As they ate, Xiona told them our tale, how I came to this world, how we met. She told
them everything, leaving it to them to accept or deny it for themselves.
  They listened, first with incredulous looks, then with compassion and understanding.
  "We had wondered what had happened to the Priests of Silver and those they had tricked
into following them. Now we know. And now, I do truly understand your bond. Not many could share
it."
  "How true my Lord," Xiona said.
  "It is even stranger, with you being from different worlds."
  "What of your people Xiona?" pup asked.
  "We don't know." She answered looking down at the table. "Maybe now, with the priests
gone, they can find their way back into the light.
  "I may be able to help." Lord Andrys told her.
  "How?"
  "We are returning from a mission for our Lord. We can take you to His keep and He can
send an emissary to meet with our lost brothers and sisters, if He so chooses."
  Xiona looked up at me, hope in her eyes.
  "Its worth a try," I told her.
  "All right, we leave in the morning," Andrys said. "It is only two days to our Lord's
keep. Now, we must be to bed. Our journey has been long. Come, pup."
  After they left, Xiona let out a small sigh. "I have heard to bonded pairs like that but
never dreamed of seeing one."
  "What do you mean?" I asked.
  "Well, Andrys serves as the lady's Lord, or even her Master. She obeys him in all things.
Don't you remember this from my past?"
  "Hey, its something you didn't think much about, remember? It almost sounds like slavery
to me."
  No, not at all. She IS bound to him, to serve him, but the bonds are made of love. He is
captured by them as much as she. She needs His guidance, she gives her strength. It goes much,
much, deeper but language can only touch the surface of their bonds. It is as well they have each
other, if I am right, her gifts are far too rare, too special to be unprotected."
  "Maybe I shouldn't judge what I know nothing about."
  "It would be wise."
  "You mentioned her 'gifts'?"
  "Well, there is usually something special, different about the guarded one. No one knows
how the pair finds one another, just as no one can usually guess what the gift actually is. I
suspect though, that pup's name means something. Maybe she can talk to animals."
  "Well, all speculation aside. We better find a room, dawn comes early." I said.
  With that, we got up, went to the Tavern keeper and made arrangements for a room. He
seemed unusually eager to please. I guessed knowing Lord Andrys was something special.
  The next morning, we met Lord Andrys and his lady outside the Tavern. They arrived as I
was finishing putting my pistol in my belt. The rifle was wrapped in a blanket and the grenades
were still in my pack.
  "One thing before we go." Andrys said to me. "I do not mean to be rude but, I need to be
protective of mine. You are strange here, please remember that I love her and cannot tolerate
anyone who would hurt her."
  "I understand, very well," I told him. "Look, if we are traveling together, we might as
well be friends. I would never do anything to hurt you or pup, and will never try to come between
you. I will stand by you both as I would Xiona. Besides, I would feel the same way about my wife
if she were here." My voice caught on that last sentence.
  "Yes, I remember, you are loyal to Yours. Very well, I will trust you. pup says there is
something about you, what she wouldn't say."
  With that said we began our trek toward the keep.
  As we traveled, we talked. Andrys told of His home. Xiona spoke of hers. pup and I
listened to both until Andrys asked, "What of your home, Dan?"
  "Its far different from this. We are a technological world. We, well its hard to describe."
  Xiona laughed. "I lived his memories and I still don't understand many of them, Lord."
  Andrys looked thoughtful and opened his mouth to speak.
  Unexpectedly, pup said, "He is outside, not of the rules of our land. Maybe he is more
than we think."
  Andrys looked surprised. He stared at pup for a minute, then looked intently at me.
"Maybe, maybe."
  That night we made camp in a small clearing next to a brook. I made a simple dinner,
surprising both of our new companions.
  "We share chores equally." I said. "Its my turn to cook and Xiona's to clean."
  Later, after we had settled by the fire, tired from the long day. Andrys looked at pup.
  "Mine?"
  "Yes, Lord?"
  "A story perhaps?"
  "Thank you, Lord." pup answered and looked delighted.
  pup told the Story of the Empty One, a Gifted Elf with no Protector, no Lord, no Master.
Although she had the gift of flight, without someone to share her heart she was bound to the
earth. Finally, after too many years alone, she found her One. Together, they bonded and her gift
made them soar to the heavens.
  As she told her story, pup's words drew us in. They had power all of their own and we
could feel what the people in the story must have felt.
