*thumbs up*

also, another great part! and I love Careless Whispers <3

are you... Amethyst? Jaybells? Darkvine? Lupine? Lyric? 

Thanks, @North Star! Sorry for the loooong wait, y'all - I hope someone's still interested :/

~\\/\/\//~

Part 9~Irtana

Promises. Irtana sighed. Her own side power had been visions, and that was something that would be extremely useful right now. But at least Baiji, Luna, and Lilly had theirs, and Sol insisted she was about to get hers. Irtana wasn't sure how Sol could know, but she preferred to believe it was true.

There was nothing she wanted more than to see Rowan, who was apparently her companion - to know what he was doing and maybe guide him on his way.

Wylie ducked underneath the vines hanging from the doorway of the little balcony where Irtana was sitting. "The companions appear to be setting off to find the Rose Magic," he said, excitement radiating from his usually quiet presence.

Irtana started to her feet, not caring in the least that she startled a nearby peacock into a long, low glide to the lawn beneath. "The Rose Magic!" she exclaimed. "Oh, Wylie - thank goodness - if they find it, that would solve everything. - Irrelevant remark, I know," she added, sitting back down on the balustrade of the terrace. Her gaze returned to the quiet gardens below her. "I can scarcely hope that it's almost over - the spell, living here instead of in Verdin and Arinta, waiting for something to happen. If they're going to Airen -" She closed her eyes, picturing the map of the Eastern Lands that always used to hang in her bedroom, back in her own castle. "They'd be passing the border with the Mountain Lands, as well as through parts of the Forest Lands and Irten the Land of Gold. And then they'd reach Airen." She opened her eyes again, looking at Wylie. "With Ivkatorr behind them the whole way."

"About Ivkatorr," Wylie said quietly. "What about everything with the side powers? I mean..."

"It won't matter," Irtana assured him, rising. "Spellbound or not, we are the Guardians. And, from everything that's been happening - it's evident Idyrn's with us. That's all we need." And, passing softly by Wylie, she went off the balcony and down through the castle to the gardens.

An unlikely friendship existed between her and Wylie. Of course, all the Guardians were almost like family to each other; but she and Wylie told each other things they didn't tell the others, and often talked and spent time together. Wylie seemed to open up when he was with Irtana, to actually talk about his ideas and dreams; and Irtana, for her part, always felt that she could depend on Wylie's quiet personality, that he would understand what she told him.

Walking along the long avenues of pines and swaths of grass surrounding Riltava's palace, her thoughts returned to the Mountain Lands. It was sad about the them - she remembered the grief that pierced her heart when she heard that Orilon's father had been overthrown, Orilon himself gone, and the Mountain Lands plunged into war. She could remember so clearly all the times that she had been there, all the times she had spent with the dwarves and the star-girls in those forests so full of laughter and life... and the Mountain Lands, after all, were the Heart-Lands, the lands Idyrn had proclaimed to be her own. But by the time the war started, Ivkatorr had already loosed the spell, and Irtana had been powerless to do anything. Now even promises were unguarded - and if Ivkatorr should reach them... She shuddered. A world without promises wasn't one she could imagine.

But then neither had she been able to imagine a world without the Heart-Lands as she had known them, and now here she was. Never mind, she told herself, lifting her head proudly. I promise, here and now, that Ivkatorr will not last forever - that, someday, the spell will break... and that the Heart-Lands will become the Heart-Lands once again.

She paused at the low stone wall from which one could see the lower garden. It stretched away before her, shimmering and vibrantly green in the sunshine. Irtana suddenly felt the acute importance of every passing moment; each one hung a little in the air, glimmering, before it vanished... She could feel an odd new power rising hesitantly inside her, and she held her breath, hoping with all she was that it wouldn't slip away again. Once she lost her fragile hold on it, she was certain she'd never regain it.

And then suddenly it burst from her in a thousand sparkling shards; she could feel it taking root in her heart, this time forever. It was a feeling she knew, a feeling she had missed in all these long years.

