Gideon led them out of the small building they had been in. The door was only big enough to allow one to leave at a time, meaning that by the time Dan finally got out, most of the others had already made for a low square building, which Dan assumed served food. He turned to follow, but then stopped, catching sight of something above him on the wall.

Gideon and Kaori were standing on the wall, looking outwards, and discussing plans in quiet voices. Dan glanced at the wall. He could see nothing beyond it, nothing but pure blue sky and wispy clouds. Were they in the middle of a rolling plain? On the side of a mountain? Overlooking a lake? Dan’s curiosity got the better of him, and he took a step towards the wall.

Gideon glanced up. “Get some food, Dan,” he said. “Kaori and I will be along shortly.”

Dan nodded and turned his steps towards the low building. He would see what was beyond the wall soon enough. Instead, he occupied himself with watching the stream of faces moving past him.

In the SR Unit, once Dan had seen Heleer, it was easy to pick out the errors in the SR faces. They were all different, but they had all shared the same mistakes: lifeless eyes, a not-quite-right skin color, and strange actions which, until Heleer had come, Dan had assumed were completely normal. Not so now. Every face Dan saw was perfectly real, and completely different from the last.

Dan slowed, simply taking in the barrage of endless faces. Again, he found himself smiling. He could stay here forever, simply watching the faces. He imagined Heleer by his side, watching them with him. She would like that, once she got used to it.

He glanced around. Maybe they would one day be here, watching the stream of faces. Maybe from one of the nearby houses. One on Dan’s right had a window looking right out onto the street. Dan didn’t have to try hard to see himself at that window, Heleer by his side, both of them happy and content, both—

Dan walked right into the samurai without meaning to. He had been looking sideways, watching the people parading past him, and not realized that he had inadvertently crossed the path of a particularly large samurai, wearing full armor and hurrying down the street.

The samurai lost his balance. He teetered on one foot for a brief moment as Dan staggered from the impact, and then fell backwards. Dan saw, as he managed to regain his balance, the samurai shove a knife away from his side as he fell. The knife was secured across the samurai’s chest by a leather strap, but was – why, Dan knew not – unsheathed. A split second later the samurai landed, sprawled flat on his back in the dust. Had he not managed to shove the knife away from his side, it could have very easily gone right between his ribs.

The samurai clearly wasn’t too pleased. He leapt to his feet, shouting a phrase in a language Dan couldn’t understand. Dan took a step back as the samurai continued to yell at him, anger evident on his face.

“I – I’m sorry,” Dan stammered, taking another step back as the samurai advanced.

“Baka,” the samurai spat. He glared at Dan, and then said something else in the strange language, speaking quickly. He gave Dan a look which plainly said he expected him to say something.

“I – I don’t know what you want,” Dan said. “I said I’m sorry.”

The samurai glared at him, his face growing darker by the second. Dan saw him clench his fists.

“Matte!” Jaseff, appearing from nowhere, ran between Dan and the samurai, holding up his hands. “Matte,” he said again. “Sore wa jiko datta.”

The samurai turned his glare to Jaseff, and said something hotly, but then he shrugged his armor back into place and, after giving Dan one last angry glare, shoved past him.

“Come on,” Jaseff said, beckoning Dan forwards. “Stay on the side of the road. Leave the middle for the troops.”

Dan quickly moved to the edge of the street. Now that he took the time to look at it, he saw that the columns of soldiers constantly moving back and forth did in fact stay in the middle of the road, while everyone else parted around them. He must have wandered into the middle without realizing it.

“What was he saying?” he asked, catching up to Jaseff, who was already halfway to the low building.

“He was just angry,” Jaseff said.

“What was he speaking though?”

“What? The language? Japanese. All the samurai speak it. I don’t speak much, but Trela and I have been with Einar’s forces so long that I’m beginning to pick it up.”

“What did he want?” Dan asked.

“An apology, I think,” Jaseff said, arriving at the door of the low building. “I told him it was just an accident.”

“Thanks,” Dan said, remembering that it was what Heleer would have said.

“Don’t mention it,” Jaseff said. “And if you thought he was bad, just wait until you meet the commander of this place. He’s an old samurai, and the only reason he’ll listen to is his own. He’s inside. We’ll try to avoid him.” Jaseff opened the door.

The low building was, as Dan had suspected, full of people eating. Windows let in the daylight, and in the shadowy corners, torches had been put on the walls, or candles hung from the ceiling in metal brackets. Dan immediately spotted the rest of his group: they were all clustered in the middle of the one giant room which made up the building, close enough for Dan to hear them. They seemed to be speaking to an old man who stood in their midst, wearing heavily embroidered clothing.

“How goes the war, Gideon?” the old man was saying. “Have you managed to fill up Vydar’s prisons yet?”

“What do you mean?” Gideon asked tensely.

“We all know what he means,” Laelia cut in. “He thinks you’re a traitor, Gideon. Brave words coming from him, when we know he’s the real traitor.”

The old man smiled against Laelia’s biting tone. “Now Laelia,” he said calmly, “you don’t really want to say that, do you? Einar would be most displeased.”

The old man’s tone of voice alone was enough to make Dan dislike him. He glanced at Jaseff. Jaseff caught his look and nodded. “That’s him,” he said. “Commander of Hyleran.” He emphasized ‘commander’, lacing it with sarcasm.

“You might be Einar’s representative here,” Laelia said, “but I’ll always know you as a traitor, Takuya.”

Takuya. The name was familiar to Dan. After a moment he remembered. “Isn’t he the one who betrayed Kelad?” he asked Jaseff.

“Yep,” Jaseff said. “That’s him. Takuya Imai. Never passes up an opportunity to pad his own pockets, and Kelad dropped one right in his lap.”

