Andrin's chest heaved. His body was struggling as more and more blood seeped from the open wound in his stomach.

Koren hastily unwrapped the soaked bandages again to replace them, tying them tight as he dared around the wounded Animaré's middle. "I don't think this is working." His breathing was shallow as he rummaged through Andrin's bag, searching for anything else that could help.

"You know who we need right now? Andrin." I cautiously surveyed our surroundings—no distant torches to be seen. Looking back to Koren, I found his formerly grim face lit up. "What is it?"

He continued his search with renewed fervor, not pausing to answer until he held up a little blue stone. "This," he breathed. Without any further hesitation he placed the stone in Andrin's mouth and held his breath.

"Koren what is that?"

"Some sort of sensory stimulation." His eyes never left the Animaré's face. "He mentioned it ages ago and I only just remembered. We just need him lucid enough to talk," he murmured.

We waited.

Finally Andrin's eyelids fluttered and his breathing became more ragged. With consciousness came pain. His eyes opened wide for a moment before he screwed them up in pain. A groan escaped through his gritted teeth. "What..."

"Stay down." Koren gently laid a hand on Andrin's arm. "You're awake for just a little while, then you won't be anymore."

Andrin's eyes darted from Koren's face to mine and back. "Am I... dying?"

Koren opened his mouth but couldn't seem to form words.

"We're not going to let that happen." I stepped forward to crouch by Andrin's shoulder. "That's why we need you."

"I'm currently... a little indisposed right now," came the immediate answer. Andrin sucked in another ragged breath.

I cut right to the chase. "We don't know what you need to heal, but you do. You've lost a lot of blood and bandages aren't doing a good enough job. There's probably further damage internally that we don't know about, so we need to heal that too." I paused and glanced out into the distance again. "And we need to move you—a long way."

"Andrin we need to know how to save you." Koren's voice was pleading.

Andrin's took a few deep breaths and opened his eyes. "Lootrot paste. It'll slow the bleeding. You need some sort of..." He closed his eyes gently but I saw his fists clench. "Shaman. He could find unseen damage. And travel will be extremely hard on me."

"Lootrot paste, got it. What does it look like?" Immediately my hands went for Andrin's belongings.

"Green. Brown bottle."

"Rest now Andrin, that's all we needed." Koren barely raised his voice above a whisper.

"Wait," the Animaré said weakly. "Please..." He was losing consciousness again. "No more Y'ririn. It heightens... pain..." Once again he slumped back against the rock.

"Y'ririn?" I looked quizzically at Koren.

"The stimulant I guess." He shrugged. "But now we have a bigger problem. We need a shaman."

"So we find one. We'll do whatever it takes." I wished that I felt as confident as I sounded.

We'll find one. Andrin's breathing was still heavy. And we'll pray it isn't already too late.

* * *

The night was eerily calm. I jumped at almost every critter stirring the grass, every breeze lifting the hair off my forehead. My cloak was wrapped tightly around my shoulders to keep out the chill of the night. It made me feel more secure too.

I kept my head on a constant swivel, eyes scanning the horizon and the sprawling rocks for any glimpse of light or sign of movement. After situating myself in a clump of grass a short distance from Andrin and Koren's hiding place, it wasn't long before I wanted to go back. I expected that with every turn of my head I'd catch sight of a torch in the distance, that every breath of wind would carry cries from afar.

Nothing.

A chill ran down my spine and I shivered. Despite the constant paranoia, my chief concern was for Andrin. The bleeding had slowed considerably, but the Baldük had still lost a lot of blood, not to mention whatever other damage the knife had caused. Considering our dire situation with the Ska'al patrols, the wound was potentially lethal, either by rediscovery or simply severity. I shook my head and sighed quietly, turning Lylisia's knife over in my hands.

If only I didn't have to do this alone.

The swish of the grass was sufficient to wrench me from my thoughts. A solitary figure moved leisurely among the rocks, a dark hood and cloak rendering him hardly more than a shadow. My hair stood on end as I readied myself for attack. I didn't think I could kill the Ska'al, but couldn't risk him discovering the sleeping Animaré.

