"He... killed him."

"Who killed who?"

Myra didn't need to answer, Mike did for her, "Khell killed Q'wellen..."

Myra moved to the doors of the stable, where Q'wellen and his cousin, Faelen were living.

Crimson watched Myra. "Tell me you did not expect this.." The statement was a question, a hope.

But Myra could not give birth to that hope. She'd known. Deep inside she'd known that Q'wellen couldn't have taken Khellenduras. Not in combat. "...I expected it."

Crimson changed the direction of the conversation delicately. "What are you going to do with the blade, Myra?" She looked worried, though Myra really didn't notice. The world moved on around her, but she was frozen in time, her eyes focused on nothing physical as Q'wellen's death replayed in her mind.

"...I have found some studies on it..." was all she could say, her hollow gaze staring through Crimson. "...I will find something..."

"If it comes to possess you as it did him, I will tear it from you. I will not lose another to its wrath."

"...an artifact... I..." she couldn't say anything else. Her mind was not here.

She vaguely heard Maligor... "I say we go back to his place and torch it..."

Ainuyr touched her arm lightly to gain her fleeting attention. "Myra... I am sorry..." Myra only nodded. Her expression was blank. He took his hand from her arm. "I must go. This has been a dark night indeed. One that shall not be forgotten."

The latch to the door of the stable lifted and the door came open. Out stepped Faelen. Myra immediately lowered her eyes to her feet, the sadness threatening to overwhelm her. She refused to shed tears.

"What's wrong Arwen'amin?" Worry crept into Faelen's voice.

"...Q'wellen." She lifted her haunted eyes to look at Faelen.

"Lle found him?"

"Uma..."

"Well, what did you find?" He looked around at the oddly silent, grim faces. "What happened?"

"He came..." Myra could not bear to relate what had happened, a lump formed in her throat. "...he's dead." she managed to whisper.

"He was here...." He stumbled over his own words, nearly falling over. "What?"

Myra turned her eyes back to the ground with an anguish-ridden frown. "Khellenduras."

"Myra, are lle sure?" Faelen couldn't believe it.

"...I saw it..."

"Is it true? Was it Khell?"

"...I watched him do it."

Faelen fell to his knees, staring at Myra, not believing what he was hearing. "Was it Wrath? Or was it Q?"

Myra shook her head slightly, "I... the blade was away from him."

"How, when? You all freed him?"

Myra's eyes moved to the patch of earth that had been disturbed by the sword's landing. "He threw it... away from himself."

"I knew he could do it..." Faelen's words were proud, but heavy with grief.

Myra looked around at the forest. Where once she saw the beauty of spring blooming around her, she now saw a mockery of her life. Again she would be denied spring, trapped forever in her dark winter. "Can... we go sit inside?" She looked almost pleadingly at those still gathered.

"But how did he die..? ...uma, of course" Faelen moved to open the doors for everyone.

Myra went to move toward the doors when The Shadow appeared. "Most tragic."

".... You." Myra looked at him, a dead, hollow look.

"I do so mourn for your loss."

"...do not patronize me." Myra's voice was empty, but held the edge of a threat.

The Shadow laughed. "Why didn't you save him? Shadowwalker..."

Her given title hung heavily in the air. She clenched her fists and spoke very quietly, the edge growing sharper in her voice, her eyes sparking with rage. "I'll gouge your eyes out with my bare hands."

Myra heard a chuckle from somewhere near the woodline, but didn't look. "Such.. spirit", came a female voice.

All sound was drowned out by the roaring that rose in her ears. She fought hard to keep down the threatening tears of despair and anger. Galahad moved into her line of sight, putting the tip of his sword against The Shadow's helm.

"I wonder if I can drive this through that ugly helm."

"Galahad." The Shadow took a step back. Galahad followed with the tip of his sword. "You did well this evening, Galahad."

Galahad didn't care to hear what The Shadow had to say, "You are not welcome here. Or anywhere else. Silence." Galahad forced The Shadow back further. "You are done here."

Maligor's voice broke through the roaring again, "Don't take your anger aginst the lich out on The Shadow... His time will come soon enough, I reckon."

Myra looked at the two men, as The Shadow parried Galahad's sword away from his head. "No more bloodshed tonight." She didn't want to see anymore. She put a hand on Gal's shoulder.

"Does The Shadow bleed, I wonder?" Galahad asked rhetorically. "I don't think so."

The Shadow replied, in his cool collective manner, "I bleed, but how many will bleed if I do?"

Myra frowned at them both, and she could see Galahad seething with anger.

"Gal," came Maligor's voice again, "We don't need another tragedy, there is nothing we can do right now."

Myra move her hand from his shoulder, stepping around beside him, resting her hand instead on his arm. "Gal, please..."

The Shadow paid them no mind, looking only at Galahad. "You won this evening, Galahad. I give you your victory."

"My victory will be your head," Galahad retorted.

"But I can see that Myra is upset." Myra moved her gaze to The Shadow as he continued, "And it would be rude to upset her more."

Myra stopped listening until she heard her voice spoken again. She stared unseeing at the ground. The first voice she heard was The Shadow...

"Goodbye Myra."

She looked at him. "For now." She knew this was not the last she'd see of him.

His gaze moved past her to the patch of disturbed earth where the dark sword had fallen. "Go celebrate your victory. Be it ever so hollow."

Myra replied simply, "My night has been neither." as she trudged through the open doors into the Arrow.

***********************************

Myra slouched on a barstool. Galahad moved about, setting toppled stools back at the bar, picking up strewn about bottles. Faelen sat beside her.

"Tell me Arwen, I need to know what happened."

Myra answered questions as they came at her. She didn't want to think about it, so the truth was what she told.

"The lantern."

