Graynin found himself speechless as he watched Ryder's pained eyes morph into anger with the sincerity of her words. He had gone too far with his honesty, he had opened a door neither of them were prepared to face. His mind scrambled to find a way out, a way to answer her without risking everything they had worked so hard to protect, without risking her sanity.

Please forgive me, I do this only to protect you, he silently pleaded.

"You are here because of an ancient prophecy. Before you ask, no one knows where or when the prophecy originated. I am only privy to it because Athos entrusted me with your safe keeping."

The fire in her amber eyes softened, but they still held the intensity of someone set in their decision. He couldn't blame her, she had been in Esera for weeks now and had not pushed for very much information. She was patient and trusting; probably too much so.

"So, what does this obscure prophecy say about me?" She asked skeptically.

"It states that: One like no other will be given unto the world of Shadow. This gift will be the key to the door. This key will be the making of both dark and light, shadow and fire, world unto world. This key will be the tool to his undoing."

The fire popped loudly, as if trying to dramatize the moment.

Ryder looked as if she wasn't sure whether to laugh in his face or start crying. "And what makes you think this is about me?"

He felt his chest tighten, this was where he had to lie. He had to leave out her entire previous life, all her sacrifices forced to be memories of another. How Chauncer and Athos had saved her by sending her soul to the Shadow Realm, 'giving her unto the world of Shadow', he had to put all the emphasis on the prophecy as the beginning of her journey rather than the middle.

"Because no one of elemental power has ever been born in the Shadow Realm. The Shadow people are just sparks, sharing in Long-Liveds innate instincts and ideas, but no actual powers. And since the day the Pillars of Balance were erected, no elemental power has been felt there. For that matter no long-lived has really been to the Shadow Realm since then. Most of the gates were destroyed by the Council. I only knew of the one we used because of Athos, and only the fates know how he was able to hide that portal from the Council's cleansing."

"So, I'm not from Esera?" Ryder asked meekly.

Graynin cringed at her question, she was like a bloodhound following a scent without even being aware of the trail she was on. He had no choice, "No." He answered flatly. He put on his warrior mask. The mask that he had mastered as a young boy to hide his pain from his mother, who would have accused him of being weak. To shield his tender heart from those who might use it against him. But he hated using it against Ryder, from the moment he came face to face with her in the orchard he had had to hide his true feelings from her, and now when they were just starting to make progress he had to hide himself again.

"Oh." She answered disappointed.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. I guess I just thought I was actually going to find out what I was. I know it sounds silly, but I thought once I knew, there would be a clear path for me."

"Look-" Graynin began, not at all sure what he planned on say, when they were oh so awkwardly interrupted.

"Oh my, what have I stumbled upon?" said a sultry voice.

Both Graynin and Ryder turned to see Jade sauntering into the firelight.

"You two look cozy by the fire swapping secrets."

Graynin was not about to take any slights from Jade, not with the way she had challenged him earlier. He had to show her that she couldn't let her feelings about anything, whether it be their history, or her need to dominate, risk their mission. This was all bigger than her, or any of them for that matter.

Just as he opened his mouth to ask Jade to take a walk with, he was cut off by the only other person who could make this moment worse.

"What's going on?" Tairin asked as he came into the firelight, from behind them. Ryder's neck snapped to him, and she instantly pushed herself further away from Graynin.

Graynin felt his temper flair, he hated that this was her reaction, the need to show he meant nothing to her. Before anyone else could interrupt, he stood from Eva's sleeping mat, but not before giving Ryder a void look.

Her big eyes stared back at him with the confusion of the awkward moment. Her mouth slightly agape as if wanting to speak but unable to find the words as she looked between all three people who were now towering over her.

"I was informing Ryder of our plan." Graynin flashed her another pointed look, as if saying, see I can pretend you don't matter too. "Now that you are back, I might as well share the information with you as well." His voice turning formal. "We will be riding out at sunrise, heading for Cattail. If we keep the pace I want, we should be there in five days." He paused to see if anyone was stupid enough to ask him a question, none did. "Jade, come with me."

The two left the still awkward air of the campsite and went to find darkness. Graynin only stopping because they had reached the edge of their perimeter. The feeling of energy beginning to buzz in his feet as a warning. Nothing more complex than a deer had crossed it, he had felt Jade when she had gotten near it, when she was off cooling-down, but she had never crossed it. She knew how Graynin laid his perimeters, and if she had crossed the line he would have instantly been there, and his company was the last thing she had wanted. Yet here they were anyways.

