She crept along, one hand on the rock, feeling its lure and knowing her power in invisibility when she became one with it. To meld with Sentinel was a glorious feeling, moving through the channels of living stone that was to others solid and impenetrable. To Kara it was life... a friend.

Kara turned away from the fissure and forced her legs to stretch out, her feet to move up the sandy ledge. She pushed into the first level of lotica flowers. Too much thinking-- too much remembering. Not enough searching!

Kara steadied her breathing, felt the warm living stone at her right by leaning against it with her back, touching as much of it as she could. The lure was there, but she resisted, knowing her goal lay further on.

What had Galantyne said to her? "Kara, you are a warrior, a searcher, and a member of the royal bloodlines. In you rests the hope of our race."

These words caused another shiver to race through her. She'd known, she'd always known.

She would be the one to find the Talisman and free her people from the undersea domes and cleanse the surface toxic air.

Kara's undersea home of Aquaria would soon exceed its population limitations. Did they believe their resources were unlimited? The ships that had brought them there, and provided the basic building materials and technology to achieve the safety of the undersea domes were finite.

It wouldn't last forever, it couldn't.

Not to mention, the technology that gave air and life to the undersea domes was also finite, it had never been meant to last indefinitely. No 'prophecy' was needed to tell the inhabitants that.

However, the Talisman tradition had been spread to lend a certain mystical quality to the searcher endeavor in hopes that people otherwise less inclined might be persuaded to listen.

Science was failing, Kara thought, that was why Galantyne had turned to the prophecy to save them.

Her fingers pressed one last time against the rock face and then relaxed as she gently insinuated herself, dropping weightlessly through solid stone. A passage opened on the other side and darkness overcame her. There were blue sparkles in the dripping rivulets.

As she felt along the corners of the trail, Kara was reminded of words one of the Council Ladies had spoken to her. Trust yourself.

Right now, that was all she had. Trust in herself. She had to get into Auditorium and retrieve Jerrika at all costs.

******

Kara froze, pushing into the Mountain without entering the new passageway. Only a fool would sense danger and be caught day dreaming. A wave of panic washed through her as she drew her dagger. Ahead, leaning against the walls of the mountain tunnel, were two shape-shifter Minions, possibly the very two who had captured Jerrika yesterday. Using her melding powers to slip inside a crevice, Kara inched closer so she could identify them by their voices.

They were lit from behind, and Kara realized she had come very close to the actual entrance to Quildor's prison. The green light gave the impression of an outdoors that Kara had never seen. She'd studied pictures of Earth where her people had originated. She'd been under the impression that the sun was a ball of yellowish light, and the living plants had been green. In her undersea dome, the builders mimicked this pattern. The light reflected yellow and the artificial plants were green.

Kara shook herself, recognizing the randomness of thought that was still vying for attention in the aftermath of her Shadow Eater experience. She needed to focus.

Two Minions. They were taller than most men from Aquaria and as broad as a Galantynian searcher. She'd definitely viewed the hated visage of the two who had cornered her and Jerrika. These two fit the initial description. Kara had to tamp down her surge of hatred. Raw emotion would not serve her well.

She studied them carefully. One, with straight dark hair falling to his shoulders, and fanning across his scaled armor, had his back to her. The other, with the same hair, reflecting the same greenish glow, was facing her, his left hand caressed the living wall of the Mountain. Kara's eyes glued to that hand. Even from this distance, she could see the human tissue, the wrinkles, and fine lines. Like her people, they wore their hands uncovered inside the mountain; she cataloged this in her mind, hoping that if she and Jerrika escaped, she would be able to bring this description back to help her team in their future searches.

That hand had been the one to subdue her best friend.

She scrutinized the sharp expression on his face. He was a warrior. He would not be easy to elude. Kara felt wave after wave of rage hit her. She was too close and could sense this Minion's essence feeling its menacing way coldly toward her hiding place. To her knowledge, the Minions were unable to meld with the mountain, they couldn't sense feelings through the tunnel walls. Yet, tendrils of life force permeated her skin in an odd cascade, causing the confusing feeling of being protected by the Mountain and being revealed by the Mountain.

"Adara wants the girl intact." The Minion's deeply timbered voice was intense in the dripping flow of the tunnel as if he were modulating it to avoid an echo. It was the same as the Minion who had captured Jerrika.

"Why? She's just another Searcher, brother. What could the Witch possibly gain from an intact Searcher?" The frustrated one swept his head from side to side as if scanning for more such Searchers.

"The Witch wants what the Witch wants, brother. But I sensed that the two little Searchers had unusual power."

The first Minion's bluish gaze swept the cave walls near them. "I am beginning to feel that this search has less to do with finding the Talisman than it does with procuring slaves for Quildor's own benefit! Slaves and revenge on Taan!"

"Brother, we are the Quarso! Trained and trusted to fill our Commander's every desire! What Quildor wants is our only concern be it slaves or the Talisman."

"If there is such a thing, Crevan! Perhaps there is no Talisman. Perhaps Quildor has been enchanted by his own witch."

"You mentioned revenge, brother. Maybe he wants revenge, he certainly has enough reason for that. He was exiled by his own brother, Taan. He was sentenced, with all of us to live and die on the land. I will do what it takes to get Etrusia back for our people if that is what Quildor wants, or kill off enough of Galantyne's searchers that we can take over his fortress and eventually take Aquaria and Carrigah as well. We are loyal only to Quildor."

A hand was flung outward. "I dislike fighting simply for another man's revenge!"

*****