[Traveler]

He looked at the boy to see if there had been a joke between Carriac and Clauss. His mind was spinning trying to figure out why Carriac had said there was a ghost in the wagon. Was he trying to scare the boy. He knew Mara had said something about a ghost, but he had seen no signs of a ghost any one of the many times he had been in the wagon. By the time he had turned around Carriac was already in the Inn. He hurried to catch him. When he entered a waitress near the door told him where the elf had gone. He ordered a ale and took it with him to _their_ room.

When he first opened the door he thought he must have entered the wrong room. It was much nicer than anything he had seen, besides the Kings palace on Oerth. That unexpected thought caused him to pause long enough to hear Carriac humming in the other room. Traveler quickly gathered his wits as Carriac came out.

"Sorry, I was thirsty. I didn't think to get you a glass."

[Carriac]

"No problem. I laid Mara down on the bed. She seems to be resting peacefully. I'm going to go and see about getting her some replacement clothes. Maybe you'd like to sample the bath?"

[Mara]

Mara didn't know what had happened after she had turned to yell at the ghost in the wagon. She just felt mad, and a sudden change took over. She felt as if she was standing beside herself, as she flamed up and headed towards the wagon, with intent to shut up the little pest that resided inside. She smiled as the flaming blade came to life in her hand and she felt the hilt as she gripped it with both hands and brought it up, before smacking the side of the wagon over and over. The shear thrill of the power she possessed was overwhelming. She felt so...alive.

But when the wooden wagon deflected her blade, she grew angrier. Nothing could withstand her blade. Nothing! And she was going to bring it to full power if she had too. She was starting to bring her powers under control, feeling the heat built within her being and her eyes narrowed and her smile grew as she started to pull her hand back up, to pull her blade of fiery death and split that wagon in two.

And the little pesky ghost of a Gnome too!

But two words fell on her like a cooling blanket of water, and her urge to kill faded. She had drawn so much energy from within that she didn't have time to expel it, causing her to collapse to the burnt earth. Once again, she closed her eyes as her body flamed down and started to cool.

She felt someone picking her up as she mumbled, "I'm not stupid," in elvish, before taking a deep sigh, stumbling off to sleep.

But her sleep did not come easy. Once again she was having another nightmare, another chapter in her life. One she could just as easy done without.

-----

Words echoed in her ears as she slowly brought up her blade, the smile on her face slowly widened as she looked down at the small form cowering by her feet.

Tanya farnuva twelve! Tanya farnuva!"

Suddenly she blinked and took a step back as the small form rose up, and she choked back bits of bile that was suddenly forced up her throat and into her mouth.

"What...what have you done to me? I...I was just standing there, looking out as if I was seeing myself in a mirror. Then words fell over me and I felt different, stronger, lighter."

Mara dropped to her knees as she tried to swallow, but she only choked on her own vomit as her breakfast of dry bread and a slice of apple rose back up from her stomach and splattered down her chin. She felt so used, so ashamed of how she felt before. Something wasn't right. She was elven, and elven do not think that way. They had done something to her, something bad, and it made her angry. Once again she felt the shift, and she slowly stood, welcoming the thoughts, the powers that were stirring in her blood. She could feel her blood boiling and her smile grew back as she held out her hand and a white-hot blade of flames ignited out as she rapped her fingers around the molten hilt.

The small man was just starting to rise, breathing a sigh of relief that the triggering code that he had placed in her mind was working properly. It was only right to use the Elven language, seeing as she was Elven to begin with. That and it was his own way of protecting himself against The Master. He made sure, after the threat that The Master had placed on his head, to always have Mara near by. She was his protector, and he felt safer with her there, than with The Master. One word from him, using the Elven language, and Mara would kill anyone, or anything that was standing, even him if he was not cautious. But with every good plan, one had to be quick on their feet, with her around.

