" Why are we stopping again? There's nothing exciting here."

Edvi glared at Gwenalene. Every now and then, she made him forget that she was supposed to be an elf.

" In case you haven't noticed, one of us has a disability."

" IT'S NOT A DISABILITY! IT'S A SCRATCH!!" Jordyn retorted.

" Oh yeah," Edvi drawled," And that's not blood, it's fruit juice!"

Jordyn murmured softly, tying the bandage tighter. Almost immediately, the cloth began to redden. Getting back up again, she walked primly behind everyone as they stretched and continued.

" Grrega's temple is approaching." vEdvi ran a slim hand through his bangs and they walked on while the hot sun beat down on them. Elar glared at him again, but instead of trying to look innocent, Edvi just sighed.

" Everyone's going to find out, why don't we just tell them now?"

" You know that fear excites the sorceress..."

" Elar..." Edvi gave him an exasperated look, " If they go in there... unprepared...they will meet Grrega...and they will fear her..."

" I'm not afraid." Jordyn protested.

"...And she will get excited," He said ignoring her, " And she will eat them. Is that what you want us to walk into?"

" Everyone here has a very even temper, I'm sure there will be no problems."

" You always say it won't rain, and then it does."

" What?"

" Nothing."

Edvi turned, then walked over besides Jordyn.

" He never listens to me. Not once."

" He needs to make his own mistakes. Learn on his own."

Edvi looked down with narrowed eyes.

" The mistakes he makes, could cost him his life," He whispered," He won't learn anything from that."

He continued to walk silently, his hand close to his sword. Jordyn watched him thoughtfully, contemplating this new information. He cared about the Prince deeply, even though he was a human. It must have something to do with the past. As she walked on, the temple grew closer and closer, until they were standing at the doorway to what looked like the gigantic corner of a box sticking out of the ground. The sand blew around their feet, whistling softly and desolately, until finally Gwenalene walked up to the doorway, and knocked as loud as she could.

" GWENALENE!" Edvi glared.

" Well, there's no way that anyone's gonna know we're H-HHHHHEEERRRREEEEE...."

Suddenly, A trap door beneath her feet opened, sending her sliding down into the depths of the sands.

CLASP!

Gwenalene opened her eyes. Jordyn?

" Come on. Your supposed to be an elf. What happened to that keen sense of hearing?"

Jordyn smiled, but winced. The bandage was redder than the sand. Wait...when was the sand red?

Suddenly she noticed the shadow. A pair of hands came down on one side of her and grabbed Gwenalene by the wrist.

" Not bad. For a human."

Jordyn smirked.

" I didn't see you come running to her aid."

Edvi shrugged as he yanked Gwenalene up.

" She needed a little excitement. She got it."

Jordyn shook her head. Suddenly, she remembered the red sand. She looked down, and yelled. A skull lay half buried, and around it...fresh blood. Jordyn peered at it for a moment, then at her bandage. There was no way that she could have made such a puddle, even with her injury.

" Uh...what exactly is Grrega?"

Elar didn't answer, because the door panel slowly began to open. He took a confident step inside, followed by Gwenalene, then by Jordyn, last by Edvi. As they stepped inside, Edvi whispered hoarsely to Jordyn.

" No matter what, don't show any fear."

" I'm not a coward!" Jordyn spat.

" I know." He murmured," But, even the bravest man would cower in Grrega's presence."

" You forget one thing..."

" What's that?"

" I'm not a man."

******

" You wish to speak with the Pharaoh Grrega?" A maid in a long white flowing gown spoke with Elar. She, and all the other maids present, were olive tan, and had black hair cut short, decorated with simple bands of gold, and large golden hoop earrings. Their feet were bare except for the tips of their toes, which were capped with tiny cat feet shaped slippers of white.

" Yes."

" I will inform the Mistress."

They waited a moment, Edvi pacing restlessly, his dark brown hair swinging back and forth as he paced, and then the maid returned. A little trickle of blood ran down the side of her face, but she showed no signs of discomfort.

