Backstage, Pook reassured Sarah, teaching her some more glamour tricks to keep her audience enchanted. "You will do fabulously well, as always."

"You know, Pook, this is the first time I have really and truly been an actress. Just like my mother."

"You see?" he said with his usual beguiling expression. "You are the ultimate entrepreneur. You have achieved everything your heart has desired, and more. This isn't the last rung. There are many more rungs to climb." He put her cape on, and she went out with something that would have been confidence for anyone else, but was streaked, for her, with an unsettling nervousness. The crowd cheered as she walked across the stage for her grand entry. There were creatures and people alike decorating the red velvet seats. The balconies were also full, faces in dark shadow that Sarah might have been able to make out if she had felt compelled to try.

##

Hours later, the play was over, and Sarah was sitting in her dressing room, gazing deeply into the mirror. It had gone on without one hitch, and yet something was unsettled inside of her.

There was a firm knock on her door. "Come!" she shouted, wiping the white face paint from her brow. There was no longer any need for such gestures, but they gave her comfort.

She dropped her rag when she saw the face on the other side of the mirror. She spun around in her chair. "Mother!" she shouted, her face contorted in a strange mix of terror and joy.

It was her mother, middle-aged and less beautiful than she had remembered her. It had been years since Sarah had seen her, and the last picture she had of her mother was the newspaper clipping in which her mother had been embracing her lover and co-star Justin for the eager cameras.

She went to hug her mother, but her mother stepped back, a bit of terror in her eyes as she looked upon her daughter.

"Mother, what is it?" Sarah asked. She could feel herself melting into the mind of a child again in her presence. Her mother's lack of affection caused her a deep pang of regret.

"Sarah." Her mother's once beautiful eyes were filled with great sadness. "My daughter. You are so beautiful and so terrible. No one else can see you… but I can see you. What are you doing?"

"Come now, Mother, stop this talk. I'll take you to meet some new friends of mine. Let's have dinner!" Sarah was frantic. She grabbed her mother by the hand and started to drag her outside of the door. "Where is Justin?!" she said in great excitement. The hallways undulated with her mania. Her mind was descending into the past.

"Sarah, let me go!"

Sarah stopped suddenly and turned to face her mother.

"Sarah, where are we going?! Look, I've come to talk to you."
"But, Mother, where is Justin, I'd like to see him," Sarah said, her face falling. As she looked longer upon her mother, she knew the answer. "You have separated from him."

"Yes, Sarah."

"But… No! You couldn't have. He was so wonderful."

"That's love for you. It passes. All things have a way of passing."

"Not that sort of love. Not the sort of love you two had for one another."

"It was beautiful while it lasted. There are other beautiful things."

Sarah held the weight of her words in her mind. It couldn't be. "Well, that's just fine. You can be in the play with me tomorrow night… You won't have any trouble learning the—"

Her mother shook her head. "Not everyone can play along with your fantasy, Sarah. I should know. Besides, I'm done with the stage."

Sarah felt as if she had been shot. Could it be? Both of her idols, decayed and spread like dirt to the winds?

"No, it's not true."

"It's true."

Sarah stared at her emptily.

"Being an actress for so long wore on me. The paparazzi, the parties, it was all fun for awhile… But, in the end, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I let it use me up. I didn't take my time with it."

Sarah was indignant. "And I suppose you have come to talk sense into me."

"Yes, you're right."

Sarah's face was flush, her hair turning black as night. "That's just fine. I'm supposed to give up all hope for grandeur just as you all have done. Everyone has failed, and the onus is on me to fail by their side. I see it clearly, now! No one wants me to shine too brightly, because it is a mirror for their own inability to succeed!" Her hair flew about her face in the invisible wind of her anger. "You've come to cut me down from my perch!"

"Sarah, stop, you will kill yourself along with everyone else!" Her mother reached out for her, but it was too late. Sarah was running away down the hallway, sobbing like a child, the walls rippling as she passed.

##

Gail closed the shop early when it became apparent that no one would be dropping in. The increasing riots on the other side of town had drawn all the customers away, and it was only becoming more and more dangerous to keep the store open, even for a witch of her powers. As silly as it had felt to keep the shop open, there had been a part of her that had felt comforted by the routine.

She was preparing the ingredients for a barrier and glamour spell when Toby came down the stairs, the proud Didymus at his side. They were in the midst of a conversation.

