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the old woman, becoming impatient. “Fine. Remain silent, you old bitch. At your age, the village shall soon be rid of you anyways.”
    Alrad shook his head and walked past Eva, bumping her for pure malice.
    Eva chuckled a bit at that. “No, I shall be rid of this village soon enough…” she said, her words trailing off into laughter.
    Alrad stopped in his tracks, glaring back at her.  Eva laughed at Alrad’s stare.  He spat upon the ground. “Senile old wench…” he muttered before continuing on.
    Eva approached the healer’s hut and took note of the healer’s absence. “I think I’ll pay Ebon a visit,” she thought.
    Eva entered the hut and saw Ebon lying upon a simple straw bed.  His head and eye were wrapped in blood-stained cloth bandages.
    Eva stared at the boy, an expression of anger overtaking her face. “You are a vile excuse of a young man,” she said hatefully.  She slowly shook her head. “Terrorizing young Lian at every chance.  You, like many in this wretched village, deserve the vile and horrible fate that awaits you…”  Eva’s words trailed off as she turned to leave the hut.  Then she stopped and looked back to Ebon. “But after all these years, maybe there is an ounce of compassion left in me.” Eva turned and approached Ebon. She touched her wrinkled fingers to Ebon’s head. “Elintae take you, child,” she said softly.
    Ebon’s chest rose as he took in a gasp of air.  As he released it, the life within his body flowed out with it, leaving the pale color of death’s embrace on his once ruddy cheeks.
    Eva removed her fingers from the now lifeless Ebon. “Now, I must return home while I still can,” she said to herself.
    The sun was beginning to set upon the western peaks of the Telindell Mountains as Eva came upon her home.
    The old woman turned and looked upon the rest of the village. “It would do no good to warn them,” she thought. “Even if they did flee the valley, Shana’s Pass would have them devoured alive.”
    Eva entered her home and approached the chest that had held Lyssa’s ribbon.  Upon opening, it she peered at an old sack, moth-eaten and worn.  Eva grabbed the sack and removed it from the chest, dust clouding the air from the disturbance.  Eva took the sack into the main room of her home.  She sat on the rickety old floor, laying her staff next to her and removed a series of candles from the bag.  Eva positioned the candles into a small circle directly in front of her.  She reached into the pocket of her worn old robe and removed a handful of powder, placing it within the center of the circle.  Eva clenched her fist, holding it directly above the powder.  Her fingers loosened as her hand opened.  A small breeze filled the room, stirring her long silver hair slightly.  Green light engulfed the circle of candles. As the light began to fade, a green flame burning on each candle, thick and slow moving smoke began to rise from the powder.  The smoke clouded the room before forming a ring above the candles.
    Eva’s eyes widened at the hollow ring. “Only a ring,” she whispered.  “It’s not full, the seal is nearly gone--” The ring began to quickly expand, interrupting her thoughts.  The ring retracted and vanished, extinguishing the candles.  Eva closed her eyes and slowly lowered her head. “So… it begins.”
    Waves of the Eternal Sea crashed down upon the sandy beaches at the eastern edge of the valley.  A flash of red light shot from the sea into the sky. The few clouds lingering in the sky quickly dispersed.  Waves ceased as the sea calmed to a state of eerie stillness.  Then, the water began to swirl, forming a whirlpool.  Bolts of red lightning shot up from the watery vortex.  The water parted, forming a path from the shore to the whirlpool.  The whirlpool dissipated to reveal two towering stone monoliths.  Walls of water along the sea bed path bubbled violently.  A shimmer of red light appeared between the