Chapter 2
The Five Journeyers



Eagare sat beside Amileth in the large garden inside the courtyard of Minareth Uduli. For the past few hours, Eagare and Amileth had been conferring on the best path that should be taken in order to reach the lands of the Narmin Annethe. As most people of that day and age knew, there were many dangers that lurked in the wilderness and now that the Narmin Annethe and Wolfar were abroad, it was only a matter of time before reports showed disappearances.

During this intense discussion, Eagare and Amileth had given some thought to the Shadow Elves of the Moonshadow and Morthon woods. They, in the elder days when Nan-Teromnith had not yet begun his conquest of the Wolfar, had assaulted Minareth Uduli themselves. They were also one of the chief reasons that the Wolfar were even taken seriously as when the Wolfar chose to appear, the Shadow Elves immediately sided with them.

It was not the extra troops more so than the skill the Elves had to offer that made them acceptable to the Wolfar. The Shadow Elves were known for their stealth weapons and cloaks as well as their most prized field in magic: shadow magic, hence their name. Unlike the offensive black magic and the defensive white magic, shadow magic was used to create a shadow in reality of a creature or object that the summoner wished. Shadow magic is also referred to as grey magic as it is not offensive or defensive. The object or creature that is created has all the physical characteristics of what the summoner imagined it to look like but it also can be killed and, the more complex or more intelligent the figure is, the harder it is to summon as it requires an incredible amount of stamina and concentration. In certain cases, using to much Shadow magic is known to drive the summoner insane or, in rare cases kill them.

The Wolfar, unfortunately for them, had almost no skill in magic as their culture had early on departed from the Kingdoms and the new discoveries of certain magic became lost to them.

“So it’s settled then,” Eagare said to Amileth. “We will leave tomorrow at the break of dawn and head westward for three hundred miles. Then, at the River Nortonost, we will break for a southward path. That should lead us directly into Sacirion, the Veiled lands.”

“Yes,” Amileth responded. “From there, we can easily reach both the lands of the Narmin Annethe and the Wolfar. We will most likely encounter some sort of resistance as we pass by Morthon. The Shadow Elves will be readying themselves for war once more now that their old allies the Wolfar have returned.”

“I also feel that it may not be unlikely that the Narmin Annethe will realize that we are heading their way and will send out their most highly trained and most elite warriors after us,” Eagare said. Then, with a grin, he added “I trust we will still be very much remembered in the lands of the Narmin Annethe after what we did to the Raid-Master.”

“Yes, I am sure we will.” Amileth replied thoughtfully. He then pulled out an old wooden pipe carved with images of voodoo images and cruel Wolfar rituals. It was scarred and worn with age. Amileth put in some Dorminathian Leaf and began to smoke. “Eagare, my friend, this will be the most dangerous thing we have ever done and for some reason, I can’t wait.”

Eagare laughed. “You are correct. The majority of the Journeyers are young. We must be there to guide them on their path. Wait a minute,” Eagare exclaimed suddenly. “Isn’t that the pipe we stole from the Raid-Master? I didn’t know you still had that old thing. It seems as though you are eager for another adventure. And you said it would be dangerous.”

Amileth simply smiled and went on smoking. Suddenly, the door to the garden burst open and Jaina came running through. It looked as if something had gone terrible wrong however as she was very pale and her hair was very untidy, splayed across her face.

“Jaina? What’s going-” Eagare began to say, but Jaina was already talking.

Jaina’s only response came out as a babble of words. “Aromneth wants us to leave now but we couldn’t find you and then Etherom showed up and said that he would kill you if you didn’t obey his son and I’ve been looking for you ever since. Aromneth is negotiating with his father now but it won’t work because Etherom is so bent on killing you that if we don’t hurry up and get back to the Citadel, he will.”

