Chapter Three
Enter Liam, the Other Suitor
Liam paced back and forth in his house, worrying about Eliza. He'd never meant to drive her away. Never meant to hold her in such a stranglehold that she'd rather flee into danger's clutches than stay. He pounded the window sill and stared out at the gray sky. Somehow, he knew she had fallen into serious trouble. The magelord Erik had frequently made forays into Esterhaven, looking for her. She'd always managed to avoid him until the last year. At that point, Liam had witnessed the confrontations between them and vowed he'd keep her safe from the madman living in the tower. Well, he couldn't just leave her to go off and end up in Erik's power.
A grim expression crossed his face. If he managed to keep her from such a fate, he'd promise her he'd not try to restrict her as other men did their wives. He loved her, truly loved her, more than any other person in his life. And he knew what she thought of him and for the most part, he had to admit he had lived up to her view of him.
With an oath, he flung away to make up a pack. Ignoring those who tried to hail him, Liam stalked into the stable and winced at Baron's absence. The vacant stall brought home just how much he missed Eliza and her quirks. He quickly saddled Job, his hunting horse, and set off in the direction he'd seen Eliza take off in.
Outside the village he picked up another set of tracks. Someone had followed her on foot and she'd taken that someone up on Baron. Liam rolled his eyes. It had to have been Charles. The youngster followed her around like a puppy.
Liam kicked Job into a canter, following the trail in the snow, then pulled up abruptly. In the distance he could see dark forms circling the forest, then swoop into the trees. Liam's heart sank. He knew those riders came from Erik and it spelled no good for Eliza. He kneed Job again and sped off toward the activity.
Once he reached the woods, he picked his way through the underbrush, following the broken branches that pointed toward Eliza's path. The sun had began to sink beneath the horizon and the way became too dark to see. Liam began to despair of finding Eliza. And then he found Baron. The poor thing had managed to stand, but from the awkward angle of the horse's right front leg, Liam knew the animal had broken its leg. He drew his crossbow and prepared to put Baron out of his misery.
As he set the bolt, a strange tingling crawled up his arms. Golden light trickled from the trees to his right and within moments five tall forms emerged from between them.
"Hold human, you have no need for this action. Allow us to heal this creature," the foremost male told him. Liam backed off, uncertain if he should trust these... these... elves. Usually, these beings avoided any contact with humans like himself and Liam had little liking for those who used magic. As if they sensed his dislike of their kind, the leader, or so Liam believed, nodded at the others, who retreated away into the deepening shadows.
"Your mistrust is unwarranted, human," the leader said, then turned to the obviously hurting horse. The elf knelt beside Baron, placing his hands over the injured limb and chanting in some strange language. His hands began to glow and before Liam's eyes the awkward angle of the limb straightened until Baron could place his weight fully on it.
Once Baron's leg had knit, the elf rose laid a hand on the trembling horse's neck. Baron calmed and nuzzled the elf's arm. "I am called Ulendil. My people do not wish to allow Erik access to one as powerful as Eliza. Baron will lead you to her. Though we will not become directly involved in this conflict, I have asked them to aid you in this." Before Liam could reply, the elf... Ulendil, if he remembered correctly, melted back into the forest, leaving Liam staring after them and wondering if he'd been in the woods too long. He shrugged and turned his attention back to the horse he'd been prepared to dispatch.
"Well, old boy, it looks like you'll be my guide in this." Baron gave him a disgusted look, threw his head up and moved off. Liam cursed under his breath and remounted Job. First, he had a runaway bride, then dealing with the likes of elves, and now he had to contend with a condescending horse. In the deepening gloom, he managed to keep Baron's rump in sight, more through Job's following of the other horse than any talent of Liam's. Still, he didn't know how much longer they could keep going.
Eliza knew these men wouldn't kill her except as a last resort, but that wouldn't stop them from hurting her badly. A third Wind Rider joined the first two, carrying a half- conscious Charles across his saddle.. The rider pulled Charles' hair, laughing as he showed the others his "prize."
Eliza tensed, wanting to do *something*. Before she could act, however, the sound of hoof beats came from behind her, and a familiar voice rang through the trees.
"Face your doom, villains!" came the predictably cheesy battle cry as a throwing axe slammed into the sword-wielder's skull, killing him instantly. Another axe took out the second rider.
"Bully, Bully, BULLY!" Odikin Orecrusher shouted with glee, coming to Eliza's rescue. A short barrel-chested dwarf came caroming onto the scene, mounted on Splay, his short, heavy war pony. He vaulted from his bare-backed charger and hit the ground running, his belt and harness veritably bristling with stout, razor-sharp throwing axes.
With but a few running strides he'd clambered up a wind-fallen tree-trunk and leapt up behind the mounted Wind Rider. Odie whipped an axe from his belt and brought it down with every ounce of strength the dwarf possessed, stabbing the butt of the axe-handle between the man's shoulder blades. The bird-beast shrieked in outrage and reared up, wings fluttering wildly in agitation, sending the crazed dwarf and Charles down into the mud. The subdued rider slipped off the winged mount's other side, landing in a heap, but the bird paid him no mind; it began cocking and bobbing its head up-and-down in eager anticipation as it began stalking the nervously-whickering war pony.
Eliza was at a loss. Finally she came to her senses and snatched up the cloven-helmed sword-wielder's blade. She stumbled to her feet again, and tried to catch her breath. By then, Odie was scurrying about, whooping and whirling, jouncing and jumping around like a complete fool. The lass watched in disbelief as the "mad dwarf" started to strut, skip, and caper around her in a circle... spouting out a merry song:
"Odie likes cheese...! Odie likes bread... !
Odie wants venison pie, INSTEAD... !" (over-and-over-and-over-again).
Then he came to an abrupt halt right before Eliza, looked up at her expectantly, and hooted out, "Face your doom, villains!" It was one of the few lines Liam had taught him. The simpleton dwarf took up his merry dance once more, but the stricken scream of The war pony brought him up short once more.
Liam sighed in dismay as Job rounded yet another wall of brush only to see Baron trotting off down another overgrown path. At this rate, Eliza would be an old woman by the time they found her!
Liam sat bolt upright as he heard familiar clamoring in the distance.. a smile made its way across his face. "Odie!", he yelled, deciding that--if this was a journey he must undertake, he may as well have some company--or at least some entertainment. Liam spurred Job onward--although Baron was cantering in that general direction, anyhow. The two horses headed through a thicket down a hill into a pine grove...
Eliza gasped as she heard hoof beats. The dwarf pony stomped anxiously, which only served to agitate the crazy dwarf standing before her. Had Erik sent yet another entourage to capture her? She pushed to her feet, resolving that it would most certainly NOT be in her best interests to be captured by the sorcerer, for whatever purpose he had in store for her could not possibly be inviting. She picked up her short sword and stood ready, as a horse burst through the pines.
"Baron!" Eliza could only stand there, shocked to see her horse... her friend she'd been certain would die. He appeared sound and with his arrival, had distracted the raptor from contemplating the crazy dwarf's horse as a meal. A few moments later, more crashing sounded through the underbrush and another horse's head pushed through, revealing a disheveled Liam, sword drawn and an almost as insane a light in his eyes as the madman on the pony. She shook her head, not certain this would prove any better than surrendering to Erik. Before she could call to him, Liam attacked the raptor, beating at its head with his sword until it backed away and sprung into the air. With an angry screech, it flapped away, the backwash of its wings throwing dirt and gravel over those on the ground.
Baron nuzzled Eliza's arm as she coughed and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"No need to weep, Eliza. We've time to get away from that beast," Liam began.
"Fool!" she spat at him. "I'm not weeping. That thing threw up so much grit, it got in my eyes." She turned her shoulder against him and began cooing over Baron. Liam made a disgusted noise, then sighed.
"Sorry. Anyway, I suggest we not dally here least Erik's minions decide to attack again. I can't guarantee my friend there and I could hold more than one off."
Eliza grimaced, reluctantly admitting he was right. "Oh, very well. And where do you suggest we go?"
"Best to head for Maywood. We should be able to reach it by daylight." He peered up at the moonlit sky. "Besides, I understand we have an escort that will assist us."
Eliza frowned at him and glanced around the dark woods. "Escort?" He didn't answer her except with a smug expression and a shrug. She wanted to growl at him, but instead asked, "So, expert, just which way to Maywood?"
A blank look crossed his face. "Umm..."
Before she could blast him for his arrogance and stupidity, a faint glow moved from her right and a whisper echoed in her mind. *To the north, milady. Follow the faerie lights.* And with that, a tiny sparkle appeared beside her and darted off a small distance, bouncing and bobbing in impatience at her lagging behind.
"Liam?"
"Remember I told you about the escort?"
Eliza's frown deepened. "Just who or what did you make a pact with this time?"
Despite the pale silvery moonlight, she could tell he grew flushed. "I can't tell you right now. Maybe later. I made a promise. Unless they want you to know, I can't say."
With an irritated sound, Eliza mounted Baron, held her hand out to a very subdued and confused Charles for him to ride behind her, and moved off toward the tiny light in the distance. Behind her, Liam grumbled, but followed her without any protest. Odie climbed aboard his pony and both shambled along behind the others. In the darkness, Eliza allowed herself to grin. She patted Charles hands around her waist, glad whatever terrible geas had gripped him earlier no longer held him in its power. He'd always seemed more a younger brother than anything else. Now, if she could just escape that crazy sorcerer she might make a decent life for herself. That would be if she didn't mind sharing it with a would-be hero, his deranged dwarf side-kick, and one puppy-like youngster who insisted on following her.
