Chapter Seven

Chapter 7: Friendship’s the Reason


Cevlon - Haven:

   “Hey Drey!”
Drey turned his eyes from the bustling street below him to the roof he stood on.
A smile grew on his face when he saw his best friend.
   “’Ello Terryn. How’s everyone back at camp?” He asked.
Terryn looked at him with a grin.
  “Wonderin’ when you’ll be comin’ back ‘round.”
Drey smiled.
   “Probably tonight.”
Terryn’s eyes grew wide.
   “Awesome! They’ll be thrilled!”
The two turned back and looked down at the street below.

Terryn was a little younger then Drey, probably fifteen years old now if he had to guess. Though they were the same height. Terryn had dirty blond hair that was about the same length as Drey’s now. Just brushing his shoulders. He had pulled the front back a little into braids, though his bangs were still in his face. Terryn could pull that off, Drey? not so much.
Terryn wore a coat with the front undone to show his dirty tunic underneath. His pants were also dirty. He didn’t keep them tucked into his boots like Dreyden did, and he had metal plates on one leg and not on the other. Drey couldn’t see the purpose behind that but he didn’t argue with Terryn’s sense of style.
Terryn kept a set of long daggers at his hip that didn’t look like much, but did a lot of damage in the right hands.
   “What happened to your place?” Terryn asked.
Drey chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.
   “Uh...it blew up.”
Terryn scoffed.
   “What’d you do? Leave the kettle on again?”
   “Oi! Shut your gop!”
Drey lunged forward and caught the younger boy under his arm and squeezed.
   “Ow! Ow! Ow!”
Terryn hit his arm with his free hand.
   “Okay, okay! I take it back!” He cried.
Dreyden scoffed and let go.
   “Yeah you’d better.”
Terryn rolled away and shook his head.
Drey smiled and looked back down at the people going about their normal day.
He found his thoughts going back to Elowen. They had run down this street when he snuck her out of the jail. He still wasn’t quiet sure why he had done that.
As he sat there thinking, his eyes caught the motion of a young girl. She wore a white robe that was shorter then her dress, and her long sleeves could be seen past the short sleeves of the robe, but the hood was up and he could barely make out her face.
He watched her make her way down the street in a lazy fashion. But two things happened at once. When she turned the corner a gust of wind blew her hood off. He gasped when he saw the glimpse of light ginger hair before she pulled the hood back up.
   “What is it?”
Terryn came in between Drey and the girl. Drey looked up at the boy and shook his head.
   “Nothing. Lets head back to camp.”
.:+:.

Cevlon - Outcast’s Camp:

The Outcast’s Camp was the home to a band of kids that caused mischief for any official officer. They were all a sort of bounty hunter, and they were all free lancers. Taking sides with the highest bidder.
Now they weren’t a bad group of kids, they were actually quiet nice under the rough exterior, but...you had to get past the rough exterior first.

Their camp was located close to the back of the city. The Lowlands, as most people refer to it as. It was disguised as a local tavern, and it got quiet some good business too. - Though the kids didn’t run it. They just lived there.

Terryn led the way down the mud caked streets and into the pub. It had started to rain and he had pulled the hood of his coat up, but Drey didn’t have one so he just got wet. He’d have to rethink his wardrobe soon.
Inside the tavern, the two shook their heads and were welcomed by the smell of ale and lots of dirt.
Songs were breaking out everywhere and a few jigs too, but it was a pretty decent size tavern, so it didn’t take up to much room.
   “Better go say hi.” Terryn said as he moved over to the rest of the gang. “Or she’s going to blow a gear.” He added with a smile.
Dreyden rolled his eyes.
   “She would wouldn’t she?” He called after him.
   “You know it!”
Drey laughed and made his way to the bar by dodging in and out of people and avoiding getting drinks spilt on him.
At the bar, a small girl - didn’t even come up to his shoulder - was talking to a Palace guard. Her long black hair was held away from her face by a strip of cloth.
She wore a black shirt with a jacket over top, hiding it mostly. And though Drey couldn’t see, he guessed she probably wore leather pants and boots too.
   “...So I was wondering if maybe...I don’t know...” The guard was stumbling over his own words. Drey chuckled. Most boys were shocked and surprised that she was a free lancer, and then they were always disappointed because their mommies would scold them severely if they even tried to flirt with her.
   “Well that is if you wanted to...”
Drey could see the pained look in her pale face and decided to be her hero for the moment.
   “Hey, is this man bothering you?” He asked, stepping up.
Her bright golden eyes grew as big as sand dollars. He gave her a wink and she grew a small smile.
   “He just wont listen to me Drey. I told him I was already engaged.” She said, stepping out from behind the bar and coming up to him and hiding slightly behind him with her arm around his waist.
Drey turned to the solider with a hard face.
   “Oh really?”
The man’s eyes grew wide in shock.
   “No it wasn’t like that sir. See...she - I - I mean -”
Drey shook his head.
   “You know I shouldn’t have to be here for you to back off. If she says ‘leave’ then you had better listen the first time. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind.”
The solider whimpered and scurried away and out the door.
When it slammed shut behind him, Drey looked down at the small girl.
   “Thanks! He was starting to get on my nerves.” She said, giving him a proper hug.
   “Don’t mention it. Though is it possible for someone to get on your nerves?” He asked as he returned the hug.
She looked up at him with a sweet, innocent smile.
   “Yes. But I usually don’t show it.” Her voice was so quiet that sometimes when everything else was really loud, her voice would get lost in it all.
   “How have you been Ysmay?” He asked as she walked back around the counter and started to wipe it down.
   “Oh the usual. How about you? Are you okay? you look pretty down.”
That was Ysmay for you. She could get to the point of a conversation in a flash.
Drey shrugged, but before he could say anything Terryn jumped back in.
   “He blew up his house again.” He stated in a casual way as he braced himself against the bar while he bit into a crecip fruit.
   “What?! Are you okay?” Ysmay grabbed a hold of Drey’s face and turned it from side to side looking for scars or burns, then she yanked on his hands so he ended up sprawled across the bar.
   “Oi! Ysmay! I’m fine. Really! I wasn’t in the house when it blew.” He said.
She let out a sigh of relief and let go of him.
   “You should know better then to scare me like that Dreyden.” She said quietly as she started to wipe down the wood.
   “Hey, blame him okay? He started it.” He messed with Terryn’s hair playfully.
He just rolled his eyes and ignored him.
   “Hey Terryn where did you find this big lug anyway?” Ysmay asked.
  “He was standing gazing off at the spot where they murdered that girl.” He answered. Drey tried to mask the pain, and also keep under control the urge to hit Terryn in the nose.
   “That was awful. I can’t believe they did that. And we boast that we’re a kind people.” Ysmay said in disgust.
   “Yeah. And it’s a pity, she was cute too.”
   “Oi! Shut your pie hole already.” Drey snapped. Not really wanting Terryn to go down that road. Especially about Elowen.
   “What?” Terryn cast him an innocent glance. “It’s not my fault I notice these kind of things. I mean come on, it’s not like you didn’t notice that she was cute either.”
Drey didn’t make eye contact.
   “See? There! That’s as good as admitting it.”
   “Terryn, I’m going to kill you.” He threatened with a smile.
   “Yeah well, what ever. I bet that if she had stayed around Drey would have manned up.”
Ysmay laughed a little and tossed her dirt cloth at Terryn’s head.
   “Like your one to talk! You’ve never showed any interest in a girl in your life. -”
   “And what do you mean I would have ‘manned up’?!” Drey cut in.
   “Oh come on Drey that one’s a given. You’ve never liked any girl. Even I know that. To bad you couldn’t talk to her.” Terryn jumped in.
Drey didn’t answer. Which stalled them both.
   “Wait...you did?”
Ysmay gasped, and her hands flew to her mouth. Terryn’s jaw dropped as he stood stunned.
   “You’ve got to be jokin’! When could you have talked to her? She was locked up in jail the night before, and then she was taken strait to the chopping block.” Terryn tried - unsuccessfully - to pry details out of Drey. But Ysmay was very keen.
   “Oh Dreyden please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did.” She whispered.
Drey glanced around the tavern to make sure no one was listening in. Everyone else was too drunk to comprehend the simplest sentence. And anyone that was still sober wouldn’t be able to pick anything up because of the noise level.
   “I put her back.” He answered finally. Realizing that sentence didn’t come out exactly as he wanted it to, blood rushed to his face.
   “’I put her back’? Did you really just say that?” Terryn asked in shock.
   “Oh Dreyden.” Ysmay whispered. “What were you thinking?! What on earth where you thinking breaking her out and then putting her back?!”
Dreyden expected the first part, but was completely taken aback by the second part.
   “Wait...what?” He asked. Not sure he heard right.
   “Why on earth would you break her out and put her back afterwards?” Ysmay repeated in a whisper. “You should have brought her back here! We would have kept her hidden.”
She could tell that he hadn’t thought of that, and now he was beating himself up.
She let out a deep sigh and took up the rag again.
   “Don’t worry about it now. What’s done is done. But...you should go talk to him. He’ll want to know about this. And he said he wanted to see you anyways.”
   “Where is he?”
She shrugged her small shoulders.
   “Where else would he be?” She asked.
He chuckled and beat the bar top twice. Their traditional ‘good-bye’.
Terryn gave him a half-hearted salute and Ysmay dipped her head.

Outside in the rain Dreyden made his way to a set of stone stairs.
He should have borrowed a cloak, his armor was going to get rusted and it was going to take him days to get it back to shape.
He groaned and shook his head, sending water droplets every where.
He climbed the stairs, taking them two at a time. The rain made it a little harder to keep his balance.
Once he reached the top he stepped onto the stone walkway that lined the top of the wall that kept the people of Haven safe.
He quickly made his way to the closest look out tower. It wasn’t really a tower anymore, it was just a pile of rubble now. This whole area of the wall was rubble. No one knew what really happened to this section of the wall. And those that do, don’t tell.

