Myor Rising. 8

From his tower in Casthor in the frozen tundra of the Athtar ice plains, Asam Arynn stared intently into a blazing pyre. All day long he had this nagging feeling that something was wrong. He felt there was disaster reaching out and trying to touch his soul. He had tried reading the bones of his old Naga enemy but they kept telling him the same thing. That danger was near and getting closer every day. Frustrated Asam looked for more information. He dug through his chest and found his Ouija board and decided it had always served him well, he would to give it a try.
Drawing a six pointed star, Asam placed the board in the center and sat crossed legged to ask his questions. His first was what was the danger? There was no answer. The question was to direct to be answered. His next question was could Casthor be attacked. With his hands folded in his lap, Asam watched as the planchette slowly slid across the board to the YES in the top left corner. With that answer, Asam wonder who it could be that would attack the city. Was it their old enemy the Naga? It moved to the opposite side to the NO. Was it the Snowmen or the Kensi? The planchette didn't move, that meant no. It could take all day going through the list of possible attackers. This was the wrong line of questioning. Maybe he should concentrate on how to stop it. With that thought, the planchette slipped across the board to the YES. Now he was getting somewhere. So the answer was to somehow stop an attack on Casthor.
Alerting the king at this stage was a waste of time since, all he really had was a feeling and the answers of the Ouija board. He would need some kind of proof of danger for him to take action. Maybe the board had an answer.
"How do I get proof of danger?" He asked.
As Asam looked down, the planchette slid down to the letters and started spelling something out. It moved down to the M, then to the Y and over to the O and then the R and stopped.
"Myor?" Asam stared down at the board in shock. How could this be? Myor was his oldest son, his apprentice. He had strong magic, possibly even stronger then his own, but how could he possibly stop whatever was coming. Especially since even Asam had no idea what the trouble was. He needed more information. He needed to know what this was all about before he let his son get involved in it. There had to be someone, one of his friends or allies that knew what it was. It was time he reached out to them to learn what he could.
Getting to his feet, Asam walked out to his study where his altar to Aramis had been built. The fire was low so Asam mumbled an ancient spell and made it burst out to flare up and blaze high. He stared into the fire thinking back on the allies he had made in the past three hundred years. He knew many of his oldest friends had passed away, but there were still the Elves, Vampires, Fairies and a few others still alive. The first person that came to his mind was Valerian Sharpwing, king of the Ammath fairy's. Valerian was on old trusted friend for over two hundred years. If anyone knew anything, he would know.
Closing his eyes, Asam concentrated on Ammath. He visualized the beautiful fairy community with its azure bluebells, bright yellow sunflower and daffodils, white, pink and red tulips and many different wildflowers all flowering around the city. As Asam opened his eyes, he was shocked to see the city in total ruin. All the flowers were dead and the city had been crushed and burned. In his mind he called out for Valerian but there was no answer. Asam couldn't find anyone there still alive, and was horrified to find bodies of dead fairies everywhere. Whatever had destroyed Ammath had to be the danger that threatened Casthor.
After Valerian, Asam tried his friend Tomz Across of Prafa with no success. Then he tried another friend, one that always answered. He tried reaching Jandar Tyr, one of the two kings of the Dragons. In his mind deep down he could feel his presence, but again there was no answer. This worried him. The Dragons were the protectors for all of Taggitia. If there was danger in the lands, they should be there to fight it. There had to be someone he could find that could help.

Panting with exhaustion, the white shadow dived from snow dune to snow dune as fast as he could. Only minutes behind him he could hear the growls of the Kensi as they gave chase coming closer and closer by the minute. He dived into the ice as one took a swipe at him and resurfaced a few feet away right in the path  of a huge Snowman. As it swing its great ice fist down to smash him he dived back down into the ice. Pain speared through his leg as the fist clipped his descending foot as it slipped into the ice. He dived deep breathing shallow twisting and turning as he looked for somewhere safe to emerge and get away from the enemies chasing him. To the left the Kensi howling tearing at snow dunes looking for him. To the right, Snowmen waited pounding the ice sending painful ripples of vibrations down trying to drive him back to the surface.  The pain tore through him pounding like a hammer. He needed to surface out of the ice. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand staying down merged in the ice. His mind was screaming out in pain. He needed help soon or he would die down there.

As Myor sat in meditation, waves of fear and pain suddenly stabbed into his head. He felt like he was suffocating deep down in the ice of the tundra while Snowmen and Kensi stood over him hunting him. But Myor Arynn knew it wasn't him that was buried in the ice. It was his friend Yarden Pek, and he was in serious trouble. He could feel Yarden getting weaker by the second.
Jumping to his feet, Myor ran to the window and opened it and dived out. As he fell he spread his arms and triggered the change and shifted his form from human to his Phoenix form. His arms stretched and powerful fiery red and gold wings formed. His body become bird like with talons, a beak and a long blazing tail. Like a star he shot out across the tundra to the west where Yarden was trapped beneath the ice.
As he approached, Myor gazed down and saw the Kensi hauling Yarden from out of the ice. Exhaustion must have taken its toll until Yarden had no choice but to surface. Being to weak to fight, they were able to grab him and haul him out onto the open bed of ice.
With his friend in danger, Myor let loose a call that rattled the snow caps. As the Snowmen looked up at him, he fired a series of fireballs down to rain on them. Like cannon blasts, the fireballs came searing down and blasting the first two Snowmen into pieces. Surprised by the attack, two Snowmen howled and raised their fist and charged Myor. With his wings out stretched, Myor flew right at them letting the heat of his wings burn right though them.
As Myor touched down on the tundra, he shifted back to his human form to face the Kensi. Myor  stood a little under six feet, he was thin about 125 lbs dressed in black trousers and tunic with a long red and gold coat. His hair was wild and spiked streaked in red, black and blond looking like flames that crowned his head. Myor was very handsome with strong features and pointed ears. His face was framed with the spots common to the men of the Phoenician race.
Between Yarden and Myor there were five Kensi, each armed with a club and the strength of a wild beast. Myor stood ready. He flexed his Phoenician muscles and sent flames flaring out from his hands.
Snarling, the Kensi attacked. Leaping into action a Kensi charged in snarling and snapping reaching out with clawed hands to grab Myor. Raising his hand, Myor sent a burst of flame right in its face. The beast man howled in pain to blind the  beast. It ran off with its fur blazing with flames.
With three more Kensi facing him, Myor formed a sword of flame and attacked. Holding the sword with two hands, Myor charged swinging up slicing into the lead Kensi from groin to its chin. It's stomach split open spilling its gut on the ice. The second Kensi came in with its club swinging for Myors head. Countering, Myor's sword came up and met the club and cut right through it. Spinning around, Myor sank his sword into the beast chest searing a smoking hole right through its heart. In shock the Kensi fell back and was dead before its body hit the ice.
Standing over Yarden, the last Kensi looked at Myor then back down at Yarden and growled. From the look in its eyes, Myor knew what was about to happen. It had one enemy there in its hands and if it was going to die, it would take Yarden with him. Sneering it raised its club over its head ready to deliver a death blow..
There was no way Myor could make it to Yarden in time to stop the Kensi from crushing his head. But with his powers, he didn't have to be close to stop the beast. His only problem was that Yarden was very close and could get hurt, but he had to take the chance.
"Yarden!" He yelled. "Get down under the ice!!"
Still groggy, but aware of what was going on around him, Yarden heard his friends warning. Reaching in for his last bit of strength, Yarden phased himself and slipped down into the ice. With Yarden out of the way, Myor sent a blast of fire and heat at the Kensi turning it into a burning pyre. As the Kensi breathed in the fire, heat seared its lungs. For a few seconds it staggered about trying to get air, then it fell smoldering to the ground.
With the Kensi and the Snowmen out of the way, Myor scanned the horizon for any more threats. He wanted to be sure there was no one else to fight before he called Yarden back up to safety. Once he was sure, he signaled him it was safe to come up. Still weak from the chase, Yarden's hand slowly came trembling up out of the ice. From the way it moved, Myor could tell he was to weak to pull himself back up to the surface. Reaching down, Myor clasped hands with Yarden and pulled. Slowly his arm came free, then his head and shoulder. Soon his entire white furred body lay on the ice and Yarden gasped for air. As he opened his eyes and recognized Myor, and made the shift back to his normal form. Yarden like all his people was very tall at six feet six inches and muscular. His skin was pale almost as white as his long flowing hair. From living in the dimly lit caverns, his eyes were yellow, able to see very well in the dark.
"Breathe easy." Myor helped him to sit up, then checked him over for any injury's and healed his cuts and bruises. "They're all dead now, your safe. What are you doing all the way out here, you could have been killed?"
"Looking for you." Yarden said feeling stronger. He took Myor's hand as he helped him up. "I need your help. Something really bad has happened."
Just then, they heard a howl from not far off in the distance. More Kensi had caught their scent and were rallying for an attack. Yarden could smell them on the wind, they were getting close.
"We should get out of here." He said. "More Kensi are coming."
"Can you run? Casthor isn't that far away."
"Go!" Yarden  made the shift to Yeti. [I'll follow you.]
Turning east, Myor started running, then he spread his arms and shifted to his Phoenix form and took off into the sky and flew east with Yarden running right behind him.

