Summersea Saga

by crosseyedbutterfly

Sequel to Twisted Tortallain Tale! This time, our fav group of teens are sent to Summersea...and it's crazy boy mage who runs things behind the scenes! Chapter 22 up!

16.

Chapter 16. There has been another delay, I know. You don't have to remind me, ok? I blame it on the Love Hina Muse given to me by one Amy... *gives her a glare/grateful grin* The little Mini-Motoko is just so cute sitting in front of my computer one cannot help but write about her and her crazy friends...then again, Kaitlin has been known to have much the same effect, thus here is this chapter. ^_^ Enjoy!

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Chris carefully placed the planks of oak to the side of his worktable, selecting one and having Cam mark off the measurements as he called them out with a carbon stick. Taking it from him, he left the younger boy to mark the rest of the boards as he carried it over to another table, sawing it down to the right size and sanding off the edges and sides with dried strips of sharkskin.

Finally getting it smooth enough for his satisfaction, he began to bore holes along the edges, creating pegs the same size by paring down ones he already had made. Another board was marked and cut, sanded when it was to the right size with holds put in this one as well, though in a different manner.

Using the pine resin he'd left heating over the stove in one corner of the small shop (it was made entirely of iron with a special set of flues so sparks wouldn't escape and set fire to the place) he quickly put the boards together and pounded the pegs into their proper place with a few deft strokes of his hammer. A liberal smattering of the resin before he'd put them in their holes insured they wouldn't be coming back out easily any time soon, the joint as firm as any carpenter could want.

"Can I help?" asked Cam as he finished marking off the boards, coming over to stand beside Chris.

"Yeah, you should learn how to do something besides swing your fists to earn a living," replied Chris teasingly, picking up some sharkskin and showing him to hold it properly so he didn't rub his hands raw with it. "Now, use it like that to smooth all the rough spots off the wood...yeah, like that. Keep going, and I'll check on you when I think you're done."

Cam frowned as he concentrated on the task set before him, rubbing the wooden plank with the toughened hide as best as his skinny little arms could. Working over the surface inch by inch, he was finished before Chris had completed the drilling of more holes and joined another sanded and cut plank to the original two.

"What are we making?" he asked curiously as he went around the shop and inspected some other half-finished orders. Some over-stuffed chairs, a table for six with a leaf in the middle that could be removed, several plain chairs, a couple of shelves with scrolls carved into them...not to mention stacks of wood of every size, shape, and kind that might be useful.

"Cabinets, for our house," replied Chris with a grunt as he took the board Cam had finished and inspected it quickly. "Not bad...start on the others there. The sooner we finish, the sooner I can get them installed, and then we get to go and enjoy a nice meal by our resident lazy-butt chef."

"Yeah, Jon doesn't do much but he can cook," admitted Cam with a wry smile and a shrug. He picked up the skins again and took another plank that was marked and cut, beginning the sanding process once again. "Though he can't make bread, we have to buy that from the baker down the street every week."

"Nobody's perfect," replied Chris lightly. "I can carve and create furniture, but I can't tan the hides, nor tell one from another, when I use them for pads in the seats. I have to go to the leather-dealer for that."

"Kinda like Kristen can fight, but she doesn't know how to make the weapons she and Mike and Matt fight with?"

"Yeah, sure. Something like that."

"Oh."

"You ready with that board?"

"Already got it done."

"Bring it over, then!"

The day flew by, noon coming and going as the cabinets were assembled and then sanded once again, a coat of varnish put over them to set before they brought them back home. Borrowing a neighboring workshop's cart, they pulled them back to the house and up the lane, unloading it in the front of the hall before Cam ran the cart back to its original owner as quickly as possible.

Kristen met them in the front hall, a surprised look on her face. "You're done already?"

"Yeah," replied Chris with a grin. "I just kept it down to the basics. You know, no decorative touches, one coat of varnish, plain peg handles..."

"I'm not even going to pretend I understand everything that goes into making it," cut in Kristen with a shrug. "As long as it'll work, I couldn't care if it were red with pink dots."

"Are you sure, because that could be arranged..."

"NO." Chris laughed as Kristen gave him a cold glare, ignoring her entirely in his glee.

"Come on, let's go get this done before she decides to kill me or something," chuckled the huge Trader as he led the way with the cabinets over his shoulders, Cam following trying to hide his smile from the wrathful Kristen.

"Ok!"

"Bloody Traders," she muttered under her breath, turning back towards the kitchen where she was attempting to get dinner started. From the burning noodles on the stove, and the undercooked meat she pulled from the oven, it wasn't going well, though...

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Briteyes slumped over the table in cottage's kitchen, Rosethorn sticking her head out of her room a moment later to see who it was. This being an hour before dawn, she had been up most of the night with the healers, doing her best to play those who had been burned beyond the healer's help to sleep so at least they'd have that respite in their final hours. The latest victims were those who'd been in the Water Temple when the boomstone had landed in the carpenter's workshops there and had set all ablaze within seconds of exploding.

"Are you alright?" asked the exhausted dedicate as she sat across from the performer, touching her limp hands hesitantly.

"I'm fine," came the ragged reply. "I'm fine, I'm still alive you know. Even after facing down pirates, I'm still here, it's the others that aren't alright, the ones that aren't alive anymore...so much blood..."

"Shhh..." Rosethorn awkwardly patted her hands before rising slowly and setting some water to boil for tea. "Did you sleep at all?"

"No," replied Briteyes with a short shake of her head. "Don't give me anything that'll do that, though. I can't afford to right now. Not with tomorrow..." Seeing the puzzled look the elder Dedicate gave her, she waved absently and added, "Just a feeling I have, really...you're going to need every person you've got defending the walls. I may not be a certified Master here, but I will be of help..."

"You're going to kill yourself if you keep that up for more than a day or so," admonished Rosethorn quietly as she set out two cups and skillfully brewed the tea.

"We aren't going to last that long if things go beyond a day or more," replied Briteyes grimly. Meeting the plant mage's eyes, she frowned and ran a finger absently along her thin scar from the bottom of her eye to her chin. "You know I'm right, too."

"We're going to try and get the children out," admitted Rosethorn hesitantly. "Moonstream and Skyfire are coming in the morning, and after we Masters have discussed some things, we're going to talk them into going with the wounded. I don't want them to leave us now, but with everything that's happening here it is the last place they should be. I was wondering, though..."

"What is it?" she asked, looking up curiously.

"This isn't your home, and you shouldn't give your life defending it," said Rosethorn bluntly. "I want you to go with the children when they leave. At least that way, if something happens...I know you'd take care of them for us, Brite. And they respect you enough to follow you, even if we adults are no longer around. You wouldn't have to stay with them forever, either, just until they reach the next temple so they could find themselves some new teachers. Will you at least consider it?"

"Perhaps..." Briteyes grinned tiredly and accepted the mug that was slid over to her, sitting up to sip it carefully before picking up her lute once more and tuning it carefully. The hours passed quickly as their words turned from the pirates to the students themselves, and their progress as mages and young people in general. As planned, Moonstream and Skyfire appeared, and the children were shooed upstairs, Briteyes excusing herself from the house and heading for the healers once more.

She was of little use on the wall itself, her magics didn't involve that of battles and attacks unless done with a hand-used weapon, and everything at the moment was still flinging whatever they could at each other in hopes of hitting a weak spot and making their opponent fall.

"You're back," said Henna, a Water Dedicate who'd luckily been away from the temple when the boomstone had struck and also had one of the larger healing gifts. She gave Briteyes a scolding look, though she let her in none the less. "I thought I told you to go sleep."

"I can't," replied Briteyes simply with a shrug as she took out her lute and tuned it quickly. "How many more did we lose while I was gone?"

"The Carpenter Master's Journeyman, and two more Apprentices," replied Henna, her face falling with a sigh. "Poor lads...perhaps it was best this way, though. Ingi would've been without his sight for the rest of his life, and I don't know if he would have managed that way. He always was a sensitive one." She glanced up at Briteyes, who just blinked back the tears that threatened to flow and busied herself with her lute. "I thank you, player, for your time. Many have been soothed by your skillful works..."

"I had to do something," came the short reply, Briteyes setting herself up in the same corner she'd taken the day before, preparing herself to fall into a light trance from which she could work for hours on end. And so she did.

The pirates attacked, and fell before the four young mages, the Duke's Navy appearing when it was over to clean up the mess that had been made. All this passed in the six hours Briteyes remained in the infirmary, and even though she was exhausted upon her return, it pleased her more than anything else that they were fine and alive, and all had passed as it had in the books. For a day she slept, then rose the next night, dressing herself and packing her things once more. It was well past time for her to leave.

Leaving a note for Rosethorn and Lark, she slipped out to the front room, standing there for a moment to secure her mask in place and slip her hood on.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" asked Tris as she suddenly stumbled from the shadows, clutching her blanket around herself.

"Yes, I am," replied Briteyes quietly with a slow nod. "It's time for me to move on again, I can't leach off the Dedicate's good will forever. I'll be back, I promise, but...I need to find my own way again."

"Briar's gonna be mad at you, you promised you teach him how to flip a knife like you do. And Sandry'll be sad you left without saying goodbye, and so will Daja," pointed out the weather mage softly, blinking owlishly as she held onto the edge of the table for support. She was still exhausted from the day before. "And Rosethorn's gonna have a fit..."

