28 One Journey Ends, Another Begins

Evening found Alex, Robin, Felicia, Liana, and Evelyn sitting around on the mansion's lordly dining table. It was made from a huge, dark, thick wood which had been immaculately polished. Each chair had soft cushions and gold accents on the backrest; more a throne than a chair. Outside, it was lush. The wind gently blew through the grounds making the trees sway slightly, the flower garden was quietly beautiful, and not a single animal made a sound.

On the table, inside the ornate dining room, all was silent too. Robin hadn't said a word since the girls had dragged him down from the bedroom and Alex was too lost in thought to even comment on the delicious meal the girls had cooked up. There had been no word or hint from Valek all day and Eve was getting fidgety.

Alex spotted Eve constantly looking out of the large windows outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of Valek walking up the path. "He'll be back soon." comforted Alex with a grin.

Eve turned around and gave him a small smile. "I know. He's...tough."

"Yeah, that's 'cause vampires are already undead, so nothing can kill-" began Liana but the great doors of the dining room swung open and Valek walked in.

He was wearing completely black clothes replete with a black overcoat with a hood at the back which was not yet up. Alex saw the striking resemblance Valek's current outfit had to the one the black skull was wearing in that alley that day when he saved the five from two assassins.

Valek's entry was so sudden and so unannounced that everyone just silently stared and watched him easily come up to the table, collapse in one of the chairs and even start pouring himself some food. "This looks delicious." he said nonchalantly.

Valek's words suddenly broke the charm. Liana shook her head. "What the...? Where have you been?"

"Making preparations." said Valek, biting down on a plump chicken leg.

"And?"

"All done." he answered.

"And are those the same clothes from that night?" asked Eve.

Valek grinned. Leave it to Eve to catch details like this. "You remembered."

"How could I forget? That black skull is ingrained into my head."

"The black skull was just a morph." laughed Valek. "This is the gear I always wear when I'm out incognito lone-wolfing."

"So, it's got utility?" asked Alex curiously. He saw that Valek's gloves had some kind of equipment right below his palm. In fact, the more he looked, the more little details caught his eyes. Just what does someone like Val wear when he goes out in the field?

"You have no idea, bro." said Valek, enjoying his brother's curiosity. "See, this here? It's-"

"Did you do it?" interrupted Robin, talking for the first time in hours.

Valek stopped. Swallowing his sentence, he inspected Robin's expression. The same pain... Valek nodded. "Yes. Yes, it's done."

"And...did...did she say anything?" asked Robin, his heart slowing down with anguish.

Valek sighed. "She...she said she understands."

"Huh?"

"She said she understands. She wanted you to know that...that she understands." said Valek, slowly. "And...and that she loves you."

"Oh." said Robin. The pain he felt right now was indescribable. This was our final goodbye. I'll...I'll never see her again. To stop any tears from forming in his eyes, Robin attacked his food; he didn't take a single bite, just played with it.

Alex sighed. Every time...every time we just keep losing people... He turned to his little brother. Valek looked completely unperturbed. The girls had lost their appetite too, but Valek was busy enjoying his chicken, unbothered by any emotions. Must be nice...not being able to feel pain.

"You've...you've changed, Val." said Felicia, slowly.

Valek almost smirked. "Maybe...but it's for the best."

"Is it?" asked Liana. "We...we heard all the stuff you did from Venna. Was all tha-"

Valek perked up. "Who?"

"N...no one." stammered Liana. She was suddenly afraid that Valek might go and kill Venna simply because he'd talked too much about Lord Valentine.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna harm your friend." laughed Valek, amused by the fear in his sister's eyes. "Venna, you say, huh...?" he wondered.

"He's a good guy, Val. Please...don't do anything to him." beseeched Eve.

Valek looked around the group's almost pleading looks. "Good guy?" he laughed.

"Yes." said Felicia.

"You people are so gullible." grinned Valek, taking a bite.

"What do you mean?" asked Alex.

" 'Venna' is no more good than a prostitute in the Royal Palace." said Valek. "In fact, he's much worse."

"What?" asked Robin, looking up.

" 'Venna,' as you so call him, is a spy." said Valek, enjoying the effect his words were having on the five. "His real name's Ieabod Rowland Servess."

"Wh...what?" stammered Liana.

