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"Gellos."

The boy opened his eyes, and turned around suddenly. He grabbed for his staff, then stopped, and remembered. His staff had been destroyed, and as he looked at the area around him, all he saw was his old home.

He saw the living area, the kitchen that was in the back, and the stairs that lead up the bedrooms.

"Gellos," the voice spoke again, and Gellos looked at the stairs. He turned around, expecting to see the small wooden door, but only saw the smooth wood of the wall.

Turning back around Gellos looked at the stairs, and stepped towards them. He felt the soft leather of his boots, then felt the cloth of robes around him. he glanced down, seeing the grey and white robes he wore. He looked back up to the stairs, and reached out a hand as he came to them. He touched the smooth railing with his bare hand, then started up the stairs.

"Yes," he heard the voice again, and stopped, turning around. But the house was still empty.

Gellos looked at the house a moment longer, then turned, walking back up the stairs. He came up and stepped into a hallway with two doors on either side. Down the hall was a third door, and now Gellos turned around as he heard the voice say,

"The door at the end," it said. It was soft, like a woman's voice.

Gellos turned back around now, and walked down the hall. He felt robes swish around him, and glancing down saw he was dressed in a set of white and grey robes with a hood. Looking back to the door, Gellos walked down the hall, and reached out a hand to the door as he came closer.

His hand closed around the metal knocker, and as Gellos gave the door a pull, he felt a sweep of cold air. The door came open, and as Gellos looked into the room, a figure looked back at him. It wore long black robes, and as Gellos looked at it, the figure picked up his head, and looked towards him.

Gellos saw the figures face, then stepped back, his mouth opening as he saw the face was his own. He starred at the figure, and as it opened its mouth and began to laugh, Gellos heard himself scream,

"No!"

as he took another step back. He turned, and felt the floor shudder underneath him.

Looking down Gellos saw the floor crumbled and crack, and a second later, as Gellos put out his hands to steady himself, the floor gave away and he fell. The floor vanished, and as he saw darkness cover the hole, the figure in the room laughed again, the echo following Gellos down.

* * *

He screamed again, but the darkness vanished, and Gellos felt himself come up with a shout. He threw off a heavy fur as he sat up, his hands going to his chest. He saw he was in a bed in a somewhat lit stone room. A window was to the left, and as Gellos let out a long breath he saw the air in front of him fog.

The quick scrap of boots on the ground made him look to the right, and as a door was flung open, a female dark elf burst into the room. She turned, seeing Gellos, and stopped. She put her hands over her mouth, and Gellos looked at her long dark hair and red eyes.

"Asha," he breathed her name.

Now the elf crossed the room in a bound, and came to throw herself on Gellos, wrapping her arms around his back. Gellos leaned back, feeling the elfs sudden press, but put an arm around her shoulders.

"Your okay!" she said. She hugged Gellos, but as she leaned back, kept her arms around his shoulders. Gellos kept an arm around Asha, and she said, "I thought you wouldn't come back."

Gellos looked over Asha's shoulder, at the open door, then said,

"No. I knew I wouldn't die."

Asha looked at him now, and the young Imperial looked back at her. Gellos took in her eyes, deep like the color of rubies. A lock of black hair fell in her face, and Gellos took his arm from her shoulders, and tucked the hair behind Asha's ear. They looked at each other, and Gellos left his bare hand on Asha's cheek.

He moved his face closer to hers, and the dark elf closed the space between them, putting her lips to Gellos' in a kiss. The Imperial felt the flare of heat between them, and felt the same heat on his hand. He kept his lips against Asha's for a second longer, then they broke away, and Gellos held up his left hand. The mark glowed a soft orange color, and Asha quietly said,

"You need to take Veluth's staff."

Gellos looked back at Asha, then leaned up. The elf stepped back, and Gellos stood up. He bit his teeth as his chest flared with a dull pain, and as he looked at his chest he saw the wound. A healed hole that had left a white scar, not much bigger than a septim coin. Gellos looked away from the mark, and as he took a step forward, saw he could walk with little trouble.

Looking at Asha, Gellos asked her,

"Where is it?"

Now Asha reached out, taking Gellos right arm. In her other hand she took a set of heavy grey robes, and held them out to the boy. Gellos took them, and as he pulled them on, Asha said,

"Come with me."

* * *

Greywatch Fortress was set into the mountains, although it was more uniform than the White Order's stronghold had been. Asha led Gellos out of the room he had been resting in, and down a short hall. They went down a staircase, and from the stairs they walked into the Fortress courtyard.

It was similar to the Order's courtyard, but the walls of the Fortress were higher, and Gellos could see windows.

