"So what's next?" Vaciana asked Maréin at some point, speaking Southern. They were still helping to carry away the wounded, but fewer and fewer soldiers were found alive. She tried to distract her mind from the horrors before her; she feared she wouldn't be able to keep doing this otherwise. The scent of blood was everywhere; it filled her nostrils and made her feel sick.

"Next?" Maréin asked in the same language. His voice was comfortably familiar. In between the stench of death, she caught the scent of wool that accompanied him wherever he went. It calmed her down a little.

"After this," Vaciana clarified. "The war is over. Do you still want to go back to Dracherwold?"

"Yes," Maréin responded without thinking. "But I have this feeling that maybe this is not the end yet."

"You mean Arwund?" Vaciana asked. Those were two other strong scents in the cave: the scent of fire and burning and a strange, musky smell which Vaciana attributed to Darfith's body. Man, this place smelled.

"Yes," Maréin said. "I don't believe he got the chance to explain it to me, but I heard him speak Old Northern and talk about Wainur having planned all this."

"Wainur?" Vaciana asked.

"Yes," Maréin said. "And knowing Wainur, it's probably a plan that sounds absurd but somehow ends up working." He shook his head in disbelief. "And it means Wainur's still alive or that he managed to plan centuries ahead."

"And is Wainur... a friend or an enemy?" Vaciana asked.

"A friend," Maréin said. "He was, at least."

"Then that's good news, isn't it?"

Maréin nodded. "I think so. Although... I'm a bit afraid of what the earl will do if Wainur's plan, whatever it is, works out."

After that, they were silent, all the while continuing their work. And among the many smells in the cave, Vaciana unfortunately only noticed the approaching soldiers when they were quite close.

"Maréin," she said, a hint of warning in her voice; she thought it better to use his alias instead of his real name while they were among other people.

Maréin said nothing, but they stopped moving. Suddenly, the stretcher they'd been carrying was taken out of Vaciana's hands.

"Let me carry that for you," a voice said; it sounded deceptively kind. That tone of voice evoked memories of Sid Enracio, the man who'd held her captive after the Southern Rebellion and interrogated her about her scientific knowledge. She shivered as she struggled to get rid of the thoughts.

She caught the scent of two guards by Maréin's sides, close to him; they were holding him.

"Let me go," Maréin said, trying to keep calm, his powers trickling into his voice. "There is no need for this."

"His Lordship requests your presence," one of the guards holding him said. "No harm will come to you if you cooperate."

The stretcher was carried away by two other guards. Two more were guarding Vaciana, although they made no attempt to arrest her.

She was free to move.

She ran towards Maréin, grabbed a guard's arm and tried to free Maréin from its grip. "Let him go!" she shouted. "Let him go!"

The two guards who'd been watching her immediately moved in and seized her by the arms. "Stay where you are," one said.

Involuntarily, she remembered the grip of Sid Enracio's guards as they'd captured her. Her mind was overtaken by a wave of panic. "Let go off me!" she screamed, trying to wrench herself free. "Let go! Let go!"

"Let her go!" Maréin said, his powers once more permeating his words. "It is me you want. Vaciana," he went on, "it's all right. Maybe it's for the best. Maybe I need to face the earl. This thing needs to end."

Tears filled her eyes. "He'll kill you!" she cried. She didn't want to lose him; she'd lost too many people in her life... Sid Enracio, it was just like that time with Sid Enracio, they'd kill him, they'd kill him.

"He won't," Maréin said; how did he manage to keep calm in this state? "I've spoken to him before, I've done many things that could have incited him to punish me, but so far, he hasn't."

"Don't go," she whispered in Southern.

Maréin was silent. Then, after a while, he promised, "I'll be back."

And with these words, the guards dragged him away from her, and she was left behind, feeling very alone. The two other guards finally let go off her.

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

It had begun to snow again. The flakes slowly drifted down from the sky, some landing in his hair or on his clothing. It was a remarkably peaceful sight on a day like this.

In a way, Maréin thought to himself, it was nice to leave the cave, to abandon the foul air of battle and enter into the fresh winter air of the mountains. He'd decided not to struggle against the guards: it would be of no use. It was as he'd told Vaciana: this war between the earl and him had to end, and it had to end now.

They did not enter the army camp by the usual road. Rather, they went around the encampment and entered it from the side farthest away from the cave entrance, where there was hardly anyone right now: the wounded were treated at the other side of the camp, where most soldiers were gathering.