"Yes." said Valek. "Servess was the spy for House Taffirr for twenty-five years. He started young, and being a gifted manipulator, he soon became the spymaster." The five just stared in stunned silence. Valek continued after a smile. "Servess was a great spymaster. He established contacts everywhere...put ears in every major hall. He and Lord Taffirr virtually rebuilt the house's prominence singlehandedly. He was an extremely crafty and extremely dangerous man. He had contacts everywhere, even in the Royal Palace."

"Then...what happened?" whispered Liana, hoarsely.

"Well...he got old." said Valek simply. "He wanted to retire. Old man Taffirr let him go with a heavy heart and an even heavier purse. Servess drifted around towns for a bit and finally settled on Barfoss. He established a new identity and prepared to spend his remaining days in peace."

"I'm thinking that didn't pan out." said Robin.

"No. When I...had the incident...with the older of the Druss brothers, I also, unknowingly at the time, killed off the spy that House Taffirr had placed in Barfoss." said Valek. "It was a major blow to them...till they found out that Servess was living here. Taffirr reached out to Servess and asked him to work for him again."

"And...he agreed?" asked Eve.

"Well, it was beneficial to both the parties. Servess working for House Taffirr meant that they didn't have to waste crowns on establishing a new identity for a green around the gills spy in Barfoss all over again. For Servess, it was a low risk job with very high rewards." said Valek. "Plus...he likes Taffirr. He wouldn't refuse a favor for that old man...especially if that favor made him bagloads of coin."

The five collapsed in silence. So, that was Venna's story. It all made sense now...how Venna could smooth talk into any conversation, how he knew so many intricate details about politics, how he could call in 'favors'.

"I always knew something was off about that guy." said Robin.

"Yet...I didn't think it was this deep!" exclaimed Liana. "And...and how do you know all this?" she asked Valek. "He barely knows anything about you, yet you know everything about him."

"I have better spies." said Valek simply.

The five relapsed into silence for a second. Val really is dangerous. At any moment, he might know everything about anyone.

"You looked into our associates this much?" asked Felicia.

"No." said Valek. "I just keep up to date with the goings-on in my realms and...every other realm."

"Wait..." said Eve, incredulously. "You pulled all that information about some random shopkeeper out from the top of your head!?"

"What's the point of having all the information in the world when you can't recall it when need be?" asked Valek with a wink. "Plus, I have good memory."

Eve dropped her gaze in amazement. What a...dangerously efficient guy. Nobody knows anything about him...yet he knows everything about everyone else.

"Anyway," said Alex, controlling his thoughts. "what next?"

"Well, we eat and then we leave." said Valek, taking a second helping. "But, before that, I wanna visit the weapons room."

"Weapons room?" asked Felicia, immediately perking up.

"Yeah." said Valek.

"Your glowing red sword from last night looked more than capable." wondered Alex. "Don't tell me you've got even more powerful weapons?"

Valek laughed. "Not here I don't. And no, the weapons aren't for me. They're for you two."

"Us?" asked Robin, looking up slowly.

"Yes. Your little pathetic scraps of metal can't even take down a fucking mouse." said Valek, matter-of-factly. "Let alone all the other shit we're bound to face."

"Hey!" said Liana. "Alex made those swords!"

"And he did a good job." said Valek, nodding. "For a rundown town's blacksmith."

"Hey!"

"Listen, what we've unleashed...what's coming for us? Normal swords won't cut it." said Valek, looking up. "What you all need now is enchanted weapons."

"Enchanted weapons..." repeated Alex in wonder.

"That's right." said Valek. "If you'd had enchanted weapons last night, you would've been able to kill those voodoos."

Robin raised his eyebrows. "So, magical weapons would've been able to kill the unkillable."

"Depending on what 'magical weapon' you used and who was using it." said Valek, getting up. "Come on, let's not dilly-dally."

The five silently got up and followed Valek. He led them through a few, beautifully well-lit, corridors, through a few chambers, and then to a staircase leading downwards.

"What's this?" asked Eve, peeking over Valek's shoulder into the darkness below.

"Basement." smiled Valek. He snapped his finger and the resulting red spark from his hands somehow lit up all the sconces down to the lower levels.

"Why is your fire red?" asked Liana, as she followed her brother down the stone staircase. "Is it a magical spell that's more advanced or-"

"No, this red fire magic is just one of my Master Vampire abilities. I didn't have to learn a spell for it. It's just...natural." grinned Valek.

"Ain't nothing natural about you, pal." muttered Robin.

