Kyla concentrated on the leader next. He wasn't stupid. He didn't stop giving orders as his gaze met Kyla's. He knew the threat, saw her looking back at him, unafraid.

You've had your warning, she thought, as she drew the bowstring back. The Elar dove for cover, and she saw Jetha's next fireball explode onto a bunch of barrels that a couple of soldiers had sought cover behind. In seeking cover, however, the soldiers had split up. Ullden, Marus, and Niza bore down onto them, each choosing a different target.

Kyla waited, her target having been lost, and took shots when she had them. One by one, the soldiers were flushed out and killed. She assisted with several of them, being careful not to risk hurting her friends instead.

Somehow, however, the leader managed to vanish. He never came back up from where he had taken cover, next to one of the larger tents. As the last of the soldiers went down, she told Jetha to take charge of Alldeh as she made her way forward to look for him.

A quick survey of her friends told her that they had done well. Ullden had taken on most of the soldiers, with Marus and Niza each having really only had one opponent all to themself. Marus had a few minor wounds, mostly on one of his legs, but Niza had taken no damage at all. Kyla didn't waste time taking pride in it, however, as she made her way towards the tent the leader had gone behind.

"The leader isn't down yet," she called as she dismounted and drew her sword. She knelt down and examined the tracks next to the tent. It was hard to distinguish, as there were so many fresh tracks from the rest of the Elar in the encampment. She couldn't be sure which were the leader's. She looked over at one of the slaves, one of her people, who was cowering with the others at the far end of the camp.

"Which way did he go?" she asked in her own language.

The woman pointed mutely at the tent. Kyla slashed the tent with her sword, ripping it open to see. It was empty.

It did seem like a leader's tent. There was a writing box and a pile of papers. But there were also other things, although the tent looked to have been hastily rearranged. Half the rug floor had been pulled up and thrown over the other half. She moved it to see what had been covered up.

There were jars of colored liquids and powders. There was an elaborate ceremonial-looking knife. There were also internal organs spread out on a cloth. One was a heart, although human or animal she could not be sure. She did have a strong suspicion, however.

She stepped back and checked again for tracks. She could find nothing moving away from the tent.

The rest of her group was going through the camp. Ullden was checking tents while the priest tended to the slaves. Jetha and Niza also going through tents as a pair, and Alldeh was poking the fire with a stick and giggling. She moved straight to Ullden.

"The leader was a summoner, and he's missing," she informed him.

"Missing how?" he asked.

"Apparently he ducked into his tent and vanished. I can find no sign of him leaving it."

"Well, we don't have time to waste here," Ullden said, frowing. "We'll deal with him if we encounter him, but we need to get into the pass before the other Elar get back. It's likely he went to inform them where we are."

They scavenged some items from the camp, mostly grain to replace what they had lost in the river before. The Elar had many horses with them, so their supply of grain was fairly abundant. Ullden made his way around the camp once they were done, grimly setting fire to all of the tents and supplies that they left behind.

"It may slow them down at least," he told them as they mounted up. "Marus, let's go."

"I'm coming," Marus said, turning towards them and looking angrily. "I've done all I can, but they won't listen to me!"

Kyla looked over at the slaves, who Marus had been talking to for nearly the entire time they had been in the Elar camp. She'd overheard some of the conversation, and it sounded as if the slaves were intending on waiting for the other Elar to return. One Morgule in particular had been convincing the other slaves that it was in their best interests not to run. From the sound of it, the Elar would hunt them down and it would be ten times worse for them. A part of Kyla wanted to stay and explain about her own experience, but she knew Ullden was right. They had to move quickly or their chance at the pass would be lost. The slaves would have to make their own decisions.

"Leave them," she said. "They're spirits are broken. They are like animals that once domesticated can no longer survive in the wild on their own. There is nothing you can do for them."

"What, and just leave them to the Elar?" the priest protested.

"You cannot help them," she explained gently. "A part of them is already dead. We must focus on our mission, and those we can still save."

"You are right, of course," he eventually replied.

"They will tell the Elar which direction we went," Ullden remarked.

"The Elar will not need to ask," Kyla pointed out. "The way seems fairly obvious."

"Besides," Niza interrupted, "I think they know well enough where we are anyway."

Ullden thought on that for a moment before nodding once and grabbing the last bundle to put on his horse. He swung up back onto his saddle and led them off up the pass.

There were low, scraggly trees on both sides of the narrow valley. Higher up into the mountains were clearly going to be rather barren. They had already seen the snow that was always at the tops. They rode quickly along a dried stream bed littered with large rocks. If the terrain continued like this, she thought, it would provide many places for them to ambush the Elar chasing them.

They rode hard at first, trying to put some distance between themselves and the Elar. She worried that the horses would get too fatigued, when Ullden slowed them.

"Kyla, I need you to scout ahead once your horse is capable of picking up the pace again. We don't know that those beasts don't wander this way too."

Kyla nodded in response. Her horse would not need much time to rest, although she knew the additional weight it carried in supplies would slow her down some.

"Marus, Jetha," Ullden said, turning to them, "The closer we get to our destination, the more we're going to need to know about where exactly it is. We can't afford to be wandering around the mountains forever. The two of you need to start working on Alldeh, to see if you can get more information out of the man."

"Niza," he added, "since Kyla has been training you, I'm going to put you on scout duty as well. But I need you to scout behind us now and again. Drop back to make sure that the Elar aren't catching up. We'll have Marus check again, with that prayer of his, when we camp for the night, but I'd like to know that they can't get up behind us while we're moving. If you see any Elar, a demon, or anything bigger than a wildcat, you ride hard back to us. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Yes," Niza said. Kyla noticed that the girl's voice showed no signs of her being unsure of herself. She wondered if Niza really felt so confident. From what she'd seen so far, the girl doubted herself frequently. It was the one thing really holding Niza back.

She rode ahead before it was time for Niza to fall back. From within them the mountains were disorienting. It was going to be harder to navigate if they needed to leave the trail. She looked around at the rock around her. Low in the narrow valley there was no way to tell how far the mountains stretched in any one direction.

A hawk cried out its angry challenge. She felt like an intruder. They were coming to a place they were not supposed to be. But the Elar were the real intruders, she reminded herself. A small intrusion to stop a greater one could not be so unforgivable.

The Elar tracks only went a short way beyond their camp. They had scouted out, but had not sent anyone up the trail any real distance. That was reassuring.

Horns sounded in the distance. They echoed strangely among the mountain walls. She knew that it had to come from behind them, but part of her heard them coming from ahead. The echoes also made it sound like answering calls, but she told herself there were no Elar ahead to answer.

At the worst, she presumed, the Elar at the other passage were answering. It would take them time to arrive, short of cutting through the mountains. If they tried that, not many, if any, would make it through to be a matter to her.

She led her horse up the gentler slope, widening her scouting pattern to let the group catch up to her. She did not want them out of her sight for very long stretches, just in case.

She saw little sign of life in the mountains as they made their way further into them. She heard the occasional sound of some sort of feline in the distance, presumably a mountain lion from the tales she'd been told as a child. The hawk returned now and again, as if keeping track of the intruders in it's lands. Otherwise there was no telltale rustling of leaves or chirping of smaller birds to reassure her. The patches of grass along the ground and in crevices on the mountainsides thinned out and the air grew cooler as the day went on.

It wasn't until the sun was starting to stretch low in the sky to sleep for the night, that she found something unexpected. She rode forward, cautious as she could not see around the bend ahead. She'd been keeping her bow at the ready, just as much for game as for defense. She nearly dropped it when she pulled up short, astounded at what stood before her.

Someone had carved a scene into the side of one of the mountains. The scale of it alone made it seem impossible. The detail of the carving was impressive beyond description. And yet, there it was, easily visible from where she was in the pass.

