Chapter 16 And Your Enemies Closer

Rameros had finally made his way back to the clearing in the forest. Maybe a day had already passed, or only a few hours. It was hard to tell with the forest so dark.

Darker than usual. He made a mental note to himself. It was yet another thing that wasn't right with the forest. Like the new uncomfortable energy in the air, and the fact that he hadn't seen or heard any of the typical forest creatures. Worst of all, the trees in this part of the forest were so dense, he couldn't see the sky above. If it was night time, which his gut told him it was, he couldn't use the stars as guidance, which his tribe so often did. Maybe his ancestors had been wrong. It had happened before, but that didn't explain the vision with his God. Could his own God have been wrong?

No. Came the forceful, immediate thought.

Rameros had wanted to camouflage himself, but the recent snowfall would have made that a bit difficult. Instead, he opted to make himself invisible. He could make himself as transparent as an apparition, or completely non-existent. Currently he was in the transparent state, when he was hit with an energy he had never experienced before. Could it be? The Sentinel had never met one in his young lifetime, but all centaurs were born with the knowing when their distant relative, an A'eternian, was near. The energy was distant, but it was indeed an A'eternian. A strong, very old A'eternian. An Elder.

A female Elder. Rameros soon realized as the energy came closer.

It didn't make any sense. What was an A'eternian Elder doing here, in Cronemoor Forest? Were the A'eternians the cause for the sudden dark energy that lingered through the trees? He knew they didn't like to leave their home, in fact A'eternians were more reclusive than even his tribe. They never meddled into the affairs of others. Unless of course one had gone rogue. A chill went through his body as he remembered the stories from the Mystics of centaurs in the past. Ones that went mad for power, power that was beyond their own. His grandmother had told him it happened to every race.

"As long as a being can think and feel, there's always the possibility they'll want more." Her words rang through his mind. Growing up, his worst fear was that he would be one of those centaurs who would give into temptation. He hadn't, yet, but he was still young.

Rameros could feel her energy coming closer, so he moved into the thickest of the trees behind the clearing. He began to shift away from the transparent skin into completely invisible. As she came nearer, he noticed three more energies with her. Exhausted, female energies. Soon he could see light coming through the trees, and then there they were. Four completely different women, walking close together around what looked to be a small version of the moon. He immediately recognized the mountain dwarf of the Bundushuth Spires, he had seen them before on occasion; but that was no A'eternian that was with her. A high elf, yes, but she was tall, and slender, and the blackest of hair he had ever seen. A'eternian females were never that tall, and their hair was always a light blonde, or some shade of it. Yet, the small orb that was attached to her, was a spell that could only be conjured by someone powerful, like an Elder. Or Mystic. His brow furrowed as he slowly walked back into the trees, but not too far so he could still keep an eye on them. The high elf was not of this realm, but she had the energy of an A'eternian. Ramerous couldn't be more confused. The other two girls he also knew weren't from this realm. The small one, a gnome, perhaps, yet her ears were not pointed on the ends, and the charming human with the axe on her back.

Completely unseen, Rameros waited and watched the girls from the trees. They didn't appear to be dangerous, or even give off the energy that they were, but still he wanted to wait and see. He listened intently to their conversation as they put their bags down and began to clear the snow for a campfire. It was then, the Sentinel felt the strongest energy he had ever felt. A dark energy, even darker than the forest, had just appeared out of nowhere, as if whoever or whatever it belonged to, teleported right there amongst the trees. It scared him, and he wished that another of his tribe was there with him.

The elf with the jet black hair seemed to pick up on the energy too, and she spoke to the others. Rameros continued to watch them as they stood still, and several more of the dark energies appeared. These energies felt closer than the first one, but he saw nothing around him. The centaur felt his heart race as he began to panic. He wasn't about to make himself vulnerable, not with something this strong and dark, and nowhere to be seen. What could he do? What should he do?

But what if they're who I'm supposed to find? He thought to himself. His grandmother had told him he'd know when he found it, but all he felt here was danger, and trouble. Everything about this was all wrong.

"Poulian, I hope you're here with me," he whispered, as the trees around him shook with his intention. Rameros hoped it'd be enough to help the girls. He shook the trees with his mind again, and the girls turned around, weapons in hands, on guard. A sigh of relief left him, and then three larger than usual dire wolves appeared just several feet in front of him. They had been invisible, the brown and black dogs, but animals couldn't do that. There had to be a dark cultist nearby. The other energy he felt, which was now just across the clearing, by the riverbend. That energy still had not made itself known.

He continued to shake the trees as the three wolves near him moved closer out into the clearing. The small girl was the closest, and Rameros thought there was no way she'd stand a chance. Each of the creatures were twice her size, and probably weighed three times as much as her. It was another surprise to the centaur, as the first energy appeared, just like the others had. Another black and brown very large dire wolf made its way slowly towards the mountain dwarf. The mountain dwarf who was so focused on the rustling trees in front of her, she was not prepared for the wolf coming from her right. The centaur began to panic again, how else could he try to help her. There was still no sign that these girls were who he was meant to meet, but to see them in this kind of trouble, made him uncomfortable.

The dwarf was putting up a good fight for her size, and Rameros guessed if she had had the upper hand from the beginning, she might have a better chance, but no, the beast's jaws were getting closer to her face by the second. He still hadn't revealed himself. He wanted to, but the fact remained whatever power was controlling and helping these creatures was still unknown. And it scared him, he had never felt such dark energy. He would have taken off by now and not even bother if he hadn't had that vision with his God. He watched as the smallest of the girls, pulled out her weapon, a longbow, and began firing quick shots at the wolf. Though it was dark, Rameros' could see her wooden arrows do nothing to the large beast as she fired shot after shot. He could feel the elf's frustration of not being able to cast a spell to help, and the indecisiveness of the woman holding the axe.

Rameros drew one of his iron tipped arrows from the quiver on his belt as he began to shift out of the invisibility spell. He moved away from the trees, keeping his eyes on the three wolves, which were finally walking into the clearing. They were ready to pounce on the unaware girl with the bow, all of her focus was on the wolf in front of her. Inching his way closer to the clearing, he grabbed the longbow from his back with his right hand. The power of the yew bow covered with the same leaves the wand had, vibrated through him. Soon the power of his tribe, his family, and ancestors filled him. Hiding in the trees he sent as much power as he could to the elf, for she was the only one he could see manifesting something with it. He struggled to suppress a laugh as the wolves, who were almost to their target, were struck with smaller balls of the elf's orb. Instead, Rameros smiled to himself, glad to have helped, but then came the piercing scream, louder than the wolves howls from the electrocution. The dwarf was off her game for not even a second, and the beast on top of her was finally able to sink its teeth into her forearm.