She had her side power again. Breathing quickly, and full of an inexplicable joy, she leaned over the stone wall, gazing intently at the grass below.

As she had predicted, it wavered and vanished; instead, blurry at first but gradually coming into focus, were the companions. She gazed at them. They were the companions - she was seeing them at long last. One boy, medium height with brown hair and eyes that were currently fixed on a black-haired, proud-looking girl - probably Avi - she knew instinctively to be Rowan. Her companion.

Snatches of conversation were audible. "So now all we have to do is convince a peacock to part with its feathers," Ronald was saying with a shake of his head. "That'll be easy. Do you have any idea how large a peacock is?"

"There are other ways," Sonya said, slightly coldly, glancing at a scroll of paper Alice was holding.

"Guys, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Avi said, turning from Rowan to the others. "And yes, Ronald and Sterling, I am actually quoting an old, old, way-outdated saying, so you don't have to point it out." Her eyes were sparkling, maybe from excitement or maybe from something Rowan had said, or possibly from both.

Crossing bridges when you come to them is outdated by now? Irtana wondered as the vision became inaudible again. Or perhaps she didn't mean it. Good sayings are never outdated.

"...Right. Are y'all actually going to finish breakfast? Eventually?" Irtana could hear Silver saying. "Or should I just get going?"

Daniel looked up at her quickly. "We're almost finished," he said quietly.

Irtana noticed other figures - ones she recognized - in the background. The companions, it seemed, were still in the Ancient Forest with Eviton and Ereira and Phaidon and the rest of the border-castle's inhabitants. Then the vision faded, but for once Irtana felt satisfied, happy, fulfilled. When she had stopped being able to see visions, something in her had vanished. And now, finally, here were the glimpses of the happenings in the world that opened up new horizons for her - it was so wonderful to see the Ancient Forest again, and Ereira and Eviton looking just as she remembered.

For the first time, Irtana realized that the border-castle was gone. Oh, elements, she thought, why are all these things happening at once? She had been around for almost 3,017 years, and almost never had events piled on top of one another as they were doing now. If only the companions could wake the Rose Magic and set things right again... Her world, the companions' world, all worlds really, were in danger. So many things had been going wrong since the elements had become unguarded. Without protection for hope, love, earth, water, fire, air, night, pines, and promises, what would happen? Irtana thrust that thought from her mind and turned towards the palace.

The first person she met in the hallway was Sol. Good. The Guardian of Love was more or less the person she needed at the moment. "Sol," she said quietly, "how long has it been since the spell was cast?"

Sol thought for a moment, starting beyond Irtana at the quiet, sunlit hall. "I'm not certain," she said. "I think almost two years? - More or less?"

Irtana frowned. "It sounds like too much," she said. "Probably a little less. And how long would it take Ivkatorr to figure out a way to take control of the elements?"

Sol glanced at her. "Why do you want to know all this?"

"I want to know how much longer the companions have," Irtana replied, looking straight at Sol. "Eventually Ivkatorr will find that way - and then it will be too late for anything to be done."

"I should say it will take him a while yet," Solstice told her. "He has some magic, and a small following, but the elements are separate from his magic." Her eyes sparkled suddenly with irripresible, half-mischievous happiness. "I've just regained my side powers."

"Sol!" Irtana breathed, her eyes shining. " - So have I."

And suddenly they were both laughing, joyfully, happily, with a sound that woke the long-silent palace with echoes of joy - something it hadn't known for far, far too long. The granting of their most important wish - that they regain power over the elements - seemed to be, finally, something that could truly happen.

~

Sorry I didn't respond before, I think your comment and the new part came out at the same time. I'm glad you're liking it :) And yay, another person who likes Careless Whisper!

And me? Amethyst?? *innocent face*

So you are Amethyst!! okay, when I thought about it, the style seemed yours, but I just added others that I thought maybe just in case :) another wonderful part!!

