Fiction: Soul Searching

Snap Play

"Why are we doing this again?" I muttered to Alaric as we slogged through yet another sewer in search of a hostage taken by the Circle of Thorns. "Why can't these people just carry mace or a taser or something? Why do we have to go creeping along through disgusting sewers, getting slime and gods know what else all over ourselves, just to rescue someone who could not be bothered to defend herself?"

"'Tis the noble thing to do," Alaric pointed out. "And if we did not this, then with what would we spend our time?"

I shot him a Look, one of the ones with a capital L I had perfected on 'Razur months ago. "We would have lives, maybe? Do important things, like save the world? Isn't that what the hero gig is all about, saving the world?"

"And also defending those who cannot do so for themselves. Look, the one we seek is just ahead!"

I grinned. We were behind the group of Circle of Thorns mages, obviously not where they expected us to be. Dr. Sophia Jones was arguing with them, something about how she would never help them and heroes would arrive soon.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alaric draw his bow and pick a target. Good sidekick, I thought to myself, smirking inwardly.

Balling my hands into fists, I summoned the magical energies inherent to my changed form. "One..." I muttered softly.

"Two..." Alaric answered, holding steady.

"Three!" I lobbed a ball of magical energy at the head mage, stunning him, while Alaric had already fired his first shot and was busy drawing on his control of electricity to cage the mages I hadn't stunned. We dodged their attacks, retaliating carefully, and I did my best to heal any minor damage done as fast as I could. Finally, between the two of us, we had downed the group of enemies, and Dr. Jones ran to us.

"Thank goodness you're here!" she said. "Please, let's get out of here!"

Alaric and I were only too happy to comply. We led her back through the labyrinthine maze of tunnels, unsurprised when no ambushes blocked our way. After the decimation we'd rained on the group when we first arrived, we had no doubt they were in full retreat.

As we arrived at the door, Dr. Jones turned to me. "Snap Play, there is something you must know," she said. "A few days ago, this group of Circle of Thorns was attacked by a man in black. He stole an artifact called the Tome of Hequat. I overheard them talking about it-it has some sort of divine power. You may want to check it out."

"Thank you," I said, somewhat warily. You don't usually get good tips from people in sewers or from hostages. Still, I supposed it was my duty to at least consider it.

"You are truly heroes!" Dr. Jones said as she ran out the sewer exit, leaving myself and Alaric to our own devices.

I turned to look at him as we emerged into the sunlight. "You still can't fly, can you?"

He shook his head. "I fear not. However, my Security Level is now thirteen, or will be after I train."

"Fair enough. C'mon, o useless sidekick of mine, I'll teleport you to Valkyrie."

Alaric grinned, responding with a completely innocent face. "Yes, Mistress Snap..."

"You learned that from 'Razur, I know that..." I replied, taking off and heading towards the center of Steel Canyon.

Alazne

I had just come into base from a mission, with WRider, another Teamster, on my heels, when we heard yelling from the control room. Frowning and fearing the worst, we ran through the base, only to find Snap waving a sheaf of papers about, dancing exultantly in midair.

"I know what it is!" she shouted. "I know what the Tome of Hequat is!"

The noise also brought Alaric, who deftly snatched the papers from her hand and perched on the back of a chair, reading them over with a thoughtful look on his face. They'd been digging for information on the Tome of Hequat ever since rescuing a hostage from the Circle of Thorns a week before.

He glanced up and frowned at Snap, who had come to a hovering halt in front of him, holding out her hand for the return of her papers. "Are you sure this is right?"

"Positive. The Tome of Hequat is a book of magic spells and incantations. No one knows what they do."

"If no ones knows what they do, why would anyone want it?" WRider asked. Obviously he was as confused as I was.

"I have no idea, but I'm pretty sure that book should be in M.A.G.I.'s vault." Snap answered.

"But this fellow in black possesses it, does he not?" Alaric frowned. "The one who stole it from the Circle of Thorns?"

"True." Snap sat down on the table, her forehead wrinkling in concentration. "If we want to find the Tome, we have to find him first..."

