"So what do we do now?" Kataryna asked, pacing across the room. "We messed that one up mightily." She paused. "I messed that one up mightily... my intervention changed what happened, but I didn't stop it."
Titus nodded, "it is hard to alter destiny, but not impossible. Your goal must be to gather the seven and destroy the Nocturne. Do you realise that you are their leader?"
She started, "I am? Why? I'm no leader! I'm just a foolish girl who took her own life."
"I must confess," Titus grinned toothily, "it did surprise me rather when Anubis laid his paw upon you and granted you the blessing. You're not exactly fighter material. Still, I'm sure Elysia has her reasons in choosing you."
"Obviously," Katarnya did not know whether to be flattered or offended. "So how are we to go about finding the others? Ask the mirror?"
"The mirror won't help. No, for this we need the Book."
"The book?"
Titus nodded, "the Book." He padded over to the enormous bookshelf carved into the flesh of the tree. Only about four books sat upon it, the rest of it was covered in a miscellaneous array of cardboard boxes, empty jars, magazines and for no discernible reason, a very forlorn looking sandwich. From the shelf he reverently drew the thinnest and most battered book of all. It had once been covered in hide, but the skin was now torn and ragged and discoloured. The pages seemed to hang loose and a stain adorned one corner. He blew on it and a cloud of dust arose, making the winged Lemur cough.
"That's the book?" She asked incredulously.
"That it is," Titus replied, "what, you expected it to look in better condition?"
"A little."
He chuckled at a joke she could not understand and opened it. Beneath his fingers the letters crawled spider like across the page, forming words, their movements were quick, embarrassed, as though they had been misbehaving.
"The next one we must find sounds interesting," he said after a moment. Kataryna craned over his shoulder but the "words" were just random scribblings.
"What does it say?"
"... Save the fallen from herself..." he read, "before the darkness consumes her soul."
"The book is written in riddles? If Elysia's hand is controlling us, why can't they give us the information in plain Furrish? Do we really have time to translate word games?"
"The Gods play by their own rules," Titus replied. "Look, its perfectly simple, we have to save someone whose about to fall in the worst possible way."
"Great," Kataryna muttered, "and how many people could that be, do you think? Half of Eriwyn?"