Chapter 5

Doubts

Lynn awoke feeling wonderful. Her ring throbbed strongly. She could feel Eliza once again and it filled her with joy. She rolled over and reached across the bed to wrap her arms around her lover but Eliza was no longer beside her. Lynn opened her eyes and looked around the room. She saw Eliza sitting at a nearby table, reading the copy of the Book of Ezra that Kendra had given to her. Lynn rose to her feet and walked up behind her. Then she wrapped her arms around the young woman and kissed her on the cheek.

"Good morning.", Lynn said, feeling the words as well as saying them.

"Mmmmm.", Eliza moaned, leaning her head back and letting her mind slip away from her confusion for just a moment.

Lynn took the opportunity to kiss Eliza and Eliza's moment of bliss grew a little longer. Then she silently let it go.

"What's wrong?", Lynn asked, feeling the discomfort in her lover.

"The book. It's different.", Eliza said with a mixture of both fascination and despair. "There's so much more."

Indeed there was more. There was page after page of stories and parables in Kendra's copy of the Book of Ezra that Eliza had never seen before. The cover said that it was a first edition, which meant that it only contained the First Book of Ezra. Eliza's copy, the one that she owned before the church had taken it away from her when she was excommunicated, had been a fourth edition. That meant that her copy had contained all four books of Ezra. But instead of the first book in her copy having more, it had less. Eliza thought back through her years in the church. The earliest edition of the Book of Ezra that she had ever seen was a third edition and she had never read anything out of it. She believed that each new edition of the Book of Ezra was dutifully copied exactly from the last edition and that only the new book was added. But as she read Kendra's edition it seemed as though things in earlier editions had been changed or removed entirely. Important things.

After her surreal encounter with Kiri in the hallway the previous day, Eliza went back to Kendra's Book of Ezra and re-read the story about the early church of Ezra and the Drow. Eliza remembered that in her edition, the church of Ezra made an alliance with the Drow against common enemies, but when their enemies attacked, the Drow betrayed the church, turning against the Ezrans and committing unspeakable acts against them. The story was short and the message was clear, that the Drow could never be trusted and that the church was justified in waging a genocidal war against them and driving them underground. But in Kendra's edition the story was more detailed, giving more names and more places and sending a completely different message.

Just like in the story that Eliza remembered, Kendra's edition told of an alliance between the Drow and the early church of Ezra. Back then the Drow lived above ground, their dark skin protecting them from the hot Hazlan sun. Despite strong opposition to the alliance by extremist factions on both sides, the alliance was forged and remained strong for many years. The powerful Drow wizards and the stalwart Ezran warriors made for an army that few could defeat. In time the church grew strong enough to defend itself on its own without the help of the Drow. But in the less turbulent times that followed, the extremist factions on either side grew less tolerant of the others and became determined to shatter the alliance. And though the story was unclear about which side committed the first act of war, the one thing that was clear was that those on both sides ended up committing atrocities against the other in retaliation. The extremists had dragged both sides into a war that neither side wanted with the Drow suffering far worse than the Ezrans.

The story shocked Eliza. She couldn't imagine an alliance between the Drow and the church of Ezra. And according to the story, there were a number of Drow who converted and were accepted into the church of Ezra as Anchorites. For as long as Eliza remembered she had heard only bad things about the Drow and of how evil they were. Now her doubts about what she had been taught grew yet more. And there was another thing about the story that disturbed her. The message was no longer a warning about the duplicitous Drow, but about the perils of extremism and how the church should never be bent to the will of a vocal minority. That made Eliza think about the Order of Seekers and how they were turning the church into a weapon against evil.

Eliza tried many times to explain her doubts away. Of course Kendra's copy of the Book of Ezra would portray the Drow in a better light, Eliza thought. Kendra had probably used magic to create a blasphemous copy of the holy book so that she could make Eliza believe in something that wasn't true. Eliza knew that she shouldn't trust Kendra, but wasn't it Kendra who had just delivered her from death? Yes, she conceded, but it was all part of some larger evil plan, Eliza explained to herself. But when she caught herself thinking like that, of rich and intricate conspiracies, it made her realize that she sounded like one of the extremists in the story.

Eliza closed the book. Then she opened it again. There was another thing that she was curious about: the Canon of the Virtues. It was a part of the Book of Ezra that was said to be written by Yakov Dilysnia, the author of the First Book of Ezra. The Canon of the Virtues contained the personal moral code for all anchorites. It was for violations of that code, the physical act of love that she shared with Lynn, that Eliza had been excommunicated from the church. She had done nothing else wrong. So Eliza looked through the book, wondering if Kendra's version contained the same code. But she searched in vain. There was no Canon of the Virtues in Kendra's version at all.