" The Mistress will see you now."

Elar nodded a thanks, and the group followed her down a dark corridor. Jordyn could have sworn she'd seen someone carrying a sheet covered litter away. It was human shaped.

They entered a huge room, made entirely of gold streaked marble. At the far end from where they stood, a giant throne had been wrought of gold and silver. And on it...a gigantic lioness.

" AUGGGHHHHHHH!!!" Gwenalene screamed.

Immediately the lioness sprang from her throne, straight for Gwen. Elar pulled Gwen aside, as Edvi drew his sword, and stood before the rampaging Sorceress. She charged towards him, but he only stood calmly as she neared. Suddenly, she jumped, and landed neatly in front of him, her neck just barely pressed against the point of the blade. Jordyn watch without a breath, as the lioness tensed. The hair swung away from its face, a human face!

" You are brave..." It whispered, and Jordyn flinched as the smell of blood filled her nose.

" You will step aside," Edvi said coldly," Desist from your blood-run, or I will make you stop."

" You do not frighten me!" The lioness roared," I could tear you to pieces in one bat of my paw."

" Move aside." Edvi murmured," Or I WILL part the way myself...whether you are in front of me, or not."

There was an uncomfortable silence as the lioness and the elf stared off, each trying, it looked like, to make the each other's head swell up and pop. Finally, the lioness sat back on her haunches, a deep laugh echoing around the room.

" You Elves truly are a race of warriors!" The lioness crowed.

Edvi relaxed a bit, re-sheathing his sword. He motioned for Elar to make his requests, but the lioness turned away instead. Gwenalene stood shakily as the great paws approached. " But, you are also an elf. And You feared me. Does that not shame you?"

" It wasn't her fault! How can you condemn someone for fearing you? You are fearsome!"

The lioness turned sharply, looking straight at Jordyn.

" And who, exactly are you?"

" My name is Jordyn, and I'm..."

" Ah," The lionesse's eyes narrowed, and a grin beset her face," You are the carrier of the Calamarais. You bear a heavy burden."

Jordyn blinked. Calamarais?

" You have been chosen, because you harbor a dark past."

" Great sorceress," Elar piped up," That is why we have come to you. As far as we know, this girl's past is no more darker than mine."

The Sorceress, who Jordyn realized was Grrega, frowned.

" What do you know of her past? You were only a child."

She raised her paw, and suddenly the room darkened. Slowly pictures began to drift about the room.

" One and one half decades ago, (That's fifteen years, for those of you who don't feel like converting ^ ^)

A King and his Queen were blessed with two children, a son and a daughter, neither older or younger than the other - to put it simply, twins. They loved these children dearly and were overjoyed at their birth. To celebrate, they invited three of the Great Sisters to dine with them in celebration."

" Who?" Jordyn looked confused.

" The Sphinxes. Of which Grrega is, or was one of them." Edvi murmured.

" Yes," Grrega continued," but in their haste, they forgot to invite the fourth sister."

" That's impossible," Prince Elar shouted," There are only three Sphinxes."

" Yes," The Sorceress murmured," There were only three sphinxes. But, there are four sisters. She was not a Sphinx. She was human."

" I see."

" The last sister was horrified and angry that they would overlook her. So she came to the ball, as all of the others did, and snatched up one of the children, the son. When two of the Sphinxes tried to stop her escape, she killed them. I am all that remains of that line."

" I'm sorry," Jordyn murmured," But, what became of the child?"

" The fourth sister told the royal family that she would take the son and raise it as her own, making him come back to one day pay for what the parents had done."

Prince Elar looked puzzled.

" Which King and which queen was this?"

" Why, your own parents, foolish Prince." Grrega smiled, showing many sharp teeth.

" How could that be?" Elar murmured," I'm standing right here, and I remember being raised by my parents..."

