The Twisted Strands of Time

By Shiva Winters

~* Book Four of the Salak'patan Series *~

For quite sometime the path Monorth followed was one that he traveled alone, but always there was the family he sought to protect lingering in his shadows. Always supporting him, always counting on him, and always there when he needed them. When he began his plan to return to the world's of the Rim and cast his eyes on those places left forgotten by history, he did not do so alone. This time his all important family came with him, leaving behind their lives to cast their fates into the unknown winds of destiny. Though doubtful they contained the strength and knowledge needed to become guardians of lost worlds and forgotten history, it was his guidance and confidence that lead them through those first shaky steps of that mysterious path. But that path lead them right into the heart of trouble and guided Monorth into the destiny he wished to avoid.

Monorth has been captured by a trap none of them could have predicted, guided to that event by the fuzzy four legged chess piece of Fate. With him exiled into a swath of history long forgotten, his family has lost the force that has shepherded them beyond the Rim and guided them towards the once laughable goals or protecting the worlds of the Salak'patan from the unknown. Even as they were reaching that time when they might have believed such a thing might be possible they are deprived of the architect who first turned their thoughts to the distant stars in the heavens.

It now falls to the family he left behind to try and pick up the scattered pieces left by his sudden absence, to seek the inner strength they need to carry on without him there, and to seek the clues he may have left behind. As they begin their search into the unknown seeking evidence of his fate, the course they follow leads them into encounters and events they might never have predicted. The evidence of his absence brings no small amount of heartache and worry to his family, but it also changes their future history in ways they could never have imagined as the unknown past brings a new path into being. And as if they find he is still there guiding them, his family is lead into their own understanding of what it means to stand at the gates of the unknown.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shiva Winters
• Release date: Apr 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476499482

Shiva Winters

I know, I am supposed to come on here and give everyone some deep insight into who I am and the nature of my existence, but for all that I have been writing for better than half my life and have been publishing the results of those efforts for several years, I have not in the past nor will I likely in the future do such a thing. To be perfectly honest, I am simply and without question just not that interesting, personally or professionally, perhaps that is an assessment that is overly humble or unfair, but it's a truth that is nevertheless fundamental. In a day and in the age when seemingly everyone is all too eager to document their every personal detail and display their every passing thought, I personally can find no compelling reason to do the same. Call it a quirk, call it a choice, or call it my own personal form of crazy, but there is me living through the dull-drums of existence and there are my books which at their core are the stories I've told myself over the years, and one category is considerably more interesting to me than the other.When I first started writing, all those years ago, I didn't begin by putting words to a page for profit, or because I had delusions that one day I'd be celebrated for my efforts. I did it because it seemed like it might be a good way to pass the time, and in that moment, though I hardly understood it at that time, I found something when I wasn't looking for it. Since then, as time has passed, and I have honed my abilities, the underlying element of that moment of self-discovery hasn't truly changed, Entertainment. I don't write books because I can, I certainly don't write them for the sake of profit, though there is a glimmer of hope that one day there might be more of that. I write books because it's fun for me, it is my own strange kind of hobby and my own odd form of self-entertainment. And even if were to reach a point on some future day where the scales tip and I feel that this whole attempt to publish the results of my efforts is no longer viable, I will undoubtedly keep writing, if only for my own sake. I first published my books after a long and troubled decision making process, which ultimately weighed out marginally in the favor of the idea, that perhaps because I liked my books a great deal, that perhaps there were people in the world who would find an equal amount of joy in them. While at times there has been good reasons to doubt that belief there have been moments when that belief has proven true.I am not like most writers, that is a truth best acknowledged right up front, I don't write my books thinking to imitate another author with their pulse pounding action, high drama, or unending tension. I write the stories I find interesting, create the worlds I think are cool, to follow the characters I like, through the events that unfold in front of both them and myself as we work our way towards whatever may come. I don't plot out my novels, I don't outline the story, I don't pre-program the dialogue, and often enough even I am surprised by the end of the current chapter as things change on a whim. My books are an organic process that grow and shift, free from over-sight and restrictions and ultimately often lead to place not even I can predict. Whether those who read my books like what comes of my strange hobby is more often than not is my very last concern, and while I might feel compelled to apologize for that being the case, it doesn't or won't change the facts in the end. Each book and each series I write are a result of the page's progress through the succession of each line and paragraph, loyal only to the facts on the page and require only the input of myself as a conduit in allowing those words to progress through their natural courses. So the end results of those efforts often enough take a path not even I expected, but I for one won't and will never change that fact.My books are often strange and unexpected, I feel it is only right to acknowledge this, and there have been some in the past who have taken exception with that fact, angry that I did not meet their expectations. But I did not write my books for them, I wrote them for myself, selfish though that is, and I certainly did not publish my stories for them. Ultimately I publish my books for the small percentage of people who might read them and like them, and for the occasional bits of far flung joy I get from having people tell me how and why they enjoyed something I wrote. If you are one of those readers who starts a book with expectations and the belief that it is the writer's job to meet those expectations, please look elsewhere. But if you are one of those readers who reads simply for the joy of it, without expectations of what you might find, than I hope you will like what I have written.

