"The painting!" I jerked up, then turned to him. "I can't believe I forgot about it."

He looked confused.

"The Gaeln, when they come to help, they fight with the humans, with artisans." I jumped onto my feet.

He looked at me derisively. "Okay . . . I still don't get why you're-"

"Will you come with me?" I asked suddenly, looking down at him and biting into my lip.

Hs blue eyes were scrunched at me like I'd gone loony, but he glanced around the room and leaned up anyways.

"Ah . . . yeah."

I smiled at him, then grabbed and pulled his hands up to lead him up to the study. When we passed by it he pointed back hesitantly.

"That was-"

"I know."

He pursed his lips.

I marched on past the doors, stopping when I'd counted down to the one with the burn mark, the one that I'd seen the painting in all those nights ago.

"Evelyn, what's making you so determined about this stuff?" he asked, grabbing my hand before I could reach the knob. "I mean, it's a book, and it could be true, but . . ." He looked more interested than skeptical.

I thought about the question. It was a good one, why was I so sure that there was something to this? And how could I possible think that I might know the answer that could help everyone? . . .

"I don't know," I got out, head shaking. "I just have a feeling."

He gave me an odd look then, something I couldn't read, but it made me feel anxious.

When he released my hand I opened the door carefully. Dust burst up into the air around us. The whole room was like that. It must have just been too dark to see it that first night . . . not that it was really much lighter now.

I coughed once, then we both started into the darkness.

He gestured to my hand after a second.

"Ah, no," I answered. "You do it." I'm not too capable of the whole magic thing right now.

I left this part out.

He perplexed once, then put his hand out ahead, lighting the room instantly in a vibrant blue. I followed him as he stepped out in front.

"What is this? Storage?"

I shrugged. "I don't really know, I just wondered in here once."

"Snooping?" He guessed, eyeing me.

I winced innocently, but then I saw the backside of the canvas. It was lying just where I'd left it.

I hurried over, dropping down. As I picked up the edge, Ikovos leaned in beside me, bending onto his feet. The blue off his hand lit the rectangular sheet clearly, much better than the small torch I'd used last time.

Taken in at once it was rather jaw-dropping, though literally, just as I remembered. Meoden on the left, in the dark . . . crawling over rocks and jagged ice peaks. Then, on the other side, a myriad of white creatures, and humans holding colored swords or glowing orbs of fire. Clouds stretched across the top of the painting: light on the left side, then growing darker to the right, the middle held a clashing swirl of both.

I shook my head at it, finally comprehending the whole scene.

"Artisans, see?" I pointed to one of the cream creatures. It held a large golden sword. "And they're the Gaeln."

Ikovos studied it tentatively. I could see I was at least starting to get him to consider the possibility.

"Where do these paintings come from? Do you know?"

His head shook, glowing hand moving across it.

Great, this was my only lead. If Ikovos doesn't know then who- . . .

"Do you know where Master Thoran is, Ikovos?"

"I think he's here at the lodge for the night." He answered it absently. Then suddenly his features darkened and he turned to look at me. "Why?"

I bit my lip, looking across the painting.

I don't know quite yet.

I stood up my feet.

He matched me. "Evelyn, what are you thinking?"

"You can't deny that this is more than coincidental," I said, finally meeting his gaze and pointing down at the piece.

He regarded it, then narrowed at me.

"I'm just going to ask him what he knows, where this came from." His expression was severe, too severe. "Ikovos . . . it's just Thoran."

I shook my head not understanding and he moved closer.

"I keep getting the feeling that . . ." the mist off his hand grazed my arm, sending a chill shudder down it ". . . Promise me that you wouldn't go anywhere without telling me."

My head shook again. "Why would I-"

"Just promise," he repeated.

Silence and locked eyes.

"Yeah." I nodded. "I won't. I promise."

He lightened just slightly, then we both walked out of the room and past the study. From there we separated. He was going to his room to get some much deserved sleep.

I headed off determinedly to look for Thoran.

I checked in all the places I possibly thought he could be. The cafeteria, his room, that council chamber place that still gave me the creeps, the sickbay . . .

I didn't find him anywhere. And the worst part was that every time I headed somewhere new, I had to go back to the cafeteria first to discern the proper route.

I folded up the map Sophie had made me, slipping it back into my packet. I wish it had more than Jaden and Ikovos's rooms on there . . . I'll never learn my way around this place.

Finally I thought of the machine room in the basement, where Jaden had taken me before the meeting in the other dimension. I couldn't believe when I actually found the right staircase. I didn't like going down it alone though . . . a fact I knew had nothing to do with being afraid of the dark. When I reached the wood slatted door at the bottom I could already hear the mechanisms running on the other side. After taking a brave, breath I pushed through carefully.

It wasn't what I expected to see, though I suppose it was close to how it was the last time I was here. Working machinery and radiant lights were no shock, there were just a lot of men too. Over the past few days I'd felt so separated from all that was happening, and here a bunch of the Masters were right below me. I bet it had to do with the portal access. . . .

