Kianne's Journal - Archive

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[5/13/2004]

Well, okay, so I didn't get a chance to tell her this morning either. When I finally got up out of bed (late...okay, I was tired), Andrella was bursting at the seams. "Pack up your house," she told me.

I looked at her blankly. "What?"

"Come see." She took my arm and led me out of the keep, down the path past the...uh, museum...and to a new marble structure that had materialized there while I hadn't been looking (I made a mental note to myself to pay more attention to my surroundings in the future). The house was edged by carefully planted flowers and had a fountain out front.

"This one is yours," Andrella grinned, stopping in front of it.

I think my jaw was hanging loose. "Andrella, I can't possibly afford this!" I managed to sputter finally.

"Sure you can. Just trade in the deed to your old house."

"Certainly this one is worth a lot more than mine," I protested.

"Nope," she winked, and walked onto the porch to the iron grate door. "Come look inside."

I followed her in mute astonishment; inside the airy front room was another set of doors, these solid wood. Beyond was a large room, almost cavernous when it was empty. Stairs led up. The entire thing was made out of white marble.

We went upstairs; I was pretty much just following Andrella, still sputtering but speechless. A ladder led to the roof. A door opened into what I guessed would be the bedroom.

"This is huge," I marveled, looking around at the polished marble. I wandered over and opened another door off the bedroom. "Good grief, there's even a hot tub!"

I stood and stared. Like a miniature pool, the marble brick tub was filled with warm, frothy water. Some magic I couldn't comprehend kept the water heated and in motion. Probably the same magic that works the fountain downstairs.

Finally, I turned to Andrella and said teasingly. "Okay, that's it, get out of here, I'm getting in the tub." Just the thought of sinking into those nice warm swirling waters...

She laughed. "Does this mean you'll take it?"

I was taken aback and paused to consider my answer for a moment.

"You've been living in the Shadowland for quite some time now," Andrella noted before I could formulate a reply. "I think it's time you had an upgrade." I opened my mouth, but she forestalled my response again. "Consider it a gift, if you have to."

Finally I sighed. "You know that someday I'm going to have to make this even somehow."

She just smirked, as if challenging me to try.

Turns out that Andrella has commissioned the same people who created my house to upgrade Shadow Keep into a marble structure. To match all of the other buildings on the island, she says. I haven't entirely finished unpacking, but even so, we never did get to any of the shrines today. Oh well, I suppose there is always tomorrow.

---

[5/14/2004]

I found Kilmas and Andrella in the keep, which is in the middle of being upgraded, so we had to walk around the construction. Ayla asked me about my new house, so I took her on a tour. Kilmas tagged along.

"This reminds me of the lavish days I spent in Valence," he commented. "Not bad, but not as nice as the place I used to live."

I ignored him.

We reached the bedroom, where I still have furniture sitting about haphazardly; the only things I really took the time to unpack were my bed and writing table. Kilmas noticed the stack of blue books I'd piled on the floor and frowned at them in interest.

"Oh, the Keeka books," I noted, then clarified, "Got those off some orcs."

"May I?" he queried, and I was surprised he'd bothered to ask before simply picking them up. I gave him permission, and he began scanning through the books one by one. "This is gibberish."

I nodded. "I guess it's their own language."

"Well, if orcs can learn that language, so can I."

I remembered suddenly the book that Iolo had given us. "You know, we might have a volume on their language. I was going to trade it to the wisps..." I turned and began digging through one of the chests we had used to pack all of my things.

"You trade with them?" Kilmas turned to watch me. I nodded distractedly. "So does the Guardian."

I grimaced. "Yeah, and just about everyone else I guess... They're neutral, unfortunately." I came across the book I wanted, the tome of orcish grammar, and handed it to him.

It was at this moment that I was struck with a strange sensation that Kilmas looked younger than normal. That didn't seem right at all; aging cannot go in reverse, can it? I figured it was just my eyes playing tricks on me.

At any rate, Kilmas was engrossed in cross-referencing the book on grammar with the Keeka tomes.

"Hey, can I take these books to my castle?" he asked finally.

I nodded automatically, but couldn't help cock my eyebrow. "Your castle?"

Kilmas shrugged. "It reminds me of my castle."

I let it slide, and we walked back to the keep. On the way he asked me if I could front him 600 gold. When he told me he needed it to pay his vendor, I gave it to him. I'll be honest--I never expected to see it back, but I didn't want his vendor to be treated like a slave either. Although it would probably teach him a lesson if she walked out on him.

I'd lugged some of my new chairs back with me, where I borrowed Andrella's furniture dye and she helped me to color them to match my others. (I have so much space now that I decided to get a larger table and add more place settings. Thus, I needed additional chairs.)

Kilmas put the Keeka books in his room, then came back to watch us. "You know, in Valence, you would have servants happy to do that for you."

"Here, I have friends happy to help me," I grinned.

"Are you calling me a servant?" Andrella teased.

"No, I mean you would have servants falling at your feet, begging to please you."

"Blech, Kilmas."

"Kilmas, go pay your vendor," I agreed.

"Yeah, I better." Luckily, he walked out without any argument.

While we were alone together, I finally told Andrella what I had seen with the comet. "I am only guessing here, but, with the four colors of the four Elements...it made me wonder if it may well be the Elemental Lords themselves."

Andrella blinked. "Wow, you really think so?"

I nodded. "I mean, after all, gates into this place are sealed, right? So if they wanted to get here and couldn't...maybe they are bypassing that restriction by just coming here physically." After all, elementals are magical creatures, and aren't hindered by normal mortal considerations like the need to breathe.

Then I shrugged. "I could be wrong... But I'm pretty sure it has something to do with them. Maybe it's just their powers, but something..."

Andrella considered that. "So is that what made you pass out?"

The question surprised me a little, because I hadn't put any thought into that angle. "I...don't know, actually. I don't see how they could have caused it. I guess I was just tired." I shrugged sheepishly.

"That's possible," Andrella agreed.

Kilmas returned, and astonished me by handing me 605 in gold pieces. "This is more than I gave you," I pointed out as I counted.

"Yep. Five gold for the favor."

Five gold pieces isn't much, but I was touched by the sentiment. "Thank you."

"July made some gold for me. Or was it Julie?" He shrugged.

"I'm sure she does well," I commented.

He nodded. "Yeah, I gave her one of my new necklaces. She sold out of my other ones. The Knights of Valence sure have good taste."

"Necklaces?" I couldn't help but ask, wondering if they were anything like his rings. "What kind of necklaces?" I found myself twisting the fairy ring around on my finger unconsciously.

Kilmas's answer was short and to the point. "Life," he said, and then without elaborating, he looked around the room. "I'm starving." And he wandered off to find sustenance.

I raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like more Time magic," I mused to Andrella. She nodded in agreement. I propped my chin onto my hand, gazing thoughtfully in the direction Kilmas had gone. "Funny, though... Doesn't he look younger to you?"

Andrella scratched her head. "Now that you mention it..."

He came back, having not found much food to be had, and announced that he was going to Skara Brae to shop. He even asked Andrella if she wanted him to pick up anything for her. Wonders never cease.

When Kilmas returned, he was decked out in a helmet, a small shield, and a dagger. I almost didn't recognize him, but his dusky blue clothing and his long white beard were dead giveaways.

I leaned over a bar that Ayla had brought in, as we had been discussing new furnishings for the upgraded keep, and my house for that matter. "Kilmas? Is that you?"

He stood in front of Andrella. "I am ready for training."

"Wow, you look like a warrior!" she grinned.

Kilmas swiped with his dagger, pretending to be fighting an imaginary foe. "Yeah, but I spent all my gold."

She requested for him to wait a moment and dug through some supplies, selecting a few different varieties of swords. Then she asked him to pick one. He chose the largest one, even though it was the heaviest. I thought it might be easier to learn with a lighter sword, but I said nothing. I was pleasantly amused by the whole exchange.

He asked for a cloak like hers, so we all went upstairs where the dying tubs were. He waffled between blue and black, and even made a pitch to trade me for mine, but he backed off when he found out it was elven woven.

"Elves' magic doesn't last long you know," he commented.

I blinked, reaching absently to pull a portion of my cloak into my view. "What's magic about it?"

"Everything they have is magic. They aren't tailors you know," Kilmas scoffed. "They never work. They make really bad servants."

I got the distinct feeling he doesn't like elves much.

Kilmas shrugged. "My father used to say, 'Elven magic is like elven wine.' And we all know about elven wine."

I wasn't quite sure what analogy he was trying to draw. Sure, elven wine doesn't last long, but neither do most food articles. "Your father also made you look 80 when you were 7," I retorted, but immediately regretted it. "Sorry. That was uncalled for."

Kilmas looked thoughtful rather than angry. "I thought about that before. But you know what? He didn't know. He didn't know that I would end up like this. The Guardian did it to him."

My first thought was one of pity for him; he was trying to make up excuses for his father rather than admit his father had failed him...and what child wouldn't? But in my heart I hope that he is right, that his father really was duped by the Guardian, as that is so much better than the alternative...

Kilmas sighed. "He didn't want me holding a sword, because it was too dangerous. If my father ever found out about this..." He looked down at his blade, rolling it in his hands. "It would break his heart."

"Would he not be thankful you are still alive?" I asked pointedly.

