A month since I last updated this one at least, I was waiting to hear from people before I did update it but I want to carry on with it but if people could let me know what they think of the direction this is going then I would like to hear from you. Or if you hate what I've done I'd like to hear from you as well.

Anyway here we go with bit 11 and we are back with Ailana and friends.

On the road to Candlekeep.

"... I did not think when I had to run from here with Gorion that I would not be coming back again, it is strange really I think I had outgrown it before we left though. I think that despite saying that 16 was too young to have to do what I had to do. At least you were older than that before you were forced into a life of fighting." Ailana said to Nalia who was walking by her.

"But look what you had done before you were 20. You had managed to stop the war in the north and had saved many lives."Nalia responed

"I think I would have done things differently if I had been more mature, however there is no point in dwelling on things like that. I cannot wait to see them again, I hope that Anomen has made it there. I want to see if he will be willing to hold our wedding there shortly after we arrive, I need to make sure that he knows how I feel and that the reason I left had nothing to do with how I feel about him."

"He knows how you feel Ailana and he has just been waiting for you to show him that you are ready before he said anything." Keldorn told her. Ailana smiled at him, she had asked the knight to act in the role of her father when her marriage took place and the look on his face had pleased her as the old knight had been delighted.

"Well he need not wait much longer, once round this bend we will be able to see Candlek..." Ailana trailed off as she led her friedns round the bend, she had been expecting to see walls surrounding a high tower, what she saw was a ruin, parts of which were still smoking. The 5 adventurers could do nothing but stare for a minute unable to believe that this had happened.

"Ailana" Aerie began

"No! this can't be true, we must go down there and see what has happened." Ailana said shaking herself and started down the path at a fast walk. The other 4 hurried to catch up with her, Keldorn knew that Anomen should have been there for sometime now and if he had been there when this attack had happened. There was no way that the young knight would have run, it was unlikely that he'd be alive but he would not say that to Ailana, as long as she believed that there was a chance then she would not despair.

The impressive gateway was gone as though whatever had attacked the fort had paid special attention to that, the wooden doors lay smouldering nearby, scorch marks on teh stones showed that whatever had happened to the inhabitants they had not gone without a fight, despite the presance of remains scattered around the courtyard both human and those of the animals that had been there there were no signs of what had attacked.

"What ever did this was not human." Keldron said quietly from where he was examining the body of one of the guardsmen.

"I agree my raven, some creature from the planes did this." Haer'Dalis agreed from where he and Aerie were looking at another of the bodies.

"We should see if anyone is still alive in the keep. There does not seem to be anyone here that we can help." Nalia said practically, she ignored the glare that Ailana aimed at her. The people lying dead were of nothing to her, those inside were important if she wanted to make sure she had the Godchild where she wanted her.

"I cannot sense anyone inside but there may be someone who can be resurected." Aerie said in response to a look from her partner.

"Come on then." Ailana said and strode towards the main entrance, this had been partly demolishd by the look of it to make way for some larger creature to enter than was normal. She hesitated on the verge of entering remembering the last time she had been there, yes it had only been in a vision but the feeling was still there. The remains inside the door were in a worst state than those outside, to Ailana this looked like those outside had been killed if they had got in the way whereas those inside were stopping whatever had been trying to get in from achieving it goal and the creature had unleashed its anger on those in its way.

"Where shall we start?" Haer'Dalis asked

"This way, providing that it is still passable it takes us to the bedchambers and with some luck there will be people still alive or if not alive still able to be resurected by Aerie." Ailana said, Anomens name did not cross her lips and she refused to even think about the possibility that he was dead.

"Do you think that we will find him?" Aerie asked her partner

"I would say that it is unlikely my dove. Can you tell if he has been here?"

"He was here when this happened, I can feel his magical signature, but other than that, there's nothing." Aerie said. This ability to find a friends magic among the residue of others was something that she had been working on for some time and now was quite proficient at it. Haer'Dalis believed her when she said that Anomen had been there, he just hoped that there was something that could be done for the knight when they found him or if there wasn't then he hoped that the knight would not have been desicrated too badly.

Nalia was walking at the back of the group keeping an eye on her travelling companions, on the inside she was looking very proud at the fact that her servants had done so well, they had managed to do everything that she had asked them to do, all she had to do now was join up with them and torment the godchild some before ending her life. Looking at the woman she hated so much she saw how Keldorn was making sure he barely left her side, the man had seemingly adopted her. How people could care for something like that so much she did not know but she was sure that everyone would abandon Ailana when they found out what was about to happen. Hearing the quiet converstaion between the tiefling and his partner she cursed slightly, she should have kept an better watch on the pair of them, obviously wherever they had been had caused the woman to develop her own powers to a much greater depth and she could cause problems. Maybe she should arrange for an accident for her and so eliminate the threat, it would not be too difficult.