Book preview

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

The Twisted Strands of Time

Book Four of the Salak'patan Series

By Shiva Winters

Copyright 2012 Shiva Winters

Smashwords Edition

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This book is licensed for personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with other people, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it please return to Smashwords to purchase your own copy. This book may not be copied, reproduced, or distributed without the express written permission of the Author. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the Author, and the dedication of the Smashwords staff.

Chapter 0: A Letter through Time

It had been nearly a month since her father had disappeared into a flash of light following behind the retreating tail of a bizarre little Fire cat whose ability to create mischief far exceeded Sian's own. What had possessed him to declare that he was coming, before diving off into the heart of some unknown thing was beyond any of their understanding. All they really knew for sure was that her father, Monorth, was gone, trapped somehow by some unimaginable machine and cast back into a history they knew nothing about. Save for one strange clue etched into the bottom of a wooden bench they did not know if he was alive or dead, safe or in danger. And those few words gave them no clues on how he might return to them or even if there was a chance that he might survive long enough to give them any small clue about what had really happen to him. Perhaps the only thing that had stopped any of them from running recklessly off the deep end to find him and Ferin was the promise of those words to them, telling them to wait a month before they did anything.

Perhaps it had been some small sign that hope had not left them, perhaps it had been some small ray of light that appeared to chase away the intense shadows that had swarmed up all around them. Whatever it was and whatever it might be, three dark and brooding weeks later they had received a cryptic and unclear invitation and enough information to allow them to travel to a distant world. Without hesitation or any thought about the danger nearly the whole of her immediate family had strapped on weapons and moved to cross the void seeking answers to the questions that had plagued them since that one horrible moment when their whole world had seemed to come crashing inward.

They entered that world and stepped out onto a small plateau of grass covered stone and looked out at the far horizons. Around them in every direction were the peaks of high mountains, a vast far reaching landscape of snow caps, bare stone, and the heavy sky. Above them there were the thick dark gray layers of shifting clouds, like a truly dense fog that was so very close that they could almost reach out to touch it. Behind them there was nothing but worn rock walls of the mountain that rose up in their wake. Of to the right there was a ledge like path leading up into the shadows of the clouds. There was nothing but empty air in front of them and broken rock below their feet down a cliff side only a few would dare jump. It was a sight laid out in the images used to create the gate from their home, but it did not seem to offer them any clues where they were or why they were there. They did not know what was ahead of them and there was nothing behind them, but they were one step closer to her father and that was the right direction.

<> Salas murmured from Aunt Ayla's shoulder. Even though she was the Empress of the Selas Empire, her Aunt hadn't been to a session of court or a council meeting since all of this had began. She had taken over one of the spare bedrooms at Sian's home and had seemed too depressed for even her life-bonded husband to shake her loose of her dark thoughts.

