FtF Book 3 Chapter 9-15

With a war brewing between Grand Glow and Drinen, our heroes realize they must find a way to free Elia from Tezcatlipoca. A special event of epic proportions occurs which brings joy to both worlds.

Chapter 9

Azarie looked around the practice yard during a lull in the training. She wondered how they ended up in the middle of someone else's war. She felt the presence of her goddess and decided it was a good time to get some clarification.

"We aren't here to participate in the war, are we?" She asked Ishtar.

"As much as I love a good war, I have to be honest. You are here to help stop the war. The easiest way to do that is to restore King Eladore to his throne and remove Gregarus from power," Ishtar answered.

"I know we can't understand the reasons the gods do what they do, but why all the unrest?" Azarie asked.

"Gods have much the same motivations as you humans. We want power. It's what makes us stronger than other gods. If we have more followers or we can eliminate another god's followers, we are more powerful. Tezcatlipoca wants all that he can take and more. His army will give the opponents two choices: join or die."

"What does Gregarus get out of it?" Azarie asked.

"He has bargained for magic and riches."

"How do we get Tezcatlipoca to reunite both halves of Elia?" Azarie asked.

"Aife and Ky will be able to do that, once you have the necessary implements with which they can bargain."

"Thank you, Goddess."

Azarie turned to the troops. "We will find a way to divert this war today. I still want you to train and learn how to defend yourselves and your families, though."

The troops resumed their training as Azarie set off to find the other women and give them the news.

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Lothyra was handing out sets of arrows when Azarie found her. She grinned at her friend as she approached.

"I just spoke with Ishtar," Azarie said.

Lothyra paused and then motioned for another archer to take her place handing out the sets. She walked with Azarie as she listened to Azarie's story.

"I don't know exactly how we are going to do it, but our job here is not to participate in the war. Our job is to stop it. We have to get back to the Quest of Stars. We can't reunite Elia's two halves until we find some sort of objects to use to bargain with Tezcatlipoca," Azarie explained. "Did Nem get home safe? We were in such a hurry to get back, I didn't think to ask! Something tells me we are going to need his help again soon."

Lothyra laughed. "Yes, Nem went home. He said to let him know when he was needed again. He also returned these," she said, holding up the pendants from Cyrillia. She was quiet for a moment. "Before he left, Nem told me that the box you found in the locked chest was powerful magic. He said there was a legend among the mayan people of an object called a worry doll. These dolls are just little things made of leftover pieces of cloth and they are given to people experiencing nightmares or worry over something. The worrier holds the doll in their palm or puts them under their pillow and the doll 'listens' to the worrier as they whisper their fears and worries. In the morning, the worrier sticks the doll in a box and the worry is bound there forever, never to bother the worrier again."

"So what kind of worry doll would be magically bound inside a box in a locked chest in the bowels of a pyramid in the Realm of Fire?" Azarie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lothyra shook her head. "Probably not one we want to tamper with."

"What if it's the only thing we have to trade for Elia's other half?" Azarie asked.

"Maybe there is something else in the pyramid we can offer him," Lothyra suggested.

"It would have to be something powerful to entice him."

"Let's go see Aife. She found the chest. Maybe she saw something else there we can offer him."

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Lothyra and Azarie found Aife in the schoolroom, helping the children weavers understand their role in the coming war.

"Aife, we need to speak with you."

Aife left the children and joined Lothyra and Azarie in the hall. They brought her up to speed on their theory of how to reunite Elia's halves. They asked her about other items in the room in which she found the chest.

AIfe closed her eyes, envisioning the room. "I remember the potions and other implements, crystals and such. There may have been a valuable tomb or two, but once I saw the chest, I didn't pay attention to anything else."

"I think we should return to the pyramid and see if we can find ANY other alternative to offer Tezcatlipoca for Elia's other half," Azarie said. "Something tells me that doll, if that's what it is, is a very bad thing to turn over to him."

"I can leave the teachers and children working on something to help us. They can create a stabilized magic field which would ensure protection for those wearing a key object. It would be like magical armor for each person, without draining the magic users who would be providing shielding," Aife said.

"That's actually a really amazing idea!" Lothyra said.

Aife stepped back into the schoolroom to explain her idea to the teachers and students. She called the metal workers in to describe a cuff bracelet to them. The cuff would contain the enchantment for the magical field.

Once she was done giving instruction, Aife joined Lothyra and Azarie. They headed to the tower, to speak with James and Ky.

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"Do we focus on offensive or defensive spells?" Ky asked James.

"We need to know what the dark sorcerer is trying to achieve," James replied. "Without that information, we can't form a plan."

"Then why don't we go have a chat with our favorite psychopath?" Ky asked, grinning.

"You've been around Azarie too long!" James said, laughing.

"No, really. We portal in, find out what he is planning and then portal out."

"He'll have spells blocking all of that. He is not some low level apprentice."

"What if it's an oblique spell? If we go in as something non-threatening to just LISTEN to him, we may not set off any protection spells," Ky suggested.

"Whatever it is, it will have to be small and very intelligent."

"Are you saying you want me to turn you into a mouse?" Ky asked with a straight face.

"WHAT? NO!" James exclaimed.

Ky laughed. "The look on your face! Do you think I would do that to you?"

"Yes."

"Smart man. No, I need to be the one to go. Do you want to turn ME into a mouse?" Ky asked.

As James motioned to begin the spell, Azarie, Aife and Lothyra burst into the room.

"What are you ladies doing here?" James asked, dropping the spell.

"We think we need to go back to the pyramid. There may be something there we can trade for Elia's other half," Aife replied.

"But you're needed here to help with the coming war," James said.

"What if we return to the pyramid while you go spying?" Azarie asked.

"That will work. Lothyra, would you come with me?" Ky asked.

"Of course. But..." Lothyra trailed off.

"Yes, you are going to be a mouse, too."

"Ugh."

"I have something that will help," James said, pulling open a drawer in his worktable.

"What is it?" Ky asked, looking over James' shoulder.

"These are prototypes of the cuffs Aife was just talking about."

"How did you make them when Aife only JUST told us and the teachers and children about them?" Azarie exclaimed.

"I saw it in a future walk." James said, handing the bracelet to the women.

"So, do we avert the war and save Elia?" Azarie asked.

"Unfortunately, the future walk didn't show me that."

"Good luck, Ky and Lothyra," Aife said, hugging her friends.

"Good luck to you two, as well," Ky replied.

Aife and Azarie left the castle and headed to the pyramid.

James handed Ky and Lothyra each a Potion of Transformation. The women downed the potions and stood before James, waiting for the potions to take affect.

"The portal will remain open until you have both returned," James said. "Be careful!"

Lothyra felt herself begin to shrink. She glanced at Ky and discovered she was shrinking, too. The two mice looked at each other in their tiny forms. Mouse Lothyra was tan in color and Mouse Ky was dark brown in color. They frolicked around for a few minutes, getting used to their new forms.

James opened a tiny portal into the courtyard of the king's castle. The little mice glanced at him and then scampered through the portal.

"Good luck to all of you," James muttered, turning back to his worktable.

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Azarie and Aife arranged to meet Nem in the Realm of Fire. They found him at the door to the pyramid and were pleasantly surprised to see Garrett was with him.

"Garrett! It's great to see you!" Aife exclaimed.

"I told you I would be back to help you."

"Yes, you did!"

"How are your children, Garrett?" Azarie asked.

"They are pouting through their punishment. If they hadn't been playing where they shouldn't have been, they wouldn't have been captured. It's a lesson to be learned."

"Let's get in there and find a trinket valuable enough to entice a god," Nem said, drawing everyone's attention as he made his way into the pyramid.

Aife led the way back to the room where she found the chest. They each took a section of the room to search. Several minutes passed before any of them found anything they felt would be "worthy" of the god's attention.

They brought their finds to the table in the center of the room to compare. Garrett found an egg shaped stone which was the deepest red anyone had ever seen.

"What is it?" Aife asked Garrett.

"It's a Spindigo. It absorbs magic and becomes something akin to a battery."

"I doubt a god would have use for such a thing. Look. I found another locked chest. This one is bigger than the last one," Nem said, nudging a mahogany chest with gold accents toward the others.

Azarie reached for the key to unlock the chest. Garrett stopped her. "I don't think you will want to unlock that box."

Azarie paused and looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"That is a curse box. Dragons invented them long ago as a way to...amuse ourselves," Garrett said.

"Then, perhaps it will be of interest to a god?" Aife said.

"Hmm. Maybe."

Aife pushed her find closer to the others. "I found a Spirit Chain." The copper colored chain glistened in the torch light. The others could feel a low hum of magic radiating from its links.

Nem whistled quietly. "That's an impressive find."

"Could someone tell me why that's impressive and what it does?" Azarie asked.

"According to most scholars, a Spirit Chain allows anyone who uses it to travel to Veeyana and collect spirit essence of the Artware. Artware are beings of extraordinary power and magic. Without a Spirit Chain, it's impossible to get to Veeyana, even as a god," Aife replied.

"Wow! Now, THAT might entice a god!" Azarie said. "And it blows what I found away."

"What did you find?" Aife asked.

Azarie held out her hand. In her palm sat a simple gold ring. "Just a ring, but it feels like there is more to it."

Nem's jaw dropped, Aife gasped and Garrett exclaimed, "A Borrower's Ring!"

"What's THAT?" Azarie asked, confused.

"Azarie, a Borrower's Ring allows the wearer to borrow others powers for a short time!" Aife exclaimed. "I think we have plenty to offer up for trade now!"

"Then, let's go find Tezcatlipoca and propose a trade," Azarie said.

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Mouse Lothyra and Mouse Ky had a long journey ahead of them. They had to find a way across the Drinen castle courtyard and up into Gregarus' room on the top floor of castle. They had to avoid the castle cats and keep from being stepped on or captured.

They carefully scampered along the outer wall and ran across the courtyard, hiding behind the wheel of a wagon. They looked around for the next place to use as cover and found it in the form of of a small cart being wheeled into the castle. They stuck close to the stone wall of the entry hall and scurried to the staircase.

The normally easy-to-climb staircase looked like an insurmountable obstacle to the two little mice. They looked at each other and squeaked in a mousy language.

"Now what?" Mouse Lothyra asked.

"We find the castle mice and get them to show us how to get up to Gregarus' room," Mouse Ky replied.

The two little mice scampered into the kitchen, where they were sure to find some fuzzy friends. It was easy to convince them to help and Mouse Ky and Mouse Lothyra were soon on their way to the sorcerer's room.

They arrived in time to hear the sorcerer call his war council together.

"Report!" Gregarus barked.

"Sire, the battalions are ready. The sorcerers await your orders. The skynots are in position. Why do we delay?" The commander of the battalions asked.

Gregarus stared at him until he sat down and bowed his head in unspoken submission. Gregarus smirked and turned to a map on the wall. It was enchanted with his strongest magic. He watched several dots moving and then turned back to the council.

Mouse Lothyra and Mouse Ky crept closer, hiding under a pedestal containing a suit of silver armor so they could hear better.

"Gentlemen, while I find your readiness for war appealing, we will wage war when the great god, Tezcatlipoca, wills it so."

"Yes, Sire," they said in unison.

"Go now and continue to prepare. Tezcatlipoca will be here this evening, when night falls."

"Yes, Sire," the council members said again. They rose as one and left Gregarus alone in his war room.

Mouse Ky looked at Mouse Lothyra. They didn't make a sound. They knew they needed to get back to Grand Glow and tell James and the king of the news.

As they were scampering out of the room, Gregarus let out a shout and gave chase.

They needed to get back down to the portal before Gregarus could stop them.

Mouse Ky and Mouse Lothyra ran as fast as they could, down the passage in the walls the castle mice showed them. They scuttled along the wooden beams, making their way down from the top floor of the castle.

Once they reached the bottom floor, they ran from the kitchen to the main hall, where they saw the door swing open. Two sorcerers strolled in, announcing themselves with great vigor. Mouse Ky and Mouse Lothyra took the opportunity to scurry outside.

