There, in between them and the door stood a figure, a dark figure. It was someone clothed in a black robe, almost shroud like. Even the head being covered in a black hood with several black vails covering the face. So well covered was the figure that they could not see if it was female or male, and not even the slightest hint of a face behind those veils to give them a suggestion of either.

"What, I mean who is it," asked Sir Das msterfied.

"She is a dark novice," replied the princess.

"Dark novice," asked SirGhoul. "What in Albia is a dark novice?"

"A dark novice is an apprentice of sorts to the High Priestess of the Temple of the Royal Blood of the Shee," answered Princess Trissy.

"But I've seen novices to the temple before, they never looked like this," said Sir Das.

"And you never will again I would think," said the princess. "The dark novices are only seen in the temple, and then only rarely. They are not like the other novices, they don't serve the shee, only the temple itself. "

"I don't think I understand," said Sir Das.

"It's better that you don't Sir Das," said a voice from deep within the confines of the black robes. "Cover the Norndelite with this," it said pulling out another black robe like it's own.

"Oh thank-you so much. High Priestess Emy must have sent you," exclaimed Princess Trissy.

"Yes now hurry," said the dark novice hand over the robes to Grace.

Grace pulled the robes over her head. Then carefully she pulled the many veils down from the hood and started to arrange them. Once done she turned around and face the group.

"Well, how do I look," asked Grace.

"You look, you look just like the dark novice," replied SirGhoul, noticing that Grace's voice had a much much weaker effect on him then before.

"This is good," the dark novice said with what sounded like a hiss. "We must go now!" With that the dark novice turned and exited the door.

The three Shee and Grace followed behind. Grace standing right behind the dark novice. Princess Trissy and Sir Das on either side of her, and SirGhoul bringing up the rear guard.

They walked along the lenthy hall. Doors on either side placed about 30 feet apart along the cavern walls of the tunnel. The dark novice stopped and stood looking at one of the doorless areas. The dark novice started touching the stones and suddenly a door appeared where that had been none. The figure turned and beckoned the others to follow and walked through.

''What's this," asked Sir Das, as the door closed behind them and turned to stone once more.

"It is part of the Temple," replied the dark novice.

"But, but I didn't know this passaway existed," exclaimed the princess who up till know thought she knew all the secrets of the Temple.

"The Temple holds many secrets my princess," said the dark novice, turning and going onward down the dark passage way.

They followed the tunnel for what seemed like hours. The floor always sloping downward. A few feet ahead the tunnel turned, and there it became a shaft with steps circleing upwards, and downwards. Looking down it seemed to go on forever, and it was much the same looking up. Except when you looked up far far up, you could see light, just a pinpoint really, but light all the same.

"I don't know about this," said SirGhoul. "Where are you taking us dark one?"

The dark novice turned around and seemed to be looking at him. A hand reached up from beneath the robes and reach for it's hood. Slowly it removed the veils covering her face. Yes, it was a young female shee. She pulled the hood back and then pulled the robe up and over her head.

Before them stood a strange looking young female shee. Her hair was shaven on either side, leaving only a thick mane of it in the center. Her ears contained strange rings that seem to actually pierce the skin. The skin! The skin of this shee was cover almost completely with strange drawings and marks. She was clothed, but barely and in what seemed like some kind of smooth dark animal skin.

"Hello Grace," said the dark novice with a kind smile. "You can take the robes off now. No one here will harm you, you safe within the temple."

"Thank-you," said Grace. "What is your name child, and where are we?" "My name is Alyssa," she said. "And as for where we are, we are in the temple. The temple is huge as you can see, but these steps take you to the many different levels. Up above, if you can see that little light, that's the surface of Albia. If you follow them you will eventually get to the surface, but we won't be going that far up. We'll just go up some until we get to the part of the temple that's for The Shee of Royal Blood.

"Wait a minute," exclaimed Princess Trissy. "What do you mean part, the whole of the temple is ours!"

"No, Princess Trissy, it is not," stated Alyssa. "The temple belongs only to the temple, no one owns it!"

"Yea right," said the princess. She was going to argue with this rebellious shee but realized that it really wouldn't get her anywhere. Besides, she didn't want to get left behind down here.

"Where does it go," asked Sir Das looking down the shaft.

"I've never been all the way down," replied Alyssa. "But if you go down far enough you'll see light again! I thought it lead to the other side of Albia, but High Priestess Emy said it doesn't. I think she really knows what it is down there, but she won't tell me!"

"Listen you two," said SirGhoul suddenly. "I don't really care at this moment what's down there, I just want to get out of here. It's just too creepy."

"Yes, you're right," replied Alyssa. "We must be going, the High Priestess await us, and you have already learned more about the temple the you should have."

With that she started up the steps, Grace following and the other Shee right behind them. Up and up, and up...................

Somewhere norns sing with glee,
for there are no more shee.
And if you listen to the song,
you will hear the grendels gong.
Once there really were norndelites,
but in their place is only sunlight.

Once there was a star,
it was very very far.
and there, there was a man called Toby,
but he was no relation the the whale called Moby.
and where is the great SteerPike,
by one and all he was greatly liked.
and of the early adoption program,
I think I have more then enough RAM
and where is Atticus,
did he get a bus?
and of course of Slink
we all know she's still the link.