Don't lose your confidence now, you can do this. Ryder thought encouragingly to her cowardly self.

She held up a champagne flute, her cowardice winning, the champagne now a buffer. He silently took it, his eyes never leaving hers.

The massive yard was quiet and dark. Only being lit by a three-quarter moon, which was fighting to shine through thick rain clouds moving in. There were a few light posts scattered about the groomed rolling hills of the yard, but they were very soft, more there for ambiance than for lighting.

They were genuinely alone, all the cards were on the table, and that scared her more than her wild powers ever had.

Tairin touched the bare part of her back with his fingertips, then to her surprise he pressed his whole hand against her back. "You're freezing." He exclaimed, "we should go back inside."

"No way. It's so peaceful out here. I can actually hear myself think." She pleaded, but maybe, 'thinking' was a bad idea, it had already interfered.

"Ok, but I'm going to go get you a shawl. I saw an attendant handing them out."

"I'll come with you." She said smiling up at him. Now regretting her panic, because the idea of him leaving did not feel too good either.

"No, I think it's best you stay out here. Unless you want some of our ever-vigilant chaperones to join us."

"Well I can go get it then." She said starting to walk towards the door. He gently grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop and gave her a quick kiss. She melted.

"Once again, I think I should be the one to go in, you catch too many eyes. I on the other hand am an afterthought."

"Please." She huffed. "If any of those girls who've been gawking at you all night, see you walking outside alone, we'll have like thirty starry-eyed girls out here." The validity of her own point made her jealousy flare .

"Trust me, I'm much less likely to be noticed. Everyone can't help but notice you in that dress." He held her arms out, so he could see all of her, and gave her a very thorough look up and down. She laughed embarrassed, pulled her arms free, and pushed him playfully. "Alright fine, you go get me a shawl. Make sure it's a big one though."

He looked at her slightly confused.

"It might need to double as a blanket."

His eyes lit up at that. He pulled her in for another kiss, the heat of his body warming hers, but she reluctantly pushed him away before she lost all of her sense. "Go get the shawl." She laughed, pointing at the door.

He gave her one last grin and turned. She watched him disappear through the door.

She turned back towards the expansive backyard, leaning against the wide stone banister, and relaxed. She wanted to just be for a moment. She felt so alive.

Maybe a quick walk would calm me down, she thought. She looked back at the door, there was no sign of Tairin. She had a feeling it might take him a while to track down the attendant, this was not the only outside area. Plus, he might be spotted by someone in their group and have to talk to them for a while before he could sneak away. With that reasoning, and the intensifying need to be out on the land, she moved towards the stairs.

She stepped onto the low-cut grass, the whole yard looked as if it were an elite golf course. Her high heels sank into the soft earth, so she unstrapped each leather shoe in turn, and let it drop to the grass. The soft blades of grass tickled between her toes. She walked briskly along the well-manicured paths, not sure where she was heading, just allowing her instincts to guide her.

Soon she found herself in a small gully. When she looked back she realized how far away from the house she had gotten. She could only see the glow of the house above the hill, but none of its massive structure. She suddenly had a very odd feeling of déjà vu.

Raindrops began to hit her, pulling her attention from trying to place the memory. She looked up to the dark sky, blinking as the raindrops hit her face. She knew she should head back to the house, but she didn't want to, something still pulled at her. The rain started falling harder. She headed for the tree line, figuring it would provide some protection.

She reached the cover of the trees just as the downpour began. She looked down at herself, her rosy maroon gown was now soaked with rain, the color now a dark purple. The mud clung between her toes.

This is stupid. Why am I out here? She thought discouragingly to herself.

She was just about to start heading back to the house when a sound caught her attention. She saw nothing other than trees and a large downed log. The sound came again. She knew she really should walk away, go back to the house where it was warm and safe, but she didn't.

Pulling up her hem, she began making her way towards the sound. She went around the downed log, knowing there was no way she could jump over it in her now heavy wet dress. Once passed she began to jog, soon her jog turned into a run, her feet gripping the damp earth, she swore she could hear a hum pulsing off of it, the voice of the earth. She ran faster, ignoring the burn in her lungs, ignoring the burning around her neck as the leather strap rubbed her raw.

