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The only warning they had was a soft moan before Tam started convulsing and screaming. Dor watched in horror as Bren dove at her knocking her back onto her bed while laying his whole body across her tiny frame in an attempt to hold her down. Tam’s eyes popped open and she started flailing her arms and legs wildly about kicking and punching anything she could connect with. More than once Bren took the brunt of her blows but he still held on tenaciously. Kat raced to a small table next to her bed and retrieved a small vial of liquid that she quickly poured into a cup of water. Tam screamed strange guttural noises and grabbed Bren’s hair in an attempt to pull him off.

Bren groaned through gritted teeth. “I can’t hold her much longer.”

“It’s almost ready,” Kat replied swishing the liquid around in the cup.

Dor watched on helplessly knowing that he would only get in their way should he try to help. By the way Tam was knocking Bren around he knew that in his weakened state he would have been a husk doll in the hands of a child should he attempt to give assistance. He was amazed by her evident strength. Tam had always been skinny but her time with the trolls had shrunk her tiny frame to skin draped bone. She would have been considered tall on this side of the mountains but she still was slight in build.

Tam let go of Bren’s hair and connected with his jaw. His head snapped back almost throwing him completely off but to his credit he threw himself right back into the fray managing to get hold of both arms while gaining more control of her legs with his own. “I’ve got her down, hurry.”

Kat looked into the cup. “It’s ready.”

“You’ll have to do it,” Bren strained. “She’s much stronger this time.”

Kat reached down and grabbed a handful of Tam’s hair and then yanked on it with a jolt snapping her head back. Tam screamed a curse and then spit into Kat’s face. Kat paid her no mind though quickly tucking Tam’s hair under a knee she placed onto the bed. “Here’s your medicine,” she teased and then pinched hard on Tam’s nose until her mouth dropped open. Not giving her a chance to breath, Kat poured the liquid into Tam’s throat and then forced her jaw shut. Tam sputtered and choked but amazingly most of the liquid went down before she started into another thrashing frenzy. Kat kept a strong hold onto Tam’s head but it was obvious she wasn’t going to be able to hold on for much longer. It suddenly shot up, leaving a clump of hair under Kat’s knee, and connected with Bren’s forehead knocking him completely off of her and into a heap on the floor. Tam shot to her feet screaming in triumph and turned her fury towards Kat who merely sat and calmly watched her as if Tam were no more than an annoying fly buzzing about the room.

“No, wait!” Dor cried out as Tam lunged for Kat, murder burning in her eyes. Kat didn’t move as if oblivious to what was about to happen. Then suddenly, as if someone had cracked her over the head, Tam dropped to the floor lifeless.

Kat turned to Dor and smiled. “Not to worry, Master Dor. Widow’s Wort works very quickly.

Dor stared back in shock. “I can see that.”

Bren stood up slowly gently touching the large bump that was forming just above his left eye a grim look on his face. “I think it’s time we tie her down. She’s getting too strong to control and she needs to be fed.”

Kat nodded her agreement as she pushed Bren’s hand away so she could get a better look. “It’ll smart for a little while but I think you’ll live. She was much stronger this time,” Kat continued, dipping a rag into the water bucket and then offering it to Bren. “That is a good sign.”

“Yes,” Bren agreed grabbing the rag and touching it to his bump. “That is a good sign but we don’t know how much further this will go before it starts to subside. I don’t think I am willing to risk another fight with her in the meantime.”

Dor listened to the exchange in confusion. “Gaining back her strength is one thing,” he added, somewhat flabbergasted, “but that was unreal how she threw you around!”

Bren smiled weakly. “That was unreal, Dor.”

“What Bren means,” Kat added moving to his bedside and sitting down next to him, “is that the dranlok is reaching its peak of desire in her. Her addiction gnaws at her constantly making her desire more of the drug. The longer time passes without her feeding that addiction, the stronger it gets and, in a sense, the stronger she gets to try and feed the yearnings.”

“You mean the drug was doing that to her?”