They were running across the courtyard, heading for the portal, when suddenly Gregarus appeared before them. They slid to a stop in the gravel.

"What have we here?" Gregarus asked, staring at them intently. "Tiny intruders. Amazing you were able to get by my wards and not set them off. How did you manage that?"

Mouse Lothyra and Mouse Ky looked at each other. They turned back to Gregarus in unison and then ran around each side of him.

Gregarus yelled in surprise and dove at them, just as they slid through the portal. It collapsed behind them and they lay on the floor of James' workroom, panting.

James knelt down and touched their heads. They returned to their human forms, still out of breath.

"That was close!" Lothyra exclaimed. "I thought he had us, for sure!"

"What did you find out?" James asked, anxiously.

"They are preparing their forces, but they are waiting for Tezcalipoca to join them. They will begin their attack after he arrives," Ky answered. "Have you heard from Aife and Azarie?"

"No word yet, but they should be back soon."

Just then, they heard the trumpets sound. They went out on the balcony to look at the main gate, hoping for a glimpse of the new arrivals. They saw Aife, Azarie, Garrett and Nem dismounting. They headed downstairs to meet their friends and find out what they discovered in the pyramid.

"So glad you're back!" Aife said to Ky and Lothyra when they reached her. "We were worried about you!"

Ky brought everyone up to speed on their adventure and Aife showed Ky, Lothyra and James the objects of power they found to offer to Tezcatlipoca.

"Ky and I can distract Tezcatlipoca from the coming battle with our offerings to get him to reunite both halves of Elia. Meanwhile, Nem, Garrett, Azarie and Lothyra can make an appearance on the battlefield. You could distract Gregarus and give us time to get there and defeat him," Aife said.

"It's as good a plan as any, as far as I can see," Azarie said. "Otherwise, we just work on a wing and a prayer and hope we have more power on our side than they do."

"And a dragon is ALWAYS a good distraction," Garrett said with a grin.

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Chapter 10

Aife and Ky made their way down to the beach. They decided it was as neutral an area as they were going to have for the exchange. The "Good" Elia sat on a piece of driftwood, speaking with the Lady of the Sea.

Aife stood in a circle, ten yards in front of Elia and began a spell, beseeching Tezcatlipoca to appear before them. Ky stood between Aife's circle and Elia and the Lady of the Sea to provide them as much protection as she could.

A glowing gold portal opened ten yards in front of Aife's circle. Tezcatlipoca appeared before them, in the guise of the Jaguar King. Two jaguars accompanied him onto the pale pink sand. Finally, "Evil" Elia danced out of the portal. Tezcatlipoca stood silently observing the women, waiting for them to address him.

"Oh, Great Tezcatlipoca, we ask you to consider the objects of power we brought today for your amusement in hopes of reuniting both halves of Elia and to secure her freedom," Aife said, bowing her head to Tezcatlipoca.

"I am interested in the items you secured. I can feel their power in the Nether Realm. Show me what you have to offer," Tezcatlipoca said.

"We have brought you a wonderful Spindigo. This item stores magic like a battery," Aife said, conjuring a table outside of her circle and setting the Spindigo on it.

Tezcatlipoca approached the table and picked up the Spindigo. He inspected it and then nodded. "I have use for this. What else?"

"Next, we have a Spirit Chain. It will allow anyone who uses it to travel to Veeyana and collect spirit essence of the Artware. Artware are beings of extraordinary power and magic. Without a Spirit Chain, it's impossible to get to Veeyana, even as a god," Aife recited, setting the Spirit Chain on the table.

"Now, THAT is a VERY nice item. What else?" Tezcatlipoca asked, investigating the Spirit Chain.

"We also have a Borrower's Ring. While we realize you may have no use for it, we believe it would be valuable for your future trades and negotiations," Aife suggested, setting the Borrower's Ring on the table.

"I can put that to use. What else?" Tezcatlipoca asked.

"We were hoping these items would secure Elia's reunion and freedom, Oh Great One," Aife replied.

"These are enough to secure her reunion," Tezcatlipoca said, raising his staff.

"Wait, Tezzie!" "Evil" Elia cried. "Why should I have to stop existing just because those beings want me combined with HER?" Elia asked, gesturing to "Good" Elia.

"It's not a matter of you being two separate beings, it's a matter of you being half of one being," Ky answered.

"Good" Elia looked from Ky to "Evil" Elia and back again. "She's right. Without her influence, I am a being of pure good. I can do so much for this realm and for the people of Alacarma."

"Wouldn't all of your good be exactly balanced with all of her evil?" Aife asked. "Your separation is unnatural. You belong as a balance of nature; good and evil, hot and cold, right and wrong. Please allow Tezcatlipoca to reunite you," Aife begged both halves of Elia.

The two Elia's looked at one another for a few moments and then nodded.

Tezcatlipoca raised his staff again and spoke a word of power.

The two Elia's flew toward each other at breakneck speed and a blinding light erupted. When everyone could see again, there was a single Elia standing in the center of a charred spot on the sand.

"If you wish to buy her freedom, you will need to give me something far more valuable or impressive," Tezcatlipoca said.

Aife glanced at Ky. Ky came forward with the sealed box and and set it on the table.

Ky said, "We aren't sure what's in this powerful little box, but we suspect it contains a worry doll."

"Oh, you have no idea. I will take that!" Tezcatlipoca said, snatching the box off the table. "Elia is free."

"Wait! Who did it belong to?" Aife cried.

"The priestess defiled by Quetzalcoatl!" Tezcatlipoca said, laughing, as he stepped back through the portal.

"Oh, boy," Ky whispered, looking at Aife. Aife's color drained from her face.

"That was probably a big mistake."

Ky nodded in agreement. "Hope that doesn't come back to bite us."

"Lady of the Sea, if we are successful in stopping the war, it should stop the drain on your power," Aife explained to the Lady of the Sea before they left.

"For King Areold's sake, I hope that's true," the Lady replied, returning to the water.

Ky and Aife then turned to Elia. "What will you do now?"

Elia replied, "I will return to the Realm of Fire. My home exists there and I desperately wish to return. I would like to give you token of my appreciation. You have gone through so much, I feel you have earned the highest honor of my people. Take these Phoenix Rings. They will allow you to contact me and walk in the Realm of Fire, unmolested, anytime you need to do so." Elia handed four rings to Ky.

"One more thing, if we might ask, Elia," Ky said.

"What's that?" Elia asked.

"There are rifts all over Alacarma and Earth caused by Tezcatlipoca and Gregarus. Is there a way you can seal those?"

"Of course. As soon as I return to my city, I will set my friends to the task of healing the rifts."

"Thank you so much, Elia," Ky said.

With that, Elia opened a door to the Realm of Fire and stepped through. Before she closed the door, Ky and Aife caught a glimpse of a beautiful fire city behind her.

"I thought she was from Alacarma," Aife said.

"Me, too. Obviously, we shouldn't assume. Come on, let's go find the others," Ky said, summoning a portal of her own.

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The armies were amassed on the enormous expanse of open ground that lay between the kingdoms of Drinen and Grand Glow. Garrett, Nem, Azarie and Lothyra sat on their warhorses, slightly behind James and King Areold.

"Such a waste," King Areold mused to himself.

"What do you mean," James asked.

"So many good soldiers will suffer injuries or death for no more than a power grab by a greedy sorcerer," the king answered.

"Maybe there is still hope, Your Highness," Azarie said, guiding her horse alongside the king's mount.

"I would love to stop this war and especially stop the sorcerer, but I don't think that is going to happen."

Gregarus appeared in front of his line of soldiers, sitting astride an enormous black panther.

"I'm so impressed," Azarie muttered, rolling her eyes.

"It is pretty awesome, though," Lothyra quipped.

"When should I transform?" Garrett asked, coming abreast of James' horse.

"Soon. I have a feeling we're about to hear the big proclamation from Gregarus," James replied.

"You stand between me and my destiny!" Gregarus began. "You have the choice to lay down your arms and join me in a glorious new world! If you choose to stand against me, you will be destroyed!"

Azarie and Lothyra looked at each other. "A bit cliche, isn't it?"

Lothyra nodded and they turned their attention back to Gregarus, who was speaking again.

"Let me give you a small demonstration of the horrors which await anyone who chooses not to join me. Bring her!" He ordered.

Two soldiers brought a limp figure up to Gregarus. The figure was so small, she couldn't be more than a child.

Azarie and Lothyra were horrified that Gregarus would harm a child. They looked over at Garrett and he instantly transformed into his dragon form. King Areold had warned his troops ahead of time about the enormous bronze dragon. They knew Garrett was their ally. This didn't stop many of them from gasping in surprise at the transformation and sudden appearance of the dragon.

"We can't let him hurt her!" Nem growled, giving voice to what they were all thinking.

Gregarus glared at the dragon in surprise. It only made him pause for a few moments and then he held out his staff toward the child, while chanting an incantation. The ground around the girl shuddered.

Suddenly, the girl raised her head, looking Gregarus in the eye. She wrenched her arms away from the soldiers holding them and raised a small hand in Gregarus' direction. A cage which appeared to be made of paper surrounded the dark sorcerer and the remnants of his spell disintegrated.

"WHAT?" Gregarus roared. "You think you can stop me with a PAPER CAGE?"

The girl glanced at Gregarus' army and motioned with her other hand. An entire paper mountain chain appeared between the two armies. "Yes," she replied, simply.

"What is this?" Gregarus yelled. "How is this holding ME?"

"The great goddess, Endearlava, does not believe you should bring harm to peaceful lands. She does not believe you should harm defenseless children. Above all, she does not believe you should steal other's magic. For these sins, you will pay," the child replied. She clapped her hands together and the paper cage containing Gregarus disappeared.

"Whoa," Lothyra said, just as Ky and Aife appeared at her side.

"What did we miss?" Ky asked.

"That little girl just brought down justice on Gregarus' head," Azarie replied. "In no uncertain terms!"

The child waved her hand and King Eladore and Queen Dayalin appeared at her side. The paper mountains disappeared as the king turned to address his soldiers.

"Return to your homes. Be with your families. There will be no war!" The king announced. His troops began to disperse as he turned to address King Areold. "King Areold, please forgive this terrible act by my now defunct sorcerer. My new friend, Princess Skyanda of Cilaria, has been kind enough to come to our aid."

"Is Princess Skyanda a Blintz Mage?" James asked.

King Eladore looked at him in surprise. "You know of the Blintz Mages, boy? I would have thought they were from before your time."

"Let us find a better place to talk," King Areold said, dismissing his troops.

Both kings, their queens, James, Princess Skyanda, Azarie, Aife, Kylinsta, Lothyra, Nem and Garrett travelled to King Areold's castle. Once there, James told the story of the Blintz Mages.

  "Two hundred years ago, a group of magic users called Blintz Mages served the kings of our world. Blintz Mages had the power to create folded creatures and other things and enchant them to become life size constructs. While their creations were weak against fire and water, they became endowed with Goddess Endearlava's blessing when they were used as defensive magic.

  As with most things, something went wrong. One of the Blintz Mages turned to the evil side of his power. He found a god willing to make his 'folded' creations real. The beginning of the end of the Blintz Mages takes place in the kingdom of Opland. The mage, Kristoph, was able to slip into King Randolf's bedroom and kill the king. As a result, his wife, Queen Laghi, sent out a death sentence on all Blintz Mages.

  Fear of what the Blintz Mages could do spread like wildfire. They were hunted like wild animals until everyone believed they were all gone," James said, glancing at Skyanda.

"It's been many generations since anyone has even thought of the Blintz Mages," King Eladore said. "But a few months ago, when Gregarus began to show his true intentions, Queen Reyalla came to tell me about her daughter. Princess Skyanda is the first Blintz Mage chosen by Endearlava directly in two hundred years."

"How has she learned about her magic?" Ky asked.

