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First Draft

3rd Ngetal 2044

Somewhere in Londoun bells rang twice, indicating Matins: the middle of the night had arrived. Bilbus stood at ease outside the Carved Tusk wineclub, enjoying the cool night air and the dark sky above.

The sharp stepping of a pair of horses, their shoes striking the cobblestones, broke the stillness of the night. Bilbus casually glanced over towards the source of the noise, a white carriage drawn by two dark brown horses. The carriage stopped in front of the Carved Tusk, and the driver jumped down to place a step next to the carriage door. He swung the door open, making sure the curtains covering the window set in the door had not parted when the door opened.

Bilbus watched the driver, who wore the livery of one of the carriage rental shops in Londoun, as he stood stiffly next to the step. The greeter of the Carved Tusk still was next to his door. Bilbus stifled a small chuckle as he looked at the mismatched pair of bookends: the formally dressed, large door guard across from the diminutive, liveried carriage driver.

The door to the wine club opened. Franz Stalgraf and Lord Ayarmis Silverthorn walked out of the wine club -- the latter again concealed within his riding cloak.

Bilbus cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Master Stalgraf? Where should I meet you for the business we had to discuss?"

Lord Silverthorn continued into the carriage without stopping. Franz stopped and looked at Bilbus, eyeing him with some distrust. Finally, the man answered, "Stalgraf Imports. My office."

"Thank you, good master."

Stalgraf climbed into the carriage. The driver shut the door, then picked up the step. He climbed onto the driver's bench, placing the step next to him, then drove the carriage down the street.

After the carriage turned a corner, Bilbus waited several seconds, then walked across the road to the Jewel of Londoun. Rishala and Erica sat across from one another at the table by the window, talking quietly. Bilbus walked up to the two, then grabbed a seat from a nearby table. Spinning the chair around so its back faced Rishala's table, Bilbus dropped down onto it, legs on either side of the backrest. He leaned forward until his chest was against the backrest, crossing his arms on the back of the chair.

Rishala looked at him with a slight scowl. "Yes?"

"How's the dinner?" Bilbus asked.

"It's excellent. Lady Erica was just telling me about the meeting. Interesting person, your Lord Silverthorn."

"Tell me about it. I thought they were just stories told to scare kids into going to bed." Bilbus lowered his voice to a low mumble. "Then again, I thought the Dark One was, too."

"What's next?" Rishala asked around a mouthful of some sort of rich, fruity dessert.

"I'm going to Stalgraf Imports. I have a vague idea where it is -- somewhere in the Port Quarter. I'm going to need to catch up with their carriage just to make sure."

Rishala rolled his eyes. "Bilbus, why are you going to follow them?"

"Do you recognize the name? 'Franz Stalgraf'?" Rishala shook his head. Bilbus asked, "When we were captured on the Sea Ghost, who did they say caught Brule?"

The look of recognition washed across Rishala's face. "Do they still have him?"

Bilbus shook his head. "I don't think they do. But I want to make sure."

Rishala nodded. "Let us know where this 'Stalgraf Imports' is."

"I will."

"Anything else happen during the meeting? You pretended to be Ezeka's man. What did you tell them?"

"The truth, would you believe?" He paused. "Well, mostly the truth. I left out some of the details. I told them that there had been a setback in Caledonia, that the king disappeared, and 'we' needed reinforcements."

"Are you crazy?!?" Rishala looked around. No one was seated near him in the restaurant.

"No. These guys will send people into Caledonia piecemeal. The king is already wary. They won't stand a chance trying to steal the throne back."

Rishala remained skeptical.

Bilbus put on his winsome smile. "Trust me, Rishala."

The thief stood up. He glanced around, leaning forward to look out the windows. A grin crossed his face as he trotted out of the restaurant.

Erica leaned towards the window to watch the thief. "He's not doing what I think he's doing..." Her voice trailed off as Bilbus selected one of the horses tied to a row of posts in front of the Jewel of Londoun. The thief climbed onto the horse and set off at a trot, following the carriage that had carried Stalgraf and Silverthorn.

Erica looked at Rishala. "Somebody better follow him, so we can find this 'Stalgraf Imports'."

Rishala didn't offer to get up.

Erica sighed and went out of the restaurant to the row of horses. Rishala watched her ride by the restaurant a moment later, trying to ride astride the saddle in spite of the long skirt of her dress. The storyteller laughed quietly to himself. He noticed Sturm leaving the Carved Tusk across the street. The Sun Knight spotted Rishala in the window and started towards the restaurant.

The waiter had just returned to again clear Erica's place at the table. Rishala looked up at him. "Don't bother. Some one else will be here in a moment, I'm sure."

Erica caught Bilbus after only a couple of blocks. The thief had slowed his horse to a walk once he spotted the carriage. He did not want to get close enough to draw the driver's attention.

The thief glanced over at Erica, then nearly fell off his horse when he did a double take.

"What are you doing riding like that?"

Erica hissed, loudly enough for Bilbus to hear, "It is the only way I learned to ride!"

"That dress isn't made for riding that way."

Looking down at her legs, bared by the skirt, Erica snarled quietly, "Do you think I am not aware of that detail?" She paused a moment, grinning evilly. "Besides that, do I look okay? Does the horse match my dress?"

