((Continued from Sutures ))


The Exodian side of the gate held late afternoon skies that shone down upon the city. The jumpgate was under a large barn like building with many shops and storage units within it. The temporary walls had been removed for the summer months making the barn quite open in many places. The guards were standing faithfully by the Gate keeping watch upon all entering and leaving. Surveillance cameras were set in many places.

A call came in from the RhyDin side of the Gate, moving a guard to answer it. The guard from the RhyDin side promptly explained.

"There are two coming through who need to see Captain Hekstar stat. Headmaster Briarius Ravensheart is one of them. Tell her... he had papers and needs to be briefed on said papers. He hasn't been here since before."

The inflection on the word caused the Exodian guard's brow to raise with a curious quirk. "Understood."

The call was promptly made to the Captain while the other guard was on alert to greet the two who were soon to arrive through the jumpgate.

"Got another one, Sir. Old papers. This one for Headmaster Briarius Ravensheart and he has company. They need briefed a.s.a.p. They'll arive through the jumpgate any moment."

Cadence was still holding her breath, those pretty blues wide as saucers as she came through. She'd never been through anything like it... feeling stretched through that odd tunnel of silvery ridges and sparkiling watery sides. Sometimes around the bending areas the light would refract and the sparkling silver would become an assortment of colors. No wonder she let out a big 'ol.. "Ahh!" and drew a big 'ol lungful of breath.

She looked up at Bri and finally let go of his hand, which she'd been holding so very tight. "That was the wierdest thing!" she laughed and stepped aside from the portal in case others were coming through too.

"'Detain' is such a criminal word. I trust you are not using it in that context."

He smiled at the guard.

She looked back to watch the guard pull Bri forcefully out of the way. Everything happened so quick it took her a moment to realize the guard had asked him to move and Bri didn't. She wondered why Bri hadn't and was glad that she had the foresight to do so herself. Except now she was on the other side of the pathway from Bri and the other guard.

A bit wide eyed, she glanced to the other guard on her side.

"I guess you guys don't mess around."

He looked really busy so she made a wide circle around the way to get to the other side, being very careful of the traffic moving in and out of the portal, up and down the street and all the people walking around. The last thing she needed to do was get run over. She would eventually make it there and sit down on the bench to wait.

Cadence noticed him readjusting his magic. She also sensed a bit of discomfort. She actually kinda liked the place. Although, she had to wonder why he didn't have to readust himself every time she touched him. She was looking at him now with that quirky arched brow.

"Are you all right Headmaster? You seem uncomfortable."

She patted a spot on the bench next to her.

"Come sit with me?"

Pretty blues smiled up at him.

"I don't believe for one minute the whole of Exodii does that. Maybe you just need to respect that they, the guards here, are in charge here. It is thier home, thier place, thier rules. I know that guard moved you rather fast and harsh, and I'm sure that wasn't any fun.. but I don't think it was without good reason. He probably thought you was gonna get splattered by the wagon. That was obvious to me." She tried to soothe and took his hand again, patting it gently.

" He did tell you to move and you didn't respect him on that. What do you expect?" Pointed look. She gently squeezed his hand again. "Other then that, what else makes you say they treat you so bad? And who is They you're talking about?"

Blink.

"Oh, I wouldn't have thought that."

She frowned a bit and kinda glanced around. Her features lightened up a little and she shrugged.

"I don't think they gonna arrest us. If something drastically bad happened in the power structure, wouldn't we have heard something of a comotion going on around the portals in RhyDin? Maybe some rumors? Sha'uri might've turned bad but does it mean they all did?"

She kinda looked at the guards at the jumpgate.

"I don't think he would've moved you if that were true."

Pretty blues came back to the Headmaster with a knowing gaze.

"It's the spots that don't let magic work which got you bugged most, isn't it?"

She nodded, thinking she knew the heart of it.

She nodded and leaned closer, slipping an arm around him for a hug. She laid her head on his shoulder for a moment and whispered low.

"It'll be all right, Briarius. I'll take cares of yous."

It was like the tables turned, little sister promising to take care of big brother. She gave him another squeeze in the hug and then pulled away to remain next to him, looking around for some official looking person to approach.

"I wonder how long they'll take?"

He stood and bowed graciously to the Captain.

"If it is your wish. This is Mistress Cadence Maycom, a member of the Academy staff."

He helps Cadence up when she stands.

"Please, Captain, lead the way."

He smiled and bowed. All sense of fear and venom that came from him just moments ago seemed to have faded.

The Headmaster walked with a pleasant and serene look on his face, but he was watching out. He was passively looking for anything out of the ordinary or any trace of wickedness or trickery. He was not going to walk into a trap, but he also wasn't going to insult the Exodiians.

The Captian beamed a smile at Cadence.

"Have you been here before? We have no choice but to go by it. It's right along the way. Perhaps after we are done, we will bring you there if that is where you wish to go."

She settled back in her chair as the hovercraft began to move. There was just the initial soft lurch indicating the craft was in motion. After that, it was like gliding on glass, a smooth motion void of those bumps and shifts.

The Captain chuckled at the dry wit. "No, no... I assure you that if we were arresting you, there would be no question about it. We've collected some information on you and so, we know how to deal with a mage of your caliber. Most definitely, we're not about arresting you."

She lowered her voice so it wouldn't carry out of the opened windows and leaned a bit closer to him. "Rather, we need to update you on some things and perhaps even gain your help. We'll talk more once we arrive at base."

Captain Hekstar sat back in her seat again. She seemed relaxed on the outside, but it was impossible to breach past the barrier she had shielding her thoughts and emotions.

"Speaking of the park, I remember when the Headmaster here was last around for Harvest Fest. It was the same year that the Park was reopened after renovations with the displays." Her green hues shifted his way. "You and Sha'uri had adopted a girl and made the announcement at the Fest. Then someone almost blew up the float, yes I knew about that. I was the one that moved it out of the way...one of the most interesting displays of fireworks. And I remember Anneliese and Luke returned as well. That was a long time ago. How is your daughter? Tanya..no... her name was Tina. I remember now. Is she all grown now?"

Satisfied there'd be a chance to see the park later, she was content to just watch the scenery go by. However, the talk of Tina sparked curiosity and drew her attention back into the carriage hover thingy. She couldn't remember if she'd ever met Tina but she did remember some talk about her. Some of the students talked about how she went into the library alone one night and never came back out. Some said they'd seen her with her nose in a book for several months after, lending the idea that she was all right, but that eventually the ghost of the library took her away in one of the books. It was just what students said. The students warned each other not to go in there alone and most didn't. However, she wasn't going to bring that up at a time like this. She could tell the Headmaster missed his daughter. Instead, she simply reached over and slipped her hand on his, giving it a gentle squeeze. Then she shifted the conversation.

"Captain, do they still have those statues in the park? Or any more since the day they were first put there?"

Though not one to boast about what he knows, the Force Mystic training he has received in the past had given him something.

"I wish I did not...and I fear that our topic of conversation would be the cause of this."

"I was referring to-"

"Hey, do they got popcorn here?"

As Cadence wandered off, he turned back to the Captain.

"It seems that an energy referred to as The Force has taken a great rise here. I sensed it in 'she who will not be named' when she was last in RhyDin. I will go into detail when we speak of her officially."

The Force...Ashla... It had been some time since he studied with the Baran Do, The Potentium, or the Aing-Tii (the latter of which helped him escape that particular dimensional prison).

He was no Jedi or Sith Master, but he knew many of their secrets and could manipulate The Force if need be. After all...in some other places, The Force was referred to simply as magick. It was yet another power source for mages. He would have to remember to augment his casting to pull from that particular power set.

the Captain eyed Cadence with some surprise.

"Visions?" she whispered. "Popcorn? Is she always so easily distracted?"

She watched the strange Fae wander off for popcorn, shaking her thoughts and sending a quick message telepathically to the attendant in the back. Then her gaze came back to the Headmaster.

"It seems that an energy referred to as The Force has taken a great rise here. I sensed it in 'she who will not be named' when she was last in RhyDin. I will go into detail when we speak of her officially."

That got a grin from her.
"You mean Sha'uri? You can say her name here. I doubt she'll just show up out of the blue. I don't even think she can hear us."

She watched Cadence spy the bowl of popcorn the attendant just put down. Then chuckled as she watched the other.

"This place is protected from teleportation both magical and technical. It's supposed to be protected from other things, like scrying, but.." Her gaze sobered a little as she looked back to the Headmaster. "... what that was a moment ago I can only assume was the Force. It didn't feel like magic or psionics. We have some information on it, but nobody around here practices the Force. It had not been an issue prior. It might explain the visit of the ex-jedi..."

She seemed lost in thought for a moment, as if not realizing she just said that.

"Anyone Want some?"

The motion of the bowel between them all caught her attention. It seemed so natural to share food with this one. She didn't think twice about it as she absentmindedly took a handful and put a few in her mouth before she spoke up again.

"I think the Force has always been present. Pyrathin and the Jedi Rick both used it here on Exodii. It was one of the forces used to save Exodii, so I would think that whatever they used was a great amount and would still be present today. I just don't think it's been used much since then. We know of no one else who uses it... until today."

The captain nodded though with a very puzzled expression.

"Yes...well, Ex-Jedi. His name is Aquilonius Fardreamer, apparently in from RhyDin earlier today. Alex went to bring him here. They should be back shortly. Well, I hope. We have a meeting set for tomorrow morning with you, Cadence and Aquilonius. And what do you mean she consumed the soul of a god? Perhaps you should explain this now..."

"That was a mouthful..."

Captain Hekstar grinned and popped another puffed kernel into her mouth. The grin didn't stay though, knowing the situation brewing was far from a grinning matter. The kernal was quickly consumed.

"I will update our records then. Some things we already knew. You said a part of Sharilis stayed with your human side. This would indicate not all of Sharilis was consumed unless all of her showed up? A curious thing indeed. Do you know if Sha'uri did this with anyone else?"

She paused to take a sip of her drink.

The popcorn was slowly forgotten. She seemed to pale a bit as the Headmaster talked about the little girl.

"Is that what she told you. Sha'uri ate that guy's soul? Oh my... how does somebodey eat a soul?"

It seemed to be the most horrifying thing to her.

"To consume something is to digest it, break it down to utilize its components to the function of the body.. or something. You are what you eat. Does she become them or they a part of her? If that's the case, no wonder you can't trace the soul. It wouldn't exist as you knew it ... not anymore."

"I trust your meditation had some good results? Perhaps you will tell me about them on the ride back."

Alex waited patiently for Aquil to answer that one as they got into the hover craft and started down the streets. The driver contacted the Compound to relay to the Captain their ETA, ten minutes or so through the night time traffic.

Alex wasn't exactly smiling. He was more tired then anything, though worried, puzzled and intrigued could be included in the expression. Sitting in the hovercraft, listening to the gentle hum of the engine and waiting for Aquil to speak gave him a moment to reflect quietly to himself.

When Aquil popped out question after question, Alex couldn't help but think of his mother. She had the habit of doing the same thing sometimes... pop out an average of three or four questions in a row. Normally, that would've gotten a smile from him, but Alex noticed not one word was said about his mother.

"The wizard would be Headmaster Briarius Ravensheart, Dean of Ravensheart Academy in RhyDin. My mother is... was ... was the Assistant Dean there. He was once married to my grandmother, but when it seemed he had died, she eventually moved on and married my grandfather. They had my mother together. And the winged one?"

He paused to think about this and did crack a smile.

"It's got to be Cadence. Black wings? Fae'ish appearance? Reddish starburst around the prettiest blue eyes? That would be her. She's an orphan of sorts from my understanding. A bit of a story to that, though I'm sure she could tell it better. All I know is she used to look just fae until the first time she met my grandmother. In fact, Lyndra was changed by her as well on that day. Sharilis has an... effect on people that way."

Alex glanced up to the moon at this point. He was silent for a moment as his gaze filled with worry over them. Emerald hues shifted back to Aquil as he leaned closer to speak much quieter.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't talk too much about who's up there. Related? no. In relationship? yes. In hiding?" He gave Aquil a hard expression. " Definitely. If my mother finds them... I don't want to think about what she would do to them. Most of them are children, just babes. Some of them are mine."

He let that sink in a moment while he sighed. His expression softened.

"She has her ways. There are very few who know where they are. I would like to keep it that way. I think Briarius and Cadence do not know. It would be better for them if they didn't. The less we speak of it, or think of it, the less chance she has of gaining that information. Understood?"

They were almost through town.

"So what questions did you have? I'll try to answer them"

"Well...I have one other method of communing with my wife. I will need to find a former member of my staff...Lyndra."

If it wasn't noticable before, the shield thickened around the Captain's thoughts, obscuring them from intrusion. She was about to reply when Candence made the outburst. The Captain couldn't hold back the chuckle.

"She's so cute. I don't know where she gets her information from. i"m sorry, Headmaster Ravensheart. Lyndra is off limits to us. We've had orders to quell our thoughts and her whereabouts is not to be discussed. I'm sorry. I can't say further then this. YOu should try your other options first."

"So, you're telling me that the easiest and most reliable path to stopping a raving lunatic with god-like powers is predisposed? I apologize if I sound a bit, curt, but I don't understand what could possibly be more important than an entire planet's safety. If that, however, is how it has to be, I am forced to accept that. I expected no less here. Is there not a temple to Sharilis here in the city with a magickal gateway between it and the one in Halexville?"

In fact, he didn't sound curt at all. Not once did he get angry. Not once did his voice show any signs of a foul disposition. No irritability at all. Just simple conversation. He seemed to care a great deal, but he also seemed to want to solve the problem rather than argue about it.

The Headmaster smiled kindly at the Captain.

"I will not lie to you. My opinions of Exodii are not exactly good ones. However, you have done much to shift those sentiments towards the good category. The main problem that I have had with Exodiians in the past have been how you treat your guests. Gracious and fully accommodating without a doubt, but when something happens, you tend to treat them like children that don't know any better and you also tend to keep a lot of secrets. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I am an old elf with an older soul. I am fully capable of understanding things and rationalizing conclusions when i am given the appropriate information. There are horrors that I have seen that would make the common person shrivel and die from. I can handle the truth.

That being said, I will admit that I am wrong and have as much guilt as the perception I have. i have left information out. I will do all in my power to undo my own misgivings.

Lyndra was made as a vessel for the soul of Sharilis. In fact, when much of the aforementioned events were happening, Sharilis used Lyndra to get to me. The soul has already inhabited that body. It's left it's mark there and ergo is the easiest to use to commune with. I cannot say conclusively whether or not the temples have such an imprint. So, logically, to me with the information I have, Lyndra is the easiest way to do this."

...and then he did something odd from all reports of what the Headmaster of Ravensheart Academy was like. He smiled and spoke wiht much charm and caring.

"Captain, I am sorry for insulting you or your rank. You worked hard to achieve it and your position should be well respected."

"The main problem that I have had with Exodiians in the past have been how you treat your guests. Gracious and fully accommodating without a doubt, but when something happens, you tend to treat them like children that don't know any better and you also tend to keep a lot of secrets."

The shielding thickened around her mind and even her emotions. The wall tightened to an iron tower at that point. Captain Hekstar's smile remained.

"Thank you. I'm glad you admitted your guilt in perception. One should be very careful how they form them concerning others. One person does not make up a whole world. And if the whole world seems unfavorable to you, perhaps you are the one being unfavorable to them. As for Lyndra... We are fully aware of her and her reasons for being. Still, she is off limits."

Kind but firm were her tones.

There are many advantages to being a Jedi. Among them is being prepared for unforseen circumstances and being able to adapt to the unexpected.

So when the floor drops out from under him as the elevator shoots downwards, he is caught off guard, but manages to grab the rail in plenty of time not to be thrown to the ceiling. At the sudden stop at the bottom, he is able to catch himself as gracefully as Alex, though at his apology for having 'forgotten' about the ride down, he raises an eyebrow, grinning.

Is there a bit of mischief in that smile on Alex's face?

Perhaps.

He's mostly unfazed as they step out of the elevator. "Right...you 'forgot.' That's okay...I'm sure at some point I'll 'forget' something too."

She went straight for the popcorn. While she waited, she glanced back to the table and watched the two in conversation. He was smiling, she was blushing... blushing? Cadence wondered just what they were talking about and decided she didn't really want to know.

She turned to face the counter and wait on her popcorn to be popped. She could smell it come out of the kitchen, thickening the longer she stood there. She heard the doors open and watched the soldier come in, nodding to the Captain as he went by.. and then heard the doors open a few moments later. It had been a long time since she saw Alex and his smile truly warmed her heart and showed in her sparkling pretty blues. One small hand lifted to wave delicate fingers wiggling a hello to him.

Her gaze shifted to the one coming in with Alex and something clicked with him.. some energy there linked that he felt famliar to her. Flashes of the images shifted through her mind of the things she'd seen earlier in that strange connection when she saw so many things, Lyndra being one of them and Sha'uri another. Her head shifted cocked slightly to the side while pretty blues took in the details of Aquil's features .... briefly.

"Here's your popcorn."

She heard the attendant behind her and that broke her attention on the two arrivals. She spun round to recieve her order.

"Oh thank yous!" she beamed and took the popcorn from him. "Oh, can I have a vanilla pepsi please?"

The attendant got that for her and she was loaded up and ready to come back. She approached the group though she had missed the introduction. She wanted to meet Aquil and so she moved around the table to stand near Aquil on the other side of him from Alex. There she waited patiently while slurping on her drink and popping a kernel one at a time to chew on.... pretty blues looking up at everyone while she just listened to them for the time being.

The Captain gave a look at the Headmaster.

"Of course, what beverages others are drinking is always of importance. Especially soda pop. It's soooo common." She smirked with a bit of sarcasm in her tone. "Or was that a report on who she aquired the taste from. Perhaps you should be resting."

Apparently, his comment about Cadence seemed awefully strange to her. Still, it didn't diminish her smile as she shifted her attention to Aquil. Her smile to him was a warm one and she would offer to shake his hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, Aquilonius. Please help yourself to the food. If you don't see something you want on the line there, just ask an attendant and they will get it for you."

Once done, her gaze shifted with a meaning towards Alex.

"Admiral... Perhaps we can leave them to eat and find their rooms since they are just beyond the door there... and save our discussions for the morning as we planned. I need to speak with you in private if I may?"

"Alex, my boy! My how the mantle of command has grown upon you! I would greet you Aquilonius with an appropriate honorific, but I am not certain if because you left the Jedi Order that Master is an offensive insult or not."


Alex raised a brow at this. He definitely noticed the change and for a moment his gaze narrowed suspiciously. Boisterous, relaxed... yet the Headmaster's words were something pushing of an insult, or so Alex percieved it as such. And Briarius had never once ever referred to him as his ... boy. It kinda creeped him out. There was something the Headmaster wasn't saying, and something highly unusual about his aura. First and foremost, it was far more relaxed. Second, there was something there that hadn't been before... Yep, he could see a portion of his soul that hadn't been a part of the necromancer before.

Still, he couldn't help but snicker at the Captain's soda comment, though he did cast a curious look at Cadence, his brow quirked almost as if to ask who Bob was. But before he could ask it, his Captain was prompting him for a private meeting. His stomach chose to growl at this point and all he could do was grin at Aquil. It was the kind of grin almost begging to be taken away.

"Let me grab a sandwich first, Captain ... and if the others feel comfortable with waiting until morning? Any questions?" he glance to the others to see if they had any.

"By all means, Sir... bring it to my office." The Captain replied.

He wasn't surprised that Cadence was upset. Briarius had obviously left the girl out and she wasn't even Exodian. He was surprised by the depth of the emotion coming from her. Who is this Bob?

He heard the Captain's footsteps retreat to one door while Cadence turned and moved out the other door, obviously heading to her room. Alex glanced to the headmaster.

"Well... ain't you just popular with the ladies, headmaster." dry humor was in his tones filled with a lazy accent, until they shifted more formally. "If you'll both excuse me, I better go talk to her. Enjoy your food. We'll meet in the morning."

That is, if any of them were still there then. Alex knew he would be. Nothing was going to stop him from this. A guarded telepathic message was given to the cook. Alex then walked away, heading in the same direction Cadence had just gone. It would seem that he had some tears to mop up, and he followed the trail of them to her room...

