Kianne's Journal - Archive

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[3/5/2004]

Shamino arrived with the note from Sami, dependable as always. He seemed quiet and thoughtful--I mean, more than usual--but aside from asking about Sami and Batlin, he would not tell us what was on his mind.

Sami had gotten permission from her father to meet us after dinner, so we didn't have a lot of time to spare. Unfortunately, Kilmas didn't want to stay at the Keep, and we weren't very well going to take him with us. The argument kind of blew up out of control until finally Andrella took the Staff of Time and the Tome of Stars away from him. He insisted on having his magic carpet back in that case, and as soon as Andrella handed it over, he unrolled it and hopped on, flying off toward the south.

"I don't need you to follow me," he yelled down at us. "Go do your own thing. By yourself!"

We trailed after the carpet until he'd left land and floated out over the sea. "You'll regret this, Kilmas," Andrella called after him. "I guarantee it."

I sighed. "Does he even know where he's going?"

"No," she responded. "He'll learn."

She handed me the Tome of Stars, and we left for the Lycaeum.

Sami was in the same room as before, but she had Gorjez's mess cleaned up. She greeted us excitedly and put away her books. "Okay, I'm ready!"

I formed a moongate to Empath Abbey, which placed us right outside. We walked in together and found Batlin giving a speech to a small group of people. He was standing with a dire wolf. The three of us stopped a short distance away and just listened.

Batlin was talking about life and kindness to each other, and to always respect nature. "Why," he added, "even the dire wolf respects the mother of the earth..."

Mother of the earth? This really wasn't sounding good.

He broke off when he noticed us standing there. "Ahh, well, mass is done for the evening, my brothers and sisters," Batlin finished suddenly. "The Avatar has come for my guidance once more."

I think I could feel Andrella gagging behind me. I stood silently, not acknowledging his statement in either a positive or negative light. The group gazed at us and murmured amongst themselves as they broke up and went about their ways.

Batlin walked over to us, with his dire wolf trailing dutifully behind. "How nice to see you again."

"Greetings," I responded conversationally. "I was listening to a bit of what you said. I have never seen a dire wolf so tame."

Batlin nodded with a smile. "He is. It comes with the balance of nature. A gift I have mastered." He looked down at the wolf standing docile at his side. "Why don't you pet him?"

I hesitated, then stepped forward, kneeling down before the wolf and patting him lightly on the head. The wolf didn't react.

I introduced Batlin to Sami, who was keeping her distance from the dire wolf. "Come, child, I won't bite," Batlin smiled. But his dog might, I thought ruefully.

"No thank you, sir, I don't want to pet him," Sami replied timidly.

"Nonsense. There is nothing to fear." With that disarming smile on his face, Batlin guided the wolf toward her. Sami threw me a nervous look. I tried to smile encouragingly at her. After all, the wolf had been fine for me.

But then suddenly the dire wolf snapped at her, causing Sami to jump backward in surprise. "No!" Batlin retaliated on his wolf. "Bad wolf! Down!" But now the wolf seemed to have turned on him, growling and biting at him.

Andrella pulled out a blade, and with a swift stroke she brought the wolf down.

"Mrs. Valence!" Batlin stamped his foot. Andrella calmly sheathed her blade. "I'll have you know," Batlin was going on, "the wolf only deserved a swat! Not death!"

"I'll have you know that he got too close to Sami," Andrella responded.

I put an arm around Sami, apologizing to her. Batlin knelt down over the wolf's body to bless it, of all things.

Finally Batlin straightened up, wiping off his hands. "Now then. Can we put our barbaric nature to rest while in the court of love?" He shot a glare at Andrella. "The spirits forgive you."

"Keep your wolves off of my friend and we should do fine," Andrella chuckled.

Batlin apparently chose to ignore that, turning instead to Sami. "Sami, there is no need to fear. The wolf only tested his boundaries. He would have never harmed you. It is wise to push yourself to your limits. Test your walls. Let nothing hold you back, until you encounter a resistance so strong that you have no choice but to concede."

"He sounds like he's preaching suicide," Andrella grumbled to me.

"I know, and she's not even a warrior," I responded. I was really beginning to have misgivings over this.

Batlin turned to face me. "Is she one you wish to bring to the Following?"

I almost changed my mind, and I probably would have if there had been a way out of it. But all I could do was nod my head and hope this wasn't a big mistake.

Batlin smiled at Sami. "It will be a pleasure to welcome to you to our fold. I am familiar with some of your work. You wrote about the moongates?"

Even Sami was surprised. "Well, yes, that was some time ago though. And that work was not accepted by the scribes."

"It's a shame," Batlin said with a small shake of his head. "I enjoyed it very much. Why, I have showed the druids and they were all impressed by your knowledge."

Sami blushed. "Really?"

Batlin nodded. "Do you think you have what it takes to join us?"

She glanced at me. I gave her an affirmative nod. "Yes," she said to Batlin.

"Well then," Batlin smiled. "One with such brilliance as you needs my personal instruction."

You mean he has other teachers? I thought.

And then it got interesting. He wanted Sami to ask for permission to hold a mass--yes, he's still calling them that, just like before--at the Lycaeum. The scribes never allow any public gatherings there, so Sami was left in quite a bind. Andrella spoke up as well, insisting that "we'll see" would be the only answer that Batlin would receive. Sami could ask, but there was no reason for her to put her career in jeopardy over it. Batlin finally had to go with that.

He glanced at me when I tried to change the subject. "Your task is yet complete," Batlin smiled at me. "You need two more recruits. A ranger..."

But I interrupted him. "I asked Andrella to join with me. She is, after all, my best friend."

I saw Batlin visibly gulp. "I hope I wasn't out of line," I offered politely.

Andrella grinned brightly. Batlin glanced at her. "Well, would you have the discipline to learn? To accept new challenges?"

"I learned to wield a blade at the age of thirteen," Andrella responded smoothly. "What do you think?"

Batlin glanced at me. I chuckled. "She's not Water, is she?" I asked ruefully.

He didn't respond to that directly. "I wonder if her heart can open up to the love of the elements. Are you ready to love and be loved?" Batlin asked Andrella.

"As I said, I enjoy challenges," she smirked. That was true enough.

Batlin smiled at her, then, in a move that took us all by surprise, he walked forward and wrapped her in a hug.

I tensed immediately, half expecting Andrella to take his head off. Talk about taking your life into your hands. For her part, Andrella didn't react in a violent way, but her hands were clenched into fists.

Batlin noticed. "Now, now," he chuckled, holding her in his embrace for a few more moments before finally releasing her and stepping back. "There," he beamed, as if he had just accomplished something marvelous--and perhaps he was, seeing as to how he was still breathing. "That wasn't so bad was it?"

Andrella's fists were still clenched.

"Perhaps you are prepared to take the first baby step," Batlin decided. "I want you to hug two people today."

I almost tipped over at just the absurdity of it. But Andrella had an even funnier response. Without hesitation she walked over and gave me a hug, then Sami. Sami giggled in response and returned her hug enthusiastically. I smirked.

"There," Batlin smiled. "Now tomorrow, you hug three people."

"Tomorrow I kill him," Andrella grumbled privately. "Oh wait, I didn't just say that, did I?" I snickered.

"And soon your heart will fill the warmth of care," Batlin finished, oblivious of our conversation of course.

"Why wait until tomorrow?" Andrella asked, and grabbed him into a hug as well, nearly flooring me in surprise.

Batlin was startled as well. "Well," he sputtered as she released him. "Baby steps, okay? One day at a time."

He brushed himself off as Andrella stepped back. "Well then, Kianne. That is two recruits." He looked at me. "The third? A ranger?"

Why does he harp on the ranger? Well, he will get who he gets. "I have a friend I am planning to ask," I responded. "A long time companion."

"But not a ranger?" Batlin asked.

I almost wanted to throw up my hands, but I forced myself to be polite. "No. Is that all right?"

"Well, it would have to be a very close friend."

"He has been with me through a lot," I assured him. A lot more than Shamino, actually, since this Dupré is the one that had known me from the beginning.

Batlin nodded his head. "You probably wonder why does Batlin want your best friends to join?"

"May I ask why?" I asked with a smile.

Batlin grinned. "So you will not have to take this wonderful journey alone!"

Ugh. Spare me. "I am glad to have such good friends," I commented instead, since it was the truth.

"I'm glad too," Batlin responded without elaborating. For some reason, the words sounded ominous to me. "Well then, upon the acceptance of your next recruit, I will allow you to join me."

Finally. We bid him farewell and didn't waste any more time at Empath Abbey. "Soon," Batlin smiled as we were leaving, "the world will ring with the elemental balance of love and tranquility."

Elemental love? Ho boy.

We took Sami back to the Lycaeum, then Andrella and I went on to Lord British's castle. I wanted to talk to Dupré and finally get this whole thing behind me. We weren't sure where to find him, but rather to my surprise, we stumbled over him in the castle courtyard. He was feeding his horse, preparing for a ride.

"Where are you headed?" I asked conversationally.

"You want me to answer that?" Dupré chuckled. I laughed. Then he asked us what was going on.

"Well, actually, uh..." I gave him a sheepish grin and ran my hand through my hair.

Dupré looked at Andrella. "Oh boy. I know that grin."

I laughed again. "I've come to ask if you mind terribly joining the Following."

Dupré just chuckled. "You know I will."

"I hate to have to ask, but..." I sighed.

"Well, tell you what," he offered. "Buy me a round later, and lead the way."

We laughed.

Since Dupré wasn't busy, we went ahead and traveled to Empath Abbey right then and there. "Dupré, thank you," I told him from the bottom of my heart as we emerged from the moongate.

"No problem, you know it," he assured me.

"I think this is one of the weirdest messes I've ever gotten you into," I chuckled ruefully.

"Oh, I don't know..." Dupré smirked. "There was that one time... Now I don't know how she thought of it," he said to Andrella, "but she tried to drink an invisibility potion and run through a den of dragons..."

Andrella and I laughed.

"Hey, it worked!" I giggled, wiping my eyes. "Almost."

"Sure, until the part where the potion wore off," Dupré winked.

"But I got the egg, didn't I?" I snickered. Andrella was still laughing.

We finally went inside, finding Batlin seating at a table reading. "Greetings again," I smiled a little wryly. "I found him."

Batlin got to his feet. "Well met, sire," he greeted Dupré, reaching out to shake his hand. "Dupré right? Nice to meet you formally." Batlin glanced at me. "This is your next recruit?"

I nodded. "Aye, another of my best friends."

"Well, Dupré," Batlin smiled. "You realize that the Avatar herself has chosen you to learn about the elements of balance, and to become a more caring and better person."

Balance. Hmm. Like the principles? Order and Chaos...and Balance...

"Sure," Dupré replied easily. I felt a pang of guilt for putting everyone through this, but he was taking it in stride.

But then Batlin asked, "And you are ready to sacrifice even Honor to learn this?"

I wanted to choke. "Sacrifice honor?" Dupré repeated. "That's impossible. Two Virtues at the same time. Better read up on them, Batlin," he smirked.

I almost laughed out loud. Batlin looked almost--almost--flustered. "You know what I mean."

"Do I?" Dupré asked innocently.

Batlin smiled for a moment to compose himself. "You're just like Andrella, aren't you? You'll need to take really small steps."

"Two points for Dupré, zero for Batlin," Andrella snickered. I agreed. Dupré had really nailed him.

"I'll do what I can," Dupré was saying.

"Good," Batlin agreed. "First..."

Great, what now?

But Batlin merely asked, "You are an influential man, right, Dupré?"

