Travis

Brendo, they aren't home yet... As for Karusa, yes, she is a little shocked and overwhelmed right now and doesn't know what is going on. Ami, imagine if you thought that Ian had died and China conquered America. Then, after almost three months, he comes back in full military gear riding attack helicopters with a bunch of Russian elite soldiers all calling him "sir" and a woman who is acting like his wife and takes you away. I think you would would be a little overwhelmed too. I know I would if the situation was reversed. She will chill out a bit and get used to things as time goes on. As for the paragraph, the only tense change I saw was the very last sentence. If you have any suggestions, feel free to let them know because I am not seeing anything. As for the next chapter, here we go. Time for some fun with dreams, refugees, Angvardi soldiers, Kruish lords/mages, sarcastic former guardsmen, and pissed off sorceresses. ___________________________ Chapter 24 And in the last days, there shall arise a Master of Magic. He shall be guided by those around him as he battles the forces of Chaos. But one of those shall betray him, and his pain will be great. — prophecy of Jaele Quri, 46 of the Second Age Wilderness north of See Sei Angvardi Province of Sei Angvardi Empire Someone was screaming for help. Syler didn't know what was happening around him, it was all so confusing. Images were flashing around him yet he couldn't identify them. People's faces came and went, but he didn't know who they were. Sounds washed over him, but he could not discern them. Someone was screaming for help, but none came. Syler tried to move, but his body wouldn't follow his commands. He could see, but he couldn't act. He was paralyzed in this body, helpless to do anything. Someone was screaming for help, but there was nothing he could do. Syler could hear himself breathing heavily in a panic. Long, light brown hair fell into his face as somehow, without trying, he rolled over onto his stomach. Slowly, ever so slowly, he inched his way towards the screaming man, but to his horror, he had no control over what he was doing. His body was acting of its own accord. Someone was screaming for help, and their voice was eerily familiar. Syler looked at his hands as they were clawing at the ground trying to inch his body forward. Something was wrong about them. He couldn't will his body to look at them for more than a quick glance, so he wasn't quite sure. Someone was screaming for help, and he could finally see them. Syler's heart skipped a beat when finally saw who was screaming. It was him. He was looking at himself screaming. It made no sense, how could he be looking at himself screaming? Syler was screaming for help, and then it finally made sense. Syler wasn't Syler, but rather Bronwyn. He remembered now. This wasn't a dream, this was magic. He was seeing one of Bronwyn's visions. He was in her body seeing things through her eyes, and it was terrifying. Words were spoken, but he couldn't decipher them. Syler, in Bronwyn's body, looked at Syler, the one screaming for help. He was covered in blood, but it wasn't his own. It was someone else's blood. The blood covered Syler was cradling someone in his lap. No matter how much he tried, the Syler in Bronwyn couldn't see who it was. Blood and smoke and fire and screams swirled together into one hazy image before fading into the night. Syler woke with a start, as did his wife beside him. She noticed that he woke because she turned around and whispered, "You had it too?" "Yes." "It was a kvastat." "I figured as much. Any idea what it means?" She shook her head, "No, I do not, but it didn't look good." "No, it didn't. I don't like it one bit." "I was able to identify you," she said as thought that was significant. Syler frowned, "Yes, as was I. What does that mean?" "I don't know, but the last time I saw you in a kvastat, it happened exactly as I had seen it." "What did you see?" "I saw you rescuing me from the cell in Kubei." Syler sat up abruptly and looked out at their camp. After returning from their private conversation, Karusa and Bronwyn joined them for a brief dinner. It wasn't much, but it was all they had. By tomorrow, they would be in Krue territory and able to get food. They had talked by the small floating fire that Vekla summoned and shared a few stories. For her part, Karusa seemed to take it well. She certainly looked like she felt better now that at least a little of her was cleaned and she knew more of what was going on around her. He had managed to briefly talk with her in private while the others were getting out bedrolls and smoothing out patches of ground to sleep on. He didn't get to say much, but he did get to tell her how much he loved her. Karusa just nodded and smiled before going to her own bed. Syler didn't know what that meant, but he decided not to prod. She was a very different woman from the one he knew back in Sandrin, but to be fair, so was he. Bronwyn reached up and gently pulled him back down. "There is no need to wake the others," she whispered. "I normally have several kvasati before it actually occurs and have never seen something that happens sooner than a few days. Let them sleep, it has been a long day for us all." They hadn't gotten much sleep last night before being woken by Lamastus and this day had been full of riding. "What if it was referring to a threat now? You yourself have said strange things happen to your visions when you are around me." "Syler, love, how long have I been having kvasati? I know a few things about them that you don't yet know. Trust me on this, waking everyone up and setting off immediately will only make us all weaker and put us in even more danger." "I suppose you are right," he admitted. "Sro nua keezat?" Gombel's voice asked from the darkness. Syler hadn't heard him approach at all and had to stop his hand from reaching for his sword. "He asked if we are okay," translated Bronwyn. "We are, just a dream," Syler said. "Pasu, iares sro," she said. The warrior nodded and resumed his patrol. "Now, it is cold and you have gone and sat up and let all the warmth escape." Syler grinned in spite of his mood and reached around to pull her close to him. * * * * * Border of Krue Territory "Who are they?" asked Syler. Vekla craned her neck for a few moments, then said, "Kae haelait tresual, I do not know, but they should not be here." They had been not a mile away from the Subeleth Woods and safety when they had spotted a group of people camped next to the edge of the woods. There were five or six large tents and another two dozen or so smaller ones. Vekla had immediately pronounced them foreigners because they were using horses, but had left it at that. "Why not go around?" Bronwyn said from behind him. "Yes, I think that is going to be best," agreed Syler. "Lord Syler, riders to the south!" Delmonor called out as he pointed the direction of a cloud of dust rapidly closing on the group in front of them. That group began to race for their horses Syler murmured to himself, "Oh, I don't like the look of this." He called out, "Let's go in a little closer to see what is going on." "This is not our concern," said Vekla. "I believe I am perfectly capable of deciding what is and is not my concern," Syler replied. If she was offended at his tone, she didn't show it. "There could be danger below. Unnecessary danger. It is my purpose to guide you along what is the wise path, not to let you get involved in something that is not of our concern." "I understand, Vekla, but that looks like an attack to me. Those people below are definitely not looking to welcome the newcomers and are panicking. I want to know what is going on and that is final." The sorceress muttered a rather long string of Kruish words that caused Bronwyn stiffen. "Very well, my lord. Am I allowed to at least summon the nearest Kruish patrol?" "Can you do that from here?" She gave him a blank look before responding, "Yes, as long as they have one who can wield magic among them. Most patrols have at least a mage, so that is very likely." "Oh. Then that would be fine," replied Syler. "It never hurts to have reinforcements," quipped Lamastus from behind Vekla. She rolled her eyes, but otherwise ignored him. "Allow me to cast the spell then." She jumped down and began drawing on the dirt with her finger while whispering in a tongue that didn't sound very Kruish to Syler. He didn't recognize the letters and they seemed to be more a complex pattern than words. After a minute, the dirt where she had drawn briefly glowed before fading away leaving smooth ground below. "It is done," Vekla said as she got back on her hasuan. "Any Kruish magic wielder within many miles will be aware of my beckoning and come. I still think it is foolish to interfere." "I think he knows that," said Lamastus. "I also think he is ignoring y—arrgh!" "Silence, Angvardi," she replied as she jabbed him in the ribs with her elbows. "Well, that was rude." Lamastus apparently didn't mind because he was grinning as he said it. Syler ignored them both and focused on the group that was riding in rapidly. "They don't seem too large, but clearly, those who are encamped are terrified and are fleeing. Let's go!" He spurred his hasuan into action and led the others toward the camp. They were closer and faster, but they wouldn't beat the others by much. Now that they were riding at a gallop instead of trotting along, they kicked up dust and those in the camp noticed their presence. The initial response appeared to be even greater panic, but when they saw that they were riding hasuan, they stopped and fell to their knees and began begging. As they got close, Syler slowed his mount down and approached the people cautiously. They didn't appear to have any weapons, but that didn't mean they were no threat. Even if magic wouldn't work on him, it would on his friends and he didn't want to lose any more of them on this journey. "Please, mighty Krue, spare us!" one of them was saying. A woman on her knees with tears streaming down her eyes cried out, "Have mercy upon our souls, protect us from the Easterners!" "Who are you?" Syler demanded. "We are refugees from Angvardi cruelty just trying to survive," came one response. "We hoped that being so close to your lands would dissuade them from coming after us, but they are brazen and their hatred is great," said another. "Please spare us, we beg for your mercy." Syler recognized some of the accents, but he knew at least a few were Sei like himself. This was what he was wanting. He had hoped that some would escape the Angvardi and seek shelter among the only remaining nation that hadn't been conquered. The Elements must be smiling upon him for them to happen upon this camp at this very time so he could make a stand and welcome the first of the refugees. "I am Syler Penion of Sandrin, Lord of Thwrud. You are all welcome in my lands, but first we must turn aside those who seek your blood." The refugees exchanged looks with mixed feelings of confusion, disbelief, and hope. Syler didn't need to turn around to know that Vekla was probably frowning. She had not wanted any foreigners to be admitted, but had been forced to as part of his terms for playing her little game. He didn't care what she thought. He had agreed to fight and lead and this was how he choose to do it. If she didn't like it, she should have picked a different leader. "There are so few of you!" one young woman shouted. "How are you going to stop so many?" It was a fair question. He thought it best that they didn't know that he didn't know the answer to that. "We are Krue," was all the response he gave. He led his friends a little away from the small crowd and waited for the others to arrive. "Bronwyn," he said, "I think it is best that you get off in case there is some fighting to be had. Same with you, Karusa. Both of you go with the refugees." "If you think I am leaving you here—" Bronwyn started, but he cut her off with a raised finger. "I won't take backtalk from Vekla, I am not going to take it from you right now either. We don't have time and I don't want you to get killed or to get anyone else killed by slowing down the hasuan or any of the warriors. Now, go." He was in no mood to argue, not with dozens of men riding straight at them. Without another word, Bronwyn slid down from behind him and led Karusa back toward the camp leaving just Vekla and Lamastus the only ones doubled up. He didn't mind that as much because Lamastus could handle himself in a fight and might be able to protect Vekla from close up damage while she focused on spells. He didn't want to put him on foot anyway, not when this was going to be a mounted battle. Syler's heart was beating rapidly as the horsemen grew closer and closer. Their Angvardi banners were now clearly visible waving behind a few of the lancers. They were coming from the south, so it wasn't likely that they were pursuit from Opeganeat or Sua Tles. At least Syler could rest knowing that it wasn't his actions that brought these men upon this camp. "Vekla," he said as they reached a half mile, "could you do something that would get their attention but not harm them?" "Pasu," she replied and began forming her spell. When the horses reached a quarter mile, she unleashed a wall of flame directly in front of their hasuan and extended for twenty yards in both directions. It was close enough that the beasts shifted uneasily, but they were too well trained for battle to panic. The incoming horsemen seemed to get the idea and slowed their charge. When they got within a hundred yards, they stopped and formed ranks. Now that they weren't clustered in a tight formation throwing dust up everywhere, Syler could get a rough count of them. There had to be at least fifty of them all in armor with various weapons. He didn't see any Shalktra crests and was glad for that. Shalktra tended to be far more violent and prone to fighting and he would rather there no be a fight today. One of the horsemen wearing the gold trimmed armor of an officer urged his horse forward a little and called out "I am Lieutenant Jaclens of the Imperial Angvardi Army. I am tasked with bringing these deserters back to where they belong to answer for the abandonment of their oaths. This does not concern the Krue." The name was vaguely familiar, but Syler couldn't place it. It didn't matter though, not now at least. "I am Lord Syler Penion of the Krue and I believe this does concern the Krue." "These are Angvardi citizens who have abandoned their oaths and are not your concern." Syler smiled, "On the contrary, they are individuals wanting to live free of Angvardi oppression and, as one who shares their sentiments, I have granted them safe passage to Thwrud. They are under my protection." "You have no right!" protested Jaclens. "As lord of Thwrud, I have every right. And you, lieutenant, are perilously close to Krue Territory. So close, in fact, that one could even go as far as to say you are close enough to be considered a threat. Leave now and stay away from the Subeleth and none of yours will be harmed." "You have six with you, I have fifty," Jaclens sneered. "You aren't the only one with a wielder of magic, either. I have no quarrel with the Krue, but if you stand in my way, I will attack." "Lieutenant," Lamastus called out, "you would attack a Kruish lord over a few peasants? Are you completely insane?" "Who are you?" "I am former Guardsman Lamastus stationed at Kubei. Even a lowly guardsman like me knows better than to attack a Kruish lord. Once you do that, they all will come after you." "You were in the Imperial Army? You are a traitor! You will be coming with us to face your executioner." Syler sighed and ribbed the bridge of his nose, "That didn't help much, Lamastus." The Angvardi smiled at him and said, "Of course not, but it got him angry and delayed any action." "Totores gakrell," said Vekla and Syler didn't think it was exactly a compliment. "Hey, what more do we have to lose?" Lamastus replied. "The lieutenant isn't going to budge and now he is more angry at me than he is at you." Jaclens, who couldn't hear their conversation at that distance, shouted, "Surrender the traitor and I will spare your lives and allow the rest of you to return to your forest unharmed."

Brendo, I think we need to light to torches and get out the pitchforks.

He is also in a different situation. He isn't fighting a war, he isn't "gunning" for the people who maliciously kidnapped his wife. In his mind, since these people are possibly victims of Angvardi rule just like him, they haven't done anything evil to deserve punishment. Simply marrying his sister doesn't make someone evil. Now, when the man decided to attack him, he was more than happy to kill him (as he explains in the next section). Ultimately, throughout the story, I hope to show that Syler isn't a purely good/righteous character, but he also isn't a malicious one. The two of them get a rather prolonged scene in the second half of this chapter (see below). The way I picture it, she backed away in shock and was whispering things like "no, it can't be," and "that's impossible" or "I can't believe it" then, she realized that it was really him and not just a dream/nightmare, and she recovers a little from the shock before running into his arms. I will definitely make note of that and see about clarifying it more when I rework this. Actually, I normally am pretty OCD about it as well, ever since I read the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe where Aslan tells Peter to wipe his sword after killing the Wolf. Normally here, I have described people as wiping the blood off, but this time, I didn't because of the rush. He wants to get in and out before reinforcements come and isn't going to fuss about a little blood in his scabbard. About languages, most "civilized" groups speak the Common Tongue (English). The Terulans, Angvardi, Sei, Sua, Kosh, and a few others in the South use it as their primary language and rarely if ever use ancient tongues. Some of the more "barbaric" or "uncivilized" people groups either speak their own language (as with the Krue and everyone in the Deep West) or are bilingual (as with the Kuti and the Gope). For the people that speak in foreign languages, especially those who use it as their primary tongue, they will revert to their native tongues when cursing or surprised or are particularly flustered/angry. The language issue is going to come up as Syler starts trying to interact more with the other Kruish lords as well as when he makes his journey into the Deep West looking for allies. Well guys, you have been reading faster than I have been writing of late. This is the last completed segment I have left, you have caught up to me. Fear not, though. I have the next five days off and plan on adding at least 50,000 words during that time. ____________ Karusa didn't know how long they traveled, but the entire trip was terrifying. She didn't know what her brother had gotten into, but it was clearly more than he could handle. It was hard enough to believe that he would actually kill Brunley, but for him to be with Krue of all people was beyond belief. Just this morning, she had woken up facing a day of chores and preparing dinner so Brunley wouldn't be angry. Now, less than a few hours later, her brother was back, her husband had been beheaded in the street, and she was riding on one of the Krue's beasts with the massive arms of one of their brutes holding her in place. She tried to process everything that had happened today, but she couldn't. At least she had time because it seemed they would be riding until dark to avoid pursuit. As horrifying as riding on these horned beasts was, she preferred that over being captured. Now that her husband was dead, they would certainly enslave her just as the Easterners promised when they arrived in Opeganeat. After many hours of travel, they finally stopped near a stream to water their beasts and eat. The Krue she had been riding with helped her down. She hoped that he didn't notice the tremble in her hands as she took his gloved hand. When her feet hit the ground, she nearly collapsed. After sitting in such an awkward position for so long, her legs could hardly support herself. Syler appeared next to her and helped her sit down. "It is okay, riding on hasuan takes some getting used to, especially if you aren't used to horses." Karusa had so many questions, but she didn't know where to start. Syler sat down next to her and the two of them looked at the others preparing the camp for a few minutes. "I am sorry that I had to kill Brunley," he said. She didn't know how to respond to that, so she said nothing. "When I saw your face all bruised like that, I wanted the man who did it to you dead," he continued. "Elements forgive me, I wanted him to die. When he came up the street like he did with a weapon in his hand and friends at his back, I was glad because it gave me a chance to kill him without it being in cold blood." He looked directly at her, "He came at me, Karusa, and he had a desire for blood in his eyes. I might have been able to end the fight without killing him, but I didn't want to. It didn't take a sage to figure out that he treated you horribly and I knew that was the one thing you feared the most. I swore that I would return and protect you, but I wasn't able to do so as I hoped. When he came at me, I swung my sword with all of my strength and killed him. I feared that if I hadn't, one day, he would have come back into our lives and caused trouble. Plus, he deserves it for treating you as he did." Even though it was hard for her to grasp, Karusa had deduced as much. She knew of Brunley's temper and had seen him beat a man nearly to death simply for being kind to her. He was a possessive, abusive tagrol who deserved what he got, but it was still hard for her to believe that he was dead. When Syler didn't say anything, she realized he was expecting her to say something. "I understand, Syler, but I can't believe it. Every day, I woke up in terror and lived in fear of doing something wrong. I am not sad to see him go, but, it's just… I never thought of you as someone who could kill someone. Even when you went off to war, I didn't think you would do it." "Things change," he said. When he continued, his voice was distant and reflective, "I have killed, I have seen people killed. I have had men following my orders die. I have changed, Karusa, and I don't yet know if it is for the better." "What happened to you?" she asked. So many scenarios had flitted around her head, but none of them made sense. She had no idea how he could have left the young man that he was and returned with such people and done such things. He was different, so very different. She could see it in how he held himself and in his eyes. He was experienced and it had taken what was left of his youth away from him. "Many things have happened. I will tell you everything in time. Right now, I don't want to overwhelm you too much." "Where to start?" He smiled and for a moment, he was the same Syler she knew coming back from a hard day's work in the smithy. "I am so happy that you are okay. For weeks, it was all I could do not to try to run and find you, but I couldn't. If I had done so, I would have been hunted down by the Easterners just like the others. Even if I could have evaded them, I wouldn't be able to offer you any sort of life as a fugitive." "I thought you were dead," she said. There had been no news of him from the battlefront and so many had died. The only news they had received other than of the general surrender was that the Sandrin company had been in a bad part of the battle and lost many of its number. When there was no word from him, she despaired and gave up hope. It didn't matter when the Angvardi arrived and took all the unmarried women away because she was already resigned to a life of misery and hopelessness. "No, I wasn't. I survived the battle and was taken to Kubei in the Kut lands. They wouldn't let us communicate with our family because they didn't want us to know where they were and be tempted to run away. The priests said that the Way was our family now." "They said the same to us." She remained silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Where are we going?" "We are going to Krue territory in the Subeleth Woods. I have friends there who will keep you safe." "How do you have friends with the Krue?" He smiled again and said, "It is a long story. Let me introduce you to the others, that is a good place to start." He stood up and offered her a hand. She took it and was glad that her legs had recovered enough to support her. He took her to where the others were resting and chatting among themselves in two different languages. Though they tried to conceal it, Karusa noticed that they were casting frequent glances her way. "You already know my friend from in town, but let me introduce you to him properly. This is Lamastus, a man who has saved my life many times and whom I completely trust." Lamastus gave her a courteous bow with a fist over his heart. She couldn't help but notice that it was an Angvardi gesture, but she didn't ask questions. With a smile, he said, "I am honored to have your acquaintance." Syler rolled his eyes and pointed at the wild looking woman who had been riding with Lamastus. "This is Vekla Saekoris, a powerful sorceress who has sworn to protect and guide me with her life. She is definitely a woman you want on your side in any fight as her abilities are quite amazing, but don't take her gruff attitude personally, she is that way to everyone." The woman's frown deepened, but she didn't say anything in response. She did offer a nod of acknowledgment, so Syler shrugged and moved on to the man whom she had been riding with. During their ride, he had said his name was Delmonor, but when she didn't respond, he didn't elaborate. As result, the rest of their journey had been conducted in silence. "This is Delmonor, apparently my personal bodyguard." The man smiled, bowed his head, and said, "I stand by your side until my death." "He had to have been a great warrior for Vekla to choose him for this mission. He is also the only one other than Vekla herself who speaks the Common Tongue. Remember that if you need anything because the others won't be able to understand you." He pointed to the other three warriors in turn and said, "This is Gombel, Pastau, and Relwind. They may not say much, but they are proud and worthy warriors." At last, he pointed to the woman whom he had been riding with. "This is Bronwyn, my wife, my other reason for living." It was good to have him confirm it, but it was not a surprise. The way they had been riding on the journey, Karusa had suspected as much. The woman was beautiful and was strong and proud, exactly the type of woman that she had hoped he would end up with. There was something about her though, something that seemed strange. Bronwyn smiled and said, "We are very glad to meet you at last, Karusa. Syler has worked very hard to be able to return to you." Karusa smiled, but as she did, it hit her. Bronwyn's accent, it was familiar. "I am glad to meet you all and thank you for coming after me. I—I really wish that I could say something more, but it is all a little overwhelming." "Let me take care of you," said Bronwyn as she extended her hand. "We need to get you all cleaned up while the others make something to eat." Something about her demeanor screamed out to Karusa that it was not a suggestion, so she looked hesitantly at her brother. The corner of Syler's mouth lifted up, but otherwise he gave no other reaction and certainly not any alarm. Karusa didn't exactly feel comfortable leaving her brother's side, but she didn't have a choice. Clearly, Syler was the one in charge here and he didn't find anything suspicious about his wife. From what she had seen, the two did have at least an affection for each other, so he might have escaped the Angvardi's forced marriages after all and found a woman whom he was comfortable with. These were all strangers, and the origin of Bronwyn's accent was nagging her. Bronwyn grabbed one of the blankets off of the saddlebag and started towards the stream. Not knowing what else to do, Karusa followed the other woman several yards away from the others and stopped next to the flowing water. Bronwyn pulled out a small rag and dipped into the cold waters. After wringing it out, she offered it to her. "Go ahead, clean your face off, you will feel much better." "W-what is it that you wanted?" asked Karusa hesitantly. Instead of getting angry or even trying to deny it, the other woman smiled. "I wanted to talk to you away from the eyes of the others. Here take the rag, you really should wipe the mud off of your face." Karusa took the rag and slowly began to wipe her face. "What did you want to talk about?" "I saw you weren't exactly comfortable being paraded around in front of the others. Syler may be good intentioned, but he sometimes misses the most obvious of things. Plus, I wanted you to know exactly how fortunate you are to have a brother that loves you." Karusa drew back in surprise and blinked several times. She knew her brother loved her, he had taken care of her when Jarem had died leaving her a widow with no money or land. Bronwyn stared straight into her eyes in a disconcerting manner. "Syler is a man who can become very focused on something to the exclusion of all else," Bronwyn said. "For the first two months that I knew him, he was entirely focused on working so he could get enough money to possibly return to you. It wasn't easy, Karusa, but he did it. Day after day, he tolerated the Angvardi snobs and their arrogant superiority because they paid more and offered the most jobs. At first, I resented you for that because I had no siblings and my parents were killed when the Haresu invaded. I wanted to know that somewhere out there, someone would be willing to work that hard to get back to me. Then, as I began to fall in love with him, I yearned for him to turn his focus onto me." She paused and gazed back at where Syler was joking with Lamastus. Successfully rescuing Karusa and not losing any more of his friends had really lifted his mood. He hadn't smiled this much in days. "Why are you telling me this?" Bronwyn's eyes returned to her and Karusa noticed for the first time that they were green. "Because you need to know," she replied cryptically. "Let me finish, please. We were forced into a marriage by the Haresu, but he was a truly good and honorable man. He didn't even touch me in a sexual manner while we lived in Kubei, even though I offered myself. He was so consumed with his desire to return to you and his dislike of the Haresu that he didn't consider anything else. I think he refused to even consider me because I was someone the Haresu fostered upon him. I may have been some sort of symbol of their oppression and he wouldn't let himself love me." A few things began to make sense now. Karusa could help but reflect on her own brutal "marriage" to Brunley. They had been paired up upon her arrival and that night, he had claimed her in the most humiliating and barbaric manner she could think of. Having been married before, she was no stranger to sexual relations, but with Brunley, it was something different. There was no love, passion in it, just brutality and a desire to dominate. He had denigrated her repeatedly and gloated over the fact that he, a Sua, was able to do that to her, a Sei. She had tried to bring this up to one of the Angvardi guards, but he refused to get involved. The priests had told Brunley to treat her better, but that night, he beat her into unconsciousness for daring to speak ill of him. Nothing was done for her after that and he forbade her from leaving the house. She was glad that her brother didn't behave in such a manner when presented with a beautiful wife of his own. Another thing clicked as Bronwyn spoke. Her use of the word "Haresu" rang a bell and she remembered where she had heard the accent from. In Opeganeat, there had been a few that the Angvardi brought that spoke like her. Bronwyn was a Kuti, the most hated foes of the Sei other than perhaps the Sua. Karusa felt better for having placed her, but the knowledge didn't give her much comfort because she didn't trust Kuti. "I tell you this so you know exactly how much Syler loves," continued Bronwyn, "No matter what happens in the future, you need to hold that close to your heart and never, ever forget it." "Umm," she said, "thank you." She swallowed and asked, "What happened between you and Syler? You mentioned that he didn't love you, does he now?" Bronwyn gave an embarrassed smile and replied, "It took my being captured by the Shalktra for him to realize that he loved me. I will never forget what he did next, but needless to say, he rescued me and did some amazing things in the process. I am sure he will tell you all about that. If not him, then Havert will when we get back to Thwrud." Karusa's eyes widened, "Havert is still alive?" "Yes, he is. He is also happily married and expecting a child of his own." "Havert…a father? I wouldn't have expected that." Bronwyn chuckled, "That is what Syler said when he found out." "I can imagine." "Here, we should try to wash your hair and get the grime out," suggested Bronwyn as she laid the blanket on the sandy shore of the stream. "Did your husband not allow you to wash?" Karusa shook her head, "He didn't let me out of the house. That meant I could only wash if he brought back water, and he didn't look highly at doing 'woman's work.' The water he did bring back was for himself and for cooking." "I am sorry, I didn't know," Bronwyn replied softly as she guided Karusa to lean back on the blanket and look up so her hair was dangling in the water. "It isn't your fault." "Well, from now on, you don't have to worry about that," Bronwyn said as she began to soak and rinse her hair. "Syler and I will look after you. When we get back to Thwrud, you will have a room of your own with a luxurious bed, plenty of clothes, and servants to get hot water for you." "Servants?" "Yes, servants." Karusa frowned and looked up at Bronwyn. "Whose servants?" "Syler's," she said proudly. "He is the lord of Clan Thwrud, one of the Kruish clans." Karusa was glad she was already laying down because if she hadn't been, she might have collapsed. "What!" she exclaimed in surprise. "There is a lot you don't know about your brother. A lot none of us knew about him." While she cleaned and untangled Karusa's hair, Bronwyn proceeded to tell her some of what had happened since he left Sandrin. She didn't try to go into too much detail, but she had told Syler on their ride that she would help ease his sister into what he had become to hopefully avoid the awkward scenario of him trying to explain it himself. After her hair was washed and mostly combed out, Bronwyn went back to her pack to get an extra set of clothes. The two women were about the same size, so they should fit. As she held the blanket up to provide some privacy for her sister-in-law to change, Bronwyn reflected on the kvastat she had seen while back in Kubei. In it, she had seen Syler betrayed by someone he loved dearly and it had broken him into pieces and crushed his spirit. She didn't know who it was that had betrayed him, but she couldn't imagine herself ever betraying the man she loved. The only other person she knew that Syler loved that much was his sister. Bronwyn feared that Karusa would somehow, knowingly or not, hurt Syler in a way that was unforgiveable and had tried to instill into the other woman just how much her brother loved her in the hopes that it would bring her closer to him. Bronwyn hadn't told Syler of that particular vision, but she would work her best to see that it never came to pass.

