Starting in chapter 17 this story changes from a Teen rating to an Mature rating. -Tim

As Sir Cabe rode out the gate with everyone he found himself looking back, he saw Allie standing back watching. He slowed, "Sly, I'll be back." Without waiting he turned and rode back smiling at Allie.

"I thought I would see you off," Allie smiled at him as he came near.

His smile got bigger and he stopped and dismounted, "Thank you Allie, I'm glad you did, I appreciate it. Also for your remedy, it's really eased my discomfort."

Allie reached up and ran her hand across his cheek, "You are most welcome Cabe, and I look forward to your return one day."

Cabe reached out and took her hand, "We could use a white witch with us, I'm sure our Lord would be more than happy to include you in our company."

Allie smiled, "Who then would care for the townspeople when the clerics are exhausted, or for their animals? My place, for now, is here Cabe. But I will be very happy when you can return."

"If it makes any difference, we ride to Wheeler's Ridge, the mining company has run into problems with horrors attacking and taking up residence inside the main mine there. With your help, we'd stand a better chance and that would help many more people." Cabe told her.

Allie looked around, "I don't have a horse, or know anything about adventuring."

Cabe smiled, "If you'd like to go ready a few things, I can ride out and pause our Lord and then come back and get you."

Allie considered it and then looked up at Cabe, "What should I bring with me?"

Cabe smiled, "Return to your home, I'll join you shortly and help you."

Allie nodded as she turned and walked off.

Cabe smiled as he watched her for a moment, and then he climbed up into his saddle, and rode off quickly to catch up with Lord Walter.

Sir Cabe rode up hard to catch up with Lord Walter as quickly as he could. "My Lord, a moment please," he called out.

Lord Walter looked back and slowed to a stop, "Sir Cabe, is everything okay?"

"With your permission, I'd like to add a white witch to our group. She's already proven herself to me, her art has really helped the discomfort in my joints." Sir Cabe told him.

Lord Walter looked at him for a moment and finally he smiled as he nodded, "We shall await you here. Does she have everything she needs to join us?"

Sir Cabe shook his head, "But I will take care of it my Lord."

Sir Cabe rode back into town and stopped at the livery and examined the horses they had for sale and after careful consideration he selected one and paid the price they were asking and bought a saddle and instructed them to have the horse ready. As he made his way to Allie's he saw a Provisioner's shop and he ran inside and quickly selected a number of items and stuffed it all into a backpack and continued to Allie's. He saw her standing outside speaking with a young woman, who was probably in her mid teens.

Allie saw him coming and she smiled, "What is this?" She asked looking at the backpack.

"We'll pack the items you need to take with you in it. I've got a horse waiting for us at the livery as well," Cabe told her.

She turned to her door and walked inside and began looking at all of her things, she selected her lore books, and selected a number of dresses, and Cabe smiled as he shook his head. He began explaining the idea of what she would need to carry, and how much. It took them about an hour to wheedle down everything she wanted to take to what was practical, and needed. She divided all the potions and elixirs she had made up to leave with the young woman who had been her apprentice so she could continue to care for people while she continued to practice.

Everyone had dismounted and broke up in groups. Walter and Paige sat speaking quietly by themselves, "Walter, you've mentioned that Happy is your oldest friend, how did you two meet?"

Walter smiled, "It was about a year after my training with Lord Weir. While I was passing through the southern edge of Los Angeles I decided to listen to the gentle persuasion of the wise Lady and entered the tournament they hold there. One of my opponents and I unhorsed each other, and when I landed the shoulder of my armor buckled and the crease prevented over fifty percent of range of motion. Since we unhorsed each other they paused the match to allow me a chance to get the armor fixed before they disqualified me."

"None of the blacksmiths would assist me, being it was my first time in the tourney and doing so well. Most of them had bet against me. Happy caught my attention with her attitude when she decked a knight for getting fresh with her. He drew his sword, and so I had to teach the knave a lesson." Walter laughed, "In true Happy fashion she berated me and informed me she was fully capable of defending herself. As she turned to walk away I noticed her leather apron under her smock. So I approached her about fixing my armor. She stared at me for several minutes trying to decide if I was serious or maybe insane but she took one look at my breastplate and called it crap."

