A delicate pecking sound could be heard outside Haygar Little Feet's window. Haygar wiped the sleep from his swollen eyes and extracted himself from the grip of his bedmate, a piggish-looking orc female with large breasts. The woman was in a deep sleep and hogging both pillows. Haygar's face turned dark green, as only an Orc's could. You loose-legged, tight-fisted whore!

Peck – peck – peck.

Haygar snarled as he made his way to the window. Outside he could see a pigeon perched on the window sill…A message! Suddenly excited over this discovery, he tiptoed over to his backpack at the foot of the bed, pulled out his conch shell homing device, and returned to the window. After making sure his partner was still asleep, he opened the window, removed the tiny cylinder attached to the bird's leg, and then shooed the bird away.

With note in hand, Haygar stepped into an adjoining washroom and closed the door. He placed the note on a nearby table and promptly lit a candle for illumination. That's when he noticed the lady bug crawling across his piece of paper. Unfortunately, the light in the room was too dim for him to see that this wasn't your typical lady bug. Its spots were blue instead of black and its antennas where twice as long as a normal lady bug. He brushed the insect off the paper and proceeded to read the message:

"Haygar - Meet us at the statute of Prince Hew on the first night of the crescent moon. From there you will be taken to a safe location where we can talk. After that, you will remain in protective custody of the Dominion. Elonwyn Dawnrider."

Haygar's face softened. This was the reply he had been hoping for. He held the paper over the flame of the candle until there was nothing left, except for a pile of ash. Then, grinning like the cat that just ate the mouse, Haygar lay back down in his bed. He paid no attention to the strange lady bug as it flew out his open window. Instead, he focused on sucking the plump, purple nipples of his bedmate.

Two floors above Haygar's room, sat Wyn's dark-haired sister, Elontra. Still in the nude, she picked at her breakfast of pomegranate, beetle cheese and sweet slaughterfish tea. She smiled as she let the juice of the pomegranate drip down her chest. I can't wait to serve breakfast to the others, she thought. Across from her stood an alchemy table loaded with beakers, flasks, graduated cylinders, and oil burners, all connected together by a coiled, copper hose. Some of the solutions were actively bubbling while others were slowly percolating.

As soon as the odd-looking lady bug flew into her room, Elontra rose to greet it. She watched with anticipation as the insect landed on the palm of her hand and started crawling up her forearm. The bug followed the spiral pattern of her tattoo as it worked its way up to her bicep. Once the insect reached her shoulder, the ink on Elontra's tattoo glowed a vibrant blue for a few seconds. She closed her eyes and smiled. "Ahh…you've already arranged a meeting with Haygar" she whispered. She crossed to the alchemy table and picked up a vial that contained a clear, bubbling liquid, and held it up for inspection. "Welcome to Hew's Bane, dear Sister. I promise it will be a visit you will never forget."

Reaching landfall at Shark Tooth Grotto, Wyn, Tealeaf and Aiz'lee, hid their dingy underneath the dilapidated dock, and then set out for Abah's Landing. As Kirkley had warned them, the barren landscape of Hew's Bane would be inhospitable at best. Scorching heat and seasonal flooding left the soil hard as a rock and unsuitable for most vegetation. And traveling along the five mile footpath known as Bahraha's Trail, they would need to conserve their water rations, since most of the local stream beds would be dry or brackish.

Barely a quarter of a mile into their trek, the trio came upon a fifteen-foot sailboat that had been washed inland during the last flood. It was missing its main sailcloth, and there was a hole in its hull, about a foot wide. The females decided it was worth the time and energy to move the boat somewhere more inconspicuous, with the hopes of coming back later and fixing it up. If they could repair it, it would make the rendezvous with Kirkley a lot easier.

Tealeaf chopped down four of the largest palm trees in the area, and using the trunks for wheels, they rolled the boat down behind a series of large boulders, about a hundred feet from the trail. By the time they had finished concealing the boat they were exhausted, and half the day was already gone. They decided to go back to Shark Tooth Grotto, and pitch camp there. That way they could start out fresh in the morning.