Gideon had put a hand on Laelia’s shoulder, but she seemed to be ignoring it. She flared up at something Takuya said, too softly for Dan to hear.

“You joined Caius simply because his friends were bigger than mine!” she spat.

If anything, Takuya seemed to be enjoying his goading of Laelia. A twisted smile was on his face, and his calm voice was maddening, even to one removed from the conversation, such as Dan. “As I’ve told you and Einar himself,” Takuya said placidly, “I never joined them. I was—”

“Spying, I know,” Laelia interrupted. “And I don’t believe a word of it.” She managed to shake Gideon’s warning hand off of her and stepped right up to Takuya, glaring up at him with no hint of fear.

“You know what I think?” she said, her voice suddenly quiet. “I think when you saw my father’s friends, you decided Caius was done for, and left him. You’re a rat, Takuya. You abandon every sinking ship you’re on.”

“Still wrong, Laelia,” Takuya said, “though I will say it’s a useful practice. There’s no glory to be had in staying on a sinking ship. Just shame and suffering.” For some reason, Dan saw him glance pointedly at Trela. Trela glared at him. Dan hadn’t thought she could force so much hatred into her face. When he had met her before, she had been the complete opposite: open and friendly.

“Don’t pretend that you know about glory, Takuya,” Francois said. Dan noticed him for the first time. He had removed his helmet, allowing Dan to see that he had long dark brown hair and a weather-beaten face. “You’ve never been within a mile of the front lines. If you ever want us to believe you, you’ll eventually have to get your hands dirty like the rest of us.”

Takuya turned to him, the same twisted smile in place. Dan could tell he was enjoying this, needling them from behind Einar’s protection. “Wars aren’t won by brute force, Francois,” he said. “They are won by intellect. I’m far more useful here, where Einar needs me.”

“Useful?” Francois echoed, a false laugh escaping him. “I have my doubts about that. Your intellect is about as useful as that of an orc, and I think Einar’s smart enough to know it. I think you’re scared, Takuya. Too scared to put your life on the line like the rest of us.”

Takuya seemed unaffected by Francois’s jab. “Scared?” he said. “No, not scared. Perhaps a bit wiser.”

Francois let out a real laugh this time. Ana, who had been standing on the edge of the group, moved away in disgust, actually shoving Takuya with her shoulder as she passed. One by one, the others followed her, Laelia being the last to leave, giving Takuya one last look of loathing.

Dan and Jaseff went to join them, giving Takuya a wide berth. They all sat down at a long table. Takuya’s actions were enough to make Dan dislike him, but he felt that the old samurai at least had a point. There wasn’t anything to be gained in staying on a sinking ship, as the others seemed to suggest. Maybe there was no honor or glory in it, but what were those when compared to what you could lose if you stayed? Usually nothing. He might be maddening, but Takuya had a measure of logic Dan found compelling.

“Do you really think he joined Caius?” Trela asked Laelia as they sat down. “I hadn’t heard that.”

“Of course he did,” Laelia said. “Caius was his idea of a hero: confident, commanding, plenty of big allies to back him up. He was part of his band of thieves long before Caius was driven away, and he joined right in when Caius came back leading a drow raid. Only when Caius started losing to Retiarius and the others did he slink away to the shadows and pop back up in the city, sporting his ‘wound’ and acting like he had been spying the whole time. The coward,” she added under her breath.

“Don’t let him get to you,” Gideon said to Laelia. “He thrives off of goading us, knowing we can’t touch him. Ignore him, and he’ll leave us alone. People like him are always a nuisance we have to deal with, especially in war. They’re always there, and they never change. There’s no point in acknowledging them.”

“I can’t believe that,” Jaseff said. Dan looked at him, surprised. So did everyone else.

“But you know him,” Trela said. “You know what he’s like.”

“I know him,” Jaseff said. “But people can change. I’ve seen it before.”

“Not Takuya,” Laelia said. “Not him, or those like him. All they care about is themselves. Nothing will ever change that.”

“Of course they can change,” Jaseff said, looking around the table. “I mean…” He seemed to be floundering. “Ana, back me up. You think Takuya could change, don’t you?” All eyes turned to Ana.

Ana looked very much like she didn’t like being put on the spot, but after a moment said in a quiet voice, “I think he could change, yes, but only if he wanted to.”

“That’s fair,” Gideon said. “Maybe he could change, but he’s happy where he is.”

Laelia nodded. “I despise him,” she said. “I hope he stays true to himself and betrays Einar again at some point. That way I can kill him along with Caius.”

“Quiet,” Gideon hissed, though he couldn’t keep a smile from briefly flitting across his face. “Wait until we’re out of Hyleran to start plotting Takuya’s demise.”

Laelia looked like she wanted to smile, but couldn’t through her frown of dislike for Takuya. She wound up grimacing.

“I don’t want to stay here,” Trela said after a moment. “Not with him in command.”

“We’re leaving at dusk,” Gideon pointed out.

“I want to leave now,” Trela replied. “I don’t want to be in a city commanded by a traitor.”

“None of us do,” Gideon said, “but we’re staying until it’s dark. If Utgar’s scouts catch us leaving during the day, they’ll warn Valkrill.”

“But—”

“We’re staying,” Gideon said firmly. “And now if we’re finished with our rant on the state of Hyleran’s governance, you will notice that the food has arrived.”

It had indeed arrived, as kyrie were winding their way towards them through the maze of tables and chairs, bearing large trays of food. Dan suddenly realized how hungry he was. The last thought he had before his mind descended to the food before him was that he was glad they were leaving that night. Takuya might be logical, but Dan didn’t like the idea of him commanding a city.

