Venger smiled. He had been expecting something like this.

He went from the window to his throne and sat with his back straight and his head held high in smug superiority. He wanted to laugh aloud. Dungeon Master's ploy, whatever it might have been, had obviously backfired. And now his Swordswoman had brought the Ranger, the leader of his star pupils, straight to him. He did not at all mind his watcher now. Let him see the old man's folly. Let him see how this victory would play out, before his eyes were taken from him when Venger finally ruled the Realm.

"Bring them before me," he ordered Shadow Demon. "And remember, they are my guests."

"Yes, Sire," answered Shadow Demon with a bow before he vanished to see to it.

As he waited, he thought of the knights, who had been pawns of the old man's long ago and had accepted the challenge of his Maze of Darkness and therein destroyed one another. He thought of other foolish pupils � the reptilian warriors � who had agreed to venture to the Dragon's Graveyard to collect the other Objects of Power for him in exchange for a portal home and were never seen again. That is, until he had raised their skeletal remains to fight Dungeon Master's new pupils.

The two arrivals this night surely heralded the beginning of their end as well.

He would hear them and strike a bargain with them, as he had with so many others who came before them who had tired of Dungeon Master's false offers of help in returning to their homeworlds, and he would lead them to their demise. He would bury them. He would offer to send them home if they gave him their weapons, and instead send them to the Mines of Minosia far underground, never to be heard from again. Dungeon Master would not save them. Once his pupils turned on him, he turned away from them. They would truly be on their own, which meant they'd be dead.

The Ranger and the Swordswoman entered � she to his right � escorted by Shadow Demon and two orcs.

"Leave us," said Venger, and waited until his servants departed.

He leaned back in his throne. "I must confess, I never thought to see the two of you in each other's company. And now I find you both in mine. What have you to say to me?"

It was the Ranger who spoke. "We believe you have the power to send us all home, Venger. My friends and me to my world, and her to hers."

Venger glanced over at the Swordswoman. By her proud expression, he could tell that she was satisfied with her manipulation of the Ranger and his friends, for surely he would not be here if the majority had voted against him.

"I remember your portal in the Maze of Darkness. And you opened a way to my world with the Crystal of Chronos. We'll give you our weapons in exchange for passage home," he continued. "You get what you want; we get what we want. No tricks."

So she had done it. She had turned them against Dungeon Master. You have served me well, Swordswoman. I could almost consider sparing you. "You would, of course, offer a gesture of good faith?"

The Ranger took a step forward. "I was about to offer."

Venger rose and took a step toward him.

The Ranger held his bow out level in one hand, while beside him, the Swordswoman removed her sword from its scabbard and made ready to present it. "The Energy Bow," he said in offering.

Venger could hardly believe it could be this easy. He reached out his hands to accept the powerful weapon.

That's it, Venger. Both hands.
Don't mess this up.
This is NOT going to work. I was crazy to think it would. We're all dead!
Wait for it. . . .

As soon as Venger's two hands gripped the bow, Donnova sliced Venger's horn from his helmet in one clean upstroke. It flew outward and vanished in mid-air. Hank and Donnova vanished as well.

As soon as Realm's Edge came into focus, he looked around frantically. There was Donnova. Where was Sheila?

"Sheila!" he called out.

"Here!" She appeared not too far ahead of him.

"Do you have it?"

"I got it!" Shiela nearly screamed.

Shiela reached into her fishing net, pulled out the horn, and tossed it to Hank, who then ran and threw it to Diana, who was standing on Eric's shoulders in order to reach the matching impression in the Tower's wall.

Presto handed Hank his real bow. "It actually worked? He was superglued to that fake bow?"

"Yeah! It was perfect! He didn't suspect a thing!" said Hank.

Presto and Hank laughed. Bobby cheered. But then, Diana screamed. Hank looked up and saw black hands around Diana's wrists. The horn was in place, he noticed. Diana rose in the air, and Eric reached up, jumping, trying to latch onto Diana, but she was pulled away.

"Diana!" Eric yelled.

Hank fired an arrow, hoping to rope Diana, but several black figures snatched her away at the last second. And then it looked like the entire Tower was coming down on all of them.

"Look out!" Hank yelled.

All scattered and covered their heads, yet the expected clatter of stone hitting ground never came. The whole of the Tower was collapsing, but it was very wrong. The pieces flew apart, grew wings and arms. A thousand white eyes looked down on them.

