"Em… ay..."

"Ma-"

Mario frowned at Attrei. "You said this letter is read as 'em'," he muttered. Reading was much more difficult than he had thought. In the last three days, he had been learning all the letters that Attrei drew in the notebook by heart. He finally remembered them all, and now the mage said it was, in fact, read differently.

"The letters, yes," Attrei explained, again. "If someone asked you to spell a word, you would tell them each letter separately. But when you read, you read the word as a whole." He ran his hand through his hair. How could he explain it better? He had learned his letters as a little kid, without thinking about it much, really. Mario had so many questions about everything… "The letters are parts of a word," he tried again, "but the word is more than just a sum of its parts."

"I see," Mario said, though in truth, he didn't. There was no logic in all this. He moved to another word that Attrei had written down. K - o - r… "Korlys," he guessed, though he stared suspiciously at the 'y'. It didn't seem right - he wasn't Korl-whys. But he didn't say it aloud and focused on the next one. A - t - t - r… "Attrei, right? Why are there two ts in your name?"

"I don't know. That's just how it is." There was a tiny hint of frustration in the mage's voice.

"Then I'll only be writing one. The other t is useless anyway."

Korlys grinned to himself as he skinned the rabbits they had trapped and put them on the spit. He understood Attrei's frustration; he had learned to read as a child, too. It seemed odd that learning the very same thing as an adult would be so much harder. But, he admired Mario's determination. The thief put as much effort into learning to read as he did his training and exercises. It had been well worth the trouble they'd gone through to get the books and writing utensils. His grin widened as he wondered briefly if the old biddy had spent a sleepless night afraid he was coming for her. He hoped so; the bitch deserved it.

The Antivan pulled out a wineskin and sat down next to the other two as he waited for their dinner to cook. Mario had gotten some truly excellent wine, he thought to himself as he took a swallow. "When do you think he will be ready to start reading the book you bought, Attrei?"

In a few weeks, at this rate. But Attrei didn't think it was smart to say that. "Well, I was thinking we could read it together? One of us could read it aloud, and Mario could follow along. I think it would make it easier."

"Maybe I could read it?" Korlys asked, a twinkle in his eye. He knew the mage was getting a little tired of all Mario's questions. Even though Attrei was happy to teach Mario how to read, it was obvious to the assassin that he could use a break.

Sitting close together with Korlys behind him, his arms wrapped around him and leaning over Mario's shoulder, reading aloud while he followed along, tracing the words with his finger. "Hm… yes, I'd like that."

oOo

After they had finished up their dinner, Korlys took the book and opened it. They sat near the fire, Mario on his right side, and Attrei on his left. The little mage conjured a wisp to give them some extra light. Along with the light from the full moon, it was enough for Korlys to be able to read quite easily.

Korlys skipped the preface, as always, and went straight to the first page. "I heard before I signed on the Mortzestus that there were some funny yarns floating round about her; but I was pretty nearly on the beach, and too jolly anxious to get away, to worry about trifles." Korlys read slowly, giving Mario time to follow along with his finger so he knew what the words looked like.

"Wait, wait." Mario pointed to the word 'anxious'. "I think you read that one wrong. There's i, and o, and u, but you skipped them."

"Sometimes words are not spelled the same way they sound; sometimes some of the letters are 'silent', and you do not say them at all." Korlys chuckled. "I really do not know why someone would throw extra letters into a word. It just makes it harder to spell them, I think. But they do."

The thief stared at Korlys in disbelief. "Silent letters? Then how do you know which letters are silent and which are not? You just... guess? That's just sick! Who are those fuckers who throw silent letters into words? Why do others put up with it?"

This will be more difficult than I thought. Attrei suppressed a sigh. "Nobody throws any letters into words," he said patiently. "The language changes, and how you say the words, and what they mean… But that doesn't matter now." The history of language wasn't the most exciting topic, and he didn't think his friends would care about it much.

Korlys gave Mario a sympathetic look. "As far as I can remember, the only way to know all this is to learn each word and then practice a lot until you memorize it. It does take a long time, I remember that. Learning to read is difficult."

He stared at Korlys, then at the book. There were so many words... "You have to learn each of them?" he asked desperately. If it was difficult and took a long time for Korlys to learn it, then he had no chance.

"Little kids can make it - you can make it as well, don't worry," Attrei cut in, shooting a stern look at Korlys. "Please go on."

He tried to look contrite, but couldn't completely suppress a grin. "Va bene, back to the story." Korlys pointed out where they had left off so the thief could follow along. After he had read for a while, he paused to take a swallow of wine, then turned to Mario. "What do you think so far?"

The story was exciting but sitting this close to Korlys even more so. And he enjoyed Korlys' reading. Even his voice was sexy, with that accent of his - fuck, he was swooning like a girl. I've got to stop thinking about such silly things - focus on the story, on the story! "Sounds good! The poor guy's headed straight into deep shit," Mario said with a wide, satisfied grin. It was nice to know that other people were in shit, too.

"Sounds like it," Korlys agreed with a grin of his own. He turned back to the book.

"The first night I was in her, I found that it was common talk among the other fellows, that there was something queer about the ship. They spoke of her as if it were an accepted fact that she was haunted; yet they all treated the matter as a joke; all, that is, except Williams-who, instead of laughing at their jests on the subject, seemed to take the whole matter seriously."

