A gentle breeze of warm air blew, causing the leaves of the tree to tremble, and Benjamin grabbed hold of the trunk of the tree to steady himself upon the branch.'It's nearly dawn. If anyone is to come, I should soon see him arrive.' He had spent the night up with Dorcus, passing the time in quiet conversation. There was some question of Eliezer's returning, which he hadn't, but that was somewhat anticipated. Dorcus had considered that Jordan may impress upon him to stay, which was a likely supposition and a common display of Mr. Carder's ever mindful courtesy.Now he stood, hiding himself in the tree at the center of the grassless clearing and waiting for the sun to rise.

Dorothy had come and greeted her that morning, bringing her out to breakfast and fulfilling the role of host which Benjamin had so faithfully executed at prior times. Now, she sat in her bed, reading Benjamin's green covered book and thinking it much later in the day than she had expected him returning. In fact, everyone seemed to have expected him sooner, and breakfast had held an unspoken tension which caused her to feel slightly out of place. She thought of Benjamin, considering his continued absence, and becoming concerned.'The day is half over, and Dorothy said his meeting was at dawn... no wonder they were all so tense, they probably don't know what's happened to him, either.'At last, there was a knock at the door, followed by the sound of a familiar voice which caused her some relief.

The interior halls of the castle complex were vast with high arched ceilings. Again, a mixture of maurium and stone accents provided the opportunity for some artistic variation. The ornate stone work and marvel floors along with the decorative metal mesh which was found throughout the halls left the feeling somewhere between a medieval cathedral and a modern courthouse. The maurium was a centerpiece, from the luminescent purple cracks in the gray marble to the glow of the purple lamps, orbs of light hanging from the ceiling and ensconced like torches on the wall, to the small, carefully crafted gems which lined the halls, all was to show the prominence, power, and versatility of the fine material native only to Altruon.As they led her down the corridors, various officials could be seen going here or there about their business and foreign dignitaries walked about with King Zephyr's trust

"Avera," the King said, shifting his gaze, and considering his words carefully, "how is it that you came into the possession of pyrite?""To be perfectly honest, my Lord, I am not familiar with pyrite at all, and I was unaware I had it until now," Avera earnestly confessed.There were some glances, and one man nodded in the direction of the King."Very well, then," Zephyr said, watching her eyes as he spoke. "Master Iphor, as Master of the Magicians, would you kindly explain the origins of pyrite to our guest.""Yes, m'Lord," said a stout man with a gruff voice. He was one of the ten and seated in the place of the third. "You see, young lady, there is a known element called planetyroid. I'm sure you have some familiarity with it, do you not?"Avera nodded, watching the bald headed man with interest."Of course, it is extremely common. You can find it practically anywhere in the world provided you're looking for it, but the element is unusually common in Altruon. We have a particular ab

Avera followed Blackridge back through the hidden door and into the narrow corridor, retracing the halls they had come down. The cramped corridor seemed to devour the light which disappeared suddenly and without warning, and all turned to darkness when the door shut behind them. She kept close behind him, the maurium crystals lighting their path. They walked in silence as they went, and they continued on through the dark halls of the now familiar castle.Lord Blackridge was still giving off a quiet air of intensity which Avera