Shadow_Steel
03-08-2006, 12:27 PM
OOC:Actually a follow on from a post made in the guild rp about... well, a long time ago anyway. Just to fill the gaps between that post and one of the latest guild posts. So, no, not here for critique etc, more to make more sense of the posts if the guild happens to want an explanation. And yes, that's also why it makes no sense to begin with. Just made more sense to post here rather than take up a large space on the guild rp. Ta.
IC:
Ara sighed but started packing immediately. The last time she and Shadow had spoke Shadow had been trying to kill her. Admittedly she had been under a spell but the principle was still there. The closest town was Nuln to the South. She would have to travel there to re-stock on supplies. She would need more herbs and rations for both her and her horse if they were going to be travelling to Marienburg.
While she doused the fire and packed away her tent she thought aloud to herself, ”Brother? She never told me she had a brother… And why would she want to help one of her old squadron? Surely he would be a Dark Elf and just as untrustworthy…. Oh Gods, why did I let myself get involved? It will only end in tears or worse…”
Shaking her head sullenly she packed her gear on to Donkey’s back and climbed into the saddle. Steering the horse south she headed towards Nuln. She could use a drink.
*********
The two travellers could not have looked more mismatched as they walked through the market. The first was tall, by human standards at least. But this stranger was no human. He was Elven, and Asuryan by the looks of it. He walked with a feline grace that could only come from the Fey. He had long, silken hair that shone gold in the dieing sun that could be seen dipping just below the skyline of the almost ancient buildings of Nuln. It flowed around his face and over his shoulders creating an almost halo like effect. He had the look of a noble about him although his clothes suggested otherwise. He wore scuffed, black riding boots that reached to above his knees and his black leather breeches were tucked into them. His hand did not stray far from the finely crafted sabre at his side. His black, cotton shirt was ripped in several places, but was only fastened to his mid-chest, showing a V shape of flesh that drew the attention of some of the ladies around the square. If you could call them that. The only odd thing about the man was his eyes. They were a black so deep that one felt if they were to look into them they would fall for an eternity. No white was to be seen, and this made a few of the stall keepers wary.
The second man however... It was obvious this man was also an Elf, but the kind that even other Elves would not want to associate with. His bluish black hair was tied with a leather thong and draped down his back. He wore black leather boots that reached to his knees and scuffed leather breeches tucked in. He wore a white shirt covered in mud splatters and tears and his skin was deathly pale. His ice blue eyes scanned the crowd suspiciously as his short sword tapped a gentle rhythm against his thigh. A crudely made thin sash of fabric was tied around his forehead and covered the tips of his ears. However, it would take more than a headband to hide his heritage. He walked with the same grace as his companion, but there was nothing noble about the way he held himself. The more learned customers hurriedly made their purchases and left for they recognised him for what he was. A Drow.
The first turned to his companion and spoke in swift Elven so as not to be understood by the humans, ”Do you really think this wise Morwen? I thought we were trying to keep a low profile? These humans look more like they’re about to burn us at the stake.”
The second smirked slightly before replying in the same language, only it did not come as fluently as his companions. Like he was trying to hybrid two different forms of the language, ”Relax Amras. The humans are not as stupid as you give them credit for. Yes, they are suspicious of us, but not to a point they would have us flayed alive or indeed burned at the stake. Besides, think of it this way. If they are this wary of us, imagine how they will be with a dozen or so Drow soldiers marching through their city demanding if we have been seen? The humans would be too scared to talk to them. As long as we avoid the authorities then we will be fine. It would be the authorities who would be only too glad to hand us over to the Army just to get both us and them out of this cesspit they call home. Now be calm. It’s not like we’re staying within the borders of the town. But one is more likely to find out more information from a human who has drank too much, than a random traveller in that pitiful excuse for an inn. Travellers are not as stupid as most. They know to be suspicious of everyone.”[/green]
Amras had to admit, he could see the logic in Morwen’s thinking. He shrugged as they entered an inn tucked into the corner of two adjoining buildings. Amras looked around the inn in mild disgust. The floor was filthy and the patrons were not much better. Though the smell of the stale beer, greasy food and musk was strong, there was an underlying scent of blood. Looking across to Morwen, he appeared almost at home. Taking another look around the smoky room it became apparent to Amras that this was some sort of safe haven for all manner of individuals. The humans looked ragged yet sly. Thieves no doubt. Amras was also shocked to see both Dwarves and Elves dotted around the room. They eyed each other suspiciously but made no attempt at violence. Taking a glance at the barkeeper he could understand why.
The barkeeper was a tall man. Reaching 6 feet in height he was near the same height as Amras. However his built was by far larger than that of either of the Elves. He was, in fact, the largest human they had ever seen. It also appeared that most of his mass was bulging muscle. Walking to the bar they ordered two red wines and sat down at a table near the bar, facing the door.
Morwen scanned the room feeling more at home than he had in months. His eyes suddenly fell on a hooded figure at the end of the bar. The figure wore grey robes with green runes embroidered into the sleeves indicating they were a magic user. The plain wooden staff leant against the bar was also a dead give away. But not only did the colour scheme not do anything fashion wise it also did not indicate which of the winds of magic they followed. The figure looked up and a flicker of shock… almost recognition passed over the magic users face. Morwen could just make out the features of the stranger under the cowl. Very slim, angular face. The eyes were a deep blue and the hair, a mass of curls. As the figure moved slightly Morwen noticed the way the robes sat on them. It was a woman.
**********
Ara walked through the market place and purchased numerous strange herbs from the more fragrant stalls as she passed, her staff tapping lightly on the broken cobblestones. Finally she ducked into the same inn she frequented every week. Taking her usual seat at the bar she called over to the barkeeper. He approached her, still polishing the glass in his hand with a dirty rag. Ara smiled, [color=red]”The usual please Marcus.”
The huge man smiled broadly showing a mouth missing of most of his teeth, ”Right you are Miss. Naiol. How’s business these days?”
Ara sighed and shook her head, ”Not good Marcus. Everyone’s wanting to hire these young people these days. I mean, I’m still young right?! I just have more experience than them. Which should surely count against them? I’m only 27 Gods damn it. The way they see it I’ve already passed my prime and my days as a professional are way behind me… Do you think they might be intimidated by the fact I’m a mage?”
Marcus just chuckled, ”I wouldn’t know anything about that Miss. I just takes people how I see’s ‘em. If they cause any trouble in my bar I don’t like ‘em, otherwise they’re just as good as anyone else. Everyone’s equal in here. Now, if you‘ll excuse me, I got some more customers.”
Ara shrugged and then went back to her drink Marcus had just placed in front of her. A few seconds later the door opened with a loud creak. Ara momentarily wondered how Marcus knew, but didn’t think too much into it. Looking up she watched the two new customers take seats at one of the tables. Elves by the looks of it. She took another sip of water and glanced back across just as one of the Elves looked in her direction. Ara could not contain the shock spreading across her face. The Elf was almost the spitting image of Shadow with the exception of lack of scar running across his right eye. She suddenly thought to herself, *Surely these could not be the men Shadow has asked me to look for…But he looks so much like her, and she did mention one of them was her brother… and the other one looks Asuryan… surely he could not have been working within the armies…. Could he?*
Ara drained the last of the water in her glass and motioned for Marcus to come over, ”Marcus… is the back room free?”
Marcus gave her an odd look but nodded his head anyway, ”You make any mess and you clean it up.”
Ara nodded and picked up her staff. Climbing off the stool she slowly walked towards the table where the newcomers sat slowly drinking glasses of red wine. Ara stopped at the table and bowed her head, ”’Quel undome. I would be honoured if you would accompany me through to a more private area. I think there may be some things we need to discuss.”
