Author's Notes: Here is chapter 7. Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you think.

Chapter 7

Galen was sure that her head was going to just unscrew and fall right off. She kept spinning around, looking everywhere at once. This place was nothing like Murdock at all. There were people from every land here, bringing new fashions in dress and new items for market all the time. So it was all common place…if you were used to such sights. And Rhane most certainly was not.

He was glad he still held the reins to her horse. She would be hopelessly lost in this unfamiliar territory. He promised himself that he would take her on a tour tomorrow, after they had rested. Besides, the festival wouldn't start until the full moon rose tomorrow night.

Already the decorations were going up on the buildings. Wreaths of pale pastel colored flowers, both fake and genuine, hung on doors and in shop windows. Glittering silver streamers fluttered in the breeze on lamp posts. Costume vendors were having a hay-day with sales. The feel of the city in general was relaxed and excited.

"So what's this festival about?" Rhane asked.

"The Festival of the Moon belongs to the Elves. The moon stays completely full for the next eight days, longer than it would at any point in the year. I'm not too sure on the details, but it's an old tradition." He stated over his shoulder.

"Why is it celebrated here then?"

"Well, Adamie is also known as the Crossroads. A corner of every land touches here. So the population is mixed of every race. There are some elves that chose to be here rather than in the forest they call home." He explained.

"Oh." It made sense now. This was a lot to take in. She was just trying to keep up at this point. If she missed anything, he could fill her in again later.

Two silver haired boys ran out in front of her horse, silver streamers flying from their fingers. Her horse tried to rear up at the sudden movement. They laughed and waved their arms, spooking the animal even more.

"Kaden! Dallas!" an elven man snapped at the two boys and they ran to obey the summons. They looked sheepish only for a moment before they were off again.

Galen quickly calmed her horse. He waved to the elf and continued on. They skirted the edges of a lively market. The scent of spices and other flavors drifted over the heads of all the people there. The chatter of voices in different languages was so confusing to anyone not used to it. The press of people was thicker on these streets, so it took a few extra moments to finally get around it.

After that it was a hop, skip, and a jump over a few more streets and they had reached the center of the city. It was a large square, and the three largest buildings took up most of the space on three sides of it. There was a statue fountain in the direct center that some children stood by and tossed coins in for good luck. They had entered the area from the south, and the only other roads were at the four corners.

"There." Galen pointed to the six story building north of them, opposite of the square. "That is the headquarters of the Sages."

"Finally." Rhane muttered. Galen laughed.

When they reached the stairs that led to the front doors of the building, they were met by a stable boy. He took their horses for them and led them around to the back, where the stable was located. Galen motioned to her and they began to mount the stairs. Massive columns rose up at the top of the stairs, framing the two story tall doors that stood open to receive them. Calmly, Galen put a hand out behind her and guided her inside, where she gawked at all the sights. They entered the marble foyer, and from there passed on to a cave like room that was completely filled with books.

People scurried about, wearing robes and mostly with their faces hidden by books. There was a large wooden desk with other robed figures behind it, sorting through papers and creating stacks of books. Comfortable writing desks were setup around windows and other spots with perfect lighting. The whole place was unearthly quiet considering the amount of work being done, and the noise from outside. There were five sweeping staircases that lead to the other floors.

"You'll learn to hate those stairs." Galen muttered to her. She looked dubiously at them, deciding they didn't look as easy to climb as first glance thought they would be.

"My Lord!" a voice called.

Galen raised his other hand in a greeting, and with a bit of pressure on her back, moved towards the farther set of stairs.

A tall man was descending to meet them. His light skin testified to spending most of his time indoors. His short hair was a grayish blue color, tucked behind his pointed ears, and matched the color of his eyes. His grey and blue robes swept around him as he walked. He smiled when he reached them and took one of Rhane's hands in his own.

"Welcome, miss, to Adamie." He said as he gave her a bow. "I trust this brute hasn't been too much for you to travel with?"

Galen looked like he took offense to that and started to say something.

"Oh, he's been trouble all right." Rhane smirked. "Having some kind of a fit all night once, always pushing to get as far as we can in one day. Not a gentleman at all."

