Draconians Keeper

"Remind me please how we ended up in this mess again?"

"Your little brother cant keep it in his pants"

"I told you nothing happened. It was a misunderstanding"

"Why didn't you explain that to her father then?"

"You don't think I tried? He wouldn't listen" a bump in the road shook them all to silence but thankfully did not awaken their charge who stirred but did not make a sound. Lance looked out of the waggon they were travelling in and wondered if his father would ever believe any of this. They had been staying in Solanthus and enjoying the sights and sounds of a music festival. Days of good food and long nights of drinking had led to some hours spent in the company of pretty women, some of them dancers. Luca, Jarrin and Aldemere had not returned to the Inn they had been staying at some nights and Lance didn't say a word about it. They teased him a little about it saying that he was saving himself for Solana who was back in Solace. Nonsense he just did not find him self in the mood. Solanthus was proving it self to be a good decision as far as travel plans were concerned but then Aldemere had the ill fate to catch the eye of a draconian, a female who was a rare dancer and the star of one of the shows they went to see. She was admittedly very attractive despite her reptilian features and her eyes were a striking shade of green. She also had a very protective father, who was the owner of the company she was with and who was not at all pleased when he saw how enamoured Aldemere seemed to be with his daughter. Jarrin had tried to warn his little brother away from trouble saying that he should not let himself be bewitched by the smoke of the tent and the scent of perfume when she passed. Not that he was one to talk, having sworn his love for more than one dancer during that week. However when Aldemere did not show up at the Inn that night they knew that he was lost to all words of counsel but they did not count on what happened next. According to Aldemere, Iesha, which was the female draconians name, had just come out of the bath and they were both dressed tastefully sharing an innocent glass of wine and talking when her father had come in and had completely misjudged the situation. Despite Iesha`s please he had drawn his sword and things would have gotten further out of hand had not something odd happened next, and here was where the story got truly bizarre. Five men, claiming to be some of Takhisis`s black priests rushed the pavilion and demanded Iesha`s baby. Her father refused and, with Aldemeres help, chased off the priests who swore to return. Iesha`s father, Drisk, ordered the tents to be pulled up immediately, they were leaving the city at once he then turned on Aldemere and said he had a special job for him and if the valued his manhood he would not refuse.

And that was how they now found themselves travelling in the company of armed draconians with a baby, Iesha`s, nestled in a little basket sound asleep between them. Drisk had only planned on Aldemere coming with them but when he remembered that he had been travelling with three other men he decided to collect them also. So in the middle of the night, at sword point, they had been escorted to the caravan where their weapons were taken away and they were ushered into this waggon with the baby.

"I thought Takhisis was dead or banished or whatever so how could she still have priests?" asked Luca, he whispered, worried that the baby might wake at the sound of his voice after being jostled like that.

"Fools will be fools my brother"

"And whey would they be interested in a baby?"

"I have the feeling that Drisk would kill us if he told us" this from Jarrin, trying to be funny but no one laughed.

"I just wish we knew where in the Abyss we were going" said Aldemere. There had been nothing but fog for some time now and it was thick leaving them with no way to get any bearing on their direction. "If we were not being watched I would say we flee"

"To where? Besides that the Draconians would find us again in no time with their eyes" silence again as everyone contemplated this.

"Well one way or another Drisk is going to have to come clean with us eventually that is if he expects us to be able to protect her. We cant do that unless we know what we are against and why"

"I'm hoping Drisk will have made his mind up about that by the time we reach our destination" while saying this Lance glanced out of the waggon again. There was nothing but fog and he could not see past it. He sighed. "In the mean time lets some of us get some sleep, one of us will have to stay up to watch the baby"

"I'll do it first. I cant sleep anyway" said Aldemere. The others nodded and tried to get comfortable before dozing off. Aldemere rested his chin on his knees and stared at the small baby. It was a girl, Drisk had called her Primist, and she was really rather pretty, like her mother. Aldemere smiled and wondered if anyone would ever believe this story.