For a while, Mario traced the words with his fingers, mouthing them silently as Korlys read. But as he got more absorbed into the story, it became distracting, so he stopped and just listened instead.

"I don't think I'd have stayed on a ship like that," Mario muttered. "Not that I believe in ghosts, of course," he added quickly, "but it's... I'd choose a ship that didn't have so many things go wrong."

Attrei looked at him, surprised. "Ghosts do exist, as do demons, you know."

"Oh, come on." Mario snorted. "Those are just stories the Chantry tells to scare people who don't care about the Chant. Even you can't believe something like that." He tilted his head to look at Korlys. "You tell him, too."

Korlys studied the mage. Attrei had pressed his lips together and turned away from them as if the topic had brought up bad memories. "Attrei, what makes you believe in ghosts?"

"Sometimes, when terrible things happen in a place and people die, the Veil is torn. The balance of the world is disrupted, and the souls can't enter the Beyond; they become ghosts, stuck in between the two worlds. When the tear in the Veil is big enough… they come."

"'They'?" Korlys asked, riveted by Attrei's intensity. He was not sure if he believed it, but it was obvious Attrei did.

The mage stared into space. "The demons. Their bodies twisted into bizarre shapes of sickly purple-blue, like a bruise, and distorted faces, like from a four-year-old's nightmare. But the worst of all are their eyes."

Mario looked from Attrei to Korlys and burst into laughter. "You're better than the book. I almost believed you."

Korlys frowned at Mario to hush him. "Go on, Attrei. You sound like you have seen these demons." He did not ask for context, knowing the mage would be more likely to volunteer information if he drew him out subtly.

"I have. During Uldred's Rebellion. The things he did… well, it tore the Veil," Attrei replied vaguely. "Uldred was a proper maleficar, you see. He wanted to overthrow the Chantry. But the Hero saved us."

That would explain Attrei's nightmares. The Antivan's mind whirled with questions that he hesitated to ask. What was a maleficar? It seemed to be something like a possessed mage, but that just brought up more questions. The biggest ones were how does that happen, and could it happen to Attrei. Korlys settled on two that seemed a little safer, for now. "What veil? And what happens when you tear it?"

"The Veil is what separates this world from the Fade and prevents demons from entering. But what it is exactly, no one really knows." At least this was a safe topic. "You should have heard my mentor and the Senior Enchanters argue about it - it could take hours. It does not really have a physical form, that at least is known. When we say it is torn, it is just a metaphor that indicates that the barrier is disrupted."

Fade? Veil? Metaphor? Mario was getting a headache. "Could you speak in Fereldan? What's the Fade?"

"The Fade!" The mage was shocked speechless for a moment. "How can you not know what the Fade is? It's the world of dreams - it's where your soul goes every night when you sleep, for a few hours - and forever after you die."

"You mean my soul is out of my body?" Mario didn't like the idea at all. "But, if the Fade is a dream world, and that's where the demons are, then I was right - they're not real at all!"

Well, there's a logical fallacy for you. Korlys grinned at Mario. "What makes you think that dreams are not real? What if they are just a different sort of reality?"

Jasper, still alive in a different reality, and those three still holding him? Mario paled. "They're not. Can't be," he said, with a pleading look at Attrei.

"No. The nightmares you have are just illusions," the mage said gently. "You're not a mage, so you're safe when you sleep."

Brasca, I am such an idiot. Korlys put an arm around Mario. "Mi dispiace," he said quietly. "That was a stupid thing to say - I was not thinking."

If the mage had said it was a reality, Mario would have never gone to sleep again. "It's okay," he said, unconsciously leaning into the hug.

It wasn't okay in Korlys' opinion, but he let it go. He hugged Mario a little tighter then turned back to the mage. "So, do you mean that mages are not safe when they sleep? Why not? And why are you not afraid to sleep if you are not safe?"

Attrei hesitated. Would Korlys and Mario be afraid of him now as well? "Mages dream differently. Our mind is awake. We know we are in the Fade and see it how it really is… And the demons see us. They can try to tempt us to let them in… they can try to attack us… But it's not so easy. The mages know how to defend themselves - we learn to block our minds, so the demons can't reach us." He gave Korlys a nervous smile. "I'm not going to turn into an abomination, don't worry."

"What is an abomination?" Korlys asked, suddenly alert like a dog on point.

"And what kind of an idiot lets a demon into his mind?" Mario added.

"Because they're weak-willed and gullible," Attrei said with a wide grin. "They believe the demon's lies, or they think they're stronger than the demon and let them in. The demon then hides inside them, waiting; it usually comes out when they're full of negative emotions, like fear or rage. They sort of… burst out, and the mage turns into a twisted creature, similar to a demon." He looked at Korlys, all hint of a smile gone. "I know I look weak… but I am a mind mage. I will not turn into an abomination, I promise."

This was all very confusing, and the Antivan felt very much out of his element. He still had more questions than answers, and he realized that Attrei's answers would naturally be biased, although not likely in a malicious way. Still, how could he know that Attrei would not turn into an abomination if the only one assuring him it would not happen was the mage himself? And why would being a mind mage mean Attrei would not turn into an abomination? The idea of a sweet kid like Attrei allowing demons to take over his mind seemed ludicrous, but Korlys did not know many mages. Maybe they all seem harmless before turning on you.