The radio clipped to her belt squawked. Catching it up, she spoke into it. "What's up?" A voice on the other end spoke back to her, too quiet for me to hear. "You need me for what?" The voice spoke again, and her frown deepened. "Okay, I'm on my way. Yeah. From the base. No. Okay, I said! Yeah, well, nobody asked you."

She switched the device off and clipped it back onto her belt, then stood up and hovered slightly above the table. "'Razur needs my help...they've got a whole team of people going in to banish Jack and Eochai again. Looks like Dread Omega's going too, so it should be a good time. Keep thinking on this Tome thing-now that we know what it is we just have to figure out how to get it. Laters, taters!"

She flew out into the telepad bay and was gone faster than anyone could say anything.

Snap Play

After I helped 'Razur's team out I decided to head back towards base. I nearly made it, too, when I heard something on the radio that I just had to check out.

"Attention: a group of Circle of Thorns members believed to be in possession of the Tome of Hequat have been spotted entering a cave in Talos Island. Proceed with caution."

I marveled at my luck. Apparently, the man in black didn't have the Tome after all!

I made my way to Talos Island and cleared out the cave, but the Tome wasn't there. Before I tagged the last Agony mage to send him to the Zig, I questioned him about it.

"Have you ever heard of the Tome of Hequat?"

"Yes...it is...powerful..." the man rasped. Years of breathing incense will do that to a person's voice. It probably didn't help that I was sitting on his thin chest.

"Well, where is it? I was told it was here!"

"The Will of Hequat...he has it...he knows you are seeking it...you must...recover it."

I frowned. "Who is this 'Will of Hequat' person, and what does he want with the Tome? And why does it matter so much?"

"The death of...magic..."

At this opportune moment, the man passed out. Sighing, I tagged him to be sent to the Zig, and headed back to base.

Alazne, a few days later...

Sometimes being the great-great-great granddaughter of Blackrazur is a real pain. I sighed as we walked into the base, just back from a sparring session. I'd lost, of course, and it wasn't like Uncle had hurt me seriously or anything, but you can only take so much of being knocked around. All I really wanted right now was to go sink into the couch in the lounge and zone out watching T.V. Unfortunately it was apparent from the moment that we entered the base that this was not going to happen.

"..out, I said! Get out, you princely pain in the [censored]!"

"But m'lady, I..."

"I don't care! Get out! Go drink with Puck, go fight some Trolls, go jump off a cliff and forget how to fly, I don't care what you do, get out!"

Uncle managed to stop Snap's tirade-or at least redirect it-with a single sentence. It's amazing that he knows exactly which buttons to push to control her temper.

"You two fight like a married couple already!"

"Over my dead body, you...you...you magical mutt! Do you know what he was doing? Do you have any idea?" Her voice was rising in volume and she was actually hovering near the ceiling, looking down at Uncle. It would have been funnier if I hadn't been in the line of fire. Seeing her fists start glowing, I backed quickly away.

"Uh, no...all I know is I have a headache...you're yelling...not a good combination."

"If I may..."

"No you may not!" Snap yelled in Alaric's general direction. She angled back towards Uncle, working hard to rein in her temper. "He was in my room, going through my books! Without me even there at all! I just now got back from the Midnighter's Club, and was about to sit down with a book, and I find this...this...this pansy of a prince in my room with his nose buried in one of my books! And he did not ask!" She finished on a note of absolute anguish.

I tried to stifle a giggle. You would think that only a serious prank could put Snap into this kind of temper, wouldn't you? She never got this upset when Uncle or Alaric pointed out unintended innuendo in things she said or when Uncle teased her about Alaric, but lay a hand on her books without her permission and she wouldn't need an excuse to kill you.

I can kind of see her point, since many of her personal books are magic books she's been collecting in the hopes that one of them can change her back, but still, it was extremely funny.

Obviously Uncle thought so too. He had no worries about Snap attacking him, so he burst out chuckling. Of course, this infuriated her even more.

"Stop it!" she shrieked, stomping her foot in midair. "You stop laughing, Blackrazur, or so help me..."

"You're just so cute when you're being all angry, Snap..." Uncle shot off between bouts of laughter.

