Quest+in+Arlyn

"I don't think our plan's going to work anymore," Weylin's voice cracked in panic as he scanned the damp cave. It was rather plain in nature, the stone surface a gray and black mess. The only thing that seemed out of place was the gate and the odd little railing that led down into the water.

"And what's your reasoning?" Consilium chimed in jokingly.

Blinking in surprise, Weylin chewed on his lower lip nervously. Amber eyes flickered around the cave and a discontented Nott sensed Weylin's emotions.

"Uh...I'm not quite sure what you mean. I mean we agreed on a completely different plan back in the Forum and now we're here and it is wet. Well, I mean, there's a ocean! That changes everything!" He mumbled nervously.

"Relax, my friend," Consil laughed. "I was only being facetious."

The beginning of the conversation was interrupted when Ryan, due to the weight of his armor, skidded into the swallow water and onto his bottom. "Damn," He muttered. "Well, I guess we're going swimming."

"Uhm, no. This outfit is not getting wet. I'll stay here, thank you," Iis protested.

Weylin had no real desire to go swimming. Despite the fact he had crossed brooks to travel and bathed in ponds, he wasn't the strongest of swimmers. He didn't particularly enjoy it much either, but it didn't seem like they had much of a choice.

"You know, maybe there's-" Weylin was promptly cut off from speaking when Nott used her tail to smack him in the back of the knees and send him face first into the water. Fortunately they were deep enough into the water that he didn't end up with some sort of concussion. His teeth began to chatter as the cold of the water set into his bones and it took a few minutes before he was able to adjust.

"Thanks Nott, remind me to never feed you again," He snorted out a breath and pulled his backpack off to hold until they decided to swim further out. He might as well keep it dry for as long as he could. "Well guys, let's go!" He encouraged from a distance, floating on his back and swimming along. Nott let loose a bark that caused Weylin to cringe, the sharp tone echoing off the walls.

Ryan submerged himself fully into the water and walked along the bottom.

Consil was also hesitant to dive into the water. Not because he was a terrible swimmer, but because his personal apparel and machinery were not exactly waterproof.

"Ladies first," he said to Iis.

"That's funny." There was no way this nerd was making her jump in first. She mimicked Nott's technique and whacked her rain boots into the back of his knees and he fell into the water. Then she was the last to go. She took off her fleece jacket and stuffed it in the blue bag she still carried with her. She rolled up her jeans, took off her shoes and socks and tested the cold water with her hand. After a deep breath, she waded in.

Ryan, hindered by the depth, was unable to surface and he began to run out of air.

Noticing the constant stream of bubbles coming from Ryan's position, Consil grabbed Weylin's satchel and dove underwater. He found Ryan deep in the passageway panicking and removing few pieces of armor. Consilium gave him a reassuring glance as he fumbled through Weylin's bag for his whittling blocks and strapped them onto Ryan. Together, they swam up to the surface and positioned themselves on a connecting sandbar.

Gagging out water, Weylin waited till after Nott shook herself off to pull a rag from his bag and wipe her face dry. The ebony wolf thanked him with a quick nuzzle before she wandered off into the bushes. To do what, Weylin didn't know, but he assumed it was to mark the territory as hers.

"So, we're here and we're alive. You think that was all we had to do?" He teased, shaking out his hair and brushing off his clothes. Protectively, he checked over his arrows to make sure the water hadn't damaged them too much. If they were left with only one person who contained a obvious weapon, he felt that their chances were pretty much screwed.

Weylin's simple jesting had caused a discussion amongst the boys, however. What were they going to do?

"Well, I'm going to go look for clothes, guys," Iis announced.

"Uh, you're honestly choosing to go shopping at a time like this?" Weylin spoke up, laughing at how preposterous it sounded.

"Well, we need to blend in. Obviously." She turned her back to the strangers hoping they wouldn't keep her from getting away. The back of her mind whispered her secret hope that somewhere, somehow on this little island, she would find Jones. Finding him was her priority and she wouldn't let these people hold her back. "Toodles!" she called as she walked away.

Watching Iis depart over the small hill, Ryan turned back to Weylin and Consilium and decided to speak. "Okay, I say we capture a political leader, interrogate them and get out of here".

"Now, now. Let us be gentlemen." Consilium said disapprovingly. "Dare I say we will get to that soon enough, but first we should direct our endeavors with more peaceful methods."