“Jaina calm down,” Eagare said. “We’re here now. As for Etherom, I will deal with him. If he has some personal grudge with me, he should settle it with me not with you, Jaina.” There was a new flame in Eagare’s eyes. A flame of defiance. This brought about a change in Jaina. Almost all at once she stopped shaking, straightened up and smoothed her hair. “Lead the way,” Eagare commanded.

Jaina sped away through the iron gate of the garden and into the city with Eagare and Amileth in hot pursuit. Despite the frequent cries of “Excuse me!” and “I beg your pardon?!” Jaina continued and Eagare and Amileth followed closely. Soon the King’s chamber would be in sight and Amileth and Eagare would be able to sort this whole thing out.

When the three rounded another corner, they nearly ran into a band of soldiers. Eagare noticed that they already had their swords drawn and were engaged in an attack stance. Eagare took on a puzzled look. He glanced at Amileth and then Jaina who shrugged.

Jaina spoke up first. “What’s going on? Is there trouble?” Eagare shook his head. He now realized how young Jaina really was for she could not truly comprehend the means that Etherom would go to in his present state to get something done.

One of the soldiers, with the helmet of a captain stepped forward. “In a manner of speaking,” he responded coolly. “You see, we were sent here by King Etherom himself to apprehend three lawbreakers. It seems that they disobeyed a direct order from Prince Aromneth.” The captain took off his helmet to reveal dark hair, ice blue eyes and a malicious grin. “We were given their descriptions.” His grin widened. “You will come with us, Eagare, Amileth; and you too Jaina,” he spat. He said the names with such a particular contempt and maliciousness, as if he had known the names and had a particular encounter with them.

Eagare noticed this too and he had to admit that the captain did look familiar. But he still couldn’t quite place him. His thoughts flashed for a moment to his encounters with the Raid-Master but he dismissed them quickly as they were unimportant. Or are they? Eagare thought. Then it came to him.

“Sacrioth!” Eagare exclaimed angrily. “Servant of the Raid-Master! Leave here spawn of hatred!” This was the first time Jaina had ever seen Eagare angry. His face was engaged in a tight frown and his eyes were narrowed not in contempt but in disgust. Amileth too was showing some dislike of the man now standing before him.

“Why are you here? Who sent you?” Amileth asked calmly. “From what I remember, we spared your life with the promise that you would never enter this realm again.”

“You did leave me in that situation didn’t you?” Sacrioth spat. “But as I was leaving Minareth Uduli, a young boy named Etherom spotted me. He took me in to the castle and nursed me back to health and strength. Then, under the name Daranom, I was made high captain of the King’s Guard when Etherom became King. At first he was a bit too nice and passive for my liking. At first he wouldn’t give into my aggressive ideas. Then one day, the Narmin Annethe attacked with the Wolfar at their sides. It was at this time that the King worried and became vulnerable. I made my move. I coaxed him into attacking back and soon, with some of my help, he began to give in to his hatred. Until he was like what you see in him now. Serving my master. Until the day he dies.”

No one spoke for a couple of moments. What Sacrioth had just said was unreal. He was the cause of all of this? It didn’t seem possible. Both Eagare and Amileth knew that Sacrioth didn’t have the power to turn a man from the light to the dark.

“Your master?” Eagare spoke up at last. “Who is your master? The Raid-Master is dead and there is no one else you could have joined except for either the Narmin Annethe which I highly doubt as the would not have accepted you, or you joined with one of the Gods specifically and have become his priest although the Gods are devoted to the light and you are a servant of evil.”
“True; being a priest of the Gods would have been hard for someone of my nature. But under certain circumstances…” Sacrioth let the sentence trail off. All of this time Eagare, Amileth, Jaina, Sacrioth and the soldiers had been walking slowly towards the throne room of Minareth Uduli. By now they had reached the doors.

The door warden seemed to have left so Eagare and the others walked in. Shouts rang throughout the room. It didn’t take long to spot why. King Etherom was seated in his throne at the front and Prince Aromneth could be seen pacing in front of him.