Drey’s thoughts left momentarily to the girl he had seen earlier. He could have sworn she had ginger hair.
He shook his head.
   “Idiot. Lots of girls have ginger hair.” He told himself angrily.
   “That they do Dreyden. So who pray tell, has your knickers in a twist?”
Drey jumped when the voice was suddenly beside him. He looked over and saw a face as familiar to him as his own.
   “Oh you know, the usual fair maiden that nobody can touch.” He answered with a hint of a smile.
   “Ah, is that so? Well that would be just your luck. You couldn’t even talk to women, and the one girl you do like ends up dying. Tough luck boy.”

Merek was the leader of the gang. He was taller then even Dreyden, and had an air about him that let everyone know immediately that he was in charge. Not even Dreyden would go against Merek.
Merek’s dark hair was kept short and he had a few beads hanging in it here and there. His skin was tanned from the endless days in the sun. He wore a leather chest plate and no tunic under it, so he could show off his massive biceps to the ladies. - Even if he denies it, he still does it. - Two swords were slung onto his back in a large ‘X’, and the dealers knew better then to double cross him. Everyone did.
But Merek wasn’t all tough and mean.
If you were in his family, he’d treat you like family. He and Dreyden were practically brothers, and Merek looked out for small Ysmay, now she didn’t like it when he wouldn’t let her fight because of her size, so she wasn’t left out from those, but he did keep a careful eye on her.
Everyone loved and respected Merek, and he loved and respected them right back.


Drey sighed and leaned against the wall of the falling tower.
   “So you knew?” He asked.
Merek laughed.
   “I think I knew before you knew. I’m pretty cool that way.”
Drey chuckled.
   “Well you’re not to full of yourself.” He remarked. Merek just shrugged, then turned all serious.
   “So...what did you do with her when you broke her out?”
Drey knew where this was going.
   “It’s not what you think okay?”
Merek cocked his eyebrow in a teasing way. Which got Drey all flustered.
   “Serious!”
Merek nodded, the smile still not gone.
   “Uh-huh. Then what did you do?”
   “The poor thing had never flown in her life.” Drey started off.
   “Well yes, she was from Falion. They don’t have yertos. They have those bloody Magi.”
Drey nodded in agreement.
   “Yes, I know. But she wanted to get closer to the stars. So...” He shrugged, as if to say, ‘you know what happened next’. Merek sighed.
   “So you took her up to see the stars I guess. Quite the ladies man all of a sudden.”
   “Not just anyone’s.” Drey mumbled. He never much liked the girls in Haven. They were alright, but they were all snobs and thought too much of themselves. Merek and the rest of the gang would laugh at him and say ‘you’ll come down to Earth one of these days, and find that the right girl for you was starring you in the face.’
The only girl he had ever might have considered getting to know better, and maybe, maybe falling for eventually would have been Elowen. But he had to keep his head on the ground and remind himself that she was gone.
   “Wow. She must have been some girl to have you hooked so badly. Even after she’s gone.” Merek commented.
Drey sighed and looked up at the dreary sky that wasn’t helping his mood.
   “You have no idea.”
Merek’s eyebrows rose at Dreyden’s response. He really was in deep. With a dead girl none the less.
   “You know what the freaky thing is though Merek?” He said, not looking at him. “I keep seeing her everywhere. It’s starting to freak me out! I didn’t even know her that long! Only a couple hours at the most. And yet, I cant get her bright green eyes and beautiful smile out of my head. What’s wrong with me Merek?!”
Merek laughed when Drey freaked out on him.
   “Nothing’s ‘wrong’ with you. You’ve just fallen in love. Deep. But...she’s gone. You do realize that, right Dreyden?”
Drey nodded slowly.
   “The rational part of me does. Yeah. But then there’s the other part of me that...doesn’t think so.”
Merek nodded.
   “Yeah there’s always that part. It doesn’t matter who you lose, there’s always that part of you that doesn’t want to believe they’ve gone on ahead of you.”
He said, bracing himself against the stone by his forearm.
   “But, you’ve got to focus on the here and now. That’s what keeps your head out of the clouds. And...it seems the here and now involves beating up a few people.”
Drey’s brow furled as he pushed himself away from the wall and looked out beside Merek.

   “Ugh. Don’t these dudes ever learn?” He groaned. Unsheathing his sword. “Or am I really going to have to teach them everything?!” He asked himself.
   “So I take it you’ve met them before.” Merek commented as he followed Drey’s suit and unsheathed his two swords.
   “Unfortunately, yeah.”
   “Huh. Well lets go teach them a thing or two, shall we?”
   “Lets.”
Merek led the way down the stairs and shifted his weight when he stood in front of the band of guards, slinging one sword onto his shoulder.
   “Hello gents. What can I do for you?” He asked in an easy going tone.
   “We’ve got no quarrel with you. It’s him we’re after.” The taller one snapped, pointing to Dreyden.
   “Ah yes. You ended up on you face. Right, I remember now. And you ended up in yerto droppings. Back for more then?” Drey pointed to the chubby one with the tip of his sword. They both glowered at him.
   “We’ve come to settle this. You interfered with official business, and you are now going to be arrested.”
Drey’s jaw dropped.
   “Arrested? You can’t be serious!” He shouted in protest.
   “Drey what did you do?” Merek whispered.
   “I just busted a friend out of some trouble.” He answered.
   “By order of the Council, you, Dreyden are under arrest.”
Drey glanced at Merek, who shrugged.
   “No one’s gone to jail yet, why break the record now?” He asked.
Drey smiled and turned to the guards.
Twelve in total. Now that just wasn’t fair.
   “Sorry gents. But no can do. You see, I’ve got something I need to do, and I can’t do it in jail.” He said.
The leader’s eyes smoldered with anger.
   “You’re defying orders?” He asked.
   “I already told you! I’m a bounty hunter. I don’t do orders.”
At the same moment, the two free lancers lunged forward, swords braced, out by their sides.
The Palace guards were startled by their sudden attack, and so therefore, the free lancers gave the first blow.

Dreyden swung his sword out in a circle, cutting the tall one at his shins. It was just a flesh wound and it wouldn’t do much damage, but it would hurt like there was no tomorrow. The tall one cried out in pain and crumpled to his knees. His armor clattering on impact.
Drey used his back as a spring board, and threw himself at the nearest knight.
The knight drew his sword hastily in a sloppy parry, and Drey slashed down, using his shoulder for extra force, and the knight fell to the ground when he landed on him.
   “Don’t get up.” He ordered. “For your own safety.” He flashed a friendly smile before jumping up and moving onto the next enemy.

However, the knights weren’t all for show. They did know a thing or two about fighting, and not all of them sucked at swordplay.
It wasn’t too long before Merek and Dreyden were back to back, panting and trying to figure out what to do.
Most of the knights had formed a circle around them, swords pointed at their necks.
   “So...got a plan?” Dreyden asked.
   “I’m working on it. Cut me some slack. I can’t come up with the most awesome plans with out thinking for a minute or two.” Merek shot back.
   “We don’t have a minute or two.”
Drey fell forward, rolling on his shoulder and coming up under the deadly swords. The knight he came in front of was startled and Drey took that opportunity to bash the butt of his sword into the man’s helmet, sending him into a daydream.
   “Or...we could do that. That works.” He heard Merek mutter behind him.
   “Not all of us can be tactic planners.” He shot back.
Merek chuckled as he spun around a knight and his thrust was parried.
The two wove in and out of the knights in a deadly dance, covering each other’s backs and making sure they didn’t get cut down themselves.
This is where Dreyden felt most at home. Not killing people, but with a sword in hand and a friend to protect his back. He felt in his element there. He knew what to do, like an instinct.
He ducked a punch and slammed his elbow into the side of another knight.
But before he could come around fully and face his next opponent, he heard a rip, and his thigh burned.
He cried out and looked down at his leg. But the knight took that moment and jumped him.
Drey put up a hasty shield with his sword, but was easily defeated, and another cut was made on his arm, cutting through his leather jacket.
It was the chubby knight from before. Well at least he wasn’t completely hopeless when it came to a fight.

Merek was caught up in a fight of his own, but he noticed that Drey was wounded and down, he had to get over there! But not with this hulk of a knight barring down on him. He couldn’t move.

.:+:.

Ysmay hummed a lullaby as she closed up the tavern for the night. Ushering the last few drunkards out and closing the window shutters.
   “Well I’m going to hit the sack.” Terryn said as he stretched and yawned.
   “Good night Terryn. See you in the morning -”
She glanced out the window and saw two men, against twelve knights.
   “Terryn!!” She screamed, rushing back to the bar counter and grabbing her cross bow and small sword.
   “What?!”
Terryn was standing in front of her, wide eyed now.
   “Merek and Dreyden are in trouble. Come on!” She tugged on his hand, pulling him outside and into the cool, rainy night.

Terryn pulled at her arm and motioned to the roof tops, then put his finger to his lips. Telling her to go unseen. She nodded and scaled the side of the house.
Terryn however, after sending up a prayer for safety to Eleyos, was the bait and the distraction.
He ran in there screaming his head off, flipping his two short blades between his fingers. At one point in the past, that would have freaked Ysmay out, but now, sense he did it all the time, she wasn’t worried. She just kept her eye on the outcrop on a roof top that would conceal her, and would be the perfect place to take out a few knights.
She made it there silently, and ducked behind a stack of boxes. Careful not to put any weight on it that might cause it to shift and bring attention to her.
She loaded her bow with a sleeping arrow. This would just knock out the knights, not hurt them or anything.