The waggon stopped at dawn and they were all ordered out while Iesha climbed in to take care of her baby. The fog had not lifted but it was thin and they could breath. Lance approached Drisk.

"Where are we?"

"Estwilde, we are safe here for now"

"Safe? This is all wide open area"

"With mountain ranges on either side and to the south. Besides that the fog last night would have given us good cover in the dark, we could not have been followed" Drisks tone was irritated, he was not used to being argued with.

"Where are we going?"

"We stay here for now"

"Damn it I've had just about all I can take of this!" Jarrin growled and approached Drisk with powerful strides, gripping the draconian by the front of his tunic and lifting him off his feet.

"Jarrin!" the other draconians had their weapons drawn.

"Diplomacy has failed Lance now I do things my way"

"Put him down, this is your only warning" one of the other lizard men hissed.

"You don't frighten me. You're not Bozak, you're not even Kapak, filthy Bazz I could crush you all with my bare hands. My cousin has tried being reasonable so now you deal with me. Where are we going?" Drisk ran his tongue nervously along his teeth. They had Jarrin easily out numbered but none of them seemed too eager to test themselves or risk their lives against a full grown male Minotaur. After a long silence Drisk nodded stiffly.

"Alright the truth is that I don't know where we're going. We've been running from the priests since Primist was born. She had the unfortunate fate of being born on a significant night of worship for the priests of Takhisis so they want her as a sacrifice"

"They would sacrifice a baby?"

"You don't know them as we do and count yourselves lucky. They will do anything to please their Queen of Darkness even if she is no longer a goddess" Jarrin seemed satisfied with these answers and set Drisk down. The draconian straightened his clothes and then looked past all of them at his daughter and grandchild. "Life on the run like this is no life for a child but what else can we do?"

"I might have an idea if you're willing to hear it" said Lance. Drisk nodded for him to continue. "Even the priests of Takhisis fear the strength of Minotaur. If we can make it to Mithas I know of someone that might be able to help you" the Bazz looked around at his companions who all seemed to have no better ideas of their own.

"Lead on then. Grich, get their weapons" the oldest of the dragon men went to the second waggon and retrieved all of their weapons, handing them back one by one. Lance smiled his thanks to Drisk who nodded back. "Lets get going. Iesha!" the female draconian exited the waggon at her fathers call and Drisk took hold of her hand, leading her to the second waggon Lance and the others climbed back into the waggon where Primist was now awake. Aldemere picked her up as the waggon jolted forward and rocked her slowly. Luca sat close to Lance.

"Are you sure about this brother?"

"No but I have faith that the person we are going to will not turn us or the baby away. The trick is getting to Mithas in one piece"

"Faith? You?" Luca chuckled. Lance smiled grimly.

"I have faith in my family and friends brother if in no one else"

From Estwilde they made their way to one of the many fishing villages along the east coast, weaving through the mountains to hopefully throw off their pursuers, so far it seemed to be working. They could not risk going to the large ports knowing that their enemies might have anticipated that and placed spies there. They camped outside the village and the dragon men covered themselves in their heavy cloaks, careful to keep out of sight. Lance and Luca ventured into the village in the hopes of finding a sound vessel to take them to the island of Mithas, they would need more than a fishing boat. Luckily, in this case an odd word to use, a smuggling ship from Ergoth was there and they were willing to take them aboard, for a price naturally and vowed that if they were caught steeling they would be fed to the sharks, if they were feeling merciful. Lance grudgingly agreed to their price, there was no other choice, and he and Luca returned to Drisk with their news.

"And you trust them? They could sell us out to the priests"

"No and that is true but they are the only way that we might make it to the island. So long as you all stay out of sight and don't touch anything there should not be a problem" Drisk did not like it, Lance could see that plainly, but he nodded anyhow and began assigning the watch for the night. Lance watched him for a few moments before joining the others where they had sat to eat their supper. Iesha took advantage of her fathers preparations to sneak off and join them. She did not sit but she smiled at all of them.

