Seraph walks through the dream corridors to the Oracle’s room. It is a familiar path to him and he arrives there quickly. Upon arriving, Seraph kneels down and offers his ritual greeting to the Oracle. His scimitar across the palms of his hands, blade on the left hand, hilt on the right hand, and he holds the blade out and says “I offer my blade to you that it may serve you as you have served me.”

“Seraph, Dear Seraph” she says. You hear that odd music that you heard last time playing the drawn out bells, but faster. tinkling music. pretty, but very odd. ” Seraph… this is not real dreaming. You have fallen unconcious from pain. You are injured but not from battle…” her golden mask faces you. Her voice holds great concern.

Re-sheathing his blade, Seraph settles into a sitting position. “Can you show me what lies ahead in this cave before I recover? I need to know the way out and what the next danger will be.”

She motions to one of the sheer curtains which blows back with unfelt wind. You see a blue bucket sitting in a cave that seems to be full of white glistening trees about 8 to 10 feet tall covered in snow.

Sitting on a rock midst the snowy ground is this blue Bucket with glyphs carved on the outside. “The path of the child and it’s father go through this bucket, or rather the water that once was inside. If My dear Seraph you wish to follow you shall have to find the water that once filled the pail again. ” She says sadly. ” I shall look for this for you … but the water comes from the oasis of inyana”

“But watch…” she says. Men with deep blue/black skin come and look at the bucket and talk quietly among themselves. Behind them you see what can only be slaves in chains and rags struggling to cut down one of the snowy trees with picks. They are guarded by 6 Crucians.

“These are the threat you friends must face to retrieve the bucket” she says. ” And She can guide them out of the dark…” you see one of the slaves. A woman with redish skin, bald but still very beautiful, swinging a pick. She is bleeding from multiple whip marks through the rough rags on her back. “She knows the way out. Your friends must free her.”

“Dear Seraph that is at the trips end. But first you may not face a monster but fumes.” she goes on. ” Sulfur fumes like you have faced in the boiling pits of Karakul.” She pauses, “Down into the darkness there are poisonous fumes. Be warned My dear Seraph.”

“Thank you Oracle. Sometimes it is hard to leave this place and return to what is surely going to be a painful wakening.” Seraph smiles tiredly. “You haven’t been bothered by any Valites have you?” A flash of concern crosses Seraph’s face.

“Dear Seraph…” (you can hear the smile in her voice) “If the Vail makes plans against me I will be the first to be aware of it. You need not fear for my safety.”

She looks away from you. “What do you think of Princess Morgaine?”

Seraph frowns, “I think that it is commendable that she wants to get this child back, but that this trip is stupid on all our parts. She still has the optimism of a person who has not seen comrades die in her sheltered life.” Seraph turns and looks out the window at the blowing sand. “At least she seemed sincere in her outrage when she found out about the Vow the other Princess put on me, and then about trying to get the Vow lifted from me.”

“She wept true tears when she was told that your vow and it’s consequences would not be removed” She looks down. ” I have no doubt that you will….. get along. ” She says almost sadly.

Seraph’s eyes narrow, “What’s that supposed to mean.”

“She is attractive is she not?” She says “And.. you will be in close contact with her. Are you not attracted to her?”

“She’s pretty enough, for a Valite, but I’m not attracted to her.” Seraph chuckles, “Besides, I already spend time with a beautiful woman I’m attracted to.”

She tilts her head quizzically. ” You do? who?”

Seraph gives a big dazzling smile, which he does very rarely considering his generally solemn state as he worries about his responsibilities to to the men in his raiding party. “I’m here aren’t I?” As he gestures around the room.

She puts her hand to her breast and you hear a small gasp. “My dear,dear Seraph. You can not have feelings for me. You do not know me or the …things of my life. And we only meet here in your dreams. You need a woman of flesh and blood next to you in your bed. Not one far away and only in your dreams…” She says sadly.

A hint of the steel returns to Seraph’s eyes but he maintains his smile. “Perhaps, but that is for me to decide. Some day I may not be so far away and you may not be only in my dreams.”

“Perhaps you will not want me if you found me. There is a reason for this mask My dear Seraph.” she says. “But no matter. Both in your life and mine there are responsibilities. And as much as it is … entrancing.. to think otherwise, today I shall remain alone and you shall return to your companions and the cave.”

Seraph frowns at a loss for a suitable reply when his senses become alert and he hears footsteps coming down the hallway. He whirls, his scimitar blurring into his hand, and faces the doorway as a woman in a red dress glides in. She is babbling on about some nonsense but begins to stride toward the Oracle, which is unacceptable. Seraph moves swiftly to place himself between the woman and the Oracle. He brings the scimitar up to place it at her throat in hopes of silencing her. Amazingly, this woman seems to float by it. She’s fast, very fast. Seraph takes only a moment to make the decision, she’s to fast to just pin, he will have to kill her.

“Cease, my Seraph.” The Oracle says. “Amelia is not here to harm me.” Seraph returns his scimitar to its sheath, and proceeds to half-heartedly listen to the women speak of dreamscapes and prophecies. He doesn’t understand much of what is said, but he can tell that Amelia is not here to do violence. Seraph does remain close by, within striking range though.

Suddenly, in between one word and the next, there is a man standing next to Amelia and slightly farther away from the Oracle. There is no hesitation on Seraph’s part, only instinctual reaction as he draws his scimitar and removes the intruder’s head all in one blurring motion. Only to have the head and body dissolve away into dust and the man to re-appear on the other side of Amelia with his hands outstretched to show no weapons.

“Leave him be Seraph, he has a message for Amelia.” chuckles the Oracle. Still wary, Seraph keeps his scimitar out this time as Amelia and the man talk. As soon as they finish talking the man disappears in another puff of dust. Amelia and the Oracle continue there conversation, but now there is a note of urgency about Amelia. As Amelia goes to leave, Seraph gives a fraction of a bow as she departs.

After a moment has passed, Seraph turns and looks at the Oracle and crosses his arms over his chest. “How can you say you’ll be ok here, if just anyone can wander in!?” He gestures in the direction that Amelia departed. “And what in the hells, I killed that guy cleanly, it was a good cut, but he appeared whole and hearty behind her.” Seraph shakes his head. “I don’t understand what just happened here.”

“They are dreamers My dear Seraph” she says gently” And in my realm I am as safe as your charge Morgaine is with you.” She sighs ” No, I do not fear them. It is my physical form that can be killed. The worst that can be done in this place is to force me from it.”

“The man was a ghost Dear Seraph. An ancient beyond ancient spirit” She says. “You could no more kill him than you could your grandmother Malak. He is just more adept at returning than she is. But then he has ages upon ages of experience.” She holds up her finger. “But the Lady of Wind…she is all together different. She is mighty, perhaps more mighty than even Noi’fe. And yours and her destiny intertwine. Be Ware of her my dear. She is one that her friendship could mean much and her enmity could ruin everything.”

“I see. You have given me much to think on.” Seraph returns to a cross legged sitting position.

“Listen for the music My dear Seraph,” She says and you begin to feel as if you are waking up.”The music shall lead you to where you need to be.” and suddenly you are standing looking out over the most water you have ever seen in one place. You are standing on a a platform made of whole logs, on the edge of those logs and you are looking out over this emense body of water. You feel dizzy and feel like you can’t look away. you grab on to a short railing that you are profoundly glad is there and stare out into the expanse. with your ears ringing.