He barely got past the doors when he heard Aquil's voice and felt the hand on his shoulder. It was right about the time Alex was going to say something to get Cadence's attention, but Aquil's action on him forced that action away.

He turned to listen to Aquil as the door to Cadence's room closed harshly and the crack of sound from the door slamming made him flinch just a bit. The number *seven* on her door shook from the action. It even vibrated the number *five* of the door next to hers, and the *Unisex Restroom/Shower* on the door to the other side.

There was definitely a directed thought to him, even if the others weren't aware of it, though the sound of the bolts clicking in place on her door gave the general feel.

Clearly to Alex, Cadence didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment, not even to him. It was a level of emotion, and stubbornness, Alex had become well acquainted with lately. Yet it surprised him fully that it came from her, something he'd only ever experienced from several pregnant dragons....

Emerald hues managed to keep their gaze on Aquil as they flashed from that surprised expression down to a more calm or rather a controlled demeanor. Perhaps there was a slight touch of scrutiny as his eyes narrowed keenly and yet there was a smile. Even so, Alex' mind became shielded just as much as his Captain's had been. It wasn't the force, obviously, but a psionic shielding.

"You bring up very valid points, Aquil. I would love nothing better then to sit down over a good hot meal and talk about who knows which detail and put them all together to help us all figure out how to help my mother as soon as possible."

His sigh betrayed his emotional drain and the smile faded from view.

"Believe me, I want to see this end soon. But I don't think Cadence wants to talk to anyone right now.... She is very upset. I don't know her as well as others do, but I've never seen her anywhere remotely like this before. She didn't strike me as the type."

He glanced back to the door for a brief moment, and lowered his voice.

"I'll spare you the details of what she just said to me. I've learned, though, that when women get to a certain point, it's best not to push them too much. She doesn't even want to talk to me if that tells you anything. Probably because I'm a guy and I was in the same room."

He smirked with humor with that last comment, though it quickly faded back to serious.

"We should probably leave her alone, give her time to calm down. Perhaps once you've eaten, she might be more open to it. Although, and no offense to him, but.. I doubt she wants to be around the Headmaster anytime soon. I don't know who Bob is, but she feels for him. That was obvious to me. I got the distinct flavor that she feels the headmaster threatens that relationship. I don't know. I've been wrong before about things like that. But I'm not wrong about how mad she is right now."

Something was going on in Cadence's room. Whatever senses were able to detect her presence there would find her suddenly not there, as if a door inside the room opened, she stepped through and was gone.

Alex didn't seem to notice it, perhaps from the shield he had around his mind. He motioned with an opened hand towards the door leading back to the mess hall....

"Yes, I know you hate the antimagic zones here in Exodii. We didn't put them there on purpose. Or maybe you think it is because your ex-wife holds strong sway over the magical influences here. Anything that interferes with your magic is considered disdainful. I got that a long time ago and understandable considering you have such a .... deep connection with magic." It was said matter of factly, not hatefully in any way.

"Yet it seems to me that you're a little hypocritical in your view, Briarius. You say its a sin to withhold knowledge yet you do so yourself even now. I can clearly see a change in your soul, a very significant thing. Yet you withhold the information about it, keeping your secret from us even now by not explaining it... Or explaining why Bob, and when Bob, came to your aid. Yet here in the middle of a military base, one which I hold high rank and sway, you go on and on about us keeping secrets as if we don't have a right to withhold our thoughts, our information, just because you think you're keeping yours open? By what authority do you think you have the right to that kind of information here?" His gaze was steady with this last sentence as if to convey the fact that the headmaster had no rights or privileages to the military workings and they had every right to protect that.

He glanced to Aquil and back to Briarius as if alerting Aquil to his next course. Then he started to walk back to the headmaster. His gaze hardened and his baritone voice quietly rumbled.

"Perhaps we Exodians should take closer scrutiny of your agendas considering you were consorting with something that could now be considered part of the problems with my mother, via Aquil's visions, and ultimately the safety of this place, this city and this solar system, not to mention what it could do in RhyDin if not kept in check ... i.e. by your own words, the enemy came to your aid. Maybe you are responsible then? Perhaps I should think the same of Cadence as well, seeking knowledge from the same corrupting influence."

Finally standing in front of Briarius, Alex's demeanor softened. He reached up slowly and placed a large hand on the headmaster's shoulder and there was no hate or malice in the touch, but a warm and caring embrace. His tones matched the touch. "Yet we won't because I would like to think I know better and would give you the chance to help clear up the confusion, as I'm sure there is some from every angle at this point. I only ask the same of you."

And then he grinned, those emeralds sparkling just like his mother's would do with that mischievous mirth and that smirkish grin. "After dinner of course. Other things are actually more important right now, like eating. If I don't eat soon, I just might turn draconic right here, right now. So let's eat, and talk and later maybe Aquil can get Cadence to open up her door so they can talk. And in the morning we can sort more things out. One step at a time, Headmaster. One at a time....."

Alex had come a long way since he was locked up in the headmaster's demon room. It was a time when Alex had trouble not only with magic, but his draconic nature. Instead of seeking his mother's help, he sought aid from the Headmaster while the cat (his mother) was away.

"Agreed?"

"Very well."

He sighed. With his humanity returned, he was more acutely aware of hunger and fatigue. As a matter of fact, now that he thought of it, he was very hungry for the first time in years. Part of him didn't want to trust the food that he didn't watch prepared, but he dismissed such thoughts. He didn't want to be the ancient and paranoid stereotype, but he couldn't help it. A simple enchantment to detect wickedness and toxins was silently cast. He chided himself for doing so, but that chiding was chided for not having a mind of caution. He didn't get to this point by being reckless. He looked for something simple...like fruit.

Alex moved in to get a plate of three huge and thick bloody red steaks, some veggies and a couple of sweet hot buttery rolls. He sat down and smirked, noticing the spurt of magic being cast and realized it was some sort of divination upon the food. Of course, Briarius wouldn't find any wickedness and few toxins or ill anything with the food. There were basically none. Processes here in Exodii city, especially in the base, were far more clean then in RhyDin. To say spotless was truly an impossible thing to accomplish. Certainly there were no microbial anything present in there that most species couldn't handle unnoticed. That is, if they had an immune system at all.

His knife sliced easily into the grilled steak and his fork lifted a juicy red piece, browned on the outside, but dripping the mostly uncooked blood reddish juice as he carefully popped it in his mouth to chew. The man was starved. He ate swiftly, almost in draconic fashion but a bit more refined and without splattering. It was amazing a skinny man like him could wolf down that much food that quickly. The other two weren't even half done.

He gave them some time to eat their food and used it to send a comm message to his Captain that he was eating in the mess hall and would be there to speak to her after that. Then he leaned back in his chair, a toothpick in his mouth and sighed with some satisfaction.

"I needed that."

Emerald hues looked between the other two finally settling on Briarius even though the question was for both.

"Where would you like to begin?"

He was shaking his head.

"No.... getting her back to the academy is not a wise choice for many reasons. One, there are children there and it may not bode well for your place, or those within it, to bring the fight there. Two, she would be expecting that. She knows more about you then I do, and I would guard against it if I were in her position. That's too easy and expected from you. And maybe something to use against her."

A loud, long belch escaped Alex. The seriousness of his visage was cut briefly by a grin as he lifted a fist to pound his chest, releasing one more little one. "Good food." His emerald hues darted briefly towards the food line where a face peered from the opened doorway. Alex smiled and nodded to the cook, a tiny elderly woman, who was peeking out at them. She beamed a smile and nodded before she disappeared back into the kitchen.

Alex returned his gaze but was no longer smiling. "Point is... it isn't so much where we take the fight, it's getting an understanding of what went wrong to begin with. If we can't fix it...."
He let that trail.

"We'll have to bring her to where her abilities are cut. Sorry old man, but that means an anti magic zone. As for a haunted place.... well, you got me on that one. I don't really know. I've heard stories about Halexville used to be haunted, back before the change. Perhaps there is something there, although we have not really heard stories of that since then. I think the old ruins of the school were cleansed. I have a question, though. What happened with your change, Briarius? How is it that you are whole now? And do you think in any way this, or before this, effected my mother?"

"I suppose all of my counters to your argument and the answer to your question is really all part of the same story.

As you have perhaps guessed, I am much older than I look. I was in my prime when I met your grandmother. I was a crusader for the good and just. We were married and had two beautiful children. That's when my rival from my homeworld struck. You see, I was the champion of the God of Magic and Knowledge on Kadorasil. Translated from the Elven name he possesses, his name is Eversmart. The God of Trickery, Shanax was his rival. I had a friend while I was growing up who thought he was always one step behind me and that everything he did paled in comparison to my accomplishments. When Iw as chosen by my god as his champion, my friend Erique felt that was the final straw and pledged his life to Shanax, becoming his champion. Erique waited and planned an elaborate trap for me, which he managed to pull off. He staged a magickal accident that destroyed my home and sent me spiraling to the furthest end of the multiverse. He then put a limit on my powers so I could not simply return immediately. He kept me trapped away from RhyDin. Without me around and no trace of me, your grandmother only assumed I was destroyed with my home. She moved on. our children died...those details are still unclear to me...but none the less...they are gone.

Erique kept me trapped in various unreachable part of the multiverse where time was different. What only ended up being a couple of decades here ended up being thousands of years for me. My immortality seemed to be the only power I had. Eventually, I sacrificed my humanity to get back to RhyDin. Little did I know that this was only the first part of my rival's trap. When I eventually returned to RhyDin, everything I knew was gone. However, I was approached by a mysterious stranger who offered me what is now Ravensheart Academy. This stranger was indeed Erique and he knew that I was powerless. He had staffed the school with people Ic ared about in my life. He took their souls and tied them to a body he constructed. In the interim, he tricked his god and destroyed our home and most of the gods with it. Only two beings were left in Kadorasil, him and Eversmart, but Eversmart only had one follower and Erique had formed a cult elsewhere to keep his powers strong. My god was barely a flicker. Erique had the powers of a god. He destroyed my life, my home, and was going to break my mind before he destroyed me. He did so by only allowing my powers to return in the form of Necromancy. I was appalled. This was the darkest form of magick and I was a righteous person. In addition, I had the ghost from my past haunting my very dreams...as they were trapped by Erique...in the bodies of my very own staff. Melody and Lyndra are Erique's contructs. Melody held the soul of my very first love from Kadorasil and Lyndra was the vessel for your own grandmother's soul. Erique overlooked that D'Shara had become Sharilis and Ascended. That is when your mother showed up and Erique thought that she was your grandmother's soul. Sha'uri was able to stop Erique and bring Eversmart back to enough power to destroy Erique. In Erique's destruction, my powers were returned. However, my humanity was kept seperate from me so that we would not destroy ourselves with the full realization of what had happened. My humanity was given form and became a god on Kadorasil...the new Kadorasil. He was the God of Knowledge and my Elven half was allowed to stay in RhyDin and take full control of the Academy. The souls Erique had collected were allowed to either return to eternity or become alive again. Lyndra and Melody chose to become real. I administered a potion to Lyndra to realign her to become fully realized. That was where your mother gave me a sword with a link between us. Eventually, your grandmother came looking for me...her lost love. Eversmart intervened and allowed that part of your grandmother to go to Kadorasil and be with my humanity forever. However, the separated parts of me didn't like their existence as there was always 'something missing'. I had caused a serious error because my ability to cope with emotions went with my humanity. Eversmart came to fix this and saw that my two halves needed each other and that we would not destroy ourselves...we had time to cope with Erique's evil. During this episode, your mother stormed in acting like your grandmother and saw that part of your grandmother who went to Kadorasil and seemingly destroyed her. I have recently theorized she merely consumed the soul. I found the sword and it seemed odd. I warded it heavily and left it in the Academy, of which I learned is actually a pocket dimension that I am now the god of. Nothing happens at the Academy without my say so. The Academy is sealed to all interdimensional travel and all of the wards around the Academy are at full strength.

...I think that is all of the pertinent information...but feel free to ask if you need clarification"

Her fingers drummed rapidly upon the desktop. She looked at the clock, she looked at the console. She drummed her fingers some more. Finally, the captain couldn't take it any longer. It had been more then just a few minutes, in fact nearly a half an hour had gone by.

"Computer, where is Admiral Arrowny at this moment?" Captain Hekstar's fingers went silent in anticipation of the computer's answer.

"Admiral Arrowny is in the Mess Hall."

An exasperated sigh escaped her as she promptly rose from her chair. She was on her way out when another communication came in to her.

"Captain, I have to report we're losing life signs from the away team."

Her visage paled. "Understood. Keep monitoring. I will inform the Admiral."

She quickly moved to the Mess hall again, just in time to hear the headmaster's tail end of his story and the Admiral turning quite pale as he spoke up.
"Consumed a soul?" he could hardly get the words out. "When?"

This was not a good time to bring up the away team and it appeared she was too late to break the news herself.

"Earlier today. The headmaster was telling me about a dead girl that he said he had a conversation with, as necromancer's are capable of doing, who told him about a woman - apparently your mother - who consumed the soul of her attacker. It was one of the things I wanted to talk to you about, Admiral. I'm sorry I came too late. Are you all right?"

She had moved to Alex's side while she spoke and came to stand beside him, leaving a gentle hand upon his arm.

He steeples his fingers, taking a long moment of silence, absorbing what has been said by all parties. What Briarius had described had happened in Rhydin, and from the sounds of it, it had happened after he had left for Exodii, or perhaps just as he was leaving. Either way, the event he had felt, that had caused Alex's collapse just after he had arrived and they had met, seem to him to be separate events, but...

"...but that doesn't mean they're not connected," he says softly to himself.

If that was what had indeed happened, then they are up against a force far greater than he had at first realized. He had known Sha'uri was dangerous - his Force visions had told him that - but he hadn't known how bad it really was. Such a dark power was dangerous to them all.

And who now can help them, should they need it?

A part of his vision comes to him then.

A man he had met, though briefly - Lupinius, a demon he had called himself, and behind him the shadowy forms of four others.

But how will they get here? He cannot leave, he's needed here, for the moment. There's too much to do.

The Force showed you they would be here...they will be here. How matters not.

He knows it as surely as he knows he is in gravity's grip.

The headmaster would find no resistance to leave, merely a pause at the lift by a couple of guards.

"If you are leaving, we need to know if you plan to return so that someone can anticipate to let you back in. A hovercar can be provided to take you where you need to go around Exodii City if you would like. Or other arriangements should you wish to visit another city and would like transportation provided. Just let us know."

Regardless of the answer, the guards rode the lift up with the Headmaster and let him on his way how he chose.

********************

Alexander made a quiet, brisk walk to his office with Captain Hekstar close behind him. They entered and the door was shut; Alex activated a shield to protect them from being overheard, thought sensed or intruded on. The door was locked to prevent unforseen entrances. Alex moved to his chair but didn't sit down. He leaned his tall form over the desk and placed both hands upon it to support himself. Piercing emerald eyes gazed at his Captain as his mind shield broke down.

"Report."

Emeralds locked in a mirrored grip as the two, Alex and his Captain, stared at one another. His emotion hit her like an churning tidal wave full of anger, fear and helplessness behind the guise of control. He was struggling and so was she. Tears welled in her eyes as her thoughts naturally flowed over the subject of Sha'uri and the away team, the loss of life that had just occured.


Alex's eyes shifted wider as he stood, caught off guard as he picked up his Captain's thoughts. "When?"

The sound of his baritone voice helped her focus on him again. "The report came in right before I came to you."

Alex thought a moment, then motioned for her to sit as he did so himself. He was quiet for a moment while he mulled over the earlier events and what he'd just learned from Briarius and his Captain.

"It's true. I didn't realize it at the time, but it's true. Somehow she is devouring the souls. I thought I felt it earlier today, just after the Jedi arrived. I think he felt it too. But it felt like something happening on the planet not in RhyDin. I didn't sense anything from there.... not that I think Briarius is wrong, just that I didn't sense it for whatever reason."

The captain seemed a bit lost. "So what about the away team? The others are still alive."

Alex sighed, steadying his emotions and focusing more on the task. "I can only assume she fully knows about the away team since one of them is dead. I didn't feel anything about it. So I wonder if she really devoured his soul or not. I can only assume that if the priests try to ressurect that one, and it works, that she didn't eat his soul. So have them do so. If they can't, then maybe something needs to be analyzed as to why. Have them try to determine that as well."

The lights were coming on in her eyes, now that initial shock of the emotions were subsiding and she had gained control on her own. "Do you think this has something to do with the Force?"

"It's highly possible. Either that or it was perhaps the first time that she didn't shield it and has since learned to."

"I'll get on it right away. Is there anything else?"

Alex grinned slightly. "I could ask you the same. Do you wish to say anything about the Spirited discussion you had with the Headmaster? You may speak freely."

Her gaze narrowed. "He's a pompous arse."

Alex couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, but a knowledgeable and powerful one at that. although, I sensed there is a change in him. Perhaps with his soul completed, he will adjust to be differently. After all, he was once married to my grandmother. I had always wondered what she saw in him, especially after I finally met him. Now I realize it wasn't the whole of him. Let's keep an eye on him. I can't imagine that all this is going to be good for him. It will probably put him, as it will all of us, to the test."

Captian Hekstar nodded soberly. "That it will, Admiral. That it will."

Alex dismissed her and she headed out of the office. She collected the proper information about the desceased away team member and headed for the priests. By morning she would have more answers for Alex and the rest.

"There are a few Inn's or Bed and Breakfast accomodations if you preferre. However, it is no trouble at all for us to expect you back at an ungiven time. We will have someone here to let you back in when you arrive, no matter when that is." The guard told Briarius.

The guard then used his com badge to call for a hovercar to be waiting. They arrived to the top and it was there outside as they stepped out. Soon Briarius was taken back to town along the North/South trade route road. Just as they entered the city limits, passing a sign *Welcome to Exodii City*, they turned left down a road and travelled west for a couple of miles or so.

The area was not fully developed. Plenty of room between the houses dotted along the way. It was mostly farmland with clumps of two to six houses dotted here and there, and groves of fruited trees and planted fields of various crops. As they came into view of a fair lake, the road shifted northwest for another mile and continued around the lakeside until it finally ended in a circle driveway hidden down along a hillside cliff. They had travelled around only about a quarter of the lake size, which was about a five mile oblonge shaped body of water with several streams flowing in and one flowing out to the southwest.

The temple was built into the cliff side high above the water's edge by about a fifty to seventy five foot ascent. One had to climb some stairs to get to the entrance, which was really a cave opening large enough to allow a dragon to land. Part of the opening sides were still being sculpted into pillars and beautiful carvings. Dwarven work no doubt, yet there was a strong elven influence in the cosmetics. Magical ruins were also engraved, protections to guard and ward the entire place. Evil was clearly not welcomed.

The hover car pulled round to the stairs and the driver got out to let Briarius out. It was clear that the guard would wait at the car.
"I'll be here."

For a long moment, after the Headmaster leaves, he simply sits at the table, lost in thought. So many revelations in his life, all in a short space of time. He had not thought he would ever be caught up in a true battle ever again, indeed had spent a great deal of time trying to avoid them. For too long, perhaps, or maybe for just long enough. Staying away from the Force for such a long time, after having learned so much from so many, he had thought, might make the connection less strong...might make him a normal person, or at least as close to it as he is likely to become.

After the vision he had, he's come to the conlusion that it has done just the opposite - made him more open, if anything. He's never had a vision that clear, that powerful.

Even now, as he reaches out with the Force, he can feel the myriad of connections on this planet, stretching between a select few who are aware and so many, many more who are not.

And as he stretches out, he feels one - very close - very poignant feeling of regret, of remorse.

Without thinking, he rises from his seat, walking out into the hallway that leads to the rooms they had been assigned. He could use a good night's sleep, but even as he thinks this, his feet stop moving - not in front of his own door, but in front of Cadence's.

Oddly, out of all the people he has seen in his visions and all that he has met today, this is the one that intrigues him the most, though why, he couldn't say.

This is where that feeling comes from, and somehow, he knows it is time.