"I know," replied Briteyes with a slight grin. "But they'll forgive me when I return, they always do. You'll tell them I'll be back, won't you?"

"I suppose." Tris shuffled her feet slightly, adjusting her glasses out of habit. "Would you...play for me? Uh...please?"

"You can't sleep?" asked Briteyes kindly. When she got a short nod in reply, she led the younger girl into the side room and settled her in a chair. Plucking her strings lightly, she sang to her in a language the girl had never heard before, yet it seemed to envelope her completely in its soft melodies and rocked her to sleep.

Win dain a lotica

En val tu ri

Si lo ta

Fin dein a loluca

En dragu a sei lain

Vi fa-ru les shutai am

En riga-lint...

En riga-lint...

En riga-lint

Rising, she pulled a blanket over the sleeping girl and slipped out into the night with a calmness that came with that song. Checking on Silven, who'd been sound asleep in her hood the whole time, she sang her way past the guards and to the road beyond without being stopped. The words themselves meant very little, but the feel of it...more now that ever, she was glad the majority of her magic focused on music and not fighting, for it was giving her a chance to heal rather than hurt, something she needed to do to atone for the many past deaths she'd caused.

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Revlis sat by herself in the common room of the Inn they'd stopped at for the night, Landon appearing from the stairs with his hair still wet and Alyse probably taking his place in the bath that had been prepared for them. "How's the food?" asked Landon as he sat down, stretching tiredly as she automatically waved for a server to come by the table.

"Decent," she replied as she took out a few more coppers from her belt purse, giving them to the young girl who came with another order for a house special. "Could be worse, though not the best we've seen."

"Hmm...that's alright. I do have a craving for a fresh baked catfish, with some fried chips to go with it, but I'm not likely to find that anywhere around here..."

"Keep it down, I'm trying to listen," growled the cat-girl, raising her hood so she could modify her ears without attracting attention to them.

"...listen to what?"

"Just shut your trap!"

"Ok, ok..."

Landon sighed and accepted the plate of food when it came, eating slowly and nodding at Alyse when she appeared from the stairs as well, hair bound up on top of her head to it wouldn't soak her collar while it was still wet. The two girls exchanged looks, and Alyse nodded as if she understood, getting her food herself and sitting stiffly without saying a word. Her scratches along her back were not quite healed yet and caused her some trouble at times, but she managed well enough regardless

Right after Alyse had received her meal of stewed beef and potatoes with a slab of hard bread spread with grease Revlis pulled back her hood and sighed, frowning as she picked up her tankard and took a sip.

"Ok, now will you tell me what you were listening to?" asked Landon in annoyance as he shoved his empty plate to the side and sat back awaiting her answer.

"It wouldn't have taken so long if you'd just obeyed me to begin with," pointed out Revlis, sticking her tongue out at him. "Anyways, there's some local gossip going around that's rather interesting...and I think it might help us out to?"

"What is it?" asked Alyse calmly, ignoring Landon as he just snorted and ordered another beer for himself. "Something about our mage?"

"Not our mage, necessarily, but there are some patched rumors of a meeting of several 'dark mages' in a spot nearby," replied Revlis, blocking her lips out of habit with her mug so if any lip readers were present they couldn't tell what she was saying. "If a 'dark mage' is the local term of an unmagic user, then we'll not only possibly have our guy we'll have several others we can 'rid ourselves of' at the same time."

"Can you sense any other unmagic sources around here?" asked Landon as he glanced at Alyse out of the corner of his eye.

"I haven't been looking for any others besides our main guy since we got through the swamp, and I'm sure we've missed a few because of it," replied Alyse with a shrug. "I'm not going to try it tonight, as low as my body is right now, but in the morning I think it could be done..."

"Alright then, we scan in the morning, if we find anything of interest we'll give it a quick check, and if it's not relevant or needs to be taken of right away, we keep right on going," offered Revlis as she rose to her feet, having been finished long ago and ready to sleep. "I'll see you then, night."

"Night."

"Yeah, sleep tight..." Landon scratched his head as Alyse finished mopping up the last of her stew with the bread, swallowing a bit more of the ale to wash it down with. "Do you think we'll find anything, Alyse?"

"Don't know," she admitted with a shrug. "I guess we'll find out in the morning, won't we?"

"Yeah, I guess so..."

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Talia sat in the middle of the other instrumentalists on the deck of the ship, playing away on her drums as Ma Tegan set the pace with her fingers springing up and down the neck of her three-stringed instrument with the grace of a lithe child. Most of the crew danced close by, feet thumping and hands clapping in time to the music. The steps were simple, and so easy a child could memorize them, so all participated in them. All but Nicole and Trevor, that was, for one had the curse of being to tiny and the other having two left feet.

"At least you could dance if you wanted," pointed out Nicole as she perched herself on Trev's shoulder, watching from the side as usual. "I couldn't join the dance if my life depended on it, I'd get trampled."

"Can you do the dance?" asked Trevor with a shrug.

"Yeah, or something like it. I've never been able to dance with a partner," she replied lightly.

"Here, I've got one for you..." Trevor placed her on his knee and then brought her hand down to her level, using two of his fingers as feet and two  more as hands as he used it for her dancing partner. "I can do the steps with my hand, really..."

Nicole laughed as she bowed to the hand and took one of the fingers with her own hand. Starting the round, she was surprised as the fingers wove through the steps just as if they were real feet. "Just not with your feet?"

"Yeah, well...I can't help it."

"Right..."

"You're not sitting out all night again," said Talia as she suddenly appeared in front of Trevor, catching his hand with her own. "Come on, dance with me for one round...please?"

"You know I can't," replied Trevor, blushing for some reason.

"Pretty, pretty please? With sugar on top??"

"Well I...uh..."

"...for me?" Talia stuck out her bottom lip ever so slightly, making the biggest puppy dog eyes Nicole had ever seen.

"Oh, alright..."

The nymph jumped back as Trev allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, forgetting about her entirely and walking awkwardly over to the dance circle. Nicole fumed as she dusted herself off, flying after them to land on Jenny's shoulder and watch from there. The Captain looked over at her small friend and noticed her seething frown, following her gaze to Talia and Trevor where the young woman was trying to get him to follow her in the dance steps.

"I thought Trev said he can't dance," commented Jenny as she smothered a knowing grin with her hand.

"He can't," admitted Nicole roughly as she watched him trip and tumbled over his own feet and that of his partner time and time again. "He didn't have to go with her like that, though..."

"You say something?"

"No." Nicole crossed her arms over her chest and frowned all the more as she watched the two dance together. "Nothing at all."

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"Rupal, we don't have a choice," argued Brenna as she followed the younger girl up the stairs, refusing to leave her alone. "I know you know where the rest of those funds went..."

"Those, if they do exist, were for a dire emergency!" replied Rupal tiredly. "An entirely life-or-death situation!"

"And we're not in that now?!" Brenna shook her head as Rupal just ignored her, going into her room and pulling down another ledger book to see if there were any mistakes made in their favor that could bring coins their way once again. "Rupal, our cellar's almost empty, the meat's gone, the fields will bring NOTHING in and if luck decides not to desert us again we MIGHT a few bushels of half decent vegetables that won't last more than three or four weeks. And if you haven't noticed, we have more than three or four weeks before spring planting comes around again..."

"...alright. Just...this is quite literally the last of our money."

"I know." Brenna sighed, shrugging slightly. "But we don't have a choice."

"Or at least...not a good one?"

"Yeah...all starving to death or deciding who lives and who dies is not exactly a choice I'd like to make."

"Very well..." Rupal pulled a thin strip of metal from one of her desk drawers and then pushed the desk to the side, getting down on her hands and knees and feeling around the floor where the desk had sat. Finding whatever it was she'd been looking for, she inserted the metal between two boards and popped a small square Brenna didn't know was there out of place. Reaching inside, she with drew a small purse, one that sagged heavily with the coins inside.

"How much is there?" asked Brenna as Rupal spilled the coins onto the desk, sorting through the mixed coppers and silvers quickly, a single gold among the whole lot.

"Hopefully, just enough," replied the other girl with a frown. She took some of the coins to the side and scooped them up in her hands, placing them in a separate pouch she pulled from her desk drawer. "Send these with Libby to the miller, and tell her to buy as much of the coarsest flour he has in stock. It should only be a few coppers a bushel, and tell her to flirt with him if his wife's not around and she should get it for even less."

"Alright. What about the rest?"

"The hunter that just came into town loves to trade his kills for gold more than anything else," replied Rupal, talking more to herself than anyone else. "I'm not sure what just one gold coin will get us, but Kaitlin has a good eye for meat and she aught to be able to get us a good deal...Give this to Cheeks and have him go over to the Twin's house. I know he won't want to, but this is important. Have him trade with the twins these silvers for as many fresh vegetables as he came. Not their father, that man's too good at driving a hard deal, but the twins like him and should give it to him for practically nothing."

"You're really stretching it out, aren't you?" asked Brenna as Rupal tied the silvers into another sack, handing it to the farmer girl without looking at her.

