As the wind whipped through the trees, a lone figure rode into the town out of the darkness. With hood pulled low over the head and cloak held close, the rider went up to the first inn in sight, The Lion's Roar. Despite its name, the inn was relatively quiet, with only a few low sounds drifting through the door. After leading the horse to the stables, the figure stepped in through the front door, for a moment blocking the light spilling out over the cobblestones.

Inside, the common room was empty for the most part. At this hour, only a few men remained in the corner gambling, while everyone else had either passed out or gone home. The gamblers hardly glanced up when the rider stepped into the room or when a sleepy looking innkeeper stumbled in a few moments later.

The innkeeper looked up in surprise when the rider spoke in a soft voice requesting a room and handing him a few coins. He hadn't expected a woman dressed in men's clothing, but that voice couldn't belong to a man. Before answering he peered beneath the hood to see pale skin and a pair of strange blue eyes staring back at him. He glanced away immediately, saying, "Pardon me, my lady." Those words caused a few heads in the corner of the room to turn.

It wasn't until Kallandra had locked the door to her room and closed the curtains that she removed her hood to reveal a pair of long, pointed ears. It was dangerous to travel away from the Westlands, and in a land where elves were hated as much as they were feared, it was best to take no chances.

In truth, few elves journeyed away from the Westlands, and fewer still wandered amongst humans. Kallandra doubted if anyone in this town had ever seen an elf before, and with her human blood from her mother's side, she could possibly pass for human as long as no one saw her ears. People might think she looked strange with her pale skin, somewhat narrow-slitted eyes, and elongated limbs, but most probably wouldn't stop to give it much thought. At least this was what Kallandra was hoping.

Still, she preferred to travel by night. At least this way it would be more difficult to recognize her elven features. Other than that, she would look to her dreams for warnings of danger.

Not everyone hated or even feared the elves, however. Kallandra knew there were those among the humans, although few, who had actually traveled to elven territory and some who had even lived among them. Her mother was one of those. Kallandra only hoped that she would come upon those who might be able to help her find what she sought.

Kallandra laid down on the bed, knowing she would need sleep to continue on her journey the next evening. Wondering when she might find clues to what she was looking for, she soon surrendered herself to the world of the Dream.

"Caymia" - 10/19/97

Caymia Daelin watched the strange rider talk to the sleepy innkeeper. His eyed opened wider as the rider spoke, and for a brief moment, Caymia thought there could be trouble. She didn't want anything bad happening this close to the Westlands. She wanted to find a place where she could live peacefully, and where no one would call her a freak because of her powers.

Caymia closed the door and stepped over to the bed, sitting on its smooth padded surface. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept on something so confortable. Her journey had been long, and with it almost over, she felt she could allow herself some comfort. She rested her head against the pillow and glanced at her black, velvet cloak lying on the chair. A wooden staff leaned against the chair, a bundle of feathers decorated the top. If she were to run in to any danger, the staff would protect her from any enemy wanting to use her for her powers. The innkeeper of The Crystal Globe had taught her well, but not well enough.

She closed her eyes and that fateful day assulted her with such vivid images, it felt as if it had just happened. A man dressed completely in black had appeared right after sundown at the inn, his sharp blue eyes pierced through to her very heart freezing it for a moment. She had gasped and turned from his face and the hideous scar that traveled from his left ear down to his chin. The innkeeper noticed Caymia's distress and he talked to the stranger. Caymia walked to the front of the inn and began to sing, and hoped that the strangers stare would not disrupt her performance that night.

She had sung like never before. Every high note was reached clearly, and every low note expressed the meloncholy sadness ebbing from her song. She sang of loneliness, of despair, but most startling, her songs ended with the hero's death. The people all around her had faces stained with tears, and when she had finished, there was only a still silence. The man in black applauded, the noise echoing of the inn's walls, and then he retired. The innkeeper's wife came up to Caymia and asked her why she had sung such sad tales, especially the one about a man killed by majik, but Caymia herself had no answer. The next day the innkeeper was found at the foot of the stairs, horror painted on his dead face. The stranger had disappeared.

