The Book of Ashe

Chapter 4

Valmire sat staring into the shadows of the basement room that he and his two partners had chosen to hide out in after the siege of Tabmer had ended. It was located in the heart of the city (what remained of it), under a destroyed bakery. He had been passing through with an urgent message for the Queen of Blades, when he and his companions got stuck in the city, as the Druidic armies approached. He was recruited to play the role of Warden for the prisoners that Windrider had captured. One was a young Tarn, no more than his son's age back home. Rider had preferred the young man's company to the loneliness of her own chambers. It had revolted him beyond words.
The other prisoner was a middle-aged man named Ashe. Ashe was something like an advisor to the deceased Druid priest, Dragonmoon, or so Valmire got that impression. Ashe had attracted Stormweaver's eye for some reason. She had tried desperately to make him join her, though not for the reasons of the flesh. She seemed to detect something about him that she found useful. She had told him that she wanted him to be her scholar-in-the-field, but that was not the main reason for her interest.
The sudden cry of pain from an animal broke his trance of thought. He looked up to find Bloodpact, his "escort", torturing a pretty good sized mouse he had found. His eyes burned with a dark pleasure that sent chills up Valmire's spine. The poor lighting in the room only added to his demonic appearance. Vlamire hated Bloodpact. He hated his constant cruelty. He hated his wild spirit. But most of all he hated the kid's smile, and for no reason he could pin down. Maybe it was the fact that he only smiled when he was inflecting pain on something. Had Darksaber not insisted that he take him along, he would have left him in the Badlands.
Valmire cleared his throat in a vain attempt to draw Bloodpact's attention to his displeasure. It didn't work. The kid had the mouse pinned under the heel of his boot and was slowly applying his weight.
"Damnit Bloodpact, stop! Can't you go ten minutes without tormenting something or someone?"
Bloodpact looked at Valmire with those cold, cruel eyes.
"I'm sorry Valmire dear, does my hobbies bother you?" He snickered.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, it does. You are a disturbed kid do you know that? Not even Shekara torments things for pleasure. Now release it"
Bloodpact narrowed his eyes and slowly lifted his foot off the mouse. Then in a swift motion stomped it back down. A quick squeak echoed through the room.
"God damnit, you’re an animal! Did you know that? A demented animal."
"Call me whatever you want my dear, but don't ever call me a kid again! Understand?" He asked, grinding the sole of his boot on the floor. Valmire shuddered at the grinding sound of bone being crushed. He wished they would have made it through Tabmer before the siege. If they had he wouldn't be sharing a dark, musty basement with a psycho and a thief. Speaking of the devil, Racts came creeping through the doorway. He reminded Valmire of a badger. His eyes were beady and black and he was in desperate need of a shower and shave, but for all his faults, he was the best thief and best assassin in the Empire. He could steal or kill anything. He reported to Darksaber, like Bloodpact, but really he worked for himself. He only listened to Darksaber because not listening to Darksaber can prove fatal. He came in looking tired with an armload of something wrapped in a linen cloth.
"I managed to find some food for us and a few more torches and candles." He said in a voice that squeaked.
"Found? Eh, more like stole!" Bloodpact snapped.
"Well it's keeping your stomach full and this room lighted isn't it?" Racts squeaked. "If it bothers you that bad, don't eat any of it."
"Why you little rat! Who are you to talk to me like that!" Bloodpact said, standing up. He took a few steps towards Racts, and produced a sinister looking black knife. Racts stumbled back, tripped and dropped his linen covered treasures. Evil laughter rang out as Bloodpact walked over to the bundle and started to sort through it.
"Hey, back off! Most of that stuff is mine! I stole it!" Racts whined
"Pipe down, rodent!" Bloodpact hissed. "I'll do as I wish."
Bloodpact went on pilfering through the bundle, tormenting Racts till Valmire could not stand it any longer. He jumped up out of his chair, and stalked towards the door, not even answering the questions his companions asked as he left. He needed to get out of there. Hell, he needed to get out of Tabmer. He needed to get to the Citadel quickly. Darksaber had said that the documents he carried were vital to an Imperial victory. He climbed the crooked wooden stairs that led to the world above. He squeezed through a small opening that used to be the bakery's door and slipped out into the open. It was a cool night with a bright full moon. He had to be careful to avoid the heavily patrolled areas on such a bright night. He strolled down the lane towards Monument Square, the only slum in Tabmer. It had made it through the siege relatively intact, though crime was rampant. It was worth a mans life to go out walking the Square after dark, but Valmire didn't care. He was meaner and tougher then any city punks he might run into. Though he had had a few close calls. If it wasn't for his skill, although slight, in magic he would be in a mass grave or in a rebel prison. But tonight the streets seemed quiet. Valmire walked along, tucked in the shadows. He was headed for the Black Fire Inn. A small pub that catered to all the people of the Square. It was a weather beaten shack that was falling apart, but that didn't matter. They served cheap beer and never asked about where the money came from. It was the perfect place for a fugitive. Bah, fugitive! Valmire hated calling himself that. He was a noble-born soldier, not some common criminal, but with the rebels controlling the city he might as well have been some common thug.
