Disclaimers in chapter 1.

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Under a rather peaceful and innocent name of the training dungeon went a huge labyrinth, larger than the whole city of Osthauer. The labyrinth was full of treasures, traps and monsters, all three unnumbered. Many were attracted by the former, but scared off by the two latter. Those who were not scared tried to reach the end of it - but only very few succeeded, some being made to flee from the foul creatures, hidden in the dark corridors, and some... some just didn't return. So nobody could tell for sure what was there, under the underground city.

Lomyrin was among those not very numerous who tried to walk through the labyrinth, but had to turn back, after one of his friends was dead and he the other - badly wounded. Now he watched the already familiar walls, lightened by the trembling magical flame - the gift of Ethel'mar, the ancestor of the royal family who was believed to be the creator of the labyrinth, to all dare-devils who decided to try themselves - and thought, that this time perhaps, he'd see what lies there, in the end of the endless journey.

The first battle ended so quickly, that Lomyrin didn't have time even to understand what was going on - first there were some evil looking little creatures, those name the elf didn't know - then there were ice needles everywhere, sharp and lacerated, and blood on them... and then there was complete silence and empty corridor.

The elf looked at his companion with such a puzzled expression that Daenar hemmed, flattered and slightly embarrassed at the same time, but said nothing. Still keeping silence they went further, killing rather easily whatever foul looking appeared on the way. Strange it might seem, but even in battles Daenar still managed to notice the traps and warn Lomyrin. Several times the elf stopped just half an inch from deadly threat - and watched the wight to disarm the trap with certitude and grace of a predator.

The trip went on without any awaited difficulties... until some living dead appeared from a dark breach in one of the walls. Though Lomyrin had seen such creatures before and had no fear of them, this time a sudden and unexpected wave of terror enwrapped him. He took a step back... turned away, not to see their awful faces with empty eye-sockets in which dim green light flickered... and rushed along the corridor, back to light and life, with no thoughts, no feelings but one - fear.

"Lomyrin... return... fear them not..." Daenar's mental voice broke through the veil of fear that covered the elf's thoughts. He glanced back. The vampire looked at him smiling encouragingly in the corners of his lips. The terror vanished... Lomyrin tried to attack the undeads one more time...

This time mad fear possessed him until he found himself in some dark niche, sitting on the floor, hiding his face in Daenar's shoulder and shivering uncontrollably. As he realized it and the memories of his retreat formed slowly in a whole picture, the elf withdrew quickly and blushed, escaping from meeting Daenar's glance.

"Have you calmed down already?" the vampire asked as if nothing happened, and Lomyrin blushed even more.

"Ready to go further?" Daenar continued.

"Yes..." Lomyrin nodded, trying to get rid of a dreadful thought that Daenar would just disappear after such a shameful event. But instead of disappearing the wight even helped Lomyrin to get up.

In nearly two hours the elf gained enough brevity to utter:

"You think probably how such a miserable creature like me became a mercenary?"

"Why should I? You're a skilled warrior and rather clever too..." the vampire shrugged his shoulders in the same manner as he did in the temple. "Is there anything that should change my opinion of you?"

"Well... after my so disgraceful retreat..." the elf answered almost inaudibly.

"It's quite a common thing when dealing with the undeads..." Daenar answered calmly. "It doesn't mean that you are a coward. It's just... bad luck that it affected you this time." he paused. "Once I was scared just as much as you were now."

"Really?" exhaled Lomyrin, not quite believing his ears.

"No, I'm telling lies!" snarled Daenar in response. "And stop thinking of your disgraceful retreat as you call it. If you don't, you'll surely impale yourself on someone's claws or weapons... and that will be much more disgraceful an event for you as a mercenary of rather a high rank..."

Lomyrin felt better suddenly, though he was hauled up like a green freshman, and smiled.

*~*~*~*

At the end of the second day of their journey Lomyrin began yawning and so did Daenar, to the greatest surprise of the elf, who was perfectly sure that the wights sleep very rarely - if ever do. They were said to be able to have no rest for months… to feel no weariness… but this one looked like he was very tired.

