They broadened their connection to the rest of the group and told them of their attempts.

"Wow, you can do that?" Keither said aloud.

"I knew Iumenta and Elves could see well, but this is amazing," Sara said after seeing the view from Legon's eyes.

None of the rest of them could connect as deeply as Legon and Sasha could to each other, so they were not able to take control of his body, but they could still view the world through him.

"Arkin, you have incredible aim with the bow. Do you do anything?" Keither asked.

"Yes, I do, but I am using magic most of the time to make my eyes better. However, I do know what you are talking about. When you focus on something that's close to you, your eyes are already taking in all of the detail that you see through Legon's eyes. Your mind just discards stuff as it takes in the information."

"So we see the same as Elves," Sara said, looking unconvinced.

"No, not at all. Their eyes are much, much stronger than ours and are able to take the extra detail. It's not that they are smarter than us, but that their sensory centers are far more advanced. Now, Legon can see far away because he is getting more of the image. When you do it Sasha, your eyes can't see as much, so the image is blurry."

That made sense to her but she still had questions. "Arkin, can you augment this with magic to get a better result?"

"I don't know. I suppose so, but I'm not an Elf."

She laughed. "Come on, you know everything."

Now it was his turn to laugh. "Ok, I know that up to this point I have been a teacher and mentor to you all and I hope to always be that. But please understand that I have taught the basics. All of Legon and Sasha's training up to this point was in fact directed by the Elves and I had to constantly contact them for help."

Legon interrupted. "Wait a moment. You have been able to talk to the Elves from Salmont? That's too far."

"For one man, yes, but I checked in at the same time every week, and when I did I would connect to someone who was in range and then they with another and so on. In this fashion you can span any distance and talk in someone's mind like we do."

The implications were astounding to Sasha. Up to this point she was amazed by their apparently limited abilities. But to communicate across that much space was unimaginable.

Arkin went on. "I had to be precise about my time, but you get the idea. Anyway, they told me everything that I needed to do with you, and as time went on I needed less and less help. But still, the core of my training is in combat and concealment. Magic is a vast subject, but I'm sure you can ask another Venefica that specializes in this topic."

Sasha made a mental note to do so and continued to experiment in her mind. She knew that Arkin was limited, as were all people, and in a way it was a comfort to have finally found some of those limits. In another way she was saddened. Arkin had always been a hero to her. Nothing could stop or stump him, but this was unfair to expect of anyone. She began to admire him more for his ability to recognize when he was lacking and go to another for help. That was the true mark of a wise man, and a hero.

Arkin sat forward in the saddle as Phaedra started up the steep goat path. They rode in a line with him in the lead and then alternating pack mules and riders, with Sasha brining up the tail. She was by far the best with the horses and if there were problems he wanted an experienced rider at the back to help the others along.

Soon the rocky hill to their left gave way to a space in the rock. A deep fissure that not even a goat could jump ran next to the path. They wound along, climbing all the time. It was slower than Arkin remembered and there was moisture in the normally parched air.

After three hours they could no longer see the great rolling hills of the Empire. They were deep in the mountains, which were unforgiving. There was a certain amount of fear coming from all but Legon, whose superior senses would be a comfort in these lands. For Arkin, he felt no fear. He had grown up in Manton, which was surrounded by these peaks. He had played in them as a boy and hunted rams with his father here. No, these mountains were not his enemies, but his friends. He felt a drop of rain on his brow and contemplated stopping for the night. The rocks became slick in the rain and mudslides were commonplace.

After a while the rain came harder. Arkin searched his memory for a resting place; one was close if he wasn't mistaken. The path was leveling onto a rock ledge, and against the wall of the mountain was an opening. To the untrained eye it looked to be a small alcove, but he saw the sanctuary within.

"We will rest here tonight," Arkin said over his shoulder to the others.

"Why? The rain isn't that bad," Sara protested.

"Not yet, but I promise it will be, and the lightning will be as well. Come. This may not look it, but it's a large cave."

There were caves all throughout the Cornis Mountains. These were once the only true strongholds of humanity. He dismounted and walked Phaedra through the low entrance. As he was shrouded with darkness he produced a light showing the high ceiling and long cavern that he'd known was here. He heard the intake of air as each entered.

"How big is this?" Keither asked.

"It's large. There will be chambers where the horses can stay and others where we can."

He looked to the entrance. The rock was shaped in a way that didn't allow the rain to enter the cave but that allowed the smoke to float out. This refuge of man dawned back to the time when dragons came to be. This particular cave had thousands of years of history.