"I disagree. If we try peaceful methods and they refuse us, they will become suspicious and try to stop us, making this mission harder. If we hit them when they don't expect it and get the man to admit any crimes, we will be in and out. There will be minimum damage, little to no threat on our well being, and we'll have the information we need. By the time they know what happened, we will be back to the gate."

"Perhaps..but certainly you must agree with my suggestions, as we do not yet know who to interrogate. What is your input, Weylin?"

"I...uh. I agree that we should...uh...What is it Nott? Oh, get out of that thorn bush!" And with that, Weylin threw himself head first into the bush. A sharp bark announced that Nott was no where near any bushes and that Weylin was once again avoiding any questions that made him use complex thinking.

"Right then, so we go on less radical terms."

At this point, Iis had reappeared with a bundle of plain-colored clothing. She tossed all but the most fashionable dress she could find on to the ground in front of them. "I have clothes," she announced. "Now go change."

Ryan abandoned all plate armor and his shield and set it in the bush with Weylin. "If you're going to hide in that bush, at least make sure you take care of my armor."

After changing into their new clothing, the group decided that the best choice would be to split up. Ryan, feeling uncomfortable with Weylin and Iis's obvious magic, urged that he should be able to go off with Consilium. The teenagers agreed a bit reluctantly but headed off in the opposite direction.

Consilium and Ryan approached the most prominent edifice in Arlyn, assuming it was the political leader's place of building. It was quite larger than anything either of the men had ever seen. Only a single secretary was found inside, sitting in front of an enormous wall of doors.

"Hello!" Consilium said with a smile. "We're here on behalf of PWTA; the Pyrosium World Trade Agreement. We have an appointment?"

The secretary only nodded and waved, indicating that they should follow.

"We have an appointment?" Ryan asked.

Consil beamed and gave Ryan a pat on the back, "I will explain later, my friend. I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

Ryan shrugged his shoulders and followed them.

The secretary led the pair to a large oval room with a mahogany table in the middle, and a man sitting at the head of it. Consilium took the chair opposite him as Ryan stood imposingly behind him.

"May I help you?" The man asked sardonically.

"Ah, on the contrary!" Consil replied. "//We// are here to help //you//. We understand that there is a small lack of trade here." Consil was given a disapproving look. "It would help all of Pyrosium if your trading agreements were renewed."

Then the man looked at Ryan and said, "Don't I know you? I swear I have seen you before.."

Ryan is now sweating bullets fearing that the man may identify him as the king of the People's Alliance in Sovantium. If so, their mission would be compromised and it would make it much more difficult to withdraw to the gate.

Seeing Ryan's discomfort, Consil spoke up, "Sir, what I said.."

"Hermphtsuy, my friend. Hermphtsuy."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, I'll get to that in due time. Meanwhile, the trade; we are uninterested and have much more important matters to spend our resources on."

"But you have so much to gain by re-opening communications! You could gather more resources!"

"We have everything we would ever need here, and we have sustained ourselves for some time now. Now sir, I must ask you to leave. Did you really think I would be fooled by some system hack?" He leaned forward and whispered into Consil's ear, "I know who you are. Leave."

Guards soon appeared to escort them out. "Farewell."

After Consil and Ryan finished their part of the investigation, the discussion turned to once again finding Weylin and Iis. It was decided that Ryan would have to be the one to do so, since he needed his armor once more anyways. Heading off in the direction of the meeting spot, Ryan heaved a sigh and wondered why he had been stuck with all the magical folk.

After appearing in front of the teenage pair, Ryan narrowed his eyes slightly in contemplation. “So, what did the useless youths find?” He said with a mocking tone.

Iis and Weylin shared a glance, before Weylin decided to speak and chose his words carefully. "We, uh, wandered around a bit. You know, to find the right people. We thought we found a good lead but there information was useless. Right Iis? Right. See, so yeah, and we made our way through town and it was pretty interesting. These people have a curious way of conducting themselves. Especially since they used to be MY people, you'd honestly think they'd be the same".

Once again, Weylin had the serious problem of rambling on about irrelevant topics. It was Nott who drew him back to the point of the conversation, tugging at his shirt sleeve in a slightly vicious manner.

"Oh! Iis and I got into a little of a situation, you see...nothing too serious. Just...a situation" He muttered out before his eyes drifted to her.

