Red Leaves and the Living Token

chapter TEN





Moslin pushed Emret's chair over the dead fern leaves and pine needles of the forest floor. The underbrush, like the larger trees above them, had twisted itself to point in a specific direction. The lower bushes and ferns had even leaned to the side to form a path for his chair.

As they moved forward, the forest shifted ahead of them into its new shape, cutting into the silence with an eerie hiss of fluttering leaves and a deep, guttural moan of the thicker trunks and branches. The unnerving sound reverberated behind them as the forest they’d passed returned to its previous form.

Moslin studied the unnaturally bent branches and leaves around her, touching a trunk with her finger tips as she passed by. "This is extraordinary," She muttered to herself.

Emret smiled. It was better than extraordinary. It was everything he had hoped for. It was an offering of life. It was proof of the power that would heal him. It was truly going to happen! He thought.

The chair stopped abruptly. Emret turned back to her. She was staring through the trees down the mountain. "What?" He asked.

"Shhh." she whispered. "Look!" She pointed in the direction that she was looking. Emret saw movement passing behind the trees. He leaned over his chair and strained to see clearer.

It looked like Petra. Petra soldiers. Lots of them. He tried counting as they passed through a break in the trees but gave up after the first dozen. "What are they doing up here?" He asked.

"I don't know." She said.

SNAP! A branch cracked in the forest above them. They both wheeled around towards the sound.

A half dozen Botann Militia men dropped down silently from the trees landing in a half circle in front of them. Moslin spun the chair around only to find another group behind them. She tried darting between them into the clear trees. But it was too late. The militia was too close. Before she'd gotten the chair past the first tree, they'd already moved in to cut her off.

She circled around the chair trying to keep herself in between them and the boy. "What do you want?"

The Captain of the small band of men, the same that had been watching them earlier stepped forward. "Come with us, please. His holiness has requested your presence."

"We were just there!" Moslin protested.

The Captain pointed towards the forest back in the direction of the Shishkameen. "Please. Time is of the essence."

"Oh is it? And why's that?" She demanded.

He looked back at his men. "We were under orders to wait for a more comfortable and secure transport to take you back to the city, but the situation has changed. The Petra have arrived. We must get you off the mountain now!"

Emret tugged on Moslin's sleeve. He didn't like the idea of running into the Petra. They were rude and didn't seem to be to fond of anyone but Petra. On the other hand, going back to the city now could jeopardize everything. "We can't leave yet." He told her.

She looked down at him and nodded. "I know, I know." She turned back to the soldier. "We appreciate your concern, but we'll take our chances with the Petra. Please tell his holiness that we'll return to see him shortly."

The soldier stared at her, obviously confused. "We're weren't asking." The circle of men tightened. Two men behind her grabbed her by the arms. Two others grabbed Emret's chair.

Moslin jerked back and forth. "HELP!" She screamed in an ear piercing high pitch. "HE..." They covered her mouth.

"That was not wise." The Captain of the small militia scowled. Two of the men lifted Emret's chair and carried him. Another two grabbed Moslin and picked her up. The band of men with their cargo launched into the trees.

Trees and bushes whizzed by them in a blur. In a matter of seconds, they had lost what had taken Moslin an hour to climb.

Then a strange blaring horn sounded a little ways beyond the trees in front of them. Their guards froze, jarring Moslin and Emret to a stop. A horrible crashing sound echoed across the forest, like thick tree trunks cracking in half. The entire line of trees in front of them vibrated then fell in unison with the same explosive sound. A column of Petra soldiers marched over the fallen trees, toppling everything in their path. It looked a rock slide, like a column of boulders falling sideways over the forest.

In an instant they fanned out into a line formation wide enough it’d be impossible to go around.

“Back! Back!” The Captain of the Milita yelled in a panic.

But it was too late. Another line of boulders flattened the forest behind them.

The Captain looked straight at Moslin. "Trust us or not, we risked our position to help you!"

The impenetrable line of stone in front of them made a horrendous thud. The entire formation of boulderous Petra soldiers stepped forward at once causing the ground and everything attached to it to shudder.

Distracted by the thunderous march in front of him, Emret didn't notice until they were almost on top of them, four Petra soldiers on their right and left had been racing towards them on a collision course. A collision course with eight massive boulders. They'd be pulverized! He ducked his head, unable to watch. The ground grew into a violent rumble. That alone was enough to indicate how close his death was. He didn't need to watch.

The violent shaking intensified until Emret was sure the soldiers still holding his chair up would be toppled to the ground. Then, it stopped.

"Put down your weapons and lay face down!" A deep voice rumbled. It sounded like two stones grinding together. Emret opened his eyes. He was staring at the stone belly of one of the giant rock men. And he was still being held a good five feet up in the air. He glanced around. Eight of the giant Petra surrounded them. Each of them carrying a strange stone weapon looking something like a round club.

He'd never been afraid of a Petra before. But then, Rinacht didn't look like this!

The Botann carrying him set his chair down and laid on the ground.



-



Bedic thumped along on the back of a horse behind one of Lord Valance's giant hired brutes. They had tied his hands at the wrists which made it extremely hard to keep his balance as the horse jerked back and forth up the rocky trail.

He wondered why they hadn't thrown him in the back of the wagon again. At least there they wouldn’t have had to worry about him falling off the horse. Lord Valance dropped back to ride next him.

“I apologize we couldn't provide you with your own horse. I hope it's not too uncomfortable.”

Bedic faked a smile.

“I regret having to drag you back up towards the… um, storm.” He flicked his eyes up to the dark sky. A flash of lightning streaked through the clouds emphasizing his sentiment.

"What do you want?" Bedic demanded.

"I want to talk to you about this Handers fellow."

Bedic looked away. The last thing he wanted was to have a conversation with someone he despised about someone else that he loathed. Seemed pointless.

"I'm just curious. There's something I can't seem to make sense of it. I mean, you and I both know what he's done, the irreparable damage he's caused.” He paused. “Why were you helping him?"

Bedic chuckled. Lord Valance should be asking Sinesh that question. But then in hindsight, after the anger of the situation had cooled, he knew she was right. He didn't think Handers had done what he did on purpose. He seemed to be a bit misguided but not malicious.

"How long do you think he spent looking for the Token before he found it. How long did he search for the Temple?" Lord Valance continued.

Bedic kept his thoughts to himself. He knew what Lord Valance was doing. His own frustration towards Handers didn't need any encouragement.

"It isn't like it was his life's passion. Not like you. In fact, I believe the ease with which he found the temple is part of the reason he showed it so little respect.

"You found him up there too. How did you feel to see what you'd spent your life searching for lying in ruins? To actually find what you've so desperately sought only to have the opportunity ripped away because of the destruction caused by this man.

"No matter how great the differences between us Bedic. This pain we share!"

Bedic stared at him in horror. His anger towards Handers had allied him with this treacherous man. Yet he couldn't dispel the anger. He couldn't push the events out of his mind. He was trapped in a destructive union with this Valance. The fact made his anger towards Handers even stronger.



-



Rinacht sat next on a bench next to a row of Petra Officers. It made him nervous being so close to so many powerful and potentially threatening Petra. He had no idea what any of them thought or knew of him. He was lucky his uncle hadn't instructed them to transport him in a cage. Apparently his uncle truly needed his help.

The giant stone transport they were riding followed the 12th battalion as they crashed through the mountain forest. He noticed that their momentum slowed and leaned out to the side to see what was up ahead.

The soldiers had stopped and formed a perimeter around a small group of what looked like Botan soldiers. Strange, he thought. He wasn't anticipating being part of any kind of foreign conflict. This mountain was inside the Petra border as far as he knew.

As they moved in closer he saw two other people laying on the ground to the side of the Botan soldiers. He squinted, trying to see the details.

It looked like...

The transport ground to a stop just outside the large circular perimeter the soldier had formed. Rinach's heart jumped. It was Emret laying on the ground next to Moslin. The boy was alive and looked to be in decent shape. What good news, he thought. Hander’s would be so happy!

He hoped down from the massive stone transport and rushed over towards the boy.

“Rinacht!” One of the Officers shouted, then motioned towards two of his assistants.

Rinacht turned around towards the voice, towards the bench of men sitting on the bench high above him.

“Lets not get ahead of ourselves.” The officer said, then motioned for Rinacht to return to the transport. Two large Petra soldiers stepped up behind him and gestured in the direction of the transport.

They still didn’t trust him. He thought. But then he couldn’t blame them. Not after what he’d done.



-



Emret lay face down in the forest, waiting. He had no idea how much time had passed, but it seemed like an eternity. He couldn't see what was happening, nor could he hear anything useful. The Petra soldiers standing over him weren’t talking. He didn't understand what they were waiting for. He'd rather get it over with, what ever it was going to be. But waiting. It made it so much worse.

And then they told him to stop talking. Who did they think they were? Suddenly, he doesn’t have the right to talk? It's not like it would make any difference anyway. They weren't answering any of his questions. They wouldn't tell him why the Botanns got to go somewhere else while he and Moslin had to stay. They wouldn't tell him what they were looking for when they made him and Moslin stand up and empty their clothes.

