. Balan, you know I can fight."

He was frowning thoughtfully. "Princess, you know that you've never actually been in the field...."

"Balan, don't be stupid! This is my chance to fight for real!" Eyes wide, she was looking between Balan and the senshi, hoping for some help. She received none, their eyes not meeting hers. "None of you? Not one? Minako?"

Silence.

"Rei?"

Eyes shifted away.

She looked defiant for a moment, then slowly mastered it, face loosing its ferocity as she realized that alone, she was going to lose. Defeated, she relaxed back into a sitting position, and stared at the slice of fish in her hands. There was the quiet sound of fire as Rory settled herself, and then, with a slightly irritated, or maybe disappointed tone, asked, "Then I'd like to know where we're going, too."

There was another pause, though shorter. Then, from Rei, "What lies to the west?"

They looked to Balan, since Rory was idly nibbling on her dinner, not wanting to add to the conversation. "The Western Kingdom, of course. But we don't have any allies there....the royal family has become reclusive, segregating themselves from the rest of Emania for the last five years. They won't help us."

"Then where do we go?" That from Makoto, who was passing around a waterbag, offering it to Rei, who sat beside her. "We can't go back. Where would be the safest place for you to hide?"

Balan blinked at her, startled at her comment. You to hide. Makoto was finishing passing the water to Ami, who was taking it. "Fire Mountain," he said as he recovered. "It is a place of sanctuary. All are accepted there."

"But we'd need to pass though Northern lands to get back there..." Rei estimated, charting their path in her head. "It took several days. We've passed the outermost ring of regular guards, right?" There was a nod from Balan, as Rei mentioned a stone marker they passed that morning, and in the distance they had seen a lone tower rising above the trees. They were on the outskirts of the Northland, in its wilds. "We can't go back that way. It'd take too long, and we'd be sure to be found."

Balan nodded in agreement. "The king is going to have men out looking for his daughter. We'll have to keep a lookout constantly. But there is one place I can think of. Probably best anyway. We'll have to be careful with our money, or hope to find some when we get there...do you four know how Emania is laid out?"

The senshi shook their heads. All they knew was what they had seen. Balan explained, drawing with a finger in the dirt. "Fire Mountain is about here," he made a dot in front of him. "North, South, East, Western Kingdoms, lie in these directions.... Ansur is here. The Lagu runs this way...the river, not the dragon," he grinned, as Lagu lifted her head at her name, drowsily. She chirruped, then curled back up to doze in the firelight, Ken beside her, the glow picking up the orange tones of his scales, and reflecting the multi-colored pastels of Lagu's.

"There are other rivers, that run into the Lagu. This creek will widen up in about a half day's travel, and empty into another river, which will eventually flow into the Lagu...the Lagu is the main river thoughout Emania. Most of the trade routes run though it or its tributaries. It snakes around the different lands, and runs...." he drew a line very close to the Fire Mountain. "About two days travel west of the Mountain, before it enters the South."

"Then we make for the river," Ami said, her mini-computer on her lap as she tapped the data in for safe keeping. "I wish we had some sort of key for distance...." The computer drew in statistical information, and a three dimensional image spun into the monitor. "Here. Is that fairly accurate?"

She turned the computer around, and though her sister senshi didn't seem surprised, Balan and Rory stared openly, mouths dropped. "More illusions?"

"Oh! No! This is...ah, something else. See?" She turned to Rory and showed her the keyboard. "Here. Tap that one." She pointed at the 'enter' key, and Rory tentatively touched it, sending the screen's images into a virtual setting.

"Oh!" Rory leapt back a bit in surprise, then, fascinated, leaned forward again as Ami laughed lightly at her interest. "My...."

"So then we go...where?"

"Aerial," Balan said, "the Western trading city. It sits on the Lagu, and even the separation edicts haven't been able to keep it closed. It's too important, especially with the recent food production increase in the North running though it. It's a port city. I was there once, years ago. It's supposed to have grown a lot since then."

"Then we'll be able to hide there pretty well," Minako decided, polishing off her fillet and wiping her greasy fingers on her pant leg. Of them, only Rory had remained in skirts, though they were plain and simple ones. "The more people, the better. And you can catch a boat back towards the Fire Mountain."

Ami considered, "There will be patrols, looking for us. The back roads will be very slow though, and it may allow pursuers to catch up. Should we try the main roads?"

Balan thought a moment. "We'll have to. The path we're on now will end up at a logging village, where this breaks off and empties into another river. We've gotten a small head start, and we have to keep it. We'll cut across the river tomorrow. It'll be dangerous, but it's our best bet. We'll just have to hope that Caradoc doesn't have his own spies out looking for us. I don't like it, but we may not have any other choice."

"That brings us back to the same question," Rei commented, finishing her dinner as well. "How are we going to find the next two Points?"

How many times must I call you stupid before you ask me important questions?

When Rei suddenly glared at her dragonet, everyone knew Ken was commenting on their intelligence again. The dragons had roused themselves a bit, slender necks held high, though they were still curled up on the ground. "Now what, Ken-chan?"

They are our brother and sister.

"And?" Rei prompted, frowning.

Ken snorted and tossed his head, a curl of flame licking his lips.

They are, as Ken said, our brother and sister. Of course we know where they are. Ken knew where I was.

Ami blinked, then repeated what Lagu had just told her. "And that makes sense. I never really thought about it. Rei-chan, Ken brought you to us, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Rei agreed grumpily, not happy that she hadn't thought of it. "So you can lead us to the other two?"

Of course.

She sighed. "He says they can."