I thought it was intentional (Lamastus + stud=Lamastud) since you were talking about romance and all. Here I was going to give you cool points for coming up with his nickname, but then you blow it by saying it was an accident. ______________ Chapter 24 Virtuous in life, Valiant in war, Vigorous in justice, Vicious in retribution. — part of the Code of the Seinari Opeganeat Angvardi Province of Sua Opeganeat was a small village nestled in the hills about forty miles south of Sua Tles. Syler and those with him rode throughout the night. Despite being more than capable of traveling at great speeds on flat ground, the hasuan were not so quick in the dark through the hills and ravines of Sua territory. Syler kept his frustration in check, but Bronwyn could tell that it was getting more and more difficult for him. There was a road that went from Sua Tles to Opeganeat, but none of them dared take it because it would be patrolled. Syler's fear was that the Angvardi would use the road to gain on them despite being on slower horses. Daylight meant that they could travel faster, but that they had to be careful not to be spotted. They saw a few shepherds with their flocks along the way, but didn't stop to talk to them. There were no Angvardi patrols in this area, most of them were in the northwest dealing with the resistance there. These areas had already been pacified and were considered secure. When they arrived at their destination, all of them were hungry, but determined to go on. Syler was squirming in his saddle out of eagerness, but knew better than to just barge into the town square and begin screaming Karusa's name. This time, he would opt for secrecy and stealth. "I am going to go in," he said as they looked at the city from one of the surrounding hills. "It isn't a very large town, so it shouldn't take long for me to spot her." "We are coming with you," insisted Vekla. "No, you aren't. Not only would your presence be too much of a tip off, but I need you out watching the city in case the Angvardi arrive." "But what if—" she insisted "I said no." "What about me?" Bronwyn asked softly from behind him. He turned around and said, "No, you are a Kuti, there is little reason for you to be here." "Then I will be coming," announced Lamastus. "I am an Angvardi, there is no reason why I wouldn't be here." Syler frowned as he thought about that. "You don't have your guard armor any longer, but that doesn't mean you couldn't pose as a merchant or farmer." Lamastus' lip curled at the thought, but he shrugged and replied, "If that is what it will take, I will do it. I will need a new shirt, though. Mine is still bloody." "The rest of you should wait. If you see someone coming, try to cut them off. Get some rest, Vekla, I need you at full strength." The sorceress let out a harrumph at the very idea of her needing rest, but she didn't argue. They made their way a little closer to the town before dismounting. Lamastus got another shirt from one of the Krue while Syler fashioned a simple cloak out of one of the blankets with a little of Bronwyn's help. He wouldn't abandon his armor and sword, but neither did he want to stand out. Instead, he strapped his sword sheath to his back. It fell down to his knees, but it was mostly concealed by the overcloak he now wore. Lamastus didn't need to do much to conceal his knives, he just wrapped their sheathes to his forearms so he could grab them in an instant. When they were ready, the two of them set off on foot to the town. As they got closer, Syler could see that it wasn't all that different from his own town of Sandrin. The entire town may have had a thousand people in it and was really nothing but a place for nearby farmers and shepherds to sell their wares and get supplies. They entered the town without causing a scene. Most of the townsfolk were focused on carrying out their jobs, whatever that may be. They weren't too interested in two more men who looked like they were down on their luck. Some may have been able to tell that Lamastus was an Angvardi, but if they did, they didn't say anything. "We should try the markets," suggested Lamastus. "Surely, in a town of this small size, someone would have heard of her." Syler signaled his agreement with a terse nod. They approached a woman sitting in front of a small building with multiple chimneys. She was selling bread, so Syler assumed that her husband was the baker an she was selling his wares while he baked. "We are looking for a Sei woman," he said softly. The woman looked up at him with a grimace and replied, "So, there are many Sei here now." Syler looked into her eyes calmly and said, "I am looking for a young woman named Karusa. Have you heard of her?" "You going to buy anything?" "If you have information, I will." The woman spat on the ground behind her stall, "I don't know no Sei woman named that. If you ain't buying, get out of the way!" Syler frowned at her and was prepared to reply, but Lamastus gently grabbed his arm and said quietly, "Not now." With a snarl of frustration, Syler left the woman and went to the next stall. This one as tended by a man selling wooden bowls, cups, tool handles, and similar wares. "We are looking for a Sei woman named Karusa," Syler said. The man shook his head and said, "Don't know anyone by that name." The process repeated itself for several more venders until Syler almost gave up. Then, at last, they came upon one who seemed to know something. The vender, an old man selling pottery, said, "Yea, there is a young lass by that name that I see every so often." Syler had to restrain himself from overwhelming the man with questions. "Do you know where she lives?" he asked breathlessly. "Sure," the man said with a shrug. "I think she lives over by the mill on the edge of town." He pointed to a part of the town they hadn't been to as he spoke. "Do you know any more than that?" "Ehh, I think it might be three or four houses up the street. Her husband is Ayid, I think. He works at the mill like most on that street do." It was better than nothing. Syler would ask at every house on that street if he needed to. "Thank you," he said. Just before he left, he reached into his small purse and gave the man a silver coin. It was a small price to pay for the information. The two of them walked down toward the mill and came to the street that the man had been talking about. It was a dismal looking street that was lined with run down houses with cracking bricks and dirty thatched roofs. The road was muddy and had trash lined up on both sides. At the end, the small mill churned out dust and smoke from the burning scraps. It looked like a horrible place to live. There were six houses on each side of the street. They went to the one three houses down and knocked on the door. Syler could hardly wait for it to open so he could see his sister. After a while, a frail looking young woman answered it. Syler tried to hide his disappointment as he asked if she knew where Karusa lived. The woman nervously looked both ways down the street before mutely pointed next door. Furrowing his brows in concern over her behavior, Syler thanked her and the two of them went to where she pointed. His hands were sweating even in the chilly air as he knocked on the second door. There was no answer for a long time and Syler had nearly resigned himself to waiting for her to get home. Just as he started looking for a good vantage point, the door slowly creaked open. Syler turned around and saw a face he had never thought he would see again. "Karusa?" he said quietly. His sister frowned and squinted at him. "How do you know my name?" Syler pulled his hood off and looked straight at her with tears of happiness beginning to swell in his eyes. "It's me, Syler. I came back for you, just as I said I would." Karusa stared at him mutely for a few moments, then started backing into her house while whispering something he couldn't hear. She burst into tears of her own and raced toward him. When they met, she grabbed him tightly and held on. "I thought you were dead," she said through her tears. "I almost was, multiple times, but I couldn't leave you." She let go of him and held him at arm's length to look at him. That was when he first noticed the bruises and barely healed cuts on her face. She was filthy, as well, and her hair was matted and unkempt. Her clothes were rags that smelled like they had been used in the privy. The joy he felt at seeing her was quickly replaced with his anger over her condition. "What are you wearing?" she asked. She had apparently felt his armor beneath the cloak he was wearing to conceal it. He ignored the question and instead reached out to lightly brush a bruise below her left eye. "Who did this to you?" "It's nothing," she said and looked away. "No, it isn't," Syler said. "Who hit you?" A tear slid down her dirt encrusted cheek as she said, "My husband, Brunley." "I am sorry, Karusa, I should have come sooner." "You need to go," she said. "It would be trouble if he finds you here." "I am here to take you away from here, to safety." "Safety?" she replied as though it was a foreign concept. "No, you can't. If you try to take us away, they will track us down and enslave us." "Not where we are going," Syler said soothingly. "The Angvardi have no control over either of us any longer." "That is impossible, they control everything." "Not everything. How else do you think I managed to get here? There is a safe place where you can live in peace." She scoffed at him and said bitterly, "There is no safety left in the world." For the first time, Lamastus joined in, "He is not lying, ma'am. There is a chance to live free, but you need to come with us now." "Who are you?" she asked. "This is Lamastus, a friend," answered Syler. "He is the one who allowed me to find you." "He looks Angvardi." "I am, but I am Syler's friend nonetheless." She looked nervous and started backing away from them. "Karusa," Syler said soothingly. "It is time to go. I promised I would watch after you and so I shall." "I wish it were that way, but if you do try to take me, Brunley and his friends will follow and they will hurt or even kill you if they catch you." Syler gave her a predatory smile, "Let him try." "Don't say that, he is a strong man, even stronger than you." "He does look pretty big," Lamastus commented. "Oh no!" Karusa exclaimed before fleeing back into the house. Syler turned and saw that a rather large and extremely unhappy looking man flanked by five others that looked equally intimidating were marching up the street toward them. They all seemed to be holding some sort of weapon whether it be a length of chain or a club. "This looks fun," Syler said sarcastically. "I don't see any real weapons, shouldn't be too bad if they really want to start something." "As much as I want him dead, let's try to settle this peacefully," Syler said. "And if they don't want to be peaceful?" "We defend ourselves with everything we have," replied Syler with cold determination in his voice. He began loosening the knots that held his cloak together just in case he needed to cast it off in a hurry. "I didn't come this far to get killed by this brute, or to have him punish Karusa for my coming here. One way or another, we leave here with her even if we have to walk over their dead bodies." "Sounds good to me." By this time, the other group had gotten within twenty yards and halted. "We heard that someone was askin' about Karusa in town, looks like we found ya. Who do ya think you are, talking to my woman?" one of them said. Syler narrowed his eyes and looked at the speaker directly, "I am Syler Penion, her brother. I am here to take her with me and I don't suggest you stand in my way." The group laughed as though he were telling a joke. "Well, 'Syler Penion,' I am Brunley Tralen, Karusa's husband. She is mine and you aren't taking her anywhere. Now, get out of here before the six of us decide to bust you up." Syler didn't flinch, "I warn you, Brunley, right now it is a struggle not to give you the just reward you deserve for beating on my sister. If you don't turn around and leave now, I will kill you. I am taking her with me and you won't follow if you know what is good for you." Brunley turned to his friends and laughed. "The two of you are going to stop us?" He pointed his club straight at Syler and said, "Last chance, get out of here." Lamastus looked over to Syler and said, "Well, you tried, it looks like they aren't going to budge. Can we kill them now?" "Try not to kill them, but don't endanger yourself," came the reply. In a louder voice, he said, "I am going inside to get Karusa, I don't suggest you move from where you are or it will not be pretty." "No you aren't!" Brunley said and charged after them. "Oh boy!" exclaimed Lamastus with genuine glee. Syler wasn't so happy, he didn't want violence, but it was inevitable. In one quick move, he undid the last knot of his cloak and let it fall to the ground. As it fell, he reached up over his head, grabbed the hilt of his sword, and pulled it free with the sound of metal scraping metal. He allowed the image of his sisters bruised face flash before his eyes as he set his jaw and planted his feet into the ground. He pulled his sword back and prepared to throw his full weight into the swing aimed straight at the charging man's neck. At the sight of his opponent suddenly holding a sword and standing in gleaming Kruish armor, Brunley's eyes widened and he managed only to say "Oh shit!" before Syler cut through his club and hacked his head clean off in a single blow. The others, who were a little behind him, saw this and managed to come to a halt. Lamastus had his knives in both hands and was crouched ready to spring if they got any closer. They didn't, but rather began to slowly back away while uttering cries of astonishment. "Leave now, or you will suffer the same fate," Syler said firmly. The other five men had been expecting two defenseless travelers, not armed men in armor that cost more than five years of their wages. They quickly dropped their weapons and fled the way they had come. As soon as he was sure the danger had passed, Syler sheathed his sword and gestured for Lamastus to remain on guard while went into the house. There, he found Karusa cowering in a dark, filthy back room. When she saw him in armor, she cried out in fright. "It's just me, Karusa. Brunley attacked us, but he is dead. You are free and it is time for us to go." "He's…dead?" "Yes, and I think it is time for us to get out of here as quickly as possible. I am sorry to rush you, but his arrival changed things." "What…happened to you, Syler? Where did you get that armor?" He didn't know how to explain it and knew they didn't have time. He had little doubt that the men they didn't kill were going to get the authorities. Fighting a bunch of thugs armed with crude clubs was one thing, fighting armed and trained Angvardi guards was something altogether different. Even if this was a small town, there was no way for his little group of followers to take on the entire town, especially if reinforcements from Sua Tles were coming. "It is a long story, one which I will gladly tell you once we are safely away from here. Grab anything you can't bear to be without and let's go." Though she clearly had reservations, he didn't leave much room in his voice to argue. She didn't have much, just a small bag filled with what he assumed were keepsakes from their parents. When she stepped outside and saw Brunley's body, she blanched. "I am sorry," Syler said soothingly. "He came at me so I had to kill him." Alarm bells began to ring out. "I don't think there is time for stealth," Lamastus said. "Run for it!" Syler grabbed his sister's arm and started running for the edge of town where their friends were. As he did, he realized just how thin her arms had gotten and it only angered him further. His fears for what was happening to her had proven to be quite real. He was glad that he had killed the man who did this to her. They made it to the edge of town, but not without being spotted. A few men spotted them and began yelling, but they weren't the guards. Once they were past the last structure, Syler had hope that they would be able to get out of this without a fight after all. Then he heard the galloping of hooves behind him and wasn't so sure. He looked back and saw four men on horseback racing through the streets to catch them. "Lamastus, you get her out of here!" he shouted as he let go of her and drew his sword. "Not a chance, you are the important one, you get out of here." "Dammit, don't argue with me." "Too late," Lamastus said, then Syler saw the arc of energy lashing out from the hill above him into the first two horsemen. The other two veered to the side and began fleeing in terror. "This way!" called Delmonor. He, Velka, and one of the warriors were at the top of the hill on their hasuan. With a sly smile, Lamastus said, "Always good to have a sorceress around, isn't it?" Syler agreed, but was distracted by the sight of Karusa trembling in terror beside him. "Syler, those are Krue," she whispered. "Yes," he said proudly, "they are. They are our friends." "Lord Syler," Vekla said as soon as they got close. Syler winced at that because he had hoped to slowly lead into that little fact so it wouldn't completely overwhelm Karusa. "I take it you were successful." She gave Karusa a critical look but didn't comment on her appearance or obvious fright. "Yes, this is my sister, Karusa." Delmonor said. "My lord, more are coming." He pointed down the hill towards the village where at least a dozen men on horseback were forming up to attack. "Time to go," announced Syler. "I would be honored to take your sister, my lord," said Delmonor. Syler nodded and bodily lifted her up onto the saddle in front of him. It didn't escape Syler's notice that Lamastus leapt up onto Vekla's mount, nor did he fail to notice that she didn't protest. Perhaps riding through the night together had helped cool her distaste for the Angvardi. Either that or she just wanted to get out of danger. He accepted the hand offered by the warrior and settled down behind him. They rode for a few minutes until they got to where the other two warriors were. Without either Lamastus or Syler, they wouldn't have had enough people to ride the hasuan so they had to have some stay behind. Bronwyn seemed relieved to see Syler safe, but her attention went to his sister. "We don't have time to talk," Vekla said curtly before she could say anything. "There is pursuit." "We will sort things out when we are away from them," Syler assured both Bronwyn and Karusa as he got off of the hasuan the warrior was on and went to the extra one. "I don't want to take any chances." "Where to, my lord?" asked Delmonor. "Krue territory. We have what we came for, time to get back to safety before our luck runs out." As soon as Bronwyn was secure behind him, they were off once more.