Spending the night at the grotto turned out to be serendipitous, because when Wyn searched a nearby cove for firewood, she found water hyacinths and blue entoloma growing inside. These plants were necessary reagents for making "Essence of Invisibility" potions, and the females agreed - such a potion would certainly come in handy if they ran into trouble in Abah's Landing. Therefore, Wyn harvested each plant, carefully pressing them into her apothecary's satchel. Aiz'lee reminded Wyn that the third reagent required for such a potion, was Namira's Rot, a rare fungi. They agreed the odds of finding it in Hew's Bane, was extremely slim. But Wyn crossed her fingers anyway. "Stranger things have happened," she said.

It wasn't long before their conversation turned to Abah's Landing. None of them had ever been to the city port by the desert, but Aiz'lee and Wyn had seen many pictures of its sprawling sandstone buildings with red tiled roofs and brightly colored awnings. The city was nestled in a series of multi-tiered cliffs, which required an extensive system of outdoor staircases so one could move about from one level of the city to the next. Most of the buildings were four stories tall with large, arching windows to take advantage of the cool air coming off the water.

The next day, the three females arrived at the high outer wall of Abah's Landing just as the sun was reaching its apex. After three hot and monotonous hours on Bahraha's Trail, they looked every bit like real street people: they were sunburned, sweaty and a thick layer of dust was caked over each of them. And as Tealeaf had surmised, they did not find any of the exotic Namira's Rot along the trail. The only living things they had encountered were swarms of fleshflies, two geckos, and an emaciated camel. They were happy to reach civilization again, and even more ecstatic when they saw the public water fountain inside the city gates.

Tealeaf headed straight to the fountain, nudged the livestock out of the way, and plunged in for a quick bath! Seconds later, Aiz'lee jumped in, but by then, the city guards had arrived on the scene.

One of the guards yelled, "You there! Get your ass out!"

"Jump in the fountain again, and it's off to the cell block for the lot of you!" another guard shouted.

A small crowd gathered around the trio, curious to see what was going on. Wyn pulled her shawl down around her face, then helped her friends out of the water and replied, "We're sorry Sirs. Truly, we did not know the rules. We'll be on our way." For a moment, she looked longingly at the cool, refreshing water as it splashed about the fountain. Shore's bones, that water looks good!

The three females quickly moved to the other side of the square, far enough away from the fountain to appease the guards. Wyn immediately scolded her friends, "We're supposed to remain undercover, remember?!"

Tealeaf felt a bit guilty for losing her focus. "I know. I'm sorry Wyn. I don't know what I was thinking…actually, I wasn't thinking."

A single tear ran down Wyn's sun-baked face, as she watched her two comrades, squeeze the water from their clothing. She mumbled, "Besides…it's not fair. You two look absolutely refreshed!"

Aiz'lee felt as bad as Tealeaf. "Now I feel…horriful."

Wyn wiped her face and tried to collect herself. "Making up words again, Aiz'lee?" Wyn couldn't help but chuckle at her friend…until she felt a strange feeling course through her body. She clutched her chest and started breathing heavily as a milky film covered her eyes.

Tealeaf and Aiz'lee looked at each other, unsure what was happening.

Aiz'lee whispered, "Are you alright? Wyn? Should we fetch you a cup of water?"

Wyn's breathing returned to normal and her eyes regained their clarity. "No. No, thank you. I had a premonition, that's all. I'm afraid Elontra might be here in the city, after all. I cannot be sure…as I'm weak from our journey, but I don't think we should take any chances. I'm going to try and cloak my presence while I'm here. You'll have to bear with me, as doing so, will slow me down considerably."

Tealeaf's jaw stiffened. "I knew it! Of course, Wyn. Whatever it takes. Just tell us what needs to be done."

The trio slowly made their way to the northwest part of the city. That was where most of the homeless stayed in a conglomeration of tents and makeshift shacks. They would bed down there for the night and plan the next day's course of action: Aiz'lee volunteered to see if she could learn of Haygar's whereabouts. If she could find out where he was staying, she would look for signs of Elontra and if necessary, pass Haygar information about a different meeting place. Meanwhile, Tealeaf and Wyn would visit the local thieves den in the hopes of finding a merchant on the black market who would sell them some Namira's Rot.