Aah I'm so, so, so sorry it's taken me this long to get the next part out - I can only say I've been writing four stories (including this solo write and another one), and things have been very busy. My apologies again :(

@Celine, no, I've never played Mafia (to be honest, I've never even heard of it XD) @everyone else, yes I tend to post on my own solo writes :) However, I did want it to start, and I was enjoying (writing) it ;]

~\\/\/\//~

I don't trust Ivkatorr. He's more ruthless than I had thought. I doubt he'll stop at anything - who knows? He might employ not only the powers of darkness, but the powers of light, to stop the companions - and if so, how soon will they give in to him? --Idyrn

Part 10~Ronald

"Where's our route, then?" Robin was asking.

"Eastwards, of course," Teryar said. "Past the Mountain Lands, the Forest Lands, and Irtan."

"You'll want to be careful around the Mountain Lands," Eriera cautioned, joining them. "They're currently at war, and no one is really in control. Nobles killed the old king, and now the rest of the people of those lands are trying to wrest power from them again. Eviton was the king's son, but he fled."

"So that's what he meant - Eviton, I mean," Alice said quietly.

"Oh, of course, you met him," Teryar said. "I'm glad he's still alive."

"Guys," Silver said. "This is just pointless. We need to get going, now."

Ronald couldn't help feeling irrated by her tone. Silver was exactly the same as when he'd first met her - fierce, self-centered, unpredictable. But so many of us have changed, Ronald thought, glancing quickly at the faces closest to him. He detected a change in most of them - Avi seemed happier and more open, Sonya looked somehow younger and more natural, Alice had just blossomed out, Robin was stronger, and Sterling - Sterling had been perfect since the beginning. Ronald's thoughts kept returning to last night, when she had leaned against him as they sat side by side, her dark eyes luminous but far-away in the moonlight.

"Do we need to go this instant?" he inquired of Silver. "Or can we wait long enough to say good-bye to everyone?"

Silver gave him a look and remained silent, but a quick laugh escaped Sterling. "We really should go, though," she said.

"Probably." How far away was Airen? How far away was Ivkatorr? Could they make it?

"Or we'll never make it," Sterling said. Ronald glanced at her, smiling without meaning to. How had she divined his thoughts? And how did she look so pretty, standing in a bright splash of sunlight with her head tipped saucily and her eyes sparkling?

"All right. Goodbye, and good luck," Teryar said - a bit abruptly, Ronald thought - flashing them all a quick smile and turning. In a few seconds he was lost to view among the others from the border-castle.

About fifteen minutes later, they were finally setting forth. A fresh wind was blowing in their faces, they had food, a map, and Altern's directions, and almost everyone from the border-castle had seen them off. "Succeed. For us, and for yourselves," Ereira had said softly. "Good luck - we need to stay here, to guard whatever magic is left of the border-castle, but all our luck goes with you, companions," Eviton had added.

The air was very cold still, very cold and clear and sparkling. "You can positively drink air like this," Ronald asserted, looking up at the sky beyond the lacy framework of old branches.

"Try living on it for a week, and I doubt you'll still think that," Alyssa told him with a quick smile.

Ronald noticed that Robin wasn't saying much - she'd been quiet since yesterday, and now she was lingering at the back of the group. He sighed and dropped back next to her. "Still thinking about Phaidon?" he asked.

She looked up at him, tucking a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear. "I just - can't imagine that he'd do something like this," she said. "I know, I know, you've convinced me, he probably did. But -" She broke off, staring ahead. "He seemed so - nice," she whispered at last, her gaze dropping.

"Who says he isn't nice?" Ronald demanded. "Until we've heard all sides of the story, we can't just suppose he's wicked."

Robin sighed and nodded. "Thanks," she whispered, glancing upwards. "Omg... look."

Ronald looked. The Ancient Forest was changing to a smaller forest, filled with pines catching the sunlight and, further ahead, seeming to suggest that it opened out into fields. The air was fragrant with the smell of pine needles, and Ronald caught a glimpse of Sterling, some way ahead, spreading out her arms and spinning around in a soft drift of fallen pine needles. He smiled involuntarily, then turned back to Robin. "All that matters now is breaking the spell," he said quietly. "And staying true to ourselves."