Graynin stood looking out into the forest. "Do you want to be here?" He asked. He could feel an owl about fifty yards away on a low branch watching them with its superior vision.

"I want our world to survive." She answered.

"What do you mean by that? What has happened to suggest otherwise? Everything has been calm since the Last Battle."

"You are such a blind idiot."

Graynin rounded on her, his fist clenched, his aggression ripping at its cage. "Do not speak to me that way Jade."

She stepped to him, no fear in her kelly green eyes, "Well you are. You have been so self-absorbed the last eighteen years that you haven't seen the changes falling across the land. While you've moped about, the Council has been promoting soldiers that have no right to be ranked, and are filling the army with favors and allies, rather than allowing dedication and talent to work its way up. Things have not been right since the Last Battle, Graynin. There is something more to it, something deeper, I feel it in the water, something was awakened during the last battle that has not left. Something that scares me more than the Council." Her eyes showed fear with her confession, but realizing it she shook her head and hardened once again. "So, to answer your question, yes, I want to be here. Everyone is aware of this oddness coursing through the land, except you. Athos and I have discussed it many times, we have even covertly tried to fix things, but nothing has worked. The reason I want to be here is because Athos believes that girl could be the only thing that stands a chance of saving our world. I'm not doing this to save your precious Aurora, I'm doing this to save our people."

Graynin felt like she had slapped him across the face, her words stung deep. He wanted to tell her she was wrong about him, but deep down he knew she was right. He had turned his back on his family, his soldiers, when he lost Aurora. He had left without even so much as a goodbye, resigning his position as General in a note. He hadn't felt much since that day. Not even resonating with the elements, he hadn't listened to what they whispered in years, simply using them as a tool rather than the companion they had always been to him.

He ran his hands through his hair, the frustration of the truth of her words settling into his heart, "You're right. I'm sorry." He conceded gruffly.

Jade looked surprised, and slightly put off by his response. It was clear she had expected a fight and was now confused with how to proceed. Her striking features settled into a look he knew all too well, her warrior mask. To most it would betray nothing of her feelings, but to him it hid nothing, he saw how upset she really was.

He wasn't sure if it was because of how exhausted he was from the conversation he had with Ryder, or if he was just too tired from a life of fighting to care anymore; he reached out and pulled Jade to him. At first, she froze, her arms rigid at her side, but it wasn't long before her body settled under his arms and she relaxed against him, holding him back. They stood there for a few moments with no words, simply holding onto each other, seeking different things from the other in hopes of finding some strength.

He couldn't stop himself from deeply inhaling the scent of her lustrous red hair, she always smelled like a fresh breeze off the ocean. Even though they hadn't been together for over three hundred years, well except for their singular encounter a few years ago, time could not erase the memory of her scent from his mind. She was as familiar to him as his Tekana sword. He doubted any amount of time would change that.

"I'm sorry I abandoned you." He whispered into her hair.

She pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked up into his face, and whispered, "I know."

Before he could react, she kissed him. As she pulled her lips from his, he could taste the saltiness of the tears that silently ran over her soft pink lips. He had only seen her cry three times, and all three were on a battlefield at the end of a devastating fight, where many of her soldiers lost their lives for their cause. This was a new side of her, one that he had ached for. Now that she was showing it, he had no idea what to do. He looked down at her severe, beautiful face, and gently wiped away her tears. She gave him a small understanding smile, then pulled away from him. Closing him out again.

He let his arms fall away from her waist, showing no resistance for her desire to move away from him. He was confused by what had just transpired, while at the same time he understood. Their relationship was so complicated and woven together. "I-" he started, but Jade put up her hand to silence him. She pulled her shoulders back and tugged her leather vest down as if she felt disheveled. Graynin had a feeling that her fidgetiness came from internal dishevelment, and adjusting her stance and clothes wouldn't fix anything.

"I am sorry for stepping out of line earlier tonight." Jade said in a matter of fact professional tone, "I will fall in place and treat you as the leader you are."

"I appreciate that Jade."