It was hard to tear herself away from looking at it, but she did. First, she scouted ahead a ways, to be sure they wouldn't be surprised by anything when the others were brought to see it. Then she rode back to the group, to tell them of it. They waited long enough for Niza to catch up with them again before moving quickly to it, trying to get there before the light was gone. But it seemed that they would have to wait for the next morning. Just before they reached the bend, the sun dropped enough past the horizon that the only light came from the waning moon, which dipped in and out behind clouds.

Except, the carving also glowed, with a gentle bluish light. They sat on their horses and stared, with awestruck silence.

"All dead," Alldeh said quietly. As one, the group turned to look at him. The bluish light glinted off of tears running down his face as he pointed at the mountain carving. "All dead. But not forgotten. But it's not just a warning. From the right spot, you'll see the path to their bodies. To where we need to go."

He turned to her.

"Senya," he said, pointing. "It hardly does her justice though. I didn't have much time. And I was so tired."

For a moment, Kyla thought he had found his way back, returned from his madness. It seemed unlikely, but for a man in such a frail state, he had seemed to grow stronger recently. He had not had many moments of clarity, but instead had seemed less trouble most of the time. Just then, it seemed as if he had a glow around him, the same color as the glow from the mountain. It seemed clear that the two were connected.

"You did this?" Jetha asked, her voice filled with her surprise. "How?"

He looked as if he was about to answer, but then his eyes went wild and the glow suddenly snapped out of existence. As if in response, the glow from the mountain vanished too, and the group found themselves blanketed in darkness. It took a moment for Kyla's eyes to adjust in the dim moonlight, but when she did she saw that Alldeh was slumped forward in the saddle, unconscious.

Chapter 24 - Imminent

She recognized the younger Alldeh, and one of them, Senya, had more than a passing resemblance to Kyla. The other faces she had never seen before.

"So," Ullden asked no one in particular, "where is the path? Where is the right spot to see it?"

"I guess we spread out and search," Kyla suggested.

"You don't know where to go next?" Niza asked.

"The main path continues up into the mountains, but I did not know this was here, and he mentioned where we need to go. I do not think the main path will take us there."

They all started looking around. Their eyes were fairly adjusted to the dim light, but none of them found anything that looked like a path.

Her eyes came back to the faces in the scene. The detail was amazing enough that she could tell where the different faces were looking. Some of them looked at the demonic figures they were fighting. A cloud passed before the moon, darkening the scene even more. She caught a glint in the carved Alldeh's eye. His face was the only one looking away from the scene and not at something in it.

"Guys," she said, pointing to the carved scene, "I don't think he meant it would show us a physical path. I think we need to get up there."

"What do you mean?" Marus stood next to her, squinting up at the scene. "What do you see?"

"That one," she said, pointing. "That's Alldeh. I'm pretty sure this is a representation of the group that performed the ritual last, and the people who came with them. They are all either working on the ritual or fighting off demons. Except Alldeh. He's the only one looking away. I think we need to go see what he's seeing. If we can stand at that vantage point - "

"You've got to be joking," Ullden said, clearly unhappy again. "We've got to get up there?"

"We did bring climbing gear," Kyla pointed out.

"We only have to have one or two of us go up there I suppose," Jetha told them. "We just need to see where to go."

"We shouldn't split up," Marus said, shaking his head. "I think we need to do this together. The more eyes we have to look while we're up there, the better."

"If we all go, we lose the horses," Ullden argued. "They can't make that climb."

"We were going to need to leave the horses eventually," Kyla said. "At least if we do it now they can head back to the grasslands and survive. The further in we go, the more likely they would starve before escaping the mountains on their own once we'd released them. From here, they have a chance."

"We're never going to outrun the Elar if we lose our horses this soon," Ullden countered. "They're still going to be on horseback."

"We'll find a way, Ullden," Marus said. "Have faith. The Gods are watching over us."

Ullden sputtered, and looked about to start in on another round of arguement about religion. Jetha put her hands up to stop them.

"Enough!" She did her best to imitate one of the more commanding tones she'd heard Nordithet use from time to time. "Let's not waste more time argueing about it. We'll stay together. It's safer that way. We need to redistribute the weight for carrying, set the horses free, and start climbing in the morning. In the meantime, can we find a good spot to set up camp? We won't move any faster on foot if we're tired and hungry." She tried to look taller and more confident than she really was while she spoke, and was pleased to see the two men both nod and remain quiet. Ullden turned and led his horse forward, pointing to a larger area off the path ahead of them.

"We can make camp there. A small fire only. We'll repack the bags tonight. In case we need to move suddenly, I want everything ready to go. In the morning, we'll feed the horses and release them before we get in there and start climbing. I don't know how long it will take to get up there. A day, maybe more."

They sorted through the supplies they still had, narrowing them down to where they could each carry a pack on their back, excepting Alldeh. Jetha found herself chuckling inwardly over the fact that she was down to so little extra clothes, compared to what she had packed initially. It didn't seem to matter so much to her anymore. There were other things of far more importance to her.

They buried the things they were leaving behind, hiding them in an area where they hoped the Elar would not see them. Ullden had pointed out that some of the items might be able to be reclaimed on the journey back, assuming they succeeded in their quest. It seemed to lift everyone's spirits to think of a return journey, and a conversation broke out over dinner about what plans people had for after the quest was over.

"I expect I'll return to my church," Marus told them. "While this journey has proved exciting, I'm not sure I'm quite cut out for so much travel."

"I like the travel," Niza admitted. "I might like to see more of the world."

"I must find those of my people who survived," Kyla said. "Otherwise our ways will be forgotten. We must build a new tribe to carry on the traditions."

Ullden was quiet, and Jetha suspected he was brooding again. The man seemed to be getting more and more unhappy the closer they got to their goal.

"What about you, Ullden?" she asked.

"More of the same I guess," he shrugged. "I really haven't thought about it."

"What about you?" Niza asked, looking at her. "You haven't said either."

"Oh, I'll go home," she said. "But I won't stay there. I'll go back to see my family, and Nordithet, my old teacher. But my family's life isn't for me anymore. There are some academies for magic, I might go to one of those, but I have a feeling Nordithet will discourage that. I think I'll end up traveling as well, although I'd like some time to stick in one area for a while and study."

"I wonder if anyone else knows the magic Alldeh is showing you," Ullden said. "You mentioned it was different. If you go to one of those academies you might not be the one doing the studying."

"Yeah," she agreed, "I think Nordithet would say the same thing. I'm not sure what to plan."

At that they all settled in for sleep, after Marus set up one of his prayer spells to alert them if the Elar caught up to them. In the morning they fed and released the horses. Ullden joked wryly about what the Elar would think when they encountered just the horses. None of them found it likely the Elar would assume them dead and give up.

Marus used his prayer to see where the Elar were. The different groups had all converged, and were just beginning to turn back towards the mountains. Ullden urged them to climb quickly, estimating that they would be up at the carving by the time the Elar caught up.

"They may just continue up the mountain path," Marus pointed out. "If our path is different, then we just need to let them pass us by."

"We'll find out up at the top," Niza insisted. She started up and the rest joined in. Kyla ended up leading the way.

It took them most of the day just to reach the bottom of the carving. In the beginning, they walked and climbed the slope with ease, as it was still gentle enough. By lunchtime, Ullden had brought out climbing gear, and they had all put belts around their waists, connecting them together. Ullden seemed to have climbed before, and he took the lead, using metal stakes to anchor the rock from time to time. As they came into view of the bottom of the carving, they found a large enough ledge along the rock face for them to make a camp.

They left most of the gear there while Ullden began securing the stakes again, to give them a path up to where the depiction of Alldeh was. Jetha pointed out the glinting in the eye, which had become more and more obvious the closer they got. They agreed that it was the specific location they needed to reach, in order to see whatever the carving was meant to show them.