"Yeah, I fell in a hole but Weylin saved me!" She smiled at him flirtatiously.

Weylin grinned bashfully, cheeks reddening from embarrassment. "Well, yeah. There was that. I mean she did a lot of the work though! You were really brave Iis, I mean anything could of been down there".

Nott snorted out a wolfish bark as Weylin continued to ramble on about how wonderful Iis had been. The sound brought the teenage boy back to reality and he ran a hand through his black hair, cheeks red with embarrassment.

"Yes well, anyways. We didn't find much else out unfortunately. After Iis found her way out of the hole, we got sort of distracted," He muttered, voice breaking slightly as the embarrassment took full control.

A familiar voice chimed in, "I believe I have our heading."

Consil has returned with a a trashed appearance and the sort of musk you would find on a heap a spoiled hunt. He clambered over to the trio only to receive looks of disgust.

"An informant has told me that our best bet of resolution of any kind lies with the farmers; a man named Mikael in the lower district."

Weylin lifted an eyebrow and turned his head to the side, the look resembling that of a confused dog. "Lower district? There's a lower kind of people than what we've already seen? But yeah, okay, so you want to go there right ? You think this guy will be able to help us?"

The teenager had a serious problem with asking too many questions at once.

After what had happened with the Consil, Ryan wasn't sure on the accountability of these people and asked, "How do we know this farmer will cooperate and if he does how can we be sure he does not tell us lies?"

"It is our only lead. We must try."

"Fair enough, but how do we mean to go about this? Peacefully or aggressively?"

Weylin snorted out a sign of protest, one that was followed by a short bark from Nott. "Is that really important? We'll be all nice unless he shows that he isn't going to play fair. Then we can just go with whatever happens. The people around here are strange, I don't even know how they're going to act from moment to moment," he scoffed.

"Okay. Consilium and Weylin, go have some fun with this guy. I will go get my armor in case a fight breaks out and Iis... Try not to glow too much. It will give us away easier."

"How about you try not to be so ugly?" She took his comment as an insult. He was singling her out and, not to mention, was ignorant enough to believe that she had any control over her skin tone.

Now that the plan was assuming decided, the nerd, the tin man and useless youths headed off in the direction of the house. The walk seemed longer than it truly was, but regardless, the group got there before nightfall. Creeping through the trees, Weylin shot a glance at Nott before back at the others.

"Let her handle the guard," Weylin whispered, flicking his hand in a motion for Nott to recognize.

The ebony wolf stalked ahead, ears twitching to take in as much of the guard's sound as she could. It was roughly a forty foot distance from the end of the woods to where the guard stood. Time was a precious thing that she couldn't afford to screw up with.

"Five..." Weylin trailed, smirking slightly as he heard her burst through the bushes.

"Four..." The wolf's back leg muscles tensed and she sprang, the guard too startled to react and draw his sword.

"Three..." A scream pierced the night and Weylin smirked sadistically before biting his lower lip.

"Two...One," Weylin ended as he stepped through the trees and revealed himself to the guard. He flinched slightly as the screaming stopped, bracing himself as he heard a crunch and then a tear. With that, the guard's life was over, his throat dangling in Nott's jaw. Weylin motioned for her to drop it as he approached and took out the man's untouched sword.

Sighing faintly he tossed it in the direction of the others and stroked the top of Nott's head. "And that's the end of that."

The group split up at that. Ryan was stationed to be outside to act as a guard, while Weylin and Consil would go inside. Blinking in surprise, Weylin spun around looking for Iis. "Well, I guess that's one way to exit," he chuckled and shrugged before nodding his head to Consil and pushed open the door. He let Nott run in first, scattering the house staff that was fluttering around.

Consil pushed the man down into a chair. "We heard through the grapevine that you were our man if we wanted any information. If you would be so kind to cooperate, my Corraidhin friend here won't hesitate to take over, and I'm sure that you don't want that..." Weylin gave a wicked grin as he rested his hand on his bow.

"Now, why is Arlyn so separated from Pyrosium?"

The politician named Mikael began to stamper out a few non-intelligent words before launching off in the well-known history of Aryln. Snorting, Weylin interrupted the man rudely. "Look, cut to the chase. We all know how Corraidhin cut you off and you're all still bitter about it. Which is utterly ridiculous in my own opinion but that's beside the point."

