Wonderful part! Your writing is amazing. I love how you kinda portray Inanna as a protective mother/babysitter :D XD 

:0 :D I've been gone all summer but i finally managed to find time to slip onto the computer and read this, and I must say It's even better than I've been imagining! I love all the different fantasy names--I could never come up with names half as good--and I love the way you really get inside the heads of the characters, with them saying and thinking things that really match their personalities! The whole story is glorious and magnificent and wonderous so far, and I can't wait for more!

Everyone, sorry this next part is taking a while; it may take a little longer, but I hope to have it out tomorrow or the next day!

*gasp* Iffy says foxcu! She said a word!!

Part 8

It took weeks of journeying to come to the Archenian palace of Darial, nestled in the mysterious, faraway Firran Mountains; sometimes the students wondered if they would ever see their home again. They passed through forests, great cities, endless plains. They slept in inns when they could, but most of the time they were on their own; just a few teenage students and a little band of Karalins, forging their way on toward the mountains.

One afternoon, toward evening, the students climbed a ridge and saw, across a small valley, the palace of Darial. It was perched on an outcropping of rock on the very highest peak of the Firran Mountains. It was made of marble, with a few slender turrets rising from it and balconies running along one side. The walls were decorated with inlaid ivory and painted tiles. One part of the roof was flat; it had been used for stargazing. The last rays of the sun struck it and made it glow like fire. It was a beautiful sight; but no flag flew from it, and there was no movement. The great wooden door was devoid of guards. It was a silent place.

For a moment my worries, the world, everything, faded away. I'd grown up in this palace and seen it every day of my life for my first twenty years on this earth. I hadn't even been here since I was a young girl, but it was still home.

"We cannot enter the palace," said an old man, the leader of the Karalins. "It is an ancient rule that only those of Archenian descent may cross its threshold. Go you, and we will make our camp here while we wait."

Through the valley we went and up the slope to the palace. Again the silence caught my attention. What could have happened? Had the Archenians disappeared when the Great Silence fell? Or had they left Darial centuries ago? 

The door opened at Erik's touch, and we entered. We were in a long hall that ran the length of the west end of the palace. The left wall was made of stone, covered in faded tapestries, but the right wall was a series of narrow windows set in elegant, colonnaded arches, looking out over the violet mountains that stretched away as far as the eye could see. The sky was a glorious backdrop of fire and gold and pale lime-green. The sunset light slanted in through the windows, painting a shining overlay of gold on the walls, and everyone's faces looked brighter, more beautiful. Why would one want metal gold when there was light like this?

"Where are the Archenians?" whispered Onyx.

"Maybe they disappeared when the Great Silence fell," Manu replied quietly.

When they came to the end of the long hall, they turned and wandered back until they came to the first door. The sun had suddenly finished setting, and the hall was full of clear purple twilight. Manu went to the window and looked out. The sky was darker, just lilac-colored, and the moon was a shining crescent over the mountains.

Rowan pushed open the first door they came to. Manu expected to see darkness, but instead, soft golden radiance started up from the center of the room and suffused the entire palace. A bittersweet pang of nostalgia struck me. Every evening when it started to get dark in my little house in the Northern Wilds, I had remembered the way Darial's rooms lit up by themselves, with the light of magic itself, when it started to get dark. Now at last that homesick ache was satisfied. Tears sprang to my eyes. And yet, now that I was here again, it felt so natural - in my spirit, I had always been here. Perhaps that was why it felt suddenly as if the centuries I had spent away from it were only a dream.

The other students were wandering around, murmuring quietly. Ash went into the hall beyond. A moment later they all heard her voice. "Hey, come look!"

She was standing in the Portrait Hall, a long gallery with portraits of each of the ten most important Archenians. Next to each was a plaque describing his or her life.

"Kardis, the head of the Archenians," Summit read aloud. He was standing in front of a portrait of an old, white-haired man with a stern face. My grandfather. A kindly, but rather strict personage. The things he'd said when I married - but no, that was all done a long time ago, better not to dig up old quarrels.

"Look!" Manu gave an excited squeal.

At the far end of the gallery was a smaller portrait in a heavy, curlicued gold frame. It showed a girl of about twenty, with heavy dark hair in a long braid, and teal-colored eyes. She had straight dark brows, red lips - she'd put lipstick on for the portait, I remembered - and a determined-looking chin. She wore a sapphire-blue dress and stood bolt upright, gazing at the viewer with a direct, fearless expression that might have been interpreted by some as too sassy.

