"I was so scared."

I turned around at those words and looked at Zac. Mercith had gone and left us some time to ourselves after what had happened to me. I was tending the fire, being a good little housekeeper, trying to ignore my shaking hands. Zac was sitting on our bed, just watching my movements, almost hungrily, taking in everything I did, as if he was afraid I would disappear. I had been waiting for him to speak, and as it came I went over to him. I knew how much it took out of him to say that one thing, to admit it to himself, much less me.

"I know." I said as I knelt in front of him. For a few moments we just looked at each other. I could see the fear in his eyes, the remains of what had happened and the reality that it brought with it. I knew that the very same thing was reflected in my own eyes, but I wouldn't let it take me. I had to be strong, for if I fell, Zac would go with me, just as it worked the other way around. We were each others strength.

We reached for our other and held on tight. "I was just so afraid that I would lose you," he whispered into my long hair, his voice breaking slightly, and I felt his breath brush my ear. All I could do was hold him, and I never wanted to let go.

"I know." I nearly choked on the words. "I won't ever leave you. Not ever. I can't. I love you too much. I love you so much it hurts." Right then my world was him, and I was his. Nothing else mattered. It was only his breath against my hair, his heart fluttering with mine, his hand on my back, the smell of his hair, the fear and need in his body and my own and the words we said and felt.

"I love you too. That's why I am so afraid. You would never leave me, but something nearly took you today, and it was all I could do to keep you to me. What else might happen? What if I can't stop it?"

I withdrew slightly from him so I could look at his face. With one hand I brushed the wetness from his cheeks as well as a stray golden strand of hair. My hands were no longer shaking and he grabbed for them to hold between his own.

"But you stopped it this time, Zac. We don't even know that much yet, and the more we learn, the better our chances are of getting out of this alive. Together, I know we can do anything."

"Yeah, so Mercith says."

"That's not what I was talking about, and you know it."

"Yeah I know." For a moment he lapsed into thought and silence.

"Zac?" He turned back to me.

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared too."

He came back to me then, though he had never left and never willingly would. We were safe as long as we were together, and we would never truly be apart, for I was forever part of him and he was forever part of me.

In the dark outside the cave SoulFire stirred and looked toward the light of the fire and the people who were supposed to be tending it. They slept soundly, exhausted by the ordeals and running emotions of the day. They looked so peaceful and happy laying there together. It was hard to believe that the fate of the world lay in the hands of those two innocents.

Soulfire quickly gathered her legs under herself and got to her feet. She checked her wards once more and then set off into the night at a quick pace. It took her a long while to reach her destination, but she made it there in time and was greeted with warmth.

"Welcome, dear friend. I have been waiting for you." Mercith stepped from the shadows and, together, they two walked through the ring of trees. It was the same area that Melli and Zac had first arrived at.

"I'm sorry I could not speak with you sooner," Mercith continued as they walked, "I should have known that you would be the one to guide them. They will need you, and you will help them in ways no other ever could. It is a relief to me to know that you will be there." Mercith stopped and turned to the shimmering blackness that was his companion, sighing his regret. "If only I could travel the realms as you do. Yes, yes, I know. Such is forbidden to the likes of me. But that is why you are here isn't it? Melli has no such restrictions does she?" The dark eyes which looked back at him was his only answer, but he understood all the same. They continued walking.

"I see now. Melli shall open the way for both of them. That is why you chose her then. I should have known. Your way of teaching is in some ways much better than my own. She will never know will she? Ahh well, that is the right way of it. What we are going to do to those poor children. They deserve better than to have such a responsibility, than to wield such power, but they truly are our only hope." Mercith sighed his anguish and regret to the enchanted forest around him. The knowing being at his side provided what little comfort she could offer. She used her singular powers to cross some of the threads of time and show to him a little piece of one possible future: Melliandra reading contentedly in her room and Zac joyously playing his drums and singing onstage. Then Mercith knew that there was a little bit of a chance that those two would make it through and go back to a normal life, but it was only a chance, and even his companion recognized how slim that chance was.

"Catch!" Mercith threw my staff at me and I whipped around quickly to catch it, fumbling a bit. He cocked one eyebrow at me, "You are going to have to do better than that. I sincerely hope you fight better than your reactions indicate." Before I knew it Mercith's own staff came fast at me in a very different form of interception and before I even thought to duck, it stopped, centimeters from crashing into my chest. "Dear me, your defense is quite weak. Are you sure you've fought with one of these things before? Yes? Tsk tsk. Shame on whoever taught you."

I ground my teeth together and tried to ignore the sweat beading on my back. "I taught myself, mostly, thank you." He straightened and backed off a pace. He threw his arms up in the air in a careless manner. "So that's your problem! No proper teacher! No one ever taught you stance or anything did they? Ahh well, that is what I am here for . . . though considering your lack of training you have done quite well. Your natural stance is not bad at all . . . good balance mostly . . . ." He began to rub his chin, looking me up and down, measuring, determining what could be done.

"Come, attack me." He didn't even ready himself, but urged me forward anyway. I did as he asked, feinting a little bit and swinging at him, but I was afraid I would hurt him. That was always one of my fears, that I would truly hurt someone, whether I wanted to or not, and it showed in the way I fought. I had never before, in my life, swung at someone with the serious intent of hurting them.

Mercith blocked and countered everything I threw at him, and he laughed at me for it.

"You call that an attack? You aren't even trying to hurt me!"

"Oh forget this!" I said, throwing down the staff Kedrik had so lovingly carved for me. I made to stomp off, but Mercith's next words just got to me for some reason.

"Ahh you are angry, now. I think I can use that. Attack me. Pick up the staff. Come at me. Use your anger. Don't be afraid you will hurt me. Try your best. I wonder if you are even capable. You couldn't even scratch a mouse."

He was egging me on and I knew it. I also knew that I could very easily walk off, keeping all of my pride and sensibilies intact. It would have been simple to just keep walking, I was strong enough, but no, I wasn't in the mood for that. I turned around as fast as I could and, grabbing my staff, entered into the roughest workout of my life. Mercith's objective was to teach me how to use the staff well enough that I could well protect myself against the evil beings that were being summoned to the rift. I had no idea as to what exactly he was referring to, but I had a feeling that I didn't really want to know, and would find out anyway.

Meanwhile, Zac was happily doing nothing but whittling away at a few innocent saplings that never did anything to him and watching me. It somewhat irked me, but my on me consolation was that his training came after mine. I was glad that fighting with knives was not my chosen occupation. I could handle one well enough, probably better than most women my age back home, but something about the cold, sharp metal sent chills through me. I did not relish the idea of having one as my only lifeline. I willingly left that area of defense to Zac, even though I knew that at some time in the near future lessons with such a weapon would ensue. For now I was content to learn to fight with a staff, though maybe content was not a very good word for it. I never could steel myself to hurt anything, not once in my life did I hurt anything with an intent, and I was deathly afraid of having to do it. I knew it would come, but oh how I dreaded it. I was not made for bloodshed, but from the look of things, blood would be shed, and if I didn't take pains and steel myself, it would be my blood, or Zac's.