"Thank you for helping Prim. I know you had no choice and that my father forced you to but still I thank you"

"What we are doing now we are doing because we want to. We wont let those black hearted priests have what they want, what you are does not matter" said Lance as he returned her smile. Iesha smiled wider and bowed to them before returning to the waggon to be with her baby. They all finished their supper quietly and then got the order of the watch from one of the other dragon men.

In the morning they ate a quick breakfast and hurried to meet the ship. It was not grand by any standards and it was small but that meant it would be fast in the water. After the waggons were pulled up and secured on the deck Lances party and the draconians were shown below. They did not ask the smugglers how they intended to by pass the maelstrom in the Blood Sea of Istar because they all seemed to be of the same mind of trying not to think about it as little as possible. They were willing at least to trust that these smugglers, having survived the trip before, knew what they were doing and leave it at that. They were placed among the cargo, there being no separate rooms, and prepared for an unpleasant journey. On the morning of the second day they were to pass dangerously close to the maelstrom and go between the two islands south east of Mithas. Lance and the others came up on the deck to watch the massive storm as they passed. The draconians stayed below where they felt they would be safest. None of them could imagine a door to the Abyss being more terrifying. The roar of the maelstrom was louder than that of a dragon as the red waters that gave the sea its name rushed and swirled toward oblivion. The man at the helm fought the currents the ship crept closer to the farthest edge of the storm. Aldemere broke out in a sweat and Jarrin placed a hand upon his shoulder.

"They have done this before brother. We are safe" Aldemere nodded and turned from the sight of the storm to try and put his mind on something else, not an easy task with that roar all around them. A shadow passed over the deck, too big to be that of a gull. Aldemere looked up and felt his blood run cold.

"Sivak. Sivak! Lance its a Sivak!" Lance whirled around and found he could no longer fake surprise. It was a Sivak, all nine feet of one with scales of beaten silver and it wasn't alone. There were five more all circling the ship. The smugglers reached for their weapons.

"Wait!" Lance rushed forward and took hold of the captains arm, "four of them are female. If you kill them this ship will be burned to ashes"

"What do you expect us to do? Just let them land and rob us blind?" Lance opened his mouth to reply, but he had no answer. Without a mage they were pretty much done for. If the females fell on deck they could put the fires out but if any of them hit the sails.

"Lance!" Luca`s voice brought Lance back to himself and he looked up to see all the Sivak preparing to dive bomb the ship. They were going to break straight through the deck to get below where their target waited. No time for thinking.

"Luca open fire! Take them down! Do it now!" the half elf nodded and grabbed to his bow. By know the creatures were speeding toward the ship at an incredible speed. Luca fired three arrows and struck true. The first two fell to the deck and the crew were quick upon them dousing the flames with large buckets from the fresh water barrels on deck. The third mercifully spun off course and fell into the sea, narrowly missing the ships rail. Unfortunately it was too late to fire again. With a mighty crash the two remaining Sivak broke through the deck. Lance took up his sword and raced for one of the two gaping holes, not waiting for anyone to follow. He heard Iesha scream and followed it to where she stood amid her father and his warriors, clutching her baby tight. The Sivak were communicating in their own tongue to Drisk so Lance could not understand it but from Drisks tone Lance knew he was being defiant and that was not wise when dealing with a Sivak. Lance gripped his sword tight and charged, aiming for the male but his blow was intercepted by his companion who hissed at him revealing gleaming teeth and a long red tongue. She managed to push him back but Lance would not relent. He held his ground and pressed forward, matching his strength against hers. She seemed surprised and hissed again, perhaps with a little less confidence than before. Meanwhile the male had already made quick work of two of Drisks men and had thrown the Bazz aside. Lance growled and shifted his weight down and then forward and up knocking the female off her feet. Lance leapt over her just as he heard foot steps rushing in behind him, he did not look to see who, he was focused on one thing, protecting the baby. The Sivak made a grab for Iesha to ducked and ran down the hall with the Sivak in close pursuit.

