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Celeb's visible eye lit up at Miyuki's words, and he knelt down to be closer to her height, grunting with the pain that jolted through his ribs at the movement.

"Thank you," he told her softly, sincerely. "Where is it?"

He was eager to have it back. Even if he couldn't give it to Haldia quite yet, he wanted to have it so that it would be safe for the day when she would take him seriously ...

Earendil was only a few steps behind Miyuki, and he just now caught up with her.

"You all right?" he asked softly, though it was clear that he was in a lot of pain. "I thought you were going to get your mother to heal you ..."

"Haldia wouldn't let her," Celeb replied. "Something about teaching someone a lesson, I don't know if she was talking about me or someone else. I wasn't really paying attention."

"It was not to teach you a lesson," Haldia put in, "though I hope you do take a lesson from it. It is to show the others what Cald is truly like, to remind him that he has done a horrible thing." She paused, then added in a quieter voice, "Besides, you should not have hit him in the first place." The corner of her mouth twitched as if she were trying very hard not to smile. "As much as I have to admit, I did enjoy it."

"Uh huh." Celeb looked at Earendil and held out his hand. "Please ..."

Earendil nodded and reached into his pocket for the necklace. He returned it to Celeb, keeping it hidden from Haldia's eyes as he did so.

"Is it?" Haldia asked Miyuki, raising an eyebrow at her. "We shall see." If Cald didn't learn his lesson after all ...

Suddenly a murmur broke out among the people as a huge fire was lit near the elders' huts. Haldia blinked and motioned for the others to follow her. "Come," she murmured, "that is a summons for the village ... something is going to happen."

She wondered what it was. As far as she knew, no one was scheduled to receive a mark ...

Earendil made sure to keep both Lin and Miyuki close as they made their way along with the rest of the crowd towards the enormous bonfire near the huts of the elders.

"I am not certain," Haldia admitted to Miyuki as she helped clear the way for Celeb, trying to keep him from being jostled. "I suppose we will find out ..."

Without hesitating, Earendil scooped up Miyuki and set her on one shoulder. She was very light, and it took very little effort on his part. Besides, he was sure she would be glad of the height. She would be able to see much more that way.

When they reached the bonfire, he saw that all nine of the elders had gathered in a semicircle around it, as if they were going to give a mark. The Night Elves seemed to think the same thing: they gathered and parted, leaving a space for someone to walk through them to the fire. It seemed strange, though, because no one had any idea who would be receiving the mark, or why, or had prepared anything. It was very unexpected.

Even Haldia was confused. "I have never seen anything like this before," she confided to Celeb, Lin and Earendil.

Haldia hesitated. "The announcement of a marriage, perhaps," she mused, "but we always know about those ahead of time as well. Unless it has something to do with earlier tonight ..."

A shadow of fear flickered across Celeb's face as he recalled Haldia's earlier chastisement: You should not have hit him in the first place. He hadn't been able to help himself, hadn't known what else to do ...

Suddenly, from the back of the crowd, two figures started forward, up the corridor that had been created by the parting of the people. Two men ...

Earendil glanced down at Lin. She was much shorter than everyone around them, and he had no idea how much she would be able to see.

"Would you like to stand on something?" he asked her in a soft murmur as the two came closer.

It was Cald, being led forward by another man. They were walking somewhat swiftly, and as they walked forward through the part in the crowd, the space was filled in with people who wanted to see better.