'How is it possible?' Tei'jal said, looking straight at Galahad. Her expression somewhat scared Mel, because for the first time, Tei'jal looked really worried.
'It isn't' Galahad replied, looking equally worried. They were staring at each other with intensity Mel had never seen.
'What was that?' Stella asked, causing them to jump. Tei'jal ignored her, still staring at Galahad.
'Can it be a greater force?' Tei'jal murmured slowly, finally looking away. 'Gyendal...'
'Your brother seems more capable than we think' Galahad said, still looking at her.
'What was it?' Mel asked, repeating. She herself was getting worried now.
'A shadow' Galahad said, looking away. 'Of Indra'
'The Daeva?' Edward asked skeptically. 'Aren't they supposed to be dead'
Something just clicked Mel.
'We met some dwarves in Gheledon' she said suddenly. 'They said that the mines were infested with goblins, and that they were led by the Daeva Zarich'
Tei'jal stared at her intensely, making her uncomfortable.
'That is worrisome' she said, turning away. 'This is not supposed to happen'
'But how can a shadow of a Daeva return?' Edward asked.
'Daevas are strange demons' Galahad said, nodding. 'They were killed by Rhen, I myself was there when Indra was defeated'
'Rhen...' Edward stammered.
'Pendragon, the First' Tei'jal completed. 'Yes, we fought with her. She was a great leader, perhaps the only one I ever considered worthy of leading me into battle'
Edward looked white, almost as white as Galahad.
'You...' he gulped. 'You fought beside Rhen the First?'
Tei'jal ignored him.
'Perhaps' she said. 'It is possible that someone has carried out the summoning'
'Impossible' Galahad replied almost immediately. 'The sword is sealed, and we would have felt it, had it reappeared in the mortal world'
'That's true' Tei'jal said. 'But I still can't believe Gyendal could...;
'Can you please explain what's going on here?' Mel said angrily. Tei'jal looked at her as if she was a troubling kid.
'Yes, the Daevas, as I was saying, are strange demons' Galahad said, snapping out of the trance. 'While it would seem we killed them all those years back, it really isn't easy to kill a Daeva. A Daeva has no soul, so it cannot be destroyed completely. It is just a spirit, bound forever to one of the realms. The only thing we have to worry about is to keep it away from the mortal realm'
'So how did they come back now?'
'Well, you can't say they have come back' he frowned. 'These are shadows, strangely enough, both weak, but powerful'
'Meaning?'
'They cannot exert much physical force, but they influence everything around them. They can create havoc... in your mind and body'
'So but how did these form at all?' Mel said impatiently, her question still unanswered.
'We cannot be sure' Tei'jal said. 'I have read a lot, having not much to do for hundreds of years. Having said that, still, not much is known about the Daevas at all, since few have ever returned after seeing them, though their terror is known far and wide. So a Daeva can be brought back only by an extremely powerful mage, with the Sword of Shadows, which was used by Rhen to kill Ahriman. The Sword is now sealed, in another realm, from where it cannot be brought back easily. Only Aveyond is the way to the Sword, where no demon can enter. However, a shadow of a Daeva may rise without the Sword, only when there is a dark force in the world, on the brink of explosion'
She ended with a mysterious tone. Mel shifted.
'You mean Gyendal...' Mel said.
'Impossible!' Tei'jal said, her teeth flaring. 'Gyendal is simply not strong enough!'
'Let us hope' Galahad said grimly. Tei'jal shot him a dirty look.
'Wait, so you mean that Ahriman can return as well?' Edward said, looking alarmed.
'No' Galahad said shortly. 'Ahriman was never sent back to the demon realm. He was trapped in the Sword, where he shall lie for eternity. Even a shadow of his cannot return'
Edward looked relieved, so did Mel, though she hadn't really come of hold of the gravity of the situation.
'So what do we do now?' Stella asked, clearing their minds.
'Nothing' Tei'jal said before anyone. 'There is nothing we can do right now about this. To try and defeat a Daeva, even a shadow, singlehandedly would be suicide. We continue onwards'
Mel suddenly remembered-
'Wait!' she said. 'Where's Eston?'
Galahad chuckled and moved aside. Eston was lying on the ground beside him.
'He'll be fine' he said, looking at their faces. I wanted to prevent him from going mad at the run, so I knocked him out before picking him up.
'We should camp at least a few miles away' Tei'jal said. 'I'll carry our guide. We are out of danger for now, since the shadow cannot easily escape its bounds, but be wary'
Everyone nodded at once. Legs and arms aching, they made their way ahead.

Eston woke up early the next morning and created a havoc, saying he couldn't remember anything. Galahad calmed him down, convincing him that he had been hit by a bear in the caves and that they would henceforth stay away from the tunnels where possible. Eston agreed, sulkily.
Their slow trudge began late, everyone too tired and the numbing cold made everyone wish they were back in the inn at Stormbend. The sweaty sea side seemed like heaven compared to this. Mel pushed her thoughts away, telling herself to focus on the task. The consolation was the lack of any breeze at all, probably owning to the high rise of mountains to both the sides.
Their journey through this patch went uneventful, except that towards noon, the snow actually seemed to be thinning. Walking would have been much easier, had their legs not already been feeling like jelly. A couple of hours later, they reached another cave.
'Here we enter the Quin Kingdom' Eston shouted from ahead. 'I assume everyone is here for the first time, right?'
'Yes' everyone said in chorus, even Tei'jal, amusing Mel.
'Then brace yourselves!' Eston said, waving his hand inside, a large grin on his face.
Mel gasped.
As soon as they entered the cave, which looked dark from outside, a new light seemed to have entered inside. The walls gleamed brightly, and Mel could see tiny specks of lights everywhere. Closer examination revealed that there were innumerable crystals on both the sides of the cave walls. The cave had rough walls, but the lights arranged themselves so that each part of the cave looked beautiful. The path, she suddenly noticed, was tiled and no snow seemed to have entered inside.
'The Crystal Cave!' Eston said, clapping his hands. 'Your first welcome to the aesthetic Quin Kingdom!'
Instructed by Eston, they got rid of the rope binding them.
'The Captial is still a long way from here, but I shouldn't expect much snow once we cross this cave' he said merrily.
'How is that possible' Edward asked inquisitively. Eston grinned, plainly showing his delight at being asked the question.
'The rulers of Istir hold power, but understanding this, a mechanism has been created, so that people do not suffer. A long time ago, a spell was set on this cave and beyond. Any part ahead cannot ever witness extreme weather, which would destroy people's lives. This ensures that even a bad ruler can't make the people closest to the capital suffer!'
The journey through the cave was uneventful, to say the least. Initially, Mel was fascinated by the crystals and the light inside the cave, but after some time, it really had become monotonous and she was longing for the tunnel to end. After about an hour, it did.
'That was long!' she said, stepping out into the sun. The weather seemed mild, almost comfortable. Snow was falling gently, unlike outside, and the foliage was less dense. Moreover, the path was still tiled, meaning they could no longer lose themselves and blame it on their guide. Around evening, they saw the first house, a small hut which seemed unoccupied.
'Welcome to the Capital of Quin!' Eston said, grinning at the hut. 'Just remember, you got here real easy; I've seen far worse on the way here'
Mel turned around just in time to see Tei'jal looking at him, an eyebrow slightly raised.