He raises a hand and knocks on the door.

She stood there staring at the closed lift doors for a few moments before she glanced the other way. Something within her tugged her attention towards the mess hall, but her stomach was full and she really just wanted to go back in and relax. Forcing herself to shut the door, she cleaned and put away her dishes, then moved to sit on the couch. That's when she felt that tug again and this time it was accompanied by the sound of footsteps outside her door. By the second knock, she was opening it up. Pretty blues caught with his keen gaze and if he hadn't realized it before, this one was definitely Force sensitive.

Despite her dour feelings, she smiled cheerfully warm to him. After all, he wasn't the reason for the dark mood. Her pretty blues seemed to search his face and his feelings for why he was there... realizing he was the reason she sensed that tug from before.

"Hi."

The view behind her was of something that clearly didn't fit with the walls and doors in the hallway. Inside was a kitchenette in one corner; a study area complete with a desk and bookshelves in the other corner; a living room of sorts with a small couch and chair and a coffee table before a nice cozy warm fire set along the wall of the middle area .... and at the far corner was a bedroom set with a partitioned bathroom. The last corner had an opening into a tunnel carved out of stone and the soft sound of water flowing as if over a small waterfall. It was hard to see into the tunnel with no lights to illuminate it, although there was a faint lavender glow. From the room, it was too faint to be of any use.

As he ascended up to the entrance, Briarius could see inside the entrance was a huge well lit tunnel that went about fifty feet before it was closed off by carved walls and a huge set of double doors made of mithril and carved with ruins. The doors were closed but to the far left was a thick pull rope and a set of bells at the top and a pully shifting the rope's direction to a hole in the top, presumably to another set of bells or something located on the other side of the door.

There was a sign beside the end of the rope on this side of the door.

*Ring bell for service*

"Hi."

Wierd, he thinks, that I should suddenly feel...almost shy.

His first fascination is with Cadence herself - almost by instinct he's reached out to touch the Force, feeling the girl's place in it, and he is almost surprised. He had suspected she was Force sensitive - he had been able to see and feel her more clearly than anyone, save perhaps Alex and his mother, albeit from a distance - but what strikes him is just how much untapped potential there is here, not only in her but in this entire place.

Has no Jedi attempted to teach anyone here?

Inwardly, he frowns. There have been Jedi here - that he is certain of, not only because of his visions but also due to the fact that both Sha'uri and Alex have the ability. Sometimes, he knows, the Force just chooses someone at random. But where such heredity is concerned, from mother to son, there is usually another Force-sensitive that came before who passed it on.

He smiles back at the warm welcome - despite her present feelings, he feels no ill will towards him, and with her it would be difficult indeed not to smile back. On her, a smile seems to be infectious. "I know we were introduced earlier, but in case you might have missed it, I'm Aquilonius Fardreamer...though if you please, just Aquil. If I remember right, your name is Cadence?"

As he says this, his eyes flick past her to the room. His burnished-copper eyes widen just a fraction as he takes in the room beyond, in all of its detail. The interior certainly did not match up with what was outside of it, and judging by not only the furnishings, but also the tunnel that seems to lead out of it, this girl must have some power indeed, not only of the Force but what a number of people back in RhyDin had referred to as 'magic.'

Size matters not. Luminous beings we are...not this crude matter! He chuckles softly, remembering his master as he had done a fairly good imitation of a Jedi Master from times long past. The point was well made - appearances are not an indication of skill or strength. Or much else, for that matter.

Smiling, he looks back at Cadence. "I thought, perhaps...if you would be willing...we could talk."

Quill man.. she thought, remembering the thought from not so long ago when she was analyzing why his name was what it was.

"Yes, I remembered your name .. and so do you mine. Cadence it is."

It was her turn to chuckle as his burnish copper hues, which really reminded her of pumpkin pie laced heavily with cinnamon, widened at the sight of her room. She got that a lot. Most people did so because they couldn't believe the lowly little toilet bowl scrubber was capable of such things. They just didn't realize how fast she learned or how resourceful she could be. They were too focused on what she did for work and how she spoke...

She suddenly felt conscious of her words and spoke carefully to get them right, though her tones were definitely warm and welcoming.

"Come on in, Aquil. Make yourself at home. Are you hungry? Thirsty? Feeling a little deeserty."

Okay, she did that one on purpose, grinning sheepishly and rolling her eyes at herself. She sensed his shyness and was just trying to help him feel comfortable.

"I've got some ice cream. Want some? I've got all kinds."

She waited until he was inside before she shut the door. Then she moved to her ice box and began to rumage through it. Pulling out the icecream and began to dish it up.

"I'm sorry I was in a bit of a mood earlier. It's kind of a long story.. old wounds, bad blood, something like that. I don't want to bore you with the details but... maybe they are important. Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

Jalek noticed his relaxed aura and nodded with approval. Her tones were jovial and teasing. "No flowers? I'm crushed. Is that all you've been doing? Just that? Oh, well.. we'll have to work on that some more."

Winking briefly, she motioned down the tunnel and began walking further in and doing so beside him.

"I'm actually here to meet you. I was in Halexville at our other temple. As you can see... I made contact here and things are different. Exodii and Halexville are beginning to get trade routes with Tanarix. And I no longer serve my people in the same capacity. Uncle Chet is disappointed that I serve another diety, but we're family. So he has not disowned me."

She grinned for a moment before intense hues drew a sad seriousness.

"The visions from our Goddess, Sharilis, have been chaotic and unpredictable. It's like they shift with the same story but different people in different capacities, or else a bunch of different stories with a handful of people who are in all the visions... one of them is you. We know the future is ever changing, but it's like the future has gone to hell in a handbasket. Do you know what's going on? Or what has occured? We were hoping for some truth in the visions and that you would come. We just expected you in Halexville. No matter, you are here. Tell me.. why are you here?"

The tunnel looked like a long one, descending at a gentle slope. It had tapered down to about fifteen feet wide and fifteen feet high, gradually getting smaller as they went. At another fifty fee was another set of double doors that were open. Beyond that, one could see the tunnel was gently beginning to turn to the left.

The ice cream was a light, bright blue color drenched in a dark chocolate syrup. She handed him a bowl with two scoops and picked up her own of the same. The ice cream flavor was like a french vanilla with a light touch of mint.

"Blue Moon. That's what they call it. My fav! Hope you like it."

She grinned and moved to the door and reopened it, revealing not the hallway that he had come from, but another room, a military sleeping quarters, spartan and clean with no frills just the necesities.

"I always bring my own.."

She shut the door with a chuckle and then she sat down beside him, taking a bite of her ice cream before she began.

"There's a lot to tell about Bob. Basically, though, He was one of the first people I really became friends with in RhyDin. I lived with my Nana in the... well..."

She hesitated awkwardly. It hadn't bothered her then to live in a dump, but to think back on it now that she'd known better... it was a hellish existance.

"Anyway, My Nana died and I was alone. Bob was kind to me, gave me some clothes and protected me whenever he was around. He encouraged me and so I stepped out of my home and looked for others to be with and to better myself. He's never been mean to me, never abusive, always my friend. I wouldn't want to be his enemy though, but I never feared being one. It really is a long story."

She tilted her head slightly with a curious expression. "how's your ice cream?"

"Devoured?"

Jelek's steps faultered to a stop as she turned pale and a hand reached to Briarius for support. It seemed an awkward move for such a warrioress, but it lent to the severity that the news meant to her. Pieces of some of those visions went through her mind, flitting and brief but Briarius sensed them and knew exactly they were from a past event, a time when Lyndra had returned...

~Though I do suspect that they will eventually have to become one again at some point....~

"Do nae forget yer past... learn from it, Briarius. Else ye'll be doomed 't repeat 'em. Just let it pass....let yer past be yer foundation of strength, nae means 't fuel yer pain of loss. Don't cry because tha' part is gone, smile because it happened.. because it was and is an important part of ye."


~...it's truly dangerous. It is something I am aware of keenly. ..... The soul degrades.... It's like cloning too many times will eventually degrade the physical aspects, which can be true with souls..... I suspect that future circumstances teeter upon that decision. I know it must not be repeated not only for his sake, but that of others and perhaps even yours and mine. This is why I must insist this... ~

"Please respect me here as I do have my reasons...."


"No wonder... she tried to warn of it. We have felt something strange in the connection with her. That explains much. What kind of creature could do such a thing? Does it still devour her? If there is redemption, I know of nothing for that. Perhaps our High Priestess could answer that."

Pretty blues watched him keenly as Aquil took his first bite. She liked sharing things that she liked with other people, even more so that they liked them, too. But considering the subject of conversation, she didn't linger on that warm fuzzy feeling she got from such sharing. She took another bite before she continued on.

"Bob is.. well, he's Bob. He is very powerful. I don't think I know of anyone else with that much. Not even some of the gods I've met. He's like... well, this power above them or around them might be more accurate. But to say what he is, I don't really know or understand it all. I just know he is potently powerful. He gave me this place, or rather the means to do with it as I will.. It's like my own place, my domain, my world."

She took another bite of of the pretty blue, creamy smooth delight. Her gaze seemed to shift away, not really looking at anything.

"Not that I've done a whole lot with it yet, just enough for me to be comfortable and have a place to study."

Her demeanor seemed to waken and snap back in his direction.

"Why do you need to know?"

He eyes the little girl speculatively, pondering. He had seen an awful lot of things in his vision in the park, and the part this being - Bob - had played...it was tied into Sha'uri's current predicament intimately, deeply, and it is something he will need to account for. From what she's said already, he's going to have his hands full if it were to come to a direct confrontation with Sha'uri herself, and at the moment, he has not the slightest clue how he's going to do it without hurting - or possibly killing - her.

The thought saddens him somewhat, as he had seen what she was like before all of this. Had heard it from Alex, seen it for himself.

And then there this being...Bob. Powerful by all accounts, and he had infected her with his power, held captive on this world, on top of her already confused and troubled problems. Add all of that to her already-tremendous power and the fact that she is able to touch the Force...

Big, BIG trouble.

How to tell all of this to this young woman, Cadence, though? He had already seen that she was overly sensitive to remarks and accusations made about this Bob, whom she obviously considered a friend. But to not tell her the real reasons he needs to know...

He can tell she's Force sensitive. That alone is good enough. And he has the idea that, despite her outward naivete, the girl is far smarter and more perceptive than anyone gives her credit for.

Finally, he takes a depp breath and plunges in. If she shuts him out and refuses to believe what he has to say, then no one can say he didn't try.

"I need to know, Cadence, because the being you know as Bob has - to put it bluntly - transferred a great deal of dark power to Sha'uri. In the state she was in - lost, confused, in pain and filled with anger...what she took into herself corrupted her hopelessly. Bob gave her a choice, though it wasn't much of one - in her place I might have done the same, and she thought she was doing something good. Whether she actually was or if Bob fooled her, I don't know. But I need to know because it will help me be able to see if she can be saved."

His words drove memories through her mind. Vividly, she remember the day of her change and how Bob brought her to this very room that she now was in with Aquil. It was the day he helped her in Confronting Fears... about herself and him. The seriousness of it all slowly marred her otherwise childlike visage into a broken contenance faced with the truths. He wasn't telling her this to down play Bob, he was telling her about her friend.

"Dark power?"

Furrowed brows darkened her own visage as her pretty blues shifted to the pedistal beside the doorway. Something was on it but it was covered up. After her initial run in with the thing, she had covered it up and kept the place herself except when sleeping. It was the only time the thing was uncovered. Bob had warned her about the effects. But why would he do that?

"Deal.. did he make a deal with her?!" she really didn't need the answer, she knew. Pretty blues darkened with anger, the crimson in her starburst seemed to shift to more of a blood red. "Oh this isn't good. No wonder he wouldn't talk to me! He knew he stepped over the line! I'd damn him but he's the Abyss! Did yous hear them make the deal? Did yous hear theys words? Cause if he did Deal, thAt's key."

Betrayed... she never thought she'd feel that about Bob. It made the ice cream in her stomach curdle and her heart stick in her throat. Guilt slipped unnervingly in with it.

"I should've known better.. Oh, Aquil, I shudda known." once again, pretty blues filled rapidly with tears, dripping down into her ice cream.

His words had led her to believe he had been there, until she saw the look on his face, eyes widened in surprise. It was in that moment she realized why he'd felt so familiar to her before. He hadn't been there to witness the deal, but he had been connected in some sort of vision... one that she, for some unknown reason, had seen hardly an hour ago.

Cadence didn't understand what she was. Nobody did. She understood she had a strong connection in magic, but her understanding of the Force was zilch and therefore she had no idea how connected she was in it. Inherently, she was connected to both. Most people didn't even realize she was Force Sensitive as instinctually hidden as it was usually kept.

She didn't understand that when Aquil connected to her in that vision, she unknowningly felt that, some internal instinct kicked in and looped it back, thus she witnessed some of those things in part of that vision Aquil had. They had come to her fast and chaotic so Sha'uri hadn't been one of them that Cadence realized.

Confused by his sense of hurt as he shifted away from her, she stared at him for a moment. Pushing to sense it further, those pretty blues gazed at him all teary eyed as he looked away and spoke again. There was pain in him but wether it was because of her own or something in him already, she couldn't determine. Yet she wondered that it was both.

Cadence got control of herself in that time. She continued to prob him, even trying to latch on to his thoughts, to see whatever it was he'd seen before between Sha'uri and Bob. She knew physical contact would solidify that ability. Within a few moments her soft voice practically whispered.

"Theys words, Aquil. They are soulfully binding to the Abyss. What were they exact words... Show me."

Firm tone, yes. Pleaful, unquestionably so. She held out her hand to him, little fingers beckoned for contact.

The two listened intently while they stood up from their sitting positions. Their gazes shifted between each other often while Briarius gave his short version to the long account of events. Clearly the two had many questions about those events, but they refrained from interrupting the Headmaster.

Finally, the High Priestess spoke up. "We have no way of knowing the answers to those questions. Perhaps you didn't understand. Our connection with our goddess is nearly cut. Your arrival tells us our visions have some merit, that we aren't completely cut off from her. Still, it is enough that we can't replenish our spells on a daily basis. We have no way of making a divination upon these things."

"It could be possible." the High Priest spoke up. "Both could be possible. A soul is an energy. Consumption leads to the idea of the utilization of that energy. It could be making her stronger. Then again, it might just be stored. I would guess that both are possible and far more likely to be, that if she is capable of devouring the soul, then she is capable of using it to strengthen herself and also to store it for later use. I would also guess that if she were destroyed, what souls that aren't used might actually be saved and able to be released to the heavens, or hells as the case may be. As for How to do that, that indeed is the question. Perhaps, though, it's going to take more then just magic and prayers. My best advice is to make a distraction, a huge distraction all around and above, while the real strike gets her from beneath. I was once a Citadel Guard, so I have some insight on how she thinks. That's the one spot she tends to forget about... on the rare occassion that she forgets."

He sighs, simply watching her for a moment.

Is this such a good idea, really?

Yes. She can tell you what this is, what comes next. What needs to be done.

And so he reaches out, closing his burnished-copper eyes, and takes her hands in his own warm ones, and reaches out to the Force, drawing her into his mind, into the vision that is stored there.

For a moment, it is black. The two of them stand, face to face, hand in hand, is an endless expanse of darkness. And yet it is not uncomfortable. More like a night in which the stars cannot be seen, completely dark and peaceful.

His voice comes from everywhere into her mind.

You're going to see things as though we were standing right with the two of them, Sha'uri and the one you know as Bob.

And then the scene crashes in on them. As it was in Aquil's vision, they can hear it all, even the parts that aren't spoken aloud.


"Allow me to introduce myself. My name isn't and never was...Kern. You can call me...Bob." There was a laughing then that was like thunder rattling inside of her skull. Then something caressed against her side, like somebody was touching her. But, it was from the inside and her skin pressed outwards, almost gently. "Why, why would they leave you here with me, what cruel fate." It screamed to her, at her...questioning her as if everybody would have known this would happen if she was left here alone, in the dark.


"If they could only see you now. They would have not only exiled you, but found away to destroy you, tear you to pieces...murder you. How's it feel to be the freakish thing?" The wall infront of her changed into a mirror, and she could see her self for the first time in this state. "This is what they want to do. We could get along, work together. Or we could see just how much more suffering they want you to go through." The voice said calmly, even reassuringly.

"Now, tell me what it is you REALLY want. Tell me what you need. Revenge, hate...power? True power?" Then all went silent again, and her own blood waited at her lips, covering her neck. Teasing her. Something had lifted to her mouth, but it would not enter. Not yet.

This was still only a beginning. And in silence between the tearing of flesh and the sucking sound of the blood being pressed up something would not allow the shock to set in. Something would not allow the pain to subside and it normally would in any other situation. Sleep and the oblivion of passing out would not come. Her only company was the mysterious voice, and now her twisted, bloody reflection on the wall before her.

"How much longer do you want to stay here. How much longer do you want to exist as the rejected member of the so called family who left you here..with me..The choice is entirely up to you." And those flesh straps on her legs and arms just continued to tighten as the seconds passed ever so slowly now. "But personally I like to torture miserable lizards who won't admit when they are wrong, so please. Continue to fight until there is nothing left of you to fight with. Fight for people who don't care about you, who left you here and forgot about you. Yes. Because you know they deserve it so much. Believe your own lies for as long as you can hold on to everything you used to be, everything they tried to lock up here like a monster, like an abomination unfit to live and just couldn't figure out how to kill you." It ranted in her head, her voice and his. It was harder to tell the two apart now. But was still possible.

"Do you know my purpose here. It isn't because I like it here or I wanted you. No. Not at all, how arrogant of you to think I would come here just for little old you. No. I was..awakened." There he was beside her fallen form, anybody who had ever seen him would not recognize him now. He was regal, almost like a dark prince that been gone from his castle for far too long. Dressed a black suit that had no labels on it. It was flawless in its design.


The vision fades in and out, broken into pieces and yet seeming to flow in that strange, almost fluid way that dreams do, shifting from one point to the next.


"Truth of the matter is I don't even want to be here as much as you do. We are both...if you will prisoners in this place. Both hated for just being what we are. We have more in common then you may realize." He said, but didn't look at her then. "The only purpose I have here is to show you the truth. You see it now, don't you?" He laughed under what should have been his breath.

"Authority over nothing is easy to gain. This is what you have become. It doesn't matter what you used to be or where you have been, or what your cosmic role was. Now you are just that. Nothing. Welcome to the rest of your life."

He ran his finger across the wall and on, like a screen images began to appear, random images of violence and pain. Torture and death from all over the very planet they were on. "You see. I have to thank you. Since your little emotional outbursts. I have been busy all over this world. Seeking out the desperate and vengeful. Already their desires are being granted, deepest angers and wishes granted. Power corrupts feeble minds. And because of you...I have been able to do what I really wanted to do." He laughed, and even though the images could have been an illusion, somethings were beginning to look familiar to her.

"I kinda figured you would be the heroic type anyways. And personally heroes are highly over rated and masochistic if you ask me. Like yourself you figured this was all about you, as I expected you would. Kinda like a mouse in a maze. I am like a sickness of evil, right now you could..let me spread throughout your body and your little planet here and let me simply..destroy everything. Or, since I like you. We can make a deal. No soul required, as they are basically useless to me in the long run anyways. Interested."

"The clock is ticking though."


"Different, me. I suppose that would be because I have no reason to even pretend to be less then I am," That came with a smirk as she touched him. No spark or anything was there. His flesh felt soft and more to the point, alive.

"I know you are nothing, and this world right along with you. However. Since I am awakened and here now. I say we change that. And here comes the said deal I mentioned just a moment ago. But first let me explain why I would offer anything to a dragon of any kind."

He took a step to the side and the wall with the images exploded into flames, they twisted and writhed against one another in a maddening battle only for a moment. Then it all turned black, back to the way it was before. all of this even started.

"Although I don't care about this world, what happens to it will effect others in time. Think of the spreading evil, as if it were a virus with no reasonable cure. Evil can be defeated in a few ways. Honor, selfless acts, and sacrifice. Well once infected, it becomes near impossible. Enemies gaining an edge over other enemies, and then the escalation begins," He said with a smile.