And what did Mario think of all this? Perhaps later he would get a chance to discuss it with him alone. Well, as long as Attrei did not get angry, he might as well get as much information as he could, and evaluate the veracity of the statements later. "I do not understand," Korlys continued. "Why would being a mind mage keep you from being an abomination? Are all mind mages safe from demons?"

It hurt to see suspicion on the face of his friend. "No mage is a hundred percent safe, ever. But the stronger the mage's will and mind are, the lower the chance of possession. And mind mages have stronger minds than most," he explained. "The chance that I will turn into an abomination and hurt you is about as big as the chance you will go crazy and stab me with your dagger."

Mario snorted. "Nah, his chance is bigger," he said, nudging Korlys in his ribs.

Touché, Korlys thought. "Actually, that is a good point. I do not suppose there is any more reason for me to worry about you becoming an abomination than there is for you to worry about me killing you in your sleep."

"Could you please stop talking about the dangers of sleeping right before I go to bed?" Mario said. "Nobody's killing anyone."

Korlys chuckled and closed the book. "You are right, Mario. And I think we have had enough for one night, sí? We should get some sleep before our watches start."

With a yawn, the thief got up and stretched like a cat. "Right. I'll just take a sleeping potion."

The mage watched the two. It will never be different, will it? It doesn't matter where I am… I'll always be a danger. Turning away, he prodded the embers with a stick to stir up the flames again. Darn, why did he start talking about demons? Now even his new friends would hate him.

"I will be there shortly, Mario," Korlys said as he watched Attrei. The mage seemed unsettled; it would be best to make sure there were no misunderstandings between them. He had just been joking when he had talked about stabbing him in his sleep, but apparently non-Crows did not think it was all that funny. And he did not want Attrei to be afraid of him.

Korlys waited for Attrei to sit down again. As he turned to the mage, he could hear Mario already starting to snore softly. "You know I was just joking, yes? You do not have to worry about me stabbing you in your sleep."

Attrei hugged his knees. "It never even crossed my mind. I know you're a good man and wouldn't hurt me."

A small smile briefly appeared on Korlys' face. "Bene. I am glad to hear it. But, you look like something is troubling you."

"In the Tower, the Templars thought I was dangerous. A threat that needed to be eliminated by performing the rite of tranquility. Then, when I escaped, Outsiders also thought I was dangerous, and ran away screaming for Templars… And now you and Mario are afraid of me as well." He rested his chin on his knees, watching the flames dance. "I'm not a monster," he whispered defensively.

Korlys was struck by how similar Attrei's words were to ones he had spoken to Mario only a few days ago. "No, you are not a monster," he agreed firmly. He placed a hand on the mage's shoulder. "In fact, you are about as far from a monster as anyone could be, I think. I have never met anyone who was so concerned that others do not suffer that he would even worry about a worm." Korlys chuckled. "Look at me, Attrei. Do I appear to be afraid of you?" he asked, an amused expression on his face.

No, he didn't look frightened, that was true. But Attrei still remembered Korlys' expression when he heard about abominations. "You're not afraid I'll get possessed and turn into an abomination?" he asked warily. "Why?"

"Do not misunderstand me, Attrei. I am not discounting the possibility. That would be foolish, especially since you said yourself that no mage is completely safe." Korlys tried to choose his words carefully. "But, you are not someone to be afraid of. Do you understand what I mean?" The assassin paused. "And, I cannot imagine Mario being afraid of you, either, by the way," he added, amusement evident in his tone; he had a feeling the thief might die laughing at the very idea of it.

Attrei chuckled. "No, I can't imagine that either," he admitted. He looked at Korlys. "Most people are afraid in advance. He's not a monster yet, but what if he becomes one? My mentor is the kindest person in the world, but the Templars were always waiting for the time when he would become a maleficar."

"But those people do not know you, si?" Korlys frowned. "And I do not have a high opinion of Templars." In fact, if he ever happened to return to Denerim, he'd pay a little visit to three of them in particular.

"It's so stupid," the mage mused. "To be afraid of what you don't know, I mean. Isn't that the fun part? To see new things, to meet new people… and to not be shut up in one place your whole life?"

Korlys threw his head back and laughed. "I think that depends very much on who these new people are and why you are meeting them." He highly doubted any of his victims had thought it fun to meet him.

"Then I'm glad I met smart people like you and Mario," the mage said with a smile.

"Me too." He returned the mage's smile before getting up and stretching. "Now, I should try to get some sleep before my shift."

"Alright. Goodnight, then," Attrei said. "And thanks for talking to me," he added as Korlys headed to his tent.

"You are welcome, Attrei. Buona notte."

oOo

Attrei yawned. Staying awake when everyone else was asleep was boring, annoying, and, if you asked him, useless. It had been how long since he joined his two friends, four weeks? And there was never the slightest hint that they were being followed. Dangerous killers creeping through the forest… ridiculous! Like the plot of one of those silly Orlesian novels about intrigues and murders and bards. Things like that always happened in far away, exotic places. This was Ferelden, for Maker's sake. The Tower was just a few days away, as the sparrow flies, and-

He startled and turned. One of the glyphs he had set just went off. Instinctively, he jumped away from the fire. Just in time - a moment later, an arrow hit the log where he had been sitting. He summoned his magic - but where were they?

"Korlys! Mario! Get up! The killers are here!" he yelled.