"We're going to make every single copper stretch as far as it can bloody go, and then some," came the tight reply. Rupal glanced up, catching Brenna's eyes as she put the rest of the coppers left in the original pouch and stuck it in her belt. "Because if what you said is true, we're going to have to."

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Bryanna huddled by the low fire, her teeth chattering violently in the autumn chill. It would be sometime around September, or perhaps even close to October, if they were home, but that didn't matter. Olivia and Randy sat close to her right, every bit as cold and miserable as she was in the darkening gloom.

Three weeks. Three weeks with no food, no shelter, and hardly any clothes. The robe's they'd originally worn had been sold to a peddler in exchange for some more well-used garments that wouldn't be distinguishable in a crowd. They had, since their old clothes were nicer than these, had a little left over, but had opted to trade it for some extra tunics and cloaks, instead of the rough bread he'd originally offered them. As cold as they all were, each was starting to regret having not accepted it in the first place.

"So, what now?" muttered Olivia as they all pulled closer together, the fire lighting their tired eyes, their worn, haggard faces, and the grim lines of reality that had become imprinted upon their faces. "We're being hunted like dogs, we know that from the gossip we heard in the last town. We have nowhere to go, and no way to hide ourselves for very long..."

"Let's go back to the Master's place," offered Randy grumpily. "He got us into this, maybe he'd be able to get us back out..."

"Idiot." Olivia whacked him upside the head, growling in frustration as she did. "He's not going to help us, if he is still hanging around, the bastard. He'd more likely turn us in, and use all the evidence that should be pinned on him to frame us, rather than get himself caught."

"No, wait..." Bryanna shook her head, looking over at the pair. "That might work."

"What? Bryanna, you've got to be joking," protested Olivia, pulling her arms about herself even tighter than before. "He's not going to take us in, and even if he did it'd be some sort of trap..."

"He's not going to still be there, not with us having been arrested like this," countered Bryanna quickly. "And that's the last place they're going to expect us to go. If we're lucky, he might have left something behind, too. Food, clothes, mounts...anything! Even maybe a clue as to where he's gone off to. Even if there's nothing there, it will be a place for us to stay for awhile, just until we figure out what we're going to do!"

"She has a point," supported Randy weakly, hoping not to get hit again. "It can't hurt to at least go and have a look..."

"Alright, we'll go." Olivia sighed. "I just wish we still had the horses..."

"No need to wish for what we haven't go, but without them we'll be able to go by paths other than the main roads," replied Bryanna shortly. "Come on, we'll figure out how to get there in the morning..." Banking the fire quickly, she returned to the warmth of the other two as they laid down in their little hollow and tried to hold onto every scrap of warmth they could get.

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"Are you sure he can't come today?" asked Chris as he put his bowl and cup in the sink, popping the last bit of bread hastily into his mouth.

"Yeah, I need him for some demonstrations," replied Kristen hurriedly as she gulped down her oatmeal with honey and cream as fast as she could. "Ohh...hothothot....mmm...sorry Chris, maybe tomorrow."

"Oh, that's alright. I don't have much planned other than to finish up a few minor projects anyways." He shrugged and pulled on his boots, glancing out the window as the skies began to darken overhead.

"Take you cloak," advised Jon as he came running in, a bag of vegetables over his shoulder. "Weather-witches are predicting a downpour sometime this afternoon."

"Alright. I'll go ahead and take lunch, then, too, since it'll be too much trouble to return here and eat," agreed Chris as he sliced some more bread and cheese and wrapped it in a clean cloth, placing it in a pouch with some cold sausage for later. "Don't expect to see me until dinner, guys!"

"Alright."

"Sorry I can't go, Chris!" yelled Cam from upstairs, sticking his head down suddenly.

"S'ok, kiddo, you can come later!"

"I'm not a kid..."

"You're a kid until you've gotten drunk your first time, lad," said Matt as he winked at him teasingly. "Then you'll be a man. Then again, Kristen won't let us take you out like that so maybe you'll never be a man!"

"Hey, I haven't gotten drunk and I'm a man," retorted Chris as he stood in the doorway, giving Matt a dark look.

"Yeah, but you're also a foot taller than anyone else here, and we're not going to argue that point with someone who could smash us into a pulp just by sitting on us."

"Right..." Chris rolled his eyes and left, striding confidently down the streets to his shop. Using his key, he unlocked the front door and went in, changing the sign to 'Open' just as the as the first few big, fat drops fell from the.

"How d'ye do, ser?" called the miller as he suddenly stuck his head in, wearing an oiled cap and cloak to keep the worst of it off.

"Fine, miller." Chris gave him a respectful nod. "Something you want?"

"Jest wantin' t'know when th'order'll be done."

"It's right here, actually..." Chris glanced back outside as he got the small chest down, unwrapping it and polishing off his fingerprints before he let the man inspect it himself. The rain was coming down like anything, and he was glad that he, unlike some others, worked indoors.

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Briteyes sighed as she pulled up her hood and wrapped her lute in a long strip of oiled cloth to protect it from the rain. She'd have to give up on her street playing earlier than she wanted, and hopefully the tavern that took her in last night would do it again tonight. Not that her takings had been great, but they were decent enough for this time of year and with the majority of the main Taverns having a musician that played regularly as it was or those that didn't not having many patrons for one reason or another she hadn't done too poorly. Still, she could use a hot bath and maybe a real meal for once. Maybe she could wrangle a better deal with the barkeep since she had brought in a nice flow of customers...well, she could think about that later. Right now she had to find someplace out of this cursed rain.

"Going so soon?" asked the old woman who sold fresh eggs in the stall to her left, so bundled in her cloaks and wraps that she looked more like a pile of blankets with a nose and a pair of beady eyes at the top rather than an actual person.

"It's bad weather for a player," replied Briteyes with a wry grin and a shrug. Her mask in place as always, she stood slowly and carefully gathered up her things.

[And a squirrel] replied Silven as she sat in a pocket Briteyes had sewn for her in her cloak where she could look out at the world without getting wet. [My fur takes forever to dry...]

"Yes, and for squirrels..."

"Well, good day to ya, and hope to see you again soon," offered the old woman with a good-natured laugh. "Ya don't do much for my business here, but ol'Harold across the way makes a pretty penny every time you come by, what with the extra drinks he sells."

"Yeah, well, we know where all of that goes," laughed Briteyes dryly, acting like she was taking a swig out of a bottle with her hands.

"One can only hope the ol'buzzard will drink himself away, and his son'll finally take over," cackled the old woman. "He's a sprightly young thing, I'm told."

"Aye, well...until next time, Mistress Mair."

"Until then!"

[Where are we staying tonight?]

"Not a clue. Depends on if that one fellow wouldn't mind having us again..."

[His son was creepy. I didn't like it there at all.]

"It wasn't my favorite place, either, but it'll have to do..."

"Where you going in such a hurry, hun?" said a big guy as he appeared in front of them, grinning lopsidedly. "I think you forgot something..." He held up her staff, which Briteyes had accidentally left behind by the old woman.

"What do you know. My mistake." The performer shrugged, then held her hand out patiently. "Mind giving that back so I can be on my way?"

"Yeah, actually I would..." Briteyes sighed as a few more appeared from the shadows, surrounding her and Silven on all four sides. "Because I'm going to need something in return to even let you pass."

"Not this...look, I don't have time to deal with you guys so if you could just give it back I'd really appreciate it..."

"Not this time, miss!" Briteyes let her instincts take over as both her arms were grabbed, the power of her magic surging through her veins as she stepped back and slammed her fists towards each other, the two men surprised at the force and letting themselves be thrown into one another. Loosening their grasp on her arms just enough, the performer slipped free and ducked away, slipping her lute off her shoulder to bring it up neck first to the chin of the third guy behind her. Whirling back around, she easily evaded the original two who'd grabbed for her and slipped between them, grabbing their collars and smashing their heads together before she dove at the last guy, the one who held her staff, with her lute held high overhead. Bringing it down with all she had, he went out like a light upon contact with a satisfying *CRACK*.

"Oh no...you alright, Silven?"

[Yeah, I nearly got thrown out once or twice, though. You REALLY should warm me when you do that!]

"Sorry, there wasn't time...let's find some place where it's dry, I think I might have hit that last fellow a little too hard..."

[What? I didn't see any blood...]

"Not him, silly, too hard for the lute."

[Oh...]

Snatching up the staff, they ducked down several streets before they came to an overhang they could pause under. "Hmm...looks like they decided not to follow us after they got themselves put back together," muttered Briteyes as she glanced about before carefully unwrapping the prized lute. She examined the base, fingers carefully covering it inch by inch until they discovered a fracture running along the neck. "Well, shoot..."

[You're going to have to get that fixed, and soon] commented Silven as she came down and looked at it, tapping the wood lightly with her claws.

"Well, thank you, Captain Obvious. Might as well go and find a wood worker, one that could given an estimate on the cost so I'll be sure to have enough before he does it for me."

[Guess that means no more playing for today. Let's go now!]

"Alright..."

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

"Are you sure we can afford to take a break like this?" asked Landon nervously as he tended to the packs and the fire, Alyse and Revlis circling each other just a few yards away with their weapons out.

