The mist crept through the dank passage, tumbling along the rough carved stone walls, grasping at her as she slipped through the underground tunnels.
Her gown no longer flowed. It draped close against her slender figure,
as if it was absorbing her skin, heavy with the moisture from the mist. 

Nervously she looked behind her as she whispered, "Kessitan! Kessitan!" 

She hurried her step, jerking her head around to face the oncoming blackness, longing for a break in the impenetrable shadows.
She prayed for any break from the black shroud surrounding her flesh...
and more so her mind. 

Her auburn hair was damp, sticking to her flushed cheeks.
Her pale green eyes filled with the panic and anxiety that fought to consume her. She felt cold within, yet her skin glistened with perspiration.
The urgency of fear poured through her veins, causing confusion in her thoughts. 

Something rubbed up against her leg. 

Inside her head she was screaming, "Run!" 

Something within made her stop abruptly.
Her lungs felt as though they were going to burst as she held her breath with her heart pounding, threatening to explode from her chest. 

She thought she was heading the right direction, now she wondered if she'd gotten turned around in this maze of tunnels. There shouldn't be any living things here. She should be in the void. 

Panic tried to leap free from the pit of her stomach to flood the path
with the screaming echoing in her thoughts.
She reached, grasping the amulet that hung around her neck,
trying to recall the words. The words to make the gem protect her.
Frantically she began silently mouthing the words. 

Then a familiar sound met her ears. 

"Lisonia, you be almost there. Follow me." 

Lisonia tried to make out the shape for the familiar voice,
but the darkness was too thick around her.
Still, she knew this voice. She trusted it. 

"Which way, Keldon?" 

"Ahead, then veer to the right. It shall lead you to the stairs."

Lisonia nodded to the voice she couldn't see. Her heart pounded,
louder than the sounds of her feet striking the ground.
Her fast walk became a run, eager to find the stairs Keldon spoke of. 

Suddenly she heard a rustling sound behind her. 

"Keldon! It comes for me!" 

"Run! Lisonia, run! Do not look back!
Do not let your eyes meet the shadow!
Follow me! Follow my voice!" 

Lisonia ran.
She ran as hard as she could, holding her amulet with her left hand,
mouthing the words of protection,
knowing it couldn't help her against the shadow.
She extended her right hand,
dragging it along the stone wall as the tunnel veered to the right. 

"Hurry, Lisonia! We be almost there! Just a few more feet!" 

Lisonia followed the voice she trusted blindly.
The sounds behind her were getting closer, louder,
fueled with an eerie moaning sound, speaking words she didn't understand.
She ran harder, then tripped as she reached the first step to the stairs
she so wanted to climb. She picked herself up and began sprinting up the stairs. She climbed twenty or more, then slammed into the wall.
The stairs turned sharply off to the right. 

She could hear Keldon a few steps ahead.
She turned, following the sound of his large paws thumping on the stairs as he moved up, heading to the surface. They climbed another thirty or forty steps when she could see faint light further ahead. The stairs turned sharply again, this time the faint light gave her enough warning and she turned with them.
Now she could make out the massive outline of Keldon in front of her,
but she could still hear the sound of the shadow behind her. 

She pushed on, faster, with every ounce of strength she held.
The stairs seemed endless. Her legs were getting weak
but the fear inside made her keep going. The stairs veered off again,
and again she followed them. The light becoming stronger,
while the sound of the shadow behind began to fade.
Just another fifty feet or so ahead she could see the opening to the surface.
She was almost there. 

From deep inside she found a new strength as she ran up the final stairs,
taking two and three at a time. Keldon, running on all fours,
was staying just a few feet ahead of her.
They reached the top of the stairs and ran through the opening into the sunlight. Lisonia kept running until her legs gave way to the exhaustion
and she crumpled to the ground. 

Keldon stopped and rushed back to her.
Lisonia reached out grabbing a handful of the fur around his neck with one hand, as she grasped her amulet in the other.
She began mouthing the words of protection, too breathless to actually speak.
A soft glow enveloped them, then Lisonia’s hand dropped free of Keldon.
She calmed her breathing and looked into Keldon’s cat eyes. 

"We be safe now. The amulet’s magic shall protect us here." 

Keldon looked back to the tunnel entrance. Nothing was there.
Slowly he lay down next to Lisonia. His black fur was soaked.
He panted, catching his breath. They lay there for several minutes.
Finally, Lisonia spoke. 

"How did you know where I be?" 

Keldon’s voice held the soft purring sound he used with her
when he was satisfied with himself. 

"The amulet. Lisonia, you know it’s magic cannot function in the void,
but it shall always draw me to you.
Why did you not tell me you be going into the Underworld?
What reason could you have for taking such a chance with your life?"

Lisonia smiled weakly. "I had no choice. I had to retrieve this." 

She reached into the pouch tied at her waist and withdrew a smooth blue stone. Keldon sniffed the stone, then looked at her with his head cocked to one side. 

"Lisonia, be this the Stone of Souls?" 

She nodded, then lay her head back and closed her eyes, exhausted.
Keldon nudged her hand and she stroked his head while they both lay there.
Keldon stared at the Stone of Souls, then back at Lisonia with wonder. 

Lisonia, in her exhaustion, fell asleep while the amulet and Keldon protected her. As her mind drifted into the dream world, she relaxed,
finding herself in the familiar setting of home with Keldon, her older brother.
The dream began peaceful. Memories filled with laughter but all to soon this changed, as she relived the day Keldon became a beast,
no longer the man as he had been born. 

Keldon fell in love with a Kleslan woman named Seena.
She was humanoid - not human but beautiful, both of flesh and spirit.
The Kleslan people were extremely pale skinned, black haired,
with rich colored lips, strange corded ears and luminous blue eyes.
Centuries past they were ground dwellers but now traveled freely
above and below the surface. They are a proud people and for one to love another, not a Kleslan, was strictly forbidden. For Seena it was beyond forbidden.
It was contemptuous and unspeakable, even punishable by death,
as she was of royal blood. 