They were joined an hour later by the final member of their group, a representative from Ullar. She looked human to Dan (aside from a slight taper to her ears), but he was informed she was in fact an ‘eladrin’. She had fair skin and light blonde hair, and wore a strange robe-like coat with orange and brown. Her name was Sharwin Wildborn.

Once they were all present, including Kaori and Francois, Gideon led them to a small building at the edge of Hyleran, right up against the wall. It had no windows, only one door, and its walls blocked all sound, the noise from the street beyond instantly going silent the moment the door was closed.

There was only one room, but it was plenty big enough for them all to sit down on the chairs ringing the wall. There was nothing else in the room aside from a bare table. The room was well lit from a strangely-shimmering panel suspended from the ceiling and centered above the table. Dan assumed it must be enchanted.

“Now that we’re all here,” Gideon said, “I want to go over the plan in more detail. All of you know the general idea of what we’re doing, but no one has had the full picture except for me and Vydar. This mission is too important.

“First off, Aquilla was supposed to send a detachment of dwarves with us, but all communication with her has been lost. We’re assuming it’s the marro again.”

Dan remembered what Aviir had told him about marro: strange creatures which looked humanoid but acted like insects. She had shuddered as she talked about them, and looking about the room, Dan saw similar expressions: Ana and Sharwin in particular showed concern. Jaseff, on the other hand, looked almost fearful.  

“Nothing Aquilla can’t handle, I’m sure,” Gideon said. “However, it means the dwarves won’t be joining us.”

“They might meet up with us later,” Trela said. “I’ve met their commander before. Gormal wouldn’t let a little thing like a marro invasion keep him from his duty.”

Gideon smiled. “Maybe not, but nonetheless we’re going ahead assuming they won’t join us. Pity too. We could have used their crossbows.

“You all know what we’re after on this mission: Valkrill’s amulet. If we can get it, we’ll cause Utgar a lot of problems. Without his wellspring, Valkrill will want to use Utgar’s, and nothing good can come of that for either of them. Plus we’ll be one step closer to winning this war.

“Vydar’s scouts have pinpointed the exact location of Valkrill’s wellspring. It’s a small cave complex directly south of Hyleran. We’ll approach on foot, get the amulet, and then meet up with some of Jandar’s kyrie who will be waiting for us, and get flown out. With any luck, we’ll be out of there before Valkrill knows what’s happened. In case Valkrill gets alerted to our presence, some of Jandar’s mages have set up a fallback point near the cave entrance. Once we have the amulet, we’ll go there and wait for any search party to give up. There’s plenty of enchantments over the area; we won’t be found.”

“And you’re sure about the location of the wellspring?” Jaseff asked. “You’re sure your intelligence is right? I don’t want to walk into a trap.”

“It won’t matter if we do,” Laelia said before Gideon could answer. “With the knights and ninjas we have more than enough to fight our way out of anything.” Glancing at her, Dan had the sudden distinct impression that Laelia very much wanted there to be a fight. Why? He saw Sharwin out of the corner of his eye, and noted that she looked to be wondering the same thing.

“The intelligence is very good,” Gideon assured Jaseff. “Kumiko herself made the initial findings, and Vydar confirmed them with some sort of magical scans. The wellspring is definitely there, and the cave is small and not linked to anything else.

“As Laelia said, we’ll be able to fight our way in and get the amulet. In addition, we shouldn’t have much fighting to do, because a few days after we leave, Jandar is going to launch an invasion into Valkrill’s eastern holdings in Braunglayde. By the time we arrive, most of Valkrill’s soldiers should be gone, pulled to deal with that. The distraction will also clear our way to the wellspring, and we’ll be traveling at night, just in case any kyrie scouts happen to fly over our position.”

Dan saw Laelia glance at Ana. It was a strange look, full of contempt and something else. Triumph, perhaps? Dan glanced at Ana, but she was watching Gideon steadily. Her face showed nothing.

“The only thing we’ll have to watch out for will be the occasional Drow scout, and the packs of wolves Utgar sends out, for the precise reason of making sure we aren’t doing exactly what we’re discussing. We should be able to handle them easily, as long as none escape.”

“And how likely is that?” Jaseff asked. “Running into them, I mean.”  

“Not very,” Trela said. “With Jandar’s invasion, Utgar’s forces will be spread thin, and Valkrill’s will be virtually nonexistent.”

Jaseff didn’t look very reassured.

“That will be Dan’s job,” Gideon said. “He’s here as a scout. You’ll need to watch for wolves, drow, and kyrie,” he said, glancing at Dan. “Always keep one eye on the horizon.”

‘No problem there,’ Dan thought.

“How long have you been with Vydar?” Laelia asked Dan.

“I was just summoned three months ago,” Dan said, guessing the reason for the question.

“Three months?” Laelia repeated, her brown eyes widening in disbelief. “This is no place for new recruits.”

“We have precious few scouts,” Ana said, making everyone look at her. “Precious few good scouts, anyway.”

“Has he even been in combat though?” Laelia asked. Dan opened his mouth to reply, but she pressed on, still looking at Ana. “We need the best on this mission, not whoever is available.”

“We should give him a chance,” Trela said firmly. Laelia glanced at her, an edge in her look.

“With the gear I have,” Dan said, “I’ll be able to spot anything long before it reaches us. We’ll be fine.” He was a bit annoyed at Laelia’s words: she sounded like she assumed he would be useless.

Laelia cast a doubtful look towards Gideon.

“Vydar appointed him himself,” Gideon said. “I assume he knew what he was doing.”

Dan saw Sharwin watching him, and glanced at her. She turned away, but not before he had seen the look of doubt on her face. He shrugged it off. Vydar did have a point: he had lived his life surrounded by the same metal walls. If anyone would spot something others might overlook, it would be him.