"We're fine," said Alyse lightly as she leapt towards Revlis, fans flashing in the mid-afternoon sun. "We've confirmed the location of the spot, and noted he is there among other unmagic users. They don't know we're here, thus it is best to bide our time and wait and see what happens...ha!"

"Almost got me!" crowed Revlis as she fell flat on her back before rolling away and springing to her feet once more. "But not quite!"

"If I really had, you'd be dead," pointed out Alyse as she backed up slightly, readjusting her grip.

"That is very true...Ha!" She flicked her wrist sideways, her knifed catching the fan at a joint and nearly bringing it from Alyse's hands. Alyse jerked her wrist in reply, succeeding in sending the knife across the clearing.

"Nice try," teased Alyse as she jumped back out of range, standing with her fan's ready. "You're going to have to do better than that, though. Plus, I've seen that move already."

"I have one trump you'll never beat," said Revlis evilly as she let her eyes and teeth change, barring her fangs at her partner.

"No going panther, you promised," warned Alyse, backing up another step. "It's too uncontrollable, and there is a real danger you might hurt someone."

"Only when I pounce on them," teased Revlis with a wink, letting her eyes and teeth change back.

"Believe me, I know, and once was enough for me."

"You two scare me sometimes," muttered Landon as he sat on the other side of the fire, his short sword leaning up against the tree next to him. "I think I'm gonna go find some firewood or something."

"What, you don't want to join our little scrimmage?"

"We promise we'll go easy on you..."

Landon snorted as they laughed, getting up and walking away to find some more dry wood. "I know when I'm out of my league!"

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

"You as restless as I am, boy?" asked Nicole as she sidled up to Butch's cage, her 'saddle' and 'bridle' in hand. Slipping them on, she eased into her place before she opened the door and removed the hood from the bird. Seeing his freedom, the giant shrike leapt into the sky, taking Nicole with him as he careened and cavorted through the air above the ship.

"Yeehaw!!!!"

Holding on with all her might, the tiny nymph added a strong, but steady breeze around the ship that doubled back on itself, creating a roller coaster like path for the predatory bird to follow. Through dips, spins, turns, and loops...it was some of the most fun she had since she took young Ty on a trip with her through the top of the ship.

Time flew by just as they did, and eventually she slowed Butch down and steered him back towards his cage, finding Talia waiting with Trev beside it instead of just Trev, who usually helped her take care of him so Butch wouldn't get hurt or anything.

"You remember how to do it, right?" asked Trev as he held out his arm, Butch landing obediently with his claws clasped about his forearm. "Just check his eyes and wings...put the hood back on before you do that, of course, but you know what to do..."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" asked Nicole as she slid off and quickly undid the buckles and hooks that held the ingenious little riding pad together. "What does it matter if she remembers or not? She's not the one that's taking care of Butch..."

"Actually, she will be," cut in Trev with an apologetic smile as he handed over the bird to the young woman, watching closely as she went over the bird just as he'd said. "Captain has some projects she wants me to work on...I won't have time for much anything else, and you're not exactly capable of taking care of this big fellow on your own."

"But...I...you..."

"Don't worry, I used to take care of birds like this guy back at the village all the time," Talia assured Nicole quickly with a kind, patronizing smile. "He'll be in good hands..."

"That's not what I...."

"Trev, get back in here, we have some accounts to go over!" yelled Jenny from her cabin, appearing to wave at him impatiently.

"Coming!" he called back, giving both of them a quick grin before he ran towards the cabin. "Thanks Nicole, I knew you'd understand!"

"Trev, I-....dang it!"

"Something wrong?" asked Talia as she finished her inspection, putting the bird back in it's cage.

"No, I'm fine," ground out Nicole as she flew off to the kitchen where the new cook would stuff her with sweets and hopefully make the huge knot in her stomach go away. There was something to be said about the solace that could be found in candied fruits.

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

"Brenna, it's time to eat!" called Kaitlin from the dining room, the resident farmer girl sitting by the fire in the kitchen darning the holes in her thick winter socks.

Though her stomach grumbled loudly, Brenna replied, "Oh, don't worry about me! Go ahead and eat, I'll come by and pick off what's left later..."

"No, you're coming and eating now," said Libby firmly as she came from downstairs. "Get in here, Brenna, we're not starting with out you..."

"No, really, I'm fine..."

"Liar. And a bad one too," commented Cheeks. "Just get in here, ok? You don't have to eat much, but at least eat something..."

"I know you gave your lunch to Jem, so don't even tell me you're not hungry," added Kaitlin as she walked in and took the sock out of her hands gently. "Come on, we're all hungry..."

"I said you could start without me," grumbled Brenna as she rose suddenly. "If you insist on making me food, then this is what I'll do..." She walked into the dinning room, picking up Jem's plate and adding what was put on hers to it. "There, happy? The food won't be wasted now..."

"You not eating is not going to save enough for us to last the winter, Brenna," said Rupal quietly as she stopped her from leaving the room, looking her in the eye. "And you starving yourself so you can't work isn't going to help things either. Sit. Eat. Now."

"I could crush you if I wanted to," said Brenna threateningly as she leaned over the stature-challenged Rupal. "It wouldn't be hard...."

"But you won't." The reply was so calm and steady that Brenna's resolve broke, turning around slowly and shuffling back to the table. Rupal let out a sigh, bowing her head as she rubbed a hand over her eyes.

"I'm only eating because I have to," muttered Brenna as she accepted her portion and plate back from Jem.

"We all have to eat," countered Cheeks as they all sat down and began to nibble through their small servings, trying to make them last as long as they could. He was still pale, and a little wheezy at times, but whatever had affected him before was mainly gone, for the moment. Too bad their troubles weren't going the same way.

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

"Com'on na, up wit ye," called the farmer as he kicked Randy none to gently, waking the young man who lay curled up with his two companions in the hay. "I sed ye kin ride wit me ta Vern'n'Gram, an'not a step more! We be here, so out wit ye!"

"Get up, we're here," said Randy as he forced himself to stand groggily and climbed out of the back of the wagon. Turning around, he helped Olivia down to the ground, Bryanna simply jumping when she reached the edge. "Thank you sir. We don't have any way to repay you..."

"Jest git back t'ye mum," replied the farmer with a rough shrug. "She'll be needin' ye if what ye say be true."

"Thank you, we appreciate it!" called Bryanna as the wagon drove out of sight, straightening her dress quickly.

"Nice work with the tears last night," commented Olivia as she pulled out the bits of straw from her hair. "A free ride like that...we covered more ground asleep than we have awake in awhile."

"Yeah, well, let's keep going."

They turned down Gram, the road that would lead to the village the mage Master had been near. Starting out, they ran across a stream and stopped for a bit, washing their hands and faces as well as getting something to drink.

"Mmm...I really need something to eat," muttered Randy as his stomach growled again.

"I was able to get us a loaf of bread a few days ago, and she managed to cajole that cheese out of the farmer so it's your turn to find breakfast," replied Bryanna as she tied her hair back up.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..."

Seeing as he had no way to provide breakfast, on they walked, the sun rising higher and higher overhead until they came to the turnoff they were looking for, right before the village itself. Down along this new path they went without even stopping for a break. Why bother? They had no food, no water, and few means of carrying it with them if they did.

Eventually the mansion came in sight. Or what was left of it, that is.

"Holy cow...it's gone..." muttered Randy as he walked in the front gate, the tall, proud stone walls that had once reached two and a half stories high now were lower than his knees, rubble lying about in every direction and nothing useful in sight at all.

"Come on," said Olivia as she stepped smartly through the front door, or the place where it had once been. "Just because the walls have been destroyed doesn't mean the cellar was. And from the looks of it, no one's been through this stuff yet, and there's a ton left over that might be useful for something..."

Wrapping their hands in strips of clothes from their cloaks, they began the tedious job of shifting through the piles and piles of toppled wood and stone, hoping to find something of use there. At the days end their spoils were no much, but they were more than they'd had before. A piece of the wall still standing became their shelter, and the few lengths of oiled cloth they found in the toppled stables made a great roof. That, plus a few handfuls of flour that wasn't ruined and a couple of late apples from the orchard...perhaps they just might live through this experience after all.

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

"Ahh!!!"

Kristen stopped her instruction to sprint over to the other side of the building when she heard the cry, leaving Cam in charge for the moment. Bursting in, she found Matt lying flat on his back, his knee twisted at an angle that she knew wasn't right.

"Oh my gosh...Matt, what'd you do?" she winced as he moaned in pain, creeping closer as Cam appeared as well.

"Slipped," he grunted as he blinked rapidly, Jon already kneeling beside him and checking to see what was broken and what wasn't. "Someone tracked in water...and I slipped and hit Mike..."

Kristen glanced over at Mike, who lay out cold on the floor, a nasty looking bump forming on his forehead. "Ouch...class!" She quickly got the attention of all the students there, waiting impatiently for them to quiet down before she went on. "You are dismissed. Unless you hear otherwise, class will be held at normal times other than today. Get your things together and get going so we don't have to worry about you as well!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Did you train them to do that?" asked Kristen over her shoulder as she walked back towards her side to dismiss them as well.

"Yeah..." admitted Matt as he sat up with Jon's help, his mouth set in a line from the pain. "Very satisfying...to hear 'yes, sir'....every time I give a command..."

