“I wonder if the high priestess has discovered that someone is seeking the orb,” Cael said out of the blue as they walked through the forest, heading south.

“Yes, I think so,” Julia told him. “We have a bounty on our heads. There was a wanted poster in Brunya City for 1000 gold pieces. It said we were wanted for questioning.” She scoffed.

“I am sure they do want to question you,” Cael said seriously, then smirked. “Right before they kill you.”

She laughed. “That’s what we figured.”

“So, where are we heading exactly?” Falcon asked.

“To the Shia’Lan ruins,” Cael answered. “The Shia’Lan were elves that used to live in the southern part of this forest.”

“The same kind as you?” Julia wanted to know.

“No, I am Saelythian,” he told her. “There have been others, but only two remain: my people and the Daniha’Rae.” Knowing she would ask, he continued, “The Daniha’Rae live on the edge of this forest, on the beach.” He pointed west.

“Why do elf names sound like something a doctor might prescribe?” she asked, laughing.

Cael looked confused until Falcon translated doctor into healing cleric. Neither of them found it amusing.

She shrugged. “Just saying.”

“So where are the Shia’Lan now?” Falcon asked.

“They were murdered about four years ago. Only one survived the attack on their village. He fled and came to my people, but he was very old and died shortly after that. The Shia’Lan elves died out with him.”

“What happened?”

“A woman,” Cael said. “A human who came seeking the same orb piece that you seek now. The Shia’Lan saw that she had evil intentions, so they denied her access to its location. She came back the next morning, just before dawn, while the village still slept, and burned down their homes with them in their beds.”

“Like Hilltop,” Julia whispered sadly.

Cael nodded solemnly. “Some of them fled to the shrine of Ona’Ess; the catacombs below are a vast fortress, and the only way to gain entrance is by elven touch. They thought themselves safe there, but she must have caught one and forced them to touch the door―or perhaps a dead elf worked just as well, I am not sure. She set fire to the place and barricaded the only exit, keeping any from escaping. When the flames had finished their work and died out, she entered and took the orb piece. The catacombs are haunted now by the spirits of those elves.”

Falcon shook his head. “If any place had a right to be haunted, I’d say it’s that one.”

“Yes,” Cael agreed. “Now it is a dangerous place. Three have entered so far, that I know of, but none have returned.”

Julia rubbed at the goosebumps on her arms. “It was her, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Cael answered. “It was Kieran.”

“Why wasn’t she stopped then?”

Cael sighed. “The human government does not care about the lives of elves. Yes, I spoke to them, several times, but they refused to do anything. Outsiders were not their concern, and Kieran was not, at the time, a threat to them. She was more or less unheard of.”

“That’s horrible,” Julia said.

Cael nodded. “Yes, but as you can see, when it is the other way around, the elves do not care either. My people will not help the humans against Kieran, though they know what she is doing. I have pleaded with them, but they will do nothing. Humans are not their concern. And unfortunately, I have not been able to do much, not on my own.”

They walked for some time in silence before a thought occurred to Julia. “If Kieran took that piece of the orb, then it won’t be there.”

“You have found the other pieces, so the last one will be there,” he assured her. “Once the orb contains a soul, it returns to its places of hiding. If it were empty, you would not have found the others.”

“Unless Kieran didn’t find the other pieces.”

“True, but that is highly unlikely.”

She nodded. “Yeah. If she would destroy a whole village for just one piece, there probably isn't anything that could’ve kept her from the others.”

“Precisely,” Cael agreed.

“How do you know about the orb?” Falcon asked.

“The orb was created by the Shia’Lan thousands of years ago―”

“Is there like an AD and BC here?” Julia interrupted. When he looked confused, she explained, “this year is only 1283, but you’re saying the elves have been around longer.”

He nodded. “The date that you know is by the human calendar, which only tracks the time since humans came to this world. Elves were created by Daegon and have been here since the beginning.”

“So, what’s the elven date?”

“They did not always track it, but by the Shia’Lan calendar, I believe this would be the year 4819. The Saelythian and Daniha’Rae, however, still do not track time.”