Night was a very dark time for Eliza. The moon was bright and bloated in the sky, it laughed at her, mocked her. All her hopes and dreams would never come true. All she wanted to do was sing! Her wish to be a wandering bard was muted in the chaos her life was now. Her environment was hardly harmonious enough get some shut eye. The grumbling of the dwarf was louder then any thunder storm. Even Liam mumbled a couple times. Eliza sighed in frustration trying to sleep where she was in the saddle. Liam made it totally clear that he would see them to Maywood before they would ever stop and camp. Eliza's head slumped down then would spring back up her tired eyes scanning the inky black forest for signs of trouble. But she knew that sleep would eventual catch up to her, no matter how brave she tried to be.
A shrill cry sounded off in the distance. Eliza's mind was suddenly alert and at full attention. She didn't know how long she had been asleep but those cries she knew as the Wind Riders. Her head quickly surveyed the area and she found something out of place. The magical lights were gone! She looked to her side and saw many dark figures advance on them.
Shidamae stood off at the edge of the elves' encampment, scanning the forest with her night eyes. Beside her, her brother Sansorin was doing the same, his hands clenched around the hilt of his sword. Shidamae took note of his stance and was not reassured. She couldn't explain it rationally, but she sensed a malevolent presence in the forest tonight that even her elven eyes could not see. "Why do you think Ulendil sent us?" she asked softly, still remaining on the alert.
Sansorin's gaze remained outward, but he arched one brow and responded, "No doubt Ulendil, in his great wisdom, has good reason for guiding this human. It is not our place to question his decision."
Shidamae smiled despite her nervousness. Sansorin always had the proper response to everything. Proud and reliable, Sansorin would never allow curiosity to get the better of him and cause him to do anything foolish. "The human woman is not a mage, or even a trained warrior," she continued, reasoning aloud. "Perhaps she is one of those rare individuals whose power is a circumstance of birth..." Shidamae's voice trailed off as a shiver coursed up her spine. She drew her sword in a lighting-quick motion and whirled around, sensing a presence at her back. Sansorin had done the same, the two standing on guard facing towards the elven camp.
Out of the darkness came an elfmaid running on silent feet, her eyes wide and black with fear. So pale was her face that it seemed a ghost had lit through it, glowing in the moonlight with a haunting radiance.
"Aurilea?" Shidamae whispered, dread draining the strength from her voice.
"It's Ulendil," sobbed Aurilea. "He was murdered in the midst of the encampment!"
Sansorin's eyes were set like stones. "Go, Shida. I will remain here." Shidamae nodded and followed Aurilea back to the camp.
The elves were on guard, weapons drawn, while a small knot was gathered around the base of a mighty oak. The two elves slipped through the crowd and came to the side of the fallen Ulendil. He was lying on the ground at the base of the tree, staring blankly at the faces above him. Amid the weeping, a healer knelt at Ulendil's side, looking him over for the wound that had caused his death. "There are no marks," she said, confusion twisting her fair features. "Not even those of a dart." "How could this happen?"
Shidamae said finally,"Did _none_ of you see his killer?" She bent down and touched the dead elf's face. It was wide and staring, mouth twisted in horror and anguish. There was no doubt that Ulendil had been killed suddenly and painfully.
The healer shook her head. "Do not cast blame, young Shidamae. Ulendil was not murdered by any conventional means." Shidamae had reached the same conclusion, but still she could not believe that their leader could be assassinated so cleanly, without his killer leaving any evidence behind. Pacing out into the trees, she began searching for clues. Something caught her eye, and she stopped in her tracks.
Elves. Thank the gods, they were elves; a dozen at the least. Liam relaxed once more, even though the bird's distant cry echoed a second time; the Wind Riders were continuing their relentless search for the young woman. The human moved out to intercept the elves, but they practically ignored him, gazing instead at Eliza with their intense, unfathomable orbs.
They had reached the Maywood.
The group set up camp in a copse of trees whose branches intertwined, forming a natural windbreak and canopy which looked promising enough to offer shelter against the gales and snowfall. Liam had gathered the components to build a fire and was attempting to bring it to life. The boy and the dwarf were busy tending to the mounts, and Eliza was nearby inspecting her once-injured fingers. At last, the fire blazed up; a glimmer of budding warmth began to spread out over the small, wooded copse.
"I don't know why you thought you had to bring that odious dwarf along," Eliza complained in irritation of the continuing noise that always seemed to accompany the unpredictable dwarf.
"I did not," Liam proclaimed his innocence. "You heard his song as well as I; he was `hunting' venison pie." Eliza ignored the bad rhyme. Liam was smiling, as he always did whenever Odie was about. And with Charles thrown into the mix... well, it would be an understatement to say that "true chaos" was brewing within the group. Behind them, they heard Charles take up the title Eliza had just bestowed upon the crazed dwarf, as he began chanting out "Odie the Odious" repeatedly. They both looked up to see what effect those words would have on the dwarf. Indifference, or was it pleasure? Charles and Odie had locked wrists and were spinning exuberantly about chanting the mantra cheerfully. Charles was certainly no help, either, taking the lead in the song as his thin voice trilled out in the night. "He's Odie the Odious...! he sounds so melodious...! he's brash and he's bold...! and woefully toadiless...!" While the dwarf simply chanted out: "Odie-Odie-Odie-Odie..."
Eliza shook her head in disgust and stomped off in a huff. Liam hurried after her, refusing to let this pass. He caught up to her and put his hand on her shoulder; she flinched in pain and whirled about glaring. The man held his hands up in mute surrender.
"What is this about?" he asked in his serious voice. "And don't make any excuses concerning the dwarf; whatever it is, it has nothing to do with him. Besides, I would think you might be a bit more grateful for his aid."
"I am, but..."
"But...?"
"I just don't know what to do," she finished softly.
"Your power is growing... and it scares you, doesn't it?" Liam consoled the young woman. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. He felt rather than saw her quiet nod of affirmation.
"It has even grown large enough to attract the notice of the `good' sorcerer." she said, speaking of the elf who had made her broken hand whole again.
"That is why you have been refusing to use it," Liam stated, knowing it to be the truth. Again only silent acquiescence. They stood there listening to the sounds of the night, until the mood was finally broken by the beginnings of a new song.
"Odie likes beer...! Odie likes ale...! Odie wants to drink it right from the PAIL!"
Charles' gurgling laughter chased the droll song's melody. Eliza could almost feel the angry eyes of the elves glaring down at them from the surrounding trees as the boisterous clamor peeled across the glen. But then, as long as the fair folk refused to be a bit more forthcoming concerning the strange circumstances surrounding them all... The exhausted lass didn't really care about `their' wants. The young woman felt a stab of guilt as the unchivalrous thought popped into her head. After all-- they had healed her fingers, or rather, that elven cleric had; what had her name been? Auril? Aurilea? Something like that.
Liam and Eliza went back to the moderate warmth of the fire and settled down to take their rest and to await whatever the fates had in store for them on the morrow.
The next morning, camp broke early, much to Charles' chagrin, who had to be dragged onto his feet by Odie and dangled headfirst into the stew pot to be woken. This caused a ruckus that only a dozen armed and humorless elves could effectively quell, and added to Eliza's growing discomfort.
She had started feeling sick shortly after waking, and could not keep her breakfast down. Her short sojourn into the bushes had evoked concerned looks from Liam, but she merely scowled at him and told him she was still stressed from the events of the day before. He was acting like a dutiful husband fussing over a pregnant wife, Eliza thought, not liking the comparison at all. The elves politely made themselves scarce (as only elves can do) until Eliza's coloring had returned to normal and she was laughing at Odie and the boy's ridiculous antics.
The camp quieted suddenly as an uncommonly tall elven male, slender as a silver birch, stepped out of the trees.
"I am called Sansorin," he said, his eyes finding each of them in turn and holding their gaze with a look of otherworldly comprehension. "I am the effective leader of this group. As you may know, we have pressing matters to attend to and thus cannot accompany you on your journey. As it is, I can tell you little about why you are important to the People, but I do know that Ulendil's last instructions were to deliver you to the Forest of Andalast. There you will be accepted by Queen Estaria, most highborn Daughter of the People." His dark eyes snapped to Odie, who was sprawled casually on the ground, stuffing grass in his mouth to make his cheeks puff out and making faces at the elven warrior. "Some of you, perhaps," the elf amended coolly.
"But how will we find the Forest of Andalast?" Eliza asked meekly, enthralled by this strange creature standing before her. Sansorin produced a parchment from under his fine cloak and handed it to her. Eliza unrolled the scroll and found it to be a detailed map of the region, spanning hundreds of miles. The Forest of Andalast was marked as a dark blot somewhere to the west.
"Take a good look at it, then cast it into the flames," Sansorin told her. "We will try to guide you when we are able." Without another word, he melted into the forest.
When he had gone, Eliza silently went to Baron and began tacking him. The horse nickered softly as she threw her arms around it and buried her face in the animal's neck. "Baron, I don't know what to do," she whispered. "When we left town, I had no idea where I would go, as long as it was far away. Now I'm supposed to go see the Queen of The Elves. The Queen of the Elves!" She felt a gentle pressure on her back. Liam was standing next to her, stroking her hair. She turned to face him. "Do you think this is insane?" she asked him, laughing shortly. "Why in the world would the elves have an interest in me, of all people?"
"I don't know the answer to that, Eliza," Liam said. He spoke gently, but to her he seemed distracted by some disturbing thought.
"What is it?" she asked him.
