The High Priestess

Village of Tradeway Bridge Late Morning - 15th Day of the 12th Month of Year 706

Chapter 9

Thankfully it was almost the winter solstice so the mornings came very late for those of us who had overindulged in the entertainment of last night more so than the others who had not been so foolish. Not terribly surprising to me was that Kelesh was the first of us awake, fed, packed, and ready to depart. Partly this was because he was trained to travel light and fast but more so it was because of all of us he faced living with the greatest level of guilt if we were delayed. I assume it is natural that when all of one's friends and family are wiped out and have but only a few precious days before being transformed in ravenous killing beasts dedicated to death and destruction it makes you a bit eager to get on with rescuing their eternal souls.

Before you wonder how I can be so obtuse over such a tragedy as I have earlier described understand I am purposely using a flippant voice in making that observation because I want you the reader to be shocked by such a comment. I want you to wonder how I can make light of such a tragedy. Perhaps I even want you saddened or enraged at my words. I want any and all of these things because I want you to try and understand what it is he was feeling. Were I to try and describe such a heartbreak with mere words that is all they may be to you is simple words, ink on a page and nothing more. But now by making you focus on how I said something I have opened you up to trying to consider what it was that Kelesh was actually feeling that morning and perhaps in so doing brought you a little closer to understanding the evils that we face. And by this understanding perhaps you will seek to cast back the darkness in your own lives however that might best be accomplished as I now try to do.

Please understand I do not try to equate my own loss with Kelesh's. In truth while I lost my entire world to a similar fiend, it had been only two that I had been forced to bury and neither of them, thank any and all merciful gods, have the potential to do more harm. Thankfully I had saw to this when I put my son to rest and Baron Metus in his rage against me had slaughter my wife rather than transform her into one of his kind. While neither such event would I wish upon another, I have the comfort in my soul of knowing that my loneliness came with the satisfaction of being assured their souls were now eternally beyond the reach of the evil that walks our lands. I could only imagine what torments that Kelesh was feeling. Actually that is a lie. I knew exactly what it was like suffering through worry and self doubt as the moments went by while I travelled to save my son. And now here at the inn I knew Kelesh was facing his own demons to rectify this situation and that it was a reflection of the same pain that I had carried with me only weeks before only his pain was magnified in scope more than a dozen times over my own still.

It was because of this personal torment he was going through that soon after learning I was only the second to awaken, I took it upon myself to roust the others, knowing the half-elf would never find the courage to do so of his own since he saw this as further begging for aid. Pride can be an equally terrible burden to bear when solutions are beyond the control of the prideful individual. Thankfully all the others understood the pressing need of the situation, especially Anderros, and our group was actually ready to depart within half an hour of my call to duty. While I said our group in truth two of our party excused themselves however from our expedition before it even began.

The first was Professor Ofwald who sincerely apologized for not being able to accompany us. He truly was interested in partaking of the adventure and especially of seeing the locations described for himself namely the open tombs, but explained that he was under contract to investigate Kasteel Zwarte history and was waiting to be contacted by his employer so that he might pass long his limited findings to date. Not one to be so easily denied information in his field of expertise, the Professor recommended we get soft coal or charcoal rubbings and parchment of any additional writings that we might find inside the wight barrows for him to study upon our return. His suggestion that this could potentially lead us to a better understanding of our present situation or perhaps who was hunting our new two companions more than two centuries ago was enough for both Kelesh and Anderros to swear to do so given the opportunity. The Professor promised that he would await our return here at the inn or if duty called he would leave word with the innkeeper as to what he was up to and when he might return otherwise.

The second and much more surprising member of our little group of town saviors that backed away from accompanying us was none other than Lady Liza. I could see by the look that passed between her and young Mr. Shadowborne that this decision did not come easy for her. Nor in fairness did it appear particularly appealing to him either. The fact that they had come down the stairs unabashedly holding hands and looking both tired yet somehow energized at the same time was enough of a statement for me to explain without words how the two had spent the remaining hours of darkness. Those of you reading this who are underage or inexperienced, those who do not understand my purposely vague reference, or those of you so old you have forgotten such things I suggest you ask any young couple you see holding hands to explain this to you further if you so desire.

Erik seemed ready to decline the invitation to adventure in order to spend more time with Liza but she easily shut him up his objections with a kiss and sent him packing saying he would not be the man she had pictured him to be if he were so easily swayed from the sides of those who needed his skills and leadership. A second attempted but weaker protest met a similar but longer response leaving the poor man breathless until Liza finally turned and walked away from him without even stopping to look back. As an explanation she only declared that she had her own things to see to but would be expectantly awaiting our return that evening and would desire to hear everything that had occurred. Since at least one of the deceased had been a travelling companion I suspected she wanted time alone to appease the grief or pain of other injured members of the circus troop.

Of all the personalities I have so far described to you it should not be surprising that Sellers was the one to take this moment to break the silent tension of the moment after Lady Liza had departed by mumbling under his breath but still loud enough for those of us close by to hear. "If I had not sold him that dress she would have been with me last night." His eyes drifted to the pair of us who were the only ones close enough to have heard the comment as if seeking confirmation.

