Felix of Vale

Felix stopped the ship. "This is where we're supposed to take the Hover Jade, right? I can't find a way to get in, between the rivers and forests."

"That's right," said Sheba distractedly. Felix thought she might be trying to Reveal the route or some such. "Try... up the river. The ship can take it."

Piers winced. "Please... be careful with her. It's true that Lemurian ships are strong, but they are designed for the open ocean."

Felix nodded. He started around the continent again, looking for rivers that might lead all the way through. On his second try he found one that looked wide and deep enough for the ship.

It was odd, sailing up a river in such a way. Felix had never truly grasped how fast the ship was, but now that he could see trees rushing by on both sides he did.

Gradually the current of the river shifted. It started with the engine not needing to work as hard. Soon enough, the flow had actually reversed, and was pushing the ship along. Piers was muttering something about water not working that way, but Felix was too busy with the wheel to pay much attention. Then Sheba started screaming in his ear.

Felix jerked away and turned to look at her. "What's going on?" Sheba didn't seem to be in any danger.

"It's just so exciting!" she responded. "Don't you think so?"

At that moment, the ship reached what Felix could only describe as a bump in the river, and actually went flying for a moment. Felix latched his arms around the rail, but could only stare as Sheba spread her arms and laughed. After a moment, once the ship had settled, he started to chuckle along.

--

Life is a road, now and forever:

Saturos stopped them at the Alpine Crossing. "With the bridge at Vault out, this is the only way to get from northern Angara to Gondowan. If we can keep Isaac's group from coming through we should be free. Alex, Felix, do you think you can block the pass?"

Felix looked around uncertainly. Yes, he could work with earth, but this pass looked very stable. Alex nodded, though, and said, "Of course we can." He gestured for Felix to follow him. "Just do as I say."

Felix watched Alex make water well up in minuscule cracks in the stone. He froze it, then pointed to a particular spot. "Shake things up right there when I say now." Once Felix had nodded Alex turned back to the rock face, concentrating, then barked "Now!"

They repeated this several times at various points, but nothing much looked like it was happening. Then Alex led Felix back to where Saturos and the others were waiting and told him, "Loose the largest quake you can just where that rock is."

Felix started to do so. He was dimly aware that Jenna was shouting something, but all of his concentration was going to his Psynergy. Once the quake was going he realized what she was saying - "No! Stop! He'll be crushed!" - but it was too late to change anything now. Not necessarily too late to help afterward, though. He looked to see where she was pointing, and headed in that direction...

Only to be blocked by Saturos. "Come along. I don't imagine this will stop them forever, not when they have all the elements in their group." He, Menardi, and Alex herded the others onward toward the desert.

Felix hadn't expected the lighthouse to split. But it had, and now it was shaking horribly.

He was about to tell Sheba to lie down for stability when a particularly strong tremor knocked her down - and over the edge. He heard a high shriek.

"Noooo! Sheba!"

Then he was at the spot where she had fallen - except that she hadn't fallen. She'd managed to catch herself on the edge, and was now hanging by her fingerttips. In a moment she had lost her grip with one hand, then the other.

The time for words was past. There was only one thing to do. Felix stood up, leaned over the edge, and jumped after her.

--

When I lost hope, you were there to remind me,

"This is it."

Felix squeezed Sheba's hand and gestured to the building. "If anyone in the world has your answers, they're in there."

It was a magnificent building. Huge but not imposing, looking like it was about to drift away on the winds - which were much stronger than Felix expected, at this altitude. Parts of it seemed to blend into the pale purple dome that protected the floating island from flying monsters and helped keep air in.

Felix realized that while he'd been pondering the scenery, Sheba had already gotten several yards closer to the building. He hurried to catch up.

--

No one told me I was going to find you.

It had been days since they first sighted Air's Rock, and nearly as long since they'd started to scale it. Everyone was tired. Sheba especially, because none of the others could cast Whirlwind. The others were flagging, too - Kraden simply because of his age, and Jenna and Felix because they were surrounded by huge amounts of Wind energy, allied with neither of their elements.

At length, they came to a long stretch of those floating platforms that were so prevalent here - and that Felix hated. It was one thing to be high up, he'd gotten over that on the sea journey from Prox to Angara, but it was quite another to be high up and held by nothing but insubstantial air.

Still, there looked to be no other way to get Reveal, so he gritted his teeth and started forward.

