Section Ten: Tzamah L'Cha Nafshi

            "The story you heard was more or less correct." Said the Lammasu, laying outside the door of his temple, watching as the party went about eating breakfast and tending to their mounts. Fara's hippogriff wasn't too happy that she had taken off, but seemed to understand. "But not totally. You see, while the Staff of Lazarus was cast down, it wasn't cast down in this plane."

            "Oh. Great." Falco sighed.

            "Don't jump to conclusions. You've got the right key, all you need is the right door, so to speak. You need another artifact, a rather oversized ornate circle of metal that almost resembles a coin. That key will fit through the center, and under the right circumstances, will open a gate to that plane."

            "Right circumstances?" Bill asked. "The Temple of Lazarus, I take it?"

            "Correct." The Lammasu smiled. "Very sharp of you."

            "So where will we find this coin?" Rita asked, feeding her mount some grain from her hand.

            "East of here. May I see your map, Fox?"

            Fox spread it out in front of the Lammasu, crouching next to it, cuing up the maps that the Lammasu requested.

            "Exit the canyon the same way you came and proceed east, then southeast. Desert will give partly away to plains, and there are a good more tribes through there, just so you know. Eventually you will come to a river. That's your turning point. From there, proceed back southerly. You'll know the location when you see it."

            "Could you please be more specific? We've all had our fill of riddles." Said Julian somewhat plaintively.

            "Sorry. I needn't say more." The Lammasu said apologetically.

            An hour or later, resupplied again, the party moved out, Fara swinging astride her hippogriff. Now that it had had time to fully heal, it took off, her easily riding. The party grew used to traveling with the hippogriff flying slow, easy circles above them, sometimes gliding in to walk with them.

            It was later midday when they exited the canyon and started again along the path to the east, Fara now flying point.

            "Well, they've finally reappeared." Wolf said. "I wonder what took them so long…"

            "Hextor didn't tell you?" Leon asked, crouched on his toes. This warm climate was comfortable to him. Not so his companions, though.

            "My best guess is that they ran into some Drow, because Hextor remarked to him that he does not like to interfere with the business of Lolth." Wolf shrugged. "Shall we continue to follow them?"

            "I never thought I'd be so happy to see stars again in my life." Bill remarked, staring up, breath fogging out.

            "We felt much the same way when we exited the Black Forest." Julian said, leaning back so his elbows were propping him up, staring up. The fire was warm, and Alan's lazy playing was slowly lulling the party to sleep. They were happy to be under the sun and stars again, and their morale was at a new high.

            "You're quite comfortable here, aren't you?" Bill remarked, passing Julian a water skin.

            "Yes, it's something I picked up from my father. He loves the desert. Used to tell me that even though he had seen many beautiful cities, forests, mountains, and so on, he could always find himself in a desert." He sighed.

            "So now, that's what you're trying to do on this quest, hmm?"

            "More or less. I was flattered to be able to come along, and now it's almost a way of life. What about yourself?"

            "I'm a gladiator through and through." Bill admitted. "I may act the role of a guard, but my heart lives only by the rules of the sword and only for the screams of the crowd." He flopped back, yawning widely. "Sometimes I wonder if I shall ever hear those screams again."

            "You never know." Julian said, taking a drink and passing the water skin back.

            "True. So tell me, do you consider yourself a guard? Or a ranger, like Fox is when he is not at a banquet or on a quest?"

            "I'm not sure. Both I guess. I really prefer the ranger, though."

            "I don't blame you."

            Shortly thereafter, both fell silent, and not long after that, Alan's playing fell silent as well.

            Dawn broke hot and dry, but the group didn't care, packing up to Alan's happy music, slinging astride their respective mounts and riding on.

            As they moved on, the wind picked up, both a blessing and a curse as it stirred the sand up, but helped cool them down. It wasn't until the wind became so hard it grounded Fara and her hippogriff that the group realized they had a problem.

            "Looks like we're riding right into a storm." Fara said as the group huddled, her hippogriff's wings spread so that she was sheltered from the flying sand.

            "Like how bad of a storm?" Julian asked, alarmed.

            "Bad." Fara searched for a word. "Tornadoes."

            "Oh, god." Julian rubbed his eyes. "That is very very bad." He tried to look in the direction of the storm, but the sand flying prevented it. "We're going to have to camp here. There isn't any place to shelter, anyway."

            "But if there's tornadoes…" Bill started.

            He held up his hand. "We're just going to have to hope for the best."

            "Like that's really happened yet." Falco said darkly.

            Under Julian's direction, their tents were combined to make a large, low dome, keeping the magic users busy as well conjuring up more supplies to make it large enough to shelter their steeds if they laid down. They huddled inside, seeing to the glow of mage lights, listening to the airborn sand thunder and pound the tarp and fabric that protected them. Rita started a prayer to Obad-Hai, and the others joined in, the whole group huddling together. Even Alan joined in, his music silent for the time being, that is until he rose a hymn.

            Night fell outside the domed tent, but still the storm pounded and raged around them. The constant noise made it almost impossible to sleep, though eventually nerves wore many of them out and one by one they did drop off.

            Peppy slowly woke up, feeling dazed somehow, groggy. He looked up, and saw not the tent roofing, but stars. He sat up with a jolt, looking around, and found himself alone.

