As Alex approached the Tower, a dark haired man wearing a silver vest rode out confidently atop a white horse. "Well met, Master Taylor," he called out as Alex once more slowed his horse.

"Well met," Alex replied, surprised that the servant of the Tower recognized him. It had been well over two years, after all. "The Lady of the Tower sent me a letter, bidding me to come quickly."

The servant bent his head in recognition. "Indeed, she is expecting you. She will speak to you as soon as you are willing." He began to turn his steed back toward the tower. Alex eagerly followed him, glad that there would be little wait. He did not want to be stuck waiting in the refreshment houses he had once shared with his friends, and he was eager to see what Iownan had to say.

As they came near the four houses, looking exactly as he remembered, the man gestured to the closest one. "You may stable your horse in there."

The man dismounted and tied his own horse as Alex hurriedly penned Dar Losh, murmuring into the horse's ear as filled two troughs with water and grains. "Enjoy this fine stable," He whispered, a touch of a smile on his face. "We may not be here long." The horse nodded his head fiercely, giving a shrill whinny that sounded almost like a laugh. Chuckling a bit himself, Alex left the stable and met the servant, who led him past the waiting area and directly into the tower.

As the servant pointed down the set of stairs to the oracle's door, Alex thanked him, and he left. Taking a deep breath, he walked carefully down, raised a hand to knock, and was startled by the oracle's crystal clear voice saying, "Come in."

As he stepped in, he was overwhelmed by how familiar the room looked, as if he had been there only the day before. Iownan smiled at him, as kindly as she had the first time he had spoken to her, back when he had little knowledge of the ways of magic. Before he even knew what he was – a wizard.

Iownan gestured for him to sit down, and then, as if she had been thinking of his first visit as well, she said, "I see your path has taken you where you wished to go?"

He laughed, shaking his head at how he had once denied that he could have held the power of a wizard. "I suppose you could say that."

She laughed as well, then quickly composed herself. "Now, onto the business I called you here on. I said it was urgent, and I apologize if you assumed that meant something was wrong. I assure you; everything is as right as it could be. I only meant that I needed to speak with you before you left on your new adventure."

Alex opened his mouth to say something, but she waved away his comment. "Yes, the one with your friend Bregnest. You will still be able to join if you wish; my delay will not prevent you from doing so." She gave him s small smile. "I know it's been quite a while since you have been on a true adventure. The adventure you followed your friend Skeld to in Nezza was grand, but it was not a true adventure. I think you know what I mean."

He nodded solemnly. He had been happy to aid Skeld and his friends, and he had made friends with the other adventurers, but he did not share the bond with them that a true member of the company would have. He did not share the signed contract or the shared stories or the mutual respect that the real members of the company had. Worse, the members had started to look to him as a leader over their own, which both troubled and stressed Alex.

Iownan cleared her throat, dragging his mind back to the present. "But I think you will find a bit more than your goal on this adventure," she told him cryptically, her expression suddenly serious. "On your third adventure, you met a wise dragon, did you not? Do you remember what that dragon told you?"

Alex wrinkled his eyebrows in thought. "The dragon told me many things," he said slowly.

The oracle laughed. "Indeed, he would have. But I believe the words I'm thinking of have something to do with family."

His eyes widening, Alex nodded. "Yes, he said in order to know myself, I must find my family. I said I had no family…"

Her eyes crinkling, Iownan finished the sentence for him: "But everyone has family! Aunts, uncles, distant cousins twice removed…" He let out a laugh at that. When he stopped, the oracle was suddenly serious again. "Go on this adventure, Master Taylor. You will find someone…and in her you will find a part of yourself."

Alex was confused, unsure of what he was supposed to do. He had not even really considered the possibility that he had family in the known lands…or the chance that he would actually find them. "How will I know who she is?" He asked in desperation.

Iownan frowned. "She will come to you n your time of greatest need; maybe before that as well. That is all I can say." He nodded in acceptance, though he wished she could be more specific. She leapt to her feet, ushering him out. "Go now, you must hurry back to your friend Bregnest!" She leaned forward, pressing a small object into his hands. "Look at this once you are on the road once more; it will help you with your quest."

She led him up and out of the tower, rushing him past the bemused servant. When they reached the stables, she stopped. "When you get to him, tell Bregnest only that I have given you your own challenge to fight on this adventure. Now go!"

And with that, she turned and strode back to the tower. Alex rushed to get Dar Losh from the stable. No time to think of how the company had hesitated to leave on his last journey here – he had a new adventure to join.