I don't know what to DO!! wailed Purple, collapsing down into an ornate throne, his tall thin frame folded up in despair. I can't find her!! She's just vanished!

I'm sure she's fine, Purple, Tabby said matter-of-factly, her wing feathers ruffling only slightly. Red wanted me to tell you that he thinks you're too stressed he hired some performers for you.

Huh? What? No! I don't have time for that! Purple whined. I have so much work to do to find her! I've sent out so much personnel there's hardly anyone left! We can't afford performers at the moment! Take them to the kitchen and the laundry, they can make themselves useful!

You want to feed us to the ravenous hordes of paperclips!? a feminine voice cried, and a moment later a motley warrior figure staggered in through the door and dropped a massive load of orc axes to the floor with a crash. Do you have any idea how off-key their humming is!? She fixed Purple with a righteous glare.

uh. Who he stammered, his eyes wide.

Oh, forgive me the warrior leapt over the fallen axes and executed a sweeping bow to Purple, which ended with her standing on her head and waving her feet in the air at him.

another voice called, followed by an extravagantly dressed figure with an impressive feather in his hat, and a small grey koala trotting near his feet.

Just a minute, Mike, the motley warrior said, her face a mask of concentration. I'm trying to hear the dust motes they're having a concert

I.. I thought you said they were off-key, Purple said worriedly, his antennae flicking back and forth in confusion under his heavy crown.

NOT THEM! Kat cried, before falling with a crash to the floor.

Mike hurried over to help her to her feet, tossing his staff to the koala, who caught it out of the air. Sparkles scattered over the floor.

Purple leaned towards Tabby. is this are these the performers?

I guess so Tabby said, her eyes on the koala suspiciously. The little animal looked up curiously, its cute little paws clutching the long staff protectively. It made a startled squeeking sound as the staff was pulled from its grip from above by Mike, who had finished righting Kat and now proceeded to straighten his posture, glare defiantly at Purple, and wave the staff in a series of complex-looking patterns.

What's he doing!? Purple said, trying to squeeze back into the throne.

I don't know, Tabby said, her voice tinged with impatience. She was getting worried her gaze kept drifting towards the doors. What the heck was Red up to? And why had he hired these people? Had they just crossed the street at the wrong time? It sure looked like it

--

Dib shivered, and rubbed his arms. There was an unnatural cold pervading this place, a very unnatural cold he suppressed the urge to move to Aubri's other side to get away from the minstrel, who was stalking along on his left. He could hear the little Irken girl crying softly. Bright flashes of light lit up the walls occasionally, as JC scuttled to and fro with her camera.

This is so neat! she was saying, mostly to herself. Maybe this place is haunted!

Haunted with what, Dib wondered. Evil spirits? Long deceased magical remains of practicing wizards? He found himself walking straighter, his gaze moving more quickly over the ruined building. Of course, there were more likely to be ghosts of a sort here from the people who had been destroyed. Warped and dark souls corrupted by the hideous taint of evil that had invaded this place. Or

Aubri pointed swiftly towards a pile of rubble in a corner. She's still alive.

JC said, eyes round as she stared at the pile.

Can I have a waffle? the minstrel's dog asked plaintively.

The gypsy girl swiftly reached the pile as soon as Dib did. He dropped to his knees and started pawing through the rubble. KidK helped him as quickly as she could, although she kept glancing up almost reproachfully at the minstrel who kept his distance, giving her his best affronted glare. Dib jumped as his hand brushed something soft, and KidK pulled a last chunk of stone off of the pile to reveal the bruised and bloodied forehead of a pale girl. Her eyes were closed, her purple hair was tangled and pulled back into pigtails.

A bright flash of light from the camera went off, just before Aubri stepped between Dib and KidK and hovered a hand quietly above the girl's forehead. Dib and the gypsy girl moved out of the way and continued to struggle to take the rubble off of the girl's still form. Glancing to one side, Dib noticed nervously that his mentor's eyes were glowing green again. Barely perceptible tendrils of light and feeling swelled up under his hand, seeming almost to draw into the girl.

What's he doing? Dib asked KidK. She gazed for a long moment at the procedure before answering.

Well, he's healing her my family knows a few tricks of the sort but nothing like KidK's voice trailed off. I hope she lives, she said, her voice taking on a mournful tinge. A frightened sound came from behind Dib, and he turned to see the little Irken girl flattened against the wall. The minstrel still stood haughtily, holding his fiddle, his antennae flicking towards the Irken child's cries but doing no more. The little green dog, meanwhile, was tying knots in the strings hanging from JC's shoes. She didn't notice but continued to make her camera flash.

KidK glanced back down at the girl, and the otherwise motionless Aubri, and then went over to Ivy. The green-eyed Irken child looked up at her and reached out, clinging to her skirt. Dib looked away. This entire place was making him feel sick, despite his intrigue about the possible existence of floating spirits. The taint of evil remained from the attack, and Dib couldn't help but want to get out of there as soon as possible.

It seemed like ages before the purple-haired girl's green eyes fluttered open. They were glazed with shock as they stared up at Aubri, who continued to kneel at the girl's side. KidK detached herself from Ivy with a reassuring pat to the child's antennae, and went over to help clear all the traces of rubble from the girl's body. She was tall and thin, and dressed in the plain habit of a nun. Her frame shook with shock and injury, and Aubri reached down to take her hand.