"Up until now, she has spoken to the goddess. Due to godly limitations, the goddess has not told her all of the facets of her magic," King Eladore replied. "There are whispers of an elderly mage in hiding to the north who could continue her training, but now that her secret is out, we fear she may be attacked or kidnapped."

"So you need an escort to guide her safely to this elder?" Lothyra asked.

"We don't know exactly where the elder is to begin with, but yes, that's it," King Eladore replied.

"Your mother is Queen Reyalla and your father is King Loncily?" Ky asked the child, kindly.

Princess Skyanda nodded. "I was sent away as soon as my mother figured out I was a Folder."

"Folder? Is that what you call yourself?" Aife asked.

"Yes. Before today, I didn't know there was another name for what I could do," Princess Skyanda replied. "Weavers are widely known, so I just called myself a Folder."

"How did your cage contain such a powerful sorcerer?" Ky asked.

"Endearlava made my cage more...real? More...sturdy? When she chooses, she makes my foldings stronger and more magical," Princess Skyanda struggled to describe something she knew little about.

"So the goddess took Gregarus. That's a relief to many people," King Areold said. "We must work together to unite our kingdoms against tyranny such as that which we have seen. King Eladore, Queen Dayalin, I invite you to form a Peace Treaty with Grand Glow. I offer work and resources to share with your people. I also offer to have my sorcerers work with yours to find a solution to the all of the encroaching swampland." He rose and offered his hand to King Eladore.

King Eladore also rose and grasped King Areold's hand. "I accept the Peace Treaty, as well as the offer of assistance. Thank you for your help and for not holding our people responsible for the actions of one rogue sorcerer!"

Cheers rose from those gathered. Ky, Aife, Azarie and Lothyra excused themselves and headed out to the beach.

The Lady of the Sea met them at the shoreline. "The drain on our power has disappeared. Thank you."

"You're welcome! We're sorry it took so long, but there were many things we had to go through," Aife replied.

"No explanation necessary. You are a friend to the Spirits of the Sea. Let us know if you need assistance in the future using this," the Lady of the Sea said, handing a conch shell to Aife. "It is only good for one calling, so use it wisely."

"We will. Thank you, Lady!" Aife said, bowing, as the Lady returned to the sea.

Nem and Garrett strolled up to the group and stood watching the waves in the setting sun.

"So, what now?" Garrett asked.

"Well, we seem to have a direction," Lothyra said, nodding her head toward Princess Skyanda. The girl was cautiously approaching the group. "But I doubt that would interest a great dragon."

Nem said, "Lothyra, we must return home to clear up the lies from decades ago. Perhaps the rest of you would like a short vacation while we do that?"

"I'm coming with you. I need to be there and then I need to see Trey and Kamama again," Azarie said.

"Aife and I will work with James and Princess Skyanda to see if we can dig up more information on the Blintz Mages and maybe even something to help us find the elder we are seeking," Ky said.

The group bid each other farewell and set out on the tasks ahead of them.

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Ky and Aife walked up to James' workroom with him. Ky had an idea about an item of power she had seen the day before which she thought could prove extremely helpful in their coming quest.

Aife said, "Ky, you're awfully quiet. What are you thinking about?"

"When we were in Gregarus' warroom, he was looking at a map. He was watching colorful dots moving over it. What if it is a Finder's Map?"

"Could he have been powerful enough to create one?" Aife asked.

"He wouldn't have had to create it. The kingdom of Drinen holds one of only three Finder's Maps on Alacarma. All he would have had to do was change the target or targets and the map would do his bidding," James said.

"How did you know what he was looking at?" Aife asked Ky.

Ky grimaced. "Remember how we didn't draw any attention or set off any wards while we were sneaking into the castle and up to the warroom? Then, suddenly, at the end of his pronouncement to his commanders he just knew we were there?"

Aife nodded. "OH!"

"The moving dots on his map were US," Ky finished. "He found a way to make the map track his most powerful enemies, or so I gather."

"I'll go back and speak with King Eladore about using the map for the quest," James said. "The tomes over there on the my desk contain all of the information I have found about the Blintz Mages so far. The most important information seems to be encoded and I haven't been able to crack it."

"We'll get started, you catch the king before he leaves," Ky said, heading toward the desk.

"I can try to fashion a communication chime spell to reach out to the mage," Aife said.

"How will you convince him that we are friendly and we aren't tricking him?" Ky asked.

"I will tell him about us and volunteer to meet him in a place of his choosing so he can cast a truth spell."

"Seems like a good plan, if he will even answer your summons," Ky said.

Ky began reading excerpts from the books James marked. The first book had much the same history James quoted earlier. She skimmed it and moved on to the next book. This one held something much more useful.

  "Kristoph's apprentice feared for his life. He knew what Kristoph was listening to and he didn't believe Endearlava would send such vicious intentions to her followers. As a matter of fact, the messages seemed to be of unmaking and destruction, quite the opposite of Endearlava's teachings. Kristoph's apprentice tried to warn King Randolf of the danger brewing in his own castle, but the king refused to believe his trusted friend and advisor could ever be corrupted.

  Kristoph's apprentice packed all of the Blintz Mage books he could carry and slipped away that night, travelling as fast as he could to Cilaria. He hoped the king and queen of Cilaria would listen to his warning. By the time he arrived, however, the horror he feared had come to pass. News of King Randolf's death was everywhere. The apprentice was too late.

  Within hours, Queen Laghi's orders to exterminate all Blintz Mages ripped through the land. The apprentice changed his appearance and set about working with his hands to hide his previous life. He became a blacksmith's apprentice in Cilaria, growing in knowledge and experience to become their most legendary blacksmith. He is believed to have lived out his life in front of the forge, never taking a wife, nor fathering children."

Ky rested her forehead in the palm of her hand, leaning heavily on the desk. Her headaches were growing worse, even when she wasn't using magic. It didn't help that the information in that book led to a dead end. She sighed and reached for another book. It seemed to be a journal of sorts, rather than a text or history book.

  "I have spent weeks going through Kristoph's notes and looking for his books. The books are just gone and his notes are something from a nightmare. He was so corrupted and twisted, I can barely follow the path his mind took from the shining path of Endearlava to the terrors of Gropendal. We didn't even know the god Gropendol existed until I discovered him in Kristoph's work. He seems to be some sort of Unmaker God. I fear what else I will find."

Ky showed Aife the short journal entry. It seemed to be the only one which referred to Kristoph.

"Maybe we can find more. It looks like there were some pages ripped out," Aife said, taking a closer look at the journal.

"You know, I was just thinking, that coded writing that James can't decipher?" Ky said. "What if only a Blintz Mage can read it?"

Aife's eyebrows shot up. "What if there is lots more information in these books than we can see or understand? Should we ask James to see if Princess Skyanda can stay here for a little while?"

They ran downstairs just in time to catch the king, queen and princess as they were preparing to leave. The king granted James and the women access to anything they needed from Gregarus' items.

"Would it be okay if Princess Skyanda remains with us? We think she can help us with the information we found on the Blintz Mages," Ky said.

The king allowed this, since Princess Skyanda appeared overjoyed by the request.

James, Ky, Aife, and Princess Skyanda went back to the up to the workroom to begin the arduous task of searching through the tomes and manuscripts. They hoped Lothyra and Azarie were doing well on their tasks.

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Chapter 11

Nem led Lothyra back to the village where they grew up. The ball of stress and pain in her stomach grew worse with each step. That stress warred with the joy of seeing her mother and father again. She hadn't seen them since she ran all those years ago. Her heart ached as she thought of her mother's smile and her father's strength.

"Maybe you should go alone, to prepare everyone," Lothyra said, nervously.

"I will stand with you. You needn't fear," Nem's voice echoed with the power of Wolf.

"Oh, Wolf! Thank you for coming! This plot ruined my reputation all those years ago and sent me spinning off into an adventurer's life. No complaints about that part, but how different would life be if I hadn't been framed?"

"Young one, a great injustice has been done to you. I believe you have truth on your side and enough people will know and feel the reality. But if not, I will be there."

Lothyra felt Wolf fade. She looked at Nem and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. He let go and they continued toward Summerland.

As they neared the little stone bridge which led into the town, shouts rang out and people rushed out to meet them.

"Nem! You've returned! We've missed you!" The crowd greeted them warmly. Men clapped Nem on the arms and shoulders; children touched the soft leather of Lothyra's tunic. "Who have you brought with you! Did you find a wife on your travels? Where is she from?"

Lothyra took a deep breath. "People of Summerland, it is I, Lothyra. I have come to correct a wrong done many years ago."

The crowd drew back and gasped. Whispers erupted and several people darted away.

"Call the council. I wish to testify," Lothyra said, her voice clear as it rang out through the town square.

It took nearly no time for the entire town to gather in the square, despite the late hour. Lothyra and Nem waited near the fountain as townspeople brought out tables and chairs. The council members arrived and took their seats.

"I wish my friends were here," Lothyra muttered, as she and Nem took their seats, facing the council. She realized her friends were working hard on other life or death matters and they really couldn't do anything here to impact the outcome, but she couldn't help wanting them with her anyway.

"Lothyra, Teachers-daughter, you stand accused of murder of the child, Rian Menders-daughter. You ran fifteen years ago, depriving her family of the ability to face you. What say you?" Demanded the Mayor who lead the council.

As Lothyra stood, a mutter went through the crowd. Lothyra looked around and saw Ky, Aife and Azarie heading toward her.

"We would never make you face this alone," Ky said, hugging Lothyra.

Lothyra looked at Azarie and Azarie winked. Lothyra grinned.

Finally, Lothyra looked at Aife. Aife raised the edge of her cloak to reveal Lothyra's quetzal. Lothyra almost laughed, but stopped herself, drew a deep breath and turned to face the council. As she spoke, she began to walk toward them, her voice gaining in strength and surety as she spoke.

"Mayor, honored council members, good people of the town of Summerland, fifteen years ago, a heinous crime occurred in our fair town. For that long, you thought I was guilty of the act. I was not. My arrow was used by those who wished to trap me so they may remove me from here. They could not abide a young girl besting them in a man's sport. They could not abide a young woman usurping their imagined power. They could not abide Artemis' chosen destroying their legacies. So, they set up a plot to frame me for the murder of a child, not knowing there was a witness to their deception. There is a person who can name them all and restore honor to my family and me." Lothyra paused in her steps and rested her hands on the table in front of the mayor. "I return today to reveal the traitors and murderers you have lived and worked beside for fifteen years. Bring the mighty hand of justice down on THEM!"

She turned quickly to look at the townspeople. "I see a number of you sweating profusely now. You didn't think I survived the waterfall and you didn't know there was a witness. I can stand before you all completely innocent of the crime of murder. I can stand before you all wrongly accused. I can stand before you all with a clear conscience. Now, I implore you to hear the truth!"

Another murmur swept through the crowd.

The mayor waited for them to quiet, then said, "Your accusations are shocking, Lothyra. Who is this witness and who are you accusing, specifically?"

Lothyra looked at Nem. He stood and looked at the council members. Moments later, he turned to face the townspeople. He quietly allowed his gaze to roam the crowd. Finally, he began to speak.

  "Many years ago, I had to witness an injustice and remain silent. In the time since, I have grown as a man, a blacksmith and a member of this town. I have worked for every one of you at one time or another. I have treated you all fairly and equally. Now is the time to break my silence. Now is the time for justice. Now is the time to end the lies. I would give the men a chance to admit their crimes and throw themselves on the mercy of the town and Lothyra, but they have all had fifteen years to do that. They didn't. They went on about their lives; enjoying freedom, admiration and respect which were not due them," Nem said, the certainty in his deep voice booming through the still air.

The townspeople began to look around at each other. They looked confused and scared.

The mayor said, "Who are they?"

"Langdon Nashe, Richland Brax, Rubin Wilson and, the ringleader, Jacob Jensen," Nem stated, his words weighted with a finality as sure as the grave.

Someone screamed, someone roared, someone cried but in the end, all four men were immediately seized.