"I don't mind the conflict, but it will spread off world and, the time isn't right for world destruction on a massive scale yet. This is where you come in. Now, I..me..the main me..here..Is here. With you. The ones spreading the darkness are like little robots, demons with only one mission. To awaken with me and destroy everything one way or another. Not too bright I admit, but at the time I thought it was fool proof. Then you happened." He laughed at that. Plans of his activated by a imprisoned and helpless dragon. Odd if there was a meaning for it.

"I want you to stop the evil. And I will give you, yes..you. Three options for doing it. The first one is to remotely activate all the weapons and target them in the area, killing everybody infected with the madness, it would stop the spread and save the world. The longer you wait the more blood you will have to shed. The second option is to seal off the world, the entire planet covered with a mystic barrier that, will save the surrounding planets and eventually everything that is, but it will destroy you, for the power needed is conveniently equal to your life force. I will help you out, a deal is a deal right?"

Then he sighed and leaned against the wall. "Option one and two seem rather violent though. Being me and my infinite wisdom abounding everywhere. I decided that you can be the great savior of your world. I can send all of the darkness and put it inside of you. And it there it will remain, under two conditions. One, it will be under your control. You will be able to harness it's destructive power to your ends. Second, it remains with you. Nothing or nobody will ever get to remove it. If they do the world will fall back into chaos almost instantly...if they can remove it, that is. It will constantly grow in strength inside of you. Echoing against itself constantly."

"What do you think. They locked you up in here. Your own family did, friends, everyone. For no real reason. With this power, this planet will be yours to command, and more importantly this will give you the chance at what you want most. Revenge against them. This despair you feel now, its hate. It's destruction and unrelenting fury smashing against the insides of your skull. Believe me I know that feeling well."

"Or you can stay here and lose your mind, and yourself in the process with me, forever. You are not going to get any better the longer you stay in here. We both know that. It is time to start taking what you want...like you said everything must answer to their actions. When do they pay?"


"So, what is it going to be. Stay here and rot..or..not rot and lose your mind. Or save the world, take command..and get revenge?" He asked and finally after all those spoken words. Blinked. and paused for a moment.

"Oh, before you start speaking of "The right thing" I have to ask, how is that soul delivering job of yours going since you've been locked up in here. How many souls are lost, how many dark fiends are finding their way into the worlds of the happy go lucky heavens, and how many saints are being roasted on the fires of the hells? I wonder just how that is all going with out you? The longer you stay here, well...I suppose I don't need to tell you what you already know. I am sure you can feel it in your own flesh that something is horribly wrong already and it's only going to get worse from here on out. I can promise you that."

He held out his hand to hers, in a simple of sealing a pact in a meeting."Do we have a deal?"


In the next several moments, while Bob explained his deals, He almost reminded her of a slick salesman; fast and smooth. She was still thinking about option 2 when he was asking about the soul job. Odd, she couldn't sense that one, yet she could feel it under her skin just like he was saying.... Something was wrong, horribly so. She just didn't realize what it really was and the insanity kept her from it.

"Option One is... out of the question. If I take option two, will other people, innocent ones on the planet.. will they die? If so, and I think that was implied... then that isn't an option either. Option three.. well, it is tempting, perhaps the lesser of three evils?"

A grin threatened the corners of her lips. She briefly wondered how he ended up being the Abyss, but the thought never finished the process too far. It would keep all the others from harm... unless she unleashed it on them. It sounded like a lot of power, something that would need her whole life force to destroy it...while it was in her. There was the loop. Someday but not today.

"Option Three. Deal." she shook his hand.

And with that, the vision fades to black. For a long mmoent, they remain in the peaceful dark of his mind, hand in hand, his burnished-copper eyes on her soulful blues.

That is how it was.

And then they are back in Cadence's room, he taking his hands from hers and sitting back again, looking almost...weary for a moment.

Shock..



........breathe.......




...............................fragile fingers grip tighter to his ........



And soulful blues mist with tears as she watched these visions, yet the tears didn't fall. Cadence was shocked in so many ways she couldn't even begin to think... to breathe.... to move. Her face contorted with the shock and horror of it all. To see Sha'uri like that... to see Bob doing this...

How could I been so naive?


She couldn't move except to let go as Aquil let go of her. Her brain was numb, cold, frozen. A chill ran down her spine and she shivered watching him shift into his weariness.

Misty blues closed with emotional pain, pushing a tear from each eye. The two tears trailed down her cheeks, moved over her lips to converge and then dropped from her chin together as one teardrop. It hit the table but there was no splash only the smack of something hard. It was a ruby that fell to the tabletop. The teardrop shaped jewel bounced twice then slid towards Aquil, stopping just at the edge in front of him. As he looked to it, he could see it sparkle briefly with a sapphire flair and sense something of the Force within it. It was more then that.. it was magical.. it was a part of her. He'd feel it the moment he touched it, something akin to when he held her hands.

Pretty blues opened but their depths were filled with sorrow.

"Yous gonna need that. It'll protect yous. Once." The finality of the word relayed the gems one time use.

"We can't take it out of her. We gonna have to take her from it without giving it a place to go to or a way to cling to her. And it will cling to anything it can, anyone. That's what the gem is for. Especially if yous? if yous gotta .. I mean...?

It was difficult for her to say and her gaze looked away to the table top. She could barely whisper the words.

?I think ... we gonna have to destroy her."

Crimson tears fell down from her eyes. It was not blood like vampires tears. They were just a dark crimson that neither stained nor smeared. The color would disappear as the tears dried, which was probably a good thing. She was wiping them with her hands but they were falling just as quickly. She was trying so hard to be grown up, responsible. It was a struggle to gain control. After a few strokes she gave up and lifted her gaze once more.

"We need more help. We running out of time. That thing in her is gonna get stronger."

"I, of course, will not intrude. We will leave Your Graces now."

He backed away reverently.

"We try things. Occasionally they even work."

He smirked as he too sat in a lotus position and floated to her, his boots dematerializing.

"That is a quote of a Warlord I once knew. In essence, we won't know until we try. Speculatively, my personal connection with Shara may be the extra bump the communion needs. However, she just may be insane until we restore her soul, but I have my own theories on fixing that. One last moment concern before we start."

He seemed to looked at himself, and frowned a bit.

"Let's hope this doesn't drain me of all of my powers."

He looked ready to begin.

Just as it had been when Bob took the tear she'd given him so long ago, she could feel Aquil holding the tear he'd just picked up. She sensed it as he put it into his pocket, feeling the heat of his body seep through his clothing and warm the strange bobble.

As she thought about it, she realized she could still feel the one she'd given Bob, could feel that it was still in the same place he'd put it in so long ago. She wondered that it had been so..... but Aquil's voice brought her from her thoughts.

"I hope theys a choice, but I don't know how else to get around it. Even if she's destroyed, it will want to cling to a soul, hers...yours.. anyone's. That's why yous need to face her alone so nobody else is around. That's what the gem is for. I can protect yous through it. Once that's done, you gonna feel the gem change. You won't want to hold it any more and it'll be darker then a black hole. Destroy the gem. Crush it, Break it.. doesn't matter, just destroy it."

She got up from the table and beckoned to him to head for the door.

"Come... I'll go back to Rhydin and see if there be any help. Alex must be told what we talked about. And the Headmaster, too...."

She didn't say it but the thought crossed her mind, if he comes back. She knew Briarius was stubborn and could flutter off with his own tangent at the drop of a tome. In fact, she was currently under the impression that's exactly what he'd just done... left to do things on his own. She didn't want him to be alone.

A new struggle went round in her mind. She'd been so convinced of his friendship, and even knowing what Bob had done with Sha'uri, she still struggled with the sincerity of their own relationship. Cadence struggled with the What If's... what if he was lying? and, what if he wasn't? What if he needed help as much as Sha'uri? Do I stab a friend in the back to save another?... Dare I think of Bob as friend anymore? Or am I the one who was never a friend... what if Bob is just .... trapped to a fate of being the Abyss?

A heavy sigh escaped as she moved to the door and opened it up to the hallway. She stepped out and waited for Aquil to join her before she closed the door to her room. Her little hand came to rest upon Aquil's arm for a brief moment, as if to enhance her first words.

"Don't forget what I said. I'll try to be back in a day or two. Headmaster will knows how to contact me if yous need me sooner. If yous don't find him, contact the Academy. Theys will know how. I still have the school pin. Whatever help I can get, I'll bring back to this base."

Cadence had a plan. It gave her a little hope and something to focus on, other then worrying about the Headmaster and what he was up to. She hoped he wasn't going to try and handle this on his own. She was determined to find him some help. It was like an adventure, like stepping out on her own to do something important. As if to enhance that thought, she nodded firmly and smiled.

"Wish me luck!"

With an eyebrow wiggle and a bit of a giggle, Cadence turned towards the lift.

Several minutes later, and Cadence was gone from the base..

He watches as Cadence vanishes into the lift, his brow furrowed, his thought on all that she had told him. Bob and Sha'uri...the vision that he had seen, she seemed to understand so much better than he did.

Probably so. She knew both parties, whereas he is more of an outside observer. A third party who just happened upon a situation that he had willingly entangled himself in.

With a rueful smile, he recalls his master talking about the Force, the way it had of guiding a Jedi to where they are needed just in the nick of time. More often than not, he thinks, remembering back to all the other times he had happened along just in time for something or other.

He reaches into the pocket he had put the red gem into, pulling it out and looking at it. this is supposed to protect him from...what? Whatever it is inside Sha'uri, but what, exactly, is it?

He puts it back in his pocket as he heads back to the cafeteria. Not in the least hungry, of course, but hoping to run into Alex, or perhaps Briarius, in order to get a bit more information on both than he already has, to share what Cadence has told him.

She had said they might have to destroy Sha'uri. As he sits, he considers this.

Does it have to be so?

He hopes not. He can understand what's happened to her, moreso perhaps than anyone else in this situation. After all, he's been there, on that spiralling downward pathway, to the depths of the dark. Because he had been trained, though, he had known it for what it was, and had been able to pull away.

I will try to help her first, to try to help her out of the darkness. For all the good she has done, she is owed at least that much.

Jalek's eyes widened and her lips formed into a grin when Briarius made the joking comment about the Godess being insane. She could see it in him. He still loved his wife. It was the first time she noticed it from him like that and she realized even more how much he'd changed. She thought she saw a pang of remorse, or perhaps it was loneliness or a longing for his wife as he sobered and continued, reassuring her that he would protect Jalek. She also noted a slight uncertainty. He wasn't certain that his wife was even insane, or if she was what would happen. Still, Jalek felt certain that the two of them would be all right.

"You lead, I follow." she gently replied with soft reassuring tones.

Nodding, she lifted her hands to touch her palms with his in preparation to add her connection to enhance his.... she began the soft chanting. "My thoughts to yours, my energies for you to combine, in this I strengthen our bond to her."

He nodded and joined her.

When they touched, she could sense the power from him and it's source. His powers were fueled by passion. If his powers were to be drained completely away, his soul would be broken and possibly destroyed. However, that would be difficult to do as anything that inspired passion would give him power. It all made sense now. Why he was so reserved all the time until recently. Why he was stoic. Whether to keep his powers bottled up and under control or in check to not overwhelm him was now a question. Regardless, his powers were linked to his emotion. It was only easy to ascertain this because the minute their powers were joined, Jalek felt his emotions. The cold loss that fueled his necromancy was overwhelming. The righteousness that fueled his evocations were just as strong. The rational that powered his divinations was terribly strong as well, but growing weaker as his divinations to monitor them were silently cast. She could also sense the love that fueled his abjurations was growing stronger as he reached out to his wife. The Headmaster's emotional book was completely open to Jalek at this point.

"Shara? Where are you? Come to me. You know I won't hurt you."

His gaze remained stoic as all of this happened. Jalek could sense that Briarius was doing all that he could to sever the connection with Sha'uri, protect them from her, and also reading Sha'uri. It was after all of this that his expression changed slightly to one of sadness.

"We're going to have to destroy her, aren't we?"

That wasn't a question...more of a musing aloud.

"Shara, love...what can we do to help you? Do you need to be bound to something so Sha'uri can't take you back? Do you need strength? What can I do to help you? We need you to help us stop Sha'uri."

"That, my dear, was the answer to all of our questions."

He assessed his powers and pleasingly found that he had not used as much as he expected to. Whether this was his wife's gift or his own overestimation of the peril was unclear. He used some of this power to lock the memory of this event so that he could recall it with perfect clarity when necessary.

He then looked down at Jalek.

"You know people, especially pretty girls, don't often stay this close to me for very long."

His mind was racing. He needed to think. He needed to make sense of all of this information. However, where to begin was now a interesting query. Some information that he had not intended on gathering was now at his disposal. He wanted to stay here with Jalek. He wanted to go back to Exodii City Command to report his findings. He wanted to go to the north and find Sha'uri himself. His sword...his sword had something to do with all this. It was safest where it was now however. He cast a simple communication spell with Melody and informed her of the change in plans. The Academy's Dimensional and Temporal Locks need to be raised. Sha'uri and her minions would not get away with that sword. Melody was also instructed to entangle his residence, which would activate the building's extensive wards. Not only would someone have to break into the school, but then through another set of wards to the house, then reactivate the magicks that would open the portal to the chapel. At that thought, he shifted his communication spell's focus to Cadence.

"Little one? I know you are mad at me and I am sorry for that. However, I need your help right now. it is a matter of life or death...actually more to the point existence and non-existence."

It was only after he sent that did he realize that she was in Exodii Command and that was warded against magicks...which was why he needed to return.

What to do next...what to do next?

"Little one? I know you re mad at me and I am sorry for that. However, I need your help right now. it is a matter of life or death...actually more to the point existence and non-existence."

It was only after he sent that did he realize that she was in Exodii Command and that was warded against magicks...which was why he needed to return.

Timing was everything and for Cadence and Briarius it was way off between each other. As he ended his attempt to contact her, Cadence was riding up the elevator and couldn't recieve it.

She briefly spoke to the guard at the top, but didn't even think to ask about the Headmaster at that time. She was too caught up in her next task, focusing on where she would go once she got to RhyDin. Her thoughts were primarily to get to a point where she could use her magic and open up her room once again so she could gate herself into RhyDin.

"Teleportation and gate? Oh, yes. Currently you can just step into the road area over there and do so. Just so you know, though, should the situation warrent it,...."

"Oh thank yous!!" excited, she flapped her little wings and jumped up just a tad, planting a kiss on his cheek. Then with wings set in motion, she darted away from the guard and headed to the road.

The kiss to his cheek had taken him by surprise andhe was genuinely stunned for a brief moment. Then his senses came to him as he shook his head to clear his thought. "Wait!"

She wasn't stopping. He darted after her as she went outside. The moment she came over the pavement, she reached out her hand and a door formed. Her little hand was quick to grip the handle and open the door while the guard was opening the door to the guard shack he was in.

She stepped in. He was yelling.

"If something happens the shield will be extended! Don't transport any closer then the North/South road!"

The door shut and disappeared. Cadence was gone, able to step back into RhyDin on a whim. The guard, however, grimaced, hoping the little fae creature had heard him. He was unsure that she had.

"I hope she heard me..."

He glanced one way, then the other, took a deep breath and a step backward with an about face to redirect himself back inside to guard the elevator door.

"Hello again, Alex. I hope your findings have been better than my own."

Catching sight of him, Alex strolled that direction and sat down on the opposite side of the table.

A sigh betrayed his defeated emotions.

"If yours doesn't involve any deaths, then mine's worse."

He took hold of the spoon and stirred his drink, gazing down into the steamy brew.

"We sent an away team to get closer and gain more information. One of the life signs went dead."

He glanced up, the severity of the news was a weight on his conscious.

"We have no choice but to think the team has been compromised, and with my mother... there's nothing we can do at this point. She's cloaked the Citadel. At this point we don't know where she is. We'll know more in the morning once we've had time to scan more thoroughly... and the priests try to ressurect our fallen. If they can't, they will divine a reason by then."

He glanced down to stir his tea again, this time taking the bag out. Here his tones held a note of annoyed sarcasm.

"Then there is RhyDin with its power plays on business. Apparently, they want to control magic users with a pathetic registration. Scared, clueless people and their thoughtless Propositions." He shook his head. "It'll fail."

It was a curious thing. Alex looked back down to his cup while he lifted it to take a sip. He seemed worried, which was to be expected, but he seemed too worried.... almost agitated.... in a protective way. His perceptive gaze lifted.

"So, What's your news? I hope it includes where Cadence went... and why.."

As Briarius walked in near the sleeping quarters with Jelek in his arms, there were a few people milling about who immediately had their attention diverted to him. More precisely, to Jelek. They were concerned and a woman left their little group to confront Briarius. She was an average sort, mousey brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, blue eyes and a youthful disposition despite the slight crows feet round her eyes.

"Is she all right?" the woman asked. She hardly got the question out when Jalek gave a small snore. The woman grinned and motioned Briarius to follow.
She led him to Jalek's room and moved to the bed to pull back the covers. Her gaze darted to Jalek's feet, but seeing there were no shoes on them she simply gave Briarius a smirk followed by the gentle shake of her head and a shrug. Where ever the girl's shoes were, they could get them later. Then she stepped out of the way to let Briarius tuck Jalek in bed. She left the room, though was waiting outside the door.

Jalek sighed gently in her sleep.


Outside the room, a young male came up to the woman. The two exchanged whispers before he departed. She remained waitng on Briarius to come out.

"Excuse me sir..." the woman called quietly to Briarius as he came out of the room. "My name is Racheal. I was told of a room prepared for you if you wish to sleep the night. I can escort you there. Unless you're hungry? I can take you to the Dinning Hall, too. How can I help you?"

"Yay for working moral compasses.." Racheal smirked, chuckled for a moment and motioned him to follow. "I'll get someone to bring it to your room."

Racheal cast a spell, sending a message to some obscure person, ordering the wine brought to Bri's room. Making sure he was actually following, She lead him to his room, not too far away.

The tray of an opened bottle of chilled rosewyne and a glass was sitting on the nightstand beside the bed when they arrived. Spartan, clean but comforatable was the room. The bed was exceptionally comfortable.

"Will there be anything else?"

The elf sat on the bed. He reached over and poured himself a glass of wine. He then got up onto the bed, sitting up using the pillow to cushion his back and using the wall for support. He reached over to the nightstand and got the glass of wine. His magicks were still enough to check the wine for toxins or other "unpleasant" additives. He sipped the wine slowly as he thought. he then looked over to see if anyone was still there.

The elf sat on the bed. He reached over and poured himself a glass of wine. He then got up onto the bed, sitting up using the pillow to cushion his back and using the wall for support. He reached over to the nightstand and got the glass of wine. His magicks were still enough to check the wine for toxins or other "unpleasant" additives. He sipped the wine slowly as he thought. he then looked over to see if anyone was still there.

He was quite alone in his room.

"Sha'uri was already going to a dark place, with her gifts and powers and abilities, to be sure. But this...Bob...Cadence referred to him as the Abyss, and whatever deal he struck with Sha'uri infused her with a great deal of evil energy that, it seems, was imprisoned in this place, somewhere. And Bob made a deal with your mother that would keep this world safe if she took it all into herself, from what I understand."

Aquil had his attention before, but the term Abyss coupled with Deal, really snatched it hard, fast and solely. Piercing Emerald hues were unmoving from Aquil's face. Alex might've missed Aquil's feelings before, but the worry and strain upon the ex-jedi's contenance was unmistakable when he closed his eyes for a moment. Alex hadn't expected Aquil to be effected so deeply. It was a comfort to him to know there were people out there that cared so. It touched a well of emotion in himself, and it was hard for him to control..

He waited for Aquil to stop speaking, nodding to why Cadence left. He figured she would go to RhyDin. There were many questions running in his mind, but the thought of destroying his mother was foremost... do we really have to?

"I don't want to see my mother destroyed. I don't even like to destroy a droid should something go wrong with it. But sometimes I have to tear them apart, destroying what went wrong, and rebuild them anew. My hope .."

His voice cracked, he couldn't finish it. He knew it was not as simple as that. His mother wasn't a droid. Yet he saw no other alternative.

