"Sylvia, we have a problem," Silas breathed heavily.

"And...?"

Silas held up a hand and leaned against the, trying to catch his breath. It did not take long but it seemed like an eternity for Sylvia.

"One of the Cievo found our path. We don't know where the breach is but we managed to capture him."

"Great, just great!...Bring him in will you?" Sylvia ordered, pouring herself a glass of water.

Silas quickly left the room and ran down the staircase of icy crystals, meeting Platon at the bottom with a Cievo soldier. He did not seem to be resisting at all and both Silas and Platon thought the capture was far too easy. However they could not just let him get away with trespassing.

"Alright, she says to bring him up," Silas told Platon.

Platon nodded and pushed the soldier of the steps to Sylvia's chambers, walking in without knocking.

"What's your name soldier?" Sylvia asked without turning away from the window.

"Albano."

"Why did you trespass?"

Albano looked around the room, obviously freezing from the low temperatures. 

"To be honest I'm not sure why. I just thought...Well never mind what I thought."

Sylvia quickly turned around, curious by his response.

"Oh no. I'd like to know what you thought?"

"You wouldn't understand. I heard from someone that a friend of mine could be found up here in the mountains and I didn't realize I was trespassing until...Well until they picked me up," Albano answered honestly, nodding towards Platon and Silas.

Sylvia looked on in interesting and sat down in her fur covered chair, gesturing towards another and saying, "Have a seat Albano."

The soldier hesitantly sat down.

"I may be able to help you. What's your friend's name?"

"I doubt you'll know her. Her name is Adrastea."

Sylvia's eyes grew wide and Platon nearly choked on the water he had just swallowed. Silas just looked normally surprised from his easily excited self and slowly chewed on a grape while staring on in shock.

"It may surprise you to know that Adrastea is a good friend of mine. We were both twelve the first time we met," Sylvia answered.

Albano was not quite sure what to say next. He should have come into the mountains in the first place. Thinking about Albano realized he wasted nearly five years of his life looking in all the wrong places.

"Do you know where she is?" Albano asked.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Why should I tell you?"

Oh great, Albano thought. This was exactly what he was afraid of. 

"You know who Haldit it is, right?"

"Of course. Everyone does," Sylvia answered, knowing exactly where this was heading.

"I happen to know first hand that he wants to find the Rinopenya stone. The only person left who knows where it is would be Adra...I mean, Adrastea...I want to get to her before Haldit does."

Platon shared a quick glance with Sylvia and they both nodded slightly, knowing what the other was going to say.

"I don't know exactly where Adrastea is, but I do know that she was last seen heading for Rubin Soth. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you," Sylvia told Albano, standing up and walking towards the door.

"You may leave but be sure never to trespass again. Understood?"

Albano nodded and walked swiftly out the door, shivering all the way. The mountains were never his preferred climate anyway.

"How do we know he is who he says he is?" Platon asked Sylvia.

"Adrastea mentioned a friend of hers from a long time ago. The son of a Duke. She called him Al."

Platon made an 'O' shape with his mouth and watched out the window as the young Cievo soldier hurried back down the mountain on his horse, trying to escape the biting cold.

"Platon...Could you saddle my horse?" Sylvia asked after a moment of silence.

"Sure. Are you going somewhere?"

"I think its starting Platon...I think its starting."

                Adrastea sat under the tree and watched the moonless sky for probably an hour before stirring. She motioned for Deirdrie and Cephalus to come over from their spots around the dying embers of the fire and they quietly walked over, sitting crisscross in the grass.

"So what is it you want to tell us?" Cephalus asked.

"I already spoke to Deirdrie earlier but I want both of you here right now...Dagon is not who he says he is. I'm sure of it now."

Cephalus quickly looked at the twins who were joking with each other and rubbed the back of his neck, wondering if he should tell or not.

"What makes you so sure?" he asked.

"Earlier, before Laura came around, Dagon was so on edge if you tapped him on the shoulder he probably would have strangled you. Back in town at first he wanted to stay, but then when I went to see Deirdrie he rushed us out like there was no tomorrow."

"But that's not proof Stea."

"I have a hunch Cephalus," Adrastea said sternly.

For her hunches might as well be cold, hard, solid truth. They were never wrong.

"I say we talk to the brother," Deirdrie spoke up.

"Bad idea," Adrastea answered bluntly.

"Why?"

"They're brothers for one. Its not likely that Diomedes will tattle and second, I bet you a million he's also hiding something."

"You speak as if you don't," Cephalus told her with a raised eyebrow.

He could sense the trust in their little group was balancing on a very fine line and if they were not careful everything would fall apart.

"Look, I know everything there is to know about Dagon and Diomedes. Just leave it be. Trust me."

And with that Cephalus got up and walked back to his bedroll, Deirdrie doing the same. Adrastea stared after them turning her thoughts over and over until she finally fell asleep under the tall fir tree. 

Despite the late hour she fell asleep at sunrise Adrastea was up along with Adrianna and Cephalus.

"Could you two hunt some breakfast?" Cephalus asked, grabbing his trusty map.

"On it," Adrianna answered instantly, grabbing her bow and quivver.

Adrastea put the knife she was sharpening back in her boot and got up, following Adrianna off into the woods. They walked quietly along a recent deer trail but Adrianna was hoping to shoot something smaller. Something that they would not have to waste. Rabbit would be ideal but she was thinking more of some kind of bird.