"Killers?" A cold, sneering voice said from the darkness somewhere to his left. "I will cut out your tongue for that impudence, kid. We are the Crows, not some pathetic killers."

oOo

The Antivan was awake instantly, his blood running cold at the sound of the familiar accent. He turned to Mario to make sure he was awake too, then donned his boots and grabbed his daggers. Korlys slipped into the shadows as he exited the tent.

He could not see the assassins; they were probably in the shadows as he was. Korlys glided as silently as a ghost to the mage's side, grateful that the fire had died down to glowing coals since he'd gone to sleep. "Attrei, send out your wisps to the perimeter so that we can see better," Korlys whispered. "If any come into view, put them to sleep." The ex-Crow dearly wished he had a bow now.

Attrei startled at the sound of Korlys' voice. "Oh, good idea." He summoned several wisps, sending them among the trees with a flick of his wrist. The first one flew over to where he'd heard the voice coming from, revealing a man with a crossbow who swore and quickly retreated deeper into the shadows.

"Fuck, they have archers," the ex-Crow heard Mario mumble. "Stay away from the fire, Baby. And crouch down."

Korlys made his way silently to the perimeter of the little clearing, his heart pounding. He didn't want to go far from the mage, but they could not just stand in the camp and wait for the Crows to come closer, either. He held his breath as he caught a glimpse of moonlight glittering off the blade of a dagger. Korlys circled around behind the assassin, moving as quickly as he could while still remaining noiseless - it was much harder to do out here than in the alleyways of Antiva. He reached out and pulled the man's head back, slitting his throat before the Crow could utter a sound. A grin of savage pleasure transformed his expression into something ferocious, and he could not suppress the bloodlust suddenly singing in his veins. Finally a chance to strike back! He prowled the outskirts of their camp looking for his next victim, wild with joy at being the predator again instead of the prey.

oOo

Mario clutched his knife and looked around. Shadows flickering in the eerie light cast by wisps hovering between the trees made him jumpy. How could he get closer to the Crows without being noticed? He glanced at Attrei, who was crouching in the tent, softly mumbling something and making weird signs with his fingers. Casting, he guessed. Let's hope he won't set the whole forest on fire.

Okay, first things first. Mario crept behind the idiot who had tried to sneak up on the mage only to be paralysed by a glyph; he needed to be dealt with before the spell wore off. Remembering Korlys' advice about assassinating someone, he clasped his hand over the man's mouth and slit his throat, then quickly jumped aside to avoid being sprayed by the blood. The man crumpled to the ground like a rag doll. One down, he thought, wondering how many more there were.

"Hey, Ser Killer!" Attrei called. "Didn't you want to punish my impudence? Did you get scared now? Show yourself! Come here, if you dare!"

Mario's hair stood on end. The mage had to have lost the last bit of his sanity… maybe he was so scared he didn't know what he was doing? But before he could say anything, a cold, scornful laugh sounded from the forest.

"I think I will have to teach you a lesson in manners before I kill you."

"Got you," the mage said triumphantly and cast the spell. "Let's see who'll be scared now."

Maybe he's not completely crazy after all. Mario shot an approving glance at the mage. He had no idea what he'd done, but as the laughter changed into scared cries, he doubted it was anything pleasant. He prowled in the direction of the cries, moving gracefully like a cat stalking its prey. There he is. Paralysed with fear, whimpering like a dog - judging by the stench, he had wet himself, too. Cold shivers ran down Mario's back; he almost pitied the guy. Better put him out of his misery fast. The elf crept forward, holding his breath. One more step and he could reach out his hand, and-

An arrow whizzed by, an inch from his head, and sank into a tree. Holy fuck, that was close! But how did they know where - oh. One of the wisps was hovering right above his head, making his stealth completely useless.

"Oi, Baby! Keep your magical balls away from me!" he yelled as he leaped behind the tree.

oOo

The sound of a twig snapping made Korlys look to his left, then immediately dive behind the nearest tree. A bolt buried itself into the one he had been standing in front of moments ago. While the human was reloading his crossbow, Korlys rushed forward and got the first hit, stabbing the man's arm and causing him to drop the bow. He cursed as he realized he hadn't poisoned his weapons - the wound he'd inflicted wasn't nearly serious enough. Korlys moved to his right, trying to take advantage of the few seconds' delay while the other man drew his daggers to flank him. But the Crow was too quick - he had unsheathed his daggers and lashed out before Korlys could finish the maneuver.

Korlys danced away, the blades missing him by mere inches. The moonlight filtering through the leaves caused patterns of light and dark to dance across his attacker like a ghostly living camouflage, making it hard to track the other man. Luckily, he was also benefiting from the uncertain light; the Crow feinted to Korlys' left, but a bit too far off to be effective. Korlys pretended to be falling for the ruse and let his assailant commit to the attack. He blocked it and darted in, thrusting his dagger into the human's chest. The ex-Crow grinned as the man gave a strangled cry and collapsed.

The grin disappeared quickly, though, as he heard someone sneaking up behind him. He barely had a chance to move before the attack came.

oOo

"Right! Sorry for that!"

"Sorry, sorry," the young thief mimicked the mage under his breath as he watched the wisps fly in the opposite direction. I hope that's not where Korlys is. Mario frowned in worry. Calm down. It won't help Korlys if you fall apart now. Remember what he taught you. Remember the positions… He wrapped himself in shadows again and peeked from behind the tree.