"Well, that makes things a lot easier," said Makoto as she tightened her cloak. The chill of the night was settling in, and it was growing cold. Noticing her movement, Balan leaned back and grabbed one of the small logs Rei had collected, adding it to their campfire. The light from it was small, but bright, and it cast long yellow and grey shadows in the trees, the night clear above them.

"So, then tomorrow we set out for...Aerial City?"

"Yes..." came the responsive murmur among them, as they yawned.

"Minna," Minako began, looking at the ghostly trees. "We've been followed for awhile... shouldn't we keep a watch or something?"

"Yes, we should," Balan agreed. "I'll take first watch. You get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

"Hai...."

"I'll take second," Rory offered as she yawned again. "Give me a little time, and I'll be better. All right?"

Balan looked at her, and reluctantly nodded, which left Rory feeling a little more satisfied. She didn't like to think that she was holding them all back. Castle life was never a thing she wished for, and now that she was free...more or less...on the run, at least....she wanted to live as she had dreamed. Free. But the fact that she was accustomed to palace life was catching up quickly, and as she huddled into a tangle of tree roots, her eyes closed, and she was asleep within moments, head lolling.

"She sleeps like Usagi-chan," Rei grumbled, but went to Rory's horse, pulling out Rory's discarded cloak and wrapping it over the sleeping princess. "Falls asleep just as fast, too."

"Ah, Rei-chan, you know you miss Usagi-chan," Ami teased lightly as her fiery friend gathered up her own cloak. "It's strange not having her around, ne?"

"Who is this Usagi person you all keep talking about?" Balan asked as he repositioned himself at the fire, settling in for his shift of watch.

"Our Princess," Makoto told him, smiling. "And our friend. We were very surprised she wasn't called here. We'll have to tell you more about her tomorrow."

Balan agreed to that, though wasn't sure how four princesses could have a princess over them. He shrugged internally, not worrying. There were many strange things about these four, and that was the least of them. One with her hair cropped indecently short and illusions, one incredibly temperamental, one who liked to make a spectacle of herself, and one who cooked. And cooked very well, in his modest opinion. Stranger and stranger. But it certainly kept things interesting.

Ami and Rei copied Rory's example, settling themselves under the branches of an oak tree, joined by their dragonets, who made little beds for themselves in their mistress's arms and cloaks. Minako took a tree of her own, and eventually Makoto did as well, her head pillowed on her arm, hair trailing loosely over her shoulder.

An umbrella of stars opened above them, tiny, constant lights that paled slightly against the overwhelming light cast by the moons. They were growing fuller, waxing, one waning again, the swiftest of these. Balan felt the warmth of the fire dim against his skin, and he placed another log on. Eyes turned to the stars, he charted their position and the time. Over the course of dinner he had dried out from his earlier forced swim with Minako, but his hair was still slightly damp. He knew when his watch was over, though he did not wake Rory. He considered it. But in the end, he decided that he would rather weather her anger at not being given a share than have her fall over with exhaustion the next day. She wasn't weak, it wasn't that he thought that...but having been her protector for so long, he didn't want to give it up.

From Rory, he looked at Makoto, eyes closed, breathing steady as she dreamed, eyes fluttering slightly in the stages of sleep. To protect her, too, he decided. But she, like he, was a soldier as well as nobility. No, Makoto he could wake. He wanted to speak to her anyway, and with the quiet of everyone sleeping, it was as private as he could hope for. Another shift passed, and the trail weariness was catching up to him. If he didn't wake her soon, he would be useless in the morning. And though the girls and the strange 'map' in Ami's boxlike thing would lead them to the city, they would have no idea how to survive in the wilderness. He stood, and gently shook Makoto awake.

Her eyes opened to see him silhouetted darkly by firelight and moonlight, smiling faintly down at her. "Nan ja...? Balan? But..." she sat up, and looked around the fire, seeing Rory still sleeping, now on her side, head against a tree root. "Wasn't Rory supposed to go after you....?"

"I took her shift. She needs the rest."

"She won't be happy about that in the morning."

"I can live with that." He offered a hand to her, and helped her up.

"But you can wake me up, huh?"

Balan grinned. "Guess so, Lady Lightning."

"It's Makoto, you know," she replied, with mock anger. He had been calling her that since the day they met, and it had become a bit of a joke between them. She didn't mind it, not really.

"I know," he said, then grew more serious. "We're going to part, at Aerial, aren't we? After the Princess and I find a boat downriver."

She looked at the fire, then the stars, and he saw the light reflected in her face. She was the strongest looking, of the four from another world. But in the moonlight and darkness, it made her look far more delicate. He noticed the rose earrings in her ears. Of them, though she was the most athletic, he noticed, she was also the most feminine. It was an odd contrast, and it fascinated him.

"We'll have to," she said after a moment, returning her gaze to the fire, then to him. "Balan...I can't stay in Emania, after we help your people."

He had been afraid of that, and was careful not to react.

"I know."

She made a sad laugh, ponytail shaking at the movement. The two little beads that held her hair up had been replaced by a thin, dark pink bow. "You know...people were afraid of me," she told him after a moment.

"Afraid of you?"

"Yeah. When I first moved to Juuban. I got kicked out of my old school. For fighting. Everyone at Juuban was scared of me. Usagi-chan wasn't. And then Ami-chan and Rei-chan, and eventually we met Minako-chan. And Chibiusa-chan. And then Haruka-san, Michiru-san, Setsuna-san and Hotaru-chan. I can't stay here. It's my duty. My destiny."

"You're crying."

"Nani?" She started, looking at him. After a moment, he moved closer, and wiped a tear off her cheek. "Oh...."

"It's all right, Lady Lightning."

"Gomen nasai, Balan-kun."