"Right..." She dismissed her class as well, sending Cam after Chris so he could come help Jon get those two to the doctor as quickly as possible.

"Chris!!" yelled Cam as he came bursting into the workshop, scaring a few of the customers who were inside looking around.

"What is it, Cam?" asked Chris as he put down the puzzle box he'd been explaining to a potential buyer, one of the more wealthy merchants around. "Something wrong?"

"Matt hurt his knee and Mike got hit in the head," explained the young boy hurriedly as he motioned vaguely over his shoulder in the direction of the house. "Kristen wants you to come back and help Jon get them to the healer. Matt can't walk, and Jon's not strong enough to carry him there on his own."

"Hm...excuse me, but I'm going to have to close the shop! Family emergency!" Everyone was shooed out rather quickly, Chris removing his leather apron and leaving it behind on the counter as he closed the door after himself and ran with Cam back to the house. Unfortunately, in his haste, he forgot to lock the door...

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

[Are you sure this is the place?] asked Silven as Briteyes looked up at the sign, comparing it to the one drawn on the piece of paper she was carrying.

"Yeah, only place on this street that's a general wood worker. Most of them are specialized, and after the quote that one instrumental repair shop gave me, I'd rather take my chances here than go back there," replied Briteyes shortly. The plank with a hammer, chisel, and awl hanging from it, it could be no one but the carver she'd heard good things about other than the fact he was a Trader. Some considered that a taboo, but as long as he got the crack fixed or the neck replaced, and at a reasonable price...she didn't see why it would hurt to use his services this once.

Walking up to the door, with her hood still up as it had yet to stop raining over the last few days, she pushed the door open and stood in the entrance. Surprised when no one answered the bell that was wrung as she closed the door behind herself, she glanced about and could find no one in there at all. Leaning her staff against the door, pulling off her wet hood, and placing the lute on a table, she called, "Hello?"

[This is creepy] commented Silven as she crawled down from Briteyes' pocket, sniffing around the tops of the tables as her human friend crept slowly around the store.

"Looks like someone was here," added Briteyes as she found a lamp, picking it up carefully only to have it sputter and die, leaving the shop in semi-darkness. "The open sign was out, right?"

[Yeah, I think so...hey, look at this!] Briteyes stood behind the squirrel as she opened the lid to a tiny chest, inside being a perfectly sculpted miniature horse.

"Wow, this amazing- urk!"

"Gotcha!" said a deep voice behind her as Briteyes felt herself being lifted off the group by the back of her cloak and tunic, writhing in mid air and whoever it was held her there easily. "Stop squirming, I don't want to smack you but I will and I should to for sneaking around my shop like this when it's closed...thieves are not welcome here."

Briteyes had heard enough. Spinning herself around, she opened her mouth wide and sank her teeth into her holder's wrist as hard as she could, drawing blood in the process as he howled and dropped her quickly. Her mask when clattering to the floor, Silven jumping at her attacker and sinking her fangs into his ear as she got close enough, leaving a nice set of prints as he snatched at her and held her trapped in his hands, ignoring the pain as she continued to attempt to gnaw her way out of his hands. He thumped her on the head with her other hand and shoved her in a random bag while she was too stunned to do anything else.

"You let the door unlocked!" she spat as she wiped the man's blood from her mouth, gagging when she couldn't rid herself of the taste. Backing up, she scrubbed her mouth with her shirtsleeve and picked up her mask, reaching for the panpipes that'd dropped from her belt as well. "Elck....I'm not a thief, stupidhead. I was a customer looking for some help, but I think I'll be leaving now..."

"Wait a sec..." Briteyes fumed and was about to bite again as he grabbed her arm, but was stopped when the huge Trader went on. "Amanda?"

"Huh?! Wait, who the heck are you?! No one here knows me by that name! Or at least there isn't a Trader that should..."

"It's me, Chris!" the man went on excitedly, stepping into the light from the window as the performer backed up another step in disbelief. "Come on you remember me, right? We used to hang out all the time before I went off the college...Amanda?"

"Christopher Latik Brewster, if you EVER scare me like again I'll....do something that'll be very, very painful," growled Briteyes as she shook her head, holding out her arms as he picked her up in a huge bear hug. "Oof....you're as strong as ever...it's been far too long since I last saw you, little brother."

"Speaking of little, your friend here is still trying to escape my pouch," commented Chris as he put her back down gently, picking up the sack from the table. "I don't think she likes me very much..."

"I wouldn't either, after a performance like that," replied Briteyes roughly. "Here, give it to me...relax, Silven, everything's going to be ok...you're not going to believe what happened, though."

[What?!] asked the squirrel testily as she popped out of the sake and placed herself back on Briteyes shoulder, chattering angrily all the while. [I aught to castrate him with a freaking twig or something, putting me in a sack like that...stupid men! What are you so happy, about?!]

"Silven, he's from our world," explained Briteyes slowly. "Chris, who else is with you? Or are you by yourself?"

"Oh, no, not by a long shot," replied Chris with a grin as he put things up real fast and changed the sign to closed, motioning towards the door. "Come on, I usually close about now and there's some hot dinner and a bed waiting for you at my place with the others if you'll come with me. Please? We haven't seen anyone else from our world for a long time..."

"We're coming," decided Briteyes firmly, her stomach grumbling joyously at the thought of getting some real food for once.

"Good, and on the way you can explain why you were sneaking around my shop."

"I was not sneaking!"

"Were too..."

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

Alyse sat by the fire as the skies darkened once again, Landon and Revlis tending to dinner as she worked. Her eyes flickering open suddenly, she sat back and sighed as she reached instinctively for the cup of tea or juice that would be at her knee as always. Sipping it slowly, she picked up the map they'd been studying earlier made a few more marks on it, Revlis coming over to study what she'd done carefully.

"No open use of powers, yet?" she asked simply as Alyse stood and wobbled her way over to the fire, closer to the food. Landon reached out and helped her sit, taking her cup from her hand when she had and refilling it for her without having to be asked.

"No, though it's getting harder and harder to detect them, the more that they mass in the outlying towns," admitted Alyse with a sigh and a shrug. "It's like, the more of them that there are as individuals, the more their signals cancel one another out."

"That's an interesting concept," said Landon as he drew in the dirt at their feet. "You mean like this? where their 'signals' are sort of like radio waves, and the more there are on the same frequency, the more they break and distort each other?"

"In a way, I suppose..."

"Hm..."

"Well, no matter what can you tell if they've all arrived or not?" asked Revlis as she waved Landon aside, him leaning over his drawings and created some others beside it. "That's a rather important part of this whole thing, you know..."

"Yes, I know," murmured Alyse as she sat back and considered what she'd found and felt. "I...I think they're waiting for something. I don't know if they're waiting for someone to arrive or for something to happen...but they're waiting, that much I can tell you without a doubt."

"I guess all we can do is wait, then, too," murmured Revlis as she twitched her ears, letting herself fall into her panther form. Padding over to Alyse's side, she curled up and looked at the elder girl imploringly, using all of her cat charms to get what she wanted.

"You are a shameful little kitten," sighed Alyse a she scratched the giant cat behind the ears, smiling slightly as she rested her head in her lap and purred loudly.

"She sounds like a motor when she does that, she's so big."

Revlis looked up, narrowing her eyes at Landon as the young man hid behind Alyse quickly.

"He wasn't insulting you, just making a comparison," explained Alyse as Revlis moved as if to rise, knowing she probably wouldn't understand the concept of a motor. "Come on and sit still, I'm not going to scratch you if you keep moving around like this..."

Revlis bared her teeth at Landon but sat down none the less, falling asleep contentedly with a purr that could be heard halfway across the clearing.

"Man, she can be scary sometimes," muttered Landon as he poured them both some stew, bringing Alyse hers as she couldn't really move.

"Naw, she's just a big kitten for all her fangs and claws," replied Alyse as she ate quickly, glad for the warmth the huge beast provided as the area began to cool rapidly. "Look at her...isn't she cute?"

"Yeah, cute," muttered her companion as he curled up in his own blanket and rolled his eyes. "I will never understand girls..."

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

Nicole flitted and flew about as usual, reading the air currents as they were and using them to their advantage rather than creating one entirely her own. She'd learned long ago that to go entirely against mother-nature was often times very tiring as well as possibly dangerous. She wasn't a bottomless well of power, and she did, and had, run herself out entirely when she wasn't careful with how much she used at one time.

"What's the reading?" asked Tanner at the helm as Nicole landed on the wheel itself, standing between two of the spokes as he steered them on as steadily as ever.

"A fair Northeast that I rerouted so it'll take us straight North," replied Nicole as she gave him a thumbs up. "Not that it took much, it was heading to go that way eventually. Just a gentle nudge there and a slight twinge there...done easily enough, really."

"You speak of the wind as if it were just a tame trickle of water that you could do whatever you wished to with," commented Tanner as he gazed down at her for a moment, awe in his voice. "I've seen mirimanders before...our people's mages. Most don't even live to be adults, their work is so dangerous, yet you do it as if it costs you nothing at all..."

Nicole shrugged. "I don't know why, or how I can do it so easily. I just can."

