Epilogue: Part One

He could hear his Auntie Gwen calling for him from the bottom of the rise, and pouted. Auntie Gwen wasn't around all that often, and so he didn't want to be wasting time... how could grown-ups be so slow?

He popped his head over the steep rise, and called out, "Up here!"

Gwen was literally right below him by about ten feet. She put her hands on her hips, and said, "Allister, you promised your mommy you'd be good."

"I am, auntie!" Allister protested, "But I want to show you the garden before you have to go again!"

"I'm not leaving tonight, kiddo, we have plenty of time." The mesmer answered. "I'm gonna find a way up. You don't move from that spot, understand?"

Allister nodded in affirmation, and retreated from the edge to wait. However, patience was like a fine wine... it came with age. Thus, three year olds generally were not known for their patience... little Allister was no exception.

"Auntie Gwen! Are you coming?" The boy called out. A rustle through the evergreens ahead of him caught his attention... a rustling followed by a series of clicking or clacking sounds. Curiosity getting the better of him, he started to approach the grove.

He hadn't even taken four steps before a hand grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back. This proved to be a good thing, as the pack of mandragor that burst from the foilage would have ripped the child to pieces within seconds had he continued his path.

"Shadow!" Allister yelped in glee. He could only remember seeing the black robed figure once before, a vague memory from a period where memories are scant in a child's mind. An unclear promise from his shadow, to always be there when he was in danger.

The figure moved with the very shadows that bore its name, flashing into striking distance of the mandragors, its scythe moving nimbly from its back to its hands and to the attack. One vicious downward chop delivered enough of a mortal wound to the Scavenger that emerged that it was no longer a threat, flopping wildly and bleeding profusely on the cold ground.

That prompted the rest of the pack to turn their attention to the near and present threat, rather than the largely defenseless young. The Ulcerous Mandragor attempted to shield itself as it sensed the robed opponent near it, but never got time to finish the attempt, it's carapace and concentration shattered by a swift lateral swipe from the spinning humanoid creature.

Shadow ground its left heel into the icy ground, ceasing its spin, and using that abrupt stop in momentum to fling it's scythe through the air, and into the head of a Mystic Mandragor that had turned in an attempt to attack Allister, thinking the shrouded human was occupied.

Another shadow step brought Shadow to its weapon again, drawing the scythe out of its now dying victim, and down in a decapitating chop upon the last mandragor.

By that time, the sounds of battle had drawn more of the large insect beasts, but had also drawn reinforcements from the priory as well. Gwen and Grazz had arrived first, getting a brief glimpse of Shadow before the robed figure vanished from sight for good, before the remainder of the support could arrive.

Cynn's arrival was marked by the flash and ignition of fire upon most everything flammable. Eve's proximity was proven by the remains of the slain mandragor stirring back to animated undeath. The whistle of arrows betrayed Aidan's position... and everyone became aware of Devona's presence the moment she began crushing every non-human thing she could get her hammer on for daring to attack her son.

It didn't take much for the mandragor to decide this food wasn't worth trying to aquire. What had seemed to be easy prey had turned into a massacre of their numbers, and fell into frantic retreat from the humans.

"Mooooommieeee!" Allister complained as Devona gathered up the boy, and buried her chin in his hair, picking him up off the ground and hugging him fiercely.

"Don't ever run away from anyone!" The warrior woman scolded. "It's dangerous out here alone!"

"But I wasn't alone!" Allister protested. "Shadow was with me! Shadow is always with me!"

Devona had entertained Allister's imaginary friend... finding it very helpful in dispelling the child's worries from the nighttime jitters, but realized now was the time to put her foot down. "Young man, while I am sure Shadow is very brave against the monsters in the closet, I doubt she would be much use against beasts like these. Now, you get back to the Priory before you make your punishment worse."

"But mommieeee... I wanted to show Auntie Gwen my garden!"

"Auntie Gwen will be here tomorrow, and if you don't cause any more trouble, we'll all go to the garden then. Now march, young man!"

Aidan spoke up before Devona could walk out of earshot. "The mandragor are getting bolder as of late, and seem to be moving south. There might be a hive around here. Gwen, Grazz, and I will scout around and see if we can find it."

The warrior nodded in acknowledgment, Cynn taking her leave to attend to her own child who she had left in quite a rush after the sounds of battle had reached her ears. Granted, Mhenlo had stayed behind with their daughter, but Cynn had gained quite the motherly side since the birth of her first child, and did not want to leave her little darling's side for terribly long... determined not to be distant and aloof like her mother was.

Eve gave the area the once over, and decided there wasn't any more fun to be found at this point, and forlornly slouched off after Cynn, but taking a right rather than a left at the base of the rise, where she had constructed her own little dwelling and "research" site a year before.

Once it was only the three "scouts" remaining on the cliff, a woman's voice issued from the trees, "I've already taken care of the hive. But it is true that they are migrating further south than usual. I'll keep an eye on it when I can."

"There's something going on further north." Gwen said, shivering from a combination of the cold and the uncertain dread that she had been feeling whenever she went out into the wilderness areas of the Shiverpeaks. "I don't know what... but something... is slowly building out there."

"It's not just the mandragor, either." Aidan replied, "Norn scouts are reporting that the Kodan are coming closer to shore and further south than ever before. Not in any large numbers, but my friends among the Norn tell me they too are feeling... something... off about the northern reaches. Jora tells me that they've had more 'Nornbears' emerging, and from Norn that are further and further away from Drakkar Lake."

"I know that there's four of us on guard when I'm around, but I'm not all that often." Gwen said. "I'm not sure the three of you will be enough."