            He stood, hugging himself, breath fogging out. He judged it to be pre-dawn. While he was still in a desert, the stars were completely and utterly unfamiliar.

            "Peppy!"

            Another form approached, and he made it out to be Bill, in a similar disheveled state, leading his horse, which was without tack. "Bill! What happened?"

            "Not sure. I haven't found anyone else yet. Are you hurt?"

            Peppy shook his head, knocking sand out of his ears. "Do you have any clue where we are?"

            "Nope, I don't know these constellations."

            There was a distant thundercrack, and when they turned, they saw a brilliant beam of light streaming down from the heavens to touch the ground.

            "And I'd guess that's Fox, calling the rest of us." Bill shook his head. "Not subtle, but certainly effective."

            They started moving, taking stock of what had happened. They had lost their personal supplies, though they did find their weapons as they happened along. Peppy's arcane bow had been broken, but their swords were intact.

            As they moved, they saw the others, and called out, waving. They were joined by Katt and Falco, and saw the others coming from other directions. As they got closer, the light dimmed, and they found themselves gathered on top of one of the dunes, Fox very calmly standing with his hands pressed together.

            "Are we all here?" He asked, looking around. "Praise the gods. Is anyone hurt?"

            Head shakes. No one was hurt, but everyone was confused.

            "Could we have been picked up by a desert twister? That would explain why we were so scattered out." Slippy said, shaking sand out of his tunic, wearing only his vest for that moment.

            "I think we would have known if we had been." Falco said sourly.

            "I think the gods are playing a game with us." Said Alan. "Or at least Hextor is."

            "Hextor, last I checked, had nothing to do with the weather." Said Katt.

            "But he IS a God, so what's he care if he goes out of his domain for a while?"

            "Ok, enough." Fox said a bit sharply. "Regardless of how this happened, we've got to figure out where we are. I don't know these stars personally, but I'd take a wild guess that we're a couple hundred miles off track."

            "HUNDRED?" Fara asked, jaw dropping.

            "Yes, if not thousands, because we have to travel a long, long ways for the stars to change this much." Said Peppy, shaking his head.

            There was a long moment of silence, then Falco glanced at Fox. "Where's your unicorn?"

            "Finding your horses." He replied in a flat tone, then half-closed his eyes. "It seems that all of ours steeds survived as well. None of them have tack, though."

            "We've lost everything." Fara moaned. "Our tents, all of our supplies, everything."

            "Not everything." Said Julian. "We still have our mounts and our weapons. The problem is that we lost our food and water. I know how to look for both, but in a place like this, water is hard to come by and often well protected or very hard to get to."

            "Water isn't too much of a problem." Said Fox, eyes still half-closed. "There's a river about ten miles to the south of here."

            "One problem solved. Now it's just finding out where we are." Rita sighed, crossing her arms. "I do not understand. I had our camp last night warded against creatures and weather…"

            "So that means we either greatly angered Obad-Hai in some way or another god decided to have some fun with us." Said Alan.

            There was another long moment of silence, and in this time period, Fox's unicorn trotted up, leading everyone else's horses. One or two of them wore half-broken bridles, which were removed and discarded, everyone swinging up bareback. Most of the group knew how to ride without tack, but it didn't matter, because their steeds knew to follow Fox's unicorn.

            Fara swung astride her hippogriff, which took to the air, shaking sand loose from its wings as it gained altitude, then flew forward on point. Fox took lead moments later, and the group slowly moved on.

            By a few hours after dawn, the group had gathered by the river, watering their mounts and filling what few water skins they had. Julian spent a lot of the time talking to Fox, drawing constellations in the sand, trying to figure out where they were.

            "Deep middle east." Said Julian grimly after about an hour of discussion and map studying. "At least three thousand miles away from where we were."

            "Oh, my god." Katt sat down hard on the ground, watching the river wash over her ankles, a stunned look moving over her face. "Oh, Ehlonna… how did this happen…"

            "Show me where we are." Falco said, looking over Fox's shoulder at a map. "Not in the Wastes, I take it?"

            "No, we're not in the wastes anymore… we're very much south and east of the wastes. Remember Titus? Well, we're on the far side of his kingdom, in fact there's two other countries between the Albrecht's land and where we are." Fox brought the maps he needed up on his enchanted map. "Which means THREE between us and home."

            "My God."

            "Julian, do you have any experience with this area?" Fox looked at him.

            "I know a bit of the languages, but not much other then that. I can get us home, but it could very well take months, even over a year." He somberly replied. "After all, it's not only distance, but the fact that we're in a harsh climate."

            "We've got problems." Bill said, shaking his head. "My god do we have problems."

            Fox held up his hand. "Since we're discussing gods so often, perhaps I should try to contact mine."

            They all looked at him.

            "Go ahead, what harm could it do?" Peppy shrugged.

            Fox nodded, stepping away from the group and sitting down on the ground cross-legged, exhaling and closing his eyes.

            "They're WHERE?" Pigma yelped.

            "The middle east." Wolf said, rubbing his eyes. "Thousands of miles away."

            "How exactly did they manage that?" Leon asked, leaning on the pommel of his saddle. "Another prank by Hextor?"

            Wolf stared into the distance. "Nooo, I don't think so."

            "Ah, my disciple, I was rather hoping you would contact me." Heironeous stood, smiling.

