Back to Camp
Chyemme
"ACHOO!" I sneezed loudly as the thunder rolled overhead and rain began to pelt us in the cold air. Goosebumps began appearing on my exposed skin, especially on my arms and thighs. That was one unfortunate thing about me, being raised in a tropical rainforest, I was slightly susceptible to the cold.
"Bless ya. Alright there Chyemme?" Alminus asked me putting a large hand on my shoulder. I envied him, while I was shivering from the combination of wet and cold, he was standing there stark, unaffected in the least. I guess he was used to worse than this where he came from. The Steppes I knew, where in the Northlands, and snow was common place there so I really shouldn't be surprised.
"I think so. Just a little cold," I answered truthfully.
"No worries, we'll be back at the encampment soon enough. I know of a short cut," Cloudyous announced truthfully.
"Well if that was the case druid, why the hell did you neglect to give us that information this morning? Or has your mind gone to the dogs?" Piricus snapped, obviously irate, as Belthem walked beside him and shook out his coat, flinging even more water all over him. He was not at all pleased with having to be out in such bad weather.
"Can't you do something about this rain, Cloudyous?" Vendra called from where she walked ahead of me. "I thought druids have power over nature."
"It doesn't work like that, unfortunately. But the rain is good for the land," he added optimistically.
"Druid, land is there to be walked on, not worshipped," Piricus growled as he shoved Belthem roughly aside with his leg. "And your mutt reeks."
Belthem didn't take well to the contact, no matter how brief it was. He stopped and growled at Piricus, teeth barred.
Cloudyous came up behind him and put a hand on his head, stroking his ears. "Leave him be, Belthem," he said sternly. The wolf must have recognized something in his voice, for he brushed up against Cloudyous' leg reassuringly, sending strands of his wet fur clinging to Cloudyous' fur boots.
"That's real attractive," Vendra said sarcastically, eyeing the fuzz.
"More so than you are, sorceress," Piricus exclaimed. "Then again, that's not all that hard to manage."
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH FOOL! I swear to God I'm going to freeze you to the spot and let the demons eat you like an icicle!"
He just laughed. "You're all talk."
"And so are you, so why don't you just shut it," Ryelass snapped at him.
"Warrior, I'm going to put my foot across your face if you keep talking to me that way."
"You'll do nothing of the sort," Scorpious said flatly. "I'm not going to let anyone fight out here, at midnight, in the pouring rain while demons are lurking about. We have other priorities," he continued, glancing toward Laurella, whom had been silent the whole way here, save for a few sniffles here and there and some tears in between. She stumbled forward unstably, having been stirred out of some kind of reverie by the mention of her name.
"Take easy, My Lady," Sovellis said as he grabbed her quickly to keep her from falling over.
"Are ya, tired, Laurella? I'll be happy 'ta carry ya if ya want," Alminus offered kindly.
"I'm fine . . . .really," she insisted.
"No your not," Maria pointed out. "You're wounded for one thing," she said eyeing a scratch across the upper part of her shin, "and your state of mind is not a healthy one either."
"No . . .I don't suppose so . . ." she answered quietly.
"Here," Ryelass said gently, walking up to her. "Lean on me," he instructed and draped one of her arms across his shoulders, hoisting her up.
Laurella cringed, but leaned into him. "Thank you," she said softly.
"Paladin," Piricus began after watching this display, "My only priority is get out of this Trag Oul forsaken rain. And if I have to walk over top of you people, so be it."
Scorpious sighed. "I'd let you go first, since you're in such a hurry, but you have no clue where you're going. Cloudyous, I think you should take point, since you do know where you're going."
Cloudyous nodded. "Right. It's this way," he said gesturing to the left.
"Are you sure that you know which way? I mean it's dark and we can't see that well," Vendra asked.
"Like I said. Not to worry. I may cannot stop the rain, but I can communicate with the winds. They will guide us where we need to go," he assured.
"See, why can't you be useful like that, sorceress?" Piricus said taking another jab at her.
"Useful? I'll show you useful!" She growled and without warning she conjured an ice spire and tossed it at him. In the rain, the water froze upon contact with the missile, making it significantly heavier so the projectile dropped at his feet.
He must have known that would happen because he grinned. It occurred to me then, what he was really doing every time he taunted someone in that manner. He was playing mind games. For him, it was all about manipulating people to act in a certain, predictable manner. Anger, rage, and fear were all predictable. He knew how to push Vendra's buttons, so he knew how to get a reaction from her, which in turn made it easy to get inside her head and influence her actions, like throwing that ice spire just now. In a subliminal way, he was exercising that control, and therefore, a certain power over her. You definitely had to keep your eye on him, he nearly always had some ulterior motive for his actions. Sometimes though, I was sure that he did things the way he did, just to make life a little more difficult for the people around him. And this I thought, was his effort to push people away from him. He didn't like being close to anyone, from what I knew about him, and he went to extra lengths to isolate himself. Frightening, I thought, when I realized the subtle, seemingly insignificant things he did to further his own ends. He had at some point, I'm sure influenced all of us in some direction or another. Everyone, save maybe Scorpious.
Scorpious, like myself, must have figured this out at some point as well. With knowledge comes power, or so the saying goes. Because Scorpious understood what Piricus was doing Piricus could not work his mind control over him. The fact that he could not manipulate Scorpious only seemed to make Piricus hate him even more. Mind games were not the only reason for Piricus' hatred though. It ran much deeper than that. The hatred Piricus had for Scorpious came from a misunderstanding between the Order of Zakarum and the Priests of Rathma. Neither group was willing to peacefully acknowledge the existence of the other and their beliefs. Yes, I knew that the hatred went both ways, for paladins had undertaken quite a few crusades against necromancers and vice versa. The fact that their powers contradicted each other did not help in the least.
