Sliding to a sudden stop Lucien stood motionless staring deep into Tyr, as if watching his very being.

Galaonis exhaled for a moment and passed Tyr patting his arm on the shaken man's fragile body. "Is he still there, Lucien?" Galaonis questioned as moments of silence passed, leaving Lear to lean quietly against the balcony banister once more trying to piece together what had just happened. Naturally Lucien kept his distance from the group, he wasn't easily swayed by appearances. His eyes could see what others could not and what he saw now was not Tyr.
"He's still there, pieces of him.." Lucien approached carefully leaving nothing to chance. "He can come back whenever he wants, he's a vessel for the creature and the remaining energy inside him could possibly act as a channel for instant possession when his mental and physical state are in flux. Galaonis inspected Tyr for himself, it was obvious to anyone that Tyr's well being was precariously hanging from a thin rope of sanity, but unlike Lucien Galaonis had no way of knowing what was actually going on.
"So, do we know of someway to combat this?" Lear questioned immediately, he wanted to be sure that he wouldn't have to stand directly near a ticking time bomb during their whole journey.
"The Cilitine Order spoke of ways to combat possessions, if that's what you are inquiring..." Lucien responded blankly still inspecting Tyr.

Bahaa saw everything that went down. In his hands was the small scrap of a journal and he had finished writing down the incident with Grimwald. Before he could even stop more events started occurring before his very eyes. He stopped his scribbling and committed to memory what had transpired.

The man, Holan Solhorse, tilted his hat and spat on the cobblestones. He had all he needed for the first encounter: an image of what the yellow eyes looked like. Holstering his pistol, he rubbed his chest and shook his head. One of the knives lied close to his feet and he picked it up and examined it, a twisted grin forming on his face.

"I'll be seeing you soon, shadow of the sands."
____________________
2 DAY JUMP CUT
____________________

((Thai starts out the messenger group))
-------
Aranida's caravan pulled in toward a vast city, Brumelle, the capital of the north. From the distance it shined in the early hours of the dawn, and most of the city was already bustling with the farmhands leaving for their jobs in the fields outside of the city. The caravan passed through rows of crops and orchards, serfs pausing their back-breaking work to gawk at the spectacle. The outlying lands were relatively calm compared to the city, small pastoral cottages lining the road every ten to twenty kilometers.

Children ran alongside Avia's carriage, jumping up to see if they could catch sight of what was inside. Avia herself watched the country rolling by, hands still wrapped around the longbow resting on her abdomen.

The caravan stopped by one of the small cottages so that the guard could find out how much longer it was until the city. Several guards walked toward a man sitting near the entrance pulling seeds from cotton with his hands. He lifted his head up while wiping his brow. His hair was a light brown, tied in a short ponytail that reached halfway down his neck, and his eyes were a hue of blue that resembled the deep sea

"Are you the circus troop being advertised all over the city?" he asked, half jokingly.

Avia's head perked up when she heard the man's voice. She bit the pain and pulled herself toward the other window to look out to see who it was. Unfortunately, the two guards stood in the way, so she could not catch a proper glimpse of him at all. The guard ordered him to help, but the man spat on his boots and stood up in front of the guard. Both brandished their weapons and repeated their proposal.

"My pregnant wife left me in the middle of the night months ago, against my, her father's and her elders' wishes. I have nothing left in this world but my cotton and my life. You Jenogh thugs can take whatever from me, I've lost everything worth living for anyway, but I will never help you. Now, get off my farm."

Spooked by the entanglement with the Neo-Potaks and a run in with a possible assassin in Phoenicia, the group had made haste in their travels. It had been a good two days, shortening a trip that usually took more before the desert started to assert itself in to the backdrop.

The sun was beating down on the caravan today. More so to others than Qalim perhaps. He was a native here and despite living in the colder city of Chorrol, he liked the weather. What really brightened his mood even more was the fact that he could see his home town Filistine from here. Arrayed like short white boxes stood buildings and around them are temporary tents.