Eliza laughed. Kendra had made a mistake. Now Eliza knew that the book was a forgery. But then she had a troubling thought. What if the Canon of the Virtues had been added after the first edition? And if it had, why wasn't it in the Second Book of Ezra? Or the Third instead of the First? Eliza desperately wanted to know the truth and she knew that she couldn't rest until she did. She had to find an original first edition of the Book of Ezra and see for herself.


A few rays of light shined through the thin shutters, waking Weamar from a surprisingly restful slumber. It was his last day in the castle, and that made him feel good. Weamar rolled awake and cleaned himself up. Seeing that it would still be a while before breakfast he decided to head out to the stables to check on Cujia and Dry.

In the stables, Weamar saw that the horses had been well taken care of. He picked up a pair of currying brushes and started brushing Dry down, examining him for any signs of ill health or mistreatment, but Dry was doing fine. Weamar noticed that there were several horses in the stable other than the ones Weamar recognized. He also noticed the zombie stable boy standing quietly in a corner.

Weamar concentrated for a few moments then spoke to Dry. "Those horses, did you see them arrive?", he asked.

Dry nodded his head.

"How many of them arrived last night?", Weamar asked.

Dry clopped his hoof on the ground four times.

"Good girl.", Weamar said, patting his horse on the nose.

Weamar hunted around for a moment for a stick, then untied Cujia and rubbed her around the head and neck.

"Good morning, Cujia!", Weamar said as he began to play catch with his dog.

"Woof!", Cujia answered, happy to play and run.

Weamar played 'fetch' with Cujia for a few minutes, trying to get her to chase an un-thrown stick every now and then. Cujia didn't mind getting faked out. She just liked to play.

"Did you see the visitors to the castle last night?", Weamar asked his dog.

"Woof!", Cujia replied affirmatively.

"Do you know how many stayed behind?", Weamar asked.

Cujia turned her head sideways and looked at Weamar confused. Weamar figured that he was asking a little too much for Cujia to answer.

"Were they nice to you when they arrived?", Weamar asked.

"Woof!", Cujia barked happily.

Then Weamar heard a few men walking towards him. He turned to see that it was the Green Man, flanked by two other men with a lot of facial hair, men who he recognized from last night.

Weamar tried not to be too tense. "Good morning, I didn't expect to see you here!", he pretended.

The Green Man almost stopped in his tracks when he saw Weamar. "Weamar!", he called out warmly. "This is the last place on earth that I'd expected to find you."

"My friends and I wound up here by chance, fortuitous, chance, it seems.", Weamar replied.

"Sold your soul to the devil did ja?", the Green Man said with a smile. "It's about time too."

"No, those negotiations are somewhat stalled.", Weamar said, cleverly returning the barb. "But other matters look to have been resolved favorably."

"Going back home?", the Green Man asked, still with a grin on his face.

Weamar looked into the distance for a moment, nostalgically, before replying. "Yes, I miss the woods, the solitude, the, I don't know, balance it has.", Weamar said, trying to find the right words.

"Better hurry.", the Green Man said, slapping Weamar on the shoulder. His two companions remained emotionless, curious as to who the ranger was.

Weamar sighed, "Aye, I've been 'on my way back' for what seems like years now. I suppose I had better hurry inside, too. Are you staying for breakfast?"

"The forest calls and we have much to do, Weamar.", the old druid said. He turned to leave and then added,  "Humans are a fascinating lot though. Too bad really."

The two men next to the Green Man smiled at his words.

Weamar tied Cujia and Dry back up. "Good luck, then.", he said, nodding to the other two men. Then he began walking back towards the castle.

"And Weamar, when you choose a side, be careful which side it is that you choose.", the Green Man added.

"That's the plan.", Weamar thought to himself as he climbed up the steps, wondering what it was that the Green Man was trying to imply.


Marinae hadn't slept all night. That wasn't unusual for her, or half-elves in general, but she wouldn't have been able to sleep if she had tried.

"I hope you slept better than I did.", she said to Rambis. "All I could do is lie there and think. Hope I didn't keep you awake."

"Mmmm, hmm?", Rambis said back, rolling over on his other side and stretching slowly.

"But, I think I feel better now.", Marinae added. "I worked things through in my mind."

"Good.", Rambis replied, and started another cat nap.

Marinae became a little annoyed at Rambis' lack of attention. She went over to the pitcher of water sitting atop the bureau and held it at arm's length over Rambis. "Time to get up.", she half sung.

"I'm sorry.", Rambis said, rolling awake. "But all you ever want to talk about is Jonathan."