He shrugged. "Me, allied with Andrella Valence..."

"Against the Guardian," I filled in.

"The Guardian treats some people nice. That's how he made allies with my father."

"Undoubtedly," I agreed. "But you and I know the truth."

"The truth is that the Guardian wants you dead," Kilmas stated suddenly. Well, the feeling is mutual, I suppose. "And he will use my father to do it." He shrugged again. "In a way, it's all your fault."

"My fault?" I repeated in disbelief.

"Whatever you did to make the Guardian mad at you got me and Valence stuck in the middle," Kilmas pointed out.

I couldn't believe his reasoning. "All I did--all we did is prevent him from entering Britannia." Hardly something to hold a colossal grudge over; I'm sure the Guardian has made many more enemies than me. "So that's not why he conquered Valence. He conquers everything he can."

"Well, I hate to tell you, but it doesn't take a genius to know: No one has ever stopped him."

I wasn't quite sure what he was trying to imply, so I shifted into another direction. "We're going to be the first if we have to."

"Yeah, well, just don't blame my father for it. And don't hurt him."

Andrella arrived into the conversation right about then. "What do you mean don't hurt him?" she asked. "Who said anything about hurting your father?"

"No one really. I was just saying." Kilmas gave another one of his shrugs.

Andrella eyed him. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

Kilmas looked up at her. "I think there is something Kianne isn't telling us."

I stared at him in mute surprise.

Andrella wasn't so inhibited. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"I don't want to get in trouble..."

"Get in trouble? By whom?"

"You," Kilmas stated simply, and I almost snickered at that response.

Andrella took it in stride. "Well, to be honest, I'm just confused. Maybe you know something that Kianne doesn't yet. So, go ahead, tell us."

Kilmas shrugged. "I was just saying, it's her fault the Elements are so mad, and the Guardian recruited Valence Knights."

I was becoming more baffled by the minute. I hardly thought I was the catalyst for all of that, but he did have a point about the Elementals. "Frankly, I have no idea what I ever did to make them mad," I responded.

"Knowing the Elements might just be enough, Ki," Andrella smirked.

"Then I should have the ire of every Elemental in the universe," I chuckled. "But surely I'm not the only Elementalist in existence..."

Kilmas looked at me. "You don't have any idea why they hate you?"

I shook my head. "It's a mystery to me. As far as I know, I've never encountered them."

He shrugged. "I still don't know why they are so angry with you. You have to know. You just don't want to tell us."

"Kilmas, Kianne's not like that," Andrella told him sternly.

But he was looking at me, not her. "Maybe you are using us, like the Guardian used my father."

"Kilmas!" Andrella protested. "You're not even listening to me."

He sighed. "See?"

"I'm not mad at you," she pointed out. "I'm trying to tell you that Kianne would never do something like that."

Kilmas glared at her. "If she is so nice, then why does she have so many enemies?"

The question almost made me want to laugh, in a silly sort of way.

"Because she foils their plans."

"And why do we have to fight them?"

"If we don't stop them, they will destroy or take over the world. They will harm the innocent. Prey on the weak. It's up to us to keep this world safe."

Kilmas shrugged, again. "Well, the way I saw it, you do nothing to help, you only bring their anger. We have to sacrifice ourselves to save everyone. You are immortal. Why does it matter?"

"Kilmas," I broke in, burned, but trying not to let it show. "I won't force anyone to help. But remember what--Hawkwind said." I remembered at the last second to use the name that Kilmas knew, rather than calling him the Time Lord as is my habit. "He mentioned you and me and Andrella. I think you have something important to do. I'm asking you, not demanding you. And we'll do our best to keep you safe."

"Well, I am here and I am following you." It seemed to be the most that Kilmas could commit to. "I'll do whatever you ask, Andrella. I just don't want to end up being tricked."

"Trust us, it won't be from us," I murmured.

"Kilmas, look at me." Andrella took hold of his shoulder and turned him to face her. "I promise you, I will never do anything to hurt you." She smiled at him. "You're my cousin. And though you probably don't believe me, I do care about you."

"I trust you," he agreed. But not me, I read between the lines. "I'll do whatever I have to do."

She nodded, and we shifted the discussion into the shrines. My original thought had been to do them all in one trip, but if we weren't going to do that, we could do them in any order, really, since we could simply gate to the nearest town, take up the swords, and go from there.

"I have been trying to act better so maybe I can get blessings," Kilmas commented. "Those shrines are powerful."

I smiled at him. "Did you want to pick the next one that we do?"

"What about Humility?" he suggested. "Like Magincia."

I nodded in agreement. "Sure, we can do that one. It's on an island."

"I was very humble and gave Julie a raise."

"That is Sacrifice," I grinned.

"Well, she smiled, and that was the first time she smiled at me since I hired her." What a surprise there.

As we started downstairs, I was reminded of something. "Oh, one more thing." I paused on the landing, not bothering to turn around. "I won't be immortal for much longer. So that's not an issue."

Then I continued on down the stairs.

We traveled to Ocllo, being the nearest town to the island of the Shrine of Humility. Andrella and I fetched our swords, then when we saw the large number of wild horses wandering near town, Ayla started to tame one to ride for the brief trip south. Andrella joined in, giving one horse to Kilmas. I mounted up on my ethereal.

"Is that an elven horse?" Kilmas asked me as Andrella was off with Ayla procuring the rest of our horses.

"No, it's a shadow mount," I retorted instantly, but only after the words were out of my mouth did I remember Sami's thesis. "Actually," I corrected myself, "I guess they are elven, sort of."

"I should have guessed." Kilmas looked disgusted. "You know why elves and dirt have so much in common? They can both be walked on by my shoes."

He laughed, then reminded me that it was just a "joke" as he always does. I leaned over, resting my arms on the neck of my horse thoughtfully. Rather than complain at his blatant racism, I asked, "Tell me something. Why don't you like elves?"

He shrugged. "Elves treat humans like peasants. Well, most humans. Even me. They act like I'm no better than Ayla."

"And you treat humans like peasants," I pointed out dryly.

"We have royalty. And we have peasants. All elves act like royalty. Even the lowest ones."

"Maybe that means they are all equal," I suggested logically. "Not royalty, not peasants, but people."

Kilmas paused. "You're joking, right?"

I looked him in the eye. "Do I sound as if I'm joking?"

For a moment he didn't respond. "Are you serious!?" he sputtered finally. "Everyone, equal?"

Andrella trotted up on her horse and immediately put an end to that. "Kilmas. You will shut your mouth right now. I do not want to hear another negative comment from you."

"I was just joking. But I'll stop."

Sure, he was joking...

"What did I say about joking!?" Andrella demanded.

"I'll stop," Kilmas repeated lamely.

It didn't get very much better from there; as we traveled south, Kilmas noticed that Andrella had affectionately dubbed her horse Brownie. "She named her horse," he spoke up, as if such a thing was unheard of. "Andrella naming a horse denotes title. As though the horse was a companion."

"Kilmas!" she practically bellowed.

"What? Okay, okay..."

We continued on through the forest, finally reaching the sea. "End of the road," I chuckled, dismounting. "We'll have to go by air from here."

The others released their horses, turning them free without bridle or saddle to hinder them. Then we gathered on the magic carpet and began the long trek south.

It wasn't long before the land behind us had faded away, and all we could see was water. I was reminded at how disconcerting it can be to be on the ocean, without a sign of a landmark anywhere. I was thankful for my magic map, which always showed my position, like a magical sextant.

After a while, Kilmas got bored and pulled out his Earth toys, passing them out to us. "I have Protocol Man, Mega Blue, Dr. Willy, and Dr. Night Light. I get to be Dr. Willy." He assigned the rest of us to roles and handed us each a figurine, but of course none of us really knew who our characters were.

Kilmas began. "Dr. Willy starts his day by waking up to an alarm. Dr. Night Light is trying to break into the base!"

Looks like Ayla gets to be the bad guy.

"Mega Blue comes running into Dr. Willy's room," Andrella chimed in.

"Arm the blaster cannons!" Kilmas cried.

I lifted my head, distracted when I realized I could see shore. "Land ho!"

"No, Protocol Man does not say 'land ho'," Kilmas complained.

I was too busy pointing to laugh. "We're going to overshoot the island. Left, Kilmas! That way!"

The game with the figurines was prematurely canceled as Kilmas--the driver of our magic carpet ever since Andrella had given it back to him earlier--maneuvered us back on course. Within a few moments we were touching down on the island. We handed Kilmas his action figures back; we would just have to play some other time.

We were still north of the shrine, so we struck out on foot, though we stuck toward the water to stay away from the center of the island, where most of the nasty local inhabitants tended to hang out.

"Kilmas, you don't have any armor?" Andrella asked as we picked our way through the jungle.

"It's too heavy," he protested.

"These aren't easy things we will be coming across," she reminded him.

"This is dangerous? I thought the shrines were easy."

"They are," Andrella hastened to assure him. "We're fine. I just don't want to forget to get you armor."

"This island has a few unfriendlies, however," I warned, and within minutes we came across a few of said unfriendlies, these in the form of orcs. A short while later we encountered some gargoyles which were a much more serious threat, although again I had to wonder why they were fighting us.

Kilmas kept casting Stop on everyone; it looks as though he will never stop using Time spells no matter what we tell him.

