Maria sighed as she walked down the hallway towards the room in which 'Karazin' was sleeping. She was carrying a bundle of fresh bandages to replace Karazin's old ones.

"He'd better be sleeping at least…" she thought to herself. "Or I might have to take drastic action. If he doesn't get plenty of rest he'll never heal."

Of course there were more efficient means of healing wounds, but due to the strain they put on both healer and healed they were usually reserved for life-threatening injuries. She had employed several of these methods when Karazin had first come under her care, just to bring him out of critical condition, and it had left her exhausted. Even so, she was far more adept at said techniques than most of her peers.

She'd heard that Karazin had studied the healing arts during his time with the high monks of the northern mountains and that, as with almost everything he did, he excelled at it. It didn't surprise her in the slightest. 'Karazin', as he wished to be called now, truly was a remarkable boy in many ways…

A lone tear rolled unbidden down Maria's cheek as she remembered the months she and Karazin had spent together at Alduin Academy. He'd graduated top of most of their classes, of course, and he was the main reason why Maria managed to learn anything other than medical science. She may have become a doctor by profession, as per her parents' wishes, but thanks to Karazin's tutelage she was also more than competent with combat magic.

It was painful to think that Karazin had almost forgotten her. He seemed to have somehow forgotten the most important part of their time together, although she didn't see how that was possible. He remembered the meteor shower itself, but had forgotten everything else?

"That, or he's deliberately refusing to acknowledge it," Maria thought against her will. "But if he is, I'm sure he has a good reason! There's no reason to lose hope…"

Shaking off those depressing thoughts, Maria approached the door to Karazin's room and knocked.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

She half wished he'd ask for some ridiculous password he just made up on the spot, just like he used to, but instead there was only silence. Maria furrowed her brow, maybe he hadn't heard her. Although with his ears that wasn't likely. Maybe he was actually asleep, but she doubted it.

"I'm coming in J… Karazin, so you'd better be in bed," she said, moving to unlock the door.

As she slid the key into the lock, her heart dropped. It was already unlocked. She rushed into the room to find it deserted, and all of Karazin's belongings cleared out. But how…

An infuriating suspicion growing in her mind, Maria turned and examined the lock on the door. It wasn't too sophisticated, only three tumblers. It wouldn't surprise her in the slightest if Karazin, in addition to everything else, was also a skilled lockpicker. She did remember a few odd pieces of metal in one of the many pouches on his belt.

Maria sighed. However he'd done it, Karazin was loose in Elensefar and she knew exactly where he was headed. She'd just have to catch him and bring him back, sedated if necessary.

"Oh, you're definitely getting a needle in the butt mister," she muttered furiously, rushing out the door.

She left the hospital and rushed through the city as quickly as she could, which was pretty quick since her dress-like robes were designed not to restrict her movement. She made a beeline for Council building, as she was sure Karazin had done before her.

After a seemingly endless jog through the city, Maria finally made it to the council building; a massive stone cathedral that was as imposing as the council itself. As she walked through the solid oak front doors into the waiting room, Maria noted the disconcerting absence of Karazin.

The door to the conference hall was guarded by a pair of armour-clad men, probably highly skilled mages.

"Hail healer," the rightmost guard said, giving Maria an informal salute. "What brings you here today?"

"Did a boy with black hair just come in here?" Maria asked, trying to catch her breath.

The rightmost guard, probably the more senior of the two, nodded in affirmation.

"The one the council told you to send in once he'd recovered?" he replied. "Yes, he arrived a while ago and is speaking with them now. Why, is there a problem?"

Maria huffed. "I'll say there is, he's barely recovered at all! He's not well enough to go galavanting through the city, and he certainly shouldn't be meeting with the council yet."

The guards looked at each other, obviously not sure what to do.

"He did look kinda pale…" the other guard remarked. "And he was limping a little."

"If you're right, then you'd better go in and get him," the first guard decided, pulling out a key and unlocking the door to the main hall. "Just try not to cause too much of a ruckus."

"I won't," Maira assured them. "Not until I have back in a hospital bed at least, then he's going to get an earful for this stunt."

The guards couldn't help but chuckle at Maria's fearsome expression. She was not only respected as one of the most talented young doctors in the city, but she was also personally acquainted with several councilmen. As such, her often fiery temperament was well known among those close to the council.

With single-minded determination, Maria marched into the conference hall fully prepared to sling Karazin over her shoulder and carry him back to the hospital if necessary. She would explain everything to the council later.

Earlier that day, just after breakfast since that was when he'd have the biggest window of opportunity, Karazin got out of his hospital bed and hastily got dressed. Considering it was the high mage council he was going to meet with, he also took the time to wash his face and attempt to smooth down his unruly raven-black hair. His clothes had all been washed again and neatly laid out for him, which was awfully convenient.

"A day and a half of rest is more than enough," he muttered to himself. "Especially if you count the time I spent unconscious."

"On the other hand," he thought to himself, "You still shouldn't overexert yourself. After all, you may be well enough to walk but you're nowhere near fully healed. It wouldn't do to wear yourself out and fall unconscious halfway through your meeting with the council."

