CHAPTER 2

The steps of the adventurers were echoeing all around the woods. The crackling of dead leaves was melded with the heavy breathing. Hashan was on the lead, holding a torch in a hand and his sword in the other, trying to spot anything unusual in the complete darkness ahead. Kara was right behind him, with her bow tight in her hand; an arrow already prepared to be fired. Corister and Lea were side by side, paying attention to every bush nearby.

After some hours of running, they could notice the first rays of sunlight bursting through the bark of the trees. Hashan instintively slowed down his steps, and the others did the same. The fear was now vanishing, and their bodies were in need of rest. When they finally reached the border of the forest, they didn't share a word to discuss if they should stop at that moment. Hashan simply bumped his back against a thick stem and Corister started scanning the ground for sticks. Kara ran her eyes over the green hills ahead of them, with the vague impression of having heard screams in the distance. For a moment, she imagined it was some delayed effect from the frightening previous night.

A few minutes later they were all sat down on the grass, filling up their stomachs with some boiling soup. Corister had a small iron cauldron in his bag, which was proving to be quite useful in times like those. The pleasant smell renewed their strength, and soon all their pain had vanished completely. Corister stood up to stretch his legs, but suddenly froze to the spot, his eyes focused on the hill top nearby. He seemed shaken.

— Stand up. Now.

By the tone of his voice, Kara and Hashan could notice that something was going wrong. In a second, both were on their feet, with their weapons drawn.

In the distance they saw four horsemen, riding with haste in their direction. One of them was wearing grey and had a white stallion, and was way ahead from the other three, as if running away. They could clearly see a strange object in his hand, shining in green. In a certain moment the horse was hit in the leg by an arrow coming from its persecutors, and stumble heavily on the grass, throwing its horseman away.

Kara and Hashan moved forward instinctively when they saw the strange man running in their direction, leaving his mount back. They could already hear the neighing of the horses at a gallop. Their riders were screaming wildly, waving their swords around. Kara gulped and armed an arrow.

— Wait. — Corister moaned — Let me try something first.

The mage quickly reached for his bag, and grabbed a strange flask, in which they could see a purple and viscous liquid. He passed it to Hashan, his somber face sweating.

— Aim for the horses. Don't miss it.

The warrior tried to calculate the speed and strength necessary for the casting, but there was no time left. With a growling effort he lifted the flask in the air and released it. The moment seemed to last for ages. As the object crashed to the floor, an explosion of coloured gases burst from the grass, making the three horses call off their charging and raise their feet in the air.

The three warriors fell down to the floor as their horses crossed the coloured cloud and disbanded. Lea rushed to stop the horses, after a quick look from her master. The mage finally turned to the enemies and drew his dagger.

As the man in grey approached their camp, out of breath and about to say something, an arrow ripped the vanishing smoke and hit him in the back, making him stumble over the high grass in front of Kara. The shining staff he was carrying fell some feet ahead.

Startled by the fighters' persistence, Hashan drew a hand axe out of his belt and threw it on one of them, hitting right in the forehead. Kara was too nervous to think straight, and so she missed all of her arrows. Seeing that she would not be able to handle the other two, Hashan drew his sword and charged in their direction. Corister turned to the fallen man and noticed with surprise that he was still alive.

— Th... the staff... — the man moaned.

— It is here. Try not to talk. — Corister was already sure that the

man had no chances of surviving.

— You... must sav... save the staff...

— What are saying, who are you? — The mage noticed that the man's

words had meaning.

— You must take the staff to Hi...Highmoon... don't trust anyone...

— The staff? But why?

— There you will know what to do... much depends on... — The man suddenly gasped and died.

Corister was feeling dizzy, shocked to see the man had died in his arms. As he turned to face his friends, they were walking towards him, the warriors fallen not far from them.

— He's dead. There was no hope left.

— Do you have any idea of who is he?

— No. Nothing.

Breathing fast, Kara walked back to the small campfire and sat on the grass, exhausted. Hashan ran to the hill top, trying to spot anything else in the distance, but all he could see were the chimneys of a distant village. Lea returned with the three horses tamed, and tied to each other by a piece of magic string.

Corister turned himself to the staff on the floor and bent over slowly to take hold of it. The shaft was carved in dark wood and inscribed with mystic drawings. In between them he could spot the symbol of Mystra, the Great Goddess of Magic. On the top there was a small globe made of glass, which seemed to be filled with a strange glowing fluid. The light of the staff was strong as the one of a torch, and Corister felt strange when his hands touched it.

— Corister, what's wrong? — Hashan asked as he approached, noticing the mage was staring deeply at the object.

— As feel as if my future was coming to me and pointing me a new way. And this way seems to be this staff.

— Well, if you think your future is a piece of wood, then your magic study must be really affecting your mind. — The warrior smirked and turned to join Kara.

Corister somehow was right, for his future would be closely linked to the destiny of that object.