Corvan gathered the washed fruit and followed Saray back to her home. Retreating behind the kitchen counter she hung the medallion that Corvan had been wearing on an empty peg amidst a collection of kitchen utensils. "Put the fruits on the counter and I'll prepare them while you talk with Kate. I think this time you will need to be touching her in order for her to sense you and understand. Tell her what our plan is so she knows not to worry."

Corvan placed the arm load of fruit on the high counter and glanced into the next room. Kate's face was relaxed, and she appeared to be resting. "I can talk to her," he said, turning back to Saray, "but I'm not quite sure what I should say as I'm not really sure what our plan is?"

Saray chuckled. "I'm sorry Corvan. I do get ahead of myself at times. Tell her you are going home to find the scepter but once you return you won't be putting the medallion and reporting to the old man because we are going to come to her in person without the old man knowing. Jokten told me how the old man had cut a tunnel into the chamber. When I saw his blood on your face out in the garden, I knew for certain that he is there in the flesh. But if he can get inside, then so can we. We can use this medallion to rescue Kate from the chamber and restore her without having to give him the scepter."

"Then why don't we do that right now? Why do I need to go get the scepter and give it to Hiim?"

"We won't be giving it to him, but that doesn't mean we don't need to return it to the chamber to set Kate free. Kate is our first priority but afterwards, I believe you will need the scepter in its place so you can help save the Cor. That is why you returned to us in the first place." Retrieving a stubby knife from a hook on the wall, she began peeling the hairy green tuber.

Corvan walked back to the other room to sit next to Kate and hold her hand. It was warmer now, and he could feel her heartbeat through his fingertip on her wrist. For a long time, he just held her hand and watched her breathing.

He could follow along with Saray's plan but only as far as setting Kate free. After that he would give the scepter to Kael in return for his father's release, then the three of them would leave the Cor forever. Kael should defeat his grandfather and rule the Cor. Afterall, he was from the ruling family and best suited to be the Cor-Van.

As he thought of returning home with Kate, it struck him that people on the surface would no longer recognize her. She had changed a great deal since she had first come to the Cor and not only in her looks. She had a lot more confidence in herself. Down here, she could easily pass for one of Atiya's sister warriors, or even a princess like Tyreth.

Nodding to himself, he dug into his pocket and pulled out the band of gems. With all Kate had been through, she was the one who deserved to wear them. As he placed it on her head, his eyes fell on the tapestry at her shoulder and the hair on his arms stood up. The girl facing the tree also had a tiara in her hair and she looked a lot like Kate. He looked to the other side, but the boy's face was too faded to make it out.

Saray strode into the room and stopped abruptly at Kate's feet. She stared at the girl, opened her mouth to speak, then stopped herself. Shaking her head she moved to the far side of the table. Once seated, she traced a finger over the tiara and glanced quizzically at Corvan. Lifted a cup of a muddy brown fluid, she tipped it and let a few drops fall onto Kate's lips. The liquid seeped into Kate's mouth, but she didn't swallow. Saray repeated the process a few more times before they saw Kate's throat move ever so slightly.

"Kael had a clear liquid he called the Lifelight," Corvan whispered. "Would it help Kate?"

Saray's head jerked up so fast she sloshed a bit of fluid onto the table next to Kate. "Are you certain he called it that?"

"Yes. He used it to restore a Watcher that couldn't speak anymore."

Saray's eyes narrowed. "No wonder his grandfather is aging so poorly. Kael's father must have taken the last of the Lifelight from him, and without it his blood will eventually stop flowing. That is why his skin is turning black and crumbling off. Only his anger and bitterness are keeping him alive."

"Then the Lifelight could help Kate?" Corvan leaned forward resisting the urge to pull out the pouch. He wasn't ready to show it to anyone until he knew for certain how to make the best use of it.

"To live, yes, and to live for much longer than any person should. She would eventually become like him." Saray paused in thought. "I hope that is not what he has in mind for her. Surely he is not still trying to recapture his lost love through Kate."

"What do you mean?" Corvan asked.

Her brow crinkled. "Let's not speak of it here. Give no thought to the ramblings of an old woman." Saray gave Kate a few more drops of the brown liquid but it was not going down. "That is enough for now. It will keep her body strong and renew her spirit as well." She held out the cup. "Now you must drink the rest to prepare yourself for the task at hand."

Corvan took the cup and sniffed at it. The appearance was not that appetizing, but the fruity smell was vaguely familiar and not unpleasant.

"Drink it all," Saray urged. "And don't make any funny faces."

