<div align="center">Charles Lancastor (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=93697.msg4147939#msg4147939)</div><br/>Charles watches the beautiful vampire waiting for some sort of comment, but the chanting starts for the second time this night meaning it is midnight. Not being Muslim himself he does join in the prayers, but out of respect for their beliefs he does stop working and remain silent and still. The difference tonight is he is already silent and still when they start. During the prayers his mind wonders as he thinks about this new development. The only vampires that have ever concerned themselves with learning his name were some of the viziers and the one that had brought him to Alamut. He suddenly realizes that he has not seen her at all in over a month.<br/><br/>Completely unable to hide his astonishment or unease at Zahira repeating his name and staring at him, he fidgets and tries to look anywhere but into her glowing eyes. When she stands he lets out a small sigh of relief, but at her announcement his jaw drops. Leave Alamut? How could he possibly leave? Oh, the viziers were not going to be happy about that. They had been so excited when they had discovered that he could not only read Atlantian but translate it as well, something nobody else here could do. Not knowing or caring if she hears he says, “Yes, Lady Naqvi, I will be ready at sunset.”<br/><br/>After watching her retreating form, Charles remains in his chair for several minutes staring at the image of Wast Water in the book. Moving very slowly almost as if he is in a trance he stands and picks up the book. He shuffles back to the bookcase it had come from and places back in its spot. Returning to his table he gently and reverently closes the ancient Atlantian tome. Closing the book he was writing in with far less care he places it on top of the source book. He picks both books up and carries both books to shelves where works in progress are kept and places them on a shelf. One of the older viziers see him and demands, “What are you doing, Charles? That work is far from done and the night is still young. I have never seen you give up your work so early before.”<br/><br/>Charles sighs and looks at the vizier and says with obvious reluctance in his voice, “I’m truly sorry, Master, but the Lady Naqvi is leaving Alamut at sunset tomorrow and commanded that I accompany her. I am afraid that my duties are now to make preparations to travel on the morrow. I do not want to leave, but I must do as the lady commands. I promise that upon our return I will take up where I left off and double my efforts to complete my assigned task. Only my own death will prevent me from completing it.”<br/><br/>“Yes, you must do as the Lady commands, but I will hold you to your promise upon your return. Now go, I do not want you to upset the Lady. She cannot possibly understand how much you are needed here where you belong, but even here many of your skills go unused. Go serve the Lady well so that she will allow you to return to the library when she no longer has need of you.”<br/><br/>“Yes, Master.” Charles rushes to the exit leading to his quarters but stops in the doorway to make a last longing look back into the library. He spends the rest of the night packing and mentally preparing himself for yet another journey that he does not want to take.