"But Sire, how do you conquer your fears?" Didymus asked with rapt attention.

Toby shrugged. "I guess I don't. There's a lot that makes me scared. I just do my best anyway."

"Ahh, yes, the sign of a true knight. This is exactly what I do. I can face any danger, anytime, anywhere!"

Toby smirked. "But I thought you weren't afraid of anything, Didymus."

The fox worked his jaw a bit before replying. "Well, erm, well, I guess the truth is that I am."

The boy rubbed Didymus' ear affectionately. "It's okay to say so."

Gail interjected as she approached. "Actually, Didymus, it makes you more courageous to face something that you are frightened of, rather than something that does not cause you fear." She continued selecting herbs from jars on the racks thoughtfully.

"What are you doing, Gail?" Toby asked.

"I'm about to cast a spell. Speaking of scary things, things are getting scary out there. I'm going to make everyone think this building looks boarded up, even though it's not."

"That's cool!" Toby exclaimed. "But what if they try to get in anyway?"

She smiled. "They won't be able to. The door will only budge for one of us."

"Wow, I really like magic." Toby surveyed the racks of plants and magical items curiously before settling on where Gail was working her spell. He questioned her thoroughly on what every plant, bone, and vial of liquid was. Voraciously curious, he asked what they did, and what the different colors of candles meant.

"Are you thinking that you want to become a magician, Toby?" Gail finally questioned him.

"Yeah. I do! It's really neat. You can do all kinds of cool things, and you don't even have to be afraid. You can always protect yourself. And do fun tricks."

The woman's smooth eyelids dropped as she looked down on her task, a wan smile crossing her countenance. "Actually, if you do want to learn magic and become a master, you must know a few things." She held a candle in front of him and indicated for him to light it with a nearby match. "Magic takes great responsibility. If anything, it means there is more to be afraid of. Once you start to delve into worlds that most don't understand, the creatures of those worlds can more easily see you. You must be very careful how you use your craft. Even tricks can be dangerous at times, so you have to really understand what you are doing before you try to do it."

"But, Mistress," Didymus interjected. "You make it look so simple! You have always seemed so fearless. And I heard of your brave actions within Queen Sar—I mean, within the dark palace. None could match you."

"Well, your praise is very kind, Didymus, but I've only been able to defend myself through great practice. I assure you, I'm afraid that every danger I face might be my last. But I am even more afraid that each spell I cast will go awry."

"How do you keep that from happening?" Toby asked, anything but dissuaded by her somber speech.

"Well, the most important thing is that you cast every spell with good intent in your heart. You cannot do anything to deliberately harm anyone, and you must be careful to include the words, ‘But, above all, do no harm.' Or the spell may not know your intention."

"Is the spell alive?"

"In a way, yes. The spell is energy. You make it come alive with a bit of your own energy. You must teach it what you want it to be in its life."

"What if you really need to hurt someone?" Toby asked quietly, intent.

Gail stopped what she was doing and put her hand on his. "You are too young to have to deal with these things."

"No, I'm not." The boy said it without defensiveness, but more matter-of-factly. "It's just the way it is."

"What a grown up way to look at it."

"But of course it is," Didymus added. "Master Toby is already quite the strapping young man, and wise beyond his years!" He bowed shortly to Toby, who returned the gesture with a giggle.

Gail set up the circle of magical items and flattened out an open book containing the spell she was going to use. "Well, you're right, sometimes you can find no other way but to cause some harm, but it is good to keep looking for as long as you have time." She did some hand gestures, and continued somewhat distractedly, "Some witches believe that if you harm others, then that harm will return to you threefold. I'm not sure if I believe that, though. I think it is just a rule to scare evil witches from harming others. And maybe it will come back to them, but only if their intentions are not in line with the higher truth. You know, sometimes you can do something you think is right, and it can still be very wrong. Maybe in your head you think it is right, but in your heart you always knew it wasn't. We all have a compass to the higher truth, but we don't always pay attention to it. I personally believe, if you pay attention to your inner compass, that your compass is aligned to the higher truth, then no harm will befall you." She smiled slyly. "But then again, if your compass is aligned to the higher truth, then you will probably always find a way that does not involve harming others."

"Why is that, Lady Gail?" Didymus asked with wide, attentive eyes. "How is it that one can find a direction where all others have failed?"

