Col. Wil Savage had not spent much time in their inn suite recently, for without Eless he found it to be a lonely place; besides, he was not about to find Eless or Nuage by sitting around their room and contemplating the mysteries of life. There was an old saying among hunters that said you're not going to get your deer if you're not in the woods. So Wil had been out doing what he loved to do but hoped to avoid " piloting his Prototype Class VI Long-Ranged Fighter. He knew that could cover a lot of ground in minimum time using his ship and its scanners, but he was also potentially exposing his whereabouts to the I.I.S.C. agents, and that could be a disaster. He found wolves, foxes, hunters, a lost girl, lovers having a tryst betneath the balms of a pine (they were not about to forget that experience), but no Nuage and, far more importantly, no Eless.

All kinds of scenarios were racing through his mind as he trudged up the steps of the inn and saw Piper at their door. A friendly face was just what he needed about now. He also needed to talk to someone about all this, and Piper was the perfect 'someone".

He came up behind her with a faint smile, "Those people are never home. I think they're in trouble with the law." He removed his shades and gave her a wink. "Here, let me open the door. Good to see you, Piper. Will you have some coffee with me?"

Wil's lips twisted in resigned frustration in response to her questions, then a slow shake of his head. "I'm afraid not, Piper. I've been out there looking all morning. It's like Eless and Nuage have both vanished into thin air, and I confess I'm worried sick."

He placed a hand lightly upon the small of her back and led her into his and Eless" suite, and then he moved to the little kitchen to get the coffee brewing while Piper moved to the window. His voice was louder while he was in the kitchen and she was at the window. "I know I haven't known her as long as you and Rena have, but this just doesn't seem like something that Eless would do. It's just not like her. We always tell each other where we're going and when we're coming back. That might sound strange in this day and place, but we're always very considerate of each other and try to keep the other from having to worry."

The coffee began to brew and Wil walked over to the window to stand by Piper. He leaned his head against the glass and swallowed. His voice was soft once more, as if he might only be wondering aloud, "Our home is being built, and we're just about to print the wedding invitations." He paused and sighed, "Piper, do you think she may be having second thoughts about marrying me" It's all I can think of. Well . . ., that and those strange blood attacks she gets once in a while. But she always comes home when she's bloody. This is different. This has me scared, Piper. Very scared."

He looked to his side and saw that Piper was cold. It was no wonder, for the fire had nearly died down to nothing while he was away. Eless kept the fire going with her magic, but he had to do it in a more conventional way. He pushed himself away from the window and went to the fireplace that was between the room they were in and the bedroom. He placed several logs on the fire, then unholstered his blaster and adjusted the pulse to continuous wave and lowered the intensity all the way. He aimed it at the logs and in a second they were blazing. Wil looked to Piper and shrugged, "Doesn't last like magic but it sure gets those suckers hot." He winked and moved across the room to the coffee pot.

"I wish I could tell you more about those blood attacks, Piper," he said as he prepared two mugs of coffee, "but Eless was not very open even to me about them. At first she tried to hide them from me, and then she'd allow me to clean her up and comfort her, but there was no clear explanation regarding what was the nature of the blood attacks. The one thing I know is that the darkness and the blood are connected in some way, but I don't really know how."

He brought a mug of coffee over to Piper along with his own, then handed her one of the mugs. The tone of his voice clearly showed the frustration he was feeling. "There is much that I can do, Piper, but when it comes to magic and the mysterious ways of this land, I'm afraid I'm just so out of my element. I feel so damned helpless and it's driving me crazy." He looked into Piper's eyes " the deep blues that he didn't quite guess correctly when they had first met. "I'm glad you're here, Piper. I've been going crazy and I feel I've no one to turn to.?

Piper turned to watch him tend the fire, glad for a distraction from hunting the skies for magpies. "Magic. So many within this realm have the ability to strike a person.." A slight hesitation was taken as she drew in a breath, then continued, "I was raised to believe magic was evil. The Dark Art."

