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[Jon Potter]

"Ohhh... unpredictable..." Morier deadpanned. "Sounds fun." The expression on his face made it clear that he truly felt it would be anything but.

"Why is nothing ever easy?" Huzair grumbled under his breath. Noxin scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe we could bring her some flowers... or a bunny. You know, to remind her of nature," he suggested. "It always cheered up me Mum." For a second, Huzair just looked at him, but then he laughed out loud.

"Now that's funny!" the wizard told him, clapping the half-giant on the back. Noxin shrugged.

"It was just a suggestion," he grinned, clearly not seeing the humor that Huzair did.

"So we must do battle with Dridana's essence?" Ahlear rasped, ignoring the foolishness.

"No, foul one!" Histah said. "You cannot battle what doesss not exissst! The demiurge isss an echo of Dridana... a memory fueled by the energiesss sssurrounding Dridana'sss Heart. She cannot be harmed by you. Nor can she harm you directly."

"So why'd you say there was danger?" Huzair asked.

"The demiurge hasss complete control over the environment inssside the prissson," the snake explained. "She will find waysss to harm you that do not require direct contact."

"Terrific," Morier sighed.

"So what can we expect to find in this prison?" Shamalin asked. "Are there actual bars and locked doors?" Histah chuckled.

"No, the prissson isss a mountaintop, plucked from thisss world and hurled into a pocket within the void," the serpent told her. "That isss her prissson, exisssting apart from the natural world, unreachable but by my power."



Later, after Huzair and Noxin had briefly gone topside to retrieve Sparky only to discover that the giants had moved out north shortly after sundown, the group made a small camp and readied themselves for sleep.

"I wonder what we should do with Anania's necklace," Huzair said, indicating the magical chain. "I would like to examine it before I go to sleep. It may come in useful to inform Lord Hofralix of what is going on."

"We do not owe Hofralix any further information," Shamalin said, covering the necklace with her cloak and putting a hand protectively atop it. "And he does not strike me as an ally."

"Anania was an ally and she was an agent of Lord Hofralix," the wizard countered, his eyes never leaving the spot where the device was hidden. "Does that not mean he or it is our ally as well? Perhaps he can help us still some how."

"We need to destroy it," the cleric said simply. "It's too dangerous."

"What harm can come from taking it with us?" Huzair asked, one eyebrow raised skeptically. "If I kept it in my bag, I could let him know only what I wanted to tell him.

"No, Huzair!" Shamalin insisted and Morier could see that Huzair wasn't going to give up the argument easily. He also recognized the similarities between this discussion and the one that they'd had with Ayremac over the samsara sword. With visions in his head of Shamalin leaving the group, the albino stepped forward.

"Let's put off the decision 'til the morning," he suggested. "We'll discuss what to do before Histah opens the gate."