"We need to get out of here!" The tall, dark-skinned man shouted.

The soldiers were regrouping, there were several people down, not all of them in soldiers' uniforms, and... Flame glanced towards the castle. More soldiers were now spilling out the gates and very soon they would be surrounded. Brianna yelled "Run for it!" Flame couldn't see Aidan anywhere, but there was no time to make sure he was all right. She spun and dashed away, the others running beside her.

There was a large patch of forest, the Queen's preserve, not far from the castle, and in among the trees they had a better chance of losing their pursuit. The little group stayed together as they fled, with Lavasida taking the lead. He changed directions several times, and when at last they all stopped in the center of a thick grove of saplings, there was no sound of pursuit nearby, though they could hear distant shouts.

"We should stay put for a bit, see if the search goes elsewhere," said Brianna, speaking softly.

"Indeed," said the tall man, who seemed to be the leader of the other group. "And while we wait, I think we must talk. You... Well, you look like Brianna, but you are not."

"No. My name is Brianna, but I'm not the person you know. We came here from another world," said Brianna.

"Hey. Talking is all well and good, but our Brianna is missing. We need to find her." Lon, the one from this world, broke into the conversation, his voice quiet, but very intense.

Flame took a moment to look around. Brianna, Belak, Lavasida, Lon, herself... Her heart sank. "Seymore and Aidan are missing too," she said.

Brianna shook her head. "If they were killed they're past our help, and if they were captured we can't storm the castle by ourselves. We need to regroup and plan. And..." she put a hand on Flame's furred shoulder, "I hate to say it, but the quest is more important than they are. We can come back for them later, but Aretha doesn't have that much time left. We can't waste it."

The tall man broke in. "You mention a Seymore. I'm Seymore, but I saw no double of me there."

Brianna looked at him, then shrugged. "He was with us. But the Seymore we know is a goblin."

His face twisted in something that might have been disgust. "A goblin? Then he's no twin to me."

Brianna shrugged again. "Well, that doesn't really matter. What matters to us is our quest. We're looking for a piece of silver-blue crystal, perhaps half the size of a man, which would have appeared or fallen somewhere near here about four days past."

"Then your quest may have failed already. Such a thing fell very near here, but the Tyrant has it, and getting anything out of her castle once it goes in is not an easy matter."

"The Tyrant?"

"Does your world not have her? The Tyrant Tara, who unjustly rules this kingdom."

Brianna blinked. "There is a Tara in our world, but she is not a tyrant. Anything but, really. But tell me about this tyrant, and the crystal. What do you know?"

"About the Tyrant, I know much," he said. "I have led the battle against her for many years now. About the crystal, less. It fell from the sky four days past, as you said. It landed in the farm country only few miles from here. The Tyrant ordered it taken into her castle that same day. I heard of it because we have those who seek information for us, to help us in our fight. The Tyrant deemed it important, so I thought it worth remembering. But I know nothing more of it. If you seek it, your best hope may be to come and join my fight. Looking as you do you will never get into her castle. She knows the faces of my fighters, and save for the dwarf and the cat you all bear faces that I know well."

Brianna considered. "We might be able to sneak Flame in in some other form... But no, if this Tara is anywhere near as skilled as our own she will have wards against that sort of thing. And will no doubt have the crystal well guarded. But..." she looked at Syemore. "You've been fighting her for years. We don't have years. We don't even have months. We must get the crystal within two months' time, not a day longer, else our world may be too far gone to save."

"I have been fighting for years, yes, but something has changed. Not a week past we met a man who supports our cause and who has the power to fight against the Tyrant Dragon directly. Our cause is supported by most in this kingdom, we can raise the forces to defeat her troops, her army is not large. But it has never needed to be large, the Tyrant Dragon could decimate armies without needing soldiers. But no more. He was at our camp, discussing what we might do, when Tara's soldiers raided it, but I am certain he escaped. We are within months, perhaps even within weeks, of winning our freedom, and gaining access to that which you seek."

Brianna looked at the rest of the Queen's Own. She was the leader, but she valued their opinions greatly.

Lavasida said, "I think our chances are equally good with joining this frontal assault and with stealth on our own. Choose as you wish."

Lon shook his head. "You know how I feel about war, but... theirs is a good cause too. If we can gain the shard and help them, then all the better. I'm for going with them."

"Aye. I'm for fighting with these as well," said Belak.

Flame hesitated. "I wish we could just charge in right now. I... I don't even know if Aidan is alive! But that will get us nowhere." She sighed. "I am more than willing to try and break into the castle, but I suspect you're right. There are too many shape-shifters in the world for her to have left herself open to such. So yes, I say join them."

"Well, it seems that we will be joining you," said Brianna.

"Very good. Though..." he glanced from Lon to Lon. "I must admit it may get slightly confusing if you do. Brianna I assume is captured or killed, but we have Lon, and Lavasida as well with us."

The two twin Lons eyed each other. There was a certain amount of curiosity in their glances. They looked very similar, but they were obviously very different in temperament and inclinations.

"In any case," said Seymore, "We need to get moving. Quietly and carefully, but there are not enough soldiers to guard all paths. There is a place arranged where I can find where my followers have gone, they will not be at the site where I was captured, now that it is known to our enemies. But it is more than a day's travel away, so we must move with all possible speed."

Brianna nodded. "Then let's get going."