Manu pointed triumphantly at the plaque next to it. "It's Iridescence!"

"Whoa, she looks so much younger than the others," Derek said. 

"She looks kind of like you, Onyx," Naiche said meditatively, looking from the portrait to Onyx and back again.

"Yeah... something about the pose and the hair," Manu agreed. "Here's what the plaque says:

'The youngest of the Archenians, Iridescence was the last to complete the circle of full-blooded governing Archenians. At twenty-one she decided to marry a mortal, much to her grandfather Kardis' displeasure, but he could not stop her and the wedding took place. However, he vowed that he would curse one of her descendants with a disease that would never be cured, and might even be spread, unless this descendant helped to lift the Great Silence, which had already been prophesied at the time. Iridescence retaliated by creating magical clothes which would block the wearer from being infected with the disease. She did not say what she intended to do with them.'" Manu broke off. "Onyx, that must mean you're Iridescence's descendant!"

"Maybe she made it so that we'd have those clothes." Erik was putting two and two together.  "Remember, Naiche, when she grabbed your arm during the fire back at Ardaris? You didn't get sick."

"That must be it," said Derek with authority. "And in that case there is a way to cure you, Onyx." He shook his fist mock-angrily at Kardis' portrait. "So there!"

"Let's go on reading," suggested Amber, jiggling up and down.

"'She fought valiantly,'" Manu continued, "'to stop NO from forming and using its power. When she realized this would be impossible, she resolved to use her own magic to provide clues for the Archenian descendants who might someday, according to the prophecies, save the world from NO. She even took the Topaz under her own personal protection so that it might be kept safe and someday guide the descendants. This was against our rules, and she fled with her husband and son (who later joined the human world) to the Northern Wilds. Nothing more is known of her.'"

Eve gave a sudden gasp. "Oh my gosh! When we were still in the Dragon School - there was a note hidden near the staircase that said if I ever needed help I should recite three words that were written on the paper. And I did, and it was right after that when we heard the knock at the door and found the Topaz. So - "

She was right. It had been me who hid that note there, by magic. Those three words were the ones which, when spoken by a person both of human and Archenian descent, would begin the defeat of the Great Silence. As soon as she spoke those words, NO's boundary between Tallinn and the human world had lifted again, and I had been able to leave the Topaz at the Dragon school doorstep to help guide and protect the students. They were our only hope for the future, and one of them was my own great-great-goodness-knew-how-many-greats granddaughter. I had been determined to help them on their journey all I could.

"So if it weren't for Iridescence," Rowan finished, "we'd probably still be sitting in the Dragon dining room, bickering amongst ourselves."

"Correction: if it weren't for me," said Eve playfully. "I was the one who found the note and spoke the words on it."

Rowan nudged her. "Okay, if it weren't for both of you. Far be it from me to deny you your share of the praise."

They stood gazing up at the portrait. Little did they know that the real-life version of the girl in the painting was standing right behind them.

"Hey, what's in here?" Ember pushed open a door. 

"Not more doors," Erik groaned.

"Oh my gosh," said Derek, going in.

They were in a large, open-air courtyard - the center of the palace. It was perfectly square. There were no walls. It was surrounded by a forest of slender pillars stretching far back into the palace. In each corner was an empty torch-holder; this courtyard didn't light itself up the way the palace did. It was pure marble, with none of the furnishings and tiles and inscriptions that the rest of the palace sported. Only the floor had a few simple mosaic patterns. In the darkness it looked very solemn, very stark.

But what caught Derek's attention was the short round marble stand in the center of the room. There were four small hollows in it, three forming a triangle, one in the center. Under each hollow was carved a word. One read "Sapphire," another "Ruby," another "Diamond," and the last - "Topaz." Along one edge of the stand were the words: "NO stole these jewels and a silence fell/return the Topaz and all will be well." I didn't know how the inscription had gotten there. It hadn't been there in my day. But then, who could explain the ways of magic?

"So if we replace the Topaz, the Great Silence will be over," speculated Inanna.

Erik nodded. He lowered the Topaz into its hollow. For a moment nothing happened, except that the other hollows began to glow with blue, red, and silver light. A moment later the Sapphire, the Ruby, and the Diamond had returned to their rightful places, summoned by the magic of the Topaz. Their glows mingled with the fire of the orange jewel in the center of the stand, illuminating the whole courtyard, growing stronger and stronger.

