I backpedaled, raising my hands in self-defense, ready to defend myself as I looked at either Dibibi or Libidi, which of the two I had no idea.

The Isirow backed up, one hand on a dagger and the other in an odd position.

"Are you going insane again?" he asked coldly, his face as emotionless as before.

"No," I said before slowly leaning back and sighing. "You just startled me."

"Why?"

I opened my eyes, raising my eyebrows as I looked at the other in wonder. What did he mean, why? Was it that normal to wake to someone staring you in the eyes from that close? The Isirow just gazed at me, a slight curiosity in his -or her?- eyes.

"Because you were too close," I finally muttered, pushing myself up from the ground. I took a look around, wondering where to practice when I thought of something. I sat back down and looked at the Isirow.

"Which one are you?"

The Isirow's eyes narrowed, a slight scowl on his face. "You people are never able to tell us apart," he said, his eyes like frost. "I am Libidi."

I nodded, ignoring the scowl. If Libibi had wanted to harm me, she had multiple moments to accomplish this. Either while I was hanging or just now when I was in my mindscape. In other words, for now, she was trustworthy.

"I need to do something important, and it might be a bit odd. Can you stay here and make sure nobody interrupts me?"

"If you promise to remember who I am," Libidi said, staring at me coldly.

Say what now?

I curiously examined her and shook my head. "I might need some help with that. Exactly what part of you and your brother are different?"

"None. We are identical," Libidi said, and the corner of her lip curled up. "Well, almost."

I shivered, not sure I really wanted to know.

"I see. And how do you propose I tell you apart?" I asked with a frown.

"That is your problem, isn't it?" she said.

I just shrugged, closed my eyes, and decided she could go to hell. "Just don't do anything stupid," I muttered as I began my practice.

She might have said something, but by then, I had begun forming the mental hand gestures in my mind, trying to ignore the pain that would come.

A minute later, I slid from the wall, my back arching as only my head and heels touched the ground. I didn't hear anything, and my entire world was filled with the horribly familiar pain. Many things get easier, but not this. The knowledge of how much worse it could become added fear to the mix, making it far worse than going in blind.

As always, I had no idea how long it lasted, but when the crucial point came, the last gesture and the one I only managed to finish once in every three attempts, something soothing touched my mind. It felt like a torrent of rain as my body burned, a breath of air after suffocating, or just simply, a slight relief of the agony, bringing it back to just barely tolerable. With the slight increase in clarity, I finished the last gesture, and, with a sudden snap, the pain vanished, leaving me raggedly breathing on the ground.

It took me a few moments to realize that something warm was pressed against me, and with a shudder, I shot up only to fall to the side as my legs buckled. Libidi slumped down, her eyes partially open and a look of absolute bliss on her face. She looked at me, blinking slowly and licking her lip.

"Sooooo much pain…" she whispered before drawing in another breath as her body shuddered.

I mirrored her movement, but definitely not for the same reasons, and propped myself back up. She closed her eyes, curling her body like a cat, and the frost she usually carried had disappeared. I also immediately noticed her femininity, then a moment later, I wondered if her brother would act the same.

Let's check the result, I thought, closing my eyes and appearing inside my mindscape.

The world around me had grown again, and Par's squirrel body was far more complete than before. His limbs had grown, no longer out of proportion, and most of his body was covered in fur. A blood-red line of longer fur was growing from the tip of his tail to between his ears. It almost looked like a mohawk.

"Good, mortal! Much better. Now get some rest. With me here, you can try again in three or four hours!"

I shivered at the prospect, then looked at the tree, which had also grown a bit.

"How many more?"

"Growth? As many as you can, obviously," Par said as he pushed himself up on his hind legs and looked at the tree. With his tiny clawed hands on his side and his head cocked, he looked very unlike a deadly god of hate and fear.

"Par," I hissed. "How many for the first milestone?"

"Oh, that! Three more, so if you time them right, you should be fine."

