"One question," Dagon said after Cephalus had explained further.

"Why do you need us? Why not use your own people?"

Cephalus had a large company of his own men so it did not really make sense for him to use other people that he barely knew.

"My men are bred for fighting. They've been training all their lives to kill on command...This quest needs brains not bronze-"

"Whoa, hold up!" Marcy interrupted.

At first she did not say anything but after stealing a quick glance at everyone she looked back to Cephalus and mischievously smiled saying, "If I get this straight...You think we're smart?"

After their original surprise a smile slowly grew on everyone's faces...Except for Adrastea. She was not easily amused.

Cephalus sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"I'm beginning to think I was wrong...Anyway, as I was saying, my men are not suited for the job. You are."

The silence in the room stretched on for several minutes before Chandra voiced the obvious question.

"How? I don't know about the others but just about all I'm good for is planting and harvesting."

Once again Cephalus found his plan most amusing and he stood up, walking over to the window and glancing out for no particular reason. Then, once the suspense had gone on long enough, he turned around and walked back to the table.

"You all have practical abilities that are needed on this quest," he told them smuggly.

Adrastea raised one eyebrow in a skeptical expression and folded her arms.

"Really? Like what?" she asked.

"Chandra has experience as a medical assistant; Adrianna is a hunter most superb; Dagon and Diomedes are trackers. Positively the best; Fennel and Angelica will be our inventory keepers, mostly for their resources; Weland has expertise in poisons, plants, and other...such things; Aileen would be our messenger; and Adrastea is needed for her acrobatic skills," Cephalus finished, quite pleased with himself.

"My acrobatic skills? What do you plan on doing?" Adrastea asked, by this point completely confused, much like everyone else.

"We're going to be posing as a traveling circus."

A few people let out surprised gasps while others chuckled a little at the thought.

"A traveling circus? Are you serious?" Angela laughed.

"People in circuses have years upon years to learn and practice their skills."  

"You have two days," Cephalus answered bluntly.

"WHAT? I'm not doing it! I won't!" Adrastea told him.

Cephalus did not answer. He knew it would not be too difficult to convince Adrastea to come. In fact he could probably do it in five minutes flat. However he had bigger problems to solve.

"Why am I here?" Marcy asked, practically begging to know.

"Weland why don't you explain to Miss Clive why she's here," Cephalus said calmly.

Weland nodded and turned to Marcy with a mischievous smile.

"You will be our voice."

"What?" 

"Just like I said it. You will be our voice. Every good circus has an announcer."

"Oh. So you brought me all the way from...earth...just to be your announcer?" Marcy said, not quite understanding why they would go through all that trouble.

"Not just our announcer. You'll also be the assistant," Weland explained.

"The assistant?"

"Yes. Adrastea will be doing a knife throwing act and we'll need someone as the target."

"WHAT?" Marcy shouted, leaping out of her chair.

"That's not exactly what I meant. It'll be perfectly safe. You'll just have to stand in front of a wooden plank while Adrastea throws knifes and certain marked spots on the board."

"You call that safe? That's not what I call safe!"

Adrastea had turned her attention to the two just as soon as she heard her name mentioned and was now liking the plan much more.  

"I think its best you know that when the target it three yards away and not moving, there's no way I can miss," Adrastea told her.

"Well its good to see that you're humble!...There's no way you can make me do this Weland!"

"Oh really? Well then you walk out that door and find your own way home."

Marcy opened her mouth to reply but quickly closed it after realizing what she had gotten into.

"That's not fare," she mumbled.

"I never said this was going to be fare. You are actually the only person here that we are sure will come with us."

"You mean you blackmailed me?" Marcy said bluntly.

"I've read enough books. You think I haven't heard of this kind of thing before?"

"Oh undoubtedly. Almost everyone here has," Weland answered with a grin plastered on his face.

"I can still refuse."

"You can. But then you'll never get home. We both know that."

Marcy folded her arms and leaned back in her chair thinking over her options which were very scarce. What do I do? she asked herself. I can't say yes or I might die, but I can't say no because then I'll surely die...From starvation or something. Unless some weird creature eats me first. Who knows!

"Fine...I'll do it," Marcy said bitterly.

"That's the spirit!"

Adrastea seemed to have a perpetual smirk on her face that never left through their whole conversation and now it had turned into some sort of evil grin. Marcy was not so scared about her missing but about Adrastea purposely throwing a knife to...you know...harm her.

"Now who's coming?" Cephalus asked, sitting back down in his chair.

Everyone exchanged nervous glances and shrugging her shoulders Adrastea raised her hand.

"I thought there was no way you were coming?" Cephalus recalled.

"That was before I figured out I'd be throwing knifes at that thing," Adrastea answered nonchalantly.

That comment alone made Marcy want to slap Adrastea right in her smug little face, but she controlled herself. Marcy realized it probably was not the best thing to get a person who would be throwing knifes at you angry.

"Alright, anyone else?"

"No," Fennel hissed to Angelica.

"Oh come on, it'll fun!"

"No!"

"We're coming!" Angelica beamed.

Fennel would have come back by saying 'no we're not' but she was actually pretty curious herself and did not want to miss the fun.

"Good!" Cephalus grinned.

"That's half the group. What about the rest of you?"

"We'll come," Dagon said quietly while Diomedes nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll come," Chandra mumbled.

"What was that?"

"I'll come!"

"Good!" Cephalus smiled.

He knew she was reluctant but when your father asks you to do something...you do it.

"Well if Chandra's going I guess I will too," Adrianna told Cephalus.