Humans had been the first to separate themselves from the other races. He didn't know for what reason their ancestors had done this, but he knew they had. Man lived in the desolate lands long before the Iumenta. When the Elves and Iumenta had split they were already much more advanced than man, but still they didn't attempt to inhabit this land. After the Great War men still lived here and as they adopted Iumenta and Elven technology, these caves had changed in form and function.

He walked to the wall and ran his fingers along it, feeling the history. If they went deep into the cave there would be paintings on the walls from primitive man. Up here at the opening there were signs of more modern times, when these caves had been communities and guard posts. He became aware of the others' silence. They were listening to his thoughts, at first waiting for instruction and now taking in their heritage.

"Even you have a place here, Legon. You are the only Elf alive that can claim these mountains as home," Arkin explained The rain was roaring outside. A great curtain of water covered the entrance as sheets of lightning ran across the sky. If one listened they could hear the rocks shifting as dirt turned to slippery mud. Arkin exhaled, relaxing. The rain would cover their tracks and no one would enter this area. They were safe, perhaps safer than they would be in the Elven capital.

The rain was making things cold, and Arkin could soon see his own breath. Farther into the cave was a world in itself; it refused the control of the outside, and while it was cool here, the inner chambers would be warmer than the cold rain and wind that now drove at them.

He was aware of the group's collective interest in this place and those like it, but he was tired and pushed the feelings from his mind. He walked to a chamber. There were enough chambers here for each traveler to have their own, but he knew that the others would probably sleep together at the cave entrance. He didn't blame them. The cave was just another vulnerable hiding spot to them, and perhaps their concerns were right. But never mind that now. He sat, leaning against the cold hard stone wall, and extinguished his emerald ball of light.

Sara sat on her bedroll at the entrance to the cave, her knees under her chin. This was a cold place to her, yet it felt like home somehow. The rain was loud outside, but after traveling the first few feet into the cave the sound became muffled and distant.

Legon searched in their packs and procured a small loaf of bread, passing it to her. "Give Sasha my portion."

Their supplies were light and this was the last bit of bread they had. Now it would be up to Legon and Arkin to kill animals for food. They were close to the Precipice, Sara knew, but with this weather and their luck, there was no guarantee that they would be in friendly company soon.

"Legon," Sara said.

"I am stronger than you. I do not need it."

Sara nodded. She knew he was stronger than she was. She broke the bread into three pieces. Arkin had retired for the night, and after last night's meal said he would rather eat the dirt of the field than more stale bread. She knew there was another reason for his distaste for eating this bread, though. They had found it with some other food on a table in one of the huts from the now burned co-op. It was she who said to take it. She knew that there was death in that place, so why save food for the dead?

Sasha was off exploring the cave, but Sara would save her portion. It was just her and Keither now. She handed a piece to him.

"I'm fine, thank you."

She looked at him sternly. "Just because Legon didn't..."

"I am not trying to emulate him, but while he is strong with character and has the body of an Elf, I have the fat for three. Doing without is just as much good for me as eating my ration is for you."

He smiled at her then, and she saw that it wasn't a bad attitude that precipitated this but rather a genuine concern for her. She ate the stale bread. She undid her water skin to drink. "Dang it," she thought.

"Keither, may I borrow some water from you? I'm out."

"Sure, let me get my water skin for you."

He walked off and then returned. "It's empty."

"Well, that won't do now will it."

An idea came to her and she took both skins to the entrance.

"It will take you all night to fill those, you know," Keither said warmly.

That wasn't her plan. She concentrated on the magic in her mind, seeing the water coming down in sheets outside. She held one of the skins in the deluge and released the spell.

"Auga." She used just the name for water and let her intent do the work. The water formed together, falling as a stream about three inches wide. It took almost no energy but she felt her spell slipping as her mind did. She held the skins, filling them. When they were full she walked back to Keither.

"Nice," he said smiling at her.

Sasha rested in a chamber deep enough in the cave that all sound from the outside world was blocked off. The room was an oval about ten feet across and fifteen feet wide. The chamber wasn't tall, only going up six feet or so, and she saw signs of tool marks on the ceiling and walls. This place was not part of the original cave. The floor was flat. She knelt, planning on taking advantage of their rest for some training. She accessed Arkin's memory, thumbing through it like a book, looking for the desired subject. He didn't resist and had encouraged them to do this. Anything that he didn't want them to know was blocked off. She soon found what she wanted. Arkin didn't have much in the way of training on it, but she still took in what he had.