She broke through the tree line, into a vast, bare, empty field. She miss-stepped and slipped in the mud.

"Gross." She said trying to shake the slime from her hands.

She looked around the large clearing, the moon was breaking through the clouds again, casting light on the land. There were small sprout-lings growing along the edge of the clearing to her left, noticeably much younger than all the other trees. The hounding déjà vu began to gnaw on her mind again.

"Where am I?" She whispered.

Then the memory slammed into her, her breath caught in her throat.

This was her dream. The dream that had haunted her since before she had even come to Esera. The dream that she was now realizing was not a dream at all.

She scrambled to her feet, prepared to run from this unholy ground. Images of the battle began filling the field, the woman in the sky-blue blouse, the swirling vortex of death where the new little trees grew, all showing their marks in this now terrifyingly familiar place. She turned to run but was caught up with terror before her first step. Three sets of glowing blood-red eyes stared back at her from the tree line.

She turned to run in the other direction, her instinct for flight taking over. She made it about five feet before a creature resembling a large wolf made of woven branches and earth, leapt effortlessly in front of her, barring her way. She spun around to find she was in the center of the three wolves, who seemed to be more demon than wolf, all of them staring at her with unforgiving red eyes. Terror clutched her, there was nowhere to run.

"So, we meet again." A cold voice came from the tree line. She spun to it. A tall, dark haired man came strolling out into the moonlight. "You have been quite a difficult creature to wrangle sweetheart."

Memories of the young men that attacked her and Tairin back in town came to the forefront of her mind.

"I see you remember me." His smile deepening, "Your face tells everything." He looked around casually. "I'm surprised your annoying Blank friend isn't with you. I had hoped so much to teach him a lesson on his place in life."

Ryder had no idea what to do. She stood there frozen as this man from her nightmares came strolling up to her, walking the perimeter of the circle created by the demon-wolves. Only a few yards separating them, there was nothing she could do, the low growl of the wolves holding her where she stood.

"How rude of me." He brought his hand up to his chest, "we haven't been properly introduced, my name is Stephan. And you are?"

She didn't answer.

Stephan's disturbingly playful face morphed into fury. "Answer me!"

Out of fear of him closing the distance between them she answered. "Ryder. My name is Ryder." She hated how much panic was tangible in her voice.

Stephan's fury settled back into his perverted smile. "What an interesting name, Ryder. Well now that the formalities are out of the way, I highly recommend you come with me to meet my Master. He was quite upset that you refused to meet him at our last encounter. And when we tried to rescue you from that old joke of a Healer's house and you repaid us by running away with those murderers, I doubt he will take kindly to any more delays in your meeting."

Ryder's anger rose up at his words, she found her voice. "That was you who attacked us in Athos' house! You were the people dressed in black?" She moved for him, but the woven wolf to her left jumped at her and knocked her down.

Stephan laughed. The wolf was eye to eye with her, a cesspool of bottomless death staring back at her. The wolf slowly moved away from her, his growl deepening to enforce his threat.

"You really should just come with us. Make it easier on yourself." Stephan cooed, his dark eyes twinkling with his enjoyment. "You've already ruined your dress, and that truly is a shame, you were an astonishing vision of eroticism in it. However, we wouldn't want you to catch a cold from being in wet clothes. I guess you'll just have to take it off and continue with us as nature intended." His dark eyes smoldered.

Ryder pushed herself off the ground, pulling herself up to her full height, "I'd rather die than go anywhere with you." Her conviction sounding from her core.

Stephan shook his dark head disapprovingly, and tisked as if she were a troublesome child. "Normally I would be more than happy to grant you your wish, after I had enjoyed your company for a time of course. But unfortunately for the both of us, my Master has made it very clear that we are to bring you to him alive, and untainted. His curiosity for powerful oddities like yourself, surpasses mine, but no matter. I'm sure he will give you to me as a gift when he no longer finds you interesting."

She couldn't see any way out of the situation. No matter what she did they were going to drag her away with them, to become a prisoner of some mad man. The terror of this very real situation ripped through her body. The coldness of her soaking wet dress lost its sensation, her body going numb. It would all end where it all began, in the place of her dream.

