Renat came out of the chute into a pile of mush and refuse. The stink was horrible, but thankfully he had not landed on anyone who went down before him.

"Everyone alright?" Faris asked, helping up Bukuri from the pile of compost.

They all seemed to be in one piece and unharmed, save the cut on Renat's neck. "Has anyone seen Hemel?" The assassin was nowhere in sight, although that was not surprising as it was very dark compared to the white light only a moment ago. The scientist's face was grim. "I must go after him. The rest of you get Bukuri to safety."

Renat ran off into the darkness, trying to follow what he thought was the path of Hemel. Assuming the assassin was wanting to get out of town as quickly as possible, surely he would take the most direct path. The boy ran with all his might, but he miscalculated. He did not think about avoiding the guards.

Soldiers streamed into the streets. "Stop!" one yelled at him as they spotted him. But Renat did not heed their words. Cutting down an alley way, the boy ducked into an abandoned house. In the dull moonlight from the window, the stale bread on the table was exactly where the frantic family had left it when they suddenly fled. It was surreal to see, but Renat had no time to dwell on it.

"He went over here!"

The guards burst in the door, just as Renat ducked under the table. He was not quick enough. The soldier caught hold of him and jerked him to his feet. "He does not fit the description. No blond hair or scar over the eye," the guard said to the others. "What were you doing running in the streets? And why do you smell?"

Renat realized the man he was describing was Hemel. "The prisoner who escaped, I am looking for them same as you," the scientist explained. "I thought he may have come in here."

The guard released his arm and shook the muck off his hand from the boy's sleeve. "Go home and leave the search to the real soldiers." They filed back out into the street and left Renat behind. The boy ignored their warning and continued down an alley to find his query. It was an impossible search, but he could not give up.

Then back into the main street he headed, hoping to find some sign that Hemel had gone that way. With soldiers muddying any hope of finding tracks, Renat became more and more discouraged. But he could not give up!

Rounding a blind corner, Renat was met with a sword aimed at his chest. The scientist sucked in his breath only to relax. "Let me pass, General Nurlan," the boy said to the burly soldier.

"Ha, if I had been Hemel, you would already dead. I do not want to explain your early demise to Her Highness or anyone else," Nurlan sheathed his blade. "I will help you."

"You cannot go with me. You promised to protect Bukuri, and I need to protect Mairwen." Renat tried to get past the general only to be blocked by two more figures.

"We are all coming," Faris asserted. His tunic was shredded where his front legs had reappeared.

Bukuri sat on his back. "We must save Mairwen," she added with a nod.

"I cannot ask that of you." Renat began to back away.

Nurlan grabbed his arm. "And you did not. We offered. Now let us go. If we head south on horseback, we should be able to make up some ground."

With a new determination and one goal in mind, the four headed out of Valiant southward into the wilderness.

-------------------------

"I care for you, my son. Be careful," Bukuri said before lowering the mirror. Her face was pink with delight that her dreams of speaking to her son were at last being realized.

"You will see him in the flesh soon enough, Bukuri," Faris encouraged her as she rode on his back through the woods. Her progress brought the centaur no end of delight. The sad, sedate elf was becoming more and more a distant memory.

Renat was happy for the pair, but his mind was elsewhere. "It has been three days, Nurlan!" he repeated for at least the hundredth time. "We have seen no sign of Hemel."

"I know, son. Don't lose hope." Nurlan could understand the boy's angst. He was anxious also, but he would not allow that to take control. "We are going to make it to the Emperor and princess before that fiend. Hemel will not succeed." The general pressed his knees into the stallion he was riding, and they sped up slightly.

"Thank you Nurlan." Renat calmed slightly. The horse he had "borrowed" whinnied below him in encouragement.

Without warning, Nurlan drew his sword and swung it at Renat. The scientist drew a sword and knife from his waist and crossed them, catching the sword in between the blades. The attacking sword was deflected away from the horse and boy.

"Very good," Nurlan said with approval in his voice. "You are getting quicker." He replaced his sword and rode on as if he hadn't nearly sliced the scientist in two.

Renat sheathed his own weapons. "Thank you for the training as we go. I wish I had time to learn more than rudimentary defense. Should have paid more attention while working in the fort."

"Do not be too hard on yourself. Kitchen boys don't get much time off. Plus you have your scientific efforts. No one can do everything."

"Princess Mairwen can…" Renat said without thinking.

