Hanetsuno IV: Madness

Hanetsuno
Madness
There is a language which children can read. If they never get a chance to use it often, they forget it as they grow up. The chance to use it comes at a price though, and the child would never choose to pay that price.

But the child doesn't get to choose. It just happens.

Those who read it are valuable. They do not read the language of the mind; they are not seers. They read the language of the heart; they look into your eyes and see your soul laid out as legibly as words.

What sort of horror has that child gone through to read souls so fluently?

Chapter 1

Sometimes the country's highest record keepers would visit the library for the sake of pulling some ancient fact out of the crumbling archives, but it was rare. Dust coated every shelf, every scroll, every ancient book. Now, however, the door was ajar. A glow created by faery magic was shining from beyond the labyrinth of shelves.

Prithvi's antennae put forth a smaller glow. She lifted the hem of her robes out the dust and crept toward the other light.

To think this mess is where we keep the history of our kingdom, Prithvi chided herself. If I'd known, I would've had it cleaned up long ago. The path to the light source was marked by a disruption of the thick dust that covered the book bindings; it was freshly smeared away with an impatient hand, just enough to read the titles.

As she came around the last bookshelf, Prithvi's eyes centered on the bright red of Saraelye's hair. The queen sat on a high stool facing away in the sphere of her magic lighting. She was flipping through a book on the table, mumbling to herself. She held loose papers and scrolls to its pages then tossed them heedlessly aside when she was done, until she found a tattered scroll that seemed to satisfy her.

Prithvi made a tentative step forward, but the board on the floor gave a short loud whine as she put her weight on it. Queen Saraelye's wings buzzed and her light flickered as she jumped and spun around in start. She now stood straight and tall on the stool with her wings stretched out and her breath held. Prithvi brightened her own light to make herself more identifiable, but the anger in the queen's eyes and stance did not waver.

Prithvi stepped back, but finally Queen Saraelye shook her head and hopped down to the floor. "Don't sneak up on me like that," she said softly. She turned around and shuffled through the papers wearily. "Now where'd it go...?" She found the paper she wanted and tucked it into the book. She gathered the others into a pile and placed them between two books on the bottom shelf in the corner of the room. This was clearly not their proper place, but with the location, the shadows, and the size of the surrounding books, it was unlikely that anyone would find them by accident.

"I'm sorry... your Majesty," Prithvi said meekly when Queen Saraelye turned back around.

"I left the door open, didn't I?" the queen asked rhetorically. "I should have shut it to keep people from wandering in."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"Oh, don't worry," Queen Saraelye said. This time she seemed to be addressing Prithvi instead of talking to herself, but she opened the book again to inspect the page marked by the inserted paper. "I don't mind you so much. I just don't want random people coming in, learning a bit, going to gossip about it...." Prithvi leaned forward to look at the book. "On second thought--" the book slammed shut. "--I do mind you. Nothing personal. You'll probably be the first person I tell when I'm ready."

Prithvi shrunk away like a child caught misbehaving. She nodded.

"Oh, did you come in here to make sure no one was messing around, or did you want something?" Saraelye asked.

"Uh... b-both, actually," Prithvi stuttered. She composed herself and said, "Master Roki and his squad have returned. They have all suffered injuries due to a wyvern they encountered on the way here. Most injuries are minor, but Roki's wings are damaged beyond use, and he has a broken antenna."

Queen Saraelye cringed. "Um, the wyvern?"

"Dead. Burnt on the beach."

"Ah.... I take it you're not done yet?"

"The squad brought Aikel and Kyri back with them."

"They did?!" Queen Saraelye grinned ecstatically. "Where were they found?"

"On the beach, where the wyvern was fought. We haven't had a chance to ask them where they've been."

"Injuries? And Pegasus and Unicorn?"

"Nothing more than the occasional scratch or bruise. Pegasus and Unicorn look perfect. They're resting in some free rooms at the inn."

"Wow, there were free rooms at the inn?"

"Once the corpses were relocated, yes."

Queen Saraelye sighed. "Give me an update on the refugees...."

"The current count is 212 humans--but that's probably inaccurate as humans are glued in place when you want them to move and wandering about when you want them to stay put--and 17 dwarves. That excludes the 27 humans and two dwarves that have died from their injuries since arriving. A pair of elves got caught up in this too, but they aren't exactly refugees.

"We have people stuffed in the inn, in storerooms, in root-caves, in any spare space we can give them. Aikel and Kyri were given separate rooms, but we'll have to make them share one now.

"Ah, I forgot to mention that girl. The sprite girl that was their guide. She's back safe and in her own bed, but they brought two other girls back with them."

"They brought two other girls back with them?"

"Yes. A third elf, and, oddly, a centaur."

"A... centaur. A blond woman with talons on her back legs?"

"No, your Majesty. She's a little girl with red hair.

"Whatever, if that's all the big news about the refugees, I need to talk to Aikel and Kyri. War report can wait, unless you can tell me on the way to the inn."

* * *
Saraelye was surprised to find Aikel up pacing around his room while Pegasus slept calmly.

"Ah, restless?" she asked.

He jumped, startled, as he was apparently used to people knocking. His clothes were ripped and tattered. His hair was knotted, and his eyes were red and tired.

"Where have you been?" Saraelye asked.

"Ah, orcs and... ugh." Aikel sat heavily on the bed with a sigh.

"Oh, you're tired," Saraelye laughed. His heavy landing didn't disturb Pegasus, but the sinking mattress allowed Aikel's chains and medallions to spill onto the floor. Saraelye spotted its dark blue gem and picked it up. "So this is why you've been gone so long..." she said, fingering the Flame and Sea Orbs.

"We got lost," Aikel grunted.

"I hope I'll get a better story than that later," said Saraelye, "but get some rest for now."

"No!" Aikel jumped up and grabbed her shoulders. "What's the next orb? We can go find it now!"

"Meadow Orb...?" Prithvi mumbled. She had been standing in the doorway, but she quickly retreated when she saw Saraelye's furious glare.

"Meadow Orb! Where is it?! Tell me, and we'll go now!" Aikel raved. "We'll get another step forward, and the more we're away from this city, the less we'll draw the enemy here!"

"I told you to rest!" Saraelye yelled. When he started to protest again, she picked him up by the breast of his tattered clothes and heaved him onto his bed. "Rest, damn you!" She calmed down and said, "Rest now while you have the chance, and be grateful for it. You'll get new clothes tomorrow and then I have a job for you."

Aikel was still stunned from being picked up and thrown by a woman as tall as his shoulders, so he didn't answer as she left the room.

* * *
Kyri tried--in vain--to suppress a giggle.