As they entered, more and more gathered to stop and look at the group as they rode to the square. For brief moments, they whispered amongst themselves about rumours of God's own arriving. The square itself contained four main buildings that enclosed it. A coffee house, an administration building, to call it a government office was too much for the simple structure, a small forum and the entrance of the shopping arcade.

Qalim had directed the driver to stop at the government building. There, a portly greying man in blue robes and a white fez much too small for his head greeted them.

"Welcome home Qalim, these are your guests of honour I presume."

Dismounting and embracing his teacher, Qalim spoke.

"Yes Vizier Abdullah. These are my guests, our guests."

The portly man named Abdullah turned to the assembled guests. The mounted men and women, the two passengers in the carriage were all looking at him, as was a small crowd.

"Greetings honoured guests, I am Vizier-i-Azam Abdullah ibn Hassan al-Filisteeni, I would like to welcome you first and foremost to Filistine."

And as soon as the words escaped his mouth, the coffee house across the square exploded. It burst up in smoke and flame, the building collapsing on itself from the violence of it all. The pedestrians stopped to duck, covering themselves to protect from any secondaries. There were none and as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, they started going back to what they were doing. As the local militia and volunteers tended to the wreckage and the corpses of those slain in the bombing, Qalim could see his teacher curl up in disgust.

"Accursed Neo-Potak," Abdullah whispered in his native tongue so that only Qalim could understand.

"I see they are a problem here too," Qalim replied in the same language.

"Bah, let them be, they way they're blowing themselves up they'll be none come the next year," said Abdullah before going back to a common language, "Do not be alarmed my friends there is no danger as long as you are with me. Come now, you must be tired from your journey."

Abdullah invited them inside. He had a few tables prepared with coffee and tea, along with some sweet and savoury snacks prepared. Qalim for his part, did not wish to broach the subject of the bombing just yet. There were forces at work here that he could barely see but was sure his teacher would elaborate on soon enough.

Aranida's caravan had left shortly after the strange man had requested to join the guard, a move that had come as a surprise to both Aranida and Falst. Even more surprising was the fact that Aranida had accepted. It was likely that she was in no mood to put up with any more resistance after his little episode. In any case, the commander made good on her word and gave him some training with both a gun and a sword. Accustomed to unarmed combat, he was not particularly skillful with either weapon, but he got by. After training, the Dragon Guard had a quick meal, then set out for whatever destination they were headed to.

A hop, a skip, and two days later, Falst found himself in a large area of farmland. The trip over had been quiet. He rode next to Aranida, but she hadn't said much, and he had said even less back. Suddenly, though, he was wishing he had asked what their destination was. As the caravan passed by field after field, he noticed that many of the workers paused to stare at the procession of soldiers. Had they never seen such a thing before?

Falst was less than reassured when the caravan stopped to ask for directions. Had he been navigating, he could probably tell how far away their destination was down to the kilometer. But he digressed. He watched as a few of the guards went up to a man to ask for assistance.

"Are you the circus troop being advertised all over the city?" he inquired dryly.

Falst chuckled audibly at this, but was quickly silenced by a jab in the ribs. He continued to observe as a guard ordered the man to assist them, to which he responded by spitting on his boots and standing. The guards drew their weapons threateningly and demanded again that he help, but he refused. Falst wasn't worried, though, as the guards wouldn't do anything to him. Aranida wouldn't let them, he was sure. The man spoke again.

"My pregnant wife left me in the middle of the night months ago, against my, her father's and her elders' wishes. I have nothing left in this world but my cotton and my life. You Jenogh thugs can take whatever from me, I've lost everything worth living for anyway, but I will never help you. Now, get off my farm."

Falst decided then and there that he liked this man.

