 clear enough.
	Darax simply stared at him, his face grave.  Master Elara, do ye confirm what he says?
	I cant confirm with absolute certainty, your Majesty, but I can say this.  What this man says, I believe.  I have seen too much not to take him at his word.  He believes it to be true, and Ive seen enough with my own eyes to say that I believe it myself.  I cannot say about your origins, but his information regarding the Demon Lord, and the danger it poses, I believe completely.
	High Augur? he asked, looking at the gray-clad Dwarf once more.
	The Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountains song is grim, me Dain.  He bids me to tell ye to believe the creatures words.  He also bids me say to ye that the choice ye must make must be without any guidance from Dumathointhat this is a matter of mortal concern, and it must be the heart and a mind of mortals to decide the path which ye take.  Dumathoin says that in this decision, ye will find no guidance from him.
	Darax looked at him for a long moment, sighed, then he reached down to pick up the ancient Axe of the Dwarven King.  Tarrin gestured at the axe laying on the dais, which the advisor who was still standing beside it seemed reluctant to even touch, and it flew through the air, past the startled Dwarf, and into Tarrins waiting paw.  Tarrin held it out to the Dain, allowed him to look at it, then he set it again over his shoulder and sent it back into the elsewhere.  The axe is mine, Darax, Tarrin told him with a steady look.  If, over the course of the next seven days, you prove worthy of it, I will give it to you.  But not before.  I wont dishonor everything that this axe represents by giving it to someone who doesnt deserve it.  This axe was wielded by the last of the Dwarven Kings, who used it while fighting on the streets of Mala Myrr against the Demons that were overrunning his city.  He died on those streets and laid where he had fallen for five thousand years, until I found him.  This axe, he said, hefting it, represents everything that the Duthak sacrificed in order to save Sennadar.  It does not belong in the hands of a man who will not fully appreciate what it is and what it represents.  When you prove you are that man, then I will gladly give to you this axe.
	Tarrins steely words caused quite a few dark mutterings, but the Dain seemed strangely impressed by Tarrins declaration, not angry.  Ye have brought me many things to consider, he stated.  I must also find a way to communicate with the Elara, to seek their wisdom to help me make me decision.  Can ye be of help to me in this, Elara? he asked, looking at Lorak.
	Not me personally, but we have one among us who can cast the proper spells to put you in communication with the King, your Majesty, Lorak replied.
	Aye, very well.  I will withdraw to consider yer warning, Lord Tarrin.  I offer ye the hospitality of the Iron Mountain until I be finished with my ponderings and have a decision to give to ye.  Master Elara, kindly make yerself immediately available to me chamberlain so we can arrange communications with yer King.
	As you wish, your Majesty, Lorak said with a bow.
	Chamberlain, find rooms for our guests, the best ye have, Darax commanded.  This audience is over.  Fare well all, and may the Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountain bless yer hearths and forges.
	Tarrin sighed slightly and folded his wings behind him as the Dwarves around them filed out, staring at him and the others as they passed.  Tarrin had the feeling that hed impressed upon Darax the gravity of the situation.  He also hoped that he had said what needed to be said to help Darax make the choice that Tarrin needed him to make.
	And that choice would be to fight.  This world would fall if the Dura did not help save it.

	No more evasions, Dolanna said sharply, standing in front of the door to the chamber he shared with Mist and the children, her arms held out to block that doorway.  The room was nice enough, if not for the fact that Tarrins head would hit the ceiling if he stood straight up, roomy and with comfortable furniture made of stone and padded with deep, soft cushions.  Mist was with Kimmie, and the children were with her, which left Tarrin alone in the room with the book of Wizard spells that Kimmie and the other Wizards had finished, a book he had been studying intently when Dolanna came into the room, a book he had been reading over and over to understand more than just the spells written on the page, but the language of the magic, the meaning of the words.  That was also the reason hed been taking lessons in Priest spells from Camara Talnot to learn more spells, but to try to comprehend the language of those spells.  Niami had always told him that understanding the why of something was often more important than the what.  He knew what was coming, he knew what hed be facing when he sought out the One and had to face that Demon Lord, and hed need every advantage he could get.  If he could comprehend the languages of the gods and of magic, it might be the advantage that would allow him to complete his plan.  But now Dolanna was here, and from the look of her, she wasnt going to let him get out of certain explanations now.