***********
Amras and Morwen both sat slightly shocked. The humans Elven was perfectly fluent, as if it were her first language. They looked over to the barkeeper but he merely sat behind the bar eyeing the meeting closely. Looking back to the woman Amras studied her carefully. She appeared un-armed but there was an unnatural bulge on her outer thigh, possibly some form of weapon. He looked at Morwen who had apparently noticed this also. Morwen stood, his hand on the hilt of his sword and bowed deeply and replied in Elven, ”We would be honoured to join you fair lady. If you would like to show us the way.”
As he bowed Morwen took the woman’s hand and kissed it lightly staring deep into her eyes. However, is attempt at flirting and flattery got him no-where but a brief smile as she turned and headed towards a doorway near the bottom of the stairs. Amras glared at him, but they followed the stranger none the less.
Entering the small, dank room Amras closed the door behind him. There was a table and a few chairs in the middle of the room, but that was all. It looked like some sort of meeting place. The woman took a seat at the head of the table and motioned for them to sit. Cautiously they sat and pulled themselves closer to the table. The woman seemed fascinated by Morwen. Amras frowned slightly but waited for the woman to speak.
***********
Ara finally took her eyes off the Drow and closed her eyes taking a deep breath. Breathing it out slowly she opened her eyes again and began speaking, ”My name is Ara Naiol. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you, however I have recently learned of you if you are you I believe you to be. I was asked by an old… friend of mine to track you down. I know her as Shadow, but I know that in the past few years she has assumed her birth name. Laurana Quavein Liastacia. She told me nothing of you when we spoke except that you were having a few… military problems. The only other thing she told me is that one of you is her brother, the other an ex-officer. I must admit I was shocked to see you in Nuln. I was actually stocking up to travel to Marienburg to meet with her to learn more.”
“I realised that you were in fact the people I was asked to look for as you look remarkably like Shadow. I was shocked however, to discover her brother to be a Dark Elf. I suppose I should have expected it though. Elves marry for life and her mother’s husband died before she was born and had no other children with his wife. But to find that her ex-officer is of Asuryan origin was also a shock. Although stranger things have happened I suppose…”
Ara looked at the two Elves in front of her to see their reactions. Amras sat looking at her unconvinced. Morwen smiled warmly. He had actually only met his sister the once, however the woman seemed sincere. At Amras’ scowl Morwen sat up in his seat and bowed his head slightly, ”My name is Morwen Quavein. Myself and Laurana are related because we share the same father, you are correct. My companion here, is Amras Falassion. Previously under my sister’s command in the Dark Elf Armies. He has somewhat… fallen from Grace, but soon saw the errors of his ways not long after my sister fled from the Army. We are both hunted for the woman we love. But tell me, how is it you came to know my sister? And how you have so much influence over the man of this establishment. An… acquaintance of yours?”
The last few words were said with a small sneer. Ara chuckled slightly before replying, ”It is not what many would have you think. Marcus was the brother of my old mentor. This was the inn I was practically raised in after my parents were executed by the authorities.”
Ara stopped to stare at Amras as he stifled a laugh at this, ”I knew the humans were wary of magic users but not to that extent without due cause.”
A brief smile passed over Ara’s lips, ”They were not Magi Herr Falassion.” Ara was happy to see a slight grimace pass over Amras’ face at the use of such a human term in referral to himself, ”They were assassins. After their death Marcus’ brother took me in and I came to live here with them. It was here I started my career.”
Amras’ stifled laughter was heard again, ”You mean to tell me. That you were taught to use the winds of magic, in this… cesspit?”
Ara smiled again, ”No Herr Falassion. Magic was my second choice of career. By nature, I am a thief. However, business has been rather slow as of late. I have taken to hiring myself out as a mercenary.”
There was a strange look of admiration on Morwen’s face. Thievery was never something he openly encouraged, but thievery was just one step away from Assassination. And that was all he knew, ”But what of my sister? I’d hate for you to ruin such a good story by telling us she found you and made you repent your ways, which is why you took to magic?”
Ara laughed this time, ”Not at all Herr Quavein. I was already training in using magic by that point. I met Shadow when I was fifteen. I had been on my way to another of my lessons. A senile old wizard had offered to teach me the most basic spells he knew before sending word to the magic college to see if they would accept me. It was the first time she had been to Nuln in a long time and so thought nothing of her purse being out on display. Obviously, instinct taking over I took it and made a detour down one of the back alleys. I know them so well I thought it would be impossible for her to catch up. After running down what felt like fifty alleyways I saw her just standing there. Hadn’t even broke a sweat. I turned to run but she was in front of me again. She threatened to run me through where I stood if I didn’t hand over the purse. She showed me that women didn’t just have to stand in the background looking pretty. We could defend ourselves and did not have to go round hiding in shadows. After that I followed her constantly asking if I could travel with her. In the end I was irritating enough that she allowed me to go with her.”
Ara paused for a few moments and let out a high pitched whistle. A moment later Marcus cautiously opened the door and looked almost stunned to see the group sitting talking instead of lying in pools of their own blood. He smiled warily as Ara spoke up, “A bottle of wine and some glasses if you would Marcus. Oh, and make it the good stuff if you don’t mind. Not that latrine water you serve to the customers.”
Marcus laughed and went back through the door re-appearing a few moments later with a bottle of red wine and three glasses. He patted Ara’s shoulder before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. She poured herself a glass and indicated to the other’s if there would like a glass. Morwen nodded his head smiling, whilst Amras looked dubious but nodded also. Re-corking the bottle she continued, “We travelled for a time before getting bored of travelling and settled down a little way from Marienburg. We built our own cottage as Elves were still a rare sight in the bigger towns and were still shunned. Not that we were ever in the house for very long at the same time anyway. If it wasn’t me away on one of my jobs, she was away on one of her…. Assignments.”
Morwen actually perked up at this. Having only known his sister for a short time it was a rare treat to find out about her past before joining the military, “And what assignments were these? She never struck me as a thief. No offence intended Frauline.”[/green]
Ara smiled, [color=red[“None taken sir. But no. She was not a thief. She had a much different calling which gave us just as much in common as our magic. She was an Assassin. We were both the best in our profession. However when she found out her true heritage she… did not take it well. After that she never returned home. She returned to Athel Loren. She found out all she knew of her mixed heritages. It was then she discovered that the man who had raided the human settlement she was raised in, whom she had run through on her own blade was her father. Your father no less. But I’m sure you already knew that.”
She smiled again and took a sip of wine before continuing, “After joining up with the Military she seduced her way to General. Admittedly, her flare for torture helped also. She took leave for a while as a large assignment was sent her way by her former employer. However, for some reason she could not take the assignment. She refused but her magic could not protect her from the spell placed upon her. It was not long after I lost all thoughts of re-establishing a friendship with her. She tried to kill me, but at the last moment did not. When I came round she was gone. I heard nothing from her until just this morning when she contacted me. It was almost miraculous I came across you at all.”
There was more than sorrow in Ara’s eyes as she spoke that went un-noticed by Amras, however Morwen picked up on it, but chose not to discuss the matter any further. He took a sip of the wine, which he had to admit was infinitely better than the filth they had been served previously, “Well, it is getting late and we want to be out of the city before nightfall. When will you be setting off? We can meet up outside of the city and be on our merry way.”
Amras snorted derisively but Ara simply ignored him as she spoke to Morwen, “I plan on moving out at night fall tomorrow. If you travel directly north of the city until you come to a crossroad, travel east away from both roads and you will come across my encampment. Make sure you are not followed though. You are not the only one’s with enemies on the look out for you.” She winked before standing and picking up her staff. As she left the room only the soft sound of her robes brushing the floor could be heard along with the light tapping of her stick. Not long after Amras and Morwen also vacated the room, heading out of the tavern and out of the city.