She, Gelrini, and Himeki were loitering about on one of Nalya Troop's high platforms. There was nothing but a nice view of the rest of the city on one side, save two large branches that hung over the edge and provided bushes with their leaves. The other side of the platform was occupied by the tailor shop, and there was a bridge on either side that led to a lower platform. Kyri sat on a log made for sitting, while Himeki lounged on the base of one of the branches, and Gelrini pranced around chasing the glowing insects.

The tailor's shop was called Cho Mereki-- Yousei later told them that it meant Little Fanciness back when the store was made, but modern slang made the phrase translate better as Little "Fancy Woman"--and it was decorated with bright paint around the lining and flowers lined up in front. The windows were obscured by racks of faery-sized clothing, but there was a lot of racket coming from within. " Ow!" was a frequent sound, as well as several other unclear panic-filled phrases in Aikel's voice. A woman's voice yelled things like, "If you'd hold still, the pins wouldn't poke you!" There was a series of loud crashes and bangs right before the door was flung open.

"The sleeves aren't too long! I adore long sleeves! They're perfect, I swear!" Aikel cried as dashed from the building. A pair of tights had gotten tangled around his ankles on the way out, and he tripped and fell on his face.

The exasperated tailor appeared in the doorway armed with a threaded needle and a tape measure. "Okay, okay, I won't change the sleeves!" she cried, "but I'm sure your pants don't fit right!".

"They fit fine!" Aikel screamed as he sat up and crossed his legs. "Stay away from me!" He crawled, awkward pose and all, toward the "bush" near the edge of the platform and attempted to hide there.

Meanwhile, Kyri, Gelrini, and Himeki were doubled over with laughter. Kyri had been annoyed by the fussy detail-oriented woman as well, but Aikel's reaction was unnecessary.

"Fine!" the tailor cried. She turned to Kyri. "You're my witness! If the queen is unhappy with his clothes, it's his fault, not mine!" Seeing Kyri nod, she turned and slammed the door on her way back inside.

Aikel took a few seconds to catch his breath. "You shouldn't be laughing at me! You look ridiculous!" he yelled at Kyri.

Kyri looked offended, but Himeki, who was sitting on the branch slightly behind and above him, said, "Not as ridiculous as you!" She reached down, pulled a stray sock out of his hair, and tossed it aside. "But it's okay..." she consoled, her torso still convulsing with laughter, "I love you now, Aikel, since you've made me laugh so much...."

The wave of red that spread over his face was the only acknowledgement he gave her. When Saraelye arrived and informed him that he was "Aww, so cute!" he only tried harder to hide behind the leaves.

Kyri's clothes were mostly white. Her pants were ruffled in such a way that they looked like a skirt. The collar was blue, and the short loose sleeves where lined with blue. The area around her chest was covered in transparent cloth up to the collar. She had a glove made of tough blue cloth on her right hand, and a soft white cotton glove on the left. She thought it was much fancier than necessary.

Aikel's neck, chest, and shoulders were covered by heavy leather. His blue shirt hung down in the front and back. It had white sleeves with blue cuffs that hid all but his fingers whenever his arms were relaxed. His pants were white, and he had a dark blue cape.

"What did you want us to do today?" Aikel asked Saraelye.

"The mobs of panicked humans crowding into wherever we can fit them allow you to guess what's happening in Felanci right now, I'm sure," she said, waving her hand at the rest of the city. "Master Roki's scouts report that a small army of goblins are about.... I'm sending as many of my warriors as I can spare to help you. Come with me, and I'll tell you more."

Chapter 2
There was a nearby human city by the name of Mabiss, which the faeries had always watch it carefully, as it was located uncomfortably close to their own city. The army of goblins, which seemed to have been advancing half-blindly toward Nalya, turned unexpectedly toward this city.

Goblins were small ugly creatures with long spindly legs and arms. When running, they moved on all fours. They used their claws, their knives, or any other nearby object they could find when attacking. They swarmed over the city like a mass of giant spiders.

Three goblins concentrated on a black-haired human who dashed down the street. He saw a corner ahead and knew it turned into an alley. He turned, and crashed into a black-cloaked figure. He snatched a knife out of his boot.

"Hey, wait!" the figure protested. He tossed his cutlass aside and raised his hands.

The black-haired person lowered his knife. "Grab your sword and get over here," he snapped and ducked behind three large barrels that ran along the side of the building.

They heard the hissing breath and scratching claws of approaching goblins. The goblins suddenly went silent, and their quarry held their breaths.

The goblin screeched. A flash of a sword cleaved one goblin's head in half. The goblin that leapt over the barrels landed on a knife. The cloaked person stood up and skewered the third goblin.

"Thanks," he said when his black-haired companion stood. He held his hand out to be shaken. "My name is Flenn."

"Yeah, thanks." He was looking about warily and did not shake hands.

" Heh.... You don't have a name?"

"... Kolkil."

"It'll be a lot easier to fight these things off if we stick together."

"Maybe so, but I have to go find my friend."

You're friend's corpse?" Flenn asked. He dodged the kick Kolkil aimed at his head.

"There are still plenty of people alive out there, and if those weaklings and their filthy, pathetic little offspring can survive this long, Rotebi will be safe...."

* * *
Another part of the city was engulfed in chaos. There was one blond fur-clothed half-elf in the middle of it all whose sole intent was to get out... until he saw a little girl out of the corner of his eye.

He lunged at her. The goblin that would have sliced him open had he kept running straight hit the ground harmlessly and was killed with a townsman's shovel. The half-elf collided with the girl, knocked her down, and landed on her. The goblin about to attack her missed and passed overhead. The half-elf sat up, spoke string of strange words, and hurled a fireball at the goblin. He picked the crying girl up and ran, leaving the goblin to screech as its rag clothes caught aflame.

He dodged around all obstacles without any care as to what they were. The world blurred, and he tripped, landing in the midst of several goblins. They came down on him, but a shrill neigh ripped through the air. His vision was eclipsed by the form of a great white horse, and hooves clashed against the goblins' heads and backs.

Unicorn landed awkwardly, being careful not to crush the half-elf and the little human girl that were on the ground beneath her. Something had struck the half-elf in the head; he was unconscious with his arm still wrapped protectively around the girl.

Yousei was on Unicorn's back behind Kyri. She stabbed at the remaining goblins, skewering those that didn't back away in time. She and Kyri dismounted and lifted the half-elf, the girl, and two more people that didn't look like they could walk onto Unicorn's back. The Sea Orb had given Unicorn a pair of large wings on her shoulders, but now that they were getting in the way, she made them fade away.

"Here! Here! This way!" Kyri shouted to the other townspeople. They followed her, dragging their wounded loved ones when necessary, because she seemed to be the only one who knew what to do. The strong but kind-looking steed at her side foretold of safety.