He just nodded, and Makoto felt his arms around her. She resisted a moment, then relaxed again, breathing in his scent, faintly of smoke. The wind picked up, whispered though the trees, and leaves rustled faintly as she turned her cheek against his chest, feeling him rest his chin on the top of her head. That made her smile. She was always the tall one.

"What?" Balan asked as he felt her giggling suddenly.

"Nothing...you're taller than me, that's all. I'm being silly. Gomen ne," she tried not to laugh, and after a moment, brought herself to seriousness again. "Balan-kun...."

"It's all right. I'll never get over it," he tried to joke, "but I'll live. Let's just try to enjoy the little time we have, shall we?"

Makoto's eyes widened as he kissed her, very lightly, on her mouth, tilting her chin up with one hand. It was as if all the air around her had vanished, swept away into the vacuum of space. For one who always wished for a fairy tale romance, it was a very different feeling experiencing it instead of reading it. So close. He was so close. And warm....

Rei sat on the ledge of rock overlooking the creekbed. It was still dark, though the first tinges of false dawn were staining the eastern sky with faintly purple hues, letting the stars dim slightly in the oncoming brilliance of the day.

That is good. You are doing better now. See how you improve, when you listen to me?

Rei gave Ken a sour look, but in the end, she smiled. She had ended up last for watch duty, Ami having shook her awake more than an hour ago. She was still tired, and cramped from sleeping on the dirt, but felt better. At the moment, she was listening to Ken tutor her in the ways of fire, her palms open on her lap. On the fingertips of her right hand, a small flame flickered steadily, red with a orange center, and burning steadily. She kept herself focused on that flame, and at her mental command, it leapt in a neat arch.

Now, aim.

Rei lifted a finger into the air, and watched the perfect line of fire flash into the air straight above her head, the darkness around her withdrawing but a moment, then pouring back in.

Listen well, and I will show you more. It is fun, having this power, isn't it?

"Hai," Rei agreed, grinning at her hands thoughtfully.

Hai. Yes, it is. But remember it is dangerous as well. Fire is an unsteady Element. As is Water. In that, we are alike.

Rei blinked at her dragon, holding him in her lap and idly scratching his neck, letting him preen as she scratched under his wings. She smiled at Ken, who curled up languorously, stretching then resting, turning his head to look out across the creek a length below.

It was still dark, in the sky, though with each moment, new light was dawning, sending a splash of color across the distant treetops. In a few minutes, Rei would lose the quiet around her, ended in the noise of waking everyone up.

"Ken-chan, do you really think we'll make it to Aerial safely?"

That is for you to decide, not me. Why?

"I don't know. Just worried, I guess." She cast a glance over her shoulder, at the sleeping lumps of her friends on the ground and around the trees. "Someone has to watch out for them."

Rei, look.

"Hm?" She looked up, following Ken's gaze. He didn't seem alarmed, and so she didn't jump up worriedly. Tilting her head, she smiled faintly as she saw the first rays of light break through the branches of the trees, glittering freshly on the strings of a spiderweb across the stream. In her violet eyes, tiny drops of dew caught the prisms of sunlight, and it made her smile. "It is pretty, ne, Ken-chan? The spider must have spent all night making it. We didn't even see her."

Even as they watched in the growing light, a tiny black form was racing up and down her lines, the web formed perfectly between the trunk and upraised arm of a tree, a thin strand touching the ground below.

"Actually, she only spent about an hour or so," a little voice commented from about an armslength above her. "Arachne spins very quickly, when she's hungry!"

At that, Rei did jump, and looked up, seeing a tiny figure hovering, not looking at her, but the webbing. A tiny creature, wearing white flower petals, stitched with a rose's thorn, barefoot and winged with the translucent, yellow wings of a butterfly. "Nani...?"

It's just a fairy. Don't be afraid.

"A...fairy?"

The little creature turned, smiling down at Rei, long brown hair falling over her tiny, pointed ears. "What, has it gotten so bad that you don't even know what I am anymore?"

"Ah...no...gomen ne, I've just...never seen one of you before."

The fairy girl seemed to consider that a moment, sadly. "Ohhh," she moaned mournfully, "that's too bad. It's gotten difficult in the cities. You are from a city, since you couldn't ride yesterday."

"You watched us?"

"This is my glen. Of course I did."

To that, Rei looked at the dragonet in her arms, who was still half asleep. "Ken-chan, did you know that?"

Of course. Why are you upset now?

"Because we didn't know!"

Rei groaned, then sighed, shaking her head and looking at the bemused fairy girl, who had come to hovering a little lower, wings flickering in the air as she smiled. "That's one of the Elements, isn't it?"

She drew closer, and Ken turned to look at her. After a moment, the girl's tiny fingers reached out and touched Ken's nose, and he pushed against her lightly, accepting the caress. Then the girl laughed.

"Ah! I knew it! And the other one too! I'm so glad!"

Their visitor clapped her hands in delight, and sat herself on Rei's knee. Rei felt oddly fine with this, not really knowing what to do. It wasn't everyday you hold a dragon, and have a fairy talk to you. "My name is Rei."

"Prilla," the fairy told her, sitting and smiling brightly and straightening up. "You're off to save Emania, aren't you?"

"You know about us?"

"All of us do. We all hope you help. Things have been bad for us, and they keep getting worse. We keep disappearing."

Rei was a little startled at that comment, blinking. "Disa...disappearing?"

"Yeah," Prilla said a little sadly, turning and letting her feet kick off the end of Rei's knee, and she turned her eyes to the ground, tiny tears in her eyes as she tried not to show her sadness. "People come and clear away the ground for the...agri..agri...."

"Agriculture?"

