Ch 18: Lay of the Land

Pela actually flinched as Saul spoke to her. No one had ever spoken to her like that and for once, she was seeing things outside of her own little world. He made her feel ashamed for her self pity party and while any other time she would have words to say back to him, now she had nothing. Instead she stood there, mouth slightly agape and eyes wide as she listened to what he told her.

He gave her food for thought and right now, her plate was running over. She didn’t know anything but the life she lived with Bad Rock but now, he wasn’t there for her and she had to decide what path her life was going to take. And she had to decide quickly. Things were, to say the least, volatile and it was only a matter of time before a spark found its way into the powder keg.

As Saul walked out of the stable, Pela heard the familiar sound of Bad Rock’s voice in the distance but when she turned to see him there was nothing but the little furry creature that had been stalking her all along. The thing twitched its nose at her and chattered but Pela simply gave it a look of disbelief.

Looking into the things black eyes, she thought how they reminded her of Bad Rock’s only smaller. Glancing back to where Saul stood just moments before and how he fed the thing, she looked back at the creature and sighed.

”I do not see how you could be a strong ally to anything as puny as you are, but Saul is right. You do look hungry. Or do you always look like that? If I promise to feed you, will you promise to not climb up my legs again?”

The ferret blinked at her and gave her a curious look. With an exasperated sigh, Pela turned and headed towards the back of the stable, calling to the ferret.

”If you wish to eat, follow me. I will give you something in my room.”

The ferret lifted its head , when Pella spoke, chattered and blinked its eyes then scampered after Pella, skittering in and out between her steps and running circles around her as she walked.

Nidhug watched the exchange between the black witch and his general. They spoke for a while and he could not see Gregor’s face but he could see Nevaeh’s and the look she was giving him was one of pure physical desire, she wasn’t even trying to hide it. His tongue flicked irritably as he narrowed his eyes on her and he finally broke his stare when one of his Draconians came and whispered in his ear. He turned and looked at him and nodded whispering back in their guttural tongue, motioning to the others and the Draconian saluted before he turned back to his own equipment, pulling the drawstring tight on the leather satchel he always carried.

He heard the approach of his General and he stood, saluting sharply and with shock listened to the words exiting his Lord’s mouth. He listened, stone faced, not daring to show his emotions. As Gregor mentioned killing the remainder of his Draconians the corner of his mouth flinched ever so slightly. As he continued and the taunts become more abrasive and his Commander all but said none of them were of any value, Nidhug simply stared at Gregor with his yellow eyes. He spoke softly through his raspy voice, “My troops are ready sire.”

As Gregor mocked him with his laughter and turned his mount to walk away, Nidhug stared at his back. His tongue flicked again, this time it was as much irritated as it was saddened by the manner in which he was just treated. Something had changed in his Commander, there was a deeper disregard for life, even in his years under Gregor’s command he had never personally been disregarded with such prejudice. He turned and looked at Nevaeh who was staring at him with a smirk on her face, his mouth moved ever so subtly and he snapped the satchel closed, turning and moving into formation with his Draconians.



Trystan was sitting on the Battlements. He had risen early and was inspecting what was left of the city guard. His heart had sunk low this morning but he did the best he could to encourage his troopers. As he sat alone in the shadows of the archers towers he felt his eyes well up. He whispered softly, “Paladine, I know that I don’t pray enough to you, and I am sorry about that. I know that it is often that you only hear the prayers of your people when we are at our lowest, and for that too, I apologize. We are desperate, we are on the brink of defeat, and I would ask that you would bring us a miracle, something that would give us the hope we need to endure this, and that we won’t be wiped out. I made a vow to you, and though I have pursued my studies of swordsmanship, soldiery and tactics, I have lost my focus on the patron of our just cause. Please see it in me to grant this prayer, even if I am still to die, please see it in your mercy to save the remaining citizens of Heartlund that I have sworn to protect.”

He inhaled deeply and opened his stinging eyes. Blinking away the tears he stood back up and walked to the edge of the outer wall. A sound filled his ears and he saw six men on horseback coming swiftly over the hill. A banner of the Knights of Solamnia was fluttering from the lead riders saddle and Trystan could hardly believe his eyes. He looked up into the early morning sky at the fading constellation of Paladine and felt a smile cross his face. He dashed to the main gate and ordered it opened. As he ran out the men came to a halt, their armor was battle scared and showed the expertise of their abilities. One saluted sharply at seeing Trystan, “Sir Ordin of Fort Gall.”

Trystan immediately noted the insignia of the Order of the Rose on Ordin’s breastplate and saluted sharply before responding, “Sir Trystan of Heartlund.”

The man’s face broke into a smile that could melt ice and he dismounted, “Ahhh, Sir Trystan, we have heard about you. Tales of your bravery are wide and far.”

Trystan shook his head and responded, “No, my tales are nothing more than a service to the Knighthood.” Ordin smiled and nodded, “As are the deeds of us all.”

Trystan looked at the five men who were now dismounted and he saluted to them, they all saluted in kind and Ordin spoke again, “Well Sir Trystan, let’s see about getting an audience with Commander Rose, I have an army of 15,000 who will be here in about 30 minutes, and being that this is her Keep I need to know where she wants them to set camp.”

Kali sat in her room, twisting a small iron coin in her hand. She stared as it passed repeatedly over her knuckles and her eyes focused. The coin began to glow softly and the right side of her mouth twisted upwards slightly. She could feel the power of the towers moving through her, the rift above poured power down on her and she flicked the coin upwards. The iron sung with a metallic ring as it left her thumb and she focused on the movement. Time slowed down as she was able to follow each knick and imperfection in the metal as it flipped end over end and from a pin sized spot the iron suddenly turned yellow and spread over the surface of the coin. As the coin fell into her hand with a gentle slapping sound she looked at it. The now gold coin glistened in the firelight and she exhaled with a happy satisfaction.

She threw the coin onto the desk and leaned forward, scribbling the words of the spell that she had just created into the large book, the book that was growing daily as she harvested as much knowledge from the rift as she was capable. Hissing words of magic as she closed the third volume the cover crept across the pages and locked itself against the back cover, a shimmering scribbling of rune shapes sealed the seam and she picked it up, placing it on the shelf.

Inhaling deeply Kali stared at the endless spines of her Papa’s books. She knew her mother must be grieving over their removal from Glen Durel, but were they to have remained her ancestral home would have been destroyed. Kali was not a sentimental person, but she did not want to see Glen Durel razed to the ground by Piramay or imploded in shadow fury by Fifth. The removal of Papa’s library and all the ancient magical items eliminated the Glen as a strategic target. Rayann and Myth did not pose a threat to be a target of opportunity, and though she had joined with Piramay and Fifth deep down she hoped they would just fade back and avoid confronting the three wizards, though she knew that confrontation was most likely going to be the end scenario.

With the Glen off the map so to speak she knew that Fifth would be targeting the four towers of High Sorcery at Wayreth, Palanthas, Istar and Daligoth. The elimination of the “old” ways of magic would aid in ushering in the new magic introduced across Krynn by the rift. Ultimately Piramay, Fifth and Kali would become the masters of magic, and their students would not even learn about the magic of the moons. Eradicating all texts and evidence of the old magic was foremost on the list, but Kali could not allow the life work of her Grandfather to come to ruin, even if it was obsolete. Fifth didn’t protest and allowed her this however she did not know how Piramay felt. Frankly in this matter, she wasn’t worried about it, she would work in cooperation with the fire mage, but when it came to her families books, she would have her way in keeping them safe.

Kali walked to the window and looked out at the Fortress of Heartlund. She could see that the troopers she had seen from the air were no arriving and setting encampments all around the area. The force was much larger than she had originally seen, and she nodded her head in contemplation. Her eyes traced the long black line of marching soldiers over the hills until she could not see it any longer, “Very well Knights, ruin and mayhem is what you have chosen.”

