Opening in the same bucolic Aibisk farming village to which Noriko and Izark had fled at the end of the ninth episode of Kyoko Hikawa's fourteen-volume manga fantasy epic, From Far Away, this tenth installment of the series sees our hero and heroine discovering a new set of companions and allies, while the villainous Lord Rachef's source of power, as well as some of his back-story, is revealed. As Irk and the other tree spirits struggle to maintain a protective shield around the village, evil grows ever stronger throughout the world. When three rogue Gray Bird Tribe warriors break through the shield, Izark teams up with Roki (real name: Alef) to fend them off, and then the companions - Izark and Noriko, Doros, Duke Jeida's wife Niana, his daughter Glocia, and their bodyguard, Roki/Alef - flee once again. Back in Rienka, in the meantime, Rachef conducts an impatient Keimos back to the ruins, where he reveals the source of his own strength: the deeply buried crystalized moonstones. The episode closes as Izark, Noriko and company confront yet another set of challenges, in the form of political corruption in their new town...

This was a particularly amusing entry in the series - the scene in which it is revealed just who Roki and company are is particularly hilarious, as Noriko and Glocia keep blurting out the exact same thing at the same time, and then, with great comic timing, turning to one another in surprise; and the exchanges between Izark and Roki are likewise entertaining - and I enjoyed reading it a great deal. I appreciated the brief but chilling glimpse of Rachef's childhood, and the few scenes involving Gaya, Barago and Jeida were quite welcome, although (as always) I wanted to see a little more of their activities. I was very glad to see the map on page 136, as I'd had a difficult time envisioning the physical layout of the countries mentioned, and their geographic relationship to one another. I do continue to wonder, however, whether this world has any specific name. It was quite interesting to witness Rachef's musings about the Awakening, his contemptuous dismissal of Noriko as "just" an ordinary girl. I was reminded of Lord Voldemort's similar feelings about the "ordinary" Harry Potter and his "ordinary" Muggle mother, in J.K. Rowling's fantasy novels.

In sum: exciting, engrossing, and very satisfying, with plenty of action, some heartwarming scenes, and lots of humor. On to the eleventh volume! ( )