Kat smiled. “Yes. She’s been under its control for such a long time that she really has no choice but to do everything in her power to feed the cravings.”

Dor looked at his friend as Bren picked her up and laid her back on her bed. She looked almost peaceful as she slept. A complete turn around from the fierce animal she had been only moments before. Dor’s voice dropped to an almost whisper, the concern obvious in his tone. “Will she ever fully recover?”

Kat looked at Bren who just shrugged and then turned back to Dor. “Don’t worry, Dor,” she soothed placing her hand on Dor’s arm. “She will get better with time. Soon, you will never know she was any different.”

Dor stared blankly at Kat. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

Kat took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. Dor could tell she was stalling, trying to pick the right words to say. “She will get better, Dor. The thing about dranlok is that you can never really tell how much control it will have on a person. Some people’s addictions return without the slightest warning years later after being free from it all that time. Other people never show any sign of need for it ever again. It just depends on the person.”

Bren finished tucking Tam back into her bed and then came over to join the conversation. “Part of the problem lies in us.”

Dor frowned. “In you? What do you mean by that?”

Bren shot Kat a quick glance before answering. “Like we told you before, our blood is not pure like yours is. We can heal with the VerSagn Tane to a point but without being pureblood VerSagn, our healings are never complete.”

“Well, can’t you heal her again and again until she’s healed completely?” Bren smiled but his eyes showed sadness. “It doesn’t work that way. Because of the impurities in our blood, the healing will only go so far.”

“We did help her, Dor,” Kat added quickly. “Had we not been here to heal her she would have died by now from want of the dranlok. We just couldn’t heal her all the way. The rest is up to her and her willpower to overcome it.”

Dor nodded but still wasn’t completely assured.

“You like her, don’t you,” Kat said her voice dropping almost to a whisper.

Dor looked at her. There was something in the way she was looking at him that suddenly made him feel uncomfortable. He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Kat’s head dropped. “I understand. Then you will make her your wife someday?”

Dor was incredulous. “What! Her?” he laughed but it sounded a little forced. “She hates me. Anyway, I just hope she gets better, that’s all. I mean she’s been through a lot. I’m just concerned for her so I can take her back home and get her out of my hair.”

Kat looked at Dor’s mostly bald head and smiled.

Dor laughed, its sound a little more natural this time. “Well, out of my way, anyway.”

Kat smiled at him again, her hand on his arm suddenly becoming a bit uncomfortable. Dor pulled it away slowly faking an itch but Kat’s smile remained. “You are a good friend, Master DorMar,” she said. “You will make a good husband.”

Dor glanced at Bren who just stared at him blankly. “Uh, thank you, Kat. I’ll certainly try to be.”

For some reason that made Kat smile even brighter making Dor’s skin feel as if it had bugs crawling around just beneath the surface. The door suddenly opened and Jack poked his head in. Dor sighed in relief smiling at his friend who eyed the Healers suspiciously.

“Feeling up to a visitor?” Jack asked, ignoring the frown that Kat had turned on him.

Bren looked at Dor a brief look of concern flashing across his face before turning back to Jack. “We just need to change his dressing and then you can come in.”

Both Kat and Dor looked at him quizzically. “But you just…” Dor started but Bren cut him off.

“It will only take a couple of minutes. You can wait outside the door and we will come and get you when we’re done.”

Dor looked at Jack and shrugged, unsure of what Bren was talking about seeing as how they had just changed his dressing when they first came in.

Jack sneered at the two Healers but acquiesced pulling his head back through the door and shutting it behind him. As soon as the latch clicked Dor questioned Bren. “What was that all about? You just changed my dressing.”

Kat stood up giving Bren a concerned look. “Maybe I should look at the bump again.”

Bren pushed her hand away in protest. “I am fine. I just wanted to talk to Dor for a moment before Jack came in.”

“What?” Dor asked.

“You can’t tell Jack about us.”

“Why?” Kat and Dor asked in unison. “He already knows about me,” Dor continued on his own. “What difference is it going to make if he knows about you, too? He’s not going to turn you in. He saved me from his own friends, remember?”

