"Yes...he passed through. No harm done though."

She looks over at the cottage.

"He's a randy goat, but I've met worse." Rysha put a note of cheer into her voice as she followed Mei's eyes to the cottage. "He seems to know when to keep his hands to himself, at least, if not when to keep his eyes up."

"That I do, my Desert Rose." Ahroun walked from the doorway in mid reply. He carried a platter of salmon fillets, assorted vegetables, and two slain pheasants by their necks. "And with the sort exquisite beauty like that possessed by the two of you, you certainly test a man's willpower." His violet eyes shot both the ladies a wink that was equal parts flirtatious, complementary, and playful.

He walked to a stone hearth that was just outside the lodge. It was designed for cooking, and it appeared that the Prince of the Earth had just that in mind. The assembled exalts noticed that the grills appeared recently used.

"Would one of you ladies be a gem and start a fire please?" He nodded to the ash and burnt logs within the hearth. "And Callum, my good man. I know a great many things, preparing these for a meal is not one of them however." He held up the pheasants toward the woodsman. "Would you mind?"

Rysha gave Ahroun a look and glanced down at the firepit, then over at Mei with a sudden embarassment in her face. "To be honest... I don't have any idea how."

"If you don't mind waiting a couple of hours I could summon some flame serpents," Mei says to Peleps. "Or maybe a lesser elemental dragon? I'm sure they'd be honored to light the cookfire of one of the Sun's Chosen."

She chuckles, then shrugs at Rysha.

"But that would be about the only way I could do it too."

Callum chuckled to himself as Peleps asked the women to start the fire; he himself had learned quickly that neither had any tangible amount of survival experience let alone basic wilderness skill. "I'll do both," he said quietly as he finished arranging the herbs and roots to dry.

Within minutes a flame was licking at the wood ensconced within a mound of dry leaves and twigs. Callum set about the bloody work of demembering and cleaning the game. He made no effort to be clean about it and in fact when Peleps was around he made a point to aim for him with the splattering of blood and entrails. Petty? Perhaps, but I can at least get some enjoyment out of this ordeal.

Lovely. He still has a bug up his ass. Ahroun thought as he boiled water and prepared a fine stew of fish and veggies. Can't make a fire? Wonderful, of all the Exalts in Creation I find Crispy the Barbarian and the ones with more breasts than brains. I don't get paid enough for this...

Within an hour the assembled Exalts sat several feet from the hearth. Ahroun, for not knowing how to clean the game proved he was certainly adept at cooking it.

Each was with their plate and a drink beside them as they sat in the open air of the glade. The crashing waterfall roared on behind them but they hardly noticed. Those gathered enjoyed a meal in the finest conditions nature had to offer, peaceful and serene.

The flicker of firelight was all that lit the glade save for Luna's watchful eye upon a diamond studded black velvet sky.

"I promised answers, did I not?" The enigmatic Dragon Blooded offered up suddenly as he sipped his soup from a wooden bowl. "I suppose it's time I made due on that promise, don't you?"

Callum glared across the fire at Peleps, he had made a point of speaking as little as possible to the Dragon blooded and had gone so far as to sit opposite him in the circle to facilitate that goal. "Go head then, we've asked you plenty of questions, nobody is keeping you from speaking up." As though for emphasis Callum snapped a pheasant bone in half and began to suck out the marrow. His eye narrowed as he waited for some response, more than likely a glib one, from the arrogant man across from him.

Mei-Ying just nods, her face betraying no emotion save a glimmer of curiosity.

"I wouldn't complain if you did."

"Alright, first of all, I'm a 'treasure hunter'. I search for artifacts of past ages. The pay is crap, but it's a living." He didn't bother looking to the assembled circle. "Iron Wolf Ahroun is what they call me, playing Dynast is a hobby of mine. My band and I was hired to retrieve Mei. You've already met Quinn."

Ahroun sips his water with a bit of a slurp before continuing. "I'm helping you because you need to be delivered unharmed. My allegiance is not to the Unconquered Sun, nor the Elemental Dragons. An old debt came to call, so I'm fulfilling my obligation to an old ally, and that's to deliver you safely. From what I know some Deathlord has gotten its hands on some relic of incredible power, an 'eye' of some sort. Apparently the man who hired me, thinks you might be of some help."

"So, I've supplied with everything you'll need in the lodge, say your farewells to whomever matters, we leave in the morning." Casually, as if nothing he said had any impact at all he slurped a few more spoon fulls of soup into his mouth.

"I'mna get some more, anyone want another bowl?"

Mei reaches out both hands, one finding Callum's arm, the other resting on Rysha's. Whether to draw strength or to restrain is unclear.

"No thanks. Who sent you then? And where do you plan to lead us?"

He noticed the way she grasped her circle mates and used the word 'us'. "Perhaps you missed the part about saying your farewells."