A group of five faeries appeared in the sky armed with crossbows. They shot at the goblins that got too close to the townspeople, and they pointed a path out to Kyri. More faeries led them on a winding hard-to-follow path through the forest and shot any goblins they saw.

Aikel and Himeki, who both rode Pegasus, were still in another part of the city. The Sea Orb's magic had created a long blade-tipped pole arm with which Aikel chopped down the swarming goblins. Pegasus, who now had a horn like Unicorn's but shorter, leapt and flew over a mob of them with ease. Aikel sliced at their backs.

He worried that Himeki would fall off with the erratic way Pegasus jumped around, but the hand she gripped his shoulder with never even tightened. He could hear bits of her spell incantations, "Seyeney... kari...."

Her voice rose loud, clear, and unmuffled over the sounds of chaos. "Hiyarka!" She thrust her hand out and emitted a glowing beam. The beam hit the ground amidst a swarming mass of creatures--goblins and townspeople alike--and erupted into a dome of blinding light.

The wave of light pushed everything back. The humans were pressed against the walls of buildings, mostly unharmed. The goblins were thrown down, and they screeched and screamed as their skin burned. Pegasus reared up, and his riders were unaffected.

Aikel turned to look at Himeki over his shoulder once Pegasus was on all fours again. She shook her head as if trying to get rid of dizziness. When she looked up, he eyes widened.

"Such improvement...." The whisper was heard as clearly as Himeki's voice had been.

The only creature standing among the writhing goblins was a pale elven man dressed in dark robes. He had shoulder-length black hair and a white stripe in the bangs.

Pegasus snorted. It seemed like he would take a step back, but he turned it into a hoof stomp instead.

"Who are you?!" Aikel blurted. He felt Himeki tense.

"A name? I am Ahrimel. Maybe you've heard of me, maybe not." The man had a light smile on his face, but he looked at the goblins with disdain. He kicked one of them. "Get up! Get up and fight, or you'll find yourselves in Niflheim! Niflheim!"

The crawled up, grabbed their weapons, and staggered toward Pegasus and his riders. Aikel instinctively leaned back, and Pegasus took it as a sign to back up.

"Run," Himeki whispered.

" Ahh...?" Aikel asked, worrying too much about the goblins to hear her.

"Run!" she repeated. "We can beat a mob of goblins, but not an army of goblins! The difference between a mob and an army is a leader! But this leader could slash us down all alone!"

"What's that I hear about running?" Ahrimel asked coyly. "That doesn't sound like something a hasuco should say...." He laughed, put his hands together, and molded a ball of blackness from the air. The goblins closest to Pegasus leapt. Aikel swung his blade. A pair of heads hit the ground.

Ahrimel drew his blackness-filled hand back and prepared to throw. Another black-clothed shape collided with him, and out of start, he threw his ball of darkness at this new attacker. It grazed the target's shoulder as he received a slash over his own midsection.

The magic ball hit a building, melted through the wall, and exploded within. Any creature near it was shoved away by the force. The humans who could still stand picked up anything that could be used as a weapon and charged at their enemies.

Pegasus leapt and flew over a mass of goblins--disregarding the ones he had to land on--in an effort to be near Ahrimel.

Flenn , the one who had attacked him first, sliced and stabbed with his cutlass; his cloak was pulled down to obscure his face almost completely. Ahrimel blocked Flenn's blows with just the palms of his hands, only to be punch and kicked by Kolkil from the other side. Ahrimel flung a fireball as Pegasus approached. Pegasus reared up and kicked it in flight; he neighed in pain from the heat. As he landed, Aikel brought his blade down. A kick in the ribs prevented Ahrimel from dodging, but he stumbled back with only a line of blood down his body. He shoved his attackers away with a slash of magic. He turned, pushed through the goblins, and disappeared. A wave of panic went through the monsters once he was gone. Some scattered and hid. Some were slashed down by the humans.

"This way!" Aikel shouted, waving his arm.

* * *
The faery crossbowmen skewered some odd flower on their bolts and shot them around the forest. Each punctured flower released an over-powering smell of sweetness that would cover up the scent trail of the fleeing townsfolk. The randomness with which they were shot prevented the flowers and bolts themselves from offering any clues, but the human refugees twitched and cowered whenever a bolt hit a nearby tree.

Aikel left Himeki to steer them in the direction the faeries indicated while he stayed in the back of the group to make sure there were no stragglers. Once he was no longer being shoved along, the black-haired fighter tried to turn around, only to have Aikel's hand on his chest to hold him back. The anger that shone from Kolkil's icy blue eyes made Aikel readjust the grip he had on his weapon, but that anger didn't completely mask the look of hopelessness and fearful searching.

"The faeries are going back to look for anyone who's still alive, just incase we missed someone," Aikel explained stiffly, "and there are already people waiting in the cave where we're headed. So... if you're looking for someone, it's best to keep going in this direction."

Kolkil smacked Aikel's hand away, turned back the way he was supposed to be going, and stomped off to hide himself among the others.

The cave was of the sort faeries call a root-cave. It was a large hollow under a huge tree. Its entry was framed by large woody roots and hidden by bushes. When the second group of townsfolk were heard, Kyri left the cave and climbed onto the higher ground near the tree trunk for a clearer view of the crowd. Even from the distance, the sigh of relief she emitted upon seeing Aikel was visible.

A faery flew over the crowd to talk to him. "Those who can walk have already been sent toward Nalya, as the cave is small," she said. "Those who remain are those who are wounded or unconscious, or those who refuse to leave the wounded and unconscious.... We are using our magic to heal them as fast as possible.".

Aikel only nodded wearily. He looked back up to where Kyri had been standing, but she was gone, already back to work.

Once everyone had crowded into the cave, Aikel saw Kolkil dash to where Kyri was sitting. He moved over to them, dodging around people, as inconspicuously as possible.

"Don't worry," he heard Kyri say. "He's just unconscious. A little while ago, he came to for just a moment. Just let him rest until he wakes up again.".

The person in question was the unconscious fur-clothed half-elf who had Kolkil's arms around his shoulders. His dark-blond blue-tipped hair and headband of dark-brown fur were pushed back so that Kyri could run a wet rag over his forehead. She got up and moved on to someone else. Kolkil complied, though he kept his defiant look.

A sudden fierce hug stirred Rotebi. He opened his eyes just enough to Kolkil.

He smiled lightly. "Did I fall out of a tree again?"

"Yeah..." Kolkil answered quietly. "Don't worry about it."

" Aikel!"

The loud whisper from behind made Aikel jump. He spun around and stared stupidly at the person in front of him. Flenn, whose cloak was removed and draped over one shoulder, grinning at his expression. He brushed his green bangs out of his eyes just before Aikel tackled and clung to him.