<> Silvan added in their minds. Of all of them the ascended guardian spirit that her father had rescued and aided in becoming an Avatar, seemed to have taken this situation better than any of them. Her sudden confidence belied the frightened figure she had been when she first arrived in their household. But in the past year she had proven to be the greatest single force any of them had known.

Better that we stick together. Sian addressed the pendant around her neck, and the spirit seemed to agree silently as if nodding from her state of nothingness nearby. Her mother gave her a grateful look over her shoulder before she gesture them all up the path ahead.

<> Nix stated as he began to walk slowly up the path. Her father's Fire cat companion, Pheonix was perhaps the most honored of their number, he had been gone a lot during the weeks previous, and Sian knew her father's disappearance must be hard on him.

Sounds like a good plan to me. Treela stated as she drew her mother-in-law into motion and ahead and apart from Kido. Kidoka was Ayla's eldest son, Sian's childhood best friend, and Treela's life-bonded. Treela, could perhaps be called the most unique of all the Fire cats, while there were many of their number considered 'old-souls' she was the first to find an unquestioned love with someone who was a full time biped. Neither of them seemed to be handling this situation well and for the most part Kidoka had seemed to hide from all of them besides Treela. Sian looked back at Valis unfortunately just in time for her picture to be taken.

Gotcha. Valis was the most recent addition to their family, her mother's beloved partner and fiance for previous five years she had only moved in about a year earlier. And like her father's first year she had undoubtedly needed to come to terms with a great deal, considering the family that lay hidden from the eyes of the world was deeply embroiled in a world of secrets. As a Paladin of Valan, her sworn duty was to rediscover and protect knowledge in all forms, and if need be, to do it at the point of a sword. In truth, Sian could not have been happier to have her there to keep her mother from literally going over the edge. Sian smiled weakly to her and her mother before jogging off to catch up with Nix.

<> Ten asked the slim slow moving form ahead of both of them as she slid up ahead of Sian's feet. Her own Fire cat companion and someone who had been at Sian's side for more than half her life, and were it not for her Sian might have followed her mother in to near madness.

<> Nix murmured back to her. Even though he had in essence caused the situation that trapped the two of the in the past, they were all worried about Ferin whose high energy personality had always been a source of laughter. Nix and Ten were his parents and Salas was his sister from the same litter.

<> Ten murmured to him sounding just a touch ominous.

<> Nix stated with a sigh well aware of those in their family willing to cause mischief, Sian included.

<> Sian murmured to both of them. <>

<> Nix agreed with a snort of laughter. Within a dozen meters the cloud seemed to swallow them and they could only see the rocky path leading upward towards the unknown. Silence fell over their group while all of them moved slowly up the path. As they ascended upwards Sian could almost swear that she saw things moving in the distance and around them, but every time she turned to look the figures were gone.

<> Ten warned her before Sian could dismiss them as the mist playing tricks on her.

<> Nix asked clearly having missed it.

<> Sarath murmured to them. Her mother had been so very troubled over this whole situation that in truth Sian hadn't really known how to approach her during the past weeks, and instead had been throwing herself into the lessons her father had begun. Up above the sense of light was growing closer as if they might be nearing the edge of the clouds. Just in case, Sian freed one of her blades from its' sheath and made sure she was ready to throw up a magical barrier in an instant.

<> Nix called back to them as they both caught just a hint of movement using the magin communications rings most of their cats now wore along their tails.

<> Ten's voice whispered through the air as she shot off ahead. <> Ten warned just before she began to share the words she was overhearing. <<Off to the right here, is the path of shadows. It is said that it was commissioned shortly after the founding of the temple and is said to be the perch of bird of fire, who legend has it, has appeared in the area throughout the centuries. Unfortunately, it is off limit to tourists due to lack of a safety rail. Now if you'll follow me we'll be going back down the tunnel towards the gift shop and the transport back down the mountain.>>

<> Sarath murmured from behind them.