Piricus' hatred for Scorpious stemmed from what he was, not who he was. It was a natural hatred engrained in his heart from an age-old war. Scorpious however, was one of a group of new paladins, that I had heard broke away from the mainstream church. They believed slightly differently. Scorpious didn't seem to hate Piricus at all, and seemed only to want to help him understand that the war was pointless. In the end, necromancers and paladins were on the same side against those that would destroy the human race.
"Oh sorceress, that was pathetic. Forgot about the conditions you're fighting in, did you? Some warrior you are, yelling or crying every time something doesn't go your way or when you get scared," he furthered.
"Scared? I'm not scared! Especially not of you!" she retorted, and the argument continued, but I did not listen. Sometimes I wished that Piricus' intellect was the only thing he's exercise and not his mouth . . . .The fight was about to end like always, with Piricus saying something witty or sarcastic to send an enraged Vendra storming off.
The tall, dark mage Sovellis stepped up beside me and chuckled. "Maybe we should send both back to nursery?" he laughed in his deep voice as he watched Vendra walk away from Piricus with her nose in the air and her fists clenched at her sides.
"He likes to be annoying. He obviously gets pleasure from it," I said in agreement.
Sovellis' sparkling dark eyes surveyed his female friend and then met my blue ones. "Do not think bad of her. She act like small child sometimes, but she really quite powerful. From the way she act, you never know she is great mage of the Zhan-Esu. It not help that this the furthest we been away from home," he explained.
" Still, she probably shouldn't display her temper like that though," Cloudyous said from ahead of us, "It can lead into much worse things. We've arrived!" Cloudyous announced and we came to a halt. Ahead of me was a large circle of odd blue torch lights.
"Ah! A way point! Good thinking, Cloudyous," Scorpious announced with relief. "Very well the use of waypoints is quite simple," he called aloud to all of us. "Step into the circle and state your destination. It will transport you to the teleporter within the encampment walls. Also if someone would, take a quill and mark this spot on my personal map. I've borrowed this one from Akara," he said as he waved the soggy, paper map he was holding overhead. I only heard the paper crinkle, it was too dark to really see. "One more thing, try and memorize this location in case in the future we don't have a map."
"Oh yes, paladin! Instruct us to memorize the way when we were lead by wind, which only one of us can read, in the pitch dark and could not see the noses at the end of our faces? I assure you, we'll be very helpful paladin!" Piricus griped.
"You first then, Piricus," Scorpious said to him, ignoring what he just said. Scorpious was ignoring Piricus' satirical feedback probably for the fact that the rest of the company was tired and he did not want us to listen to them argue. Scorpious always seemed to take care of others before himself, and that was one of the things that I admired most about him. It was truly amazing, the way paladin faith allowed them to be so strong of spirit and of character, or maybe it was just Scorpious that was that way. Either way such strength made him an excellent warrior.
"That anxious to be rid of me, paladin? Very well then, I don't think you should come between me and my sleep. Besides, plenty of opportunity to vex your dreams to nightmare back at the camp," he said plainly and pushed past Scorpious as he stepped into the circle. He closed his eyes and his body became wrapped in a blue flame that burned higher and higher until he could no longer be seen behind it. When the fire spiraled counterclockwise back into its base, Piricus was nowhere to be seen.
"How about you go next, Alminus?" Scorpious suggested. My barbarian friend nodded, sloshing water out of his face and over his blue tattoos. Alminus placed a muscular leg upon the platform and within moments the fire engulfed him and he was gone. One by one, the company stepped onto the platform and disappeared until only Scorpious, Laurella, Ryelass and myself remained.
"Go ahead, Chyemme," Scorpious said to me with a nod. I looked to Laurella whom was clothed poorly and shivering worse than me. She had curled up closely right against Ryelass' body in attempt to stay warm. He had in turn, gone from supporting her to holding her. Her face was wet, I think a mixture of the rain and tears. At any rate I was afraid her face might freeze. I nodded at her.
"Ryelass, take her ahead of me," I instructed him. "She looks cold and the sooner we can get her to a fire the better," I said softly, looking her in her sorrowful gray eyes.
"Can this thing transport us both?" he asked, shifting his hold on her so that she was leaned up against him at a more comfortable angle.
"One at a time would be best. Lady rogue can you stand? It will only be a moment," Scorpious assured.
"I . . .I think so . . ." she replied with teeth chattering.
Ryelass gently held her arm for support as she stepped onto the circle. "Take it easy," he encouraged. "I'll be right behind you."
She nodded, but stumbled when he let her go, but before she could fall the flames took her, absorbing her shivering, sad frame from view.
"Go after her Ryelass, you might have to catch her," Scorpious said with concern.
"I know. See you there," he said simply and hastily made his way after her.
"If anyone needs prayers and blessings Scorpious, it's Laurella," I said quietly, eyeing the teleportation device where they had disappeared. I turned to look at my companion as he spoke.
"I know, and rest assured I will do just that. Unfortunately, now is not the time for a formal prayer. You and I must return to camp in order to comfort her."
"I want to help her Scorpious, the sadness around her and on her face breaks my heart. But I don't know where to start or what to say, or even if I should say anything at all. Losing a loved one is never easy and sometimes it's best to just let a person grieve," I said with a thousand different thoughts running through my mind at once.
I heard the gentle sound of footsteps upon the earth before Scorpious placed a warm tan-colored hand on my armored shoulder. "I cannot tell you how you will act Chyemme, but I can give you a push in what I think is the right direction. Remember, an act of kindness is rarely forgotten so easily and more often than not it returns ten-fold," he said gently with wisdom. "Besides," he added, "I have a feeling that the tragic death of her sister is not all that she has suffered through. Yes, there are many questions that need to find answers, but let her answer on her own good time. Curiosity will only harm her more."
