Kirn and Sera rose early the next morning.

Turoth had allowed his guests the use of two rooms in the library for the night in which to sleep after their long travels.

With the sun peaking over the horizon, the siblings found themselves standing at the front gate as they had last night. However this time, they were leaving the place behind. Furthermore, they were not leaving unaccompanied.

Turoth and a dozen uninitiated mages stood with the travelers in the dawn light. One of the lower wizards was adjusting the straps on his heavy backpack. The baggage held what little currency could be found in the library?s coffers.

Before them stretched the rolling green field that separated the library from the town where the lower mages were sent ever so often for supplies.

"I assume you passed the village on your way here?" Turoth ventured to ask the two.

"We didn?t stop in." Kirn said. "As I understand, Gil-ki-tew is not friendly towards our kind."

"Indeed it?s not." Muldicak nodded grimly. "We?ve come to know their ?hospitality? on a regular basis. Are you sure you want to come along, Turoth?"

"Ever since I became a Spirit, I joined in the Spirits? fear of our own people." The archmage said while looking to the sunrise and the small town below it. "It was almost like taking a vow of isolationism. If I?m going to die in the next few days, then I want to at least be able to say that I broke the silence between us and them before my life ended."

"And you, Miss Stormpheonix?" The lower mage turned to Sera. "You might want to stay here."

"I don?t think you need to worry about me. I might not have magic on my side, but I can defend myself if anything should get ugly."

"That?s not what I meant." Muldicak frowned.

Then what does he mean? Sera asked silently.

"Well then, if everyone?s ready," Said Kirn. "Then we?d best be going."

The modest group of mages set down the path from the mountain fortress for Gil-ki-tew. Sera?s own pace was a bit slower than that of the wizards as she found herself again pondering Muldicak?s remark.

The town was a simple farming settlement. The roads were unpaved, and dust rose in clouds when a horse-drawn wagon passed on its way. Many of the building were of sturdy construction, though some of the older structures still had straw roofing, which many felt was a fire just waiting to happen.

People pointed to the wizards and their colorful robes. Men spoke in lower tones as the Turoth and his students came within earshot. Women gave them a wide berth and pulled away curious children who always wanted to get a closer look at the people who came into town every month or so.

"Have you ever been here before, Kirn?" Sera asked her brother. The stares from the townspeople were making the treasure hunter vastly uncomfortable.

"No." The mage kept an uneasy watch at the distanced spectators. "The place?s reputation kept me from ever visiting."

"How could the Spirits build their library so near here? I wouldn?t want to live with this kind of atmosphere at me my door."

"We staked our claim hundreds of years before Gil-ki-tew was even founded." A purple-robed sorceress answered. "The Spirits of generations ago worked long and hard to build a sanctuary for us. They weren?t willing to give it up, and neither are we now. Unfortunately, these folks have proven to be as stubborn as we are."

It struck Sera as odd. For so long she had seen the Spirits as cowards hiding in their library. But when it came to their home, they had the gumption to hold their ground against the prejudices that threatened them to this day.

They continued to walk along the dirt road that acted as Gil-ki-tew?s main street.

"So how much should we be worrying?" Kirn asked Muldicak.

"They don?t get physically violent often. Just don?t use any magic. That?s a surefire way to set them off."

"You make it sound as if we?re walking around a pack of wolves."

"Heh." Muldicak chuckled humorlessly. "I wish we could be so lucky."

Just then, something small tumbled into the party of wizards. It bumped amongst their feet as it rolled about.

Sera looked down to see that it was a patchwork ball of stitched together materials. The cloth enveloping the sphere had grown frayed from constant use and a bit of cotton stuffing was hanging out one side. She picked the round toy up and looked about for the owner.

Sure enough, she found a child of about nine years looking fearfully at the ball Sera held in her hands. The boy gazed at it like a prized possession being taken away forever.

Sera gave the little one a wide smile and approached him. Before she got more than two steps, there was a hand on her shoulder.

"Don?t." Muldicak commanded her. "Just keep it. Do not return it."

"Nonsense." The young woman pulled herself gently from the mage?s gasp. "This will hardly take a moment."

Sera went to the boy and held the ball to the boy. With a closer look, she could tell that the child had been born slower. Most people used the term "dim" to describe the condition, but Sera never liked to refer to such people in that manner.

"Does this belong to you?" She asked softly.

The boy?s face brightened with a good-natured grin at the sight of the offered toy.

"Ball!" He exclaimed.

"Here you go." Sera said pleasantly. She always loved children. She had been considering having one of her own when she was older and had settled down.

The tiny lad started running up to take the ball when a woman rushed out and took the boy in her arms. She wore a large dress common among housewives of this time. The woman looked at Sera with contempt.

"Don?t go near him." She yelled while holding the boy defensively. "Your kind have done enough damage to him already."

"I meant no harm." Sera replied defensively and held up the ball. "I just thought your son would want this back."

"You won?t bewitch my boy any further!" The mother batted the ball with her free hand from Sera?s. It rolled down in the middle of the street where pedestrians avoided it like it had been dipped in feces.

Turoth found the ball to stop at his feet. He picked it up and walked over to the woman who hissed her insults at Sera.

"She is not one of us." The Spirit declared. "You have no need to quarrel with her."

"Don?t come any closer, you monster. The mayor may be willing to look past what are, but I know just what all you mages are capable of. So get out of here and take your witch with you."

That last insult pushed Sera a little too far. Her face showed that she was ready to have it out with the mother.

"You can?t just?!"

"Let it go." Turoth said while putting an arm in front of Sera. "We?ll be moving along."

Sera looked up at Turoth, but saw that he had been keeping his eyes steady with the angered resident.

"For what it?s worth," He said to the mother. "However different you may think your child is, he is still yours and as deserving of life?s gifts as anyone of us."

"You?d know, demon. You cast him in your image."

Turoth said no more. He merely turned and moved away.

Sera turned to the mother with her child. The woman made a religious gesture Sera couldn?t quite recognize, but she guessed it was meant as a ward against magic. Sera left the two and followed after Turoth who had rejoined the rest of the wizards.