Beside me the only other one to hear this had been Keichi the skald. While he kept his face straight I heard him mumble at equal volume in response. "Togo gahi rezto, suzichai meta konhanaki." Sellers look at him confused but the skald only sipped the last dregs of his tea until the merchant gave up his interest and departed. Then without turning to acknowledge my interest he translated his statement so that I might understand what had been said. "And I suppose you believe also that cows can fly."

We departed as I had said just over a half hour after I had awoken the rest of the troop. To do what we must we began our day of trekking through the woods and seeking to prevent a greater evil from growing out of the tragedy that had already occurred. As we began the journey Kelesh declared that the entire trip to both locations where the attacks had taken place, the tombs, and returning to the inn could take as little as half a day if we were able to keep up at his pace. I of course immediately understood how unlikely such a standard was to being met, especially by a middle aged doctor from Darkon.

The truth I quickly realized was that we would be lucky to return by dusk and in reality I bet it would be even after that. As a group we did however agree that we would not stop for the evening until we had returned to the inn unless some unique situation required this of us. Since the local animal population had already shown itself to be susceptible to whatever outside evil influence had infected them last evening few of us desired or thought it wise, except perhaps Kelesh, to spend this evening out of doors if we could help it.

Had the group not had at our disposal a wilderness trained ranger we would have departed town via the roads and passed directly by Kasteel Zwarte where I would have gotten a chance to actually look at the structure for the first time. For the record I had been napping in a farmer's cart as we rode by it two days earlier and only awoke once the cart stopped outside the inn. By having Kelesh with us though meant that we would save at least a half mile of walking and thereby the associated extra time by going cross country through the closest winter fallow farms and directly to the woodland trails by which the ranger and the mage had arrived in town just last night. While I was happy for this jump start benefit, I still quickly realized by the pace the half elf was setting that this was going to be a long and tiring day of exercise for me.

Now were this a fantasy story or perhaps some bardic rendition of our travels where the story teller was not obliged to stick strictly to the facts of the events as they occurred then these following pages would be filled with stories of monsters we encountered and battled at each key moment of the adventure. Then I would discuss how the bodies of Kelesh and Anderros's friends and families were just beginning to twitch when we arrive and how we were just in time to put them to a peaceful eternal rest to prevent them from the true hell of an undead existence.

The complete truth of the matter is that we encountered nothing bigger than a late season squirrel in the woods since Kelesh was smart enough to identify and avoid signs of all dangerous predators in those woods. Thankfully all other larger creatures went out of their way to avoid those bumbling humans who could not walk through their homes without causing a terrible racket. When asked about dangerous plants in these woods Kelesh did tell us about his two encounters with the giant sundew plant and I have to admit I found the story of how he used it to throw off his pursuers to be ingenious.

Now to tell the story correctly or at least so as to not be accused of leaving vital details out, I will report that we were able to put to rest all the tribe members and all the tower mages before any had awoken as undead. At the tower we buried the bodies of the three apprentices in the root cellar. Anderros's master's body was never found and from the scene I saw and the story of what had occurred I assumed there was too little of it surviving to worry about anyway. We did take the time to pile stones and rubble from the exploded tower on the door to the cellar so that the eternal rest of the other students would be as undisturbed as we could make it. Anderros added to this by casting a wizard locking spell on the door to further dissuade any attempts at treasure hunting or causing additional harm to his beloved in the future. Had I the power myself, I would have done the same for my own wife's grave.

In the case of Kelesh's tribe our success in preventing their reanimation was all he requested we accomplish and that we specifically not entomb the bodies but leave them exposed in the open so their spirit might fly free from its mortal fleshy shell. He explained softly that the wild elves religion was based on a belief that everything was a part of nature. This conviction required them to leave the bodies of their fallen where they fell as so to take their place in the great triangle of life. Yes I know you purists like to call it a circle of life, but I am fairly certain those of you so committed to this concept have never found themselves jammed in the back by one of the hard corners life throws at you to make you change your course. When you gain such an experience come back and talk to me. In the end we left his tribe almost as we had found them, so that through their death they might return to nature by providing sustenance to the world around them and free from the scourge of undead life after death.

Once again we were marching off across the wights' trail heading for the tombs from which the creatures had emerged and much to my surprise Kelesh informed us that we had the possibility of reaching them just after noon if we kept to this pace. I must admit that I marveled at the damage the mere passage of undead creatures could do to the natural world around them. If the teachings I received on such things was indeed correct then wights like all other undead types that I know of are imbued by a negative energy that is foreign to our world. That is why it takes great magic or greater evil to create such creatures initially in the first place because the barriers between worlds must be breached. And since this negative energy is foreign to our world, or especially the living things within it, the two forces destroy one another most often when they come into direct contact with each other. While the trail would grow no larger than it was at present, it would also take many seasons, perhaps even decades of time to pass for life to return and erase this open scar on the land. Needless to say Erik and I agreed that we did not need to inform Kelesh of this fact since he complained repeatedly about the damage that the wights had done.

The tombs as well were relatively boring and little more than chambers that had been dug out of the embankment of the river and sealed up with stone, mortar, and obviously magic to preserve their contents until the proper time arrived and they were released. Only the master's tomb had been sealed by the bronze strip Kelesh had found which led Erik and myself to surmise that he had been the only one held in stasis until yesterday and that upon his own release he had called forth or assisted his former followers in freeing themselves from their own tombs.