Rameros had never seen so much blood, nor seen it flow so quickly. The wolf's teeth had bitten right through an artery, and the dwarfs' piercing scream echoed through the forest. He stepped closer to the clearing, placing the iron tipped arrow against the bow, waiting for a chance to shoot. The leaves on the bow began to untwine, reaching towards the arrow, more of the centaurs magical energy was ready to be used. The small girl and the elf were holding off the three wolves, though the energy he had shared was dwindling with every bolt that struck. The woman had dropped her axe, and was now using her hands to wrestle the wolf off its prey. She was certainly strong, Rameros could sense, but not strong enough compared to that of the wolf's. The beast only bit down harder, and the dwarf howled her cries of pain.

His body shivered as he steadied himself and the bow. He knew where he had to make the shot, and it was only one shot he needed. He aimed at the first wolf, but something didn't feel right. There was another energy. It appeared just like the others, out of nowhere, and suddenly. Rameros stood still, the arrow still aimed at his target. Another of the large beasts came from his right of the clearing. There was no doubt about it's white fur, red eyes, and the way it prowled slowly towards the woman, that it was this pack's leader.

"Dire wolves." He heard the dwarf whisper, and he nodded to himself in agreement.

But they're the largest dire wolves I've ever seen. The sentinel thought to himself as he moved another step closer into the clearing. His bow hand trembled, another step and he would make himself known. He wasn't sure if he could trust these girls, but that mountain dwarf was dying, and he had to do something.

Taking a breath, he steadied his aim once again, ready for the right moment. A sign that this was where he was supposed to be.

"Fuck!" He heard the woman yell, the white dire now in battle with her. The dwarf's blood was all over the woman's hands and armor, and she found herself in the same situation as her companion. It's large, yellowish teeth clamped onto her axe's handle, splintering its way through rather easily.

Now, my Child!

Shoot it now!

He heard Poulian's voice yell in his ear. The feeling his grandmother had mentioned, suddenly shot through his entire body. Rameros didn't waste another second. He let go of the magically enhanced iron tipped arrow, and it struck exactly where he had wanted it to. The first dire wolf exploded into bits of brown fur, the pieces sifting into the air as another chill wind blew.

Disia was frantic, she knew Riswynn was in trouble, but there was nothing she could do. From the looks of it, there was nothing any of them could do. Tears fell from her eyes, but she held onto the wolf as hard as she could. She was doing all she could when she heard the growling to her left. She forced herself to look, though she knew it was another of the creatures. Her stomach dropped at the sight of the largest wolf she had ever seen. It's fur was white, and it's red eyes glared at her, challenging her. If she had been any slower, the beast's mouth would have been around her neck. She cussed at its strength, stronger than her, as strong as the dragons she fought back in her realm. Death crossed her mind. It wouldn't be so bad, she thought. She'd get to at least see her older brother, but no, a brewer's daughter never rolled over. Not without a fight. So she fought with everything she had as the white wolf chewed through the wooden handle of her axe.

The wolf behind her suddenly burst, just like that panther had several weeks ago, pieces of it's brown and black fur soaring through the air like ashes. The wolf she was fighting loosened its grip, and Disia saw the other three back away from Lila. Riswynn, who was still going in and out of consciousness, held an arrow in the other hand.

"Lila?" Disia questioned the halfling, who only shook her head no. Disia looked back at the white wolf in front of her, a look of shock, or fear, in its glowing eyes. It slowly backed away from her, its head turning this way, and that. Three more arrows came glistening from the trees, and the three wolves met the same fate as the first. Lila fell backwards into the snow from the surprise explosion of fur pieces, and Nim, seeing the wolves had disappeared, collapsed onto her knees.

"The dark energy," the elf muttered, holding her amulet close to her chest.

"Disia, what's going on?" The halfling's voice was shaky, as she laid as flat as possible in the snow, hoping one of those arrows wasn't coming for her next.

"I don't know, little one," she answered her, the white wolf still backing away slowly, baring its yellow tinted sharp teeth. Disia looked at her weapon, the weapon her father made especially for her. The wooden handle still held, but in one spot it was splintering and covered in chew marks. She sighed, and another of the arrows came flying.

"What the fuck," she shouted, jumping back away from the wolf. It howled in pain, and another two arrows hit it. Disia saw what looked like snow falling as the wolf's body exploded like the others.

Gripping the axe, Disia turned to face the trees behind the clearing, where the deadly arrows had flown from. A man, or a horse stood there, a bow in his hands, staring at her. What was left of Nim's light orb hung near him, almost as if the magical object was drawn to him. The half man, half horse slowly approached them, his eyes on the dying dwarf. Disia gripped the handle of her axe tighter, putting herself in a position to fight. She didn't know who, or what this thing was, and without Nim or Riswynns' intuition, she didn't trust him.

"Don't let him out of your sight, Lila," Disia said as the creature closed in near Nim. The high elf had collapsed, face down into the snow. The halfling got to her feet, brushed any remaining snow off her, and picked up her bow where she had dropped it. She gave a nod as one of the arrows was placed, her weapon aimed at the weird looking creature.

"There's no time for this nonsense." Were his first words. His voice was calming; a soft, gentle tone.

"Your friend is dying. I can save her." He returned his bow to his back and kept walking towards the dwarf, one hoof in front of the other.

Disia rushed back over to Riswynns side, ready to fight for her own death. She didn't trust this, whatever he was, even if he had killed those giant wolves.

"Stay away. I don't know who, or even what you are." Disia would never admit it, but she found the never-before- seen creature quite attractive. His bottom half, the horse half, his LIGHT BROWN coat was kept perfectly brushed. She had taken care of the village horses back home, and she had run into some emaciated, and unhealthy horses from time to time. Wherever he came from, he took good care of his lower half, as well as his top. From the torso up, he had the body of a man, his abdomen and arms in such a physique, he could have been sculpted right from a statue. He was tanned, and shirtless, with many different tribal designs all over his chest and shoulders in ink. Most of all, Disia found his hair to be the best feature. Long, fine, and a lighter shade than it's tan coat, it was pulled back behind his ears, showing his chiseled jawline. He looked serious, and it made her worry even more.

"My name is Sentinel Rameros, of the Poulian tribe, from the Coteign Woods just west of here."

Disia didn't budge as he continued moving forward.

"Please. Your friend is in trouble. I can save her," he said, pulling something that looked like herbs from a satchel.

"Poulian tribe? I'm not from this realm, I don't even know what that means."

"But, she does," he said, nodding his head at the dwarf bleeding out.

Disia felt something gently brush her leg, and she looked down and saw Riswynn, barely conscious trying to get her attention.

"It's okay." The dwarf nodded her head. She was still holding onto the creature's arrow.

"Riswynn," Disia said, holding back tears.

"You're barely conscious."