It was two candle marks past dawn as Larrisa was let into her commander's quarters. Rose had left her instructions just in case she didn't awaken herself. Looking around she knew the forethought was most accurate. Rose was snoring softly wrapped under the covers of her bed. Larrisa noticed an empty wine bottle next to the bed. With a sigh she shook her head knowing why Rose insisted on telling her when to arrive. Muttering something beneath her breath as she approached the large curtains in the room. She took a moment to look at Rose before a devilish grin settled upon her lips just as she yanked the curtains wide upon.

Rose lifted herself from her bed her right arm lifted to protect her face from the light of the morning sun. Her head pounded and she grumbled beneath her breath looking at Larrisa and her sweet devilish smile. Perhaps the bottle of wine before bed had been a bad idea after all. She could tell Larrisa was enjoying this rare chance to make the her suffer for overindulging herself. With a sigh Rose ignored the woman and got herself ready for the day. Rest and meditation left her feeling full of energy despite the drink induced headache she was dealing with.

She emerged from her room with Larrisa and guards in tow, It was the beginning of a new week and she had inspections to conduct around the keep. She anticipated being busy for the better part of the day as she conducted a visual inspection of facilities and man power. She wanted to know what they had and what they were in need of if matters came down to a siege. She sighed heavily knowing that it was simply an eventuality at this point. The queen would come for the mages and she would come through Heartlund to get them.

As the group made there way up the hall to the mess a runner was sprinting down the hall towards them. The man was surprisingly un-winded bringing himself to his full height saluting Rose. She nodded her head responding with her own. "Six rider's bearing solomnic flags passed through the gates m'lady." He smiled slightly "It appears reinforcements have arrived."

Rose nodded her head and smiled "Best news we've had in days... I will be there to greet them shortly." The man nodded and bowed before dashing off presumably to tell their guests she would be there soon.

Rose made a side trip to her office to grab a couple of her formal belongings such as her rank insignia and blade before she headed to the main gates meeting Trystan and Sir Ordin as the entered the doors. Rose put on her best smile nodding first to Trystan and then to Sir Ordin. "Welcome to Heartlund..."

Saul, , awoke just before sunrise, as usual, spent an hour of meditaion and then another hour of excersises, before steping out into the early morning. Crossing the courtyard, he climbed the stone steps to the ramparts. There he gazed out over the plain watching the advance of a long line of soldiers, taking the spyglass from his coat and assembling it, Saul looked out and saw the Solomnic banners as the fluttered in the morning wind. A slight smile crossed Sauls face briefly as he saw the reinforcements approach.

He the walked along the parapet tp gaze out over the towers, that stood threateningly and his face turned dark and solem. There he stood for several minuites deep in thought.

Sir Ordin turned to Trystan as Commander Rose welcomed them to Heartlund and spoke, “I thank you for the escort Sir Knight, if it be your Commanders wish you may stay.” He turned and looked at Rose who nodded and he smiled with a charismatic charm, “Very well.”

Sir Ordin stepped forward and smiled at Commander Rose. He was approximately 55 – 60 years of age by her calculations and in his light armor she could tell that he was as hard as a rock from head to toe. He bore the insignia of Lord of the Rose on his lapel indicating that he was only two ranks from the highest position possible in the order, and it was unpolished and tarnished, indicating that he allowed his deeds in the field to live with him. Though he was older than the average field Commander it was obvious that he could still hold his own against anything that got in his way. His face was kind and honorable, every line seemed placed by the gods as badges of honor for his experience in their service and when he smiled it was infectious.

He noted the insignia on Commander Roses lapel and he nodded with approval as he spoke, “Word had not reached us in the South of your promotion, congratulations. We have never met but word of your leadership and honor has reached us. I also would like to extend my condolences over the events at North Keep, unfortunate that so many had to die. We would have rallied sooner but the Dark One’s troops are swarming all over but once we heard of the rise of the towers, we came as fast as we could. I have an army of 15,000 marching into positions around your Keep. We brought what we could but as it is the end of winter there was little to carry. I hate to burden you with so many more mouths to feed, but I think we would both agree that filling the men’s bellies is part of our duty to the cause.”

He half smiled and looked around Roses office a moment before locking eyes with Larissa. He nodded noting the insignia of service to the Commander and smiled as he turned to look back at Rose, “There is more that I am to tell you. I am a Lord of the Rose, and by our code I can command no more than 10,000 men. Our other Commander, Sir Leslin was killed a month back and with no other high ranking Commander in our region I have done the best I can. I am however requesting that you take command of five thousand of the soldiers that I have brought, and that the rest who arrive over the next few days will also move in under your Command. I do not wish to step outside the boundaries of the Measure, even in these dark times. By my rough calculation there are approximately three more thousand that will arrive as conscripts over the next week.” He stopped and smiled with a ferocious grin, “They will need to rename your keep to Fortress Heartlund I suppose.”

Rose chuckled as they walked as she commented on rumors. "Many are the tales of the valor and honor of the Velvet Hammer." She looked to Sir Ordin for a moment "I try not to pay attention to the rumors that flow across Krynn Sir Ordin. I am a simple commander serving the order to the best of my ability." Her eyes shifted ahead once more as they moved though the halls.

"As to your request I will gladly assume command as needed. Fret not about the extra mouths to feed. Do to unfortunate circumstances we were sitting on a something of a surplus of goods. Things will be a little tight but we will manage as best we can. We shall do what we can wit what the gods have seen to give us." She slowed as they approached the door to her office. Her guards moved ahead taking position to either side before Rose entered the room.

She motioned Sir Ordin to one of the chairs before she walked around to the rear of her desk. She stopped pivoted on her heel and waited for Sir Ordin to seat himself. "You'll pardon me whilest I address a small detail before we begin discussing things."

Her eyes shifted then to Trystan "The matter that you brought to my attention last evening will be handled once the crisis of the towers is over. Right now I am need of every able bodied soldier I can get my hands on and I need people I can trust handling certain details. You know Heartlund better than most so I want you working with the commanders getting the army set up around us properly."

Rose was sitting down at her desk and looked up with a grim look. "Your arrival is fortuitous because I was just informed there is a rather substantial force of troops that has gathered and is now moving towards us. Likely to send a message to our friends in the tower but they will gladly divert themselves to go through us first while en route."

Larrisa was pouring tea for the three knights. She set the glasses down upon the edges of the desk and as she placed Roses she was pulled close to the commander who whispered in her ear. Larrisa took in a sudden breath before nodding her head giving her lady a questioning look before she stepped away bowing before she exited the room with some haste. Rose sat there and smiled noticing the questioning looks. "I sent her to gather one more person for this meeting. I think he will prove to be a most valuable addition to our discussion."

The screech of the falcon, brought Saul out of his trance of thought, and he looke skyward. Tepes circled, stood on one wing and then seemed to fall from the sky just as Saul raised his arm. The falcon flaired his wings and landed gently upon Saul arm. Saul reached in the pocket of his jacket and removed a morsel of dried meat, feeding it to the falco. "Well my friend what have your eyes told you this morning." Saul asked the winged raptor as he turned to walk to the battelment that overlooked the gathering Solomnic force and their brightly colored fluttering banners.

To say the night had been restless for Rayann was an understatement. With everything that had happened and all she could feel pressing towards her and the rest of Krynn, she found rest to be rather elusive let alone the precious escape sleep offered her. Even with Myth’s tender touch and soft words she found only momentary solace from all the things that troubled her heart and mind. So when the first rays of the dawning day began to lighten the night sky, she was up and dressed. As Myth set out for his morning routine on the training grounds for exercise and meditation, Rayann set out on her own.

Dressed in her usual attire of a soft tunic and leggings with her soft boots and her red, velvet robes draped over her form, she opted to wear her hair pulled back from her face at the sides and twisted so it could be pulled back and clasped together at the back of her head with the rose hair pin Myth gifted to her. Her lavender eyes showed her lack of rest but they also showed something within their depths that seemed to be lacking over the last few days; determination.