***********************
The Elf cursed loudly as he fell to the floor with a loud thump. He managed to untangle the sheets just in time to avoid being hit over the head with the candle holder as it rolled off the small bedside table. Standing up swiftly he managed to catch the matching holder as it threatened to follow the first. There was another loud knock on the door followed by a woman’s voice, ”Mr. Falassion! Are you aware you are now three weeks over due for your rent?! This is unacceptable!”
The Elf sighed loudly and walked to the door. Slowly he opened the door to look down into the red, plump face of the landlady, ”My most sincerest apologies Frau Schreiber, I am but a poor man, surely you could allow me just one more week? And I promise you shall have the money.”
Amras’ voice was like silk across the podgy woman’s ears. She stared into the eyes of the Elf as if in some sort of trance. A look of something between awe and fear past over her face and she gave the briefest of nods, ”O.. of course Mr. Falassion… Another week would be fine…” She smiled strangely, turned and started hobbling back down the corridor.
Amras shook his head and closed the door. It was only a matter of time before he could no longer seduce the over weight wench. He walked back towards the bed in the corner of the squat room and delved into his pack. Slowly he pulled on a pair of brown, worn leather breeches over his cotton trousers. He rummaged around for a while until he finally found a clean, black shirt. Sighing loudly he pulled it on over his head. He despised being “on the road” as his companion had put it so delicately. He banged on the door to the adjoining room, ”Morwen! Get out of bed you lazy excuse for an Elf.”
There was a groan followed by some shuffling around from the next room until finally another Elf came through the door looking the worse for wear. He held his head and groaned loudly. Amras merely gave him a dirty look and started packing what few of his belongings he had into his pack. Morwen stumbled further into the room and collapsed onto his companions bed.
Amras shook his head and sighed, ”How you managed to avoid capture this long without me is beyond my comprehension. Now, get up. We have to go meet this… witch. She claims she was sent by the General, we must at least investigate.”
Morwen sat up and rubbed his head, trying to alleviate the pounding headache that felt like half a dozen dwarves circling his head and taking turns in hitting him in his temples with oversized war hammers, ”Can it not wait until this afternoon? I don’t much feel like travelling.”
Amras glared at Morwen for a brief second before attaching his sheath at his belt. Placing his sabre into it, he turned to Morwen, ”You brought it on yourself by getting into a drinking competition with a dwarf. You should have known you’d lose you fool, now hurry and pack, we have at least an hours travelling to do and I want to be there by noon. The witch said she would be leaving her camp by this evening and travelling with the night. I want time to see if she is who she says she is before going anywhere with her.”
Morwen groaned and stumbled back through to his own room. He packed very slowly and every now and then groaned loudly and partially drowned himself in the wash basin on the rickety table near the bed. Finally he emerged from his room and wandered downstairs in search of his companion. He found him chatting to the landlord, one Heinrich Schreiber. He was a large, round man with a face resembling that of a pig. His red nose and rosy cheeks gave him a look of perpetual drunkenness, however his eyes, although beady, were sharp and almost always darting around the room, checking that customers were not up to mischief. Except of course when he was actually drunk.
The land lord was apparently mesmerised by Amras. Morwen could see straight away he had used some sort of spell. Amras was politely telling the landlord he was to receive no rent for the four weeks rent they had been staying there. The landlord was simply smiling and nodding and chuckling every now and then as if he was being told some humorous story. Morwen shook his head and headed out the door towards the stables. He saddled up both his and Amras’ horse and led them round to the front of the inn while he waited for his companion to appear.
Amras opened the door and waved, shouting back to the landlord, ”It was a pleasure to be in such fine company Herr Schreiber. I bid thee farewell and a good day.”
Morwen could see just as the door was closing, Heinrich still stood staring into space. He doubted if he even heard Amras’ parting words. Suddenly the man blinked and shuddered, returning to normal as a patron banged his glass on the bar top asking for another ale. He went about serving his customer as if nothing had transpired and then the door closed with a loud squeal.
Amras climbed up into the saddle of his horse and steered the animal onto the road and started riding south. Morwen shook his head once more and climbed onto his own steed. Spurring his horse into a canter he caught up with Amras, ”What on earth did you do to that poor man? Will he be permanently damaged?”
Amras replied softly, ”It was a simple charming spell is all. I am not as skilled in the arts of magic as the General, but those few simple spells I know I learned from her. And no, he will not be permanently damaged. Just a little confused for an hour or so. Now, we have an appointment, that I would prefer us not to be late to.” And with that he spurred his horse into a gallop leaving Morwen standing looking even more confused than he was. Shrugging he urged his horse to follow. Shortly after, Morwen regretted doing so, as his stomach suddenly threatened to land in his throat as the movement also worsened his headache. This was not starting out to be a good day.
*******
Ara poked at the embers, coaxing them back to a small flame. She stared at the growing flames as the aroma of the spitted rabbit spread slowly through the camp. Suddenly there was a feint screeching, but one that only she could hear. She raised her arms and muttered a few words of magic. Slowly the campsite faded from view including her faithful mare Donkey. Making sure everything was completely shielded she removed the dagger from her boot and climbed the nearest tree, settling upon one of the lowest branch’s amongst the foliage. Silently she waited to see whom had tripped the magical perimeter alarm.
Ara heard the sound of hooves approaching. Two animals by the sound of it. She heard two male voices. They were too low to distinguish if they were the guests she was expecting. As the sound of their steeds approached, the two cowled figured came into view directly beneath the branch she was crouching upon. Silently she wrapped her legs around the branch, being cautious not to jostle the leaves around her to give away her position. Quickly she gripped the hilt of her daggers tighter and swung herself upside down, still gripping the branch with her thighs.
Ara grabbed one of the cowled men’s head and tugged his head back sharply, pressing the blade against the pale flesh of his neck. At this point, his companion drew a finely crafted rapier from his belt and pointed it at Ara. As the cowl fell away from her captors face Ara found herself staring into eyes which seemed all too familiar upon a face she barely recognised. Quickly she pulled away the dagger and pulled herself back up to the branch. Brushing the hair from her face she cleared her throat, “You took your time. I was tempted to start off without you.”
Morwen smiled and rubbed at his neck, “Do you greet all of your guests this way or should I feel special?”
Ara let a glimmer of a smile reach her lips but before she could reply Amras cleared his throat and slid his rapier back into it’s sheath, “Can we get on with this? It will be dark soon and these woods are not friendly even when the sun is in the sky…”
Ara sighed audibly, swung herself around the branch with her legs and let herself fall to the ground, landing silently on the forest floor, “I intend for us to leave after the sun has set. If we had enough time I could probably get us there in the blink of an eye. However, we do not have the time to wait while I meditate for two days and two nights so I do not kill myself in the process. Plus, our eye sight is a lot better than those of the Chaos factions. Which, if my sources are correct, are on the move between here and Marienburg. It looks like they are trying another assault on the lands of men.”
Ara walked back over to where her camp had been previously and raised her arms again. Mumbling a few more words of magic the shield dropped and the camp came back into view. Turning towards the mildly startled Elves she gestured towards the fire, “Now, I don’t know about you two, but personally I would like to eat my lunch. Care to join me?”
*******
Ara and Morwen sat chatting happily by the fire as Amras knelt by the horses sharpening his weapons, a scowl on his face
After almost an hour of idle chit chat Morwen turned to Ara, “So what actually happened between you and my sister?”
Ara was taken aback for a brief moment, however quickly recovered, “How do you mean?”
Morwen chuckled slightly, “Yesterday, in the tavern when you spoke about her. You had a similar look in your eyes to what Amras gets when he talks about her. His I can reason as boundless loyalty. However I find it hard to believe that you would follow orders as blindly. So what is the actual story between you two?”
