Zeel awoke once more. It seemed that all he had done recently was to sleep between brief periods of wakefulness. Of course, those waking moments had been filled first with pain, followed by a multitude of strangeness and, always, fear. Now, he felt himself very much awake. He felt strong and refreshed, although he was hungry and more than a little thirsty. He listened carefully. The room was silent.

Lifting his single heavy eyelid, he saw that it was full night beyond his window. He was floating above the familiar resting platform in the familiar room. At least he had regained enough of his strength to remain decently afloat while sleeping! He swiveled to view the entire room. It was empty. He was alone.

A small puff of cloud drifted near the resting platform. It held several containers and a large platter piled high with assorted fruits. He recognized the globular pinkish-orange fruits he had eaten earlier and decided to avoid those, lest they make him sleepy again. He had had enough sleep, he decided. Sampling a smallish purple fruit, he decided that it was just as delicious as the pinkish-orange ones had been. In fact, he had rarely been privileged to eat such rich food. The AGA were fed a uniform diet of troop rations, designed to keep them healthy and undistracted by things such as flavor and texture.

Zeel savored the luscious juices trickling down his throat as he checked the contents of the other containers. One held a large measure of clear water, which he drank from long and deeply. The other held an ovoid object that he did not recognize. Picking it up, he discovered it to be surprisingly light. The surface was crusty and light brown in color. He waved it beneath one paddle arm and detected a rich, heady aroma that smelled wonderful. As it was too large to get into his mouth whole, he used two tentacles to break off a piece. He discovered that its interior was filled with a spongy white substance. The incredible scent suddenly intensified. Curious, he placed a small piece in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. Delicious, he decided.

Hunger and thirst assuaged for the moment, Zeel took a moment to look about the room. The wall that had opened before onto the pillared arcade was now blank once more. There was no sign of a door. He floated over to the wall and held out one of his paddle arms. His three nubby digits brushed the soft surface of the wall, which began to glow. The glow faded to reveal the arcade beyond, softly lit by the light of the stars and the large planet hanging low in the sky. Like his room, the arcade was empty.

No guards! Zeel thought. Either this is the strangest trap ever laid, or these Eliwan are as foolish as they are ugly!

He made up his mind on the spot. Now was the time to act. Hastily, he took another long drink of the water and snatched a few more of the fruits to take with him for later. Then he slid silently and swiftly out the open door, between the misty pillars of the arcade and out into the night.

Jaela flew swiftly through the night air, her night robes swirling about her. She reached the lofty window she sought and landed daintily upon the sill. Stepping down into the darkened room beyond, she moved swiftly to Shimmer’s bedside.

"It is time, Shimmer. The Invader has made its move."

Shimmer’s eyes fluttered openly to peer up at the Regent. As the words soaked in, she came fully awake and arose from her bed at once. "Did you bring the Farsight Gem?" she asked Jaela as she slipped on the ring she had left at her bedside.

Jaela nodded, "I did. The scholars had only just gotten it attuned to the Mirror. I hadn’t thought our little friend would be so quick about making his escape!"

Shimmer didn’t reply. Instead, she closed her eyes and sent a flicker of energy into her ring, invoking Yeepo. The little alaban kit materialized within the room and buzzed happily about her mistresses head, chirping gaily.

"Not now, buzz-butt. We have work to do!"

Yeepo’s tone changed to an important business-like hum. Shimmer stifled a giggle, and even Jaela smiled as she pulled out the Farsight Gem and handed it to the adept.

Slipping it about Yeepo’s torso, Shimmer pulled the band tight and sealed it with a magical binding that should hold it tight to the kit’s fuzzy hide. The gaudy Farsight Gem dangled between Yeepo’s stubby wings, glittering in the pale El-light that flooded in from the open window of the bedchamber.

"Now remember, stay far enough away to remain unnoticed, but try to always keep the Invader in sight. Got that?"

Yeepo whistled an affirmative, then flew up closer to Shimmer with a sad face. The adept patted the alaban kit’s head and said, "I know. I’ll miss you too! But this is a very important job. Now, hurry—there’s no time to lose." She turned to Jaela and asked, "Which direction did it flee?"

"Into the West Cloud Forest. It will not have gotten far, I think."

Shimmer nodded and turned back to Yeepo. "Okay, off to the West Cloud Forest with you!" Yeepo whistled, spun once about Shimmer’s head and then zipped out into the night beyond the window.

Jaela headed for the window as well. "I must go too. I’m off to alert the Guards who’ll be keeping an eye on our little visitor as well, seeing to it that he comes to no serious harm."

Shimmer nodded sleepily and waved goodbye. She returned to her bed, but it was a long while before she fell back into a peaceful slumber. In the sky beyond the adept’s tower, the solitary form of Yeepo flew swiftly toward the glowing banks of the West Cloud Forest, skimming low to catch sight of her target.

She found him at last, passing through the first of the great glades in this part of the forest. Humming quietly to herself, the little kit settled into a casual flight pattern above and slightly behind the dark form of the Invader. The Farsight Gem activated and began flashing its images back to the surface of the Mirror of Knowledge hanging in the Hall of Scholars.

The night wore on and the Invader never stopped. He flowed silently through the twisting paths of the forest as the sky began to shade to pink, then yellow. The sun finally breached the cloud covered horizon, and still the Invader flew on. Yeepo stayed true to her mission and never let him out of her sight. The pursuit continued?/div>

What happens next? Read Part 7 "Zeel's Journey"