Winter

Chapter One: First Snowfall

by Bill Smith

CORIN ROLLED TO THE SIDE AND BLINDLY STRUCK OUT WITH HIS SWORD.

The wooden practice sword struck Daren's cheekbone, and he spun to the side. White light flashed in front of his eyes. The prince's face bounced off the wall, and he collapsed. For a few timeless moments, Daren just lay there, eyes glazed over, staring at the ceiling.

Corin stood up, panting, and looked down at his injured twin. A brief appraisal told him that his brother would live. Corin tossed his sword aside and walked to the wash basin in the corner. "What were you talking about the other night?" he asked.

Daren groaned and rolled onto his stomach.

Corin splashed water over his face. He pulled on a loose shirt, then walked over to Daren. Corin stuck out his hand and Daren took it, and let himself be pulled up. "What were you talking about the other night?" Corin repeated.

Daren blinked stupidly. "Huh?"

"The other night, at the meeting. You seemed so sure that Ranon didn't help Alleria run away. How do you know what happened?"

Daren sighed and walked over to the basin, and looked at his reflection in the metal mirror. "All you have to do is think about it," Daren said. "Ranon isn't a controlling person. He wouldn't haved forced Alleria to run away."

"Alleria isn't the type of girl to run away."

Daren snorted and began dabbing at his cheekbone. "I'd run away if I was her. After what happened..."

"Why? What happened?"

"I can't tell you."

"Well how did you find out?" Corin asked.

"I walked in just before they left," Daren replied. He turned to his brother and folded his arms across his chest. "We really shouldn't be talking about this now."

"When, then?"

"Never," Daren replied. He grabbed his shirt and pulled it on. "You know how things can slip out around here." His eyes flicked to the door just as it was opening. A servant walked in. "Who knows how long he was standing out there?" Daren whispered.

The servant walked over and said, "Your father requests your presence in the western conference room, Highnesses." He bowed.

Corin shooed the servant away, then said, "I guess you're right, but will you ever tell me?"

Daren shook his head.

Corin shrugged and added, "Then the damage to your face will be the least of your worries."

Daren walked to the door and said, "Don't threaten me, Corin. If it really comes down to it, I'll hurt you."

Corin gaped after his retreating twin and ran after. "Hey! I was joking! Ease up, Daren! You've been acting strange lately. What's your problem?"

"Nothing," Daren replied. "I'll get over it."

"When?"

"Nine months."

"Why that long?"

Daren shrugged, knowing that the hint flew straight over Corin's head. Though Daren completely trusted Ranon, he was still concerned about Alleria. The gold he had given them would last for a while, but not nine months, and not through the pregnancy.

Though she was a year older, Daren thought of her as his little sister. He was also worried about the effects it would have on Althoria. Alleria was the princess, and what did it look like to the populace when the heir to the throne suddenly ran away? No one but him knew the real reason for her departure. If anyone else knew, then Borric would have surely found out by now.

***

The Althorian River forked about thirty leagues south of Althorien. It divided into two rivers, splitting east and west, and the two new rivers flowed southeast and southwest eventually emptying into the Sea of Storms. The river deltas of the East and West Althorian Rivers were about 300 leagues apart. The two Althorian Rivers were broad, and allowed trading ships to travel from Althorien to Harnash, which rested between each river.

At its widest point, Harnash was 320 leagues across. It was a small country, and had very few natural resources; its only advantage were the imported goods from the southern continent, and some expensive merchandise. Harnash exported silk, ivory, gems, and anything that catered to the rich. Now that a war was on the horizon, by request from Althoria, Harnash had begun importing large quantities of military equipment from Kachara, the southern continent. Traffic had increased along the Althorian Rivers, and through the Sea of Storms.

They had only traveled a few leagues inside the northern Harnash border, when a convenient port town popped up along their route. Doronar was glad they wouldn't have to walk all the way to the coast. Sailing down the Eastern Althorian River was much quicker than walking all the way. Though it would have been faster sailing down the western river, Boldar said that the number of ships traveling down that river would be far less. Doronar believed him.

Boldar had secured passage on one of the many ships leaving for Kachara, which surprised Doronar. The Arrakan had always assumed that Boldar was an arrogant Lienite, the typical stereotype of all Lienites, but Boldar had displayed remarkable skills in other areas. The young man had bargained their way onto the boat for less than half of what Doronar had thought possible. That was granted they both do their share of work on the ship, and even on the first day, Boldar began fixing things around the ship. He became the captain's tinker.

***

Garen looked down, and scanned the shoulder of the road. Though he didn't know what he was looking for, after a moment, he found it. The boy slid from his horse and examined a meaningless imprint in the dirt. In his mind, Garen assumed he was tracking someone, but he didn't know who. If he had to make a guess, then he would say that it was Aleya, and that was just fine, but Garen just hoped her friends wouldn't kill him.

He didn't relish the thought of jumping a hundred feet into a moat, again.

It was definitely strange, his pursuit of this girl. In fact, his life had continued to get stranger with every passing day. Garen didn't know why he would suddenly wake up and take a voyage without telling anyone. And why would he try to sacrifice some girl, for no apparent reason? All this was odd enough, but the thing that really astounded him was that he didn't care. But he should care.

First, Garen should be scared by his unusual treks. He wasn't. Second, Garen should be angry at whatever force was overpowering him. He wasn't. Even though he was being yanked around Althoria by some unseen power, and taken from daily sex with Bree, he didn't care. The only emotion that Garen could identify was curiosity. And it had been this way for more than two months.

With a sigh, Garen looked around the town he was entering. It was a small farming town, like most villages in the Highlands. There probably wouldn't be an inn, but as Garen had soon discovered, there was always someone willing to spare him a room, for a little gold or silver.

A glance at the sky told him that night was approaching. Garen knew that they would be setting up camp in a few minutes. Though he could catch up to them if he wished, that elf woman, or the boy, would stop him from getting to Aleya. After that pathetic encounter in Ghin's palace, Garen knew that they would protect her even more tightly than before. There was no time to wait for their guard to lax; he would have to follow closely, and wait until she was alone. Or, create a diversion.

***

"No! No no no!" Borim stamped his foot.

Aleya paused as she grabbed the next branch. She looked down below and saw Borim standing beneath her. "What?"

"'What'?" Borim mimicked. "You know how I hate trees. Why do you always climb them?"

"You don't have to..." Aleya shrugged, continuing to the top. She found a stable branch and sat down.

A few moments later, after a series of grunts and curses, Borim was next to her. He sat down with a huff and she looked at him. "You're not wearing your armor," she observed.

"I take it off at the end of the day, you know."

"Not the last time you climbed the tree."

"I was stupid."

Aleya nodded with a smile, then looked to the northeast. "That's so beautiful," she said, pointing to the Dwarven Mountains.

>From their vantage point, Aleya and Borim could see the snow-capped peaks of the Dwarven Mountains standing out against a twilight sky. The mountains were so far away, it seemed as though they sat just beyond the horizon, just out of reach. The snowy peaks of the mountains shone whitely, from the moonlight. A crescent of silver, it hung just left of the mountain range.

"I think it's interesting that you wanted to see over the cliff at Althorien, but you don't like trees," Aleya commented.

"Well, I wanted to see over the cliff. I'm never doing it again."

"You said you liked it!"

"I lied."

Aleya chuckled and looked out at the uneven forest, at the rises and falls of the Highlands plateau. "Do you think we're anywhere near Raisa?" Raisa was their home town.

"No, why?"

"Well, I told my mother I would visit her."

"Why would you visit her if you don't like her?"

"I want to be courteous, Borim. It's not so much that I want to visit them, but the Oracle. I miss him."

"It's probably hard on him not having you around."

Aleya nodded sadly. "Yes. And with any luck, he can explain his last prophecy to me."

"You're the one who does the explaining, not him. You always interpreted his prophecies, not the other way around."

"I know, I know. I can always hope, though, right?"

"If you like."

***

Ranon handed Alleria the piece of meat. She took it gingerly, and began biting off small pieces.

He turned back to their campfire and rested his elbows on his knees. "We have to think of a story to tell them."

"Tell who?"

"We have to come up with a story to tell the villagers, wherever we decide to stay. It won't do if we tell them who we are and ask them to keep a secret."

"I know," Alleria replied, "I've been thinking about that. We can tell them that we've come from the outskirts of Arangrad. We're brother and sister, looking for-"

"What about the baby?"

"That's from my husband-"

"Your husband," Ranon stated.

"Yes-"

"You're sixteen. Who's gonna believe you've got a husband?"

"Well I don't anymore-"

"What? He's dead? And anybody could tell that we don't have accents from Arangrad. At the very least, we have to come from the lowlands!"

Alleria stared at him for a few moments, then threw her food in the fire angrily. The princess scrambled to her feet and glared at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "Ranon, I'm just trying to help!" she snapped. "The very least you could do is be nice to me!"

She stormed off into the woods, and when she stopped, Ranon could hear her sobbing.

He sighed and hung his head. Gods, she was difficult.

The more Ranon knew her, the less he wanted to. They connected on so few levels, it was pitiful. Her whole conception of the world was shallow. She thought life was nothing but material things and reputations. Everything was centered around her; what she looked like, what she ate, how her horse felt, what she thought. As if her say was the only one that mattered. And Alleria always voiced her thoughts out loud, as if Ranon really cared. She was already practicing her reconciliation speech, for her father, when they returned. Why? They had nine months, or more, to prepare for that. Her "aloud thoughts," as he called them, always dwelled on what dress she wore, how her hair looked, her lack of face paint.

That was another thing that bugged Ranon: her obsession on mundane things. Her appearance, her horse's appearance, and what other people thought of her. Whenever she wanted to drink an ale, she made Ranon buy it for her, because ale was "un-ladylike". Gods, it made him sick.

But he could do nothing about it. His anger couldn't surface, so long as Ranon held an obligation toward her. And that was for the rest of his fucking life.

Now, though, when he was out of the castle, he could say whatever he wished, and Alleria couldn't stop him. Unfortunately, he also had the added obligation of their child. Even though they weren't keeping the child, Ranon didn't want to do anything that could hurt it.

Ranon tried to think about Alleria, and the baby, as little as possible. The great irony was, his entire life consisted of those two things.

***

Bree's sleeping form lay on the bed, and a few embers glowed in the fireplace, but other than that, Garen's room was dark and quiet. Outside the balcony doors, stormclouds blew in from the northwest, carrying the first winter snow.

In the corner of the room, Alinor stepped out of the air, through an invisible portal. He looked around the room, confused, until he saw Bree. When he moved across the floor, he noticed that she was alone. Garen wasn't here. Of course, that was how Alinor wanted it...if Garen were here, then the wizard might have been detected.

Alinor placed his fingertips on Bree's forehead, and he absorbed her knowledge of Garen. A frown crossed his shadowed features. The boy was gone, and he hadn't told anyone where, or why. This could mean that he had set out after Aleya. That was almost definitely what it meant, unless Garen had another purpose, but Alinor hadn't been able to define one.

***

Lia woke with the rising of the sun, and climbed out of her bedroll. She quickly dressed and packed up her belongings. Just as she was finishing, Bolthorn woke up. He looked around the clearing and said, "Why are you getting up now?"

"I think we should get an early start this morning," she said.

"Why? We're in no hurry."

Lia almost contradicted him, but she caught herself. "You're right, I just feel like setting out before the snow."

"What snow?"

Lia gestured to the sky. "Snow's blowing in from the west. It'll begin falling before the fog lifts."

Bolthorn struggled out of his bag clumsily, still sleepy. He pulled on his shirt and began donning his armor. Lia had been able to predict weather before, and he just assumed it was a trait elves possessed.

Lia knelt by Aleya and gently shook her shoulder. "Aleya, wake up," she said softly.

The girl's eyes snapped open, and she said hollowly, "The Puppet follows."

Lia snatched her hand away, startled, but Aleya's eyes closed again, then opened. The girl looked around blearily, then smiled up at the elf. "Morning," she mumbled. "Did I oversleep again?"

Lia shook her head slowly. "Who's the Puppet?" she asked.

"The who?"

"The Puppet."

Aleya came awake, and sat up. "Where?"

"You said, 'The Puppet follows,' just as I woke you up."

"I did? Are you sure?"

Lia nodded.

Aleya sighed. "You know that boy back at Jonsaria?"

"Ghin's castle. Yes, I know."

"Well, he's the Puppet."

"And he's following us."

"I guess so," Aleya replied. "Don't tell Borim," she said hastily. "He'll worry too much. I know it's good to be cautious, but it puts a lot of stress on him. If Borim knew he was back there somewhere, he'd go back there and kill the boy himself."

"That would be too dangerous," Lia replied, "Garen's a lot more-"

"Who?" Aleya drew her eyebrows together.

"The boy is a lot more dangerous than you might think."

Aleya nodded. "Believe me, I know exactly how dangerous he is."