"It's fine. He's safe." Riswynn forced a smile.

Disia hesitated at first, but then she stood aside to let him do his thing. Still holding tightly onto her axe, she watched him crouch down in what could only be an uncomfortable position, and tend to her dwarf companion. Nim's light orb hung in the air above him, brighter and bigger, and it glowed as he began to chant in an unknown language as he rubbed the herbs over Riswynn's wound. Again, her screams pierced through the forest's trees. Disia's body filled with chills as the memories of the final moments with her brother flashed across her mind. She didn't like what she was seeing, and she wouldn't keep quiet about it either.

"Your other friend over there will freeze to death like that." Was the man's only reply as he continued to pull more herbs from a satchel around his waist, and placed them on the dwarf's wound.

Disia huffed, but went over to Nim anyway, glad to have something to do.

"Lila." She nodded to the halfling, then back to the man.

Lila understood what she wanted. She would keep her eyes and her bow on the man. Disia heard him mutter more words she didn't understand as she searched for the bedrolls.

"What are you?" He said suddenly, turning his head to Lila. He had already slowed the bleeding, and Riswynn now only whimpered, more from exhaustion than pain. Lila gave him a confused look as she lowered her weapon.

"That's just rude," Disia told him. She had finished placing Nim in a more comfortable and warmer position. There were already blankets laid out for the others and her, though she wasn't sure if she was actually going to sleep.

"What?" The man said as if he hadn't said anything wrong.

"You can't just ask something like that outright," she replied.

"Is she a gnome?"

"Gnome?" Both Lila and her asked. Neither of them had ever heard of the word.

"Yes. Gnome. They're tiny with sharp fingers and ears like elves. But, she," he said, gesturing at Lila.

"Doesn't have those."

Man, this realm just keeps getting weirder. Disia thought to herself.

"Lila is a halfling," she told him.

Lila had lowered her weapon completely, the arrow still clutched in her hand. She was feeling more and more safe with this strange man.

"What are you?" The halfling asked as if she hadn't been phased by his question at all. Disia did her best to hide the smile on her face, but she swore there was a glimpse of one on his as well.

"Centaur," he replied, as sternly as possible.

"Centaur," Lila repeated, as she placed her arrow back in it's quiver and her bow on the ground with the other weapons Disia had put together. It was a strange feeling for Lila, she could feel the powerful vibe of this man, just like she had felt with her master. She felt she could trust him, and that he would protect them, so she laid down on one of the empty bedrolls, next to Nim, who mumbled incoherently in her sleep.

"Help me move your friend onto one of those blankets," the centaur told Disia.

Disia still wasn't sure what to make of the man, but surely if he wanted them dead, he would have by now. There was also something he had mentioned, that he was sent to guide them, that made Disia a little less unsure. Together, they carried Riswynn onto one of the blankets, on the other side of Nim. The teeth marks in her forearm were already starting to mend, what was once a huge gash was now just marks embedded into her skin.

"Can you make a fire? Usually Nim makes one for us," Disia asked him.

"A fire? What for?"

Disia stared at him in confusion. It was obvious what fire's were made for.

"For warmth? I mean, I don't know if you've noticed, but there's snow on the ground, and it's pretty cold."

"No point," he grunted, as another spell was casted, without using words. Nim's light orb that he now controlled went from a yellowish white to a warm red, and they were now in complete darkness.

"Hope you're not afraid of the dark."

She wasn't, but she still didn't trust him.

"Hope you can see in the dark," she chuckled sarcastically.

"I can. Even better than your elf friend over there."

"No worries, young lady. You sleep well, like the others. You all will need it. I'll keep watch over you girls."

Disia relaxed as she sat down on the last bedroll. She was warming up to him, and if Riswynn thought he was safe, then hopefully he was. Lila was mumbling her master's name in her sleep, Nim was muttering something like one of her spells in her language, and Riswynn oddly, was sleeping peacefully; like she hadn't been near death just moments ago. It took her a while to fall asleep. Now that she was confronted with the scars from her past, she was anxious. Listening to the others made her wonder what kind of past they had, and she wondered how she could help them. Sleep did eventually come to the beautiful woman, and unlike the others, she grasped her weapon tightly to her chest while she slept.

"Come on men, hurry up!" Isaac shouted at his highest ranking officers. The wood elves of the Vale had shown, as promised, three of them waiting outside the city's gates. One of them stood within the city's walls, off to the side, waiting impatiently with her arms crossed over her chest. She was one of the Vale's guardians, but Issac couldn't remember her name, it was too strange to pronounce. Her skin was dark brown, like that of a tree. She had dark green hair and eyes like a cat's. Her eyes watched them closely, a look of disgust on her face at how slow they were packing the supplies for the trip.

"I hope you will not be this slow in battle," she muttered to them.

"Battle?" Tristan said, his voice cutting off at the end. He fingered the beaded bracelet he wasn't supposed to be wearing.

"Of course," she said, her yellow eyes smiling. Even if his voice hadn't croaked at the end, she could still feel his fear.

"We're traveling through the deadliest desert. During winter. Those sand monsters are the most active during this time of year."

Tristan gulped. He wasn't too keen on fighting, he'd rather be with his books, and writing research. He continued to finger the beads on the bracelet, looking around to see if the others were just as apprehensive about going. Everyone appeared too preoccupied with packing. The only one who had a similar face was Caleb. He moped and grunted as he placed the packages on the horses. Tristan knew the man was upset about something, but wasn't sure exactly what. Caleb was always the first to pick a fight, it didn't matter with what.

"Surely we can go south instead?" Tristan asked, hiding his bracelet under the sleeve of his robe as the Captain walked by him.

"Will take much longer. Time we are already wasting. Plus, walk through the deadlands? Where Smaka was killed? You're a special kind of stupid," she mocked.

Tristan wanted to say something, but no words came. He hated it when females thought they knew more.

"Tristan!" The Captain shouted. The priest had been playing with the bracelet again, and he hid it under his sleeve, hoping Issac hadn't seen him with it.

"You don't need this many bags," Issac said after counting his clergyman's bags. Tristan breathed a sigh of relief, placing the arm with the bracelet behind his back.

"I do," Tristan exclaimed.

"They're my research books, and empty scrolls so I can document everything."

At first, Issac scowled in protest, but after he thought about it, he could see why the young clergy was bringing so much extra. The Barad men hardly ever left beyond the city limits. In fact, since the war ended, the military had not left their home at all, only to go back and forth between the two cities. Generations of their family had come and gone, the only thing they did was train. Most of them, once they hit their thirties, would retire to settle down with their arranged wife and start a family.

Issac waved his hand to signal it was okay for Tristan. By now, Caleb wasn't just moving slowly and moaning. He was mumbling as he reluctantly helped pack.