"Yeah! That!" Prilla pricked up again brightly, grinning that Rei had supplied the word for her. "Agriculture. And the towns and places like that....and all that's left are the goblins and things...."

Rei smiled at the little girl, and if she hadn't been so tiny, would have tried to give her a hug. A little light flickered around the girl, pretty pink and purple colors, warm and soft like a blanket. "Don't worry, we'll stop them. That's why Ken-chan and Lagu-chan woke up. We'll seal away all the bad things, and they won't ever come back."

Prilla looked at Rei sadly again, shaking her head. "You don't understand."

"Don't understand? Nani? What don't I understand?"

The fairy girl sighed and shook her head, long hair shaking around her shoulders as she moved to stand. "People are bringing the goblins."

"What! That's not possible!"

"It's not? Oh...." Prilla paused, and scratched her head a bit in consideration. "I'm sorry. I'm only a couple hundred years old, so I'm still young. Maybe I just don't understand it yet." Prilla shrugged, and Rei realized she was trying to make a polite excuse. The girl flickered open her wings again, taking off into the air.

"Wait..."

"Yes?" Prilla looked over her shoulder, and Rei held out a palm for her to stand on. The fairy considered this, and smiled again, stepping into Rei's hand. "What?"

"Is there a better way out of the woods? It's not very safe for us...we want to help. Really. If you could....."

Be quiet, and listen to her instead.

"Ken-chan?"

Prilla giggled a little, a hand to her mouth as her shoulders shook with merriment, her whole body filling the gentle motion. "You seem to think we're not even friends! There are many paths in the forest. Look for them."

She turned to leave again, and Rei again stopped her. "Wait! Please...how? The one we're on...it'll be watched....what's the safest way?"

Prilla hesitated, shaking her head. "I just told you. There are many paths. Look."

"But...."

"Look!" Prilla demanded, stamping her foot in a tiny display of irritation. "Have things really gotten so bad that you can't even see the trails in the forest? Look!" She pointed, and Rei tried to follow the angle of her finger.

"I don't...."

The Great Fire you mentioned, Rei.

Somewhere, inside Rei's mind, a memory surfaced, flying to the front of her thoughts and occupying them. Many times she had knelt before the fire in the temple, hands folded in prayer, searching for answers to her questions. So many times. Each time she was answered, sometimes quickly, other times...not so quickly. In this world of illusion and shadow, fire lit the way, casting shadows of it's own, even as it brought light to the darkness.

See clearly, though the illusion that the world presents to you. All you have to lose is the illusion you think is real.

In the shadows of the forest across the stream, the darkness shifted and warped, mingling with distorted mist and a lightened path. In Rei's eyes reflected the shifting shadow, the clarity of vision though the illusion. She didn't understand, but as her eyes opened, she began to understand something. It was faint and small, and she could not grasp it. But it was there.

There was a little laugh from Prilla, who was again airborne. "Oh! I'm so glad you can see it! Just watch out, that one leads though the marshes, and there's bound to be mosquitoes this time of year! Bloodsucking little things. Be careful!"

And with that, the fairy flitted back into the obscurity of the cathedral of trees above.

Rei stood, eyes still locked on the opposite bank, afraid that if she stopped looking, the path would vanish from her vision. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to turn away, then look back again. It was still there.

"Ami-chan! Minako-chan! Wake up and have a look at this! Mako-chan! Ami-chan!"

The trail they traveled coursed though hollow hills and wetland, with the strangeness of a sunrise sky pouring across them as though only a morning passed, and not some three days. Their journey should have taken longer. In fact, much longer, more than a week, but this was a road of shadow and light, and not made by the hands of men, but of forgotten gods of the mind. Too much beauty lay in their path, the delicacy of a butterfly resting on a cattail in the marsh. There were no mosquitoes to harass them, but fireflies danced in the humidity, swarming in a ballet of graceful blinking. Ducks swam in their hidden nests, and the travelers were careful not to accidentally step on their eggs. These places were untouched by humans, left wild, and to walk there a person was among strong magic.

Three days. Just three days, and that according to the carefully clocked minutes of Ami's computer, telling them the time of day and their location, charting their course along, despite the bizarre readings that displayed themselves across the screen. How could they walk but five minutes, yet travel twelve miles? On a train perhaps, or an airplane. Or if Haruka was driving, maybe. But on horseback? Ami gave up trying to understand it.

Food, too, was provided. As they decided to break and hunt or fish, it always seemed as though one of them would also discover some plants, roots or submerged flora that was edible, almost as though left for them, though it took such things time to grow.

In the middle of their third day of traveling the hidden road, they crested a hill, having come out of the marshes that had somehow appeared in the middle of the forest. Now they found themselves in the middle of the day again, and sunny light penetrated though the leaves above them and the tree trunks before them.

And in a sudden rush forward, they stood at the break of the treeline, and there lay a long slope before them, the mass of the city on the river sprawling out across the river valley. Ami glanced suspiciously behind them, and saw that Rei too was looking for their path. As they quickly realized, it was gone, and only the thickness of the forest remained behind them. But it mattered little. They had arrived, and it would take only a few minutes now to reach the outskirts of the city.

"Look at the size of it," Rory breathed in amazement, hands clasping at the folds of her skirt. "There must be...eight...no, nine...or even ten thousand people down there!" Balan, too, seemed impressed at the size of the city, though none of the senshi seemed so. Emania had no cities like Tokyo, and Aerial would seem very large to a native. It was rare for too many people to gather in such cities, most being the capital of the land, such as Ansur.