Lia looked at the young seeress for a moment, then woke up Borim. He came awake instantly, and looked at Aleya, just to make sure she was still there. "Time to go," Lia said.

She walked over to Bolthorn and helped him with his armor. When everyone was ready, Lia followed Bolthorn out into the morning mist. It had been getting colder, especially up in the Highlands, so Lia had bought herself whole winter outfit. It kept her cozy warm now, but up in the Dwarven Mountains, Lia knew the winter clothes would just barely keep out the cold. But that was if she didn't cast a warmth spell.

Bolthorn and Lia led the way through the fog.

"What time is it?" Borim asked Aleya as their horses trotted onto the road.

"Just past dawn," Lia answered.

"Why are we leaving so early?" he asked.

"It's going to snow," Lia said. "I thought we should get our start before the snow came."

Borim yawned, now that he knew he should still be asleep. "Why would it matter whether we set out before or after?"

"So you don't have to put on a suit of frozen armor," Aleya replied.

Lia wondered where Olrick Mahr was staying now. Last time she had seen him, he was in Merindegard, with the dwarves, but that was ten years ago. He could be anywhere, now. But if they couldn't find the engineer soon, Lia would have to abandon him in search of the Death Rose.

***

Lyn was almost fourteen years old. She had worked at the Althorien Red Feather as a prostitute for nearly a year, and had almost saved up enough gold to leave. As most of the girls did, Lyn hated her job, but accepted it.

So Marian wasn't surprised when she entered the bunkroom and found Lyn over the chamberpot, vomiting. Behind Lyn, Alyssa watched sadly. Marian stopped and then walked past them both, into the bathing room. She tossed her robe in the corner, and stepped into one of the tubs. A few moments later, Alyssa walked in, then stripped and sat in the water across from Marian.

"Did you give her your 'How Many Men You've Fucked' speech?" Marian asked.

Alyssa nodded. "Lyn plans on leaving soon, and I didn't want her to leave unenlightened."

Marian was fifteen, and had worked at the Red Feather for two years, so Alyssa had already given her that specific speech. "Not everybody wants to think about that," Marian said. "Why do you tell people that kind of stuff?"

"Because it's true."

"It's gross."

"Sometimes the truth is gross. That doesn't mean we have to ignore it. I don't want her to go through life ignorant of her occupation, Marian. If she ever stops to think about it, like I made her, then she might just look for something better. If that happens, there will be fewer and fewer girls running off to be whores."

"Nobody 'runs' off to be a whore, stupid," Marian scolded. "We're sold into it before we even know what's going on. I'm an orphan, and the merchant who found me sold me here. Your father needed some gold, Kaia's also an orphan, and Lyn was just dropped off here. None of us chose to be a prostitute. None of us would ever choose to be a prostitute."

Alyssa shrugged. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. It's impossible for a woman to find work in this world. Anyone who stops to think about it might realize that. That's the only reason I haven't left yet. I would join a convent...one of those few that would take me, but I wouldn't be allowed any possessions, so all my gold would be donated to the church. Otherwise, I would be gone now."

"Yes, yes, you've told me this already," Marian said. "Don't change the subject. Why do you tell people about this?"

"You changed the subject, not me. I tell people because they have a right to know. It's the only way to set people's thoughts forward, into the future. The whores here...their thoughts are locked into a pattern, Marian." Alyssa started to warm her subject. "The whores here, they start to view this as the rest of their lives, because that's all they know. And if you start thinking like that, it will be the rest of your life. When I first came here, I was only eleven. I've been here longer than anybody else, and I know most of the servants who work here. They've told me stories about the girls that just get turned into drones. They don't ever use their brains. They spend all of their waking hours fucking, and that's it. How would you like to live like that?"

"I do live like that."

"No, no. I mean, you stop and think about how you're going to get out of here, and what you're going to do, right?" When Marian nodded, Alyssa continued, "Exactly. The way it is now, most girls come in, then work on getting out. They owe a huge debt to Red Feather once they're bought, and as soon as they get enough money to leave, they do. Once they're out in the real world, they live for a few weeks, struggling to survive, until they become destitute. Finally they return here, or go to a whorehouse. It's as simple as that, Marian. The reason I tell them is so that they will think about the future."

"So you tell them how many men they've fucked?"

Alyssa nodded. "When I told you-"

"You didn't have to," Marian said. "I already thought about it."

"Okay. But some of them don't. When they stop and think about the actual numbers, they're stunned. And they have a right to be. Usually, they get disgusted with prostitution, and start thinking of any way to get out of it."

Marian sighed. "I suppose you're right, but that speech is a slap in the face."

Alyssa shrugged. "I know. It's meant to be." She pulled a bar of soap off the shelf in the corner, and began running it across her shoulders. "What do you think about Laurel?"

"I don't know, I've never really met her. You?"

"Same here," Alyssa replied. "I-"

Of course, Laurel then walked into the room and gingerly stepped out of her robe. She noticed the two girls in the tub and smiled. As she was about to step in the other tub, Alyssa said, "Hey, come here." She slid around the circular bench, giving room to the other girl. "Sit down, we're just talking."

Laurel hesitated. "Really?" she asked.

Alyssa nodded. "Yeah. Come on."

The younger girl stepped into the water and lowered herself down to neck level. Her chestnut hair floated on the water for a few moments, then absorbed the water, and sank beneath the surface. "Thanks," she said.

Alyssa murmured agreement, still rubbing the soap over her upper body. "So, how old are you?" she asked, even though she knew.

"Twelve," Laurel answered.

"Plan on staying here long?" Alyssa asked. Though it was a casual question, Marian picked up an undertone of sarcasm. It was probably not directed at Laurel. She kicked Alyssa under the water.

"Huh?" Laurel asked.

"You know. At the Red Feather. Where are you going after this?"

The girl gaped and stammered, "Well, I-I'm not-"

"Laurel," Marian interrupted. "Do you have any elf blood in you?"

Laurel looked at Marian for a moment, then her hands went instinctively to her ears, which were still covered by her hair. "How did you know?"

"It's quite easy-" Alyssa started, but Marian interrupted her.

"I saw your ears the other night," she said.

"Oh," Laurel said, looking down into the water. "I'm half elf, but that's all I know. My parents abandoned me when I was a baby, and I grew up in a small farming village. After a town elder raped me, he sold me to a merchant, and the merchant kept me for the past six months, then sold me to Red Feather."

Alyssa paused in the middle of soaping herself. There was a nervous silence, then she said softly, "I'm sorry."

Laurel shrugged. "It's all right. I adapt well."

They were silent for a few moments, and then Marian asked, "Where are you from, before you were taken by the merchant?"

"The Highlands," Laurel replied. "I lived two days west of Arangrad."

"How did you get all the way down here?" Alyssa asked.

"The merchant traveled. He was a peddlar, and traveled from Arangrad to Merindegard, then here, where he sold me to the Red Feather."

"I wonder why here..." mumbled Alyssa.

"What?" Laurel said.

"Nothing. It's just that you're part elf," Alyssa absently touched a strand of Laurel's hair. "I've never heard of an elven whore at the Red Feather. Come to think of it, elves aren't all that common around here. Balan said that most elven whores are sold to royal families, especially up north."

"Elves are more common in the Highlands," Laurel said.

"What do you plan on doing after you get out of here?" Alyssa asked absently.

Marian kicked her again.

"What do you mean?" Laurel asked.

"Well-"

"Ignore her," Marian instructed. "All she ever thinks about is her life after she gets out of here. Alyssa doesn't bother to think about the present, or her life at Red Feather."

"Marian fails to realize that there is nothing worth dwelling on here in the Red Feather," Alyssa told Laurel.

"Yes, but poor Alyssa is going to be living in a dream world until she starts thinking about the now," Marian growled through her teeth.

"Yes, Alyssa does live in a dream world, but Marian needs to know that my dream world will help prepare me for the future, when Marian will still be working in a whorehouse while Alyssa owns a profit-making business." She directed this statement at Marian.

"Planning for the future does have its advantages. However, if Alyssa never thinks of her current situation, then Alyssa will never progress anywhere, if she always thinks of the future. When the day comes that she finally needs to put her plans into action, it will be the present, but poor Alyssa will be thinking of the future still. Meanwhile, Marian will be contentedly courting a muscular blacksmith, working in a nice, homely sewing shop."

"That Alyssa owns," Alyssa added smugly. "Because she planned ahead."

"W-Why you-you-" stammered Marian, astonished.

Alyssa stuck her tongue out and said to Laurel, "I always win."

Marian grumbled something obscene, then leaned back against the tub.

"Well, Marian, I'm going to want my reward for winning, once again."

Marian rolled her eyes.

"Well, girls," Alyssa sighed, standing up. "If you don't mind, I think I'll retire now." She looked at Marian. "When you're done, come talk to me about my reward. For beating you, again."

Marian stared at the older girl for a moment, then stood up as well. Her expression was unreadable. "I'm done too. I'll give you your reward," then she grinned.

As they were walking out the door, Marian grinned at Laurel, "I'm a sadist, and she's a masochist, so that works out perfectly."

"Hey!" Alyssa cried.

Marian pushed her on ahead, and they walked into the bunkroom. "Come on. I've learned some excellent techniques from the merchant in 501."

Alyssa's eyes widened. "You mean Murtnec?"

Marian grinned again. "The very one. Now let's move. You're all mine."

***

Kinar and Lily were both healers at Castle Althorien. Though Kinar was the elder, and wiser, both held equal status. Lily had trained under him until receiving her mastership from the Order of Vash. After she received her mastership, she was given official status by King Borric. From then on, both her and Kinar helped at the castle, even though only one of them was needed.

Kinar had been reported dead by his apprentice, two days ago. At first, the news had bounced off Lily. She hadn't really believed it, even after she examined his body. Kinar's apprentice, a boy named Alrick, called in another healer from the guild; that healer had performed the autopsy, instead of Lily. Even seeing the old man's body was too much for her. Though she saw him infrequently over the past few months, her fondness for Kinar was still the same.

The grief was quick and terrible, and Lily assumed that it was over, even when she stepped up to give his eulogy. When she finished, Alrick spoke, and she wept again. As she wept softly, someone comforted her, she didn't know who, and Lily's eyes opened.

She looked up to the funeral bier. The corpse of her mentor lay upon it, his hands by his side, his eyes closed. Kinar, in his death, looked serene and peaceful, but a disturbing image superimposed over the corpse. Lily saw, in place of the bier, an enormous serpent, coiled up. The serpent's head lay on Kinar's chest, with a single black eye staring straight at the young woman. Dumbstruck, she gaped at the massive snake.

Then, Alrick thrust his torch into the structure of the bier, and the flames sprang in front of the vision. Fire quickly consumed the bier and the corpse, feeding a huge pillar of smoke. Lily stared at the flames, and after a few minutes, walked up to the fire. She recited a small prayer to Kaholn, the God of Death, asking for Kinar's safe passage into the Otherworld. Her hands fumbled at her belt for a moment, then she withdrew her redacted prayer, and tossed it into the fire.

It flared up instantly, and burnt into small black flakes, that floated high into the sky. As Lily watched the billowing cloud, she could almost see a writhing serpent.

***

As Lia predicted, snow began falling only two hours after they departed. It began descending slowly and sparsely at first. It increased as they neared the Dwarven Mountains. By the third day, the first snowfall was a raging blizzard. Bolthorn was extremely reluctant to continue, because he knew how bad the Highland winters could be.

While they ate dinner, Bolthorn suggested that they stay in the town a few days and wait out the blizzard. Lia was fidgety the whole time, but she agreed. After a consensus was reached, Lia stepped away from the table and walked over to the bartender.

He looked her up and down, with obvious lust, and licked his lips. "What can I do fer ya, ma'am?"

Lia sat on a barstool and ordered a wine. When he handed it to her, she said, "How bad are the winters up here, usually? Does it snow this much around these parts?"

The bartender shrugged. "Not this much. Not in ten years. But I'm not surprised. The weather is odd aroun' these parts, ya know."

Lia nodded. "Thanks," she stood up. Just as she was leaving, she turned back to him and smiled, with a hint of seduction. "Here's a tip," she slid a copper coin across the bar, and as he put his hand on it, Lia's fingertips brushed his hairy arm. The man shivered noticeably, and she leaned toward him. "If you see a boy come into town...brown hair, about sixteen, asking for us...kill him." Lia's spell locked around the man's mind easily, and he nodded.

She returned to the table and sat down next to Bolthorn.

"What is it?" Aleya asked.

Lia started. "Huh?"

"Something's wrong," Aleya said. "What is it?"

"Oh...nothing. I just don't like this weather."

Neither Borim or Aleya believed her. Probably because Aleya had a lot more insight than Lia gave her credit for. And Borim probably knew of that insight. Bolthorn ignored them all, and scarfed down his potatoes.

