Cameron sat on a stump as Taz gave him a detailed report of his patrol, from the unicorns to the old campfire, finishing with finding the demon stone and their fallen friends. He left out the part about Julie and Karl seeing the demon.

Cameron asked the other group to report, and Valentina told what she could, up to their blackout. After she had finished, she and her patrol were dismissed, along with Nichole. She gave Karl a hopeful look before turning to leave, whispering, "Find me later." He nodded his acknowledgement, then she was gone.

Cameron said, "Brock tells me you're seeing things now."

"That's not at all true," Karl said before Cameron held up his hand.

"Stop. I don't need you to interrupt. I'm going to ask some questions, I want you to answer in specifics as best you can. I want all the details you can tell me." He paused. "Are we clear?"

Julie said, "Yes."

Cameron looked at Karl. "Yeah," Karl said.

"Okay then. First thing's first. Who spotted the demon stone?"

"I did," Karl said. "It had a soft glow, on and off. It reminded me of an animal we have one my... where I'm from."

"What happened then?"

"Taz said the rock got warm, so we started making our way back toward camp."

"Do you know why that is?"

"No, but I have an idea."

"Continue."

"We didn't walk very far when we came across the four knocked out on the ground."

Cameron said nothing for a moment, staring intently at Karl. "And?"

Karl took a deep breath before continuing. "And we saw a demon standing over the four."

"Who did?"

"Julie and myself."

"What did it look like?"

"Red. Long black hair. He had marks all over his body, like tattoos. He was muscular."

"What did you hear?" Cameron asked Julie.

"A voice, but not a voice. It said 'I see you now,' but it didn't come from the demon. It came from everywhere; the trees, the ground, the wind..."

"My head," Karl added. "I felt it in y head."

Cameron stayed silent for some time. Finally he said, "I knew there was something special about you."

"How so?" Julie asked.

Cameron collected his thoughts. "Because," he said, "demons have a language that we don't speak. Very few can understand. Brock, Taz and Nichole heard nothing. I would not have heard had I been there. But Bryan has heard them, on more than one occasion, among other members."

Karl's mouth opened. "What does that mean for us? For our friends?"

"You and your friends are with the safest group you can be right now, at least while the elves are preoccupied. You will stay with us until we take care of this little... problem." He stood up and paced a few steps before stopping, facing away from the pair. "It means you get your wish."

"Which is?" Julie asked.

"We're going to train you as intensively as we can. I want you to be ready for anything."

"We've had some training," Karl suggested. "Basics of everything."

"Yes," Cameron responded. "Basics. Light work, but not like this. Not the way we train." He looked between Julie and Karl, a sadness in his eyes. "You are going to need all the help you can get right now." He said nothing for a moment. "Get some rest, you're going to need it."

Karl and Julie made their way back to their friends. The three were laughing and joking around a fire, joined by a handful of tribesfolk.

"How was the tour?" Bob asked as Karl and Julie sat down. He must have seen their solemn faces, because his smile disappeared quickly. "What happened?" Julie began to relay the events of the evening.

That night, Karl only took a few bites of his dinner; he noticed Julie ate nothing. The evening seemed to drag on.

The night lasted forever.

*** ***

Karl was the first one awake of his friends. A small few tribesfolk were already up and about, scurrying to fix breakfast. They seemed to be rushing around more than Karl remembered of late.

Sam was the next to awaken. He sat next to Karl. "How you doin'?"

Karl shrugged. "As good as can be, I suppose. I find it very disconcerting that in two days we've been with this group, we've already seen action both days."

Sam nodded. "That does seem strange."

"Bad luck seems to find us often." Karl turned to see Bryan, with Nichole standing next to him.

"We spent weeks walking around before with almost nothing," Karl said. "Until the attack on the council and now everything with you."

Bryan nodded. "I understand your apprehensions, I do. Many of our brothers and sisters feel now or have felt the same after joining us. But I promise it is not always like this."

Karl pursed his lips. "I hope so."

Nichole sat next to Karl and took his hand. "I felt the same way once, too. But I've been with the tribe so long now that I would have it no other way. I trust this group with my life, and I would die for any of them." Karl smiled at her, meekly.

"We've got a plan," Bryan said. "It is going to be very tough these first few days, but I promise it will help you get through every day hence, whether you are with us or not. It will make you strong, tough, and resilient.

"Quite frankly, I've noticed a few in the tribe who could use it as well." He chuckled, causing Karl to smile a bit.

"So what's the damage?" Sam asked.

"To start, we'll pass off your packs to some in the tribe. Today we jog. This will build your endurance up, and the same tomorrow. You'll be more tired than ever, but in the end, you'll thank me."

Sam groaned, "This is going to suck."

"Just wait. In a few days, we'll be running, so be ready for that."

"Okay," Karl said. "What else?"

"Strength. Two days of jogging bare, then running. Then we jog with your packs on, then running. We'll teach you to climb trees and vines, and how to move mountains. And when you think you're ready to die, we teach you to survive in a real fight.

"It seems your training with weapons was precise and very skilled, but you lack imagination. We'll give that to you. You will think like the enemy, and you will see his intentions. You won't win a fight because there are two mediocre humans who got lucky against a tired and wounded goblin. By the time we're done with you, you could take on ten goblins and best them all. You come to us with skills, but lost on your path. We will teach you to be heroes, legends."

Karl felt a warmth crawl through him that made him want to believe Bryan and all his fancy talk. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Bryan smiled, a very mischievous grin. "You should hear the stories about us." He rose to his feet, but looked back at the three still seated. "Nichole. You know these five better than I do. Find each of them a partner to train them, one that will both encourage and push them to their best."