The door to the Black Fire Inn was cracked open just a hair and a feeble torch burned outside the doorway. Valmire ducked inside and found not a soul in the common room, except the barkeep, polishing his glasses behind the counter.
"Give me a pint of your best beer." Valmire's voice was a whisper.
"Lets see some coin first there partner!" The barkeep barked.
Valmire pulled out three silver dollars and laid them on the bar. The barkeeps eyes lit up when he saw the money.
"Yes, sir." He said pouring a glass, followed by, "Anything else you might need? Bed? Woman?"
"No thank you, just peace and quiet."
"Alright, fine by me."
Valmire sipped the bitter beer in silence, staring out into the great void.
"Been a rough night partner?" the barkeep asked.
"Huh?" His question caught Valmire off guard.
"You look like someone pissed in your oats this morning and then robbed you blind."
Valmire grunted, "It's been a rough couple of years."
The barkeep's face betrayed an odd expression, Valmire couldn't read the significance of it.
"Yeah, I know what you mean with this war going on. I lost my oldest at Scorn and my youngest here. Them damn wizards and their queen just figure they can take over everything that don't already belong to them." Anger filled the barkeeps voice. Valmire just grunted and finished his beer.
"I'll have another." He said.
The barkeep poured him another glass and tried to make small talk. It sounded to much to Valmire like he was probing for something.
"Didn't I ask for some quiet!" He snapped.
The barkeep looked shocked then quickly occupied himself cleaning already polished glasses. He kept sneaking odd glances at Valmire and muttering under his breath. Valmire emptied his glass and stood and walked out into the night. He cringed when he thought about going back to the rat nest that was his only home. He decided to take a walk instead. He walked along the streets alone for hours. Only once did he encounter a brave crook looking to nab his money. Moments after the man jumped out of the shadows and the faint crackle of sorcery ended, Valmire drug the body off into the nearest ally and covered it with trash.

"Where the hell have you been!" Bloodpact snarled as Valmire descended the stairs. He had been out all night, dreading coming back to this shit hole. He didn't respond, but instead walked to the table where the food Racts had managed to steal lay.
"Don't ignore me dear! I asked where you have been." Bloodpact stepped between Valmire and the table.
"I was out walking, that’s all you need know!" Valmire's patience was thinning quickly. He was tired.
"So, your just going to go out whenever you please and not come back till morning! You know if you get caught out there, we are all dead."
Ah! That’s why Bloodpact was all hyped up. He wasn't concerned about Valmire himself, he was worried that Valmire would break under questioning and reveal his companions. Valmire walked over to his filthy cot and collapsed on it, ignoring his companion's bickering. He was dead tired.

Valmire awakened to a rumbling and shaking like it was the end of the world. He sat straight up, knocking himself back down on one of the low hanging rafter. Cussing he rolled off his cot and stood up, rubbing his head. Slivers of dirt leaked down from the ceiling.
"What the hell is going on." He demanded to no one in particular.
"Quiet!" Bloodpact hissed. He was crouched at the bottom on the stairs. Racts cowered behind him looking at the ceiling nervously.
"What is going on." Valmire demanded again.
"The druids found a small clique of surviving Imperial forces, their spell casters are now trying to rout us all out. They are sending tremors to force those of us that are living underground to come topside."
The shaking and rumbling became more intense as he spoke till Valmire was sure that the roof would surly fall in.
"We need to leave now. We need to get out of Tabmer before they find us." Racts whined, panic edged his voice.
"Silence!" Bloodpact snarled.
Valmire eased up slowly beside Bloodpact to watch the stairwell.
"Is anyone out there now? Around our building?"
"Three of them, one is controlling the earth shaking. The other two are armed like they are about to sack the Citadel itself."
The back left hand corner of the ceiling groaned and gave way. Dirt and rubble poured into the basement. Racts was damn near hysterical. Valmire was getting nervous himself.
"We are going to have to make a run for it, we can't stay here or we will get buried alive down here." Valmire said.
"You wanna try your luck out there?" Bloodpact asked.
"Not really, but I want to be buried alive even less. Can you pin point where exactly they are?"
"Not very well, but I can give you a small general area will that suffice dear?"
"It will have to do." Valmire said, drawing his sword. He slowly climbed up the stairs, with Bloodpact following behind him and Racts behind him. Valmire eased up to the small opening and peered out. He saw no one.