Usually, Lia stayed up later than any of them, but she retired early, and went to their room. Whoever created this blizzard had forced Lia to stop it, or lose valuable time. If they stayed in town during the blizzard, they would become targets. She hoped to Aenis that an Overlord hadn't caused this. If she exposed herself to an Overlord this soon, then Aleya would surely be taken.

Lia sat down on a bed and crossed her legs. Just as she was closing her eyes, the door opened. Aleya tip-toed in. "Sorry," she whispered. "I just need to get something from my pack."

As Aleya rummaged through her back pack, Lia had an idea. She flicked her hand at the door, and it swung shut. "Aleya," she dropped down next to the girl.

Aleya looked at the door suspiciously, then at Lia, and said, "Huh?"

"Do you know what divination is?"

Aleya nodded. "Yes, why?"

"Can you do it?"

Aleya stopped looking through her backpack and sat on the bed. Lia sat across from her. "What makes you think I'd be any good at divination?" Aleya asked.

"Because, you were apprenticed to an Oracle. Oracles practice all forms of prophecy and fortune-telling. Did yours tell you anything about it?"

"The Oracle showed me various ways of seeing, yes. But that doesn't mean I was any good at it. Why? What do you want me to see?"

Lia looked around the room quickly, and found what she was looking for. She grabbed a candleholder. "Come here." Lia pulled the girl over to the metal tub in the corner of the room. It was already filled with water, waiting to be heated.

They knelt on either side of the tub, and Lia said, "Look into the water."

"What is this?"

"A form of geomancy. Just try it. Please."

Aleya nodded and stared into the still waters. "What am I supposed to see?"

"Nothing, yet. I want you to tell me what the patterns form." Lia made sure that the girl was looking down, and she melted the candle. The wax liquidated, and she sloshed it around in the cup-shaped holder, then slowly tipped it sideways. In a thick stream, the wax poured onto the water, and hardened. It floated away in globs connected by thin strings of wax.

Aleya frowned. "What am I supposed to be see..." she trailed off, and her brow relaxed as her mouth fell open. "Elements...uh, water...cold water..."

"Ice elemental?"

"Yes! And a..." Aleya's expression turned to one of fear. "Death...god?"

"Deathlord."

"Yes! How did you-?" she tore her eyes away from the water, then winced and looked back. Whatever she had seen was gone. "How did you know?" she asked.

Lia shrugged and stood up. She set the candleholder on the nightstand, and mumbled, "Thanks Aleya. You can go now."

"What was that all about?"

"I'll tell you later," Lia said shortly. "Please leave, I'm tired."

Aleya nodded and walked out, puzzled.

Lia plopped down on the bed and crossed her legs again. She closed her eyes and immediately relaxed. She dropped into a trance and separated from her body, riding on the cold air, up into the heart of the blizzard. Icy wind swirled around Lia's mind, and she probed out into the darkness, feeling for the source. Several minutes passed, and all she felt was the cold air. Eventually she found the elemental.

Like most elementals, the ice elemental wasn't intelligent. It was startled by her sudden arrival, but reacted violently. The ice elemental was primarily a physical entity, so its attack did little to harm Lia. Her counterattack stunned the creature, then she repeatedly slammed fire bolts into the elemental. If anyone had looked into the sky, they would have seen strange orange flashes. No one did.

After Lia's first few attacks, the elemental died, and shattered. It fell to the earth in several melting pieces. As soon as it was gone, Lia returned to her body. She hoped the Deathlord hadn't detected her, but there was always a chance. If it had, then there would be a noisy battle, soon.

Lia expanded a ward around the inn, and then crawled under the covers. She closed her eyes, but stayed awake for several hours, even after the others had gone to bed. When finally satisfied that the Deathlord hadn't found her, Lia slipped into a dreamless sleep.

In the morning, the sun was out, and the snow was melting. It took almost a half hour, but Lia convinced the others that the snow would leave. Bolthorn abandoned his armor, afraid that it would freeze again. Instead, he just wore his winter clothes.

As always, the huge warrior appeared indifferent to his surroundings, but Lia was still wary of him. Though she adored the big man, Alinor's fears could always become reality; Bolthorn could always be an enemy. Borim was grumpy, but Aleya was strangely quiet. Every so often, as they rode, Lia would look over and see the girl watching her. Then she'd look ahead again, and start a quiet conversation with Borim.

There was an unusual air of tension among the group, and Lia couldn't quite figure out why. Unless, of course, they had discovered her. Bolthorn had grown more secluded lately, but Lia figured that he might still be angry about his three 'followers'.

They traveled well into the night, and Bolthorn finally found them a clearing next to a waterfall. Pine branches were used to create a small shelter, since it had begun to snow again. Bolthorn was the first to sleep. Aleya climbed up the ledge next to the waterfall, and Borim followed her. As they sat atop the waterfall and talked quietly, Lia wondered exactly what their relationship was.

The pair were deeply in love, Lia knew, but what kind of love? Friendship? Lia knew that it was a platonic relationship, at least. In a group so small, it would be difficult to hide sexual relations.

Lia sat by the river, and dove into a trance once more. She searched the skies once more, but this snowstorm was a natural occurrance. On a whim, Lia backtracked along their path, searching for Garen, but he was nowhere to be found. Finally, the elf returned to her body, and crawled into the shelter with Bolthorn. She fell asleep before Aleya and Borim returned.

For the next few days, they traveled into the mountains, suffering from the severe weather. As Lia had known, their winter clothes only kept out a portion of the freezing temperature. All of them carried torches that Bolthorn had purchased in the last town, and that helped them to keep track of each other, but any heat they created was washed away with the wind. Each day, they traveled less, and spent more time making shelters and building fires. But they were getting closer to Merindegard.

One evening, they were traveling along a road, high in the mountains, when the snow finally stopped. In less than an hour, the clouds vanished. They were high in the mountains, and could see for leagues in every direction. The moon and stars shone down on the snowy landscape, creating a beautiful scene.

Several hours passed before they found a campsite. Since the snow had stopped, temporarily at least, Bolthorn appeared in a better mood than usual. He had killed a mountaingoat just before the snowstorm ended, so they had plenty of food for the next day or two.

Their campsite was a level clearing on the side of a mountain. It was quite large, and gave them plenty of room to create a shelter. But then, there were no materials above the treeline. All firewood had been carried on the back of a horse.

Bolthorn took the wood and quickly built a fire, with Borim's help. After they had a nice cookfire blazing, Bolthorn took four y-shaped sticks that he had taken from the forest, and pushed them into the dirt, two on one side, an inch apart, and two on the other side. He and Borim laid their swords in the crooks of the twigs, so that they were parallel above the fire. The warrior reached into his backpack and opened up a parcel of paper. Contained within the paper was all the meat Bolthorn had cut from the mountaingoat. He laid four slabs across the two swords, and then wrapped up the paper.

They stayed close to the fire as their dinner cooked, and Aleya passed around some apples she had gathered the other day. With no blizzard, they could finally enjoy a dinner with fruit and meat. The apples were devoured quickly, and Bolthorn kept poking at the meat, as if he could hurry its cooking. A few minutes later, he turned the meat, and finally just grabbed it and began eating.

The others ate equally fast, and found themselves slipping into a warm doze. Just as Bolthorn was reaching for his bedroll, Lia leaned over to him and whispered, "Bolthorn, will you take a walk with me?"

The warrior looked up into her blue eyes, and saw something there he had never seen before. Aleya and Borim were cradled in each other's arms, staring at the fire, ignoring everything, so he didn't bother saying anything to them. Bolthorn stood up and followed Lia away from the other two. The pair walked for quite a ways. As they walked, Lia thought about her approach. Would she tell him of her true nature before, or after?

Lia had always thought that sex magic was underrated. Almost no one practiced it, and even fewer people taught it. Sex mages were thought of as the lowest class of magicians, by other magicians. According to Noha, one of Lia's mentors, the other wizards were jealous of sex mages. They couldn't get any women, so what was the point of sex magic for them? For this reason, most sex mages were women. It was easier for a lovely woman to fuck whoever she wanted than a man to do the same.

Since there were so few sex mages, it took Lia centuries to master the art of sex magic. Though she rarely had a chance to use it, Lia's foremost division of wizardry was sex magic. Her last sex magic spell had been cast nearly two years ago. If her father hadn't walked in when he did, Ghin would be Lia's pawn right now. When Lia found some time, she would seriously humiliate Alinor. After that night, he deserved it...

Lia pulled her thoughts away from that matter, since it only angered her.

She stopped in another flat space, before a large niche in the mountainside. Inside the niche was a pile of firewood.

The elf curled the bottom of her cloak under her and sat down on the fur, outside of the niche. Bolthorn sat next to her; he missed the firewood. She looked out at the mountains for a few moments, then turned to him. Her blue eyes glinted, and she said, "Bolthorn, what god do you honor?"

He looked puzzled and said, "What? What do you mean?"

"Do you believe in the gods?"

Bolthorn nodded. "Oh! Yes, of course. I just don't pay attention to them. I make an offering every so often, but that's just when I want a good job or just finished a good job."

"Do you believe in fate?" Lia asked. She packed down the snow in front of her, so it was flat, and began tracing lines with the tip of her dagger.

"I suppose so. Why? What are you getting at?"

"Well, do you know why Aleya's been following you?"

"Not really."

"She was apprenticed to an Oracle, who said that her fate was tied in with yours. So she won't leave you, until her destiny with you is fulfilled. Naturally, Borim won't leave her. Do you know why I've been following you?"

Bolthorn shook his head.

Lia finished tracing her first design and moved on to another one. "I found that she's following you, so now I'm following her. And you."

"Huh?"

Lia sighed, then laughed at herself bitterly. "I never get nervous, except now," she muttered. "I'm not up here looking for other elves. If I was looking for elves, then I would have stayed in Anoria. Elves are everywhere in southeastern Anoria, and the Great Forest. I'm following you because Aleya is. Aleya is one of...no, the most important person alive right now. She needs all of us here to protect her. I know that we're probably more than enough, but she's just growing up, and she's so fucking fragile. Her Oracle named her destiny with you because he knew you'd be able to protect her, and he knew that I'd be with you."

"What? How?"

"He's an Oracle. He knows these things." Lia moved onto her third design in the snow. "The point is, we're not just hopping all over the Highlands and Althoria for no reason. There's a big war going on, much bigger than the one happening here, on Tirn Aill."

Bolthorn was dumbfounded. Finally he said, "I'm not very smart, Lia, but don't patronize me. I believe in the gods, but not that much. It's a whole different thing you're talking about. Prophecies, destinies? We make our own destinies, not the gods."

"Then you don't believe in destiny."

"Well, yes, but-"

"Not fate. You just told me. Bolthorn, I don't blame you for being skeptical, but your mind is closed. Open it. Look at what's happened to you. Three people, for no apparent reason, have just jumped on you and decided to follow you around for three months. And they won't leave! Like you told me! Why won't we leave? We can't. Now, if you go to a temple and ask them what their prophets have been foretelling, they'll all agree. It's a storm. A fucking big storm, Bolthorn. And don't take my word for it. Ask Aleya, she's a seeress. The Karoks are gone, and the Minion are on their way to Althorien, now. They aim to destroy Tirn Aill. Only the gods can guide us now, Bolthorn. They're the only ones with enough knowledge, and enough insight to tell us what's happening." She knew that wasn't entirely true, but it would do. "Aleya disappeared, and Borim knew exactly where she was. When we got to the castle, the wizard knocked you and Borim both out instantly."

"And he spared you."

Lia looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Until Alinor came."

"Yes."

"And by the way, what did he say to you that night?"

"What night?"

"Soon after I met you. I'm pretty sure you were dreaming. Alinor came and told you to...stay with me, right? Protect me? I can't recall, it was so long ago, but he did visit you, didn't he?"

Bolthorn swallowed. "How did you know about that?"

Lia grinned for the first time in this conversation. "Me and Alinor know each other well."

"You do?"

Lia finished her final design and pulled her dagger up. "What do you think of these?" she gestured at the snow in front of her. All three runes began to glow orange, then red.

Lia sheathed her dagger, and loosened her belt. She looked up at Bolthorn, who was staring at the signs with wide eyes. After a moment, he blushed deeply, and turned away. Lia knew exactly what he was feeling. That combination of runes was designed to arouse a person, lower their inhibititations, and increase their lust for a person. Specifically, Lia.

"I...I think I'd better go," Bolthorn said thickly, his head still turned.

"Look at me," Lia ordered gently.

Bolthorn's head turned, and his eyes met hers. His control slipped away, and he came forward. His large hands grasped her head, and their mouths mashed together in a hot kiss. Bolthorn pushed her down on her back, and the cloak pulled down against her shoulders.

Lia's hands went up to the laces of his tunic, but he grabbed both of her wrists with his left hand, then held them behind her head on the ground. The elf smiled to herself. It had been a long time since she was the submissive one.