"There are some people I think Existence could stand to go on without." She said to Turoth.

"When the boy first showed the signs, some of the townspeople claimed it was caused by living so near the library. The village laid a siege against us for three months."

"I never witnessed such strife." Sera said.

"Towns like Gil-ki-tew are few and far between, but they do exist."

"I?ve been to some others like this one." Kirn interjected. "After a while, you can almost pick out the people who want to start a ruckus by looking at them. Now you know why I often travel alone."

"Why did you just stand back there with the others?" Sera asked her brother.

"It would have just made matters worse."

"Kirn is most likely right." Turoth agreed. "The siege against us was six years ago. And from what the uninitiated magicians have been reporting this year, the people here have been waiting for an excuse to start another."

They passed more people of Gil-ki-tew. A pair of burly men stood in the doorway of the local tavern with their arms crossed with grins on their faces. They were the first smiling townspeople Sera had seen all day.

"Looks like the old warlocks got tired of the women they have in the castle." One of the two locals said loud enough for Sera to hear. "Guess they thought it was time to conjure up a whore."

She had had enough of this. The young woman reached for her short sword.

"Stand down, Sera." Kirn said harshly. "Picking a fight here isn?t going to do anyone a bit of good."

"But, you heard him!" Sera gritted out, keeping her voice low and controlled. "I don?t have to take that."

"You do. We have something more important to risk getting killed over."

Never before had seen been insulted in such a way. Everywhere she went she made friends fast. Of course, she knew it came from her looks as much as her personality. But just being among these wizards had an entire town come to see her as something less than human.

How did Kirn deal with it all these years?

"Just save that fire." Instructed Kirn. "You?ll need it for the mountains."

Sera turned and gave the men at the tavern a dirty look before. While doing that, she noticed Muldicak passing in front of her.

"You were warned before we left." The mage whispered as if he had been berating a disobedient daughter.

Such a cold statement from Muldicak in a place that was so hostile only added to the hurt she felt. In wondering what she could possibly do, she found that she could only keep going and not let this town know that its attitude effected her. It seemed to be how the mages were getting by. They didn?t look at anyone. They just walked to their destination.

All she wanted was just to get out of Gil-ki-tew. And by the looks of the wizards, they had been thinking along the same lines from the moment they first entered town.

On the other side of town was a wide barn with an expansive fenced area right in front of it. Within the fence were several dozen horses grazing. It was a modest ranch in comparison with the ones Sera had seen in her travels. The walls of the barn looked like they would need to be replaced next year and the tiny house not far from it could stand some repairs. But the horses looked well fed and healthy enough to get them to the mountains.

"Let?s hope the ranch owner holds a better view of magicians than the rest of the town." Kirn commented.

"Actually," Muldicak countered. "We?ve come to understand that she sees everyone?s gold as the same."

Turoth led the party of mages to the barn. Some of the horses whinnied at the presence of so many visitors.

The door into the barn was open, so Turoth entered with the others close by.

Inside, they found a pair of teenage girls carrying bags of feed to a wooden trough. They were wearing common brown and gray farm clothes made of coarsely woven wool. Both of them carried the heavy sacks with surprising ease.

"Excuse me." Turoth called out to the girls.

Both of the teenagers looked up casually at first. However, shock registered on their faces upon seeing the Spirit?s brown robes. Having so many men and women in the purple and blue garb of the uninitiated behind just accentuated the shock from knowing who the visitors really were.

"We were hoping to talk to somebody about buying some horses." Said Turoth after the girls? had fully taken in the sight of the wizards.

The pair of ranch workers dropped their bags and swiftly left the room through another door.

"Ma!" The party heard one of the girls yelled in the distance. "One of the Spirits is here!"

"Then again, I might have been mistaken." Muldicak shrugged his shoulders.

"Sturdy gals." Kirn said to no one in particular. Even in a town like Gil-ki-tew, Sera?s brother managed to keep his mind in the gutter.

"Don?t go getting anymore trouble than we already have." Sera ordered.

Shortly there after, the two girls returned with a woman in her mid-forties. Like her daughters, she had the build of someone who was used to hard physical labor. Her light brown hair had a few strands of gray peeking out and there were some noticeable wrinkles around her eyes. The short-sleeved shirt and thick pants were dirty enough to show that she had been in the middle of some significant work. Her hands wore a pair of leather gloves made for this kind of environment.

"You?re the last people I?d ever expect to see at my door." She said in a husky voice.

"We were hoping to do some business." Turoth nodded. "Do you happen to have any horses for sale?"

"I might." The ranch woman answered. "But I have to tell you, doing business with you isn?t good for my reputation with the town."

"No," Turoth agreed. "I could imagine that it wouldn?t be. But we have a lot of ground to cover."

"Where might you be headed?"

"The Steel Mountains, but we were hoping to stop by an elven colony on our way."

"Not your regular outing, I take it."

"Not really. But in any case, do you have horses to sell?"

"How many were you to buy?" The rancher asked.

"Thirty-five."

"You?re kidding, right? That?s nearly my entire stock."

"We are very serious." Turoth said.

The rancher smiled at the aspect of making such a massive sale. "Let me throw out a rough estimate of what I think they?d go for off the top of my head."

"Alright."

"Thirty-five horses. I assume you?ll need saddles and whatnot."

"Of course. Also, we would like to buy provisions for our trip if you have any."

"That I do." She then looked to the ceiling as she either did the math or just came up with a high price to suit her fancy.

"I?d say that would all come down to, oh say? four thousand gold."

"Done." Turoth responded simply.

"Done?!" The rancher asked. She hunched over as if she had just been punched in the stomach. "You don?t want to mull it over, maybe even haggle?"

"No. We?d be willing to pay four thousand hundred."

For effect, Kirn patted the backpack of the mage carrying their money. The heavy jingling that came from the bulging pack showed Turoth was in complete earnest.

The rancher did her best to keep her composure, but it was visible that she was having trouble in doing so.

"There?s only one other occasion I?ve seen that makes a woman react like that." Kirn whispered to Sera with a perverse grin.