"Where?" He asked
Bloodpact pointed to a large silo, "Behind that."
"What about the mage?"
"I can't get a good lock on him, but he seems to be over to the left of the silo."
"Alright, that means we are going right. Come on." And with no more warning than that Valmire leapt out onto the streets and started with a hearty jog. Cussing Bloodpact and Racts kept pace. Through allies and up side streets they moved, keeping into the shadows.
"Wait!" Bloodpact yelled and grabbed Valmire's arm. "There are five directly in front of us moving this way and the three behind us are moving towards us as well."
"Shit, come on this way." Valmire ducked into a burned out shop, only the blackened bricks remained. They raced through the shop and out the back, then down the ally. They moved down to more side streets and rounded a corner right smack dab in the middle of rebel patrol. Valmire stopped so fast his feet actually slide across the ground. A heavy impact on his back pushed him forward a few steps as Bloodpact ran into him and then another less intense impact as Racts ran into Bloodpact. The patrol just stood there for a few seconds, then, with weapons drawn, advanced on Valmire and his cronies. Bloodpact held out his hands and closed his eyes. The first three rebels stopped advancing and got really weird looks on there faces. Then they started sweating and backing away. They seemed to be filling with a great fear. Two more rebels moved forward and Valmire stepped in to meet them. The brief clang of metal rang out, then there was silence. Valmire stood over two very cut up bodies. The officer commanding the patrol ordered his men to rush Valmire and Bloodpact, which they did. Valmire took out three more before being subdued. Bloodpact took two himself before shady figure appeared behind him and cracked him over the head with something blunt and hard. Soon after Bloodpact, Valmire got the same treatment. As the lights went out Valmire's only thought was, "Damn we should have stayed put."

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Tabmer was nothing but a pile of rubble surrounded by a very badly beaten wall by the time the Druid's siege had ended. Disease was rampant and the death toll was rising everyday. To both sides it stood as a symbol, much more than a rag-tag city. To the Druid's it symbolized a great triumph at a great cost.. To the Citadel forces it symbolized the defeat of their second largest army and the loss of the entire Southern province. They feared that with Tabmer taken, that the druids would have enough momentum to push through to Midpoint. From Midpoint they could march on Mist and if Mist fell, they would be at the very gates of the Citadel. Only one Imperial army lay between them and Mist. The largest army in the Empire, held under the standard of the most infamous of the Five, Lifestealer. Things looked bad for Shekara, but they weren't to much better for the Druids. After the siege at Tabmer ended, Flamedancer received word that The Astral Rider had breached the walls of Wisp and had slain Moonraven. Nightchaser had arrived a day late and tired to push The Astral Rider out of the city. She got her army decimated and herself grievously wounded without budging the Imperial forces. Out of fear the Imperials would advance on the Tri-Cities, the Druid Command recalled it's three largest armies to position them between the Imperials and their beloved Cities. Shadowblade and Starhawk were called to command the armies while Nightchaser healed up, leaving the entire southern province in the hands of Stormraven, Flamedancer and Dragonmoon's old division.
So it stood as the sun slowly lowered beyond the western horizon on the fifth day after our bitter victory at Tabmer. We had spent the lost days regrouping and resting. The battle had been one of the hardest and bloodiest since Shekara's invasion of Tharamond. Our wizards were completely depleted. Our men were ragged and tired. It seemed that both forces were quickly approaching a stalemate. Only the plains between the Great Wood and the Badlands, just north of Scorn, had been sparred thus far from most of the heavy fighting. Darksaber was a monster when it came to holding the plains and the area around them, despite the best efforts of the Circle.
Stormraven wanted to change all that. She figured that if we could take the Great Wood and the Badlands we could force Shekara to fight three battles on three different fronts and with only four of the Five left, and only three with armies worth mentioning, it could give us the edge we would need to push her back across the western seas from whence she came. Of course not everyone agreed with Stormraven. Flamedancer and Whitecrow backed her. As did Nightchaser. Shadowblade and Grayfeather did not. Every evening there was a loud shouting match in the Etheral Hall. Every evening I was there, recording the conversation at Stormraven's request. She had grown a liking to me, just like Dragonmoon had. She landed me with the secretary work because hardly anyone could read or write.
The Etheral Hall is actually a large, round tent located behind the main command post. It is where the spirits of the Circle can gather together over great distances. The name is the same regardless of what the Hall is really. This evening there was a rather strong smell of spices and herbs. It was uncomfortably hot in the tent. All nine of the original twelve were present. Stormraven and Flamedancer stood upon soft glowing mirror-disks. Seven large wooden barrels of water were arranged in a semi circle. Gobs of mist boiled out of them revealing the other seven as ghostly images of their physical bodies. They were arguing Stormravens plan again. She refused to give it up.