Dupré protested, "I wouldn't go far with that..."

"Well," Batlin said, "do you think it would be possible for you to talk to the mayor of Trinsic and secure a weekly evening that I could use the Trinsic meeting hall for mass?"

This guy wants favors from everyone. No wonder he wants high-profile recruits.

Dupré winced. "Weekly mass?" I guess I forgot to mention that part to him.

Batlin nodded. "I am in need of space to spread the words of love. It is hard to get people to come all the way up here to Yew to learn what they need so badly. Trinsic would be much better."

"Well, I'm not on the best terms with the mayor of Trinsic, you know," Dupré pointed out.

Batlin looked surprised. "Why not? Is it political?"

Dupré later told me that he has quite a large tab built up at the tavern there, which the mayor owns. But he didn't mention this to Batlin. "Well, you could say it was political."

"I understand." Batlin nodded his head. "These political debates easily get out of hand. I would not want you to escalate an argument."

Well, good, I thought. At least we agree on something.

Dupré shrugged. "Well, I wish I could help..."

"No, you can," Batlin assured him in one of those statements that gets my alarms raised. "You can. Tell you what. Why don't you offer the mayor of Trinsic anything he wants, and let me know."

Dupré raised an eyebrow. "Like a bribe?"

"No." Batlin shook his head. "Not a bribe. A friendship offering. Here."

With a sly smile, he slipped Dupré a gold bar.¹

We all goggled at Batlin, I think. If Batlin noticed, he didn't acknowledge it. "Be sure to be nice and generous."

Dupré seemed speechless for a moment. "Batlin... I can't accept this," he protested.

"It's not for you," Batlin reminded him with that guileless smile. "It's for our friend."

Dupré finally sighed and tucked the gold bar into his pack. "I'll see what I can do."

"Good!" Batlin beamed. "Then you can join us for mass and be the guest of honor."

Ho boy. Dupré is going to love this.

Batlin turned to me. "Well then. I see you have fulfilled your end of the bargain."

Bargain. Sigh.

I forced a smile. "I am ready to learn." Let's get on with this.

"Of course you are," Batlin smiled in return. "You seem most eager to learn of the blessings of the elements." He paused, as if considering. "Well, let us see how your recruits pan out. Then you can join us at mass."

Pan out? Pan out?? I held back a sigh. "I will be there," I assured him, as that was very much the truth. After all, I might learn something. And besides, I have to be there to watch over Sami.

"I look forward to it," he smiled.

I took the others outside. "Dupré, I owe you drinks. A lot of them." I chuckled ruefully. "For that matter, let me pick up that tab at Trinsic too."

"Oh no, you don't want to pick up that tab," he laughed.

I gave him a faint smile. "It's only fair. I got you into this."

"A hefty one, eh?" Andrella smiled, amused.

"Uh, yeah, hefty all right," Dupré agreed.

"Oh, it can't be that bad," I smirked. "What is gold between friends?"

"Well," Dupré said, "It has collected interest..."

We went to the tavern at Minoc at Dupré's request, and I bought everyone a few rounds of drinks along with some meat, bread, and cheese. I joined the others at the table, passed out the goods, and commented, "So tell us about this tab at Trinsic."

Dupré explained. "When I arrived here after the Black Gate deal, Trinsic was the first place I went. Iolo went to Britain." He shook his head a little. "I didn't have any gold, so I worked with Marty for a while. Martin Belesque, mayor of Trinsic," he elaborated. We nodded.

"Me and Marty worked odd jobs for a few months. He saved enough money to buy the tavern. So I worked at the tavern for a while. Even in the serpent wars, me and the guards would go there. After a long day of fighting Ophidians, I would buy the guards a round...and that went on tab."

Andrella and I were beginning to see how this could add up. "And you never paid him back?"

"Well, I was going to. So when I asked how much I owed him, and he told me the grand total..." Dupré chuckled.

"It's not more than that gold bar, is it?" I asked him.

He looked sheepish. "Just a little."

I fell onto the table.

"How much is 'a little'?" Andrella wanted to know.

"Well, I went to pay him back, then he added interest..."

"Can't you pay your tab with that gold bar?" Andrella asked reasonably. "And we'll see what we can do about the rest."

"I would never ask that of you," Dupré responded.

I grinned. "You're not asking. We're offering."

Dupré chuckled nervously. "Well, this gold bar, and a good 25 thousand more..."

I let out a breath of relief. "Well, now, that I can do!" I snickered. "If you didn't have that gold bar, we'd be in trouble."

Dupré looked at me. "You can drop 25 thousand?"

"I have some saved up," I smiled at him.

"Well. You should buy the rounds more often!"

We laughed.

"I didn't know after years of me and the guards drinking ale, it would ever cost so much," Dupré chuckled.

"Too much of this, and we're going to have to ask the Wisps for a material trade," I snickered.

We went outside, where I made a moongate to the Trinsic bank, since that's where the Orb's gate places us. "Well, I can give you twenty-five, if you don't need that gold bar for anything else," I told Dupré.

He looked at the gold bar in his hand. "If I paid Marty, he would be pretty happy."

"Happy enough to give Batlin what he wants?" I grimaced.

"I could definitely ask him about the meeting hall," Dupré nodded.

I rolled my eyes. "I should have expected as much, but he's really using people. Trying to find some place else for meetings..."

"That's why I don't want him to push Sami into a corner," Andrella agreed.

"I hope all of this dealing with him turns out to be worth it," I sighed.

"I hope so too," Dupré chimed in.

I retrieved the gold for him out of the bank and passed it to him. "Well, I'll get going. I'll let you know how it goes," Dupré told us. "Be sure to have fun hugging people."

I laughed. "Hey, now," Andrella protested with a snicker.

"Oh, yes, and how is your friend Kilmas doing?"

"Oh boy," I murmured.

Dupré chuckled. "That good, huh?"

"We're not sure." I grimaced. "He ran off somewhere."

"Just do like we do to Nystul," Dupré teased. He made a gesture like he was calling to someone. "'Hey, Nystul, look over there!' Then we thonk him on the back of his head."

Andrella pretended to be considering it seriously. "Hey, that might just work."

We snickered. "Well, I'll talk to you soon," Dupré chuckled, and turned to leave.

"Hey, Dupré, does it work on Ranger/Bards too?" Andrella called after him.

I laughed. "And don't forget Paladin," I snickered.

"And almost a Druid..." Dupré commented with a smirk as he walked off down the street.

"Not a Druid!" I yelled after him. Andrella laughed.

Andrella and I went back to Shadow Keep, rather hoping that Kilmas had somehow managed to find his way back, but there was no sign of him. We searched the building and the grounds, finally ending up standing on the grassy knoll overlooking the water where we had last seen Kilmas.

"There is no telling where he is," Andrella commented. I sighed.

We stood gazing out over the water in silence for several minutes. Finally I changed the subject.

"I've been thinking about the Black Sword. We need to get rid of Erethian..."

"Aye," Andrella agreed.

I kept my gaze on the waters. "So I'm going to pick it up."

"Nope," Andrella quipped immediately in the same tone that she'd said "aye" before. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Look, if we're lucky, I can just hit the gem and be done with them both," I pointed out.

"And if we're not?" she asked.

I chuckled. "Well, uh, we don't think about that."

"No, we do think about it," Andrella insisted.

I sighed. "Well, what can we do?"

She was silent. I let the question trail off rhetorically, shifting to a slightly less painful angle of the topic. I suggested that either way, I wanted to check on Sygil's house sometime soon and make sure that all was well there. She agreed readily, but the silence was still there between us.

Finally, Andrella asked, "You've held the sword before...right?"

Slowly I nodded. "Aye. That's why I'm thinking it should be me."

"I... I guess I'll trust you on this." Andrella looked decidedly unhappy. "But if anything happens to you..."

I sighed. "I wouldn't feel right letting someone else do this in my stead. Although...I am leaving you with a possible danger too. If anything goes wrong..."

Andrella looked at me. "I will trust you, Kianne. That's what friends are for."

I was only able to return her smile faintly. "I hope I can trust in myself."

We sat in silence by the water for some time. Finally I did what I've been doing all week--I put it off.

"We could cross the water here, in a straight line, and just track him from there...and maybe we could find him," I spoke up, referring to Kilmas.

Andrella seemed relieved to be off that topic. She gazed at the arm of mainland visible across the water. "Do you have a ship?"

"No." I shook my head. "No skiff either."

Andrella snickered. "No Dupré to carry it, either."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I know," I responded teasingly. "Where is Dupré when you need him?"

Then I turned my head and to my utter astonishment, I spotted Dupré heading for us. "Well, speak of the devil!"

Dupré was stumbling as if he was a little drunk. "Hey, Dupré!" I called cheerfully, running up to him. "Where'd you hide the skiff??"

He chuckled. "There you are..."

I reached out. "You okay? You look a little wobbly."

"I just got back from Marty's. He had a party with all the money."

"How did it go?" I asked, then eyed him critically. "Pretty good, I take it?"

"Well," Dupré agreed, "we have a date for mass... I guess..."

"He's going to allow it?"

"He would allow a cow auction, he said," Dupré laughed. "So I guess that's a yes."

I ran a hand through my hair. "Wow, that must have been some party."

"Yeah... I came to tell you something very important though," Dupré commented. He put a hand to his head. "But I forgot what that was."

I fell over.

Dupré groaned a little. "I sounded like Nystul, didn't I?" When we laughed and nodded, he shook his head. "Oh boy, that's when I know I had too much."

"You, having too much to drink," I spoke up. "Now that is a lot."

Dupré chuckled, then took a breath and straightened up. "Okay, let me start over without sounding like a baboon."

Andrella and I snickered.

"I came here to tell you something before I go to bed," Dupré reiterated. "Your old friend is locked up in Trinsic jail. Kilmas, was his name?"

Andrella smacked her forehead. "What!?" I let out. "What'd he do?"

"He came flying in on a magic carpet," Dupré explained. "Not sure what he did."

I sighed. "Well, at least we know where he is. Thanks, Dupré."

He nodded. "I better go take care of some sleep business."

We chuckled. "Need a moongate?" I asked. "I'd be scared to see you cast Recall right now."

He agreed with a laugh, and I dropped him off at Britain. From there, Andrella and I went on to Trinsic.

I'm not actually sure why, but I remembered where the jails were located, despite the fact that I'd only walked by them and made note of them idly in the past.

Inside, we walked up to the guard who was standing by the gate that led into the hallway of jail cells.

"Hail," I greeted him pleasantly, making no move to try to get past the guard. "May we speak with one of the prisoners?"

"Visiting hours are over," the guard responded curtly. I sighed.

"It is important that we speak to a prisoner," Andrella persisted.

He looked at her and blinked. "Andrella?" he asked, and I found myself smiling. If the guards here know Andrella, that would make it all go a lot easier.

She nodded, and the guard smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you! You're the one who hangs out with the Avatar, aren't you?"

For some reason, his description of Andrella took me so much by surprise that I almost laughed out loud. Andrella seemed to find it amusing as well. "Aye, that would be Kianne."

"Where is the Avatar?" the guard asked, interested. Andrella giggled.

I made a little wave with my hand. "I'm right here," I chuckled.

He turned to face me. "Avatar? My apologies!"

"Tis quite all right," I assured him with a smile.

"I thought you wore a golden ankh," the guard explained, bringing me pause. It is sometimes surprising to me what ends up becoming common knowledge in communities...

Andrella spoke up before I could formulate a response. "Usually she does. It's being cleaned."

I resisted the urge to cough. I suppose you could put it that way, in a manner of speaking...

