The alien looked him over and asked suspiciously, "Who are you?"

Rina stepped forward. "Do you have to ask, cousin? It's the royal four. Uncle Larek has been worried about you and asked for their help. Please return home. Give up your quest."

"I can't, Serena. The granilith is the only thing standing between me and Khivar's wrath. I can't go home without it."

"Yeah, well, we're not going to let you have it, so you had better come up with a better plan." Zelwyn looked at Michael, clearly wanting to say something to him, but he held his tongue.

Max stepped forward. "Zelwyn, your uncle is afraid of what can happen to the rest of the planets in the system if you return to Basock with the granilith. It'll be a bloodbath. Will you be able to hold it all by yourself? Can you hide it from your enemies? Khivar isn't the only one to fear, and I know you know it. Sooner or later, it'll be the death of you and everyone you love. You must see that this is a foolish quest you've set for yourself."

"Your majesty, I'm sorry, but I have no choice. Khivar... You know what he's capable of. He is terrible. A cruel leader who thinks nothing of harsh punishments for small offenses. My life is worth next to nothing to him."

"What about your uncle's life? Rina's life? Are they next to nothing to you? You're putting them in danger with your actions. Sometimes, you have to put the safety and welfare of others before your own."

"So, you want me to go sacrifice myself to Khivar?"

"No. I think you should go to your Uncle. Let him help you. Both of you are in this together. Between the two of you, I'm certain you can come up with a solution that will keep both of you alive. If not, then find a safe haven and live there in peace."

"Run away?"

"Why not? Isn't that what you're doing now?" Rina asked. "If you spend the rest of your life living in fear of Khivar, then are you really living?"

"She's right," Isabel agreed.

"My time here is almost over," Rina stated to Max. Giving it one last try, she turned to her cousin, "Please Zelwyn. Tell me that you will join Uncle Larek and me as soon as you return. Tell me that you're giving up your search."

"I can't, cousin. Without the granilith, I have nothing to bargain with. What can I use to get Khivar to listen to me?"

Zelwyn's attention shifted suddenly. He was looking over Max's shoulder. "Your majesty. Behind you."

Max spun and quickly scanned the area. He saw the sun glint off the chrome on the emergency lights a top Valenti's cruiser.

"It's that officer, Zan. He's followed us here. What are you going to do?" Rina wondered.

"Tesannick, are you in danger here?" Larek's nephew asked Max urgently.

"It's ok. We were expecting him."

Just as Max tuned back to the group, Rina's hold on Liz gave out. The dark haired girl started to fall to the ground. "Rina!" Max cried, catching her.

"Rina's gone," Zelwyn told them. "She must have run out of the energy needed to maintain the connection." A thought occurred to him. "She put herself in so much danger coming here. I hope she's with Uncle Larek. She's going to be completely helpless for several hours. If Khivar's men are searching for me and find her like that, they'll know right away where I am."

He started looking around as if to see if there was a contingent of soldiers approaching him right now.

Meanwhile, Max had shifted Liz's body up into his arms. She was unconscious, but breathing normally. Michael approached and said, "Let me have her. I'll put her in the Jeep."

Max handed over her limp body and had to force himself to not watch as Michael carried over to their waiting vehicle. Instead, he turned back to Zelwyn.

"Look, Zelwyn, Larek assured me that you are still loyal to me and my family. Is that true?"

"Of course, your majesty. I am your servant." Zelwyn bowed as he said it.

"Then, I'm commanding you to stop searching for the granilith. I am keeping it safe. It is to remain here with me until we return to Sitterna and challenge Khivar for leadership of the system. Its removal from its resting-place will only bring danger to you and everyone you love, including Rina. And its presence here assures our safety as well. When you leave here Zelwyn, you must not return to look for it. Do you understand me?"

Zelwyn was looking down as he answered, "Yes."

"What was that?" Max asked him.

The alien looked up and looked him straight in the eye. "Yes, your majesty. I understand your request and will comply."

Around him Max felt the others give a silent sigh of relief. "Thank you, Zelwyn. Now I have an idea of how you can get Khivar to back off. You have to make a deal with him."

"But I have nothing with which to bargain, aside from the granilith."

"But you do," Isabel said. "You have knowledge. The knowledge that the granilith is gone."

"She's right," Tess agreed.

"Khivar knows that without the granilith's power to back him up, he's powerless. No one will follow him. He'll be off the throne in days. He knows it and you know it," Max stated confidentially. "To keep the granilith disappearance from becoming public knowledge, he'll strike a deal with you."

"But how? His soldiers will kill me before I could even get the first word out."

"What you have to do is make it so that he can't kill you or it'll become public knowledge that the granilith is gone," Isabel said.

"Yeah," Tess said. "Document it somehow, and arrange it so that if you die or disappear that your story will be published throughout the system. That way he can't touch you without hanging himself in the process."

"That could work," Zelwyn said.

"I'm sure it will." Isabel smiled at him. She'd seen enough movies with this same plot twist to know it was a good scheme.

"If it doesn't, then get yourself fitted for a husk and join us here," Michael offered.

"Can I?" he asked excitedly.

"Only as a last resort. I would rather you stay on Basock looking after Larek and Rina," Max qualified. "It's dangerous here. Not only from Nicholas' people but the humans as well. And the husk makes you extremely vulnerable. Join us only if there is no other way."

To Max, Zelwyn said, "Thank you, your majesty, for everything. You could have killed me when you walked up. In fact, that's what I thought you were going to do. I was ready to face death at your hands, knowing it would have been more merciful than what Khivar has planned for me, to find instead compassion, forgiveness and trust. Thank you."

Max didn't know what to say. He had done only what he had to do. So he said only, "Tell your uncle that I look forward to hearing from him again. I would like to know if you work things out."

"Of course, sir. It would be an honor for him." Zelwyn took a glance at the four people standing in front of him. His rulers. "When I return and tell our people about how their king will rise again, the caverns of Basock will once again ring with your praises, King Tesannick."

"Um, that's great, Zelwyn. But you know what, I would rather that you didn't say anything until we return. The fewer people who know about us here, the better. If others were to decide to come here, it would put all of us in danger."

"You're right. Of course. I won't say a word."

"Thank you." Max could see he was ready to disappear so he hurried to add, "Before you go, there's just one last thing I need to ask you. A favor."

Zelwyn's eyes rounded at the thought of his king requesting a favor from him. "Anything, your majesty."

"This body you've borrowed. Is there anyway to change it so that others may not borrow it again?"

"Change it?"

"Yeah, you see, this body belongs to the local sheriff's son. The only reason he hasn't opened fire on us is because he's probably afraid of hitting his own boy," Max said, waving a hand to indicate the place where they knew Valenti was waiting, watching. "We cannot allow him to be taken over, possibly by our enemies. We need to reverse the change that makes this connection possible. Can you do it?"

"Yes, of course. It's tricky trying to change him while we still have an open connection, but as I leave this body, I should be able to do it."

"Then do it."

"Yes sir." He looked again at the group before him and bowing slightly, he said, "Goodbye." Then he was gone. As Kyle's body dropped to the ground, there was a slight glowing around his head that was over almost as soon as they had registered it.

Tess fell to her knees beside him and took his limp hand. "Is he ok?"

Max felt his steady pulse and said, "Yeah. He's fine. Just unconscious, like Liz." To Michael, he said, "Let get him to the Jeep."