The dark look on Galen's face was priceless. The Sage laughed as he straightened. "Ah, my Prince, it has been a long time since last we met."

Now it was Rhane's turn to give the man a funny look. She mouthed 'prince' as she turned her gaze to Galen. He didn't look too thrilled at the man's antics.

"I swear, Zakath Zarek, you're going to get it someday." Galen had crossed his arms. She caught sight of hands that had turned into claws.

"You've always said that." Zakath shrugged and turned back to the stairs, motioning for them to follow. "Of course, your sister has promised that too." He paused as they started their climb. "I think," he started slowly, "that the conversation we're about to have is best left to private quarters."

Galen didn't relax in the slightest, but nodded with a grim look on his face. "It's happening, isn't it?"

Zakath didn't answer until they had ascended to the third floor. The climb had left Rhane breathless, but Galen looked like he hadn't fared much better. She reckoned that he had been right about not liking the stairs. At least going down would be easier.

He led them to an ornately carved wooden door, and ushered them into the room. It was elaborately decorated, both with book shelves and shelves with many items from all over the world on them. There were soft rugs covering the stone floor. A table took up the center of the room, surrounded by several high backed chairs. Cloth hangings covered the stone walls.

He took them through another door into a room that was only slightly smaller than the first. There was a divan pushed underneath a bank of windows. Several stuffed chairs sat in front of a heavy desk that was covered with books and papers. Zakath sat at the only chair behind the desk. Galen took one in front of it. After a second of hesitation, Rhane sat in another chair.

"You are correct in that something is happening. What exactly is, I'm not yet too sure on." Zakath rifled through a few papers, then handed one to Galen. "The latest report I've been sent. The total disappearances have breeched two hundred now."

Galen drew a breath in as a hiss as he scanned the page several times. "What is the cause of this?"

"Disappearances?" Rhane asked.

"You were almost one of them." Galen waved her quiet. "Why?" His attention was back on Zakath.

The sage sighed. "I can only assume for one reason, and it's not a good situation."

Galen still looked confused, but a rather large yawn broke his thoughts up. "Oh, Shealyn asked me to ask you what you knew about someone named Vipin." He yawned again.

Zakath paled. "Vipin? Why?"

Galen blinked. "You hadn't heard that yet? Nero is missing. They were attacked in the palace. Nero managed to catch a scrap of paper and left that name for her. She and Rathjay can't find anything about it."

"Nero is…oh dear." Zakath grabbed a book and began to look through it. "You're both tired. There are rooms on the fourth floor that are prepared for you. I'll show you the way and have a meal brought up." He closed the book and stood. "I must do more research before we continue."

Galen accepted the answer and stood. Rhane rose and followed behind the other two. They went up another set of stairs onto a floor that was divided into hallways from the central room the stairs entered. Doors were lined up on each side of the halls. Zakath went down the second hall on the left and opened the last door on the left.

"Here, one for each of you, complete with your own bath spaces. Your belongings from the horses were brought up already, but feel free to switch rooms to your liking." He bowed to them. "I will leave you until after dinner this evening."

"Thanks Zakath." Galen returned the bow. The sage nodded and went back to his own business. Galen went into the first room and looked around. He let out a whistle of approval. "I've stayed here before, but each time I'm still amazed by the richness of these rooms." It was a common room that was richly decorated in rugs and couches for lounging. Several bookshelves and two tables were scattered around the room. The whole back wall was a window that overlooked the busy square below.

"He called you Prince." Rhane stated, not yet curious about her surroundings. "Why?"

"Eh." Galen shrugged. "Because that's what I am." He didn't seem to be too concerned about it.

"You never said anything." She accused as she sank down onto a couch. Oh, but it felt so wonderful and soft.

"And you never asked about it." And with that the subject was dismissed. He opened the door to the bedroom on the right. "Your things are in this room, but we can switch if you want."

"Does it really matter?" she raised an eyebrow.

Again, with the shrug, but this time the movement was accompanied with a few cracks and pops as he rolled his neck. "No. Just thought I would offer."