"Nothing," Liam replied unconvincingly. "Come on, we'd better go make sure Odie and Charles aren't getting into trouble."
Erik vin Drako opened the heavy door to his summoning chamber with a sharp command and calmly walked to the dais, his boots clicking on the polished stone floor. There the sacrifice had been bound and drugged, as he had instructed his apprentices. "Still awake?" he murmured, bending down to plant a soft kiss on the girl's cheek and brushing her face with his long, straight dark hair. She was wearing a thin white gown of gossamer threads, one that did little for her modesty but nevertheless made her look deliciously innocent. It was really unfortunate that so many rituals required virgin blood, Erik thought salaciously.
The girl stared at him with empty eyes as he raised a ceremonial dagger and began chanting in a strange tongue. The dagger began to glow, shedding a greenish light. Magical energy began to dance about Erik's fingertips, seeking release. "_Abrek dus vili kharist arys dal!_" he intoned as the spell came to a climax. He plunged the dagger into the girl's heart and drew it out, still beating. She gave a brief spasm and then lay quiet, her life force ebbing away.
Erik sat on his obsidian throne and ate the heart with a glass of fine Elvish wine, consuming the blood spiced with his alchemical brew. Soon he began to feel the lightheadedness that often accompanied a summoning. Experienced at this sort of work, he fought off his mental inertia and focused on the doors of the spirit realm, which were fast parting in his chamber. A moment later, the magical veil invisible to all but the most skilled practitioners of the Art fell away to reveal an otherworldly creature with the face of a tiger and dressed in fine silks.
"You requested my presence, Your Maleficence?" said the rakshasa in a bored, sarcastic tone, flicking out a golden pick and expertly cleaning its long nails.
"You performed your task with the usual excellence, Rajah," Erik said, staring down at the dangerous creature. "The elves will be too busy puzzling over their pathetic leader's death to be of much use to Eliza. It may be some time before her party finds its way to Andalast, giving you ample opportunity for the next phase of your mission."
The rakshasa narrowed its catlike eyes. "Must I remind you that I am no simple assassin to be ordered about?" the creature said haughtily. "I have worked for greater magelords than you, vin Drako, and do not forget that I possess sorcerous talents even beyond the norm of my kind."
Erik did not give the malevolent spirit the satisfaction of looking worried. He knew Rajah was protected from the common vulnerabilities of his race and possessed a native resistance to lesser magic, but Erik was no lesser mageling. Still, it would not do to antagonize this powerful and useful creature. "I think you will find it much to your benefit to do what I am about to ask of you," Erik said calmly.
"And what exactly would that be?" asked the rakshasa, showing a flicker of interest.
"Capture one of Eliza's party, the boy, perhaps, and deliver him to me when I summon you again. You shall impersonate him and find out everything you can about Eliza. What she knows about herself, what other allies and connections she might have, even her relationship with her companions."
"The girl is heading for Queen Estaria's court," the rakshasa said disdainfully. "I could not even enter the place."
"You will make your move to capture Eliza before the companions reach the Forest of Andalast," Erik clarified.
"And the others?"
"Kill them," The sorcerer said coldly.
Rajah strolled silently through the forest, the only trace of his passing a small stream of smoke from his pipe. Erik was a fool. The whiskers on Rajah's tiger-like face bristled as he smiled. All of these humans were fools. Erik the great sorcerer–the king of magic--would deliver the prize straight into the hands of the Rakshasas. More specifically, the moron would hand the right to Kingship straight to Rajah himself. Rajah took a long drawl of his pipe and grinned ear to ear, sharp feline teeth shining white. Life was good.
Eliza sat on the trunk of a fallen tree, her knees drawn up to her chest. The last rays of the days golden sunlight faded, the sky changing vermillion to violet and luminous blue...finally passing to dark, black night. Only the brightest stars pierced through the cloudy night sky. Even the moon seemed to hide behind the dark clouds. She sighed softly to herself. How appropriate. Everything else in her life was fading to black--why not the world, as well? She absently let a hand drop to her stomach as she watched her companions chatting (or in Odie's case, shouting) around the fire. It was as if her own body had betrayed her. What horrible punishment could it be? Had she sinned in a past life?
"Eliza...you want a thigh?"
Charles's high-pitched voice cut through Eliza's thoughts like a knife. She looked up to see the spindly youth brandishing a piece of roasted rabbit in her direction.
"No..." she muttered, as she closed her eyes, laying her cheek on her knees.
"You feeling alright?" Liam asked, noticing Eliza's somber mood. "I'm sure those elves can give you some leaves or something for whatever's bothering you..."
Eliza didn't answer. It wasn't worth the effort.
The village of Lomm at the edge of the wood was not heavily populated, and even less so than it had been two nights previously. Its inhabitants were stone-faced and suspicious when Sansorin and Shidamae arrived at the wooden gate, begging entrance. They found as their greeting a hastily gathered militia armed with crossbows and pitchforks.
"Begone, or both of you'll be shot where you stand," said one nervous farmer. The others rallied around him, brandishing their weapons.
"We mean you no harm," Sansorin said calmly. "Has your fair village come upon trouble?" A toothless old woman threw a rotten apple at him through the gate, which Sansorin dodged with a graceful sidestep.
"Does five butchered in the night like sheep pass for trouble in your eyes?" she shouted at him.
Sansorin and Shidamae exchanged looks. It certainly sounded like the particular brand of trouble they were looking for. Shidamae had shown him what she'd found in the brush: the tiniest of darts, almost impossible to spot were it not for the dark liquid on its tip that she had seen gleaming in the moonlight. Looking over Ulendil's body again, they discovered that he did indeed carry a mark on his neck, a tiny dark fleck almost no one would see unless specifically looking for it. Both knew the significance of such a weapon; only the dark elves were known to use the particular poison that had killed Ulendil, or this subtle method of delivery.
"Please let us in," Shidamae said. "Our own people have suffered as well, and we wish to know what happened."
The grizzled farmers and loggers stared at the two slender cloaked forms for a moment, then the leader of the group nodded.
"You have no weapons?" he asked suspiciously, bouncing an axe in his palm.
"We have none," Sansorin assured him. Of course, there were nearly a dozen elves hidden in strategic positions around them who did. The wooden gate swung open.
"It was a dark figure," said the old woman in an ominous tone. "As thin as yourselves but with a face as black as coal. Walked into town without a word, swords drawn, and cut down anyone who dared to stand in the way."
"Said he was looking for a girl," piped up her husband.
"That's not what he said," argued his wife. "He said he was looking for a place to stay."
"Yer an addled old crone," returned the husband. "He said plain as day he was looking for a girl."
The two elves looked at each other and shook their heads. Both knew they had to assume the worst, that the dark elves knew of Eliza and were indeed searching for her. But was it just this one agent, or was there more drow holed up nearby? The assassination of Ulendil seemed to indicate that they wanted to prevent the surface elves' involvement in the matter. Shidamae dared to hope that might mean the drow force was singular or at least very small, and feared to face them openly.
"Did you see him leave?" Shidamae asked the man.
"Saw `im walk east out of town, then disappear," said the old man.
"He went west," his wife argued.
"He went east!" The man shouted stubbornly. "You wouldn't know which way's west if the setting sun hit you in the arse."
Shidamae thanked the two for their time, then hastily drew Sansorin away. "We didn't learn much," she said, sighing.
"Perhaps not," replied her brother, "but if there are drow in this area, we will find them."
Rajah grinned to himself as he watched the elves try to sort out the devilishly laid tracks he'd made while in drow form. He did not stop and gloat, however, for the greater prize dangled before him, just out of his backward-handed grasp. Erik vin Drako could be quite considerate, for a power-mad human. How thoughtful of him to reveal to him the whereabouts of the girl! It was almost too bad vin Drako had made so many other bad dealings with him, and would have to be terminated quite soon. This _almost_ made up the sorcerer's debt to him.
The rakshasa moved quickly in spirit form. He decided to go ahead with vin Drako's plan to kidnap the sniveling boy. This would throw off the sorcerer's suspicions long enough to exhaust his summoning ability for a few days. Even when he was expecting it, it was difficult for the rakshasa to ignore a powerful magical summons. By the time vin Drako was able to summon him again, Rajah would have the girl in his grasp and have claimed her power as his own.
"Ow!" came a muffled cry from the bushes as Liam and Eliza were setting up camp one evening.
"Charles, are you alright?" called Eliza.
Odie got up and charged into the brush. "Face your doom, villains!" yelled the enraged dwarf, running full out and hacking up saplings with his axe. There was a sound of a scuffle, and then the dwarf emerged from the wood with a snake split in half along the edge of his blade. Charles followed behind, hopping on one foot and looking sheepish.
Eliza sighed in exasperation. "What were you _doing_?" she asked, then thought the better of it.
"ODIE CHARMS SNAKES!" the dwarf roared, picking the sliced reptile off the end of his axe. Holding it by the tail, he began dangling the thing in his mouth, jerking it to give it a semblance of life. "I saw a snake in the brush," Charles said meekly. "I tried to hit it with a stick, but I hit my foot instead."
Eliza snorted. She didn't have in the way of patience these days. "I'm going to take a walk," she told them. "And try not to kill yourselves while I'm away."
She rose and headed off over rocks and through scrub trees, where the forest was giving way to a more broken and barren land. Sometimes at night she could hear wolves howling in the distance. At first the sounds had frightened her, but now she found them strangely comforting. She wished she could run freely like that. What cruel jest had the gods played on her? Eliza was certain she knew the reason why Erik and the elves sought her out. The answer became clearer with each passing day.
