Halo was nervous and apprehensive. On one level. the people she was riding with inside the red Jeep Cherokee were people she knew but it was as if she were seeing them through a kaleidoscope lens fashioned from mercury glass; shattered images of many people; some she could discern as her companions, others familiar from past lives, still others strangers that had belonged to lives without her. It was occluded even further from the damage caused to her in this one,;it was difficult sorting through all the input. Her anxiety was rising and Quen sensed it, taking her hand loosely, so she would not feel trapped, but still could feel her loving calm and reassurance. She began to breathe deeply, slow breaths as Quen had taught her, only concentrating on their current personas and not seeking deeper clarity. Clarity meant beginning to shed her shell. Right now, that shell seemed preferable to any sort of life in the open. If she tried to step out and begin to enjoy the entirety of their mutual pasts, it might make this life's reality unbearable. She knew, on some levels, the severity of what the others had surmounted, but the energy it would require seemed impossible for her to summon. The heavy exhaustion that permeated her bones was deep and unrelenting, The energy that Alain and the others shared daily helped some, but it faded quickly as sorrows met it with a hundred gaping maws and sucked it away from her, greedy, grasping, and insatiable. She felt like she existed only for the slow descent into the finality that waited for all living creatures. That is if you called her existence living.

Alain sensed her slipping further away each day went by, into a land more shadow than reality. This fragile woman was hanging on precariously. and he was not going to let this one slide into darkness. Not this time. He owed her too much, and he owed it to his sister as well. He could feel Quen's quiet panic and fear. So today he, Scott, and Xavier were taking the women to a place they discovered, a lost and quiet place, and they were going to attempt something different. It may or may not work, but it certainly would not hurt.They forged deep into the Blue Ridge Mountains and the longer they traveled, the more the sense of untouched isolation increased. Roads changed from asphalt to composite to dirt. Trees became thicker in number and wider in girth and the underbrush became denser. It seemed like hours before they reached a larger clearing in the middle of nowhere, once cleared by long-dead hands. Alain pulled over and switched the ignition off. They piled out and looked around.Sunlight dappled the area as it filtered through fresh, spring leaves and danced in the pure breeze. 

The old fieldstone wall surrounding the clearing was crumbling in many places as time and relentless foliage reclaimed it, inch by slow and inevitable inch. What was left of the original wall was about waist high and the length and shape of a lacrosse field. As remote as it was, the grass and ground creeping plants had been flattened by recent usage. The quiet reigned except for bird calls and insects, and was a living thing in its own right.

Halo stood, stunned, eyes wide. Quen broke the silence.

"What is this? It all seems so out of place."

Xavier answered. "We are not sure. It is an ancient settlement of some sort. I had samples carbon dated, and it looks like it could be from the period when the Spanish explored north from Florida. There are tales, recently proven to be true, of a culture that developed as poor infantrymen, Basque soldiers, and Moors deserted the army as it moved north from Florida. They intermarried with the Native Americans and runaway slaves, lived in various enclaves, and carved homes out of these mountains. They were called Melungeons by later white settlers and driven from the already cultivated land they had settled."

"But, is it disrespectful, to plan a picnic here?"

"I doubt it!" Exclaimed Wei Ying. "I think they may like people like us, who have not lost an affinity with history and ancient gods. With tradition and heritages. Let's spread the blankets."He beamed at Alain and said, "Stop staring at me and bring the hampers. I am starving."

Alain had been gazing lovingly at his mate as he spoke, but hastily did as he was commanded. Soon they were happily digging into the food ordered by Alain from the Asian bistro back in Charlottesville. Alain then opened a soft-sided cooler filled with old-fashioned glass bottles, carefully corked and sealed.

"The year I left for college, my father asked me to help him design a vintage. We had a frost come upon the vines early that year, forming ice crystals in the grapes. It created very sweet and delicious grapes that had to be used or lost. I knew next to nothing about the actual process of developing a wine recipe, but he gave me leave to do what I wanted. While I was away, he finished the process. Now he has declared it ready to drink. Do not be harsh, I am begging you. But I find it to be exactly what I had in mind."

He watched, crystal eyes dancing, as they sipped. Scott was the first to react. His eyes slid into silver and filled with tears.

"It can't be Alain. It is Emperor's Smile, is it not? The fragrance has a sweet and honeyed taste. The mellow afterglow... How?" 

"I just did. I opened a bottle when it arrived, and I was stunned at how close the ice wine is to your favorite drink."

The nectar sent them back to an ancient and familiar time, all of them remembering the five innocents that once ran through Cloud Recesses.  

Then Halo spoke in a soft voice,

"You climbed a wall, You drank and fought Lan Zhan. He broke your bottles and put the Silence Spell on you. Miscreant!" 

They stared at her in astonishment,then burst out laughing.

"And you wanted to teach that puppy a lesson in manners, as I recall." Lan Xi Chen slapped his knee, bent over in stitches at the recollection.

"Lan Zhan was speechless with fury ,that evening," stated Qinyang.

"How could you tell?" Asked Halo, dryly. a\

Another gale of mirth followed, and Halo shyly hid a smile beneath a translucent hand. The group dug in again; fine food, delicious wine, and warm memories flowed. And Halo found herself feeling a little bit...at home.

Later, they cleaned up and Xavier, Alain, and Scott laid a large flat box on the quilts. Lan Zhan spoke, his baritone voice deep with emotion.

"You wanted to know what the three of us do here. I play Wangji, Wei Ying plays Chenqing and Lan Xi Chen plays Leibling. Then we lay them aside and pick these up once more. to honor our roots and those we have lost over the years."

He opened the box and his sisters gasped. The sun blazed, reflecting off of four magnificent swords, glinting beautifully, seductively, and dangerously as they nestled in the embrace of red brocade. Qinyang reached out and reverently touched each one with her fingertip.

"Subian."

"Shuoyou."

"Bichen."

Lan Zhan came over to kneel before Halo. He looked deeply into her eyes, crystal and copper meeting as equals should, whatever her fears and doubts. It was a look only twin souls could understand. Two halves coming together again.

"And this sword belonged to you, Yenay. Our Guardian. Do you remember him?"

Her hand trembled as reached out to feel her old friend, and he vibrated at her touch as he sensed his master coming back to him. A tear trickled down her silken, mahogany cheek."Baohu Zhe. Protector."

"Yes. The sword you carried since you became Lan. We want you to join us once more. Build up your strength. Sharpen your skills. Protect us all again. We miss you Yenay, and we will not stop until you are healthy and trust the abilities that lie dormant within you.

We practice our skills when we come to this ancient place. Will you be willing to take up your sword and seek your true self again?"

The question rang through the Virginia forest, and the Geniuses of Gusu held their breath as they waited for her response.."