The guard nodded his head, not finding anything wrong with this explanation. "Well, let's make an exception tonight." He moved over to unlock the gate beside him.

"Thanks!" we smiled. "We appreciate it."

We found Kilmas in the second jail cell over. "Andrella! Kianne!" he called as soon as he spotted us. "Help me!"

"Kilmas," I sighed, "why are you in there?"

"They locked me up," he complained. "I don't know why..."

"Yes, you do," Andrella retorted. "You know perfectly well what happened."

"I was just minding my own business!" Kilmas insisted.

I tapped my foot. "Kilmas..."

He looked from my face to Andrella's. "It was an accident! I won't do it again!"

Now we're getting somewhere.

"What was?" Andrella had to prompt.

Finally he relented. "Hitting a guard with a rock. It's not like I hurt her!"

Andrella shook her head. "You threw a rock?" I asked in disbelief.

"She was yelling at me to stop whizzing around on my carpet," Kilmas explained bitterly. "So I threw a rock at her. I didn't mean to hit her--I didn't know I was a good aim!"

This, I thought ruefully, was probably the first time I'd ever heard him not claim to be perfect at whatever the subject happens to be.

"It doesn't matter," Andrella informed him. "That's a total lack of respect."

"I tried to say sorry," Kilmas assured us rapidly. "But she just grabbed me before I could apologize. She jumped onto my carpet!"

"Don't tell me you shoved her off or anything," I commented ruefully.

Kilmas gave a nervous chuckle.

"Kilmas!" I let out, exasperated.

"Okay, I won't tell you, but I'm sorry," Kilmas responded. "I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to her. Just help me out, okay?"

Andrella crossed her arms. "I have a hard time believing you've learned your lesson."

It looks like he hadn't. It's a shame, because after the walk through Magincia, I was thinking maybe he was going to turn around, but it's been a backwards slide ever since.

"I can't stay here," Kilmas protested. "I'll starve. These muffins are for dogs!"

I took a glance at the plate of muffins sitting on the floor. They were actually still hot and fresh, and looked pretty good to me--particularly considering they were better than stale bread...or a moldy wedge of cheese, for that matter.

"They look nice to me," Andrella commented, picking up on my line of thoughts perfectly.

"Cold stale muffins are not for royalty," he pouted.

"They are not cold and stale. Quit lying," Andrella retorted.

"You are in jail!" I pointed out in exasperation. "Not a throne room!"

"A Valence in jail!" Kilmas echoed as if it was the most unheard of thing. "In jail!"

Andrella turned. "Actually Kianne... Didn't we have that thing to do?"

I took the hint smoothly. "Yes, we do. And he's nice and safe in here."

"No, no!" Kilmas pleaded. "Don't leave me here!"

"He's well fed too," I nodded my head, pretending to ignore him.

"Aye, he looks pretty comfy," Andrella agreed.

"Please!" he begged. "Pretty please with sugar on top?"

"No books in jail though," Andrella pointed out. "Ahh well, he doesn't need any of the finer things in life. He's a Valence! He can handle anything."

"If we let him out, he'll be like Navien," I joined in. "He'll just keep landing back in jail."

"No, I wouldn't," Kilmas protested.

"Or telling us he can do things on his own," Andrella finished for me. "And hit a guard with a rock. Or slap the king. Who knows?"

"I know that with my great power comes great responsibility," Kilmas assured us, gripping the bars with both hands.

That made me stop, being one of the most ridiculous things I've heard him say. "You know that?" He sure doesn't show it.

Andrella sighed. "Kilmas, what will you do if you are freed?"

"I will... go read the star tome?" he suggested hopefully. "I was getting to a good part about the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom and junk."

The Codex!?

"I won't even throw rocks at you," he finished.

"No kidding," Andrella agreed. "I'd beat you."

"You have to know I am a great aim. Lend me your bow, Kianne, and see what I can do."

Andrella turned on her heel and stalked for the door. "That's it, I'm outta here."

"Wait!" Kilmas cried. "I'm sorry!"

Andrella returned to his cell. "I don't want to hear anymore how 'wonderful' you think you are," she informed him hotly. "I don't want you to speak of Valence. From now on, you will be Kilmas. That's it. Just Kilmas."

He stared at her.

"No more Valence," Andrella insisted. "You are to behave like a peasant from this moment on. Or you can stay there and rot."

Kilmas was silent for a moment, considering it. "A peasant..." Finally, he turned his back on us. "I would rather rot."

"So be it then." We turned and walked toward the exit.

"I guess you don't care," Kilmas called after us as we left. "You're used to your father being here..."

As soon as I heard those words I reacted reflexively, stopping dead in my tracks and immediately taking two steps sideways, effectively getting myself out of Andrella's way. And just in time. She spun back and stormed by me, marching back over to Kilmas's jail cell door. The anger on her face was such that even Kilmas realized he'd stepped over the line; he scrambled backward, out of her reach.

"Excuse me?!?" Andrella growled. "You little runt!"

"Kilmas, you really need to learn to quit when you are not behind..." I murmured.

Andrella was still fuming. "You better be glad that this gate is between you and me or I'd rip your little head off! You spoiled rotten little brat...!"

"How can you say that you'll leave me here until I deny my royal blood?" Kilmas shot back.

"It's a test, Kilmas," she informed him. "And you failed miserably. You will never be able to don the Virtue of Humility." She shrugged. "But that means nothing to you."

"I know Humility," Kilmas protested. "I said I was sorry."

"That's a lie," Andrella spat. "You are not sorry."

I sighed. "We need to work on Honesty too..."

"Maybe you should sit in here a couple of weeks and think about that," Andrella told him.

"A couple of weeks!?" Kilmas repeated. "They said it was only one night!"

Andrella smirked. "I could pull some strings."

Kilmas looked genuinely aghast. "You wouldn't!"

"I don't like your attitude," Andrella reminded him. "You need to change it."

"Okay, if I change it can you help me?"

Andrella was firm. "Not until I see an improvement."

Kilmas pouted. "I was just in a bad mood from earlier. I truly didn't know that rock was going to hit her. I just didn't like being yelled at."

"Control your temper and don't throw one next time," I suggested.

"Not even if I miss?"

Andrella rolled her eyes.

"Would you like someone buzzing around you on a flying carpet?" I asked him pointedly.

"There was a big party going on over there and I tried to walk there," Kilmas explained. "But they said I wasn't invited. So I tried to fly over the wall."

"And you weren't invited," I smirked.

"I was just looking."

"You weren't invited," Andrella repeated. "It was none of your business. Being nosey can get you into trouble."

"That's what the guard said," Kilmas commented. "And I said I can do what I want because I'm related to Andrella."

"YOU WHAT!?" Andrella bellowed.

"Ho boy," I sighed.

"Stop talking about me to other people," Andrella demanded.

"Well, if you would have gone I bet they would have let you in," Kilmas pouted.

"That's not the point."

"Why? I'm Valance too."

"I'm not famous here because I'm a Valence," Andrella told him. "People know me for other reasons."

"If you keep this up, people will know you for other reasons too," I commented to Kilmas with a faint smile. "And they won't be good ones. There are two ways to be famous, you know..."

Kilmas scowled. "They referred to me as a scoundrel..."

"Yeah, I can see why," Andrella responded.

"Maybe you just need some time to cool down," I suggested. "They will let you out tomorrow, right?"

"I agree with that," Andrella nodded. "We'll come pick you up in the morning. I think you need some more time to think as well."

We turned to leave, again. "Eat the muffins before they get cold," I said over my shoulder. "They look good."

"No!! Please!" he begged.

Andrella paused. "I'll have the guard bring in some parchment and a quill. I'll want a letter of apology to the guard you hit. And it better sound good or you'll do it over." She stared at him as he glared sulkily at her. "You have a problem with that?"

"No," Kilmas agreed after a moment. "I'll do it."

Andrella smirked. "I didn't think so."

"Then can I get out?"

"In the morning."

"The morning!" Kilmas echoed. "That's like after a whole night!"

Andrella laughed. "Good, we understand each other. We'll see you in the morning."

She led the way back out to the entry hall of the jail. "Good night, Kilmas," I offered, but he was whining too much to hear.

Andrella asked the guard for the parchment and quill as she had promised to do, and when that was taken care of, we left the jail hall.

Outside, the two of us gave simultaneous sighs.

"He was being too bratty," Andrella commented as a way of explaining. "I wouldn't feel comfortable letting him out tonight."

I nodded my head. "I agree. Let's check on Sygil's."

The guards were positioned all around the house, at the doors and every window. We spoke briefly with the ones at the door. "All is well," they told us. "You may go in and check any time. We will report any suspicious activity immediately."

We thanked them and retreated a short distance away to discuss things.

"When were you going to pick it up?" Andrella asked me. "Or have you fully decided that yet?"

Her words reminded me that I needed to stop putting it off. "I could tonight. I'd need to prepare."

She nodded slowly. "It's up to you. Though I feel guilty letting you do this."

"I couldn't ask you to," I reminded her.

"You wouldn't have to. I would do it in a heart beat to save you from doing it."

I looked at her. "Andrella..."

She smiled faintly. "However, you have held it before..." She didn't need to complete the thought.

I was silent for a moment; then, I remembered that she would still have a task to do. "Oh, here." I dug out my glass sword and handed it to her. "If my eyes glow red, use this."

Andrella took it, but not happily. "That's not funny."

I grimaced. Nystul had made it sound comical, but I was speaking in all seriousness. "You're the only one I could trust to...do it right." I shook my head. "Remember, you have to take the head off of an immortal."

Andrella gritted her teeth.

I sighed, realizing how that must have sounded. "Sorry. That's what Connor's always said."

"I will do what I can," Andrella said finally. "But..."

I sighed again. "I'm sorry. If there was another solution you know I would take it."

Andrella nodded and managed a small smile. "You are brave."

I laughed slightly. "Not as much as you. You always run into trouble in front of me."

"I am here to protect you," she stated. "That's what I will do. If it means I have to..." She trailed off and looked down at the glass sword.

"In that case, it wouldn't be me anymore," I reminded her firmly. Then I lifted the Orb and made a moongate back to my house to prepare.

I cleaned out my backpack, placing all of my items into a chest in my house or in my bank box. In the event that the worst possibility became reality, I didn't want Arcadion to have any advantages.

I decided after a moment to leave my usual armor on, but I got rid of all of my weapons, including my bow. I also made sure that I was carrying no reagents so that Arcadion could not cast spells--at least, Britannian ones. I've never felt so light in a long time.

We walked out onto my porch. "Do you think you'll need to charge the sword's mana?" Andrella thought to ask.

I looked at her. "But that gives him power to open another gate. Remember? He said he'd take us to where Sygil was if we gave him more mana."

I hadn't directly considered the matter, but now that she'd brought it to the forefront, I realized this plan might not work after all. What if the sword needed to be fully charged before it could destroy the gem? At the moment it had no mana at all; I had noticed that while we were speaking with it before.

Andrella nodded. "But Sygil was gaining mana... oh."

It dawned on both of us at the same time. It was the exact opposite of what we had originally all thought. We had been under the assumption that the sword needed mana, and so, before his disappearance, Sygil had been charging it. That had been the mistake we had all made--for when Arcadion's mana reached a high enough capacity, he was finally powerful enough to get revenge on his master. He couldn't destroy Sygil or possess him, but he was able to teleport him somewhere else while leaving the Black Sword behind.

It was so clear I wasn't sure why we hadn't thought of it sooner.

"We don't want him gaining mana. Right." Andrella nodded her head with a sheepish grin.

"I don't know if this will work or not, but I agree--we can't afford to let Arcadion have any mana. If he ports us..."