He had tried to keep the shining token tucked away in case that wasn't what they were looking for. If they saw it, he was sure they'd want it, so it was best to keep it out of sight, he thought. But they found it anyway and wouldn’t tell him what they wanted it for or what they were going to do with it.

A new Petra voice, loud and bossy, brought Emret out of his thoughts. Gauging by the way he was talking to the others, he was probably somebody important. That was a good sign. Maybe they’d get things moving, he thought.

After a loud discussion with some other Petra, he could hear the bossy one coming towards them. To Emret’s surprise, the man suddenly dropped down on his knee, so Emret could see his face.

"I apologize for the rough treatment,” He said. “There must have been some kind of misunderstanding." Then Emret felt himself moving. Strong hands had lifted him up from behind and set him on his feet.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw an enormous mass of stone working to untie the knots on his wrists. "Thank you." He said. Another helped Moslin to her feet a little ways off.

This new man asked the Petra that were guarding him a few questions about the Token. They told him how they had found it tucked away under his clothes. It was weird hearing people talk about him when he was standing right there.

And he couldn’t believe they just took it. Big stupid rocks! It wasn't there's! It took a lot of work to find, and he and Moslin took a lot of risk coming up into the mountains. And they just take it? That wasn’t right. He told them that when they took it, but they just ignored him. Typical adults. Just because he’s a kid, nothing he says matters, right? He bet they’d listen to Moslin’s explanations. If she offered any. So far she’d hardly said anything.

"Lets get you both a warm meal and a comfortable place to stay for the night. Its getting rather late. We can make further arrangements in the morning if you don't mind."

"Sir, do you think I could have my little tree back now?" Emret asked the important man with as much of a pitiful look as he could make. Sick, helpless kid, was the only thing he had going for him.

The bossy Petra chuckled. “You don’t have to call me sir. My name’s Commander Paklin. I'll see what we can do. Maybe we can talk more about it after you've had a nice meal." He walked beside Emret, escorting him towards a group of soldiers who were waiting for them a little further down the sloped forest. "It’s truly a remarkable thing, you know. How did you come into possession of it, if you don't mind my asking?

Emret was reluctant to explain. He was shown were to find it by an imaginary tree. Certainly, that gave him more right to it than simply being the one who found it lying in the forest. He was guided to it. He was supposed to have it. How could he explain that to this man? It wasn't just something he found. It was something he was meant to find. Yet if he told the man that, there’s no way he’d believe him. But then if he lied, it may not sound like he had much of a right to keep it.

Perhaps he could give only some of the details. "I was told where to find it by someone trying to help me." He said, still making his pitiful face.

That seemed to work. The Commander raised his eyebrows. "That's really interesting. It must be pretty important to you then," he said.

"It is! I wouldn't be up here if it wasn't." Emret pointed at his wheel chair. “Not exactly easy to get around.”

"No I supposed you wouldn't. I wouldn’t want to be pushing around up here in a wheel chair either. You seem to know much more about this than I do. Maybe you could help me understand. Why did you need to find it? You said someone was helping you? What is it that you need help with?"

"Oh, well...” He liked that he looked sick and pitiful and maybe he could use that. But what he didn’t like was actually talking about being sick. It reminded him that he was actually sick instead of just an act to get people to do what he wanted. "I got sick a little while ago. I need help to get better."

"I'm sorry to hear that, young man. I hope you do get better. If there anything we can do to help you, let us know.”

“Well, you could give me the tree back.” Emret said boldly.

“The tree's going to help you get better?”

“Well, that's why we're here.” Emret answered.

“That's remarkable. How will it do that?” The commander asked. Then he reached into his front pocket and removed a small bundle. He unwrapped it and held it down where Emret could see it.

Emret’s eyes lit up. It was his tree carving. He reached up for it, and as he did, it started to glow. The tall grass around his feet started to react, to bend into the shape of a path extending out in front of him.

The Commander’s face went wide as he noticed the grass moving in front of him. “How?” He stepped back in a jerk reaction.

Emret pulled his hand back. Great, he thought. How was he going to explain that? How was he going to explain any of the rest of it? Where the little tree was taking him, why he thought he would be healed when he got there. "Its sorta taking us to a place that can make me better." He tried to explain.

The Commander recomposed himself, masking his previous wonderment. "So someone told you that this little tree was up here on the mountain. And you came up here to find it because it's going to take you someplace to make you better?"

Emret nodded.

"How did you know it would do that? Did this friend that sent you tell you that?"

He supposed that would be right. He saw himself being healed during his episode in the Red's plaza. Red Leaves, he could say, told him where to find the token. The rest he just kind of figured out. He nodded again.

“This friend sounds like a really great person.” The commander said. Then he leaned in closer as if he was going to tell him a secret. "You know, I don't tell many people this, but I have a little sister who's taken ill herself. I've been trying to help her, but I didn't know what to do. Do you think, maybe your friend might help her too? Could she meet him?

Well that made things tricky. He didn't know if the man was lying. He was making the face that adults make when they’re talking to kids and think the kids are idiots. But then maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe he did know someone who needed help like he did.

"Maybe I could help her when I find what I'm supposed to find." He offered.

The man smiled. "OK. Well lets get you to bed. And maybe you could tell me more about your friend tomorrow."

He was glad the conversation was over. He did know how much longer he could keep it up.



-



Handers ran along the edge of the plaza keeping out of the light. He hoped Lord Valance and his entourage had moved on despite missing two of their soldiers. That was probably just wishful thinking though. So he planned on finding another way out of the village.

He stopped abruptly. Someone was crossing the lighted center of the plaza. Someone else, it seemed, had business at this ungodly hour and didn't mind being noticed.

They had covered themselves in a heavy cloak, apparently trying to make themselves look bigger. A child? It was a child, he was sure of it. Why would a child be out alone in the middle of the night?

He watched them hurry back to the door of the inn that he'd just left. Sinesh? It had to be. She must have followed after him when he left to warn Bedic. He decided to risk exposure and called out, "Sinesh!"

The cloak stopped and turned towards the darkness that was he was hiding in. Two little green hands pulled the hood of the cloak down. He was right! It was her!

He stepped out of the darkness and rushed towards her. "I told you to stay in the room!"

She frowned at him. "Where's my Grandpa?"

"I don't know." He scolded in an angry whisper.

"But I saw you with him." She pointed past the night gate. "Before those people came."

"Good grief, you know how to get in the middle of trouble. Did anybody see you?"

"No." She answered.

"Good." He said. "Did you see them leave? Did any of them stay behind?"

"I don't think so." She said.

He knelt down and put his face at her level. "Listen, you're Grandpa is fine. They just wanted his help to find the Token."

She shook her head. "No." She turned towards the mountains beyond the night gate. "They were hurting him. Because I helped him run away. They were punishing him."

Handers felt a sudden knot of guilt welling up. Bedic had helped him twice now, and still he was reluctant to rush into the mountains to help him. He imagined that he was the reason that Valance was interested in Bedic in the first place. Valance must have been watching him when he visited Bedic’s church.

"Do you have any family here?" He asked her. Surely he couldn't drag this little child up into what was sure to become a dangerous situation. But who could he leave her with in the middle of the night?

"No.” She answered.

Then again, maybe he was just looking for reasons not to go. Either way this was bad.

"Lets go look for your Grandpa." He said.

She reached up and took his hand. "OK."



-



Handers hurried up the mountain road caring Sinesh in his blackened arm. He slowed at each switchback to check up ahead. He didn't think they'd catch up to them for quite a while. But it didn’t hurt to be cautious.

A half hour up the winding steep road, he froze. His heart started pounding in his chest. Above them, through the trees, a single torch light made a swipe in the air then vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Shhhh!" He whispered. "There's someone up there."

He knew they couldn't keep going up the road without being spotted. So what did they do now? Should they hide somewhere a little further down and wait for morning? What if it wasn't Valance and they waste the night waiting?

They had to get a closer look to confirm what it was they were dealing with. Bedic needed them now. If they waited out the night, they might loose him. He knew this, yet he couldn’t seem to convince his body to move forward. He heart was still pounding.

Sinesh squirmed out of his arms. "Let’s go look." She put her fingers to her lips. "Shhhh!"

She was braver than he. And that, as he thought about it, was a little shameful. He was being led through a dark forest, in the middle of the night, towards what was most likely a source of extreme danger, by a 6 year old girl.

He shook his head and stepped past her, taking the lead. They covered the distance quickly and, to his surprise, rather silently. When they had gotten pretty close to where he thought he saw the light, he reached his hand out to stop Sinesh.

A flash of lightning from the storm still raging at the top of the mountain lit the mountain side for a brief moment revealing one of Lord Valance's shiny black carriages about a dozen yards in front of them.

Beyond it there was a small collection of tents. There were no fires, no lamps, no torches. Everything was dark and quiet. Apparently they were intent on not being noticed.

There was a pretty decent chance that Bedic was in that camp. He had to think of what to do now. He hadn't really formulated much of a plan. Perhaps he should take a minute and think this out, he thought. Should they wait for morning, so they could see where he was? But then they’d be easily spotted as well.