"But." Some of her normal sass finding its way back into her tone, "You have to make sure you are putting our cause before yourself. You cannot continue to focus solely on yourself and shut the rest of us out, you have to be the leader you once were, this can't be about your feelings."

"I understand." Graynin answered.

Jade dipped her head in approval, then turned and began to walk away.

"Jade." Graynin called, "You also need to understand that Aurora is dead. This girl here," he pointed towards their campsite, "is not Aurora. Ryder may look like Aurora, may even act like Aurora sometimes, but she is not Aurora. Ryder is her own person, molded by her own experiences. She had a childhood. Think about it, no Souladeux female has ever been born, I can't imagine how hard a childhood has been on her complex, battered soul. I don't know if she will be able to be the leader we all want, I don't even know if she'll ever be able to control her power. I'm afraid her soul is too broken and fragmented to recover."

"The leader we all need."

"What?" Graynin asked confused.

"You said the leader we all want, I'm correcting you, it's the leader we all need. And I have no doubt she can rise to our need."

Graynin was taken aback, it wasn't like Jade to be so adamant about something out of her control.

"I'm surprised by your lack of faith in her." Jade gave him a tilted look, "it's not like you to doubt your mate."

Graynin felt his temper flair, "She is not my mate, she is not Aurora. She has chosen another, and that is her right."

"Huh." Jade sniffed condescendingly.

"What?" Graynin asked, starting to tire of her games. He had been trying to protect her feelings, but it seemed she was always looking for a fight.

"It's just that I never saw you as a quitter. What happened to the warrior that I once knew who could strike fear into an entire opposing army with his Souladeux battle cry? I agree that she is not Aurora, but the way I have always understood how Souladeux women come about is that the male splits his own soul, and the female manifests out of half of his spirit. The name and the actions are just part of a person. I always assumed what continuously draws Souladeux mates together is that their souls call to each other, not their surface characteristics. So, you're going to let go of the woman you claim is your soul just because she's being courted by another, and she does things differently than the shell that was Aurora? I guess I thought too deeply of your relationship, I guess my jealously of Souladeux mates was misplaced, because I always thought it was a bond of the souls. But I guess I was wrong." With that she turned her back to him, her cinched ponytail sweeping across her shoulders as she walked away into the darkness.

Graynin watched her go, stunned that Jade had just been lecturing him on his lack of faith and dedication to a woman she had more than once attempted to rip apart. She was right about everything. The soul is who a person truly is, it's ingrained in every fiber of their being, yet it's beyond tangibility. And Graynin's love was for her soul, her essence, and Ryder still was of the same soul. What he had said had been partially true, he did want Ryder to be able to make her own choices. He also wasn't sure what her capabilities were.

Graynin sighed and chuckled to himself, he had thought he would be the one putting Jade in line, but she had done a commendable job of slapping him into reality. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked up to the canopy of trees, a patch of bright stars shown through a hole in the foliage.

He let go of his emotions, let go of his planning, and just was. He listened to the earth below him, he felt the joy of the water merely running down the creek, he felt the peace of the wind calmly sweeping through the woods, he felt the popping life in the fire back at their campsite. The elements welcomed his attention.

Then they warned him.

Graynin dropped into a low crouch behind a large oak tree, every part of him alert and focused, his exhaustion wiped away. He sent his sense out, trying to feel what was causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end.

Whatever it was, was adapt at concealing itself, or it was nothing more than a forest creature that got too close to his perimeter line, but he doubted that, his instincts too reliable to be forsaken. He heard a branch break about a hundred paces out, without a thought he pulled his Tekana dagger from his belt, feeling that drawing his sword would pull too much attention with its motion.

Minutes passed in silence, the babble of the creek the only consistent sound. Even the creatures had fallen silent, simply adding to his hunch that something foreign was out there. Nothing would be able to sense his perimeter line from the outside, centuries of practice had allowed him to perfect his skill, the perimeter could only be felt from the interior of the completed circle. Whatever was out there seemed to be overly cautious.

Soon the life returned to the woods, the animals abandoning their silent reverie. The hair on the back of his neck settled. Whatever it was, was gone now, but that didn't comfort him. He sheathed his dagger and began making his way back to the camp. It was time to rein everyone's relaxed attitudes back in, they needed to sleep and move on, but first he would assign watches. For it seemed they were not as covert as he had thought, and their precautions not as infallible as they believed. They were being hunted.