"Say we do attack the plains and defeat Darksaber? What will Shekara do? Attack the South while it's weak and if she drives us out of the South we will be back seven years of war, at square one." Grayfeather said harshly.
"That's why we must hit Darksaber and Lifestealer at the same time. Shekara would have to pull The Astral Rider back to protect the Citadel." Flamedancer said calmly.
"Ha, hit Darksaber and Lifestealer at the same time? It can't be done. We would have to pull out of the north entirely to launch that kind of a campaign. We simply don't have the forces. And your forgetting Stormweaver." Shadowblade argued. Her presence through the mist indicated that she was in an extremely foul mood. Flamedancer seemed to be caught off guard by Blade's statement. He had forgotten about Weaver, hell everyone forgot about Weaver. Although she didn't have much of an army left, she was still forth two companies by herself. She slipped our minds because on a battlefield her men wouldn't mean much, but her power would. They all stood there arguing it out. It seemed that Stormraven was making headway. A sudden bright light rushed into the tent as the door was pulled open by a very excited sergeant. All eyes, those in the mist including, turned on him.
"Pardon my intrusion Lords and Ladies but I have something your going to want to see." He said out of breath.
"What is it?" Raven asked, annoyance littering her voice.
"We have taken a high-ranking Imperial prisoner, Ma'am"
Ravens eyes lit up. " We will continue this later" she said to the mist and waved her hand, removing the spells anchoring the specters. They slowly faded.
I pushed out of the tent behind Raven and followed her toward where the prisoner was being held. It was an abandoned farm house just outside our main camp. Inside it was dark and dirty. In the main room sat three men, bound to chairs. One was a weasel of a man who looked like he had gotten the bad end of a fight. He was bleeding everywhere and unconscious. One was a large, burly bear of a man. He looked hard, but not really threatening. He wore black chainmail over a sliver linded black surcoat. An image of two swords crossed with a black crown between them. I had seen that insignia before. When I was held captive by Rider. The remaining man I took for a corpse at first. His skin was pale as snow and his hair was a matching white. He looked young, around Jayden's age or so, yet his eyes held something far older and more terrible. It was like looking into the eyes of a lusting demon. He smiled when he caught me staring at him. I shivered. He was a scary little bastard. Several men stood around guarding our captives. Stormraven studied them all carefully. She moved to a table where the items gleaned from the captured were sitting. She poked through it and pulled out a big oil sack filled with papers. She glanced at me and jerked her head a bit. I slowly walked over to her. She handed me a paper selected at random.
"Can you read this?" She asked.
I studied it carefully and was amazed to find it was writing in the Thorden, a language which has been dead for several thousand years. I wasn't very good at the language, but I puzzled a few words out. They didn't make much sense.
"It is written in Thorden. I can't read it all, but I can catch a few words here and there. It seems to be a strange religious ritual preformed for something called the Vigil."
"The what?" She asked.
"The Vigil, or something along those lines. Ever heard of it before?"
She thought a moment then said, "I have heard stories of a God's tomb in the far northern mountains. Far beyond where even we Druids dare not go, but it can't be the same. The Vigil doesn't exist. It is but a story."
She looked back our prisoners.
"Do they have names?" She asked Raider whom was in charge of the capture.
"Valmire is the big burly one. The skinny bleeding one is Racts and the spooky creature over there is Bloodpact."
Raven looked at Bloodpact and actually shivered. He smiled at her and kept on smiling. The room seemed to feel with a heavy dread. My mind began dulling with depression and anxiety. My breathing quickened. Raven looked at me and then back at Bloodpact. Her eyes narrowed. She held out her hand and whispered a few words. Faint indigo threads spread from her fingers and streaked towards the youth. The entangled him, but didn't seem to hurt him. The dread slowly began to wan and my rational mind returned.
"The little shit is an Antipath! Well I'll be damned!" She chuckled.
She walked over to him and crouched down in front of him.
"Your gonna be a good boy and not give me any trouble right?" she asked mockingly.
To my surprise Bloodpact lunged at Raven, sinking his teeth into her left shoulder. A cry of rage and pain ripped from Raven. She stumbled away cursing. Blood stained his white chin and he wore that damn smile.
"Bloodpact! Enough goddamnit!" The Valmire shouted. The kid eyed him hard then got a sullen look. The sole of Raven's boot connected with the side of Pact's head, knocking him over and out. Valmire just shook his head.
"So." Raven said, "You can speak. Tell me, what are these documents?" she indicated the papers on the table.
"They were to be delivered to Shekara, I don't know their contents."
"Where did you find them?"
Valmire did not respond, he just looked at Raven with tough, determined eyes. It was obvious that he wasn't going to betray his secrets willingly. I studied the man. His voice seemed familiar, like that of the black-clad guard that became my escort when Rider and Weaver commanded Tabmer. I wondered if it was he.