"Did the winds tell you anything else, than, young nymph?" asked Tanner lightly as he changed their course slightly so they'd stay true on their path, forcing Nicole to leave her spot and hover instead right by his ear.

"Only that fall is well upon us, and will be followed rather quickly by winter this year," admitted Nicole with a slight shrug. The winds that blow South bear a bite that I do not wish to encounter, personally, when they're at full force."

"Hopefully, our Captain will give us a clue as to where our winter berth will be, and you will not need to, little on," teased Tanner as he continued with his job, Nicole sticking her tongue out at him before flying off once more.

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

Libby sniffled as she stood in between Cheeks and Brenna, a pyre of sorts before them as the sickly-sweet smell of burning flesh filled the air. The horses had died all in the space of one week, and before Cheeks could finish their graves the last cows had died as well. The sheep and goats were long gone as it was, and each one, when gutted open, was rotted through and through to the point of being completely inedible.

Not even a day after they'd agreed to build the pyre so the bodies would be taken care of without rotting there in the middle of nowhere, the few bunnies Libby hadn't given away passed on as well, and all she was left with was Pinky, Rosie, and Iforget. Even those three were not doing well, though, and Brenna had predicted they might not make it through the winter to spring.

"It's ok," said Brenna as she put her arm about her friend. "After this winter, we'll have a good harvest, you'll see...we'll buy more horses and cows and start all over again..."

"My bunnies," whimpered Libby as she looked away, unable to bear the sight of the limp, charred bodies anymore. "They're gone..."

"We couldn't keep them around, the ground's partially frozen already as it is and we couldn't have made them all proper graves before they began to rot and stink up the place," replied Cheeks gently. "Libby, we didn't have a choice...or at least not a good one."

"Can we scoop up their ashes when it's over and sprinkle it over the fields?" asked Libby mournfully as she huggled Pinky to her chest.

"Well...uh...sure...I guess."

"Good, I think they'd like that," whispered Libby sadly. "They'd be with the grass and in the sun again...and their little bunny ghosts could hop around just like they were alive again, and be all happy in the fields...yeah. And we could name them 'Fields of the Bunnies' after them, so they wouldn't ever be forgotten...could we do that too?"

"Whatever makes you happy," replied Brenna with a shrug as she turned back to walk towards the house. "Come on, we'll come back and get the ashes when it's over. Can you tend the fire, Cheeks?"

"Aye, that's not hard."

"Thanks."

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

Olivia poked through random parts of the tumbled mansion, the other two still asleep. Not that she wasn't tired, but she had taken last shift that night and had already gotten enough sleep to last her the whole day. It'd been a few days now, and everyday they'd woken and searched through a little more of the place, sometimes having a great deal of luck and others none and all.

Their food supply had grown some, having found enough fresh fruit in the orchard in the back to last them as long as it would keep in the stables, and more barrels of flour in the storerooms below ground that they were slowly uncovering. A few bottles of wine had been found that weren't shattered, and they'd had a great time celebrating one night with those, but considering Randy had been found the next morning flat on his back wearing nothing but his small clothes by the fire, and Olivia and Bryanna had woken up back to back someplace in the mansion, they weren't sure they wanted to try that again anytime soon. That, and they'd used all the wine at once so there was no more until they managed to buy it or unlock another cellar of it.

Wrapping the blanket she'd brought tightly about herself -one of the few they'd found completely buried that wasn't being used as a rat's nest or was covered in mildew, she padded down the corridor they'd cleared just the other day, turning into the partially-standing room she thought had been the mage's study. Or one of his studies, anyways.

There wasn't much left, really. All the books, equipment, and potions were gone, leaving nothing but a few scattered sheaves of paper and random, knocked over bottles of ink that had dried on the floors and tables, where ever they had landed. These she flipped through, then tossed aside, finding really nothing of interest. Still, knowing mages tended to be secretive about some of things, and couldn't possibly remember where they'd hid every little thing.

So, along the walls and then in the chests of draws and through the desks that were still standing she looked, pulling out every drawer and poking into every nook and cranny with a stick she'd found just incase it had any prior occupants and would grab onto the stick, rather than her.

"What are you doing?" asked Randy as he appeared behind her out of the blue, making the Ice mage jump in startlement.

"Looking around," she replied simply as she gave him a half hearted glare.

"For what?"

"I don't know...anything that might give us a clue on how to get out of this mess," came the muttered reply, Olivia pulling out another one of the drawers and dumping its contents out on the table nearby, sifting through them after dumping it in Randy's hands. "Look over that?"

"For what?"

"A scrap of paper, a key...anything!"

"What, you mean like this?" Randy held up a thin slip of paper he'd carefully pealed from the side, Olivia snatching it from his hands and looking over it quickly. It was a map of some sort, and while she didn't understand what exactly all the marks meant she headed back for the barn where Bryanna was still asleep. She might know what they meant.

"Come on idiot, let's go!" she called over her shoulder as Randy just stood there, looking as puzzled as ever.

"What? ...oh, wait up!"

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

Chris opened the front door and stepped in, letting Briteyes and Silven in before he closed and locked the door behind them all. "Anyone home?" he called as he shed his boots by the door, motioning for her to do the same, surprised when she slipped off a pair of sandals.

Walking into the kitchen, he hung his cloak by the fire, making room so she could do so as well. Underneath his, he was relatively dry but he realized his old friend did not have the luxury of a fully waterproof cloak as she removed hers and her clothes dripped wetly the same way her cloak had.

"Good grief, girl, you must be freezing..."

"Hey, is that you, Chris?" called a familiar voice, a young man with a bit more muscle and long hair slid down the ladder into view. "It's just you and me until the rest get home, they're still with Matt and Mike at the healer's...oh. Who'd you bring home?"

"Nice to see you to, Jon," said Briteyes sarcastically as she dragged her fingers through her damp hair, her face completely bare for once as she was wearing neither the hood or the mask.

"....Amanda?" He paused, coming over slowly as he studied her. "You...shrunk. I think. And you've got so much gray in your hair I would've thought you an old woman if I saw you from a ways away. And nice scar." He traced a line with his finger to show what he meant. "How'd you get it?"

"Not sure," she said with a shrug, watching as Chris bribed the small squirrel from her side with some bits of bread and honey. "It's a very long, long story..."

"Oh, I'm sure it is."

"Look at this thing, it's amazing," said Chris softly as Silven studied him as well, mirroring his actions as he made faces or did crazy things with his hands. "It's like she actually knows what she's doing! Where'd you find her, Amanda?"

Silven sighed and smacked herself in the head with her paws. [Oi...big, dumb lug. He's a nice big lug. But he's still a dumb one, too.]

Briteyes coughed and muttered, "Says she who gives into animal instincts more often than human reasoning."

[Hey!]

"I was about to start dinner, you want anything in particular?" asked Jon as he moved past her, pouring some water in a kettle and putting it over the fire to boil. "You look like you need it."

"Hot food," she said with a sniffle and a shrug. "Other than that...*achoo*..well, if I could have some dry clothes, that'd be nice."

"Do you have any others with you that you could change into?" asked Chris as he motioned to her bag. Briteyes grimaced and shook her head. "Well, I'd lend you some of mine, but they'd swamp you big sis..."

"Kristen won't be back for awhile yet, and NO ONE dares enter her room without her being here," said Jon thoughtfully.

"Kristen? As in lil'sis?" asked Briteyes as she glanced at Chris, who nodded with a grin in reply. "Ok, yeah...if her room's anything like the one she had back home I won't be taking my chances there. And I'm not wearing Mike and Matt's stuff, if it's the two I think it is. Who else is there?"

"There's the little guy," commented Chris. "But his stuff will probably be a bit small, he's thin as anything..."

"I've got some old stuff you can borrow, just until Kristen gets back," sighed Jon with a shrug, heading towards the ladder as Briteyes sneezed again. "Come on."

"...alright." She followed him upstairs, saying over her shoulder, "Stay and be good, Silven!"

[What did I tell you about ordering me around like an animal?! I am NOT your pet....I'm only staying because he's got honey and bread and I'm really hungry...]

"Right..."

"You say something?" asked Jon as he opened the door to his room, motioning to the changing screen in the corner and rummaging around in his clothes chest that wouldn't be too horribly huge on her.

"Nothing you'd understand," came the sardonic reply.

"Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine today," snorted Jon as he tossed her a loose tunic, trews, and belt of the same color.

"Absolutely."

"Throw your things over," he said as she began to rapidly remove her wet things and replace them with the wonderfully dry ones he'd given her. "I'll put them in with the laundry that's going to be done tomorrow."

"Ok...oh gosh, it's going to be nice to be warm again..."

Kristen opened the front door right then, Matt hobbling after her just moments after Jon and Amanda had disappeared upstairs. "Hey, we're home!"

"Hey, good news!" called Chris. "I ran into-"

"No time now, have to get this idiot upstairs," said Kristen as she helped Matt over to the ladder, giving him a boost up and then standing behind him incase he fell the whole way. "Tell me when I get back down, ok?"

"Wait, but isn't his room...?"

"We switched him with Cam last week, remember?"

"Oh, right...need any help?"

"No, I'm fine," replied Matt as he glanced back at Chris and gave a quick wave. "Once I get to bed and am well dosed with my meds, I'll be out like a light for awhile...I'm looking forward to it greatly."