Galen dismissed any further conversations as he moved into the other bedroom, the door closing behind him. Now beginning to feel the first stages of her curiosity, Rhane went to investigate her own room. Somehow, she didn't think the room would be any less grand than the room she was leaving.

The thick carpeting turned from cream to a royal blue that nearly matched the blue of Galen's eyes. The wood that made up the furniture was stained in a color that glinted gold in the light from the windows. Soft velvets lined the cushioned chairs and the large bed was draped in lightly colored silks. The whole room was dressed in a richness she had never before experienced. Only the rich and nobility got this stuff.

Rhane spotted her pack sitting on a chest at the foot of the bed. She started for it, then remembered something being mentioned of a private bath for the rooms. She turned and found another door, slightly ajar. Pushing it open, she found a large stone pool set into the far corner of the room. Two ropes dangled from the ceiling, one with a red ribbon, the other with a blue. There was a sink and several cabinets lined up against the other wall, and a closest with fresh towels and washcloths in another corner.

She pulled the rope with the red ribbon and steaming water began to issue from a tap set into the edge of the stone pool. A tug on the blue beribboned rope cooled the temperature slightly. With a small smile gracing her lips, Rhane settled into to wash the cares of the sudden journey away.

*****

Galen was lounging on a plush sofa, talking softly with Zakath when Rhane entered the room. A nap in the warm bed after the wonderful bath had done wonders for her. She stood just in the doorway to her room, watching the discussion between the two. A tray of food was set on a nearby table and Galen was working on the plate settled on his lap. Rhane moved to get her own plate was the delicious smelling food.

"That's what he's doing, isn't it?" Galen mused. "Vipin is behind the disappearances, and he's using those victims to turn her into his puppet. But since he has no physical form, he's twisted Nero's power and taken control of him."

"That's what I've discovered." Zakath nodded. "There is only one solution that I can think of to stop him. You must restore the other Elemental Lords and find the Elemental Queen. She is the only one with the power to stop Vipin."

"I think I've already found her." Galen began to restlessly tear the delicate pastry in his fingers to small pieces.

Zakath raised an eyebrow. "The girl?"

Galen nodded. "I stopped in Murdock for the night. She mentioned that there had been a disappearance a few months before: her friend. A big storm came through and I sensed a darker power. She was attacked; the next target. I stopped the hound beast from getting her, but I used my ruby. There was a second creature that jumped at us from the roof. She grabbed my ruby and used the dragon tongue. She used my magic. She didn't remember it, or what she had said. I spoke to her with the tongue, but she didn't understand."

Zakath hummed and sat back further in his chair, fingers steepled before his face. He was silent for several long moments. "There is…there is one way to prove your guess."

"What do you suggest?" Galen looked curious.

"The other Lords will need to be summoned in any case. The Queen's tower isn't very far from here. We could have her use the crystal. If it works, she is the Queen. If not, you'd still be able to get the message out to the others to gather here."

"And do I get a say in what I want to do or not do here?" Rhane asked archly. She had folded her arms over her chest, her pose completely indignant.

Galen blinked at her, fingers forgetting the pastry that was now in crumbs. Zakath shook his head, recovering faster than his friend.

"Of course you have a say. There is always a choice in every situation, even when there seems to be none. But wouldn't you like to know the truth?" he asked.

"I don't even understand half the stuff he's talking about. It all just sounds like a tale to me." She retorted. Galen rolled his eyes and gave Zakath a look. Zakath laughed and motioned for her to take a seat with her plate.

"So he tried to explain it all then?" He continued at her nod. "Perhaps a better account would be more useful for you. We may be complete strangers to you yet, but we can be trusted. The story I'm going to tell you has information that I gathered and pieced together myself. I will explain the situation to you, and what you do afterwards is your choice. All you need to do now is listen to me."

"Please Rhane. Your choice is vital to the future of all races." Galen pleaded.

She frowned for a moment. "All right. I'll listen."

Galen gave a sigh of relief. Zakath bowed his head. "It is a sad tale that I will tell you, but one that can hold the answers to the problems we have now." And so he began.

*****

A/N: Again, thanks for reading and please review. ~Dete