"Wrong. I'm done with him.", Marinae replied firmly.

"I always said that he was no good for you.", Rambis said playfully.

"And you're still not up, silly cat.", Marinae teased. "My arm's so...tired..."

"You wouldn't.", Rambis said, looking up at her with big kitty cat eyes.

"No?", Marinae said with mock seriousness. "Yes I would. Your water bowl's empty."

Then Marinae used the pitcher to top off Rambis' water bowl. "We're leaving in a little while.", she said to her kitty. "Pack your toothbrush and what-have-you."

Rambis sprung awake and to his feet, stumbling a little, then jumped down to the floor grumbling. Marinae stripped naked and got cleaned up. She figured that it wouldn't do to be anything less than a presentable, inscrutable elf. Then she put on her least torn up riding outfit, wishing that she could take the time to mend it, but unwilling to do so. Then she packed up her saddlebags and looked around to see if she'd missed anything.

"Come on, cat. Let's shake the dust off our sandals.", Marinae called out to Rambis, who licked his paws.

Then there was a knock at Marinae's door.

"Maybe whomever it is will carry you, cat.", Marinae chided him.

Marinae went to the door. "Yes?", she asked.

It was James, the zombie butler. "Breakfast is served.", he droned. Then he turned to knock on Lynn and Eliza's door.


Eliza sighed and closed the book. Her heart was filled with doubt and confusion. Lynn put her arms around Eliza and held her gently, humming softly. Eliza leaned her head back again, taking comfort in her lover's presence. She hugged Lynn's arms, not wanting to let go.

"How do you feel?", Lynn asked.

"Tired. Very tired.", Eliza sighed. "I think I can ride though.", she said as she tried to stand.

"We'll be home soon.", Lynn reassured her, holding her steady.

Eliza leaned heavily on Lynn and thought to herself, "Strong, I have to be strong."

"We can stay another day if you need to rest.", Lynn said.

Eliza shook her head. She didn't want to spend another minute in the castle. "No. We should go. I'll be okay.", she replied, hugging Lynn tightly. "Everything's going to be okay, now."

Lynn held Eliza close, but not too tight. She was so happy that she let a tear fall. Eliza pulled back and wiped gently at Lynn's cheek.

"I'd do anything for you.", Lynn said softly. "Anything at all."

Eliza began to tremble. She whispered, "I know."

Eliza kissed Lynn gently and said, "The others will be waiting for us."

There was a knock at the door.

"Would you?", Eliza asked Lynn with a sigh.

Lynn smiled and nodded. She answered the door and found James announcing breakfast. James then knocked at David's and Weamar's doors. Eliza began cleaning up and getting dressed. Her eyes were constantly drawn back to the book. Lynn put on her armor, weapons, and her tattered old robe. She packed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder.

Seeing how tired Eliza was, Lynn gathered Eliza's gear too. "Ready?", she asked.

Eliza nodded and padded over to Lynn, hooking their arms together.


Marinae turned back to Rambis, who was still absorbed with cleaning his paws.

"Ah. Well, cat. you're eating your paws, so I'll just go find my own breakfast.", Marinae said.

Marinae made a show of walking out the door and closing it behind her, surprising the furry feline. She took a few steps along the hallway, then leaned against the wall and waited a few moments. Soon she heard Rambis meowing at the door pathetically and scratching at it. Marinae smiled and sent a little levitation at the door, making it swing open, and then turned to check herself out in the reflection of a nearby mirror. Rambis quickly ran out the door and started rubbing up against Marinae's legs apologetically.

"Oh, hello! I didn't realize you were joining me for breakfast, Your Lordship!", Marinae said, pretending to suddenly notice her cat. Then she scratched  his ears and made him purr.


David groaned and rolled over at the sound of the knock. After nodding the butler away he went to the mirror and was suddenly reminded of everything that had happened. With all the vigor of young and healthy man, he gathered his gear and prepared for the journey ahead.


Marinae greeted Eliza and Lynn as Rambis rubbed up against her legs some more and purred louder. Eliza returned the greeting and knelt down to pet Rambis who sniffed her before letting her pet him. David was the last into the hall, he closed the door and grinned broadly.

"Good morning!", the young man said energetically.

"David!", Lynn said, happy to see him young once again.

Eliza looked up when Lynn spoke. A slight smile spread across her face. "Good morning, David.", she said politely.

David was beaming. "It is indeed.", he looked from Lynn to Marinae. "I don't know how to thank you for what you've done.", he said.

Marinae could barely recognize David. He was young once again and completely free of scars. He no longer needed the eye patch, he now had two eyes.