"Just like that?" The rancher went on, still not quite believing Turoth?s passive agreement to the price. "Four thousand gold."

"Do you think we should pay less?" Turoth asked naively, but his tone was completely faked.

"No?uh?I mean, when do you need all this?"

"As soon as possible. We?d like to be on our way out before the afternoon has passed."

The rancher?s two daughters were as dumbstruck as their mother by the deal going on in front of them.

"Girls." The mother said to the teenagers. "Get your sisters and brother. Tell them to open up the back shed and get things ready."

There was no argument from the two they ran out faster than they had when first seen the mages in their barn.

"But whatever happened to your reputation?" Turoth inquired, still playing the role of the idiot customer. "I?m sure this won?t go over well with the town."

"Let them think what they will. We?ll find a way cope. If you?ll excuse me, I?ll get started on that order for you. Feel free to look about the place or whatever."

With that, the rancher left the group of mages standing there in the barn.

"You agreed to the price a little too quickly for my liking." Muldicak said to his teacher.

"Perhaps, but when you get to the heart of the matter, what should be saving for?"

"Point taken."

They left the barn and returned to the outdoors to stand along the fence. In time, the rancher woman came back with her arms loaded with leather bridles.

And so the preparations for the Spirits departure began.

Even with the matter of acquiring horses and provisions taken care of, the mages were as busy as ever.

For the first time anyone living there could remember, the Library of the Spirits was nearly empty. Most of its occupants were down at the front gates making the final preparations. The Spirits themselves were double checking make sure they had all of their necessary spell components.

The only two who weren?t occupied with pressing matters were Kirn and Sera. All of their belongings were still in the packs, so they had been ready for travel from the start.

Kirn sat casually atop his mount with his staff strapped to the saddle. Sera stood next to her horse and gently stroked the neck of the animal.

"All this waiting is starting to get to me." Kirn muttered. It was hard for both of them to stay still while knowing that they were waiting to ride off to die.

Turoth came riding up to the siblings. His face was grim and stern.

"By the looks of things, I?d say that every Spirit in the library is set to go." Sera said to the archmage.

"There?s somebody missing here." Turoth said with closed eyes. His eyes opened as he remembered who was absent. "Has anybody seen Shoden?" He then shouted to everyone in earshot.

"I spoke to him earlier at breakfast." Faira said, riding up to the group on a white horse. Her robes fluttered about in the afternoon wind. "He plans to stay here to oversee the students here."

"Cowardly bastard." Turoth remarked. "Then again, I suppose it?s his choice to stay behind."

"This is taking too long." Said Kirn. "By the time everyone?s set to leave, night will have already fallen."

"You?re right. Faira, tell the others that the Stormpheonixes and I will ride ahead. Anyone who is ready can come along. The rest should be able to catch up with us by the time we make camp tonight."

Faira looked down right enraged to have instruction given to her by Turoth, but many of the Spirits said that he should lead the mission. The sorceress?s cheeks flushed red, but she restrained herself from doing anything rash.

"You should give the students some hope." She said. "They need a boost to moral, if we?re leaving them for good."

"I?ll make an announcement." Nodded Turoth. "It will be ready when you have the others gathered."

Faira rode off into the milling crowd. Her voice called out to convey Turoth?s message.

Sera mounted her horse and rode up next to her brother. The three of them waited there until Faira came back with five other Spirits coming behind her on horseback.

"Is everybody here ready?" Turoth asked those gathered around.

"Ready as we?ll ever be." Sera said.

"All right then. This will just take a minute."

Turoth then rode to the crowd of nearly one hundred and fifty mages.

"Everyone." He yelled. The wizards turned from their duties to look upon the speaker.

"Those of us who are leaving are doing so to face the greatest threat known to Existence. From what little we know the dragon is a being of magic. And with us being wielders of magic, it is possible that we will triumph.

The lower mages gave looks of admiration at courage within this man many of them had come to respect. In silence, they hung on his every word.

"I won?t lie to you. We are not likely to survive. If we succeed, then know now, those of you staying here, that you are to carry on our tradition. Much of the world has come to hate us for what we are. But you are to remain at this library to carry on and make sure that while much of humanity may not care for us, we will always be around. And those who hold the same desire to learn that you do can look to this place as a beacon of light, a place that will take in those willing to join in the quest for knowledge. As long as that is done, our sacrifice will not have been in vain.

"That is all I have to say."

Turoth pulled at the reins and turned his horse to face away from the crowd.

"To all of you," Turoth said. "It has been an honor to study in your presence."

With those words, the Spirit lightly kicked his horse in the ribs and was on his way with eight others in tow.

The weather was picturesque on their trip. However, it did little to lighten the dark mood that had set in.

When night fell hours later, the first nine travelers from the library set up camp for the night. Little was said as they built the fires to cook their dinner. Just before the meal was ready, the other Spirits rode up.

There were a few greetings exchanged, but little else in the way of words. After a cheerless and mute dinner, the bedrolls were laid out and the expedition settled in for the night.

Morning came and Kirn was the first to finally break the silence by starting a conversation with a trio of the Spirits.

The archmages looked a little uncomfortable talking to an outcast like Kirn at first, but they started to act more relaxed when they began debating over the properties of talismans and their uses. Throughout the day, Kirn was in good humor for having established a common ground for himself and the Spirits.

While the elder Stormpheonix was making friends with those who had once considered him a delinquent, Sera was left to her own devices. Her mind wandered as she let her horse carry her along.

At first, she began thinking of the dragon?s lair and the rumor of the treasure within. Then her mind shot to what she knew would be waiting for her in the Steel Mountains.

Death was not a topic she liked to dwell on. When she did think about it, she always imagined herself dying at an old age with a reputation as one of the last great adventures of Neddel. Being killed by a dragon in a cave with thirty or so many wizards when she was still young and in the prime of her life was not what she had in mind.

By this time, Kirn had left the wizards he had been talking with and had ridden over by Sera.

"How are you holding up?" He asked concernedly.