The old beggar woman with the pockmarked face laughed when Wyn asked her for directions to the thieves den. The woman pointed across the street with her crooked finger. "Right there, Dearie…inside the cistern. Just knock on the blue door." Then the old woman spat like she had a bad taste in her mouth. "Not from around here, hey?"

Tealeaf and Wyn found the door the old woman had mentioned. The roof of the building was dome shaped, and covered with blue tiles. The building didn't appear large enough to house a thieves den, or so Wyn and Tealeaf thought. Nevertheless, Wyn knocked on the door anyway. Then they stood there waiting, trying not to look too out-of-place…but no one came to the door. Losing patience, Tealeaf finally turned the creaky doorknob, and sure enough, it was unlocked! They looked at each other, shrugged, and then stepped into the darkness.

It was a good thing that they didn't take too many steps inside, because there was only a five-foot ledge to stand on. With minimal light coming in from the tiny portholes around the dome, Wyn decided to light a small candle. Tealeaf peered over the edge of where they stood, and discovered that a chain ladder dangled down from the ledge. It would take them down into the bowels of the dark cistern.

Climbing down the ladder, the females descended nearly twenty feet to the bottom of the cistern, or at least they thought it was the bottom. Large iron grates covered the floor, and they could see water gently flowing underneath the grates. Around the perimeter of the room, were several deserted shelters made from tarps. Someone's clothing hung on a rope line. In the middle of the room was a stone staircase that descended another twenty feet into the ground. The musty smell of mold and rat urine floated up from the darkness below. Tealeaf grimaced. "Take a deep breath, we might not get much fresh air for a while." Wyn loosened the scarf around her head and took in some air.

As they reached the room at the bottom of the steps, they paused so their eyes could adjust to the darkness. On one side of the room, the wooden floor was cut away, revealing the cistern's reservoir, which was filled to capacity. The sound of water splashing against the stonewalls reverberated through the air. On the other side of the room, a small torch burned on the wall. There was no other way in or out of the room. It appeared to be a dead-end.

Wyn scratched her head. "Did we miss something?"

Tealeaf pointed to a mouse as it scurried past their feet. "Nope. Unless you count him."

Wyn jolted back for a second, afraid it was a rat. "Tea!" She took several calming breaths. "Mice, I'm not afraid of. They make pleasant pets, actually."

Tealeaf kept her eyes on the mouse as it ran to one corner of the room. "Let's see where he goes," she said. About that time, the mouse disappeared into a tiny crevice at the bottom of one wall. Tealeaf ran to that spot and started pushing the stones. It took a while before she found the right one. But once the right stone was pressed, it triggered a counter-weight mechanism which lifted a section of the wall away to reveal a narrow tunnel, lit with more torches. Tealeaf and Wyn squeezed through the hole and then, hunched over, walked down the alley into the thieves den.

Because they were strangers to the thieves den, a member of the guild's security force followed Wyn and Tealeaf wherever they went. The guard explained that this was for the security of the females as well as for the thieves den. Like any legitimate bazaar, each merchant in the den had their own booth where they peddled their wares and services. Some openly sold stolen goods, others were fences and specialized in laundering stolen items, and still others promoted themselves as "thieves for hire." Wyn and Tealeaf found an amazing variety of items for sale, including original artwork, jewelry, weapons, even narcotics, everything except Namira's Rot!

Dejected, the females started to make their way back out of the underground cistern. Stopping at the top of the stone steps to catch their breath, they were surprised to see several imperials by the tents that were earlier deserted. Some of these people were cooking over a campfire, while others chatted quietly. One of them, a lame man in his thirties, sat on a blanket on the floor, motioning for Wyn and Tealeaf to come closer. His matted, dark brown hair ran down past his shoulders, and his beard was almost as long. Wyn approached the man warily.