She slipped out into the cool, Spring, morning air and weaved her way across the grounds of Heartlund to Pela’s quarters. She knocked politely then stepped in without waiting for an invitation. She saw the young girl just waking from slumber and Rayann knew it was because she had wakened her. As Pela blinked looking at Rayann curiously, Rayann walked around her quarters and observed how the girl was living. To say the least, Rayann knew Pela was suffering from the loss of Bad Rock worse than anyone realized. With hands on her hips, she turned to Pela and leveled her eyes on the girls as Pela sat up from her sleeping mat.

”No more wallowing in self pity, Pela. Today we start over. That means you too. Like it or not, you are on your own now and as such, you need to start learning how to take care of yourself and your things. That includes where you live as well.”


Pela blinked and looked around at the disarray her quarters was in and frowned then looked to Rayann and opened her mouth to say something. Rayann quickly cut her off not giving her the opportunity for rebuttal.

”Excuses are reasons for failure. I know things have been difficult for you lately but you haven’t exactly made it easy for yourself either. Get up, get yourself ready to face the day and we’ll start getting your area cleaned up and presentable in case you have guests stopping by.”

Pela blinked again and looked around then grudgingly got up and made her way to her dry sink. After washing her face and changing her clothes behind the dressing screen, she emereged in a clean pair of leggings, short sleeve tunic and boots. She took the brush and brushed her hair out then pulled it back to braid it in a single plait then curled it onto the crown of her head and pinned the mass of hair in place. Turning, she looked at Rayann and nodded.

”Very well. If you insist.”

Rayann did her best to hide the grin that formed on her lips and with a nod she and Pela set out cleaning up Pela’s quarters. Pela needed little instruction and a little more guidance on certain things but overall the girl worked tirelessly in getting her place cleaned up. On occasion Rayann spotted a pair of beady black eyes spying at her from under things and when Rayann questioned Pela about the owner of the eyes, Pela shrugged her shoulders and said it was nothing but a ferret that seemed to take a liking to her and she didn’t have it in her to make it leave. Just to be on the safe side, Rayann cast her detect evil spell and when nothing came back to her, she was satisfied the ferret was nothing more than a furry critter that was looking for a warm place to live.

Pela picked up on the magic Rayann used right away and asked the older woman what she had done. It dawned on Rayann at that moment this was as good a time as any to start teaching Pela how to use more than her affinity to ice magic. Rayann discovered that Pela’s mind was like a sponge. While she knew Bad Rock had done a good job with her in some regards, she found there was a great deal the girl had no knowledge of. She couldn’t blame Bad Rock. He had limited contact with the outside world for obvious reasons and as Rayann worked with Pela she knew this young girls potential could be limitless if she were tutored correctly. Perhaps she and Ceri could teach the girl together. Something Rayann would definitely discuss with her friend.

Rayann was getting ready to show Pela another spell when she heard some commotion outside and opened the door to Pela’s quarters to see what was going on. The first thing she noticed was all the soldiers that were now walking around the grounds of Heartlund. The large numbers alarmed her and she glanced back at Pela.

”We’ll continue later. Come. Let’s see if we can find out what’s happening.”

Pela had walked up behind Rayann and peered over her shoulder to see what was happening and she too noticed the number of soldiers now walking around the grounds. When Rayann looked back at her she was more than ready to go see what was happening.

As the two women left the building, they were greeted with curious glances. And some suspicious glances. In fact, Rayann saw there were more of the latter than the former and she furrowed her brows but ignored them as much as she could. As Pela walked behind Rayann she heard a screech from overhead and looked up to see a bird of prey flying around and coming down close to the wall of the keep. As she followed the bird she saw it light on Saul’s arm and she blinked. Did the man have some sort of connection with animals?

Weaving her way through the armored bodies, Rayann made her way to the stairs to the battlements and climbed them. When she reached the top of the wall she looked out and saw the numbers in mass and gasped.

”By the Gods…”

Squinting her lavender eyes against the bright sun, she looked out at the soldiers as they set up camp then glanced towards the towers then back to the soldiers. There was an ominous sensation about the place and she glanced at the towers once more knowing the mages within were taking some interest in what was happening outside their protective wardings.

Looking at Pela, Rayann clenched her jaw then turned and whisked down the steps once more. Pela had climbed the battlements with Rayann and when she stood next to Rayann she glanced over to see Saul a little ways away with the bird on his arm. Blinking, Pela then glanced at the army then glanced at the towers like Rayann had and she too furrowed her brows. Were these soldiers thinking of attacking the towers? Were they daft? As quickly as Rayann departed the battlements, Pela joined her.

As the two women were making their way towards the main building of the Keep where Rayann knew Commander Rose was housed, she saw Aeolis helping get some of the soldiers situated in the stable. He looked over at her and she could see the worry lines across his forehead as well. Diverting her path to him, she called to him and he approached, glancing over his shoulder before he looked to her.

”Aeolis….please tell me these soldiers aren’t considering attacking the towers.”



Aeolis glanced around then to Rayann and shook his head keeping his voice low.

”I cannot say for certain why they are here, Rayann. They are rather tight lipped about their intentions. I pray it is simply for fortification and not an assault they have come. But as I look into the eyes of these proud men, I see the fire in their eyes to avenge their fallen brethren. I pray someone can talk to these leaders and help them understand the danger they would put themselves in , and all who reside witnin the walls of the Keep along with the citizens they have sworn to protect if they went down that foolish path.”

Rayann glanced around then back to Aeolis and nodded.

”I pray the same thing, my friend. Where is Ceri?”

Aeolis pointed towards the main building.

”She is equally concerned and went to seek out Commander Rose to hopefully get some answers to the questions we all seem to have.”

Rayann nodded then turned and thanked the Elf over her shoulder as she started towards the main building once more. Pela was close on her heels and while the girl had not said one word, Rayann could feel her burning curiosity and feel the trepidation beginning to creep up on the girl. Reaching over at taking her hand gently in her own, Rayann squeezed it tenderly.

”We’ll find out for certain in a few moments, Pela. One way or the other.”

Pela would have normally pulled her hand instantly from another’s touch but not this time. There was something comforting about the touch and she let her hand be held by Rayann’s until they entered the building. At that point Rayann seemed to take on a more professional air about her. Shoulders square, back straight and head held proudly, Pela mimicked her older companion almost exactly. As Rayann turned the corner, she saw the familiar white robes of Ceri and called out to her friend.

”Ceridwyn….”

When she was close enough, Rayann reached her arms out and embraced her dear friend then stepped back at arms length to exchange looks with the Elfess.

”Aeolis said you were on your way to see Commander Rose. Mind if Pela and I join you?”

Following Kali's departure to the tower Myth did his best to support his wife. Their daughter's choice had left them both with heavy hearts. For Rayann it was the loss of their daughter to the unknown fate she chose for herself and for Myth the burden of a father's promise. Myth sat in quiet contemplation upon the battlements staring in the direction of his daughter's tower. His eyes slid shut as he let his mind wander trying to decide upon the path he must follow.

Myth thought back on his daughter's own warnings about the magic that would be wielded. A part of him felt she was underestimating his abilities. He let out a sigh in response to that thought, but he took her warning to heart anyway. He was not so over confident that he would brush the matter aside so easily. The three mages in those towers were as deadly and skilled as they came. Fifth was strong of mind and strategy, Piramay had shear power, and Kali had the power of her blood. It was a perplexing problem for the elven prince to contemplate. How did they remove them from their seats of power.

Myth's eyes opened slowly as he heard footsteps approaching him from behind. He recognized the lightness of the steps and stood from his sitting position. His eyes swept across the land outside the keep and to the activity inside and took note of all the soldiers that were streaming in. He smiled as Larrisa came to a stop and bowed her head. "I beg your pardon Lord Myth, Commander Fairwind has requested your presence."