Corvan tipped his head back and gulped down the thick fluid. This one tasted more like a banana milkshake. He tipped the cup higher, waiting for the last bit to drip out, but Saray took it back from him. "I'm glad you like it. I'll make you some more."

Corvan tucked Kate's hand under the tapestry, drew it up under her chin, then followed Saray into the kitchen. She picked out a longer knife from the row of utensils hanging on the wall and handed it to him. "You can use this one to help me peel. Jokten made it for me, but the handle is too long. He said you can push more of the blade out with the button on the side, but that makes it even more unwieldy, so I never use it."

Corvan took the odd knife from her hand. The white tube-like handle had only the short point of a blade sticking out one end. He pressed the button and a narrow blade shot out all the way and locked into place, like a thin switchblade.

"I'm glad I never tried that," Saray exclaimed. "Watch yourself. The point is very sharp."

Corvan pressed the button again, then used the countertop to ease the blade back inside the handle most of the way. There was no way Jokten had created the knife for peeling fruit, it was a concealed weapon. It could easily pass for a key tube if you were searched. He looked closer and found a thin band of symbols running around the handle, about a finger's width from the end. He gave it a hard twist and it the end popped off in his hand. He laughed.

"What's so funny?" Saray asked.

Corvan held up the notched end that had been hidden under the cap. "Looks like Jokten hid the key to his secret passage in plain sight."

Saray shook her head. "I guess he wanted to have it close at hand in case we needed to leave in a hurry. What a smart man." Her smile faded. "I sure miss him." Her eyes welled up with tears and she went back to her work.

Corvan capped the key end, then used the short blade to awkwardly follow her example.

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Saray held out a thin slice of fruit. "Try this one. It's not quite as sweet.

Corvan popped the slice in his mouth and grimaced. It was more sour than a lemon.

Saray laughed. "That's the same funny face Jokten would make. I don't like them much either, but they are very good for you."

Corvan swallowed the fruit without chewing. "Why do things that are so good for us always taste so bad?"

Saray stopped peeling. "My Jokten said it's the hard things in life that develops our character. Those who choose only the sweet and easy things never become as strong as they were meant to be."

Corvan nodded. He was the one that was always willing to let his mom do the work around the house so he could sleep or play. "Jokten was a wise man." The words were tinged with his own remorse.

Saray pointed her paring knife at him. "Jokten was young once and he also made mistakes. I believe you will also become a great leader. He is your past-father and his blood flows in your veins."

"I still can't figure out all the family connections. What does past-father really mean?"

Saray laughed. "Oh, I am a silly old woman. I forget many things these days. I was so sure I had told you the last time you were here." She put a hand to her cheek. "No, that's right. I was going to tell you, but Jorad showed up and made you and Kate leave before I could finish." Putting her knife down she came around the table to take his hands in hers. "Jokten and I are the parents of your grandfather. We are the ones who sent him up to the surface to keep him safe from the old man in the chamber."

Corvan looked into her smiling face with a frown on his own. "So, you are my . . ."

"I am your great-grandmother." She let go of his hands and lifted hers in the air. "What do you think of that?"

Corvan grinned. "I think that is great."

Saray wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. When she let him go, her eyes were full of tears. "My son, Deyan, your grandfather, was just a baby when I had to let him go. Jokten would go to the surface to check on him from time to time, but I didn't see my boy grow up and it wasn't until he was a young man that I saw him again. That is why it has been so wonderful to have you come back. You look so much like Deyan, although I think you have your mother's eyes."

"You know my mother?"

Saray's eyes widened. "Oh, my. I was certain she would have told you."

Corvan shook his head.

Saray put her hands on his shoulders and spoke slowly. "Corvan - your mother is Kael's younger sister."

Corvan stared into Saray's face as goosebumps rose on his forearms. No wonder his mother was so tall and looked so much like the women in the library of Katay Alba. It also explained what Kael had been telling him about his mother. He found himself shaking his head for that would also make . . .

"Yes, my dear boy. It also means that you are the great-grandson of the old man in the chamber. That is why he is so certain he can manipulate you to do his will. He believes you have his same weaknesses, that you are as selfish as he, and will succumb to the same desire for power."

Corvan dropped his eyes. The reality was that he did have his great-grandfather's weakness, at least when it came to consuming the energy of the lumien seeds. Even now, the warmth on his chest where the pouch with Lifelight was hidden was proof positive that he would deceive others that he cared about to keep it for himself. He was considering following through on his intent and showing it to Saray when she spoke again.