            "I hate to seem rather abrupt, my Lord, but could you possibly explain why my party is very suddenly in the Middle East?" Fox asked, folding his arms as they walked once again to the courtyard.

            "Ah. Suspect my half brother again, I imagine?"

            "That was my first thought, I like to think I am not such a heavy sleeper as to not notice a desert tornado."

            "It was not weather or Hextor, young McCloud." Heironeous turned to him and smiled a bit. "It was me."

            Fox's jaw dropped, then he hastily closed his mouth. "But why, My Lord?"

            "The Lammasu gave you right information, or at least right for a few days ago. Unfortunately, Hextor figured out very quickly what he had to do, and the 'door' you seek, the metal disk, has been destroyed."

            "What?"

            "It's true I'm afraid, Hextor possessed and corrupted the priests protecting the gate disk, and convinced them to melt it down. Of course, with your party heading for a nonexistent goal, it would be very easy for him to plot attacks against you." Hextor turned and continued walking, clasping his hands behind him peacefully. "So the minute I found out what was afoot, I made a decision. The storm was there originally, of course, I just made it worse, and once your party was asleep, moved you to your current location. Why, do you ask? So you can find the forgers of the original gate disk and have another made." He turned to face Fox and smiled.

            "This actually makes sense now…" Fox shook his head. "But even if we have another disk made, how will we make it to the Temple of Lazarus before it is too late?"

            "I will of course transport you to a position fairly close to your home, so that you may resupply before the last leg of your journey."

            "Thank you, my Lord."

            "No, you did deserve an explanation." Heironeous stared into the distance for a moment, then shook off and focused back on Fox. "I must leave you now. I may not be able to speak to you for a time. Much is going on that must be taken care of."

            "You honored me in the first place with an audience, my Lord." Fox bowed.

            Heironeous returned the bow, then disappeared, taking his castle and courtyard with him.

            Fox opened his eyes, blinked a few times, and stood, brushing sand away. The others, which had been apparently quietly talking, looked up when he rejoined them.

            "Well, I do have news, but I am not sure if you will like it." He explained what Heironeous had told him.

            "So first, Hextor goes out of his way to get us in trouble, then Heironeous does? Boy, you just can't trust anyone these days." Alan shook his head, then smiled sheepishly when Fox shot him a look. "Just kidding of course."

            "Of course." Fox turned to Slippy and Katt. "Can you find out who originally forged that gate disk?"

            "Sure, given some time." Slippy said with confidence, he hadn't lost the library he carried around in his bag of holding.

            "Good."

            "Are we seriously discussing the fact that someone who did this ages ago may still be alive?" Falco asked.

            "Of course not, but he probably had apprentices, who had apprentices, and thus forth." Said Rita. "If Heironeous said look for who made it, then another can be made."

            "That's what the world is counting on, at least." Fox said, swinging astride his unicorn. "Julian, you are leading again for now."

            "All right." Julian swung astride his steed, gesturing for the others to do so. "While you were talking to your god, I figured out what river this is. There is a rather large city about a day and a half's travel north of here."

            "How did you manage to pinpoint our location like that?" Fox rose his eyebrows.

            "Pretty simple, actually." Julian pointed. "Even from here you can see the smoke."

            Fox laughed out loud.

            As the sun set, they happened upon a somewhat large gypsy camp. One of the men there met them before they reached the camp, talking fast. Fox didn't understand a word of it, but Julian did. In fact Julian dismounted and walked forward, speaking a bit awkwardly in the same language. After many minutes, he gestured the rest of the party forward and told them to dismount.

            "We can camp with them. I told him that we lost almost all our supplies, including food and tents, and he's nice enough to share what his caravan has."

            Fox pressed his hands together and bowed to the man speaking to them, who grinned widely and gestured them forward, a few young boys from the camp coming forward to take their horses' reins, crying out in surprise when Fara landed on her hippogriff. Julian hastily explained about Fox and Fara's special mounts, and the boys nodded nervously, taking care of the horses and leaving the hippogriff and unicorn alone.

            The camp was busy, and many of the gypsies smiled at the newcomers. Julian continued to talk to the caravan's leader, and was stunned when Alan jumped in, speaking the same language.

            "I AM a bard, I must know many languages." Alan said, grinning.

            "I am not surprised." Fox shook his head, finding a seat by the large fire. Fara flopped down next to him, sore all over again. She had gotten used to traveling, now she had to get used to an aerial mount. Fox silently sympathized, watching the caravan bustle around them.

            "They want to know how a bunch of westerners happened to find themselves here." Alan said, crouching next to Fox. The others had also settled down nearby, sitting on blankets provided by the gypsies.  "Do you mind if I spin our tale?"

            "I imagine you're including the war?" Fox asked, laying back and staring up at the stars, feeling weary.

            "Of course. And as I have said before, it is all truth, just creatively told."

            "Go ahead, I don't mind if they don't mind."

            Alan stood, pulling his violin from nowhere and waving the bow if it around his head, catching everyone's attention. With that, he leapt to sit on top of one of the wagons of the caravan, crossing his legs at the knee absently, and started to play and sing, weaving the tale of adventure through the air. In the Eastern language, it somehow sounded even more like a fairy tale, and the kids of the caravan gathered below him, listening.

            After a bit, Julian walked up to where Fox was, leading the caravan's leader. "He wants to know if what Alan sings is true." Julian said, amused.

