The three teenagers followed them outside. "We found something that belongs to you."

"Really? That reminds me, what were you guys doing at Atherton's? Didn't it occur to you that it was booby trapped?"

Maria almost spoke up and said that she had said the same thing, but decided that she wasn't up for an I-told-you-so, whether she deserved one or not.

Michael opened the door to the van and produced the bag with the hand carved chess pieces and Sword.

"What's this?"

"Open it."

Nasedo dumped the contents out onto the back seat. "Well, I'll be damned. He still had them. Where did you find these? I looked all over Atherton's house, and never found anything. And I wasn't the only one."

"Yeah, we know. He had a secret room under the floor of the house. We found the secret room last time we were there. This time we found the hidden panel in the secret room that he'd hidden these items."

Nasedo was transported back in time as he looked at the small wooden pieces that he'd carved in an effort to make the time pass more quickly. He traced the faces that he remembered as well as his own. Each one of the court pieces represented either a friend or colleague from his home planet. Many of them were dead at the time he'd left years ago. The rest had surely died in the interim.

He sorted through the pieces again and found the black king and queen. He handed them to Michael and Isabel. "These are your predecessors." To Isabel he said, "Her name translates roughly to Aurora. 'Bright light' would be closer. She was her mother's 'bright light' or 'golden light'. Her mother doted on her. We all did. You may call her Aurora. I think she'd like that." He turned to Michael. "His name has no direct translation. On our planet, the men are most often named for their fathers. His father was a respected warrior, and thus his son was named for both courage and strength."

"His father..." Michael said, unaware that he'd spoken aloud. His unending quest to find a father figure to fill his life always dominate in his mind.

"As I said, no direct translation, but the name Erik is close in pronunciation. He probably wouldn't mind being called by the name of the fiercest of Viking warriors." Nasedo returned to the pile of chess pieces and shifted through them. Then again. "They aren't here," he said more to himself than the others.

"If you're looking for the other king and queen, Riverdog has them, remember?" Maria said. She took a step back when he turned to look at her. "You were carrying them with you the day that Atherton stole into your cave of the reservation. You were showing them and the pawn you'd made of Riverdog to him when he told you about Atherton leaving. Afterward, you put them with the Healing Stones and forgot about them."

"How do you know that?"

She took another step backward and Michael stepped between them. "Leave her alone."

"I just want to know how she could know something like that."

"She got a flash from one of the Healing Stones, all right? Somehow she connected with Riverdog and got a few of his memories."

Nasedo looked at Maria with renewed interest. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Come here, girl."

"I don't think so."

"Maria, go back inside. Now." She didn't have to be told twice.

She sprinted into the restaurant and as non-chalantly as possible sat down next to her mom. "So, what are you guys talking about?"

Michael told Nasedo in no uncertain terms that he was to say away from Maria in the future. Nasedo didn't argue, but decided to keep a closer eye on the three humans his charges had paired up with. He was beginning to think that there was more going on here than what met the eye, first with Liz developing powers, and now Maria having visions.

He picked up the large silver bracelet and said, "So you guys found the Sword, huh? Figure out how to use it?"

"We think so, I mean, we have used it, but we'd like to know more about it. And the Shield, too."

"Tell you what. Next week, I'll make time to spend a couple of days out here and instruct you all. What did you think of the Sword so far?"

"It was incredible."

"You should see what it can do when you put it and the Shield together."

They returned everything to the bag, but before they went inside, Alex asked, "I was wondering something about Atherton. Why did you give him that pendant? I mean Atherton bought your story about you owing him a favor, but I don't. Maybe I know you a little better than he did, but I don't see you as the in-your-debt-forever over nothing type. Maria said that when you gave the other part of the pendant to Riverdog you told him it had powers that he didn't know about. And you told them both to keep it with them at all times, which was strange."

Nasedo stepped closer to Alex and answered, "You know what they say about friends and enemies?"

"What?"

" 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' That pendant gives off a signal that I can pick up within twenty miles of it. Our Aurora used to wear it for her protection in case she was ever kidnapped. As High Protector, it was my personal responsibility to watch over the Royal family as you might call our rulers. So, I could hone in on the pendant's signal should she ever go missing. It saved her life a couple of times. Unfortunately, on the day she died, I was too late. She and Erik were dead before I could get to them. I gave Atherton the pendant so that I could track his movements on the reservation. He couldn't go anywhere without me knowing about it."

Nasedo chuckled, remembering. "He used to try to follow Riverdog and me, but it never worked. I always knew exactly where he was. Until that last day."

"He'd taken it off before he went to your cave," Alex said.

"Must have."

"So, wait, why couldn't you find it at Atherton's?"

"I can't pinpoint its location, only feel its vicinity. I knew it was there in the house, but had no way of finding out where. I was getting ready to tear the place apart when our friends from last week showed up. After that, it was too dangerous to return. That was the last time I ever went into Texas."