~

For about a week they travelled eastwards. The land was full of alternating plains and forests; there was sunlight almost every day. There were hills that gradually rose higher and higher, but no one took much notice of them until one day, when they got to the summit of a steep slope at sunset and saw, dark and pointed against the flaming sky, a low range of mountains.

"The Mountain Lands?" Sonya said softly.

"Probably," Rowan replied.

"Guys, we can go a bit further today," Ronald slipped in. Ivkatorr could be close behind them, and if so, he wanted to go as far as possible from him. The others agreed with his suggestion, but for a moment more they paused on the hill crest. There was something wild, breathtaking, powerful, about the sweep of the mountains in front of them. It looked as if the forests closed in again at their base and veiled thier sides up to their very summits, where the trees gave way to snow that flashed a little in the last light of the day. Ronald became aware suddenly that Sterling was standing next to him; he glanced at her uplifted face, her hair brushing against her cheek and her teal eyes fixed on the mountains. After a second, though, she glanced at him, and they both smiled as their looks met. She moved a little closer to him, instinctively, and he slipped an arm around her.

"We'd better go," Daniel said quietly; Ronald, his gaze wandering to him, noticed that he was really looking just at Alyssa. He smiled slightly and nodded.

They reached an outflung section of forest by the time it was really dark, and Sonya and Ronald built the fire. For just one moment, as they gathered around it, Ronald really took in all that this moment held. The laughter sparkling in Alyssa's eyes as she rested her head against Daniel's shoulder; Avi leaning forward quickly, excitement in her pose; so many faces and people that had grown so close to him, all here together in this magical place around the dancing, weaving fire. Really, they were there to do battle for all that was important to them; but there was still laughter, still love, still the friendship that held them all together.

"Who can spot Orion?" he asked, leaning back against the cool grass with half-closed eyes. "It's a constellation, in case anyone didn't know."

"Father Stargazer," Sterling said playfully.

"No, Father Knowledgeable," he replied with a smile.

"You two are still arguing? And you really need to start keeping an eye on your surroundings." It was a new voice, and yet one that wasn't new to Ronald at all.

"Teryar," Avi said with a sigh as a familiar curly head came into the clearing.

"No other. I'm sorry, y'all. I mean, I know I already said sorry for keeping an eye on you when we first met at the border-castle, but I'm afraid I've done it again. In case you lost your way, or got into trouble of some kind, or whatever."

Ronald struggled between laughing and glaring at him. "And it's my guess you would never have told us you were following us if something hadn't made you," he said.

"Well." Teryar shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But the point is, there is something I have to tell you. Ivkatorr is behind you - ofc (you've probably guessed it already). But he keeps arguing with his captains; I think they want more power, and naturally he doesn't want to give it to them. It's quite possible that they'll just leave him, with however many of his followers they can convince to follow them. In which case, you'll have to contend with two forces, though the captains will be counting on the fact that you wouldn't know about them."

"How do you know that?" Alice asked.

"I was - listening to his conversations. He isn't far behind you, really. And, though a division in his forces could be bad for you, it's also naturally bad for him."

"Well, now that you're here, are you going to disappear again?" Ronald asked. "Or are you going to stay with us?"

Teryar shrugged, coming closer to the fire. "I'll probably stay." He smiled quickly. "Again, everyone, sorry. But I did want to keep an eye on Ivkatorr."

"Probably a good thing," Silver said with an answering shrug, staring reflectively into the depths of the flames.

A soft sound in the shadows beyond the campfire made Ronald rise quickly. It was probably nothing at all. But something about it made him wary. Everyone else was talking to Teryar; he glanced around, then slipped away in the direction the sound had come from.