"It doesn't look as if it was actually carved from the stone," Marus commented, looking at the carving above them as Ullden moved up and secured the next stake. "It would have taken decades to carve something like this and make it that smooth. Possibly longer, depending on the manpower and tools available."

"I don't think he used a chisel, Father," Jetha said. "I'm pretty sure he used magic to do it. I can't even imagine how taxing a spell to do this would be. I didn't know magic could do something like this."

That magic had been used to make the carving had been the only conclusion she'd been able to come up with all day. Whenever she'd had the chance, she'd looked at the carving in the sunlight, as they climbed towards it. From a distance, it had seemed intensely detailed. As they came closer, however, it just seemed big, more than anything else. Kyla had commented a couple of times about how surprised she was that it had never been mentioned by any of her people, in the stories about the mountains. Jetha wondered if it even could be seen by others. She thought it possible that Alldeh's presence was making it visible. Especially since Alldeh seemed quieter than usual that day, as if he was focusing on something else. His eyes still wandered wildly, but he also had no trouble with keeping balance and finding his footing as they climbed. Marus had taken position behind him, but had rarely had to help the man at all.

By the time Ullden had gotten the rope staked about halfway up between them and the glinting eye, it was too dark for them to safely climb. He left the rope set for the next morning, and they ate some cold dinner and slept as far away from the edge of the ledge as they could manage. Tents weren't possible, but the weather seemed to be holding, despite the thickening clouds in the sky. Nonetheless, they slept close together, to help fight off the chill of the night air. It had gotten windier as they made their way up as well, and Jetha found herself having a hard time sleeping with the sound of it howling through the mountains.

Author's Note:

"This isn't like my dreams at all," Niza said, obviously worried. Niza held the torch as they stood outside the cave. They knew it was the right cave because it was carved like a skull and they had to enter through the mouth.

"The rest have already gone inside," Niza whined. "We have to go, too."

She shivered in the cold, standing naked and barefoot in the falling snow. It burned when it touched her skin.

"I can't go in there like this!" she said, nearly shrieking it.

"Oh, come now, don't be afraid. If I'm not afraid anymore, I don't see why you should be..."

Finally she stepped forward into the cave mouth. The light from Niza's torch was not following her.

She woke still in her bedroll. The waning moon stared down at her from the blackness above. She thought there were two, maybe three more nights until the new moon. She suspected the timing was not coincidental.

She looked down at the path below them. It was a long way down. There was a light down at the path. It was a lit figure. It was humanoid in shape, although it had a long wispy tail that darted around like a snake. And it looked like it was on fire. Its head was a little too big for its body, and it was looking around.

Suddenly she did not feel so far up. The demon looked up, but obviously did not see her in the dark. It walked on.

She realized that she'd been holding her breath and let it out at soundlessly as she could, fearful that even that might make the demon turn back towards them. She sat there for a long time, motionless, yet poised to wake the others if it should return. However, she did not want to wake them unless they were actually going to come under attack. They were getting little enough sleep as it was.

Niza moaned softly and mumbled something, shifting in her sleep. Jetha leaned in to see if she could hear, but the words weren't clear enough to make out. She found herself taking the girl's hand and holding it, in case it might help her get through the dream. After a short while, Niza seemed to drift deeper into sleep and no longer made any noise.

Jetha found she couldn't settle her mind, and didn't know what to do. She was fearful of going to sleep again, in case the demon came back. She was tired, however, and found herself drifting off for short spans while she leaned back against the cold stone of the mountain. She pulled the bedding around her more, as it seemed that her own shivers were waking her more than the worry over the demon. She wanted to do her spell, and leave her body to see where the Elar and demon were each at. But she wasn't about to do such a thing while nobody else was awake. She felt like she sat there for hours, feeling torn when she was awake, and unsettled whenever she drifted off. Eventually, the sky started to get lighter, leading the eventual sunrise that would come, and Ullden stirred awake.

He woke quietly, and stretched a little before sitting up. He did not groan like Father Marus did while waking.

"Awake already?" He asked softly.

"Yes," she said through a yawn. "A demon passed below us, perhaps an hour ago. It was looking around, but did not see us."

"Where did it go?"

"Farther up the path. Fortunately it couldn't fly, or I think it probably would have seen us."

"Yes, that would put us in a rather vulnerable position right now," he agreed. "Let's start waking the others. We've got more climbing for today, and this is delaying us enough as it is."

She woke Niza while Ullden woke Marus. Kyla woke up on her own, and was putting her bedroll away before Niza had made it out of hers. Jetha took care of her own while Ullden handed out bread and some cheese for a light breakfast. They waited until the last minute to wake Alldeh.

Ullden checked the ropes, resecuring a couple of the stakes he had set the night before, and then started them climbing again. The clouds were thick enough that the sun was hidden from view, making the light gray and dreary. The wind still howled angrily through the mountains, preventing the chill from leaving with the weak daylight. Stray hairs escaped from the ribbon she had tying them back, and whipped at her face and eyes. She squinted and tried to concentrate on the rope and climb, watching for the hand and footholds that Kyla used just before her. She also tried to keep from kicking pebbles down onto Niza, who climbed right behind her, with Alldeh, and then Marus, in the back. They didn't speak much, except to pass messages along about tricky spots to climb. The higher they went, the harder it was to talk over the wind.

By about lunchtime they had made their way to the crevice that marked the top of the carved Alldeh's arm, where they stopped to rest. It was just long enough of a shelf to hold them all, although they would not have been able to lay down and sleep on it. While they ate, Ullden wondered aloud how they were going to get up to the eye itself.

"I'll have to make the initial climb myself, to set the stakes. It looks just big enough that one person could stand crouched on that bit just under the eye and see." Ullden craned his head, presumably searching out the best route, when something occurred to Jetha.

"I could just lift someone up there," she said. "With a spell, I mean. I've got one that Nordithet taught me to lift things in the air. It's a little more taxing with heavier objects, but not as much as some of the spells I've been doing more recently. I could lift someone up there to set the first stake at least. The cheekbone area is straight up from here. Then it's only a few steps up to reach the eye itself. A couple more stakes from the first one and the rope would lead right to it. It would take me less time than it would for you to climb."

"Do it," Ullden nodded. "Can you lift me, or should I instruct someone else?"

"If you weren't wearing the armor, I could probably lift you. It's more of a strength of will I'm using against your weight. Too much will knock me unconscious. But, without your armor I think I could manage."

"Just don't drop me."

She began to start reassuring him that she would be careful, but then stopped when she saw the half-grin on his face. She smiled back, glad to see that he wasn't serious.

"I won't," she said, grabbing up the satchel that held her remaining supplies from Nordithet. She pulled out what she needed and quickly set up the two circles she needed - one for her and one for Ullden, each drawn in a mixture of chalk, charcoal, and sulfur. She made the circle for him as close to the carving as she dared without risking putting him too close to the rock when she lifted. Meanwhile, Ullden stripped out of the heavy armor, and grabbed up the stakes, rope and hammer. She had him stand in his circle before she crouched down and sprinkled the remaining components on the section where the two circles met as she stood in hers. She chanted as she used each one, focusing on spell as she felt the energy gather. She sat down in the center of her circle, still chanting, and used her flint until a small spark lit the components. From the center, where the circles met, there was a bright flash of light and flame flew around both lines. For a second, both circles burned along their respective paths, before dying down to what looked like lines of slightly glowing embers. She continued chanting the spell, as Ullden lifted upwards.

Once he reached the place he needed to be, she changed the words she was chanting to maintain the power needed to keep him aloft. He looked nervous up in the air, but wasted no time in getting the first stake into the stone. The sound of the hammer seemed to echo loudly in the air as he started to secure the rope.