"I bet. Well, take it easy."

"I will!!"

"Wonder what he was gonna say,"  huffed Matt as he waited for Kristen at the top of the ladder, leaning against Jon's door. He blinked when he realized he heard voices behind him, one obviously being Jon and the other being a female voice he didn't recognize at all.

"Ready to go?" asked Kristen as she stood up beside him, surprised when he motioned for her to be quiet and leaned up closer against the door.

"Jon's got a girl in," he mouthed with a sly grin as she frowned, but leaned in as well, listening to the snatches of conversation that floated through the thick door.

"...throw your things over..."

"...oh gosh....warm again..."

"....help you get warm...."

"...definitely take you up on that..."

The door suddenly opened, Matt falling flat on his face inside as a surprised Jon and a familiar young woman looked out, her dressed in his clothes.

"Matt? What the hell were you doing leaning up against my door?" asked Jon as he nudged the prone young man with his toe in the side.

Matt giggled slyly, winking as Jon and the woman just looked confused. "So, you gonna help her get warm again, Jon?"

Kristen suddenly recognized her, elated and annoyed all at once. "AMANDA!! You're here!! But...how could you?!?! Jon of all people..."

"I was just offering to make her some tea," said Jon with a shrug as he turned and headed for the ladder. "I'm gonna go finish dinner now..."

"Why are you wearing his clothes, though?" demanded Kristen suspiciously as she helped the dumbfounded Matt to his feet. "Amanda, that's not like you..."

"I was soaked through, and you guys weren't home," replied the performer with a shrug. "I couldn't wear Chris's stuff, it would've fallen right off of me..."

"She has a point," sighed Matt as he gave her a quick hug and a wink. "Oh well, no nooky for Jon."

"MATT!!"

*doublethwap*

"Owies...I'm an injured man! You shouldn't hit me like that!"

Kristen's eye began to twitch as Briteyes just turned around to face him rather slowly, a scary look in her bright eyes. "Wanna bet?"

"Eh...no."

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

Ben hurried to his rooms right after the summons had come, pouring himself some water from the pitcher by the pallet that was his bed and washing away the dirt and grime that came with doing menial servant tasks as quickly as he could. Dressing in his 'play clothes', he was about to run out the door when the old woman stopped him, a worried look on her face.

"Nana! What's wrong, did they summon you too?"

"No, Ben, I just wanted to caution you," sighed the old woman as she handed him something, a small ball with a string tied to it. "Keep this with you, ok? If something happens, and you've displeased the Master top the point of death, pull on that string...and run."

"But Nana, I..."

"Don't argue with me boy, just do it and hurry!" she said simply, steering him out the door and pushing him down the hall before he even realized it. "Don't use it if you don't have to, just in case of an emergency, though..."

The old woman sighed as he disappeared down the halls. Even if the Master was pleased with his work, that did not bide well for the boy. Masters and servants who got mixed up with each other where never a good thing...

Ben dashed down the hallways as fast as he could, coming to the Master's doorway and bowing to the guards standing there.

"Identify yourself," said the guard flatly, neither kind or mean, just simply doing his job.

"Ben, servant boy," came the immediate reply. "I was summoned, sir."

"Stay here." The guard cracked the door open, saying something to those inside. Whatever he said was met with approval, and the doors were opened quickly for the young boy.

"Welcome, Ben, do come in," said Artor as he grabbed the servant boy by the arm and dragged him over to where his father sat. "Father has some wonderful news!"

"Well, I must test him first, son, that was part of the agreement," came the neutral reply, the Baron picking up a tablet of soft wax and making some marks with a stylus in it. "Can you work these problems out for me, Ben?"

"I'll try, sir..." He gingerly took the tablet, holding the stylus awkwardly as it had a different weight and feel to it than the pencils and pens he was used to using back home. Making a few quick marks, he handed it back to the man. "Here you are, sir."

"Hmm....ok." He handed the tablet back to Ben with the stylus. "Write for me as I say something, alright? Very good...now: The blue sky high above us all has twelve clouds and one sun." Ben did as he was told and handed it back, wondering what all of this was about.

"Hm...very good. And will you read me part of this paragraph here." The Baron handed him a thick volume, opening it to a specific page that had been marked with a strip of leather.

"I'll try, sir... 'Then a proud warrior asked the fighting-men of their family line; "From whence bring ye blue-gray mailcoats, and your var- var-nished....varnished shields, your visored helmets, and a heap of hardshafts? I am herald and thane of stern Hroth....Hroth..." Ben glanced imploringly at the Baron, who simply replied:

"Hrothgar. Well done, lad you've passed the test." The Baron rose heavily and rang a bell, Artor whooping for joy as Ben just stood there in puzzlement.

"Excuse me, sir, but what test have I passed?" asked Ben hesitantly. "If I may be so bold as to ask, sir."

"You may, this once," replied the Baron as an even older, scholarly looking man shuffled into the room from a side entrance, a stern look on his face. "Master Eunice here has agreed to take on an extra student, Ben, during young Artor's tutoring times. And seeing as there are no other eligible boys among the ranks, that boy shall be you."

"Me??"

"Yeah, you get to stay with me through the afternoons now, and help me learn stuff, just like you did the other day, remember?" asked Artor as he grinning happily at Ben. "Just like when I couldn't read that work, and you helped me figure it out!"

"Oh...ok. Thank you, sir." Ben bowed slightly, unsure of what to do now. "Erm...how will this affect me workload, though, sir?"

"You will retain your regular duties during the morning hours, have your 'free hours' after lunch, and then report to Master Eunice for a few hours of Arithmetic, Writing, Reading, and Etiquette. The latter you are not required to stay for, though such knowledge could perhaps come in handy one day."

"Yes, sir."

"You are dismissed now," said the Baron with a wave of his hand as Artor was led of by Master Eunice for some of his other lessons. "Do not be late for your free hour after lunch!"

"I will not, sir," replied Ben as he bowed himself out of the room quickly. Once out in the hall he breathed a sigh of relief and shook himself out slightly. Lessons, now? For a servant? What was the world coming to?

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

"What'd you find?" asked Alyse as Revlis slipped back into their camp, dropping out of her panther form back to that of a human.

"There's not as many as we thought, and they're still scattered," replied Revlis as she bit into the sandwich Landon handed her hungrily. "Mm...the place, though? They've got that guarded real well. I did find a place like you described, and it will suffice if we can't find one better. It's a side entrance, one with just a few guards that wouldn't be hard to silently slip in through. Best case scenario, we knock out the guards, get in, do our thing and you two run while I do clean-up duty. Worst case...we have to kill the guards, the back-lash of their coercion spells lets the guy in charge know we're there, we do our thing, and we're ALL stuck doing clean-up duty."

"You forgot to add the 'they might kill us' factor," added Landon dryly.

Revlis gave him a serious look, one that chilled him to the bone. "Even if they do, I'll be the last one to go, and when I do...let's just say that building will no longer be standing after the release of the spell that binds all Dark Hunters to each other. You don't require it, because you're bound to serve regardless. I do have it, though, and if we do die they will die with us."

"That just makes me feel so much better," muttered Landon as he rubbed a hand over his eyes, trying to relieve the pain that had started there and was still growing.

"Draw out where it is, and where the guards are stationed with it," ordered Alyse as she handed her some rough paper and a carbon stick, sitting by her to watch over her shoulder. "It won't be long now...I can feel it."

It won't be long until this is over? wondered Landon to himself as he sighed and continued to tend the fire, feeling as useless as ever. Or until we're dead?

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

"Wake up," murmured Jenny as she shook the tiny girl from her bed, falling into her own hammock the moment Nicole was awake. "Your turn for watch..."

"Who's watching with me?" asked Nicole as she hurried into her boots and grabbed a scrap of cloth that served as a cape to go with her. She sent a burst of air to the lamp, blowing out the flame Jenny had lit as she waited for the reply.

"Ah...Talia...yeah....zzz..."

"Great." Nicole hurried out to the helm, finding Talia already there and waiting with a single lamp beside her. "How's the winds?"

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me," came the tired reply as the Trader sipped at a mug of strong tea she'd most likely made for herself. "Want some?"

"Yeah, sure." Nicole unhooked the tiny tankard she usually carried with her and dipped it into the giant cup, taking a taste of the brew and finding it mostly to her liking. "Hm...you make this?"

"Yeah, Granny had some hot water left boiling, so I used that."

"Oh."

They were silent for awhile, Nicole trying not to shiver as an exceptionally cold wind flew by occasionally, cutting down to the bone with invisible daggers of ice. The ship creaked and groaned with the waves, a stiff Northwest carrying them closer towards their goal even at that midnight hour.

"Winds are shifting," commented Talia suddenly. Nicole nodded.

"Yes, but to the north," she said simply. "Which is a good thing."

"Yes, it is...though I don't know why we're headed there. It's going to get colder the farther we go, and a good winter berth is one that stays warm all winter..."

"Even if we go all the way to Summersea, it'll never get below freezing more than once or twice, and even then by the next morning it'll be more than bearable again," replied Nicole with a shrug. "Either way, I'm fine. Besides, you get too far south and it gets to be unbearably hot all the time...and there's no good breezes to fly on either."

