A/n Woot, actual stuff from me….though this chapter isn’t too great, but I needed something so that I could move on to the more juicy stuff next chapter. I promise you’ll like it R&R

Chapter 13: Returning

“KY!!” Ezh ran to the doorway, tackling the old man as he tried to step into the cottage.

“Careful now killer, you’ll hurt him.” Cara said as she stepped into the hallway from the kitchen with a dish rag and a plate that she was drying. Tina smiled at them from her place on the couch where she had been reading another one of Ky’s books.

Ky managed to unlatch Ezh from him and make his way into the cottage, followed by soon after by Crow. “Hello all.” A moment later Scyler came flying down the stares and into Crow’s arms.

“Where have you been! We’ve been going crazy around ere without you!” Scyler exclaimed after hugging Ky in turn.

“That’s a long story,” Ky said with a chuckle, and smiled as he watched Scyler’s face fall in disappointment, “Oh, but do not worry, dear one. I believe we have enough time to tell it.”

“Alright!” Ezh yelled in joy as he started running around. The two men made their way onto the dinning room where Cara greeted them heartily, but with a reprimand for leaving Tina and herself to baby-sit.

Ky laughed as he took up a chair and sat down, “Yes, do forgive me for that, but I knew you two would be quite capable, and it really was an urgent matter for that we had to deal with.”

“And what would that be?” Tina said as she made her way behind Crow, still with the book, with one finger keeping her place.

“Still curious as ever I see.” Ky said genially as his eyes followed Cara into the kitchen as she put away the plate she had been holding before turning back to Tina. “I see you’ve been helping yourself to my collection of books, how have you liked them?”

Tina’s eyes brighten, “They’re wonderful.”

“How many have you managed to get through ?” Ky inquired, remembering the library in the den with the mountain of books that hadn’t been returned to their proper place.

“This would be the only one I haven’t finished.” Tina said with an impish gleam in her eyes.

Ky had to have a double take. “All?” Tina simply nodded and watched in amusement as Ky leaned back in his chair an laughed out loud. “Seems I have underestimated the power of an adolescents inquisitiveness.” He tossed Crow a knowing glance that made Tina a wonder, but it was quickly forgotten when Scyler gracefully hoped over a hand full of obstacles to land hugging Crow around the neck.

“Tell us! Where have you been!” Scyler said, shaking Crow’s shoulder.

“Home, dear one, home.” Ky said, as his eyes showed his adoration for the very word.

Cara reappeared from the kitchen with conjecture in her eyes, “Home?”

“You mean Terthras right?” Tina asked.

“The very place.” Ky responded. “A place where no matter what province you re in, you are still home. On the very land you were born and as well as your ancestors, for all it’s the place our hearts secretly long for.” Ky said poetically with a knowing smile at Tina and Cara. He let them both contemplated this idea, well until Ezh got inpatient.

“Come ON old man! Enough with the sentimental hogwash. Get on with it!” Ezh said, practically leaping out of his chair.

Ky shook his head and blinked, as if being knocked out of a reverie and smiled, “Of course. A well the morning Crow and I left we received a message from His Highness that they were ready and waiting for the commencement of this war and the gathering of an army. I argued of course that he couldn’t expect to simply land where he pleased on Terthras and start building an army without there being some sort of Demon interference before the operation even had a chance to get off the ground.” He started saying.

“Of course, the boy had already thought of that problem, and stated that that was the very reason why he had contacted me that morning. To see if I could scout an area for a base of operations, preferably a still standing building that had enough rooms to accommodate himself and his comrades, and ready it for his arrival and the start of military functions. Easier said then done of course, but I agreed that I would have it at least done by the time he managed to make his way across the galaxies to this place.”

“Across the galazy? Where the Hell is this kid?” Cara asked.

“Well, see technically, Miorsa is in the same galaxy as Earth….” Ky explained. “Well, he’s traveling from a safe haven that was set up for Terthians, like Miorsa and Earth, when the war turned bad. Unfortunately its in another galaxy then this one….and add to the fact that Terthras is in another…well you get the idea.”

“Wow,” Cara mouthed to Tina, who chuckled. She had already known most of this information, everything except exactly how far away the prince was.

“So, moving on. After agreeing with this, I asked Crow to accompany me to Terthras for a quick scouting visit, in hopes of returning to later prepare it.” Ky continued. “Now, as you probably already know, all of Terthras is now ruled by the Demons, but their forces are quite spread out right now, considering all the other locations they have control over. So, we devised a way to land unseen by the few that are there, and pick a location that we ruled to be relatively safe from Demons.”

“And where would that be?” Scyler asked, still draped around Crow.

“The Province of Estruz, near the capital. Oddly, even though it is the province best suited for dark elements, the Demons have no interest in it. Maybe because it was so heavily destroyed, being the first place the attacked an all.” Ky mused for a moment before moving on. “The city of Dei-sy is in shambles and of no use to anyone in its state, and almost all of the surrounding villages and towns are just as charred and useless. We checked everything, sticking together at first to keep the Demons that wandered around at bay until our options started running low and we split up.”

“I followed the roads away from Dei-sy,” Crow started saying afterwards. “Since buildings commonly are built nearby, inns, pubs, farmhouse, ect. Yet everyday it seemed there’s was a new place that was as old an run down as the last. I checked one last road that ran east, towards the ocean. It was grown over, so I didn’t see at first, but it was apparent that no one had walked it in a long time. About 20 miles away I found a promising inn, and contacted Ky.”

“His speculations proved to be right once we got there, it was perfect, with a little touching up. It was an old inn that was on a side road, enough to fit the Prince and his marry band plus some.” Ky added.

“So when are you gonna go back?” Ezh asked with a regretful tone.