Bilbus looked at Erica for a long moment, his irritation clear. He was not sure he heard Erica chuckle.

Sturm had just left Rishala's table to follow Bilbus and Erica -- on foot, as it turned out, not on another stolen horse. The story teller had just finished his meal, and was waiting a moment before he got up to leave. It was then that he noticed Adria standing in the road. The noblewoman had left behind her dresses; she wore a dark leather jacket and pants. Even the buckles had been blackened by some means. Her deadly long bow was strapped to her back, but Rishala could not see just what she had used to attach it. She was gesturing to him, subtle hand motions of the Thieves' Sign that Rishala did not understand. He had picked out fragments of the non-spoken language, but not enough to read Adria's gestures. He looked plainly at her and shrugged.

The exasperated noblewoman walked towards the front door. Rishala dropped a handful of coins on his table, then picked up Bilbus's bundle of armor. The storyteller met the noblewoman at the door.

"What were you trying to tell me?" he asked.

"I am going home. I take it everything went down without a problem."

Rishala started walking down the street. Adria walked next to him. "I wouldn't say there was no problem. Bilbus and Erica are following Lord Silverthorn towards the place where he is staying overnight." The Caledonian lowered his voice and looked around to make sure no one was within earshot. "Lord Silverthorn is a dark elf."

Adria's eyes widened. Rishala nodded.

Stalgraf Imports was a non-descript three-story building packed in adjacent to a dozen other three-story buildings on one side of the Avenue of Willows. Bilbus and Erica could have easily passed it by, had they not seen the carriage stop in front of the building. Two figures, obscured by the sparse lantern light of the avenue, climbed from the carriage. One of them dropped some coins in the carriage driver's hands, then unlocked the door and admitted his guest.

Bilbus hopped down from his horse and tied it to a nearby hitching post. Erica followed suit a moment later. The thief peered around the corner of the building, looking towards Stalgraf Imports, half a block away. He watched some lights spring to life on the second floor -- the curtains were drawn, but they still allowed light through.

He was still watching fifteen minutes later when he heard the rustle of someone approaching from behind him. He cautiously turned to look over his shoulder, tensing his body to leap around the corner if the approaching person was a threat.

Beyond Erica, Bilbus saw Sturm closing with them.

Bilbus pulled back around the corner so he was no longer visible from Stalgraf's offices. He huddled close to Sturm and Erica. "Stalgraf's office is about halfway down the block, other side of the street. He and Silverthorn are in there. Someone lit lanterns on the second floor, but the first and third are dark." He looked at Erica. "It would be really nice to have your bow with us."

"Sorry. My bow's with my other body."

"Maybe it's time to go get your other body. Get Adria, while you're at it."

Erica nodded and untied her horse. She reined it around and set off at a fast trot back down the street.

Bilbus looked at the Sun Knight. "I want to take a look inside there, to see if I can figure out where our friends are hiding. Stay here and cover me."

Sturm pointedly looked around him. "With what? Should I throw your horse at them if they come after you?"

The thief shook his head and muttered to himself. He then turned and trotted -- on his toes, and very quietly -- down the street towards Stalgraf Imports.

The Sun Knight leaned against the corner of the building, head around it to watch the thief. He saw Bilbus carefully check the front door, then take a step back to look up the front of the office building.

Bilbus floated upwards until his head was just above the bottom edge of the windows of the second floor. He used the sills of the windows to push himself along the front of the building, peering into each of the curtains to see if he could find any signs of his quarry. At last, he started pushing carefully against one of the windows. It budged, so the thief carefully pushed the window open. With a glance back towards the corner from where Sturm watched, the thief climbed through the window and disappeared behind the curtains.

Sturm continued to watch the front of the building, ignoring the tingling sensation he felt as he waited for the thief to return.

Erica tied the stolen horse to a small tree growing in front of Adria's apartment building. She climbed the stairs and found Adria's apartment. Rapping cautiously on the door, Erica glanced up and down the deserted hallway. After a minute, she heard the door locks unfastening. The door cracked open, and Adria peered out at Erica. After a cautious glance past Erica to ensure the hallway was clear, the noblewoman opened the door and stepped aside.

Inside, Erica turned to Adria. She wore her armor, with her flowing blonde hair tied back in an elaborate bun.

"Is Bree here?" Erica asked.

"She's asleep," was Adria's reply.

"We need to wake her. I need to get changed back and get my bow. Bilbus also wants you to come with us."

Rishala entered the room from the kitchen. "You know where Stalgraf Imports is?"

Erica nodded. "I think Bilbus went into it. He did not want to wait."

Rishala groaned. Adria rolled her eyes. "I'll wake up Bree," she said.

Adria disappeared down a hallway. Erica looked at Rishala. "Help me out of this." She waved her hands over the bodice. Rishala cautiously started untying and loosening the bodice.

Breanna walked into the room a moment later. She shooed Rishala away from Erica while saying, "Don't! You're going to mess up the laces!"

"I know how to untie bodices," the storyteller protested.

Breanna ignored him as she finished loosening the laces. She ushered Erica into a bedroom, grabbed Eric's clothes, and started unweaving the Heka that had transformed the explorer.

