Author's note: Will try to extend some of my chapters, another reason I may take a while to post them. Expect to see a little more fanart of my ocs on DeviatART.

For the next half hour, Leeli tried playing music on her whistleharp in order to get some form of clue on where Tink might be. Janner had closed his eyes and saw geometric shapes drift and blossom but nothing else.

While Elisheva sat close to Janner and Leeli, trying to focus and see if she can witness the same things they did the previous times. It was worth a shot. She closed her own eyes, and she could see blurry shapes but they vanished like snowflakes against a warm surface.

Nia then suggested they try the song Leeli had played as a threnody for Nugget with Elisheva singing the same Hebrew lament, no dice.

"Nothing?" Zev asked his sister.

Elisheva shook her head. "No dice."

"Maybe we should leave you two with Elisheva alone." Nia said.

They filed out of the room, leaving Elisheva, Leeli and Janner facing each other on the rug.

"Wait," Elisheva then said, "Hey, Leeli you remember me teaching that mash up of the Wind in my hair and Touch the sky?"

"I think so." Leeli nodded.

"Try playing along, and I'll join in, " Elisheva instructed. "Jan, you just focus on the music and lyrics, let it flow."

"Alright." Janner agreed.

They did so, and Elisheva sang along. Nothing much happened then...

"Cause I got the wind in my hair and a gleam in my eyes, and an endless horizon," Elisheva sang, "I got a smile on my face, and I′m walking on air. Oh..."

There was a green glow, a tiny spark of green that grew to the size of Elisheva's head appeared between the three, just like the flame of a candle materialized.

Elisheva faltered, "Whoa!"

The portal flickered, Leeli almost lost her concentration. Janner was surprised but he urged, "Keep going, don't stop."

The girls listened, the small portal grew however the place was quite unfamiliar to Janner and Leeli. However, Elisheva recognized the location as one of the nature parks she and her family had once visited.

However, once Elisheva finished singing long enough to try and look at the portal, it shrank and vanished, much to the frustration of the youngsters.

Leeli played song after song, Elisheva strained, and Janner thought so hard that his head hurt. But nothing happened.

They found the others in Oskar's room, and they leapt to their feet when the three entered.

"It's not working," Janner said. "I'm sorry."

"We've been talkin', lad," said Podo, "and it makes no difference either way. We're gonna go get 'im. All of us."

"All of us?" Zev questioned. "Me and Lish too?"

"Aye! Seems to me that every time this family splits up, bad things happen. We'll head south again, then figure out what to do next. Maybe we'll head to the Phoob Islands." Podo cleared his throat and glanced away. "I remember there's a fort there. That must be where, the Fang outpost is—though it doesn't make much sense. Last time I was there, it was white with snow and sea foam. Not a likely place where the lizard men would be able to survive, but Gammon said these were different, that Gnag's enlisted another breed of Fang that can kick the cold. Point is, we can't sit here and do nothin'. Let's go get yer brother."

"Yes sir," Janner said, then he ran to Podo and hugged him tight.

This made Elisheva nod. "All the more reason for us to stick together."

If there was a Fang outpost, most likely there's bound to be prisoners, human prisoners. Nurgabog may have told them that anyone who is sent to Throg never came back, but there was also a good chance that the Bennet siblings father could've been taken somewhere else to throw the Key off the trail.

It was a crazy, wild hope but both Elisheva and Zev had every intention of finding their father, and somehow get him out of there. Be it from the Phoob islands or from Castle Throg.

"When do we leave?" Leeli asked.

"First thing in the morning," Nia said. "We need to arrange with Gammon for the use of a few boggans and a team of chorkneys."

"Chorkneys?" Janner said.

Leeli's eyes glowed. "I have to show you! They're beautiful, with the softest feathers. The keepers let me feed them sometimes."

"There'll be time for that in the morning," Nia said. "You children should go to bed. I'll stock the packs and make ready so we can get an early start in the morning."

"Yeah let's do this!" Zev cheered.

So the Bennet siblings bid their friends goodnight and left for their rooms, packing essentials before falling asleep. Tomorrow morning was another day.

The next morning, Zev woke up and got dressed at once. Elisheva wasn't asleep in her bed, which was made. Hmm, maybe she went to the facilities or something.

He doubled checked his new bag, making sure all the firecrackers were inside. Five all accounted for, he'd have to find more ingredients to make more later. But he had high hopes, for the first time in a while, things were starting to go right for him, his sister and others he could call friends.

Then he heard a knock on his door. Assuming it was Janner or Elisheva, Zev opened it without hesitation. But he was met with a group of armed Kimeran men that abruptly pulled him right out, overpowering him and quickly binding him with ropes.