That meant I had to go out and draw in lifeforce now, hopefully for the last time. I sighed, wanting to nod but lacking the head to bob up and down, which reminded me.

"Is there any way for me to form a body here?"

Par laughed, rows of small, horribly sharp teeth flickering in the light from the barrier. "Not yet! Reach milestone two, and you will get that ability as well as the ability to temporarily bring in other beings."

My head snapped up, and I gazed at him. "What did you say?"

"I said," Par said with a sniff. "Bring in other beings. Why? That's not so important… is it?"

I didn't reply but wondered if that meant I could bring Eliandra in here if there was ever a need for it.

If I can reach the next milestone... I thought before wondering if I even wanted to.

"I'll be back in a few hours. Rathica said there were things you should tell me. When I return, I want to hear all about it."

I didn't wait for Par's reply and jumped back out of my mindscape. Libidi was still lying on the ground, a content smile on her face, but something had changed. Dibidi sat crouched beside her, staring at her with a frown. I must have moved because his head snapped in my direction.

"What did you do?" Dibidi asked coldly.

I slowly crawled up, tentatively trying to test if my legs could hold me. They could, although just barely. The prospect of trekking out into the woods didn't appeal at all, but I knew I didn't have much time left. I took two tottering steps and grabbed my ax, using the haft as a walking cane.

"I was practicing, and she did something midway," I said.

As I moved towards the corner, Dibidi got up.

"I haven't seen her like this since…" he stopped, looked at his sister, and his eyes glistened. "Whatever you did, can you do it again?"

I was about to lie and say I couldn't, when I recalled the soothing of the pain. How big was the chance that was when Libidi did something? Almost guaranteed, I'd say.

"I can, but not until four hours from now," I said, moving into the hallway.

Something about Dibidi and Libidi's actions had triggered me, and my mind was suddenly moving in overdrive, something it hadn't done since… Well, since I'd entered the library again, I realized. Ignoring the worry that brought, I focused on what was more important.

Those Isirow.

Something about them, how they acted was off, even by Kernstalion standards, and I wasn't just talking about how creepy they were. I'd also never heard of them, which in itself wasn't that odd, but my warning bells were still ringing. Loudly.

So, acting coy, I stopped and frowned at him. "Why?"

Dibidi's blue eyes began glowing with an internal light for a moment, and his canine's poked out from a disturbing smile. "Let me help you next time!"

I'd expected the remark, but not the disconcerting smile, but it probably only helped my frown be more genuine. "What's in it for me?" I said.

Dibidi didn't immediately respond, just staring at me with his cold eyes.

"I saved you."

His simple statement almost caused me to curse out loud. He was right with that, and for a moment, I tried to tell myself that it didn't matter. Then I sighed and shook my head. The thing was. It did matter.

"Fine. You can help me next time. But only that one time. After that, there is bargaining to be done."

There was no response from the Isirow, who just gazed at me, and after a few moments, I became uncomfortable and turned away.

"We are about to leave. Galir told me to find you," Dibidi's voice echoed after me, and I sighed. Of course, that was what would happen.

When I reached the exit, I saw the almost fully prepared caravan standing in front of the gate. Merchants and guards were pulling tight cords or petting the Charbulls that stood snorting in front of the wagons. Everyone seemed ready to leave, but I wasn't. I looked around for Galir and found him near the gate.

When I reached him, I tried to ignore Linery, who was staring at Galir with her arms across her chest.

"I don't care what you think we agreed. I'll be leaving as soon as we reach the edge of the forest," she said, before turning to me. "And you! I've had some time to think about it, and if I discover you lied to me, I'll find you!"

I frowned, then raised an eyebrow. "Go and find Ulderion if you must, but I've never said he'd help you. He is likely able to give you what you want, but getting it? That's up to you!"

Linery took a step towards me, glancing at one of my hands, the one missing a pinky. Then she moved towards the caravan and the first wagon in the line, disappearing inside.

