:. Dammit .: Sent Rebun to his Herald, as he watched the young boy melt
into the shadows of the night. :. That was him, wasn't it? .:
"Probably," came the monotone reply. Herald Sen was a man of few words, all of them in a single curiously flat tone. However, he was one of the best investigative Heralds in Valdemar. Singularly brilliant, his keen mind locked away even the minutest details of the scene that lay before him. The girl, now prone on the forest floor, was a pretty creature. Pretty enough that Sen might have suspected a passion killing or rape, had he not seen the sickly green lines the young boy had been tracing onto the girl's forehead. He knew the symbol well. It was in an ancient tongue that almost all had forgotten, often used by mages for more archaic magics. Vaishtele. That was the nearest word the K'Leshya gryphons could translate it out too, the meaning couldn't even be guessed at.
He did know one thing about that symbol though. It had been appearing on the foreheads of murdered young women all over Valdemar. The work of a bloodpath mage, to be exact. Or at least that was what the Valdemaren council and the members of the Heraldic Circle had decided. Sen and his Companion Rebun had been tracking this particular mage for well over a year. So far he had killed at least nine, the last one within the bounds of Haven itself.
:. Bastard. I didn't think he would look so young. .: mumbled the Rebun into his Chosen's head. :. I would have charged sooner if I'd known. .:
"Yup." Sen replied, kneeling over the young girl's body. He felt more than a tinge of guilt himself, having hesitated in loosing an arrow into the boy's back. Poor girl. He wondered what she would look like animated, smiling with her dark hair flowing. Her skin a creamy white, tinged even now with hints of pink. He was caught by that flushed pink tone of her skin, contemplating. Usually the victims were an unusually grey-blue tint, particularly prominent around the face. Perhaps.. . A flutter of hope gripped his heart as Sen bent down to place his hand under the girl's chin, lifting it gently to feel her pulse. It was there. A strong beat, for all that she seemed dead. On a closer examination, Sen could see the minute rise and fall of the girl's chest with each breath she took. "Rebun. Girl's alive."
The Companion immediately perked his head up, nearly knocking Sen over in an attempt to look at the girl himself. :. By the gods. We did get here in time! She'll need a healer though. Can you get her on my back? Do you think it's safe to move her? .:
"Don't know." The Herald gazed at her intently before seeming to look through her. Without a word, he leaned over and picked up the young woman in his arms. Rebun bent down so that Sen could place her in the saddle with relative ease, before sliding in behind her. He gripped her tightly as Rebun rose, making sure that she did not fall.
:. Haven is fairly close. Might be a good idea to have some mind healers look her over. Particularly, if she was at that tavern a mark back. It was a slaughterhouse there. .:
Sen simply grunted his consent, frowning in concentration. "We'll need Talia."
"Probably," came the monotone reply. Herald Sen was a man of few words, all of them in a single curiously flat tone. However, he was one of the best investigative Heralds in Valdemar. Singularly brilliant, his keen mind locked away even the minutest details of the scene that lay before him. The girl, now prone on the forest floor, was a pretty creature. Pretty enough that Sen might have suspected a passion killing or rape, had he not seen the sickly green lines the young boy had been tracing onto the girl's forehead. He knew the symbol well. It was in an ancient tongue that almost all had forgotten, often used by mages for more archaic magics. Vaishtele. That was the nearest word the K'Leshya gryphons could translate it out too, the meaning couldn't even be guessed at.
He did know one thing about that symbol though. It had been appearing on the foreheads of murdered young women all over Valdemar. The work of a bloodpath mage, to be exact. Or at least that was what the Valdemaren council and the members of the Heraldic Circle had decided. Sen and his Companion Rebun had been tracking this particular mage for well over a year. So far he had killed at least nine, the last one within the bounds of Haven itself.
:. Bastard. I didn't think he would look so young. .: mumbled the Rebun into his Chosen's head. :. I would have charged sooner if I'd known. .:
"Yup." Sen replied, kneeling over the young girl's body. He felt more than a tinge of guilt himself, having hesitated in loosing an arrow into the boy's back. Poor girl. He wondered what she would look like animated, smiling with her dark hair flowing. Her skin a creamy white, tinged even now with hints of pink. He was caught by that flushed pink tone of her skin, contemplating. Usually the victims were an unusually grey-blue tint, particularly prominent around the face. Perhaps.. . A flutter of hope gripped his heart as Sen bent down to place his hand under the girl's chin, lifting it gently to feel her pulse. It was there. A strong beat, for all that she seemed dead. On a closer examination, Sen could see the minute rise and fall of the girl's chest with each breath she took. "Rebun. Girl's alive."
The Companion immediately perked his head up, nearly knocking Sen over in an attempt to look at the girl himself. :. By the gods. We did get here in time! She'll need a healer though. Can you get her on my back? Do you think it's safe to move her? .:
"Don't know." The Herald gazed at her intently before seeming to look through her. Without a word, he leaned over and picked up the young woman in his arms. Rebun bent down so that Sen could place her in the saddle with relative ease, before sliding in behind her. He gripped her tightly as Rebun rose, making sure that she did not fall.
:. Haven is fairly close. Might be a good idea to have some mind healers look her over. Particularly, if she was at that tavern a mark back. It was a slaughterhouse there. .:
Sen simply grunted his consent, frowning in concentration. "We'll need Talia."