<> Ten informed them as she shared the image of 20 people walking across a foggy courtyard.

<> Nix ordered Sian as his form slipped out ahead.

<> Sian added as she followed him. At the top of the path there was indeed a chain barrier with a 'Do Not Enter' sign dangling between two stone poles. It was a little bit bizarre and very much disappointing, but it did seem they were at some kind of tourist site back across the Rim and one well known to the public. However through the fog it was impossible to to tell where they might actually be. Beyond the chain was a large open stone courtyard spreading out over a massive flat area. She could sense more structures above and around them, but the fog kept that portion of the landscape shrouded from sight.

<> Nix stated leading her across the courtyard and over to a low wall tucked in the thick shadows. Ten was already there and as Sian watched she stuck a paw into a section of stone wall proving that there was an illusion hiding an entrance of some kind. In the along the foundation wall beneath the building rising above them and higher along the hillside there was just the tiny sense of magic well hidden beneath those shadows. As the others arrived across the open space, everyone crossed far from the stairs rising along the far right side of the foundation wall and ducked into that small hard to see alcove. Moving swiftly in small groups fearful of being seen, as they each watched for anything that moved around them <> Nix commented to them, as they arrived around him his whiskers already extending through the illusion spell hiding the tiny tunnel beyond.

<> Sarath murmured as she and the others arrived around them. Sian changed shapes into an Ulin, an imitation of the spirit children of energy, and followed her companion past the well hidden illusion. There was barely any useable light beyond that point, but Ten showed off a new trick and cast a mage-light, a spell that produced a tiny ball of illumination no smaller that a pin head but intensely bright in the tiny space only about as large as a house cat and proportionate to her companion's size. Giggling Sian laid green glowing paw prints in her wake to guide the way for those following behind her. There were several twists and turns, but there were no intersections and the path never shrank down or grew bigger, making her think of the tunnels back at the colony. The ones her father had created for the city of Lyresta, the first settlement designed, made, and intended only for the spirit races of the Five tribes.

<> Nix murmured to her his skills making it easy for him to monitor both hers and Ten's thoughts for the least sign of trouble.

<> Salas murmured from behind them. <> Up ahead there was a soft light that seemed to be shifting its' way back to them, so she kept her comments to herself as she and Ten picked up the pace a little bit to reach the far end in time to spy for any others and for those who were following. They reached end of the tunnel and the illusion concealing the far end and peered into the room beyond. Nothing seemed to be happening outside in the large humanoid sized room on the other side of the tunnel exit. Even still Sian cast an invisibility spell over the small alcove that the tunnel opened onto as they poked their noses out past the illusions that hid the tunnel. There were only two torches burning in the room beyond, in the distance there was nothing but a sense of darkness and a long black emptiness. As the rest of them emerged into the alcove, Sian jumped out across the chamber in a rapid fire teleportation towards to the far side. Out past the others she could get a better sense of the chamber and try to spy out any trap spells.

<> Ten asked her after everyone had emerged from the tunnel and into the concealment of Sian's spell.

<> Salas whispered as her nimble movements carried her out past the edge of the spell and up into sculptures and artwork along the walls. <> She added after she listened. A red fox poked her nose out followed by her gray fox companion. An instant later the two torches suddenly changed color. They leapt down off the walls and into the middle of the floor taking on the shapes of two cats made of flames, one pink and the other purple. The invisibility spell dropped as nearly a dozen tiny shield bubbles snapped into existence around the room. For just a moment the whole room went still as everyone seemed to wait for someone else to make the first move. And just before anyone took that first action there was a sudden and deeply familiar giggle from all around them.

<> Sarath asked as her focus wavered for just an instant.

<> Ferin's voice murmured, but somehow he felt vastly different. He appeared like he was a puff of smoke, looking much as he had three weeks earlier, but none of them could feel a solid presence as if he was only half there. The two firey figures went still and their odd flames disappeared to appear as white and smoky gray cats, both female. <>

<> Nix asked sounding like he did not like the way this was going.

