Alone time. It was as a good a reason as any for the Exile to come to Manaan. Away from the slow re-establishment efforts of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant which Visas and Mical could handle just as well without her, and away from the seemingly endless number of meetings with various Senators as they routinely slipped an arm around her shoulders and nudged her in the direction of the holocams. All the while they smiled broadly, thanked her profusely for her efforts and reminded their constituents back home that the Senate, after two wars, still served the needs of the people. This, of course, only after the particular Senator had debated with their staff the merits of appearing in front of the cams with a Jedi , typically right in front of her as if she had temporarily ceased to exist. And when all the handshakes, fake smiles and politicking were over at the end of the day, she could not return to her private quarters fast enough.

Why Manaan? Because of something which Admiral Onasi had touched on in his report to the Council so long ago. Remnants of a sect of Selkath Dark Jedi, a sect which he had reported Revan, Bastila and Juhani having destroyed, only some remained. She'd been forced to strike down a pair of them as they approached her out of a darkened street the previous evening. They hadn't spoken a word, simply attacked her outright, and as they did, she noticed the usual rush she felt when fighting the Sith was absent replaced by a dull sense of regret and a weariness for a conflict which had no end. There would always be another Sith around the next corner, in the next system or beyond the Outer Rim. There would never be victory, the cycle of Light versus Dark repeating itself endlessly. And no doubt, like her, it would often be someone who'd rather the burden had been thrust upon another instead of themself who would be leading the fight. So when she'd been forced to kill the pair of Selkath, it had not seemed a victory to her, but a loss of two potential allies.

But there was another reason for her to come to Manaan. To walk in the footsteps of Revan. To visit the places she'd been and see the things she saw. To look for the signs of her passing. To understand Revan better. The Republic Embassy official she met had been of little help until she'd been forced to use the Jedi Mind trick on him. Only then was he willing to look in the computer and find a record of Revan having gone on a mission for the Republic. It took some more Force influencing before she was able to get the full story. That Revan had destroyed the secret kolto harvester on the floor of the ocean and had found the Star Map there. From there she'd been able to gather from Selkath officials the transcript of Revan's trial where she was charged and acquitted of attempting to sabotage the kolto harvesting on the planet. Acquitted by "mitigating circumstances" it seemed.

She was interrupted in her thoughts just then by another Selkath that stepped out of a parallel running corridor. This one, the Exile could sense, carried with it no hostile intentions though it wore a lightsaber hanging off of its belt. This Selkath also had the Force flowing through her, stronger than the two the Exile had already fought.

"Good evening, Master," the Selkath said. "I have not spoken with a Jedi master in some time."

The Exile paused, her forehead suddenly creased. "Which master did you speak with?"

"The Jedi who came before and who destroyed the Sith here. She is known to you?"

"Yes," the Exile said.

"I am Shaelas. She and her companions saved us from the deception of the Sith when there were here and revealed their plot to take control of Manaan."

"Her name was Revan. You spoke to her?" the Exile asked, feeling excitement rising within her.

"I did, and observed her battle against the Master. She is a fierce warrior. The Force burns hot in her. Her companions warned us of following the Dark Path, and yet I sensed it in her. Is it possible they could not?"

The Exile sighed. Of course Bastila must have sensed it. Perhaps by that point, she herself had already fallen. But what of Juhani and Jolee? Questions she would be sure to ask Revan and Bastila when she finally found them. "Revan carried a heavy burden on her shoulders...No, that's not it. Revan made a choice. A sacrifice, she believes. She believed such a sacrifice necessary to save the galaxy."

"But does not the Dark Path lead to one's own destruction?"

Of course, it was an obvious enough question, but not one which the Exile would have preferred to answer. "Eventually, yes. But there is always the chance for redemption if one is willing." But would Revan be willing? That was the question, of course. And if she was not, what then? Her attempts to bring Atris back to the Light Side had failed as it was. How much more difficult would it be to bring Bastila and Revan back? Particularly after they'd so coldly slain their companions on that beach with only Admiral Onasi surviving.

"You will try to redeem her then?"

"Yes," the Exile answered, her spirits suddenly sagging as the immensity of the task once more bore down on her.

"Then I will assist you, if you wish it," Shaelas said, bowing. "I am indebted to Revan. I must at least attempt to help." Shaelas shook her head slightly and said, "But my attempts to reach my own kind have failed so I have my doubts as to how much of assistance I can be."