Then suddenly Derek felt the ground jolt. The very air seemed to vibrate. Something kindled deep within him, as if there were a fire burning in his veins, as if something that had always been asleep was waking up, coursing through him with its magic. His powers? He stretched out a hand experimentally, and a streak of fire shot through the air and burned out.

"Eek!" squealed Shyama. "Where'd that come from... oh."

"I think we just received our powers," said Derek.

"Well, I already had them," said Onyx softly. "I want to see what comes next." Her face was white and strained.

They all stood still, waiting. A clear, high sound came through the night. It was the call of a horn, blowing somewhere deep in the forest of pillars.

A tiny spot of light bobbed wildly in the darkness. Gradually more flickering flames appeared among the pillars, until everywhere Derek looked he saw candles - and the candles drew nearer.

Slowly, into the courtyard, there came four girls dressed all in gold, with hair the color of the night sky and eyes that shone like stars. There was a silvery, pure radiance about each one, and they moved with solemn grace and majesty over the marble floor. These were the Maidens of the Moon, the four girls of whom no one knew anything, save that they appeared only when the moon was full, and that they heralded the approach or the retreat of magic forces.

The girls came forward, oblivious to the students. Silently they each placed a torch in one of the torch-holders and pronounced the three sacred words I had written on my note to the students.

"Nireta, caladia kiryan."

Those words marked the end of the Great Silence. Throughout Tallinn and the human world, magic itself had returned.

The maidens turned and walked away into the forest of pillars, their robes swishing on the floor. Derek drew a deep breath and looked around. Everyone seemed to be awakening from a trance. And Onyx - he had never seen Onyx look like this. Her face was rosy with a healthy flush, her body suddenly sturdy, her eyes shining.

"Onyx, you're cured!" shrieked Ash - the two girls had become the best of friends over the journey - flinging her arms around her. "I can actually hug you now!"

"Hurray for hugs!" Onyx shrieked back, flinging her customary reserve to the winds, jumping up and down with her arms around Ash. Shyama ran over to join them, and for several minutes everyone found themselves cheering and running all over the courtyard, their worries forgotten. It was wonderful to see it, and even better to see my granddaughter - I'll call her that for simplicity - laughing and flushed and sweaty, no longer cold and pale and weak.

Then I glanced up and saw that we were not alone. 

The Archenians were filing into the courtyard from wherever they had disappeared to during the Silence. The room seemed full of proud, tall, powerful people in glittering clothes and radiant jewels. Derek stole a look at Aurnia to see if she were as intimidated as he felt, but she only looked excited. I slipped behind a pillar; I wasn't invisible to my own people by any means, and I didn't want to have a confrontation just then.

There was a confusion of introductions and explanations for a few minutes, during which everyone seemed delighted to meet each other. Except the students had a marked coldness toward Kardis, at which I was not surprised. I felt very cold toward him myself just then. 

At last my brother, who hadn't changed a bit, suggested they go have a meal. He said he was starving after centuries of basically nonexistence. I smiled to myself. That was so like him, always wanting something to eat. It was good to be back among my family, even if they couldn't see that I was there.

"Yes, let's go eat," agreed Amber perkily. "Only. We have some friends waiting outside, a group of Karalins..."

"Bring them in," said Kardis warmly. "To celebrate the end of the Great Silence we must forget our old restrictions and welcome all who wish to enter. Today is a great day, for if you have ended the Silence you will surely be able to save the world from NO, just as the prophecy foretold."

They all went out, but Aurnia lingered for a moment, and Derek, of course, stayed behind too. He had noticed that she looked strangely downcast ever since Kardis had spoken.

"Is anything the matter?" he asked hesitantly.

"No, I'm okay. It's just - " She seemed to be struggling with her emotions, and then suddenly she looked up at him, her face resolute. "I'd better tell you. Kardis thinks I can save the world because I'm part human, part Archenian. But I'm not. I don't have a drop of Archenian blood - or genes, I guess would be the accurate term."

"What!" Derek was shocked.

"How am I going to fulfill the prophecy and help you all, if I'm not one of you?"

"You are one of us." Derek was recovering his poise. "You've shared everything we've gone through, and you're our friend, and you are part Karalin so you're from Tallinn anyway."

Aurnia half-smiled. "I guess. I'll find a way somehow, at any rate. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just..." She paused. "I didn't know what you'd think of me."