Someone rushed past me through the doorway and I was forced to move in. I felt awkward, but it seemed they were all too busy to notice me, or rather care that I was even in here. Off-hand I didn't see Thoran, but I kept ahead a bit further just to be sure. Eventually, my chest fell. The only possibilities were some doors off the main room and I didn't think I'd get away with checking them.

Before I could force myself to give up and leave, my attention was drawn by a large map hanging on the left wall beside the door I'd just come through. I'd seen a similar one in the library. It included the lodge, Sharadeen, Tiver, and more of the land for miles around. It also showed the order's territory in the Meoden realm, with every gateway between the two marked.

The only difference between this map and the one in the study were colored pins stabbed into different outposts and portal gates. Red and blue. I studied for a moment . . . My jaw tightened when I realized that the red signified the spaces the Meoden had taken over. The Masters had been leaving out even more than I had guessed. Barely a handful of posts left within the other dimension.

"Well," came a voice beside me. Thoran. He had a notebook in his hand and he was walking closer, "It's good to know the security of our plans is kept tight."

He eyed a few of the nearby men who'd been ignoring me, then turned his gaze to the map. I darkened, following it.

"It's gotten bad, huh?"

There was a long short pause.

"You certainly have a way of finding out information you're not supposed to," he finally said.

I pursed, then shook my head, turning fully to him. "I'm sorry. I didn't come for that. I came because . . ." I checked around ". . . I want to ask you about something."

He took a breath, obviously noticing my accentuated caution of the others, then nodded to our right. "Follow me."

I did as he said, walking beneath some very strange contraptions. We ended up in a room off the main area. It was fairly plain, a lone desk in the back, it looked almost like a business office. The front had a chair with a couch across from it. He gestured for me to pick one. I chose the chair, he took a seat opposite. No go sign from him . . . I guess he was just waiting.

"Right," I said, folding my hands together. Where to start, where to start . . . Book? Gaeln? No, painting. "Thoran, you know the storage rooms down the halls, the ones near Cornelius's study?"

I hardly think that's what he was expecting. He lifted his brows. "There's quite a few around there, yes."

I fidgeted my fingers, already beginning to shrink under his gaze. "Do you know where that stuff comes from?"

"Almost all of the items come from different places . . . some were here even before I was." His eyes zoomed in. "Is there something in particular you're referring to?"

I don't think I was doing a very good job of this.

"A painting," I answered finally.

His brows went into a slant. He looked incredibly confused now. "Considering that neither Cornelius nor I are collectors, I'd say it's been there for a while. . . . We don't get into those rooms often."

My chest dropped. "So there's no-"

"Way of telling, no."

I looked down, contemplating my next action. All routes were blocked. I either had to let it go or . . . my eyes hardened and I turned up.

"Thoran," I started, "are there any other factions other than the Meoden and the humans?" He stared for a moment. "Err, not factions, more like races."

As soon as I said this, I realized it was the real reason I had come to talk to him.

He looked down to the pad in his hand, dropping the pen into it. "I knew this painting thing was too easy. . . ." He sighed. "You're talking about the Gaeln right?"

My eyes widened immediately. "Yes. You know about them? Have you ever seen one? Are they real? Are-"

"Who told you about this?" he asked, giving me a quieting look. "Ikovos?"

My head shook back and forth. "No. I told him about it, but I found it out myself."

"From the painting?" he questioned, obviously attempting to show at least some interest.

"Err, no." I cleared my throat. "From a book."

His eyes flicked up. "A book?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "Adzamaruha gave it to me."

His brow narrowed further, though only for a moment. Then suddenly he seemed to lighten up considerably.

"Look, Evelyn . . . there's not much too these creatures besides old myths and legends. I don't mind if you'd like to study this in the future, but for now we need you helping here. I don't want you looking into it any further."

Whoa, that was quick. I couldn't just let it end there.

"But, Thoran, what if it could-"

"It's just a fairytale," he interrupted. "Now, you're a part of the order and I expect you to follow my instruction in this."

I held fast for a moment under his strong glare . . . but then looked down and nodded once.

After that a man came in calling Thoran to another matter. He dismissed me and I headed back upstairs a bit downtrodden. I just thought . . . Something had told me that this could help.

I ended up at the cafeteria, deciding to follow Thoran's advice and see if I could be of use to Sophie with the cooking. She'd returned early this morning. It was tough seeing her, she looked more troubled than any of the others let on. Or maybe I could just see it better with her.

I stayed through dinner so that she could get back to Thoran. I think for a meeting or something. All the cleanup was pretty much finished by nine. I waved goodbye to Nathan, who'd been the only one free to assist me tonight, as he disappeared out the door. I was in the kitchen. All I had to do was rinse a couple more dishes, then I was free . . . would be good to go see how Tanis was doing.

A knock behind me drew my head around. Ikovos was standing at the doorway with a slight grin.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey." I smiled.