"Caleb, quit whining. I told you why you're staying behind." Issac could make enough of the man's mumbling about being left behind.

"It's not fair," Caleb muttered, shoving the pack rather roughly onto the horse's bridle. The horse neighed and kicked its hind leg in response.

"Gentle," Mason, the blonde haired archer said, walking over to comfort the horse. He caressed the underside of its jaw, and it nuzzled his hand in return. A snowy white owl perched on the young boy's left shoulder comfortably, as if the animal was a part of his body. Before Caleb could walk away, Cyrus shouted after him.

"Come on, Caleb. You know why you have to stay behind. We don't need you scaring the beautiful girls we're going to meet," Cyrus taunted him as he glanced at the wood elf to see her response. She only rolled her eyes.

"No," Issac scolded him sternly.

"That's not why. I need him to stay behind to take up my role while I'm gone. I trust him to keep the city running smoothly." Caleb said nothing, only huffed away as he went to grab another pack off the ground.

"I don't mind staying behind with him," Gage said softly, as he tightened the straps holding the packages.

"No," Issac said quickly, nodding in thanks to a middle-aged woman with greying hair who had given him a small package.

"I need you with us for your skills." More and more of the city's people were coming by to see them off and to give gifts. Gage glanced at the wood elf who only returned it with a devious grin. Her eyes judgingly looked at his missing finger, as if she could see right through him. He waited for her to speak up, to say she could speak the same languages he did, and then some. Gage knew that the Vale elves spoke and understood many of the realms' languages, even the ancient ones that had been forgotten. Yet she said nothing, only continued to grin at him in a way that was almost evil. It was obvious to him she knew more than she was letting on, but the others were too distracted with the packing to even notice the tension she gave off. It made him uncomfortable.

"I'm coming! I'm here," Carter, the third archer yelled, darting around the townspeople towards them.

"Tyr's mercy, archer," Tristan roared at the young boy.

"You're late," Issac yelled even louder, finishing whatever Tristan was going to for him.

"I made it. Sorry." Carter stood in front of them, catching his breath.

"Caleb already packed your horses for you," Issac said, not even looking at him. The captain had other words for the archers' lack of tardiness, but there was still so much to do, he'd rather save his energy for the trip.

"Thank you, sir," Carter said, picking up on the captain's frustration. There were six brown or black horses, one for the captain and each of his men, and another six to carry their long trips supplies.

Carter climbed up on his horse, a medium sized mongolian with a brown coat. The horse gave a small quick whip of its head, accepting its order to begin moving. One of the six horses with the packages strapped to its bridle trailed after Carter and the colt. The wood elf stared in awe as the large horse followed the other of its own free will, no leash or commands appeared to be needed. Gage was the next to be ready to head out, though he was much more graceful about getting on his horse, a sleek black shire. Seeing that the men were finally starting to leave, the wood elf nodded towards the captain.

"I'll be outside, waiting with the others." She had already made her way after the two young men, when Issac yelled out to her.

"You need a ride? We got plenty extra," he yelled out to her when he noticed she didn't have a mount.

"No need. My ride's outside grazing on the grass," she called back to him.

The wood elf, Eus, stood outside the city's gates with her three companions. Although Eus wasn't exactly her real name, it was a shortened version, which in her tribe's language meant guardian. The four of them stood there, watching the two young men practicing their archery skills while upon their horses. The Vale elves laughed at them, whispering to each other in their language.

"Eus," one of her male companions spoke. He was much darker in skin color, and was also covered in a lot less garments.

"You didn't tell them, did you?" He spoke in their language. The archer with the missing finger kept glancing over at them, a suspicious look on his face.

"No. It wouldn't have mattered anyways. Either they'd laugh at me, or ignore it. You know men's egos. It's a never ending cycle like their arrogance.

"Besides. How would you react if someone told you, you're about to take a trip to your death?"

Her friend grunted in agreement, and the four of them continued their conversation in a language that could only be considered ancient A'eternian. Gage listened intently, half oblivious to Carter jabbering on about the upcoming trip through Brine's most deadliest desert. Gage knew the wood elves were speaking in their tongue, but could only make out a few of the words.Still the words he did understand, Death, Secret, and Prophecy made him more uncomfortable than he was before.

Not thirty minutes later, Issac and his men had gathered outside the gates, chattering excitedly about their upcoming trip very far away from home. His eyes were wide with a look of confusion. He watched, and listened as Eus howled some sort of animal call. Soon four white horses could be seen in the distance, galloping towards them. As the horses came closer, each of them splitting up to go to their owner, Isaac could see they were not horses at all. They had the sturdy body like their brown and black ones had, with hooves, a long mane, and a fluffy tail, but they had a small horn coming out of the top of their head, between their ears. The fur would switch between white and an almost see through translucent. The men stared in shock, unsure if they should trust an animal where you could see the landscape behind it. The creature's fur stayed white once their owners climbed up upon them. Issac could vaguely see something that looked like another limb just behind the hindquarters of their front legs. The Vale elves gently stroked them, and the horse-like creatures calmed down.

The military horses, however, were not too appreciative of the new animals joining them. The older horses were easier to control, they only eyed the white creatures with caution. The young archers' horses on the other hand, were almost out of control. They jerked their bodies around, and Carter practically fell off his horse.

"Easy." Mason had leaned in close to his horse, a black Shire, and whispered into its ears. The blonde, curly haired archer was the only one who could calm the other two horses, but not before Carter was thrown off his, and hit the ground. Hard.

"Stupid freaking beast." He winced in pain as he kicked at the horse's legs, and the horse began to jerk around again.

"That is not how you treat an animal," Mason shouted at him while he stroked the horse to calm it down. Behind him, the wood elves were edgy, they were about to jump on Carter for assaulting the colt. The white owl flew off its owner's shoulder and started flying in Carter's face, who shielded himself with his hands. It pecked at him, multiple trickles of blood dripping from his fingers.

"Call it off," Carter cried in pain.

"Mason, call off your pet," Issac muttered who stood next to a laughing Cyrus. Mason seemed to hesitate for a few moments, but finally made a high pitched whistle, and the snowy owl returned to perching on his shoulder. Carter continued to complain as he stood up, dusting the dirt from his pants.

"Don't pull a Caleb, kid. I like ya." Cyrus was still in hysterics, not even trying to control himself.

"Enough, Cyrus," Issac said, shoving him gently.

"Our horses were fine until those weird things came along," Carter said, pointing at the wood elves and the white creatures they sat upon. Mason gently whispered to the horse as Carter climbed back on.

Eus moved her ride closer to them, the strange creature adjusting itself, and spreading wings. The Barad men stepped away from Eus in fear.

