Here we go, bit of a long one here. It might also be the last chapter with Sameth in it for a while but I haven't decided yet so don't despair early.

Also, don't worry if you haven't pieced together the hints about Reece's past yet. It's supposed to be tantalising, there is of course more hints in this chapter but they're well hidden (I think) so good luck finding them.

Anyway, thankyou to all of my reviewers, especially InkyBlackSkies and I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own the world, Sameth, mordicants etc. I do own Reece because he is my best ever bad guy and I think he is awesome XD

FLAWLESS EVIL

Curious Wanderings

Reece stepped off the final step into the bell room and was struck by the dazzling light of the sun. As the sun set, the light leaking over the mountains shone through the great glass windows and shimmered off the bells with a presence that almost rang. As he watched the sun set Reece thought that this was true magic.

After the sun had vanished he moved away from the windows and look around. With a slight chuckle he noted the decorative patterns on the window arches. They would be his additions, Reece would personally have left them plain but they were tasteful enough. This was an important room after all.

Circling the room it suddenly struck him that something was a little odd. After a moment or two he suddenly realised it was the bells, there were eight bells when there should only have been seven. Carefully he walked around the room tapping each bell with a small silver rod that he'd brought up especially for the task. Ranna, Mosrael, Kibeth, Dyrim, Belgaer, Saraneth, Astarael. With each tap the bells gave of the slightest echo of the ring that would be their true sound if rung properly and on each bell their engraved names glimmered as they were struck. Finally he reached the last bell, it was the biggest, bigger than Astarael and when it was struck the note, though very low, was remarkably penetrating. The engraving on its surface glimmered with the word Yrael.

Staring curiously at the last bell Reece was a little surprised that as the last echoes of the sound died there was a small squeak from down on the steps leading up to the room. Spinning and moving to the stairs quickly Reece was only just in time to see a glimpse of a foot as it vanished around the corner. With a word there was a fizzling crack and the bottom of the stairs were sealed with a wall of white energy. Reece then descended the stairs to find his quarry huddled fearfully at the bottom trapped by the magical wall.

To his surprise he found two people at the bottom of the stairs, twin boys about thirteen years old. "Stand," he commanded. Warily the two boys stood, when huddled together they made an interesting sight against the white backdrop. Carefully Reece looked them up and down like a buyer would look at a horse. He approached and lifted their chins so that he could look into their eyes, they were afraid but they were glorious in their defiance, their eyes twinkled with a spirit that was capable of great joy but one that burned with a fierce determination. Finally a smile turned up the corners of his mouth and he spoke again, "What are your names, and have you two been baptised by the charter?"

The two looked down and scuffed their feet a bit, "We were baptised by the charter, but we are Ole."

Reece frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Our mother spent all she had to get us baptised in the charter, it costs money to register names on the scrolls of the people and we were too poor to be given the dignity of separate names, so we are Ole."

The twins both looked at their feet again and Reece grinned, he had been about to go looking for someone to be his butler but it seemed the candidates had just come to him. "Well it seems I shall have to give you new names, henceforth you shall be Leif and Knut." Stepping forward he placed a finger on their cheeks and whispered a word, when he took it away each of them had a small silver teardrop mark at the edge of their eye, Leif at the edge of his right eye and Knut at the edge of his left. For a moment he merely looked at them, a fond memory floating in his vision.

"I shall not harm you for spying, instead you will be the head of my servants and the messengers of my will," at the look of delight on their faces Reece could not help but smile, "Go now, tell the people I have named you and recruited you to my service, tell them to bring out all the boys and girls aged twelve to sixteen and assemble them in the square at dawn. So says the white-mancer."

Snapping his fingers the white wall vanished and the two boys rushed out, the mordicants did not touch them nor even look at them. Now that they bore Reece's mark none of his Dead would bother them.

As he listened to their cries spread throughout the town he hoped that the day he had spent giving speeches and convincing the people that the loss of their elderly would only benefit them was not in vain. They were an annoying people, given to fear and superstition but he needed them if his plan were to be successful…

***

Sameth stood in a clearing several minutes walk away from the edge of High Bridge, it probably wasn't the best idea but he had his sword and he didn't care, he needed some peace and quiet so he had gone wandering out of curiosity. Organising the garrisons to send out messages, put them on alert and start bringing soldiers to High Bridge in preparation seemed to be a far more hectic job than he had expected.

His musings were interrupted though when quite unexpectedly he felt the presence of something Dead very near by, something very powerfully dead. Cursing he drew his sword and looked around in the dark trying to locate whatever it was, the charter marks on his blade glimmering slightly in the dark.

When whatever the thing was started making loud crashing sounds headed right towards him he decided running was the better option. Turning, sword in hand, he sped off into the trees back towards high-bridge, behind him the crashing grew louder and closer and all he could think of was the horrors from the book of the dead. One page in particular.