  After she finished, she cuddled up to Andrys and he sat, stoking her hair.
  We all sat quietly for a long time, watching the fire, each absorbed in thought. The one
by one we drifted off to sleep.
  I awoke around midnight, I think. As I looked around the camp for what had woke me up, I
though, "Something isn't right."
  pup sat by the brook, looking across it.
  I got up and went near her, mindful of Andrys concerns. "What is it?" I asked.
  She looked at me and motioned me to sit and be quiet.
  I sat next to her and strained to hear. There, in the distance, I heard a plaintive cry.
It sounded like a wolf cub in pain. Then, answering his cry was the pack.
  "He is trapped. They cannot free him. Please go. pup cannot."
  "WHAT?"
  "Please, he needs You. The pack will not harm you. Trust this one, please."
  I looked at her. Something in her eyes made me believe everything she said. Why? I still
can't explain.
  "OK, I'll go," and moved out, toward the wolves.
  "This is nuts. They'll tear me to shreds," I thought.
  It took a while, traveling though the woods. Eventually, though, I came across a young
male wolf, his left hind leg in a steel trap. Beyond him was the pack. There must have been
fifteen to twenty adults.
  One young female lay near the cub, licking his face.
  I approached slowly. As I neared, she stood, growling softly.
  "Oh man," I whispered. "This must be the craziest thing I've ever done." Away from pup I
didn't feel the confidence she had given me.
  "It's OK, I'm here to help. Please, don't bite me," I said as I drew near.
  The female continued her growling.
  "Please, please, I'm only here to help. Oh, come on now, please, understand me."
  Suddenly, the female quit growling.
  "That's better, I think. Let me remove the trap."
  Then I heard it, or maybe that's not the right way to say it. "You can remove the metal
teeth from his leg?"
  "HUH?"
  "Will you really help?"
  "Are you talking to me?" I gulped.
  "Of course for me to understand you shouldn't you also understand me?"
  She didn't actually speak, but somehow I understood her language, that of the wolf.
  "I guess that makes sense," I said.
  "Please, then remove the teeth thing.
  I quickly knelt before the trap and pulled the jaws open. The wolf cub drug himself free
and I released the teeth to close.
  The pack moved in to lick his wound and care for him.
  "Thank you," the female said.
  "May I look at the wound?" I asked". Maybe I can do more for it." My confidence was
returning. I guess not being torn apart will do that for you.
  The female looked back at the pack.
  A large ruddy wolf came forward. "Brother, you have done plenty. We will care for our
cub. Please, now, go and be well. Never fear a wolf again."
  I backed away but stopped when the female looked at the pack leader. "Honored One, if it
pleases you, I will go with this One. He has cared for my littermate. I will care for Him."
  "Very well, little sister. Walk well and know that pack is with you always."
  The female came to me then, "Come, Brother, let us be gone. The pack will care for my
littermate."
  We turned and made our way back to the camp. Pup still sat by the brook but now Andrys
and Xiona sat next to her. They all stood and the wolf and I crossed the water.
  The wolf went immediately to pup. The lady reached out and held the wolf. Something
passed between them.
  Xiona looked at me. I shook my head in bemusement. "Don't ask. I'm not sure what happened
and I was there."
  pup looked up. "You saved the young one. The pack has accepted you as their own. This one
has joined you as your companion. What isn't there to understand?"
  Andrys just laughed.
  We sat by the brook until dawn, broke camp and headed out.
  We emerged from the forest and found the road leading to the keep. Everyone was in a
somber mood. The last night seemed unreal. I almost found myself thinking it had been a dream.
Then I remembered the wolf at my side.
  We stopped for lunch at an inn by the road. Thinking back, maybe I should have noticed
the men staring at us. I thought we just looked weird. Three Elves, one human, one wolf.
  Soon after we left the inn, we were attacked. Andrys barely had time to yell a warning
before they were on us.
  I don't remember much of the initial fight, only that the man I killed with a lucky stab
of my knife held me as he fell to the ground. When I finally released myself from his grip, the
fight seemed over. Five dead men lay around Andrys, his sword dripping there blood. Xiona had
killed two more and the wolf stood over three.
  I looked for pup and saw Andrys stare. His eyes were afire. I looked over to follow his
gaze and saw two more men. One held a dagger to pup's throat and the other aimed an arrow at
Andrys.
  The men were watching all of us, especially Andrys.