"Yes," Shaelas said, "they were not at the Sith base when Revan and her companions arrived, but nevertheless they had taken to the teachings of the Sith Master there and have continued their studies independently in his absence. I have done what I can to prevent their attempts to take control of Ahto City, but I stand alone here. There are no others like me. Those Selkath who walk the Dark Path have chosen to ignore my warnings."

"Then we will simply have to try harder," the Exile said with a smile. "I am her primarily to deal with these Dark Jedi, but first, I must ask. I believe there to be a relic on the ocean floor that Revan visited while she was here. How may I secure transport down to the Rift?"

"It is not permitted for offworlders to approach the Rift so we will have to be discreet. Follow me."

Shaelas led the Exile through the dark streets of Ahto City, passing only an occasional wandering Selkath security officer or surveillance droid. A chill breeze blew off the ocean into the largely unprotected streets that seemed not to bother Shaelas at all. The Exile found herself wrapping her Jedi robe around her more tightly. Intermittent lighting gave the streets a faint glow. Most businesses were closed at that late hour. Of the few that were open, groups of Selkath congregated outside, with their conversations partially drowned out by unusual music which sounded as though transmitted through water before reaching the open air and carried with it echoes of the deeps. It was into one of these nightclubs that Shaelas led the way.

Inside, it was dark and humid. Water ran down the walls in thin rivulets producing an inch deep layer on the floor. In large tanks spaced at regular intervals, Selkath swam in close proximity to one another in almost synchronized movements. Moving amongst the tanks and the small groups of individuals watching the swimmers, Selkath bearing trays laden with drinks moved carefully. The music was much louder, the higher pitched sounds, it became clear, were being forced up through speakers at the bottom of the tanks while the deeper tones emanated from the walls.

Shaelas led the Exile to a group of Selkath standing in the corner and spoke with one briefly. The other Selkath examined the Exile for a moment before stepping away from the group and then walking out of the club. He led the way down a darkened street where the shop fronts showed signs of blaster scoring and the lighting seemed more artificial and less natural as the Exile had observed in other parts of the city. Here the wandering individuals they came across wore coarse clothing and carried blasters openly.

Shaelas observed the surprised expression on the Exile's face and drew nearer as they walked. "The security of the city is not what it once was," she said. "The incident with the Sith has created a strong demand for weapons in the city which are illegal to be carried openly. But the Selkath have lost their faith in the ability of their government to protect them. Smugglers bring them in, some say at the behest of the Exchange. It is said the Exchange moved their operation from Telos to here though that may merely be a rumor. Nonetheless, the weapons soon fell into the hands of those who could least be trusted with them. Life in Ahto City has declined markedly in the absence of the Jedi. The results are as you see here," she said, nodding up ahead.

The Exile, who's attention had been fixated on Shaelas, turned to see a group of Selkath in body armor marked clearly with the sigil of the Security Forces standing in front of a building. They carried blaster rifles and, and with a sharp command from one who was clearly the leader, the door was blown open with a small shaped charge. The squad of security personnel then rushed the building. Immediately the sounds of blaster fire and deep, throaty screams could be heard from within. It was a reminder that the Sith were not the only problems facing the new Jedi Order. The Exchange continued to be a problem through out the galaxy and some consideration would have to be given to them.

 "It's no surprise that the Exchange would want to transform your world into the next Nar Shaddaa. Go with your associate and secure our transport." The Exile handed Shaelas a comlink. "Contact me when you have it. I must go and ensure that the security forces are not overmatched in there."

"Should I not accompany you?" Shaelas asked.

"No. Your time for defending the city will come after you've had more training, but for now I need something else from you. I can't get the transport myself, and more importantly, I must demonstrate that the Jedi have not abandoned the galaxy." Despite what many on Dantooine thought, she might have added. With that she drew her lightsaber and quickly moved inside.

Immediately, in the gloom, she spotted a pair of security troopers lying motionless just inside the door. In the darkness ahead, she could hear more weapons firing and yelling. She activated her lightsaber, and, stretching out her senses in the Force, rushed into the darkness beyond and down a ramp which led to a lower level. The blaster fire became louder as she moved downward and then was abruptly silenced. Beyond she could detect the presence of many beings. Drawing the Force into her, she allowed it to guide her actions as she moved quickly upon the assembled Selkath. All but one of those left standing were Selkath in ordinary clothing with a variety of weapons. More of these Selkath lie on the ground amidst the fallen security troopers, but they appeared to have had the advantage in numbers. One remaining security trooper stood with a group of Selkath pointing their weapons at him.