After a couple of minor mishaps, including me misplacing the shrine ("Well, I swear the ankh is drawn here on the map!"), we finally found our way to our destination.

Andrella and I approached and knelt the same way we had the last time, and I meditated.

"Welcome Avatar. Your quest to undo the Daemon Seal will again test your humble nature. The man you know as Oakley has need of your help, and his ring will unearth the buried Virtue."

Even then, I felt my eyebrow going up. Oakley? Curious.

"Walk with humility. May the Virtues guide you."

Once again, Andrella and I stood up and touched our swords to the ankh. When we were done, we stepped outside the circle.

"May I?" Kilmas asked me.

I nodded immediately, pleased, although a little concerned that the shrine might say something he wouldn't like. Still, I stood back out of the way, letting him choose his own path. If I were to try to shield him from disappointment, it would only harm him in the long run.

"LUM?" he added, and again I nodded. Kilmas turned to face the shrine and chanted the mantra, closing his eyes for good measure. I was impressed that he remembered the mantras after simply watching me speak them.

"Thou have strayed far from the path of humility. Seek blessings when thou hast dwelt on this."

I saw Andrella wince and felt much the same, although I had half suspected such a response. Kilmas straightened up and cleared his throat, obviously embarrassed and trying to find a response. I shifted. The truth is hard, but necessary, but at the same time, I didn't want him to become so discouraged that he stopped trying. "I remember a time when the shrines wouldn't even speak to me," I commented casually.

He gave a nervous chuckle.

"It's a big change for you, Kilmas," Andrella agreed. "And a lesson past its time."

"Humble, like you told me when I only first arrived." He shook his head a little, as if pondering it. "I didn't think much about it. But as time goes on, I understand, kind of."

We gave him encouraging smiles, but Kilmas just sighed. "But I guess not good enough. Hawkwind is going to be upset if he knows I failed all the Virtues, isn't he?"

"You haven't failed," Andrella and I spoke at the same time. "You are learning," I added, and she nodded in agreement.

"You think so?" he asked hopefully.

Andrella spoke before I could. "When you go to the shrine and try to meditate on the Virtue, it gives you guidance and knowledge. You are learning from them and you will be able to return and get the blessings."

I was staring at her in surprise, and as if realizing this abruptly, she suddenly stopped. "Right?" she asked me, and I laughed.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," I chuckled.

"See what hanging out with the Avatar gets you?" she laughed.

Kilmas considered that. "We'll see then, huh? What should I do first?" he asked suddenly. "To be humbler."

I gave him a deadpan answer. "Consider removing the word 'peasant' from your vocabulary."

Kilmas looked at me as if shocked. Andrella laughed. "Or 'royalty'," she agreed.

"Serious?" he nearly squeaked, horrified.

"From now on, think of yourself as a young knight," Andrella suggested. "Just starting out. With no one to turn to but his knighthood. And the Avatar of course," she winked.

He pondered that. "Like a squire?"

Andrella nodded. "Aye. Very good. Like a squire."

"You're not going to make me eat mud like Jarred does his squires are you?" Kilmas's voice was almost tentative.

"No! That's ridiculous. That's not what being a knight is about," Andrella assured him. "My knights get medals and awards for their skills. Only the best for the Knights of Valence."

"Who polishes your sword?" Kilmas wanted to know.

"I do!" she smiled. "It's good for the soul."

I couldn't resist speaking up. "Best to handle your own equipment, I say. Then you know it's been treated well."

Andrella agreed. "No foul play if you do it yourself. Or room for errors."

We were interrupted just then by another gargoyle. When we eliminated that threat, I spoke up, "I say we start flying out of here."

So we headed north, to the shoreline, where we boarded the magic carpet for the return trip.

Kilmas produced his toys almost immediately this time. "Now Dr. Night Light is breaking down my shields..."

"Mega Blue to the rescue!" Andrella grinned.

"Whose side am I on?" I laughed.

Kilmas answered indirectly. "Mega Blue, can you distract Dr. Night Light while Protocol Man energizes the shield regenerator?"

"What is a shield generator?" Andrella giggled.

"Not sure, but it's in the books."

"Protocol Man runs to charge up the shield!" I contributed, having a bit of an idea of what a shield generator was, but not divulging it.

"Mega Blue does silly dances for Dr. Night Light," Andrella teased. I started laughing. "'Ah ha!' says Mega Blue. 'I have stunned Dr. Night Light!'"

"I think I'm laughing too hard to charge this shield," I giggled.

"Too late!" Kilmas broke in. "The shield is recharged and now my plan for world domination is almost complete!"

I put the brakes on suddenly. "Hey, wait, world domination?"

"Yeah, wait a minute," Andrella agreed.

"Yeah, you know, conquer the world..."

"I'm defecting," I protested.

"Conquering the world is a bad thing," Andrella chimed in. "Heroes don't do that."

"I shall save the world!" Ayla grinned.

"You don't want world domination?" Kilmas asked us.

I didn't think I had to note this but I did. "That's like what the Guardian does!"

"This is pretend," Kilmas pointed out.

I shrugged. "Even pretend, are we heroes or villains?"

Kilmas didn't seem to understand what we were making a big deal about. "Dr. Night Light lets robots do what they want. Dr. Willy's robots work hard to help their master."

"That's called slavery," Andrella said bluntly. I didn't bother to bring up the definition of the word robot. After all, I had a feeling this conversation had swerved out of the realm of fiction and into our reality.

"Dr. Willy is like my father. He commands an army," Kilmas began, proving me right. "If it wasn't for commands, what would the knights do? Don't you command your knights?" he asked Andrella pointedly.

She took the question in stride. "The knights choose to join my ranks and they believe in my beliefs. We are all fighting for the common good. I only command them on their fighting skills. I do not tell them what to think."

"That's how rebellions start," Kilmas protested. "If you allow them to do what they want, soon enough they will overthrow you."

"No, rebellions start when they are forced to believe in someone else's beliefs," Andrella countered.

Kilmas looked down at the figurines. "So do you think Dr. Night Light is better then Dr. Willy?"

"Hard to say without knowing the full story," I contributed, "but I wouldn't join the guy looking for world domination."

"Me either," Andrella agreed.

"Then we have traitors in the rank of Dr. Willy," Kilmas declared almost sadly. "Dr. Willy wants domination. Any who stand in his way will be defeated!"

"Kilmas," Andrella asked seriously, "you want world domination?"

I expected him to say it was all just pretend. But to my surprise, he kept his eyes on his doll. "If I ruled the world, there would be no Guardian. He would be my slave."

Andrella shook her head. "No, you'd be him."

Kilmas lifted his head. "Be him?"

"Aye. If you dominate the world, you're doing just what he does. So you would be taking his place."

Looking down again, he pondered that silently for a few moments. Finally, he looked up toward Ayla, who was still holding Dr. Night Light. "Want to trade Dr. Willy?"

We reached Ocllo in early evening, after Ayla had regaled us with a wacky villain portrayal that left us rolling on the carpet laughing.

We retired to the keep, where Kilmas said that he wanted to read the orcish books, then he would give them back to me.

"Let us know what you learn," I nodded. I wasn't sure the Keeka books would hold any vast secrets, but it couldn't hurt.

Kilmas paused. "Are you going to another shrine?"

"Not tonight," Andrella responded. It was getting too late for that.

Kilmas nodded slowly. "I want to go when you do."

Wonders never cease, indeed. "We want you to as well," Andrella smiled. "I will be bringing some Knights with us when we go to the underground shrines too. So if you want to come..." She let the sentence trail off for a moment, then finally ended it, "You will be protected."

"I would be protected?" Kilmas considered that. "I thought I would be a squire. Don't squires have the front line?"

"Well, I just meant, more people in the vicinity. Not the front line," she smiled.

I whispered at him. "I would be protected too." I winked.

He hesitated. "I don't know still. I hate the underground."

"Well, give it some time. Think it over. No decision needed tonight."

"We have six more aboveground to do," I agreed. "So some time yet."

"I have all the time I need, Hawkwind said," Kilmas stated. Which I found kind of odd; earlier, he was complaining that he might not have much time before whatever destiny meant to happen hits him. It's got to be one or the other...

"So I'm going to read," he finished, and turned to walk into the castle.

He still looks younger to me...

---

Postscript: All this time, I was never quite sure how to spell Maharba's name, since no one could seem to agree on how to pronounce it. Then as I was about to go to sleep after writing this entry, my brain suddenly clicked, and I sat back up and grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote down Abraham's name backwards.

Maharba. Of course.

I've gone back and corrected the spellings where appropriate. I think this answers the question quite sufficiently...

---

[5/28/2004]

Today was somewhat uneventful except for the argument with Kilmas.

He had given us new necklaces he'd created: amulets of nine lives. "Better than the fairy rings," he declared. "The fairies always run away. These amulets have life magic infused in them. I hope they work."

They certainly sounded useful, although I hated the idea of what it had cost Kilmas to create them.

And then Kilmas turned. "Andrella, have you considered using your Time spells? You know, with your sword skill and Time spells, you could be amazing."

"I can't cast them," she reminded him. "I don't know how. And I'm not sure I'd want to anyway."

"Why not?" he demanded.

I folded my arms across my chest. "She doesn't want to date Nystul."