--

Now here we are, and I'm suddenly standing

Mercury Lighthouse was rather more grueling than Sol Sanctum had been, although the layout was less complex. Occasionally Alex would stay behind for a moment in order to place a statue that would slow their pursuers down, although everyone knew there was no chance any of that would stop them.

Finally the group passed through yet another waterfall and found themselves in a room with no apparent exit. Before they could turn around and leave, however, each of them heard a mental voice, saying He who honors the goddess of rainbows shall be guided to the heavens on wings of fluid grace.

As Alex passed through to a statue at one side of the room, Felix noticed a large, pale rainbow arching through the waterfall behind them. He gaped as, when Alex had cast Ply, the rainbow rippled and faded away. Even more startling, though, was the wave of foam that then swept up the waterfall, reversing the flow as it went.

Alex stepped in first, and rose quickly enough that he was soon out of sight. Saturos gave Jenna and Kraden a mocking bow as he asked, "Will you be joining us, my dears?" Kraden, indeed, was eager and soon splashed up after Alex. Jenna went more slowly, pausing to scowl at both Saturos and Felix. Menardi was next, followed by Felix and then Saturos.

When Felix appeared on the platform in the aerie, the first thing he heard was Alex's voice. "At last! Menardi, cast the star in!"

Saturos had arrived in the meantime, and nodded. "We should hurry. I think I heard them just behind as I came up."

As the senior Adepts gathered around the hole to watch the star drop and the beacon rise, Felix edged closer. All at once there was a brilliant flash of blue, and a sensation as though he was utterly enveloped in water - rushing, dividing, freezing, shattering, flowing...

Menardi burst into the Proxians' room at the inn. "Felix! Come on. Kraden's taking some kids to Sol Sanctum."

Felix nodded, made sure his mask was secure, and followed Menardi up to Mount Aleph, sneaking past the guard easily enough. Saturos was waiting for them.

Mendardi scowled. "Where is Alex?"

Saturos sighed. "You know how he is, Menardi. He said he had to deal with something, but he'd be there when we needed him."

Menardi nodded tersely, still scowling, and the three of them trailed Kraden's group through the Sanctum. After several mazes and puzzles, they came to a room with a sun emblem on the floor, one that glowed brightly.

"We wait here," whispered Saturos. "The passage doesn't go much further, and if something happens we'll be able to see it from here and react accordingly."

They hadn't waited very long when the emblem's light flashed briefly blue, and one quarter of it began to flash between sun and moon, settling on moon in a few seconds. Saturos and Menardi jerked, but when nothing else happened, they calmed and continued to watch. After a few moments each of the other quarters also changed in similar fashion, until the sun emblem was replaced by the moon and its light was a steady blue. A peculiar beam of blue light seemed to emanate from a spot on the far wall.

A moment later, Kraden, Isaac, Garet, and Jenna arrived from the next room. Kraden was very excited, encouraging Isaac to look for further secrets. Isaac obediently went over and examined the source of the beam.

Immediately it widened into a shimmering blue portal. "Ah-ha! This has to be it!" crowed Kraden. "Let's go, Isaac!" Isaac nodded and stepped into the portal, the other Valeans following a moment later, and Kraden bringing up the rear.

The Proxians and Felix crept toward the portal, Saturos motioning the others to be quiet. Soon they could clearly hear a conversation on the other side of the portal - Kraden seemed to be giving a lecture on the Elements and the Elemental Stars. When he began talking about the Stone of Sages - how it could "transmute crude lead into gold, even thwart death itself!" Saturos shook his head. At Felix's questioning look he muttered something about taking metaphors too seriously.

Eventually Kraden convinced Isaac and Garet to collect the stars from him, and supplied them with woven-Mythril bags. "Convenient," whispered Menardi. "We won't need to get them ourselves, then."

After a moment there were rumbling sounds from the other side of the portal, followed by Kraden saying, "Good, good! Now go fetch the others!" The sequence repeated, and when the rumbling began for the third time Saturos nodded to Menardi. Gesturing for Felix to stay where he was, they stepped through.

At that point something apparently went wrong. Since only sound passed through the portal, Felix couldn't tell what happened, but before long Saturos was saying "It looks like they've spotted us."

Menardi responded, "I thought we'd be safe until we'd gotten all of the Stars."

Kraden, in apparent astonishment and outrage, spluttered, "You mean to steal the Elemental Stars?"