None of the lesser tombs contained anything of interest beyond some personal effects that might help to date the age of the site, and some old and nearly worthless coins that only Sellers seemed tempted to collect. That temptation lasted only long enough for Keichi to explain the coins were likely the payment for their passage into the afterlife and had rested on the wights' eyes until yesterday. The foreign skald of course did not know the local religious traditions these men had followed about such things, but he had heard stories of how people who stole similar coins from the eyes of the dead or treasures from their tombs were often haunted every night by spirits of those they so wronged until they were returned these goods to their rightful resting location. For some strange reason after hearing that story Sellers decided that their minimal value was so slight as to not be worth taking with him.

We did find one other set of markings in the ancient writing, these on the stone sarcophagus lid of the bandit lord. Since he had promised the good professor to do so, Anderros did make charcoal rubbings of these on a blank page of spell book. He also took the time to translate them since he was the only one able to read this particular language that had gone out of style more than a century earlier. There were three symbols in total and they represented the following words or concepts: Lord, Dark, and Time. Of course these three words without context set our minds down numerous paths and theories but in the end unproven possibilities were all they truly were. While I could easily combine them to speak of a powerful evil immune to time, for example a vampire, Keichi just as easily pointed out it could refer to a tragic play of a royal who runs out of time before nightfall. While my combination seemed more appropriate to our current circumstances and location, his observation reminded me not to make assumptions where vampires were potentially involved.

We ate a quick meal of travel rations in order to rest and build our strength for the last brisk journey back to the inn. There was no doubt in my own mind, or anyone else's that I could tell, we had most certainly done a good deed this day. However I still did not know for certainty if these combined events suggested the existence of a vampire or had they merely been a series of coincidences? Erik and I spoke of this, eliciting the others to join us if they could contribute, but only rarely did any of the others take up the offer. As of that moment our limited evidence was anecdotal at best and could be summed up by three things.

First Erik knew his aunt had sent word to him that such a creature did indeed exist less than half a score of miles from where we now sat. For a family dedicated like I myself was to the destruction of such beings, I chose to believe after ten generations that they were fairly reliable in identifying the existence of such creatures. But even if that were true it still did not mean we had entered this one's regular hunting grounds.

Secondly the animal uprising of last evening was at the very least odd and aligned with my studies of what such a creature might do. But while vampires were capable of such feats of animal manipulation and control this was not a skill solely within their domain. Anderros explained that magical spells to control animals were available to a mage so inclined for that course of study and his woods smart companion Kelesh added that many priests and especially the elusive druids had similar skills at their disposal as well. So once again while the event itself was worth noting it in no way was proof of a vampire terrorizing this village.

Third and lastly there were the stories and the historical mysteries surrounding Kasteel Zwarte itself. While once again both of these easily lent credibility to the idea that structure was serving as a home for a vampire, in truth there was no actual evidence to support this in our possession at that time. That someone unknown had built the structure through an unknown means though most likely magic and not left any record of their existence was again unusual. But it was no weirder than the abandoned cities in the desert or half sunken structures sticking up out of a swamp that were not uncommon in other lands according to our well travelled bard. The cities of Richemulot to the south appeared built to hold ten times the number of their current population of residents, but no historian or record had ever been able to determine what if anything had happened to reduce the population to such a level. Knowing this the mere existence of a structure was not truly evidence that it served an evil intent or master.

Even the stories that those who had tried to rest within their walls had complained of nightmares and of being buried alive again seemed supportive of the theory of a vampire, but Erik as a hunter of such things related that all similarly odd structures just like strange solitary people tended to have legends grow up around them over time. His investigations often turned up that instead of relating a story of what really happened, witnesses were often asked leading questions, usually in a time while they were still in shock, and those were the sources that provided confirmation of the stories.

For example imagine you yourself have just had a bad night in Kasteel Zwarte and flee because of recurring nightmare you have had of your mother in law telling you to wash the dishes or some such task. Now when you finally arrive in town after tromping through the dark still feeling the effects of your dreams instead of being asked 'what happened' or 'what did you see/hear/feel' by the first people you encounter you are instead asked "Did you have a nightmare of being trapped and unable to get out?" Based on some domestic situations I have borne witness to the answer a few people might give would likely confirm and serve to promote the story of a vampire even though in truth it was not what had actually occurred. I cannot help those of you who see mother in laws and vampires as the same things.

Of course gentle reader you must accept that neither I nor the rest of the current group in discussion had access to what had actually happened in the castle the previous night. Those events which I have recorded in chronological order for your better understanding were still unknown to us that day. If we had indeed passed the castle on our departure and learned of these facts then our party's need for confirmation of a vampire would have been mostly, if not completely satisfied. Hindsight and storytelling allows for perfect vision of the events that are much harder to see when standing in the middle of them like the group of us were at that moment.

However my magician instructor on vampires had drilled into my head that when events were in doubt, lore was often the greatest tool one could use in locating, understanding, and combating such creatures. If a undead hunter could overcome the storyteller's elaborations and outright lies that are part of most tales, often time a gem of truth that lay hidden within would become apparent. Many times my teacher explained these gems provided the necessary clues to how to ultimately destroy the creature once and for all. Unfortunately while this was true, Erik and I were limited on the local lore available to support or refute the claims of such a creature's existence since none of us were truly local. But one should never be hampered by what they do not have and instead focus on what is available to them. Perhaps it was to compensate for our deficiency that I chose to go further afield since in that area at least I had the perfect means at my immediate disposal to gather more information.