Ara looked at the dirt under her feet and dragged the tip of her finger through it, creating swirling dust patterns. After a few minutes she sighed and raised her head until she was looking Morwen in the eye, “We were… together. You know, a little more than friends if you catch my drift?”
Morwen arched an eye brow quizzically, “Lovers?”
Ara nodded her head slowly, “Yes. Until her last assignment. Something changed in her. Usually she could have controlled her magic, but the curse that damned sorcerer put on her… now whenever she uses magic above a simple lighting spell unless its for healing and it controls her. I know she means well whenever she uses it, but I still can’t find it in me to forgive her for what she did. Not just to me, but for all those other lives she took or ruined.”
Morwen nodded sullenly and reached across, taking Ara’s hand in his own. He said nothing for a time, just patted her hand softly. Looking up at the sky he stood and pulled Ara up with him, “It will be dark within the hour. I’ll help you pack up.”
Ara smiled, her eyes moist with unshed tears, “Thank you.”
***
The last rays of sunlight disappeared over the tree line as Morwen secured the last pack onto Donkey’s saddle. Morwen bowed his head as Ara approached, “M’lady.”
Ara smiled her first true smile in weeks as Morwen offered his hand to help her into the saddle, “Why thank you kind sir.”
Placing her foot in the stirrup she took Morwen’s hand and pulled herself up into the saddle. Morwen concealed a slight smirk as Ara’s robes shifted to reveal the unusual lump at her thigh Amras had mentioned the day before. Some sort of customised pouch was strapped to her leg beneath her robe holding a silver spiked flail.
Ara moved her leg into a more comfortable position covering her weapon once more. Morwen bowed his head again and walked across to his own steed. Pulling himself into the saddle he steered the horse towards Amras who had set about extinguishing the camp fire.
As Amras threw the last handful of dirt onto the smouldering embers he turned to Morwen, wiping his hands on his cloak, “Well? Does she speak the truth? Will she lead us to the General?”
Morwen nodded, “She seems sincere. However I am at a disadvantage. I do not possess the same ability as my dear sister. It was passed on from her mother. The only thing our father contributed to us was our heritage unfortunately. But yes, this looks to be the lucky break we were awaiting.”
Amras looked thoughtful for a few moments before sighing and walking towards his horse. Climbing into the saddle he nudged the horse into a trot towards Ara. Reining in the horse he held himself high in the saddle, “I am afraid the navigation will have to be between yourself and Morwen. Alas I am still a stranger to these lands and do not know where this, Marienburg lies. We are ready to leave when you are.”
Ara smiled briefly before replying, “Very well. If we set out now then we can get in at least six hours hard riding before resting for an hour. Then we ride for another seven hours. We’ll be riding in about two hours of daylight but by then we should be well out of the way of any major towns or villages.”
At this Amras protested, “Why should we rest? Our horses should be able to carry us through the night without difficulty.”
Ara scowled at the pompous elf in front of her, “We will be resting after six hours. Your Elven steeds may be able to carry you all the way through the night, however unless you are blind as well as foolish you will noticed that my steed is from a human stable, and is not of Charger breeding, and is also a lot more aged than yours so will not carry me through the night. We will break after six hours and after the seven hours of riding we will continue on foot for more of the light hours. It is easier to guide the horses through the forestry during the day rather than riding. Your steeds may be bred for riding in the forest, however as you said, they’re unfamiliar lands and the forests grow differently. It will be better tactically if we break more. If we do have to fight then if we have rested enough and if we have to make a hasty getaway then the horses will be rested enough also. Surely a Major would have been able to see that. Or are you in too much of a hurry to see your precious General?”
Amras’ face reddened slightly. He merely glared at Ara and brushed away the stray hairs that had fell across his face. Morwen chuckled and rode up between the two of them, “Well. Shall we?”
Ara nodded, returning Amras’ glare with a cool gaze. Closing her eyes she murmured a few words of magic. Opening them again Amras was taken aback. Her usual blue eyes were now golden with thin black slits for pupils. Morwen looked at her casually, “It suits you. You should do that more often.”
Ara smiled, “Gives me vision as good as yours, if not better. During the day it would just give me a headache.”
Spurring her horse into a gallop Ara guided the way back to the main road, closely followed by Morwen and then Amras. Ara breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Donkey’s hooves hit the well compacted dirt instead of the woodland floor.
****
The first six hours were pretty much uneventful. Reining the horses in, the trio stopped in a small clearing by the roadside. Pulling out their rations of dried strips of veal they sat around the glowing orb Ara summoned as the horses grazed by the road.
As they were preparing to set off again Morwen raised his hand for them to stop. He signalled to Ara they were being watched with a few hand movements and gestures. Ara nodded and unclasped the dagger in her boot. She looked to Amras who looked rather clueless. She suddenly remembered he was military, not mercenary so hadn’t a clue what Morwen had signalled. Ara quickly managed to clamp her hand over his mouth before he could say anything. She shook her head and waved her hand, dismissing the light orb. Amras nodded in understanding reaching for the hilt of his sword. Morwen turned and shook his head. He signalled that they should head out. Amras looked questioningly at Ara who pointed towards the horses in reply. They silently untied the horses from the branches they were tethered to and led them onto the road. Pulling themselves into their respective saddles they spurred the steeds into a full gallop.
In the darkness, something hissed in the brush. Snarling it let out a high pitched screech that echoed through the night.
The horses whinnied, almost protesting, but kept up the fast pace their riders urged upon them. The screech almost deafened their sensitive ears and it continues for almost 30 seconds before it eerily stopped short. A mixture of fear and their master’s spurred them on, their lungs were burning and their legs were threatening to buckle under the strain but still they rode on. Finally there was a pull on the reins and they slowed to a canter.
After a few miles Amras finally broke the silence, “Morwen… how did you know the witch would be able to understand you. Those signals meant nothing to me, yet she knew exactly what you were saying.”
Morwen chuckled, “Firstly, her name is Ara. I would appreciate it if you called her so respectively. And secondly, my ignorant friend. If you recall at our first meeting, our fair companion mentioned she had taken to hiring herself out as a mercenary. Therefore I naturally assumed she would be knowledgeable with the code signals frequently used by most rogue and mercenary groups. Unfortunately for you, being military, any code signs you know would be different and Ara, never being in any form of militia would not know those. I figured I’d take my chances with the woman who can blow off someone’s head with a fireball over the man with the sabre. After all, Chaos is abroad.”
Amras scowled as Morwen and Ara laughed. Wiping the tear from her eye, Ara looked over at Morwen and mock saluted, “Nice to see you have so much faith in me, unlike your… ignorant friend.”
The pair chuckled again until silenced by the gaze cast by Amras. They glanced at each other and suppressed a giggle as they rode through the night.
****
Day broke over the horizon as the trio headed into the woods and got down from their saddles. Guiding the horses through the trees for another 2 hours they finally set up camp in a tiny clearing. They agreed to take shifts on watch while two of the slept. Setting a small campfire Morwen volunteered to take the first watch. Ara and Amras pulled together a small shelter from the branches that were scattered around.
Settling down under the shade Ara was the first to fall asleep followed shortly after by Amras. For the first hour Morwen sat sharpening his weapons. Sighing loudly he set aside the whet stone and re-sheathed his blades. Walking around the perimeter a few times he finally settled with warming his hands by the fire.
Suddenly Morwen heard a rustling from the temporary shelter. Cautiously he approached the two sleeping forms. He found Amras still fast asleep, however Ara was tossing and turning. Kneeling down next to her he felt at her forehead. She whimpered slightly and was bathed in a cold sweat.