He felt the heat of the blade as he rolled away, felt the burning hot stone as it hit his cloak covered arm as the blade came within a fraction of an inch from his body. If he had not felt the heat suddenly rising, he would not have known that she had shifted. The question was why? He had not told her to shift. Not like before when they were out honing her skills as an assassin. His only mistake was turning his back to her, forgetting that she was still in assassin mode.

But now the shifting came suddenly, and for as he thought without just cause.

"Twelve! Tanya farnuva!"

Again, Mara shifted before his eyes before dropping to her knees. Once again, she was the frightened elven he first saw in back of the wagon, with her eyes big and full of tears.

"Its alright child! No one here is going to harm you. I promise there is no more pain. You have done well today, thought I am still having trouble with the binding spell. I want you to obey commands, but I also want you to think for yourself too. As with everything, there must be rules that you must always follow. One is when you have friends, such as The Master or myself you must never attack them. Two, you must always obey the key words that I have planted in your mind. The key word to attack and kill is..." and the tiny man quickly closed his mouth as Mara looked up, her whole body tensing, waiting for that command that never came.

"Never mind that! Third rule is to always wait for the right time to strike. Never strike near water. Water is bad! Always remember that. There will be times that you must bathe, but during your times of change, you will stay away from water."

Mara shook her head as if to understand the strange rules that were being placed on her. But deep inside she wanted to reach out and choke the little man, until he was nothing but ash, like her friends. Standing, she brushed the dirt from her skin, and stood before the little rat faced man. She slowly found her voice once again and looked up.

"Why do I feel different all the time? I feel like I've been split into three people sometimes. Do Elven go through this at this age? She was older now; her body had long since lost the child like features. She was filling out, and she stood there, ashamed of her bare skin. But the little man did not seem to notice. His only thoughts were on her training and her moods.

"The reason your feeling so different is because you have Dragons and Phoenix blood rushing through your veins. Blood that make you feel so alive, and so deadly. I will tell you more after you tell me why you shifted without being told too. There must be a key element I missed, and I must find it. If I can combine your mind and these powers together, along with your loyalty, we could be an unstoppable pair you and I. Nothing on this planet would stand in our way. But for now, tell me why you shifted."

Mara thought hard as she stood there, naked and frightened. She had a feeling it had to do with her feelings, her anger, but if that was true, she had a means for an escape. But before she could answer, The Master stepped into the room.

"Well? How is she doing? Have you completed the final phase yet? I am slowly becoming bored with you and your little toy. I want answers!"

The little man turned towards The Master and smiled, before taking a hold of Mira's hand.

"Touch her! Feel how warm she is, touch her skin and feel the softness of her skin, the hardness of her muscles, of her breasts. She has become a beautiful young elven. Man, or elven has not touched her. She is pure as the snow peaks, but just as deadly," and the little man took a few steps back and smiled.

"Would you care to see her in action Master?" The little man cackled as he took a few more steps back, as he watched The master running his hands all over Mara's skin.

"Show me what this child can do wizard. If I approve, you can make another. A male this time..." and The Master ran his hand down Mara's back and laughed as she shivered from his cold touch.

The little man smiled as he pulled his cloak back over his head and spoke.

"Ndengina to!"

The Master turned sharply away as Mara burst into flames before his eyes and turned towards him as her blade and shield came into play. Her eyes blazed red as she slowly advanced, her body and blade slowly causing the brick walls to steam up as she drew the very moister out of them. Some even cracked by the heat as she stepped near them. Other exploded, sending fragments of stone into the Masters arm and chest as he stumbled back, cursing.

"Turn her off! Blast your hide Wizard, turn her off!"

But the Wizard was having far too much fun as Mara stepped closer, and The Master's clothes started to smolder, as wisps of smoke started curling up all around him. He tried to shield his face from the heat, but that only made his sleeve catch fire as he backed up to the door.

"Twelve! Esta! Esta!"

Mara stopped and dropped her blade to her side as her shield faded from her arm, and she took a step back, before the blade faded as well, but she remained shifted.