I nodded my head in understanding. I only had one more thing to ask, "Scorpious, what makes it so easy for paladins to care for others?"
Scorpious looked surprised and his lips curled into a faint smile. "Well," he began, "it all basically comes down to a noble truth of Zakarum that says we are all children of god and as such, we are all equal in his eyes. And as equals we should strive to help each other become equal in understanding so that we can live in harmony. What lasting love, understanding, or peace can come from wickedness, hate and malice? After all, what harm usually comes from kindness?"
"People like Piricus," I said quickly. "He said a little while ago that he wanted to kill you. And I don't think you two have known each other long enough for this to be a man-to-man feud. You're always kind to him, yet he still hates you, and I don't know . . .he might actually attack you . . ." I said in concern. "You could save his life and that would just make him hate you more."
"Ah , yes, that. Piricus hates me because he is a necromancer. I have always known that necromancers reject, sometimes violently, our ideals because if what we say is true, there would no longer be a need for them in the spiritual balance. People, not magic, would determine that balance. And so, necromancers fight us tooth and nail, hoping that if they stomp us out our ideals will die and the threat to their magic will be gone. What most people seem to have trouble understanding is that I am not a soldier, I am a keeper of the peace. I preach equality and understanding and I try to lead by example."
"Then why--" I began but he already knew my question.
"Then why do we fight? Paladins, while teaching peace and harmony, also realize that sometimes fighting is necessary to defend the peace that was earned. Especially fighting against demons and the like. Unlike what you might have heard about my predecessors, my particular branch of the church doesn't fight people unless there is no other possible way. We don't carry out brutal inquisitions like paladins have done in the past. We believe that the souls that do not believe--people like Piricus-- are not innately evil, nor or they possessed by demons and must be destroyed. We believe that these people should be the ones we reach out to most, we should help them, guide them, and teach them, not condemn and kill them. And I have made it my mission not to give up on anyone, the Lord works in mysterious ways, so there is hope even for Piricus. As for him attacking me, do not trouble yourself. He isn't so foolish as to try and take me on in front of everyone else, and that's what that fight would be. He would be trying to prove something to everyone else. What would it matter if he managed to strike me down in private where no one could see. It would make more of a statement for him and be more productive to his ends for such a thing to be public. Besides, I do not think he is that much of a coward, to attack me while I am alone in the dark, and I have many strengths he has not yet seen, as I'm sure he's aware. He wouldn't want to fight me without seeing more of what I'm capable of. He strikes me as the cold, calculating sort. But maybe," he said smiling at me as if he knew something I didn't, "not that cold. I think he cares a great deal about what you think of him, Chyemme."
"Me?" I gawked in surprise. "I'm in the same boat you are. He said if I get in his way he'd kill me," I said in my defense.
"That may be so, but I sense he harbors no ill-will toward you, unlike some of us. And he seems to do what you ask of him, albeit grudgingly to say the least."
"So what are you driving at?" I asked him, confused.
"Simply that you may have more of an influence over others than you realize. Consider your actions carefully, as you should always."
An icy breeze entrapped the rain and blew the hard droplets against my wet skin. I shivered again, stronger than before. No wonder the rogues called it the Cold Plains. Scorpious gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"It would be best not to discuss this matter on at prairie, at midnight, in the rain with demons lurking about. Let's get back to the fire and dry off. You look cold and we're both soaked to the bone," he pointed out.
I smiled as water dripped from my lips. Scorpious' hand slid down to my bicep as he helped me onto the platform. My red leather boots kicked up several inches of water as I stepped down. It was really raining hard.
"Do hurry, Scorpious. The rain is really coming down," I said in concern.
He smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be right behind you."
Thunder crashed in the darkness as I finished stepping onto the circle. I closed my eyes just as the rain started turning into hail, frozen by the chilling winds of the Cold Plains. In my mind, like instructed, I pictured the Rogue Encampment and its warm fire, which seemed to combat the numbing cold momentarily. My keen hearing alerted me to the sound of the blue fire flaring.
The next thing I knew was a lurching and vacuuming sensation as I was swirled around and sucked downwards. I felt a similar chilling feeling as I had when I had walked through the town portal, so I assumed that I was being harmled through some cross dimension of space. I couldn't say for sure though, for my eyes were clamped tightly shut. The desire to vomit from the dizzying, swirling motion was strong indeed. To see the motion that my body was experiencing would probably force my earlier meal to resurface. Feeling the movement was bad enough. Immediately as the voyage began, it ended just as abruptly. When I stopped twirling and could no longer feel movement I reopened my eyes and looked around.
Sure enough, I was inside the towering, makeshift walls of the rogue encampment. To my right was a wooden shack that I recognized as Lady Akara's quarters and to the left was a caravan, much like the one Vendra, Sovellis, Piricus and I had ventured here on, however it was not ours. As I looked the wagon over I noticed a strange, short, fat, and oddly dressed man standing beside it. He was wearing a large deer-skin overcoat that barely fit his body and an odd, flapped leather cap that was bobbing on and off his head as he began to climb into the canvas-covered caravan. I peered after him, but my view was suddenly obscured by three pairs of seemingly curious eyes. I shook my head and looked up again.
Vendra, Ryelass, and Alminus were all looking at me curiously. I spotted Maria over to my left, leaned against a wooden tent pole with her arms crossed. Cloudyous was slightly to her right, busy wrapping his wolf, Belthem's, right rear leg over a nasty looking gash. A pair of large, dark hands clapped my shoulders.