"Ailana, I may be able to find where Anomen was if you will let me." Aerie offered knowing that the quicker they found him the more chance there was that they'd be able to help him.

"How?" Ailana demanded

"Since I left the mortal plane I have been training myself to recognise magical signatures in case Haer'Dalis and I became separated. I can tell any of the people we travelled with from those around me. Anomen was here and I think that I can find where he was utilising magic." Aerie said flushing slightly embaressed at being the centre of attention.

"If you can do that then hurry, can you try and find Imoen as well?" Ailana asked

"I can try." Aerie said. After concentrating for a moment she opened her eyes and led the way off to one side.

It did not take Aerie long to lead them to a site which had obviously been the site of some type of battle. There were very few intact bodies and those that there were seemed to be those of soldiers rather than mages, from the way that the remains were scattered there had obviously been some attempt at organised resisitance to stop the attackers.

"Both Anomen and Imoen were here and using magic for some time. I cannot feel it anywhere else. I am sorry Ailana." Aerie said sincerely.

"You have led us here and until I find proof that they are both dead I will not believe it. If you would look at those intact bodies and see if there is anything that can be done towards raising them the rest of us will look for signs of Imoen and Anomen."

Nalia wandered off on her own looking over the bodies, she was thrilled at what her creatures had managed to do, this level of destruction was amazing, this was just in one small fortefied library, what she could do if she unleashed them on a town, now there was a possibility maybe if she unleashed them on Trademeet or somewhere like that. She would have to think about that, as her eyes began to glow red at the sight of the limbs that had been torn off the bodies. Deep down inside a part of her wept for what had happened and what was still to happen.

"Keldorn!" Ailana called looking round wildly. Her eyes did not seem to be focused on anything

"What is wrong?" He asked running to her side, he was expecting to see Anomen or part of him anyway, what he saw was her looking at a morning star that glowed with a pale blue light.

"This is Anomens, we took it from Gromnir when we were fighting in Saradush, he would not have left it here if he had any choice." Ailana said clamly, the wildness of a few minutes before had completely gone and Keldorn knew that it would not be back until everything was dealt with.

"There is demon blood on the weapon my raven, your knight did not leave without a fight." Haer'Dalis observed after he quickly looked at the weapon.

Aerie listened to what was being said but did not break off her examination of the bodies, many of the men had been killed in such a manner as to make it impossible to resurrect them, the young man she was looking at now however was leaning against the wall and from a blood trail had dragged himself there. The only injuries were a couple of very deep cuts which would have left internal organs unharmed. In this case she should be able to bring him to life again.

"Ailana, do you know this man?" she asked wanting to make sure that he was 'one of the good guys' before she retruned him to life.

"That's Kalon. He was a good friend of Imoen when we were children, he is likely to know what happened to her as he would not have left her alone."

"Let me work on him then." Aerie said before kneeling in front of the man and quietly chanting a spell, for a few seconds after the spell was cast there was silence before the man gasped and opened his eyes.

"Who are you?"He asked quietly.

"Aerie, are you alright Kalon?"

"Thirsty."

"Take this then." Ailana said kneeling by his side and offering him a canteen of water. He took and drank slowly.

"Ailana?" He questioned looking at her sharply.

"It is good to see you again Kalon, though I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Is Imoen here?"

"No. You were the only person we could help in the entire of Candlekeep, I have found no trace of Anomen or Imoen. Can you tell me what happened."

"There were very few of us left, the demons seemed determined to kill all of us, I was bleeding heavily from a wound in my leg and had been separated from Imoen and Anomen. I felt something cut into me and must have collapsed, I saw Imoen and Anomen standing in the middle of the creatures and one of them say that 'he wanted them alive' some spell was cast and they all vannished as did all of them that we had managed to kill. I dragged myself to the wall and that's the last I remember."Kalon said haltingly.

"Can you travel?"

"I think so."

"Good, we'll head south. We need to gather together the others and try and find out who is behind this. I'll get Renal working on it. We need to prepare, if 'he' kept Anomen and Imoen alive it must have been for a reason and it would make sense that that reason is something to do with me. Lets move out and keep watch for anything demonic."

Kalon climbed to his feet slowly and looked at the others all of them were preparing to go, the woman he didn't know however was looking at him with such hatred in his eyes that he felt nervous. Not willing to say anything to the others when they obviously had other things to worry about he promised to keep an eye on things and do something when he had to.

There we go then. Plot now firmly in place and next time lots more familiar faces start to turn up.

None of the characters are mine the story is however as is Kalon and Vental (he'll turn up next chapter).

Let me know what you think and I'll try to update in a few weeks.