Then, the words froze on her lips as a large figure rose up to the ledge where she was sitting. It was almost translucent in shape, and yet blacker than the darkest night she'd ever seen. Somehow, it's eyes were even darker, and so was the mouth it opened to scream at them. It floated in air, with no specific legs or arms to speak of, but tendrils began extending out from it, like webs being spun from a spider, reaching for each of them in turn. As her focus ended, so did her spell, but she was only vaguely aware of Ullden falling back down next to her. She found herself paralyzed, unable to take her eyes from those of the demon.

Marus thrusted his shield towards the demon, calling out to Ogrun for protection. The shield glowed and seemed to hold the demon at bay momentarily.

She did manage to recoil from the tendrils reaching towards her. She could not take her eyes away from the inky blackness. An arrow passed through it uselessly.

There was other commotion, but she still couldn't take her eyes from the demon. She heard the groaning of Ullden standing up. Hands grabbed her and pulled her back away from the demon.

Finally the spell was broken, and she could look elsewhere. Fear came back to her in a rush with the rest of her awareness. Niza looked enthralled and lost the same way she had just been.

She could not risk one of her fireballs. It was too close for them, and the flame would burst out in all directions when it hit. Ullden stepped closer to the edge and swung at it with his sword.

The sword hit one of the tendrils and cut it off. Another tendril whipped out and hit Ullden across the face as if slapping him. He staggered back as if shocked by it and the sword slipped from his fingers. It clanged and clattered off the ledge and fell down the cliff.

In a rush she thought about the different element words she had learned of the old magic. She formed the image of the fire symbol in her head, yelling out the word for it. A jet of fire leaped from her hands, passing through the blackness just as ineffectively as the arrow had.

The demon looked at her and laughed, a low, horrible sound that echoed off the mountains before it was lost in the wind. It tried to reach for her, but Marus' shield seemed to keep it from getting to her. Ullden reached down and grabbed Niza's sword right out of it's scabbard, swinging again at the demon. He nearly fell from the ledge himself when the blade swung right through the demon as if it wasn't even there. Then the demon turned and almost casually smacked Ullden backward, sending him flying against the mountain behind him. There was a sickening thud and he fell to the ledge in a heap, motionless.

She reached forward and put her hand over Niza's eyes, pushing her to one side, towards Ullden. Her mind went through the possibilities, trying to figure out another combination she could use.

Maybe the pure energy one I've used before will work, she hoped, forming the symbols in her mind. She chanted them, feeling the power surge through her and out towards the demon. The light still seemed to pass through it, but not without some effect. The demon pulled to one side, moving quickly to get away from the blast, and howling. She couldn't be sure if it was in pain or just angry.

It rose up above them, and it looked as if wisps of the demon were seperating from it's body and forming a fist-sized ball of blackness. The ball spun in mid-air for a moment before shooting out at Father Marus, striking him in the chest. It seemed as if the ball was only slowed slightly by the armor Marus wore, as it burrowed, disappearing into his chest. Marus screamed and dropped his shield to clutch at his chest. He fell to the ground, clawing and beating at his armor.

"Get it out! Gods, help me! Get it out!"

Jetha's mind was in a panic as she tried the energy blast again, feeling the fatigue on her own body as she tried to put more power into it than she had before. The demon turned towards her next, ignoring the others entirely. Niza had grabbed up her sword and tried to swing at it. Kyla was doing the same. Both swords had no effect, however, and the demon continued to float towards her. It was if she could sense it drawing energy to itself for a spell, as it drifted back and forth to avoid the blast she threw at it. She missed with most of it, and she knew that another blast like it would leave her unconscious. Still, she began the spell again, not knowing what else to try.

This time she did hit the demon, but it had already formed one of it's black balls again. The demon wavered in the air a moment, from the blast, before it was able to send the ball flying towards her. But Jetha's knees were giving way underneath her, and the ball slammed into the mountain behind her instead, sending a shower of stone and dust over the group.

Jetha lay on the ledge, barely managing to keep conscious, when she realized that Alldeh was quietly chanting. He wasn't even standing, but sat off to one side, dangling his legs off the edge of the ledge as a boy might. She saw the clarity in his face, as well as a distinct anger, as he finished casting the spell. The demon hadn't even been paying attention to him, turning towards Kyla next, extending a tentacle as if to knock her off the ledge entirely.

Then Alldeh finished chanting, and the demon exploded.

"Boom," he said, and giggled. There was a moment of tense silence while everyone waited to see if anything else would happen. She realized she was holding her breath again and let it out. She was not the only one.

"Are you alright?" Kyla asked Father Marus, breaking the silence. Marus was sitting leaning against the mountain, clutching his chest.

"It...stopped...when the...demon...stopped," he said, the pause between words shortening with each one. "It still hurts, but it's not incapacitating."

"Incapac-a--"

"I will be alright in a moment," he added. He did his healing prayer, and she watched the bright light swirl around him. As before, it came from within him and from around him at the same time. She had already reasoned out that the others could not see it.

Again she watched what the energy was doing, but she could not figure how to get energy to do that herself. It was more than closing a wound, it was recreating the damaged tissue. That's the difference between my spells and divine power, she told herself. He waited a moment before healing Ullden, and she watched that, too.

"Thank you, Father," Ullden said once he was awake again and sitting up.

"I should climb down and get his sword," Niza announced. "That way you can have some more time to rest back up."

Ullden raised his hand.

"I can handle the climb just fine," she said insistently.

"We can lower you on a rope, and then pull you back up. It'll be faster that way," he suggested.

"It's pretty likely that the summoner who brought that demon to this world knows that it just died," Jetha said quietly. "The faster we can finish here and get moving, the better."

"Right," Ullden said, slowly getting to his feet. "Marus, you and Kyla lower Niza down for my sword. Jetha, can you still lift me up there? The rope isn't secure enough yet to use."

"I think I can," Jetha said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. She'd used up more energy in the fight with the demon than she'd even thought she could use. But she thought she could still manage a ritual spell. It seemed as if it used her up in different ways. She started pulling the bags of components back out and resetting the circles again. Ullden nodded and sat down again, in the circle she'd had him in before.

Marus and Kyla lowered some knotted rope down and Niza climbed down it with relative ease to fetch Ullden's sword. She was back before Jetha was even ready to light the components and begin lifting Ullden again. This time it seemed even easier to maintain her focus as Ullden rose in the air and finished securing the rope up to the eye in the carving. Then he pulled himself up to stand there, squinting in several directions.

"Maybe you're supposed to be at the same height as the eye?" Jetha suggested, looking over at Alldeh for some hint of what they were supposed to do.

"Maybe you should come up here, Jetha," Ullden said. "You're the wizard. It might be that you will see something I can't."

"It could be magically concealed," Marus nodded. "I've heard of such things. Let me pray a moment over you first, Jetha."

She nodded, and waited while he prayed to Theran to give her guidance to the unseen. She blinked, as she felt a strange tingling in her eyes.

"That should help," Marus said, offering a hand to help her start up the rope.

"Thanks," she said. She pulled herself up the rope, making use of the knots that had been made at intervals so her hands and feet wouldn't slip. It was hard work on her arms, and made her appreciate how easy Niza had made it look when she'd gone down for Ullden's sword. It seemed to take her much longer to reach the top of the rope, where Ullden held out a hand and helped her up the rest of the way.

She looked the direction the carving of Alldeh was facing, putting herself at the level where her head was at the same height as the center of the eye, and was rewarded for her instincts. Across the mountains, several miles away, she could see an opening in the side of one mountain.

It was not shaped like a skull, as she had almost expected from her dream. Instead, it was almost an ordinary cave entrance, except for the black markings that made it look as if something had exploded outward from inside it, leaving black sooty marks around the edges of the opening. Inside was black, showing her nothing of what to expect.

To be sure, she looked in other directions as well, checking for anything else. There seemed to be no other cave entrances that could specifically be seen from that height, however. She felt reasonably sure that it was where they needed to go.