"Aurnia, it's okay." Derek threw caution to the winds, trying to comfort her. "You never have to worry about what I'll think of you. I'll always love you the way you are." Suddenly he realized what he had just said, and he felt a hot flush creep up his face. Had he gone too far? What if Aurnia just thought of him as a friend?

For a moment Aurnia said nothing, her eyes searching his face. Then - "I love you, too," she whispered.

I discreetly looked away for the next few moments, and when I glanced back, they had slipped off to join the others, leaving the courtyard empty.

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

Sorry this was late :/ But we're finally approaching the climax~

Part 9

Shyama, Naiche, Eve, and Rowan were sitting outside on the palace's main balcony. Night had fallen, like a black silken shawl wrapping itself gently around the mountains. Naiche couldn't see anything beyond the balcony - except for the sky, tremendous and overarching, a great dome covered in glittering stars that made him feel insignificant and yet peaceful.

His stomach was full of good food, venison and fine sweet cakes and the other food the Archenians had produced for the banquet. From behind him came the noise of people talking. The stone of the palace was warm against his back and legs, contrasting with the fresh, sharp night air. He pulled his jacket around him and snuggled back against the wall with a contented sigh.

"I didn't get my powers," said Rowan suddenly, his voice breaking the silence.

"What?" Eve sat up from where she'd been curled on the balcony floor. "What do you mean?"

Rowan sighed. "I mean I didn't get my powers. Back there where we replaced the Topaz, I could see all the rest of you with these exalted looks on your faces, and I could tell that your magic was waking up. But I couldn't feel anything. I was fascinated by what was going on, but I didn't feel anything happening inside me."

"Well -" Eve was talking very fast. "It's sure to happen one of these days. Maybe you're just slow to manifest. Maybe -"

Rowan stopped her. "Eve, no. Something tells me I'm not going to get any powers. I do know that." He paused. "But does it really matter?"

Eve bit her lip. "No, I guess not."

"Especially if we ever get back home," Rowan sighed. "Which sometimes I doubt, but I mean, if at all possible, I'm going to go right back home as soon as this whole adventure is finished."

"Scared?" Naiche teased.

"Terrified," replied Rowan sarcastically. "No, I've been enjoying this whole thing and I'm giving it everything I've got, but... I don't know, I guess I'm homesick. I love Tallinn, but I love my home too. It's where I was born. It's where I belong, where I'm meant to be. I think maybe that's why I didn't get any powers."

Eve lifted her hands and watched as she made a tiny flower appear in a crack of the balcony, growing and stretching until it was fully formed. "I know what you mean," she said softly.

"Me too," Naiche admitted.

"We're way too prosaic," said Shyama, smiling. "Most kids would give anything for a trip like this."

"Well, most kids don't know what it's really like," Eve replied with spirit. "And I mean, it has been amazing. I wouldn't want to have not had this adventure, either."

"At least we're finally here with the Archenians," said Naiche, always common-sense. "Everyone else has been so un-helpful, except for those nice Dairnsfolk at Castle Arnsilver. Maybe here we'll finally find out what we're supposed to do to defeat NO. It's like, it's been weeks already! At this rate we'll just have gone on a guided tour of Tallinn and not done anything to help."

They all nodded. 

"What I don't understand," said Eve suddenly, "is why Iridescence, if she had the Topaz all this time, couldn't have returned it herself and stopped the Great Silence that way."

"Well, I heard Kardis mention at the banquet that Darial has been cut off from the rest of the world all this time, precisely due to the Silence," said Naiche. "So I guess Iridescence couldn't do a thing until you spoke those words, Eve, and started to lift the Silence."

"And then once that had happened, I guess she wanted to give us the Topaz because it was the only way she could protect us on our journey to defeat NO," said Shyama thoughtfully.

Also, I thought, it's not just anyone who can plonk down Topazes and work magic by doing so. The whole point of this expedition is that you are the only ones who can defeat NO - you're the only ones who could break its spell. It had to be you who returned the Topaz. Dear me, perhaps Eve isn't as smart as I thought she was.

Silence fell, broken only by the merry clatter of voices and the thoughtful chirp of crickets.

"Guys? The Archenians want to tell us something," said Onyx's voice softly from the door.

They got up and went back into the room. Kardis was standing, as if he were about to make a speech. Eve paused in the doorway, looking at his cold, lined face, his unsmiling mouth, his hard gray eyes. Go back outside, a voice whispered inside her. Don't listen to what this man has to say. You're better off not knowing. You were so happy a moment ago - don't ruin it.

