Notes: Hello all! Welcome to the third chapter. Apologies for the long wait for this update. I'm glad that people seem to like this, even if it is long. Believe it or not, things actually start moving this chapter! Of course, that also means that this is where we begin to leave the original story in the game. I hope you like where this goes, please tell me what you think!

Chapter Three: The Hole is Deeper Than We Thought

--Recommended Listening: 'Mint' by Olivia--

START.

It had begun to rain when Kaj stepped out of the clinic.

It wasn't raining –hard-, just a steady drizzle of water. Persistent, and cold. The clouds had finally covered Burniver, and the last of the sunset was hidden from view. In effect, night had already come.

Kaj pounded on Dah Rin's door a few times, and then stood back to wait for his friend to let him in. Dah Rin lived alone; as far as Kaj knew, Dah Rin's mother hadn't even come with him when he and his father had moved to Burniver. Kaj didn't blame him for not talking about it very much. Everyone had their own problems; they didn't need anyone else's.

Then the door opened, swinging back quietly, and Dah Rin was staring at him. His light hair had been tied back neater this time; the ends were looped and tied back up on themselves so they didn't hang so far down his back. "Hey," Dah Rin said in greeting, stepping out of the way to allow Kaj room to walk in. "Glad you showed up."

With a nod, Kaj took the invitation and stepped through the doorway, dropping his sandals off to the side. Then he followed Dah Rin out of the hall and into the main room of the small house. He glanced over the few chairs and the couch that were scattered across the wooden floor, but didn't sit down. Instead, he began to speak. "You said earlier," he began; so quiet it must have been difficult for the other to hear him. "That if I needed anything, that all I would have to do is ask."

Dah Rin tilted his head to one side a little. His long bangs tried to slide across his face, but he hooked them behind one ear. "I did," he agreed. "I meant it. What do you need?"

'How can I ask this of him?'

'It's too much...'

"I...Seamhen said the crystal is failing, as if it's been a year since the last caravan returned with myrrh." He faltered for a moment, and then spun around quickly to face Dah Rin, his hands almost clenching at his sides. "Start another caravan! You have to; I'm not old enough yet!" And suddenly, Kaj found he couldn't stop talking, that all his feelings were compressing themselves into words and pouring out of him in a ceaseless stream "Seamhen says it's the only thing he can think of; he says at this rate, more people are going to be infected. Teryl Loh is going to call a meeting tomorrow to bring this matter up to everyone else, but no one knows how long the crystal will last! It could be completely dead in a matter of weeks, or less. It's pointless for me to stay here; I can't do anything! My parents want to move anyway. I need to get out. I can't stand this!" 'What am I saying?! Stop!' "You said all I needed to do was ask if I needed anything, and I need –this-!" Kaj stopped abruptly, nearly biting his tongue as he snapped his mouth shut. What was wrong with him today? He never used to blurt things out like that. It was too unsettling.

For what seemed to Kaj like the longest while, Dah Rin was silent; his head still canted slightly, his eyes thoughtful. Then a grin pulled up the corners of his mouth, and he stepped forward, dropping his hands onto Kaj's shoulder. "Do you have any idea how perfect that is?" he said finally, a triumphant tone in his voice.

Comprehension began to spark in Kaj's mind, and his eyes widened. "You...you said it could be very important You were already considering a caravan?"

Dah Rin grinned again. "Exactly." Then he grew serious once more, and his smile disappeared. "There's no way I'm going to just sit back and watch as people I've grown up around die like that. Absolutely not. And you're right; I'm old enough to be in a caravan, so I might as well take advantage of that." His grin was back, a bit more sinister this time. "Do you really think I would wait for the town to make a collective decision? I don't doubt they would agree a caravan is the best choice, but in the time they would take...like you said, we don't know how long we have. Maekyl already said she would come along, can I assume that you'll be joining us as well?"

There was a sudden light knocking off to one side, and Kaj and Dah Rin turned. Maekyl was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, gently rapping her knuckles against the wood. "Dinner's ready," she said quietly, and then smiled at the younger boy. "Hello, Kaj." There was a pause, and Maekyl's eyes dropped to the floor, the dark green hidden for a second before she looked back to her friend, whose long, blue hair was so much like her own. "How are you holding up?"