The four senshi looked down, and saw both a splendid little city, and also the huddled slums that were forming at the far reaches of Aerial, lumps of darkness shrouding a city of light. Though the east of the city ran the Lagu, the expanse of river coiling though the streets, mastered by a network of bridges, spanning it. As the foreigners traveled, Ami turned her eyes around, watching carefully. People rushed back and forth, paying little attention to the newcomers. Strangers were nothing new here. And she noted several things, the first being that this city had no walls, and in fact no castle, as Ansur had. Tall buildings did stack up, the highest she could see being about four stories tall, made of baked brick, dun brown in the daylight, with steps running outside the houses to the ground, people scurrying like mice up and down them.

Exotic spices reached her, and filled her senses with powerful smells of markets from foreign lands, spicy and sweet, incense and perfume and cologne, heady as wine. Women talked and laughed loudly, men hawked wares as they passed through a market, and children screamed in play or cried in hunger. A woman stepped out and began to shake out a woven rug, dust flying down onto Ami's once again illusionary long hair. A baker emerged from a kitchen, a giant tray of sticky pastries balanced in one giant palm, and the scent of hot raspberries wafted, making mouths water for the treat. Heat swelled up and the stink of red hot iron wavered into the air, a forge nearby, the clanging of metal being shaped adding to the noise and furious concert of sound and smell, a slightly metallic tang mingling with the sweetness of pastries, slowly overriding it.

The day was cool, and that was good, since it was also cloudless and the sun beat down, reflecting against the paved cobblestones of the roads and plazas, reflecting up the heat even as they absorbed it, warmth vibrating around them from the ground, the people and the air.

Minako was delighted to find something she kept repeatedly calling 'fish and chips'- chunks of fried fish and potato, though she seemed a bit disappointed that there was no newspaper to wrap it up in. After her first bite, she realized that the cook had baked a horseradish sauce into the fish batter, and her eyes filled up with tears as she tried to eat the hot food. Rory seemed to like the extra flavoring, and the others ate with slightly less gusto since they were more careful.

That was lunch, sitting on the dock of the waterway. They had found an inn fairly quickly, not too far from the river, and the smell of fish was strong on the wind. But the innkeeper swore that they had the best fish stew in the city, and the prices were low enough for the six of them, and their mounts. The horses safely stabled, they began to move up and down the docks, moving among the forest of empty sails and riverboat captains. Ami and Rei had gone off in their own group, and Minako had managed to drag Rory along with her, so that they could cover as much ground as possible, leaving Makoto and Balan to explore their own way among the riverboats.

Crossing bridges back and forth, there would be times that they would have to stop, just to look. The two senshi, water and fire, with their dragons on their shoulders, would pause to see the action on the river, looking down from a bridge to see the bay below and the different boats that raced across the blue water, rowers dipping their oars as they pulled along quickly. Tiny fleets of merchant ships huddled at their ropes, tethered there, some manned, others empty, others loading provisions. If rain fell in torrents, the river would swell and surge upward, reaching and sometimes flooding the nearest buildings on the docks. But it was the wrong time of year of that.

Though Aerial was not large in comparison to Tokyo, it took the whole day to speak to the captains, searching for passage downriver, stopping near to the Fire Mountain. To their surprise and disappointment, it seemed that few wanted to go that way. Rifts were tearing their way along the river, many to the south, where the Fire Mountain rested. Rumors were flying that the numbers of the monsters were infinite, and growing daily. But such things didn't disrupt the daily lives of the people here. They had lives to lead, things to trade and sell and buy.

"You wouldn't believe what Galaxia looked like!" Minako was laughing as she told the tale. It was now late evening, the sun fully down, and only the faintest breaths of light on the horizon. Clouds had swept in as the evening dropped, and there was the sound of thunder in the distance, rumbling with discontent. "All black armor instead of the bronze we saw her in. And wings like a bat! And a big sword!"

Eventually, they had admitted defeat for the day. Still, there was almost half of the boats to try. Surely two passengers wouldn't be too difficult. They would go back tomorrow, after a full dinner and breakfast, bellies full and content with the fact that they were safely hidden. There was no sign of pursuit, since they entered the magical path, and they were far ahead of anyone not traveling it. It was easy to be relieved, and the six now sat a large table in the corner of the dining room of their chosen inn.

Minako was regaling Rory and Balan of their adventures back home, and was currently nearing the end of the story of Sailor Galaxia and the Animates. She kept her voice low despite her exclamations, and in the reddish light of the fireplace and the room's candles, she was fully in the guise of a storyteller. "Chibi Chibi-chan told Usagi-chan what to do, and became a sword for her to use against Galaxia and Chaos...." The other three senshi were idly eating, spooning in chunks of what was very good fish stew into their mouths. They knew what happened, and though Minako was doing a great job in telling, they were tired of listening to her go on...since she had gone though pretty much their whole times together since her time as Sailor V, and her arrival with the other senshi. All in one day. Which was a lot.

Balan and Rory, however, were hanging on every word.

Minako banged her fist down on the table, causing the silverware to jump, and she dramatically paused, a finger in the air. Most of the room was oblivious to her story, busy with their own conversations and meals. "Then Princess Serenity's sword shattered!"

Rory gasped audibly, and Balan set down his spoon, waiting for Minako to finish.

"Galaxia was laughing horribly, the Chaos within her controlling her mind completely! But Usagi-chan wasn't done yet. No, she drew upon the source of her power, the Silver Imperium Crystal!"

Rei groaned softly, realizing she was done with her food. She placed her chin in her hand, and glanced at Makoto, who was boredly stirring her stew, examining the chunks of fish, spice and potato. Ami was still finishing, and swallowed, she smiled a little at Rei's boredom, and leaned back in her chair.

