The sun was low in the sky as Aragol walked outside along the edge of the piece of land Valthumar's mansion stood on. There should have been hundreds of mangled and destroyed undead bodies but there was nothing. Other than the burned grass from Karmen's dragon flame and the ones shot by the young man he and Boog had battled there was no sign that anything had ever happened. He assumed the swamp itself had simply taken the dead back into the earth, where they belonged. He watched a frog jump into a nearby pool and swim away, kicking its thick back legs and reaching the other side of the pool in moments. When he looked away he saw Ivory sitting cross-legged a short distance ahead, staring down into another pool of water.

"Is something troubling you?" he asked her as he sat down next to her.

Ivory glanced over at Aragol for a moment and shrugged. She wasn't wearing any armour, just the leather tunic and brown leggings she wore beneath it. Her axe was also uncharacteristically nowhere in sight. "The anchor...the nightmare... I was just thinking about it."

Aragol nodded and found himself looking into the pool of water as well. "It felt good to chop apart those undead creatures but...the pain was still there."

"What...what did you see?"

Aragol took a few moments to answer her, his eyes always on the water. "I had killed everyone I had ever loved. I...I was nothing but a murderer. I still wonder if I'm anything but."

Ivory wasn't much for supportive talk and struggled to find words to say. She detested admitting weakness but if the great High General of Tiranor could then she felt safer allowing some of it to reveal. She sighed. "You're not. I don't know how to convince you, Aragol, but you're not a murderer."

Aragol didn't argue the matter but didn't appear to believe her either. "What did you see?"

Ivory looked off to the side. "I'd rather not say..."

"Captain," Aragol said, which made Ivory tense slightly. "Do not make me pull rank on you."

"You're not from my world. Your rank means nothing to me."

"Ivory." Aragol put a hand on her shoulder and she turned her head to look at him. There was a gentle smile on his face. "You can tell me. It will help ease some of the pain."

Ivory looked at the ground and swallowed. It took a few minutes but she did speak. "My dead brother trapped me in his own grave...He blamed me for his death."

"Was it your fault?"

"No. I...I just...I just wished I had been able to do more to help him. I miss him..." Ivory then turned away, her back to Aragol. "I won't say any more..."

Aragol didn't pursue the matter. He stood up and asked if she wanted to walk with him. She shook her head and so he resumed his patrol alone. To his left, coming from the mansion's double doors, Victoria hurried to his side.

"What are you doing, Aragol?" she asked, in high spirits as she usually was. "Any other zombie things to kill?"

Aragol shook his head. "No, I believe they are all gone. There are no traces of them at all."

"What? Really?" Victoria looked around and looked bewildered. "That's weird."

"How are the others?" Aragol asked her as he kept walking and she followed. "Are they still resting?"

"Well, Casandra is trying to teach Celestia about that warawhatever stuff. Graham and Elmar are eating and Boog, Karmen, Zerek and Valthumar are still sleeping. I know Valthumar is probably asleep because it's daytime and he's a vampire and all but those others sure are taking their sweet time to get up. It's boring in there without someone to pick on."

Aragol smiled. "You don't need to pester Karmen to pass the time. There are other things you can do."

"Yeah, I just wish they'd get up."

"Karmen's transformations leave her drained of energy. The fact that she made inside the mansion without fainting shows that she is getting stronger but she still needs time to recover. Zerek was also in his wolf form for most, if not all, of the battle. Boog also used all of his abilities in it and was hard-pressed to gain the upper hand against the young man with the fire."

"Seth."

"What?"

"That's his name. I heard that sword chick calling his name once during the battle when we had them surrounded. She was asking him what to do and like a second later they disappeared. So now we know all their names."

"It still doesn't explain why they are here."

"Elmar was saying Athena, the chick with the sword, told him they had orders to kill us. She said once we all died she would return home."

"Return home?" Aragol narrowed his eyes in thought. "She was transported here like we were. I wonder if the same can be said for Seth and Durn."

"Well Seth sure looks like he doesn't belong here, with his bling and all that. Durn seemed right at home so I don't know about him."

"Someone desires us dead..."

"Well, we are trying to cleanse all the anchors so it's not that crazy if we make some enemies."

"The man in black mentioned that the very force we are trying to prevent from escaping the anchors' grasp is similar to himself in nearly every way. I wonder if this force can take a human form like he can. If so, it may mean that it is summoning its own chosen team to try and put a stop to us."