At least she didn't say that she was sorry.

She's smarter than that.

'So she'll know if I lie.'

"I'll be fine," Kaj answered, just as softly. And he would be, eventually. If Ciel somehow, miraculously got better.

"...Okay, then. If you're sure."

'You know I'm not.'

The sudden push of a hand against his back urged Kaj from his musings and he stumbled forward a step until he caught his balance. Dah Rin walked past him, smiling still, and tossed a glance back at him over his shoulder. "Don't worry, Kaj can handle anything the world throws at him. Except, maybe, an empty stomach?" There was a slight slide of his hair as he inclined his head towards the kitchen. "Come on, then. We can't leave all of this wonderful food that Maekyl made just for us go to waste, now can we?" Coming up to the woman's side, he dropped an arm around her shoulders and pressed his lips against her temple. "Thanks, hon'," he said gratefully, and then continued on to the small wooden table.

Maekyl blushed a little, ducking her head. "Ah...it was nothing," she said quickly. "Besides, how can we plan anything without eating first?" And she, too, walked over to the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down in front of a bowl of soup.

Kaj hesitated for a moment in the doorway to the kitchen, in that instant unsure of whether or not he should sit down as well. But then Dah Rin lifted his hand, gesturing the younger boy over. "Come on, Kaj, her cooking isn't -that- bad."

Trust Dah Rin to always lighten the mood.

With a small laugh, Kaj joined his friends for dinner.

BREAK.

For the next several hours, Dah Rin, Maekyl, and Kaj planned out the night.

Dah Rin finally stopped his pacing of the room long enough to put his hands over the table, lean forward slightly, and look from Maekyl to Kaj. "Now Kaj, you need to get a hold of the caravan's chalice. -Make sure- that it has a crystal shard with it." A lop-sided smile. "I know, I know, you won't forget. Just making sure." He looked back to Maekyl. "And you take care of the supplies; food, blankets, simple stuff like that. If we need anything else we can probably pick it up along the way." When she nodded, Dah Rin stepped back again. "Great. And I'll take care of getting the caravan itself to the northern edge of town. Okay? So make sure you're all there by..." He paused, and stared briefly at the small wooden clock hanging on the wall. "An hour or so, I think that'll be enough. Is that good?"

"Sure," Kaj agreed, and pushed himself to his feet. "I'll be there." He made to pick up his bowl when Maekyl scooped it away from him, shaking her head once.

"I'll take care of it," she said. Then to Dah Rin, "That's fine. Food and blankets; no problem."

Dah Rin nodded. "Good. And remember..." His eyes slid to Kaj for an instant, and then away. "Don't mention this to anyone; I don't think they would directly object, but we might end up being delayed."

'Which means, I can't say goodbye to Drey.'

'He'll be disappointed, I think.'

'I promised to train with him tomorrow.'

With a succinct, "I'll see you later, then," Kaj left the house.

BREAK.

An hour or so came and went at its usual sluggish summer pace, and the three finally gathered at the edge of town. It was quickly decided that Dah Rin would drive for the night; two years ago he had been a member of a caravan, along with Kaj's father, so he knew more about the layout of the land around them than either of the other Selkies. And when Maekyl yawned, even though she tried (unsuccessfully) to cover it with her hand, Kaj claimed the first watch, ignoring the half-hearted objections as he helped to load the blankets and the few boxes of food into the wagon. Then everything was ready; Dah Rin had taken his place in the front, Maekyl sat behind him, already beginning to doze off.

And Kaj found himself hesitating.

'Like this...I can't...'

"Ah...wait, I'll be right back," Kaj said suddenly, turning back to Burniver. His sandals almost slid in the fresh mud from the recent rains. "Five minutes." He walked away.

Maekyl and Dah Rin stared after him for a moment, and then Dah Rin sighed good-naturedly and leaned back against the wooden frame. He laughed softly. "Hopeless."

BREAK.

'I didn't expect this.'

Liar.

'I'll just leave.'