<> The Avatar stated to them calmly before he ambled closer to the exit of the tunnel to sit down while the two females laid down and offered now threat.

<> Salas asked him, not entirely sure if any of them wanted to hear any more.

<> One of the two cats stated calmly but sounding as if she even then felt the loss of his passing.

<> The second one agreed eagerly, Sian descended down from her perch, having decided she needed to get a better look at them.

<> She asked of them as she dropped her invisibility spell and trotted across the floor.

<> He stated to them calmly and then glanced back at Sian just long enough to stretch out and touch noses with her. <>

<>

<> Ferin's shadow giggled madly as all around them more white and gray cats appeared as if they had not existed until that moments. Dozens, hundreds of them appearing in a few heartbeat outnumbering their small group in a sudden rush and filling the shadows all around them with smoky gray bodies. However there was no sense of a threat, simply eager curiosity and the sense that they were being welcomed.

<> Salas murmured into the air. <> She of all of them found the name of a planet they all wanted and gave all of them perspective. The famous temples above the Capital city of Oninoka, the 'second' home-world of the Saki people.

<> There was a dozen squealing giggles across the room sounds of utter and complete mischief. That sound was one heard only to often in recent years as both Ferin and the kitten army he had lead filled all of their days with mischief, mysteries, and the ongoing struggle against the 'Walls' that limited how and where they might travel.

<> Another added as the room shifted around them. Aunt Ayla moved around to Sian's side looking very much like her mother, only a slightly darker shade of red.

<> The ghost cat with the pink flames told them and they were joined into a herd of small furry bodies directed towards a dozen nearby bolt holes. By necessity their group was splintered as each of them more or less choose to follow whichever tail was closest to them while all around the gathered ghost cat's turned and dove into the shadows or slipped silently into the network of tunnels that went in every direction. Even Sian who considered herself to have a fair sense of direction was soon so twisted around that only thing she was certain of was that they had all descended into the rock of the mountain as opposed to anything else. The tunnels twisted and turned spinning them around and leading them past concealing spells, illusion spells, and some few small traps. More than anything Sian was left with the impression that great lengths had gone into keeping whatever was ahead of them hidden and safe.

After what felt like a very long time and along a path that left her senses still trying to catch up, they suddenly burst out of the closed-in tunnels and found themselves at the edges of something they could not have expected. It was a vast domed space overhead and huge bowled landscape below. At least two miles across from wall to wall, they emerged on a hilltop overlooking the vast landscape of rolling grassy hills, forested slopes, and sweet smelling breezes. From their vantage point they could make out at least three sizable streams ambling their way across the landscape with their sparkling crystalline waters dancing with a shifting reflected light. There were pockets of gray fur all over the place, and they could perhaps all sense the many tens of thousands of minds that were spread across that vast internal space. But what perhaps even more shocking to her system than the sheer number of ghost cats she could sense in every direction, was the 'sky' that waited overhead. Sian of course, could sense the rock dome that was above them, they could all see the vast ring of huge stone support columns descending between the earth and the 'heavens' but none of the could actually see the stone hovering above them. All across that subtle curving shape there was a vast swath of magic that made it appear as if the sky was sunny and there were simply puffy white clouds to cast shadows across the landscape below as they moved in the soft wind. It was an art work on a scale Sian had never tried to create since it was so very vast.

<> The ghost cat in front of her told Aunt Ayla with a backwards glance. <> She added to Sian before she turned and started off once more, and they were running along a long inward slope moving through a forest of strange trees funneling down towards the center of the vast bowl shaped cavern. As they followed their guide the other ghost cats seemed to disappear around them, fading into nothingness by some trick Sian couldn't quite understand.

<> Ayla asked as Sian started to spot other members of their group all being lead in the same general direction.