"What the hell did you do?" Galir snapped as he looked at me. "She might be a handful, but I needed her to get through the Howling Woods! If she leaves, I won't be able to make another of these very lucrative trips!"

"Yeah, sorry about that," I said, turning to the small door beside the massive gate. "She seems hell bent upon finding out how I fixed my hand."

"Well, it's fine, I guess," Galir said as he suddenly looked at me with a calculating gaze I didn't like one bit. "If you help me get this caravan to the west coast, then back here for another trip!"

I snorted and shook my head. "I can't. I'm on an important mission. If you don't like it, take it up with my deity!"

"Oh? And what mission is that?" Galir asked sourly.

"Well, I need to get back to Grammanite," I said, deciding a little truth couldn't hurt. I'd decided to go to Steadfast to fix myself. The risk of having to travel to Ulderion with Linery, or meeting her there, made me uncomfortable, to say the least.

Galir's expression jumped a few times, again landing on calculating. "Well, how about you help me escort this caravan to the west coast? I can get you aboard a ship heading north from there!" As he spoke, he smiled suddenly as if something came to him as he spoke, then the smile vanished, and he cleared his throat.

I wasn't exactly sure what he was planning, but it probably was something to help himself. Either way, going to the west coast was roughly the plan, and a caravan might ease my way.

"Fine," I said, and Galir's eyes began gleaming. "However," I continued, and his smile froze. "I'll need to head into the woods for a few hours to get something. You will have to wait for me."

Galir's bushy eyebrows lowered, his mouth a tight line. "Are you crazy, Prime? There can be anything in those woods, and-"

"I'm not crazy," I said, moving to the door. "Just wait here for me. I'll be back in an hour or two."

"At least bring Dibidi and Libidi," Galir said as I unbarred the gate and stepped outside.

"No thanks," I shouted, slamming the door shut and running to the treeline. My strength was quickly coming back, and as I ran, I started looking at the trees. I needed to drain some lifeforce fast, and almost as important, I needed a new mount. Again there seemed no time to take my time, but I had a plan for that.

I cast Share Lifeforce on the first tree I reached, and although it went without a hitch, I did find out one interesting thing. As I drained the lifeforce, the spot where my pinky had been began itching, and to my surprise, a short, quarter-inch stub had grown by the time I finished.

Moving further into the woods, I heard a soft sniffing sound and froze. Between bushes with brown, red-edged leaves were two burning red eyes staring at me.

Wirg, I thought, straightening myself. Even without my ax, I didn't really worry about tangling with one of those. Not after all I'd been through. Still, I...

The eyes inched closer, and a long, grey-haired, and scarred snout poked out of the branches, quickly followed by a thick, muscular frame. A frame far too big and wide for a Wirg. As it stalked towards me, its eyes were at the same height as mine.

I slowly took two steps back, lowering myself into a combat position.

"Hey there, little Wargie," I muttered. Without thinking, my hands flashed into a spell I hadn't cast in a while. My mutilated hand botched the casting within two gestures, but the other three finished before the Warg managed to prowl half the distance separating us.

"Nice doggie," I said, my voice like that of a siren, otherworldly and beautiful. I'd never get used to that effect of the spell.

The Warg froze, cocked its head, then continued towards me, curling back its lower lip to showcase a line of razor-sharp teeth.

Resisted all three? I could hardly believe it, and began circling sideways, ready to chop the Warg into pieces.

The Warg turned opposite me, circling the other way, and I suddenly recalled this was almost the same as my first encounter in Kernstalion. Also in the Howling Forest, but with a Wirg instead of a Warg. Then I noticed a long scar along the side of the Warg. A familiar, ugly, and deep scar. A scar I'd seen before, or at least one eerily similar.

"Scar?" I barked, looking deeply into the Warg's eyes.

