Valethalassa left Ian, collected Mal from the twins, and headed straight back to speak with the Arcane Seer. Is that old elf out of his mind!? Treating this human, or whatever he is, as a guest of honor! After being discovered wandering in the woods and drinking from the waters of the Avaqueti Falmari Linquest! Her ire only compounded as she stalked back up the winding stairs to The Seer’s abode.

Mal joined her ascent, bounding up the endless stairs with even less effort than his companion. The generously sized steak, and lavished attention, from the twins had put him in a far better mood. A mood which he wished to share with his partner, sensing that she was on edge.

“Do not worry, Mal,” She stopped to scratch him between the ears. An action that soothed her as much as her lupine companion. “I am not mad at you. I do not understand why The Seer has such an interest in this-,” she struggled to find the most accurate word, “this pointless man.”

Valethalassa didn't much care for humans or other races for that matter. She saw them as foolhardy, violent, and untrustworthy creatures. Much of this resentment could be attributed to her position. Like many members of law enforcement, she had become jaded by seeing the worst specimens that Paragore had to offer.

She reached The Seer’s chamber and found him sitting at his desk, flipping through one of his books and making notes in another.

He didn’t lift his head, but she still made a bow before approaching. He waved her forward and then turned a page, scratching away with his quill in the other.

“Yes, Ellóte?” The Seer said softly.

Using her nickname, star-flower, immediately set the tone. This was a casual visit between uncle and niece, rather than an official meeting of Arcane Seer and a Ranger of the Fallen Kings. It was an elven tradition that only family members use such intimate names. And since Seer was the last elf living with that distinction. She let out a sigh and relaxed her posture.

Mal took this as a cue to relax as well, circling a few times before lying comfortably by the exit.

“I do not understand. Why are you being so kind to this human? You said yourself that you cannot see anything about him! You know, even more than I, what is happening out there in the world. More and more our allies turn against us. I brought him to you because of the strangeness of his story but I did not think you would believe him! How can we possibly trust him when he might be nothing more than the perfect spy?” The words spilled from her mouth as a long pent-up grievance was finally being given a voice. And it had very little to do with Ian himself; he was simply the tipping point for her oncoming tirade.

“Our kin in the deserts and oceans are even now becoming more secluded and withdrawn. I have even heard rumors that the dwarves of Tir’Kul have sealed their mountain, which has remained open since before I came into this world! Something is coming. Even I can see that, and yet day after day you do nothing. So, tell me; why?”

The Seer didn’t look up, but still, a knowing smile crossed his lips. He laid down his quill and poured sand over the page, sealing the ink. He blew off the excess, ensuring that everything was dry before closing the thick book with a dull thud.

Mal perked his ears at the sudden noise but quickly determined that there was no threat and put his head back down onto his paws.

The Seer gazed up at his niece with his magical sight, though he wasn’t truly looking at her. As a result of his unique enchantment, his eyes typically glowed with an other-worldly blue light, which facilitated his perception. Long before she was born, he had sacrificed his sight as part of his arduous path to becoming the Arcane Seer. It was the sacrifice demanded to balance the awesome power of Arcane Sight given to him. It also meant that he had never truly seen his niece. He saw only outlines of objects possessing either magical power or life-force energies. The greater the power, the brighter the outline. His niece always appeared as a bright golden hue. Though right now it was tinged with red.

“The world is changing, yes,” The Seer spoke as the arcane light faded away, replaced by featureless milky-white orbs, “and no, it isn’t changing for the better. The balance is shifting. But,” a solemn expression overtook his face, “it can be restored. Perhaps even strengthened. I see many things with these eyes of mine, Ellóte,” His eyes pulsed a bright blue for a heartbeat, “But I do not see all. That human, Ian, is a mystery to me. I can see him leaving the cave that he spoke of this morning. I can even see that he comes from another world. Indeed, I even studied that world as a younger elf, because they possessed an overwhelming abundance of magical energy...” The Seer trailed off muttering to himself.

“Nos’ono?” Valethalassa spoke up when her Uncle’s head began to droop.

“And I can see that Ian is lost, in many ways,” The Seer replied, snapping his attention back to the conversation. “What I cannot see, is the part that he has to play in the madness unfolding around us. Darkness approaches. The likes of which this world has not seen in my many centuries.”

The weight of his words settled on the ranger like a winter's chill. Though he had been very young, her uncle was one of the few remaining people that had witnessed the Cataclysmic War. He had seen the atrocities committed by the Nyeberians first hand. He had lost countless loved ones, lived in constant fear and uncertainty. It unnerved her to hear him speak of a coming darkness.

“I believe that Ian is a fulcrum,” The Seer said, one of his frail hands came to rest upon the book that he’d closed, “a tipping point for the scales in our world. And you were right in bringing Ian to me. The magical taint of the Harlequin Court is on him, which means they are behind his appearance here. And that, in turn, tells me that they are beginning to move.” His fingers curled into a fist and slammed against the book in frustration. “My visions are distorted and dim. That is why tomorrow, you will travel with Ian-”

There was a sudden huff from the floor behind Valethalassa.

“And of course, Mal,” The Seer amended, “will travel with Ian to Raxal.”

Valethalassa opened her mouth to argue but closed it. Her eyes took in her uncle, not at The Seer, but the man. He looked so tired and frail at that moment and she wanted nothing more than to comfort him.

“As you wish,” she said.

“Ian seeks to find a way home,” He sensed her gaze, he unclenched his fist and let out a tired sigh, leaning back into his chair, “And we must seek knowledge of the Court’s goals. Many of their agents have been spotted throughout the lands, whispering in the ears of kings, warlords, and councils of late. I am sending you into terrible danger, Ellóte. Not because I wish it, but because there is no one else.”