“There’s no need to execute anyone!” Aromneth was saying.

Just as Etherom was about to speak, he and Aromneth noticed who was standing at their door. Aromneth stepped forward and asked “Eagare, Amileth, Jaina! I’m so glad you’re still alive. When the soldiers had found you they were ordered to apprehend and execute you. Fortunately, it seems that you have managed to reach the Hall unharmed.”

All of a sudden, Etherom spotted Sacrioth and yelled out something in code that no one except Etherom and Sacrioth knew. As soon as they heard the order, the soldiers and Sacrioth drew their swords as they were required by law to keep them sheathed in the presence of the King. Slowly they moved toward the three onlookers. Nobody had time to defend themselves.

Just before the soldiers began to attack, a quiet whistling noise became audible. It was almost like the soft singing of birds on the first day of spring. Though unlike the singing of birds, this sound kept getting louder. Then everyone saw what was making the sound. They turned their heads to see a far off dot becoming larger and larger until it assumed the shape of an arrow. Speeding faster than anyone’s eyes could track it; the arrow struck its target. It was embedded in Sacrioth’s chest, right at the heart.

The look on Sacrioth’s face was one of sheer surprise. Sacrioth’s body spiraled from the impact of the arrow. Time seemed to stop. Slowly, gracefully, Sacrioth fell; into a place where he could never return from. His icy eyes widened in shock and for the first time everyone saw that Sacrioth was just another person, not a foul creature, but a person created in the visage of the Gods but lead down the wrong path. Everyone bowed their head at the same time; for though the life of an evil being had ended, it was still another person dead.

Blonde-haired Udaniath stepped up the stairs leading to the throne room and walked inside. His blue eyes showed much concern, and his normally handsome face was taught with tension.

“I am sorry Master Eagare.” Udaniath croaked. “I was heading for the throne room all along and I even had you within my sight at one point. Then I saw Sacrioth. I ran to the government building and climbed up to the tallest floor. From there, I saw you in the throne room, about to be attacked by the soldiers. I drew an arrow and I took careful aim. I released and I saw my target fall.” A look of sadness filled the eyes of Udaniath, his stormy eyes sparkling with tears. “I came here as soon as I had finished. I am sorry. I felt that it had to be done.”

Eagare and Amileth were silent for a moment. It was if the Gods themselves were about to pass judgement on Udaniath. A queer silence filled the air. It was not total silence, for the chatter of peasants could still be heard echoing through the winding streets. It was silence of the mind. Everyone’s mind was working. However, all silences must end, even those of eternal death. Death is never forever. The Gods raise those who fall from the world and bring them to their Realm and seat them at the head of the table, as the guest of honour.

“Y-You were right,” stammered Jaina, breaking the silence. “He would have killed us. Even with Eagare and Amileth we wouldn’t have been able to hold out against the entire Guard of the King. It-thank you. Thank you for saving us.


During this time of silence which lasted for over ten minutes, Etherom had not moved a muscle. Now, his face was contorted with rage, and at the same time, shock. It now seemed obvious that even in his time of greatness, the King had not truly known Sacrioth. Now he had lost his Captain.

“Aromneth, you wished for us to leave?” Eagare asked, changing the subject. “I think it would be best, for the sooner we leave, the more chance we have of avoiding the rising of the Elves of the Shadow, not to mention the already vicious Wolfar and the Narmin Annethe. Now as for our route, after leaving the Realm of Dorminath, we shall turn South and head for the Moonshadow woods. This is where the quest will become difficult. There is a chance that we will be caught by the Shadow Elf guards. We must continue at a safe distance at any rate. Then, after crossing the River, we shall assume a South-Easterly path, taking us close to Kethrion, the old fortress of the Raid-Master. Although it has been abandoned since the fall of the Raid-Master, I suspect that whoever leads the Narmin Annethe has taken refuge there. This is where we will find our answers to what should be done. Unfortunately, the realm of the Wolfar is but a few miles West of this region so we could run into them on our way; be wary. Also, from what I hear from some of the more remote towns, many of the civilized Elves located fifty or so miles West from the Wolfar have vanished. I suspect the worst for them. All in all, we have a harsh journey ahead of us. It would be wise if we left soon. Aromneth, I’m ready when you are.”