"Keichi as a bard do you know any stories that might have a bearing on our inquiries?" Secretly I of course hoped he knew some tale of the creature we were hunting or the land we were travelling through. In truth though while I have a tremendous respect for the bardic profession as occasional historians of events if not the actual facts of these same events, I was fairly certain that at best the foreign skald would have was a story or two about vampires in general that we had not heard since the creatures were a common part of folklore in many lands. He quickly proved me wrong on both counts.

"I do not have any stories about vampires or other such creatures." He replied effectively ending my inquiry with a single concise statement that was undoubtedly true. One thing I quickly understood about Keichi was while his profession was prone toward exaggeration; he himself was sworn never to lie as it was considered an insult to his ancestors. In the lands the skald originated from, professions were passed from one generation to the next, most often father to son. A sword maker in his land would apprentice his son or daughter for years until they could demonstrate the necessary skill to be worthy of the family name and only them deem them worthy to perform this skill without supervision.

For Keichi to be worthy of the name of his family he was forced to learn all the stories of his father, who of course had learned many of those of his own father and the others of course added through his own life of experiences. Before he could be declared a skald master, Keichi had to repeat each story to the man who had taught it to him without error. This was why exaggerations were not possible for the skald.

At the point I had asked my question we had finished our meal and I especially realized that we still had many miles before us to travel if we wanted to sleep in our previously paid for beds that evening instead on ground that was sure to be hard, cold, and unforgiving on my old bones. We signaled for Kelesh to start us back down the trail and we were soon marching once more behind him, a respectable pace in my eyes however a casual lover's stroll in a garden to the ranger.

About thirty minutes or so into this last part of the journey Keichi did give voice to an observation. "Doctor Van Richten while I do not have the knowledge you were seeking, I believe I am familiar with a story from my own homeland that has a castle much like the one that has been described to me." His calm voice showed me that he was annoyingly not nearly as out of breath at the moment as I myself was from this strenuous pace that the half elf kept us to. "If you wish I can relay this to us all if for no other reason than to pass the time and of course practice my skills." He looked back at me, especially my red face and the fish out of water starving for air motions my mouth was making and rightfully took my waving for him to proceed as his signal to do so rather than what could have been an attempt to explain I was having a heart attack.

"In my land this story is called Princess Li and the Ninja and has been handed down for four generations of my family though perhaps even longer before we heard of it." He began and I was immediately further annoyed that he showed no sign of his voice or his stride being stressed by keeping the same nearly jogging pace and telling a story. I settled in and listed to the tale hoping it would at least distract me from how hard it was to keep breathing while walking rapidly.

"Many generations ago Princess Li was a royal and favorite daughter of the Emperor. She was very beautiful and known to the commoners as the Love's Flame for she drew suitors to her as light draws butterflies." His voice was pleasant and easily proved to me that songs and music were not Keichi's only talents. But of course as is common for such things there was a critic in the group.

"The correct term is moth to a flame." Sellers offered with more than a hint of snide in his tone. Of course the professional performer knew how to deal with this and continued on without interruption.

"The noble princess is also what we refer to in my land as a Wujen which is a student and caster of spells, not unlike our friend Anderros, though in my land such powers are not learned but are rather a skill one is born with and learns to control over time." More respectfully Anderros who was running just in front of me leaned back and whispered the word 'sorcerer' which meant nothing to me at the time but which he later explained was a rare type of spell caster that was capable of casting spells without the need to study and memorize them first as Anderros himself was required to.

If you find my interruptions of the story annoying then you now know what the entire tale was for me to endure except you are missing the unique enjoyment of keeping a pace of nearly running while trying to listen, ducking, twice unsuccessfully, the occasional low hanging limb, and trying to drown out the sounds of a slightly overweight and elderly man gasping for breath. Now that I made my point with what I had to endure and at what cost I will only include from now on those interruptions that are a key to furthering this portion of the story.

"Princess Li was without a doubt seen by all as one of the greatest if not the greatest treasure that the Emperor owned and as such she attracted the attention of those who sought such prizes. Nobles vied for her attention and skalds such as myself wrote long ballads to her beauty." The bard changed the tone of his voice to something to a bit darker as his performance skill required of him at that point to signal a change of character. "Han though was a ninja, what we call a disgraced warrior without a master, whose personal code of honor was centered only for his individual gain. Before his selfishness was recognized and brought about his downfall and shame Han had been acknowledged as one of the greatest warriors by all who crossed blades with him. But alas his lack of honor made him untrustworthy in the eyes of all his potential employers so none would hire him regardless of his skill."

"Han therefore put his skills to use through crime by seeking his own survival rather than doing the honorable thing in this situation by performing ritual suicide." Keichi continued his story leaving the rest of us to try to understand a culture where suicide was seen as praiseworthy. "With his skills, Han became a very notorious ninja as such things are rated, robbing from those lords who would not hire him, slaying those who dared to take us arms against him and remaining free of the traps they set for him. Eventually the Emperor himself placed a large bounty upon Han's head for the trouble he had caused the empire and samurai warriors from across its length, some who had once been Han's friends or acquaintances, took up the honor of hunting this rogue down to exact justice for all he had wronged. Many such honorable warriors tried, none were successful, and more than a few died in the attempt. This of course only caused the price on Han's head to be increased."