The archer was still there, with his bow loaded, looking around; his terrified comrade was making too much ruckus to hear anyone approaching. Mario grinned. What a perfect victim for a thief. He sheathed his knife and took out the tinderbox from his pocket. When the Crow turned the other way, he aimed and threw it at the man, hitting his arm. The Crow whirled back and fired the arrow in that direction. Before he could reload, Mario pounced, slashing him across the chest. For a brief moment, the man was too distracted to pay attention - and that was all Mario needed.

The Crow dropped the bow and staggered back. "Cazzo di merda!" he spluttered, reaching for his daggers. He startled and looked at his belt.

Mario laughed. "Try the one at your back," he suggested.

With a loud curse, the man tried to hop away, reaching at the same time for his boot. To pull out another dagger, Mario guessed. As if he would allow it! He pounced on the man again, stabbing him in the chest. With a loud screech, the man fell on the ground, Mario on top of him.

"Mario! Are you alright?" Attrei called.

"That wasn't me!" he yelled back indignantly, yanking his knife out. He quickly slit the man's throat and turned to the other man, who was still whimpering - now more than before, in fact. Ah, at least someone recognized his genius… almost a pity to kill him.

oOo

Korlys ducked behind a tree, but before he could charge back out, another assailant materialized to his right. Brasca, there were two of them! Using the trees as cover, he tried to keep moving to prevent them from flanking him, but the pair worked together like a well-oiled machine, each knowing where the other was going without a word of direction. No matter how hard he tried, one Crow or the other always seemed an inch too close to Korlys' side for comfort.

A sudden swing had Korlys crouching, and he instinctively moved in close to the man's side - close enough to hug him. He slid his blade into the Crow's armpit, then shoved him into his partner, who had thought to move in for the kill. They both fell to the ground, and Korlys stepped into the shadows with a mocking laugh, their frustrated curses filling his ears.

The Crow he'd stabbed was losing blood quickly, so Korlys sneaked behind the uninjured attacker; before the man could completely straighten up, he raised both his daggers overhead and drove them into the Crow's back with all the force he could muster. The assailant collapsed in a heap over his partner, his limbs twitching in death spasms. Korlys watched as the first man struggled feebly to crawl out from underneath the body, but he bled out before he could get free. Now to see if Mario needed help.

But before he could take more than a few steps, a bolt slammed into the back of his right thigh so hard it toppled him to the ground. Korlys gave a strangled scream. He glanced back over his shoulder as he scrabbled to drag himself into the underbrush, but the shadows were too thick to make out exactly where the archer was.

"Mario! If you have a chance... I could use a little help." Korlys felt a telltale burning almost immediately. "Merda! Mario..." he yelled, desperation creeping into his voice in spite of himself.

oOo

He needs my help? If his proud Antivan was calling for help, it had to be bad. Mario looked down at his last victim, blood gurgling from a cut throat. No need to waste time here - the man would be dead in a few seconds. "Baby, what the fuck are you doing? Put them to rest! Now!" he yelled as he sprinted in the direction of the call.

A sleeping spell? Attrei was relieved to hear Mario's voice. He was terribly scared when he heard Korlys scream in pain, but Mario knew what to do. Without hesitation, he started to prepare the spell.

The thief burst out from the trees just as a Crow with a crossbow stepped from the shadows and aimed at Korlys. But before he could do anything or shout a warning, the man slumped to the ground. And started snoring.

"Sorry, I didn't think yelling back 'I'm coming' would be a good idea," he said with a grin - but it faded away when he noticed the bolt sticking out of Korlys' thigh. "Attrei, get over here!" he yelled as he rushed to Korlys.

"Kill that pezzo di merda, Mario," Korlys growled.

With a nod, Mario pulled the archer a few yards away and slit his throat. "I think that's all of them," he said when he returned. "It's too quiet. Or maybe Attrei put them all to sleep."

"I think I did." The mage appeared, panting, and immediately crouched down to have a look at Korlys. His face paled when he saw the arrow protruding from pants drenched in blood. "I need to remove that. Mario, bring me water. A lot of it."

While the thief sprinted back to camp, Attrei inspected the shaft. The thing was long but thin; the puncture didn't look big and would heal without problems - if he managed to pull it out. He tried to remember what his mentors in the Tower had said about it. Healing was never his favourite subject, and he never expected he would really need to know how to treat battle injuries.

Korlys tried to keep calm, but he had no idea which poison it was, and he did not have an antidote to any of them, anyway. He was flat on his stomach but turned his head to the side to address the mage. "The bolt was poisoned, Attrei." It felt like fire spreading from the wound, creeping its way up his lower back and down his leg at the same time.

"Why do you think that?" Attrei asked, hoping Korlys couldn't see the panic that started to rise in him at those words. "Tell me exactly how you feel. I can make antidotes, but I need to know the symptoms, what poison it is, so I can tell which ingredients I need…" And which I most likely don't have. And the equipment. Oh crap. What will I do? Maker, what will I do?

"It's burning - I can feel the poison spreading." Korlys' voice was steady, but his tone was strained. He could hear the fear in the little mage's voice, and the last thing he needed was for Attrei to fall to pieces. "Do not worry - one of the Crows should have the antidote on him. We need to find it."

