"Is it the dragonrider?" I asked.

"No, that is far into the future from here. No, I think it is one of the Helspawn that some of these herbs, when mixed, can summon. We must stay under cover of the wood, lest it land and consume."

We knelt down, the five of us, with our swords drawn. I held Majestrix close to me and opened my mind, trying to see above the trees. I opened my eyes to find myself floating above the treeline, and face to face with a giant worm with wings. It reared in the air and swung its tail at me. I stayed where I was and was surprised when the tail hit me. I was flung through the air several yards, and regained stability in time to see the thing diving at me. On its back was Ariak, holding on to reigns of fire. I thought myself on the ground, and was suddenly standing next to a very concerned Moonflame.

"You fool! You think that just because a madman thinks he's seeing a ghost and a rock doesn't hit you that you are invulnerable? No, a madman sees only what he can comprehend, but Helspawns are another thing completely. They can see you, and they can kill you. Now, describe it."

I told him what I had seen, and his mouth drew up into a grin.

"Oh ho. That little devil, Ariak. Very well, wormsteeds it is. Stand back, all of you. This is my battle and mine alone. I mean that, Hawklok. Stay here."

He climbed up the nearest tree, and with a few incantations, had his own wormsteed hovering in the air above him.

"Up, wormsteed, up to face your brother."

In the hands of Ariak had formed a lance of fire, and a similar instrument of blue lightning appeared in the hands of Moonflame. The two lances touched in the old tradition, and great flames and sparks were thrown in all directions. The two creatures backed up a hundred yards and then were urged into a flying charge onto the other. Together, the lances struck the wielder of the other, and both fell. The wormsteeds were quick to get underneath their respective masters and save them from a certain death. The lances were once again created, but this time no distance was given, and the attack was set at almost a hand-to-hand distance.

Almost simultaneously, the lances decreased in size to long swords of fire and lightning. Whenever they met, flames and sparks were cast, and it seemed impossible that the two could even see each other through the cosmic shower that followed.

Suddenly, a body fell from the sky, and the sword of lightning followed it. The body hit, and the sword impaled itself in it. The smell of roasting flesh was almost instantaneous. I ran to the body and, to my relief, saw that it was Ariak. I looked up to see Moonflame doing a victory dance in the air as he descended on the back of his flying worm. The other worm had died when its master had.

As Moonflame landed, his steed vanished back to the limbo that spawned it. He walked to where the body of what was once his friend had fallen. He was crying. He knelt over the sword and pulled it out and threw it into the brush where it disappeared. He pulled from his belt pouch a vial of red liquid and poured it into the eyes of Ariak. The drops were absorbed and the body dissolved as they were. Nothing remained but the stench of the burned body. Moonflame turned away and walked toward the dense forest. We followed at a distance, not really daring to confront our friend.

After another hour, we came across an overgrown path of some sort that was much easier to travel than the almost-jungle we had come through thus far. We followed it north until nightfall, then camped in the open. There were no eye stalks, so we set up a watch. Moonflame asked to take the first and last, and that left one apiece for the rest of us. I took the second and chose to keep Moonflame company during the first.

"You loved him, didn't you?" I asked.

"Yes, like a brother. He and I had been so close. But I also hated to see him like that, knowing that it just might have been my fault. This way, he shall not bother us, and he is in a better place. I hope that sometime in eternity he forgives me."

"You were right in what you did. He shall know that now. Now, tell me why we are here."

"We are here for knowledge. There used to be a race of inhumans that lived here in the days of the Old Gods. They were quite versed in the ways of magic and sorcery came naturally to them. I want to find their library. It is there that I hope to find the Words of Awakening. A nanorian stone would also work, but they are rare and difficult to find. Besides, I don't care to kill for no reason."

He stood then, and raised an arm to the sky in salute to the constellations. "Remember that the stars are the eyes of all the gods, Young, Old, and eternal. They take on their different shapes as they see fit. Take great care as to how you speak of them, and never curse them, for at that one time in your life, they will help, and possibly save, that body you love so much."

"Teach me some of the constellations," I said.

"They are many and varied, and the most important thing to learn is that they are constantly changing. There, do you see that bright one? That is known as the Great Eye. Some say that at the beginning of the universe, the Imaginer put out one of his eyes and placed it there to watch over all the sky. Others say that it is one of the eyes of the Watcher. You heard Ayriell speak of him. Just to the right of that, you have the tail of Moonflame the Stardragon. If you follow it down and then up again, it comes rather clearly, don't you think?"

I tried to follow what he was pointing out. I couldn't see it. I was becoming tired and rested my hand on the hilt of my sword. Suddenly, I could see clearly the constellations of the dragon, the dog, and the falcon, all in a kind of fantastic dance, and I thought I saw the dragon turn its head and stare at me. Then it winked at me and returned to its original position. I came out of my trance, and Moonflame was talking on.

