"Ravagers!" I yelled, We had our backs to each other so we could watch our surroundings. Sigurd lifted his arm in front of him, made his hand into a fist. A chunk of earth in front of him lifted out of the ground, he shot it towards the ravager by the river. It missed crashing into the sea water with a hard splash. The ravager started to run towards Sigurd, the other two following its lead, both of them screeching as they ran towards the group of us. My skin crawled, I raised my sword in front of me, supporting the tip with my other bracer, waiting for the monster to get close enough. I reached inside me for everything I had, thinking 'Draco Flamma', a Dragons flame burst from my sword blasting the ravager in the face as I tried to shove my sword through its head, it moved to the side, my blade missing it. Bellator came up from behind me and kicked the creature in the chest sending it the ground. He swung his axe around, and brought it down chopping into the ravager's shoulder. Screaming it was clawing at Bellator with its only workable arm, I moved quickly swinging my own blade down, taking off its other arm, then swinging again, took off its burned head.

I could hear my father and Sigurd in battle with their own foes, I turned and ran to my father, Bellator towards Sigurd. I Jumped on the ravager's back as it was overtop of my father, he was trying to push it off of him, avoiding creatures teeth snapping at his face when it was close enough. Pulling out my dagger I stabbed it in the ribs multiple times, Then wrapping my arms around its waist I threw my body weight backwards, pulling it off of my father shoving it to the side. I started to get to my feet, the ravager pulled my dagger from its ribs tossing it to the side and growled at me. I was ready to swing my sword when my father stepped in, crushing his axe in the ravager's back. I swung my sword towards its neck, slicing into its fresh. It fell to the ground, dead. My father pulled his axe from its back, spun around looking behind him for anymore attackers.

Bellator and Sigurd were still battling the final ravager, Sigurd holding his spear ready to shove it through the ravager's chest as it ran towards them again, Bellator grabbed the back end of the spear and the two of them pushed it into the ravager together, piecing straight through its stomach. Bellator then came out from behind Sigurd, and cast an ice binding spell on the ravager, freezing it in place. Sigurd pulled his spear out, leaving a frozen black bloodied hole. Both of the men stepped back breathing heavy, Bellator bracing Sigurd so he didn't fall.

We gathered together, our backs towards each other once again and waited, watching the tree line for any more visitors.

An owl hooted and flew over top of us. I took it as a sign that things were fine for now.

Turning towards the others I asked out of breath, "Anyone hurt?"

My father reached up to his head, he had a gash on his forehead where the ravager had clawed him in the attack, and Sigurd had a long cut on his leg as well. They were black and looked as though they were already infected.

We walked over to the fire, I was about to place a dagger into the flames when a noise in the woods made us stop.

"Another ravager?" I asked outload, still holding my sword.

Watching the tree line, Bellator sent another beam of light above us, I studied the tree line waiting. Nothing was moving, no birds, no ground animals. I steadied my breathing listening for anything I could hear.

Bellator stepped beside me holding his bow tight, and an arrow pointing at the woods. "Step forward, or I release my arrow and you die."

I didn't see anything, at first anyways. Then the tree moved, or rather a woman who was hiding against the tree moved. She walked towards us. Her skin was the shade of olive, she was wearing dark leather across her chest, and dark leather leggings. She was barefoot and was armed with a long spear. Her hair was black and held back in a complex pattern of tight braids. Obviously she was using magic to hide herself, but she was no awakened. Her eyes were wide, and over sized. Her nose small and her lips thin. Her ears reached high and were pointed. An elf?

Elves were private folk. They had their own villages, magic. We did not trade or have relations with them, they thought themselves to be better then us.

"This forest was abandoned long ago by your kind." Her voice high-pitched but quiet. "You have brought evil here, Why?" She demanded.

Sigurd bowed his head, sitting beside the fire. "Dryadalis." He put his hand over his heart. "We came by request."

She looked at Sigurd surprised. "A Labethian. I thought you all left after the attacks. Why are you back? Come to steal more coral I see."

We stood silent listening, My father watching the woman, his hand on his axe.

"We haven't stolen anything." I said to her.

She looked at me and stepped closer, studying my face. "What is your name?" She asked me.

"Kaida. And these are my companions. Bellator, Treydon, and Sigurd." I told her.

"And who is this?" She asked, pointing to my chest.

I covered my chest with my hand. In a whisper I said, "Aadi."

