The meal laid out on the table was amazing. It was very simple fare, yet smelled and tasted like something made for a king.

Salads of five different types, ranging from young onion to beetroot. The cheeses were arranged in wedge patterns of white, red, and yellow. Loaves of bread, from ones with seeds on the tops, to really good glazed ones. There were hot candied chestnuts and fresh fruits that couldn't possibly be all perfectly ripe at the same time, yet there they were. Hot onion soup and some really peculiar cold, fruity soup. Drinks were set out on a side table, with everything from strawberry cordial to herb tea and cold cider. Then there was the almond wafers, wild grape pie with hazelnut sauce, blueberry scones, shortbread biscuits... To name a few things.

{Miss Leknaat must be a great cook. Or maybe Miss Hellion,} Makoto thought. He wasn't sure who had made it, but he was very glad now that they hadn't stopped for lunch before getting here.

While Jillia and Makoto caught up on recent events, most of which was Jillia asking about Makoto's adventures and evading his questions when anything became too specific, Sierra was sitting very uncomfortably at the table, wondering how on earth to tell Oulan about what happened after her own arrival at the island. Not to mention she was pretty hungry.

Maybe Oulan wouldn't have to find out. After all, it was only a temporary setback. Once she found Rean and convinced him that he owed her this much, she'd be right as rain. Nobody had to know that the White Lady, the first vampire, had fallen to the magic of a blind witch. Right?

"Sierra?" Oulan's voice cut, like a knife, through those thoughts.

She abruptly got up from the table and left the room. She didn't stop until she was outside. Did she honestly think she could hide this from her soul sister? And Oulan was so worried - Sierra had heard it in her voice.

Sierra heard the footsteps of Oulan approaching. "What's wrong, Sier?"

She could barely choke out the words. To say something is to admit that it is real. "I'm dying."

Back at the table, Makoto swallowed a gulp of warm soup, then turned back to Jillia, hoping all the while that he had enough manners to avoid seeming like a total brute. "...so that about covers what brought me here, Jillia - um, I mean Princess," he finished.

As she had the last few times he'd used her title, Jillia flinched slightly. This time, Makoto noticed. "Jillia? Come on, Jillia, talk to me... Every time I call you by your title, you flinch. You weren't doing that before - what's the matter? Please tell me..." he implored her, letting his wide eyes be more eloquent than he could manage with speech.

"I'm not who I was before. I'm a traitor, a casualty, and more. 'Princess' isn't a title I should hold anymore." She didn't elaborate any more than that.

Back outside, Oulan reacted in shock to her soul sister's bald statement. "WHAT?" she barked out, then swiftly moved in on Sierra, briskly inspecting her soul-sister for wounds just as she had many of her charges during her career as a bodyguard.

{There are no wounds, no signs of disease, and no obvious withering like those of a Runic curse or poison,} Oulan thought, briskly gripping muscles and scrutinizing body parts for damage, brushing aside Sierra's attempts to shoo her away just as she had for Teo McDohl once, long ago... and then it hit her.

"Sier," the redhead said flatly, standing up with one of Sierra's arms still firmly in her grip, "I'm fending you off rather casually here. You don't seem able to pull out of my grip, you reacted oddly when I offered you blood, and," she paused, casting a glance at the albino's mouth, "your fangs are gone. What in the name of the Moon Rune *happened* to you?? Are you mortal now? Is that what you mean by 'dying?'" the bodyguard asked, releasing Sierra's arm.

"It's such a slow death, life is. I'll die in fifty or sixty years, maybe. Leknaat cursed me with this somehow." Sierra's voice turned very cold and dangerous, "And if I do die because of it, I will make sure she suffers equally."

"I see..." Oulan replied, with a glance to the interior of the tower that boded ill for Leknaat's future health. "Kuso! (Damn!) I no sooner learn that I *could* spend Eternity with you," she said, glancing at her Rune, "than this happens!" For a moment, she muttered curses, then brought her head back up. "Come on, all that food's going to waste... and after we eat, we'll have a discussion with Leknaat about what she can do to change you back," she finished, taking her Lady by the hand and guiding her back to the lunch table.

"You've found each other again. Now what do you intend to do with yourselves?" Leknaat asked.

No one was too quick to answer. Finally, though, it was Makoto who spoke up. "I have to go back to Highland. I *told* General Seed what was going on - Agares should know about it by now. But Highland's still waging war: all the news we heard in Toran confirmed it. If Seed was imprisoned or stopped somehow," Makoto continued with a glance at Jillia, "I have to help him. It's my fault if he got into trouble over it. And if Agares *does* know the truth about the massacre, but he's still attacking Jowston..." the boy paused and glanced at Jillia again. "...this might sound like treason, but then maybe it's time somebody else took the throne away from the warmongers. I might be able to do something about that, by spreading the truth around... and I *have* to try," he finished.

"I'm going to fix the damage *you* caused," Sierra growled at Leknaat. Makoto and Jillia were mystified as to what Sierra was talking about, but that tone of voice didn't promote questions.

"You'll find Rean in an old mansion on the border between Jowston and Highland, nearly due north of the Mercenary Fortress ruins. Though I cannot say if you will find quite what you are looking for there," Leknaat replied.

"I hope I do, for your sake."

"I'm going with Sier," Oulan said.