Coward.

'What can I do?'

Guess.

'I hate this sometimes.'

I'm sure.

If you think you can run away, you're wrong.

'Don't tell me what I think.'

'And I don't run away.'

And so Kaj found himself at the edge of Burniver's small graveyard, protected by its own crystal so it could be visited at any time. Like now, for example. Again, Kaj had come almost by habit; every night he tried to pay respect to his godparents. But that wasn't even what he had been debating about. The problem (nice choice of words) was the person who was kneeling in front of those two graves. 'I wanted to avoid this...I think.'

He visits every night as well; most likely because –you- do.

Don't lie, even to yourself.

Kaj walked forward, his shoulders slumped a little in defeat, and he kneeled down beside Drey, ignoring the cool slick of the mud around his knees. Bowing his head, he offered up a swift prayer to his godparents' spirits, and then began to get back to his feet. Maybe he could get out of there without having to actually –speak- with Drey. He almost laughed. 'That had to have been the stupidest thing I've ever thought.'

He was right. As he stood, Drey turned slightly to look up at him, his eyes unreadable in the night. "You're leaving?" he asked quietly, even his tone neutral.

Kaj froze, half-standing, then after a moment he pulled himself up straight. He met Drey's gaze, both questioning and defying. How did you guess, and are you going to try to stop me?

Drey dropped his eyes first, and when he spoke again, his voice seemed less sturdy, less sure. "I...I didn't think that you would have wanted to stay here and do nothing." Then his head snapped up again, as if he had just thought of something. "But I didn't tell anyone else, I promise! I wouldn't. In fact..."

'Oh.'

'-That's- why.'

"...I though that I could go with you," Drey continued. "That's why I came here. I knew you always came by, and I thought that I could try to convince you." Drey stood up as well. "So..." His feet shifted, and he stared down at them. "What do you think?"

"Drey, I don't think..." Kaj began uncertainly.

Drey broke in quickly. "Do you honestly think that I'll be leaving anything important behind?" he shot back.

'Unlike you' was left unspoken.

He's got you now.

BREAK.

"It's been eight minutes; you're lucky we didn't leave without you," Dah Rin accused in mock seriousness when Kaj and Drey arrived back at the caravan. Raising one eyebrow at the younger boy, he continued. "You've caught us another rebel, then? We're leaving the poor town nigh deserted."

Kaj flicked a glare at his blond-haired (and laughing) friend before coming around to the side of the wagon and clambering up onto the top, where he would keep his watch.

Drey had shaken his head, pressing one hand to the side of his head to hold the bandanna in place, and a worried look had come over his face. "No! I came along because I wanted to! Kaj didn't ask me to!"

Maekyl chuckled then, and moved to the back of the wagon, beckoning Drey over and helping him to clamber inside. "Aya Noh will be upset, you leaving without a word like this." Another gentle laugh as a blush spread across Drey's cheeks. Dah Rin whistled suggestively from the front, and the youngest Selkie flushed harder. "Ignore him," Maekyl said with a sigh. "He jokes too much."

"You know me, darling. Anything for a laugh."

With a sound of annoyance, Maekyl threw a small blanket at the older Selkie, smiling at his surprised squawk when the piece of cloth landed around his head. Drey snickered, ignoring the doleful look on Dah Rin's face. Kaj just stared tiredly up at the dark sky above him. Everyone was being altogether too cheerful for such circumstances as these. Beneath him, Dah Rin was stating valiantly that 'they were all against him', and suddenly, "Hold on!" and they were off, the wagon creaking softly as it began to move forward. Burniver disappeared into the night behind them, and before too long, even the pale blue glow of the village's crystal had faded away.

BREAK.

After an hour or so had passed, Dah Rin called up to Kaj. "So, why'd the kid say he wanted to come along?"

Kaj was silent for a moment, and then he shrugged in the night. "He asked me if I thought there was anything he was leaving behind."

"Ah."

"He's too young for this."

"Probably."

"...I didn't ask him to come, you know."

BREAK.

