When Tarik Lishy and Anushka arrived at Greenhaven, the Greencloaks were already departing. Lishy didn't dock their small boat, instead cept it floating just offshore.

"It's best we don't get you two questiond" said Lishy.

"Wuld Olvan be expecting you back?" asked Tarik.

"He knows where I was, and what I was doing. He knows to launch the attack with or without me, my mission was important"

"What was your mission?"

"To get the talismans back"

"What? I thought we had most of the talismans"

"Shane he- I- I thought I told you"

"You never said he took them, you said he came to try steal them, implying that he never actually got away with them" Tarik was slightly mad at Lishay. She slipped her hand into his.

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew, you know I wouldn't purposefully keep that detail from you"

"But what of the fallen? What will they do without the talismans? They hardly stand a chance! Lishay, we need to get there, right now, I need to help them, it's what I swore to do, I swore to protect them, Lishay" Tarik had never felt more stressed in his entire life. Lishay kissed him on the cheek. The sweet and suddenness of her actions made Tarik stop stressing, but he wasn't exactly happy. All he wanted to do was get to the four fallen, tell them he was alive, tell them he would protect them.

"Aushka can you get this boat moving to Stetirol?" Lishay called, then she put her arm around Tarik, "calm down, take deep breaths, and everything will be ok" she told him. He nodded and tried to calm down. He needed to protect the children, they were too young. Monte and Barlow had been right. They were only children. what was he thinking? He had told Olvan they where ready, he had sent them on a deth quest to stop this stupid war, if they fell in battle and he hadent been there to portect them what kind of garidan did that make him?

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

After a long boring journey the boat finally arrived in Stertriol, and to Tarik's dismay he saw the bodies of dead Greencloaks, floating on broken pieces of wood.

"Tarik!" cried Lishay. Tarik rushed to her side.

"What is it?" he could tell from the tightness in her voice that it was nothing good.

"Look" Tarik looked where she pointed.

"Dorian!" Lishay nodded, tears streaming down her face. "no" whispered Tarik, "no please don't let this be real" Lishay lent into him sobbing, he put his arms around her and watched the body of his first Greencloack friend floating away. A tear slipped down his cheek. Warriors didn't cry, so what did that make Tarik? A failure, that's what. Dorian had died doing his job, it wasn't fair! Tarik should be the one dead on the piece of wood, not Dorian. "It's all my fault" he said as they landed on the beach. Lishy was still crying, and she could hardly walk properly, she was shaking, not just from sadness and tears, but from fear and grief. "Lishay you shouldn't be walking, you need to rest, you can't go into the deserts like this" he sat her down on the sandy shore.

"Tarik it's not your fault and im fine"

"It is and your not"

"No it's not Tarik and I swear i'm fine"

"No Lishay it is my fault and you are definitely not fine, look at you! Tell her Anushka"

"Tarik its not your fault. Lishay your not fine" Anushka looked completely at ease. Tarik guessed that after what she had been through in the past, it would be quite hard to traumatize the girl.

"Tarik even if i'm not fine, we have to catch up with the four fallen and their groupe"

"Your right we do" he nodded gravely.

"Then let's go" said Anushka. Tarik helped the still shaking Lishay to her feet. She was still crying, and small sobs escaped her mouth every once in a while. Tarik made sure he cpt his arm around her as they walked, so she felt like someone had her. Anushka tried her best to cheer the group up, but everything she said or did just remeied Lishay of Dorian, or Hanzan, or Zhorzer. Soon what had just been grefe over one person, had reopened all the grief over all the people and animals she had lost. Even Zhamin culdent cheer her up. The black tiger nuzzled her palm, and was much more gentle than normal. Lishay cept a hand buried in his thick black fur. Tarik saw her sleeve slip up and the faded white tiger tattoo showing. He reached to pull it down, so she couldn't see the missing form of Zhoser, but him drawing attention to her tattoo, even if he was trying to hide it, made her remember it. Tarik was feeling grief as well, he missed Dorian so, so much, but he was able to hide the fact he was upset by caring for Lishay. He was secretly glad she needed him, because it eased his pain to help ese hers. Anushka didn't know who Doiran was, but by the time they reached the nearest town she was looking upset as well. Tarik aporched the first man he saw; he was rather old and looked ofly skinny.