She nodded but didn't react. "Why are you making a blood stone, Labethian?" She looked at Sigurd, asking sternly.

Sigurd pointed to me. "Balance is needed."

She looked back at me again, and nodded again.

She walked to the fire, looking down at my father who was trying to heal his wound on his forehead.

"Your wound will need purifying before it will close. Evil leaves its mark." She placed her hand over my fathers gash, closing her large eyes. Her hand gave off a light green glow. After removing it the wound was healing, but not fully closed. She repeated the same magic with Sigurd's leg.

"Close them with heat." She motioned to my blade. I walked over and replaced the blade into the flames again.

"Who are you?" I asked her. "Did you see the ravager's attack us?"

"I seen them." She stood and looked at us holding her spear. I used this moment as a distraction and placed the blade against my fathers head carefully not to burn the rest of his face, he growled in pain as the flesh seared closed.

Replacing the blade in the fire, then standing I asked, "Why hide in the shadows? Why didn't you fight?"

"I would have killed them if you failed, Kaida. Lucky for you, you did not." She paused for a second. "Your god would not have let you die." She pointed to my chest again.

"Valandria of the Dryadalis clan." She placed her hand on the opposite shoulder and bowed slightly, "Make your stone, then leave." She pointed to Sigurd's leg. "Close it." Bellator took the blade, kneeled beside Sigurd and pressed it against the long cut. He screamed passing out.

"He will be fine." My father said.

Turning back around to ask Valandria another question, I found she was gone.

"What do we make of that?" I asked shrugging. I found a fabric shirt and tore it into a couple of strips and wrapped it around my fathers wound.

Bellator sitting between me and Sigurd said, "I have only known elves to be involved in their own business."

My father nodded, "Yeah, they don't usually interfere with the likes of us to much."

"Well, you sleep for now, Bellator and I will keep watch and sleep when the sun comes up. Leave Sigurd there." I told him.

He agreed and went inside the enclosure, I could hear him thump down onto his furs with a groan.

Bellator was recasting our enchants, as it seemed they had failed the first time. After we were satisfied, we sat back on the log laid by the fire.

"We might not walk away with a couple of cuts next time. Those things are viscous. And how did they get through our enchants anyways? We should of been cloaked from them." I said.

He agreed, "Yeah, I don't know anything about ravager's other then what we have experienced, I thought they were a myth." He admitted. "We need to make sure we stay together, if they get one of us alone..." He didn't need to finish. I knew what could happen.

We covered Sigurd up with one of his furs, and made sure his wound was well dressed and cleaned, and sat quiet while we kept watch, eating some left over rabbit to keep us awake and alert.

There was no more trouble through out the night, and the sun was starting to rise above the eastern trees. My father clambered out from the enclosure, "Go to sleep. We have a lot to do, you can make the stone when you wake up." He said as he walked to a group of trees.

Sigurd sat up groggy and looked around confused. "We made it to the morning then." I laughed, "You're welcome, check that leg of your Sigurd, Make sure its well" Shaking my head I went to lay down and rest for as long as I could. Bellator joining me.

It didn't take long to fall asleep, the next thing I knew Bellator was shaking me awake. "Kaida, are you awake?"

"I am now, how long have we been asleep?" I asked him.

"All morning, most of the afternoon, the sun is still high. We have a few hours of light left." He told me.

Leaving the tent I found the camp empty. "Where are they?" I asked Bellator.

"Hunting for some meat, and Sigurd went to find herbs and tubers, whatever he could forage." he said.

"Good, I'm hungry. And my body is sore, we should find a fresh water river near by for a soak." I stretched "Refill our water."

"That's a good idea, I think we should leave tomorrow as well, head towards a village." He suggested.

"Think there are more elves around?" I asked.

"Yes. I think they will be watching now until we leave. It may not be a bad thing." He said.

I nodded. I pointed to some red berries. "Raspberries?"

"Yeah, Sigurd found these this morning." He told me, and passed them over to me.

My father and Sigurd came out of the woods as I was eating some of the berries. "Ahh, there you are." Said my father, he was carrying a couple of wild chickens.

"I broke up the coral this morning, Kaida." Sigurd said sitting beside me. He pulled a pouch off of his hip. "I'm sure we will have enough."

"What's next?" I asked.

