Eedebee guided her hidden grey-ship a safe distance from the Isle of Sipsids under ash clouds and smoke that put back the daylight, while Val’ha mended the companions’ wounds with her healing-light. Baroness Val Tress determined that between the immediate danger, possible change in coastline, Nopaach-to’s broken glass and remaining unexplored northeast shore, a second voyage would be called for completion of the island’s mapping. With the last hours of light upon them, the younger Men stripped down and jumped into Flooher’ty Sea to rid themselves of soot and grime; Val’ha, the Baroness and Nopaach-to changed and availed themselves of the ship’s water.

Though deeply curious about Eedebee’s transformation to and from a tiger, Val’ha guessed it – her – to be the High Wizarder’s tiger that had vanished from his chamber by their second-day meeting. The Baroness and Eedebee did not speak of the incident until later in the night, after they all celebrated their victory with dinner and flagons of red wine, hailed each other many times and the Men made off for their night’s sleep relaxed and happy. Eedebee cleared away some of the table and took a draught of her wine, trying not to stare at Val’ha and the Baroness, who drummed her fingers on the table and finally said, "Sit down, captain."

"You are the tiger I saw in the High Wizarder’s chambers," Val’ha suggested.

Eedebee nodded with some relief. "I am that tiger. I am the tiger, and this ship is my – the cage."

"Why? How?"

"In the presence of Oromasus – that is his name, Oromasus – I am not the person you see before you, though I retain my spirit within the cat’s body. It was a curse set upon us that Oromasus may never set eyes on me as a Woman. When you first came to High Wizarder Oromasus, I heard him retain you for Castle Ohrt, but after you left, word of more perils reached him – the Mayor of Denlineil appeared with his betrothed Guinivere of Sipsids to petition the king for assistance, and a communion of the Sages made clear that Xorus intended more than acquiring the Swords. Oromasus wanted to go with you but could not, so he sent me with Lady Frippe from the castle grounds that day, expecting me to resume my present form and travel with you in his stead.

"But when I did not change, the cage was sent for and in the night on a back road I entered it to become a Woman for the first time in many, many years. Oromasus used the Elven ring I bear to turn the cage into the Bugbear, but it is still my cage, even with its gifts of steering and cloak." A tear fell down Eedebee’s cheek and she twisted the ring on her finger. "I am so sorry for my deceptions, but it was his wish – our wish – not to burden you with our travails, for there is much work ahead, Lady Val’ha, and as you have witnessed, I make a poor liar."

"But why?" the Baroness repeated Val’ha’s question. "Why were a girl and an old wizard cursed so?"

Eedebee breathed deeply. "Oromasus was young when the third millennium began, twenty-six years into his second incarnation and counsel to Joel I, first of the Blue Rose Kings. And we were lovers."

The Baroness gasped and Val’ha tried to imagine the High Wizarder and the maiden in a love affair. "It was a century ago, the year Andronicus Flooher’ty passed on to sainthood and the Age of Insipirility ended, thirty before the founding of the Order of the Sages to which Oromasus now belongs. I was seventeen and his student, but then came Xorus the first time to attain the Swords for his goddess to dominate the mortal world."

"Xorus!" scoffed Val Tress.

"The Swords were given to the Ten Kingdoms of Hafer’ty as a gift from the goddess Ariadne, including Castle Moncrovia where even now Dervish, Sword of Gar, remains under Oromasus’ vigilance. Xorus came to claim it and did so." Eedebee wept as she remembered the distant past of her love. "Oromasus summoned all of his powers to battle the demon-god, but with Xorus commanding the Song of Terra, he threatened to bring down Mount Carias itself upon the castle and forced my beloved to relinquish the Sword to him."

"Who brought Xorus to Terra at all?" Val’ha asked. "Was Gargantua, who now bears the Xoran birthstone and conjured him this time, alive then?"

"No, no he was not. In that time another like Gargantua – evil, endowed with enough strength and willing to use the birthstone to summon Xorus – did so. His name was Baron Cry from the Darkwood of Joh’oprinia, and since his passing he has joined the House of Terr’des as the God of Storms.

"Between Baron Cry and Gargantua, what became of the birthstone is not known, but as Oromasus told you, Xorus pierced the veil of the Terran realm to capture the Nine Swords and only due to Ariadne’s foresight was the Book of Ceremony kept from his clutch. When Xorus attempted to cross into Joh’oprinia to acquire the Book from the palace there, eight of the Nine Swords flew from his possession, and with good fortune, Dervish returned to Castle Moncrovia and the Blue Rose kings. The ninth Sword, sadly, Xorus was able to retain – it is Not-nibab, Sword of Frederick, God of Love, and through it Xorus cast upon Oromasus and me a curse of vengeance for having fought him over Dervish.

