The blue haze? The only blue haze he had seen was around the mountains. He checked the back of his toga to find that it was fine. He went back to where the boats were being prayed over. The Egyptian symbols told the stories of Isis. They ranged from her being the loyal wife, to her being the healing mother. There were quite a few that he knew. He didn't know how many of them that these other people knew.

He heard a scream in the night. Vanel turned to look to see……….

-

-

-

Aeryn- I hope you find the chapter as interesting as you have found the rest of the story.

Merlenyn- I would have to say that I agree with you on some aspects of this story. I have to say thank you because you helped me with an idea for the story. One that I have incorporated starting this chapter.

Tramie thank you so much for editing this story and my other one. I hope to be able to work on that one later today. If not I guess I'll work on it tomorrow.

To anyone that I have missed in reviews I'm sorry and thank you so much for your encouragement. I hope that you like this chapter. Arigato and ja ne!

I am open to any ideas that come along. I can't say that I will always use them but I will read an consider them. Well I'll talk to you all later. I'm going to guess that after 12 other chapters and countless other stories on here that you know that I don't own the characters that are in Escaflowne. Just the ones that I create and the story line.

Chapter 13

"Get your hands off of her." He ordered the man.

"Why should I? Are you going to fight me deserter?" The man said.

"I will if you don't do as you have been told." The man lunged after him. Vanel only stepped aside.

"Thank you young man." The woman accepted his hand. "Your life is in danger here. You will find all of your answers in the woods." The woman went her way.

He didn't quite understand what the woman meant that his life was in danger there. Vanel looked around the whole city. Everything in the town seemed to be teaming with life but there was something missing but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

The boat ceremony had been odd in and of itself. He didn't understand a lot of what they said because they spoke too fast. Vanel reached the outskirst of town where there were green fields of grass with the sporadic dotting of flowers. The moon was full and left a lot of shining light all around him. A little farther on back were trees as tall as the ones he had seen outside of the caves. It was really the kind of place on Earth or the Mystic Moon as it was known here that would have found young lovers walking through the grass or even at times sneaking into the trees to do things that weren't to be done. That was when it donned on him. That is what was missing. There were no teens anywhere in that town. There were very few babies being ehld or fussing in mother's arms and he had only seen one or two toddlers. There were some adults in their mid-twenties but then again there were only two or three of them.

He caught some movement in the trees. Vanel followed the movement in the trees. Whoever it was happened to be discreet enough to know what they were doing. Movement was a minimal thing. Once in the trees he began a close inspection of the shadowed ground. That was until he felt a sharp point on his back. "Don't move."

The person walked around him with knife scraping across his back, onto his arm only stopping when the tip rested in the middle of his chest. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"My name is Vanel Slanzer and I'm trying to find out what is going on." He answered.

"Why do you want to know?"

"It isn't right. Will you take this thing off of my chest? I'm not going to be running away. She obligingly took it off of his chest while two young men showed up at her side. "Where are all of the people our age?"

"There are only a few of us. We are taken at fourteen to fulfill our destiny."

"What is this destiny?" Vanel asked.

"No one knows for sure." She answered.

"If we're going to take him with us he wears a blindfold." The blond haired man said. She handed him a piece of fabric.

"You're right but I have a good feeling about this one."

"You know one day your instincts are going to get us killed."

"It won't be this time." She answered. "Let's go."

The two young men that were by his side remained silent. "Take him to the interrogation tent she ordered. There was only the feel of the rough hands that remained.

"She is way too soft." One of them said.

"Only at times. Remember what happened when Jiked tried to betray us?

"Yeah I don't think that any of us quite forgot that." The two men walked out of wherever they were. "Oh and don't try to get out. We'll know if you do."

Vanel took off the blindfold to see where he was. It was a tan hide and a round roof. On the outside you could see vague shapes of pictures by the campfire.

The same young woman who had found him in the woods appeared through the flaps. "Who are you?" She asked.

"I already told you my name is Vanel slanzar." He paused. "What is this place?"

"I'm the one asking the questions here. Where did you come from?"

he thought about telling her that he was of the Mystic Moon but decided against that. He could even tell her that Lord Van's son but decided against that as well. Instead he opted for telling where he had been most recently. "I don't know. I came through some caves and was led here. The opening is gone though."