            "Tell him it is, though Alan is a creative storyteller." Fox sat up, brushing sand out of his hair.

            Julian relayed this on, then turned back to Fox, now grinning. "He says that he's honored to meet such a hero."

            "I'm no hero." Fox held up his hands helplessly. "No hero at all."

            "He thinks you are." Julian said after translating. "And it is mostly that which makes him think so." He pointed at Fox's pendant. "Alan sings that you are a Hallowed."

            Fara looked at Fox. "That explains a lot."

            Fox was speechless, then considered this. "All right, tell him I'm one, I'm just not obviously marked."

            Julian relayed this, and the caravan leader grinned in delight and awe, holding his arms out in a welcoming gesture. Fox tiredly returned the smile.

            "I read somewhere that the Middle East is the spice capital of the world, or something." Falco remarked, knocking back more water. "Not that I mind, I like spicy food…"

            "Says you!" Rita gasped after swallowing, grabbing for a water skin.

            Julian laughed to himself. "I keep forgetting that my fellows have not traveled through this area…" He remarked to the caravan leader in his language absently.

            "They do not like the food?" The caravan leader worried. Ever since Fox had said he was a Hallowed, the caravan leader had been practically bending over backwards to make them comfortable, even going so far as to refuse payment.

            "They aren't used to it." Julian replied. "Don't worry about it. We're all very grateful, by the way. We would have been cold and hungry tonight if not for your gracious caravan."

            "No, no, it is our honor." There was a silence. "The deeds your leader has done are great, and he seems to be on a campaign to do far greater…"

            "Yes. I don't know if Fox would have it any other way. He's a crusader of sorts, a champion of good." Julian shook his head. "Which of course makes him, and us, a target for all that is evil."

            "But with a Hallowed on your side, you should be able to pull through almost anything."

            "We have so far." He admitted. "If I may ask, why the fascination with what Fox is? None of us really give it second thought, and neither does he."

            The caravan leader was silent. "I was going to ask you to come with us, and not go to the city. Evil has started to cling there. It is said that a wicked, thieving spirit lives there now."

            "Oh?"

            "But perhaps you are meant to go there. If any group of people could purge that evil from the city it would be your group."

            "Thank you for the vote of confidence."

            Toward the end of the meal, other musical instruments were brought out, and infectious melodies and rhythms spun through the air. Alan joined the other musicians and added his violin to the mix, creating a rather odd sound, western and eastern combined. Nobody seemed to mind, though, in fact the girls of the gypsy caravan gathered and began to dance, a few pulling Katt, Rita, and Fara into the mix. The trio protested at first, then fell into watching those that had pulled them forward, learning the steps, laughing as they botched or staggered, trying to be as graceful and innocently alluring as the gypsy girls. The men fell into watching, then the younger ones sprang up and joined the dance.

            "They are quite happy tonight." The caravan leader told Fox through Julian. "Though we usually do have music, it is not every night that my people bring it on themselves to dance, except perhaps holidays…"

            "Is there a reason for the dances tonight?" Fox asked, Julian translating.

            "I believe your presence, and the presence of your group to some degree, gave us a bit more energy then normal." The leader smiled.

            "Why would my presence do so? I understand that perhaps the arrival of a group of newcomers, but you seemed to emphasize me being here."

            "You are Hallowed. My people feel honored, feel blessed and safe."

            Fox fought the urge to wince, turning back to watch the dances, a bit surprised when Fara leapt out of the pattern and strode up to him. "Er, yes?"

            "Come on, you. I'm not going to dance alone." She replied, pulling him to his feet.

            "Fara, I'm very tired…"

            Falco burst into laughter, watching this. "Give it up, Fox, she's not going to let you worm your way out of this one."

            Fox had been watching the dance long enough to know the basic steps, though he still thought he was making a bit of a fool of himself. In the end, most of his group was pulled up and coaxed into joining. The music and laughter of the camp echoed over the desert, slowly lessening as time went on, finally falling silent, except for the happy, beautiful notes of a lone violin.

            "Why are you still awake?"

            Alan glanced up as Fox joined him. "I don't sleep."

            "You should." Fox sat down beside him, looking at the river. "Especially with the sheer heat of this place."

            There was a long silence, then Alan shook his bow at Fox. "Why'd you argue when Fara asked you to dance?"

            "I spoke truthfully, I was tired. Still am."

            "Boo hoo. And I suppose you're going to say that you didn't enjoy yourself?"

            Fox started to say something, then stopped and looked thoughtful.

            "It was a very appropriate song she brought you in on too. Tzamah L'Cha Nafshi:

 My Soul Thirsts for You. I sing it to the one above; I sing it to the one I love." His voice burst from his chest, beautiful, wonderful.

            "So that's what it means, eh?" Fox chuckled, bowing his head.

            "Do you know what I think?"

            "I don't think anyone knows what you think."

            Alan laughed. "This is very true, my fearless leader. I think that you and Fara should find a priest that your gods approve of and marry before we return." Seeing Fox's gawk, he easily continued. "You and she, you two share a love that nothing, not even time or death, would sever. So why not finalize it and unite? I mean, I don't give a care about her parents, an arrangement, or some stuck-up prince. Truth and true love should not be restricted by those things."

            Fox sighed very heavily. "Alan, you are an idealist, aren't you?"

            "I live in a wonderful world, fearless leader." Was the cheerful reply.

