“As we speak there are others.  They do not all share the same principles, but nonetheless it is happening. Already two of the markers have somehow been successful, and we have found a third. Even Borindin’s son now understands the task that is set before us.”

“When is the next opening?”

“Roughly a decade from now, on the next [overlapping]” 

“How will we find them?”

“We won’t. As with the others, they will rise.”

“This is madness. They will rise? How can we wait, when we KNOW what to expect.”

“It is the way it was meant to be.  Created this way so that Ket could not lay in wait for them. You know this.”

“Aye, but how could the four entrust that such a path would work?  It is no wonder that even the Guardians accepted the failure of it.”

“They had no choice. They were betrayed, as you know. We must accept that that the Guardians no longer protect anything. They had no choice as did the Four! It was the only way to protect the arks….The only way to hide.”

“Hide? In plain sight? When the Darkening comes it will not matter, nor will these wanderings across Gaia.”

“Do not give in to the ignorance of those without courage. You must not lose faith in the Path. It is all we have.”

“All we have is a marker to tell us the time and location.”

“No, we have more than that.”

“We know they will bear the light. We know where they will come.

“We can therefore set a trap. Bring them to us.  We need not look for them.  When they arrive, we will know them by their course.”

“A trap? For those we wish to ally with?  To what end?”

“We will make their arrival imminent. We know where there path lies. The marker is clear, and so is who has that which they need.”

“You mean what! What has it….Why can we not dedicate more resources to this task? How are we to overcome this foe when the time comes?”

“More resources means a greater chance we are revealed.  If that comes to pass, those we seek will be discovered by our enemies.”

“But the bearer seeks the others as well.”

“And yet, somehow the marker exists.”

“If Tiresias could have held out longer, he might have convinced the others. The others would have risen too.”

“No, they would not. Tiresias himself gave up this task long ago.  It is not how the path was set.”

“But even the [metallics] could have done more. They were Guardians!”

“It’s not likely, there is nothing on Gaia with the resolve of a dragon.  The depths of the sea are nothing compared to the grief they suffered. Their betrayal was complete. They are no longer allies to their creators,” a long pause, “besides, the chromatics still outnumber them and remain far more powerful.”

“Their creators.  It is still unfathomable to think of the might of Kasille.”

“Yes, but even the might of Kasille was nothing compared to the power of Ket when the darkness comes.”

“And that is why we cannot fail.”

“And we won’t.”

“But will they?  They don’t even know the power they have, how the decisions they make will affect us all!”

“They will.  In time, as will we all….”