Daryn had just arrived at the guardpost when the attack began.

A solid wall of seemingly impenetrable mist bore down upon the watch platform, coming at both from nowhere and from all directions at once. The elves barely had time to send the alert message on the drums before the platform itself was under attack. The mist suddenly emerged from the undergrowth like a flood, cascading from behind trees and down from the canopy above their heads. There was no doubt in Daryn's mind that some intelligence directed the mist, but nobody had any idea as to who or what. A claw of mist formed around one of the elves before he could defend himself, and pulled him over the side, never to be seen again. There was no time to bring the bows to bear, which may have doomed everyone on the platform, and possibly the elven village it was protecting. The other readied themselves with staves, and stood back to back. The staves had been enchanted so they could harm the mist, but only the mist touched directly by the staff. It was ineffective, but it was all they had.

Twirling their staves about madly, the elves fended off attacks from all sides. The mist swallowed them, continuing endlessly, off into infinity. Only the one elf had been taken thus far, but Daryn knew as well as the rest of them that their there could be no escape.

A crash came from Daryn's right, and the platform shuddered. A tendril of mist had broken through the platform floor, creating a hole about a pace and a half wide. Daryn swung his staff at the tendril, severing the upper portion. It evaporated instantaneously, but more flooded up through the hole. Glancing at the rift in the floor, Daryn had an idea. Desperate, possibly insane, but it was all he had to go on. Shoving his staff into the gap, Daryn swirled it about as quickly as possible. With a final yell to the other elves to follow, Daryn jumped down the hole, hoping that he would live to find out if a three or four span fall to the forest floor would be as painful as it sounded.

A few seconds later, Daryn realized two things: he had, and it was. Groaning, he opened his eyes, which had been clenched shut, and rolled to his side to avoid the elf that had followed after him. The other elf landed with a painful 'thud,' but he, too, was alert within a few seconds, his fall broken by the mossy undergrowth. Daryn looked up, expecting another elf to land on his head in a few seconds, but saw that a tendril had reached down and caught the elf before he had gotten halfway to the ground. Not wasting another moment, he grasped the other elf with him on the shoulder for a moment, and screamed out the simple syllable "Run!" before he bolted away from the doomed post. The only reason they were still alive was that mist moved slowly. But it could be anywhere - above, below, ahead, or behind. Gripping his staff all the harder, Daryn raced as fast as his legs could carry him, with the other elf not far behind. Daryn heard none of the sounds of the forest; all he heard was two elves running at top speed and the occasional beating of warning drums, coming from multiple directions. This wasn't a skirmish; this was an all out assault by the mysterious mist.

Once they had gotten about halfway to the settlement, Daryn slowed. Panting, he motioned for his comrade to journey onward. The other elf, panting also, began to protest, but before he could make a sound, Daryn coughed, and told him while gasping for air to "get . . . going . . . tell them . . . what happened," waving the man on. Shrugging, he nodded and continued on, at a fast walk.

Waiting a minute or so after the other elf had left, Daryn started running toward a part of the forest that only he was familiar with. At least, only he among the elves. There was one other who knew of it, and that is why he had to go there.

By the time he arrived, his brown hair was plastered to his back with sweat. Dozens of scratches and bruises covered his arms and legs, but he ignored them. He could lose some blood to save a life. When the small hut came into sight, Daryn unceremoniously collapsed against a nearby tree as he cried out to Jewel. He knew that he had promised to let her be, but he couldn't leave her to the mists.

"Jewel!" Daryn called. Muttering to himself that she couldn't be far, he cried out again. "Jewel! You . . . you don't need to respond to this, but . . . well, there's an attack! This place isn't safe anymore! I think the entire area is surrounded by the deadly mist." He paused for a bit, both to catch his breath and wait for a response. "Look, I know this violates that agreement we came to, but I'd rather you didn't trust me than be dead! You can come into the village, I promise nobody will try to befriend you! Wait! No, don't take that the wrong way. The other elves aren't unfriendly, not at all, but you said you wanted to avoid people. A-a-and I'm sure I can find you a nice hole to hide in somewhere in the settlement but you can't stay here any longer!" The last word echoed of the trees, punctuated by another warning drum. Still, there was no response from the girl. "Jewel!"

"You can stop yelling, I'm right here." Daryn turned as quickly as he could, exhausted as he was, and saw her standing impatiently before him. How did she do that? Jewel continued: "Thank you, Daryn, for the warning. I will just have to find another remote corner of the world to live in."

"But this area is surrounded - "

"That won't be a problem for me," Jewel interjected. "But, I suppose I should show some gratitude for your hospitality. These mists will not trouble you again for a few weeks at least, and then they shall be weakened. Be ready for them."

"Wha . . ." Daryn shook his head.

