Saint Dane had taken once again to the air, and was bristling with frustration.

The meeting had gone perfectly. The rage he and Kore had managed to generate had exceeded his expectations. There was some obvious hesitation and doubt from the younger Milago, but those few voices of reason had been easily drowned out in the deluge of righteous indignation.

In the middle of the speech, however, he'd heard something that had caused him some disconcertion. A series of explosions coming from the tunnels. Nothing nearly loud enough to suggest they had detonated the tak vein, but enough to drive him to impatience.

Immediately following the meeting he'd gathered a team of particularly vindictive Milago and made to storm the lab. To his annoyance, however, he'd found the tunnel he'd used had been sealed. Thinking it would be an easy feat to use the next nearest entrance and make their way to the lab entrance from there, they'd all gone in to find several more connecting tunnels destroyed as well.

After that he'd left four of the men behind to work their way through the remaining tunnels, find the lab, and report back to him. He didn't expect that it would take long to find it, but he was still impatient to get his hands on it. It was the cornerstone of his plan.

For the moment, however, he wished to check up on his adversary. He would need to make sure she wasn't causing any undue trouble. He had at least some time to spare for this. The scientists would not immediately detonate the tak vein – not before evacuating their people, which would give him plenty of time to prevent the detonation.

As he flew over the village, he felt, once more, a gentle tug at the edge of his consciousness. Unless he was mistaken, it was his quarry. Aria. He hadn't sensed Tarek for hours, and vaguely wondered if the boy was still unconscious.

Yes, he was sure it was Aria. He was already becoming as attuned to her spirit as he'd been to Pendragon's.

It did not take him long to find her. She was just outside the village walking with that Milago brat, Jani. It seemed they were heading in the direction of the mountains. He looked down upon her disbelievingly. Surely she couldn't be…?

Yes. She was. She was making for the flume. He could see it in the curve of her pathetic spine as she trudged through the woods. Defeat.

He watched her closely for perhaps a minute. Suddenly, he felt a surge of senseless anger at the girl's weakness. It seemed that Press' trust had been misplaced. Three days a Traveler, and she had already given the territory up for lost.

Pathetic.

And yet, even as he watched her pitiful advance towards safety, he couldn't stifle a faint sense of disappointment. He had to admit, he'd expected more from the girl. Why, he wasn't sure, but the thought of her folding so easily was…

He twisted his ebony neck and cawed aloud as he skimmed the treetops. With a few solid wingbeats he was far enough above the forest to see the whole region stretched out before him. Though the people of this territory would soon be spilling blood on the soils beneath his wings, the real battle was already taking place. The minds and hearts of these people were the true battlefield. The only one that mattered.

If the girl lacked the ability to meet him headlong upon it, that was none of his concern.

She was soft…She had never been tried in fire. Now the trial was upon her, not fire but ice, and she would not be allowed to sleep through this...

He trilled in annoyance. Another familiar line. Where were these tidbits coming from?

Bah. He had more important things to deal with. With a gentle twist to the angle of his wings, he swept towards the center of the Milago village, master plan clear in his mind.

It was time to rally the troops.

The western mine entrance was clear of guards. It seemed they hadn't covered all of them yet. Or maybe they just didn't realize that this one could take them to the lab, too.

Aria hoped that Kahlin and Steric had already sealed the other entrance. If not, she didn't know what to expect when she went down. It was apparent that Saint Dane had decided to give control of the tak to the Milago, and Kore was sure to have already sent people to seize the mine. She hoped that she wasn't about to run into a bunch of people who had recently been given orders to capture her.

Or, you know, kill her.

She took a deep breath and entered. She still had one tak-light and a lighter, so she pulled it out in lieu of the torch, which Jani had taken with her. Aria wondered if she was going to run into her down there, and hoped not. Jani was probably not going to be happy to see her.

Still, she had no choice. Not really. The current mess was her fault. She needed to at least try to make things right. She didn't want to die for the cause, but so long as she was careful, she would probably make it out alright.

Probably.

She made her way down the tunnels as quickly and quietly as possible, and didn't run into anyone until she reached the central mineshaft.

Hearing voice ahead of her, she pulled the leathers closed over the tak-light goo. Needing oxygen, the reaction was quickly stifled. She crept forward to see two very tall, muscular men standing in the light of a torch beside the main shaft. They looked like nervous wrecks, and were debating on how to proceed.

"You go that way, I'll go this way. It makes sense. If we split up, we'll find it faster."

Ah. So they hadn't been able to find the lab. At least there was some good news.

The other Milago responded, "Are you mad? I'm not wandering around in a toxic mine by myself! What if something happens? I've almost died once to this insidious place already!"

"Only because you weren't paying attention to where you were going! Who misses a hole that big? And with a guard rail, too!"

He gestured to the mineshaft beside them.

"Bah, fine! I'll go. But if I don't make it out, that's on you!"

His partner said something Aria couldn't hear and turned to stalk off down one of the connecting tunnels. To her relief, it was in the opposite direction of the lab entrance.

Her relief vanished like a rabbit into a magician's hat as the other guard turned and began walking down the tunnel towards her.