"Eliza!" came the predicable call from behind. Could she not even take a short walk without Liam looking for her?
Wearily, she turned to face him, seeing a concern in his face so familiar to her she now found it insipid. It was a terrible thought, she knew, but she almost wanted to blurt out the truth right there, just to see his shock.
"Eliza," Liam said, catching up to her. "I've been worried about you lately. Are you sure you're okay?"
What would she sacrifice if she fell into his arms right now and started sobbing? It was a tempting thought, but Eliza held herself in check. If she gave in now, Liam would forever see her as weak. "I'm fine, Liam," she said in a flat voice. She took another few steps, composing herself. "I've discovered why I'm being hunted," she remarked.
Liam grabbed her arm gently and pulled her around to face him. "You have?" he asked.
Eliza's eyes were cast downward. There was no joy or jubilation in her now as she said to him, "Liam, I'm with child."
Liam took a step back. Somehow this wasn't entirely a shock to him, but still, hearing the words... And then the implications... "Oh, Eliza," he said, holding her. "Did Erik..."
"No."
This caused poor Liam's face to crinkle up in confusion. For a moment he simply stared at her. Then the tears Eliza had been holding back welled in her eyes. "Liam, please believe me, you don't understand..."
"The Prophecy," Liam whispered hoarsely, sending a jolt of relief and something like happiness through Eliza. He believed in her.
Much later that night, "Charles" felt the summoning pull on his spirit. He got up and stole off into a nearby windswept ravine where the real boy lay still unconscious. After his ordeal of being hit on the head and drugged, the child would be out for some time. The rakshasa picked him up and tugged him along into the magical vortex that transported him to Erik vin Drako's tower.
After leaving the boy in the madman's hands, Rajah spirit-walked back to the camp and settled into Charles' blankets.
The next day, the broken lands smoothed into lightly forested hills. Eliza and her companions rode onward, and somehow she felt better today after confessing to Liam. The elves would take care of things, Eliza thought. They would know what to do.
"Oh, look!" she called to Liam as they rode over a ridge and saw a great stone obelisk over on the next hill. "The Standing Stone! It was on my map. We must be getting close!"
Of course Charles wanted to run ahead and play by the obelisk, so Eliza and Liam consented to stopping there for a short lunch break. It was all the two could do to stop Odie from carving "Odie was here" on the stone, and once the dwarf got the idea into his head, Charles started pestering to do it too.
"Do not deface that stone!" Eliza said harshly, glaring at both boy and dwarf. And the rakshasa glowered back. The four would reach Andalast before nightfall; now was his chance.
"Don't look at me like that, young man," Eliza said with mock indignation as Charles squealed and playfully rushed her. If Eliza sensed the danger in the boy's strangely inhuman eyes, it did not register until the last second when the rakshasa fell upon her.
"Charles!" she said, backpedaling as an inexplicable sense of dread washed over her. The rakshasa moved quickly, grabbing Eliza around the neck. But as its fingers touched her skin, she heard a sizzling sound and the smell of burnt flesh wafted up into her nostrils. Rajah quickly reverted to his natural form as he died, emitting a horrible unearthly wail as the flesh melted off of him. Horrified, Eliza and Liam could only stare as the thing that had been Charles turned into a puddle of goo before their very eyes. Even Odie was silent for once.
"It seems that blessed crossbow bolts were the least of your problems, my friend," came a chilling voice from behind.
_And it seems that shape shifting cat-people are the least of mine,_ Eliza thought, turning slowly.
Erik vin Drako stood leaning against the obelisk, holding a staff in one hand and fingering a wand that was pointing in her general direction. "Come quietly, my dear, and perhaps the others will escape," Erik said to her. "I need no more prisoners to ensure your good behavior."
Liam and Odie drew their weapons. "You shall never have her," Liam promised, though his words sounded hollow to his own ears. There was something about the sorcerer's presence that made him feel so hopeless.
"Face your doom, villain," Odie growled, but his voice too lacked conviction.
Erik loosed a blast of energy from his wand, catching Liam in the chest. He jolted and fell to the ground, shaking all over. Odie charged, yelling a dwarfish curse, but he ran into something invisible and smacked to the ground at the sorcerer's feet. Erik casually planted the butt of his staff on the dwarf's throat and spoke a command word. The staff buzzed to life and delivered an electrical current into the prone dwarf's neck.
"No!" Eliza screamed, rushing forward. She did not know if Liam and Odie were alive or dead, and in that moment, that was all that mattered. She drew her short sword and swore to gut the bastard, invisible wall or not. To her surprise, the sorcerer allowed her to close in and get her strike. She plunged the sword into Erik's chest with all her strength and fury behind it, skewering him.
Erik laughed at her and casually plucked the blade out of his chest. The wound was completely closed. Eliza shook her head in disbelief, her expression as pained as if she had been the one to take the wound. The sorcerer uttered another word and chains formed around her wrists.
"Have you ever traveled magically, my dear?" Erik asked her mockingly, dragging her with him. "No? Well, I suppose there's a first time for everything."
_There is nothing I can do,_ Eliza thought helplessly. The hopelessness quelled any rebellious thoughts of escape. Nothing...
"Hold!" came a sudden call, imperious yet at the same time otherworldly. Eliza looked up to see the most beautiful creature she had ever laid eyes on seeming to drift through the trees without ever touching the ground. She was an elf, with lustrous silver hair that hung down to her feet, fair glowing skin and eyes that bored into the soul. Behind her came her silent entourage, almost as splendid as she. Eliza felt a shimmering magical force fall down upon them.
"I am Queen Estaria, ruler of these lands and of the elven People. Do not bother attempting to teleport away, magelord. I have placed a dimensional anchor upon you."
"Faerie queen," Erik addressed her contemptuously. "I did not realize you got out any more."
"Release the girl," the Queen commanded, her voice as light as the wind but as strong as the chains binding Eliza's wrists.
Erik sneered. "And why should I do that? You will not harm me while I hold valuable goods."
Queen Estaria narrowed her eyes, then shot a blast of concentrated magical energy over Eliza's head. The force hit Erik full in the face, knocking him off his feet. Eliza's chains fell away from her and began snaking towards the prone sorcerer. "Oh really?" the Queen said icily.
Erik watched the scene from his scrying mirror, muttering curses at the elven bitch as his simulacrum was taken away in chains. Things hadn't progressed quite how he planned, but at least he'd gotten rid of that troublesome Rajah. The sorcerer tapped his chin as he considered the possibilities. He hadn't gotten the girl, but the child, Charles, would lure her out from underneath Queen Estaria's watchful eye. Charles was bound and gagged, curled up in the corner where Erik could keep an eye on him. This time he would serve his purpose.
Erik turned back to the mirror, the link to his other self allowing him to scry on an area that was otherwise protected from such divinations. Perhaps he could learn something about the elves' defenses before the magic on the simulacrum expired...
Charles was struggling with consciousness. What had happened to him, where was he? He tried to move his arms, but that only made his bindings cut into his flesh. Where was Eliza? He shifted his body around so that he could better view his surroundings. The huge, grey walls mock his thoughts of escape. He almost fell into despair...almost. He noticed a mirror in the distance. There he saw Eliza unharmed, surrounded by elves. He was once again filled with hope. He knew that she would come here to save him...but where was here?
As the elves and the small group traveled to a place where they could talk, Eliza thought about Charles. What had happened to him? Was he dead somewhere? Or alive suffering some horrible torment? Would she ever see him again or would he be lost forever? She drifted off to sleep. No, not sleep. Something more like a vision, a vision she has seen many times before. The images of Charles shifted into that of the prophecy foretold to her many years before. Never before had the images been so clear...
Liam ran to the front of the group as he saw Eliza go down. Elves and Odie alike made way for the Elf Queen. "Don't touch her..." she spoke, her voice like a flute's soft melody, yet commanding and stern nevertheless.
Liam held steady, every muscle in his body aching to lift Eliza's shaking body into his arms, to quell the violent movements. If even just to hold her head up from the dirt of the path. Eliza lay heaving in the mud, her eyes unnaturally wide, unblinking.
"What's happening?" he asked through gritted teeth–the question directed at the Queen, although his eyes never faltered from Eliza's prostrate form.
"It is written. Let it be." The Elf Queen replied, her melodious voice tinged with ice. Not an elf moved, and it seemed for an instant that the only sound in the entire forest was that of Odie's axe clanging against his body as he paced.
Liam closed his eyes, fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles whitened. These days it was becoming harder and harder to separate friends from enemies. And harder still to follow the former...
Faint whispers surrounded Eliza as she fell through the air. She passed clouds as if on a morning stroll--time seemed to slow for her.
*change it....* They spoke...a chorus of angels, it seemed.
*He shall change it....*
*Oh! Let him come!*
"Who?" Eliza asked her invisible companions...she spun about, the soft breeze of the slow fall catching her wheat colored locks and wrapping them about her neck.
*He who shall be...*
*Power!*
*Change it....The Krysolis shall...*
*He shall change it!*
*He with the power to change it!*
Eliza smiled serenely...yes...The Krysolis...it was the prophecy! He would change--Eliza blinked--he would change what?
"What is going on!?!?" she cried, her voice panicked as her mind began to break from the visionary trance--yet her consciousness still remained trapped there...."WHO ARE YOU!?!?! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!??"
The voices began to laugh, their chorus of chuckles becoming a cacophony of earsplitting noise....
"LET ME OUT! STOP IT!!!"
And suddenly--as if all of it had never been--all was silent.