Bren took a deep breath. “I know all of that and I believe what you say to be true. I just don’t think it’s the right time to reveal us to the HuMans.” Dor was about to say something, but Bren cut him off. “Any HuMans. Please, Dor. I would just feel better if we waited.”

Dor shrugged. “Okay. I think you’re sounding like an old woman fretting over her grandchildren but I won’t say anything.”

Bren let out a loud sigh. “Thank you, Dor. It’s really just better this way for now.”

Dor smiled weakly. “Okay. Oh, but I wouldn’t tie Tam down just yet. I know Jack, and I don’t think he would approve of that right now without asking a lot of questions you may not want to answer.”

Bren nodded his head in agreement. “Thank you, Master Dor. We will leave you two alone to talk then. Come, Kat.”

Kat looked at him sharply but got up and followed Bren to the door letting Jack in as they left. She did turn back though and smiled once more at Dor just before closing the door behind her. Dor just shook his head. What was wrong with her?

Jack pulled over the chair and sat down next to Dor’s bed a smile playing on his face as he looked down at the Chufa boy. “You are looking much better today. How are you feeling?”

Dor smiled. “Like a caged animal. When am I going to get out of this room and see the sun again?”

Jack’s smile broadened. “As a matter of fact, I have convinced them to let you out tomorrow. Of course, you will be under my care and personal protection, but I figured we could take a little turn around the city as you didn’t get to see much of it the first time you were here and even less when you came in this time.”

Dor looked as if he might jump out of his bed right then. Swinging his legs around off the side he sat up. “That would be great! I would really like to try someone else’s cooking other than yours or the mess hall cook’s.

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? I’ll keep that in mind the next time your stomach starts growling and you want to fill it with something.”

Dor laughed. “Now, now. I didn’t say that I didn’t like your cooking, just that I might want to try someone else’s for a change.”

Jack snorted, smiling back. He was glad to see Dor back to normal and in good humor. Only days before he thought Dor was a dead man. “And how is our friend, Tam, coming along?”

Dor’s face darkened slightly. “She is getting better they say. I, for one, still can’t see the same Tam I once knew before we came over the mountains. She’s changed. I just hope she can get over this.”

Jack looked back at the young girl sleeping soundly on the bed across the small room. The Healers had cleaned her up the best they could washing off the mud and filth and combing the knots out of her hair, but she still had a wildness about her. She just didn’t seem right. “I wouldn’t worry,” Jack said, trying to show his support. “If she’s anything like you, I’m sure she’ll get over it.”

Dor half smiled. “She’s nothing like me, really. She’s much more feisty.” Dor sighed. “So what’s the news from your king?” he asked, changing the subject. “Is he sending his armies?” Dor knew right away that he’d hit a nerve. Jack’s face went dark and brooding reminding Dor of a thundercloud that was full to bursting and ready to explode.

“Nothing,” Jack growled, sounding very much like his wolg, Erl. “They haven’t sent word and I doubt they will. Haykon will fall.”

Dor tried to sound hopeful but it came out very weak. “Maybe they won’t attack.”

Jack just looked at him and shook his head. “They’ll attack. The only question is when.”

Dor didn’t let it go. “Maybe, but they had the chance to attack when they passed by the first time. Why would they go to all the trouble of marching past just to turn around and come back again? It doesn’t make sense.”

“None of it does,” Jack agreed. “Trolls don’t get along with each other enough to stick together in such a group and manage an organized assault. But even more than that is seeing them with goblins. They hate goblins more than they hate each other.” Jack shook his head and then pulled at the hair on his chin. “No, there is something else involved here. Something must be driving them.”

“But what? Do you think it has anything to do with the dragon that took Thane?”

Jack shrugged. “I can’t really say, but I would be willing to bet that it’s part of the whole mix. With all of that together, Haykon doesn’t stand a chance.”

Dor picked at a callus on his hand. “How about the pass? It was pretty narrow as I remember it. Could you hold off an attack at the pass?”