It was at this point still trying to work out the concept of honorable suicide where I miscalculated one of the low hanging branches and landed uncomfortably on my arse. The group called a pause and after a moment for me to get back up and catch up to the group that had waited for me Keichi continued his story. "The way Han saw it was that since the Emperor had used his own power of his throne against him, the ninja thought it only fair that he respond and us his own skills against the Emperor himself. But what he wanted to do was perform a skill that would forever be legendary."

"Of course he could choose to attack the Emperor directly since now even the Emperor's soldiers, who were said to be the hands of the Emperor, were also hunting Han. But the ninja did not think that this was an accomplishment spectacular enough to be worthy of his efforts and his name. Han was full of vanity and needed the Emperor to acknowledge him as more than just a simple bandit, no matter how skilled. Instead the ninja intended to steal the Emperor's famous daughter from beneath the very noses and swords of the Emperor's palace guards to demonstrate to everyone that without exception he was the greatest warrior in the land. And once his skills were proven the only reasonable choice for the Emperor would be to take Han into his service and restore his honor throughout the land."

"Han watched and planned and finally chose his time to strike when the Emperor was away from the palace so that he might draw his lovely daughter out when he could achieve his goal. He had heard of her skills with magic and devised the means by which he could bring his target to him rather than have to seek her out." I noted that most of the others, even the normally distant Kelesh were now caught up in the story at this point and the pace had slowed ever so slightly so all might walk close enough to Keichi to hear him tell this tale.

"When a disease broke out in a small farming village many miles from the palace, Han made sure that the story of the suffering reached the ears of the princess who was known for her generous nature to the common people. With her father's counsel beyond her immediate reach and potentially and entire village dying from this dreaded disease, Princess Li gathered the best healers in the palace and had them devise a healing balm that would contain the sickness and perhaps even cure those it had touched. She then called together the one hundred soldiers of her personal guard and with them set out to bring the many containers of the magical cure to the villagers who needed and prayed for her arrival."

"The journey was more than ten days of travel and on each one of those days Han employed men he himself had recruited to attack the caravan at points along their route where these warriors would be vulnerable such as when passing through woods, crossing rivers, and other such places. Though her guards always slew all the attackers to the man each day saw the loss of ten of the Princess's personal guards. While they reach half their number all those who remained begged the Princess to turn back with a small retinue to find shelter in the palace and the remainder would see the mission through without her being endangered further. The princess though refused to be turned from her duty by these bandit attacks.

So with but a day to go only ten guards now remaining, the princess, and the cart full of urns of healing balm were all that remained of the once grand rescue mission." Keichi looked around noting also how everyone seemed to be hanging on his words and gave me a wink of knowing. "Of course the last group of bandits to attack was the strongest yet, but they were also up against the ten mightiest warriors whose loyalty and lives they had freely pledged to the princess. While men fell that day on each side of the battle, each royal guardian took a dozen or more of the bandits with him by the time their noble spirits left their bodies to go stand before their ancestors. The last died beheading three men at once but knowing with his death that only the princess stood before more that a score or so of bandits."

"This is when Han himself appeared in this battle. While he had hired many men along the way he had never been part of a fight up until now. And instead of claiming the princess as a prize or a captive, the ninja instead donned his former samurai armor and engaged the twenty or more men himself, slaying each and every one until only he and the princess stood at the center of the carnage and slaughter of nearly one and a half hundred men." He drew a deep breath signaling the next change in the story.

"Princess Li, while the treasure of her father, had also grown up sheltered by him as many fathers were wont to do with their precious daughters. While she knew of Han the ninja, the scourge of her father's reign, she had never heard his history or that he had been a samurai. Nor was she familiar with his personal armor. In my land such things are always unique to identify them much like the individual pictures your knights usually paint upon their shields." I knew he was making a reference to heraldry though Kelesh for one at least among us was unfamiliar with this practice having lived a reclusive life. "Princess Li only saw before her a samurai who had rescued her against twenty or more men and who under his helmet proved to be as handsome a man as any she had ever seen at court seeking to become her suitor."

"Han explained his own presence by saying he was responsible for protecting this road and was seeking this band of notorious bandits, likely privately laughing that he was the most notorious one of them all. He asked her then what her own purpose was and she told him of the sick villagers and her mission of mercy." I was surprised to realize that by now we had passed more than a half of distance back to the inn since his story had begun, while we still had half to go, its telling did make the time and distance pass quicker when we, or at least I, were not focused solely on our discomforts. "Han hid Li in a cave nearby with food and water to last her three days, saying that he would carry the medicine to the village himself and alone in case other bandits were waiting for her again further up the road. She considered the request reluctantly knowing that her father would indeed be forced to pay anything to have her safely returned so finally she did what the false samurai asked of her and hid in the darkness."

"On the morning of the third day Han returned bearing new wounds but claimed success in having delivered the medicine and saved the village. He also brought with him common clothing for them both to wear to avoid any further attacks on her person. He then promised to do his duty and return her to the safety of the palace and her father's guard." Damn that second low hanging branch hurt even worse than the first. I picked myself up a second time while again my companions patiently waited for me.