Eagare, Amileth, Jaina, Udaniath and Aromneth left the throne room, the statues glinting as the sun pored in. They walked through the stone courtyard, their eyes set in cold determination. Their wills were solid, their minds composed. Nothing could hold them back. They passed through Tephrioth, the farthest point any enemy to Minareth Uduli had stood. In this very spot, was the statue of the man that had killed that Wolfar king. The man was An-Rectrion, The Sharp Minded. In his bust, he was shown in all of his former valour, with sword held directly in front of him. On this stone was inscribed dethrioth en tecrion: slayer of evil. The monument stood proud and tall, its watchful gaze sweeping over Minareth Uduli. His face showed recent neglect however, for due to the constant erosion, narrow indents had formed under the eyes. Some of the pride and glory of An-Rectrion was still visible but, to the dismay of Aromneth, the old King looked as if he were crying for Minareth Uduli rather than guarding it.

The Five passed through the many gardens leading up to the heavy wooden gates of Minareth Uduli watching the children play. Eagare wondered if there would ever again be peace for those children. Something still nagged at the back of Eagare’s mind though, something about the King. He knew that there was something the King said that was not possible. Then it came to him. Eagare remembered when the King had said that an oath to Alamark would not hold for long. But did he mean to attack the High Realm? Surely he could not win. Not even stand a chance. Still, it was discomforting. Even in his present, slightly delirious state, the King was still wise. Eagare did not believe that Etherom would say such foolish things. He must be somehow secure. For a moment Eagare thought that Etherom had lost faith in the Gods. He banished the thought immediately. Confused as he was, Etherom would not dare go that far. He would keep the balance he was sworn to: Derathom, the combined life force of the Gods that kept all choices balanced . If one was wronged, they would be compensated in their later life. If one did wrong, they would be punished. That was Derathom. Eagare remembered what the Gods had defined as Derathom’s Promise to all who live by it: Blessed are they, those who are wronged, they shall live in joy. Blessed are they, those who bring peace, they shall find it themselves. Blessed are they, those healers of sick, they shall never fall ill. These were but a few short lines of the entire scripture of Derathom that the scribes in the High Realm’s towers studied.

Eagare and his Company finally reached the western gate. Like all of the other gates of Minareth Uduli, this had a silver dragon encircled by 3 stars, one blue, one red, and one green. These represented Inorcin, Alamark and Belegon respectively. Of massive wood the doors were made, built by the Athirion in the days of old. Chains on the inside rendered the gate impervious to all but the most advanced battering rams.

“Hey,” cried the warden of the gatehouse. “What business d’you have outside o’ Minareth Uduli? Come on! Speak now!

Calmly, Aromneth replied. “We are on a Quest which, if I am, not mistaken, is none of your business. For I am your Prince and you must obey me. Now! Let us pass!”

The guard’s hostile look faltered. Wearily, he let the Journeyers through. As dawn was just drawing nigh, the Journey that would discern the fate of Dorminath, and even Anneth had begun.

After passing through the massive gate of Dorminath, the Five began on the same road that Eagare had walked upon a mere day earlier. Soon the Five, after traveling for over hours, came upon the city of Irnul. The small, primitive huts were of a unique design to most Men of the Age. Unlike most, more civilized towns; the Irnul huts were very circular, being wider than they were tall. The doors were oval-shaped and over a meter in width with large handles on the left side. The folk of Irnul were very strange indeed. The city of Irnul was really quite large and it had its own civilization. It was in law books part of Dorminath yet the Kings of the past had always given the Irnuli free reign in their own societies. While they were still bound by Dorminath’s King and were still under oath to serve him, they were viewed by much of world as a separate people. One of great strangeness at that.