Zev struggled against his captors, but they were too strong and numerous. Panic surged through him as he thought about everyone else, all of whom were now in grave danger.

A knock at the door woke Janner. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, remembering at once that the journey awaited. He threw on his clothes, grabbed the fur coat from the hook, and flung open the door. His smile vanished. A Kimeran stood before him, his long beard caked with ice. He was out of breath, and he wore a burly gray fur coat that hung to the floor.

"What is it?" Janner asked.

"Sorry," the man said, and he lunged forward and tied Janner's arms behind his back before the boy knew what was happening. He pushed Janner ahead of him, past Leeli's empty room, then Nia's room, then Podo's. They were all empty. Podo's door hung crooked, and his bed had been toppled in a struggle.

"Gammon!" he cried. "What's happening? Where is my family?"

"It's all right, lad. It'll be fine. I just can't let you leave." He turned to the man behind Janner. "Thank you, Errol. It's safe to go inside."

"Yes sir," said Errol, and there was worry in his voice.

At that moment, Kimeran men dragged Zev into a small chamber where the rest of were bound and helpless. Oskar, Podo, Nia, Leeli, and Maraly sat gagged and lashed to a long bench in the center of the room.

He led Janner into a small chamber. Maraly no longer wore a dress but breeches and a coat, just like Janner. The walls were made of stone instead of ice, and a torch sputtered on the wall. When Podo saw Janner, the old man grunted and struggled at his bonds, and Errol tensed.

"It took four of us to bind him, lad," said the Kimeran. "Nearly killed one of us, even with the bad shoulder," said another warrior just outside the door. "He's a strong one, your grandfather."

"What's the big idea?! And what did you do to my sis-?" Zev snapped before he was gagged.

"Why are you—" Janner began, but the man tied a rag around his mouth, and in moments he found himself strapped to the bench beside the others.

"That will be all, Errol," said Gammon. "Be sure Elmer and Olsin are well tended to. They took quite a beating." He lowered his voice. "Then make ready, as we planned."

"You're certain?" asked Errol quietly.

"Yes. More than ever. Thank you, friend. Be ready."

"Yes sir," said Errol, and the men clasped hands.

"I didn't want it to come to this," Gammon said to the Igibys and to Zev. "I told you to stay and rest. I told you to make yourselves at home. I told you to give up on Kalmar. But you wouldn't listen, and there you sit. My men have learned that its good to listen to me. Haven't you, men?"

"Aye sir," they said from the hallway.

"You must understand that I would do anything to protect Skree. I can't just let you go, not when the Fangs arc expecting me to deliver you. If I thought there was any other way but to hand you over, I'd set you free. But it's you Gnag wants, not Skree. All I have to do is give you to him and he's agreed to leave these lands. Call me evil if you like, but the greater evil is the suffering you brought to my country. Do you need me to convince you?" Gammon placed a foot on the bench where they sat. "Olfin, Urland, come here!"

Two of the big men from the hallway stepped inside the chamber. "Olfin lost his parents to the Fang invasion. Burned his home, killed all his live-stock. Urland has a similar story. Don't you, Urland?"

"Aye sir. My whole village was razed. I'll be right glad when you turn this lot over to the Fangs, sir."

Gammon spread his hands and smiled. "I sent word by crow as soon as we arrived that the Jewels of Anniera and the Key were caught at last."

Podo, Janner, and Maraly all growled and struggled.

Janner was tired of betrayal. He was beginning to believe that no one in all of Aerwiar was trustworthy. The older he got, the more the world proved itself a crooked place.

Beware, said the sea dragon, and now Janner knew. It was Gammon all along; Gammon who wanted to use the young ones for his own ends. And Janner had been too foolish to see it. He had followed the man right into Kimera.

"I had a farm," said Gammon. Janner grew still. He tried to imagine Gammon without his black clothes and commanding presence. He pictured him with a hoe and a straw hat, but it was so ridiculous that he snorted.

Gammon shot a look at Janner. "Funny, is it?" he said, and Janner feared the man would strike him. But Gammon chuckled. "I suppose it is. I must tell you; I'm a much better soldier than I was a farmer. I could hardy grow a totato bigger than a grape. But my wife, Yona, could turn even the smallest totatoes into a fine meal. When the Fangs came, my poor Yona was killed. They left me my daughter," he said, glancing at Maraly, "who would have been about your age, lass. But a year later the Black Carriage came and tore her from my arms. That day I swore I would serve Skree. I would do whatever it took to set my land free. Do you understand? I'll do whatever it takes."

