Since he'd made the decision to found the Academy of Archers at New Ivrea, Flash had known he'd have to leave his refuge of the last decade, at least temporarily. He put down his backpack and stepped out onto the walkway. There was still time for one more walk around the grove.

Flash grabbed hold of one of the tree swings and slid down to ground level. His first stop was the Great White Oak to the south of a mossy clearing. Usually the strange tree made Flash feel slightly uncomfortable, but today its presence was strangely reassuring. He stopped briefly to run his fingers over the bark and his mood shifted to pensive and expectant. Something was not right... intuition made him look over his shoulder towards the circle of standing stones; he could hear a faint buzzing from the stones. Drawing his short sword, he strode the few dozen feet to the clearing. The standing stones all seemed normal, but he could still hear a distinct buzzing sound.

"The rune stones", muttered Flash, as he darted northwards out of the clearing. Some sixty feet north of the circle stood a pair of intricately carved stones, with a third plinth resting across the top. These stones, slightly larger than the five in the circle, were said to be engraved with ancient runes warding against the forces of evil. The buzzing grew louder as Flash ran through the trees.

Something strange was indeed afoot. The rune stones were surrounded by a buzzing and crackling blue light, akin to the lightning Souriin sometimes used in battle. The arch between the stones had become opaque, and a face seemed to be forming.

Sword all but forgotten, Flash gazed at the image trying to remember where he had seen the face before. Then it came to him, he was looking at the half-formed visage of Soren "Birch" Estra, head of the very conclave of druids whose grove Flash now inhabited. Birch looked troubled, as if he were under great stress. The image, clearer now, spoke...

"...hear you." There was a long pause, then Birch spoke again. "Flash, can you hear me? If so, speak the name of the bear near the stones and I will hear you."

Flash leaned forward and spoke: "Ogratha" Another pause, shorter this time. "The Gods are gracious, we feared that you would have no warning. You must tell the Council of New Ivrea that our shield is failing. It will be a matter of weeks, perhaps only days, before it collapses entirely. Then the Troll King will be able to use the Troll Gate to transport thousands of trolls here in a matter of hours. Each major city will be filled with hundreds of deadly, unkillable creatures."

Birch paused, to let the numbers sink in. "The power of the Runic Lake is waning, and we no longer have the strength to maintain the shield. Patches are already beginning to appear. Our Lady has promised that help is coming, but she does not know when. I felt it best to try to get word back to the lands. It is time to prepare for an invasion. Guard the major cities; keep the people alert and busy; try to avert panic."

Flash was mentally calculating his fastest riding time to Rotan, and trying to remember as many details as possible. Souriin and Damus were always scolding him for not remembering enough details. This time he knew it was important to get them right.

The Head-druid continued speaking, but the buzzing around the runestones had started to fuzz and become intermittent.

"... do not waste time worrying about us, we will ... best until ... ... is able to help. Spell fa... ... ... elves warning. Son ... danger ... uncle is ... ... ... ..."

The image faded. There was a final burst of blue sparking around the ancient stone structure, and then an eerie silence descended.

Flash could feel a familiar tingling in his bones --- memories of past adventures were stirring. The time for rest was over, a new decade had begun.