She came back out of the room, a slight blush on her face, and closed the door behind her. She then excused herself into another of the rooms, shutting the door behind her.

Rishala stood in the front room of Adria's apartment, arms crossed and tapping his feet, for several minutes before the other three returned.

Breanna had changed into her armor -- well maintained, but not heavily used, leather. Eric appeared several minutes later in his traveling armor (and his own body). Adria came back down the hall a few moments later, still in her armor.

Eric looked at Breanna, concern on his face. "Bree, I do not think you need to come along. Stay here, where it is safe."

Breanna looked at Eric defiantly. "If this place is half as dangerous as you think, you will need me."

Eric looked helplessly at Rishala. The Caledonian shrugged and picked up Bilbus's bundle of armor. Adria avoided looking at Eric entirely as she crossed the front room to the door. Eric looked heavenward and sighed, then followed Adria out the door into the hallway.

As they left the apartment, Rishala said, "We should go get Kasey. We may want him as well."

Adria nodded. "Good idea."

The five found Sturm and Bilbus still waiting around the corner of the block from Stalgraf Imports. Rishala gave Bilbus his bundle of armor, and the thief immediately started pulling the leather on over his finery, ignoring the exasperated look Breanna gave him while he wrinkled and crumpled his new, dressy clothing underneath the heavy leather.

The thief talked in hushed tones as he changed.

"The second floor must be Stalgraf's home. I went through a window -- the left one, you can see it from here -- into a bedroom. It looked a little small; I think it is a guest room. Silverthorn's stuff wasn't there, though. The middle window on the front is at the end of the hallway. The hallway leads back to a dining room and kitchen and pantry."

Bilbus paused as he started adjusting hooks and straps on his armor pants.

"I glanced down into the main floor. I think he has offices there. There is a private back office, and the front office you can see through the front windows with three or four desks."

Eric interrupted. "Where were Franz and Ayarmis?"

Bilbus chuckled. "I didn't know at the time. I couldn't find the stairs up to the top floor. I thought it was a hidden door, but I couldn't find any of the usual signs -- convenient bookshelf, unlit torch in a sconce, you know..." He shrugged into his jacket and started adjusting its straps. "So I threw a jar of something -- I think it was peach preserves, actually -- down the stairs."

"What?!?" Eric asked.

"We've already been through this," Sturm growled.

Bilbus glanced at the Sun Knight. "Yeah." He looked back at Eric. "Anyway, it worked. Stalgraf has a magickally-hidden stairwell in his hallway. He stepped out of the wall in the hallway, then went and looked down the stairs. I was still levitating, just behind the curtain hiding his pantry. He never knew I was there. When he disappeared through the doorway and went back up the stairs, I took some marinara sauce he had in a jar and tossed it on the wall where Stalgraf appeared."

Bilbus finished adjusting his armor.

Rishala looked at him oddly. "Marinara?"

"Yeah. You know, tomato, spices, Italic dish. Pretty good with some meat -- sausage, even better -- and some flour noodles."

"I know what marinara sauce is. You were marking the concealed doorway?"

"Are you tuning into my thoughts?" the thief asked.

"What thoughts?" the Caledonian answered.

"Good," Bilbus finished, satisfied.

Sturm looked at the rest of the party. "We should try the third floor windows. They may have an alarm of some sort on the stairwell."

Bilbus nodded. "Makes sense. I'll try them out." He disappeared around the corner of the building.

Eric watched the thief trot quietly to the front of the building. Bilbus levitated to the third floor and lifted the window cautiously. Eric and the rest of the party walked towards the building as Bilbus stuck his head into the curtain. The thief had closed the window and landed on the ground before the party caught up.

"Clever," the thief said. "Behind the curtains is a wall. The windows are there just for decoration."

"Second floor it is," Eric said.

Bilbus levitated back to the second floor window he had entered previously. He attached his climbing hook and dropped the rope down to Eric. While the Azirian held the rope, Sturm climbed up it. Kasey followed after the Sun Knight, and Eric followed the Church Knight. The three followed Bilbus into the hallway.

Sturm leaned close to Bilbus. "What's in there?" he jerked a thumb towards the door opposite the one they had exited.

Bilbus shrugged. "Master bedroom?"

"And if your dark elf friend is sitting in there laughing because we're walking right past him?"

Bilbus went back to the door. He listened carefully, then slowly opened the door. He poked his head in quickly and pulled back, then pushed the door wide open. The bedroom was well-appointed, but no one was in it. On the bed, however, was a travel bag made from an odd leather and the purple wooden bow Lord Silverthorn had at the meeting.

Eric pushed past Bilbus and hefted the bow. It was heavier than he expected. He looked at the worn-smooth wood of the bow, running his fingers along it. "I wonder what sort of wood this is..." His fingers stopped over some runes that had been engraved in the wood. The bow had been worn enough that the runes no longer were a deep cut -- they were a dark, shallow groove on the weapon. "A Phaeree bow?"

Bilbus rolled his eyes. "The owner is a drow, Eric. You saw him in the Carved Tusk..."

"Yes, but I did not get a good look at this bow." Eric kept the bow as they walked back into the hallway.

