It was the day after he left for Exodii and two days since his death and resurrection that Melody Hearthsglen felt that Headmaster briarius was over-extending himself. She had just gotten word from him that she was to raise the most potent protections the Academy had. She watched the bloodstone that controlled these protections pulse as the wards and illusions and other potent magicks were raised.

To the rest of RhyDin, the Academy just wasn't there. It was a row of shops or homes...or something. Just not very memorable.

The on campus students were allowed to continue uninterrupted and if their semester ended before the Headmaster returned, then they too would forget where the Academy was.

Students that came tot he school found that they were part of a correspondence school. All in all, learning never stopped and everyone was protected.

The Headmaster's Assistant hoped for Briarius' quick return. Not only did she worry about the Academy, she worried about the Headmaster.

From the Exodian Forces Complex to the jumpgates of Exodii City, the team with Briarius was transported. They were quickly escorted to the other side of the jumpgate and into RhyDin town proper. Although they were prepared for something to happen... nothing did so far. They moved out of the way of the flow of traffic and waited on the headmaster to point the way. It was their understanding that the headmaster would teleport them the rest of the way. The team stood ready and on guard....

They all followed in military style. 1,2,3,4...hut, 2,3,4... stepping in unison behind the headmaster just like the good little puppet soldiers that they were.

Some were not effected by the fear, others seemed a little uncomfortable but none ran away by the headmaster's tests. Evil was not in their demeanor.

With nod, the soldiers followed the lady....

The guards stowed gear and went to their posts as Melody showed them around the place. Then one went back with Melody to the headmasters office.

"So far.." Lt.Comander Reese replied. "I understand the difference between material and ethereal realms well enough. Like, for instance, the academy grounds must already be in some other dimensional existence considering it got much larger after we crossed the school grounds property lines."

Reese grinned. "I'll take a stab in the dark here and guess that Miss Melody won't be alone there. You plan to leave her there with the children and my men and perhaps take me with you into the ethereal where you will use your arts to deal with our enemy from there. Correct?"

Apparently, details were important.

Reese stepped aside as the others came in. There wasn't much for him to do but listen. The expressions held on the faces of the seven clearly didn't reveal anything to the Lt.Commander as to the nature of thier surprise. Clearly it was something unexpected, but wether or not it was good or bad, funny or terrifying, there was nothing to give that away.

"How soon before we go?"

The brow of Lt. Commander Reese raised curiously, almost disbelievingly, at the sudden appearance of the library. He was sure it hadn't been like that when he entered the office, being training to take in every available detail of his surroundings. He knew that had not been there before. He briefly wondered how many other sudden surprises he was going to get on this mission and decided it was just part of the excentricities of this line of work.

"Expect the unexpected." he grinned lightly but his gaze was not amused even though his tone held sarcastic humor. "I feel so... kidnapped. I expect your assistant will inform my men of the basic plan? Since... you didn't give me the option. Hopefully, that won't raise any suspicions in their mind, that their CO is up and missing without telling them himself. Actually, I'm sure it will but hopefully they'll sense that things are actually okay. No matter, there's still time. At this point, the Exodian Forces haven't even found our target yet. My men are set to recieve word of this when it happens. I'm sure they'll tell your assistant... which I assume has a way into this place to tell us. So, what's next? Where do you need me and what do you want me to do?"

He was ready for whatever action was needed.

The Headmaster smiled and walked around the room and it changed to a casting room. At one end was a small basin of water. In the middle was a casting circle which began to glow.

"Ah, the show is about to begin."

He stepped into the Circle and began to cast.

In the other casting rooms, the members of Clan Tremere took their blood vials and began the blood rituals. The target of the rituals would feel their hearts being constricted and would know that this fell vampiric ritual would destroy them if the casters were not found by the next sunrise.

She should begin to feel the effects of all this magic...

...or at least that's what the Headmaster hoped for.

She, and her duplicates, should begin to feel the vampire ritual beginning to threaten them. She should also feel the time anchor setting in.

This needed to catch her off-guard -no it HAD to catch her off-guard. If it didn't, there was little hope.

The Vampires of Clan Tremere held the ritual as long as they could before the backlash forced them all into torpor. They lay motionless in their ritual rooms, protected by the Headmaster's wards.

The portal had been cast. A one-way portal that would only allow the real Briarius to cast his magics from the safety of his Academy. The false Briarius with Jalek began to cast the next part where time travel would begin to be threatened. He left some linchpins out however that would alert Sha'uri to the subterfuge and his location. Everyone else was safe from her though because they would be transported from Exodii to a realm of the Academy until Sha'uri left the area, at which point they would return.

When Sha'uri showed up, she would only be facing Briarius.

The spirit Kyllendria floated to the ritual room where the vampires lay motionless. She thought to herself about which secret each of them would learn.

As she floated, she communicated her wishes to several robed figures along the way. When she arrived, the blood was there waiting for her. She began the painstaking task of waking each vampire up.

"What the hell?!"

Lt. Dan and Lt.Commander Reese both had the same reaction when they found themselves and all the ones with them put into some room that looked like something from within the Exodii City. The two had exclaimed at the same time and met each other's gaze across the room.

It was the Lt.Commander who spoke up first. "Sound off!"

Immediately the rest of the crew started sounding off names while Reese and Dan took note and counted.

"We're all here... except Briarius and that other guy... Core something didn't catch his name. Don't know what happened but Briarius blew up. That's when I realized we're here." Lt. Dan reported.

