A Question of Time			
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     Having finished his lengthy tale, Dahlarin leaned back to judge 
Gernodt's reaction, when suddenly a thought struck him. 
 
     "Qelrik's falcon.  When did you say you killed it?..." 

This sudden question rudely interrupted Gernodt who had divided his 
attention between listening and thinking about the strange tale.
"Well, umm... You want to know when I shot the falcon ? Ah... oh,
by the way, you were right - it was quite dark, yet not entirely 
unattractive at that..." 

"Okay, let's see.  Today is the 12.4.846 Imperial Age of Scipot, as time
is measured where I come from.  The hunt where I shot his falcon
should have taken place in the year of 838, 8 years ago...

"By a strange chance, on this year I was also on the continent of
Ansalon - the same mishap which altered my form to my current size
also threw me through dimensions to this planet.  After wandering for a
while, I joined the Que-Shu tribe - perhaps you've heard of them.  They
accepted me, I think, for my fighting prowess as well as my size...
The day I went on the hunt should have been during the sixth month...
I think it was the 23.,... no,that's impossible.  On the 23. there was
the pitched battle against the hill giant.  Hmmm.... We took three days
to reach the giant's lair, and I started exactly a week after the hunt..
So, the date must have been the 13. of that month ! But, tell me, why
is this date so important to you ?"

Dahlarin sat there, dumbfounded. Seeing that Gernodt was looking at him
in a strange way, a mixture of curiosity and impatience, he made haste
to reply.
"Well, it was on the same day that I fought with Qelrik...  Now I know
why he didn't finish the fight by slaying me when I was helpless beneath 
the building...  It must have been at just that moment that you shot his 
falcon, and the backlash of this death must have hit him quite badly.
I can imagine that he was too exhausted to continue, and may even have 
beaten a hasty retreat back to his tower, to nurse his wounds.  Had he 
been a less powerful mage, this deed of yours could well have killed him 
outright, but even for someone of his power, it must have been devastating.
Now you can perhaps understand his undying hatred for you -- not only did
you slay his beloved familiar, you also took away his first and hopefully
only chance to slay me.  No wonder that he hates you so much..."

At last, the events of the last years began to make some sense to Gernodt.
Seemingly lost in thought, he let his gaze sweep the room. While doing so, 
he noticed, out of his eye, that a woman sitting in the corner seemed to 
be looking at them intensely. 'Well, we should invite her to join us, I 
think - she is surely interested in us, be that positive or negative.'

Reaching this decision, he again turned his gaze unto Dahlarin.
"One other thing", he said in a low voice, inclining his head in her
general direction.  "I noticed that the woman sitting over there seems to 
be watching us.  She surely seems interested in our tale, so perhaps she'd 
like to join us.  What do you think - should we invite her to join us ?"

"I have no objections, but that decision is best left to her...", Dahlarin
said.  

Finn saw with surprise and a twinge of dismay that the two men _had_ noticed 
that she was observing them.  Another quick, and not so covert, Sight scan 
told her that they were planning on confronting Qelrik. Would she join their 
group?

She thought about that one.  Did they know what they were getting into?  She 
hoped not; she'd suffered through the effects of such knowledge before.  But 
then again, Finn knew that she would be able to help.  A tower presented no 
great difficulty to her.  She felt torn.  On one hand, her nature was 
solitary, but her character was innately helpful.

"By the Light, I hope I know what I'm doing," Finn muttered to herself, 
sparing another habitual glance at the windows.  Darkness still reigned 
outside.

Leaving the full cup of tea, Finn strode over to the table, executing a 
small, self conscious bow before the two men.

"I am known as Finn.  I couldn't help but hear the plight of you two," 
she began, "and  if you will allow it, I would like to aid you in any way 
I can."

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Next Time:
Finn reveals her nature...
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