"Apparently not as good as you are." Sera said. "We?re going off to die, and you?re swapping recipes with your new friends."

"I don?t know how much death you?ve had to face while robbing goblins," Kirn stated. "But I?ve seen the world and I?ve seen a lot of people die. Far too many, I must say. They die from diseases, from starvation, and from wounds every day in this world. Death?s a common force that we all have to deal with.

"I?m afraid of dying as much as the next person, Sera, and I know it comes for everyone sooner or later. But that?s why I?ve lived my life as I have. You always made fun of my lifestyle. And maybe I have lived more loosely than I?ve had a right to. But I want to live my days to their fullest. Even when Father died, I don?t think I took it nearly as hard as you did. I picked up and went on a lot sooner than you.

"And now, I know where my end is. So I don?t want to spend my last days moping around in this saddle feeling sorry for myself."

Sera could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes. She felt so weak while Kirn was able to say "Fuck the future and dying, I?ve still got a bit of life to live."

She looked down at her horse?s mane and let her brown hair tumble down to hide her face. The tears hadn?t rolled out yet, but her vision was starting to blur.

The treasure hunter had gone into dangerous situations before. Skating that edge was one of the thrills that went with what she did. In the past, she always had that one thing to hang onto and keep her alive. Hope. The potential to survive was always there.

However, without that now, she had nothing to grasp hold of. For the first time in her life, she was going out to play a game she was sure to lose.

"You all right?" Kirn asked.

"Yeah." Sera whispered. "Just fine."

"Remember that I?m still here for you. You don?t need to hold back what you feel around me."

Sera turned her faced up to look at her brother. Her smooth face was crimson as tears streaked down her cheeks.

"I?m scared." She said, stifling a sob. "I don?t think I ever have been since I got over Father. But now, I?m really scared."

"It?s alright to be afraid of what we have to face." Replied Kirn tenderly. "There?s no shame in it. The only shame is to let it rule you. To let it consume you until you can?t live your own life anymore. Look at Turoth over there."

Sera put her eyes on the Spirit riding ahead of them. He rode his horse steadily. His face portrayed no emotion. The humor that many of the Spirits had come to know and love was little more than a memory for now.

"Of all the Spirits I met, he was the only one that really impressed me. It wasn?t because of his skill with magic. And he?s not radically different from the others. He follows many of the habits of the other Spirits. But what sets him apart from the others is that he?s adaptable to new ideas.

"When I first visited the library, he was demonstrating a spell that was capable of allowing water to be as breathable as air. It was designed to let wizards study sea-life.

"I didn?t like the principle behind it. The spell worked on the water itself by altering the water so that while the caster could breath, the surrounding fish would suffocate and couldn?t be naturally studied.

"While Turoth was going into the details on the spell?s incantation, I was looking up a different spell in my book that let the caster breath water without disrupting the surrounding environment.

"I brought the spell to his attention right there during my lecture. I handed him my book and he looked at the spell. Most of the teachers would have been upset to have their methods questioned by a student, so I was expecting to butt heads.

"Instead, he just smiled and told everyone that my spell was preferable. It was that open-mindedness that showed the Spirits, like all people, are each different."

"So what are you getting at here?" Sera asked. "Turoth?s turned out to be a decent man. I learned that two days ago."

"But there?s more to him than just that. Unlike the others, he can see when there is a need to take action. You?ve heard and seen what he?s had to convince the other Spirits to do. Accomplishing all that must have been a major strain on him. You can tell he?s been getting worn down by the past four years when he learned that everyone?s days are numbered. But he?s still pulling through it all."

Sera felt a little better now that she and Kirn were talking.

"How do you think he got so influential?" She asked.

"I don?t really know. I never asked any of the Spirits about their pasts, and they aren?t the types to bring it up in a conversation. We could ask some of the others what they know of Turoth."

"I haven?t known him long," Sera said. "But I?m getting kind of curious about why he?s different."

The siblings first thought asking Faira, but they had already become familiar with her icy disposition. So they steered their horses toward a pair of Spirits speaking to each other. One was a mildly portly man with his hood covering his head. The other was a heavily built, dark-skinned fellow.

"No," The black-skinned wizard was arguing. "If we waste our time on just casting up defenses, then the dragon will take that time to gather its strength and use its magic to destroy us. What we should focus on is hitting fast and hard."

"And what if the dragon decides to burn us all with that breath?" The other Spirit debated. "It doesn?t need to gather any strength for that. It just has to breath in and then out will come the flames."

The sorcerers saw Kirn and Sera riding towards them, and ceased their bickering for a brief moment.

"What do you think, Stormpheonix? After all, you?re about the only mage here with combat experience." The one insisting on defense asked Kirn. "Ormer here wants to go charging in blindly with spells flying in all directions."

"I think that caution would be prudent." Kirn began to say.

"I never said we should charge in blindly." The Spirit named Ormer said. "I just think that we should strike first while we have the element of surprise."

"Truly," Kirn let go of his horse reins to display his empty hands. "I don?t know what to expect in such a battle. Do you think really think this is a fight for magic?"

"You have to admit," Ormer declared. "It would be infinitely easier for the dragon to cast a spell than trying to kill each one of us. If we give it a chance, the first spell the dragon utters will kill us all. That?s why I say we should land the telling blow before the damn beast has a chance to know what?s going on."

"Perhaps you should ask Turoth?s opinion on the subject." Kirn suggested. "He?s the one leading this quest."
"His input would be helpful." Ormer said. "We?ll have much to discuss the subject when we camp in the colonies tonight."

"Who is Turoth anyway?" Asked Kirn. "He seems different from the rest of you somehow."

"That?s a question that Kerbel here and I gave up trying to answer long ago." Ormer answered.

"It must have been nearly twenty years ago when he joined us." Kerbel said. "I remember that it wasn?t long after I had became a Spirit myself when this young man in gray came to our gates and said that he wished to study with us. He impressed us all during his first month. He set a record in speed for grasping the basics of magic. After a year, this young genius was formulating new spells from scratch that actually worked. In five years, he was unanimously promoted to our level. He later became one our best instructors. He always had a knack for relating well to the young students who came to us and explaining things."