She tried to point the cave out to Ullden, but he could not see it. He agreed that it was the best guess they had, and the two of them went back down to tell the others, Ullden bringing the rope down behind them to remove the evidence that they'd been there. Marus' prayer to remove tracks each day was working, and the wounds in the rock, left by the stakes, seemed to heal themselves as he pulled them out and made new ones to work his way back down. When they reached the ledge, Jetha filled everyone else in on what she'd seen.

"Well," Ullden said, "the good news is that it's less likely the Elar know where they're going?"

"Unless the demons guiding them know where they're going," Father Marus countered, "which, all things considered, I think is likely."

Ullden sighed. "Yeah, I know. Let's get going."

while it had taken them a day and a half to get from the path up to the carving, down was considerably faster, and they were back down at the path with an hour or two of daylight left.

"It does not look like there's a path that will lead us the right direction," Kyla pointed out. "This one curves the wrong way." She pointed at another peak closer, saying, "This way will probably get us there, but it will not be terribly direct, and will take time."

Before they had a chance to get any further, a group of Elar came down the path and spotted them. It looked like two squads of ten.

"Ready your fireballs," Kyla warned her, drawing an arrow.

"I'm not sure I'm rested enough," she protested.

"Then we die," Ullden said, drawing his sword. "Marus?" Father Marus drew his sword and chanted his protection from arrows prayer. The first volley from the six archers hit the barrier and fell short. Kyla reached into her satchel. She had three of the fireballs still prepared. There had not been time to prepare more.

"Picnic?" Alldeh asked.

"No, no picnic today," Niza told him as Kyla launched her first arrow.

Chapter 25 - Distractions

Too many, too many talking, his own mind cried. It was the only voice he was still sure was his to control. The others all tried to control him.

I see you, old man. These pitiful humans are all you could pull together? another voice laughed, mocking him. How long until they fall, as the others did? You're killing them. Murderer.

"But mommy, I want a picnic," yet another voice whined. He tried to ignore that one completely these days, and yet it was still the one that had the most control. He realized that it was the one that had spoken aloud again, and clutched his head. He thought it might split open any moment now, like some overripe melon.

You're so close now, Narien, the last voice reminded him. Rest will come soon, but you must keep trying to focus. We need you. They need you.

It wasn't fair that the fourth voice always sounded like hers. An image of her came to him whenever he heard it. The sadness threatened to overwhelm him.

He'd given them names, or titles rather. Father, Brother, Child, and Wife. Father expected too much of him, always demanding that he do things, despite how tired he was. Brother wanted him to do things too, but it seemed that Child always managed to interrupt him and keep Brother's influence from dominating. Father and Child got their way more often than not, it seemed. Often Wife would side with Father.

Wife and Brother weren't supposed to be there, in his head. He'd puzzled that much out. For some reason his mind kept getting clearer the longer he traveled. He forgot things less now. But there was still some things that he couldn't remember. And Wife kept using that name, Narien. He could only assume she meant to be speaking to someone else, not him.

Important things, Father scolded. You must focus. Look around you. Feel the energy. You must help them.

Yes, old man. Help them, Brother crooned. Your life will save theirs. They can live on if you stop now. How many more lives will you sacrifice to steal my power away, when I only want to help them...

"If we can't have a picnic, I don't want to play! Child pouted. He shook his head to try and clear away the symbols. They were coming again, the spell symbols in his mind, forming and taking shape.

Yes, Wife said softly. That will work. Hurry, Narien, be swift.

He found himself speaking the spell. He was outnumbered. Father, Wife, and Child all approved, while Brother screamed angrily to try and stop him. He didn't like Brother too much anyway. And the pain of resisting was too unbearable to try and stop it. He gave in to it, allowed the words to pass through his lips. Allowed the power to pass through him. The portal opened and shimmered like a mirror.

In it's reflection he could see them, almost as if an observer from afar instead of one standing in the midst of the chaos. The wizard girl was unconscious, having used herself up again. He'd been vaguely aware of her throwing the crude fireballs she made, and then attempting to use real magic when she was already too spent.

If she's not careful, she'll shatter her mind, Father warned sternly. You need to give her more instruction.

The warrior was still fighting, attempting to fend off far too many for one man. He was covered in blood, some his own and some the enemy's, and his armor looked battered and torn in more places than Alldeh could count. Yet still he fought on. Alldeh wondered idly what he was fighting for.

The tribal girl had backed away from the battle, clutching an arrow in her abdomen. She, too, was covered in blood. Something strange panged in his heart when he looked at her. She reminded him of someone he'd failed to save, someone... he stepped towards her first, and pushed her through the portal.

The thief knelt next to the priest, trying to lift him while attempting to fend off attackers. The priest was holding up his shield to fend off blows, but the large gash into one leg seemed to be his main problem. He looked close to unconsciousness, screaming from the pain.

"Through there!" he yelled, waving at the portal. He paused for a moment, pleased that he was able to voice himself. It seemed so rare these days. He picked up the wizard girl under her arms and began dragging her towards the mirror. "Ullden, through here!"

He wondered that he knew the warrior's name, but then forgot it almost immediately after speaking it. He nearly dropped the girl in his frustration about it, but most of the voices in his head kept reminding him about getting through the portal. The thief-girl was helping the priest limp the few steps there. He watched several arrows lodge themselves in the girl's back, just as she stepped into the shimmering surface, her scream cut off as she made her way through. The warrior seemed to be fighting his way backwards, fending off the enemy as best he could as he made sure everyone else got through the portal. Alldeh pulled, yanking the wizard-girl through with him as he stepped through himself. The warrior all but fell through it, stumbling backwards across the rocky surface. Alldeh cut the power off as soon as they were all through, and found himself giggling hysterically at the sight of the top half of an Elar as it fell to the ground before them, sliced apart by the closing of the portal.

"Red," Child said, pointing to the puddle of blood that formed around the half-corpse.

He reached down and covered his hands in the red. Red was important, he remembered that. He scooped some of it up and put it in his pockets, proud of himself for remembering to save some for later.

They're all going to die unless you do something, Wife said. I cannot help if the priest loses consciousness.

Alldeh moved and squatted down next to the priest, who was moaning and clutching his leg in panic.

"You were always nice to me," Alldeh said. "I don't think I remembered to thank you for that."

"You aren't hurt?" the priest asked.

"No, I'm fine. Don't die. I'll miss you if you die."

"I'll be alright, Alldeh. I'll still be around to take care of you. I can heal this," the priest said. He pressed his hands on his leg calmly now, and prayed.

That's better, Wife said, as a bright light came from the priest. Alldeh felt the warmth of the light on his face, and smiled. Then the priest moved around and healed the others.

Alldeh followed him, and poked everyone after they'd been healed to make sure they weren't dead. They all felt fleshy when poked, so he assumed they would all be fine eventually.

No, Brother said. They're all going to die.

"No," Alldeh promised. "Not this time."

"Eww," the thief-girl said, pointing at the half-Elar lying on the ground. The wizard-girl nodded next to her, her hand covering her mouth.

"Where are we?" the warrior asked, standing up. He had been the last one the priest had healed.

"I'm not sure yet," the tribal girl answered. "Still in the mountains. I need to go to higher ground to get my bearings. Why don't you all get some rest while I go up further and check."

"Like a bird?" Child said, causing images of birds soaring to come to Alldeh's mind. "Birds sound pretty."

"How did we get here?" the wizard-girl asked, looking around. "What happened exactly? I'm confused."

"Alldeh cast a spell," the priest answered. Alldeh realized that the priest was using water from his canteen to try and clean away the red.

"No!" Alldeh told him, pulling away. "I need that! It's red! I have to keep red for later!"

