Chapter Two: Sliver's Choice

Sliver did nothing but glare at Cindred that evening after she awoke. He'd told her of everything that had transpired just hours previously, and she was not, in the least, impressed. Her arms were tightly crossed as the fingers of one hand drummed along the crook of her elbow, slight hissing sounds escaping through her partially opened lips with her delicate fangs glinting in the torchlight.

"Join up with that sort, Cindred?" she snapped at him incredulously. "Have you gone utterly mad from too much sunlight?"

Cindred sat on an old barrel, the rotting wood barely supporting his weight as he propped his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his massive, clawed paws. He let out a heavy breath through his ringed nose.

"It gives us something to do other than hunt and eat and sleep."

"It would let everyone know that we're here, and make them hunt us to the ends of the earth! We'd never find a moment's peace!"

The demon shrugged indifferently and fixed the vampire with his bright green eyes, causing her to step back a pace or two. "You don't know that for certain," he replied. "For all we know, the people of Bywater might actually welcome us if we're able to succeed in this venture. At least the town guard will give us a little respect. Now and again."

"And that means what? A blind eye every third day of the week when we go out to hunt? And only then? I've made better deals with devils."

"Name one sincere devil that would make a deal with your sort and maybe I'll believe you." Cindred slowly rose to his hooves and stretched, muscles rippling over his entire form. "A devil that would make a true bargain with anyone for that matter."

Sliver opened her mouth to reply but, to her horror, found that she didn't have one. She loathed losing arguments, and, with Cindred, the losses were beginning to pile up. He, apparently, was coming to realise something that she didn't. She turned to her sarcophagus for a brief minute before tilting her head just so that she could see him out of the corner of her eye, her hair concealing most of her face from him.

"A Shadow Elf, you say? A human, a dwarf and a goblin? Together?"

"Together."

"Happily?"

"That, I don't know for certain. The human and the dwarf seem to almost be mentor and pupil, but the others I've yet to encounter myself. We'll find out tomorrow afternoon."

"It approaches fast enough as it is. Where are they staying?"

Cindred shook his head. "I don't know that, either. All they said was for us to meet them at the south gate where they would wait with Haikur of the town guard."

"Brilliant," Sliver exclaimed with more than a tinge of sarcasm. "Haikur…that man has been hunting me down since I got here. The last thing I need is for him to realise what I am when I show up."

"He knows you're a vampire?"

"He at least is aware that there's one in the city. Before I bumped into you, my feedings were a bit…sloppy. I'd leave too much evidence behind." She raked a slender, almost taloned hand through her shimmering red hair and reached to a nearby chest to retrieve her deep purple, velvet cloak. "It's almost morning as it is. We'd best get something to eat before we risk our lives to help these perfect, incompetent strangers."

If Cindred could smile, he would have. Making certain that his battle axe was securely in his belt, he assisted Sliver with her cloak and found her bejeweled dagger for her. Like the vampire, it always sought blood and would never rest once it had sensed live essence heated by battle nearby. Silverfang, she'd named it…quite unoriginally. Cindred didn't question it, though. In this mausoleum, Sliver's word was usually the law, and rarely did she ever bend away from her own desires to satisfy those of others. The demon knew that he'd have to take advantage of this moment as much as he could if he truly wanted to accomplish his goal: acceptance into this wild and strange world known as the Realmz.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Sliver grumbled as the pair trudged through shin-deep snow in the glaring sunshine later that day. Cindred looked the same as always, attracting more than a few stares from the locals, and Sliver was tightly bound up in her cloak, her hood shadowing her lovely, pallid face almost completely.

"You didn't have to come," he replied lightly, almost relishing the beauty of the day despite it's chill. Being with Sliver for as long as he had, he'd never really seen the sunshine. Now, he was soaking it up as well as he possibly could, for he knew he wouldn't likely get such a chance as this again. The hunting came at night. Their moving about came at night. In the daylight, people could see a bit too well for the purposes of a demon and a vampire, which was quite unfortunate for one so different from his kind as Cindred was.