Caymia had left the inn after the body had been discovered and she had never returned since that day. Her ability to tell the future had resurfaced and now she was a target. She felt cool tears stream down her face and she wiped them away with her sleeve. Sleep snuck up on her, and she disappeared into a dark abyss.

Kallandra stood on a high hill overlooking the lush, green plains filled with the tests of a human army. She watched as the pale light filtering through the clouds grew brighter and men began to awaken. Soon she could hear laughter and other noises as the camp came alive, and then the smells of breakfast began drifting toward her. Not one of the men seemed to notice the lone figure standing on the hill, even though Kallandra's black cloak made a silhouette against the light sky.

She looked down at the camp for a time, watching everyone prepare for the day, not once wondering what she was doing there, but then as she watched in the distance large shapes began to darken the horizon. As the shapes moved closer, Kallandra realized that it was an army of goblins, most likely attacking the camped humans. She wanted to run down the hill to warn the men, but her limbs wouldn't respond and her voice seemed stuck in her throat. All she could do was watch.

Kallandra watched as the goblins came closer and as the humans began to realize they were being attacked. She watched as the humans scrambled for their weapons and men began shouting out orders. She watched as the goblins tore through the camp with their maniacal laughter. And she watched as the humans began to die, their screams filling the air.

Although they were outnumbered, they might have had a chance had they been prepared, but taken by surprise as they were, there was no hope. Kallandra watched until she could watch no more, and then she closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she stood in a street in a large city, but all was deathly quiet. She looked around and saw that shops lined the street, but all were empty and silent. She took a few steps down the street, her boots making an odd hollow sound on the cobblestones. Kallandra spun around when she heard footsteps behind her, where only moments before the street had been empty. Now an old man stood there smiling, dressed in shabby clothing and carrying a large staff.

"Ah, so you did find your way here," he said. "I was wondering when next one of your kind would come to me."

"You've been expecting me?" Kallandra asked, confused. It wasn't until then that she realized that she didn't have the hood of her cloak up. *Her kind* he had said, and he had expressed no distaste. "Who are you?"

"My name is Othenin, and yes, I have been expecting you, just as all dreamers eventually find me." Kallandra listened as he continued, "But our time grows short. Come here to Trillus, and I will tell you more. Look for a shop with a serpent biting its tail above it and I shall be there. Now you must return."

Then Kallandra sat up straight in bed and saw the walls of the inn around her. This dream had seemed more real than any others she had had. Who was this Othenin, and how did he know about her? And was the battle she had witnessed in the past? The future? As usual, the dream gave her more questions than answers. Somehow Kallandra knew the answers to these questions were important, but she didn't have the answers right now. Now all she could do was to decide whether or not to travel to Trillus to meet this man named Othenin.

She woke up with a start, her heart seeming to want to pound out of her chest. Oh how it hurt. It hurt to sleep and dream that she would never again wake up, witness the monsters slaughtering the people right before her eyes as they came for her, their gaping teeth opening into a jagged grin. Could they have been her parents? Even as she asked, Caymia lost the last scenes of her dream, forgotten until the next time she slept, only to disappear once she reawakened.

The morning sun penetrated through the window of her room and Caymia wrapped her cloak closely around her. If she wanted to reach Mindar by nightfall she would have to leave immediately, but something held her back. Was it fear? Of what, the stranger? She hadn't seen him or her closely enough to tell if it was the same man who had attacked the innkeeper. He couldn't be following her. Caymia, you coward, no one is after her. She laughed inwardly, but it was a forced laugh, one full of doubt.

Caymia raised her hood, shadowing her face from any stranger, and left the room. She walked over to the kitchen and found Sela carving fresh bull's meat for the day.

"Lady Daelin, leaving already?" Sela asked as she wiped her rose stained hands on her apron.

"Yes, Sela. I've come to pay for my room."

