The next morning dawned grey and dreary, and a thick fog rose up through the trees. Victoria's dreams were strange and caused her to sleep fitfully, and she jolted awake to a tiny room barely lit by morning's first light. Astrid lay sleeping peacefully in the adjacent bed as she quietly picked up her boots and cloak and crept from the room. It was early, and only the soldiers preparing to be relieved of night duty and a few early risers moved about the dimly lit fort.

Backtracking the way they came the night before, she tiptoed barefoot down the hallway to the door that lead to the common room. She gently pressed her weight against the door, opening it just enough to peek through. A small handful of elf soldiers shuffled around the kitchen area, Captain Bechard and Marc Gérin sat talking quietly at a table over rations of porridge and strong coffee, and at the far corner table sat Miss Lilly, smiling and waving her fingers at her. She motioned for her to come join her, and Victoria slipped into the common room, taking a seat at the table.

"You're up early." Lilly said.

"So are you." Victoria replied, huddling into her cloak.

"I'm old, I'm always up early." Lilly chuckled, closing the worn old book she was reading. "Captain Gilmeare says we'll stay here until the fog lifts. It's thick, so it could be late morning before we can go."

"Better safe than sorry." Victoria said. "I wouldn't want to travel in that anyway. Have you looked outside? It looks like a horror movie out there."

Lilly laughed softly, pausing to sip her coffee before continuing. "I'm curious about something. Care to take a walk with me?"

Victoria looked out the window, where the fog was visibly impassable in the pale predawn light. "So we're just gonna meander around the horror movie set out there?" She hitched her thumb toward the window, cocking her eyebrow.

"Calm down, we're not going to mosey off into the mist. You've seen too many scary movies, kid." Lilly chuckled as she stood from her seat. "Come on, walk with me. I've got a curiosity I'd like you to indulge."

She followed Lilly through a door at the back of the room by the kitchen that lead outside. The door opened into a small garden with a long bench and a low table on the opposite side. The fog was so thick that by the time they crossed the small space, no more than twenty or thirty feet, the door through which they'd come was barely visible. The cool, wet grass and earth felt good beneath her bare feet. Lilly sat on the bench, motioning for Victoria to take a seat as well. For several moments they just sat there, listening to the calming sounds of the forest waking around them, breathing deeply of the earthy, moist air.

Lilly turned to Victoria. "Hold your hands like this and close your eyes." She held her hands cupped in front of her. Victoria hesitated only for a second before obeying. "Deep breaths." Lilly instructed. "Now imagine there's a ball of fire burning in your hands. Feel its warmth. See its flames flicker with life. Tell me when you've got the image in your mind."

Victoria took several deep breaths, imagining the ball of fire. "Alright."

"Now open your eyes and visualize it actually burning in your hands."

Victoria slowly opened her eyes, and although the image was fresh in her mind, it began to fade the moment her eyes came open. She struggled to hang on to it, trying to "see" the fire. The stone flickered slightly beneath her shirt, catching her attention and erasing the ball of fire. Hands still cupped, she looked up at Lilly helplessly.

"Try this." Lilly said quietly. "Close your eyes. Deep breaths. Now imagine his face."

Victoria looked at her quizzically.

"Don't play dumb, you know who I'm talking about. Just do it." Lilly instructed. "Picture his face. How do you feel when he's near you? What happens when he looks into your eyes?"

Eyes closed, Victoria conjured Soren's face in her mind. Taking deep breaths, she remembered how his fingers felt on her neck, the caress of his hand on her cheek, the warm press of his lips to hers. She pictured his beautiful jade-and-gold eyes, heavy-lidded and searching her own. The butterflies in her belly began to stir, and she could feel the warmth of the fire in her chest.

"There." Lilly said quietly. "Don't question it, don't fight it, just breathe and go with it."

Victoria thought back to the first time he kissed her. How the dazzling white-and-gold flames danced and swirled around them, higher and higher. Her deep, shuddering breaths fanned the fire within and it grew until the stone glowed with pulsing white light, illuminating her like a torch in the fog.

"Good. Now push that fire into your hands. Shape it. Control how great or small it burns. Feels its warmth as you grasp it." Lilly urged gently. "Manifest the fire within."

She took several deep breaths, concentrating on coaxing the fire down her arms into her cupped hands. As her eyes slowly peeked open, she saw the tiny, nearly transparent ball of wispy light form before her.

"You've got it. Now concentrate. Picture his face. Channel the fire he lights into your hands." Lilly said.

She took her thoughts back to that first kiss, and before her eyes the tiny, barely visible bubble of light morphed into a fully realized ball of fire. She could feel its heat, its presence. She gazed in wonder at the living flames that flickered in her grasp; moving it, making it larger and smaller. Knowing that she created it gave her a strange, uplifting feeling, and she couldn't hide the excitement in her smile as she looked from it to Lilly and back.