"Why should they believe your baseless accusations?" Jacob cried. "You have no proof. Her arrow was in the child. That proves Lothyra killed her!"

"Oh, boy," Azarie muttered. "If there was ever a time when Lothrya could use a little divine intervention, now would be good."

The dissension grew so pointed, the mayor called the town guards to move everyone back.

"As much as we respect you, Nem, there is no evidence of what you say. We find Lothyra guil..." the mayor started.

Artemis appeared in a flash of brilliant light. She raised an eyebrow at the mayor and then turned to the guilty men. "I don't make a habit of interfering, but this will not happen. Lothyra and Nem speak the truth. Let there be no doubts."

Azarie grinned at the goddess. The goddess smiled back and then disappeared.

"How awesome was that?" Aife whispered. "Not like they can argue with a goddess."

The mayor was still stunned silent. One of the other council members nudged him HARD.

"What? Oh, yes. Well, in light of divine intervention, I believe we will conclude Lothyra was set up and is innocent of any crimes. These four men will be charged with the murder of the child and with the crime of plotting against another."

Aife, Azarie, and Ky cheered and rushed to hug their friend. Nem joined them, wrapping his long arms around them.

Awhile later, the four women were sitting in Nem's house.

Azarie asked the question on everyone's mind. "What will you do now? Your names have been cleared, so you could build a life here."

Lothyra sighed. "As much as the old me probably would have loved that, I love traveling with you girls more! We have more Fey to free and a child to unite with a mentor; we have the Quest of Stars to continue and goddesses to represent on another world. I have more left to do, before I can settle down and retire!"

Everyone laughed and then realized they were exhausted, so they turned in for the night.

*************************************************************************************************************

Azarie felt like she barely closed her eyes. She sat on a tan boulder overlooking a vast desert. She knew she was dreaming and turned to look at Kamama. She studied the graceful woman in silence for a few moments. Kamama radiated peace, strength and serenity. Azarie looked down and saw a familiar black and white fuzzy face looking up at her from under the edge of Kamama's silver sheath.

"Well, hello there! Nice to see you!" Azarie said, bending to reach out to the skunk. It carefully approached her and sniffed her hand.

"I assume I am here to learn the next step in the Quest," Azarie said to Kamama.

Kamama nodded. "Your path leads you to the land of the ancient Egyptians. During the height of the gods' and pharaohs' true power, a high priest of the god Geb, named Ak'Lah, was able to lure and entrap a fey named Hemal. Hemal is the prince of the earth fey and this caused a terrible unrest among them. As a result, more and more crops to wither, for the earth fey are the ones who protect and enrich the soils of Earth."

Azarie turned her gaze back to the desert. "Geb caused the green lands to transform into this desert, right?"

"That's the belief of the Egyptians. It could have also been the Earth Fey, mourning the loss of their beloved Prince Hemal. If the king of the earth fey has passed, they may be in total chaos because the prince wasn't there to assume the throne."

"What do I need to do to free Hemal?" Azarie asked.

"I am sending you to Egypt. You will not be alone. Kylinstra's home and family are in the region. Hathor demands Kylinstra travel with you. She wishes Kylinstra to reestablish Hathor's position among the people."

"This is the third of seven fey we are going to help free. What is the pinnacle of this quest?" Azarie asked.

"I can not answer that for you, Azarie. All I can do is guide you along the way."

"When will I see Trey again? Is he back on Earth again or is he still guiding the souls of the dead in-between?" Azarie asked.

"Trey will play a role in your upcoming tasks," Kamama replied.

"Will you be appearing to Kylinstra? I know she misses you greatly."

Kamama smiled. "So a living person wishes to commune with the dead?"

Azarie thought a moment, "OH! Trey! And since we will be in a place where Kylinstra is most powerful and where the veil is thinnest..."

Kamama smiled again. "I must go now. Good luck, Azarie. I will see you soon."

*************************************************************************************************************

Azarie awoke to find the others making breakfast. Toasted, buttered bread and bacon sat on the table. Nem was making eggs over the fire in the hearth.

"Hey, she finally woke up!" Lothyra said, laughing.

"Have to love a man who can cook!" Azarie said, grabbing a piece of bacon from the plate on the table. "I spoke with Kamama."

Ky's eyes met hers. "What did she say?"

"We will be travelling to your homeland. She will see us soon," Azarie replied. "We have some time before we begin that part of the quest, though. I thought we could work more on finding out where the elder is we need to find for Princess Skyanda."

"We found quite a bit of information. We put Skyanda to work going back over the texts, because I thought there may be hidden messages only a Blintz Mage could view, especially in their text books," Ky explained.

"We need to get back to studying the tomes if we are going to figure out this mystery," Aife said.

"We'll get back to Alacarma right after breakfast," Azarie said.

"What will you do, Nem?" Lothyra asked.

"I can't leave the town without a blacksmith again. I need to stay here," Nem said. "I will come to help you if you need me, though."

"I understand that," Lothyra said. "I will try to get back here as often as I can, but my friends need me."

Ky, Aife and Azarie nodded. "We can't do this without her!"

"My only hope is that when the fey are freed, you come home to Summerland and me," Nem said, taking Lothyra's hand. He placed a small wooden box in it.

Lothyra gasped, looking at the intricately carved box. It had a key and the words, "Love never fails" carved into the lid. She slowly opened the box. Inside, nestled in forest green velvet, was a simple silver ring studded with clear stones. It looked like an arrow which had been shaped into a circlet. Her eyes shot to Nem's.

"What?"

"I hope you will consider becoming my wife," Nem said, simply.

Azarie shrieked, Aife giggled and Ky smugly said, "Told you."

Lothyra nodded and Nem swept her up in his arms. "A wedding will be a beautiful celebration amidst all of the adventuring."

"Maybe our friends here, as well as in Alacarma can come," Aife suggested. "The goddesses might be able to do something amazing for just such an occasion."

"Should we wait until the end of our quest?" Lothyra asked, once Nem put her down.

"No, I think we should do it before we start the next part!" Azarie exclaimed.

"It that's too soon for you, My Love, we can wait," Nem said, catching Lothyra's chin in his fingers and looking in her eyes.

"It just seems so sudden. Will we have the time and resources to put it together that quickly?" Lothyra wondered aloud.

"Please. We have saved two worlds and two fey. We can plan a wedding with our wands tied behind our backs," Aife said, nudging Ky.

Ky nodded and grinned. "I'll bet our new friend, the princess, can contribute LOTS of neat things!"

"I'll go learn about some of the wedding traditions here in Summerland," Ky volunteered.

"I'll go and see if the princess wants to take part," Azarie said.

"I'll help with your dress," Aife said.

"And I'll stay out of the way," Nem said, making everyone laugh. "But, seriously, Lothyra and I will be paying a visit to her parents. I'm sure they are anxious to see her."

Lothyra turned pale. "I completely forgot about them. I bet I ruined their lives, as well. They probably don't even want to see me."

"Of course they do. They moved to another town, to make life easier, though," Nem said. "Now that the mayor's decree has gone out, I am sure they will welcome you home with open arms."

"I hope so," Lothyra said, praying to Artemis.

*************************************************************************************************************

Azarie made it back to Alacarma in record time. She arrived back at King Areold's castle by noon and explained the upcoming wedding to Princess Skyanda.

"I would love to help!" Princess Skyanda cried. "I've never been allowed to help with a wedding before!"

"Do you think your could speak with Endearlava about you creating an arch between Alacarma and Earth and have her endow it with her magic? Then, all of our friends from both worlds can attend," Azarie said.

"Sure! I'll speak with her right away!" Princess Skyanda said, running down the hall to the room King Areold gave her in his castle.

Azarie laughed and followed her. She watched the young princess bury herself in a stack of books, digging around for a certain one.

Finally, the princess popped upright, holding a blue, hardcover book about four inches thick. It was so heavy, the princess held it with both hands. It had gold embossing on the cover and the edges of the pages were lined with gold. Princess Skyanda held the book out to Azarie.

"Is this how you contact Endearlava?" Azarie asked, opening the cover.

The princess giggled. "No! I just talk to her and she is here. She can hear me all the time."

Azarie nodded. "I understand. So, this is a book on what?"

"It depicts the ancient Folder...er...Blintz Mage weddings! We have traditions which bring good luck and prosperity!" Princess Skyanda exclaimed.

They spent the next hour looking through the book, noting which page contained things for Lothyra's wedding.

"I think we should bring this to Ky. She is probably the one organizing all of the decorations and order of things," Azarie said.

Princess Skyanda looked concerned. "I don't know if the book can be taken off of Alacarma. I don't want to destroy what might be the only copy."

"Okay, we'll leave it here for now and see if we can get the gate between the two worlds open. Then, Ky can just step back and forth between the worlds to look at it. Come on, let's go find Ky."

Azarie and Princess Skyanda travelled back to Summerland to find Ky. They were surprised by all of the hustle and bustle. It seemed like the whole town was helping prepare for the wedding. People were hanging flowers and ribbons, cleaning and decorating shop windows and gathering chairs and tables for the celebration. The smell of fresh breads and cakes filled the air. Children ran into the candy shop for tasty sugared almonds and ran back out again, giggling and shrieking.

"No, put the arbor at the wedding location. The guests will enter through it!" Azarie heard Ky directing people.

"Ky!" Azarie called.

Ky made her way over to them, stopping to let two rambunctious boys cross her path. "Azarie! Princess Skyanda! What are you doing here?"

"We found a book in the stacks on Blintz Mage wedding customs and the princess thought you may want to use some of them in honor of Endearlava," Azarie answered.

"Especially since she is going to help me form the arch between the two worlds," Princess Skyanda said.

"Great! That's a terrific idea! Where's the book?" Ky asked.

"We left it in Alacarma. The princess thought transferring it between worlds might harm it. We thought we could open the arch and bring the book to it on the Alacarma side so you can just step through to see it," Azarie explained.

"Really, I just need to know which items you want for the wedding so I can get started on them," Princess Skyanda added.

"That sounds perfect. How long will it take to get the arch up and working?" Ky asked, slightly distracted by a workman on a wobbly ladder. Seconds later, the ladder tipped and the workman would have crashed to the ground if Ky hadn't flicked her hand and caught the man in midair. "Careful, Osgood! Have someone hold the ladder for you from now on!"

"Thank you, Lady Ky!" Osgood called, "I will!"

Ky gently set Osgood on the cobblestone road and turned her attention back to Azarie and Princess Skyanda. "Sorry, you were saying?"

Princess Skyanda said, "That was amazing! How did you know that would happen? Do you have to gift of future sight?"

"No, I have some clutzy friends!" Ky answered, laughing.

Azarie pretended to be shocked, then she laughed, too. "It's true. I am graceful in battle but I trip over my own two feet just walking down the road, sometimes!"

"I don't think it will take too long to open the arch. I think most of the time I will spend making the arch pretty," Princess Skyanda said, answering Ky's question.

"Great! If you want to get started building the arch now, you can contact James to bring the book to you when it is complete. Here is a stone which will allow you to speak with him, no matter where he is," Ky said, handing the stone to Princess Skyanda.

As Azarie and Princess Skyanda set of to work on the arch, Aife approached Ky. Ky greeted her friend and inquired about how Lothyra's dress was coming along.

"It's beautiful already and the seamstresses have only just begun working on it," Aife replied. "I realize I could just MAKE her dress, but the townspeople are so passionate about this wedding, I dare not take the honor away from them!"

"Do you want to pick up where I left off, researching the customs and things we will have in the wedding and reception?" Ky asked. "I ended up as the wedding planner, somehow!"

Aife laughed. "I would much rather do research than try to keep hundreds of people and jobs straight. I am here if you need my help, though!" Aife headed to Nem's house, where Ky gathered all of the history books.

She worked for a short time and already had half a dozen ideas scribbled down to incorporate into the wedding! There were so many different people in the village who came from elsewhere and they brought parts of their culture with them. Aife felt it was only right to honor as many of them as possible, since they welcomed Lothyra so warmly as Nem's wife.