"Oh, don't you worry about that my lady. Such a sweet girl as yourself has no need to pay me if she shows such kindness. Lets just say that you paid when you saved my life."

"Sela please. Let me...."

"I won't hear an other word from that pretty little mouth of yours. Now go sit yourself down and I'll bring out your food."

Stubborn woman! She had only calmed the mare down. Sela would have moved if she'd noticed the horse's anxiety and avoided being hit in the face by a hoof. Well, there was no use fighting. Caymia sat down and Sela brought out a plate of potatoe stew and ale.

"Eat up my lady, I made it especially for you."

This woman could be so gullable, anything could please her. Caymia wondered if Sela had talked to the stranger. She wondered if it was a man, preferably one with a scar.

"Sela, the stranger who came in last night and talked to Rali. Who was it?"

"My lady, you don't want to know. Rali didn't like the woman, said she acted strangely, and had eyes that could hypnotize you."

So it was a woman. Caymia handed the plate back to Sela when she had finished. She gathered her belongings and stood, "Thank you Sela... For your hospitality..." she paused and then asked, "Do you by any chance no the fastest route to Mindar?"

"Hmm, let me think....Mindar. Oh dear, I'm afraid I don't know but I could ask Rali?"

As if he were just waiting to be mentioned, Rali appeared from one of the many rooms in the inn, his big hands rubbed together as his eyes found her pack.

"So," he said, "The lady is leaving. I must warn you to be careful. There are rumors of a woman with a scar whose been murdering people with majik. So you be careful and don't head towards Trillus."

The land was in the middle of a horrible winter. Animals were dying from the unnecessary cold. The nights had killed more then a share of humans. It was the night which he arrived.

It was the perfect night to interrupt the land with the unusual glow of a moongate. It's crimson light filling the surrounding area with a blood glow. It clossed as the traveler left the gate. He scanned the area, oblivious to the cold. His black clothes and black cape made him look from a being out of Hades, and his indestructible black sword, with a blue jewel that housed the Slasher of Veils was more then enough to strike fear into the hearts of those who know him. He was in a new world, ripe for the taking and he will be heard.

When Kallandra arose from the bed, light was already beginning to filter into the room, despite the closed curtains. She had come to no other conclusions about what her dreams might mean, so she decided that she would have to travel to Trillus. Before opening the curtains to peek outside, Kallandra pulled on her cloak and put the hood up. She would have to be even more cautious in the daylight.

She looked out of the window down to the town square below where people were beginning to go about their day's work. A short man with red hair, slightly balding, was intent on reading some papers. He hardly took note of the people walking by him. Along the side of the road an old woman walked stiffly and slowly with her head down. A handsome man with a shiny sword at his waist walked into an inn and emerged later with a woman in a beautiful, blue dress at his arm.

Then Kallandra saw a woman in a black cloak ride out from the stables and down the street. She was obviously just traveling through the town, and Kallandra wondered where she was headed. Then she saw a man across the street in the shadows watching the woman in the black cloak. His face was shadowed too much for her to make out his features, but she saw a knife glittering in his hand. Perhaps he wasn't after the woman, but Kallandra hoped she knew how to look after herself.

She watched the people below for a while more before closing the curtains, and then laid down on the bed once again to try to catch some more sleep. Later she might go down to the kitchen for some food, but she had a long ride ahead of her that night.

After having finished her meal, Caymia walked over to the stables and found her mare, Windchaser. Her mare had a magnificent shiny, white coat that glowed underneath the sun's rays. Chestnut strands of hair hid her horse's black eyes and made her look as mysterious as her owner. Caymia was lucky to have found such a beauty. The horsesmith in Nayrit had been right when he said the two would fit perfectly. Caymia grabbed the reins and mounted, slowly leading Windchaser out of the stable and in to the bustling street outside.