With a lazy grunt that betrays his wiry, athletic build, the mercenary strides to the warming stew pot. "A long time ago I was young and stupid. Over a century ago a wise man named Sao Si saved my life from," He pauses apparently enraptured by his own reminiscence. "Well, he saved me, we'll leave it at that. At any rate, he asked I take you to him. Something about you having a destiny to fulfill."

"And perhaps you missed the part where Mei travels with us." Rysha's eyes are hard as jade, and her hand slides up to grip Mei's arm lightly. "This Sao Si gets all of us, or none of us. If he's serious about this Deathlord and whatever this eye is, he should welcome the extra help." She let the rest of the statement hang in the air unsaid, but the threat in her gaze was as naked as a bared blade - try to take Mei, and expect to die.

"I know Sao Si very well," Mei-Ying says, visibly relieved.

"If there's a destiny for me, he will understand that it involves everyone in my Circle. He is, after all, the one who set me on the path to meeting them in the first place."

"No Rysha, I did not miss it. I ignored it completely." He sits down, grunting again as he does, relatively unimpressed with whatever point Rysha was trying to get across. He looked at her, his violet eyes meeting her own in the dancing firelight. "Sao Si gets what I deliver to him him. No more, no less."

His head pivots to the delicate sorceress. "He made no mention of others, only you. The transport I've arranged is for two, were there to be more than that it would throw off my time table." He shrugs and slurps some soup. "Sorry."

"Maybe I need to enunciate more clearly." Rysha's eyes crackle with violet fire. "This Sao Si seems to be a friend of Mei's which is good to hear. You, on the other hand, are a lecher and a pain the ass, and if you were closer than blood to me you still wouldn't be taking Mei anywhere without me. Period."

"Where is Sao Si?" Mei-Ying asks.

Callum's narrowed, "You may want to re-think your plans," he said quietly. "I don't think that ignoring Rysha would be good for your long term life goals."

Perhaps the Exalts that sat across from him had gotten the wrong idea. Perhaps they were reading too far into something he'd said. Perhaps they weren't very sharp.

Whatever the case may have been Ahroun's eyes narrowed and a his face took on the expression of anger. "I have clothed you, fed you, provided you lodgings to keep you safe from the legions that will no doubt be looking for you," he stood up and dusted off his clothing. His voice was laced with irritation and disgust. "And this is the thanks I get? Insults and threats on my life?"

He bowed slightly, looking at Mei as he did. "I wish you the best of luck, I hope destiny can wait until Sao Si sends someone else to find you. I haven't the time no the patience to deal with children who haven't even mastered their essence yet."

He walked away from the meal, shaking his head. He said one last thing as he walked away and headed towards the lodge, most likely to gather his things. "Stay here as long as you wish, but please make sure leave it like you found it. I like things clean."

"Wait a second," Mei says, confused.

"What exactly is your game here, Ahroun? One moment you're threatening to spirit me away; leaving my friends behind...now you're leaving?"

Akryruh quickly placed his stew bowl on the ground beside him and sprang to his feet. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped so that Mei was able to ask her question. “Peace Ahroun. I would ask you to sit so that we can discuss this more rationally. If however you remain intent on leaving then I would first thank you for the assistance you and your friend Quinn rendered against the Keeper of the Wood and also for the hospitality you have shown us here. The stew was quite excellent.” Akryruh bowed low towards their host.

“I hope though, that the events of the last few minutes are merely a misunderstanding aggravated by just how much we do not know each other. I realize that you feel your life has been threatened and I cannot say that if I were in your place I would disagree. Callum and Rysha are both very direct and not known to soften sharp words. Now that I have come to know them better, the fact that they are still talking and not drawing weapons is their way of inviting you to continue speaking so that we can hopefully resolve this peacefully. Know too that from our side, we have watched the cavalcade of faces you have presented us and know no more about who you are than what we will eat for dinner three weeks from now. Are you the lecherous imp, the cold mercenary, the happy go lucky dandy, the petulant churl, all, none, some of each, some of only some? As Mei asks, is this a game you're playing?”

“You are right that we are not now masters of our essence in this life and that goes doubly for me. One thing I remember clearly from when I was a master though is the necessity or desire to maintain our circle. Again, we do not know you and can only go by your statement that you are not a devout follower of the dragons so we don’t know anything about your circle, including whether you even have one. In that case, imagine for a moment that you were a member of ours and someone asked you to break it with only a few hours notice. How great a threat might you feel? How reluctant would you be to do what is asked of you? How easily could you abandon a friend?”