“You know I will not fail you Nos’ono,” Valethalassa said with a swelling of pride and a tingle of fear ran their course through her.

“I would trust no one else. Now, what do you know of Star Charts?” The Seer asked as he pushed himself up from his desk. His eyes to flared back to their usual brilliance as he crossed the room.

“Only what you told me when I was little. They are a map through the winding twisting realms of the beyond. The Neblus, the Nether Never, and all the other paths beyond this one,” she replied.

A set of shelves rose from the floor to meet The Seer. He ran his hand over several of the book spines and trinkets, and plucked an unadorned glass sphere gently from its perch. He waved his hand over it, and muttered a brief incantation. The globe flickered once before a blazing green light blossomed, sending a three-dimensional projection of the stars around the chamber.

Mal’s ears perked up at the sudden pressure of the spell and the soft whump that had accompanied the emergence of the stars. Predatory silver-red eyes roamed over the intricate display. Then he snorted in disinterest and laid his head back down.

“Glad to see you were paying attention. This represents all the Star Charts I have acquired to date,” The Seer stepped into the projection and touched a few of the many voids in the sea of stars, “but you see, the map is incomplete. Though I don’t think it ever will be truly finished, the universe is always in flux-”

“Yes, uncle I do remember my lessons,” Valethalassa quickly cut in. She did not want a refresher on her course in methods of advanced magical travel.

“In order to get our new friend home, I will need a way to navigate to his world,” The Seer said stepping inside the projection, causing a gentle ripple as he went, “I have managed to gather that Ian’s home lies somewhere near here,” his finger moved to touch a void, “But I will need to fill in this spot to complete the calculations. If I were to miss a force of gravity, a presence of any energy, magic or otherwise, Ian might be sent into the Nether Never or worse.”

Valethalassa nodded absently as she strolled across the cavernous space, admiring the breathtaking beauty of stars. It was awe-inspiring to know that so much more was out there. And she hadn’t seen this since she was a little girl. She let her fingers drift through the image and watched the resulting ripples. Even as a child she had loved coming here, learning from her wise uncle. She suspected that he’d always wanted her to follow in his footsteps, but life had decided otherwise. A pang of pain brought her out of her reviver and back to the discussion at hand.

The Seer watched her with a paternal smile on his face. He had always been so proud of her. Centuries ago Valethalassa had come to him an orphan and barely old enough to walk. He’d taken her in and had done the best he could to raise her like she was his own, but being who he was he had little time to spare for an unexpected child. Her lessons though were some of his fondest memories. A time when they could bond and talk as a family. He gave himself, and her, another minute to reminisce on the past before drawing them both back to the present.

“That is where the Harlequin Court comes into play. Or more to the point one of their rumored business facades,” The Seer said.

“Ah, which is in Raxal?” Valethalassa asked as she stepped out of the stars to face him.

“The Court would need a Star Chart to Ian’s world, so it stands to reason that acquiring it from them is our best option to send Ian home. The Court’s last known base of operations is Justiciar Law. I have it on good authority that they use the business as a way to influence the outcomes of trials and to remove obstacles in their way. It’s clever really, use a powerful lawyour to send an innocent man to prison or to get a guilty one out. Once inside the Justiciar Law offices, you’ll have two goals,” He held up a hand and ticked off his fingers as he spoke. “First find out what if any plots they have brewing in Raxal. Second, locate and retrieve the Star Chart.”

He flicked a wrist and caused a single shelf to rise out of the floor beside him. He found a crescent-shaped, tarnished silver pin resting among the other trinkets on the shelves. He clenched it in his fist and concentrated until a jagged green sigil shone on the back of his hand. When it faded, he walked to Valethalassa and fastened the pin to her cloak.

“They will have tracking enchantments placed on all of their Charts and treasures that would allow them to locate you. This will help to hide it from their scrying eyes, a meager measure of protection. Simply pin it to the Chart once you possess it, then return to me with great haste. I will add their knowledge to that which I have accumulated over the centuries, and complete the calculations needed to send Ian home. I cannot go myself, their many eyes would take note of my departure from Landorei. You, however, are often tasked with diplomatic travel and will not raise suspicion. Lie, cheat, steal, resort to violence if you must. But do not allow them to possess Ian under any circumstances. Protect and guide him as the skilled Ranger that you are, otherwise, we are all surely lost.”

Valethalassa knew that there were things her uncle had left out. With such long lives, it was easy for elves to become attuned to even the subtlest moods in one another. She didn’t question him though. It was never a good thing to know too much about the future. She took some comfort in the knowledge that he was trying to prevent whatever impending catastrophe his gift of foresight had gleaned. And she knew that she had almost crossed the boundary of propriety with her outburst at the beginning of this discussion. Elves did not break down and give in to their raw emotions.

“As you wish, Nos’ono,” Valethalassa said making a formal bow as she accepted the task.

She prepared to leave, but before she could turn away The Seer closed the distance and gathered her into his arms.

“Be safe, my little Ellóte,” He whispered.

“I will,” She replied as her arms wrapped around him and she pushed her head into the crook of his neck. She savored this brief stillness from the recent chaos. Then with a sigh, she released him. Her posture stiffened again before she gave a final bow and made her way back to the stairs.

Mal had waited patiently but now sprung to his feet, paused to bow his head deeply to The Seer, and then chased after his companion.

After their footfalls faded, The Seer sent a wave of power out through his hand. The projection faded away and the globe became nothing more than glass. He walked back towards his desk chair, wondering if had made the right decision or if there even was a right decision. He shook his head as he sank back into the cushioned seat and opened his books once more.