(BEST VIEWED FULL SIZE!) "D'mere... this is an Elvish name?" Bellikor asked gently, peering at her with intense sky-blue eyes. "The hunter who found me on a Freskon beach named me. It means 'from the sea' in his ancestral tongue... I owe much to him. I was but a child and he cared for me, taught me all he knew." "I see. And no complete memories prior to that?" Aranée looked down and shook her head. "Any bits or fragments?" "My mother and father. I remember speaking to them, Elvish and human..." She looked down again, visibly upset. "I don't remember their names. Sometimes I am so close to remembering..." Her voice trailed off. "I see," he said again. "Can any other Elves identify you?" She shook her head. "There are no Elves in the Aeritan - nor in the Disputed Lands." He nodded. "When you were found, did you have anything with you?" She nodded. "These were tied to me in a waterproof kit." She set out The Book, her earrings and necklace, her headband and the dagger. "I remember my father writing in this book - the rest were my mother's." "May I?" She nodded, and he gently picked up The Book. "Fascinating - centuries old." He produced an enormous glass and examined it minutely. "Elvish, without a doubt. Can you read it?" "Only a few words." He made a few notes in a journal, and picked up the dagger. He held it to the light and looked at her in surprise. "And how often do you sharpen this?" With furrowed brow, "I have never sharpened it." "A hunter with a blade that never needs sharpening. Do you not find this curious?" When she did not reply, "This blade is the finest Dwarven mithral - very rare, very dense, almost indestructible. Remarkable." Next, he inspected the headband and jewelry. He raised a brow at her. "Hmmm..." He got up and returned with a small vial from a locked cabinet. Using a small glass rod, he placed a single drop of the liquid on a stone in her headband. The drop instantly vaporized with a loud "PFFFFFT!" He shook his head and looked at her. "These stones are a special type of ruby - found only in caves inhabited by dragons." "Dragons!" she yelped. "I didn't think such creatures actually exist." "Oh yes, indeed they do. I suspect the cover of your book is dragon hide. These stones are called 'dragons blood' and they are prized for their magical properties." He sat back. "I wonder..." Retrieving another vial and an odd black cloth, he carefully arranged her jewelry and headband on the table - and on impulse, added her dagger. He covered them with the cloth and carefully poured a bit of the liquid on each covered item. A glowing green vapor rose over each of them. "My dear, please tell me all you can remember. Your mother must have been very special indeed for each object here is priceless in its own right - and each and every one carries a powerful protective magic spell." --- TO BE CONTINUED! View the series in numbered sequence to get the entire story. I'm not happy with the lighting on this, but everytime I turned on shadows it cratered DS3. About 2 hours rendering - then DS3 would just vanish from the desktop. Gone. After a week trying to figure it out, time to just move on... As always, PLEASE leave your comments or criticisms - your words mean SO much to me! Image and story © 2009 by Larry Hodge