"The wall on the right is where the rest halls are found," Asha said. She held Gellos arm as they walked across the courtyard. Gellos was dressed in shabby grey clothes, black boots, and his black robes. He pulled up the hood as they continued walking, and Asha said, "There are towers on the right side, where guests of the Fortress sleep."

"What's on the left side?" Gellos asked. Those walls were shorter, and wrapped closer into the courtyard. Gellos could see the top of another area behind it, and Asha answered him with,

"The inner walls house the study halls," Asha said as they stepped into the snow. It had fallen close to the ground, and above them the cloudy sky barely allowed the sun to peek through. The walls had covered walkways, and Ahsa added, "The building you see behind it is the library."

They walked across the grounds, other mages or figures in cloaks and hoods walking around them or to an area, and Gellos asked,

"How did you find me?"

"I sensed you," Asha replied, "or I suppose I felt the energy resonance that the Marks power put off."

"This mark?" Gellos held up his hand now, and Asha looked at him. As she nodded, Gellos said, "Thank you," and looked ahead again. "if you hadn't come, I don't know what would have happened to me."

"Your body helped to keep you alive," Asha said in a musing tone, "I felt that energy as well, when you fell into the snow. Lines of blue energy ran down your body, and helped to heal the wound on your chest, although I still had to use my own magic..."

"The keys!" Gellos stopped suddenly, putting his hands to his waist, "Where are they?" he looked at Asha, his eyes flashing.

"Safe, Gellos I promise you!" she held out her hands, putting them around Gellos own. "Viarim took them, when I arrived back here with you. He locked them in his own room, and they are still there!"

Gellos looked at her, his light yellow eyes looking into Asha's red, and he let out a breath. He put his hands over hers, then squeezed them. With a huff he said,

"Forgive my outburst. I spent days finding and collecting those keys, and it slipped my mind with the past days turn of events."

"It's alright," Asha nodded.

Returning her nod Gellos took his hands from Asha's, and as they began to walk again. Asha put her hands in front of her long grey robes, and Gellos said,

"My staff shattered, when the Mark was transferred from Sirino to myself."

"Hmm," Asha walked beisde Gellos, the hem of her robes just brushing the snowy ground. "it may be that your staff wasn't powerful enough to sustain the energy that was transferred to the Mark, but your body was?"

"I did use my staff to channel my abilities," Gellos mused. He took his hood down now, passing a hand through his hair, and said, "so if I can get past this ward that Veluth has around her tomb, will I be able to take the staff?"

"I would guess to say that you might be able to walk through the doors themselves," Asha said, "from the little I know, Veluth used her Mark in connected with a charm, where the last person to hold the Mark would transfer it to whoever killed them."

"So I can walk through the ward that Veluth has around her tomb?" Gellos asked. He held up his hand again, "because of this?"

"Veluth was very powerful," Asha said, "Her practice and study into wards was greater than any other mage who studied it. I read an passage about her, in a book once. She was rumored to have cast a ward around a village once, to protect its citizens from the threat of a rival mage."

Gellos followed Asha across the courtyard, and to the building where the study halls were found. She went to the right when she came up to the door though, and led Gellos along the wall. The Imperial held out his bare hand, trailing it along the cold stone. At the end of the wall, Asha leaned down, brushing away snow. Gellos saw the handle of a trapdoor, and Asha pulled it up.

The trapdoor flicked snow up, and Asha held out her hand to the hole in the ground. A light formed in her hand, and she turned to look at Gellos. The Imperial held out his own hand, and as a light appeared over his fingers, Asha nodded, and turned for the trapdoor.

* * *

They went down a ladder, and inside of a dark area, Asha waved her hand. The light moved away from her, splitting into two different orbs, and moved to either side of the room. Gellos saw torches on the walls, and as he waved his own hand, his or drifted into the room as it was lit by the light.

Asha stepped into the room, and as Gellos followed her, more light appeared as they began to walk. The room was all stone, and lights drifted down, showing a long winding staircase.

"The tomb leads down," Asha said, "some mages believe that a sort of "life after death" can be obtained through special training, and the tomb is built into the ground so mages will have adequate space when they die."

"Life after death," Gellos repeated. He followed Asha down to the edge of the tomb, and saw all the doors that were set into the expanse. Stone steps lead down and around the large pit, and as Gellos looked at the doors, he felt the energy that resonated from some of them. Powerful energies.

Gellos looked at the doors, then crouched down, putting a hand on the floor.

"Gellos?" Asha looked at the Imperial, a hand reaching out to him.

"I'm fine," Gellos said. He looked at all the doors, feeling the energies, then closed his eyes. "Only looking for Veluth's tomb."

Asha looked at his back, then smiled and softly said, "you believe any opportunity can become a training exercise, don't you?"

Gellos opened his eyes now, and turned to look over his shoulder at Asha. "I believe there is a lesson that can be learned in every situation, if your eyes are open wide enough to see it."