He glanced over at Sinesh. The thought actually crossed his mind to ask the six year old if she had any ideas. But to his horror, she was gone.

"Sinesh!" He whispered. Wow, this little girl was so much trouble! Then he spotted her as she snuck under the carriage. He knew bringing her up her was going to be a mistake. What was he going to do now? Follow her. Again?

He hurried through the bushes and then pushed up against the carriage that she had crawled under. He dropped down to look under it, but she wasn’t there. She had already moved on. He got up and crept around the side. There she was! She was peering in the back of another carriage. She hoped down from the bumper of one and then climbed up on the bumper another, peering in quickly before jumping down again..

He shook his head. She had no idea what would happen if she actually got caught. He convinced himself that that was the source of her courage. If she knew what he knew, she’d be just as immobilized.

Two soldiers came around from behind the tents, walking around the perimeter. He was too far away to call out to her to warn her. But then, it didn't look like he needed to.

She saw them as she climbed down from one of the carriages and quickly tucked herself underneath as they passed.

Handers stood up. What was she doing now? She had crawled out after they'd passed and was following them! Why? This wasn't going to end well for either of them, he was sure of it.

To his surprise, she broke off before they noticed her and disappeared between the carriages. Where was she going now? After a moment, she reemerged closer to him. She was coming back! She crawled back under the same Carriage she'd left under.

Handers grabbed her. "What are you doing!" He whispered. "They'll kill us if they see us! Do you understand that?”

She stared up at him, dumbfounded.

He wanted to know what she saw, if anything, but he didn't want to encourage her for running off. She seemed to have been making a habit of it.

"He's not there." She said after a moment.

"OK." He said.

" But those men said some of the people went up the mountain. They took Grandpa with them." She said.

"They did? Did they say why?" He asked.

"Lots and lots of Petra are here too. So they have to stay down here and be quiet."

"Petra? Great!" Handers wasn't particularly fond of the Petra. But then again, who was? Other than Rinacht, of course. He’d surprised himself when he hired Rinacht. Never thought he'd ever work with a Petra let alone take one in by choice. But then, Rinacht had seemed a little different from other Petra he'd met. Less smug. Turned out to be a mistake after all.

The bitterness resurfaced. Rinacht had become his closest friend. The one he trusted above all others. How could he have let that happen? How had he allowed himself to end up with a Petra as his one good friend? He knew better than that! Somehow, somewhere inside him, he knew this was going to come. Not this specifically, but the betrayal. It was inevitable. But that wasn’t fair, was it?

He simply trusted too easily. Take Moslin, look at the damage she'd caused him. It was hard for him to admit now, but there was a time when he had felt quite close to her too. He trusted her like he trusted Rinacht. Now it was clear. Trust was a mistake.

And what of Bedic and Sinesh? They're her family! But he owed Bedic. If he turned on him now, he'd be just as guilty as the Rinacht and Moslin. He'd be unworthy of trust himself. As Bedic, no doubt, felt he was already.

"Lets go around the camp and keep going up the mountain. They can't be too much further." He told her.



-



They'd been climbing up the road another twenty minutes, keeping close to the trees in case they needed to hide, when they heard a faint thumping sound, like the beating of an incredibly large drum, pounding out a slow, steady pulse. Boom. Boom. Boom.

"What is that?" Sinesh asked.

"Someone who wants others to know they're here." He answered. The thumping grew louder as they pushed up the road.

"Should we hide?" She asked.

"Now you want to hide?" He laughed.

After another switch back the trees one side ended abruptly. It appeared they’d come to a sort of ridge where the mountain side beyond the road leveled then dropped down out of sight. The thumping had become so loud Handers was sure whom ever it was, was just over the ridge.

They stepped off the road and climbed up the embankment carefully, so they could see down over the ridge without being seen. Beyond the ridge the mountain side dropped down into a small valley bowl before resuming its steep ascent to the summit still a considerable distance above them.

To Hander’s dismay, in the valley was not empty. Two columns of Petra soldiers marched down the center of a road that wrapped around the perimeter of the small valley. A solid mass of tents and military equipment filled in the rest of the open space from one edge to the other.

Loaded wagons and carts, twice the size of anything he'd seen and made of what looked like some kind of polished stone, were spread throughout the tents. It looked like they were still moving in supplies. And lots of them.

Another group of stone soldiers, in regular formation, made their rotations around the perimeter. This was the second group in only a few minutes. They must be expecting someone, he thought.

The site was pretty impressive, he had to admit. It looked more like a city than a mobile encampment. Roads where clearly cut in between the square, building sized, tents. Rows of oil lamps attached to the top of high posts lined the sides of the roads. From a distance, they looked like regular street lamps.

In the center of the camp, he could see a complex arrangement of more rigid structures, looking like a command center of some sort. If they weren’t up in the top of the mountains, he would’ve guessed they were permanent buildings. They must’ve brought them up in pieces and assembled them here.

People said a lot of things about the Petra, but one thing was certain, they were industrious.

Lighting flashed, throwing a flicker of light on the intricate little city. Soldiers buzzed to and fro as though it were the middle of the day. What ever they were doing, it was urgent. No body was sleeping.

Sinesh picked herself up and scampered down the ridge. The double column of soldiers had passed, leaving enough room to move in towards the camp without being noticed.

Handers scrambled after her. "Sinesh wait!” He hissed as loud as he dared. The girl had absolutely no sense of danger. “We don't know if your grandpa's down there."

He had no idea if Lord Valance had the same kind of business relations with the Petra that he had with the Botann. If he did why did he leave half his men down the hill hiding in a dark camp? So Bedic was either down in the make shift city surrounded by a million boulder sized soldiers or somewhere in the woods with Valance.

He’d guess Valance was hiding somewhere in the trees just like they were. Watching to see what the Petra were doing. That would mean, all they'd need to do was walk around the perimeter of the camp to find Valance.

If he came up the same road they did, he couldn't be too...

"MOM!" Sinesh yelled. She was still a good distance in front of him. He was trying but hadn’t been able to catch up to her. He followed her glance. Sure enough, marching down a wide road between the rows of massive tents was a small group of soldiers. In the middle of those soldiers was a tall Botann woman. Moslin!

Handers’ heart pounded with sudden intensity. It felt like he was going to collapse in a panic attack. Moslin meant... He scanned the crowd trying to see in between the soldiers.

Lighting flashed again, and he saw a small boy peak in and out behind the front row of stone men. Was that him? Was that his son? As he hurried closer down the hill, another gap formed in between the soldiers. This time he was sure. It was Emret being wheeled down the road in his chair alongside Moslin. "Emret!" He yelled.

What was he doing here? Was Bedic right? Was he truly being drawn by the Token? And the Petra? Why were they here and why did they have Emret and Moslin? What was going on? What if Emret was in danger? They wouldn't hurt a child, would they? Zo or not.

He quickened his pace. "We have to get down there." Sinesh was still ahead of him, making a straight line for her mother.

A little off to their left he noticed what appeared to be an entry station to the camp. A new column of outer perimeter guards like the ones that had just passed by were filing out of that station.

If he understood one thing about the Petra, it was their affection for order and law. There were laws protecting parents and their children. He was a law abiding citizen. He'd done nothing wrong. They'd have to give him custody of his son. They couldn't keep a thirteen year old child captive for no reason.

That was it then, he'd just go straight to the entry guards and explain.

"Sinesh!" He called. She looked back, and he signaled her to veer to the left towards the entry gate. "We're not going to sneak in this time."

She eyed him pensively, then nodded her head. “OK.”



-



The narrow entry checkpoint was crowded with the wide bodies of soldiers returning in a line of soldiers from their rotation. The two station guards leaned back against the gate posts, bored, only half watching.

Handers wasn't sure the best way to approach this. He wanted to avoid startling anyone. Perhaps the best way, he thought, would be to walk straight in like he belonged there and talk to the station guards.

He took Sinesh's hand and marched out of the trees, cut across the road, and made straight for the gate. If any of the soldiers in the line took notice, they didn't say anything and he didn't turn to look.

When he and Sinesh finally reached the gate, the two guards looked up at them with slightly more interest than they'd shown the rest of the soldiers coming and going.

In fact, he suspected now that the only reason they took notice of him at all was because he stopped. He could've just as easily kept on going. They must not be too concerned with security. That or the guards didn’t think the entry gate was a concern given constant flow of soldiers coming in and out.

"Yes?" The ranking guard asked with indifference.

Handers was a bit surprised. Who did the guard think he was? A civilian traveler?

“I'm sorry to bother you so late, sir. We camped not too far away from here, and it seems my son has gone missing. I believe my son wandered into your camp by mistake.”

The guard got up, obviously bothered at having to do something. He noticed Sinesh.

“Is this your daughter?” He asked with a sudden look of suspicion.

“No. She's... Her family's traveling with us. She was the last one to see my son.”

The guard folded his arms, then stared them up and down. "What's wrong with your arm?"

Handers had forgotten about his torn shirt. The sleeve over his blackened arm had ripped up the middle. Fortunately it was dark and hard to see much more than that.