"Tonight we will make the sacrifice. Two important memories, one from the giver, one from the user. We will merge your Damascus dagger with the coral. The blade will make the the blood stone strong, you can channel Aadi's magic through this weapon without exhausting yourself. It will live up to your standards of battle as well, no worries there, Kaida!" He smiled.

"What do you mean the giver?" I asked him.

"I am the giver of the stone." He smiled.

When nightfall came we got a large stone and placed the bits of coral with herbs spread over it, the dagger laying across the bed of coral and herbs. We added in the large sliver of wood from my post, and Sigurd's animal tooth. When everything was set we placed it on the fire.

Sigurd gave a sigh and took both of my hands. "The time we have spent together has been a treasure to me, Kaida. You and your family are the kindest, and fierce people I have ever found. I have much love for you all." He smiled.

I laughed a little, "Sigurd, We have love for you as well." I hugged him.

Sigurd pulled out the shivarins he had picked back in La Beth and placed them into a horned cup, filling it with warm water from a water pot, and passed the cup to me. "Drink." He instructed me.

Hesitantly I sipped from the cup, it tasted like a sweet mint mixed with grass. I hated it and made a face to match it. Sigurd chuckled, "Yeah, not the best."

Faceing the stone, sitting near the fire, Sigurd started to pray to Ota, his hands over the stone.

"Ota, adiuva nos hunc lapidem sanguineum. Da nobis potestatem quam indigemus. Statera quaerimus. Laus forti Ota."

Valandria stepped from the shadows, her hand raised showing she was there with no ill intent, "I am here to help." She said, kneeling on the opposite side of our fire.

Sigurd nodded smiling happily. "Thank you, Dryadalis. And thank you to your people." He bowed his head looking a little sad.

Sigurd pulled out a small dagger and a small wooden bowl, he motioned for my arm. I held it out to him, on the inside of my arm, he pressed the small dagger into my skin making a small cut. Squeezing my arm, the blood dripping into the bowl. He then held his own arm out, made a cut in his own flesh dripping his blood into the bowl as well.

Pouring the bowl of blood over the dagger, the wood, the tooth, and the coral, he turned and looked at me, "Virtutem meam lapidi sanguine do." The stone filled with materials burst into flame, red smoke lifting away from it making, the sounds of cracking and hissing coming from the smokey rock.

Sigurd's body was lifted off the ground, his head back staring at the sky. I stood and tried to reach for him, but I could feel my body being frozen, I was unable to move.

A misty white smoke was coming from my chest, streaming into the fire and smoke, Sigurd also had a misty smoke coming from his chest, red and thick.

It only lasted a moment, then it was over. The fire extinguished, revealing a bright red, Damascus steel broadsword laying on the stone. The red blade still displaying the steel's swirls, the edges sharp, it was glistening in the flames from the fire around the stone bed. It was magnificent.

I kneeled down catching my breath. My father grabbed my arm, "Kay, Are you good?" He asked me, Bellator beside him watching me.

I nodded, "A little dizzy, but I will be fine." I got to my feet.

Valandria was helping Sigurd to his feet as well. I was thankful to see he was ok.

"Sigurd, are you alright? What happened to you?" I asked.

Sigurd looked at me confused. He looked at Valandria, "Where am I?" He asked her.

"Safe, my friend." She took his arm, "Come, we are here to help." She picked up Sigurd's bag from beside him, then helping him to his feet.

"I am sorry, your friend is no long the same man, he has give you his power. All the he was is gone. That is the sacrifice needed for a bloodstone." She bowed her head to us, "He will have a new life, the Labethian's and the Dryadalis used to help each other before, we will help this Labethian now. Use the stone well."

She stood for a moment, then turned and left with Sigurd, guiding him towards the trees where two other elves were waiting for them.

"What? No!" I tried to go after my friend before they disappeared, My father holding my arm keeping me balanced and in place. "No, Sigurd!"

"Kaida, let him go." My father said quietly. "They will take care of him."

I could feel tears welling in my eyes. "Why didn't he tell us?" I asked, "What about Willow? He should of told me..."

"Would you have let him?" Bellator asked me.

I looked at him half angry. "Of course not." Except, would I have?

I promised Sigurd I would help him find peace from his powers, I would not have wanted him to forget himself though.

I kneeled down beside the fire, picking up the bright red stone sword. Aadi's words repeated in my mind. 'All he has to do it ask.'

"I should of known." I told Bellator and my father as I covered my gladiolus mark.

They said nothing.

"Goodbye, Sigurd." I whispered.

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