"You know as well as I do that we can't afford to wait around in one place for too much longer," Karazin replied.

"I'm not suggesting we do. Just… take it easy for a while. Remember, I know your limitations all too well."

"Fine," Karazin conceded with a sigh. "I'll take it easy, just please be quiet."

"Fair enough."

His inner voice pacified, Karazin continued his preparation. After he met with the council he'd go buy whatever supplies he could in the market district of the city, then he'd take his leave and head northward again.

"I just hope this isn't all a misunderstanding and they intend to turn me over anyway," he muttered pessimistically.

Karazin sighed. He had to stay positive and keep moving, or he'd never make it out of Wesnoth. The council might not particularly like his decision, but he was confident he could convince them to at least turn a blind eye. Then again, they weren't likely to let him go off his own. They'd probably assign some underling of theirs to him, and whoever it was would probably end up being more a hindrance than a help.

"On the other hand," he muttered to no one in particular, "Whoever they send will be able to use magic. But then again, so will I once we get to the northern wildlands. Once that happens, if everything goes according to plan, the rest should be simple."

Karazin wished he was half as confident as he sounded. If he was honest with himself there were an awful lot of things he was unsure about. To make matters worse, there was something nagging at the back of his mind. It felt like he was forgetting something, but he couldn't figure out what…

Realizing that he'd been staring into space for several seconds, Karazin quickly finished gathering his things. He made sure the few belongings he'd taken with him were still present, especially the contents of his belt. The next order of business was to actually escape the hospital room which, for some reason he couldn't fathom, had a strong oak door with an iron lock on it. Locks like this were tricky to pick because, unless you had an exceptionally steady hand, you were likely to break your lockpick in the heavy mechanism. It took Karazin a whole ten seconds to get it open.

Glancing up and down the hallway, Karazin made sure there was no one around before slinking out of the room. Once he was out though, Karazin strode through the halls like he'd been visiting every day for the past year. This wasn't easy as, although he hadn't noticed it before, his right leg must have been injured too and wasn't completely healed yet. Still he fought through the pain, knowing that he had to appear confident if he didn't want to be questioned.

It worked. The few healers he met along the way took one look at him and dismissed him. Why wouldn't they? To the casual onlooker he was just some wandering mage. He nodded and smiled at everyone he met, but after that he was just another face to them. It helped that he'd been brought here in secret, and that Maria was likely the only healer allowed to see him. With no visible injuries, why would anyone assume Karazin was a patient that needed to be kept here?

Karazin eventually made it to the main entrance, at which point he stopped. There was probably a receptionist there to keep track of everyone who visited the hospital, and Karazin doubted he'd be able to get by without being found out.

There were really only a few options open to him at this point. He could try to bluff his way out and pray the receptionist didn't ask any questions. He could also try sneaking out, seeing as he had one last vial of invisibility left in his belt, but he was hesitant to waste it on something so... trivial. The last option was one he'd also rather save for a more pressing situation, as it was more than a little risky.

As it turned out, Karazin didn't have to do anything at all. As he peeked around a corner into the reception room, he realized that it was utterly empty. Maybe the receptionist had gone to the washroom or something, Karazin didn't much care. He didn't have time to wait around, he had to gain audience with the council as soon as possible.

Karazin strolled out of hospital at a sedate pace, still trying to avoid calling unnecessary attention to himself. Once he was out on the streets however, he picked up his pace and made a beeline for the council hall. Moving as quickly as he could without putting too much stress on his leg, it didn't take Karazin long to reach his destination. By the time it was within view however, Karazin was already wondering whether maybe he should've taken Maria's advice and waited a little longer.

Even after such a short walk, Karazin's chest wounds felt like red hot knives in his flesh. His breathing was rapid and shallow, and his face was like a sheet of paper. His leg too was protesting the sudden exercise, and every step he took on it resulted in a stab of pain.

Karazin kept expecting to hear his inner voice say something sarcastic, but there was only silence. Evidently it figured that Karazin had already learned his lesson. The boy was forced to sit down outside the council hall for a few minutes to catch his breath before he trusted himself not to collapse. Finally, after steeling his nerves, Karazin got up and walked through the large solid oak front doors into the waiting room.

The first things Karazin saw were the two armour-clad mages standing on either side of the door at the opposite end of the room. They would no doubt be skilled mages, elite guards in the council's employ. Karazin drew himself up to his full height of just under six feet, no easy task considering it made his chest and leg hurt like the dickens, and addressed the two guard with a semi-formal salute.

The two guards saluted back, and the rightmost guard addressed Karazin. "Hail, Journeyman. Are you the boy the council sent for?"

Karazin nodded. "Yes, that's me. I'm ready for my audience, if you'll tell the council I'm here. I doubt they'll want to be kept any longer than necessary."

The rightmost guard, obviously the more senior of the two, nodded. "Right. Howard?"

The leftmost guard, Howard, nodded as well and disappeared into the main chamber. Karazin meanwhile made himself comfortable, or tried to anyway, on one of the cloth-padded benches that lined the waiting room. It would take the council at least ten or so minutes to assemble. Usually they'd take closer to half an hour, and be extremely displeased at that, for an unscheduled audience. For Karazin though, they wouldn't be long.