"Where did they come from?" Raven asked again and again Valmire said nothing.
Raven eyed him hard, then turned to one of the guards. "Keep them here except the Antipath, take him to Flamedancer. He will make sure we have no more problems out of the little shit." She rubbed her shoulder as she spoke. Bloodpact had taken a good bite out of her.
I slide up beside Raider and asked what exactly an Antipath was.
"Antipaths are wizards who deal in emotions. Most are allies of the Light, called Emapths, those few who stray into the Darkness become Antipaths. They are rare in any case, but very powerful." He reported, his voice betrayed his annoyance of having to explain yet another Arcane term for me.

Three days later I was sitting in my own tent, up to my ass in old documents. The same old documents that we had nabbed from Shekara. When Raven showed them to Flamedancer, Dancer was able to decipher more then I could. What he read had disturbed both he and Raven. What I had read sounded like religious gobbledygook to me. I wondered what had them all on edge. Raven turned them over to me to be further deciphered. She had Raider and Crossbow standing guard. She had found something that she wanted to keep a secret bad. She came by daily to collect the parts I had deciphered. As I continued my studies of the documents, I found an under laying theme, if you will, and soon a few parts fell into place. I discovered that the thing called The Vigil was actually a place, rather then a being of some sort. Also that it seems to have existed since written memory, yet they were never specific about it's location. Stormraven had recalled hearing of such a place, through myth, that laid far beyond the frosty peaks of the Northern Mountains. Yet the few places it hinted about climate, it seemed to be settled in the middle of a massive desert, probably dwarfing the Badlands. So on I went, day after day, night after night, deciphering till the wee hours of the morning. A week passed and we were no closer to agreeing on a plan of action, nor was I any closer to finishing my work.
One morning I uncurled my aching legs, filed the documents, and pushed outside. The sun stabbed my eyes. It had been awhile since I was out in it. My food was brought to me in my tent, and a chamber pot had been provided for my relief. Crossbow was sitting in a chair to my left, snoring. Raider was sitting opposite of him carving a stick with his knife. He looked up surprised when I came out.
"Where the hell do you think your going?" He asked me. His mood was surly indeed.
"I got to get some air! I'm going cross-eyed in there."
"Stormraven said that your to stay where we can keep an eye on you." His face dropped as if he had said something he wasn't supposed to.
"Keep an eye on me? What about the documents. Keep an eye on them. Hell they are more important then I am to Raven."
He started to say something, then thought better of it. Gods, I thought, I'm holed
up in my tent for a week and everyone starts getting weird. Raider and I always were open with one another. I trotted off toward the main encampment, enjoying my release. Raider trailed me a few paces back. His eyes darted back and forth, as if he was waiting for something to happen. He seemed unusually nervous.
"So what is Jayden up to these days? I haven't seen him since my escape." I asked Raider.
"Huh? Oh, Jayden? He is fine. Been studying with Flamedancer. I think his encounter with Windrider has made him reconsider his gift of sorcery."
Wow! That was a shock. Jayden, like all Tarns, hate magic in any form. It is something to do with their codes of honor, of which there are a dozen. It is amazing that the Tarn are allies of the Circle.
"Crossbow must be livid! Jayden is like his son."
"He is none to happy about it, but what can he do about it? Nothing."
I kept walking and Raider kept right on following me. His nervousness kept growing. It started spreading to me.
"So where is he at now?" I asked as we rounded the cook tent.
"Who? Jayden?"
"No, the other young Tarn studying magic that we know. Of course Jayden." His nervousness was really putting me on edge. Something was going on and no one was saying anything to me. Raider had no time to answer my question. A loud crash ran out right beside me. I jumped back, Raider leaped up into the air and loosed a spell that flashed so bright everyone was blinded. When my vision returned Raider had cornered the cook responsible for dropping the pans we had heard crash.
"Raider! What the f*** is wrong with you?" I asked, cross. He was pale a shaking, and just being very un-Raider like.
"Nothing!" He insisted.
"Yeah right, come on now damn it, spill it. Why are you playing bodyguard?"
He was silent for a moment then sighed, "Look, Ashe, you remember that scary little bastard that bit Raven?"
"Yeah, what about him?"
"Well he has managed to escape somehow and Raven and Dancer seem to think that he will try to come back for the documents and even possibly for you."
"For me? Why me?"
"Look, he is one of Weaver's agents. She is the only one that uses Antipaths these days, and during your captivity, you said that Weaver wanted you to join her and now you have knowledge in your brain that I'm sure the Queen of Blades would kill for. Remember, those were her documents."
"Your shitting me, right."
"No, it's the honest to gods truth."