            "The world doesn't work the way you would like it to."

            "Yes, but that doesn't mean we can try and make it do so." Alan's eyes sparkled. "Do consider it. If you go back, and her parents go through with the arrangement, it will shatter you and you know that fact. So why not just dismiss the whole thing?"

            Fox stood, brushing sand off his clothing. "It's not that simple."

            "It all depends how you see it." Alan watched as Fox retreated to bed, then shook his head and turned his gaze to the stars. "Heironeous, does your disciple always make life hard for himself?"

            You'd be surprised, but yes, he does.

            He didn't as much as blink. "I was under the impression you were rather busy, Lord Heironeous."

            Not so busy that I could not watch mortals dancing and loving life. Goodnight, Bard of Olidammara.

            "Goodnight."

            Morning dawned hot and hazy, though a cool wind blew over the camp thanks to the river. The gypsy caravan and Fox's group parted ways cheerfully, many thanks going either way.

            After about half an hour of cheerful travel, Julian suddenly turned to Fox. "Ok, so tell me. Why did you tell the gypsy leader that you're a Hallowed?"

            The others looked at him.

            Fox smiled very slowly. "Alan is extremely perceptive, but over the last while it has become blatantly obvious. Julian, I told him that I am a Hallowed because I am."

            His party blinked at him.

            "And I am marked, it just can't be seen. There is a lightning-bolt shaped blaze across one of my hips. I was born with it. Heironeous touched me before I was even brought into this world. Likewise with my father, who had a similar mark across his chest. Don't tell me any of you are surprised."

            "I know I'm not." Falco shook his head.

            "Oh yes, I'm not sure if I told you all this, but apparently something is happening in the city. According to the gypsy leader, something evil is lurking there." Julian jumped back into the conversation.

            "My, another chance for us to be good Samaritans." Alan said.

            "It would seem that way." Fox agreed. "We'll have to see what kind of 'evil' he was speaking of, though."

            By nightfall, they had entered the city, and between Alan and Julian they had gotten their mounts stabled safely and were at a rather nice inn. Katt, Slippy, Peppy, and Rita ended up sitting on the floor of one of the rooms, pulling books out of Slippy's bag of holding and going through, looking for information on the gate disk. The others either retired or left the inn temporarily, wandering the city.

            Falco and Alan were on their way back from a bar, a bit tipsy and laughing, when Falco stopped and froze, looking around. "Do you hear that?"

            "What?" Alan paused, then listened.

            A whispery laugh echoed to them, seeming to circle them even as it sounded. Falco spun, trying to orient on the sound, pulling out a pair of knives from seemingly nowhere, muscles tense.

            "Smells evil." Alan remarked, glancing around. "Feels cold." These phrases were said almost absently, distantly.

            Falco shushed him, trying to focus on the laughter, and barely saw the knife whistle toward him. He brought his up in an X, catching the thrown knife between them, and leapt into action, sprinting.

            The laughter reached him again, and he was suddenly on a goose chaise through the city. What he was after was silent and evil, but by the time he had to stop, gasping for air, he had a good idea about just what it was.

            "Now, what was that all about?" Alan swaggered up, offering a fresh bottle of wine.

            Falco took the bottle and belted some back. "We have to find Fox. Now."

            Fox had joined the scholars of the group in their search when Falco burst into the room, gasping for air, sweat streaming down. Alan more leisurely ambled in behind him, taking a drink from a mostly-empty bottle while he did.

            "Hey, now, easy there. What happened?" Fox asked, standing and helping Falco to a seat. Falco wiped sweat away, calming his breathing.

            "I think I found that evil that your gypsy friend was talking about." He replied, and held up the knife that had been thrown at him.

            It was exquisitely carved, beautifully worked, and obviously very old. Falco wasn't directly touching it, rather had wrapped a piece of cloth around it.

            "I'd say this is about three hundred years old." He continued, letting everyone take a good look at it. "We're going to have to have this melted down by some very holy people. This is so imbued with evil and poison it burns to touch."

            "Do you have any idea who the owner is?" Katt asked, closing the tome she had been reading and taking a close look at the knife.

            "I have a suspicion, and perhaps this is a bit ironic. Do you all know what happens when a Hallowed such as Fox forsakes their god?"

            They all looked at him, realization dawning on their faces.

            "Are you saying that an Unhallowed lives in this city?" Peppy slowly asked.

            "I'm afraid so." Was the grim reply. "An Unhallowed thief, sure as I'm alive."

            There were several long moments of silence. Slippy and Rita shared a look, and as one reached for other books, flipping through pages, looking for references to the Unhallowed and ways to purge their presence.

            "So, we going to get rid of it?" Alan asked, sitting down and offering the bottle to anyone who wanted a drink. Katt accepted, then Falco.

            "I'm not sure if we can." Rita admitted. "Why don't you all retire and leave us to our research, for now. We will have the full run down in the morning."

            Those not a scholar left to their own rooms, all deep in thought.

            'Fox?'

            'Fara, why are you awake?' He replied, sitting down on the bed in his room and rubbing the back of his neck absently.

            'I just woke up, and listened to what's going on. Are the Unhallowed all that dangerous?'

            Fox stared into the distance, eyes unfocused for a moment. 'They're nearly impossible to kill, but I have never faced one myself. We shall have to wait until morning to see if there is anything we can do about this Unhallowed's presence here.'