Reaching for the mug of coffee with a grateful smile for the interruption, she busied herself with gingerly sipping from the mug of steaming brew as her gaze drifted back to the window; curses, omens, portents, suspicions and black ravens were more the nuisance of her fears.

Turning back to Wil, she met his gaze forthrightly as the aggravation of being useless started to simmer below her calm resolve. "You have the skies and that fire spitter. You at least have a start. I am simply a woman. I have nothing to combatant what is happening. No means of help to offer, I have little coins, no connection to Royalty upon whom I might dare plead my reason and hope fervently that they would take pity and order a full-scale search. I have no persuasion with anyone in power. I have nothing. Just myself. And that is not very much at all to offer, all things considered."

She paused for a moment, her hand tightening around the mug.

Moments of inward reflection came and went in a flash before she continued quickly, afraid if she didn't say it now, she never would. "I don't understand this blood bath and that scares me more than understanding even a hint of what is being said about this coming darkness. Do I have any ideas" Oh yes. A multitude. And yet not a single one that makes any sense. Or at least not in the sense of rational thought to a sane person."

She looked to the street below once more, than summoned her resolve, "If you go out there again, it will be in that shiny box you magically hold in the air with out strings, yes" So you shall be protected. But where will you go that you have not already been" No, I fear she is not where we would logically expect to find her. But then again, nothing in Rhydin is logical."

With a flicker of her eyes up to the skies again, she finally turned to face him squarely. "So where shall we start??

Rena had seen Piper go upstairs and decided to just sit and wait to see what was going on. She might not have known Eless as well as the others but when someone went missing that she knew, it bothered her. So with a mug of coffee in hand Rena took a seat on the bottom step, knowing either one or both had to come out soon. Patience was something Rena had in abundance, depending on the situation.

Wil put his hands on his hips and just looked at Piper, raising a brow as she already headed for the door. The 'death box" she mentioned just happened to be a highly classified Prototype Class VI Long-Range Fighter that he "just happened" to use to escape from the bay of an exploding transport, and which he "just happened" to forget to mention to the I.I.S.C. that the ship was in his possession and not destroyed with the transport.

The Class VI Fighter was not like most fighters. Most fighters were small, one or two person craft, short-range, sub-light speed, and connected to a large ship or home base. They would go out, fight, and return to their home base. There were no facilities for eating, sleeping, or any other personal activity. There was barely room sit.

The Class VI Fighter was a long-range, hyper-light speed fighter designed to remain on extended missions over wide distances in space. The advantage is that you wouldn't need to bring a large and obvious home ship into a battle to release the fighters. The Class VI could get to the battle on its own, undetected, make a strike and leave. Or, it could stay in the area and wait for opportunities for multiple strikes.

To accomplish all this, the Class VI Fighter had beds for six crew members, a small food galley, a small cargo bay, and a sophisticated navigation and communication system since there would be no sense in being able to travel great distances and then not find the battle or target. This particular Class VI was a prototype with sophisticated target tracking, increased firepower, shields, and the latest generation in hyper-light speed drive. In other words, Wil had inadvertently hit the jackpot when he used this ship to escape the exploding transport. If nothing else, he was sure Piper would enjoy the leather seats.

He left the room behind Piper, locked the door and followed her down the stairs. That's when he heard Piper wish a good morning to Rena. Rena could be a good addition. Like Piper, she wasn't some pansy tansy girlie girl. "C"mon, Rena! We have coffee and "liquid courage" on board the ship." They'd have to go to a field outside the city walls to have the room for the ship to arrive. It was not exactly small.

::Rena continued to drink from the mug she was holding, having finally heard the door upstairs open and footsteps at the railing. A glance up and a nod was given to Piper and her question. She stood up slowly, taking a lean against the stair rail until she saw Wil. A greeting was offered to him as he and Piper took the steps down to the common room. A push off the banister and to the break in the bar to place the now empty mug into the sink, Rena stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets, wandering over to the other two as they headed out the door. Falling in step, she kept silent for a few, thinking maybe someone would tell her where they were going. After a while, with no explanation forthcoming, she spoke:: I won't need the liquid courage but coffee sounds great. Where are we heading and should we gather others to help in what we are about to dive head first into' And I will tell you, it's finally good to actually be doing something...even if we don't exactly know what we are going to be doing.::she then got quiet as they headed to a part of town she had never been to before::

