2: ACROSS THE PLAINS OF AZANULBIZAR

Tiphereth stared at Jin with utter fascination, as such passion was so rare among his kind. The feelings that raged within her, were to his eyes like a beautiful rainbow; a spectrum of unlocked thoughts and desires that his kind were able to read as one would peruse a library. Within her mind was torment and pain but then he felt something else... a brother. A brother evil and foul; a brother she had sworn to kill. Her task and much more floated upon the turbulent waters of her mind but as she spoke with Lac, they once more sunk, deep into the dark fathoms, weighted down by the heavy words of the Half Elfin ranger.

Upon her return, drawn into her dark cowl, Jin was silent. As she passed by the stolid Beldegir, the Dwarf stood with his burly arms folded across his wide chest, his eyes penetrating the shadows that hid the Drow's features. He huffed, and turned away but Tiphereth passed no judgement and if he had an opinion, he himself was not even sure what it might be. He was only aware that they had lost a member of their group, a man he barely knew, nor would he ever learn any more of him.

"Passing from one world to the next is a time for both mourning and celebration where I am from." Tiphereth announced in his deep gentle voice, then he glanced to Jin, "We all express ourselves differently, let us not be too hasty to pass judgement on another save we bear the sight to see into the very essence of their being."

He then put away his flute, picked up his satchel and prepared to follow the ranger into Azanulbizar. He stayed at the back of the group, with Brianna and casually mentioned that through her thoughts he had seen the home of her people. "It is a beautiful land." He said, his strange eyes like blazing lilacs in the sunlight. "I would like to see it some day, with my own eyes. The Rohirrim seem an interesting people and so like a stock that dwell in the steppes of my own world, although you probably do not share such a fondness for their culture. I apologize in advance for any lack of sympathy I may offer, for I am a collector of tales and songs and so often do I dismiss the hardships that inspire them."

As the party enters the plain and wind begins to blow from the mountains behind them, soft at first then gains strength before ceasing suddenly. If anyone were to look back they would see a hooded man standing where mere seconds ago there was noone. He seemed to watch them for a moment then started towards the group slowly. As he gets closer they will notice his pale features and thin frame. He appears as if he were ready for Death to come take him at any moment.

As Lac moved out across the plains, ahead of the others, he had taken no joy in the harsh words he had said to Ssinjin, but the words had needed to be said. The path they were on was as the edge of a finely shapened knife. One misplaced step would bring peril to them all and countless souls now living and yet to be born. Lac knew this from lessons hard learned by his own experience and training. He had seen death's cold and heavy hand fall on many a companion and loved one, he had felt the pangs of self blame for actions not taken and weaknesses shown. He glanced quickly back at his companions and Ssinjin in particular at the back of the group. By her movemnets and coutenance he new she was deep in thought and self shame. This would pass, this he knew, Ssinjin was strong, stronger than even she realized. She too must learn the hard cold lessons required to be a true, noble and just leader, that was her destiny.

Lac looked at the billowing white clouds gathering to the east, in the direction they traveled. Beneath the white cottony clouds grey skies appeared. Lac flipped his hood up and gathered his tattered Elven cloak tighter around him and said flatly "Rain will be upon us before nightfall, make haste we must reach the treeline and seek shelter before it does." A wind from the foothills of the west blew across the plains then died away.

The man comes to a stop as he sees Morgan approaching with her sword drawn. He watches her from beneath the hood before finally slipping a hand from under the cloak, motioning for her to stop. She will notice the hint of a weapon as the cloak opens slightly. "Is this how you greet everyone? With a weapon drawn? Put it away. I mean you no harm."

Tiphereth calmly watches Brianna and the stranger then in the blink of an eye he crosses the distance that separates them and weaponless he stands before the grey cloaked man. Taller than the newcomer he is an imposing sight, but his features are soft and serene. He bows graciously, before the man.

"I am Tiphereth Sorrelwind and this is Brianna. Please, state your business, good sir."

As Tiphereth rises from his bow, he is puzzled by Brianna's reaction, but then she cannot feel as he can. "Peacefully has this man entered our midst, we much extend the same courtesy, less we be no better than the stinking Orcs that infect these lands."