Victoria nodded. "That makes sense. Why would it only send three people, though? I mean it took one hell of a battle to defeat them but had it sent more people against us we might not have won."

"Durn only appeared to us here on this world and was not present at the battle for the first anchor. It may be that this dark force is gathering more combatants as time goes on."

"True. That reminds me, did we actually beat this anchor? Last time Boog had to pull out these blobs from the mushroom but all we did this time is wake up from nightmares...horrible as they were..."

"I believe we did." Aragol bent down and ran a blade of grass through his fingers, eyeing it closely. He noticed how it was greener and more vibrant than some other blades nearby. Confident that he was right, he stood up and began walking again. "The corruption fed on the weakness of the mind and with only Valthumar here, who knew how to resist it, the corruption could only grow at a certain rate. With our arrival I believe it became gluttonous and tried to feed on us all at once, hungry as it was. With us surviving our nightmares we may have weakened it enough to kill it."

"Ha, that's kind of ironic in a way. I guess we were in a way its own greatest nightmare: people that could actually fight back. I still think maybe we just weakened it and it's still there."

"Victoria, have you checked on Boog, Karmen and Zerek?"

"Um, yeah, I just told you I did."

"How were they sleeping?"

"Like logs..." Victoria looked up as she caught on and smiled knowingly. "I guess you're right. If they can sleep that long and not get any nightmares it must be gone for good."

"It must indeed be."

Victoria glanced down at the dagger sheathed at Aragol's right side and bit her lips together. Visions and feelings of her nightmare returned in her mind, especially the feeling of uselessness. "Um...Aragol, can I ask you a favour? You don't need to do it but this talk of the nightmares has me thinking and well, I was just..."

Aragol stopped walking and looked at her with a curious expression on his face. "You can ask me anything, Victoria. I am your companion and ally in this task. I will do what I can to help."

"Well, it's nothing huge but like....well, could you um....maybe teach me how...ugh, well, how to use a...a weapon?"

Aragol looked her up and down and smiled. "You are fit and in excellent shape, Victoria. I believe I most certainly could. Which weapon would you want to learn?" He nodded to Ivory in the distance. "Ivory may be able to help as well."

Victoria eyed the blonde captain for a moment. "I don't know about Ivory. She looks like she'd be strict and get mad at me if I screwed up..."

"Then simply do not screw up."

"Well I wasn't born in your world! People in my world stopped using swords centuries ago! It's all guns and missiles now."

"Guns and missiles?"

"I'll explain that another time. I just want to know if you'd teach me."

"Of course I would teach you. You still haven't answered my question, though."

"Just a sword, I guess. They seem like the easiest to learn."

"Each weapon has its strength and weaknesses. A sword is quick and is great for stabbing and slashing but is not the greatest chopping weapon and can break if not used properly. An axe is heavier and slightly slower but offers more power with each strike and has the added ability to cleave through most, if not all, armours. A mace is heavier still but offers even more power behind each strike and can crush armour, as well as the bone beneath it. Perhaps you'd want a weapon with more range like a spear, lance, or halberd? Perhaps you'd be willing to try long-range weapons like bows?"

"Uhhhh.... I don't know, Aragol. I barely understood half of what you said. If you had to give me a weapon, what would you give me?"

Aragol seemed to enjoy the question and examined Victoria closely, a hand on his chin as he thought deeply. His copper eyes examined her legs, her arms, her waist, her shoulders, her neck, and everything else on her. It made Victoria somewhat uncomfortable but also slightly flattered. She felt herself blush when his eyes settled on her chest.

"Are you checking me out, Aragol? This relationship we have is strictly platonic, you know. I mean, you're good-looking and all but—"

He raised a finger for silence and Victoria shut her mouth. She sighed and waited for him to finish, wondering what was taking so long. She watched a bird land on the mansion and preen its feathers. It looked like a crow.

"I believe you are right," Aragol said as he stepped closer to her and put his hands on her arms, squeezing them lightly. "You lack the arm strength for a heavy weapon but I've seen you move and your quickness is suitable for a weapon of speed, like a sword or dagger. What is your weapon hand?"

"Huh?"

"Which hand is dominant?"

"Well, I throw with my right but I'm a lefty when I play hockey."

"You can use both with equal efficiency?" He appeared impressed.