There was an old woman, her tattered white hair blew reckklessly in the wind as she walked stiffly with her head bowed. A balding man with red hair was busily reading his papers and failed to notice the people on the street. From the very inn she had just departed, a couple emerged, obviously rich. The man was a soldier with long pepper looking mustaches and a wore a heavily jeweled sword on his left hip. On his right shoulder he carried the hand of his companion, a young woman wearing a sapphire dress that sparkled in the sun. How precious love must be. Caymia continued down the road and glanced at the many stands that aligned the district. There was a gypsy dressed in purple, marron, and blue cloth, all designed to look like a dress. She had dozens of little, gold ringlets hanging from her ears and one ringlet hung from her nose. She sold apples while the merchent next to her sold mirrors. Caymia was fascinated by the mirrors and their different shape and sizes. She picked up a hand mirror with a handle carved in gold with the drawing of a dragon, its wings spreading out as if it were ready to fly. She looked into the clear surface and saw a young woman with black curls and emerald eyes staring back at her. Caymia smiled and the woman smiled back at the same time. Caymia turned to the merchant to ask how much it cost when she happened to glance through the mirror a stranger carefully concealing in his tunic a bundle of small mirrors. She released the mirror and grabbed her staff, removing its feather covering to reveal a blade. She pointed it at the stranger who didn't notice it until it was too late to run.

"Merchant," she called, "I fear I've caught a sneaky little theif caring away your precious mirrors."

The merchant grabbed his stolen property and offered his thanks for having avoided a catastrophe. He then offered Caymia the dragon mirror that she had been admiring. She wanted to refuse but he insisted. When it was wrapped, she put it in one of the sadle bags and then led the theif towards one of the many soldiers posted by the gates of the city.

"Wait Lady. You're making a big mistake if you turn me in," cried the thief, he kneeled in suplication.

"Please, rise and don't beg. You should have thought of the consequences before you decided to commit the crime. That merechant makes his money off those mirrors, probably to feed his family."

"Why do you think I was stealing them in the first place. My family needs food. Their starving."

His family starves and yet here she stands, about to deliver the man into a crueler justice than maybe he deserves. But what if he's lying. Then he escapes without a scratch and then she'd look like a fool.

"How are you called?"

"I am Lamir of Nayrit at your service my lady. And you?" he said and bowed.

"My name is Caymia. If I catch you again, you won't be so fortunate. Now go!"

Kallandra awoke once more, this time without having visited the world of dreams. It was already past noon, the light beginning to filter in through the window at a slant. Her stomach rumbled as she rose, slipping on her shoes to go down to the common room to get some food. She put on her cloak once more and grabbed her pack; she wouldn't be needing any more sleep today.

The common room wasn't completely full, but many were still enjoying a late lunch, and a few downing more glasses of ale. Kallandra slipped into the room and headed for a table in the corner of the room. A few glanced her way, but most didn't even seem to notice the stranger sitting in the corner of the room.

The innkeeper did notice her, however, no doubt remembering her from the night before. Nervously he approached her table. After a moment, he asked, "Will you be leaving today then, my lady?"

"Yes, I have no need of the room any more. Thank you for your hospitality." The innkeeper almost seemed to sigh in relief as Kallandra continued, "I would like a meal, though, and some elderberry wine."

The innkeeper bowed as he said hastily, "Right away, my lady. Will potatoes and roast mutton be to your pleasure?" When Kallandra nodded, the innkeeper scurried away without looking back, and later had a barmaid bring the food.

As she sat enjoying her meal, she glanced around the room at the humans sitting there. *Humans lead such short lives,* she thought, *it's a wonder they don't despair at the brevity of their time here. And yet for all their short lives, they almost seem to get more enjoyment out of life than most elves.* An average elf lived about three times as long as the average human. Kallandra herself was already fifty-seven years old, an age that would be considered old my human standards, but among the elves she was still thought of as young. It was an amazement that she was even allowed to travel away from home, although had her father not given her permission she would have left anyway. She couldn't stand living with a gift that she didn't know how to use.