"Woah," Tristan said in surprise. He was in awe, he had read about these creatures in old scrolls from the library, but they were nothing but a myth. A story the ancient elves had made up to send men on a never ending quest. He never believed them to be true, but now that several were right in front of him, he wanted one for himself. They were beautiful, elegant creatures with limitless magical power.

"Your horses only fear the Unpei, because you do," Eus said to the brown haired young archer. Carter scoffed in disbelief, but Mason looked him dead in his eyes and said,

"She's right."

"So, no one's going to talk about the fact we can see through their bodies? Or that they have wings?!"

"No. We're not. It's time we go," Issac said, commanding his horse to move forward. Mason climbed back on his brown shire, and followed after him. Cyrus and Tristan were next, then the four wood elves, leaving Carter to ponder his own opinions. Finally he gave up, and hurried to catch up with them.

Cyrus and Mason shared with the others the trip they had taken back in the summer through the Skyfall Desert to the East, and promised them it wasn't as scary as Eus made it out to be. Eus wasn't about to remind them that the winter season was when the desert was most alive. She let them be happy, and excited about the upcoming adventure, but she and the other Vale elves knew there was going to be several deaths before they even made it out of the one hundred and twenty mile desert.

Two days had passed and the four girls with their new friend, a centaur named Rameros, were almost to the edge of the forest. Riswynn chatted away nonstop like she hadn't been near death's door over forty eight hours ago. She was back to her usual self, and very adamant about getting back to Commander Biri and The Wand and Bell. If she had her way, they wouldn't have stopped to rest every now and then, but the girls, Disia especially, were thankful to the centaur's stepping in.

"You need to rest. I can keep watch." He would say over and over after they had told him about their trip through Dragonrend, and then being held captive by Tane's army in Belronde. The girls took turns telling him the story.

"Commander Biri introduced us over two weeks ago," Nim had said. Rameros had learned that the high elf came from Brine's allied realm, Forlonde, a realm inhabited with only high elves. He said nothing about the A'eternian energy he got off her, and he wasn't going too until she was ready.

"So, Biri, sent us to Belronde to find four members of The Wand and Bell that had been missing for months. Of course we had to go through this forest first."

"And it was so nasty, those monsters we met," said Disia.

"And the energy. It was not right. Though nothing compared to how dark it feels now," came Nim.

"We met two tiny dragons!" Lila had been mostly quiet. The centaur made her nervous, but not the awkward kind she always felt around most people. No, it was the same kind of nervousness she felt when her master, Tinir was first teaching her about archery. The halfling was infatuated with Rameros once she saw more of his skills. Even more so, she took an interest in the armored bracers around his forearms.

"And then the large silver dragon, in the mountains!" Nim said, giggling, remembering how interested Mik had been in Disia.

"Yes, Mik," Disia said.

"Then he saved us!"

"Whoa, whoa! What? I feel like there's something missing," Rameros said, laughing along with them. He could feel how they felt about this silver dragon, and it made him feel nice too.

"Girls, you're moving too far ahead," Riswynn said, the memories of meeting Mik in the mountains coming back to her.

"Anyways, we made it to Belronde, but it didn't feel right to me," Riswynn continued.

"Come to find out, Nosin nor his sons were nowhere to be found. I knew something wasn't right, so I went to another dwarf I knew very well. Martia at her Inn, (INSERT NAME HERE.)"

Riswynn had gone on to tell him about everything Martia had told her about Tane, and then meeting this strange man in dark clothing who introduced himself as Wulfa. Rameros kept quiet when he heard the name mentioned. He knew exactly who he was, but he could tell the girls didn't. Riswynn had told him telepathically, she eventually found out who the man was and why the name bugged her so much, but not until they had already made it halfway through the (NEXT DAY) mountains. Rameros soon learned why the mountain dwarf was in such a hurry to get back to Cronemoor, and told her telepathically he understood why she hadn't let the other three in on the Wulfa situation yet.

He felt their disappointment, frustration, excitement, and fear as they told him about their journey through the Dragonrend Mountain. He nodded his head in agreement about the antique mirror they found in the beautifully designed box, remembering his God mentioning to keep a lookout for an ancient object. He agreed that it sounded suspicious, and offered to look at it for them, in hopes he could see if it was the object Poulian mentioned. He felt no kind of energy, it just felt like an empty space to him.

They went on, and he oohhh'd and gasped when they told him about the goblin on the worg, the mountain sabretooth, the harpies; everything. He had asked to look at the black gem that they collected from the dead wyrmling, perhaps that was the object he was meant to find, but the girls told him Tane's men took the gem and all the others away from them.

"I see," he had said. He soon learned Tane and Wulfa seemed to be in allegiance to one another, building an army to take over something. Rameros reminded himself he would look into finding that black gem, all signs led to it being the object, so far. He nodded at their stories of being ambushed by a few scouts of Tane's, and then dozens of orcs led by a large one, who spoke the common language. They told him they were there to capture Nim, and kill the rest of them, explaining it was most likely Tane or Wulfa looking to capture her. As he listened to them, he made mental notes that he would, at a later time when they were resting, put into his leather bound book. His grandmother's and the rest of the Mystics' suspicions and prophecies seemed to be true, which meant that this Wulfa person was indeed trouble. However, he did not share any of his thoughts with the girls. Not yet, anyways. He was going to escort them safely to Cronemoor, and because a centaurs presence was not allowed to enter another's city, even if they were invited, he would wait to see what Commander Biri would do. Riswynn spoke highly of the elf for the most part, and Rameros soon realized The Wand and Bell was another much needed alliance for the war against the rise of the cultists.

Again, he shared telepathically with Riswynn, while the other girls were resting, the reason he was sent to them. His Mystics, and their plans. The signs that had been occuring more and more lately, including the strange dark fog over the Dragonrend Mountains. Riswynn nodded at him.

"Nim thinks it's a portal," she whispered out loud.

"The high elf may be right," he nodded back.

Riswynn thanked him over and over for saving her life. For saving all of their lives. The centaur blushed with a smile.

"It was, and is my mission to protect you girls. I couldn't figure it out at first, but then it just suddenly hit me." Rameros neglected to tell her how unsure he was of himself lately. When the girls were telling him about their journey, he could feel their uncertainty and he didn't want to put any more of those feelings inside them now. The dwarf had finally fallen asleep next to the others, sleeping peacefully. He had chanted a sleeping spell, just to help them sleep better, and through the night. He wasn't too surprised to see how resilient they were, even after everything they had already gone through just within the last three weeks. He stayed awake, as promised, jotting down everything he thought was important. No animal sounds could be heard, and it still disturbed him. That, and how dark the energy had been. Several notes were being made on how odd the forest's energy still felt, even though they were almost to the city, when he smelled something new.

Rameros put away his special tool and the leather bound book, and sniffed the air. In the distance he could hear the pounding of hooves against the snow.