“How do they know what day it is?” Julia asked. “When their birthdays are? Stuff like that?”

“They do not celebrate days as humans do,” he told her. “What day it is, is today, that is all that matters. Yesterday is remembered in story, tomorrow is still unknown. Today is all there is. That is how they see it.”

“What about you?”

He shrugged. “I do not celebrate any days, though I do use the human calendar since I spend a lot of time in human society. But still, I often have no idea of the exact date.”

She shook her head. “Well… your people are just strange.”

“No. They do things differently than you do,” he corrected, answering her tone more than her words. “It is neither right nor wrong, it just is.”

When she said no more, he continued from where he had left off. “The story of the orb has been passed down, but the knowledge of how to use it was lost. Kieran must have figured it out.”

“Ikoris, an old mage, had the clues to its location,” Falcon told him. “He said he’d found the information at the Arcane Library in Oraunt. He’s there now, trying to find out how to use it.”

“Interesting,” Cael said. “Well, let us hope that he is successful.”

__________

The sun was setting, and Falcon was telling Cael about their journey so far, when the ranger suddenly stopped walking. “There are people ahead,” he told them quietly.

“I don’t hear anything,” Julia said.

“He has better hearing than we do,” Falcon explained.

Cael smiled at her. “What do you think the big ears are for?”

“Looks?” she asked jokingly.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head, then turned serious again. “I will scout ahead. Be prepared.”

Falcon pulled his sword out as Cael ran silently ahead, his bow already in hand. They walked slowly, and as quietly as possible.

Several minutes passed before Cael rejoined them. His eyes glowed slightly in the dark as he came toward them, just as Lotus’ had, but his looked even stranger since they were blue instead of green.

“There are guards at the shrine. They wear Malluk’s colors and bear his mark.”

“What are his colors and mark?” Julia asked.

“Red and black, and his symbol is the head of a hellhound, which they have on the chest of their armor,” Cael answered.

“How many guards are there?” Falcon asked.

“Three.”

Falcon smiled. “Good, a fair fight then. What?” he asked when Julia frowned.

“It’s just that they’re guards,” she said. “They’re only doing their job, they probably have fam―”

“Jules,” he cut in, “there’s no way they don’t know that they’re working for an evil woman who is in turn serving an evil god, which makes them pretty evil themselves.”

“Okay,” she conceded, “good point.”

“Behold! She sees reason for once.”

She shoved him lightly. “Shut up.”

He just chuckled.

“Come on,” Cael said. “If we go this way we can sneak up from behind.”

They nodded and followed him east, while Jade obediently stayed behind, out of harm’s way. When they got to the shrine, the white marble tower was surrounded by an eerie mist. It had been a fairly hot day, and even now, with the sun setting, it was too warm for fog; but the closer they got, the cooler the temperature became.

Cael, seeming to think he was their leader, directed them. They waited as the ranger snuck through the trees until he had a clear shot. When Cael’s arrow hit the first man between the eyes, killing him quickly, Julia threw a fireball and hit the second, also in the face. She threw an ice shard next, and he fell to the ground, dead.

When the third turned to see who had sent the spells, Falcon ran up behind him. He stabbed him through an opening in the side of his armor, and then kicked him off his blade, letting him collapse on the ground and die. It was the easiest fight so far, but then, they were used to fighting monsters, not people.

Once they had checked the area, making sure there were no other guards, they headed back into the woods and set up camp.

Later, when dinner was finished, Cael stood and announced, “I will return in the morning.”

“You aren’t staying?” Julia asked, confused.

His gaze flickered to Falcon, and he smiled slightly. “Not tonight,” he said simply, and left.

“Why?” Julia asked Jade, and then blushed as the cat followed Cael into the forest.

“Nice of them to give us some time alone,” Falcon commented lightly.

She nodded, but didn’t look at him. “Yes.”

“Tired?” he asked, getting up and grabbing their bedroll.

She shook her head and fidgeted with the end of her braid.