"Aye, that she is!" Alaric agreed. He was hovering slightly off to one side of Snap, probably ready to run if she aimed her anger towards him again. Fortunately for him, it was Uncle who had her seeing red now.

"I am going to kill you!" she shrieked. Lifting her arms over her head, she generated a large ball of the magical energy she uses to blast her enemies, and tossed it down on Uncle's head. There must have been a lot more force in that one than there normally is, because he crumpled to the ground under the force of it.

Alaric raised his eyebrows. "In truth, Snap, you've killed him!"

She glowered for a moment at Uncle's body, then sighed and sank down to floor level. Landing gracefully, she stalked over to his corpse and put out her hands over top of him.

"Get up!" she ordered sternly...and he did, rising fluidly from the floor and grinning down at her.

"Feel better now, do you?" he asked laughingly.

Alaric, behind them, looked a little stunned. I was feeling it myself. I mean we both knew that Uncle was basically immortal, but we'd never actually seen Snap call his soul back to him while he visited the Netherworld. From the way it was done, they'd obviously been through this before.

Snap glared up at him. "No!"

"Ah, yes you do, admit it. You're not even yelling any more." Uncle spun her around to face Alaric. "Go on now, kiss and make up already!"

"Ugh! I'm leaving!" Snap spun and paced towards the portal, then turned back for a second and stabbed her finger in Alaric's direction. "Stay out of my room and away from my books! Use the big library if you want something to read!" Turning back, she disappeared into the base portal.

Uncle turned towards Alaric and quirked an eyebrow. "What of hers were you reading, anyhow? Her diary? 'Cause if it was that it's my turn next."

Alaric held up a book. "This book, which was written fair recently, describes the foul killings of a number of heroes, all of whom had been transformed by magic. It says that all that is known about the killer is that he appears to be interested in magical artifacts, especially those concerning Hequat...and they have never caught the man. I believe he might resurface as the Tome has...and if he does..."

"Then Snap's in danger," Uncle said grimly, his mouth tightening.

"We've got to find her!" I said.

"Tell me something I don't know, Ali. We'll split up. We'll find her."

"Wait!" Alaric dove towards one of the storage racks and produced three handheld radios. "Take these! We should stay in touch, lest any one of us run into trouble alone!"

I reached out and took one of the radios, clipping it to my belt. "Frequency three? It seems clear."

"Agreed. Good idea. Let's go." Uncle said quietly.

Moving as one, we exited the base, each of us taking a different area to start in.

((This chapter is dedicated to GI...because he asked for it.))

Snap Play

I was so angry when I left the base that I threw myself into clearing the streets of Founders' Falls. I figured the first place 'Razur would look for me, when he eventually decided to, would be Croatoa or Atlas Park, my usual haunts, so I wanted to be someplace a little different. I even turned off my belt radio so that they couldn't even try to persuade me.

After a while, I began to notice that all of the mages I was fighting looked alike. I mean, in every group of Circle of Thorns mages I attacked, most of whom had at least one person wrapped up in a spell, there were at least two or three mages I could have sworn to having already put down once or twice.

I started to get tired around the same time I noticed this, and decided to walk back to the base portal. It had been over two hours, after all-by now things would be back to normal. Alaric, at least, would pretend I'd never caught him in my room or yelled at him. I don't know why he annoys me so much, but he does. Maybe it's because he seems to assume that he's the universe's gift to women, and, specifically, to me.

While I was thinking about this, I noticed a smell drifting through the air in front of me. It was sweet, and not really bad smelling. I inhaled deeply and felt a pleasurable feeling of relaxation sweep through me. As my eyes began to drift shut, the last thing I saw was the face of one of the familiar mages I had noticed, drifting in midair, attached to an invisible body.

"Sleep," he commanded.

I had no choice but to obey.

Alazne

The radio crackled at my belt. "Anything?"

"No, clear in Talos," I responded.

"Damn. Peregrine's clear too. We're running out of places to look for her. Alaric?"

"I'm in Founders' Falls. Noth-wait! A civilian speaks her name!"

