Violante stared in shock and almost horror. Tulzir howled with rage as he and Krayan began to search for any clue of the attackers. Snapping out of her daze, Violante dropped to her knees to check for vital signs. There were none. The way Tulzir had reacted, she was hesitant to tell them.
She sighed and folded Harec's hands over her chest. Something sparkled on the finger of her left hand. Curious, Violante leaned in closer. It was a ring, gold and set with what looked like emeralds and diamonds. Glancing at Tulzir and Krayan, she slowly slipped it off. A strange light flickered around it and went out. She slid it onto her finger and reeled slightly with what she saw.
It was Harec, looking into a ball of light around the ring as she and Violante searched for a campsite. In the light it showed Harec's death. Violante realized with a start and a tightening in her chest that Harec had made her go back to Tulzir and Krayan alone so that she would not die. A tear formed in the corner of her eye, but she fought it back. Pulling off the ring and slipping it into an inner pocket of her tunic, she went over to Krayan. "She's dead."
Krayan's face was grim. "I figured she would be." He sighed. Violante knew he also dreaded having to tell Tulzir. "I guess I'll tell him tonight," he said, gesturing to Tulzir, who was still half-heartedly beating the bush. "Well, we're not staying here, so help me deal with Harec and pack up the stuff."

Tulzir took it surprisingly well, to Violante's, and no doubt Krayan's relief. He was just very quiet over the next several days. Violante took the opportunity to ask Krayan a couple questions of her own.
"When I came back to tell you about the campsite we found, I heard you and Tulzir talking like old friends, but he's only been here as long as I have. What's up with that?"
"Tulzir is what we call a floating agent. He hangs around a certain area, observing the people there in case a talented one that will suit our purposes arises. When one does, he wins their trust as a friend, and brings them back to Delse by promising them a better life than you've already got. When they're trained by him, he usually takes them on a quest, and if they survive that, they get placed in his own special squad. Then he leaves them to practice with each other and returns to his post, returning about once every two months, unless of course, there is a new recruit." Krayan replied. Then he fell into an almost chilly silence, as if to say, 'I've used up just about all my words for today.'
"I'm assuming what Tulzir didn't count on was falling in love with this particular recruit?"
Krayan gave a short nod and sped up, basically saying that the conversation was over. (Author's note: Quack, quack.)
Violante mused over the last few happenings, and then pulled out the ring after making sure neither Krayan or Tulzir was paying attention to her. They weren't, of course, so she put it on, bracing herself for the things it would bring. It brought a ball of light, swirling around the ring and enticing her to look deep into it.
What she saw puzzled her. It was herself, kneeling before a translucent blue mist. In front of her was Krayan, and she was weeping over him as the mist crept up, slowly pulling him apart. She seemed to be saying something, but could not figure out what. Then the great gold dragon, Periculus his name, landed beside her. He, too, said something, before gently picking her up and taking her to a lofty cliff side into which a cave was worn. The view changed to inside the cave, where she lay, but as she leaned in more closely to decipher detail, the light faded and vanished. As it did, Violante thought she saw a second human, a male, next to her.
She thought of telling Krayan, but she could hear him already: 'You're crazy, Violante.'
She took off the ring, sighing a little as she tucked it away. It was all too puzzling for her liking. The only reason she didn't get rid of the ring immediately was because it might be useful later. And it was pretty. It could fetch a good price if she found a place and time to sell it. Shaking these thoughts out of her mind for the moment, she came back to reality in time to hear Krayan calling her. She sped up slightly to catch up to him, as the remainders of the thoughts dissipated.