After only eight minutes, the younger guard reappeared and addressed Karazin. "The high council will see you now. They seem very eager to speak with you actually. If you'll pardon my curiosity, who exactly are you?"

Karazin looked between the two guards. The more senior of them was feigning indifference, but was obviously just as curious as his subordinate. Karazin sighed.

"No one of importance," he told them. "Just a wandering mage who stumbled across some important information. And no, I'm not at liberty to discuss it."

"Oh," the younger guard replied, obviously a bit disappointed. "Alright then, you can go right in."

Karazin nodded gratefully and walked past the two guards, through the door, into the main conference hall. Very few people ever saw the inside of this room, as very few cases were deemed important or difficult enough for the council to intervene directly. In Karazin's case, the issue at hand was both important and difficult.

The main conference hall consisted of a row of seats arranged in a semicircle around a small platform. A person, or persons, being heard by the council would walk through the door onto the platform and immediately be surrounded by solemn figures in various coloured robes. The council's seats were a good six feet higher than the platform they surrounded, giving the councilmen a perfect vantage point from which to stare down their noses at whoever was brought before them. Not that they'd dare do so to Karazin. At least, most of them wouldn't dare.

The council itself was composed of seven members, each considered to be wise and competent leaders in their own ways. The first from the left was Madam Caroline, an elderly woman with silver-blond hair; utterly blind, but a powerful seer who could sometimes catch glimpses of the future.

The next two Karazin didn't know personally, but he knew them by reputation. General Xavos, a native of the great desert to the east with the black hair, dark brown eyes, and olive complexion that came with it; a military genius, and one time military advisor to the king of Wesnoth. And Lord Michael, a grey-haired man whose blue eyes still twinkled with youthful vigour; a scholar whose unparalleled knowledge of the healing arts, and arcane magic, was said to have saved whole cities in his day.

Sitting directly to the right of Lord Michael was the one man Karazin dreaded meeting. One time headmaster of the Alduin Academy of Magic, Sir Edward. He was a muscular middle-aged man with a stern, angular face, flowing golden hair, and piercing electric-blue eyes that seemed to stare into Karazin's deepest being. Sir Edward was the brother of the current Queen of Wesnoth, Isabella Pendragon; widow of Samuel Pendragon, the late king. In other words, Sir Edward was the brother of the very person from whom Karazin was trying to escape.

The next three councilmen, one of them being a councilwoman, were people Karazin didn't recognise off the top of his head. He'd only ever had one other audience with the council, and that had been brief and long ago.

The last, and youngest, member of the council however was someone Karazin knew very well indeed. A twenty-something year old man by the name of Coran, nicknamed 'The Engineer.' Coran's hair was a messy straw-coloured bird's nest, and his sky-blue eyes had a slightly catlike slant to them and always seemed full of mischief. Out of all the councilmen, Coran was by far the most powerful having ascended to the rank of Arcanester.

Now the subject of Arcanesters, 'are-can-is-stirs', is an interesting one. Remember how I told you that a mage's power is limited by how much mana they can channel without burning away their aura, their life force? Well Arcanesters are so attuned to mana that using magic hardly burns up any of their aura at all. Thus, an Arcanester has next to no limit on how much magic he can use.

Arcanesters represent the absolute epitome of magical prowess, and their power is widely coveted. However, only about half a dozen mages throughout recorded history have ever become Arcanesters. What's more, the conditions under which one becomes an Arcanester are completely unknown. Training, study, natural talent, none of these factors seem to affect whether a specific person becomes one. It simply happens to some, and doesn't happen to others.

Ah, but listen to me ramble on. The topic is interesting, but maybe it is best saved for another time. At any rate, Coran 'The Engineer' is not only the youngest councilman in history but also the second youngest Arcanester. The story behind that is, once again, best saved for another time. What is important is that Karazin and Coran had met several times before and had struck up somewhat of a friendship.

Karazin knew he could convince Coran and Madam Caroline without any trouble, but the others worried him slightly. Especially Sir Edward. He'd have to put forward a pretty convincing case to sway that old mage. With a confidence he didn't feel, Karazin bowed formally to the council as per the rules of etiquette.

"Karazin Duskwalker, responding to your summons," he declared.

Sir Edward snorted slightly in derision, although it might have been mistaken as a sigh.

"So," the former headmaster said, his deep voice easily filling the room. "You go by Karazin these days, do you? Very well then, if that is how you wish to be addressed then that is how we shall address you. I suppose a false name is a necessity when hiding from Queen Isabella."

"I'm grateful that you're so understanding," Karazin replied, standing straight again. "I'd also like to express my gratitude for your rescuing me, and having me healed. Even more so for not handing me over to the Queen while I slept, as I'm sure she would've had you do if she'd known."

Sir Edward nodded. "As for not telling Isabella, I was simply curious as to your reasons for running away, 'Karazin'. I shall tell you right now, your reasons had better be very good indeed if you'd have me lie to my sister."

Karazin swallowed nervously.

"As for your rescue, and subsequent treatment," Sir Edward continued, "You need not thank us. After all, what else would you have us do for the crown prince?"