"She took me back to her pavilion and after getting me out of my breastplate she showed me a true masterpiece. I barely had enough to pay for someone to hammer out the crease but she said she wouldn't put a hammer to mine but she'd let me have hers as long as I told anyone who asked where I got it from. It seemed a bit silly, and certainly a waste of her time, but I needed armor and so I agreed. I ended up taking second place in the tourney, and I had made a friend. We ended up traveling north together, without speaking about it, we became a team and quite inseparable," Walter reached up and brushed a curl out of Paige's face.

"When the wise Lady's cleric told me that Athena wanted me to journey up to where Scorpion Keep now sits and build my outpost there, Happy came with me without question or request. She's stood by me every step of the way, we've faced many horrors together. We cleared the grounds ourselves. The first task was a group of necromancers who had built a dark temple on the southern border. They'd nearly razed a small town that was a bit further to the south. Using their dead to fuel their furnaces of death magic and they weren't too picky, when the cemetery grew low in bodies they began taking people directly from the town, travelers and merchants faired no better," Walter threw the stick he was holding, as the memories of those days came back in vivid detail.

"Yea, those were some nasty days. Those guys really tried our patience. Remember when we arrived in that town? Man, everyone in that town tried to get us to turn away. I remember waking up in the middle of the night, something I heard. I looked out of the window in the room I was in at the inn. I saw O'Brien walking down the street towards the cemetery." Happy told her.

Walter laughed, "You were certainly mad at me for leaving you behind. But depending on what mockery of life that had been created they could have drained all the life essence from you."

Happy punched his arm, "I still am and they could have drained it from you too. Took me a few minutes to get dressed and ran after him. I got there just as he had drawn his sword, standing before the gates of the cemetery, a chill air, swirling with mists, the scent of rotting flesh was overpowering. I'd never encountered undead before. The first walker I saw," Happy shuddered, "I nearly passed out. Not this big lug, he just grinned, like it was what he was born for. All the power and abilities Athena gave the idiot and what's he do? Decides to use his sword, I wanted to kick Lord Weir's ass. Obviously he hadn't taught him too well."

Walter laughed.

"His consecration would have taken out most of those things that came out of that cemetery before they ever reached him. But no, he had to play whack a mole. As it was, I got to stand back and watch, not a one of those things made it past him. I got to get my hands dirty when we finally went after the necromancers. O'Brien had to pull me off the last one, he was busy with three of the last four and the one I was on I was taking a lot of delight in torturing," Happy said as she stepped forward and sat down.

"I had never killed anyone before and he would have been my first if not for O'Brien. After watching him drain the life out of a young woman to heal himself. I never saw anything as horrific as that. I'd caught him in the back of his head, as he turned on O'Brien, with my mallet. I gagged him, I drove spikes down through his hands, I put another one through each shoulder, I was about to drive one through his knee when O'Brien ended his suffering. I think that was our first real fight." Happy smiled.

Walter smiled back.

Paige nodded, "So since you were both so close, did you not ever consider becoming a couple?"

Happy made a face and Walter blushed, "Hell no, you might be willing to wait to get married, but I sure wasn't. I like him fine, but to marry, I wasn't willing to invest that kind of time. Plus I'm not cut out to be the wife of a Lord, all that nobility junk. I'd rather go out drinking with my friends and passing through a town without all the fanfare."

Walter nodded, "And yet you invested far more time then that riding with me and setting up Scorpion Keep and clearing the land of threats."

"Yea, well, I didn't know my opportunities would be so limited when we started," Happy told him.

Paige nodded her head, "So why do you call Walter, O'Brien instead of say, Walter?"

Happy smiled, "To remind him to be proud he is Irish. Cultural identity is important. Besides calling him Walter would seem too familiar."

Happy looked at Paige, "So what about you? Why does Merrick blame you for his son's death?"

Paige shook her head, "To be honest, I don't know. I didn't even know he was his son. He'd told me he was the son of the ambassador. When I told my Mom I was engaged to him she threw a fit, said I was promised to another. But I wouldn't relent and she kicked me out. I'd gone to Drew's and we ran off. He was doing minor adventuring or so I was told. A few months after Ralph was born he went on an adventure and I never heard from him again."

