Chapter 13

Shade made his appearance in the center of the House and looked for Morgan. Morgan and Shayla both were expecting their vision to clear and see Beau, Zach or Cat standing in the center of the room, they had not expected to see Shade.

When Morgan saw it was Shade he was on his feet and moving to him. "Shaderick?" Shade smiled watching Shayla uncurled herself from the comfort of the chair.

"Hello Shayla how are you my dear?"

Shayla returned Shade's smile and shrugged, "Same old same old Shade and you are well?"

He nodded, "Yes as well as I can be expected to be. Morgan, I am afraid I have some bad news." Morgan sighed and shook his head. "You cannot break the spell?"

Shade shook his head. "That is not the problem, I probably could break the spell, and its just she is not there for me to attempt such a thing."

Morgan grew quiet, his voice dropped to a more calculating tone, "What do you mean she is not there?"

Shade shrugged, "The necromancer Bloodthorne had taken her and harmed your housekeeper who is in tears because she feels she had failed you for not protecting her."

Inwardly Morgan was furious with Mrs. Johnson. He knew she had been helpless but she had failed him and he would deal with her later, for now he wanted Rahvin and he wanted M'lar returned to him unharmed. "Thank you Shade for your assistance. I shall take it from here. Oh by the way do you know where one might find John Doe? Have you seen him around lately?"

Shade wrinkled his nose and sighed, "I think he is at the place in the woods that Prin calls the NAT. Or at least he was about three hours ago. He was being quiet domesticated according to Prin who came by my lab needing some components."

Morgan nodded, "Thank you Shade as usual if there is ever anything I can do to assist you just let me know." Shade did not acknowledge or reply to Morgan he merely touched his pin and Morgan anticipating his intention to teleport closed his eyes to avoid the flash burn from the blinding yellow light.

Shayla shook her head. "Doesn't anyone use the door any more?" Turning to Morgan she asked, "So, will you go to the NAT or shall I send another runner for him to come here." Morgan was about to answer when from an inter planer hole in the floor, the subject of their conversation appeared.

"So who had been taking my name in vane?" John Doe, devil may care and filled with too much confidence entered the room and bowed to Morgan and then dramatically took Shayla's hand and kissed it.

"We have a need for the First Blade and the quicker that you can cancel this annoyances life the happier this island will be. There is one caveat that I wish to add to this contract."

John moved to sit and then poured him self a nice tall glass of water and turned to look at Morgan, "I suppose you want her returned alive?"

Morgan arched an eyebrow and looked around then back at John. "How did you know?"

John laughed, "Morgan I have been having her followed since she was released from jail. Information on her, her activities, her whereabouts has been reported to me by the Crimson Ninja since you set her free to roam about this island."

Morgan was mildly impressed. "I see and why did you not prevent him from taking her?" John took his time to drink the water he had poured. Then John did with a deliberateness that was designed to unsettle an opponent by being meticulously precise at replacing an item. He took his time in responding. "We are ninja Morgan, not mages or wujen. If I had the magic abilities that man had or should I say he is converting himself into a demi lich. If I had those powers I would not be spending a fortune on the toys I use in my trade."

Morgan was growing tired of his games it always seemed to be a tug a war when he dealt personally with John and this was no different. John had things on him that could harm his standing in the community as a legit businessman so he was not about to challenge him in his craft. "

Your maid was lucky he would have killed her but he wanted to send you a message through her. Now I suppose you will go and kill your maid for failing you. I would think twice about that Morgan, she tried to keep him from taking her and if I could not stop him then surely you know there was nothing she could do."

Morgan narrowed his gaze and looked at John, "Are you telling me how to handle my servants?"

John stood up and shook his head. "I would never presume to do something as pathetically stupid as that Morgan, I am just saying she was loyal to you for twenty odd years and it would be a shame to have to break in a new maid over something that she had no control."

John sat back comfortably crossing his leg looking at Morgan with a shrewd eye. "Besides she is Crimson's aunt and it would piss her off if she were to be harmed." John smiled and stood.

Morgan considered his words and thought about it. "Then she will not be punished this time." John sighed and nodded, "Then I would have Shayla send someone to the docks to retrieve her she is about to leave this island on the next ship out."