Myth looked once more to the soldiers milling about and had a fair idea of what he could expect. Myth set his sword in place but said nothing to Larrisa as he passed her descending into the madness below. Eyes were already fixated upon the towering elf as his feet touched the earth at the base of the stairs. Faces of soldiers old and young watched him for a moment before looking away again. Larrisa was following a short distance behind him. Myth caught sight of Ceridwyn and Aeolis as he made his way through the halls to Rose's office. His eyes casually scanned his surroundings as he weaved through the madness. In a short amount of time he found himself standing before Rose's door.

The guards snapped up right and Larrisa brushed past Myth knocking twice upon the door before entering. As Myth entered the room Rose stood from her desk with a smile.

"Ah... thank you for coming prince..."

Myth took note of Trystan and another knight now standing. As the man turned Myth saw a battle hardened warrior that had seen many seasons. The scars of both skin and armor were a testament to the man that was facing him. As the door closed Rose was speaking once more.

"Sir Ordin I would like you to meet Prince Myth'alas here on behalf of the Sylvanesti."


Piramay stood with her hands upon the rail looking in the direction of heartlund. Even from here she could see the mass of soldiers massing around the city and keep. The force of knights that had gathered was much larger than she had originally thought and it brought a smile to her face. This combined with the queen's own force marching their way would make a great soul harvest. The very thought of the slaughter to be had brought a smile to her face as she reached up running her fingers through her hair as she let out a soft sigh.

Her hand rested once more on the arm of her seat and she frowned finding the silver pin Kali had given her. She lifted the trinket up staring at it for the longest time before setting it aside. As the young mage had promised it was magicked to do exactly what was requested. There was nothing hidden in the weave of power within the item. She felt a twinge of disappointment both for her own doubts and Kali's apparent lack of ambition. She thought for sure that Fifth's teaching methods would have instilled some deep rooted hatred in the girl that could be trouble but so far she had shown none.

Rising from her seat Piramay put these mundane thoughts behind her walking to the work space she had made here upon her observation area. She liked the scent of the fresh air while she worked. Her love of fire was great but she did not care for the smell of smoke and brimstone all day and every day. She took in a deep breath savoring the sweetness of the air before reaching across her table reaching for a small scarlet hued ruby from a rather substantial pile. She examined the little jewel with an appraising eye for several minutes looking at every facet before frowning casting the item aside. She then repeated this ritual till a good two hours had passed. Sitting before her were three perfect jewels.

Her hands shifted around the table reaching for various powders and herbs. She hummed softly as she carefully placed each gem into a prepared circle and took the various ingredients covering each jewel with a carefully measured out mixture. She stepped away and kept her eyes fixed on the jewels as she held her hands out palms to the earth fingers spread wide. She began to pull power to herself as she began speaking the ancient words of magic.

Her words floated on the wind and a spark of fire ignited high above her head. She poured power into the spark feeding the flame making it grow. The jewels began to glow and the materials spread over and around them dissolved into the jewels. They slowly lifted from the circles suspending themselves in mid-air before Piramay and her outstretched arms.

As the ball of fire grew Piramay could feel the waves of heat flow from it. Her hands shifted and she raised her arms turning them as if to grasp the flaming sphere. The flame floated between her hands hovering in place as she chanted. With a swift motion Piramay's hands parted and clapped together. The flaming sphere erupted and shot out three streamers of fire that flowed into the floating rubies. There was a bright flash and the jewels sat upon the earth once more.

Piramay lowered her hands and slowly knelt down. She reached for the jewels and took each one and examined it. The rubies no had an inner glow and if one looked close enough they would see a burning flame inside. She smiled examining her handy work twisting each one in her fingers. They would provide a defensive perimeter and summon elementals to their wielder's defense.

Ceridwyn turned quickly when she heard her best friends voice and smiled warmly as she walked towards Rayann. She hugged Rayann tightly and as she stepped back she smiled just as warmly to Pela, noting the fact she had her hair pulled up and looked a little better groomed than she had in the past couple weeks. “It is good to see you both.”

As Rayann made her request she smiled and nodded with a soft chuckle, “By all means my friend, you don’t ever need to ask permission to accompany me, I thought we were beyond those formalities.”

With a wink she slipped her small arm behind Rayann’s and locked elbows with her. The three wizards walked towards Commander Roses headquarters together. As Myth came with Larissa Ceridwyn didn’t even wait for permission to go in, she simply touched Pela gently on the small of the back and edged her forward and the three followed Myth right into the room as if they too had been summoned.

The Knight that was standing there was an impressive figure for certain. Ceridwyn raised an eyebrow and looked at Rayann, her knowing gaze came just before her missive, ~”Never have I laid eyes on this one, but he is clearly experienced and respected. His insignia of the Rose is filthy, he doesn’t stay behind a desk and only administrates while standing with his men.”~

As Rose made her introductions Sir Ordin turned his eyes to Myth’alas.



Sir Ordin glanced at Myth’alas and though his eyes remained kind behind the sun baked crow’s feet, his eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly and he spoke, “Prince Myth’alas?”

He turned and looked at Commander Rose and then back to the Elven Prince, “Might this be the same Myth’alas that was also known simply as Myth, the Crimson Wind of her Dark Majesty’s elite assassination squad?”

Myth would see in the man’s eyes he was not about to do anything uncalculated or foolish, but he was certainly on much higher alert and the relaxed status of his four generals was certainly altered. Sir Trystan cleared his throat before Myth could respond and as Sir Ordin turned to look at him he spoke, “Sir Ordin, on my honor, Prince Myth’alas is reformed.” Sir Ordin turned to look back at Myth when a soft voice penetrated the room. Though it seemed barely a whisper, the melody of it would rival the morning tunes of the Nightengales. Ceridwyn stepped forward and Sir Ordin noted not only her graceful elegance and beauty but also the unmistakable pristine white robes of the Order of Solinari.

“Sir Ordin, my name is Ceridwyn Bol’Shoraes of Silvanesti, Arch Magus of Solinari and former head of the Conclave. Sir Trystan speaks the truth, my Prince has not only returned to serve the light but endured the Ceremony of Darkness under the watch of the Speaker of the Stars and administrated by Arch Mage Nim’Sul. I assure you on the light of the white moon, there is no darkness in the Elven Prince that stands before you this day.”

Sir Ordin looked at Ceridwyn and nodded as he turned to look at Prince Myth’alas. He took a step forward and his four generals began to move with him. He lifted his hand and they immediately stopped. He stared Myth’alas directly in the eyes, there was nothing threatening in his gaze and he noted that Myth’alas was not shaken in the least by Ordin’s escorts. He nodded his head and extended his right arm as he spoke, “On the word of Sir Trystan and those of your kinswoman.”

Myth grasped his forearm and Ordin nodded as he turned. One of his Generals in particular was about to speak and Ordin lifted his hand, “Later Sir Hector.” The Knight recoiled back into formation and turned to look at Commander Rose, refusing to make eye contact with the Prince for the duration of the meeting.

“Well, now that we have the formalities and the introductions out of the way, let us get down to business.”

One of Sir Ordin’s men produced a map and laid it out across the large table in the center of Roses’ office. It was detailed to the letter, and the three towers had already been drawn in. Ordin went on to explain their movements from the south, the death of the other General who was heading half the force assembled at Heartlund and how he had handed the command of 3,000 soldiers as well as the expected 4,000 conscripts that would be arriving over to Commander Rose. He also went on to explain that riders had been sent out across all of Solamnia to rally their troops and prepare for war, they were not coming to Heartlund, but they would be ready and watchful.



Kali watched from atop her tower, her eyes scanned the massive formation of soldiers that were advancing into Heartlund. She stood still as a statue for a long time, and her eyes narrowed. She turned and went into her laboratory and began to put into practice the enchanting skills she knew and loved so well. She mixed reagents and spread them on different items, and then tucked those scrolls and baubles into the secret pockets of her robes. Though she was confident of her new powers and abilities, she was one who always went into battle prepared.