The six finally reached the last landing. There was a gaping corridor that led somewhere but Valek ignored it. He turned to the right to face the huge wooden doors. With an ease he swung them both open and the group trooped in.

The room inside was huge. The walls on each side seemed far away and the ceiling easily stretched thirty feet up. There were several sconces in the room, and as a result, it was extremely well-lit despite having no windows. What was the most distinguishing feature of the room, though, was that it was filled with weapons of every kind. Tens of longswords hung in the shelves, several halberds hung from the walls, making a cross. Glass showcases contained maces, daggers, ornate scimitars. Spears stood in the corner and crossbows hung from the walls. There were great warhammers placed on top of delicate looking tables, shields lying around or on the walls beside the crossbows and halberds. Battle axes were placed in shelves lining the higher walls, and so were a number of beautiful caltrops. A few longbows also stood in the shelves.

"This...isn't a weapons room. It's a weapons hall!" exclaimed Alex, his voice echoing in the cavernous chamber.

Valek laughed. "I wonder what you'd say to the weapons hall we have back home at my castle."

"You live in a castle!?" asked Eve incredulously, spinning around to face him. Valek winked. "A secret one. Shh!"

Robin strolled through the hall, gently touching the sharp edges of the battle tools. Despite being thrust into the world of weaponsmithing against his choice, he'd come to understand and appreciate the art a lot. Even he could see that these weapons were extremely finely crafted. Valek could've bought the entirety of Barfoss from the contents of this room alone.

"Nice, isn't it?" asked Valek, suddenly appearing behind Robin.

Robin suppressed his shock and nodded. "This is...art. It's a treasure trove." Valek grinned.

"What? Are you gonna ask us to run free in this hall and pick out whatever we want?" asked Alex, thirstily.

Valek burst out laughing. "It's true that a lot of these weapons are enchanted, but we're here for two very specific ones. Not these irrelevant trash-" He stopped when he spotted Robin's and Alex's glare.

Valek rolled his eyes and beckoned the five over to the glass case in the center of the room. They all rushed over and eagerly peered inside. All of them simultaneously gasped. Inside the case were just two weapons; a sword and an ax. But both of them were otherwordly. They easily made all the other weapons in the room look like underclassed tin.

The sword was made from some kind of extra shiny metal; it was positively glowing under the light. It's hilt had the finest black leather handle that Alex had ever seen. The guards were gold with a gold lightning bolt serving as the bottom of the hilt. The blade itself was completely engraved with a gentle design of lightning bolts and some complicated runes. The sheath that was placed alongside, on the red cushion, was made from the same luxurious black leather as the hilt with a pattern of squares emobossed on it. The blade shined under the torches like no other sword...as if reflecting back the light twofold.

The battle-ax meanwhile was made from some kind of dark, gray-ish metal. The ax head looked heavy and solid. The long handle was made from a red wood which had exquisite engravings on it toward the last twelve inches. The end of the handle had been crafted into a hardy face, which somehow seemed to give the ax more presence. The ax head itself had engravings on it too which seemed to spread from the point where the wood and metal met, to the blade of the ax head; a kind of beautiful, uncondensed, spidery web spreading all over the ax...like a snowflake.

"Beautiful..." whispered Liana, awestruck.

"Mother of God..." managed Alex, unable to take his eyes off the weapons. They were so captivating, it felt it would be an honor to even touch them.

Valek was enjoying the admiration on the five's faces. What would they say if I someday show them the Weapon of the Master? "Impressive pieces of work, huh?" he said.

"Impressive?" repeated Robin incredulously. "Impressive? And you just left these here to rot in some mansion you never visit?"

Valek laughed. "You people are so simple." he said.

"What's that suppos-" began Robin, but Valek waved a hand. The glass case unlocked and swung open. Valek reached in and grabbed the ax. The five instinctively stepped back a little, staring at the weapon in amazement as Valek brought it out.

"Here." he said to Alex. "This is for you."

"Huh?"

"This is for you." repeated Valek with a grin.

His heart suddenly beating faster, Alex slowly reached out and gingerly took the ax from Valek's hands. It felt heavy...yet somehow...solid. As if it was made to be used. Alex gently swung it around a bit and it was as if the ax was an extension of his arm. It was so precise, it almost felt telepathic.

"Hmm." said Valek, a little disappointed. "But I can't say I didn't expect otherwise." he shrugged.