I crouched in the grass and waited for him to wander closer. There didn't seem to be any real pattern to his movements. His walk seemed to lack much purpose, as if he wasn't quite certain what he was looking for. In a different situation I would have found that odd, maybe even intriguing. But I didn't have room for curiosity when life and death hung in the balance.

The warrior almost walked right toward me, his purposeless stride taking him always a step closer. I felt the magic gather in my soul, suddenly awake and hungry for battle. His foot landed right where I wanted and I leapt, blade gleaming in the moonlight. He looked up.

No mask.

With no time to rethink my attack, I brought my knife arcing downward. A huge sword appeared as if from nowhere to parry my strike, and I rolled to break my fall, the rocks biting into my shoulder. Catching myself in a crouch, I braced for the fight.

"Peace, Solace." The sword was gone as quickly as it appeared and suddenly I recognized the deep voice. My mysterious visitor had found us yet again. "I come in peace." He held up his empty hands.

I lowered my weapon and relaxed a little, my heart still beating fast. The magic swirled within me, agitated from the sudden excitement. "Why are you here?"

"Should I not be?"

In the faint moonlight I caught an outline of his features: full beard reflecting silver, long nose drooping down over the mustache, bushy eyebrows half-raised, dark eyes bathed in shadowy recesses. "How did you find us?"

He could've led the Ska'al straight to us. Accidentally or purposefully, we were in dire straits if that was the case.

"Your hunters will not find you." He knew what I was afraid of.

"How can you be sure?"

"They do not know where to look," he answered simply. "But you have more questions than these surely."

I shook my head and organized my thoughts. First things first. "The magic wants to control me. It fights me, like it's thirsty for more every time I give it free reign."

No answer.

"Why does it do this? How do I control it? And how do you know anything about this?" The question's started spilling out. "What do you know about magic? Especially Solace magic? How do you keep finding us?"

He held up a hand and I fell silent. "In due time you will learn many things. Now is not the time to learn all things." He paused a moment before going on. "You are correct—learning to control your power is key, not only to your own survival, but to your friends' as well."

My eyebrows knit together. "What do mean..."

"Blood leaves the clearest trail of all, Solace. Blood led me to you tonight, and though it cannot lead others, you will be found again soon enough." His whisper was soft as the wind but I sensed urgency beneath it. "Within you lies great power, power unmatched in all but a few, if only you are not consumed. You must become its master, or it will become yours."

Now I really had chills. I glanced warily around me to be sure the shadows weren't silently creeping closer. "And how do I prevent that? How do I control it?"

"Have I not already given you instruction?"

"That doesn't work," I said through gritted teeth. Even now the magic sparked inside me, not quite a fire but ready to ignite. "Yielding to the power lessens my control rather than increasing it."

"Solace magic need not be called." Deep eyes peered down a long nose into mine. "It responds to the soul's need. When you need it, it is at your fingertips. Do not confuse control with command—you shall wield it with control, but it does not come and go at your beck and call."

I turned the idea over in my mind, cautiously feeling out the magic coiled inside me. It welled up without being called, it was true. "How do I control it when I use it then?"

The shadow of a smile played at his lips. "That is not for me to tell—it cannot be taught, but must be learned."

"That's really the best answer you've got? Just learn?" I huffed and sat down, thinking about what else to ask. "Fine. So who are you? How do you know anything about this?"

We heard a rustle from where the Animaré lay hidden.

The man showed no sign of haste, but promptly turned on his heel. "Questions for another time and another place." A hand twitched inside his cloak near his sword hilt. "Do not follow."

It wasn't long before the tall figure melted back into the shadows and was swallowed by the darkness of the night.

* * *

"Koren!"

He didn't move.

"Koren." I shook him a little harder. It was his turn for the watch and I could barely keep my eyes open. "Let's get going, you're rested quite enough."

He opened his eyes at last and sat up. It wasn't more than ten seconds before he was wide awake. "Anything to report?"

I shook my head, reluctant to furnish any details. It wouldn't be easy to explain the bearded man.