"That, oh, I had a little trouble trying to fix a broken wagon wheel," He lied.

The guard stared at him another moment before turning back to the camp. "Wait here." He turned and disappeared down a road that passed behind a large tent.

After a few minutes, a larger Petra returned with the first. His uniform indicated some sort of rank. Handers had no idea which, exactly.

“I understand you're looking for a missing child?” The officer asked.

“Yes. We think he wandered into your camp.” Handers explained again.

“I see.” The officer said.

“He's Zo.” Handers added nervously.

“Yes, I imagine he would be. About what age?” The officer asked.

“He's thirteen.” He answered.

“Anything identifiable? Backpack, color of shirt?”

Handers debated. Should he say the boy was in a wheel chair? If he did, they’d know exactly who he was talking about. But that was the plan, wasn’t it? He wished he knew why they had Emret. If they had a compelling reason would they ignore his parental rights?

Or would it be better to mislead them into thinking he was looking for some other child? How would that help? They'd probably just turn him away right here, tell him they'd keep an eye out. He had to make it was clear that it was Emret he was looking for and that he knew they had him. Maybe this plan wasn't so great after all. His nerves started to get the better of him. He felt his hands start to shake.

Sinesh looked up at him. Apparently, he had paused too long.

"He's in a wheel chair," He answered.

The Officer raised his brow. "A wheel chair? I see." He stepped around the half wall protecting the entry guards and gestured for Handers to follow him into the camp.

"Yes, I believe we maybe able to help you." He said.

Handers face lit up. He couldn't help but feel a little hopeful. He was so close to his son now. Although he’d never admitted, the thought had crept into his mind that he may not ever see his son again.

Finding him had started to seem like such an impossible task. So many things had gone wrong that now he imagined everything ahead would be difficult in the extreme. No, he hadn't imagined they'd be difficult, he'd seen that they'd be difficult, over and over. The token had shown him.

A sudden weight lifted off his heart. The idea that the token was wrong, that he could simply return home with his son without worrying about anything else that he had seen or that had happened, it almost overwhelmed him to the point of collapse. Everything would be alright after all! He smiled. Emret was here, he’d found him. All that was left was the formalities of his release, and they’d be on their way home.

He and Sinesh followed the officer to the back of an enormous tent. They waited as the officer knocked on a post hidden beneath the canvas.

A soldier came out through a flap next to the post. The Officer whispered some instructions to him that he couldn't make out. He turned his attention back to Handers and beckoned he and Sinesh to follow him into the tent.

Was this where they were keeping Emret? Seemed a little extreme for a small boy. He noticed the soldier that the officer had whispered too didn't follow them in. He glanced back and saw the large Petra hurrying over to another tent. He wondered what that was all about.

The interior of the tent was impressive. The sheer size made him feel small and insignificant. Even the ground was covered with canvas. Tall posts topped with Oil lamps circled the outer walls of the tent, casting a warm light on a table and three chairs sitting in the middle.

The officer pointed at chairs. “Please have a seat.”

Hander sat down. Were they going to bring Emret in to him here? Was this somewhere they brought him to wait? Sinesh climbed up onto the high chair next to Handers.

The officer sat down across the table from them. "I'm sorry, tell my your name again?"

"Raj Handers." He said.

"And your missing child?" Asked the officer.

"Emret." He said.

"And you last saw him how long ago?"

"We noticed him missing a few hours ago." Handers said.

"And where were you traveling from?"

"Pipfe." Handers answered.

"And your destination?"

Handers hadn't thought about that yet. This wasn't working out to well. If they'd asked any of the same questions to Emret, they'd be entirely different. He didn't even know where the road they had been on led to. He was such a terrible liar. What about the small border village they just left. What was it called? Upper Archtlier? "Upper Archlier." He answered.

The officer looked up from his notes with a raised eyebrow. Not a common destination then, Handers guessed?

"And the nature of your visit?"

"We're visiting friends of the family. They just had a child." That sounded pretty reasonable. Maybe?

"I see." The Officer paused. "And your son was by himself when he wandered off?"

Oh, no! He forgot about Moslin! He hated lying, he was terrible at it. There were too many things to keep track of. What was he suppose to say now? Just add Moslin in? 'Oh yeah, Emret was with another lady who also happens to be missing, but I didn't mention it for some reason.

"Look, have you seen my son or not? I thought you said you could help?" Handers asked, working himself up to sound upset.

The officer put down his pen. He pushed his chair back and stood up. "I'm sorry Mr Handers we haven't seen your son." He walked away from the table.

Handers stood up too. "What do you mean you haven't seen my son? Wait! Where are you going? You just said you could help me! I know he’s here!" Handers was too tired and had gone through too much to play any more games. This was it. He wanted his son.

The Officer stopped and turned back to Handers with a smile. "And how would you know that?"

Anger stirred from within. Why was this so difficult? Who care if he couldn't tell a consistent story? He was just a boy, what did they want with him? They should be happy to get him back to his parents. "Where is my son? What's going on here?"

"Excellent question. What is going on here?" The officer folded his arms and waited.

Handers stared back at him for a moment then gave in. Fine! "You want to know what's going on? I'll tell you. That lady you have with my son kidnapped him from his hospital bed and dragged him half way across the world. I've been trying find them for almost a week.

"So now, I'd really appreciate it if you'd return him to my custody, so I can get him back to the hospital to resume his treatments, so that he doesn't die!"

The Officer took in a deep cleansing breath. "Aaah, now we're getting somewhere." He returned to the table. "What do you know of the small figurine the boy was carrying?"

"Figurine?" Handers asked.

“Yes, the small, broken fragment of stone that's shaped like a small plant.”

Bedic was right. Emret came looking for the Token! Unbelievable. Was that what the Petra were after as well? What would they want with it?

"He didn't have anything like that the last time I saw him." He answered.

The Officer leaned his arm out to the side and snapped loudly. Immediately, two rows of Soldiers filed into the room, circling around the back to form and full circle.

Hander's face dropped. This was not good. He did not plan on this. Was he being interrogated now? By what right? He'd done nothing wrong.

"Lets try this again. You would like to see your son, and I would like some information. Let see if we can help each other. I need you to tell me everything you know about the piece of stone your son was carrying. I want to know everything about the purpose of your son's travel here. I want to know everything about the woman accompanying him. If you do not tell me everything I want to know, you will not see your son again. Am I clear?"

“You can’t do that.” Handers said, almost to himself.

“I most certainly can. You and your son have illegally crossed into Petra land. If you refuse to answer my questions, I’ll have to assume you are an enemy to the Petra state.”

Handers sat back down. He looked across the stone faces of the soldiers surrounding him. He found no sympathy in the eyes staring back at him, only the hardened faces of trained soldiers, emotionless. He was sure they wouldn't hesitate to kill him if they were instructed. Order and Law? He grossly misjudged them. Order and law apparently did not apply to foreigners.

"I found the Token on the beach outside my son's hospital. I brought it here. I don't know how my son got a hold of it."

"You found it on the beach? Interesting." He jotted down a few notes. "Please continue."

"I'm sorry, I didn't find much use for it. I don't know what else you want to know. You probably know more about what's going on than I do."

He snapped his fingers again at one of the soldiers behind him. "I believe there is a great deal more that you are not telling us. And that discourages me.” One of the soldiers stepped up to him, holding a patch of brown fur in his hand.

“This belonged to your son.” The officer continued. “Lets call it a little incentive to cooperate. If you doubt that really was his, I’m sure we can bring you something a little more recognizable. Maybe a finger or a toe."

Handers shot up. "I'm telling you what I know! What's wrong with you!"

Two soldiers were on top of him before he could finish his thought. They pulled him back and sat him down.

"I apologize for the interruption. Please continue." The officer said.

Handers fought the two giants still restraining each arm. "Let go of me!"

The soldier on the right cocked his massive stone arm back and snapped it forward, striking Handers in the face with the back of his hand. Handers flew off his chair, tumbled backwards, and rolled onto his stomach.

Blood gushed from his torn lip and cheek. His head spun violently. What did they want from him? He was trying to tell them what he knew. Then it occurred to him, if they were doing this to him, they were probably doing it to his son. They were hurting him!

His black arm started to throb. The glossy, sleek muscles bulged. He screamed in pain as his arm literally doubled in size in a matter of moments.

The guard that hit him reached down and grabbed him by the back of the shirt and lifted him up to put him back in his chair.

Handers bore his teeth like an animal, spun around while in mid air, then clawed and struck with a wild frenzy, ripping and tearing chucks of stone from the soldiers arm and face.

The soldier dropped him and stumbled backward covering his injuries.

The other soldier who'd been restraining him in the chair lunged at him. Handers grabbed him with his enormous hand and used the momentum of the soldiers lunge to launch the giant Petra at the wall of soldiers circling them.

They collided with an explosion of rock and dust, leaving a gap in the line as they rolled into the dark corner of the tent.

The rest of the soldiers in the circle moved in unison to tighten the gap. The ground rumbled with their steps. The Officer grabbed Sinesh by the arm and yanked her out of the circle.