“Because we don’t know you I have to assume that you are unaware of this. Mei is a part of us and we her. You say you have had threats leveled against you, and yet, you ask us to figuratively cut off or maim one of our limbs and for Mei to do so with four of hers. Could you live without both arms and legs? Sure, they will likely heal in time, but will you have your strength from before it happened? I can’t say that I want to prevent you from fulfilling your debt Ahroun, but if you did as you had said, I think you may have failed any way. You could not take her alone with you without her being harmed, even if there was no violence, no blood shed, no deception, no threats. She would be harmed, and so would we. Would a crippled Mei meet Sao Si’s request?”

“Again, I bid you and wish you peace, Peleps Ahroun, the Iron Wolf.” Akryruh bowed again to their host and motioned to Ahroun’s abandoned place on the ground. Akryruh then sank back his seat on the ground watching Ahroun to see his reaction.

Callum grunts around a mouthful of food. Nodding he points his spoon at Peleps and then back at the spot near the fire, his message is clear, You. Sit.

The mighty Exalt stood there, his back to the circle, for many moments. His hands came to rest on his pips and eventually he shook his head appearing to be chuckling. Finally he turned around. "Spoken like a Solar."

He didn't return to his place by the fire however. "My time table is for two people. Had I wanted to kidnap you Mei I would have done so while your friends battled the beast, I would not have offered them food and these fine five star accommodations. If you all wish to come along I suppose there is no harm in it but it will take me time to rearrange the schedule. Mei is my priority, the rest of you are on your own. I can't protect all of you so you'll have to make due."

"Spoken like one who has had most, if not quite every, hand turned against her since being 'chosen,'" Mei returns. "We don't know you, your methods or motives. You began your association with us demanding funds we don't have, and your explanation of why you were here was..."

She shakes her head, but at herself. You couldn't claim to be a seeker of truth, then shy from it when it didn't go your way. Her voice softens, loses its defensive edge.

"We misunderstood. For reasons that are to me understandable, but the fact remains that we misunderstood. I am sorry, Peleps, that I suspected you...and I am grateful that you have relented. Thank you."

"I have a spell well suited to travel. I might be able to carry all of us if you tell me where to go. Is it just you and Quinn?"

"Quinn alone would stress the limits of your Storm's Wind my lovely Lotus." He chucked, perhaps at the thought of Quinn's massive body trying to fit within a sorcerous dust devil. "We'll have to go it on foot I'm afraid, use the rivers and ferry ourselves north then west. It'll take some time, but we're no longer in a hurry it seems."

"Your guidance, we'll appreciate." Rysha stepped slightly closer to Mei and put a hand on her shoulder, the warm protectiveness of the gesture suggesting, to Ahroun's eye, perhaps a touch of possessiveness as well. "As for protection, we'll see to that ourselves."

"Destiny comes in its own time, I'd think," Mei offers. "It's a road to follow, not a destination to reach."

"Will we have a chance to say goodbye to our friends in the village, do you think? Or will that only endanger them?"

Ahroun rolled his eyes. "Gods, you sound just like the old coot. I don't believe in destiny." He crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "Nah, we should be alright. Given the amount of time it takes troops to assemble, if they're even coming, I'd say we have plenty of time. Besides it's going pretty funny seeing the looks on their faces when they spear you with pitch forks and club you with table legs while shouting some "Anathema" crap as they brand you as demons."

He made a goofy frown and bobbed his head from side to side. "Could be fun, but don't be too long, we have work to do here before setting out."

Callum eats and listens. He feels no particular desire to stick around Peleps but he's not going to abandon Mei to that jackal either. Finally he speaks, slowly and quietly as he is often given to doing. "The letcher has a point, better to steer clear of the town given what we have done. The healing in the forest ought to be thanks enough."

"Apparently my humor and politeness have fallen on deaf ears." Ahroun directs his comment to Callum, making no attempts to hide his irritation. He holds up two fingers. "That's two. Keep testing my patience Woodsman."

Callum projects as much of an innocent look as is possible with a face wrapped in cloth, "I'm so sorry, far be it from me to make fun of somebody who hasn't already done the same to me." The sarcasm all but drips from his voice concealing beneath it the rage of righteousness.

"I at least want to say goodbye to Elsbeth," Mei-Ying says doggedly, interposing herself between Callum and Ahroun.

"It won't take long. Do any of you wish to come with me?"

"Of course." Rysha kept her place beside Mei, in spite of that placing her between Callum and Ahroun when she'd just as soon have seen the old hunter take their erstwhile host apart. "We couldn't leave without at least giving her our farewells."

Mei Ying nodded. "Anyone who's going, now's the time to come here."

When they're ready to go, she casts her spell, twining Essence in the air like twin helixes and summoning a great twisting wind in its wake. They're scooped up in the maelstrom and carried to a place in the trees a few minutes walk from the tree they'd met Elsbeth by just before starting off to hunt the creature, as Mei suspects that their time in this formerly peaceful place will end where it began, if not as it began.

(back to that place from the first chapter where we pikaniked!)