“Moving on,” Gideon said pointedly. Everyone looked back at him. “There’s a perimeter of small caves forming a ring fifty miles out from Valkrill’s wellspring. They aren’t connected to the Underdark; they’re essentially just bunkers. Each is manned by a small force of drow, nothing to worry about. We will have to get past one to get at the wellspring however.

“Einar’s scouts have identified the weak link: it’s a small cave just a shade east of our path. It’s commander is a defector from Lindesfarme, the son of a Roman Legionnaire. We’re guessing the drow won’t follow his commands as readily as one of their own, which gives us the advantage. It shouldn’t be hard to take the cave; we just have to make sure none of the drow escape.”

“How?” Trela asked. “Is there a plan to catch any who run?”

“Some of the knights and ninjas will hang back,” Gideon said. “Don’t worry; the cave entrance is small. There’s only one way out.”

Trela nodded, apparently satisfied.

“The commander’s name is Caius Marius,” Gideon continued. “Laelia has had dealings with him, and she’ll know what to expect. That’s why she’s on this mission.”

“What kind of dealings?” Francois asked. Dan was curious as well. What would Laelia have to do with a traitor?

Gideon glanced at Laelia, but she said nothing, staring directly in front of her. Her face was impossible to read. There was a moment of silence.

“We should know,” Kaori said. “We need to do this with everything out in the open. We don’t want to wait until it’s too late to learn something important.

Laelia glanced at her. “He grew up in the same city I did,” she said, her voice guarded. “He betrayed us, destroyed my life, and killed my father.”

There was more to it. Dan knew that much. Laelia was trying to mask her face, but he could tell there was something she wasn’t telling them. He had seen deception too many times in the SR Unit to miss it.

“There’s more,” he said. Laelia shot him a glance. “If there’s some sort of history between you two, I agree with Kaori. Everything should be out in the open.”

Laelia gave Dan a withering glare and turned away. She didn’t speak.  

“There isn’t much else to it,” Gideon said, after a quick glance at Laelia. She didn’t face him. “Laelia’s father was Crixus. Over the course of the war he had been in armies attacking a lot of Utgar’s outlying cities, and he had grown rich off of the spoils. Caius was a common thief in the city where Crixus lived, and decided he wanted a portion of the spoils for himself. He tried to recruit Laelia when she was young. That didn’t work, and a few years later Caius returned, this time with new friends in the form of drow. They raided the city, and left Laelia’s family with virtually nothing. Crixus died a year later from wounds sustained during the battle.”

Dan was silent for a moment. “Then why did Einar send her?” he asked.

Gideon looked at him questioningly.

“She hardly knew him,” Dan said. “You said Einar sent her here because she’ll know what to expect from Caius, but how could she know that if all he did was try to recruit her?”

“Because he was my friend.” All eyes switched to Laelia. She turned to face Dan and continued, a fire in her eyes. “He got close to me on purpose, deceived me, and then betrayed me when he thought the time was right.” Dan detected a tremor in her voice. Her already-tan face flushed darker with anger. “I trusted him,” she said, “and he used me. When he killed my father, I swore I would kill him, and I will fulfill that promise. I will be the one to drive my sword through his heart. No one else can.”

There was a moment of silence. “Any other questions?” Gideon asked, his tone plainly suggesting there shouldn’t be. No one spoke. “Okay then. I will be leading the expedition. Kaori will be commanding her ninjas, Francois will be in charge of his knights. Laelia takes point on Caius and his drow. Ana takes point in Valkrill’s tunnels, since she has the most experience fighting drow. Sharwin is Ullar’s representative; she’ll stay in the back and lend her magic when we need it. Ana, Trela, and Jaseff are our healers, they’ll stay in the middle of the group. Keep them protected.”

On Ana’s name, Laelia’s eyes had again flicked to her. It was the same expression Dan had seen before: triumph and contempt. What could it mean? Ana saw it this time, but after a moment all she did was look away, shaking her head.

“If there are no more questions,” Gideon said, “I suggest we all get something to eat, since most of us haven’t had anything yet. After that, we should get some sleep. We’ll be walking during the nights and sleeping during the days, so we might as well start getting used to it now.”

Sound returned a split second later. Dan, blinking, saw that nothing had changed, but slowly the light in the middle of the floor was dimming, and the speed of whatever was circling them was slowing. He glanced at Gideon and Otonashi in the half-light; both were perfectly calm.

Soon the light dimmed to its former muted glow, and the rumbling overhead stopped. Gideon went to the door, turned the wheel and opened it, and rapped lightly on the second door. There was a moment of scraping, and it opened.

Daylight flooded into the room. A kyrie with brown wings appeared, and motioned them out. Dan followed Gideon out of the building, Otonashi close behind, and then stopped, stunned.

When they had left, it had still been dark, and the shadow of Montfre Citadel had dominated everything. Here, the rays of a brilliant sunrise were striking them, and Montfre had been replaced by what looked like a town too big for the stone walls confining it. If Dan remembered the map he had seen correctly, and this was Hyleran, they had traveled two hundred fifty miles in a matter of seconds.

“Time slippage,” Gideon said, noting Dan’s reaction. “That’s why the sun is rising, even though we’re west of Montfre. To us, the journey takes a few seconds, but we were actually gone for more around two hours.

Dan didn’t hear him. He was too busy trying to see everything at once. Hyleran was full of people, mostly soldiers, but some clearly civilians. It wasn’t like Llynar, where the people were mostly returning families. Here nearly everyone wore armor or carried a weapon. There were no children in the streets, though many of the soldiers passing by – all wearing the emblem of Einar – seemed quite young.