Once Aife had a list of a dozen ideas, she went to find Ky.

"You know, between Princess Skyanda's living paper and my illusions, this is going to be a breathtaking event!" Aife said to Ky when she found her.

Ky laughed. "I hadn't thought about it like that, but yes, it will be spectacular! What did you find?"

Aife spent a few minutes sharing her ideas with Ky. Ky nodded and offered some suggestions here and there.

In the end, Aife was pleased with her plan and set out for the wedding site, where she met up with Azarie and Princess Skyanda. She stood silently watching Princess Skyanda folding her great pillars. A thought occured to her and she motioned to Azarie to join her.

"What will keep bad people and evil beings from using the wide open gate?" Aife asked.

Azarie grinned. "Garrett has agreed to attend as our guard. Who better to guard a gate than a bronze dragon?"

"And at least five goddesses?" Aife added, as the thought popped into her head. She grinned.

"Yeah, I think we're okay. So, what does Ky have you doing?" Azarie asked, turning to watch Princess Skyanda work.

The princess was folding intricate flowers and shapes which attached themselves to the twenty foot pillars as she completed them. The pillars were sixty feet apart, set on clear patches of ground. The princess started working on something that looked like a paper link chain.

"Since there will be an opening between the two worlds, my illusions will be partly illusion and partly real. Between the things I create and the things Princess Skyanda is folding, it's going to be a really active wedding!" Aife replied. "I plan on creating fireworks which transform into flower petals as they fall and things I am going to call Glow Moths. They are illusions of large glowing moths which will turn into surprises for those who catch them. I thought that would be fun for all of the children," Aife explained.

"Oh, that sounds beautiful and fun! Lothyra will love it!" Azarie exclaimed.

"I'm ready!" Princess Skyanda called. The chain she folded connected the two pillars in a high arch. She muttered to herself and the pillars and chain began to glow with an orange, glittery shimmer.

Azarie and Aife saw the outline of a woman appear beside the princess. The figure rested its hand on the princess' shoulder. The gate burst into being in a rain of sparkles.

They saw Endearlava for the first time. She was statuesque and had black hair and silver eyes. She wore an orange velvet tunic and tan breeches. Knee high brown leather boots covered her feet.

Azarie saw three interconnected rings stitched into the back of her tunic before she turned to face Aife and Azarie.

Aife and Azarie bowed before the goddess. The goddess nodded to them and then vanished.

"She only came to help me open the gate," Princess Skyanda said, apologetically.

"We're glad she did!" AIfe said, looking at the open gateway. She approached it and stepped back and forth between Earth and Alacarma. "No ill effects," she said.

"Looks like they have most of the chairs set up on this side. We should set chairs up on the other side. They may be scared to do it," Azarie suggested.

Many of the men were watching Aife cross the gate with no problems, so they brushed the offer aside and set up the chairs themselves.

"Hey, Princess, want to offer the men some help?" Aife asked, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

The princess giggled and nodded.

Aife whispered in her ear and then the two of them began to cast together. Soon, there were paper doves and paper lanterns which glowed with flickering light floating above the chairs. Small silver moons decorated the back of the chairs. An aisle runner which looked like it was made of the night sky led up to where Lothyra and Nem would take their vows.

The arbor Ky had the men bring out was draped with soft fabric. Twinkling light cascaded over it and out from both sides. Life-size deer and other animals made from paper and magic lined the entire area.

"WOW!" Azarie exclaimed. "This is AMAZING! You two are brilliant!"

*************************************************************************************************************

Chapter 12

Kylinstra entered the seamstresses shop amidst a flurry of activity. Yards of forest green velvet, white velvet, green and gold brocade and gold braided trim. She found Emma, the head seamstress, kneeling in front of Lothyra. Emma was about forty, with just a touch of silver beginning to show in her auburn hair. Her hands were slim but moved adeptly to stitch closed a rough seam near the bottom of Lothyra's dress.

"Oh, Lothyra!" Gasped Ky.

Lothyra's gown was breathtaking. It was made from green velvet, with a green and gold brocade corset bodice and a brocade panel down the front of the skirt. The waist of the dress was gathered with a long gold braid of silk. It had a traditional widow's hood and long, flowing sleeves lined with brocade, fitted at the elbows with a length of gold, silk braid. It had a flowing train made from yards of green velvet. Lothyra's reddish brown hair stood out beautifully against the green. Her eyes flashed from golden brown to green as she looked at Ky.

"Do you like it?" Lothyra asked.

"I love it! Do YOU like it?" Ky asked, grasping Lothyra's hands.

"I think it is the most amazing thing I have ever worn!" Lothyra exclaimed. She looked down at Emma. "Emma, you are truly gifted! I can't believe it took you less than a day to put this together!"

Emma laughed. "Anything is possible with a shop full of helpers, completely devoted to your wedding! Would you like to see the bridesmaid dresses?"

Ky and Lothyra said, "YES!"

Emma led them to the second floor, where three identical forest green dresses stood on dress forms. The gowns had sweetheart necklines and long flowing sleeves with silver lame along the inside. They had an opening in the front of the skirt and a panel of silver lame filled it. Every edge had silver, embroidered, celtic knotwork along them.

Emma asked Lothyra, "Who is your maid of honor? We have more work to do on her dress."

Lothyra looked at Kylinstra. "Will you be my maid of honor?"

"Of course!" Ky replied.

Lothyra changed back into her regular clothes and headed out with Ky.

"Do I get to see any of the wedding stuff before the wedding?" Lothyra asked, nudging Ky.

"I guess you can peek at a few things. We are going over to the baker to taste cake choices. I think you'll like the options. I heard about them and couldn't wait to come try them," Ky said.

The most mouth-watering smells were emanating from the bakery. Papa Mario was so jolly and he welcomed Ky and Lothyra in his boisterous way. Lothyra had known the baker all of her life and was overjoyed to see he was still the town baker.

"There she is! The beautiful bride! It is SUCH an honor to make a cake for a joyous occasion! Come. Come. We have lots of options for the special lady!" Papa Mario said, leading Lothyra and Ky to a table in the back of the kitchen.

"We have red velvet, chocolate, white chocolate with raspberries, lemon, vanilla bean and almond from here on Earth. From our friend the Vya, the baker of Grand Glow, we have frostings made of Leporian, Gapola, Ephree, Pansa, Bray and Sagarllia. They taste like nothing on Earth but they are some of the most wonderful flavor combination with our cakes! I am so thankful your wedding has opened up all new food to us!" Papa Mario cried out in excitement.

Lothyra and Ky tasted every cake. They were so full by the time they were finished tasting the cakes, they could hardly move.

"Well? Which one do you like?" Ky asked.

"I like all of them!" Lothyra answered.

Papa Mario chuckled. "I knew you were going to say that. I have the bakers making one of each flavor combination for you!"

Lothyra hugged the old man. "Thank you so much, Papa! You are a gift to me and this town!"

Ky led Lothyra away to her next stop on the wedding tour. They entered the florists' with the smell of hundreds of flower around them.

"Berta! How have you been? It's been so long!" Lothyra said, hugging the frail old woman arranging flowers at the worktable. "Ky, this is Berta. She has been like a grandmother to me my whole life!"

Ky hugged the woman, her soft white hair tickling Ky's chin. "It's a pleasure to meet you! What do you have for us?"

"Oh, child. Your wedding is a mix of Earthly and Alacarman customs and items. We have irises and lilies from here and we have Glintznogs and Rapture Blooms from Alacarma," Berta said. The Glintznogs were orange, petal blooms which glittered like they were covered in diamonds. The Rapture Blooms were silver, multi-petalled blooms which bloomed and died in the full cycle of flowers every two minutes.

"Wow! Those are amazing!" Lothyra said, as Princess Skyanda came in from the back, carrying a basket full of Glintznogs.

"Hi, Lothyra! I hope you don't mind, I sort of became your flower girl, inadvertently. I was bringing baskets back and forth from the arch to the florist and it just happened," Princess Skyanda said, laughing.

"I would love for you to be my flower girl. Thanks!" Lothyra replied.

"Everything is so...WOW!" Princess Skyanda exclaimed, setting the Glintznogs on the worktable.

Ky and Lothyra bid farewell to Berta and Princess Skyanda and headed outside into the busy square.

"I appear to have a full wedding party, already!" Lothyra said. "I wonder who the best man, groomsmen and ring bearer are."

Ky said, "Don't worry, Nem is handling his half of the wedding party. Old friends, family members and others who want to be part of the occasion. When will you two be heading out to go see your parents and his?"

"In two hours. We will be going to my family's home first and then picking up his parents and siblings on the way back here," Lothyra replied. She was beginning to feel anxious again.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Ky offered, squeezing her friend's hand.

"No, I'll be okay. Besides, don't you need to be here to make sure everything will be ready," Lothyra asked.

"Yes. With only three days until the full moon, there is so much to do!" Ky said, glancing at her notes.

"I will head over to Nem's so we can get ready to leave. You have fun with all of this," Lothyra said, waving her hand to include the activity of the whole town.

Lothyra left Ky to her work and met Nem on the way to his house.

"Hi, Nem! I was just headed to the house to pack for the trip."

"I arranged for my apprentice to take care of the smithy so I could come home and hook the horses up to the wagon."

"We won't need a wagon. We are both used to riding," Lothyra said.

"We will be bringing some family back with us for the wedding, so I want to bring the wagon in case they need it," Nem replied. "I'll go hook it up if you want to go in and pack."

"I'll do that. When do you want to leave?" Lothyra asked.

"We'll leave when you're ready. Your parents live about half a day's ride to the east. Afterwards, we will meet my parents at their home and they will travel back with us. My brothers live just outside Summerland, so they're probably helping with the wedding preparation already," Nem said. He kissed her and then went to the barn to hook the horses up to the wagon.

Lothyra packed her things in a satchel and picked up her bow and quiver. She found a satchel and packed things Nem would need. She was gathering food from the kitchen for the trip when Gryffon bumped her leg. She knelt down to speak to the dog.

"I am guessing you are coming, too. You wouldn't happen to know where your food is, do you?"

Gryffon led her to the pantry door and sat down.

"I should have known you would." Lothyra found packages marked GRYFFON and packed a few of those for the trip.

Nem looked over the bags and picked them up. "Ready?"

"Yes. Come on, Gryffon," Lothyra said, climbing up onto the wagon's bench.

Gryffon hopped up in the back of the wagon and laid down on a pallet Nem set up for her.

They set out and found the weather pleasant and the road even.

*************************************************************************************************************

The trip passed quickly, with Nem telling stories of the two towns over the past fifteen years. They seemed to have a friendly competition over almost everything.

"The first thing they will ask you is how your trip was. They don't want to know how it was, as much as they want to know if the first half was better or worse than the second half. Your answer will determine if they will go back to work on the road," Nem explained. "The people of Summerland keep up the first half of the road. The people of Glinen take care of it from there to Glinen."

Lothyra laughed. "Seems silly!"

"Look out if you are around for the summer jam festival. I've seen people come to blows over who has the best strawberry jam!" Nem said, laughing as well.

They finally saw the sign for Glinen. Nem whistled. "The people of Summerland won't be happy about that," he said, nodding toward the intricately carved and decorated sign.

"More competition?" Lothyra asked.

"Oh, definitely."

Nem drove the wagon to a quaint little cottage, situated on a hill behind the schoolhouse. He hopped down off the wagon and let Gryffon out on his way around to Lothyra's side. He helped her down from the wagon like a true gentleman. He tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and they approached the door.

Before they were halfway up the front walk, the door was flung open and a little boy of about five came bounding out, shrieking and throwing his arms around Gryffon. Once he let go of the dog, he shrieked again and barrelled into Nem.

Nem laughed and lifted the boy up onto his shoulders.

Lothyra stared, perplexed.

"Lothyra, meet Loren. He's your little brother."

"You knew and you didn't tell me?" Lothrya yelped.

"I figured he could make his own first impression," Nem said, turning the boy toward Lothyra.