But she remained where she was, her steady young gaze fixed coolly on Kardis' harsh face.

"I have only a few words to say to you," Kardis began. "The Nighthawk Organization has subdued the Aquiman Rebellion and is about to complete takeover of the human world. As you all know, according to the decree of Candar the Emperor of Tallinn -"

"Who's he?" Amber whispered.

"A mystical figure from centuries ago who used to rule Tallinn. Shh," Fianal whispered back.

"-No whispering please. According to his decree, anyone wishing to conquer Tallinn must conquer the human world first."

Heads nodded, voices murmured, "That's so."

"Therefore, should NO succeed in this, they will be much closer to conquering Tallinn and ruling everything. This cannot be allowed to happen. And this is where our young descendants come in." He turned toward Erik. "There is a - place - called Ideól, between Tallinn and your world. Whoever controls it controls both worlds, and because you and your companions are the only ones who are from both worlds, you hold the key to controlling it. Give us access to it, and we will be able to enter the human world and take it over, thus defeating NO once and for all."

"But you're just going to take over our world temporarily, right?" asked Eve, shifting nervously.

"No, we are not." Kardis' voice was blunt. "We mean to make it a part of our own realm. How could we not? Some humans have been cooperating with NO even as you struggled to reach Darial all these weeks. Humans are sheep, my dear girl, and the sooner you realize that the better. They can't control their own world, they haven't the faintest sense of responsibility. They are ignorant and childlike - and cruel, too. To let them govern themselves would be a breach of our duty as wiser, better beings."

Silence fell. If possible, Kardis' face looked even harsher, his jaw set, his mouth a thin upside-down smile. There was a bitter look in his gray eyes that hadn't been there before, and his voice too had taken on a bitter tone. Had he once been betrayed by a human? Eve wondered. What had the old man gone through that had made him so set against her own people?

"But sir." Erik had stepped forward. "Not all humans are like that. They're a lot better than they used to be."

"Ha!" snorted Kardis. "Global warming. Warehouse workers being exploited. Immigrants being hated and set upon. Call that 'better'?"

"It is better, sir." Angel broke in. "First, it's not true what you said, that they're all liars and killers. They're not - they're not! I haven't ever met a single human who betrayed me the way people in Tallinn have."

"Who on earth has betrayed you here?"

"The Guardians of Cambir?" Angel raised an eyebrow at Kardis, her voice dripping with anger. "Second, even if humans had betrayed me, they're my own people and I'm never betraying them. Not. Ever."

She had flung the last words at him as only Angel knew how to fling words, and now there was a shocked silence.

"I'm not either," said Erik.

"Or me," said Derek, glaring at Kardis. "Especially not for a person who cursed Onyx for something she hadn't even done."

"Derek -" Onyx started pleadingly, but it was too late. Kardis' face blazed with fury, his eyes bright sparks of fire.

"Very well," he said, his voice steely. "We shall see if you think the same way after a quick spell in the dungeons. Guards!"

From the doorway behind him stepped three men, in heavy metal armor, wooden spears by their sides. Eve didn't stop to wonder where they had come from, why they hadn't shown up until now. All she could think of was that her ancestors, too, were betraying the trust she had put in them, and that her own brother was about to be imprisoned.

"Erik!" she cried, rushing forward, but a rough pair of arms encircled her. She found herself in the grip of another guard. She tried to use her new powers, tried to encircle him with plants so tightly that he couldn't move. But something inside her wouldn't do it. It was as if her source of magic had been cut off. Only a tiny limp seedling sprouted and fell at her feet.

A bolt of fire shot through the air, just missing Eve, and the guard pushed her and himself to the ground to avoid any more. Derek had aimed for Kardis, but missed. The next second Kardis had muttered something, and only a few sparks sputtered in the air.

"You can't use your magic against us," Kardis said. "Among magical beings we are the rulers. Guards, take them away."

The door closed softly behind them.

Everyone stared around, stunned. The guard loosened his grip on Eve, and she stumbled forward. Tears stung her vision. "Erik - Erik -"

Inanna put her arms around her. "It's okay, Eve," she whispered over and over as Eve tried to stifle her sobs. Through her grief she heard Aurnia's voice, cold and calm: "Kardis, I think we're all even less disposed to let you take over our homes now. Go ahead, imprison me too if you like for saying that. But you can never make me change my mind."