	And perhapsperhaps now was the time to give them.
	He closed his book calmly and laid it on the little table in front of the chair he was occupying, in his human form to keep from banging his head on the ceiling.  What evasions, Dolanna? he asked mildly.
	Do not be coy with me, dear one, I know you too well, she snapped at him.  What I have seen you do in the last three days says to me that there is much going on which you are trying to underplay.  I know your ways, dear one.  You have something planned, something you obviously intend to carry out by yourself, to protect the rest of us, some half-baked scheme which shall fall apart on you halfway through and cause you to carry it out by the seat of your breeches.  You will not do this to us this time.  We are here to help you, dear one.  You do not have to put us in a steel box and carry us under your arm.
	Tarrin chuckled ruefully.  I guess I do have a habit of doing that, he admitted.
	Now, you are going to explain to me several things, dear one, she said adamantly, sitting down on that little table, directly on his book, and putting her feet on top of his in some token act of keeping him from getting up.  The first of which is your admitting to me that you are not as injured as you would lead us to believe.
	He nodded.  Im fully recovered, he told her.  I have been for a couple of days now.
	That should not be possible, she challenged.
	It is.  It just required me to do something I really didnt want to do.
	What is that?
	I made a choice, he answered.
	I told you, no evasions, she said in a stony tone.  You will explain this to me now, dear one.
	He closed his eyes and bowed his head.  I would have thought that youd understand that if anyone would, Dolanna, he told her.  My power has always been locked away from me because I refused to accept it.  The sword is a symbol of that division, at first separated from me because of how I was brought back from the dead, and then it became a willing symbol after I rejected the power it gave to me after the shadow of Val brought it out.  When we came here, it seemed to get stronger and stronger, and granting me more and more power, but actually it was just me starting to rely on power that I had never wanted to touch.  Can you understand that?
	She was silent a long moment.  So the choice you made she raised an eyebrow at him.
	Was admitting what Ive become, he told her.   The instant I did that, the power the sword holds from me accelerated my healing.  It did in hours what would have taken rides.  My pretending to still be wounded just gives me a reason to waste time, at least for you all.  If they knew I was healed, theyd wonder why I wasnt going after the One immediately.
	We will come back to that, she told him.  I have noticed that all of my Sorcery works here, dear one, including things that just should not work, like Transmuting objects into living things.  That requires the breath of Ayise to grant life, but she cannot reach here.  How is this possible?
	That power is coming through along with Sorcery, he told her.  In a way, my presence here is allowing the Elder Gods of our world to break the strictures set forth by the God of Gods.  Theyre reaching into this world through me, and Im reaching back into Sennadar through the sword.
	But you said the sword is just a part of you, she said, switching to Sharadi.  Doesnt that mean that you are reaching back into Sennadar?
	I guess I am, but I cant control that, he told her.  The sword is a part of me, but its separate from me.  I dont control its power yet.
	When can you?  After all, you said you admitted what you are.
	For me to control the full power locked inside the sword, Id have to become what I was when I fought Val, he told her.  The sword is simply the power I possessed then.  But I cant become what I was, Dolanna, he explained.  When the Firestaff changed me, it transformed my mind along with my body.  The power in that sword is the power I possessed as a god, Dolanna.  My mortal mind cant even comprehend that power, let alone control it.  It will remain apart from me until the day I die, because if I tried to command that power, it would destroy me.
	It would not destroy you, dear one, she reasoned.  Its a part of you.
	So is Sorcery, he retorted.  And the ability of Sorcery to kill is well documented.
	She was silent a moment.  Isee, she said, nodding.  So, in a way, you are now an Avatar of the Elder Gods, she reasoned.
	Not really, he said.  I really dont understand how the sword is reaching back into Sennadar to touch the Weave.  I really dont understand it, he frowned.  If anything, I should be able to touch the Weave, not the sword, because Niami recreated my body when she brought me back, and she made certain, modifications, he said with a grunt.
