Garthag glared at the crystal feverously as, if some madness had over taken him as he had begun to understand that there was more at stake here right now. A door had been opened, in his mind and as a possibility for him to enter.

Time travel... could it be possible? Could he go back in time and change it all? To kill Kalma before he killed his bretheren?

Garthag pondered and layed his hand on the crystal with a determined face, betraying the dragon had not crossed his mind until now yet Kalma had certainly thought of only using Garthag until some point.

"Why not? The power is mine and I wield it as I wish..."

---------

Meanwhile Kalma sensed the change in the mind of the mage and the secret he had discovered just before their connection was broken suddenly. They were now apart, foes apparently, but should Garthag go back in time then Kalma would not exist for long, if he interfered with the battle between the dragon and the mages. Kalma growled in anger and made a bold choice, he shapeshifted himself into a human form, a white haired man with white robes.

With a determined face cast himself into the shadows and infiltrated the renegade keep, he would have to seek out the one with the other crystal and hopefully snatch it in order to meet Garthag in the past to stop him. This was no longer a battle for power, no, it was a battle for their loved one`s. The mage and his bretheren or the white dragon and his descendants, both sides determined that the past would be twisted into their plans.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

But Vryngard was not so readily penetrable as this. As the white-haired mage's steps echoed in one of the outer passages, the guards who flanked either side of the entrance he made for stiffened. "Haven't seen you before," said one sharply, scanning the man suspiciously. "You'll need proof of your loyalty before we can allow you passage."

_________________

A number of scenario`s ran trough Kalma`s head, he could fight them, disappear into thin air, flee like a dog or he could simply give up. And why not give up? They could lead him straight to where he wanted to go and to negotiate a possible pact with the renegades in order to stop Garthag. He hissed at them, but remained calm as, if appearing that he was annoyed by being noticed.

"I have none renegade fool because I am not one of you, but I have an aqquintance that I would wish to see within the keep and should that not be enough then I can give vital information about the where abouts of the cloud crystal or at least whom has it to be exact"

He said to the guards awaiting them to call a superior to meet him.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Evlyn heard someone speak above her and punched something soft with her fist, opening her eyes she relised it had been an man's stomach...and not just any man. A Renagade. She lept up then froze in fear as she saw she was completely trapped, surrounded by her enimies. She done this to Renagades time and time before, but she'd never been cought herself. Her traing had presumed that she would kill herself before this happened. Trying to keep some sembalance of control she snarled. "Where is Jemx...where is my dragon." Still stand ing in a fighting stance.

_________________

Made by Lembas

Knorr sat abruptly down on the cobblestones with a thud, gasping for breath. The Meiltha's sudden return to consciousness and her ensuing strike, quick as a snake, left him in the dust. Figuratively and literally.

Myrdas, however, was not so quickly gotten rid of. "Regrettably we had not the resources to transport him," he told Evlyn coldly, and nodded to Knorr, who was now on his feet.

Eyes narrowed in dislike - being so abruptly and soundly disposed of in front of one's captain was not high on his list of favorite things - Knorr expertly bound Evlyn's wrists behind her and mentally chided himself for not doing so earlier.

A stocky, broad-shouldered man who was being trailed by several messenger boys clamouring for his attention strode into the courtyard and took Evlyn in with a glance. "Excellent work, Captain, " he remarked to Myrdas, still surveying her. "High Meiltha, I believe. How convenient. Follow me."

And as quickly as he had come he turned on his heel, messenger boys still in his formidable wake. Flanking Evlyn on either side Myrdas and Knorr, exchanging glances, followed.

--------

The soldiers cast each other looks that said plainly that this was above their heads. Cloud crystal? "Wait here," said the one, and vanished. The other regarded Kalma suspiciously. "Who's this acquaintance of yours?"

_________________

"Is your master inside?" Demon rumbled at the two human soldiers guarding Garthag's door.

Though suitably intimidated by Demon's formidable fangs, the two guards seemed even more so by the mere mention of their master. They crossed their lances obstinately before the door and glared back.

In retaliation, he reared back on his haunches and whipped his head forward. "Is your master inside?" he roared in a voice to shake the ice and stone beneath them all.

Wordlessly one of the humans nodded.

Demon withdrew and nodded towards the door. "Tell him I would like to speak with him."

-----------

"Garthag and the others still have the Cloud Crystal," mused Kendath, after Merrin had finished her tale. The two of them were passing through Vryngard's bustling central forum. Exotic incense and the merchants' discordant altercations drifted over to them, no matter how much they kept to the side streets of the titanic cavern.

