Drathis looked at the map he was given from The Elders.

"Do you know where we're going?" Elthas asked as his Brother studiously went over the documents.

"I'm one of the BEST Rangers, Elthas. Of course I know where we're going." Drathis said carefully. They'd traveled across Corone on horse-back for a week at that point. The target location, Drathis knew was one of the hot spots during the war. Drathis knew that Elthas could not possibly comprehend the danger they were both in. "The Elders have doomed us." Drathis suddenly said calmly.

He stopped commanding his horse forward, and Elthas stopped a moment or two later. "This is worse than I thought." Drathis dismounted from his steed, kneeling down against the bark of a tree and studying calmly. "Elthas...what do YOUR eyes see." Drathis removed a small pouch from his personal belongings. His hands moving with the nearly supernatural grace of their people's name sake. Drathis took some white powder from the pouch and sprinkled it against the roots. "Reveal." Drathis said calmly in the language of the elders.

Elthas looked carefully at what Drathis just did. He always was a better student of the arcane arts. Elthas saw symbols suddenly manifest against the roots of the tree. "I see the symbols now. Wards...or a warning more like." Elthas knelt down against the tree as well. "It's written in a pagan language...I can just make some of it out."

"It says don't go any further." Drathis said. He stood up and replaced the pouch in his packs. He looked around. "We are being watched."

"Yeah...What do we do...?" Elthas asked.

Suddenly, several figures emerged from the shadows. Using a form of shadow-walking that Drathis had seen before. "That ability..." Drathis said calmly and readied his sword. "Elthas get ready to defend yourself."

One of the six figures stepped forward and moved towards the two Brothers. "Elthas...." The figure suddenly called his name! The shadowed figure lowered their hood and the darkness faded from around his figure...almost as an aura. Two more of the six figures came forward and did similar actions.

"Are you certain he is the one?" Another figure asked the first.

"He is changed this time...but I am certain it is him." The first figure said carefully. "Lower your weapons." The fellow said calmly. "As long as The Sons of Halm Belthasar are here you will not be harmed." The figure explained.

Elthas looked at Drathis. What was going on...? Elthas knew time flowed different for his people...sometimes...lives coincided with other lives. Just sometimes. "Who are you?"

"We worship a Lesser Thayne named Elthas Belthasar." The man looked directly at Elthas. "When you first came to us you were very different. A shadow of what you are now. We suspect The Thayne saw fit to bless you with new life. But before you underwent that change you left a group of followers to your name. We've been waiting your return."

"I don't believe you." Elthas suddenly said, unsure of how to respond...

"Before you left our fold...you said something like this would happen. So in preparation for that, you gave me an item of import to you. You said you yourself would know what to do with it." The man removed an object from his robes. The object was a locket! The locket had a peculiar glow about it. Elthas looked carefully at the surface of the locket and saw the symbol of House Belthasar. "You told us your Mother gave it to you a long time ago." The man said calmly and handed Elthas the locket.

"How can this be...?" Elthas said. He looked at the locket and opened it. There was indeed an old, worn painting of Elthas and his Mother...Ellysia. Elthas appeared much younger and so did his Mother..Halm was not present in the picture... "This picture..."

"You said that the locket would hold significant meaning to you in whatever form you came back as. Your teachings instructed us that Reincarnation is not an unknown practice of The Thaynehood." The man continued. "The last time we all met like this...you said you would return to our fold." At that point, all six of the followers were standing before Elthas and Drathis.

Drathis looked at Elthas. "Elthas...he isn't lying. What are we going to do?"

Elthas closed the locket. "I'm not entirely sure why this is happening. But you guys know me...my people. Me and my Brother...we're here looking for someone who was last seen near this area. Our Father. The Hero, Halm Belthasar." Elthas continued. "Can you help us rescue him?"

"You're here for Halm?" The figure asked... "You were told we took him were you not?"

"Yeah." Elthas shook his head. "But looking into your eyes...man to man...I KNOW you don't have him." Elthas could see a kindness in the follower's eyes.

Drathis felt uncomfortable. "Elthas The Elders...the letter..."

Elthas nodded. "We have information that places my Father somewhere in this area of Corone." Elthas continued to speak. "If you don't have him...perhaps you know where he is?"

"I have tracked your Father's captors...you are NOT going to like what I have to tell you." The man said carefully.