Whether it had been hours, days or mere minutes, Elessaria regained consciousness; this time a groan of pain accompanied her awakening instead of whimpers. "By the gods and goddesses, that is certainly not the way to escape here." She added with an annoyed mutter, "Wherever here is." As delicate appearing as the elf may be, the Lady Fire of Evandar was never one to linger long on feelings of helplessness or hopelessness. The elf stood slowly, carefully stretching her sore limbs and frowning slightly at the dried crust that kept the silken gown from softly rustling.

The room' if it even were a room' was devoid of any point of reference and the Darkness continued to cloud her senses. She knew she had to return to RhyDin. First of all, Wil was waiting for her, and most likely searching endlessly for her — as well as her friends, she hazarded a guess. Secondly, the magess had vowed to accompany Piper on her own perilous delivery of oddly inscribed pottery. A string of colorful curses in a variety of tongues fell from her lips as she slowly sought an exit. In one of those quirky moments where laughter wins over tears, Eless wondered if Wil would still kiss those lips which swore so fervently. It must be a side-effect from the many years spent tending behind the bar at the Dragon, and if his lips did not mind those nasty tasting cigarettes, he'd pay little heed to a few curses (okay....many curses) from hers.

Using her special type of mana had proven painful, as well as unsuccessful, so Eless began to explore the shadows. The absence of normal senses filled her with trepidation, but as she wandered she could see some deeper shades of gray mixing with the blackness. She could not feel any sort of ground nor flooring beneath her chilled, bare feet; yet, she was able to follow this path of sorts. The petite elf would pause here and there, so she could seek out the subtle lightening that created the make-shift trail. During one of these lengthy pauses, her breath caught as she became dimly aware of the stench of burning flesh and cries of pain. Another gasp as she watched some sort of pulsating beam emanate from what she had only recently learned was commonly termed a "p-blaster".

Elessaria struggled to tear herself away from the hazy visions that unfolded before her mind's eye. The pain, the emotions were overwhelming, almost suffocating the empath as they washed over her. She saw armies mounted on horseback with their pennants snapping in the wind. Heavy storm clouds surrounded a surreal ship that stealthily crept in the night. All Eless could do was to force herself to press forward as she realized she was somehow caught between the veils of magic and non-magic, and the various realms of the multiverse. —— Seven Days Of Lonely by I-NINE ~Oh it's deafening The bitter truth I'm doing everything for the first time again without you I pretend I'm ok But it aches inside There's got to be a way that's better then just getting by

Ohh never thought it be so hard to let you go

Tell me how I'm gonna make it you're the one I can't forget It's like I'm running in slow motion in a nightmare that never ends When I try to face it when I wake up I hate the way reality sets in God I wish you could hold me, through the seven days of lonely.

My heart is speeding up and slowing down to know I know it's over, it's over And can you die of heartbreak to die for love lost young I pray to find it again, oh again~

"This infernal Darkness!" Elessaria's anger helped her to focus her swirling thoughts and she cursed herself silently for not paying closer attention to the magicks wielded by the D"Austers. Perhaps if she had studied their skills instead of chatting, she could calculate some sort of escape from this tightly woven prison. Then suddenly Eless recalled the moonstone amulet she had gifted S"jira. If the amulet would permit her to find the former slave via her connection, then why not try to use her empathic connections to those whom she held dear" The empath reasoned that it was definitely feasible and probably her only means to escape since any other magical gifts of hers had been easily thwarted.

Elessaria cradled the lifeless form in her lap, her own blood encrusted face buried against the once silky, coal black fur of her cherished wolf, Nuage. "I am sorry I falied thee, Nuage and all those before thee," she whispered against his motionless ears. While her tears fell silently, she completely dropped her empathic shields and opened up fully to the harsh buffeting of a roiling storm of emotions. As she was tossed from wave to wave of swirling sentiments, she grasped desperately for the delicate strands that connected her to those she had loved, healed, or had called friend. Visions of murky pools of blood were intermingled with flashes of laen, carved into intricate gifts. Whispers of lullabies and words of love drifted upon those violent waves to reach her straining senses. Blinding flashes of blue illuminated the Darkness and Elessaria clung to the tendrils that had been cast into the Abyss.