"You know what would have happened to you if you hadn't been wandering around in the field."

"No." He was surprised he was beginning to understand more of the language as fast as she spoke it.

"You would have been taken in the night to wherever they go."

"Let me do it then. Let me go in there and get this taken care of." He challenged. He knew he had to find the armour but this seemed as if it was a little more important.

"How do I know that you are trustworthy?" She inquired.

"You don't. You just have to trust me." He answered.

"I'll think about it."

"What is there to think about? You want this stopped right? You're hiding in the forest away from whoever is taking you to fulfill this Destiny." He argued hotly.

"You'll find that I don't influence that easily." She whispered before she left the tent. Outside the tent she signaled for two of her people to watch the tent. "I don't want to be disturbed."

She went to her tent. She was exhausted now. When she interrogated people it always exhausted her. She wasn't just gaging their reactions. She was reading the emotions and at times she could see inside their thoughts. With this Vanel Slanzar she was even more tired because he seemed to let her see more than she was used to. He wasn't exactly forthcoming with information in what he said but his mind had gone through several revenues in ways to answer.

Sleep finally found her about fifteen minutes later only to drift into another kind of dream. "Loana, you must always trust your instincts. You have some very good ones." A voice lead to another. Adding a familiar set of green eyes with it. "These eyes speak just as you have seen." Then again a different voice added. "They are of the chosen one." With yet a new voice adding. "One that you see amongst dreams and dreams alone."

She awaoke with a start. "It can't be." She washed her face before she left her tent to enter the sun lit world.

Her guards saw her coming. "Stand aside." They skedaddled when she dismissed them. "Look at me." She ordered Vanel.

He looked at her with a shock and a surprise. "Yes?"

She stood there and studied him up and down. "You are The One?"

Vanel hung his head. "I've been told that."

"I'm going to say yes to your proposition but under one condition."

"What is that?"

"That I go with you."

"What?!" He was trying to keep his voice down.

"The only way that you are doing this is if someone goes with you."

"Then send someone you trust. These people need you." He answered.

"My people won't question my judgment." She informed him.

She looked at him. He seemed distant for a moment. Vanel shook his head. "Yes they will and someone will find this haven while you're gone." Vanel told her what he had just seen.

"How do you know that?"

"I just do. You have to trust me." He was standing right by her. "You will be hurt and go through a lot of pain if you come with me." He whispered. "You will lose this place you call home, Loana." He whispered in her ear.

The way he spoke sent shivers down her spine. "I don't know how you can say all of this. That isn't possible. How do you know my name?" Her voice held a dangerous edge to it.

"I can't explain it. I just know. Just like you see things that your people that you lead don't know about." He answered. "Don't need to know about either."

"How do you know this?"

"I just do." He crossed his arms. "If you're coming be ready by nightfall." He knew that she would come. He also knew that if she didn't the place would still be attacked.

One of the guys from earlier walked in after she left. "What did you say to her? You've done something to her." He repeated. "I did nothing. She is coming with me when I leave this evening. You will be in charge but you have to get your people out of here before dawn." Vanel informed the young man.

"What are you talking about?"

"She's about to make the announcement as we speak. Go you don't want to miss it." Vanel sent him away.

The man could be heard grumbling, "He's a prisoner and yet he has the nerve to tell me what to do."

"I wish I wasn't right." Vanel stepped out of the tent for the first time. They were in a little clearing in the woods. There were about two dozen people his age. All ranging from 14 to 25.

The young man had just been called to the front of the crowd. You could feel the shocked silence where he stood. Then the two leaders left the crowd and went into another tent. He hoped they were discussing what he had already told them.

An hour later she came back as he was finishing eating some food that had been brought to him. "I hope you have had plenty of rest. You're going to need it." He put his plate down.

The only response that she gave was to hand him a bag which he assumed was full of supplies. "You better be right about everything because my people are just a little suspicious of you."

"In the end, you will wish I had been." He told her. 'What will save you is that you won't know where they are.'

-

-

-

-

Okay that is the last of this chapter. I would say that this chapter took an unexpected turn for me and I look forward to seeing what I can do with this. I really wasn't planning on bringing another girl into the mix. You know the drill. You have to give me a good and honest review. Well I'll talk to you guys later. Arigato and ja ne!