Nothing appeared to be there, but as he paused, he caught sight of a dark figure gliding away towards the darker night enfolding the forest. Ronald hesitated just one second more, then followed it. The figure wasn't looking at him; Ronald drew closer with every second, and then, in one quick motion, seized the shoulders of the figure. The figure struggled for a moment; but then it twisted around and paused. "You're Ronald." It was a statement, made in a breathless, low voice.

"Yes, and I don't care who knows it. But who are you?"

There was a sharp intake of breath on the part of the figure. "That doesn't concern you. Let me go."

Ronald was silent, looking into the face of the figure, but it was too dark for him to distinguish anything. "Tell me," he said softly, tightening his grip.

"Fine," the figure said, very quietly, somehow slipping free of Ronald's grasp. "I'm Phaidon."

Phaidon? Yes, the voice was his. "Phaidon," Ronald said slowly. "But what -?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Phaidon said angrily. "I'm not here to betray you this time, you don't have to worry."

"I never thought you were," Ronald replied. "Look, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. But - please - come with me and see the others. We were afraid you died in the fire, and it's not fair on you or on us that we have only suspicions to go on." Phaidon hesitated, and Ronald added, "Do it for Robin. If you aren't our enemy, we won't hold anything against you."

There was silence for a moment. Then Phaidon nodded. "As you like," he said.

~

Thank you so much, Moon Wolf and Hawkstar, both for your feedback and (mostly) for being patient... these parts are taking a very, very long time, I'm sorry about that. There shouldn't be that many more parts, maybe two or three?

~\\/\/\//~

Part 11~Rowan

Rowan glanced around. "I think we're really on the mountains now, guys," he said.

The hills had kept rising, and no one was quite sure at what point hill had become mountain. They were all wooded, too, with light forests full of sunlight and green such as Rowan had never experienced in his world. But now they were actually on the mountain, that was certain. There was a different feeling here, almost like the feeling Rowan had had when he realized that he was in the Eastern Lands instead of in the human world. Once more, they had traversed a boundary, though a smaller one than the wild, headlong leap into this world had been. These were the Mountain Lands.

"Remember that they're at war," Teryar cautioned. "The Mountain People, the real Mountain People who came out of the magic of these mountains, won't hurt you; but the nobles trying to get control won't be pleased to find you here."

"And I doubt we'll come across the Mountain People," Phaidon added. Rowan risked a look at him; he was (surprise) walking with Robin. At least he'd consented to come with them. On that evening when he'd rejoined them, he'd explained the reasons of his actions, and Alyssa had asked him to come with them the rest of the way. Now he'd been with them for almost three days, and he seemed to have found his place among them.

"Why?" Daniel asked him.

Phaidon shrugged. "They're getting the worst of the fight these days, at least last we heard. The nobles have too much power already. So mostly they're trying to keep their peace and not be noticed; one or two have already fled, like Orilon."

Teryar glanced around at the wild, radiant beauty of the woods. "We used to come along here," he said. "D'you remember, Phaidon? - The Hill of the Moss was half an hour to our left. Where Idyrn used to hold her gatherings."

Phaidon nodded. "It was. And right here -"

"Right here was where I bade farewell to Orilon." It was another voice. There was a wild strain in it, something that made Rowan think of forest glades in moonlight, and tiny fierce streams tumbling over rocks, and laughter in midsummer mountains. He turned quickly, scanning the trees and the few pine bushes.

"By elements," Teryar said, turning too. "It can't be -" He stopped abruptly.

Standing a little way away from them was a dwarf. Taller than Rowan would have thought - about four feet high - and wilder, wiser, more silvan. His hair was earthy brown, his eyes were the brown of dappled stream water, and he was wearing a red tunic with soft, light green edging it. Rowan noted the sword that was hanging by his side.

Phaidon stepped towards him. "Elements, you're - you are - Ikran. Orilon's -"

"Orilon's second. Or that was the term back then. And I know you well enough: Phaidon, of the border-castle family. And Teryar, son of Ereira and Eviton. And these - mountain-heart. They could never be...?"