As she was finishing up she felt a call and whispered softly, “I will come Fifth.” In an instant she was transported to Fifth’s black tower and stood before him. He nodded and smiled with his sinister gaze as he looked her over, “You truly have grown into quite the beautiful woman Kali, I remember as a child when we were training…,”

Kali took a half step forward and spoke, “Was I summoned to reminisce about the past, or do you intend to simply build up into flirtation Fifth? I am extremely busy preparing for this war you would have us enter and if you do not mind my time is very valuable. Besides, it’s obvious you fancy Piramay…”

The expression on his face gave her pause and she immediately ceased. Fifth narrowed his eyes on her and then spoke, “You are no longer my student, obviously you have surpassed anything I can teach you, but let us at least remain civil when standing as equals.”

Kali had never seen this type of humility and though she showed no outward sign of noting it, internally she filed away everything she was witnessing. She nodded and smiled, “Very well Fifth, equals and civil.”

He nodded and the smile returned to his face. “Piramay has sent a message that the fire stones are complete. We need to have an audience, the three of us, and discuss the plan.”

Kali nodded and heard as Fifth used the power of the towers to contact Piramay, “Phoenix, might Kali and I come to your tower?”

Rayann couldn’t help but smile at her friend. For that matter, no one could help it. The woman had an inner beauty and peace that everyone responded to and when she smiled, the whole world smiled with her. As Ceridwyn looped arms with her, Rayann glanced back at Pela and smiled letting the girl know it was perfectly safe for her to enter with them.

As they entered behind Myth, Rayann stepped up beside her husband with Ceri on his other side and Pela to the other side of Rayann. As Rayann let her gaze sweep over the gathered group she noticed the man Rose was introducing as Sir Ordin when Ceri’s voice slipped into her mind. As Rayann watched the mans reaction to Myth and took note of the same things Ceri pointed out, Rayann’s head made a barely noticeable nod as her voice slipped into Ceri’s mind.

~A knights knight I believe is what they refer to that as. I pray his respect is not only earned but given as well.~

As Myth was introduced and Ordin quickly put two and two together, Rayann let her gaze slip over the gathered Knights that stood slightly behind Ordin. She felt her back stiffen slightly as she watched their reactions and knew if push came to shove it wouldn’t go well for the Knights. But as Trystan and Ceridwyn both stepped up to vouch for Myth’s new lease in life, Rayann saw the man’s reaction and knew he was sincere in accepting the words spoken in Myth’s honor and defense. Ever so slightly her back relaxed.

From that point on, Rayann became the quiet observer. She wanted to hear everything from all sides before she considered speaking her own thoughts on the matters at hand. She knew her husband wold relay everything in a way the Knights would fully understand his meaning and now t was just her job to stand and listen. And observe. And gauge who might be the thorn in the side of reason.

As Rayann stood next to Myth listening to the Knights and Myth talk her gaze kept drifting to Sir Hector. No doubt there was a reason why the man refused to make eye contact or even look at Myth and that was reason for her to be concerned. Perhaps she would eventually discover what the issue was. Until then, she would make sure her senses were well honed on all things possible.




Pela smiled at Ceridwyn when the Elfess turned her smile on the girl. While she hated to admit it, Pela found being up and moving about with a purpose more to her liking. Not to mention there was more young men now parading around the Keep that kept her wanting to let her curiosity feed off them.

But as much as her eyes wondered over all the new faces she could see, she knew there was a purpose for Rayann’s interest in the meeting between the Commander and these new knights. And she wasn’t immune to the tenseness that filled the air when the older knight was introduced to Myth and she saw recognition in his wise eyes. Her ice blue eyes slipped over the gathered group of knights behind Sir Ordin and she wondered if this would end in some sort of confrontation. As much as she wanted to take a step back and prepare a spell for the impending attack, she took Rayann and Ceridwyn’s lead and remained as calm as she could.

When the tenseness slowly filtered out of the immediate area, she let her gaze drift to the man Sir Ordin had called down, Sir Hector. Her brows furrowed slightly as she saw the way he practically ignored Myth. With a glance at the larger warrior it appeared as though he hadn’t even noticed the almost blatant disrespect that had been shown him. Perhaps this Sir Hector needed some cold feet to remind him….

No. She couldn’t do that. Rayann and Ceridwyn would be highly disappointed in her if she did something like that. Besides, it was childish and she was far from being a child now. She was a young woman who had to learn to control her immature compulsions. No matter how much satisfaction it would bring her to see him shivering from the chill his feet would give him.

Her attention then settled on Commander Rose and she let her gaze study the woman’s face. Dark circles were not that noticeable but when one took to time to observe the other tell tale signs of over imbibing it became obvious. Pela had seen these sorts of things before on people. They were the ones easily preyed upon by her and Bad Rock when they were in need of a few quick coins. The slight puffiness under her eyes, the slightest of dark shadows that surrounded her eyes, the slight redness to her eyes, the barely noticeable wrinkles on her forehead, at the outer corners of her eyes and the corners of her mouth. And the slight shaking in her hands. It seemed as though the good Commander had some private demons haunting her and Pela thought that couldn’t be good. Not ever but especially not now.

Finally her gaze drifted to the maps set out before them and as the Knights and Myth began to discuss the lay of the land, Pela did her best to take an active interest in what they were all saying. She knew it was important for her to learn this sort of strategy as much as it was for her to learn how to weave and cast spells.

Piramay was crouched over a table when the missive came. She let out a soft sigh before she responded "You may enter when ready Fifth and Kali."

Piramay remained crouched over her table even when the two mages appeared. She barely glanced up reaching out with her hands speaking softly magic flowed from her hand to the table. What the two could see was that the table was actually a large highly detailed scale map of the lands surrounding the towers. Piramay was adding the finishing touches and she stood tall with a smile on her face. Hovering just over the three towers were the firestones she had created.

"Greetings to you both..."


Myth could only sigh inwardly as Trystan and Ceridwyn came to his defense. While he appreciated their intentions not everyone will be swayed by words. Myth took measure of the man before him and the knights that were there in escort. Myth simply nodded and when he took the man's hand the name Ordin came back to him. Myth managed a friendly smile but said little else as introductions were finished.

Myth and Rose listened as Ordin went over the many details. They were patient and did not interrupt. When Ordin had finished Rose cleared her throat before speaking. "As of right now assaulting the tower with a full army is suicide." One knight was about to speak and she held up her hand indicating silence as she continued.

"I have been witness to the power that two of these three mages could wield before they constructed these abominous towers. It was nothing short of nightmare inspiring to say the very least, and if I am to understand the situation correctly they wield even more power now." Rose moved to another side of the table placing her finger upon the map "We also have a large enemy force moving into position. These mages are not in the good graces of the Dark One and even she is moving against them. However I believe they mean to bulldoze over us en route to these towers."

She let out a sigh and shook her head "I am told the enemy numbers twice our own at this point even with the conscripts accounted for."

Ordin listened as Rose gave her input into the situation and he nodded as she finished. As the room looked up at him he simply smiled with the same grin when he had entered, despite her report his smile hadn’t lost any of its glow, “Well then, we are outnumbered approximately two to one, not bad odds.”

He turned and looked at his generals who all nodded in agreement and he turned back to look at Myth and he couldn’t help but notice the slight smile that statement brought to the Elven Princes lips. He nodded with a smile of his own and then turned to Commander Rose, “The Dark Queen’s forces won’t be a problem, I would put one of my men to any five of them, if we create the right defensive perimeter and set ourselves with the right defensive position they won’t breach the walls.”

He leaned forward and looked at the map. Using his index finger he drew an invisible circle around Heartlund, “This city and Keep sits in a fairly large valley as you know, which is odd for any forwarding thinking plan. Heartlund was built long before the idea of higher ground was established in warfare, but thoughtfully the trees have been cleared all the way up the sides to the top so we have a lot of open ground to see anything coming at us. From what I observed the outer wall around the city proper is strong and in good shape and the secondary around the Keep is higher, an older design but in my opinion superior to the newer style of building the walls around the Keep lower than the city walls. If we build trebuchets and catapults along the Keep wall perimeter we can shot over the city and get almost to the upper rim with the ability to make visual adjustments to our impact points. The outer wall can be fortified with catapults as well and we can use explosive clay pot ammo to really wallop them hard. I don’t know how adept your men are at building siege weapons but we have about 500 Engineers in our army and we could have most of them up in a couple days with the labor force we have. Along the rim of the valley we can dig a series of trenches and asparagus emplacements that will thwart any hard charges or the advancement of siege machines of any kind.”

