My return is much more triumphant than before- I have the stone and now we have the advantage.

    Wasting no time, we collect ourselves and hurry away from the castle as quickly as possible to put as much space between us and them before they realize the stone is gone.

    "What's our next course of action?" I ask as we make our way through the night. We come across a main road and begin taking that.

    "I think I know where to go for the time being," Olivos says. "This road will take us there without delay."

    "Hey, guys," Clifford yawns, dragging his feet. "I'm tired, when are we gonna stop?"

    He's lagging behind. I can't have him passing out on me.

    "We'll rest soon, Cliff, but right now we have to travel."

    He won't listen to me, though, already fading fast even as he stumbles along.

    "I wanna go to bed..."

    Coxen takes notice and comes to my rescue, scoping the lethargic kid up in his arms and carrying him.

    "Thank," I breathe.

    He nods at me as we keep pushing on.

    In all honesty, I'm pretty whipped myself- Elle and Sephora likewise- as I'd been up since the crack of dawn, yelling and walking and running from threats, not to mention scaling castles- it's exhausting- but I know we can't stop, not now.

    Though the threat of bandits is prominent in our minds, I feel safer being in a pack, plus, having Xalale's sword helps ward off skittish thoughts.

    Though we're trying to stay strong and not collapse from sleep deprivition, I can sense I'm not the only one running on gas fumes. We'll all a bit haggard, slowing down in pace. I feel sort of bad for Coxen who has to carry a drooling eight year old in his arms the entire way but he offered.

    "We are only a stretch away," Olivos reassures us.

    I have not a clue where we're going (apparently they decided that while I was away), but I don't care if we're being led to a Satanic cult compound- not that there's any in this universe- I'll accept a stable at this point.

    At the first signs of dawn creeping up from among the treeline, I think my eyes are deceiving me- we couldn't have been traveling that long- but as light begins to guide our weary path, it becomes apparent that we've been journeying most of the night. I'm astounded at this, but even more so that my legs are still functions. Then again, they have a mind of their own now, just one foot in front of the other.

    Just as we're beginning to pass a few houses, leading to a village which leads to a house which leads to a bed, Olivos begins to guide us into the woods once more.

    "Wh-where are we going?" Elle yawns, rubbing her eyes.

    "Trust me, we're almost there," He replies.

    Just as my brain is screaming at my body to give up, a squat looking cottage comes into view. Though it looks like the haunted houses people warn you to stay away from, it glistens like nirvana to the weary eye, rays of dusky sunlight shining gently upon it.

    "We're here."

    My knees nearly collapse just at the sound of that.

    Approaching the door, he pauses to give a tentative knock before waiting a moment to ease open the vine-covered door that's seen better days. We all pile in after him into the close-spaced house.

    Though small, it has a homely atmosphere, which is a welcome after all we'd had been through. The inside, though books of various thickness clutter the surface of every desk and shelf, isn't in the same ruinous state as the exterior was; there's a cleaner, tidier appearance to the place, yet an air of organized clutter marked the room.

    "Wait but a minute," Olivos says before hurrying into a room next door.

    We all wait on swaying feet as Olivos handles whatever it is he's doing in the next room. After only a minute, he pushes aside the curtain that separates the two rooms and looks at me.

    "Mallory."

    Slightly confused, I'm too dazed to question what I would be needed for so I numbly follow him into the room which retains the same organized cluster as the previous room. In this room, however, sits a bed with a familiar old man bolstered up.

     "Mallory," He greets with a genteel demeanor.

     "Eniorad?"

      "That bed looks comfortable as heck." I refocus my languid thoughts.

     "What are you doing here?" I mumble, forcing back a yawn.

     "It would be rather odd of me not to reside in my own dwelling." He let out a soft chortle, clearly in a more refreshed mood than me at this point.

     "Oh, right," I couldn't hold back the yawn forever. "I thought you were sick."