Kilmas ignored me. "You should at least try it, Andrella. Then you would see how it feels."

"She did once," I spoke up.

That got his attention. "She did?"

Andrella broke in. "Don't you realize that craving power makes you like every other power-hungry criminal out there?"

"I'm not power hungry," he tried to protest.

But Andrella wasn't buying it. "I don't want that for you Kilmas. You are better than that."

Kilmas sighed a little. "Look, I made up some scrolls." He dug into his pack. "Hawkwind said we have a choice. Look at the choices Minax made. She used her power to travel time."

"So?" Andrella asked pointedly. "Minax is nothing like me. In fact, you're more like her. Always talking about how 'wonderful' you are, and how everyone should bow to you."

"Well, you're just like Mondain," Kilmas countered. "You are too stubborn to use the spells. He made Minax do all that for him."

"I'm not making you do anything," she protested immediately. "As you said, you are choosing to do it. I'm choosing not to do it."

Kilmas glared at her. "I told you, I am not going to use my magic to save you. Or this land. Or the Avatar. No one!"

I gazed at him, my arms still crossed. "Only to change your destiny?"

He barely acknowledged my words. "So unless you know of a different way to change the future," Kilmas declared hotly, "you should take these scrolls and use them."

He thrust a leather backpack into Andrella's arms. I raised an eyebrow. "Time spells can be cast off scrolls?" This was a new one to me.

Andrella hesitated, glancing down at the bag in her hands. "Oh, don't worry," Kilmas grated out in a mockingly sweet voice. "I already put my time into making them. So you won't get a gray hair on your pretty head."

I stared in surprise as Kilmas spun on his heel and stormed away. What had made him so upset? I hadn't realized he thought we were demanding anything of him. In fact, I thought he was going along because he wanted to.

"He's right, you know," Andrella broke the silence quietly.

"Right about what?" I returned. "You're nothing like Mondain!"

She gave a little shrug. "Why would I ask a stranger to save this land?"

"He's not a stranger, he's your cousin." I sighed a little, knowing how meaningless the distinction was. "And anyway, the Time Lord sent him here."

"But I don't think he sent him here to save us."

"He sent him here for a reason," I persisted stubbornly.

Andrella nodded. "Right. Maybe it's to teach me the Time spells."

I sighed again, looking at the grass. "Maybe we won't need the spells, like you said. We manage somehow." I produced a faint grin.

"Well...I won't let anything happen to this land or the Avatar."

"And you haven't so far!" I reminded her with conviction.

She chuckled softly. "My appearance shouldn't bother me. Look at Shamino! He wasted 20 years of his life, and he's just happy to be alive."

I kept my gaze on the ground. "Andrella... You're not going to just throw away yours, are you?"

"I swore an oath to this land and to you," she reminded me. "It's not my belief to let go of those oaths."

"And you can do that quite handily."

"It's not like I'm going to die," Andrella reminded me. "Look at Kilmas. He's what? Over 200."

"And is he fit enough to handle a sword like you do?" I asked pointedly. "Wear platemail? Get into the kinds of fights you do? What will you do when your body is too old to fight?"

"Kilmas just doesn't know how to stay in shape." Andrella paused. "What would happen, though, if I were a swordswoman and a time mage?" Her words were speculative; the question fairly rhetorical.

But I answered it anyway. "I don't know," I said slowly. "I assume it'd work for a while. Until you hit 100 or so."

Andrella gave me a small smile. "Who says I have to take it that far? Maybe I wouldn't have to cast that many."

"You used five just to turn the Stone of Compassion!" I reminded her. "Kilmas probably cast 50 Slow and Stop spells the last time we battled. You'd be 500 before you blinked."

She gazed absently in the direction that Kilmas had gone. "But don't you realize that he also looks younger to us?"

I frowned. "He does..."

"Besides, he gave me a ton of scrolls." Andrella hefted the bag with a wink. "I wouldn't be using my years just yet."

I tried a smile and failed, so I just looked at the grass again.

"Kianne, I'm not being suicidal. Honestly."

I chuckled. "Why do I not believe you?"

She smirked for a moment, then grew serious again. "But we can't ask him for help anymore. And no matter what the Time Lord sent him for, he obviously doesn't want to do it."

"He said he wanted to go to more shrines," I pointed out. "Has he changed his mind on those too?"

"Actually, that's us helping him. Teaching him to be a virtuous person."

"I'm fine with that, but does he see it that way?" I chuckled.

"Probably not, but he may in the end."

"Well, I hope he still wants to go." I sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to give him the impression we were demanding things of him. I always thought he was coming along because he wanted to."

"He's an 11 year old brat," she reminded me. "He wants everything to be about him. What he doesn't realize is that we're doing this for him too. He will in time though."

I lifted my gaze to glance at her. "Well... I hope so."

"Don't worry, I'll use the scrolls sparingly. I'm not going to be careless," she assured me.

I looked away. "Just...don't get old before I do. I want someone to complain to about the wrinkles and gray hairs."

I finally smiled at her, and she couldn't help but laugh.

---

[6/2/2004]

I found Andrella standing outside the keep, ripping some sort of posting off the wall.

"Andrella?" I asked, confused.

"What nerve!" she growled. "Look at this!"

She shoved the parchment into my hands. I smoothed the page slightly and read:

My fingers tightened reflexively on the parchment, almost ripping it. "Wha...? Is this somebody's idea of a joke!?"

"Exactly what I was wondering!" Andrella agreed.

"And who's this Bakus?" I pulled out a blank sheet of parchment of my own and quickly wrote the name down backwards. Sukab. Not a name that is significant to me. Andrella snickered as she noted what I was doing.

"Well, Lord British will most definitely be informed," Andrella commented. "He's on his way here as we speak. He should be arriving soon."

I lifted my head. "Really?" I'd heard he was wanting to visit Valence Isle, but I didn't know when he was to arrive.

So we waited for him in front of Cassidy Hall (I hate that name). Actually the first to emerge from a moongate was Dupré. We greeted each other and chatted a bit until Shamino and Lord British arrived.

After the greetings, we went inside Cassidy Hall to admire its marble architecture. "This is a grand hall indeed," Lord British commented as he made a circuit. "One worthy of the Avatar's name."

I blushed, and I saw Lord British wink, as if he'd said it just to elicit that reaction. "The exact words I was about to use," Andrella agreed with a grin.

I had no idea what to say, but luckily for me, Lord British changed tracks. "And have the architects finished your Keep, Andrella?"

She nodded. "And Kianne's home has been built as well."

"I would very much like to see them. I hear they are works of art."

So we made plans to tour both buildings. But before we left for that, Andrella brought up the advertising that Saitor was posting. We learned he'd placed some at the banks as well. "What is this, some sort of contest?" I protested angrily.

"To Saitor, it probably is," Lord British concurred.

"Well, the knights are not my prisoners," Andrella pointed out with a confident smile. "They are smart enough to know who is taking care of them."

"And the freedom of choice is what makes all the guard valuable and worthy to protect the lands, regardless of guild," Lord British agreed.

I suppose I can understand that, but it seemed to me to be self-defeating for factions to be warring against each other internally. Hasn't it been said that every kingdom that has fallen has fallen from within?

"The Serpent Guard take few actions from their fortress," the king replied to my protests. "The Guard protect the cities. And I hope the Valence Knights are ready to defend against any intruding forces from without."

Andrella nodded with firm determination.

"You could meet with Lord Saitor and explain your mission if you would like," he finished. "He is stubborn, but not unreasonable."

"I would like to speak to Saitor," Andrella agreed. From her tone of voice, I had a feeling she was looking forward to watching him squirm.

Lord British stood. "Well, before we delve too great into business, show me these grand architects works."

We visited my house first; it wasn't exactly neat, but at least it wasn't a total mess either. I was happy to have a larger dinner table, now with plenty of chairs. "We could sit if we want, but we still have the Keep to look at," I chuckled.

"We can look at the Keep later," Andrella responded.

"Do you have ale?" Dupré asked at almost the same time.

I laughed. "Did you two choreograph that?"

So we sat around the table, munching on a bit of food and with plenty of drinks to go around. "We have a lot to tell you," I mentioned to Lord British as Dupré dug into the ale.

"I thought so," he murmured. "I have been speaking with Nystul about many things as well."

"I suppose I should start at the beginning," I decided, "or I'll end up skipping things."

And so I began with Gratagmalem being the Unforgiven, then through his death and cryptic words about Batlin and the druids, and the conversation with Draxinusom that had led us to the elves.

"I spoke with Erimani several times about the daemons," Lord British commented at that point in the tale. But he, like the elves, had not known one critical piece of information.

"Niltab's been born into Batlin," I explained. "That's what the Following was all about."

"Born into Batlin..." Lord British repeated darkly. "That explains many things. Moreover, have you a plan?"

I nodded a bit. "Erimani instructed us on what we need to do."

Lord British suggested slowly, as if still rolling the idea around, testing the words to see how they fit, "I could have Batlin arrested immediately..."

"Maharba would not allow that," Shamino spoke up from where he had been sitting quietly.

"Oh yeah, and then there's Abraham," I was reminded. "Remember him?" I added to Dupré. "We still need to find Elizabeth..." But Htebazile makes for a very strange name; I'm not sure I could even begin to pronounce it.