They approached earl Raynnard's tent, still white and gold, although its top was now covered by a thin, soft layer of snow. The guards led Maréin to the entrance, where two other guards stepped aside, and pushed the knight into the tent.

Raynnard of the Flaming Lands was sitting at his desk, no longer wearing his metal armour, but still dressed in a sturdy white gambeson. His dark grey hair was ruffled. He either did not want to impress Maréin or he simply had not had the time to work on his appearance after the battle.

"No need to be so rough," the earl told the guards. His voice was softer than usual.

The guards let go off Maréin, who struggled to keep his balance. He succeeded.

"Leave us," the earl ordered.

"Are you sure, my lord?" the guard to Maréin's left asked.

"Are you sure you want to question your lord's decision?" the earl reacted, throwing the guard a stern look.

The guard said nothing more; the both of them left the tent, leaving the wanderer and the earl behind.

"Is this an arrest?" Maréin asked.

"It does not have to be," earl Raynnard responded. He rose from his chair.

"Then why did you have me brought here?" Maréin asked.

"There are two reasons," the earl said. "First of all, I have a question."

Maréin raised an eyebrow.

Raynnard looked him straight in the eye. Then, his tone less commanding than Maréin had expected, he asked, "What are you?"

"What, my lord?"

"You're not a good pretender, Maréin," Raynnard said. "You claim to be some ordinary wanderer, but I know you're not. You're something else, something more. I'm positive that you're using an alias: I've never heard of any Southerner whose name was actually the Southern word for knight. And those powers of yours... You're not a draconic human, but you're also far from human."

That was quite right, of course. Maréin hadn't exactly tried to hide his powers. And the earl wanted to understand where they were coming from. Why? Did he want to understand his enemy, did he want to use any knowledge he could get about Maréin as a tactical advantage?

Or was he just plain curious?

Maréin tried to read the man in front of him, but he could not quite figure out what the earl's motives were. Maybe they were both. Or maybe Raynnard did not know himself.

"I can tell you, my lord," Maréin said, "but you would not believe me."

"Try me." He sounded genuinely interested.

Maréin sighed. "I am a knight."

The earl raised an eyebrow. "Another riddle?"

"No. The plain truth. I will say no more about this. Look it up if you desire to know more."

The earl smiled, but there was no joy in his eyes. "Do you think you're in charge here?"

"My lord, with all due respect, if you wanted to kill me, you would already have done so," Maréin said. "But since you've had me brought here and are now questioning me in this way, I see no reason to fear you."

"You have every reason to fear me, wanderer," the earl said.

"Then why haven't you punished me yet?" Maréin asked. "I've questioned you before, even in the presence of your troops." The wanderer was sure of it, now: Raynnard was fascinated by him, way too fascinated to kill him. Raynnard desired to find out who or what Maréin was, and because of that, he'd lost much of his power over the wanderer. And maybe, Maréin reasoned, his powers had affected the earl, too.

Something shifted in the earl's face. He seemed to suppress his anger. "Fine," he said. "Then don't say anything." He sat down again. "You're right: I haven't done anything to punish you yet. However, you're far too disobedient and unpredictable to leave you around. Since you seem to be able to read my mind, I see no need to hide that I do not want to kill you. However, your are a threat to my authority and if you intend to stay here, I may have no choice but to kill you and to do so quickly, before you get the chance to outsmart your guards again."

"So should I expect an assassin to come to me in the night?" Maréin asked. It surprised him how calm he was; maybe it was because the earl had already admitted that he didn't want to kill the wanderer.

"Not if you cooperate," the earl said.

"What do you want me to do?" Maréin asked.

The earl smiled slightly. "Leave," he said. "Leave this camp, go somewhere else, and stay away from the Flaming Lands for the rest of my life. If you want to bother some other noble, feel free to do so: it's your life you're putting at risk. But do not let me see your face again. It'll be easier for the both of us."

"You want me to leave," Maréin repeated. He nodded. It wasn't much. He would be free to travel through the rest of Garowain. He would only have to leave the encampment and stay away from the Flaming Lands.

But he did want this conflict between the earl and the Servants of Darfith to come to a peaceful end. Would there be a way to play a role in it without violating the earl's terms?

Either way, he wouldn't be able to do anything as a dead man.

