Max's shoulders sagged. "Once again, I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Afraid not, Max."

Max sighed, resigned to his fate. "Fine."

Together they headed for Moenia's west gate. Unlike the east gate, at least a dozen Protectors stood guard around it. Between the open gate doors paced the largest man Max had ever seen. He stood over six feet tall and his bulky frame easily supported the heavy plate armor he wore. The man spotted their approach, stopping to glare at them.

"A mangy cat, an acolyte and a kid. You three must be the ones Lord Avram sent me to babysit."

Max bristled. "Eve is not a mangy cat."

"All lacarnians are kid. You'll learn."

"She's been my closest friend since childhood, that isn't going to change."

Eve leaned against Max. "It's okay, Maxy. Muscles here has his own opinion." She smiled sweetly at the large man. "You know how little I care about those."

The man turned to Melody. "What's your story? It's already bad enough having the fur ball along, now I have to deal with one of the Children as well."

Melody crossed her arms, but smiled similarly to Eve. "The name's Melody. Max here helped me out of a bind a few days back. I have business in Calix, so I thought I would go along and return the favor."

The man shook his head. "I don't know why I agreed to this. You guys didn't even get here on time. Now we'll have to move faster today to make up for it."

Max offered a handshake. "Maxwell Laskaris. I can a.s.sure you we'll be able to keep up."

The man glanced down at Max's hand then back at Max. "Lysander Harris. Now move out."

Lysander turned and started down the road that would lead them to Calix. The others followed after him.

Melody let out a sigh. "Well, this going be fun."

Over the next couple of days they followed the road through the plains and villages. Max and Eve entertained Melody with stories of their adventures in Swift.w.a.ter as kids. She, in turn, told them more about the Children of the Immortals. Lysander separated himself from them, but always remained within close hearing distance. On the third night, while sitting around a small campfire, Melody talked about the garden in front of the church. Max thought back to the morning they had left.

"Hey, Melody, what did you mean when you said the garden liked Eve'?"

"To explain that, Max, I need to explain about our power. Every living thing is made of a spirit energy that you can't see: the trees, the flowers and even the tiniest of things that float in the air. It is the control of these spirits that gives the Children of Immortals their power. A power the Immortals themselves taught us. Hence, our order's name."

Max thought hard. "So, that barrier back in the cave, you formed that by controlling the spirits in the stuff that floats in the air?"

Melody nodded. "That's right. Different people have an affinity towards different living things. I work with the tiny insects and plant life found in the air. Others can control larger plants of different varieties."

"What can they do?"

"Some can strengthen the healing abilities found in plants used for salves. Others can increase a plant's growth rate, making it possible to harvest fruit and nuts sooner."

Max stared in amazement. "I've never even heard of this before. Mr. Penna never mentioned it, or the healer in our village."

Eve shook her head, just as fascinated as Max. "This is new to me too."

"It may be new to you, but as a lacarnian, you have the natural ability to control all plant life. That is why the flowers grew around you the way they did back in the garden. We've heard of a few Children of the Immortals having such ability, but not for ages."

Max studied his sheathed sword. "Can the spirits be used in a harmful way? I mean, I've trained to defend myself against people, not plants."

Melody nodded. "Yes they can, like anything else. For example, Eve wears the worst application of the spirits."

Both Max and Eve sat confused. "Huh?"

Lysander grunted from his seat several feet away. "The collars are only harmful for those that are in disobedience of the law."

A fire sparked in Melody's eyes. "What about the humans that use them to abuse the lacarna. You don't call that harmful?"

"Those that misuse the collars are dealt with appropriately."

Max looked back and forth between the two. "What are you talking about?"

Melody huffed. "The Controller Stones in the collars."

"Stones? I thought the spirits only inhabited living things."

"The stones aren't alive, Max, but something inside them is. Haven't you ever wondered how they shocked the wearer? Or did you even care?"

Max's brow furrowed. "Shock? What shock?"

Melody got to her feet, turning away from Max. "Here I thought when you rushed in to help me that you were different, Maxwell."

Eve jumped up. "Melody, he doesn't know about the collars!"

Melody faced Eve. "How could he not..."

"Because I'm the only lacarnian Max has ever known since he was little, and I've never worn my collar while at Swift.w.a.ter. The day we left was the first time Max even knew I had it." Eve shuffled her feet. "I told him it was the fashion in Moenia."

Melody eyes widened. "How could you go all those years without wearing your collar? Why didn't you tell Max the truth?"

Eve grabbed her tail. "I didn't know how to explain things to Max. Until Tyco arrived two years ago, the only Protector to ever bother to come to Swift.w.a.ter was Max's father." Eve shrugged her shoulders. "n.o.body cares about the rules out there, especially my parents."

The flame died out in Melody. "Then, who has your Controller Stone?"

"Mr. Penna had it for the trip over." Eve smiled. "Then, last night when he hugged Max, he slipped it into Max's pants pocket."

Max felt around in his pockets until his hand came across a small, smooth object. He pulled it out. The half-stone matched the color of the one in Eve's collar.

"What does it do?"

Lysander spoke again. "a.s.surance. It keeps a human alive in case the lacarnian he has taken in turns wild."

Melody stepped past Eve, taking the stone from Max's hand. "Half of the stone goes into the collar, the other half is held by the lacarnian's master. At the time of ownership, the lacarnian's master is taught to use the spirits in the stone to send a shock to the other half. The collar itself is designed to focus the shock into the neck of the lacarnian and prevent them from sending a shock back to their owner." Melody slammed the stone back into Max's hand. "I wish I knew who first showed the Protectors how to use the stone that way. I have a few choice words to give them."

Max blinked in disbelief. "Why would anyone want to shock someone?"