At the gates to the city, Asam waited for Myor to return. All the scrying and searching had led him to one answer. He had no idea how, but his magic had told him somehow, his son would have the answers he was looking for. He had gone to Myor's study expecting to find him deep in meditate, and discovered he was missing. A simple locations spell found him out on the frozen tundra surrounded by Kensi and Snowmen in the middle of a battle. For a second Asam thought he should go help him but a few Kensi and Snowmen should be no trouble for his very capable son. What was he doing out there? Asam looked a little closer for an explanation. That's when he noticed the young Yeti laying behind the Kensi. He must be a friend. It was just like Myor to rush out to a friends rescue. This shouldn't take long. He would meet him at the gate when he returned.
As Myor and Yarden reached the golden gates of Casthor, the sentry bowed with recognition and let them in. The golden city of Casthor with its high spires and towers was a magnificent place. The roads were all made of marble as were the many beautiful buildings. Palm trees lined each street reaching high to grab the magnified sun light of the crystal domed city.
As Myor led Yarden into the city, Asam made his way down from the wall that surrounded the city.  He caught them just after Yarden took his normal form dressed in nothing but a loincloth.
"A friend Myor?" Asam looked him up and down and frowned.
"Yes father." They stopped to greet him. "This is Yarden Pek. He's Yetisian from the Mohn mountains to the west. It seems he needs my help with something."
"Aiya friend Yarden." Asam bowed. "Welcome to Casthor. I think we should find you something to wear. We can't have you walking through the city like that."
With a snap of his fingers, a white linen tunic and cotton pants with gold trim appeared on Yarden. Yarden spread his arms and looked down at himself pleased. He had never had real clothes before.
"That's better." Asam smiled. "He looks very handsome, don't you think so Myor?"
"Yes father, He is. But I don't think he came all this way for a new suit. Yarden has something he wants to tell us."
"Yes,yes,yes." Asam said. "And I need to talk with you about something very important. Let's go home where we can be more comfortable and Yarden can talk in private."

Back in Arynn Tower, Asam led Yarden to a lounge where he could rest while Myor made them a pot of gingerberry tea to help sooth his frazzled nerves. With his tray in hand, Myor stepped in, sat it down and poured Yarden and Asam a cup.
"Sip on this." Asam said as he blew on the hot drink. "It has magically qualities. It'll help you relax and focus your thoughts."
Myor grabbed a chair and pulled it over and sat down. Yarden's face had a calm glow as he sipped his tea.
"Now." He asked. "What's so important you braved the tundra alone to find me?"
Slowly and calmly, Yarden told them about his day and what happened in the caverns. He told them of the smoke he saw rising over the mountains then what he found when he reached the caverns. He recalled the bodies of the Yetisian warriors and all his dead people. Then he told them of the old mage that had caused all the death and destruction.
"And you have no idea who it was?" Myor asked.
"None." Yarden shook his head. "There are a few mages in Torcin, but this man was crazy out of his mind."
"Many warlocks are a little mad." Asam told them. "It comes with the profession. It can't be helped."
"No." Yarden cut him off. "You don't understand, He wasn't a little mad, he talked, no, screamed at himself while tearing the place up searching for something."
Myor opened his mouth to speak but Asam held out his hand and stopped him.
"What was he looking for?" Asam asked. Now he was very interested. "Did he find it?"
"It was small. A ring I think, hidden in the statue of Rocca Kah. Why, is that important?"
"I need to see this old warlock."  Asam put down his tea. "This could be very important. Myor, you can find the image in Yarden's head and show it to me."
Myor stood up and pulled his chair out and placed it in the center of the room. "Sit here Yarden."
"Is this going to hurt?" Yarden took his place in the chair looking nervous and fidgeting around.
"Relax." Myor smiled placing his hand on Yarden's forehead. "You won't feel a thing."
Closing his eyes, Myor held out his hand palm up aimed at the closest wall and started his spell.

FROM YOUR MIND TO MINE.
MY THOUGHTS TO YOURS.
THE PAST TO SEE.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THY.

With a snap of his fingers, Asam doused the lights and darkened the glass dome over head. From Yarden's mind his days experience flowed into Myor and he projected the image on the wall. First they watched as Yarden stalked the caribou out on the snowy plains. Then the scent of smoke caught Yarden's attention and he saw the smoke coming from the mountains. Yarden shook his head and the scene changed as he ran through the caverns and tunnels of the Mada clan. They saw the dead and burned Yetisians scattered all through the village.Yarden shook his head again and suddenly he was standing outside of the Hall of Elders where he heard someone was tearing the place apart. Yarden merged with the ice and slipped in staying deep in the ice, but close enough to the surface to see who had destroyed the Mada caverns. As he watched, a strange man with gray hair and tattered robes raged through the chamber arguing with himself.
The second Asam saw the old warlock, he jumped up out of he seat and moved closer to the image on the wall.
"No!" He said as he watched the statue being blasted and the warlock pick something up. "He's dead, this isn't possible."
With a wave of his hand, Myor stopped the images and froze the scene with the warlock screaming into the air.
"Father, you know who that is?"
"Yes." Asam turned to face Myor and Yarden. "I know him very well."
"Who is he?" Yarden asked. "And where's my family and the rest of my clan?"
"I'm sorry Yarden." Asam was over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "But I think they're all dead. He's done it before, his madness drives his rage to kill, and he's killed hundreds."
"That can't be!!" Yarden jumped out of his chair knocking it over. Tears burned in his eyes. "My mother, my brothers, they can't be dead!! They're just missing. They must have ran off when he attacked, they can't be dead!!"
"We can check if you want." Asam said sadly. "With luck they may have made it to Torcin and safety, but If they did, I think they would have reached out and made contact by now. I know Xander Corden very well, I'll contact him and see if they're there. But I think you should face the truth for now and accept it. They are gone."
Yarden looked as if his world had just died and he was about to explode with grief. He couldn't understand how this could have happened. His people weren't war like. There were warriors, sure for there protection, but they had never attacked anyone, not even the Kensi or Snowmen. Why had this crazy warlock come to his home, and why kill everyone?
Asam saw the anguish burning through Yarden and he knew he had to try and explain. He had them both sit down and he poured another cup of tea. He didn't know if either of them would understand what he was about to tell them, but if that really was Bram Thorn, then he would need their help to defeat him.
"The warlocks name is Bram Thorn." He said. "And it all started long ago in a land call Fay Shrea. Sit back and I'll tell you why he must be destroyed."