Lamastud? I like it. As for any potential romance, well, I have my own thoughts on that. I believe that whatever happens (should it happen at all) will definitely not be a throwaway romance. I will start thinking of something to replace "cavalier" with, then.

The dictionary I used (and yes, I looked up the word before using it), stated that as a noun, it was: "one having the spirit or bearing of a knight; a courtly gentleman; gallant," and as an adjective it was: "offhand or unceremonious." Read the next part with him in it and see if it fits. If not, I shall find another word. Lamastus, when repressed within the confined structure of being a guard, has a pretty basic personality. Now that he isn't a guard or working within a rigid command structure, his personality is coming out and he is most definitely swashbuckling and lighthearted and even flirtatious. I haven't been able to show much of it because other characters have been focused on. Now, I am trying to bring it out and will continue to do so. I may go back and edit some of the past interactions with him and give him a more flavorful background, but right now, I am going to focus on the future. A lot of things will change in the second draft. As for the battle and Ami's confusion, GOOD!!! Battles are confusing, chaotic things. As it was written from Syler's perspective, there is no reason why it should be clear, easily defined, and all nice in order. It was chaotic, crazy, fast paced action. I may go back and clarify and expand it a little more, but generally, it is meant to be chaotic because the entire incident in the courtyard took place in probably the amount of time that it took you to read it. The race through the town would have lasted longer, but the entire courtyard scene wouldn't have lasted more than maybe twenty or thirty seconds. As for magic wielders, they aren't all kept cooped up in towers, only prophets and seers. This isn't Dragon Age. The reason why prophets and seers are kept under such tight regulation is because of their ability to see the future. Sometimes, knowledge of future things is too dangerous to allow into the public because it would cause panic. For instance, imagine if someone today who was a defined prophet whom we all trusted were to say that a large building in a major city in America would collapse in two months. What kind of panic would there be? The panic and overreaction would cause more damage than the actual event and society could very well fall apart, especially in the cities. I do plan on explaining more of how magic wielders are treated in various countries in a couple of chapters when Syler is "educated" as part of his role as a lord of the Krue. And, General Saveron is not a magic wielder, he had two mages flanking him that were providing the wards and dueling with Vekla. As a sorceress, she is significantly more powerful than any single mage, but two are able to fight her to a standstill. If I need to be more clear on the presence of the mages, then I will go back and edit. On to the next part. I must say, of all the parts in this novel so far, this part has received the most changes and edits. I am not entirely comfortable with it, but I will throw it up to get your reactions. If there is something funky in it, it very well could be because of all the edits and whatnot that I missed. I did include the last paragraph of the previous section just to help it flow better. _______________________ In the chaos of the courtyard, he had been forced to double up with one of the warriors. While he had managed to hold on, he looked like he was about to fall off. An arrow stuck out of his right shoulder blade and blood soaked the back of his tunic. He had left his old guards armor back in his room while sneaking around the fortress and didn't have time to put it on. In a cavalier voice, he said, "I think I was hit." The warrior he was riding with slowly let him down so that Vekla could tend to him. The others checked their wounds and to see who was left. Once the everyone was accounted for, one of the unwounded warriors took his hasuan to circle around and make sure nobody was on approach. Syler slid off his mount in such shock that he nearly forgot to help his wife down. They had lost five of the warriors, not including the two that had been watching the hasuan. Not only that, but Growald was not among them and the last anyone had seen of him, he was heroically fighting multiple Angvardi in the courtyard while covering their escape. Of the sixteen of them that started out from Thwrud, only eight remained. He sat down away from the others and gazed at the crescent moon trying to decide what to do next. They had tried his plan to get information and it had worked, but at a terrible cost. Those men's blood was on his hands and he wasn't sure how to deal with that knowledge. Even more disturbing was the knowledge that, when faced with the possibility of peace, the Angvardi had chosen to betray and attack. He hadn't been demanding any great boon or difficulty from the general so there had really been little reason to deny his request. Even if Saveron had suspected that he had no real intention of seeking peace through subservience, it wouldn't have cost him much to try. What was an hour of work for an archivist and a single peasant woman compared to the chance, however remote, of not having to fight an entire kingdom? He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw that Bronwyn was looking down at him. "It wasn't your fault," she said. "We all knew the risks and still believed in you." "Yet I am responsible for their deaths," he said morosely. "Syler Penion, look at them," she said as she pointed back towards the others. "They are warriors, every one of them. Fighting and dying is part of their life. I was not even the wife of a warrior, but as a Kuti, I understood that each time our warriors went out that some of them wouldn't come back. All warriors understand this." He looked over and saw that Vekla was tending to Lamastus' injury and the other warriors were tending to each other's more minor wounds. They didn't seem angry or disappointed at him. There were no side glances aimed at him full of bitterness and resentment. They simply went on with wrapping cuts and looking after their hasuan. "It doesn't absolve me of responsibility," he said at last. "They went out under my command and some didn't come back." "You are their lord, they have sworn to fight and die for you if need be." "I know, but I don't know if I will ever get used to it." "Good, you shouldn't. The day you no longer care about the warriors you send into battle is the day that you need to step down. I have seen it happen with two village leaders who passed their authority on to the most worthy warrior because they no longer felt sorrow at the deaths of those they sent into battle." Syler allowed that to burn itself into his brain. "Thank you, Bronwyn. I wonder if I am too soft at times because I don't want to see these men dead. Perhaps I should have summoned an entire army and stormed the place, but I didn't want to see the fighting or the dying. Other times, I wonder if I even really care about their lives at all. I would see every one of them die except you if it were the only way of getting my sister back. When I catch myself thinking that, it scares me because that isn't who I am or was." "Who were you then?" asked Bronwyn. "I was a simple man. I never wanted war or fighting. I was perfectly content to work first in the fields finding herbs, then in my father's shop making them into potions, then as a blacksmith. War, action, and adventure were the last things on my mind. Then the Angvardi came and destroyed everything. Now it seems that I am going to have to lead these warriors and many like them into a war." He wished he could tell her exactly why he was being forced to fight, but he didn't want her to have the guilt of knowing that it was her life that forced his hand. "I thought you wanted to go away with your sister and I and live in peace." Syler knew this conversation had been coming and wished that it didn't have to be now. Saveron's response tonight had confirmed his fears. Along their journey to Sua Tles, he had done a lot of thinking. Not only did he have Crusos to contend with, but he had began to realize that as soon as they destroyed the Krue, the Angvardi and Terulans would have nothing stopping them from advancing into the Deep West beyond the Metles Mountains. Even if he moved his sister and Bronwyn out into the middle of nowhere, the Easterners would eventually come. They would scour the continent looking for him and would eventually find them. When they did, he didn't trust that they would treat him with the same sort of reverence that the Krue did, especially once they found out that he wouldn't help them. The only answer was that he would have to fight the Easterners as they invaded. The Krue were the most powerful of the Western Peoples, if anyone had a chance to stop them, it would be them. That some of them might see him as a sort of savior was beside the point because he didn't think they would give in to occupation after countless ages of being independent. If they did want to see him as a leader, then he had to accept that or risk Crusos' wrath. And, if he was going to accept being their leader, he needed to show that he was strong and worthy of that trust. So far, he had not done so well. "Yes, I did and do want to spend my life with you in peace, but I don't think it will work out. Not only will these Krue keep coming after me, but the war will eventually follow us wherever we go. There is something about the Angvardi that scares me. I had this horrible nightmare where I was being hunted by them. No matter how far I ran, they were always there after me. Nothing I could do, nothing I could put in their way stopped them. What drives them is beyond reason, beyond sanity." Chills ran up his back as he remembered the images of fires and bodies and destruction and war. "Our only hope is for us to stand with the Krue and fight them now rather than to hide and face them alone." Bronwyn looked surprised and almost horrified. She slowly fell to her knees in front of him and the expression on her face was one of terror and was even more chilling than the dreams. "What is it?" he asked. "Are you upset?" "No Syler, that isn't it," she said softly. "That wasn't a dream, Syler. That was my most recent kvastat. It was a vision of the future. You had it two nights ago, didn't you?" The revelation was unsettling, but it didn't truly surprise him. "Yes, I did actually. I was surprised that I didn't wake up screaming." In a distant voice full of past torment, she said, "You can't wake yourself up during a kvastat. You must endure it no matter how painful or horrifying." "I must have been absorbing your seer abilities and sharing the vision with you while we slept," mused Syler. In a voice full of bitter irony, he said, "The wonders of my new magic never cease, do they?" "It is not something I expected. You need to be very careful. Men are not meant to see what caetos kvastali see." "I gather there are a lot of things I am able to do that aren't supposed to be done." Bronwyn couldn't disagree. "I understand why you must fight. As much as I wish we could live in peace, I fear that if we do, there will be catastrophic events that would sweep everything we hold dear away." "I wish it were different, but it isn't. I will have to fight." Bronwyn took his hands and corrected him, "We have to fight." "You are a fortunate man," said Vekla. "This arrow came very, very close to your lung. If it had punctured it, you would probably have died before I could get to you." "I agree," Lamastus replied cheerfully. "If I hadn't been shot with an arrow, I wouldn't be graced with your encouragingly cheerful ministrations." He was sitting down and letting her tend to his wound. As he was the most seriously wounded, he got the first opportunity to be healed. Syler and Bronwyn had gone off a bit to have a private conversation. It was one that, judging by the look on Syler's face as they headed away, he didn't exactly want to be part of. Vekla glared at him but didn't stop the healing spell she was using to dull the pain and repair the damaged tissues. "Your sarcasm is not appreciated." He winced as she twisted the embedded arrow slightly. "Who said it was sarcasm? I think you can be an absolutely charming woman when you want to be." Apparently Vekla didn't think that warranted a reply, so he sort of half shrugged with his good shoulder and said, "Well, at least you are kind enough to heal me. Without you, I would probably have died from a festering lesion and in great agony. Nobody else could have done anything much to help me." "Unless Lord Syler were to save you as he did his woman." Lamastus detected a definite increase in bitterness within the sorceress' voice. She was normally gruff and tart, but she was noticeably more bitter than normal. He opened his mouth to comment on that, but the sudden pain of her jerking the arrow out of his shoulder caused him to cry out, "Ow! A little warning next time!" She showed him the bloody arrow and said coldly, "A Krue would not have cried out." He made a face at her and said, "Alas, I am but a mere Angvardi." She didn't respond, but instead focused on her spell. He felt a cold, tingling sensation in his shoulder that wasn't exactly comfortable and made his eyes water from the pain, but after her last remark, he held his tongue and said nothing. "Yes, you are, and I am still not sure if I was right in sparing your life when we first met." "If my memory serves me correctly, you tried to kill me. It was Syler who spared my life." Something in his shoulder sent a massive wave of pain throughout his body causing him to jerk involuntarily and nearly black out. The pain was short lived and stars in his vision faded away. He heard her voice whisper in his ear, "Do not think that it would have been any more difficult for me to kill you then than it would be now." Despite the threatening words, there was the slightest, almost impossible to detect hint of playfulness in her voice. For a normal person, her tone would be considered just shy of offensive, but with her, it was almost friendly. She usually didn't give off any hint of civility or pleasantness except around Syler. He wasn't quite sure what that meant because she clearly hated him. "Well, uh, I am glad you didn't. Syler would be very disappointed if you had." "You are an Angvardi, one of the Haresu," she replied. "You and your religion are the main enemies Lord Syler will have to face." There was definitely no levity in her voice now. "I have saved his life four times now. If I were his enemy, why would I do that?" Vekla didn't respond for well over a minute. Instead of answering him, she slapped him on the back and said brusquely, "There, you are healed." Before he could say anything, she stood up and walked away. There was a wobble in her step that he hadn't noticed before and when she looked back at him briefly, she had bags under her eyes and sweat on her brow. She wiped the sweat off with her sleeve and started tending to one of the hasuan that had been injured in the escape. "Crazy witch," he muttered as he rotated his shoulder to test it. He had to admit, it felt a lot better than he expected it to. It was a little tender, but otherwise felt no worse than a small bruise. He had been wounded a few times before, but the mere mages that tended to him weren't able to work anywhere this rapidly. He didn't know why she was so antagonistic toward him. She clearly hated the fact that he was an Angvardi, but he didn't see why a woman who valued actions would fail to see how many times he had helped Syler. If she were willing to accept a foreigner as her lord, why would she hold his heritage against him? Krue had killed many Angvardi in the past during various border skirmishes, but he didn't hold that against her. Lamastus shook his head and stood up. He looked around for Syler and Bronwyn, but they had finished their private conversation and had gone to talk to Delmonor, the only one of the warriors that spoke the Common Tongue. He didn't want to interrupt, so he began to take stock in their supplies while he waited for them to finish. They didn't have much, just what had been on the hasuan when they fled. To make matters worse, they had lost all but six of the beasts which meant that they were going to have to stay doubled up. Syler and Bronwyn were fine riding together, but there was still one more who would have to pair with someone. Food was low, so they would either have to forage or risk going into a town to buy or steal food. It would be an interesting journey south, but at least it would be a fast one. "Lamastus," Syler said from behind him. He turned around and saw that their leader was heading toward him. "Yes?" "How are you?" Lamastus demonstrated his recovery by rotating his left arm and said, "Fine, Vekla is a fine healer. It is just a little sore now, nothing worse." "I am glad you are okay." Lamastus thought that Syler seemed a little more somber than normal, but he wasn't a seasoned warrior used to death. He supposed that it might take him a little longer to recover from what he had seen than the warriors. Lamastus thought about poor Bronwyn and how she must be taking things. "Well," said Lamastus, "I have something for you." He pulled the book that had the locations of those who had been transplanted in Sua territory from his belt and gave it to Syler. "The archivists mentioned that Karusa had been taken to Opeganeat before they began talking about how we were going to be captured. They were reading in this when they did that. I believe it is the records of where they sent all of the exiles into Sua territory." Syler took the book and stared at it in disbelief. "I thought that you had just overheard where she was, not this." "I couldn't just let such information remain behind, especially if they had been mistaken or misread it. If I had, then we might never have found where she was." Syler was still stunned and couldn't find the words to thank his friend. In his hands was more than just the way to his sister, but it was the way to everyone's family. If someone managed to get into Krue territory, they would know where their family was taken, at least, if they were taken into Sua lands. Then, it would be possible for them to rescue them instead of constantly wondering what their fate had been. "Thank you," was all he dared say due to the lump in his throat. This night had turned into a rather large success. Perhaps the Elements were with him after all. Lamastus' reply was cut off by a voice yelling in Kruish from the dark. It didn't take a seasoned warrior to gather that someone was coming, so Syler placed his hand on Lamastus' good shoulder in gratitude before heading to his hasuan. The warriors stopped what they were doing and looked for him. They mounted their hasuan only after they saw that he was safe and was reacting appropriately. As soon as he had Bronwyn were safely mounted up, Syler made sure everything else was okay, but it wasn't. There seemed to be some sort of dispute going on between Lamastus and Vekla, so he decided to intercede. "What is going on?" "Look at her," said Lamastus as he pointed at the sorceress. "She can barely stand, much less ride." Syler did and saw in the dim light that Vekla's face was covered in sweat and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. She even had troubles standing straight. Syler knew little about magic, but he did know that healing sapped the energy out of the healer. Despite that, she protested, "I don't need help." "We don't have enough hasuan for everyone, so someone has to double up," argued Lamastus. "You don't look like you can ride well, and I am nowhere near as experienced in mounted fighting as your warriors, so they need to be free to move as needed. There is no reason why we shouldn't ride together." Syler was inclined to agree. They didn't have time to argue, "He is right, Vekla. Don't argue with me, just do it or your stubbornness will put us all in danger." She wasn't happy, especially when Lamastus winked at her, but she kept her protests to herself as they mounted up. In little time, they were away at a decently fast trot. Based on the amount of wind in his face, Syler guessed that was passed as a trot for a hasuan was probably full gallop for a horse, so he felt safe enough with their pace knowing that their mounts would be able to maintaining this speed for hours. "Where to, Lord Syler?" Vekla asked. Though she was a the reins, Lamastus was behind her making sure she stayed steady. "We head south as hard and fast as we can. We need to get to Opeganeat as soon as possible just in case there was more than one copy of the list." "What is there?" asked Delmonor. "That is where my sister is being kept." "How do you know?" asked Bronwyn from behind him. Syler jerked his thumb in Lamastus' direction. "Because he overheard the archivists finding the location just before hearing of their plans to betray us. He also had the foresight to grab the book where the Angvardi were keeping their records of all those they forced into Sua." "The surprises never cease," Vekla said with grudging respect. "The Angvardi has proven useful after all." "Yes, he has," Syler replied. "I can't be sure, but if we push it, we could be there by midday tomorrow."

I considered expanding this, but at the time, I was worried that it would drag on too much. It very well may get expanded in the second draft. To be honest, I wasn't very pleased with this entire chapter. As for gloating, I don't know. My intent was to portray Saveron as a calculating general, not as a meglomaniac. He will be back, so maybe as I explore and define his character more, I will go back and change that. As for the last sentence, I changed it to the following: Is that any better?