"And yet you live?"

"...he won't kill me."

"But he killed Q."

Faelen was obviously confused, but Myra didn't know how to explain to Faelen that the lich would not kill her because he got joy in seeing her suffer. Death would be the sweetest release for her.

"He used the lantern to kill Q?"

"Xas," the word slipped out, her mind wandering. "Er, uma... yes."

"Oh really..." Faelen had only a moment to ponder the slip of her tongue before The Shadow walked into the Arrow.

"I came to apologize."

Myra slowly turned around.

"It was most rude of me to belittle what happened. I am sorry."

Myra nodded only slightly. She felt physically drained from the encounter with Khellenduras and his lantern, and emotionally strained from the rest of the evening's events. In her hands was an unopened bottle of Fey. How had that gotten there? Oh, yes, Faelen handed it to her, she remembered. "Diola lle."

Paying no mind to the others as The Shadow moved past her to take a seat, she stood, and walked to look out the window behind the Bard's Chair. Galahad came and stood beside her, squeezing her hand. "No." She managed to return the squeeze, weakly.

Myra heard Faelen threatening to throw The Shadow out again, the Fey obviously running his mouth for him. Over her shoulder, she quietly stated, "He is welcome here so long as he behaves, Faelen. It is... the way it is."

Galahad echoed her sentiments. "It is." Then he whispered goodnight in her ear and recalled away. Myra stood there for long moments, not moving, just staring out the window.

Faelen moved over near her, "Are you ok?"

"...I'm fine."

Just then the door opened and the springtime evening breeze brought with it the heavy scent of nightshade. Myra did not need to turn to see that it was K'ryn Nor at the door.

"You should have heeded my warnings. It's your fault your friend died."

Myra turned, narrowing her eyes at K'ryn. "Shut up."

"I warned you. You chose to ignore my warnings. His death is on YOUR head."

Myra took a threatening step toward K'ryn. "Shut. Up."

A laugh that had started on the other side of the bar suddenly stopped.

"You are as responsible as if you had slain him yourself."

"Lady... back off!" Faelen stepped forward as Myra hissed her displeasure at K'ryn.

"Ah... one of the beggar boys," K'ryn smirked at him. "Want her to share your bed too?"

"Actually no. Not my type."

"Yes... you are rather... alive. She prefers the dead type."

Myra's voice was low, and the expression she wore was a dark one. "I'll cut out your tongue, wench. Given half the chance."

K'ryn chuckled. "You and which army? Strongbow?"

"I don't need any of them."

"Myra..." Faelen spoke her name.

Myra turned back to look out the window. "No one."

"Oh yes, that's right. You willingly served each of them. You served Trenton because you love him."

Myra cringed. Faelen was shocked, "WHAT?!"

K'ryn was heedless of either response. "You served the Lich... because you lusted for the power he could give you."

"Get out, now!"

Faelen seemed quite sober now. K'ryn looked at him. "Does she deny it? Does she?"

Myra's cheeks flushed red.

"I think Q would argue that point..." Faelen offered.

"Your Q... what a fool he was... ruled by the loins."

"If he were here..."

"And a lust for one who would have used him and sold him."

"Hardly."

"But he's not... he's dead. By her hand."

The female with Maligor and The Shadow, Alyzia spoke, "He'd throw himself in front of another lich for her?"

"Or close enough." Myra turned to stare at K'ryn at that comment.

Faelen quipped in, "Aye he would, and proudly, because he saw what you all did not."

K'ryn looked back at Myra, gloating. "How many more will die for you?"

"No more." Myra said quietly. "No more for me."

"How many more of your precious elves will you sacrifice?"

It was The Shadow's turn. "A good question Myra... How many more? Galahad?"

Myra's eyes moved to The Shadow. Her head began to swim, there was too much happening at once for her to keep up.

She heard Faelen talking over them "Q'wellen was an honorable elf. His love for the Arwen was pure. If hers was not is not the point."

"Your Q'wellen was a fool. She would have betrayed him as easily as she betrayed Mord and Khell. As easily as she betrayed your precious Glade."

"I never betrayed Trenton," Myra's gaze leveled on K'ryn.

"Didn't you?"

"N'uma, I never betrayed him." Myra stopped, realizing that what she said was too terribly true. She paled slightly, frowning.

"Never?" asked The Shadow.

"...I never betrayed him." Myra said quietly.

K'ryn stepped up to Faelen as Myra turned back to the window. "You are a fool. You and your elven ilk. She will be the death of you all. I warned her about the temple. And she said not a word to any."

"Are you sure I'm the fool? Or are you afraid of the truth? I'm curious," Faelen prodded at K'ryn verbally, "How does it feel to travel the world... alone."

K'ryn drew herself up to her whole five feet of height before the half elf. "I am not alone."

Myra spoke quietly. "He is the lich's. Andrew is his." But her words were left seemingly ignored as Faelen continued.

"Darkness begets only darkness."

Maligor spoke from across the bar, "Myra, where is the sword?" Myra looked at him, and mouthed the words "I have it" behind Faelen's back.

K'ryn and Faelen still stood toe to toe. "Ah, your Myra is darkness. Her soul is not her own."

"She walks a path," Faelen replied. "Her choice. Just as we all have a choice." K'ryn rolled her shoulders in a shrug at him.

The Shadow addressed Myra, "Tucked away safely within your own darkness? Do you hear its voice?"

Myra closed her eyes, turning back to the window. Again came The Shadow's voice. "You do."

K'ryn stepped back. "So be it. I will no longer warn the glade of my discoveries. Q'wellen's death is on her head. As is the destruction of the elves. By the by Myra..." K'ryn stepped out the door. "Watch your back." With that, she pulled the door closed behind her and was gone.