"Go, then," I insisted. "Flee this place whilst thou can. Warn the Great Council of Britannia's peril."

Sutek released a heavy sigh. "I am afraid it may be too late by then. Two meetings of the Great Council have come to pass since we arrived here. Who knows what decisions have been made about the Underworld."

"Then thou must find a way to stop these wraiths," I said. For the first time since I had returned to the Ararat, I managed a smile. "Thou once told me only a fool seeks to avoid his destiny. Remember what the stars have told thee, Sutek. Isolate thyself. Hide, if thou must, but thou must never be found until thou hast found a means to destroy this evil."

We walked to the shore where he boarded the skiff. He guided the craft across the waves, darkness slowly enfolding him like a black mist.

At first I thought he had cast a spell, then I realized the pale glow emanated from above. Quickly, I looked up, and once again, I was blessed with a familiar, starlit sky. Trammel hung low on the horizon, silhouetting the mage and his boat.

"Remember thy destiny as well, Captain Johne," Sutek called. "And remember: 'Tis the wise man who seeks his destiny, but 'Tis the wiser man who seeks to change it."

As he spoke, the heavens ignited. Three brilliant orbs, comets, arched across the stars, leaving fiery trails in their wake. Gradually, they and the moon and the stars dimmed. The mage and his boat faded from my sight, lost to the perpetual night of the Underworld, as did my last vision of Britannia's sky.

* * *

11/26/137

A fear swells over Britannia, though none can say why. Some folk speak frightfully of nightmares and of wraiths called Shadowlords who haunt their dreams.

I am aware that Lord British, his Royal Scribe, and six knights will venture forth into the Underworld when the sun rises.

I am aware of the Shadowlords' plans.

I hope Sutek is well and has discovered a way to vanquish them.

I hope.

"The wraiths came this morning. There were three of them. They walked through the stone. Their blackness was deeper than the shadows from which they emerged. . . They took our lord with them. I was powerless to stop them. I am afraid we all are."

THE END