"Because the universe is full of ideas and infinite inspirations. But the older we get, the more likely we are to tune out those ideas and inspirations, or become unable to truly see them." She squatted down a bit and put her hand on Toby's cheek. "But the good news is, that children always seem to have an easier time with their inner compass. And I bet you will never have trouble seeing yours."

"I hope so." Toby smiled a small smile, unsure. "How do you see it?"

"Well, the best way I've found is not to look at it directly. Look at something else. Pretend like you're not paying attention. It will often sneak up on you and tell you what you should be looking at. It will give you clues."

Didymus seemed perplexed. "So the best way to look is not to look?"

Gail laughed. "You could say that."

"Seems like that's a sure way that it will escape!" the fox blurted, flustered at the idea of any prey escaping him.

"I understand," Toby answered. "At least, I think I do."

"Something tells me you do," Gail answered, rising back to look over the counter and the spell in-the-works. "How about you help me wrap up this spell, and then we can go check in on Marlena?"

"You think she will be okay?"

"I know she will. That lady is tough as nails."

"Are you going to practice with your band tonight?" Toby hopped onto a stool and squirmed a bit.

"I haven't decided, yet. Why, did you want to join me?"

"Yeah! I heard that CD you left, it's great! You are really good at music, too."

"Oh, it's not all me, I promise you. We were going to have a concert in a few months, before all this happened."

Toby smiled mischievously. "You should still do it. People will still remember your band, even though they've all changed. And you said it was really famous, huh?"

"I wonder if people do still remember many things from before."

"Well, you could remind them."

She ruffled his hair affectionately. "That's precisely what we plan to do."

##

Claw might have tired of running errands and searching for Sarah's other half, but it was not his way to tire of things quickly. He was patient for his opportunities, and he knew the subtle ways of ingratiation that would get him where he needed to be. Knowing where Sarah's other half would prove useful in some way or another. Being the possessor of important information was a power all its own.

As he was flying over the plains at the middle of the continent, he saw a strange ripple in the air. He landed down inside of it, sensing something strange, but unable to see anything. All he could hear was the subtle flapping of the noisy red bird that had been following him since he left Sarah's castle. He wasn't sure what the bird was doing there, but hoped that the long distances would soon shake him.

##

"Shh," Sarah admonished the creatures of the valley. "I can hide us from Claw, if you all stay quiet. Just wait for him to pass."

There was much mumbling and boisterous conversation, sounds of fear and surprise. Sarah concentrated further, sending a telepathic impulse, a soothing sound, to quiet them all. It took even more of her willpower to hold herself together and do such complex magic all at once.

Claw was walking casually through their camp, just on the edge of the bonfire. He did not show any signs of seeing them, though it was obvious that he was suspicious.

A large black cloud approached and descended on the valley, breaking up into a multitude of dark creatures, red eyes gleaming devilishly, scouring the area, poking their fingers through everything. The guinea pigs chirped in fear as the black things passed through them. Sarah pinched her eyes closed and hoped she could hold back their prying fingers.

Claw was the first to break the silence. "Enough!" The creatures reacted immediately to his booming voice. "There's nothing here. At least, not anymore. Let's go. Leave the bird."

The black shape coalesced into a mass and oozed to his side. Claw took one last suspicious look over his shoulder before spreading out his wings and catching the wind. As he flew away with the dark mass in tow, a little red bird was revealed to have been hiding in the darkness, shaking with fear and panting with exertion. He tried to fly up after them, but he was too weak and his wings gave way. He began to sob, alone and afraid.

Sarah ran to him, hovered over his little figure. As soon as Claw and the dark minions were merely a speck in the distant sky, she gently reached through the ether to Rattlebeak, scooping him up and holding him against her breast fondly.

He didn't even jump. He just looked up at her, a smile spreading on his beak. "You're here! I found you!"

"You always do," she said, nuzzling her cheek against his wing. "You poor dear, let's get you some food."

##

As Sarah entered the elevator, she didn't see the shadow that oozed out from the corners and into the room. As the doors closed behind her, the shadow became a raven and flew to land near the amethyst. The outline transformed into that of a man, Kaleb.

Kaleb reached his hand into the stone as if reaching into a pool of water and pulled out a handful of tiny stones, then put them in a pouch at his side. He smiled smugly.