The Irnuli were much stouter than most men of the area and some wondered why they were even part of the Kingdom at all. Actually, it was really pity that brought the Irnuli to be part of Dorminath. It was said (by those of Minareth Uduli) that in the ancient days, Arathrim, the First King, became separated from his party which was chasing a band of demonic Inori across the Eastern lands. After stumbling around through the woods for some time, Arathrim feinted from thirst. His party searched for days for him but found neither him nor any clues to help them to find him.

However, when Arathrim woke up from his long dream of the world’s ending, he found himself in the company of some strange little men. The small men saw him wake and told him that Grinob (the High One) had told them to care for his servant. Arathrim, by using common sense figured Grinob to be Alamark judging by the reverence in which the little people spoke about him. These small men, after nursing Arathrim back to health, showed him maps of where he was and where he needed to go in order to find his men. These Irnuli accompanied Arathrim to his fortress personally. They later agreed to become part of the Kingdom that would later be known as Dorminath. These same Irnuli donned armour and fought for Arathrim in later battles.

The Five walked into a small pub on the corner of a street. Eagare and Amileth instructed the other three Journeyers to stay at the table while the two conversed with a friend of theirs who was an invaluable source of information, as most street-dwellers are, eavesdropping on folk of importance, hiding in the shadows, and trying to survive in any way possible.

Eagare and Amileth then left the Journeyers to stay at the table. Aromneth watched them walk over to a corner and take seats at a table with a hooded man, smoking a pipe.
Aromneth then thought it best to get to know the other Journeyers while he waited. He addressed Udaniath. “Udaniath, lord of Elves, what brings you to these lands? I wish to know, not rudely so I hope, where you came from and a little amount of the culture of your Kingdom.”

“I am not offended Aromneth, you need not worry about that,” Udaniath replied swiftly. “I am one of the Svathin Elves of the far western lands. I am the only son of oour beloved King whose name I am forbidden to tell. Of our culture little can be said with out risk of destroying my resputaion, for you see, the Gods do not wish for us to reveal the full scope of our duties. All I will say is that we are the utmost servants of the Gods, and many of our people give their lives to these Gods. I’m afraid that’s all I’m permitted to reveal my lord, for the laws of our people are strict, and the punishments for breaking them are harsh. I hope this has satisfied your thirst for the knowledge of my culture.

I was called to these lands by a messenger of the King Etherom. The message was meant for our King, but unfortunately, he is much too busy to come all the way to the splendid country of Dorminath. An so, he asked me to go on his behalf to Dorminath and he was filled with much sadness when he had learned that he would not be able to go. Before I left, he sang to me of the wonders of Dorminath.

Away in Dorminath, my heart yearns to be,
Where the trees are tall, and the rivers broad as the sea.
Away in Dorminath I wish I was,
To the Timeless Halls and the mystical woods.
To Dorminath! Dorminath!
Realm of Kings,
Land of flowers.
Of it I sing,
Filled with towers
Of.
Dorminath! Dorminath!
My heart ever yearns,
To see your castles,
To walk upon your grass
To see the Woods
Where none have been
Dorminath! Dorminath!
To you I give my hope.
Stand evermore,
Watch me with care!


When Udaniath finished, he again took his seat. Meanwhile, Eagare had already begun speaking with the man in the corner whose name was revealed to be Menion.
“Menion,” Eagare said. “My companions and I seek the land of the Narmin Annethe. What can you tell us of their dealings in this land? It is imperative that my company and I move in secrecy, swiftly as the bird flies, else King Etherom loses control and attacks.”