. . . . and it all blows up. Chapter 23 I don't care what the prophets might say, I am not going to stay in seclusion. I will be visiting my husband as scheduled. If you feel my safety is in danger, increase the number of guards, but I will not cancel the journey. — Empress Celienna in response to concerns about her safety from the prophets Sua Tles Angvardi Province of Sua Lamastus tried to get into the guest wing secretly, but he didn't have time to use the route through the windows he used earlier. Even if he did manage to get into his room, he was sure that there was a guard or two in the hallway connecting all of their rooms. He would need to shed some more blood, but he didn't mind. Syler was the critical element here, the rest of them were expendable. The first pair of guards he ran into were guarding the door that led into the guest wing. He slid his daggers underneath his sleeves and approached them openly. They snapped to attention and put their hands on their weapons as he approached, but they didn't seem to recognize him as one of the guests that they should be guarding. Lamastus walked up to them without paying them heed just like any servant would. When he got close, they ordered him to halt, but by that time, it was too late. He only needed to get within nine feet to lash out. With just the most subtle shift in his balance, he was able to spring off the balls of his feet as he lowered the knives into his hands. The two guards were not able to make a sound as he planted one weapon into each of their throats right under their jaws where the mail didn't cover. The knife cut through their windpipe and penetrated through the vertebrae of their neck killing them as close to instantly as possible. He straightened his clothes and concealed the knives under his sleeves again before opening the door into the guest hall. Inside, there were four guards, one on each end of the hall. Two were right next to him on either side of the door he had just walked through, the other two were on the other end, easily twenty yards away. He wouldn't be able to kill them all by surprise, so he had to adapt. "What is this?" he cried. "What are you doing?" The guards beside him backed away and nearly drew their weapons before he grabbed one and said, "You fools, someone has attacked the fortress and you are standing here guarding a bunch of sleeping guests? The assassin just passed this way, you need to get him before he escapes!" He stepped aside and pointed to the two guards he had just killed outside. When they saw this, all four guards' eyes widened and they drew their swords. "Don't just stand there, get them!" Lamastus said and pointed out down the hall toward the heart of the fortress. The guards on the far side of the hall began to run toward him, but there was suspicion in their eyes. They were getting closer when one of them slowed down and said, "Hey, weren't you the one that came with—" He didn't get to finish because Lamastus whirled into action. The knives were back in his hands and the first two guards were falling to the floor. The other two were able to unsheathe their swords, but he didn't give them the time to use them before he was upon them. The one who hadn't slowed down was the first to go down as Lamastus jammed one knife into the area under his am that wasn't protected by armor. The other managed to get his sword ready and block the first few attacks, but he was no match for the flurry of blows that was unleashed against him. Before the last body hit the floor, one of the hallway doors slammed open and Vekla emerged looking for a fight. Even without her normal war paint on, she looked like she was ready to brawl a tavern full of battle hardened mercenaries. She took in the blood covered Lamastus standing over four bodies and gave him a quizzical look. He returned her gaze and said, "They are preparing to betray us, we need to get out of here!" She didn't waste time asking questions, but whispered a spell and the other nine doors in the hall flew open. She went straight to where Syler and Bronwyn were staying and was met at the door with a sword wielding Syler. "What is going on?" he demanded. Even though he was only in his tunic and had clearly been sleeping, he looked alert and ready for a fight. "The Angvardi says that we have been betrayed," she said coolly. Syler looked over at Lamastus with an unspoken question. Lamastus was busy pulling in the first two bodies from outside the hallway. He said quickly, "I was out looking around and overheard the archivists preparing to send someone to get your sister. They joked about the ambush that Saveron had planned for you before I killed them." "You killed them," said Syler. "Just like that?" "Would you rather me have allowed them to report your sister's location?" he countered. Syler shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "No, I just was hoping that Saveron might have fallen for our ploy, but it is clear he didn't. Did you find out where she was?" Lamastus nodded, "They mentioned that she was in Opeganeat before I killed them." Relief was visible on Syler's face. "Thank you, Lamastus. We will get her as soon as possible, but first we need to get out of here before we are discovered." Without another word, he retreated back into his room and began pulling on his armor with Bronwyn's help. Vekla toed one of the fallen guards and nodded her approval. "Impressive, you killed all six of them before I could sense the disturbance and react. I did not think a mere guard was capable of such efficiency." Lamastus smiled, "Not all of us frequented the taverns when off duty." She looked at him with an arched eyebrow, "Apparently not." By the time Syler emerged from his room dressed in his armor and with Bronwyn at his side, the other Krue warriors and Growald were waiting. Seeing an impatient look on the Seinari's face, he said, "What? I am not as used to getting into armor as you are!" "You shouldn't have taken it off to begin with, boy," Growald quipped. "Not here, at least." "How do you want to do this?" asked Lamastus, "Slow and quiet or fast and bloody?" All eyes were on Syler and he let out a sigh, "Whatever you think is safest." "For now, stealth is our best bet until they are alerted to our presence," Growald said even though Syler was looking at Lamastus when he spoke. "I agree," replied Vekla. Without waiting for confirmation, she started down the hall on the way out. Syler shrugged and followed suit with the rest of them. They almost made it to the door leading into the courtyard where their hasuan were when the alarm bells sounded. "Snalv," Vekla cursed. "We need to move!" When they turned the last corner to the exit, they encountered several guards with weapons drawn waiting for them. With various battle cries, some of the Krue warriors charged at them while others hurled their javelins. The fighting didn't take long. The Angvardi were outnumbered and not ready for the vicious onslaught. Despite being overwhelmed, one of them did manage to get a lucky blow in and killed one of the warriors. Vekla didn't even acknowledge the loss of one of her men before throwing open the courtyard doors. They rushed outside to where their mounts were standing placidly waiting for them. There was nobody in sight and for a moment, Syler was relieved. Then he realized that there should have been two more Krue waiting for them. They heard the sound of clapping from above and looked up. There, standing in the very spot where they had first seen them, was General Saveron looking down at them with a self satisfied smile on his face. "Back inside!" yelled Delmonor, but it was too late. They all heard the sound of heavy boot steps from within even as dozens of archers emerged from their concealment along the upper wall surrounding the courtyard. "Very good, Lord Saekoris," Saveron called down. "I didn't expect you to see my betrayal so quickly. You were as untrusting as I was." "It didn't have to happen like this," Syler said. "Nobody had to die." "Poor fool, there was no other way it could have turned out. Now, are you going to surrender, or do I have to have my men cut you down where you stand?" Syler looked at Vekla and saw more than just bloodlust in her eyes. She was planning something. Bronwyn squeezed his hand and whispered, "I will not be taken by those monsters again." "I wouldn't allow it," he assured her, remembering his promise back in the Temple to never let her be taken alive by the Easterners. In a louder voice directed above, he said, "I guess you will have to kill us." As he had hoped, Vekla released her spell sending an arc of flame up the walls to the archers. The rest of them sprang into action and made for the hasuan, their only hope for escape. Those Krue warriors who still had javelins threw them before making for their ride, but it wasn't enough. Though many of the archers were either dead, wounded, or taking cover, a few managed to loose arrows down upon them killing both man and beast. A lightning bolt from above speared one warrior in the chest leaving a fist sized hole where it passed. Another aimed at Syler hit him but, as in the arena with Lord Avenil, it had no effect. Guards armed with swords and shields rushed out from the door they had just come out of sealing any hope of withdraw. Those guards, seeing their foes taking heavy fire and falling back, decided to charge. There was no way that they would be able to mount and get out before they were upon them. Syler prepared to charge in, but he was held back by Growald. "Go on, boy. I got these," he said as he stepped in front of Syler. Syler tried to shoulder his way past him, but Growald bodily threw him back toward the others with one hand. "Syler!" Bronwyn called out to him. She had gotten up next to a hasuan but wasn't able to get on without him. Syler whispered a curse at the whole situation, but he had no choice in the matter. Growald was going to get himself killed and there was nothing he could do about it. He had to get out of here or they would all die. He knew that there was no way that the others would leave without him and if they stayed here, they would die. With a snarl of frustration, he sprinted towards a hasuan while dodging arrows from above. He jumped upon a mount and reached down to pull Bronwyn up behind him. Those who were still alive followed suit and looked at him for guidance. There was nothing to do but to flee, so he did. Magic flared around them as Vekla and the two Angvardi mages dueled. There were more guards blocking the exit, but they weren't prepared for enraged hasuan. With all the blood and magic in the air, as well as the loss of some of their number, the beasts were in no mood to be gentle. They met the spears of those in front of them with their own horn and shoved or speared everyone out of their way. Those that weren't gored were trampled. Syler lost track of where everyone was, but kept with the remnant group as they stormed through the streets of the city. A small explosion of fire behind them and a furious female voice cursing in Kruish told him that Vekla was still with them, but he had no idea about the others. It was chaos as each of them was forced to keep up or be left behind. At least, Syler realized, each of them except him. He noticed that the rest of them had formed a circle around his mount and kept pace with him. It was late at night, so there were few people on the streets. A few guards on patrol who decided to try to slow them down were fortunate if they were simply thrown aside by eighteen hundred pounds of angry hasuan running as fast as it could down the dark roads. Those that weren't were either gored by the mounts or speared by their riders. "Vekla, the gate!" Syler called out as they neared it. She looked forward and frowned. They got close enough to see that there were more guards and archers there already preparing to take them on. As the group got closer, Syler began to brace for impact with their line. He wasn't overly concerned about the men on foot, but the archers would be very deadly. Just before the arrows began to fly, a huge wave of intensely bright light erupted from Vekla and slammed into the gate, the men in front of it, and the wall around it. Splinters of wood, shards of stone, pieces of armor, and various body parts flew everywhere, but they didn't stop. The group, with Vekla now in the front, continued straight through the rubble as the gate itself began to collapse. At last, they were through and in the open. Syler turned around just in time to see the gate rumble in a cloud of dust and debris. Wary of pursuit, Vekla kept riding at full gallop for twenty minutes. When it was clear that there was nobody following, she slowed the group down and circled around to come up next to Syler. The look of fury was still on her face, but with it was also concern for him. "Are you injured, my lord?" Syler didn't feel any pain, so he shook his head and looked back at Bronwyn with concern. She had managed to hold onto him tightly throughout their ride, but he wasn't sure if she had been hit by an arrow or even by a piece of debris from the gate. She didn't say anything but was staring at Lamastus in horror. In the chaos of the courtyard, he had been forced to double up with one of the warriors. While he had managed to hold on, he looked like he was about to fall off. An arrow stuck out of his right shoulder blade and blood soaked the back of his tunic. He had left his old guards armor back in his room while sneaking around the fortress and didn't have time to put it on. "I think I was hit," he said cavalierly.

Oh, the blustering gets better. . . And Ami, you get to see a LOT more of Lamastus from now on. He is one of the five major characters. _____________ "I believe the man gave you an order, Marias," a new voice from above said. All eyes went up to see a man in golden armor looking down at them from a balcony. Marias' cheeks lost their color and he gritted his teeth. "Thank you, sir," he said, though he was clearly not happy with it. Lamastus looked up and said in a far more friendly voice than he had been using, "General Saveron, I presume?" "I am, operative," the man replied without a smile. "Now, tell me why you have caused such a trouble in my courtyard that I was forced out of my supper to address it." With a smile, Lamastus said, "I would be honored to, general, as soon as we are able to deal with this situation and be properly introduced." "Captain, see to it that there are no more problems as you escort our guests up to my council hall." Saveron's voice left no room for arguments from his subordinate. Things calmed down after that, though there was no love between the two groups. The Krue insisted that the hasuan be left as they were without being tied to anything. They claimed that there was no need to tie their mounts up and that they would only move to protect themselves or if they were ordered to do so by their riders. Marias, not wanting to start another incident, begrudgingly agreed to leave them untethered but under guard. Syler ordered two of the Krue stay behind to watch the guards and make sure there was no trouble on their end. The rest of them were taken into the keep and up several floors to the top where General Saveron waited for them. His council hall was the old throne room of the Sua king. Gone was the throne and in its place was a simple wooden chair. The general was sitting in the chair surrounded by a few of his advisors and officers. "Ahhh," Saveron said, "this is so much better than yelling from balconies. Captain, you and your men are dismissed." Marias wasn't pleased, but he saluted and left the room followed by those of his guard that arrived with them. As soon as the doors were shut behind them, the general looked over Syler's group with calculating eyes. "So tell me, operative, what is the nature of your visit to this wretched little city?" "I am here on special assignment from Governor Uthas of Kut to help this Kruish lord find his sister and return safely to his lands." "Interesting," Saveron said slowly. "Why would a Kruish lord be missing his sister and what makes you think she is in Sua?" "Perhaps you should ask him yourself, general. I wouldn't presume to speak on behalf of a lord." Saveron looked at Syler and said, "Well? What is your story?" Syler swallowed quietly and answered him with a mixture of truth and lies. "I am Lord Saekoris, originally of the Sei village Sandrin. Though I was raised among the Sei and have many of their mannerisms, I am not a Sei, but rather was born a Krue. My father, Lord Avenil of Thwrud, sent me among the Sei as a way to better understand them in the hopes that when I took his place, I would be able to make peace with them. I was visiting See Sei when your people invaded the kingdom and was advised not to return. After the defeat of the Sei's king at Fazei, I returned to my homeland and sought out my father to reclaim my heritage. "Unfortunately, by the time I had arrived, he had died. As was my right as his heir, I was declared Lord of Thwrud. I left the Subeleth Woods to find the sister that was all that was left of the family that adopted me. My stepparents had died years ago, but I had a step sister who was very close to me. It is my desire to have her returned to me." "Fascinating story," said Saveron. "Even were I to believe it, why does it concern me? This is not Kasas Sei." "Because the operative here told me that all eligible women were taken from Sandrin into the Sua lands," replied Syler. "Did he? It could be true, I don't know where all of the Unity programs have taken people. I ask again, why does this matter concern me? You are a heathen, a foreigner, and, a potential threat to the Empire. Why shouldn't I take you hostage and interrogate you and your men for information about Kruish defenses?" "Kendathal," spat Vekla in a clear challenge. She waved her arms around in a circular motion and energy erupted from her palms. Syler feared the worst, but instead of attacking the general and his men, the energy enveloped their group and formed what Syler guessed was a protective shield. "Aww hell," Syler heard Growald mutter behind him. As soon as the spell was set and the group were surrounded in a hazy screen of energy, there was silence. After a few seconds, the general laughed and said, "Well done, sorceress. I should have realized that no Kruish lord would dare travel without some sort of gifted being to protect him." "I don't need any protection," Syler said with confidence in his voice that he wasn't feeling. Taking a chance on what would happen, he stepped forward and placed his hand on Vekla's shield. As soon as he touched it, the entire thing dissipated like a burst bubble. The general's eyes widened and the smile melted from his face. "So I see. You wield magic yourself, most interesting." "I am not here to cause you harm, I simply want my sister. Once I have her, we will all leave." "Why should I help you?" "Because it would cost you next to nothing, but to deny or harm me would bring terrible retribution from my warriors." "I have plenty of soldiers, why would I fear you?" Syler gave a thin smile, "The Angvardi have bypassed the Subeleth Woods even though they are closer to their territory than the Sua. You are clearly out to conquer the world, but you dare not tread on the lands of the Krue. Tell me, why is that?" Saveron's eye twitched just slightly, but otherwise he gave off no emotions. "Do not try to threaten me in my own headquarters. Whether you can command magic or not, you would not be able to stop all of us or fight your way out of this city." Syler raised his chin and replied, "I don't have to. You can't just kill a lord of the Krue without repercussions. If any harm comes to me, the Krue will march against Angvard. My guess is that with your forces still fighting Sua remnants, you wouldn't be able to withstand their assault. Even if you were to eventually win, how much damage would there be and how long would that delay your Unity? Is it truly worth it just to fight over a single peasant woman?" Lamastus cleared his throat and said, "General, Governor Uthas has already expressed his desire to see this mission carried out. He feels that it—" "I am not subordinate to Governor Uthas," Saveron said. "What he wishes is not binding to me." "I realize that," Lamastus said. "But as Lord Saekoris has stated, our people are in no condition to fight the Krue. It is in our best interests, as well as the interest of Unity, that we acquiesce to his request. That is why I was sent." Saveron snorted, "The governor is a politician, he shouldn't mettle in the affairs of soldiers." "Precisely," said Lamastus. "He is indeed a politician and has seen the wisdom of trying to broker better relations with the Krue in hopes that we could become allies and they would accept the Way willingly. It could save tens or hundreds of thousands of our soldiers' lives if we don't have to fight them." "Why would the Krue ever submit to the Way?" "Because the Krue are not stupid or foolish," Syler answered. "We know that the forces of Angvard and Terula are mighty, far more so than we are. We have no wish to see our sacred woods ravaged by war. If a favorable agreement could be made, it is possible that the Krue would willingly join with the Angvardi and Terulans in the Way and prevent much defilement. The Krue have no desire to see their lands occupied as their neighbors' have been." For the first time, the general looked like he was considering what they had to say. "So you think that the Krue might surrender to the Angvardi?" Syler saw Vekla stiffen beside him, but she remained silent. "No, the Krue would never surrender," he said. "But we may consider joining as equals with both Angvard and Terula. It would save a great deal of bloodshed on both sides as well as make your own pursuit of Unity much easier." Saveron leaned forward in his chair and rested his chin on his fist. "You could do this? You could persuade the Krue to accept the Way and join in our purpose?" Syler smiled inwardly, but kept his face neutral. "I cannot guarantee anything. I am but the lord of one clan out of many. But I can say this: should you assist me in retrieving my sister, I would be far more open to putting in a good word for the Way with the other lords. Resist me and I would oppose any attempt at a peaceful outcome with all of my heart. Kill me and the Krue would never even listen to such proposals." "I notice you didn't guarantee that you would support this or that the other Krue would accept it." "I don't have my sister in hand, nor do I know if your Empress would be willing to accept the Krue as equals even if you supported it," Syler pointed out. "Fair enough." Lamastus added, "That is why Governor Uthas sees this mission as important. We must begin to build positive relationships with the Krue if they would ever consider joining us." "Very well, I shall help you," Saveron said. "Give my archivists time to look into our records and we will see if we can't find her. Tonight, you will stay here as my guests and tomorrow, if she has been found, you can set out to get her." "Thank you, General Saveron," said Syler. He almost bowed, but remembered that as a lord, it wouldn't be proper for him to do so. "If you would give me the name of your sister, I will have my archivists begin searching the records for her immediately." Syler nodded and said, "Her name is Karusa Penion of Sandrin." Saveron lifted a hand and gave one of the men beside him a glance. That man bowed and left the room. "Enjoy my hospitality, Lord Saekoris. One of my men will show you to our guest wing." Lamastus wasn't comfortable here. Something wasn't right but he didn't quite know what it was. Every sense he had was screaming that he needed to be alert and active. Saveron was a crafty man who had great insight into those around him. While he had been true to his word in offering them hospitality, there was something about the general's eyes that unnerved him. So, when the others had retired to their rooms for the night, he had sneaked out through the window and along the narrow edging that jutted out. He had to try a few windows, but he eventually found one that was not only unlocked, but unguarded. As soon as he was safely inside, he went searching for something that would either put him at ease or confirm his fears. Despite this being a military fortress, security here was disappointingly lax. He wasn't wearing his armor, so he was able to move around without making any noise and was alerted by the clinking of metal on metal before any guard approached. All it took was a little caution and some quick dives into doorways and he was able make his way around the fortress unseen. He silently made his way to the council chambers, but found them too well guarded to get in. He wouldn't be able to get past them or through the closed door unseen. With that option removed, he decided to go down to the archives room and see if he couldn't gain access. There was a wealth of information that could be had there that could prove valuable in the future. It took an hour for him to navigate his way through the guards and winding halls. He also had to retrace his steps multiple times on his quest to find where the room was, but he eventually found it. The door was open allowing him a quick peek in, but he heard voices inside so he paused and listened. "Are you sure the general wanted us to do this?" the first man said. "Of course," said the second voice that sounded like an older woman. "He was explicit." "Don't worry, those Krue won't be around for long," a second man said. "They think we are fools, but they will be in for a rude surprise." There was a long pause and the sound of pages being turned. The first man said, "Ahh, here we go. They took her to Opeganeat. It shouldn't be hard to find her there." "Excellent, tell the General's men and they will go and collect her," said the second man. The woman said, "Gods save her soul when they get a hold of her and start trying to get to the bottom of this. I hope she knows something because if she doesn't, then it will only be worse for her." "I don't know, it might be more fun if she doesn't," said the second man. Lamastus' blood was boiling. The treacherous fool! He heard footsteps from within the room approaching the door. There was only one option for him, only one thing he could do now to make sure Syler didn't get killed or captured. He carefully pulled out the two knives hidden under his belt as the person got closer. As the door began to open, he shouldered it open with far more force than the person on the other side was expecting. His entrance caused two people, a man and a woman, at a table on the other side of the room to look at him, but he paid them no heed. The third person, a man who was rubbing his shoulder, was his target. In a deft, practiced move, he jabbed one knife into the man's throat and pulled down slashing it open entirely and preventing him from making even a sound except for the impact of his body on the ground and a little gurgling. As he expected, the other two were stunned by his actions and didn't think to call out until it was too late. Lamastus flipped the knives over so he could grab them by the blade, then threw them at both. One blade went straight into the man's heart killing him silently, but the other missed the woman's heart and went into her lung instead. She started gasping for air as he ran across the room to finish her off with a quick twist of her head that snapped her neck. Lamastus pulled out both of his knives and wiped them on the man's tunic before sheathing them. Without pause, he swept the book off the table and tucked it into his belt as he retraced his steps back to the door. Once he closed and locked the door, he looked around at the shelves for a minute to see what else there was of value to take. There were a few books that seemed interesting, so he pulled them off the shelves and stacked them on the table. He found a small courier's satchel in the room and stuffed the books into it before leaving the room. His first objective was to get back to Syler and warn him of the treachery. Then, they would need to get the rest of the group and find some way to get out of this fortress and the surrounding city so they could use the hasuan's speed to outrun any pursuit. It was going to be a long night.