You're safe now, he said. Stand up.

what? I can't stand up, damnit, I've just b-been.. her voice trailed off shakily.

Stand up! he said again, the green glow in his eyes intensifying.

She stared up at him for a long moment, then slowly climbed to her feet, reaching up to wipe the drying blood from her forehead with a robed sleeve. She seemed surprised at her ability to do so—and even more surprised at the bright flashes of light that were emanating from JC's camera.

Oh wow this is SO cool, JC said excitedly as she snapped the button on little device over and over. You were DEAD! For good measure the camera was aimed at several piles of charred dead bodies. At the same moment, the purple-haired girl seemed to notice the bodies as well. Her pale complexion turned a whiter shade.

Oh God she said, and started mumbling under her breath, shaking even harder. Dib wondered if she really was a nun this was the second time she'd.. well.. swore. But he didn't think it would be entirely polite to enquire.

The minstrel sneered. Yet another filthy huuuman arises to serve the might of Ziiim's fiddle! he crowed, but as Dib glanced sharply at him, he saw that the green being's antennae were swiveling nervously. Maybe it was a trick of the light or the lack of it, but in the sidelines of the flashing of JC's camera he thought the minstrel looked a bit pale as well.

Serve you? the girl said, seeming to get her voice back a little bit. SERVE you? YOU? Some undersized mold-covered little—OH MY GOD!! Her voice rose to a shriek as her gaze fell onto GIR.

HIIIIIIII donkeyhead!! GIR hollered excitedly.

What is THAT!? the purple-haired girl said in abject horror. Whatever it is, keep it away from me!! A haunted look crossed her eyes and she seemed to be reaching at pockets that weren't there, looking for something she no longer had.

Oh, but he's just SO cute!! JC said, and tried to turn to take a picture of the smiling GIR. She promptly tripped over her knotted shoelaces and fell with a crash just shy of a mess of burned body parts. The camera flew from her hands into the air as she cried out in surprise.

Dib, seeing the magical box at peril, leapt forward to catch it in his hands. It was smoother than he would've thought, and it almost slid from his grasp, but he managed to catch hold of it. He shook his head, never seeming to run out of amazement for the strange device. Now.. how did it work? Turning it to face JC, who was trying to clamber to her feet without first untying her shoe laces, he searched the surface of it, found a small round button, and pushed it. A flash of light shot out. Dib said, beside himself despite the ugly feeling of his surroundings.

Hey! That's mine—oof! JC said as she continued to try, and fail, at getting up with her handicap.

This isn't some stupid game! You don't get this!! the purple-haired girl suddenly cried, striding over to Dib and snatching the camera from him. Turning, she seemed about to fling the camera into the nearest stone wall, but Aubri stepped over and caught her wrist firmly before she had the chance. She started, and turned to stare at him with eyes that held a look more haunted and frightened than anything else. For a moment, she looked like a rabbit caught in the grip of a python.

The moment passed, and she straightened up, trying to muster a glare at the wizard. He returned the glare, harshly, and within a moment, she was almost whimpering, trying to get away from him, shrinking back from his gaze.

Aubri said, his voice quite cold. Her hand spasmed and the camera fell from her grasp, conveniently right into JC's hands, though the out-of-place girl had not yet managed to get to her feet. Once she had the camera, however, she seemed to relax and think over her situation a little better. Noticing the knots in her shoelaces, she started untying them.

Aubri said, releasing the purple-haired girl's wrist. What's your name?

Why should I tell you— she started, then backed away from him several steps. she said. Keep away from me!! The entire nunnery may have been burned but you won't get me, too!!

I have no intention of allowing you to share their fate, Aubri said. For our part, we have need of a boat. You know this area, don't you? Can you lead us to one?

A boat??

That's what I said.

the minstrel hollered from the wall someplace. Zim refuses to go on any rickety huuuuman craft across the filthy slimy water!!

Devi didn't seem to register the minstrel's yells, or even Aubri's request. She just stared at the wizard with that same horrible look in her eyes. Maybe he had healed her physically, but Dib could see where the real damage lay. What had she seen? What kind of noxious horrors had invaded and destroyed this place and why was he the one chosen' to stop it? Dib shuddered. For a moment, he almost wished he was back on his father's farm, tilling the nice, boring, unfrightening earth. But that moment passed, and he looked around at the other members of the group.

The minstrel was standing stiffly and glaring towards Aubri, his fiddle held in his arms. JC had managed to untie her shoelaces, and, completely unfazed, was climbing to her feet. KidK had moved back towards the little minstrel, and the Irken child had clung onto her skirt again. The minstrel's green dog was what was he doing? Dib took a moment to stare at the creature and blink, then decided that it was little more odd for the little dog to be dancing a schottische with a crumbled brick than anything else it had done.

Dib looked at them all, and a strange sense of purpose came over him. They were all helpless people, just caught in the middle of all this of course he would do whatever he could to find out what this threat was and how it could be stopped! And if he gained a little respect and recognition in the process, what was the harm?

snapped the minstrel, seeing that Dib's gaze had fallen on him. Look the other way! The OTHER way! Do not look at the might of ZIM! The green being looked shaken and still more pale, but Dib, rolling his eyes, looked away. Stupid minstrel and his stupid insane pride. He wasn't as perfect as he pretended to be, at least. The gypsy girl knew that too; at least it could be figured from the concerned and compassionate look she gave Zim as she gently patted the antennae of the little Irken girl at her side.