They reached the southern gate shortly after leaving the mausoleum, Cindred trying out a smile to prove to the wary guards that he was more friendly than what he seemed. The best he could do was bare his canine-like teeth and spook nearly half the horses. He instantly sealed what lips he had together and gruffly cleared his throat.

"We've come at the bidding of Tristan and Solestri," he said loudly, his deep voice rumbling like thunder heard through black velvet. "I am called Cindred, and this is Sliver. Which of you is Haikur?"

One of the men situated on horseback kicked his steed forward just a slight bit, a very stern expression peering out from beneath his silver and bronze plumed helmet.

"I am Haikur of the town watch," he announced forcefully, "and it is I that asks the questions here--not you, demon. Tell me, what is it that you hope to gain by joining us here? Most gathered would much rather prefer watching you die along side the goblins this day." His light blue eyes narrowed with malice as they settled upon Sliver but did not linger long for it was the demon that was very obvious about what he was.

Sliver thanked whatever god or goddess that watched over her that it was freezing that day. Cloaks were always her one boon beneath the hellish rays of the sun.

"Does anyone really need a reason to help another?" Cindred prodded the soldier. "Just as humans and dwarves and halflings can have a tinge of darkness in their souls, can a demon not also have a breath of light?"

Haikur sat back in his saddle and regarded the beast down the length of his aquiline nose. His expression was a pensive one, and Cindred suddenly found himself somewhat nervous.

"You're very eloquent for such a creature, Cindred," the man said at last, putting the demon somewhat at ease. "Why it is that Solestri and Tristan trust you, I shall never know, but the dwarf especially seems to have more than a handful of seasons of experience on him. I trust his judgement." He twisted a bit in his saddle and motioned behind him, throwing back his rich, wine red cloak while he was at it.

"The guards of Bywater," he announced proudly as Cindred and Sliver looked at the green-garbed men with a bit of fear, some indifference, and more than a little resentment. "It has been charged to us to rid the farmlands to the south of the goblins that have plagued us for far too long. It's a…pity Thurfur did not share our views on this matter. His assistance would be greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, we have to work with what we have." His eyes returned to Sliver with that cold glint in them once again.

"Who's Thurfur?" Cindred asked, one browridge rising in curiosity.

Haikur snapped his attentions to the demon.

"Another of the king's guards, is all," he replied as if the matter were but a trifle thing. "He felt that orcs were a bigger problem far to the east, which hardly deals with us at all. He vanished out that way with another group of vagabonds not more than a few days ago along with a wizard named Vodalian. The fools probably all wound up dead with Thurfur leading them."

He suddenly cleared his throat as if realising that he'd said something that he hadn't and glanced off to his right in the direction of the eastern hills. "Here come your friends, demon. Good, good. Now, let us be off and rid the land of these foul goblins."

"Indeed!" Solestri called from where he led three others to join the guards' numbers. Cindred picked each out right away thanks to the diversity of their races. Midnight was tall and slender, draped in lavender robes of rough-spun silk, and her pale eyes watched every movement with such an alert wariness that Cindred was almost certain that she had the reflexes of a panther. Wyrmwood was small--even for a goblin--though his skin wasn't as rank looking as most of his type. He was armed with a bow and short sword, and his armor consisted of little more than a reinforced leather breastplate and worn woollen breeches. He had a scraggly mopping of black hair on his head that constantly fell into his dull brown eyes, but he never bothered to brush it away.

"Are we just going to stand about here and freeze?" Midnight spoke up after some time. Her voice was a soft soprano with the slight guttural lilt of the drow tongue, and Cindred was surprised that it wasn't harsher, more commanding, like most Shadow Elves he'd ever encountered…which wasn't many.

"No," Haikur said bluntly. "It's time we were off to fight goblins. Standing about we shall not do, but if you freeze, that's your loss. Come!" And with that, he led them all out the south gate and into the wilderness beyond.