Being called from his post the commander is lead from a guard to the town hall where Elanee and Alisianna have been getting worried. Traipsing into the room he adds his entrance with a remark,

“Have you found something?”

“Did you and Artanis find the children?” asked Elanee

“Me and Artanis what are you talking about?” he says

“You were with Artanis right?” added Alisianna

“No, since last night I have been guarding the west gate front” he replies

“You were here earlier today to take Artanis with you and go off to find some children” Alisianna says to him again

“No! I tell you firmly I never left my post” he says to then

“Oh my god the doppelganger, he was here” cried Alisianna

He knows were on to him, we need to find Artanis” responds Elanee grabbing her travel cloak and swinging it over her shoulders

“But we need to stick together, for fear of him trying to fool us again” Alisianna adds

“Actually all we need is me; for every time we speak and then depart and return again I will just simply read the mind of those who return as a means of identification” she explains and nodding her head in agreement they look to the commander silently

“What” says the commander “you don’t think I’m the doppelganger do you”

“We won’t know for sure until I see your mind, unless of course you don’t want me to” she says ending her statement with Alisianna gripping her blade,

“Whoa, ok fine do what you need please” the commander pleads to them with his hands in the air waving about and backing up. Moving close to him Elanee touches his face and runs images through his mind to hers, the process last only seconds and pulling away she stops.

“It’s him” she says to Alisianna who lowers her hand from the hilt of her sword, but adding to the mess and without provocation she smacks the commander’s shoulder with her hand, and adds a look of disgust to her face for him to see.

“What the…”

“How could you commander she wasn’t even of age yet, but because you have a rough day at work, you would take advantage of a young tavern girl whose loneliness gets exploited by your sudden weak minded sexual impulses” she get out breathing hard

“Shit! That’s what your power does I thought you just read the thoughts of one’s mind, not memories” his shocked face barks to his defense.

“Christine was only fifteen years old commander; I used to watch that girl after school”

“Really she looked older” he replied

“That’s only if your judging by her bust size, she only works there to earn the coin needed to pay Kate, to perform the medical healing on her sick mother’s illness which only then keeps the sickness at bay for the month” Elanee explains

“My god I didn’t know” he says in a soft embarrassing voice

“Why don’t you consider getting into someone’s past a bit before suddenly only having the urge to jump up under their skirt, you might learn something pig! Now get out, and when we have new information to give you, I’ll relay it to you” Elanee finishes very upset, and nodding with a look of pour shame he turns and leaves the room.

“Men” Alisianna lashes rudely

“Yeah” Elanee agrees in the same tone and thinking a second she shakes her head to focus, ok we need to find Artanis and since when did we have a cat in here” she said pointing to the feline by the window and turning to a large figure Stark then appears,

“I hope you two never get mad at me like that your scary you know that” and doing the druid phrase to Alisianna again they confirm their originality to each other and Elanee and he then explains why he is back,

“I hear that you lost Artanis, well I never found him but some hunters reported seeing the doppelganger heading to the woods and going to a Drow archway, my guess is that’s where the missing children are and if we hurry we can get the where bouts of what he might have done with Artanis”

“All I need is to touch that cretin and I’ll drain what information I need from his useless demented mind even if I liquefy his skull to do it”

“Then stay here Elanee, I’ll go with stark and when we found the location will come get you”

“Be safe” says Elanee to Alisianna and nodding her head she leaves through the doorway

“She’ll be in good hands, don’t worry”

“Well this is best, you can protect her better now than I can with Artanis missing, and I hope he’s not…”

“He isn’t he’s a strong fighter he’ll stay alive until we find him trust me, but we must hurry for his sake” Stark finishes and jumps into a cat form and again out the window.

Moving quietly but constantly through the trees Alisianna and Stark approach after searching for the entrance the arch way; they look and examine the defense to find that four heavily armed skeleton dread knights hold the peace at the crystal arch gate. Dressed in common cloths and covering their bones to all who don’t take a real good look to see the bone structure formed under the wears, they appear as common travelers in the woods leaving any suspicions from outsiders afar.

“We are going to need more men Alisianna, just us two can’t take these armed knights and I won’t risk any harm coming to you, I’ll gather up more druids for the onslaught you stay here and keep out of sight, I’ll be right back” and through the wood he traveled and disappeared.

She waits only minutes until his return,

“That was fast she whispered”

“There were some very close, over here we will attack the group from around the back” and following his lead Alisianna was lead around the back side of the arch door.

Waiting for the reinforcements to arrive Stark made some small talk.