"That is the serpent Zizzizzy. He wraps around all of the galaxy and holds it together. South of that is the last of the great constellations, the Hand of Sharmayn. It is said that when the Golden Ring falls onto the ring finger of the constellation, Sharmayn shall be freed and will love the one who frees her. They will be wed in a ceremony that will be the envy of even the Watcher, and the two will begin a new race of gods, the human gods, and they shall have their mother's power and their father's compassion, and the world will be a better place. Of course, it's all a story. Now, it is time for me to keep you company during your watch, eh?"

It was true, it was my watch, but I was in no shape to stand guard over anything. I sat down on the ground and Moonflame did likewise, though he floated just a little above it, so as not to dirty his clothing. I was dizzy, and I looked and saw in my mind's eye the ring descending onto the ring finger of the Hand of Sharmayn. It was not impossible, and it was true, not a story. I was seeing it take place.

I jerked my hand off of my sword, and then felt childish for having done so. A sword could not make one dream, even at night. No, it was just a fantasy, and nothing more.

Moonflame did not notice my "absence", and I did not think to tell him of my waking dream. Instead, he kept looking at the heavens, and the mystery and the promises they held. "Old memories,", he said, "are often confused with present-day dreams. They fold and warp into a formless mass of experience, and we see that as dreaming. But never mistake one for the other, for this life is just one of countless others before, and there are innumerable lives to come, each of which depends on the understandings of the ones before it. We are the Everlasting Warrior, always at battle. We must accept that fate and follow its course. If we do not follow that course, then the powers that were preordained for us to use become worthless. I have my strength in magic and sorcery, you have yours with your sword as well as the other objects Karnelian left you. You have used some of those powers already, though you did not realize it at the time. The sword, headband and necklace are all part of the same entity, the same boltstone. They communicate, relate, and aid when necessary. Karnelian came to me wanting the Words of Sentience, but I did not know them, so I gave him the Words of Existence instead."

Needless to say, I was lost in this chatter of old times and magic, for, though I had been an apprentice to a majiksmith, I had no natural ability for the craft and, therefore, spell-working came hard for me. This talk of the Words of Sentience and the Words of Existence meant nothing to me. They were just words.

"Do you understand the difference between existence and sentience? It is like the slow child who can do nothing for himself. He exists, but cannot be said to be truly sentient. His thoughts are primal: food, sleep, entertainment. All he thinks of is the moment and his desires and needs thereof. Karnelian said he needed the Words of Sentience to bestow thinking unto a sword. I thought him mad at the time, but he later proved to me his sanity. I told him then of Wullph. Wullph was the only being to ever own a living, thinking sword. That sword was named Chaos. It and Wullph disappeared soon after the Old Gods' attack on Castle Ravenclaw. You know of the Creation Wars, don't you? Good. Wullph was one of the products of that war. The Lords of Law needed a weapon they could use against the Lords of Entropy. They created Wullph out of the stuff of the Chaos pits, thinking that only chaos could effectively defeat Chaos. They thought themselves quite clever for having come to this conclusion. Instead, they were very stupid. They gave to Wullph the last stronghold of Law in this realm, Ravenclaw. He guarded it well for a while, then began to have his doubts about his loyalties. The Lords of Entropy forged for him and gave him the Chaos Armour and his sword, which he named Chaos. The Lords of Entropy thought themselves quite clever for having done this. They came to Ravenclaw to claim it as their own, but Wullph did not let them take it. The battle lasted some thirteen days, and the Lords of Entropy were forced back to their own realm to rest. The Lords of Law came to congratulate their loyal servant. They too came to claim Ravenclaw. Once again, Wullph defended his castle victoriously. The Lords of both sides were of course angered by the insolence of this foolish being, and for the first and last time, the Lords of Law and Entropy joined together to combat a common enemy. Together, the Lords created a sinister bird formed from the Chaos pits and the dreamstuff of Law. It was a giant raven with only one purpose, to destroy Wullph. The raven was sent to our plane on the eve of the twin moons' rising. On the night of the Rising, the bird descended on Castle Ravenclaw. But, unbeknownst to the High Lords, Wullph had gathered about him the greatest of the old warlocs. Combined with Wullph's already almost unmatchable powers, the wizards grew even stronger within the walls of Ravenclaw. As the bird came at them, they cast the spell that entrapped the bird. A cage of steel-hard glass encased the bird, and it fell from the sky into the Desert of Desolation. There, it was covered by the sands, to waste away to nothingness. The warlocs had died during the spell-casting, but their abilities and powers were locked into one great gem. The Old Gods knew of this, and destroyed the jewel, sending the shards into the ether, creating some of the stars and destroying one of the moons. However, some of those shards came back to earth, and where they landed arose great towers and fortresses to guard against all but the one to whom they should belong. Wullph left Ravenclaw in search of those gem-pieces, destroying the library and leaving no weapons in the castle so that the High Lords could never gain anything by retaking it. He disappeared then into the annals of time. No one has seen or heard of him since, though the people of the North believe that it is his sword that causes the strange lights in the sky at night, and there are the rumors in the far villages of a hooded man with a large sword for hire. But these are few and far between.