"Aware of our love, he set on us a spell that would keep us together until one of us passed from this realm, imprisoning me in the cage and body of the tiger that you both saw, never aging, never able to speak again, and with my plighted troth – in that cage – I lived for one hundred years, able to understand my surroundings as Humans do, for my intelligence and ability to understand were not diminished. It was agony to be close to each other but separated as if by another realm...

"The tragedy of Xorus’ second coming consumed Oromasus; he promised to be with you even if he could not himself, and thus he finally let me go from him, with this Elf-ring from his own finger and the cage-ship, so that you might have at least some of his magic."

The Baroness finished her wine. "Only now this truth we learn from you, and to find you with knowledge and life far exceeding mine – I am angry at your deception and woeful from your tale."

"I am a century and seventeen," Eedebee said, "but I will never be able to return to the castle, nor see Oromasus again, and on this ship I shall live until one of us is gone from here." Great sympathy stirred in Val’ha for her friend and she put her arm around Eedebee’s shoulder while the captain wiped her eyes in silence.

**

Val’ha stood in the white-barked boat, shadowed banks on either side of the green river she traveled in her dream that night. From the darkness of the eastern bank came faint lavender light, growing and moving toward her. "Pir’th Ma’hadrin." She noticed that the western bank blackened deeper the closer the beacon came. She could not discern its source; it silhouetted the trees and woodferns that in turn kept its true form from her view.

The boat went forward in the murky river on its own and she looked back to see the beacon hovering above the water. Up at the riverhead two golden orbs appeared but the more Val’ha regarded them, the closer to stars they became until they were part of the sky. She heard a splash behind her, the sound of one entering the water with measured slowness. Ominously the western shore, like a wall, began to blot out the stars above it and, she thought, expanded and leaned as though to fall upon her. A hum, deep and terrible, grew steadily to the point she covered her ears. The black wall curled over the sky like the tunnel of a vast cave; her gaze riveted on it until Val’ha’s neck ached from strain. The dark wings of the night-swallowing blackness landed on the eastern riverbank, and she could only see forward and down.

The boat sprang a leak; the green water swilled over her fee, while Ma’hadrin’s purple glow had spread into the wholeness of the water and was steadily overtaking her boat and all of the air within the black tunnel. The glow enveloped her and the boat, moving steadily past and forward, causing the loud hum to turn into the screech of a thousand hideous birds, scraping nails on slate and almost a voice.

The water pouring into the boat, green with a lavender glow, reached Val’ha’s ankles; she peered into the river and saw faces just below the surface, screamed but could not hear herself. The boat began to sink under the water’s weight, at her knees now, now at her fingertips. She fell forward as the boat capsized under her weight, hitting its prow and falling, falling and sinking into the water.

Val’ha closed and opened her eyes and was in the murk; she could not see anything above, beneath or in front of her but, heard even yet the screeching hum of the night-swallower above. Still the river swept her forth, the boat gone, and she tried neither to swim nor breathe when she remembered the ring hanging from her neck, removed it from the Denlineilian money-sack, placed it around her finger and relaxed her body, allowing herself to sink through kelp reeds the size of trees to the riverbed where she found her footing and breathed as if on land. "Kephu’mir," the reeds of the glowing stream whispered; through them came a figure in profile.

Val’ha sensed her father’s presence all around her and addressed the silhouette: "Pir’th Ma’hadrin, ces’a-vis?"

"Kephu’mir, chell’m, ai’m, au’m. It is your father." The silhouette paused for a long time. "Kephu’mir, sleep well tonight – in your dreams you will no longer be troubled by the night-swallower. It was my folly to protect you from his attempt to possess your spirit, but by my intervention he is cast from here and will no longer return to shadow your forests and steal away the stars. He shall not come here again." Val’ha wanted to ask so many more questions the jumble of them all made her silent. The silhouette folded back into the reeds and the glowing river consumed her.

**

The Wind-God Igar smiled again on the Bugbear, propelling it speedily around the Isle of Sipsids back toward the port of Moncrovia. The cloud of ash from the volcano had largely dispersed and Val’ha spent the morning watching the island and its fire-mountain slip behind the horizon of the blue day. She wrote in her journal, trying to gather her dreams and visions, the meaning of her father’s words and High Wizarder Oromasus’ prophecy, "Your destiny awaits you in the islands. Strong and vague, through circles of dusty wind."

**

The Bugbear began the morning of Mocrolester 5 two miles from Moncrovia by Eedebee’s estimation; her six companions, their belongings readied, watched the port, city and Mount Carias above beckon nearer. The day was cloudy and seaspray hit their cheeks and eyes. Val’ha was excited to return home and had prepared herself over, twice and thrice for her next audience with Oromasus, fingering the Ring of Didapruvnefe that she intended on returning to him.