Lisonia’s people, including Keldon, didn't know the ways of the Kleslan,
nor the dangers in loving one. Keldon met Seena in the forest while hunting
and from the first moment he saw her, he could think of no other.
She too loved Keldon but it was a love not meant to be.
Seena was promised to another since birth, to a Shaman of the Kleslan’s.
A jealous, vindictive and powerful Shaman. 

For months Seena and Keldon met nearly every day in the forest.
Sometimes Seena would come back to Keldon’s village
where she was openly welcomed, but Seena never took Keldon to meet her people. He questioned her on it, yet she evaded telling him the truth
saying their love being a secret made it more their own.
In reality she feared for Keldon and herself,
but she couldn't give up this love she found in him.
In time Keldon didn't care, as long as he could spend time with Seena,
that was his only concern. 

Before the first year had passed, Keldon discovered why Seena never
took him to her people. While they were walking through the spring meadow,
they stopped at a large pond. They sat in silence watching the rebirth of the lands. The breeze whispered gentle love songs while the sparrows sang praised lyrics
to the earth’s melody. Willow wisps danced as butterflies chased them gracefully through the air. Fresh water lilies floated across the pond,
as pilly frogs jumped from one to the next. 

Keldon watched Seena’s eyes fill with delight as she watched nature's ballet.
She smiled with brilliant innocence, making Keldon see his world,
one that had become so common for him, anew. Seena giggled as a butterfly fluttered so near her face that it’s wings brushed her cheek.
When the butterfly moved away, she leaned into Keldon thanking him with a kiss. 

One of the pilly frogs leapt from its lily pad, transforming while in motion. Suddenly before them stood the Shaman, filled with an angry fire.
Seena jerked back, pushing Keldon behind her as she stared at her betrothed.
She trembled as his luminous blue eyes turned as black as his hair,
void of all compassion. Seena began to plead with the Shaman,
while trying to keep Keldon behind her. 

"Tehku, please forgive me! My heart has spoken truth but my love does not understand our ways. I shall go with you, accepting whatever you choose to do to me if you promise to not take his life." 

"You have broken your vows of birth, therefore you do not live."
Tehku's face hardened, he paused, then added, "You have already died.
Now you shall realize what death be!" 

Keldon was confused but this was quickly replaced with rage.
Rage for this Kleslan standing before him and fear for Seena.
He forcibly moved Seena aside and stood to face Tehku,
speaking threats he intended to carry out, as he drew his sword. 

"You shalt not touch her. I shall send you to the pits of the Underworld!
I swear my soul upon it!" 

Seena began sobbing as she pleaded with Tehku to spare Keldon.
Tehku was unyielding and free of fearing Keldon’s sword flashing before him. Keldon, in his rage struck out with his sword at Tehku skillfully,
yet the metal of his sword flexed, seemingly of its own accord,
bending around Tehku, leaving him unscathed.
Tehku glared at Keldon and with his glare came a surge of energy,
holding Keldon helplessly frozen. Seena lunged at Tehku
but was thrown back from the magical force surrounding Tehku. 

Tehku looked at her for the first time with any real emotion, hate. 

"You dare attempt to strike me? Has your mind,
as well as your heart turned human in your stupidity, Seena?" 

Seena fell to her knees, again begging Tehku to spare Keldon’s life.
Tehku watched her with cold eyes, then he looked to Keldon. 

"I shall spare his life on your words… and his.
You shall accept all I choose to do to you, true?" 

Seena nodded. Fearing for Keldon’s life, she would do anything.
Tehku smiled thinly and with a sudden movement of his hand there was
a blasting flash of light. Seena fell to the ground withering in pain. 

Keldon screamed out an unholy sound. An apparition drew free from his eyes, leaving his green eyes shadowed, that slowly turned yellow.
His astral body swirled high in the sky, until Tehku held out a black stone.
Then with the sound of a whip cracking, the apparition was sucked into the stone. Keldon’s hair began to grow and his body contorted.
Twisting and convulsing he fell to the ground.
Changing from the man Seena loved, into a huge catlike beast,
snarling and howling from its pain. 

Seena cried out. "Tehku, no! Please! I beg you!" 

"I have kept my word. He shall live, as I promised you, but as a lowly beast,
loyal to only his own blood, as you should have been.
He swore to me on his soul, so now he has no soul.
I condemn his soul just as I shall condemn you in life.
You shall forever remember the love you have for this human
and know he can no longer love you. But know this, Seena.
Should you fall from my grace again, I shall take his life as well!" 

Seena crawled to Keldon, reaching out to touch him.
Keldon’s memory of who she was and his love for her no longer existed.
He struck her with his massive clawed paw, tearing open the flesh on her arm.
She recoiled. At the same time she heard Lisonia screaming
as she was running toward them. 

Tehku turned sharply to face the woman rushing him,
distracted from Seena and Keldon. Seena jumped to her feet,
attacking him with all the hate erupting from within.
Tehku toppled into the water, with Seena tearing at him,
until they were engulfed. 

Lisonia ran to Keldon, crying hysterically. Keldon knew his sister,
as Tehku promised, he would know and be loyal to his own blood but no other. Lisonia looked to the water, but Seena and Tehku never came up.
The water swirled turbulently, then calmed.
Lisonia turned back to Keldon still crying,
hugging the soulless beast that moments before her older brother. 

Keldon nudged Lisonia, waking her from her sleep.
She woke with a start, filled with the emotions of that memory feeling strong
and new from the vivid recollection just given her.
She looked around realizing it was a dream. True as the air she breathed,
yet still a dream of days past. 

She turned to Keldon with sadness.
Keldon cocked his head to one side questioningly.
Lisonia smiled to him, and he purred as he spoke. 

"The night calls the light away. We must make way to safer ground.
Be you strong enough to travel?" 

Lisonia nodded and pulled herself to her feet.
They made their way back to their village, reaching it well after nightfall.
The village was quiet and free of light, except for the cottage where the Toshlin, Shemara, lived. Lisonia softly knocked on the door made of twisted elm branches backed with muslin cloth. 

An old, bent and grayed woman opened the door.
The Toshlin was probably beautiful in her youth,
but little except reminiscent traces remained.
She looked with disdain at Lisonia but smiled to Keldon,
then motioned them inside. Though Lisonia was a student of the Toshlin
and her magic, the Toshlin held a peculiar fondness for Keldon
since his forced change into the catlike beast. 