"No! Iesha come back!" Lance ran after them paying no heed to the voices calling his name. They could handle the remaining female on their own. Iesha was quick and managed to find her way above deck where the Sivak finally caught up with her. She held Primist close as he inched forward.

"If you do not wish to part with her I can always take the both of you. We can always use another servant" the Sivak leered giving the word servant a more sordid meaning.

"You cant have Primist, I wont let you take her"

"I'm afraid you have no choice. Give her to me!" the Sivak rushed forward and Iesha evaded him with ease, running toward the wheel deck, where the helmsman had almost steered them clear of the storm. The Sivak made to follow but found his path blocked by Lance.

"If you value your life lizard you will leave now. I will not let you have that baby"

"You may have defeated my subordinates but you are no match for me boy"

"Care to test me?" the Sivak roared and Lance braced himself but still shook when the heavy blow of the sword came. They traded blows only a handful of times as Lance was kept on the defence by the large dragon man. The force of his blows never lessened and Lance could feel himself tiring, he could not keep this up. Sudden white hot pain took him as the Sivak blade bit into his shoulder and forced him to his knees. The draconian did not bother to finish the job and sped off after his prize. Lance heard Iesha scream again before falling into blackness.

The Sivak crumpled to the deck, his skull broken my Aldemere`s mace that had struck him from behind. He had knocked Iesha down and taken Primist but had not gotten away. The ash grey Minotaur dropped his mace and pried the crying Primist from the arms of his own body that now lay on the deck. He had heard that male Sivak took the forms of their killers after death but he had never seen it. It was unnerving. Aldemere did his best to calm the baby as he walked on shaky legs to Iesha`s side.

"Iesha? Iesha get up!" he cradled Primist in one arm and placed his other hand on Iesha`s shoulder, shaking her. "Iesha, come on get up. Please get up" she didn't answer, didn't even stir. Tears welled in Aldemeres eyes as he shook Iesha more forcefully. "Get up! Iesha!" Primist was crying again and Aldemere removed his hand as more tears flowed and fell onto the deck. Five minuets, ten...Aldemere felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Aldemere? Is Prim ok?" the Minotaur looked up to see Iesha kneeling next to him. There was blood where her head had cracked against the ships railing but other than that she looked well. Aldemere wiped his eyes and nodded.

"Yes, she's fine. Here" he handed Primist to her mother and stood up. "Can you stand?" he held a hand out to her and she took it.

"Yes it seems so"

"Come on then your fathers waiting"

"The others?"

"Two of your fathers men didn't make it, I'm sorry. But your father is fine. Lance got hurt pretty bad but we'll take care of him. He'll live" he sounded unsure of that and he knew it but thankfully Iesha did not seem to have caught it and walked with him to where her father was waiting.

Lance woke in a small room that he did not know and looking out of the single window showed him nothing but sky. He was in a bed and next to it was a small night stand. In the room there was a table and two chairs along with a writing desk and a large trunk. His sword was leaning against the night stand, his clothes folded next to it. He remembered the battle and the pain. The wound must not have been fatal after all. The ship must have made port and, Luca having deemed it safe for him to be moved, they must have brought him here. None of them were here now and he wished they were. He wanted to know where Iesha and the baby were, how they and the other draconians were being concealed and most of all he wanted to know what had become of the last female Sivak. The door of the room opened with a creek and Luca came in with fresh bandages and a bowl of water. Seeing Lance awake the half elf smiled.

"I am glad to see you awake brother you had us all worried"

"With your healing skills they should have known I would be alright"

"Perhaps" while saying this Luca took a seat and examined Lances left shoulder. "You are lucky brother. Your wound is healing well"

"What happened to the last Sivak?"

