Calandra pried open eyes that had been caked shut with sleep. Her head ached, like she had woken up too quickly. As her eyes adjusted to the surroundings, she noticed Bergan poking up the fire. When she groaned, he turned to her with a smile on his face.

"Good morning, sleepy head. How do you feel?" Calandra thought to reply, but her vocal chords seemed glued together.

"Uagh." She managed.

"Oh my, I was afraid this would happen. Do you feel sick, or just tired? I read about sphere walking last night, and I wasn't sure how the after affects would hit you..." Calandra swung her feet over the side of the bed and rose unsteadily to her feet. Her stomach lurched at the sudden movement, and she hastily excused herself as she stumbled out the door. She traveled only a few feet from the house and collapsed to her hands and knees, her stomach heaving unpleasantly. After a few minutes of painful dry heaves, her arms gave way and she fell to her side, exhausted with the taste of bile coating the back of her throat. Calandra lay, unmoving, for quite some time as her body slowly rebuilt the energy for her to stand again. The soft crunch of dry grass beneath leather boots caught her attention, but she didn't turn her head.

"Are you all right?" Bergan knelt by her side. She tried to answer but was caught in a spasm of coughs that ripped at her already worn throat. Unable to speak, she shook her head and closed her amethyst eyes. Slowly, her strength returned enough to allow her to shakily rise to her feet.

"I'll be fine," Calandra croaked out. Without a word, Bergan wrapped his arm around her frail body and guided her back inside. After letting her relax back onto the bed, he went to his room and retrieved the books had had brought from the library. He sat down at the table and turned to Calandra.

"I was going to do some cross checking with you today, but I don't think you'll be up to it." He smiled weakly, a slight air of disappointment in his voice. "However, I learned enough last night to tell you what might be wrong, which I assume you'd like to hear?"

"Sure, go ahead." Bergan flipped through one of the books in his hand for a moment before speaking.

"Well, when sphere walkers come into the different plains for the first time, they might experience a day or two of nausea or drowsiness. You body appears to be suffering from a temporal distortion from passing through the dimensional planes at the velocity that's required. The displacement has caught up with you and your body is experience a time-stop relief phase that's being manifested in the form of physical illness as well as the aforementioned drowsiness."

Calandra listened intently, but her face held a vacant, confused look. Bergan bit his lip as he struggled to find an easier way to describe what he meant.

"You're suffering from a combination of exhaustion and vertigo illness. The trip between worlds is a long journey and your body is still adjusting."

This time Calandra nodded sincerely and smiled weakly.

"I suppose I'm not much used to exhaustion then." She was overtaken with another fit of coughs.

"I think perhaps it would be best for you to rest some more." Bergan said gently, handing the covers to her. She accepted them gratefully and rolled away from him, ready to sleep. It was then that he noticed her back was once again stained with blood from her wounds. His brow furrowed with worry and gingerly he reached out to touch the fabric. The stains were still faintly wet, the red liquid caking slowly on his fingers.

"What is it?" Calandra turned in the bed to gaze up at him. He wiped his finger on his tunic.

"Your wounds haven't healed yet."

"I hadn't noticed." She mumbled drowsily. "It doesn't hurt anymore, just when I wake up..." Bergan scratched his goatee thoughtfully.

"Would you be opposed to my weaving a healing spell while you sleep? I'm not sure Tyrian's ointment is doing its job."

He waited for her reply, but there was none for she had fallen asleep. Bergan paused a moment, contemplating the idea of casting the spell without her consent. He was about to decide against it when the sickening sound of tearing flesh rose inconspicuously to his ears. Deep emerald eyes watched as a smear of crimson began to seep into the bed sheets around the sleeping girl. One of the scabbing wounds on her back had ripped open again. Bergan made up his mind. He knelt beside the bed and laid a hand on Calandra's sweaty brow. He began the task of slowly threading the stands of magic into a woven structure when abruptly everything went dark.

 

***

 

"Are you all right?" a voice called to him softly. He felt his body being shaken by a pair of light hands. At last he ventured to open his eyes and look at the person disturbing his sleep. It was a girl about 19 years of age, though she looked younger. Bergan thought she looked familiar. Her thin ivory face was etched with concern and a mass of curly mint green hair cascaded about her shoulders. Her long pointed ears stuck through the mass. On her shoulders were a pair of wings so translucent that he nearly didn't notice them except for the way the caught the light.

"How did you get here, Bergan?" she asked. Now fully conscious, Bergan recognized her.

"Calandra?" he looked her over carefully. "When did you get the wings? Where are we?"

"I've always had my wings..." she said softly. "Until before I met you."