Morning revealed the small Selkie caravan creeping slowly along a worn road, winding its way through the trees. One Selkie sat at the front, holding the papaopamus' reins limply one hand while the other toyed idly with the purple strap binding his long, tawny hair that hung over his shoulder. Another one lay on the wagon's top, staring up with his arms folded behind his head and his pale blue hair falling off to the side. A young woman, her own hair much like the one above her, slept inside, her head pillowed on the blond's back. And beside her, curled up in a thin blanket, was a young boy, his short, pastel-green hair rumpled in spite of (or due to) the blue bandanna threatening to become permanently entangled in the strands.

Finally, the wagon drew to a halt. Dah Rin let the reins fall from his hand and extended his arms above his head with a sigh. "Well, what do you think, Kaj? Is this a good a time as any to break for breakfast?"

Kaj sat up and stretched as well, pulling his fingers through his hair once. "It's fine with me," he answered, then moved to the edge of the wagon and dropped to the ground. "Where are we now?"

"Probably about half a day from the nearest myrrh tree, if I remember right," Dah Rin said, looking over his shoulder at Maekyl, who was still sleeping against his back. He half turned and reached out to brush her hair out of her face, then gently shook her shoulder. "Hey there," he said when her green eyes blinked a few times tiredly and looked up at him. "Time to get up."

Maekyl nodded as well as she could and leaned back, suddenly grimacing and putting a hand to her back. "Sore," she muttered, and then scowled at Dah Rin. "Sorry, but you really don't make a good pillow."

The blond put his hand to chest theatrically, a look of pain playing across his features. "Ah, you wound me, fair maiden. I've been told I make a –wonderful- pillow."

A cerulean eyebrow arched delicately and Maekyl glanced appraisingly at the other Selkie. "Really? And who said that?" She softened her words, though, with a quick kiss on Dah Rin's cheek, and then she began to move towards the open back of the wagon, swatting gently at Drey's still-sleeping form. "Come on, Drey. It's time for breakfast."

A muffled groan was the only answer, and Drey curled himself tighter in the blanket. With an irritated sigh, Kaj glared at the lump. "At least you –got- sleep, kid, unlike some of us. Now get up or I'll pull you out myself."

"'m up...a sec..." came the nearly incoherent and singularly unpromising response.

Kaj's eye threatened to start twitching. "Fine," he said after a moment. "I warned you." With that, he reached out and grabbed one of Drey's ankles, proceeding to haul the whole mess towards him.

At Kaj's touch, Drey's body flinched violently, and his leg ripped from the older boy's grip. Kaj had to step back quickly to avoid being struck, but he bit back the sharp response that was ready on his tongue when Drey sat up quickly, still tangled in the blanket. "Kaj?" Drey asked suddenly, looking genuinely confused, and he gave a small start when his bandana slid down over one of his eyes. Then his gaze seemed to find Kaj, and he took in the puzzled look on the older Selkie's face. A smile tried to work its way onto Drey's mouth, though with little success, and he set one hand on the back of his head sheepishly. "I...uh..." he began, struggling for something to say.

"What's wrong?" Kaj questioned sharply. He had come back forward a step, and his forehead was slightly creased in a frown.

"Of course!" Drey answered quickly, turning away to begin to disentangle himself from the blanket that seemed to have coiled itself rather tightly around his legs. "Why wouldn't..." His hand went slack for a moment, and Kaj thought that his eyes had become slightly unfocused. Then, "Breakfast!"

The sudden outburst caught Kaj off guard, and he blinked as Drey somehow, regardless of the cloth impediment, scrambled over to the edge of the wagon, heaving himself out, again surprising Kaj when he landed on his feet. Any shadow that might have been on the younger one's face was obliterated with a sudden smile. "Come on! Maekyl makes the best food." And he was off, bending one leg back at the knee as he hopped towards Dah Rin and Maekyl, plucking at the blanket around his foot.

'Well, he has good balance, at least.'

...Drey's foot caught on an exposed root and he pitched forward, arms flailing in a useless (and undignified) attempt to keep upright...

'Never mind.'