Alex felt himself loosing control, frustration and rage building, enticing draconic instincts to boil within. He needed to leave this place. Gaze shifting from Aquil as he slowly stood.

"We'll pull this together in the morning. We meet at 0800." Tight lipped was the reply, yet his tone managed a gentle curve smoothing the rough edges of tension. Alex pushed in his chair and moved to leave, pausing briefly to lay a hand on Aquil's shoulder. It was as much to assure Aquil as it was himself. Alex said no more as he simply left Aquil in the room.

He headed out and to the lift. He needed to fly... to hunt... to let out a draconic bellow. He used the booster in the lift to speed up his ascent. Seconds later, he stepped off and acknowledged the guard.

"Is one of ours still with the Headmaster?"

The guard nodded.

"Inform him we need to meet with the Headmaster at 0800."

Alex left the building, almost immediately shifting into dragon form and took flight from the compound....

The Headmaster did not come out before morning. In fact, he finished his glass of wine and meditated. He then produced a well worn black book from his belt that he thumbed through until dawn at which point he cast a few minor incantations to clean up and become presentable again, recharged his varies wards and items, and made his way out of the room towards jalek's room.

He flew for nearly an hour in some obscure direction. Alex didn't care to keep track. At this point, it really didn't matter. All he knew was that he was in the middle of no where and not a sentient soul was around.

Cresting over the edge of one mountian, Alex found the highest snow capped peak in the area rising above. He ascended to just barely above its snow capped peak and let his rage be heard in his draconic roar. Several avalanches resulted from the vibration, leaving a swath of destruction in their individual wakes. Dipping his wing, he glided with the turn and flew in some other obscure direction.

For a few moments, with no soul felt around, he could've imagined himself on Zed. It made him think of Lyndra and how much he was trying to protect her and the others, their children and home.

Thier children. Thier home. His gaze searched for Marta beyond the clouds. For the first time it really sank in just how much they had become family, how the place was his home. He longed to speak to them.

He suddenly lost the urge to hunt, to kill, to give in to his more base feelings. Alex climbed high above the clouds, high enough to see the curve of the world, and looked down over the lands of Exodii to get his bearing. Then he made a fast dive, heading straight for Exodii City.

Landing on the landing padd, he shifted his form and went straight for his shuttle. Once inside,he locked it down and sat in the pilot seat. He opened a secure channel to the Marta colony. Gindel's voice was a welcome tone.. laid back in a contageous way. The bronze dragon had that effect on him.

"Hey-o Dude... S'up? Your face is hangin down, man. Is your wagon dragon?" Gindel grinned stupidly at his own pun.

"Something like that. Everyone all right there?" Alex was able to grin at the Bronze's antics.

"Yep. Snug as bugs in a rug. You know, your oldest is trying to take over the whole clan already." Gindel had a big grin.

Alex grinned at that. Though the boy was a lot like his mother in many ways. "Yeah.. he's gonna be trouble."

"You wanna talk to him? He's up."

Alex nodded, grinning even more. "Sure."

He spent the next hour just talking to his son, his children, other children, other adults... whoever was up. Lyndra wasn't one of them, neither was Voec. Alex didn't have the heart to wake her at this point. However he did leave a message.

"Tell her things are not good on Exodii. Sha'uri is out of our control... not that we ever really had it. You all need to stay hidden there on Marta. Tell her not to even risk a trip to RhyDin through our portals. And be ready to transport to Zed. In fact, if you all decide to go there now, it might be best. Talk about it and let me know."

Alex managed to get a few hours of sleep before the meeting started.

With breakfast out of the way, which Alex hardly ate, he met Captain Hekstar in the meeting room. Guards were posted in place to escort the others there. He was early on purpose just so he could have a word with his Captain.

The room was sealed off, protected from mental, physical and magical scrying and teleportations. It was one of the most secure areas in the compound. The room had a large oblong table surrounded by nice cushy seating.

Alex sat down at one end of the elongated table and sipped the tea in his oversized mug. His emerald hues looked to his Captain keenly. "Report?"

"The priests can't bring our fallen back. They have divined he is dead, but his soul is not anywhere they can find. They have also divined the others... that there is something wrong with them, something they fear even puzzles the gods." This obviously wasn't settling well with her.

"Did they relay what they could do?" Alex sat forward in his chair, resting long fingers round his large mug.

"They have sent word to others of their factions, as well as other allied religious factions, and are making preparations to amass an army of priests. I've been informed this is regardless of what the Exodian forces decide to do, but that they most definitely would want to co-ordinate efforts."

"What about scans? Location of the Citadel?"

"Searches have found nothing in the polar region except for the abandoned shuttle craft the away team took. It's off location by a few miles but it is unoccupied. We've sent a team to investigat this and bring it back. The Citadel simply is not there anymore. It is also not on this continent. I made sure our efforts were thorough, which is why we haven't finished. We spent the night with thorough scans, concentrating on these two regions. I think it's fairly safe to say at least the Citadel is not on this side of the planet. We are widening the search spreading out for a global sweep. So far, scans have not shown anything, but we are not finished yet. We have also been keeping up scans on the places we have already scanned."

"A wise choice, Captain." Alex leaned back in his chair, sipping his tea and mulling over the latest developements while waiting on the rest to show up.

The Captain went to a small table in the corner of the room and poured herself some coffee. There were drinks and breakfast pastries to munch on, plus some fresh fruits. She picked up a creme filled long john and settled in a chair beside Alex. She ate the donut while waiting on the others, too.

Two sets of emerald hues looked up from their individual reveries as Aquil entered the room.

As he saw Aquil heading for the coffee, Alex decided it was best to let the man get his java and settle with at least a sip or two. He'd seen that look before, mostly on his own mother. He knew better then to interrupt that mission. He also noticed the way Aquil fixed his cup, a little coffee with his sugar ... just like his mother would make her own.

A thoughtful nod was given in return to Aquil. "Good morning. I hope you slept well."

At first, his gaze didn't shift, though he spoke to her. "Captain, I'd like you to meet Aquilonius Fardreamer. Aquil, meet Captain Hekstar." It was only now that his gaze shifted to her. A grin formed breaking any formality he was trying to uphold.

Captain Hekstar had just taken a bite of her long john... a rather large bite trying to hurry up and eat her pastry. Some of the contents had squirted to the side leaving a blop of cream at the corner of her mouth. She was in the middle of reaching for her napkin to wipe it when both men's attention came at her. And suddenly, the proverbial spotlight was on her catching her off guard.

Green hues were quickly surrounded by once fair skin now turned a blush red. The tight lipped forced smile formed over a mouthful and her surprised gaze shifted between the two for a moment, settling for another moment on Alex with a pointed look and a nudge of her thoughts at him. Thanks! Paybacks, Alex....

Alex simply chuckled quietly to himself.

Her left hand put down the pastry while her right snatched up the napkin and quickly wiped the blop away. She couldn't chew fast enough so Aquil got a lot of Mmmhmm's instead while her expression, though displaying her embarassment, tried to relay a welcoming Hello. She managed to give him a hand salute while she chewed and motioned towards the table of food and then to a seat for him to sit... on the other side of Alex.

Alex chuckled a little more and recieved the dainty little kick under the table while the Captain shifted in her chair to cross her legs. Her smile shifted from a more embarassed one to that of slightly vengeful satisfaction as it turned to Alex. It made him want to chuckle even more, though he kept himself from laughing.

"Sorry... bad timing." said quietly to her.

She smirked and went back to chewing her food. It really had been a huge mouthful. And she had been embarassed, but as always she would forgive him.

He brought his gaze back to Aquil, mirth filling the depths of his gaze. "Please, have a seat, Aquil. Make yourself at home. Plenty of food there, too. We're still waiting on the Headmaster to arrive, which hopefully will be soon. Time enough for you to meditate with your brew... it looks pretty important."

At that point, he hadn't heard anything from or about the Headmaster and assumed Briarius would be arriving for the meeting.

He was gracious and polite. He also noted the absence of Cadence...which worried him.

Alex wasn't looking at the clocks. He was grinning at his captain when the call came through to him, the guards uptop asking about the Headmaster's guest. He gave the okay and added a right away to the task. Of course, the guards complied to help them through fast. He was curious about this new guest.

A polite nod of greeting was given to the Headmaster. He motioned to the table of refreshments in case they hadn't noticed.

Captain Hekstar picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth as Bri and Jalek arrived. She quickly swallowed the food as she was being introduced. She gave a polite nod in return. "Nice to meet you."

It struck Alex odd, though. He never spent time in the cult's direction, but to have it in front of him now.. It was strange for him. He just never thought about it, never considered it a significant thing people worshiping his grandmother. Grandma was grandma to him. But this, right in front of him staring him in the face made him feel uneasy. It was the first time he ever related to his mother's aversion of this kind of prestige. And yet, he was grateful at the same time. A gracious nod was returned.

"Thank you. I will."

He gave them a few moments to really settle in, get something to drink or refill cups before he started in on the meeting. Then he laid it on the table.

"My...uh...that is, our opponent has taken the Citadel out of the arctic to the north and off this continent. Scans are still being done, but we should have more answers in the next few hours. An away team was sent to gather more info before she did take the Citadel. One member has been confirmed dead.. as in his life signs ceased and his soul no longer can be found."

" I had felt something earlier in the day and later realized She had devoured a soul. It is assumed she did the same with the away team member. Yet, I felt nothing with it. She has either learned how to shield the event from me, or else there's another reason why I didn't sense it. I also tried to contact Lyndra, being another of soul dragon race... but she was sleeping and I wasn't about to disturb her. She just laid her second batch. I wasn't about to disturb her."

He couldn't help it if a soft grin eased into the tension, taking off the edge. He was pretty proud of her.

"The Armegeddon II has been recalled to the area, along with all of our space vessels. They'll arrive within the next day or two. Also, our set of priests have indicated their religious factions will gather with their allies and gather a force of preists to aid us. Also, Cadence left to get more help from others in RhyDin. I don't know exactly who she would speak to, but I hope she's able to gather some more help."

"Unless I'm forgetting something, and I'm sure my Captain will let me know... what else have you all gathered?"

The Headmaster sits and nods to what Aquil says, only smirking at the comparison to The Force and magick. When he is done, Briarius speaks.

"On a side note. After all this is said and done, I would look forward to sharing with you Lord Fardreamer my research into the similarities and differences of The Force to other magicks. I think you would find the research most interesting.

However, that is not why we are here. Last night Lady Jalektarnylith and I managed to commune with Sharilis and Sha'uri...well, the light side of Sha'uri that is being oppressed by her dark side. We are both safe and sound and have the following information for you."

He handed out the documents and photographs which outlined the vision given to Jalek and him during the Communion.

... the Citadel nestled in a mountain top... a road winding to the top from a giant city below....people wandering with no hope up the slope.... her army growing stronger... ....battles in unknown lands....

...A child.. a wolf... a distinguished swordsman... an angel.. and a demon ... it seemed they fought against many undead, zombies, succubi, dragons and more. It seemed they were working their way closer to the Citadel though it was no longer in the mountaintop.

The landscape had changed.. it was dark but one got the feeling of a barren land full of canyons. Battle scenes were swift, changing, rapidly moving in random sequence, different locations. It was hard to tell if the battles were of things to come or merely the possibilities.

It was the sensation one would get whenever inside an antimagic zone, though the sensation was merely part of the imagery and not actual. The image of something with a hot light seared into someone's flesh, through their chest upwards and through the chin and beyond... though the body was obscure to its owner. Abysmal energy released in an explosion destroying the antimagic sensation while Nargahm was breaking at its sapphire within the Academy. Abysmal energy was channeled into...

"I think I can also conjure a holocube of the vision so that you may use it to calculate the terrain to find the location.

From what I have gathered, Sha'uri either has taken the Citadel to an anti-magick zone to protect herself from outside magickal forces or we need to get the Citadel to an anti-magick zone. While within said zone, she will be less powerful as she will be without much of her powers. The Citadel protects her from threats of technology just fine. As does her drone army. in the fight at the Citadel, I suspect I will be fairly useless as within said zone, I struggle to stay in existence. I do not think we have time to experiment with my powers in such a place at this time. However, I will be of use at the place where I too have godlike powers, my Academy. It is there that the sword Nargahm is housed. It is being protected right now under my most potent wards and enchantments. It houses a connection to Sha'uri's soul. I suspect we can use that to weaken her even further. If we strike all at once, I suspect it'll be enough to stop her."

The Headmaster paused here for questions and comments.

Alex took it all in as the reports were given, sipping his tea and trying to keep himself controlled.

The deal with Bob was certainly key. He knew any kind of deal with an abomination of the Abyss... or the Abyss itself... was most likely not a good thing. But why now... why her? Something isn't adding up....

The topic of Force vs Magic caught his interest. He idly wondered if he could squeeze in on that conversation later. However, the documents and pictures took his interest. Taking them in hand, he glanced over them. It occured to him that some of the images might not even be on Exodii. He was about to say something when Jalek spoke up. Her testimony touched him deeply.

Alex got up from his chair and poured a glass of water, moving to Jelek's side and set the glass down for her. He then laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you for that. It never occured to me that my Grandma was in trouble. But what you tell me, says so. Why now? Why Her? Why you two?" His emerald hues looked at Jalek and Briarius.

"I get that some soul splitting has been occuring. Am I right? Nargham... the sword my mother made, isn't it. She put part of her soul in it? Shara.... Sharilis.... Same person, or was. They were D'Shara. Grandma used to tell me the story... that she was born D'Shara until the Daemon was discovered. Ring any bells, Briarius?"

He moved back to his seat and sat down. His gaze centered on the Headmaster. "I believe you two were married by then. She dropped the D after the Daemon was no longer a part of her.... She was Shara for a long time. Then other things happened..I think she died? and it changed her? You brought her back, I remember her telling me that part.. or maybe that was some other time. I don't remember what happened, but there were other changes to her. I don't know if that was before your death or after, Becuase she said my grandfather also made her change... she changed and so did her name... to Sharilis."

He held up a finger, shaking it slightly pointing up in the air as if to shake the thought into a coherent form so he could speak it He finally did and his hand went down to rest upon the table. "Don't you find it strange that while my mother is in trouble, so too is my grandmother? And then there is you two.. Briarius and Jalektarnylith. Why is it you two were able to get through to them when non of my grandmother's most highest priests could? No offense, dear lady.. but how do you fit into this? Him I get... but you? How did you two meet?"

His gaze gently probed her and his voice sought answers rather then giving any accusations. Even though his gaze and the question seemed posed just for her, it was a question for both Jalek and Briarius.

His gaze was thoughtful and was quietly contemplative during the brief summary Briarius gave. It left more questions.

"If you would, Briarius... tell us a little more about this holy war. Who's war... when was it .... any special circumstances about it .... and what were the end results? Is there anything about it that you think might have a connection in what's going on now?"

Throughout this telling he remains silent, sitting back in his chair. So absorbed is he in the telling of the story that he doesn't even notice he's drinking the coffee in his hands until he goes to take a sip and discovers that it's gone. A wry grin on his lips as he sets the cup down on the table.

More than once his habit of focusing his entire being one one thing has made him fail to see the bigger picture. No harm done this time, though.

The story, however, gives him a lot of insight. Not just into Briarius, but into Sha'uri as well. Another piece of the puzzle falls into place.

And, if anything, it makes him identify even more strongly with her. After all, much the same had been his own life - losing his parents, suppressing the pain and loss of the life he had known to move on into another. Learning Jedi discipline, and yet misunderstanding - he had buried his grief, his rage at the injustice visited upon him by the universe at large rather than releasing it, coming to terms with it, accepting it.

And yet along the way the lessons had sunk in, had enabled him to pull back from his own fall into darkness. True, they had not stopped it completely, and in the process of finally releasing the pent-up anger and grief and pain, he had completely decimated and destroyed an entire society.

But he had been able to see what was happening, and was able to pull back. Not soon enough, but who is to say what would have happened if he had not at all?

Would he be as bad as Sha'uri is now? Worse, perhaps?

But it is only because of training, because he knew the lessons and was able to realize what was happening.

Sha'uri had not had the benefit of knowing what he knew, what he knows now.

His hands are steepled, the forefinger of both hands against his lips, eyes open but distant, lost in his own thoughts.

Is it, perhaps, too late?

The Headmaster's face hardened.

"When I originally looked at Bob with my mystic sight, I saw what one may see if they were peering into Chaos itself...which is why I called him as such for quite some time. If Bob is, as Mistress Cadence says, The Abyss, then we have only one thing to worry about. Exodii being reabsorbed into the nothingness of chaos. Sadly, this is what I see our current path is. If we do not stop Bob's instrument, Mistress Sha'uri, then we have no hope of saving Exodii and need to consider relocating it's inhabitants to some other dimension.

I really hate the Doomsday Scenario, but it IS where we are at."

He attempted to summon an illusion on the table of the current spot of the Citadel as shown to him in his vision. If the illusion works, then it will highlight his plan, if not, he will still outline it.

"I do ask that any of you chime in with your opinions as everyone in this room probably has a better mind for practical war tactics than I do.

It is my thought that Sha'uri will use her army and the Citadel's defenses to guard herself from the likes of the Exodiian Armada and rely on the Anti-magick zone to save her from the powers of sorcery. It was revealed to me that Sha'uri may have issues with three dimensional war tactics and she usually leaves the spaces below her undefended. We should strike at night, when her army sleeps. I suggest a muti faceted attack. First, the Exodiian ground forces should contain the people of this village here so as to reduce civilian casualties. Then the Exodiian Armada should attack the Citadel. The point of this facet is not to actually punch through, but to take her focus from the small strike force, tunneling in from below. So, the Armada need not be piloted by people. That small strike force will comprise of everyone here, except for me and half a dozen of your finest warriors. Perhaps even a handful of small robot forces also to split her attention even further. Once Sha'uri is within striking distance, I will be alerted at my Academy and will destroy the sword with my most potent evocations. It is my hope that splitting her attention in so many directions will allow you to take the final steps necessary. If need be, perhaps a transporter array to transport her out of the Citadel to a place where she can be teleported to Ravensheart could be arranged. Again, I know not of our combined resources and my mind only deals with theoretical warfare, so I ask that you all take your say."

Captain Hekstar had been oddly quiet throughout the meeting so far. Absorbed in the revelation of information, she finally found a voice to speak up after the images were displayed and the warrioress pointed out how the strange light in the end was in the antimagic zone. She, herself, wouldn't have known that had something not been said. In fact, she wondered when the antimagic zone showed up in the image. She couldn't tell.

"Chaos.... chaos magic.... the theory that Secak was formed when two bodies of chaos collided. We all from Exodii know this well. It has been taught as the beginning of our world and that from SEcak formed Exodii system when nature tried to pull itself back to its natural form. You're probably right.... This Bob, the Abyss, is probably trying to gain control. I'll pose the question to our force of clerics and see what they can come up with. Maybe he is or is connected to the chaos that originally formed Secak."

"But these images... they clearly shift and change. Too fast, too. I get the feeling they are a multitude of possibilities. Maybe if you can slow down the images. Can you do this Headmaster? Perhaps we can catch details we missed before. Also, if you can point out this antimagic thing... I don't see or know when it comes into play."

Oh, that light. That searing, brilliant light, almost painful to look at as it cuts through flesh and blood and bone.

He knows it, without a doubt. Brilliant, blue-white light.

As his and Alex's eyes lock, he sighs. He of so many knows the subjective nature of such visions - that they change with every action, that knowing the future holds the key to changing it.

And that trying to change it, most times, will bring it about nearly exactly the way it seems to be.

Reaching down to his waist, he pulls from his left hip the long, silvery cylinder of one of his twin lightsabers, silver inlaid with copper. The look on his face is unfathomable as he touches one of the control studs near the top.

With a sharp snap-hiss, the brilliant energy blade surges forth into existence, such brilliant light that it tinges the room around it with a cerulean glow. Even still, the blade seems to vibrate the very air itself.

The blade hisses again as it shrinks back out of existence, and as he sets the hilt down on the table before him, he bows his head, shaking it.

"The future is not set...it cannot be known until it has played itself out in full." For perhaps the first time, his voice is lower, husky...aged.