"What?" asked Alex, forcing himself to tear his eyes away from his invaluable gift.

"The ax hasn't accepted you." said Valek.

"What do you mean?"

"This ax is...choosy. It is extremely powerful, but unlike most other weapons, there was a charm put on it. The ax only ever works fully for those it deems worthy."

"I'm confused." announced Felicia.

Valek pointed at the ax. "It's from the Kivv Isles. Those hardy, southern, sons of bitches value 'worthiness' to a dangerous degree. This ax was crafted by one of their finest smiths and enchanted by the wisest of druids. However, they didn't want anyone who wasn't worthy to wield such a weapon. Hence, a charm was put on it. Only the men who have committed heroic deeds can utilize the complete power of the ax. The ax will 'choose' him, and give him extraordinary abilities. Extremely powerful...but finnicky." Valek paused for a second, then laughed. "The last sentence actually describes the Islanders better than I care to admit."

"Oh." said Alex, looking down. The ax stared blankly back at him.

"So, Alex isn't worthy?" asked Felicia. "But-"

"Well, he hasn't really done anything heroic, has he?" asked Valek. "In the view of the Kivv Islanders, of course." he hastily added as all three girls were about to retort.

"So, what? It would glow or something if it accepted me?" asked Alex. He was feeling a bit deflated that the ax was so indifferent to him.

"Yep." said Valek. "The Islandic Jarls gifted this ax to me at a banquet. It was more of a...public test...to see if I was in any way heroic and to judge me either way."

"They dared to that to Lord Valentine?" asked Robin, half-sarcastically.

"That's why they were so sly with it." winked Valek. "See that face at the end of the handle? That's Borealis, the Kivv God of snow. He's supposed to decide whether the person holding the ax is worthy enough to channel the power of frost."

"It's a frost ax, huh?" said Alex, minutely inspecting the engravings.

"Yep."

"And what happened?" interjected Eve.

"The ax glowed so much the Jarls thought it would explode." said Valek, simply.

"Seriously?" asked Eve. Valek grinned.

"Yet it doesn't even blink in my hands." said Alex, downheartedly. Felicia gripped his arm and kissed him on the cheek. "You're a hero in my book, frost ax or otherwise." she whispered. Alex managed a small smile then turned to Valek. "Can't I just pick a weapon that works for me?" he asked.

"No." said Valek. "This is the best weapon I have, and even in the state where you can't use its magical powers, it's still more powerful than anything here." Alex's face fell. He was expecting that much.

"Of course, except for this sword." said Valek, going back over to the showcase. He picked up the ornate sword that was resting on the red cushion. Valek masterfully swung it a few times, then spun it around and pointed the sword's hilt at Robin.

"This, my friend," said Valek. "is for you."

Robin reached forward with slightly shaking hands. What'll happen when I grab a magical weapon? Slowly he gripped the hilt and Valek, after giving him a small look look, dramatically let the hilt go.

Nothing happened. Robin stood for a few moments in disappointment. "What gives?" he asked. He swung the sword around a bit and almost smashed a glass display to his side.

"Does this sword not accept him either?" asked Alex. Somewhere in his voice there was hope.

"Nah, it doesn't have a spell like that." said Valek. He reached out and grabbed Robin's hand to stop him from smashing something and pulled him closer. "Focus." he said.

"What?" asked Robin.

"Focus." repeated Valek. "That isn't a sword you're holding, it's a piece of magic. Treat it like that."

"What? Caress it?" asked Robin, sarcastically.

Valek grabbed Robin's shoulder and shook him. "Focus! Respect the sword...believe that it is magic."

"I am believing it's magic!"

"No, actually believe it's magic. Feel it. Close your eyes...reach out to the sword. Feel the magic flowing from it. Feel the power it has."

"What? What the fuck do you-"

"You don't get it!" exclaimed Valek. "Up till now you've never had contact with magic. In simple terms, you don't have enough...mental constituency yet. You're not at that level where simply holding a magical weapon will give you all its abilities. You need to unlock that within yourself. Reach out to the sword...feel the magic."

A bit dubiously, Robin closed his eyes and tried to mentally reach out to the piece of metal he was holding.

"Believe." whispered Valek.

Robin shut his eyes even tighter and gripped the sword harder. With all his might he tried to 'feel' the sword. He thought of it as an extension of his body...as if he was somehow reaching out to a part of his arm...mentally evaluating it all.