            'All right. Good night, then.'

            "I imagine we all know what a Hallowed is." Slippy said, picking up a bowl and making a wild guess with one of the local eating utensils.

            "Well we have been traveling with one for a while." Bill said, licking spices off his lips. "Not that that really means much, of course."

            "Well, I'll give some details anyway. A Hallowed is when a child is born touched by a god. They tend to be stronger, faster, more beautiful and cunning then almost any other child. They also carry multiple blessings and are destined for greatness." Said Katt, glancing at Fox, who was trying very hard to blend in with the wall. "All in all, they aren't very common, at most one per century per god."

            "Bit more common for Heironeous, eh?" Alan looked at Fox, who smiled weakly. "Two in the same century in the same family line…"

            "Regardless of how Fox came to be one, a Hallowed goes on to live the life of a mighty hero, a great paramour, a righteous holy man, et cetera." Rita picked up where Katt had left off.

            "… 'Great paramour'?" Fara repeated, mind going every which way.

            "Just how it sounds. The gods do this to people because it helps spread their Word and brings them followers. However, there is just one problem with this practice."

            "People are fallible, power can corrupt, and trust can be betrayed with a single word or act." Peppy said, thinking of a few past events in his life. "So sometimes, though it is very rare as the Hallowed are rare unto themselves, a Hallowed falls from their grace and is forever cursed by their token God. The trouble is, their gifts and blessings often corrupt with them, and they do not give their sudden undead lives up easily. They can disguise their horrid appearance with illusion, and take more pleasure in ruining the lives of mortals then in anything else."

            "So, they're basically zombies with attitude problems." Alan said, uncorking a new bottle of wine.

            "Not hardly. Unhallowed are invincible." Said Katt grimly.

            This brought silence to the table.

            "Then how exactly does one go about killing one?" Julian asked. "There is a way, right?"

            "Yes, but it isn't easy." Slippy said. "You've got to find out their real name and the crime they committed to fall from grace. If you can even find that out, you have to get the Unhallowed on holy land, and call its name and crime out to get the attention of its former god. Once its unholy will is stripped away, the battle may be fought, but it will not be easy."

            Silence again fell.

            "Well, then, I believe we are going to have to split up to get some certain tasks done." Fox said, rubbing his chin. "Slippy, Katt, Rita, could you continue to look into the gate disk? Thank you. Peppy, Julian, Bill, Fara, I'd like you to get us resupplied, at least enough so that we might better function, as we are not truly making the journey home. Alan, Falco, could you look into the matter of this Unhallowed thief? I know that you will be the best at information gathering." He stood, cracking his knuckles, having finished eating during the debriefing.

            "And where, pray tell, are you going?" Falco asked.

            Fox looked at him. "Hunting."

            Fara sighed, ignoring the stares of the citizens as she rode down the street, scratching her hippogriff behind an ear absently. It cooed appreciatively.

            "You're going to need a special saddle." Bill remarked. "I went through and added it up in my head, just tack alone will cost us a fortune."

            "I don't think we need to bother with it yet, we don't know yet if we're going to be extensively traveling." Peppy said. "My personal problem will be my Arcane bow, which was broken. I'm not sure if I will be able to get a replacement here."

            Julian, who had been scanning signs, turned and led them into a market, dismounting and leading his horse. Everyone had at least a halter or bridle thanks to the stables they had left their steeds at, but that was it. The others followed suit, gathering for a moment.

            "I suppose just general supplies will do for now, some of the shopping will have to be done by the people who need it though." Said Bill, and they dolled out the tasks and separated.

            Fara wandered the market, smiling as those selling their wares called out to her and gestured. She felt a bit awkward here, most women seemed very covered and wore veils, yet her hair tossed in a wave around her and she wore clothing that was more suited to a man. A few of the older men in the market seemed a bit incensed at this, but since her steed was a hippogriff, no one argued or approached her about it.

            Her mind wandered to the more recent events, and she reached out to touch Fox's mind. He gently brushed her away, he was busy. Busy doing what she wasn't sure, but she supposed that since he was a Hallowed, he was looking for the Unhallowed thief.

            She brought herself back to reality, trying to focus on the task at hand. She supposed she would find out soon enough.

            "Well, you're a thief, what god would a thief follow?" Alan asked, leaning on a railing next to Falco, looking down at the road that passed below them.

            "If he followed one at all?" Falco rubbed his chin, going through the known gods in his head. "And supposing that he followed a god that still exists and is known today?"

            "Yeah, supposing those things. I mean, he's Unhallowed, he had to have a god at some point." Alan reasoned.

            "True." Falco sank into thought. "We can rule out Heironeous and Pelor immediately, likewise Hextor, Wee Jas, Saint Cuthbert…" He sighed. "Ok, of the mainstream gods, there are only about four possibilities. Corellon Larethian, Fharlanghn, Kord, and Olidammara. Of course, those are just mainstream gods."

            Alan nodded. "I have one. Enkili."

            "Who?"

            "He's a trickster god. The plague wretches of the Bayou give him the nod."

            "Ah. Makes sense." He shoved away from the railing, and they started strolling down the walkway.

            "I think we can rule out Corellon, I highly doubt that. If Corellon took it upon himself to take one of Gruumsh's eyes, I think we can probably say he'd take out his own Unhallowed."