Bolthorn's right hand grabbed the front of her tunic, and he ripped down. It opened wide, and her breasts sprang free. He saw her nipples hardening as they were exposed to the cold night air. Bolthorn was breathing heavily now, completely overwhelmed with lust. He had been able to resist it for a few seconds, but now, his carnal desires surged through his veins like fire. With a throaty growl, he bent over her breasts and began sucking one, then the other.

Lia gasped and strained against him. As the warrior's mouth covered each breast, sucking on each nipple, shudders of pleasure tore through her body. She ignored the cold as his saliva froze on her breasts; the heat within her belly was burning her up already.

Still holding her hands above her head with his left hand, Bolthorn's right hand grabbed her waistline. As he pulled her pants down, Lia kicked off her shoes. He didn't notice that she was just wearing her riding boots instead of her winter boots. Bolthorn hastily unbuckled his belt and pulled his pants around his thighs.

When the warrior's erection was exposed, Lia shivered in anticipation. No matter what some people said, size made a big difference. She spread her legs wide. As Bolthorn's cockhead forged into her wet depths, she bit her lip and squeezed her eyes tight. It had been only a few months, but that seemed ages ago, now.

Bolthorn began grinding against her as soon as he was inside. A few thrusts, and he was up to the hilt, slamming his hips into hers. His mouth covered hers, and he sucked on her tongue as her womanhood sucked on his cock.

Lia's ankles locked above Bolthorn's waist, and she began meeting his thrusts with her own. Since he was buried so deep inside her, his pubic hair rubbed against her clit, building her orgasm even faster.

The runes already had Bolthorn aroused to a point, so it wasn't much longer before he was shouting and spewing his load of hot seed into her womb. Bolthorn swore an oath with every thrust. Each one sent more semen rocketing into her bowels.

In that instant, Lia's spell engaged.

Lia felt him shooting deep into her, and just the thought of Bolthorn coming inside her was enough. Her orgasm ripped through her like a windstorm, and she screamed.

Neither of them noticed, but their screams brought about an avalanche on the other side of the valley. It almost buried Garen.

Each blast of ecstasy brought a convulsion from Lia. For several moments after Bolthorn had finished emptying his cum inside her, the elf girl lay panting and whimpering.

Bolthorn's left hand relaxed, and Lia slipped her wrists out of his grasp. They lay there for a few minutes, and then Bolthorn became aroused again. The runes' effect had not yet worn off; it wouldn't for some time. His eyes roamed down her body hungrily, and the warrior pulled out.

Lia blinked when she felt herself so empty, but it wasn't over yet, she knew. Bolthorn's strong hands grabbed her waist, and he turned her on her stomach. Lia started to get up, but Bolthorn held her on her hands and knees. She stayed that way, uncertain of his goal.

For a few moments, Bolthorn just admired the elf's sweat-soaked body, then he ran a hand down her side. His fingers stopped at her buttocks, and he opened up her ass cheeks with his hands. Bolthorn pressed his semi-erect cock against her asshole.

When she felt him against her sphinctor, Lia relaxed her anus, for easier entry. Bolthorn was big, almost as big as Jonas. It wouldn't be the best experience to have someone so large in her ass, but-

Bolthorn thrust in, and grunted. The head of his penis barely fit through the opening. It was so tight it was almost painful, but in his state, pain was almost pleasure. The tighter, the better. Bolthorn began thrusting in again, more slowly this time. At first, it was hard going, but he eventually set up a rhythm with Lia.

She returned the thrusts more slowly, and kept in sync with him. Instead of thrusting against his thrusts, she pulled with his thrusts, and pushed with his retractions. Anal sex wasn't easy for a woman as small as her, especially since she was an elf. Lia never complained, though. Being a sex mage, she knew and loved just about any sex act. And, of course, she could put everything to use.

Bolthorn grabbed her waist with his hands, and held her still as his second climax approached. It came as suddenly as the first, and he grunted, grinding against her as his seed emptied into her bowels.

Lia's second spell engaged, and her first spell reinforced itself.

After his semen finished spurting into her ass, Bolthorn pulled out, and sat back on his feet, panting. For a few moments, he just stared at her, his eyes glazed over. Then he began removing his clothing, which took a few minutes, since they were all winter clothes. When he had finished, he was hard again.

Lia was sitting, cross-legged, watching him. When he moved toward her, she spread her legs, but Bolthorn stood on his knees in front of her, and grabbed the side of her head. Lia let out a "Mph!" of surprise when his hands guided her mouth over his erection, then she tried to relax her mouth and accept it all. That was practically impossible, but she could always try.

Bolthorn held her head still as he fucked her face. Though he had never experienced a blowjob before, he knew now that this was his favorite. As before, the runes' power brought him to a shattering orgasm, and he emptied his seed into Lia's mouth. It filled her for a moment, then she began swallowing, and it went down her throat in a river. Both of Lia's spells reinforced themselves.

After the big man pulled out of her, Lia snatched a handful of snow and washed down his cum with it. Bolthorn sat back, and Lia wondered if she should have used that specific combination of runes. She was extremely tough, and could handle this treatment for hours, if necessary, but Lia was a controlling person, and always enjoyed to dominate others. Lia crossed her legs again and uttered a small spell to keep their body heat within a circular shield.

When Bolthorn was ready again, he came after Lia forcefully, and she practically handed him her wrists.

Hours later, Lia was snuggling against Bolthorn's chest, both of them wrapped up in cloaks by the fire, finally preparing to sleep, when she felt a tremor in the air. The elf girl glanced around, and saw Jonas outlined against the stars. Lia grinned and bounced up to her feet. She threw her arms around the big warrior and planted a kiss on his lips.

"What have you been up to?" Jonas asked dryly.

"Oh, you know," Lia sighed. "This and that."

"Well, I'm surprised you didn't do it earlier."

"No. Now was just the right time; I bonded with him."

"Why?"

Lia held up her hand. "Wait. Why did you come?"

"I came to ask you to hurry things up. Preferably by losing him. Your father doesn't trust him, and frankly, I don't see why you do."

"Well, that's exactly why I bonded with him," Lia smiled. "I knew Father would do this now. He's so predictable. So, now that I've bonded with Bolthorn, you can both trust him completely. I'll know the instant Bolthorn tries to deceive me."

"What if the bond isn't complete? There's no way to tell if it is."

Lia ran a finger down his dark breastplate. "Our bond is fairly complete, wouldn't you say?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Exactly the same," Lia said innocently. "No different here. It's sex magic, sex magic never fails."

Jonas snorted. "You put too much faith in sex magic."

"You put too little."

"Perhaps," he shrugged. "Well, I'll give your father the news he expected to hear, then tell him to stop worrying."

"Thank you!" Lia grinned.

Jonas lifted her naked body up and kissed her deeply. Lia's arms wrapped around his neck. After about a minute, they broke away, and Jonas said, "How I wish we had some time."

"Bye," Lia smiled and gave a small wave.

"Bye." Jonas stepped away and vanished.

Lia stared after him, then went back to Bolthorn and climbed under the covers.

***

In her early teenage years, Lily had been an acolyte of Nala, but constant, daily devotion to a single goddess was something she couldn't do. But Lily still made weekly visits to the temple in Althorien, and donated a tenth of her salary to the temple. At times, she felt as though she had abandoned the Goddess of Life, but in her heart, Lily always held a special place for Nala.

Now, as she knelt before the statue of Nala, praying for guidance, she hoped that the goddess would honor that special devotion. When Lily finished her prayer, she stood up, and could almost feel extra weight on her shoulders. With Kinar gone, it was now Lily's responsibility to train Alrick, and Castle Althorien was now her domain. Hers alone.

When the young woman lifted her eyes to Nala's statue, she gasped. The image of Nala was always carved out of white stone, but when Lily's eyes rested on the statue, she saw that the statue was no longer white. In its place was an actual human being, with the exact visage of Nala. At least, that's what Lily thought at first. When the initial surprise left her mind, she knew that it was Nala. And the Goddess of Life was cradling a baby in her arms. Lily looked down at the baby. In the baby's place was a coiled serpent. It slept peacefully, with dark purple wings folded against the skin.

With a startled cry, Lily stumbled back and landed on her rear. Pain flashed through her mind, and when it had gone, the statue was back. For several minutes, Lily sat alone in the sanctuary, staring at the Goddess of Life.

***

When Lia woke, she saw Bolthorn sleeping peacefully beside her. For a few moments, Lia just stared at the mountains around, then she grabbed her clothes and dressed. As she was pulling on her boots, Bolthorn blinked sleepily and looked up at her. Lia smiled, and Bolthorn stared stupidly. Then he looked under the covers and blushed.

"Lia, what-what did I-we do?"

"You'll remember," Lia said. "Just think. The runes block out some memory, but only for a while. I'm going to tell Aleya and Borim."

She left Bolthorn to puzzle over that problem, and walked back to their original campsite. Aleya and Borim were curled up in his bedroll. For a moment, Lia just grinned down at them.

Borim's eyes opened, and he looked up at her. "What?" he asked, annoyed.

"Nothing," Lia said innocently. "You guys just look cute."

Borim frowned and grabbed his winter coat. He crawled out of the bedroll, and Aleya moaned something sleepily. As Borim pulled on the rest of his clothes, Aleya slowly came awake. She looked up at Borim and said, "What time is it?"

Borim shrugged. "It's overcast. I don't know."

"Two hours past dawn," Lia replied.

Aleya looked up at the elf and mumbled, "Morning."

"Good morning," Lia said. "I know that now may not be the best time, but I have something to tell you two."

"Where's Bolthorn?" Borim asked, lacing up his winter boots. He caught sight of Lia's ripped tunic, and averted his eyes.

She glanced down and pulled her cloak tighter. "He's off chasing a mountaingoat. Now, I have something to tell you both."

Bolthorn sat on a rock and turned toward her; Aleya stayed in the bedroll, and propped herself up on her elbows. "What is it?" Aleya yawned.

"Your Oracle predicted that you have a destiny that ties in with Bolthorn," Lia said.

Aleya came awake instantly. "How did you know about that?"

"I know a lot. You, Aleya, are very important. The next several months will be very important in the history of Tirn Aill. Marath, a very evil being, now leads the Minion. He'll invade Althoria in the next few months, and hundreds of thousands will die. You, Aleya, are the savior of Tirn Aill. Me, Borim, and Bolthorn are all here to protect you from Tir."

Aleya's gaping stare suddenly changed. Her eyes glazed over, and she stared through Lia. In an empty voice, she intoned, "Thorns of the Death Rose shall pierce the cracked skull, but only the child of the Wyrm can destroy the Destroyer."

For a few moments, there was silence, and Lia looked at Borim, who shrugged. Aleya covered her eyes with a hand, and then looked up at the elf. "What did I say?"

Lia repeated the prophecy to her, and added, "The only thing I know about is the Death Rose. We need it even more than we need Olrick."

"Who?"

"The engineer. His name is Olrick Mahr. We're going to take him back to Althorien. He knows more about siege warfare than any man alive. In the Conflict, the military struggle is nearly as important as the magical struggle."

"What are you talking about?" Borim scowled.

"The fight between good and evil," Aleya replied. She crawled to her feet and started putting on her boots. "Tirn Aill is a critical battleground for Tir and Aenis. Now is Tir's time to strike. We have to do our best to stop him from destroying Tirn Aill. I'm the only one who can do it; Lia's a sorceress who's here to protect me."

Lia nodded. "That's it, in a nutshell."

Borim looked completely incredulous. "Then you've never really been honest with us, have you? Who are you, really?"

"Just someone who wants to save Tirn Aill. I'm a sorceress, like Aleya said." She stood up and walked over to her backpack, where her clothes were. "I'm less important than Aleya, Borim. The Minion will try to take her from you as much as possible. If that doesn't work, then they'll try to kill her." She pulled off her cloak and tunic, then slipped her winter tunic over her head. "They tried to kill her before, for some reason, but it would be more beneficial for them to have her on Tir's side." Lia sat down and replaced her riding boots with her winter boots, then wrapped her cloak around her shoulders.

"What are you talking about?" Borim asked.

"They're going to try to make me evil," Aleya said.

"And if that doesn't work, they're going to try to kill you?"

Aleya nodded.

Anger flashed across Borim's face, and his hand instinctively went to his sword.

For a few minutes, they were silent, then Bolthorn came around the ridge. He picked up his sword from the burnt out fire, and began wiping the soot-covered blade.

"Did you catch your mountaingoat?" Aleya asked, with a hint of amusement.

"Huh?" Bolthorn said. "Ah, no, he got away."

They finished their morning preparations, and continued toward Merindegard. According to Bolthorn, they should arrive by the end of the day.

Unfortunately, the clear skies had lasted only through the night. A layer of clouds had blown in over the mountains, and snow was slowly drifting from the sky. There wasn't enough so that it added to the current layer of snow, however.