Jewel chuckled. "You don't understand. But you will, soon enough. Farewell." Then she was gone. No turning, no sound, no flash of light. Only the slightest perceptible gust as air rushed to fill the space she had just occupied.

Daryn blinked, and glanced around. "Hello? Jewel?" Daryn's glance darted about the forest, looking for anything, but expecting nothing. The 'all clear' signal drums began to sound all about the forest . . .

The day after the attack by the mist and its miraculous ending, Daryn was being interrogated by Kaleph, eldest in the council. Everyone was pleased, if suspicious, about the end of the attack, and some even went so far as to think an even more deadly force caused it. People were frightened; they knew not what to think. The elders had been interviewing everyone involved in the fighting, and there was only one other survivor from the lookout post he had been defending. The room was small and circular with no windows. The only air came from a small hole at the pointed ceiling and from the door when it was opened, which it now wasn't.

Kaleph and Daryn were stark contrasts. Kaleph has lived for centuries, with more life under his stooped form than young Daryn could imagine. The elder's gray hair cascaded to his knees, yet was about the same length as Daryn's, which only reached his waist. Daryn's head was level with the elder's, even though he was sitting. The differences between the two elves could be no more obvious than in their demeanor; Kaleph perpetually grumbled as he pondered the slightest details, a frown residing on his face at all times. Daryn, on the other hand, was always in good spirits, easy to laugh and quick with his wits. Nevertheless, Daryn had not been looking forward to this meeting; in fact, he had almost dreaded it. He hated how condescending the elders could get, and Kaleph was the worst of the bunch.

"So, young Daryn," the elder rasped. "Tell me everything that happened between when the attack began and when you got back here."

Annoyed by the association of the term "young" with his name, Daryn responded, "Not much to tell, elder Kaleph. I escaped from the attack, along with another -"

"Who was the other one?" Kaleph began to walk in a circle around Daryn's chair.

"I'm not sure. I was a bit distracted at the time, as I'm sure you could imagine, elder Kaleph."

"Was his name Shaildel, perchance?"

"Perhaps. We were both too occupied to think to ask one another."

"But you are a messenger. Are you not familiar with the people you deliver messages too?"

"No, elder Kaleph - "

"So you are not familiar with them?" the elder interjected.

"No, I am familiar with the people I deliver the messages to. But I only give messages to the captain of each post when I deliver a message to one of them, elder Kaleph."

"Ah, I see. Now, what happened to the other people in the guardpost?"

"The mist took them."

"Could they not have escaped as you and the other one did?"

"No, elder Kaleph, but not for lack of trying. The mist had ripped a hole in the floor of the platform, so I stabbed down the hole with my staff and jumped down. But after the other man jumped, the mist had retaken the hole."

"So why didn't the other elves on the platform do the same thing you did, young Daryn?" Kaleph's rasping voice made him sound as if he hadn't had anything to drink for a week.

"How am I to know, elder Kaleph? I was no longer there to see." Kaleph stopped in front of Daryn.

"Don't you get smart with me, young one. I will not hesitate to use a metal brand to learn what I need to!" Kaleph was visibly irritated.

Daryn was no longer frightened by the threat. He knew that no She'lak elf could touch metal without becoming very ill, possibly even dying. The smallest touch of metal had been known to destroy limbs, put an elf into convulsions, and have them begin to cough up all sorts of unpleasantly colored things. He also knew that Kaleph would not condemn someone that committed no crime to such a horrible sentence. Nevertheless, Daryn tried to restrain himself. "Forgive me, Elder Kaleph, but I do not know why they did not follow. Perhaps they had already been killed."

"Perhaps. Now, what did you do after you escaped?" He began walking around Daryn's seat again, this time in the opposite direction.

"Well, I felt that the only thing I could do was run. I saw no need to stay any longer."

"And then you ran straight to the village?"

"Yes, Kaleph."

"Ah. Now we seem to have a bit of a discrepancy, my young messenger. Shaildel, the other elf who escaped with you, claimed that you stopped about halfway home. Why do you suppose this is?"

"I . . . I stopped to catch my breath, Kaleph."

"Really? Do you expect me to believe that a common guardsman, accustomed to standing in place for long periods of time, could outlast a messenger, accustomed to running back and forth over long distances without rest?"

"I had just arrived at the post when it was attack. I was still winded. He had been resting all day."

"Ah. So, you rested there for, what, a minute or two? Then you came directly back to the village?"

"Yes."

"Why, then, did you arrive over half an hour after Shaildel?"

"I wasn't running as fast as I could - "

"Nor was he. And you know the terrain better."

Daryn could think of no other response; he was trapped.

"Look, young one. We both know you are hiding something. If you did nothing wrong, no harm will befall you. If, however, you will not tell me what happened between when Shaildel and you parted and when you arrived here, I will be forced to assume you had something to do with the attack."