"Master Kraden, are you calling us thieves?" asked Saturos mockingly.

"I seem to recall you stealing our information," added Menardi.

Felix jerked as Jenna said, "What will you do with us once you have the Elemental Stars?"

Kraden, either melodramatic or panicked, cut in, "I'm sure they'll do us in once they no longer need us!"

At that point Felix impulsively stepped through the portal. "Relax... You will not be hurt." Looking to Saturos, he added, "That was our agreement, wasn't it?"

Saturos shook his head. "That all depends on how well they cooperate."

Menardi nodded. "They'll be safe, as long as they hand over the Elemental Stars." Turning to look at Jenna, she added, "Isn't that enough?" Felix scowled behind his mask.

Turning to look at Isaac and Garet, Saturos called, "You heard us. If you want to save your friends, then give us the Elemental Stars!"

Isaac nodded, and Kraden protested, "No, Isaac! You must not give them the Stars!"

Saturos turned and raised an eyebrow, and Kraden continued, "What guarantee do we have once we've given you the Elemental Stars?"

Menardi blinked. "Guarantee... Ah, I have one." The others turned to look at her. "You will have to remove your mask," she told Felix.

"But..." he protested weakly.

Saturos grinned. "A fine idea. He will be our guarantee." He nodded. "Under the circumstances, we have little choice. Felix! Remove your mask!" The last was in a grand voice, as though he were on stage.

Felix dithered as the Valeans reacted to the name, until Menardi mockingly asked, "What's wrong, Felix? Don't you want them to feel safe?"

Seeing Jenna's distress and confusion, Felix relented. "Very well." He reached behind his head, unhooked the straps, and pulled the mask off his face.

"I-It's not possible..." squeaked Jenna.

Felix nodded. "I know I've distressed you, Jenna. It was a miracle that I survived that day..."

"We are the ones who saved him," added Saturos.

"We saw him floating unconscious in the river as we passed," Menardi continued.

Turning back to Jenna, Felix concluded, "I've been with them ever since... I've experienced a great deal."

Jenna looked like she was about to cry. "But why? Why did you leave me alone..."

Felix shook his head, knowing this wasn't the time for long explanations, even if she were willing to believe. "Jenna..."

"My own brother... I thought you were dead!" she protested.

"Save this teary reunion for later," growled Saturos, clearly impatient.

"Yes. The Elemental Stars come first," said Menardi.

"Is this acceptable?" Saturos asked Isaac. "Felix would not allow us to harm you, much less his sister."

Garet nodded, and was on his way to give them to Menardi when Alex warped in front of him. "Will you permit me to relieve you of those Elemental Stars?" asked the Mercury Adept.

"Alex, you're late!" called Saturos, although he was obviously relieved that the group's final member had arrived.

When Garet had given the Stars to Alex, the latter smiled. "I'm afraid I must apologize in advance, for you will be bringing us the remaining Elemental Star, as well."

Garet sighed, and as Alex turned to leave, called, "Wait a minute! You want us to grab the other one, too?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Oh, did you not understand me?"

Garet scowled. "You said you'd set Jenna free once we gave you the Elemental Stars. You promised..."

Saturos shook his head. "Yes, once you've given us all the Stars." When Garet continued to hesitate, he added, "Waiting won't help," in a threatening tone.

Glowering, Garet nodded. "Thank you for your cooperation," Alex said mockingly. "We'll be waiting for the rest."

Garet and Isaac glumly made their way across the treacherous platforms until they came to the statue holding the Mars Star. As they presumably had with the others, they placed a Mythril bag over the Star, waited for the rumbling to stop, and gathered the bag containing the Star. This time, though, the rumbling started again once the Star had been removed, and more heavily. It sounded like the cavern was exploding around them. The water on the floor evaporated, revealing lava-filled cracks, and the whole chamber shook furiously.

"What's the matter? What happened?" demanded Menardi.

"No!" Saturos snarled. "Not again!"

Alex, by contrast, didn't seem agitated at all. "Without the energy of the Elemental Stars, the chamber is collapsing." And indeed, chunks of rock were beginning to fall.

Kraden, too, seemed fascinated rather than terrified. "This must be more of Alchemy's power!"

After a minute or two, the shaking stopped. "It's over! But what was it?" asked Menardi.

"What's that!?" shrieked Jenna, at almost the same moment that Saturos cried, "No!"