"Hi, Lothyra! Did you bring me presents?" The little cherub faced boy asked.

Lothyra adored him immediately. "I am sure we have presents for you!"

Lothyra noticed her mother and father standing in the doorway, watching them.

"Momma! Daddy! I've missed you so much! I'm so sorry," Lothrya cried out, rushing to them.

"Oh, Lothyra, we knew you didn't do it!" Her mother, Mary, cried out, hugging her.

Lothyra pulled back and looked at her mother. She was shorter than Lothyra remembered and a bit heavier. Her hair held silver strands mixed in with it's reddish brown strands. Her face had a few more wrinkles, but her eyes were clear and bright, a warm brown.

She turned to study her father, Stephan. He was taller than she, but he bore evidence of a hard working life in his stance and shoulders. His dark hair was almost lost to gray. He bore the wrinkles of age, but, like her mother, his eyes were clear, bright crystal blue. He hugged her tightly.

"And now you're back and we will have a new son-in-law!" Her mother said. "Though, to tell you the truth, he has always been one of the family. He comes at least once a week to help your father with repairs and such. He has always maintained your innocence and he told us you would come back. We had hope thanks to your young man!"

"Do you have everything packed?" Nem asked. "I brought the wagon in case you didn't want to drive your own."

"That would be lovely, dear. Yes, the bags and packages are here inside the door. Loren, are you ready?"

"Yes, Momma!" He called from the back of Gryffon. It didn't look like the dog was perturbed by the little boy at all. She actually seemed to be wearing a happy dog grin!

Nem tousled Loren's hair. "Okay, you two up in the back!"

Gryffon waited until Loren used her as a stepstool to get up in the wagon, then she jumped up behind him. Nem loaded the bags and packages into the wagon, then helped Mary and Lothyra up. The men rode horses beside the wagon.

They made their way out of Glinen and Lothyra's father asked the question. "So, how was your trip, Lothyra?"

Lothyra laughed so hard she could hardly breathe. "It was perfect all the way, Daddy!"

*************************************************************************************************************

They arrived at Nem's parents' house in a few hours. Nem's family already had their wagons packed and were just waiting for Nem and Lothrya to arrive.

Nem's mother, Rhona, was a tough woman. She had to be, since she was the only girl in the home! She wore her dark hair tied back and her skin was toughened from working the fire of the forge. Nem's father, Albert, was the blacksmith of Glinen and it showed in his body, as well.

"Rhona! Albert! How have you been?" Mary asked, greeting them as she and Lothyra climbed down from the wagon.

"The fires burn hot and we want for not," Albert answered. It was his favorite saying and all who knew him heard it regularly.

"Ah, there she is! We've missed you, Lothyra," Rhona said, hugging her. "Welcome to our family! We're so glad you came back. We never doubted you!"

Albert squeezed Lothyra's hand and then took Rhona and lifted her up into their wagon. "We'll follow you to Nem's."

The two wagons and Nem and his father set off to complete the trip to Summerland. It was a pleasant trip, with lots of funny stories and camaraderie. Loren and Gryffon played in the lead wagon. Lothyra listened to her little brother's giggles, trying to get used to the idea of having a sibling.

Nem smiled at her and her insides glowed with warmth and love.

Once they pulled in to Summerland, Mary was very excited to join in the preparations and Lothyra pointed her in Ky's direction. Stephan wanted to see to the horses and unloading the wagons, so he, Loren and Lothyra took the wagons to Nem's house.

Rhona and Albert wanted to visit Nem's forge, so he took them down the hill.

Azarie arrived at Nem's house shortly after Lothyra, Loren and Stephan, to help unload the wagons. She enjoyed learning about Lothyra's family, including her new brother.

"I guess this solves the ringbearer problem!" Azarie said.

"Nem knew and he didn't even tell me."

"It really wasn't his place to tell you. I'm glad you have more family, though. It makes life all the better!" Azarie exclaimed.

"Can you take him to the seamstress tomorrow to have him fitted?" Lothyra asked.

"Of course! And if we happen to stop by the candy shop and the baker for some treats, well that can't be helped!" Azarie said, kneeling down to nudge Loren with her elbow.

"Is that a REAL sword?" Loren asked, spying Azarie's sword on her side.

"it sure is! I use it for the forces of good," Azarie said, standing and drawing the sword. She let Loren grasp the hilt, but when she let go, it hit the ground. "I think you are quite a few years away from wielding a sword!"

"I'm gonna be big and strong like Nem so I can protect my family!" Loren declared, hands on hips.

Azarie laughed. "I bet you will be! So, are you excited to be in your big sister's wedding tomorrow?"

"Oh, yes! Then Nem will be my brother!" Loren exclaimed.

"I bet he's excited that you'll be his family, too. Do you want to see the wedding site tomorrow? Lothyra and Nem haven't even seen it!"

"Yeah!" Loren said. "Will Gryffon be with us?"

"If Nem says it's okay, I don't see any reason why she can't tag along."

"Okay, you get some dinner with Lothyra and your daddy and then get some sleep. I will be back in the morning to pick you up and get our day started. Sound good?" Azarie asked.

"Yes, Miss Azarie," Loren said, running off to join Lothyra and Stephan in the house.

Azarie headed out to the inn to secure rooms for her, Aife and Ky. Nem's house was going to be VERY packed within the hour.

A kindly old man sat behind the desk at the inn.

"Greetings, Lady Azarie!" He said, welcoming her by name.

"How do you know me?" Azarie asked, suspiciously.

"Everyone knows of the Goddess-Chosen. You, AIfe, Lothyra and Kylinstra are like local celebrities! My name is Bernard. I am guessing you must need rooms?" Bernard said.

"Quick, aren't you?" Azarie asked, jovially.

"Like a fox!" Bernard responded, flipping pages in his book. He wrote some things down and then gave Azarie two keys.

"Oh, I think we need three rooms, if you have them available," Azarie said, accepting the two keys.

"Miss Azarie, you already have a key which will unlock your room," he said, winking and pointing to her Quest keys.

She looked at him in surprise. "You know of the Quest?"

"Yes. Before you leave for the next part, come see me so I can give you your message and artifact," Bernard said in a conspiratorial whisper.

"I will, Bernard!" Azarie exclaimed, turning to go up to their rooms.

*************************************************************************************************************

Aife cracked her knuckles and stretched. She had been hard at work preparing things for all of the traditions chosen for Lothyra's wedding. She stood up from the stool she was sitting on and turned away from the workbench. The librarian had been kind enough to loan her the back room to work on all of the items for the wedding. It was nice having a quiet place away from the noise outside.

She walked outside, where night had fallen despite her lack of noticing. Stars blazed bright in the inky black sky. Most people were starting to turn in for the evening. She figured Nem's house was probably full to bursting, so she headed to the inn.

"Hello, Miss Aife!" The innkeep greeted her.

"Hello! Bernard, is it? The librarian told me about you. I have something here for you," Aife said, pulling a book from her satchel.

"Wonderful! Miss Azarie is upstairs already. I gave her your key."

"Thank you, Bernard!" Aife said, climbing the stairs.

She found Azarie in her room. "How are you? Busy day, huh?" Aife said, flopping down on a chair.

"Yes! This is going to be so much fun. I think we're going to need all day and most of the night to fit it all in," Azarie said. "Oh, here's the key to your room. I'm turning in because I have to take Loren, that's Lothyra's five year old brother, to the seamstress tomorrow."

"I'm turning in, as well."

After Aife left, Ky turned up. She looked exhausted and excited all at the same time. Azarie gave her the key to her room and both women bathed and went to bed.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Chapter 13

Early the next morning, Azarie got dressed and headed to Nem's house to pick up Loren. The little boy was already awake and bouncing when she arrived. The men were already gone; preparing elsewhere for the wedding.

"Did you eat breakfast?" Azarie asked Loren.

"Yes, Miss Azarie!" Loren answered. "Gryffon is still coming, right?"

"Of course! Okay, let's go see Miss Emma. She is going to fit you for your wedding clothes. After that, we are going to see Papa Mario and have some cake!" Azarie said, setting Loren up on her horse. She jumped into the saddle behind him and they made quick time into Summerland.

Emma had Loren fitted quickly and let them out to see Papa Mario.

"There's a good little dog and her boy!" Papa Mario said when they entered. "How have you been, Loren?"

"I've been a super helper, Papa! I find worms for Momma's garden and always wipe my feet before I come inside!" Loren said, grinning.

"Well, that means you get some cake!" Papa Mario said, chuckling and tousling Loren's hair. "AND I made a treat for Gryffon, too!"

Loren and Azarie had lemon cake with almond creme and lemon butter frosting. Papa also made them some chocolate milk and put whipped cream on top. Gryffon ate her dog treat and cleaned up all of the crumbs. Loren spent the next half hour telling Papa Mario all about the important things in the little boys life. Papa Mario laughed heartily and listened intently, as if Loren were someone of great import.

"My sweet tooth is happy, how about yours?" Azarie asked Loren when he finally started to wind down.

"Oh, yes! What's next?" Loren asked, bouncing from one foot to the other.

"Next, we go find Miss Ky and see if she needs more help getting things ready," Azarie said, taking his little hand in her own. Gryffon trotted along beside Loren.

They found Ky helping Aife place things in the town hall, where Lothyra and Nem's reception would take place. Azarie hung silver and white streamers and put origami flower centerpieces on the tables. Gryffon played hide and seek with Loren. Aife created illusion trees which showed family and friends' pictures and messages to the happy couple. Ky set out the Unity Bowl on the bridal party's table and hung the white porcelain bell in the doorway.

"Loren?" Ky called.

"Yes, Miss Ky?" Loren asked, popping out from under the nearest table. Gryffon stuck her head out, too.

"Would you go see if your mommy has the special wedding present for Lothyra?"

Loren ran off to find his mom with Gryffon hot on his heels.

"Azarie, could you see if the candy maker has the sugared almonds ready?" Ky called.

"Sure, be right back," Azarie said, jogging off.

"Aife, can you see if Nem found the goose?" Ky asked.

"I already talked to him and yes, the goose is already here. It's outside by the pond."

"Great! And Papa Mario should be bringing the wedding cakes right about..." Ky trailed off as Papa Mario burst into the building.

"The three-layer one goes on the wedding party table. Put the others on the other tables," Papa Mario said to his assistants.

"Papa Mario!" Ky exclaimed. "Did you do the special surprise on the cake?"

"Of course! You don't think Papa Mario would forget, do you?"

"Perish the thought!" Ky said, laughing.

"You go handle important things and leave the cakes to me."

"Okay, thank you!" Ky said, heading out to the wedding site.

When she got there, Garrett was leaning against one of the pillars.

"Do you ever sleep?" She asked, approaching the dragon-in-human-form.

"Why would I do that?" Garrett asked, grinning.

Ky grinned back at him. "Have their been any attempts on the gate?: She asked.

"Not a single one. I also used the James communication stone to invite all of our friends from Alacarma to the wedding. I figured someone should, since we went to the trouble to include them and all. I figured there were some who would be exceptions to the forgetting spell, seeing as how finding the fey has become a multi-world, multi-dimension, multi-plain quest."

"You think of everything, don't you?" Ky asked, laughing. "Who did you invite?"

"Queen Reyalla, King Loncily, King Areold, King Elador, Queen Dayalin, Princess Elma, James, Miss Celeste, Rocum and Carra. Of course, the servants and guard will escort all of the royalty," Garrett replied.

"You keep track of every person?"

"Yes. It's one of those neat dragon tricks you don't often hear about."

Ky laughed. "It seems like a particularly good trick!"

"What do you have left to do before we begin?" Garrett asked.

"Not a lot. I have to make sure everyone is getting dressed and pass out the stones for the Unity Bowl before the ceremony."

"If you give me the ones for the Alacarmans, I will see to it they each have one," Garrett offered, pulling a bag out of thin air. Ky waved her hand over the opening and the bag filled with tumbled stones.