Dreyden was glad to see Terryn, though he wasn’t to happy about him rushing in there screaming. However, it worked and the chubby knight was taken by surprise.
Drey slashed out and advanced on the knight.
   “Miss me?” Terryn said, cutting in close to knights and ramming both of his daggers into their face.
  “We had it under control.” Merek shot back with a smile.
  “Uh-huh. Sure you did.”
The three bounty hunters wove in and out of the ring of knights, trying their best to avoid injuries. But there was still too many of them.
Suddenly, there was a low whoosh and a knight in the back fell down. The knights looked around in confusion. Another knight fell, and then another.
   “Think that’ll even the odds?”
They all looked up just as a flash of black came shooting from the sky, there was a lot of blurred motion, and three more knights fell.
It was only then did Ysmay show herself at the boys sides.
They all nodded grimly as they looked at the remanding six knights.
   “I think that’ll do nicely.” Drey answered.
   “You think that defeating us will do any good?” The tall one was back up on his feet again, and speaking. “We’ll get you tomorrow. Just because you defeat these guards doesn’t mean there aren’t more. And by this act of defiance, you are now a threat to Haven. The lot of you! You’ll all be arrested!”
Merek let out a low whistle.
   “And all this just because you helped a friend?” He asked in astonishment.
Dreyden shook his head.
   “Well it’s not like we’re not already outcasts.” Terryn pointed out.
   “Yeah, but we’ll be wanted fugitives if we stay here.” Ysmay observed. “If we stay we’ll surly be punished for what we’ve done.”
No one saw it coming, no one expected it.
A knight had crept up on them while they were distracted, and when he saw the moment, he took it.
Ysmay cried out in pain when the knight’s blade cut through her cape, leather jacket, and skin.
Drey saw it out of the corner of his eye as he screamed. Ysmay toppled to the ground in a bloody heap.
He had a flash back to when his brother had taken the beating for him. He gritted his teeth. That wasn’t happening again. They weren’t going to take away his friends, or his family ever again!
He kicked with his foot sending the knight into a disoriented daze. Then, after sensing the other knights coming into the action he swung his sword over his head, parrying a blow to the back. He turned on his heel and took a protective stance in front of Ysmay.
   “No one hurts my family. Or if they do, well then, they wished they hadn’t.” Fire smoldered in his eyes. And something stirred inside him. Something he hadn’t known was there. But when Elowen died and he hadn’t done anything, guilt hung over him, and he wasn’t about to stand there and do nothing when someone hurt Ysmay.
That was out of the question.
   Merek hadn’t seen that fire in his eyes before. It caught him off guard, and he had never seen Drey so determined about something before. He knew better then to try and talk to him. He wouldn’t be listening.
But they couldn’t stay here. There were too many of them, and the ones that had been knocked out before were starting to come too. They needed an escape route.
   “Dreyden!” He shouted.
Drey’s eyes snapped around to him.
   “We need to leave!” He ordered.
Drey nodded, as Merek came over and picked Ysmay up from the ground while him and Terryn guarded his back.
   “Where are you going to go? You have no where to run!”
Drey realized the knight was right. There was no where to run. If you became a fugitive on this cursed island, you’d be hunted down eventually. And then thrown in jail, so all of this would have been for nothing.
   “Go. Go to the Arriecsent Ruins.” It was Lorem.
Drey glanced around, but didn’t see the white tiger.
   “You are ready! Go!”
Drey glanced behind him. The wall.
   “Merek! Follow me!” He shouted, taking the lead. He slid through the mud as he cut a sharp corner to the stone steps.
Merek, holding Ysmay was right on his tail with Terryn in tow, defending their backs from the advancing knights.
Drey jumped the last three stairs and moved to the side. He snatched an arrow from his quiver and pulled it onto the string of his bow. Pulling back, he let his instincts take over. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he aimed for the first knight, and let the arrow fly.
It held true to him, and hit it’s mark.
   “Terryn! Come on!” He shouted. Then taking up the lead again he came to a section of the wall where it had been blown away, so it was just a ragged edge, and then a shear drop to Falion far below.
He glanced at Merek, who caught on to what he was doing. He nodded but looked back at Terryn.
Terryn hadn’t come of age yet, he didn’t have a yerto quiet yet, and they weren’t willing to push their luck that he’d get chosen just now.
Drey grabbed his collar and threw himself over the ledge, taking a screaming and kicking Terryn with him.

Chapter Six

[Note: Poem, subject to change!]

Chapter 6: A Reason to Live


Cevlon - Below the surface:

Sonera cast back her hood as she stepped past the curtain that hid the cave where her only other friend besides Kade, stayed hidden.
   “Letholdus!” She cried.
Her friend looked up at her with his sagging face and wise eyes.
   “Yes, yes. Come, come.” He motioned her over with a wrinkled hand for her to come to the low bedside.

The cave was lit by a fire to the back, and a cluster of candles on the well worn dinner table.
But the light was enough to see the cold, wet girl on the cot. Her clothes were dirty, Sonera had trouble figuring out the true color of her dress. It had been a full fortnight sense Sonera had swooped in and saved the poor girl on her way to Falion.
Letholdus was the only one she trusted with such a secret. And he had been working very hard to kindle the small spark of life that still lived in the girl.
   “She’s getting closer to waking! Yes! Yes I think I’ve done it!” The old man seemed so eager and happy that he had actually accomplished something in his long years in Cevlon’s crust.
   “Did anyone follow you?” He asked, becoming very serious once more.
Sonera shook her head. Pushing a strand hair out of her eyes.
  “No. But I got the food. No one noticed me either, I kept my head down.”
  “Good, good, good. Now one last awakening spell, and that should do it.”
Sonera became very excited, as she looked down at the sleeping girl. Her eyes moved rapidly behind her eyelids and Sonera was curious as to what she was dreaming about. If anything at all.
   “Tes’ven...Ymaro”
After a fortnight of hearing that spell over and over again, Sonera was use to Letholdus’ magic, but she was still taken by surprise every time she saw the wondrous pure white magic show its self and wrap around the girl’s frail, small body.
Sonera could hear the small girl’s heartbeat quickening, her chest rose up and down faster, her eyes moved rapidly behind closed eyelids. Was she ok?
Letholdus finished his spell as he placed his hands on her forehead and stomach.
The girl sat strait up, screaming at the top of her lungs.
Startled by pure shock, both Letholdus and Sonera shouted and toppled backwards, falling square on their bums.

She looked from side to side, not recognizing either of the two people the were on either side of her. And she didn’t understand why she was wet, cold, hungry, - starving’s more like it - or where she was.
The only thing she recognized, was the elderly man’s white robe.
In seeing that, she managed to calm down a notch.
   “You...” Her breathing was heavy and she felt very stiff. “You’re a - a Magi?”
Her vision was slightly off, she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head to get rid of the dizziness.
The man sat up straighter and nodded.
   “Indeed I am, young miss. May I inquire as to what your name is?”
Her breathing was still harsh, and she was having trouble looking out her eyes, like she had just woken up after a deep sleep and still had sleepies.
   “Erm...Ellie.” She said as she rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hands.
The man nodded and rose up to his feet with a great effort.
   “And who are you two?” She asked.
The man walked over to the cooking fire and started to dump some vegetables into the black pot.
   “I am Letholdus, indeed I am a Magi. And this young lady is Sonera, a former Elite Warrior. She is the one who saved you from hitting your head on Falion.”
Ellie was confused. She turned to the girl with the vibrant hair.
   “What?”
Letholdus nodded at the girl, who rose from the ground and gestured to the edge of the cot.
   “May I?”
Ellie pulled her legs under her and nodded.
Sonera sat down and fidgeted with the edge of her dirty green cape.
   “What was the last thing you remember?” She asked. Elowen clawed at her memory, trying to remember.
Well the last thing she really remembered was the depressed look in Dreyden’s eyes right before she drank the tasteless poison. But...Sonera didn’t need to know that.
  “Well...I remember falling asleep. Or at least it felt like falling asleep. But I suppose I really died didn’t I?”
The girl smiled, her blue eyes deep with understanding.
  “Sort of. To the council, yes. You did die. But in actual reality? No. You didn’t.”
  “How?”
She turned to the man who sat down on a stool in front of the table.
   “Well it’s like this child,” He started. “you have an unbelievable amount of energy. Your life force is substantially more stronger then a grown mans!” He seemed very excited about this. His deep brown eyes sparkled with excitement, and he had a wide smile on his face. “I can’t believe it. It’s remarkable. The poison only took some of your life source, but now, I think with a replenishing spell and time, that’ll come back too! So you see? You’ll be a right as rain in no time!”
Ellie smiled at him.
   “Thank you so much! To both of you! I can’t express how relieved I am that Eleyos has granted me a second chance...I just hope I don’t blow it.” She added quietly.
   “Nonsense! You’ll do fine at what ever you set your mind to.”
She smiled at the old man’s kind remark.
   “I don’t think it’ll be that simple this time, but...again you have my thanks.”
The two strangers nodded in acknowledgement.
   “I couldn’t just stand by and let them kill you, now could I?” Sonera said with a smile on her face.
   “So...we’re still...in Haven then?” She asked hesitantly.
   “Yes, that we are. I’m afraid your presence will upset the people, but if we get you a cloak or something you’ll be able to go out into the city.” Letholdus said in his cheerful manner.
   “Well that’ll be good...there’s someone I need to see.”
Sonera looked at her in confusion.
  “Who? You weren’t here long enough to meet anyone...decent that is.”
Elowen looked down at her hands, not really wanting to tell anyone about the mysterious boy that broke her out just so she could fly and see the stars.
He was her special secret. A special memory she thought that if she shared, she’d loose it forever.
Letholdus could see that she didn’t want to talk so he gave her an escape route.
   “Elowen, what do you like in your stew?” He asked, pulling out the things Sonera had brought back from the market.
   “We have benna root, greens of all sorts, askven leaves, some potatoes, tomatoes, and ooh! You spoil me Sonera.”
Sonera grinned as he spotted her goody.
   “I know.” She said with a growing smile.
   “What is it?” Ellie asked.
   “Some gravik candy.”
She laughed.
   “So that’s the great Magi’s weakness!” She declared. “A chewy candy!”
   “Hey! If - you tried it, it would - be your - weakness - too!” The old man said with his mouth full of gravik candy. Gravik candy was long chewy strips of a root. Coated with sugar. So it kind of looked like he had a string of worms hanging out of his mouth, which was rather a disturbing sight.
But it made the two girls burst out in laughter, so he accomplished what he had set out to do.