Fire and Ice. 7

Far to the west of Sorrowdown, Fay Shrea and Tir Na, at the foot of the mountains of Meir sat Parandor Keep. Parandor Keep was a fortress settlement established over a hundred years ago by the senate and emperor of Sorrowdown during its last great bid at expansion. To the east of Sorrowdown was the land of the Yadessa. The Emperor didn't like Baron Valkar's land being so close to his, but war with them might possibly devastate Sorrowdown and the vampires would not be an enemy easy to defeat. To the south of that was Fay Shrea and Tir Na with the Elves and Dwarfs below that. All three like the vampires magical, and a war Sorrowdown wasn't sure it could win.
To the north was the city of Winterhaven. It was very peaceful and it didn't have much of an army, but its magic was beyond compare. From the walls, the Mages of Winterhaven could curse or blast Sorrowdown's army into dust, so invasion there was out of the question. But to the west lay open lands and human settlements that could be absorbed into the empire so, west it was. After many years and battles, everything from the gates of Sorrowdown and west  to the Meir mountains became a part of the Sorrowdown Empire.
It was late in the evening and the moon was high as a lone exhausted rider led his tired mount the last few steps to the gate of the keep before collapsing. From a post on the wall, a guard watched and saw the rider. When the stranger fell, the guard called down and alerted the gate watch of the strangers presence. The gates were opened and two guards came out and carried the man in while another led the exhausted horse limping to a place where it would be watered and rest.
In the gate house the guards recognized the uniform of the rider as that of Sorrowdown. This guard most have ridden all night with some important message for Manius Regulus, governor of Parandor and the towns and villages around it.
At his desk in his study, Manius Regulus sat going over the city's daily reports. Work had to be done on the city's water system. Crops this quarter were down from last year and the arena floor needed repair. All boring everyday problems that faced the governor in running a city on a daily basis.
As Manius picked up the sheet concerning the monthly taxes, he rubbed his eyes and stood up. Pushing his chair aside he walked over to the table and picked up the decanter of wine and poured himself a glass. After taking a sip, he frowned. The wine was warm and not to his taste. Well that would be easy to fix. Placing the glass and decanter back on the table, Manius reached out and waved his left hand over the wine. A blue glow emanated from the ring on his finger and a wave of icy cold chilled the wine to the perfect temperature.
Just then there was a knock at his door.
"Come in." He called as he sat back down sipping his wine. At the door a young dark haired man of about eighteen dressed in a white toga trimmed in purple the color of the Pius family entered. "Caius, I'm busy. What is it?"
"We have a visitor." Caius Aurius walked to his father and dropped the helmet of the rider on the desk. Manius stared down at the helmet.
"What does Midoa want now?" He pushed the helmet off the desk to roll across the floor. "More men for his games? Taxes, what is it now?"
"I don't know father." Caius picked up the dented helmet. "But whatever it was, he rode his horse to death to get here."
"Interesting." Manius folded his hands in front of him while twisting the ring on his finger. "Where is this visitor?"
"In the gate house."
"Come with me." Manius got up, grabbed a cloak and left the study. It was a short walk through the keep to the gatehouse where he found the guard laying on a bunk looking like he was at deaths doorway.
"Everybody out." Manus commanded. "Caius, you stay."
One by one the guards in the room filed out and Caius shut the door behind them. Manius grabbed a stool and went and sat beside the wounded guard.
"You have something to tell me." He said. "What is it?"
"Midoa is dead." The guard moaned.
"How? How did my cousin died?"
"He was killed by Vibius Herkalus in his viewing stand in the arena."
"Damn!" Manius cursed. "Midoa was supposed to kill that bastard."
"He failed." The guard told them. "But Vibius is dead now. Dead by the Emperors own hand."
"And he sent you with a message for me?"
"Yes." He tried to sit up. "He said to tell you that Bram was back and that he would be coming for you, the ring and your son."
"Message received." Manius pulled a dagger from his belt and plunged it into the guards heart.
"Father!!"
"He's nothing." Manius walked to the door and pulled it open. He talked to the guard on the other side then pulled Caius out. "We have things to do."
Without another word, Caius followed his father from the gate house. He had seen that look in his fathers eyes and knew better then to ask any questions. From the gate house they went back through the city to Parandors old senate building. Since the Emperor had abolished the senate, the building was now used for offices of officials Midoa or Manius had appointed. After issuing orders to one of his generals, Manius called for Malipius, Parandors head of the Mage guild then took Caius to his office suite.
"Father, what is going on?"
"Trouble." He told Caius. "And opportunity if what that guard told us is true."
"What do you mean?".
Just then there was a knock at the door and Malipius Didius Otho was let in. Malipius was not an old man, but his use of the dark arts has sipped his youth until he looked almost ancient and crooked. He was dressed like most dark mages in dark robes and he had an air of mystery about him. Using a cane, Malipius hobbled forward to stand in front of the seated consul and his son.
"Hail Midoa." He weakly lifted his hand in salute. "You sent for me?"
"Yes." Manius looked up at the Mage. "You are the most powerful mage that serves me here. I have a few questions for you."
"What can I do for you Sire?"
"Sire?" Manius looked at him lifting an eyebrow. "Why do you call me that?"
"Sorrowdown is in flames." He said with a faraway look in his eyes. "Midoa is dead. You and your son are now all that is left of the Pius line. That makes you the emperor if you make the move now. If not, the empire will crumble. The time you have been waiting for is here."
Manius smiled. These were just the answers he was hoping for. He had the men and forces to pull the empire back together under his name. There was just one more question.
"And what of Bram Thorn?"
As Malipius heard that name, all the blood drained from his face. His body began to tremble and his mouth opened with a groan. That faraway look in Malipius's eye turned into a crazed glare then a cold cackle rang out. Manius jumped to his feet and pushed Caius behind him as he grabbed a sword from a rack on the wall.
"Sorrowdown empire will never exist under your pathetic role Manius Regulus. You and your son will either be puppets under my control or you will be dead like Midoa. This is your only warning. I, Bram Thorn am coming for my revenge!!"
Suddenly Malipius laughter turned into screams of pain. Malipius fell to the floor as his body began to contort. Bending backwards, a loud crack echoed through the room as the Mage's back snapped and Malipius died with a final scream.
"Father! What was that? Is he dead?"
"That was just what I was afraid of." Manius threw his sword down at Malipius body. "He was possessed."
"By what?"
"Not what." Manius looked at his son. "Who. Bram Thorn to be exact. The craziest warlock that ever lived, and died."
"I don't understand."
"Sit down." He walked back to his desk. "I have a story to tell you."

It was early in the morning before the sun rose over the horizon when the smell of fear drifted out through the air. Fear and something else. Hunger. As Sima padded her way through the forest, she smelled something was on the hunt and it had caught the scent of prey. Like the hunter she was, Sima followed the scent. It was a familiar scent. One that was always there in Lanayh, The scent of an elf and it was scared. Sima cocked her head and took in the second scent. That of the hunter. It was a wild scent. One that wasn't usually found in Lanayh but there were a few here. She knew that smell well. It was one of her oldest enemies. An enemy she had battled many times before and never an easy battle. it was a Garmr out hunting in Lanayh.
With the hair on her neck raised, Sima slowly made her way through the bush. The smell of fear burned her senses driving her on. Garmr were ravenous hunters that once on a scent, never turned until they they had fed and their bellies were full. They were huge black dog beast usually kept by goblins as trackers because of their great hunting skills.
Finding the trail left by the Garmr was easy. They had a scent like no other beast. Sima followed it into a heavily thick area then heard a sudden scream. Gathering herself, Sima leaped over the bushes to find the Garmr advancing on a young Sky elf who's wing hung down from his back looking damaged. With one look at the scared elf, something in Sima's heart said no. She would not allow this innocent elf, one of the many who lived their lives just to protect this forest and every animal in it from harm. She had seen them help and care for everything in the the forest from a sick and diseased trees to a wounded mad bear. she would not let the Garmr hurt the elf in any way.
Gathering her strength, Sima roared and made a mighty leap which put her right in between the advancing Garmr and its intended prey. With the way barred, Sima roared her challenge to the great dog beast and held herself ready for its attack. Surprised but unfazed by the big cat, the Garmr attacked. It came in snapping at Sima's throat for a quick kill. But Sima was no novice to battle. She twisted under the attack and leaped on the Garmr's back as it tried to turn back at her. Her claws ripped wide and deep scratches as she bit into its neck. The Garmr howled out in pain as it shook and tried to shake the cat off its back. Diving to the ground it rolled trying to crush Sima. With lightning speed she jumped off and was ready when the Garmr got back to its feet.
As it stood snarling at Sima, she pawed the ground sharpening her claws for the next attack. Sima's eyes never left the Garmr as she paced in front of the scared elf. Her muscles were tight, then they jumped at each other. As Sima and the Garnr clashed, Sima's teeth went right to the Garnr's thoat and she bit down crushing its windpipe. It shook struggling to shake her off and get breath into its lungs but Sima held tight. It wasn't long before it gasped its last breath. Sima had won.
Dropping the dead Garmr, Sima turned to the elf as it drew itself back. As Sima tilted her head, she laid down and began to clean her wounds. Surprised that the Puma wasn't attacking, the elf stood up and carefully held out his hand to Sima. After taking a sniff, Sima began to lick the elf's hand.
"You just saved my life Sima." The elf sat down in front of her as Sima looked back panting. "I knew you had the heart I was looking for. I have a reward for you."
The Elf stood up and in a flash of blinding light it disappeared and a handsome blond man in glowing golden robes appear. Standing in front of the big cat was now the sun god Alee. He reached out and touched Sima right between the eyes. Suddenly her mind became sharper. She looked up at Alee and knew something in her had changed. She had grown bigger, stronger and faster and much more clearer in her mind.
"How do you feel Sima?"
[Strong.]  She stood wondering where that had come from. How was it that she now understood everything he was saying. [Who bright man?]
"My name is Alee." He said. "And I have something I want you to do. I want you to find someone for me and help him. Be his guide. Will you do that for me?"
[Yes Sun man.] Sima didn't know how, but she knew exactly who the bright man was and what he wanted. She would help him.
"Good." He ran his hand through the tan fur on her head. "Find Niro and be his guide. Help him be the hero I know he can be."