Scoffing out a bitter laugh of resentment, Mikael narrowed his eyes at Weylin. "Well, child, your little country will get what's coming to them someday," He laughed. Out of instinct, Weylin drew his bow and pointed it square over the man's heart, Nott's snarl thundering throughout the room.

Consil grabbed the man and pulled him back. "Weylin, control your temper. We don't know a single damn thing yet."

Sighing out another breath of frustration, he gave in and lowered the arrow to the floor. He silenced Nott with a wave of his hand but she continued to bristle, pushing against Weylin's legs.

"Well, fine. Ask the man what he meant by that, Consil. I can't speak to him right now without letting Nott silence him permanently," He muttered.

"Mikael, what do you mean Corraidhin will 'get what's coming to them'?"

With a scoff he replied, "They've been a thorn in our side for as long as our records date back, even before the break off. A storm is coming, and it has been for years and years. We aren't as cut off as you think."

"Yes, yes. It's quite clear that you have been secretly trading with other countries. How else could you possibly sustain life here? You //couldn't.// As for the army-"

"How in blazes do you know about our army?!"

"I didn't until you so kindly informed me," he said with a grin. "I surmised of course, but for the details.. perhaps you could fill us in."

As Ryan returns in full battle gear now he spots four guards heading to the house where Weylin and Consil were “talking” to the man inside. Knowing this could cause trouble Ryan knew he had to do something but that he couldn’t reach them without them noticing. Quickly thinking Ryan hides behind a tree and cries for help the four guards turn and head towards him. Three of the soldiers were light soldiers wearing light armor and carrying two swords and a bow. The fourth soldier was obviously the commander carrying a eight foot claymore sword with a three foot steel short sword strapped to his side he wore heavy plate mail armor with chain mail probably under it he wore a helmet and was surely well trained sadly for him so was Ryan. Out numbered but not worried as the first soldier carrying a sword came to the tree Ryan drew his longsword exiso̱tí̱s and drove into the mans gut the archer drew his bow and fired an arrow but it bounced off deflected by his shield as the second sword man came at him he ducked under a swing and kicked the man to the ground as Ryan raised his sword an arrow struck his helmet breaking the armor but being held to a halt by the metal right before it went into his ear. Ryan snapped the arrow and the tip fell into his helmet from there he deflected another arrow and grabbed a stone he threw it at the archer who was not far from him. The stone missed but the archer jumped out of the way by in a attempt to avoid it this gave time for Ryan to cover his distance he dug exiso̱tí̱s deep into the archer killing him. Quickly Ryan was tackled by the heavy soldier wrestling on the ground the soldier pulled his short sword and stabbed at Ryans head just able to move a enough the man missed. Ryan head butted the warrior stunning him he got up somehow still having his shield and exiso̱tí̱s and took a swing and sent his sword right into the warriors helmet not killing him but knocking him out. Forgetting about the last swordsmen as Ryan disarmed the man and tied him up the swordsmen snuck away. Ryan turned to see the last swordsman running off so far already 100 yards away. Ryan tries to chase after him but his armor ways him down he yells to Waylen to come and bring his bow but as Waylen came out bow drawn the man had already escaped.

Uninterested in being the weak link some more, Iis slipped off behind the backs of her “team”. This house wasn’t only a source of the information the others wanted to find. They said the man inside knew things. He could very well know what Iis really needed to find. Despite the guilt of not learning to love Weylin as much as she could, she could not let herself give up on finding what was truly most important to her. It was a different kind of love than her’s and Weylin’s that she searched for. A friendship. Maybe more. Maybe less. Maybe nothing would change at all but the chance of finding out was just within reach.

The back door of the house that the others had overlooked was easier to get in through. No guards stood around it. It’s only protection was the old lock that was easy to pick with a bobby pin that had been woven into the bangs of her damp hair. The room she entered was a kitchen where a young, mucky-haired servant pressed his ear against the door across from her.

“Excuse me,” Iis began before cutting herself short in fear that too much noise would give away her location to her teammates in the other room. The only notice, however, came from the servant who did not turn his face at all but promptly shushed her before she spat out anything else that would muffle the conversation he strained to hear through the walls.

“I have a question, though,” Iis protested.