"They can't be too much further, the footprint tracks are still fresh."

Rameros smelled several men, and two dwarves, along with horses. The girls shifted in their sleep. As the sounds came closer, Rameros could feel the intentions of them. Three men, and two male dwarves in total. A dim light could be seen bouncing towards them. He sent the loudest noise as possible to the girls' dreams to wake them. No doubt, he could easily kill the group of five about to intrude on their camp, but he also knew the girls loved to fight, and well, there was a tiny part of him that wanted to show off his skills some more.

Disia and Riswynn awoke immediately, grabbing their weapons, getting to their feet. Nim was next to realize another fight was about to happen, and after standing, she searched for the amulet in one of her pockets. Lila took her time, yawning as she stretched, not really aware of what was going on. Rameros stood in front of them, bow already drawn, an arrow placed, ready to fly.

Behind him, Nim casted her moon-shaped light again. This time she didn't smile though, it was like she had been casting the spells for thousands of years. Riswynn saw this though, and how easily Nim had casted the spell. Oh, Nim, if only you had seen yourself when we first went through this forest. The dwarf thought to herself, a smile on her face, as she looked back at how much the high elf struggled when they first met.

"Found them!" A man in leather armor, a bow on his back, came into the clearing holding a well lit lantern. Lila had her bow and arrow aimed at the young man. The girls were ready to fight whoever it was, though they already knew who. They gave each other a nod, smiling.

"Well, hello girls. It's so nice to see you again." The bear-like man named Commander Rosch entered the clearing, his eyes looming over Nim. Another archer, and two dwarves followed closely behind on horses, though the dwarves rode ponies. Riswynn recognized the one dwarf she'd seen weeks ago in Martia's inn. Already, she was forming a plan in her head, as the five males across from them climbed off their horses, and drew their weapons.

"So, explain to me again why we're letting them go?" Disia asked with an almost dumbfounded look on her face, as she held her axe and watched the two dwarves walk further and further away from them.

"Because," Riswynn began, helping Rameros move the three male human bodies.

"They are my family, and I'm pretty sure they're possessed. Though I'm not sure if they'll head back to Belronde or not."

Rameros dropped the commander's body near the edge of the river, contemplating in deep thought where the best place would be to bury him. Lila was pulling her arrows out of the bodies of the other two men, even putting their arrows into her quiver. He could read that she was looking for his arrows as well, but his were magical arrows, and disappeared after several moments.

"River?" Nim suggested; her moon - light orb suspended in mid air amongst them. Rameros smiled at her, she was reading his thoughts. With him around, it appeared her magical powers had increased, but she didn't know it had anything to do with him being around. Of course, he wasn't about to burst her bubble either.

"Why not bury them in the snow?" Came Disia. Though she didn't have a clue when it came to anything magical, she could surely read a room when necessary, and she had picked up on what was going on.

Rameros continued to think, his brow furrowing as he decided between the two. There was without a doubt, some very dark magic within the forest, so the river was probably starting to fill with it as well. If the horses and ponies they had come in on hadn't taken off, he could have used them to drag the bodies back to Cronemoor with them, but that was another thing that worried him. The horses, unlike the other animals at the entrance to the forest, came in willingly, like they weren't scared of whatever energy was here. Like they were possessed as well. Again, more and more things were becoming too coincidental; there was something not right about this Wulfa person. Perhaps it was him who was causing the forests' newly acquired dark energy.

"We'll bury them," the centaur quickly decided. Something was telling him not to place the bodies in the river, and not just because the current was heading to the west, where it'd eventually run off into the small stream that connected the two rivers. No, something else was nagging him in the pit of his stomach.

The four of them took awhile to make a deep enough hole to place the three bodies. Without a shovel or any sort of digging tool, they resorted to swapping between their hands and feet; Rameros using his hooves. Now, and then, he or Nim would cast a spell, to prevent them from catching frostbite. It was Rameros who decided there was no need for rest that night. He was the one who was anxious to get back to their Commander now, and while he didn't say why outloud, he secretly shared it with Riswynn, who nodded back at him. Disia and Nim, however, were skeptical of the why, which also sent Lila into one of her moods.

"If we continue on now without stopping, we'll reach Cronemoor exactly by tomorrow." The centaur told them.

"And what happens when our bodies become too sore to keep moving? We haven't exactly gotten the rest we needed since we escaped them the first time," Disia said, remembering how sore and exhausted she had become just after a few days without adequate rest.

"Nim's and mine magic will be enough."

"And when my energy becomes depleted?" Nim asked, doubting herself. She hated herself when her spells didn't work correctly, or when she failed to conjure one.

"Your energy is strong and sufficient enough to make it 'till Cronemoor," Rameros said sternly, almost fatherly. He didn't tell her though, he was going to secretly help her when she needed it, as he had been since he ran into them.

"What about snacks?" Lila whined.

"We'll stop for snacks. We can walk and eat at the same time, too," Rameros said as calmly, and charmingly as possible. In his head, he was already casting one of his most disliked spells. A spell to relax the halfing. He felt it was manipulation.

When there seemed to be no budging from the three girls, Riswynn happily spoke up, to help move things along. Though she was also grateful, someone else was in just as much of a rush as she was to get back to Cronemoor.

"It's best if we keep moving. We're really not that far from the edge of the forest, and with those freshly dead bodies, their smell is sure to attract whatever other damn monsters are lurking in this forest."

The three girls nodded, and picked up their belongings. While the five of them hadn't seen any other monsters since the wolves, and had gone almost three days until Commander Rosch showed up, they weren't about to stick around to see what other dark things the forest held, or give Tane and his army a chance to capture them again.

Several hours passed as they continued on, sharing personal stories. Lila stayed her usual quiet self, she didn't like to talk about herself too often, and she liked to hear their stories instead. Riswynns' and Disias' were the most uplifting for her, Disia inspiring her with her heroic rescues. Disia was a great storyteller, and if the halfling hadn't taken a liking to her already, she surely would now. Lila heard bits and pieces of herself in Nim's stories, how when she was a child just learning magic, her peers and instructors would bully her, tease her. Lila hated hearing the shakiness in Nim's soft voice. Even when she was just beginning to learn how to work with the bow, Tinir was never condescending to her. He was patient, for the most part, and maybe scolded her on occasion, especially when something else had caught her eye, but he never looked down on her. Then there was the centaur. Lila had taken a liking to him right away, once she saw the things he could do with his bow. She felt that same yearning she had felt years ago when she first met Tinir. She wanted Rameros to teach her, to show her his ways, even though he had already expressed he was amazed with her skills. Somehow she knew though, it was wrong. Something tugged at her whenever she looked at Rameros, something that didn't feel right. She shouldn't be looking for a new master so soon, it wasn't right, and she wasn't ready to let go of Tinir. She wasn't ready to stop blaming herself for his death.