            "I don't speak to Gods like Fox does, so I'll go along with that." Falco tossed a hand. "I'm willing to rule out Kord, because strength is not all that important to a thief, and Kord is a good god."

            "So that leaves us Fharlanghn, Olidammara, and Enkili." Alan scratched his head. "Perhaps we should consult a priest?"

            "I doubt any would be willing to help us. There are few temples to these particular gods, and we are a bit out of our element in the first place… wait just a minute, here." Falco stopped and looked at Alan. "How old are you? Just curious."

            "I don't even remember." Alan spread his hands and smiled.

            "Well, regardless, you've been a bard for a while. Do you know any ballads of a particularly silver-tongued thief?"

            Alan processed this. "Sure, several. Why?"

            They looked at each other for a long moment.

            "Ah. I see."

            They shared a grin and continued their walk.

            "I thank you for being willing to give me an audience, Priest." Fox said, not moving from where he was knelt.

            "Rise." The Priest, a very old and very wise man, had to smile. He was originally a westerner himself, and this young man that had come to him for his council glowed with holiness. "You are a very pious young man, aren't you?"

            "To be quite honest, I am a Hallowed."

            "I am honored! What brings you to me, then?"

            "I saw the lightning bolt insignia carved amongst the other insignias outside, and I knew that I had found a place of worship to Heironeous. I was a bit surprised, I wasn't aware his touch extended here."

            "It doesn't, really. I brought his influence here four or so decades ago when I moved here. This was before the crusades, mind you. I see you are familiar with that particular piece of history?"

            "Yes, my father was a crusader."

            "Well, then, come into my office, young man."

            Fox willingly followed. "I currently lead a rather diverse group of adventurers and explorers. We ended up in this area only recently, to be quite honest, and it is a long story as to how we did happen to come here. I believe you might have some inkling as to why, though."

            "Yes." The priest paused, gesturing for him to sit then sitting himself. "You seek to bring balance back to the world."

            "Yes."

            "But why come to me? I sense you are able to directly speak to Heironeous himself. I must say that even as a loyal priest I have never had the honor of doing so."

            "Something has come up."

            "Oh?"

            "An Unhallowed lives in this fair city. The thief in my group brought it to my attention last night, and I know that they are nearly impossible to purge from an area."

            "Yes, I have also felt the taint of something in the city, but I was not aware until now that it was an Unhallowed. You have come to me for advice, then."

            "Yes."

            The Priest was silent for quite some time. "Just trying to find out what an Unhallowed did to fall from grace can be a quest unto itself, and I am not sure if you have the time to deviate from the quest you are on now."

            "That is what I am worried about, but I am not willing to leave this fair city at the claws of such a vile thing."

            "What do you wish me to advise you on then, Hallowed Paladin?"

            "If you would allow it, I would like to request two things of you."

            "What things?"

            "I would like to know where the Unhallowed hides, and I would like to be blessed, if you would be willing."

            The Priest smiled. "I think I may be able to find such information out, and I would be honored to do so."

            That evening at dinner, the group consolidated at the restaurant they had eaten at that morning, all with various reports. Rita reported that they were going to consult a group of craftsmen about the gate disk tomorrow, Peppy reported that they had basic supplies but they would need to start trading the jewelry from the dragon's hoard for money and that they needed specifics on what the group needed.

            "We think we have a name." Alan announced gleefully. "Falco and I spent some time sifting through ballads and tales, even went so far as to borrow a book or two from Slippy…"

            "He had to do most of the reading, though." Falco admitted begrudgingly, rubbing a temple. Staring at text for any length of time gave him a headache. "We also narrowed it down to three different gods, but if what we found out is true, the thief is an Unhallowed follower of Enkili, a trickster god."

            "And I found out where the thief makes his home currently, or a few of the places he is believed to be." Fox said, elbows propped on the table and fingertips pressed together. "You say that you know the crime this thief committed?"

            "We believe so, but if we are right, this thief died over four hundred years ago." Alan said. "That's a long, long time, and you know I creatively tell my stories. All bards do, and creativeness over time can warp the truth."

            "So we have the name, we have the God the thief betrayed, and we have where this thief hides." Bill rubbed his chin. "So now what? Do we track down and expose the Unhallowed?"

            "That only leaves us open for attacks." Julian said. "Because this Unhallowed is certain to be a master of stealth."

            "He is." Falco said grimly.

            The group looked at each other.

            "I think that only I should go. I have talents that are similar to this Unhallowed." Falco continued. "The only problem is that I am not on close terms with any God, much less Enkili. Someone will have to come to call to Enkili for me."

            This started a rather spirited debate, and in the end, it was decided that Fox, Katt, and Falco would go.

            "Why would an Unhallowed hide on holy ground? Isn't that rather dangerous for it?" Katt asked as they entered the courtyard of the monastery.

            "Not hardly. The gods here are foreign to the Unhallowed and don't pose too much of a danger. Besides, one hardly looks for evil to be hiding right next to righteousness." Fox replied. "Though strangely that's always where it seems to be…" He stopped and took a step back, looking at a crossbow shaft that had struck a wooden post right in front of his nose. "And it seems that we have come to the right place."

            "May I help you, foolish mortals?"