Both Sonera, and Letholdus did their best to make Elowen feel at home as much as possible. And she was quiet content in the small, slightly dank, but homey cave.
However, her mind wondered to a good lot of things.
But mostly, to Dreyden and Stargazer. She felt slightly odd not having the stone around her neck, and she felt even more odd with out that strange boy hanging about. She wanted to find him again. To tell him she was okay, or the fact that she was alive would be more like it. But she had no clue where he was. And not to mention the fact that he probably was already on his way to Falion. And then they’d really be in trouble. She wondered if she’d ever be able to find him again!
Her thoughts went back to the dreams she had while she was asleep, or dead which ever you please.
   Elowen thought the dreams were odd, because she had never had dreams before in her whole life. Ever! But this one...this one was extremely weird.
And had nothing to do with her, as she assumed most dreams did...for other people anyways.

This one...was about Drey. Not the Drey she knew him as, but younger, probably around eleven or twelve. She only had gotten bits and pieces of the whole thing, but mainly, she saw a burning village. People were dying all around her. Which only reminded her of her own past in that peaceful monastery and how it came to an abrupt end. She saw who he had called brother, and then that awful monster. The Nigvorian. Drey’s brother was so brave! Standing up to him...by himself so his little brother could get away.
She wished she was that brave.

She remembered talking to Drey. The Dreyden she knew. They were in a meadow of some kind. Back up on Cevlon. He was talking to her, asking funny questions, and she answered. Which she had thought was odd, but she assumed he was just a dream. A wisp of smoke that would pass as soon as it had come.
But there was more. When she had finished her conversation with Dreyden in the meadow, and watched his brother’s sacrifice, she seemed to jump back further into his past.

Dreyden couldn’t have been any younger then five or six. He was sitting on - who she assumed - his mother’s lap while she hummed him a song that sounded vaguely familiar.
The first thing she thought when she saw the little five year old, was that he was probably the most adorable child she had ever seen. His hair was long and liked to spike out every which way, and he was missing a tooth. But he had a grin on his face that made her think of a boy that just found a toad and was going to stick it in his sister’s bed.
   “Mummy?” He said.
The woman stopped her humming and answered the boy.
   “Yes dear?”
   “Do you think I can be just like Dad some day?”
She chuckled, but her eyes held a great sadness.
   “Do you want to hear what I really think?”
The little boy nodded eagerly.
  “I think, you can become much, much more then your father. I think...that someday...You’ll fix what keeps everyone apart these days.”
   “Really?! What needs fixing?”
His mother’s laugh sounded like a hundred silver bells all chiming in unison.
   “They need to earn how to get along. Do you think you can teach them that my brave knight?”
   “Of course I can! All they need is a good beating!”
He jumped up and waved his stick around like a mighty sword. If Ellie was his mother she’d probably have a heart-attack and scold him or something. But his mother just laughed and scooped him up in a big hug.
   “You know there’s a lot more to being a knight then just wielding a sword. You have to care for people too.”
   “But I do care for people Mummy. I care for you. And Dad.”
   “Not your brother?”
Dreyden made a face.
   “He’s annoying. And he always beats me up! But...I care for him too...even if he‘s  mean sometimes.”
She laughed and hugged him tighter.
   “Don’t you ever loose your heart for people Dreyden. Not ever.”

.:+:.


   “...Elowen?...Ellie!”
Her eyes snapped into focus as she realized Sonera was shaking her shoulder gently.
  “Sorry?” She asked. Not sure what was going on.
The both of them looked at her with concern.
  “Elowen...is everything alright child?” Letholdus looked down at her with a worried expression.
Elowen knew she’d need help, and she’d need a lot of it if she was to find Drey, and then save both Cevlon and Falion. And besides! Letholdus was a Magi!...On Cevlon...she wasn’t sure how that worked, but she had too much on her mind to think about that at the moment.
   “Actually...I’m going to need your help...both of you.”


.:+:.


   “So...let me get this strait. You’re wanting to find this bounty hunter, that you keep having dreams about, get one of the Supreme Gems back from him which holds a fuzzy little tiger cub, and then you need our help to save both worlds, which will include us hunting down these other three Gems from who knows where all over Falion...Did I miss anything?”
Elowen was impressed that Sonera could get that all out with just one breath.
She nodded solemnly.
   “That’s everything. Everything I can think of at the moment.”
Sonera shook her head and pushed away from the table to go stare into the flames of the dwindling fire.
Letholdus didn’t say anything. He rubbed his stubble as he lost himself to deep thought.
   “Hmm....I read of this.”
He moved slowly to a shelf built out of the cave’s wall. Elowen had noticed the dusty old books before, but had never thought anything of it.
   “But I don’t remember anything about a girl, little miss.”
He set a big book down on the table and leafed through it.
   “Ah-ha. Yes see here, it says,
‘Blind to his lineage
Blind to his past
All things will come together
Though his blood alone.

Though daggers cross
Through pain and loss
Guided by Eleyos
And with friends to help.

These worlds can be saved
Ancient days, Re-written
From past to future,
Young to old,
The time of the Savior is here.’”
It took Elowen a minute to process that.
   “So...my dear miss,” The elderly man said slowly. “if what you say is true, then this bounty hunter will be the only thing standing in the way of keeping peace between the two worlds.”
Sonera gave a curt nod.
   “Right then, lets find this bounty hunter. I’ll help you Elowen. But I’m sticking with you. There ain’t no way I’m letting the fate of the worlds rest in the hands a free lancer who only works for the highest bidder.” She declared with a set face.
Ellie smiled.
She wanted Sonera to come with her. Even if they hadn’t known each other for every long, she could tell they were going to be good friends.
   “Works for me! Besides, I need someone to watch my back.”
Sonera gave her a small smile.
   “You keep the nasties away, and I’ll make sure your health won’t run out, how’s that?” Ellie proposed.
   “You have yourself a deal.”
Sonera and Elowen shook hands.

Chapter Five

Chapter 5: Double the Trouble



Cevlon - Haven rooftops:

Drey wasn’t quiet sure what he was looking for, or what his reason to fight might be, but he figured, he’d know it when he saw it.
But he had decided that even if he didn’t find his reason for fighting, he was going to take up Ellie’s quest for her. He had looked at the map earlier that morning, none of the Supreme Gems were on Cevlon. Or at least that he could see.
But the closest one was in a place called the Arriecsent Ruins. He wasn’t quiet sure what those were seeing as they were on Falion...so he decided to do some research on the place in the Great Library in the Council Palace.
Usually, the Palace wasn’t open to just anyone, however, to him specifically it was. Though his access was limited, he was able to go to the Great Library.

He kept to the roof tops, sense they were his favorite way of getting around the city. It was faster then taking the streets, and cleaner too.
It didn’t take him long before he was at the Palace.
The Elite Warriors guarding the Palace hesitated when they saw him, but didn’t stand in his way when he walked up to the door.
They mostly just gapped at him in silence. He hated it when people did that. That was part of the reason why he trained himself in the ways of an assassin. To blend in with his surroundings and to keep out of people’s radars. And it worked. For the most part anyways.

He walked into the palace of crystal and light, and almost got blinded.
It always took him a while to get use to it, but he did eventually.
As usual it took him quiet some hunting to find the library. Though he never asked for directions. He’d never make himself look like a fool as to stoop that low. He could manage to find his way around the palace.

After what must have been an hour searching for the stupid library, he finally found it.
   “One step closer to my goal...I guess.” He muttered as he walked down the thousands upon thousands of shelves that held dusty old volumes that probably no one read or even glanced at for over a century.
He had no idea what he was looking for, and after aimlessly looking through random books, he decided to ask for help. Directions to a place was one thing, directions on a book, was a whole other thing entirely!
   He made his way to the front desk where a man sat on a high chair, with a matching desk that made Dreyden feel puny compared to him. And he did not like that.
The man with the curved beak of a nose was reading through half moon spectacles.
Drey cleared his throat. The man looked down at him - not that he wasn’t doing that already - and he had a slightly startled look when he saw who it was.
   “You-you’re-”
   “Yes, yes. Can we skip that bit? I tire of it quiet easily. I need your assistance.”
The librarian nodded eagerly.
   “Of course! How can I be of serves?”
  “I’m looking for a book that will tell me about the Arriecsent Ruins?”
The man showed surprise on his face, but he quickly jumped down from his seat and led the way down the shelves.
He ran his fingers along the titles of the books till his hand hovered over one. He pulled out a book with a green cover and a title that said: ‘Places Unknown to Most’.
   “Here you are sire. I hope you find what you are looking for in here.”
Drey accepted the book, but waved away the man’s formality.
   “I will not be called that...I lost that title long ago. But thank you for your help sir.”
The man made a deep bow, which set Drey on edge, yet he said nothing.
   “It was an honor. But if I may...why are you looking into the Arriecsent Ruins?”
Luckily, Dreyden had a cover story for this.
   “In one of the Stories, they talk about the Ruins hiding a great mystery. So I got curious and decided to do some research.”
The man nodded.
   “Ah...Yes...The tail of Bowden. A wise man beyond his years, and did us all a great favor, by exploring Falion. In fact, he was the one who wrote this book. This is a good place to start young man. If I do say so myself. Just holler if you ever need something.”
Dreyden nodded his thanks, and the man left.