When Keldon was first changed he would attack anyone except for Lisonia.
In time he accepted Shemara, as he did many in the village
but only as long as Lisonia remained at ease. On one occasion,
Lisonia became upset with a merchant and Keldon reacted violently.
Luckily, Lisonia was able to stop him before any real harm had been caused.
Since that day, everyone in the village except for the Toshlin,
felt leery of Keldon and rightfully so. 

Old stories spoke of a Toshlin, who had lost her only love to another magic user that turned her lover into a beast and stole his soul.
The Toshlin tried with all her knowledge to restore her lover's human form
but failed before the beast died. In her sorrow she vowed to find the way
to change such a curse. Although Shemara denies these stories,
or being any part of them, Lisonia felt they were true.
This was reinforced each time with the gentleness Shemara showed to Keldon, which she never did while he was human. In any case,
Lisonia was grateful that Shemara had agreed to assist them. 

Shemara told Lisonia to sit.
She tossed some raw meat to Keldon as she spoke to Lisonia. 

"You have reclaimed the Stone of Souls, yes?" 

Lisonia nodded, handing the stone to the Toshlin.
Shemara took it and gazed into it, then back at Lisonia. 

"I see you did not let your eyes meet the shadow. This be good,
else you would have been captured in the void. That be what the shadow really be, you know. Foolish souls that passed through the Underworld,
trying to come to our world, but lost their way.
Not strong enough in they're own minds to keep from the shadows of their fears. Now they be eternally naught. Lost souls that be neither dead nor living.
I could not warn you, for it be written, but a beast be without a soul,
so they cannot take a beast. That be why Keldon be able to lead you.
No matter now, you be home. There be much to do,
and still I can give you no promises, girl. Know this before we start." 

Lisonia nodded, glancing at Keldon. Most of the time she saw only her brother,
but when he fed she saw the beast he'd become as he gnawed at the animal flesh. Lisonia looked sadly to Shemara. 

"I know there be no guarantees in life, nor death, but any chance
would be better than naught. What must I do now?" 

Shemara smiled warmly, but more at her own thoughts than Lisonia.
She lost the smile as quickly as she found it, and began speaking. 

"Lisonia, you be quite gifted and of strong spirit, yet the dangers here might be stronger than you can contend with. Changing your brother back to human form not be the true challenge. The challenge be in retrieving his soul. A beast turned human without a soul would wander without thought or mind. He would be no more than animated flesh, never whole."

Shemara pulled a chair next to Lisonia and sat closely facing her as she continued. 

"But the Keeper of Souls be greedy. He might demand another soul,
before he releases one he already holds. If he chooses to do this
you must fight to keep your soul. Should he win,
you would become far more dangerous than your brother
in his soulless beast form. You would still live in flesh,
but you would have no remorse, no love, no conscience… not for anyone.
This danger be magnified with your teachings, both the Toshlin ways
I have taught you and the Koulish magic you be birthed with.
You would become vile, holding only the evil, whilst all the good would be lost.
We each have a side of goodness, as well as a dark side.
It be the soul that tames the dark side…
without it, the dark side be magnified one hundred fold and… " 

Her words drifted off in the thoughts of what could be.
Not hearing her speak them made them even more terrifying.
She fought to regain her thoughts, then spoke again in warning to Lisonia. 

"You can soothe your brother, but should this happen to you,
none could soothe you and your brother could be lost as well.
Know I would do all in my power to slay you myself should this happen.
Be you sure you wish to go on?" 

Lisonia weighed the Toshlin’s words heavily, until she glanced at Keldon.
Then there was no doubt left in her mind. 

"I shall take that chance, and should I fail… 
I would pray you stop me should I become of what you speak." 

"So be it then, Lisonia. We begin. Come, there be much to teach you." 

Lisonia stood and followed Shemara into the back room.
It was where she kept her scrolls and books of knowledge.
Several were laid out on the table. They began the teachings,
which lasted through the night, stopping only after the sun rose on the morrow. 

Shemara sent Lisonia to her own cottage with special instructions
for the coming day and night. Lisonia must fast,
taking in only the special herb treated drinking water the Toshlin gave her.
Four times during the day, evenly spaced,
Lisonia was to make an offering in a mixture of her own and Keldon’s blood
to the Keeper of Souls. When the sun went down she was to return
to the Toshlin with everything Keldon wore on his human form
the day he was changed to the beast and then the process would begin.
Lisonia did exactly as she was told. She brought with her the torn clothes
Keldon had worn, along with the pendant given him by Seena.
She brought fresh clothes to dress him in, if they were successful. 

Shemara stood waiting for them. When they entered the back room
Lisonia noticed that the table and chairs were removed.
In their place was a Soul Whisper carefully drawn on the floor. 

The Soul Whisper, through the centuries, had been called a number of things. Though few since the earliest of times used it while depicted in its entirety.
Most used the symbol with the star encased by only one circle,
which stood for the time line at hand. Through the ages,
by misunderstanding or lack of educated knowledge,
many felt the symbol evil even though it was commonly used as protection
from the very evils they claimed it caused. 

It was a five-point star with three circles surrounding it.
Each circle represented a time line, past, present and future.
The two spaces between the circles represented the voids.
One signified the darker side of the Underworld. The other one marked the plane
of eternal life, which some called the Sacred Gardens, Allusion Fields or Heaven. The star represented the magic and deities that controlled the time lines.
One point for each of the four major Gods and the top, the final point,
stood for the magic that connected it to the mortal world. 

It was called a Soul Whisper because it signified where the soul
would rest eternal in the afterlife once a soul had been judged
and it was used to call souls from the voids. Where the spirits were without flesh, being but a whisper or shadow compared to its once solid form. 

Many magic users, including the Toshlin, knew the truth
of the power within the Soul Whisper. The Soul Whisper held many uses,
from prayers, to speaking to loved ones that had passed on,
to evoking spirits or creatures from the spirit worlds into the mortal world.
Though commonly used for protection or calling aid,
in this night it would be used to reach the Keeper of Souls
and hopefully retrieve a soul stolen before its time. 