"It was some sort of doorway, a portal I suppose," the warrior explained to the wizard. "He pulled you through it. Saved our lives, to be honest." The warrior didn't seem too happy. Alldeh wondered who had cast the portal he was talking about. He didn't think the wizard-girl had it in her yet.

"Let me clean you up, Alldeh," the priest coaxed. "It's alright. Just stay still a moment."

"No!" Alldeh pushed him away. Why won't they listen?

"Maybe we need it?" the wizard-girl came forward, putting a hand on the priest's shoulder.

Tell her, Father ordered sternly. Tell her we need the blood. Tell her why.

More blood, murderer, Brother argued. More blood on your hands? Can't you just let the dead rest? Bad enough that you bring death to so many more, but then you can't let them lie in peace?

Too late, Father replied. She knows.

He looked up to see the wizard girl collecting some of the Elar's blood in a couple of small vials. Afterwards, she came over and showed them to him.

"It's alright, Alldeh. Let Father Marus clean you up. I've saved some for you."

She nodded at him, and Wife's voice echoed her words in his head.

It's alright, Narien. It's alright.

Chapter 26 - Final Hardships

It would be just her luck if they had come so close just to have it damaged by an arrow and ruined. She felt sure it was tougher than that, but the thought was going to nag at her until she checked. So she pulled it out and inspected it. Sure enough, it was just fine.

Kyla pointed out the mountain they needed to reach. They did not appear any closer now than they were before.

"It would have been too easy if he could have just sent us right to the cave, huh?" Niza asked.

"We're alive," Ullden said. "Let's not complain."

"There is a mountain between us and the Elar," Kyla explained. "They will not be able to see us. We may be safe for a little while."

"There might be enough wood around to make a fire," Ullden noticed. "Let's set up camp here. We'll keep the fire small. It's going to be dark soon, so if we're probably safe we should rest until morning."

They set up camp quickly. A couple of bags and bundles had been left behind, dropped during combat, including one of the tents and some of the extra food. There was some discussion and general agreement that they should not leave Alldeh sleeping out alone. Ullden slept by the fire along with Kyla, letting Father Marus and Alldeh share a tent. She and Jetha crawled into the other one.

It didn't take Niza long to fall asleep. Between the travel, the combat, and the dreams from the scepter, she was exhausted. Her eyes were drooping before she even finished making her way into the tent. These days she didn't even bother changing into her nightgown for sleep. She didn't want to waste the time. She waited long enough to get the swordbelt and her boots off, stashing them at the door, just inside the tent, and then collapsed into sleep. She didn't even bother pulling the blanket over her.

When she woke, it was dark. Something didn't feel right, so she ignored her desire to just go back to sleep. She pulled her boots on, and crawled out of the tent, noticing that Jetha had already gotten up.

A figure sat by the small fire in the cave. She knew his gaunt face well by now, and met his dark eyes. Something still nagged at the back of her mind, trying to remind her of something. The figure beckoned to her with one long, bony finger.

"Come and see," he told her.

"See what?" she asked, suspiciously. Still, she approached anyway, trying to keep her expression blank and guard her emotions.

"Why, what your destiny is, of course," he answered, smiling. His smile was anything but warm, making her shudder slightly when she saw it. He stood up and gestured around him.

"Come and see what you will achieve for me."

The fire blazed suddenly and the room of the cave was brightly lit. Around her, their bodies lay on the ground, obviously having been slaughtered. She found herself instinctively looking for her own body there, although knew that such a thing shouldn't be possible.

"What makes you think I would do this?" she asked, keeping herself calm as realization dawned on her. It's just a dream, she reminded herself. He's in my dream again. It doesn't matter what he says. He can't hurt me here.

"Can't I?" he said, as if he'd heard her. "Let's see, shall we?"

With a laugh, he flicked his wrist at her and she flew backwards, slamming against the cave wall. All the breath left her chest and sharp pain shot through her back and head where they'd hit the rock. Then she fell downwards, crumpling onto the cave floor. When she pulled herself up, she realized that she could taste blood in her mouth.

"Did that hurt, little girl?" he taunted. "You don't seem to understand. I will win. I'm offering you the chance to join with me. You don't have to die with the rest of them.

"But," she stammered, "but I don't want to join you." She finished getting to her feet.

"You must," he said calmly. "You will. You can save some of them. You can stop all of this. The army chasing you, the demons... you can stop all of it by joining me."

"I'm pretty sure you're evil," she countered. "I'll never join with you."

"I'm not the evil one," he replied. "The spell that the madman wants to cast, do you have any idea what the spell will do?"

"Something to stop you, kill you, I hope."

"No, it's not something to kill me," he said. "It is much worse than that. Their spell will plunge the world into eternal warfare. It will never end. Thousands of years of bloody conflict."

The fire jumped up larger and cast flickering shadows on the wall. All around the cave shadowy armies clashed and fought. Muted sounds of steel on steel, and muted anguished screams, echoed through the little cave.

"With your help I can stop it. The world can have peace. You want peace rather than eternal warfare, don't you?"

"Well, yes," she agreed.

"It's easy, or at least it can be. You just need to stop them from casting their spell. The girl doesn't know what she's doing. Alldeh is using her. That isn't even his real name, you know."

"You know his name?"

"Oh, yes, I do, although I dare not speak it. Have you considered why I only speak to you in your dreams?"

"Because you need some kind of magic to do it and it doesn't work in daytime? Or it doesn’t work while I'm awake?" she tried.

"No, no. Those are the times when he's asleep. You've seen him do things no human wizard can do. There's a reason for that, Niza. You have to stop them, before it's too late."

"What do you want me to do?" she asked. He seemed pretty reasonable so far, she thought.

"You have to kill Jetha and Alldeh. It's the only way to stop them, the only way to stop the destruction."

"That will never happen," she told him, angrily. "Jetha is my friend." She took a couple steps towards him, fists clenched.

"Perhaps," he said, looking in to the fire. "Or, perhaps, she has just been using you. They had hoped to learn about this ritual of theirs from Alldeh. And yet, it seems that the girl learns more from your dreams than the madman. Information I have given you. Because I know that you will do the right thing when the time comes. All the girl does is pick your mind for more clues. Has she ever really been your friend?"

"And Alldeh," he continued. "Why does he wait to tell you the things you need to know? Why does he feign madness? Have you ever thought that it might be to keep you all from knowing his true goal? He seeks revenge. He has lost perspective. I tried to bring peace before, but he and his friends stopped me. I had to kill the others, I was left with no choice. But I left him alive, hoping he would realize his mistake and help me this time to bring your world together in harmony. But he has been blinded by his vengence, and cannot see past the hate in his heart."

"No," she shook her head, not wanting to believe it. "You're lying."

"You've been watching him, Niza. He's waiting for something. Hiding inside himself, waiting. If he was truely trying to save the world from some evil, don't you think he'd step forward and do something?"

"I... I don't know," she admitted. She didn't want to think that Alldeh was misleading them, but she had to admit she didn't have much to go on. And Alldeh obviously had secrets...

"But Jetha hasn't done anything," she said. "Even if I did believe you, I'd still have no reason to kill her!"

"She seeks greatness, to do something epic with the power she's discovered. Power Alldeh has shown her how to use. She uses magic that was lost, forgotten, for a reason Niza. It is not something she can put away, now that she's felt it flow through her veins. She will only seek more and more. It is a mercy to kill her now. A mercy to those who will fall victim to her power. And, in the end, a mercy to her. You've seen her weild power, just a fraction of what she will become capable of. If she goes through with this ritual, she will begin to understand just how powerful she can be. Then it will be too late. You will have no chance to stop her."

"You don't know her! That's not what she's like!" Niza cried. "You're just trying to trick me!" She felt helpless, unable to contradict what he was saying. Unable to be sure he wasn't telling the truth. She desperately tried to will herself to wake up, to escape the dream.