	I have heard rumors, she chuckled.  Your ability to remain in human form
	He nodded.  She did that.  I guess you can call me an Ancient Were-cat now, like we were before the Breaking.  She did some other things too.
	Would it offend you to tell me? she asked with certain eagerness in her voice.
	She increased my power in Sorcery, he grunted.  Probably some kind of odd need to bring me up to Jasanas level.  No offense, Dolanna, but Niami seems to favor me over most other Sorcerers.  I think it offended her sensibilities that my daughter is a stronger Sorcerer than I am, so she cheated.  Ive never told anyone either of those things, and youd better keep it to yourself.
	Mothers preference for you is common knowledge, dear one, she told him.  The entirety of the katzh-dashi knows that you are the favorite of the Goddess.  That is why the order always defers to you.  Alexis and Jenna have even given you a title.  You are the Keeper of Keepers, the one who stands at the right hand of the Goddess, the favored of the suikun.
	Nonsense, Tarrin growled.  She did that, and back when I was on Sennadar, I could always feel her close to me, in a way I hadnt before.  I think she did something else to me that let her keep closer track of me.
	There are rumors, she said in a sudden whisper.  Rumors that the Goddess feelings for you go beyond the norm, even as a friend.  Some speculate that her love for you is much more than simply the love of a god for a follower.
	Tarrin blinked, then he paused a moment to consider her words.  I doubt it, he told her.  I know her better than most, at least as well as I can given Im only a mortal, and parts of her personality Ill never be able to understand.  I guess I can say that the face she presents to me never hinted at anything like that.  But, he said, frowning.  But what shes doing now might prove that Im wrong about that.
	How she is countering the exile?
	He nodded.  She shouldnt be doing it, shes risking getting on the bad side of the other Elder Gods over me.  I dont think shed do that for any other Sorcerer.  She promised me a long time ago that shed see to it I was happy after I recovered the Firestaff and destroyed Val.  Im sure shes only acting like this to uphold her promise, because Im certainly not happy here and having them exile me was never part of the deal, but even then, she shouldnt be doing it, and she knows she shouldnt be doing it.  He was quiet a long moment, recalling the way her behavior towards him had changed, how she had tried to change the way he thought of herwas it simply a silly rumor, or was there something to it?  It certainly wasnt unheard ofTKya, the Elder Goddess of the air and wind and weather, had fallen in love with a mortal, Dragor the Industrious, and had had a hand in his ascension to the ranks of the Younger Gods.  But no, he couldnt believe that Niami would think of him that way.  She had fought for him before, long before he had become close to her, going to great lengths for him.  He had to believe that what she was doing now was simply her outrage at how he had been treated, not a hint of something more.  No, Im positive that theyre baseless.
	I believe so as well, she nodded.  Mother sees you as a son, not in that way.
	He was quiet a long moment.  Nownow came what he had dreaded having to say.  He knew that it would come to this, because what was coming, what had to be done, it wasnt something that he could do alone.  Now, now he would find out just how far Dolanna was willing to go.
	Dolanna, he began.  You know whats out there.  And Im sure you know that Ive thought up a way to deal with it.  Its half the reason youre here.
	She nodded.  As I said, we would come back to that.  I must say, what you have planned in some way must involve me if you were willing to bring it up first.
	He chuckled.  You know me too well, old friend, he admitted.
	Yes, dear one, but its my knowledge of you that makes us such friends, she told him, putting her hand on his knee.  Now, explain to me what we must do.
	Im not sure I want to go through with it, Dolanna, he said, then he sighed.  But I cant see any other way.  I dont want to do it.
	Do what, dear one?
	What must be done, he told her grimly.  That Demon Lord being here is my responsibility, Dolanna.  I failed to kill the One when we fought, and whats happening now is my direct responsibility.  Its my fault.  I have to face it, to stop it before it can destroy this world.
	Can you do it? she asked.
	He looked her right in the eyes.  No one on this world can do that, he told her.  But I do have a kind of idea about how I can shackle the Demon Lord and hobble him, which would give the mortals a chance to kill him.  It has a good chance of succeeding, but I absolutely will only have one chance to shackle the Demon Lord.
	Why is that, dear one?
	Because it will kill me, he told her bluntly.  And whats worse, its going to force me to sacrifice one of you.