" I wasn't finished." The Sorceress narrowed her eyes, then continued when all had quieted," You see, the day of the feast, both the children were dressed by the exact same maid. But, unfortunately, when she'd gone to put on their blankets, she couldn't remember which child was which, for they both wore the same sleeping gowns. Feeling to tired to undress and redress them all over again, she wrapped the blankets around them, one blue, and one pink. But, she got them mixed up."

" Oh, I see. So, when the evil woman grabbed the baby, she must have grabbed the blue one-"

" -Thinking it was the boy child." The Sorceress finished, " I imagine that she got quite a surprise when she returned to her home. Queen Ella and King Char were heartbroken, and searched far and wide. But, the woman had disappeared. Nobody ever saw the baby girl again...until now."

Edvi raised an eyebrow.

" What does this have to do with the Calamarais?"

" Nothing. What I'm telling you, is her story," She said, looking at Jordyn.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Prince Elar paled, which seemed to happen quite a bit.

" But, but," He stammered," How can that be? That was the story of MY parents. If she's the other child, that would make her..."

" Your sister, and your twin." The Sorceress grinned.

******

Gwenalene watched the myriad of reactions. The Prince looked ready to pass out. Jordyn had bit her lip in the surprise, and a little blood welled up. Edvi still had one eyebrow raised, and seemed to be looking at the two of them. Gwen looked from one to the other as well. They were, actually, very similar, except that Jordyn's hair was blond...or blondish. Actually, more of a dark wheat color, with streaks of pale yellow.

" Twins?" Gwen murmured stupidly.

******

Were it not for his training, Edvi's mouth would probably be hanging half-way down to the floor now. TWINS? Brother and sister? Well, that was a bit disturbing. That would partially explain why they got along so well.

" Well, it seems you two have a bit of catching up to do."

Both of them looked at him.

" You can't seriously believe all this, can you Edvi?" Elar looked desperate in need of an explanation.

" Well, it is a lot of news to take in, but it makes a lot of sense."

" Jordyn, I would like to speak with you," The Sorceress commanded, and Jordyn nodded.

******

" What is it?" Jordyn asked curiously.

" I sensed you had another question that needed answering. Ask me."

" Well, it's about why I'm so afraid of men. I mean, I thought it was just me, and a rather...uncomfortable experience I'd had before...but it didn't go away. And I've known Edvi and Elar long enough to know I shouldn't be feeling this way."

" Ah," Grrega laughed, rather cruelly in fact," That, I believe, is the fault of Calamarais."

" Who is Calamarais?"

" ...I suppose it's a better time than any. You've already heard the legend of Calamarais."

" It will only choose a girl with a dark past, yes, I picked that up from your first speech."

" Well, the Calamarais searches far and wide for a host, wasting a lot of energy. When he finds one, he will sleep to regain part of his strength. After the Calamarais has awoken, he will feed off your sorrow and your pain until you are nothing but a shell of the person you were, and he's back to his full power."

" I don't understand what that has to do with men."

" Don't you? If you were to fall in love, you wouldn't feel sorrow any more, certainly never pain."

" And that would kill the Calamarais." Jordyn murmured. " So...in order to escape this fate...I have to fall in love?"

" It's a little more complex than that. But, yes. You must find your destined love, and proclaim your undying affections for one another."

Jordyn thought about this for a moment.

" But, you have very little time. The longer Calamarais stays attached to you, the more negative feelings you'll harbor. And since you seem to have had a prior bad experience, it will be even more difficult."

" I understand."

" Here. I can help you some small bit."

The Sorceress raised a fang to Jordyn, who flinched, but suddenly the Sorceress stopped, and looked at her arm. Then, a smirk covered her face.

" Well, I'll be...that sneaky devil got to it first..."

" Pardon?"

" Did you get bitten by a man that looked like a wolf?"

" Actually, I did. Why?"

" Because that's my father."

Jordyn suddenly went pale.

" But, we killed him!" Jordyn cried before she could stop herself.

The Sorceress blinked. For a moment, Jordyn thought she would kill her. Suddenly, the Sphinx woman burst out laughing.