"Han suggested that they travel off the main roads so as to not be targets for the bandits that were looking for her. In truth the numerous days of fighting had depleted the ranks of bandits from the lands of the Emperor and it would be many years before they raised up again in sufficient numbers to be anything more than an individual nuisance."

"As the pair travelled over many days on a very roundabout course Han told her stories of his life, though ones that were biased in his favor, to keep her entertained and that also demonstrated to her his wit and charm. And over the course of these days Princess Li found she had fallen in love with the gallant samurai who was through her limited vision of what she knew of his words and deeds the pinnacle of what all such warriors should be." Keichi's voice shifted from the light and warm hearted tone it had been using to start speaking of darker events.

"Unlike all her sisters and the normal custom of the land, the Emperor had promised his favorite daughter Li that she would not be sold off into an arranged marriage, but would be free to choose the man she was to love and call husband herself. A day's travel from the castle and almost a month from when she had originally departed, she gave herself to Han completely to signify their bonding of marriage. When they rode up to the very gates of the castle Han was once again wearing his samurai armor.

Unlike the princess, the Emperor's royal guard immediately recognized the armor's wearer and knew as well the standing bounty for his arrest. Before they could capture him though, Han fled calling out that the princess was now his wife by blood if not ceremony. She was brought before her fearful father and confirmed that she and Han were indeed wed before the eyes of their ancestors. And only then did Li learn that Han had not in fact brought the wagon of cures to the villagers but instead had poured them out just outside the village and entered to slaughter all who lived there so none would live to tell of his duplicity in this event before returning to her." Keichi drew a long breath. Thank god I was starting to think the man never tired.

"By law and tradition the Emperor could not pursue Han any longer since he was indeed his son-in-law in the eyes of the honored ancestors. To break this rule and fight within the family was said by tradition to be an event that would destroy them all and forever deny them their place in heaven. Even the Emperor, with the love a father for his beloved daughter, could not risk such a thing. He agreed with tradition and called off the hunt for the ninja Han." Sadness and remorse now filled Keichi's voice to promote the story but this turned to the heat of revenge for the next portion.

"Princess Li would not accept herself to be bound quite as tight by the weight of tradition as her father was willing to. She saw how she had been used by Han and turned to her Wenju powers to balance the divine scales for her with this rogue. She sought godlike powers that her instructors cautioned her against seeking but she knew only such divine power would serve her purposes. Her prayers were answered by two dragons, one of fire and one of earth." Later I learned that dragons in Keichi's land were the servants of the gods much like angels were in our culture. "The dragons had heard the Princess's pleas and agreed to help but like all such things this aid would come at a cost. They explained the payment they would require for their aid and she agreed immediately."

"The next day in the lands north of the Emperor's palace where Han had returned after his 'wedding' a castle not unlike the one you have described to me appeared where only forests and fields had been the very day before. The two dragons had combined their powers and drawn molten earth from the ground to create this structure and used their magic to fill it." Even Erik found this part of the story intriguing enough to call for a halt for five minute so we could all catch our breath and drink a sip of water. In truth by this point we all wanted to hear the end of the story we knew by the skald's tone of voice was not long in the coming.

"When Han rode past the structure the next day he was intrigued by the sudden appearance of this castle as well as the fact that he could see Princess Li enter it as if it was to be her new home. Most surprising to the ninja was that there were no guards in evidence." Keichi sipped his own water skin.

"He stood in the trees for hours watching all that took place. At first he suspected this to be a trap of the Emperor's, though in truth more cunning than any previously. Eventually though Han came to suspect that the old man's rage had been so great at his daughter's dishonor that she had been cast out, or perhaps she had gone willingly because her love for the ninja had remained true, even in the face of learning his identity. Either way Han had to know the full story behind this structure and speak to the Princess Li, his honorary wife, one last time at least."

"With all his skills Han entered the castle after dark and searched for her, but she was not in any room he looked into. He understood she was hiding from him and so he began his own search until finally finding a secret room she appeared to be using for herself. That was when the door was slammed and the former samurai found himself trapped in a cell for the first time in his life." Another sip and the water skin was once more slung over the skald's shoulder where it normally rested.

"These walls will not hold me for I will find the means to escape." Han called out knowing that the Princess could hear him wherever he was at. He was not surprised then when she spoke back.

"These walls will hold you my love." The Princess replied using a term the ninja had not expected her to say. "The dragons promised me that these walls would keep you contained as long as you remain the only man in my life, the only man in my heart. While I have heard of what you did in the village and can say that I hate you with all that I am for the suffering your darkness has caused this land, I still can not deny that I do love you as well." Her voice grew softer as if she were walking further away from him. "You will live in this room that represents the darkness and hunger that is your soul just as I will live in the painful memory of the love we could have had within my own soul. Since the soul is eternal such shall be our fate."

"With that last word 'fate,' her voice faded away completely." Keichi wrapped up his story. "While he screamed for her to return, she never did. And as far as I know they both lived in their separate but intertwined destinies until the end of their days."