"Okay. I'll ask Mario to bring all the potions he finds," Attrei said, feeling slightly calmer. That's right, if they had a poison they would have the antidote. "First of all, I need to remove the arrow from your leg." He tried to give a reassuring smile to Korlys. "Don't worry. It won't take long, and you won't feel anything - I'll make you fall asleep."

"No! We must find the antidote first; as soon as I figure out which poison they used, I will need it."

"Of course, of course," the mage said soothingly. "The water won't get hot that fast, anyway. We'll bring you all the antidotes we find, okay?"

Satisfied, Korlys rested his head on the ground and closed his eyes. The pain was almost unbearable, and he needed all his concentration now to manage it. The assassin took deep, slow breaths and focused his mind on a single point in time, remembering it as vividly as he could - the first time he had seen a tall sailing ship and grasped the possibilities it might hold. How the sun had dazzled his eyes as the light had danced off of the gentle waves of the harbor... the heat of it on his skin... the tangy smell of the ocean carried to him by soft breezes - he could almost taste the salt in the air - the roar of the surf and sound of deckhands trimming sails at the first mate's barked orders... the cries of seagulls overhead...

Attrei wiped the sweat from Korlys' face. If only he had paid more attention in healing classes! He couldn't heal his friend until the arrow was out, that much he remembered - the wound would close around it, and it would cause more problems. But there had to be something he could do! Clean the wound… but he needed water for that… Darn, he was useless. Why didn't he buy a book on treating wounds when they were in that town?

He was roused from his thoughts by the sound of hurried steps, and the next moment, Mario appeared from the trees, carrying a bedroll.

"How is he?" he asked, putting it down. "I put the kettle on the fire, but it will take a few more minutes."

"Good. I have another urgent request before it's ready - could you please search all the Crows, and bring any potions they have on them?"

"What for? We still have plenty of the healing potions I got in Dragon's Peak. I'll go get them-"

"Yes, but… we need an antidote. Don't get scared now - but Korlys has been poisoned," Attrei explained. "But he thinks they have the antidote on them," he added when he saw the look on his friend's face. "Just bring everything here- well, I guess I don't have to tell him to hurry up," he muttered, as Mario bolted away again.

"Mario will bring the potions," he said, returning his attention to Korlys again. "Can you tell what poison it is?"

Korlys pulled himself away from his memories to reply, and the pain, never far off to begin with, flooded him again. "No, not yet," he said, his voice strained.

"But then how will you know which one… oh, I see. They only use one poison, right?"

"No," Korlys said through gritted teeth. "But I was trained in poisons and antidotes - I should be able to recognize the right one."

"Okay," Attrei said agreeably, though his stomach clenched. Trained or not, it would be stupid and dangerous to drink antidotes without knowing the poison. Some of them had the opposite effects, for Maker's sake! "Here's what we'll do. The water is almost ready now. I'll put you to sleep, and take that thing out. When you wake up, I'm sure we'll know enough symptoms to decide which antidote you should drink. Okay?"

Korlys hated the thought of being unconscious, but the bolt needed to come out, and there was nothing else he could do until the poison sickened his body enough that he could determine which antidote to take. He pulled out one of his daggers and handed it to Attrei. "Here, use this to take out the bolt, but wake me as soon as you have finished."

A few moments of Attrei's soft chanting and Korlys felt his eyelids droop, and his whole body seemed to get so heavy he could not move. "Do not let Mario stare at my ass while I am asleep," he mumbled. He met the coming darkness eagerly and allowed it to pull him under without resistance.

Attrei waited a moment till Korlys was fast asleep before focusing on the arrow again. He should start immediately after Mario returned. What was it old Sweeney always said? Never pull the arrow out by force, that much he remembered. What else? Clean the wound and numb the area around it first, the voice of his teacher echoed through his mind. Okay, that made sense. What was taking Mario so long?! They couldn't waste any more time! He should at least cut the trousers and numb the wound.

He picked up Korlys' dagger, but he had barely touched the cloth when Mario returned. He was barechested, his shirt changed into a makeshift bag full of clanking potions.

"What are you doing?" Mario yelled, alarmed. He put the potions aside and crouched next to the mage. "You want to cut his leg off?"

"Don't be silly. I'm just cutting the trousers. But, I'll need to cut the wound, to take out the arrow," Attrei explained. "If I just pull it out, he will bleed even more, and the top of the thing can break and stay in the wound."

"It's a bolt. And I'll do the cutting. You tell me what to do."

Relieved he didn't have to do it himself, Attrei handed the dagger to the other elf. He took the bedroll Mario brought and gently put it under Korlys' head. "Alright. First of all, get that water here. Then, I'll cast a healing spell on him so he doesn't bleed so much, and it will hurt less when he wakes up."

Mario nodded. "Let's start, then."

oOo

Finally, the night was ending! Mario was leaning against a tree, listening to the hooting of owls and the occasional patter of animals. Attrei had drawn new glyphs around Korlys, but he still decided to stand guard; he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, not when Korlys' life was in danger. Following Attrei's instructions, he had managed to take the bolt out… although at moments he was sure Attrei would faint, especially when he slid his finger into the enlarged wound to determine if the bolt had reached the bone. But the little mage had endured till the end, pouring healing magic into Korlys all the time, although he was violently sick afterwards.