Morwen gently swept Ara up in his arms and walked across to the fire. Sitting down he cradled Ara in his arms softly stroking her hair and whispering soothing words in her ear. Slowly Ara stopped stirring and drifted back off into a peaceful slumber. Morwen gently laid her down on the ground by the fire and went back to patrolling the area around the campsite.
IC:
Ara sighed but started packing immediately. The last time she and Shadow had spoke Shadow had been trying to kill her. Admittedly she had been under a spell but the principle was still there. The closest town was Nuln to the South. She would have to travel there to re-stock on supplies. She would need more herbs and rations for both her and her horse if they were going to be travelling to Marienburg.
While she doused the fire and packed away her tent she thought aloud to herself, ”Brother? She never told me she had a brother… And why would she want to help one of her old squadron? Surely he would be a Dark Elf and just as untrustworthy…. Oh Gods, why did I let myself get involved? It will only end in tears or worse…”
Shaking her head sullenly she packed her gear on to Donkey’s back and climbed into the saddle. Steering the horse south she headed towards Nuln. She could use a drink.
*********
The two travellers could not have looked more mismatched as they walked through the market. The first was tall, by human standards at least. But this stranger was no human. He was Elven, and Asuryan by the looks of it. He walked with a feline grace that could only come from the Fey. He had long, silken hair that shone gold in the dieing sun that could be seen dipping just below the skyline of the almost ancient buildings of Nuln. It flowed around his face and over his shoulders creating an almost halo like effect. He had the look of a noble about him although his clothes suggested otherwise. He wore scuffed, black riding boots that reached to above his knees and his black leather breeches were tucked into them. His hand did not stray far from the finely crafted sabre at his side. His black, cotton shirt was ripped in several places, but was only fastened to his mid-chest, showing a V shape of flesh that drew the attention of some of the ladies around the square. If you could call them that. The only odd thing about the man was his eyes. They were a black so deep that one felt if they were to look into them they would fall for an eternity. No white was to be seen, and this made a few of the stall keepers wary.
The second man however... It was obvious this man was also an Elf, but the kind that even other Elves would not want to associate with. His bluish black hair was tied with a leather thong and draped down his back. He wore black leather boots that reached to his knees and scuffed leather breeches tucked in. He wore a white shirt covered in mud splatters and tears and his skin was deathly pale. His ice blue eyes scanned the crowd suspiciously as his short sword tapped a gentle rhythm against his thigh. A crudely made thin sash of fabric was tied around his forehead and covered the tips of his ears. However, it would take more than a headband to hide his heritage. He walked with the same grace as his companion, but there was nothing noble about the way he held himself. The more learned customers hurriedly made their purchases and left for they recognised him for what he was. A Drow.
The first turned to his companion and spoke in swift Elven so as not to be understood by the humans, ”Do you really think this wise Morwen? I thought we were trying to keep a low profile? These humans look more like they’re about to burn us at the stake.”
The second smirked slightly before replying in the same language, only it did not come as fluently as his companions. Like he was trying to hybrid two different forms of the language, ”Relax Amras. The humans are not as stupid as you give them credit for. Yes, they are suspicious of us, but not to a point they would have us flayed alive or indeed burned at the stake. Besides, think of it this way. If they are this wary of us, imagine how they will be with a dozen or so Drow soldiers marching through their city demanding if we have been seen? The humans would be too scared to talk to them. As long as we avoid the authorities then we will be fine. It would be the authorities who would be only too glad to hand us over to the Army just to get both us and them out of this cesspit they call home. Now be calm. It’s not like we’re staying within the borders of the town. But one is more likely to find out more information from a human who has drank too much, than a random traveller in that pitiful excuse for an inn. Travellers are not as stupid as most. They know to be suspicious of everyone.”[/green]
Amras had to admit, he could see the logic in Morwen’s thinking. He shrugged as they entered an inn tucked into the corner of two adjoining buildings. Amras looked around the inn in mild disgust. The floor was filthy and the patrons were not much better. Though the smell of the stale beer, greasy food and musk was strong, there was an underlying scent of blood. Looking across to Morwen, he appeared almost at home. Taking another look around the smoky room it became apparent to Amras that this was some sort of safe haven for all manner of individuals. The humans looked ragged yet sly. Thieves no doubt. Amras was also shocked to see both Dwarves and Elves dotted around the room. They eyed each other suspiciously but made no attempt at violence. Taking a glance at the barkeeper he could understand why.
The barkeeper was a tall man. Reaching 6 feet in height he was near the same height as Amras. However his built was by far larger than that of either of the Elves. He was, in fact, the largest human they had ever seen. It also appeared that most of his mass was bulging muscle. Walking to the bar they ordered two red wines and sat down at a table near the bar, facing the door.
Morwen scanned the room feeling more at home than he had in months. His eyes suddenly fell on a hooded figure at the end of the bar. The figure wore grey robes with green runes embroidered into the sleeves indicating they were a magic user. The plain wooden staff leant against the bar was also a dead give away. But not only did the colour scheme not do anything fashion wise it also did not indicate which of the winds of magic they followed. The figure looked up and a flicker of shock… almost recognition passed over the magic users face. Morwen could just make out the features of the stranger under the cowl. Very slim, angular face. The eyes were a deep blue and the hair, a mass of curls. As the figure moved slightly Morwen noticed the way the robes sat on them. It was a woman.
**********
Ara walked through the market place and purchased numerous strange herbs from the more fragrant stalls as she passed, her staff tapping lightly on the broken cobblestones. Finally she ducked into the same inn she frequented every week. Taking her usual seat at the bar she called over to the barkeeper. He approached her, still polishing the glass in his hand with a dirty rag. Ara smiled, [color=red]”The usual please Marcus.”
The huge man smiled broadly showing a mouth missing of most of his teeth, ”Right you are Miss. Naiol. How’s business these days?”
Ara sighed and shook her head, ”Not good Marcus. Everyone’s wanting to hire these young people these days. I mean, I’m still young right?! I just have more experience than them. Which should surely count against them? I’m only 27 Gods damn it. The way they see it I’ve already passed my prime and my days as a professional are way behind me… Do you think they might be intimidated by the fact I’m a mage?”
Marcus just chuckled, ”I wouldn’t know anything about that Miss. I just takes people how I see’s ‘em. If they cause any trouble in my bar I don’t like ‘em, otherwise they’re just as good as anyone else. Everyone’s equal in here. Now, if you‘ll excuse me, I got some more customers.”
Ara shrugged and then went back to her drink Marcus had just placed in front of her. A few seconds later the door opened with a loud creak. Ara momentarily wondered how Marcus knew, but didn’t think too much into it. Looking up she watched the two new customers take seats at one of the tables. Elves by the looks of it. She took another sip of water and glanced back across just as one of the Elves looked in her direction. Ara could not contain the shock spreading across her face. The Elf was almost the spitting image of Shadow with the exception of lack of scar running across his right eye. She suddenly thought to herself, *Surely these could not be the men Shadow has asked me to look for…But he looks so much like her, and she did mention one of them was her brother… and the other one looks Asuryan… surely he could not have been working within the armies…. Could he?*
Ara drained the last of the water in her glass and motioned for Marcus to come over, ”Marcus… is the back room free?”
Marcus gave her an odd look but nodded his head anyway, ”You make any mess and you clean it up.”
Ara nodded and picked up her staff. Climbing off the stool she slowly walked towards the table where the newcomers sat slowly drinking glasses of red wine. Ara stopped at the table and bowed her head, ”’Quel undome. I would be honoured if you would accompany me through to a more private area. I think there may be some things we need to discuss.”