He looked at the confused looks he was getting when he said “asparagus emplacements”, he smiled and grabbed a small piece of soft silver and moved over to the side of the map where there was blank space. He drew out the pole emplacement design he was referring to and suddenly the heads in the room began nodding in silent agreement.

“As for the mages, my feeling is that even despite their power they are going to hold back and wait. I could be wrong, Wizards are by their very nature unpredictable and mysterious in their approach, just when you think you have them pegged they do something you weren’t expecting. Tactically there is no reason for them to attack unless they have to, I don’t know much about Wizardry but I do know that they can’t cast indefinitely. My guess is they will hold back and watch for the most advantageous time to come at us, if they decide to come at us at all.”

He turned and looked at Commander Rose and spoke, “Obviously My Lady, should you have anything to add or alter by all means I welcome your thoughts, this is after all your Keep and I am not trying to overstep my boundaries, I am simply trying to sketch out what I have seen in other situations where our smaller numbers were able to be evened up before the battle ever even started.”

Kali stood and watched Piramay as she finished the map. She could not help but be impressed with what she was seeing and she stepped forward looking at the incredible detail. As she looked closer she noticed that the map was actually moving with the breezes and the shadows were a true reflection of the suns current position in the sky. She turned and looked at Piramay who was obviously proud of what she had created, and with perfectly good reason. She gave a warm nod of approval and spoke, “Very impressive Piramay, very impressive.”

Fifth looked at the map and spoke, “Very nice little Phoenix, a perfect tactical map that we can plan with.”

He moved around the opposite side of the table and looked across at the two lady Magus across from him. With a thin smile he spoke, “The forces of the Solamic Knights are encircling the Keep and the forces of the Dark Queen are advancing from the North. We already have the fear and respect of the Knights thanks to the ridiculously futile attempt on the towers they made a few weeks back. My guess is that the Dark Queen’s forces will assault the Keep first. There is no love of the Knights in her army and they will see it as an opportunity to establish a foothold in the area and use the Keep as a staging point. The arrival of the new army of Knights will make for an interesting battle to say the least, but also an opportunity to harvest souls. Though we have no real need for the soul energies there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of the opportunity.”

He smiled sinisterly and turned to look out the window of the fire tower, his eyes scanned the horizon and he spoke, “The less of our own energy we expend at the beginning of the battle the more we will affect its outcome in the end. In order to send a message that there is a new brand of power to be had we need to strike at the optimal time then we will be the most effective. The power hungry will flock to us as word spreads of our handy work and we will take apprentices of our own choosing. In time we will teach of the superiority of OUR magic and the old gods will be forgotten.”

He walked around the desk and smiled at the two ladies, “Then my lovely ladies, then WE will be the gods of magic!”

Piramay could only shake her head as she turned to the table. She was supremely confident in their combined powers but there were still uncertainties. Her eyes scanned the movements on the table as she took in a deep breath before smiling. "Nothing beats a good map to lay out the perfect plan of attack..." Her eyes lifted looking at the other two before winking with a devilish grin.



Rose and Myth listened carefully to Sir Ordin as he laid out his strategy. Rose was studying the map while she listened and nodded her head in agreement. "A sound bit of planning Sir Ordin, sound planning indeed. Your reputation as a strategist on the fly is well deserved. Rose looked up to Sir Ordin then shifted her eyes to Myth. "Does the warrior prince have anything he would like to add."

Till that moment Myth's eyes had remained focused on map but he had listened carefully. His arms were crossed and his hand lifted slowly to his chin as Rose posed her question. Emerald eyes lifted looking first to her and then to Sir Ordin and his retinue. "I have a few ideas one of which I will to discuss with the lady mages before I present it, but to answer your questions yes."

Myth lowered his hand placing it upon the paths leading in from the north. "We know for a fact that they come from the north, but I know the Queen's higher ups and that will not be our only source of trouble. I would not be surprised if there was a smaller more maneuverable force coming from somewhere else. If the Lady Rose wishes, and with your approval I would bring in a small band of scouts in from Silvanost. I would also recommend arbalists for anti-air defense. whether we see them or not there is always an aerial element of some kind. If they have angered the queen enough we could see a dragon in their midst. It is unlikely to happen but still possible"

Myth's hand lifted to his chin once more as he remained lost in a state of thought. It was clear to the other commanders that his mind was mulling over his knowledge and experience trying to plan for contingencies. Myth's mind reached out to Ceridwyn and Rayann both his voice thoughtful and distant all at once. "If we could get the aid what would it take to open a gateway between Heartlund and a staging area in the Slyvanesti lands. Nothing permanent just long enough to bring a sizable number of people in or out of Heartlund."

Rose looked over to Sir Ordin with a raised brow "Do you have an objection to the presence of elvish scouts Sir Ordin."

While Myth's question lingered in the air for Ceri and Rayann to debate Myth's mind focused on Sir Ordin. He was a knight Myth new by reputation alone. More to the point he would have been Myth's next target had he not shifted his allegiances to the side of light. Myth knew the man to be honorable and a respectable strategist based on the reports that had been given to him. Based on what Myth was seeing here at the table he now understood the orders that had been handed to him those many years ago. He was wise, determined, humble, and there was clear loyalty in the face of his men. This man had the potential to be a great thorn and that thought made Myth grin slightly.

Myth did take note that Sir Hector never once looked in his direction nor did he speak to Myth at all. Myth surmised he lost a friend or loved one to his blade or that of one of his raids. It was bound to happen the more he interacted with the knights of Solomnia. There was a soft mental sigh as he re-focused his attention to the matter at hand.

Saul , with Tepes now perched upon his shoulder, contiuned to gaze out at the three towers. His eyes narrowed as flames lept from one of them. "There must be a way to discover a weakness, an area unguarded or thought so secure it was in need of no or light defense. If there was a way to discover this weakness it could be exploited." Saul thought to himself. "But how to penetrate the wardings and discover this weakness unseen of detected, that was the problem." Saul continued to stare out across the desolated battelfield. As he stared the image of caverns, subterranian canals and tunnels crossed his mind.

Rayann had been listening intently to the military minds discuss the plans for the looming battle that grew closer with each passing hour. She had to admit Sir Ordin was quite the tactician that could come close to rivaling Myth but she didn’t think he could quite surpass her husband. It appeared the forces of Solamnic Knights that now occupied Heartlund were more than simple brawn. It was a welcome surprise and relief.

When she heard Myth propose the Silvanisti help she blinked and looked over at Ceri then looked to Myth before she glanced at the others to see their reaction, if any to the suggestion. When she heard Myth’s voice in her head, she glanced over at Ceri then to Myth then back to Ceri.

~It would take some doing with just the two of us. But with the additional regents I was able to gather from Glen Durel, we should be able to create the right mixture to help aid the spell we could accomplish the task. As, like you say, it’s not for a long period of time. The force from Silvanost would have to be ready to go almost the instant the gateway was opened. Based on that, we should be able to provide you what you need.~




Pela had been standing by quietly listening to everything the others were discussing. She didn’t understand some of the terminology but she did understand making sure you enter a hostile situation with a plan and perhaps even a back up one or two. It was better to be prepared than get caught with your pants around your ankles. Or so Bad Rock had explained it to her that way.

She had to admit, this Sir Ordin had his act together when it came to strategizing about how to fortify the Keep and surrounding city. In the back of her mind, she was glad she’d never met him on the opposite side of the playing field. She doubted seriously she’d come out unscathed.