Zev glared, shaking his head defiantly.

"I don't know why Gnag the Nameless wants you and the outlanders." Gammon shrugged. And I don't really care. I didn't even believe Anniera was real until you showed up here. But if I can use you to banish this evil from my country, then I will do so. At least this way your capture will mean something. Take heart in that." He knelt in front of Maraly.

"I'm sorry, lass, but sometimes things must be done whether you like it or not. You'll have to pass for the other boy." Gammon placed a hand on her shoulder. She thrashed like a wild animal, and Gammon recoiled.

He straightened and said, "That's all. I'll send for you when the time comes. The Fangs will be here soon." He looked around. "All that's missing is…"

"No, no! I won't go with you! You'll never take us back!" Elisheva was shouting.

Elisheva's voice pierced through the tension in the room, her defiance filling the air. Gammon turned to face her, his expression hardening.

"You don't have a choice, girl," Gammon said, his voice laced with authority. "You and your brother will come with us, whether you like it or not. The Fangs are expecting you. You'll be handed over to them, and perhaps they'll spare the lives of those you hold dear."

"Here's what I think about your choices, pal!" Elisheva snarled and she kicked him.

However it was right below the belt. Even Podo, Oskar, Janner and Zev winced momentarily, knowing that's gotta hurt.

As Elisheva's foot connected with Gammon's lower region, a sharp gasp escaped his lips and he doubled over in pain. The room fell into a stunned silence, broken only by Gammon's strained groans. Maraly sniggered through her gag.

Podo couldn't help but chuckle behind his gag despite the dire situation.

Gammon straightened himself, his face flushed with a mix of anger and humiliation. "That was a mistake," he seethed through gritted teeth. "The Fangs will deal with you soon enough."

Elisheva flashed a defiant smile and stood tall, her hazel eyes filled with determination. She knew the odds were against them, but she refused to back down.

Zev glanced at his sister, Elisheva, who sat next to him, her eyes filled with determination. They shared a silent vow, reaffirming their dedication to each other and their friends. No matter what awaited them on the treacherous Phoob Islands, they would face it together.

Artham pressed his feet against the cage door and his back against the rear bars. He clenched his teeth, clamped his eyes shut, and pushed with all the strength in his heart. The eerie melody filled his ears, and above it he heard one of the Grey Fangs shout, "Eyes on the birdman! He's trying to break the cage!"

Artham felt hairy paws on his arms and legs, and more than once the butt of a spear smashed into his face, but he mustered his strength again and pressed. The bars of the cage were thick, but Artham felt the tiniest give and it renewed his strength. Again and again pain flowered in his face as the Fangs tried to stop him. The bones in his knees and back throbbed and threatened to break if he pressed any harder. The melody from the chamber swelled, and even with his eyes closed he saw the bright flash of light.

"Esben!" he screeched, and in a loud voice he sang along with the melody that came from within the box, the melody he had tried so many years to quiet. He could run no more from his darkness.

The voices in his head that cried coward and weakling drew back into the shadows. He knew he was those things but feared them no longer. Then another voice spoke. It called him throne warden and protector and uncle, and at last he believed it. A surge of power ran hot through his bones. With one final shove, the cage splintered into pieces. Grey Fangs tumbled backward. Bent steel littered the floor.

Artham P. Wingfeather stood in the center of the debris, bloodied and panting, eyes ablaze.

He was aware of an odd sensation in his back and wondered if he had broken some of his ribs. Children from the Carriage scattered to the corners of the cavern, while the Grey Fangs recoiled and whined like puppies.

Artham drew in a deep breath, spread his arms, and loosed a victorious scream. As he did, two graceful wings unfolded from his back, the feathers damp and glistening. They were dark gray, with white flecks and speckled eyelets of the brightest crimson. Though they were still sharp as knives, his talons had narrowed and lengthened enough that they felt more like hands and less like claws.

Artham felt lighter and stronger, and for the first time in nine years, his mind was clear and sure. The words to a hundred of his own poems scrolled across his memory; he saw faces of old friends, battles he had fought, and even the most terrible moments of his life—and yet he remained himself. The wild animal inside that he had struggled so long to kill pulsed with power, but it was no longer his master. He rode the pain like a knight rides a horse.
He spread his wings and leapt twenty feet into the air, over the heads of cowering Fangs, to the dais. He landed with sure feet and tore open the iron door.

"Tink! Kalmar!" he cried into the darkness.

Smoke wafted out. He folded his wings and entered the chamber.

"Kalmar!" he whispered.