"I don't understand...wait. No, I do. So is that where those..." he motioned toward her back. She nodded silently. "You're not hurt anymore." He observed. Indeed, the small scratches and cuts that had covered her face and body had disappeared, leaving her unblemished and quite lovely. Bergan amounted that to the reason he hadn't recognized her at first.

"Alissadi! The rift!" a voice screamed. Calandra and Bergan froze, looking towards the doorway. They heard the light footsteps of running feet and looked about for a place to hide. There was nothing in the grey stone room. Bergan and Calandra exchanged glances. They both knew they should not be in that scene. In a burst of inspiration, Calandra eyed the high ceiling. She wrapped her arms around Bergan and spread her wings, preparing for flight.

Just then, Alissadi raced into the chamber. Her transparent yellow skin was traced with sweat and her blue eyes were narrowed in concentration. Her lean frame was bent as she caught her breath and looked about the room. Her eyes landed on the two people in the center, but no look of recognition crossed her face.

"Please forgive our intrusion..." Bergan began, running a nervous hand through his blue-black locks. Alissadi took no heed of his words, but instead began to mutter in a strange, guttural tongue. The two observers looked at each other.

"Do you think she didn't see us?" Calandra whispered. Bergan hushed her.

"Can't you see she's working powerful magick? Don't distract her." His sharp green eyes watched the strange woman with a child-like eagerness. Slowly, the room seemed to shift. Alissadi closed her eyes and continued to speak with renewed forcefulness. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her tattooed face. With a burst, the folds of the room split open before her. Calandra gasped as she recognized the three figures that stumbled from the rift as Sugan, Brelassa and Aji. As soon as they were through, panting roughly on the cool grey floor, Alissadi made a sweeping motion with her hand. With a soft sucking sound, the tear in space closed itself.

"Aji, are they..." Brelassa spoke sharply around her heavy breathing. The birdman raised his fist above his head and slowly uncurled his fingers until a bright red light filled the room. His shaded eyes flickered about for a moment, and then he closed his hand and let it rest by his side once more as the red light faded away.

"Aji can sense nothing. We are alone in here." There was a heavy sigh of relief that came from all members of the party.

" 'Lissa!" Sugan exclaimed, his dark arm wrapping around the thin woman the moment she began to sway. Her spindly fingers wrapped around his arm as she supported herself.

"I'm fine, just a little tired. It was more draining to use the rift than I remembered..." Sugan shook his tawny head as Alissadi closed her blue eyes and sighed.

"You're overworking yourself, 'Lissa." His fingers brushed a small plait of pink hair from her face.

"They're getting stronger. I couldn't keep them out as easily." She amended.

"They are indeed getting stronger, Aji believes." The birdman concurred. He folded his wings tiredly across his body. "Aji is not sure we can keep fighting like this. He is beginning to feel this is a useless battle." Brelassa's amber eyes narrowed as she raised her chin defiantly to gaze at the man. Her light blue hair was dark and stiff with first and blood, and though she appeared to be injured the most of the four, she was also the one with the most vitality at the moment.

"I can't believe you just said that Aji." She growled, obvious lines of hurt filling her full face. "You would let your world crumble to them because you're tired of fighting?"

"Aji did not say that!" He protested her attack with vigor. "He is simply suggesting that the four guardians seek a new way of fighting."

Brelassa's face softened slightly but her eyes remained wary. "I suppose you're right. This isn't working." Alissadi's narrow face was lined with strain as she listened to the conversation.

"I did not participate in the battle, but it is clear that everyone is drained. The Striders are gaining strength; we've nearly lost Isina to them. The first there are straining. I fear they may break soon. There must be another way to fight them." Brelassa nodded again, and touched her head self-consciously.

"I was being emotional, forgive me. We should rest a bit, to clear our minds." She sat down on the cold stone floor. Soon, Aji joined her. Sugan and Alissadi remained standing for a moment longer.

"I think I shall let you three think about the situation. I'm not much of a strategical fighter, and I have yet to check the other strongholds." Alissadi gave a tired sigh and began a similar changing as before. Sugan's arm tightened around her waist.

"You shouldn't waste your strength. Rest a while with us and build up your energy again." She shook her head, pink braids swishing gently.

"I'm fine, hilana." Alissadi murmured gently to Sugan. He removed his arm as a support, but remained alert to her weariness. Once more she began the chanting. The tear in space opened smoother than before and Alissadi gave a satisfied half-smile. "It worked." Sugan's green eyes remained concerned.

"Be careful. We can't afford to lose you." She gave another thin smile over her bony shoulder.

"I promise, hilana." With that, she stepped through the rift. It closed almost immediately behind her. Sighing, Sugan sat himself down beside Aji.

