The Adlet Crisis made international news with the Scald Crow and it's the crew at the center of it all. Not that any of the crew noticed. They were too busy trying to find the last few curators of the Codex Gigas, a book that possessed spells and instructions to create enhanced golems. Theria requested information from the museums that housed the book and the companion stone for it.       Theria was about to open the file when the computer flashed, “Incoming transmission, Queen Elphame, accept the call?”      Theria pressed the enter key and Elphames youthful face appeared on the screen, “Where is the rest of the crew?”      “Upfront avoiding research,” Theria stated in a flat tone. &nbs

     There are no words to describe the worry of a parent when they've lost a child. It doesn't matter how quickly the child is found. Terror holds the parent in its vise-like grip until the crisis has passed. Warren and Herne feel much the same way about their missing companions. Warren a little more, because not only is Theria his companion, but also his anchor. His mind raced through all the scenarios where the eidolon took over and his humanity was lost forever.       Herne seemed to sense this and put his hand on Warrens's shoulder, “Don't dwell on what could happen. It paves the way to madness.” His deep voice was gentle and fatherly.      “How come you are so much gentler than Jack and Grace? I thought snipers had to stow their emotions.”  

    Warren awoke to a face full of dirt, pine needles, moss, and rotting leaves. He coughed and spat the vile taste from his mouth, and the stomach had a hand on the eject button. Warren fought to control the reflex. It took a few moments to clear the cobwebs from his mind.     The sounds of the forest filled his ears with its music, and the warm rays of the sun told Warren it was morning. “Herne? Are you there?” He did the mad scramble to his feet and looked around, “What the hell happened?”     The previous evening drifted back to him and the parts he couldn't remember were filled in by Archon. The eidolon appeared before him in its majestic griffon form and ruffled the great wings. “Yeah, I'm worried too...” He trailed off and remembered the spade hood reaching for the moon. Herne was nowher

  Warren helped Theria to the built-in cot built into the wall of the Scald Crow, "How are you doing?" He asked with a voice filled with concern. She almost seemed to slide from his arms onto the hard sleeping surface. "The spade hood drew my power from me and stored it in the stone. I could feel the sickness beneath the glassy surface. I don't think the spade hood wants to let the witch out. I think it wants to go home. However, the more energy it feeds the stone, the stronger the witch gets. I don't think it even realizes what it's doing," Theria smiled and kissed him, "I forgot to say thanks for the rescue." Her hand caressed his face, and he leaned into it. The sensation felt like home when he had one.     "We'll get to the bottom of this. Get some rest, Archon, and I will do everything in our power to keep you safe," He pressed his face against hers and she tried to pull him on the cot with her. It groaned in protest. "Sorry, I d

   The most rewarding part of patience is when it pays off. Warren discovered this while he waited for the spade hood to return to the agate-like witch stone. He and his newly found mentor, Herne, still hadn't divined why the moon Seelie needed the relic. It floated back and forth in front of stone hands clasped behind its back. Every so often it would stop and touch the amorphous shadow wandering the surface.        "It has no idea the witch is trapped in there," Herne shook his head sadly. "The creature is on a one-way trip to an early grave."       "Lets try to capture it. I'm sure the crew can come up with a way to protect us from the shriek," Warren suggested. Archon agreed with him in his mind, "The eidolon likes the idea too."        "I don't have an issue with the idea, its how w