To me the story seemed to scream for more, for some divine justice, or some means by which Princess Li could again find love, but annoyingly the skald did not subscribe to giving the audience what it asked for. He simply stopped telling the story at that point, leaving us all feel a little less for the hearing, and we began the rest of our journey back to the inn in silence and brooding of what we had heard, wondering if there was some secret wisdom we should pull from it for ourselves.

Serge was a woodcutter by profession and believed that he had the most envious life of anyone he knew. He worked only when he wanted to, though since he was not a lazy man by nature he tended to spend most days with his axe. And he spent most of his time out of door in the beauty of nature rather than trapped in some merchant's shop like the commoners of the village tended to do.

He also had a loving wife that he worshipped very much. She was everything a man could want for in a woman as a mother, though they still were childless, a lover, and a cook. Actually she was an incredibly superior cook especially compared to the endless meals of lamb they served regularly at the inn that Serge had gotten sick of in the months before meeting and those while he courted his bride. There was only one dish, her cabbage soup, that the woodcutter could admit that did not enjoy and she had promised never to cook that one again.

Serge had worked that day dropping two trees not far from the strange black stone castle. Most woodcutters avoided that area because of the odd and disturbing structure but Serge knew the lands around there had some of the best and straightest trees, which were always in high demand and got him top price for his efforts. Unfortunately today had also been one of those days when everything seemed to go wrong.

First the handle of his favorite axe had broken right below the head meaning he would have to carve himself a new one before he could use his steel blade again. Instead he had been forced to use his older iron headed axe, that while still up to the job of these trees, tended to dull faster that the steel one so required more stops for resharpening which would therefore make his day go even longer than he had originally planned for it to. He had also dropped the heavy implement on his foot for the first time in decades, leaving his pace with a bit of a pronounced limp. The fact he had done so just as a pair of those peacock dressed soldiers that his wife teased him about had been wandering past supposedly hunting kobolds had not made the event any more palatable to his ego either. Nor had, of course, their laughter at his misfortune pulled his mood out of the out of character dark spiral it had begun with each successive unfortunate event.

By noon he also had gotten a splinter jammed deep into his palm that had broken off inside his skin which he could not extract. He would need his wife to do so with her sewing needles but the wounded hand still pained him and remained open making the handle of his axe sticky with blood and throwing off his other wise precise blows.

Yep, while Serge knew most men were jealous of him for the life he led, perhaps even enough so to call on his wife for a visit while he was away cutting wood. He left the second tree half cut and decided to head home even earlier than he had originally told his wife just to check up on her safety he justified to himself. She was not entertaining guests he realized as he walked through the front door of his cabin but he still doubted many of his friends would have traded him their own lives for this single day of his own. This was reinforced when he smelled his dinner cooking.

It was a unique aroma that anyone who had sampled it before, or even been around it would know in an instant; cabbage soup. The big man saw his wife, looking disheveled as if she had only recently gotten out of bed, the likely truth based on the lack of cleaning that had taken place in the house today, and called out that he was home. She had her back to him and did not even turn to acknowledge him which just added to the way this day was turning out.

"I thought I said I never wanted cabbage soup again!" He stated a bit louder and more forceful than he had intended to but still noticed his wife stiffen at the uncommon rebuke from her normally devoted husband.

"Well then maybe I will just take it to them soldiers in the castle." She teased very suggestively rather than purely innocently like she would any other time. "I am sure they would show a woman like me their full and complete appreciation!"

Had she been looking at Serge after saying this she might have seen the axe fall the first time and tried to get away from it or at least be able to look in her husband's enraged eyes and shock him back to normal by asking him why? Instead her first indication something was seriously out of sorts with him as well, beyond of course his dislike of cabbage soup, was the sharp grinding pain that crushed her shoulder and down to the top two ribs in her chest. The blow only broke bones but did not cut too deeply in her flesh based on the dullness of the blade.

It took Serge eight more heavy swings before her screaming finally stopped. By then the woodcutter was certain he was not going to have cabbage soup that night or any other in the immediate future.

Private Rene made sure the remaining members of his troop had a specific list of the supplies they were to acquire, and a second specific list of supplies they were not allowed to acquire before he saw them off on their mission without him. He had secretly agreed to allow them each to partake of a single sample of said 'forbidden supplies' while in town only if they had the personal funds to do so. Of course this seemed completely reasonable and made them agreeable to the plan, knowing the other two squads were not allowed this benefit.

Rene then sent them off ahead of himself promising to catch up to them in town while he conferred one last time with Sergeant James. In truth he planned to wait just inside the doorway of the courtyard until the men were gone ten minutes and then he would set off on his own path. He had a good idea of where to find both the priest and the professor but the trick would be contacting them both without his men becoming overly suspicious. Thankfully he had a note for each to pass to them if he was unable to take the time to discuss things more directly. And if they proved too difficult to convince, he had the eight soldiers to help convince them to come back if no other choice remained.

He looked out the main doors as he adjusted the pack on his back making sure it was comfortably set. His men were just about over the hill down the road and out of sight when Private Rene took his own steps out the doors. His indirect course took him across country to enter the town from the other side. The way he figured it if he could make good time he could beat his men to the inn providing they stopped for supplies first as he had directed and be on the way to the temple if he hurried. Thankfully there were not many homes along his way to slow him down or observe him. That was not until he passed the third such one on his round about course.