     "I was- quite violently ill. The recovery took longer than the malady, I must admit." He pauses thoughtfully then speaks with gravity. "I must thank you for your part in preventing the darkness that was threatening to come upon us. Your efforts prevailed against the devastation that could have befallen upon our land-"

     And blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm so zonked that I can't even comprehend words anymore- it just takes too much effort. I've finally heard enough.

     "Thank you," I cut him off mid-sentence but not in a rude manner. "I tried my hardest, but there's more trouble on the way."

     "Oh?" He watches me with puzzled eyes. "What sort of trouble ails you now?"

     Olivos speaks up.

     "The queen has returned," He stutters. "She and the king have discovered the pieces to the orb."

     The old man's face becomes ashen at the mention of the queen and further pales at the sound of the orb. He strokes his beard nervously.

     "That is troublesome news indeed. If either of them uses the orb to-"

     I pull out the stone from my cleavage, not caring whether either of them witnessed a flash of my breast, then hold it out for him to see.

     "I stole a piece from the palace and we need to know what to do next." What we needed was a nap.

     A wave of relief washes over him, but only momentarily before he begins again.

     "That is good that you have secured a piece for yourself, but we must act accordingly," He straightens more, seeming ready to get down to business. "Firstly, you must tell-"

     I can't anymore. I am about to collapse.

     "Actually," I speak louder than need be then lowered my volume once getting his attention. "A bed would be nice."

     Olivos wearily looks at his teacher.

     "We have been traveling all night," He explains. "We are well worn."

     Eniorad glances rapidly between us with wide eyes.

     "My apologies," He says understandingly. "Forgive me. Olivos, prepare space for our guests."

     He nods obediently and hurries off to set up a place for us. I could sleep on a bed of nails at this point, I don't care.

     "We can always speak of this after you have refreshed yourself," He says sympathetically to me. "Go now and rest."

     "Thank you."

     I'm completely out of it because as I begin to leave, I curtsy to show my thanks then head out of the room.

     As soon as Olivos sets up our beds, we're out for the count. Elle and Sephora retire in his room where they both collapse in his bed, which truly only fits one person but we're making exceptions today. Coxen gets to sleep on a lumpy, worn couch like piece that he rest upon as if it were made from memory foam (I'm sure we'll all wake up with crinks in our backs and neck). Finally, he sets up a small cot for me and Clifford to occupy. Clifford, who's been asleep for a while, curls up like a kitten against me as we position ourselves on the cot. I'm so whipped, I don't even care an eight year old boy is using my breast as pillows. I don't know where Olivos sleeps since Elle and Sephora have taken residence in his room but I'm out before I can find out.

     The house could catch on fire at any time, yet, even God Himself, couldn't wake me up.

     It's one of those slumbers where no dreams visit you but it doesn't matter. All you want is to experience the void.

I now know what a dead phone feels like after it's been recharged.

     Instead of the slow ease out of sleep, I'm wide awake in an instant, glancing about the room as everything comes back to me.

     I'm definitely in a better place than before.

     Just as I sit up, patting down my hair which is going every which way, I notice the lack of heat I'd been receiving, that's when I realize that Clifford is no longer in the cot with me.

     "Great." That kid couldn't stand still if his life depended on it.

     Getting up out of the cot, I survey the room, scanning the clutter for him. After seeing no sign of the perky redhead I sigh, heading for a different room.

     "Clifford?" I keep my voice low just in case the others are still asleep. "Clifford?"

     There are only a few small rooms in this place so either he can't hear me or he's run off- I'm crossing my fingers it's the former but it wouldn't surprise me if it was the latter.

     Just as I'm about to throw in the towel and search outside, a giggling coming from Eniorad's room draws my attention. Approaching the curtain, I peer in cautiously to see the commotion. At the glimpse of Clifford with his back towards me, I barge in.

     "-then we rode all the way home, but we stopped at this gas station-"

     "Clifford." I interrupt his choppy story.

     His face is alight as he glances back at me, clearly more awake than before.