"The female? We subdued her and tied her up, handed her over to the authorities here when we reached port"

"Iesha and her company how and where are they?"

"They are all well and staying not far from here in their waggon, being careful not to draw attention to themselves"

"Has anyone sent word to my Uncle yet?"

"No we were waiting for you to recover. Now that you have I will go my self straight away"

"No I should go it was my idea"

"You leave this bed brother and I will have Jarrin strap you to it. I will explain and bring the General back with me" Lance was about to protest but the look upon his blood brothers face showed that he would suffer no argument. So he nodded quietly and let Luca finish tending to his shoulder.

Luca had never been to the Generals home before but Lances directions were clear and he soon found it. Unlike Marz`s father, who had preferred to be away from the city and placed his home out closer to open country, General Orin Stonesheild, his younger brother, as close to the cities centre as he could manage. Here he was closer to the armies stronghold and to the people he had sworn to protect. Also, unlike his older brother and now his nephews home which, though large, was rather modest, the Generals home was massive towering structure of grey stone with an iron bared gate proudly displaying the family crest. A single guard stood at the gate and questioned Luca as he approached.

"My name is Luca son of Lucius and Ariel of Solace. If the General does not remember me tell him that I have been sent by his nephew Lance Dasrenvair son of Kalas and Rosemarta Dasrenvair" the guard seemed surprised by his formalness but did not waste time, moving fast away to inform his master. It was not the guard that returned to admit him but the General him self. Luca could remember meeting the General for the first time as a child and he could remember thinking This must be what the stories meant when they mentioned Giants but the General was no less massive now than he was then. He was easily a full head taller than his nephew Marz and the colour of dried blood. He was dressed in all the trappings of a man of wealth and power, long black tunic with braided gold at his shoulders, fine leather britches and boots and a long cape clasped over one shoulder. He carried no weapon and seeing this made Luca smile. No one would be foolish enough to attack this man in his own home. The General signalled for the gate to be opened and it was done, the heavy gate sliding open silently on well maintained hinges.

"General Orin I am"

"Yes I know my man has just told me. I remember you well though it has been a long time I believe"

"Yes sir"

"Where is Lance?"

"At an Inn near the port. He was badly injured so I could not bring him but he is awake and waiting for you"

"Take me to him then. Dane fetch my sword!"

"Sir!" the same guard rushed off into the manor again and returned with the Generals great sword. Orin took the sword and strapped it to his back securely. Luca nodded and together he and the General made their way back to the port. On the way Luca filled the General in on most of the details, the most important parts he decided to leave to Lance.

Jarrin and Aldemere were in Lances room when they arrived. Seeing their Uncle the brothers rose to their feet. Orin smiled at them.

"You have both grown since last I saw you"

"Funny you seem to be shorter than I remember" said Aldemere who promptly recieved an elbow in the ribs from his older brother. Orin laughed and hugged them both before seating himself next to Lance.

"I understand you faced incredible danger in order to come here and see me but Luca did not tell me why. So I leave that to you Lance, if you are well enough"

"I am Uncle Orin, thank you for coming. Not far from here are the group of Bazz draconians that came with us on the smugglers ship. They need your help uncle. We have been trying on our own but they need a place they can stay and be safe"

"So you brought them here? Draconians? Lance are you sure that you are well?"

"I'm fine"

"Then you must be mad. You are asking me to shelter draconians. Why?"

"They have a baby with them uncle. The priests of Takhisis want her as a sacrifice. They sent those Sivak after us to steal her. Draconian or not she is still just a baby and has done nothing wrong to deserve that fate and I am sure you detest the thought of the priests getting their will as much as I do" Orin was silent for a few moments, considering is nephews words. At last he said,

"You're right. An infant is completely innocent and it turns my stomach to think of her or any child falling into the hands of those butchers. But Lance I cannot just take in draconians on a whim, not even secretly. It would mean compromising my honour and the safety of the people. I will have to go before the Emperor"

"How long will that take?"

