The Story:
The Pendat's History

Consciousness came back in a sudden rush, closely followed by a massive headache. Before Kauria could account for all the different aches, a voice drifted through the darkness.

"I thought you'd be the first to wake," Gedry said conversationally. "The Pendant must have protected you, like it did Aralia."

"Ge..edry?" Kauria murmured, opening her eyes. Gedry sat a few feet away from her, on an old chair. She suddenly realized one of the reasons she felt so stiff; she was sitting in an identical chair, her arms tied behind her.

"Yes, Kauria? Do you need something?"

"Why... why are you doing this?" Kauria asked, her memory beginning to return. "Where's Rhillan? And Lady Miraussa?" She turned her head around, and spotted the two missing people slumped against the far wall. A faint glow surrounded them, and she could barely see them breathing.

"Don't worry," Gedry reassured her. "They're not dead... at least not yet, anyway. It's a pity that Carullian friend of yours was getting too close to figuring out my secret. They may have been useful."

"What do you mean?"

"You're smarter than that, Kauria... I just hope you remember your promise to me."

"My promise?" The world seemed to swim around her, and her head ached more than ever. "You couldn't... be Torrel?"

"I knew you'd figure it out eventually." Gedry smiled at her. "Yes- I am the person you call Torrel. But you may call me Gedry now. I've been watching you a very long time, dear one."

"Don't you dare call me that," Kauria said. "You're not my Gedry."

"Am I?"

She hesitated. "N-no," she answered, "Gedry wouldn't betray me."

"You don't sound certain."

"What have you done with Gedry?"

"I am Gedry, Kauria. I am the same person whom you met that day outside Belin. The same person to whom you pledged never to leave."

"I didn't pledge that to you," Kauria replied. "I pledged that to someone I believed in, someone I trusted. Not to your lies. You only want the Pendant."

"I see. You think I'm making this up to trick you. Why would I go through all these deceptions, when I could just kill you right now and take the Pendant?"

No immediate answer showed itself. "You're trying to confuse me," Kauria finally said, less certain. "You're planning something."

"How can I make you trust me, then, Kauria?"

"Tell me why you want the Pendant," Kauria demanded. "Tell my why you would pretend to be Gedry."

Gedry/Torrel sighed. "Very well, if that's what it will take. I can understand why you think I owe an explantation. Not even Aralia knew everything.

"I am a being several hundred thousand years old. I used to belong to very advanced civilization, who knew the many of Magic's Secrets. I was very powerful then, and feared because of that power. I defied my elders by using Dark Magic. The elders of my society sought to destroy me, calling me the 'Dark One.' They sought to destroy my power, and created the Star Pendant to do so, but I escaped before they could use it one me.

"I survived through the generations by transferring my consciousness from one being to another. But my people knew of this ability, and formed a plan to hunt me down. They formed a symbiotic relationship with the trees that surround Ajir, using them as I used people to preserve their essence. They also passed down the Star Pendant through the generations."

"The Magic Trees?" Kauria interupted. "But.. they're all dead now. Frozen."

Gedry didn't answer, but continued his story.

"There was one flaw in the plan. Every generation, they lost some of their memory of who and what they were. Eventually Ajir didn't remember its true past, and even its greatest Mages- descendant of my people- only had vague clues to who they were. I knew it was time to strick.

"I amassed my power, and began to conquer the neighboring lands. I couldn't be exactly sure how much knowledge had been lost, and didn't want to attack Ajir before verifying that knowledge of the Pendant had been lost. I captured on of Ajir's scouts, Henison Cor, and infected him with what you know as 'Dark Star' poison. I sent him back to find the Pendant and bring it to me. He captured the Princess and brought her to where I waited in the Magic Forest.

"The Princess proved more resourceful than I thought. Somehow, she managed to summon you back in time and give you the Pendant. I saw you that day and I knew I must destroy you.

"I secretly began killing anyone in Ajir who showed enough Magic Potential to have been a descendant of my people, using Cor to do the work. But it was slow, and I knew the time of your birth was approaching. So Ifinally showed mystelf and took over Ajir, and tracked down every Mage in the kingdom until not one tree in the Forest reamained. I somewhat surprised that no one I had killed had the name 'Kauria,' which was the name Aralia had used."

Gedry paused here, an amused smile on his face. "Aralia was more clever than I gave her credit for," he explained. "You see, Kauria, your Tree wasn't in the Forest. It was in Belin. You and I are the last ones of our kind."

"That's... interesting," Kauria couldn't say anything else. "Why didn't you just kill me?"

"I had to find the Pendant first, of course," Gedry answered. "I couldn't come to you as Cor, so I chose this form instead. I intended to kill you as soon as you revealed the Pendant, but then something unexpected happened... I'm not sure how to say it... I didn't want to kill you. It seems odd to say that, but you're the last person who has inherited powers like mine. We are more alike than you think. You could be my equal with enough training. There would be no one who could match us."

"You're asking me to join you?" Kauria asked incredibly.

"Yes," Gedry nodded. "Believe it or not, I do have feelings for you, Kauria. That's why I wanted you to make that promise. I want you to stay with me, be at my side. It seems ovious to me that we were meant for each other."

"This is how you express it?" Kauria demanded. "By threating my life, imprisoning my friends? You've got to be kidding if you think I'll just say 'yes'! I'd rather die!"

A shadow crossed Gedry's face. "Can you really afford to turn me down?" he asked. "It's not just your life you're dealing with, Kauria. It's theirs." He motioned to the unconscious forms of Rhillan and Mira. "And let's not forget the people in Belin who tired so galantly to hide you from me. They can't go unpunished."

She glanced hesistantly at the two. Neither were showing signs of moving; only their faint presence in Kauria's mind assured her that there alive. But the presence was weaker, and fading... and then she thought about her home, which seemed so far away, and Nana Myriah and all those who helped her and 'Gedry' without ever understanding the true danger they were in. Could she let them die?

But would she betray their trust in her? They had wanted her to escape; how could she possible consider joining sides with Torrel?

And what about Aralia, who gave her life so that Kauria could protect the pendant from him?

The pendant. Of course! Rhillan had mentioned that the Pendant was useless unless she passed it on willingly. He was trying to confuse her, make her give it up!

"No," she repeated firmly. "You don't care about me. You want me to give you the Pendant; it's useless otherwise."

"I could always kill you," he calmly replied.

"Which would prove I'm right," Kauria insisted. "You're not Gedry, and you couldn't care less about what happened to me or my friends."

"But I haven't, so I'm telling the truth."

"Not necessarily." Kauria found herself relaxing, regaining some control over herself, however minute. She was surprised how easily she counter him. "You just haven't killed me yet, and that's the only way I'll give it up."

Gedry merely shook his head. "Why don't I make a bargain, then? Destroy the Pendant. I'll untie you, all you have to do is smash it. I won't even touch it." Even as he spoke, he pulled a small dagger from nowhere and cut the bonds on her hands. She hesitatnly stood, rubbing her sore wrists.

"Go ahead, do it," he said. "It'll guarantee that I'll never have it, isn't that what you want? Then you'll see I'm telling the truth; I have no ulterior motive to trick you."

"You're serious?" She looked at Gedry directly in the face; there was an odd coldness about his eyes, but he wasn't lying. He meant what he said.

"That's my deal," he nodded. "Destroy the Pendant and be my queen, or have your friends die. It's your choice."