Enter Liam, the Other Suitor
Liam paced back and forth in his house, worrying about Eliza. He'd never meant to drive her away. Never meant to hold her in such a stranglehold that she'd rather flee into danger's clutches than stay. He pounded the window sill and stared out at the gray sky. Somehow, he knew she had fallen into serious trouble. The magelord Erik had frequently made forays into Esterhaven, looking for her. She'd always managed to avoid him until the last year. At that point, Liam had witnessed the confrontations between them and vowed he'd keep her safe from the madman living in the tower. Well, he couldn't just leave her to go off and end up in Erik's power.
A grim expression crossed his face. If he managed to keep her from such a fate, he'd promise her he'd not try to restrict her as other men did their wives. He loved her, truly loved her, more than any other person in his life. And he knew what she thought of him and for the most part, he had to admit he had lived up to her view of him.
With an oath, he flung away to make up a pack. Ignoring those who tried to hail him, Liam stalked into the stable and winced at Baron's absence. The vacant stall brought home just how much he missed Eliza and her quirks. He quickly saddled Job, his hunting horse, and set off in the direction he'd seen Eliza take off in.
Outside the village he picked up another set of tracks. Someone had followed her on foot and she'd taken that someone up on Baron. Liam rolled his eyes. It had to have been Charles. The youngster followed her around like a puppy.
Liam kicked Job into a canter, following the trail in the snow, then pulled up abruptly. In the distance he could see dark forms circling the forest, then swoop into the trees. Liam's heart sank. He knew those riders came from Erik and it spelled no good for Eliza. He kneed Job again and sped off toward the activity.
Once he reached the woods, he picked his way through the underbrush, following the broken branches that pointed toward Eliza's path. The sun had began to sink beneath the horizon and the way became too dark to see. Liam began to despair of finding Eliza. And then he found Baron. The poor thing had managed to stand, but from the awkward angle of the horse's right front leg, Liam knew the animal had broken its leg. He drew his crossbow and prepared to put Baron out of his misery.
As he set the bolt, a strange tingling crawled up his arms. Golden light trickled from the trees to his right and within moments five tall forms emerged from between them.
"Hold human, you have no need for this action. Allow us to heal this creature," the foremost male told him. Liam backed off, uncertain if he should trust these... these... elves. Usually, these beings avoided any contact with humans like himself and Liam had little liking for those who used magic. As if they sensed his dislike of their kind, the leader, or so Liam believed, nodded at the others, who retreated away into the deepening shadows.
"Your mistrust is unwarranted, human," the leader said, then turned to the obviously hurting horse. The elf knelt beside Baron, placing his hands over the injured limb and chanting in some strange language. His hands began to glow and before Liam's eyes the awkward angle of the limb straightened until Baron could place his weight fully on it.
Once Baron's leg had knit, the elf rose laid a hand on the trembling horse's neck. Baron calmed and nuzzled the elf's arm. "I am called Ulendil. My people do not wish to allow Erik access to one as powerful as Eliza. Baron will lead you to her. Though we will not become directly involved in this conflict, I have asked them to aid you in this." Before Liam could reply, the elf... Ulendil, if he remembered correctly, melted back into the forest, leaving Liam staring after them and wondering if he'd been in the woods too long. He shrugged and turned his attention back to the horse he'd been prepared to dispatch.
"Well, old boy, it looks like you'll be my guide in this." Baron gave him a disgusted look, threw his head up and moved off. Liam cursed under his breath and remounted Job. First, he had a runaway bride, then dealing with the likes of elves, and now he had to contend with a condescending horse. In the deepening gloom, he managed to keep Baron's rump in sight, more through Job's following of the other horse than any talent of Liam's. Still, he didn't know how much longer they could keep going.
Eliza knew these men wouldn't kill her except as a last resort, but that wouldn't stop them from hurting her badly. A third Wind Rider joined the first two, carrying a half- conscious Charles across his saddle.. The rider pulled Charles' hair, laughing as he showed the others his "prize."
Eliza tensed, wanting to do *something*. Before she could act, however, the sound of hoof beats came from behind her, and a familiar voice rang through the trees.
"Face your doom, villains!" came the predictably cheesy battle cry as a throwing axe slammed into the sword-wielder's skull, killing him instantly. Another axe took out the second rider.
"Bully, Bully, BULLY!" Odikin Orecrusher shouted with glee, coming to Eliza's rescue. A short barrel-chested dwarf came caroming onto the scene, mounted on Splay, his short, heavy war pony. He vaulted from his bare-backed charger and hit the ground running, his belt and harness veritably bristling with stout, razor-sharp throwing axes.
With but a few running strides he'd clambered up a wind-fallen tree-trunk and leapt up behind the mounted Wind Rider. Odie whipped an axe from his belt and brought it down with every ounce of strength the dwarf possessed, stabbing the butt of the axe-handle between the man's shoulder blades. The bird-beast shrieked in outrage and reared up, wings fluttering wildly in agitation, sending the crazed dwarf and Charles down into the mud. The subdued rider slipped off the winged mount's other side, landing in a heap, but the bird paid him no mind; it began cocking and bobbing its head up-and-down in eager anticipation as it began stalking the nervously-whickering war pony.
Eliza was at a loss. Finally she came to her senses and snatched up the cloven-helmed sword-wielder's blade. She stumbled to her feet again, and tried to catch her breath. By then, Odie was scurrying about, whooping and whirling, jouncing and jumping around like a complete fool. The lass watched in disbelief as the "mad dwarf" started to strut, skip, and caper around her in a circle... spouting out a merry song:
"Odie likes cheese...! Odie likes bread... !
Odie wants venison pie, INSTEAD... !" (over-and-over-and-over-again).
Then he came to an abrupt halt right before Eliza, looked up at her expectantly, and hooted out, "Face your doom, villains!" It was one of the few lines Liam had taught him. The simpleton dwarf took up his merry dance once more, but the stricken scream of The war pony brought him up short once more.
Liam sighed in dismay as Job rounded yet another wall of brush only to see Baron trotting off down another overgrown path. At this rate, Eliza would be an old woman by the time they found her!
Liam sat bolt upright as he heard familiar clamoring in the distance.. a smile made its way across his face. "Odie!", he yelled, deciding that--if this was a journey he must undertake, he may as well have some company--or at least some entertainment. Liam spurred Job onward--although Baron was cantering in that general direction, anyhow. The two horses headed through a thicket down a hill into a pine grove...
Eliza gasped as she heard hoof beats. The dwarf pony stomped anxiously, which only served to agitate the crazy dwarf standing before her. Had Erik sent yet another entourage to capture her? She pushed to her feet, resolving that it would most certainly NOT be in her best interests to be captured by the sorcerer, for whatever purpose he had in store for her could not possibly be inviting. She picked up her short sword and stood ready, as a horse burst through the pines.
"Baron!" Eliza could only stand there, shocked to see her horse... her friend she'd been certain would die. He appeared sound and with his arrival, had distracted the raptor from contemplating the crazy dwarf's horse as a meal. A few moments later, more crashing sounded through the underbrush and another horse's head pushed through, revealing a disheveled Liam, sword drawn and an almost as insane a light in his eyes as the madman on the pony. She shook her head, not certain this would prove any better than surrendering to Erik. Before she could call to him, Liam attacked the raptor, beating at its head with his sword until it backed away and sprung into the air. With an angry screech, it flapped away, the backwash of its wings throwing dirt and gravel over those on the ground.
Baron nuzzled Eliza's arm as she coughed and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"No need to weep, Eliza. We've time to get away from that beast," Liam began.
"Fool!" she spat at him. "I'm not weeping. That thing threw up so much grit, it got in my eyes." She turned her shoulder against him and began cooing over Baron. Liam made a disgusted noise, then sighed.
"Sorry. Anyway, I suggest we not dally here least Erik's minions decide to attack again. I can't guarantee my friend there and I could hold more than one off."
Eliza grimaced, reluctantly admitting he was right. "Oh, very well. And where do you suggest we go?"
"Best to head for Maywood. We should be able to reach it by daylight." He peered up at the moonlit sky. "Besides, I understand we have an escort that will assist us."
Eliza frowned at him and glanced around the dark woods. "Escort?" He didn't answer her except with a smug expression and a shrug. She wanted to growl at him, but instead asked, "So, expert, just which way to Maywood?"
A blank look crossed his face. "Umm..."
Before she could blast him for his arrogance and stupidity, a faint glow moved from her right and a whisper echoed in her mind. *To the north, milady. Follow the faerie lights.* And with that, a tiny sparkle appeared beside her and darted off a small distance, bouncing and bobbing in impatience at her lagging behind.
"Liam?"
"Remember I told you about the escort?"
Eliza's frown deepened. "Just who or what did you make a pact with this time?"
Despite the pale silvery moonlight, she could tell he grew flushed. "I can't tell you right now. Maybe later. I made a promise. Unless they want you to know, I can't say."
With an irritated sound, Eliza mounted Baron, held her hand out to a very subdued and confused Charles for him to ride behind her, and moved off toward the tiny light in the distance. Behind her, Liam grumbled, but followed her without any protest. Odie climbed aboard his pony and both shambled along behind the others. In the darkness, Eliza allowed herself to grin. She patted Charles hands around her waist, glad whatever terrible geas had gripped him earlier no longer held him in its power. He'd always seemed more a younger brother than anything else. Now, if she could just escape that crazy sorcerer she might make a decent life for herself. That would be if she didn't mind sharing it with a would-be hero, his deranged dwarf side-kick, and one puppy-like youngster who insisted on following her.