"Shouldn't we have a rest?" he suggested at last.

"Good idea!" replied the vampire with a smile and his fangs glistened in the torchlight. "Otherwise you'll wrench your jaw, I'm afraid..."

"You'd better mind yourself..." thought Lomyrin, having forgotten that the wights hear other people's thoughts well.

"Yes, I'm tired too and it becomes more and more difficult to think and react quickly enough." came the calm mental answer. "We'll just find some suitable room now..." he added aloud.

The room was soon found and the monsters there eliminated. Wiping his sword, covered with blood, on one of the victims, Daenar turned to Lomyrin.

"Are you going to sleep standing?" he inquired with a wink.

"Of course not!" the elf answered and hurried to prepare some place for sleeping while Daenar created the supper for both of them. Lomyrin, watching him from time to time, tried hard not to think of how useful a wight-companion can be on a mission. This though heard could possibly offend Daenar, and that was what the elf wanted the least of all.

After supper that was really well created - and noone unaware would say that it was created, not cooked in a more natural manner - and mutual wishes of good night, pleasant dreams and placid waking up, Daenar lay down in the corner wrapping himself in a cloak and soon was asleep. Lomyrin watched him for some minutes, pondering over the great changes in his life that took place in recent days, but then the exhaustion took over and he went to sleep too.

To one more greatest surprise of Lomyrin he woke up the first. The vampire was still sleeping peacefully and didn't look dangerous at all. This seeming serenity made the elf venture upon a step he wanted to make from the very beginning of their journey - to check how sharp the wight's claws were.

Carefully, trying not to wake him up Lomyrin touched one of the claws with his fingertip and a slight scratch appeared on the skin. The elf thought that if someone were unlucky to be hit with these claws with a considerable strength that Daenar possessed... that someone would be really very unlucky and torn to pieces.

Deep in his thoughts he didn't notice that he was holding Daenar's hand and slightly caressing the cool fingers and sharp claws. When another scratch made him return to reality and he saw what he was doing, he immediately dropped the vampire's hand and it fell on the floor with a loud rasp of the claws against the stone.

It woke the vampire and he sat up looking around and ready to fight anything and anybody. Lomyrin, startled with such a quick jerk, moved further away from him.

"There's no danger..." he whispered hastily. "Calm down..."

Daenar looked intently and doubtfully at his hand... then at the elf.

"I was... I just..." Lomyrin realized that the words escaped him in the most treacherous way.

"What's wrong with my hand?" demanded the wight.

"Nothing... I just wanted... to look at the claws... closer..." he thought that it was becoming a bad habit of his - to blush to the roots of his hair, and as the habit was bad, it was not going to leave him easily. So he blushed again, cursing himself inwardly, while Daenar scrutinized him like some rare curiosity. At last he uttered:

"To look at the claws closer? That's all? And... what for?"

"Well..." the words were still escaping Lomyrin. "I... I was just curious.... I never saw such before..."

"And you dared not ask me to show them? You thought that stealthy would serve you better in this case?" Daenar chuckled. "Though it's rather in your, mercenary, way..." he stretched his hand out to the elf. "You may watch as much as you wish. And remember - you may trust me even if you don't trust anyone in the world..."

"Thank you," the elf muttered examining the claws one more time.

"Not at all. And let's go... or do you have an intention to settle down here?"

"Not for all the cakes and Silmarils! The client is waiting!" replied Lomyrin.

"Not waiting yet..." Daenar corrected. "But will wait, if we don't move. And I didn't consider making him wait a good idea."

And so they went on, through traps and monsters again - until they reached rather a small door, locked with a considerably huge lock.

The elf and the wight looked at each other.

"There should be something..." Lomyrin whispered.

"And something must be dangerous - or too good to be true." Daenar added. "Anyway, it's interesting... are you ready to go?"

"Of course!" was the reply. The thought about some wight being too curious was thrown to the winds as not the proper thing to be thought.

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TBC - one day...