Drey sat down on the floor with his legs crossed over one another. He flipped the cover open and hurried to the index page. There he found what he was looking for. When he found the right page number, he quickly opened it up and skimmed the pages for something that might stand out.
   Most of it was pretty boring, though some things he did find slightly interesting. Like the fact that the Ruins use to be one of the greatest cities in all of Falion till the separation of the two worlds.
But then when the king of the city decided to hide one of the Supreme Gems there, everyone got scared and ran away. It was said that the king still guards the Gem even to this day. Of course Drey knew that to be complete folly and made up just to scare little kids into behaving.

   “-Kade I can’t believe you! You’re running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off!”
Dreyden froze at the sound of voices. They were right behind him, well behind the shelf anyways. He didn’t recognize the first voice, but he did know who Kade was. You’d be deaf not to know who he was.
   “I’m not running around pointlessly. I do know what I’m doing.” Kade’s deep voice boomed.
   “Oh? You’re asking every person you know if they’ve seen her. Tell me that doesn’t look like a chicken with his head cut off.”
Drey shifted and peeked through cracks in between the books. He could just make out the upper torsos of two men. One wore a full out armor suit, while the other only wore leather. He assumed by the deep red cape on the man that wore leather, that was Kade. Though he couldn’t understand why he wasn’t in his usual armor.
The other man wore a deep purple cape, so he was obviously a very high ranking officer. Probably the Chief Commander himself. That was a shock. And why were they whispering? Who was Kade going crazy over?
   “Why did you just let her quit? You know she makes rash decisions all the time so why in Eleyos’s name did you let her quit?”
   “Because, this wasn’t one of her rash decisions. She actually meant it. And you know our policy is that anyone can quit at any time. It was her time.”
   “I still can’t believe you did that, and then she ran off and no one knows where she is.”
   “Give her some time Kade. Maybe she doesn’t want to be found at the moment. Ever thought of that man? Giver her some space and leave it be.”
The man sighed and slapped Kade’s arm.
   “Enjoy your day off Kade. And please...don’t do anything reckless.”
Kade nodded grimly.
   “Because I’m known for being reckless? Really Chief I would have thought you would have known better by now.”
   “You continue to surprise me, Kade. Just stay out of trouble, but...if some how trouble ends up finding you, don’t get beaten up too bad.”
Kade chuckled.
   “Yes sir. But don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
   “Good to know. Now I have a meeting with Mentis, so if you don’t mind I’ll be on my way.”
   “Of course not Chief. I’ll see you latter then.”
   “Yes. Latter.” The Chief Commander made his exit and Dreyden quickly ducked when Kade turned towards the shelf.
But he accidentally knocked some books off. Drey cursed at himself as he set the books back.
Kade heard the clatter and ran to the end of the shelf and looked around it.
He spotted Dreyden picking up the last book and set it back on it’s rightful place.    
   “You there!”
Drey bit his lip, but didn’t turn.
   “How long have you been standing there?”
   “Long enough to know you’re a chicken with your head cut off. Of course...that seriously depends on your point of view.”
He turned around and faced the lieutenant.
Kade’s face turned red with anger as he marched forward.
   “Why you sneaky little -”
When he came closer, he realized who Dreyden was.
   “Wait, you’re Ast’Drev’s son.”
   “Yes indeed I am. So glad so many people notice. Now shut your pie hole! I hate it when people do that. And they wonder why I don’t take up my title, or prance around the city like the rest of the aristocrats! Sheesh.”
Drey shook his head and set the book back on the shelf.
Kade shifted his weight to one foot.
   “So, I take it you don’t like all the attention.”
   “No I don’t. There’s a reason why I’m a bounty hunter.”
Kade’s face scrunched up in disgust. Not many people liked bounty hunters. But Dreyden was good at not taking it personally.
   “So, I take it your looking for your sweetheart.”
Kade gasped in shock, and his jaw dropped. Drey knew he had hit a nerve.
   “She’s not my sweetheart.” Kade shot back. Drey raised an eyebrow.
   “Oh really? Well she must mean something too you. Other wise you wouldn’t be running around like a chicken with your head cut off.” He pointed out.
   “Oh shut up! Tell no one that you heard that conversation -”
   “Relax! It’s not like I have many friends.” He had to cut himself off before he said that Kade had just murdered his only one.
He leaned back against the shelf and braced his foot against a wood post.
   “So...who’s this girl that’s got your knickers in a twist?”
Kade glowered at him. But kept his anger under control.
   “And why should I tell you? You aren’t exactly...the most reliable.”
Drey shrugged and pushed away from the shelf.
   “Well then, don’t take my help. It’s not often I offer my services to a goody-too-shoes like yourself.”
He started to walk away slowly. Mentally counting to three.
One...two...
   “Wait!”
Drey smiled before her turned.
   “Yes?”
   “Why were you going to offer your services?” Kade asked.
   “To help you find your sweetheart of course. Why else?”
Kade eyed him suspiciously.
   “Why would you help me?”
That...was a good question. But Drey was already coming up with a snarky response.
   “Well, lets just say that you ruined my love life, so I’m opting out to save yours. Can’t have one of the most respectful men end up a lonely old bachelor for the rest of his life. What kind of example would that set?”
   “I told you. She’s not my -”
   “Yes I heard that too. But honestly, who really believes that?”
Dreyden didn’t wait for his reply, he simply walked away.
Back at the front desk, he said bye to the man and then walked out into the Palace.
He could hear Kade’s footsteps behind him, but didn’t glance over his shoulder till he was outside and back in the familiar streets.
Then he turned around and faced him with hands on his hips.
Kade came up next to him with his arms folded over his chest.
Drey could see his tunic under his leather jacket that was left open. His cape was what branded him, and if Drey was going to help, they’d have to blend in some how. And with that cape, it would be impossible.
   He held out his hand.
   “Hand me the cape.”
Kade’s eyes grew wide.
   “Why on Earth would I do that?!”
People glanced at them curiously and in slight alarm.
   “Oi! Shut your pie hole!” Drey shouted in a hushed voice.
   “Look, if you want me to help find this girl, do as I say. And right now, I’m saying ’hand me the cloak’.”
Kade hesitated a minute before undoing the clasp that held the cape around his shoulders. He bundled it up and handed it over.
Drey took it and dumped it into a water barrel.
Kade shouted at him, but cut himself off when Drey closed the barrel.
   “Fantastic. Now come on, ever traveled by roof tops?” Drey asked, turning back to Kade. Who sighed and shook his head.
   “Splendid! Lets get going then.”

Drey led the way up to the rooftops and crouched down at the edge of one. There, he watched the people pass by on their every day lives. Never looking up. He always thought that that was odd. No one ever looked up, they assumed they were safe from everything above. That was the reason why he like the roof tops so much, he was less likely to be spotted.

   “So...tell me about this girl.” He said. Turning to Kade, who was sitting down next to him. He decided to indulge the bounty hunter.
   “She’s my second in command...or she was...She quit a few days ago. Right...right after I yelled at her.”
   “You yelled at a lady?! No wonder she ran away.”
Drey was shocked when Kade nodded in agreement instead of telling him to shut up or something.
   “That’s what I tell myself everyday...We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember. And this is the first time she’s ever run away on me. She usually would be able to take a beating.”
   “Well how many times have you yelled at her?”
Kade sighed and shook his head.
   “More then I should have.”
   “Hmm...Maybe it had been building up for a while, and only now did it all fall over. But I suggest you treat her better. Or your love life will also be nonexistent.”
   “Gee, thanks for the advice.” Kade said sarcastically.
Drey gave him a two fingered salute.
   “Don’t worry about. So, it’s Sonera we’re talking about, right?”
The dark haired boy nodded as the wind messed with them both.
Drey stood up and studied the city.
   “Well then, I guess we had better start looking.”
Kade jumped to his feet.
   “But you haven’t even asked where she likes to hang out, what she likes to do in her free time.” He pointed out.
Dreyden laughed. Then he pointed to a bakery shop just down main street.
   “She likes to get the Apple nuggets there, particularly when they’re fresh from the oven. She also likes to hang out in the meadow just outside the city. Now, as to what she likes to do in her free time. She prefers to practice her dancing, or sword skills. Which ever she’s dressed for. How am I doing?”
Kade’s jaw had dropped to the floor a long time ago. A long with his first assumption that Dreyden was a useless piece of filth that was only a waist of space.
He shook his head.
   “I’m not even going to ask.” He stated after a moment. “So, if you know all this your lordship,” He made a mocking bow. “Then where, prey tell do you suggest we look first?”
Drey ignored Kade’s mockery and rubbed his chin.
   “Well...are there any friends she has? People that she might have contact with?”
   “No, not really...She was kind of an outsider. I was really the only one who looked past her appearances.”
   “Oh yeah...she’s rather....” By the glare Kade was giving him, Drey chose his words carefully. “...Different.”
Kade seemed alright with his choice in words.
So far, so good. Drey thought wirily.
    “Hmm...what were you two arguing about? Exactly?”
Kade hesitated a moment before answering.
   “She did not agree with the orders I had been given.”
   “Well nothing you could do about that....What orders were they?”
Kade locked him in his violet gaze and Drey got a bad gut feeling.
Just by his look, he knew what orders they were. He remembered it from the night he met Elowen.
   “And then she took off. I have no clue where she is or...”
Kade sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair.
   “This is getting us no where -”
   “No, no, no. This is good. So we know she was annoyed with you for being a foul -” He didn’t finish that statement. “- and then she quit her job and is now homeless and has no where to go. Oh well this just keeps getting better and better.” He let out a sigh and started to pace the thatched roof.
   “Oh shut up you piece of trash!”
Drey’s eyes grew wide.
   “Oh, so we’re going down this road then are we? Very well, have it your way then. I’ll see you latter then. Don’t come back whinning for help.”
Dreyden jumped down from the roof top and walked lazily down the lane.
   He was just outside the city walls when his shack exploded. Quiet literally.
Taken by surprise, he shouted and was thrown backwards.
   “What the...?!” He looked up and saw that his poor shack was no more. It’s roof had been blown clean off, the walls were burning, and amongst them, was a large, silver-blue tiger.
He stopped dead when he saw the animal.
   “Oh you’ve got to be joking.” He cried in anger.
Completely ignoring the tiger, he dove into the remains of his home, and grabbed his pack that he kept beside his cot. Then he swiped up his bow, water proof quiver - which apparently wasn’t fire proof - and then his sword.
After gathering that up, he quickly jumped out of the flames and glowered at the tiger.
   “How on Earth did you get so big?!” He asked Lorem. The tiger considered him for a moment.
   “I ate.”
Drey’s jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding me. So when ever you eat, you grow. Brilliant. That’s just great! So you’ll just keep growing till your as big as the sky?!” He was shouting. He didn’t realize he was shouting. But he was shouting. Poor Lorem.
Dreyden cast a nervous glance towards the city.
The explosion was pretty loud, guards will come to check it out. Drey thought. And I can’t have them find Lorem. That would just mess everything up.