"Thankfully the coin Drew had earned through his adventures was enough to keep Ralph and I taken care for almost a year. It was about then that I learned he had been the son of Merrick. Several of Merrick's guards had tracked us down. They broke in our home, and were dragging us off when the woman who became my friend and trainer as a Bard happened upon us. She defeated the guards, and helped us to escape. She taught me how to fight, sing, tell stories. Taught me most of the lore I know," Paige reached out and took Walter's hand in hers.

"She'd taken us south, down to San Deggo before coming back north. She figured if Merrick was after us we'd be the safest there, if need be we could board a ship and sail to Mehehcal. We survived as I would perform at the various inns through out San Deggo, and once Ralph had gotten big enough to travel with me we began journeying back north," Paige smiled at Walter.

"That seems rather foolish, knowing Merrick is up here looking for you, with a bounty no less," Happy looked at her.

Paige nodded, "It was and I resisted for a long time, I kept hearing a voice telling me to come north. But until I saw the first wanted poster down there, I wasn't going anywhere."

Walter looked at her, "A voice?"

Paige looked down and nodded, "A woman's voice, at first I thought I was crazy or thought it was a trick. But I kept hearing a name and seeing a face and when I saw the wanted poster I knew I had to do something."

Happy smiled, "Oh, spicy, so what was the name? What did they look like?"

Paige blushed as she took a quick glimpse at Walter as he took a drink of water.

Happy's eyes went wide, "Oh you got to be kidding me, seriously? Damn, here I was hoping for something exciting."

Walter frowned as he looked at Happy back to Paige, "What did I miss?"

Both ladies broke up laughing.

Lord Walter looked offended when, "Here comes Sir Cabe," Ralph exclaimed, "Who's that with him?"

It had taken Sir Cabe and Allie almost two hours before they finally joined up with Lord Walter and his company, "My Lord, may I present Allie, white witch," Sir Cabe told him.

Lord Walter smiled, "It is an honor Allie, welcome. Thank you for helping Sir Cabe with his discomfort and agreeing to join us."

Allie smiled, "Thank you my Lord."

Sir Cabe took a few moments to transfer Allie's backpack and miscellaneous items to the packhorses. Toby joined them to examine the potions and elixirs Allie had brought with her. "You didn't label them?" Toby looked at Allie.

Allie frown, "Why would I? I know what they are."

Toby stared with his mouth open, "But what if you are unconscious, how would we know what to give you or someone else if they needed something?"

Allie looked at Cabe, "Let me guess, Toby?"

Sir Cabe laughed, "He is indeed."

"Okay friends, let us get going. Wheeler's Ridge is almost a week and a half away by this road, traveling at a speed our pack horses can endure." Lord Walter finally said as he held Paige's mount and she climbed up.

After climbing up in his saddle Lord Walter reached down, and lifted the shield he had bought with Paige after they had dinner last night from the saddle horn, and put his left arm through it. Happy saw him put his arm through the shield and frowned since she had forgotten to repair his shield and she rode forward and saw it was not one of hers and she glared at him.

Lord Walter looked at her, "Was there something you wanted to say Happy?"

Happy gritted her teeth and rode back to ride next to Toby as Lord Walter and Paige led the way to the north.

Happy kept muttering as they moved off and Toby finally leaned over, "What is wrong with you?"

Happy glared, "I forgot to fix his shield so to spite me he bought a shield from someone else."

Toby started to laugh but the look she gave him kept Toby from so much as smiling.

Paige rode with her right leg over the top of her saddle as she pulled out her lute and began playing it, lifting up the spirits of the horses immediately.

"Thank you my Lady Paige." Walter told her as he leaned over towards her.

Paige smiled, "So Walter, you figured out a way around my request while honoring it?"

Walter laughed, "I did."

Thank you Susan for your kind offer, I'd thought about it but it felt weird to me so I decided against it, but I was flattered you wanted to help! But we were able to find a good deal on a new monitor and we received it yesterday. 2 days without writing really sucked. I figured I would enjoy the time off but it just felt really icky. Anyway, to the Adventure! -Tim