Ugh, so many typos in the last chapter! Yeah, I just reread my own story. Don't make fun! Typos make me feel stupid. I'll have to fix them later though, don't feel like it now. Anyhoo, yeah, here's the next bit. Hope you enjoy!

Ps. Changed Minica's name to Serie. I like it better. I'll go back to other chapters and change what needs to be changed later. Don't worry!

Delorian sat in the throne room of the palace, avoiding everyone he possibly could. None of his fellow inmates wanted to see him anyway. He sat on the ground before one of the crumbling pillars and leaned his head against the cold, grey marble. He remembered the pillars had been gold once, not so long ago. He held his mask in his hand. It was porcelain and white, an empty, faceless visage. It had no power, only that which he gave it. Even if he had shattered it, Clef would only give him a new one. If it came to that, using his power outside the palace. Clef wouldn't trust any of them for a while, knowing that Sable had left. But he wondered who would be next. Who would be forced to fight against their old friends, practically family? Clef wouldn't let Delorian out of the palace, he knew that. As much as Clef needed him, the mage's master didn't trust him. The force that lived in the crown room knew what Delorian felt, but couldn't predict what he would do. So Clef would do his master's bidding and force Delorian to use his power as he never had before. He couldn't do that to Talon again. But what if he had to? He just didn't know.

Serie was a different story. She believed every word that came out of Clef's mouth. She was too naïve to see what was happening. And she would go out and fight her friends if he asked her to. Delorian hoped she would see the truth with Lantis, Liesse and the other's help. That was if the being that held them all, in their old home, decided to let any of them go.

Tatra paced quietly into his line of sight. He was a danger even to the Chizetan princess, he remembered she was a skilled swordswoman and could also be useful to the force in the tower. No one was safe. He didn't want to hurt anyone and he didn't know what to do. He watched her as she slowly came toward him. "He's gone, Tatra. What keeps you here?"

"You know the answer to that, Lori. Besides, all the doors to the outside are locked," she said quietly.

"You expect me to do something about it?" he knew she was accusing him of something, in her unobtrusive, silent way.

"No, Delorian. Do yeh think yeh might expect somethin' from yourself?" she sat down softly next to him and hugged her knees.

"There's nothing I can do, Tatra, even if I thought it would make a difference. He'd know and then who knows what he would do."

Tatra sat silent for a moment, "I know. There's nothing I can say anymore; yeh know all the risks and all your options. I know mine. And we just have to work things out for ourselves."

They sat together for a few more moments before the palace shook. Clef had returned. He burst into the throne room, black robes swirling, and eyes like purple fire. The fire spotted them, crouched in the shadow of a pillar across the room. "Delorian!" Clef voiced his name like something between a plea and a wail. Delorian stood and waited for the worst of it.

"She has been turned against me. And I almost had her. I held her in my arms, but that traitor, Lantis, distracted me and her captor stole her away again." Clef stalked to the throne and sat down heavily. Delorian followed him as he was expected to, but he gestured to make sure Tatra stayed in the shadows; the master mage had not seen her.

"How could she listen to their lies?" Clef slumped, his palms to his eyes.

Delorian stepped as close to his master as he dared and said haltingly, "She trusts them too, Clef. She doesn't ... none of the magic knights know what ... know what the others have done ... to us."

Clef lifted his head and spoke without emotion, "And what have they done, Delorian?"

The boy was taken aback. He heard the princess stifle a gasp from behind the pillar. He had not heard Clef so lucid since the presence in the tower had shown itself. He took a breath and answered, "I'm not sure. Don't you know, master?"

Clef squinted at nothing, "I thought I did. I don't remember now." Clef stood now and walked stiffly to a side door. "I think that I must rest now. I am very confused. Perhaps I should speak with my master."

"No, don't!" Delorian cried without thinking. Clef halted and turned back to him, perplexity on his drawn face. "I mean. He has been quiet for most of the day. Perhaps he is resting and would not want to be disturbed."

Clef looked down, "Perhaps. Thank you, Delorian. You're all I have left."

His master left the room and Delorian let out a great cry. It was all there, rage, frustration, uselessness, and the loyalty that bound him in his own personal pit of fire. Tatra stood out of the corner of his eye. He turned to her, feeling the pain etched in his own face, "Tatra, I can't leave him alone like this."

Tatra walked over to him. He saw that she was still shaking, from the fear of Clef finding her there. She put a wavering hand comfortingly on his arm and spoke softly, "I am so sorry, Lori. I truly am."

They all sat at the large round table in Presea's study; Hikaru, Fuu, Kakeru, Yasuo, Ren, Liesse and himself. Liesse spoke in a slow serious manner. "Thank you for coming. This is a matter of great importance, regarding your journey." She directed her next statement to him, "Lantis, I asked you to be here as well because my information applies to situations arising now and in the aftermath of Umi's attack, while the Magic Knights, all of them, are still here in the fortress." He nodded and waited for her to continue, as did the rest. "Umi, is very important to all of us," Liesse spoke now with less certainty. "But she is also incredibly important to the fate of Cephiro in a way that I can't see yet."

"Umi?" Fuu asked acutely, "I'm sorry but isn't it usually Hikaru that gets singled out?"

Liesse again looked unsure, "That's what the story says. But I know what I've seen. Let me continue. Clef is exceedingly bent on bringing Umi into his power. This must not happen."

"Well, obviously!" Kakeru erupted, immediately silenced by Ren's quiet hand on his arm.

Ren added with quiet words, "Despite the reasons being relatively apparent, why not?'

Liesse appeared even more tentative but spoke succinctly, "It would be bad."

"Why?" Hikaru asked exasperated.

"I don't know."

Kakeru groaned loudly and with anger as he leaped up from his seat and turned from the table, "Come on!" Yasuo got up and turned his friend back to the group.

Liesse was obviously grieved by her own helplessness. She stood and held her hands out to them. "I'm sorry!" she cried, "I only get a little at a time. It's good that we know this much, though."

Lantis leaned forward in his seat, elbows on the table, "How much do we know? What kind of bad? How much of it."

Liesse elaborated as much as she could, "Catastrophic. Possibly. It depends on a number of things I can't see. But if Clef gets her back to where he can have complete control over her things will go way downhill from there and I don't know if they'll ever go up again."

Ren leaned against his chair and said off hand, "Well that's not too bad." They all stared. "So all we do is keep her away from him. Have someone always with her, who can call for help if he shows up, right? And if he doesn't get her, things can't get that bad, can they?"

Fuu looked right at Ren as she spoke, "It's going to be harder than it seems. Umi likes privacy from time to time."

"And she's extraordinarily stubborn when she wants something," Hikaru added.

"She'll fight us," Fuu continued, "especially because we won't be able to tell her why none of us can leave her alone."

For the few confused faces in the room Kakeru explained, "Because, then she'll blame herself even more for everything that's going on."

Fuu concluded, "And she may end up pushing all of us away, and then there would be nothing we could do to keep her from Clef."

Lantis leaned back as Ren had done, "When she wakes you'll have to leave as soon as possible. We'll send Ascot after you every few days, to make sure nothing bad has happened. And that will have to be it, there's nothing else we can do." Most of them around the table nodded and began to leave in twos and threes. Hikaru stayed for him. "Poor Umi," she said from the other side of the table. He took her hand and kissed it gently, "I'm glad it's not you this time."

"Lantis," she admonished.

"I am," he spoke sadly for he was not happy that any of this was happening. He had thought hard on what Clef had said. And looking down at the love of his long life he saw that potential in himself.