"It will only be a matter of time before Garthag learns of its powers," he continued, as much to himself as for Merrin's benefit. "The Crystal does not possess direct destructive properties, but time travel in the wrong hands can be disastrous. Garthag is a dragonrider, but can we trust him to aid in thwarting the dragons' extinction?" He glanced at her, for he'd learned to respect her judgement. "If you were a powerful mage in possession of time travel, what would you do first?"

_________________

"If I were a powerful mage..." began Merrin, and trailed off. How much easier this task would be if she were. "I cannot imagine anything more important than saving the dragons. But from what I have seen of Garthag, he yearns after power more than anything else. And if the destruction of the dragons would somehow give him such, I think...he might not actively aid in their demise, but he would not go far to save them."

She cast a glance sideways and up at him. Still Merrin could not fathom what had changed within her to suddenly make his every glance her way a reason for her heartbeat to quicken, and what she had done to cause his strange withdrawal the night before, but her sudden rush of unreasoning nerves by the hatcheries had ebbed. "You, I think, would have a more accurate insight as to what he might plan."

_________________

Kendath nearly snorted at that. He'd never understood mages and their perpetual ambition struggles. Nonetheless, they filled the occult of the Meiltha ranks like vipers among garden snakes.

Their conversation stalled as a patrol - existent for little else than to mitigate rising tempers in the marketplace - rounded the bend and approached.

"Ambition is never content to rest," he reasoned slowly. "If I were Garthag, I would want more. Not only the Cloud Crystal, but the Star Crystal as well to defy the gods themselves and secure my endeavor into the river of time." He studied her reaction. "Subtle infiltration? Espionage?"

The patrol of half a dozen passed by, and fragments of their palaver could be gleaned. "...an excellent catch by Captain Myrdas..."

"...High Meiltha. Spy, I reckon. Knew all about the Crystal and the gods-blessed one... Merrin..."

"...another one? A Kendrick or other..."

Kendath pivoted to stare at their retreating backs. He eyed Merrin with a sardonic air. "When was the last time we announced our names to the world?"

_________________

"Merrin I believe was her name.... moved around with... Kendath..."

Kalma answered calmly to the guard as he awaited for a proper answer.

------------

The knock on the door tore apart the memories and forced Garthag to return back to the present, why was he being disturbed when he specificly told them not to? Had Kalma return on such a short notice? No, not even Kalma with all his magic could travel such length without exhausting himself greatly in the process.

Garthag swung the door open with narrowed eyes and stared at the demon, ready and the crystal at hand.

Demon, an unaccounted factor

"What is it?"

He hissed between his teeth

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

But Merrin was staring after the patrol, frowning slightly. Normally 'gods-blessed' would have made her grimace - as if she was so different from any of them - and 'Kendrick' would have provoked a grin. But now she seemed preoccupied.

"Oh, all Vryngard must know my name at least by now," Merrin replied absently, but her thoughts were elsewhere. "Myrdas has been scouting in the north," she mused, thinking aloud. "High Meiltha.... And whoever it was knew something about the Crystal. Or both Crystals? They couldn't know about us unless..."

And sudden realization seemed to hit as she turned to look at him, eyes wide. "You don't think - ? Not Evlyn?"

----------

Kale seemed to be adroitly juggling about four or five different tasks at once, an ability which made him an excellent subcommander. It did, however, mean that before he had quite had time to fire more than a few peremptory questions at Evlyn as they walked, he was called off to something else or other by a soldier wearing the uniform of the Outer Guard.

So Knorr and Myrdas were left to descend to Vryngard's prison keep with their captive, which they did. It was a great arching cavern, with bars expertly set into solid stone, wherein various other prisoners of war languished; and its warden was a burly man who eyed Evlyn shrewdly with beetle-black eyes. "Meiltha?" he inquired of Myrdas, who responded in the affirmative.

-----------

The soldier's eyebrows arched at this. Of course he knew of Merrin - who hadn't heard the whispers of one gods-blessed among them again? And though he could not quite recall the name of her dark-clad companion, Kendath sounded close enough. He was turning to shout for his partner when Kale hurried down the deserted hallway, the other guard in tow.

"Says he wants to see Merrin Dragonrider, and knows about some Cloud Crystal or other," was the soldier's brief but accurate summary to his subcommander, while Kale eyed Kalma up and down.