"Erimani told me of the soul stones, and the one daemon who walks without one," Lord British commented.

"Abraham, better known as Maharba," Andrella agreed.

"He told us of them as well, and of the moonblades," I joined in, and explained about the blades and our quests to the shrines.

"I should have recognized this," Lord British mused, distressed.

"I should have seen it as well." I shook my head. "The Serpent King mentioned something about Batlin that made me wonder...but a daemon? I never even suspected."

Lord British was silent for a moment. "So Maharba is the threat to us in this world."

We nodded. "I'm almost sure of it now. Sure enough to confront him."

"To confront Maharba would be dangerous," Shamino offered.

"Erimani warned us of that as well," I agreed, "but the moonblades can defeat him."

Lord British mused, "Breaking down the Following would prove almost impossible now."

"Impossible?" I sputtered.

"We could stop Batlin, but many people believe in his words. Even Caton."

"Caton!" I echoed in disbelief. Andrella sighed. I slapped a hand on the table. "We have to warn them, any that will listen. I'll renounce the whole thing myself, this is half my fault... I should have never joined the stupid thing..."

"And have word reach Maharba that you are preparing to defeat him?" Lord British prompted.

I sighed. "We need to take care of Maharba first," Andrella agreed.

Lord British tapped a finger on the table softly, musingly. "The Following has yet to cause any harm. But what are they waiting for?"

His comment made me pause and blink, because it wasn't something I had thought about before. "The comet?" came out of my mouth before I'd realized the word had formed in my mind.

Everyone looked at me. "The comet?" Lord British echoed.

The more I thought about it, the more horribly perfect it seemed. "Hey, did we ever ask him how soon it'll get here?" I queried Andrella suddenly. I forgot to specify who I meant by 'he' but she understood I meant Gorjez.

"I don't think so," she offered.

"Argh!" I let out at my own short-sightedness. "The comet! What if they're waiting for the comet?"

"It would make sense," Andrella agreed.

"What about a comet?" Lord British asked again.

"There's a comet the same colors as the Elements," I tried to explain. "And it's heading this way. I know it has something to do with the daemons in some way. They're tied to the Elemental Lords somehow."

"They tried to get Gorjez to not pay attention to the comet." Andrella helped to pile on the evidence. "By giving him other things to do."

"Nystul's barrier protects this land from any sort of invasion..." Lord British began.

Following his train of thought, I prompted, "Even physical? What if someone just flew here from space?"

"Are you saying a comet is going to crash into us?"

We nodded. "Or land here..."

The king looked disturbed. "I highly doubt any sort of barrier would protect us from that..."

"What if the masses are calling it here?" Andrella brought up. It was a new thought.

"Hoy," I sighed. "And Batlin was just playing games. Running me around in circles so I wouldn't learn anything..."

"Stalling you," Shamino agreed with a solemn node of his head.

I got to the point. "How do we stop the masses peacefully?"

Lord British shook his head. "What of a king who outlawed any masses...that would only cause a revolt."

"I say we take care of Maharba," Andrella declared. "And then have the Avatar denounce the Following, and we go full swing with the Virtues."

I nodded slowly. It sounded like our best bet. "I will return your ankh then," Lord British commented, reading my mind, and I smiled.

"I am ready for it," I agreed.

Shamino frowned. "But who is Vevilia? And why does Maharba walk with her?"

I looked at him. "I don't know. Her name doesn't reverse. At least, not into a name I recognize..."

"Her face is covered with wounds," Shamino mused, surprising me. "She has hundreds of stitches. But from what...I do not know. And the wounds do not appear to be healing."

We mulled over that without reaching any conclusions.

"Erimani and all the elves feared Abraham," Lord British said finally. "If not for Abraham, the elves could have defeated Niltab long ago."

That made me think. "Why did they not use the moonblades then?"

The answer was simple. "They never found Abraham's inverted soul."

Like how they didn't know of Batlin. Pieces of the puzzle.

"How powerful is Maharba?" Lord British asked of all of us.

"He has shown no sign of great power," Shamino responded.

"From what I was told, he seems to be a stout man," Andrella contributed.

"He looks tough," Dupré agreed.

"Erimani warned us he would be able to use daemonic powers even in human form," I pointed out.

"I have seen no animals attack him," Shamino commented. "Not even dire wolves."

I considered that. "Batlin was hanging around with dire wolves too..."

"Is that out of fear or respect?" Andrella wanted to know.

Shamino said gravely, "The animals must sense a great power in him."

I drew in a breath. "Well, I don't know how to increase our odds. We have the moonblades, aside from that..."

"Kianne. Andrella." Lord British looked at us seriously. "Armies of elves could not defeat these deamons. Do you believe your strength can overcome them?"

I couldn't answer him directly. "We have to try," I protested instead.

"Erimani said the Avatar, the invoked Virtues, will bestow the strength to defeat the daemons."

I blinked. "Invoked..."

"Have you invoked the other stones, Andrella?" he asked her.

I nearly jumped out of my chair. "She'll lose half her life if she does the rest!"

"It is a price I would gladly pay for this kingdom," she responded, looking at Lord British instead of me.

I continued to gaze at her. "But could you fight Abraham then, Andrella?" I asked her pointedly, not backing down until she finally turned her head to look at me. "Could you fight when you were that old?" The words were piercing, but I had to say them. I am not as fine a warrior as she, when it comes down to pure combat...I couldn't lie. I needed her.

Lord British broke the resulting silence. "There may be another way. A way to save Andrella, and invoke the Virtues."

I snapped my head around to stare at him in surprise.

"I have spoken to Nystul regarding the Core of Immortality. If the core is restored, Andrella could gain the power of immortality..." He shook his head slightly as I continued to gaze at him mutely. "But, there is a price..."

I had never put consideration into using the cursed gem. My only thought was to simply destroy it, be rid of it as quickly as possible.

"Any who touch the gem become immortal," the king reminded us. "That is why Mondain searches for it. And Xavier. He seeks the gem for its immortality."

Xavier! Of course! He has the blood of a star mage; he could cast powerful spells infinitely if he had no fear of losing years to the magic.

"But," Lord British finished, "the gem is what drove Mondain mad. The gem will drive any mad. And the only way to destroy the effects it has on everyone...is for Kianne to destroy the gem."

For when one who is immortal already touches a gem which gives immortality...

Andrella pondered that. "So if I used it to cast spells, then Kianne could just take it and destroy it?"

I looked at her worriedly. "Wouldn't you go insane before you could cast the spells?"

"Aren't I already insane?" she laughed.

"I'm serious..." I protested.

Lord British folded his hands on the table. "The gem works like this, according to what Nystul has studied: Once anyone touches it, they become immortal, and the power from the gem is forever burnt into their soul. They yearn for nothing more then the gem. The core could be fashioned into a necklace, and wearing the gem is only the next step for those who touch it. They will want it close to them at all times."

So if multiple people touched it, they would wind up fighting over it. Immortals battling is not my idea of a good time. Particularly insane immortals. At any rate, this was not something I wanted Andrella to go through, even if only temporarily...

"Yet if you touched it," he looked at me, "it would destroy the gem and the immortality of any who had used it."

And sever the yearnings. I started to say something, but Lord British was already continuing. "But the danger does not end there. If the core is intact, Mondain will have the power to come for it. Not even Nystul's barrier could stop his determination for it. Mondain has moved worlds to get his gem."

"So we can't put it together until we are to destroy it," I realized.

"Or until you are ready to face Mondain," Lord British pointed out.

I sighed, swallowing a ridiculous giddy giggle that threatened to surface. "We aren't even sure how to face Abraham."

"Perhaps the Time Lord would know more," Lord British suggested. It was a good point.

Andrella mused thoughtfully. "If I wear it and become immortal, you can wear it and destroy the immortality after I have invoked all of the Virtues...correct?"

"But, would you even have the sense left to do that?" I asked her. "I'd fear for you." And all of the rest of us as well, but I didn't mention that.

She shrugged slightly. "What other choice do we have? I'll only wear it long enough to invoke the Virtues, then you...oh." She stopped as she remembered something. "But, would you want to give up your own immortality?"

It was my turn to shrug. "I knew already that I would have to." I didn't look around the table at the reactions of the others.

Andrella sighed. "I wonder how long it would take to invoke them all? Then have you reverse it and then destroy it... The only problem I see is the possibility of Mondain..."

I shook my head. "Maybe losing the 40 years would be safer," I chuckled weakly.

Andrella laughed. "Then what good would I be? You said it yourself."

"Are you trying to imply something?" Dupré teased. I flushed.

"Maybe there's another way," I suggested suddenly as inspiration struck. "Erimani instructed us to take the swords to the shrines. Perhaps that has to do with invoking the Virtues?"

None of us knew for sure. "There is time to think about this," Lord British reminded us.

We nodded. "We could ask Erimani again," I suggested.

"We should probably speak to the Time Lord too," Andrella agreed.

"And Oakley." I started to make a list. "And when's the next mass?" I asked without lifting my gaze from the paper. "I'll disrupt it if I have to. Peacefully, of course," I added with a wink.

"That may give it away to Maharba that we're onto them," Andrella warned.

"I won't mention anything like that. I'll just say that I've decided the Fellowship isn't for me. That the Virtues are the path meant for me. It's basically the truth."