We waited what seemed like an eternity, while Alaric talked to the person who had mentioned Snap. Finally, he spoke again, his voice sounded staticky over the radio.

"She was seen here fighting the Circle of Thorns, not but two hours ago. This person I spoke to says that she then began to walk back towards the University. Partway there, he saw her crumple to the ground, then she was lifted by an invisible force, and then she became invisible too. This is most strange...it worries me greatly."

"Me too." Uncle replied grimly as Alaric cut out. "Ali, meet us in Founders' Falls. If she was fighting the Circle of Thorns there, I bet they can tell us who took her and where they went."

"Got it," I replied, feeling less and less confident by the second. "On my way."

Snap Play

I came to lying on my stomach, with my arms and legs restrained and something cold and rough against my cheek. When I opened my eyes, I could tell that the room we were in was meant to resemble a temple of some sort. Arcane runes decorated the edge of the surface I lay on, and similar runes decorated a tall spire a little way away. Beyond that, the edge of the room was lit by a torch. The torch showed me something I wished I hadn't seen. The altar I lay on-I had to guess it was an altar of some kind-was stained red. I shuddered.

As that brief spasm shot through me, it brought with it another realization: I was naked. Someone had tied me down, naked, in a room meant for what were obviously arcane purposes.

This could mean one of several things, I thought, and none of them was particularly good.

I heard a footstep behind me, then a hand caressed the back of my head. "Who's there?" I asked, struggling to move my head-to no avail. "Who are you? Let me go! Let me go right now, or you'll be sorry!" I balled up one fist, scraping my knuckles on the stone as I did so, and tried to summon the powers I'd grown so used to over the past few months. "I'll blast you to kingdom come!" I growled, hoping I sounded more vicious than I probably looked.

Nothing happened.

He laughed again. "Did you think I would bring you here without adequate preparations? No, abomination of magic, I did not. This room has been specially prepared with a ritual that...well, let's just say that it prevents you from using any magically-granted powers. If I'm not very much mistaken, that includes all of yours, doesn't it?"

"That's none of your business!" I snapped. "And I'm not an abomination, you...you cretin!"

A deep chuckle sounded. "Oh, little abomination, you make me laugh. Even now, caught as you are, you struggle against your bonds and curse at me. I've been watching you, small one, and I think your spirit admirable. Aren't you lucky?"

He drew those last three words out with an intonation that made my blood run cold. Obviously, I wasn't nearly as lucky as he wanted me to think I was. "Who are you? Answer me, you [censored]! What are you going to do to me?"

Suddenly, he was in front of me, a looming black blot against the light. I could see silver chains gleaming out of the corner of my eye, and I strained to see more. A black costume, all black, and a black hood with silver decoration, to go with those silver chains around his chest and arms. As he drew closer, I recognized an aura coming off of him that could only be described as evil. This was definitely the man in black I'd been searching for.

I had to get away. Somehow, I had to get free. Even if I couldn't completely escape, maybe I could get out of this room long enough to use some of my powers, long enough to knock him out...I began pulling against the ropes that bound me, but they were strong, and I knew from experience that I was too weak to break them. I didn't stop trying, however, until a large hand pressed down on the flat of my back.

I began begging mentally for 'Razur and Alaric to find me. If they didn't, I couldn't imagine what would happen. I didn't want to imagine.

"Who am I, little one?" the figure purred. "I am he who you have been tracking this past time. They call me the Will of Hequat. You, however, will not be calling me anything. I have been watching you, yes...and I think your spirit will make ample sustenance for my goddess, even if it does come from one as small and...perverted," he spat, "as your lowly self." He reached out of my view and produced a sheathed knife, then presented it to me as though seeking my approval before he unsheathed it and laid the sheath aside. "We will cleanse you of your physical imperfections, abomination, and then we shall see if my goddess will finally grant me understanding of her Tome, that I may be the one to restore her spirit fully to this plane!"