That's what her dreaming was, she had to remember...a gift. Often it was a difficult one to live with, as it always seemed so mysterious and unknown. But that was what she liked about it. Still, she needed to be able to understand her gift in order to use it properly. Even though her father didn't know what it was like for her, he saw her frustration and knew that she needed to find help that he couldn't give her. It hurt him that she had left, she knew, but she also knew that he only wanted what was best for her.

Kallandra was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost didn't realize what was happening in the common room. Apparently one man in black breeches and a white shirt was accused of cheating at the dice game he was playing with a bearded man dressed all in tan. The bearded man had pulled out a knife and was throwing out obsenities. He began to attack the man in black breeches, but almost before he could blink the other man had a knife in his hand as well. Just as it was going to break out into an all out fight, a very large man who worked for the innkeeper rushed in, grabbed the two dicers, and threw them out into the street. The men knew better than to argue or to try to defend themselves. They could end up in more trouble than it was worth. Kallandra didn't see if the men continued to brawl in the street, but she didn't really care. Humans were so petty anyway.

Kallandra finished her meal and then sat back to watch people eat, drink, and gamble...and to listen. It never hurt to have an ear open for useful information for who know when it would come? So she remained an anonymous cloaked figure in the corner to whom no one paid any attention.

After she had listened and watched for a while, she was just about to conclude that nothing interesting would happen that afternoon, at least not in this inn, when the door opened and a man stepped in. He was dressed all in black, from his boots to his cape, and at his waist hung a long black blade with a startlingly blue gem at the hilt. As he stood in the doorway his eyes swept the room with a gaze that seemed to take in everything about each person, even that which was not obvious from outside appearances. His gaze seemed to pause for a moment when he was looking at Kallandra, and she could feel his eyes searching for...something. All she could do was stare back at him from beneath her hood, almost helpless under his gaze until a moment later when he moved on. But for that one moment she felt as though he knew everything about her, and it scared her. Although Kallandra knew almost nothing about him, she did know one thing. This man was dangerous.

He went over to the innkeeper and spoke to him, probably asking for a meal, and then sat down along the far wall. A few people glanced his way, but noticing the sword at his waist quickly returned to their own business. Kallandra kept watching the stranger, since nothing else in the common room seemed to be of much interest. A few times he glanced her way, but gave no indication that he knew she was watching him. When a serving girl brought a plate of food and some ale he nodded at her appreciatively, but said not a word.

Obviously this man was a traveler, and Kallandra began to wonder where he was from and where he was headed. She knew he wasn't a soldier, for he had a look of independence about him and no soldier could afford a sword like that unless perhaps he was a high ranking officer. He couldn't be a noble, for no noble would lower themselves to the point of eating in an inn like this. No, this man was something else entirely, but what he was exactly, Kallandra did not know. Perhaps it was better that she didn't.

Soon enough she would be on the road again, except that this time she actually had a destination in mind. Trillus was to the southwest, perhaps not more than several days of riding away. She was still skeptical about what she might encounter in Trillus. Was the man she had seen in her sleep real? Could he really help her? Still, this was the best lead she had had since she left the Westlands, and she was not about to pass up the opportunity.

When Kallandra looked up once more, she noticed the man in black had again turned his gaze toward her, and she shivered involuntarily. She wished it were evening so she could leave this city and be on the road again. She would be more comfortable without having to worry about anyone discovering that she was an elf. After all, she wouldn't want what had happened at Pellmore to happen again. The next time she might not escape with her life.

After she had released Lamir, Caymia headed towards the center of the city in search of supplies. She wanted to avoid towns for the next couple of days, and couldn't really do it unless she had enough food for the journey. She walked down bustling streets and picked up a few items, but every time she opened her pack, the mirror seemed to call to her. Caymia still couldn't believe that the merchant had given it too her. Maybe if she went back to him, he could probably explain its origins.