            Katt replied by stepping forward, pressing her hands together and raising a circle of protection around herself. Then she lifted her hands to the skies. "Enkili, we plea to you, hear us now. We have found one of your servants, one who turned their back on you and betrayed you…" She saw a blurred form race toward her, and processed something before shouting the rest to the sky. "Enkili, we face your fallen servant Alexandria L'Taric, who killed four monks to further enhance her life…" She got no further as she was plowed down, circle of protection or not. She saw a knife blade flash in the air, and cast holy bolt, shocking the Unhallowed enough to make the thief back off.

            "So. You figured out who I am." The caped figure laughed, arms crossed, one hand still clasping the knife. "Congratulations. Do you really think that you three can defeat me, even if Enkili turned his eyes here tonight?"

            Fox's fire halo appeared, and Falco drew his sword.

            "Oh. Such is the way of things. This may be a bit of a challenge then."

            Katt, who had staggered a safe distance away, dropped down to her knees, casting another circle of protection. "Enkili, hear us. Your fallen servant faces us now, but her unholy will is too strong for us to fully defeat her. Hear us now and aid our fight."

            "You seem a bit confident, for one who is already on holy land and is having her name and crime called to her god." Falco remarked, sheathing his sword and making a symbol with one hand.

            Alexandria eyed him, and repeated the symbol back. "You wish to face me, Guild Thief?"

            "You bring scorn to my profession." He replied, taking a few steps forward so they stood about six feet apart. "And you have no concept of Thieves' Honor."

            "There is no honor among thieves, stupid mortal. I learned that long ago. There are only the rich and the poor and I know who I wish to be among." She laughed harshly.

            Katt stared up at the sky, continuing her plea, switching to Elven, her chants rising and falling against the stone walls of the monastery.

            "Wealth is only a cruel irony when a person is already dead." He replied, and when she growled, he knew his comment had hit home. He sent a glance to Fox, who stepped back and crossed his arms, taking the role of silent observer for now. If Falco had any trouble at all in this fight, Fox would join in beside him, and Falco knew it.

            "And I suppose you have made peace with your god, then." Alexandria's voice was a bare snarl as she drew another knife.

            He took off his cape and tossed it aside, then tossed his sword to Fox, also drawing a pair of knives. "It is time that you made peace with yours."

            Enkili.

            The shapeshifter god, who had been playing with hurricanes in the Mediterranean, looked up. Heironeous. Long time, no see. May I help you?

            No, but do you remember a servant of yours named Alexandria L'Taric?

            Enkili winced. How could I forget?

            She has been found and a companion of one of my own Hallowed is about to face her. Don't you think you could perhaps lend a hand? If you do not, L'Taric will just rise again tomorrow night.

            All right, I suppose I shall. What is all this about your brother Hextor, by the way? I heard that you two have been having some problems.

            Hextor and I have never gotten along, Enkili. Now, go see to your Unhallowed.

            The monastery courtyard, which had been lit by torches, suddenly was filled with intense bright light, beams of it coming down from the heavens. Alexandria cried out in surprise, glancing around wildly, then renewed her attack against Falco.

            Katt relaxed, standing and joining Fox, watching the fight silently. Falco did have skills that were similar, and he had always been adept at knives, however, this Unhallowed was faster then he, and every move she made unless she spoke was silent, absolutely silent.

            "Enkili heard, I take it?" Fox asked, looking to Katt.

            "Yes. I think most of the gods did. Cuthbert in particular seemed to think that an Unhallowed was everyone's problem, not just the problem of the Unhallowed's particular God."

            He rose an eyebrow, but said nothing. He could believe that. The gods seemed to have more problems then most mortals did.

            The monks of the monastery had of course heard the fight going on, and at this point one stepped out into the courtyard, watching the fight with wide eyes, staring around at the brilliant lights that streamed down from the heavens. He glanced at Fox and Katt, who were watching the fight with interest but not taking part in it, and stepped forward, opening his mouth to protest what was going on.

            Alexandria saw her chance and lunged, grabbing the monk and getting behind him, setting her knife to the monk's throat. "Let me go." She ordered Falco. "Or he dies."

            Falco put his knives away and held up his hands. "Don't do that, L'Taric. It will only further damn you."

            "Do you actually respect these pathetic men, who waste their lives in the service of a god?" She spat.

            He looked at her. "I respect them highly. And my leader is a Hallowed. No it is not me who has been misled, L'Taric. It is you."

            "Enough! He dies!" She shouted, pressing the knife closer to the throat of the monk.

            That's enough.

            A beam of white lightning came down from the heavens and directly struck Alexandria, somehow missing the monk, who staggered free as Alexandria shrieked, dropping her knives. The monk staggered, accepting an arm of support from Fox, who had come forward, his halo ablaze.

            Fox looked down at the monk, who asked him a question in the local language, and just smiled a bit to reassure him.

            Alexandria picked up her knives and lunged at Falco, who pulled his back out and easily defended. Enkili's move had greatly slowed her down, and within moments he shoved one of the knives into her heart.

            No blood appeared, no fluid at all. With a shriek of pain, she dissolved to ash, Falco's knife dropping to the sand floor of the courtyard. He picked it up and wiped the blade on an edge of his tunic absently, returning to where Fox stood.

            "Why is it do you think that these things always happen when we are around?" He asked, picking his cape up and shaking sand off it.

            "I would tell you if I knew." Fox shook his head. "As Alan would say, that is why they call it an adventure. Let's return to the inn. Tomorrow, we must see about the gate disk."