At the edge of Sorrowdown, Bram Thorn stood and watched as the city burned. He could sense that what he was looking for wasn't here. The Emperor was dead, he knew that. Someone had beaten him here so he couldn't get his revenge on Midoa Cassius Pius, the man who had ordered his death. But the men who had carried out the order were still out there and so was their families. He would make them suffer for what they had done to him.
As he watched the flames blow in the wind, a wagon of people who had made it out of the city pulled up along the road.
"Aiya Stranger." Called a man from the front seat. "If you seek Sorrowdown, you can see it is no more. It was burned to the ground by escaping slaves. We gave them shelter and food and this is how they repay our kindness. I pray a pox will fall on every last one of them and shrivel their manhood. We head for Parandor keep for safety. What say you?"
Bram barely looked at them. He just raised his hand and sent a blast of fire at them and incinerated them screaming. As Bram looked at the smoldering ashes, the name Parandor kept running through his mind. He began to laugh and disappeared.

In the freezing land of Aerola, far to the west of Kensor, the sun shined brightly on the snowy dunes of the plain. A great white arctic caribou stepped out from behind a huge snow mound and stopped to take a scent of the air. Sensing no danger, it bent down and started scraping at the ground to get to the tender leaves of grass beneath the snow. Off to the left, hidden among the dunes of snow, Yarden Pek watched and waited for his chance to attack. Yarden was young, pure white furred Yeti of the Mada clan from the nearby Mohn Mountains. He had been out all morning tracking caribou and had finally managed to get one separated from the herd. He was being very careful. He knew that the slightest sound or hint of his scent would alert the beast of his presence and it would bolt. He had to be slow and take his time making his approach if he was to make a kill today.
Slowly he inched his way out of the dunes keeping the wind coming from the north. He prayed to Kearn the winter god to keep the winds in his favor for just a few more minutes. All he had to do was make it a few more feet to his prey and with his icy touch, he could send his ice running through the caribou's blood and bring the beast down with a frozen heart.
Hugging the ground, Yarden merged with the snow and ice and crept inch by inch forward. His claws were exposed and ready. He had blocked out everything around him except for the caribou. He didn't see the polar bear that watched from the distance and he didn't hear the rumble coming from behind him until the ground began to shake. Then the caribou lifted its head sensing danger and bolted away. Yarden dropped back into solid form and sat up and watched as the caribou trotted off across the field. That was when he felt the vibrations in the snow and looked back to see smoke rising from the mountains. As Yarden put his hand to his brow to shield his eyes from the glare, he realized the smoke was rising from just where the entrance to the clan caverns were. Something was wrong back at the Mada Caverns. He had left mother and his younger brother there sleeping when he went out to hunt. He wasn't sure of what exactly the smoke meant, but he knew it wasn't coming from any cooking fires. They used the heat from the mountains heart to cook and forge weapons and other metal objects. And since the Yetisans don't need heat, a fire in the mountain could only mean one thing. Trouble.
The closer Yarden got to the caverns, the thicker the smoke came billowing out. He could smell the smoke as he ran and something else. He smelled fear and blood in the air. Yarden quickened his pace leaping from cliffs edge to the next trail as his fear grew. Moving at his top speed, it took him less then ten minutes to make it up to the cavern entrance. As he came around the trails bend, the smell of blood filled his senses. He hurried on to the hidden gates, then stopped when he saw two smoking bodies lying by the gate. Horrified, he looked down at the two smoldering heaps. It was Zuri and Kenton Pah. Two brothers that had been standing watch at the gate for years. Their fur was scorched down to the flesh and there was a look of absolute horror on what was left of their faces.
Fear pushed Yarden on. Something powerful had done this and whatever it was, it had gone into the gates and down to the city.
Hurrying on, Yarden couldn't help but wonder who could have done this. It couldn't have been the Snowmen who so frequently tried to get into the city. They were made of snow, they couldn't handle fire. It couldn't have been the Kensi, those savage beastmen were afraid of fire too What about the Humans? Could they be responsible? Yarden couldn't see how that would be possible. The Yetisan had been friends with the people of Torcin for over one hundred years. They traded with them and their children even attended their schools. There was no reason they would attack, it just didn't make any sense. But if not them, then who could it be?
As Yarden hurried down the tunnel, he made the turn and went down and enter the main cavern which housed the people of the Mada clan. It was hard to see anything, smoke filled the cavern burning his eyes but Yarden did see the burning bodies of Yeti warriors everywhere. Scared, he ran on screaming for someone to come tell him what had happened here. As he searched, he went from the market area to the homes further back praying he wouldn't find any of his family. It wasn't long before he found himself on the lane where his family lived. He stopped at his open door afraid to go in. Afraid of what he might find.
Slowly Yarden pushed the door open and stepped in. The homes and shops in Mada cavern had all constructed from a series of chambers in the caves. The ceiling were all of different heights. Some homes had three or four rooms, some had more. Orbs of light glowed from high up casting low levels of light through all the chambers and halls. As Yarden stepped into his home, he could see things scattered everywhere. Chairs knocked over, broken plates and mugs on the floor and a bowl with the vegetables his mother had been preparing for tonight's dinner crushed and trampled. Fear for his family turned his stomach as he searched each room afraid of what he might find.
He went from room to room searching closets and under beds and found nothing. There was no one there. Yarden stopped, he looked down and at his feet there was a sketching of him with his mother and his two brothers. He picked it up and hung it back in its place on the wall. Where were they? He tried to think. Where would they go if there was trouble. His mother would take the boys and go to Levin the Elder. He would know what to do.
Running out from his mother's apartments, Yarden dashed through the streets. He went up the lane and made a turn four blocks up passing dead and burning warriors along the way. At the fountain in the center of Mada, Yarden heard a huge explosion that shook the cavern raining debris down from the upper levels. Looking up, he saw smoke pouring from the hall of Elders. Whatever had attack them, must still be up there.
Yarden was scared. He knew he was no match for whatever had attacked the clan, but if there was any way to avenge all the dead Yeti, he would have to find out what had attacked and why. Merging with the ice, Yarden stepped into the ice wall and made his way up to the higher levels. He stuck to the walls not going to deep into the ice so he would have no trouble seeing who the enemy was. Once on the top level where the Hall of Elders was, Yarden stopped before he entered. He said a quick prayer to Kearn to give him strength and luck, then slipped into the hall moving very slow.
What was once a thing of beauty and pride, the hall of Elders was now in total ruin. Where once the walls were made of beautiful gleaming ice crystal, shining like diamond, now black soot and ash covered large portions on the wall. The twin rows of statues of the elders had been smashed and lay in pieces all around the chamber. Only one statue was left standing. In the front of the chamber, front and foremost of them all stood the statue of  Rocca Kah the first elder and the Yeti that brought the clan to the Mohn mountains. As Yarden moved in for a closer look, something moved out beyond the ice wall. There was someone in the room. It was a human, he looked strange, he wore tattered black robes and he had long gray scraggly hair. Yarden knew right away this was a wizard of some sort. As he watched, he could see he was talking. No, he was screaming but there was no one else in the room but him. No matter how hard he tried, Yarden couldn't hear what he was saying but he was obviously mad and looking for something.
As Yarden watched, the Mage shook his fist at Rocca Kah screaming something then stopped. He stepped closer looking up into the statues eyes, then sent a bolt of energy that blew its head off. It shattered into a thousand pieces and fell all around the mad mage. He through back his head laughing hysterically kicking through the derbies until he found something. A ring, it had been set as one of Rocca's eyes. Satisfied with his find, the Mage turned and faced Yarden. Afraid he had been found, Yarden moved further back into the ice ready to dive into the glacier if he had too. As he looked back the Mage made a gesture with his hands and disappeared in a flash of darkness.
With the Mage gone, Yarden slid out from his icy hiding place and looked around at the devastation he had caused. Who was the mad Mage and what was it that he had found? Where were the rest of his people? Yarden needed answers and only a human could give them to him. He had to go to Torcin, he had friends there. Maybe Xander Cordan could help him find his family and friends, Maybe he could help figure out who the Mage was. Torcin was about a day’s run away. Yarden returned to home and packed what he thought he might need then left sealing the caverns gates behind him. As he looked back at the snowy gates to Mada, Yarden remember someone he had met while hunting a few years ago. Someone not too far away. Maybe there was someone else up here on the tundra that could help. Maybe he should go to Casthor.