"The wording must be careful," Lord British warned. "As you know Batlin has integrated the Virtues into his teachings."

"Has he? I was unconscious for most of his teachings." I gave a sheepish look.

"He uses the Virtues to promote the Following," Shamino explained. "Stating that the Virtues are selfish, only for oneself, and that even the Avatar has sought more than the Virtues."

I nodded, familiar with that patter at least. "We can prove them wrong," I grinned with determination.

Dupré put down his ale glass with a thunk. "Well, count me in."

"And I will back your words," Lord British agreed, "with any action necessary."

I smiled with heartfelt appreciation at them. "Thank you. I'm sorry I got you all into this," I added, looking at Dupré and Andrella. "Shamino was the only intelligent one--he refused!"

We laughed.

Lord British stood. "Good luck. I hope for the best, and I know you will prevail."

We nodded and also got to our feet. "Thank you. We will talk to the others and get back to you."

He inclined his head. "We may discuss more of this at any time."

I only realized then how long we had been talking. Due to the late hour, we put off visiting the Keep for that night. After saying our farewells to Lord British, Dupré, and Shamino, and seeing them off, Andrella and I stood alone on my porch.

"Okay," I said, pulling out my notes. "Who first? Erimani? Oakley? Time Lord?"

"Time Lord, then Oakley, then Erimani," Andrella suggested with a grin.

I chuckled, but nodded. "That's probably best." I tapped the parchment absently. "We need to get the hourglass enchanted again."

"Ugh," Andrella laughed. "Okay, let's do that last."

I snickered. "I will bring reagents this time," I winked at her.

---

[6/11/2004]

Andrella and I were on our way to the Keep when we came across Kilmas and Dupré in the training yard. Kilmas was beating away on a training dummy with his borrowed sword. He was taking great pride in the fact that he was hitting it with his swipes this time.

"You wanted this back, right?" Dupré asked me, handing me a golden amulet.

The ankh. I immediately put it around my neck. "Much better," I smiled. "Thanks, Dupré."

The paladin spoke up thoughtfully, "You know, I was recalling the time long ago, when British was captured, and we had to venture to the bottom of that dungeon..."

"Oh, that time." For a moment I'd thought he'd been referring to more recently, when the Guardian had taken them all away. Then I realized that my reflexive response created quite the wrong impression. "Not that Lord British makes a habit of this, or anything," I added sheepishly.

Dupré chuckled. "I don't remember the details, but I do remember what you said the Codex said... It makes me think about the time at hand."

I blinked and tried to remember back. That had been a long time ago, almost another life.¹

"Do you remember when the Codex changed to that mysterious page?" Dupré asked. "Telling you where British was..."

"He was through the mirror..." I murmured; that I could remember.

"The last words were something like, 'Beyond Shame's egress, in the center of the underworld, lies the gate to the core of the world. Venture past ethereal wards, and stealers of souls...'"

My memory clicked. "That's right! Daemons!" I shook my head a little. "I wish I had my notes from back then..."

"Those words just rang a bell," Dupré agreed. "We passed the ethereal wards; only the elves' souls turn ethereal upon their demise. It's just too coincidental."

"And we reached the underworld through Shame," I agreed with a slow nod of my head. "Was the Codex warning us, even then...?"

"I'm surprised at how close we were, that long ago. As if destiny led you in the right direction."

I shook my head a little. Imagine if we'd gone the wrong way.

"Draxinusom has the last knowledge of the Codex, before the black void consumed it," he added a little musingly. I'm pretty sure Draxinusom would have told us all that he learned from it, but it probably couldn't hurt to ask him one more time.

"At least we know now what dungeon to go to when we're ready," I chuckled wryly.

We gave Dupré the hourglass to take to Nystul to be enchanted. I included a bag containing 100 of each reagent, so that Nystul wouldn't have to complain about not having any. While Dupré was off doing that, Andrella and I went to Minoc to visit with Oakley.

I wasn't really sure what I was going to say to him, deciding to simply play it by ear. We went up to the door of his house and knocked, hoping he was home.

Sounds of someone shuffling around came from inside. After a moment the door opened, and Oakley was standing there, looking like he'd just been drinking. He stared at us in surprise. "Oh... Ha..il..." he sputtered.

We smiled pleasantly at him. "May we come in?" I felt a little encroaching, but it was better than standing out here on the street.

"Oh... uh... Sure... Come in..."

The poor man was so flustered I felt truly sorry for him. "At ease," I smiled at him. "There are no grudges here."

Oakley backed up to allow us to come inside. "Excuse the mess. I fired the cleaners. Have a seat." He waved a hand at the table; there were only two chairs, across from each other. "Excuse me one moment..."

Oakley ran off into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Andrella and I contemplated the chairs. It wouldn't be polite for us both to take one, leaving none for Oakley. "Sit," she told me with a slight grin. "I'm your guard."

I chuckled and sat at one side of the table. Andrella stood beside my chair.

Oakley emerged a few moments later. He'd obviously done a quick cleanup. He was wearing fresh clothes, and his hair was combed neatly. Andrella offered him the other chair across the table, which he took nervously.

"I hope we aren't interrupting anything," I commented conversationally.

"Of course not... Uh, what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to ask about a couple of things." I was trying to put him at ease, but I realized I was sounding like a police officer. Sigh. "But first, I just wanted to say, if you need any help, just ask."

He blinked in surprise. "Ask?"

"Just letting you know there are no hard feelings." I smiled.

"We're not going to hurt you," Andrella chimed in.

Oakley nodded slowly. "Well, the merchants' guilds have been running fine, thank you."

"That's good to hear." I tried to keep the conversation light, but mentally, I pondered what it was that we needed to help Oakley with. I guess it wasn't going to be that easy to get it out of him. Well, I would try another track then. "What I wanted to ask about. We're looking for a key. A ring."

Oakley blinked. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Wrong answer, I thought with amusement. A line like that must mean he knows something. But I didn't say it out loud. "I thought maybe you might. Since you see and know so much." A little bit of syrup couldn't hurt.

He considered that. "Well, yes, I do know a lot of people, don't I?"

"I'm sure you get around," I agreed amiably.

"Well, the merchants have been doing fine. There hasn't been any need for guild meetings. So I haven't talked with the other guild leaders for a few months." He shrugged. "It's not like I don't get invited to the dinner parties, but I'm just so busy with my...shop... and all..."

His words began to break up right about the time he mentioned the shop. Andrella picked up on it as well. "You're not having any...troubles...with anyone, are you?"

Oakley looked up at her in panic. "I didn't do it!" he let out suddenly. "The rumors are all lies!"

Now we were getting somewhere. "What is the truth?" I asked him quietly.

"The truth?" He gave a nervous laugh. "Well, I didn't lose my business gambling, if that's what you heard. I sold it for a fair price."

So he doesn't have his shop anymore. But where does that take us? I was starting to feel like we were poking around in the dark without even knowing what the object was that we were seeking. The shrine had said a ring, which made me think of one that you wear on a finger. But Andrella had earlier commented that maybe it didn't mean literally a ring. And what was this about the buried Virtue?

Oakley shook his head slowly, as if realizing that rumors were not what brought us here. "I'm not sure what is going on, but I don't want any trouble."

I sighed a little and leaned forward to lean my elbows on the table. "Look, I'll be honest with you. The Shrine of Humility sent us to you."

"What!?" he gasped in surprise.

I gave him a slight smile. "You have the key."

"Where do I have it?" Oakley huffed.

"Isn't that for you to say?" I asked gently.

Oakley scoffed. "I'm not the one who listens to shrines."

I bit back a sigh. "But I'm sure you know something of what I'm talking about."

"I don't know what key you want," he retorted. "I don't have any keys. And even if I did...I have to be honest. I'm not interested in holy quests of the Avatar."

"This isn't about me, though," I tried to tell him patiently.

Andrella, seeing that the topic was heading down a dead-end path, spoke up, "With Blackthorn being gone and all...you need someone to look out for you."

"What makes you say that?" Oakley demanded. "Did you hear anyone talking about killing me?"

"No," Andrella replied in an almost sweet voice, "but being such a well-known Blackthorn confidant...you could be in trouble. Or...maybe a druid might decide your fate..?"

She'd hit a button. Oakley visibly panicked. "I already gave them my ring! I don't have anything else!"

I jumped to my feet in excitement. "So you did have a ring!"

Oakley gave me a frightened look, as if he was expecting me to lunge across the table and assault him. "What do you want?"

"You gave your ring to the druids?" I asked him, trying to reign in my eagerness at finally getting somewhere.

"Specifically, to Maharba?" Andrella guessed.

"Why does it matter?"Oakley demanded in a huff. "You want my ring too? Or are you working for them?"

"Not at all," we tried to assure him, but he was already going on.

"I already paid enough to those fools. I don't owe anyone anything. Not you, the druids, or even British."

Andrella let him rant until he ran out of steam, then she asked quietly, "The druids took your shop, didn't they?"

Oakley gazed at her. "I sold it," he said stubbornly.

But she gave a little sigh. "Oakley, let us help you. If they took it from you, we will get it back. But we're going to need your help, too."

He stared in surprise. For a moment he couldn't seem to think of a response. "Wait.... This is a test, isn't it? You're in the Following!"