"What are you-hey!" He grabbed my hair, pulling it viciously. I heard the blade sweep through my hair, cutting it short. He laid the bundle of hair in front of my face, then moved behind me. Suddenly, a black blur showed up in front of me. Before I had a chance to cry out, he had shoved a bundle of fabric into my mouth, tying it behind my head. Then he grabbed another piece of fabric and covered my face with it, tying this also at the back of my neck.

I couldn't see. I couldn't speak. The terror that had been building in me since I had seen the knife grew sharper, more tangible. Cold as I felt, I knew I was sweating.

I heard some kind of quiet chanting, muffled by the hood. I couldn't make out the words. It went on for a long, long time, and I sensed, rather then heard, him walk around the table or altar or whatever I was tied to several times.

He laid his hand on my head, and more words were chanted. Something was horribly wrong here, I thought again. If this were some sort of ritual, surely there'd be a sense of power building by now...but no. Just me, the crazy man called Will of Hequat, and the fear, which was becoming a presence in itself. I screamed as a sharp pain sliced through the tip of first one long, pointed ear, then the other.

He was not. He continued to chant for a long time. My ears throbbed and burned, and I knew that I would need to take care of them immediately, as soon as I could. Of course, that would mean I would have to escape, and if I hadn't been able to manage that before, how would I now, when he had the knife and I was weak from the pain?

Abruptly, the chanting stopped. I felt his hand take hold of one of my wings, and I felt something cold but burning touch my skin near the base of the same appendage. The knife!

I felt the first cut of the blade, through the delicate nerves at the top edge of the wing. I screamed as loud as I ever had, and was so much in pain that I couldn't think of anything else. Then the pain granted me a mercy my torturer had not, and blotted out the world, leaving me, finally, in dark peace.

Alazne

We tracked the kidnapper-is it still kidnapper if the person's an adult? That's strange. Anyhow, we tracked the kidnapper to a warehouse in Croatoa. I remember thinking it was odd at the time, how everything significant seems to happen to Uncle or Snap in Croatoa, but that's not the point here.

We had already scouted Croatoa once, of course, but we were not expecting her to have been carried invisibly to a warehouse and then buried inside.

Uncle did the whole kicking in the door routine, with Alaric right behind him ready to shock the firast person who got in the way. I have to say that Alaric is a lot calmer than Uncle in that respect-he doesn't let himself get taken over by rage.

We entered the place to find it seemingly empty. Luckily, by some sixth sense (or his enhanced sense of smell, which is impressive), Uncle was able to lead us to another door, which was previously blocked from view by a pile of crates. This lead to a flight of stairs.

The stairs led us to a small basement room, containing another door. Just as we reached it, fully intending to burst in and rescue Snap if she was there, a man came out, smiling grimly.

He wore all black, with a black hood, and his face was obscured somehow, probably by a mask. All we could see were his eyes-cold eyes, cold with satisfaction. He felt that he had done something right.

We knew that he had done something horribly, horribly wrong. Those black clothes and silver chains were smeared red with blood. He grinned madly at us, a weird light shining in his eyes. "Hequat has sent you to aid me in my quest? Atl ast, she has heard my prayers!"

"What-?" Alaric began, then gasped. "Snap!"

The door behind the man in black swung fully open, revealing to us the grisliest thing i have ever seen. I will never forget. A small, distinctly female body lay facedown on a stone altar, her arms and legs stretched out spreadeagle and tied that way. A black hood obscured the figure's head, and two gaping, bleeding wounds marred the pale skin of her back.

We all knew it was Snap.

Uncle howled once. I've never heard anything like it. It was the kind of noise you hear about in horror stories, filled with rage and bloodlust. It startled the enemy just long enough for Uncle to barrel into him, knocking him to the floor. Uncle howled again, this time with pain, as he came into contact with the chains on the man's chest-they were obviously pure silver, and burned Uncle where they touched him. He shifted his position, slashing at the man's unprotected face and neck, while I pummeled him with kicks from behind and Alaric held him in a circle of lightning, waiting for a clear shot. Finally, that shot came, and Alaric put him down with an arrow in his heart. Uncle slashed his throat for good measure, and as they stood there, panting, and glaring at the lifeless, bleeding body of the Will of Hequat, I ran to Snap, yelling for them to come help me.