	I dont understand, she said.
	Demons get their power like any other magician, Dolanna, he told her.  They were stopped from using them in the Blood War when the Goddess used the Weave to deny them their magic.  All I have to do is what I was born to do, Dolanna.  I just need to form a Weave here large enough to bring the area around Pyros under my control, an area where the Demons cant use their magic, then seal the borders with a Ward that will trap them inside.  If I get enough of them inside it, I can immobilize the majority of the Demon Lords forces at Pyros, which will give the mortals enough time to kill off those outside the Ward, then march into it and destroy the Demons inside.  If I can deny the Demon Lord his power, he can be killed just like any other Demon.
	But how will this kill you?  I have seen you do such things before.
	Even I have my limits, Dolanna, he told her.  What Id be doing would have nothing to do with my divine power.  It would be nothing but pure Sorcery.  And even a suikun can be killed by the power of Sorcery if he reaches beyond the physical limits of his body, it would drain me to the point where my body would die from lack of energy.  I can create the Weave and make the Ward, but it will kill me in the process.
	She was quiet a long moment.  And you would need me within your creation, she reasoned.  To sustain it if you are right, and it did in fact kill you.  I would need to be there to take your place.  Even a creation such as what youre describing would follow the same rules as the Weave at homeand the first rule is that the Weave cannot exist without Sorcerers.  If I was not there, it would unravel upon your death, evaporate like smoke.  Which would cause it to come to naught.
	And now you understand why its a last resort, he told her.  I have another option, thats going to be just as deadly, but has a much slimmer chance of success.
	Explain, dear one.
	The Elder God of this world is either sleeping, or he doesnt care, or hes dead, he explained.  I can sense something of him in the All of this world, but its too faint to tell which it isor if hes actually dead.  Whichever it is, it wouldnt really matter.  I can reach into the All of this world and use it to do the exact same thing I could do with Sorcery.  After all, nothing is impossible using Druidic magic, because its literally nothing but a mortal tapping into the power of the Elder God that created the universe.  I could reach into the All and make this entire universe block the magic of the Demons, but itll kill me.  And it would all hinge on whether or not I could get the spell off before I die.  If I do, every single Demon in this world will lose his power, and we win.  If I fail, then our last hope is gone.
	That would be too much a gamble, dear one, she told him.  The idea of trapping the Demons within a Ward is a much wiser decision.  And despite what you think, I seriously doubt that it would kill you, she scoffed.  Your power is such that you could affect such a large area, dear one.  After you completed it, all you would need do is wrap yourself in a Ward that stops Demons and simply remain inside your creation, and there is nothing they could do.  The only wild card is if your power can affect the Demon Lord.  After all, dear one, they do possess certain divine abilities that transcend normal magic.  Just as you can use your powers here without a Weave, this Demon Lord should be able to use his powers inside your Ward.  What we need to do is come up with some way of preventing the Demon Lord from disrupting your Ward after youve created it.  The first
	Her eyes widened, and she clutched her shaeram in her hand.  There is a way, she said.  It would require us invoking the power of the Goddess through your sword, using Sorcery.  If your presence here allows our Elder Gods to reach into this world, we must call upon them to protect us from the godlike abilities of the Demon Lord.  They can reach into this world through the sword, through you, and shield us from that power.
	Us?
	Us, she affirmed.  Youre right, dear one, in needing me.  If you in some way fail, I must be there to take over, to prevent it from all coming apart.  But I doubt that it would come to that.  All we need to do, dear one, is create a little piece of Sennadar here on Pyrosia, where the usual rules break down, and allow our Elder Gods to reach across the dimensions and assert their power in this material plane.  And you know what the one thing is that separates Sennadar from other worlds.
	The Weave.
	The Weave, she nodded.  Create a new Weave, one linked back to the Goddess through the sword, and you have just shifted the very fabric of Sennadar into a different material plane.  That link will let our gods reach out and protect us so long as we remain within its boundaries.  If Sorcery is allowing them to reach into this world, all we need to do is create a Weave rather than just a spell.  Infuse a portion of this land with the power of the Weave, and we give this entire world hope against the Demon Lord.