Andrella agreed, and we were decided.

I gave Andrella the gem holding Erethian, and we returned to Sygil's house. Once there, I also handed her the Orb of the Moons. That left nothing of significance on my person.

We greeted the guards again and they allowed us into the house. Andrella and I walked silently up the stairs, saddened at the stillness that reminded us of a missing friend. I paused outside the door to Sygil's bedroom, gathering my nerves, then I shoved it open and walked into the room.

The Black Sword hadn't been moved. I stopped at the bedside and stared down at it for a moment, steeling myself.

"Yes, Avatar, revive me," Arcadion breathed.

"Not a chance." I was determined, then and there, to make sure that Arcadion ended up regretting this more than I did.

I reached down before I could have further misgivings and wrapped my fingers around the handle of the sword. As soon as I lifted it from the bed, I felt a strange, chilling sensation sweep over me like a breeze. Andrella later told me that my eyes had flashed red, just like Sygil's. I pressed my eyes closed until the feeling subsided a moment later, then opened them and blinked. I felt fine and perfectly normal.

"I'm all right," I assured Andrella with a grim smile. "Let's get this over with."

I sheathed the sword as we started down the stairs; Andrella and I had decided to destroy the gem in the woods where there was less chance of something going wrong, but I didn't want the guards to see us walking off with the Black Sword. The blade glowed briefly as I put it away, trembling slightly before going still. I noticed that the handle had grown warm, and for some reason this increased my apprehension.

Once we were a good distance from Sygil's house, Andrella placed the gem of entrapment on the ground and prepared herself. I wrapped both hands around the long handle of the Black Sword, drawing it forth and raising it into the air.

"No, Avatar..." Arcadion's voice was quiet, insidious. "You do not have the power to do that. I need mana..."

That must be what he told Sygil, why we had all thought he would need mana... I gritted my teeth and ignored him, swinging the sword toward the gem.

A cylinder of black fire erupted, from the sword or the gem, I wasn't sure; it engulfed me and aborted my swing. With a cry I fought against it, straining to bring the sword around, unaware of anything else happening around me. After several moments of the assault, I was unable to hold up, and I stumbled back, away from the gem, until finally the fire died away.

I found myself on my hands and knees, facing away from the gem, strangely with one hand still gripping the Black Sword even despite all of that. I huffed for several seconds, determined, and unwilling to give up. I had to do this. I had to finish what Sygil had started, to honor his memory. I couldn't let Arcadion and Erethian win...

I dragged myself to my feet and moved back closer to the gem. Andrella was watching me worriedly, but she didn't try to stop me. She witnessed everything with clenched fists, as if silently willing me on.

Once again I gripped the Black Sword with both hands, this time raising it over my head, towering over the gem on the ground. I took one long, deep breath and gathered all of my willpower, then brought the blade down in a single vicious, arcing swing.

The black fire spewed forth as before, but this time the blade connected with the gem. Distantly, I heard the sound of the gem shattering into a thousand tiny pieces, echoing through the air. I had no time to feel victorious. The fire was still buffeting me, as if in fury. I struggled to drop the Black Sword and couldn't. It was as if my fingers were glued to its ebony surface.

I heard Andrella call my name, but she sounded far away.

The only thing I could see was the black fire, and the sword in my hands. With a detached sort of fascination, through the red haze of pain, I saw that the blade had cracked. "The sword..." I gasped out, or at least I tried to.

And in that moment, I was finally able to sheath the sword, and the assault died down finally, leaving me on my knees, weak and battered. I made a valiant effort to stand, and failed miserably; my legs buckled and I felt myself falling. I landed right in Andrella's strong grasp as she caught me, preventing me from hitting the ground. She quickly used her runebook to create a moongate, then lifted me up as if I weighed nothing and carried me through. I was much too drained to protest.

Andrella carried me into my house and up the stairs to my bedroom, where she laid me on my bed and began to administer first aid. I think my skin was scorched, and my face was probably as pale as I felt, but what she was doing was helping. "I feel like a train ran over me," I murmured in a whisper, trying to stay in good spirits.

Andrella grinned, not bothering to ask about the train reference. "You did it! I'm proud of you!"

I nodded in relief. "The sword's not gone...but the gem is..." I managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Andrella... and for carting me here..."

She chuckled. "I told you I'd help you." Then she asked me more seriously, "Are you feeling normal, other than the blast?"

I took a moment to consider it. "I feel the same... Just beat." Even my voice was shaky, I noticed ruefully.

Andrella nodded. "Well, I should go and let you sleep this off."

Sleep. That sounded like a great idea to me. But my gaze fastened on Andrella as she started for the door. "Andrella..." I spoke up, stopping her. "Can you...stay here? Just in case?"

She nodded instantly. "You bet. Let me go lock the door first." She smiled.

"You can...tell the guards if you want..." I commented sleepily. After all, they no longer have anything to guard. Not that it was a pressing matter at the moment, but for some reason, it seemed to be to me at the time.

"I will."

"But I'm afraid... if the sword... during the night..." I was too tired to complete the thought.

Andrella smiled at me. "I will watch over you. Just go to sleep."

"Thanks..." And I was gone.

"Good night," Andrella murmured, but I was already asleep.

---

[3/12/2004]

When next I opened my eyes, I immediately felt disoriented. My memory was intact; I remembered perfectly well the Black Sword and collapsing on my bed, although some parts of the encounter were dim and hazy. Still, something was amiss, and it took me several seconds of blinking in confusion for it to register.

I wasn't in my house. I was lying on a bed in a small stone room which appeared to be in Lord British's castle, although from here it was difficult to say. Stiffly I sat up; I was wearing nothing but a white gown, and my backpack and all of my items were nowhere to be seen.

Frowning in helpless confusion, I looked around myself, wondering if I was dreaming. Flowers in pots and jars, of all shapes and colors, were gathered in a beautiful array in one corner where they were out of the way. On a table was a large bound book, like a guest book, and a bag which was clearly full of some items, but of course from here I had no idea what. Another table held water, lots of it, in multiple containers.

Puzzled, I debated trying to stand up, but my arms were already shaking from where I was using them to hold myself up. I felt heavy and stiff, and my limbs moved only grudgingly.

Then the door opened and Jaana entered. As soon as she spotted me she smiled widely. "Well, good morning!" she greeted as she walked over to my bedside.

I was just happy to see a familiar face. "Jaana!"

She continued to smile as she ran a wet cloth over my forehead and face. "Well, you don't have amnesia," she commented lightly.

By this point I was sure that something had gone wrong. For a moment I almost panicked, having a horrible thought that maybe Arcadion had won after all, and possessed me, and what had I done? My thoughts were in a whirl, and nothing much was making any sense to me. "How long was I out?" I sputtered.

Jaana politely ignored the question as she examined me carefully. "A complete recovery," she murmured, which, instead of making me feel better, almost caused me to panic worse. But she went on, "You'll be just fine. You've lost some strength. You'll need to take it very easy for now."

I recognized that she wasn't going to tell me what had happened. That fact alone should have scared me even more--after all, if I had done something dreadful, she wouldn't want to have to break the news to me. Yet, for a reason I can yet explain, my fears began to dissipate instead of grow. My body began to relax and, though I was still bewildered, I felt more at ease.

Jaana reached out a hand and helped me to slide off the bed. My legs were weak but held me. "Walk to the door and back," she instructed. I did as she told. I still felt stiff and a little unsteady, much to my frustration. When I returned to where I had started, Jaana helped me to sit down in the chair sitting beside the bed.

There was a light knock on the door, and Andrella came in. "Look who's awake," Jaana smiled.

"Kianne!" Andrella beamed. "Wow, it's good to see you moving again."

I smiled in return. She asked me how I was doing, and I explained, "I'm still a little shaky, but I'm doing better." Much better than when I had collapsed into her arms, at any rate.

The door opened again, quietly, and Dupré stuck his head through. "Kianne?" he asked, having heard voices.

"Dupré!" I smiled. "Come in!"

He did. "You're back!"

I nodded with a wry smile. "Aye, back in the land of the living."

Dupré gave me a friendly pat on the back, until Jaana shooed him away by saying I was still sore. We both just smiled at that. "Sore is nothing," Dupré teased.

Andrella chuckled. "That was the longest nine days of my life."

"Nine!?" I echoed in disbelief. "I was asleep for nine days??"

"When a patient awakes from a coma, you must be easy with the information," Jaana admonished with a chuckle. "Or she will become more disoriented."

Andrella snickered. "Sorry."

"How could I get any more disoriented than I was when I woke up here?" I protested with a laugh. "Last I remember I was in my bedroom."

Dupré looked at me. "Why didn't you tell me you were going for the sword?"

I grimaced. "Sorry. I just thought we'd get it over with." Then a thought occurred to me. "Where is the sword?"

Andrella patted her backpack. "I've been lugging it around. Along with everything else." She chuckled. "It's cracked and not cursed anymore."

I blinked. "Really? I wasn't able to put it down before I passed out..."

Dupré answered, "Nystul confirmed it."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I knew you would make it out of that coma," Dupré smiled.

I looked up. "I'm sorry I worried you..."

We were interrupted when the door opened again. This time Lord British entered. I immediately pushed myself out of the chair so that I could bow. "Please," he smiled, and I sat back down to get off my weak legs.

"I heard the word," the king explained. "You did well." He smiled.

"I am glad it worked." My smile was a little rueful. It almost hadn't worked. Talk about biting off more than you can chew.

Lord British nodded. "And for that the kingdom once again owes you its gratitude. Your risk will never be forgotten."

I didn't know what to say. Andrella and Dupré were smiling at me.

As if he understood, Lord British did not wait for a reply. "How is she, Jaana?"

I am amused that he asked her instead of me. He surely knew I would simply say I was fine.

"She should be able to leave soon," Jaana replied. "Her body is healing well."

"You were as white as a corpse for a few days there," Dupré commented.

"We were very worried," Lord British agreed.

I shook my head in stunned amazement. "I... I had no idea..."

Jaana looked down at me. "Your hand is still scorched black in the palm, but that should fade soon."

Reflexively I lifted my right hand to gaze mutely at my palm. "Last I remember, Andrella said she would keep watch," I murmured. "And then I went to sleep..."

The others nodded. "Then you started going into convulsions," Andrella explained. "And gasping for breath. I didn't know what to do..."

I looked up at her, at a loss for words for a moment. "But Arcadion is gone?" I asked finally.

"We believe so," Lord British said.

"I hope so," Andrella grimaced.

Their reactions weren't quite reassuring. "How is the gem in the sword?"

Andrella nodded her head slightly in understanding of my question. "Still intact. Just the blade is cracked."

"But it's been safe for you to carry?" I had to be sure.

She nodded. "Nothing has happened. The blade is silent now."

I leaned back with a sigh of relief. "I'm glad for that, at least..."

"That's 'cause he messed with the wrong Avatar," Dupré spoke up suddenly, shocking a laugh out of me. It hurt to laugh, but at the same time, it felt good too.

"Kianne, take your time and heal," Lord British spoke. "I will leave you, but know I commend you greatly. Come and see me when you are as good as new."

I nodded and assured him that I would.

As he left, I turned my head to look up at Jaana. "How long, Jaana?" I asked. How long before I was as good as new?

She considered the question seriously. "I would like you to rest here for a few more days."

"Days!" Dupré echoed, and I chimed in with an impatient sigh.

"She needs some fresh air," Andrella smiled.

"Yes, she does," Dupré agreed with a nod of his head.

Jaana could only laugh slightly and shake her head with a small sigh, knowing she was being out-voted.