After a few moments, Victoria opened her hands and the fire dissipated, and the glow from the stone flickered away. Lilly sat back, nodding approvingly. "Well done, Victoria. You'll need to practice this as much as you can. Who knows what Assyria will do next or when she'll decide to just show up. I have to teach you what I can, and we aren't being given much time. You'll face her before this is over and you must be able to use it. That power at its peak strength is the only thing strong enough to command Xareig, and it's the only thing stronger than she is. Well, besides myself, but like I said, I'm old and I don't have the physical strength to just take care of her myself anymore. The last thing she wants is you learning to wield the stone's power, least of all to unlock its full potential."

"Which is turning me into a dragon." Victoria said quietly.

"Yes." Lilly said. "You've got some work to do before you can get to that though. You've gotta strengthen that flame. The stronger that flame burns within you, the greater your hold over his power. Meaning you'll have an easier time controlling it."

"How...do I do that?" Victoria asked cautiously.

"Remember what I told you last night? Don't fight fate." Lilly paused, smiling and inclining her head toward the door they came out of. "Don't question it, don't fight it, just breath and go with it." She patted Victoria's knee as she stood. "Come on. The sun's coming up and it looks like the fog is thinning a bit, let's get some breakfast."

* * *

To their good fortune, the weather acted in their favor. The dense fog lifted quickly once the sun cleared the horizon, and it wasn't quite midmorning before Captain Gilmeare deemed it clear enough to travel. Ten Eralian soldiers, including Captain Gilmeare, would escort them to Astheas. There would be no wagons this time, and they would only bring what weapons and supplies they could carry.

Of the soldiers remaining at the fort, Captain Gilmeare sent four to search the area where the Brógudún first attacked for any salvageable effects from the slaughtered men. He promised Captain Bechard that their remains would be buried together, and any of their personal effects that could be recovered, if any, would be sent straightaway to Charveil to await the escort back to the city with Louis and Remy. Bechard wrote a letter of condolence to the fallen men's families, and one for Louis and Remy, briefing them of the events that occurred after their parting.

The plan was to ride with as few stops as possible, and continue following the road to the village of Morséryn; the halfway point between the fort and Kannoris. Instead of trying to find lodgings for twenty people plus horses, and to avoid possibly endangering innocent lives if Assyria chose to attack again, the captains decided that they would set up camp a few miles past Morséryn with an alternating five-man watch through the night.

"I'll give you a little while to look around and appreciate the landscape." Lilly told Victoria. "But you have a lot of work to do. I've got to get you comfortable summoning and manipulating that power. You might be missing school, but I've lessons to teach you just the same. You have a considerably challenging test fast approaching and if you're not prepared, you will fail." She cautioned.

"Thank you...for that ominous pep talk, Miss Lilly. I don't think I was sufficiently nervous before." Victoria said sarcastically.

"Oh you'll be fine, I believe in you." Lilly said with a smile. "Besides, I've got something fun to teach you once you get a good enough handle on what you're doing. Astrid tells me you're a damn good shot with a bow."

"Yeah, we were working on shooting while riding before everything got all crazy." Victoria said.

"Then you'll enjoy what I have to teach you." Lilly winked and smiled at Victoria. "Alright then, let's get a move on. Lots to see, lots to do, lots of ground to cover."

They all mounted quickly, eager to make up for the time lost to the fog; they would need to ride hard to reach the other side of Morséryn before nightfall. Within minutes, the border fortress disappeared into the trees behind them, and the forest grew around them, shielding them beneath a canopy of shimmering green.

Victoria was amazed at how quickly the landscape changed once they crossed the border. The rough, foothill terrain became soft, green earth; the trees, once a sprawl of scrawny, half-dead pines were now tall and sturdy, and topped with an abundance of bright green foliage. Plants and flowers like she'd never seen grew in profusion; birds she didn't know sang their warbling melodies as they flitted this way and that through the treetops. The trees themselves were wondrous to behold. Wide, hulking trunks stretched upwards some thirty or forty feet, spreading their thick branches of large, silvery green leaves, concealing the world below. Thin wisps of lingering fog coupled with the rays of sun peeking through the trees created a calm, almost ethereal atmosphere.

Lilly kept her word, and as soon as the pace slowed she put Victoria to work manifesting the fire. It was more difficult than before; earlier they were sitting alone in the quiet garden, now they were in the center of a moving riding formation. It was harder to concentrate, but eventually she was able to form a weak, flickering ball.

"Good. Now let it go." Lilly instructed, nodding. "Now do it again. Make it stronger."

Each time she formed it, Lilly made her release it and form it again, and each time she did took just a little less effort than before. She struggled for a while at first, squirming under the eyes of everyone who was watching from their position in line. After an early failed attempt resulting in some hushed swearing, Soren leaned over and grasped her hand.

"Take a breath." He squeezed her hand as he inhaled deeply. "It's okay. Don't worry about anyone else watching. If you've got to worry about eyes on you, just worry about mine." He flashed a big cheesy smile and wagged his eyebrows at her.

Victoria blushed high into her cheeks as she laughed louder than she meant to. "Your sister's right, you are a pig." She laughed through a smile she couldn't conceal.

He smiled wider, blowing her a kiss before releasing her hand.

The hours ticked by, and Victoria's ability to conjure the fire in her hands grew stronger. It was past midday when they stopped to rest, and by then she was able to bring it forth with far less difficulty. It was then that Lilly decided to increase the difficulty of her training; now when the group ran, she would be holding on with one hand and conjuring with the other.