He smiled at that. When he had finished laying out the bed, he walked over and reached down to her. “Come here.” She took his hands, and he pulled her into his arms. “Something wrong?”

She shook her head again.

He tilted her face up with a finger under her chin. “We get left alone and your mind goes straight to the gutter,” he teased.

She blushed more. “Why else would they leave if they didn’t think…?”

He kissed her forehead. “Think what?”

“You know what.”

He kissed her temple, then her cheek. “No idea what you’re talking about,” he replied with mock innocence.

“Stop it.”

He chuckled and kissed her jaw, then her throat, smiling when her breathing quickened. “Jules.” It was more of a sigh as he whispered it against her skin. “Do you know how much I’ve wanted you?”

“No,” she whispered back. “I thought you wanted someone else.”

He pulled away slightly to look at her. “I haven’t wanted anyone else since you got here,” he told her honestly.

“You said you knew in the Snow Peaks,” she reminded him.

“That’s when I realized I was in love with you. I think I realized I was attracted to you when I saw you put on this leather outfit the second day you were here.” He glanced down at her fitting clothes. “And then in the mine…” He grinned at her cheeks growing even pinker.

“I knew that sooner, too,” she admitted quietly.

“When?”

She looked down. “The jungle… at the river, when you… took off your shirt, I…”

He smiled. “So that’s why you wouldn’t look at me? I’d think if you found me attractive, you’d want to keep looking.”

“I did, but… I didn’t want to want you.”

“I know. Me either,” he murmured as he lifted her chin again. He ran his tongue across her lower lip, and she shivered as she opened to him, letting him in, and returning his kiss with matching fervor. His hands moved over her ribs, her waist, her back―

She broke free. “No,” she whispered. “We can’t.”

He studied her for a moment, wondering if she had done anything before; with how she acted, he wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t. “Are you…?"

She flushed. “Um… no.”

“What does um… no mean?” he asked with a soft chuckle.

“I mean… I’m not… you know…” She was fidgeting again. “But, well… only once. I was seventeen… but he, well… he wasn’t serious, he just…”

She really took patience sometimes, but still, he found everything about her endearing, even her inability to talk about sex and her blushes―maybe especially her blushes. She was sweet and cute, and he couldn’t help smiling at her. “Is that it? Afraid I won’t marry you?” he asked in a teasing tone.

She frowned. “No, but even if it was… it’s not funny.”

He kissed her gently. “Jules, if you want the whole formal, down-on-one-knee proposal, I’ll give it to you later. But I am going to marry you,” he told her seriously. “I think that’s pretty obvious.”

She smiled widely for a moment, until he returned to kissing her in earnest. But a moment later, she stopped him again. “We still can’t,” she whispered.

He held in a groan this time. “You don’t want to?”

“No, it’s not that… I do. It’s just”―she glanced around―“we’re out in the open.”

“We’re all alone,” he assured her and kissed her throat.

Her blush deepened, and her voice grew even quieter. “But… Cael.”

He leaned back to look at her, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. “What’s he got to do with it?”

Her eyes widened. “His hearing.”

He laughed. “You’re amazingly silly sometimes.” He pulled her closer and kissed her some more.

“But he’ll hear us,” she said weakly.

He ran his nose up over her jaw and cheek. “Then be quiet,” he whispered in her ear. She still hesitated, so he pulled back again, serious now. “It’s okay,” he said gently, ignoring the complaints of his body. At least it hadn’t been five years for him―more like five months―but it still felt like long enough. “We don’t have to do anything.”

She bit her lip as she gazed up at him, obviously struggling with her own thoughts and desires. Finally, she sighed. “Oh, to hell with the elf,” she breathed against his lips.

He grinned. “It’s just you and me, love.”

__________

The next morning, Falcon woke up to the sounds of the forest, mostly birds, and Julia’s even breathing. Her soft, warm body was wrapped around him. Instead of laying her hand on his chest, she had crossed it over to his side, holding him to her. Her leg was entwined with his, ensuring he couldn’t go anywhere―as if he wanted to. Her cheek rested against the inside of his shoulder, with her head tilted back so that he could see her face when he glanced down. She looked happy and content. His arms tightened around her, feeling the same way.