Now he could only hope one of the potions he found was the right antidote. The good news was the poison was one of the slow ones, or Korlys would be dead already. But without an antidote… well, Attrei had said he could make one. He would need to know exactly what it was, find the ingredients, and the equipment to process them. For that he would need time - the one thing they didn't have.

Hearing a soft moan, Mario moved to Korlys and wiped the sweat from his pale face.

It feels like somebody hit me over the head with an anvil. Korlys opened his eyes a crack. The world was too bright, and there was a Mario-shaped blur bending over him. Korlys groaned and closed his eyes again. The Antivan's leg felt bandaged, and the bolt was obviously out, or he would not be lying on his back right now. He put a hand to his eyes to shield them from the light and peeked up at Mario again.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey." Mario smiled at him. "How are you feeling?" he asked, caressing Korlys' cheek.

"Was there a dwarf among the Crows last night? My head feels like it collided with an axe or something." Korlys managed a smile. "But it seems Attrei has fixed me up, sí? A little rest and I will be fine. How about you? Were you injured?"

"No, no dwarves with axes," Mario replied with a chuckle. The mage said he shouldn't worry Korlys; faith in recovery was also important. Optimism, he called it, or something like that. "You'll be fine soon… Anything else that feels weird?"

"Well, everything seems brighter and blurrier than I remember it." He gave Mario a lopsided grin. "Other than that, and the pain in my leg, I feel great." He wondered if Attrei had told Mario about the little joke he had made before he fell asleep, and decided he probably hadn't.

Mario wondered if he should go and get Attrei, but it wasn't necessary - the mage had apparently awakened at the sound of their voices. Still sleepy and tousled, the mage knelt next to Korlys. He put a hand on his forehead, then looked into his eyes.

"Dilated pupils, but no fever," he muttered, then gave Korlys a relieved smile. He uncorked a healing potion and lifted Korlys' head. "That's good. And a headache and blurred vision... Here, drink this. It will help with some of it."

"Grazie, Attrei." Korlys took in a deep breath and let it out; it was a relief to feel the pain receding enough to allow him to think clearly. "So, it would appear to be belladonna, yes?"

"Yes, I think so."

Mario looked from Korlys to Attrei. "That's good, right?"

"It is. Belladonna is a slow-acting poison. I probably have a couple of days before it kills me."

"Do you think you could recognize the antidote for it, from the potions Mario found?" Attrei asked.

Korlys nodded. "I should be able to. Bring them to me." When Mario returned with the potion bottles, he opened each one and sniffed cautiously.

"Mage's bane... be especially careful of this, Attrei. Soldier's bane... a fire resistance potion? Did they expect to face dragons?" Korlys said, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Stamina potions..." he put those to the other side of the poisons; they would be very useful, especially in the next couple of days. Korlys sighed. "No belladonna antidote. Maybe there was a Crow who got away who had some? I do not know. But, I do know the ingredients." Korlys frowned. "If we can find them. I am not sure if we have the proper equipment to make it, though." He looked to Attrei for confirmation.

"You worry too much," Attrei said cheerfully. "I won't let it kill you. I know the ingredients; there's nothing rare. I will find them and I will make it." Somehow.

That was not likely, Korlys knew from experience, but he didn't comment on it. Mario was already sounding worried, and it wouldn't be wise to give him even more to be anxious about. They needed to find a village, or someplace with the proper equipment, and quickly. "I think we need to get going as soon as possible," the Antivan said, giving Attrei a meaningful look. He did not have much time before he wouldn't be able to walk on his own. As it was, his vision was becoming blurry enough that he'd likely have to follow behind the others to keep from stumbling.

Korlys should get more rest before walking again, but Attrei knew he was right; time was crucial now. "Alright. We'll pack everything and then be on our way." He turned to Mario, but the thief was already starting to take down the tent.

"We can go in a few minutes," Mario assured them.

oOo

Mario was picking out the smoothest path he could, Korlys knew, but he still had to lean heavily on his walking stick to keep from stumbling. Attrei followed behind the thief, and the Antivan brought up the rear. It felt like they had been walking for hours. In the beginning, he had been preoccupied with worry - the Crows surely would have had the antidote, so where was it? One of them must have escaped, and if so, would soon be reporting back to his superiors. Then the Crows would not only be aware of where to search but also would know that a mage was now traveling with them. But it wasn't long before those thoughts slipped away from him, lost in a haze of pain.

The assassin's head pounded as he stared at the mage's back, little more than a red blur in one of the shirts Mario had given the kid. Korlys' vision was too blurry for it to be worth looking around, and he was in too much pain to be interested in his surroundings anyway. He wondered idly if he had a fever; sweat was rolling down his face, and his hair hung down in limp strands. His leg throbbed in time to his heartbeat, making it hard to walk without a limp. Korlys kept his mouth shut about it all, though. The little mage had used healing spells on him last night and needed to conserve his strength. He wasn't sure how many potions they had left, either. It would be pointless to waste them on him when it was becoming increasingly unlikely that he'd survive. He was jolted out of his thoughts suddenly as something in the path caught his foot and he stumbled.

Attrei yelped as something hit him in the back; he toppled forward into Mario, who fell to the ground.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, Baby - oh! Korlys! Are you alright?" The thief quickly scrambled back to his feet, then helped Korlys get up. He frowned. "We should take a break… it's almost lunch time anyway."