"But what do you know of his past?" Kirn insisted. "Where is he from? What did he originally do before becoming a mage?"
"He said that he was born in the Southern regions." Kerbel responded. "I was born there myself. My people are a very tight knit group, and everybody knows everybody there. Never in all my life had I ever heard of anyone named Turoth."

"He also told us that he used to be a blacksmith in one of the villages there." Ormer said. "Now, take a gander at him. Does he look like the kind of person you would picture as a blacksmith? He?s in good shape, I?ll give him that, but he doesn?t have the kind of build someone like myself does."

"So you don?t believe his story?" Sera asked.

"Not for a second." Ormer said.

"But doesn?t it make you suspicious that he?s not being completely honest with you?" She continued to press the issue.

"We all have our own little stories to our lives." Kerbel countered. "I?ve known Turoth for over twenty years, and I can tell you that he is a good man. If following him to our deaths doesn?t prove that, I don?t know what would. About the only person who I?ve seen him clash with is Faira."

"What is her problem anyway?" Questioned Kirn. "Every time Turoth opens his mouth, she looks ready to go berserk."

"Don?t tell anyone I said this," Kerbel said in a hushed tone so as not be overheard. "But I think she?s just a real bitch."

"It?s not just that." Ormer said in the sorceress?s defense. "Her and Turoth were together once. When they weren?t fighting, they were all over each other, if you mind me being blunt. The two of them had even set a date for a wedding."

"So what happened?" Asked Sera. This was a part of Turoth?s life neither she nor Kirn could have guessed.

"A dragon decided to cast a spell on the Realms." Ormer answered sadly. "When Turoth found out what was going on with Existence, he dedicated himself to finding a way to counter the spell. He insisted that the wedding be postponed until the danger was averted. Faira agreed reluctantly, but we all saw how set she was on the marriage. The harder Turoth worked, the farther apart the two of them were driven."

"I never realized it had been like that." Sera said. "That?s terrible."

"A crisis can drive people apart as easily as it can bring them together." Ormer gazed towards Faira as he finished the story. "With the spell being cast, it was like the entire library had become a world unto itself. The rest of Neddel was living in blissful ignorance while we were racing to stop its complete annihilation. And it still hasn?t changed."

Kirn and Sera remained silent with the knowledge that while the Spirits spent their lives hiding in their library, those lives still held meaning. The Spirits were just people with hopes, desires, and fears like the rest of humanity, not just a pack of arrogant wizards who had turned their backs on the outside.

And by that knowledge, the Stormpheonixes were humbled.

The rest of the ride passed well. They were lucky. Goblin raiders had been known to inhabit the thin strip of land between the Humanlands and the small cluster of forest that was the Elven Colonies.

"Awful far from their kingdom, if you ask me." Turoth noted. Indeed, the location for the colonies was several hundred miles away from vast woods that acted as the motherland for the elves. The journey from their homes must have taken a whole season, and that included going over some very untamed land. But if anything, the forest people were adventurous.

"What do you know of this place, Kirn?" The archmage asked the lower wizard.

"Of the colony, nothing more than it?s location. I learned that much while conversing with some elves a while back. The elves still bare some of the old prejudices against us. But that?s mainly with the older, more conservative factions. A number of the Ghosts hold political offices. Not many humans know that, which could cause some trouble when trade opens up with our people and theirs.

"Also, we weren?t invited to come here, and elves don?t appreciate visitors they aren?t expecting."

"Well, it looks like we?ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Let?s go."

The mages and Sera rode into the wide expanse of trees. The horses made more than enough noise as their hooves trampled the vegetation.

Over the sounds made by the mounts were those of the woods. Crickets chirped cheerfully in the coming night. Shadows stretched as the sun went down. All seemed normal enough until something whistled through the air and stuck into the ground in front of Turoth?s horse.

The frightened animal reared back on its hind legs and kicked out with its front hooves as the horse whinnied in terror. The other horses became excited and bucked a little bit, but were soon under control.

Turoth held desperately onto the reins to keep from falling out of the saddle. His horse started to calm down somewhat and stood back on all fours nervously.

The other Spirits dropped the reins of their horses and held their hands above them in preparation for their spells. With the limited number of combative spells they knew, it was likely that many were preparing the same incantations.

"Use any magic and we?re all dead!" Kirn shouted.

The Spirits lowered their hands and looked down at what had scared Turoth?s horse.

It was an arrow. It stuck out of the dirt at an angle. At one end of it were three, white and brown striped feathers.

"By the torch!" Faira yelled. "That came out of nowhere."

"If they wanted us dead, then all of our chests would be filled with shafts by now." Kirn said. "That shot was just their polite way of saying ?You?re trespassing. Please leave while we still allow you to live.? "

"But where are they?" Kerbel asked nervously.

"They?re in the trees all around us." Kirn said. "Elves have been living in the forests for centuries and know just about every way to hide in them."

"Then I guess now would be a good time to be diplomatic." Turoth said.

The Spirit cleared his voice and spoke with his best volume and clarity.

"My name is Turoth Fieldlund. My friends and I are Spirits of the Humanlands. We come here to seek help. There is great danger being caused by a dragon in the Steel Mountains, and we would like to speak with the Ghosts regarding the matter."

Immediately, there was a rustling of leaves in a nearby oak tree. A shadow moved about the limbs as agilely as any squirrel. The shadow leapt from a branch of the oak with speed almost too quick for the eye to catch. In its flight, the dark shape curled into a ball and twisted into a full front flip before it uncurled and grabbed onto the branch of another tree. The shadow swung on the branch for just a second and let go. It then dropped five feet and landed with barely a sound. Quite an impressive feat, especially when considering all the plant life on the ground.

There, standing before the group was a male elf.

His height was slightly less than that of the average human. There was some flesh on the elf?s bones, but what was there was pure muscle, not even an ounce of fat. His eyes were somewhat larger than those of a human; their color was indeterminable in the dark forest. His chin came to a rounded point. It was customary for male elves to show their heritage, so this one?s hair was trimmed short, especially around the long, pointed ears.