"Seeing you like this is thanks enough, David.", Marinae replied, giving him the elvish equivalent of a warm smile.

David ran a hand through his curly brown hair, grinning. "So we're all done here, right?", he asked.

"I am.", Marinae replied quickly.

Lynn nodded and led Eliza and the others towards the dining hall. Rambis attentively followed his mistress, not knowing what she would do if he didn't. Soon they arrived in the dimly lit dining hall. Once again the table was filled with wonderful smelling breakfast foods. David dove into the feast, eating hungrily. He glanced occasionally at Lynn and Eliza, but each time he shook his head and turned his focus back to his plate. Lynn took her usual seat and helped herself, looking lovingly at Eliza all the while. But Eliza didn't seem too hungry in spite of the fact that she obviously needed to eat, and she only managed a few bites.

"You need to eat.", Lynn told Eliza, putting more food on her plate.

Eliza tried to swallow a few more small bites for Lynn's sake.

"Are you sick?", Lynn asked.

Eliza set her fork down on the plate and shook her head. "I'm just not very hungry.", she replied.

Lynn took Eliza's hand and squeezed it. "We'll be home soon.", she said once again.

Eliza nodded weakly. She could feel that her body was still trying to recover from the removal of the parasite that had almost killed her. But she was also feeling a lot of anxiety about the church and Kendra's version of the Book of Ezra.

Rambis hopped up into a chair nearest the sausage plate. Marinae selected some sausages for Rambis and put them down for him. Rambis watched her carefully, then thrashed his tail, nabbed a sausage off the plate, and dragged it underneath the table to its doom.

Weamar showed up just a little late. As soon as he sat down, Jonathan emerged once more, carrying water and juice on a platter. Jonathan made his way around the table, filling everyone's glasses with clear and orange liquids while Weamar piled up a healthy breakfast for himself. Marinae took no note of Jonathan as anything other than the waiter, giving him only polite a "thank you" as he served her. Jonathan seemed annoyed by Marinae's attitude but kept up his appearance too.

"It's a shame things didn't work out.", Marinae thought to herself. "He was entertaining."

Jonathan finished up and left the room and Marinae didn't even give a lingering look at his firm, tight ass as he went. David finished off yet another helping and pushed the plate away to rest. Whatever change Kendra caused made him very, very hungry. Rambis snagged another sausage and wrestled it to the floor. But before the atmosphere became too comfortable, it was broken by an icy voice.

"Where would you like to go?", Kendra asked.

A pair of burning eyes stared out at the group.

Eliza closed her eyes, not wanting to look to the head of the table. Quietly she whispered, "Home."

"Borca?", Kendra asked.

Eliza looked at Lynn and bit her lip. Eliza felt torn, she wanted to go to the Great Cathedral and find the truth but she knew that she couldn't face the church hierarchy in her current condition. She also knew that Lynn was so looking forward to going back to their cottage. Then Eliza wondered if the churches in other cities also had older copies of the Book of Ezra. She remembered that the Chapel of Pure Hearts was in Mordentshire, and that Ste. Mere des Larmes was in Port-a-Lucine. Those weren't far from her home. And she knew that there was also a chapel in Darkon somewhere but it was farther away. Quickly she made up a plan to visit Ste. Mere des Larmes after she and Lynn had returned to their cottage.

"Falkovnia?", Kendra said, looking at David. "Verbrek?", she said looking at Weamar.

Weamar looked thoughtfully at Kendra's offer, but shook his head. "Not just yet.", he replied.

Marinae forced herself to wait several moments before turning to face Kendra. As she did so she tried hard to meet her gaze impassively.

"Anyplace with a very large, hot bath and no dark elves.", Marinae thought but did not say.

"All at once or individually?", David asked.

"I can open one door and you may all walk through.", Kendra explained. "But you must choose only one destination."

"Richemulot.", David said. "It's central, we can all go wherever we need to from there."

"If we have only one destination Richemulot is fine by me.", Weamar seconded.

"Pont-A-Museau?", Kendra suggested.

David nodded. Marinae shrugged, knowing that she didn't really have a home.

"Then that is where you will be.", Kendra said. Then she looked at each of her guests in turn. "Is there anything more?"

Eliza kept her head down and held Lynn's hand. She wanted to say something but she was scared.

"Rastinon.", Lynn said out of the blue. "Could you bring him back?"

"Could I, or would I?", Kendra asked, her eyes fixed on Lynn.

Lynn didn't dare meet Kendra's glare. "Both.", she said after a long pause.

"Had I all that is required I could do so.", Kendra replied slowly. "But no one living desires his return."