Kaj moved forward quickly, slipping one arm around Drey's waist and using his other hand to hold onto the boy's arm as he effortlessly pulled him back onto his feet. "Hold still," he ordered, and kneeled, deftly unwrapping the sheet from around Drey's leg. "It's a wonder you haven't broken your neck already," he muttered, but his tone was soft, and vaguely humored. Then he stood, holding the offending fabric in one hand. "Well?" he prompted, looking from where Dah Rin was setting up a pile of wood for a small fire, back to Drey. "I thought you were all excited about breakfast."

Drey grinned up at the Kaj, before grabbing the older one's wrist and pulling him along towards the other Selkies. "Of course I am! And you are too! That's right, I can tell. You might –act- cold hearted sometimes, but you're realmff..." His voice was abruptly silenced as Kaj wrapped the blanket in his free hand around Drey's head.

"I'm really a nice person? Sure." Kaj walked on ahead of the muffled boy when Drey let go of him long enough to pull a fold of the cloth away from his eyes, and Drey ran after him.

"Nnnn...Kaj, that..."

"Was mean?"

"...."

"Predictable."

"But it was!"

The rest of breakfast passed much in that same uneventful manner; though there was an incident in which Dah Rin dozed off too close to the fire and the fur around his wrist caught a spark, promptly bursting into flame. Ten minutes of cursing and complaining later, Dah Rin had been convinced that he was too tired to continue driving. Kaj had volunteered to take the reins for a while, Maekyl had clambered to the perch on top of the wagon, and Drey had seated himself in the back, dangling his legs over the edge and humming a lively tune. The caravan jolted to a start, and continued along the old and worn road, leaving a trail of stirred up dust in its wake.

After an hour or so, Drey had tired of watching what they were leaving behind and crawled up to the front where Kaj sat. "Hey," he said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, and his chin resting on his hands. "Anything interesting up here?"

Kaj shrugged. "Not especially. Besides, you see everything from where you were sitting before anyway."

Drey pouted. "But it's not the same!"

"Yes, I suppose that boulder –would- be much less intriguing from the back," Kaj replied dryly.

With an exasperated sigh, Drey leaned back against the wooden frame. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"River Belle Path," came the answer, from somewhere above him. Drey glanced up and saw Maekyl's head hanging over the edge of the top. "We'll be there in a few hours, I think." She grinned. "And then you'll have all the excitement you need. I'm guessing you've never seen a goblin before, have you?"

Drey frowned, and didn't answer for a moment, staring past Maekyl at the cloudless sky. Then he shook his head, slowly. "No, I haven't."

Another grin, and a sharp laugh. "Well, keep your eyes open when we get there." Her words turned bitter. "You'll have your fill of them soon enough."

"Really? Kaj, have you ever seen a goblin?" Drey asked, leaning forward again to look at the older boy. When he didn't get an answer, he reached over and poked Kaj in the shoulder. "Kaj?"

Kaj twitched slightly, and his head snapped up from where it had begun to sink towards his chest. "Ah...what?" he responded weakly, blinking his eyes several times.

Suppressing a chuckle Drey poked at Kaj again. "You were falling asleep," he said bluntly.

Kaj decided enot to answer, instead glaring at the road ahead of them.

"If you're getting tired," Maekyl said suddenly from her place above them, "you should let me drive and get some sleep. I know where we're headed, I won't get lost. And you're going to need to concentrate when we get to the Path anyway."

For a few seconds Kaj didn't respond, and Drey began to wonder if he had drifted off again. But then he nodded, slowly, and pulled on the reins to bring the papaopamus to a halt. "Alright," he said finally, and moved past Drey into the back to sit down against the side, pulling one of his legs up and wrapping his arms around the knee. He tossed a glance at Maekyl, who had already settled in on the front bench, as if he had just remembered something. "Alright, but who are you going to have on watch?"

"Drey's more than capable of telling me what's coming," Maekyl answered.

"...Are you sure?"

Drey bristled.

The blue-haired girl laughed softly, and then raised her hands in a soothing gesture when Drey opened his mouth to no doubt deliver a scathing remark. "I'm sure, I'm sure. He'll do fine. Now go to sleep. I need you two to be conscious when we get there."

"...Alright..."

BREAK.