“Well Eagare, my news will then please you little.” Menion replied. “The Narmin Annethe have been very secretive themselves lately. I myself tried to infiltrate their command, twice, and both times I barely escaped with my life. But if you are serious of your quest, I’d say to follow the river Northonost Westward for about 50 miles. You should then be near to the splitting of the great river. Then turn south and cross the river at the Fords of Erein. From there, as you will have taken the most difficult route and are unlikely to be tracked by the Narmin Annethe or the Wolfar, head south-east and you should come will soon be in view of the Black Mountains. Follow the mountain chain until you enter the homeland of the Narmin Annethe. After you reach there, I can help you no longer, as I never made it past the Fords.” Menion scratched his beard and smiled. “Eagare, Amileth, this is just like old times. You two are always out on some adventure but you can never find out just how to get to where you need to go without me. Really, I thought you would’ve learned by now.” Eagare laughed. Amileth and Menion joined in.


However, the others of the group were getting impatient so they ventured over to the bartender and asked for some drinks. Aromneth walked over to Eagare and told him the rest of the Journeyers were going to take a walk and get to know each other. Leaving the relatively mundane bar, the Journeyers walked out once again into the wide open sky. Passing by many of the primitive houses, Udaniath was more at awe than anyone else as there were few times he was privileged to see Men of Dorminath in their daily lives. Udaniath gave a loud grunt all of a sudden and the other Journeyers spun around.

“We don’ wan’ your kind ‘round here elf-demon,” a tall man in a fraying cloak and brandishing a heavy slab of wood; it looked like it had been ripped right out of one of the nearby houses. Aromneth stepped up to Udaniath and began to examine him. After concluding that he had two broken ribs he turned to face the man.

“What business does an Outsider have in Irnul,” Aromneth questioned, hand reaching for his sword. Just in case, he thought. “Last I heard, your village of Aranin were defeated by our noble warriors of Dorminath after your ancestors attempted to join forces with the Wolfar. As I recall, wasn’t one of your kin the culprit of the assassination of Nan-Teromnith?”

“Not just of my kin,” said the man, suddenly seeming less brutish; his black eyes now looked at a distant past, seeing something that seemed to be near yet invisible. “But of my own house.”

Aromneth was taken aback at this news, but he forced a laugh. “Your petty village had customs? I was under the impression that you didn’t keep track of years, let alone lineage. Why do you disturb us now fool?”

The man replied “Elvish folk are not welcomed by the Arani. If only I had aimed but a little higher; your friend might now be dead.” A trail of spittle began to droop down his mouth and Aromneth concluded that he was mad in some sense. Random words began to pour from the now delirious man’s mouth. “Death, Eagare Inoricn’s pupil; darkness incarnate. Narmin Annethe. Wolfar. Plot kill Gods. Destroy Derathom. What followed was almost entirely unintelligible to Aromneth except for the occasional meaningless word here and there.

Suddenly the man’s eyelids drooped and with one final blood-curdling wail, he collapsed; dead before he hit the ground. Several nearby women screamed when they saw what was going on. Children were crying everywhere. People were panicking and running in all directions, trying to get as far away as they could from the magically dead man.

Aromneth himself was as white as the new coat of paint on the house behind him. Udaniath’s eyes had been closed and he seemed to have lost consciousness. However, bubbles of blood continued to form at the corners of his mouth before bursting. Jaina looked like she would vomit if she so much as opened her mouth.

Eagare stepped out of the building with Amileth at long last. Both of them still had the look of laughter on their faces. However, it vanished the moment they saw Aromneth and Jaina.

“What happened here?” Eagare asked incredulously. “Tell me everything!”

So Aromneth proceeded to tell Eagare and Amileth exactly what had happened since their departure from the bar. After Aromneth had finished his story, Eagare ran a hand through his silvery hair saying “Well I myself must honestly say that I have no idea
What went on here?”

For a long time Eagare simply stood there, with Amileth at his side, gazing transfixed at the corpse now buzzing with flies. Curious, Eagare thought to himself, how something so large can be so quickly devoured by something so small. Still gazing at the flies, Eagare could hear rapid breathing coming from Jaina. She was sobbing.