As their horses plodded through the snow, a feeling of unease crept over Lia. They were just preparing to ford a river, when the hair on her neck prickled. She turned her horse around. "Um, guys? We have a problem."

The others turned to face the same direction, and Borim drew his sword.

In front of them, black liquid seeped out of the ground, and swirled up into a humanoid shape. It solidified into a Deathlord.

***

Lily knocked on the door. A muffled voice called for her to enter, and Lily stepped into the dark office. Behind a large desk, a priestess calculated the month's expenses. When Lily sat down across from her, the woman set aside the feather pen and smiled. "How may I help you, Daughter?" she asked.

"I'm...well, I'm a Healer of Vash," Lily said. "But I came to ask you about a vision of mine." She took a deep breath, then began, "I'm the sole healer for Castle Althorien. The other healer, my old mentor and friend, died this week. His funeral was held at the temple of Kaholn across...well, never mind. At the funeral I was grieving, and when I looked up at the bier, before it was lighted. In place of the bier, was a large snake, coiled up. Kinar was laying on top of the body of the snake, and its head sat on Kinar's chest." She forced away tears at her memory of the old man, and said, "When the bier was lit, the vision was gone."

"That's very interesting, but-"

"I'm not done," Lily said hastily. "Today, when I asked Nala for guidance and assistance at my job, I looked up at the statue, but the statue was gone. Nala, herself, stood, holding a baby. When she turned to me, so I could see the baby's face, I saw a serpent in the blanket."

This clearly shocked the woman, and she said, "Are you sure?"

What a stupid question. "Yes."

The priestess bit her lip and then looked up. "There was a young man here a few months ago. He was looking for a priestess of Nala, and..." when she looked at Lily, her eyes widened. "His description matched yours, exactly."

"Doronar?"

"Who?"

"He's a Dragon. He visited me at the castle, and stayed in the city for several weeks, trying to find a connection between himself and me. He couldn't, so he went to the southern continent, searching for...Dragonia, or Draconia or someplace like that."

"Oh..." mumbled the priestess thoughtfully. The priestess stood up and began pacing. "Since you came to pray here, I assume that you at least worship Nala? Yes?"

"I used to be an acolyte at the lower temple."

"Ah. Well, your...Nala has chosen you for a purpose. Perhaps you never should have left the temple," she said wryly. "No matter. I'm suspicious of this vision. Yours is probably linked to this Dragon's. When did he leave?"

Lily furrowed her brow. "Uh, maybe two weeks ago. Maybe less."

"Damn. I'm sure that you and he are linked, somehow..." she turned her head and stared at the desk for a moment, then said, "Come here, tomorrow afternoon, and I will have some information for you. There are few references to Arraka in our texts, but I will see what I can research for you."

Lily stood and smiled, then bowed to the priestess. "Thank you, Mother." Outside the office, she closed the door, relieved that someone was finally helping her. There was little chance she could make it back to the temple tomorrow; though few, her duties had just doubled with Kinar's death. Alrick was competent, but not a master. Not yet. Lily hadn't had the time to evaluate the young man.

As Lily walked through the streets of the middle level of Althorien, snowflakes began slowly falling from the sky. By the time she reached the castle, and there was a thin layer on the cobblestones. It was finally dark. Her robes did little to keep out the cold, even in the castle.

Once inside, Lily hurried up to her room and built a fire. She crouched in front of the flames for a few minutes, until she was warm enough to change clothes. Lily walked over to the closet and slipped out of the hoodless robe. She hung it on the door's hook, then pulled out her nightgown. With her right foot, she dragged out a pair of slippers, and stepped into them. Lily closed the door, and opened up the bottom of the nightgown, preparing to slip it over her head.

Something caught her eye, and she looked into the mirror on the door of her closet. The robes in her hands blocked her view of most of her body, but Lily saw a stripe of green running horizontally across her right hip. Slowly, Lily moved the robes to her left, revealing more of the stripe. When more was visible, Lily gasped. It wasn't a stripe at all.

It was a tail.

The robes fell from Lily's hands, and she gasped. The tattoo of a serpent wound across her stomach, up between her breasts. Its head was drawn just beneath her left collarbone, turned sideways. Lily turned around, and looked at her back. The serpent continued to wind across her back, and its tail crossed over her right shoulder, then ended beneath her right collarbone. For several moments, Lily just stared at the tattoo in amazement, then she looked down at her bare body. The tattoo wasn't there. When she looked back in the mirror, it was still on her body.

The serpent had been drawn magnificently. Its skin was dark green, with black spots running down its back. Each scale was outlined, and the shading was absolute perfection.

As she watched, the serpent's head shimmered, and pulled away from her body. It lifted up in front of her face, and stared at her. Lily stopped breathing. Her skin prickled with goosebumps, and she shivered from the cold.

The serpent wound around her neck, and in the mirror she could see it coming apart from her body, and sliding around her shoulders like a yoke. Its weight increased as it transformed into a physical creature. Lily exercised, in order to stay fit, but it was soon growing too much for her to bear. Just when she thought her knees would give way, the snake's tail finally parted from her skin. Her knees locked, so she could stay on her feet.

Apart from her body, the serpent was huge. It lay coiled around her neck in several loops, and its tail hung down behind her back. At any other time, Lily might have admired the sheer beauty of the creature. Its dark green scales were perfectly formed, and the black spots that ran down the serpent's back were all symmetrical. When the head moved in front of Lily's face again, she could see her reflection in the onyx eyeball. After a moment, it lowered, and Lily remembered to breath, but even then her breaths were short and light.

In the mirror, she watched the head slide lower and lower, until it passed her navel. When the snake's head moved between her legs, a look of horror filled Lily's face. She tried to cry out, to scream, but nothing came from her lungs.

The serpent plunged forward, and thrust its own head into her vagina.

There should have been pain, but there was only the pleasure. Lily gasped and finally moved. Her arms lanced down, and she grabbed the snake's body. Its scales were so smooth, very little friction was created between her hands and the serpent's scales. Its progress was slowed, but the serpent continued to slide into her, creating a constant wave of pleasure from her genitals.

Lily tried to ignore the sensations, and her hands tightened around the serpent's body. It did no good, as the creature continued to slide upwards, as if her womb were its nest. The woman let out a helpless cry, and she squeezed her legs together, and dropped to her knees, trying to stop the thing's progress. That helped, but her hands were beginning to cramp, and the pleasure was inexorably building.

When Lily's eyes crossed the mirror again, she saw that more than half of the serpent was inside of her. That was not what froze her. Instead of seeing her own reflection in the mirror, she saw the nude image of Nala, crouching and holding the serpent.

Lily's hands loosened, and the snake pushed forward with increased speed. She ripped her eyes from the mirror and clamped down hard again, only slowing the inevitable. Finally, the snake's progress, and its constant rubbing against her clitoris, culminated and swept Lily away in a shattering climax. A scream tore from her lungs as she orgasmed. Her sweaty hands slipped from the snake, and the rest of its body slid inside of her. Lily gasped as her body convulsed with the climax. For a few seconds, the ecstasy held her mind, and she lay on the floor, breathing raggedly.

A few minutes later, Lily staggered to her feet and looked at her reflection. Her entire body was flushed, her nipples were hard, and sweat rolled down her skin. Nala was no longer there. Instead of the goddess's black hair, blue eyes, Lily just saw her own brown curls and brown eyes. Though her body was plain, compared to the goddess's, she was pretty by human standards. Her breasts were a little small, but they were firm. Her exercise kept her body lean; there was almost no fat on her at all. Anatomically, she was almost flawless.

But Lily noticed none of this. Her thoughts were on the snake's . Every vision was more disturbing than the last. Lily picked up her nightgown and pulled it over her head. As she picked up her candle, she tried to remember the way to Alrick's room. She wanted a physical review, but right now, she didn't trust her own perception.

With a shudder, Lily wondered what this vision was supposed to mean.

***

Balan was still the nightmaster at the Red Feather. He had replaced Bornas with another server on the staff, Kelnora. Though she was highly respected, and was probably a nice woman, the girls still requested that he handle their client orders. Balan didn't blame them.

He kept a close eye on Laurel, and she appeared to be holding out well. After six months with that other merchant, she was probably pretty tough. Balan couldn't understand why the man had sold her in the first place; Laurel was stunningly beautiful, and she even tempted him in his old age. And Balan never went for girls under sixteen.

Red Feather regulations prevented staff members from engaging in 'any act of sex' with the prostitutes, so that killed any moral dilemma Balan might have had. Of course, some servants occasionally fondled the girls, and brushed up against them in the halls. Technically, they were allowed to do that, but Balan always held contempt for those people.

"Hi Balan," Alyssa greeted him when he came in for the first orders of the night.

Balan nodded to her and the others, some of whom were sleeping. "Evening, ladies. How are you doing tonight?"

"Tell us the news!" Kaia chirped from her bed, as she rocked back and forth, combing her hair. Kaia was, aside from Laurel, the youngest of the group, a few months older than thirteen. She had long blonde hair, which was the envy of most of the other girls, but her eyes were hazel, so she wasn't treated too badly. Some of the girls envied her because, Kaia somehow held onto her childhood innocence. She was always happy, and it affected those around her.

"Well," Balan mumbled thoughtfully, "a new Red Feather is being built in Arangrad. I hear that prince Daren and prince Corin are looking for suitors," he said suggestively. Kaia smiled. "There's still no sign of Alleria, or her kidnappers, but I hear she ran away."

"Really?" Alyssa asked. "Why?"

"Rumors abound," Balan shrugged. "Some say that someone got her pregnant, but that's the worst I've heard."

"What else?" Kaia asked.

Balan put a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "Let's see...King Borric is preparing for an invasion from the orcs. That should happen in a few months, but don't worry. We're at the highest level of the city, and this is the most defensible city in the world...what else happened? Several new lords were knighted, an official at the castle died...that's all I know."

"That's not much," Alyssa teased. "How come you don't prepare for this?"

Balan sighed dramatically. "Sorry. My day is so hectic, I don't have time to pay any attention to the world. If you like, I'll bring a Lienite in here to give you a discourse on the world's current events."

"Yeah!" Kaia cried.

"No!" Alyssa said at the same time.

Balan shrugged and looked back at his roster. "Either way...we have two jobs available now, and one for later. 530 and 600, now. 102 later. Who wants what?"

"I want now!" Kaia cried.

"When later? Who's who?" Alyssa asked.

"Well, as soon as his business deal is finished. My best guess - one to two hours. His name is Avran Blackhammer. The first two are Anasair Ferris, and Otokono Hito. Ever hear of 'em?"

Alyssa shook her head. "No. I'll take now."

Balan marked her down. "Who else wants now?"

Marian, who had just woken from her sleep, mumbled something.

Laurel raised her hand timidly.

Balan marked her down, and Kaia whined, "Hey! What about me?"

"You got first pick last night, stupid," Lyn said.

"So? I called it first tonight."

Alyssa made a face at Kaia, and the younger girl jumped up angrily. She chased Alyssa out the door, and returned a moment later, pouting.

"Maybe you'll get lucky," Balan said. "Maybe nobody else will ask for company tonight."

"Yeah right," pouted Kaia. "When does that happen?"

"You want me to schedule you for the later?"

Kaia shook her head defiantly and sat on the bed, arms folded.

Laurel finished dressing, and walked out the door.

"Anybody want it?" Balan asked.

"I'll take it," Marian yawned. She rolled over on the bed and put a pillow over her head. "Wake me up when it's time."

Balan looked around the room, then said, "See you later then." He walked out and left the girls to themselves.

On the top floor of the Red Feather, Laurel cautiously knocked on the door to room 600. The merchant called for her to come in, and she did, closing the door quietly.

Laurel walked further into the dining room, and saw the merchant, Otokono, sitting on the divan. He wasn't an old man, like many merchants. This one was younger, and had black hair. He just had a touch of gray hair at his temples. The merchant's skin was tan; he was probably from Harnash, or the southern continent.

When Laurel walked into the room, she noticed another girl leaning against the divan. At first, Laurel thought she was another one of Red Feather's prostitutes, but her skin was also tan, and her eyes were dark brown. Her hair was black, as well. From Laurel's immediate estimate, she thought the girl might be fourteen.

Laurel stopped uncertainly. "I-I'm sorry. Did I come into the wrong room?"

The man shook his head and waved her over. "No. I wanted you. Sit down." As she walked into the bedroom, Otokono gave her an appraising look. "You're a young one," he said. "Good. What's your name?"

"Laurel," she answered.

"Laurel, this is Janisa, she's my girl."

Laurel smiled down at the girl, who returned the smile. Laurel sat on the divan, next to the man, and he said, "I felt like having two girls tonight. Now, get in front of the fireplace, both of you."

"Yes, Master," mumbled Janisa, crawling in front of the warm hearth.

Laurel obeyed, and sat next to the other girl, who was wearing a short, transluscent tunic, and a white sash. She supposed it was enticing, to men.