	I think it just might work, Dolanna, he said.  The Demon Lord has the same problem against me that the One didhe cant use his full power against me.  He can only throw what power at me that can manifest in the material world.  My soul is that of a gods, but my mind and body are still mortal.  And that protects me from it.  And on that level, with your power, my power, and what divine power I do still possess, it gives us a good chance to hold off the Demon Lord long enough for me to finish off the Oneif the Demon Lord even bothers to fight.  When he realizes that the One is what Im after, hell probably just step aside and let me have him.
	Probably doesnt sound very certain, Dolanna said speculatively.
	Since when does any of my plans not include grasping at straws? he asked her.
	She laughed.  Well said, she smiled.
	Well, what do you think? he asked.
	It leaves much to chance, but I cant deny the potential of your idea, dear one, she answered.  If we have the chance to neutralize the threat with one well-aimed strike, we should make the attempt.
	You know the danger, he told her seriously.  You know what it will cost us.
	That should not concern either of us in the slightest, my dear one, she told him.  I have been placing my life in your hands literally since the day we met.  I trust these hands, in ways that I dont think you will ever understand, she told him, reaching out and taking his human hands in her own.  I understand the danger, Tarrin.  I know the risks.  There is a very good chance that neither of us will survive it.  If you fail, it will kill you.  If what you create is too much for me, or the Demon Lord proves too much for us, then my life will be forfeit as well.  But do you know what?
	What?
	I dont care.  I would follow you into Hell, Tarrin, she told him, giving him a warm smile.  If that is the risk we have to take in order to save this world, then so be it.  Two lives are more than a fair trade for the lives of every living thing on this world, if it comes to that.  At the very least, we can do so much damage that it gives the others time to escape.  But I dont share your certainty, she said with a wink.  I have faith that we will prevail dear one.  I also believe that the Elder Gods will relent and allow you to return homeand we will be having tea on your front porch very soon.
	I pray youre right, old friend, he told her.
	In a way, it only seems fitting, dear one.  Many years ago, you and I and Faalken set out on a long journey.  And though Faalken has fallen along the path, you and I remain.  If what comes truly will be the end of that path, then isnt it only right that we face that together? she asked gently, touching his face.
	It seems so long ago, he said distantly, patting the hand on his cheek.  And Ive changed so much.  So have you.
	Only what is outside has changed, my dear one, she smiled, touching his chest, putting her hand over his heart.  What I saw here has never changed.
	So, you agree to trying it?
	Dont be silly, she smiled.  In seven days, we shall journey to Pyros.  I will be there to see you destroy the One, and together we will draw the fangs of the Demon Lord.  She made a face.  I do hope you have a plan for getting at the One through the Demon Lord?
	He snorted.  Stay away from him, keep focusing on the One, until the Demon Lord realizes that I have no interest in him, he answered.  Like I said, theres a very good chance hell just step aside.  It does him much more good for me to destroy the One, as far as hes concerned.  Id just be removing the last annoying obstacle in his plan.
	And if he does not?
	Then we just fight them both, he answered.  And if we cant kill the One, if the Demon Lord protects him and keeps me from getting to him, we seal them all inside the Ward, and turn to the Elder Gods to reach into this world and defend us from their power.  Ill put the power of the ten Elder Gods against the One and the Demon Lord, even if they are reaching across the planes.
	Then our first step is to contact Mother and arrange things with the Elder Gods.  If they wont help us, then this plan has no chance.
	He nodded.  I need to tell her to have the Elder Gods allow Phandebrass to open the gate anyway, he told her.  I was serious about that.  I hope that the Dain will decide to stay and fight, but I also dont want him to commit everyone to the cause.  Im hoping that he sends some people home.  Im also hoping that the Elara do the same.  They have to think about protecting their races from destruction.
	Hold a moment, dear one.  If we cant destroy the One, what about the souls of our brothers and sisters trapped on Auromar?
	Phandebrass would have to go there and open a gate to the Astral, he answered.   Just the way Niami originally wanted us to do it.  It would be easy for him with a Pegasus to fly him out there.  But if we can destroy the One, the souls of the katzh-dashi can escape into the Astral on their own, without any help from us at all.  All we have to do is break the Ones hold over Auromar, and we do that by destroying his icon.