As she observed the map and the drawing he made of the asparagus thing, she had to admit they were quite….asparagus looking indeed. Still, they would certainly do the trick he was going to use them for. As she looked over at Rayann it appeared as though she was in some sort of strange, wordless conversation with Ceri and Myth. Realizing she must have the same ability Kali did to speak to one’s mind; she simply accepted that and took another look at the map.

Glancing back at Sir Hector she wanted to roll her eyes but she refrained once again reminding herself the man obviously had issue with Myth and that would be between the two of them. But if this Sir Hector should try something underhanded, she’d make sure he didn’t get the chance to again.

Some old habits were harder to give up than others.

Ceridwyn was staying in the background, this was the arena of men and she allowed them the respect it deserved. When Myth spoke about involving the Silvanesti and the creation of a portal between the two lands she could not help but smile and glanced at Rayann who was already speaking in response. She listened and with a nod indicated she was in on the creation of the portal but she responded,~ “It will take some diplomacy to involve the Silvan, though many of the barriers are gone between the races there is still deep prejudice in some factions and the feeling that this is a “human” war. I will stand by your side my Prince, as I am sure Aeolis will. We will see to it that we bring as many into effort as possible.”~

To avoid the suspicious glances the three of them were starting to get by speaking in missive Ceridwyn spoke up, her voice brought peace to the room, “We will create the portal, it will take some doing but it is possible, and we just might be able to solicit the aid of a certain frost mage I know,” she turned and winked at Pela. “As for bringing in the Silvan, we all know there is tension between the races, however we have a Speaker who understands that the entirety of Krynn’s existence is at stake. I am confident that we can rally many to the cause, and you won’t be disappointed by their bows.”

She smiled and bowed her head softly.



Sir Ordin nodded as Commander Rose spoke and then listened as Myth added his two pence to the discussion. He shook his head as Myth’alas mentioned having Elves among them, “No my dear Prince, I would not have any opposition to that, in fact I would welcome it. There is no debate that a human will never rival an Elf in the woods, it would be an honor to have your kinsman join us.”

Ceridwyn and the Red Robe were obviously speaking thru some magical connection. He was not aware of the mysterious of magic except for that they were completely a foreign art to him. He had fought beside battle mages in his younger years but the days of Knights fighting alongside the Knights was a thing of the distant past. He could not help but look at the Red Robe curiously, and her silence only made him all the more interested in her.

He looked back to the group and smiled warmly, “Well, we all have our marching orders then, I suppose time is not a luxury we can afford so let’s to it and meet again on the morrow with progress reports,” he flushed slightly and turned to look at Commander Rose, “I overstep my bounds Lady Rose, forgive me… being in command in the field is a fast paced world, I do not mean to supersede your ladyship over this Keep, when would YOU have us meet?”

AS Commander Rose gave her command and dismissed the group Sir Hector grimaced slightly as Sir Ordin walked over to the four men that had accompanied him to the meeting. Sir Hector was speaking in a low, harsh tone and looked up at Myth’alas. Many heard as his voice elevated slightly in volume, “…we are to be lead by HIM?” In a lightning quick move Sir Ordin grabbed Sir Hector by the breastplate and gently but with authority banged him into the stone wall behind him, nothing that would injure him but enough to rattle him in his armor.

Sir Ordin leaned in and whispered into his ear. Sir Hectors face dropped and he nodded. As Sir Ordin finished he stepped back and Hector gave him a sharp salute, and Ordin returned it in kind, “You four are dismissed for the evening, get some rest and we will meet at dawn outside my tent.”

The men all saluted and exited the room. Sir Ordin turned and looked at Myth’alas, walking over to him. His face was kind though without a smile, “Prince Myth’alas, might I a short word in private with you?”

Myth held Sir Ordin's gaze for a moment and nodded his head before looking to Rayann. "You go on ahead, I shall not be long my love."

Myth took a moment to kiss his wife upon her forehead before turning his full attention to Sir Ordin. Rose herself walked past the two men excusing herself from the room to attend other duties with Larrisa in tow behind her. Myth payed her little mind returning his eyes to the map upon the table taking everything to memory. He would need all the information he could get when he went to the Speaker. This went far beyond the human lands but it was not an impossible argument just a difficult one.

Setting his hands upon the table Myth looked up to the knight. "What would you speak to me of Sir Ordin?"

Sir Ordin nodded respectfully as Commander Rose left the room. He walked behind her and shut the door so as to give he and the Prince some privacy. He walked back to the table and locked his eyes on Myth’alas who was studying the maps. As the Prince looked up at him and spoke, Sir Ordin responded while walking around the large table towards him.

“You and I are men of action, akin to the nature of war. Many who have never seen the limbs torn from a man or heard the moans of the dying or had the thick scent of blood fill their nostrils think that the ‘glory’ of men and all manner of race going to war is some novelists romantic notion. I can see it in your eyes however, you know the feeling of death flowing across your shoulders, watching a man’s hollow eyes as you end his life and take all he ever has or ever will have. You and I know that despite how much we harden ourselves, a little of us dies with each individual we kill, despite their alignment. War is a bitch spouse, and though we hate her, we embrace her and love her more with every swing of our blades. There is no romance in what we do, it is a hard fact of life on Krynn that wars will be fought, and we chose the sides we will participate on.”

He paced around the table and looked at Myth’alas, all the experience and battle hardness ever present in his steely gray eyes, “I believe the mage and Sir Trystan of your reclamation to the light, however there is a scar etched in the hearts of many who lost loved ones and family to your blade, Sir Hector is one of them. You killed his father roughly twenty years ago and as a man of honor he swore to vindicate him. Sir Hector is an honorable knight, one of my finest colonels, and you need not worry about him getting out of line, I have said to him all that will need to be said, but I would ask you to make peace with him if you find it right to do so. I understand that you did what you did because we are soldiers, we kill, it’s our job, it’s all we work and train for, whether on the offensive or the defensive our business is murder as much as the Blacksmith’s business is to shape steel. I do not hold you to blame you did your job, but for the sake of our future working together please consider it.”

He extended his right hand in the same manner as he had earlier, and waited Myth’alas’ response.

When Ceridwyn mentioned soliciting the help of a certain frost mage then turned to wink at Pela, the girl blinked at the Elfess then looked at the gathered Knights. She suddenly felt very exposed but she never let that show to the men who faced her. Instead, she merely glanced at Ceri then to Rayann and gave the slightest nod indicating she would do whatever she could to aid them in this portal they were speaking of.

As the group was dismissed to attend to other matters, Pela noticed the exchange between Sir Ordin and Sir Hector and couldn’t help but quirk a brow at the events that unfolded. Glancing at Ceri and Rayann she noticed they were observing as well and when the Knight and his three companion were excused, it seemed as though Ceri and Rayann took a collective sigh of relief. Satisifed any sort of trouble had been avoided, Pela followed Ceri out of the room and waited as Rayann and Myth exchanged farewells. As she waited in the hall with Ceri, Pela glanced at the Elfess.

”Are you sure I can be of some help with what you said in there?”




As the meeting was dismissed and Sir Ordin turned to his men that had accompanied him she saw the exchange between the Commander and his man, Sir Hector. As the man’s voice rose and she heard what was said, she glanced at Myth with a quirked brow.

~Obviously you had an impact on his past and from the looks of it, it wasn’t a pleasant imprint you left behind.~

She glanced over at Sir Ordin and Sir Hector then back to Myth.

~It goes without saying but I can’t help myself. Consider it one of my many human habits I can’t seem to break. Watch your back, mel’amin.~

There was the slightest grins on her face as she spoke that missive to her husband. When he leaned in to kiss her forehead she closed her eyes and like she always did, placed that kiss to her memory just as she did all the others. When he leaned back to look at her she smiled lovingly at him and nodded. Her voice was barely audible when she spoke to him.

”I shall see you in a little while then.”

Turning to Sir Ordin she nodded respectfully then glanced atMyth one last time before exiting the room and joining Ceri and Pela in the hallway. Once all three women were together, Ceri and Rayann led Pela down the hallways unti they reached the room the regents from Glen Durel had been stored in. As the door was opened the scent of spices, wood and a faint hint of floral washed over them.