Determined, I stood up. "See, I'm fine!" I grinned. My legs wobbled. Andrella snickered.

Jaana gave in. "Well, I don't want you to be too active."

My stomach growled. "I'm starving. Let's get something to eat."

Jaana instructed me to partake of only soft foods for now. "And no ale. Not even a little. Not even around it. No ale."

Everyone looked at Dupré. "Why are you looking at me?" he joked, and I laughed.

Andrella picked up the bag sitting on the table and told me that Iolo had brought some things for me. "Iolo?" I repeated in surprise as I took it.

"Well, Gwenno brought it for him," she corrected.

"Can Gwenno leave Dawn?"

Andrella nodded. I thought that was good, at least. Although I wished Iolo could as well...

I opened the bag and found some elven wine along with some cubes of meat. "Spam," Dupré identified brightly, and I laughed so hard I almost doubled over.

Jaana made me promise not to drink elven wine until I'd eaten other foods. "You need some nutritious food. The wine only makes you feel full."

I was happy to agree, since I was hungry enough at the moment to devour almost anything. I quickly gobbled down the spam--it tasted kind of like ham--and left the wine for later. "Okay, I'm ready to go eat more," I grinned.

"I'll allow you to leave," Jaana told me, "but I don't want you to be alone for even a moment. Such a coma could have a relapse at any time."

I looked at her sheepishly. "I'm fine, really..." Then I grinned at Dupré and Andrella. "Although I won't mind your company."

Jaana commented neutrally, "You may be immortal in age, but your body is proven to be quite mortal."

I grimaced.

"You need to be very careful," she reminded me.

"I will." I nodded. "Andrella will make sure of it." Andrella laughed.

Jaana looked at the knight. "Andrella, see to it that she is under no stress at all." Silently, I thought that was a tall order; I'd already lost nine days as it was...

But Andrella nodded cheerfully. "Okay, send Kilmas away, gotcha."

I snickered. "Let's go. I need shoes," I giggled, looking down at my bare toes poking out from my nightgown.

Andrella laughed. "Maybe you should get dressed first."

Taking the hint, Dupré moved toward the door. "Well, let me take care of business. I'll meet with you soon."

"Okay!" I smiled, and waved farewell.

Andrella handed me my backpack, containing the few items that I had left in it when I had gone for the Black Sword, along with the clothes I had been wearing and a couple of fresh new tunics. I quickly pulled on my clothes and all of my armor, determined to be a patient no longer. For a moment I paused to glance at the Black Sword, which was also in the bag. The blade was cracked just as had been said, and the gem was completely silent.

Jaana straightened up the room. "Well, Kianne, you take care."

I smiled at her. "Thank you, Jaana."

She nodded, then turned. "Andrella, I am depending on you to keep her well. She cannot be alone. She is lucky enough to have survived."

I felt quite sheepish.

Jaana paused near the door. "Though, I truly am thankful to have such a heroic Avatar in the land." She smiled. I blushed.

After Jaana had left, I took a moment to look at the guest book on the table. On the cover page was written, "Get Well Soon, Best Wishes." Inside were signatures. Andrella's was first of course, followed by Dupré and Lord British and Sami. But there were others as well. My eyes grew misty as I looked at each signature in turn. Nystul, Shamino, Gwenno, Sami's father Tomas... Caton, Isaac from the museum, Starfire and Lita, Sophie, Gorjez...and even Kilmas.

I ran my now-gloved hand over my eyes, then on an impulse I picked up the book and tucked it into my bag.

Using the Orb I created a moongate to my house. I wanted to gather up the remaining of my items. Then Andrella and I returned to the keep.

It felt good to be walking in the sun.

"Oh, Kilmas is dying to get the Tome of Stars back," Andrella commented.

I looked at her. "So, how did he turn out? After he got out of jail?"

"He's still rotten as ever," she said, "but he listens a bit more."

I smirked. "How much is a bit?"

"Sometimes he listens and sometimes he doesn't." Andrella laughed.

Inside, we sat down at the table and ate our fill of meat and fruit. I was a little surprised at how much I was able to eat before my hunger was satisfied. I had really been starving.

Kilmas came down the stairs. "Hey!" he cried when he saw me, his eyes wide as saucers. He ran closer and glanced questioningly at Andrella. "I thought she was dead?"

Leave it to Kilmas.

Andrella sent him to his room to play while we ate. We could hear him from the meeting hall. The most significant thing that happened here was when he was complaining that his toys no longer make noises as they used to. I was thinking of the statues which make a noise when you touch them, but what Kilmas brought out were Earth toys. He has actually been to Earth. I asked him about this at great length.

"When was this?"

"A while ago."

"Why were you there?"

"Hawkwind said to look for you. I was looking there."

"How'd you get to Earth?"

"A gate."

"A gate?"

"Yeah."

"What gate?"

"Why?" Kilmas glanced at me. "Do you want to go back?"

I sighed. "Because I don't want the Guardian to be able to get there." He'd once threatened to do just that...

"Oh, I don't think you can stop him." Kilmas was flippant.

I stared at him. "What?"

"He took Valence. He can take anything."

I gave him a grim smile. "You bet we will stop him."

But Kilmas shook his head. "Valence was the greatest kingdom in the universe."

I put that aside and got back onto more important issues. "Where is this gate?"

But Kilmas gave me a stubborn look. "It wasn't here."

I sighed.

"Kilmas, don't get her upset," Andrella spoke up. "Now play with your toys and be quiet."

Kilmas dropped the subject without protest. "Can you fix them?" he asked me.

I picked up one of the little action figures. It'd been a long time since I'd seen something like this. I flipped the little switch on the back. Nothing happened. "Your batteries are dead," I guessed, since I didn't see anything else wrong with them. I handed the toy back to him and explained to him that there wasn't a way to get replacement batteries, unless we went to Earth.

Andrella suggested that Kilmas visit Shade, who had some of the magical noise-making mini-statues. "Don't be gone too long," she admonished him. "Only to Shade's and then right back."

"I know," he agreed. "I told you I would not lie to you."

I found myself smiling at that.

When Kilmas was gone, Andrella commented to me, "I've been going to the masses."

I blinked. "Oh! I forgot about those!"

"There were only two," she assured me.

But I groaned. "I've missed two?" I shook my head. "What did Batlin say about my absence?"

"I explained to him why you were gone. He said he would pray for you."

Pray. Right. "How much did you tell him?"

Andrella smirked. "Nothing to worry about, Kianne. I just said you had an accident." She winked.

An accident. Well, part of it had been an accident.

I asked her about the masses, but she said there was nothing in them of real importance. The sages at the Lycaeum had given Sami their permission, so that part had gone well enough; but the mass there had been small. And then the Trinsic one was quite large. Apparently, Batlin has permission to use the Trinsic location as often as he wishes.

"The only thing really worth noting," she finished, "was that Oakley was bending over backwards slaving for Batlin." She snickered.

"Oh ho." I shook my head a little.

"Batlin does have six or seven high ranking druids that hang out with him a lot," she added thoughtfully. "Not sure who they are though. There was a, um...Vevila. And a.. Mahrba...? Those are two names I remember."

Neither was familiar to me, past or present. "You ought take notes," I teased her. She laughed.

"Oh! And one more thing." Andrella got to her feet and walked over to a chest. "Since you can't wear your ankh.... I had this made for you."

She came up with a beautiful tabard. It was white, sleeveless, and embroidered with a large golden ankh across the front. I admired it for several seconds, then pulled off the tunic I had been wearing and tried on this new one.

Then I couldn't help but laugh. "Batlin will love this!"

"Aye, I can't wait to see Batlin's face," Andrella grinned.

Kilmas returned, complaining that Shade's prices were too high and that he had no money. I commented with a chuckle that we needed to visit Despise. I'd really meant it in a teasing manner, but Kilmas asked me of it further. He was a little confused at first, so I explained to him that one could fight the undead and gain gold, or items which could be sold for gold.

Kilmas seemed quite eager at this idea, and before long we were planning a small expedition to Despise. I suggested to Kilmas that he be our group's mage.

It was a mistake.

As it turned out, Kilmas knew next to nothing about the Britannian spells; oh, he could cast them easily without fizzling, but he did not have the knowledge necessary to know how to properly apply them. He kept casting beneficial spells on the undead, and damaging spells on us. He was being more of a liability than a help.

"An Tym!" he chanted at one point.

"Kilmas, not that one!" I called to him in exasperation.

The spell worked, but not the same as the old Britannian version; this one froze a single creature in time. Impressive, to be sure, but overkill.

"Doesn't that hurt you?" I asked him worriedly.

"It's only a few weeks." Kilmas shrugged.

I shook my head. "Don't use those! Use Britannian spells."

"But those take my energy," he protested.

"Mana replenishes," I informed him.

Kilmas blinked. "Oh."

Andrella had brought one of her knights in training with us, and Ayla also joined us. I was rather irritated to discover that my body was still stiff and worn out; I couldn't yet move as nimbly as I wanted to. Despite my best efforts, my arrows were coming more slowly and doing less damage. If Andrella noticed, she made no comment. Actually, it dawned on me that if Dupré or Jaana were here, they would probably give me an earful, for fighting so soon after coming out of the coma. But I was determined that I would no longer be a burden.

At one point, Kilmas asked again about my bow, wanting to use it himself. I told him there were plenty he could take from the skeleton archers. But he discarded that idea with disdain, because those bows were not magical.

So, just to prove a point, I fetched a wooden bow and a quiver of arrows off one of the downed skeletons and used them instead of my own.

"See, Kilmas? Don't need a magic bow," I smiled.

"You can just turn off the magic?"

"No, no. I picked up a bow from the skeleton archers."

He considered that for a moment. "My father told me not to brag," Kilmas said finally, and I nearly dropped the bow in surprise. "And you are bragging."

Andrella made a noise of disgust, but I spoke before she could. "No, I'm showing you that you could do the same."

"Oh." Kilmas shrugged. "I would but I am hungry."

"Hungry?" I repeated.

"I would rather cast spells tonight."

Andrella shot him a pointed look. "So what? You are done hunting?"

Kilmas shook his head. "No, I am saying I don't want to show you my skill with a bow tonight."

Give him some more time, I thought ruefully, and he'll come up with a fourth excuse...

We did well, considering. I wasn't in my top form, and Kilmas was still misfiring his spells, but Andrella's presence made up for both of us. Even so, we stopped at the level before the one populated by Wights and poltergeists. We were only here for some gold, after all; there was no need to wade into all of that.

We returned to the keep, but Kilmas's attitude hadn't improved. I finally said I was going for a walk and wandered off before anyone could protest. It had been nine days. I wanted to see how Andrella's knights were doing. And it felt good to just walk at a casual stroll along the edges of the island.

Andrella found me a few minutes later. "Kianne!" she cried. "You're not supposed to be by yourself!"

I'd forgotten. "He was getting a little on my nerves," I apologized.

"Well, it's getting close to bedtime anyway," Andrella chuckled.

I laughed. "No way. I've slept enough."

"You still have to rest," Andrella admonished sternly. "Resting is different than being in a coma."

"I'm fine. Really."

Andrella just smirked. "I'm surprised you made it this far. You're so stubborn."

I didn't comment on that. As we wandered back toward the keep, I said instead, "Guess I left you alone to do some training, huh?" I chuckled ruefully at the irony. I'd once thought she would be too busy with her knights, but this wasn't quite what I'd had in mind.

Andrella laughed. "I didn't get anything done! I was sitting there with you most of the time."

I gave her an abashed look. "I'm sorry."

"No! Don't be sorry. You didn't make me stay there." She smiled.