Another hour had crept by when Maekyl finally spoke up, looking for a second at Drey sitting on the bench beside her. "Why'd you come along?"

"Eh?" Drey said, a little caught off guard at the sudden question. "Um..." And then for a long while he was quiet, his brow furrowed in thought. Finally, "I'm...not really sure, I think I mean, I –do- have a reason, it's just...not really obvious to me right now."

"Ah."

"What about you? Was it for Aya Noh?"

Maekyl frowned slightly at the mention of her sister's name, looking almost pained for an instant. Then she smiled. "Yeah, sort of. I didn't want this type of thing to happen to her again, you know?" When Drey nodded, she paused for a moment, and then continued. "But it was also for Dah Rin. It shook him up pretty bad also, what happened to Aya Noh and Ciel. He wanted to do something, and I wanted to help him. Especially when he had wanted so badly to be at their sides in the clinic, but after his father..." Her voice cut off, and she glanced at Drey apprehensively.

But Drey just nodded. "I know. He told me a while ago." He still remembered that time, barely a year after he had woken up in that same clinic, when Dah Rin had caught him on his way back to the hotel.

'Drey! Wait a second!'

'Yeah?'

'I...I wanted to apologize. Everyone else visited you when you were in the clinic. I should've come by...'

He had smiled. 'That's okay. You don't like that place, do you?"

'Ah...no. Not really."

'Why don't you like it there?' He had been so young, and hadn't yet learned to notice when people didn't want to talk about something. He was ashamed of it, now.

Dah Rin had just stared at him for the longest while. Then, 'Because my dad died in there.'

'Oh.'

'....'

'I don't have a dad.'

Drey still winced when he thought back on that conversation. Even though he had been no more than a child, it still seemed cold, all his questioning. He pulled his thoughts back to the present, and reran what Maekyl had said to him through his mind. "So you left your home and your family for Dah Rin?" Another soft smile and a nod were his answers. "You really like him, don't you?"

Maekyl blushed and ducked her head just a little. "Yeah."

"...What's that like? To care...that much for someone else?"

There was another silence as Maekyl sat up straight and stared at Drey, a curious look sliding across her face and floating in her eyes.

And Drey in turn stared at the road in front of them, suddenly finding it intensely fascinating.

"Well," Maekyl said, turning back to the front, and Drey could feel the weight of her gaze move from him. "I'm...I don't think I'll be able to explain it very well. It's not exactly something meant for deciphering, you know? But..." She paused and seemed to attempt to gather her thoughts. "You know how it's been said that when you find the one you love, everything will be perfect, right? Well, it's not exactly like that, I don't think. Like, if someone close to me...died, then it would still hurt. But when there's someone else with you, then it's that small bit easier to stand. Because you can give up some of your feelings to that person, and they can feel it with you. It's so strange, really, if you think about it too much."

She trailed off; her lips were still somewhat parted with that almost bemused expression on her face. Then she laughed. "That didn't make much sense, did it?"

Drey shook his head absently, his gaze still locked on the worn trail disappearing beneath their feet. "No, I guess not..."

Maekyl smirked suddenly. "And why did you need to know? Is there somebody you were thinking about in particular?" Her voice was lighthearted again.

The boy shook his head again; more forcefully this time, and his face seemed a little redder. It could have been just the light. "No, that's not it! I just wanted to know what it was supposed to feel like so I would know if...I ever do end up feeling that way...what it was." He crossed his arms over his chest defensively, his defiant attitude ruined only by the pout that scrunched up his mouth. Maekyl had a sudden urge to pinch his cheek.

Restraining herself with more than a little difficulty, she continued, serious again. "Alright, but keep in mind that this is only how –I- feel; people feel love in different ways. Don't use me as a guideline, okay?"

"Alright."

BREAK.

The sun had only just reached the middle of the sky, letting fall it's harsh, noonday light, when the caravan came upon a fork in their road leading off to the right. Looking that way, Maekyl and Drey saw trees rising above the grassy hills, and further along, the blue glimmer of a river winding its way among them.

The River Belle Path.