	Yes.  Very well then, dear one, bring forth that bell that Sapphire supplied to us and call to Mother.  Lets make sure the Elder Gods will help us first.  If they will, let us sit down and plan out what we intend to do.  Afterward, Ill need you to share with me your knowledge of the land around Pyros, and the mountain.  We need to start planning our course of action.
	No time like the present, he said, calling forth his sword from the elsewhere.

	The DuraDuthak as far as he were concernedhad most definitely maintained their mannerisms that Tarrin had read about during his study of the Dwarves.  They were an industrious, serious lot with a near obsession for work, for craftsmanship, and for drink.  The Dura did play, but they played with a single-minded determination that almost made it seem like work, and their senses of humor were rather unusual.  They seemed like a dour, serious lot, but Tarrin could read into that scowling faade and see the vibrancy of the common Duras personality.
	One thing that Tarrin saw, that probably impressed him more than most other things, was the Dura concept of self-reliance.  There were no servants in the Dains palace in the traditional concept of a royal palace.  None.  Yes, there were maids and butlers, but they didnt wait on people.  The maids and butlers cleaned the rooms, but not personal chambers, only common areas.  The cooks made food.  The launderers did laundry.  And that was all they did.  There were no personal servants; only the Dain had personal servants in that regard, and even he only had servants who helped him with his schedule or relayed messages.  The Dain dressed himself just like any other Dwarf, he cleaned his own room, and basicly did all the things that any commoner Dura would do.  Every Dwarf took care of his own affairs, looked after himself, and personified the ideal that every Dwarf was responsible for his own well being.  If a Dwarf wanted food in his personal quarters, he went and got it.  If he needed laundry done, he took it down to the laundry himself, and picked it up.  Parents didnt even order childen to run errands, ingraining into them at a young age the idea that a Dwarf is responsible for his own affairs.
	That earthiness made Tarrin feel that the Dura were a people he could come to like.  Tarrin himself had a towering scorn for the idea of being waited on hand and foot, and he had finally come among people who understood how he felt and left him alone.  It pleased Mist and Kimmie as well, though Haley and Miranda certainly didnt seem very happy with the way the Dura did things.
	Over the course of that first day with the Dura, the Dain didnt come back to Tarrin to talk, for he was locked in his study with Lorak, and then with Neh as she was summoned to get him into contact with the Elara.  But Kang and Tsukatta were definitely very, very popular.  They ended up with Dain Daraxs command staff, led by a badly scarred Dwarf named Bragg, who only had one eye and a wicked scar running diagonally from his top right temple, over the black eye patch over his empty right eye socket, and cutting a deep furrow in the his cheek and upper lip.  The right side of the base of his nose was gone, as were all the front teeth in his upper jaw, which gave him a permanent sneer and a rather unpleasant visage to look upon.  Braggs face wasnt much to look at, but he was every bit the general that Kang was, and the two of them had immediately struck up a rather unusual friendship based on contentuous argument over military philosophy.  Kang and Bragg and Braggs generals pored over maps of the area around the Iron Mountain and argued about troop positioning in the face of the large army that was marching north from the mountains, an army containing Demons, and how to best go about defending against it, as Tsukatta made suggestions that got him embroiled into the planning and revealed the wandering warriors expertise in the arts of warfare, be them on a personal or army level.  That army would get here before Tarrin and Dolanna left, so the Dura would have to meet it and repel it, with the help of the newcomers.
	The Dura certainly had some opinions about the others.  Binter and Sisska and the other Vendari were so huge that the Dura had misgivings about approaching them, but after they started talking, they started warming to the level-headed Vendari.  They had no trouble at all accepting the Selani either, for they were the souls of courtesy.  But the Dura turned a cold shoulder to the Knights and the other humans, even the Shadows, probably because of the impact the One had had on their lives, and they really, really didnt like Miranda.  Mirandas cheeky disposition just seemed to rub the dour Dura the wrong way, and they certainly werent afraid to make their dislike of her known.  Sarraya too got the rough side of the Dura, reducing her to screaming in frustration and retreating to the sanctuary of Tarrins personal chamber.  Ariana was personable enough for the Dura to talk with her, but 