They looked up at her approach, their eyes drawn to the blue beam of light she carried. A powerful Force push from the Exile knocked them off balance, many of them crashing to the floor. "There's been enough killing," she called out. "Drop your weapons. There is no need for further conflict."  The effort had to be made to limit the amount of killing.

The gesture was largely futile, as she had expected. Several of the Selkath who had managed to retain their balance, swung their blaster rifles her way. But in the time it took them to do so, she was already amongst them slashing with her lightsaber through the barrels or the blades of their weapons. The Jedi Masters on Dantooine had been wrong about her, she decided just then. She did not feed on death, she abhorred it. All the killing she had been forced to do brought her nothing but regret, both in the Mandalorian War and after she had returned from her exile. More than anything she wished for a chance to end the cycle of violence and simply tend to the wounds of the galaxy. The more experienced she became as a Jedi, the heavier she felt it weighing down on her. So if the Selkath criminals were surprised that it was merely their weapons that were cut to pieces and not they themselves, it was only because they did not understand the Path of the Jedi or how it made the Jedi strong.

And when they were given a second chance to drop what was left of their weapons and surrender, they did so. The remaining security trooper called for extra troops and then thanked the Exile profusely. But thanks wasn't necessary. Only the knowledge that the Jedi still existed and carried on with the ancient traditions becoming known amongst the Selkath did, and she requested only that he spread the knowledge amongst his kind. To carry the message that a new Jedi Council existed on Coruscant and would be sending Jedi throughout the Republic to ensure that the peace was kept and to assist those who needed it. The security troopers appeared shortly after, and the Exile moved away from the building to allow them to do their work.

It was a small thing she had done, but important to her nonetheless. A smile crossed her face as she remembered Kreia's advice against small acts of charity and how they weakened others. The Exile hadn't believed it then or now. In her mind, the pattern of helping others replaced the dark echoes that had been emanating from Malachor V causing decay through out the galaxy. A new set of echoes that would strengthen that which had been weakened during the Jedi Civil War and after. Even as she stood there considering the implications of her small act, Shaelas' call came over her comlink....


Atris walked through the old Sith base, deep in thought over the Selkath's account of Revan's visit to Manaan several years earlier. A scout had spotted "Revan" moving through Ahto City and then descending by submersible down to the Rift. Of course it wasn't really the fallen Jedi master despite what some of the Selkath thought. She knew who it was and had been anticipating this meeting for some time. Hopefully it would be their final meeting.

On the trip down to the ocean floor in the submersible, she barely noticed Fensis and Veloth so deep in thought was she. Her last encounter with the Exile was fresh in her mind, the humiliation she'd suffered and the burning anger that had accompanied it. At that time killing the Exile was first and foremost in her thoughts, and her failure only compounded her feelings. But that was a different Atris, a distraught and disconcerted Atris who'd stood in the meditation chamber of the Telos complex and endured the insults offered by the Exile. The new Atris had clearer vision and embraced her emotions rather than attempting to bury them, and from these two factors came a clear sense of purpose. And in this next meeting, she understood that answers to the questions that the Exile brought up in her must be found.

Outside the ship in the narrow beams of the ships lights occasional firaxan sharks could be seen, while inside the submersible, the cold that accompanied diving into the ocean's depths could be felt even more so than before. Fensis had, at the their departure from the bay, begun a monologue on the seas of Manaan and wildlife within, not a word of which Atris had heard. It was only as they were approaching the abandoned Kolto harvesting facility, that she noticed he was speaking. Only then did she realize she hadn't even invited him along for the trip, that he had simply entered the submersible as they were leaving despite his presence being unnecessary for this task.

Then they were climbing underneath an structure and rising up within it into a large bay where another submersible was already moored. Fensis opened the compartment and climbed out to secure the ship. Behind him Atris and Veloth stepped across the ship and on to the walkway beyond. From there was a passageway leading into a small room with lockers in each corner and bloodstains on the floor and blaster scoring on the walls. A single door led out of the room.