Koren pushed himself easily to his feet and stretched. The incredible result of a few hours' rest on the Animaré gave me a pang of jealousy. After our arduous journey and subsequent flight across the hills, I would need far more than three hours of sleep to recover. The steady, reassuring flow of energy flowing between her and I was what used to keep me going when my legs hardly could anymore. Now that was gone forever, and my soul ached.

"Amulet please." Koren held out his hand.

I pulled it out of my pocket and placed the necklace in his palm. "Right, right." It was an old habit. Whoever was on the watch kept the artifact, so it couldn't be stolen from someone sleeping. It was natural to continue it even though we now kept a watch to keep us alive.

Koren peered thoughtfully at the pendant.

"Yes?"

He blinked and looked up. "What?"

"What's on your mind?" My eyes darted to Andrin, now sleeping more peacefully. The paste had done wonders on the bleeding wound.

"Well it just occurred to me." He went back to staring at the amulet and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes?"

"Here's the thing." His eyes flickered to Andrin as well. "I don't want the Ska'al to have this any more than any of us do. I'd actually like to keep it if only to spite them. But I'm prepared to use this as a bartering tool to save our lives."

"You mean just give it to them?"

"Not as simple as that, but essentially yes." He began pacing our little clearing, sinking deeper into thought. "They want the amulet right?"

"Right." I sat down and stifled a yawn.

"So if we give it to them on the right conditions, we call a truce and both get what we want—they, their amulet, us, our freedom."

I furrowed my brow. "I don't know that they'd go for that as much as we would."

Koren turned on his heel and began pacing more excitedly. "But I think they would."

"Of course you do," I muttered.

"How many Ska'al have we killed so far? Five? And one that fled? Those are heavy losses, and the price only gets higher the longer they keep trying to get the amulet." He held up the shiny artifact, the jewel swinging lazily on its chain. "Their troubles end when they finally have it."

My heart skipped when he tallied their losses. I wished his plan was as foolproof as he made it seem. I wished it was as easy as giving up the worthless piece of metal and rock. I wished we could've done that from the start. Maybe then we wouldn't have suffered losses either. "That's just not possible Koren, I'm sorry. The Ska'al would never accept those conditions."

"And why not?" he demanded.

"Because!" I fumbled to put together my defense. "Because... well how would we even contact them?"

"We find a single patrol and give them the message. Then they wouldn't be able to overpower us and just take it."

I laid back and closed my eyes. All I wanted was to sleep. "Koren give it up, you know that's not realistic."

"It's a possibility. It could work, you never know! I'm just looking for something to save us from more injury."

My eyes flew open. "Look. I'm not saying no just because. You think I want them to chase us any longer? I know better than anyone that they aren't the only ones to suffer heavy losses."

"Sedris I didn't mean to—"

"I know, I know." I didn't mean to snap at him, but the magic turned irritation to anger with ease. A few deep, calming breaths helped push it down again. "You know why your plan won't work?" I didn't wait for his answer. "They'll never let us go. And that's precisely because they've taken heavy losses. Their losses aren't just soldiers, aren't just masks—they're men. They are—were—friends, brothers, sons."

Koren waited a moment while I steadied my shaking voice.

"And our losses were the same." I glanced at Andrin. "They are the same."

Again, he waited silently.

"For the Ska'al, this isn't just about the amulet anymore. Maybe it is for the their superiors, I wouldn't know. But for them, it's personal. I promise you, they want revenge. And even though I don't know who took her from me, believe me, when if find him—it, whatever monster it is—I'd want the same thing."

For a long moment Koren simply searched my eyes. Then he nodded. "We keep running for Aelridia then."

I forced a smile and laid down again. "Goodnight Koren."

"Goodnight Sedris."

* * *

The crunch of boots on rock was satisfying. I trailed my fingers across a smooth boulder before once again letting my feet sweep me from stone to stone. It felt good to leap as far as I could, trusting my legs to catch me.

Jagged, grass-covered cliffs rose around me, overflowing with plants I'd never even seen. Boulders were still strewn across the landscape as if hurled from the sky by warring colossi, some cracked and fractured, some ground to pieces like the ones beneath my feet. The sun glanced occasionally through the clouds, casting spotlights on the cliffs. It wasn't hard to work my way quickly higher and higher, leaving the barren landscape far behind.