The dew had soaked the turf underfoot making it easier for the two hunters to walk quietly. Their soft leather boots helped them feel the little twigs before they snapped and the browns and greens of their clothes worked as camouflage. 

Adrianna saw it coming before it even happened and Adrastea heard it before it even came...but nevertheless danger lurks in every corner of the forest and it is cunning beyond compare.

                      "Where is Adrianna?" Chandra asked as she pulled out the cooking utensils.

"She went out hunting earlier with Adrastea," Cephalus answered distractedly.

"What time was that?"

Cephalus looked up from his planning and frowned, suddenly realizing how long they had been out.

"Long enough for them to be back by now."

Dagon and Diomedes stopped their widdling and looked up. 

"Is that bad?" Marcy asked, thinking of all the times she had been distracted on her way to work and coming in late.

"Stop your panicking! We just took a bit longer than usual," Adrastea called, walking up to the fireplace with a couple of pheasants. 

Chandra quickly grabbed the birds and started to pluck the feathers, tossing them in a burlap sack. She liked to keep the feathers for pillows and things like that. Adrastea sat down and started to talk with Marcy while Adrianna helped Chandra with the cooking.

Dagon and Diomedes went back to their projects while Angelica and Fennel practiced target practice. Weland talked with Cephalus about their next move and Deirdrie tried to make conversation with Laura...Failing miserably. Laura was obviously interested in very different things from what Deirdrie was use to.

"Alright, breakfast is ready!" Chandra sang out serving heaping plates of pheasant stew. 

"Would you like some coffee Adrastea?" Adrianna asked, already pouring a cup.

"Yes, thank you."

Taking the cup Adrastea sipped at it happily and sat back in content. Deirdrie took a second to register the quest Adrianna asked but the answer was too clear to miss. She watched Adrastea who seemed in a better mood than ever and suddenly felt a dangerous feeling inside. All her senses were screaming at her.

Patience, Deirdrie thought. Patience is a virtue

"After breakfast we'll head out. Skip Rubin Soth. We'll go around and go straight for the mountains," Cephalus spoke up, folding his map.

"So we did all that training for nothing?" Angelica moaned.

"First of all, you only did a day and a half of training, second, that's a cover in case we get caught."

Fennel chuckled at her sister's put out state but for the most part everyone was glad that they would not be going through Rubin Soth. Dagon and Diomedes shared a relieved glance and the rest were happy just to get going.

"What's that you're drinking Adrastea?" Deirdrie asked carefully.

Adrastea looked up her cup and answered, "Um...coffee? Isn't that kind of obvious."

Deirdrie smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

"Sure is."

Getting up Deirdrie walked slowly around the fire past Dagon and Diomedes, resting one hand on her skinning knife in a casual manner. 

"And?" Adrastea asked, looking up from her sitting position, putting the cup down.

"...You don't like coffee."

Suddenly Adrastea's eyes snapped into green flames and she pulled a long knife out of her boot, standing up, opening her mouth and hissing, revealing fangs and a forked tongue. Deirdrie leaped out of the way but Adrianna immediately leaped on top of her with a small pen knife. Dagon, seeing what was happening, drew his sword and rushed forward. Adrastea intercepted and slashed her knife across Dagon's arm, slicing through his sleeve and leaving a painful cut. Dagon swung his sword at her but she ducked and blocked. Diomedes was in before you could blink, bringing his own sword out of its sheath and thrusting it forward. Adrastea twisted the knife in her hand and blocked, pulling out another knife and shoving it at Dagon.

Deirdrie rolled over and Fennel jumped on Adrianna's back in her usual manner, trying to bring an arrow up against Adrianna's throat, unsuccessfully. Angelica grabbed one of her own arrows and jumped in front of the two, driving it forward into Adrianna's stomach. The flaming, reptile-like eyes stared forward and she bared her fanged teeth, slowly sinking to the ground. Fennel jumped off before the body slowly turned green, revealing a scaled face and fingers with long claws.

Diomedes shoved the other impostor against a tree and it gave up the masquerade, its face turning green and scaly. Dagon brought his sword up against the creatures neck but Cephalus grabbed his wrist before the blade made contact.

"Don't Dagon. We have questions that need to be answered."

"What the...?" Marcy exclaimed, staring at the dead reptile at her feet.

"Its a Talpa," Deirdrie said in disgust.

Marcy was still lost but Chandra told her not to ask questions at the moment. Everything was 'too shook up to drink' she said.

"Alright, who hired you?" Cephalus asked the Talpa still alive.

"A queen of song that floats through the night like a butterfly!" the creature hissed, twisting its neck like it had a twitch.

Marcy raised one eyebrow and Chandra went on to explain.

"Talpas only speak in riddles. Most of the time they're fairly easy to figure out."

Diomedes moved away from the creature and scratched the back of his neck, staring into nothing as he thought over the riddle.

"A queen of song that floats through the night like a butterfly? Well the only thing I can think of is a title. Some kind of title," he said to Cephalus.

Cephalus however did not answer. He stared at the Talpa with an annoyed look, running one hand through his hair. The reptile smiled with an evil light and started to hum a haunting tune.

"Shut up!" Cephalus ordered.

The Talpa kept on humming until Dagon pushed the blade of his sword closer to the creatures neck.

"Do you have any idea what she means?" Deirdrie asked.

Cephalus nodded and walked slowly towards the trees, sighing and looking up at the blue sky.

"Aileen...Aileen hired them."

- New chapter! What do you think? Exciting or boring? I'd love to hear your thoughts and votes are always appreciated. Thanks :D - Anna