The Thief, the Warrior and the Princess. 6

Today was one of the worst days in the life of Rowyn Syndra Windstar, princess of Pelordra. It had started easy. Simple as a matter of fact. She woke up, dressed and  greeted her father King Philibar Windstar. They had breakfast on the balcony of his palace in Pelordra. Philibar was the ruler of a elven nation of sky elves. Sky elves were a race of winged elves created in the early days of Keanna when Aramis went by the name of Vitale. They were created as forest elves but were favored by Alee the sun god after he fell in love with a beautiful elven maiden. As a gift, Alee granted her and her descendants with the gift of flight and certain avian attributes.

Sky elves were tall, thin and strong with different colored feathers on each elf. Rowyn had blue feathered wings with black stripes. On her head she had white hair with light blue feathers. Lovely elven features, the long ears, red lips and bright eyes. She wore a pretty blue short dress with lace up sandal.

Sitting at a backless chair, Rowyn ate a lite breakfast of fruit, breads and vegetable while she waited for her father to come down to eat. All around her birds of all types flew in and ate the crumbs she spread out for them.

Hearing a rustle overhead, Rowyn watched as her father sailed down from his tower to join her. Closing his wings on his back, King Philibar smiled, kissed his daughter and sat down pushing his plate away.

"Not hungry?"

"I've been up for hours." He said. "I'm really not hungry."

Rowyn looked at him surprised. Sky elves were always hungry. It took a lot to power the wings on their back. Something must be wrong.

"What is it father? I can tell when something’s bothering you."

Rowyn looked into her father’s brown eyes. He looked exhausted. She wonder if he had gone to bed at all last night. Philibar looked up at the cloud beneath the rim of the city. Pelordra was called the cloud city, but it was actually built into the side of a mountain where they could fly in and out easily. The city had been established here centuries ago after a war with a nation of Dark elves. There were no roads that led to Pelordra. They wanted the city to be someplace walking or marching troops could never reach again and they found the perfect spot.

High in the southern mountains of Fay Shrea on one of the highest extinct volcano peaks, there was a catacomb of caves. Over the years these caves were expanded and molded into a towering city few other than the sky elves who lived there had ever seen. This was Pelordra and the city called Windstar. Its elven people lived in the caves and all around the mountain top with very little use for anyone else. There they worshipped Alee and tended to Lanayh, the little forest valley that sat in the volcanic bowl where they lived in harmony with nature. As all elves drew their magic from nature, trees, lakes and the land, Sky elves drew their power from the birds and other animals that lived in their forest. They shared their life force with the life of the forest.

As Rowyn watched Philibar he stood and went to the balcony and looked out at the mountains around them. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue with cotton clouds hanging all around the mountain. But Rowyn was sure her father hadn't seen any of that. He had a distant look in his eyes; she wondered where his mind really was.

"Father."

He just stared off into the sky not hearing her.

"Father!" She called louder. "Where are you?"

"I'm sorry Blue jay." He turned smiling at her. "I have a lot on my mind today. A king's life is never easy."

"Neither is the life of a princess." Getting up, Rowyn went to stand with her father. "I know something is bothering you, I can help if you share it with me."

King Philibar frowned for a moment looking into his daughters’ eyes. She was very wise for her age and capable of some amazing magic. Maybe she could help.

"We have a problem." Philibar pulled two chairs from the table. He pushed one over to Rowyn and sat down on the other. "Three days ago while flying through Lanayh, Daylor and I found something that disturbed me to my core. We found a dead unicorn. It wasn't just dead, it had been butchered, it's horn removed and not by an animal. Nothing here would dare kill one of the sacred animals. The cuts were to even, to precise. Someone had somehow made their way into our forest to hunt. A few days later, Daylor and I again went out to check the forest and found two dead satyrs with another dead corn. They looked as if someone had chased them down, cornered them and hacked them to death with swords. We searched for hours, all night but found nothing. Then last night Daylor went out by himself to see what he could find. I found his body this morning, dead like the satyrs. Something has invaded our home and I need to find out who it is."

"Daylor?"  Rowyn cried. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.  She had known Daylor all her life. He was the one who taught her to ride unicorns.  They had been promised to each other for marriage since birth. "How can this be? He's dead?"

"His body is below wrapped and ready for the funeral rite." King Philibar told her sadly. "I'm sorry Blue jay, I know how much he meant to you. I'll have his armor brought here so he can be prepared to go into the Life tree for his final rest. But I need someone I trust to investigate the killings. I can't send warriors in; it would violate all our laws for Elven warriors to fight anything in Lanayh. But you’re not a warrior. You have magic that can help find out who's behind the killings."

"And once I find out who it is." She asked. "What do I do?"

"I don't have to tell you what to do." King Philibar leaned forward to look her in her blue eyes. "You are the royal princess of Pelordra. Our family has lived and ruled here since Alee showed us our new home. You do what you have to, to protect your home. Just do not break Alee's law and kill in Lanayh."

"I understand Father." Rowyn stood and kissed her father’s cheek. "I will not disappoint you. I will make Pelordra safe again."

"Rowyn." King Philibar place a hand on her shoulder. "There's one more thing. I found this with Daylor's body."

He reached into his cloak and pulled something out and handed it to her. It was a silver dagger. It looked old and used. In its hilt on one side there was a cracked sapphire and one the other side the stone was missing. It didn't look sharp at all. She touched it and ran her finger along its dull edge. Whoever owned it could only use it for stabbing but it could help her find its owner.

"Thank you father." She smiled. "This will help."

Spreading her wings, Rowyn leaped off the balcony and into the sky. She let the wind fill her wings and flew back up through the towers back to her bed room. There she collected her bow and quiver, a healing potion just in case and a cloak to wrap around her to hide her wings. Sky elves were unique, not seen very often and you can never tell how someone might react to the unknown. With her things collected, Rowyn went to the royal kitchens and gathered some rations. Not knowing how long this might take, she took enough bread, vegetables and wine for four days, then flew off into Lanayh to begin her search.

The forest of Lanayh was beautiful filled with oaks, maples, elms and fruit trees. There was a small pond and a lake with water nymphs that played every day. Being enchanted, almost every flower and plant could be found in all forest lands in Fay Shrea and Pelordra was no exception. Roses, lilies, pansies and snap dragons of all colors filled the fields and glades. There were two different temples in Lanayh. One to Alee and the other to the earth goddess Rhea who helped create this haven for the elves. This was one of the most peaceful elven places in Fay Shrea like the glades of Eventide and Aspara Bough, the home of the fairy queen. Each with its own different magic and enchantment.

As Rowyn set herself before Rhea's temple, she bowed to show her respect, then walked out onto the beautifully tended lawn. She sat down, folded her wings to her back and took out the dagger and looked it over. It was an old weapon made for a much bigger hand then hers. Bigger than a Human or Elf, maybe an Orc or a Goblin. There was writing along the edge of the dull blade. Rowyn looked at it closely. She knew this language.

"Rega ut kil, uruk ut e'ga" Rowyn read. "Love to die, kill to live."

This was the language of the Orcs. Rowyn would know it anywhere. That meant, Orcs had somehow made their way into Pelordra. But how? There were no roads that climbed the mountain and as far as she knew. Orcs couldn't fly. The only way left would be some kind of  transport spell and Pelordra was supposed to have wards to keep such spells from working. Could Pelordra's magic be failing or could the Orcs have found some way to override their wards? Whichever it was there was two ways she could go from here. She could either wait to see if they returned or, she could try a location spell.

Waiting would mean they would be back to hunt again. She didn't want anything else here to be hurt so she would have to try locating the owner of the dagger.

Placing the dagger on the ground in front of her, Rowyn sat back and began to concentrate on the spell she would use. There were two ways to go about this. She could just try and transport herself straight to the Orc who owned the dagger. But that would be dangerous. Besides the fact that the transport might kill her because of the wards, suddenly appearing in the middle of a group of deadly Orcs would not be the smartest thing to do. But what if she cast the spell to lead her to the owner instead. Then she could find out exactly how they were getting in to Pelordra. This seemed the wiser of her choices.