Bilbus stopped in front of a section of wall that had a reddish sauce spattered on it. He grinned to the other three men, then started focusing Heka into some probing energies, trying to find where the casting had been tied. When he was satisfied that he could undo the dweomer, he surged additional energies into the probes, feeling the other dweomer unravel quickly. The wall shimmered slightly, then it was a door with marinara sauce spattered upon it.

Bilbus inspected the door carefully, then pulled it open. He pantomimed to his companions that he was going to go up the stairs and look about. The other three nodded to him.

Bilbus crept up the stairs, wincing as he took each step and felt the wood planks underneath him give slightly and creak. He could hear someone behind him on the stairs -- a quick glance back showed it to be Sturm -- likewise trying to creep up the stairs.

The sounds of voices above him were hushed, but Bilbus could make out Franz's voice as well as Ayarmis's. There was another sound he could not identify, almost like something large breathing, that sent shivers down his spine.

Near the top of the stairs, Bilbus stopped and peered over the edge of the floor, keeping his head low to avoid drawing attention. The room was barren, with a messy, soiled bed near the front wall. A large table filled the center of the room, with a few jars on one side and a large book opened in the center. Ayarmis and Franz stood on one side of the table, in front of the book, and looked to the back of the room. Bilbus turned his head slowly to see what they were looking at, and to see the source of the creepy breathing.

What Bilbus saw he would never be able to describe to another. It was large, at least eight feet tall even though it was clearly hunched over. It had the face of a nightmare -- cruel and twisted, with eyes that glowed with the fires of hatred and a fanged mouth that dripped with malevolence. The skin color was hard to identify -- it seemed a reddish shade at one time, brownish at another, always a color that seemed somehow wrong. The beast was contained within a magickal circle, bound in place by magicks from either Franz or Ayarmis. Bilbus stared at the thing, unable to blink or move, and felt a cold terror creeping within him, chilling him to his very bones.

At the base of the stairs, Kasey hissed, "Sturm! Get him out of here!"

The Sun Knight continued to look at Bilbus, frozen two paces in front of him.

"For crying out..." Kasey pushed past the Sun Knight and grabbed Bilbus by his sword belt. The Church Knight gave a mighty tug, pulling Bilbus back towards them. They both fell down the stairs, Sturm also caught in the mess.

Kasey started laughing uncontrollably. He glanced up at the stairwell, and tried to mimic a cat. "Meow!" He lost control and laughed again.

The jarring fall down the stairs appeared to pull Bilbus from his catatonia. He struggled to his feet, stepping on both knights in his haste, and shoved Eric out of the way. The thief raced down the hallway, leaping head first through the closed window at the end of the hall. Glass shattered, sending shards down to the street.

Both knights scrambled to their feet and ran towards the nearby stairwell down to the ground floor. They raced down the stairs, Eric close behind, through Franz's private office and into the front offices of Stalgraf Imports. Kasey did not slow for the front doorway -- it was a light enough wood that the Church Knight simply crashed through it into the street.

Bilbus was running down the road, with Breanna trying to catch him. Rishala watched the two disbelievingly as Adria nocked an arrow and watched the window Bilbus had smashed through.

Sturm looked at the thief running down the road as Breanna gave up chasing him. "He recovered quickly for landing on his head."

Rishala laughed mirthlessly. "He didn't. He still had a levitation dweomer active when he jumped out the window, I guess. He stopped just short of hitting the pavement."

Sturm grunted.

Eric looked up at the window Bilbus had used to escape. He noticed a movement behind the curtains -- something darker than the night outside. He drew the elven bow and loosed an arrow at Lord Silverthorn. The arrow missed by several inches.

Rishala got a good look at the bow Eric held. The storyteller reached for it. "Give me that! I know how to use it!"

The startled explorer gave Rishala the drow bow. He then looked back up to the window. He could see Ayarmis just behind the curtains, looking down at the party.

"Get him," Rishala hissed. "He's shaping a dweomer!"

In a blur, Eric and Adria both drew their longbows, nocked arrows, and let them fly. The two arrows ripped the curtains, but impossibly stopped short of hitting the drow.

Rishala drew an arrow and placed it on the bowstring. He could feel the resonance of power within the bow. Probing it gently with a thin flow of Heka, the Caledonian found a place within the bow that seemed to draw the probe towards it. Rishala opened the flow of Heka he was drawing, directing it into the bow. He could feel a hum within it -- not a physical sensation, but a Heka-resonance. He drew the arrow back and let it fly at the drow. The runes on the bow flashed, and the arrow streaked with a slight glow towards the dark elf. It splashed harmlessly against Lord Silverthorn's magickal armor, with the arrow falling to the ground harmlessly.

Kasey watched the archers firing arrows into the window. He watched the receding thief for a moment, then yelled to his warhorse. "Farran! Bring Bilbus back! We need him!"

The kelpie flicked its ears, then turned and galloped after the fleeing thief.

Sturm drew his dagger and flung it at Silverthorn. The large knife flashed dully in the lantern light of the dark street and stopped short of its target. Sturm ran across the street to fetch his own longbow from the ground where he had placed it while within Stalgraf Imports.