She ducked silently back into the tunnel she'd come from. She was at a three-way junction, and she only had a moment to act before the man's torchlight reached the intersection. At that point it would be a fifty-fifty chance whether he came down hers or went in the other direction.

She didn't like fifty-fifty. She'd never been very lucky.

She reached into her pouch, desperate to find something she could use. Her hand closed around something small, flat, and round. A quill. She pulled it out, held her breath, and threw it down the far tunnel.

It clattered and echoed, and the guard called out, "Who's there?"

Aria pressed herself against the wall, glad that there was at least a small cleft of rock shielding her from the light that advanced towards her. The guard reached the intersection, paused…

Then took off towards the sound of the quill.

Before he could turn around or get suspicious, Aria turned the corner and headed towards the central shaft, praying she didn't midjudge the distance and walk right into the low railing. She'd be sure to topple in if she did. She wished she could drag her hand over the wall to either side, but it would be sure to cause some noise.

She made her way to the shaft and felt for the rail. Found it. She oriented herself in the dark, turning to what she hoped was the right tunnel. She was fairly certain it was the one she needed to take to get to the lab, and prayed there weren't more people wandering around down it. She wasn't going to be able to navigate it in the dark. She'd need her light.

Once the sounds of the search faded behind her, she pulled the tak-light out again and relit it. She moved through the tunnels quickly, refusing to stop. She knew that around every corner could be a threat, and if she slowed too much she might just freeze in fear.

Only once more did she hear someone moving ahead of her. Again she doused her light, moved back to a connecting tunnel, and waited. Once more, torchlight flickered down her passage, but then drew away and disappeared as the wielder went in another direction.

She quickly made it to the lab entrance. As she moved to the wall, she stopped. Not only could she not lift the wall on her own, she wouldn't have wanted to. It was a fair assumption that it could be booby-trapped at this point.

She listened carefully but heard no one, either in the caves nearby or on the other side of the wall. She knocked on it twice, sharply. "Hello? Anyone over there?"

No response. She tried again, careful to keep her voice as low as possible while still carrying through the stone. "It's Aria. Can you let me in? There's no one else out here right now, but I don't know how long that will be the case."

Still, nothing. Now she was getting desperate. This was a dead-end, and if someone came along right now…

Once more, then. "Please? I don't know if Jani has dropped by to tell you, but I kind of have a death-warrant on my head. If they find me out here, they'll probably kill me."

The wall rumbled as it shifted to the side. Yes! It moved just enough to allow her entrance. She slipped in and the wall moved right back.

It was almost completely dark in here, a low glow the only thing to illuminate the three men standing guard. They all looked at her cautiously. She said quietly, "Thank you! They don't know where you are, but there are a few of them wandering around. I saw three. Two of them are way off track, but one of them is pretty near."

They nodded, then jerked their heads back towards the lab. She went.

The hall of lights wasn't empty this time. One person sat against the wall, head in his hands, looking miserable.

Aria recognized the figure. "Steric?"

He looked up, and Aria ran over to crouch beside him.

He was surprised to see her. "Aria? Jani said you left. Went back to your own village."

Aria grimaced. "Yeah, I wanted to. But I came back. I don't know if there's anything I can do to fix all the damage I've caused, but I can't leave without even trying. Besides, my uncle has a death-warrant on his head. I can't just leave him."

Steric stood up. "Press? A death-warrant? But why?"

Jani must not have filled him in. "Maal told Kore that the two of us were working together to arm the Bedoowan with tak. They put out the orders to axe us, apparently."

Steric's jaw dropped. "Wait, both of you? They put out a death-warrant on you? You're barely more than a child!"

Aria shrugged. "That's what Jani told me. I take it she's here?"

Steric nodded, and Aria got the feeling that Jani's presence may have had something to do with why he was hunched dejectedly against the wall, outside, by himself. He pointed to the lab doors. "She got in not long before you did. She seemed very upset."

Yeah, no doubt. I'd be upset too, given the circumstances. "Yeah, well, I don't know if she told you, but Maal mentioned her involvement, so I think there's a warrant out for her too. Not a death warrant," she added hastily upon seeing Steric's eyes bulge.

He relaxed, but only slightly. "So, what are you doing here? I do not know if there is much you can do."

She didn't think there was, either. But it had been a long walk back from the mountain, and she'd spent it working up a plan. It was unlikely to succeed, but it was the only thing she could come up with. "Well, if you guys don't have a plan, I do. I don't know if anyone will be willing to help with it, but…"

To her immense surprise, Steric seemed to perk up at once. "A plan? Good! Kahlin's only plan is to arm everyone, fight our way out if it becomes necessary, and blow up all of our research! At this point, frankly, anything you can suggest would be preferable."

Aria's shoulders sagged in relief. She'd been expecting hostility, contempt, maybe even an outright cry of, 'seize her!'. She hadn't expected to have an ally right off the bat. Although she wasn't sure of Steric's ability to influence events at this point, she was grateful for at least one vote of confidence.

She smiled at him and said, "Thank you. I'm really glad at least one person here doesn't hate my guts. Think Kahlin will be willing to listen to me?"