Hank looked around. Too much was happening at once. He looked, but saw no prisoner where the tower had been. But he did see something odd. It looked like a crystal ball on a pedestal. He could think of only one thing: "Bobby! The crystal! Break it!" Hank shouted.

The Barbarian immediately ran for it, bringing his club high over his head.

The dark cloud of what Hank could only call shadow demons quickly descended on Bobby and everyone else. A tornado-like, swarming terror of black wings, angry eyes, slashing claws, and serpentine tails. Hank was forced to stop and try to swat them away, but there were too many.

"Hank! I can't see!" he heard Bobby scream.

There was no chance to run, nowhere to take cover. All their frantic screaming and swatting was useless against the demon horde. With movement too quick for mortal eye, they ripped cloth and flesh alike. Blood-red streaks marked Hank's arms as he was being ripped apart little by little.

Donnova and Eric swatted at the shadow demons with shield and sword, trying to get them away from the others. One demon in particular stopped and hovered in front of Eric, looking him in the eye. Eric stiffened in dumb fear, but then it just moved on.

"Eric! Your shield! Cover them!" Donnova yelled and pointed to the others who'd managed to find each other.

Thankfully, Eric had the presence of mind to heed her. He put the power of his shield to use and began making his way to his friends. He was unharmed and soon separated his friends from further assault.

Seeing the others were out of danger for the moment, Donnova realized she hadn't been attacked. Neither had Eric. The others, however, had not fared so well. In all the confusion, she hadn't thought of it. Now, one at a time, a shadow would emerge from the chaotic whirlwind to study her. She froze as curious hands touched her neck, ran through her hair, and traced down her back and legs. They would swirl around to face her, and she would meet the eyes of each.

They spoke in turn.

"No, not the enemy," said one.

"Nor the master," said another.

"But dark kindred, yes."

"We are called here. This is our work."

"Do not interfere, and we will pass over you."

These were as whispers on the wind. She could not be sure that she heard voice or thought, but she understood. She looked again to her friends huddled together beneath Eric's shield. They were watching, confused and concerned. Sheila was yelling and waving her toward them.

Donnova had taken a slow step in their direction when she sensed something of a shift in the shadows, and then heard more empty voices:

"The Master."

"Venger!"

"We do as you command."

"We serve, Master."

"We are called to defend."

"Yes, it is secure."

They're guarding that crystal. Donnova turned to see Venger, his long black hair flowing, with Shadow Demon, as ever, at his shoulder.

Shadow Demon's quiescence lent him an air of superiority over his frenzied counterparts. Perhaps he was one especially set apart from the others somehow. Perhaps there was something different about him that did distinguish him from the others.

She brought a hand to the hilt of her sword, causing several anxious Shadow Demons to turn watchful and threatening eyes to her. She thought she heard a distant whisper of "You dare!" She eased her hand away from her weapon.

"Call them off, Venger!" she demanded. She walked slowly toward him, shadows madly criss-crossing her path as she advanced. She spread her arms in a gesture of deference to his evident victory. "You've won. It's over. Dispatch these demons now, and deal with us yourself."

He contentedly crossed his arms. "But I'm rather enjoying this. Your friends cannot cower forever under the Cavalier's shield . . . and shadow demons can be quite relentless. You will see I can be patient when patience suits me," he said with a sneer. "Soon the Young Ones will be reduced to no more than a scattering of bones � a sight I shall relish for some time. Their Objects of Power will finally be mine!

"And as for you. . . . With a word I can set these demons upon you. They spared you at their discretion, but they need not be persuaded to include you in their onslaught. I command them!

"Surrender the sword to me, and I may yet let you live," he offered.

He had just given her the chance she needed. She knew she must take advantage of it, to buy needed time. She took care to appear thoughtful, possibly near submission. "Gracious as always, Venger," she replied sarcastically. "Allow me a moment to consider it."

She turned her back to him and took a few steps into the black swirling mass. She casually raised her hand and slid it over that area of her breast that held the Sonant Stone. She knew now what it was for, just as the Dungeon Master had said she would. She let her hand continue its ascent until she gripped the sword's hilt. She drew it cautiously, the blade ringing long against the sputcheon. She brought the weapon down in front of her, slicing the concealing flesh on its way.

Donnova silently grimaced with pain as she slid her fingers around the slickened stone and worked it through the bloody orifice. Once in her hand, she manipulated it so that the convex side fit into her palm.

Her drying blood helped hold the stone in place in her hand as she brought it up to face the crystal. She took a deep breath and released her preternatural voice. Amplified by the powerful Sonant Stone, Donnova's voice was affecting the crystal. It began to vibrate, threatening to explode.