Stepping through it, Atris found herself in a long tube shaped corridor, part of which was transparent offering a view of the sea above them. Several firaxan sharks swam lazily within viewing range. From the ceiling water dripped in various places where it gathered in small pools. Her attention became so fixated on the sharks swimming near that she almost didn't notice in the figure in the brown robe standing at the far end of the hallway watching her intently. Behind the Exile stood another Selkath.

"What brings you to Manaan, Atris?" came the familiar voice. The Exile came walking down the corridor, Selkath in tow until the two women were barely a meter apart.

"I could ask you the same," Atris said, turning towards her. "But you're here for the Star Map, aren't you? Tell me, did you find anything new about Revan?" But even as she voiced the question, she found the very proximity of the Exile begin to cause her some measure of irritation. Still she managed to submerge it as she prepared to carry out her plan for dealing with her enemy.

There was a brief moment of silence as the two stared at one another.

"No?. In that case, you'll be very glad to see this," Atris said, pulling out a data pad and holding it out.

The Exile viewed it suspiciously but took it and glanced at the screen. "What's this?"

"I encountered an alien ship at the remains of Malachor V when I visited there. The presence inside was strong in the Force, and the Dark Side surrounded it. I believe it was a Sith, but not from Korriban, from somewhere else. I gave chase, but it escaped into hyperspace. These are the coordinates and trajectory for its jump. Perhaps if you follow that course, you may eventually find Revan."

"Why are you giving me this? You've no interest in Revan." the Exile asked, looking up.

"You're right, and it's actually quite simple. I want you gone. I wish for you to join Bastila and Revan wherever they are and not come back. To no longer be a blight on this galaxy and bring ruin wherever you go," Atris said.  The irritation came back in force and would not be submerged instead transforming into a slow burning anger as a picture of the Jedi masters lying in the grass came to her mind briefly

"Whatever you're personal issue with me...set it aside, Atris. There are others who need our aid," the Exile said.

"Oh yes, there are others. And I built funeral pyres for four of them, myself. Masters Vrook, Kai-Ell, and Kavar on Dantooine. Master Vash...Lonna...on Korriban." At this Atris felt the emotion rising within her, threatening to overwhelm here as that image of  Lonna's remains lying in the cage came to her mind. But she forced it down, took a deep breath, and then quietly said. "You are responsible for their deaths as surely as you are for the all the Jedi lost at Malachor. That is why you must go, and why your exile status remains." Again the Lonna's remains came to her mind, and Atris could feel her eyes becoming moist. The tunnel suddenly seemed to be closing in on her, and she felt her breathing becoming raspy. And then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and her emotions came rushing forth in a torrent. In that moment, her carefully thought out strategy to send the Exile beyond the Outer Rim collapsed and gave way to something more simplistic and final.

Atris spun away from the outstretched hand and, turning towards her, extended her own fingertips, releasing a surge of Force lightning that washed over the Exile. "But never again!" Atris said loudly, above the crackling of the energy.

The blast of Force lightning threw the Exile back, forcing her to her hard to the ground. She gritted her teeth as the energy flowed over her and tried to force herself to her feet. But even as she did so, a Force push from Atris sent her sliding down the corridor.

Shaelas rushed forward, her lightsaber suddenly activated, but was intercepted by Veloth and his blade. The two Selkath exchanged brief words, and then their lightsabers met with a crackling of energies, her green blade against his red. His strength was greater, and he forced her backwards with a shove. Then the battle raged, he launching a series of attacks which she parried one after another, waiting patiently for an opening. Fensis drew his blaster and fired a quick burst at Shaelas who deflected them away with only the slightest adjustments to her movements, and then a Force push put Fensis into the wall hard enough to send him collapsing to the ground.

Atris paid them no attention as she walked by them, drawing her own lightsaber. "I know you must have found Lonna when you visited Korriban," she said, watching the Exile starting to rise, wisps of smoke rising off of her clothing. "You left her in that cage to rot."

The Exile stood drawing her own lightsaber. "Atris, there wasn't time to do anything. We had Sion and some Sith assassins to worry about at the time. We barely got out of there."

"How I wish you had not," Atris said. "It should have been your remains lying in the dust on that planet."

The Exile took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Atris, I don't want to fight. The Sith threaten the entire Republic, and we must put aside our differences."