"I will go tomorrow. The best thing about being General is that you are commonly given priority when you say you have something of urgency to tell his excellency With any luck I will have the matter seen to and settled within a day or two. I will send word to you with the answer once I know it. Its the best I can do"

"And I am grateful uncle, thank you" Orin smiled and nodded.

"Now as long as I am here, tell me, how is your father?"

"He was well when I left him. Still chasing off goblins for the farmers and tracking bandits that menace the roads. He still grieves for my mother but he has learned to live with the pain and remembers her in better times"

"I am glad to hear that. And you boys?" Orin turned to Jarrin and Aldemere, "How is Marz?"

"Very well now that he has regained his appreciation for life" said Jarrin.

"It gladdens me to hear that. I had heard of his condition not long after Rosemarta`s death and I feared the worst. Your mother?"

"Better ever since father came back to him self"

"Good. And you Luca? How does your family fare?"

"Both my parents and my sister are very well and Solace is thriving"

"I am glad"

"What about you Uncle? It has been some time" asked Lance.

"I have been well but these times of peace have left me incredibly bored. But I only have a few years now before I can retire from the military so I should get used to it I suppose"

"Maybe the Emperor will offer you a position at his court uncle"

"Oh gods I hope not. All that politics would drive me out of my mind. Speaking of though I had better go"

"Must you uncle? It is almost supper you are more than welcome to stay and share with us"

"Thank you Lance but no. If I am to see the Emperor I have things that I must see to first. But I will be in touch before too long. And after all this is over you are all welcome at my house"

"Thank you uncle we accept the invitation" Orin smiled again and shook hands with everyone before departing. Orin worked well into the night, formulating the case that he would bring before the Emperor that would hopefully win his favour. If not he feared to think what might become of the dragon men in the hands of Mithas`s Imperial army.

"General Orin this news you bring is very troubling" said the Emperor at last, after a silence that seemed to stretch on forever. Orin had come to the Imperial palace early and as suspected had been granted audience almost immediately. He had come dressed in his military uniform, black leather lined with thick silver. He had relinquished his sword at the palace doors. He stood now in the Emperors drawing room, a place he only allowed his most honoured and distinguished guests and one of the few places where matters could be discussed privately. The Emperor was not much bigger than Orin himself and was a pale hazel. He wore a red long tunic, tights and boots. His horns were adorned with gold and some of his fingers bore armour rings. Orin was no arrogant enough to call him a friend but he knew at least that they had an understanding of one another, never the less he was sweating. "You ask to harbour draconians who have not been permitted alive upon this island for many years but yet are already here. And you would be protecting them from the priest of Takhisis of all people. From one of my best and most trusted generals I never thought I would hear this"

"I understand how all of this sounds your excellency My nephews and their friend have gone threw great danger to bring them here and so I believe they can be trusted. Further more I beg you to remember that there is a baby involved. It would weigh most terribly upon my conscience if we were to just leave her to the mercy of the priests"

"You are a good man General, let no one ever dare to say otherwise. Have you considered the effect this might have upon your own reputation?"

"I have but with your support your excellency I fear no retaliation" the Emperor was silent again, considering his options. A spark lit in the depth of the Emperors eyes and Orins heart swelled with confidence that he had succeeded.

"This is an interesting situation. One that we could use to advantage us"

"How is that? If I may be so bold to ask"

"Those priests have been a damnable nusance for far too long this is our chance to send them a message. We can use the child to lure them right into our grasp"

"But excellency surely you cannot believe that they would have been foolish enough to follow my nephews all the way here?"

"They were desperate enough to send Sivak. Do you really think they would have stopped there? You know as much as I do how persistent they can be in the name of their demoted Goddess. They will be here soon if they are not already and they will snatch the baby at first chance they get"

"What will we do?"