Otokono grinned lewdly, and snatched a bottle of wine from the coffee table, to the right of the divan. He poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it down quickly. "Now," he said, avoiding a hiccup, "strip."

Laurel wasn't sure who he was talking to, but when she untied her sash, he didn't object. She squatted and lifted her robe above her head, and set it aside. Janisa did the same.

The man stared at them both for a few moments, primarily Laurel, then said suspiciously, "Are you an elf?"

"Not entirely, sir," Laurel said, pulling her hair in front of her ears.

Otokono shrugged. "Oh well." After some thought, he pointed to Laurel with the bottle and said, "You, blow Janisa."

Laurel blinked. "Pardon me?"

"You heard me, face fuck her," he sounded annoyed.

The elf girl blushed, then said, "I-I'm sorry, sir, I've never done it before. I wouldn't know how."

Otokono almost blurted out angrily, then he raised his eyebrows. "Really? How interesting. So this is your first experience with a girl. This isn't your first time, is it?"

Laurel shook her head.

"Damn. Oh well. Janisa, you can teach her."

"Yes, master," responded the girl. She turned toward Laurel, who faced her nervously. Janisa was unreadable as she leaned forward and placed her lips over Laurel's.

At first, Laurel pulled away, but she squeezed her eyes shut, and let Janisa's lips cover her own. Laurel's mouth tingled where Janisa's lips touched hers. It was different than kissing some old merchant. There was nothing forceful about the kiss. It was gentle, at first. When the girl's tongue slipped into Laurel's mouth, Laurel's heart skipped a beat, and her muscles jerked. Her breath and pulse quickened. The only thing she could say was that it was very different from a man's kiss. At least, all the men she had experienced.

Janisa moved around to the right side of Laurel's face, pretending to lick her cheek. The older girl gently bit her earlobe. As she tugged on it, Janisa said through her teeth, "Fake it. Act hot." Then the girl moved back to Laurel's face again, and pushed her tongue back into Laurel's mouth. Her hands moved on either side of Laurel's head, and when Otokono was tossing down another glass, Janisa hissed, "Get into it!"

Laurel's hands moved up to Janisa's head, and she finally got the nerve to return the kiss with a false passion. After a few moments, Janisa moved down to Laurel's chest, and began expertly sucking on her small breasts, teasing her nipples. If Otokono wasn't there, then Laurel might have been aroused by the experience, but her discomfort inhibited her. After a few moments, Janisa murmured, "Fake it," then moved down to her pubic mound.

Another heartbeat skipped, and Laurel's hands instinctively went to the girl's head. Not pushing her down, just touching her hair. Laurel was scared the whole time, but after a few minutes, she managed to fake her orgasm. When Janisa pulled up, the merchant grinned and said, "How was that for ya?"

Swallowing, Laurel sat up, and stammered, "I-It-It was different, sir."

"That's what I thought," Otokono said. "Now that you've had some experience, do her."

Laurel nodded numbly and leaned toward Janisa, then gently placed her lips over the girl's. Janisa pushed her tongue out into Laurel's mouth, and Laurel's legs went weak. She almost fell, but managed to continue the charade. Move for move, Laurel copied Janisa's earlier performance. When Janisa "came," she did a much better job than Laurel had.

Laurel sat up and uneasily waited for the merchant's next order.

He looked down at his slave girl and said, "Well, Janisa, how was Laurel?"

Janisa smiled, and looked down. "She's inexperienced, master, but she has potential."

"You taught her," the man said, drinking straight from the bottle.

Janisa began rubbing two fingers along her cunt lips, and pretended to arouse herself. "But Master, no one knows technique as well as you...Please, Master..." Janisa closed her eyes and began rubbing herself faster.

Otokono grinned and took another swig from the wine bottle. He held out his hands. "Come up here, my pet. Laurel, suck me."

Laurel noticed that he was now naked, except for a black vest.

Janisa walked over to Otokono and stood on the divan, her feet on either side of his thighs. She spread her legs and leaned forward, resting her knees on the back of the divan.

Laurel knelt between his legs, and took his erect cock into her mouth. She began sucking on its length slowly, and she heard Otokono slurping at Janisa's cunt.

It didn't take very long for Otokono to finally come. He grunted and began spurting out his semen. Laurel pulled away, but the first glob hit the roof of her mouth, and the rest sprayed into her face and hair.

Janisa faked her orgasm at the same time, and Otokono sighed with contentment. "Oh Master," she said lovingly, "you are so good." She knelt and kissed him on the mouth.

"Back to the floor, both of you," Otokono said. "But first, clean me off," he ordered Laurel. After some hesitation, Laurel leaned over his cock and licked it clean. When she was done, he drank from his wine bottle, and pointed at the floor. "Get busy," he burped.

The rest of the session passed in a similar fashion. The girls would fake it with each other until the merchant was ready again, then they would fuck him, or give him a blowjob, then return to pleasuring each other. A few hours later, Otokono had passed out from alcohol, and was snoring loudly on the bed.

Both girls had dressed, and were sitting in front of the fire.

"I'm sorry," Janisa said.

"For what?"

"Doing that to you. You know, making you do it with me."

Laurel grimaced, then said, "It's not your fault."

"I know," sighed Janisa. "You're not the first person that I've done that to, but you were actually scared."

"Scared?"

Janisa nodded. "I thought you were gonna piss all over me. I mean, I'm a girl, just like you. Nothing different. No big deal. If somebody else ever requires that of you, you'd better learn how to fake better. I'm surprised he believed any of your acting."

"Sorry," Laurel blushed.

"It doesn't matter. You're young. How long have you been working here?"

"A little over a week, but another merchant had me for six months before then."

"And he never brought in other girls?"

Laurel shook her head.

"Master does it all the time," Janisa said. "Only reason he doesn't buy another is the tax."

"Oh."

Janisa stared at Laurel for a moment, then sighed. "Oh well. If there's anybody down there that likes being with girls, then send them up next time Master asks for a girl, will you? I'm always horny after doing this, but you don't..." she trailed off.

Laurel looked down, and they were silent for a few moments. "When will he wake up?"

"Not for three hours, at least."

"Oh."

"Well, you can go back to your room now. It's probably better down there. I'm feeling horny, too, so..."

Laurel nodded. "Thank you," she whispered. The elf girl leaned forward, to kiss Janisa's cheek. Before her mouth touched, Janisa turned her face, and their lips met.

For a moment, they stayed like that. Laurel's mind was blank, and just as she was regaining her thought, Janisa's tongue pushed into her mouth. The older girl slowly pushed Laurel back, kissing her, so that Janisa was the one leaning forward.

As Janisa kissed her, Laurel's mind panicked. Kissing a girl went against everything she ever knew, but the pleasure...it was new, and different. Janisa was so soft, so sweet, compared to men. The kiss seemed to cloud up Laurel's mind, and only confusion filled her mind.

Then the girl pulled away, and they stared at each other, both breathing heavily. For several moments, their eyes locked; Janisa searching Laurel's eyes, and Laurel just waiting, trapped in a haze. She was completely at Janisa's mercy; she wouldn't be able to stop herself if Janisa pressed forward.

Finally, the dark-eyed girl shook her head and muttered, "I can't force you into anything. But will you stay and talk to me for a while? I get so bored sometimes."

The haze lifted, and Laurel blinked.

"Of course I will," she said with a deep breath.

***

The Deathlord looked similar to a Darkness, and might be mistaken for one to an uneducated person. Deathlords had glowing crimson eyes, whereas their less evolved cousins had eyes of fire. The Deathlords wore a black cloak instead of a cape, and typically, their weapon of choice was a blood-red staff. Those were the only differences.

With one sound, Borim's and Bolthorn's blades unsheathed. Borim moved his horse in front of Aleya, never taking his eyes from the Deathlord.

"What is that?" Bolthorn growled.

"A Deathlord," Lia replied. She dropped from her horse and walked toward it, hands to her sides.

"No, Lia!" Bolthorn urged his horse in front of her, but she mentally repelled the beast. With a grunt of frustration, he hopped off the animal, and closed behind her.

"Stay back, everyone," Lia said.

The Deathlord's impassionate stare seemed to battle with the elf's defiant gaze. Lia walked up to the creature, and stood, arms folded. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here for the girl," the Deathlord said in a raspy voice. Its staff formed in its hand, and the creature held it in front of Lia's chest. "Move, or die."

Lia's eyes narrowed, and she muttered something under her breath.

The demon swung its staff at her, and Bolthorn lunged forward. Lia ducked the attack, then punched her hand forward. A flash of light erupted from her fist, then exploded in the Deathlord's stomach. Black billowed out, and the Deathlord staggered back, swinging again.

Lia's other hand opened in front of the staff, and the staff stopped. Her other hand thrust forward, and the Deathlord slammed into the ground, its head whipping forward. As soon as it hit, Lia heard a loud hiss from behind her. With a gasp, she spun around and looked past Borim.

Aleya was gone.

"No!" Lia screamed. She ran over to the spot where Aleya had vanished from, and immediately dropped into a trance.

The Deathlord seemed to transform, for a moment, into transluscent vapor. It whirled a few feet away from Bolthorn, and Bolthorn chased after it. Then it coagulated, and reformed into the Deathlord. It was still bleeding smoke.

Bolthorn parried the first attack, and red sparks flew from his blade. He ducked the second strike, then cleaved his sword through the creature's head. With the demon's death, loud whispers filled Bolthorn's ears, and a chill crept over his skin. A moment later, the sound was gone, and Bolthorn shuddered, ridding himself of the strange feeling.

A few yards away, Lia stood, deep in a trance. Next to her, Borim waited anxiously. "What's she doing?" he asked Bolthorn.

Bolthorn noticed the other two, then saw that Aleya was gone. He ran over to them, and said, "Where's Aleya?"

Lia's eyes snapped open, and fear crossed her features. "Shit!" she swore.

Only she knew what happened next. When Bolthorn and Borim next blinked, they were on the other side of the river, and Lia was standing at their previous location. She was naked, her eyes squeezed tightly. In a circle, ten feet around her, the earth was burnt to a crisp. All snow within the circle had evaporated, and any trees had been burned away, except for the upper portion of the trunk. Wisps of smoke floated from the ground around her.

Lia blinked, and looked around. She saw them, and sighed visibly. All her clothes appeared on her body again, and she ran towards them, splashing through the river. When she came out, her feet were dry. "Which way is she?" Lia asked Borim.

The boy pointed west. "We're going that way, then," Lia said.

"What happened?" Borim demanded.

"Garen has her," Lia said.

"He'll kill her!" Borim cried.

"No, he'll try to possess her first. That won't work, I'll wager. If it does, she was never our savior in the first place, so don't worry about it. That will give us a few days, at least. For now, all we can do is track him."

"But when we get closer," Borim said, "I won't know which direction she's in. In these woods-"

"I will," Lia said. "Now let's go."

"Wait! Where are the horses?" Bolthorn asked.

Lia pointed across the river, to four piles of charred bones.

***

Aleya moaned, and slowly opened her eyes. Garen was slapping her face gently. "Wake up," he said.

Aleya gasped, and looked around. She and Garen were in the mouth of a narrow cave. The ceiling was low, and crumbling moss hung from the walls. Stale air wafted from inside the cave, mixing with the freezing blizzard from outside.

"G-G-Garen?" Aleya stuttered, nonplussed at her sudden presence in this cave. "W-Where am I? What happened?"

"You know my name?" Garen looked surprised.

"Of course I do. You introduced yourself to me at Ghin's castle."

"Did I?" Garen rubbed his head, confused. "Oh well. I just wanted to wake you up. It would be easier if you walked, inside the cave. I don't want to accidentily bump you into a ceiling spike or something."

"What?"

"You know, those things that hang from the ceilings."

Aleya shook her head.

"Forget it."

"What happened? How did I-"

"One of my Minions performed his duty, and rescued you from your 'friends'. Sadly, he was forced to sacrifice himself in order to protect us. Be grateful." Though it was Garen who talked, Aleya knew that he wasn't the true speaker.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Garen," Garen replied. This time it was the boy.

"No, who is the other one? The one who spoke just a moment ago?"

Garen pulled Aleya to her feet, and pointed into the cave. "Lia and the others will be close behind," said Garen, "we have to go into the cave." Garen pulled her into the darkness, and he drew a lantern from his backpack, then lit it. He stayed behind her, and said, "Keep walking."

Aleya's uneasiness was slowly being replaced by fear, but she continued, and said, "Please tell me what happened."

"My Deathlord distracted the others while I teleported you out. It was a rough ride, and you passed out. It set a trap for them, but Lia - she's a cunning little bitch - caught it in time, and somehow saved them. Now they're on their way here."

"Where are we? And what do you want-"

"All questions will be answered, in time," Garen said. "Right now, I need to think, so stop talking."