Caymia ran down the streets while she tried to recall the man's appearence. He had had long, brown hair tied in back with a ribbon, and wore a dark blue tunic and brown breeches. She recognized the gypsy, but the merchant was gone. There was a gap where his mirrors had been, but nothing else.

"Excuse me," Caymia said to the gypsy, "How long ago did the mirror merchant leave." She was hoping she could catch up to him.

"What merchant?"

"The one who was here this morning?"

"There wasn't anybody here. Just myself and my apples, nothing more, nothing less."

"That's not possible. I saw the man with my eyes. He even gave me this mirror," Caymia said as she pulled out the dragon mirror, its surface glistening as the sun's rays hit its glossy surface. The gypsy started at the mirror and then shrieked. She screamed so loud that Caymia almost fell to the ground by the woman's reaction.

"What....what's wron.."

"Spawn....leave here....go before you bring the sky down on us."

"But...."

Caymia tried to calm the gypsy down but she noticed something sharp in the woman's left hand. Caymia ran.

She ran until she could no longer feel her legs. She sat down on some steps directly facing the inn, her heart pounding, gasping for breath. What had happened? Caymia glanced at the mirror still grasped in her hand. Had the dragon moved? Impossible. Then how come its wings were folded on its back, its mouth opened to display a jagged row of sharp gold teeth? She shivered and she felt the goosebumps rise on her pale flesh. She looked into the mirror and instead of seeing her own image she saw an elf. Was this possible? Caymia reached up to her ears and traced each contour, but the image in the mirror refused to do the same. Her hands played with her hair, and it was still curly, but the woman in the picture had long golden hair, and strange blue almond shaped eyes apart from the pointy ears. She seemed out of place, but at the same time majestic. Then she noticed a dark figure slowly appearing behind the elf. Black ebbed from every part of his tall figure and his eyes burned like fire. A jeweled sword hung from his waist, and it was that item that froze her heart.

Caymia glanced behind her and managed to stare at a bare wall. She turned her gaze towards the inn and eyes blurred. Images of dragons and elves spinned before her eyes and revolved around the black man entering the inn. The black man in the mirror.

She wanted to scream, cry out against the pain pounding in her head but she could not release the dragon mirror. The man in black. Caymia dreaded the look on his face. A scar marked the one who had murdered the innkeeper. Could this be the same one? She didn't want to think, didn't want to remember, but her face already felt wet and she knew she was sobbing. The pain. Why wouldn't it leave her alone, why must she continue to suffer so? Even as she asked her world collapsed and she was swept into the past....

Her mother held her in her arms gently rocking her back and forth. Golden curls tickled her baby face and Caymia laughed. She loved her mother and to prove her love she smiled and giggled and her mother also laughed. Her entire body tingled as small shivers raced up her spine, and she felt so free, as if nothing held her to the ground. She floated on air, the pounding in her head gone and Caymia laughed again. She wished this would last forever. She wanted to be loved and as she thought this her mother hugged her tightly and all Caymia could do was cry happily. Don't go away, but then her mother stopped and her father rushed in, his clothes stained a crimson red, his dark hair plastered to his oval forehead.

Caymia felt different. Her body felt heavy, as if she were being crushed by the very air that had allowed her to fly. She could feel the cobbled ground beneath her and she had to lean over a chair to keep from falling. Beads of sweat painted her face and all Caymia could do was stare at her mother. She stood next to her mother and watched as she played with her younger self. She was seperated from this baby and now only watched as this baby giggled and her mother cried.

"Mother!" Caymia cried, "I'm here!" But as she extended her arms ready to embrace this woman, Caymia realized that her mother could not hear her.