"She still had her wings. And the Crystal unfolded like a flower, releasing its energy and light. Princess Serenity lit up the whole galaxy with that light, and it shattered the sword Galaxia held. Serenity forgave Galaxia. And she took her hand, and all the darkness returned to where it belonged, as did the Light of Hope."

"Where?" Rory asked, eyes wide, her voice a soft whisper of wonder.

"We all have a Light of Hope within us. And Chaos. Galaxia and the Star Seeds disappeared, and the seeds became human. Us." Minako smiled and sat back with a satisfied smile on her face, her tale told and with a captive audience of two. She ignored the bored senshi.

"So you four...you've died?" Balan stated, looking at the girls with him. He looked, and could hardly believe it. But if they could travel between worlds, how could this be as impossible?

Behind them, one of the groups of men let out a loud roar, and a tall man stood from among them, a harp in his hand. This man, a bard, sat on a bench near the fire and began to sing a quick song, long fingers plucking easily at the graceful strings as he sang:

"When owls call the breathless moon,

In the blue veil of the night

The shadows of the trees appear

Amidst the lantern light...."

The sets of eyes of the senshi returned to their table, and Makoto replied to Balan's question, "Yes."

His eyes widened a bit, and they looked at Makoto with questions, but he said none of them, since she did not meet his gaze.

"To defy death itself...." Rory managed, unsure. "Such power. Amazing. Such adventures you have had...."

"It hasn't exactly been the glamour trip Minako-chan makes it sound like," Rei commented sourly. "Dying isn't exactly fun." Absently, she touched the place where the flower had unfurled, her bright red Star Seed appearing and being removed. For the sake of Sailor Moon, and the Starlights. She remembered those last moments, and Sailor Moon's teary face.

"Well, we came back to life," Minako grinned. "No one ever dies! It's some sort of cosmic rule. And what would happen to Usagi-chan without us?"

There was a silence as Minako realized what she said, then amended, "Any of us. The Outers will be with Usagi-chan day and night by now! I'm sure Usagi-chan is just thrilled to have Mamoru-san hanging around all the time, too. And Pluto is probably looking for us. Don't worry. We haven't had an enemy in over a year! Crystal Tokyo is on the way. Soon Chibiusa, and everything! And we were there in the future. Remember?"

That brought weak smiles to her friends faces, which wavered into stronger ones.

The harper at the fire was joined by a friend with a fiddle, drawing his bow across the strings with precision, and soon the table was tapping along with the beat. A barmaid appeared with trays filled with mugs of frothing beer, which she settled onto the table.

"We've been rambling all the night,

And some time of this day.

Now returning back again,

We bring a garland gay...."

There was laughter all around them, and the sounds of merchants at rest, and sailors and boatmen, the smell of fish and water rampant, though without the salty smell of the sea or ocean. It was a good evening, filled with the light of lanterns on the water, and moons in the sky speckled with stars. Warm and full, they were getting sleepy, and the idea of a bed, however small and cramped, was inviting. The inn was the same as any other in town, having only a room or two that were private, and were much too expensive for the six travelers and their limited budget. So it was the common room they paid for, narrow pallets on the floor, and far more public than any of them would have liked. They were used to each other, but having strangers snoring an armslength away wasn't exactly an inviting image. But sleep was calling them, regardless.

"I'm heading upstairs," Ami announced first as she pushed her plate away. "I just hope it won't get too loud down here," she smiled a little at the small band assembling with the bard, the music filling the room more than the chatter and laughing, and the clatter of dishes. "We have to finish searching tomorrow, remember?"

"Hai," came the response, and Rei stood with Ami, also done. Minako still had plenty of food left, her talking slowing her down. Makoto was also finished, but Balan wasn't, and over the last couple days, it was obvious that Makoto was quietly angling herself closer to him. Minako was more than delighted to help out with that, often dragging Rory reluctantly away.

"I'll come with you," Rory announced, standing. She picked up the remaining slice of bread, and began to stuff it into her mouth without worrying about manners. During their journey, Rory had quickly slipped into certain mannerisms, trying to mimic the other girls with her. She failed in most parts, her training and habit as a royal shining though. But she tried, as she was now, to act like a peasant. Talking with her mouth full, she managed, "Come on," and began to head to the stairs, where she hiked up her skirt and stomped up.

Ami and Rei sighed, shaking their heads. Minako giggled at her attempts. Balan and Makoto were already talking about where they should search tomorrow. "Come on, Ami-chan," Rei said and they followed Rory. As they left, they could still hear the final words of the song, sung now by many voices, though the bard's cut though most clearly.

"And so they linked their hands and danced,

Round in circles and in rows.

And so the journey of the night descends,

When all the shades are gone...."

In reality, Rory wasn't tired in the least.

She lay awake, near the shadows that cut across the wooden floor. It was late when more footsteps echoed emptily on the floorboards. The first were light, and she peered out from the edge of her covers to see Minako appear, yawning as she settled herself in not far from Ami and Rei. More footsteps, heavier. A merchant, a sailor. More footsteps, more men she did not know.

Lit up the galaxy.

A Princess, just like her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the thoughts out, into the darkness, into the shadows, into the moonlight that shone though the drafty windows. The stories of the adventures had filled her with amazement, stories of princesses, just like her. Princesses with magic and who could fight. Who had ever heard of such things? Adventure wasn't exactly something princesses could do daily. Oh, there were always princesses in legends, in fairy tales. But in reality, it was a life in a box, then a marriage and the burden of children. When Aurora looked out from the balcony in her chambers, she wanted to be just plain Rory. Fine, maybe she didn't want to be a peasant exactly. That work in the field looked hard, and tithing practically all of it away wasn't exactly appealing. But she did want to go riding, just as she had been. And to fight, just like she should get to. So many things she wanted to do. Ruling a kingdom wasn't exactly near the top of her list.