***********
Amras and Morwen both sat slightly shocked. The humans Elven was perfectly fluent, as if it were her first language. They looked over to the barkeeper but he merely sat behind the bar eyeing the meeting closely. Looking back to the woman Amras studied her carefully. She appeared un-armed but there was an unnatural bulge on her outer thigh, possibly some form of weapon. He looked at Morwen who had apparently noticed this also. Morwen stood, his hand on the hilt of his sword and bowed deeply and replied in Elven, ”We would be honoured to join you fair lady. If you would like to show us the way.”
As he bowed Morwen took the woman’s hand and kissed it lightly staring deep into her eyes. However, is attempt at flirting and flattery got him no-where but a brief smile as she turned and headed towards a doorway near the bottom of the stairs. Amras glared at him, but they followed the stranger none the less.
Entering the small, dank room Amras closed the door behind him. There was a table and a few chairs in the middle of the room, but that was all. It looked like some sort of meeting place. The woman took a seat at the head of the table and motioned for them to sit. Cautiously they sat and pulled themselves closer to the table. The woman seemed fascinated by Morwen. Amras frowned slightly but waited for the woman to speak.
***********
Ara finally took her eyes off the Drow and closed her eyes taking a deep breath. Breathing it out slowly she opened her eyes again and began speaking, ”My name is Ara Naiol. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you, however I have recently learned of you if you are you I believe you to be. I was asked by an old… friend of mine to track you down. I know her as Shadow, but I know that in the past few years she has assumed her birth name. Laurana Quavein Liastacia. She told me nothing of you when we spoke except that you were having a few… military problems. The only other thing she told me is that one of you is her brother, the other an ex-officer. I must admit I was shocked to see you in Nuln. I was actually stocking up to travel to Marienburg to meet with her to learn more.”
“I realised that you were in fact the people I was asked to look for as you look remarkably like Shadow. I was shocked however, to discover her brother to be a Dark Elf. I suppose I should have expected it though. Elves marry for life and her mother’s husband died before she was born and had no other children with his wife. But to find that her ex-officer is of Asuryan origin was also a shock. Although stranger things have happened I suppose…”
Ara looked at the two Elves in front of her to see their reactions. Amras sat looking at her unconvinced. Morwen smiled warmly. He had actually only met his sister the once, however the woman seemed sincere. At Amras’ scowl Morwen sat up in his seat and bowed his head slightly, ”My name is Morwen Quavein. Myself and Laurana are related because we share the same father, you are correct. My companion here, is Amras Falassion. Previously under my sister’s command in the Dark Elf Armies. He has somewhat… fallen from Grace, but soon saw the errors of his ways not long after my sister fled from the Army. We are both hunted for the woman we love. But tell me, how is it you came to know my sister? And how you have so much influence over the man of this establishment. An… acquaintance of yours?”
The last few words were said with a small sneer. Ara chuckled slightly before replying, ”It is not what many would have you think. Marcus was the brother of my old mentor. This was the inn I was practically raised in after my parents were executed by the authorities.”
Ara stopped to stare at Amras as he stifled a laugh at this, ”I knew the humans were wary of magic users but not to that extent without due cause.”
A brief smile passed over Ara’s lips, ”They were not Magi Herr Falassion.” Ara was happy to see a slight grimace pass over Amras’ face at the use of such a human term in referral to himself, ”They were assassins. After their death Marcus’ brother took me in and I came to live here with them. It was here I started my career.”
Amras’ stifled laughter was heard again, ”You mean to tell me. That you were taught to use the winds of magic, in this… cesspit?”
Ara smiled again, ”No Herr Falassion. Magic was my second choice of career. By nature, I am a thief. However, business has been rather slow as of late. I have taken to hiring myself out as a mercenary.”
There was a strange look of admiration on Morwen’s face. Thievery was never something he openly encouraged, but thievery was just one step away from Assassination. And that was all he knew, ”But what of my sister? I’d hate for you to ruin such a good story by telling us she found you and made you repent your ways, which is why you took to magic?”
Ara laughed this time, ”Not at all Herr Quavein. I was already training in using magic by that point. I met Shadow when I was fifteen. I had been on my way to another of my lessons. A senile old wizard had offered to teach me the most basic spells he knew before sending word to the magic college to see if they would accept me. It was the first time she had been to Nuln in a long time and so thought nothing of her purse being out on display. Obviously, instinct taking over I took it and made a detour down one of the back alleys. I know them so well I thought it would be impossible for her to catch up. After running down what felt like fifty alleyways I saw her just standing there. Hadn’t even broke a sweat. I turned to run but she was in front of me again. She threatened to run me through where I stood if I didn’t hand over the purse. She showed me that women didn’t just have to stand in the background looking pretty. We could defend ourselves and did not have to go round hiding in shadows. After that I followed her constantly asking if I could travel with her. In the end I was irritating enough that she allowed me to go with her.”
Ara paused for a few moments and let out a high pitched whistle. A moment later Marcus cautiously opened the door and looked almost stunned to see the group sitting talking instead of lying in pools of their own blood. He smiled warily as Ara spoke up, “A bottle of wine and some glasses if you would Marcus. Oh, and make it the good stuff if you don’t mind. Not that latrine water you serve to the customers.”
Marcus laughed and went back through the door re-appearing a few moments later with a bottle of red wine and three glasses. He patted Ara’s shoulder before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. She poured herself a glass and indicated to the other’s if there would like a glass. Morwen nodded his head smiling, whilst Amras looked dubious but nodded also. Re-corking the bottle she continued, “We travelled for a time before getting bored of travelling and settled down a little way from Marienburg. We built our own cottage as Elves were still a rare sight in the bigger towns and were still shunned. Not that we were ever in the house for very long at the same time anyway. If it wasn’t me away on one of my jobs, she was away on one of her…. Assignments.”
Morwen actually perked up at this. Having only known his sister for a short time it was a rare treat to find out about her past before joining the military, “And what assignments were these? She never struck me as a thief. No offence intended Frauline.”[/green]
Ara smiled, [color=red[“None taken sir. But no. She was not a thief. She had a much different calling which gave us just as much in common as our magic. She was an Assassin. We were both the best in our profession. However when she found out her true heritage she… did not take it well. After that she never returned home. She returned to Athel Loren. She found out all she knew of her mixed heritages. It was then she discovered that the man who had raided the human settlement she was raised in, whom she had run through on her own blade was her father. Your father no less. But I’m sure you already knew that.”
She smiled again and took a sip of wine before continuing, “After joining up with the Military she seduced her way to General. Admittedly, her flare for torture helped also. She took leave for a while as a large assignment was sent her way by her former employer. However, for some reason she could not take the assignment. She refused but her magic could not protect her from the spell placed upon her. It was not long after I lost all thoughts of re-establishing a friendship with her. She tried to kill me, but at the last moment did not. When I came round she was gone. I heard nothing from her until just this morning when she contacted me. It was almost miraculous I came across you at all.”
There was more than sorrow in Ara’s eyes as she spoke that went un-noticed by Amras, however Morwen picked up on it, but chose not to discuss the matter any further. He took a sip of the wine, which he had to admit was infinitely better than the filth they had been served previously, “Well, it is getting late and we want to be out of the city before nightfall. When will you be setting off? We can meet up outside of the city and be on our merry way.”
Amras snorted derisively but Ara simply ignored him as she spoke to Morwen, “I plan on moving out at night fall tomorrow. If you travel directly north of the city until you come to a crossroad, travel east away from both roads and you will come across my encampment. Make sure you are not followed though. You are not the only one’s with enemies on the look out for you.” She winked before standing and picking up her staff. As she left the room only the soft sound of her robes brushing the floor could be heard along with the light tapping of her stick. Not long after Amras and Morwen also vacated the room, heading out of the tavern and out of the city.