It had taken a lot of convincing for me to agree to splitting up. Koren was patient, however, and eventually I agreed that it really was the best idea. While he took Andrin more slowly straight north toward Aelridia, I would stray further west, shortcutting across the mountainous hills to the towns on the other side.

I slid my hand in my pocket for the hundredth time, checking that the amulet was still there. Again, Koren had had to argue for me to take it. Eventually I couldn't help but see his logic. He and Andrin would be much easier targets in the flatlands than me in cliffs, especially considering that the Animaré were slowed by Andrin's injuries.

"We'll meet a ways west of the Crossroads," Koren had told me. "Andrin and I will move slowly, mainly at night, and be sure to hide ourselves away if any danger comes our way."

"I still don't like it," I had told him. "Not one bit. We're twice as vulnerable when we're not together."

He had taken me out of Andrin's earshot. The wounded Animaré wasn't awake at the time, but he had woken briefly at dawn. "You know we can't take him over the mountains Sed. You'll be fastest on your own."

I had swallowed and nodded. "You're sure there's no closer town?"

"Positive." He had cast a worried glance toward Andrin and lowered his voice. "He's weak. He seems stronger, but it's because of the medicine and strength from magic. I can feel it though—inside, he's getting worse. We need you to move as fast as you can, because his life might depend on it."

"We'll save him Koren. As long as you promise to get to the Crossroads in one piece—both of you—I'll have the healer he needs."

As I scrambled over another rock in my path, I realized that it wasn't for my job that I was worried, but for Koren's.

He's right. I'll be far safer than him, and he knows I'll move fast.

Better hope he will too. There isn't much time.

I shook my head and focused on the task at hand, trying to keep my thoughts in check. It wouldn't help me to worry about Andrin and Koren—I just had to trust they'd both make it to the meeting place.

Despite the sunlight bathing me in warmth, I suddenly got chills and gathered my cloak around me. Absentmindedly my hand drifted to the hilt of my dagger before I laughed at myself.

No one is following you into the mountains Sedris, I told myself sternly. There isn't a soul around. Not that I would know it, since the currents certainly wouldn't tell me. Somehow the idea didn't reassure me like I thought it would.

I sat down and drew the knife, twirling it in my fingers while I caught my breath. The pale blade gleamed in the sun, the inlaid sapphire scattering beads of light into my lap. I held up the cloudy emerald in the amulet and laughed. There was no comparison.

I wish you were here Lill.

I had tried to block these thoughts out. It wouldn't do me well to miss her, to wish I had had a chance to say goodbye. In fact, I barely had time to dwell on my grief since the night I lost her.

But the loneliness of the mountain pressed in on me, and I wished for all the world to have her steady reassurance, her kind words, her confidence in all of us. Against impossible odds, she led us forward with unstoppable courage and spurred us on when we started to lose hope.

I don't have much hope left now. My fingers closed around the hilt of her knife. But I'll be brave like you.

I slid the amulet back in my pocket and continued on, subdued but determined.

Eventually I reached a place where the only way forward was straight up a cliff. I shrugged and hooked my fingers into the wall. The sheer face didn't faze me. In fact, it was refreshing to feel capable, like my own strength was sufficient. There were dozens of natural handholds, and my lithe body was perfectly suited to scale the wall quickly.

I could almost hear her voice in my ear. No need to make us all look so bad Sed, she'd be saying, eyes twinkling. You're making the lizards jealous they can't climb faster!

A smile crossed my lips, but soon faded away. She was just a memory now.

I hauled myself up the last few feet and popped my head over the ledge.

"Fancy meeting you here."

I yelled and nearly fell backwards off the cliff. My hand shot out and caught a handhold only a foot or two below me, letting me hang by it precariously. "What are you doing!"

The cloaked man poked his head over the edge, his long beard dangling down above my head. "Sitting. Waiting, really. It is an easy climb, though you took your time."

"I didn't think I'd have someone following me around, waiting for me at the top of cliffs!" He was seated cross-legged on a rock right next to the edge. I clambered over the ledge and sat down a ways away from it, having had my fair share of peril for the afternoon. "How in the world did you know to wait here?"