I shook my head. "Not anymore," I murmured.

Andrella pointed at the ankh around my neck. "Do you think she would be wearing that if she were in the Following?"

Oakley blinked, then jumped to his feet and came around the table to look at it more closely. I wonder if what made his eyes gleam was just the fact that the necklace is crafted from pure gold. "Wow," he breathed finally.

"So we need you to tell us what's going on," I commented softly. "Maybe we can help. We'll do what we can, and no one will hear of this from us."

Andrella nodded in agreement. Oakley returned to his chair and sat in it with a long sigh, dropping his head onto his arms. I sat down as well.

"I'll be killed if they find out I helped you do anything..." he moaned finally.

"Keep it a secret then," I suggested.

"Don't you have some vacation time coming?" Andrella agreed with a grin.

Oakley sighed. "I can't afford dinner, much less a vacation."

Andrella dug into her pouch and produced a drawstring bag holding a good amount of gold. "This should be enough to go on a nice vacation," she offered, handing it to him.

Oakley's face lit up with a growing grin. I gave Andrella a rueful smile.

"You need to go somewhere unnoticed and stay low," Andrella suggested to him.

He bounced the bag in his hand. "It won't matter. They will find you."

"You worry about yourself. Let us worry about us," I chuckled.

Oakley finally seemed to acquiesce. He tucked the bag of gold away into his pocket and looked back up at us. "All right. What do you want to know?"

"Who did you give the ring to?" Andrella asked instantly, far too quickly for me to get a word in edgewise, although I would have asked pretty much the same thing.

"I didn't give it to anyone," Oakley scowled. "It was taken."

"Okay, let's play dumb," she agreed with a smirk. "Who beat you up for it?"

Oakley sighed. "That blasted Maharba."

Just as we'd thought.

"What do you know about Vevelia?" Andrella switched tracks, taking even me a bit by surprise.

Oakley blinked. "Who?"

"The lady with the mask."

"Oh...the white monster?" He shrugged. "I don't know much about her, but she's some kind of test. Maharba and Batlin are always checking on her, recording her progress. On stupid things. Like writing. And talking. She's a freak." He dismissed her with another shrug.

I frowned. This was new information. We'd assumed she was another daemon, but what would cause her to be like that? Perhaps when daemons first possess their prey, they can't fully control their new bodies right away?

"She walks real slow most of the time," Oakley tacked on after a moment. "But I saw her lunge at a rabbit..." He shuddered, letting the sentence trail off for us to finish in our own minds.

Andrella and I glanced at each other, then finally returned to the topic at hand. "What kind of ring are we looking for?"

"An elven ring. I don't know what it does." Oakley shrugged. "I got it from Hook. I mean--I got it from a fishing hook."

Andrella and I shared a private smirk, but we didn't call him on it.

"What does it look like?" we asked instead.

"It's some green ring with little wings on it." Oakley gave a shake of his head. "The druids hate the elves. When Maharba saw me with the ring, I heard a deep growl, like a monster...and he took it."

Oakley shuddered, then seemed to get into the storytelling, because his words began to come more easily, although the sentences were pretty scattered, as though he was reliving the memory and narrating it as he watched it. "He dragged me down to some dungeon...slammed me against a wall...said he was going to show me what happens to people who like elves... Then I heard some screaming... It was dark..."

We looked at him sympathetically. Musingly, Andrella commented to me silently, "If it's a Virtue we're unburying...and the ring is green..."

"Justice?" I responded in surprise. Again?

"Are you believing this?" Oakley asked suddenly. "Or am I wasting my breath?"

I turned the question back to him. "Would you be lying?" I asked gently.

He shook his head. "Well, this next part no one believes. But I swear it's true."

We urged him to continue his tale, so he did. "Some huge daemonic creatures carried in an elf. Maharba handed him the ring, the elf. Then told the daemons to let him go... The elf put the ring on and started to run, then I don't what happened next. But there was a lot of flashing, like spells. I closed my eyes. I heard them chanting and the elf screaming. I opened my eyes and they were gone. All that was there was the elf... But his skin was black...and his eyes glowed yellow."

Andrella and I blinked. What had happened to the elf? Was he possessed?

"Then he lunged at me!" Oakley gasped. "Tried to kill me! I ran for my life, finally finding an exit from the dark cave..."

"And where was Maharba?" I asked him.

"I don't know. I was too scared to look. I came home and I tried to tell the guards... Tried to tell my friends... No one believed me."

Oakley subsided then, his story spent. In the stillness that followed, Andrella asked me silently, "What is the opposite of Justice?"

I reflexively tried to find a single word for my response, and I came up with the dungeon's name. "Wrong..." Immediately I knew what she was getting at. And I had to realize it made some sort of sense.

"Do you know what dungeon you were in?" I asked Oakley out loud.

He shook his head. "There were jail cells, and black elves..."

"It was Wrong!" I nearly gasped out loud. Andrella nodded slightly.

I stood up again. "One last thing. How can we help you get your shop back?"

Oakley paused. "I don't know..."

"Which druid took it from you?" Andrella pressed.

"My friend Bantham took it," he sighed. "Well, my former friend."

"In a gamble?" Andrella asked while I tried to be discreet about writing the name down backward. Mahtnab. Nothing significant to me.

Oakley shook his head. "He was the manager of it for a while. So he just kind of...fired me..." He looked down at the table shamefully.

"Fired the owner?" Andrella repeated in disbelief.

"If you could convince him that I'm not a loon..." Oakley began, but broke off, as if dismissing his own idea. "But then again, everyone thinks I'm crazy."

"I don't," I responded instantly.

"So start telling people that it was just a crazy dream you had," Andrella suggested.

"I can't!" he protested. "I have pride!"

Funny he mentioned pride, given it was the Shrine of Humility that sent us here...

I looked at Andrella. "We could prove it with the ring."

"Or that," she grinned.

Oakley stared at us. "You think you can get the ring? You're nuts! You're the crazy ones!"

I didn't reply directly. "We'll be going up against daemons, I figure, in Wrong," I commented to Andrella. We were supposing the poor elf still had the ring, and if there had been daemons there before... "You know what that means."

She nodded. "Right. Moonblades."

"We'll get it back," I promised Oakley in a steady voice. "And when we show the people, they will know you aren't crazy."

"Just lay low for a little while. We'll take care of it," Andrella agreed.

"O..kay..." Oakley still looked a little stunned.

"Don't gamble that money away," Andrella smirked. "We'll come check on you later."

Andrella and I decided to walk on foot to Wrong since it wasn't far from Minoc. We retrieved our moonblades and headed out on horseback. The trip was basically uneventful, although we ended up fighting a couple of mountain trolls in the area just before the dungeon.

Soon we were within the walls of the retired jail hall. We were almost immediately beset by some dark elves who guard the entrance, but we took them down without trouble. "Which way?" I mused, glancing over the options. We could head straight down to the next level, or explore the multiple branches of this floor.

"Let's try this way," I suggested finally, heading left. I know dark elves frequented this area.

As expected, the place was teeming with them. Andrella waded in without hesitation. I was amazed at how smoothly my moonblade cut through them. Even I was having little troubles, even when we were surrounded on all sides with multiple enemies.

We worked our way up through to the main jail hall of the eastern wing, checking the bodies of every elf we felled for the green ring. At first we had no success. Then we spotted an elf inside one of the jail cells; a soft green glow practically leaped off his finger at us, catching our attention.

"There!" I gasped, and Andrella immediately shoved through the barred door. The dark elf attacked her without hesitation, so she fought back.

I joined her with my moonblade instead of my bow, since I figured he was either possessed by a daemon or had the help of one. That meant, though, that we had little room to maneuver within the jail cell. It probably worked out in our favor though, because the elf had no place to run. He was moving at a frightening speed, both his feet and his attacks, but that wasn't enough to escape Andrella's reach.

To this day I don't know for sure if he was possessed by a daemon, but he was certainly far more durable than a regular dark elf. For a while, it didn't even seem like we were fazing him with any of our blows, but finally we began to wear him down.

Near the end of the battle, another dark elf started to come to the aid of the one inside the jail cell, so I broke off to hold him off. Andrella continued the fight on her own, displaying her impressive skill as she overcame her adversary and brought him down even despite his inhuman speed.

We took care of the straggler that I was fighting as well, then closed the barred gate to give us breathing room.

Andrella knelt down and removed the ring from the finger of our opponent. She also looted a staff of resurrection and life from him and handed it to me. "Wow, another staff!" I smiled. "Great!"

Andrella examined the ring. "It's an elven ring of speed. It looks harmless..."

"I thought at first it's what caused the elf to..." I shook my head. The way Oakley had described the scene, I'd gotten the impression that the ring had been cursed somehow, and that by putting it on, the elf had triggered the horrible magic that had turned his skin black and his eyes yellow. But looking back, it was probably the daemons that did that, not the ring, after all. "But now that I think about it, I guess it wasn't that at all."

"That's what I thought at first too," she agreed.

"You should wear it," I smiled.

"Me?" she repeated. "You're the one saying you were slow a few minutes ago!"

I laughed. It was true; I'd made the comment because Andrella had been felling things much faster than I was. I'd barely get my bow drawn and she'd taken out what I'd been aiming at. It was pretty funny.

"We might want to try it somewhere other than here," Andrella added with a wink.