***********************
The Elf cursed loudly as he fell to the floor with a loud thump. He managed to untangle the sheets just in time to avoid being hit over the head with the candle holder as it rolled off the small bedside table. Standing up swiftly he managed to catch the matching holder as it threatened to follow the first. There was another loud knock on the door followed by a woman’s voice, ”Mr. Falassion! Are you aware you are now three weeks over due for your rent?! This is unacceptable!”
The Elf sighed loudly and walked to the door. Slowly he opened the door to look down into the red, plump face of the landlady, ”My most sincerest apologies Frau Schreiber, I am but a poor man, surely you could allow me just one more week? And I promise you shall have the money.”
Amras’ voice was like silk across the podgy woman’s ears. She stared into the eyes of the Elf as if in some sort of trance. A look of something between awe and fear past over her face and she gave the briefest of nods, ”O.. of course Mr. Falassion… Another week would be fine…” She smiled strangely, turned and started hobbling back down the corridor.
Amras shook his head and closed the door. It was only a matter of time before he could no longer seduce the over weight wench. He walked back towards the bed in the corner of the squat room and delved into his pack. Slowly he pulled on a pair of brown, worn leather breeches over his cotton trousers. He rummaged around for a while until he finally found a clean, black shirt. Sighing loudly he pulled it on over his head. He despised being “on the road” as his companion had put it so delicately. He banged on the door to the adjoining room, ”Morwen! Get out of bed you lazy excuse for an Elf.”
There was a groan followed by some shuffling around from the next room until finally another Elf came through the door looking the worse for wear. He held his head and groaned loudly. Amras merely gave him a dirty look and started packing what few of his belongings he had into his pack. Morwen stumbled further into the room and collapsed onto his companions bed.
Amras shook his head and sighed, ”How you managed to avoid capture this long without me is beyond my comprehension. Now, get up. We have to go meet this… witch. She claims she was sent by the General, we must at least investigate.”
Morwen sat up and rubbed his head, trying to alleviate the pounding headache that felt like half a dozen dwarves circling his head and taking turns in hitting him in his temples with oversized war hammers, ”Can it not wait until this afternoon? I don’t much feel like travelling.”
Amras glared at Morwen for a brief second before attaching his sheath at his belt. Placing his sabre into it, he turned to Morwen, ”You brought it on yourself by getting into a drinking competition with a dwarf. You should have known you’d lose you fool, now hurry and pack, we have at least an hours travelling to do and I want to be there by noon. The witch said she would be leaving her camp by this evening and travelling with the night. I want time to see if she is who she says she is before going anywhere with her.”
Morwen groaned and stumbled back through to his own room. He packed very slowly and every now and then groaned loudly and partially drowned himself in the wash basin on the rickety table near the bed. Finally he emerged from his room and wandered downstairs in search of his companion. He found him chatting to the landlord, one Heinrich Schreiber. He was a large, round man with a face resembling that of a pig. His red nose and rosy cheeks gave him a look of perpetual drunkenness, however his eyes, although beady, were sharp and almost always darting around the room, checking that customers were not up to mischief. Except of course when he was actually drunk.
The land lord was apparently mesmerised by Amras. Morwen could see straight away he had used some sort of spell. Amras was politely telling the landlord he was to receive no rent for the four weeks rent they had been staying there. The landlord was simply smiling and nodding and chuckling every now and then as if he was being told some humorous story. Morwen shook his head and headed out the door towards the stables. He saddled up both his and Amras’ horse and led them round to the front of the inn while he waited for his companion to appear.
Amras opened the door and waved, shouting back to the landlord, ”It was a pleasure to be in such fine company Herr Schreiber. I bid thee farewell and a good day.”
Morwen could see just as the door was closing, Heinrich still stood staring into space. He doubted if he even heard Amras’ parting words. Suddenly the man blinked and shuddered, returning to normal as a patron banged his glass on the bar top asking for another ale. He went about serving his customer as if nothing had transpired and then the door closed with a loud squeal.
Amras climbed up into the saddle of his horse and steered the animal onto the road and started riding south. Morwen shook his head once more and climbed onto his own steed. Spurring his horse into a canter he caught up with Amras, ”What on earth did you do to that poor man? Will he be permanently damaged?”
Amras replied softly, ”It was a simple charming spell is all. I am not as skilled in the arts of magic as the General, but those few simple spells I know I learned from her. And no, he will not be permanently damaged. Just a little confused for an hour or so. Now, we have an appointment, that I would prefer us not to be late to.” And with that he spurred his horse into a gallop leaving Morwen standing looking even more confused than he was. Shrugging he urged his horse to follow. Shortly after, Morwen regretted doing so, as his stomach suddenly threatened to land in his throat as the movement also worsened his headache. This was not starting out to be a good day.
*******
Ara poked at the embers, coaxing them back to a small flame. She stared at the growing flames as the aroma of the spitted rabbit spread slowly through the camp. Suddenly there was a feint screeching, but one that only she could hear. She raised her arms and muttered a few words of magic. Slowly the campsite faded from view including her faithful mare Donkey. Making sure everything was completely shielded she removed the dagger from her boot and climbed the nearest tree, settling upon one of the lowest branch’s amongst the foliage. Silently she waited to see whom had tripped the magical perimeter alarm.
Ara heard the sound of hooves approaching. Two animals by the sound of it. She heard two male voices. They were too low to distinguish if they were the guests she was expecting. As the sound of their steeds approached, the two cowled figured came into view directly beneath the branch she was crouching upon. Silently she wrapped her legs around the branch, being cautious not to jostle the leaves around her to give away her position. Quickly she gripped the hilt of her daggers tighter and swung herself upside down, still gripping the branch with her thighs.
Ara grabbed one of the cowled men’s head and tugged his head back sharply, pressing the blade against the pale flesh of his neck. At this point, his companion drew a finely crafted rapier from his belt and pointed it at Ara. As the cowl fell away from her captors face Ara found herself staring into eyes which seemed all too familiar upon a face she barely recognised. Quickly she pulled away the dagger and pulled herself back up to the branch. Brushing the hair from her face she cleared her throat, “You took your time. I was tempted to start off without you.”
Morwen smiled and rubbed at his neck, “Do you greet all of your guests this way or should I feel special?”
Ara let a glimmer of a smile reach her lips but before she could reply Amras cleared his throat and slid his rapier back into it’s sheath, “Can we get on with this? It will be dark soon and these woods are not friendly even when the sun is in the sky…”
Ara sighed audibly, swung herself around the branch with her legs and let herself fall to the ground, landing silently on the forest floor, “I intend for us to leave after the sun has set. If we had enough time I could probably get us there in the blink of an eye. However, we do not have the time to wait while I meditate for two days and two nights so I do not kill myself in the process. Plus, our eye sight is a lot better than those of the Chaos factions. Which, if my sources are correct, are on the move between here and Marienburg. It looks like they are trying another assault on the lands of men.”
Ara walked back over to where her camp had been previously and raised her arms again. Mumbling a few more words of magic the shield dropped and the camp came back into view. Turning towards the mildly startled Elves she gestured towards the fire, “Now, I don’t know about you two, but personally I would like to eat my lunch. Care to join me?”
*******
Ara and Morwen sat chatting happily by the fire as Amras knelt by the horses sharpening his weapons, a scowl on his face
After almost an hour of idle chit chat Morwen turned to Ara, “So what actually happened between you and my sister?”
Ara was taken aback for a brief moment, however quickly recovered, “How do you mean?”
Morwen chuckled slightly, “Yesterday, in the tavern when you spoke about her. You had a similar look in your eyes to what Amras gets when he talks about her. His I can reason as boundless loyalty. However I find it hard to believe that you would follow orders as blindly. So what is the actual story between you two?”
Ara looked at the dirt under her feet and dragged the tip of her finger through it, creating swirling dust patterns. After a few minutes she sighed and raised her head until she was looking Morwen in the eye, “We were… together. You know, a little more than friends if you catch my drift?”