Pulling the reins to one side, Maekyl directed the wagon off to the side of the road. She hopped off, motioning for Drey to do the same and warning him to be quiet. "Let's let them sleep for a bit longer," she whispered. "We'll wake them when lunch is ready."

And so they prepared for lunch. Drey wandered a little ways among the few trees along the sides of the road, in search of dead branches for their fire. Maekyl carefully dug around in the back of the wagon and finally pulled out the small bundle of fish they had brought along. It wouldn't last long, so it would do well for their first day. After that, they could just buy fresh meat. Maekyl spread a blanket out on the ground to the side of the road and looked up in time to see another wagon coming towards them. She frowned and walked a few steps forward. The other wagon was coming from the River Belle Path.

After a moment, the wagon drew up alongside their own and stopped. Three Yukes dismounted, and one walked up to Maekyl and inclined his head. "Greetings, traveler," he intoned. "Where do you hail from?"

Maekyl bowed her head as well. "We come from Burniver. I presume you are from Shella?"

The Yuke nodded. "Yes, we travel from Shella in search of myrrh." He watched Maekyl frown at that and continued. "I realize that we are several months ahead of schedule, but there is a dire emergency in our city. The crystal had begun to weaken earlier than was projected, and by the time this was noticed, there had already been several...fatalities." His head tipped slightly to one side. "But if I am not mistaken, your caravan has also begun early."

"Yes," Maekyl agreed softly, and her thoughts were growing jumbled disoriented, tinged with a chilling realization. "Our crystal also has started fading sooner than we expected. Several...two children were affected." She looked carefully at the Yuke. "What do you think is the cause of this?"

For a moment, the Yuke didn't reply. He simply returned her stare from behind his thick mask, unmoving. Then, "I expect that it had simply been a poor year for the myrrh trees. There have been records of such things happening in the past."

"I see," Maekyl answered, not entirely convinced. But it made sense, she thought. Myrrh trees, like any other plant, could have a bad year. She decided to think more on it later. Perhaps Dah Rin would have something to say. "We just stopped to have lunch. Would you like to join us?"

The Yuke shook his head. "I am grateful for your offer, but we must continue on." He bowed again. "I will pray for your successful journey." Turning back to their wagon, the three Yukes climbed back on.

Suddenly, Maekyl thought of something, and she cried out. "Wait!" When the Yukes looked back at her, she continued. "So you just came from the Path's tree?"

Again, there came no answer for some time, and then the Yuke that had spoken with her nodded. "Yes, we came from the River Belle Path. But the myrrh tree there was already dry." And with a snap of the reins from the driver, the wagon rolled off down the road.

Maekyl stared after them for a moment, before she heard a sound behind her and turned around. Drey stood there, a confused look on his face. "Maekyl?" he asked, walking forward. "What did they mean when they said the Path's tree was dry? Wasn't that the one –we- were going to?"

"I...I'm sure they..." Maekyl began shakily, and then she found that she couldn't come up with anything to say to that. She looked down at the ground. "I don't know," she answered. "Maybe...ah, let's just start lunch. We can tell Dah Rin and Kaj about it later and decide what to do."

Drey nodded, set down his pile of sticks, and moved to help Maekyl get the food prepared, but he could feel the anxiety coming off of her like something tangible, and it made him worry.

Something was very wrong.

END.

Again, I'm going to apologize for the time between updates. I mostly had this done pretty quickly, but I put of doing the end when I got distracted when school started. It's only been a few months, and I already haven't done the only two big projects in Chemistry we were assigned. That bodes well for the rest of the year, I see.

Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner this time. I'm back into the story now, and after listening to a new album the other day, the muses have been slapping me around to get things written. So far, I have this story planned out for at least eleven or twelve years, and it's separated into four parts as of now. I can only hope to stick with it long enough to get through that far. I really want to, but it's hard to stay focused on one thing sometimes. I'm sure that you writers know what I mean.

Thanks for all the feedback! Believe it or not, it really helps to keep me on track. I've printed out your reviews and taped them into my notebook, so whenever I open it, I see what you wrote, and it reminds me to keep working. So please leave a review, I love you for it. You're wonderful!