He called upon his powers, just slightly, as a last attempt. "Are you sure this is what you want, my lord?" he asked.

The earl blinked, then nodded. "Quite so."

"Very well," Maréin said. "How long do I have in order to leave?"

The earl thought for a while. "The sun's almost down. After that, you'll have about an hour."

"Agreed," Maréin said.

"Good," the earl said. "Go, now."

Maréin bowed, then turned around and left the tent. The guards at the entrance were eying him suspiciously, but the wanderer just said, "I have a little more than an hour to leave. For the rest, I'm free to go." Then he walked away, leaving the guards behind, who were throwing one another confused looks.

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

Arwund's flame was colossal.

A cone of fire, many feet high, bright white at the base, shot up into the sky, the light casting shadows of trees and rocks against the sides of the mountains.

The Servants immediately stopped protesting. Some took a step backwards, feeling the heat of the fire.

Even Merigunde looked astounded. She clearly hadn't been expecting this.

Arwund held out longer than he was used to. The flame was hotter than usual, too. Had he gained more energy somehow? Or was he using the energy he had more efficiently? He had no idea, but he suspected that his encounter with Wainur had something to do with it.

Finally, he closed his mouth, quenching the flame. He was panting slightly, but significantly less so than he had after using his powers in the past.

Merigunde looked at him indignantly, as if saying, This wasn't what we agreed on.

Arwund smiled at her and shrugged.

The Servants were looking at him. There was awe in their eyes: the fire Arwund had just created was abnormally powerful for a breather.

The former rogue turned towards them. Dipping his head, he lifted the Sign of Wainur from his neck and held it out. "Fine," he said. "If you don't want to accept me as your king, I won't force you. I get it, really: I rushed in, killed your leader, and now I show up in your camp asking to be your new Dragon King. But listen. This necklace" – he held it up higher – "is the Sign of Wainur. Wainur has passed it down to his daughter Winnia, who passed it down to her child and so on, until it reached me. Others cannot wear it: it hurts them, and it even sickens those who hold it in their hand." He let his gaze go over the Servants. "This necklace indicates that I am the one Wainur wants to be Dragon King, not Darfith. Dragon King Norvand, who succeeded Wainur, was a usurper."

Some shocked gasps rose from the crowd. A man stepped forward, who looked to be in his late fifties by human standards. If he was a breather, he'd be more than a hundred years old.

"You are making bold claims about dragons some here consider almost sacred," he said.

Arwund nodded. "I am. But if Norvand is considered sacred, then Wainur would be all the more so, wouldn't he? And Wainur himself spoke to me. Merigunde," he said, "the crystal, please."

Merigunde hesitated. She didn't seem all too happy with what Arwund was doing. She threw him a look of warning, then produced the item from beneath her cloak. She held it out. Arwund took it, his eyes briefly meeting hers.

He turned back towards the crowd and showed them the crystal. "This," he said, "is a Life Crystal. It is a piece of ancient technology. Wainur himself explained me how to use it, so I could store Darfith's mind in it. It was never Wainur's intention to kill Darfith, only to remove him from power." He paused briefly, letting his words sink in. "So I'm giving you a choice, now," he went on. "Darfith is in here. He can speak to you from this ball. If you want him as your king, then I will leave you this ball and leave. Or rather, run for my life, probably. If you choose me, however, I'll be your Dragon King from now on and you will have a leader who is in it for you, who wants genuine change. I was involved in the Dracherwold revolt, I was one of its leaders, even. With my help, we could use Dracherwold as our base. There, we could find new people willing to aid our cause. So it is up to you. Who will you follow?"

"Prove to us that Darfith is in there," the middle-aged Servant said.

"Darfith," Arwund said, "say something. This is your chance to get your position back."

It was silent.

"See? He's lying," someone said, but the middle-aged Servant rose his hand to silence them.

Merigunde threw Arwund a worried look.

Then, suddenly, a metallic voice was heard from the crystal. "Fools," Darfith hissed, "do you actually believe this usurper?"

"Of course not, lord Darfith!" a Servant called from the crowd. "Why don't we kill that man?"

"Patience," the middle-aged Servant said.

"Why ask him to be patient, Leonaro?" Darfith asked. "Your fellow Servant wants to see justice done; why won't you let him have his will?"

"Because," the man, Leonaro, said "I want you all to realise, that maybe, just maybe, this man is not lying and we have indeed all been deceived."