<> The other one murmured as Sarath and Valis were brought closer and the other fire cats appeared along the same path they were following, moving along ahead of them. It was clear that they were being ushered towards the same point.

<> Valis asked just before they emerged into a clearing where an immense stone column was standing, it extended from the ground all the way up to the ceiling above the false sky and it was literally covered with carvings, all of it written in the language of the Ancients. Ferin's shadow was there waiting from them perched serenely on at the column's base. As they approached he hoped down and moved towards the two females.

<> The second batted him hard on the nose as he approached.

<> Nali giggled and touched noises with him as she followed the mean one. Ferin's shadow like let out a squealing giggle as the two females moved to sit behind him.

<> He told them happily and Sian could only too easily imagine Ferin creating this kind of tradition.

<> Irilin murmured with a dark little chuckle. Sian giggled at them as a few of them changed back into more comfortable sizes. <>

<> Nix asked solemnly the loss of his son still hanging heavily in his thoughts.

<> He told them softly even as a touch of loss and regret still echoing in his voice.

<> Salas murmured softly to all of them.

<> Irilin murmured, Sian found herself looking up at the massive surface area and the immensity of those many, many tens of thousands of words and could not even equate it terms of years.

<> Valis asked softly, as if echoing Sian's own thoughts.

<> Ten agreed softly taking some small solace in the fact that even though he had left them far too early he had still lived a very full life.

<> Nali told them softly her own voice filled with regret and loss. <>

I think he did all right. Sarath murmured with a soft kind of far off smile.

<> Nali's voice startled Sian back into the moment even as her thoughts just barely began to wander, and she found the ghost cat standing in front of Ten and Nix. <> These words were so unexpected that the mention of 'the Wall' caught Sian all at once and she could not contain those giggles that were summoned to the surface. At the same instant as Ferin's shadow only too easily started that same wicked cackling telepathic giggle that was all too like the laughter they had all heard just a month before echoing through their home. The Wall had been a game she and Ferin had started years earlier, the conspiracy they had formed to hide the revolutionary forces of the Fire kittens as they sought escape the protected borders of their home colonies. Hours upon hours had been played out with their fuzzy army with each top secret mission changing daily. 'The Wall' was any force, any barrier or obstacle that stood in the way of Ferin's path and anything that might prevent him from freedom or bar him from destiny. In every way that counted Ferin's motto for life had everything to do with breaking past those things that rose up to keep him from moving forward. The ghost cats seemed quite confused as laughter spread through the ranks of their family.

<> Nix stated proudly to all of them. Once assured that the long wait the ghost cats had endured in hiding was finally at the end they were only too eager to tell of the days long past. While none of the histories seemed to contain any of the all too vital clues that Sian and the others might have hoped for, there was just enough there that they knew that her father was still alive somewhere and still trying to return to them. And that was enough to reaffirm Sian's waning sense of resolve even if no one else could or would believe he would come back to them.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

I was wondering when I would get to see one of you again. Sarath murmured as she found the end of the promised path to an open plateau where she could see the stars. Valis and Nix were absolutely determined to document the history of the ghost cats, so they had stayed for the last three days and would probably spend at least three more there before the two of them could depart for home. Morlith had gone back to the Lighthouse with Treela, claiming that he had stuff to take care of, but none of them could be sure if that was the truth or not. Sian seemed confident as ever in her father's resourceful determination and his ability to move forward through all that might stop him. Alya and Stephos were less willing to give Monorth the benefit of a doubt and were deeply worried about whether he could make such a journey. The two of them had returned to the Lighthouse and the life they had put on pause.