"Sometimes, yeah. Is that good?"

"That is excellent, Victoria. I have never trained someone to dual-wield before. It will be a first for me and I look forward to the challenge."

"Dual-wield? Like use two weapons?"

"Precisely. A shield would be too heavy for you and a small buckler is hardly worth the effort. You are lean and built for speed. You would do well outfitting yourself for full offensive ability. This means you will have to plan your attacks well as your defenses will be meagre, if non-existent."

"Uhhh..."

"I will explain further when our training begins. For now, I suggest coming with me and choosing your weapon from Valthumar's armoury."

"I can do that!" Victoria followed Aragol into the mansion as Celestia and Casandra walked outside for fresh air.

Celestia furrowed her brow as she noticed the lack of corpses. "Where are all the dead bodies? Did...did they get up and walk away?"

Casandra glanced about and shrugged. "I'm not completely certain. I suppose it could be possible but I am glad they are gone. I was hoping to enjoy a walk without having to watch my steps."

A small shadow moved over their heads and a moment later a crow landed a few feet before the two. It cocked its head and eyed the two of them closely, intensely curious. The two young women exchanged bewildered glances and watched as the crow hopped closer to them, focusing on Celestia.

"What is it doing?" Celestia asked, taking a step back. "Do I have something on me?"

Casandra watched the crow get closer to her friend and, curious of its intentions, attempted to read the crow's mind, closing her eyes in concentration. Its mind was shrouded and the images she was seeing were hidden behind a black fog. The crow cawed loudly, breaking her focus, and when she opened her eyes she found it flying at her, clawing and pecking. Casandra raised her arms in defense and the crow kept up the attack, shedding skin and drawing blood.

Celestia hurried in and swatted at the bird, frowning angrily. "No! Leave her alone!"

The crow immediately stopped attacking and flew off, landing on top of the mansion and looking down, cocking its head from side to side as it studied them. Celestia glared at it for a few seconds before turning to Casandra.

"Are you hurt?" she asked her in concern. "What was wrong with that stupid thing?"

Casandra shrugged and smiled as she examined her scratch marks. "A bird's mind is a difficult thing to read. It's possible it felt me prying and became threatened." Her wounds were shallow and had already stopped bleeding. "As for my injuries, I believe I'll make a full recovery."

Celestia was relieved. She looked up at the mansion's roof but the crow was gone. What a strange start to her day...

****

That night, after the companions, Zerek, and Valthumar were relaxing after the hearty meal they had enjoyed the time came for the master of the mansion to tell them of their next path. He had everyone gather in the entertainment room and stood in the center of it, his eyes on the people before him as they sat on the chairs and sofas lining the wall.

"It pains me to have to tell you all this but your time here is at an end," he said to them. "The corruption has been lifted and my home, the anchor that it is, has been cleansed. The battle outside was something I had not foreseen and I am grateful that you all chose to take part in it and defend this mansion that has been with me for centuries. I can honestly say that no other group of destined ones had to face the challenges you encountered here. There is great strength in all of you and I am confident that you will complete your task. You have my blessings."

"I'll admit it, Val," Boog said with a look around the room, "I'm going to miss this place. Your food was excellent and other than when I had the nightmare, your beds are some of the most comfortable I've ever slept it. I can't remember the last time I slept so well."

"You are also a wonderful host," Casandra added. "It aches to know that this will be the last time we ever meet."

Valthumar nodded his pale head of long, black hair. "I do not foresee ever encountering any of you again. Your home is not on this dimension and it pains me to know that. I would dearly like to know all of you more. Alas, there are far more important matters at hand."

Victoria, who sat beside Zerek, grabbed his hand and set her eyes on Valthumar. "Zerek can come with us, though, right? I mean, his task isn't done, is it? We can be an even ten!"

Valthumar shook his head. "Zerek will return to his home, where his beloved awaits his return and he has matters of his own to deal with. His task is complete. He guided you to my mansion and his help was much appreciated when he defended it as you all dealt with the corruption. You are ready to move on to the third anchor and he is now ready to return home. This will be the last you will see of him as well."

Victoria's eyes grew wide. "What?! No! He...I mean I...but....why...?"

Zerek put his other hand on the one Victoria held and looked at her directly. "It was a pleasure to know you, Victoria, but I have to be going. If I knew that Maikoa was safe I would remain and fight with you until the end but I am worried for her. She is the one I love and I have to return to her."