  The one holding pup said, "Don't come near us or she's dead."
  Andrys eyes filled with pain. He took an involuntary step toward his love.
  The man tightened his grip on pup. A drop of blood welled up on her neck. "I'm warning
you."
  Andrys dropped his sword to the ground.
  The bowman lowered his longbow and said, "I think your sword and this one will do us
nicely, Elf. Thanks for dispatching the help. A two-way split makes us even richer after we sell
this wench." Then he moved over to the sword, motioning Andrys back.
  As Andrys moved back, he looked at pup and nodded. A slow smile started on her lips.
  The bowman started to pick up the sword and immediately drew his hand back. As he looked
at the blackened stump that had once been a hand, he screamed in pain and loss.
  The man holding pup started. She took that moment to slip from his grasp and started to
run toward the bowman.
  The knife wielder reached for her but was frozen in shock as she shimmered and changed.
  As she crossed the short distance to the bowman, the beautiful Elven lady was transformed
into a graceful, lovely, white wolf.
  pup leaped into the air and tore out the throat of the man who would threaten her Lord.
Then she walked over to Andrys and licked his hand. He reached down; touched her, knelt by her
side, and held her.
  In his arms she returned to the Elf that she had been, none of her prey's blood on her.
  The last man grabbed the dropped bow and aimed an arrow at Andrys and pup. I drew my pistol
and fired two shots. The first hit him in the stomach and the second in the right shoulder. The
attacker turned and staggered into the trees.
  The wolf started to go after him then turned and went to pup, instead. "Sister," she
said, and gently licked pup's face.
  pup hugged the wolf and buried her face in the wolf's neck.
  Andrys stood, looked at Xiona and I and asked, "Are you all right?"
  "Yes," said Xiona.
  "I'm fine," I replied. "What happened?"
  "pup's gift." Andrys said, a half smile on his face.
  "Wow."
  pup stood and picked up Andrys sword. She lay it across her palms, knelt before Andrys,
bowed her head, and lifted the sword. "Master."
  Andrys laid one hand on pup and with the other retrieved His sword. "Thank you, mine."
  "You are most welcome, Lord." pup answered.
  Andrys reached down to take pup's hand and raise her to her feet. "Come, please," he said.
"We are almost home."
  What about them?" I asked, pointing at the bodies.
  We will drag them into the woods. Let the carrion feeders have them."
  We finished the grisly task in silence and then set out to end our journey to the keep.
I kept thinking about the fight and soon began to realize some things I hadn't noticed before.
  When I asked for a break, everyone looked at me strangely.
  "Please, Dan, we are almost to the keep," Andrys said.
  "I know, but, I need to understand some things before we get there."
  "Very well," Andrys sighed, "but please, hurry. I would like to be home."
  "OK, first of all, Xiona, the men you killed didn't have any wounds, only black marks
upon their chests, like they had been burned."
  Xiona looked at the ground, silent.
  Andrys looked at her, "You are Magi?"
  "Yes," she whispered.
  "Why didn't you say so?" pup asked, delighted.
  "Amongst my people, only the priests can be Magi. I have tried to hide ever since we
left the caves. It was why they chose me to be near you, Dan."
  "Wait a minute," I said. "I remember now. You can perform magic. Why didn't I remember
this before."
  "I have always hidden my talent. I didn't want to be different. I was already an orphan,
alone. I couldn't stand to be too different."
  "So, you hid it too well, and your memories hid as well," Andrys said.
  "OK, that I can deal with. Andrys what about that sword of yours?"
  It protects me. If anyone tries to touch it, having thoughts of harm to me, it will burn
them."
  "More magic, great. Just when I was having enough problems figuring this place out. All
right, that's enough explanations for now, let's go."
  Andrys looked at me slyly, "You will need to hear a great many more explanations, friend."
  pup looked at me for a moment, then at Andrys. He nodded for her to speak.
  "Do you not need an explanation for this one?"
  Pup, I am traveling with three Elves. One is a mage, another a Lord with a magic sword,
the third a shapeshifter. I have a wolf by my side. I think I blew up a Goddess. I'm not sure I
can handle any more explanations without a stiff drink."
  Andrys laughed. "Besides, mine, if you are right about him, he will have plenty of time
to understand our world and those of us in it."
  With that cryptic line, Andrys set off. The rest of us followed Him and in short time we
passed though the gates of the keep.