Dan looked up, and saw walls ringing the city, topped with what he instantly recognized as soulborg guns. He had seen identical ones when Darren showed him the soulborg prison block he had been in. These were pointed outwards and were motionless, although Dan was sure they would spring to life the instant an enemy was spotted.

Beyond the wall stretched a full blue sky, scattered with wisps of clouds, hanging motionless impossibly high up, far above anywhere Dan could imagine being. A few birds flew across the sky, twittering for no apparent reason other than the ability to do so.

Dan looked back down at Gideon and Otonashi. Now that the sun was bathing everything in light, he could see them properly. Otonashi was wreathed in black, the dark gray armor of Vydar hidden beneath a black cloth robe. A short sword hung at her hip, partially concealed by the robe, but Dan could see no other weapons. Gideon wore the same tactical pants which Dan had been issued, complete with the metal knee pads. In fact, the only difference between Dan’s gear and that of Gideon was that Dan was wearing an armored vest over a simple shirt, and Gideon had on a thick-looking gambeson in the dark gray of Vydar, over which he wore a vest of chainmail, the links stained dark.

Gideon had long hair, most of which was pulled back and tied behind his head, though a few strands had escaped and outlined his face. He had deep-set green eyes and thick eyebrows, which combined to give him a fierce appearance, even though his voice was quite calm. His skin was quite a bit lighter than his father’s, though it was still a rich brown.

Otonashi’s skin was pale in comparison to Gideon’s, and she looked small, with her black hair drawn back tightly into a long ponytail. Based on her clothing and choice of weapon, Dan guessed she must be a ninja. Aviir had told him of them.

“Gideon!” a voice called nearby.

All three of them looked at the source of the voice.

“Laelia!” Gideon replied, striding forwards quickly.

A young woman, Dan’s age or younger, approached. She smiled as Gideon strode towards her. Her skin was tan, either from birth or sun, Dan couldn’t tell. Her face was small, a bit sunken in places, but nonetheless striking. Her eyebrows were dark and sharply defined against her face, making her light brown eyes all the more alive. Black untamed hair whipped about her face in the light breeze which, until then, Dan had not noticed.

“Gideon,” Laelia said as they met. “Einar’s force is mostly here, the others—”

Gideon interrupted her by wrapping her in a hug. Laelia resisted for a moment, but then gave in with a smile, and hugged him back.

As they embraced, Dan noted that Laelia didn’t seem to fit with the other soldiers passing by. She was too clean. Her armor, the same brown and gold of the kyrie, was spotless and shone in the sunlight. There was no speck of dirt on her face. Her hands looked soft, the skin smooth and clean. Next to the soldiers passing them by, many spattered with mud and sporting calloused hands and greasy hair, she looked like a creature from a different land.

They pulled apart, and Laelia brushed some stray dirt from her uniform.

“How are you?” Gideon asked.

“I’m fine,” Laelia said. “Honestly, I’m ready to get started. I think Einar’s been holding me back on purpose, trying to keep me out of harm’s way for my mother’s sake. He couldn’t keep me from this though. Knowing that I’m going on this mission … It’s all I’ve been able to think about for weeks.”  

“What about your mother though?” Gideon asked. “Einar was right to keep you from the war; she needs you.”

Laelia fixed Gideon with a look. “She’s not infirmed, Gideon,” she said. “She can take care of herself. She has plenty of friends to look after her. Besides, it’s time that I did my part in this war.”

Gideon looked like he was about to reply, but they were interrupted by another voice:

“You’re late,” it said.  

Dan turned, and saw what he guessed was another ninja approaching them. She wore black armor not unlike their own, but the gold symbol of Einar was clearly visible on her shoulder.

“Sorry,” Gideon said, “a few people wanted a word back at Montfre. Are the others here yet?”

“No,” the ninja said. “Just my group. Einar’s supposed to be sending Jandar’s division from Liesic – they arrived there last month. They’re expected to show up any moment, but you know how Liesic is – it’s always busy.”

“The capitals always are,” Gideon said. “Where are we staying?” he asked.

“I’ll show you,” the ninja said, beckoning for them to follow.

As they followed the ninja into the depths of Hyleran, Otonashi brushed past Dan.

“I don’t believe I know you,” she said, coming up beside the ninja leading them.

“Kaori,” the ninja said, pausing in her step and bowing slightly to Otonashi. Otonashi returned the motion. “A hundred years before you, I’m afraid.”

“No matter,” Otonashi said. “Pleased to meet you.”

Kaori led them through the narrow and packed streets of Hyleran, past blacksmith shops and small homes, until they came to a row of long familiar-looking barracks. “This one has been set aside for your group tonight,” Kaori said, placing a hand on the nearest bunker. “We can’t be late in moving out, either. A big detachment of minutemen are supposed to come through here early tomorrow.”

“Are all your troops here?” Gideon asked.

Kaori nodded. “They arrived with me earlier this morning. We’re still waiting for Jandar’s knights though, plus the healers from Einar.”

As Gideon asked Kaori further questions, Dan turned on the spot, taking in Hyleran again, and the sky and sun. Was Valhalla always like this? Always sunny, just the right temperature, with a brilliant blue sky overhead? How could he have ever wanted to return to Isadora, to the gray walls and lifeless cameras? Heleer would probably want to go back too, at first, when Vydar summoned her, but after a few days in Valhalla she would change her mind. How could she not?

Dan quickly stepped to the side of the road as a column of men passed by, filling the center of the street. They wore strange plated armor, and seemed to be adorned in an unnecessary amount of red. Dan didn’t remember Aviir mentioning them.

He quickly forgot about what they were, however. As he watched, their faces paraded past him, and for a moment, he was oblivious to all else. Only in the hall at Vydar’s Citadel had he seen such difference in quick succession. He barely had time to take in one face, before it moved on and a completely new one took its place. And no face was identical to another. They were all different. As he watched them, Dan found himself smiling.