As for the Ghost cats and the latest unexpected twist they might never have predicted, they were now free to tear down the Wall that had kept them safe and hidden for many past milenia. And they were doing so with seemingly all the joy and excitement they might have expected of Ferin where he the one there. It had taken all of 2 minutes to link the stone arches left at the heart of the ghost cat colonies into the fire cat network of gates. And the Fire cats and other spirit races involved in the colonies were only too happy and eager to greet the cousin's they never knew about. They were perhaps even now reworking all of their long term goals and plans to include this newest race into their quest for self-dependent freedom and autonomy. And unlike the other races of spirit children, the Ghost cats had long ago been able to study their people's book of life, as was dictated to them by Ferin. And already they were showing skills and talents that no other of the spirit races could claim, their ability to hide from sight alone would be a valuable asset. With all the rest put together it was little wonder they were being greeted with such enthusiasm.

For Sarath's part she almost wished she felt ready to move on, she could feel her brother's presence so very strong in that place. His very essence seemed to permeate the walls around them and the tunnels below them, as if some part of him was still lingering there watching over those caverns he helped create. It was comforting and is was deeply unsettling that she could feel him the most in a place where it had been many tens of thousands of years since he last stood there. This was what had prompted her to seek some kind of solace, or perhaps solitude far away the more occupied sections of the colonies, and had risked crossing through unknown miles of unfamiliar tunnels to reach a stone cliff face high up in the cold mountain air where the light of the real sky shown down on her. But her attempt to escape that lingering shadow of her brother's presence had been in vain, more than any other place, that 'balcony' seemed to hold the strongest sense of him. So much so that she was almost not surprised to find two goddesses lingering there in those shadows beneath the starry sky and the slim light of three crescent moons.

Seletra murmured to her turning to give Sarath a rather sheepish smile. If Sarath didn't know any better, she was very much pleased by something, and she was too tired to decide immediately if she should get angry about that.

Valriestia murmured teasingly as she looked over at the other goddess, Seletra looked away almost as if she was blushing. She added in a soft low tone as if this is something she shouldn't quite be saying.

Seletra told her with a soft smile, Sarath could understand that all too well and had to smile back to her.

I want to claim one of those favors.. Sarath murmured to both of them. Tell me honestly, do we have even a chance of bringing him back, or is this search only going to bring us more pain?

Valreistia murmured and the for the first time in Sarath's memory, her voice held real uncertainty.

Why only him? Sian asked appearing from nothingness and walking in to greet Seletra with a hug.

Seletra asked of them.

He said it was a gift. Sian told her, and that was all he had ever said to anyone.

Seletra told them with a smile.

Valreistia murmured softly to them before trailing off into uncertainly.

<> Nix emitted a warm relaxed chuckle as he slipped in from the shadows.

Valreistia commented.

<> Nix agreed, chuckling as he was scooped up by the goddess. <>

Yes, we will. Sian agreed smiling off across the horizon as if she was somehow able to see those same far off worlds that her father was so often caught watching in quiet moments. The two goddess looked back at Sarath with the same smile, the kind that seemed to appear when her brother had been around and was being difficult, Sian was so much like him. And for the first time in a very long time she found herself thankful that this was the case. If her brother had even half of Sian's spirit and a fraction of her determination than he could move worlds, change stars, and rework the Universe to keep his promise. Whether or not Sarath would have to kill him when he got back was another matter entirely.

Chapter One: Shifting Secrets

The strike seemed to come from nowhere, a movement far faster that one could predict and hidden in her peripheral vision. It was the strike of a true master of their weapon. If it wasn't for the effortless weight of the blade balanced in her fingers, and for an instinct that the weapon seemed to carry with in its' very own soul, it would have been the strike that would have ended this fight. By a miracle she was able to deflect the sweeping blade away and dive backwards across the ring to avoid the twin of the blade as it leapt into motion as Sian spun low and around bringing the backward curve of the second blade into play. Her attack was positively ferocious, she spun like the chaotic winds of a storm and each attack was a prelude to another, Sarath panted hard as she squared off again and watched as the younger woman raced after her fearlessly. Even as she prepared herself, and schemed of ways to turn the fight she realized now that her brother had never held anything back from her daughter.