Victoria's eyes began to glisten and she nodded, letting go of Zerek's hand. "I know... I just never knew a werewolf before and well, I liked you. You make sure to let your girlfriend know that she's luckier than she knows."

"I will, though I believe that I am the one who is the luckiest. She truly is remarkable. I think you might have liked her."

"I don't think that would be the best idea."

"Why?"

Victoria smiled and shook her head. "You're lucky you're hot, Zerek."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Victoria just laughed. "It means I'm going to miss you." She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek and then winked at him. "Go to your girlfriend, Zerek, before I take you away from her."

"What?!"

Valthumar cleared his throat, regaining everyone's attention. "When you are ready and rested I will show you where you must go to reach the third anchor. I suggest you pack up whatever you think you'll need and meet me here when you are ready."

"We're leaving tonight?" Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow. "We aren't sleeping here one more night?"

"Passing through into the third anchor's world will reenergize your bodies. You will not need to rest."

"Damn," Boog said with disappointment. "I wouldn't have minded sleeping in one of those beds one more time."

"Time is of the essence, my friend," Valthumar reminded. "Another night spent here is another night the dark terror gets at stripping life away in whatever world it is targeting."

"Well, when you put it that way..."

With the discussion over, Graham went to retrieve the bag he had filled with supplies the day before and Elmar went to aid him, in case it was too heavy to lift comfortably. Celestia went to the wardrobe room to have one last look at the many wonderful dresses hanging there. Victoria followed Aragol and Boog in the armoury. Ivory and Casandra went to the pantry and, with Valthumar's permission, gathered as much food as they could. Karmen remained in the entertainment room. Zerek got up and walked into the wardrobe room.

Celestia saw him approach and looked at him strangely. "What do you want from here, Zerek? Do you want to look nice for your girlfriend when you return to her?"

Zerek eyed the dozens of dresses hanging from their hooks in the massive wardrobe. "I was hoping you could help me pick out a dress for her, actually. I'd like to give her a gift. It might help her know that I was in truth gone somewhere and not avoiding her."

Celestia smiled. "I love choosing dresses so this will fun. What size is she?"

"About your height and body weight."

"Well in that case this might take a long time."

Zerek chuckled and watched Celestia rifle through the dresses as she asked more questions about Maikoa, trying to pinpoint the perfect one for her.

****

"I don't know, Aragol!" Victoria exclaimed. "They all look the same to me! You pick the swords..."

"I can't do that, Victoria," he said patiently. He and Victoria were standing in front of a large weapon rack with various types of one-handed swords on display. "You have to pick one and see how it feels in your hand. Is it heavy? Is it too light? Can your hand grip around the hilt without getting sore?"

Victoria sighed in frustration and grabbed the nearest blade, a scimitar. It felt good in her hand but the curved aspect of it made her furrow her brow. "How am I supposed to stab with this?"

"You don't. It's a slashing weapon."

"Ugh, well I'd like to be able to stab..." She put it down and grabbed another one, a gladius. "This one looks like that sword Athena uses. It's a little short, though."

"It's meant for striking quickly and is a fine weapon to use in close quarters due to its smaller size."

"Well, I dunno, feels too small." She put it away and grabbed the next one in line, a broadsword. "Whoah, this one is heavy. Is this still a one-handed sword?"

"It can be both, one handed or two. Notice its wider blade? It's a powerful weapon that will not easily break and can pierce through some weaker armours."

"Yeah, but it's kind of heavy."

"Your arms will strengthen the more you use it."

"I don't know..."

Boog sighed in annoyance as he placed items in the bag he was packing. "Just pick one already, Victoria! You're driving me mad with your complaining."

"I'm not complaining! Aragol says I have to pick one that fits right for me and so far none of these swords feel that way!"

"Then maybe a sword isn't what you need."

Victoria frowned at him grabbed a fourth sword, a falchion. It resembled the scimitar but the blade was wider and its curve was more pronounced. "Well, never mind about this one; it's another curved one." She placed it back on the rack and looked at Aragol, who offered her a small smile. "Can I try yours? I just want to see how it feels to hold a sword."

"Dragon's End is a longsword, Victoria. It can be wielded like the broadsword and it may be too heavy for you. Unless you wish to undergo rugged strength training I suggest you stick to smaller blades."