Suddenly a stream of fire came ripping from the tree line, it smashed with fury into one of the wolves, engulfing it. The animal-like creature's howls of pain were more feral than any she had ever heard. From the wall of roaring flames, a figure emerged. Graynin. His bronze dagger in hand, gleaming in the wild firelight, the flames licking him, feeding off him. The rage in his grey blue eyes terrified even Ryder.

The wolf on Ryder's right ran for him, his bone white teeth bared. Graynin met the attack with a slamming wall of air, the creature crumpled against it with a sickening thud. Graynin kept walking, his eyes fixated on the man standing behind Ryder.

She started to run towards Graynin, but before she could get more than two steps, something grabbed her by her hair, yanking her back and onto the ground. Her eyes instantly began to water with the pain. She reached for her scalp and came away with a handful of blood and hair. She scrambled to her knees, Ignoring the dizziness that flooded her mind.

Clashing metal helped her blurred vision find Graynin facing off with Stephan. She looked around franticly for a weapon but there was absolutely nothing. She made a move for the woods, hoping to find something that she could make due with, when a large woven head came around from behind, snapping his powerful jaws at her. She fell still, the wolf's aggression subsiding into a warning growl, it was clear it was there to keep her from escaping.

She turned back to the clash of long sword against Tekana dagger, all she could do now was watch, the fate of her life hanging in the balance. Graynin spun through Stephan's defense, he was just about to drive his dagger into Stephan's neck, when the wolf that slammed into Graynin's air shied recovered and leapt onto his back. Graynin effortlessly threw the Dakawolf over his shoulder, but Ryder could see the red stain of blood running down the front of his white shirt. Before he could make a move on the wolf he was forced to counter an attack from Stephan.

She couldn't stand watching, she wanted desperately to help. So once again she tried to make a move, but the Dakawolf guarding her snapped the air wildly, close to her stomach, forcing her to stop or risk being bitten in a way she was pretty sure not even Athos could have healed. She could do nothing.

Graynin looked to be holding his own just fine with the wolf and Stephan. His superior fighting skills quite apparent. As Ryder began to hope that this would all be over soon, movement in the trees caught her eye. Three men were sneaking up on Graynin, their weapons glinting in the patchy moonlight. She could tell Graynin hadn't seen them. She screamed, trying to warn him. But he didn't seem to hear her. Panic began to rage through her again. She watched as Stephan sliced Graynin's side, catching him as he twisted to fend off the Dakawolf's snapping jaws. The three other men were getting closer.

Ryder's wild mind began to settle on the reality that Graynin would very likely die this night, and the horror of watching that happen would utterly destroy her. That truth awoke something in her, without thinking she threw her arms up. The heat screeching from the dark depths of her soul, rushed out her fists and exploded as she commanded the damp air around her to combust into wild flames.

She pressed her will forward, the flames consuming the woven wood body of the wolf standing guard of her, igniting it like dry kindling. The creature screamed in agony, but Ryder heard nothing, all her senses bent on her need.

She extended her fingers, opening her fists, the fire surged forward more wildly, consuming the wet ground as if it were a dry, desolate wasteland. She lost her sense of self to her desire, to the power. The fire raced towards the group of men and engulfed them. Pleasure filled her as their screams crescendoed over the roar of her flames.

As the fire swirled and consumed, feasting on whatever it touched, she was taken aback when she felt something familiar. Something that was somehow a part of her. She forced the flames to leave it, they fought her, their desire to consume everything urging her to release them. But she held fast, trying to recognize what the anomaly could be. The feeling inside her grew stronger, it grew into a voice, it whispered, "Graynin".

She instantly dropped her hands, her sense of self rushing back, the pure selfish need being pushed back into its cage. The blazing wall of flames died out immediately, leaving nothing but black smoke tendrils in their place.

Ryder's heart began to beat again when she saw Graynin standing firm in the center of the smoking ring, unharmed by the flames. She moved to run to him, to fling herself into his arms, to feel safe. But as the final piece of her power was stuffed back into its cage, her body ceased up, and her world went black.