Uncle slashed through the ropes while Alaric worked on getting the hood off her head. I started ripping banners off of the walls. The things were covered in symbols which probably had disgusting meanings, but they were clean, they were cloth, and they could be used to wrap Snap in and to stop the bleeding. By the time I had gathered a few of the heavy banners off their stands, Alaric was cradling Snap's head in his lap, trying to find out if she was still alive.

I remember we were crying. I think the heat of Uncle's anger burned out any tears he might have had. He was pacing around the room muttering angrily to himself while Alaric and I worked to cover her decently and tightly enough to be moved. We finally got her poor little body wrapped in the banners, and only then did Uncle seem to decide what course of action to take. Carefully, he lifted her up and carried her outside, with Alaric and I close behind.

"Where are you taking her?" Alaric asked, clearly concerned for Uncle's mental health at this point.It's always been hard to tell exactly how Uncle feels about Snap. I can only say that to have a friendship that close with someone is rare for anyone, let alone for a person who is a loner by nature.

"Hospital," Uncle grunted. Then he took off, leaping into the air. Alaric followed, flying close behind.

I, meanwhile, was left in their dust as I tried to figure out how to get through the maze that is Salamanca to the hospital. Sometimes, super speed can be a drag.

The Doctor

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. We've patched up her physical wounds, but apparently it's not enough. She's just lost the will to live."

"Not Snap." 'Razur growled. "Something's wrong."

"Like what?" Alaric asked, looking at the scrapper as though he was crazy.

"That's what we need to find out."

The Medium

"Well, you seem to be right, mister...uh...Blackrazur. Something has seperated her soul from her body. I'd say she won't last much longer. I'm so sorry I couldn't be more help."

"Oh no..." Alazne said quietly, looking at the door to Snap's hospital room. It was slightly open, showing the tiny woman lying on her stomach, her head supported by a cushion with a hole in it. Her back had been bandaged and she was hooked to a respirator and an IV drip, as well as a machine that monitored her life signs.

"Is there nothing we can do for her, then?" Alaric asked sourly, hope turning bitter in his face. "She is doomed?"

'Razur stood up. "Not if I can help it. I have...friends."

Alazne was next to speak up. "Friends? What kind of friends can help with something like this?"

"Go, say your goodbyes," Alaric agreed. "'Tis a waste of time to stir up false hope."

"It's not too late. Are you coming?" 'Razur turned and began to stride down the hall.

Alaric threw one last, painful glance towards Snap's prone form and followed. Alazne came soon after, not wanting to be left behind.

The Darkness

She is still tied to her body, but she is fast becoming a citizen of my realm.

"You know it's not time yet. Give her back." 'Razur growled menacingly.

It will cost you dearly.

"She doesn't belong here!" the tall man snapped, growing impatient.

"Name your price!" Alaric said, raising his voice over his companion's.

The voice from the darkness seemed to chuckle as it responded.

From the dark one, a portion of his power. From you, small one, a portion of the magic you carry from your realm. From the girl, a portion of her youth. From all of you, a portion of your lives...granting these things freely will make a choice for her, one she will not want you to make...

"What choice?" Alazne called.

You must choose for her. If you give what I ask freely, without resentment, she will yet live many times the normal life of her kind. You must choose for her-death, or eternity in the form she now bears, with no hope of becoming mortal ever again.

Alazne bit her lip. Give up a part of her youth? Did that mean she'd become old even faster? She thought about asking, but somehow she doubted that the voice would answer. It was up to her to decide.

For Alaric, there was no choice. "I choose, freely, to give you that which thou hast asked of me." A tendril of darkness snaked out to caress his cheek, and he shuddered and became paler as it leeched away some of his power.

'Razur reached out to it. "I, too," he said quietly, "will freely grant what you have asked." Another tendril split from the first and wrapped itself lovingly against his hand, but he showed no sign of growing weaker as it fed on him.

Alazne wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered, watching the darkness interact with her companions. If she said no, Snap would die and what they had already given up would be wasted. If she said yes, she had no idea what should would lose, no idea what would happen to her. Then again, had they known? She studied Alaric carefully. Had he known what would happen? No, she was sure, but he had not hesitated. Why? Because he loved Snap, that was obvious. And so, in his own way, did Blackrazur.

