Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity. -Kahlil Gibran

Sweet Responsibility

Harper stared at the cloaked figure standing beside him.

"It is good to see you working so diligently to save your friend life," said the figure.

Harper continued to stare at the figure.

"Oh, where are my manners," she said "My name is Mistress Aradestea F'ynn, and you are?"

"Se...Seamus Zelazny Harper, but you ca...can call me Harper." Stammered Harper.

"It is nice to meet you Seamus Zelazny Harper," said Aradestea as she bowed her head slightly. There was a slight gasp from the workers because it was rare for Aradestea to actually acknowledge one of them as an almost equal. Aradestea giggled at the response from the workers.

"Did I do something wrong?" ventured Harper tentatively.

"No, my workers are simply surprised that I consider you an almost equal, Seamus Harper. I will leave now so you can continue to save your friend life."

Aradestea turned and left a slightly stunned Antiope standing there with her mouth somewhat agape. Aradestea made her way through the passageways to her bedroom. The door opened onto a dimly lit room sparsely furnished except for one wall covered with bookshelves. She took off her cloak revealing a loose fitting shirt and pants in a deep green color. Aradestea sat down and looked in the mirror. She could recall where she got every scare on her pale face.

"And at one time my face was tanned and flawless, but now I am pale and scarred," she thought.

Aradestea pulled her long graying red hair back into a ponytail, and looked deeply into the mirror.

"Morgan would have a beauty by now and would have several marriage proposals." Aradestea thought as her green eyes welled with tears. She composed herself and got up. She walked over to an object draped in black cloth. She pulled the cloth back revealing a portrait of a young woman with long red hair in a braid, green eyes and tanned skin. She was wearing long, green dress and the hem was embroidered with red snakes. The woman appeared to be standing in front of a bookcase. Aradestea traced the face of the woman before collapsing on the floor in a flood of tears.

"Oh, Morgan. I feel that I have failed you. I should have listened to you when you said you feared for your life. Instead I rebuked you as being paranoid and childish. Oh my sweet Morgan Elen, I promised the day of your death I would avenge your death and the Heavens willing I will."

"Listen that compound of hers is heavily guarded. There's no way in, period." Said Doyle firmly.

"Well, I think...." Dylan was interrupted by a loud piercing scream coming from the next room. Beka, Dylan and Doyle raced into the next and saw standing over a huddled Trance and Ilandere was a man dressed in blood red loose fitting shirt an pants. In his hands was a strange, glowing blood red object.

"Hold it right there," ordered Dylan as he stepped in the room. Kek looked over at Dylan. Ilandere used that glance to pull her and Trance out of the way. He quickly glanced back and saw that the two women were gone.

"Enough of these games!" Kek shouted. Kek called forth an orb and was about to throw it at Beka, Dylan and Doyle when he was hit from behind with a silvery-white orb. He screamed and dropped the orb on the ground. He whirled around and faced Trance and Ilandere.

"I think this will be our lasting meeting with you as a fully functioning Avatar, Ilandere. You have caused problems for me since the day you became an Avatar."

When Kek noticed that Beka, Dylan and Doyle were creeping in he sent an orb in their general direction knocking them out.

"It appears your saviors are now gone. Who'll know take care of you two weak creatures?" he taunted.

"I will," said a voice from the doorway.

Kek whirled around and saw standing in the doorway was an arthritic, elderly man. He had on a mussed up brown shirt and pants. He appeared to be holding a weapon which he pointed at Kek.

"What can you do old man?" taunted Kek.

Ilandere used this distraction to sneak up on Kek and knock him out with a metal pipe. Kek collapsed to the floor with a thud.

"I knew you would come to help, Herb." Said Ilandere.

"I just couldn't get over what you'd told Rhade while you were locked up. It just kept goin' through my mind. And besides it's not polite to hurt unarmed women no matter what species they be." Said Herb with a smile.

"Come we must tie Kek up to prevent him from escaping." Said Ilandere as she dropped the metal pipe with a thud. Ilandere and Herb dragged Kek to a chair and tied him with some chains. They made sure his wouldn't be able to touch. Meanwhile Trance was bending over Dylan, Beka and Doyle trying to wake them up. She shook each of their shoulders but got no response.

"Ilandere? Are they going to be alright?" asked a concerned Trance.

"I think they shall be fine but we must watch them because a large of amount of energy was directed at them. You and I can take that amount of energy and still fight. But they..." nodding toward the Dylan, Beka and Doyle "can't handle that amount of energy flowing through their bodies without collapsing. We should put them on the cots."

Beka felt like a million needles were stuck into her skin. She opened her eyes and tried to roll out of bed.

"It is good to see you are awake but it is not wise for you to move," Ilandere said as she gently pushed Beka down. Beka tried to resist but found her body unwilling to cooperate.

"You must try and rest. Your body received quite a large amount of energy and it needs time to repair the damage," said Ilandere smiling at Beka.

"Don't worry about your friends they are being taken care of."

Beka closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Harper rubbed his eyes in hopes of staying awake longer but to no avail. All of the other workers had left the room soon after Aradestea left. The only other person still there beside him was Antiope. She had fallen asleep just a short time ago with her head resting on a table. Harper got up and walked to the bed. He looked at Rhade and saw that he taken on a very translucent look. He looked at the needle he had in his hands and prayed to the powers that be that this injection would work. He stuck the needle into Rhade arm. He pulled up a chair and sat down to watch over Rhade.
Kek opened his eyes and tried to move. When he didn't budge he tried again but to no avail.