Lysander remained nonchalant. "Like I said, to keep the lacarna from turning on us humans."

Max stared at the stone. "I'd never want to do that to Eve." He held his hand out to Eve. "Why don't you carry it?"

She shook her head. "I can't. When both halves of the stone are held by the same person, the halves emit the shock and won't stop until they're separated again. Please keep it, Max. You and Mr. Penna are the only two besides mother that I trust to carry it."

Max studied Eve for a moment before closing his fingers around the stone. "Okay, but the next time you pounce on me, I'm using it."

Eve burst out laughing. "Deal."

Now Melody acted sheepish. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Max. I had no idea you'd never heard any of this before."

Max stuck the stone back into his pocket. "That's okay, I understand why you got so upset."

Lysander shook his head in disgust. "Kid, you have a lot to learn. This junk isn't going to fly inside the Protectors. What village did you grow up in again?"

"Swift.w.a.ter, on the other side of the dead lands."

Lysander snickered. "That explains it. You've been too sheltered to know what the lacarna are capable of."

Melody's eyes bore into Lysander. "Do you even know yourself, or do you only know the lies Lord Avram spreads among the Protectors?"

Lysander narrowed his eyes, but didn't respond.

"Why did you even accept this mission?"

"I needed a distraction." Lysander stood and began walking way.

Melody started to follow. "From what, torturing the lacarna in the city?"

"I believe in the law, to seeing the guilty punished, not torturing the innocent. Even if they are beasts.

"Then what?"

"If it will keep you quiet, I lost my daughter not long ago."

Melody stopped in tracks. "Oh."

Eve bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

Lysander paused and turned to take in Eve for the first time. "I don't need sympathy from a fur ball. Get to sleep, all of you."

They watched as he walked out of the light of their campfire.

The next morning, Lysander kept even more distance between them, only allowing them to draw near when they reached Calix. Standing outside of the entrance, they pushed their previous disagreements aside to ready themselves. This is where the mission really began.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

Lysander pointed at a small tavern not far inside the town. "We'll start there. Any and all gossip can be found at the local tavern in every town. We can also get food and drink to refresh ourselves."

Max immediately headed for the tavern. "Then let's go."

The weather-beaten tavern kept most of the elements out, but offered little else. The well-worn tables bore numerous carvings left by the many customers over the years. The chairs, strewn about in a haphazard fashion, gave an unnerving creak when sat upon. Lysander stopped in the center of the room.

"Okay, Maxwell, we will spread out. Just strike a conversation with people as they take a seat."

Max nodded. "Okay." He took a seat at one of the tables and faced the door.

Lysander shook his head. "Max, you need to be a little more casual about this or else you'll scare everyone away."

"Oh, sorry." Max changed to a seat where he could watch the rest of the tavern. Lysander and Melody sat at stools in front of the bar. Eve shot off to a table in the back corner where another young lacarnian girl sat.

Over the next couple of hours, people came and went. Several talked with either Melody or Lysander, but most left Max to himself. No one wanted to talk to a kid in a tavern, so he spent most of the time watching Melody and Lysander. After a while, that became boring, and he lost interest in the task at hand. His eyes wandered over to where Eve sat at the table in the corner. She had started a lively conversation with the other girl right from the start.

Max sighed, pulled out his father's box from his backpack and fiddled with it. A few minutes later, Max heard the door to the tavern open once again. He looked to see who he could drive off this time. The door closed behind...n.o.body? Max scanned the room, he recognized all of the faces in the tavern. None had left.

Strange, maybe the boredom is getting to me.

Max couldn't put aside the feeling, though, that someone had opened the door. He stood and walked towards it. Drawing near, his heart began to race. He threw open the door and stepped outside.

The street flowed with people, their feet stirring up dust from the dry ground. Max sniffed at the air. He had smelt something out of place: the scent of wildflowers. He turned to his right and the scent got a little stronger. Not far up the street, he glimpsed a purple parasol so dark it was almost black, before it disappeared in the crowd. Max knew without a doubt that it was the owner of the parasol that had opened the door. He hurried after it.

Max had a difficult time keeping the parasol in sight as he navigated the crowed street. It appeared and disappeared several times during his pursuit, always the same distance ahead of him. When he could not see the parasol, he followed the fragrance of the wildflowers.

Max finally came to a stop near the other end of town. The parasol had not reappeared at its usual interval, nor did he smell the wildflowers anymore.

Maybe I pa.s.sed her, or worse yet, she's put away the parasol.

Max decided to head back when a soft breeze came from the side alley. The smell of wildflowers almost overpowered him. He weaved through several people, popping out in the alley. He frowned, empty. He looked back into the street, unsure he had come the right way.

No, I know the breeze came from here.

Turning back to the alley, the sight of a small child, no older than eleven, startled him. She stood at the far end, about seventy feet away.

How did I miss her? Max checked both sides of the alley. No crates or barrels for her to have hidden behind, and there's a fence behind her.

Max focused back on the girl, only to be immediately enamored by her appearance. In a town of people wearing worn clothes, dirty from a hard day's work, she stood out like a sore thumb. She had long silver hair that flowed the length of her back and ended at her knees. She wore a blood red dress. The cuffs, collar and tr.i.m.m.i.n.g were black. The hemline fell just above the ground so that only her shoes stuck out from under it. The shoes themselves, despite the dusty street, where black and shined to perfection. In her gloved hands, she held the purple parasol he had followed. It tilted slightly behind her, casting a shadow over her face. Her eyes, blue like the sky, shone from the shadow.

Max's surroundings faded away as he floated into the vastness of the girl's eyes. From around him, he heard the soft voice of a child.

"Boy, where did you get that box?"

"Box?"