Jack nodded. “We thought of that and have already started construction on a wall there to seal them in. It’s the best option we have but there’s no guarantee. Even if that stops them from coming through the pass, the mountains are smaller on the southwest side where they meet the plains of Enn. They could still get through there.” Jack bit his lip for a moment in thought. “Of course, that would take them into Tjal country where they would meet quite a resistance. It’s hard to say though. The Tjal are great fighters and on horseback they are almost unbeatable, but with the numbers we saw it’s hard to say if they wouldn’t just be swept away.”

Dor felt a little more hopeful. “What about an alliance then. Between you and the Tjal fighters, you should be able to hold them back, right?”

Jack shook his head. “It’s not that easy. You don’t just walk onto Tjal land and ask for help. There are complications that have to be dealt with for that sort of thing. It’s got to come from the king. He’s got to act.”

Dor didn’t understand. When there was a fight to be fought, all who were threatened got together and fought it off. It was simple. He couldn’t understand why it was so difficult here. “So why doesn’t he? Doesn’t he know what’s at stake here?”

Jack looked at Dor and smiled but without any feeling. “He does. He knows all too well but he refuses to take it seriously. It’s a long story.”

Dor just shook his head. “I don’t understand you people. I don’t know why I give myself headaches trying. I guess the sooner Tam and I can leave the better.”

Jack sat up. “Leave? What are you talking about?”

“Once Tam is well enough to travel I have to take her home.”

Jack was incredulous. “But you can’t just up and leave. What about the war? What about Thane?”

Dor put up a hand. “No, I’ll be coming back to find Thane. I won’t give up on finding him. I just need to get Tam back where she belongs.”

Jack’s eyes brightened slightly and then shook his head no.

“What?” Dor asked

“How many Chufa men do you think you could gather and bring back with you?”

Dor was flabbergasted. “What! You want me to bring more Chufa back here? Did you fall and bump your head? I can’t bring anyone back with me.”

Jack wouldn’t let it go. “Why not? Whether you want to believe it or not, this war is not just with my people. Where do you think they’ll go after they kill all of us? You forget, the trolls know about you and your people. Now that they’re working together, they’ll get to your people sooner or later.”

Dor opened his mouth and then shut it. Jack was right. If this wasn’t stopped here and now, his people would be washed away like sand against the tide. “But how could I do that? I am not a leader of my people. They will not believe me or Tam when we tell them about you. Most don’t even believe you really exist. And even if I could convince them they still wouldn’t come because of everything we’ve ever learned about you and what you did to our race.”

Jack’s face sank. “You’re right. I can’t say that I would have believed a young boy telling me that there were Chufa on the other side of the mountain no matter how convincing he was.” Jack shook his head. “But you can’t leave now. We’re going to need every hand that can hold a sword here.”

Dor looked over at Tam. “I have to. I’ve got to get her back and safe first.”

Jack pounded his fist down onto his leg. “Haven’t you been paying attention, boy? There is no safe. Whether there or here it will all be the same if we don’t gather all the strength we can and face it head on. There are no safe havens.”

Dor stared at his hands. Jack was right. Eventually, if the HuMan’s fell, the trolls would return and wipe the Chufa out. The raiding parties of four or five at a time were easy enough to deal with but a force as large as the one that had gathered was too much. But what was he going to do with Tam? He had to at least give her a chance at life. It was his fault they were all in this mess to begin with. Had he not abandoned Thane…. No, he was not going to go down that trail again. What was done was done. He could not change the past. All he could do was recognize his mistakes and face them. But what to do with Tam? He couldn’t take her back into the den of trolls he just plucked her from. That is where he had to look for Thane. That’s where he had to be. Where would she go? He knew that Jack would insist on going with him and he would welcome it, but he wouldn’t risk Tam’s life again.

Then it came to him. The Healers. Tam could stay with the Healers. She could become one of them and hide with them until they found Thane. That was it. “I will think on it, Jack,” he finally said. “You are right in what you say. We must find another way.”