Handers charged to the closest tower of rock as it bore down on him. He cocked his massive fist and swung. With an incredible crack, the soldier flew backward. Shards of stone split off into the air.

The soldier rolled back until he hit and ripped a large hole in the side of the tent, flooding the interior with Blue moon light.

The rest of the circle pounced on him, tackling him to the ground. One soldier after another piled on top until he was buried under a steep mass of rock.

Dust and pebbles clattered down the side of the pile as the weight settled. Everything went still and silent. After the roar of commotion, the contrast was startling.

Then there was a shutter of movement. The pile of rock soldiers trembled with an impact. The entire form thumped again, vibrating upward. Again, something was pounding up from below. Thump. Half of the mass lifted up a few inches then dropped back down.

Thump. Rock and debris exploded out of the top of the pile. Handers black fist shot up then with drew back into the pile.

Thump. With a loud crack, the two soldiers on top spun into the air and tumbled down the side pile. Handers climbed up out of the hole they left and stumbled over their bodies towards the hole ripped in the side of the tent. One by one, the soldiers got up to go after him.

Outside the tent Handers found himself lost in sea of tents. A dirt road extended beyond him to the right. But it was lined on both sides with brown canvas tents as far as he could see. It didn’t look like a way out. It was same in the other direction. He was so angry. They wouldn't listen to reason, they just attacked him for no reason. That made him fearful for his son. How much respect would they show to a child? He had to find him!

Before he decided which way to go, the tents surrounding him opened up, each one spilling a number of oversize rock men. Apparently, they'd heard the commotion. The empty street between tents had filled in a matter of seconds.

He turned to the tent behind him. Several large Petra had already followed him out of the hole. He was surrounded. Which just made him all the more angry. They were relentless. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? Let him find his son and be gone. Why did it have to be a fight? But if there had to be a fight to keep them from hurting his little boy then so be it.

He screamed in rage and charged the closest soldier in the road ahead of him. He hit with a crash that sounded like thunder. The man he hit reeled backwards and fell to the ground. The other soldiers surrounding them didn't return the attack. They were looking up at the sky.

Another crash boomed. That time he knew it wasn't him. He turned. The sky had started to fill with the purple glow of the early morning. But that wasn't what they were staring at. The ragging storm that hung over the mountain peak a little ways in the distance was moving. A small finger of dark cloud was stretching across the sky down towards where they stood.

The men watched, as it dropped down closer to them and to Handers.

Handers took advantage of the distraction and marched forward. Lighting struck again, highlighting the surprise on the soldier's faces. They didn't move to stop him.

The finger of storm began a wide, slow twist which tightened as it spun faster and faster until it had pulled into a thin spiraling funnel. The funnel hit the ground with an exploding crash that ripped across the camp directly in front of Handers. It spat up giant clumps of dirt, ripped apart tents and tossed the bolder like soldiers into the air. It criss-crossing back and forth as it moved out ahead, effectively clearing a path for him.

The soldiers that were still left standing stepped back as Handers approached. His bulging black arm gave off a disturbing blackened halo that had a resemblance to the black mist of the funnel.

Through the path of destruction left by the storm, he could see right down into the middle of the camp. He could see the large command structure that he saw earlier.

That had to be where they were keeping his son. If this was all about the Token, and the boy came with the Token, they probably had him in there under some ridiculous interrogation. The thought made him furious.

The dark finger of storm swept forward, cutting a wider swath into the dense camp. Finally, a siren sounded as a reaction to the danger. Men raced out of the way as they found themselves in its weaving path. Others rushed in to help others who'd just been hit.

Hander broke into a sprint towards the command center. He'd find his son as quickly as he could and get him out of this madness.



-



Commander Paklin sat at an empty table across from Moslin. The room around them was lavish for a military installation. There were paintings covering the walls and carpet on the floor.

"You expect me to believe you just found it laying in the bushes?” Paklin questioned.

“What else do you want me to say?” Moslin answered.

“How did you know where to find it?”

“Emret seems to be in tune with it somehow. He knew where it was before he even knew what it was.”

The Commander stared at her, perplexed. “What does that mean?”

He paused for half a moment for the answer before continuing. “Look, we want to know who else you're working with in the Botann Government. Who else knows about this? And what their plans are.”

“What plans with the Botann government? What are you talking about?” She asked.

He slapped his fist on the table. “We caught you with a platoon of the royal guard! Don't tell me his ‘Holiness’ doesn't have plans. We know you're involved so I would suggest you cooperate now before you make things more difficult for yourself and for the boy!”

She threw her hands up in the air. “This is impossible.”

The commander gestured to an aid standing near the door. The aid disappeared for half a moment then returned holding the hand of a small Botann girl.

“Do you know this girl?” The commander asked.

Moslin jumped out of her seat and raced towards her daughter. “Sinesh!” She yelled. “What are you doing here? Where’s your grandpa?”

“Mommy!” Sinesh shouted over her sobs.

Just as she was about to wrap her arms around her little girl another guard yanked her back by the thick green tendrils she had for hair.

“Get off of me!” Moslin pounded her fist into the arm of the giant stone creature holding her.

“What do you want from us?” She demanded.

“Please, Sinesh. Your mother asked some very important questions. Would you mind answering them?” The commander said gently.

An aid rushed over to the commander and whispered in his ear. The commander shot to his feet. "What!"

He ran towards a set of large double doors with the aid. "Take the girl back to the other room and keep the woman here. I don’t want them ‘catching up’ without me." He yelled back at the two guards standing behind Moslin.

She watched as the commander left, her face betraying her murderous intent. With the double door open, she could hear the siren droning in the background. A fierce wind howled over the top of the siren.

The two guards wandered towards the double doors. Moslin followed behind them. Past the doors she could see the camp stretched out below them. They seemed to be up on the second or third story of some building in the middle of the camp. The double doors led out onto a large balcony.

From what she could see through the door, the camp was a mess as though it’d been hit by a tornado. Half the tents were ripped up and blow over. Their contents were spread in large swaths of debris. What had happened, she thought? Bodies of soldiers lay scattered all over the camp. Had they been attacked?

Then she saw him. A lone figure running down a wide corridor leading directly toward the building they were in. An aura of destruction surrounded him on all sides.

As if to accent the man's intentions, a black funnel cloud whipped back and forth behind him. The soldiers standing guard simply backed away as he approached.

Who was this man? She thought. What did he want? She squinted to get a sharper picture. His clothes, the color of his fur. It looked like... But how... The closer he got the surer she was. It was him. It was Raj!

Then she noticed his hideous black arm. It was unnaturally large and disfigured. Disgusting. What had happened to him? What ever he'd been through since she last saw him, he was not the same person.

Pains of guilt shot through her. What ever he'd been through it'd had no doubt been her fault. She and Emret had made it necessary. They’d done this to him. She felt horrible. She had to help, to do something.

She looked back at the door where they brought her daughter in. She had two children here to worry about and now an angry father who looked like he was about to get himself killed. What a mess, she thought, as she climbed silently over the balcony while the two guarding her were consumed with the terror playing out below them.



-



Rinacht sat up in his cot. He swore he heard something in his tent. Perhaps it was just the wind. He searched the small table next to him for his lamp.

He'd given up trying to make himself useful and had retired early. He felt terrible seeing Emret and Moslin and not being able to do anything about it. As soon as the commander had found the Token he stopped listening to him. He'd even issued a command baring him from talking to Moslin and Emret.

He knew at some point they would probably need his help. He was starting to doubt more and more his influence here. What instruction had his uncle given the commander, he wondered. It made him nervous about his future, about how much his Uncle really was willing to forgive, even if he did deliver the token.

Finally, his fingers felt the cold metal of the lamp. But before he could light it, another flame sparked and filled the tent with light.

A massive Zo man in black armor stood over his cot holding an oil lamp.

Rinacht choked. It was Lord Barnus! That meant Valance! How did he find him here? The only reason he agreed to come back towards the mountain and consequently towards Valance was because he knew he'd be protected by an entire army. Despite the army, Barnus was now standing in his tent. How was this possible?

"Good evening Rinacht. Lord Valance sends you greetings." Lord Barnus smiled big, revealing his teeth. "We've been trying to find you. Seems we still owe you the second half of your money."

"Oh." He forced a smile and laughed nervously. "I'd completely forgotten."

"No you didn't." He leaned in closer. "We want what we paid you for!"

"How did you get in here? I could call the guards."

"You'd be dead before they arrived." Barnus backed away. "Besides, you're not on the top of their list right now."

Rinacht watched him intently. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. They've got what they need from you. Your lucky they haven't already sent you back from where you came from. He turned back to Rinacht.

"Or perhaps your uncle has something special planed for you when you get back. I could be wrong. Maybe your uncle is the forgiving type."

Rinacht shook his head. No, his uncle was not the forgiving type. He was the, hold a grudge but not let you know he was holding it, type.

"Lord Valance understands your position, your allegiance to your family. That's why he's willing to forgive your... momentary lapse in judgment."

Lord Barnus took off a satchel he had around his neck and opened it. "Its time you learned who your real friends are." He pulled two small daggers out of the satchel and placed them on Rinachts lap. He pulled a black breast plate and put it next to the daggers.