Felix turned to follow their gaze, and saw an enormous boulder with a single blinking eye floating several feet above the chamber floor.

"Could that be... the Wise One?" wondered Kraden.

"Such power..." muttered Alex. "Incredible!"

The stone - the Wise One - pulsed with power that resonated through the Star Chamber. Felix couldn't tell what it was doing, but it seemed to be drawing something toward itself from all directions.

"It must be the guardian of the Elemental Stars!" decided Saturos.

"This doesn't look good," shouted Felix over the suddenly-renewed shaking. "Maybe we should escape while we can."

"But we need the Mars Star!" protested Menardi. "We can't just leave without it!"

"I agree with Felix. We're no match for the guardian." Somehow Alex managed to be heard clearly without raising his voice.

Saturos appeared to be struggling with a decision. Finally he said, "The Mars Star will have to wait for another day."

"What about Isaac and Garet?" asked Jenna. "You can't just leave them here!"

Saturos' face grew hard. "Forget them. They won't make it out alive."

"There... is a chance they might survive," said Menardi.

Saturos grimaced. "Anything is possible. What are you suggesting we do?"

"We take this 'Jenna' with us," offered Alex. "If they survive, they will want her back. And if they want her back, they will bring us the Star." He shook his head. "Regardless, Kraden must come with us. He is connected to all of this."

"Alex..." Felix protested, "Are you breaking our promise?"

"Conditions have changed since we made it."

"Jenna's not part of this. I won't let you hurt her!" Felix's had found the hilt of his sword.

"Do what you will with me," offered Kraden. "Just let Jenna go."

Saturos gave him a look. "Your bravery speaks well of you, old man, but you cannot help the girl now."

Menardi turned a similar look on Felix. "If we leave Jenna here, she will surely die. Is that what you want?"

Felix had no response to that, at least not before Alex pointed out, "Perhaps we ought to continue this elsewhere."

"Felix..." pleaded Jenna. He sighed and nodded to Saturos.

Menardi moved to stand behind Jenna. "Hurry," she urged, pushing Jenna toward the portal. Felix scowled, but even that was more than Menardi was willing to accept. "Who do you think we are?" she demanded. "You owe us your life!"

"Menardi!" cautioned Saturos. She grimaced and nodded. Saturos offered Kraden a small bow. "Master Kraden, you will be joining us, of course!"

Each of them proceeded through the portal. Just before she went, Jenna turned and called, "Isaac, Garet! Don't die!"

When Felix went through he heard Alex behind him saying, "The Mars Star... A pity that we have to leave it, but perhaps we'll be seeing it soon..."

Then they were all through and running for their lives out of the Sanctum.

It couldn't be natural.

There was no way a storm that appeared from a nearly-empty sky in less than a minute could be natural.

This, however, wasn't the first thing on Felix's mind that evening.

He'd been on the pier behind his house watching the first stars come out when it began. The heavy rain, combined with the wind-whipped river, had made the footing treacherous enough that, instead of getting back inside, Felix had slipped and been swept downstream. He hadn't gone more than a few yards before he managed to grab onto a branch that was sticking out of the water, and how long he could hold on and how long the branch would stay stuck were much more pressing matters than the origin of the storm.

It seemed like hours, but was probably more like a minute, before his family - and Isaac's parents, what were they doing here? - came out to find him. Jenna was the first to spot him, and shouted, "Oh, no! Felix!"

"Just hold on!" called Kyle. "We'll get you out of there!"

Felix could vaguely hear some discussion on the pier, but he didn't listen very hard, since a particularly big wave made him lose his grip and go under the water for a moment.

Dora and Jenna left, while his parents and Kyle just dithered - apparently none of them could concentrate enough for any useful Psynergy. Felix hoped they had gone to get someone who could.

And indeed, after a few minutes Jenna reappeared on the path from the plaza, along with Isaac, Garet, and one of the older villagers, whom Felix didn't recognize immediately. They crossed the bridge and were almost close enough to help when there came a series of crashing noises.

Someone shouted, "The boulder!"

And indeed, there it was, the Mount Aleph boulder, bounding down the hill, breaking trees and walls as it came. Everyone except Felix - who was rather immobilized - scattered, trying to get out of its path, but it bounced directly onto the pier, where Felix's parents and Kyle were still standing. The wave caught Felix, and then he was somewhere else...