Rameros was glad to see his spell not only worked on the little archer girl, but it seemed to have affected the others as well. He happily shared what Coteign Woods was like, and was just as happy to hear where they came from. He wasn't sure how he felt about the halfling's quietness though. Several times he caught her staring at him, other times she went out of her way to avoid looking him in his eyes. Of course, he knew why. It was hard to ignore her thoughts, the obsession; the desire she had for something she couldn't. So he pretended like he didn't know.

Soon the trees became less dense, and though it was cloudy, they could see light trying it's best to come through. At least it had stopped snowing. The girls started chattering excitedly, happy to see the centaur was so far making good on his promise.

"This is where we fought those large snakes." Lila spoke for the first time in nearly half a day.

"How do you know? This forest wasn't filled with snow when we first came through," Disia asked.

"My mind takes pictures, I guess." Lila shrugged. It was another of the technique's Tinir had taught her. While tracking, it was best to notice your surroundings, he had said over and over again. It came easy for her though, she had already applied it to her former life before coming under Tinir's lessons.

"Sounds like a very useful blessing," Nim said.

Lila shrugged again. Part of it was useful, to remember locations of things that needed remembering, but it was also a curse. Scenes from her childhood, the last few moments with her master, played over and over in her mind constantly. So much, they even came to her in her sleep.

The dark energy of the forest became less and less as they made their way to Cronemoor, Their moods seemed to lighten too, even after Rameros stopped casting his spell, and that's when it hit him. The energy in the forest, and the energy in the mountains, was it the same? For some reason, now he was ready to share some of his findings.

"The energy you felt in the mountains, does it feel the same as here?"

"No. Not really," Nim said after thinking for a few moments.

"Maybe," said Disia.

"It's possible," Riswynn said.

Rameros swore in his language. That wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"But, you can all agree, something about those places didn't feel right? Intense?"

They all nodded as they said yes, Lila included.

A day after their little run in with Tane's men, they found themselves on the outskirts of the small city, Cronemoor, just as Rameros said. Nim's light orb lit the way for them, up ahead they could see shadowy figures patrolling the west entrance. Disia and Nim began sprinting ahead, an unspoken race between them, but not before Riswynn could stop them.

"Guys, wait," the dwarf shouted.

"I need to. I forgot to share something else. I think. Ready now, since we're so close to Biri." Riswynn stumbled over her words. Disia and Nim turned to face her, a curiosity and sadness in their eyes, they never heard Riswynn skip over her words like that before.

"Go on," Nim urged as gently as she could, Riswynn was now playing with her hands, cusping them into one another.

"Well," she said, taking one huge breath.

"I wasn't completely open with you, back there in the mountains. I mean, I didn't know who Wulfa was when he introduced himself. I had heard of his name before, I just couldn't place where. Until, after that (RENAME THIS) fight in the mountains. I didn't want to say anything, because I didn't want to scare you, and," she paused, taking another few breaths.

Disia and Nim only nodded, they could tell she wasn't done speaking yet. Lila could see how hard it was for her to be honest about it, finally, and all that time she had been holding it in. Keeping it a secret must have been very difficult for her.

"Well, I was selfish. I wanted to find Nosin, the ruler of Belronde. I mean, you know he's one of my Uncle's now. I was stubborn, I know, and I wanted to keep moving on, but then things just kept adding up. All those coincidences, and then finding his crown in that wyrmlings lair, with those frozen bodies. I should have told you of my suspicions right then and there, I realized Wulfa had sent us on a wild goose chase. I wanted to go back right away, but not just because of the bodies. Since it finally connected for me, who he was, I became angry with Commander Biri. Part of me still is. I'm not sure I can trust her. I can't shake the feeling she sent us there, knowing he was there. Sent us to our deaths. But," she took another few breaths, playing with her hands again.

They continued to listen, all of them standing still. Her eyes were damp, she was doing her best to hold back the tears of frustration she'd been holding in for so long.

"There's another part of me that just knows she wouldn't. I've known her since my early twenties, and something like that just doesn't seem like her. My head gets all fuzzled when I'm confused, and I can't think straight sometimes. I mean, everyone's been looking for him for months now, since he broke out of the prison the Barad Military were holding him in."

"Wait, wait, wait. Prison? He broke out of a prison?" Disia said with shock.

Lila's eyes widened in shock, with the two girls. Prison. She'd never been, but she had never been caught when she was younger. She wondered what the strange man did to get him in prison, though something told her it was worse than stealing.

"Yes," Riswynn sobbed lightly, rubbing the tears from her eyes. She felt such a relief now, getting all that off her chest, and head. She knew now, it was stupid to have held it in for so long.

"Ris," Nim began, placing her hands on the dwarf's wrists.

"What is so bad about this man? Other than the fact he just gives off this weird vibe."

Riswynn drew in another few breaths. This was the part she didn't want to share, this was the part where she worried they'd freak out the most, and not want to continue helping. It meant they would go back to their homes, and she had grown so attached to them, it'd upset her if they had to leave so soon.

"I'll tell you what I know, but there's quite a bit."

Again, Riswynn drew in several deep breaths. She had stopped crying, and even a small smile broke across her lips.

"Wulfa was raised by the cultists. Remember the ones I told you about up north? Where Walter comes from, remember Walter?" The three girls nodded quickly, Lila even blushed a little.

"Anyways, they raised him, but no one knows who his parents are. There's no documentation of it anyways. Plenty of stories are going around though, his mother died giving birth to him."

Rameros started to speak, but then stopped himself. Riswynn wasn't quite done, and he remembered that the mountain dwarves of The Bundushuth Spires didn't like to be interrupted.

"Sorry, go on." He bowed to her. Instead of getting agitated with him though, like most Spire dwarves did, she only smiled back at him. It stunned the centaur for a second, the gleam in her eyes when she smiled. There was something different about this dwarf, something none of the other mountain dwarves had ever held. He didn't understand why he was feeling this, it wasn't that often he'd run into her family. It was almost as if the power of Poulian's bow was bringing Poulian's memories with it. It made him a bit uncomfortable. He didn't want that kind of power, he didn't deserve it.

"Since he was about fifteen, or maybe younger, Wulfa's been causing problems all over the midwestern and mideastern parts of Brine," Riswynn continued on, bringing the centaur back to the moment.

"He stole things, terrorized travelers, summoned, and created monsters that drove citizens from their homes. Mostly small villages of course, nothing too large to make himself noticeable. At least not right away, but it was enough to even scare the bandits out of their usual territories."