He turns back to the grey cloaked man, aware that Jin may not be so inviting, "Speak sir, and quickly as my companions may not be as receptive as I."

The man looks Brianna over quickly then pulls the hood back to reveal more of his pale, thin features and light blue eyes. "I am nothing more than a ghost, young lady. My intentions, as always, are peaceful unless you have performed some injustice."

He now turns his attention to Tiphereth. "Well met, good sir. My name is Jack Rose and I am here because the spirits have told me of a great evil that is coming. I have come to stop it at any cost."

"Not all ghosts are transparent."

As Brianna moves to stand with Tiphereth, Jack slowly fades from sight. A moment later he appears with a gust of wind a few feet away but still standing in front of them. "I walk a line between life and death, Miss Brianna. In many ways I am nothing more than a ghost."

Tiphereth watches every move that the phantom makes. He exists partially within the Phaerie realm, whose border fringe on that of the spirit world. As Jack fades from sight he can see what those of the physical plane cannot, and the man becomes a shimmering form of himself, his skin like smoke, his grey cloak now tattered and flowing upon the turbulent winds which enshroud him. He moves silently and swiftly but a few feet then becomes flesh once more.

As Jack's vision returns to that of the natural world, he is quite aware that never once did the bright gaze of the one called Tiphereth leave him.

Tiphereth smiles and speaks something in a foreign tongue. He then states in the common tongue, "You are spirit." Then for a moment, Tiphereth becomes non-corporeal and his body begins to reflect all the natural foliage about them, making him almost invisible, but to Jack's eyes he bears witness to a most glorious sight. Tiphereth's hair blazes like an orange fire about his soft white features, shining like the moon, then he returns to the physical world and Brianna once more see's his material form. "My realm fringes the grey, but while I am able to peer into it, never will I dare to walk that desolate place." He extends a hand to the traveler. "I am honoured to meet you, Jack o'the Rose, but your place among us rests upon the discretion of our leader, Lac'Nala." Tiphereth gracefully turns and gestures toward the ranger.

Without loosing a stride or turning his head, Lac said in the common tounge, "Unless we are stopping for tea, Brianna and Tiphereth, I suggest you escort our guest forward. Beldigir and Ssinjin shadow his back." it was then that Lac removed his hood and looked back over his shoulder at the stranger, as Ssinjin and Beldigir moved in behind them. It was then he stopped, turned and squatted, with bow and arrow in hand in a small glade of wildflowers, bordered by tall prarrie grass, not far from a band of trees "I sense no malice, only caution in this man. But I sense an evil, that grows ever nearer, that follows not far behind."

Jin didn’t know what to do with herself. Her emotions were in such turmoil that she lashed out at those around her yet she couldn’t keep it all contained within her. It was simply too much. But when Lac gave her the verbal thrashing she justly deserved, she swallowed all of that chaotic emotional feelings down and retreated within herself once more. Even as she moved along with the others bringing up the rear, she remained separated from them as much as she could without actually leaving the group entirely.

When she felt the gust of wind behind her then suddenly stop, she knew there was something or someone behind them. Casting her detect magic spell she was confused when it brought back the strange reading. Quickly casting her detect evil spell, she was even more perplexed by the fact it brought back nothing at all.

When Brianna decided to play the hero and leave the group to confront the being behind them, Jin didn’t try to stop her. If she wanted to play the fool like that, then so be it. Who was she to make the human stop? Of course when Tiphereth joined the woman, Jin knew it wouldn’t be long before the group was called to a halt so they could sort all of this out. Not that she minded, really. She could use a short rest. The two minor spells she had cast took some of the energy she had been able to regain after the ordeal with the Balrog.

Keeping her hood firmly in place, she waited for the stranger to be called forward and flanked in behind him with the Drawf as Lac instructed. The mans appearance was odd to say the least, but then again, if he could see her, he would think the same thing. When they finally stopped for a rest and assess the strange mans presence, like Lac, Jin felt no malice from him. In fact, it was difficult for her to ‘feel’ anything from him.