"As you can tell, she is under my control. These words are only a few of many she is programmed for. I have others, Ndengina being only one of so many, so I think now would be the time..." and before he could say anything else, Mara had turned, raised her blade, that quickly came to life in her hand and split the wizard right down the middle, before he could say another word.

He stood there as the blade made a thin line straight through him, cutting him in two, before his knees buckled and he slipped sideways onto the stone floor. No blood was spilled, but it left two charred and blackened remains behind. The cut was so thin, that one could piece the robe back together again and not see the damaged threads.

Mara smiled as she slowly turned back, only to find herself alone. And with no one to kill, she slowly shifted back.

And screamed!

----

Mara awoke, screaming as she pulled herself up from her bed. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she covered her face and cried as two figures came to her side. Sniffing and rubbing her nose, she wiped the tears from her eyes, before looking up. She spotted Traveler first and grabbed him, burying her face into his bare chest as her arms circled his back.

"I had another bad dream..."

[Traveler]

He had just stepped into the tub when he heard Mara's cries. He grabbed a towel and a dagger from the pile of clothes on the floor. He wrapped the towel around himself as he ran to where Mara had been sleeping. Carriac had just left the room to go find some food for them. Traveler saw her there beside the bed and ran to find out what had happened. Traveler was stunned by her action and didn't understand what she had said. The minute she put her arms around him a searing pain flooded his body, as her arms were still hot from her nightmare. The pain was staggering and he dropped to his knees. Smoke rose from the bed where she had been laying.

Carriac burst into the room as Mara wrapped her arms around Traveler. All Carriac saw was Traveler's bare chest and Mara's arms around him when he came into the room. Traveler passed put on the floor from the pain and third degree burns that encircled his waist and covered his bare chest.

[Carriac]

The slightly-less-than-portly elf had just re-entered the suite when he heard Traveler's shriek of pain. He dropped the new clothes he had acquired for Mara and dashed into the bedroom where he saw Traveler and Mara sitting, Mara's arms wrapped around the warrior.

His first reaction was one of shock, followed by an acute wave of jealousy, then a fiery anger. This intensified as he noticed two things: the stench of burning flesh and hair and the dagger clutched in Traveler's fingers. It only took a split second for his intellect to deduce what was happening. Traveler had been unable to keep his hands off of his love. Black orbs in place of eyes, the elf settled back to watch the interloper burn.

Then a small voice called out through the black fog that had settled in his mind. Mara's arms were around HIM. Mara's hair was mussed and her eyes wild, like a frightened doe. Reason prevailed over imposed emotion and Carriac came to his senses. His eyes returned to their normal state and he called out for Mara to release their friend before it was too late.

[Mara]

Mara heard Carriac screaming for her to turn Traveler loose, and she did, watching him slip down the sheets off of the bed and onto the floor. She smelled searing flesh as the scent struck her nose causing it to curl up. She thought that someone was burning something down in the kitchen, and the smell found its way to their room. She didn't see the burns that she had placed on Traveler's chest and back because she turned towards Carriac, with her arms out.

Just like she had done for Traveler.

[Carriac]

He rushed to Traveler's side, ignoring Mara's open-armed invitation. He turned the warrior over and examined the burns on his chest. They were bad. The skin was charred in places and ugly white blisters were forming. The flesh had been completely burned off near his shoulders and the wounds wre oozing with a clear fluid. Carriac looked up at Mara in alarm.

[Mara]

"I had a nightmare," and she watched as Carriac stepped around the bed and knelt down next to Traveler. Her eyes narrowed as she slowly stood up on the bed.

"I'm the one that had the nightmare. Not him!"

She started to step away, to find something to eat, when she heard a moan coming from Traveler as Carriac slowly turned him over. "What's wrong with him? Did he stub his toe, the big baby!"