The principle was called the Pronos. She reviewed what he knew of it and began. The Jezeer was vast, and even with the training they had been given, she knew that it was a subject that they hadn't even begun to tap into. The Jezeer was about the body, mind, and voice, about ways of thinking, acting, and even moving, but the principle or practice she wanted now was that of perspective. She was able to change her sight today and that had to be part of the Jezeer. She looked at the Pronos. In essence, it was changing the world around you, if only in your mind. You could project your mind's eye onto your surroundings. The mind still saw the real world and noted it, keeping you aware of your environment, but your eyes and senses saw what you wanted. This room was a good place to try this out. It was isolated and when she stopped the light spell the darkness was almost palpable. She disconnected from the network, calming herself.

This first attempt was to be simplistic. She was going to keep her eyes open and select a color, then see the color in her surroundings. After that she would attempt to make other images with her open eyes.

Legon felt Sasha leaving the network in pursuit of the Pronos. It was a worthy endeavor and he knew why she did it. Life was perspective. If you changed that you changed reality. He had been walking the cave and rejoined Sara and Keither. He wondered if Keither gave up his ration. He sat next to them, leaning on the wall. Both were asleep but still sitting up. He reached with his mind, out looking for anything intelligent to link with and found it in the form of goats in the area. He settled back into the waking sleep. It was going to be good to get to the Precipice. Maybe there he could get a real night's sleep.

The sun was peeking over the mountains when Sasha's presence roused him from the waking sleep. The rain had stopped in the night and the air smelled clean and fresh. From a rams perspective he could see the sky was relatively clear. Sasha looked tired and somewhat disappointed.

"Were you at it all night?" Legon asked "Yes, and I didn't get far. I'm afraid this part of my training will require patience. How did you sleep?"

He chuckled. "I didn't really. Come sit with me, you are tired."

She plopped down next to him and he placed his arm around her, bringing her close. They would leave soon but she had a little time to sleep. This was to be a big day; she had been foolish to pursue the Pronos last night. But could he blame her?

She was already asleep and he accessed her unconscious mind. Since she was not opposed to this when awake her unconscious mind didn't resist. He transfused energy into her body. She would have protested, but she was asleep and needed it. When Arkin eventually came to wake them she looked up, blinking rapidly.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah I feel good. Wow, you always said that power naps were good but I guess I didn't believe you."

She got up and they prepared to leave. It was only going to take two or three hours today to make it out of the highlands, and there was excitement in the group as they loaded up. As they left their cave and hideout, the excitement soon faded with the hot sun and treacherous terrain that seemed to bother even the mules. By midday, however, the path started down a steep hill and soon a valley was in the distance. The land was improving as well; there were now short trees and grass around.

Legon heard the sound of running water. The path met up with a stream, which they followed down into a surprisingly green valley. The turf was short here but still green despite the heat. He saw irrigation canals, telling him that the greenery was not native to this area. They met up with what must have been the main road into the valley, and he realized that this was not where the Precipice was. This valley was more like an antechamber for its larger brother.

They approached a corner of the valley with large cliffs on either side that left only room for the road and stream to pass. Warmth blossomed in his chest as they entered the main valley. It was vast, and at the far end was a set of buildings, most looking like they were made of wood. To the right of the buildings was a stone fortress with four towers and to the left was a large dome-shaped hill. It was covered in green turf and looked out of place. It was a perfect half circle on the horizon, almost as if it was manmade, and Legon wondered how it came to be that way. The road they were on meandered around the valley, which seemed to be barren of farms and houses. He asked Arkin why this was.

"There is base housing for those whose families are here but they're to the rear of the valley so those families can safely leave to Manton in case of emergency."

"Shouldn't there be guards or something?" Sara asked.

"Our arrival is expected, and from what I hear exercises are going on today. But there were guard posts in the canyon that you didn't see. I'm sure we will be joined soon. Also, keep in mind that this is a large valley and most activity takes place on the other end."

As if in response to this, Legon heard the sound of horses trotting along in the distance. Three men wearing wooden armor approached them. They didn't look unkind in the least bit, and after their past experiences, Legon was expecting a bit more of a hostile welcome.

"Are you Arkin's party?" the leader asked.

"Yes we are, we seek asylum fo-"

"We know. You have no need for formality. We've been expecting you. I assume you got caught in the rain?" the man asked.