Lit up the galaxy.

A Princess, just like her.

She was restless, and the steady breathing of the others wasn't helping. Especially not the loud snuffling snore coming from one brawny man in an opposing corner. At long last, she heard softer steps, and two figures emerged from the stairway, the woman holding the stub of a candle. It was Makoto, her other hand trailing behind her, twined with Balan's. Rory winced, then closed her eyes lightly, steadying her breathing. She sensed their closeness, and heard the shifting as they settled into their own pallets, the rustling of straw as it took on the weight of a body. The light from the candle snuffed out, the brightness against her eyelids vanishing. Before long, their breathing steadied too, and she knew they dreamed. To that, she rolled onto her back, and stared at the dark ceiling above her.

"I can't sleep," she told it, as though it would answer. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, and felt the grit there. She didn't like the dirt. Tomorrow she would take a trip to the showers in the basement. They were communal, one for men, one for women, but a shower was a shower. Cleanliness was good. Rory sighed, turning her head to look at the lumps that were her friends and companions. Soon it would be just her and Balan again. She would miss them, and their friendship. She didn't really have friends at the palace. And she never could get Balan to call her 'Rory' instead of 'Princess.' Only those four called her Rory. To everyone else, it was 'Aurora,' 'Princess,' or some other title she despised. She loved them for that, and was glad she had told them to call her that at the beginning. They hadn't even asked why. They just did, Minako and Makoto. In the darkness, she smiled. Then she slowly stood.

"Fresh air," she decided, as though telling the sleeping bodies. Just some fresh air, a walk along the docks, then back again in a bit. She wasn't sure where she would go, really, so not too far. But far enough to stretch her legs, and get the inn out of her sight. Adventurous, but not too much.

Rory was very quiet when she wanted to be, and the boards underfoot didn't even groan at her weight. Just a short walk, under the light of the moons and stars, along a river in a city. No one to know who she was. Just Rory. And into the silence she slipped, nodding politely to a bartender as she headed outside.

Quietly into the starry night, two figures emerged in the silence of a side street. An alleyway, used for the dumping of water and garbage in the day. But by night, it was empty, save perhaps the muffled flapping white sheets of laundry that hung on clothespins from wires, stretched across the street. It was a dead end alley, and the faint smell of the wastes from the adjoining homes tinged the air. These two figures frowned in distaste at the smell and the poorness of their surroundings, but then again, it was for the best.

One a man, long black hair and light armor under his cloak, the other a woman, white hair like silk to her knees, ignoring the cool kiss of the night air. "You're sure they're here?" Caradoc asked as he frowned, casting a disapproving glance behind him. The air still tingled with Daeva's magic, and though he had seen her power many times, it was still unnerving. "This doesn't look like a good neighborhood."

"Not right here, silly," she chided, playfully, then, thoughtfully looking around, "What's wrong?"

"I don't like traveling like that."

"Whyever not? It's so much faster."

He stepped up beside her, trying to understand what she saw in the puddle of dirty water at her feet. His lip curled in distaste and disgust. "Is that how you normally travel?"

"If you have such a repugnance for it, we won't anymore. All better?" She asked him sweetly, and Caradoc got the feeling she was teasing him. It hadn't taken Daeva long to locate the runaway princess. But that wasn't the main reason for them traveling one of Daeva's dark roads to Aerial. It was apparent that Aurora had run off with her guardian, and it was said that four strange newcomers, friends of the princess, were missing as well. Caradoc had not taken long to figure out the connection, and the time of their disappearance coinciding with his arrival at Ansur.

"Let's get this over with. We have work to do." Caradoc looked at the slim figure of Daeva, who was now posing with a finger to her lips, looking up at the rows of drying laundry. "What is so interesting about this alley? We need to get moving. If they're around here, we'll need a head start before they leave."

Daeva didn't listen to him, but did, however, turn around and close her eyes, folding her hands into a prayer. Caradoc watched with a sense of awe as she summoned her power, and with the faintly inhuman glow she cloaked around her, saw again the terrifying beauty that Daeva called her own. She became a statue of bronze, as inhuman as she was, perfect and cold, though still living flesh. This was a sorcery he had never seen her use before, and on many levels, he understood that. She was so secretive about her origin, though he suspected it was beyond the Seal. Little did he care.

She opened her eyes suddenly, and stretched out a hand as the nebulous irises of her eyes expanded, turning their pupils into a haze of ink black. As she lifted her hands, he was forced to leap back. The hard cobbles underfoot broke apart, and he found himself pressed against the outer wall of the house for support. From the torn stone and cement, he saw figures arise, and the deep voice of Daeva grew cold and metallic. "Buried under weight of rock, I call for those who guarded this place. Spirits of earth, hurt and bruised, I command you. Answer my summons."

From the broken stone, sickly creatures emerged, their butterfly wings cut and bent, drained of color and magic. Tiny bodies, blackened and battered, flapped newly freed wings, freed from an empty shell. There were four of them, small and pathetic creatures, no more than a shadow of the brightness they had once been. Haggard and wasted. It was as if a fist had clamped itself around Caradoc's heart. He knew now what they were, and what was to become of them. The little demons that were his army, goblins and orcs and things of the dark. Little fairies. Sick, corrupted, trampled and ignored...fairies.

How...appropriate.

They would take vengeance for themselves. Maybe.

Daeva was smiling now, standing there in the mingled colors of the moonlight and shadow, darkness and brightness. The contrast played out before her, as the remaining spirits of the pixies were cocooned in shadow, and the emerging insects were instead creatures of darkness.

"You still want to have your princess dead, do you not?"