The next few days passed slowly though uneventful, much to Aranida's delight. Her earlier misgivings about the likelihood of completing the mission had gradually faded away and the air of frustration that had surrounded her on the first day dissipated. They fell into a casual routine as they journeyed. She normally visited Avia during the middle of the day and spent hours in the night talking to the woman, they had grown close, but Avia still managed to retain her air of mystery throughout their journey, always seeming to be holding back on revealing something Aranida couldn't quite put her finger on. She oversaw the training of the Dragon Guard, carefully observing both of her sudden new recruits. Neither seemed to be quit adept, and she remained distant and uninterested with them beyond any interest she showed in any of the new recruits. She herself attempted to train the child, Bahaa a few things about self-defence, including the workings of a slingshot, a knife and a sword, however the boy seemed to be much more interested in writing in that journal of his. Of herself, she continued in perfecting her shot with her pistol, quickly changing ammo between shots so that she never had to slow down. She also, brushed up on her rapier training as well as her hand-to-hand combat.

After what seemed like days through the wilderness they found themselves approaching civilization once again. They passed various fields and small villages and eventually came to stop at one of the cottages to ask how much farther they had until they reached Brumelle. She instructed two of her guards to go speak to the farmer who seemed to be peacefully picking the seeds from cotton. She sat on her horse waiting for them to return with an answer but she could tell by the exchange that the man was being difficult. When her men drew their weapons, she knew it was time to intervene. She walked up to speak to the man personally and reached the group just as he said:

"My pregnant wife left me in the middle of the night months ago, against my, her father's and her elders' wishes. I have nothing left in this world but my cotton and my life. You Jenogh thugs can take whatever from me, I've lost everything worth living for anyway, but I will never help you. Now, get off my farm."

Her head whipped to the direction of the caravan where Avia rested. The chance that of all cottages they could have spoken to that the one they found was inhabited by Avia's husband. She was taken aback by this new revelation, she had been right to be doubtful of them having allowed a pregnant woman to journey all the way to her own city to request help.

"I am Commander Lancaster," spoke Aranida formally "I am the head of the Dragon Guard and we have come to help you, even if these two" she paused to glare at both men who had already sheathed their weapons in her presence "seem to imply otherwise." She wasn't sure what to do. Reveal to this man that his wife was safe, though injured, in her caravan. What about the child that they had lost? Would he blame her for her inability to protect Avia? Once again, she grew doubtful of her success with these people.

"We mean you no harm" she continued "And I am sorry for your loss, but I believe your wife to be alive. We really want to help your people but we cannot unless we get to Brumelle. It is where we have been assigned until given further orders." She wasn't sure whether to state that she was alive AND resting just a few feet away, but she felt it wasn't her right to speak about it. If Avia wanted to see her husband then she would have to be the one to reveal her presence herself. She wondered if Avia was watching them as they spoke.

She looked at him and said: "I'm not quite sure what gave you the implication that I need help. I am the commander of the Dragon Guard and it is I who shall determine whether I need help or not. The purpose of the Dragon Guard is not to take in wayward orphans with no where to go and nobody to call on."

She then appeared to be sizing him up, and then sighed, with the air of a person who had a lot of practice with sighing. "Fine. Go get a uniform. Whatever. You are a new recruit. However" She then paused, most likely for emphasis. "Should you cross my path again today. So help me I will make Bess into a new pair of boots."

Thomas laughed inwardly, despite how serious she was. "Then I will make it my mission not to cross your path." He then nudged Bess forward, joining the caravan.

Two long days later, Thomas found himself at the edge of a large city, Brumelle, if his guess was right. The closer they got to the city, the more workers they passed going to the fields. The caravan passed through rows of crops and orchards, and he saw several workers pause in their work, and just stare at the caravan.

He watched as several guards approached a man to ask how close they were to the city. They only got, "Are you the circus troop being advertised all over the city?"

Thomas laughed, but quickly stifled it when he saw Falst get a jab in the ribs for laughing as well. He kept watching as a guard ordered the man to assist them, and saw him spit on his boots and stand. The guards drew their weapons threateningly and demanded again that he help, but he refused. The man spoke again.

"My pregnant wife left me in the middle of the night months ago, against my, her father's and her elders' wishes. I have nothing left in this world but my cotton and my life. You Jenogh thugs can take whatever from me, I've lost everything worth living for anyway, but I will never help you. Now, get off my farm."