Farran galloped down the street, easily overtaking the thief. The kelpie ran in front of Bilbus and turned to the side. Bilbus looked like he was going to throw something at the kelpie when Farran suddenly kneeled.

Bilbus looked suspiciously at Farran, then cautiously climbed onto Farran's saddle. The kelpie stood again and turned back towards the party. Bilbus tried to jump from the saddle, but he could not move his legs from Farran's sides.

Desperately, the thief whispered to Farran, "No. Don't take me back. You didn't see it. Please, don't take me back, Farran!"

The kelpie ran back to Kasey, stopping next to the Church Knight. Bilbus's eyes looked wet, as if he had been crying.

Kasey looked up at Bilbus. "Do you have more of those fancy arrowheads? Like what Eric used in Auld Castle?"

The thief blinked twice. He looked at Kasey blankly for a moment, then nodded. "I have a couple left."

"Get down here and help me get a couple arrows ready for Adria and Eric!"

Bilbus tried swinging a leg over the kelpie's back. To his relief, he was no longer bound to Farran. He dropped to the ground next to Kasey, then rummaged through a small pack. He produced a pair of glass arrowheads, one of which he gave immediately to Kasey.

The two quickly prepared the arrows and ran over to the two longbow archers. "Here!" Kasey shouted to them.

Without a glance, Adria held an empty hand out towards Bilbus. The thief placed the arrow shaft in her hand. She adjusted her grip on it and smoothly drew it on the bow, the fletching near her face. She let the arrow fly. It sailed through the shredded curtain and exploded, throwing shards of glass and pieces of the curtain cloth into the street.

As the drow fell backwards from the explosion, a second glass-tipped arrow shot through the now-open curtains. The entire party saw it explode against Lord Silverthorn's chest.

The second explosion was much more violent, tearing parts of the window frame loose. In the afterimage of the blast, it was clear that Lord Silverthorn's head was no longer intact. The headless corpse flew back into the hall.

Sturm had finished picking up his bow. He turned, an arrow at ready, and realized the fight was already over. He grumbled quietly to himself and lowered the bow.

Eric shouted and whooped. "Yeah! That is the last time I want to see you in my city! This is Londoun, not where-ever-it-is-you-come-from!"

Sturm scowled at the Azirian. "Eric. You are babbling."

The Azirian stopped and looked sheepishly at the Sun Knight.

In the sudden silence, Rishala walked over to Bilbus. The thief was losing his composure again.

In a soothing voice, Rishala spoke to the thief. "Bilbus? Bilbus, it's over. We're okay. You're okay. What did you see up there?"

Bilbus seemed to be pulling himself together. "It was a big thing. Evil..." He glanced towards Farran. "The horse's eyes glow."

Keeping his voice calm and level, Rishala replied, "Bilbus, Farran is not a horse. Now, what was the big thing?"

"It was from one of the Hells. Probably the Fourth. It was in a ring of gold... A pentacle?"

Rishala nodded. He looked gravely to his companions. "You know what happens when the summoner of a being dies before sending the demon away, right?"

Sturm's face hardened. Eric's showed grim determination. Breanna shook her head fearfully.

"Let's hope it left before Ayarmis died. I don't think we can face it down if it is loose."

Breanna paled. Bilbus stammered, "But what if Franz summoned it?"

Rishala looked at him. "I don't know if Franz is that good."

"He hid the stairs."

Motion in the ruined window caught their attention. Franz cautiously stepped forward. Eric drew an arrow taut on the bowstring and pointed it at the man.

Franz's eyes widened. "I wouldn't do that, Azirian." As if he had just overheard Rishala, he added. "You know what happens if I die before I dismiss Ngatet?"

Eric glanced at his friends. Rishala was shaking his head slowly. The explorer lowered the bow and relaxed the pressure on the bowstring.

Franz smiled and straightened.

Eric looked up at him. "Let us make a deal."

"Deal? What deal?"

"We shall tell you where Axransa is. You send Ngatet home. We shall give you safe passage to Ezeka's representative from the meeting this evening."

"Ezeka's representative?"

"Yes. We know about the meeting. We just want you to send Ngatet away before anyone here regrets it. You realize what would happen if he got loose before you were dead?"

Franz shuddered visibly. "Oh... Okay. I'll send him away."

"Wait! Let us send two people up to see that Ngatet is really gone. They will tell you what happened to Axransa before you send Ngatet away, so you can see the truth of their words."

Eric nodded towards Rishala and Kasey. The two started walking towards the front of the store.

"Wait!" Franz called. "How do I know the big one isn't going to just kill me when Ngatet is gone?"

Kasey sighed. "I give you my oath as a Knight of Kells. We will deliver you to the man who represented Ezeka without harming you."

Franz nodded to himself, satisfied.

Rishala and Kasey went into the office.

They walked into the back, private office, then up the stairs to Stalgraf's personal apartment. They met the sorcerer at the base of the stairs up to the third floor. They followed him up the stairs.

Part of the way up, Kasey remembered where Ngatet was. "Rishala," he whispered back to the storyteller. "Do not look at the back of the room. That is where the thing is that scared Bilbus."

Rishala nodded, then remembered that Kasey could not see him. "Okay. Thank you for the warning."