In the center of the Soul Whisper stood a crystal shard,
standing almost three feet high with a dagger sticking out its top
and the Stone of Souls lying next to the dagger. The Toshlin told Lisonia
to step into the Soul Whisper with Keldon and put his belongings
around the base of the crystal. 

While Lisonia did this, Shemara went around lighting candles
and putting out the large wall sconces. When she finished she looked to Lisonia. 

"This be your last chance to have a change of heart, girl.
You be sure you wish to do this?" 

Lisonia nodded. Shemara shook her head. 

"May the Gods be gentle with you, girl. It begins." 

Shemara pulled a pouch off the shelves built into the wall
and began sprinkling its green contents along the innermost circle
of the Soul Whisper as she silently mouthed words for the spirits.
Then she put that pouch down, taking another, repeating the process
on the middle circle with a black sparkling powder.
She repeated this again, for the outermost circle
but with an iridescent white powder, continuously mouthing words of magic.
She looked to Lisonia and nodded. 

Lisonia withdrew the dagger from the crystal with her right hand.
She put her left hand on top of the crystal, holding the Stone of Souls.
She looked up and spoke just as the Toshlin taught her. 

"Gods of past and future I do so now beseech!
I offer my life force of mortality to you! I travel to the Keeper of Souls - one I must reach! I pray you return me home with my brothers soul free and true!" 

As she spoke her last word, she drove the blade into her hand,
pinning it to the Stone of Souls. Blood flowed from her wound
down the edges of the crystal. A burst of light grew from the top of the crystal, flooding the ceiling. Keldon began hissing and howling.
The room went black. 

Lisonia felt herself in nothingness. She no longer felt the pain in her hand,
nor the fear in her mind. All she felt was the love for her brother.
She felt shadows move around her, yet she could not penetrate the darkness.
She spoke in a whispering voice. 

"I come to the Keeper of Souls. I hold the Stone of Souls,
your audience must be granted. You be given a soul from one
who still breathes mortal air. I wish it back. Tell me your price." 

Lisonia stood, waiting for a long time before a voice finally answered her,
sounding more like an echo than a true voice. 

"Why should I give what already be mine? I be the Keeper. If it be in my possession it no longer holds life in your world." 

Lisonia stood there, trying to remember the words the Toshlin taught her,
but the words escaped her mind. She answered from her heart,
not knowing what else to do. 

"The soul I seek, be that of my brother, taken by a Shaman
who be jealous of the love my brother shared with a woman. My brother lives, in beast form. I wish him back, but cannot do so without his soul." 

Again there was a long silence before the voice answered. 

"It be no matter how this soul comes to be mine, mine it be. To release one soul,
I would need another. Have you brought me such a soul?" 

Lisonia answered meekly. "I bring you the Stone of Souls,
offered with mine own mortality, lest you can give me the means to capture a soul? Should you do this, I shall find the Shaman who stole my brother's soul
and send you his in return. I know not what else I can offer." 

The silence this time lasted longer and Lisonia feared she failed.
Then the voice responded. 

"I shall give you your brother's soul,
but there be conditions you must agree too. Do you agree?" 

Without thinking, Lisonia quickly agreed, before knowing what she just agreed to. The voice in the darkness chuckled with sinister intonations. 

"You shall do as you say. Find the Shaman who stole your brother's soul.
You must touch this stone to his flesh and call to me, yet your time be limited.
You must return this stone holding his soul, to me before the new moon rises.
If you fail, I shall be granted your soul, taken from your mortal flesh,
as well as place a curse upon you that no mortal magic can relinquish.
I trade a soul for a soul. What your flesh does beyond this be naught of my concern. Know your brother must lose his beast life to regain his human life." 

Lisonia stared into the darkness, her eyes filling with confusion. 

"Keeper, you mean I must kill my brother, so that he might live again?
I do not know if I can do such a thing." 

This time the voice responded immediately. 

"The choice be yours. Your pact with me be made. If you choose not to bring your brother back, his soul shall remain with me. You still must stand by your agreement. Bring me the soul of the Shaman, or surrender your own.
I be the Keeper. I collect souls. How I do so makes no difference." 

Lisonia nodded. Suddenly she was standing back in the Soul Whisper,
holding a smooth black stone from the Keeper of Souls,
and the dagger from the crystal. She looked at the Toshlin and nodded.
The Toshlin began immediately reciting an incantation as Lisonia knelt to Keldon, stroking his neck as she held the dagger above him. 

"Flesh of man to flesh of beast you be.
Let the flesh return to its former state for all to see!" 

She threw out a mixture of magical dust she took from her belt,
showering it down on Lisonia and Keldon. Lisonia drove the knife into Keldon
with tears streaming down her face and her heart filled with prayers. 

Prismatic colors filled the room that quickly dissipated,
leaving only the candlelight. Keldon howling in his beast tongue slumped
to the floor. Slowly his form began changing. The hair retracted,
his bones twisted then straightened until his human form returned.
He once again held his handsome features, wavy black hair and green eyes.
Keldon was breathing strained breaths,
unconscious and bleeding badly from the wound. 

Shemara rushed into the Soul Whisper, kneeling next to Keldon.
With Lisonia assisting her, they applied a poultice on his wound and bound it.
Then Shemara pulled another pouch from her belt
withdrawing a mixture she prepared earlier, putting it into Keldon’s mouth.
They quickly dressed him, and Lisonia placed the amulet from Seena around Keldon’s neck. Then they moved him to the entry room,
lying him on Shemara’s cot. They sat and waited, watching Keldon closely. 

The night passed as they watched Keldon. The Toshlin treated Lisonia’s wound, applying a watery mixture to numb it, and stitched it closed.
When she finished, Shemara asked Lisonia what happened
when she faced the Keeper. Shemara’s face went pale
when Lisonia told her of their agreement. 

"Girl, do you realize it be just two days until the new moon?
Did I not warn you to fight for your soul and yet you bargained with it? Do you even know how to find the Shaman?" 

Lisonia stared at Shemara blankly, saying nothing.
Slowly she turned to look at her brother and spoke. 