My gods, the world had changed so much since I'd been in my tent, though I had a feeling that he was leaving something out. Something big, but I didn't press him. His news had hit me hard. It meant that Shekara might have a personal interest in my capture. I doubted that Raven and Dancer could do much if Shekara really pressed it.
I let fear push me back to my tent, to the relief of Raider. I tried to keep my mind occupied, but failed. Shekara herself now had reason to develop an interest in me. I was sure she would not be happy about me stealing her documents. I tried to chart out the path that Valmire would have taken had we not captured him. I was trying to figure out how much time I had till Shekara began to suspect that something had happened to her messenger, assuming of course that she was even aware of Valmire's mission. I came up with roughly three weeks before she might get curious and send someone, or come herself to find out what happened.
I was still in the middle of getting myself all riled up when something caught my eye. It was a piece of worn paper, shuffled in with the rest, though it was different. It had what looked like a map drawn on half of it, and above that was more of the ancient-pain-in-the-ass writing. I grabbed it, having not remembered seeing it before. In the upper right hand corner of the map it had a large cross, surrounded by what looked like a crescent moon. Below that and to the left lay a large castle-like drawing. It was marked Reap, in Thorden. Below the castle was a small patch of dots, which were identified by the word "Trees".
Upon reading the print at the top I was able to figure out that it was indeed a map, but nowhere did it mention the mysterious Vigil. What it did mention was warning about a creature who was so wicked that the heavens themselves cast it onto Earth to be bound forever in crystal. I was excited. That was the most information I had gotten out of the documents since recovering them. I kept at it, but my excitement soon turned to frustration when nothing else came out of the document, nor out of the next ones I looked at. Damn! I felt like I was close to pinning something down.
When Stormraven came by to collect my deciphered notes I handed her the map first. Her breath caught in surprise.
"Were you able to translate this?" She asked.
"Only bits and pieces. It doesn't mention the Vigil, but does speak of a large tomb if you will were an ancient evil is enchained."
She studied the paper for several moments, and then turned and quickly left without the rest of my deciphered works. She returned after a few hours with a couple of men who looked like the type that ate babies for dinner.
"Pack up all these." She said indicating the sea of papers that had been strewn about my tent.
I just started at her
"Come on Ashe!"
"But. . I'm not finished yet." I said dumbfounded.
"Doesn't matter, pack them up."
The soldier's she brought started grabbing papers left and right. I started to protest but thought better of it. Resigned, I started helping them pack. As soon as I had finished Raven and her minions quickly exited, though she stopped right in the doorway.
"Pack up everything you are attached to and come to the command post and hurry.'
Bewildered and somewhat frightened I asked. "What's going on?"
"Lifestealer is marching in this direction. We cannot risk losing these papers or you."
"So your going to try and hide me from one of the Five?" I asked jokingly. She didn't have much of a sense of humor today. My efforts were rewarded with a fierce glare that reminded me all to much of Shadowblade.
Almost as soon as Raven left, Crossbow and Raider came stumbling in.
"What the hell was that all about?" Crossbow asked.
"I don't have the foggiest. Raven wants me to pack up and head over to the command post as soon as I can." I didn't want to say anything about Lifestealer coming this way. I figured that Raven would want to pass that bit of information along on a need to know basis. Though my idea was shot down when Raider asked if it had anything to do with the Imperials who were headed this direction. I nodded and both went pale. They were as concerned as I was that Lifestealer might be coming here for the information we had stolen. If that was the case I felt I couldn't run far enough or fast enough. Crossbow and Raider helped me get my stuff ready in silence. Once I was all packed (Though it wasn't much, I'm not a packrat), I set out towards Raven's command post with Crossbow and Raider trailing along in my shadow.

Two days after I got settled into my new quarters in Raven and Dancer's command post, The Circle had agreed on a course of action. Raven was to move north and capture the city of Gale. Dancer was to move northeast and make sure that Darksaber stayed in the Badlands. He would have Support from Whitecrow and Shadowblade. Nightchaser was given command of Dragonmoon's forces and was to march with Raven to Gale. Raven made it clear that I was to be at her side at all times. Of course Crossbow and Raider were still acting as bodyguards.
It was a rough couple of days travel to Gale, through steep canyons. The weather was terrible, though the locals said it was seasonal. Raven was concerned that the bad weather was a warning of Stormweaver's presence, but eventually she discarded that idea. It rained constantly and turned the already badly made road into a muddy pit. On the third day I crawled out of my tent into a blast of sunshine. It was a beautiful day, the ground had was drying and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. We broke camp early and resumed our march. Soon we crested a big hill and the city of Gale lay before us. It didn't look like much from where we stood. It had was almost a perfect circle and no defensive wall was evident. Our scouts had reported that there was only a garrison of fifty or so men and a few minor wizards. Our own little band numbered about forty or so, though we had Raven and Chaser along. Nightchaser was a weirder one then Shadowblade. Her hair was almost as long as Raven's and was colored by a witch's lock. Her skin seemed to have a gray tint to it and although she looked thirty, she seemed as frail as an eighty year old. She moved with such a fluid grace it was almost supernatural and she was quick. Gods was she quick, both physically and mentally. She never rode, but she managed to keep up with us who were mounted with no real trouble, but she never seemed to actually run unless we were at full gallop. I guess to be a Chaser of the Night one would have to be fast. As I stood on that hilltop, Crossbow reigned in beside me. He seemed lost within himself for weeks.