He turned back to Lorem.
   “Lorem. Can you go back into Stargazer? People are going to be coming, and I don’t want them to find you.”
The white tiger growled at him, but at least obliged.
Dreyden pocketed the Gem and strapped on his pack, after placing the quiver in it, and placed his sword belt around his waist. He pulled his sword out just to make sure that nothing had hurt it.
He was satisfied to see that it was alright.
Most thought his sword was a bit...odd. Really it was one big blade, slightly curved at the tip, and rounded at the bottom. But then near the bottom the metal was cut through and left a handle just big enough for one hand.
He sighed and sheathed it back.
   “Alright, time to get out of here! But first...I need supplies. Seeing as I have no idea how long I’m going to be gone.” He muttered to himself. He didn’t want to be caught for questioning. That would be ugly. So he quickly ran to the commoner gate at the city wall.
He quickly ran down the busy streets of Haven and his first stop was at the food market.

All the hustle and bustle of the market always made him feel more at home. It might be because it reminded him of home, but it also might remind him of the fate his home had faced.
But when he pushed that aside, he always loved coming to the market.

Dreyden was buying some dried meat when the ruckus occurred.
A woman screamed and Drey turned around just in time to get knocked off his feet and thrown over the cart selling the meat.
   “Oi! Watch where your going! You plot!” The screaming woman shouted.
The man selling the meat, helped Dreyden up to his feet.
He looked around once he got his bearings and saw a familiar face running from the guards.
   “Well as if this isn’t confusing...An Elite Warrior running from the Palace guards....Hmm....Wonder what he did to get himself into trouble this time.” He found himself muttering.
   “Well, go help him out sir.”
Drey turned to the man in shock.
   “I beg your pardon?”
   “The Palace guards have been very...well lets say active, for loss of a better word. The poor boy must have done something to aggravate them, and now he’s going to get thrown in the dungeons.”
   “Just because he annoyed them?”
   “Exactly. And no one keeps them on a chain any more. Anyone that defies them ends up disappearing. So Dreyden, if you have a decent bone in you, you’ll help that poor boy escape!”
Drey sighed and took off at a run, following the Elite Warrior that was in trouble.
   “Oh boy...he really owes me this time.” He muttered.
Kade was running through the market, knocking stalls and people over just the same.
   “Kade!”
He turned his head and saw Drey matching his pace.
   “What the heck are you doing?!”
   “What does it look like?!” He shouted back. He dove around a corner and slid on the loose gravel. Drey saw it coming and dove over him. Landing in front.
   “Follow me.” He ordered and took off at a full sprint.

After spending years in the city, and from a bird’s eye view, he knew every nook and cranny like the back of his hand. He led the way down the allies and over rooftops.
They ran for a good while. Kade slid out of the shadows and into main street. Skidding just in front of the two guards.
    “You!” One of them shouted.
    “Uh...” Kade wasn’t sure what to do. Dreyden groaned and grabbed his jacket collar, pulling him out of the street and into a hay stack.
   “Watch where you’re going or you’ll end up dead you plot!” He growled. The two guards faced him with their fists bared.
   “You dare defy us, your superiors?!” The taller one shouted.
Drey gave a mocking bow.
   “Of course not your lieges. But as I’m sure you can see...I’m a bounty hunter. Freelancer if you will. I don’t have superiors.”
He eyed the two of them and decided which one would be easier to take down. He decided the skinny, tall one.
He didn’t let them get past his reply before he pivoted on his right leg and swung out with his left. Knocking the first knight out by the jaw. He fell to the ground, flat on his face.
Drey turned to the more stubby one.
   “At least make it a challenge for me, will ya?” He asked as he held up his fists and bounced on the balls of his feet.
The man’s eyes went from shock, to anger, and he charged forward, fists, up and his suit of armor clattering.
He moved very slowly, and was so clumsy, that it was quiet easy for Dreyden to dodge his attack. He spun away and hit the man’s backside with his foot.
   “Ah!” He yelled as his face came into contact with yerto droppings.
Drey couldn’t help but snicker a little bit.
But then the tall, skinny one was up again.
   “I’ll get you for that!” He threatened. Drey motioned for him to bring it on.
   “I look forward to it. But I don’t have all day. I’ll be leaving soon so if you don’t mind...?”
That just made the knight more mad. He charged forward, screaming at the top of his lungs. And Dreyden couldn’t help but think he sounded like a dying cow.
The man was doing something incredibly stupid. He was going to head butt Drey in the stomach region.
Drey bid his time and waited till the man was almost on top of him. Then, diving sideways a little so he ended up on the man’s left side. Then he vaulted over him and end up on his opposite side.
    “First rule of engagement. Don’t run in on anger. You make mistakes. Didn’t they teach you that in knight training?” He asked as he caught the man’s chin with his knee and shoved down on his back.
The chubby one was back for seconds and tried to take Dreyden by surprise. His keen senses were able to see him from the corner of his eye and he bent his knees down, then launched himself strait up into the air. Curving his body over the knight and he landed with one leg under him and the other out to balance the fall.
   “You’re going to have to be quieter then that if you’re going to try and sneak up on me.” He let out an exasperated sigh.
   “Am I going to have to teach you everything?!”
He didn’t bother to say anything else, he just grabbed the man by the collar and spun him around like a little girls doll. On the third spin he let go and the man slammed into a post.
With both of them down temporarily, Drey turned back to Kade who was just sitting back in the hay stack.
The guards would be up soon and then it would be more trouble for the two of them. He spotted two houses up ahead and turned to Kade.
   “Come on! We have to get up and over.” He shouted over his shoulder.
Kade nodded and the two of them heaved themselves up the side of the house and onto the roof. This particular house was taller then the other ones, and so the way down was farther, and Drey knew that.
   “What ever you do, don’t hesitate or those guards will catch you!” he shouted over his shoulder.
Kade wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but when Drey suddenly disappeared, he caught on.
   “Oh snap!” He shouted, but he vaulted over the side of the roof top and flipped in the air, so he wouldn’t land on his feet and break his legs.
When he expected cobble stone, he got...hay. Soft hay. He was shocked.
   “Get out of sight you plot!” Someone whispered below him.
   “Don’t call me a plot!” He hissed back, diving under the hay, and out of sight.
   “I out rank you. Remember?” Kade reminded him.
   “Yeah, but you forget that a bounty hunter has no rank. So therefore, you can’t out rank me.” Drey shot back from somewhere to his right.
   “Oh shut up. Plot.” He whispered back.
Drey chuckled.
   “I didn’t know one who spent most of his time at well mannered parties could call someone that.”
   “What did I just tell you?”
   “Shh!”
They could hear the guards footsteps outside and Drey was able to just make out their boots.
   “Where’d they go? Did you see where they went?”
   “No! I was standin’ right next to ya!”
   “I can’t believe that stupid boy had the gall to openly make fun of us!”
   “I know! I was there! Remember? Come on, I’m hungry and want lunch. If he shows his face around here again, I’ll gut him right there on the spot.”
The other guard agreed.
   “Come on then. The tavern’s open right now.”
   “Oh boy here we go...the tavern, which in short means the bartender’s daughter.”
   “Oh shut up.”
The two guards shuffled away, one teasing the other about how he has no luck with the women.
Once their voices were gone, the two boys hopped out of the haystack.
   “Well...I didn’t need to hear that last bit.” Drey said thoughtfully as he shook the hay out of his locks. They were getting longer, but he suddenly didn’t want to cut it anymore. Which was odd. For him anyways.
   “Tell me about it. Thanks for you help. Though you should have warned me about the drop. I couldn’t have broken my legs!”
   “Oh yes and that would have been a pity. Well if you don’t mind, I’ve got places to be and people to see. Bye.”
Kade scoffed as the bounty hunter ran off.
   “He is so weird. What is he going on about anyways? Hmm...”

.:+:.