He was answered by a whine from somewhere in the corner. Artham reached into the smoky blackness until he felt a furry arm. It trembled, damp and hot to the touch. The creature whined again.
"Hush, lad," said Artham. "I've got you. Your uncle Artham has got you. This story will end well. I don't know how, but things will be made right. Come on."

Artham lifted the trembling thing and held it in his arms. He moved to the doorway and peered outside. The Grey Fangs had found their feet, but none seemed ready to attack the wild man who had just broken a cage to bits. Then a voice came from deep in the box.

"You're too late, Throne Warden. The boy is gone and a new thing has come," the Stone Keeper said. "Sing the song of the ancient stones and the blood of the beast imbues your bones."

Artham paused at the door. He flexed his neck, shook the feathers of his mighty wings, and turned to the woman, barely visible at the back of the box. "You call that poetry?" he said.

With Tink unconscious in his arms, Artham stepped to the edge of the dais and leapt into the air. His great wings beat the air and carried the two of them over the heads of the astounded Grey Fangs, even as the Stone Keeper emerged and ordered the Fangs to pursue. He landed lightly at the mouth of the tunnel from whence the Black Carriage had come, folded his wings, and sped toward the surface.

Many Grey Fangs had gathered at the mouth of the tunnel when they heard the frantic voice of the Stone Keeper from within. Artham saw their silhouettes clogging the exit, saw their wolf ears twitching. He lowered his head and slammed into them before they knew what they were seeing. He was running so fast that he had only to spread his wings and he lifted over the ferry, swooped high above the strait, and glided in a slow circle above the island.
The tiny figures of the Stone Keeper and her Grey Fangs emerged from the cavern and gathered quickly into companies. Artham realized his vision was clearer, more precise than it had ever been. He could see the Grey Fangs' yellow eyes, the flecks of seashell embedded in the stone walls of the fort. The turrets crawled with gray beasts, organizing themselves much faster than any green-scaled Fangs that Artham had ever seen. An arrow whizzed past, and he saw with alarm that a regiment of archers had him in their sights.

He clutched Tink's furry, trembling body close to his chest. "Let's go find your family, your highness," Artham said with a smile.

He drew in his wings and dove like a hawk, straight for the fort. The alarm on the Grey Fangs' faces was worth the risk. He spread his wings at the last moment and skimmed above their heads in a blur. The Grey Fangs ducked and scattered.

Artham's momentum carried him in a graceful arc over the strait to the rocky coast of Skree. He followed the mountainous coastline until the land flattened, white with the snow of the Ice Prairies.

An armada of warships lined the icy coast-a hundred at least. The trampled snow around the ships gathered into a wide path that scarred the perfect surface of the Ice Prairies. The path led northeast, and he knew the Grey Fangs marched on Kimera. Down he soared until he flew just a few feet above the snow, following the contour of the prairie as it rose and fell in gentle, pristine drifts.

Artham's eyes watered from the wind and from the speed and from the magnificent beauty of the land arrayed below him. Water streaked from the corners of his eyes toward his ears and, in the vicious cold, froze into silvery jewels.
He would have to write a poem about this.

Both the Bennet siblings and their friends sat for a long time, listening to the sputter of the torch and one another's breathing. They each took a turn twisting their arms to loosen the bonds, but it was no use.

Soon the silence was broken by sniffles, Leeli was crying. Nia tried to talk to her through the gag, but it was no use. When Leeli's tears ebbed, she began to hum. She had no whistleharp, and she could form no words, but the melody that emerged dripped with weariness and sorrow.

The song filled the chamber, and all their hearts—even Maraly's—resonated with it. Janner looked at each of them in turn and saw their cheeks were wet.

Janner closed his eyes—and he saw bright colors. Elisheva had leaned back, closing her eyes as if trying to keep her composure, then she suddenly inhaled sharply as she'd gasped.

Their minds were vivid with swirls and bursts of movement. Soaring across the steeps of the Stony Mountains, so close to a grimace of snickbuzzards that they could see the tiniest feathers on their rumpled necks. Then swooped down, past a foraging bomnubble, across the foothills and south of the Barrier to the Mighty Blapp River. The vision was heading south toward Glipwood, but Janner remembered from the maps where the Phoob Islands lay. The image responded, heading eastward to the left. He and Elisheva skimmed the tops of the glipwood trees and caught glimpses of the river below, until the land fell away and beheld the chaos of Fingap Falls. Then north and east over the Dark Sea of Darkness until they saw a cluster of brown islands just off the coast of Skree. Closer they flew to the islands, until they could make out the masts of ships and gray shapes moving on their decks.