     Apparently, he was talking avidly to the old man, who now sat in a rocking chair contraption near the open window. Both their backs were to me as they were staring out the window, basking in the sunlight and benign weather. Clifford, though, was more intrigued with talking to fresh ears than the pleasant day outside.

     I realize he must be in heaven with all these new people to talk to and pester with his plethora of questions and stories.

     "Hey, Mal. Have you met Eniorad? He's really cool! He does magic tricks and stuff."

      Walking in, leaning against the bedpost, I give him a look that flies over his head.

      "Yes, I've met him. How long have you been up?"

      He thinks on that before shrugging at me.

      "I dunno, a while I guess." He looks back over at Eniorad. "So like I was saying- I told you about the gas station, right?"

       The old mage didn't seem bothered by him, just smiling fondly as he rambled the ending of his story. Once he was finished, about to launch into another story I cut him off.

      "Hey, Clifford, can you go wake the others if they aren't awake already?" We needed to stop dragging our feet, especially since we have the stone- a stone that is tractable.

      He happily agrees, bouncing out of the room to go about his task. Sighing, I take his seat, giving Eniorad an apologetic face.

      "Sorry if he was talking you to death," I say sheepishly. "He has a lot to get out."

      He gives me a good-humored chortle. "Ah, no, he is a charming young boy, very clever I can tell."

      "Eh, more or less."

      "Have you received enough rest?" He asked.

      "Yeah, now we have to concentrate on our next step." I give him a troubled expression. "The king can control the stones; he can track where we are because of it."

      "I figured so, but don't trouble yourself over such matters. While you were slumbering, I set a spell over the stone that would counter the king's control over it. Unfortunately, I cannot set the spell permanently but it gives you just enough time to collect yourselves."

      That eases my mind greatly. We would have enough time to plan our next step accordingly without much pressure. We need to pull ourselves together quickly, though.

     Clifford, of course, does his job effectively, waking everyone up who wasn't awake already; it was really only Sephora and Elle who were still at rest. Once they're up, we gather in the main room to discuss our options.

      "There's no doubt about it," Coxen begins boldly. "We need to destroy this stone so it can never be recovered again."

       The others all give their mutual agreement to Coxen's proposal.

      "Destroying it is no easy feat, especially without the other pieces being present," Eniorad muses, his eyes roaming the pages of an open volume.

      "We could always hide it again," Olivos suggest with a meager shrug.

      "They would find it again," Coxen persist. "We need to destroy it once and for all."

      Eniorad finally pulls off his spectacles, rubbing his haggard, creased face before surveying the room, looking at us.

      "There is a place north of here that holds a small pond in the midst of a forest. I have heard stories and read accounts of such a body of water that has the capacity to destroy and make void all that falls within it. If you truly seek to destroy this threat you must make the journey there. Unfortunately, I have never frequented the location where many claim it is, so I cannot say with certainty it will be there, but we must put our faith in the Fates and pray it is."

     "This lake sounds familiar," Sephora says with ponderous. "Ciek Lake or pond is perhaps the place?"

     He nods, "Yes, yes, that sounds correct. It lies just north of here, but it is a good journey off."

    "Well, we must get on our way if we are to outmatch the king and queen," Coxen says, already gearing up for this trip.

    "I shall assist in your preparations and outline a map for your journey," Eniorad states, getting up with lingering pain to shuffle his way into his room.

     Elle and Sephora make themselves useful, going to pack provisions and such, Coxen goes to sharpen his sword as well as make sure we are adequately prepped- Clifford follows at his heels- Olivos joins Eniorad in his room, helping him outline the map to understand our steps better. While they move about being useful, I'm standing here in thought about this.

     I don't know what there is to be in thought about. We have a plan- a good one- we're at the advantage at the moment, we have the stone. Yet, some part of me feels uncertain about all of this. I don't know what's making me so hesitant about proceeding but I push away those feelings once we're nearly ready to depart.