“Are you with them?” The boy’s words came out as a whisper which he hoped she would mimic so he could hear more of the break in that was happening in the next room over.

“Am I with who?” She continued to speak loudly to spite him.

“The robbers who just broke in, obviously.” He meant Weylin and the nerdy guy.

“Oh. No, I’m not with them.”

“Well, your question has to wait.”

“But it’s important!” she exclaimed.

“So is this!” At this, Iis marched over and grabbed the boy by the shoulder and spun him to face her. Her mouth opened but the shouts and anger she had been so ready to release fizzled out as she took in the familiar face. The two struggled with words for a moment before attacking each other with hugs and smiles and excitement.

“I thought I’d never find you ever again! Never do that again, Jones!”

“I had to! You knew I had to!”

“You look so different!”

“Well, yeah. I’m all dull and human-y now!”

“Why did you come here? I mean, I knew you’d be here! I just knew! But why here?”

“Long story. The Three pretty much sent out warning to everyone to look for me. Arlyn was so cut off though that it was my best bet. The Fox suggested it.”

“Well, this is perfect! I just can’t believe this!” They exchanged more excitement and questions and stories. Iis told him of her journey here with her annoying team, leaving out the parts with her and Weylin. Jones told her of his journey while, coincidentally, leaving out the name of another important piece of the equation.

As though her name was an impossible thing to avoid, another side door swung open and in walked the girl herself. She was a forced kind of pretty with unnatural blonde hair framing her round face. Her eyes darted from Jones to Iis and then back to Jones where they lingered for an extra second or two. She pieced her own worst-possible side of the story together in her head and immediately stepped closer to Jones and hooked her arm around his, preparing to attack.

“Who are you?” she shot at Iis.

“Jones’s friend. I’m sure he’s mentioned me.” She gave Jones a look. He shrugged.

“No, he hasn’t.” The girl suppressed a smirk.

“Well, he hasn’t mentioned you either.” There was an icy silence between the two before Iis grabbed Jones’s hand and pulled him towards her. “Come on, Jones. We have to go home now.” There was another silence. Jones stopped and panicked between the two girls.

“What?” Iis snapped.

“I just- I don’t know if I have all the information and I can’t go back now and you’re busy anyways and I’m probably not allowed to-”

“You don’t want to come with me, do you? Is it because of this?” She gestured at the other girl.

“She has a name.”

“And apparently she has you.”

“Are you jealous or something?”

“Nope! I just trusted you!”

“Iis, I told you I had to get information. You didn’t expect me to come home the moment you found me, right?”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to find a girlfriend while you were here!”

“Jealous!” the girl chimed in. Iis ignored her.

“Jones, what has gotten into you? We used to be best friends and now this girl is more important to you than I am? Or more important than Mondiluce?”

“It’s too dangerous back there. I’m safe and happy here. You're just being annoying.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. In that case, I'll just go. You clearly don't need me anymore.” She turned for the door she entered through.

“Iis, you could stay with me!”

“No!” the girl stopped him.

“Oh, trust me. I don’t even want to stay. Just forget about me!” she shouted before slamming the door behind her.

She was finished with Jones. She was finished with his girlfriend. She was finished with Weylin and the other guys and this whole pointless mission. She just wanted to go home. Upset and alone, she walked back to the team's meeting spot.

Noticing movement out the window, Weylin turned amber eyes upon it. They widen slightly in shock as he saw a cluster of men approaching, panic rising in his throat.

“I think we’ve run out of time and we must depart now Consil,” He announced, stepping back. He drew his bow once again, dropping his satchel upon the floor. Nodding his head in goodbye, he retreated to the door and pulled it open.

“Goodbye Consil, I shall see you again at the meeting spot,” He smiled and waved before closing the door behind him. He let Nott run ahead, running down the staircase and leaping the last four steps. She attacked the first man who entered the home and it took a sharp whistle of recall to lead her off.

“Release,” He snapped and shot an arrow into the man’s skull, watching him drop to the floor. Nott returned to the side and the waiting as the next wave began. Weylin ran his hand through her blood coated fur, whispering under his breath that he loved her and that if they were separated they would meet again.

As the next group came in, Weylin shot them to the ground. The scuffle ended up getting so bad that he had to retrieve his arrows from the dead and return them to his quiver for reuse.