HERE TO THERE, WHAT'S LOST IS FOUND.

THERE TO HERE AND ROUND AND ROUND.

LEAD ME ON TO THE OWNER RIGHT.

LEAD ME ON, SHOW ME THE LIGHT.

As sparks of magic gathered around the dagger, it rose up off the ground and hovered in front of Rowyn. Getting to her feet, Rowyn gave it the final command to start it's search for its owner.

"Go find your master."

Spinning around, the dagger took off and flew out into the forest. Spreading her wings, Rowyn leaped into the air to follow keeping the dagger well in view.

Over Rhea's temple it flew on pass Alee's temple. From there it went out and over the lake and into the fruit trees. Maneuvering through the trees it flew on into a set of hills and the ridges of the extinct volcano that housed the elven city. As Rowyn gazed down, she saw the side of the mountain with its crags and ridges. It was spotted with many dark spots she knew could only be caves. They were not caves dug out to house the populace. If elves lived here, the whole ridge would have been carved in a decorative fashion. No, no one lived here. In fact it didn't look like anyone had ever been here before.

Dropping down into the floor before the cavern wall, Rowyn gazed up at the walls all around her. There were walkways and ledges all along the ridge. And each ridge was dotted with dark areas. Leaping up, Rowyn flew up to a higher level. There she realized the dark areas were caves. Hovering in front of a cave on the second level she saw the dagger spinning while it waited for her to catch up. As she approached the dagger, point first it streaked down into a dark cave. Adjusting her pack on her back, Rowyn looked back at the sun and said a little prayer to Alee and flew on into the cave of darkness.

As Alea made her nightly ride across the dark sky, Niro lay under a huge oak and dreamed haunting dreams of fighting in Sorrowdown’s arena. He tossed and turned as he fought battle after battle in the hot sands. Then after the fighting was done, he would be chained and beaten and raped by a laughing Grimmer. He dreamed of screaming in the night from the pain and the hate he had for the city that was once his home. Then in shining armor his father charged in and ripped him loose from his chains, gave him a weapon and fought with him side by side in the arena against unbeatable odds. Just as they thought the fighting was over, a spear came out of the shadows and pierced Vibius heart and he fell as Niro woke screaming. Jumping up with his axe in his hand, Niro looked all around for an enemy to kill. Finding nothing in the quiet night, Niro sighed and sat down to relax. So much had happened to him in the last year of his life. He lost his home and his family, he had been made a slave and his body had been tortured in unspeakable ways. But he was free now and all that was behind him in horrible memories and an exciting future stood before him.

The first part of the future was to begin here somewhere. He had to find Pelordra, an elven city here in Fay Shrea. But where in all of Fay Shrea was Pelordra? He had never heard of it before. Niro knew it was here somewhere but where? North, east, west or south? Should he head deeper into the forest, up to the mountains, to the coast or underground? Were they dark elves, forest elves or sea elves? Niro had no idea. He had to find someone who could give him a clue as to where Pelordra would be.

Climbing to his feet, Niro tucked Stormfury into his belt and went to get his horse from the field where he had left it grazing. It was a beautiful tan horse with a white mane and socks.

"Aiya my friend." Niro reached up and stroked the horses forehead. "We may have a long journey ahead of us. I think you deserve a name. Something strong with meaning. How about Akhrua. It means warrior."

Akhrua neighed and stomped butting his head into Niro's hand searching for a treat. From his bag, Niro took one of the apples he had picked earlier and fed it to Akhrua. While the horse munched, Niro placed his bag behind the saddle then climbed on and urged Akhrua back out on the road deeper into Fay Shrea.

It was dark as Hodgodde Fearfist quickly picked his way through the forest outside of the entrance to the underground Dark elf city of Katar. He had taken a commission from Midoa, emperor of Sorrowdown to steal certain elven jewels from the royal house and get them to Sorrowdown. Hoddie had made his way in through the dark underground tunnels past many monsters, guardian beast and warriors to the gates of the city. With stealth and skill he slipped into the city pass many guards and city citizens, through the dark cobblestone lanes to the walls of the palace. Looking left then right to be sure he hadn't been seen, Hoddie donned special gloves and a cloak made by dwarven magic to camouflage himself. After stretching, he started climbing the wall to the first balcony. These would be staff quarters. He peeked over the rail to make sure the apartment was empty. It wasn't. In the bed slept a young maid. Quietly Hoddie hopped the railing and made his way to the door, opened it a crack and looked out. The hall outside was dimly lit by glow orbs. From what Hoddie could see, whoever lived here had to be very rich. The hall was very richly furnished with silk and satin drapery. The chairs and tables were made from highly polished oak and mahogany. On the floor there were rugs woven of a golden colored spun wool. He smiled. This was not what most Goblins lived with but he could get to like such surroundings.

His next move was to get out of the staff quarters and to somehow get to the royal treasure chamber. He knew there was no way a Goblin could make it that far. Somewhere between here and the chamber, there would be guards and if he was spotted they would be on him in seconds. He would need a disguise and that was what the cloak was for.

Moving back into the bedroom, Hoddie went to the sleeping girl. He took off his cloak and carefully laid it over the sleeping slave. Triggered by the warmth of the sleeping girl’s body, the cloak began to glow. Satisfied that the magic was working, Hoddie carefully took it off her and slipped the hood over his head and wrapped it around himself. As he gazed down, he saw that he now had the appearance of the girl. With dark hair and pretty brown eyes, she had a very sensual figure and a sweet smile, Hoddie hoped this human female could get him where he had to go.

Opening the door, Hoddie stared out. He passed a few girls who looked at him strangely. As they moved on he watched the way they moved, the swaying of their hips. That must be what attracted their stares. He walked like a Goblin. But Hoddie had been using the cloak for years. He was use to imitating others and mimicking there ways.

Like the maiden he now resembled, Hoddie made his way down the hall swaying his hips in a seductive way. From the slave quarters he went down the hall and up the stairs to the floor to where the offices and throne room was. As he looked in on the master of this house, Aeson Revsen sat surrounded by elves in noble attire and argued over some piece of land somewhere in the underground city. Nothing to concern Hoddie. His objective was on the next floor where the valuables would be found.

Moving on, Hoddie made his way down the hall to the next set of stairs passing by two elven guards talking in the hall. One stopped and turned to look at him. For a second Hoddie was afraid he was going to reach out and grab him. That would mean trouble. While the cloak could make him look exactly like the person who last wore it, it could do nothing for his voice if he had to speak. That was why the girls form was so dangerous.

With a smack on his back, the guard turned his attention back to his conversation and Hoddie quickly moved on. Finding the staircase, Hoddie looked to make sure there was no one behind him then he started up the stairs. Quietly step by step, he slowly made his way up. There were no voices coming from above which meant no more guards which he thought to be strange. He knew this floor would hold the treasure vault so there should be guards up here somewhere. But if there were no more guards, then Lord Revsen must have some other kind of security up there.

As Hoddie reached the top of the stairs, he looked around. There were two glow orbs set for light on each side of a circular room with two doors. There was only one way up or down, that meant if somehow his presence was detected, he would have to get out the way he came in, and he would have to pass the guards coming to find him. His cloak would be no protection for even a maid would be stopped.

The entryway to the treasure room had no furniture. No tables or chairs, no tapestry or wall hangings. Just two great steel doors. All Hoddie had to do was get across the room and somehow get the doors open. But that wouldn't be as simple as it sound. Between him and the door, there had to be at least twenty feet. The floor was covered from the stairs to the door with a pattern of lines like a maze. As He stood there thinking, Hoddie realized the pattern was more than just decoration. He reached down and touched the floor and felt heat radiating up from the pattern. It must be elven magic. Elven magic is a lot stronger than most Goblin magic but some Goblins were still very sensitive. Closing his eyes, Hoddie switched to a more sensitive mode of vision. As he opened his eyes he gazed down and looked at the pattern. Nothing had changed, no magic showed in the lines but he had a feeling that one touch and his raid would be discovered.

Stepping lithely on the first line, he felt the magic run up his legs. They tingled like a thousand pin pricks stabbing into him. Carefully he went on moving down the line  through each turn and twist. As he moved, each step became harder and harder until the sweat ran down his back. He knew he couldn't stop, if he did the magic would over take him and he would be caught.