"It be of no matter. I shall find him. What be important be my brother.
That he lives. He be the only family I have known. He raised me
when our parents died whilst I be too young to remember. He lived his life caring for me, now it be my turn to assure his life, being the man he be born as." 

The Toshlin patted her knee, turning to gaze at Keldon with her.
Just before dawn, Keldon stirred opening his eyes. Lisonia knelt to him and smiled. Keldon returned the smile. 

"Thank you, Sister. You have brought me back." 

Lisonia started to cry as she hugged him.
He had not called her sister since becoming the beast. 

Shemara moved closer. 

"Keldon, how be your thoughts? Do you remember all that be past?" 

Keldon nodded. "Yes…
now I must find Seena and kill the Kleslan who did this." 

Shemara stared at him long, then answered him with an odd tone to her voice. 

"You cannot kill him. In order to return your soul to you,
your sister has made a pact with the Keeper.
You must help find him, true… but you cannot kill him." 

Keldon looked at her questioningly then turned to Lisonia,
lifting her chin so he could meet her eyes. 

"What have you done?" 

Lisonia shook her head and hugged him tighter.
In the hour that followed they explained everything to Keldon
while they shared food and drink.
Then they made the plans for completing Lisonia’s pact and ensuring her safety. 

Keldon was thankful and angry with his sister,
but his concern now was to do everything he could
to help fulfill her pact - or loose her eternally.
He knew the general area that Seena people lived, but as far as its exact location, he was unsure. Seena shared with him much of what her world looked like, vaguely describing its local and appearance of the entry on the surface.
He hoped it was enough. Ironically, as the beast he had been,
he could have found it easily. Now, without that curse still in place,
he may be condemning his sister to a similar fate that was intended for him,
only worse. 

Keldon prepared for their journey while Lisonia stayed with the Toshlin.
She showed Lisonia several things she hoped would benefit them on their quest. Shemara didn't go with them but she gave Lisonia several items.
Pouches containing herbs, magical powders,
an oddly colored small statue of the Goddess Morgatha who ruled the living,
a vial containing a potion and her prayers. 

Keldon and Lisonia set out a when the sun was full, reaching the midday sky. Lisonia acted confident. Inside she carried grave thoughts
and prayed to the Gods, asking for assistance.
Keldon still ached from his wound though it was healing fast,
being a wound given to the beast he no longer was.
He pushed aside the discomfort, his thoughts were on his sister
and Seena - not himself. They traveled hard for the better part of the day
when an owl swooped down at them, hooting. 

Keldon stared at the bird, then stopped abruptly and called out. 

"Seena?" 

The owl flew back to him, landing a few feet in front of him.
Lisonia stared at her brother and then at the owl with astonishment. 

"Keldon, you think this fowl be Seena?" 

Keldon nodded as he stared at the luminous blue eyes of the owl. 

"Brother, why would you think this?" 

"I cannot explain it, yet I know it to be true. Look to its eyes… it be Seena.
The Shaman must have changed her as well." 

The owl hooted again. Lisonia stared at the owl as she spoke to Keldon. 

"Then why can she not speak as you did?
And she knows you, when you did not know her whilst in beast form?" 

Keldon gazed softly at the owl, his heart full of sorrow and regrets. 

"The Shaman said she would always know the love she held for me,
knowing I would never again love her. He must have left her with her soul,
and worse… he made her something I would have naturally preyed upon
in my beast form. If she had come to me whilst I still be a beast,
I would have hunted her." 

The owl flew up, landing on Keldon’s shoulder.
Keldon’s eyes filled with tears as he stared into those large blue eyes.
He knew he was right. The Shaman cursed her in such a way
that if she even attempted to see Keldon again, Keldon would have attacked
and killed her without ever knowing. 

Lisonia stepped closer and the owl turned its head to face her.
Lisonia decided her brother must be right
as she stared into those luminous blue eyes. 

"Then, my Brother and Seena, we shall use his foul magic against him.
Seena, can you lead us to the Shaman?" 

The owl turned its head around to face Keldon. 

"Seena, if you can, you must. My sister released me from his magic,
promising his soul in return. If we fail, the Keeper shall take her soul,
leaving her flesh. Do you know what this means?" 

The owl hooted, turning to face Lisonia. Lisonia tried to smile, 

falling short of producing a convincing one. 

"Seena, do you understand what Keldon says?" 

The owl hooted. 

"Can you lead us to the Shaman who did this to Keldon, and you?" 

The owl made a clicking noise with its beak and then flew up in the air,
circling them. Keldon watched the bird. 

"Come, Lisonia. We follow her. It be our only chance." 

Lisonia nodded, and they began following the owl. They moved deep into the heavily wooded portion of the forest until they stopped at a towering rock wall. Lisonia and Keldon looked to each other, then back to the owl. 

The owl flew through what appeared to be solid rock, which in reality was the cave entrance. The owl flew back out, hooted, and then went back in. Lisonia and Keldon followed her, cautiously passing through the illusion of solid rock. 

Lisonia shuddered as she remembered the tunnels leading through the void.
She prayed these wouldn't be like them. Silently she followed the owl
and her brother inside, feeling her skin crawl as she walked down the stone stairs. She felt relief as they reached the bottom. 

It was well lit with strange candles that gave off blue and red flames,
creating a soft yet abstract lighting. The finished walls of polished stones held beautiful carvings in them. The carvings ranged from Kleslan people,
to beasts, to full landscapes, though the landscapes were not of the surface lands.
It was like a grand hall of an elaborate castle. The floors were covered in woven carpets with great detail, something that in their world would have been hung as a tapestry and not walked upon. From the main hall, which extended for what seemed an eternity, there were multiple doors, spaced several hundred feet apart from the next. Each door being marked with a strange symbol, uniquely its own. By each door stood a column, about waist height. Some had things on them,
such as sculptures or strange plant life, while others were empty. 

The owl flew past more than three dozen doors before she landed on a column
next to one. Keldon walked to the bird, with Lisonia behind him.
He spoke in a whisper. 

"We should go through this door?" 

The owl hooted again. Keldon looked at Lisonia. She nodded. He opened the door, and they went in with the owl flying in ahead of them. 