Naturally, they wanted a closer look, but the image seemed to resist, and Janner remembered his mother's words: "That you can see these things when she plays is a gift. Never try to become its master, but serve it. Allow it to be what the Maker meant it to be."

Janner let go and allowed the image to go where it wanted, Elisheva's mind hesitated but she waited. They could dimly hear the notes of Leeli's song, and prayed she would keep humming.

The image sped past the islands, north along the coast, where the Stony Mountains spilled their giant crags into the sea, until the land whitened with snow. The flat nothingness of the Ice Prairies stretched away to the horizon, what were they meant to see?

Then he detected a speck on the horizon.

The image whooshed nearer with every note of Leeli's song, and the speck grew in size until both Janner and Elisheva saw what it was. It was such a shocking, baffling sight that Janner cried out, and when he did, Leeli's song cut short and the spell was broken.

Elisheva nearly feel over, but she opened her eyes, sounding shocked and excited all at once.

Janner opened his eyes next what he saw sent a violent shiver through his body and a jubilant cry out of his mouth. He sat on the bench in his bonds, bouncing up and down like a toddler throwing a happy fit.

"MMMT." he said through the gag. "MMMK! MMMT!"

They looked at him like he was mad, half concerned and half amused by the joy on his face. Elisheva only nodded excitedly.

"MMMK!" Janner said again and again. They couldn't understand him, but he didn't care. He laughed and whooped and shook his head with wonder. Every time he calmed down enough to see the looks on his family's faces, their confusion was so delightful that it sent him into another fit of joy.

What is it? their faces asked. What did you see? Janner looked to Elisheva who nodded enthusiastically, a soft laugh muffled through the gag.

Boy, were they all in for a big surprise.

At last, the door opened and Gammon looked them over. "Brogman, loose them from the bench, but keep their hands bound. And keep them gagged."

Another bearded mountain of a man entered the room and untied their lashes from the bench. With a rope, he strung the nine of them together in a train with Podo at the front. He left one of Leeli's arms free so she could walk with her crutch and lashed her other wrist to the train.

"Tie the knot well, Brogman," said Gammon.

When Brogman finished, Gammon looked the rope over and inspected each of the knots. When he was satisfied, he led them in single file through Kimera.

The snow city was quiet as a tomb. Every room was empty. They stopped at the foot of a graceful stairway that curved upward to a high ceiling, the same stairway Nia had ascended the night Janner's group arrived.

A pile of furs lay at the foot of the stair. The two men guarding the staircase draped fine coats of fur over the company's shoulders and even wrapped scarves around the women's necks.

"It's cold outside," Gammon said with a smile. Behind Brogman's yellow beard, his face twitched with apprehension. "Fear not, Brogman," said Gammon, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not afraid, sir. Just eager." Brogman's smile was fierce.

Gammon looked the Igibys and the two Bennet siblings over one last time, and his gaze lingered on Maraly. "I'm sorry it's come to this, friends."

Elisheva and Zev glowered. How dare he call them friends when he was about to do this terrible thing?

Maraly looked at Gammon with deepest hatred, and Janner's head spun with his treachery. He couldn't believe he would sacrifice her along with the rest of them. She had nothing to do with Anniera! And Gammon had spoken to her so kindly before.

"The army is gathered, and they await my delivery of the jewels. Brogman, be sure you lead them exactly to the place I showed you. That's where the Grey Fangs are expecting them, understand?" Brogman nodded and said, "All right then, up you go."

Gammon stood at the foot of the stairs and watched them. Janner met his eyes, intending to give him a look of loathing he would never forget. Elisheva and Zev also spun to give the man their best angry glower—but Gammon winked at them.

Huh? What was that about?

Light flooded the stair as the trapdoor raised. Podo walked proudly into the bright day of their betrayal. From the bath of the train, all they could see was light. Lumps of snow spilled into the tunnel and pooled on the steps.

Sunlight blinded them, but with their hands bound to the train rope, they're unable to shield their eyes. He heard the wind howl and the crunch of their footsteps as Brogman led them through the snow to the place Gammon had designated.

And when they were able to see what they saw enough to send chills down anyone's spines.

Spread before them like a giant gray carpet was an army of wolves.

'Werewolves?!' Zev shivered.

Worse, these are the new kind of Fangs Gnag and his circle must've been working on.

Back home, Elisheva remembered watching a special about wolves and how they inspired the old stories about werefolk with her brother Zev, one scene showed a clip from a werewolf movie. She didn't forget the way the werewolf in the movie clip bared its long canines, the way its lips curled back and its nose glistened.

Now thousands of Grey Fangs bared their teeth in the very same savage manner. And if that wasn't scary enough, they also carried swords.

To be continued...