TO THE FESTIVAL

The merchant wagon headed on down the road, festival bound. Now, they had some new passengers. Crichton and company were grateful for the ride, and the merchants were relieved to have what appeared to be VERY formidable warriors and a king in exile for a relatively modest amount of currency, and what they reasoned to be much in prestige. After all, they had in their company the King of Hyneria with them. Such noble company couldn't help but reflect positively upon them.

Or so Closus, silk czar, hoped so, anyway. The King, in the company of strange warriors, well, that couldn't help but shine off on company, right? Should be worth a few more Crowns.

"Let me say, it's an honor to have you making the trip with us, Highness," Closus schmoozed, as his daughter, a comely young wench with light brown hair, grey eyes and a somewhat vacant expression fed Rygel, and giggled at his voraciousness.

"Mm…yes," Rygel nodded. He then swallowed and turned to Closus and asked, "Explain something to me then, Closus. Have our two nations always had such an amiable relationship?"

"Oh, suredly, Lord," Closus enthused. "Your Lordship has been in exile not so long as to forget the long trade relationship our powers have enjoyed?"

"Oh, no, no…," Rygel said, "It's that I've been out in the wilderness a long time, waiting for the chance to re-emerge. One cannot rush such things, to be sure. And one needs information about the upstarts who hold my throne in abstentia."

"Oh, your highness, the Death Monitors hold your Realm. The word is, a darkness is creeping over the land, and the Death Monitor Army is a servant of the darkness. Your realm is being held by them. Your people have been enslaved, if not outright destroyed. No one knows, as no one has returned from a visit to your realm."

"I see," said Rygel. He then noticed how Closus' pleasantly plump wife was staring at Chianna, who had been happily snacking, and passing up food to the roof for Cricthton and D'argo.

Chianna noticed it, too. Recalling something Cricthton has said to her, she snarked, "Take a picture, lady, it lasts longer!"

"I'm sorry," Closus' wife said, her mild voice expressing her embarrassment. "It's just that…"

"What?", Chianna asked.

"You are one of the fingers of Darkness."

"WHAT?", Chianna asked again.

Closus looked and Chianna wonderingly, "How can you not know? Your entire nation has been subverted by the darkness. They act as one mind, for one mind is what they have. The mind of the darkness. They move as one. They fight as one. Blue skin, dark eyes, dead souls."

"Have you ever even met one of my people before?", Chianna asked?

"You are the first, this close," Closus' wife said, "But I have seen your army…", she paused, then continued. Ten years ago, when the darkness first arrived, I lived in Georgeshire, to the West. Your people were our neighbors. And for the most part, relationships were satisfactory."

Her voice then became softer, and she stared intently at Chianna, continuing, "Then the Cult of Darkness began. Most wrote them off as a fringe element. They were persecuted by the local authorities, but not taken seriously. However, their leader began to demonstrate strange powers. And his numbers began mysteriously growing. One after the other, members of your nation seemed to surrender their soul. They claimed a supernatural serenity. Others called it 'death of soul.' And now, your whole nation has been taken by the darkness, Lady."

Chianna shuddered, "No…no one left?"

"They all have been taken, at least, that's the word," Closus nodded gravely.

"Krais…fing Kraise. How did he get here? And THAT was Talyn? What do you make of all that, D'argo?" Crichton wondered.

"I don't know, John. None of this makes sense to me. But I can tell you, to my senses, that WAS Krais."

"And here's another thing. We've got invasions going on, Armies of Darkness, zombies, and all that…why are we on the way to a party?"

The man on the reins turned to him and said, "We are still alive, sir. And the armies haven't reached us yet. If we are to die, shouldn't we enjoy whatever life is left?"

Crichton thought and said, "Can't argue with that, friend."

Aeryn was guided to a platform, an aerie, where her dragon landed. Distant platforms were occupied by other dragons, except for a few empty ones. A tender came up to lay out feed for her dragon.

She sighed, not sure what to do next.

Then, a young man in black leather armor hurried up to her and saluted.

"Officer Sun, welcome back! Lord Scorpius wishes to debrief you immediately! Please, follow me!"