Suddenly, he felt it. Purple. That's all there was; a kind of purple flash in the darkness. Somehow, he suddenly felt the sword. He could very faintly 'see' a kind of purple light in his mind. He knew it was coming from his arm...coming from the weapon he was holding. Excited now, Robin focused all his mind on that purple flash...that purple lightning. He concentrated with all his might to just reach out to it...to sense its power and to hold it.

Robin shot open his eyes and looked down at the sword in his right hand. Before his gaze had even properly met, a bolt of purple lightning suddenly crackled from the sword. "Woah!" Robin screamed and dropped the sword in shock.

"What?" exclaimed Liana. "Did it hurt? Are you okay? What's-"

"It didn't." said Robin, looking up at everyone. "It...didn't hurt. I just dropped it out of shock."

"Then that mea-"

"I felt it." said Robin ecstatically. "I felt the sword." He swooped down to pick it up and twirled it in his fingers. "I...I still feel it."

"No way." said Eve, disbelievingly.

"Watch this." said Robin with smile. He closed his eyes in concentration and suddenly shot them open. The sword crackled with a purple lighting bolt again, and this time Robin didn't drop it. "See!" he exclaimed.

The other three rushed over in amazement and watched Robin summon the purple lightning again a few more times. At the last turn, he didn't even have to close his eyes.

Valek grinned. "Nice party trick." he said.

"What?" asked Robin, looking up.

"That sword is a lot, lot more powerful. This flimsy bolt that can't even damage the floor is the least of its abilities."

"Really?" asked Robin, a little crestfallen.

"Hey, let the kid have his moment." said Alex.

"Just saying." shrugged Valek. Then he looked up and grinned. "But summoning bolts within minutes of holding the sword? Heh, not bad, kid."

"You're just a year older than me." said Robin, almost instinctively. It was long running gag with Valek always calling him kid despite being just a few months older.

"Anyway, this is it." said Valek. "As you spend more time with the sword...as you use it, you'll start...unlocking...more of its capabilities. The more tough the enemy you kill with it, the more of the swords latent abilities you'll feel."

"So, what other cool stuff can it do?" asked Robin, eagerly. "Show it to me." he said, handing the sword to Valek.

Valek grinned. "Where would the fun be in that?" he asked.

"Come on! At least tell me something!"

"What if I told you...that sword can teleport you?" asked Valek with a grin.

The other four simultaneously exclaimed.

* * *

"This is stupid." announced Alex.

He and Felicia had been ordered by Valek to prepare a few food packages that would last the six at least a couple of days. Valek had given the couple free rein in his pantry with the only requirement being that the items they pick should be small and compact. Valek had said that they would buy supplies from settlements as and when they needed, so they shouldn't worry too much about food resources. But...it never hurt to be careful. Felicia and Alex were in the process of going through what to take and what not to, when Alex had suddenly straightened up and said what was on his mind.

"What's stupid?" asked Felicia.

"This plan of Val's. What? We're supposed to keep bouncing around towns till the people who're after us get tired of it and teleport us all back home?" asked Alex, showing his exasperation.

Felicia looked at him closely. It wasn't like him to show his grievances. The only person he expressed them to was Felicia. As the two were alone here, Felicia realized this was Alex's chance to vent. She walked up to him and placed a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Al. You know full well Val's not like that." she whispered. Alex shrugged helplessly.

"You know Val's always got a plan. It's...just that he doesn't wanna share it yet." Felicia continued soothingly. "When the time comes, he will."

"Maybe he should tell us right now." wondered Alex. "I have a feeling there's also something important he's not telling us. He...just breezed over why he hasn't been home yet. He...he's not telling us something. Should I force him to talk?"

Felicia laughed. "He's not gonna...no matter what you do. He only says what he wants to, when he wants to." She mused for a second. "In a lot of ways, he's exactly like you." she laughed.

"Except I'm not a blood sucking vampire." grinned Alex.

"Hey!" said Felicia, gently slapping Alex's arm. "Don't say that. You'll hurt his feelings."

"Vampires don't have feelings." winked Alex.

"That's...not true." said Felicia seriously. "And you know it."

Alex wiped the grin from his face; Val seemed extremely heartless nowadays...but Alex had seen that his vampire brother's heart still beat. He gave a small smile and nodded. "I know." He whispered.

Alex and Felicia soon came up from the pantry and back to the drawing room where everyone was present. Robin was sitting in silence on the luxurious sofa, Liana was minutely inspecting a figurine of some god, while Eve was sitting unnaturally close to Valek and conversed in hushed tones.