There were gasps.

"I am not saying it is true!" Leonaro clarified. "What I am saying is that it could be true, and you cannot deny that!"

He stepped forward. "Lord Darfith," he said, "allow me the opportunity to prove to myself and all your other Servants that this man is an impostor."

Grudgingly, Darfith said, "I permit it."

Leonaro turned towards the other Servants. "Many of you know that I used to be a member of the Order of Wainur, but found myself unable to live up to its standards. However, as a former member of this Order, I do know things about Wainur which are not common knowledge. Do you trust me in that?"

Affirmative noises were heard. Arwund suddenly remembered where he'd heard of the Order of Wainur before: Maréin had said he'd discovered the prophecy in a book written by that Order. If this Leonaro had been a member of it, did that mean it still existed?

"Then allow me to ask both lord Darfith and the dragon slayer something, so that we might prove Darfith to be Wainur's true successor," Leonaro said.

The Servants agreed. Leonaro pointed at one of them, a woman, not much younger than he was. "I will tell you the answer quietly, so that you can be the judge."

She nodded. Leonaro bent towards her and told her something. "Got it," the woman replied.

Leonaro turned back towards Arwund and Darfith.

"Lord Darfith," Leonaro said, his voice completely calm, "as the one lawful Dragon King, you must know of Wainur's First Law."

Wainur's First Law? What was that? How was Arwund supposed to know that? He couldn't possibly answer this, could he?

Darfith's voice was silent for a moment. Then, he said, "Of course I do."

"What is it?"

Silence again. Was Darfith thinking? Trying to remember this law, which Arwund had to admit he didn't know either? Or was he trying to come up with a convincing lie?

Then he said, "Honour you ancestors, follow their guidance, preserve their memory and traditions."

Leonaro didn't say whether Darfith was right or wrong. Instead, he looked at Arwund. "The same question for you, pretender."

Arwund thought. What should he do? Bluff his way through this? He probably couldn't.

Then he remembered something. A Thought Crystal. Wainur said something about a Thought Crystal.

Was there something else in his necklace? Something that had enabled Wainur to contact him? He'd said that he'd been linking to Thought Crystals... Was one of them in Arwund's possession?

"Where is your answer, pretender?" a Servant scoffed.

If he could contact Wainur and then answer correctly, Arwund reasoned, it would be proof that Wainur wanted him to be Dragon King. If only this worked...

He did have one hope, however. He didn't believe Darfith's answer was correct. He remembered Wainur's words: "Our element is fire, an ever-changing, energetic and lively element." That didn't sound like preserving traditions above all else.

"Allow me," Arwund said, "to contact Wainur."

The Servants were quiet. They seemed to be paying close attention to what was happening now.

"Very well," Leonaro said.

Arwund walked towards him and held out Darfith's crystal. "Can you hold this, please?"

Leonaro took it without words. Arwund went back to where he'd come from. Merigunde's worry, he noticed, had meanwhile turned into horror.

Arwund placed his necklace around his neck and wrapped his right hand around the pendant. He closed his eyes and focused on Wainur.

He felt something. A wave. It went away as quickly as it had come.

Come on, he thought, connect, connect! Wainur, I said, Wainur!

Arwund? he heard a voice say in his mind. So you figured out how Thought Crystals work. Good job.

I don't have time to talk, Wainur, Arwund thought back, meanwhile letting out a sigh of relief that it had worked. I need to know what Wainur's First Law is.

Is someone trying to test you? Wainur wondered. Leonaro, is it? Ah, yes, I remember him. Honest guy, I liked him. He did not know I was alive, though. Anyway, as for the First Law...

And he told Arwund.

Thanks, Arwund thought.

You're welcome, Wainur responded. And feel free to chat up some time; it gets a bit lonely, living the way I do.

Arwund decided to leave his curiosity unsatisfied for now and broke the connection before the Servants would get impatient. But as he broke it, he had the distinct feeling that a third mind briefly came into play, someone other than himself and Wainur...

What in the world? he wondered.

He opened his eyes and looked at Leonaro. "Wainur told me," he said.

"Interesting," Leonaro said. "What is it?"

Arwund smiled. It was a short law, way shorter than Darfith's had been, and very different.

It was not a law to be obeyed. It was a natural law. And it seemed to form the very foundation of Wainur's thinking.

Arwund replied, "Everything changes."