"Hey, hey!" Flenn protested. "I'm glad to see you too, but, but...! Don't hug me! People are giving us weird looks!" He finally succeeded in squirming out of Aikel's grasp, and Aikel stood looking at the floor of the cave.

"Where are the others...?" he asked quietly.

"Linness and Terdoan..." Flenn began. He drooped, and the cheerfulness drained out of him. "You can probably guess... and I saw it myself.".

Aikel nodded slowly. "... Mirran?"

"I really don't know about him," Flenn admitted. "We managed to stick together up until an hour ago. I lost him in that town, in that chaos. I... I think... it's... safe to say that, that he's gone too."

Aikel was silent, and his sweaty hair hung down to hide his face. After several seconds, Flenn was about to ask if he was okay, but Aikel straightened up and said, "Well, it's good that you're all right.... Let's go see if Kyri needs help."

" Heh... never thought I'd hear something like that last part coming out of you...."

"Hmm, crazy situation, you know...."

Chapter 3
Kyri sighed as the crowd of refugees was herded into Nalya, for Prithvi was standing on a branch above with her face in her hands looking authentically frustrated and helpless, and Prithvi didn't get to the point of looking frustrated and helpless easily.

From the corner of her eye, Kyri noticed the half-elf named Rotebi watching the little girl she was leading by the hand. He didn't seem to notice Kyri until she looked directly at him. At that point, he mouthed, Thank you, to her and went back to concentrating on whatever Kolkil was saying to him.

Saraelye arrived to help find shelter for everyone. She seemed to have an eye for who would refuse to leave whose side and avoided such conflicts. She urged people about with gentle nudges and a sweet coaxing voice.

"There are... so... many..." Prithvi commented in disbelief.

"It's less than half of what I was hoping for..." Saraelye said, sighing.

"Less than--?!" Prithvi stuttered. "Where the hell would we have put twice this many?!" The surrounding faeries looked at her incredulously, as she never would have spoken like that to Saraelye if she had been in her normal state of mind.

"I don't know... but these are people's lives we're talking about...."

* * *
It wasn't long later when Aikel spotted Saraelye and Prithvi on a platform which served no purpose save for the five bridges that connected to it. He ran awkwardly across the nearest swinging bridge to meet them, while Flenn followed behind with even more trouble. Pegasus, who had been introduced to him just recently, hovered around regarding him curiously. He rarely spoke to Flenn but often stared at him as if waiting to be spoken to instead. Flenn was content to edge away uneasily.

"Oh, did you want something?" Saraelye asked Aikel as he approached. If she noticed Flenn, she showed no sign of it, but Prithvi raised an eyebrow at him as he stumbled and crashed onto the platform.

"About that Orb..." Aikel began, innocently enough.

"One thing at a time, damn it!" The sudden force of her voice made him jump back. "This day is already long enough, and I'm tired, and today... today... today... might be a good day after all...." Her speech had been unusually rapid lately, but she slowed it now as she considered. "Yes, yes, there's enough daylight left, and..." the rest melted into hurried mutters addressed only to herself. She seemed to be carrying on both sides of a small argument. She stopped very suddenly, grinned, and turned back to Aikel. "Yes, good day! I can take you there myself! Good boy, for bringing it up! You're not tired at all, are you? Of course not, I've never seen you look more refreshed. Go find Kyri; tell her what's happening. Off you go!" She grabbed his shoulders and twisted him around to shove him toward some random direction in which she assumed Kyri could be found.

He met Kyri, along with Unicorn and Gelrini, on the next bridge. Saraelye flew over and landed on the other side of them, leaving Aikel to wonder why he'd been sent at all.

"Two hours is enough rest for you to recover from this, no? Good, start now. Go, um, sleep somewhere. Ask Prithvi for help if you're too lost. Do you have friends around? Who can fight? Tell them to rest, sharpen their weapons, whatever--PRITHVI! Get them raga potions!" she yelled toward the origin of the bridge. "How many will you need? It's one per person. Go tell Prithvi how many." With no regard for an answer, she went over the bridge's rope railing and flew down to check on something below. Even Prithvi, back at the end of the bridge, stomped her foot in frustration.

After everyone took a moment to absorb the meaning of her rapid speech, Kyri's response was "What?"

"In two hours she's going to take us to find the Orb of Meadows," Aikel said, avoiding eye contact.

"What?!" Kyri repeated more frantically.

"Get some rest now, I guess.... She seemed to like the idea of bringing other people--like Himeki--along, so if Himeki doesn't mind...."

"We can't ask something like that of her!"

"Now, I bet if you casually mentioned it, you couldn't get her to stay here for anything. Same for Yousei, I think."

"She said friends who can fight..." Kyri said. "I guess those two are all we have."

"What about me?!" Gelrini broke out suddenly. Aikel and Kyri jumped at the sudden reminder of her presence. "Aren't I your friend?" She looked like she was about to cry, despite her dominant emotion being anger.

"Uh..." was all Aikel could come up with.

"Of course you're our friend," Kyri cooed, bending over to be closer to Gelrini's height. "That's why we want you to stay here; so you won't get hurt."

" Hmph!" Gelrini stomped around to face the other way with folded arms and a head snobbishly held high.
Aikel sighed. "Well, we need people--grown-up people--" he specified, only drawing another hmph out of Gelrini, "to help us. Me, you, Pegasus, Unicorn... Saraelye too, I guess.... Even with Yousei and Himeki--if they come--we might not be strong enough. Saraelye seemed pretty hesitant for awhile...."

"I don't think we're strong enough," Unicorn offered. "Especially with so little rest."

The movement of the bridge had suggested another person moving along it for some time now. Flenn, taking the distance one inch-long step at a time, was just now approaching the center where Aikel and Kyri stood.

Kyri leaned a bit closer to Aikel and whispered, "Can he use that sword?" In addition to having a sword on his hip, his torso was covered in chain mail, and a hard leather shoulder guard was buckled onto his left shoulder.

Apparently satisfied with how far he had traveled, Flenn took his attention away from his feet and gave it to Aikel and Kyri. At first, he looked slightly shocked, but he relaxed a bit upon seeing Gelrini and Unicorn. "Er... why are you looking at me like that...?" he meekly asked of Aikel and Kyri.

"As long as getting there doesn't involve too many rope bridges..." Aikel commented thoughtfully.

"It's still not enough..." said Unicorn.

Kyri held her up to her own eye level. "What do you remember about the person we'll be facing...?"

Unicorn clenched her eyes shut and flattened her ears in frustration. "She can fly."

"That's all?".

"Yes...."

"Female. Flight," Aikel summarized. "Not much to go by...."

