Alaron felt like his body was being torn apart. His broken insides were being shredded and knit together anew in order to rid the body of the cancerous magic that plagued his being. Each sinew and bone were being destroyed and remade. It was all more painful than Alaron could bear. He truly thought he would die before the process was complete. His only choice was to let his consciousness drift into the great unknown.

Beside him, Brinn and Lukoss watched as the boy let out a blood curdling scream. The young man's back arched as his body began to glow with a light brighter than the sun. It shot upward into the sky, filling the entire night firmament with blinding brilliance. Bathed in its glow, Brinn expected to be burned, but only a feeling of warmth engulfed her as she shielded her eyes.

Alaron's screams continued even as the light lessened. His body faded to the glow of a firefly, with strange sparks streaming across his skin at random intervals. Finally his cries quieted to little more than whimpers as his muscles spasmed.

"I think someone may have heard that," Lukoss looked around anxiously.

"Someone definitely saw that shooting star that came out of his body. We need to get out of here before anyone comes looking to see what made that holy glow." Brinn gathered Alaron in her arms and whistled for her unicorn.

Laying him across the white mare's back, the elf jumped behind and took off into the night with her human lantern. Lukoss chased after them underground.

They rode as fast the unicorn would go for half an hour, but it seemed that no one would pursue them. When both Brinn's wind magic and Lukoss's ground magic confirmed the coast was clear, they group finally came to a halt.

Lukoss helped the elf get the Alaron down and the three found a sheltered spot among the trees. They laid out the New Emperor and Brinn draped a blanket across the boy. With only his face and head glowing, they were not nearly as noticeable.

Now that the main problems were dealt with, the elf moved on to her concerns about Lukoss. "You know, if this is all just some elaborate plan to get close to the Empress, I will not let you get anywhere near her...so you may as well give up now and let me kill you," Brinn watched the gnome carefully, but Lukoss only shrugged.

"Kill me now if you like. Just keep your promise to free the fairies." His lack of concern for his own life paired with concern for others made Brinn relax a little.

The spymaster then took a cloak out of her pack to wrap around herself. The excitement of the evening's adventures was wearing off, and Brinn was only now feeling the cold. While she was trying to decide whether or not to apologize for not having anything to keep the gnome warm, Lukoss pulled a swath of dirt and grass up from the ground and wrapped it around himself like a grassy fur coat.

"Neat." Brinn nodded approvingly. Her wind magic could not do that.

"This is nothing compared to that shapeshifting you do, but it has served me well up here in this blasted open air. You know there are no seasons below ground," Lukoss complained with a shiver.

"You could always go back to the earth," the elf pointed out.

"Once we arrived in Valiant, Baak discouraged digging and then Cafer flatly forbade gnomes from making homes in the earth. He said it was beneath us. He was not even trying to be funny!"

"That's rough." Brinn could not imagine being told not to use her gifts. She would not handle that well, and it seemed like the mousey gnome had reached his breaking point.

"Baak was a tyrant and Cafer a fiend. But I am a fugitive now so forget them! Forget them all! I will build a little hovel in the ground somewhere that no one can find me." Lukoss grunted and pulled his grassy coat more tightly around him.

Brinn took a swig of non-magical water from a container and passed it to the gnome so he could do the same. "Quite a speech," she said with a grin as she wiped a drip from her chin. "I wonder if a certain fairy might like to join you."

Lukoss choked and sputtered, much like Alaron had earlier. "Mahsa barely notices me. There is no way that she would consider me in that way."

Brinn held up her finger in objection. "Yet you gave up everything to see her freed…"

The gnome shook his head sadly. "She is kind to me and generous with the other fairies in the kitchen. Mahsa will even sneak me extra food when she can. She does not deserve to be in slavery."

"No one deserves to be a slave," the elf asserted.

"Yes, I am beginning to realize that..." Lukoss's voice trailed off.

"You said Mahsa sneaks you food? Does she always call you by name or does she call you by an honorific?" Brinn tapped a finger to her chin.

"My name. Why?" Lukoss was confused by her question.

"Does she call any of the other gnomes by their names?" the elf continued.

The gnome thought carefully for a moment. "She does not talk to them at all. Only nods."

Brinn gave a small smile. "I may be wrong, but after you free Mahsa, you should invite her to whatever little hovel you plan to make. It is possible that she likes you too."

Even in the low light, Lukoss's rosy cheeks were obvious. "You think so?"

"I do not say things I do not mean. I am far too blunt for that," Brinn assured him.

"Did this fairy work in Baak's kitchen in the land of magic? Does she have eyes like sapphires and hair the color of violets? If so, she definitely has a thing for you." Alaron's eyes were still closed, but a small smile touched his face as he spoke.

"You little fox! How long have you been awake?" Brinn thumped the boy on the forehead with her thumb and forefinger.

Alaron winced and opened his eyes. As he did so, the last bit of glow faded from his skin and settled among the blue of his irises, making them look like oceans of light.

"Not long, but I could hear much earlier than I was able to speak. And then I did not want to interrupt." The New Emperor struggled, but was only able to move his head slightly to look at the gnome. "I meant what I said; that fairy likes you."

"How do you know her?" Lukoss was amazed at the boy's accurate description. As far as he knew, Alaron had never been to the castle kitchen.

"I ran into her when I used the Semblance Stone to be you while in the land of magic." The boy admitted. "She was exceptionally friendly to me, and I just assumed she was your girlfriend."

Lukoss was stunned into silence. This was news to him. He fell into his thoughts as Brinn assessed the New Emperor. The boy turned his head back toward her and grimaced.

Brinn furrowed her brow. "Except for your head, you are very still. Can you move?"

"I am trying. It is like my body is slowly letting me back in…" Alaron wiggled his shoulders slightly. "Very slowly."

Brinn crinkled her nose and flicked the boy again. "Well, hurry up! We haven't got all night!"

"I am basically learning how to use a brand new body," Alaron protested. This time he managed to wiggle his pinky finger in his frustration.

"That is a problem of your own making. You have a half hour to get moving or I will throw you over my unicorn like a sack of potatoes." Brinn threatened.

Lukoss rubbed the back of his neck. "It may not be the best idea to talk to the Emperor like that…"

Brinn shot him a glare that he could feel even in the darkness. "He is not Emperor. Alaron is a prince, and I am a princess. More than that, he is a traitor, and I shall speak to this fool however I like."

There was silence for a moment before Alaron gasped, "Ah! I can wiggle my toes!"

"…"

——————-

Coming up on the Beachy Plains, Brinn cursed aloud.

"What's wrong?" Alaron, fully restored, asked. His healthy, handsome face and muscular form made him look like a mighty hero of old. There was no resemblance to the shadow of a boy that had existed only two days ago.

"It is what I was afraid of. We are off course." The elf had felt something was off since yesterday afternoon, but had not been able to correct her course.

"We are lost?" The prince furrowed his brow.

"No, we are in the right area. We will have to follow along the shoreline until we make it back."

"The faster, the better. I am not a fan of this sand…" Lukoss whined.

"Which way?" Alaron raised one eyebrow in question.

Just then a blast of a horn filled their ears. It was very far off yet loud and clear. Obviously, it was a magical object. "This way, Brinn pointed. We have to hurry. The battle has started without us!"