The subcommander's own eyebrows shot up until they almost disappeared into his receding hairline. "Come with me," he ordered sharply, turning on his heel with a gesture for Kalma to follow.

_________________

"How wise of you not thrawth my wrath"

Kalma made a small bow more out of mockery than respect before he procceeded to shadow the footsteps of the subcommander. His eyes narrowed and wandered around expecting to see the face of Merrin or Kendath, perhaps even the crystal itself.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Evlyn struggled as she was led off but quickly gave up, her earlyier attack had been simple relexs, now her streanth had ebbed away so that she followed them without protest down into the caverns. She laughed when she saw the bars, even she had provided her prisoners with better than this. "You think you can stop us...huh. You never will, by stopping me you have condemed you're own fate and the fate of the world...you are fools." She laughed.

(ach what shall i do with Jemx, Semri and Rano?)

_________________

Made by Lembas

((Have them stay with Garthag?))

Knorr gave her a look of vehement dislike. "Are you so vital, then?" he inquired coolly. "Forgive me if I'm skeptical, but I hardly think we have condemned ourselves."

Myrdas raised an eyebrow soundlessly at Knorr and unbound Evlyn's wrists before ushering her into a securely barred cell. It was not so very different from the stone cavern Merrin had inhabited briefly in the Meiltha outpost, but the Renegades were decidedly more civil to their captives.

-----------

Kale seemed distinctly unimpressed by this haughty visitor. "Your wrath, I assure you, would not have altered my decision in the least."

He waylaid a passing messenger boy. "Here, you, go find Merrin Dragonrider, and tell her to meet Subcommander Kale in the upper corridor near the north entrance."

The Kale turned to face Kalma squarely in the empty passage. "What business do you have with Merrin?"

_________________

Resolved to drive his point home, Demon arched his wings and bared his fangs, rearing up to his full height to properly intimidate this pretentious mage. He knew all too well that he'd walked quite neatly into the trap - Garthag held the upper hand, not he. If only Semri hadn't...!

"I've come to speak with you on the artifact you now have in your possession." He managed to retain some measure of courtesy in his tone, as to not let Garthag strike him down on the spot. He nodded at the Crystal in the human's hand. "Do you have any idea what is it you're holding?"

------------

Kendath met her gaze and cursed under bated breath. He wondered what in the abyss Evlyn was doing here, this far south, without either Garthag or Semri Had she betrayed them, or perhaps the other way around? Or had she been caught committing the same subtle infiltration he'd mentioned just a minute ago?

He set a rapid pace towards the cavern exits. "Where are the dungeons?" he demanded at Merrin.

_________________

Merrin silently moved ahead of him, down the main thoroughfare until it forked and a barred iron gate set in the stone halted their progress. About to call for a guard, she stopped short when Knorr came around a bend in the steeply sloping passage, his expression thunderous until he caught sight of her.

"Merrin - what have you been doing?" he queried sharply, quickening his pace and shifting impatiently while a guard unlocked the gate. "There's a Meiltha down there who knows you, and some Kendath - " he broke off with a wary look at Merrin's companion.

"What's her name?" interjected Merrin keenly. "Yes, yes, this is Kendath. Is it Evlyn?"

"Aye, yes, but - "

"I'll explain later." And she pushed past him, speedily descending until from above there was a breathless - "Summons from Subcommander Kale for Merrin Dragonrider, to meet 'im in the upper corridor near the north entrance."

_________________

Kendath muttered something incoherent when the summons came from above. Merrin was waxing into quite the Renegade figurehead. And he wasn't too fond of how everyone seemed to have his name written on the backs of their palms either.

"Wait, wait. Where are you going?" Knorr demanded, when Kendath began sweeping past him alone.

He paused and flicked a glare towards the Renegade warrior that stated in no uncertain terms how he didn't appreciate inane questions. "The dungeons."

"To see the Meiltha?" came the glib and all too predictable retort.

He shrugged. "Am I your prisoner? Send guards to accompany me if you're so wary that I may summon my army and bring Vryngard crashing about your ears."

And thus it was that Kendath descended into the dungeons with no less than five Renegade soldiers flanking him. It was all in the semantics, really. He liked to think of them as an escort of honor. As they surreptitiously moved off into strategic positions throughout the dungeons, he warily walked forward to confront the proud figure in the cell.

"Evlyn. Nice to see you alive," he deadpanned by way of greeting.

_________________