This hallway was less than a third the width of the main hall. It was darker,
not being as well lit. The pathway curved - first one direction and then the next. Then it would angle down, level out, and angle down again.
They moved swiftly for hours, still with no end in sight. 

Lisonia felt cold seeping into her bones as they went deeper down into the earth. Fear grasped her. This was a different fear she felt creeping up in her now compared to the fear she experienced traveling through the void.
She fought her urge to retreat. 

The deeper they went, the less sounds could be heard, until the silence became deafening. Lisonia clenched her wounded hand tight into a fist to distract her thoughts, preferring the physical pain to the panic she felt overtaking her mind. 

Finally they reached a point where the hall split. Veering one way, looking to be a straight path, while the other path curved away even further.
The owl landed on the ground, hooting. Lisonia glanced at the bird,
and then into the mouth of each new pathway. 

"Seena, do you know which path to take?" 

The owl hooted softly, not moving. 

Keldon studied the owl, not once did he look to their choices. 

"Seena knows, but the choice must be our own. The straight path be longest, safer. The curving path shall take us there sooner, but there could be dangers.
She cannot make this choice for us." 

Lisonia stared at her brother, curious how he understood the owl.
She kept her curiosity silenced. 

"Then we take the short path. Our biggest danger be time, or the lack thereof. Maybe it be best I go on alone. This fight be my own." 

The owl began hooting, with an added clicking sound from her beak.
Keldon turned sharply to face Lisonia. 

"Sister, you chanced everything to bring me back, do you really think I would let you go on alone? Even Seena protests your words. No, we shall do this together,
all of us. We come together to battle as one force and we shall finish this as one." 

Lisonia smiled. As much as she feared for her brother's safety, she was thankful he refused to stay behind, and Seena’s knowledge would aid her in this foreign place. 

They started down the curved path. Lisonia stifled a scream as a large rat ran across her foot. The owl swooped down at the rat, but it hurriedly scurried into a hole in the wall, safe from the owl's talons. Lisonia looked nervously to Keldon, shrugged her shoulders and began moving onward. 

The path repeatedly curved, changing its direction from one angle to another,
as it continually took them deeper beneath the surface. The deeper they went,
the darker it became, offering fewer light sources to guide their way.
The tapestry-covered floors became no more than dank earth that smelled stale. The smooth polished walls gradually gave way until becoming merely jagged stones caught in the moist earth, with strange roots breaking through,
giving off an eerie aura. The darkness grew stronger with each step they took. 

Lisonia whispered. "Kessitan! Kessitan!" 

A small sphere of light appeared over head, following Lisonia as she kept walking. Lisonia smiled as she glanced to Keldon. 

"At least my magic works here." 

Keldon nodded and the continued moving through the winding path. 

Lisonia bore a smile, attempting to mask her inner fears.
Afraid she would fail by not finding the Shaman, and just as afraid that she would find him. Her hand moved up, holding the amulet that hung around her neck
as she silently mouthed the words of protection. 

The amulet had been her mother's. Her mother was Koulish,
a natural magic user by birthright. The magic passed from mother to daughter, never to a male child, so the gift and the amulet were automatically handed down to her. Lisonia’s mother was strongly gifted. She just wished her mother had been the one to instruct her how to use what she held within her. She did have teachers, but that bond of blood was not there. Thus, much of what she knew she learned on her own in the Koulish ways. Still, she hoped that this, along with the training
and aid of the Toshlin, would be enough. 

They followed the path in silence for sometime. The owl taking the lead, with Lisonia following and Keldon bringing up the rear. Suddenly Keldon shoved Lisonia’s back, pushing her forward as he spun around, facing the direction they had just come. He drew his sword, his shoulder bleeding from a deep gash.
The silence that haunted Lisonia’s ears suddenly filled with growling sounds.
There before Keldon stood a wiry haired beast, snarling with its lips curled back, exposing its fangs and clawed hands trying to tear again at Keldon.
It sounded like a rabid dog yet it stood erect on two feet,
several inches taller than Keldon’s six-foot height. 

Keldon swung his sword but the beast moved with fantastic agility,
receiving only a grazed wound from Keldon. The owl screeched and flew by the beast, distracting it from Keldon. Keldon struck with the blade again.
This time making his mark, just as Lisonia released a hold spell on the beast. 

Lisonia’s magic didn't hold the beast but it did slow it down, enabling Keldon to land another blow with his sword. Lisonia cast another spell, this time a flame arrow. The arrow struck the beast's chest, causing not only the piercing damage from the magical arrow, but also catching its fur on fire. The beast howled in pain, turned and ran. It scampered on all fours with great speed back the way it came. 

Keldon started to go after it, but the owl swooped in front of him
and Lisonia cried out. 

"Leave the beast! He only hunted us, just as you would have hunted it before
as food to survive on. We must save what we have for the battle with the Shaman. Come, let me mend your wound." 

Keldon looked to the owl, then nodded, walking to Lisonia. She quickly stitched his wound closed and treated it with an ointment the Toshlin gave her. Once done, they started moving again, seeing no more than an occasional rat scurrying across the path, which quickly disappeared into the shadows or a hole in the earthen walls. 

They trekked on for several more hours, becoming exhausted. Stopping when they reached another door. Lisonia glanced to the owl, with a nod. Keldon opened the door and they went through. This did not lead them into another pathway.
Instead, it opened into a wide area, alive with strange plants growing wild
and sounds of creatures stirring. 

Lisonia stopped, taking in all that stood before her. A whole living world existed here. It was similar to the surface lands yet so very different. There was no sun, as they were underground but something gave off a hazy light, as if gracing this dark world from some false heaven. The plants were dark hued yet still held a wide range of shades, with some giving off faint glowing light. Insects buzzed about, looking like fireflies but were much larger. 

Just ahead of them was a clearing that surrounded a body of water with stalactites hanging from the high cavern ceiling in bright iridescent colors.
They dripped moisture into the water below, creating a rhythm sounding like the heartbeat of this strange and beautiful world. The air was thick.
It wasn't unpleasant, though it was very foreign. 

Keldon moved up to Lisonia, taking her arm as the owl made soft clicking noises. 