[Carriac]

Carriac swallowed hard. This was going to hurt Mara, but she had to know. Traveler's condition was beyond his ability to treat. If he was to survive, it would be up to Mara to bring her healing factor into play - if it would even affect so serious a wound.

"Mara, Traveler has been severely burned. See the marks? You caused those Mara, with your ability to control fire. If you don't do something to heal him, he's going to die."

[Mara]

Mara's eyes went wide as she looked down at her hands and saw Travelers skin stuck to them. The bits of flesh were chard and burnt, but the scent struck her nose once again as she pulled her hands up to her nose, before she pulled them away. "How did I..." and she pulled her hands back up and rubbed her fingers together, watching the dry burnt skin crumble between her fingertips.

"Oh gods," she whispered and dropped to her knees. "The dream...It was true...I am cursed," and she covered her face with her hands and started to sob.

"I've killed him! I just know it!"

Suddenly Mara jumped up, pushing Carriac out of the way, sending him half way across the room. She found strength she never knew existed, and with tears falling on her cheeks, she picked traveler up and placed him on the bed like a rag doll, laying him on his side.

"Traveler? Can you hear me? I...I'm sorry. I didn't..." and more tears fell, yet she pulled herself up, running one hand under her nose and placing the other hand over the burns on his back, watching as his face being racked with pain.

"I know it hurts, and I'm going to fix it for you if you will let me. Just try to breath slowly and let me do all the work." Pulling Travelers head up, she kissed him full on the lips before dropping his head on a pillow that she had pulled down from the head of the bed.

"Now this might hurt a bit," as she placed her other hand to his chest and pushed. She felt the heat from the burnt skin, and the ragged breath that Traveler pulled into his chest. The burns were deep, and traced her hands and arms from his side around to the shoulder blades. The burn on his chest was where she had laid her head against it, and the shadowed form looked just like her, from a side view.

She choked back more tears as she heard a small voice inside her head. "Let him die! He's nothing to you. He deserves to die! All males deserve to be turned to ash, for the way they have treated us. And these two are no different. Let him die! Let them both die."

Mara closed her eyes tight and pushed that voice away deep down into her soul and tried to close the door that it had escaped from, but it was starting to grow in strength. But she was able to push it back and hold it there as she started the healing process.

"Hold on! It will not be long now," she whispered in Travelers ear, her lips just touching them. She could sense the skin closing, the nerves mending, chasing away the pain as her hands ran across his chest and back, pushing the burnt skin away, and replacing it with new, healthy skin and nerves. Soon Traveler's breathing slowed and no longer labored under her touch. His skin was starting to return back to its original color and depth as her hands slowly pulled the pain from his body.

All the while, she was doing this she was whispering in Travelers ear, saying how sorry she was for this to happen to him, and that she would never harm him.

Ever again!

Then she started to kiss everywhere she had burnt him, laughing and pulling his hair as if nothing had happened.

"What are you doing in my bed? You know better," and she pulled the pillow out from under his head and started smacking him with it.

"Carriac! Come get him, before I pluck his head bald," and she was laughing...Right before she pulled the towel from around Traveler's waist. Her eyes grew wide and she blushed before throwing the towel over Travelers face.

"Wow...."

[Carriac]

The elf looked at Traveler in amazement. Mara's healing abilities were more powerful than he had imagined. Thank goodness, or Traveler would be dead. And yet...the elf maid acted as if nothing bad had happened - as if she had forgotten that she had caused the wounds in the first place. Traveler had been correct in his assessment. This was a very dangerous situation they were in and as much as he loved her, Mara needed to learn responsibility for the awesome power that she wielded before someone DID get killed.

Carriac stepped between Mara and Traveler and reached out to take Mara's hand.

"Maelamin," he said softly, "We need to go for a walk I've brought you some new clothes. They're in the other room."

He gave her hand a soft, but insistent tug and pulled her after him into the main room of the suite.