And so did she. Suppressing a shudder, she managed to reach out a hand and keep her voice steady as she added her sacrifice to the others'. "I freely give you what you've asked."

The voice seemed to purr at them.

All will be well when you return. Go quickly, and remember-don't look back. If you once look back, she belongs to me forever.

'Razur turned their group quickly and they began the long, slow climb back to the surface world, their silence wrapped around them.

"Tell her nothing," he said quietly as they neared the end of their trip. "She does not need to know what has happened here, what each of us has lost-only that we've brought her back."

"Agreed," Alaric responded, equally somber. Ali just nodded.

Snap Play

I woke up alone and confused. Something was wrong, I was sure, but I couldn't figure out what. Then it hit me. I was in a hospital bed.

As I struggled to sit up, I tried to work out what had happened. The man who called himself the Will of Hequat had been there, with a knife...and then everything had gone dark. I must have been rescued, but by who? Had my friends managed to find me?

As I was working all this out in my head, a nurse came bustling in and pushed back the curtains around my bed, obviously getting ready to check on me. It must have surprised her that I was sitting up, because she gasped a little and started fussing at me.

"Oh, don't sit up! Here, let me fix this bed for you, is that better? You've been through quite an ordeal, you ought to relax! Won't your friends be happy you're awake? I'll just go tell them, okay?"

I nodded dumbly as I lay back on the pillows she'd provided. Apparently I'd been assigned Nurse Sunshine.

As quickly as she'd disappeared, a winged form only slightly larger than me hit the bed, landing next to me and gathering me up for a careful hug. Alaric, I realized, fastening my eyes on the wing in front of them. It had to be Alaric. I was too relieved to push him off the bed.

"Don't ever go doing that again, all right? Near scared us all to death, you did! Thou art lucky we arrived in time!"

While he was lecturing me (and, I suspected, possibly trying not to cry), 'Razur walked in and leaned against the wall, and Alazne tiptoed in behind him, shutting the door. She took one of the chairs and sat trying to look neither too interested, nor too bored. I smiled weakly at 'Razur, who grinned back. "Welcome back."

"I went somewhere?" I asked, puzzled. Alaric finally put his noble fairy prince mask back on and sat back on the bed, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on them. I looked from him, to 'Razur, to Alazne, and back. "You guys?"

Ali looked at 'Razur, who shrugged at Alaric, who said, "'Tis not important, love; you're back now."

"Don't you 'love' me, Alaric Stormwarden!" I snapped, feeling out of sorts about the whole thing.

"'Tis too late for that now." He grinned back at me, infuriatingly. "Thy new look suits thee, Mistress Snap."

"New look?" I quirked an eyebrow at him, puzzled. What on Earth was he talking about? Alazne (of course) provided me with a small mirror from somewhere, and I held it up to my face, studying it for any difference.

"Your hair, Snap. It'll grow back, though. And the wings," 'Razur supplied helpfully-a little too helpfully, I thought, from the way he was smirking.

I dutifully moved the mirror to see what he was talking about. My hair had been cut to about half the length it had been before, but he was right, of course-it would grow back, in time. I tilted the mirror a little and held it out to look over my shoulder.

"My wings!" I shrieked suddenly. "But they're...what happened to them?!?"

"When we pulled you from that...thing," Alaric spat, "that you were tied to, your wings had been...removed. Truthfully, I like your new ones better."

I could see why. My old wings had resembled butterfly wings more than anything else, while these were filmy, transparent, and looked...a lot like Alaric's, come to think of it. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

"No more and no less than any other here did," he swore.

It was just then, as I looked back in the mirror, that I saw what 'Razur was smirking about. A thin layer of shadow clung to me in wispy tendrils, similar to the darkness which protected him in battle. I set the mirror down and concentrated, and the dark aura surrounding my hand pulled into me. When I relaxed, it formed again. I frowned at 'Razur. "So, you had something to do with this too?"