" Ha! The old coot had it coming! I told him he had to learn to be a little more subtle."

" How can you laugh?! Your father's dead?!"

" Was he killed with a staff of silver driven into his spine?" The Sorceress murmured.

" No."

Edvi came up from behind, drawing his sword and laying it flat before Grrega. Grrega looked at it, sniffed it, then grinned.

" Then, he should be back on his feet before long. Scary, huh?"

" You're telling me..." Jordyn muttered, feeling the bleeding wound. " What did he do?"

" Well, unfortunately, his teeth were the only magic bones he had in his body. He put a spell on Calamarais. Not a big one, just enough to keep Calamarais asleep for another few weeks."

" Oh!"

" You have approximately a week and a half left. Better make good use of it. You need to get to the Silver Mountain on the ridge."

" Silver Mountain! That's all the way on the other side of the country! We couldn't get there in a month, much less a week and a half!" Edvi protested.

" Don't worry. My servant, Merlis, will show you a different route."

" A coin for your thoughts, Elar?"

" Edvitalon, you really must learn to stop sneaking up on people like that!"

" I didn't sneak up on you. Didn't you hear me arguing with your sister?"

" She's not my sister..."

" Oh, but she is."

Both Elar and Edvi turned around. Merlis, the girl from before, smiled as she turned around.

" The Mistress is never wrong."

Edvi only turned back to his friend.

" Really, Elar, you need to stop breaking your heart over her. She's your sister for goodness sake. Talk to her."

" Oh, so now you've become the expert, Edvitalon."

" Edvitalon. That's a lovely name."

Both whirled around as Jordyn smiled nervously.

" You didn't tell me Edvi was short for something."

" It is. But, I forbid you to use it." Edvi murmured.

" Why?" Jordyn looked hurt.

" Don't mind him," Elar murmured, glad to have something to change the subject," He hates anyone calling him Edvitalon."

" So, why do you?"

" Just to annoy him."

" If you want to stay on my good side," Edvi murmured," You will promise never to call me that."

" Oh, I won't." Jordyn replied, but grinned impishly," No, I think Alon suits you much better."

Edvi's ears drooped, and he frowned, but instead of protesting, just sighed in defeat.

" Fine. Fine. If it will keep you from calling me Edvitalon..."

Merlis only listened to this in amusement taking them around twist and turn. They'd been in these cramped corridors for nearly an hour, and the wear and tear of it was already becoming quite evident. Elar had discovered a new way to torment the poor elf.

" You've no escaping Edvi. See if I say, Edvi, and she says..."

" Alon."

" Edvi" " Alon."

" It still sounds the same!" Elar announced.

" STOP! I change my mind. I don't want anyone saying my name for the next three days."

" But, we haven't been saying your name," Jordyn laughed," We've been using your nicknames."

This went on for another hour or so, when, much to Edvi's relief, Merlis announced that they'd arrived.

" Where is it?"

" This..."

Merlis pointed to a large crack running up and down the wall. Pushing at it, it opened much the same way a door would, and they found themselves blinded by light, enveloping the dimly lit corridor.

" This is Silver Mountain Trail."

" WHAT?!" Edvi actually had his mouth hanging open.

Merlis grinned. " This is how long it would take to get there, if there weren't any mountains and forests in your path. Had you taken the over-surface route, it would have taken you many months to get to this trail."

As they stepped outside, Merlis took a deep breath. Jordyn watched her admire the scenery.

" You don't get out much, do you?"

" No. In fact the last time I've been out, I think, was nearly 400 years ago."

" You can live that long?!"

" Of course," Merlis grinned," Serving the Pharoah insures longevity. Besides, your elf friend is clearly much older than I."

Jordyn looked at Edvi.

" I'll take that as a compliment. Unfortunately, my blood is tainted, partially because half my blood is human."

" Being a half-blood is nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes the results are quite fetching."

Suddenly, as if Merlis had spoken a key word, the crack behind the pyramid began to close. Merlis rushed back, only to discover that the opening had disappeared. For a moment, she seemed unsure of what to do next.