"You're not always going to have the luxury of sitting down and meditating to call it forth. Whether you're fighting or fleeing, you must be able to wield it while you're in motion." Lilly told her.

So it came to pass that by the time the village of Morséryn crept into view, Victoria had garnered a fair amount of mastery over the conjuring and manipulation of the fire; thanks mostly to Lilly's insistence. The sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon as the village drew closer; they would get to the other side as planned, but not as far. By the time they were forced to stop or lose the light, the village was still within sight but a safe distance away. They dismounted quickly and bustled about to set up camp before they were left stranded in darkness; pitching tents, gathering firewood, preparing food, tending horses.

"Victoria." Lilly called as she hobbled over to Victoria's tent. "Grab your bow and an arrow and come with me. Quick, before it gets any darker." She led Victoria several yards outside the semicircle of tents, stopping and turning to face her. "See that stump over there?" She pointed to a large stump a short distance away. "Aim at it, but don't shoot."

Victoria did as she was told, turning her body to line up the simple shot.

"Now, summon the fire to the bow. Feel it pulse through the wood, feel it hum through the string."

She closed her eyes, breathing slowly and trying to make the fire spread from her hands to the bow. Slowly, a thin wisp of flames crept along the length of the bow, along the arrow, igniting a small flame at the tip, and the string flickered with a weak golden light.

"Good, good! Now hang on to it, and shoot the stump!" Lilly encouraged.

She took another slow breath, releasing the arrow as she exhaled. The arrow sang through the air, blazing a thin trail of firelight, and struck the stump with a small burst of fire. The tiny blaze fizzled out quickly with a crackling hiss, and a tiny trail of wispy smoke snaked from the small scorch mark left by the arrow.

Still clutching the bow, her arms dropped to her sides, eyes widened, and jaw hung slack in a lop-sided grin as she looked from Lilly to the stump and back several times. "Are you serious?!" A wide smile split her face. "That's freaking awesome!"

"I told you I had something neat to teach you." Lilly chuckled. "This is called the arcus ignis, or in plain speaking, the fire bow. The fire you conjure is channeled into the arrow, good for targets outside of casting range. In time, and with practice, you would eventually not even need the arrow. Indeed, with enough training one would not even require the bow."

"You mean I can just conjure a whole-ass bow out of fire whenever I want?!" Victoria asked, eyes sparkling with excitement.

The old woman loosed an unexpected bark of laughter. "Oh goodness no. Not anytime soon, anyway. Oh to be so young and eager again. No, I'm afraid you don't have the time here to devote to the amount of training required for that." Her tone turned dismissive and she shrugged noncommittally. "Unless, of course, you decided to stay."

The thought hadn't crossed her mind before then, and hearing it now sent a strange pang through her chest. What if I stayed? She pondered the idea for a moment before Lilly's voice broke the silence, startling her.

"You coming?"

She hadn't noticed when Lilly began walking back toward the tents, and she was standing now several feet back the way they came. Shaking her head, she hurried to catch up with Lilly as they rejoined their companions.

Later that night, as she lay ensconced in her tent, Victoria found that sleep eluded her as she continued to contemplate Lilly's words. What if she did stay here? Is that possible? She wouldn't really be leaving behind a life she'd lament the loss of. She considered her life in general pretty boring; she wasn't a part of any clubs, and sports were never her thing. She never had many friends, so she didn't go to parties or have a group to hang out with. Besides her parents, Heather was the only person she had any real attachments to back home. Would her parents give their blessing? Would she ever be able to see them again? Would it be the right choice, if it was possible?

Fearing that her restlessness would wake Astrid, she grabbed up her cloak and crept silently from the tent. Barefoot, she tiptoed the short distance from her tent to the low-burning fire, clearing her throat so she didn't spook the guards on night watch, who nodded as she passed. She sat cross-legged near the fire, pulling her cloak around her and poking at the smoldering embers with a stick as she contemplated this new set of problems, possibilities, and what ifs.

After the better part of an hour she found herself beginning to doze, and she fought to stay upright as sleep loomed near. She ground the heels of her hands into her eyes, deciding she should go back to the tent.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, young lady?"

She jumped, stifling a gasp, then huffed a sigh. "Shouldn't you be in bed, little boy?"

Soren's blurry form came into focus as he dragged a saddle closer and sat next to Victoria by the fire, reclining back against the saddle. "Really though, what are you doing out here?" The lines of concern were barely visible in the dim firelight, but they creased his brown nonetheless.

"I couldn't sleep." She said, turning from him back to the glowing coals. "I've just got a lot on my mind is all."

"Hmm."

He reached out to pull her closer, and she moved without protest, laying her head on his chest. Wrapping his arms around her he planted a soft kiss on the top of her head, stroking her hair. The gentle rise and fall of his breaths soon lulled her back to the brink of unconsciousness, where she teetered only briefly before sleep rose up to claim her at last. Sighing contentedly, she nestled into his embrace and they slept, the two of them, beneath the open canopy of stars.