Both the Captain and Jalek turned twin pools of emerald hues in the direction of the snap-hiss with both fear and wonder as Aquil ignited the lightsaber.

The Captain's held more recognition. "I haven't seen one of those since the last visit by General Rick Nightstar."

Jalek's gaze shifted between the Captain, Aquil and the lightsaber. "Do they all have that color?"

The headmaster ran the illusion again, this time more details seemed to make their way clearer into the display.....


... the Citadel nestled in a mountain top, high above the tree line except for an area reaching out about a mile from the Citadel itself....

The view switched and one could see a road winding to the top of that mountian from a giant city below it. The buildings were not without technology, but no where near as advanced as Exodii or Halexville. Their design was far more curved and circular then the normal boxed flavor of most in the Known Lands.

The view changed..

....people wandering with no hope up the slope of a steep hill, obscure of its location although the trees and vegetation seemed to match along the road that wound up to the mountian above the city. Some of the people weren't exactly alive.

Another scene .... her army growing stronger as people arrived in the Citadel. Troops lined up. Vacant expression on most yet they seemed to move in unison together following the drills that most military establishments would do.

The next series became hard to control or slow down....battles in unknown lands showed flashes of scenes in territories undisclosed, though it was clearly not like the land around the Citadel. Flat plains and deep canyons, even deserts were shown. In the wake of its destructive path, the land held bodies of Exodian forces and other organized military unknown, villagers and monsters. Some of the villagers seemed like some of the ones in the Citadel army.

Then suddenly the scene easily slowed ... A child was shown and in this revealing her as a teenager, brown hair and hands moving in formation one would do when wielding great magical energy. Elementals of various kind sprang forth around her. In the distance another figure was seen, perhaps female, black armor and two longswords in her hands. Her form seemed to crackle with some energy, Amethyst and Sapphire. One step brought her blinking out and back in only closer. The next step was staggered just the same, moving her several yards at a time towards the girl. It was easy to get a sense that it might be Sha'uri, but it was still hard to tell.

Another view.... a wolf. But it had not been so a flash before. This showed a man instead for a brief split second. He was exceptionally tall, black hair and familiar to Aquil, who would recognize him as Lupinius. The man's form shifted down to a large wolf then lunged at the throat of a succubus.

Flash ... a distinguished swordsman, tall, dark hair with a splash of grey. His features were distinguished and his sword play was exceptional as he faced off with two wraiths in the middle of a sea of zombies.

Flash... an angel, black wings spanned from a form nearly twenty feet tall. The face became familiar. Was that Cadence? Her attention was on the red dragon swooping down at her for another pass. So dominant in the scene because of her size, that the rest was unnoticed until the scene slowed down. A sea of zombies surrounded her on the field. At her feet was a man, broad brimmed hat and ammo straps everywhere he could fit them. In his hands were guns and he used them with great speed and skill.

Flash.... and a demon, pure brute strength, armored skin glistening with gore as he tore through the ranks of the undead, just ahead of Cadence and the other man.

It seemed they - the Six instead of five - fought against many undead, zombies, succubi, dragons and more. It seemed they were working their way closer to the Citadel though it was no longer in the mountaintop. The view zoomed out revealing the Citadel in the sky with its mile round land mass still attached.

The scene changed....the landscape had changed.. it was dark but one got the feeling of a barren land full of canyons. Battle scenes were swift, changing rapidly moving in random sequence, different locations. It was hard to tell if the battles were of things to come or merely the possibilities. Some of the enemy could be recognized throughout the entire sequence of the whole illusion, some of them were seen dying over and over and over in every scene. This was true of the Exodian forces and others alike.

Then suddenly as the scene changed again... the sensation of an antimagic zone became clear here where it had not been there before. It was merely part of the imagery and not actual. The image of something with a hot light seared into someone's flesh, through their chest upwards and through the chin and beyond... though the body was obscure to its owner. Abysmal energy released in an explosion destroying the antimagic sensation while Nargahm was breaking at its sapphire within the Academy. Abysmal energy was channeled into...


The illusion ended again.

Jelek spoke up. "The antimagic didn't show until the last scene when the .. lightsaber struck."

Captain Hekstar added, "Then she is clearly not in an antimagic zone, not on this side of the world and in a mountain range.. more then likely right now anyway. Though that will obviously change."

He watches as the scene plays out. The similarity between his own visions and the visions displayed here are close - the same fluid, almost liquid flowing from one vision to the next, the way things seem to change and meld from one thing to the next.

As he watches, his senses are extended, trying to get a feel for this 'anti-magic' zone effect the others are talking about. And he is able to feel it, indeed...but there's something strange about it.

Abruptly, he realizes what the odd sensation is - he's feeling the sensation through the others...but not for himself.

Interestingly, the anti-magic zone doesn't seem to have an effect on him the way it does the others.

The face of Lupinius he does indeed recognize, though the others with him are strangers to him. As the sequence plays out, he sits back. Silence, for the moment, as he contemplates the entirety of the vision. So many thngs to consider, so many ways this could go...

"It is something to consider,but we need her in a phase with our time, not her time. She might be anywhere at this point."

Alex thought for a moment.

"We should research it first before just pulling it on her. Catch her off guard with it. It might be better to be out of this room to do research. In fact, I would suggest you do so from your Academy, Briarius, with the sword there. You might get better results with less of a chance for her to infiltrate or sense it. Besides, we should give Cadence time to return with help and go from there before we do anything in my mother's direction other then search and recon. We need time to pull our forces together on this."

"So, it's blood you want?"

Alex quirked a brow, nodding softly to Briarius.

"Mine would not be a good substitute. There are ... unknown elements of my father's side that would undoubtedly taint your results. My half brother would be better suited, simply being half human. However, he is not here. We do have several pints of my mother's blood. It's standard with uncommon breeds in our forces, or mixed breeds. Sometimes the only blood transfusion they can have is of their own. So we hold an amount in stasis indefinitely for such emergencies."

Capatin Hekstar spoke up when Alex took a breath. "It is also used for resurrections if necessary. That's how we tried to get our fallen back. Unfortunately, the soul was missing."

Alex locked a compassionate gaze with his Captain for a moment before emerald hues came back to Briarius.
"So, we've had hers for years now. Infact, even before she came back to RhyDin and found you. How much do you require?"

Alex nodded as he tapped a button on the table in front of him. A hidden panel opened in the tabletop and a console rose up to fill the newfound hole. The Admiral began to let his fingers fly over the keypad. After a couple of Hmms and an Oh...

"There it is. Would five pints be sufficient, Headmaster?"

Alex nodded. "We probably should set you up with our com systems. Plus... we don't know who Cadence will bring back. This might have a bearing on things. We'll teleport you to..."

Alex paused with a strange expression, a level of indecision not normally seen in him. He, himself, couldn't explain it for he was certain of a path for Bri to follow. It was simple, teleporting to one of the ships and have them move through the jumpgate so Bri could more easily teleport himself to his own place. Yet something held him back from it... some sense of de jas vou, like he'd been down this road before and it always seemed to end up badly. His words were spoken a little more slowly as he finished his sentence.

"....to...well, to the city jumpgate. Step through and teleport yourself to your place. It's so obvious, she might not think we'd do that or trying to use it as a front."

He seemed to feel more at ease as he finished his thought. Still, he wondered about that strange de jas vous and if anyone else had sensed it. His emeralds hues glanced around the room to others, coming to rest on Briarius again.

"Once you get home, how long do you think it'll take you to set all that up?"

Alex finished sending the order for the com badge and five units of his mother's blood to be sent up. It would take a small while before they arrived. His gaze seemed to contemplate Briari's request for a moment, somewhat puzzled by some things.

"It will be another twenty minutes before the items arrive here. Tell me, Headmaster.... do you think you need the extra help? Because no matter who Cadence brings, I get the feeling we'll be short handed as it is...."

Why he added that last part, he wasn't sure, but it launched another rash of de jas vous. Again his gaze shifted to everyone in the room.

"Why do I get the feeling we've all been here before? Am I the only one?"

His captain spoke up at this point. "Well didn't you ask him... " she stopped short and shook her head. "Perhaps not then, Admiral. I was going to say I thought you had asked him that question before but... that last part.. the one about no matter who Cadence brings back.. that felt .. odd. I wonder how many times your mother travelled back?"

Cadence opened the dimensional door in the driveway before the guard shack. Her quest to find Help had gotten some results. She hoped it was enough. Motioning to the others, she held the door open.

"It's okay." she extended a hand to wave towards the small warehouse like building. She was sure the guard was already peering out at them. "Theys a guard in there. He's friendly. Just go ahead and go in nicely and do what he say. I'm right behind yas."

She waited for them to leave her room before she stepped out....

Outside as Cadence opened her door in the middle of the drive, another curtain of time was opened behind it. With Cadence's portal between it and the guardshack, this new portal was unseen. Nobody had the right angle except one camera in the survalence grid.

Amethyst hues blazed as the tall figure stepped from the curtain, which remained open. Her smile darkened, like a cat who'd just found the canary between her teeth, while she waited for that right moment.....

At the same moment that the figure emerges from behind the veil of time and space, at the same instant that Valeria is turning her head, looking back into the 'room' from which Cadence and the Guardians had emerged, he stiffens, sitting bolt-upright in his chair. Copper-hued eyes widen slightly as he feels...something.

They slip closed for a moment, and he reaches out to the Force, expanding his feelings, his senses beyond the room they are sitting in. Feeling the new presences - two familiar, the others foreign to him...

...and one more. Dark thoughts, dark feelings, with a dark purpose.

In his mind's eye, he sees only a flash of something. A pair of violet-hued eyes, narrowed and deadly, waiting for just the right moment...

And then it is gone as he opens his eyes again, wide in alarm, his head whipping around to Alex, fixing him with a gaze that is suddenly alert with its dawning awareness.

Cadence waited until the others were through the door and walking to the guardshack. She caught the look on Val's face, but was confused to the meaning.

"It's okay, Val. I'm right behind yous." she encouraged the new friend to go ahead of her as she stepped out and shut the door behind her.

She never looked back, never had a reason to, although it was beginning to sink into her head that perhaps Val's look had a different meaning. She suddenly got an eery feeling creeping up her spine as her door closed and vanished behind her...

There is no time to react for any of them.

Lupinius can feel the approach of the wave of force, but there is not time to stop it, no time to even do so much as turn around.

All of them but one are caught completely by surprise and thrown, violently, away from the place they had entered as everything seems to explode around them.

The only one left standing, her eyes wide in surprise, is Valeria.

She had felt the wave approach first, being so close to it. Her only warning had been the subtle shift in time as the curtain parted behind them.

Even as the wave of force is launched, projected towards them all, the elemental control that has been bred into her - the dragon's blood in her veins, the pure magical power that has not only been a part of her ancestry but has strengthened through the ages - reacts on instinct.

There is not enough time to protect them all, only herself.

The wave of force broils past her, destroying as it goes. In her mind, her body, she can feel the havoc it wreaks with the elements all around her, touchable even here.

Oh, my gods! The power of that!

Even in her surprise, even in the fear at the touch of that sudden power, there is only a single thought - to protect her friends.

Time seems to slow as she turns to face the taller figure, much older than herself, much more powerful. This may well cause her great amounts of harm, but, it seems, she is the only one capable of action at this precise moment.

The wall of telekinetic force is not spent, even as it impacts the building, bending girders, collapsing walls.

And kinetic energy is just another elemental force.

Reaching out to the elements, gathering the inherent energy left in that wave, harnessing it, compacting it, her hands raising up and behind her as if she is getting ready to slam dunk a huge, invisible ball, then bringing them forwards, leveling both hands at the dark form, hurling the telekinetic force back at its point of origin.

It would be easy to think the entire complex was about to crumble down, shaken as it was. And if it weren?t for Aquil it might've done just that in the area directly below the elevator if only due to the explosive drop of the equipment from the surface. Luckily Aquil didn?t have to wait long for the shields and stabilizers to react around the place.

While earthquakes were rare in the area they were not unheard of. Bombings and other similar attacks were also thought of. Precautions had been put in place to deal with such things in the preservation of the complex. The worst spot hit was the guardshack up top. The building was damaged with a huge hole blasted through the entire thing, exposing the shaft of the elevator, which was no longer functional. Only the four corners of the building remained standing intact and most of the higher cielings. It would've been leveled if it weren't for Aquil.

And the guard? Pieces of him were everywhere along that blast line.

Since the rest of the complex was far below there, it was not affected as much. Still, some ceiling pieces managed to fall in the closer vicinity of the elevator, a few broken pipes here and there spraying either water, sewer or gas as the case may be. On the whole between Aquil and the shield, the majority of the complex remained intact.

As Aquil began to speak, he could probably sense those inertial dampers, stabilizers and shields erecting through and around the complex to sustain the place on its own.

Alex went pale? ?Mother?.?

A moment of stunned silence held him frozen before the military training kicked in and his orders were directed through the comm system. ?Get those people transported from the surface! Extend shields and block teleportation as soon as you can. We are effectively on Lock Down! Red Alert!?

Sha?uri saw the movement s and could well imagine the counter attack. Just as the telekinetic energy was blasted back in her direction, she opened up the curtain of time and shifted through it, closing the darkness as the blast began to hit that point.

STrong for one so young...

She disappeared and the blast went through the trees on the other side of the road, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.

Another curtian of time opened behind the young one...

In the blink of an eye, Val could feel snake like arms wrap around her, literally around and around... pinning her own arms to her chest and her fingers were crunched forcing the girl to make fists. Her mouth was likewise covered by a hand that literally warped around to the back of her head.

?Not this time. No? this time, you?re mine!?

Val found herself being yanked back into the curtain of time and the two of them disappeared... to somewhere in time.

Even as he is speaking, he feels the building stabilize itself. Nothing like this exists where he is from, or at least nothing that reacts this quickly. Relaxing his hold on the Force, he heaves a deep breath.

But there is no time to relax as he moves, seemingly not even tired. Even as he reaches out to the Force again, to feel for that dark presence, the one fighting, he feels something else.

Just as one vanishes, another appears.

The same, and yet...not the same. As if it is the same person, but a different awareness.

A moment later, both the dark presence and the fighter have vanished.

All of this happens in the space of a few heartbeats, no time at all for him to even attempt to get to the surface. Looking around, he notices that Briarius is already gone.

He looks around at Alex as he comes to the same realization that he had only moments before, nodding his confirmation. "It was her."

He tries again to sense that other, the one left able to fight against Sha'uri's assault. But wherever that one is, she had vanished at the same time as Sha'uri had, and he is unable to find her.

"Somehow...she knew. She knew when our help would be coming, she knew when to be there...and she's taken one of them."

A flash of light began to pulse in the vision of everyone on the surface within and around the guardshack. Cadence, the guardians and even the Headmaster, could begin to feel the strangeness of the transporter energy locking onto them and begin to dematerialize them. In an instant they were back inside the underground complex, fully formed once again. Two Exodian Forces personnel were at the console controls. Both were male. One had blonde hair fair skin, the other brown hair and tanned skin. Both seemed in their early twenties. The blonde looked to the group.

"Is everyone all right?"

In almost the same instant, the surface was washed with an anti-teleportation shield as well as other types of shields in case of a more mundane attack. The shield extended all the way to the main North/South road.

In the meeting room, Alex looked to Aquil, guilt heavy in his contenance. "I should've known better. I knew she could time travel. I just didn't think she'd launch an attack this soon."

He clicked the comm button. "Transporter room, Report."

"We have them inside. Shields up and at maximum. It appears that whatever attack was launched is overwith. The enemy has left." was the reply.

"Have them taken to infirmary and checked out. We'll meet them there." Alex looked to the others. "Who's with me?"

The only one of the Guardians that doesn't have to be carried to the infirmary is Lupinius. The other three were knocked out by the telekinetic blast, though as they arrive in the medical bay they are starting to come around to semiconciousness. Lupinius looks furious, for his part, rage and worry warring to have control of him.

Whatever happened to Valeria? And who had that been that attacked them? How had they known when and where?

He had only caught a whiff of scent, but it was enough. Whoever it was was the same scent that had been left on the bottle and feather at the edge of the portal, and therefore the one that had attacked them.

The one they called Sha'uri, perhaps? If so, that means that somehow, she had advanced knowledge of their involvement. How she would have gotten that is unknown to him, but no matter the how, it doesn't bode well.

Cadence was never good with teleporations of the magical kind. This one was no different. In fact, it was worse for her. She threw up all over the transporter plates the moment they materialized. It was all she could do to keep it near herself and not get it on anyone else. By the time a second heave wracked her body, one of the attendants had pulled a bag from the nearby med kit. She heaved into that.

And heaved some more as she stepped down from the transporter pad... and again as she began to walk out of the room. And even as she was able to hitch a ride with the others, she heaved several times more on the way to the infirmary.....

In fact, Cadence kept throwing up even as they worked on her to clean up the small cuts she had all over her and pull glass out of her hair and feathers. The frequency was diminishing as time went on and turned into dry heaves, but the doctors were getting concerned that it was continuing this long. They tried giving her several medicines that would normally ease that urge in most species, but for her it did nothing.

The poor thing was helpless to anything but let it run its course. Everytime she tried to speak, it would interrupt her. All she could do was shift those sad pretty blues and take in the damage that others had. Of course, she would notice the Headmaster's pouting. Soulful blues paused their sad gaze on him.

"Headmaster... are yous still maaa......"

The urge to heave interrupted her. She tried to fight it for several moments but the inevitable thrust persued. She heaved again, unable to finish her words.

The reaction was first a dumbfounded look followed by the angry look which was then swiftly replaced by the foreboding fear in pretty blues as yet another upheaving motion lurched from her stomach. Cadence threw up again.

The doctor, after getting some test results back, quickly had the medics hook her up to an IV with morphine. "A most unusual reaction. If anything, this should help counter dehydration.... and maybe put her to sleep for a while." Even he was unsure.

It didn't put her to sleep. It did put her at ease and she relaxed with a laid back look in her eyes. She didn't throw up anymore.

She did notice that as the moments ticked by during all of this, Val wasn't in the room and she became aware of the emotions surfacing around the Guardians, namely Lupinius. She began to fear the worst....

"Where's Val?" her voice shook, almost unable to get her voice to work, yet pretty blues searched for some spark of hope.

"I'll head up the rest of the preparations, contact the ships and inform them of this latest event. We'll launch a search immediately, but it would help to know more about the one who was taken... male? Female? Looks.. significant items to divine. I hope the group we just brought in aren't hurt too badly." Captain Hekstar replied.

"I'll let you know." Alex promised and led the others to the infirmary.

"I don't know, Cadence...either she was taken or she is pursuing..."

Alex came into the room in time to hear this. Although his glance went to others in the room, his steps went right to Lupinius.

"I'm sorry to say, she's been taken... if She is the one Aquil sensed this to happen to." Emerald hues held such concern and regret for the situation, yet he would keep his manners and extend a hand in friendship to Lupinius. "I'm Admiral Alexander Arrowny and this is Aquilonius Fardreamer. The lady with us is Jalek, a friend of Headmaster Briarius Ravensheart... who is right over there. Thank you for coming and I'm sorry this has happened. Do you have a way of locating her? We could use information about her, perhaps items she carries that might help us divine where she is. Are you missing any others?"

He comes in close behind Alex, silent for the moment. Copper-colored eyes settle upon the form of Lupinius. The same man, true, but now, it seems, with a new addition. When he had known him the wings had not been a part of his appearance.

Something certainly has changed, then.

That thought is pushed to the side, in light of what has happened, and the way things are moving. A look around at the three other new entrants, all men, stirring faintly, recovering from the powerful blast of telekinetic energy they had been subjected to. Strong indeed to have survived such a thing with so little damage, it seems.

He bows to Lupinius, his expression solemn. "Lupinius. It is good to see you again, even if under such unfortunate circumstances."

His coppery gaze turns next to Cadence, a smile touching his lips, as he bows his head to her. "It is a grace to see you as well, Cadence."

The next person to speak is Kaleb, his Cajun accent shining through as he sits up with a groan. "Now what de hell was dat t'ing we done got hit wit'? Feels like I got smack wit' a ton o' bricks all wrapped up in cotton."