And thus unfolds one of Syler's less than stellar plans. . . . . Chapter 22 We lost three more scouts to the Krue this week. They have that forest so well guarded, we can't even get more than a mile or so before they find us. Very few manage to escape detection. If this is any indication as to what our armies will face, the generals need to know that any invasion force will face heavy losses. — weekly report to General Saveron Sua Tles Angvardi Province of Sua Syler had heard of the capital of the despised Sua peoples even as a young child, but he had never thought he would see it with his own eyes. Now, here he was, staring at is mass of mud brick and thatched houses surrounding the central fortress that had kept the Sei from being able to sack it for centuries. The fabled fortress of Tles had withstood every attempt by the Sei or the Kosh to conquer it. From the lack of damage to its walls, it looked to have fallen to the Angvardi not by force, but by surrendering without battle. It had been a mere three days since they left Thwrud, and yet, they had traveled more than two hundred miles. True to her word, Vekla had managed to secure permission for Syler and Lamastus to ride hasuan. Bronwyn sat behind Syler since the hasuan would not have her at their reins. The two of them met up with Vekla and a dozen of her chosen warriors and made the journey to Sua Tles at an astonishing speed. To his great disappointment, Growald had been among Vekla's chosen. They had argued about it, but in the end, she had correctly pointed out that he had allowed her to choose whom she wished. As long as Growald remained silent and stayed out of his way, Syler would tolerate him just to keep the peace with the sorceress. They had no difficulties in arriving. The lands north of See Sei were sparsely inhabited and were not heavily patrolled. Most of the Angvardi army were in Sua territory rooting out the rest of the resistance there. Even if someone had wanted to give them chase, there was no way that they could have outrun the hasuan with mere horses. During the journey, Syler had pondered how he was going to approach the obstacle of finding one woman among this entire territory. It was unlikely that the Angvardi would simply let him take Karusa away, so he would need some sort of reason. They couldn't just use brute force because they had no idea where she was. Even if they did, Syler wasn't going to risk her being harmed by doing open battle with potentially vastly superior forces. Despite having a sorceress and Krue warriors, they were not going to be able to handle hordes of hostile Sua or Angvardi. Midway through the second day, Syler had an idea that might allow them to bypass any need for secrecy or for fighting. They would use the natural fear that the Krue gave people to their advantage and would legitimize everything by using, of all people, Lamastus. At first, Vekla didn't like it, but, oddly enough, Growald was in favor of it. After a lengthy discussion that night at camp, it was decided that they would try it. So when they came upon their destination, they made no attempt to hide. They rode boldly forward straight up to the gates and ignored the panic left in their wake. The guards at the gates panicked and sounded the alarm. Syler really didn't blame him, had any Sei seen fifteen hasuan charging at full gallop at them while being ridden by a cadre of Krue warriors in full battle armor and war paint, they would have done the same. Both Growald and Bronwyn were dressed as Krue. Growald didn't need to do much due to his dark brown hair. He was forced to shave though, and put on war paint. Bronwyn had to find a way to dye her light brown hair because no Krue had hair that light. With a little help from Syler's knowledge of plants and alchemy, they were able to fashion up a dye that turned her hair almost black. There was nothing they could do about her eyes, but Syler hoped that nobody would notice. They pulled to a halt fifty yards from the gates and formed up into a line with Syler at its center. To his left was Vekla looking as though she would rain fire from the heavens at anyone who got in her way. To his right was Lamastus in his old Angvardi soldier's uniform plus the vambrace taken from the Governor's operative prominently displayed upon his forearms. Fifty Angvardi guards formed up in front of the gates with spears and pikes at the ready. Though his heart was pounding beneath his armor, Syler gave them a look of bemusement as though they were no threat to him at all. He gave Lamastus a look and the game began. Lamastus rode forward a few steps and called out to the assembled guards, "Where is your commander? I am on official business from Governor Uthas and demand to speak to him." The guards looked at each other in confusion. That was definitely not what they were expecting. A man in an officer's uniform stepped forward and said, "Identify yourself and your purpose." Lamastus gave him a sneer and snarled, "I will not answer to a mere lieutenant." He lifted his arms to make sure the officer clearly saw the emblem on them. "Do you know what this is? This is the seal of the governor of Kut and I am his appointed operative on an important diplomatic mission. You will give way and take us to your commanding officer." Syler was impressed at how well Lamastus was acting. He was no expert in how Angvardi soldiers acted, but if the reaction of the lieutenant were any judge, Lamastus was doing a stellar job. The lieutenant hesitated for a moment and looked at each of them in turn. Finally, he shook his head and ordered his men to stand down. Syler breathed a quiet sigh of relief when they did because it meant that their little ruse might work. Despite ordering his men to stand down, the lieutenant wasn't about to let them enter the city. Instead, they waited outside in a tense standoff for the officer to arrive. It took five minutes for the man to get to the gate and when he did, he didn't look pleased. "What is the meaning of this?" he yelled. Lamastus didn't back down, but matched the officer's aggressive tone. "I am an operative of Governor Uthas of the Province of Kut. I require your cooperation for the good of the Empire. Now, identify yourself!" The officer's eyes narrowed, "I am Captain Marias, captain of the garrison in this city. I won't bother asking your name, operative. You mentioned cooperation, what exactly would that entail?" Lamastus gestured to Syler, "This is Lord Saekoris, lord of Clan Thwrud. It seems that his sister was taken against her will into your territories and he wishes to retrieve her. With him is his wife, Lady Bronwyn, his personal sorceress, Mistress Vekla, and a dozen of his best warriors. All have taken vows not to leave your lands until she has been returned to him. You do not wish to know what they will do if she has been harmed or killed." Marias eyed Syler questioningly, but Syler didn't budge. He returned the captain's glare with one of his own. The captain broke eye contact and looked back at Lamastus. "Why would a Krue lord's sister be in Sua? And, why would Governor Uthas be involved in the affairs of the Krue?" "Why Lord Saekoris' sister would be in your territory is none of your concern. As for why my governor would be involved, that answer is simple. He is wise enough to foresee that a conflict may arise between our two peoples. He feels that if we were to reach out to the Krue in friendship, it may prevent a costly war. When heard of this situation, he ordered me to assist Lord Saekoris in any way I could." The captain didn't look convinced, so Syler improvised. "I have no desire to fight you, captain, but I will have my sister one way or another. Out of respect for the governor's gracious offer of assistance, I have left the majority of my forces a half day's ride from here. If you fail to offer the same consideration that Governor Uthas did, I will return with them and lay waste to this city and all that are within." "You speak like a Sei," the captain said. Syler knew that his identity as a Sei would come out sooner or later. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't muster up the accent that the Krue had. So, instead of hiding that fact, he had chosen to embrace it. "I was raised among Sei. I am also a lord of the Krue, unless you think that I just happened to stumble upon this hasuan I am riding or the Krue warriors riding with me." "And how do I know you are really their lord or that you have an army? You could have hired some Krue thugs to pretend you were their lord. For all I know, they don't even understand a word of what we are saying or know that you claim to be their lord." A sudden arch of energy lashed out from Vekla at the captain even before the words were out of his mouth. While Syler had no doubt that the attack could have been lethal, she only hit the captain's helmet and blew it clean off his head. The only sound that could be heard was that of the helmet clanging to the ground several yards behind the astonished officer. "We are no mercenaries," said Vekla with more anger than Syler had ever heard her use. "No Krue would ever sell out their services to a foreigner nor would they ever allow such a man to command a hasuan. Lord Saekoris is our lord and we will serve him faithfully to the death. Submit to his request or we will begin our search by killing you all and storming the city." Marias' face lost its color and he was unable to speak for a few moments, but when he did, he meekly nodded and said, "L-let them in." The guards parted and allowed Syler's group in without a pause. Lamastus rode up next to the captain and stared down at him, "Who is in charge of this province? Has a governor been selected yet?" "No sir, General Saveron is in command." "Is he here?" "He is, but he doesn't want to be disturbed." Lamastus looked over at Syler who only gave him a bored glare. The Angvardi looked back down at Marias and said, "I believe that he will want to be disturbed for this. You don't want Krue in your city for long, they sometimes get the overwhelming urge to kill people if they are stuck here." Marias was torn, but at last, he gulped and said, "Very well, sir. Come with me, I will take you to the fortress where he is." The journey up through the winding streets took fifteen minutes. From this point on, they were committed to their game. It was unlikely that they could fight their way through so many men, but if all went according to plan, they wouldn't have to. Fear of the Krue was strong with everyone in this area. Coupling that with Lamastus' playing an operative from Kut and Syler hoped that nobody would want to stand in their way over a simple peasant girl like Karusa. During the trip, Syler tried to focus only on what was in front of him and not appear too interested in the houses or the people. A lord wouldn't care about the rabble of the common folk, at least, that was his impression of nobility. He was interested though, especially after growing up fearing and hating the Sua. Havert had told him stories of what it would be like to march on this very city, though they were mostly wistful thinking. The Sei hadn't been powerful enough to successfully penetrate this deeply into Sua territory in some time due to the Sua's alliance with the Kosh to the south. If they had mustered their strength, the Kosh would invade and attack from behind their lines. They were led through the imposing gates of Tles Fortress where they continued into the keep's stables under the watchful eye of no fewer than a hundred men. Syler was feeling uncomfortable under the extra attention and, judging by how tightly she was holding onto him, so was Bronwyn. He glanced at Vekla and was not surprised to see that she had maintained her look of fury and danger despite being so heavily outnumbered. He didn't think anything could shake her resolve. "If you would, sirs," the stable master said as he gestured for them to dismount. Vekla frowned at him, but she dismounted with a single jump and landed in a crouch at the feet of her hasuan. She took a look around to make sure everything was to her satisfaction before looking up at Syler and nodding. As Syler got down and helped Bronwyn, the others dismounted. That was when things broke down. There was an outburst in Kruish and then all of their Angvardi escorts raised their bows or lowered their spears into fighting position. The warriors reacted as one to encircle their lord with weapons extended and ready. Vekla's fingertips sparked with barely contained energy as she searched for prey. "Hold it!" Syler called out. Fighting here wouldn't do anyone any good. "We're not here to right, lower your weapons." "You first," one of the Angvardi said. Syler didn't really want to do that, but they were in no position to argue, not with as many arrows aimed at them. "Alright. Vekla, stand down." "This is a trap!" she argued. He looked at her and in a calm voice said, "Do as I say." She lowered her hands and the sparks dissipated. She said, "Kovols garre." The other Krue warriors lowered their javelins or sheathed their short swords. "Now," Syler said, "can we calm down?" "No," Lamastus interrupted. "How dare you raise your weapons against an operative of the governorship!" Syler turned to his friend in shock, but wasn't able to say anything before Lamastus continued. "Lower your weapons immediately or I will personally see to it that you are delivered to Governor Uthas in chains." Some of the Angvardi were beginning to look unsure of themselves and were eying those next to them to see what they were doing. Lamastus wasn't finished with his display. He marched confidently up to the nearest spearman and shoved the spear out of the way so he could scream into the man's face, "What is your name, soldier!" When the confused man didn't respond, he continued, "Are you stupid, or have you been trained to disobey direct orders? Tell me your damn name!" "C-c-covern, sir," the man said at last. "So tell me, Covern, would you rather spend the rest of your life laboring in the fields as a farmer, or hauling stones from the quarries?" "Enough of this!" interjected Captain Marias. "Who do you think you are?" Lamastus whirled around and glared at the captain with menace gleaming in his eyes. "I am a gods damn special operative of the Governor of Kut with authority to carry out my assignments without hindrance throughout the Empire. Who the hell do you think you are to stand in my way? I see no Imperial seal on your chest, so I assume you are simply another simple minded maggot who doesn't know his place." The captain opened his mouth to speak, but Lamastus simply shouted him down, "This is the second time you have challenged me, you had better get your men in line or I will have your head sent back to Angvard as a reminder for everyone not to cross operatives." By this point, everyone's attention was focused on Lamastus' show. Most of the Angvardi had lowered their bows or raised their spears and looked decidedly unsure as to what to do. Syler considered getting involved, but it appeared that Lamastus was doing fine on his own. Marias was not about to simply be talked down to without fighting back, "One of your charges started this, not my men." "I don't give a damn who started anything. The only reason why any of the Krue would react is if one of your men pushed them." He looked over to Vekla and asked, "What started this?" She had a short conversation with her warriors before replying. "The Haresu attempted to take the reins of our hasuan. That is forbidden and would have elicited a violent response from the animal. Delmonor was trying to save the Haresu's life by stopping him." "There you have it," Lamastus said. "Your ignorant fools here nearly got themselves killed and instead of thanking the ones trying to save their lives, they are aiming weapons at them." "That is a likel—" "The correct response, captain, is 'thank you sir,'" said Lamastus. The captain glared at him as his cheeks reddened. Lamastus didn't back down, but returned the look with equal determination. Syler felt Bronwyn gently grab his arm for comfort as the standoff continued. Neither men looked like they were going to back down and suddenly, Syler wished he hadn't led them all into this situation.

Ummm, I didn't mention a spoon in the entire piece. The only one who has used the term "spoon" is you. What exactly are you talking about?

Fixed everything you mentioned, Ami. And now, the next three parts. ______________________ Abandoned house Outside Terula City, Kingdom of Terula Magic was more than simply the power to kill someone standing next to you. It was more than simply seeing the future or healing or defending something from attack. Many of the commoners and ungifted thought that was all it was, but they were wrong. Magic was the power of life itself. Magic sustained life, it made it possible, and without it, there would be no life. Tantis the Founder had, in his infinite knowledge, created magic and put it into this world so that it could keep his wife's creation alive. Mankind took that magic and perverted it to kill and maim and destroy, but the worst of those offenses was the power to summon back the dead. Necromancy was profane, vile, and the most repulsive use of magic because it stole souls from eternal bliss and bound them to an unnatural existence in the world of the living. Man was never meant to live forever. They were to live their lives, die, and make way for the next generation. Their souls, were they pure, would go to dwell with the gods forever in the Immortal Realm. Wizard Lorenez had never liked any of those who dealt in necromancy. Necromancy may have been banned in the kingdom as an blasphemy against the Tetrarchy, but that didn't mean it didn't exist. Mankind was always trying to stray and commit evil acts and necromancy offered some the perverse power that their warped minds desired. As a member of the Order of Wizards, it was his responsibility to root out necromancy and destroy it and any associated with it wherever it could be found. He understood the danger that necromancers posed to the world and wanted to do his part to ensure that the darkest, most profane of necromancy's powers were never unleashed. Even now, he was leading six of the city guard to a house a mile outside of the city that had been suspected of being used by necromancers. It wasn't a very reliable tip, but any report needed to be verified. Lorenez almost hoped that there were necromancers present because it would give him a chance to relieve some tension. Things back at the College were growing almost unbearable as the rivalry between the wizards and prophets heated up. The feud between Grandmaster Wizard Setpinius and Master Prophet Xalent was continuing to the point that brawls had broken out. Fortunately, magic wasn't used and nobody was killed, but the king had not been pleased and had ordered the two heads of their respective Orders to resolve their issues and stop the infighting. That hadn't gone over very well, so Lorenez had volunteered to search out necromancers even when such a flimsy rumor was all they had to go on. They approached the house without a problem. Lorenez cast a few exploratory spells to see if there was life inside or if there was any magic being used in the area recently. The life spells didn't show anything, but that rarely meant much when dealing with necromancers. He had once come upon a camp that had not shown any signs of life, but when they had entered to search it, had been crawling with the undead. There were signs of magic being used, however. He could sense residual spells echoing within the house. It was nothing above mage level, so Lorenez felt confident that these were just amateurs and were no match against a full wizard. Even if he knew he could handle a mere mage, it wouldn't do to go in recklessly and fall into a trap. He and the men with him spent half an hour watching the house for any signs of movement. After nothing happened, they decided to approach it slowly. Two men went around back to watch for anyone trying to escape while the other four and Lorenez went in from the front. With just a simple gesture of the wizard's hand, the door blew into shards and the guards stormed in. Lorenez followed with his hands at the ready to ward off any attack. What they found was a mostly empty house. There was an old bed with worn sheets in one corner and a few pieces of random debris on the floor, but the house clearly hadn't been used in months. With a furrowed brow, Lorenez went searching for the source of the magical echoes he had felt outside while the guards went back outside to keep from tainting the scene any farther. He bent down and picked up a small wooden block that seemed to be the source of the magic he had sensed. With a frown, he turned it over in his hands to inspect every part of it. There was nothing special about this piece of wood, just that it was a smoothed piece of birch. The magic was clearly coming from it, but there were no markings on it at all that he could detect. This warranted further investigation. He slipped the wooden block into his satchel and exited the house. The guards looked at him with an unspoken question. "No, I cannot sense any necromancy here. It appears our journey was a waste of time." "At least it means we didn't have to stand around in the market all day staring at all the lovely ladies we can't touch," one of them said. The others chuckled. "Then I am glad that I helped you escape that torment," said Lorenez dryly. He was disappointed that there were no necromancers to deal with, but he was also intrigued by the stone block. Right now, he wanted to get back to the College to where he could study it further. Master Prophet Xalent smiled as he watched the young wizard and his entourage walk down the road away from the abandoned house. His trap had worked and brought the hapless Lorenez out on the fruitless search for imaginary necromancers. He could feel that the wizard had the small wooden block with him and would undoubtedly take it to the Wizard's College. The poor man had no idea what he was messing with and by the time he did, it would be too late. * * * * * Governor's Palace Village of Kubei, Angvardi Province of Kut Even the best laid plans sometimes failed. Uthas was well aware of that even if it did aggravate him. His trap for the Shalktra had worked marvelously well, as had his plans for drawing out the Master of Magic. He now knew for sure that the blacksmith, a Syler Penion from Sandrin, was the very man that prophecy had foretold of for centuries. How ironic was it that the vaunted Shalktra had been unable to put together the pieces of information given by that whore of a seer when he had seen them so clearly. The Terulans always thought they were superior when it came to the interpretation of prophecy, but they were wrong. Uthas might not be a prophet, but he was a sorcerer and he knew things about magic that no prophet could ever comprehend. Not even the wizards fully understood all that a sorcerer could accomplish. The Sages had helped him, both willingly and unwillingly, to learn what he needed to about the One. That had allowed him to successfully position himself here and set things in motion that would eventually see him as the sole master of all of Teladia. But that road would be a long and sometimes twisted one. The first twist had come when he discovered that his curse was not working as he had hoped. It had not taken long for his men to notice the tracer spell that the Shalktra had placed on the seer whore. They had found two of the maps in the Temple after the attack on it. Uthas had taken great delight in this unexpected bonus and wished he had thought of it himself. He had one of the maps on his desk and would frequently check the status of all of those glowing little lights. Some of those lights had been women captives who tried to hide among their Kuti brethren. They had been found out and those that hid them punished. The only frustration Uthas had was that he wasn't able to track them down himself because he wasn't supposed to know of the maps. He was able to interrogate the women once they were recaptured and brought back to the Temple, though. Much to his displeasure, the women reported that while his curse had inflicted great pain on the seer, the touch of the blacksmith had caused it to vanish. He wasn't sure how Syler Penion did it, but it was a surprise to him. He hadn't been aware of anyone except a fellow sorcerer who knew the spell that could remove such a curse. He beat the first woman who told him that to death with his own fists. The others had died shortly thereafter in various unpleasant ways, but they were of no consequence. Even if his curse hadn't worked, he still had the maps with the tracer spell. He wasn't sure which of the glowing lights was Syler Penion, but it didn't much matter once they got back together a few days ago. He had wondered why they split up, but it didn't matter. It was most curious that they were heading for Krue territory. That was an action that he had not been able to foresee though it might be to his benefit. If he was there, he would be safe from the Shalktra until he grow and develop more of his strength. Uthas still needed him to defeat the Coming Darkness and absolutely did not want him in Terulan hands. Even that victory had been thwarted. He was surprised one afternoon to look at the map and see nothing glowing on it at all. That meant that either the spell had been removed or that the seer had died. Either one would negate the spell and sever its link to the maps. Even this wasn't a total loss. If he couldn't track them, neither could the Shalktra. It was still annoying, but there was nothing he could do about it. The ultimate annoyance had been when his operative hadn't found a way to report back. He was supposed to find Syler Penion and track him on his journey. Uthas had sent him out before he had acquired the spelled map and wanted to see where he went. However, the operative had failed to report in after two weeks and a great deal of travel. There had been plenty of opportunities for him to report in to a nearby town or a patrol, but he hadn't. That, and the fact that a body had been found a week ago in the wilderness near the route where some of the fleeing Sei had been suspected of taking meant that it was very likely that his operative was dead. They had tried to identify the body, but it had been consumed by local wildlife beyond the ability to do so. A lesser man might give up, but Uthas wasn't a lesser man. He had plans and ways to deal with setbacks. Once the last of the captured women had died, he had banished the Shalktra from his lands. They had protested, but their numbers were too few to stand against his guards. His explanation to the Empress was that the prisoners had obviously fled the area and therefore, the Shalktra's mission was a failure. There was no need for them to remain here to terrorize his people and disrupt Unification. Now, the city was his and he was able to move without Terulan eyes spying on him. There were still things that had to be done. The construction plan was going along quite well. More were arriving from the scattered Kuti settlements each week and adding their hands to the work. Soon, Kubei would be well on its way to becoming a true capital worthy of an empire. Construction on the walls would begin shortly, as would the expansion of his palace. He would deal with Syler Penion when the time came, but for now, he needed to make sure all of his other plans were well on their way to fruition. * * * * * Dunsurt South Equab Kingdom of Terula Now that he had finished his business in Klatasia, Prophet Aitin needed to get a ship up to Lavisha hundreds of miles north and deep in Angvardi territory. The only way to do that in any timely manner would be to take a ship from Dunsurt. It was a risky move as it would mean he would be trapped in one location for weeks without the ability to escape, but it also meant that any pursuit wouldn't likely know where he went. The only issue with that was that he didn't exactly have the money needed to charter passage. As it was, he had been just barely living off of the land as he traveled. Some kind souls had given him a spare blanket and some food, but generally, he kept to his own on the road. Coming into contact with others was dangerous. Even so, he had a friend in Dunsurt that could be persuaded to help fund his voyage. Fenniel was a conjuror who healed minor injuries, made simple magical potions, and dabbled in basic alchemy. As a conjuror, she wasn't nearly as powerful as a mage, but she did have some of the magical gift. He had met her several years ago when she was training in Terula City and did her time as a guard for the Tower. Though she had been two decades his senior, she had been kind and compassionate towards her wards and tried to treat them as human beings rather than threats. When she returned home to Dunsurt, they had continued to keep in contact through letters. It took a little asking around, but Aitin found where Fenniel lived and knocked on her door. It was late, so he didn't think she would be in her shop or running errands. His guess was right when she pulled the door open and peered out at him with the light of the candle she was holding. "Come back tomorrow if you need anything." "Fenniel," he said with a crooked smile, "it's me, Aitin." "Aitin? The prophet boy?" Her eyes widened in surprise and she quickly looked down both sides of the street. "What are you doing here?" "I need some help, Fenniel, and you are the only one I could turn to." She hesitated for a few moments, then stepped back. "Get in here before someone sees you." When they were seated at her table, he explained what little he could to her about his plight and the prophecy that sent him on it. While he talked, she got some pear juice for him to drink and a little bread to go with it. When he had finished, he begged her for the money needed to buy passage to Lavisha. Fenniel's response was to reach for her pipe and light it with a single snap of her fingers. She remained seated staring at the fire for many minutes as she considered what he asked. Occasionally, a puff of smoke would emerge from her mouth, but other than that, she remained perfectly motionless. "Yes," she finally said, "I believe I can help you. I do not have that kind of money in my house, it is at the moneychangers. There is a ship heading north at first dawn, well before the moneychangers will be open. However, I have a friend whom I could borrow the rest of it from. I can pay him back when I can get my money." "Thank you, Fenniel!" exclaimed Aitin. "I will make this up to you one day. If not me, then the Tetrarchy themselves." She favored him with a sad smile and said, "I never liked how they kept your kind locked up like that. It warms my heart to see you free and I wish you the best on your quest." She got up and snuffed out her pipe. "I will be right back with the money, stay here and don't go outside where someone could see you." "I won't leave," Aitin assured her. The gods had smiled on him indeed. She nodded and threw a small satchel over her shoulders before leaving. While she was gone, Aitin finished the bread she had given him and relaxed. Soon, he would be on his way north to a strange land. The Angvardi had been at peace with Terula for two decades now, but there was still animosity. He hoped that he would be able to accomplish his goals easily enough if he kept his head down and didn't cause a scene. He heard the door creak open and turned to see if Fenniel had managed to get the money. As soon as he saw who was at the door, his smile vanished and was replaced by a look of terror. Instead of Fenniel's old and welcoming face, he was looking into the hard visage of a man in Shalktra livery. He jumped up knocking down the table and made for the back. Before he could reach the back door, he ran into another Shalktra who grabbed him and threw him back into the main room. "No!" he shouted as he tried to climb back to his feet. Someone knocked him back down and put a knee in his back preventing him from getting up as they tied his hands behind his back. Another Shalktra shoved a gag into his mouth preventing him from saying anything further. Once his hands were bound and his legs fettered, they lifted him up and shoved him out the front door. Standing there, looking absolutely miserable, was Fenniel. He could only think of one word, even if he couldn't say it. Why? "Because you are a threat, my dear Aitin," came her answer to his unspoken question. Her voice was full of regret and remorse as she continued, "All prophets are. As much as I hate what they do to you, it is necessary for the safety of all." The last he thing he saw before they put a sack over his head was one of the Shalktra placing a large coin purse in her hand.