Night was a very dark time for Eliza. The moon was bright and bloated in the sky, it laughed at her, mocked her. All her hopes and dreams would never come true. All she wanted to do was sing! Her wish to be a wandering bard was muted in the chaos her life was now. Her environment was hardly harmonious enough get some shut eye. The grumbling of the dwarf was louder then any thunder storm. Even Liam mumbled a couple times. Eliza sighed in frustration trying to sleep where she was in the saddle. Liam made it totally clear that he would see them to Maywood before they would ever stop and camp. Eliza's head slumped down then would spring back up her tired eyes scanning the inky black forest for signs of trouble. But she knew that sleep would eventual catch up to her, no matter how brave she tried to be.
A shrill cry sounded off in the distance. Eliza's mind was suddenly alert and at full attention. She didn't know how long she had been asleep but those cries she knew as the Wind Riders. Her head quickly surveyed the area and she found something out of place. The magical lights were gone! She looked to her side and saw many dark figures advance on them.
Shidamae stood off at the edge of the elves' encampment, scanning the forest with her night eyes. Beside her, her brother Sansorin was doing the same, his hands clenched around the hilt of his sword. Shidamae took note of his stance and was not reassured. She couldn't explain it rationally, but she sensed a malevolent presence in the forest tonight that even her elven eyes could not see. "Why do you think Ulendil sent us?" she asked softly, still remaining on the alert.
Sansorin's gaze remained outward, but he arched one brow and responded, "No doubt Ulendil, in his great wisdom, has good reason for guiding this human. It is not our place to question his decision."
Shidamae smiled despite her nervousness. Sansorin always had the proper response to everything. Proud and reliable, Sansorin would never allow curiosity to get the better of him and cause him to do anything foolish. "The human woman is not a mage, or even a trained warrior," she continued, reasoning aloud. "Perhaps she is one of those rare individuals whose power is a circumstance of birth..." Shidamae's voice trailed off as a shiver coursed up her spine. She drew her sword in a lighting-quick motion and whirled around, sensing a presence at her back. Sansorin had done the same, the two standing on guard facing towards the elven camp.
Out of the darkness came an elfmaid running on silent feet, her eyes wide and black with fear. So pale was her face that it seemed a ghost had lit through it, glowing in the moonlight with a haunting radiance.
"Aurilea?" Shidamae whispered, dread draining the strength from her voice.
"It's Ulendil," sobbed Aurilea. "He was murdered in the midst of the encampment!"
Sansorin's eyes were set like stones. "Go, Shida. I will remain here." Shidamae nodded and followed Aurilea back to the camp.
The elves were on guard, weapons drawn, while a small knot was gathered around the base of a mighty oak. The two elves slipped through the crowd and came to the side of the fallen Ulendil. He was lying on the ground at the base of the tree, staring blankly at the faces above him. Amid the weeping, a healer knelt at Ulendil's side, looking him over for the wound that had caused his death. "There are no marks," she said, confusion twisting her fair features. "Not even those of a dart." "How could this happen?"
Shidamae said finally,"Did _none_ of you see his killer?" She bent down and touched the dead elf's face. It was wide and staring, mouth twisted in horror and anguish. There was no doubt that Ulendil had been killed suddenly and painfully.
The healer shook her head. "Do not cast blame, young Shidamae. Ulendil was not murdered by any conventional means." Shidamae had reached the same conclusion, but still she could not believe that their leader could be assassinated so cleanly, without his killer leaving any evidence behind. Pacing out into the trees, she began searching for clues. Something caught her eye, and she stopped in her tracks.
Elves. Thank the gods, they were elves; a dozen at the least. Liam relaxed once more, even though the bird's distant cry echoed a second time; the Wind Riders were continuing their relentless search for the young woman. The human moved out to intercept the elves, but they practically ignored him, gazing instead at Eliza with their intense, unfathomable orbs.
They had reached the Maywood.
The group set up camp in a copse of trees whose branches intertwined, forming a natural windbreak and canopy which looked promising enough to offer shelter against the gales and snowfall. Liam had gathered the components to build a fire and was attempting to bring it to life. The boy and the dwarf were busy tending to the mounts, and Eliza was nearby inspecting her once-injured fingers. At last, the fire blazed up; a glimmer of budding warmth began to spread out over the small, wooded copse.
"I don't know why you thought you had to bring that odious dwarf along," Eliza complained in irritation of the continuing noise that always seemed to accompany the unpredictable dwarf.
"I did not," Liam proclaimed his innocence. "You heard his song as well as I; he was `hunting' venison pie." Eliza ignored the bad rhyme. Liam was smiling, as he always did whenever Odie was about. And with Charles thrown into the mix... well, it would be an understatement to say that "true chaos" was brewing within the group. Behind them, they heard Charles take up the title Eliza had just bestowed upon the crazed dwarf, as he began chanting out "Odie the Odious" repeatedly. They both looked up to see what effect those words would have on the dwarf. Indifference, or was it pleasure? Charles and Odie had locked wrists and were spinning exuberantly about chanting the mantra cheerfully. Charles was certainly no help, either, taking the lead in the song as his thin voice trilled out in the night. "He's Odie the Odious...! he sounds so melodious...! he's brash and he's bold...! and woefully toadiless...!" While the dwarf simply chanted out: "Odie-Odie-Odie-Odie..."
Eliza shook her head in disgust and stomped off in a huff. Liam hurried after her, refusing to let this pass. He caught up to her and put his hand on her shoulder; she flinched in pain and whirled about glaring. The man held his hands up in mute surrender.
"What is this about?" he asked in his serious voice. "And don't make any excuses concerning the dwarf; whatever it is, it has nothing to do with him. Besides, I would think you might be a bit more grateful for his aid."
"I am, but..."
"But...?"
"I just don't know what to do," she finished softly.
"Your power is growing... and it scares you, doesn't it?" Liam consoled the young woman. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. He felt rather than saw her quiet nod of affirmation.
"It has even grown large enough to attract the notice of the `good' sorcerer." she said, speaking of the elf who had made her broken hand whole again.
"That is why you have been refusing to use it," Liam stated, knowing it to be the truth. Again only silent acquiescence. They stood there listening to the sounds of the night, until the mood was finally broken by the beginnings of a new song.
"Odie likes beer...! Odie likes ale...! Odie wants to drink it right from the PAIL!"
Charles' gurgling laughter chased the droll song's melody. Eliza could almost feel the angry eyes of the elves glaring down at them from the surrounding trees as the boisterous clamor peeled across the glen. But then, as long as the fair folk refused to be a bit more forthcoming concerning the strange circumstances surrounding them all... The exhausted lass didn't really care about `their' wants. The young woman felt a stab of guilt as the unchivalrous thought popped into her head. After all-- they had healed her fingers, or rather, that elven cleric had; what had her name been? Auril? Aurilea? Something like that.
Liam and Eliza went back to the moderate warmth of the fire and settled down to take their rest and to await whatever the fates had in store for them on the morrow.
The next morning, camp broke early, much to Charles' chagrin, who had to be dragged onto his feet by Odie and dangled headfirst into the stew pot to be woken. This caused a ruckus that only a dozen armed and humorless elves could effectively quell, and added to Eliza's growing discomfort.
She had started feeling sick shortly after waking, and could not keep her breakfast down. Her short sojourn into the bushes had evoked concerned looks from Liam, but she merely scowled at him and told him she was still stressed from the events of the day before. He was acting like a dutiful husband fussing over a pregnant wife, Eliza thought, not liking the comparison at all. The elves politely made themselves scarce (as only elves can do) until Eliza's coloring had returned to normal and she was laughing at Odie and the boy's ridiculous antics.
The camp quieted suddenly as an uncommonly tall elven male, slender as a silver birch, stepped out of the trees.
"I am called Sansorin," he said, his eyes finding each of them in turn and holding their gaze with a look of otherworldly comprehension. "I am the effective leader of this group. As you may know, we have pressing matters to attend to and thus cannot accompany you on your journey. As it is, I can tell you little about why you are important to the People, but I do know that Ulendil's last instructions were to deliver you to the Forest of Andalast. There you will be accepted by Queen Estaria, most highborn Daughter of the People." His dark eyes snapped to Odie, who was sprawled casually on the ground, stuffing grass in his mouth to make his cheeks puff out and making faces at the elven warrior. "Some of you, perhaps," the elf amended coolly.
"But how will we find the Forest of Andalast?" Eliza asked meekly, enthralled by this strange creature standing before her. Sansorin produced a parchment from under his fine cloak and handed it to her. Eliza unrolled the scroll and found it to be a detailed map of the region, spanning hundreds of miles. The Forest of Andalast was marked as a dark blot somewhere to the west.
"Take a good look at it, then cast it into the flames," Sansorin told her. "We will try to guide you when we are able." Without another word, he melted into the forest.
When he had gone, Eliza silently went to Baron and began tacking him. The horse nickered softly as she threw her arms around it and buried her face in the animal's neck. "Baron, I don't know what to do," she whispered. "When we left town, I had no idea where I would go, as long as it was far away. Now I'm supposed to go see the Queen of The Elves. The Queen of the Elves!" She felt a gentle pressure on her back. Liam was standing next to her, stroking her hair. She turned to face him. "Do you think this is insane?" she asked him, laughing shortly. "Why in the world would the elves have an interest in me, of all people?"
"I don't know the answer to that, Eliza," Liam said. He spoke gently, but to her he seemed distracted by some disturbing thought.
"What is it?" she asked him.