Steric seemed to straighten up. "Perhaps not, but if she won't, I will force her to. I can be quite persuasive when I want to be, you know!"

She didn't say anything. She'd just have to trust him on that.

He took the lead and Aria followed him to the lab. As they walked through the doors and began crossing the room, she once again became the object of everyone's recognition. She didn't meet their gazes, but she didn't try to duck away and hide from them, either. She'd made her mistakes – she may as well own up to them.

They reached the back hall and Steric pushed open the doors to the conference room. Aria followed him inside.

She'd barely taken one step across the threshold when she heard a grunt and saw, out of the corner of her eye, a fist flying towards her. A moment later she was leaning against the wall, rubbing her shoulder and going, "Woah! Ow! Ack! No hit, no hit!"

She brought her arms up to defend herself, but once again, she needn't have bothered. Jani stood there, face twisted up in an expression Aria could not for the life of her name, rubbing her knuckles.

Well, it seemed Jani had finally gotten at least one chance to deck her.

She didn't lower her hands, but Kahlin barked, "Jani! Back down." She looked at Aria scornfully. "You! Jani said you left. What are you doing back here?"

Aria gathered herself, stood up, lifted her head and said, "I'd like to try to fix my mistakes. If you'll listen to me, I have a plan that might give us one more shot at preventing this war."

Aria didn't look at Jani as she said this. She knew her reputation was already shot there. But if she could convince Kahlin…

"No. You have done enough, I think."

She tried not to let her disappointment show. She hadn't expected much else.

Steric, thankfully, stepped forward. "Kahlin, should we not at least hear her out?"

Nope. "Steric, I think she has 'helped' enough. It is thanks to her that we are in this situation in the first place. She led the knight here. She is to blame for the imminent destruction of our research."

"Really? I thought you were the one to blame for that. You know, since you're the one who insists on blowing it up."

Aria turned around. Jani was looking at Kahlin belligerently. Aria's reply to Kahlin's (entirely accurate) accusations dried up on her tongue at the unexpected remark.

Steric stepped forward. "Kahlin, do not be absurd. After all, I was the first to be followed back. If this is anyone's fault, it is mine. Aria was only trying to help prevent a war that we were too busy to notice brewing. Do you deny that?"

Kahlin didn't look happy about it, but she pursed her lips and shook her head.

Steric nodded. "She was clever enough to find us, smart enough to realize how desperate things had become on the surface, and courageous enough to step in and try to change the fate of our home. I insist upon hearing her out. If you feel that it would be a waste of your time, feel free to leave."

Woah. Sit down and shut up, or get out. Aria hadn't expected Steric to take charge of the situation like that. Kahlin hadn't either, apparently, because she was looking at him as though she wasn't quite sure who she was talking to. Aria recalled earlier when he'd expressed his worry for Jani, and how much sturdier he'd seemed at the time. It seemed he really did have a tough side – it just didn't come out all that often.

Kahlin yielded. She sat down at the table and said, "Very well. I will listen. However, I do not believe anything we do at this point will make a difference."

Aria nodded. "I understand. Honestly, I don't either…but if we don't try, we lose everything."

Jani snorted. "We? Thought you had your own problems to take care of at home."

She didn't sound mad. On the contrary, she sounded pretty upbeat.

At this point Aria realized something. Though the punch had hurt (her shoulder would probably be black for a week, super-regeneration or no), Jani was certainly capable of hitting harder. Also, if she'd really wanted to do some damage, she'd have hit Aria in the face, or the ribs.

Had Jani just been…messing with her?

Aria looked at Jani, who was watching her silently, and decided an apology was in order. "I'm sorry I left," she said. "I shouldn't have. I mean, yeah, I do want to go home…but my home, my family, my friends? They're all fine. I should go where I'm needed, so I guess I'll stay here as long as you need me."

Jani jutted her chin out challengingly and said, "Good. Because the only other people who know what's going on here are either dead, in jail, or Tarek. And I'd rather work with the Bak'tu than Tarek."

Aria's face split into a weak grin. It looked like they were still friends, though she couldn't for the life of her figure out when that had happened in the first place. She felt absurdly glad that the ill-tempered, violent, noisy and noisome girl didn't hate her after all.

She walked over to Jani and gave her a great, big hug.

The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the floor gasping for breath.

"Jani!" Steric cried, obviously upset.

"What?" Jani replied, clearly agitated. "I don't do hugs."

Aria wheezed out, "Duly noted."

Steric eyed his daughter disapprovingly. Jani caught sight of the look, rolled her eyes, and helped Aria back up to her feet. She took the hand and said, "Thanks."

Steric maintained the look, and at last Jani groaned and reached over to pat Aria on the back. It seemed like that was the extent of her ability to express affection.

Well, she'd take it. Smiling broadly again, she reached over and patted Jani on the back, too.

Then, she turned to the only two people who might be able to change the fate of Denduron.

"Okay, so here's what I'm thinking…"

Credits: She was soft…She had never been tried in fire. Now the trial was upon her, not fire but ice, and she would not be allowed to sleep through this... - Quote from Stephen King's The Shining