But the anger continued to build in Atris, and in the Exile she saw only an enemy. An enemy who'd destroyed many close associates along the way and who'd brought to the Jedi Order to its current state. From the area around her fingertips, Force Lightning leapt out towards the Exile once more.

This time however, the Exile was ready, extending her palms outward and catching the blast of Atris' attack in front of her. She channeled the energy into a swirling mass and then allowed it to dissipate. The Exile then drew her twin lightsabers, and a pair of blades sprang forth from them, one green and the other violet. "Atris, I said I didn't want to fight."

But Atris was already drawing her own weapon, and with an angry hiss it came to life. "And you needn't fight."

The Exile's eyes darted to Shaelas and Veloth fighting and then back to Atris.

"Perhaps if you finally understood that the corruption comes not from me, but from yourself, it would put your mind at ease. You led those Jedi to their deaths at Malachor in the service of Revan and you will do so again. And if you not finally come to understand this, then it will be I who ends the corruptive influence moving through the Republic!" Atris' voice had gradually become louder and louder until she was almost shouting.

Without another word, she advanced on the Exile, swinging her blade in a downward arc. When that was blocked by the green blade, she ducked a slash by her opponent and lashed out with a horizontal slicing attack. Though that attack was also blocked, Atris immediately felt the difference from the last time they had fought, the hopelessness she felt then realizing she was clearly overmatched. The techniques she'd learned since then brought her confidence up, and she knew that outcome of this battle rested in her hands if only she put to use all that she learned and focused her power.

But the Exile was not to underestimated. She came at Atris, both blades moving in harmony, steadily driving her backwards until she was almost among the battle between the two Selkath. Her expression was serene as she advanced. No trace of emotion could be sensed within her, and the Force flowed through her strongly. The Exile had learned well, Atris thought to herself briefly, and for a brief moment, she was observing a Padawan at the Jedi Enclave making some big strides on the road to knighthood. This former Padawan who had been the brightest student of her group and who had dashed the hopes of them all when she went off to join Revan. Atris was quickly snapped out of her reminiscing by a well executed combination of attacks by the Exile. And it was just then that Atris noticed the complete turmoil of emotions within herself.

Shaelas happened to glance back at the two women, and Veloth seized the opportunity to slice through the grip of her lightsaber, very nearly taking fingers with it.  Then she was caught in a Force grip by the other Selkath, her hands reaching for her throat as she felt her windpipe being crushed. She slowly rose off the ground until her feet were dangling a half meter above it and her choking spasms became more violent. With a flick of his wrist, she was hurled against the transparent section of the tube with an audible thud. Her body fell motionless to the ground.

At this, the Exile diverted a fraction of her attention away from Atris, throwing a strong Force push towards the Selkath Dark Jedi that sent him reeling before he could deliver the killing blow. She was distracted just enough so that Atris saw her opening where she might drive her blade into the Exile, just below her left hand which hung motionless across her chest as her attention was fixed on Veloth. But in that instant, Atris hesitated. suddenly reluctant to defeat her enemy by such means. The Exile turned to stare at her mildly confused as the gravity of the moment struck her. Curious, thought Atris, that she should not seize the advantage when presented to her.  It was not a matter of honor, that much she knew. No, it was about that image she carried of herself in the back of her mind, that image wherein she stood defeated before the Exile in the Telos Academy. It burned in her, memory which she had continually thrust into the back of her mind, until now it came to the forefront of her thoughts. Furthermore, it demanded that retribution be had in a way that left no doubts who was the greater warrior.

So instead, Atris took a step back and spoke to Veloth without taking her gaze off the Exile. "Return to the submersible with Fensis. I will join you there shortly."

Veloth hesitated, but then bowed slightly at Atris' back and grabbed the unconscious form of Fensis, dragging him out of the room.

"It's not like you to not take advantage of an opportunity, Atris. Is this to be strictly a fair fight then?"

"I require no distraction to defeat you. I am not the same person you fought in the Telos Academy."

The Exile nodded, deactivating one of her lightsabers and returning it to its place on her belt. "But not different enough to be persuaded of the senselessness of us fighting once again."

"This will be our final meeting," Atris said. "It is time that this conflict between us is ended once and for all. You were a promising student, but you failed to respect the wisdom of the Masters."