Thomas watched as the Guards grew angrier and angrier. He pulled his pistol out, and walked toward the guards. I don't know if I'll need it, but I'll be damned if I stand by doing nothing.

He then saw Aranida get off her horse, and walk toward the man. He then put his gun back in the holster, comfortable in the knowledge that she had the situation under control.

He came close, and heard her speaking to the man. "-loss, but I believe your wife to be alive. We really want to help your people but we cannot unless we get to Brumelle. It is where we have been assigned until given further orders."

Huh, so that's where we're going. He walked up behind them, waiting to see what happened next.

Tyr glared at Qalim as they entered the cafe. He wanted to approach him about the bombing, and argue whether it was safe or not to go anywhere further inside the town now, but he decided to hold back any questions until later. He sat down at the prepared table and gawked at the wide variety of snacks available. He opted out from receiving a beverage and turned his attention to the small cakes and treats. After a few seconds of deliberation, he passed on the notion of eating at the moment.

Sera, still shaken from the violence she witnessed, could not keep quiet like Tyr. Once they entered the cafe, she immediately burst.

"Oh no, oh no!" She cried, hands on her forehead and she fretted. "You surface people are so violent! How can I protect you from the father's judgment if you perform the opposite of what I hoped you would do! This is by far the worst! How many people died there?! Is the father's creation that trivial to you!"
__________________

The man reached out and grabbed Aranida's collar with hands covered with dust and bits of cotton.

"What is this joke? Yellow eyes don't walk around freely in Jenogh! She could have been killed, or worse, tortured to death!" He shouted in her face.

The carriage door opened and Avia stumbled out, walking with signs of pain visible on her face. She inched toward the man.

"Ildan!" She hoarsely cried out, eyes moist.

Ildan turned his head and saw Avia approaching him in intense pain. He turned back to Aranida with hatred in his eyes.

"You're no better than Jenogh, you thugs! I do my best to protect her from the genocide and you take her away from me and torture her to this state."

He released the woman from his grip and rushed to Avia, wrapping his arm around her and walking her to the cottage, cradling her head next to his chest. She faced her to tell him that he received the wrong message, but did not say it to his face in the end. He nuzzled her head and asked if she was okay.

"Your child is dead." She softly told him. His expression shifted to deep sadness immediately, and he held her tighter than before, turning his head back to Aranida in disgust.

"I understand the state of distress you must be in, and I am sorry for your loss" began Aranida unphased by his words, "However, distress is no excuse for commonsense. Avia is a trusted friend and companion. She is perhaps the bravest people I have ever met, risking the her own life and safety during a time when she should be resting in comfort waiting for the joy of a newborn child. Avia freely and willingly came to the Governor asking for our help, and I and my guard have been petitioned to protect you and your people. Do not let your personal misgivings of us impede your judgement. Your people need help and by being difficult you are only further delaying this help." she turned away from the man "Nevertheless, should you refuse to help us we will move on without another word. There are many more farms throughout these lands. Perhaps they shall be much more hospitable than you have been. We are determined to get to Brumelle and complete what we have been assigned to do."

Though Falst had done his best to stifle his curiosity, he couldn't do it much longer. The stranger Thomas had joined the Dragon Guard suddenly and with no apparent motivation for doing so. His actions were an enigma, to say the least. The circumstances surrounding his decision to join were certainly suspect. Aranida was conveniently willing to let a random stranger join for no apparent reason. The stranger had little or no reason to want to do so himself. Then there was the ever important fact that his recruitment occurred within an hour of Falst's. It just wasn't sitting right with him. He glanced back to see the stranger anxiously fingering his pistol, as if he was afraid he might need to make use of it. He couldn't take it any longer. He wheeled his horse around to face the mysterious man.

"What's your deal?" He inquired suspiciously. The man began to reply, but Falst cut him off. "And I don't want any s***. Why did you really ask to join the guard?"