"Oh my god, just forget about it. I'm never going to find something... I'll just throw rocks or something when we get in another fight."

"What of this?" Aragol asked her, leaning over and picking something up from the weapon rack. It resembled the end of a trident as there was one long spike flanked by two shorter ones in the form of a fork. "It is light, perfect for stabbing, and can be used to effectively disarm an unwary opponent."

Victoria took the weapon and gripped it in her hand. "It's like what Raphael uses."

"Who?"

"A Teenage Mutant Ninja T—just never mind. It does feel good in my hand and what do you mean it disarms people?"

"Trap a blade, such as Athena's, between two forks and give it a twist. It will bend her wrist in an awkward angle and may force her to release her grip on their weapon."

"Sweet! I am totally doing that! I can't wait to see the look on Athena's face when I steal her sword from her."

Aragol crossed his arms over his chest, pleased with the outcome. Victoria was slashing and stabbing the air with her new weapon and it reminded him of many young recruits he had trained back in Tiranor. He did not normally train but to the younger soldiers he was a great hero and they listened to his every word and performed their best, hoping to impress him; most of the time, they succeeded.

"Glad that's over with," Boog mumbled.

****

Karmen sat alone and stared at the ground as Valthumar played a soft tune on his piano. The music was soothing and relaxing and it allowed her to reflect on her nightmare without feeling terrified. She focused on the cause of her tragic and troubled childhood: Auric Craven. She had buried her memories so deeply that she had not thought of him for years. Seeing his face again had rekindled an interest in him. She wondered if he was still alive. She hoped he was, just so she could repay the favour he had done for her when he took her family from her. It was also because of him that she could transform. She had been unremarkable, other than her sharp mind, before he had bitten her leg. Since that day she had felt ill for many weeks and when her grandmother passed away the pain only increased. In her time of grief she remembered transforming for the first time. She had felt her bones twist and bend and her organs rearrange themselves and remembered vomiting several times during the transformation. She had changed into a rat, possibly because she had wanted to just crawl into a hole in the wall and die at that very moment. She had reverted to her human self within moments, which made her incredibly nauseous and light-headed, and had been terrified of the event for days. That didn't prevent it from happening again, however. When her emotions took a hold of her she transformed and she had many emotional times as she grew up. She had gone through many foster families, most of the time because they simply got tired of never being able to please her but other times because she had felt unsafe and threatened by them.

A dark moment in her life resurfaced and she tried to quell it but the more she tried the clearer it became. She remembered laying on her back in her bed, a most uncomfortable one at that, and waking up to something heavy being pressed on her. It had been her foster brother, eighteen years old and smelling of liquor and cigarettes. She had been seventeen at the time and her body had just recently grown into the shape it was now. As a late bloomer, it took some time for her to adjust to all the stares and glances men constantly gave her. Her own brother, unrelated by blood as he was, had stared at her uncomfortably many times and when she had woken up to him on top of her she knew what was about to happen. He had already undone his pants and was working on pulling the blanket down off of hers when she had acted. She slapped him as hard she could across the face but in his drunken stupor he felt little pain. He had smacked her back, with a fist, and had her head spinning. It was then that she had felt her body begin to change again. Her brother cried out in alarm and confusion and had fallen off her bed. When the transformation was complete, Karmen remembered looking down at her half-naked foster brother through feline eyes, her dark room as bright as day. A mirror hanging on the wall behind her brother revealed that she had transformed into a black panther with raven fur, a muscled body, and a snarling muzzle revealing sharp fangs. Her brother had gotten up holding a book as a weapon and had thrown it at her. It hit her in the face, which she remembered it hurting, and before she could stop herself she had launched herself at her brother, claws extended. She had swiped her paws at him briefly, scoring several brutal and bloody strikes, before she regained control and jumped out the nearest window, shattering glass and waking everyone else in the house. She had then run for miles under the cover of darkness.

It had been the last foster family she had ever lived with. She had spent most of her time making a living on her own after that, which she had succeeded fairly well at doing. She had never seen her foster family or her foster brother again and she had been grateful. Her life had been heading in the right direction with no unexpected transformations for years and no real hardships, other than her painful and heartbreaking relationships. Intelligent as she was, she could never find the right man for her. He always turned out as an abuser, a cheater, a liar, or a combination of all three. It had been almost two years since her last relationship and though her life had been lonely it had been safe.