"Give her chocolate," Flenn suggested cluelessly. "All women like chocolate, even the ones that fly."

Aikel shook his head. "We'll have to explain this more to you later."

"Need more fighters..." Unicorn grumbled as a reminder.

"Yeah, yeah, I..." Aikel began.

"Hey..." was the quiet syllable that made him stop. After everyone on the bridge traded looks only to determine that none of them had been the one to speak, it occurred to them all at the same time that they should look up.

The bridge passed by a huge tree, and one this tree's branches hung perpendicular over the bridge's center. Rotebi sat on this branch swinging his legs forward and back with no regard to the fact that the flimsy and narrow rope bridge was the only thing below him for the next fifty feet.

"What?" he demanded upon seeing the annoyed expressions of those below him. "I'm not eavesdropping because I was sitting here before you came. If you really didn't want me to overhear, you should have talked somewhere else or at least ask me nicely to leave. I would've moved."

"Yeah, whatever...." Aikel rolled his eyes. "Did you want something?"

"Yeah, sorta." Rotebi rolled his eyes back. "Well, me and Kolkil ... you see, there aren't many things we like less than, like, owing somebody for something. Kolkil may be able to pull of this 'Well, we didn't ask for their help' thing and kid himself, but I can't really. And since you helped us, and you apparently need help now...."

"Fighting ability required," Aikel said flatly before attempting to ignore him.

"So? That's no problem." He said this like a saying common fact, and there was no touch of either humility or arrogance in his voice. Yet he saw that Aikel clearly didn't believe him and calmly continued, "We're tougher than that battle made us look. Even the greatest fighters in the world can be defeated sometimes."

"Do you know what the risks are if you're defeated this time?" Aikel demanded.

"What were your risks of being defeated when you were helping us?"

Aikel only growled in frustration.

Kyri sighed. "Sure, Rotebi. We'll appreciate your help." Aikel looked at her like she was crazy, while Gelrini emitted a growling sound. Rotebi looked authentically gleeful. "But," Kyri continued, "Kolkil hasn't said yet that he'd help, has he? You shouldn't promise for him."

"Don't worry about it, you can count on him," Rotebi said confidently. "I can talk him into anything if I'm determined enough." He stood up on the branch and jumped off. He hit the bridge, which created such a disturbance that only he and Gelrini didn't frantically grip the rope for balance, and sprinted until he was out of sight.

Chapter 4
Yousei mopped up the water she'd spilled as quietly as possible. She was hidden amongst the isles of merchandise in her mother's store, but she could hear a customer coming in and starting a conversation. If she could be quiet enough, she could be forgotten, and if she could put the mop away and get out of sight without drawing any attention to herself, it would be quite some time before she was remembered.

The water was gone, and the chore was done. She slipped up to the counter, leaned the mop against the wall where it belonged, and escaped into the back room while the customer distracted her mother. She grabbed her spear from under her bed, whistled to her pixies, and climbed onto the window sill. She jumped, plunked her spear into the top of a branch, flung herself over it to land on a platform twenty feet from the window, and started a sprint.

* * *
"So... who's coming? Who are we still waiting for?" Aikel questioned.

"All I know is you're not waiting for me," Himeki said, as she had been waiting along with him for quite some time.

" Yousei promised--absolutely swore up and down--that she'd be here," said Kyri, "and so did Rotebi, who was supposed to bring Kolkil.... And of course, Saraelye needs to get here. She said she needed to talk to Prithvi first.".

Flenn was accounted for as well. He was leaning against a tree eyeing Pegasus and Unicorn suspiciously. After a bit of this treatment, Pegasus and Unicorn decided to start whispering and snickering between each other with frequent not-so-subtle glances at Flenn, only because they knew it would make him more uncomfortable.

There were no townspeople in this area, as this platform was far on the edge of Nalya. The only bridge leading back to the rest of the town never connected to any other platform, but instead met a large branch, which had another bridge connecting just a foot away, hidden somewhere behind the foliage. The path involved four long bridges before it ever met a platform in the town. The bridge leading away from the isolated platform in the other direction was short but sloped downward. It met a tree branch, and there ended all signs of civilized life.

Aikel passed the time by contemplating this platform's purpose. It didn't seem necessary for the bridges, but even if it was, it seemed unexplainably large. It was of average size compared to the platforms in the town, but it had only two bridges and virtually no traffic. Everyone was congregated along the tree trunks to one side, leaving Gelrini to wander the remaining empty area alone.

She was still sulking, but now she sulked productively--at least it looked sort of productive to Aikel. She was muttering about "stupid, helpless little baby" as she worked and stomped as she walked. She had spent several minutes selecting two branches from the foliage that hung over the edge of the platform. The larger of the two was apparently chosen for the evenness of its middle section, which didn't noticeably bend or vary in thickness. The other was forked a certain way on one end, and after she removed it from the tree, Gelrini banged it on the edge of the platform until the other end had been beaten into a shape with which she was satisfied.

Then she was off selecting a trio of pears. She would only acknowledge the small ripe-looking ones. She knocked on their surface with her knuckles to test their hardness, and nothing less than three pear-shaped rocks would do. Then her attention focused on the foliage overhead. She held her hands up in various odd ways as if using them to measure something or other. She carefully placed the branches on the platform in a cross-shaped arrangement, used one of her sharpened stones to carve a line around the diameter of each pear's widest point, and nestled a single pear carefully into the forked portion of the second branch. She wandered away from the arrangement as she tucked the rock back into its appropriate pouch and made sure the pouch was closed properly.

She jumped. She landed on the raised end of the forked branch, and the pear was catapulted over her head. Her slingshot and rock were in her hands in a flash, and just as the pear began to descend, the rock crashed into it.

She had arranged her catapult based on whether or not the foliage above would interfere with the flight path of the pear, and if she had taken notice of the bridge's location, she didn't care. The fruit landed squarely in a raised hand.

"Someone's feeling violent today," Roki commented. The rock had hit the pear with enough force that it was poking through the far side. He took it out to look at it, while Gelrini came over and retrieved the pear from his other hand without ever acknowledging his existence.

She ran her thumb over the hole the rock had caused, which was a bit below the line she had carved. "I missed," she grumbled.

"Only about five of my best bow-gunners can do any better," Roki commented. He was holding the rock too high for Gelrini to reach while standing on all fours. When she stood on her back legs to increase her height, he held it higher. She stood back again and snapped her slingshot's empty rubber band so that it would hit him in the face. He surrendered the rock, and she stomped back to her catapult.

"Are any of you coming with us?" Kyri asked hopefully.