We paused near the door. "Goarla came by though," Andrella added as an afterthought.

"Goarla?" I repeated in surprise.

She nodded. "The knights mentioned he was here."

I frowned. "What'd he want?"

"I'm not sure." Andrella shrugged. "He frantically wanted to talk to you and I. That will have to become first on our agenda."

I nodded and thoughtfully added it to my book of notes. "Let's go find him."

Andrella shook her head. "You need some rest."

"I'm not tired at all," I protested. How could I be, after sleeping for nine days?

"Kianne." Andrella planted herself in front of me firmly. "You're staying here tonight. No questions asked."

I looked at her for a few minutes, then turned my head away. "The last time I went to sleep," I commented quietly, "I woke up in the castle. And nine days had passed." I pressed my eyes closed. "I'm not going to sleep again."

"You are fine," she assured me kindly, "but you need some rest. I'm pretty tired too," she added, as if pointing out that there was nothing to be ashamed of over the need for sleep.

I had forgotten to think of her, and it humbled me. "I should let you rest..."

Andrella went on as if I hadn't spoken. "I've been worried sick about you the past nine days. Everyone has."

"I'm sorry..." I began.

"Stop apologizing!" she returned. "We worried because we care. Not because you were mean and fell into a coma selfishly."

I couldn't help but laugh, but my gaze was still on the grass.

"Do you know what Dupré and British said?" Andrella asked suddenly. "They almost wished that you would have released Arcadion rather than lose you."

My head shot up. "What?"

Andrella was smiling gently at me. "Dupré was heartbroken at first..."

I chuckled ruefully. "I'm a little surprised he didn't kill me."

"He wanted to for a second," Andrella laughed.

I gazed out over the sea. "We didn't tell anyone. Looking back, I guess we should have, but..."

Andrella shook her head. "No. They would have stopped us. It had to be done. Your instincts as usual were right."

I smiled faintly. "I'm just glad it worked... more or less."

"And I'm glad you're back," Andrella smiled.

She and I both. "Thanks for taking care of me. I think I said that before too. But it's all a blur."

"Thank you for saving the kingdom." Andrella gave me such a sincere smile that I was forced to look away.

"Someone would have done it," I responded.

"No. Only the Avatar."

I didn't want to comment on her words, so I changed the subject. "Well, it worked out, and all is good, and you go sleep." I gave her a teasing smile.

"You go to sleep," she laughed.

"I don't know if I could trust myself to--"

Andrella grabbed my cloak suddenly and summarily dragged me, sputtering and protesting, into the keep. She finally released me in the meeting hall. "Please," she smiled.

I laughed ruefully and brushed myself off. "Okay, okay," I gave in. Anything to keep Andrella from strong-arming me into bed.

Andrella was silent for a moment, then impulsively she gave me a hug. It took me a little by surprise. I said nothing, sharing the moment with her in silence.

How much I would have worried if the situation had been reversed...

We went upstairs to my little bed above Kilmas's room. I said good night to her and settled down. I hated to admit it, but it did feel good to be lying down again. I laid back, turning onto my side to bury my head into the pillow. A silent resolve was the last thought that ran through my head before I went to sleep.

I will wake up tomorrow...

---

[3/26/2004]

When I awoke that morning, naturally the first thing I asked Andrella was how many days had passed. She laughed and assured me that I'd only slept a single night. It reassures me that I am recovering.

Of course, Kilmas was out of reagents. Again. Turns out he's gone and gotten himself a vendor. I was wondering how in the world he could afford to pay a vendor when he can't even afford to buy reagents, but then Andrella snickered and commented to me that she wasn't sure Kilmas was aware yet that he'd have to pay the vendor. After all, he keeps running around calling her his "slave"...

Andrella and I checked out the vendor as an aside. Kilmas is selling two of his Earth toys that he doesn't like, along with fairy rings and greater invulnerability potions. Not just invulnerability, but greater. Andrella and I exchanged glances and sighed. Looks like nothing we say will get Kilmas to stop using Time magic...

Then we were off to the Reganade Fort to find Goarla. The place began quiet, but quickly filled up as the orcs realized we were there. Andrella was cutting them down like logs. After a bit of this, there was a lull in the action which gave us a moment to straighten up and catch our breaths, and I realized the ground was literally piled with orcish bodies.

We took the opportunity to enter the hut in the center of the fort, where we thought we'd heard a voice. I was confused at first, for if Goarla was in there, why hadn't he come out to watch the "fun"? But that was answered when we got inside.

Goarla was in terrible shape, his armor in shambles, bandages over more than half his body, and splints supporting his leg. He was sitting on a stool, apparently his leg too injured to support him. He had his eyes covered when we walked in.

"Goarla?" we asked.

"Goarla not here," the orc responded. "Goarla gone fighting a strong battle like great warrior he is."

I glanced at Andrella. "It's us, Goarla. Kianne, and Andrella."

He peeked out through his fingers, then lowered his hands with a grunting sigh. "Then you know it is me."

We nodded. "What happened?"

"Ugh," he sighed. "Snake king mad. Mad at me for not finding you."

I sent another glance Andrella's way. Losing nine days had left me confused as to what day of the week it was, and my sense of time passing, and of my schedule, had been entirely uprooted. "We, um, forgot to deliver Blackthorn, didn't we?" I commented sheepishly.

"You don't know why he wanted you to find us?" Andrella asked Goarla, taking the direct route.

"I don't ask!" the orc responded vehemently. "His blade is sharp and he has none of the patience. I looked for you," he added, glancing at us. "But no one was there. I told the Snake King what I knew. I told him that you could not see him. The Avatar was hurt and sleeping." He snorted. "That made him mad."

Well, sorry for being unconscious, I thought ruefully, but I didn't voice it out loud.

More orcs showed up to fight, and Andrella went outside where there was room. I stood on the ramp-like steps that lead into the hut which gave me a better vantage point. I still wasn't doing much damage with my arrows, which rather irritated me, so Andrella was taking the brunt of the work again.

Goarla tried to get up to watch but fell back. "Bring them up here!" he urged.

We allowed a few of the orcs to reach the hut so that Goarla could watch, but at any rate, the ranks thinned out again, and we were left with a few more minutes to speak.

"Look, you've found us now," I pointed out to him. "Were we to go talk to him then?"

"And tell him I found you even if it is not the true?" Goarla asked hopefully. "Please tell him."

"It sort of is," I agreed. "We are here because we heard you were looking for us."

Andrella nodded. "So it is true."

Goarla looked relieved. "It is good that you say that." He nodded his head slightly, then asked, almost tentatively, "Will you tell your king that I am beaten?"

I was a little confused, unsure of his intended meaning. "Tell our king?"

"I wanted no one to see me beaten..." Goarla sighed.

"We will not mention it to anyone," Andrella assured him.

The orc grunted in relief.

"Where will we find the snake king?" I asked.

"He said he is waiting at the only place you saw Shali," Goarla answered, and Andrella and I nodded. The room with the swamp, where we'd first seen Shamino...

We started to leave, but more orcs showed up. Naturally, Goarla cheered for the orcs. "He hit you good, Andrella," he grunted with a pleased grin.

Of course, Andrella was still standing, and her orc adversary was not. "I hit him good that time," she grinned back.

"You always hit good," Goarla agreed. "It is the orcs who are brave to fight you. They have courage."

Andrella winked. "Well, one day soon, perhaps you and I could battle again. See how brave you are."

Goarla nodded his head. "I would like to."

We returned to the Shadow Keep and discussed the situation with the serpent king. Of course, we no longer had the teleportation tile we'd used before, and Balinor's tile had evidently disappeared along with him. There was the possibility of going through the spider queen again, but neither Andrella nor I relished that idea, given it would be only the two of us.

So we finally decided to consult Gorjez, and find out if the star sage would be able to calculate coordinates for Shalilissta's lair.

We found Gorjez in front of the telescope, as usual. I grinned at Andrella, waiting for her to do her customary clap to get his attention. She walked closer and raised her hands, but before she could bring them together, Gorjez startled us both by suddenly turning around.

"What?"

Andrella blinked, her hands frozen in midair. "Oh.. well...hello then." She smiled and we greeted him.

He chuckled in return, then put a hand to his temple. "My head has been killing me."

"Maybe you should rest for a bit?" I suggested.

"Oh, there is no time to rest," Gorjez protested. "I've been studying this...comet."

"The same one from before?" Andrella asked.

Gorjez nodded. "Yes, it has me on edge. Very nervous."

"Why?" I prompted.

He shrugged. "I don't know, really."

I smacked my forehead.

"How long have you had this headache?" Andrella wanted to know.

Gorjez actually had to think about that for a few moments. "Oh...a few days."

I let out a sigh. "Go lie down. In a bed."

"Every time my headache goes away, I come back," Gorjez agreed. "And get another one."

"Well, perhaps the comet is giving you a headache," Andrella suggested logically.

"Oh, I don't think so." Gorjez waved away our concerns, but added, "Well, I haven't been able to focus for too long come to think about it. I have been losing it..."

I tried to get him to let me look at the comet, but he adamantly refused. Of course, he couldn't tell me why, but even assuring him that I wouldn't touch anything wouldn't budge him.

"Gorjez, I think you need a vacation," Andrella commented finally.

He surprised me by agreeing. "Yes, I need a long vacation." But then he added, "My vacation would consist of me standing here. Undisturbed."

"You need to spend a day doing other things," Andrella tried to convince him.

Gorjez shook his head. "I don't think time off would help. I think harder work would. I need to work harder."

Andrella threw up her hands.

"How about coordinates then?" I suggested ruefully, since he suggested it. "We could use a few."

"Coordinates!" Gorjez's eyes lit up. "Great idea. That would be just the vacation I needed."

He took a moment to copy down information from the gears on the telescope so that he could realign it later. "All set!" he grinned finally.

I chuckled. "Well, we need coordinates to Shalilissta's old lair."

Gorjez tapped his chin with his quill. "Well, you know it is dangerous there, so..."

We nodded and repeated the waver to him. Afterward I dusted off my hands. "So now that we are past that..."

"Okay then," Gorjez agreed, and turned to the telescope.

I think he got a little distracted staring at the stars, because after a while Andrella had to clap her hands to snap him back to reality.

Gorjez spun around immediately. "Oh! Hello!"

"The coordinates?" I prompted.

"Oh yes! The coordinates!" And he turned back to the telescope. I sighed.

But he produced the number almost immediately after that. I wrote it down, and we turned to leave. "Farewell for now, Gorjez. Thank you for your time."

Gorjez looked disappointed. "Just one coordinate!? I was having a good time."

I laughed, but wasn't sure what else to ask for. "We will have to find others then." I winked.

"Well, I do need to get back to that comet," Gorjez agreed slowly. "Good luck." And he returned to the telescope.

Back at the Keep, I suggested on a whim of perhaps asking Dupré to come along, since we weren't sure what kinds of battles we would be facing, and I still am not on top form. But, of course, he had been through the serpent wars, and it seemed kind of wrong to ask him to become involved again.

When I voiced this to Andrella, she smiled and commented, "I'm sure he enjoys spending time with you."

I grimaced. "First I ask him to join the Following, now this. He is going to run whenever he sees me."

Andrella laughed, but convinced me to try anyway. So I made a moongate to the castle.

On the way across the drawbridge, looking out over the water, a thought occurred to me. "Andrella," I said suddenly, stopping at the edge of the bridge and looking down at the moat. She paused to stand beside me.

I spared her a glance. "Was I unconscious...or was I dead?"

She knew what I referred to. "You were in a coma I believe. But others thought you may have been dead. I'm not really sure though."