"She'll be fine. Alissadi knows not to push herself." Aji comforted the large, dark Bakna. He scowled.

"But what if they've found a way to enter the other strongholds? She's never found them directly before."

"Don't worry about it." Brelassa snapped. She waved her hand again and the air pulled together into the maps Calandra recognized from before. This time, however, the four large globes were nearly covered in the yellow and black dots. There was a visible wince from all those present.

"Aji is right, we need a new way to fight the Striders." Sugan scratched his dusty beard as he gazed at the maps. The birdman's shadowed face contained visible lines of distress and he too looked worriedly at the images. The spheres turned lazily midair, and the three watched in dismay as a new black star formed on the surface. With a hiss, Brelassa swiped her thick arm through the globe in front of her. The solidified air bent gently around her arm and bounced back into the unbroken sphere when she removed her arm.

"Aji knows that Brie is upset, but he feels a short temper will not help us at the moment." His large nose twitched as a half-smile tried to contradict his words. It was clear that he had been trying to restrain a similar outburst.

"Fine thing for you to say," she scoffed, running her fingers through her matted hair. "What will help us now? We've nearly lost the fight for Isina--"

Sugan winced as he heard the name of his home world. Brelassa gave him a sympathetic nod, but continued with a hardened voice. "If the Striders win that battle, who knows which of the worlds they will try for next."

Aji had stopped paying attention as his hawk-like eyes studied the four spheres.

"What are you thinking?"

"We can try to isolate the in this area here." He motioned to a growing section of black points. The others gathered around to critically examine the points he was making.

"It's the best plan we have so far." Alissadi's voice joined the group. The rift opened just behind where Bergan and Calandra were watching the scene unfold. The two scuttled out of the way to let the slender woman swagger through. In an instant, Sugan was by her side, his strong arms supporting her once again.

" 'Lissa, I warned you not to overwork yourself..." she traced a yellow finger along one of his horns and smiled faintly.

"I didn't hilana, not much anyway."

"Bergan! What are you doing?" Calandra hissed. The man was poking the rift that still gaped behind them.

"This is truly fascinating," he muttered, experimentally placing his hand in the tear and watching it disappear. "I wonder what would happen if..." he stood up and stepped into the tear.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." Calandra moaned. "You're not supposed to do that."

"I have enough strength to close it. We can't risk letting them in." Alissadi raised her arm and began the chanting that disengaged the rift. Calandra stood with a start.

"Sister of Silena!" she cursed, diving into the portal. "Bergan, get out of there!" The rift closed behind her.

 

***

 

With a gasp, the two sleeping figures awoke. Instinctively, Calandra's hands wrapped around the golden amulet on her neck and waited patiently as the pain of losing her wings once again subsided to an aching throb. Bergan watched her quietly, stroking his blue-black goatee. At length he spoke.

"What was that?" Calandra looked at him with tired eyes.

"A dream, of sorts." She murmured softly.

"One of the strangest dreams I've ever had...never shared a dream with anyone before either." Bergan mused. The front door opened and Jemmy entered the room, carrying a small pot of the ointment Tyrian had given her and a large bag filled with food and clothing. She had already started talking before the door closed behind her.

"Sorry I took so long at Tyrian's but I had to tell him the most exciting news! All right, so I got a little distracted as well..." her eyes finally saw Bergan and Calandra, and she stopped mid-sentence. Their minds were still hazy and unfocused, and though they attempted to listen to her idle babble Jemmy knew right away that something had happened while she was away. She set the ointment on the table and swung her leg over the nearby chair, so she sat facing the two people on the bed and rested her arms on the back of the chair. "Okay, my news can wait. Is something wrong? Calli, I brought you some more salve for your shoulders. I don't think you'll need much more for your other cuts, look, they're almost completely gone, no scars. Bergan, take this. Try those on, see if they fit, and could you put away the food..." she handed him the bag and ointment from her seat. He took them but did not stand.

"Jemmy, can't some of this wait? There are some important things to take care of..."

"There are always important things. Right now, it's important to get those back wounds treated. Off with the nightshirt Calli. No arguments. How are you feeling? You didn't look to well this morning."

"I'm much better, thank you..." Calandra smiled. "Bergan explained it to me, I was just overworked from my trip into this world, or something...I didn't understand exactly what he was saying..." Jemmy grinned and Calandra returned the gesture.

"Not many people do understand all of his talk. But I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. Shirt please." She held out her arm. Calandra's violet eyes flickered to Bergan for a moment before she began to peel the dirty clothing off her skin. The sorcerer coughed and turned away politely.

"Jemmy, when you and Calandra have finished here, I think the three of us have to take through some things." Silence was the only response. He pulled back the curtain into his room and exited, leaving the women to their own devices.