"Nothing," Liam replied unconvincingly. "Come on, we'd better go make sure Odie and Charles aren't getting into trouble."
Erik vin Drako opened the heavy door to his summoning chamber with a sharp command and calmly walked to the dais, his boots clicking on the polished stone floor. There the sacrifice had been bound and drugged, as he had instructed his apprentices. "Still awake?" he murmured, bending down to plant a soft kiss on the girl's cheek and brushing her face with his long, straight dark hair. She was wearing a thin white gown of gossamer threads, one that did little for her modesty but nevertheless made her look deliciously innocent. It was really unfortunate that so many rituals required virgin blood, Erik thought salaciously.
The girl stared at him with empty eyes as he raised a ceremonial dagger and began chanting in a strange tongue. The dagger began to glow, shedding a greenish light. Magical energy began to dance about Erik's fingertips, seeking release. "_Abrek dus vili kharist arys dal!_" he intoned as the spell came to a climax. He plunged the dagger into the girl's heart and drew it out, still beating. She gave a brief spasm and then lay quiet, her life force ebbing away.
Erik sat on his obsidian throne and ate the heart with a glass of fine Elvish wine, consuming the blood spiced with his alchemical brew. Soon he began to feel the lightheadedness that often accompanied a summoning. Experienced at this sort of work, he fought off his mental inertia and focused on the doors of the spirit realm, which were fast parting in his chamber. A moment later, the magical veil invisible to all but the most skilled practitioners of the Art fell away to reveal an otherworldly creature with the face of a tiger and dressed in fine silks.
"You requested my presence, Your Maleficence?" said the rakshasa in a bored, sarcastic tone, flicking out a golden pick and expertly cleaning its long nails.
"You performed your task with the usual excellence, Rajah," Erik said, staring down at the dangerous creature. "The elves will be too busy puzzling over their pathetic leader's death to be of much use to Eliza. It may be some time before her party finds its way to Andalast, giving you ample opportunity for the next phase of your mission."
The rakshasa narrowed its catlike eyes. "Must I remind you that I am no simple assassin to be ordered about?" the creature said haughtily. "I have worked for greater magelords than you, vin Drako, and do not forget that I possess sorcerous talents even beyond the norm of my kind."
Erik did not give the malevolent spirit the satisfaction of looking worried. He knew Rajah was protected from the common vulnerabilities of his race and possessed a native resistance to lesser magic, but Erik was no lesser mageling. Still, it would not do to antagonize this powerful and useful creature. "I think you will find it much to your benefit to do what I am about to ask of you," Erik said calmly.
"And what exactly would that be?" asked the rakshasa, showing a flicker of interest.
"Capture one of Eliza's party, the boy, perhaps, and deliver him to me when I summon you again. You shall impersonate him and find out everything you can about Eliza. What she knows about herself, what other allies and connections she might have, even her relationship with her companions."
"The girl is heading for Queen Estaria's court," the rakshasa said disdainfully. "I could not even enter the place."
"You will make your move to capture Eliza before the companions reach the Forest of Andalast," Erik clarified.
"And the others?"
"Kill them," The sorcerer said coldly.
Rajah strolled silently through the forest, the only trace of his passing a small stream of smoke from his pipe. Erik was a fool. The whiskers on Rajah's tiger-like face bristled as he smiled. All of these humans were fools. Erik the great sorcerer–the king of magic--would deliver the prize straight into the hands of the Rakshasas. More specifically, the moron would hand the right to Kingship straight to Rajah himself. Rajah took a long drawl of his pipe and grinned ear to ear, sharp feline teeth shining white. Life was good.
Eliza sat on the trunk of a fallen tree, her knees drawn up to her chest. The last rays of the days golden sunlight faded, the sky changing vermillion to violet and luminous blue...finally passing to dark, black night. Only the brightest stars pierced through the cloudy night sky. Even the moon seemed to hide behind the dark clouds. She sighed softly to herself. How appropriate. Everything else in her life was fading to black--why not the world, as well? She absently let a hand drop to her stomach as she watched her companions chatting (or in Odie's case, shouting) around the fire. It was as if her own body had betrayed her. What horrible punishment could it be? Had she sinned in a past life?
"Eliza...you want a thigh?"
Charles's high-pitched voice cut through Eliza's thoughts like a knife. She looked up to see the spindly youth brandishing a piece of roasted rabbit in her direction.
"No..." she muttered, as she closed her eyes, laying her cheek on her knees.
"You feeling alright?" Liam asked, noticing Eliza's somber mood. "I'm sure those elves can give you some leaves or something for whatever's bothering you..."
Eliza didn't answer. It wasn't worth the effort.
The village of Lomm at the edge of the wood was not heavily populated, and even less so than it had been two nights previously. Its inhabitants were stone-faced and suspicious when Sansorin and Shidamae arrived at the wooden gate, begging entrance. They found as their greeting a hastily gathered militia armed with crossbows and pitchforks.
"Begone, or both of you'll be shot where you stand," said one nervous farmer. The others rallied around him, brandishing their weapons.
"We mean you no harm," Sansorin said calmly. "Has your fair village come upon trouble?" A toothless old woman threw a rotten apple at him through the gate, which Sansorin dodged with a graceful sidestep.
"Does five butchered in the night like sheep pass for trouble in your eyes?" she shouted at him.
Sansorin and Shidamae exchanged looks. It certainly sounded like the particular brand of trouble they were looking for. Shidamae had shown him what she'd found in the brush: the tiniest of darts, almost impossible to spot were it not for the dark liquid on its tip that she had seen gleaming in the moonlight. Looking over Ulendil's body again, they discovered that he did indeed carry a mark on his neck, a tiny dark fleck almost no one would see unless specifically looking for it. Both knew the significance of such a weapon; only the dark elves were known to use the particular poison that had killed Ulendil, or this subtle method of delivery.
"Please let us in," Shidamae said. "Our own people have suffered as well, and we wish to know what happened."
The grizzled farmers and loggers stared at the two slender cloaked forms for a moment, then the leader of the group nodded.
"You have no weapons?" he asked suspiciously, bouncing an axe in his palm.
"We have none," Sansorin assured him. Of course, there were nearly a dozen elves hidden in strategic positions around them who did. The wooden gate swung open.
"It was a dark figure," said the old woman in an ominous tone. "As thin as yourselves but with a face as black as coal. Walked into town without a word, swords drawn, and cut down anyone who dared to stand in the way."
"Said he was looking for a girl," piped up her husband.
"That's not what he said," argued his wife. "He said he was looking for a place to stay."
"Yer an addled old crone," returned the husband. "He said plain as day he was looking for a girl."
The two elves looked at each other and shook their heads. Both knew they had to assume the worst, that the dark elves knew of Eliza and were indeed searching for her. But was it just this one agent, or was there more drow holed up nearby? The assassination of Ulendil seemed to indicate that they wanted to prevent the surface elves' involvement in the matter. Shidamae dared to hope that might mean the drow force was singular or at least very small, and feared to face them openly.
"Did you see him leave?" Shidamae asked the man.
"Saw `im walk east out of town, then disappear," said the old man.
"He went west," his wife argued.
"He went east!" The man shouted stubbornly. "You wouldn't know which way's west if the setting sun hit you in the arse."
Shidamae thanked the two for their time, then hastily drew Sansorin away. "We didn't learn much," she said, sighing.
"Perhaps not," replied her brother, "but if there are drow in this area, we will find them."
Rajah grinned to himself as he watched the elves try to sort out the devilishly laid tracks he'd made while in drow form. He did not stop and gloat, however, for the greater prize dangled before him, just out of his backward-handed grasp. Erik vin Drako could be quite considerate, for a power-mad human. How thoughtful of him to reveal to him the whereabouts of the girl! It was almost too bad vin Drako had made so many other bad dealings with him, and would have to be terminated quite soon. This _almost_ made up the sorcerer's debt to him.
The rakshasa moved quickly in spirit form. He decided to go ahead with vin Drako's plan to kidnap the sniveling boy. This would throw off the sorcerer's suspicions long enough to exhaust his summoning ability for a few days. Even when he was expecting it, it was difficult for the rakshasa to ignore a powerful magical summons. By the time vin Drako was able to summon him again, Rajah would have the girl in his grasp and have claimed her power as his own.
"Ow!" came a muffled cry from the bushes as Liam and Eliza were setting up camp one evening.
"Charles, are you alright?" called Eliza.
Odie got up and charged into the brush. "Face your doom, villains!" yelled the enraged dwarf, running full out and hacking up saplings with his axe. There was a sound of a scuffle, and then the dwarf emerged from the wood with a snake split in half along the edge of his blade. Charles followed behind, hopping on one foot and looking sheepish.
Eliza sighed in exasperation. "What were you _doing_?" she asked, then thought the better of it.
"ODIE CHARMS SNAKES!" the dwarf roared, picking the sliced reptile off the end of his axe. Holding it by the tail, he began dangling the thing in his mouth, jerking it to give it a semblance of life. "I saw a snake in the brush," Charles said meekly. "I tried to hit it with a stick, but I hit my foot instead."
Eliza snorted. She didn't have in the way of patience these days. "I'm going to take a walk," she told them. "And try not to kill yourselves while I'm away."
She rose and headed off over rocks and through scrub trees, where the forest was giving way to a more broken and barren land. Sometimes at night she could hear wolves howling in the distance. At first the sounds had frightened her, but now she found them strangely comforting. She wished she could run freely like that. What cruel jest had the gods played on her? Eliza was certain she knew the reason why Erik and the elves sought her out. The answer became clearer with each passing day.