Dan was temporarily distracted as several kyrie flew low over the city in a tight formation, the wind from their wings slamming down onto Dan and blowing his hair back. Gideon looked up too.

“Scouts,” Kaori said. “Making sure your way is clear to the south.”

There was a sudden rumbling sound from where they had come. It grew in volume, shaking the very ground on which they stood, and then quickly lessened.

“That’ll be Jandar’s knights,” Kaori said. “They’re here sooner than I expected.”

Otonashi glanced at Gideon. “I’m sure you and Laelia have a lot you want to catch up on,” she said. “We’ll meet the knights.”

Gideon nodded his thanks.

“Come on,” Otonashi said, beckoning to Kaori and Dan. Leaving Gideon behind with Laelia, the three of them moved back into the busy street.

They went back the way they had come, squeezing past rows of soldiers as they went. When they turned a corner and Dan saw the transporter, the door was open again, and men were filing out of it, all wearing highly polished metal suits of armor. They each had a sword at their hip and a blue shield on their back, with the crest of Jandar emblazoned on it.

They filed out of the transporter and lined up in front of it, the sunlight glinting off of their armor and flashing off of their helmets. ‘They had better wear something else if we’re supposed to go unnoticed,’ Dan thought to himself.

Following the twenty or so knights came three unarmored figures, a man and two women. Once they had exited the transporter, a kyrie closed the door.

Kaori hurried over to them, but Dan stayed behind, taking in the whole scene. His attention was caught by two of the unarmored figures, who were talking to each other.

“You wanted to come here,” one of the women was saying to the man. Her voice was gentle. “Stop fretting about the mission. In and out. Easy as that. Nothing to worry about.”

“I didn’t want to come here,” the man said. “I had to.”

“You could have stayed put,” the woman suggested gently.

“And be sent to the front with the other healers? No. I had about two seconds to decide; I could see the captains headed my way, and Drake was standing right there: the only way out.”

“But it’s no less dangerous here than on the front.”

The man shrugged. “At least here I’m with you.”

The woman smiled, but Dan saw her sigh as she turned away.

“Dan,” Kaori called, beckoning him over. Dan made his way to the end of the line of knights, where Kaori stood.

“This is Francois, Dan,” Kaori said, gesturing towards a knight who could only be the captain. “These are his men. Jandar has lent them to our cause.”

Dan shook Francois’ metal gauntlet.

“And these are the healers Einar sent,” Kaori continued, motioning towards the three unarmored individuals. “Jaseff and Trela Imber,” – the two who had been speaking to each other nodded to Dan – “and the one hiding behind them is Ana Karithon.”

“I’m not hiding,” said the woman, coming forward. She looked younger than Dan, small and thin with pale skin, though her light green eyes were those of a much older woman. She had long red hair which she had braided away from her face, and she smiled as she held out a hand to Dan. Dan shook it, noting how small it felt in his own.

Jaseff and Trela were dressed similarly, both with tactical pants almost identical to Dan’s, though they wore dark robes rather than armor. Both looked to be older than Dan by a few years. However, despite the similarities in clothing, the two could not have been more different from each other.

Trela had brown hair which she wore tied back, but Jaseff’s hair shrouded his face, partially obscuring it on the sides. Where Trela stood tall and looked straight ahead of her, Jaseff seemed to walk with a slight crouch, and his eyes were constantly darting from side to side. Dan also noticed that, plainly visible on the right side of Trela’s neck, there was a mark, some sort of brand, where the flesh had been burned in the shape of a foreign symbol. He wondered what it could mean, and why Trela was making no attempt to hide it with her hair (which she could easily have done, for it was quite long). He wisely decided not to mention it. He wasn’t in SR any more.

“Are you all from Toril?” Kaori asked the three of them. Toril? What was Toril? A place? A person?

“Yes,” Trela said. “Rife with drow, Toril. I suspect that’s why Einar sent so many of us on this mission – we’ll be fighting a lot of them.”

Drow? What were drow? Dan suddenly had many questions.

“This is Dan,” Kaori said to them. “Vydar sent him with us as a scout.”

“We’re glad to have you, Dan,” Trela said. “We can’t have enough scouts on this mission.”

“You’re all healers?” Dan asked, remembering Kaori’s words.

Ana nodded. “Don’t worry,” she said, noting Dan’s look. “Just because there are three of us doesn’t mean you’ll need three of us. Einar was just being overly cautious. It’s an important mission, after all.”

“Speaking of which,” Kaori said, drawing their attention, “Gideon is waiting for us all at the bunker. I’m sure he’ll want to speak with you.”

“Lead the way,” Trela said.

Kaori turned and began weaving her way across the street.

Francois turned to his knights. “Rang!” he shouted. The knights immediately snapped to attention. “Envoyer!” As one the knights marched forwards, the crowded street parting for them like a river before a stone. Dan and the three healers followed in their wake, and together, they returned to the bunker.

Dan was taken to a grid of barracks and given a less-than-comfortable cot to sleep on for the night. All of Montfre was buzzing with the news of Vydar’s departure. No one had told them where he was going, but half the population had seen him and two guards streaking northwards through the air. In the short distance to the barracks, Dan had heard all manner of rumors, nearly all as far from the truth as Dan was from Heleer.

Vydar’s departure didn’t interest Dan as much as he knew it should. His recent conversation with the Valkyrie had left him longing for Heleer, and she was foremost in his thoughts as he lay down on his cot. Only one thought concerning Vydar entered his mind before sleep found him: his actions had matched up with what Aviir had said. Felda had painted Vydar as one who didn’t care about the lives of others, and Vydar’s decision had proven her wrong. He did care about his people. He did protect them above all else.