“You know, I wasn’t going to say anything but I used to think that someday you and I would of…you know gotten to be better friends”

“I guess some things can’t be laid out by nature” she replied trying to change the subject

“You had such a look when I was you teacher over the years Alisianna your calmness, your clarity in sight, your sheer beauty” he finished running his hand down her cheek side and moving away from it she look to him

“Well I’m married now to Cloud, like I said things change” she said growing uncomfortable

“Did you ever, think about me that way?” he asked, and boating a strong look to her face she turned to him “Yes, I admit there were times I felt compelling lust for you, but I was changing into the woman I am now and had emotions running ramped”

“You know we always could continue our…relationship Alisianna, you are still a sight to behold” he added running his hand up her arm and staring at her canyon made cleavage running down the middle of her chest, separating the leather shirt quite vividly. Covering them up by pulling her shirt tight she stood up behind a tree away from sight.

“You just have to keep you manhood in your cloth Stark, I am married now and I won’t betray that not even with you. I can’t believe that you being an elder would even make such a advancement on me knowing what I have concealed in a marriage” she sharply states to him and looking around at no wild life in or around his presence she backs up slowly, “….unless you’re not Stark” she suspected and saying the druid phrase to him he looks to her and is about to speak when he stops.

“Oops got me” he smiled and she bolted off into the woods, with Teremicus short behind in the pursuit, running around trees and through bush to lose him anyway she could she realized that she couldn’t break the per suiting bond he had.

She turned around quickly to ensnare him with vines back catching up to her he gave her a swift backhand to the face sending her head first into a thick oak tree truck, smacking it hard she hit the ground instantly knocked out cold and walking up behind her Teremicus drew her own blade from her belt and looking at her got a thought

“Ah maybe just a session of passion before she dies, after all she is very attractive…no, no I don’t have time, which is a shame to waste such beauty to the decomposition of nature” he ends raising the blade high to run her through. A shot of pain is felt in his arm as he drops the weapon to see an arrow in his arm, and looking over to the attacker he sees the real Stark pulling back yet another wooden missile. Changing into a ferret to escape the next shot and makes a quick escape from sight, Teremicus takes off into the woods. Stark runs up to Alisianna’s side and touches her neck for a pulse, getting one he picks her up and carries her off.

Hiding in thick overlay Teremicus still in the Ferret form watches them go,

“I’d better get that baby before something goes wrong, and I know just how to do it and I think it’ll kill the two last birds I have on my tail with one stone” and he takes off.

Getting Alisianna back to the hall chamber he is met at the door by Elanee with a horrified look to her face and the sight of Alisianna in his arms,

“ALISIANNA! Is she…”

“Not she’s alive, the babies as well, strong heart beats I am getting from both”

“How did this happen, what happened”

“We found the entrance but it was too well-guarded, I went to gather more hunters…I wasn’t gone for more than a few minutes, damn it! I should’ve taken her with me, that bastard must have been watching us from a distance the whole time, if I didn’t get there in time that doppelganger would have killed her…I fear for Artanis”

“I’d better get to the temple; Kate is meeting me there and was going to hide the baby. Can you stay with her?” Elanee asks and nodding his head he agrees to stay with her, as Elanee heads out swiftly through the door and to her horse.

Reaching the temple first Kate enters and waits for Elanee to arrive, a short time later she hears foots steps leading to the door and leaving the baby on a pew bench she answers it.

“Elanee, thank god” she says opening the door

“Do you have the baby?” Elanee asks

“Yes” she says pointing to the pew where she left her sitting, and smiling to her Elanee goes to see her, “Where are we going to hide her Elanee?” Kate asks as Elanee picks up the child.

“I know of a place” Elanee says taking the child out of the temple and in her trial followed Kate who was stopped at the door way by Elanee

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh one more thing…you’re not coming” said Elanee, pulling a dagger from her side and impaling Kate in the chest, pushing on the hilt Elanee pushes Kate back in the temple and shutting the door Elanee puts the locking board across the entrance. Elanee grabs a torch from the side and chucks it into the temple’s window; she waits and watches the place go up in flames, and departs from the flaming sight at the sound of Kate screaming for her life as the flames ignite her body.

Seeing the flames emanating from the temple roof Elanee speeds fast on her horse to the gates, she sees the board on the door, and hears the screaming cry on Kate’s voice “KATE!!!” she yells from the outside and moving to the door she grits her teeth as she removes the sizzling board from the door hinges, tossing it to the ground she opens the door and sees her friend badly burned and bloody in the isle way, dragging her out to the safety of the open air, Elanee holds Kate in her arms. Looking dreadfully to the sight of the gaping wound in her chest; and the bad burn marks allover her face and arms.

