(ZOOM FOR DETAILS!) Aranée was surprised by the early morning arrival of fresh Jobil soldiers and wagons from the castle. Jobil's healer came with them and treated the wounded men. She approached him and confided her condition, wanting to know how to properly care for herself and her unborn child. Surprised, he briefly examined her in the cottage, congratulated her and gave her basic care instructions. They finished loading the wounded into the wagons and the entire column returned to the castle without incident. The usually reserved Bellikor excitedly met them in the library. He showed them a number of books he had brought back, some in Quenya, others in Sindarin. He had been using them to research Aeriteuin and decipher the Quenyan language. But with a dramatic flair, he unrolled a large yellowed Elf map that included all of Aeriteuin as well as large parts of the northern, eastern and western kingdoms that bordered it. He waited with twinkling eyes. "Do you see it?" Aranée and Galen exchanged glances, then shrugged and shook their heads. "Look again. Concentrate on the Jobil-Aeriteuin border." Aranée found it. Nestled in the far northern reaches of Jobil lands, near the junction of the Lonesh River and the Packran Mountains, was a small Sindarin inscription: "Western Pass." There was a curt knock on the door and Lord Jobil joined them. After a spirited discussion, he announced another expedition to enter the fortress - this time through the new pass. Jobil continued, "You will stage from the hunting lodge. Set up a small camp there until you are ready to go. This route is in our own lands, but we will send more soldiers this time - one of them will be Mubela." Aranée raised an eyebrow. "And we want all preparations completed within two weeks." He looked at her with steady eyes. "You will not be able to travel in another eight weeks or so." With flushed cheeks and neck, she looked into his eyes unflinchingly, a hard edge to her voice. "A bit more of this and I could get paranoid. First you charter a secret mission concerning me; Mubela tells you about the ambush; your healer tells you about my child..." Her Elf guards shifted uneasily but she calmed them with a reassuring look and small shake of her head. Lord Jobil sighed. "Yes, you are right - and I am sorry." He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You are headstrong and independent - and that makes you very difficult to protect." The Elf warriors exchanged silent glances. "You are Elf royalty, and... a member of MY family now as well." His eyes softened and he quietly continued, "Your child is my grandchild." He caught the guard's eyes as he softly continued. "You and the child must be protected at all costs." The Elf guards exchanged another glance, and stood just a bit taller behind her... --- TO BE CONTINUED! View episodes in sequence for the entire story. Still reeling with too many personal things on my plate and trying to clear up backlogged work. I promise to visit your galleries though as soon as I come up for air... Please leave a comment yea or nay, your words mean a lot to me. Your encouragement truly gives me the energy to carry on... Image and story © 2010 by Larry Hodge