"Ilf?" Shersheba repeated. "No, that doesn't sound familiar."

Jason leant on the altar, his upper body resting on his palms, his arms outstretched.

"He said, the Red Virus was just propaganda to frame Malakat."

Shersheba's shoulders dropped and she sighed. "Well, I was certainly shocked when I found out."

"But nevertheless, you kept supporting him," Mera accused her angrily.

Shersheba closed her eyes and shrank. "I still believed his lies," she murmured, "that our planet was going down anyway and that he just wanted to force the parliament to act. He made it sound perfectly sensible."

"Thousands died right in front of me," Mera yelled at the screen. "How could you consent this? You even released the virus on Earth!"

"He said," Shersheba defended herself, "all he needed was the pyramid on Earth to create an antidote. I wanted to force him to start with that!"

"And that makes it okay?" Mera shot her a nasty look and opened her mouth again for another reproach but Jason cut her.

"Just give her a break already, Mera," he told her and Mera stared at him in shock. "We've been through with all this! Shersheba has been brainwashed just like Ilf."

Mera was now openly angry at him. "Have you forgotten...?"

"I haven't," he cut her again. "But we have to stop casting blame and focus on the problems right now."

"Jason is right," Neri said and squeezed Mera's shoulder to calm her down. "We have to look forward, not back."

Mera gave her a smile but Jason could tell, she was not ready to let this go. Something was clearly bothering her and the certain feeling that it wasn't necessarily about Shersheba was dawning to him. The more he thought about Mera's behaviour lately, the more he began to assume that she held some sort of grudge against him. It was a random shot but he decided to tell her occasionally that there was no reason to be suspicious about Shersheba and him. But right now he had to focus on more important things.

"Shersheba," Neri asked her directly, "you have an idea where they could be?"

"This is difficult," Shersheba replied. "Back then, we never had to hide. The thought of a secret place to retreat certainly never occurred to me."

"Can't you think of any place? A lonely island? A deserted province?" Jason suggested but Shersheba shook her head.

"They came to us from all over the globe," she explained. "Are you sure Ilf spoke of one place particularly?"

"Not particularly, no," Shalamorn replied. "It was more like an implication."

"Well, Malakat came from a rich family," Shersheba said. "I know, his people owned some places in the Helal province, even a small palace, and that they spent a lot of money to support some of the smaller temples close to it."

"Wouldn't that be too obvious?" Jason pointed out.

"Yes and no," Mera said gloomily.

"It's a very old forest," Shalamorn explained grim-faced. "The buildings lay deep in the jungle."

"Sounds like a trap to me," Jason pointed out and crossed his arms. "Maybe, Ilf got himself arrested on purpose."

"Nevertheless," Shalamorn replied, "a visit seems inevitable. Ilf spoke of many. Maybe, they're planning an invasion on their own."

Shersheba nodded. "If Malakat gave them the place, he might also give them the resources for such an enterprise. It sounds just like him have an alternate plan at hand."

"Then we have no time to lose," Neri pointed out. "We have to go!"

Jason shook his head and opened his arms to rest them on his hips. "Quite the opposite! Think of it," he added when Neri gave him a startled look, "why should they set a trap for us if they already had everything they needed?"

"Jason has a point," Shersheba said.

"So what shall we do then?" Mera asked, frowning. "Just leave them be?"

"No," Shalamorn answered, "Jason is right but we have to act on this. But we may have enough time to think this through." She started pacing up and down."The area is thick with high trees, the sight clouded by epiphytes and the paths almost impassable. It will be difficult to get through unseen with the guards ..."

"No guards!"

They turned to Neri simultaneously. Shalamorn had frozen in her pacing, her forehead in deep wrinkles.

"No guards," Neri repeated. "I will go alone."

Shersheba and Shalamorn gave her a look as if she had lost it but Jason and Mera exchanged frustrated glances. They knew this kind of decisive tone.

"What do you have in mind?" Jason asked her instead of trying to talk her out of it.

"Ilf says, I'm a witch," Neri explained. "I have to show them they need not fear me. And I will take Ilf with me, so they can see we have not harmed him."

"You willing to risk your life?" Shersheba asked her in disbelief.

"They do not want us dead," Neri said firmly. "Ilf came alone and threw stones."

"Yes, and Jason got hurt," Shersheba reminded her.

Jason sighed. "No, Neri is right. If they are as well equipped as the rebellion used to be, they certainly have weapons and yet Ilf didn't make use of them. They could have attacked us in the villages, but they didn't. They obviously want something and we will never find out what it is if we threaten them. It could be vital to establish lasting peace."

Neri's face lit up and she looked at him as if she wanted to throw herself into his arms.

"Don't get too excited," he told her, slightly smirking. "You are certainly not going on your own."