Leaving Jorvik would have been easy enough, especially in the dead of night. Asa would abandon all the bad memories, and her misdeeds would simply become more drops of water in the ocean of the past.

But...

There was a small chance that she could redeem herself for her reckless and dangerous behavior. She could help the people she hurt and lighten the load of the guilt she already carried. And if there was even a chance the other vampires were okay...

Asa told Zerxes about her decision, giving him the option to leave Jorvik by himself. He had fewer ties to the place, and it wouldn't have been fair to try to make him stay, even though they had just been reunited.

Zerxes listened to her plan, then was quiet for a little bit. Then, he finally spoke. "Look, I'm not sure what all has happened, but I know it's changed you. If you feel that strongly about it, I won't stop you. And if the others escaped the light like we did, we need to know for sure. I'm going to stay until we're all accounted for, and if that means helping a guy in a robe and a weird squirrel, then I'll do it."

"Let's go."

"We can race, like the good old days," Zerxes grinned.

"You sure you're up for it?"

"Yeah. All the swamp water is out of me now, and I've moved around enough that I'm more or less as limber as I was. You ready?"

Those familiar words brought back memories of many of their old races. The two vampires ran from Valedale to Epona, shielded from others' sight by the darkness. The moon lit their way, though they didn't need much to help their sight.

It took them no time at all to reach Fort Maria. When Asa had gone there before, the front entrance had been blocked, but now, there were no barriers. Hesitantly, Asa opened the front door, and they went in.

They walked around the massive library, but there was no one in sight. However, Asa could sense the presence of several other beings elsewhere, and they eventually found Fripp, the Keepers of Aideen, and the Soul Riders in another part of the library.

When Asa and Zerxes entered, all eyes were on them. Fripp spoke before they had any chance to react. "Welcome. We're glad you decided to join us."

Asa nodded and asked, "What can we do to help?"

"Avalon is translating the Jorvika Gigantica. Evergray is mapping out the Wild Weave to see how it can be of use to us. If you'd like, you can assist either of them, or you can also ask anyone else if they need help."

Asa then approached the Soul Riders.

"Asa, you came back!" Linda exclaimed, surprised.

"Just until this is over," Asa told her and the other Soul Riders. "I never got to apologize for what I did in Pandoria. I'm so sorry I put you all in danger. Are you all alright?"

Lisa nodded. "No one got hurt; that's the important thing."

Anne said, softly, "Grief is powerful. It can make you do stuff you normally wouldn't do."

"But that's why we have friends, to help each other through it," Alex added. "And you've already got one of your friends back."

Asa introduced Zerxes to the Soul Riders. Linda seemed excited to meet him. "It's so cool to meet another vampire. Do you have any special abilities, too?"

Zerxes, surprised at how well-received Asa and he were, cracked a smile. "I can make myself really tiny."

"Really?"

"No. I got you going, didn't I?" he laughed. "But here's what I can do. Watch this." He stood in front of a bookcase, then nearly disappeared, then reappeared. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Whoa! You're like a chameleon!" Alex shouted.

"It's a useful power to have when hunting," he chuckled, darkly.

Asa frowned. "Don't even try to hurt any of these people, especially these girls," she warned, her voice low.

"Relax, Asa, I won't do anything like that," Zerxes told her. "I'd rather not have a bunch of druids trying to impale me. Besides, take only what you need for survival, remember?"

Asa nodded, relieved her friend wouldn't hurt the others. "We better get to work."

Zerxes stayed close to Asa for awhile, and they searched through many books for relevant information. After awhile, Zerxes got more comfortable around everyone around them, and he went to help Evergray in the Wild Weave.

Asa found Fripp looking through some books in another part of the library. She asked, "Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

"Not at all," he answered. "I could use another set of eyes for this."

Asa sat next to Fripp, who told her what he was looking for. They sat, quietly, searching through the pages.

After awhile, Asa asked, softly, "How are you holding up, Stargazer?"

He briefly looked up at her, then at the book again. "I've missed you calling me that. I am well, just thinking of a plan on how to approach these situations. Dark Core is transporting more Drakonium, but we do not know for what purpose. The Vortex is somehow causing the Drakonium to be even more unstable, on top of the damage it is already doing. Sive, a Vala witch, is doing her best to keep the Vortex somewhat under control, but her motivations for everything she has done are unclear, as well. If only we truly knew what was happening."

"I'm sorry there's so much going on. My presence has only created more problems."

"No, it hasn't," Fripp told Asa, which surprised her. "You being here is a great comfort to me."

"It is? But I almost killed everyone. I don't deserve-"

Fripp put his paw on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "I'm very well aware of what happened. You are not the only one who has ever made grave mistakes. If we hold onto guilt and shame, we stay stuck; time goes on with or without us. The best thing, and the only thing we can do, is do better in the future."

Asa looked around them at the other Keepers and the Soul Riders, who were all busy doing their part to help. "This is your home, too, and I know you want to help save it," Fripp added. "It's never too late to start over."

Nodding, slowly, Asa held his gaze for a bit, then went back to reading.