"My warriors are all out hunting so we can feed all these humans," Roki said, "and as much as I'd like to accompany you, I'm in no condition. I'd be more burden than help." He was dressed in clothes identical to his usual hunting uniform, but they were now accompanied by bandages. His shredded wings had been trimmed so that they looked tidier than before, despite being equal in uselessness. His left hand was wrapped around a walking staff. Gelrini's movement caught his attention again. He poked at the ribs of her lower half and asked, "What's your problem?"

She muttered something in response, and Roki seemed to be the only one who caught it.

"Well," he said thoughtfully, "you know how to hit things... but whoever says good offense is the best defense has been misinformed.".

Gelrini jumped aside just before she was jabbed by the end of his staff. She knocked the next blow away with her hooves, dashed around behind him, and sideswiped him onto his hands and knees. He laughed lightheartedly as he landed, and she rolled her eyes, as if implying that he wasn't worth the effort to glower at, and went back to her catapult.

There was a rustle in the foliage that blocked the view of the bridge's far end, and everyone's attention turned toward it. A few moments of silence were followed by more rustling and a loud proclamation of, "You're being a baby!" as Rotebi emerged from the foliage dragging Kolkil by the wrist. "Look! You're making them wait for us!"

"This is... Kolkil and Rotebi..." Kyri reluctantly mumbled to Himeki.

She received an "Are you serious?" look in response.

"Well, don't worry," Kyri said more loudly. "You aren't the only ones we're waiting for."

Yousei crashed onto the platform feet-first with a yelp. She stumbled, and Aikel caught her before she fell forward. Her pixies caught up to her and circled her, squeaking angrily at Aikel.

"Thanks," she said between gasps of breath. She seemed ready to pass out.

Saraelye fluttered onto the platform at the same place Yousei had landed. She muttered something to herself and fidgeted with her bracelet.

"Are you okay?" Kyri asked, noticing that she stressed.

"Hmm?" Saraelye twitched. "Yes, I'm fine. Are we ready to go?" She looked over the people on the platform and winced in dissatisfaction. "You aren't coming, are you, Master Roki?"

"No, your Majesty," he answered. "I only intend to follow for the first part of the journey."

"Well, ah, let's go," Saraelye said. She rearranged her grip on her spear and flew toward the bridge that headed away from the city. "Follow me carefully," she told the others.

The way the massive branches of age-old wood contorted around each other almost looked violent, as if thousands of giant snakes had been petrified in the midst of attacking each other. Saraelye half-flew and half-ran along the branches that seemed navigable by foot, and she frequently had to stop and wait for the others to follow. When a branch twisted upward or downward, she simply hopped over the slope while the others had to scale it. When one twisted around some huge tree trunk, they often lost her for a moment.

"Um... about how much farther is it?" Aikel asked, rubbing his scraped palms.

"We're about halfway there," Saraelye mused.

Aikel sighed and heard Kyri growl. He turned toward her, thinking that she had found something to nag him about, but she was facing the rest of the group.

" Rotebi!" Kolkil hissed.

Rotebi giggled. He was hanging on a vine and swinging back and forth. There was nothing below him for quite a distance.

"Get back here!" Kolkil commanded, pointing firmly at the branch he was standing on. Rotebi pouted for a moment, but he kicked his legs to swing back to the branch after Kolkil didn't relent. Kolkil grabbed him by the hair to pull him close and chide him. Yousei rolled her eyes, Himeki shook her head, and Kyri look like she was regretting their company.

"Did his hair change color?" Flenn asked. Only Aikel and Kyri were close enough to hear.

"What? It's blond with blue tips like before," Kyri said.

"It looks bluer," Aikel pointed out.

"Huh... you're right."

"Must be the lighting," Flenn decided. He shrugged and turned back toward Saraelye.

"Where are Gelrini and Master Roki?" Kyri called to Himeki.

"Behind us," Himeki called back. The path had recently curved around a large tree, and Gelrini and Roki were still out of sight beyond the curve. "Hurry up, you two!" Himeki ordered them.

Gelrini sped her steps. She froze in place when she heard Roki yelp as whatever he was standing on collapsed. He clung to the larger branch, slipping, until Gelrini pried his grip loose and drug the rest of his body out of the gap he'd fallen into. She was glad that he was a faery. A human would've been too large and awkward for her to pull up.

Just a few minutes before, she had slipped and nearly plummeted downward, but he had caught her arm and steadied her. She hadn't thanked him; why should she? The pure and simple fact that she would do the same for him if the need arose--as is the duty of all creatures--was thanks enough.

Roki was safely on his hands and knees on the branch, shaking. Gelrini started to continue along the path but was puzzled when he didn't follow.

* * *
Tsuna dragged herself out of the icy water and onto the snow. The cold wind blew snowflakes into her face. On some distant mound of snow, she saw the long sinuous shape of a dragon spreading it wings.

After looking around once more, she yelled, "Mistice!"

Her voice was swallowed by the wind.

" Mistice!" she tried again.

It seemed to her that the dragon stopped and turned its head toward her, but with all the mist and flying snow, she couldn't be sure.

" Mistice!"

With a mighty flap, the dragon was airborne, and the force of its wings shoved the mist and snow away from it momentarily. Other dragons that had been out of sight beyond the mounds took flight as well. Among the flock of ten, there was a far smaller shape. It was too small to be a young dragon, especially given how adeptly it flew.

" Mistice!" Tsuna yelled again, ignoring her fear of the dragons. They were circling overhead now. Tsuna singled out the smallest creature, and shouted, "Mistice! I know you hear me, Mistice! I need to talk to you! Don't let your dragons attack me!" There seemed to be no effect. " MISTICE!"

The flight pattern of each dragon went through a slight but simultaneous change. The smallest shape dived downward.

Tsuna tensed. She uttered the words to a little spell and flung her paw upward. A bit of the water next to her flew up and hit the diving creature in the face, throwing off her dive. She flipped in the air and landed only a few feet away. When her two bloody talons hit the snow, they splattered droplets of red onto the whiteness. Blood dripped from her mouth, breast, and clawed hands as well. She growled and spread her large scaled wings to their full width.

"Don't look at me like that, Mistice," Tsuna said firmly. She saw herself reflected in the angry azure eyes that looked down on her. "I'm not here to free you of you're burden. We both know I'm not strong enough for that."

Mistice blinked and didn't respond. She stood as if waiting.

"I'm curious about Saraelye," Tsuna said, looking uneasily at the snow below her. She twisted her tail, wishing it was dry enough to split. "Can you feel her?"

"Yes," Mistice answered flatly.

"Oh... well, um...."

After an awkward pause, Mistice added, "She's fighting."

"I... thought so, but...."

"It is a futile effort."

Tsuna was silent.

"Is that all you wanted?" Mistice asked.

