There was no doubt in her mind that this was the Arishok, the leader of the Qunari army, the body of the Qun. A relaxed hunch in his shoulders was apparent and when he sat, propping himself on his elbows, his forearms simply dangled in front. His presence was intimidating. Sicilia stood there entranced by his dark eyes.

Mentally shaking herself from the trance, feeling the need to speak first, she said, "Shanedan, Arishok. I was told you wished to speak with me." This man commanded respect without needing to say a word.

"I was told that you were present in the same area as the basra I am searching for. It seems that you knew she was at the time. Is there a reason for this or was it a mere coincidence?" He seemed irritated, for a reason she didn't know. She needed to think on her words carefully. What she would say could irritate him more or be a perfect answer; she didn't know how this was going to turn out.

"Who's to say? I don't believe in coincidences. However, I assume you're asking if I knew this woman in any way. I do not. I only noticed a woman acting suspiciously and thought that it seemed curious a Beresaad wasn't far behind." She thought about asking if the woman had been caught, but she decided not to press her luck. The Arishok sat silent for a moment as if testing her honesty. Sicilia's curiosity got the better of her. "I'm guessing she never came out?"

"If the woman was already in my custody, I would not have wasted my time calling you here, would I?" He voice grew a bit louder.

"You're right. Unless, you were making sure information didn't get out or you were looking for something else." His mouth twitched. Damn, now I've done it.

"Do not assume you know me, Basra," he warned in a low voice. "You will leave." He rose from his seat and began to turn away.

"If I see her again or hear anything, I'll be sure to let you know," she said loudly as she turned to leave. She threw up a hand to wave behind her, "Panahedan, Arishok!" She smiled at her gutsy comment.

Sicilia didn't say anything to Gwen that night nor to Haiden the next evening. He did ask, but she just said that it was a misidentification. She knew that if someone overheard or they told someone and it got around, she'd be done for. Sis knew that her comment wouldn't be taken well, but her impulses wouldn't allow her to keep her mouth shut at that kind of opportunity.

She looked forward to not being called into his presence again. On the other hand, a part of her hoped that she would see the pirate again so that she had an excuse to return. Though he sent a chill down her spine, there was something about him that called to her.

All was black. A dull roar of battle sounded in the distance.

Her vision sprang to life as she leapt forward. The forest was dense and the air humid. Sweat was forming on her forehead. Haiden's hair flowed behind him as he ran ahead of her. The area was recently cleared of people. A battle had apparently called them away.

A book lay open on a bed roll. It's pages seemed old, they crackled with each turn. She scanned the text before her, knowing the language. In her mind, she knew this was what she had searched for. Closing the massive book, she ran her fingers across the cover and felt the worn leather beneath them. Time seemed to slow until her vision went black again.

The roar of battle seemed closer now. She was in the middle of it. Feeling a pain coursing through her arm, she saw a lifeless body before her. The form wore a heavily embroidered robe; a broken staff lay just out of reach. With only a dagger in her hand, she watched as the ground began to mold shapelessly. A bubbling ensued as heat resonated from the pit.

Hands shot up to grip the ground around them. A mass of flowing molten lava emerged from it's depths. A rage demon, she thought as goose bumps crawled across her flesh. Every orifice of the demon spat fire. It edged closer to her; she was frozen. Suddenly realizing it's closeness, she jerked away. The hand, rushing through the air, enveloped in flames. She could feel the burn, the blistering, and the pain as the flesh beneath its grasp burned away.

"Sis, Sis, wake up!" Gwen yelled shaking her. Sicilia's eyes darted open; she released a breath she had been holding while still asleep. Her body was covered in a cold sweat. "What the hell, Sis? I've never seen you dream like that! All the sudden, you just started screaming. What happened?" Her gaze was scared and worried.

She reached up to rub her eyes. Her hair was damp and sticking to her neck. There was pain. It was all she could think about at the moment. There's only pain when…

"Sicilia? Tell me what happened." Gwen's eyes were still wide in horror. She sat on the side of the bed. Her hand moved to rest on Sis's right thigh, but she pulled away. "Hey, it's ok, it's just me," she tried to comfort. A knock on the door caught them off guard. Gwen answered it quickly. A distraught maid was asking what had happened. Gwen was quick to tell her that it was just a nightmare and the maid, relieved, left quietly.

This book is what I need to find. She could still feel the pages at her fingertips. Damn these dreams for not giving me a clear sign if I'll die or not by doing this! A fear rose up in her stomach. It was justifiable. "The sea is changeless," she murmured.

"What?" The girl's hair was wild from her sleep, but she was wide awake and listening intently.

"There's nothing to struggle against." Sicilia thought about those words her brother always told her when she was worried about anything. Whenever a doubt entered her mind, those words rolled over in her mouth like a prayer. "I know why I'm here. I must find it."

"Find what, Sis?"

"A book…written by a Qunari. It's important; I'm not sure why," she said chewing her bottom lip. "I need to see Haiden." He was there. He's supposed to help me in this. I have to tell him about it tonight.

"Sis, will you please tell me what's going on?"

"I finally had a dream, Gwen. I only feel pain in a dream that's not actually a dream. It's a premonition. Haiden was there. I need to tell him about that book. He's supposed to help me."

"Can I do anything to help?"

"Actually, you can. Don't tell anyone anything about the dream I had. Don't say anything about a book written by a Qunari, ok? It needs to stay a secret. This won't be easy and the last thing I need is the Arishok at my heels or someone else for that matter. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course."

"My Lord, we have received word from Rivain. The person said that the item would be of great interest to us." A man in a deep green robe knelt before a gilded throne.

"What is this item?"

"The person only said that it was a Qunari relic, one that, should we obtain, would be such a demoralizing blow to the Qun that we could win in the war against them."

A wicked smile began to curl across the lips of the man seated in the throne. His fingers, covered in golden, jeweled rings, gripped the arms of the massive chair in anticipation. "Send Nickolai. Tell him to seek it out quickly. I want to have this item before I meet with the magisters in two and a half months." His green eyes glowered at the young mage before him.

"Yes, my Lord," said the blond mage. Quickly, he left to deliver his master's orders.

"Haiden!" She was out of breath. "I need to talk to you," she gasped. Sicilia had run the whole way from the inn to the coast. She had gone back to sleep since she didn't feel at all rested. When she woke, it was already time for them to meet for their evening sparring match.

"Ok." His eyes were narrowed only slightly. Haiden wondered what had happened.

She tried to tell him, in as much detail as possible, about her meeting with the Arishok and her dream about the book. Haiden listened as they sat in the sand. When she mentioned that he was in the dream, it caught him by surprise.

"You remember when I told you that my mother was a seer? A small fraction of her ability was passed to me. I have premonitions in the form of dreams. In any other dream, a person doesn't feel pain and they can usually control how the dream continues, but with a premonition, I feel everything and I can't wake up until I've seen all that I'm supposed to see. I need your help, Haiden." Sicilia's pleading eyes bore into his blue ones.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Of course I'll help."