"There is only one Princess Mairwen, and I doubt even she can do everything." Nurlan chuckled.

'How pathetic must I be that the gruff Nurlan is comforting me,' Renat thought.

"If you make a quick jab with that knife of yours after you deflect my blade, there is not a lot I can do to block it," Nurlan made a sudden strike again for Renat to block. The boy added the jab at the end and it would have landed the general in the ribs. "See?" Nurlan smiled. "I'd would be in a world of hurt."

"Thank you, general," Renat was truly grateful.

Bukuri's bright countenance became strained as she closed her eyes. "Someone's near." she called quietly to the two men in front of her.

"I hear it too," Faris agreed. His tail twitched nervously.

"Could it be Hemel?" Renat scanned the landscape, but could only spot trees.

Faris shook his head. "It is many horses. So many, I would venture to say it is a small army."

"We need to check it out." Nurlan turned his horse in the direction that the centaur indicated.

"But!" Renat objected.

"What if it is the Emperor and Princess? We need to at least rule out that possibility." Nurlan was right and the boy knew it. "I will check it out and report back." The general rode off out of sight.

The other three followed behind at a safe distance. They stopped as soon as they could spot the many horses that Bukuri and Faris had heard. There were even more than Renat could easily count. "Stay hidden," he beseeched the other two. "Whether or not they are friendly, I am not sure how they will react to an elf and a centaur."

Out of the crowd rode Nurlan and another man and older woman on horseback. Renat watched them approach. "It is alright," the general told the boy as he eyed them warily, "They are allies."

"I am Duchess Ashleigh of Oblivion. Or at least I was. And this is my brother, Duke Fedelmid." the older woman waited for the boy to recognize her name, but it was clear he did not.

The scientist bowed his head, "I am Renat of nowhere important."

Ashleigh gave an amused smile. "You would not be with General Nurlan if you were not important."

"I thought you said there were three with you," Fedelmid looked around. Renat realized that the other two had hidden themselves well.

"How do you feel about magical creatures?" Nurlan asked, pretty sure that he knew the answer.

Ashleigh gave a wry smile and pushed her long silvery hair behind her shoulder. "Let's see. I am friends with a water nymph, and I recently fought a giant mole. I am not sure how you will top that, General."

"Do not tell me you have magical creatures with you." Fedelmid rubbed his eyes as a beautiful woman rode out of hiding on a horse-man. "A centaur!" he exclaimed.

"And an elf," Nurlan added. "This is Faris and Lady Bukuri. We are headed south to find the Emperor."

"You are in luck," Ashleigh said. "We are all headed to join the imperial army as well."

"Army?" Renat did not understand what she meant.

"You may want to go back just a little in your story, sister," Fedelmid urged, seeing the others confused faces.

"Of course you are right," Ashleigh laughed and touched her temple gently as if she had forgotten something. "When Alaron took over, he sent us messages by bird that we could keep our positions if we pledged our allegiance to him. Of course I could never do such a thing. Ravenna was a fool to do it. If she had thought for one second…"

"Sister," Fedelmid reminded her with a gentle smile. "We are pressed for time."

Ashleigh nodded. Her problems with Ravenna could wait until later. "Fedelmid and I refused and immediately left our respective towns with anyone loyal to Empress Aurora."

"It was a risk, but we could see no other course of action," the Duke added.

"Neither of us had made it very far when a strange entertainer appeared and told us to head towards the Drifting Dunes Desert. She said the imperial army was regrouping there." Ashleigh wanted to laugh at herself.

"We are not prone to believe such tales," Fedelmid asserted, "but something about her strange eyes made her seem credible."

"And what other choice did we have?" Ashleigh finished his thought.

"So we headed south separately. Just yesterday we met up by chance (or by the Fates) and combined forces. We would be honored if you would join us. We have clothes—yours seem quite dirtied—and food." Fedelmid offered with open hands.

"If the army is in the desert then surely the Emperor and Princess are too!" Renat was filled with hope. There was no doubt in his mind that Mairwen was not at the Southern Fort. This was the first real lead that they had on her whereabouts.

Nurlan nodded slowly. "I agree it is probably our best chance to beat the assassin…"

"Assassin? It sounds like you have an interesting story of your own!" Ashleigh's eyes widened in surprise.

The General pulled at his horse's reigns. "And we will be happy to tell it. But, if it pleases the Duke and Duchess, first let us get on our way. There is no time to lose."