"Yes," Attrei agreed. "Let's go to the river. Can you make it that far? I can change the bandages there."

Korlys nodded, and with Mario's help, made it to a shady spot on the bank. He sat down with a sigh and pushed his sweaty hair away from his face before taking a long pull from his waterskin. "How many miles do you think we have traveled since this morning?" he asked Mario and Attrei, trying to ignore the fact that the world was starting to spin.

"Around ten? I'm not sure," Mario replied as he pulled out the food. There hadn't been any rabbits in the traps when he'd checked that morning; all the ruckus last night had scared them away. But, they still had plenty of the food they had gotten in Dalry.

"Attrei, do you mind if I take a dip in the river to cool off before you change my bandages?" The water looked so inviting, and Korlys was burning up.

"Yes, that's a good idea. Let me help you." Attrei tried to sound cheerful, but he was worried. The fever had started sooner that it should have.

"You finish that poultice," Mario cut in. "I'll help him." He put aside the food and knelt next to Korlys to unbutton his shirt. He wrinkled his nose at the smell coming from it. Not exactly arancia, right now. "And I think you should take a bath… me too, in fact."

Korlys chuckled weakly as he helped Mario peel his shirt off. "This is not exactly how I had pictured you undressing me for the first time. On the other hand, I am hot and sweaty. At least I got that part right." He waggled his eyebrows as he pulled off his boots and stood up to unlace his trousers. "Will you help me with these too?" he teased.

"Perv," the thief muttered, feeling the heat spreading across his face. He brushed Korlys hands away, unlaced the trousers, and pulled them down unceremoniously. "You keep your breeches on; there are kids here."

"You do not want me wearing dirty breeches, do you? Plus, how will I wash my-"

"Okay, I get it," Mario cut in, but left him to pull down his breeches by himself; he wasn't that weak. Besides, he needed to strip himself as well. It was extremely awkward, standing naked in front of Korlys - and Baby - but he'd rather die than admit it. With a smug grin, he pulled the soap from the pack and wrapped his arm around Korlys. "Come on, then. Lean on me."

Korlys managed to restrain himself from further "pervy" comments, but he did give Mario a wink. He had a reputation to uphold, after all. The water felt so cold against his skin he was surprised that it didn't steam at his touch. The Antivan carefully ducked his head underwater, holding on to Mario's hand to steady himself. He stayed under for as long as he could hold his breath, then resurfaced and moved to a shallower area where he could sit down.

"Would you wash my hair for me, Mario?" Korlys tried to make it sound flirty to hide the fact that he was too tired to keep his arms up that long.

Mario soaped his hands, then ran them through Korlys' hair, gently rubbing the scalp with his fingers. "Is that okay?"

"Mmmm... that feels wonderful. Do not stop." Korlys doubted Mario would blush at his words, but he leaned back against the thief's chest and turned his head to look at him, just in case. "You are a natural," he said with a small smile. It is a shame that now that I have Mario naked and behind me, I am too damn sick to enjoy it. He chuckled when he realized Mario would definitely blush if he voiced that thought, then turned back around to let the other elf finish what he was doing.

Incorrigible. Resisting the urge to lean down and kiss him, he washed Korlys' hair… and ears. "Of course I'm a natural. I'm awesome, right?" Chuckling at a little moan in reply, he rinsed Korlys' hair, then continued scrubbing his shoulders and back.

"It is not fair - I want you to do this when I am well, and I can enjoy it more," the Antivan pouted. "And return the favor, of course."

Mario opened his mouth to reply when he was interrupted by Attrei's cough.

"Should I leave the two of you alone for a while?" the mage asked with a wink. "Just don't tire him too much, Mario."

So annoying… did he have to remind them again that Korlys was ill and ruin the moment? "Okay, okay. We're just joking, Baby." But, Attrei was right. It wasn't good for Korlys to be in cold water this long.

He quickly scrubbed Korlys' chest, arms, and legs, then handed him the soap. "You can do the rest yourself." The Antivan pouted again, but didn't protest - and that worried Mario the most. To skip a chance for a pervy comment, he had to be really tired. He quickly scrubbed himself as well, then hurried back to Korlys. Wrapping his arm around his shoulders, he led him out of the water.

Korlys started shivering as soon as he got out. He made a half-hearted attempt at drying himself off, then wrapped the towel around his waist and sat down on the bedroll Attrei had pulled out for him. Good enough, he thought listlessly. He waited in silence while the mage applied a fresh poultice to his thigh and wrapped it tightly.

"Perhaps I could just take a little nap while you two eat. I am not very hungry anyway," Korlys said, his voice tired and his eyelids drooping.

"Yes, you should rest," the mage agreed, helping Mario dress Korlys in clean clothes and tuck him in. The Antivan sank into unconsciousness the moment he lay down.

buona notte - good night

bene - good

merda - shit

pezzo di merda - piece of shit

figlio di puttana - son of a whore

Cazzo di merda - fucking shit

A/N:

Many thanks to our fabulous betas, Bloodsong 13T and Oleander's One, for all their help - especially Bloodsong's help with punching up the fight scenes, and Ole's medical advice. You guys really boosted the chapter's realism!

Thanks also to our wonderful reviewers for all your comments - your engagement in the story is such a treat for us! :)

*The book Korlys reads is The Ghost Pirates by William Hope Hodgson, available as a free download from Project Gutenberg.