"Be careful what you wish for, 'Cause you just might get it all. You just might get it all, And then some you don't want. Be careful what you wish for, 'Cause you just might get it all. You just might get it all, ?

((Lyrics used in this piece are from Chris Daughtry's Home))

Wil wasted no time getting Piper and Rena on board and closing the hydraulic hatch behind them. They were near the rear of the ship, adjacent to the small cargo bay. They turned to move forward and were immediately inside the crew's quarters which consisted of three pairs of bunk beds, wall lockers, and a small bath. They passed through the crew's quarters and were in the kitchenette. There they would see a table that would seat six, a fridge, a food replicator, a storage area for dishes and another for food, a liquor cabinet (or "liquid courage closet' for Piper). All this was quite compact and clean, making use of every square millimeter. Passing through the kitchenette and taking several steps upward brought them to the flight deck with the captain's chair front left, co-pilot, front right, and two chairs that were behind each of the two forward chairs. Although the ship was designed for a maximum of six persons, obviously no more than four were allowed in the flight deck at one time. The seats were soft leather and designed for comfort, head to toe; and the entire ship had that "new" smell. A window circled the front and sides of the flight deck, and the forward and overhead control panels were a maze of instruments and switches.

Wil slipped into the left front chair and the seat moved forward to the controls. "Grab a seat, ladies. We're off to find our Misfit Captain." He paused and added, "Now if I only knew how to fly this thing." He slowly turned to Piper to see her expression, then laughed. "Just kidding, Pipster.?

All this time, Rena was following and thinking, watching the path the trio took to where they would meet the ship. This time was not as bad as the other when she went up on the Dragon with Azjah:she wanted to turn tail and run but she had defeated that fear and actually enjoyed herself. The surroundings were noted to be gone over at a later date-for now they had a mission. A pause at the landing as they waited for the arrival of Wil's ship which he had programmed on their walk to arrive at this spot: not too long afterward the ship landed. A slow whistle was given as she again took in details of the rather compact but sleek looking vessel. Going up the hatch, Rena brought up the rear, running a hand over the inside of the ship as they headed forward."Nice one, Wil. If we can't find her with this..." Then she let her words trail off. Eless would be found come hell or high water.

Once in the cockpit, Rena turned to Piper at the same time the potter grabbed her hand. A soft chuckle, a hand squeeze and Rena took the copilot seat. A glance to Wil as she strapped in. "This is going to be so much fun", giving him a wink as eyes then fall on Piper, watching the color on her face. A hand reached back to pat her knee, an assurance that everything was going to be alright then facing front. "Tell me what to do when you need help, Captain." This was his ship, afterall as dark eyes took in the instrument panel that were within reach.

~I live my life like a runaway I hide my dreams in a special place I'm waiting here for my prince to come To save me from the darkness I count the nights I count the days, the ways Don't wanna fight it would be in vain So in vain I can run but i can't hide It's because I'm livin' in the shadow of love To me you are the only one That I dream of 'Cause I'm livin' in the shadow of love~

Elessaria held on tightly to the fragile threads of her empathy as she continued to be ravaged by the fury of emotions which drowned out the rest of her senses. She could no longer feel Nuage's fur beneath her fingertips,and she was spared the metallic scent of death that had haunted her since the moment this hell had begun its torture of the Servant of the Light. The wisps of vague melodies faded into the roar of the oncoming Darkness that once again threatened to drown the elf.

~Your love surrounds me it's Everywhere It is my shelter, it is my air A moon eclipsing a burning sun Making shade just for me For you I'd wait forever baby And a day To be there if your love Should come My way Too many nights too many days I've hidden from the sun And though I've tried to breakaway Your hold on me is just too strong I'm livin' in the shadow of love ~