She watched as her father spoke rapidly to her mother, their words to quick and soft to hear, their expressions full of shock and horror. He hugged her then as she cried and then left as muffled shouts filled the tent. Her mother held this baby closely and her tears bathed the giggling child and Caymia collapsed to the ground. Why couldn't they hear her? What was so horrible that caused her mother to cry and explained the blood staining her fathers tunic? Frustration played with her thoughts and then Caymia heard the shrieks. A jabbing pain impaled her back and shot through every limb and Caymia tried to scream but she had no voice. It disappeared just as the tent flaps began to open and then she saw a figure looming over. His snout opened into a jagged row of teeth and he smiled grotesquely at her paralyzed form. Suddenly she was no longer herself but in the baby's body and she could see the figure crawl up to her mother. Mother, she wanted to scream, mother look behind you but her voice only sounded gurgled and her mother held her tightly. All Caymia could do was stare as the monster stood behind her unsespecting mother. It was the last thing she saw before her world was filled with red and screams.

When evening approached outside, Kallandra picked up her pack and headed toward the door. She tried not to look at the man in black, the man who had shaken her idea of safety, but as she left she could feel his eyes on her. She welcomed the cool night air as she stepped outside, glancing briefly at the stars appearing above her, the stars that gazed silently down at her. The stars never changed, no matter what happened on land, and Kallandra was comforted by their constancy. But that wasn't entirely true. Didn't a star fall through the night air on occasion, burning as it reached the ground? Perhaps stars simply lasted longer than the creatures in this pitiful land. Death comes to us all, Kallandra thought.

Just as she was turning toward the stable to get her horse, Kallandra noticed a figure slumped on the ground across from the inn. The figure appeared to be a woman, with dark curls peaking out from beneath a black hood, but it was hard to tell at this distance. Kallandra almost went on her way without giving the figure a second, thought, but then curiosity tugged at her. Why would someone like that be lying against a wall unless she were ill or something else were the matter? She didn't want to become ill herself with some plague or another, but something told her that wasn't the problem.

Stepping lightly across the cobblestones, Kallandra approached the figure, kneeled down, and turned it over onto its back. It was indeed a woman, and she almost appeared to be sleeping. I can't just leave her lying here, Kallandra decided. She was surprised thieves hadn't already taken all of the woman's belongings and the cloak off her back. Kallandra had more strength than she appeared to, and she lifted up the woman easily and began walking back toward the inn. Kallandra was hoping the innkeeper would take pity on this young woman, for she had no desire to be delayed in this city for a moment longer than necessary.

When she walked back into the common room, she felt eyes on her as she carried the woman toward the kitchen, where she supposed the innkeeper would be. She nearly bumped into a woman leaving the kitchen who, when she saw the woman Kallandra was carrying, exclaimed, "Lady Daelin!" She looked at Kallandra and asked, "What happened to her? Never mind that, let's get her a bed to lie down on." She hurried off, and Kallandra had no choice but to follow. She didn't even have a chance to say that she couldn't stay.

After lying the woman down on a bed, Kallandra said, "I'm sorry, but I must go," and started to leave, but the woman who had led her to the room said, "Wait a moment, is there anything we can do for you? I'm so glad you were able to bring in Lady Daelin, but what did happen to her?"

"She was lying against a wall across the street from the inn, and that's how I found her. I'm sorry, but I really must leave now."

As Kallandra was stepping out of the door, the woman asked for her name. "Kallandra," she replied over her shoulder, and walked back down toward the common room.

The ceiling spinned continuously before her groggy eyes, preventing any movement for her part. Caymia opened and closed her eyes, darkness and light, darkness and light. She shut her eyes and entered a world colored only by black with traces of images, paintings of a dream she wanted to forget. Those jaws. She snapped out of her trance momentarily and glanced at the ceiling only to see it wander obliquely from sight. Darkness, darkness, darkness. Images assaulted her again, and Caymia screamed, but her cries failed to penetrate to the outside, the scream remaining in her throat. Light, light, light.

"...I'm sorry, but I really must leave now..."

"...my lady...your name..."

"Kallandra,"

Kallandra The woman's voice drew her out of the dark and Caymia tried to turn her head to see this speaker, but she failed. A woman's face appeared before her eyes and she recognized Sela. She must be back at the inn but what had happened? Caymia almost regretted her question. She could already see the images begin to form again, begin to penetrate through the thin curtain of her sanity.