"Great! That will cut the task in half. I will have one of the ushers hand out the stones to the Summerland guests. I have to go get some women started drawing the henna on Lothyra. Thanks for your help, Garrett!" Ky exclaimed, heading to Nem's house.

She found Gryffon and Loren lounging on the couch and Aife was already applying the Henna to Lothyra when she arrived.

"It's like you're psychic!" Ky exclaimed. "And you already picked up the dresses? What would I do without you?"

"It's a group effort!" Aife replied. "Emma brought the dresses over a few minutes ago. The librarian delivered all of the things we left at the library to the reception hall. Oh, and I have a couple of the women from town coming to do our hair and makeup," she said, just as there was a knock on the door. "That should be them now."

Ky answered the door and found Emma and a few of her helpers. "We came to help with hair, makeup and wardrobe!"

"If you can get Azarie to sit down long enough to do her hair and makeup, you are officially miracle workers!" Lothyra said, laughing.

"I heard that!" Azarie said, entering from the kitchen. She brought a plate of sandwiches with her. "We all need to eat something or we're going to pass out during the ceremony."

Emma caught Azarie's eye and pointed to the chair in front of her. "You sit there. We can work on yours first."

Azarie didn't dare argue. She settled into the chair and brushed the knots from her hair. "It'll be easier for you to work on if I get all the knots out first," she explained to Emma.

"Okay, let's see. Lothyra, would you like the girls hair up or down?"

"Mine will be down, so there's can be up or half up," Lothyra replied, cocking her head to the side and staring at Azarie.

Azarie blushed. "Stop staring. I promise I can handle acting like a girl for a few hours."

Everyone laughed and Emma began working on the light brown locks. She created two small braids, one on each side of Azarie's head and joined them at the back. She worked silver ribbon through the braids and fastened the whole thing with a full moon barrette made from silver and pearls.

Meanwhile, one of Emma's assistance, Beth, was combing Aife's wavy, auburn hair into an elegant updo. She chose a pair of beautiful, jewel-adorned hair picks and slid them in the bun.

On the far side of the room, Leah finally got Ky to sit down. She began french braiding Ky's thick, raven hair. As she moved down the braid, she attached silver chain and charms throughout.

All four women had matching makeup; muted colors with shimmery white eyeshadow, pale pink blush and natural lips. Aife had helped Lothyra design a custom perfume and the women all spritzed some on. It was a smoky aroma with hints of jasmine, rosewood, sandalwood, spruce and vanilla. They agreed it smelled amazing.

"Lothyra, you may have a future as a perfumer!" Aife said.

"I'll consider it when I retire from adventuring!" Lothyra replied.

Mary entered the busy cottage. "Lothyra, your hair looks amazing! I brought you a gift; the family heirloom I am passing down to you. It's the hair clip your great grandmother wore to her wedding!"

Lothyra held out her hand and her mother laid the clip in it. The main part of the clip was a rhinestone studded crescent moon. From the bottom of the moon hung crystals and charms of different sizes.

"Oh, Mom! This is beautiful!" Lothyra cried, handing the clip back to her. "Would you put it in?"

"Of course! I'm so glad you like it!" Mary replied. "I also brought you my bracelet I wore at my wedding."

Lothyra slipped the bracelet on her wrist. "I think I need to get into my dress now!"

"Us, too!" Aife, Azarie and Ky said, heading to the bedroom.

"Mom, would you check on the men? Make sure they are getting ready, please?" Lothrya asked.

"Of course, dear!" Mary said, heading out. "I'll take Loren and Gryffon with me. It seems Emma made sure his clothes went to the mens' place this morning."

Rhona chose that moment to enter. "Lothyra, you look wonderful! And the rest of you girls are beautiful!"

"Thank you so much, Rhona!" Lothyra replied. "It feels like there is so much left to do and so little time to do it!"

"I will head over to the wedding site and see about keeping things in order there," Rhona said, giving Lothyra a hug. "I will see you at the wedding!"

"Did you write your vows or is the priestess doing that?" Ky asked Lothyra.

"The High Priestess said she will bless our union and perform the ceremony. I didn't ask if that meant I needed to write vows!" Lothyra said, panic evident on her face.

"I will ask her," Ky said, pulling out her mirror. She spoke for a moment into it and then put it away. "She said she has vows for you, but there will be a place for you to speak if you wish, as well."

Emma and the others departed for the wedding site, leaving Azarie, Aife, Ky and Lothyra alone in the cottage. Silence fell over them as they looked at one another. They seemed to reach the same thought at the same time.

"Should we contact the goddesses now?" Lothyra asked no one in particular.

"I would be shocked if they don't already know and aren't already here," Ky said.

They were all quiet for a few moments, closing their eyes and taking time to speak with their goddesses. A minute after they opened their eyes, the goddesses appeared.

Hathor, alongside Kylinstra, spoke a blessing unto Nem and Lothyra's hearth. Maeve, alongside Aife, spoke a blessing unto Nem and Lothyra's lands. Ishtar, alongside Azarie, spoke a blessing unto Nem and Lothyra's protection. Finally, Artemis, facing Lothyra, spoke a blessing on Nem and Lothyra's line.

Once the goddesses spoke the blessings, they appeared in their earthly guises. Artemis had a long brown ponytail, golden eyes and wore a simple grecian shift lined with golden greek key symbols. Maeve's golden waves flowed freely, below a floral crown. Her dark brown eyes flashed with joy. She wore a two piece tan top and skirt with blue and green accents along the edges. Ishtar wore light armor of polished gold and a hood hid her hair and most of her face. Hathor wore no headpiece. Her jet black hair hung straight, her egyptian looks defined by crushed lapis on her eyelids, which were lined with kohl. She wore a long, gauzy egyptian skirt and a fitted top bejeweled with lapis, carnelian and jet.

"Wow," Azarie breathed.

"We would be honored if you would attend such a joyous event," Aife said, bowing her head in deference.

"Wouldn't be a party without us," Ishtar said, grinning. "When do we leave?"

*************************************************************************************************************

Chapter 14

As the wedding guests entered the seating area, the ushers provided them with a small tumbled stone to hold during the ceremony. Their significance would be explained at the reception.

Rows upon rows of white folding chairs with orange and silver organza bows adorning them filled rapidly with friends and family of the bride and groom. The buzz of the crowd was palpable. Laughter erupted on the groom's side of the aisle, where Rhona told of the mischief Nem always seemed to find. More laughter came when Mary commented that most of it was because of Lothyra!

The guests were awed by the paper and light illusions. Several commented on the life size paper deer. They had never seen anything like the creations Princess Skyanda provided. Flowers bloomed in the meadow surrounding the wedding site. The sky was clear and as the sun began to set, the stars burned brightly, as if they were dancing to a cosmic tune only they could hear.

Princess Skyanda flitted around, creating little moving paper toys to entertain the children. She was already dressed in a simple green dress with silver leaves embroidered on the bodice. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing a silver crown dotted with green gems. She was enjoying her self-appointed job before the wedding began.

Two different groups of musicians played; one from Grand Glow and one from Summerland. They were positioned near the arch and were taking turns playing music for each of the two worlds.

The altar was a large amethyst geode. On it rested white candles and a carving in the shape of a stag. Nem waited by the altar with Grace, High Priestess of Artemis at the altar. He scuffed his feet nervously, speaking with her until a single deep gong resounded through the valley. All eyes turned back to the beginning of the aisle, waiting expectantly for the first glimpse of the wedding party.

Princess Skyanda walked hand in hand with Loren. Her bouquet of origami flowers, pearls and ribbons were in her left hand, while Loren held a very special presentation pillow made from fabric emblazoned with likenesses of the keys from the Quest of Stars in his right hand. Gryffon trotted along behind them with an orange and silver organza bow around her neck. Loren's finery included a little three piece suit with an orange and silver vest and kerchief.

Next came Aife, escorted by Nem's brother, Kendrick. He wore finery of silver with forest green accents. He had tan skin, blue eyes and light blonde hair, pulled back in a leather thong. Standing next to Aife, they looked like perfect opposites. Kendrick was tall and debonair. His demeanor was relaxed and he moved easily to match Aife's steps. She carried origami flowers with silver chains and moonstone charms.

Nem's other brother, Evan, walked Kylinstra down the aisle. He wore finery of white with forest green accents. He was not as tan as Kendrick, but he had the same blue eyes and light blonde hair. His hair was cut short and he wore a crescent moon earring. He was full of life and energy, almost dancing up the aisle with Kylinstra. Kylinsta's bouquet was made from origami flowers with amethyst and silver ribbons.

Azarie waited until her turn, knowing there were no more brothers. Walking alone didn't bother her, since this was Lothyra's special day. She stared at her bouquet for a moment. It was made from origami flowers with copper and morganite. She smiled as she stepped up to take her place in the aisle and was surprised to find a suit-clad arm held out to her. She looked up quickly and gasped. Standing there, smiling at her, was Trey.

"What are you doing here?" She gasped.

He guided her up the aisle, leaning to whisper, "Ishtar thought I would be a nice surprise."

Azarie grinned. "You are!"

Azarie took her place and turned to look expectantly back up the aisle. She didn't have to wait long.

Lothyra appeared at the head of the aisle, escorted by her mother and father. Night was falling and the rising full moon seemed to light them up like a spotlight. Lothyra's origami flower bouquet cascaded with ribbons and beads of moonstone, morganite, rose quartz and amethyst. She tucked one hand into her father's arm and joined her mother's hand to hers on her bouquet. Then, they made their way up the aisle and Lothyra kissed her parents. They took their seats and Lothyra turned to Nem.

"Hi," she said, gazing into his eyes.

"Hi," he echoed, making her heart flutter.

Grace raised her hands and intoned a prayer to Artemis. "Oh, Great Artemis, Leader of the Hunt, Daughter of Leto, Goddess of the Golden Reins and the Golden Throne; we welcome your divine presence at the wonderful occasion of the joining of Nem and Lothyra. Lothyra and Nem met when they were just children. They were playmates who grew into friends and then, though time and circumstances separated them, those feelings grew into love. Lothyra and Nem can bring the kind of commitment, loyalty, love, honor, faith, communication, friendship and generosity. We hope they will have a fulfilling life, with many adventures and children."

Grace motioned to Lothyra and Nem to place their hands together on the altar. "We join your hands as you choose to join your lives," she said, binding their hands with a braided, silver silk cord. She nodded to Nem.

Nem reached onto the altar and pulled out a box. He handed it to Lothyra and as she opened it, he said, "I give you this spoon, carved by my own hand as a promise to always take care of and provide for you and our family." The spoon was deep brown with a heart shaped bowl, a wheel shape in the stem and another heart carved into the terminal.

Lothyra's hand pressed to her mouth and she fought back tears. "Oh, Nem! It's beautiful! Thank you!"

"Lothyra?" Grace said, nodding to her.

Lothyra handed Nem a small box. Inside, Nem found a simple silver band engraved with runes. "This ring belonged to my grandfather and I want you to have it. He was married to my grandmother for 70 years. I hope our marriage will be as wonderful and long-lasting as theirs."

Nem put the ring on and kissed Lothyra deeply. The crowd cheered and the musical groups played together on an original song.

"And now, we would like to share the unity ceremony with our friends and family," Lothyra said. "Nem and I will light our unity candle and then Kylinstra and Evan will light candles from that. If you all look under your chairs, you will find candles for Ky and Evan to light from our flame. In this way, we share our love with all of you."

Nem and Lothyra lit their unity candle and then Ky and Evan moved to light their candles from it. They then took the time to light every other person's candle in attendance. The whole wedding took on a beautiful candlelight glow.

Nem and Lothyra turned to face their family and friends. A cheer went up from the crowd as fireworks screamed and exploded in the background. The fireworks formed pictures devoted to Artemis, including a bow and arrows, a stag and the full moon, all courtesy of Aife's skills.

Nem waited for the uproar to die down, then he said, "We would love for you all to join us for cake, dancing and celebration at the town hall!" He guided Lothyra down the aisle and walked to town, guided by the light of their friends' and families' candles.