"So...you all ready?" asked Alex loudly, walking in with the heavy sack of food.

Valek looked up and beamed. "You did well." he said. Then he looked around at the other four; they had all changed their clothes into travel attire with long boots, gloves, and belts. "You all did well." he smiled.

Alex laughed. It was nice being able to delegate leadership. But somewhere, he felt Valek had already taken over. "You look ready to run." he said, shifting his gaze from Valek to Eve.

She patted the dagger attached to her belt and smiled. "Yep." Valek had given three identical daggers to each of the girls 'just in case' stating the weapons had more to them than meets the eye. All three of the girls had happily pocketed the small gift with Eve being the only one proudly displaying it.

"Anyway," said Valek getting up. "It really is time to run." He glanced out of the window; night had fallen now. Not a single attack had come since yesterday, and this quiet was annoying Valek. He couldn't remember the last time he had been nervous just because someone was out for his life, but he'd realized he wasn't nervous for himself...he was nervous for the other five. For the first time in his Decimandrian life...he was weaker than he'd ever been.

"Right then." said Alex, picking up his frost ax. Robin got up silently too and belted his thunder sword to his hip. The girls stood around, a bit fidgety.

"We're leaving, huh?" asked Robin, hollowly. Black twitching cat ears, a swirling tail, and deep, dark blue eyes was all he could see on the outer reaches of his vision.

Valek nodded.

"How? Through the front door?" asked Alex.

"That would be...irrational." said Valek. "No, we're leaving through the secret tunnel that comes out on the outskirts of Barfoss. I have stashed a wagon and two horses there that we'll use. That way, anyone who watched us go in the mansion would be none the wiser that we've left the house."

"Wait, go back." said Robin. "We're not taking Duke and Duchess?"

"Is that what you've named your horses?" asked Valek casually. "No, we're not taking your old horses. The ones I've got are better, tougher, and braver."

"Hold up, they're Herm's horses." protested Felicia. "We can't just leave them here like this!"

"Herm is dead." said Valek without an ounce of emotion in his voice. "Come to terms with it. If we take your old horses, we'll be easier to track. Plus, taking some old farm horses with little to no stamina would be idiotic."

"So...we just leave them here?" asked Eve.

"No." said Valek. "I killed them."

"What!?" exclaimed Alex. "What, you little-"

"Would you rather they die a slow death of starvation as they sit here abandoned in the stables?" asked Valek, emotionlessly. "Or do you expect me to employ some people to look after them and risk giving away our plans?"

"You could've just let them go free in the wild!" shouted Liana, tears in her eyes.

"There are ways through which what the animal has witnessed can be viewed." said Valek, simply. "They were a liability."

"You-" started Felicia, but gave up.

"Don't worry. The death of those animals was painless." said Valek, tonelessly.

The five fell silent. Once again, all of them were shocked by Valek's lack of empathy. It was so easy for him to ignore all the feelings others felt. Did he even feel anything himself? Robin turned to Valek and glared at him. "You're a fucking dick, man." he said.

Valek looked amused. "Heh, you humans are sometimes so...delicate...about your emotions."

"You were human too once!" said Eve, somehow angry that Valek was creating such a huge wall between them by separating their entire race.

Valek looked at Eve and paused. Her defiant purple eyes were always a sight he enjoyed looking at. "No." he said simply. "I never was. I was born a vampire."

Eve opened her mouth to protest, but Alex placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, silencing her. Alex shook his head. "Val's right. If he says it needed to be done, then it needed to be done."

Valek gave the five another glance as they stood around in a minute of silence. Then he said: "I have to prepare a welcoming party if anyone breaks into the mansion grounds looking for you all. Wait for me here." Valek breezed out of the room, and the five were left alone.

Alex patted Eve's head. "He did the right thing. Duke and Duchess had been so scared last night with the voodoos...who knows what we'll face now. It's...kind of a blessing they got a painless, happy death."

"I know," said Eve, lightly wiping her eyes. "I know it was the right thing to do, but..."

"He did it so wrongly." said Liana.

"No, he didn't." said Robin, to everyone's surprise. "He just didn't sugarcoat it and that's what hurts you."

"I thought you liked Duke and Duchess the most!" said Felicia, scoldingly.