"Excuse me," he said.

"Get outta my town" he replied sharply. Lumeo, who had been sleeping around Tarik's neck, hopped over to the man and wond himself between his feet.

"Lumeo!" Tarik scolded, but the otter didn't listen "come!"

"A nectar forged bond?" the man asked, then he caught sight of the green cloak around Lashay's shoulders. Zhamin had entered passive as they had approached the village.

"You are greencloaks? Or are you fakes!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tarik said, calmly.

"You aren't acting like fakes, don't look in good shape either, had much to eat lately?"

"No nothing" said Anushka. The man caught sight of her for the first time.

"And what's her spirit animal?"

"She doesn't have one" said Tarik. He figured that they would be more believable if they told the truth, lying never got anyone anywhere.

"So your not a troop of Conquerors, but your also not one of Greencloaks, seeing as only she wears the cloak"

"I am a Greenclaock, I just don't have it on just now" Said Tarik. "I gave it to my student, for him to wear" he felt a glow of pride at the thought of Rollan being dressed in his cloak.

"Well, whatever you are, you're not welcome here, and get this little beast off me" he kicked Lumeo, who scampered back up onto Tarik's shoulders.

"What was that for?" he asked his usually well-behaved otter. Lumeo squeaked.

"Please, we need a place to stay for the night, and some food and water" begged Anushka.

"Well your spirit animal did not obey you, that's not a bile bond, and you don't look well fed enough to be Conquerors, so I suppose it wouldn't hurt to let you stay, just for one night"

"Thank you" said Tarik "you don't know how much this means to us" the man grunted, and led them inside an old stone building.

"You and your wife can sleep in this room," he said, pointing to a door next to the entrance.

"Umm she's not my wife" said Tarik.

"Whatever, your girlfriend then, just you two can go in there, leave me be" he waved his hand. Tarik noticed how Lishay hadn't flinched at being called his wife. "and your daughter can come in here" he pointed across the hall.

"She is not our daughter" said Lishay, the first words she had spoken since entering the village. The sadness that had been lingering in her voice all day had been replaced with a soft kindness that Tarik adored. Anushka gave her thanks to the man, and, flashing a quick smile at Tarik and Lishay, then disappeared into her room. The older two did the same. Tarik collapsed down onto the bed furthest from the door, while Lishay lay on the one closer.

"Finely, some rest" said Tarik, as he closed his eyes. The bed wasn't soft, but it was the nicest thing he had slept on since leaving Anushka's family.

"Tarik," said Lishay. He opened his eyes.

"Yes"

"Thank you"

"Oh. Your welcome. Umm, what did I do?"

"Thank you for being there for me today, I know seeing that" her voice was tightening with tears "would have hurt you too." Tarik stood up and walked over to her, he sat down next to her and took her hand.

"It did hurt" he confessed "it hurt alot" she pried her fingers free of his, and then put her arm around him.

"But if you want someone to cry with, i'll be here, if you ever need anything i'll be here"

"And i'll always be here for you Lishay"

"Can I tell you something? Something that is probably wrong"

"Go ahead"

"It hurt a lot to lose Doiran, but it hurt more when I thought I'd lost you" Tarik was stunned, he didn't think Lishay could be more upset. He didn't think anyone could.

"When I thought I was going to go, the last thing I thought of before I closed my eyes was you" he said.

"Tarik do you think- no but- no" she shook her head.

"No, I think what?" he asked, curiously.

"That, I don't know, it's really wrong to be honest, but do you think we were born to love each other?"

"Yes" he said with a smile.

"Tarik losing you is the second worst thing that has ever happened to me, after losing Zhoser" Tarik missed the tiger, he couldn't bear to lose Lumeo, he couldn't even imagine how much pain Lishay must have been in.

"But why?" he asked "I can see how losing Zhoser was the worst, but losing me was worse than Dorian? And Hanzan?"

"I'm- I'm not sure- well I- I guess i'ts cos I love you Tarik, I always have done, and I always will do"

"I love you too Lishay, that's not going to change" he hugged Lishay tight for a second. Then got up and went back to his own bed, where he fell asleep peacefully.