"What are these?"

"These are how I got in your tent. These are your freedom from your uncle. These are your future with us."

"What do you want me to do?"

Lord Barnus smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "That's my boy."



-



Emret sat on his cot staring at the shadows of the guards outside his tent. His wheel chair was halfway across the room. As if that were a way of keeping him from going anywhere. Move his chair across the room.

He was so frustrated at the situation. He knew he was getting close to finding what he, at one point, had thought was beyond hope. He was so close to finding his miracle. And now he sat here waiting. There had to be something he could do, somehow he could get the Token back.

As he was sitting there trying to concoct a plan, he noticed a strange glow coming through the back wall of his tent. It looked like a extremely bright light somewhere beyond that was shining through the canvas with a wide defused halo. Emret stared at it, perplexed. It’d have to be really bright or really close.

At the center of the halo was a shape, an irregular shape. He got out of bed and hobbled to his chair. The point of focus in the middle of the halo sharpened enough to where he could see what the source of the light was. The Token! The light was a perfect silhouette of the Token.

It was shining through the back of his tent from where ever it was. A broad smile crept across his face. If he could see it, he could find it. This was no coincidence, he thought. It was showing him where it was. It wanted him to come take it back! He was sure of it.

All he had to do now was get out of the tent without the guards noticing.

He lifted the bottom edge of the back canvas wall where it lay in the dirt and lifted it up to see how much slack he had to work with. He could lift it about three feet before it pulled at the corner stakes. He could get himself under that. But his chair? Probably not, and he wouldn't be getting far without that.

He heard a commotion out side the tent. The guards were talking to somebody close by. What if someone came in? He heart raced. He was at least ten feet from his bed. He summoned all his strength and pushed. His feet took two large steps, propelling him a third the distance before they gave out. He fell flat on his face.

The conversation outside picked up again but with an additional voice, and it sounded like they had moved closer to the tent.

He got up onto his knees and scrambled. He was more than half way there.

The tent flap opened. Light filtered in. Too late! He froze. Only two feet to the bed. If they saw him, he was sure they'd tie him down or something. If they knew he was trying to get out, they'd find a way to make it impossible. The bed blocked his view of the tent flap. He couldn't see who came in. But that also meant they couldn't see him.

The blankets! He slipped under where the bed faced him and squirmed up to the top of the bed. He pushed his head out the top pretending to be waking up. Two soldiers had come in the room. But they weren't looking at him. They had their backs turned. On the ground beside them was a small Botann girl.

They led her to another small cot in the corner. "Stay here!" The guard said pointing to the cot.

"But my Mom!" She cried.

They ignored her and left.

Emret sat up. “Hi”



-



Handers marched down the wide corridor, the command center directly in front of him. The wind howled at his back. The finger of twisting black cloud ripped through the camp in a wide zig zag behind him. The sound of destruction was all he could hear.

Three Petra came out onto a balcony on the upper floor of the command building for a moment before disappearing back inside. It would appear he'd attracted someone in the command structure’s attention. Good. He hoped by the end of this they'd reevaluate how they treated innocent civilians.

He was almost to the building when that same group of Petra came out the lower level followed by a stream of soldiers who filed past them quickly to form two columns flanking Raj on both sides of the wide corridor.

Once the flanks were formed the soldiers still coming out of the building formed a column directly behind the three from the balcony. None of them seemed to be a bothered in the least by the storm and chaos behind him. They'd fight, it seemed.

He clenched his teeth. That wasn't what he wanted. He just needed to talk to somebody. Why were these people so unreasonable? Why did they automatically assume the only solution was a fight?

"You have my son! Give him to me… now!" He screamed at the man in the center of the soldiers. His voice startled him. It wasn't his alone. Something else screamed with him. It sounded like it came from the raging wind, a howling scream echoing his words.

The Petra in the middle stepped forward. "We will not bend to the will of a Zo terrorist! Continue at your own peril!”

There was a grinding sound that rose above the torment of the storm. Handers looked to the side beyond the corridor. Two enormous stone contraptions rolled up beside the tents. They appeared to be some sort of launching weapon. A weapon the size of a building.

What was wrong with these people. They had to be the most stubborn creatures he'd met. Why couldn’t they just give him his son? This was insane!

His arm was burning hotter, drawing his attention. He looked down. It was engulfed in a spiraling black cloud the same as the larger funnel behind him. He held it up in amazement.

"All I want is my SON!" He screamed. The storm screamed with him. Adding an incredible boom with the screeching howl. He almost frightened himself.

The Petra in charge stepped back, nervously. "You are trespassing on Petra Soil. Lay down on the ground… and put your hands in front of you!" He squeaked out.

Raj felt his instincts taking over. He pointed his arm at the Petra and felt the storm as it spun down his arm and shot out. He stepped back in recoil. His arm wanted to buckle from the pressure, but he held it steady. A black mass continued to form from his arm, spinning into another raging funnel.

The row of soldiers dove out of the way. The Petra he targeted barely missed the grasp of the wild funnel. Would he listen now? Raj wondered as took a step forward.

"Raj! Wait!" A woman's voice pleaded from somewhere behind the wall of rock soldiers on his right. He turned.

Moslin darted in between the Petra and ran out in front him. They didn't move to stop her.

"You don't have to do this." She shouted.

This coming from the woman who stole his son? She was saying he'd gone too far? The only words he wanted to hear from her was the location of his son.

"I know where he is, and I can take you too him. Follow me." She yelled as she ran towards him.

She was running down the center of a battlefield without any protection. This was not smart, he thought. This was the action of someone who's emotions were driving them harder than their logic. Perhaps her guilt had finally gotten to her.

"STOP HER!" Screamed the Petra standing in front of his men. He charged forward to try to catch Moslin himself. The Soldiers on the flanks suddenly sprang in to motion, rushing to intercept.

Handers’s frustration turned to fear. She was going to get hurt. What ever she’d done, it wasn’t to deserve death. If they hit her, she would not survive.

He shot his arm out towards the advancing line on the right, sending out a rage of black. It swooped down below the center and engulfed them, sucking them up into the sky. In an instant, they were gone.

The left side pushed forward towards her aggressively. He sprinted to intercept.

"KILL HIM!" The Petra in charge ordered.

Apparently, Raj had upset this one, whom ever he was.

He grabbed the first towering rock within reach of his black arm and tossed him into the air. He caught a second by the shoulder, then pulled his arm back and struck, hard. Stone shattered. Shards flew in all directions. The Petra collapsed to the ground.

The line formation broke apart. The Petra seemed to have lost their courage at the unexpected onslaught. He chased down a third, caught him from behind and lifted him above his head, ready to pile drive him into the dirt.

"Raj stop!" Moslin shouted.

Raj turned, still holding the Petra over his head.

“I’m OK,” she cried. "Lets get Emret!" She pointed off into the camp past the command center.

He nodded then put the Petra down. The tight pack of soldiers stepped back, confused by the sudden truce, allowing them to leave the corridor unobstructed.



-



“Thankyou for doing this.” Emret said.

“No problem.” Sinesh said with a smile.

She pushed Emret in his chair down the wide muddy path between the rows of tents.

“Can you still see it?” She asked.

“Yep.” He answered. He didn't know how many layers of tent the Token was shining through. It didn't seem to change. As he wheeled through each successive row, it stayed constant, shining through the next wall of canvas like a setting sun.

Finally, they passed the last row of tents and continued out into a grass field. At the back of the field was a large building. Strangely, the light wasn’t blocked, it sparkled as it passed through the solid structure.

Sinesh stopped.

“In there.” Emret pointed.

He studied the towering building as they approached. It looked like the place they'd keep important things. He found what looked like a back door. It was small and simple, as opposed to the large decorated front entrances he had noticed on the other buildings. They'd have to be quick. So far they'd been lucky, he hadn't seen a single soldier. They must've gone to bed, he thought.

Sinesh pushed him quickly to the doorway and helped him up high enough to peek through the small window. It looked like it led to a large, empty room.

He pulled the door open and she wheeled him inside. His eyes were immediately drawn to it, shining brightly on a table in the middle of the room.

Then Emret froze. They weren’t alone. Someone else was in the room. Someone that he apparently didn't see through the window. Fortunately the stranger had his back to him. It was a Petra. Smaller than the soldiers. He was walking towards the table with the Token.

Emret didn't know what to do. He could hide, but his chair would be seen. They'd know he was there. He could try to make it back out the door but turning his chair was noisy and slow.

His eyes scanned the stranger as he debated his next move. There was something familiar about him, about the way he moved. He had only known one Petra in his life. Rinacht. But Rinacht was miles from here.

Then the stranger spoke as he reached out a hand to pick up the Token. "So incredible," he said.

Emret couldn't believe it. The voice. It was Rinacht! "Rinacht?" He wheeled backward to the door just in case he was wrong.

The Petra man jumped into the air. "Wha!" He dropped down low to the ground. "Who's there?"

Emret pushed himself forward into the lamp light. "Rinacht it's me!"