It wasn’t long before Dreyden had all the supplies he needed, and he was back at the meadow.
He dug out Stargazer again and looked at it on his gloved hand. - Just incase Lorem got any ideas.
   “Okay Lorem, you can come out for a little bit now. I want to talk to you. Give you a...uh...a sort of up date.” He still wasn’t use to talking to a stone.
It heated up slightly and soon the growing tiger was standing in front of him again.
   “Sheesh you sure have gotten big. You’re almost up to my waist! That’s just not right mate.” He sighed and shook his head as he plopped down on the ground with his feet hanging over the edge of Cevlon.
Lorem lied down next to him with his big fuzzy head on his paws. Drey almost wanted to reach up and rub his big head. But he was scared that Lorem would just bite his hand off. And he’d need his hand.
Lorem looked up at him with expectance.
   “Erm...right then. Well I looked at the map, and the closest Supreme Gem is in a place called Arriecsent Ruins. Know of it?”
Lorem nodded once.
   “Well good then. At least you’ll be able to help a little. Thing is, sense you...destroyed my home, I figured the sooner we get to it the better. I’m already -”
   “No.”
Drey was taken aback once again by the sudden speech of the magical beast.
He gave himself a moment, then tried to figure out what Lorem was saying ‘no’ to.
   “What?”
   “You can not go.”
It was odd to see a large growing tiger, with a high pitched, squeaky voice.
   “What? Why not?”
   “Because you have yet to find a reason to fight. If you go now with out that reason, you will give up easy, and what good would that do prey tell?”
Drey hadn’t thought the whole reason for fighting thing was all too important. But...he had never thought of it like that before.
   “Then what the heck am I suppose to do? Just sit here and hang tight? I don’t think so!”
   “No. Just find your reason for fighting. What do you cherish? What do you never want to see taken away from you?”
Drey’s gaze fell into the abyss of nothing.
   “Everything I did cherish, everything I never wanted to be taken away from me....has already been ripped away from me.” He answered quietly.
Lorem didn’t say anything for a long moment.
   “Does miss Ellie have something to do with that?”
Dreyden was shocked by that question.
   “Mind you own business!”
Lorem seemed to chuckle.
   “Thought so.”
Dreyden sighed, so the tiger was on to it as well. Not good.
   “She must have liked you a lot, you know.”
Drey looked at him in shock.
   “Huh?”
   “She would have never given Stargazer, and the map to just anyone, you know. It had to be someone she trusted. Though I’m not sure why she handed them over to you so quickly.”
He shrugged innocently.
   “She said it doesn’t take long for one to see someone’s heart. So I guess...she’s just really good at reading people.”
Lorem nodded in agreement.
   “Or she was desperate and sense I was the only guy around she had no one else to do it for her.”
Lorem gave him a warning growl. Which just made him chuckle.
   “You can’t go anywhere till you find your reason for fighting.”

Chapter Four

Chapter 4: The Story is Not Yet Over



Cevlon - Haven:

He watched from the rooftops. His heart weighed down by what was going on before him.
He saw everything.
The bright liquid of the tasteless poison, her last words that moved him to really think that something was wrong with their way of thinking of each other.
The lieutenant handed her the bowl, and Dreyden’s breath got caught in his throat.
The Lost Gem was getting uncomfortably hot, even through the wrapping and leather pocket. Stargazer sensed it too.

This wasn’t right. He knew that. He also shocked himself by thinking that, because he had only known the girl for a few hours at the most. But still...she had made an impression on him. He wasn’t sure what kind of impression, but an impression none the less.
He didn’t want her to die. Which was odd coming from the bounty hunter who handed people over to the government to be ’dealt with’ all the time. So why the heck was she so different?

Elowen accepted the bowl and raised it to her lips. Before she took a sip, she found him. Their eyes locked and she seemed to be saying something, something he couldn’t make out. She gave him one last smile before she drank the poison.
Pain washed over him as the life left her body. She slumped back and the two guards caught her.
Drey couldn’t look away, her deep green eyes had more emotion in them then he had ever seen before.
But then, slowly, her eyes fluttered shut and she went completely limp.
The bowl fell from her fingertips and the guards lifted her up onto a silver platter.

Dreyden followed the procession from the rooftops. They walked down the streets slowly, the crowds were silent. Death wasn’t a welcomed thing, and it didn’t happen often on Cevlon. People usually lived well into their hundreds, and hardly anyone died. But when they did, the procession was always a solemn one, and never welcomed.
From somewhere in the crowd, a voice lifted up in song, broke the silence. The woman sang the usual song that was sung at funerals. Apparently she thought the girl deserved a little more respect then what the Council was giving her.

The platter made its way down the streets of Haven, people were quiet and watched with sadness, or satisfaction in their eyes.
Drey wove in and out of the guards that had been posted on the rooftops. He had trained for most of his life to go unseen, this was no different.
They came to the end of the road, and to the end of Cevlon.
Dreyden took one last look at Elowen’s lifeless body, before the small girl was tipped over the edge of the world.
Drey watched her body fall till it was hidden from his sight in the clouds.
The song ended, and the crowds disappeared. People seemed to breath once again, as if now that Elowen was gone, their worries would disappear as well.
   He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before walking away. But he could swear, that before he did, he saw a flash of something orange in the dark clouds.
Looking again, he saw nothing so he shook it off and walked away.

.:+:.
 
   “How did she open this thing up again?”
Dreyden turned the small teardrop Gem over in his hand, looking at it with curiosity.
   “Lorem. Come out.”
He rapped his knuckles on the Gem, and it heated up instantly.
He shouted in shock and pain and dropped the Gem.
   “Stupid thing.” He muttered as he picked up with his gloved hand.
   “Behave, or I’ll toss you over the edge of Cevlon.” He threatened.
The stone calmed down and Lorem appeared. Though not by his choice.
   “Good boy.” Drey wasn’t exactly sure what to say to the cub that just floated off the ground, and was a silver-blue color.
Lorem growled at him.
   “Okay, fine. I wont treat you like a dog.”
Lorem nodded.
   “I’ll treat you like a cat.”
Lorem barred his teeth and gave him a warning snap.
Drey sighed and faced the wind.
   “Why do I get the feeling we’re not going to get along?” He asked more to himself then to the tiger cub. - Who just ignored him.
Swift shifted his wings, causing Drey to squeeze tighter with his knees.
He pulled out the map Ellie had given him and looked at it once again.
   “Now how did she say it would work? Just simply ask it? As if that doesn’t sound stupid. But then again,...” He gave a wiry glance to the floating tiger. “so does everything that’s been happening to me for the past day.”
The map was nothing special really. Other then the fact that it had an add on to Cevlon, which he assumed must be Falion. Not that he was an expert or anything.
   “Well what am I suppose to ask a piece of paper?! ‘Show me the way’? ‘Tell me your secrets’? ‘Open up you stupid thing’?!”
He groaned when none of those worked. He was sorely tempted to let the piece of paper fly away in the wind.
   “Try ‘Let me see the Supreme Gems.’”
Dreyden yelled in shock and nearly fell of Swift.
Lorem let out a sigh and shifted his paws to a better position as he rested his head on them.
   “Wait, you can talk?!” Drey asked, bending over and looking at the tiger lying on Swift’s neck.
Lorem looked up at him for a minute with one eye before closing it again.
   “I’m going to ignore you now.” The little tiger’s voice was high pitched and kind of squeaky, but it gave no hint as to tell if Lorem was a boy or a girl.
   It took Drey a minute to comprehend what was going on. The tiger could talk, it was ignoring him now, and it had also given him the key to the map. Okay, he could put up with it a little more easily now.

The tiger seemed to be taking a nap, and Drey had no desire to wake it up. So he turned back to the map.
Feeling slightly stupid, he said the words. “Let me see the Supreme Gems.”
The map glowed blue for a long moment, engulfing it completely, then died down, but the color still lingered along the outlines.
Now, it wasn’t just the usual map that he had been studying just moments before. Now, there were glowing blue dots that he assumed, marked the location of the Lost Gems.
   “By the love of Eleyos...Can everything she said be true?”
With this in mind, he realized that he would actually have to go through with his promise to the girl.
Was he meant to go on this quest? was he suppose to save both worlds? He couldn’t imagine Eleyos choosing him of all people. He would just mess things up.
He’d mess everything up.

Dreyden sighed and shoved the map back into his pocket and told Swift to go back home.
He couldn’t do it. He didn’t want to mess everything up...again.

.:+:.

Cevlon - Haven:

Kade didn’t know where else to look. He didn’t know who else to talk to. Or what else to do.
He had searched high and low for days now, and he had yet to find Sonera.

Letting out a groan, he sat down on a doorstep. His head fell into his hands and he tried to ignore the strong wind. Only, unsuccessfully.
The wind seemed to tug not only at his dark black hair and cape, but his heart as well. All of his guilt washed over him once more. It was a guilt that he couldn’t shake, no matter how hard he tried. It had been weighing down his soul ever sense Sonera had stormed off on him.
He knew he had to do something about it, or he might never make it out of the dark pit he was in.

He took a calming breath and folded his hands.
   “Okay. Okay Eleyos. I know. I know. I’ve put you off for far to long and only played the part of a follower. And I’m sorry. Okay? I’m sorry. My life is a mess because I didn’t follow your rules and didn’t do as you asked. I see that now. And I really am sorry...Please don’t let me loose the one thing that’s been a ray of light in my life...Please.”
Kade ran his hand under his nose and took another deep breath as he looked up at the world that seemed to be passing by. Leaving him behind.
His guilt was gone in an instant, and weights lifted off his shoulders. He almost cried from relief, but held himself back. Knowing that people were watching him, and it wouldn’t set a good example for people to see him crying.

With a clear mind, he set out to find Sonera again. He wasn’t going to give up till he found her. Dead or alive, safe or in trouble, one way or another. He was going to find her. He knew that much. It was just a matter of time.