"The companions," Avi supplied for herself. She said it softly, but for a moment the leaves of the trees surrounding them whispered and rustled.

"The companions." Ikran gave them a steady look. "More than a year has passed since I heard Orilon's last words to me here, and since I spoke my last words to him. And now, on this spot, have risen the companions to fulfill the prophecy."

"So you used to know the border-families?" Rowan said. "Where are the other Mountain People?"

"It's hard to say for many of them," the dwarf returned. "But a few - some dwarves and wood-folk and star-girls - are with me. We've clung on here, hoping when there was no hope, fightng when what we were fighting seemed to be fate. But - companions. Please come with me. You are none too safe here."

"That's true enough," Silver said.

The dwarf turned and vanished into the forest. Rowan caught glimpses of him, but Ikran was hard to distinguish from the green-gold trees. He caught up with Phaidon. "Do we go with him?" he asked quietly, keeping his gaze on the dwarf. "We can't waste any time."

Phaidon made a half-impatient gesture. "These are the Heart-Lands," he said. "We can't ignore them. They're almost as important as freeing the Guardians; they're linked to Idyrn. The Rose Magic would help them too, and we have to know what state they're in."

Without turning, Ikran have a low laugh. "You forget your wood-lore [skills and knowledge about the Mountain Lands], Phaidon son of lords," he said. "At this distance, it's easy as whatever you like for me to hear your conversations."

"Woah," Sterling said softly, appearing beside Rowan. "Is that... where we're going?"

Through the lacy veil of trees, Rowan glimpsed a moss-covered cliff, seemingly interminably long, with a dark chasm just visible to one side of them. "That's amazing," Rowan said in a low voice. Something about the cliff was just - welcoming, powerful, awe-inspiring. As they drew nearer, he noticed strange sweeping designs formed into the moss and the rock.

In answer to Sterling's question, Ikran altered his direction to aim straight for the opening. "Where else is there to go?" he asked. "Only the hawks can fly above this hill if they started from here. But to go within it..."

Rowan paused until Avi came up beside him. She glanced up at him, her eyes slightly uncertain, but also shining. "Rowan -" She hesitated. "I never even dreamed..." She shrugged. "Never mind. Come on."

Ikran had already entered, Teryar and Phaidon after him. Rowan reached for Avi's hand, and their fingers intertwined tightly. Then they slipped into the hill.

For a moment, all Rowan could see was darkness, with a thread of glimmering light ahead. Aware of Avi beside him, he made for it, and a second later emerged into a cavern. The walls were soft, sandy stone, with mantles of golden light thrown across them; light permeated the chamber, warm light almost the color of sunshine. There were strange beings throughout the space, tall girls with silvery clothes and silvery skin and an odd radiance of their own, tall, slight people with quizzical wise faces and long green cloaks, and dwarves. They all turned toward the arched doorway as Ikran and the rest of the companions entered; for a second every movement was stilled, and Rowan had the impression of gold-splashed figures hanging poised in molten light. Then Ikran spoke. "The companions have come, my people. The companions, to fulfill a prophecy at least..."

One of the star-girls came toward them, smiling and pushing back a heavy portion of her light hair. "Companions!" she exclaimed, radiant happiness pouring from her without restraint. Her gaze slid to Phaidon and Teryar. "- And. Mountain-heart, it's the boys from the border-castle. I'm Tyriala." She turned in one flashing movement and held out her hands. "Mountain people, enchantments are loosed today! We must have a Night - a Mountain-heart Night. The companions are with us, Idyrn's magic is returning!"

The cavern erupted with laughter, with shouts, with overflowing joy that echoed sweetly around the walls. Rowan sighed, glancing at Avi. "It's a lot to live up to," she said, answering his unspoken thought, her eyes fixed on the scene in front of them.

"Can we even do it?" Rowan asked. These people trusted them, thought that with their coming all would be well again. But was it in their power to fulfill that belief?

"We can try," Avi said simply after a moment.