Trisahn stood beside her. "Tonight," he said, placing a hand each on Val’ha and Thoryn’s shoulders, "we celebrate our victory at the Dragon Inn."

Several ships passed either way from the Moncrovian port, crews active, sails and oars catching the rhythms of wind and wave. Val’ha sniffed the air – it did not move despite the Bugbear’s course. She pulled Trisahn’s tunic. "Do you sense anything?"

"Only my desire to return to the mainland."

"We should go below deck," Val’ha said in a much lower voice, but Thoryn heard her as well.

"What – " he began.

"We are sensed, we have been spotted, the air dead around us," she whispered.

"Good Lady Val’ha," Nopaach-to called, "share your secrets with us! Your face is so downcast, but this day shines with insipirility!"

Val’ha turned and bade the others to do so; from the direction of the island, an isolated bluster of cloud blew toward them. "Just wind?" Trisahn asked then, "Aaaahh!" when the cloud, a whirlwind, whisked over the deck of the Bugbear and surrounded him, knocking the others aside, and lifted him flailing from the ship with great swiftness into the sky, his cries fading into the clouds high above.

Thoryn and the Baroness drew swords and Val’ha her scimitar, but none could prevent a second wind over the back of the ship from landing on Sir Thoryn; it closed around him and he leaned back and forth to maintain his balance, dropping his bow and arrows, only to be carried into the clouds as well. "Val’ha, give us guidance!" the Baroness yelled. "What are we to do?"

Val’ha could not answer; a sudden wind around her lifted her feet from the deck and she felt trapped, rolled in a cold unseen blanket. With violent rapidity the Bugbear, Eedebee, the Baroness, Nopaach-to and Andy fell away into small figures before the clouds encased her.

**

They were still trapped by the whirlwinds – Val’ha, Sir Thoryn and Trisahn – and around them spread a kingdom of white, Terr’Sol more radiant and warm than Val’ha had ever felt, nearly uncomfortable but for the cold air whipping around her body. To their right the mountains of Asch’endra-Conschala poked through the clouds. Sir Thoryn yelled, "Val’ha! Trisahn!" They nodded. From the clouds arose a creature Val’ha had never seen – a giant horse with the face and forelegs of an eagle, wings flapping from its shoulder blades and feathers on its back hooves and mane. In its claws the bird-horse carried a large scroll rolled onto golden rods.

"What do you want with us, hippogriff?" demanded Thoryn. The hippogriff stopped in midair, unfurled the scroll and flicked its sharp tongue about its beak. It did not look at any of them; a second figure descended through the radiance, a Woman surrounded by a translucent opaline light-circle that Val’ha recognized as Xorus’ possession. The Woman, in a long black dress, her hair and fingernails long and black, glared at each of the three over and again, brown eyes creased in hatred and lips pursed. She brought herself to within a hundred yards of the hippogriff and levitated there; only the flap of the hippogriff’s wings, the whirlwinds and the drone from the sorceress’ light-circle made any sound. "What do you want with us, again we ask you!"

The Woman nodded and the hippogriff read from the scroll in a crisp Human tongue: "For crimes against Lord Feukpi…"

"I will have your crimes!" Sir Thoryn began, but the Woman pointed at them and Val’ha felt a pain in her throat. Thoryn tried to continue, but no sound came from his mouth, and when Val’ha attempted to talk found she could not.

The hippogriff returned to its proclamation. "For crimes against Lord Feukpi, they who have caused him grievous pain and dolorous wounds in the Castle of Ohrt, conspired to commit treason against the plans of Lord Xorus, the malefactors Val’ha of Carias, Thoryn of Azimq’haadrin and the thief from Denlineil shall know the wrath of the master, and of Carla, betrothed of Lord Feukpi. When is found Porcie of Lords, who shall know the loss of his friends as much as his beloved, so too shall his punishment be offered to the goddess Dimatox for his theft of the Sword Dervish.

"Therefore, by issue of Lady Carla as agent for Master Xorus, death is decreed." The hippogriff rolled up the parchment, took it under its foreclaw and swept back into the clouds from which it came. All eyes intent on Carla, she gave a slight wave of her hand. Val’ha’s whirlwind dissipated and she toppled and spun with Thoryn and Trisahn through the clouds for what seemed to her minutes; it grew so dark she could not see, until she hit a hard floor covered by straw and heard her companions’ pained landings.