"You Very well, Chyemme, you just staring to nowhere," Sovellis said from behind me. I was still shaky from the teleportation, so I almost collapsed from the weight of his hands.
I answered him as I regained myself. "Yes," I said although, not without a feeling of queasiness. "Hey Vendra, who's that man that just stepped into that caravan?" I asked
Vendra turned around, following my gaze. "I don't see anyone."
"No, I mean, he went in. He was kind of short and fat and," I began.
"Had a grotesque fashion sense?" she finished for me, causing her to receive a nod from me. "That's Gheed, he's a local merchant that specializes in black trade, and that's Warriv's caravan . . . .I'd better go tell him," Vendra announced and turned and walked in the opposite direction with her wavy hair trailing behind her.
I surveyed the group again and noticed a peculiar absence. "Where's Piricus?" I asked.
"I think he said he was going to get Commander Kaysha because we had a report to make. He was here just a second ago," a small, almost childlike voice answered from behind me with an occasional pause.
I turned to see the windblown, soaked, and ragged Laurella. She was standing on her own two feet now, but still wobbled a bit from side to side.
"I see. Are you Very well?" I asked stepping down off the platform towards her. However, when I took that step I stumbled forward with a fresh surge of dizziness. I didn't land on the ground, but rather I felt something velvety and soft against me. A cold, icy touch followed closely by demeanor, shoved me back forcefully so that I rolled over into the grass.
Piricus sat up, brushing himself off and glowering at me. He had chosen that exact moment to walk around the corner. I sat up also, my head reeling.
"Damn it amazon, can you not walk properly?" he spat in irritation as he hoisted himself to his feet again, removing stray blades of grass from his robes. I stood shakily and was about to fall again, but I was caught by something steady that supported me. A strong hand had seized my arm and silky, chestnut-brown hair tickled my cheek. Ryelass hoisted me up like he had done to Laurella earlier, he having been the closest one to me at the moment.
"Hold still for a minute until you feel better. I've got you," he said comfortingly as I dropped my weight against him. I looked at Piricus, whom was glaring daggers.
"I'm sorry Piricus, I didn't see you. I didn't mean to land on you like that," I apologized.
He rolled his eyes. "You and your clumsiness! You're almost as bad as the barbarian," he grumbled.
Ryelass frowned. "Alminus was the same as you, Chyemme, he felt sick when he stepped off of there too," he explained to me, before proceeding to snarl at Piricus. "And I wouldn't apologize to him. What else is he good for? I'd rather him break something than you. And one last thing. Alminus is my friend, stop insulting him or pay the consequences."
Piricus stepped up to me and Ryelass. He towered above Ryelass by about four inches if not more, and over me by at least three. He placed his sharp featured face dangerously close to Ryelass' own.
"Is that so? And just what exactly are you going to do about it little man? Scream so loudly at the sight of my skeletons that they fall apart? You've had tremendous luck with the undead so far," he mocked in dark humor.
"Just because I slipped up once doesn't mean the same thing will happen twice. I don't repeat my mistakes," he snapped back.
Piricus burst out snickering with laughter. "Oh, is that all? Well one mistake can severely cost you, especially against me," Piricus furthered.
They were on the verge of a fist fight, and I was beginning to get the inclination that maybe it would be in my best interest to move out of the way out from between the two of them. I started to move as blue fire erupted from the waypoint. As the flame spiraled to new heights, it twisted the figure of Scorpious into view from its base. The fire died away and I was relieved when Scorpious' righteous brown eyes caught sight of the situation.
"Maybe I should have extended my earlier comment about fighting to include fighting in the encampment. Do not disrespect the graciousness of the rogues whom have allowed us sanctuary here by dueling within their walls. I expected as much from you Piricus, but Ryelass I thought you'd have held your temper in check a little better," he said admittedly, like an adult reprimanding children.
Piricus' eyes flashed as he rounded on Scorpious. "Paladin I'd toss him aside like the talking trash he is in a heartbeat for a crack at you. You were just gone for two minutes and that's longer than the time it would take me to finish you. I swear paladin, you are like unto a mosquito, annoying and a plague to the last breath! One day your meddling is going to catch up to you. In fact--"
"MY CARAVAN!" A very tan, Arabic looking man dressed in blue desert gear came dashing into view, waving his fists madly. "GHEED YOU THIEF, I WILL HAVE YOUR HIDE THIS TIME!"
The fat man I had seen moments ago resurfaced with a horrified expression on his piggy face, carrying a well-loaded knapsack of goods.
In a flurry of movement, the Arabic man darted in the middle of Scorpious and Piricus sending them in different directions to dodge him. He disappeared from view around the corner chasing the fat merchant, Gheed. Piricus picked himself up for a second time, as did Scorpious for his first.
"Warriv, I assume," I asked Ryelass, and he nodded to me.
"That would be him," he said simply. "Gheed's been stealing a lot of people's belongings lately to sell as his own. He seems to rob Warriv most often though. Warriv's had the suspicion, but until now he hasn't had any hard evidence to act upon."
Vendra appeared from somewhere to my right, panting and out of breath. "God, he took off like a firecracker. I expected him to be angry, but nothing like that."
Maria straightened herself against the pole she was leaning on. It was a strange thing to see that the ever-poised assassin had been slouching, but she had as much reason to be tired as everyone else. "Vendra, did you see Kaysha? She was supposed to have told Piricus she was coming."
Vendra nodded as she bent down to put her hands on her knees for support while she caught her breath. Within moments Kaysha came around the corner, her chain mail clinking to her gait. She walked up to us, looked us over thoroughly, then said with a big breath,
"I can hardly believe that you've defeated Blood Raven! Although she was once my closest friend I pray her tortured spirit remains banished forever. You've earned my respect strangers, and the allegiance of the rogues. I'm going to place--My God it can't be!?" Kaysha stopped mid-sentence and hastily pushed Cloudyous and Alminus aside to reveal the quiet, shivering form of Laurella, whom was staring up at her with those same, sorrowful eyes.