"What the hell is going on?" he muttered.

"What is going on is you are tied up and not leaving this place," came the reply. Kek raised his head quickly and saw Ilandere standing in front of him.

"Let me go, little Moon Avatar."

"No."

Kek breathing intensified and his eyes flashed a large sun going supernova. Ilandere took a step back. She started to sense that something was not right and backed away slowly. She was grateful that she had the forethought of moving everyone for safety.

"Little Moon Avatar, I am going to ask one more time. Are you going to let me go?"

Ilandere shook her head no. Kek started to glow blood red and Ilandere could sense a change of temperature. She raced for the door leaving Kek alone. Once there were a few paces between her and the building there was a loud explosion.

"Oh, Harper is not going to like that," said Doyle at the same time Beka and Dylan said together "What the hell was that?"

"I think Kek blew himself up out of frustration," Ilandere replied calmly looking at everyone.

"Well, the important thing is your safe and Kek is no more, well no more in this Universe anyway." Trance said.

"But now Harper and Doyle don't have a place to live," Beka pointed out.

Rhade opened his eyes and saw a blurry object standing over him. He tried to pull away but something prevented movement.

"Easy there, Rhade. I don't want to lose my best customer."

"Harper? What the hell are you doing here? And where is here, anyways?" Rhade asked.

"All I know is you were injected with nanobots Aradestea copied from me. The nanobots went nuts, and they brought me in to clean up her mess."

Rhade groaned when he realized that Harper hadn't let him die. If he had died he would be with Louisa, again.

"Oh, good he's awake," said an unfamiliar voice.

"Uhh, yeah Antiope he is but I don't think he's well enough for Aradestea, yet."

"I'll be the judge of that little man," replied the woman as she looked Rhade over. He looked thin but he she could tell he still had strength in him.

"I'm going to go tell Mistress Aradestea that her daughter killer is awake," said Antiope as she walked out of the door. She paused at the threshold and said over her shoulder "Seamus Harper, I want you to watch your friend, and don't try and get out because I'm locking door."

They heard a click of the door which prompted Harper to unfasten the straps holding Rhade down.

"Come on, we need to get out of here."

"In case you have forgotten Harper, the door is locked," Rhade pointed out.

"Well, I've found another way out."

"Another way out?"

"Yeah, there's a secret passageway linking a lot of these rooms together," replied Harper as he helped Rhade off the bed. The two men walked toward a darkened part of the room and disappeared.

"Herb did what?!" yelled Aradestea.

"He helped Dylan Hunt and his friends. We were unable to stop him, Mistress Aradestea. He is very cunning for an old man."

"My, my that was such a wonderful compliment coming from a mean like you, Runa." Said a voice from the darkness. Aradestea quickly pulled her hood up and started to get up from the chair.

"Not so fast, Aradestea," said a voice behind her. She could feel something poking her in back, but couldn't place what it was.

"Now walk towards the light and don't make any sudden moves. I think you have some explaining to do to your visitors here a bout the treatment of their friends."

Harper sung the door open and saw Dylan, Beka, Doyle, Trance, the strange woman and a strange man standing there.

"Hey guys, long time no see. I've got Rhade here," yelled Harper. Aradestea saw here chance and kicked the stranger. The hooded person went flying down the stairs and landed in front of Dylan.

"Shit, that hurt, Mom." The person said as the hood fell off revealing a woman with short red hair, green eyes and tanned skin. She was wearing a loose fitting emerald green shirt and pants.

"Morgan! Morgan, you're all right! But I thought you were dead! Why did make me think you were dead?" said Aradestea as she ran down the stairs.

"Mom, I don't want to kill people and in fact it was Rhade who convinced me not to follow your path."

"Wait a minute! Are you saying that the guy I'm kinda holding up right now helped you?" asked a shocked Harper as he staggered into the room. Beka went over and helped set Rhade down on a chair.

"Why yes," Morgan replied. "When Rhade first appeared the townspeople tried to kill him. I stepped in and saved him. I helped him get established here, but I can assure I never got him in contact with Thomas," she spat the man name out with disgust.

"I could see just how far he was digging himself and then I realized that you mother had digging the same hole but only deeper. I convinced him and several others to help me fake my own death. I never thought you'd go to such extraordinary lengths to pursue my so called killer."

"Rhade is this true?" asked Aradestea.

"Yeah," he said indifferently.

"I guess I owe an apology. I am very sorry."

Rhade shrugged his shoulders.

Ilandere looked at the people inside the bar and wondered if they would be ready for the fights ahead. She could see Herb was talking with Harper, probably trying to convince Harper to let him pay for the damages to done to his home.

"Harper is always count on when something needs to be fixed," Ilandere thought. "While Herb will know continue to right the wrongs he has done."

She looked over at Trance and Doyle sitting there looking at Beka, Dylan, and Rhade playing a card game.

"Trance has much to relearn about herself and the Universes, but she will always be the one to comfort and support. Doyle will be the one to protect the weak just like she had done so many times before. Beka will still find ways to get rich, but a person you know will get the job done. Dylan will be the one never to step down from a fight and to right the wrongs the Universe over." She thought. "But Rhade even though he acts like he has no honor left, he does. Albeit it a strange one, but it is still honor."

Ilandere walked into the bar to join in the fun.

"In all though these people do know the sweet responsibility of friendship ," she thought as she took a seat by Trance.