"Thank goodness we're almost home," Kreis sighed from his bedroll. "Tomorrow night, we'll sleep in our own beds, in the Abbey."

"Provided nothing happens to us tonight," Triana replied, shivering a little. Kreis looked at her.

"If something bad were going to happen, it already would've by now," he said. "We're safe."

He certainly looked comfortable enough, but Triana still couldn't shake her fears. She wished she had more to base them on, but so long as she had no solid evidence or dreams to back them up, Kreis did not worry. As she had many times before, she wished she could control her power-her dreams were only random events, and they didn't always even have to do with people she knew. Sometimes it would be very useful to be able to choose which event to foresee...

"Kreis...do you think the Queen of Shadows knows about my dreams?" wondered Triana. He didn't answer. "Kreis?" she repeated, but he was already asleep. Triana sighed.

Sometimes he can be so insensitive, she thought. I could really use a little attention right about now...how can he sleep so peacefully? While she jumped at every sound she heard, Kreis slept like a rock. Finally, her fatigue overrode her nerves, and she fell asleep.

The half-human boy and the girl who dreams the future...sounds like the sort legends are made of. They were asleep now, completely oblivious to the pair of violet eyes that watched them.

"Although legends certainly aren't my business," their follower laughed softly to herself. I must admit, they've done a lovely job trying to ensure that they aren't followed, but they underestimate the Queen of Shadows. Are these two really the best the Abbey has?

She yawned in spite of herself. It was late, and she had to allow herself some rest, although she had endurance beyond that of the two she followed. Well, the trip to Thaliron should strengthen them nicely, and they won't make me lag too badly. A bit of movement caught the corner of her eye, and she saw a strange shape flicker by, above the trees.

Oh, go away, she thought at it irritably. I'm too tired to mess with you now.

There was no more movement above the trees, but she heard the flutter of tiny wings close to her. "You, too," she muttered at the wind-sprite. "Let me get some sleep."

The sprite flew away in an indignant huff. Wind-sprites generally did not appreciate Elorhans in their forest, but they knew better than to mess with a woman with magic so powerful as hers-especially when she was cranky.

*

Triana woke to the distant sound of footsteps, wheels, and laughter. Frowning, she crawled out of her bedroll, pulling on a tunic over the shirt and breeches she'd slept in, then putting shoes on her feet. Kreis was still asleep; she considered waking him, but decided against it. Instead, she left the tent on her own, making sure to pick up her bow and quiver of arrows before she left.

"So then, he says to me, and at this point, his face is turning all red, and he's glaring at me like this-" she heard someone saying loudly, and a group of people laughed in response. "-well, I do believe we've been spotted!" the voice said.

"And I'm sure you reacted like the perfect gentleman," another person in the group joked, and Triana saw about ten people coming towards her through the trees. At the front was the one who had been speaking, a young man wearing a cloak so bright a blue it hurt to look at as it reflected the morning sun. He wore a bright red hat with a feather in it, and Triana estimated that he was about the same height as Kreis. Coming forward, he took it off and gave Triana a sweeping bow; his red-brown hair was a bit unkempt, likely a result of the atrocious hat he wore.

Triana took an arrow from the quiver and stared at him. "Who do you think you are?" she asked.

He grinned. "My name is Gregan Rosalis," he said gallantly. "My companions and I are entertainers, and I humbly ask that you don't shoot us, at least not without giving us a chance to prove ourselves as performers, first." Triana put the arrow back, and Gregan smiled, striding towards her and bending to her to kiss her hand. "A pleasure to meet you, my lady," he said, and she couldn't quite tell if he was being serious or melodramatic. She could feel a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth in spite of herself, and frowned harder to combat it.

"Our destination is the city of Norana," he continued, "after our stay in the castle of his excellency Lord Chiram was so unfortunately cut short." This brought snickers from his companions. "May we look for you at our performance?"

Triana still frowned, uncertain of what she should do. I can't trust them so easily, Triana thought. No matter how likable they may seem...

"Where are you from?" she asked cautiously.

"Ecalle," Gregan replied, naming a place Triana had not heard of. "It's probably about two weeks walking north of here," he added, noticing her confusion. She bit her lip. That was well into the Queen's territory.

Another one of the travelers stepped forward, brushing shoulder-length hair behind her ear. If Triana had ever seen the ocean, she would've said that hair was the same color-the color of the warm ocean in the north on a sunny day. She wore glasses, and bore something of a resemblance to Gregan.

"You're wasting time," she said to him. "If we want to get to Norana in time to set up and perform tonight-which we really should, seeing as we didn't bring in enough money at our last venue-we need to get moving!" She smiled at Triana and glanced back over the blond girl's shoulder. Triana looked back for a moment and saw that Kreis had finally awakened and come outside. "Excuse us," the girl said. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, and all that."

"Hopefully, we shall meet again..." Gregan trailed off. Triana smiled.

"Triana," she said.

"Adieu, lady Triana," Gregan said as the girl with sea-colored hair dragged him away. Triana watched them go as Kreis walked up to her side.

"What was all that about?" wondered Kreis, watching the cart rumble off into the distance. Triana turned to begin disassembling their campsite.

"Players, on their way to Norana to perform," Triana said. "At least, that's what they claim to be."

Kreis yawned, helping Triana to clean up. "I guess it doesn't matter," he said. "If fate wants us to meet again, we will."

"What sort of guide do you suppose the Queen will send for us, anyway?" Triana wondered. Kreis shrugged.

"Doesn't matter right now," he said. "Come on. I just want to go home."

"So we can leave again as soon as possible for Thaliron." Triana's tone was caustic, and Kreis sighed.

"We'll worry about that later," he said. "If I worried about everything now, I wouldn't be able to walk. Don't think about it until you have to."

