Graynin Rathem walked faster down the dark hall, sweat rolling down his bare chest. The Capital Palace was empty this time of night, and that was what he needed. To be alone. To escape her screams. The sky-blue color of her blouse was burned into his mind, the last memory he had of her before she was ripped from him. It would not be safe for a Mid or even a Nymph or Daemon to cross his path right now, he was a Souladeux warrior on the edge.

His heart began to slow as he took another turn, getting him that much further from his sterile palace room, that much farther from his nightmare. He paused in the middle of the hall and ran his fingers through his sandy blond hair in exasperation, it was drenched in his sweat.

"Let it go, Rathem. It's over." He growled to himself, trying to calm his raking emotions, trying to keep his elemental powers in check. This was not the first time he had been haunted by this memory, he was given the hellish gift of losing her night after night. His only escape was when her screams were strong enough to throw him back into his sweat soaked bed.

A hair prickling sound caught his attention and brought him back to the moment. His bare feet moved silently towards the mouth of one of the palaces many courtyards. Stopping at the edge of the large garden he focused all his attention on locating the direction of the noise. He was just about to dismiss the eerie sound as backwash from his nightmare, when it came again. Distant and deep.

His feet moved in response, his instinct taking control. It had come from the hall on the other side of the garden. As he neared the entrance, his understanding took shape and he began to run. He knew all too well what was happening.

Graynin pushed through the fire that rose within his tight muscles. They screamed their protest of being forced to work again so soon after the beating they had endured just a few hours ago during his workout in the field house with the Capitol guard.

He rounded a tight corner with a practiced ease. The weak call became louder, he pushed his muscles harder. Recognition of his surroundings sank in with another turn, he was entering the corridor of the Council member's private offices. A crumpled figure appeared from the shadows of the dark hall.

Without hesitation Graynin rolled the man onto his back. It was Chauncer, a man that Graynin knew quite well, a man that had once saved his life. The high-ranking Healer's gaunt face sagged in unconsciousness.

Chauncer's grey robes were a dark muddy red, at the center of the blood was a knife wound in his abdomen. The blood that had pooled under his body, now found new freedom as it spread across the polished white stone floor.

Graynin sent a probe of energy into Chauncer to assess his internal damage. He by no means had healing skills, but he had the basic knowledge to be able to feel out the extent of damage in another, and if he had to, use his elemental power to perform crude healing techniques. But the energy echo revealed that Chauncer had lost too much blood. His soul had already expressed too much of itself.

Graynin gently cradled his friend's weakening body, not wanting to open the wound any further. He looked around searching for any sign of the Capital guard. They should be patrolling through this area.

Chauncer's eyes opened. Relief ran across his dulling eyes as he took in Graynin's familiar face. "Graynin, I'm so relieved you found me." His voice was rough and nearly a whisper.

Graynin tried to silence him, but Chauncer brushed off his attempts, flinching at the rush of pain from his efforts. "There is no time. I must speak before my soul moves on."

The gifted Healer understood what was happening to himself better than nearly anyone else in the Capitol. Graynin's weak attempt to try and lie to his friend would practically be insulting.

Chauncer, seeing that Graynin had conceded to his request, began, "You must know the truth. She is not gone."

Those words made Graynin go rigid. "Who's not gone Chauncer?" Graynin could not allow himself to fill in the blank.

"She's not gone Graynin," Chauncer's speech was broken by coughing. "We were able to save her soul."

Graynin could only hold his breath as the coughing escalated and he was forced to wait for words he never thought possible.

Then the name he had dare not say aloud for nearly eighteen years slipped from the lips of a dying man. "Aurora." Chauncer whispered, from what seemed out of fear rather than weakness this time.

But how was this possible? How could Graynin's dream still be alive? He had seen her soulless body with his own eyes, before it had been surreptitiously taken away to the Souladeux catacombs.

The only word Graynin could manage was, "How?"

He could tell Chauncer was fading, but the Healer could not die before Graynin knew more. Graynin tried to wrangle his rising panic. He focused, willing the air around them to warm, to help Chauncer's body focus on staying conscious. This seemed to help and Chauncer's body relaxed a bit.

His focus found Graynin again. "We were able to send her soul to be born in the Shadow Realm."

Graynin couldn't believe what Chauncer was saying. These must be the delusions of a dying mind. Graynin buried his hope. He knew that the Healers had tried many untested works on her while trying to save her life, even some that teetered on the edge of forbidden. But the Head Healer himself had cried with Graynin at their inability to save Aurora's precious life.

Graynin needed to focus on the real issues, like who would dare stab a high-ranking Healer in the heart of Capital Palace? How did they even get close enough to Chauncer without him sounding the alarm? Graynin took in the hallway again, seeing if there were any places to hide other than the shadows. There was nothing. Even the best assassin could not hide in this hall and surprise such a powerful Healer. Chauncer would have sensed their heartbeat. The only explanation was that Chauncer had known his assailant.

Graynin returned his attention to the dying man lying in his arms, his dying friend.

"Chauncer, who did this to you? Who attacked you?" Graynin replaced his hope at the prospect of Aurora being alive with the mask of a warrior. The kind of look that would make the toughest adversary squirm under his unbroken gaze.

Chauncer was now struggling to breathe, his gasps were shallow and quick, they didn't seem to be carrying air to his lungs. Graynin gently touched Chauncer's cheek, trying to pull the man's attention back onto himself, he repeated, "Who attacked you Chauncer?" His words firm, but with no edge of threat.

Chauncer's eyes tried to focus on Graynin, but they kept wavering in and out. Graynin felt wetness hit his face and arm, looking down he saw tiny flecks of red. Graynin leaned in as Chauncer attempted to speak. "It's not over...He betrayed..." Every word taking great effort.

Graynin fired back, "What's not over? Who did this?"

But Chauncer's chin sank into his chest and his body went slack. Graynin shook him, trying to bring back consciousness, but Chauncer's body moved back and forth with no opposition. His soul was gone.

Graynin stared at his friend's lifeless body. He had known Chauncer since he was a boy. He had looked old even then, some 1,500 years ago. Now, his lifeless body looked ancient. Graynin realized that he didn't even know Chauncer's true age, which wasn't uncommon amongst the long-liveds: Souladeux, Nymphs, Daemons, and Healers. These lines of people were not constricted by a few hundred years. Age had little meaning to them, but at this moment Graynin wished he could honor his friend's life by being able to celebrate his journey.

A tear escaped and fell onto Chaucer's cheek. Graynin hadn't even realized he was on the verge of tears until it had fallen. He hadn't felt this dark since the day he lost her. He had shut down after that, doing anything physical to keep his attention off his emotions. But when he fell into bed exhausted was when his suppressed memories sought their vengeance on him.

Though oddly enough, at that very moment he felt grateful for those torturous dreams. If he hadn't had a nightmare that night, no one would have found Chauncer until the morning. Even though Graynin felt that the information Chauncer had committed his last breaths to be the delusions of a dying mind.

However, it was possible the Head Healer might be able to make something out of the information. Maybe Chauncer's last words were not meant for Graynin but were meant for the Head Healer in some kind of code. Chauncer had merely been relieved to see Graynin, simply because someone he trusted had happened upon him.

A small smile found Graynin's lips as he committed himself to this new thought. "I'll pass on your message old friend."

Graynin leaned forward and placed his forehead against Chauncer's and whispered, "May your soul find peace." Then lifted his face to the sky and let out a heart-stopping Souladeux battle cry. In that one act, he was able to express his respect, his anger, his sadness, and warn anyone who heard him that a fully trained Souladeux male was on the brink of desolation.