“Elanee” Kate says barely opening her eyes

“Save your strength”

“I’m sorry Elanee, it looked like you, thought it was you, it has the baby and I’m sor…” and going limp in her arms Elanee shakes her.

“Kate…Kate” says Elanee looking to her lifeless friend and staring at her intently tears come to her eyes, ”Noooo!” Elanee lets out to the sky above and burying her head against Kate’s, Elanee starts to cry and heaving between her breaths, during her mourning a sight from Kate’s mind flashes to Elanee’s of her death and the sight Elanee being the cause, causes her to cry even more and more.

Hearing the cry from her voice and seeing the flaming sight the commander comes to her aid with men behind him, he stops to see the priestess lying lifeless on the ground clutched tight in the arms of Elanee, he dismounts from his horse and comes to her side.

“I know I’m the last one you want to see but please let me carry her back for you” and looking to the commander with watery eyes Elanee nods, letting the commander pick her up she shakes her head and the sight of her dead school yard friend.

“I was her killer Kyle, I was the last thing she saw before that dagger went into her gut…I know she knows now but for a split second I betrayed her to her death” Elanee says to him putting her shaking hand over her mouth to stop from crying again.

“This is not your fault Elanee; we are dealing with a sadistic son of a bitch”

“But he’s smart” Elanee adds “So we need to be smarter” says Elanee and she goes with him to the town hall.

Meeting with Stark and seeing the dead girl Stark goes to Elanee for emotional support,

“There will be time for grieving later Elder, right now I need you to get Alisianna to the enclave please and bring Rain here for the attack on the arch” but touching his face Elanee speaks to Starks mind and tells him to ignore the last part about Rain. Nodding without showing confusion as instructed Stark makes off with Alisianna telling Elanee that he’ll be back tonight and nodding to his words Elanee says she will wait here for their return.

Teremicus knowing not what Rain looks like fakes the form of the commander and through the doors of the town hall enters the room chamber,

“Elanee, How you holding up” he asks

“I’m ok commander, Kate had such a full life ahead of her, that beast will pay for what he has done” and touching her shoulder with an motion of sympathy Teremicus scans Elanee’s mind for the image of this Rain; feeling the sparks of the connection to her own mind, she tries to keep certain events from escaping to his skull, pulling his hand when he was through he walks to the door,

“I’ll be back later to check up on you ok” he says to her and nodding to his kindness she watches him leave, her face of sobbing disappears almost instantly and giving a dark smile to the doorway she says, “And when you do I’ll be waiting” and moving out of the room, she tells a guard posting at the town hall door that she’ll be in the home of the late Kate for when Rain arrives to let him know.

From the request of Elanee did Stark take Alisianna to the enclave, there he was met by a Drow guard patrol that took him directly to Straud and Cloud. Seeing his wife’s state Cloud loses it almost instantly and blows out a barrage of questions to Starks face.

“What happened? Is she ok? Get her to the temple immediately!” Cloud shot from his lips running to feel her forehead.

“She is fine Cloud, the children she bares are also in perfect health, she is only sleeping from massive fatigue for how you would react, she has been under my constant guard since we embarked from the town” Stark calmed him down

“And how did she say I would react!”

“Pretty much like this” Stark said

“What happened Stark” asked Straud

“The events at the town are being caused by the work of a doppelganger” Stark replied

“Where’s Artanis, Anubis and Elanee” Straud pressed on

“Elanee’s fine she’s at the town hall, and has a plan for drawing him out, but as for Artanis and the cat Anubis…I don’t know my hunters haven’t been able to locate them” Stark said to him, hearing the arrival of Alisianna being carried in the arms of Stark brought both Rain and Dawn running to the group; he told them of who was still missing and relieving Rain at least Stark then worked on keeping Dawn’s terrorized fear for Artanis’s health at bay.

“I’m going to help her” Rain bolted out

“You will stay here Rain” Straud commanded

“She’ll die up against that thing she doesn’t have enough combat experience” Rain persisted

“Just this once do as you’re asked Rain” added Cloud

“And look at the outcome Cloud, Alisianna is hurt and Artanis and Anubis are now missing, I’m going” and moving to a horse Elder Stark stops him a second,

“Rain wait, she told me to relay to you that she can’t especially have any contact from you, she said that you are a crucial point to her plan but you can’t be there, and don’t trust them or me even but trust in her, for her plan to work you above all others can’t be there” Stark explains to him

“But how is she to get close enough to do anything without it attempting to take her life” Rain asked but got only a blank look of unknown from Stark.