     "So, we have traced a reasonable path to get to the lake," Olivos begins, laying out the paper before us which might as well be calculus graphs written in Latin for all the sense they make. "I estimate it should take us no longer than two days, if we make haste, to arrive at our destination."

     "That doesn't seem too bad a journey," Elle says optimistically.

     "It should not be if you don't idle," Eniorad replies. "Now the spell won't last forever, you must depart."

     Gathering our bags, we scurry out of the clustered book hoard into the open afternoon air. With our bodies rested, our focus reorganized, and the light guiding our way we set off, waving our goodbyes to Eniorad who would stay behind. I was half tempted to leave Clifford behind but firstly, he would just try to follow us anyway and secondly, it wouldn't be very kind of me to burden a frail old man, who's been nothing but hospitable to me, with an energetic, over-the-top child that he would quickly find less charming the longer he was in his presence.

     So off we go, a group with the same mindset, the same goal (somewhat). Some doubt jiggled around in my head as I walk alongside them, each step causing it to bounce around, ringing throughout my conscious. I fight to ignore it.

    To distract my mind and get my thoughts back on track with everyone else, I pull out the flawed runt of a stone, inspecting it in the light.

     "Soon, all our worries will be dissolved at the bottom of a lake, or whatever the pond does."

     "Whose sword is that?"

     My thoughts are interrupted by Clifford's usual question asking.

     Slipping the stone in a pouch I carry along, I hold up the sword I've been dragging along since we left the castle (I didn't think to steal the sheath which would have been helpful).

     I shrug indifferently. "I took it."

     His eyes are wide with awe. I must admit, it was an impressive sword- the others look at it with reverence, as well- especially compared to Coxen plain, bare sword which dully gleamed in the light even when polished. Xalale's sword stood out like a rare specimen.

     "You took it from the king?" He says in amazement.

     "Yeah. Thought I'd send a message to him."

     "What message was that?" Coxen asks.

     "That I'm not someone to mess with."

     Clifford runs his finger along it gingerly, causing me to recoil.

     "Don't mess with it," I chide him. "It's sharp."

     "But it's so cool looking. I want a real sword like that! Not the fake ones I have at home."

     "You can admire, just don't touch."

     I study the sword myself. The hilt is embellished tastefully with miniscule gemstones on a leather grip. It isn't fully bedazzled with precious stones, but you could tell it's not a cheap piece of weaponry. The metal gleams with power just as much as it glints in intimidation- a perfect blend of superiority, not just a weapon of threat. It definitely reads of Xalale

     Just in that last statement, it hits me.

    "I am such a knucklehead."

    What was I thinking!? Really! What possessed me in that moment to steal his sword? Here I am trying to forget everything about the Brutus in my life and I'm here with two things that reek of him. I still haven't accomplished my first mission- the one that secretly persuaded me to even come back here- and now I thought I was being clever by swiping his sword. Idiot!

    I don't need any more reminders about him, yet I hold onto the sword and the ring still.

    "I'm going to give both of them back. Both of them." Then he'll be a thing of the past.

   We walk in silence for a while- not completely, of course, with Clifford being here and all. Olivos leads the pack, seeing how he has the map, with Elle close by his side, peering at the paper as well and talking softly with him. Sephora lags behind them a bit, closed off to herself yet observant as ever. Coxen sometimes falls back a little to talk with me, but mainly get bombarded by Clifford who pulls at him. I bring up the rear, lost in my thoughts- yet not so much in my imaginations- drifting along.

     Since we got such a late start, we press onward even as the light dwindles and the sky darkens. The moon is actually rather bright tonight, unlike the previous night. We don't forget about our sleepless ordeal from before and so we choose a place to set up camp for the night.

      You'd think after our last rest we wouldn't be as tired, but you'd be mistaken. We all fall out, dead asleep the moment we rest our heads- even Clifford. I finally fully refill my energy meter, waking up to a still darkened forest.

      There's a morning chill to the air, plus the sky isn't quite the pitch black abyss it was last night when we fell asleep, meaning dawn must be on its way. For now, I content myself with sitting up and observing the hushed forest.

