– Your tea, please. You can drink it.

– Right away? Shouldn't it be allowed to brew?

– No, no need. This is not a simple tea, but a magic one. Just drink carefully, – he interrupted the girl, who was beginning to raise the cup to her lips – it's still very hot. Oks smiled strangely. Alice blew on the surface of the water in a mug. The pleasant smell of unknown herbs immediately pleased her and she took a few small sips. And despite the fact she always drank tea with sugar, it seemed to her just amazing taste even without it. After the next two or three sips, Alice even didn`t notice that she fell asleep right at the table.

Ikru ran as fast as she could. The shocked residents of the forest kingdom, whom she passed like a gust of wind, had never seen her so worried. If the usual walking distance from her home to the castle of the lord of the forest kingdom Tonnord, took about fifteen minutes, she covered that distance in less than five.

Shortly she was detected by the watchers from the towers. The head of the guard, and her good friend Nill, immediately mentally contacted her.

– Ikru, what's wrong?

– Nill, open the gate quickly, I need to see Tonnord! It's urgent!

– He won't be able to see you right now. He has a meeting with Bronton.

– The fate of our world depends on this information!!! Open it quickly, before I blow them to hell!

Nill didn't answer, but when she was almost at the gate, Ikru saw the doors open. Quickly passing through a small glade, she was running up the narrow spiral staircase that skirted the Great Oak of the forest kingdom. The conference room was located just below the throne room. Here Tonnord always welcomed high-ranking guests from other kingdoms, with whom the elves have keeping friendly relations. The large room, with a beautifully carved table and chairs in the center, was decorated with tapestries of the deceased lords of the forest kingdom. Almost all of them died in battles, which came like a wave in the country, after the capture of Arakel. The calm and measured conversation between Tonnord and the dwarf king Bronton, was interrupted by the sudden crash of the door, which is almost flew off from the hinges.

– Lord Tonnord, I beg you, listen to me in the name of the Creator! – The elf exclaimed, and fell to her knees right in front of the entrance.

Tall and strong elf, in shining armor of the best Elven craftsmanship, got up from the table and unhurriedly went to the Ikru, saying:

– Stand up, my dear. The elves don't fall to the knees before their fellows, especially since you are the Seer of our kingdom. And if you came here with such a ruckus, it means you have something to tell us.

– The Keeper… Appeared… in our world… – she gasped.

Tonnord and Bronton eyes become widened. The Elven Lord continued:

– Please have a seat at the table my dear and tell me and king Bronton what exactly you saw. Did you see Lisa in your visions?

– No, my Lord. Lisa is dead – Ikru said, and after a short pause she continued – Her granddaughter, Alice, is now a guardian. She was at the sleeping Ont. I saw the box with the wings in her hands.

– Really? What a unfortunate turn of events. Where is she now?

– The visions showed me her in Izemburn. She was with Oks.

– With Oks? This is very strange. I saw him a couple of days ago. He said he was going to King Grifgerd in the Preeosted, and then go back to his forest. In our area there are no secret trails like in Izemburn, he couldn`t make this journey so quickly.

– Maybe it wasn't Oks – Bronton supposed.

– Maybe. But I really hope it was he but not someone else. Anyway, it's all very strange and there's no point for guessing. We don't have enough information. We need to find out where is he now.

Tonnord closed his eyes and mentally connected with the commander-in-chief of the entire Elven garrison:

“Tagrin, are you hear me?”

“Yes, Tonnord.”

“Tagrin, we need to know where is Oks now. Send three of our trackers. One to the Preeosted. One to the Izemburn. One to the Gragos. As soon as you will know something, let me know."

“Yes, my Lord.”

Tonnord continued aloud:

– I've sent three of our trackers. To the Preeosted, to the Izemburn and in your kingdom Bronton, into the Gragos. In case if Oks suddenly decided to visit the mountain people. But I know for sure he wasn't going to. He had an important conversation with king Grifgerd. Ikru, – he said to the seer – please stay in the castle. Take the best room as you want. Try to see all of the Alice's movements and all of the news please report back to me right away. Go now Ikru.

– Yes, my Lord – said Ikru, and left.

– What are you thinking about, Bronton?

– That fact the guardian and the key have returned to our world is certainly good. But I wouldn't want to waste my time with a hope, which can fade as quickly as appeared. The girl, even she granddaughter of the previous guardian, does not know how to use her power. And now she's an easy target. If she won`t be protected in time, the key might be in the hands of the swamp trolls. And then will fall into the hands of black magicians… and everything we have fought for, for so many years will turn to dust! And our world will be plunged into the darkness forever.

– Don't think so negative, Bronton. So far, only three people know about it – you, me, and Ikru. Perhaps I needn't worry, and Oks actually met the guardian so quickly. Then he will bring her to Afleeakwein, because only here we will be able to teach her the magic of a keeper.

Alice woke up because of terrible cold piercing her bones. When she opened her eyes, she expected to see herself at the table and a nice old man somewhere nearby, but the reality was completely different. She was sitting alone, on a wet rotten stump, her hands was on the small tree trunk, which was broken at the base. It was deep at the night. The wonderful warm weather suddenly changed to terrible cold of the deep night with a bone-chilling north wind. It was look like no house and old man had ever been in this place. Strange noises came from all directions. Crackles, groans, howls. Alice was afraid. And even before the thought had come to mind, her hands were already convulsively searching her pockets. “The box! Oh, my God, where is it?” After searching herself from head to toe, she realized the box was missing. Then she fell to her knees and started look for it on the ground, trying to find the box in the darkness of a cold night. But soon, after replaying all the recent events in her head and realizing what had happened, Alice sat down under the tree hugged her knees with her hands and began to cry bitterly.

– Oh, what a bastard you are… damn little thief… d-d-drugged me and robbed me… Oh, my God! – She sobbed – Grandmother, forgive me for being a fool… I failed you… If you can hear me, I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…

Perhaps Alice would have sit here all night, grieving and blaming herself for everything, but after a while she began to hear more and more clearly the crunching of dry branches and someone's unkind growl. Whatever it was, or whoever it was, she didn't want to meet him. Alice looked out from the tree. A few pairs of small points of light were a little way away from her. “Wolves!” – The first thought flashed – Are they going to eat me? No way, bastards! Ok, so catch me up first. I'll run until I die! And if I`ll live, I'll find that damned grandfather and strangle him with my own hands! – whispered Alice, and ran as fast as she could. She could barely to see the trunks of the trees in the pitch-blackness, and almost at the last moment she was run around them. She knew if she face into something, tripped and fell down, it will be her last race. The chase was right behind her. Alice knew that she would not be able to run indefinitely in this pace and shortly will run out of breath. The thought flashed in her mind, “What if I climb up some tree, climb higher”, but almost immediately she dismissed it, because in such darkness it would take a lot of time to find a tree like that, and she didn`t have even five seconds.