The two followed Franz to the table in the middle of the room. Rishala could feel the oppressive malevolence of the entity contained in the pentacle. His skin felt as if it were slowly crawling, and a chill raced up and down his spine. He kept his eyes fixed on the table.

He noticed the large book, still open, that happened to be directly in front of him. He started looking at the words, trying carefully not to read them too closely -- for that could activate a magick that he did not understand. He read enough of the text to realize that it was instructions for summoning and trapping a demon of some sort -- or, as the text said, "Howe to summon a Beinge of the Nether Realms; and further howe to trapp saide Beinge for to exact demaunds Upon it."

Rishala noticed Kasey reaching for a loose sheet of paper on the table. The Church Knight was opposite Rishala from Franz. Rishala realized he should make an effort to distract Franz.

He turned to Stalgraf, waiting until he faced the man before lifting his head to meet Stalgraf's gaze. Rishala could still feel the malevolent presence, now to his right. "You wish to know where Axransa is?" he asked Franz.

Franz nodded.

"She lies dead in her tower, slain by a Knight of the Sun. The knight also slew a Shadow Kindred that was in the tower."

Franz clearly did not believe. He turned towards Ngatet and opened his mouth to speak.

He speaks truly, the voice replied. Rishala shuddered. Ngatet's voice was something beyond the realm of nightmares. It was an unearthly sound, something that was not meant for human ears. It was the buzzing of angry hornets, and the hiss of deadly snakes, and the scream of a million damned souls.

Franz looked back at Rishala, his face waxen until he saw Rishala's visage. A flash in his eyes showed his satisfaction at the Caledonian's reaction. Franz turned back to Ngatet. Rishala could feel a surge of Heka as the sorcerer intoned, "Thou hast completed my demands of this night. Return to whence thou comest, until such time as I summon thee again!"

Rishala could feel the presence receding, far faster than the winds blew or the lightning struck. He cautioned a glance towards the circle. It was empty.

"I kept my bargain," Franz said. "Take me to Ezeka's agent."

Rishala led Franz towards the stairs. Kasey crossed to the inlaid golden circle with its runes carved into the floor and filled with gold. He drew a hand axe and quickly chopped a section of it from the wooden floor. He looked at Stalgraf, who had an enraged glare on his face. Kasey shrugged and picked up the chunk of floor he had cut free, breaking the pentacle.

As Stalgraf continued to glare, Kasey tossed the chunk into the air once and caught it, one handed. "Insurance. To make sure you don't bring it back."

Downstairs, Rishala noticed Bilbus and Farran were gone. He walked over to Eric and whispered, "Where'd they go?"

Eric leaned towards the Caledonian and whispered, "They went back to the restaurant you were in. We will deliver Stalgraf there."

Rishala nodded. Eric and Sturm led the procession towards the Jewel of Londoun.

Bilbus had just tossed his leather jacket into the shadows when the party turned the corner with Franz. He quickly tried adjusting his dress shirt and jacket, having little success in smoothing the crumpled silks.

He waited on Farran's back, the appearance of a disheveled nobleman who had stayed out well past his normal hour.

Eric approached. "You are Ezeka's man?"

Bilbus nodded, bored. Eric turned to Franz. "Is he?"

Franz looked at Bilbus for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well. We have done as we agreed. We shall leave you."

Bilbus suddenly sat straighter. Wait. Farran is a kelpie. He understands what we say. Does he speak his own language? Do kelpies have a language?

The thief channeled Heka, weaving a net inside his mind that had strands reaching towards Farran's head. The dweomer completed, Bilbus tried speaking quietly.

<Farran? Do you understand me?>

The kelpie half-turned his head, leveling an eye towards the thief on his back. <Your human tongues are easy enough. Why do you choose to speak mine?>

<The others understand it.> He looked at Stalgraf. <Get him!>

<Are you sure?>

<Get him!> the thief repeated.

Farran became antsy, flicking his tail and swiveling his ears about. The giant kelpie also started whickering -- nervous noises and snorts coming from his mouth. Bilbus, still affected by the dweomer, was able to understand the kelpie.

<Oh, whinny! I am so scared!> The sarcasm dripped from the kelpie's voice. <What a scary flag flapping over there! Whatever could it be? It must eat horses. Oh, the horror! Toss head! Rant! Perhaps if I rear I can protect myself ineffectively!> Bilbus had to cover his mouth with one hand to hide his laugh while trying to look like he was attempting to control the stallion.

Franz couldn't see Bilbus's face. He was busy trying to back away from the enormous roan horse who had just become extremely upset about something. Before Franz could get a pace away from the destrier, Farran reared (with Bilbus held fast) and slammed a hoof onto one of Franz's feet. The kelpie also grabbed the nape of Franz's jacket for good measure, pinning the human with little effort.

Franz panicked as he tried to get away from the kelpie. His foot was already broken, crushed under the steel-shod hoof of the beast.

Bilbus noticed Adria had slipped up to the other side of the Farran. He realized that, the way Farran held Franz, the sorcerer could see one of Bilbus's legs, but nothing else. The thief pointed down to Adria's quiver, bristling with arrows, and signed, Give me one.