Rene heard the screams coming from the house and ran to investigate; thinking some kobolds out scouting might have decided to pursue a little private looting before the main attack tomorrow. He kicked in the door to find a woodsman standing over the corpse of his wife, with blood and gobs of flesh dripping from his axe blade. The soldier's sword was out before the man could even turn and comprehend that another person had entered the room behind him. "Put the axe down and surrender yourself." Rene ordered but he could see the man was in some sort of berserker fury and not subject to rationalization. Thankfully the weapon the woodsman was holding in his hands was made and balanced for attacking trees that rarely moved compared to living beings that often did.

The woodsman's first few swings were wild and overbalanced as if he were attacking a tree with all his strength and Rene had no trouble either avoiding them or turning them away with his blade. The soldier purposely ignored openings by his opponent that would have led to killing strokes and focused instead looking for one to injury or preferably disarm the man so he could be brought to justice. Unfortunately while these blows were easy to score they were minor hits, and none of which had the appropriate effect of tiring the big man or making him lose his weapon. In fact his opponent's attacks were getting better as far as actual combat was concerned by the moment.

"Please put down your weapon I do not want to kill you." Rene pleaded as he deflected another attack. The man paused and seemed to finally notice the uniform the militia man was wearing and a look of recognition passed quickly across his face followed by one of even greater rage if such a thing were possible.

"You like her damn cabbage soup don't you!" He swung the axe high allowing Rene, who was confused by the soup reference so not fully concentrating, to dive under the blow and come face to shoulder with the actual body slam attack the enraged woodsman had devised on the fly. The blow made the soldier stumble and miss his parry of the axe on its return stroke, luckily only the handle clipped the soldier on his scalp opening up his flesh. Pain exploded in his head behind the wound.

Unfortunately since Rene had been off balance as well his own blade also swung higher than expected and the combat ready sword, unlike the axe, sliced easily through the flesh of the left side of the woodsmen's neck, opening up the vital artery underneath and leaving Serge only seconds to realize that he was dying. He dropped the axe from his hands and turned to look at his dead wife, the love of his life, before taking two steps and falling down into the final darkness with his body landing and covering her own.

Rene staggered out of the house, feeling the blood from his scalp matting his hair and beginning to drip down the side of his ear to his neck. He pulled one of the linen bandages that every soldier in the troop carried and secured it tightly to his head to reduce the bleeding. However the only way for him to tie it off was beneath his chin which made speaking nearly impossible. The blood loss might make him dizzy and pass out if he were not quick about it, so the soldier picked up his pace as he headed directly for town. Hopefully the priest he was seeking could assist him as well since he served Erza, a goddess whose first of her three aspects was that of a healer.

Had the soldier been more alert he might have seen the hunter who had come out of the woods to check on the screams and then the sounds of battle he had been witness to as well. The hunter soon entered the house of his closest neighbor before departing immediately after in pursuit. He spent only long enough in the structure to see the two slaughtered bodies of people he considered friends lying where they had fallen. That was enough for the hunter to understand in his mind what had taken place. Enraged himself he began pursuing the soldier, or rather the murderer, fleeing with blood dripping from his drawn blade.

Rene was just about to the temple steps when the first arrow took him in the right shoulder making him drop his blood covered sword that he had even forgot he was still carrying openly before falling to his knees almost beside it. He turned and saw the hunter loading another arrow while all around the both of them the citizens of Tradeway Bridge stopped and stared at the battle suddenly in their midst. "Murderer! That is called justice for the life of Serge and his wife." The hunter called as he began to slowly align his next shot.

Rene realized suddenly how this must look to the peaceful villagers and knew there was no way he would be given the opportunity to explain. He left his sword on the ground and leapt to the door of the temple as the second arrow took him this time in the right calf.

The pain was excruciating but somehow he focused past it still and made it into the temple, closing and dropping the bar on the door behind him. He staggered as he walked calling out for the priest, but only an old woman emerged from the temple library at his cries. "Madame are you priestess? Do you know where the head cleric is at?" He was surprised to see the woman showed no signs of being shocked by his injuries, event he two arrows sticking out of his body but reacted as if this was to be expected.

"No soldier, I am not a priestess of this church. My name is Beth and I am simply taking advantage of the temple's library." She explained holding up the book she had in her had as if to prove her point though in truth the soldier hardly cared once he had heard the first part of her answer. "I believe you will find the good Father Damien in the chapel at the other end of the hall." She looked at him as he nodded slightly, knowing he would not likely stay conscious much longer.

The booming began on the outside doors and Rene knew from the voices that other citizens had joined the hunter in his pursuit of a supposed killer. The private stumbled down the corridor the old woman had indicated and entered the chapel through the closed double doors, seeing that the old priest was standing behind his pulpit and practicing his own fiery sermon for the next meeting of his congregation.

Rene saw blackness at the edges of his vision and knew he had only seconds. Thankfully he had the priest's full attention, and at least the old man showed the normal shock that one expected when a wounded soldier nearly drops on the floor at your feet. He pulled the pair of missives that Sergeant James had provided him and held them out, noting blood on his hands were staining the parchments. "Father you are needed at Kasteel Zwarte." Rene gasped and fell to the floor almost muffling his last words. "The lives of many depend upon you." Then all went dark for the private.