Aragol walked in the room then with Victoria and Boog behind him, all three wearing bags full of supplies.

Now, however, her life was anything but.

****

When everyone had returned Valthumar stooped playing his piano and stood up. He walked to the middle of the room where everyone was gathered and gave them all a gentle smile. "I trust you all found what you needed?" They all nodded and he gestured behind him, at an empty wall. "Behind you is the way to the third anchor." He glanced at Zerek and motioned to the same wall. "Beside their doorway is the one you shall take."

Zerek, a folded dress of blue and black in his hands, nodded.

"All I see is a wall," Boog said with a raised eyebrow.

Valthumar snapped his fingers and two rectangular sections of the wall sunk deeper into it and then slid away, revealing two dark hallways. "The one on the right will take you to the third anchor. The one on the left will take you home."

"All of us?" Victoria asked with interest. "Like, if we wanted to we could go home right now?"

Valthumar nodded. "Yes, if all of you wished you could take the one on the left and return home. Your task will remain incomplete, however, and you will only be aiding the dark threat by avoiding your responsibility."

"What if we just want to go for a little bit to let everyone we care about know that we're ok? We'd come back right away."

"It does not work that way, dear Victoria White. Once you step through it the doorway closes behind you. The one who brought you all here may be able to repeat the process but I do not know how to summon him. It may take some time for him to reappear and by the time he does it may be too late."

Victoria sighed. "Fine, I guess it's the third anchor then. We're so close, though..."

"We have a duty, Victoria," Aragol reminded her. "We can't abandon it now."

She nodded, her shoulder slumped. "I know..."

Zerek walked toward the doorway he was going to take, moving a chair out of the way so he could walk through. He stopped in front of it and turned to the companions. "I'll miss all of you. I'm honoured to have journeyed and fought alongside you. I know we got off on a rough start but I feel confident that we are friends now. I wish you all the best of luck."

"You're not bad, kid," Boog said to him. "I knew you'd turn out all right."

"Yeah, sure you did," Victoria said with a roll of her eyes. She eyed Zerek with a sad expression on her face. "I'll miss you, Zerek. I'll miss your bare chest too. Actually I'll miss all of you."

Zerek scratched the back of his head awkwardly and smiled. "I'll miss you too, Victoria." He gave the others a wave. "Farewell..."

"Take care, Zerek," Aragol said sincerely. "You were a fine ally."

"Maikoa is very fortunate to have you in her life," Casandra said. "Go to her now. She needs you."

Zerek nodded. "I need her too..." Without another word he turned and took a step forward. He stopped and glanced back, setting his eyes on Celestia and lifting up the dress in his arms. "Thank you for your help, Celestia. I'm sure she'll love it."

Celestia found herself blushing lightly. "You're welcome, Zerek."

He gave her and the others one more smile before moving forward. Once gone from view, the section of wall slid back into the place with a thud of finality and it was the last they saw of Zerek the werewolf.

Valthumar gestured to the other doorway. "It is your time, now."

After a pause to thank the generous vampire for all the help he had given them they turned and faced the doorway. Celestia glanced back at Valthumar. "Do you know what it's like on the other side?"

Valthumar shook his head. "I have never gone through. I do not know."

Celestia nodded and inhaled, steeling herself.

With another blessing from Valthumar, the nine companions stepped into the dark hallway, one by one. When the last to walk through passed into it the section of wall slid back into place, the thud of its closing ringing loudly into the empty mansion.

Valthumar stared at the wall for a few moments, deep in thought. He had encountered many groups of destined ones but this one had felt different. He had sensed great power and potential. He remembered Boog's promise that he would defeat the dark threat forever. At first he had considered it just his pride speaking but after witnessing them defeat the anchor much quicker than any other group had and watching them fight against an entire army of creatures that felt no pain or remorse he was beginning to wonder if there had been truth in his words after all.

Perhaps, if he dared to hope, they could do it.

Perhaps they could indeed kill the dark threat once and for all.

"You sensed it too, didn't you," said a multi-toned voice behind him.

He didn't have to look back to know who it was. The room had darkened in the newcomer's presence and he could feel the dark energy emanating from the figure behind him. "Yes, I believe they may be the ones."

"You have said that before, Valthumar."

"Yes, but I have never been more certain of it now."

"Then we shall have to wait and see. The future is in their hands now."

Valthumar smiled. "It is in good hands then."