Everyone else was seated before Nem and Lothyra entered the hall. They found candle holders at every place setting for their candles. The townhall took on the candlelight glow.

As Nem and Lothyra entered, Rhona broke the white ceramic bell in the doorway as a sign of good luck, Aife created Moon Moths, the glowing moths made of illusionary starlight and Princess Skyanda, not to be outdone, created tiny folded flowers which danced in a living wave around the happy couple.

Ky, Aife, and Azarie led the couple to their table.

Ky turned to the audience and said, "Does everyone have their stones they were given at the beginning of the ceremony?"

The audience nodded, holding them out.

"I will be around with the Unity Bowl in short order to collect them." She turned to Nem and Lothyra. "The Unity Bowl is filled with stones from all of the guests at your wedding. When you look at the bowl full of stones, it's to remind you of all of your friends and family who support you."

Azarie reached into a box under the table. "This is a kitten, given to you in honor of the goddess, Freyja." She placed the kitten on the table in front of Lothyra.

"OH!!! What an adorable kitten!" Lothyra cried.

Papa Mario approached the newlyweds' table, pushing a cart with a three layer cake. The cake looked like it had the entire night sky in hues of purple and white on each of the layers. It was an exquisite homage to Artemis.

Lothyra was simply amazed by the effort put into her wedding by her friends and family.

Papa Mario said, "The top layer is special. All of the single ladies here will come up and choose a ribbon, removing it from the cake. One of the ribbons has a ring on it. The woman who pulls that ribbon should be the next to marry!"

Each of the single women came up to pull a ribbon. Azarie, Ky, and Aife did not pull the ring. Instead, Via, Grand Glow's baker, pulled the ribbon with the ring!

"In honor of Artemis and her love of dancing, we would like to invite everyone to join us here in the center of the hall for the first dance!" Princess Skyanda said, motioning for Nem and Lothyra to come out first.

Nem and Lothyra swayed together in a world of their own for the first song and then their friends and family surrounded them for the next dance. They took turns dancing with their parents and friends, then found their way back to each other.

Before everyone left, Ky called for their attention again. "Since Nem and Lothyra married under the full moon, they can take part in a tradition called the Honey Moon. They are to drink honey wine, or mead, together for a full month. This will signify the bonds of matrimony in their own celebration! Lothyra, this silver and gold circlet for you to wear on your head is designed to chime. The chiming of the charms keeps evil spirits away. Nem, just in case some make it past that, would you carry your lovely bride across the threshold when you leave? This signifies that you will protect her from evil spirits."

"I think the evil spirits need more protection than she ever will!" Nem said, sweeping Lothyra up in his arms. Everyone laughed.

"The final tradition will be carried out later in the week, when the parents of the bride and groom bring fire from their hearths to light one in Nem and Lothyra's hearth. This will signify the joining of the two houses and bless their happy home. I hope you will intone a prayer to Hathor when you do so."

"Of course! And Mary, I have a gift for you, as well," Nem said to his new mother-in-law. He produced a handcarved goose call. He demonstrated how to use it and then led her to the edge of the town hall building. She blew it and the goose Nem bought for her flew up and landed in front of her, honking back happily. Mary laughed with glee, clapping her hands.

"With that, we bid farewell to Nem and Lothyra, and wish them a long and happy life together!" Aife said, leading the crowd outside to see the couple off.

**************************************************************************************************

Chapter 15

After a very late night of celebration, Azarie, Aife, and Kylinstra stopped by the front desk of the inn to speak with Bernard. The old innkeep sat snoozing in his chair.

"Bernard?" Azarie said, gently nudging his arm.

Bernard stirred. "Wh...What...Who is it?"

"Bernard, it's us. We came to ask you what you know about the Quest of Stars before we head back to Alacarma," Azarie answered.

"Oh, you. Yes, yes. Jacob? Come here!" Bernard called out.

A young man of about seventeen years appeared. "Yes, Grandfather?"

"Watch the desk. I must go speak with these fine ladies."

"Yes, Grandfather," Jacob said.

Bernard reached for a cane and used it to help himself out of the chair. He hobbled toward the back room, motioning for the women to follow him.

The backroom turned out to be his home, attached to the rear of the hotel. Once they were all inside, he closed the door behind them. The girls gasped in awe at the magnificent splendor of his home. The foyer opened onto a sitting room, with rich wood paneling and furniture. Near the western wall, a grand piano sat near a pair of french doors which opened out onto a little courtyard containing a single date tree. Small knick knacks from around the world adorned shelves on the northern wall. A bookshelf the entire length and width of the eastern wall was packed books which looked to be hundred of years old. The southern wall contained artwork of every subject matter the women could imagine.

"And to think, this is just ONE of the rooms," Aife breathed, staring at the artwork.

"Bernard, how did you come to have ALL of these treasures?" Azarie asked, turning to look at Bernard.

"I have been around a LONG time. In my life, I have come to...acquire many precious things," Bernard said, with a little grin. "But, come now, you are here for another reason, are you not?" Bernard motioned for the women to take their seats. Azarie sat in an exquisitely carved captain's chair. Aife and Kylinstra sat on a loveseat covered in fine ivory brocade. Bernard sat at the piano, playing as he watched the women.

Azarie said, "You said you had information for me, regarding the Quest of Stars."

"So I did. First, allow me to get us all some refreshments, since it will be a long story."

Bernard hobbled out and came back pushing a serving cart with hot cranberry and pomegranate green tea in a gold tea set.

"I must tell you a story, then I will tell you why I have been waiting for you for so long," Bernard said, sitting at the piano to play again.

The women waited patiently, listening to the beautiful, haunting music Bernard made.

"My story begins in 1170 B.C., by your reckoning. It's a myth to most, but you girls should know how real mythology can be," Bernard said, winking at the women. "My father was a well known master builder. We grew up in a loving home; my brother and I. We spent our days wrestling and racing; finding ways to make mischief. My mother was a caring but stern woman. She had to be, to raise two strong willed boys like my brother and me!

One day, Pharaoh Rameses the Third summoned my father. The pharaoh had made much gold and our country prospered. The pharaoh was afraid of thieves, however, and wanted to build a place which was impregnable. My father, Horemheb, answered his pharaohs call. He built an enormous pyramid, with thick walls and a high stone roof so no one could pick their way in. The vault had three doors, one each of stone, iron and bronze. The doors bore the pharaohs seal and everyone knew it was a death sentence to anyone who broke the seals other than the pharaoh. The pharaoh was very pleased by my father and rewarded him generously.

But, my father was a crafty old man. He built a secret passage into the treasure room. He didn't tell anyone about it until he was on his deathbed. Then, he called my brother and me in to tell us he had been taking treasure from the pharaoh the whole time. He was never caught because he stole small amounts.

When my father passed, we buried him with honor and respect. We laid him to rest in Western Thebes in a place called the Tombs of the Nobles. Not long after that, my brother and I went to find our father's secret passage to the great treasure room. The first time we entered, we couldn't contain our excitement. We had never seen so many chests of coins and jewels, gold plates and chalices, candlesticks and every other treasure you can imagine.

I must admit, my brother and I were not as moderate as our father in our find. We began to use so much of the gold that the pharaoh realized how quickly his gold was depleted. He realized thieves must be stealing from him, but he couldn't figure out how. None of the royal seals were broken. The pharaoh was a smart man. My brother and I would soon find out just how smart.

My brother and I entered the treasure room to get our weekly allowance, as we came to call it, and that was the day my life changed forever," Bernard said, pausing in his story to sip his tea.

The women looked at each other, sipping their tea. An angry pharaoh? That couldn't be good.

"My brother was only a few steps ahead of me when he triggered the trap. It was a horrendous mechanism. Some would call it a snare, but if you saw how it dug into my brother's body, you would call it an instrument of torture." Bernard paused there, pain evident in his wrinkled face. The women could see him reliving the memory in his mind.

He took a deep breath and then continued.

"My brother knew he was done for. He looked at me and said, 'You have to kill me. The pharaoh's guards will torture me until I tell him everything. And one of his guards is bound to recognize me. They will come for you and mother, even. You have to draw your sword and take my head, then they will not know who I am. I would rather die quickly by your hand than slowly by the guards. Then you will be safe from the wrath of the pharaoh.'

I was trembling; a grown man with tears running down my face as I tried in vain to free my brother's battered body from the trap. In the end, I couldn't. I drew my sword and took his head off with one clean slice. I put my brothers head in a gold pot in my bag, making sure to erase signs of his blood and our foot prints. I left through the secret passage and took my brother's head to the Tombs of the Nobles, where I buried it near our father.

The pharaoh was not pleased to find a headless body in his trap. He strung my brother's body up on the palace wall and set a guard. My mother was horrified when I told her what occurred. Nothing could stop her hysterical cries until I promised to reunite my brother's body with his head. I devised a plan to disguise myself that night as an elderly wine merchant whose skins were leaking. The guards were happy to 'help' me with the troublesome skins. I gave them another skin as a thank you and they were soon passed out. I was able to get my brother's body and reunite it with his head.

I thought that would be the end of it, but no one likes to be made a fool, especially not a pharaoh. Unbeknownst to me, the pharaoh dressed one of his daughters up as a princess from a foreign land. He set her up near the gates to the city and she advertised that the man who told her the cleverest and wickedest thing he had ever done would be her husband. Thinking ahead, I took an arm from a dead man, recently murdered, and disguised it as my own. I went and told the princess my tale as she held 'my' hand. When I was done, she yelled for the guards, saying she had me by the hand. At this time, I let go of the false arm, left it hanging in her hands and I ran.

Surprisingly, the pharaoh was impressed by my daring and cleverness. Town criers were sent out to say I was too clever to punish and that the pharaoh would like to offer his daughter in marriage to me. The pharaoh pardoned me and granted me riches, so long as I served him truly and faithfully. This I did for his whole life. But this is just the beginning of my story. There was more to this devil's deal than I bargained." Bernard paused again to sip his tea.

Azarie was staring at him, her mouth agape. "You couldn't have believed he would just forgive you, right?"

"My life passed in a blur of the normal events: children, work, home. I was happy with the princess and my life. I thought I was set. Then, the pharaoh was assassinated and my life took a drastically bad turn. I found out the rest of the story years after these events happened. So, here's what happened next. My family was exterminated. My possessions were seized by Ramesses IV. I was imprisoned. What I found was that the pharaoh's wife, mother of his successor, Ramesses IV, was not as forgiving and inclined to like people who cheated them out of their gold. She had the most powerful priestess of Hathor curse me. The curse entails that I will wonder the earth, never to cross over to the other side, until I repay my debt to their family. She felt this didn't just mean the gold. I had to repay the debt on my family's name, killing my brother and conniving the pharaoh. I have long since repaid the gold debt. I am just in need of the bearer of the Quest of Stars to bring me an opportunity to help a follower of Hathor."

Silence.

Bernard looked at Kylinstra. "I have been paying for my mistakes for over two thousand years. If you will allow me to assist you with the Quest of Stars, I will be able to find peace." He bowed his head, striking a final low note on the piano which hung in the air.

Ky looked at Azarie. "I don't mind helping him, but it's your quest."

"Hey, we've been helping so many people along the way, what's one more?" Azarie asked, grinning. "So, we're freeing a fey in Egypt?"

"The fey you seek is named Hemal and he is a very old earth faerie. He has been imprisoned in Rameses treasure room for over two thousand years. I don't know by whom or why," Bernard said, using his cane to push himself up from the piano bench. He took a seat in an old leather recliner in a corner. "Please tell an old man we won't be setting off first thing in the morning."

Aife laughed. "I doubt it. Lothyra is on her Honeymoon, we still have Princess Skyanda's issue to deal with and we should see if anyone has more information about Hemal. Maybe Kamama will know something."

To Be Continued.

Reviews

[GloriAnne]

Oh no, now I have to wait for more!! :D

Wonderful, loved all the descriptions esp. about the wedding. Thank you for your hard work!!!!!