Aleya closed her mouth, and concentrated on the uneven cavern floor. She stumbled several times, and once she fell, scraping her hand. "May I have the lantern, if I'm going to walk in front?" she asked.

Garen blinked, then looked at the lantern, then down at her hand. "Oh damn," he said, and sat down next to her. Garen pulled one of his shirts from his backpack, and, with his dagger, cut a strip from the bottom. "Hold out your hand," he said.

Aleya did so, and Garen wiped off the blood and dirt with the shirt, then used the strip to bandage it. He tied it, and handed her the lantern. "There. Now, keep walking."

A sigh, and Aleya went forward into the cave. With some light in front of her, the path was made easier. It was a narrow hallway, that sank into the earth steadily. Their altitude continued to decrease, and the dankness of the air became almost pungent.

Then Aleya realized that was what the cave was. A hallway. The floor was formed into crude steps, and every so often, there was a hole in the wall, to place a torch. "Where are we?" Aleya asked.

"I wish I knew. It's starting to look like a stairway," Garen mused aloud. This time it was the boy speaking. "I wonder where it goes."

Aleya was suspicious of Garen. She knew that he was being controlled by someone, or something, else, but what? Whatever the controller was, it controlled Garen, but kept the boy completely separate from itself. But Aleya wondered why he didn't object to his possession. Unless he didn't know. Then again, Garen might want to be controlled. What if he was a necromancer or...Aleya shook that thought from her mind. Someone so young wouldn't be a necromancer. Besides, the Minion were the only creatures allowed to be necromancers. Right? That had to be true, else Aleya would've known about them earlier.

Perhaps Lia could find out who Garen truly was.

Yes, Lia could find out, but would she? The elf had been reluctant to show her power before, but now that she had exposed herself to the group, would she use her magic? Aleya knew that the woman's powers extended beyond a small bit of geomancy, after that night in the inn, but she couldn't tell how far. And that night on the rooftop, when Garen had tried to sacrifice her, Lia hadn't told the complete truth about Alinor's arrival.

With a shiver, Aleya remembered that the last time she had seen Garen, he had a knife around her throat. "Garen?"

"Hm?" the boy said absently.

"Why did you take me, this time?"

Garen paused, then said, "Aleya, your position in this universe is a lot more pivotal than you might think. Alinor and Lia are going to use you for their own purposes, then usurp your power, then probably kill you."

"And last time you saw me, you tried to sacrifice me," Aleya chuckled mirthlessly.

"No, that was a ruse," Garen said.

Aleya came up to a wall, and stopped uncertainly. It was a dead end.

Garen reached up past her, brushing needlessly close. His hand found a small stone, and he pushed. With a rumble, the wall slid aside, revealing a room. It was dark and empty.

Aleya walked in, and Garen walked next to her. He pushed another hidden switch, and the door grinded shut. He took her hand, the one that held the lantern, and tangled his fingers in hers. With a shiver, Aleya tried to pull away. After a moment, Garen released her fingers, and held onto the lantern. With an unreadable expression, he said, "Follow me."

As he expertly led her through a maze of hallways and rooms, he continued. "It was a test, to see what they would do. They tried to rescue you, which showed your importance. Even Alinor came. That surprised me."

"What was the purpose of the ruse? So you tried to see what they would do? Since then, you've wasted a lot of time and effort chasing me down. Then you lost one of your Deadlords finally capturing me again. What do you really want?"

"Deathlord," Garen corrected. "That's the human term for them. I know that our original meeting may seem trite, and I agree, perhaps it was needless, but it was verification of your personage. I needed to know that Lia would come all that way to get you."

"So that was all an act. Now what are you going to do with me?"

"Well, when we get some free time, I'll tell you."

Garen led her out into another cavern, which stretched out forward, left, and right. He walked ahead, and Aleya followed him. Soon, Aleya recognized doorways, and an occasional rotting door. "What is this place?"

"I believe that dwarves used to live here," Garen replied. "This is one of their older cities. They moved out of here several thousand years ago, into Merindegard. We're not staying, don't worry. We're only passing through. It's quicker passage through here. Besides, last I heard, a mamroth lives in here."

"A what?"

"It's a really nasty thing," Garen said, then craned his neck to look down another large hallway. "I don't sense it nearby, so-"

"It's two miles east," Aleya said.

Garen raised an eyebrow, then relaxed. "Well, that makes me-"

>From another part of the cavern, there was a burst of voices, and they both froze. The voices continued speaking in a gutteral language, like nothing Aleya had heard. "What's that?" she asked nervously.

"Get in that doorway, and get down," Garen ordered, pointing to a nearby arch. When she didn't move, he snapped, "Now!"

Whoever had been talking stopped, then they began whispering amongst themselves.

Aleya hurried into the door, and then crawled into a dark corner. Her vision was hampered by the dim lighting, since Garen's lantern was out in the hallway, but she found something bulky to hide behind.

Out in the hall, Garen drew the Soulstealer, and hid it within his cloak. The sources of the voices moved closer, in shuffling steps. A few minutes passed, and a torch came out of another hallway, two doors away.

The holder of the torch was squat, with bulging eyes and pale skin. Grime covered its body, and it had an extremely unhealthy appearance. It wore badly tailored garments, made of...some kind of skin. A much-used mace hung from its side, and a spear was strapped to its back. Perhaps, long ago, it had been recognizable as a sentient being.

It shouted something in its gutteral language, and the other footsteps came running, from various other halls and rooms. They must have spread out to search for him. In all, there were about seven of the strange creatures, all male. They stared at Garen's still form, and growled at each other, regarding him. After a moment of argument, one of them shouted something that sounded like "Who oo?"

In spite of his predicament, Garen almost laughed. He held it in, and remained motionless, staring at them silently. The lantern was resting on the floor, a few feet away, but they could probably see it. That would show he wasn't a statue, or dead on his feet.

The creature shouted at him again, and Garen ignored it.

Another few minutes of indecision passed, and then they edged forward cautiously, holding out crude swords and spears. When they came within a yard of Garen, and he still hadn't moved, one of them snorted a couple words, then raised his sword high.

As the unsharpened blade arched toward Garen, his body came to life. His arms snapped up, and the Soulstealer deflected the strike easily. The sword cut through the air, and cleanly sliced through one of the creature's heads.

The others froze, and when his gaze fell on them, they roared and attacked. Garen dove into them, and his sword whistled through the air, slicing into their bodies and spraying blood everywhere. Even though he had never actually fought in a battle before, his skill completely overwhelmed theirs.

Before the first body fell, it turned to ash, and the soul was drawn up into the sword. After that, it was almost like a dance of light, with the glowing spirits being sucked into the blade like a whirlpool. Less than ten seconds later, Garen stood in the middle of a pile of dust, breathing heavily. He looked at the emptiness around him, then saw Aleya.

She was standing in the doorway, watching.

Garen walked over to the lantern and picked it up. "Follow me."

***

Lily walked in the office, and sat down across from the priestess. She looked up and smiled. When the woman saw Lily's expression, her smile faded. "What has happened, Daughter?"

Lily reached back and closed the door, then haltingly told of last night's vision.

When she was done, the priestess sighed. "Oh dear. This is so odd. Last night, I researched the connection between Arraka and Nala. There wasn't much to discover, but I did find a small passage that I think you should read. I put it around here somewhere..." she looked around her desk and finally came up with a book. She handed the book to Lily, and pointed to a line.

Lily looked at the indicated sentence, and read aloud, "'The Wyrm and the Mother share a fate; they shall bring forth the demiurge.'" Lily looked at the cover. It was the Ajaren Codex. "What is this?"

"Prophecies by some man named Ajaren. I'm not too sure of his exact purpose, but I know he was a seer, for Nala."

"How does this relate to me?"

The priestess sighed. "I can only guess that your fate is somehow intertwined with that Dragon's. Nala's prophecies often speak allegorically, referring to many different believers, as opposed to the actual gods. This is the only passage that I found that combined Nala and Arraka."

"What's the demiurge?"

"This book doesn't speak of the demiurge, but I remember reading somewhere that the demiurge was a powerful entity. It slowly brought about peace, among the gods, during the time of Creation."

Lily sighed, then stood up. "Thank you," she said. "I have to return to the castle now, but I will stop by later, and look in your library, if you don't mind."

"Please, help yourself."

Lily bowed and walked out.

She headed straight for Lien's Archive.

A few streets away, Lily found the Lienite's library. The building was enormous, and took up three square blocks. It was whitewashed, and blended well with the overcast sky. Aleya walked up the front steps, and knocked on the large doubledoors.

A minute later, an old Lienite opened the door. His eyes flicked over her, and he smiled. "Ah! A Healer of Vash!" he exclaimed, as though she were the rarest find in Althoria.

"How did you know?" Lily asked. Most people mistook her for a priestess.

"Please, come in from the cold," the man opened the door, and a blast of warm air smacked her in the face. Lily walked into the archive, and looked around. It was three stories tall, with scores of shelves packed closely together. There was scarcely enough room between them to draw a book out.

Scattered around the room were various, strange objects. On one desk, a contraption held a cylinder that poured sand down a circular tube, that ended in a cylinder of water; the sand floated to the top of the cylinder, and was poured back down the tube again. On a table, sat a square-shaped web of wires and beads, that one apprentice studied intently. A fishbowl sat on a wooden book cart, with five colored balls that spun around slowly.

In the center of the large room, Lia saw an open area, with couches, chairs, tea tables, and piles of books. Lienites lounged around in the divans and chairs, in front of a massive fireplace. A heated discussion of alchemy was underway.

Several apprentices wandered around the room, indexing books and dusting shelves. One of them was throwing logs into the fireplace. Instead of a gray vest emblazoned with Lien's all-seeing eye, the apprentices wore a small badge that denoted their position.

The air was quite warm, and pleasant, contrary to Lily's expectations. She had thought the room would be old, dusty, and musty, but it was...cozy. When she looked around, she saw that the room was quite a bit smaller than the building's outside appearance. Though the archive was huge, she could see the far wall, which was less than three street blocks away.

"My name is Koro. How may I assist you?" asked the old man.

Lily pointed to the back wall. "Where's the rest of the archive?"

"Oh my, that's where the majority of the books are located. We sealed off this room several decades ago, to keep in the heat, on a day like this." He paused, waiting for her response.

Lily sighed, then saw a pair of empty chairs, away from the main congregation. "We might want to sit down. This could take a while."

Koro led her to the chairs, and sat down across from her.

Lily took a deep breath, then began her tale. She told of Doronar's visions, and his search for her, then his trip to Draconia. Koro nodded at that; it was big news in the temple that Boldar had traveled in search of the ancient country. She continued, and told of her recent visions, and search for the truth.

Koro scratched at his beard thoughtfully when she had finished, and after about a minute, he said, "I must confess, I am most disturbed by this. Any relationship between Arraka and Nala, that I'm aware of, is undocumented. I will see what I can find back in the archive. Meanwhile you should speak with Nobu. He specializes in religion." Koro turned around and called over Nobu.

Nobu walked over from the alchemy discussion and smiled at Lily. He was about forty, and his hair was just turning gray. Lily instantly detected that the man had a heart murmur. "Yes?" he asked.

Koro outlined Lily's situation quickly, and Lily blushed when he came to her most recent vision. Neither man seemed to care, so she relaxed a little. After Koro was finished, he shouted up to the mezzanines, "Bodren! Pollaria!" A moment later, two apprentices appeared at the railing, on two different levels. "Come with me to R34. I need your help."

The two apprentices waved down at him, and walked back into the bookshelves. Koro pulled on a cloak, then walked into a doorway beside the fireplace.

Nobu sat down in Koro's chair, and said, "It appears we have a bit of work ahead of us."

***

"How far behind are we?" Borim asked.

The boy's mood had once again changed for the worse. These were the first words he had said since Aleya's disappearance. Otherwise, he remained silent and brooding.

She wondered whether his stress was greater, or hers. Though Borim had known and loved Aleya all his life, Lia knew the consequences of her death. Even worse, she knew the consequences of the girl's betrayal. If Garen persuaded her, then Lia would have to kill them both. That would be almost impossible. Even if Lia did succeed, and Garen and Aleya died, then the chances were even smaller that the war could be won.

Of course, that all depended on Garen's role...

But Aleya would never become evil; it wasn't in her nature. That meant Garen would kill her. He would take her soul and keep it, for other uses. An essence as powerful as Aleya's could certainly be used, even after her death.

Only a few options would be open then: Lia would kill Garen, and use Aleya's soul to repel the Minion, or get someone to resurrect her. If possible.

They had traveled all day, and were resting inside a cave. Borim could sense that they were getting closer, but they weren't gaining fast enough. After about twenty agonizing minutes, Bolthorn stood up and walked further into the cave. He knelt and examined the dirt. "They went this way," he said.

"Into the cave?" Lia asked.

Bolthorn nodded. "Yes."