"The war was being lost, and the Jedi were doing nothing. I couldn't stand idly by, Atris."

"Ah, yes" said Atris, "the war. You seemed to believe it granted you a license to do as you willed, to cast aside the the tenets of the Order when they were no longer useful, to sacrifice some of our youngest and most skilled Knights to further your own goals. I wonder, does it ever occur to you that had some diplomatic means of reaching peace with the Mandalorians been found, that they would now serve as a buffer between the Republic and the Sith Empire, not to mention preventing the fall of Revan and Malak? And now I must study the ways of the enemy to help defend what you have done so much to destroy."

"Strange that you should mention furthering one's own goals, Atris. I know about Katarr and your part in that incident."

Atris offered no response at first, but her eyes closed into slits. "You know nothing of Katarr." Her voice came in a loud hiss, barely audible over the lightsabers. Suddenly she lunged forward with her blade raised and launched a powerful attack at the Exile who deflected it to one side, then stabbed low, nearly catching Atris in the mid-section.

And then the battle began in earnest as each threw their all into the fight knowing that a line had been crossed from which neither of them could turn back. Against the glass, the reflection of a pair of blades colliding again and again wielded by two murky figures, one in white, the other in brown. The hum of the lightsabers mixed with the crackling that accompanied the crossing of the blades each time echoed down the corridor. The two figures circled each other in the narrow corridor, their faces illuminated by the glow of their lightsabers, moving with precision as the battle went back and forth. Their strikes grew more and more determined and their movements became increasingly accelerated until they were a blur of motion. But as the battle raged on and on, one looking deep into their eyes would have seen the exhaustion beginning to show there. Neither was willing to let the strain show, but after a time they backed off slightly and glared at each other. Their breathing now labored, they held their lightsabers at the ready and took the time to catch their breath.

For Atris, even as the fury and the hate flowed through her, it was gradually driven away by the pain of the loss at Katarr. It had indeed been her fault that so many Jedi had been lost there. It had been she who'd let it be known through dark channels that the Jedi were meeting there in the hopes of drawing out the Sith. The results had been catastrophic made worse only by the fact that she had carried that terrible secret with her, unable to admit it even to the other members of the Jedi Council. Now they were gone, and her fault in that incident had been laid bare by the person she wished least of all have such knowledge. And then, even as, she attacked her opponent again with all the emotion she could put behind it, bending the Force to her will and keeping the Exile off guard with the ferocity of her attacks, she felt the emotion begin to drain out of her inexplicably. The source of the drain was immediately clear to her as a connection in her mind, a connection that defied all efforts by her to push it away. Unconsciously, as the emotion left her, her attacks became lessened until they stopped abruptly, and she lowered her weapon de-activating it.

The Exile lowered her weapon as well, but kept the blade extended in case this should be some trick of Atris', yet she could sense no deception within her, only a strange calming mingled with deep regret that she had not felt in Atris before.

"Katarr was my Malachor," Atris said finally as her gaze shifted out the glass toward a firaxan shark swimming nearby which promptly devoured a smaller fish whole. "Though I was not there, it was where I lost...a part of me, perhaps something more intangible than what you lost at that graveyard world. The Jedi on Katarr," she said, her voice becoming strained, "they were taken completely be surprise. And it would have happened again in other places had  you not defeated that horror above Telos." Her gaze shifted back to the Exile, and she was silent for a moment. "For that, I must thank you."

At this the Exile de-activated her own weapon and said, "Then we both know loss and guilt on a grand scale, and there's nothing to be done but to move forward. To remember that real battle lies beyond. That it must be fought by all of us so that no more Jedi need be lost as we have witnessed in the past. Now all that there is left to sacrifice is ourselves. Maybe that's our fate."

"Perhaps."

"Will this be the last time we do this or will always be in conflict, Atris?" the Exile asked.

"This will be the last time," Atris said, staring at her gravely. "Use well the information I gave you, and if you find Revan..." she looked away, suddenly unable to meet the gaze of the Exile. "...tell her the time for conflict amongst the Jedi is over." At that, Atris turned and began to walk back down the corridor.

"Atris...May the Force be with you."

Atris paused briefly at that. "And with you, Padawan,"  she said without turning around. Then she disappeared from sight into the next room.

With a heavy sigh, the Exile moved over to where Shaelas lay to examine the Selkath's wounds...