"It is for one of the shard-castles that we are travelling. I hope to reach it by nightfall tomorrow. Go, get some sleep."

I walked to my tent and as I laid down, I drifted off to sleep.

I was walking the stars. I could see the Stardragon on my left, and my left foot was standing on the Great Eye. I could see in the distance the head of the Serpent, and it seemed as though it were trying to eat its tail. Most clearly, however, I saw at my right hand, the Golden Ring. I reached out and grasped it. It pulled for a moment, then released and came easily into my grip. I looked down and right and saw the Hand of Sharmayn. I knelt and as I placed the ring onto Her finger, I awoke with a start from my sleep. I saw through the entrance to my tent that Moonflame was on watch. That meant that it was almost morning. I leaned back and tried to go back to sleep, but I could not; the memory of the dream kept me awake. What was it? What did it mean? I did not know.

Throughout the rest of the day, the implications of the dream haunted me like a forgotten nightmare. Besides the emotions released by the dream, the day was mostly uneventful. The suns were going down and night was falling quickly as we reached the tower.

It glinted in the failing light a deep, mystical blue of an unearthly quality. Its tall, reaching spires ran straight up for hundreds of feet, like fingers reaching for the stars. Its windows, merely patches of lighter blue, were rimmed with silver, and magic was a tangible thing around it.

Moonflame approached the gate of blue crystal with caution. As he stepped up to it, he was pushed head over heels down the stairs he had climbed. It was only quick spell-making that allowed him to float for a few moments before he slowly descended. As he touched down, the last of the light died, and Myshella, the Moon Goddess, took over the night watch for her brothers Laarey and Ri, the Sun Gods.

Moonflame decided it would be best if we spent the night there, outside the tower, instead of trying to find another way in without light. Myshella must have laughed.

The dream was the same, though clearer. I saw the Hand of Sharmayn, but I also saw Her arm, stretching off into the far ends of the universe. It was as if I was being permitted to see more of Her as the dream progressed. I was at her shoulder when I awoke in the brightness of the morning.

We breakfasted on rabbit that the brothers killed. An hour later, we started to walk around the tower. It was truly magnificent. They say that no architecture is better than that of the mountain-fortress of Karlok, but this gem-tower was certainly much greater than that. Its spires were many and reaching, and the reflection of the sunrise off its facets was incredible.

It was a fifteen minutes' walk around to the back of the tower. There we saw another entrance, quite similar to the entrance at the front, except there were no steps, simply a gate. Above the gate were letters inscribed in the gem-wall.

"It says 'I am your reverse ally. Speak my name correctly and fail, but speak it wrongly and die.' An interesting puzzle to say the least. This will take much thought."

I looked at Moonflame a long time after he said this before I spoke.

"You're actually going to try to open this gate? Are you mad?"

"Of course I am and of course I'm not. I am merely trying to gain easy access to that which has proven inaccessible elsewhere. Surely you are not frightened by ancient curses and superstition? Come now, friend Hawklok, there is nothing to be frightened of here but the thought of fear, for fear is the mind killer. Now, what would you think a 'reverse ally' would be?"

"An enemy, of course. Enemy, foe, opponent, a dozen words and more would fit, and only one will work. The rest will kill you."

"This is true... now. But in the old tongue of Elderon, the opposite of a word was made by reversing the lettering. In your tongue, this would be quite difficult, but in ours, where vowels and consonants were used interchangeably, it was very easy. My first thought was the same as yours, for I have learned to think in the new tongue as well as speak it. But I think that since this was written long before my peoples' time, I would believe that the old rules would apply here. Now, get back in case I'm wrong."

The four of us stood back, away from my friend and the wall promising destruction. Moonflame walked up to the gate majestically, in the style of his ancestors. He raised his arms, his fingers clinched in the now familiar but ever mysterious Artists' hold. He lifted his head to the sky as if in prayer to the suns; then in a voice almost inhuman, he spoke a word I could never repeat. It seemed that it flowed from his mouth.

A bright flash of blue light lit the tower and the forest around us. I felt sure that Moonflame had been killed, but when I regained my vision, I saw him standing there in the open gate, basking in the power of the blue light. He looked evil then. All of the magic and awesome power of his race and its glory seemed available for him to use at that point. Then the light faded, and all was as it should have been. Moonflame beckoned for us to follow as he almost ran through the gate.

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