As Lac knelt in the grove of flowers, Jin felt a chill slide down the length of her spine. Slowly turning and looking towards the mountain they had just escaped from, her eyes squinted in the bright light from beneath her hood. Taking a few steps back towards the way they had come, she strained to see better. Finally she saw what had caused the chill to happen. Over the top of the mountain she could see them. Turning the sky as black as night as they flew towards the group.

Turning to Lac, she pushed the hood of her cloak off her head as she turned her frightened gaze to the Ranger and pointed to the sky.

“We need to find cover! Now! Unless we wish to have our flesh pecked from our bones and our eyes pecked from our skulls!”

When Lac and the others finally cast their eyes in the direction Jin pointed, they would see what appeared to be a black cloud rising over the peak of the mountain before it began descending towards the group. In reality, it was a murder of crows sent to both spy on the group and destroy them if they had the chance.

Lac, sprang to his feet and looked to where Ssinjin pointed. "SPIES OF SAURON!" Lac shouted ....... "Quickly, to the trees .... seek shelter and hide yourselves." He slung his bow across his back and waited for the others to sprint under the shelter of the trees, as Ssinjin ran by he reached out and touched her shoulder. "Thank you my friend and trusted companion, we are all in your debt." Then Ssinnin and he followed quickly behind the others, guiding them to the denses area of the small grove of trees. As they cowered under the thick canopy of the trees, the cacophany of cawing crows and the flapping of wings could be heard overhead.

When Lac reached out to touch Jin’s shoulder, she snapped her head over to look at him. When he thanked her for what she had done, she gave him a confused look but before she could answer him, she could hear the cawing of the crows beginning to drown out anything else.

As they made their way towards the trees, Jin caught the scent of raw earth. Knowing the only way to smell such a delightful fragrance was if an opening existed near them, she began searching frantically. Darting from tree to tree and everywhere in between, Jin fell to her stomach and began poking ad prodding the ground. The opening wasn’t very large, but it would be big enough for the group.

Well, except for maybe Beldigir.

Lifting her head, Jin signaled for Lac’Nala to see what she had discovered. As the Ranger made his way towards her, she quickly slithered into the opening and did a very quick search of the immediate area. There were several openings all around the trees that slivers of light filtered into the darkness. The sound of running water told the Drowess why these trees had managed to grow in this particular spot and no place else on the plain. Satisfied they would be safe here, she poked her head out again, she yelled at Lac.

“It is a cave of sorts! We need to get everyone in here!”

Lac quickly called everyone over and instructed them to enter into the opening Jin had discovered. Jin disappeared back inside the opening to help the others in. Brianna hesitated for a moment then decided it was better to take her chances in there than getting pecked to death from a band of crows.

As Brianna slipped into the make shift cave, Jin stood off to the side and gave the woman a level look but said nothing. She didn’t have a chance to for Tiphereth’s large frame closed the hole while he slipped into the strange underground cavern as well. While he had to stoop to be able to stand within its protective walls, he wasn’t too cramped.

Next came the strange new man as he easily slid into the cavern. Jin assessed him once more but again, her concentration was short lived as she heard Beldigir’s gruff voice protesting loudly to Lac. Finally Lac practically shoved the Dwarf into the opening. As the stout mans arms stretched out before him, Jin saw he was suddenly stuck.

Without thinking, Tiphereth grabbed a hold of the Dwarf's hands and began pulling while Lac frantically pushed from the other side. Of course the Dwarf was rather boisterous with his protesting and everyone was given a good ear full.

“By the Gods! I’m not some sort of toy ye cn stretch thinner! AHHHHHHHHH! May th’bird o’Paradise fly up all yer noses! Pull! Push! I dunna wan t’be stuck like a cork in a bottle!”

Jin snapped once more as she grabbed a hold of the Dwarf’s arm and helped Tiphereth pull the large, little man into the cavern placing her booted foot on the side of the earthen wall to help give her leverage. Brinna saw the help that was needed and joined Tiph and Jin with the other arm.

“Well if you would….pull away from the….feast table more…instead of…eating your fill…..we would not be….pulling you so haaaaaaard!”

Just then he broke free and they all tumbled backwards. Beldigir landed with a solid THUD on his stomach and a loud “OOOF!” Jin and Brianna fell off to each side while Tiph retained his upright stature only because he was able to become as light as air and prevent himself from falling backwards. Beldigir struggled to right his round body but was having great difficulty.