"That Gale?" He asked in a low voice.
"Yep, in all it's glory." I turned to face him. His face was a morose blank.
"What's eating at you here lately?" I asked
He grunted a response.
"Have anything to do with Jayden taking up magic lessons?"
He gave me a sharp look then nodded and replied with a weak "Yes."
"You know, all wizards aren’t bad." I said for some odd reason.
His glare blackened. "They are cowards. What good is steel against spells?"
"Look you have fought beside Jayden for a long time, does he seem like a dishonorable person to you?"
Crossbow winced, "No, he is very honorable, but why pursue an act that taints ones honor?"
"Perhaps he wants to be able to fight back if he has to, like when Rider had us."
Crossbow's face dropped like he had just realized something. He thought for a moment before responding.
"I guess I never thought of it that way before." He said and turned his mount. I guessed he needed some reflection time.

The garrison at Gale was a joke. Fifty poorly armed farmers. After the first ten or so got killed the rest took the intelligent approach and gave up. We had the city completely under control within a matter of hours. Chaser and Raven never had to use their powers. I almost felt sorry for the survivors. They had been forced into taking up arms against us.
After Raven felt that the city had been purged of all things that could possibly be after me, she laxed in her orders to keep me under guard. Jayden had been on my mind since Crossbow and I talked, so I set out to find him. It seemed like we hadn't talked in months, which was pretty much the case. After inquiring around I had a pretty good idea where to find him. Raider said he had seen him with a few of the other younger troops over by what used to be the barracks, partaking of the physical company that comes with the fruits of victory. Some had partners that weren't entirely willing. Crossbow dogged my steps through a narrow hallway to a room at the back. Sounds coming from behind the door were weird and sounded like heavy breathing. Without even thinking about the fact that Jayden might be silking his husk within, Crossbow and I pushed the door open and just welcomed ourselves into what proved to be a little love nest, however Jayden's partner wasn't your run of the mill whore from the streets. She seemed well toned and built like a brick shithouse. Startled by our entrance, they both stopped and quickly grabbed for the covers. Only when his partner turned to face us did I realize that she wasn't a woman at all, but rather a man about Jayden's age. I was completely shocked. Crossbow just stared in disbelief.
"What the f*** are you doing Ashe!" Jayden yelled.
I could do nothing but stand and stare. The kid never gave a hint that he was fey.
"Paint a f***ing picture guys! Damn!" Jayden was more embarrassed than angry. His partner was wide-eyed and looked scared shitless. A glance around showed the clothes of Jayden and an Imperial uniform. Ah, so Jayden was getting in bed with the enemy. Crossbow was beyond speech. He had just gotten over the fact that Jayden was training to be a mage and now this. Baffled he turned and fled back out into the hall. After a few more odd moments I pulled the door closed and followed in Crossbow's wake.


The people of Gale hailed us as liberators and everything else but gods for the first week or so, afterwards we became the occupying army just like the Imperials had been. Raven was in no mood to try and persuade the locals. There was but one riot, the survivors of which Raven hung from the Central Citadel walls. The point wasn't missed. The riots stopped after the main force arrived from Tabmer. We brought in a few hundred recruits from the city, which refreshed our fighting strength. The weather seemed so much colder in Gale than it had been in Tabmer and the wind blew constantly. It's cold teeth devoured all the warmth. The day the main force arrived I was out taking a quiet stroll, with Raider in my shadow. I spotted Jayden off in a large field practicing with Flamedancer. The boy had a fountain of black fire roaring up in a pillar about eight feet tall. Dancer looked impressed. Heck I was about a hundred feet away and I was impressed. Someone took up position beside me. A glance over proved it to be Raven. She wore a smile of satisfaction.
"He is learning quickly. His reserves are more than impressive. If he keeps up with the training he could prove to be as powerful as one of the Five." She said
Wow! One of the Five! That would certainly turn this battle for us. My amazement was overshadowed quickly by a dread thought. I voiced it aloud to Raven.
"You know that the Five used to have their own agendas before Shekara enslaved them. It could happen that our most powerful weapon could become another powerful enemy."
Her face fell, it was obvious that that had not accrued to her.