Sierra raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't think I'd stop being your bodyguard just when I've got the chance to be useful, did you?" Oulan grinned.

"And what of you, Jillia?"

"I - I guess I ought to stay here," she said, fidgeting with her hands. "To learn how to control my rune and all." She looked up at Makoto.

"Oh. I guess that, um, makes sense," he said, trying to hide the disappointment he felt. She *would* be safe here, after all...

"It seems you're all decided." Leknaat nodded. "Contrary to what Oulan last heard, in recent years, tour boats have begun coming here once daily, with tourists wanting to see where young McDohl began his adventures. You can either return to the mainland with them, or by teleporting. It's up to you."

"Boat," Oulan said immediately.

Leknaat chuckled at her reaction. "Very well. There should be a ship headed north to Jowston tomorrow morning. I imagine you'll be able to get passage with them."

"We're gonna take a boat? Wow, thanks Miss Leknaat," Makoto said. The return trip would be a lot quicker that way. He'd be back home in no time. Though that was awfully far from Jillia.... {But I'll make sure it's safe for when she does come back, someday!} he thought determinedly.

Jillia watched from the doorway as Hellion led Oulan, Sierra, and Makoto towards the shore. Makoto kept looking back at her, and she had to bite her lip to keep herself from doing something silly, like crying. This was for the best, right?

A hand came to rest on her shoulder, startling her. She looked up to see Leknaat standing beside her.

"There's time aplenty for study, but some chances only come once. Follow your heart, Jill," she said.

Jillia's eyes brightened, and, unexpectedly to both of them, she hugged Leknaat tightly before racing after Makoto.

Makoto was standing on the dock, staring back at the Seer's Tower. Everyone else was already on the boat, and a few were growing impatient.

"Come on, youngster! I'll never make a good apprentice out of you if you keep lollygagging!" Oulan complained. To Sierra, she quietly murmured, "Ah, young love... the kid's got it bad, doesn't he?"

"Adorable," Sierra replied dryly. "Now come on, kid. None of us are getting any younger!" Oulan cocked an eyebrow at the irony of Sierra saying *that,* but said nothing, correctly guessing that her soul-sister would take such a comment rather badly.

Makoto sighed. "Yeah, I guess there's no point waiting around..." he said quietly, and turned toward the boat.

"Makotoooo!!"

"Huh?" the boy queried, turning back around just in time for a princessly projectile to come rushing into him, causing him to tumble backwards into the boat, reflexively wrapping his arms around the person who had made such an impact on him.

"Cast off!" Oulan yelled to the boat captain with a grin, noting the new arrival.

"Owww.. who..?" Makoto asked, flat on his back on the floor of the boat, then opened his eyes to see just *who* was in his arms.

"I.. decided to.. come with you," Jillia panted out, from her position on top of him where they had fallen.

"JILLIA!!" Makoto exclaimed in delight, hugging her to him.

Oulan sighed as Sierra cast a sardonic look at the two youngsters. "Okay, break it up, you two," the redhead joked, hauling them to their feet, "and get yourselves settled before you tip us all in the drink."

They did as they were told, sitting on a bench shared by a few tourists who were watching the new arrivals with some curiousity. These people certainly hadn't been on the boat ride over, and anybody who was possibly *from* the Magician's Isle had to be interesting, though the only ones who looked even remotely unusual were the giant woman and the pale Lady. In half an hour, the tour boat arrived at Northminster port, which consisted of a huge port full of ships, three taverns, and a shipyard, all built within the last few years.

Oulan took charge of finding the boat that was going to Jowston soonest, which required little more than Oulan looking up one of her informants - this time, a young street girl - and trading a few potch for some information. Leknaat had been right that there was a boat departing the next morning, but there was also one leaving in about ten minutes, at the other end of the dock. It was unlikely that they would be able to make it there in time.

So, they ran like hell in that direction.

Thankfully, nothing made to carry more than two people and a single crate of merchandise leaves on time. Of course, the captain made a big fuss over his policy that passengers had to buy tickets at least a full day in advance so he could make sure there was cabin space for them. In fact, it would be so much trouble to make room for them that it would cost quadruple the normal last-minute amount.

"Excuse me, sir," said Jillia, stepping forward, just before Oulan gave in to the urge to hurt the man. "I trust this will be enough to cover the cost?" She held out a sapphire ring.

The captain looked like a fish for a long moment, opening his mouth to say something, then closing it when he failed to think of the words, repeated a number of times. After placing the ring in the captain's hand, Jillia led the rest, who were equally surprised, onboard.

"What're you doing, carrying that much wealth around with you?" Oulan demanded, once they were on board.

"Huh?" Jillia was puzzled by Oulan's reaction. "We got passage, didn't we?"

Oulan sighed hopelessly. Jillia was a bit too naive for Oulan's liking. {Let's just hope they don't slit out throats in our sleep to get whatever else she's got.}

On the dock, the captain said to his first mate, "Clear out those traders from the good cabins and give them to that lot. If that girl tips as well as she buys tickets, we'll have a new boat by the time we get to Jowston!"

They watched the ship shove off from the dock, and as soon as they were clear of the harbor, someone activated a wind rune behind the sail and the ship sped off to the north. In no time, Northminster was out of sight.

"Let's go get settled in our cabin," Oulan said. "Next stop, Jowston, Highland and points beyond!"