They spent the rest of the day in the hill, until at evening Tyriala whirled back into the room, her eyes sparkling. "The first star's risen!" she exclaimed, throwing up her head with a gesture oddly akin to the mountain night. "Out, People of these lands; the night of the full moon won't be empty this time!"

Rowan would never forget that Mountain-heart Night. The shifting storm-wind blowing, swift and pure and strong, over the mountains; the Mountain People dancing through the shadows around a moonfilled clearing to the wild, twisting tune of some harp or flute that got into your blood, becoming almost part of you, as soon as you heard it; everything glittering, very cool, very fragile, very distant, in the moonlight; roaming to your heart's abandon through forest glens that were sparkling with magic, coming across tiny and yet infinite pools that you had a feeling would never be there again, letting the pulse of the mountains flow through you as if you were only a tiny fragment of the starlight.

And then being back in the cavern - Rowan was never quite sure how he got back there - and Ikran looking up at the rosy firelight glowing across a golden carving of two vines, three swords, and a dragon twisted together; he was whispering, "You are very near now to the frontiers of magic. Do not forget it."

~

The next morning, Rowan woke up very early. The cave was silent and still; the amber light from yesterday was gone, the fires were flickering low, and a chilly dawn-glow was filtering into it from the archway. He got up, glanced around at the other companions still sleeping on beds of soft ferns, and slipped outside.

He could hear the glassy sound of a stream, and in a moment he came out to it: a small stream, flowing swiftly between high, mossy banks. Avi was sitting by it, looking through the trees with a half-dreamy look in her dark eyes. She glanced up at him as he approached, and for an instant another elusive expression flitted across her face. She shifted to make space for him, and he sat down next to her.

What was he supposed to say? And what was it about Avi? Rowan had never really met anyone like her - anyone so fiercely alone, but with a thousand deeper feelings underlying her fiery wariness.

Finally Avi looked back at him. "What are we going to be doing?" she asked softly. "I mean, we can't just stay here forever. We need to keep going before Ivkatorr finds us here."

"Well - then we go on, I suppose," Rowan said, watching the sunlight quiver through the leaves. What was that sound? Not voices? "Wait, I - do you hear anything?"

Instead of answering, Avi lifted her face and listened for a moment. The sound was nearer now, and yes, it was voices. Ivkatorr's. "My fine friend, you'll never get anywhere without me," he was saying. "I beg you, Commanders, for you own sakes, reconsider. I'm stronger than you easily, and -"

"Oh, are you so sure?" cut in a woman's voice. "You have some magic. Of course you do. But so do we; all people of these lands have some. Your real strength lies in your followers, and you know it. Ivkatorr, think - for one moment think... how many of those followers do you really trust? How many would follow you when their best interests lie elsewhere?"

"Most of them," Ivkatorr said smoothly. "You don't have to think you're so very clever, Ryala. Look at what we've accomplished. Taken the border-castle. Gotten -"

"Had Phaidon desert you," a man interrupted. "Let the Guardians get their side powers under your very nose. Yes, you, Ivkatorr, not we. Do you really think that after we've gone this far, we're going to join up with you again?"

"I shall hope," Ivkatorr said, still smoothly - too smoothly.

"Good luck with hoping," Ryala muttered.

Then the voices faded again, and after a moment the woods returned to the sounds of birds and the brook. Rowan took a deep breath and looked at Avi, shaken. There really was a break in Ivkatorr's followers. And more than that, Ivkatorr was here. "We'd better get back to the cave," he said.

When they got there, they found the others up. They decided to continue; they were only in danger if they stayed there. But as they were taking their leave of the Mountain People, Ikran approached. "You've told us you're seeking the Rose Magic," he said. "In that case, you'll never find it without our help. Altern lived a long time ago, and the peacock that could unlock the Rose Magic has since been killed; no one knows how. Since then, we of the Mountains have been forging a sword that will strike down the door of the place that guards the magic." From somewhere he drew out a long, shining, jewel-set blade. "Take it, companions; it is yours."

~