Rinacht ran around the table to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Emret! What're you doing in here!"

"What are you doing here?" Emret retorted with over exaggerated surprise.

Rinacht laughed and grabbed him in a tight hug. "It’s good to see you my boy! How you feeling? Where's Moslin?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I don't know where they took Moslin. They took her and left me in a tent with two guards. But this is Moslin’s daughter."

Rinacht turned to Sinesh and took her hand. Ah, as lovely as her mother. How are you my girl?”

She smiled.

"How'd you two get in here?" Rinacht asked.

"We snuck out," he explained then put on a more serious look. "Rinacht, how did you get here? Is my dad with you?"

"Patience, child. I'll explain everything. First, we’ve got get you out of here. There's supposed to be guards posted outside this room at all times. They're only gone because of an incident in front of the building. Who knows how soon they'll be back."

He rushed around behind Emret’s chair and spun him back towards the exit. As he did, his back whipped around wide and knocked into a small glass bottle that was sitting on a corner desk.

It fell to the ground with a loud crash. Rinacht froze with a look of horror on his face.

The door from further inside the building slammed open, and two massive stone soldiers tumbled through. “Who’s in here?” One of them roared.

“Hey,” the other shouted, pointing at them.

Rinacht grabbed at something on his belt.

“Rinacht, what are you doing? Get us out of here!”

The soldiers stomped towards them. “All of you, lay down on the ground and put your hands out in front of you!”

Rinach!” Yelled Emret.

Sinesh tried to push Emret’s chair, but Rinacht was standing in the way.

Finally, Rinacht succeeded in removing what he was fumbling with. He pulled out a long dagger with a glowing purple blade. He immediately stuck it out in the air in front of him, pointing it at the soldiers. Then he screamed, shutting his eyes tight. “STOP!”

The purple glow from the dagger expanded to fill the room. The charging soldiers slowed in their approach as though they were being pushed back by a heavy wind.

“Put down your weapon immediately!” One yelled.

Their feet scraped across the floor as they started to lose their purchase, their strong legs strained against the unseen force.

Rinacht opened his eyes, to see the soldiers slam up against the far wall, their arms pinned up above their head. He laughed and looked down at the glowing dagger.

“It worked! It worked!”

He turned to see Sinesh and Emret watching with a look of complete bewilderment.

“What was that?” Emret asked.

“I’ll explain later.” He pushed Emret’s chair through the door as he held it open. Outside they made a hard push to cross the clearing between the command center and the rows of tent barracks.

"We’ve got to get to the forest as fast as we can." Rinacht explained as he ran, pushing the boy's chair in front of him.

"Where are we going?" Emret asked.

"We're going to meet up with your dad." Rinacht said.

"My Dad?" He put his feet down into the dirt, grinding them to a stop. "Wait!" He spun around to face Rinacht. "I'm not going back home!"

"Emret, we saw you with the Token earlier. We saw what happened to the forest around you. We're not taking you home."

"Dad saw that?" This was what he hoped for more than anything else. His father to believe along with him. To help him. To take him there himself. That is what he wanted.

"Yeah. A lot of people saw it. I'm supposed to get you and the Token and get out. Why would I've gone back to get the Token if your dad was taking you home?"

A smile stretched across his face. Everything was working out. He knew there had to be a way around the impossible situation he was in. And here it was. A surprise visit from Rinacht and his Dad.

"But what my mom?" Sinesh asked.

"Your father has a plan for that as well. I'll let him explain it once we get out of the camp."

Emret lifted his feet, and they took off again. "Let’s go!"



-



Moslin led the still fuming Handers through the identical rows of perfectly spaced canvas tents. A mass of Petra rock soldiers collected behind them, careful to keep their distance.

"They put us in a tent just up ahead when we first got here. They left him there when they took me. He should still be there.” She explained.

"Should?" He questioned.

They crossed the last row. She stopped in front of a large tent with two guards standing at the entrance.

"MOVE!” Handers commanded. He raised his black arm with the dark cloud swirling around it. The two soldiers stared at him then at each other. Then, reluctantly, they stepped aside.

Handers pushed the tent flap aside and stepped in. Moslin followed behind him. Inside there were two empty cots and wheel chair tracks in the dirt.

Handers screamed. “Where is he!”

Moslin traced the wheel chair tracks to the outer wall of the tent. “Look!” She shouted.

He ran up behind her. “Looks like he snuck out under the wall.”

“By himself?” Handers asked doubtingly.

“Oh you have no idea how obstinate your son can be.”

He glared at her. “He's thirteen. You can't blame all this on him.”

“I know. I know. She looked embarrassed. “It's just.”

"Just what?" He fumed.

She took a deep breath, giving herself a moment before she spoke. "Raj, I am so sorry. I never should have put you through this. It wasn't my choice to make."

Handers glared at her. "You know, I trusted you!"

She started to sob. "I don't know what came over me. I can only imagine what you've been going through. At the time I thought... I'm so sorry. It was so wrong." She paused.

“But listen. Something else has happened. Something you need to know about. When we find him, please, just give him a chance to explain.”

“Explain what?”

“About the Token.” She said.

He stared at her, not sure what to say. The reality of the Token wasn't something he could ignore or forget. As much as he'd like to go back home and pretend nothing had happened. Things had. But how was his son involved in any of this? He didn’t understand that. And frankly he didn't want his son involved. The Token had brought him nothing but trouble.

None of this would've happened if he had thrown it back into the sea. Nobody would be looking for him. No one would care.

"If you want to make up for what you've done. Help me get my son back home!" He said.

She stared at him for a moment, as though she didn't want wanting to agree. Then she gave in, nodded her head. "OK." She lifted up the tent wall. The tracks continued on the other side. "Lets follow the tracks."



-



Sinesh, Emret, and Rinacht approached the outer edge of the camp. They found a considerable amount of outer defenses; tangles of barbed wire stretched across barricades, and a few half dug trenches with a handful of soldiers.

The forest was with in sight. Rinacht reached into this pack and pulled out a bundle of cloth. "Here, you'll need this."

He handed it to Emret who took it with enthusiasm and began unwrapping it on his lap. As he did, shards of light shone out across the early morning clearing.

A few of the soldiers dug into the trenches noticed the light. "Hey, you. STOP!"

Rinacht pushed the chair through the tangle of barricades, weaving back and forth carefully, to avoid snagging Emret. As they approached the line of trees, the forest began to react. The boughs of the nearest trees started to bend with loud cracks and groans. Branches swayed with rustling leaves.

After a moment, the entire mass of trees in front of them was leaning in one direction as if blown by a heavy wind. The grass and underbrush had parted to form a clear path that pointed them in a clear direction towards the last peak of the mountain ahead of them.

Just as Emret's wheel passed the threshold of the trees, he heard a strange voice calling. "Emret!" It sounded like his father but distorted, monstrous.

He wheeled around.

"Emret what are you doing? We have to get into the forest now!" Rinacht yelled.

Emret scanned the dark clearing for the source of the call. He couldn't see. "I thought I heard something."

"Emret!" The call came again. Handers and Moslin ran past the last line of barrack tents exposing themselves to Emret.

"DAD!" He called back.

“Mom!” Sinesh yelled.

Emret looked back at Rinacht, expecting to share the joy of the moment with him. Instead, he was confronted with a face of shear and utter terror. What was going on? He thought. Why was Rinacht mortified? His fear was infection, crushing Emret’s urge to celebrate.

Something else emerged from behind the last line of tents. Like a flash flood, countless towering stone men flowed in from the space between the rows of tents. They came in like an unstoppable wave behind Hander.

Emret turned, more soldiers had come in from the sides and were already close to him. Before he could move they crashed down on him choking everything else off. He could see nothing but the gray bodies of rock.

WHY! He thought. Was he asking for too much? To live? Why was it so difficult? Tears swelled up inside. This was too hard.



-



Handers watched in horror as his son disappeared behind a sea of moving stone. He thought he'd made himself abundantly clear. If they stayed back, there would be no trouble. What were they doing now?

Apparently they'd had time now to gather their entire army. This wasn't a few collected soldiers standing in front of him. This was it. They were going to try to stop him with everything they had.

It made him nervous. Not for his own safety but for the safety of his son. He had no doubt why they made an effort getting to him first. He was the hostage.

Sure enough, the Petra in charge, that had been yelling at him earlier to stop, walked out in front of the group that was holding Emrett.

What did they want him to do? Leave his son, walk away? Lay down and let them take him prisoner. Lock him up with his son? It would just prolong the fight. It didn't make sense. Why wouldn't they just let him go? What could they possible want with him that was that important?

"You are Trespassing on Petra Land in a Petra military installation. This is your last warning. Surrender or we will use deadly force." The Petra in charge shouted.

"What do you want with my son? Release him and we'll go in peace." Handers yelled.

"I'm afraid we can't do that." The Petra answered.

"Then we have a problem." Handers said.

"Commander, stand down!" A gruff voice shouted from somewhere behind the soldiers.

"General?" The Petra Commander scanned the crowd looking for the source of the voice.

Handers spun around. An older Petra man, surrounded by an entourage of new soldiers, marched up behind Handers.