"I hear you're looking for Namira's Rot, tell me I'm right?" the man said, in a gruff tone.

Tealeaf gave him the once over. "Yes, that's right. You have some?"

Irritated, he scratched his head. "Damn lice." He flicked one of the tiny insects off his finger. "Naw, I got no Namira Rot. But I can get 'em for you." The man's upper body was well muscled, but his legs were thin, bent and crooked.

Tealeaf replied, "How are you going to do that? It doesn't look like you can walk very well, if at all."

The man laughed, but it sounded more like a grunt. "I manage." Using his arms, he lifted his lower torso onto a piece of wood that had small rollers on it, and started pushing himself around the makeshift camp. "See. I was a sergeant in the Army, till I got myself all busted up." He lifted up one of his legs and then released it, and it fell back to the floor. "I can get you as many mushrooms as you need, but it's gonna cost you…five thousand gold each."

Wyn looked flabbergasted. "Look, first off, we would want to exam the merchandise before we pay you, and secondly…we can only pay a grand per mushroom."

The man folded his arms. "Do I look like I was born in a stable?"

One end of Tealeaf's mouth curled up. "Absolutely."

The man shook his head with disgust. "One thousand coin wouldn't be enough, even if you let me bone both of you, every day for a year!"

Wyn said matter-of-factly, "Alright. Fifteen hundred each is as high as we can go."

The man went back to scratching his head. "Sorry, but no can do."

Wyn frowned. "Mister, it would take us days to get that many coins together. And we don't have that kind of time."

Tealeaf grabbed Wyn by the elbow. "Let's go. He's full of it."

But Wyn wouldn't budge. Instead, she bent down and took a closer look at the man's legs. "How long has that one leg been orange like that?"

The man shrugged. "Pretty much…from the day I was wounded."

"You didn't happen to step on anti-calvary caltrops, by any chance?" she said.
"Look lady, I've had priests, healers, wizards and witches look at my legs, and for what? Little good come of it."

Tealeaf got in the man's face. "Just answer her question dirt bag, before I haul off and slug you one!"

The man growled. "By the great halls of Sovengarde! Yes, it was caltrops! You happy now?"

Wyn pulled a small pouch from her satchel and checked its contents. "What if I can fix your legs, what then?"

In a sarcastic tone, the man replied, "Sure…I'll give you all the Namira's Rot you can carry, for free! How's that sound?"

Wyn placed the leather pouch over the man's leg, and closed her eyes.

The man's face grew more worrisome by the second. "Listen lady, you make this worse, and I swear…" Before the man could finish his sentence, he abruptly nodded off to sleep.

Tealeaf cracked. "You should have shut him up sooner!"

Wyn's hand continued to move up and down the man's leg, until it stopped at his knee. Her hand trembled as a red boil formed on the man's kneecap, growing larger and larger, until it was the size of a finger. Even though he was unconscious, the man started to mumble and moan. Finally the lesion burst, shooting a glob of orange puss out of his skin.

The man woke up screaming. "Oouuch! What in blue blazes did you do, bitch?!" He grabbed his kneecap, pushing Wyn away.

Only now did Wyn realize she was sweating. She grew faint. "Have to sit for a moment." Then she turned to Tealeaf. "See if you can find the columbine ointment in my bag, and apply a dressing, Tea."
Still angry, the man stared at his legs, stupefied. The orange color was already gone and the burning pain he'd felt for years was fading too. He tried to stand up, but his legs were like rubber.

Wyn said, "I wouldn't try walking, just yet. You'll need to build up the strength in your legs slowly. Unfortunately, the naked eye cannot detect destructive particles on a molecular level. Maybe one day that will change…"

All of a sudden the man started sobbing as if a great, emotional dam had burst. He grabbed Wyn around the ankles and shouted, "I…I'm…Co-Cornealus…of house… Cooperman." He wiped the tears from his eyes. "As…as Stendarr…is my witness, I pledge my life…to you! Slave for life!

Tealeaf rolled her eyes. "Oh, for the love of trees, just get us the mushrooms, would you?"