He was dressed in subdued shades of green and brown, which served as an excellent camouflage. High, leather boots covered his feet. On his back were a bow and a quiver of arrows.

"So you wish to see the Ghosts, eh?" The elf asked.

"Most desperately." Turoth replied honestly.

The lithe man looked the group over then back to the trees, either looked or listening for something. He then looked down and smiled.

"Heh, ballsy." Then the man spoke up a bit louder to address the visitors. "Alright then. Follow me."

The elf started walking away from the gathered humans. He stopped to glance over his shoulder at the group behind him, the dangerous smile still on his lips. "And try not to do anything too stupid. My friends in the trees still have their own bows handy."

After that, he began walking again.

No words were exchanged between the Spirits or the Stormpheonixes. They rode their horses slowly after the elf.

In time, the sun had completely ducked beneath the horizon.

Not much was distinguishable in the darkness. The humans were barely able to see the elf they were following. But finally, up ahead, there were dozens of points of light. As they moved closer, they were able to see that the lights were coming from the windows of numerous houses.

The lone elf had led the trespassers into a tiny village set up within the forest. Elves of every description came pouring out of the log cabins. The forest dwellers looked confused and angered to have outsiders coming into their territory.

The elf that had been leading the Spirits started to speak to the other woodlanders in their native language.

Then, out of the crowd came seven elves dressed in gray robes.

"We?ve heard that you don?t like leave your library." One of the Ghosts stated in the human tongue. His face held a calculating expression. "So whatever brought you here must be important."

The humans all caught themselves at the swiftness of Ghost?s address. Apparently, the village?s scouts had sent word back to their wizards the moment the humans had entered the woods.

"Urgent in fact." Turoth replied.

"Exactly what is so urgent that requires our attention?" The wizard in gray questioned. His hair was dark and came with sideburns that extended down to his jaw-line.

"Could we talk of this somewhere a bit more private?" Turoth asked. "This is a very delicate matter."

"We keep nothing from each other here." The same Ghost said. "Everyone here has a right to know what you have to tell the seven of us. After all, it?s not just the Ghosts? territory you have intruded upon."

"All right then." Turoth conceded. "But it?s a long story and one which may be hard to believe."

The Spirits and their two companions dismounted to stand on their own feet.

"Is there somewhere that might put our horses?" Requested Turoth. "Our journey?s been long, and we still have far to go."

"Of course." The leading Ghost said. "You have your duties children." The elf mage said towards the crowd.

Young elves then came out and walked uneasily to the visiting humans. They were nervous approaching the outsiders, but they did as they had been told and took the reins of each horse as the Spirits handed them over.

"I?ll take your horse for you, lady." One girl said to Sera.

"Sure." Sera answered in a friendly tone. "Just be careful around him. We don?t want you to get stomped on."

"I?ll be careful." The elf child replied softly and guided the horse away with her friends.

"You need not worry." The elven wizard said. "Your horses will be well cared for."

"Thank you." Turoth bowed in a grateful manner. "You?ve shown us significant hospitality, and we don?t even have the honor of knowing your name."

"It?s Derse." The Ghost said. "And yours?"

"Turoth. As I told your sentries before arriving here, there is trouble brewing in the Steel Mountains."

"Yes, please tell of this danger that brings you out in the open like this."

Turoth launched into his tale. He told Derse of many discoveries that the Spirits had made over the past years and how they had effected Existence.

The elves around them grew apprehensive and disbelieving when they heard Turoth?s claim of the impending doom brought on by the dragon. Kirn and Sera were also introduced into the story as the key to helping the Spirits put everything together.

Derse and the other Ghosts listened calmly. All seven of them kept impassive expressions, giving no hint as to whether they accepted or denied the ideas being suggested to them.

" ?Hard to swallow? are the first words I would use to describe what you think is going on in the Steel Mountains." Derse stated.

"It?s difficult to believe, I understand that." Turoth pleaded. "But you must admit that even you can feel something is very wrong."

"Yes, there has been a constant disturbance that has many of the wizards in our homeland worried. We felt a weaker occurrence four years ago, just like what you described. But why come to us, of all people? Inter-racial relations aren?t exactly desirable in these times."

"Isn?t that why you and all the other elves here came so far away from your home?" Turoth reasoned. "We?ve heard little of your people, but what we do know is that the many of your more modern groups have been willing to work with us humans. Your belief system has already been altered, and that altercation is what made you come to these foreign woods."

"You sing a pretty song, Spirit." Derse grinned knowingly. "But we?re not anarchists. We still hold our traditional values and have no desire to formally break away from the Kingdom."

"I understand." Turoth bowed his head in defeat.

"However," Derse said. "Times have been changing, and we need to adapt if we hope to survive."

"Then do you believe us?"

"No. I highly doubt something as fantastic and mythical as a dragon could be seeking the destruction of this Existence you?ve been referring to."

"Maybe we?re wrong." Turoth suggested. "Maybe there is no dragon. I pray to the Soul there isn?t. Though we believe that this is all coming from the mountains."

"Well, this disturbance in the flow of magic is unhealthy. It has been having unnatural effects on the wards set along the borders of the Kingdom. We elvin mages have been trying to investigate the matter, but we?ve had no clue on the disturbance?s point of origin."

"And now that you have a potential location?"

Derse scratched his chin.

"We are very patriotic. The security of our homes is one of our most valued assets. It would take some time to get word to the Kingdom of our findings. So I would suggest sending an expedition to the Steel Mountains. We could gather Ghosts from surrounding colonies that could be here within the next two days. How does that sound to you, brethren?"

The other Ghosts nodded. Apparently, looking into the fluctuations of magic had been a project that they had wanted to get underway for some time.

"I would also like to suggest that we undertake this assignment as a joint venture with the Spirits." Derse added.

There were some unsatisfied grumbles from the six Ghosts who had stood silent up to this time. Apparently, the idea of social interaction with non-elves still had yet to be fully embraced. Derse caught the air of dissent and quickly responded.