Borim pulled out a torch and his flint and steel. After it was lit, he returned them to his pouch, and walked past them, thin trails of smoke rising from the flames. Lia and Bolthorn followed.

For several minutes, they traveled, until they reached the base of the stairs, and came to the dead end.

Borim stopped uncertainly, and Bolthorn stepped past him. He knocked on the wall and looked at the floor. It was stone, so there were no tracks.

"Where'd they go?" Borim demanded.

"Did we pass a turnoff?" Bolthorn asked.

Lia shook her head. "Watch out," she said, stepping up to the door. The elf pressed her palms against it and then probed the structure. Her mind traveled through the door's mechanism, until she found the trigger switch. Lia pulled away from the door and pushed the stone. It rumbled aside, and they walked into the room.

Borim led them once again, but as soon as he was out in the large hallway, a distant growl echoed down the corridor. Bolthorn stepped in front, and looked down each way, but the torch's light only spread a few feet.

"Ignore it," Lia said. "Keep moving."

They traveled through the ancient city for several hours, and finally found another door. A few feet past the door, however, the hall was blocked by a barricade of debris.

Bolthorn looked at it and said, "Cave in."

"Shit," Lia swore. "He did it on purpose."

"How do we get past it?" Bolthorn asked, walking out of the small hall. Borim walked in and examined it. One could almost see the tension building in the boy's mind.

Lia sighed. "There's got to be another way out of here."

"It'll take too long to find," Borim protested.

"Sh..." she said, cocking her head.

"Why? Don't-"

"Sh!" Lia repeated, listening intently. Her eyes stared off into space for a moment, then everyone heard it.

There was a distant noise, that grew steadily louder. It sounded like drumbeats, at first, then the ground began vibrating. Dust fell from the ceiling, and Bolthorn said, "Earthquake?"

Lia shook her head, then blanched when she looked back down the hall. Two glowing orbs were flying towards them rapidly, bouncing up and down. As the orbs grew nearer, they saw that they were a creature's eyes, reflecting the torchlight. It was bulky, galloping down the hall like a huge horse. And it was almost on top of them.

"Get out of the way!" Bolthorn yelled. He grabbed Lia and pulled her to the side. Borim scrambled away, dropping the torch.

There was a thunderous crash, as the huge mamroth barreled into the wall. Rock cracked as the mamroth's head jammed into the doorframe. It let out a snort, then fell to the ground with a sigh. The body was huge, and looked like a rhinocerous, but Lia was the only one who had seen a rhinocerous before.

The elf gaped at the body, completely incredulous. "What the fuck!?" she cried, unwrapping Bolthorn's arm from her waist. Lia scrambled to her feet and stared at it, unbelieving.

Now they had a cave-in blocking their path, as well as a dead mamroth.

"Shit," Bolthorn said. "There's no way we can move that th-"

Then the creature stirred. Its clawed feet scrabbled on the ground for a moment, then it growled and pushed itself away from the wall. Like a bear cub, the huge thing rolled back once, then landed on its rear, and shook its head. As soon as it saw Lia, who was the closest, it snarled.

If Lia remembered correctly, mamroths were ancient creatures, that thrived shortly after the Age of Creation. They were reptilian, with gray skin and beady eyes. Armoring the head was a massive bone plate, that protected the rest of the body. Two tusks jutted out from the mouth, making it look like a hairless boar, with a shield on its forehead.

"Get back," Bolthorn ordered, grabbing Lia's arm.

She shook him off, and stared at the dumb animal with a hateful gaze. Her right hand extended. Just as the creature lunged forward, they heard a sizzling sound. The air rippled in front of her, as three transparent blasts of energy slammed into the mamroth's armored skull.

The first blast stopped the mamroth in its tracks, knocking its head back. The second blast threw it against the wall, and it bounced off, then landed in the middle of the hallway. The third blast launched the creature down the corridor, tumbling like a ball. Far away, it finally stopped, somewhere in the darkness.

Both of the males were frozen, gaping at Lia. She turned to the door and raised her right hand, palm up. Her thumb and two fingers came up, and a crystal ball materialized, balanced on her fingertips. "It's time to play," she said gravely.

Bolthorn unconsciously stepped back.

Lia flicked her wrist, and tossed the ball at the pile of rubble. The glass shattered, and there was a bright flash of light. When Bolthorn opened his eyes, the pile of rubble, and the side of the mountain, had been forced open into a perfectly circular hallway, leading to the surface.

Lia strode boldly into the new corridor, and the other two followed nervously. Her magic had carved a perfectly smooth tube out of the rock. There were several cracks in the walls, since the rock had been forced into this position. Otherwise, it seemed like a perfectly suitable way to construct a hall.

When they were outside of the mountain, Bolthorn said, "L-Lia? Where did you learn to do that?"

"Sh," she said abruptly, scanning the skies. Then she looked around. They were in the middle of a forest, covered in snow. Icicles hung from dead branches. Other than a softly gurgling stream, the woods were deathly silent. The snow dampened any sounds that they made.

In the distance, a tree exploded from the cold.

"You two, hide somewhere," Lia said.

"What?"

"No no. Keep after Aleya. I'll see you in a bit...I hope. If I don't come back, stay after Aleya. Protect her at all costs." Lia jumped into the air, and soared into the cloudy sky. She flew straight up, until she was at the tree line, and then came to a stop. The elf hovered, the wind whipping her hair mercilessly. If she weren't protecting herself from the cold, then she would have frostbite in a matter of minutes.

Lia sensed around herself, found Bolthorn and Borim far below. They hadn't moved yet; probably still shocked that she could fly.

For a moment, there was silence, then Lia heard a loud rushing, as though an ocean was flooding the valley below. With no warning, Lia sprung up a shield in front of her.

Jekra popped into existence a few hundred feet away, and a searing blast of energy shot at Lia. It struck her shield, and nearly collapsed it. Lia fired back her own electrical blast.

It avoided the lightning bolt and held its hands a few inches in front of itself. Between the Overlord's cupped hands, a dark cloud began swirling, creating a small vortex. For the first time in a long time, Lia felt fear, and she tied her own soul into her shield: her shield would only fail if she died.

A black wind exploded from the vortex, and evil energy roared at Lia.

She concentrated with all her might, defending herself.

When the bolt struck her, Lia's world distorted. Tears appeared in the fabric of the universe, and howls filled Lia's ears. Pain tore through her body, and she screamed. The elf was hurled into a mountainside, and dizziness overcame her for a moment. As her vision cleared, she saw another wave of evil sweeping onto her.

Lia defended herself once again, and for a moment, Gehenna surrounded her. The darkness of hell, the screams of tortured souls, and demons enveloped the girl, for a brief moment. She came out, gasping for air.

Another blast of evil rushed toward her, and Lia knew that it would kill her. In desperation, she dropped her shield, and lost her tangibility. Just as the wave reached her, Lia flew back into the mountain, speeding to the opposite side. For a brief moment, the evil clung to her, like disgusting oil. Then it floated free, and dissipated.

Jekra snarled and flew after her, straight through the rock. For a moment, the dark rock and dirt surrounded the Overlord, then it burst out into the light. Jekra impaled himself on Jonas's waiting sword.

Light flared up from the warrior's blade, and as Jekra's hands wrapped around his throat, the white fire consumed the creature of darkness. Its scream of pain echoed through the mountains long after it died.

A few yards away, Alinor held the violently trembling figure of Lia. Though Lia's small stature and innocent eyes exuded vulnerability, this was the first time she truly felt weak. After a few moments, Lia drew a ragged breath, and wiped her eyes.

"Thank you," she said shakily.

Alinor nodded grimly. He carried her over to the ledge with Jonas, and set her down. Lia sat down, shaking, and hugged her knees. For a few moments, they stared at her, then Alinor nodded to Jonas. The gray-cloaked wizard vanished.

Jonas sat beside Lia, and she looked over at him. Another tear ran down her nose, and hung from the tip, before falling into the snow. "Guess that was pretty stupid, huh?"

He nodded. "I'm just glad that this Overlord underestimated us."

"He didn't think you would show up so quickly. Neither did I."

"Alinor knew you would get into trouble sooner or later; he bet on sooner."

Lia sighed. "I'm sorry."

Jonas looked down into the valley, as more snow began pouring onto the mountain opposite them. "Lia, I know I tell you this all the time, but we won't always be there for you. Especially in situations like these. How do you expect us to defeat an Overlord?"

"I didn't. I expected to defeat him."

Jonas shook his head sadly, and murmured, "Same as always." Then he said, "You have to realize that there are limits to your abilities, Lia. There are limits to everyone's abilities."

Lia shrugged. "Perhaps. Perhaps. Until then, I'll assume I'm a goddess."

Jonas looked pained, and then he said, "If you wish." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I must leave now, but I'll see you soon."

"Soon? Don't you mean, when this is all over?"

Jonas nodded. He teleported out.

***

Lily was practically sleeping on her feet. She knew that if she sat down, she would fall asleep. The only reason she hadn't left the annex yet, was because the Lienites seemed more dedicated to her search than she did.

Nobu had explained that Arraka and Nala were two different divisions, chaos and good. Lesser gods of different "primal forces" consorted occasionally, but not often. Arraka and Nala consorted the least. Their relationship was fairly undocumented. Rightly so, since the two gods had very little in common. Melding the Goddess of Life and the Dragon God was inappropriate and nonsimilar juxtaposition.

They talked about the two gods for nearly thirty minutes, then Koro and the two apprentices returned from the back, whining of the cold. Each one pushed a book cart, filled with various codexes, indexes, prophecies, and mythological references. Nobu, Koro, Lily, and the two apprentices went to work, searching through the volumes, looking for any related passages. An apprentice was sent off to retrieve paper and pens, then they began taking down notes.

Slowly at first, then in increasing numbers, the Lienites drifted over to the table. What was going on? Could they join in? A half hour after the first Lienite joined them at the table, all of them were there, still arguing about alchemy, but helping in Lily's search.

For the whole afternoon, and past dusk, they worked, researching Lily's dilemma. When one of the men complained of hunger, another pair of apprentices was dispatched on the mission. After the food was returned from a local tavern, the table quickly became a mess.

Lily was very grateful for all their help, and that was the only reason why she didn't leave. All of these people were so dedicated to helping her...rather, they were dedicated to research. Give them a problem, and they'll solve it. That was Lily's view on the situation. Lienites lived for this sort of work, so she guessed she shouldn't be too grateful.

Finally, about an hour before midnight, Nobu walked over to her. "Lily, you look pretty tired. Maybe you should go home and get some rest."

She shook her head. "Not while you are still all working here."

He held up a handful of papers. "I have enough information to compile a report. As soon as it's finished, I'll have a copy sent over to you at the castle."

"Report?"

"Nobu won't be satisfied until all his information is written out in a nice, neat report," an apprentice said. "It's useless until then."

Nobu whacked the apprentice over the head with his papers and said, "It will be much easier to understand that way."

Lily debated with herself for a moment, but she was too tired to argue. She nodded agreement, then thanked everyone for helping her. They all bid her good-bye, and she plodded out into the street. The temperature had dropped considerably, and threatened to freeze her, so Lily jogged all the way back to the palace, where she argued with the gate guard for ten minutes before he let her in.

***

Aleya exhaled in amazement. It was so pretty.

Garen had taken her into a large clearing, in the bottom of a little canyon. The canyon walls were There was only a thin layer of snow here, and the trees still had their leaves on them. Moss hung from the cliffs, trees, and even the old ladder they had descended by. In the middle of the clearing was an altar, built above a pit. As they passed by, Aleya glanced down into it, and saw bones.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"That's for later," Garen said.

"What?" Aleya said, her mouth suddenly dry.

"Just joking," he flashed a grin back at her, and pointed to a structure built into the side of the cliff. "This is where we'll stay tonight. I'm going to tell you the truth about your friends."

Aleya raised an eyebrow, and knew what he was getting at. He was going to seduce her into Tir's service. If that didn't work, then he would probably sacrifice her. Unless Borim arrived to rescue her.

Again.

***

Far to the west, Marath looked up from his armies, sprawled across the Plains of Allanon. Mogehal, Allanon's new name, was only inhabited by higher ranking officers, and the new citizens of the Empire.

Shargoth flanked the Overlord, and they faced west, as a huge caravan train hauled in from the Darklands, bringing thousands of fresh soldiers, and thousands of female orcs and goblins. Breeding pits would be constructed in the third ring of the city; it was safer than if it were located in the outer ring, but less obtrusive than if it were in the center of the city.

Marath intended to build a second capital. Khaosh was the original capital of the Empire, but it was too distant. Here, Mogehal would serve a military function, and it would be the site of Marath's new throne.

Now that the caravans had arrived, it would only be a few days before the Minion marched east, and conquered Althoria.

END OF WINTER ONE

Character List & Notes

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(c) 1996 by Bill Smith (micro@oz.net)