She stirred. “I must be dreaming,” she murmured.

“Why’s that?”

“Because I’m lying on a forest floor, we’re about to enter yet another life-or-death situation, and after that there’s a horrible, evil woman to face.” She moved, lifting herself enough to look down at him. “But here I am, feeling all blissful.” She grinned and blushed.

He smiled. “Some sunshine through the rain,” he offered.

She kissed his lips, then his jaw, then worked her way down his throat. “Mmm… can’t it just stay sunny?”

He sighed. “Not yet.”

She gave a little huff. “Next you’re going to tell me I have to get up.”

He chuckled. “Unfortunately. Clothes, too, I think.” He caressed a hand down her bare back. “Though I’m sure no one would mind if you went naked.”

She groaned. “Ugh, Cael.”

Ridiculously, it made him happy to hear her say his name like that. “Yeah, he’ll be back soon.”

“Go away,” she grumbled.

He followed her gaze and saw Jade several yards away. The cat actually stuck out his tongue at her.

Falcon turned her face toward his and kissed her. “The sooner we get this orb piece, the sooner we can be alone again.”

She smiled. “Mmm, I like that.”

“Me, too.”

When they were both dressed, he grabbed the brush out of their pack and sat down. “Come here.”

She frowned at him. “I think I can brush my own hair.”

He smirked. “Yeah, but it's extra messy this morning, and there’s bits of the forest in it.”

She laughed softly as she went to sit in front of him. “That’s your fault.”

He kissed her shoulder before starting to pull the brush gently through her long hair. “I know, and now I’m fixing it.”

“I do hope you got some sleep,” Cael said in greeting as he entered their camp, then added in mock seriousness, “With all the worry about the coming dangers and all.”

Julia’s face went red as she picked up a small stick and threw it at him. He just chuckled as he sidestepped it.

It was quiet for a few moments, until Julia asked, “Cael?”

He was standing several feet away, as still as the trees around him. “Yes?”

“Why’d you interfere yesterday, with the… pep talk? Is it just a woodlander thing to get into other people’s business?”

“Two reasons,” he began. His tone was, as always, light and calm, and he had a slight amusement in his eyes. He was a bit lofty, but at the same time, he was warm and approachable. He kind of reminded Falcon of a patient grandfather, especially when he was talking to Julia. “First, people sometimes need a small push when it comes to certain things. But, more importantly, I would rather not travel with people who were as wound up as you two were. But now,”―Cael paused, and seemed as if he were soaking in the atmosphere, then smiled―“this is a nice environment to be in.”

“So mostly for selfish reasons?” Julia asked.

“Yes,” he said simply.

She chuckled, but then it turned into a sigh. “I don’t think I made the environment very nice for Lotus.”

“She adored you,” Falcon told her.

She shook her head. “I spent most of our time with her feeling jealous and miserable because I thought you wanted her.”

He hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek. “You know, most of the time we were talking, it was about you.”

She scoffed. “Why?”

He smiled sadly at the memory. “Mostly she was telling me to stop being stupid and tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

Even Cael smirked at her having to ask.

“That I love you,” Falcon told her.

“Oh.” She sighed again. “It’s a shame you couldn’t have met her,” she said to Cael. “You would have loved her; I actually think it was impossible for anyone not to love her. I didn’t want to even like her, but… she was wonderful.”

“She must have been,” Cael said, “to have acquired such affection in so short a time.”

“Well, she was open and straightforward, like you are, but also endlessly happy and light,” she told him. Falcon finished braiding her hair, and she turned to look at him. “Your mom?”

“Yeah,” Falcon answered. “She usually wore her hair in a braid.”

Julia rolled her eyes. “Is there anything you can’t do?” she asked, half-joking.

He kissed her check before getting up. “Magic,” he said simply, then laughed and shook his head when she blushed.