Caradoc heard the coolness in her voice, and was cautious. When in this kind of mood, Daeva could be slightly...unpredictable. To say the least, unpredictable.

"Yes."

"Go," she said softly to her new creations. "Go hunt for a princess. And see that you do not return if you fail."

Two of the ghostly figures solidified, growing tall and elegant, robed in black. Silently they slipped away, merging with the shadows from whence they came.

Caradoc moved to the side of Daeva, taking her up in his arms, as the effect of the power began to wan. She closed her eyes lightly, lashes resting against her cheeks as she sighed. "You are right," she agreed after a moment. "We should get moving. A gift, to you, my love. For the pretty comb," she touched it lightly with a finger, where it rested in her hair. She did not turn to face him, but instead looked at her creations. "Pretty things, aren't they? All shadow and illusion."

"They are," he agreed, and felt her pull away from him. "There is much ground to cover. Are you well enough?"

"Perfect. If we run into trouble later," she gestured at the remaining shadows. "This area is ripe with weakened magic. It will be more difficult, when we get there. Let's go."

And, silently, he followed her.

This was a very bad night for a particular young thief.

She had a rotten day...nearly getting caught but the town guards for, well, stealing, what else? She was hungry, having lost her chance at food, running all over to escape. Damn guards were so fussy lately, with those attacks further south. You would think they would have better things to do than chase her. No profits, either. Stealing was her job, and hitting the pawn shops carefully, returning her goods though 'legal' avenues. Good, clean money meant the occasionally good, filling meal, and nice, soft bed in a nice, warm tavern. She'd been in Aerial for two months, and it was getting to be time to leave again. Lots of people, but eventually, you become a little too well known.

There was no official network of people such as her, but they did have a tendency to look out for one another. So long as it didn't hurt themselves, of course. Honor was very important. Sadly, though, with the guard on her tail all day, she couldn't run to any friends. She'd never hope to have help then, ratting out on the hiding places.

So, here she was, stuck in the dump end of the city, sleeping on the dizzyingly high third story of a broken down, unswept and unclean house. There was an expulsion edict nailed to the front door. No people. That was good. She tore it down. Having given the guards the slip, for the time being at least, she was safe, and had burrowed herself into the corner of the top level, wrapped up in her scarlet cloak.

Imagine her surprise to hear voices in the alley below...and it wasn't the singing of drunken idiots.

One was a man's, she got that immediately.

The guards? Shit, at this time of the night? Didn't they ever go home?

She was careful, of course, to approach slowly, peering cautiously around the windowframe that let in only the barest light. It was hard to see what was going on, though the angle and the blowing sheets and shirts out to dry. She sighed in relief, at first. Obviously not the guard, and even if it were, they would be out after the night ladies and their men, not her. She wrinkled her nose. No respect, that kind.

But the sound that had awakened her had also been the sound of crunching, like stone breaking under a hammer. She could just make out the splintered rock, and the smoky things that emanated up out of it. She blinked a few times, rubbing her eyes.

"Dreamin' Chas, dreamin'...." she shook her head. What, was she nuts now? Magic, around here? Yeah, right. Most of the wizards and such had left Aerial ages ago, with the influx of merchant goods and the business on the river. Not 'quiet enough' for them to study and to do their stupid divinations. At least, that was what she heard.

She couldn't deny, however, the fact that it seemed amazingly...real. It scared her, though she was loathe to admit it. Of course she knew about fairies, and how they lived in the forest and the land. Tales told when she was a little girl were remembered, and hard to forget. And then to see these same creatures turn black...it was creepy. The thief frowned, and felt nervous. Part of her wanted to be adult, to shake it off as a bad dream. It didn't concern her. They didn't see her, or know she was there. Why should they? They didn't see you, they didn't hurt you, why bother with them?

Turning around, she began to return to her cold huddle in the corner. But then the woman with white hair commanded them to go, and her curiosity was again piqued. "Shit," she mumbled, and looked out again, to see two of these dark creatures float away into the night. "Shit, shit...." she repeated, as though this would make it go away. "Why the hell do I always get up? Damn it anyway...." She rolled her eyes, but stopped a defeated sigh.

Then she turned and darted out though a loose board in the wall, sliding down onto an overhang on the building's front, landing with practiced agility, silently. The two shades were swiftly moving along. She considered sticking with the man and woman...they were much more interesting. But if there was going to be a death that night, she might as well be there to pick any pockets that amassed for the discovery.

Nothing like some profit.

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Ah, another chapter down.

I rather like Daeva. What do you think? Please, don't forget to mail...I love feedback. Anyway, Daeva surprised me...the entire thing with her summoning the youma from the ground...out of the blue, even for me, and I tend to plan everything. Daeva herself, even. I was having problems figuring out how Caradoc knew the locations of the Points as he went. Then in popped Daeva to my mind, waving and asking for a villianess part. She fit in pretty well, ne?

Well, the song sung at dinner is Loreena McKennitt's 'The Mummer's Dance'....it's a FANTASTIC song...I love Loreena's music. It fit the scene much better than Enya, in that case.

I'm also having a lot of fun with the dragons...They are such characters...I love writing in Ken's comments. Everything is stupid...lol...far too much fun. He reminds me of Wufei from Gundam Wing. 'It is stupid' instead of 'it is weak'. I don't know....

What do you think of Makoto and Balan? Good match? Bad? No opinion? I'm not sure yet as to how that will work out...should be interesting. I'm letting 'Crystal Points' carry me along this time. It's taking me awhile because I just downloaded a graphics program, and I'm playing with that instead of writing...gomen nasai!!

I'll let you go now.

Ja ne!

-Queen

iceaffinity@hotmail.com