"You amaze me sometimes," sighed Talia as she leaned on the giant wheel, using the compass on the stand in front of her to keep them straight and true. "And I envy you."

"Why's that?" asked Nicole dryly. "I'm six inches tall, no one takes me seriously, I get ordered around like I'm some child, and everything in this world is created for people 100 times my size."

"Yeah, but you get to fly," replied Talia quickly. "You can control entire storms, I've heard the stories from Tanner and Trevor. Everyone loves you, except Jack, of course, and will let you ride on their shoulder whenever you want. Granny's always cooking something just for you...trying out new mini pies and cakes just to see if she can do it. The other women dress you up like doll, you always get new clothes..."

"No matter what happens to me, I'm still an outcast though," came the soft reply. "I can't dance with you guys...I'd get trampled. I can't eat at a normal seat...you wouldn't even be able to tell I was there. Let alone reach the food and stuff. There are times...I think I'd rather be a human than a nymph."

"Being human's not all it's cracked up to be," snorted Talia with a sigh.

"Oh believe me," laughed Nicole as she rolled her eyes. "I know."

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

"But you guys...."

"It's not our fault, Kaitlin, daddy said so," sighed Alexa with a sniff as she coughed deep in her chest. "Ack...bleh. Anyways, he says we only get sick when we come here, so we can't come by anymore."

"Yeah," added Jess, her brown hair bound back from her overly pale face for once. "He said we can't come back until whatever it is that makes us sick here is gone."

"You're leaving us?" asked Jem mournfully as he appeared from the kitchen, Cheeks following slowly a moment later.

"Yes, we'll be back eventually, though," promised Alexa hurriedly. He threw his arms around both of them, getting a double hug in return.

"Yeah, like we could leave this place alone for long," added Jess teasingly. "Who else is gonna liven things up around here?"

"Come back soon Lexie, Jessi," he sniffled, using his private nicknames for them. "You'll show me how to make bubbles with the hollow sticks when you come, right? Just like you promised?"

"Just like we promised."

"Are you gonna miss us Cheeks?" asked Jess teasingly as she gave him an evil look.

"Yeah, after all the 'fun times' we've had together, you're probably gonna miss us the most...we'll have to be sure to pay you extra attention when we get back!" added Alexa with a sly giggle.

The poor boy paled at the thought of that, the twins giggling until Alexa broke back down into violent coughs that wracked her body, waving the others off as she tried to regain control of herself.

"Well...we'd better go," said Jess as she saw her father approach the house in his wagon, waving to her impatiently from his seat. "Bye, until next time."

"Yeah, later," replied Kaitlin sadly as they scrambled back towards the wagon, climbing into the back with their father's help before it turned around and disappeared out of sight.

"Do you think we'll see them again soon?" Kaitlin asked Cheeks sadly as Jem disappeared once again to goodness knows where. "I mean, they're my friends..."

"Everything'll be alright," said Cheeks reassuringly as he put his arm about the smaller girl's shoulders. She nodded slowly as she wiped away the stray tear that made its way down her cheek, letting him lead her back in. "Come on, it's cold out here and you're not wearing a coat."

"Alright...thanks Cheeks."

"For what?" he asked in surprise as she hugged him around the middle tightly.

"For never going away."

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

Bryanna slipped into town, her head covered against the light rain as she hurried along the narrow streets. Stepping into the pawn shop they'd spotted just the day before, she walked up to the counter and dumped several old, dusty volumes before the little man who stood there in surprise.

"How much for theses?"

"Well, I, uh..." He fumbled around for his eye piece, examining the books carefully after he finally got it in. Bryanna tapped her foot impatiently as he hmm and hawed for a moment, noting down several things in the ledger beside him.

"Do you know or not?" she asked after several moments, growing increasingly more impatient by the minute. "I'll take them somewhere else, should you so desire..."

"Well, they would be worth a small fortune, except for their poor condition, and crumbling pages..." The man coughed as he shrugged insolently. "However, seeing as you're in a hurry, I suppose I could offer you five golds each..."

"Make it ten, and I won't go looking for another price," said Bryanna simply, knowing he was trying to cheat her by the greedy glint in his eyes.

The man nodded, bringing out a pouch and quickly counting at the fifty gold coins and tying them up in a pouch, handing it over quickly. It was the lucky happening upon such books for the three convicts, part of the once massive library having been uncovered almost completely intact. With the proceeds from the few, entirely whole books they could find they'd get themselves the rest of the supplies for their trip north. Mainly, for now, they required mounts.

Meeting back with the other two, they discussed their options quietly under the shelter of an overhang in front of a small store.

"Three horses, that's the way we've always done it," argued Randy flatly.

"We don't have the money, or the feed to keep three, though," countered Olivia quickly. "We may not even have the money to buy three good beasts period."

"A cart," said Bryanna suddenly as she saw a farmer pass into town with his goods, a pair of sturdy donkeys pulling. "And no horses this time. We won't travel as fast, I know. But with that, we could travel at night and let them and us rest by day. Besides, whoever heard of runaway jailbirds that traveled by donkey?"

The other two glanced at each other, then Randy shrugged. "You find one, we'll take it."

"Excuse me, sir!"

Olivia and Randy watched as Bryanna put on her big, innocent mouse-eyes and began to haggle over his cart and donkeys, which, to their surprise, he turned over to her moments later for half their gold harnesses and all.

"You and your strange ways," sighed Randy as he climbed in the back, Olivia staying in the front as Bryanna looked over the beasts for a moment, then climbed up with her.

"They may be strange, but it gets us what we need," replied the healer with a slight shrug. "We'll double back by the mansion, get our things, and go."

"Sounds good to me."

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

Everyone sat around the main kitchen table, the remains of dinner spread out between them as Briteyes related the last of her accounts to those around her. "And so I left Winding Circle a second time, went back to playing the streets for awhile, and ended up here."

"Let me see your lute, and maybe I can fix it for you," said Chris with a grin as she got it from the counter, handing it to him gently.

"You're gonna stay with us for a little while, right?" asked Cam as he leaned against her side, content to be with his favorite elder cousin once more.

"At least a few days, we'll have to see after that," came the tired reply.

"I still can't believe you were actually IN Tortall, and you never told me," said Kristen lightly as she mused over everything she had heard. "Then again, I probably would've thought you were insane, but you're still so lucky..."

"Jumping worlds ain't as great as it sounds," muttered Briteyes as she glanced over at Jon, who merely nodded in agreement. "It's not always fun and games..."

"Obviously," cut in Mike with a shrug. "Or you wouldn't have that scar running down your face and be saddled with a  psychopathic squirrel."

[That's IT! I'm not just an animal, you ingrates! I'm a freaking HUMAN BEING that's TRAPPED in this freaking BODY!]

Everyone at the table frozen except Chris, who was too deeply involved with his inspection to notice.

Briteyes started laughing when the dead silence made her stop. "Wait...you mean you guys can hear her too??"

"So that voice I just heard in my head wasn't my imagination?" asked Kristen, looking rather pale.

"No, that was definitely Silven," replied Briteyes lightly. "I told you, she's been with me since the very beginning, and I can talk to her..."

"I thought you were just joking," said Mike weakly as he reached over and poked the furry little body, only to rewarded with a quick snap of her jaws. "Hey! No biting!"

[I'll bite whenever I feel like it, pansy boy!]

"I'm getting talked down on by a squirrel," said Mike as he rose slowly, casting an odd glance behind himself before he walked out the door to his room. "That's very disturbing..."

"What's your real name?" asked Cam curiously. "And where were you in the real world?"

[Lyssa, I was one of Brite's old friends in Indy, as well as one of the original 13 to go to Tortall.] she explained calmly. [That time I was one of the Generals in the Army. Oh how low we have fallen...] She rolled her eyes dramatically, clutching her chest as if in despair as Cam chuckled at her antics.

"Well, you certainly haven't lost your theatrical flair," sighed Briteyes wryly. "What about you guys, though? How did you get to be here, living like this together? And have you met up with anyone else yet?"

"You're the first," said Jon simply with a shrug. "I assume you haven't seen anyone, either?"

"No, not a soul. Not from our world that I know, at least. I wonder how many of us there are, this time."

"It's beyond me," admitted Jon with a shrug. "But as to how we got here, well, I think it'll make you laugh."

Briteyes settled into her seat, picking up her mug as the others left there remembered it as well and chuckled along with her. Silven jumped up onto her shoulder and curled about her neck sleepily. "Go on...you have my complete and undivided attention."

"Alright, so, Mike was, I think, a little high again and attempting another one of his school book burnings on the football field..."

%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%~~~*~~~%

Ok, there's a few disclaimers with this chapter. First being: the song Briteyes sings to Tris is part of a legend/lullaby thing played in Escaflowne, the anime. I don't own it, and the language is some archaic one, but I have a rough translation of the whole thing so should any wish to see it just ask.

Second: The passage that Ben reads for the Baron is from the epic poem Beowulf. Don't own that either. You wanna read it, go buy it yourself. Or go to sparknotes, that's nearly as good.

That's it for this chapter (I think). If I missed something, let me know please. ^_^

Review, cuz you love me! *huggles*

~CB~

'Flammable and inflammable mean the same thing...those poor ESL students.'