Pushing on, Hoddie made the last turn and stepped off the pattern right between the two doors. Dropping down, he sat for a minute to rest. He listened for any sign that he had been discovered. There was nothing, no bells or alarms, no sound of armed elves rushing to the vault. After taking a rest, Hoddie stood and examined the two doors in front of him. They were large steel doors. Hoddie knew they had been built by Dwarven hands. That meant a completely different magic if any. As he examined the lock, he realized they weren't magical. With the lock picks from his kits, Hoddie carefully worked on the door until he heard the sound of the lock clicking open. With a sigh of relief, he pulled the door open and stepped into the vault.

All around him in the vault, there were piles of gold, diamonds, rubies and almost every kind of gem ever mined. There was armor fashioned from silver and gold, rings, bracelets and tiaras. There were cups and dishes made of precious materials and all kinds of riches spread all over the room. Hoddie smiles and rubbed his hands together. He had done it! He had broken into the vault of one of riches elves in Fay Shrea. Now all he had to do was find what he had come for and get out of there.

Emperor Midoa had hired Hoddie to steal for him three jewels called the Stars of Fortis. The Stars of Fortis were three gems. A diamond, a ruby and an emerald the size of a fist. It was said that the man that could control these gems could even control the gods of Fortis. Only the superstitious would believe that tale but he didn't care what Midoa believed as long as he paid him the price they agreed on.

Digging through mounds of gold and chest after chest of jewelry, he finally found a silver box the size of a loaf of bread. He sat down on the floor and took his picks and started working on the lock. In his expert hands, he had it open in less then a minute. As he opened it, light shined out putting a glow on his smiling face. One by one he took out the three gems and held them to examine them. Just as he thought, they were flawless. Placing them carefully back in the silver box, he put them in his pack and turned to leave. As he took his first step out of the vault, his foot made connect with the pattern and he started his way through the maze and freedom.

Covered with sweat and exhausted, Hoddie took the last step and started down the steps back through house Revsen. As he walked, he thanked the gods for his luck. All he had to do was make it down one more floor and back in to the slave quarters where the ropes for his escape still hung.

As he passed the throne room, Hoddie heard great laughter. With no one watching, he stopped to listen at the door to see if there was any more secrets he could learn. After all, gossip was a thief's best source of information. They just might be talking about something that interest Hoddie.

"So the city burns you say." There was almost joy in Lord Revsen's voice. "What of Emperor Midoa? Did he escape?"

"Midoa is dead." Someone said. "I saw him die by the hands of Vibius Herkulas, one of his old generals. He was stabbed in the heart and his body was thrown into the pit to be trampled in the escape of slaves."

Lord Revsen burst out in laughter and ordered wine.

"Bring wine!" He shouted to one of his maids. "This is a cause to celebrate! Midoa and his land of degradation is no more. All the Elves, werewolves, vampires and humans that died as slaves in his barbaric games can now rest in their graves. Let's pray no one like Midoa ever gets to turn another Keannian city into a center of slavery. Here's to freedom!"

"Damn" Hoddie started away from the throne room. This was bad news. With Midoa dead, he would have to either put the Stars back, or find himself another buyer for the gems.

Sneaking down through the house, he made it easily to the room of the sleeping maid. He took a gold coin from his pocket and pressed it into the girls hand and he was gone out of the window. With Midoa dead, he would have to find another very rich patron to buy the Star. In all of Fay Shrea, he could think of only one place to check. The one human city in Fay Shrea, Black Hallow. The city of thieves.

As the silver dagger sailed through the dark cave, Rowyn stayed close behind following every twist and turn the dagger made. She dodged between stalactites that hung down from thew ceiling and passed pillars the reached high. She saw underground waterfalls with pure clear sparkling water that ran into deep rivers and crystals that glowed brightly the caves darkness.

It wasn't long before Rowyn saw some kind of soft light coming from ahead of her. Slowing down she reached out with her magic and grabbed the dagger before it could get to far away from her. With gentle fluttering of her wings she turned a corner and found herself in a great domed chamber. Looking around she saw a huge light in the center of the chamber. Such beauty shined all around her from the crystals that looked like stars in the night sky. But what was the light? Where was it coming from? Flying in closer, Rowyn hovered over the glowing orb to examine it.

Whatever it was, it had to be some kind of magic because it wasn't fire. She didn't feel any heat coming from it. She knew it couldn't be a star. Though it did look like one, she knew this wasn't what she saw shining down at night. It must be some magic she had never seen before. As she looked at it, she felt the dagger in her hand trying to pull away. It wanted to go to the light. Could this be some sort of magic door? Could this be how the Orcs were getting into Lanayh? There was only one way to find out.

Stuffing the dagger into her sash, Rowyn said a prayer to Alee then opened her wings and dived straight into the light. As soon as she entered the light, sun shields dropped down over her eyes to keep her from being blinded. A warm feeling spread through her entire body making her feel stronger than usual. In just a few seconds she felt the coolness of the night around her. She had made it through the orb and come out, somewhere else. As Rowyn looked back, she noticed the orb she had passed through was much smaller now. Instead of being the size of a door, it was now less then half a foot in length. To small for her to pass through. She wondered how the Orcs could possibly make it through to get in to the cave. And where was she?

Looking around, Rowyn knew this wasn't Ardia, land of the Orcs. She saw tall oaks and elms. There were huge mushrooms and beautiful gossamer willows that could only be found in one place. She was somewhere in Fay Shrea. That was the only place gossamer willows grew.

Spreading her wings, Rowyn took off into the night sky with the dagger at her side to lead her on her search.

In a camp to the east of the gossamer grove where the orb of light sat, Bruego D’aruk fitted the last horn he had collected the night before from Lanayh onto the ornate handle he was crafting. It had taken him a few visits and many dead unicorns to find the exact right unicorn old enough and strong enough for what he wanted. And what was it he wanted? After years of trying to take control of Ardia, Bruego was now convinced he had been wasting his time. Even if he could do battle with Yagar E'mrak and win, he would have other enemies lined out and waiting their turn at him and sooner or later, one of the would defeat him. It would be much better to seek out somewhere else he could rule with little or no competition at all and he had just the perfect place to start. Goblins. They were not as strong or as smart as an Orc. Their lands held riches far beyond that of the Orcs, and it wouldn't matter to anyone if he used them in his battles to take as much of Fay Shrea as he could get. All he would need is a weapon powerful enough to bring the Goblins to their knees in front of him.

Bruego knew no physical weapon would do. There were magical swords and other weapons that could be of use, but getting them would be near impossible. None of the Salvation weapons would be useful to him. By their nature, they couldn't be used for conquest. And like all the Dragon talismans, they were in the hands of the Dragons and their allies and out of his reach. So what other magical item could he get? Queen Nuala's wand would be perfect, but the army that protected her home, again was more then he could hope to handle. Lord Larins cane? He wonder what had happened to that after his defeat. Its magic of coercion was just what he needed. If he had it, a simple spell might turn the Goblins will right over to him. Unfortunately, Bruego had no idea what had become of the cane.  The Dragons might have it or King Valkar or the Werewolf king Tof might have it. Wherever it was, it was lost to him. His only other choice was to make his own magical weapon, and to do that, he would need something powerful to start with like the ashes of a phoenix or a unicorn horn.

Bruego, having spent years being taught by Gorak Ra 'Enar and he knew that a unicorn’s horn like a dragon tooth or bone held great amounts of magic and could be used to fashion a very powerful weapon. Deadly spears and daggers had been made in the past with the tip of a dragon’s fang or talon and wands of enormous power from unicorn horn. With the right horn, he knew he could make such a weapon again. It had taken him a number of trips into the last sanctuary of the unicorns, Pelordra to kill the right unicorn. A male older than one hundred years of age with a horn that looked as if it were made of pure moon light. Legend had it that such a horn if taken at night under the right moon could be made into a devastating weapon for good or evil. It had taken him weeks. He went in under a new moon, a half moon and a crescent moon and killed. His first was a young unicorn with a pearly horn. His second was older and male but the moon must have been wrong because as soon as he took the horn, it crumbled in his hand. His third trip he ran into trouble. That was the night he met the Sky elf and surprise him with a bolt to the back. Anger at being discovered, Bruego slashed and cut the elf to pieces, just like he had done to the satyrs that tried to protect the corn on his second trip.