It does indeed, and in time, Syler will be the most powerful of them all. . .

As for the sword, I believe I made that clear his reasoning about wanting one. If I didn't, then I can work more on it. If you remember way back to the first chapter, I even mentioned that in Sandrin (like in real life), swords were only for the elite and experienced warriors. They were more expensive and are much more deadly, that is why only those who knew how to wield them or were nobility had them. Axes are cool and all, but they typically are no match for swords. Historically, one couldn't really be a knight unless they had three things: a horse, armor, and a sword. Being able to afford and maintain those things was not easy, and thus helped weed out lesser men from knighthood. As for the mistakes, yet again, that is the result of an edit. I originally had two sets of seemingly identical armor with only one being enchanted. I cut it as it was really unnecessary. I will fix it. Yea, that second one is awkward, will be fixed. I am glad you guys like Vekla. She will be one of those characters that gets put through the ringer and will always be torn. She has plenty of conflicts: her loyalty to both her people and to Syler, her (growing) envy of what Syler and Bronwyn have and her desire to find love, her ideas of a spartan attitude contrasted with people like Havert, and a few other little things that will come up. I have great things planned for her, great things. If this next chapter were to have a title, it would definitely be called "Conspiracies." In this, we get five separate conspiracies all with different goals and purposes, all with very different individuals. Some of these will weave together, others will set up further plot points for Syler's adventures. All of them are important and were fun to write. Chapter 21 When you strike at a target, always be sure that it is dead before you turn your back to it. — Angvardi proverb Sourlin Estate Fogora East Angrava, Angvardi Empire Valinc Tesk gingerly nursed his hands as he arrived at the estate of one of his oldest friends, Naruden Sourlin. They hadn't quite healed from the Empress' barbaric punishment where she burned his hands with magic for daring to speak ill of her precious Terulan bastard husband. She thought that she had cowed him, but she would soon find out how wrong she was. He might be past his prime, but he was a man who had many connections and plenty of wealth. Naruden had been told of his arrival by a messenger before hand and was there at the door to welcome him in. "Valinc, my friend!" he said before looking at his friend's scarred hands. "What has she done to you?" "She burned me, straight in front of the entire court," Valinc said angrily. "She banished me, but she will regret it." "She has crossed the line and gone too far this time. Come, let us go in and get you settled. I will send for the healer." "Don't bother. Through her profane magic, she has made it to where no mage can heal me. She has ensured that I will remain maimed for the rest of my life." Naruden shook his head in disgust. "Come inside anyway. I do not believe we want the gardeners hearing in upon our conversation." "Very true," Valinc mumbled as he allowed himself to be guided into a secluded study. Another man was waiting for them there, one whom Valinc didn't recognize. The man was dressed in the attire of a working man with plain clothes and a dark grey cloak. He appeared to be in his late middle age, just a few years younger than Valnic himself. Naruden closed and locked the door to the study and pointed to a comfortable couch for Valinc. As soon as all three were seated, he said, "Valinc, this is Quinlis Pertree. He already knows you because you are the reason he came." Valinc didn't like the sound of that. "Who are you exactly, Mr. Pertree?" The man smiled and said, "Please, it is Quinlis. I was not given a choice with my surname and would rather not be reminded of it. As for an answer to your question, I am merely a man who is a humble servant of the Tetrarchy and the Way. I am here because the gods felt it proper to use prophecy to direct me to you." Valinc looked at the man through narrowed eyes. He had never been fond of magic, at least the more complex types that went beyond simple healing and killing. Seers, sorcerers, and prophets were altogether unpredictable and treacherous. They were capable of layering complex and often unseen spells upon people that could spring traps at any moment. At least with simple mages and wizards, you knew when they were performing their magic because it usually had immediate effects. "I first met him six months ago," Naruden said. "In that short time, he has displayed a remarkable acumen for political intrigue and positioning. He has helped me make a small fortune from his advice." "You are some sort of prophet, I take it?" asked Valinc. "No, but I know some," Quinlis said with a slight smirk. "I am fortunate enough to have access to the right people who provide the right guidance so that the gods may speak through them to me." Valinc wasn't so sure he wanted to know the details. "And what does that have to do with me?" "Let us just say that there has been some recent prophecies that have led me to look for someone from Celienna's court who might not be exactly in favor of her recent policies. When I heard of your outrageous treatment at her hands, I asked around and was directed here as your most likely stop." Valinc started to stand up to leave, but Naruden interjected, "Valinc, just hear him out. I wouldn't have let him meet you if he wasn't so persuasive. You know as well as I do that her alliance with the Terulans will only weaken our sovereignty and way of life and open us to their perverse culture. Something must be done about it." He let out a sigh and sat back down. "Very well, old friend, but it had better be good or I will leave." Quinlis didn't seem worried. He leaned forward and said, "There has been some recent prophecy that has indicated that Celienna's line has offended the gods and now they are demanding her blood as payment. The gods themselves are in support of what you desire: revenge against the murderous and treacherous Imperial throne that has led the glorious Angvardi astray with their notion of compromise and cohabitation with the Terulans. What if I told you that I, no, the gods themselves, are looking for someone to carry out their will and save the Angvardi people from this horrific mistake?" Valinc reconsidered the man before him in a new light. Whoever he was, he was quite bold in saying that aloud to a man who had, at least until recently, been an upstanding member of the Empress' court. Now, though, he had lost that good standing as well as the use of his hands and things were quite different. Valinc determined at that moment that he would have to learn more about this man. Despite his misgivings about this man, what he said about Celienna was worth hearing more of. "Then I would say that I am most interested in hearing more of what prophecy directs us to do." * * * * * The Royal Palace Terula City, Kingdom of Terula Amberis Rael, first cousin to the king, was a man who got things done when he set his mind to it. For decades, since even before peace was made with Angvard, he had been working towards the southwestern expansion of the kingdom. The constant threat from the north had prevented any sort of serious campaign in the west, but he had planned ahead regardless. When the extremely unexpected opportunity to make a lasting peace with the Angvardi had presented itself with the secret love between the empress and the king, he had embraced it. In those hectic and unsure months following the announcement of their impending marriage, he had done more than anyone to ensure that things worked out. Gevas Rael had come to rely on his cousin more and more to keep the Terulan nobles in check while he was in Angvard with his wife, and he had not let his brother down. Peace with Angvard was good. Peace allowed him to pull Terula's armies to the west and finally fulfill his dream of conquering all the way to the Metles Mountains. There was no hope in fighting with the Angvardi as they had been for centuries. Even if Terula were to come out on top in a war, it would only provide temporary benefits until the next war when the Angvardi would take back what was theirs. The Angvardi and Terulans had managed to conquer portions of each other's lands many times over the centuries, but it never held. The Great River Tuo provided too great a natural barrier to allow for one side to hold territory on the other side for long. One side may be at a disadvantage for a time, but eventually, the gods tipped the balance the other way. That is why Amberis never bothered with planning conquests in the north or east. No, what the Terulans needed was to conquer the West once and for all. That territory could be held and would provide Terula with the manpower and resources needed to permanently expand their influence north of the Great River. This peace with Angvard would last for a time, but eventually the two kingdoms would resume their feud and when that day came, Amberis was going to make sure that Terula had the ability to prevail. He had set his mind to the purpose of conquering the west and that purpose was nearly fulfilled. Terulan forces had just managed to take the city of Ceate and thus end the resistance from that kingdom. It had been a close thing for had the king sent reinforcements up to find the supposed Master of Magic, then they may not have been able to take the city rapidly enough to capture their king and force him to surrender his army. Had the Ceaten army escaped to the west, they might have managed link up with the Gozi and forced General Saliss to wait over winter for reinforcements. Instead things had worked out quite well. Gevas sent the Shalktra after the Kuti seer and the three fresh battalions to the west. The Ceate had fallen and the Gozi would soon follow. All was going as planned in the southwest, but there was the northwest to consider. Amberis rarely visited the dungeons, but he had cause to do so now because there was a special person he wanted to meet. It had taken some doing, but he had managed to acquire a valuable prisoner from their Angvardi allies. A great deal of bribes and blood had been spent to get him here and Amberis intended on getting his money's worth. He stopped at a cell and looked in at the filthy, half starved man sleeping inside. He gave the guards a glance that let them know that they were dismissed so he could speak to the man in private. When they were gone, he tapped the magical shield covering the bars with the tip of his knife to wake the prisoner. "Alvaren, Alvaren, Alvaren… What shall I do with you?" The prisoner and stared passively at his guest. Without getting up, he muttered, "You could kill me now." Amberis chuckled, "Why would I do that? It took a lot of money to get you here." "Then you have wasted it. I am of no use to you." "Don't sell yourself short, you are the king of the Sei." The man snorted in derision, "I was, until your friends conquered us three months ago." "And what if I were to make you king once more?" asked Amberis. All humor had left his voice and he stared intently at the man. If he couldn't persuade Alvaren Granad to fight for his crown, he would have to find another who might take his place. That would be time consuming and would delay his plans. Alvaren looked back at his jailor to see if he were joking. When he saw how serious Amberis was, he asked, "Why would you do that?" "Because having you retake your throne would mean that the Angvardi lose control of your lands and people. As part of the conditions for my help, you would have to sign a treaty that made the Sei and the Terulans allies. With that alliance and the additional lands that I have conquered, I would have the power to break the Angvardi forever. You would be given most of the Sua territory, as well as some of the Kosh's land as payment for your alliance, but we would control Angvard. With that treaty of alliance, you wouldn’t need to fear our attacks and we would have no reason to attack you." Alvaren looked skeptical, "But why would you betray your allies? I thought your king was staunchly in favor of this alliance as part of his religious campaign." Amberis' eyes narrowed, "The prophecies say that we must be united, but it doesn't specify who we must be united under. One can't just wash away centuries of warfare by a single marriage. My cousin is a fool if he thinks that he can do so." "I see. If I should agree to help you, what are your terms? How do you plan on getting me out?" "My terms are simple: you will return to your people and raise a new army in secret. When the time is right, I will give you the word to strike and you will lead them in rebellion. I will do what I can to keep the bulk of the Angvardi armies occupied. Should you succeed on your own in driving out the Angvardi and reestablishing your kingdom, then the only requirement I have of you is a treaty of alliance and the right of free passage for all Terulan armies and merchants. If I am forced to devote armies and openly fight the Angvardi, then you will pay a tribute of three times the yearly salary of each man fighting as well as two hundred pounds of gold a year for ten years, as well as the right of free passage." There was silence for a full minute as the Sei king considered the situation. "Do I have to answer now, or am I able to ponder it?" Alvaren was irked at this, but he would rather delay a day or two than be forced to find another suitable candidate for the Sei to rally around. Worse still, if he couldn't find someone to lead the Sei, he might have to attempt to find someone from the Sua or Kosh kingdoms to use as a pawn. Neither kingdom had the power or strategic positioning that the Sei did and were far less valuable allies. "Very well, Amberis. I will return tomorrow and expect your answer by then. Should you agree and ally with me, then you have a chance at retaking your throne and a measure of independence. If not, then, you might get that execution you were asking for."