"You must kill them before they reach the cave, Niza, or all is lost. The world will be plunged into a dark time, the likes of which has never been seen before. War will blanket the world. If you go through with this ritual, you will see that I was right. Can you risk my being right, Niza? You, alone, will have been responsible for the deaths that will follow mine. You can stop it, Niza. You hold the weight of the world in your hands."

His last few words echoed as the cave around her changed to swirling mist, and she felt as if she was falling. Then she sat up suddenly, awake in her tent with Jetha.

Jetha stirred but did not wake. She did not look evil lying there, did not look dangerous. But then, she had noticed the excited look on Jetha's face whenever she had done something new.

No, she told herself. It's the demon. It was a demon, after all. It was lying to her. It had to be. Trying to trick her.

It would be easy to do, she realized. She had a knife. She could just stab Jetha in her sleep. Alldeh might be trickier…

She forced the thought out of her mind and got out of her bedroll. It was out of the question. She got out of the tent to clear her mind.

Kyla, Ullden, and Father Marus were still asleep around the fire. Marus stirred some, but did not wake up. The fire was dying out. She wanted to sit next to it, to just get lost staring into it, but she did not want to risk waking the others.

She moved away and let her eyes wander the mountain scenery. It was so different from city views. It was at the same time majestic and intimidating. The mountains were cold and unwelcoming in the dim starlight. There was just the smallest sliver of icy moon hanging in the sky. She stood and watched until the sky to one side lightened with the red of the approaching dawn.

Kyla woke first, and got out of her sleeping fur without more than a small yawn to indicate that she might still be tired. Ullden was only moments behind Kyla in waking up, but yawned and stretched a good deal before starting to wake the others. Niza moved to stoke the small fire and start getting breakfast together. Jetha joined her minutes later, and began helping Niza cook.

"Morning," Jetha smiled through a yawn. "How'd you sleep?"

"Morning," Niza replied, not looking at her. "I slept well enough, I guess. You?"

"I slept okay. Any dreams?"

"Not really," Niza lied. "I think I dreampt of the cave again, but nothing of the ritual anyway. Nothing worth your notes."

"Well, good. Then maybe you got a decent night's sleep after all. I hate to see you so tired."

"Thanks," Niza said. "But I know how important the details of the ritual are to you."

"We'll find a way to make it work, Niza," Jetha said, touching Niza's arm. Niza looked up to see Jetha looking at her, concerned. "It's not as important as you getting proper sleep. I hate to see you so exhausted."

"I'll manage," Niza gave Jetha a smile to reassure her. "The coffee helps." She nodded at the small pot that was heating on the fire.

"Nordithet always said that stimulants, like coffee, disrupted a person's ability to focus and concentrate properly."

"I've noticed that you seem to have no issue with having a cup every morning though," Ullden cut in with a chuckle.

"Just one cup though, to get me moving," Jetha protested. "I don't drink nearly as much as you and Niza have been lately."

"Well, I'm not weilding anything as complicated as your magic," Niza offered. "And, I figure, it's better to be awake to fight than asleep on my feet."

"She's catching on," Ullden grinned, adjusting the straps on his armor.

"I'm not asleep on my feet," Jetha frowned.

"No, but you're getting better sleep at night than I have," Niza pointed out. "So it balances out."

"True," Jetha conceded.

"Kyla, what's the plan from here? Have you figured the best route to reach the cave?" Ullden asked.

"Yes," Kyla replied. "The mountain between us and the Elar is too steep to climb in most areas, so we will have to go around the backside of it. It will take us close to the area the beasts are said to be in, but perhaps not so close as to be noticed. Based on our rate of travel so far, we should be at the cave in four or five days, assuming we don't have any interruptions."

They had their breakfast and coffee quickly. Ullden calculated that they had three more days' coffee.

"Three nights of new moon left. Too late for coffee after that," Alldeh muttered.

"What does he mean?" Jetha asked.

"The moon has waned smaller each night," Kyla reminded them. "Tonight starts the first night of the new moon, which lasts for three nights. Among my people it is an important time for new beginnings and for making changes."

"There is also precedent for important rituals happening at the full or new moon," Father Marus added. "It might be that we need to do the ritual then. We would have been on time, but we've been sidetracked."

"Then if ever we've need of a speed and lasting strength prayer," Ullden remarked, "it's now."

Ullden prayed, asking Ogrun to take their strength and determination, to shape it as he might metal, making it stronger and returning it to them. They did feel encouraged, and maybe even a little revitalized, afterwards.

"Drop anything we can live without," Ullden suggested. "The lighter we are the faster and longer we can go." He turned and went through his own backpack, muttering a stream of curses but apparently not finding much to get rid of. Some of the curses sounded creative, but most of them she could not hear. She went through her own backpack, but there was not much left that was not important.

"I don't think there's really much more we can afford to leave behind," Niza said, looking at the pile they eventually came up with. A few bars of soap sat atop the pile, one of the paper wrappers rattling softly as it caught in the wind. The heaviest item being left behind was the last of the tents. There would be no more sheltering from the wind behind the thick canvas. Jetha had sorted through and narrowed down the pots and pans, until there was only one deep pan with a lid remaining that hung from her backpack. Niza noted that it was the one they'd seemed to use the most often anyway. Also on the pile was a few bags of Jetha's "components" from inside her shoulderbag. The rest of the pile seemed mostly made up of small personal effects that didn't amount to much.

"So it seems," Ullden agreed. "Let's get moving."

They trekked hard through the day, barely stopping long enough to pass some hard, preserved meat around for them to gnaw on as lunch. Some of the route was steep, making it difficult to maintain much conversation. The mood was grim as the group kept going well into the evening before stopping to eat and sleep again.

We're running out of food too, Niza noted to herself as she helped Jetha prepare dinner. They only had what Kyla had hunted or foraged, and all the spices except salt had been left behind a while back. It was mostly salted meat with grasses or roots nowadays. Kyla hadn't found any game that day either. If she couldn't hunt anything down, they'd run out of meat in a day or so. Water was getting trickier to find as well.

She tossed and turned under a cloud-filled sky before finally falling asleep. When she woke the fire was out. A single little wisp of smoke curled up from it. The others were all asleep. The ugly old man was there again.

"They say there's a mountain here where you can see the whole world," he said in his gravelly voice.

"What do you want?" she asked, assuming she was dreaming again.

"Look," he said pointing off in the distance. The sky was still dark with heavy clouds that seemed far too low, but she could see a very long way. She could see the plains stretching out to the ocean.

He pointed another direction, and there she saw the fields and rivers they had crossed getting to where they were now. Far away she could see Riverport, where the people labored under Elar supervision and were putting up a colossal statue at the docks. It was facing away from her, so she could not see the figure's face.

She saw the church she had sheltered at--Father Marus' church. It was half rubble now, bodies strewn haphazardly around it being gathered and stacked for burial.

In another direction she looked over the seas. The oceans were covered with black Elar warships moving like cockroaches scattering across a kitchen floor.

"Do you see it?" he asked. "That's peace. There's no war, no killing. The Morgule pirates are no longer raiding shipping. Goods can flow safely now. It's almost done."

"I've never heard of Morgule pirates," she protested. "They're peaceful and gentle."

"That's just one story," he countered.

"Your story," she countered. "Besides, that's not peace. That's enslavement."

"It must begin somewhere," he replied, his expression not changing. "Your kind do not seem willing to just lay down your weapons and be peaceful. You must be shown, proven to, that peace can happen. Ironic, really, that you call me the demon."

"Am I supposed to believe that once you've won the whole world you'll just let everyone go?"

"Once I've brought peace to the whole world, stopped the fighting..." he shook his head at her. "No, they must be educated first, shown the path so they may follow it."

"What if they don't want your path?"