“Well don’t just stand there wi’yer teeth in yer mouth! Help me up!”

Jin and Briana were getting on their feet just as the cawing of the crows grew to a deafening song and Lac came darting quickly into the cavern. As Lac helped Beldigir to his feet, the rumble of thousands of flapping wings made it sound as if horses thundered overhead. Jin and the others all looked to the earthen ceiling over their heads as they heard the crows angry calls outside.

When the initial moments passed and they knew they were indeed safe, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. The cavern, as it turns out, was actually a natural aqua duct that came very close to the surface of the ground. When they moved a little further into it, it was actually big enough for Tiphereth to stand upright without stooping, but only barely.

Tree roots reached through the gap to reach the solid ground beneath them and soak up the water that continuously flowed around them. Jin moved slowly through the roots to find a place she could sit down and rest. Not knowing how long the crows would stay around, she decided to make the best of the situation. Besides, she was still in such emotional turmoil that she could feel it starting to rise like bitter bile in the back of her throat once more.

It was best if she stayed in her own solitary confinement for fear of lashing out at the others once again and doing irreparable damage. If that wasn’t the case already.

Lac stood up and dusted himself off, then followed Jin and sat down beside her. He then beagn to speak softly and kindly to her. "Jin, the loss of a friend is hard to come to grips with. When that loss is both sudden and tragic it make it all the harder. What happend to Alrick has pained all who knew him, his loss is something we must accept. There was nothing any of us could have done. Alrick, new what he was doing, his sacrafice saved us and many more. Our path is like walking the edge of a knife's blade. If we stay but a breath all will be lost. If we fail in our task countless more will pay a heavy price.

I can not tell you how to come to grips with the emotions you are feeling. All I can do is suggest that you honor Alrick's sacrifice. You have great courage and a strength within you stronger than you can imagine. I need you at my side in this task that destiny has handed us." Lac fell silent then and just sat staring at the waters. He then said "Jin, no mater how dark it becomes and how hopeless the completion of our task may seem. Remeber there is always the flame of hope. That hope will light our way." Lac returned his gaze to the waters.

Jin was fully prepared for another sound, verbal thrashing from Lac when he walked over to sit beside her. The last thing she expected was for him to show any signs of compassion after what she had done to him and the others. So when he started talking to her in a soft, soothing voice, she listened to what he had to say.

His gaze was full of warmth and empathy. Not once did Jin see anything remotely false or sinister that told her he was just playing on her emotions and telling her what she wanted to her. Hell, she didn’t even know how to handle these emotions let alone let them lead her around by her nose.

In the depths of the Rangers eyes Jin saw an understanding she didn’t think anyone else could fathom, yet here she was, looking into the gaze of a surface dweller, a male at that!, who knew exactly what she was feeling. How odd that two beings from opposite worlds could have such similar experiences.

But when Lac informed her he needed her by his side, Jin gave a puzzled look to the Ranger. While they were words that she so longed to hear, she knew the danger of hearing them. Even if there was no hidden meaning in them. But along with those emotions came another. Why on earth would anyone want her by their side? She was loathed by just about everyone around her. Perhaps rightfully so after her tirade back on the mountain side.

When Lac gazed at the flowing water, Jin let her gaze slide to it as well. The silence that settled between them was comforting, not at all awkward or stressed. Each caught in their own thoughts. As Lac’s soft voice broke the silence between them, Jin’s gaze didn’t move. She was afraid the Ranger would see the depths of her untamed, chaotic emotions.

When Brianna walked over and spoke to Jin, the Drowess turned a level look upon the human woman. Jin had to give the woman some credit. She had enough courage to walk over to a Drow female and speak to her. Jin let a long moment of silence stretch out before she spoke to Brianna. When she did speak, it was with a soft voice, so unlike the harsh, cold voice she had always heard from the Drowess.

“Do not take my dislike of you personally, Lady Brianna. I dislike all newcomers. It is a trait I unfortunately find difficult to stop doing. It shall take some time, but I hope to stop being so quick to judge. You see…in my world, anyone new to the group is there to do one thing: destroy all the others. Needless to say, I take offense when I believe someone is trying to kill me.”