Morwen arched an eye brow quizzically, “Lovers?”
Ara nodded her head slowly, “Yes. Until her last assignment. Something changed in her. Usually she could have controlled her magic, but the curse that damned sorcerer put on her… now whenever she uses magic above a simple lighting spell unless its for healing and it controls her. I know she means well whenever she uses it, but I still can’t find it in me to forgive her for what she did. Not just to me, but for all those other lives she took or ruined.”
Morwen nodded sullenly and reached across, taking Ara’s hand in his own. He said nothing for a time, just patted her hand softly. Looking up at the sky he stood and pulled Ara up with him, “It will be dark within the hour. I’ll help you pack up.”
Ara smiled, her eyes moist with unshed tears, “Thank you.”
***
The last rays of sunlight disappeared over the tree line as Morwen secured the last pack onto Donkey’s saddle. Morwen bowed his head as Ara approached, “M’lady.”
Ara smiled her first true smile in weeks as Morwen offered his hand to help her into the saddle, “Why thank you kind sir.”
Placing her foot in the stirrup she took Morwen’s hand and pulled herself up into the saddle. Morwen concealed a slight smirk as Ara’s robes shifted to reveal the unusual lump at her thigh Amras had mentioned the day before. Some sort of customised pouch was strapped to her leg beneath her robe holding a silver spiked flail.
Ara moved her leg into a more comfortable position covering her weapon once more. Morwen bowed his head again and walked across to his own steed. Pulling himself into the saddle he steered the horse towards Amras who had set about extinguishing the camp fire.
As Amras threw the last handful of dirt onto the smouldering embers he turned to Morwen, wiping his hands on his cloak, “Well? Does she speak the truth? Will she lead us to the General?”
Morwen nodded, “She seems sincere. However I am at a disadvantage. I do not possess the same ability as my dear sister. It was passed on from her mother. The only thing our father contributed to us was our heritage unfortunately. But yes, this looks to be the lucky break we were awaiting.”
Amras looked thoughtful for a few moments before sighing and walking towards his horse. Climbing into the saddle he nudged the horse into a trot towards Ara. Reining in the horse he held himself high in the saddle, “I am afraid the navigation will have to be between yourself and Morwen. Alas I am still a stranger to these lands and do not know where this, Marienburg lies. We are ready to leave when you are.”
Ara smiled briefly before replying, “Very well. If we set out now then we can get in at least six hours hard riding before resting for an hour. Then we ride for another seven hours. We’ll be riding in about two hours of daylight but by then we should be well out of the way of any major towns or villages.”
At this Amras protested, “Why should we rest? Our horses should be able to carry us through the night without difficulty.”
Ara scowled at the pompous elf in front of her, “We will be resting after six hours. Your Elven steeds may be able to carry you all the way through the night, however unless you are blind as well as foolish you will noticed that my steed is from a human stable, and is not of Charger breeding, and is also a lot more aged than yours so will not carry me through the night. We will break after six hours and after the seven hours of riding we will continue on foot for more of the light hours. It is easier to guide the horses through the forestry during the day rather than riding. Your steeds may be bred for riding in the forest, however as you said, they’re unfamiliar lands and the forests grow differently. It will be better tactically if we break more. If we do have to fight then if we have rested enough and if we have to make a hasty getaway then the horses will be rested enough also. Surely a Major would have been able to see that. Or are you in too much of a hurry to see your precious General?”
Amras’ face reddened slightly. He merely glared at Ara and brushed away the stray hairs that had fell across his face. Morwen chuckled and rode up between the two of them, “Well. Shall we?”
Ara nodded, returning Amras’ glare with a cool gaze. Closing her eyes she murmured a few words of magic. Opening them again Amras was taken aback. Her usual blue eyes were now golden with thin black slits for pupils. Morwen looked at her casually, “It suits you. You should do that more often.”
Ara smiled, “Gives me vision as good as yours, if not better. During the day it would just give me a headache.”
Spurring her horse into a gallop Ara guided the way back to the main road, closely followed by Morwen and then Amras. Ara breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Donkey’s hooves hit the well compacted dirt instead of the woodland floor.
****
The first six hours were pretty much uneventful. Reining the horses in, the trio stopped in a small clearing by the roadside. Pulling out their rations of dried strips of veal they sat around the glowing orb Ara summoned as the horses grazed by the road.
As they were preparing to set off again Morwen raised his hand for them to stop. He signalled to Ara they were being watched with a few hand movements and gestures. Ara nodded and unclasped the dagger in her boot. She looked to Amras who looked rather clueless. She suddenly remembered he was military, not mercenary so hadn’t a clue what Morwen had signalled. Ara quickly managed to clamp her hand over his mouth before he could say anything. She shook her head and waved her hand, dismissing the light orb. Amras nodded in understanding reaching for the hilt of his sword. Morwen turned and shook his head. He signalled that they should head out. Amras looked questioningly at Ara who pointed towards the horses in reply. They silently untied the horses from the branches they were tethered to and led them onto the road. Pulling themselves into their respective saddles they spurred the steeds into a full gallop.
In the darkness, something hissed in the brush. Snarling it let out a high pitched screech that echoed through the night.
The horses whinnied, almost protesting, but kept up the fast pace their riders urged upon them. The screech almost deafened their sensitive ears and it continues for almost 30 seconds before it eerily stopped short. A mixture of fear and their master’s spurred them on, their lungs were burning and their legs were threatening to buckle under the strain but still they rode on. Finally there was a pull on the reins and they slowed to a canter.
After a few miles Amras finally broke the silence, “Morwen… how did you know the witch would be able to understand you. Those signals meant nothing to me, yet she knew exactly what you were saying.”
Morwen chuckled, “Firstly, her name is Ara. I would appreciate it if you called her so respectively. And secondly, my ignorant friend. If you recall at our first meeting, our fair companion mentioned she had taken to hiring herself out as a mercenary. Therefore I naturally assumed she would be knowledgeable with the code signals frequently used by most rogue and mercenary groups. Unfortunately for you, being military, any code signs you know would be different and Ara, never being in any form of militia would not know those. I figured I’d take my chances with the woman who can blow off someone’s head with a fireball over the man with the sabre. After all, Chaos is abroad.”
Amras scowled as Morwen and Ara laughed. Wiping the tear from her eye, Ara looked over at Morwen and mock saluted, “Nice to see you have so much faith in me, unlike your… ignorant friend.”
The pair chuckled again until silenced by the gaze cast by Amras. They glanced at each other and suppressed a giggle as they rode through the night.
****
Day broke over the horizon as the trio headed into the woods and got down from their saddles. Guiding the horses through the trees for another 2 hours they finally set up camp in a tiny clearing. They agreed to take shifts on watch while two of the slept. Setting a small campfire Morwen volunteered to take the first watch. Ara and Amras pulled together a small shelter from the branches that were scattered around.
Settling down under the shade Ara was the first to fall asleep followed shortly after by Amras. For the first hour Morwen sat sharpening his weapons. Sighing loudly he set aside the whet stone and re-sheathed his blades. Walking around the perimeter a few times he finally settled with warming his hands by the fire.
Suddenly Morwen heard a rustling from the temporary shelter. Cautiously he approached the two sleeping forms. He found Amras still fast asleep, however Ara was tossing and turning. Kneeling down next to her he felt at her forehead. She whimpered slightly and was bathed in a cold sweat.
Morwen gently swept Ara up in his arms and walked across to the fire. Sitting down he cradled Ara in his arms softly stroking her hair and whispering soothing words in her ear. Slowly Ara stopped stirring and drifted back off into a peaceful slumber. Morwen gently laid her down on the ground by the fire and went back to patrolling the area around the campsite.