That explosion did not come, however. She was suddenly in a different place. A very familiar place. It took her a moment, but she recognized the Citadel of Zona where she trained to fight. More precisely, she was in the citadel's Shrine of Valmun, Dark Patron of Nature's Poisons and Child Death. But it looked strange. The flames of the candles were dim and pale. And it was so quiet. The place was empty. No coenobites guarded the doors, the fonts, or the displayed artifacts.

Donnova walked deeper into the shrine. Bloodstone chalices and phials of poisons lined the walls, alternated with indigo candles. The ceiling was ringed with the skulls of children of various ages, all looking down at her. Even the jade floor and the poisonous flora in their pots along the walls were just as she remembered them.

"I must be dreaming," she said to herself. Her eyes widened as another possibility occurred to her. "Or dead." She looked herself over. No wounds. No sword. . . .

Her attention fell to the small table where an ornate crystal phial rested on an intricately designed crystal stand. It glowed and shimmered from a sparkling light within. She went closer, and slowly, she reached to take it.

"Take care, my child. That one is potent enough to kill a Dark Lord," said a male voice far deeper than even Venger's.

Donnova turned to see a handsome man with long, straight black hair and bright, intense green eyes approaching her. It was as though he floated to her. He wore a robe of the deepest purple, lined with forest green that looked like living leaves and vines woven together.

She could hardly move, hardly breathe. She had heard this voice once, only once, before, and even then believed she had only dreamed it. She had seen him depicted in various art forms, along with many other Dark Patrons, in a museum once. This was undoubtedly Valmun.

"Would you spill its contents? Would you destroy one of us?"

"No! I didn't know!" Then it came to her. "The crystal. . . . You don't want me to destroy the crystal." She watched him, turning as he floated around her. "I thought only of returning home, of serving you."

"You serve best here."

Their surroundings changed. They were in a castle. Donnova looked around, taking in the new setting. She turned around and was face-to-face with Venger! She gasped and jumped back, but he seemed not to see her. She took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Here. . . . You mean Venger's realm?"

He floated toward Venger, looking at him, admiringly. Then, in an instant, he was behind her, putting her between them. "Tip the scales of Balance," he whispered in her ear.

And then she was back in the Realm, just as before, as though she'd never left.

"No!" Venger roared behind her. "You must not!!"

He did not see that she closed her fingers to cover the stone.

A lightning-flash of blinding light, and then nothing. . . .

Donnova recovered and rose to find herself in the middle of yet another nowhere, Hank and the others with her. She still clutched the Sonant Stone in her bloody hand, holding it tightly against her blood-soaked shirt. The returning pain in her breast brought her back to herself. She looked down and opened her numb fingers. The stone fell unceremoniously to the ground, another rock amongst thousands.

"What happened?" Hank demanded. "What happened!"

He was talking to her, but she wasn't in the mood to answer. She replaced her sword and turned her back on him. A second later, he grabbed her and spun her around to face him. She knocked his arms away from her.

"We failed! It failed! I failed, if you like! It doesn't matter anymore. It's over. I'm leaving." With that, she simply started off away from the group.

"Hank!" Presto called. "It's . . . Diana."

Donnova turned to see Presto with his hat in his hands. Behind him, Eric knelt, crying over Diana's broken body. Donnova turned and started off again. She felt nothing.

Sheila ran after her. "Donnova, where are you going? You can't leave now! We should all stay together. Dungeon Master will help us."

"I wouldn't count on that if I were you," Donnova called back over her shoulder.

"But wait! Where are you going?"

"The same place the rest of you are going: nowhere."

"Come back!"

"Let her go," said Hank.

"Hank!" Sheila protested.

There was a pause, but then Donnova heard Sheila running to catch up to her.

"Wait. Tell me one thing before you go," Sheila said, nearly whispering.

Donnova knew what this was about, and she smiled to herself. Of all the things to want to know after everything that just happened. Then she stopped and half turned her head in Sheila's direction. "The answer is yes. He was Venger to me, too." And then she turned a little to make eye contact with Sheila and winked at her.

Sheila smiled back. "Please don't go."

"I can't stay."

"Then I'll come with you."

"Sheila!" Hank called urgently.

Donnova cut her eyes at Hank. Sheila bowed her head.

"You belong with your friends, with your brother. They need you now."

She sighed and twisted around to look at her friends. "I know. . . ."

Hating dramatic goodbyes, Donnova started putting more distance between them. Sheila didn't try again to stop her.

END PART ONE