**

"Where are we?" Trisahn’s question echoed against a wall far away; he lit one of his tinder-candles. The three companions gathered together; Val’ha could see no ceiling or walls at the edge of the candle’s light and guessed their surroundings to be of monstrous size. The whirlwinds had knocked aside most of their belongings, including the roll containing Val’ha’s scroll and extra clothing, but their immediate possessions still clung to them. Val’ha gave thanks to her patron Zeus for at least this providence, patting her scimitar.

The straw they landed on gave no clue to their whereabouts, but a slight shuffle drew their blades. Val’ha heard a soft munching and two sets of footfalls, one of hooves, scraping toward them. The trio formed a circle with their backs to each other. Two figures strode into the candleglow – a boy of no more than thirteen years, his clothing tatted and a small sword hanging from his belt, brown hair mussed and face dirty; and the grey donkey he leaned against, emaciated as the child and no ropings or saddlery. Where the boy held the donkey, in his hand was a small walking stick. "Hello?" There was fear in the boy’s eyes and voice, though he continued to approach them. They lowered their weapons and the child lifted his chin with more confidence.

"Greetings, lad," Sir Thoryn said. "Who are you, and do you know where we are?"

The boy favored his right leg and when he reached them, patted his donkey on the back. "I am Timothy, or Tim if you wish. This is my friend Osravulin who has been with me these years in Moncrovia. I regret, however that I do not know where we are."

"It is good to meet you Tim. I am Val’ha, this is Trisahn and here Thoryn. We have been stolen here against our will by Carla of Moncrovia."

Tim gave a small laugh. "I too am here for some hours, sitting in the dark with no sure course to follow. "Carla brought me here as well, by way of a wind that caught Osravulin and me and lifted us into the sky, where we fell into this..." Tim cleared his throat. "I was raised in the Holy Convent on Magickal Road west of Moncrovia until last year, but I so wished to leave the orphanage and live in the city that my friend, Sister Ulsruvula, helped me to escape and gave me this sword and Osravulin, who I named after her. We have made our way by giving rides to children for a silver or whatever can be spared. I spent time in different parts of the city – most recently, we did our trade outside Carla’s Shoppe, but every day, she would chase us away with a broom as though we were some dirt at her front door.

"A couple weeks ago, kingsmen and sheriffs came to Carla’s Shoppe, though I do not know why, and after they were inside for some time, they posted guard and I heard Carla and her daughter Inez were under suspicion of working with Feukpi – a murder and a kidnapping I gathered from their talk. But by another few days, the guards said that Carla and Inez escaped, and then the shop and their home above it were boarded up.

"I went to another part of Moncrovia after that, to a halfling named Hevoran I met who has been good to us, and he let us offer our rides near his inn. But this morning a wind carried me to the sky, to Carla. She glowed white and was very angry, and told me I would not be begging in the streets any longer, then Osravulin and I fell into darkness and landed in this … I do not know where we are," he mourned.

Val’ha put her hand on Tim’s shoulder and told him of A’crasti’s rescue at Castle Ohrt. "Only minutes ago," she concluded, "we were in a ship bound for the Moncrovian dock, when like you a wind brought us to Carla and she dropped us into this place. "Come, we will find our way out of here together."

**

"That nasty witch! It is as though we walk in a maze without walls," spat Trisahn after an hour of fruitless searching – still the straw covered the floor, still the tinder-light did not reveal any walls, and still they made the only noises. "If this is Carla’s revenge, we must have hurt Feukpi badly."

A small light, dim as a firefly, appeared in the vast distance ahead of them, coming closer until Val’ha recognized the opaline hue. A bug-eyed Carla flew toward them, came to a halt and spoke: "You." She made a slicing gesture with her left hand. The companions could neither speak nor move now, and with Trisahn’s candle doused, only the opaline light allowed them to view their captor. Carla at last blinked, with such slowness Val’ha imagined the witch to be falling asleep, but then opened her eyes and focused on Val’ha. "She-Elf." Each word scraped through graveled stone. "You reek of your misdeeds and those of your family. For this, here in the Palace of Aentfroghe revenge shall be your reward.

"The family of Feukpi, the forgotten children of Queen Moncrovia, my love who lies wounded, cousin to King Joel himself! Damned the rotted lineage of Moncrovia’s eldest child Prince Fraher, he who should have taken the throne, him and eight generations of banished kin. We are the line that should hold the crown! That I am troth to Feukpi, I carry for him every bitterness and hatred against the false kings of Moncrovia!" She paused. "But now – now, lady Elf – through my family, and all who have opened themselves to the godliness of Black Xorus, we shall have our day and restore our rightful place within the castles of this land!" Carla’s face softened and Val’ha sensed sadness in her before the witch stiffened and raised a pointed hand. "She-Elf!