Brimming with excitement, the Knights wandered back through the elaborately carved, dimly-glowing passageways, talking enthusiastically along the way about what the Elders had planned for their first formal training session. Though none of them was familiar with the labyrinthine structure, they had no trouble finding the correct path to the upper levels of the Dragoon Cave; the amethysts, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds embedded in the walls glowed pointedly whenever they reached a crossroads, signaling the correct passage to take.

The third time this had happened, Milius nudged Sirius and they fell back behind Ariana and Shakil, who were still chatting animatedly. “Forgot to ask,” he said quietly, “what did Aunt Aurora want?”

Whatever it was that they had spoken about, it was clear that the conversation was not at all to Sirius’s liking, for he flushed so deeply with anger that he glowed as bright as Vulcatrix’s blade the first time Milius had seen it activated. “Same boat as you, I suppose,” he said bitterly. “Didn't want me to become a Dragonknight — only, Aunt Minerva wanted to keep you safe, she just wanted me to stay home so I could look after Father.”

“How is he, anyway?” Milius asked quietly. “I haven't seen him in a while …”

Milius, shooting a sideways glance at Sirius, noticed that his grip tightened on the goblin-like figurine in his hands. When he spoke, it was in a rather brusque voice. “He's fine. Or at least, as fine as someone like him can be…. They're moving him back home soon.”

“What?” Milius said loudly, completely thrown by this unexpected news. Ariana and Shakil stopped a short way ahead, looking curiously around at them both. Sirius stopped moving too. “Sorry,” Milius added quickly. “If you don't want to talk —”

“No, it's fine,” he said, and there was an odd expression on his face as he stared at Ariana and Shakil. “We're a team now, aren't we? I think they have a right to know.”

“To know what?” Ariana asked, striding over to them.

“Is it about your … your mother?” Shakil said tentatively, looking at Milius.

Milius sighed. “My mother, and Sirius’s father,” he said. “Both of them are … well … not doing so good.”

“What do you mean?”

“My father's unwell,” Sirius said, trying to sound calm, but his hands gave him away: they were trembling slightly. “Mentally, I mean. My mother wanted me to give up my sword and come back home so I could help take care of him, but I said I couldn't. I told her I was obliged to go on this journey as a Knight…. She called me selfish. A bad son … Practically disowned me.”

“That's … that's awful …” Ariana said sadly, her hand over her mouth. Shakil was looking deeply uncomfortable.

“And my mother,” Milius said, “well, she's sick too. Physically. It's a magical illness. Takes a great toll on the body. She has to take a certain medicinal potion regularly to lessen the effects, and if she doesn't….” He didn't finish the sentence, but by the looks on their faces, they understood. There was a long, tense silence, broken only by the sound of the fountain gurgling in the distance. Milius mulled over Sirius’s words as he listened to the steady trickling of the water, as a memory of another fountain swam to the forefront of his mind…. We're a team now, aren't we? … I think they have a right to know….

“There's something I need to tell you,” he said finally, deciding. Under their curious stares, he heaved a sigh and reached into the pocket of his robes, extracting the large, fractured stone. It was still flecked with golden liquid, and there was a long crack running along the surface, but apart from that, it was in fairly good condition.

“Are we finally about to discover what you took back from the forest?” Sirius asked, casting him a stern look.

Milius was astonished. “How did you —?”

Sirius waved a dismissive hand. “Please. No offense, Milius, but you're a terrible liar. Plus I saw something in your pocket after you caught up with us, right before that weasel, Parluck, scampered off.”

Milius glanced around. Ariana and Shakil didn't look surprised either. Had he really been that obvious? He sighed again, but before he could speak, Shakil forestalled him with an eager hiss, “So what is it?”

Milius set the Orb of Triton, the wreath of gold, and the white coin down at his feet and held the stone up. Under the dim light of the glowing walls, they saw a smoothly cut groove near the top of the stone. Milius pulled the top off and revealed the completely hollow interior, in which a viscous, golden liquid was slopping gently against the sides.

“Is that —?” Ariana began, in tones of great surprise.

“It is,” Milius said. “Nectar, from the fountain Vagor showed us. I — I was curious to see what it did, but — I don't know — I didn't want anyone to see me take it. So I hung back while you guys spoke, found this rock, dug it out, and filled it with Nectar.”

“In that short time?” Shakil asked, looking awed.

Milius shrugged. “Anyway … it's how I survived back in the arena.”

“What do you mean?” Sirius said sharply.

“It was … bad, Sir. Very bad. I” — he gulped; it made him uncomfortable to relive that moment, but he took a deep, steadying breath and pressed on — “I almost didn't make it. But this cracked open when I was in the water, and the Nectar sort of, seeped out and — and healed me. Completely.”

Ariana looked amazed. “So that's what it does,” she whispered. “It has healing properties.”

“Incredible,” Shakil muttered, his eyes glazed. Ariana suddenly clapped a hand to her forehead, making them all jump.

“What?” Sirius demanded, looking slightly alarmed.