It must be convenient to be able to stop worrying about something at will, Triana thought. I'd ask him to teach me how he manages, if he wouldn't be such a jerk about it. "Oh, and you make it sound so easy," she began, then stopped as she noticed him staring up into the sky. "What is it?" she asked, trying to follow his gaze.

"I don't know," he whispered. He sounded genuinely frightened as a strange silhouette soared over them.

*

What the hell is that thing? the follower wondered as she watched the shadow. It was the same as the one she had seen last night. In some ways, it looked like a bat, but it was far too large, and seemed to have a body that was drawn out like a snake's. It must be an illusion of some sort. Animals like that don't exist. Certainly, someone would've seen one, in eighteen years on this accursed planet. She saw Kreis and Triana beginning to walk again, and followed at a safe distance, using magic to mask her presence and keeping an eye on the creature that flew above them.

I don't like it one bit, she thought. The question is-is it watching them, or me? She noticed Kreis and Triana watching the sky as well. So they see it, too...and they look pretty frightened. So it isn't their doing, or even Faradine's, or they'd know about it. So, now I know absolutely nothing.

The forest was beginning to thin out as they neared Norana-a relief, to be free from the stares of the wind-sprites, at least-but they would be out in the open. She would be susceptible to discovery; if not by Kreis and Triana, then by that thing. It had been too big to move freely in the forest, but out in the open, they would be easy targets.

But what if it did kill the two she followed? It would save the Queen of Shadows a great deal of trouble, but...no, she could not allow them to die. Kreis and Triana were important. So if whatever it was attacked them, she would have to save their lives.

She hoped that it wouldn't come to that. The two of them would not be at all happy to find out that they had been followed.

*

"That thing could attack us," Triana whispered, making sure that her bow was ready to fire.

"It hasn't tried yet," Kreis replied, but Triana shook her head.

"Of course not! That thing has to be huge. There are too many trees for it to maneuver around here." Triana pulled an arrow from her quiver and squinted up at the circling figure. "I should just bring it down now and-" She stopped abruptly as the creature soared out of view. "Damn!" she hissed.

"It probably saw that we could bring it down, so it ran-er, flew-away," Kreis rationalized.

"Either that, or it's waiting for us to get out in the open, so it can attack," Triana replied grimly. She scanned the sky again. "Where the hell did that thing go?"

"We can't stand around here all day," Kreis muttered. "We'll be on the lookout, and ready to fight if we must."

Triana sighed and nodded.

Kreis and Triana had been on the open road to Norana when the thing returned, diving down upon them almost without warning. It appeared to be a winged snake with iridescent scales, as well as sharp fangs that could rip a person apart.

Triana put an arrow to the string and fired, but she missed, just grazing one of the creature's wings. "What is that thing?" she whispered, putting up another arrow. It was coming down too quickly for her to shoot again, and she ducked as Kreis cast a shield around them both. She could feel it pass over her head, its jaws only inches away from her skull.

"I don't know," Kreis whispered back. Triana tried to shoot it again, but it was too fast and evaded her arrow. Kreis cast another spell, this time aiming at the winged snake. Fire ignited on the thing's wings, and it bellowed an eerie cry of pain as it crashed to the ground, then lay motionless.

Kreis waited a moment, then broke the shield and put out the flames with his magic. He began to step cautiously towards the fallen creature.

"Where are you going? Kreis-"

"It's dead," he replied to Triana. "I have to get a closer look at that thing."

"No," she replied. "How can you be sure-" her sentence became a shriek as the snake-thing lunged at Kreis-

And fell again, dripping green blood from the wound of a knife in its throat. Kreis spun around, looking at Triana gratefully.

"I...didn't throw that..." the girl whispered, her eyes fixed on someone to his left. Kreis drew his sword and turned slowly.

He faced a young woman with long, wavy burgundy hair and violet eyes. She held a knife similar to the one embedded in the creature's throat.

"Who the hell are you?" Kreis demanded, striding forward. The young woman smiled.

"Well, that's certainly no way to treat someone who just saved your life," she said. She tossed the knife in her hand absently, catching its handle with ease "Don't try anything, or you'll end up like that-that thing." She motioned towards the creature she had killed.

Kreis stopped coming towards her, but continued to stare straight into her eyes. They were not as intense as those of the Queen of Shadows, perhaps, but there was a similarity that he couldn't place-a feeling of power, although this girl also seemed to possess a degree of uncertainty as well, which the Queen certainly hadn't. "You work for her, don't you," he said, his voice dull. "And you've been following us all this time."

"Yes, I follow the orders of the Queen of Shadows," the woman admitted, with no trace of shame or apology in her voice. "But, whether you like that or not, you owe me your life."

Kreis knew the custom as well as anyone else, as much as he hated to think of it. As he tried to think of some way to escape, Triana spoke out.

"Did your queen send this thing after us?" she demanded.

"If she did, then why would I save you from it?" the woman replied indignantly. "I can assure you that not only did she not send it to you, she did not even know of such a thing-or she would've warned me of it. I have no idea what it is."

"It's still fishy," Triana muttered. "How can you expect us to trust you when we know you're working for our enemy?"

"Why would you think I expected you to trust me?" the woman laughed. "Anyway, it looks like you have a more immediate enemy than Aradinea. Whatever that thing is, it is not a natural animal."

Kreis looked at her again. There's no damn way out of this, he thought. If we fought her, even with the two of us, she'd have the advantage. And she hasn't tried to hurt us, really, so there wouldn't be any justification for fighting her.

"I guess we're going to be getting to know each other," Kreis said through gritted teeth. "Can you tell us your name, at least?"

The woman finally put her knife away. "It's Kieme," she said. "Kieme Aemonstane."

"Aemonstane," Kreis echoed weakly. He felt sick.

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