For a moment, nothing happened, then the Warg charged. I wasn't sure if I was right if it was Scar, but for some stupid reason, I dropped my ax. One of my hands began flashing Befriend as I jumped sideways, out of the Warg's path. A row of blinking teeth closed shut into the air beside my face.

Shit, what am I doing? I thought as I turned, sliding across the muddy ground, then jumped after the Warg, which I had a sinking suspicion maybe wasn't Scar after all. Whatever. Even if it wasn't, I could use a Warg to guard me, both from monsters and from creepy enchantresses.

My hands stretched for the hind legs of the Warg, and it was then that I realized how fast I was actually moving. The Warg had jumped me, and in the short window it was in the air, I dodged, turned, and jumped after it. I grabbed the legs of the Warg, almost too thick to wrap my fingers around, and yanked back.

The Warg slammed into the ground, yelping, and growling. Not giving it any time to struggle, I jumped on its back, clenched my knees around its thick wide back, and clamped two hands around its neck and one around the top of its muzzle, squeezing. For a moment, the Warg froze, then it tried to struggle from left to right but barely budged my hands.

"Take it easy," I said.

The Warg either didn't listen or didn't understand because it rose from the ground, pushing my significant bulk up like it was nothing. My feet dangled in the air, and as they did, I suddenly realized something. This thing was big enough to ride! It might look odd, like with a small donkey versus a horse, but who cared about that?

I squeezed harder with my hands, causing the Warg to stay in place, and finally finished the Befriend spell. Now came the hard part.

"Calm down, boy!" I said, my voice once again turning honey-sweet and weird.

The Warg froze, and for a moment, I thought I had succeeded. Then it began resisting again.

"You're going to make me work for this, aren't you?" I grunted, starting to cast the spell again.

Although it was probably only ten minutes, it felt like hours later when the Warg finally kneeled down, howling sadly. My hand was cramping from repeatedly using Befriend, and sweat was pouring from my head, but I wasn't even winded, just annoyed at the thing's resistance.

"Alright, I'm going to get off now, and you better behave," I said. If it didn't, I was just going to snap its neck and go with plan A.

The Warg yipped, a sound I'd not expected from the massive thing, but I'd take it as confirmation. I looked around for my ax and found it on the ground a few meters away. Gritting my teeth, I released the Warg and jumped back in a single fluid motion. I landed on my feet and backed up to the ax, my eyes on the Warg. It shook its head, then turned to look at me, moving slowly. When its eyes met mine, I knew the spell had taken. I saw the same intelligent and inquisitive look I'd seen in the eyes of Scar and Smell a very long time ago.

"So, finally ready to talk?" I said, leaving my ax on the ground for now.

The Warg moved towards me, its long tongue hanging from its mouth. Now that I had some more time, I noticed it was very different from a Wirg. Its snout was longer, more like a wolf, and its fur was thicker and coarse, almost like steel wire. The only thing that was the same was that it was ugly as hell. Then again, I'd never been that fond of dogs either; it might just be me.

Stopping in front of me, its eyes slightly above mine, the Warg gazed into my own eyes. At first glance, the eyes seemed red, but this close, I saw that they were actually a deep orange. The red I'd noticed before was gone. They appeared more intelligent than the Wirgs' eyes had been, but there was also a slight confusion in them, and the Warg began sniffing me. As it did, it began yipping, and before I could react, it nipped the side of my leather tunic, ripping a small part off. Then it turned, loping away.

"Hey, come back!" I shouted, utterly confused and annoyed at yet another rip in my already mangled set of leather armor.

The Warg didn't respond and disappeared into the woods.

"You've gotta be kidding me," I groaned. All that trouble for nothing?

"Fine," I muttered. "Plan A it is."

I turned around, scanning for a large piece of wood to carve into a mount. It would have to be a really quick job, but if I got a big enough piece of wood, I could make it better when I had time.

Stupid Warg, I thought, as I headed out.