"Yes, we did," was Arkin's reply.

"Well I'm glad your lot is all right. Shall we go? The boss wants to meet up with you before you go talk to the Elves."

Arkin gestured with his hand and they followed the men. They skirted along the hill and gradually they saw more and more people. While there were no farms here, Legon saw people herding sheep and cattle. Indeed, it had appeared to be an empty place until they reached the hill; now it was just as busy as any town. They saw a large wooden building that Legon figured was the barracks. Behind the hill were neat rows of cottages with little yards and fences.

The men leading them seemed to enjoy giving them a tour on their way in, explaining that the cottages were for soldiers with families. Instead of staying in the barracks, the wives and children could live on base with them. This was also good because it provided a civilian staff to help run the base, from cooking and cleaning to tending the livestock.

There was a small town center that they rode by, closing in on the four-towered building. Somehow it seemed too small to Legon, but he wasn't sure why. It just didn't look like it could fit all of the men that must live in the Precipice.

They approached the gates and dismounted. There were two men standing at either entrance of the building. They didn't seem to notice them walk by. Instead of being led into a courtyard like he expected, the entrance led to a staircase and halls. This was more like a business center than a fortress, he thought. Sasha shared his disquiet, wondering at the capability of the human resistance.

The ceiling was high and above them was a chandelier made of ram horns. The interior was dark wood with a scratchy looking rug on the floor that the soldiers wiped their feet on. Arkin sent a mental message saying that this was an entrance rug and that you were to wipe your feet on it to avoid dirtying the rest of the building. They drug their feet obediently, losing any filth from the road.

As they reached the top of the staircase they entered another small hall, at the end of which were two large double doors with three men standing guard. Up to this point he had only seen wooden armor, but these men had the expensive chainmail and plate armor.

The guards opened the doors and their escorts gestured for them to go inside. The room was large and dark, lit only by a granite fireplace on the right side of the room. On either side of it were two bronze fish whose tails wound toward the fire, reflecting the light across their bodies. Above the fireplace was a green banner. In the center of it was the powder blue outline of a triangle. On the triangle was a fish in the same color, its head and tail curving up. This banner was not Iumenta or Elf; this was for one of the few great human houses that were left. There were rumored to be only five outside of the Queen's control.

Legon looked to his left, glancing over a desk and noticing two figures stooped over a table with a map on it. One had shoulder-length brown hair; the other's hair was long and silver. The one with the brown hair had an average build; he held up a hand telling them to wait. The other with the silver was thinner, and Legon suspected he was an Elf.

They turned to look at the visitors. Legon's suspicions were confirmed as the silver- haired man looked at them. Legon was surprised at just how young the Elf looked, not appearing to be more than twenty five. His face was thin with a good jaw line, a small nose, and almond-shaped eyes that matched the silvery gray of his hair. He looked like an artist's masterpiece. Legon fought to keep from smiling as he became aware of the mental chattering going on between Sasha and Sara. Legon heard the girls' hearts race. He knew the other Elf could hear this as well, and that Sara and Sasha would be mortified if they knew Elves could hear that well. He decided not to tell them now.

The human spoke. "Welcome. My name is Enrich, representative of house Posein. This is Mantic. He is our Elven liaison."

Mantic bowed his head and focused his view on Legon, just the hint of a smile at his lips. Up to this point Legon hadn't been worried about the Elves. They were the good guys, after all. But still, he hadn't met one before and he wasn't sure what to do or how to act. He knew almost nothing about their culture-his culture now.

Mantic spoke. "Legon, you will have many questions, I'm sure. We have only a few things to attend to here and then you will be taken to see the Elves and be given quarters there. In fact, we would like to offer our hospitality to your whole party."

Legon felt a nudge from Arkin's mind telling him that he was supposed to answer.

"Thank you very much. I'm looking forward to meeting others of my kind." That felt awkward.

Mantic gave a deep sigh and smiled at him. "You remind me of your father...and mother. I am sorry that you have been away from us. House Evindass still mourns his loss."

"House Evindass?" Legon asked, feeling dumb.

Mantic looked surprised but then recovered. "You haven't been told?"

"Oh, I know I'm supposed to be the Everser Vald if that's what you mean." He knew it wasn't, but better to look uninformed then just ignorant.

Arkin spoke. "No, he doesn't. It was not my place to tell him."

Mantic nodded. "Thank you for your discretion, Arkin. Legon, I am sure that you are aware that there were once great houses that ruled over the humans?"