"Same.. all here... but the other headmaster was fine. I think the one on your end was a decoy, if I were to make a guess. It's what I'd do if I had that ability."

"I hope you're right." Jelek remarked once she got her scream under control and movements in check. "I don't know where we are."

The tongue ring in her mouth began to pulse with warmth in a way that hadn't been felt since before Briarius came back to Exodii. She could feel the connection stirring once again. Remembering the note in her hand, she opened it up to read.

Meanwhile...
Through all this, one lone speck of a spirit had darted through that portal before it had been closed completely. It was very familiar with the layout of the place, the wards and scrying divinities in place, and the ability of the headmaster to sense the spirits within. It wasted no time, slipping through the magics as if it owned the place, and perhaps it did on some level. There was nothing the headmaster could do to prevent it from finding the corpse so carefully laid to rest in the chapel because he had not made provisions to stop it. It didn't matter what wards he'd placed on the body, it slipped right past them as if it had the right to do so.

Once again, the body of Sharilis took in life's breath filling her lungs with air and recentering her aura to the shell of flesh.

"Aye...Finally... home." she sighed with relief.

Jalek got the message and relayed what she knew to the other Exodians. They in turn tried to contact outside the compound. All the while they realized for those who had just come from Exodii, that time had been lost for them. Their clocks were right, but when they realized the time they knew something wierd had happened over the last half hour with time for them; too much time had passed for so little to have happened.

****

When Briarius entered the chapel, the dimples formed in Shara's smile again, knowing Bri was only trying to get a rise out of her. She turned the smile to him as he commented.

"I think ye knew which kind 'o house ye'd be in if ye did tha' one. Especially since I was with ye on Kadorasil until recently. Either tha', or ye still got a soft spot fer me. It's only been a few days since me own daughter tried 't devour me. Ye weren't really in mornin o'er me, where ye?"

Shara gave a long deep sigh as shifted and stood up for the first time, ever so slowly. Beautifully long delicate fingers gripped gently to the side of the alter as she did, letting slender bare feet touch the ground. The floor was cold and reflected in wide flare of her eyes.

Hazel greens finally met with his azure depths, holding his gaze with hers for a moment. "Things are nae as they were, Briarius. I do nae know how this'll end this time. An there's nothin can be done 't change it, nae by her anyway. Nae sure by anyone. Ye've effectively pulled it outta of a time loop.. ye an Corellon. There will be an end, just... too unpredictable to see."

Remorse formed in her frown, tears welled in a pool caught in her hazel greens. Emotions thick in her otherwise sultry voice, "Bri... she's gonna step outta Exodii. Tha's the consequence. She'll step outta there an infect others. It'll spread into RhyDin. If ye can't destroy her now... Ye must prepare...."

Shara reached a hand out to him.

?Aye, Luv? all we kin do is prepare. An even more important??

Shara's tones had been soft, gentle and supportive up until that moment. Then the pitch and resonance exploded in a flurry..

??Aye! It?s flippin freezing in this chapel!?

Shara snuggled into Briarius trying to get him to share his robes for a bit. She even stepped lightly atop his feet just to get her bare ones off the floor.

?This shroud?s showin e?ry goosebump I got! An me feet ?r freezin! Did ye nae think ?t dress me proper? Was nae getting up an goin no where, I was dead! Nae takin a nap wit ye!?

A sudden pause as she peaked up at him with wide hazel greens and asked in hushed quiet tones bordering trepidation.

?Ye weren?t nappin wit me like that, were ye??


A spark of mischief flickered in her eyes.

The dress formed round Shara swiftly, forest green silk and velvet with hazel brown tiger eye buttons and antique white lace. Her dark chestnut and auburn hair was pinned up loosely with a few thin trails of curly locks dangling down about her face and neck. A wide smile formed beneath sparkling hazel greens filled with mischief as the dimples formed on either side of that smile.

"Oi.. always so serious. Me thinks I'll 'ave 't do somethin 't loosen ye up." she knew better and was only poking fun back at him, enhanced by the quick wink she gave. Yet she knew they couldn't continue on this path.

A deep sigh quickly escaped her as she stepped off his feet again to stand on her own.

"We've work 't do, 't be sure. Leave the Exodians up 't me. Just give me a clear path through yer defenses wit'em. I'll take 'em home as I meself must be gettin there soon. She really did a number on Corellon. Thanks be that ye were nae on the premise, nae really.. or else it could've been worse. Keep e'er watchful, luv. This will nae be over in one battle, I kin tell ye that right now. But when the time comes... ye need 't break that sword at the proper time." her gaze shifted to Norgham and back to him.

"Timin is e'erythin, luv. Everything must fall in place, or too much'll be lost an there'll be nae turnin back this time. Even if it does fall in place... there's still nae turnin back."

There was more she wanted to say, things they should be talking about... things of a personal nature. Things between them were.... complicated and it weighed heavy on her mind. Yet she knew she needed to be in Exodii. She hAd to be there now regardless of anything else.

She leaned closer, tilting her head up and kissed his cheek. "Be well, Briarius. Live on and live long..."

It was almost like she was saying goodbye without saying it. In truth, she wondered how she would fare when it was all said and done. Her ties to Exodii were sealed long ago and it was clear she'd live up to those responsibilities with all her being.

Turning away, she moved towards the door to leave...