Okay guys. I will go back and put in something about some of the Krue approaching his body to tend to it as he is walking off the field. Then Bronwyn can have her scene of pointing out Vekla's relation to him. I am glad you feel this way, especially about the manipulative part. I hate characters that are perfect paragons or are totally evil. To me, those don't make sense and don't exist in real life. I hate protagonists who instantly are the best warriors or who immediately know how to lead, or are able to overcome all faults. Syler is a flawed character, just like the rest of us. My goal with Syler is to have him evolve from a mostly passive man who accepts what is thrown at him as fate to one who steps up and takes action to do what he wants or feels is right/best. He isn't perfect, and he has a lot of growing to do, but by the end of the third novel, I am planning that while he may make some controversial decisions, he will be a very strong character who is "all the he can be." It will take some time and yes, he has a LOT of growing to do. Plus, he isn't going to succeed at everything (as the part I just wrote shows). He is going to screw up, he is going to get people killed, and he is going to be pissed at it. In time though, others (especially Bronwyn who is in many ways far more mature than he is), will force him to snap out of it and grow a pair. There is a particular scene with the two of them that I think you will like. He has a little more moping and self doubts to deal with, but in time, it will get better. Definitely by the end of this book, he will be. Oh, I have fixed the two comma errors in the master document, but not in this (editing and reposting takes a good amount of time due to the size of the post). Anyway, on to the next part. I particularly like this because it lets Syler get the set of armor he will be wearing for some time. It also shows some background of one of my favorite characters: Vekla. Ironically, in this part, Vekla realizes some of the same things that you just pointed out: Syler isn't the man he is supposed to be and that he will have to grow in order to become what he can be. ___________________________ With his mood improved, he went back into the estate and sought out Havert and Alltis. He found their room locked and decided not to intrude, so he began exploring the armory. It wasn't the largest he had been in by any means. The armory for the company from Sandrin was many times this size, but it was also meant for nearly a hundred men. This was supposedly meant just for him and whatever guards he choose to equip. If he was going to go out, it might be best that he dress appropriately. The Sua would be far more willing to take him seriously if he presented himself as a warrior. While they were far more civilized than the Kuti had been, the Sua were a violent, warrior centered race that valued strength of arms, skill in combat, and martial prowess. He might not have those traits, but he could at least look like he did and rely on the Krue warriors to fill in any of the slack should fighting be necessary. Almost all of the armor was made of hardened leather similar to what he had seen others wear. They were well made and sturdy light armor, but ultimately were not of interest to him. Instead, he was drawn a set of armor at the back of the armory that were put up on their own stands. This armor featured steel plates with black leather on top. The leather had the same decorative embossing and attention to detail as the others did, but allowed the metal to show along the edges of each piece. Gold rivets held the leather to the metal and were also arrayed artistically. The most prominent decoration on it was the hasaun that framed each side of the breastplate with their horns meeting just below his collarbone. While the armor itself was beautiful, that wasn't what caught Syler's attention. Something drew him to them that he couldn't explain. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could sense that there was something special about this set of armor. When he reached out to touch it, he felt a jolt of energy that coursed through his veins right down to his toes. There was something magical in this armor that made it special. He didn't know quite what it was, but he knew that he wanted this armor. He took his time when putting it on. As he put on each piece, he looked and felt every part to see how it fit and functioned. The armor was impeccably made and was probably finer than what the Seinari generals wore even without the magic imbued into it. When he finished lacing up the last greave, he stood up and moved around to gauge how it fit. It felt comfortable, solid, and most importantly, it allowed him to move freely despite being heavier than the leather armor he had worn when fighting Avenil. The next thing he wanted was a weapon. There were plenty of weapons here so he would have a good selection. He quickly passed the spears and pikes and didn't spend much time with any axes. He focused in on the swords, the weapon of the elite. He might not be well trained in their use, but he had found one to be quite effective in the Temple of Kubei. He could always learn how to use it properly, but no respectable leader or officer would be without one and the Sua would know it. He needed to keep up appearances as much as possible so they wouldn't detect how unskilled he was at combat. He couldn't find any swords that drew him like the armor, but he did pick one that looked sturdy and well built. It was a simple longsword, one that was longer and a bit wider than the swords he had seen the Krue warriors carry. He swung it a few times to get the feel of its weight and balance and found that he liked it. The metalwork was solid with an encapsulated tang to prevent it from breaking. Its hilt was firm black leather that had been applied somehow in a seamless fashion that Syler very much wished he knew how to craft. The fuller ran three quarters of the way up to the blade to reinforce and lighten it. It was still sharp, though not so sharp that it weakened the edge. He strapped the scabbard around his waist and paced around the room a few times to get used to its feel. When he was satisfied, he decided that he wanted to see about practicing some of the few combat paces he had learned in Sandrin. He went without a word out to the back yard and found a moderately secluded spot. He didn't have any targets, but he didn't need any right now. Instead, he just started swinging the sword in the complex patterns he had learned. He practiced blocks, parries, different styles of striking, and more powerful swings. The armor took a little getting used to and slowed him down. He needed to wear it as much as possible so he got used to its weight and balance. An hour passed, then another and he was covered in sweat, but he didn't stop. He had the strength to strike with great power, but he lacked the finesse needed to accurately direct his blows. With an axe like what he had mainly trained in, that wasn't so important. All one had to do with an axe was to aim at the enemy's midsection or head and swing. As sword required more control to get its maximum potential. As he labored, his moves grew more fluid, more precise, and more controlled. He began to see the moves in his head and simply did what he envisioned. It was odd, but there were times when he could have sworn that his hands were moving of their own accord. He was well familiar with muscle memory, but this was not quite that. It felt good, but it also perplexed him because he wasn't sure what to make of it. It was almost as though he was learning things faster and easier and he wondered if it had something to do with whatever powers he had acquired recently. Whatever it was, he enjoyed it and wanted to do more, so he continued until the sun was dipping low over the horizon. Bronwyn had spent much of the afternoon making preparations for their journey. The servants had offered to help, but she insisted on doing it herself just to make sure. She spent a little time with Havert and Alltis and saw Lamastus once, but generally kept to herself. It was the first full day after she was healed and she had a lot to think through. Yesterday had been a whirlwind of actions, discussions, and emotion and she wanted to ponder through it. She thought best while working, so she worked. Food was prepared, clothes were sorted, and supplies were packed. As it grew late, she began to worry that she hadn't seen Syler since around noon. She went out looking for him in the house, but couldn't find him anywhere. He wasn't in their new chambers, in the dining halls, or even arguing with Growald. At last, she came upon a servant who claimed to have seen him outside and went searching for him there. She saw someone in the farthest garden and froze. At first, she didn't recognize the figure running, rolling, jumping, and dodging around the yard with a sword in hand. When the man turned toward her and saw that it was Syler, her heart skipped a beat or two. She had seen him in armor only once, yesterday, and that hadn't been his best side. He was confused, uncomfortable, and angry. Not now, though. Now, he looked comfortable, happy, and sure of himself as he made swing after swing against invisible enemies. The armor he wore was magnificent and seemed to fit him perfectly. The sword in his hand gleamed in the last rays of sunlight as it whistled through the air. His hair moved in the breeze as he charged time after time into the lines of whatever enemy he was envisioning. He was so enraptured in what he was doing that he didn't notice her. That was fine with her because she was content to just watch him going about his paces uninterrupted. She knew that he had trained some with his militia back in his hometown, but she didn't know he was this good. He had been holding himself back during their flight from the Temple, probably out of concern for her wellbeing. She had been able to see the warriors of her village demonstrate their skills in the Contests and believed that Syler was a match for any of them. Watching him was beautiful, but she could tell that he was oblivious to what was surrounding him and was wearing himself out. As it grew darker and the moon started to come out, it became hard to see him and the air became chillier. Fearing that he might stay out here all night, she stepped into the clearing and called out his name. Syler jerked and nearly stumbled when he heard her and shook his head to clear it. "Bronwyn!" he said breathlessly. "What are you doing here?" "It is late, you need to come inside," she said. He stood there panting for a minute as he looked around at where he was. "I didn't know it was so late," he said at last. "I like the armor, it looks good on you," Bronwyn couldn't help but say. "You never told me you were such a warrior." She could see his blush even in the pale light of the rising moon. "Thanks," was all the response he could muster. She reached out and touched the breastplate and allowed her fingers to trace the designs of the hasuan on them. His chest was still heaving, but he remained silent and reached out to touch her cheek with a gloved hand. "You shouldn't wear yourself out before we set out," she whispered. "I just kinda got carried away," he said. Bronwyn could detect a bit of nervousness in his voice and in his eyes by the way he kept looking back and forth, but not directly at her. "I know, I watched you," she admitted. When he frowned, she quickly added, "I was only there for an hour or so, but I couldn't stop watching you." "Really? I didn't think I was that amusing." She laughed softly, "No, you weren't funny. I had never seen that side of you before, at least not in a controlled sense. I saw a glimpse of it when you were fighting Growald, but nothing like it since. You were strong, completely focused on what you were doing, and, if I might say, very attractive. I wish I could see this side of you more often." If they were in the light, she was sure his face would be crimson by now. He looked away and would have pulled back had she not grabbed his shoulders. She stood up on her toes and kissed him despite his surprised expression. It didn't take him long to recover from his embarrassment and return her kiss. Bronwyn was not the only one watching Syler that evening. Vekla was well hidden in the hedge around the yard and had been there since before Bronwyn had discovered him. Like Bronwyn, she too was admiring Syler, but not for all of the same reasons. She was admiring her handiwork and remembering her father. As soon as it became clear to her that Syler was the one who she and her ancestors had been waiting for over two thousand years to come, she had known what difficult road was ahead of her. She knew what role Lord Avenil would have to take and grieved for him even as they rode to Thwrud. She had wished that it wasn't true, but his display of raw power when saving his woman was proof enough to even the most jaded of observers. Nobody simply gained access to the Immortal realm that easily and never alone. It normally took an entire circle of elders to allow someone to gain access to the Spirits, but he did it on his own and seemingly on his terms. After he was sent to this very estate, she had been left to spend her last hours with her father. For a time, she had considered pleading with him not to sacrifice himself, but she knew he would not listen. He was set in his purpose, just as she was. Despite that, knowledge, it was still hard to let go of him. She had been in many battles, killed many men and women, and had seen friends die, but she didn't want to lose her father, the last of her close family. Even as the two of them came to the estate and entered the back way, he kept exhorting her to remain true to what purpose they both had. He was to sacrifice himself to teach the Majiyae Oretezu how to not just absorb spells, but to reflect them. Should Syler accomplish that, he would confirm himself to all gathered that he was indeed the Majiyae Oretezu because only that One could do such a thing. It was also critical for him to sacrifice himself so that Syler could take his place as leader of Clan Thwrud. The end of Lord Avenil Saekoris' journey would be the beginning of Lord Syler Penion of Sandrin's. Before he was to die, her father wanted to impart one last gift to the Majiyae Oretezu and for that, he needed his daughter's skill with magic. They had gone into the armory and used his own armor for the incantations. As a sorceress, Vekla was very familiar with the arcane arts of enchantments and imbuing objects, so that was not difficult. The difficult part had been what she was imbuing. Avenil had once been a mighty battlemage. He was skilled not just in the art of magic, but also in traditional combat. He had vigorously defended his clan from all threats and earned a reputation as a fierce warrior that helped protect Thwrud from other clans even after he grew too old to properly fight. In one last act of sacrifice and devotion to prophecy and the purpose chosen for him, he gave up his knowledge of fighting and swordplay. With Vekla's help, they imbued his armor with all of his skills, his strength, courage, and his experience. Each piece was filled with his essence and power. Though it had taken hours, it was done before they had to go to the arena and remained waiting for Syler. Her father had insisted that she not lead Syler to the armor, but allow him to find it on his own. At first, she had been worried that he wouldn't ever find it, but he assured her that he would be drawn to it on his own. Once he found it, he would slowly use his ability to absorb spells to take in Avenil's skills. The more he used it, the more he would draw upon them and the more powerful he would become. It wasn't a permanent transfer, though. As soon as he stopped focusing or took the armor off, he would retain only a little of the skills he was now displaying. He would have to learn like any other, though the armor would help guide him and perhaps save him when he was in danger. Once she had finished arguing with the simple minded saledaur, Torrvel, she had gone out to find him. Though she couldn't sense him due to his ability to dissipate all spells, she could sense her own magic upon her father's armor. When her sense of it had suddenly gone dark, she knew that he had found it and that his natural immunity to magic was blocking her. She had searched for him and found him practicing in this distant garden where her father often went to be alone. It was as though Avenil's spirit were guiding him to this very spot and driving him to use the armor he had left behind. She had sequestered herself in the bushes and waited, watching him to see how he would react. She hadn't been disappointed. Though his first half hour had been sloppy, he had began to absorb Avenil's parting gift with impressive speed. Within three hours, he was hacking and slashing with skilled precision and grace. Vekla had immediately noticed Bronwyn's arrival even though Syler himself was too wrapped up in what he was doing to notice it. She had silently willed that the other woman not interrupt him and was glad when she didn't. Sitting there allowed the sorceress to contemplate Bronwyn's role in things. From what he had said about the Elements, it was clear that the Kuti's purpose had ended, yet Syler had intervened and saved her life. Vekla didn't know what exactly he had to do in order to accomplish that, but she wasn't sure it was for the best. Everyone had a purpose and when they deviated from that, they ran contrary to the natural order of things. Her father had devoted his life to his purpose as the Ulai Fequil and sacrificed himself when the time came. She had similarly devoted her life to being the Rebastaq and made her own sacrifices. She had done so willingly, but it was difficult to do, especially now. She watched with mixed emotions as the two of them spoke briefly, then embraced. When Syler began removing his armor, she turned away and decided to leave. Not only would it have been wrong to intrude on their lovemaking, but it would have been too painful at this time. At twenty-nine years old, she should have long ago married and had daughters of her own to carry on the title of Rebastaq. However, as the signs began to converge into alignment and her father became convinced that the Majiyae Oretezu was soon to come, she had changed her plans and made various excuses as to why she wasn't allowing men to court her. She had held out hope, deep within her heart, that the Majiyae Oretezu would arrive and that he would be the one she would be destined to be with. Their purposes had always been closely intertwined and she had dreamed that they would fall into love with each other and that he would take her as his mate. She had held out on marrying even as the years went by and there had been no sign of the Majiyae Oretezu. After five years of eagerly waiting for his arrival, she had began to harbor her doubts that they had read the signs correctly. Just two weeks ago, as she and her warriors were preparing to do their part in patrolling the borders, she had decided that when they returned, she would accept a suitor. There had been plenty of proud and strong warriors who had mustered the courage to seek out a sorceress. Even if none of them had magic like her father did, they would have been acceptable mates that would have benefited the People and herself. When she had spotted the two groups of riders racing toward the Sacred Woods, she didn't even consider that the Majiyae Oretezu might be among them. They had prepared to slaughter both groups as they did to anyone who encroached upon their lands in such an aggressive manner. But, to her irritation, the group being chased had put away their weapons in a sign of submission that demanded she at least hear them out before deciding their fate. The Krue were brutal, but they were not without some honor. They had quickly slaughtered the foolish Southerners and turned their attention to the others. She was going to simply turn them away until she saw the Angvardi among them. Her attempt to kill the Haresu was stopped in the most spectacular manner and she had been deeply surprised. It had never occurred to her that the Majiyae Oretezu would come to her as part of a pathetic group of ragged travelers fleeing the Terulans, but the sign was clear. He had not used any ward to repel her spell and when she tried to read him with magic, she had failed because her probing spells wouldn't work on him. At first, she was disgusted with Syler. In him, she saw a panicked, frightened peasant who didn't look like he would ever be a warrior. Despite his courage in trying to protect his friend, she saw nothing in him and was disappointed. She had wasted her life waiting for a weakling and was furious at herself. Worse yet, he was married already and clung onto his dying Kuti wife. She had taken one look at the unconscious woman and knew that she was beyond hope. At that first moment, she considered offering to put Bronwyn out of her misery, but a feeling in her gut had told her that it would not be wise for her to do so and that Syler had to come to that decision on his own. She had been wrong about him, though, he wouldn't have given up on her even if all the elders in all the clans of the Krue were to tell him it was hopeless. That opinion of him changed in her father's longhouse. His power, the depths to which he went to save one he loved, and his defiance against those whom he had revered for all of his life had showed her that she was wrong about him. Syler Penion of Sandrin was not a weak man, but one who had not yet been given the opportunity to display his qualities. He had the potential, but he just hadn't discovered it yet. He was too trapped in his simple life to realize what he was. Despite that, she felt that he would grow into that role and realize what he was capable of. He could very well be the great warrior that Teladia needed him to be and become someone worthy of a sorceress' attention. There was one problem to that, though: he loved Bronwyn. She didn't need to have seen their display of love in the garden to know that. She had seen it in the way they looked at each other. Despite their races being ancient enemies, they loved each other deeply and nothing would stop that. Vekla knew enough to realize that love would not fade away any time soon and knew better than to try to pursue him. Last night after she lit her father's pyre, while futilely trying to fall to sleep, she abandoned the idea of ever attaining the love of the Majiyae Oretezu. He had revealed himself and come as was predicted, but was married already leaving no room for her. In a way, she was grateful. The burden of waiting for him to come was passed and she was now free to seek suitors elsewhere without worrying about missing out on something. In a way, she was grateful to him because now at least, she didn't have to worry about whether or not the two of them would ever love each other. That burden was past and she was able to more clearly focus on her role as his Guide. That also meant that she was likely destined to remain alone. It wasn't a bad thing as now, there was no need for her to produce an heir to carry on her role. She had lived this long without a mate, she could continue to do so and throw all of her efforts into protecting and guiding Syler.

I can help out here pointing out mistakes and whatnot if you would like. I already am an editor for someone else on another site, but I could help here. You have great promise. I like your descriptions. I couldn't find many faults with your language and whatnot, though your punctuation needs working. You have started strong. You set up a scene with a new adventure. You established a mystery in the prologue (who is the boy?). You are moving the story along. One thing you didn't do is give us a better time frame as to when this happened. Obviously, it was after Luke and Mara got married, but how far after? It had to be before the Yuuzhan Vong War because by then, the Temple was leveled and they had Ben. Character development was strong, and it helped that you already had developed characters to work with. You handled them with good detail and didn't deviate from their canon selves. Below are the mistakes I found in my moderately quick read through. Should be "hatred." No comma needed. Or, you could reword it like this: Luke was glad to see that, despite Tionne's natural tendency to begin her days late, the entire temple was up and training. Both need commas at the end of the quotations, not periods. Merge these two sentences. Alone, they are two basic, simple sentences that sound awkward. Together, they flow better and make up a single, complex sentence. Comma at the end of the quote, not period. No comma in that sentence. Period after "softly." One possible logic mistake was having the temple only twelve minutes from the Great Temple. If it were that close, then the students would frequently go there and it would be trouble.. Try to make it farther, maybe an hour or so away.

That is a good point, but at that moment, he had other things on his mind and expected that someone else would have taken care of it. I put that part in there to help clarify that Vekla was Avenil's daughter as well as to show how dedicated to her culture's rules and prophecy she was by instantly pledging her loyalty to the man who just killed her father.

That was my intent. Well, when someone is almost blown in half, there isn't much that can be done. He was clearly dead before his body hit the floor. Plus, remember that the Krue had told him that it was a battle to the death, so if he didn't kill Avenil, they would kill Bronwyn and his friends. Syler was quite pissed at it. Tim, glad you could read a bit of it! Yes, you need to start from the beginning or you will be lost. I hope you can, I would love to have your opinion on stuff. Chapter 20 The Krue may appear to be a single, united race, but they are not. The Krue are actually a collection of smaller fiefdoms ruled by various lords. They cooperate together to protect their lands from outsiders, but beyond that, there is often great rivalry between the different clans. Each lord has great control over his or her clan's lands, but are also responsible for protecting them from other clans. — The Krue: A Valiant Race by Terl Fongalto Penion Estate Village of Thwrud Krue Territory There would be no rest for Syler that night. By the time they got back to Lord Avenil's estate and settled down, it was late. Much to his displeasure, the Krue servants had now rechristened the giant log cabin as the Penion Estate. He had tried to protest, but they didn't seem to be able to understand him or even care at that point. At last, the only thing he could get from them was that it would be disrespectful to tradition not to have his name on the estate as all previous lords had done so. Even though it meant nothing to him, he had apparently come into possession of a great deal of power instantly. His saledaur, Torrvel, the overseer of the servants, proudly informed him of all that came with the estate. Syler recognized him as the man who came to translate when he wanted to see Bronwyn earlier this afternoon. Torrvel told explained that he now had eight female servants, five male servants, and four permanently stationed guards. His estate had six guest rooms an armory, a dining room, a feast hall, a small library, an expansive cellar, a kitchen, quarters for the servants and guards, and most importantly, stables for up to fifteen hasuan. For Syler who had never lived in a house with more than four rooms, this was a place beyond all of his dreams and expectations. And yet, he hated it. Even as the nervous and excited servants showed him around, he only wanted to get out of here. He was furious at the Krue for their ridiculous customs. He had been forced to kill a man for no good reason at all, all because of their tradition and because of some words written by an old man centuries ago. All he had ever wanted was to be a simple blacksmith, to earn his wages by the sweat of his brow and the strength of his muscles. It was good, worthy work. It was honest work. All of this, according to Torrvel, was paid for by taxes imposed upon the people of Thwrud and its surrounding farmsteads and hamlets. Had it been up to him, he would have rejected this all without second thought, but it wasn't. Crusos' warning about what he would do should he not embrace all of this was still very fresh on his mind. He didn't know what the devious Element had in mind, but from what he had been told, it probably involved a lot of bloodshed and violence. Syler wasn't a leader, he didn't want to send men into battle to die or be responsible for the lives of the people in Clan Thwrud. He wasn't even Krue, and now he was supposed to lead them. They had altogether too much faith in prophecy if they were going to trust him to be their leader. When all of his guests—including Growald's men—had been given rooms and food, Syler retired to the expansive lord's chambers. If the guest room that he had been shown to were luxurious by his standards, this room was nothing short of opulent to the point of almost being profane. Before, he had been intrigued and almost in awe of what had been presented, but now he despised it. Though Bronwyn had been willing, he was in no mood for making love. She curled up next to him and fell asleep, but he stared at the ceiling the entire night without getting any sleep. The rising of the sun brought with it servants fawning over him in a way that severely annoyed him. He lost his temper and banished any servant from the chambers whenever he was present. He knew it wasn't the best way to start things out, but the lack of sleep had only worsened his already foul mood. At Bronwyn's insistence, he did join Havert, Alltis, and Lamastus for breakfast in the dining room. Growald and some of his men had also been up, but he ordered the servants to feed them in the feast hall because he didn't think he could stomach the gruff Seinari. The food was good, very good. Unlike among the Kuti where they relied heavily upon pork and mutton, the Krue had a variety of wild fowl, beef, and venison available to them. Despite his emotional turmoil, Syler couldn't resist the good food and ate a hearty meal. When they were finished, he informed them of the decision he had made over the night. "I plan on going after my sister. Growald says that all of the women from Sandrin were taken to the Sua, so that is where I will start. I know she isn't your sister and you owe me nothing. If you wish, I will make this cursed estate open to you for as long as you wish to stay. If you want to live here permanently, I would have no issues with it. If you want to move away and try to go west, I hope that one day I would be able to meet up with you." "I am going with you," Bronwyn said without hesitation. "After what you have done for me, I couldn't say no even if I didn't already love you." "I didn't risk my life and throw everything away just to leave you now, " Lamastus said. "Besides," he added with a smile, "without me to watch your back, you wouldn't last two days." "Thanks," replied Syler dryly. He was glad to have his friend along because he would know more about the Angvardi patrols and customs than anyone else. Havert looked at Alltis for a few moments, then nodded to her. "Syler, ya know I see ya as my best friend, but I have a wife and a family now. Alltis is, er, expecting, and while she has a ways to go, I don't want to endanger her and I don't want to leave her husbandless." Syler nodded. "I understand, Havert. I really do. Stay here with Alltis, you will be safe. These Krue are nearly obsessed with the notion that I am their supreme lord or something, so I think if I leave orders that you are to be treated with the utmost respect, they will abide by them and guard you with their lives." "We would like that. Right now, this is probably the safest place for us for as long as the Haresu control Sei and the Kuti lands." "Thank you, Syler," said Alltis. "I wish we could come with you, but it is dangerous." "I don't blame you, Alltis. If Bronwyn were with child, I would probably insist that she remain behind. You have both done more for us than was required by our friendship. One day, I hope to repay you." "You let us stay here and tha' do it," Havert said as he looked around at the ornately decorated room they were in. "Okay," said Syler as he chuckled. "What are you going to do after you find her?" Alltis asked. Syler shrugged, trying to look nonchalant even though he was anything but. He was well aware of what Crusos had told him and knew that no matter what he wanted, he would have to return. "We will probably come back here. It is safe from the Easterners and there is a lot I could learn here. I am not sure, though. It might be that we decide to go west to where nobody would ever find us." Lamastus finished chewing a piece of venison and asked, "When do you want to leave?" "Tomorrow. I want us to get a nice, long rest today before we set out. I also hope that we can somehow find a way to use some of the hasuan that are in the stables. I am not sure if the Krue would let us ride them, but it would definitely be handy to take advantage of their speed, stamina, and ability to intimidate. It may draw attention to us, but we would be able to outrun any pursuit with ease." "I don't know, Syler," said Bronwyn. "The Krue highly value their hasuan and have some strange rules about them." "I am their lord now," replied Syler without any happiness. "That should count for something." Later that afternoon, Syler found himself in the stables arguing with Torrvel about using the fabled. The overseer had been insisting that he couldn't ride them without being confirmed by the elders. Syler was growing more and more frustrated as the argument went on, but the stout little man refused to budge even when faced with his new lord. Syler was coming up with a plan in his head to make off with the hasuan in the night when he heard a commotion outside in the yard. He didn't even have time to get to the door when a black braided sorceress broke in with the fury of a thunderstorm in her eyes. Even without her war paint, she was a highly intimidating figure. "You have made plans to leave us, Lord Syler?" she asked, though it was obvious she knew the answer. Syler crossed his arms, "Yes, I am. I will not see my sister in the hands of the Sua and Angvardi." "You cannot go," she said firmly. "I forbid it." "Oh really? Just yesterday, you were swearing to follow my commands, now you are giving me orders?" She blinked once, but stood her ground. "Yes, it is dangerous and you are needed here. There are responsibilities that you must see to." "No," said Syler. "I don't owe the Krue anything." "You are our lord and protector, the welfare of this clan is in your hands." "I didn't ask for it, nor will I accept it." If she could be stubborn, so could he. He had waited two and a half months to go after his sister when he should have tried to get her on the march to Kubei. Now that he was free of the Angvardi, he would not be delayed. "It is your destiny, you cannot escape it." "I have read nothing in prophecy that says I can't go and find my sister." Vekla glared at him and looked as though she was contemplating locking him in his chambers to keep him here. Syler was actually concerned that she might do just that and he wasn't sure if the servants would resist. Even then, he wasn't going to back down on this, not with his sister's fate at stake. He returned Vekla's glare and took comfort in the fact that her spells couldn't actually harm him. Even as he stared at her with a scowl on his face, a plan was forming in the back of his mind. Seeing the two of them at a standoff, Torrvel decided that it would be wisest to take a few steps back and remain silent. "You cannot leave Thwrud without a lord," Vekla said at last. "Then you take my place. I am sure that you command enough respect to do it." She shook her head sending her braids flying. "No, I cannot, it is not my purpose." "And what is your purpose?" "I am to guide you in all that you do and make sure you don't do something stupid like going into Sua territory." "Then you will have to kill me," said Syler frankly. Vekla blinked twice this time, but he didn't let her get a word in before he continued. "I am not going to leave my sister, the only blood family I have left and the one whom I swore to protect, alone in the hands of the Angvardi and the Sua. One way or another, I am leaving even if I have to do so on foot. As your lord, I have spoken and that is my final word." A double blink and a twitching right eye later and Vekla managed to say, "You cannot leave the People without a lord." This time, though, instead of sounding fierce, she sounded almost as though she were pleading with him. "As I said, if you want them to have a leader, then name someone who can be my regent." She looked down, finally breaking the glare she had kept on him since walking in. "Nobody can lead us but our lord." Syler smiled inwardly, but kept his face placid. "Then we have a problem, because I am going to get my sister and I don't think I will be able to get back to Krue territory once I do." "You cannot go away," this time, Vekla's voice was most definitely a plea. "Without you, the People will be destroyed." "Then make me an offer." That elicited three rapid blinks from her. "What sort of offer?" she asked suspiciously. "If you want me to return and lead you, then I want some things done and I don't care what traditions they may break." Vekla's eyes narrowed, but she said, "What do you want?" "First, you will provide me and all that travel with me with hasuan mounts. Torrval here won't let me use them, but I think they will help us get into Sua territory much faster and make it safer for us all." She considered this for a moment, then said, "You have been to battle, no? Then I believe I can manage to allow you to ride one. Only warriors are allowed to ride the sacred hasuan, nothing can change that." "Remember what I said about tradition," warned Syler. "That is not tradition," she argued. "The hasuan themselves would not tolerate one who is not a warrior to guide them. They test the spirits of all who take their reins and those who they find are not worthy, courageous warriors are thrown off." Syler saw no lie on her face, even if it did sound a little crazy. He was willing to take her at her word, though. "Okay, Lamastus and I have both been in battle, but what about Bronwyn?" "Has she fought a battle and shown herself an honorable warrior?" Vekla asked. "No," Syler admitted. "Then she cannot hold the reins of a hasuan." She paused, then said, "That does not mean she cannot ride with you, though. The hasuan are easily able to bear two, that is how we introduce our new warriors to battle since they would not yet be able to command one." "Fair enough," said Syler. "My second demand is that the name of this estate be changed. I don't want my name associated with a house that I won by killing an honorable man. Plus, it is too arrogant of me, like one of those damned Angvardi aristocrats." Vekla pondered this for a few seconds, then nodded. "Excellent, the third thing I would want would be for the Krue to open their borders to any and all who want to flee the oppression of the Easterners. I am sure that there are many who, like me, were fleeing them and have no place to go. I want them to be able to come here and find shelter and safety." "Such a thing would greatly anger the Haresu," Vekla pointed out. "I know, but they aren't going to do anything that they wouldn't already be preparing to do. Only a fool would believe that they won't eventually attack the Krue. If we bring in some of those who resist their rule, we will only have more men to help fight them and more women to help support those men. I wouldn't let anyone who is going to be lazy stay. All who want shelter should be put to work and be required to pull their own weight. When it comes time to fight, the able bodied men will have to do their part." Vekla looked skeptical, but she saw that Syler was serious and didn't dismiss it. Torrval looked positively aghast at the notion of allowing foreigners into the forest, but Syler didn't much care what he thought as he had no authority among the Krue. From what he could tell, though she wasn't a member of the elders or in the lordship, the Krue valued and respected Vekla for her ability to wield magic and for her father. That made her particularly valuable to him if he wanted to get this done. "Even were the elders to allow this, you would only be able to speak for this one clan. If you want the Krue to allow outsiders into our forest, you would have to convince all of the other lords. I cannot promise this thing, even if you were to return." It was as Syler suspected, but that wasn't entirely a bad thing. "As long as I will get your support for this, I will be satisfied." She thought about it and nodded. "I will do as much as I am able. What else do you demand?" Syler smiled and replied, "I want to learn how the Krue smith their metal. When we return, I want to work with your smiths and learn their ways so that I can craft as beautifully as they do." Vekla cocked her head and asked, "Why?" "Because I am a blacksmith and I would like to become better. Is that so strange to you?" "No, it is not strange, I just… I never thought that you would be a blacksmith." "What did you think I would be?" "I am not sure. I expected you to be a warrior, one who was skilled at fighting and leading." Syler smiled, "Yes, well, I am not so good at the fighting part. I am a blacksmith, and to tell the truth, hardly more than a senior apprentice. I trained a little in fighting as part of the militia, but my only battle experience is utter defeat at Fazei Crossing." "You were successful in freeing your woman," Vekla said quietly. "My wife," Syler corrected. "Yes, I suppose I was, but that wasn't really a battle and I was simply following the plan, not leading men." "You displayed courage in fighting at all. No other men went to rescue their wom—wives." He shrugged at this. "Well, I had no real choice. It was either find and rescue her or die trying. Life wasn't worth living without her." "You demonstrated that in standing up to your Elements. Few would dare such a thing." Syler didn't feel like talking about it right now. "You know my terms for returning, do you agree to them?" The sorceress nodded. "Yes, but you shall agree to one of my own." Syler was immediately wary. "What is it?" "I will be coming with you, as well a company of our warriors." Syler had briefly considered seeing if he could get some of the Krue's fabled cavalry to come with him, but had dismissed the idea. Having a horde of Krue descend upon a city would drive them into panic and could provoke a violent response before it could be made known they were not there to conquer or pillage. Plus, it would attract too much attention. Syler didn't think a few score of the Krue could take on thousands of Angvardi soldiers no matter how fast they could travel on their hasuan. "No, it would bring too much attention to me and put us in danger." "You cannot go out unprotected," insisted Vekla. "Fine, you can come with me, I could use your magic." "We need warriors to protect you should we be attacked by a group." Syler sighed and said, "No more than a dozen. Choose your best warriors. You have until tomorrow morning to have them ready." Vekla bowed her head. "They will be." She turned to Torrval, "You will inform the servants that this estate is no longer to be called the Penion Estate. Call it whatever Syler Penion of Sandrin wishes it to be called, no matter what tradition it breaks." "But, it is against—" he started. "I don't care. Our lord has made an agreement with me and I intend to see my part carried out. And make ready two of the finest hasuan for tomorrow." Syler chuckled as he left the two of them to argue it out. He exited the stables quite satisfied with himself. He had accomplished what he had set out to do and had in truth, given nothing up. It had always been his intention to return here with Karusa, but if he could get something in return that the Krue might not have otherwise been inclined to give, all the better. Plus, this little exchange had given him an idea of just how much they believed they needed him. He might not agree with it or even entirely believe it, but they did and that was what mattered.