Lynn nodded and said nothing more. Marinae shifted uncomfortably in her chair, but before she could wonder further about the exchange, Eliza spoke up.

"The Book of Ezra, the copy in my room.", Eliza said nervously. "Where did you get it?"

"From Yakov himself.", Kendra replied. "It was a gift to the Drow."

"Are there other copies like it?", Eliza asked, not knowing exactly what to say.

"The one in your room is a copy of the one given to us.", Kendra explains. "It is yours if you wish it."

Eliza was wary of any more gifts but the book was one that she could not resist. She nodded and thanked the dark woman. Then Kendra said something that Eliza recognized all too well.

"Look at the world around you.", the dark woman began. "Look at the tyrants and the despots. Look at the cruelty, the despair, and the suffering they bring. We both despise it, you and I, but while I seek to save others you seek only salvation for yourself."

"Long were our journeys and you have succeeded while I have failed.", Eliza said, reciting the rest of the verse. "No longer do you suffer from the wrath of tyrants while I am crushed under their thumb. Once more I offer my hand to you and ask you to join me. For I wish to save you from the tyrant who you have now become."

Eliza looked at Kendra without hatred for the first time. "The First Book of Ezra, Chapter 32, verse 7.", she added.

"Inspirational words.", Kendra replied coldly. "And we believed those who spoke them. How were we to know that the offer would be rescinded?"

Eliza put her head down. She felt ashamed of how she had acted towards Kendra. She realized that she had been following the church's teachings and not what was written in Ezra's book.

"If that is all then it was a pleasure doing business with you.", the dark woman added.

"I bet it was.", Marinae thought to herself.

As was her way, Kendra faded away without a sound.

"Let's go get the book.", Lynn whispered to Eliza.

Eliza struggled to her feet and went back upstairs with Lynn. In their room, Lynn opened her pack and slid the large volume inside. Then she dug around inside it and pulled out her gem, one of the five which were needed to open the gate that could allow Rastinon to return.

Eliza put an arm around Lynn's waist. "What is it?", she asked.

"I'm going to leave it with her.", Lynn said softly.

Eliza frowned. "Are you sure that's wise?", she asked.

"I don't know.", Lynn answered. "But maybe it's safer here with her."

"We were supposed to keep them apart.", Eliza though out loud, remembering that she had buried hers underneath the bed of wildflowers that they had planted near their cottage.

Eliza wondered if it was a good idea. Part of her worried that Kendra would just sell the gem to the highest bidder, but another part of her remembered what Kendra had said about no one living wanting Rastinon to return. If someone wanted the gem and Kendra didn't want them to have it, Eliza wondered if they would be strong enough to take it from her. Eliza thought about it and then decided that since it was only one of the five gems, that it would be okay to leave it behind.

"If it will make you feel better, we can give it to her.", Eliza finally said.

"I feel safer not having it.", Lynn replied.

Eliza reached up and kissed Lynn on the cheek. "Then that's what we'll do.", she said happily.

Lynn hugged Eliza and led her downstairs. When the two met James, Lynn gave him the gem and told him that it was a gift for Kendra. James nodded and headed off for another part of the castle. As he left, Marinae, Weamar, and David joined the two women in the main hall.

Confused by the odd breakfast conversation and all that had happened over the last week the group silently headed out to the courtyard and reacquainted themselves with their horses. The steeds had been well taken care of, pleasing Marinae who expected to find Maelstrom being kept in deplorable conditions. As they mounted up they noticed that one horse remained. A horse that hadn't been there when they had arrived.

"This is new.", Marinae stated the obvious.

"Kendra has another guest.", Weamar told them.

"One wonders how many others there are in such a place as this.", Marinae said, then quickly added. "I'm done wondering."

"Me too, time to get away from here, I think.", Weamar seconded.

"Time, and past time.", Marinae replied.

As David mounted his horse his mind was already far away. His thoughts were filled with images of drawing his fellow countrymen together to finally overthrow Vlad Drakov. He knew he had to return quickly and make plans for the revolution. He felt strong and confident inside, and knew in his heart that this time he would succeed in his ultimate goal.

Lynn tried to help Eliza up into the saddle but Eliza was too weak to ride. So they hooked the rickety cart up behind Eliza's horse and both women piled into it with Lynn taking the reins. Together the five went to the drawbridge, which opened with a clatter and creak. On either side they saw not a moat but a chasm, extending deep into the earth and into darkness. On the other side of the drawbridge they saw something very unusual. Instead of desolate mountains stretching out before them, they saw the rolling hills of Richemulot. With no reservations they rode across the bridge and across the world, and looking back they saw not the castle, but more lush green countryside being warmed by the summer sun.