"I will set up a guard for the child first then ask for the draconians, including the baby, to be brought before me. The priests will likely make their move then but you and a second group of soldiers will be waiting to destroy them. They will never dare to set foot upon this island again and the child will be safe" it was a dangerous plan, one that he was sure Lance would not like at all, but it was a good one and the only way to be sure of the child's safety once and for all. Orin bowed.

"As you command my Emperor. With your permission I will return to my nephews now and tell them of your plan"

"You are dismissed. Be sure that they do not tell our draconian friends. This plan must be secret from them if it is to work"

"Understood" Orin bowed again and hurried from his Emperors presence. He received his sword as he exited the palace and made his way back to the port. Lance would not like this, not at all.

"He said what? Uncle you cant be serious. He cant" Orin placed his hands on Lances shoulders and made him lay back down."Its too dangerous. You cant possibly allow it"

"I am afraid I have no choice Lance. He is my Emperor and I must obey. It is a good plan and the only one we have" Lance heaved a resigned sigh and turned his head to gaze at the wall. "She will be in no danger Lance and after this she and the others may reside with me free and peaceful for the rest of their lives. Do you not trust me?"

"Of course I trust you uncle"

"Then leave this to me and my men. If it will make you feel better Jarrin can come along with me and then give you a first hand account"

"Is that alright with you Jarrin?" asked Lance. Jarrin nodded.

"Yes I'll go"

"Its settled then"

"When will this happen?"

"Tonight, now we must go and make ready"

"Take care of yourselves, brother, uncle" this from Aldemere. Jarrin smiled and hugged his brother before following their uncle out.

"I hope they know what they're doing" said Luca as he sat to check Lances wound. For the first time in a while Lance smiled.

"Those black hearted priests wont know what hit them"

Drisk had been surprised when he saw several heavily armed Minotaur approach where he and his men had set them selves outside of the city. He was sure that none had known of them being here. He ordered his men to be on their guard till they knew what this was about. They introduced them selves as a Imperial appointed guard for them and for the baby. They also said that the Emperor sent his greetings and requested that they come and see him at once. Drisk was suspicious but upon close inspection of the order papers that they carried there was no doubt in his mind that they were who they said they were and agreed to follow them to the Palace. The guards formed a protective circle around the waggon as it moved forward. Hidden in the darkness Orin, Jarrin, and his men followed ready to strike when the moment came. As they neared the wide stone bridge that forded the river Orin ordered everyone to be extremely alert and they moved closer to the waggon, still careful to remain hidden. Five dark cloaked and hooded figures moved to block the other end of the bridge, Orin had anticipated them and was ready. He sent one of his men across the river to join a second group on the other side, they would not escape. More priests joined their fellows on this side of the bridge, blocking off the escape rout for the waggon, they thought them selves so cleaver. Orin and his men closed in but did not make a move. One of the priests from the first group stepped forward.

"In the name of Takhisis we demand the baby that you guard. Hand her over and we will leave peacefully and you may live knowing that you did a great service to the Queen of Darkness"

"To the Abyss with your Queen and may she rot there! If you want this baby you will have to come and take it if you dare" the priests all drew their wicked looking curved blades, in the silence they hissed like snakes, and rushed the waggon from both ends. Orin roared rushed forward with his men. The priests stopped short, both surprised and terrified to see what was coming to face them. Drisk and his men remained where they were with the waggon, if the Minotaurs failed they were Primist`s last point of defence. The battle lasted all but twenty minuets. When it was over Orin approached the waggon and held out his hand to Drisk.

"I am General Orin and I welcome you to Mithas. Forgive the secrecy but we did not wish to alarm you"

"I would say you failed in that but thank you General"

"Our Emperor really does wish to see you. If you will permit me I shall lead you the rest of the way personally" Drisk nodded and watched as the Minotaurs cleared the bodies from the road before leading the waggon over the now blood soaked bridge. The rest of the journey was quiet and they were seen by the Emperor in his Great Hall.