He stopped a fair distance away from him. "Your son is not our principal interest. We could easily be persuaded to let him go. If..."

"If what?" Handers asked.

"If you're interests are isolated to your son. If you're willing to leave with just him."

"You mean without Moslin?"

The General laughed. "No."

Handers stared at him. Then he remembered what Moslin had said. About being open to what Emret would explain regarding the Token. Was that what all this was about? Was that what the General wanted?

"The Token?" He asked.

"Yes, the Token."

"Fine. I'm not here for the Token, I'm here for the boy. Let us go home, and you'll never hear from us again."

The General smiled. "You are a wise father. Consider it done."

The Commander stepped forward, his arm raised in objection, "But General. You have no idea..."

The General cut his commander off with the wave of his hand. "Bring this woman her daughter and arrange transportation for both these families. "

The Commander fumed but held his tongue as the General passed him by. "Show me the boy!"

The crowd of giant stone soldiers parted to expose the small thirteen year old boy cowering near the ground.

The General stoop down next to him, putting his face as close to the boy's as possible. Handers came up behind keeping a safe distance.

"What's your name, son?" The General asked him.

"Emret."

"Nice to meet you Emret. I've just had a nice conversation with your father and I've agreed to help you both get home as quickly as possible. How does that sound?"

Emret looked around, then made eye contact with Rinacht who was hiding amongst the soldiers. He turned back to the General. "I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?"

"I thought he was going to help me."

"We're both going to help you. But we need one thing from you. Could you give me the white stone piece that you found in the forest?"

"No." He shook his head.

"Its extraordinarily valuable. It wouldn't be safe for a young child to take care of."

"I can't give it to you."

The General stood up and turned to Handers. "Perhaps you could have a word with him?"

Handers nodded.

The General signaled to his men to allow him to approach.

Handers smiled broadly. He hurried up to his boy and got down on one knee beside him. "Emret!" He took him in a tight embrace. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you! I was so worried. I thought I'd never..."

"I know, I'm sorry dad." He was tearing up.

"Now what's this all about? What do you have that they want?"

"Rinacht told me that you knew about it already, that you wanted to help me, that you were going to take me where I needed to go."

"What? Where's Rinacht?"

Emret pointed into the crowd. Handers followed his fingers but couldn't see him.

"No. I'm sorry. I don't know what he's talking about." Handers said.

Emret looked away and wiped his eyes.

"Emret talk to me. What's going on?" He watched his son's face. He knew there was a lot his son had not been telling him for quite a while. He was starting to realize how much of this escapade actually had been Emret's idea rather than Moslin’s. He really could be a stubborn boy.

"You've got to trust me, Emret. Tell me!"

"Promise me you'll listen no matter how strange it sounds."

"I promise."

"I saw the tree in the middle of the old city. It showed me where the Token was. That's why I came up here. I found it just like it showed me. And when I hold it in my hand it shows me something else."

"What does it show you?"

He leaned in and whispered in his father's ear. "It shows me where I need to go to get healed. It shows me where the Red Tree is now."

Handers leaned back and stared at his son. This was the most difficult decision he'd ever made. He believed his son. He believed that he saw the things he did. He was describing something similar to what he had seen.

That wasn't the problem.

"Do you believe me?" Emret asked.

Handers nodded his head. "I do. You're not crazy."

Emret lit up. His lips curled up into a big smile. "Then you'll take me?"

Handers stared at him. He didn't know how to answer him. It wasn't that simple. Here, he had an easy ticket home. He had his son intact. He had a chance with the doctors back home. Some how they might be able to figure something out. Emret still had time.

But if he tried to do what his son was asking, he risked everything. He could die. His son could die. He would have to stand up against the entire Petra army again. Even after that, he was sure there would be more conflict. He was tired, the last thing he wanted was more fighting. He didn't want the pain and anguish of his son's life being at risk.

He took his son firmly by the shoulders, looked him in the eyes and said, "Emret, we will find another way. We have to go home. But we will find something for you. There is still time."

Tears welled up in Emret's eyes. "No." He shook his head.

"We don't have a choice, son."

"Emret, your father really doesn't have a choice." The General said. “He’s doing the right thing for you.”

"Yes he does! He can fight! He can fight for me!"

It was at that moment that Handers finally saw Rinacht in the crowd. He was nodding his head to Emret.

Handers turned back to his son to find that he had dropped out of his chair and crawled under the giant legs of the closest Petra soldier. In an instant he was gone. Handers cut back to Rinacht. He was gone too.

He turned back to the General with his hands out to his sides, shaking his head and his mouth open in shock.

"Find that boy!" The General shouted.

The soldiers burst to life, lifting their feet and stepping carefully.

Handers pushed into the dispersing crowd, crouching to look as low as he could. "Emret!" He traced the marks in the dirt where he saw his son disappeared. They didn't go very far before they were lost in the Petra footsteps.

The crowd of soldiers had spread out enough to see between and underneath them. His son was gone. Handers spun around. Where could he have hidden so fast? And Rinacht? What was he doing here? Why was he a part of this?

The marks in the dirt led towards the forest. The edge of the trees was only a dozen yards away. But for a sick little boy on his knees even that was too far to go in such a short time.

Then he remembered the nod Rinacht gave Emret just before he dived under the soldiers. Emret could've made it to the forest with help. If someone carried him.

He ran to the forest’s edge and burst through the underbrush. After a few steps the underbrush opened up onto the flat surface of a road. He glanced quickly in both directions. Nothing. And the road was completely covered in fresh wet Petra tracks, making it impossible to see anything new.

Handers dropped to the ground. What had he done? He'd held his son in his arms. He was safe. He could've taken him home. What had he said? What did he do wrong? What could've prompted him to run off like that? He didn't know what else to do. He didn't want to go on wondering what horrible thing might happen to him next. Waiting for that terrible news. He wanted it to end. He wanted him safe at home. It didn't matter that he was sick. His sickness he could handle. He still had time. But this. This could be the end, now. If this continued there could be no more time.

Should he have grabbed him? Forced him to give back the token? Then tied him up and carried him home? He was his father. It was his job to protect him, even from himself. Was he not strong enough? Not strict enough?

He heard a noise in the bushes behind him. Moslin and Sinesh stepped through out onto the road. Moslin knelt down beside him. She put an arm on his shoulder. "Come on." She helped him to his feet. "We have to get out of here before the General remembers us."

She took his hand and dragged him off the road and into the forest.



-



Rinacht tromped through the heavy forest with Emret balanced awkwardly in his arms. He glanced over his shoulder instinctively. No one was following. "We've got to hurry," he told Emret. "We have about fifteen minutes before their trackers catch up to us."

Emret stared back at him, frustrated and confused. "Fifteen minutes? Then what?"

He laughed. "Don't worry. We have help."

"Help?" Emret asked.

"Look Emret. Uh, I haven't been entirely honest with you. Your father and I had a disagreement a little ways back. I agreed to come with him to help him find you. You know. I thought you were danger. I thought Moslin took you.

"But then I found out about the Token. I found out what you were trying to do. I tried to convince your father to help you but... He wouldn't listen. He just wanted to take you home.

"I didn't want to have to explain all this while we were trying to get out of the camp, so I lied."

Emret nodded his head as he listened. He didn't know what to think. He knew his father could be stubborn. That's why he begged Moslin to take him. He really shouldn't have expected anything different. It was just... Rinacht had gotten his hopes up. That his father was on his side. He didn't want to do this without him anymore .

Rinacht surprised him. To stand up to dad on his behalf? He'd never seen Rinacht defy him like that. Sure they argued. But Rinacht always gave in if Dad insisted. Dad was the boss. "But doesn't this mean... Won't he fire you now?"

Rinacht laughed again. "I'm sure he'll do more than that if he catches me."

That was alarming. If Rinacht wasn't planning on being caught by his dad, what was he planning on doing after they made it to the Red? Did that mean he wasn't going to help him get home? And honestly he hadn't really thought much about what he was going to do after he found it.

“Listen, we're going to meet up with some people who've agreed to help us. Even if your father had agreed to come, we wouldn't have been able to do it without additional help.” Rinacht said.

"OK?" Emret made an uncomfortable face. Who could Rinacht possibly know out in the forest? Did he have friends out there waiting for him. Watching everything this entire time? And how did he get into the camp in the first place?

"I know this is a lot to take in. You'll just have to trust me." Rinacht said.

Emret was starting to wonder if he'd made the right choice. He trusted Rinacht. But that was because he had worked for Dad for so many years. Rinacht and his father. That was what he knew. But Rinacht and strangers? He'd never known any of Rinacht friends. He'd never even seen him talk to anyone other than the family.

"Who are they?" Emret asked.

"They're old friends. I told them what happened with your father. How sick you were. And how much you needed to find what we're looking for." Rinacht said.

"And they know what we're looking for?" Emret asked. This concerned him. Seemed a lot of people were looking for the Token all of a sudden, and none of them seemed to interested in sharing it.

"They do. But I'll let them explain themselves."

Emret found himself not wanting to continue with Rinacht. But what choice did he have? He had no better alternative.