[Traveler]

For what seemed to be an eternity he fought his way through a pain crazed dream. Images from past memories of another life wove themselves into a nightmare. He saw people he should have known, but couldn't place. He re-lived fights, agonies and triumphs. Pain wracked his un-conscience body while his mind drifted among the memories of his forgotten life.

He slowly began to focus his mind on a specific image. It was him and a woman. She was close to him. He knew her well. She... She... was his wife. He had a wife, somewhere. After that realization the rest of that memory flooded his mind. The whole time he had spent on Oerth, his son, his having to leave. He remembered everything up until the time he was displaced to this planet. Things started to fade. He felt like he was slipping down a slide into a bottomless pit. He was sliding down out of control. Finally, as he slowed, and he could see where he was going. He was nearing the bottom when he felt a gentle tug. The tug became more insistent. It became a frantic pull. His downward descent halted and he began to regain consciencness.

His eyes opened and he found himself laying on a soft bed. He was alone. The room was quiet. He started to get up and realized he wasn't dressed. ~ I wonder where Elizabeth has got off to now ~ he started, but realized that though didn't fit this place. He was somewhere else. He thought back and remembered. Hearing a woman screeming and running to see about her. She had another nightmare, and had flung her arms around him. She had burned him, but he wasn't burned now. He felt around for scars, but couldn't find any. None. Not event the ones he had before. Whatever had happened after Mara had burned him had completely healed him. He could even remember who he was and what had happened before he came to Montfort.

He called out for Carriac and Mara, but no-one answered. He walked into the bathroom and saw his clothes and remembered he was about to take a bath. The water was still hot, so he slipped in the water was soothing, but there were no knotted muscles to relax. He sat in the tub and slowly began to drift off. His mind settled into the more pleasant dreams of his past.

[Mara]

Mara pulled her eyes from Traveler as Carriac stepped up, saying something about a talk and new clothes. At first, her mind was on other thoughts, but the sound of new clothes slowly slipped in with the rest of her thought and she followed Carriac into the front room, not questioning why she would be receiving new clothes so soon after her last outfit.

There, sitting on the back of the chair was her new clothes. The pants were a soft brown, almost sand in color, with a shade darker shirt, that buttoned up the front with small white buttons. The sleeves were short just stopping mid arm, and three buttons would hold them tight to her arm. Another pair of boots sat down on the floor, and she knelt down and ran her hand over the soft tanned leather. They laced up, with a thick braided thread, tipped in silver.

Quickly dressing, Mara smiled as she turned around and around, before running up, kissing Carriac on the lips once again. But this time she let the kiss linger, her arms around Carriac's shoulder and the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair.

Breaking loose, because she had to breath, Mara smiled and started to blush.

"You said that we needed to talk. Can we stop by and get something to eat too? I'm a little hungry and thirsty," and she took Carriac's arm and started pulling him towards the door.

"What are we going to talk about? Your not mad at me, are you?"

[Carriac]

The kiss was everything he had come to expect from Mara, warm and sensuous, but Carriac had a hard time concentrating on it. His mind swam with what he was going to tell her. She had to be told...but he still had no idea how to say it. He was swept back to the conversation as she asked if he was mad.

"Ah, uh, no Maelamin. I'm not angry with you."

He grasped her arm warmly and walked with her out of the inn. Mara began to protest as he led her away from the restaurant. "There's a pub down the riverfront a ways that stays open late. Let's go there," he said.

[Mara]

"But�" she whispered as her stomach protested the move away from the restaurant, and Mara sighed as she was led away. "If you insist, but we can come back before it closes, right?" She smiled when Carriac nodded and she was soon bouncing all around, just being happy to be near him.

[Carriac]

As they walked along the river, Mara skipping happily beside him, Carriac agonized over how to explain her behavior to her. He finally just settled on the straightforward truth.

"Mara, we need to talk about what happened with Traveler back there."