"Those who don't will only be destroying the peace that will have been created. They will have to be dealt with. There is a price. There is always a price for such things. I would not think you so naive as to think otherwise. And yet, you still hesitate. Do you wish for the fighting to continue? For so many to die?"

"I'm not going to kill my friends," she told him. She stood ready, expecting some sort of physical injury. He usually got angry when she spoke so directly against him. She was surprised when none came.

"What about her father? Her brothers? Even Jetha's mother? Don't you think that if she knew her life would save theirs that she would sacrifice it without any thought at all? Her father and older brother fight, even now, to save the home and lands she grew up on, while her mother flees with her younger brother and other women and children of those lands. She has no idea that her path is what will kill them. In the end, she will only destroy what she loves most. And anyone close to her will suffer. She will be damned for all eternity for the things she will do with the power she seeks."

"You're wrong. Jetha respects the power she weilds. She would never harm the ones she loves."

He laughed at her, low and patronizing.

"Don't try to fool yourself, Niza. The girl does not weild the power, the power weilds her. She pulls on as much of it as she can draw into herself and then lets it direct her, instead of controlling it as she ought. And, every time she finds that she is capable of more, she takes more pride in that capability. It has destroyed far more disciplined wizards than her. It will destroy her too."

"But, but the gods wouldn't have chosen her if she wasn't capable," she tried, running out of arguments. "They chose all of us."

"First of all, Niza, I am a god. But you know what? The gods you're thinking of did not do all the choosing." He stood up more smoothly than his appearance would suggest.

"Niza, I chose you. I led you to the scepter, and with the scepter I have been leading you ever since. It was me that led you to Marus' church. I have been with you from the start, protecting you."

"But I only have so much patience. I have given you nothing but opportunity. You can be the voice that brings peace to the world, you can be my greatest high priestess. Or you can plunge the world into eternal chaos. It will be your choice. But until you make your choice I am done protecting and sheltering you."

He took a step backwards and was gone. She woke up chilled in her bedroll. She shivered once before even opening her eyes. The little fire had burned completely out. She looked up at the sky, but there were no stars and no moon. She felt, more than saw, the first snowflake land on her nose.

Chapter 27 - Storms

"Wonderful," he muttered so no one could hear. His mind pondered over details for the day's travel, making note that the rock would be slippery now, as he began waking the others. It seemed his mind was constantly in a state of worry these days. He was beginning to doubt they'd be able to make it in time, much less come out of this quest alive. He still wasn't even sure that what they were doing would matter in the end. A part of him wondered if they wouldn't have been able to make more of a difference if they had stayed behind and helped fight off the Elar armies after all.

At least you're not dead, he reminded himself, trying to force some optimism. And there must be something to this quest, or the Elar wouldn't send so many men after this ragtag little group.

That was the fact that troubled him the most. There were potentially two hundred Elar and accompanying demons coming. It seemed like a lot to be sending to deal with just six travelers, no matter how powerful Jetha might be able to be.

Then again, there's Alldeh too, he told himself. At least he's becoming more dangerous to them than he is to us. The last two demonstrations of Alldeh's power had him worried about the madman's potential danger even more. He'd not gotten to see whatever Alldeh had done to destroy the demon, but the portal had been an obvious display of power. He'd heard a wizard speak wistfully about the idea of creating a portal, but to do so aparently required some sort of extensive ritual and several powerful wizards. Nonetheless, Alldeh had just chanted a few words and created one without seeming strained in the least from the effort. His only hope was that Alldeh's showings of magic would continue to work in their favor. He'd found himself praying more and more, although he made sure that Father Marus received no hint of it.

Breakfast went quickly. When there wasn't much food, it didn't take them much time to eat, and they were moving again in record time. At this point it didn't take much more than rolling up the blankets and putting out the fire before they could be picking their way across the mountains again, grim determination evident on everyone's faces. The group was quiet these days, hardly bothering to hold conversations anymore. He suspected that not many of them expected to come out of this alive, if any at all. He thought back to the promise he'd made to Jetha's father. It seemed a lifetime ago.

Other memories fell on him as the snow did--little bits that added up. He thought about other jobs he had done, which ones had been satisfying and which ones not.

He thought about the last woman he had been with. Anessa, he eventually remembered. He wondered what had come of her, and if he would ever see her again. He doubted it a little regretfully. He wondered if her brother would end up a bard or not, or if the Elar would have prevented that by now. He supposed the Elar would have changed everything for a lot of people. He wondered how many dreams would be crushed while reality around people changed completely.

They pushed on through the falling snow all day. They did find dead wood to make a fire with. After discussing the risks and merits, they decided the risks were small enough to live with. Fire would keep animals away, and their position would limit the areas their fire could be seen from.

Niza seemed to sleep very well through the night, but she woke up looking even more concerned than normal. She did not say anything, and he did not press the subject.

They moved on. By that point he was almost used to their footprints in the snow filling themselves in and vanishing. They talked very little through the morning, and they ate lunch mostly while still moving. It was well into afternoon when a large rock shattered against the rock wall next to them.

At first he assumed that it was loose rock that had collected and finally weighed down a larger piece until it broke. They had seen evidence of rockslides here and there, although fortunately none had been close enough to cause much concern for the group except to change their course slightly to veer around. This one was close, however, just in front of the group as they moved along a ledged area near the bottom of one of the mountains they were going around. The fact that the rockslide was accompanied by a large, booming voice, however, changed Ullden's theory immediately.

He looked at the source of the voice and swore, drawing his sword. The largest man he had ever seen, easily six times as tall as Ullden himself, stood watching them, a second rock being hefted in his massive hand. Despite the fact that the distance between them and the giant was only a few steps for the giant's long legs, it would take Ullden a few minutes to cross the distance over the jagged rock, and would be difficult at best. Ullden glanced at Jetha next, knowing the girl's magic might be the only chance they had. Kyla was already loosing an arrow, but he somehow doubted that it would make much difference. The arrow hit home in the giant's shoulder, but the giant plucked it out with his huge fingers and discarded it as if it was merely some pesky insect. He seemed to be laughing at them, his huge voice causing small real landslides here and there across the mountains.

"Jetha!" Ullden yelled, trying to be heard over the giant. "Use your magic!"

"Wait!" Alldeh yelled suddenly, dancing around and waving his arms. "Play! Play with meeeee! Ooooh, ooooh! Play with meeee!"

"Alldeh!" Marus cried, trying to pull him back. Alldeh was dancing dangerously close to the edge, but Marus managed to grab his arm and keep him from slipping off.

Ullden could see than Jetha was building up to cast a spell, her face tense with concentration. Light suddenly shot out, away from her, in a stream towards the giant. The giant raised an eyebrow as he stepped to one side, avoiding the spell with amazing nimbleness.

"I wondered how long it would be until you returned, young one," the giant surprised them all by saying. "Looks like your spell worked after all." He dropped his boulder and reached forward picking Alldeh up with two fingers under Alldeh's arms. Marus tried to hold onto Alldeh, but was unable, falling back to the ledge as the giant gently placed Alldeh so that he was sitting on the palm of the giant's other hand. Alldeh's legs swung over the edge of the hand, one swinging at either side of the giant's wrist. Alldeh clapped his hands and squealed happily as the giant began chanting some words that Ullden couldn't understand. Ullden was distracted momentarily as he realized he'd been standing there for a moment, his mouth hung open and the tip of his sword having dropped down to the ground. He closed his mouth and brought his sword back up again, trying to feel bigger.

"Hey!" he yelled up at the giant. "Put him down!" His heart dropped in his stomach as the giant turned his gaze onto Ullden. It was all he could do to keep his knees from buckling. He'd never come up against anything quite like this before. He hoped he didn't look as helpless as he felt just then. Unfortunately, the giant's amused expression wasn't helping much.

Author's Note

RaynDragon