It was a battle she could not win as she fended her off again and again, Sarath could barely find the time to attack, the blade in her hands seemed unable to overcome the offensive skills of its' opponent. She knew that she was perhaps a little rusty, having had few reasons to draw a blade to defend herself, but never had she been given reason to think her skills had faded. Even still, she knew that Sian was holding back, some unknown ability of hers that would allow her to cut her mother in half despite her blade. Monorth had trained her to his level and Sarath had no idea how much better he had become since the days when they had reason to cross blades across the practice mats of the Center.

Stop.. Sarath called and in a heartbeat her daughter's blades stopped moving and her body slowly came to rest. I am not going to win without hurting you.. and.. I don't want to take the chance you might hurt me.

Good exercise though.. Her daughter gave her the kind of wicked teenage smile that made her want to choke the younger woman just a little. Dad.. already told me I could beat most people in a straight fight..

Well at least I keep good company in admitting that now. Sarath smiled at her nevertheless and moved to sit on the nearby bench. Your Dad did get better than me, I guessed that.. but.. I only thought he was being dramatic when he said that you could beat him.

He said that to you? Sian asked sounding surprised and honored, her eyes getting a little blurry to hear that second hand praise.

Even before the war we fought last year. Sarath admitted feeling the lack of his presence now more than ever. Even though it had only been three months since he had disappeared, trapped in the long ago past and it had been a game of waiting ever since. For nearly a month there had been nothing, and then a strange spirit and a new people had entered their lives. For two months everything had been focused on the changes that had become necessary and now things seemed to have become quiet once again. How are you getting along with your father's research? She asked as she so rarely did. Her brother had so many rare talents that it seemed to her at times that he could create things to rival the legends of those things possessed by the great mages at the time of when the halls were nearly destroyed by those long forgotten figures. Even still, neither she or Valis had felt as if they had the ability to make heads or tails of the information and technologies stored in the computer banks.

How are you and Valis coping with Dad's business ventures? Her daughter asked without answering as she moved to sit near Sarath on another bench. Her blades were now sheathed and hung across the small her back seemingly a part of her, since rarely did a day go by when she did wear them for a least several hours. Since this is was the first time her daughter had pried into those matters, Sarath could see that she would need to answer first.

We are going to need help.. Sarath admitted to her with a painful sigh. .. when your father and I were agents, rarely was their an hour when we were not reading some report or working on one of our own. So I never really thought how much time he really spent with something close at hand, a computer pad, some print-out.. anything that could be used at any moment while we were distracted. Sarath told her with a thoughtful smile. I think all three of us.. would have to pick up that habit to try and keep up with him with just the business stuff.

Grandfather knows that something is wrong this time.. Sian told her half in warning. It was those first few awkward days of a new world and the world around them was still trying to find its' feet. He told me at the new years festival.. said that he wanted the truth..

It was only a matter of time.. Sarath agreed with a deep sigh. At the least.. he has a staff who can watch over the unimportant things. You're father.. is amazingly resourceful..

Yes, he is.. and to answer your question.. I think I am getting a handle on it now.. I am not saying I am fluent.. but.. Sian allowed a tiny prideful smile to appear on her lips. It was at times like that one, that Sarath couldn't help but be thankful that her daughter was not one of those with a tendency towards narcissism. Were she to even the smallest inkling of that flaw she could easily have had an ego capable of casting whole worlds into her shadow. Sarath had few doubts that her daughter was one of the most talented souls in any of the last dozen generations. And it was not her pride that prompted her to believe so, it was that those facts prompted her to be proud of her daughter.

You did better than we ever could, and I would expect no less from you.. Sarath murmured down to her daughter, trying very hard to see to it that she didn't get a swelled head on top of a talent beyond any other child of her generation. But Sian just giggled, flushed just a little at the praise and shook her head as if it was no big deal. Has there been any word about what has happened to my wayward student back at the colony?

"Kidoka and Treela haven't been seen for nine weeks and two days, and they haven't been seen in the house or at the colony. I expect.. he might not even be on