On his later trip, Bruego had a feeling that night would be different. The moon was full and shined down on Lanayh almost giving it a glow. Wisps of the will floated around giving everything a ghostly appearance. Bruego stalked into the night staying quiet to keep from giving away his presence. He saw nymphs dancing at lake side and satyrs chasing after them in their nightly games. Bruego wanted to raise his bow and send shaft after shaft into them, then howl at the moon but they were not his target tonight.

On a hill just beyond the lake where the nymphs danced, he settled himself down to wait. He knew the unicorn would be attracted by the innocence of young nymphs, and he would get his chance at his prize. His wait wasn't long. As the mist slipped in to cover the grounds around the lake, a beautiful nymph danced across the surface of the silver lake. Her frail dress was almost transparent made from the spray of the splashing waves. As she danced back and forth weaving her hypnotic spell on the satyrs that watched from the shoreline, a proud buck of a unicorn came walking through the glade to the lake. He stopped for a second as he caught the scent of young innocence in the air. He turned toward the lake and got his first glimpse of the natural beauty of nature. Stepping out towards the lake, the unicorn started humming a mesmerizing tune to go with the movement of the nymphs dance. With his eyes and his mind focused on the nymphs's dance, the unicorn trotted out to the edge of the lake where he continued his song. Everything in the forest sat still as Bruego watched and listened to the scene at the lake. It was like some hypnotic wonderful sight out of fantasy right there for the world to see. Then suddenly a strange sound cut into the song of the unicorn. A whisper, a whistle as the bolt from a Orc crossbow streaked through the air and ripped into the chest of the unicorn. It reared up on its hind legs and screamed out its pain and last dying breath, then fell dead at the edge of the lake.

As Bruego leaped out of the forest to the dead carcass of the unicorn, the nymph dived down into the water. The satyrs watching on the shore all scattered back into the forest and the only sound left was the sound of laughter as the Orc slit open the unicorns head and ripped out its horn. Seeing the glow of the magical horn in his hand, Bruego kicked the dead unicorn out of his way then went back to the orb and the safety of his camp.

Now with the horn ready, and the mystical carvings all set, Bruego was ready for the last step in his preparations. He stepped out and placed the horn down in the center of the intricate diagram he had drawn in the clearing. Backing away he waved to Nurm Greyrot his Goblin aide to come to him.

"Yes Master?" He said. "Is all ready? What should I do?"

"All is ready." Bruego sneered. "All I have left to do is cast the spells to make the wand my own then Kranko Fearfist nor any other will be able to stop me from ruling over all the Neither’s in Fay Shrea. I will be master of Fay Shrea!"

"Yes Master!!" Nurm hopped around in glee. "And you won't forget your faithful Nurm when you kill that nasty Kranko. You will make me the leader of my own clan."

"You just make sure I am not disturbed." Bruego kicked at Nurm. "If anything breaks my concentration, I won't be able to cast this spell again until the next cycle of the moon."

"Yes Master." Nurm moved away to let his master work his magic.

It had been three days Hoddie had been on the road to the Thieves city of Black Hallow to find a buyer for the Stars of Fortis. He was tired and hungry, he needed rest and something to eat. After stopping and setting up camp, he went off in the forest to hunt. With three fat rabbits in the bag on his back, he headed back to his camp to eat. Hoddie knew he was deep in the forest far from any roads, there shouldn't be anyone else out here but him. He pushed his way through to the edge of a clearing where he could get some sleep. Suddenly off in the distance he heard something. Someone was there. Sneaking  out to peer through the bushes, he found an Orc and a Goblin he know to be a sniveling weasel talking by a fire. Being a thief and a trader of information, Hoddie listened in on what was being said. That's when he heard a name spoken that he was very familiar with and found himself interested in what the two were talking about. The Orc spoke of Kranko Fearfist, the overlord of all the Goblins in Gaymere, the land of Goblins and Hoddie's own father. Kill Kranko? Hoddie was pretty mad with his father over his objections to his profession, but he damn sure wasn't about to stand by and let and Orc and Nurm Greyrot murder him.

Taking the bag off his back, Hoddie reached to his side and slid his sword from its scabbard. He watched as Nurm walked around to the other side of the clearing, then pulled his cloak over his head for camouflage. Nurm was a sly untrusting rat of a Goblin who had fought with Kranko many times, but he was also a very dangerous fighter. Hoddie knew Nurm would use any dirty trick he could to fight him. If he wanted to live through this fight, he would have to be very careful.

As Bruego started his spell, something in the shade of blue fluttered down to land litely on a tree branch. With the dagger tugging in her hand, Rowyn dismissed the spell she had put on it and stuck it in her sash. As she watched the Orc, his hands moved in arcane circles over something laying on the ground in front of him. As Rowyn looked down, she was shocked to see what it was. It was the severed horn of a unicorn. She saw red as anger filled her heart. She had found the one who had killed Daylor and the unicorns of Lanayh. From what she saw, he was a mage. Good she thought. He better be a damned good one. As she listened to the Orc and his Goblin talk, she learned of some strange plan he had to take over the Neither races of Fay Shrea and make himself some kind of king. She knew if he was able to finish the spells he was working on the horn, he would have a weapon that might just be powerful enough to make his dreams come true. There was only one way to stop him. She needed to stop his spell and get the horn away from him.

Like a thief in the night, Hoddie stepped out with his sword in hand. His hope was to sneak up on Nurm from behind and strike him down then put his dagger in the Orcs back. It wasn't a very honorable plan, but for now it was his best hope.

Slowly and carefully, Hoddie crept out towards his opponent. He was just about there, three more steps and Nurm would be taking his last gasp of breath. As Hoddie raised his sword, something dropped out of the trees and made Nurm turn.

"Master!" He screamed. "We are under attack!"

Throwing off his cloak, Hoddie dived in to jab at Nurm's chest. With his rusted sword, Nurm deflect the blow and sent his own series of thrust and jabs at him.

"Hodgodde Fearfist!" Nurm snarled as they circled.  "You cursed son of a jackal! How fortunate I should meet you here."

"And a good thing to Nurm Greyrot." Hoddie snarled. "I heard your plan. My father should have killed you when he had the chance,"

"Yes he should have." Nurm laughed. "But worry not. I will thank him when I stab this very blade through his chest when I take his life from him."

"I think not!"

As Hoddie rushed in, his sword weaved and spun at Nurm pushing him back into Bruego as they fought.

With her hand raised, Rowyn sent a blast of magic at Bruego interrupting his spell casting. He looked up just as she flew down sending another blast at him.

"Murderer!!" She screamed as her feet touched the ground facing Bruego. "You invaded my home, killed the sacred unicorns and killed my fiancée! You will pay for your crimes!"

"Damn you fucking elf!" Bruego grabbed Nurm and pushed him at Rowyn then grabbed the horn. "You interrupted my casting. Now I must wait and start again!"

"Not if I can help it." Rowyn stood next to Hoddie with her hands raised ready to send a bolt at the Orc. "Give me the horn."

"You want this?" Bruego held it out for them to see. Quickly he stuffed it in his belt and made a gesture over the head of Nurm as he tried to get to his feet. "How about I give you this instead."

"MASTER, NO!"

Raising his hands, Bruego grabbed the Goblin in his power then thrust him out flying at them. As Hoddie and Rowyn ducked, Bruego slammed his hands together forcing his magic all through Nurm's body causing him to scream as he body began to expand then explode sending his blood and body parts flying all over them. 
"We will meet again." He said cackling with laughter. "This is just the beginning."

With that, the Orc disappeared in a flash of lightning.

"Damn!!" Hoddie wiped the gore from his face and looked around for the Orc. "Where did he go?"

"Who are you Goblin?" Rowyn backed away from him. "Are you with them?"

"Of course not." Hoddie re sheathed his sword. "I was trying to kill them before you so boldly interrupted. The Orc has plans to kill my father. Now he's gone and I'll have to go after him damn it!"

"I have a debt I owe the Orc." Rowyn held out her hand. "I'm Princess Rowyn Windstar and I'm coming with you."

"This will not be an easy road Princess." Hoddie looked at her with doubt. "Are you sure you wish to do this? There will be killing involved. That is not something a princess should dirty her hands with."
"I can manage." Rowyn looked at him with mistrust. "I may be a princess, but I'm tougher then I look."

"I'm Hodgodde Fearfist." Hoddie reached out and shook her delicate hand. "Son of Kranko Fearfist of Gaymere. We should get some rest. We have a long way to go and not much time. We have to get the horn back before he completes his spell. And if that means killing him, then that is what I will do."