"That's everybody! How lucky we are Weland!...Unless of course Aileen changed her mind."

"I haven't changed my mind," Aileen nodded.

"Alright, we'll be staying here for two nights. On the second morning we'll head out. During the our two days stay I suggest you practice your routines. Weland will tell you about them...Well that's all I have left to say. Get a good nights sleep. You'll need it," Cephalus told everyone, standing up and walking through another door that led into a smaller room.

Around the table everyone sat silently. There was nothing to say yet they felt someone should say something. However after about five minutes of this Adrastea stood up and walked out the front door.

"Isn't she scared of the trees?" Marcy asked Weland quietly.

"No."

"Why not?"

"If you know how to handle them they're all bark and no bite."

Marcy made a silent 'O' shape with her mouth and scooted her chair back.

"Well I guess there's a lot I don't know."

"There sure is," Chandra giggled.

"Come on you need something else to wear."

Marcy quickly stood up and followed Chandra out the back door into a sort of stable, shack...thing. Standing there were several horses and Chandra went over to brown one; Marcy was not quite sure what kind it was. Suddenly she let out a gasp as Marcy looked to the end of the stable where there was literal green and brown...unicorn?

"Is that a unicorn?" she asked quietly.

Chandra looked from Marcy to the horse and giggled a little.

"It sure is. I guess you're not use to those either."

"I'm certainly not."

Chandra giggled again and then opened her saddle bag handing Marcy a folded up wool dress.

"Put this on. Its a lot warmer than the one you're wearing. Not to mention sturdier. Its made for riding like mine. If you're anything like me you won't be able to ride side saddle. The split skirt'll help you with that."

"Thanks," Marcy smiled.

"Sorry we don't have a changing room or anything. Just go into one of the stalls and I'll guard the door," Chandra told her.

"Thanks again."

Both Chandra and Marcy laughed this time. 

"I'll only be a minute," Marcy said, walking into an empty stall and closing the door.

She didn't lie. It was just about a minute before she came out in the simple green dress with long flowing sleeves and V-neck.

"Well it oughta' do for now. I don't really have anything else."

"Oh no this is fine. I've always wanted a dress like this." 

"Ugh, you have got to be kidding me!" an annoyed voice came from the other end of the stable.

The smile faded from Chandra's face and when Marcy turned around it also faded from her own face. Adrastea had entered with her ever-present-sass and was making her way to the other end of the stable where a blue roan stood.

"Hey girl!" Adrastea whispered to the horse.

Marcy nearly caught her breath when a soft smile passed over Adrastea's face. It was not like her other smiles which were more like smirks. This one gave Marcy the feeling that maybe Adrastea was not what she made out to be...but that thought quickly faded when Adrastea's smile did.

"What are two doing here?" she snapped, the sour expression back on her face.

Chandra plastered a large grin on her face and shrugged her shoulders, walking over to her own horse and patting the pretty thing on the neck.

"I was just giving Marcy something to wear."

"Why?"

Marcy nearly let out an exasperated 'ugh' sound but managed to contain herself before Adrastea snapped her fiery eyes in the same direction.

"Because she needed some to travel in. Not to mention it can get pretty cold in the mountains."

Suddenly Adrastea's eyes grew wide and she snapped them back toward Chandra, dropping her horses reins and walking over to the other end of the stall.

"Who told you we were going into the mountains?" she asked quietly.

Marcy looked from Adrastea to Chandra with a confused expression but Chandra quickly bit her lip.

"I just guessed. Everyone else was dressed in mountain clothes."

"Not really Chandra," Adrastea answered.

"I'm the only here besides Cephalus who is wearing mountain clothes and that's because I live in the mountains. As for Cephalus he has a reason to know about going up there. Now how do you know?"

Chandra looked down at her hands refusing to make eye contact with Adrastea. Marcy was starting to get extremely annoyed with her and stepped beside Chandra saying, "It makes sense for us to go into the mountains. Where else would someone hide a valuable and apparently dangerous item? Not many people go into the mountains for fear of getting snowed in and starving. If I were hiding something like that...that stone, the mountains would be the first place I'd think of to hide it." 

Adrastea still did not look at Marcy even though she had a very valuable point. No, Adrastea just continued to walk closer to Chandra, not blinking once. Marcy could see the cleverness behind those jade eyes slowly piecing things together. Things unknown to Marcy. She suddenly realized that maybe Adrastea had a point. 

Oh but why would that matter! Marcy thought. So what if she knows where it is. What does that have to do with anything? 

Eventually Chandra looked Adrastea in the eye and gave her a friendly smile, stepping back and shrugging her shoulders. 

"Like Marcy said. It was just a guess...If I insulted you in some way, I'm sorry," she apologized.

Adrastea did not answer but continued to stare at Chandra with that sickening look. It made Marcy feel...yucky inside. 

Eventually Adrastea just chuckled in a snarky manner walked past Chandra, purposely brushing past her shoulder and forcing Chandra to step back. Both Marcy and Chandra watched as the taller lady sauntered inside, slamming the door behind her.

"I don't like her," Marcy muttered through gritted teeth.

"Not many do," Chandra sighed.

"Why do you put up with her?"

Chandra shrugged her shoulders and spun towards the door saying, "I don't know. Maybe its because I know that if someone has a soft spot for their horse they can't be all bad."

- New chapter! Alright this chapter I had a lot of fun writing so I hope you like it as well. What do you think of Adrastea and Chandra's little exchange? Comments and votes are always appreciated as always. Thanks :D - Anna