"This is an opportunity to show that our two races can accomplish the same goals by working together. It would be an excellent example of cooperation to show the homeland. Besides, these humans are the ones who have finally given us some information to work with. Albeit, that knowledge has come with a theory they can?t fully prove."

Grudgingly, the other elves seemed to agree in their own language.

"In the meantime," Derse, seeing his point made, continued. "I?m sure that we?d all find ourselves more comfortable indoors. There is still much to speak of, and we may as well be sitting."

Derse then gestured behind him in the direction of a small manor house that was apparently his. The Ghost then led the way for the humans to follow.

Kirn and Sera recognized the designs? of the village?s homes as being similar to that of Ethern?s. Once again, these buildings were constructed completely of wood. The only material used that wasn?t from a tree was the glass in the windows.

As Derse led the thirty some odd humans, the crowd of elven residents gathered around disbanded and returned to their own houses.

The guard that had escorted the Spirits to the village stood at the door of Derse?s house.

"Is there anything else that I?m needed for?" The sentry asked.

"No, Lorinth." Derse said. "Just return to your post."

"Of course." Lorinth responded with a cocky smile.

"I take it you?ve got some respect with the people." Turoth said. "I had been told the Ghost?s were often in charge of matters."

"I?m the mayor." Derse admitted. "I was elected when we were just starting out here."

The Ghost opened the door of the large home. The humans, followed by the other Ghosts, went into after the elf.

Right inside, there was a long rectangular table with twenty chairs lining either side.

"As you can tell," Explained the mayor. "This house also serves as the location where we have our town meetings. I?m afraid that a number of you will have to stand since we don?t enough chairs to go around."

The elves took their seats while the humans took the remaining ones that were available. Among those seated were Turoth, Kirn, Sera, Faira, and Ormer. Kerbel stood in the back with those still standing.

"Now that we?re inside," Derse said. "I think that we can get some of the real discussions done."

"Indeed." Turoth agreed as he propped his arms on the table.

"What is said here is not to leave this room." Derse said in a grave tone while glancing to all present. "Are we understood?"

"What about everyone in the village knowing everything?" Turoth inquired suspiciously.

"A façade, you might say." Derse glanced out the window to make sure the lights of the townsfolk were being put out as they started going to bed.

"Most of the people here don?t know what?s really been going on back home. Don?t you find it rather odd that strangers are so easily welcomed?" The elf said. "Once again, nothing leaves this room. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Turoth nodded with some confusion showing in his face. "Of course. But why all this secrecy. What?s happening in the Elven Kindom?"

"I mentioned that the wards were being disrupted. That?s common knowledge we?ve given them. Unfortunately, the seven of us stationed here are under orders to keep the full extent of the damage under raps. Are you aware of who our neighbors between the Kingdom and Humanlands are?"

Turoth didn?t seem to have an answer, but Kirn was quick to answer.

"The ogres."

"The wards we?ve had set up act as a repellent against them." Derse said. "Or at least they did."

"So your wards have weaken?" Ventured Turoth.

"They?ve utterly collapsed from whatever has disturbed the path of mana. It hasn?t gotten dangerous yet, but reports confirm casualties. Many of them are relatives to the people here."

"Shouldn?t the next of kin be notified?" Turoth questioned. The secrecy on the part of the elven government sounded so cold, even to the Spirits.

"This colony was set up as a base of trade for when we open for business with your people. A large portion of our economy hinges on this place being sustained. Having half the population running back home would only hinder the development here."

"So this is about money." Kirn noted with disgust.

"I?m not numb to these deaths." Derse countered. "But our backs are against the wall here."

"Why tell us this, then?" Ormer asked. The black Spirit?s hands were folded together on the table while he leaned forward. "To you, we?re just trespassers who stumbled here in the night."

"That?s part of the reason." The Ghost raised an eyebrow. "Human wizards who are shut out by their own people. Your lack of popularity makes you perfectly deniable. That?s why I insisted so quickly on forming an expedition on such short notice. We need to get moving before the people start thinking and asking questions we haven?t made answers for yet."

Kirn sat back and was completely at a loss for the grotesque brilliance behind the elves he was just discovering. Never before had he suspected such intricacies woven together to keep their people in the dark. And here, he, Sera, and the Spirits had arrived to the Ghosts practically out of the blue, and Derse had managed to take the situation and concoct a strategy to turn to his Kingdom?s advantage. It made Kirn wonder if such cunning was part of the initiation to become a Ghost.

Unfortunately for the Kingdom, it looked like the dragon?s spell was wreaking havoc with the elves? complex infrastructure.

"And after this expedition, then what?" Kirn asked.

"We deal with whatever is effecting the magic and damaging our wards. Then we can both go our separate ways."

"I think that would work towards everyone?s best interests." Turoth declared.

"Excellent." Derse spoke enthusiastically. Whatever cold, analytical air surrounded him dissipated, replaced by the demeanor of the pleasant host. "For now, I think we could all use a good night?s sleep. I?m afraid that like the chairs here, there are only so many beds to go around. However, feel free to make yourselves comfortable here."

"Again, we thank you." Turoth said honestly, though his eyes narrowed a bit as it became clear that the elven wizards merited an extra level of caution.

The six Ghosts accompanying Derse stood from their seats and bid the humans good night before leaving.

"If there?s anything you require, know that my room is just down the hall from here." Said Derse.

"Good night to you, sir elf." Turoth waved appreciatively.

With their host gone, the Spirits and their two companions looked to Turoth.

"So what do you think so far of our new friends." Turoth asked Kirn in just above a whisper.

"I don?t trust Derse."

"Nor do I," The Spirit checked down the corridor to the closed door Derse had just gone through. "And I don?t think we should anytime in the near future. But we set out to gather some of the Ghosts for our quest, and that seems to be exactly what we?re getting. In any case, we?re already in over our heads. So whatever these elves might have in mind isn?t likely to be much worse than what we?ve got on our hands already."

"Still," Kirn let out a fatigued yawn. "I don?t like this."

"For now, we should probably try to make use of Derse?s suggestion of getting some rest. We can think this out better in the morning."

