second draft

The old man covered his face to protect it from the cold with his scarf while he climbed up to the monastery, cursing his old limbs that caused him to travel slower than he would have liked. Rounding the corner, the bell of Harmony heralding the end of the feast was chiming loud and clear, but also smoke could be seen rising in the distance, dread crept into his heart while he prayed it was just the bonfire lit by the monks after the festival of Twin Moons.
Nearer he got his feeling of foreboding got stronger and stronger until he reached the gates and found the whole monastery ablaze, he rushed to the library praying to Keth’leroc that the fire had not reached there yet, and found it thankfully intact. As he pushed open the doors the flames lit up the inside and to his horror, it had been ransacked.
Suddenly a moan roused him from his stupor, as an injured monk fell through the doorway an arrow protruding from his side, “if...you…have...come...to...finish...it” he said with laboured breaths “you...are...too...late”,
“Finish it?” said the old man “I am Lothr Goodwin I had an appointment with your librarian, but that’s not important now, we must get you to a healer what’s your name?”
“Brother Seigier my friend, I was told of your arrival, yet you could not have come at a worse time”.
As Lothr sighed and opened his mouth to agree, an ear-splitting screech filled the air, followed by an insane cackle “Seigier, what in Thandoc’s name was that? Seigier?” he turned to look in the monk’s direction, only to see him slumped lifelessly against the entrance, Lothr walked over, said a small prayer, and closed Brother Seigier’s unseeing eyes. Then mustering his strength, he searched the wreckage for the tome he was after, finding it under one of the bookshelves, and headed out the door, completely unaware that a pair of hollow amber eyes had watched the entire episode…

Chapter 1
It was a cold winters night, when he woke in the farm with a start, the sounds of screeching and crashing filled the night air, and his mind wandered back to what the trader had said to his Grandfather earlier that day, “Three nights ago the monastery of the seven blessings was burnt to the ground, they say that daemons’ did it”
“Nonsense,” said his grandfather, daemons’ haven’t been seen in these parts for nay on forty years”,
“True but I heard that the monks all had bite marks on them”
“Shut your mouth, your frightening Darrius”
“aye I’m sorry young Darrius” the trader said “hadn’t realized you could hear me, I also heard of a hooded woman with two exotic looking knives asking for ‘Thar’thandol’ yet no-one has seen him in 50 years”.
Now it might have been a trick of the light, but as his grandfather shrugged, he could swear he saw his eyes recognize the name.
He opened his door, and quietly padded outside to see if he could make anything out in the darkness, when from behind him he heard a noise, Darrius spun round fearing the worse, but only seeing his grandfather sat there smoking his pipe, “what are you doing up Darrius?” he asked,
“I heard this noise, and I came to see what it was”
“If you go back to bed now, we’ll go and see what we can find in the morning, would you like that son?” Darrius’s face lit up and grinning he said “sure thing”
As he turned to go, the moon came out from behind the clouds and shone off a sword by his grandfather, it looked very old, and was covered in strange markings that though he saw move, but that couldn’t be possible he told himself.
The next morning Darrius awoke with the first shafts of sunlight streamed into his room, he lay there wondering if last night had been just a dream when he recognised the sounds of his grandfather making breakfast. With a flash he jumped out of bed eager to start the adventure. As quickly as he could he got dressed and searched for his bow as his grandfather shouted “are you up yet? The whole valley heard what happened last night, if you want to be first there we have to go now”.
“I’m coming” Darrius shouted, as he made his way out of his room only to find his grandfather packed and ready to go,
“I made us something to eat on the way, he said its quicker for us”. Wrapping their cloaks around themselves then set off to find what was behind the commotion last night...

Two Days ago in the city of Thunder Bay a hooded figure walked down a street looking for the house of a smuggler who had been bragging in the tavern that he knew something about the attack on the monastery, and after searching half the city, finally located his house in the marketplace.
As they knocked, the door swung open a little bit “that’s not a good sign”, and moving their cloak back to draw two curved knives, they stepped through the door. With a sudden flash a dagger came out of nowhere and imbedded itself in the wall, and then a robed fighter leapt down from the ceiling and readied to attack then thrust his blade at the hooded figure. As they turned to deflect the blow, their cloak was caught and fell to the floor releasing a mane of long brown hair, leather armour and a grim faced look on a beautiful woman.

As they circled each other, the woman screamed “Than’fel Geal’tr”, the robed fighter stopped dead in his tracks as she launched one of her knives at him, deflecting it he turned back her, only to look down and see the other buried deep in his chest, his last thought was one of shock, falling to his knees as she pulled it back out and wipe it on his clothes as he collapsed onto the floor.
Sliding it in the scabbard she walked over to the other knife, picking it up sighing “they must have found the smuggler just before I did”, as she bent over to search the body for clues.
Suddenly a shout from the door startled her “MURDERER!!” within a few seconds there was four town guards in the room, swords drawn and advancing on her. Quick as a flash she turned, jumped through the window, rolled and started to set off at a run when a noise from the alley way caught her attention.
Upon looking she saw an old woman frantically waving and whispering “over here, quickly”, sprinting toward the door, she dived in just as the town guards turned the corner “she came out this window, search every house, the scum is here I can smell her” said the captain.
The old woman helped her up asking, “What’s your name, dear?”
“Vanya,” answered the woman.
“Well, Vanya, I am Gal’theri,” said the old woman, walking towards an old bookcase, “you had better follow me. I have got the perfect hiding place till the guards have gone.” When she reached the bookcase, she pulled one of the shelves and half of the bookcase swung outwards! “There is a bed, table and food in there, dear. Make yourself comfortable.”

Listening to the soldiers search the room, she suddenly heard the bookcase squeak and start to move, drawing both knives she readied herself only to see Gal’theri standing there
“They have gone dear”
Pulling her hood over her head, she said a quick goodbye and set off down the street, reaching the corner she glanced round only to see a group of guards walking towards her. She stopped dead; someone knocked into her and her hood slipped off.
“There she is” shouted the guards
Fast as she could, she climbed up the nearest building and set off across the rooftops thinking of a way to get out of this mess ‘the airship’ she thought ‘it’s only a few streets away, if I’m lucky I could jump onto it as it leaves’
Narrowly avoiding a lunging guard Vanya turned to the left and started to leap over the streets to give her a gap from the guards but they seem to be gaining with every step. Frustrated she looked towards the airship port and saw that it was just leaving, which mean that it was going to have to reach the city wall before rising “So its race then” she thought and took off to beat the airship to the city walls.

With arrows flying around her and guards climbing up from every street, she reached the walls as the airship did and with a flying leap jumped off the wall towards the cargo net, as she reached out for it she had a horrible realisation that she wasn’t going to make it. Out of nowhere a pale eyed figure reached out and caught her just before she fell and helped her on board. As she turned to say thanks she found herself alone on the deck, her saviour was no-where to be seen, confused she stood up and went to get a drink.

Walking down the deck, she nearly collided with an old man “Sorry my dear, I didn’t see you there”
“That’s ok, Wait Dad” she said looking incredulity at him “what are you doing here?”
“Vanya my girl, I’m visiting an old friend” Dorath explained “what are you doing?”
“I’m looking for someone myself, but that’s not important”