“Good,” Jack harrumphed. “At least that’s one problem solved. Now we only have to worry about the rest.”

He and Jack continued to talk for a while longer but nothing seemed to be coming of it. As far as Jack was concerned, it really all came down to the king. Messengers had been sent already so there really was nothing more they could do but wait and hope for the best. Dor was starting to get tired so Jack left promising to return later with something delicious from the mess hall. Dor groaned but accepted the offer with a forced smile. Lying back on his pillow he closed his eyes thinking about how he was going to convince Tam through her stubbornness that she had to stay with the Healers. Finally, he drifted off to sleep.

He was in a large meadow that stretched out in all directions to the horizon going on and on seeming without end. He was alone and wondering how he got there when suddenly it was filled with men and trolls locked in battle. He caught sight of a few Chufa also in the fray that was going on all around him. Reaching behind him, he grabbed for his swords to join the fight but they were not there. It was then he realized that all he had on was a long gown. His eyes dashed about trying to ascertain any immediate threats but no one seemed to notice him. It was as if he were invisible. Suddenly the wall of bodies in front of him split and he caught sight of someone running towards him. It was Tam. She seemed to be a long way off but her speed quickly ate up the distance. She was wearing a robe similar to his and was rushing towards him waving and calling out his name. Dor worried that a flailing sword would take her or that a troll would catch hold of her but, like him, no one seemed to pay her any mind. Carnage was all around them but at the same time they seemed to be alone. She reached for him, her arms outstretched in desperation her face filled with fear when suddenly she was there right in front of him, the last distance between them gone in an instant. She smiled at him, her arms reaching to embrace him. Dor smiled back welcoming the embrace when suddenly her face took on a demonic look and her hands shot out grabbing his throat. They crashed to the ground, her body on top of his forcing the air from his lungs. Her hands crushed his windpipe cutting off any air, as her face loomed over his, her cries wild and deranged.

Dor woke with a start finding his nightmare had become all too real. Sitting on top of him, Tam had her hands wrapped tightly around his throat and was screaming wildly at him. “Where is it? Where did you put it, Dor? I know you have it! I swear I will wring your head from your body if you don’t give it back!

Dor grabbed at Tam’s hands trying to pull them free but to his horror, he couldn’t pull them off. She had them wrapped tightly around his throat and he could feel her fingers squeezing ever harder. If something didn’t happen quickly, her promise to kill him would be kept. Dor tried to push her off but her hands held tight to his neck as if they were connected. Finally, in desperation, he rolled to the side pushing her off the bed and onto the floor with him landing on top of her. His weight had the effect he had hoped for forcing the air from her lungs as they both hit the floor hard. Tam let out a grunt and gasped for air but her grip did not loosen. Grabbing the top of her head by her hair, Dor managed to pound her head against the floor. He was panicking now, his head becoming light and his strength leaving him.

Tam started screaming again, regaining air to her lungs, babbling on about what a foul creature he was to take it away. Dor was at an end. He could feel the darkness gathering to take him. Once more he lifted her head and pushed it as hard as he could against the hardwood floor beneath them. Feeling her grip loosen slightly he planted his fist as hard as he could into her stomach. The air rushed from her lungs and her eyes rolled back slightly into her head. Dor gasped in a small bit of air as her grip loosened more and then rammed his fist into her gut again. Finally, her hands dropped and Dor rolled off gasping for air. The air popped around him with tiny dots filling his vision with their little bursts. Lying on his side gasping and coughing, he watched Tam do the same pity welling up inside him for her. She had always been a pest and at one time he hated her more than anything, but she did not deserve this. She was holding her stomach now writhing about on the floor still sucking in as much air as she could. Then she suddenly stopped and rolled to her side and looked right at him.

Dor tensed in spite of himself uncertain whether she would attack again. And then she started to cry. It was too much. The animal left her leaving her in a state of pain and remorse. He wasn’t sure if she knew that she had just tried to kill him but the dejected look on her face was almost too much for him to take. What had they done to her?

“Dor,” she suddenly whispered through her sobbing, “please kill me.”