Adria had a perplexed expression, but she gave him one of the arrows. Bilbus broke about two hands' width off the end of the arrow, tossing the head down to the assassin. He put the arrow to his chest and shouted a gurgling scream as he rolled smoothly out of Farran's saddle to land on the ground, the arrow appearing to jut from his chest as he rolled to the side, obscuring the "wound" from Franz's view. Bilbus lay still, eyes open and lifeless.

Sturm walked around to stand in front of the sorcerer, blocking Bilbus from view again. He tossed his cloak back, giving his arms complete freedom. "Hi," the Sun Knight growled. "Guess who killed Axransa?"

The terror on Franz's face gave Sturm an urge to chuckle. Instead, he doubled his fist and hit the sorcerer solidly in the chin. Franz's eyes rolled back into his head as Farran released his grip on Franz's jacket. The unconscious man fell onto his back. Only after he had hit the cobblestones did Farran move his hoof off of the ruined foot that now sported a broken ankle, as well.

The party gathered around their unconscious prisoner. Kasey fished a sheet of paper out of his belt pouch. "I got this in his office. Actually, on the third floor."

Eric took the paper and unfolded it. He read it to his friends:

High Spires besieged
Instrument of power entrapped
Lightning cannot strike
Claw Fang has the glory

Lord Dragon reigns
Instrument of power entrapped
Answerer now silent
Anmanivas has the glory

Never Dying studies
Instrument of power entrapped
Battle Thirst quenched
Pulakis has the glory

Life Stealer waits
Instrument of power entrapped
Soul Eater sated
Vladomani has the glory

Church calls lightning
Lightning cleaves the way
Traveler knows answerer
Answerer steals the foe

Hope touches battle thirst
Battle thirst knows the portal
Sun feels soul eater
Soul eater defeats Great Lord

Sturm shivered briefly. "It sounds like the orc poetry we've been getting."

Rishala nodded somberly. "Yes, but it sounds a lot more familiar, doesn't it? The dreams you, Eric, Bilbus, and Kasey had... 'Lightning cannot strike'? Kasey had a dream about a sword called 'Hard Lightning'." His voice trailed off in thought as he looked at Bilbus.

The sky was already graying above. Birds were awake, starting their morning song to greet the coming sunrise. A number of people shuffled about the roads of Londoun, rushing to shops that needed to be open for the normal crush of morning traffic.

Down the Via Avillonia from Armagh rode a column of six mounted knights. Their powerful warhorses rode at a slow walk, bearing the armored men with ease.

The second knight in the column carried a tall pole. Atop the pole was a crossarm holding a dark banner. In the center of the banner was a golden sunburst with a sword behind it, the personal blazon of the Lord High Commander of the Knights of the Sun.

The Lord High Commander, Sir Cael Leith, rode the lead horse. He was not a particularly large man, but he had a presence. Whether it was his position of authority that commanded respect, or whether it was his commanding presence that had advanced him to his position in command of the Knights of the Sun, Sir Leith would never say. He had never really thought about it. He simply had moved through the ranks as a matter of course.

Sir Leith led the column of knights -- his personal color bearer and four honor guards -- through the city of Londoun in silence. He had pressed his men through the night, passing the town of Armagh, south of Londoun, just after sundown. Both rider and mount were exhausted, but Sir Leith had kept them moving, careful not to over exert the horses. The Lord High Commander had business in Londoun that would not wait any longer.

The column arrived outside Londoun Hold. The large portcullis was raised, but the doors were closed. Two junior Sun Knights stood watch outside the door. They looked up at the six mounted knights in the pre-dawn dark with little interest. After a full night on watch, the young soldiers were tired and uninterested.

Sir Leith stopped his destrier in front of the two footmen. They gazed up at him dully.

Cael Leith stiffened in his seat. In a quiet but imperious voice, he said, "You will open the gates for the Lord High Commander of the Knights of the Sun."

The two knights continued to stare.

Sir Leith jumped from his saddle, landing in front of one of the knights. Before the footman could react, Sir Leith punched him once in his leather-covered abdomen. The footman doubled over as the other took a step forward, hand on the grip of his sword.

Sir Leith's bannerman shouted, "You dare to take arms against the Lord High Commander?"

The guard stopped, looking from one mounted knight to the next. He finally moved his hands away from his weapon. He turned and rapped on the heavy door. After a moment, the scraping sounds of the door's heavy barricade lock echoed through the streets. The door creaked open, pulled by knights within the hold.

Sir Leith grabbed his reins and flipped them over his horse's head. He led the horse through the doors, his escorts following him into the compound. Sir Leith glared at one of the knights in the compound. The knight snapped to attention.

"Take this horse and see it stabled." Sir Leith said, handing his reins to the knight. "See that my men's horses are cared for as well. Do not wake Sir Gittoes. I do not wish to disturb his rest."

The knight nodded and led Sir Leith's horse towards the stables. Other knights took the remaining five horses towards the stables as Sir Leith and his entourage went towards the offices of the Londoun Hold commander.