Kaysha's eyes widened. "Laurella? It can't be, you, you died! I don't believe this, are you really Laurella?!" the woman shouted in her utter disbelief.
Laurella didn't answer her. Instead her lip began to tremble.
"ANSWER ME, DAMNIT!" She yelled in the fury of being ignored. Kaysha immediately withdrew her longbow from her back. Aiming at Laurella she shouted, "I know! You must be a demon in disguise, most don't speak our tongue!" She pulled back her bowstring.
"Kaysha don't!" Vendra yelled.
"She's with us, it's alright," Maria assured her.
Kaysha loosened her grip on her arrow, but not quite letting go.
"Would you really pray my sister to hell, Kaysha? She's free now . . .free to go to Tyreal where she actually belongs . . . ." Laurella looked directly at Kaysha as she spoke, still giving her that same, vacant stare.
Kaysha neither relaxed nor tensed.
"It is me, Kaysha. Shoot me if you wish. It would be no less than what I deserve. I hear the deepest circle of hell is reserved for those that kill their own family . . . ."
Kaysha lowered her bow and turned her back to Laurella with her arms crossed. "It wasn't your fault, Laurella. I have no doubt it's you now, you've always been quick to blame yourself for everything. Blood Raven was beyond words. Nothing but death could have freed Andariel's hold over her. It was an act of true love to let her go rather than keep her here where she was tormented. I would have done the same had I been in your shoes, you must remember that Celeste was my best friend, so she was like a member of my family as well. The whole sisterhood mourns her loss, as we mourn the loss of all our dear sisters. That's what we do, because we are one big family, each and every one of us. And speaking of families, you should go see the head of ours. Laurella, please go see Akara. She'll need to know that you're back." Kaysha answered without moving.
Laurella sniffled, but bowed her head. "Yes ma'am." She started forward shakily, and Scorpious moved over to help her.
"Would you like me accompany you?" he offered kindly. She nodded. "Alright. Then off we go," he said gently as the two of them disappeared around the corner, headed for Akara's hut.
Kaysha turned to face us again. She seemed to be feeling a mix of emotions that showed through in her eyes. She seemed to feel remorseful and also somewhat angry.
"What is it?" Maria asked her, having obviously made this association as well. That was one thing about Maria, she seemed to be able to read people like open books most of the time. Even though she did not possess the Inner Sight, her associations and assumptions were usually dead on. It made sense. In her line of work knowing who to trust was everything.
Kaysha sighed. "By God, such a tragedy, that girl, and she's barely seventeen turns. Blood Raven was her sister and the only family she had. When Andariel took her, the poor girl was beside herself, as were we all, but she took it especially hard. It was such a personal matter for her. We thought she was dead, nobody had seen her since that night at the monastery. Rest assured, I am going to get a full account from her about all that has transpired since then, but not tonight. She has been through hell, as I can only imagine have you all. As I said before, Celeste--you all know her by her fighting nickname, Blood Raven-- was once my closest friend. Laurella wasn't the only one to loose something when she turned. But the question that haunts me to this moment, is why. Why would she turn to Andariel? How could she be so easily overtaken?" Kaysha sighed, deep in thought.
Maria closed her eyes. "Demons have a strange means of accomplishing things. In no way do they fight "fair". She obviously had some weakness that the demon exploited. Something that drove her to insanity first. If one is not sure in the mind, the more easily they are overtaken," she said authoritatively, as if speaking from experience.
Kaysha shook her armored head. "I guess you're right, but now we'll never know. Either way, I guess it doesn't matter anymore. It's in the past, although be aware that it is going to be quite some time before Laurella puts this behind her, if at all. She is quick to berate herself for even the smallest things. But, back to what I was going to say before I was so obviously startled. I have placed several of my best warriors at your disposal. Although, I must say, it's a miracle that you all have survived this task with only the few scrapes and bruises I see here."
Ryelass shook his head. "But it does matter. The mystery of what turned Blood Raven could run far deeper than any of us know. It could affect us all somehow. And more to the point, it doesn't help ease Laurella's pain. Hers is not the only difficulty we have encountered today though. Scorpious and I almost died today. If it weren't for Laurella, we'd all be dead now. I for one, can't say that I'm sure I'd have the courage to do what she did today. Speaking of which, I'm going to see her. I want to see for myself that she has been seen to and let her know I'm here to help if she needs me," he said in genuine concern.
"I wouldn't worry about it, Ryelass. Akara's probably healed her wounds and there are no better hands for her to be right now than Scorpious'. He has a way of healing more than just physical scars," Vendra panted slowly.
"That man truly is a miracle," Cloudyous said from beside us.
I heard Piricus' familiar, cold laugh. "Oh yes, it is a miracle we haven't died yet under his leadership."
"I'd follow him into hell, which is where you're headed anyway, Piricus, with the track you're on," Maria said dangerously.
Piricus snorted. "Have a little bit of a thing for the paladin, do we assassin? I don't believe in hell."
"Hardly," she snapped, "With a lifestyle like mine, I am forbidden to love. And love is far from the reason I admire him so. His convictions lend us more of an advantage in battle than you could ever render."
"You haven't seen anything yet," he warned her, and I believed him. Every time I turned around, Piricus always had something new up his sleeve.
"Um, I don't see how you can not believe in hell," Vendra said honestly from beside us.
"She right, all demons come from hell," Sovellis agreed.
"Ask the amazon," he said looking pointedly at me. "They don't believe in your Zakarum God or your heaven and hell existence either."