" Perhaps, your Pharaoh wishes for your to accompany us."

" Yes," She said softly," It would seem so."

~

Edvi watched the Kitali maid walking behind him. He wasn't interested in her, goodness no - it was already bad enough with humans, should he start liking cat-humans, that would be the final straw. Elven half-breeds were not the most respected people in the world. He should know. But, a mixed breed of three would be absolutely horrific!

Jordyn seemed to have gotten a lot more used to the idea of having men around her, now that she knew it wasn't just past experiences. The fear took less hold of her, and she found herself talking very fondly with her brother, once they'd gotten over the fact that they were related. She learned of her mother, Ella, and her father, Char, and how they ruled over Kyrria with a loving hand. Elar never seemed to cease reminding her of how happy they'd be to learn that the daughter they'd lost so long ago was alive and well.

The trail was short, rather disappointingly short in fact, and the company was surprised to find that, the reputed Silver Mountain, was nothing more than a moss covered hill with a rickety sign. Edvi was the first to explode.

" We came all this way for this?! I can not believe this, I don't know what evil trick this is, but THIS can't be Silver Mountain."

They searched all around the hill, for it was very small, and found, much to their disgust, that it was indeed the fabled mountain. Elar sat at the top, kicking rocks down the side as Jordyn pushed at the sign. One of the cords had broken, so the arrow was pointing down...Unfortunately the words "Silver Mountain" were also pointing downwards. Slowly, she pulled the cord upwards, tying it back up into it's loop. The arrow was showing a different direction now. But, now the letters were crooked. What could it mean?

They had little time to answer, before Edvi, and Gwen, jumped to their feet. Gwen had a strange distant look in her eyes, while Edvi had narrowed his to mere slits...his gaze swinging around as he pulled an arrow from his quiver. Suddenly, with speed even a hart would envy, the arrow left the bow, straight and true, hitting something with a loud THUNK. There was a grumble of pain, followed by a shifting of what seemed like very heavy masses.

" What is it?" Jordyn murmured.

" ...Ogres..." Gwen whimpered. " There's ogres in these woods."

Jordyn swallowed and turned back to the sign. The letters were faded with age, once black with white centers...but the arrow was fresh...fresh blood... v~

" Stay close," Edvi turned, to find Jordyn fixed on the sign.

Elar suddenly began to hand out little opaque white wax balls to everyone.

" Put this in your ears. Quickly!"

Jordyn fumbled with hers, watching the trees as she took little pieces off to plug her ears with. Right before she could get it in, she heard a soft hissing laughter from the trees, and froze.

" Well, well, well, Fzrh. Look's like we have guests for dinner? Won't you join us for a bite, little ones? We won't hurt you."

Jordyn felt that fuzzy feeling again, of warmth, and kindness, and love. A hard stab at her shoulder woke her, as Edvi hissed for her to run.

" Run, you fool! Head towards Silver Mountain, we'll meet there!"

She shook her head clear, and nodded racing towards the edge of the wood. Where were the others? The trees surrounded her, and in her fear, she stopped. Her mind wandered back to the sign, and to the direction it was pointing. Ogres were smart, but not that smart. She doubled back towards the clearing, pulling her short dagger free of its sheath. The Silver Mountain had to have been opposite the direction the arrow was pointing. Had to. She was sure of it. Reaching the clearing once more, she was surprised to discover it empty, vacant. Walking out, her hands clasped about her dagger, she made her way towards the other side...ready to run should the ogres reappear again. Instead she heard a low rattling gasp from the grass.

" Jordyn!"

She hesitated. Peeking towards the tall reeds, she had to hold back a look of horror. Edvi! She started towards him, but stopped as something at the back of her mind started to protest.

" Jordyn! Help me!"

His hand was just within reach. If she was quiet, she could move him free, and take him back to the others. But, still that tiny voice in her mind buzzed.

" Jordyn! They'll be back any minute. Help me! Please!"