Sir Gittoes, Head Knight of the Londoun Hold, stretched slowly as he walked out into the grounds of Londoun Hold. He had managed to earn the assignment to Londoun Hold after years of skirmishes along the Middle Range, fighting the foul orcs who raided settlements along that lengthy range of rugged hills. The Londoun Hold post was considered a semi-retirement post: orcs never raided Londoun, so far from their primitive huts to the south.

Sir Gittoes finished his slow stretch and looked towards his office, across the square from the officers' quarters. His second-floor office looked over the grounds. Sir Gittoes stopped in mid-step when he realized that there was light coming from his office.

The Head Knight lowered his head and stormed across the field, making ready to unleash the wrath of all Nine Hells on whoever had the gall to go into his office.

Up the stairs and across the map room the Head Knight stomped, his heavy wooden-soled feet echoing on the heavy planks of the floor. He threw the door to his office wide and stepped through, unleashing the furies of his anger.

"What in the name of Uther Paendroeg..." his shout died quickly as he recognized Sir Cael Leith sitting at his desk.

"Good morning, Ianto," Sir Leith said quietly. "So good to see you still have a temper when you need it."

Sir Gittoes saluted awkwardly, his right fist touching his chest over his heart. "Lord High Commander Sir Leith. What a surprise. What brings you north?"

"I have received some very disturbing news of late, Sir Gittoes. Please. Take a seat."

Ianto Gittoes sat down in one of the uncomfortable wooden seats across from his desk. His hands fidgeted with his tabard, tugging and pulling at it while he fixed his eyes on his desk, trying not to meet the gaze of his commander.

Cael Leith took a long, deep breath. He exhaled slowly, then waited a moment. "Sir Gittoes, I have received reports from our friends, the Knights of Kells. It appears that there is much more activity from the orcs across the lands than we have thought. I have been told that there had been much activity in the Dales -- a town was nearly destroyed. I have been told that there is a village -- Noyonne, I believe? -- that seems to be under control of orcs in the east. Does any of this sound familiar?"

Sir Gittoes shook his head slowly.

"Really?" Sir Leith said. He leaned forward. "These reports from the Church Knights include a mention that one of our knights was present for all of these events. Sir Sturm Sunblade. Do you know him? My men tell me that he is assigned to the Londoun Hold at present."

Sir Gittoes sat up. "Sir Sunblade is young and inexperienced. He hasn't seen the skirmishes we've seen over the years. He thinks every little thing he sees is part of some coordinated plot by the orcs. I believe he just needs some more experience. My lieutenants agree with my opinion."

"Really? When I received the report about orcs in Hillsdale, trying to enslave the villagers, I dispatched a column to investigate. They found the village abandoned, save for an old man. The old man told us that the villagers were hiding in the forests west of the dale to avoid a group of orcs who were coming from the mines east of town.

"The column rode toward the mines of Hillsdale. They encountered a platoon of orcs. There was a fight. My men were pretty badly wounded, but they fought off the orcs. When they reached the mines, they found that the mines had been damaged, and that there was a large grave of orcs. Enough orcs to match the numbers the Church reported. Sturm also reported this to us."

"Well..." Sir Gittoes started to say.

Cael Leith interrupted. "Well, nothing. I also received a detailed report from the Church about Noyonne. It appears the village is overrun with orcs, but the villagers do not mind. The town appears to be allied with the orcs. Apparently, Sturm was with the Church Knight when they were captured and taken to this village, and the hidden mountain city that seems to coordinate the orcs. Why have I not seen Sturm's report? Did he forget to check in with you?"

"Sir Leith..."

"I can not believe that Sir Sturm Sunblade is so poorly disciplined that he fails to check in with his commander when he witnesses such disturbing events. I remember seeing him growing up at Llwelyn Hold. Sir Atenburg was his sponsor. He was a disciplinarian, to say the least. Perhaps Sturm is rebelling against his training?" He paused, waiting for Sir Gittoes to open his mouth again. "No, I think not, Sir Gittoes.

"I want to hear, first hand, what is happening in our world. Orcs seem to be far more active than they have been in centuries. We have not been able to keep routes across the Middle Range open, other than the Arabel Cinlu road. They have become so emboldened that they have raided villages near the foothills. Villages, Ianto. We haven't had raids against anything more populated than an isolated farmhouse in over two hundred years."

Sir Leith sat back, his voice still quiet. "Sir Gittoes, I will remain at this hold until Sir Sunblade reports in next. I want to hear what he has to say." Sir Gittoes nodded slowly in defeat. "In the future, you will forward his reports to Llwelyn Hold. I do not want to have to rely on the Knights of Kells for my intelligence when I have one of my own men involved." Cael Leith stared at Ianto Gittoes for a long moment. "Am I clear, Sir Gittoes?"

Sir Gittoes nodded. "Yes, sir, Lord High Commander."

Sir Leith nodded to himself, satisfied. "Good. When is he next due?"

"I do not know, Lord High Commander. Sturm has been on a detached duty for the last several months. He reported in to me two weeks ago, last, but I have seen him in the hold lately. I believe he is still in Londoun."

"Very good. Tell your men to order Sturm to report to you next time he is in the hold."

"Yes, Lord High Commander."

Sir Gittoes stood and saluted once more, then turned to relay Sir Leith's orders.

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Original Draft 04 August 2001

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