As he entered another clearing there was a final crash and he was thrown to the ground by a tree branch that had been hurled his way. Rolling to look back at his opponent his worst fears were realised. Standing in the light of the full moon, silhouetted from his view-point against the starry sky, stood a mordicant.

Carefully it cast about searching for him, it could obviously feel him but on the ground if he didn't move it might not locate him in the dark. Of course he forgot how well dead things see in the dark. Suddenly it roared and rushed across the clearing towards him.

Three steps were all it would have taken, in three steps it would have been on him but it only managed two. Calling the first charter symbol that came to mind Sameth screamed it out in desperation. A thunder-flash sparked across the intervening distance and exploded with a force that ripped branches off trees all around the clearing and nearly blinded Sameth with its intensity. The mordicant stumbled backwards, nearly a whole two steps, it was clearly damaged, its substance giving off a pungent burnt odour. It recovered though and roared again, fire lighting up the clearing around it.

Sameth slumped back on the ground, that spell had taken everything out of him. The mordicant prepared to lunge forwards again but just as it did somebody else appeared. A boy leapt over Sameth and screamed a word, as he landed a great orange charter mark flashed brilliant in the clearing. From his position on the ground Sameth thought the boy and his spell seemed oddly insubstantial, the torrent of fire that issued from the charter mark as it hung in the air however was definitely real. An inferno burst forth and blasted outwards at the mordicant, its heat causing the trees to catch light and the grass to wither and flare. A scream of rage rent the night but in the face of such fiery fury it retreated, stepping back into death leaving many fragments of its being scattered smoking on the ground.

The charter spell shimmered and vanished without a trace and the boy turned towards Sameth to help him up. Once standing and able see the boy clearly he discovered that, despite feeling very much solid when he had gripped his hand, in the light of the full moon the boy was indeed seemingly insubstantial, Sameth could just see the outlines of trees through the boy's body. His skin was pale, almost to the point of being white like a necromancer and his messy, mousy, brown hair partially covered a golden charter mark on his forehead that was slowly fading.

"Um, thanks I guess, you saved my life," Sameth was almost staring at the boy in awe. "Who are you?" he whispered.

The boy chuckled, "My name is Kaddison, and I'm no one special, just happened to be here at the right time I guess."

It was at that point that Sameth quite suddenly realised Kaddison was wearing very little in the way of clothes, he wore a pair of dark blue shorts and that was it. Sameth was wearing three layers of clothing because of the night chill but somehow this boy seemed unaffected. A cloud passed across the moon and it suddenly went much darker, Sameth called forth some small measure of energy and summoned a weak charter light, all he could manage at this time. When he looked back to Kaddison he was solid though, no trace of the earlier transparency remained.

"Come on, come back to High Bridge, I can't leave you out here in the cold and you should be rewarded for your bravery. Surely a warm bed would be preferable to this chill?" While offering this Sameth tried to reason with what he had seen earlier. Surely it was just a trick of the light, the boy had felt solid and he looked solid now. It must have been the shock and the after image of his thunder-flash, yes that's what it must have been.

Shaking his head Kaddison disagreed though, "No I really must be going perhaps I will see you again and you can reward me then. Goodbye."

Sameth took a moment to realise he had just been rejected, "Wait!" he called, but to no avail, Kaddison was already gone. Muttering to himself about how useless he seemed to be, he trudged back down the hill towards High Bridge, on his way he came across a group of guards sent out to investigate and when he had finished assuring them that he was perfectly fine they escorted him the rest of the way. His morose feelings of being suddenly dropped by the very person who had just saved his life completely erased all thoughts about the boy's strange appearance under moonlight and the origins of the mordicant.

***

Kaddison had barely passed the hill's crest when he dropped the facade and stepped into death, there he anchored himself with the last reserves of his strength and collapsed. His spirit drained, he lay there, perhaps in a week or so he would rise again, when he had recovered.

Well there ya have it, I finally revealed the spirit boy's name. Remember it because it'll be important later. (Hint Hint)

I really feel like Sameth was a bit out of character in this one but I figure he just got attacked by a mordicant so he has a reason to act a little unusual.

When I wrote this chapter I had a rough idea of what I wanted to happen but I wasn't sure how I would get it to happen, then thanks to GOGHOTi (I think) I was looking through some writing prompts from 52_flavours and 31_days and these three all merged into an idea so just to give credit where it is due.

We were twins too poor to have the dignity of separate names.

Glorious eyes that smile and burn.

Only the curious have, if they live, a tale worth telling at all.

Anyway please review: comments, criticism, praise, even plot ideas if you really want, I'll take it all (though no guarantees I'll use plot ideas ;) )