“Of course,” she muttered. “It makes sense now…. After I was — when I was — when I got — got —” She glanced uncomfortably at Milius, reddened, and went on quickly, avoiding his eyes, “After I was hurt, I spent nearly two days in bed recuperating. It was … awful.” She shuddered. Milius knew exactly what she meant, because he had experienced the terrible power of Palpatunde himself, as well. He felt a sudden, horrible pang of guilt. “I was getting better,” she continued, “but slowly. Eventually, they gave me something to drink. And I — as soon as I drank it I felt fine. Better, even, than I had in a long time. I think it could have been Nectar.”

“Come to think of it,” Shakil added, frowning a little, “Basil and Calder disappeared from the Cave for a little while back then. They must have gone into the forest to get the Nectar!”

“You'd think they'd have stocked up on something as useful as that, wouldn't they?” Milius said. He glanced down at the hollowed stone. It was nearly full. He held out the palm that Calder had cut and tipped a single drop of Nectar onto his skin. The wound sealed itself almost instantly. “Come on,” he said, holding out the stone for the others. One by one they raised their palms, and one by one they pulled away, watching in awe as their wounds closed before their very eyes.

“Might need something else to hold it in, though,” Milius said, as beads of the Elixir pressed through the crack. “Anyway, come on, we should get going….”

They continued through the passageways, following their glowing jewel guides, and eventually the door that had been conjured with their blood swam into view. They pushed through it and strode down the hallway, coming to a stop at the door of the room that Calder had brought Milius into what felt like so long ago.

“This is it?” Sirius asked.

“Must be,” Milius said. He took a deep breath, seized the door handle, and pushed.

Milius was right. The Elders stood in the dead center of the large, circular room, the bronze walls gleaming all around them. Calder, Aaron, Basil, and Demus looked up in mild surprise.

“Finished already?” Calder said, smiling.

The four Knights moved further into the room, which was, Milius noticed with a jolt of surprise, not as he had remembered it. The floor was no longer coated in gleaming white tiles, but carpeted by a bed of soft, golden-brown grass like that of the section of the forest in which they had met the Honey Troopers. The roof had disappeared, so that they were left staring directly up at the brilliant blue dome that was the morning sky. Four life-size, wooden carvings stood behind the Elders, and a small wooden table was placed on their left, upon which were perched what looked like medical supplies, and a glittering crystal vial of —

“Yes, Milius, the Elixir of Life,” Calder said serenely, noticing that Milius’s pale eyes were fixed on the brilliantly-coloured liquid. “I'm sure you're familiar?”

“But … how did you know?”

“My dear boy, contrary to popular belief, age is not without its benefits — though I can no longer move as well as I used to, Omniscience has certainly been quite a gift in my years of frailty,” he said, very seriously.

Milius’s mouth fell open, as did Shakil’s, Ariana’s, and Sirius’s. “You — you're omniscient?” Milius spluttered.

“Of course not!” Calder said, and he chuckled at the look of disbelief on their faces. “I merely saw the evidence on your robes in the ward.” He pointed, and Milius looked down to see the familiar golden fluid streaked across the side of his robes.

“Oh,” he muttered, now feeling very foolish.

Calder laughed again. Aaron, beside him, cleared his throat impatiently. “Oh — right — yes,” Calder said, and he went on, more seriously, “yes, well … we weren't really expecting you all this early. But, since you're here … we may as well —” He gestured to the wooden figures behind him.

The four old men cleared away, and Demus, Milius saw, tapped his too-short walking stick thrice on the ground as he moved. Before Milius could do more than register that he had seen him do the same thing when the Elders had ushered them into the forest, and that the barrier had appeared to seal them in right after, the wooden statues actually moved. Each of them drew wooden swords from the scabbards hung from their waists and raised them as though readying for battle.

“What's going on?” Shakil asked, looking apprehensive.

“We are beginning your formal training, of course,” Basil said, raising his silver eyebrows.

“Owing to the goblin, Parluck, and your own exploits in the forest, I believe it's safe to say that you are already familiar with the basics of your swords, meaning we should be able to skip right to combat training. Unfortunately, it is too dangerous for you to begin training with each other, or in fact any living creature, at the moment,” Calder said, and he cast a fleeting look in Milius’s direction. “So, for the time being, you will spar with them.”

“Are you serious?” Sirius said incredulously. “We're supposed to fight wood?”

Demus smiled. “Look sharp, my pupil,” he said, and he tapped the ground again.

The statues moved with alarming speed. Before Milius could even think to unsheath Palpatunde, a wooden warrior was right on top of him. He twisted his blade between his hands just before it connected, and thrust the hilt into Milius’s chest, sending him soaring backwards while the pearl, the wreath, and the coin flew out of his grasp. He heard yells from Sirius and Shakil and a scream from Ariana and knew that they had been overpowered as well.

“Dreadful,” said Aaron’s voice, moments later, and Milius raised himself up to see the Elder smiling unpleasantly. “And to think, it was just wood.”

The other Elders kept their faces impassive, but Aaron, who was still smiling maliciously, clapped his hands and the four wooden warriors bounded back into line directly in front of them. “We’ll try that again,” he said, “but this time, they’ll be using the sharp ends of their swords.”