"I..." Tsuna began. She wince in pain as the skin covering her tail ripped apart and let her move her weak legs independently. "I also wanted to see you.... It's been a long time."

"Yes." Mistice shook her hands and feet one at a time to remove some of the blood.

"I...."

After several seconds of silence, Mistice jumped and took flight. Tsuna watched her ascend and sighed. She began to crawl back to the water, then she felt a shadow pass over her. Mistice's arms wrapped around her torso as she felt herself lifted off the snow.

"I'll carry you back as far as it will let me go," Mistice said dryly.

Chapter 5
Small masses of softly glowing light hovered randomly about the main chamber of the tree. Rotebi reached for one of them, but Kolkil smacked him upside the head before he touched it. Himeki dared to do it herself, cupping her hands around one. Its light dimmed out, revealing something white and fluffy--not unlike a larger version of the fluffiness that allows dandelion seeds to fly. She blew in her hand to put it back in the air, and it was lit again within a few seconds. As the group began to traverse the chamber, the lights moved about as to provide plenty of light to the passageway without impeding it.

The floor was wooden and had been painted with a coating of something transparent to make it smooth and richly colored, but blood had been splattered over it. All the blood was long dry, but some splashes were clearly older than other splashes. Most of the bones had been shoved off to the side--along with a few other things that wouldn't decay, such as weapons, metal armor, and jewelry--but there were still a few remains that littered the middle of the room. Saraelye gave them no regard and heedlessly stepped on them if they happened to be where she was about to put her foot. When she came to a portion of a rib cage that was too large to step on or over nonchalantly, she paused long enough to kick it out of the way with more force than was necessary.

Yousei , still at the end of the line, stopped walking. "Something's not right," she mumbled. She wasn't sure whether or not she'd wanted the others to hear her, but no one did--except Kolkil who turned his attention away from Rotebi's antics long enough to look at her quizzically. She returned his gaze for just a moment before turning away uncomfortably to look around the chamber again.

A short flight up steps through the giant bed of flowers led up to the alter. Saraelye stopped there, and Aikel and Kyri stopped behind her on the stairs. A quiet nervous-looking comment from Kyri was answered with some bitter response from Aikel, and within seconds the two of them were bickering about something irrelevant.

Yousei watched Kolkil creep around to the right side of the stairs. Saraelye's actions at the altar had gone unnoticed, but she turned to look over her shoulder at Aikel and Kyri. She was obviously displeased with their bickering--she looked downright furious. She had moved her spear to her left hand to keep her right hand free for what she had been doing, but now she passed it back.

"Hey, duck!" Yousei screamed.

Kolkil kicked Aikel in the back. He slammed into Kyri, and they both went crashing into the flowers. Saraelye's spear swung through the air where they had been. She growled in frustration and stabbed at Kolkil, but he was already jumping out of the way.

Unicorn cried out in panic, and Pegasus shouted, "It's really sad that we didn't see this coming! Get up, get up!"

Aikel scrambled up, grabbed Kyri's arm, and dragged her until she was on her feet.

"No..." Kyri muttered.

"We can't... not her!" Aikel protested.

"Do you think she wants to be like this?!" Unicorn demanded of them.

"Well, I can fight her!" Himeki grumbled and dragged Flenn forth to help her. Saraelye only jumped and took flight when she was met with a barrage of whip, sword, rock, and fist. Her attackers scattered when she slammed her spear into their midst. The magic surrounding it pushed them further away when it struck the floor, and it snapped back to its master's hand when she flicked her wrist.

Pegasus transformed into a horse with both wings and a horn while Unicorn became a cat.

Saraelye remained in flight, hovering prudently overhead and watching those below her. Himeki's whip was more likely to hit one of her comrades if she tried to attack, so she backed up behind them to cast a spell. Rotebi ran out in front of her, but he stopped and hopped back when Saraelye stabbed at him. She was most concerned with Kolkil, as he seemed to be the only one actively trying to attack her. She shrieked and cringed. Kolkil jumped up and swung his fist into her chin while she was pulling Gelrini's rock out of her bloody face. She kicked him as he landed and threw her spear to the floor between Gelrini and Himeki. They were both knocked aside by its magic, and Himeki lost concentration on her own spell.

" Yahhh!" Flenn jump high enough to be level with his target. His sword was cloaked in his own fire sorcery as he brought it down on her. She spun and pushed against his chest with one hand as a white light formed in her palm. He was thrown into the wall beyond the altar, and he landed in the flowers. Saraelye winced against the pain caused by his magic, but his blade had missed her.

" Aikel... Yousei..." Himeki moaned.

"Come on!" Pegasus scolded, stamping his hooves. Aikel swallowed a wave of panic and climbed onto Pegasus's back.

Saraelye recalled her spear and dodged Kolkil's strike. She glared at Aikel as Pegasus took flight. She flew higher to remain out of Rotebi and Kolkil's reach.

Kyri and Unicorn had approached Flenn inconspicuously, but he shook his head and warded them away even as he spit out a glob of blood.

"Hold still," Kyri told him as she knelt down.

"No." He tried to draw away. "Those girls... I...."

"Hold still," Unicorn repeated more sternly.

Pegasus charged at Saraelye, and when he was near, she charged at him. He flew over her to avoid her attack.

"Attack her!" Pegasus grumbled.

"I..." Aikel mumbled. She flew at them. Aikel leaned back and missed her spear by an inch. He swung his glaive to ward her off. She flew back donning a long bloody streak down her face and chest. She held her empty hand out and began speaking under her breath.

Pegasus charged so abruptly that Aikel snatched at his mane to stay mounted. Vines shot from the floor below. They twined around Pegasus's legs or whipped at him. His charge was halted, but his momentum pushed Aikel almost onto his neck. Aikel swung his glaive when he was most forward and struck Saraelye down.

She hit the floor with a shriek. She took flight again only to feel another of Gelrini's rocks driven into her collar bone. Flenn ran at her from the side and slashed. He sliced up her belly, but she dodged the rest, only to be kicked in the back by Kolkil. She was shoved toward Rotebi, who knocked her back to Kolkil. They juggled her between themselves for several strikes before she grabbed Rotebi and flung him into Kolkil. Kolkil had been ready to throw a knife at her, but it whizzed passed her shoulder.

"Stop it! Stop it!" It was Yousei's voice.

Saraelye was about to throw her spear at Flenn, or perhaps Gelrini, but she spotted Kyri slicing at the base of the vines with her glaive. She raised her spear, and Kyri cringed, but she aimed upward instead.

Pegasus gave a shrill neigh of pain as the spear struck him in the ribs. He shrunk back to his original shape, and he and Aikel fell to the floor with a thud. Kyri and Unicorn ran towards them, and Saraelye was drawn away from them after being hit with a painful burst of Himeki's magic.