[Mara]

Mara stopped and looked into Carriac's eyes for any sign of anger, or jealousy, and not finding any, she tilted her head and frowned. "It's because I kissed him, isn't it, or that I pulled the towel away and saw..." and she blushed a deep red as she pulled her hands up and giggled when Carriac placed a finger to her lips. But she had to kiss his finger, just to be playful.

[Carriac]

The shaper put a finger to Mara's lips to forestall any further explanation.

"No, Maelamin, this isn't about you kissing Traveler or seeing him naked, or anything like that, though I must admit to a certain amount of jealousy. This is much more serious."

He stopped her by an isolated bench located conveniently at a picturesque view of the river.

"Mara, do you know what happened to Traveler, back in the suite? He was severely burned."

[Mara]

Mara tilted her head once again and her brow wrinkled in thought. "How did he do that? Was the bath water to hot? He should have known better than to...jump...in," and she watched as Carriac shook his head no when she spoke.

"He didn't get burned by the water..." and her hand went up to her throat as tears started to fall down her cheeks. "Then it wasn't a dream. I...I caused it...I...I woke up from a dream and screamed. He...he came to me and...and..."

The sudden realization of her actions, and knowing that she had indeed hurt Traveler was just too much for her. She turned and started to run, her eyes tearing up more as she stumbled and fell, weeping and beating the ground with her fist. She heard the gentle lapping of the rivers edge and she pulled herself up before Carriac could reach her. She remembered what the old mage had told her...

"Stay clear of the water!"

Without looking back, she made a run for the river. She felt Carriac's hand brushing across her shoulders, but she twisted away and dove in. The cool waters seemed inviting as she swam down deeper, kicking her feet and hands as she expelled the last bit of air from her lungs. The water was muddy and gray, as she felt her body grow limp, and soon her mind became cloudy too, but her last thoughts were on Traveler, and the pain she had caused.

If she could have wept, she would have as her eyes slowly closed...

[Carriac]

Carriac's heart leapt into his throat as he realized what Mara intended.

"Mara, NO!"

He lunged for her, almost succeeded in grasping her shoulder, then watched helplessly as she dove into the meandering river.

"MARA!"

In an instant he was in the water after her. It wasn't too deep here, perhaps five feet as the river flowed towards the town's central ford, but Mara kicked under and disappeared from view. There was no way for him to find her in time under the muddied water.

"N'Uma!" ("No!")

Carriac plunged beneath the surface of the river and sought the bottom, sinking his hands into the soft mud. Calling upon his innate gifts, he drove his will into the earth, asking, then pleading for its aid. The earth responded to his need.

The riverbed shuddered, heaved upwards as if a giant hand was thrusting itself from the earth. Water spilled over the banks as a great wall of hardening mud broke the river's surface. Mara's limp, unmoving body was caught atop the cresting mound by gentle mud fingers that held her firmly above the water's edge..

Carriac fought his way through the current, a man possessed. He reached the mound and pulled his love's body from the mud. The riverbed moved beneath him, depositing the two safely ashore, then slowly sank back into its proper place.

Water streamed around the pair, anxious to return to the river, as Carriac knelt over Mara's lifeless form. She was not breathing.

"Mara! Mara, don't you leave me!"

He pushed on her stomach and water spilled from her lungs. He tilted back her head and listened for breath. There was none.

"Hang it all, Mara! Breathe!"

He pushed again on her stomach. The only response was a slight bluing of her lips.

"You will breathe, if you have to take the very breath from me!"

Carriac grasped her nose and covered her mouth with his own. He breathed his life breath into her lungs. When his own air was gone he took a deep breath and again blew it out into Mara. Her chest expanded with the breath, then collapsed as he inhaled a third time. He bent to repeat the process when Mara coughed suddenly. Her head jerked sharply to the side and she retched dirty water onto the ground.

Carriac pulled Mara to him and enfolded her in his arms as she began to breathe on her own. He rocked her slowly back and forth.

"Don't you ever, EVER, do that to me again, A'maelamin. Never again."

(to be continued...)