"They don't?" Vendra asked in surprise as she looked at me.
I shook my head. "We believe in a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. However, we do, contrary to what Piricus just said, believe in heaven and hell. Just a bit differently than others do." Although, inwardly, I found myself being more and more unsure as to my religion as of late.
"I can't see how You're don't believe in jus' one God. Tyreal 'imself said that he was an angel of God. And if he ain't from heaven, I got no clue where else he could come from. Ya do believe in Tyreal, don't ya persons?" Alminus asked us skeptically.
"Tyreal, is simply from a higher plain of existence. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt he exists. People have actually seen him, he's all over history," I admitted. "What do you think about that, Piricus?" I asked him, keenly interested in what he would say.
"I think even if I told you, you are all to dense to understand it. That's why you exist, isn't it assassin? To hunt down and kill what you don't understand?" he snarled at her.
"I understand that the way some people believe causes them to act without fear of consequences. Some people simply believe things in a manner that makes them dangerous to others. And that's where I come in," she said darkly, looking straight at him. "I am here to put an end to people like your Prince Darkblade."
Vendra and Sovellis shifted uncomfortably and if looks could kill, Piricus would have killed Maria ten times over.
"Er, Kaysha," Alminus interrupted quickly, bring everyone's attention back the fact the rogue commander was still there, "What did lady Akara say about the report?"
"She asked that you all assemble and come see her first thing in the morning, there is something she would ask of you that has been troubling her for many days now. I'll leave you all to your dark conversations, or your dreams, which ever follow in my absence," she answered and left.
Maria, still glaring daggers at Piricus stated simply, "We should all go to sleep, it's late and we're going to need rest."
Sovellis nodded. "Yes, we sleep now."
I looked around and despite the recent conversation, now that I could see them all in the firelight, everyone, even Piricus looked exhausted.
Maria was the first to move, she straightened her back and stretched her fingers over her katars. Without a word, though her eyes could have said it all, she took her leave.
I was exhausted, every muscle in my body harm and the many scabbing stratches on my body still stung.
Ryelass looked at me, from where he still held my arm. "I think you're alright now, are you not?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks," I said earnestly as he let me go. He didn't walk off in the direction of his tent, but rather walked in the same direction Laurella and Scorpious had gone.
I nudged Vendra from where she was somehow falling asleep standing up. "We should probably go to sleep, if we go now we won't interrupt Maria," I suggested.
She yawned slightly. "You're right, I'm coming. Sovellis, try not to snore. Remember you almost burnt down Madam Kyre's hut when you fell asleep in class," she said facing her tall companion, whom blushed, making his dark cheeks even darker.
"That was accident. Goodnight feisty one," he teased and suddenly vanished in a thin wave of light.
Vendra rolled her chocolate brown eyes and began to make her way to our designated tent with me beside her.
"What do you mean about Sovellis? Who's Madam Kyre?" I asked curiously.
Vendra laughed, tired though she was. "Oh, well, of course Sovellis keeps it a secret, but he's got so much magic energy that when he snores sometimes fire comes out his mouth. It's an annoying bad habit, but only minor. Madam Kyre was his and my magic instructor in the Zhan-Esu," she said with a humorous smile.
I snorted in surprise. "Wow, a problem like that is minor?"
Vendra seemed even more amused by my shock. "Yes, it's really the equivalent of a child's bed-wetting habit. Anyway, he hasn't done it in years, so I wouldn't worry," she said as she lifted our canvas tent flap for me to walk through.
Maria had already finished un-strapping her armor and was laying one of her katars under her pillow when we walked in.
"What's that for?" Vendra asked accusingly. "You don't trust us? Or is it that you don't trust just me, because I'm a mage?"
Maria looked at her pointedly. "If I didn't trust you, I would probably be sleeping, or pretending to, with my armor on and my weapons in a more quickly useable position. You'll have to forgive me, but it's an assassin instinct. You should always be prepared, especially in the dark of night."
"Prepared? Prepared for what? To kill someone in cold blood because you think they're dangerous for not believing the way you do?" Vendra growled at her, much to my shock.
Maria's lip twitched. "I knew you'd take that the wrong way. If you were after what I'm after you'd be alert too. If you had seen what I saw or know what I know, you'd be checking and double checking every dark corner, every crevice. A normal mind, or a normal body for that matter, wouldn't function well under my lifestyle," she said darkly.
"You're a mage-slayer, so what exactly are you doing here again?" Vendra asked in concern, casting Maria a leery glance.
"Chasing a "cold-blooded killer" as you'd call him. Apparently, I might should also assign myself the task of keeping an eye on the large gathering of mages here, what with so much corruption abounding."
Vendra snorted. "I can't believe that I'm actually starting to se eye to eye with Piricus of all people, especially about you. Obviously since two mages long dead screwed up, we're suddenly all to blame?"
Maria sighed. "Think of me what you will, it is only natural for people to pass judgment on others. You mages just simply don't understand how powerful the forces that you're playing with are. One "screw up" as you call it, is enough to plunge the world into a new era of darkness. Bartuc and Horazon were just a foothill compared to what would happen if history repeated itself now! I want to be perfectly clear that I will not hesitate to rectify mistakes made, by lethal force if I must. Indeed Vendra, can you deny that fear of our swift retribution has kept many sorcerers from demonic magic?"
Vendra scowled, and I could see it in the dark. "With every word you speak I'm beginning to like you less and less. Keep going and I might end up hating you as much as I hate Piricus. Vizjerei are not the only ones who learned a costly lesson. In the Zhan-Esu, we seek only pure, elemental magics. Bartuc and Horazon are considered betrayers among the magical. Maria, we did not start out chasing demonic magics. Anyway, dark magic is banned to every mage clan now, including the necromancers," she protested.