“Jaina?” Eagare said seeming genuinely concerned. “What in the world is wrong?”

“It’s just that-” Jaina broke off midway at another sob. “I’m so scared now; how did he die? Why did he die? We haven’t even made it out of Arathan and already there is trouble. Just think what will happen when we reach the Outer Lands. Wha-?”

“Jaina!” Eagare said sharply, stopping Jaina in her tracks. “Hold your tongue girl! We must leave here immediately. There is no place for fear now. Now get yourself in a presentable condition, and clear your mind; I’m going to need your help for the Mending.

Amileth made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a sigh. Aromneth merely turned whiter and his eyes became full moons.

It was Jaina who once again broke the silence. “What in the Flame is Mending? How can that help us? If we need to leave, we must first take care of Udaniath.”

“That is precisely what Mending is.” Eagare replied tersely. “It is an ancient art which is lost in these times. It involves calling upon the energies of Derathom itself. Only a few are gifted I’m afraid. Far too few are now. Now, I’ve explained it so keep your tongue still or I will make it still.”

Jaina closed her mouth halfway through taking a breath to speak. Eagare’s face grew calm. His eyes closed and his body relaxed. Heat waves began to circulate around him. A golden mist which caught the light from the sun enveloped him and Udaniath at his feet. The mist became blue as Eagare concentrated further. He opened his eyes with something very like fury in them; yet it was only determination and power.

Udaniath’s blue eyes snapped opened. For a moment he seemed to shake continuously. Then his shaking erupted into convulsions. He let out a blood curdling scream which echoed in the now-empty street. Then, when it seemed to the Journeyers that Udaniath could take no more, he collapsed and the screaming stopped. Eagare seemed to let go of whatever he had been doing and turned to face them, looking slightly weary but relieved.

“A powerful form of healing,” he said. “But it takes more energy out of him than me. For I call also upon the Derathom within him. He will need plenty of rest and some food, but he’ll be back on his feet tomorrow. Luckily it was just a small wound; it would have taken much more energy to heal something serious, like a curse.”

Amileth spoke up. “I suggest we find an inn somewhere around here so we can get rested and give Udaniath the care he needs.”

“I know a decent inn around here,” Aromneth said quickly. “It’s called the “Eagle’s Wings” We should be able to get what we need there.”

Aromneth in the lead, the Journeyers passed through the twisting streets of Irnul until they came upon a slightly taller building bearing the words “The Eagle’s Wings.” They stepped inside to be greeted by a pudgy-faced Irnul by the name of Akkan.

“Welcome to “the Eagle’s Wings,” the innkeeper said in a quick and sharp voice.
“Now, rooms for….five? Yes, five I see here. Ah, this one injured?” He was pointing at Udaniath who was draped over Eagare’s shoulder.

“No just tired,” Eagare replied. “He’ll be up by tomorrow I would hope.”

“Eagare-” Jaina was once again cut off by Eagare.

“Hold your tongue Jaina!” Eagare said. Then he turned back to the innkeeper “Alright, upstairs first five on the right? Yes thank you.” Eagare lead everyone up to their respective rooms and then told them to come to his room before they retired to their own.

“Jaina,” Eagare said. “I am sorry for rebuking you so sharply down there but we must lie low. If anyone got word of me being able to harness Derathom…there would be dire consequences. People are scared of us gifted now. There is in fact much more than healing that we can do…some of it not so good. Only a few records remain of what happened in the First War but some do and they tell of great channelers who could do horrible things to their enemies.

“So what can we do?” Jaina asked

“We will wait,” Eagare replied. “We leave at first light, and Udaniath better have had enough to eat.”

All of the Journeyers heard the finality in Eagare’s tone and they left for their respective rooms. Adventure would wait until morning, for the time, it was better to rest.