I considered that thoughtfully. "Not that I suppose it matters, but it usually only takes me about a day to..."

I interrupted myself when I suddenly realized that Dupré was pulling his horse to a halt behind us.

"How are you feeling?" the paladin asked as he dismounted to stand beside us.

"Better, thanks." I smiled. "You going for another ride?"

"Not anymore!" Andrella teased. I laughed.

"I was just trying to get away from Nystul," Dupré explained. "He and British are arguing again."

"Arguing?" I repeated.

"Well, debating. But it sounds like arguments to me." Dupré chuckled. "Nystul gets on his rants and he can't be stopped. Maybe he needs a date."

I snickered. "Too bad Kilmas isn't female," I teased, shocking a laugh out of Andrella. Then I grew serious. "Is this a bad time for us to interrupt Lord British?"

"I would let him and Nystul get done first," Dupré agreed. "But he does want to see you, about the core."

I blinked. "The core?" I repeated. "The gem?"

He shrugged. "I'm not too sure what it is about. He'll tell you."

I nodded my head in agreement. "Well, at any rate, care to, erm, come sightseeing with us?" I chuckled a little sheepishly. "We have to visit the Ophidians. The king is a bit miffed."

"Omar?" Dupré winced. "Yikes..."

I understood the sentiment fully.

"I'll tag along if you don't think I'll be in the way," Dupré agreed.

"I'm more worried about myself getting in the way," I grimaced.

Dupré shook his head a little. "Omar has to be the worst Ophidian there ever was to negotiate with. You could never please him, not that I know of anyway," Dupré explained. "He demands respect, but gets really offended if you fear him. He wants you to treat him as an equal, but not look him in the eye. You can't win."

I winced. "I hope this doesn't turn out like before..." Just the thought of sparking another serpent wars, which took so many of our friends, and Shamino...

"I doubt even Omar would want that," Dupré assured me.

I blinked in surprise. "You think so?"

"He may say it, but the Ophidians would think he was crazy and probably turn against him. Of course, you never know." He shrugged. "I never figured them out. We'll just be careful."

I nodded slowly with a sigh. "That's about all we can do. But we should speak with Lord British first." This wasn't something I wanted to go off and do without telling somebody, particularly if the worst case scenario happens...

Dupré went into the castle to tell them that we were here. Andrella and I waited on the drawbridge, watching the water flow.

The paladin returned in short order. "Any luck?" I asked.

Dupré chuckled. "Once I mentioned your name, that got them quiet."

I snickered a little, and we followed him into the castle library, where Lord British and Nystul were gathered.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," Lord British smiled after our greetings. "Actually, I have been meaning to talk to you. We have some disturbing reports that one of those small black cubes still exists in the lands."

I blinked. "There's a blackrock cube somewhere?"

The king nodded, and Nystul spoke up suddenly, "Buc's Den. The power is faint, so I know it's got to be a tiny one."

"Buccaneer's Den?" I repeated, even more disturbed now. "That's where the Fellowship was..."

"No matter how small, it must be found before anything happens," Lord British stated, and I nodded in agreement.

"It's so small that I can't trace it," Nystul pointed out. "Not to mention, it has to be in someone's hands. It always moves."

I considered that. "So someone on the island is carrying it around..."

Lord British overrode Nystul's comments about burning down the entire island. "I would like to leave it in your hands, once again," he said to us.

I nodded my head, and we assured him we would.

"And I must say," Lord British added with a smile as he nodded at my tabard, "that is an exquisite robe."

"Thank you," Nystul responded innocently before I could open my mouth. Absently he brushed off his robe. "But it's kind of old."

I burst out laughing.

Before we left, I asked Nystul about his ability to detect blackrock. "I can detect when someone is trying to open a portal to or from here," the mage explained. "And whoever has the rock is trying to communicate with someone out of this realm."

I grimaced.

"But that's blocked too," Nystul finished. I couldn't help but breathe a faint sigh of relief. But Nystul barely gave me a chance before he was forging on, "But blackrock can be mutated to insane magical levels if you know how to do it just right."

"We will get to the cube before then," I vowed, then asked, "So, no signals coming from anywhere around Yew, right?"

Nystul blinked. "Me? Not me. Someone else has it."

I was already shaking my head. "No no, from Yew. Erm, Empath Abbey."

"My name's not Empath," Nystul protested. I smacked my forehead.

"I guess that means no," Dupré laughed.

"Well, I'm sure he'd tell us if there was," I conceded ruefully.

I guess Batlin is full of hot air...

I changed the topic then, telling Lord British about the Ophidians and how they, apparently, still demand to have Blackthorn. We explained that we were going to meet with the serpent king shortly.

"Try not to start another war, okay?" Nystul asked. I winced.

"I believe Omar will think twice about his strength once faced with Andrella's knights," Lord British commented thoughtfully.

"I hope you're right. I have all the faith in the world in them, of course," I added with a grin.

"Do not allow him to underestimate you," Lord British warned. "He already thinks lowly of humans."

"He sounds like a hard one to please," I agreed.

"Burn him!" Nystul broke in. "A couple of well placed fireballs..."

I groaned. "I only wish my fireballs were that powerful."

"Nystul, isn't it time for you to go to bed?" Andrella spoke up pointedly.

"No, I can stay up later than you, grandma," Nystul returned airily.

"Grandma??" Andrella repeated. "You're the one with the wrinkles and gray hair, you old coot!"

Nystul's expression immediately grew nervous when he realized he'd irritated her. "Uh... Excuse me for just a..." And he turned and raced out of the room, fumbling with the door handle in his haste. For an old man, he can sure move fast.

"You should stop by more often, Andrella," Lord British winked, and we laughed.

"Oh," I spoke up suddenly, remembering. "Dupré mentioned something about the core?"

Lord British nodded thoughtfully. "That is something we will discuss later. There are still some things I am researching about it. But I will let you know."

I nodded my head, and we bid him farewell.

Back at the keep, we prepared for the journey to meet with the serpent king. I began removing any items I didn't absolutely need, storing them carefully away. When I asked whether or not I should bring a rare item, Dupré answered, "I have my doubts that Omar would ask for anything. He despises human things. He always clashed with Shalilissta about that."

I nodded slowly. "Oh, by the way," I commented to the two of them. "Feel free to speak out while we are there. Unless he tells you not to, of course." I chuckled. "I don't mind input."

They agreed, and I took out the Orb of the Moons. Andrella had Blackthorn in her bank box; she decided she would use a bag of holding to get at his gem of imprisonment when needed.

The moongate formed with the coordinates that Gorjez had given us led to almost the same place as the teleportation tile that Shalilissta had provided us before. The swampy room was almost empty, its only decoration a scattering of corpses, dead and gone. Ophidians, terathans, even a gargoyle corpse here or there.

Then I blinked as I realized the room was aglow with green light coming from a communications crystal that sat in the exact center of the swamp. I scratched my head.

"It appears he doesn't want to speak to us face to face," Andrella commented.

As if in response, a voice suddenly sounded from the crystal, "Who goes there?"

I stepped closer. "I am the Avatar." I don't normally identify myself as such, but I wanted to cut straight to the chase. "Kianne," I added as an afterthought, wondering if this Ophidian king had ever before met Michael.

There was a hiss. "The Avatar, at lassst?"

I nodded my head, then remembered the speaker couldn't see me. "Aye. I am here with two companions," I thought to mention, just in case.

"Who?"

"Andrella of Valence, and Dupré the Paladin."

Hissing and slithering sounds emanated from the crystal; it sounded as if there was more than one Ophidian on the other end. Finally, one of them asked, "Who do you ssseek?"

"We seek the serpent king Omar," I responded, hesitating on the name. I couldn't remember his full name; everyone always referred to him as "Omar," but I thought it just a nickname, and a little too familiar for me to be using.

"You ssseek the Serpent King?" the snakes hissed.

"Aye, Goarla sent us here." I decided to throw in a little pitch for Goarla's sake.

"Then call the king by hisss full name!" the voice demanded.

I felt my face grow red and glanced at Dupré. The paladin looked shamed. "I don't remember..." he whispered. Andrella also shook her head.

I sighed and dug out my notes. Well, this was a wonderful quandary. None of us could remember the Ophidian king's name.

"What isss the delay?" the voice hissed angrily. "Do you not know the name of the almighty serpent king!?"

Great, what a terrific way to start out the meeting. I flipped pages frantically. I knew I'd written it down somewhere, but where? The Ophidians were growing impatient for an answer. I replied with the first thing that came to my mind, trying to stall. "T'would be even worse if we mispronounced it."

There was a long, drawn out hiss, like an exhalation of a deep breath. "A wisse thing to ssay..."

Omarssainiasis! Found it! But it seemed like I wouldn't need it anymore, as the speaker went on, "The Avatar does not have the ability to speak ssuch a name!"

More confident now, I spoke with deference, "I will do my best if it is your wish."

"It isss best you admit your shortcomings and beg mercy," the Ophidian replied.

"Then accept my apologies. I did not wish to insult." My response was reflexive, and too late did I wonder whether it was going to make matters worse, given what Dupré and Lord British had said about Omarssainiasis's personality.

Luckily, my comment did not seem to draw undo attention. "Then you call upon Omarssainiasis, the mighty King of Serpents, and you ask forgiveness for your frail language."

I dipped my head, despite the fact that the gesture could not be seen. "It is as you say."

Another hiss. "I will ssummon him. Be certain your spells and all magic is negated, humanss..." And the voice faded from hearing.

I removed all of the items I was wearing which were magical, and out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Andrella and Dupré doing the same. None of us had any enchantments active, so that was not an issue.

A moongate opened across the room, and after a moment Omarssainiasis arrived, alone, but armed with one of the long, fancy halberds that those of his race favor.

Lacking any other guidance, we positioned ourselves in a line before the swamp, as Shalilissta had once demanded. Omarssainiasis slid to his position in the center of the room, regarding us silently for a moment. The moongate closed, leaving the room once again bathed in nothing but the glow from a few fiery braziers, and the eerie green light.

"What sssay you that I have come alone?" he asked finally.

I fumbled, unsure of the proper response. "You are brave and honorable."

"Why wouldn't you come alone? You are the king," Andrella agreed.

"You know we come in peace as well," Dupré chimed in.

"Brave... king... peassse... Three kind wordsss," Omarssainiasis hissed. "Though a wrong impresssssion. Do you think I mussst be brave to come as the king if I know you come in peasssse?"

I winced. I'd known that had come out wrong the moment I'd said it. "I meant it in terms of strength," I tried to explain.

He eyed me, then suddenly dropped the subject entirely in favor of a different one. "Remove your glove."

I blinked in surprise, since my gloves were not magical, but I did what he asked without protest. Since I didn't know which glove he meant, I removed them both, tucking them into my belt pouch.

Omarssainiasis's hiss increased in volume. "Turn away from me, tainted one!" he spat suddenly, shocking me into compliance before my mind could even grasp what was the problem. I realized abruptly that he had been staring at my right hand, the one still scorched and blackened by the bout with the Black Sword. What did that have to do with anything?

"You dared challenge the daemon??" Omarssainiasis scowled. "How fooolisssh you humanss are!"

"I had no choice but to..." I tried to explain.

"Silence!" Omarssainiasis snapped. "I ssshall not speak to one so foolish..."

Boy, I'd really made a hash of things. I continued to face away from him, at a loss for words, my hand closing convulsively into a fist, hiding away the scorch mark as if ashamed. Then I scowled at myself and forced my fingers to release their tension and return to a relaxed position. I wouldn't allow him to get under my skin. Besides which, what is there to be ashamed of? Perhaps it was foolish to pick up the sword, and so maybe I put myself into a coma...but in the end I am still standing, so where is the problem?