Well now, be honest here. Did YOU pick up the fact that Vekla and Avenil shared the same last name before Bronwyn mentioned it? Even if you did, Syler had quite a bit on his mind, not the least of which was the fact that he just killed a man who was not his enemy and found out that a sadistic, scheming Element now had complete control over his love's soul.

Wait, what do you know about her that I don't know? I am glad that that scene went over well. I was kinda worried about it. I know I said that the two of them weren't going to actually have sex, but over time, I just didn't see that as working out. The way the characters sort of flowed together, I couldn't have them NOT fall in love. I had always intended on her loving him, but then, I kinda just thought "dang, how can he NOT love her after what she is willing to do and sacrifice for him?" Anyway, on to the next part. Here, Syler learns a few very important things, some good and some bad. He also gets to fully realize how his powers work and even adds a new ability to his repertoire. _______________________ "Syler, I think now would be a good time to be quiet," Bronwyn said. He agreed and shut his mouth. With Vekla and Dalmonor leading the way, the rest of them followed silently. Syler would have liked a chance to better catch up with his friends, but after seeing the somber look on Vekla's face, he didn't dare ask for more time. Whatever this ceremony entailed, they took it extremely seriously. The group was led to an open area on the edge of town. Trees had been cleared to provide some sort of gathering place that seemed to have received a good deal of use in the past. There were planks of wood surrounding the clearing that served as benches for the hundreds of Krue that had gathered. They talked quietly among themselves, but seemed to be waiting his arrival with rapt anticipation. Before he was allowed to go forward, Dalmonor picked up a set of Kruish leather armor and gave it to Syler. "Put this on. I will help you." Syler was familiar enough with armor that he didn't need much help with anything except the back straps. The armor was lighter than he expected it to be, though he was more used to mail shirts when he was drilling for the militia in Sandrin. The leather offered an excellent range of motion and was far more comfortable than the armor he had worn before. When the armor was on, Vekla gestured with her chin for him to go out. Syler wasn't a fan of crowds, but he knew that if he faltered, his hosts would likely take offense and that wouldn't be good. He tried to conceal his nervousness as the crowds grew silent when he emerged. Ignoring the hundreds of sets of eyes that were following his every move was difficult, but the armor concealed the sweat that was forming beneath his shirt. Lord Avenil was waiting for him in the middle. He too was dressed in leather armor, though he had a helmet. When Syler got within ten paces, he motioned for him to stop and addressed the crowd in Kruish. After he gave a small speech, he looked at Syler and said, "If you are truly the Majiyae Oretezu, you will defeat me in combat." "In combat?" Syler said as his eyes grew wide. "Yes, to confirm who you truly are, you must kill me in fair combat." "Wait, kill you? Why would I want to do that?" "It is my purpose as the Ulai Fequil. Make no mistake, I will do my best to kill you because, should I not try my best and am slain by one who is not the Majiyae Oretezu, then I would have doomed my people to destruction." Syler didn't detect any regret in the old man's voice. "So you want me to kill you just so I can prove that I am some sort of savior for your people? That makes no sense!" "It makes perfect sense, Syler Penion of Sandrin. The strong must lead and to do that, they must replace the old and weak. If you are able to kill me, then you have proven that you are stronger than I. You would have shown that you are indeed the Magic Master. It has been written and it must be this way. I have no more choice in the matter than you do." Syler shook his head, "No, I am not going to kill you simply because of some old books." Sadness touched Avenil's face and he said, "Then I must force your hand." He said something in Kruish and pointed behind Syler. When Syler turned, he saw that Vekla had a knife at Bronwyn's throat. Other Krue warriors had the rest of his friends and even Growald and his men in the same position. Syler's heart skipped a beat when he realized what was coming next. "I am sorry, Syler Penion of Sandrin, but if you do not kill me, they will die." Syler turned back around to face the Krue lord with a look of abject loathing on his face. He knew without a doubt that Avenil was serious and that if he didn't prevail, all of them would die. He really didn't want to kill this man, but if they were going to threaten his wife and friends, then he had no choice but to comply. Right now, there was a hatred rising in his veins for this man who would force him to kill simply for prophecy when he had no quarrel with any of them. "Very well," he said through clenched teeth. "What are we fighting with?" He didn't see any swords or weapons on Avenil's belt and he didn't have any himself. "Magic," came the reply. There was no warning for what came next. Avenil took a step back and then hurled a deep purple lightning bolt a Syler's chest. Syler flinched but didn't have time to get away from it, though he needn't bother. The bolt landed squarely in his chest but just vanished as though it was nothing but an illusion. He started to take a few steps back himself to get a little distance between himself and his attacker. He had no idea what to do because he had no idea how to wield magic. Avenil followed his first strike with fire that streamed from his hands and covered Syler. As with when Vekla tried to burn Lamastus, the flames had no effect upon him, not even to the point of giving him warmth. It did, however, keep him from seeing the next attack. Dirt and leaves hurled past him as Avenil summoned powerful winds. Syler could feel the leaves brushing against him, but he couldn't feel any of the wind driving them. It was the strangest sensation to have things blown in his face but not be able to feel the wind itself. Syler used his arms to block the incoming debris as he struggled to figure out what to do next. Avenil next tried some sort of spell that glowed green, but failed to find a purchase on his target. When that spell was over, he switched to a bright ball of pure energy that coalesced in his palms for a few seconds before being hurled at him. Syler saw that one coming and dodged the attack. The orb flew past him and dissipated against an invisible shield surrounding the arena that Syler had not known was there. The fight was going nowhere fast as Avenil continued to pummel Syler with spells that caused him no harm. The ground was scorched around him, but not a hair on his head had been burned by any of the great amounts of energy being hurled at him. After a few minutes of this, Syler was genuinely confused as how to progress. Avenil clearly couldn't hurt him with his spells, but he had no idea how to use spells of his own to counter. Avenil had made it clear that this battle was one of magic against magic, so he assumed that were he to try to simply tackle the older man to the ground and beat him with his fists, they would cry foul. Avenil realized what was going through Syler's mind because, between bouts of lightning, he said, "Focus on my spells. Feel their magic as it is turned upon you. Remember what you can do with spells and turn their power upon me." Syler had to endure two more fireballs and a burst of some sort of odd energy that surrounded him wherever he moved before he could figure out what his opponent had said. He couldn't use spells himself because he didn't know how, but he did know how to take them within himself without harm and mold them to his will. That was how he had saved Bronwyn. He had taken the curse that was leaving her in pain and unable to heal, then turned it inside out to heal the very wounds that it had caused and sustained. Having that knowledge was good, but Syler had no idea how to implement it. Avenil continued to attack him with various spells that no doubt would have been instantly lethal to any normal man, but they had no effect on him. Despite that, the old man continued to unleash his magic against him. There had to be a reason for that. Syler didn't think that Avenil was foolish. Rather, the lord was quite wise and knowledgeable, so Syler had to believe that he knew what he was doing. Syler was forced to close his eyes as a particularly bright flash of energy enveloped him, and that was when he saw it. It was a brief flash at first, probably more of a memory than anything he actually saw, but it was enough. Once he was not relying on his sense of vision to guide him, he was able to use his mind to see. His mind, for the briefest of moments, saw the spell as something more than just energy. It was a chain leading from him back to its caster. Syler kept his eyes closed and focused on the part of him that had helped cure Bronwyn. When Avenil's next spell hit, he saw the string of magic once again connecting between the two of them. Two more spells later, and he had a new idea. The next spell that Avenil used was a fireball. Syler let it hit him and instead of simply observing the spell's trail, he took hold of it mentally. It took just a split second, but in that briefest of times, he took control of the spell itself from Avenil and directed it. Syler didn't know what to do with the spell now that he controlled it, so the flames merely shot up into the sky where it impacted the shield that was around them. He opened his eyes in surprise and saw that Avenil had paused his attacks. There was a small smile in the corner of the man's mouth and a look of satisfaction on his face. He pulled his hands back and prepared another spell to send at his opponent. When it came, Syler was ready for it. As the lightning bolt arched between the two of them and impacted his shoulder, he took control of it. Avenil cut off the spell from his end, but it was too late. Sparks flickered around Syler's hands as he formed his own spell. Just as he had seen numerous mages do, he pushed his hands forward as though he was going to hit a man with the heel of his palm and released the spell he had captured. A bolt of lightning shot from his palm and hit Avenil in the chest. Avenil didn't even have a chance to cry out in pain before his armor flash burned away and his chest all but exploded. His body wasn't quite cut in two, but it was still a gruesome sight as it hit the ground. There was silence in the arena and nobody reacted. Syler turned to look at Bronwyn and the others with anger clear on his face. He hadn't wanted to kill Avenil, but he had no choice. His anger was directed at both the old man and all of these Krue who had it in their heads that one of the two of them had to die for their crazy prophecy. Vekla released his wife and sheathed her knife. She walked into the arena and stopped just in front of him. She looked briefly at the body of Avenil as it lay still smoldering, then at Syler. To his surprise, she went down on a single knee and bowed her head. "I, Vekla Saekoris, pledge myself to you, Syler Penion of Sandrin, Majiyae Oretezu, Lord of Clan Thwrud. I will follow your commands and serve you until my death or your honorable succession." Syler didn't know what to say, he was in shock. Around him, hundreds of Krue fell to their knees and bowed their heads. Something about this wasn't right, not right at all. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he had a sinking feeling that he had just stepped into something that he didn't want any part of. "What are you doing?" he asked quietly. Vekla looked up and blinked in confusion. "I am pledging my loyalty to you as our rightful Lord." "Why? I am not your lord or anything. I am not even Krue." She looked stricken and glanced around her at the kneeling Krue. "You defeated Lord Avenil in honorable combat and have taken his place as our lord. I and everyone in this clan are yours to command." It was what he had feared. "No, I don't want any of this, I just want to live in peace." "You are our lord, you are to lead us in the upcoming war." Syler shook his head, "No, I am going to find my sister and then she and my friends will go away to live in peace away from the Angvardi and the Shalktra and anyone else who wants to fight and kill each other. I am done with the Easterners and fighting and killing." Vekla didn't seem to know what to say, so she bowed her head and stared at the ground. "As you wish," she muttered. "No, it is not 'as I wish.' I didn't want this nor did I want to kill a man who clearly had no chance against me. It was suicide, plain and simple because he couldn't touch me with his magic." The others, no free of their temporary Krue captors, were talking out to where the middle of the arena even as Syler continued. He looked up at the gathered Krue and started yelling for all of them to hear. "Is this what you wanted!" He pointed at Avenil's body. "Was it really necessary for this man to die? I had no quarrel with him nor he with me. This was pointless, a complete waste of life. You want to live by prophecy and see innocent men die, then fine, but leave me out of it. I am done, finished. I won't have any more a part of this." "That…wasn't…part…of our deal, Syler," a haunting voice said into his ear. Syler jumped, but when he turned, there was nobody there. He looked back to where Vekla had been, but she was gone. The world rippled as though it were nothing but a mirage. When it settled, the arena had vanished, as had his friends. Syler saw Crusos standing in front of him giving him a cunning smile full of malice. At his feet, a battered and bruised Bronwyn lay naked and covered in blood. "We made a deal, Syler Penion, and I expect you to carry it out," the Element hissed. "What deal?" Syler demanded. He wasn't sure if this were real or not, but if it was, he would not rest until he had revenge against the conniving Element. "I spared her soul in return for your service to the Elements. It cost me a great deal to acquire her soul from the Spirits, I intend to get my value's worth from you." "You are wrong," said Syler. "The deal was only that you save her or I would die moments after she did. Nothing was mentioned about serving you." "That is not what was recorded in the Sacred Scrolls, Syler. Bronwyn's soul is mine to do with as I please. It pleases me for you to serve the Elements, and so you shall or I will take her soul and banish it to suffer eternal torment." There was not a hint of remorse in Crusos' voice. Instead, he seemed to be extremely pleased with himself. As he said that, he reached down and into Bronwyn's chest. He made a fist and began to pull. Bronwyn's body didn't react, but a spectral version of her that was being pulled out by the Element cried out in pain and pure anguish. "Stop!" Syler yelled. "You will serve the Elements then?" asked Crusos. "What do you want me to do?" "Power will be given to you among mortals, accept it and use it. Battles and wars will be fought, wage them and win them. Do not resist prophecy and when the time comes, heed my call. Do that and I will spare Bronwyn." Syler looked down at the battered nightmarish version of Bronwyn and back up to the grinning Element. Though he knew he would curse himself for it, he said, "Very well. I will do as you ask." Victory flashed in Crusos' eyes and he released Bronwyn's soul. "Pleasure dealing with you, Syler Penion." He snapped once and the horror vanished. "My lord?" Vekla said quizzically. Syler was once again in the arena and every eye was upon him. He paused and realized that Crusos was gone and that only he had seen what had transpired moments ago. As he collected himself, Bronwyn and his other friends reached him and were looking at him as though he would fall over at any moment. "Are you okay?" Bronwyn asked quietly. "Could one of those spells be affecting you?" "Um, no, I am okay," he said, though he didn't convince even himself. He looked down at Vekla and said, "Get up, there is no need for you to be on the ground." The sorceress slowly rose, but didn't look sure of herself. "What do you wish us to do?" "I want to be taken somewhere where I can think all of this over. My friends need to rest as well. They are to be tended to and given every courtesy, even Growald and his men." Vekla nodded and said, "They shall be taken to your estate at once." "My estate?" asked Syler. "You are the Lord of Thwrud, Lord Avenil's estate and all he possessed is now yours," Vekla replied. Syler could only shake his head in disgust and disbelief. "Then take us there." As they were walking out, Bronwyn fell in beside him. In a low voice, she asked, "Syler, did you hear what she said when she pledged her loyalty to you?" "Yea, I did." "And you aren't letting her tend to her father?" she asked incredulously. Syler looked over and asked, "What are you talking about?" "Her name, Syler. She is a Saekoris, the same as Lord Avenil. He was her father." Syler paled. Now that she had mentioned it, he did remember that something was familiar about the sorceress' name. He had been too angry and overwhelmed to notice what Bronwyn had. "Um, Vekla," he said in a louder voice, "I think Delmonor can take us back to the estate. Lord Avenil was an honorable man who did what he thought was best for his people even at the expense of his own life. See to it that he is treated with all the proper honors a man of his station deserves. Take as long as you need." She looked as though she were going to argue, so he added, "Consider that a command from your lord." She bowed and retreated away to tend to her father's rites. Syler spent the rest of their journey to Avenil's old estate trying not to be sick. The revelation that Vekla's father had been the very man he just killed was the final bit of shock needed to push him over the edge. He was furious at the Krue for making him kill that man for no good reason. That and his fear over Crusos' threats only further increased his agitation. This was a wild day that simply had too much happen for him to grasp it all. He hoped that he would get a few days to rest and soak it all in before some other major disaster happened.

You hear that, Tim, the masses are clamoring at the gates demanding for more!

Fine then. When fire strikes and only the Community is burned because you refused to install fireproof doors like I suggested, don't come crying to me!

Read the first response to this story and you will have your answer. . . .

Absolute gold there. That is . . . scary to say the least. There are too many things to comment on entirely. I do love this, especially since I am one of only three non-staff mentioned here. For this line, you may want to let us know who is speaking that way it is even more funny when you have three hours pass. You know that now you started this, you have to keep it up, right? This is too awesome to simply be a one time deal. PS: And "Mael" I do have a hobby: planning contingencies for every potential emergency that could ever possibly happen on or to this site. I mean, what would we do if for some reason, all three admins were somehow incapacitated at the same time after having separate run ins with furious rabid clowns who broke their hands?

Good, I want to see more of your posts. You need to grit your teeth and get back into this because as soon as you do and get past the first chapter or so, you may very well find that it is a LOT of fun. That is how I cranked out near 100,000 words in less than two months. You can do the same if you really get passionate and start building up your characters in your head until they become real and their reactions are natural to you.