Lila was listening rather intently now. The strange man that had made her uncomfortable, his childhood was almost identical to hers. She couldn't imagine what it'd be like to never know your parents, at least she had a few years with hers, before they were brutally murdered right in front of her when she was only five years old. She felt sad for the strange man, a connection towards him now. If she had never run into Tinir, would she be going down the same road as this man, Wulfa, was.

"He's thirty now, I believe," Riswynn stopped, looking at Rameros for confirmation.

"Yes, he turned thirty. Over the summer," he answered her.

"So, this is where I'm not exactly sure I'm right, since everything I've heard has been based on rumors, or speculation at this point. Though, I think our new friend here will be able to clarify for me," she smiled, gesturing towards Rameros.

"Anyways, Wulfa is believed to be the only descendant of Smaka. Remember what I told you about him?"

Lila didn't remember much. She remembered he was a bad man, and had done some horrible things, but that was it.

"Vaguely," Disia said.

"I thought his two sons died during the war with him, though?" Nim asked, a bit more of her home's library research was coming back to her.

"Yes, but," Riswynn started, her eyes wavering to Rameros to see if she was getting it correct.

"He manipulated, by magic of course, a high elf into giving him another child. It was right near the end of the war, and remember these are just rumors. I don't know how much of this is true, but even after he died, though a lot of information says he sacrificed himself, the high elf gave birth to a little girl. Yet, no one knew what happened to either of them, the mother or the baby. So, according to history, documents, and whatnot that were collected in the past two hundred years, say that Wulfa is Smaka's grandchild."

Disia and Nim stared at her with wide eyes. Rameros could feel the confusion from them, the fear, and the one thing he had felt when he first learned what they just had. Disbelief.

"It's all true, Riswynn. They're not just rumors." Rameros found his moment to speak.

"He didn't use magic on that girl. The high elf, who was almost an Elder for the A'eternians, willingly went with him. The Poulian tribes' Mystics, they're not supposed to know this, but they found information from the Elders, that apparently, the girl was in love with him. So, yes, Wulfa is indeed the offspring of that high elf. Which means, he carries the same blood as the wizard who went mad."

"Then this is a very bad combination." It was now Riswynn's turn to be in disbelief.

"Wait, how do you know all this to be true?" Disia asked.

Rameros smiled nervously. The centaurs of the Poulian tribe weren't keen on sharing their ways. He recalled several of his ancestors that had gone rogue, sharing their rituals and spells with fairies.

"I will tell you, but first," he said, coming across sternly.

"You can not repeat what you hear. My tribe doesn't like to share our findings or our ways of living with outsiders. I am only telling you our ways, to provide our truths of what is unfolding right in front of our eyes."

Disia nodded. She knew she could be trusted, she wasn't one to share secrets, and already carried many people's darkness with her.

"Our Mystics, who are very much like the Elders of the A'eternians. I'll tell you about them in a moment," he said before Disia could ask.

"We follow the stars, and the cycles of the moons. We also listen to our Mother, which is the moon, animals, the trees, even the rivers and streams. For months now the stars are exactly aligned as they were two hundred and fifty years ago, when Smaka first began his journey into darkness. Animals talk to us, we've received numerous messages from birds all over the realm. He has returned. They say. And then there is the lack of animals sharing information with us, the increase of animals who were once docile or neutral, now with tormented souls who can't be reached."

"Those wolves." It suddenly occured to Disia what was wrong with them.

"That black panther, weeks ago, when we first went through the forest," Nim said, remembering how much it tortured her to see a tormented soul that could not be healed.

"Yes," Rameros nodded as he smiled.

"The A'eternians," Riswynn reminded him.

"Ah, sorry. Yes, the A'eternians. They are a very powerful, reclusive tribe of high elves. Their ways of finding truths are similar to ours, though it involves rune scribing, and spellcasting."

"What did that mad wizard want? Smaka, was his name?" Disia asked.

"He promised his soul to the dark God Zahir, in exchange for immortality. But he also wanted to open the portal to all the realms," Rameros told her.

"A portal for all the realms? What would be so wrong with that? It'd certainly make it easier for all our realms to travel to one another quicker," Disia said.

"Yes, that's definitely true. All realms means all the realms. He wanted to open the portals between the living and the spirit realms, and also Hell."

Disia only heard some things about that realm. She didn't know much, but she knew that unknown monsters, and some of the deadliest resided there. The look on Nim's and Riswynn's face told her it could mean the end of all their realms.

"Hell? That's where some people go, after they die right? Not them, but whatever energy they carried," Lila said. She knew very little about the other realms outside her home, Tinir had tried to teach her many times, but it never interested her enough, at least not until he had died. Then she spent weeks learning everything she could from his notes, trying to see if there was a way to bring him back from the dead.

"I suppose in a sense, yes," he answered her.

"Do you think Tane and Wulfa plan to open the portals?" Nim asked.

"I don't think so, not yet anyways. I don't think Wulfa knows where he comes from, just yet."

"We'd have seen a lot more damage done by now, if he did. No," Riswynn added.

"I think we're safe at the moment, but it's all the more reason to get to Commander Biri. I'm hoping she can tell us more about who Tane is, and why these two have made an alliance."

"We should get," Nim had started to say.

"Uh, guys," Lila interrupted her. The halfling had turned back to facing the city, and she was pointing at three shadows off in the distance, coming towards them. Nims' light orb had dimmed while they were talking, and a strong force was now preventing her from lighting it. She looked to Rameros for help, but he only shrugged, the force wasn't anything he could work with. The clanging of the armor and weapons could be heard as the shadows drew closer, Disia had already pulled out her axe.

"Riswynn Unguth, is that you?" A familiar voice shouted out. The girls smiled as they recognized the commanders' father's voice. Disia put her axe away, relieved to not have another fight occur. She enjoyed fighting, when it was necessary, but right now she was so exhausted from everything that had happened in the last few weeks, she wanted to sleep for a week.

"It is us, Commander Bathe," Riswynn shouted back.

"My apologies girls," he said as he came into view along with the two men on either side. Nim's light orb suddenly lit back up.

"I was a tad concerned when I saw five shadows, one of them being," his eyes glanced towards the centaur.

"Commander," Nim said, remembering her formalities, though she got the feeling Biri's father wasn't that uptight.

"This is Sentinel Rameros, of the Poulian tribe. He saved our lives back in the forest a few days ago."

"I know who he is." He stopped them with his hand before they could tell him the story.

"Luth, Nonek, head back to town for me, and alert my daughter that Riswynn and the others have returned home. Best to wake Naivanna up as well."

Both of the men nodded and began walking back towards the city's west gate.

"Well, come along. I'm sure you've got lots to talk about," Bathe said after a few seconds of silence.

"Biri will be happy to see you've returned safely," he smiled at them warmly, and turned around. Nim's orb shined brighter than it ever had, following him as he walked back to the city.