     "Maybe for once I can actually watch a sunrise." I think to myself. I do remember one time where I witnessed an Edalirwen sunrise; I was helping Xalale train and it just so happened the sun was coming up. The memory attached to that was a warm one, I enjoyed watching the sunrise from the earth up into the sky- the star of the show. Reminiscing about sunrises gets me excited to see another one, so I keep my eyes opened as the telltale signs of dawn ease sleepily up in the atmosphere.

     Holding my breath, I smile as the light begins to warm the forest, casting shadows on everything. But as the sun brightens the sky, my smile dimmers.

     "Yeah, okay...that was...underwhelming."

      Maybe it was the view or the fact I was too eagerly awaiting this sunrise, but it didn't bring the same amount of cherished awe that the one I witnessed the first time brought. It troubles me I couldn't find that nostalgic blend I wanted.

     Nevertheless, I don't let that deter me from starting off the day in a positive mood.

     The others wake up soon after morning has revealed itself. Once we're all awake, we eat breakfast, which consists of nuts and bread, before starting back out on the road.

     "We might be able to make it to the lake if we make good timing today," Olivos states, studying the map over. "If not, we'll certainly be bearing down on our destination by tonight."

      At first, that doesn't sound too bad. Getting there, or just about, by tonight, sounds easy. Yeah, but things always sound better in theory rather than in reality, especially with a kid like Clifford going on a mile a minute.

      "So what happens once we destroy the stone?" He asks, skipping alongside me.

      We're in our same walking order again just about. Olivos leads the pack with Elle by his side, Sephora balances in the middle, occasionally talking with Coxen, who shifts from the middle to where I am, and I bring up the rear with Clifford glued to my side.

      I shrug. "We win."

     "Then what? What happens to the bad guys?"

     That's a good question, one that makes me bite my lip in thought then finally give in with another feeble shrug.

     "They lose."

     "Yeah, but how do we get home?"

     "Uh, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's just focused on getting to this lake." One step at a time.

      He seems to accept this answer but speaks up a second later, pointing at me.

      "Your bag is glowing."

      "Huh?"

       Sure enough, glancing at the pouch tied on my wrist, I notice the familiar glowing hue coming from within. It sends a cold shiver of dread through me. Pulling it out, I stare at it, knowing exactly what it means.

      "We have to pick up the pace," I say still staring at the stone.

      Xalale knows where we are. We're losing our edge in this race. I have not a clue where he is or how close he might be to us so we have to stay two steps ahead of him.

      The others glance uneasily at the stone, silently understanding the threat this poses. We pick up the pace for our destination.

       The stone eventually stops glowing, but now he knows our general whereabouts. The only salvation left for us is that he doesn't know our destination (or at least, I hope he doesn't). Another strike against us is that we're walking on foot in a semi-large group. I don't know how many people he's with or if he's by himself, but I know for a fact he's taking Atlas.

      We bring up the idea for Sephora to place the same spell Eniorad used over it, but she shakes her head regretfully.

      "I don't have the necessary items on me to accomplish such a thing."

      So, we simply keep up our brisk pace. We do make excellent progress, though, having this fire under our butts. The stone glows one other time during our sprint towards the lake but no more after that.

      "Perhaps we should ambush him," Coxen suggest.

      "Too risky," Sephora says. "We don't know how many are with him. There's also the king's power to consider."

      "Well, we're going to need to rest for a bit, collect our bearings," He replies.

      "Let us travel a few more minutes then we can rest," Olivos speaks up.

      We all agree to that, pressing on a while longer as the sky becomes dusky, the sun beginning to retire behind the trees. Finally, we take a break.

      As we collect our breath, Olivos studies over the map, beaming at it as he announces-

     "We will be there in the next morning."

     "Thank God." I was going to be the first one to breathe my sigh of relief once we tossed this stone into that lake. I determined then that nobody was going to stand in the way of our mission. This was a mission that could not fail.