"Eliza!" came the predicable call from behind. Could she not even take a short walk without Liam looking for her?
Wearily, she turned to face him, seeing a concern in his face so familiar to her she now found it insipid. It was a terrible thought, she knew, but she almost wanted to blurt out the truth right there, just to see his shock.
"Eliza," Liam said, catching up to her. "I've been worried about you lately. Are you sure you're okay?"
What would she sacrifice if she fell into his arms right now and started sobbing? It was a tempting thought, but Eliza held herself in check. If she gave in now, Liam would forever see her as weak. "I'm fine, Liam," she said in a flat voice. She took another few steps, composing herself. "I've discovered why I'm being hunted," she remarked.
Liam grabbed her arm gently and pulled her around to face him. "You have?" he asked.
Eliza's eyes were cast downward. There was no joy or jubilation in her now as she said to him, "Liam, I'm with child."
Liam took a step back. Somehow this wasn't entirely a shock to him, but still, hearing the words... And then the implications... "Oh, Eliza," he said, holding her. "Did Erik..."
"No."
This caused poor Liam's face to crinkle up in confusion. For a moment he simply stared at her. Then the tears Eliza had been holding back welled in her eyes. "Liam, please believe me, you don't understand..."
"The Prophecy," Liam whispered hoarsely, sending a jolt of relief and something like happiness through Eliza. He believed in her.
Much later that night, "Charles" felt the summoning pull on his spirit. He got up and stole off into a nearby windswept ravine where the real boy lay still unconscious. After his ordeal of being hit on the head and drugged, the child would be out for some time. The rakshasa picked him up and tugged him along into the magical vortex that transported him to Erik vin Drako's tower.
After leaving the boy in the madman's hands, Rajah spirit-walked back to the camp and settled into Charles' blankets.
The next day, the broken lands smoothed into lightly forested hills. Eliza and her companions rode onward, and somehow she felt better today after confessing to Liam. The elves would take care of things, Eliza thought. They would know what to do.
"Oh, look!" she called to Liam as they rode over a ridge and saw a great stone obelisk over on the next hill. "The Standing Stone! It was on my map. We must be getting close!"
Of course Charles wanted to run ahead and play by the obelisk, so Eliza and Liam consented to stopping there for a short lunch break. It was all the two could do to stop Odie from carving "Odie was here" on the stone, and once the dwarf got the idea into his head, Charles started pestering to do it too.
"Do not deface that stone!" Eliza said harshly, glaring at both boy and dwarf. And the rakshasa glowered back. The four would reach Andalast before nightfall; now was his chance.
"Don't look at me like that, young man," Eliza said with mock indignation as Charles squealed and playfully rushed her. If Eliza sensed the danger in the boy's strangely inhuman eyes, it did not register until the last second when the rakshasa fell upon her.
"Charles!" she said, backpedaling as an inexplicable sense of dread washed over her. The rakshasa moved quickly, grabbing Eliza around the neck. But as its fingers touched her skin, she heard a sizzling sound and the smell of burnt flesh wafted up into her nostrils. Rajah quickly reverted to his natural form as he died, emitting a horrible unearthly wail as the flesh melted off of him. Horrified, Eliza and Liam could only stare as the thing that had been Charles turned into a puddle of goo before their very eyes. Even Odie was silent for once.
"It seems that blessed crossbow bolts were the least of your problems, my friend," came a chilling voice from behind.
_And it seems that shape shifting cat-people are the least of mine,_ Eliza thought, turning slowly.
Erik vin Drako stood leaning against the obelisk, holding a staff in one hand and fingering a wand that was pointing in her general direction. "Come quietly, my dear, and perhaps the others will escape," Erik said to her. "I need no more prisoners to ensure your good behavior."
Liam and Odie drew their weapons. "You shall never have her," Liam promised, though his words sounded hollow to his own ears. There was something about the sorcerer's presence that made him feel so hopeless.
"Face your doom, villain," Odie growled, but his voice too lacked conviction.
Erik loosed a blast of energy from his wand, catching Liam in the chest. He jolted and fell to the ground, shaking all over. Odie charged, yelling a dwarfish curse, but he ran into something invisible and smacked to the ground at the sorcerer's feet. Erik casually planted the butt of his staff on the dwarf's throat and spoke a command word. The staff buzzed to life and delivered an electrical current into the prone dwarf's neck.
"No!" Eliza screamed, rushing forward. She did not know if Liam and Odie were alive or dead, and in that moment, that was all that mattered. She drew her short sword and swore to gut the bastard, invisible wall or not. To her surprise, the sorcerer allowed her to close in and get her strike. She plunged the sword into Erik's chest with all her strength and fury behind it, skewering him.
Erik laughed at her and casually plucked the blade out of his chest. The wound was completely closed. Eliza shook her head in disbelief, her expression as pained as if she had been the one to take the wound. The sorcerer uttered another word and chains formed around her wrists.
"Have you ever traveled magically, my dear?" Erik asked her mockingly, dragging her with him. "No? Well, I suppose there's a first time for everything."
_There is nothing I can do,_ Eliza thought helplessly. The hopelessness quelled any rebellious thoughts of escape. Nothing...
"Hold!" came a sudden call, imperious yet at the same time otherworldly. Eliza looked up to see the most beautiful creature she had ever laid eyes on seeming to drift through the trees without ever touching the ground. She was an elf, with lustrous silver hair that hung down to her feet, fair glowing skin and eyes that bored into the soul. Behind her came her silent entourage, almost as splendid as she. Eliza felt a shimmering magical force fall down upon them.
"I am Queen Estaria, ruler of these lands and of the elven People. Do not bother attempting to teleport away, magelord. I have placed a dimensional anchor upon you."
"Faerie queen," Erik addressed her contemptuously. "I did not realize you got out any more."
"Release the girl," the Queen commanded, her voice as light as the wind but as strong as the chains binding Eliza's wrists.
Erik sneered. "And why should I do that? You will not harm me while I hold valuable goods."
Queen Estaria narrowed her eyes, then shot a blast of concentrated magical energy over Eliza's head. The force hit Erik full in the face, knocking him off his feet. Eliza's chains fell away from her and began snaking towards the prone sorcerer. "Oh really?" the Queen said icily.
Erik watched the scene from his scrying mirror, muttering curses at the elven bitch as his simulacrum was taken away in chains. Things hadn't progressed quite how he planned, but at least he'd gotten rid of that troublesome Rajah. The sorcerer tapped his chin as he considered the possibilities. He hadn't gotten the girl, but the child, Charles, would lure her out from underneath Queen Estaria's watchful eye. Charles was bound and gagged, curled up in the corner where Erik could keep an eye on him. This time he would serve his purpose.
Erik turned back to the mirror, the link to his other self allowing him to scry on an area that was otherwise protected from such divinations. Perhaps he could learn something about the elves' defenses before the magic on the simulacrum expired...
Charles was struggling with consciousness. What had happened to him, where was he? He tried to move his arms, but that only made his bindings cut into his flesh. Where was Eliza? He shifted his body around so that he could better view his surroundings. The huge, grey walls mock his thoughts of escape. He almost fell into despair...almost. He noticed a mirror in the distance. There he saw Eliza unharmed, surrounded by elves. He was once again filled with hope. He knew that she would come here to save him...but where was here?
As the elves and the small group traveled to a place where they could talk, Eliza thought about Charles. What had happened to him? Was he dead somewhere? Or alive suffering some horrible torment? Would she ever see him again or would he be lost forever? She drifted off to sleep. No, not sleep. Something more like a vision, a vision she has seen many times before. The images of Charles shifted into that of the prophecy foretold to her many years before. Never before had the images been so clear...
Liam ran to the front of the group as he saw Eliza go down. Elves and Odie alike made way for the Elf Queen. "Don't touch her..." she spoke, her voice like a flute's soft melody, yet commanding and stern nevertheless.
Liam held steady, every muscle in his body aching to lift Eliza's shaking body into his arms, to quell the violent movements. If even just to hold her head up from the dirt of the path. Eliza lay heaving in the mud, her eyes unnaturally wide, unblinking.
"What's happening?" he asked through gritted teeth–the question directed at the Queen, although his eyes never faltered from Eliza's prostrate form.
"It is written. Let it be." The Elf Queen replied, her melodious voice tinged with ice. Not an elf moved, and it seemed for an instant that the only sound in the entire forest was that of Odie's axe clanging against his body as he paced.
Liam closed his eyes, fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles whitened. These days it was becoming harder and harder to separate friends from enemies. And harder still to follow the former...
Faint whispers surrounded Eliza as she fell through the air. She passed clouds as if on a morning stroll--time seemed to slow for her.
*change it....* They spoke...a chorus of angels, it seemed.
*He shall change it....*
*Oh! Let him come!*
"Who?" Eliza asked her invisible companions...she spun about, the soft breeze of the slow fall catching her wheat colored locks and wrapping them about her neck.
*He who shall be...*
*Power!*
*Change it....The Krysolis shall...*
*He shall change it!*
*He with the power to change it!*
Eliza smiled serenely...yes...The Krysolis...it was the prophecy! He would change--Eliza blinked--he would change what?
"What is going on!?!?" she cried, her voice panicked as her mind began to break from the visionary trance--yet her consciousness still remained trapped there...."WHO ARE YOU!?!?! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!??"
The voices began to laugh, their chorus of chuckles becoming a cacophony of earsplitting noise....
"LET ME OUT! STOP IT!!!"
And suddenly--as if all of it had never been--all was silent.