"I do...did." said Robin. "That's why I'm also glad it was Valek who gave them a quick end. That's why I'm glad that neither of them got ripped apart by some monster and spent their last few moments with their guts hanging out and in utter pain..."

The five fell silent again. Robin was right...Valek was right. What hurt more wasn't what Valek had done...it was his lack of emotion while doing it.

After fifteen minutes, Valek returned without a word. He looked over the five: Good...they've come to their senses. Humans. Valek snapped his fingers; instantly all the curtains drew shut with a sudden motion. Then he walked over to the fireplace that was still merrily burning. With a casual wave of his hand he put out the flame and reached in to the huge fireplace. He patted around the bricks for a second, finally located the right one, and firmly pressed in.

There was a low rumbling sound, and the entire floor of the fireplace fell away to reveal a small, dark, square hole. The burnt logs fell somewhere underground, and their low echo reached the five on the surface.

"That's your secret passage." whispered Liana, awestruck.

Valek grinned. "Like all great ladies, this mansion also has more than its fair share of secrets."

"I thought you didn't like this mansion." said Felicia, looking up at him.

"Who said that?" asked Valek, easily. "I never did." The five of them just shook their heads slightly. This guy's something else.

"Anyway," said Valek. "Alex, go in first." Alex raised his eyebrows, but stepped forward anyway.

"Wait, why is he going first?" asked Felicia. "What if someone's waiting for us down there?"

"That's why I'm sending him and not you three girls." said Valek. "If someone is waiting for us there, we'll know without endangering you all." Felicia started to say something, but Valek continued. "If I go and leave you here...and it's some kind of trap that holds me there while the mansion comes under attack, you'll all be left on your own." Felicia fell silent.

"Do you always think so deeply about every move you make?" asked Eve. Valek just smiled at her in return.

"And here I was thinking you'd chosen me because I was the most expendable." grinned Alex, walking over to the fireplace.

"You're also the toughest of the five." Valek winked.

"With this sword and Alex's broken ax, don't count on it." said Robin.

Alex just laughed and shook his head. He peered inside the small hole; there was an iron ladder running down at least forty feet. Way down on the ground inside, burned a single torch at the the foot of the ladder. Alex sighed. "Here goes." he said.

Bending over, Alex climbed in the fireplace, turned around and took the first few steps down the ladder. Soon he could grip it with his hands, and his torso disappeared from view and into the hole below.

Felicia fidgeted around nervously, while Alex took the slow climb down. It was tedious work taking each step at a time, but Alex was thankful the ladder was in pristine condition; not a single trace of rust nor any shaking.

After a few minutes, Alex's feet finally touched the ground, and he stepped off the ladder to look around. The tunnel stretched gapingly ahead like some huge beast's mouth. The single torch that was lit right at the foot of the ladder was not nearly enough to light up more than a few feet ahead of him.

Alex removed the torch from its sconce and bravely took a few steps in the utter darkness of the tunnel; nothing. Not even a mouse moved. He went back and waved at Valek's peering face in the hole way above him. Suddenly, he realized with a start that Valek's eyes had been glowing red. They shifted back to normal as they spotted Alex waving and Valek grinned and disappeared.

Soon, the girls started following Alex down the ladder. Felicia went ahead, followed by Eve, and then Liana. Robin was the last to come down while Valek stayed above in his study. Within a few minutes, all of the five were standing in a tight circle in the dark tunnel. Alex looked up at Valek and waved the torch again, signally the all okay.

With an odd ease, Valek stepped into the huge fireplace. He didn't bother taking the ladder, and instead, just dropped off from the hole. Wind rushed past his ears as he fell through the air with an unnatural grace. He landed without a single sound and straightened up. The five of them stared in shock.

"Show off." muttered Alex.

"Heh, watch this." said Valek, eyeing his brother's sorry little source of light. He snapped his fingers and immediately the tunnel lit up with torches. The darkness dissipated revealing the sconces placed every few feet; suddenly, the tunnel didn't seem dark and dank anymore.

Felicia was the most thankful. She hated going underground and in closed spaces. She tightly gripped Valek's arm. "You, Val...are something else." she beamed, kissing him on the cheek.

Valek grinned. "You'll make Alex jealous." he said.

Felicia leaned in closer. "Perhaps he needs that." she whispered in his ear.

"What?" asked Alex, stepping closer.

"Nothing."

"Don't worry about it." said Valek. "Come on, our transportation awaits."

