Author's note: Andrea! Good to hear from you. We should totally start a 'Birthday in late December or early January' group. Did you get anything good? (I'm totally hinting for someone to ask me if I got anything good. I did, but I don't want to just bring it up.) This ends kind of abruptly; next interlude's coming up in a couple weeks.

Parting Ways

"You really shouldn't."

The voice startled Merrick, and he spun to see Thariin standing some distance behind him. She was staring past him at the old city, and there was something very odd in her gaze.

"What are you doing here?" he asked harshly.

"I came to see if I could help you evacuate. Why aren't you evacuating?"

"The fights haven't gone near the city yet."

"That's about to change." She refocused on him. "Are you actually going after the mask?"

"I need it. It's the only thing with enough power to defeat Master Org…unless you're going to fight."

She shook her head. "Can't. He's not attacking me, only you." She looked at the city again. "I can feel it from here, Merrick. Please, don't take it up."

"I have to. Will you help the people in the city?"

"Yes." She caught his arm as he turned away. "Be careful, Merrick. He's very close."

"Who?" He caught her arm, turning her bodily to look at him. "Who's very close?"

"Master…the leader. Him."

"How can you tell?"

She studied him for a long moment, then she caught his wrist. Merrick blinked

falling

and when he looked around again his vision was different. Thariin stood beside him still, but even she looked different.

"What is this?" Merrick demanded.

"Your world as I see it. Look, Merrick. See the red places? Those are healthy, where the battle hasn't been. Yellow is where the fights took place, where things are hurt and dead and dying. Do you see purple patches?"

"Yes." Merrick murmured. The purple patches formed a path, almost, heading towards the city.

"That's where he's been. Things die around him, Merrick, that's why I can't fight him. I can't concentrate with so much death. And even if I buried him he wouldn't stay down. Look, see how close he is to the city."

"Then I have to get the mask." He hesitated, looking back at her. "Go to Reeva; she'll start the evacuating. Take care of them." Thariin let go of his arm; the odd colors and lights faded, and his vision returned to normal.

"I will. Be careful, Merrick. The mask will swallow you."

"I know. I have to." Thariin turned without another word and headed for the city, leaving Merrick to enter the ruins in search of the mask.

["Less than half the people in the city made it out, in the end. None of them remembered seeing Thariin."

"So you thought she'd…what? Gone away without helping?"

"She wasn't anywhere. Zen-Aku would have known if she was around…and the Warriors hadn't seen her either. So yes, I thought she'd gone without helping."

"That was why you were angry with her." Cole murmured.

"Yes. Because she let my people fall."

"Did she?" Cole asked. Merrick blinked.

"I don't know. I haven't asked her."

"Maybe you should."

Cole rose to his feet and left the yard, leaving the Wolf Ranger behind.