I agreed, so we worked our way back the way we'd come.

Outside again, I examined the ring in the sunlight.

"I don't think it's dangerous," Andrella commented.

"I'm thinking it isn't, as well," I concurred. "I think the elf just was trying to flee using its speed." She nodded in agreement. I cast my mind back to that poor elf. "A pity we had to kill him..."

"Well, he wasn't the same elf anymore really. We were more like..freeing him from his doom."

"I know." It was still kind of sad. I frowned. "Ring to unearth the buried Virtue..." I murmured, repeating what the shrine had said. I held up the ring, letting the sun glint off its surface. "Should I try it on?"

Andrella nodded, so I pulled off a glove so that I could slip it onto my finger. I didn't notice any immediate change. "I don't feel any different..."

"You don't look any different," she snickered.

But when I tried moving, I realized I had increased agility, able to make movements more smoothly than before. Like the boots of speed. This must be largely what was giving that elf his uncanny dexterity.

"I guess it's harmless," I chuckled, and Andrella laughed.

We returned to Minoc so that we could bank our swords. Then we paused to discuss our next move. In the end, we decided to hold off on returning to Oakley with the ring for a few days, as the ring may still be needed for something. Instead, we would go on with what was next on our list. That would be the Time Lord, and Erimani.

When we returned to the Keep, we discovered Dupré's horse tied outside. I went immediately to the tavern room, figuring we'd find Dupré there. We did, but Kilmas was with him.

Dupré gave us the enchanted hourglass, then departed, leaving us with Kilmas, who, naturally, asked for the hourglass immediately.

I tried to be patient. "We need to use it, actually. It's 100 of each reagent to enchant it if you'd like to use it next time," I added sweetly.

"Oh. Andrella will get it for me," Kilmas responded, turning to her. "Give her a hundred of the reagents so I can have the hourglass."

I can't believe him sometimes. Andrella fielded this one. "No, we need it this time. It's important."

"You will have to wait a week," I added.

"Joke, right?"

I shook my head. "No. He only has five minutes per week."

"I know that. I wanted to see how he was doing."

"You can do that on your own reagents," Andrella told him. "Go play in your room or something."

Kilmas stared at us. "Joke?"

I sighed. "I'm sorry, Kilmas."

"No joke," Andrella agreed. "I can't trust you to sit here quietly while we talk to Hawkwind."

No surprise there. He never has before.

Kilmas huffed, then gave us a raspberry and stormed out of the room.

I winced a little, but Andrella had the right of it--as it was, it was going to take me a couple of minutes just to explain our situation, and we didn't need Kilmas breaking in every two seconds. I'm glad that Andrella was able to get him to leave the room, although the circumstances could have been better.

Putting that aside, I set the hourglass on the table in front of us as Andrella and I seated ourselves. "Here goes," I said, and activated it.

When the Time Lord greeted us, I briefly went over what we had learned about the Gem of Immortality and shifting of the Stones. "We wanted to consult you on this, as it involves time," I finished.

The Time Lord had listened quietly. Now he commented, "The gem's activation will cause Nystul's barrier to fault for a few minutes."

I nodded my head slowly. "Is there another way we can invoke the Virtues?"

"The question is," came the reply, "does the risk outweigh the consequence? And," he added before I could protest at that non-answer, "does Andrella desire to invoke the Virtues?"

Andrella's response was immediate and predictable, at least for me. "I will do what I can for the Avatar and this land."

"Time can never be turned back," the Time Lord warned.

"But if it causes any who touch it to go mad..." I began, worried about that angle.

"Me going crazy isn't as devastating as the world ending," Andrella snickered.

"But you still need to be sane enough to cast the spells, Andrella," I reminded her. "And Mondain, he could reach here..." What kind of Pandora's box would we be opening?

"Mondain does not have the power to return there with only bursts in the barrier," the Time Lord broke in. "Though Andrella's fiercest foes await for any disturbance."

I looked at the hourglass in surprise. Mondain couldn't reach here? We both knew who he referred to about Andrella's foes. The Valencian Knights. Jarred. I shook my head. "Surely there's another way..."

"The price is great no matter the choice," the Time Lord reminded us quietly. "Our time is up for now. Farewell."

I opened my mouth as the hourglass grew silent, then closed it again. I'd wanted to ask him about the comet as well, but I'd run out of time. Well, the next time then.

I sighed a little, propping my arms on the table. The Time Lord had been largely unhelpful, but he had provided one important piece of information. "Only a burst..."

We mulled over our thoughts for a while. Finally Andrella broke the silence. "Okay, what options do we have?" She sat up, ticking off on her fingers. "One: I don't use the gem and age 60 or more years..."

"Well, only about 35, but that's still enough to put you over 60 altogether," I sighed.

"That's assuming all stones consume only 5 years," she reminded me.

"True."

Andrella continued on, "Two: I use the gem, risk releasing the Valencian Knights..."

"And risk going insane," I added wryly. "And risk Mondain, although the Time Lord implied that might not be an issue..."

She nodded. "And all of that on top of whatever happens with the comet."

I agreed. "And what's our third option?"

Andrella blinked. "Third? Is there one?"

I shook my head. "I feel as though the answer is in front of me, but I can't see it."

"That's our third option, then, I guess," she chuckled. "Trying to find another way."

I sighed, shaking my head and gazing blankly at the hourglass, seeing it but not seeing it. "'Time cannot be reversed,' he said," I commented suddenly. "But then what's happening with Kilmas?"

Andrella nodded slowly. "That's a good point."

"Maybe the solution is to avoid or undo the damage somehow, another way."

"Kilmas is learning the Virtues. Does that have anything to do with it, maybe?"

"Maybe. Let's do another shrine," I suggested, "and watch him carefully. If we're on to something... Maybe, just maybe you can invoke the Virtues, then do the shrines, and gain back the years?"

"But would that work if I already know the Virtues?" she asked.

I shrugged. "It might be just the nearness to the shrine. I don't know."

"Why can't we just let me use the gem?" Andrella asked. "The only force we have to reckon with, or so it seems, would be Jarred."

"But the effects on you..."

"You know me better than anyone," she smirked. "Do you honestly believe that some little mind game is going to affect me?"

Andrella grinned good-naturedly, and I couldn't help but chuckle. "I suppose not. I guess I just have this predisposition to assuming the gem is evil."

She grew serious. "I really don't know what is the best course of action. Because if I do bring all of that evil here, I've only made things worse if I'm not capable of dispatching it." She paused. "But, either way, you have to know that I will do what I have to. I can't be selfish and worry about what will happen to me. There is more at stake here than myself."

It hit me then; suddenly it occurred to me that's exactly what I was doing, even without realizing it. Subconsciously, I was warring with the idea of using the Gem of Immortality, but not really for all of the surface reasons. There were risks, to be sure, but I had to believe in Andrella that she could overcome the effects of the gem, and that it would not harm her in the long run. And either way, its effects would be halted in the end, so anything that did end up happening would be temporary anyway. And Jarred, he and his forces weren't really that much of a danger. I knew the knights that Andrella had been training for this day would be up to the task. Jarred's knights were strong, but they were mortal, and they were foes we knew.

And the real threat, Mondain, would still be barred from Britannia for a while longer. Not only that, but his gem would finally be destroyed, and with it would die most of his purpose in life.

So why was I fighting with the idea of using the Gem of Immortality?

Because I was afraid of being mortal.

It's funny, because I haven't really lived long enough to fully appreciate the concept of living forever. I haven't lived long enough to tire of living. And, having traveled so frequently with fellow immortals, I haven't experienced watching a loved one grow old and die without me. I haven't experienced the pain of losing someone in that way. Would I simply run from it? Had I? Had I forgotten how to love because I was afraid of loss?

In short, I was being selfish. It wasn't something that I had been doing consciously. But each time, I had reflexively argued against using the gem, trying to find any excuse to reason against its use. I hadn't even thought about why I was doing it. But the reason was obvious.

Had I slipped so far that I was putting my own life ahead of what needed to be done? Not my life, I corrected myself. It was even more petty than that. My agelessness. This wasn't about asking me to die. Here Andrella was willing to give up even her limited number of years, and I was bulking at giving up what she did not even possess?

I sighed and wrapped my arms around myself. Perhaps I didn't even deserve the ankh I wore. I needed the shrines as well, not just Kilmas. I needed atonement.

Andrella, unaware of my thoughts, let the silence carry on for a few moments, then added finally, "But we do well as a team. Which is why I think the gem idea is really the best option."

I nodded slowly, my gaze still on the table. The decision had already been made. "So be it then."

She seemed to sense my rising fatalism, at least. "We're doing this together. I have my burden and you have yours. Now we just need to support each other the best we can." Andrella reached out a hand to me with a smile.

I looked up and gave her a grim smile, accepting her grip. "We will."

Together we stood. I turned my head away. "Andrella... Thanks."

She looked surprised. "For what?"

"For your oath," I said simply. "I couldn't have done this without you."

Andrella smiled warmly at me. "No need to thank me. It is a privilege." Then she went on with a slight smile, "But for now, let's get some rest."

I agreed, and we started for the door.

"Sleep well," Andrella added, "and don't stay up too late writing."

She smirked. I laughed.

Late, indeed...

---

¹ See Ultima 5.

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