It was around midnight. Bathed in silver moonlight the forest took an uncanny look. A small dog was scuttling through the dense undergrowth of the forest. It stopped every now and then and sniffed the air, as if trying to find out a certain smell. Suddenly, it gave out a stifled cry and started to run forward, barking.

A group of men was coming through the forest path. Clad in green clothes and high leather boots they blended perfectly into their surrounding. As the dog ran towards them, they stopped and looked at it. One of them said, "Hey, Lucen, isn't it Kite? I think it had run away from the village some days ago!"

Lucen was the leader of the group. He was still in his twenties, but his stern, thoughtful features made him look older. He nodded slightly and went towards the dog. Kite rolled at his feet revealing his joy at meeting him. Then biting his clothes, he tried to drag him.

"He's trying to show us something. Let's follow him!" Lucen ordered his men. They followed Kite to the banks of the small stream in the valley where the smashed rocks still lay heaped.

"So this is where he wanted to drag us!" Lucen said to himself. 'Wonder who the victims could be!'

"Come, boys!" He shouted to his men. "Let's clear the debris and rescue those trapped under it."

The men took out several small sticks which looked like silver wands. They started to examine the rocky mounds with those sticks. Sometimes they would start to glow with an iridescent light and immediately the men would start to clear that mound so that they could rescue the man or animal trapped beneath it. They worked fast and within half an hour the six men and their horses were brought out of their rocky grave and laid on a grass bed already cleared by the side of the stream. They were all injured more or less, but none of the injuries were fatal. Lucen and his men treated the injured with liquids and ointments brought with them.

Lucen himself treated Juran. His brows were gathered together as he cleaned the wound on his head with a clear liquid and covered it with a stick green substance. One of his men drew near and said, "Isn't it Juran? What is he doing with these Cereb Guards?"

"That's something we'll know only after his consciousness returns. Keep a watch over him and call me as soon as he wakes up," he said and went to supervise the other injured people.

Some ten minutes later, Lucen was called back. Juran had woke up. He was not surprised to see Lucen as he had already recognized the Sarohans around him. Lucen was the most efficient leader of their hunting parties. So he kind of expected to see him as the leader there.
"Hello!" He said in a weak voice. "Thank you for rescuing us!"

"You should rather thank Kite!" Lucen said, smiling. "We were out hunting and we would come and see what had happened here only the next morning or after that. By that time you would all be dead!" He said in a casual tone.

Juran smiled. Lucen had always been blunt in his words and expressions. "Why you have put up such a defence system here? And why haven't I faced it when I came here before?" He asked.

"Well, you didn't come with a troop of Cereb Guards before!" Lucen said. "This mountain is a virtual one and it is part of a three dimensional defence system. You didn't see it before because you came as a merchant. But this time it is activated because of the people you brought. Cereb Guards are not welcome in our place."

 This was a new information to Juran. He had known that the Sarohans didn't want outsiders to visit their village, but he was not aware that they would go to such a length to prohibit the Cerebs from entering their place. 'So this must be the reason that many a Cereb expeditions had met a catastrophic end here!' He thought.

"What will you do with us now?" He asked. "We certainly want to know something from you and this is important for us all, or I wouldn't have brought them here," he said.

"What is it that you want to know?" Lucen asked.

"The forbidden ceremonies of the Demons," Juran said cautiously.

In an instant, Lucen's face became ashen. "You have brought these Cereb Guards here to enquire about the Forbidden Ceremonies? What are you even thinking Juran?" He asked, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Calm down, Lucen!" Juran said in a low voice. "We have reached a critical stage where the knowledge hidden till now has become the most important thing. If we are to save Anakra from falling into ruins, we need to arm ourselves with knowledge from the past, and without your help, nothing can be done."

 
"I'll take you all to the village," Lucen said after a moment of silence. "There we'll decide on what should be done with you all."

He stood up and went to have a look at Juran's injured companions. Juran, too, went with him. Astor was awake by then. Seeing Juran come with a stranger he sat up weakly.

"What did happen here?" He asked.

"There had been a huge landslide in that mountain." Juran lied with a straight face. "These are old friends from the village of Saroha. They were hunting nearby and found us here."

"What are we going to do now?"

"Excuse me, but I'm going to take you guys to our village. I've heard that you were going there anyway."

Astor glanced at Juran and then shook his head. "Yes, it'll be easier for us if you take us there," he said thoughtfully. "How are my people? Are they even alive?"

"Yes, they will be fine in an hour or so. Then we can all start together. Now, take some rest."

Casting a meaningful glance at Juran, Lucen stood up and started to walk up in the direction of the horses which were being tended by his men. Juran came from behind and walked side by side with him. There were still some questions in his mind which needed answers.

"Why did you come and help us?"

"Because of that dog of yours... what did that girl call him again? Well, I remember now! Kite! He brought us here, so I thought that it might be a friend buried here."

 'So it is actually a trained dog then! I was right in that.' Juran thought.

"Who is this girl that you are talking about?"

"Don't you remember? Its Shura." Lucen said. "She bonded with him when she was hiding there in our village. He ran away from the village some time ago. Tonight he came looking for us and brought us here."

Juran was taken aback. How could it be that Shura's dog came looking for him and watched over him? Could it be that his friends had also followed him there?

'If it is true then Ethan, too, is there with her. That'll make my work easier.' Juran thought and smiled to himself.
In the next hour all the injured men and animals had recovered quite well and they started their journey to the village hidden in the forest.