The shelves were lined with pouches and jars of many different regents that would help make up the components needed for the generation of a portal. As Rayann and Ceri stepped inside and began discussing the ingredients needed, Pela stood outside and gazed in awe at the contents and the scents that drifted to her nose.

Rayann glanced at the girl and smiled warmly, gesturing for Pela to join her and Ceri in the room.

”Come in, Pela. How else are you going to learn how to do this if you don’t actively participate?”

Pela blinked and glanced at both Ceri and Rayann and when she saw the welcoming smile on both faces, she took that step into the room and joined both women.

”So….what now?”

Ceri grinned, glanced at Rayann then looked up at Pela, gently touching her forearm with a warm hand.

“Watch and learn, our young friend.”

Ceridwyn exited and watched from the hall as Rayann and Myth’alas exchanged farewells. She turned and looked at Pela with her usual warm smile and stepped up beside the young frost mage. She never spoke, but stood there to let Pela know she was available for support. Ceridwyn had been there, she had been the outsider, the young magic user without a clue as to her potential thrown into a world she didn’t understand nor related to. Like Pela, Ceridwyn had been forced to endure the stares, the whispers and the sometimes chilly atmosphere of social situations. Though in many ways those situations were different the gut wrenching emotions were identical, and though Ceri was not an empathe, she assumed by some of the sideways glances and facial expressions she would see from time to time on Pela’s face that the young human girl was working through things.

As the men exited the room Sir Hector nodded to the two magi standing in the hall. Ceridwyn smiled and nodded in kind, noting that though he had just been ‘disciplined’ in front of them he was showing no signs of embarrassment. She was fascinated by this and turned to look at Pela while whimsically raising her eyebrows slightly. She then turned as Rayann made her way out and they lead Pela through the Keep all three remained silent. Upon reaching the reagents room the smells filled Ceridwyn’s nostrils and she could not help but glow with a smile. Beckoning Pela in she spoke, “Watch and learn, our young friend.”

As Rayann and Ceridwyn worked on the delicate measurements precise mixtures of ingredients they took turns explaining each step in the most minute detail. There were a few moments when young Pela would become frustrated and the two women would gently guide her back to being calm and precise. Ceridwyn spoke, “This is less a science and more an art form. In its essence it IS a science, but in its execution and art. If you get the mixtures even the slightest bit wrong then the magic won’t work, but if you get it right wonderful things can be achieved. Patience and practice will persevere, even Kali had a tough time with this at first…”

She paused and bit her tongue, though Rayann was facing away from them she saw her friend wince at the sound of her daughter’s name. Ceridwyn inhaled deeply and whispered, “I am sorry Rayann, I wasn’t thinking.”

Rayann turned and nodded softly, Ceridwyn could see the emotion in her friends eyes and glanced at Pela before walking over to Rayann, “She is still your daughter. None of us can truly know why she made the choice she did, but we must love her all the same.”

She turned to look at Pela and could see the clear disagreement with what she just said on the young frost mages face.

Pela was amazed at the preciseness of the mixing of regents. More than once she grew frustrated and was on the verge of throwing her hands in the air and walking away when Ceri or Rayann would bring her back into some sense of calmness so she could try and learn again. It wasn’t easy, by any stretch of the imagination and it seemed ike the more she tried to understand the more out of reach it all was to her.

As Ceri tried to calmly explain things to her and the mention of Kali’s name elicited the reaction from Rayann, Pela watched the interaction of the two women. Was this what it was like to have friends? You shared your inner most self with them? But…..didn’t that mean they could use that against you when it suited them? Oh it was all so difficult for her to understand. She could feel something inside of her, tugging at her very being to reach out and grow closer to these women but something was holding her back and she was still too frightened to let her guard down around anyone yet.

When she heard Ceri tell Rayann they must love her all the same no matter what the young woman had done, Pela could not have agreed more. It was as obvious to Pela as the nose on her face that Kali had deeply hurt her parents and others when she abandoned them to join the two mages that had tried to kill them just the day before she switched sides. While Pela didn’t fully understand emotions, she understood this as she was witness to the look on Rayan and Myth’s faces more often than not. To Pela, Kali had jumped sides when she saw victory was not possible with the Knights and the only way the young woman could win was to join the enemy.

Still, she didn’t argue Ceri’s point. Obviously the Elfess was trying to comfort her friend in some way. Even if it was to lie to her. Or so Pela’s mind was thinking anyway.


Rayann helped Ceri teach Pela the fine art of mixing regents together to make sure the portal could be created for the Silvanesti to use. When the young girl became frustrated, Rayann would reach out with a gentle touch or Ceri would calm her with a soft word. Both mages assured the young girl it wasn’t something she would learn overnight and it would take time, some testing, some inevitable failures and finally success would be achieved. While Pela didn’t seem to believe either of them Rayann saw the spark of hope in the ice blue eyes and knew Pela was hopijng that was the case rather she spoke about it or not.

When Ceri mentioned Kali’s name and Rayann visibly winced, she took a deep breath to calm her emotions. The last thing she wanted to do right now was let herself go and cause those around her to feel her anguish at her daughters decision. Even though she could feel Pela’s obvious annoyance at the situation. Nodding, Rayann looked to Ceri and took another deep breath.

”I know, Ceri. I will always love her. After all, she’s my daughter. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, confused and hurt by what she’s done. And to raid Glen Durel of all the books Papa had collected over the years…..I know she is trying to protect us in some way but I can’t help but wonder if she has selfish motives as well. Even the best intentions have hidden agendas at times and I pray to Lunitari that’s not the case. But I do miss her terribly and I want nothing more than to hold her in my arms once again…..but……I know that my wishes are not what’s best for Krynn.”


Pela listened to the women and as she heard what Rayann said, things began to make sense now. It was like a veil was slowly being lifted from her eyes and she could begin to see things with clarity. While she still didn’t understand a great many things, she was beginning to understand what love was all about and while it was a beautiful thing it was also a vicious thing that demanded respect. While your own desires were understandable, it was the good of the whole that had some people make the decisions they did.

But that still didn’t mean Pela had to like what Kali did.

The hours passed and finally Ceridwyn, Rayann and Pela stood back and looked at their work. Hours and hours of mixing, testing and measuring for… one ounce of reagent. Ceridwyn smiled as she looked at Pela who was giving her a sort of “that’s it?” sort of look and Ceridwyn leaned in and put her arms around the young frost mages back and squeezed her into a sideways hug, “Fret not young friend, you will see soon the power in this powder!”

The three magi made their way to the main square of Heartlund and Ceridwyn noted that an area had already been cleared for them to do what they were about to do. She motioned to the guards and spoke, “Keep everyone clear, we are going to need to concentrate in order to build the portal on this side of the link, it will draw spectators which is fine, but we need you to create a barrier around us, do not allow us to become distracted or this whole city might explode!”

The guards looked at her in horror and began to hurry to their duties, extra men were called and a large circle was being created for them to work in. Ceridwyn looked over at Rayann and winked as Rayann shook her head. Both of them knew there was no chance things could go THAT wrong and the worst that would truly happen was little more than a harmless light show. Ceridwyn leaned into Pela and whispered, “Nothing that bad can happen, it was more to give us space and keep the mystery of what we do alive, beside, nothing wrong with a wee bit of fun.” She winked and spoke louder, “Pela, I need you to create the gate. If you could sculpt from ice for me a structure that looks like this please.”

She reached into her robes and removed a piece of parchment. A rough drawing of two semicircles coming off the ground that almost but didn’t quite touch where the tips came together. She looked at Rayann and then to Pela, “Is ice sculpting something you are capable of young friend?”

The gleam in Pela’s eyes and the slight smile that crossed her lips confirmed for Ceridwyn that Pela was more than up to the challenge. Rayann and Ceridywn stepped back and watched as Pela began to work her special brand of sorcery.