"Please bring the child before me" Iesha looked nervously at her father who nodded reassuringly. She took a breath and walked slowly toward the Emperor, who had to be the largest Minotaur she had seen yet, and handed him her baby. Primist did not make a sound and stared wide eyed at the Emperor who smiled back at her. "You are the mother of this child?"

"I am"

"As Emperor of Mithas I welcome you both and your family. I declare you Imperial wards and that you shall reside with General Orin Stoneshield"

"Your excellency I am grateful beyond words"

"Live well and peacefully and be happy. You may all go" the Emperor handed Primist back to her mother who bowed deeply before returning to her father. All the draconians bowed as did Orin who led them back out into the night and safely to his home where he saw to their temporary lodging till others could be arranged. As he settled down to bed that night Orin tried to imagine Lances face when he heard the news from Jarrin, he knew that he would be more than pleased.

Jarrin was like a boy again as he described to them all the details of the battle the next morning over breakfast. Though Lance suspected that he had enlarged and decreased the numbers of those involved significantly it was a good story and the ending was especially good. Primist would be safe now for the rest of her life. The priests would never dare to come for her again. On the other hand it was like imprisoning her here also. She would be told she could not go back for her own safety, that might cause problems. When she was old enough to make her own decisions she would probably go back to Ansalon with or without her mother and she would be on her own then but by then she would be able to take care of her self.

"Uncle Orin also told me to re extend his dinner invitation to us all" Lance looked to Luca.

"Am I well enough you think?" Luca smiled.

"I would say so. We cant possibly turn down an invitation from the general"

"What time did he say Jarrin?"

"He said that six would work nicely"

"Then we shall be there for six"

"I'll go and have a message sent" Lance nodded and Jarrin was off downstairs quick as a kender with greased boots.

The evening was modest, a personal party for the generals family and his new house guests, but the food and drink were magnificent. Lance and the others had sadly not brought along any of their finery but they had had their clothes laundered before coming so they looked presentable. Drisk and his company were dressed well and were so far handling themselves well for the class of their kind most known for their love of drink, Lance suspected Iesha had something to do with that and respect for their host. Orin himself was dressed in his lordly clothes and sat at the head of the long table in his dining hall. Nearing desert Orin rose to his feet with a gold goblet of wine in his hand.

"I would like to take this opportunity to formally welcome you Drisk and your family I hope that we will be good friends and that you will find my home to your liking and that you will be happy here" Drisk stood and bowed.

"General you are too kind and this was more than we could have ever hoped for in coming here there are not words to express our thanks to you or to your fine nephews and their friend. With out them we would not have made it and I would like to say also how very sorry I am" he turned to address Lance and the others. "In acquiring your help I was not the most gentle and did nothing to insight your trust but still you helped us. I will not ask why it is not important I ask only that you forgive me and accept my apology" the draconian bowed again and Lance nodded his acknowledgement.

"What matters to us is that Primist is safe and that all of you are with her. If I may speak for everyone we accept your apology and hope like my Uncle that you will be happy here" Drisk nodded and gave a sharp toothed grin before retaking his seat.

They spent three days more in Mithas, taking in the sites of the island and catching up on family time. On the morning of the third day they found the Sea Rose in port, whose captain, Ogwen, was a friend of Lances father, and had been guaranteed a safe return home. Orin, Drisk, Iesha and Primist where there to see them off. Orin hugged them all and smiled.

"Be sure to give both Kalas and Marz my love and tell them that I will come to visit as soon as I can. Luca you be sure to give my best to your family also" Luca nodded.

"I shall General and thank you" Aldemere gave Iesha a hug and kissed Primist on the forehead.

"You both take care of yourselves"

"We will" Aldemere then extended his hand to Drisk.

"Farewell sir" Drisk took his hand and nodded. Aldemere nodded back and joined the others as they boarded the boat. They all stood along the rail and waved till the port was far out of sight.