"Come, Lisonia. We all be exhausted.
Just ahead Seena says there be a place for us to take rest." 

Lisonia nodded. They moved as the owl directed them,
taking in the dark beauty that surrounded them. 

They stopped at a small opening concealed by strange trees with low hanging branches that were heavily leafed with green and black pendulum shaped leaves. They made camp without a fire, ate and rested. Lisonia pulled out the odd colored statue the Toshlin gave her. The color partially faded, indicating how much time had passed. Time still remained. She put the statue away and used her amulet to cast some protection for them, then fell into a sleep she could no longer fight off. 

Lisonia woke a few hours later with a touch of Keldon’s hand
and the sound of the owl making its clicking noise. 

"Lisonia, we must move. This world be waking around us.
There be beasts here that could bring us harm." 

Lisonia got up groggily and they began moving. They followed the path through the wilderness, as the owl led them deeper into her world, until they saw a huge structure. Lisonia stopped, staring at the unique architecture before her.
It was made of a material she was unfamiliar with. There were no corners,
visible entry, or rough edges. It was smooth and rounded with towering columns evenly spaced around it. The rooftop was rounded, looking like an illuminated blue water bubble with its hazy light creating a glow like a distant star's center. 

Keldon stood beside her, staring in awe at this odd fortress
with the owl sitting on his shoulder. Softly the owl made a clicking sound
and Keldon turned to look at her. The owl continued her soft clicking noises,
when she stopped, Keldon turned to Lisonia. 

"This be where the Shaman lives. To enter his home,
it be much like the rock wall leading us below the surface. The door be there, though we cannot see it. She shall lead us. Be you ready?" 

Lisonia withdrew the statue again. The color now faded on over three-quarters of it. They were in the last hours of day before the new moon would rise. Time was running out. She nervously nodded to Keldon as she slipped the small statue back into her pouch. They moved on, taking a jagged, indirect path. They worked their way through the trees, staying hidden from plain sight of the Shaman’s home, around to the backside, entering through the illusionary smooth wall. 

They continued moving inside, taking one path, turning down another,
going through doors that led to still more passages. Each going further inside the Shaman’s home. On two occasions Lisonia thought she heard something behind them, yet when she glanced back there was nothing to be seen.
The owl finally stopped in front of two massive ornate doors,
making her clicking noise, so quietly it could hardly be heard. 

Lisonia looked around once more, and took a deep breath as she looked to Keldon. Keldon started to open the doors, but Lisonia stopped him, whispering. 

"No, first there be some things I must do, things to help protect us." 

Keldon nodded. He pulled his sword free from its scabbard and stood watch. 

Lisonia knelt, pulling things from her pouches.
She mixed herbs with one of the powders, adding them to the vial.
She closed the vial, shaking it and handed it to Keldon. 

"Drink this." 

Keldon looked at her. He drank it without questioning her.
Then Lisonia mixed some of the same herbs with another powder.
She looked at the owl, and back at the powders.
There was enough for only one, either Seena, or herself. 

Lisonia glanced at her brother and made her decision. She sprinkled some
on the owl and put the remaining mix on the floor in front of the bird. 

"Seena, you must consume these. It should help to protect you,
much as the potion shall do for Keldon." 

The owl looked to Keldon. Keldon nodded with encouragement, and the owl ate the dusted leafy herbs Lisonia offered her. While the owl ate, Lisonia spoke her words of protection, calling upon the powers of her mother's amulet, then stood. 

"This be all I can do, I pray the Goddess Morgatha finds enough favor in us
to let us go on living." 

Keldon stood, pulled open the massive doors and they entered the large room.
At the farthest side sat Tehku with his back to them. With as much stealth as they could achieve, they began moving toward him. Keldon held his sword drawn,
as Seena flew silently ahead of them. Lisonia’s amulet glowed with the shield of protection. She grasped the black stone to capture Tehku’s soul while she began casting a hold spell. To their surprise, the Shaman spoke without facing them. Lisonia released the hold spell as soon as she heard him speak.
It had no effect on him. 

Tehku seemed to not even notice Lisonia’s attempt as he turned,
half grinning at the owl. 

"Seena, you dare lead human's into our world? Into my private domain?
You foolishly again have not taken heed to our ways." 

Then he glared at Keldon and Lisonia. With his evil glare came a burst of energy, meant to freeze Keldon and Lisonia, as he had done to Keldon long before.
This time Lisonia’s magic protected them. 

The owl flew at Tehku, screeching angrily, dropping down with her talons targeting his throat. Outraged, Tehku thrust his palm toward the owl. A blue lightning bolt was released, striking the owl. She screeched again, this time in pain, flight faltering she hit the ground. 

Keldon and Lisonia rushed him. Tehku turned the lightning bolt on them. Keldon was momentarily stunned, but the potion Lisonia gave him absorbed most of it and he started forward again. Lisonia screamed in pain, falling to her knees. She kept moving forward, crawling, grasping the black stone she began casting again. This time prismatic lights filled the room, blinding the Shaman’s sensitive eyes. 

Lisonia’s magic allowed Keldon to close the distance between him and the Shaman. Keldon swung his blade, striking Tehku. The blade hit, yet the Shaman took less than one-third the damage that a human would have suffered. 

Being blinded by the lights, Tehku grasped the blade as it struck him, sending bolts of energy back through it that struck Keldon, tripled in force. Keldon was thrown back with an increased magnitude, slamming into one of the columns nearby.
He slumped to the floor, wounded and unconscious. 

The Shaman, still blinded, followed the sound of Keldon hitting the column
and Lisonia screamed out. 

"No! You shalt not take my brother again!" 

She began speaking in the Toshlin tongue, as she pulled herself fully to her feet, charging the Shaman. A rat scurried across the floor, changing form as it moved, until Shemara stood there. Shemara began speaking simultaneously with Lisonia in Toshlin, casting the spell of implosion. 

The Shaman’s head snapped to face the new voice he heard. He threw out both hands, one toward Lisonia, the other toward the new voice, releasing equal bursts of energy to each. Shemara spun from the initial painful impact,
dropping to her knees. She continued speaking the spell with Lisonia. 