"The only part of the attack that took place in that time period was its end."

"Did you have anything to do with that?"

"What could I do to stop the attack!?"

"I do not know, young Daryn. That is why I ask. If you have some way to end these attacks, I need to know what it is. Now tell me, Daryn, what happened."

Daryn considered. He had promised the girl - if indeed she was what she appeared - not to tell anyone of her. Yet, she was gone now, however she had done it. Daryn decided she wouldn't mind at this point if he divulged what he knew of her.

"A few weeks back, I stumbled upon a child, a human girl, on my way home through the woods. She didn't want to deal with anyone, she wanted only to be left alone. I felt if she was there, in a part of the woods that pretty much only I ever travel through, I could sort of keep an eye on her, make sure she didn't come to harm. So when the mist attacked, it looked like it was going to advance all the way to the village. I couldn't just let her stay there to die, so I went to warn her. Then I came here."

"That is all?"

"Yes."

"How did she get past the guards?"

"She would not say."

"Why did she come here"

"To escape. She told me, vaguely, of horrible events in her life. She was just running from them."

"And you trusted her?" Daryn knew that it was not a question.

"Yes. No. Sort of. I had no reason not to trust her, but I remained suspicious."

"There is nothing else you know about this girl?"

"Not really . . . " Daryn left off.

"Well, in that case, we shall have to go talk to this girl. Like you said, the forest is no safe place for a child."

"No! That is, you can't."

"Do you presume to tell me what I can and cannot do?" Kaleph looked near to exploding.

"Not at all, elder Kaleph. It is just that she's . . . well . . . gone."

"Gone. She has just up and vanished."

Daryn chuckled despite himself. "You could say that."

"Do you know why she left?" Kaleph asked, obviously disregarding Daryn's humor.

"You mean besides the aggressive fog bearing down on her? Not really."

Kaleph glared at Daryn. Leaning forward until their faces were within ral of each other. "You are still hiding something, boy. What is it?!"

Daryn was tired of this interview. He decided that Jewel was gone anyway, so there was no harm in recounting the entire tale.

"The girl didn't leave, exactly. She just . . . disappeared. She was in front of me, then she wasn't. A few moments after that, the all-clear drums sounded. When it became clear that she was gone, I headed back home."

Kaleph stepped back, frowning as he considered. "And you expect me to believe this."

Daryn sighed, realizing he would not get out of this that easily. "No. I don't half believe it myself. But you must admit I wouldn't tell you such a ridiculous thing if it were not true."

Kaleph chuckled; it was a sound that made Daryn very nervous. "No, I don't imagine you would. Which may be why you said it. You are a clever one, boy. I will have to keep my eyes on you. But as for today, I doubt I will get any more out of you. You may go, young Daryn. I am finished with you. For now."

Daryn was relieved to get away from the elder, though a sense of foreboding remained. When one of the elders thought something was true, it would take a miracle to change their minds, and even then it was only a slight chance. Pushing himself up from the chair, Daryn tried his hardest not to look like he was in a hurry to leave.

After Daryn left his chambers, Kaleph turned to see a looming shadow, that was not his own, on the wall. It took no specific form and was especially dark. The mirrors arranged at the base of the room reflected the light from the top hole in the ceiling. It did not allow for shadows. Not normal shadows, anyway. Accustomed to it by now, Kaleph calmly walked over to the door and placed the stout timber in place, locking it. Turning back towards the shadow, Kaleph prostrated himself before it. With his face hovering above the ground, Kaleph spoke to his master: "I take it you have been here the entire time, my Lord?"

A deep, rumbling voice replied to him in his mind. "Yes. That girl he spoke of was a Planeswalker."

Kaleph was stunned, but did not show it outwardly. "A Planeswalker, my lord? I thought you said that they were all trapped outside the Ban, like yourself - "

"Do you question me, mortal?" The voice sounded rather annoyed. Kaleph rushed to redeem himself.

"Not at all, master!" Kaleph rushed out, defensively and meekly. "I simply wish to understand, so that I might serve you better." When his master continued, Kaleph let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"At any rate, this changes nothing at the moment. If the girl is gone, she will not pose any more problems. Still, she set back my mists considerably before she left. It will be several tendays before I can arrange another mass assault like the one she thwarted. Until then, continue as I have instructed."

"Yes, master. And what of this boy, Daryn? How do we know he was not lying? Does he know too much?"

"He knows nothing. He is no threat. Just make sure that both continue to be true."

"Would it not be easier simply to have him killed?"

"You will do nothing to arouse suspicion. If you can dispose of him without too much effort, go ahead. But you shouldn't waste any time on such a trivial matter."

"Yes, Master." With that, the shadow vanished.