"No, you all can stay here," said Kardis coldly. "Tell us when you're ready to free your companions and let us into Ideól." He got up, and the Archenians strode out of the room. The students were left alone.

"It'll be okay," Inanna was still whispering, but she was crying, too.

Part 10

Cold air engulfed Erik. Underneath his body the stone floor was both icy and slimy, sending a shudder through him. A rancid stench filled the air. He struggled to get to his feet. His shoes slipped on the wet floor. He crashed to the floor again, but after a second of scrambling he was uprigh.

Smoky yellow torches flamed in their holders, casting just enough light for him to see that he was in a large, stone-walled room. There was a tiny window set in the opposite wall, but it was higher than his head. The bars across it blocked out any possibility of escaping that way.

"So explain to me again what just happened," Derek said, pulling himself into a sitting position. "One minute we're chatting with Great-grandfather Kardis about this and that, and the next he's thrown us into the dungeons." He shook his head. "This requires more than the average intellect to process."

"Which is something you don't have," said Angel furiously, dusting herself off as she stood up. "This is just -" She paused. "Too much."

"I still don't think you needed to insult Derek that way," said Erik, feeling his own temper rise.

"You know what?" Angel turned toward him. "No offense, but I've never put much stock in your whole idea of forgetting about the Dragon and Unicorn rivalry, and you're both Dragons, and when your ancestors have just put you in prison, it's not a time to be trusting people whom you know are untrustable. So thank you very much, but I'll insult whom I like."

Ereik sat down on the steps. He had to think of something to get the three of  them reconciled and, most importantly, to find a way out. Exhaustion seeped through every muscle. The thought processes of his brain needed a push to start, and he couldn't bring himself to push them hard enough to get them going again.

And that was when he heard the noise.

"Oof!"

Derek and Angel jumped. 

A stone in the wall appeared to dislodge itself, letting a small square of light appear, then go out, then reappear. A figure had crawled through and was now lying on the floor, breathing heavily, shoulders heaving. Erik started forward.

The figure scrambled to its feet. It was tall and heavyset, at first glance seeming to be a man, but as Erik drew closer, he saw that the person was only a boy still. More than that, it was a familiar boy. He had seen the clear-cut face, the thick black hair, the golden-brown eyes before.

"Girian!" Angel exclaimed, stepping forward. "You - what are you doing here? I thought -"

"Who IS this?" grumbled Derek.

"The Guardian of Cambir who helped Fianal escape, back in the hut," Erik heard his own voice explaining quickly.

"I've been roaming Tallinn, trying to escape NO," Girian said, seeming to be addressing Angel more than anyone. His voice was thick with weariness, but there was an edge of strength to it that sent a current of relief coursing through Erik. Maybe he could rely on Girian a little instead of doing everything himself. "They've been after me ever since I left the other Guardians. I thought I could seek shelter secretly here in Darial. They're closer than ever to finding out where I am."

"How did you get in?" Angel demanded.

"This palace is pretty old and it hasn't been taken care of in centuries," Girian answered briefly. "I looked around for a loose stone in the wall until I found one that was big enough to leave an entryway I could creep through. I hadn't expected to end up in the dungeons, though. And what are you doing here?"

The three of them looked at each other, holding a silent consultation. Could Girian be trusted? He belonged to a group that had been about to turn them over to NO. And in this strange world where no one seemed to be on their side, maybe he too would betray their confidence.

Then Erik saw how streaks of dirt striped Girian's skin, and how lean and hollow his face had become since he saw it last. His clothes, once thick and warm, were tatters of rags. His eyes had black circles under them; there was a strained, wild expression in their depths. Girian had sacrificed everything he had - his companions, his safety, perhaps eventually he would have given his life - in that one second when he created a distraction so that Fianal could escape from the Guardians. Something Erik had heard once came back to him: Only those who give something valuable to a cause are truly committed to it. If that was true, then Girian was truly committed to the cause of helping the students, and he always had been. He, the one person whom Erik would have expected to be an enemy, had proven to be an ally.

"Well -" Suddenly everything was pouring out of him as Girian listened intently, Angel and Derek adding in the parts he'd forgotten about. When he was finished, Girian smiled, his eyes brightening with a satisfied half-smirk. "But what about the Fountain of Ideól?"

"The what?"

"Kardis didn't tell you? No, I suppose of course he wouldn't have. Listen. It's true that one way to defeat NO is by giving the Archenians control of Ideól."

He paused.

"But there is another way."

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Sorry it's short, but hopefully it's interesting :)