"If the bitch wants him, she will have to go through me." Her voice was hard and cold, yet it seemed that her anger sprang from a maternal sense. I forced the notion of having to fight against Jayden out of my mind. It would never happen. The Druids wouldn't allow it, they wouldn't dare.
I hesitated a moment and then took off in Jayden's direction. I was halfway there and hollered out a greeting. Wrong move. Jayden eyes had been closed in concentration Now they were open. The fire exploded out of control like all of Jayden's will had been stripped from it. Dancer and Jayden both arched backwards. Dancer muttered some words of power and the fire sucked itself down into the earth leaving a large black charred area behind. Dancer shot me a dark look as I continued my approach.
"Looks like your doing pretty good." I said to Jayden. I felt a little odd from the other night.
"Yeah" He too seemed nervous. He had trouble looking me in the eye.
We stood there for a moment in an uncomfortable silence till Jayden announced that he needed to go get cleaned up. As he left, Flamedancer came up to me. He seemed to have caught a fairly good singing from the fire. Flamedancer is an older man with normal brown hair. His robes are made up of brilliant hues of reds and yellows. He walks with a slight limp and is not very talkative.
"He is a good student, but now seems distracted. Is he alright?"
"Yes, just had an embarrassing moment. Crossbow and I walked in on him while he was engaged." I said turning a little red.
"Ah, embarrassing indeed."
I felt somewhat odd, so I changed the subject.
"Raven says he is learning quickly."
"He is doing well, though he won't peak in his powers for some time yet."
"Will it be anytime soon? we are running out of time." I asked.
He frowned at me.
"Patience Map Maker, there is no rush. We have more time than you think." He said in a harsh voice and stalked away. After he had gone a few feet he stopped and turned around.
"And the next time a wizard is casting a spell around you, Map Maker, try not to distract him."
Feeling a little ashamed I continued my walk in silence.

I can not say for sure what happened the night after Dancer and I talked. It seemed like a lifetime before I finally got to sleep. I sensed something, but couldn't put my finger on it. Finally I fell into a deep sleep and the ensuing dreams disturbed me more than the presence I sensed.

The world was shaded in a black fog. Something moved among the fog. Very large, yet it moved with the grace of a panther. Fires burned all around and the rivers flowed with blood. Soon the world erupted into screams. Angry screams. Tormented screams. A large something loomed out of the fog. It was a large rock spire stabbing out of the ground about five hundred feet tall. Serpentine creatures with wings twice as long as a man's arm swarmed around it's peak. The figure I saw earlier was climbing the great spire. A long tail, like those that imps are rumored to possess swung lazily as it climbed. It seemed to be cloaked in fire. A deafening roar filled the world with a terrible sense of hatred, and soon I was the creature climbing the rock spire.
"Come" "Come" "Come". Voices raced around me inviting me to the top and on I climbed until the spire seemed to come alive. It started rumbling and creaking. Soon my foot holds gave way and down I fell into darkness.

I shot awake. I was cold and shaky and covered in sweat. It took me a few moments to realize that it was a dream. It felt so real.
"You ok?" A voice from the darkness asked. A red glow brightened revealing Crossbow's face. The red glow came from his pipe.
"Uh. . I think so. . had a nightmare or something."
"Yeah it looked like you wasn't enjoying yourself much, but I didn't want to wake you."
I grunted, still half asleep.
"What are you doing up?" I asked wiping the sleep from my eyes.
"Couldn't sleep, been out walking around till I figured that Raven would kill me if she found that I wasn't watching your butt."
"What's keeping you up?"
He flashed me a look that was easily read. Jayden. Poor Crossbow. He wanted to continue playing as Jayden's father, but the boy wasn't making it easy. First mage craft, and now his orientation, of course I didn't know what to say so I improvised.
"It will be ok, probably just his age."
Crossbow grunted and withdrew into deep thought. I couldn't get back to sleep so I left my tent and went prowling the city.

The next morning Flamedancer and his army moved out, heading East, towards the Badlands. Those of us that remained behind were told to start setting up fortifications for preparations for Lifestealer's arrival. Though Raven didn't intend to fight a siege again, she wanted Gale to be a central point through which she could rotate and move her troops, and if it became necessary , she could pull her troops back to the city gates to be supported by the archers and siege engines she had assembled on the North and West walls. Two hundred feet from the city walls was a barricade with only two gaps that would be used for troop rotation and five hundred feet in front of that was a large trench being dug. It arched East to West in a span that covered the entire Northern wall. Three hundred feet from the trench was another barricade still being built. The area between the Trench and the furthest barricade was littered with pitfalls and steel traps that clink closed when stepped on, usually removing the limb caught in it’s teeth. It looked like it was going to end up being a hell of a battle. How right I was.