The humans made use of what room they could find on the wooden floor. It wasn?t likely to be comfortable, even with the thick blankets they had brought along, but it was the only place they been to since leaving the library that offered a roof over their heads.

"Did you see how that one elf moved in the woods?" Sera asked her brother as she they set down their bedrolls.

"Indeed, it was quite impressive. Many elves can move agilely."

"You?ve seen something like that before?" Sera asked. Up until now, she had never met an elf and had no real idea what they were capable of.

"Once, I stopped at a pub near the edge of some elven territory." The mage began. "I?m not sure how the argument started, but a drunk human decides to have a shouting match with the elf. The human pulled a sword, and the elf reacted. The elf started jumping around like what you saw that one, Lorith, I think Derse said his name was. The human hit floor pretty damn fast after that."

"I guess that?s why they came so close to winning the Dominance Wars all those years ago." Commented Sera.

There were some grumbles and groans from the group as they flopped on the hardwood floor. In time, silence settled and they were able to get some uneasy sleep.

The next morning, Kirn and Sera were the first ones up. Experiences on the road made them natural early risers. The Spirits slept for an extra hour and awoke stiff and sore.

" ?We?ll recruit some of the Ghosts?, he tells us." Faira complained bitterly. "Makes it sound like we?re dropping by for a holiday."

The humans made breakfast from their rations before leaving to go outside.
Out in the open, were elves going about the usual chores of the settlement. Many of the males were pulling out bushels of hay from sheds with which to feed the livestock. Women could be seen sitting in front of the houses, dipping strings in cups of wax to make candles.

The sight of the brown-robed humans reminded the locals that last night?s intruders were still present. They looked up from their labor to give cautious stares at the mages.

"What now?" Wondered Sera. "We?ve got two days for the other Ghosts to get here. And I really don?t like hanging around with both us and them walking on eggshells."

"I second that." Ormer shifted his weight from one foot to the other to work some kinks.

"So we?ll mingle." Turoth said and walked off to one of the sheds.

"Mingle?" Faira asked the others still present. "What the hell?s he talking about?"

The answer came when Turoth entered one of the sheds the elves had gone into and began helping the townspeople. He emerged from the shed with a bundle of hay under each arm.

"I guess we shouldn?t be freeloading then." Sera decided. With that, she was off to join in the chores.

"Might as well get the blood pumping, then." Kirn went back inside to leave his staff before coming back out and rushing past the Spirits.

It was then that remaining wizards stopped loitering about and offered their assistance.

In a stall of the village?s barn sat Kirn and Sera. A thick, earthy smell permeated the primitive building as the day went by. Each of the two siblings was milking a cow over a maple bucket.

"So how long do you think it?ll take to reach the mountains?" Inquired Sera.

"That?s hard to say." The wizard answered. "They?re too close for my liking already. If the elves are as good at finding their way through the woods as I think, then I?d say we should reach them in four days. Three if we push it."

"That soon?"

"Yes."

"You know it?s strange. Before all this started, I always grew frustrated with boredom back in Lar.. But now, I can think of a thousand things I?ll never be able to do again. I was hoping to visit Mother and just talk with her. Maybe even say that I?m sorry for all the worries I caused her."

"It?s not too late to turn back." The mage said as he squirted more milk into his pale. "There are still a few months until the dragon?s spell takes full effect here. You could just leave and make use of the time you?d still have."

"No," Sera resolved. "That sounds too much like the coward?s way out. I want to face that beast. Tell it that nobody takes everything I love without a fight."

"Personally, I wish you?d reconsider."

"My life, my choice."

Just then, an elderly elf woman came into the barn. The Stormpheonixes tried to estimate her age, but gave up when remembering the difference in aging between elves and humans. She wore a dress of brightly colored cloth squares. It almost looked as if the old lady had been wearing a quilt.

"So what have you young folks been talking about to pass the time?" She asked in a grandmotherly voice.

"Nothing important, Madam Sunbark." Sera smiled.

"Nice to see those buckets filled." The elf grinned. "I usually have my grandkids do that work, but their back on the borderlands."

"The borderlands?" Kirn asked, recalling what Derse had said the night before.

"Oh, yes. I haven?t heard from them in the longest. But Derse said there?s nothing to worry about."

"Derse told you that, huh?"

"He comes over every night to make sure I?m getting by alright. Bless his heart."

"Sounds like he really cares about you." Sera said.

"He cares about all of us." Madam Sunbark replied. "I don?t know what I?d do without him."

Clearly the Ghost had never told her the truth. That maybe her grandchildren had already been buried after the last ogre raid. It would have been so easy to give the old woman the truth she was entitled to.

But what would that accomplish? Kirn wondered. Just cause her spend to her last months before the collision heartbroken with the potential loss of her kin. Maybe Derse had been sincere when he said that the deaths of his people still had an effect him.

"Here." Sera stood up with a filled bucket in hand. "Let me carry this to your place for you."

"Thank you, dear." The aging elf hobbled alongside Sera. "I think our peoples finally coming together is going be the best thing to happen around these parts in decades."

"I?ll catch when I finish here." Kirn pointed down to his half-filled bucket then to the cow in front of him. "This girl is being a little stingy for the moment."

"Don?t work too hard, now." The elf said pleasantly.

Sera and the older woman left the mage alone with his bucket and the cows.

"It?s funny." Kirn said to the cow he was milking.

The animal let out a bored moo at his statement.

"No really." The wizard continued to pretend that his words were actually being understood. "Turoth had been talking about wanting the Spirits to find some kind of acceptance. And we just so happened to find a little bit of it here on this trip. Just ironic, I guess."

Another moo from the cow told Kirn that she was currently battling with her own issues.

"Anyway, let?s get this done with."

And so, Kirn was back at work. Ten minutes later, he had pail filled and was carrying it out of the barn.

Walking about the settlement, he could pick out Turoth and several other Spirits coming back from the fields. Their robes were dirty, and all of them were looking fatigued. Yet, many of them were smiling and conversing with the elves they were amongst.

"Yeah." Kirn whispered. "Just ironic."

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