Ky smiled gently, “I don’t think I am, I have too much else to prepare for, so I’m sending someone else that I know and trust.”

“Really? Who? Surely your not sending Crow away again.” Scyler pouted.

“No, his day job is far more important.” Ky stated, and after a moment Scyler saw his point and blush.

“So who?” Cara asked, leaning on the table. Everyone’s ears prickled for the information, their curiosity spiked.

Ky shook his head, “I’m afraid there are too many possibilities, each with little chance of success, to be able to say for sure.”

“Aww,” the four of them sighed together and slumped back down in their seats.

Ky chuckled, “You’ll all have to try and be patient a little longer until I’ve narrowed it down a little.”

“I’m getting impatient with patience.” Cara muttered.

Tina laughed, “I don’t think you even know how to be patient to begin with, so that’s not much of a surprise.”

Cara flashed a look of death at Tina, which made most present chuckle. “Well, while we’re waiting for my dear old pops to decide, how about something to eat?” Ezh suggested. A few stomachs growled in concurrence and within fifteen minutes the stove and oven were cooking away as the rest of the dishes were being cleaned.

Lunch that day was the size of dinner, and all of the kids were full of stories to tell Ky and Crow, mostly involving the incidents that had happened during their absence. Tina usually made a point of just sitting back and letting everyone else tell their tales, for most of hers were dull or would be told eventually. Ky managed to get a few in, about their trip home, and their run in with a few not so kindly critters that made for exciting action tales that entranced Ezh, Scyler, and Cara.

It started getting late before they were all through with their tales, though the daylight was still prevalent in the sky. Scyler dragged Crow back to their the ship. Now that it was back on Miorsa Scyler was anxious to return to more familiar surroundings. Meanwhile Cara and Ezh occupied their time during the late afternoon puzzling over a game Ky had given them in Ezh‘s room. One of those where a person had to figure out how to move colored tile to a certain location, past several other different shaped tiles that had to be moved out of the way. Something that was challenging and frustrating enough to keep the two bent on solving the problem Ky laid out for them for hours.

Tina on the other hand was laying on the sofa downstairs reading of the few remaining books left, one containing a detailed account of the Terthian royal family and their roles in improving the common people‘s lives. Ky returned appeared beside her after giving Ezh and Cara the game and sat in a chair across form Tina without saying a word. Tina’s eyes flashed in his direction, but then she paid no other heed to his presence. She heard Ky clear his throat several times, as if in an attempt o get her attention or start up a conversation, but then never did. At length Tina get to a place where she could stop in her reading, a place where the dullness of the subject started to get to her.

She glance over at Ky, “So what is it?”

Ky looked over at her in surprise, for he had been staring off in the direction of the left corner of the ceiling. “What, my dear?” he said blinking.

Tina shrugged, “You’ve been trying to say something for the past twenty minutes, what is it?”

At first a puzzled expression crossed Ky’s face, until an impish grin replaced it, followed by a hearty laugh. “I should have known noticed something, with your attentive demeanor of yours.”

Tina placed the book open to the page she was on over the back of the sofa, with a sly smile on her face, “’Bout time somebody realized it, now what’s up?”

Ky stared off into the distance again, “Tina, it has come to my attention that we have yet to explore anything in your heritage as of yet.” He glanced back at her, “Cara, apparently being for such a prominent family caught my attention completely during the time you both have been here, in hopes of being the one given credit for reuniting her with whatever family she may have left.”

Tina shrugged, “Its not that big of a deal, I figured you’d get around to it eventually.”

“Well, you see I have, or rather did during my travels home. Problem is you see is that there are an infinite amount of orphaned children who were sent to Earth to live. And given the fact that your name could have been changed…well it may be very difficult to locate who your family was without DNA testing of every family whose daughter had gone missing.”

“I understand.” Tina said, though she wondered when exactly had Ky done any research on either her or Cara, considering she had never seen any machine capable of doing such a search to begin with.

He leaned back in his chair, “Alright, with that done with, I have one more thing to talk with you about.”

“And what could that be?”

“I realize how antsy you kids have been to do something, especially Cara and yourself considering you need to find out more about Terthias. Ezh has been eager too, for the wheels to start moving in a direction that he can be of some service, growing up as the son of a colonel and all. But I do not think he is ready yet to strike out on his own, despite his superior skills in manipulating the electric current that runs through him. He is not quick capable, though, of composing himself and his abundance of energy to direct it towards a centralized unselfish goal. Do you see what I mean?”

Tina nodded, she thought she had an idea of where this was headed. “So you plan on sending Cara and myself as a two-man team to this building you found, huh?”

“Not exactly, I need one of you here with me to help with the external preparations needed for the Prince’s arrival.” Ky said.

“Why can’t Ezh do that?”

Ky sighed with a smile, “Because, Ezh has a tendency to obey any authority figures, politically speaking, considering he’s been living freely here with me his entire life.”

Tina nodded, “I see. So who do you want to go?”

“I was hoping you’d except the responsibility, Tina.”

She had been expecting that, but she had wanted to be sure. The idea sounded intriguing to say the least, but could she really manage it?

“I don’t know Ky…” She started to say, until Ky cut her off.

“I realize it may seem sudden and a little frightening to go out to an unknown territory alone, but just know the I chose you because I have faith in your abilities.” Ky said genially.

Tina laughed, “I’m not scared, I had lived alone in that jungle of a city known as New York long enough to be able to fend for myself. No, my only qualm is whether I can handle doing whatever it is you want me to do while I’m out there. But if you have ‘faith in my abilities’” she shrugged, “I suppose I could give it a shot.”

She could hear her own doubt still prevalent in her voice, but it couldn’t be helped. Ky smiled reassuringly, “We have a week to prepare, we’re shipping out on the 7th.”