"Better," Nichole said. Bryan smiled, then was gone.

Nichole looked at Karl. She smiled sweetly. "I think I know just the people," she said. "Looks like I have to go. But I'll be back right before we get going." She gave Karl the tiniest peck on the cheek and was gone. His face flushed a pink brighter than a neon flamingo.

*** ***

As promised, Nichole returned shortly before the tribe was to leave. She brought a small crowd along with her. By this time, Bob, Emily and Julie had woken, and Sam and Karl had prepared them for what was to come. Julie was all for it, Emily had agreed-- although Karl did not know if she was at all excited-- and even Bob thought it was a good idea.

When Nichole and her small army arrived, the five friends from Earth were ready. Nichole set about immediately with introductions.

Bob was paired with a tall, lanky boy named Oliver who Nichole said has a it of an adventurous-- if not dangerous-- side. He was not opposed to tree-climbing, rock-diving, or pretty much anything else. "Right on," Bob said.

Emily was paired with Su'mi, who was very skilled with many weapons but always preferred her bow and arrows, so much so that she had carved her own. Nichole felt Emily might be a little bit on the reckless side, and thought Su'mi could teach Emily to harbor her recklessness in situations that were to her favor.

For Sam, surprisingly James had volunteered. Nichole said that James was usually very serious, but had a fun side once in a long while, but that Sam was fun while learning to be serious. Nichole had agreed, thinking that Sam and James might teach each other a balance of leadership and fun, something that might help James to lighten up, and at the same time keep Sam and his friends alive.

Finding someone for Julie had been tough, as Julie was so quiet and shy. After looking around and talking to Taz and Brock, Nichole had finally asked a small girl named Colette, who Taz had said came into the tribe quiet but had blossomed into quite the warrioress. Everyone who knew her well loved her, and they trusted her in battle. Where Julie carried a bow, Colette preferred daggers and knives. Colette would teach Julie to improve her accuracy, as well as to use other projectile weapons and become proficient in hand-to-hand combat.

"Karl," Nichole said, "you were quite the mystery. Probably the most difficult of all. You're quiet, but open up when you're comfortable. You're fun and don't know it. You're sweet, but brave when faced with danger. I had a lot of trouble coming up with someone for you. In the end, it was actually Cameron who gave me the idea. This is Fae. He doesn't speak, but I think you'll get along with him just fine. He has a lot to teach that I think only you could learn." Fae smiled at Karl, and Karl smiled back.

"Pleased to meet you," Karl said. A bow returned his greeting.

Nichole continued introducing the remaining five guys. "These five have offered to carry your packs for the first few days," she said. "They have split their own packs between other tribesfolk and are happy to help."

"We want the extra weight," one said. Li. "Call it strength training."

The five friends from Earth mingled with their new companions and trainers for the next moments until the tribe was ready to move. They did shortly, but this time the whole of the tribe and the five guests from afar set off at a light jog.

At first the large group would stop and walk often, more for the five than the tribe, but the longer they moved, the more time came between stops.

Day two the group only stopped twice between dawn and lunch, and only once more before dinner. By the time they had made camp for the night, the five were exhausted beyond imagination, but felt they could run forever. That second night, the five split up, each with her and his trainer. Some wanted to chat, some to train. Fae had Karl sit, and they just looked at one another. Karl tried to speak but Fae held up his hand and shook his head. He started to look around, but Fae snapped his fingers and Karl returned his gaze to the boy before him.

At first it was unsettling, but the longer the pair sat, the more relaxed Karl became. Soon, Karl realised his breathes had grown deeper, matching the slow, deep deliberate breathing of Fae. The more Karl relaxed, the more his worries faded away. A light warmth crept through his body, and Karl let out a very unintentional sigh. His whole body settled, and suddenly Karl was aware of everything around him.

Without turning his gaze from Fae, Karl could hear his friends with their trainers, talking, working out, fighting. He could hear the heavy breathing of Bob and Oliver as they did drills somewhere between football-style line touches and free running. He could hear Colette guide Julie through a native form of yoga. Sam was grunting as he blocked attacks from James' bokken. He could even hear the air being pushed aside by the arrows Emily fired, heard the string vibrate as the arrows let go. It was music to his ears, noise in harmony like he had never heard before.

The wind blew with the sound of an eternal voice. The leaves rustled in the trees, the limbs creaked and groaned. The were speaking a language Karl had never before heard. And it was beautiful.

He closed his eyes and just let the music in. Each sounded quickly became a color in his mind, and the music of the land painted a picture that could not be put into words. For a while he sat there and listened, watched. The world danced and sang around him, and Karl had a tingling feeling come over him that he had all but forgotten.

His eyes wanted to snap open, but the music would not let him. Slowly he focused less on the sounds of nature, less on the tingle, and more on his friends. Slowly, deliberately, he returned to his self, sitting on the grass, breathing deep. Listening.

His eyes opened. Fae was no longer seated in front of him. He was standing, a smile engulfed his face. He reached a hand out to Karl and helped him to his feet.

Fae turned without a word and walked away from the camp, into the wood. Karl followed without question. Fae picked up his pace to a jog, and soon to a run, Karl on his heels.

The wind pushed past his ears, slapped at his face. His heart beat wildly in his chest. His breathing was quick, but steady.

In, out. In, out.

In. Out. In. Out.

In.

Out.

The world around him faded away, and on the pair ran.