Himeki drew her whip again as Saraelye approached, but instead Saraelye flew back, gathered a fireball in her raised hand, and flung it toward Himeki and Kolkil. Rotebi shoved passed them, and the fireball hit him square in the chest. He gasped and stood there for a few seconds, holding his hands out as if slow at catching something. Saraelye blinked her eyes in amazement, for he was unharmed. He inhaled, screamed, and threw his hands out. Another fireball--nearly twice the size of the first--materialized around his arms. It smacked Saraelye with its full force.

She wavered in the air. She coughed and wiped some of the blood away from her charred face with her equally charred and bloody hand. She raised her spear again.

"No way..." Himeki muttered in disbelief. Robeti collapsed.

Yousei ran over and vaulted up with her spear and collided with Saraelye's side. She clung there for a fraction of a second, then pushed her foot against Saraelye's hip to fling herself away. Saraelye screamed, and they both fell to the floor a few yards apart.

Kolkil's knife fell from Yousei's hand as she landed on her back with yelp. Saraelye made no vocal sound after her blood-chilling scream. The burnt and shredded gossamer that had been her wings drifted down and landed silently on top of her.

Kyri stood and stumbled toward her with Unicorn in tow.

"Hey, what are you--?" Flenn began as she began to cast a spell.

Aikel grabbed his wrist to keep him from interfering. "She's defeated," he said. "Her curse is broken."

Himeki helped Yousei stand only to see her retreat into a corner. She moved to help Rotebi instead, but he preferred to sit. For a while, his hair had been completely blue, but now it was mostly blonde again, with only an inch at the tips. He was dizzy but unharmed. Kolkil had a slash on his arm, which he covered with his hand.

Gelrini had only been hit once, and Kyri had healed it already. She wandered around collecting her rocks. She had shot many, but only two had hit their mark. She didn't collect those two. It clearly wasn't the blood that bothered her though, as many of the others she picked up had fallen in puddles of it. She didn't put any of them back her belt pouches.

"Is your, uh, thing... hurt?" Flenn asked Aikel. His voice sounded much louder in the silence than he'd intended.

"No," Aikel answered, petting Pegasus carefully. "He'll be okay."

"What about Saraelye?" Himeki asked Kyri. "Is she okay?"

"I... don't know," Kyri said worriedly. From the corner of her eye, she saw Yousei sit down heavily. Saraelye's cuts and burns were healed, and her breathing was steady, but she was still unconscious. "She's... alive."

"Don't act like that," Rotebi said when he saw Kolkil roll his eyes. "I like her too. She was nice."

"She wasn't that nice," Kolkil grumbled.

"Yeah, so? I like you, don't I? So I can't be that picky."

"Is your arm all right, Kolkil?" Kyri asked.

"Yeah," Kolkil lied. Kyri knelt by where he was sitting, but he drew away.

"Hold still. I can help you," she said.

"Stay away from me!" he growled.

"Don't be such a butthead," Rotebi nagged tiredly.

"Ooh!" Kyri groaned. "First Flenn, and now you? Do people just like being in unnecessary pain? Even Himeki wasn't very cooperative!"

"I was trying to cast a spell," Himeki said defensively.

"So was I!"

"Aren't you tired, Kyri?" Aikel asked.

"Yes... but not so tired I can't heal his arm." After a pause, she asked, "Or was that supposed to be a hint?"

"To shut up and give it a rest?" Aikel asked with exasperation. "Feel free to interpret it that way."

" Hmph!" Kyri muttered before she began ignoring him. "Are you okay, Rotebi?"

"Hey, you're nice too," he realized.

"Why, thank you."

"But I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm just tired."

"Sit up," Kolkil told him when he leaned back.

"Why?"

"Because we're going to have to leave."

"Actually...." Kyri sighed. "We can't leave Saraelye here unconscious. If she doesn't wake up, we'll have to carry her back. So maybe we should all rest here for at least a little while."

Aikel nodded. "It's getting late anyway," he said. "It'll be dark long before we get back to Nalya, and the last thing we need is to try and balance on tree branches we can't see." He was tempted to lie down on the floor, but no amount of weariness could make him touch that blood-soaked wood more than he had to. He reluctantly said, "We'll spend the night here."

Himeki wandered over to the altar and picked up the clear green orb that rested there. She held it in both hands and stared at it while leaning her elbows against the altar. "What's that thing for?" Flenn asked quietly.

"Hmm?" Aikel had to follow Flenn's gaze to know what he was talking about. "Oh.... It's for killing."

"Y... yeah?" Flenn stuttered.

"Yeah," Aikel said. "That's all, really."

"It's made of the things life is made of," Himeki offered studiously. "How does it destroy so much?"

"I just know that it does."

"'Sister Moon, bestow unto me the power to do battle with curses and dark magic'..." Kyri suddenly mumbled.

"What?" Aikel mumbled irritably.

"The spell I cast when we first came to Nalya," she specified, as if she had just realized something about it. "It was to weaken her curse and let her leave this place--though she probably couldn't get that far away from it." She sighed. "I should have known."

"Why didn't she tell us?" Aikel wondered.

"Maybe the curse wouldn't let her."

For the next hour, they were still. One of them would shift occasionally in a failing attempt to be more comfortable, but the only steady sound was that of the breeze through the trees outside. Himeki finally moved from her awkward position, shaking her limbs to alleviate their numbness.

"This is... human magic?" she asked of anyone who knew. She held the orb up to her eyes again.

"Yeah," Kyri said. "Aikel's family descends from the clan of warriors that made it."

"I can feel its power, but I can't understand it at all," Himeki grumbled.

Aikel finally found himself a relatively clean spot on the floor to lie down. It seemed only a few seconds before something soft was rubbing against his face. A burst of warm air hit is cheek, and he waved his hand to get rid of whatever it was. Pegasus's teeth closed on his leather armor and jerked him to his feet. He stumbled and looked around in befuddlement and staggered wearily.

"Help us, Aikel."

"Huh...?" Aikel mumbled. He wasn't even sure who had been the one to speak, save that it was one of the females.

"Be a gentleman," Pegasus nagged. "Help get her onto my back."

Saraelye was still unconscious, and Pegasus had transformed to carry her.

"Is it... morning already?" Aikel asked as he lifted her.

"Yeah," Kyri said dismally. After Saraelye was secured on Pegasus, she asked, "Are you okay, Yousei?"

Yousei looked up, apparently startled, but her eyes didn't really seem to focus. Her face was pale, and she looked like she was about to be sick, but she nodded.

"Let's go then," Aikel mumbled. Rotebi patted Yousei's head as he passed her.