Now he turned, and began down the steps. He stopped as Asha asked,

"You want to go alone, don't you?"

and he turned. Gellos looked at her, his yellow eyes peering from under his hooded robes, and he nodded. "This time I won't make you come save me," he said with a smile.

"This time I won't be as far away," Asha replied.

She gave Gellos a smile in return, and the mage turned and began to walk down the steps.

* * *

Gellos could feel the power that was Veluth's staff as he came down the steps, and closer to her tomb. He saw it from across the crypt, from the dark green markings that glowed on the door. Gellos crossed the crypt on the steps, and as he came to the door, the feeling the power growing with each step he took.

Across the crypt, Gellos came to the door, and stopped. The Mark on his hand glowed with its orange glare, and Gellos looked at his hand. He looked from his hand to the door, then faced it. Twin doors with carved stone, depicting the figure of a woman. Gellos stepped closer to the door, then raised his left hand, where the mark was.

Now the green lines of energy flared, and Gellos felt the door shudder. The lines faded away, and behind the door Gellos heard a loud clicking sound. Lowering his hand the doors shuddered again, and, with a scraping sound, swung slowly inward. Gellos watched the doors open, and inside he saw more green light.

He walked into the tomb, under the doors and into a cool room. He pulled his robes closer around himself, and pulled dow his hood. His yellow eyes looked around the room, and green light illuminated the walls. He saw more carvings, depictions that led up the walls, and saw they told about Veluth. He saw depictions of the witch helping villagers, fighting against other mages or warriors. One carving showed Veluth kneeling in front of someone who wore hooded robes.

Gellos walked to a stone slab that was in the middle of the room. On the slab was a coffin, made of what looked like smooth black stone. Gellos held out hand, paused, then rested his hand on the coffin. The mark on his hand flared, but there was no pain. He looked at the coffin, then put both hands on the lid. He felt the cold, smooth stone for a moment, then pushed.

The lid came away with ease, and it fell to the floor with bang. Gellos rested his hands at his sides, then looked into the coffin. He saw the bones of the witch, still wrapped in a set of dark grey robes. Laying on top of her body was the black staff. It was hooked at the end, like a fishing rod, and a green orb sat in the hook. Gellos looked at the staff, then reached out.

His hand touched the staff, and as he picked it up, he turned, hearing a familiar voice.

"I see you got past her ward after all." Standing at the entrance to the tomb, his arms folded over his chest, was Viarim. The high elf stood, dressed in a long grey cloak that fell to his ankles. At his feet was bag, and as Gellos looked at him, he felt the energy that was the Tonal keys in the bag.

"I only just woke up," Gellos said. He turned, the staff in his hand, and stepped down from the slab. "I came straight here, because my other staff was shattered when I threw it at Sirino."

"Threw it?" Viarim looked at Gellos.

"He had a bodyguard with him," Gellos said, "I was fighting him, and threw my staff so that Sirino wouldn't get..." but the Imperial stopped, looking at the staff in his hands.

It had begun to turn to dust, and Gellos starred at it, a mixture of wonderment and dismay on his face. He gripped his hand, then felt his hand clench as the staff degraded in his hand. The orb at the top shuddered, and Gellos opened his hand as it fell. He caught it as the staff faded, the piles of black dust falling to the ground. Gellos looked at the orb, feeling its weight and the cold touch in his hand. He looked up though, at Viarim, and the elf said,

"The orb, or crystal, or gem is the source of any staffs power," he said. "The shape the staff takes depends on what the magic user envisions. The wooden staff you carried before is the same, and it took the shape it did because you wanted it to look like that."

Gellos looked at the elf, and turned to walk out of the tomb. He crossed the room, the green light fading as he walked further from the coffin, and he moved to stand beside Viarim. As he left the crypt the doors scraped shut behind him, Gellos looked at Viarim. The high elf looked back at Gellos, then said,

"You know what happens now, don't you?"

Gellos looked back at his mentor and teacher, but nodded. "Yes," he said quietly. His voice seemed to carry into the rest of the burial site, and the boy said, "now you have to save the Elder."

Viarim nodded, looking back at Gellos. "Yes," he said, "and If for some reason I don't come back," he paused. Gellos looked at the elf, then Viarim smiled. "If I don't come back, I have an assortment of journals and books that I've written over the last forty years. If you ever need to know something I didn't tell you, or feel the need to teach, or even re-teach yourself a new ability, you will find it there."

Gellos continued to look at the elf, but then he nodded. He held the green orb in his hand, and Viarim smiled at the Imperial. "Come on, Gellos," he reached down, picking up the bag that held the Tonal keys, and looked at his pupil again. "I still have one last thing to teach you, master to apprentice."