Lupinius looks around at the Cajun as he is speaking, then back to Aquilonius. "Well, if I have this right, it seems that this Sha'uri was the one that attacked us. And...she took Val..."

The confusion shows on the angel's face as he settles his gaze, first on Aquil, then on Alex. "What I don't understand, though, is why...if anything, Valeria would appear to be the least threatening of all of us, despite the power she has."

At that moment, Wraith and McCarty begin sitting up, looking a bit more disoriented than either Kaleb or Lupinius. Medical personnel begin going over them, checking them for injuries.

"Do you have a way of locating her? We could use information about her, perhaps items she carries that might help us divine where she is. Are you missing any others?"

Lupinius turns his attention now to Alex, nodding once as he reaches up to touch the amulet that hangs around his neck, the same that they all wear. As his fingers caress the jet-black stone, it glows from within, a pulse of violet light. "The Amulets of Avalon...they allow us to contact each other. I'll see if she can be located."

The angel closes his eyes as his fingers touch the stone, which begins glowing again, steady, soft light as he focuses.

It wasn't the first time someone had ignored his hand of friendship, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Friendship was offered and ignored as far as he was concerned. Now, it would have to be earned...

Alex let his hand fall to his side once again.

The confusion shows on the angel's face as he settles his gaze, first on Aquil, then on Alex. "What I don't understand, though, is why...if anything, Valeria would appear to be the least threatening of all of us, despite the power she has."

"Power is probably why then. Valeria must be strong in it for her to be singled out like this. My mother... Sha'uri.. she can travel through time and has probably done so. She probably knows more about what's going on then we could ever hope to at this point. It is possible that she took your Valeria out of time as well."

He watched as Lupinius began to use his medallion. His ears picked up the quiet whisper Cadence uttered. A few strides had him beside Cadence. He put a large graceful hand upon the back of her neck at the base and gently let his fingers squeeze reassuringly. Baritones rumbled gently from him as he quietly reassured her. "We'll find her. One way or another, we'll get it all straightened out."

The Headmaster took the items and looked at them. As he examined them with his powers (mundane, magical, and divine), he spoke.

"Admiral, do you think it prudent for me to head to my destination att his time? Perhaps this will be enough of a distraction for me to escape unnoticed."

---

Jalek had gently put a hand on Bri's shoulder, not being obtrusive to his attention but rather supporting to his ways. She watched the little fae'ish creature send the items over and Bri take an interested in them. Curious herself as to why Cadence felt he should examine them she couldn't resist asking.

"Hmm.. remnants of a drunken ostrich?" Jalek grinned, nodding to the items with curiosity in mirth filled hues. "And should I come with you?"




((Part of this is a Reposting for Briarius. His was a casualty of war. er rather, it accidently went with another post I was trying to get rid of. :oops: Sorry! Moderating directions aren't very clear.))

"This is Sha'uri's work. Intended to misdirect people about Master Ashlocke. I assume that she did something to him, but the impressions are not strong enough there.

Admiral...I have an idea that may help everyone...

I will need a remote place that I could not be endangering anyone nearby if this works, but I will need all of my powers to work at their full potential...and I need to do it now."

The amulet continues to glow with shimmering violet light under Lupinius' fingers, his eyes moving rapidly beneath his closed eyelids. Whatever he is doing, if he is able to see Valeria or not, does not show on his face.

As he continues searching, the remaining two Guardians, Wraith and McCarty, are sitting up. Wraith allows the medics to check him over as he sits at what could be close to military attention, while McCarty waves off his attending medic, shaking his head. Both men look slightly battered, but of the two of them, McCarty looks the most upset, the more so as he brings his hand up to his head and finds his hat gone.

"Oh, someone's gonna pay fer that." The declaration is growled out in a voice that is deep, smooth with just the faintest of gravelly undertones, the accent a blatant reminder of the dusty, desert flats of Texas, a place most here probably have never been to or probably even heard of. He falls silent as he sees Val missing, looking to Lupinius and, like the rest of them, waiting.

The other orderlies finish up with Wraith a minute later and he stands, walking over to the black-winged angel and halting nearby with his hands behind his back. Alex would recognize the posture as being very like parade rest. Despite his obviously military bearing, lines of concern show on his face as he, too, waits, the only one to have not said anything.

Finally, Lupinius opens his eyes again as the glimmering light fades from his amulet, the same glow pulsing in his eyes a moment before it too fades. Deep worry shows on his features as well as he looks to Alex, then to the rest of the Guardians, and finally to Cadence. "I thought I had found her for a moment. All I could see was a dragon, and then fire...and then I was cut off."

At that, Wraith speaks. His own voice is a rich, deep bass, clipped and disciplined tones speaking volumes, even in a single word. "Dead?"

Lupinius shakes his head, the worry showing even more in his face. "No, not dead...Val herself cut me off. I had the impression that she was needing to concentrate."

The other Guardians look solemn at that, but slightly more hopeful. Finally, Kaleb speaks, his Cajun patois soft. "Well, den, le's not jus' be standin' 'round here waitin' t'hear what goes on wit' her, mon frere...we gots work t'be doin'."

As he continues searching, the remaining two Guardians, Wraith and McCarty, are sitting up. Wraith allows the medics to check him over as he sits at what could be close to military attention, while McCarty waves off his attending medic, shaking his head. Both men look slightly battered, but of the two of them, McCarty looks the most upset, the more so as he brings his hand up to his head and finds his hat gone.

"Oh, someone's gonna pay fer that." The declaration is growled out in a voice that is deep, smooth with just the faintest of gravelly undertones, the accent a blatant reminder of the dusty, desert flats of Texas, a place most here probably have never been to or probably even heard of. He falls silent as he sees Val missing, looking to Lupinius and, like the rest of them, waiting.

The declaration brought her pretty blues that direction. She blinked a bit wide eyed, not out of shock so much as it was realization. That slight lumpiness under her left wing became apparent of its source. The mention of a hat made her realize just what it was.

Tucking her hand behind her back and raising it slightly, small delicate fingers reached up her back to her wing and felt around a bit. Soon she had dislodged the hat caught between wing and back and half tucked under. The hat was intact if a bit crumpled.

Cadence blushed as she took the hat in hand and brought it round to inspect it. Her smile was more of a cringe, rather a cross between the two. Pretty blues were once again on McCarty as her visage continued to display that cringing smile... she waved the hat just a tad, enough to catch the cowboy's attention. She didn't say anything but her expression clearly seemed to ask the question if it was his. She tried to reshape the thing back to its original form as best she could before she gave it a toss towards McCarty.

Alex's words did not go unnoticed by her. The mention of a vision had her curious.

"Yeah, wha'd I miss?" pretty blues looked up at Alex. "What yous mean vision..,.."

"If you wish to travel along, you may. However, I don't expect it to be very exciting."

He smirked.

"If you don't expect it to be, odds are it won't be. Nevertheless, one should always be open to the possiblity that it could be... Perhaps it's just a matter of perspective. My father taught me that. Maybe your perspective needs changed.. or tweeked." Jelek replied.

"Synchronizing your efforts to a world away is going to potentially be tricky, let alone trying to do it with more then one point. I think it has potential. It depends on how you want to look at it. I believe Aquilonius is right, though. I'd like to stay to get to know these people, I think it'll prove to be very important. But I'd also like to come with you. I'm a little torn on what to do....Where do you think I could serve best?"

"No...no...I need to move ahead with the plan. Only through concerted effort can we do this."

He turned back to Jalek.

"I think you remaining here would be most helpful."

He began to muse aloud.

"If she has split...there is a good chance we don't even need a distraction...and she may have become overconfident, we can use that."

He thought for a moment.

"Actually, do you have the Mosa Ruby I gave you when we met?"

The hat tossed to McCarty is snagged with a simple, fluid movement, as if he had been expecting it to turn up under Cadence's wing and be tossed to him, and had merely been awaiting the moment. He grumbles for a moment over its condition, doing his best to straighten it out before he sets it back on his head, finally grinning in Cadence's direction. "Well, Ah guess s'got a little character now, anyway. Thankya, darlin."

Lupinius, meanwhile, has closed his eyes once more to the world, focusing on what he's seen. He had only caught a momentary jumble of images, really, but the benefit of having a photographic memory is that you can see everything in freeze frame if you so desire. "The dragon...if I had to guess, it's huge, but it's hard to tell without anything to reference it against...I think they were up in the air, actually. The scales almost look...metallic. The impression I had is that it's black, but again, it's not clear, as if there were other colors shifting in its scales, like they were opalescent. Red, maybe, and blue...violet eyes." He opens his eyes, fixing them on Alex again, sapphire blue pulsing with deep amethystine violet for a moment before fading back to their usual color.

The Headmaster took the gem and began enchanting it further. He looked up as Cadence mentioned that Sha'uri had blue eyes.

"...blue eyes...that's it..."

He went back to absently finishing the enchantments on the ruby as his mind was obviously elsewhere.

The Headmaster nodded.

He returned the ruby to Jalek.

"This will now amplify our connection. However, only when your soul in it's entirety, controls your body will it work. If either are ever compromised or it is stolen, it will turn into a worthless rock...inscribed with explosive runes.

Admiral, I will need to utilize that location I asked about to create a magical barrier that will presumably keep being from shifting through it. Hopefully also returning all beings to their right time. However, it is a long ritual and I must be undisturbed. I will create a simulacrum of myself and transport our things and begin things at the Academy. The carrier must be guarded heavily as he will only have minor magical powers. I would actually ask for body armor and a firearm for him. He will not radiate any form of magic at all and will be completely undetectable as a double."

The Headmaster scribed a few notes on a couple of pieces of parchment from the scroll case on his belt. He folded them ornately and cast a few charms.

He gave one to Alex and one to Jalek.

"These will open when you need to read them. If they are forced open before then, the inscription will change to explosive runes."

Briarius then nodded, "Good luck to us all."

A few more magic words were spoken and he split into two. Neither half detectable as different save for the amount of power they possessed. One was completely powerless while the other was brimming with magical energy. The powerless one blinked and his twin cast a spell upon them both.

"We're ready."

Alex gave an odd look at the parchment as he took it and carefully placed it into a pocket. He never thought twice about it.

"Corellon's Sanctuary. When we moved the Citadel, it didn't go with it. The place is still on the ground not far from here. For some reason, he saw fit to keep it there where the Citadel had been before... I thought he made it stay because my mother rejected him in her developing depression. Maybe it was because he saw this coming all along."

He paused to let emerald hues sweep over everyone, sensing the power of magic in the room. His emerald hues settled between Headmaster one and two. It seemed to him that the brightest one would be the headmaster.. the real one. The man just didn't go anywhere without his magic. Alex didn't think twice about it and treated them as such.

"Your ... double will have armor and weapons provided. We'll escort him to the city gate and through all the way to the school. We'll also leave them there in case of ... well, anything that arises. Teh men will all have magical knowledge, capabilities as well as telepathy. Some will have other attributes, but they will all temporarily fall under your command, headmaster. Use them for whatever purposes you feel necessary so long as it accomplishes the task. They are there to help ensure the sucess. Timing will be important on this. The moment we find her we need to work fast. Eventually, we'll find her."

He is still pondering the fate of Valeria when Aquilonius' voice cuts into his thoughts, pulling him out of his own musings. He nods his head to the Jedi - former Jedi, he corrects his own thoughts - before turning to Alex and the others that are remaining.

"It would be a long story indeed to tell you who exactly we are. The original order that I was once a part of long ago was known as the Guardians of Avalon, a sacred place of magic that was, like RhyDin, the centerpoint of a magical nexus, though not nearly so large. Of the original Guardians, I was the last survivor. At that time I was a demon that had been...changed by one of the priestesses, an assassin and bodyguard for an evil man. That was a very long time ago, though - by most human reckoning, just over two millenia. Since then...much has changed." As if to emphasize the point, the large, coal-black wings at his back spread just slightly.

He turns to the next man, who is, next to Lupinius, deceptively diminutive.

The young Cajun grins at everyone as he inclines his head slightly. "Name's Kaleb Holliday, an' Ah'm a demon. Ah don' have de two t'ousan' year of experience dat Lup here has t' his name, not even de combat trainin' dat de Wrait' and McCarty here has t' deir name. But on de ot'er hand, Ah do have an advantage dat might jus' come in handy if'n it come to de fight."

Whatever that advantage is he keeps to himself as he nods over to the much taller, broader, and altogether more silently imposing form of Wraith, who raises his hand to his brow in a sort of salute. His manner of speaking is clipped, precise, in a way that is not rude but seems in fact obsessively professional, military. Both he and McCarty had had their bags returned to them, and he taps his with his foot lightly as he speaks. "My name is Michael Stanton, but where I came from I was known as Wraith. I was a soldier, and an officer, once, in what we called back home the Marine Corps. I don't know if you have anything like that here, but if you do you know that they put out the most highly trained and disciplined soldiers of any armed force. I have the benefit of training and experience in battlefield combat and small unit tactics, as well as a wealth of close-quarters combat experience. Feel free to tap my brains, gentlemen, or use me as you see fit."

McCarty speaks without being prompted, his lazy, drawling voice drifting as though on the wind. "Well, Ah'm not gonna go into all I c'n do or any o' that nonsense. Name's McCarty, and all Ah'll ask is that ya lemme have mah guns and tell me where t'point 'em."

He's listening to the other Guardians as they introduce themselves. McCarty's words bring a smile to his lips for a brief moment, despite the gravity of the situation. So like the cowboy - direct, to the point, no frills.

And it's at that moment that the amulet at his neck pulses, a weak emission of amethystine light from its core. In the same moment, he feels so many things - sadness, finality, defeat, regret.

And then he hears the voice echoing in his mind.

I'm sorry...Lupinius...Cadence...I have failed...

His eyes go wide, a stricken look on his features for a moment, and his gaze immediately is directed at Cadence, the sapphire eyes flickering in their depths with that same violet glow.

"Valeria...no..."

None of the other Guardians seem inclined to take the offer, which might strike the others as strange, but not McCarty. When you teleport yourself out of the way, or can turn yourself into a monstrous stone gargoyle, or make yourself insubstantial, you're not going to worry much about being dead.

He, on the other hand, isn't so lucky. He can heal just fine, but when it comes down to it he doesn't want to have to rely on that alone.

He raises a hand, looking at Alex with an upnod. "Actually, pardner, I'll take ya up on that offer, if it ain't too much trouble."

"We need to move things up a notch. There is nothing to be done about whatever is happening to the girl. Let's not let her efforts go in vain."

He shakes his head, forcing himself to push on. There may yet be the chance that Valeria is still alive, injured and incapacitated but not dead, and her message to him merely meant that Sha'uri had gotten away from her.

And even if it turns out she is dead, they must push on. As the man had said, there is nothing that can be done, and there is still a fight to go into. Best to do it unhindered by feeling.

"Right. Wraith, McCarty...get your gear together and set up as needed." As he finishes the sentence, he closes his eyes and focuses, a shimmering veil of swirling violet light spinning around his form for a moment, then fading again to reveal his own particular battle armor, gleaming black metal that fits his form near as perfect as a second skin. The second flare of light is a scintillating shaft of energy of the same amethystine property that fades to reveal the long, sleek shape of a sword, the handle carved in exquisite detail of a howling wolf's head.

The entire process takes mere seconds, and once done he is battle ready. He looks to Alex, his eyes clear and sharp. "Would you happen to have armor that my people can use as well, should they need it?"

Alex held Jalek's gaze... realization that some followed his grandmother so faithfully set in. He nodded graciously to her; he would not be one to dishonor her decision.

Shifting his gaze to the cowboy, he nodded to McCarty and then motioned the doctors to make it so. "No problem, McCarty. They'll take about a pint. Don't worry, you'll have time to replenish that before we get into battle. Like I've been saying, we still have to find where she put the Citadel."

The nurse was then signaled and she came to McCarty's side, getting him to expose his arm so she could hook him up to take the blood for safe keeping of his future.

"As for armor and the like... That's available to anyone who needs it. I would also like to outfit everyone with communication devices and show you how to use them, or any other equipment that we can help you with, like other options on weapons. It probably won't hurt to run you all through a crash course and arm you in case of... well, let's just say in case they are needed."

"...that means she is trying to change the future...that she already knows the outcome...that she knows all of us and our weaknesses far better than she should...and what we're going to do..."

His ears pick up the quiet comment, gaze shifting to Aquil.

"Exactly my thoughts. She probably knows more. Traveling time and running a loop will always give you chances to learn things better. Which means....She's desperate. Are there any more requests, questions, suggestions before I send the Headmaster's teams down their path?"

Despair to Hope.... and then hope turned away as a spot of happiness was suddenly shot down by forbiddance the moment when something was said about Valeria. To her, Lupi looked pretty worried, or perhaps that was her own worry seeping into her interpretation.

Either way, she was worried, sinking almost into tears. Pretty blues were suddenly welling with the liquid emotion. At first she shot Alex a hard look for what he said, as if he had no care to try and help Valeria. But when others seemed to accept the situation, she relented and let the anger go. It seemed to help that they were talking about what they were going to do, and making preparations for their lives.

Cadence saw much faith in Jalek when the warrioress spoke up, unwavering in her voice and in her eyes. It was a strong testimony to see that much faith and trust put into something the woman admitted she had not been following for long. It was kind of a sobering thing for the little fae. It made her pause to wonder if she had thAt much faith in anything.... and it made her think.

"Exactly my thoughts. She probably knows more. Traveling time and running a loop will always give you chances to learn things better. Which means....She's desperate. Are there any more requests, questions, suggestions before I send the Headmaster's teams down their path?"

She blinked, bringing her attention back to the others. Her little feet padded over closer to Alex as she reached up and took his hand and shifted pretty blued upwards, like a child looking up to an adult.

"Hows do yous know, Alex? Maybe she not desperate. Maybe this be her first time back. Maybe it's more. If it's more, I could see yous saying she was desperate, cause it means she keeps trying to make it go her way and has failed. But hows do yous know it ain't her first time? Hows you know she ain't waiting for where you gonna take Bri's two groups?"

Pretty blues looked up at him all worried like.

"She was waiting to gets Val. If only I had known....."

Her words faltered, her gaze dropped down .... she wondered if she hadn't known something, that odd sense she felt just before she and the guardians had left their lair.... like some bad omen or de jas vous. It made her wonder if she shouldn't have just stepped out of their portal from whence they'd come and faced whatever premonition she had about it.

"Maybe we shoulda just ...." her guilt filled gaze briefly went to each guardian. "Maybe we stepped outta the wrong portal from yous place. I feel like it's my fault.... Val's gone and we no know where she at. Maybe she wouldn't be if I hadn't suggested it."

Pretty blues were glued on the tall one kneeling down before her. There was something noble and gracious about him that reminded her of his mother.

The explanation seemed to make some sense to her, gave her something to think about that she hadn't before. It triggered a memory of her and Bob and back to when he first made the place for her.... Her place... how time flowed differently for her there, and how she could go anywhere, any time she wanted to. She just had to simply think about it and it would be so.

So the thought of her being able to travel time began to make some sense that she hadn't thought about it that way before. Still, she had to picture where she wanted to be for it to work, she just never thought about picturing the when of them ...

Cadence was caught up in the smile Alex gave her, warm and gracious and full of encouragement. It lifted her spirits again... and her form as she stood on tippy toes to hug him but good, little wings moving gently with the effort, as if naturally to enhance the hug.

"Thank yous, Alex! I'll remembers that..." little head nod nod nodding as she pulled back from the hug, a bright beaming smile was back again. "I promise... I'll remembers."

A blush rose in her cheeks as she stepped back from him. She forgot about everyone else during that hug until she stepped back and her gaze was caught with someone else's gaze. Hers darted away and back to the floor.

"We's better get a move on things..." She knew he had things to do. They all did. Her gaze went to both headmaster's and to Jalek. "YOus all be carefuls out theres. Good luck to yous. Remember what Alex said.. trust your instincts."

She padded over to the three and gave them all hugs before she stepped out of the way and over by McCarty, watching as his blood was being taken. She quirked a brow as the bag kept getting fuller and fuller... and was he getting paler and paler?