John turned picked up his inter planer hole and folded it into a small palm size piece of cloth and then tucked it in his shirt pocket. "Now if you will excuse me I need to get my partner Lanz and we shall go retrieve your toy."

John turned and in the flash of an eye he was gone as silent as he had come he was now nowhere to be seen. Shayla folded her arms over her breasts and looked at Morgan, "Well I guess we wait and see what he shakes out."

Morgan looked around the house and then to Shayla, "Send one of your runners to retrieve my house keeper and have her brought here, I shall be in the library when she arrives and Shayla, think about this. If John mucks this up and he is not successful this island will burn."

Shayla shrugged "Magic does not frighten me Morgan remember?" She held up her hand and the tiny electrical charges erupted from her fingertips.

Morgan smiled and shook his head. "Of course how could I forget spell fire? How convenient for you Shayla probably the one thing that has kept me from having you removed from your position as the head of this house.

Shayla moved with the ease and grace most with half elven blood possessed. "Maybe you should worry that I might use it on you some day to bring you under control."

She did not give him a chance to respond as he watched her move from the room and he narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps you should worry what I could do to your mind if I am pushed." Then pushing aside the darker thoughts of frying her brain, Morgan moved to the library and began to immerse him self in the books.

His intent to review the arcane space notes that were left behind by Armonk Duvet on one of his journeys to the outer reaches of realm space to the wild space area and his encounters with the scro that happened upon his ship and the fierce battle they had.

Rahvin appeared in the tower on the plane of negativity, the castle had grown colder and more morose since he had begun his transformation. Inside his lab stood the large vessel that was his phylactery that now held his soul.

It would be through this phylactery that had been enchanted that he might regenerate himself one day but that is if he had a reason to return to his former self. Currently the only one that could change him back was in his arms and laid sleeping the death like sleep he had place over her.

Moving down to the dungeon he moved to a cell and laid her on the stone floor, putting the leg shackle around her ankle he sighed." You brought this on yourself M'lar all you had to do was love me that was all I asked." He gently set her up so she was leaning against the wall and then he snapped his fingers and spoke softly breathing his ice-cold breath over her face. "Wake up."

Gone was the tenderness that had been his to give, gone was the kindness and the need and the will to want to help her, gone was the humanity that he once held onto and now all that remained was this shell of what she had made him become.

He waited and wanted her to fully see the damage she had brought down on his head. She had not cheated on him with another man, she had betrayed him to the town she so loved and hoped to protect and now she would not be able to protect the town any more.

Now she would stay here and watch as he became what she feared the most, while he changed and became a lich. Once he had her phylactery completed he would put her soul in the vessel and then begin the process of making her into what he was and at least they could live out eternity together even if they hated each other he was determined that she would be at his side when he destroyed the island she loved.

He stood up and pulled back his hood and looked down at her on the floor of his dungeon. "I said wake up M'lar. Open your eyes and look upon what you have done!" M'lar could hear his voice far off in the distance. The voice then became more pronounced and she let her lashes flutter open and she looked to the form that stood before her. With a dawning of her reality she allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness. There was some light that filtered through the open doorway from the hallway.

She could tell by the heavy weight on her ankle she had been shackled, the floor was stone and cold and the room reeked of decay and death a fear and nightmare she had lived through before in the Temple of Cyric or whom she thought was Myrkul.

Her gaze continued to travel up to land upon a hideous sight. What met her gaze was a sight that struck fear to the very core of her being. She looked at how much he had changed since the trial.

His skin was drawn tight across his face and looked no more than like a skull covered in a skin mask. His hands were slowly changing to long talon like claws for his fingers and his eyes were sunken into his eye sockets so that all that appeared to be there were glowing red orbs.

"Oh Rahvin what have you done?" Her voice was filled with fear and sadness.

"What have I done? Why my dear do you not like your creation, you made me as I am. We can live out our lives for an eternity together as liches. I will have you as my forever bride and me as your forever husband. How happy do you think we shall be together?"

M'lar looked away from him, her heart was sicken by what he was saying. "Rahvin I did not betray you. I am so sorry that you were drug into my war with Morgan. It was never my intention for them to treat you so ill and harshly."

Rahvin looked on her dispassionately and turned his back on her. "I will leave you here my dear to think of your situation and how you have brought so much pain upon your self and me. I want you to think about this as I prepare your vessel to put your soul in. Do you understand what I plan to do."