Lisonia fought the pain ripping through her, moving toward him, casting the spell. She fell a few feet in front of him. Refusing to give up, she crawled.
Her words no more than a whisper now. 

Tehku, not hearing Lisonia as she whispered, turned both palms to Shemara, releasing yet another burst of energy. Shemara screamed out in agony,
finding just enough breath to finish casting the spell with Lisonia.
Lisonia put the black stone to Tehku’s leg just before his flesh imploded. 

Shemara weakly crawled over to Lisonia. Lisonia called out to the Keeper of Souls. 

"I have kept my pact! I offer you this soul!" 

Lisonia dropped the black stone and fell back, breathing heavily.
Shemara pulled the large pouch off Lisonia’s belt, withdrawing the statue of the goddess. All the color had faded. They were too late. 

Darkness consumed the room. The haunting voice of the Keeper echoed. 

"I take this soul, and I take yours as well. You have failed. The new moon already rises. You brought me the soul that would release your brother's but not in time to save your own. Your flesh remains with only the dark side. The curse I put upon your living flesh be silence, you shall no longer have the power of speech.
You shall never be able to speak of what holds you. Without your soul to tame the dark side, all that have loved you shall soon despise you.
They shall hunt and destroy your evil remains." 

Lisonia screamed as her soul was ripped from her flesh. As the sounds of her cries faded, her soulless body went limp and the stone vanished.
Shemara’s eyes filled with tears as she withdrew a dagger from her belt,
holding it over Lisonia. She stopped when she heard something stirring nearby. The owl was alive, coming toward her. 

Shemara looked to the owl's blue eyes. She knew immediately it was Seena.
She met Seena when Keldon brought her to their homelands.
The owl moved to Lisonia, clicking loudly, blocking the knife
Shemara held. Shemara stared at the bird. 

"Seena, I must do this, soon I shalt not be strong enough to stop her. 
t not truly be Lisonia anymore, her soul be gone from this flesh.
She would eventually even turn on Keldon.
I not even be strong enough to return you to your natural form. Forgive me." 

The owl began its clicking noises again. Shemara listened. 

"Yes. If Lisonia’s body be joined with a soul, she could live on in unison with the soul that would become one with her flesh but there not be any soul to give her.
I would give mine, yet I cannot do such a thing whilst casting the spell." 

Shemara slumped back weakly.
Her age and damage from the Shaman was pulling the life from her. 

"Seena, go, wait for Keldon. He be strong and shall survive.
The two of you go back to his world, now let me do as I must!" 

The owl still blocked the blade meant for Lisonia, clicking her beak insistently. 

Shemara looked to the owl through pained eyes,
staggered further by what the owl was telling her. Slowly she began to understand. 

"You wish me to join your soul with Lisonia’s flesh? Do you realize this means you too would be held by her curse of silence? This not only means the voice. It would be the ability to ever speak of what has happened, even by written word. The flesh you live in now would die. You could not return to it, not ever." 

The owl hooted softly, turning its head to gaze upon Keldon and back to Shemara. Shemara wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do. She was dying.
She barely held enough strength to either kill Lisonia, or help pass Seena’s soul into Lisonia’s flesh. Which ever she chose - she knew she must do so now. 

With one last look to Keldon and the owl's blue eyes, she made her choice.
In Seena’s current state she couldn't truly be with Keldon while having a limited life span. She could never return home, she was exiled. Lisonia’s flesh could live on, if joined with Seena, thus in many ways both would live on. Keldon would not be forced to lose everything he loved, as she suffered so long ago. 

Shemara pulled a vial from her pouch that contained a special liquid. She shook the vial, telling Seena to stand on Lisonia. Shemara poured the magical potion over both Seena and Lisonia while barely making out the Toshlin words
before her hand slipped away. Shemara died,
breathing her last breath finishing the spell of joining. 

The owl screeched in pain, as Lisonia’s body began thrashing and convulsing.
Only moments passed and Seena opened her eyes. Looking down at her body, realizing she was within Lisonia’s flesh. She could feel Lisonia there with her,
in an extraordinary way. She held all the knowledge and emotions that Lisonia carried as well as her own. She sat up, moved the lifeless body of the owl off of her and checked Shemara. Tears fell as she realized Shemara died joining them.
She looked to Keldon and moved to him, lifting his head into her lap. 

She sat there rocking him back and forth. With Lisonia’s knowledge she applied some healing magic then waited. When more than an hour passed she became more concerned; fearing the knowledge she obtained from the joining may have been corrupted. When Keldon began to mumble, Seena sighed with relief. 

Seena smiled lovingly. Keldon opened his eyes, sluggish even in his speech. 

"Where be Seena?" 

Seena smiled again but all Keldon saw was Lisonia, his sister. Keldon turned to see the owl lying dead next to Shemara. Tears began streaming down his face.
Keldon looked back to Seena. 

"Shemara and Seena? She died to save me, Oh Lisonia, why must this be?
I wished to live forever loving her…"

Seena stroked his hair. Saying nothing - silenced by the curse that would eternally hold her tongue. Keldon looked at her through tears, questioning her silence.
She motioned to her lips, shaking her head. Keldon stared at her before answering. 

"You can no longer speak?" 

Seena nodded, Keldon hugged her. 

"At least we have each other, Sister. Let us go home.
I never want to see anything of this world again." 

Seena nodded, helping Keldon to his feet. They prepared a makeshift gurney from furniture and draperies, placing both Shemara and the owl on it,
taking them back to their world to be buried. 

The trip home was somber. Keldon would occasionally speak of how he loved Seena, or talk of his broken dreams to marry her and raise a family. 

Seena listened; knowing that as long as she lived Keldon would know her only as Lisonia -his sister, never again as Seena. She knew her dreams would never come to be. She found some solace in knowing Lisonia could live on, saving Keldon the pain of loosing the sister he loved more than his own life.
As little as that would be to most, it would be enough for Seena. 

Tears trickled down her cheeks as she realized that in a way the Shaman had won. He swore she would never know the love of this human that she yearned for…
She dried her tears. At least she could love him,
even if it would only be as his sister - with him never knowing.

Stone Of Souls copyright 1999 by Merlina Rene'
.