.:+:.

Cevlon - The Council Halls:

Mentis was not happy.
His plan had been dumped right down to the Earth Below, and the Chief Commander was as blind as a dead yerto.

He marched down the open halls of the Council palace, that was the center piece to Haven. The sun filtered through the crystal roof, causing rainbows to show everywhere. The transparent floor showed a clear blue river flowing below the palace. Mentis was walking against the current, and watching the water made his head swim.
He made his way through the bright halls. His dark robes, a bold contradiction to all the light around.
His steps were brisk and soundless. They finally came to a stop at a large dark oak door. He pushed it open and quickly closed it behind him.
Mentis walked to his large desk and quickly pulled out a fresh parchment scroll and dipped his quill in the inkwell. He then went to work scribbling words onto the yellowed paper. Crafting his words ever so carefully as to leave a loop hole big enough to jump through, but small enough for it to go unseen.
He couldn’t fail. He couldn’t fail. He couldn’t-
   “Mentis!”
The old man yelped and jerked so badly that his inkwell spilt all over his desk, causing everything to be drowned in darkness. Literally.
He turned around and was faced by a man that haunted his dreams. Well...if he could even call it a man.
His face was hidden by a deep cowl of a cape that was made of smoke. All Mentis could make out was a weeks old stubble. The man might not look like much, but he was evil it’s self. Mentis wouldn’t go so far as to call him Viglour’s reincarnation, but he was very close.
   “Yes-Yes my lord?” Mentis made a deep bow. So low he wondered if he would be able to get back up. At the very least he’d have a sore back for the next month!
   “I hear...she got away.”
Mentis tried to hide the guilty look.
   “Yes-yes my lord.”
   “Well...you have failed me yet again Mentis.”
   “I promise I wont this time sire! I have a plan. And a very good one at that. It’ll work I promise.”
The man scoffed. His robe of shadows shook slightly.
   “Very well Mentis.” He declared in his thick, deep voice. “I will grant you one more try. Fail me this time, and it will be your last.”
Mentis bowed deeper till his nose grazed the ground.
   “You are too kind my lord. Too kind.”
   “Flattery will get you no where Mentis.” His voice turned to ice in a matter of seconds. “Just get your job done. And get it done right.”

.:+:.

Cevlon - Shack just outside Haven:


It was a nightmare. A pure terror. And yet...not all of it was bad.
   In his dream he was seeing that face he couldn’t get out of his head. He kept seeing it everywhere he went. Her bright green eyes and beautiful smile. It was nerve racking. And then somehow comforting at the same time. Which he didn’t like.

In his dream, she was back. Alive obviously. They were standing in the meadow that was right outside the city walls. Night time had fallen, and the stars were falling like usual. The starlight made her face glow and he couldn’t help but gape. Which made her laugh.
Her laugh, however, made him feel very guilty.
   “Why did you have to die?” He asked. Though he would have been better off talking to thin air. Because she didn’t reply.
   “And why do I feel such a strong connection to you even though I didn’t know you for very long?!”
Again she laughed, but this time she did answer back.
   “It doesn’t take long for someone to see peoples hearts. And you have a knack for that.”
   “For what?”
   “For seeing people’s hearts of course. Where you not just listening. You didn’t seem that daft when I knew you.”
   “Oi! Watch what your sayin’!”
She giggled into her hand. But then turned around and looked up at the great open sky.
   “You know...I found I like to fly. Though... I don’t think I’d ever had had the courage if you hadn’t pushed me over the ledge with out a warning. And I would have never even dreamed of doing it if you hadn’t been there in the first place.”
   “You make me sound like I did you a favor.” Drey stated numbly.
   “You did!”
Drey sighed and crossed his arms as he tapped his foot annoyingly.
   “Why am I dreaming about you? And why am I dreaming of having a conversation with you, where you are actually answering me?! This is just too...out of the usual.”
   “Haha! When has your life ever been usual may I ask? You don’t seem to be the type for ‘usual’ what ever that may be.” She rolled her eyes and clasped her hands behind her back.
Dreyden rolled his eyes back in reply. But he still couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all too bizarre.
    “You’re having doubts Dreyden.” She said in a matter-of-fact way.
Drey’s eyes grew wide as his mouth dropped.
   “How did you know?”
She smiled at the ground between her feet.
   “I just know. But please Drey. You promised! Are you really going to leave me with guilt on my...dead conscious?”
Drey rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness.
   “I don’t know what you want me to do. You’re dead. Alright?! You’re bloody dead. And...and I honestly don’t know why I’m breaking down all of a sudden.”
Drey suddenly realized that he was crying. In front of a girl! That’s just not done!
She rested a small hand on his arm and squeezed.
   “I think you do.”
Elowen was suddenly gone, but her words rang through his head as the scenery suddenly changed.

Dreyden was no longer in the meadow just outside Haven.
He was back into a place that he never wanted to see again. He hated it. This memory.

Screaming was everywhere. Fires were burning. Homes were collapsing. People were dying. Everywhere he looked he just saw devastation and terror.
He heard his name being called and turned to see his brother running up to him.
Everyone use to mistake them for twins, if it weren’t for the fact that his brother had brown eyes and he had blue.
   “Dreyden! You’ve got to get out of here! It’s not safe and you’re a sitting duck! Come on!”
Just like when this happen, Dreyden followed his older brother through the debris of the remains of his home town.
   “Brother I don’t want to run!”
It was like a recording. He was doing, and saying the same things that he had said when he was little.
   “Oh suck it up!” His brother shouted back at him.
They ran for what seemed like ages. Drey’s older brother dragging him through mud and water like it wasn’t there at all.
   “Where are we going?!”
   “To meet father...in the secret meadow.” His brother explained.

The closer they got to their goal, the more tired they both became. When they climbed up the last hill, Dreyden fell flat on his face. Tripping on a stone.
   “Come on Drey. We’ve got to keep going. You have to get out of here!”
His brother tugged at his arm as he was pulled up from the ground.
   “Me?! What about you?! And father?!”
His brother didn’t answer.
Before Dreyden could get up to his feet, there was a yell from behind them. Not the scared kind of yelling, but the war cry yell.
Dreyden’s brother dropped his arm and looked up in shock.
   “Dreyden! Get out of here! Get to the meadow, and get to father! Don’t look back!”
By this time his brother had already unsheathed his sword and dagger, stepping in front of his fallen brother in a protective stance.

Drey pushed himself to his feet once more and turned to see what was going on.
He wish he hadn’t.
His brother was doomed to fight a Nigvorian. Nigvorians were a fierce, brutal race that was as big as an ox and stood on two legs with hoofs instead of feet.
The Nigvorians favored massive battle axes to swords, and they had to have the overly large ones for any others were too puny for their bulging hands to hold.

   “No brother you can’t fight him on your own!”
Drey shouted, unsheathing his own sword. He still had yet to finish his training with his father, so he had but a practice sword. But it was still sharp, and made of metal. so that was all he needed
His brother cast him a side glare, but he kept most of his attention on the opposing enemy.
   “No! Get you butt over to the meadow now! Or I swear I’ll knock you senseless!”
Dreyden was confused by that statement, for how could he got to the meadow, if he was knocked out? But he hadn’t bothered to point that out.
   “But-”
Too late. The Nigvorian attacked his brother, and Dreyden realized just how big and scary a Nigvorian could really be.
He watched in horror as his brother tried to stand up to the brute single-handedly.
He was smacked around a lot till his face looked nothing like the brother Dreyden had grown up with.
It was only a mater of minutes before he was down for the count and couldn’t get up. Drey could see the effort it took him just to lift his head up to see him.
   “Go! Run!”
And Drey hated to admit it. But he ran away. Like the coward he was.

Drey shook his head and tried to shake the memory.
   “Dreyden...” It was Elowen’s soft voice this time. Everything was starting to go dark and out of focus. He couldn’t see her at all, but somehow, he knew she was there.
   “For too long have you had no reason for fighting for your world...” Her voice was getting harder to hear. Like she was getting farther away.
   “Find a reason to fight again...And then...save...us...”
Her voice finally faded. As did his dream.

He woke with a start. Cold sweat dripping off his face, palms and back. He looked around and in the pre-dawn light, he could make out the outline of his cot.
Letting out a deep sigh, he shoved off the thin sheet and swung his legs over the edge.
He rubbed his head, and ran a hand through his dark hair that was getting a little on the long side.
Drey pushed himself off the cot. Lorem stirred slightly when he was dropped from Drey’s lap, to the bed. But he didn’t wake.
   “Thank Eleyos for that.” He muttered as he shuffled over to the door of the small shack. “Took him forever to get to sleep.”
He swung the door open and stepped out quietly.

His shack of a home was just outside the city walls. He liked free spaces. Not the city. It was too crowded, to busy and way too loud. He could barely hear him self think, let alone function correctly. Though over the years, he’s figured out away to block most of it out.

But right now...the silence never seemed so loud. The ever so colorful sky shone over him and suddenly seemed unwelcoming. Everything did.
He always seemed to mess something up! If nothing else, it was himself.
Dreyden let out a deep groan as he gripped his hair. He fell to his knees and cried out in despair.
   “I hate it! I’m sick of it all! I’m sick of feeling lonely! Of feeling empty! I don’t want it anymore!” He shouted to the skies. “What do You want from me?! You’ve already taken everything!”

Drey cried till his throat was horce, and he had no more tears to shed. Then he just sat there. numb and exhausted. Not knowing what to do or where to go from here.
But Elowen’s last request kept going through his head.
   “Find a reason to fight again.”
His head jolted up as he thought about that.
   “A reason to fight eh?” He muttered. An idea dawned on him.
Maybe...he already had a reason to fight...he just didn’t know it.