"When the Great Destruction started, Jokten and I hid out here and that's when we discovered this cavern was on the edge of the Cor shield and there were cracks in the wall. Jokten was the one who found a way to the surface, but he realized we were far too old to acclimatize to your world. But we feared for our baby boy, and also that the three chamber items would be discovered so Jokten decided to take your grandfather, the hammer and scepter, to the surface to keep them safe from the old man in the chamber. Deyan grew up in a village of people who looked after him. In time he married the leader's daughter and that's when your father was born."

Saray studied Corvan's face. "Does that help you to understand your past and why you are so special to the Cor?"

Corvan could barely nod. There was so much to take in. "My Grandfather died shortly after I was born. What was he like?"

Saray returned to the counter and picked up her knife, blinking back tears. "I never would have let him go to the surface if your grandfather in the chamber was not seeking to kill both us and him. He was my only child and I loved him dearly, so I was grateful he was raised by such a wonderful family on the surface. It set his feet on the right path, and I was sure he would be the one to come back to defeat the old man and lead the Cor out of darkness. He was our only hope."

Saray resumed her chopping. "The old man from the chamber, your great grandfather, located my son through his spies, the creatures he brought into being by using the Lifelight, the ones we called the Watchers. As I understand it, his plan was to send Neera, his granddaughter and also your mother, to the surface to kill your father and bring the chamber items back. We will never know for sure what happened, but Neera ended up in Bandur on the day both her parents died. After that, she showed up briefly in Kadir, then vanished. It wasn't until much later we finally found she chose to stay on the surface and be your father's counterpart. That is why Jokten would say that you are born of both spheres."

"But the man in the chamber is so old. How can my mother be his granddaughter?"

"Your mother's family is descended from the first pureblood families of the Cor. Their lifelines are incredibly long, even without using lumien power to extend them, like your grandfather in the chamber has done. Your father, however, is not so fortunate, both because of his status in the Cor, his mother from the surface world, and also because your sun in the world up above took away so much of his young life."

"Kael said the blue liquid would restore my father."

"For your mother's sake, I hope it is true or she will live a long, lonely life after he is gone." Sadness filled Saray's eyes and she retreated back to the other side of the counter to pick up her knife.

"But if she is from the Cor, why doesn't the sun bother her? She loves being outdoors and never gets a suntan."

Saray looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face. "I am not sure why that would be." She pointed the blade of her knife to the ceiling. "It could be that the ruling families of the Cor had a prior connection to the surface that none of us know about."

Corvan stepped back to the counter and picked up his knife. "Kael believes my mother will come looking for my father."

"I would not be surprised. She loves him dearly."

Corvan held up the knife and uncapped the key. "Then I must go back home and stop her from coming down here."

Saray stopped peeling a fruit and looked at him through misty eyes. "You could try but you must remember that all the water that flows cannot drown love. Your mother may yet have to fight her own grandfather in order to save her counterpart's life."

Corvan clenched his jaw. "How can he even be related to her? The two of them are so different and he is so mean."

"When deep evil comes into a family, especially at its head, it forces everyone to make extremely hard choices. Thankfully his son stood up to the father and took Kael away. Later his sister Neera turned away from Him."

"Why do you always say, 'Him'? Doesn't the old man have a name?"

"He did but it was a special name. A name signifying someone who is both precious and greatly loved. None of us that know him now would ever use it again."

"What was it?"

"His real name was TaKalian."

Corvan's blood ran cold. "Kalian was a nickname my mother called me when I was younger. My grandfather had insisted on calling me Corvan, but she didn't like it and called me Kalian instead. Why would she name me after her grandfather?"

"It's not the same meaning. Your name means my only one and signifies that you are precious to someone in a personal way. Maybe that's how his name started out with his own mother, but then he decided to call himself Ta-Kalian because that variation means "the only one", the title of the powerful ruler he thought he would become."

Saray mumbled something to herself as she picked up a stubby tool to crush fruit pieces in a bowl. Neither of them spoke as she worked and when the mash was a uniform consistency, she poured it into a cup and handed it to him. "We have much to discuss, and there are many things I must teach you. For now, you must focus on the task at hand. Drink this up and then you should rest a bit before leaving for the surface. You can lie on the table beside Kate. It will give her some peace to feel you near."

Corvan drained the thick sweet liquid. "Thank you for telling me the truth. And also for all you have done to help Kate."

She took the cup from him. "I think it is I who must thank you, for you have brought honor back to our family and hope back to the Cor."

Corvan nodded and turned toward Kate with a heavy heart. Could the great-grandson of the horrible man in the chamber do anything good for these people? Especially one previously addicted to lumien seeds who was even now keeping the Lifelight a secret from those who cared about him the most?

He lay beside Kate and stared at the lumien overhead.

If there was any hope for the people of the Cor, they would have to look for it in someone else.

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