But first, you and I must come to an agreement. For all you know, I am an agent of the Empire." I swallowed hard at the thought of all that water swirling around me, sucking the life out of the planet's tiny life-forms. I couldn't imagine the Earth Empire leaving the seas all pristine, but I supposed it had a better reason for its actions than I did. And if they weren't trying to wipe out the oceans, it was possible that their presence in the seas could protect me from dangerous creatures. What I really didn't want to contemplate was that, without my knowing it, they could have forced me into a submersible to follow them. They might have been watching us the whole time. "Then you must be a soldier?" "No. I was a soldier." "Why did you resign?" He looked at me and smiled. "I was captured. Taken into the deep waters." "And the rest?" "They found a cure for me, though it wasn't a cure I was willing to accept. I returned to my country and was thrown out of my office. I have since lived among the natives, helping them as best I could and avoiding detection." "How have you been able to keep your true form a secret? When they found me, they discovered that I am not human." He laughed. "You cannot help being a girl. You had no clue that the surface dwellers are sensitive to our gender?" I nodded, not really having considered that. "It is what draws the males. They are drawn to human females. I have heard the stories, I believe, from my human colleagues. But they seem particularly drawn to you." He smiled. "So what are you suggesting?" I asked. "I would suggest you make a deal with me. You give me what I want and I give you what you want." He must have seen the look of puzzlement on my face, for he clarified. "I want a chance to convince you that I know what I'm doing. With the natives here, it will not be easy to achieve. The female, they are highly sensitive to mood changes. If you were to become depressed or angry, the natives would know. Not from you but from your energy. "As for me, I would like you to get your message to the Empire. If you leave now, they may miss your transmission and go away." "Why would they do that?" "Because of the radiation, not to mention the fact that you are now in the center of a large, vibrant colony of people whose existence and future has been changed forever. I think if I were in your position, I would flee as well." I nodded. "Then what is the best route for me to take?" He glanced at a map on a nearby wall, then pointed to a passageway. "This is the longest distance from here to the nearest point where we might be safe. A ship out there might see us. This way, though, no one will. Once you get there, though, you'll have to make the trek on foot. This passage goes through a cave. We are almost certain no one is down there. That is the least populated part of the country." He led me out of the cave and down a narrow passage that appeared to be little used. I wasn't sure, though. The walls of the passage were clean, as if the area was well tended, not lived in. I wondered if the whole area was deserted. We moved away from the path and into the brush along the sides of the tunnel. A trail could be made by us if needed, he explained. We could make our way by the cover of the bushes along the sides of the passage. By the time we arrived, I was completely used to the sensation of walking on solid ground. No longer did I wonder where my feet were. I felt normal, as if nothing had changed. Except that I didn't have a sword in my hand. The woods were a forest with no path to speak of. The floor was a mix of sand and soil, with a clear covering of stones or pebbles over the top. I heard the sound of frogs and crickets in the distance. I wondered what direction they were coming from. I wasn't sure that it was safe for me to go to ground, for there could be snakes or spiders waiting to catch a girl on her way home. I would have to use my weapon to protect myself from them. "Are you tired?" I looked up to see the old man looking at me. He smiled, then pointed at the ground. "I see you have your weapons." I lifted my leg, showing him the knife strapped to my ankle. I hadn't dared to take it off. I did have the one sheathed in the small pack on my back. I wasn't happy about carrying two, but I had gone through enough practice to know that I couldn't always rely on my blades to save me. Plus, it did become easier to move quickly when I didn't have to worry about drawing a weapon. "Come with me," he said. "We can talk." "Are you afraid I'll run away?" I asked. He looked at me and laughed. "A girl like you? Never." I looked around. "How do you know?" "Because if you were to, then I would find out. I am very good at my job, you know." His reply made me smile. If I was so good at my job, how was it that I hadn't found them already? Did he have a special task for me, perhaps one that had not been covered in my initial briefing with Loki? He didn't say anything about this to me, and I didn't ask. Perhaps the answers would be forthcoming when we were closer to where I had to go. We moved through the woods, carefully negotiating the terrain. He could move quietly enough that no one would know he was nearby, yet would be so close that I could not run without being heard. He could have taken me directly to the cave, but that would have been stupid. A place like that would have traps. A young girl like myself, someone could easily snare her for sport. We came to an area that was thick with underbrush, but not too many bushes. It was the perfect place to grow food, but few would want to go through that area for fear of spiders and snakes. I looked around. The bushes were tall, and there were too many of them for me to attempt to cut my way through the wood with a blade. I wasn't used to the feel of a sword without one of the crystals, but I didn't have to worry. There would be time enough to get used to it when I was on my own. We made our way over the top of the bushes and down into the hollow. It was a fairly shallow cave. There were no stalactites or any other protrusions that would make it difficult to move about. A large stream ran near the opening. Water ran over a natural bridge that would support a small village. Several trees grew next to the stream. I looked at the trees and wondered what had happened to them. I didn't think that they had simply died. They would have left some sign. But maybe the forest grew over the fallen tree trunks. We found a place that was free of large rocks. They were under a carpet of leaves and twigs that had fallen from the trees above. The ground was soft enough that we didn't sink in very far. I wasn't sure if we were going to be allowed to spend the night there. Perhaps this had been a cave the natives used to come to for the summer. The cave was large enough that we wouldn't have to be touching if we decided to rest. We settled on the ground, leaning against the side wall. He looked at me. "There are two paths to your destination. One is to the north and one to the south. Both will lead to the same place, which is a large cave in a natural cavern that we use as our headquarters. The natives will be asleep there. It is far from here, and no one will hear your message or interrupt your delivery." I lifted my hands. "I don't have a way to get a message to them. I will not know if they have left or if they are returning." He gave me a smile. "I know that you will be able to send them a message once you reach the cave. I do not know if they will reply or not." "And then what?" "Then we wait. The natives are a peaceful lot. It will be a few days before they come. With the weather so warm, they are probably spending a great deal of time outside. That is why it would be best if you leave as soon as you can." I didn't say anything. There wasn't anything more to say, really. He was telling me what he thought was best. "All right," he said. "If it makes you feel better, I will tell you more about how it works." I shrugged. I didn't want to share the information, but I supposed it didn't matter. "The people who come to this world are not from the Empire.