"Even so, some mages are too weak minded and allured anyway. Your clan punishments are not severe enough to prevent the mindset that they are strictly forbidden arts. That's why we're here. Our judgment comes on deadly and swift wings to those that stray from the path of light. We make no exceptions," Maria said emotionlessly.
"Apparently not!" Vendra shouted. "Did you ever wonder how Sovellis got to be in the Zhan-Esu? We are an order of only women! His parents practiced demonic magics and were killed by the Viz-Jaq'taar, or assassins as you like to call yourselves, before they ever had a chance to repent, right in front of his eyes! Thank God he was still too small to remember! They would have killed him too, but Madam Kyre intervened. She insisted that corruption is a personal choice, not a inherited trait. The only thing that spared his life was the personal vow she took that would offer up her own life and his should his path give way to sin!"
I stood there in stunned silence. The way Sovellis acted towards Maria, you'd never know. And Vendra too for that matter. "Does he know this?" I asked quickly.
"Vendra whipped around to face me harshly. "No he doesn't! And I will rip out your tongues myself and melt you to mush if you tell him!"
"Then how is it that you came by this knowledge?" Maria asked coldly.
"I ... I overheard Madam Kyre talking to someone. Someone that came to her late at night. I had come to see her about nightmares I was having. About seeing it happen," she admitted.
"You had dreams about it?" I asked her, even more shocked. "Vendra, that's a sign of the third sight."
"Call it what you want. I've found that when I'm close to people, especially Sovellis, I am connected to them somehow. I can see what he sees sometimes . . . ."
"Does he know that either?" I asked.
"He knows about the connection, but he has no way of knowing what I see unless I tell him and vice versa."
"It must be strange to connected to someone that way," I admitted. "Does it make you uncomfortable?" I asked.
"Not nearly as uncomfortable as having a killer in the same room as me! You probably know the man that killed them, I'll bet you anything," Vendra spat.
"Then why haven't you confronted me before now?" Maria demanded. You acted as if nothing were wrong up until this moment."
"That's because I believe what Scorpious says about not judging people based on a whole. I didn't want to blame you for something you personally didn't do. But now, I'm beginning to see that you're all alike. That to you, killing people is a routine, non- personal affair. Maria, you claim to worship the God of Zakarum and he claims that you should not kill! He claims that you should love and forgive other people. With the way you act and believe, how are you not a walking contradiction!?"
"My relationship with God is none of your business. I need no forgiveness for what I do. Does Scorpious need your forgiveness for killing evil where he finds it? For stamping out corruption where he finds it, and usually by martial force?" Maria retaliated.
"Maria, Scorpious doesn't kill people! And he's completely different than you. For one thing he preaches forgiveness. He offers people a second chance!"
"People don't change. The wicked will always remain wicked, there is no hope for them. If I gave everyone a second chance like you suggest, then half the people I know would be dead," she said flatly.
"Maria . . . ." I began, unsure how to react to that.
"I advise you not to become involved in this, Chyemme," she said sharply. "If you truly believe in the teachings of Zakarum, then why don't you forgive them? I know the people that were there that night. I know one of them well, They believed that they were doing the right thing," she admitted.
"Maria, were you there? Did you take part in this?" I asked. I couldn't help myself.
"Do I look that old to you?" Maria asked defensively. Sovellis is what, twenty- four turns? That would have made me barely two, although I can tell you that wasn't a good age for me either."
"Still! I can forgive mistakes, but not a lifestyle that is sin in its inherent nature!" Vendra shouted exasperated.
"Then what are you going to do? How are you going to resolve this? Are you going to become like Piricus and make my life more difficult by dealing with you? Are you going to run to Sovellis, and tell him everything, so that he can come sort this out for himself? Eventually, whether from you or not, he will learn what happened. And I am ready to stand beside the choice of my colleagues," Maria stated icily.
"No, I'm not going to tell him. It would tear him apart! He believes that his parents were killed in a fire, the fire which your assassins set to make it look like an accident! And I'm not going to take this up with you any further, unless you give me reason to so that he won't suspect. I care too much about him to subject him to that. Being the fool he is he might try and seek revenge," Vendra said with a snarl at Maria.
"Revenge is a nasty thing," Maria said quietly, and unexpectedly, more softly. "It would cost him more than just his life."
"You won't touch him! Ever! I would be there fighting alongside him, even if it meant fighting against you!" Vendra snapped defensively.
"Then stop this immediately. Let this be the end of it. I'm sure it won't come down to that, after all, Maria herself had nothing to do with it," I said quickly, trying to cool the situation down some before an actual fight broke out.
"Way to play pacifist!" Vendra said growling at me.
"I agree with her. I have no desire to fight with you, Vendra. Nor do I desire to harm Sovellis. As long as neither of you give me reason, I'll leave you well enough alone."
"You'd better," Vendra spat.
"What was the point of this conversation if you are not going to act upon it?" Maria asked, mirroring the thought in my mind.
"I wanted you to know, that I think you're wrong and if you keep going the way you're going, Piricus is not the only one that will be your enemy! And trust me, Sovellis and I make for a nasty pair of adversaries." she announced.
"If you're through ranting at me, then we'd best get to sleep. What little of it we get will foreshadow how useful we are to the others in the morning," Maria insisted, bringing closure to the matter.
Vendra closed her eyes and sighed. Vendra plopped down on her cot, removing her soft leather boots, although I could still see the tension in her face. It would probably take her a while to get to sleep, she had not so easily shoved aside the recent discussion with Maria, not that I would expect her to at all.