Thomas couldn't believe what he was seeing. Is he really blaming her for what happened to his wife? He hadn't see personally what happened, but a talkative soldier had filled him in.

Either he is badly misinformed, or he's just stupid. Either way... He was snapped back to reality by Aranida. "I understand the state of distress you must be in, and I am sorry for your loss" She began."However, distress is no excuse for commonsense. Avia is a trusted friend and companion. She is perhaps the bravest people I have ever met, risking the her own life and safety during a time when she should be resting in comfort waiting for the joy of a newborn child."

"Avia freely and willingly came to the Governor asking for our help, and I and my guard have been petitioned to protect you and your people. Do not let your personal misgivings of us impede your judgement. Your people need help and by being difficult you are only further delaying this help."

She turned away from the man "Nevertheless, should you refuse to help us we will move on without another word. There are many more farms throughout these lands. Perhaps they shall be much more hospitable than you have been. We are determined to get to Brumelle and complete what we have been assigned to do."

Thomas turned away, thoroughly disgusted by the man. He began to ride back to the caravan, when the pickpocket stopped him. "What's your deal?" He inquired, a little too suspiciously for Thomas's taste. He began to reply, but Falst cut him off. "And I don't want any s#%$&. Why did you really ask to join the guard?"

Thomas's anger, lit by the man earlier, exploded on Falst. "You want to know why? Let me ask you, did you lose everything you ever cared about, everyone you ever cared about, then tossed out like an outcast, forced to beg for garbage just so you could survive?" He was good and hot now. "And then, after you put all that behind you, you're finally given a chance to do something worthwhile, to make a difference, and a petty thief, one who can't even steal a pouch from a soldier without getting caught, questions your motives?" Falst started to interupt, but this time it was Thomas who cut him off. "I don't care about what you say, but I warn you," Thomas made sure he was crystal clear on this. "If you interrupt me ever again, I will shoot you." Understand?"

He then rode off, not waiting for a response.

Ildan listened to Aranida's explanation and turned his head to Avia who nodded in agreement, clinging to him like a child. Taking a breath, he let go of her and turned back to the woman.

"As much as I dislike her actions, I knew she was strong enough to make it and I am glad she's alive. However, I can't let you enter the city. Jenogh has killed emissaries that came as pro-remnants. In addition, if people knew I gave you information, I would be arrested, and I wouldn't be able to protect Avia from the genocide. Her safety comes before anything else. We can send you to the clan, that's all I will allow. Lastly, thank you for protecting her. My house always open for you, just don't bring your army."

Ildan kissed Avia and placed a hat on his head.

"Now, if you excuse me, I need to work my fields. We can talk again in a few hours, and I'll give you the information I can."

He left the group on the porch and walked around the cottage to the crops behind the house.

Aranida was pleased that she had managed to get through to the man Ildan. It wasn't as bad as she would've expected from what most people said about the people who came from the North. She was also pleased to have seen Ildan and Avia reunited. The love they showed each other clearly conveyed how much they must have missed each other during Avia's absence. Aranida couldn't help but smile slightly.

"I thank you for understanding and I will respect your compromise" she said with a smile, "I will have my army set up camp elsewhere and meet the clan as you have suggested as soon as you are ready." Upon his departure she turned to the guards who had frayed the relations between her two peoples "You two fools will go back and tell the rest of the Guard to set up camp away from the road and at a distance from the farm. However I want a troop of six fast riders to pair up and take shifts as go betweens between myself and the rest of the Guard. Should anything happen they must alert the other part as soon as possible. My horse will remain here with me, and so will Bahaa." The guards saluted then marched off to relay her commands. "You." she pointed at the thief "You will stay with me. Do not do anything stupid"

Relaxing her demeanour she turned toward Avia with a twinkle in her eyes and a sly smile "Well, it seems that you are a lot more rebellious than I had originally perceived you to be" she said with a laugh "How are you feeling, Avia?"