Dismissing me, Omarssainiasis went on to the rest of our little party. "Andrella of Valance... What isss thiss?? Gargisssh blades held by a human!?" He hissed again, and I found myself wondering why everyone seems to think that Gargoyle swords are so terrible. "You humansss...is the work of man not good enough for you?"

Andrella carried the swords without apology. "These were given to me by the gargoyles themselves, as gifts. Do I offend the gargoyles by not accepting?"

Omarssainiasis growled. "Not giftsss. Rewards for the slaughter of Lash F'Karik."

"Even so, they have been earned. I am not ashamed to wield them."

"Then challenge me to a duel here and now," the serpent king demanded.

I did not turn, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see a little bit of the battle. Certainly the sounds of the blades clashing reached my ears easily. And soon I discovered that my hands were clenched into fists again.

Andrella held the upper hand, apparently fairly easily, until finally Omarssainiasis was so badly wounded that he could barely slide away from her. Andrella stepped back immediately, sheathing her blades while Omarssainiasis nursed his wounds.

"It cannot be..." he hissed.

"Would it be a great offense if I helped to heal you?" Andrella asked, then stepped forward when Omarssainiasis eyed her suspiciously. "They are merely bandages."

He remained silent while she helped him to wrap up the numerous sword cuts, binding them so they no longer bled. "Enough!" he let out finally, and obediently she returned to her place in the line. "Sshall we do our bussiness then?" She nodded without comment. "You know what it isss I seeek."

He sent a disgusted glare in my direction, which I caught out of the corner of my eye. Andrella took a breath. "Sir, if I may speak on Kianne's behalf... Whether it will help the situation or not, I feel you should know that Kianne did what she did to help our land. She meant no ill will toward anyone."

Omarssainiasis scowled. "The very sssame human iss the death of us alll..."

I wanted to spin about and retort, now just a minute here! With the last of my self control I managed to stay myself, lest I make matters even worse than I had already.

"Kianne has been a tremendous Avatar," Andrella protested in my stead.

"She bringss her cursses to thiss land," the serpent king argued. "Cursses of which I want no part."

Andrella glared at him. "If you speak of Soth, Kianne did not bring him here."

"Sssoth... he is forgotten. I should slay you for saying the name!"

I almost wanted to choke out a snort of laughter; he couldn't slay her if he caught her asleep, and he had to know it. But I kept myself silent, Andrella prudently did not remind him of this fact. "I apologize. It was unnecessary. It will not happen again." She let those words settle, then added more slowly, "May I ask, then, what you speak of?"

Omarssainiasis let out a hiss. "Iss it not Kianne Cassidy who brings the anger of the Elementss!?"

This time I did turn to face him, unable to stop myself. What in blazes is he talking about?

"The Elements?" Andrella repeated, speaking for me, and looking as confused as I was. "You mean what the druid Batlin is preaching?"

"Druid!?" Omarssainiasis echoed the word with a hiss of disdain. "You are blinded by the foolish eyes of humanss."

I wanted desperately to ask him what it is that he knows about Batlin that we don't, but he was already going on, "That iss why I demand the stone holding Blackthorn. You could never assure me thatt he isss no more a threat than to give me hisss stone prison."

"If I may say," Andrella responded diplomatically, "Blackthorn is what caused all of this mess to begin with. He has done terrible things to us as well. Are we not allowed to get our justice?"

"The humanss had their chance. It isss our turn."

"Aye, and we entrapped Blackthorn. Once we had the chance, we took him down."

"Why did you trap him?" Omarssainiasis demanded. "Does he deserve life at all?"

Because he'd just come back to life if we killed him, I responded silently, but I didn't speak the words out loud.

"Giving him death would be a nice punishment for him," Andrella commented wryly. "He longs for it by now I'm sure."

"Give me the prisson," Omarssainiasis repeated. "Then take your curses and your Avatar far away."

I grumbled silently.

"I would like to be able to arrange an amicable agreement, if that's possible," Andrella responded. "Of course you can always deny it."

"Oh...? Amicable? By your terms you mean?"

"Not at all." Andrella seemed patient. "A compromise. You don't like my terms then we will agree on something else."

Omarssainiasis offered her only, "I will lissten..."

She nodded briskly. "My terms are quite simple really. I just want a guarantee that Blackthorn will not be released back into the world. I'm sure that is something easily agreed upon by you?"

The serpent's tongue flashed out in what almost looked like a smile. "And you will give me the stone then?"

"If you agree, I will need something as confirmation of our agreement," Andrella commented.

"Oh? You have more to assk?"

"Well, you are free to give your terms as well," she pointed out. "We are negotiating, correct?"

It was probably a bad opening to give him. Omarssainiasis flat out grinned, no mistaking that expression, and privately Andrella and I agreed we both didn't like the looks of it. "What I asssk is only fair then," the serpent king decided. "Bring me the blade prison of the daemon Arcadion as well."

I blinked in surprise. What did he want that for? Particularly since he considered me so foolish for taking the blade!

Andrella considered it for a few seconds while Omarssainiasis waited impatiently. "Well, I apologize, but I have a hard time comprehending the evenness of this deal."

Omarssainiasis grumbled. "Amicable by your termss..."

Andrella tried to explain. "We are to give you Blackthorn, our enemy, plus the sword of Arcadion, which is...another enemy? Just so that you will agree to signing a confirmation note to never release Blackthorn?"

May as well tack Arcadion onto that note then too, I commented to Andrella wryly.

He rounded back on her, "Do you trussst that your Avatar conquered the daemon?"

Conquered, maybe. Destroyed, I am beginning to seriously doubt.

"I have never doubted my Avatar," Andrella responded, as if reading my thoughts.

Omarssainiasis looked to Dupré, and the paladin nodded. "She defeated the daemon."

Andrella finally decided, "I will agree to those terms if you will agree to one more: adding Arcadion to the 'never release into the world' list." She smirked. "Or in other words, no one else can touch it but you. It's nice as a king to have things no one else can use, isn't it?"

Omarssainiasis glared sharply at her for several seconds. "No one elssse will touch it," he vowed finally.

She nodded briskly. "So, shall I write the contract up now, or how do you plan to make this a firm agreement?"

The serpent scowled. "If our wordsss are not enough then let us lay down to die here with these mongrels."

Interesting. He is saying he has honor.

"Well, I only wonder because you detest humans so much," Andrella commented diplomatically. "It just concerns me that you may use these items against us."

"Do you think I will ussse them against your king, Dupré?" Omarssainiasis shot at the paladin suddenly.

Dupré considered his response for a moment. "We trust you as you trust us."

Which is not at all? I chuckled silently. Omarssainiasis hissed, apparently understanding the unspoken meaning behind the words. What a great answer.

"Then should you sstand against us, we will sstand against you," the serpent mused finally.

"So then, we take your word that you will not use these against us," Andrella nodded. "And we give you our word that we will not stand against you."

"Then if one word is broken, trussst that the other will break," Omarssainiasis acceded.

"Is that the agreement then?"

"It isss."

Andrella glanced hesitantly at me, but I simply gave a tiny nod of my head. I trusted her judgment. And besides, if this is what we had to do to avoid repeating the serpent wars of the past, so be it.

She produced Blackthorn's gem and handed it to Omarssainiasis. "Kianne has the blade."

"Take it from her to deliver it to me."

I rolled my eyes a little at Omarssainiasis's attitude, but did not protest. Drawing forth the Black Sword, I took one last glance at its cracked surface, and the gem still intact in the hilt, before I passed it handle-first to Andrella. "Thanks," she whispered to me.

"No, thank you," I murmured in return, a rueful smile crossing my face.

Omarssainiasis inspected the two items as she handed them over to him. "Yesss..."

"Honor is in his hands now," I commented silently to Andrella.

"I hope this isn't a mistake... I'm a little worried," she confessed, but we both knew we would have to wait until later to discuss it further.

Omarssainiasis glanced at her. "Then we sstand eye to eye, until one stabs the other." He turned with a swish of his tail, dismissing us. "Begone then, and give my regardsss to the your king...."

I desperately wanted to speak up, ask him about Batlin, even if it caused him to think even less of me than he does already. It didn't matter to me, if I had to admit my shortcomings, it was worth it to find out what he might know. But Omarssainiasis disappeared before I could voice the words, leaving us alone again in the chamber.

Letting out a gusty sigh, I reluctantly formed a moongate back to the Keep. As soon as we spread out on the grassy lawn, I quickly dug out my gloves and replaced them onto my hands.

"When he asked for his name..." Dupré shook his head. "I'm sorry. I was just a stick in the mud there."

"Oh, don't worry about it," I assured him. "I had to look it up, myself."

"Your hand is still black?" Dupré asked me, watching my movements.

I sighed. "Yeah. It hasn't healed yet..." I ran a hand through my hair. "But what was that about the Elements? And did you see how he reacted to the word druid?"

Andrella nodded. "I'm not sure why though."

I flexed my fingers thoughtfully. "Apparently I didn't defeat Arcadion. The serpent king seemed to think he was still in the sword. I suspected as much..."

"You must have defeated him," Dupré insisted. "You have a scorched hand, a broken sword, and a nine day coma..." I snickered. "That's not for nothing."

"Well..."

"Nystul said there was no trace of Arcadion," Dupré added.

"Then why was the serpent king interested in the sword?" I pointed out.

"Yeah, well, Nystul also thought Kianne called him Empath," Andrella laughed.

"You know Nystul would not be scared to say so if he thought Arcadion was around," Dupré insisted.

I sighed a little. "Well, Erethian's gem is gone, that was the important thing." I shook my head. "I'm just sorry I was more harm than help with the serpent king."

"You were not!" Andrella protested. "Don't talk bad about my friend or I'll.... uh.. do something."

We snickered.

"I should have stood up to him more about it," Andrella commented thoughtfully, serious now. "but then I started thinking about the Serpent Wars..."

I shook my head. "No, I could have, but it was best not to."

"I had to try not to laugh when Andrella nearly killed him," Dupré chuckled. We snickered some more. "At least you and I didn't have to hit anything," he added to me.

"And Andrella was doing what she does best," I grinned. "Hit things and argue!"I gave her a wink. "Just kidding!"

"Wow, I feel loved," she laughed. "I have to admit, my hands were getting a little sweaty after awhile. I didn't know if he'd agree to anything!"

I chuckled. "You did well," I assured her.

Dupré agreed. "If he thinks Blackthorn is a prize, let him." I snickered.

I offered Dupré a moongate home, but then paused with the Orb in my hand as a new thought struck. "Oh, when is next mass?" I asked, my reckoning of time still confused.

"Trinsic. Six days." Dupré gave a slight smile. "I ought to bow out of that one."

"Oh?"

"The word 'boring' comes to mind. But I'll go if you want."

I chuckled. "You don't have to actually listen," I winked at him. "But we need to get to the bottom of this. I'm really concerned about Batlin now."

Dupré nodded in understanding. "And Shamino can't get a clue."

I sighed. "Maybe if I hadn't made such a bad impression, the serpent king might have told us..."

"If you didn't make a bad impression, he would have had another excuse not to tell us." Dupré shrugged. "I think you could find out yourself easier then prying it from him."

I sighed again, hoping he was right in at least one way, because now we have no choice other than to find out ourselves.

"Kianne will come up with a plan," Andrella spoke up with a grin. "She always does."

I couldn't help but laugh.

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¹ Gold bars are worth 50,000 gold pieces.

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