M'lar had gown silent she knew exactly what he was planning on doing and she was more afraid than she had ever been. She felt her world crumbling around her and then realized he had bent down and was balancing his petrified form on his boney ankles. "Before you join me, I will let you watch as I burn your island and send all on her shores to a watery grave. Think about that M'lar."

He stood up and moved away from her leaving her chained to the wall and alone in the dark of his dungeon M'lar closed her eyes and folded herself into a ball and wept. Rahvin listened outside the cell and smiled, she was in pain and it fed his insanity with a surge of power he never knew he could get from someone else's pain.

No wonder the wraith like souls loved it when she was around. Yes He could see why they looked forward to those like her and her pain and agony that she suffered emotionally. Oh yes he was going to enjoy this very much and immeasurably so.

The room held a chill to it and M'lar huddled closer to the wall but found no comfort or warmth in the walls of this castle. All that it held was death and despair. Trying to find a comfortable position to sit in and then to try and sleep, she kept waking up fearing something had come to harm her.

Death would be preferable to this isolation and fear of the unknown. Deep inside she prayed that her god would hear her and answer her prayers to allow her some magic to try and escape but Rahvin had been as thorough for her imprisonment as the warlocks had been for him.

At least the had not broken her fingers for that she was grateful. Feeling the exhaustion over take her mentally and physically she closed her eyes and slept for a while. It was the rude reminder she was a prisoner when she shifted her leg and felt the chains on he ankle that rattled loudly and then tighten on her ankle to remind her that she was being held captive.

Shifting she tried to find another spot to lay in so that she could seek sleep and a respite from this horror she had found her self in. Rahvin studied her through his scrying mirror and sighed softly, "Oh poor M'lar she is miserable."

The words were said in a form of sarcasm and he chuckled, "Not miserable enough I fear, she will come around to my way of thinking." He thought of the softness of her body under him and how she huddled close to him and snuggled and sighed contented to be with him. "She must have loved me then or why did she so freely give her charms away?"

He mused conveniently forgetting he had taken her charms while she slept under a spell he had placed on her. He moved to see how the enchantment on her phylactery was coming along and was pleased, another week and it would be ready to receive her soul and he would then make good his threat.

Glancing one more time to see she was having trouble getting comfortable in his dungeon he cursed his feelings he still held for her and made his way to the dungeon, Entering the cell he watched as she tensed and then turned her shoulder away so she did not have to look at him.

"Did you come to tell me how horrible I have been to you for not loving you?" She muttered into the wall with a hint of resentment at what she perceived would be his gloating over her discomfort.

"No I actually came to take you to our bedroom so that you could rest more comfortably, no tricks otherwise I shall bring you right back here. Try and contact your god and I will just kill you, take what is left of your soul and then turn you into a lich." M'lar said nothing as she allowed him to have his say.

Seeing she was being less than cordial he released the shackle from her ankle and bent to help her stand. She refused his help and stood and moved stiffly in front of him while he pushed her and directed her up to the upper levels of the dungeon to a room she had remember very well.

The tapestry on the walls had been replaced with new tapestries and she was the subject of this story. How he had met her in the park, then met her again at the Hoch, how she had come to his castle and how they had made love in his bed chambers, though that was a part that made her blush because she did not remember that part of their relationship.

There was also the one where she and Gillian had spent a week there, and then the betrayal was there for him to look at and gnash his teeth over each time he looked upon the courtroom with M'lar sitting at the main table while he stood in the rear of the room. The rest of the story was being written out magically on the wall and from what she could see she was not going to be happy with the ending.

It showed her as a lich at his side in a throne room while he passed judgment on the poor citizens of New Damara. M'lar refused to look at that part of his story he was writing out on the tapestries of his life.

He nodded to the bathing chambers and the bed and then opened the closet and took out a nightgown. "You may want to save your wedding dress for our wedding my dear. You need to rest, so go bathe and then sleep or shall I put you to sleep?"

M'lar shook her head and took the gown he offered and moved to the bathing chambers. Closing the door behind her she leaned against the door and sighed, was this how her life was going to end, in this dreary horrible castle with a demented necromancer that assumed she loved him as he loved her?

Making quick order of her bath, she dressed in the gown and moved to the bed and lay down. At least here she could find a comfortable position to put her self in and try to sleep. Perhaps in her dreams she could find the happiness she sought.