Maria finished adjusting her surroundings, and when she noticed Vendra still glowering at her in the dark, she sighed herself. She got up, removed the katar from her pillow, and placed it in a trunk at the foot of her bed. "Now go to sleep," she demanded and sat down silently. That was another thing about Maria, she never made an unnecessary noise.
Amazons valued stealth and caution as well, and if one trained enough, we could attain the same skill level. However in more recent times my people had started to lose the ways of the ancients and such skills became little more than a luxury. Only the few lucky amazons choosen by our Queen to train with King Karcheus the watcher on the island of Philios still understood and practitioned the art of moving without noise.
I obviously respected the old ways of training. I felt connected to them, almost a calling you would say. It was the closest thing I had in my life to the empty slot of meaning. My whole life I had been taught that I, as an amazon, had a sacred duty to uphold truth, justice, and honor. And yet now my people sevred no one but themselves and our own justice. We trained from birth until death and all for what? A tradition. A memory . . .of what our people used to be. My life there, it had held no meaning. To train only to say that we were able to, but did not uphold our sacred vow, was at best, pointless. I believed that through practicing our gifts openly and wholly upholding the ideals our ancestors had fought for, we would serve a far greater purpose than even we could understand. We could, and we would as a people, do so much more good. If only that was the meaning of my life. To live to uphold these vows not just on the isles but in the whole world beyond. To be a warrior of truth and honor.
Maybe that was why, with a little influence from Scorpious, I was beginning to believe more and more in the supreme God of the Zakarum instead of the amazon goddess Zerae. Don't get me wrong, there was no doubt in my mind that Zerae existed, just that I was becoming more and more unsure as to her position in the scheme of things. Maybe she was not a goddess, but an immortal angel, like Tyreal?
The more and more I saw, the God of Zakarum was becoming a God of purpose. He sent his warriors on crusades to help people, as opposed to our amazon goddess that gave us skills and absolutely no reason to use them. The God of Zakarum also seemed to be a God of love, he preached forgiveness and the like. Was it the love of this god that made his warriors so strong compared to others? One look at Scorpious' shining eyes and valiant heart was enough to let me see that he had been strengthened because of the way his God taught him to act. Scorpious' conduct was a source of light and it was that light that at times had been our greatest weapon against the darkness, like his sanctuary aura in the cemetery. Now Scorpious was a man with purpose. It was his purpose to use his heart and his faith to bring light into the world. Light . . . a flash in my mind of a pair of sharp, piercing, and cold emerald eyes caught meentirelyunaware.
While looking into Scorpious' eyes I saw warmth and light, but Piricus' eyes always reflected the opposite, cold and darkness. If Scorpious' light meant purpose, could Piricus' darkness mean emptiness? Could it be that Piricus felt the same nothing that I did?
By this time, Maria had already fallen asleep and was dozing soundlessly, and Vendra, also asleep, was rolled on her side with a pillow over her head and snoring. My guess was that though she had been shaken, she was more tired than anything else. I smiled to myself. Such a tough woman that Vendra, at an eye's glance, but only at a glance.
A slight ruffle of the canvas of our tent brought me out of my reverie. The pale, slender hand that had parted the flap was soon accompanied by the rest of the young lady. My eyes could see her flame-colored locks dangling at her shoulders even in the darkness. A pair of silvery eyes, puffed red with past tears met mine.
"Excuse me, Lady Chyemme," she said in a voice barely above a whisper, Lady Akara told me that I might find an extra bed in here." Although she had finished speaking she still stood silently in the doorway. Despite the looks of her eyes, she seemed to look like she felt somewhat better.
"Come on in, the bed is on my right," I whispered warmly.
Laurella's voice sounded a little scratchy when she answered, although I could tell she was grateful. "Thank you, I didn't mean to disturb you, I . . ."
I raised my hand gently to silence her. "Don't worry, I was already awake. And besides. It's better for me to know that you're here so that I can give you this," I replied while reaching over the right side of my bed and removing the extra blanket that resided there. "You're going to need this, the sheets the rogues provide barely warm your toes," I joked gently as I tossed the blanket over onto Laurella's bed.
Laurella's lips twitched, the closest thing to a smile I'd seen all night. "Thanks again Lady Chyemme."
"Please, just call me Chyemme," I said earnestly with a soft smile.
"I see Lady Vendra has had no trouble sleeping," the young rogue said quietly while she glanced at the sleeping sorceress.
I laughed soundlessly. "Oh yes, the sleep of ages, that one."
With another half grin and a look at Maria, whom hadn't moved since I last saw her, Laurella began making her way through the darkness to her bed.
"Watch yourself, Vendra's boots are about four inches in front of you," came Maria's smooth voice.
"Oh, Lady Maria, how long have you been awake?" Laurella asked apologetically.
Without moving her body or opening her eyes Maria quietly laughed as she answered, "Since you came in. I wouldn't be much of an assassin if I couldn't tell when somebody entered into my own sleeping quarters. By the way, drop the title. Lady isn't really a befitting title for me--watch your foot."
Sure enough, Laurella looked down and picked up her front foot just in time to avoid tripping over Vendra's outlying shoes. "How can you see in this dark?" Laurella asked quietly in astonishment.
"Assassin senses. I can feel every move you make and every object in this room. I've been trained to see with my eyes closed," she said simply.
Laurella finally found her bed and sat down lightly. "Wow! That's impressive, you can just "feel" things? No wonder your kind are so much feared among the mage clans. . . "
There was a slightly awkward silence in the moments that followed, and my own psychic sense told me Maria and opened her eyes to look at the sleeping female mage. "Nothing to fear if you've nothing to hide," she said at last.
The young archer sighed. "I guess so. Goodnight," she said gratefully and pulled her blanket over herself.
I was tired, the day had been long and therefore I gave myself to sleep within moments.