Jin tilted her head slightly and even offered a small smile to Brianna when the woman offered an ear for Jin to talk about Alrick to.

“Perhaps later. Right now, I am trying to come to terms with exactly what this is I am dealing with. I thank you kindly, though, for your offer and know that I see it as a offering of peace between us. Something I shall not ignore.”

Jin watched Brianna walk back towards the others. She had been especially hard on the woman. While it was because she wasn’t entirely sure how to handle these emotions she was feeling, she knew deep down the woman didn’t deserve to have her angst vented upon an innocent bystander. Once more Jin tried to wrestle with the words she needed to say to Lac’Nala and it seemed the more she tried, the worse her struggle grew. Perhaps there was just no other way to say them then to just…come out and say them. This wasn’t going to be easy. All her life she was taught that everything you said had a hidden meaning to it. How then, if you state plainly what you need to say, could anything be hidden in the words? It was a few more moments before Jin could talk and even then, there was still a lot of emotion in her voice. Keeping her gaze trained on the waters, she tried her best to explain what she was feeling as she spoke in an almost hushed voice.

“I….do not understand these emotions I feel, Lac’Nala. All of my life I have been trained, sometimes with the threat of death, to not show them or allow myself to even feel them. The former of those two things was far easier than the latter. But now….now that I am free to show them, I am even more confused than ever.”

Finally she turned her gaze to Lac’s.

“If I show my emotions, it will show a weakness my enemies will be able to use against me. Yet….if I do not show them, I dishonor the Goddess that has taken me into her coven. How can I balance these things without feeling as though I am either turning my back on my Goddess or falling apart inside of me?”

Her eyes searched La’s for the answer knowing she would not find it there.

“Why? Why does this evil seek to throw the world into darkness and chaos? Eternal peace between the races cannot be found, but we can respect each other enough to agree to disagree. I detest this Dark Lord and all his corrupt powers with every inch of my soul. If it had not been for him, my Mother and Sisters would still be alive. Instead, it is just my deceitful, blasphemous brother….and me. A Child of a Matron who knows not where her place in this strange world really belongs. I am so far from my natural environment that I feel as though I am being swallowed up by the world around me. And these emotions I am feeling, which refuse to remain dormant and silent, are a sea with swelling waves crashing over my head.”

Jin stood then and moved a few feet away as she felt one of those waves swelling once more within her. Taking several deep breaths, she tried to calm herself and explain more.

“I….I have never cared for another person in my life, the way I care for you. My head tells me it is unnatural yet, something else within me screams to me that it is the most natural thing in all of the universe. Even when I try to push you away from me, you seem to pull me even closer and the more I struggle, the more difficult it becomes to fight against it. And what will happen when my enemies discover how much I DO care for you? I already know the answer to that.”

Jin turned then and let her gaze settle on Lac’s once more.

“They will destroy me by destroying you. Just as they did my family. It is a risk I refuse to take nor something I shall allow to happen. I cannot, and will not, risk losing you. If distance is what keeps you alive, then I shall place as much distance between us as possible without deserting you. It is the only way we can defeat that which hunts us so mercilessly. The only way we cannot seal our fates.”

Lac listened to Jin's words as he knelt filling his water skin, he looked up at her, reluctant to say the truth he knew he both wanted to say and needed to be said ........ "Jin it is our closeness that gives us strength. The strength that will defeat this evil, the hand of fate brought us together to unite our two worlds. That unification has more power than you realize and it is the one thing the Dark Lord fears the most. Through us the other races will see that only by being united can we defeat this evil." Lac stared at the water for several moments ......... "When I recieved word and confrimation of the deaths of my wife and children, I swore I would never become close to another. I blamed myself for thier deaths, had I not been absent they may have been alive this day. But it was not to be, my people needed me to protect them, as they do now.

If I had not lived up to my resposabilities, how could I have faced or taught my children the meaning of honor and duty. It was destiny that knew a greater calling awaited me, and set my feet upon a path that brought us to the same place at the same time. Just as your brother's treason was fates way of placing your feet upon the path we are now on together."