With his ninja skills John had found the way to the demi plane of negativity and the gate that moved to the entrance of the castle, he had been followed by his partner Lanz, and the Scotsman Ramsey Douglas, and much to his dismay his wife Prin had come along.

He had sworn to her that if she got herself killed he would not talk to her and would have her resurrected and then kill her himself. He had noticed she had just laughed and came any way.

With stealth and skill they moved along the narrow bridge leading to the castle's keep. It had been described in detail by Lady Kaitlin prior to their leaving New Damara. Kaitlin wanted to come along but was not allowed and when she with Prin tried to sneak into the party, Prin had successfully locked her in a closet and let the servants know that she was not to be let out until they were well gone.

John knew that they would be facing three death knights, and an army of undead things that were under the command of Rahvin. He also knew that the lower levels where they would be making their entrance would have traps so they would have to be extra careful.

Sending Lanz ahead he managed to locate all the traps as they made entry, the first such nasty trap had been a break away floor that landed the poor unfortunate fool that found the pressure plate to be impaled if they fell through the floor.

Having tripped the trap and stepping away easily without falling in, Lanz hung close to the wall and advanced to find another pressure plate that would have triggered a bevy of nasty arrows that would have been fired at the intruder.

Lanz turned and pointed out the holes in the wall Prin pulling forth some silk, Prin began to cast over each hole a web that would prevent the arrows from discharging and hitting any targets. Then they were nearing the entrance to the main part of the common area of the castle when the last of the nasty traps had been discovered, a rather large and heavy axe suspended on a pulley swung back and forth with the hopes of cleaving someone in half or knocking them down in as many different pieces as it could manage.

That is when the real fun began, Rahvin having been alerted to his castle was being breached move to the bed chambers and wizard locked the door allowing no one access in to the room unless they teleported in.

Then he moved to his lab where he took up his position and began to summon forth the undead. Sending in thirty zombies to attack the heroes or would be rescuers. M'lar awoke to the sounds of a skirmish going on outside her door and stood moving to find her dress to put it on. If she was going to be rescued then she wanted to make sure that she was not caught in her nightgown.

Looking around she found her dress and slipped it on and then stood back and waited for the door to open. She was prepared for whatever or whomever would come through that door. Her hopes were they were friends and not foe.

Rahvin took up his position in his lab and finding that the attack of the New Damarians was more than he had expected. They were quickly dispersing his zombies and now to buy him some time he sent out two of his four death knights ordering one to bring him M'lar through the secret passage.

He waited patiently as he watched through the scrying mirror he knew that he would not have time to wait for M'lar to be brought to him, grabbing his phylactery he moved to another mirror and moved his hand over its surface. The mirror shifted and then turned into a silver liquid mass.

"Now I go to another plane and another time." Stepping through the mirror now moved into the demi plane of dread. It was the land of the mists, a land that welcomed the undead and the evil that was now so much a part of Rahvin.

Rahvin had thought long and hard about going to this land, he had known to do so would condemn him to the land for the rest of his time. There he would be at the mercy of the dark lord that ruled over this land. A dark lord that had been driven mad by his love and lust for one woman, a woman he could and would never have. A land he had cursed much as Rahvin now likened his own life to this man's life.

Stepping out and into the swirling noxious mists that lay over the land he smiled, he was not affected by this dark magic that seemed to suck the land dry of life and to cover the land with its apathy. How much like the plane of negativity this land resembled.

He looked around and found a crypt and moved to the opening and moved inside the room. Looking around he began to think it was rather homey. The fog filled dampness was something he no longer felt and knew in time would not feel again. Moving about he held his phylactery close to his body and looked for a place to hide it.

Seeing a broken crypts covering and a rotted corpse inside of a decrepit coffin he moved the body out and flung it into the night mists and reached to the back of the crypt there to his surprise he found a lever and chancing it he pulled and watched as the door opened across the room from the open coffin.

Moving over to the open door he peered inside to what appeared to be an abandoned lab. The room lay in dust and cob webs and he smiled, "Oh yes, providence does shine down on me and this is perfect. I have found a home." Looking around he found the lever that operated the door from the inside. Closing the door he knew he had just closed the door on an old chapter of his life and now he looked forward to a new life in this land that seemed to suit him.