Busy packing some of Kate things, Elanee stumbles across the journal of Kate and reading some future plans from it tears again come to her eyes, hearing a knock at the door she wipes her eyes and puts the box away but leaves another black wooden one clearly open and on the table, opening the door she sees him,

“Elanee”

“Rain you made it”

“The guard told me I could find you here and I came as soon as I heard” Rain responded

“Stark is already waiting for you at the Drow gate, he will not proceed until you have arrived” she went on

“Then I’d best be going, are you ok I mean about Kate?” Rain asked

“I’ll be fine I just hope that Artanis and Anubis are alive somewhere” Elanee sigh’s

“I know we’ll find them Elanee” Rain says and nodding his head to her he proceeds to the door when a call from her stops him.

“Rain you forgetting something?”

“Umm know what?” Rain replies

“How about a kiss silly; for luck of course”

“Right I’m sorry baby” and moving close to her to plant a kiss to the lips Elanee returns and kissing him Rain suddenly open his eyes wide,

“Elanee, what the…” Rain stutters as he looks down to his abdomen embedded with a sword blade, and gritting her teeth she charges Rain still holding the hilt into the wood wall and driving the open blade that went through him into it. She steps back to see him stuck and swarming around to get free with blue residue running from the wound to a mess on the floor, scrabbling to get loose Teremicus hears her voice

“Did you think I was that stupid TEREMICUS! Yes that’s right I know your name for I stole it from your mind when you took Rain’s form from mine, I knew it was you for if Rain kissed me I’d be a demon right now”

“AH! I’m going to rip your beating heart from your putrid chest cave you little harlot!! “As he continuously tries to get loose

“Not before you’re a pile of cindering ash” she replies pulling open a scroll with magical text on it,

“You’re not a magic user, ha! You can’t even use that!” Teremicus smirked with a small hurtful laugh, but is quickly silenced with a splash to his face with sparkling dust from Elanee’s hand,

“Pixie dust” she smiles to him “allows me to cast any spell at any level of difficulty as if I was one myself, found it in the black box of Kate’s private things…you know Kate the girl you slaughtered, she had the luxury of being born and raised to a very wealthy family who pretty much owned at least one of everything” she continued the chanting and Teremicus pressed on the wriggle free though getting weaker as the time grew on. He heard her coming to a finish and feeling his flesh start to burn he closed his eyes and with all remaining strength walked towards her location, driving through him the rest of the blade and hilt and seeing such an acted Elanee stopped her casting and ran to the door. Teremicus hit the floor in agonizing pain be stopped to focus on her bolting for the door. He changed into a black panther and grinding his claws into the wood gave chase; he lunged to her to pound her fragile body structure into the dirt, but Elanee turned around and as she was pushed to the floor used his own momentum she flung him into the air and through the open window of the house with her feet as the spring board. Getting to her feet she raises her hand to finish the spell to see it’s gone from her mists. Running to a window view she sees Teremicus ripping the parchment apart with his teeth and looking to her fearful face leaps back into the room, Elanee opens the door and runs where he was and out into the street, Teremicus follows but pursues her in his natural form.

Following her through the streets at night Teremicus hears a sharp sound whistling in the air and looking to the left sees a spinning blade coming at him, he jumps as the blade slams into a stone home wall behind him and he continues on. He soon hears another one and jumps again to dodge but in the mists of air he sees dead in his sight the broad bladed part of a scimitar already in the stone wall and connecting hard with his face goes flipping backwards swiftly the ground. Blowing up dust as he lands Teremicus quickly shakes his metal rattling head only to witness a spear going through the left side of his torso and exiting out the right into the stone of a home. Holding him in place Elanee stops to see Stark and the commander at a distance with Stark beside Teremicus holding him steady.

“I am guessing that this all was part of your plan” Stark smiles

“Of course” Elanee replied “Everything went by the book”

“I’m sure” the commander added, and coming back to Terminus’s location she bent down beside him and grasping his skull went through his thoughts on where the others were, the location of the children and who was behind the whole thing. Gasping at the horrors in his mind Elanee finds the location of the children and the horrible state Artanis was left in, she closes her eyes from the dead sight of Anubis and flashes of both the faces of the Matriarch and Malice runs into her mind. Teremicus knowing his end is near smiles for the final sight and reoccurring death of her friend Kate which he floods into her mind, she lets go of him screaming and wasting no time Stark pulls a blade from the stone and decapitates the head from Terminus’s body, dropping the sword Stark grips Elanee who starts to cry from the pain and holds her tight as if to shield her from the world.

She gains her mental strength and looks to Stark,

“I know where the children are but we need to fight Malice first”

“Then let’s not keep him waiting” the commander adds “I’ll gather my men”