"I'm making arrangements to solve that problem as we speak." The voice answered. "Reinforcements should be arriving on that score."

"Who?" Aiden asked.

"That's a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know yet." The hidden woman retorted. "Now, I suggest you all stop milling about in one place lest someone down below starts getting suspicious."

"Grazz, Gwen, get going." Aiden ordered. "I'm not quite done here."

The Charr and the mesmer grinned knowingly as they took two separate paths into the foilage. Once alone, Aidan stepped forward so he was out of sight of the Priory and said, "Alright, you've had your fun, now get out here."

"You can't order me around." The hiding woman replied.

"Now." Aidan insisted sternly.

Like a petulant child, the cloaked figure known as Shadow reluctantly emerged from the trees. "Fine. Here I am. What do you want?"

Aidan put his left hand on her shoulder, and attempted to push down her cowl with the right. "You know what I want."

"Don't." She replied. "You know I don't like you seeing my face."

With a sly grin, he said, "I would think having seen a lot more than your face several times by now that you wouldn't be so shy about it."

There was a resigned huff, and finally a reluctant capitulation. "Very well... if you must."

The cowl finally dropped to Shadow's neck, and Aidan smiled in approval as he admired the almond skin and striking Canthan features, despite her self-consciousness about the badly burned and scarred left side of her face, scarring that he knew from personal experience covered much of her left side... scarring that she didn't attempt to have healed because she felt she should look just as ugly on the outside as she felt on the inside.

He felt she failed miserably on that score. Sure, it wasn't what either of them had dreamed for... but it was good enough.

She pretended to passively accept his short kiss on her lips, and said with a hint of impatience, "Are you done? I have a meeting I must attend promptly."

"So I take it we're not meeting after nightfall?"

Yue paused, "Now, I didn't say that..."

The ranger released the... Aidan paused a moment, then asked as he pointed to the scythe on her back, "Since when did you become a Dervish?"

"I've known some dervish skills for a while. Learned them in Atal Ra during my stay... I found some of the skills complimented my traditional assassin's training nicely." Yue replied. "Lately... it felt right to use the weapon as well."

"I like the look." Aidan joked. "Black hooded figure wielding a scythe, all serious, ill-tempered and misunderstood, threshing foes like grain."

The assassin snorted, and lifted her cowl back over her head, "Right... I'm just a damned grim reaper or something. Now, I have to go." Yue then whirled about and retreated back into the forest, but not before tossing back a flippant, "I'll see you tonight. Don't be late."

She disappeared back into the forest, keeping her distance from Grazz and Pyre as they "scouted" the area. A half hour later, she was at a distance where she felt it was safe to have her meeting.

"It's clear." Yue declared, dropping to a crouch next to a nearby tree, where another secretive figure stood on the other side of the thick trunk. "I understand you know most of the people at the Priory, though."

"I do." The aged male replied, "And they think they know me. Nevertheless, I prefer to remain out of sight, much like you, Yue."

The assassin grinned, "I won't ask how you figured out my name, Jurah."

That gave the Master of Whispers pause. "Well, since it's clear we are already well ahead of the children's games, I suppose we can get down to business. I suspect it pertains to the child you rescued earlier."

"Allister, son of Devona and the supposedly deceased Coran... heir to the throne of Ascalon." Yue confirmed.

"I'm sure... I am told that Coran wishes for his true identity, and the heritage of his family to be secret. Besides, King Adelbern banished the whole lot of them." The Master said dismissively.

"The 'banishment' was for show, to keep the new royal family from the dangers of the escalating Charr war." Yue countered. "Considering that the human kingdom has lost several key battles already, I can understand why. If Ascalon holds out until the end of this decade, I'll be impressed."

"Don't underestimate the resolve of Ascalon." The Master of Whispers challenged, "It'll see the end of this decade, and possibly the next as well. Just you watch."

Turning the topic back on task, Yue then said, "As for Coran's wishes... I think this is one case where he is making both the right and the wrong choice. Perhaps it is a good thing for the world to think the line of Doric in Ascalon has ended for now. But... I can't put my finger on it... but I don't think that knowledge should be lost forever."

Yue turned her head northward. "There's something building out there, in the wilds... and not just to the north. It's all around us. The death of Bhu'kahuh has emboldened something else, something even older in this world. It's growing in strength... I don't know when... I don't know how... but it's coming. The knowledge that a noble line of a once noble land still lives... I think it will be good for the world of the future."

The Master of Whispers pondered this, "I see. You aren't the only one to feel the ill omens, my girl. As for the fate of Ascalon's royal family, I'm inclined to agree. I've been looking to expand the Order of Whispers... this seems like as good of a place as any... on one condition."

"Which is?"

"I want you to lead the chapter."

Yue raised her eyebrows as the Master of Whispers spoke again. "You already have a leadership structure in place. You already know how to move and act unseen. You already are at least passably familiar with the circles of influence and power on this continent. It would take too much time for me to train one of my inner circle to the task... and besides... I'm retired."

"Yeah, and Grenth has tired of gathering souls."

The Master of Whispers stepped away from the tree. "A squad from my order will be sent to the Priory with as much haste as they can. If questioned, their purpose is that I have decided the history and documents to be worth preservation... I'll even use it to store information the Order has collected as well... it will kill two birds with one stone."

"You get another location to harbor your secrets, and preserve the line of Ascalon. Clever." Yue noted, "So, when should I begin recruiting?"

But by that point, the Master of Whispers had completed his business, and had left as silently as he came. "I'll take that to mean as of now." Yue groused to herself, and stood. She had a lot of work to do...