"No more and no less than any other here did," he echoed.

Ali jerked her thumb towards her ancestor. "What they said."

I sighed. Obviously I had missed something important.

"So, how long was I out for...?"

"Three days, more or less. You woke up a little when they moved you to this room, but not enough to see anyone," 'Razur answered.

"Aye, they refused to allow us entry until you'd awoken," Alaric added.

"You guys, they probably didn't want us bothering her! Like they thought maybe we'd upset her or something and keep her from getting well!"

"Are we bothering you, milady Snap?" Alaric asked, humor dancing in his eyes. I've never seen anyone with black eyes before except aliens. It brings up some interesting theories. Somehow, though, Alaric manages to pull it off.

"Uh, no." I answered finally, pointing my gaze towards the window (mostly to avoid having to look at 'Razur, who was grinning at me knowingly; I don't know how he knows what I'm thinking but he usually does). "No, it's...fine. You can stay. So...what have I missed?"

This, of course, provided sufficient distraction to get all three of them talking at once, their voices tumbling over each other as everyone tried to explain everything at the same time.

It was good to be back among friends, I decided

Alazne

There's not much story left to tell, really. I was surprised as anyone when Snap let Alaric hold her like that-I mean, she always acts like she either really doesn't like him or just doesn't care, but I guess it really is all an act. Or maybe she just needed reassuring that she was awake and safe. In any case, I was surprised.

We explained what had happened, or as much as we could-we'd already agreed that no one was going to tell Snap exactly what had happened when we visited Uncle's "friends" in the Underworld. It's not exactly a normal thing, and besides, I don't think any of us wanted Snap to think that one person had given any more or less than the others. We also, of course, didn't want to tell her that we had chosen to make her immortal-she wasn't all that happy when she got turned into a fairy, and I don't think she'll be too happy to find out we've extended her lifespan, either, even if we did save her life. She usually likes to be consulted about things like that. I don't really blame her, since it means being stuck with Uncle and Alaric for eternity.

Snap was able to walk out of the hospital on her own a few days later, when they were done keeping her "for observation". I didn't visit much, but Alaric and Uncle practically took turns. I think they were guarding her, although I'm not sure why, since that Will guy is definitely dead.

I can tell things are changing around here now. Snap's learning to fly again with her new wings, and she's also learning how to control the dark powers she gained from Uncle. I think she suspects his part in the whole thing, but she never says anything about it, and neither do we.

Alaric, I think, is just glad to be accepted. I mean, it's not like Snap has said she likes him or anything, but at least she's not actively pushing him away any more. She even admitted that he was cute the other day, and has given him his own room in our base. He obviously loves her, so I'm glad for him-friendship is a start, you know?

Uncle is...just Uncle. He never changes. If he does, it doesn't show. I wonder if it bothers him that Snap and Alaric are getting close now, but I know that if I ask him I won't get an answer-or worse, I'll get a lecture about minding my own business. It's not like I'm the only person who's curious, either. I mean, what if Alaric ends up trying to take Snap home with him or something? Some of us would just like to know what to expect!

We gave the Tome of Hequat to Azuria. Snap figures it'll get stolen again in a week. I'm not really sure why.

Oh, and Uncle took me to go get my hero ID. Now I'm officially on duty, so watch out, Paragon City! He said I'd earned it. I don't know what I did, but I guess I did good.

Right after Snap came back, an interesting thing happened. A whole bunch more fairies showed up! One of them is Alaric's sister, Storm Rose. She and Snap get along surprisingly well-mostly because they have teasing Alaric in common, probably. There's also Fyglia Skydancer, Donovan Cosantoir, Count Auberon, and Tybaltin. Oh, and Morronak Greltank, but he's not a fairy, he's a half-dwarven, half-gnome...thing. Snap and Alaric have taken the responsibility of showing the new people around the city and helping them strengthen their powers. It's nice to have more people around the base, but honestly, I feel like if I'm not careful I'll step on someone! The only person taller than me is Uncle!

I'm sure more interesting things will happen soon. After all, it never stays quiet long in Paragon City. For now, while it is quiet, good luck and happy hunting!