Dan was woken far too early by someone gently shaking him. It was pitch black in the bunker. For a moment, Dan thought he was back on Isadora, being shaken awake in the darkness by Heleer. The illusion didn’t last long.

“Time to get up, soldier,” a male voice said nearby. “The expedition is moving out.”

Groggy with sleep, Dan staggered to his feet and pulled on his uniform, boots, and new gear. Then he stumbled through the dark bunker until he reached the doorway, illuminated only by starlight.

“How early is it?” he asked blearily.

The kyrie who had been leading him, silhouetted in the moonlight, turned around. “Four in the morning by human measurement,” he said.

This meant nothing to Dan. All he knew was that the sun hadn’t even begun to come up yet.

“This way,” the kyrie said, “your commander is waiting for you.”

That woke Dan up. Who would be commanding them? Surely it would be one of Vydar’s most capable and tested generals. Perhaps Carr himself. But then Dan remembered Carr was leaving. Curious, he followed the dark shape of the kyrie through the grid of barracks, through a small gate, down several side streets, through another gate, and into a large open field, scattered with several low buildings.

Dan had been expecting a large group of grisly warriors, but there were only two people in the field. Both were dark, their shapes only illuminated by faint starlight.

“Gideon,” the kyrie called, his voice soft in the darkness, “this is the soldier?”

One of the two glanced up. “Yes,” he replied, his voice deeper than Dan had been expecting. “Thank you, Hasar.”

The kyrie motioned Dan towards the two people, and then turned and went back the way they had come.

“Dan is it?” the one called Gideon said, approaching, a cloak distorting his shape.

Dan nodded. He could see a few features of Gideon’s face up close, including dark skin, strands of long hair framing the face, and a straight nose, but most were still hidden by darkness.

“Vydar seemed to think you could help us on our expedition,” Gideon said. “I hope he’s right.”

“Me too,” Dan said, not really meaning the words. He was feeling further and further from Heleer by the minute.

“This is Otonashi,” Gideon said, gesturing towards the other figure, who approached as well. “Another last minute addition. I’m glad Vydar added her to our party. She’s been in and out of more sticky situations than the rest of Vydar’s army combined”

“Hardly,” said Otonashi, stopping before them. Her face was completely hidden in shadow; Dan couldn’t see a thing. “A ‘sticky’ situation would imply things were difficult.”

Gideon chuckled. “Please,” he said, “your humility is too much.”

Dan couldn’t tell what Otonashi’s reaction was. He heard nothing. After a moment however, she said, “Let’s not waste time, Gideon.”

“Right,” said Gideon. “Follow me, Dan. We’re meeting the rest of the party in Hyleran.”

From the map he had seen yesterday, Dan knew that Hyleran was a fortified city of Einar’s, on the border and directly north of Valkrill’s wellspring. It was as close as they could get without crossing into enemy territory. One of the generals had mentioned that he would be ‘transported’ there, but Dan wasn’t sure what that meant. Transported how? Were they going to walk all the way there? It would take at least a month.

Gideon led them across the open field, his cloak flapping about his legs as he walked. Dan could hear some sort of armor moving and shifting, and caught the soft thumps of a sword strapped to Gideon’s waist beneath the cloak. He couldn’t tell what weapons Otonashi might have.

“Gideon.” The call came from the right, from one of the low buildings. It was a hoarse call, half whispered in the darkness. Gideon turned and walked to the building.

“You’re off then?” said the voice. It sounded familiar to Dan.

“Yes,” Gideon said. “This’ll be an easy mission; I’ll be back soon.”

“This will not be an easy mission,” the voice corrected. Dan recognized it now: it was Carr. “Don’t think this will be simple, because it won’t.”

“With the numbers we have? We’ll be in and out of there in three days tops.”

Carr chuckled. “You’re joking. I should have known. I can’t see in this darkness.”

“Don’t tell me not to joke,” Gideon said. “I’d probably die of boredom.”

Carr chuckled again and pulled Gideon into a hug. “Come back safe,” he said, letting go. “Your mother and I will be waiting for you in Lindesfarme.”

That’s where Dan had heard Gideon’s name before: he was Carr’s son. Vydar had mentioned him.

“Vydar’s given his word,” Carr continued. “You’ll be sent back to us once you return.”

“I don’t want to go,” Gideon said, his voice suddenly serious. “I told you that.”

“Your mother wants you there.”

“There’s still more I can do in this war.”

“You can do it under Einar,” Carr said.

“I’m loyal to Vydar,” Gideon said. “Like you taught me, father. I’ll serve no other.”

“Then do what he says,” Carr said sternly. “I’ll be waiting for you in Lindesfarme when you return.”

Silence.

“Take it up with Vydar when you get back, if you must, but he’ll tell you the same thing. Your place is with your family.”

“My place is in the war,” Gideon said. “You’ve told me that before, and I believe it.”

“Gideon,” said Otonashi softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. “We need to go.”

“She’s right,” Carr sighed. “Once this is over, we’ll talk about this. At least come to see us, even if you are determined to stay here.”

“You know I’ll come,” Gideon said. He began to walk away. “And tell mother not to worry. I’ll see her when the mission is over.”

“I’ll tell her,” Carr called after them.

Gideon waved, and then they set off again, crossing the rest of the dark field.

By this time a faint gray streak had appeared in the eastern sky, and the darkness was beginning to lift slightly. Dan saw that they were headed for a massive structure, which looked for all the world like a gigantic SR Unit, on its side and half buried in the ground, big enough to hold fifty men.

Before Dan had a chance to ask what the structure was, however, another voice called out to them.

“Gideon!” the voice called.