The six of them set off in the small tunnel. There was sand underneath their feet which provided good traction, and they made good progress pretty quickly. The tunnel was long and seemed never-ending. All of them just kept walking and walking, with Valek always in the front, completely at ease.

"You're always so...comfortable." said Eve, panting behind Valek. "Like you've done this kind of stuff before."

"More times than you can count." smiled Valek. He wasn't going to show the five how vulnerable he was now because of them...how high of a stakes there was this time.

Eve shook her head and grabbed his hand. "Just slow down a bit for us...for me." she whispered. Valek smiled and pulled her a little closer to him.

Soon, the tunnel started going up but, thankfully, it didn't change in height. Alex knew they were coming close to the end and back up toward the surface. And sure enough, within a few minutes, they reached a heavy wooden trapdoor.

Valek gently touched it and closed his eyes. He sent out his usual 'pulse' to see if there was anything...or anyone...waiting for them. It spread out all over outside and rebounded off the horses waiting there. But there was nothing else. Except for a few bats flying overhead and an owl hunting in the distance, no living creature moved.

"It's safe." said Valek opening his eyes. "Let's go. Quickly." He pushed open the door and the six came out inside the hollow of a huge tree. Alex went first, followed by the girls, and then Robin. Valek came out last and quietly closed the door behind him. He chanted an incantation and the trapdoor sealed shut, and dissolved into nothingness.

As Valek stepped out from inside the tree, he saw the five waiting for him by the horse drawn cart. It was quite a big carriage designed to accommodate people inside it as well as on the roof. There was a small ladder, beside the lockbox at the back, to provide access to the cushions up top and the buckboard. The two horses Valek had sourced were identical, tall, black thoroughbreds; extremely efficient and extremely brave horses.

Robin was already petting them and Valek could see they'd already bonded with him. He grinned inwardly. "Climb on top. Let's go." he said to the group.

Liana and Felicia clumsily used the ladder to get to the roof and collapsed on the comfortable cushions on the roof of the cart. There was a small railing surrounding it to stop people from falling out during bumpy roads. Robin and Alex followed the pair while Evelyn and Valek, by unsaid consent, climbed into the buckboard.

"These pillows are comfy!" exclaimed Liana, bouncing on the cushions.

"Yeah, till it rains." said Robin. "What do we do then?"

"We throw a tarp over the roof and you people go and sit inside the cabin." said Valek simply. He looked around for a second, then whipped the reins and the two horses set off obediently. Everyone suddenly fell silent. The finality of what had just occurred had started to sink in and each was dealing with their own emotions. The end of the Barfossian life...

The night sky up above was bright; the huge constellations shined brightly down at the group. There was a still, ripple-less lake to their right which reflected the twin moons' light twofold, creating an a kind of serene environment. A line of trees stood confidently to the left, gently swaying in the wind. Their dark, stoic figures somehow creating a sense of security. There were a few clumps of while flowers dotted around the foot of the trees and they filled the air with a very, very faint sweet smell. Not a creature breathed and all was eerily tranquil. Valek closed his eyes in pleasure. This...is what Decimandria is all about.

Eve looked sideways at Valek and saw him with his eyes closed enjoying the evening. What...what is this wall I feel between us? We're sitting so close...yet we're so far apart from each other. "I...I..." she began, but faltered and fell silent.

Valek slowly opened his eyes and turned to Eve. She sat staring at her hands, nervously playing with her thumbs. He could hear that her heart had gotten faster for a second, but now he heard it slowing down. Evelyn...

"It'll be all right, Eve." said Valek in a low voice. Eve turned to look at him: his long, black hair was gently flowing in the wind, his expression reassuring and confident. She looked into his deep, jet black eyes and realized this was one of the rare times when they were smiling...actually smiling.

Eve grinned at him. Her heart was fluttering. Right now, all she felt was happiness. "This is it, huh? The end of our Barfoss journey...the end of our drifter journey...? It...kinda makes me sad."

Valek laughed. "Well, as they say, 'one journey ends, another begins'. Look at it this way: this is the beginning of our next journey. The start of a brand new adventure where the whole world awaits us." He motioned the huge constellations and Eve's heart fluttered even more.

Eve broke into a laugh. Val...Val's something else. She reached out and grabbed his hand. Without a word, Valek tightly gripped it in return and the two stared at the road ahead with newfound optimism. All was peaceful as the six trundled along the twilit road.