It was one misplaced shot that brought them all to their doom. He hit the lantern that was hanging over the doorway, watching in horror as it crashed to the floor and caught ablaze. He had only been attempting to avoid hitting Nott, after all she could heal him but he couldn’t heal her.

Fire crept up the walls, giving the foyer a pale orange glow. It illuminated with life, breathing excessive heat throughout the house. He backed away from it, calling Nott back to him and slamming his elbow into one of the glass windows. It shattered to the floor and upon him, cutting up his arms and shoulders, but he pushed through it anyways. He scooped Nott up halfway through the process and tossed her into the grass, telling her to run ahead.

They crashed through the woods, heading back to the group Weylin had come to appreciate.

Consilium grabbed Weylin's bag and burst out of the room. The smoke of the fire was so thick; it was choking him to death. //The building must be weak enough by now.// He crossed his arms in front of his body and ran forward through the wall, breaking out of the house into a field. He noticed a large barbed fence surrounding the perimeter, which meant the only way back to his friends was through the house or wherever this field took him.

The sound of fighting could be heard while Consil shamefully walked helplessly through the farm; there wasn't anything he could do.

//I might as well see what he's got in this tattered bag of his.//

He grabbed Weylin's satchel and rummaged through it. It was mostly rubbish; small scraps of wet paper, a bit of food for Nott, a single broken arrow, and the whittling blocks from earlier. They were now figurines with small holes in the back of them. The only remotely useful thing was a fire starting kit, but if he would wanted a fire he would have stayed in the house.

Consil was almost at the fence gate when he heard voices. He quickly dashed into nearby stalks of corn as they walked by.

"There isn't any way he could possibly be alive. The house was on fire and collapsing for heaven's sake!"

"The other man escaped. There was no sign of that blasted mutt thoug- hello, what's this?"

A small wooden figure was waddling towards their feet.

The first man picked it up and held it right in front of his face and sniffed it. "What are you?"

"Maybe it's a new species?"

"Are you daft? No, it's made of wood and smells of kerosene.."

The figure started to glow, brighter and brighter from the center of it. The man threw it on the ground noticing the hole in its back and the spark of light approaching it.

"Move back, it's on fi-"

The small little thing burst with unyielding power, burning the men instantly and solidifying their ashes instantly into stone. Consil gave out a bit of an heinous laugh as he walked by and tipped one of them over, shattering the ash statue on the ground.

Heavy footsteps could be heard slamming the cold, hard ground; more soilders were approaching. Consil set off in a dead sprint the the capitol building, seeing Ryan having the same problems as he. //He is a king fighter, he can hold his ground.//

Now at the steps of the building, Consil set down both his and Weylin's satchel, grabbed his book ,and opened it. The world seemed to melt around him, without completely fazing out. Iis was the first to notice the pillar of light, and set off with Jones.

Sure enough, Ryan burst around the corner first and jumped into the beam. The two exchanged a glance; Consil could now open the gate with Ryan's protection.

"Here, take these." Consil offered. He held out a a leather belt in his hand. "Pull, and throw on my signal."

Ryan nodded, "Understood."

Out of the woods came Weylin with Iis and Jones charging after him. Following them, a large portion, if not all, of a small army. Nott was running right behind them with a good chunk of meat in her jaws.

A crooked smile crept on Ryan's face. "Nothing like a few foot-soldiers, eh?"

Consil let out a laugh, "I like your attitude, my friend."

"Get this gate open!" Weylin screamed.

"Alright, Ryan. Now."

He extended the belt into what seemed to be an unending chain. He tossed it onto the stone pillar in front of them, and yanked back. The end of the chain imploded around it and collapsed the roof on the incoming militia. Just as the first time Consil opened the book, it stopped the falling roof. The shingles and carved stone of the building crushed the small army. The group was in shock as the sounds of agony and bones crunching penetrated their mind.

"Go!" Consil screamed at Weylin. "You wanted it open, so go! I can only keep it open for so long! And Nott, spit that out."

Nott gave a disapproving look as he kept it and jumped through the gate. Consil had noticed a man limping earlier and a trail of blood behind him. "Disgusting."

Consil struggled to sustain the gate as his friends slowly made their way through the gate. Soon after Ryan went in, Consil grabbed the book and leaped into the doorway. He felt the familiar glow swirl around him and fill him with a cold, yet warming glow.