Yes, even with all the technology, some things had to be done the old fashioned way. The medic finished taking the pint of blood from McCarty, unhooked him from the tube and placed a piece of cotton over the puncture mark. "Hold that there, please." The cotton was quickly taped down. "All done!" the medic smiled and went on their way.

As the blood was being taken away for safe keeping, Alex moved over to the door. It slid open on its own as he neared it. "Let's get you all down to the conference room. We'll take a look at that crystal and bring you all up to speed."

Within half an hour, they were all there in the conference room sitting around the table. Food and drink had been brought there for them while they watched the recorded image of the vision Jalek and Briarius had from their connection with Sharilis. Alex made the explanations about who was who, and what basically happened, not only for what occured in the previous meeting, but what had transpired in Sha'uri's life that brought them all to this point. Whatever Alex didn't bring up, Captain Hekstar did. Between the two, the guardians and Cadence were brought up to speed and told of the plans that had been made so far.

"Our ships will be in by tomorrow. Scans on the other side of the planet should increase after they arrive. We'll cut our time down that way. Still, no sign of her yet, but we've covered just over half the planet. We should have an answer later tomorrow morning." the Captain informed them after Alex's long explanatory speech.

"Very good. Now.... feedback anyone? What are your thoughts, suggestions?" Alex let his emerald gaze move from person to person.

Lupinius looks at the other three, each in their turn.

For a moment, a vision swims in front of his eyes, one from another life, another time, another world. The ghosts of the past, another battle, the Guardians of Avalon of old, all looking to him to lead.

He had protested, still protests, that he is not the leader, that the knights that are his charge are equals.

But now is not the time to discuss it.

And as he meets the eyes of each, they shake their head once, not a denial but indicating that they are clear on the plans as they have been laid out.

Finally, he turns back to Alex, nodding. "I suppose the only question that needs to be asked is where you want us and what you want us doing."

At this Wraith perks up a bit, leaning forward and straightening a bit, the familiar, old gleam in his eyes and a slight smile on his lips. Always this had been where he had been the most comfortable, the best, tactics and strategy, and it shows in the sharpening of his focus, the eagerness in his stance.

He never had liked being cooped up inside anywhere, and for the past two days the four of them, with Alex, Hekstar, and others, had been going over everything they needed to know - Exodiian procedures, equipment, troop formations and strategy, tactics - all of it.

After the past two days, he needs to get out. Sunlight, fresh air, open sky, all craved and needed to be seen.

The elevator had been repaired, of course, along with a lot of the other structural damage caused by Sha'uri's attack. Still, he's not willing to wait even the short amount of time for that route to be taken. After telling Wraith where he could be found and leaving him and Captain Hekstar with their heads together, debating the best approach to the Citadel and who should be placed with whom and where, he heads out of the room.

A simple thought, envisioning where he wants to be, is all it takes, and around him the violet-white lights shimmer into being, swirl around him, coalescing in his vision and hiding the hallway from view. When they fade again, he is standing outside, near the guardshack that had been utterly decimated by Sha'uri and was now nearly rebuilt.

Looking around, if it weren't for the men working on the minor repairs that still needed to be done, one might think nothing had ever happened up here. If it weren't for Valeria being...taken...he might have thought they were just doing upkeep on the place.

Her name in his thoughts is pushed away. He refuses to think of her as dead, still, even if he knows it is the most likely outcome - he knew of Val's potential and tremendous power, potential that had been still untapped, and if Sha'uri and Val had gotten into a brawl, if Sha'uri wasn't dead, then Valeria had to be.

But still, he hopes.

Sapphire eyes find Alex and Cadence inspecting the repairs, and he starts walking in their direction.

The repairs were a bright spot for Alex in that they were coming along so well. Cadence's quietness was also a welcome change after days of questions and plans and repairs and training and .... and it was just nice to be with someone and not have to say anything. They were nearly done inspecting and had almost come full circle back around to the front of the building when he saw Lupinius coelesce in his own teleportation nearby. He was glad to see that Lupinius remembered to teleport inside the shield and not try to cross through the shield. Though it was currently set to allow normal physical movement so people could just walk through it, it was still geared to thwart any kind of teleportation.

Alex gave Lupinius a nod, "Welcome back to the land of the living, I'd like to introduce you to my old friend... Daylight." With an eloquent turn of his wrist, He motioned with his long fingers up to the sun shining in the sky. He had to admit the sunshine was helping his demeanor to lighten.

Just then, on the other side of the shield within the driveway, a group of a hundred dwarves were suddenly transported in. Most of them were unfavorably effected by the transport, almost having reactions that Cadence could relate to, though only a few actually got sick. The others turned an odd shade of green for a few moments before they got their walking legs back in place, grumbling as dwarves would do.

The leader of the group stepped forward as he saw Alex across the drive by the building. He waved to him to come that way.

"Lupinius, Cadence... I'd like you to meet someone." He smiled and motioned for the two to follow him over as he left to join up with the burly dwarf.

Several moments passed while the constitutions of the otherwise hearty dwarves were brought in check. There were some who didn't need it and one was obviously a leader type. Short 5'3", stocky weight of 220 lbs, hair and beard long rusty copper locks softly flowed loosely beneath the spiked helm atop his head. He was wearing thick hard leather armor adorned with shoulder spikes and spiked bracers, crossbow and war axe strapped to his back. Teal specks sparkled within cobalt blue eyes. Skin medium bronze tones. This one held the marks of a Captain. He started barking orders to the other dwarves.

"All right ye lilly livered lassies! Get in shape! Suck it up and reform yer lines! Crossbowman! Look Alive! My mother looks livelier then some of ye! Move it!"

Most of the dwarves moved quickly into formation, even those still trying to get themselves in check. The Captain turned to spy Alex heading his way and the broad smile lightened his visage.

"Alex!"

The dwarf called out and headed towards the front of the line to mee the Admiral and the two angel like beings with him. His gaze lingered more on the girl and the strange marks around her eyes. Angels he'd seen before, but this girl was something different.

"Kigan Thornbolt at yer service on behalf of the City of Magril. I bring you our finest Crossbowman.... the first batch. Permission to join yer ranks and bring the rest of ours within. We've got another thousand to bring over."

He gave a cordial bow to Alex once they were together. With the formality given, he seemed to relax his demeanor.

"Keepin interesting company, Lad. "

He nodded politely noting the two with Alex just waiting for introductions. He knew there were questions to ask, formalities to go over, plans to be advised of and the whole nine yards. This wasn't his first time dealing with Alex so he knew he would trust the elf... and hoped he could do so with his choice of company.

While Alex and Lupi talked about their old friend, the sun, Cadence let her gaze turn and linger upward, taking a slight step back from them as she let her wings stretch a bit, along with her arms, and gave herself over to a nice fullfilling yawn. By the time her little lungs expelled the tension with a sweet little sigh, the other two were moving away towards the dwarves that had just transported in. A slight flap of wings sent her body and feet moving in the same direction, following not too far behind them.

The dwarf's mannerisms with his troops caused her to forget the depressive thoughts from before. A crept gently on her lips as she watched him, though his boisterousness kept her standing slightly behind Lupi, though not enough to hide her completely. Even though Alex's wink seemed to ease her, she still felt the proverbial weight from the stare of those cobalt blues.

He looked then to Cadence for her introduction. "And this is Cadence. She's not only an addition to the magical fighting force, but a good friend of the family."

After Lupi's introduction and response, she stepped forward enough to offer the dwarf a timid handshake.

"Nice to meet you Mr. ... um... Thornbolt."

She was trying to be all cordial and proper but the staring made her feel uncomvortable. However, she was not going to make an issue of it, being almost used to stares that she would get all the time. STill, the staring always made her feel self conscious and kept her attention on the one staring....

"Indeed I do. However, did you expect anything different from anyone linked to Woodshadows?"

That would get a snicker from the dwarf. With intro's made he muttered to Alex with a wink. "Oi, layin it on thick are we?"

And then he returned the bow to Lupinius. All this formality was getting to him already. The dwarf grinned at the angel as he stood up again. "Pleasure meetin ye, too. Don't know what ye two are butterin me up for, but I like a little honey on top 'o that."

With a wink, he took Candence's offered hand and very gently shook it. It was amazing how humble he felt right then. "Aw.. ye can call me Kegan. Pleasure meetin ye, too. Sorry if I'm starin, but I can't help meself. Never seen yer kind before... er such beauty."

Alex chuckled at the dwarf?s harmless harassment towards Lupinius. It reminded him of how House Woodshadow used to be, and was probably a contributing factor to the long standing rapport between Exodii and Magril. It reminded him of his Grandmother, and Great Grandfather?.

?Wha?? Can?t take all this formality?? he would?ve slapped the dwarf on the back in a friendly gesture but decided to leave that informality for later.

Besides, his attention was again drawn to the sky only this time he looked to the moon in the east. Something was wrong, he could feel it. Yet there wasn?t enough evidence to spring him into action. He hoped it was just a lover?s spat between Lyndra and Voec, yet he was not so convinced of this. It just didn?t feel quite right. Something was going on with her, though. Of that, he was sure.

He let out a sigh and was going to let his gaze trail to the sun hanging in the late afternoon sky, but something caught his attention from overhead. His gaze stopped directly above as the amulet appeared and began to fall.

Anger filled him at the sound of the voice. His heart raced. He felt himself break out in a sweat. No, this wasn't his mother anymore. His senses keenly took in his surroundings. Emerald hues gazed swiftly around the area.

?Kegan, get your men inside the shield. Everyone should head that way. Now.?

His voice seemed deeper then normal, firm, almost draconic. He would wait for others to get behind the shield before he would move from his spot.

"What in ball blazes?"

Kegan's gaze darted to the sky searching for the owner of that voice. A voice he wasn't sure he recognized, although it almost sounded like Sha'uri. It had been some time, but he always remembered her with a much softer, kinder tone.

He saw the amulet falling and heard Alex give the order. Kegan turned his attention to his own men. He was quick to move and quick to give the order.

"Look Alive, Men!! We've got a bear caught in a hare's trap! Everyone into the building. An I don't mean a week from next Tuesday either! Shake a Leg!!"

The men didn't question it, merely grabbed their gear and heaved it over to the other side of the shield. Kegan and his men were inside the building within moments.

She could hear Kegan dart off, barking orders and moving his men into the warehouse. She heard Alex nearly growl for them to get inside the shields. However, nothing sank into her mind with such piercing impact as the knowledge of Valeria's death had done. Her gasp filled with pain, was hardly a whisper.

"No!"

Cadence could hardly speak as she took a step back. Still, her fingers curled tighter over Lupi's clothing, her hand still on his side, and she would not let go. The step had no effect on him, of course, with her legs so very short as they were... and wobbly all of a sudden as she heard Lupi's threat of revenge. Her wings extended slightly to give herself a little balance.

The news had stunned her too much for her to react, but she felt a rollercoaster of emotions well up within herself. Conflicting emotions. Part of her agreed and wanted to kill Val's killer and yet.. knowing it was most likely Sha'uri who killed Val... how could she want her death? Sha'uri had been a very dear friend, more so then Val had been.

Tears sprang forth once again...

"Then come with me. We've got a shot at your wish waiting on Marta. I may need both of you to help. She is after Lyndra. We've got to stop her or all is lost."

The hand on his shoulder is barely felt, the words barely heard. But they are felt, and heard, as he looks down at the amulet in his hand, his gaze once again the brilliant sapphire blue. He closes his hand around it, and from his closed fist comes a brilliant flash of amethystine light. When he opens his hand again, the amulet is no longer there.

He stares at the place the amulet had rested in his hand, still silent and unmoving, until Alex's next words come to him, pulling his thoughts back to the present.

"Speak up to decline and step away, or get ready to fly..."

It's pretty much a foregone conclusion which option he'll choose. As he steps towards Alex, his body is enveloped in brilliant amethyst light that fades a moment later to reveal his clothes - casual clothing, all in black - has changed to some sort of armor. Black armor of what looks to possibly be steel, and yet moves with him as though it were supple and soft as well-worn leather. The booted feet fall with a soft tread, with the faintest suggestion of metallic sound as they come into contact with the earth. Each arm ends in gauntleted hands, the fingers tipped with wickedly curved claws. Framing all of this are the huge black feathered wings that curl around him like a cloak.

As he steps towards Alex, he turns his gaze towards Cadence, his sapphire eyes glimmering faintly from within with flickering, deep violet light. The pain she feels is as readily obvious as storm clouds on a sunny day - even without empathic abilities, he can see it there.

"I know it hurts, Cadence...but we need you to put that aside for now. Someone out there needs our help, and Val would want you to help them."

It's all he can say, really, and all perfectly true. Small comfort those words will be to her, and yet he can think of nothing more.

Without waiting for a response, he steps in next to Alex just as whatever form of transportation begins to take effect, and he is sent to Marta along with Alex...

The razor-thin profile of the fighter slices through the air, skimming buildings and trees and other geographical obstaclesas he shoves the throttles to their max, Force-enhanced reflexes keeping him just this side of death in his headlong, nap-of-the-earth flight back to the compound. Anyone on the ground would have perhaps a fleeting glimpse of a shadowy, sleek shape that flits by overhead with almost no sound at all. He's well aware that he is most likely violating several flight control regulations doing this, but none of it matters.

It's not absolutely necessary to be flying this way, but he needs something else to focus on, something to drown out the moments that have just passed, something to distract him from the tumultuous upheaval of conflicting emotions echoing within him.

There is no emotion...there is peace...

Not for the first time, he wonders if the Jedi who had created the Code had as hard a time following that particular tenet as he does.

Sensors beep at him, showing a momentary energy surge ahead, from the compound, of a type he's unfamiliar with. Frowning, he feels ahead with the Force, trying to find Alex, only to find that he's not there.

Hopefully, the surge means that he's on his way to Lyndra...

He taps the communications switch, tuned to the compound frequency. "Captain Hekstar, this is Aquilonius Fardreamer aboard the Fardreamer's Reach, requesting shield passage."

The answer comes back almost immediately, a crisp, formal female voice. "Acknowledged, Fardreamer's Reach. Passage through the shield is granted, please land at the following coordinates."

He sets the fighter down on the landing pad indicated, shutting down the engines and leaping from the fighter before the engines have wound down completely, not even pausing to close the canopy as he heads for the entrance to the building.

"By Klanggadin's beard!" Kegan bellowed. "Ye mean to tell me we gotta go through that thing AGAIN?!"

The guard looked at the burly dwarf with helplessness tinged with fear. "Yes sir. Sorry sir. Captain's orders, sir."

"Ye tell that Cap'n of yers I don't care if it takes a week before we get down below, we're not transportin again! We'll take the elevator unless ye got another way in." Kegan replied with finality.

"One moment sir." the Exodian Guard moved a few paces away and touched his communicator, keeping his voice low from being overheard. Moments later and the guard came back again.

"Well boy, spit it out. What's it gonna be." Kegan demanded, hands on his hips.

"Captain Hekstar says it'll take too long to use the elevator especially if we are to keep up transports of your other men. And since you wont transport a second time, we have to send you on a small hike." the guard replied.

"Oh? How far?" Kegan asked thoughtfully, intrigued by this news.

"About a mile due south, sir. There's a landing pad there that we keep hidden. We only use it when absolutely necessary. You can use that to enter after we've gathered all your men there. We'll send escorts to show you the way." the Guard replied.

"How long before the rest get transported here?" Kegan asked.

"Groups of a hundred... another ten transports so..." the guard was calculating, "... plus synchronizing shield lift per group... I'd say about twenty to thirty minutes."

"Well, which is it? Twenty? or Thirty?" Kegan pushed the guard.

"Thirty, sir." The guard decided to take the safer estimate, adding with a grin, "Maybe forty if they all react the same as the first group."

Kegan snorted at the humor. "Fair enough. I'll leave a ranking officer behind from each group to inform the next group until they're all in. It'll do the men some good to take a walk fer a bit. Relay our thanks to yer Captain."

"Will do."

"Just one question, though." Kegan asked, hoping the guard knew something. Kegan had gotten a bad feeling when Alex and the other two had suddenly disappeared. It didn't seem, by the look on Alex' face, that they were going to any picnic. "Any word on Alex....er... General Arrowny."

The guard shook his head. "No sir. I have not been informed of his status. If you would like to enter through the elevator and meet up with Captain Hekstar, you may do so. We'll see to it your men are transported safely and taken to the landing pad for alternative entrance."

Kegan shook his head. "No thanks. I stay with my men. Once we're down and settled, then I'll meet with yer Captain. Hopefully, General Arrowny will be back by then."

"Very good sir." the guard took his leave.

Moments later and the crossbowman of Magril slung packs over thier backs and were on their way for a little hike.

"So...tell me what you found out."

Where to begin! So many things he had found out, from the sensor scans from his flight around the castle, the conversation with the good Sha'uri, so many things...

He starts with the beginning, of course. "The sensor logs from my ship can be downloaded from my flight around the Citadel, though I don't know how much good they'll do. But that's the least of what we need to know."

He sighs, closing his eyes, remembering the conversation, and what he had seen just before... "Sha'uri has, somehow, created clones of herself. There are four of them now, and she has someone else with her too...a young man I don't know, and never got the name of. And...I also managed to mentally connect with the one that I'm sure was the original."

The emotions from that conversation! He is silent for a long moment, trying to find a way to relay those impressions without letting his own personal feelings cloud anything - the feelings of pain, of regret, of sad inevitability, when he finally realized what had to be done...and the promise he had made. And finally the warm, tender feeling of that kiss. Despite being only in their joined minds, it had affected him every bit as much as if it had been real...

He takes a deep breath and plows on ahead. "It seems that the dark power of the Abyss that Sha'uri took into herself caused her mind to fracture, so that there are two personas...I think, or else the power is another being and the original Sha'uri...the part of her that was Alex's mother, that everyone remembers, and one that is...rage...darkness..." He stops again, remembering the dark, almost insane feeling of that other as she had fought with the other, the other one... "...and there was another there too, not a persona but...it felt like it had been a person, like their spirit, that the the good part of Sha'uri called her mother. Sharilis, I think her name is, right?"

He remembers distinctly liking her, admiring the strength in that mental touch. "Sha'uri told me that...for her, this has happened many times, like they've been repeating history, going back in time over and over to change something, to change the outcome. I'm not sure how, we didn't have time..." And there, he trails off. The memory from his Force vision days prior, his realization that ultimately, if things went wrong this time, it would be him that was a new, dark and terrible power that would bring destruction to all of them.

And his promise to Sha'uri.

He can't tell them that, not his promise to her or his own realization. None of it matters, because he's determined not to let it happen. To do things right, this time around, though he doesn't remember ever having done it before.

"We need everyone back here as soon as possible. I told Alex to go to Lyndra, because she's a big part of this too, the reason, according to Sha'uri, that we keep repeating this, along with...other factors. she told me how this can be done, how to stop everything from going bad, but the first part of it is that Lyndra has to be protected, made safe...i only hope Alex got to her in time."

For the first time since he started speaking, he meets the captain's gaze, his expression suddenly sharp. "Have you heard back from him yet? Has he gotten back?"

Alex.

Alex is the one he really has to talk to about this. He has to tell someone the deeper parts of this, the more personal things that someone else would need to know.

Not only of his promise to Sha'uri, but of what she told him...about himself, and the future.

The vision of a desolate, dark world, consumed by the Abyss, dances before his eyes. No...at any cost, this must be stopped.

Still, his eyes sharpen on the Captain for a moment, a keen look that would most likely make her feel as if she'd just been x-rayed, before he speaks again.

"You're very perceptive, Captain Hekstar." The coppery gaze relaxes again, and he shakes his head. "I can understand why you ask, and commend you for it - it's not often someone is straightforward enough to question someone like me that way."

He's thinking of so many places he had been to where the lightsabers hanging from his hips had earned him a wide berth, instant respect or intimidation simply by wearing the weapon that had become a symbol.

He often wonders what they would say if they ever found out that the Jedi and those like them are, after all, nothing more than they are, mortal beings like anyone else.

"No, Captain, I promise you I am not, in any way, compromised. There are things that are more...personal that I need to talk with Alex about when he gets back. Forgive me for not telling you, but it's something only he needs to know."