"Sela," she said hoarsely, her words sounding alien.

"My lady Caymia, please don't move. We don't know what's happened to you. You poor thing."

"That woman..."

"Lady Kallandra found you. I don't know what you would have done without her. You....you...could have died..."

Sela didn't even finish her remark before she started bawling. Caymia felt uncomfortable. She hated it when people cried for her. If only they knew what she had done...

"Please, Sela I'm better. Really, I only had a dizzy spell. It must have been because of my long journey."

Caymia sat up in the cot, the spinning continuing to plague her, but not as harshly. She touched Sela's shoulder, half hoping to convince the sobbing woman, half wishing she were completely better. She struggled out of the bed, her wobbly legs about to collapse underneath her. Caymia gritted her teeth and stood still until her legs felt sturdy. She walked slowly towards her pack, ignoring Sela's pleas for her to go back to bed. She opened her pack and rummaged through the articles.

The mirror. It was gone. Caymia spilled the contents on the floor, falling to her knees, searching for the missing merchant's gift even though she knew she would not find it.

"My mirror. It's gone. Sela, where did the lady go?"

Caymia knew she had held that dragon mirror before she had lost consciousness. Could my savior only be a thief. She had to find her before she disappeared. Caymia gathered her things and ran out the room, not waiting to hear Sela's answer. Caymia had to find that mirror. It had shown her so much and she had no doubt in her mind that it could hold the key to her past.

He stood in the alley right across from the end, the pale glow of the moon reflecting off the dragon mirror's glossy surface. Lamir gazed at the beauty he held in his hands, imagined how many gold pieces such a priceless thing could bring him. He placed his prize in a clean rag, wrapping the cloth around the mirror and then sticking it into his pack. He disappeared into the night, failing to notice Caymia running out of the inn.

Kallandra walked toward the common room, wanting to get on her way as quickly as possible. As she headed toward the door, she noticed that the man in black had hardly moved sine he arrived, while in that time other guests had come and gone. She once again stepped out of the inn, and this time went straight for the stable to get her horse Whisper. The gray mare welcomed her mistress, as Kallandra mounted with a few soft words of greeting and rode out onto the street. Just after she had ridden past the inn, she thought she heard someone call out "Wait!" and turned to see the woman who had been almost comatose only minutes before run out of the inn. But Kallandra had had enough of this town, and had no desire to be delayed any more. Soon she had ridden past the limits of the town and the night swallowed her.

Kallandra relaxed as she felt the peacefulness once again settle over her. Humans made her nervous, and especially their towns, with all of their noise and business. She did miss her home among the trees, but while her heart would ever be aching for home, her mind forced her to realize that she must continue. Kallandra was too desperate for answers about her dreams to turn back now, especially now that she had some idea where to start looking for those answers. Trillus could be reached by the road she had been riding on the night before, although she would have to turn west again farther down the road.

Her one hope was that this man who had appeared to her in her dreamworld actually be able to help her. It was obvious that he had had contact with elves before and held no hatred toward them. Many humans would have taken one look at her ears and gone crazy, shouting profanities and looking for something to arm himself with. Kallandra was almost positive that this man Othenin existed and that he wasn't just part of her imagination. She had never been as sure about anything. And yet, something troubled her. Was it the fact that he had been expecting her and almost seemed to know her already? Or maybe it was that after all this time of searching for and chasing her dreams she was a little afraid of what she might find when she caught up to them.

Azrael looked over the carnage he had wrought. It seemed that he was becoming more and more demonlike. Did his cruelty know no bounds? The plain was littered with the bodies of civilians fleeing for their lives. His sword laughed at him. His control over his evil grew weaker and weaker. Was redemption his only true escape or was he only fooling himself. He opened a red gate and walked through.

Copyright © 1997-2000. Shadows and Whispers All Rights Reserved. to the following: Kallandra, Azrael, Caymia, and Locke. (unfinished)