Gideon stopped, and Dan heard him sigh. “Here we go,” he muttered.

“James,” he said through closed teeth, turning around.

A strange individual approached them, about Dan’s size. In the semi-darkness, Dan could see his outline, distorted by a wide-brimmed hat and a long coat which reached to his knees. Several lumps in the coat betrayed the presence of weapons.

“Gideon,” the man said, stopping in front of them. He spoke with an odd accent. “You sure yer up for this mission?” His voice didn’t carry the slightest hint of concern.

“Vydar’s healers have done their work, if that’s what you mean,” Gideon said. His voice had the tone of one trying their hardest to stay in control.

“I wasn’t referrin’ to that,” the man said. “I was talkin’ more about how ya got it.”

Gideon was silent.

“You know that prisoner?” the man said. “The one you failed to kill? We got ‘im, after he nicked ya. Know who he was?”

Gideon didn’t reply.

“He was a carrier, a kamikaze sent by Utgar. He was tryin’ to get captured, so that he could infect all of Montfre. Yer stupidity almost cost us a lot.”

“What’s your point, James?”

“My point,” said James, stepping closer to Gideon, “is that ya take too many prisoners. You can’t take any on this mission. None.”

“I know that,” Gideon spat.

“Do you?” James shot back. “Do you really? You said that at Durgeth. And again at The Table. Why is this any different? How do we know ya aren’t goin’ to mess this mission up by refusin’ to kill the enemy when they deserve it? If you ask me, ya shouldn’t be leadin’ this. You shouldn’t even be on it. We need leaders who’ll do what needs to be done. Leaders who kill when their Valkyrie commands it.”

“Are you questioning my loyalty to Vydar?” Gideon’s voice suddenly took on a dangerous edge. Dan took an instinctive step back from him, surprised by the threat inherent in the tone.

“Oh, not at all,” said James, throwing up his hands in mock-defense. “Just that ya seem to care an awful lot about not killin’ Utgar’s soldiers. Some might even say you care more about them than ya do about yer own men.”

Gideon flinched, and Dan saw his shoulder move back, but Otonashi put a quick hand on his arm. Gideon took a breath and glared at James in the half-light.

“Vydar chose me for a reason, James. You were needed elsewhere, and I wasn’t. I volunteered.”

James spat on the ground. “You and I both know full well that ya just want to prove yerself. You don’t care ‘bout this war or ‘bout us. Just how far up the ranks you can get. You knew I was more qualified. You knew I—”

“Attend to your post, James,” Otonashi said quietly.

James turned his head to look at Otonashi. “’Course, miss,” he said, giving her a mock-bow. He started to back away, walking slowly.

“If anythin’ goes wrong with this mission,” he called out as he left, “I’m blamin’ you, Gideon. Vydar could do better than someone who fills his prisons with enemies who eat his food and sicken his citizens. Think about what you’re costing yer beloved Valkyrie.”

Gideon took a step after James, but Otonashi, who had kept her hand on his shoulder, tightened her grip.

“Leave it,” she said quietly. “He’s just bitter that he didn’t get the assignment.”

Gideon shrugged off her hand, breathing heavily. “If he wants to come along, let him,” he said angrily. “He wouldn’t last two seconds in the Underdark, and he knows it.”

“And so does everyone else,” Otonashi said. “Now leave it. We’re late.” She gave Gideon a gentle push towards the SR-like building before them. Shrugging his cloak back over his shoulder, Gideon stomped towards it.

“Gideon,” said a kyrie sitting beside the building, nodding as they approached. He seemed to be sitting next to a thick metal door, set in the side of the curved wall.

“Meras,” Gideon said, nodding to the kyrie. “Three for Hyleran.”

“Vydar told me before he left,” Meras said, getting up. “There’s nothing inbound for an hour; go on in. I’ll get you cleared in a minute.”

Gideon nodded his thanks and led them through the small doorway. There were two doors, one inside and one outside, each embedded in a separate wall. Dan glanced up and realized that there was a second building, nested perfectly inside the first. Between the two there seemed to be nothing but air. Both doors were open, and Gideon led them into the building, which was dark.

The only light came from the very middle of the building. It was a dim orange glow, but it was enough for Dan to see that the building was one giant room, its walls slanting steadily into the ceiling. It was egg-shaped, the ends tapering into rounded caps. The light in the middle seemed to come from a small egg-shaped piece of metal, about as big as Dan’s torso.

“What is this?” Dan asked, turning on the spot.

“Transporter,” Gideon answered, walking to the small light in the middle and crouching down. “We used to have to ride everywhere, or have the kyrie fly us. Took way too long. The soulborgs came up with this machine. It’s connected to the wellsprings somehow… all I know is that there are a lot of them, and you can teleport between them. There’s an identical transporter in Hyleran, so that’s where we’re going. Close the door, would you?”

Dan turned and saw that instead of a handle, a metal wheel was attached to the inside of the second door. He pulled it, swinging the heavy door shut.

“Turn it to the left,” Gideon directed, standing up.

Dan did, and heard an echoing clang as something heavy slid into place.

“We’ll be there in a second,” Gideon said, going to join them. The three of them stood there silently, waiting for Dan knew not what. Then the transporter turned on.

There was a deep clank as some part above their heads slid into place. Then the sound of a generator starting up. There was a low rumbling, and Dan had the immediate impression that something massive was moving over the ceiling of the room. He could hear it shuddering down a metal track. First it was above them. Then it was travelling down. Now on their left. Now deep below them. Now coming back up on their right. It made one full circle and then another. And another, gaining speed. It rotated faster and faster, and Dan noticed that the small light in the middle of the room was shining brighter too. There was a momentary flash of light, blinding Dan, and then all sound ceased.