Falst was taken aback by Thomas's hostility. It had come from nowhere and taken him completely by surprise. He had half a mind to remind the man that he didn't want any s***, but if he was anything like Aranida, Falst might end up with an unwelcome bullet or two lodged in his patella. If nothing else, though, the exchange had served to pique both his curiosity and his suspicion. Actually, as he thought about it, he realized that it had also shed some light on the mysterious man. It was obvious that he had once been a scavenger. He had likely had to beg and scrounge daily for scraps suitable to be ingested. He doubted Thomas was trying to keep that a secret, however.

Then something dawned on him. Thomas had referred to him as a thief. He'd even mentioned the incident with the guard. The only way he could have known about that is if Aranida had told him, which was extremely unlikely, or he had witnessed it himself. Falst concluded that Thomas must have seen the episode. The only question was whether witnessing the event had influenced Thomas's decision to join the guard. Falst felt that he was slowly beginning to piece this strange man together. His thoughts were interjected by Aranida, once again barking commands to her troops.

"You two fools will go back and tell the rest of the Guard to set up camp away from the road and at a distance from the farm." Falst couldn't help but smirk at the guards' misfortune. Their actions had truly been foolish. The commander continued. "However, I want a troop of six fast riders to pair up and take shifts as go betweens between myself and the rest of the Guard. Should anything happen they must alert the other part as soon as possible. My horse will remain here with me, and so will Bahaa." The soldiers saluted, then sauntered off like scorned pups with their tails between their legs. Aranida addressed Falst, interrupting his bout of schadenfreude. "You. You will stay with me. Do not do anything stupid"

A number of possible responses jumped into his head, none of which likely qualified as "non-stupid" by the commander's standards. Not wanting to push his luck, he simply nodded and moved next to her.

As Bahaa traveled with the scary miss Lady Aranida, she attempted him to teach him foreign styles of combat. She taught him how a sword, knife and sling was used but unlike Qalim who taught him not just the moves but also the reason and rationale behind them, her regimen were just drills, rote memorisation and lacking in any context. He tried with difficulty to learn but he could not see the reason why he should be. It was during the night, after he had finished his journal entries and when the scary miss Lady Aranida was asleep did he attempt to marry the two schools he had been taught together. From Qalim's theories, he tried to figure out why the scary miss Lady Aranida would want him to act in such a way with a sword or a knife. All his experience was based on his own unarmed scraps with the alleyway kids and his observation of Qalim's daily forms. He didn't have the courage to try ask for real practical experience just yet though he secretly burned with a desire to put his new found knowledge to use.

Once again, as he observed the repartee between adults silently, he was told to stick close to the scary miss Lady Aranida. So he would. For he was very much a quiet child in the presence of the scary miss Lady Aranida. Perhaps if she sat down to have a good talk with him one of these days, he would open up to her and her world.

---

Abdullah brought the quivering tea cup to his lips as he listened once again to the most repeated of complaints. For a brief moment, his mask dropped, revealing the weariness in his eyes as he looked at the messenger. However, she was a guest and he had to be a gracious host and not bother he with his troubles. That said, she was one of the main reasons things were like this in the first place. Qalim had informed him through pigeon but some how, others knew of God's messenger before the pigeon even got here. Still the situation needed explaining.

"It's the Neo-Potaks. Or at least, our local version of them," he said before turning to Lear and his group, "Much like your escorts, they have a different view of our Faraway Father."

"So you have heard of their views master?" Qalim asked.

"Yes we've recorded their views, as we always have child," he turned to the messenger once again, "Worry not about them though Messenger. They are actually quite polite about the bombings, or at least they have started to be in recent days. They would notify me of the date and time they wish to go to God and them, along with their ilk, blow themselves up. I must say their work in explosives is quite refined. Localising a blast like that so that collateral is minimised is the mark of a true master."

"So what is it that we shall do master? I have brought her here for both her and your benefit."

"Tonight, we shall feast, and the Messenger shall be our guest of honour. Tomorrow we shall see about later. If anyone else wishes to speak, do so now."

Abdullah had of course already planned out the next move but saw no need to reveal it just yet.