Book 2 - Ch 4: Wedding Bells

Pela munched on the meat and was amazed at how tasty it was. And right now, she was famished. As was always the case after she over heated. Finishing off the piece of meat, she helped Branch pack away the rest of the meat so they would have it for later.

As Branch explained about her sister, Pela blinked and looked at the elfess. The insight of this elfess amazed her to no end. But Pela didn’t have the heart to tell her the sister she wished to find was most likely no longer there.

”Yes. Yes I did have to prove myself. And Bad Rock took a lot of grief for choosing to adopt me instead of eat me when he found me. Members of his clan thought him weak for doing so and he had to fight for his right as head of the clan. But when I got old enough, he did not have to prove himself any more. The day I started to defend myself against his clansmen, he did not intervene anymore. There were a few times I almost did not make it, but here I am now.”

”Netherman are violent, yes, but it is the world they live in. But it does not mean they are not loyal. As long as you prove yourself worthy and strong enough to lead the clan, then you will win the loyalty of your clansmen and respect from other clans as well. Bad Rock was allied with the clans that surrounded his own territory. He said it only made all clans stronger to unite. It was not easy showing how but when your home is attacked, it will bring you closer together more than anything.”

”The raids we did were to insure we did not starve to death. When I got old enough to go on my own, I would make trips into Thoradin for much needed supplies and trade legally. Only when I was seen as a weaker being did I prove I was not. On occasion I would seek out someone to steal from, but only after they proved they were not honorable. I would watch them for a long time and when I saw them treat someone bad simply because they could or cheat others. That is when I chose them. But they will not treat anyone bad or cheat someone else again.”

When Branch mentioned about needing someone to talk to, Pela’s cheeks colored brightly and she looked down before slowly looking at Branch again, glancing at Olwa then looking over at Branch and lowering her voice even more. It was obvious she was having a difficult time talking about it.

”Yes….I talked to Rayann about it and at least I understand things a little better now, but…..where we are going, there are little to no females of any kind for me to talk to about….female things. Bad Rock said there would be a time in my life when I would have to seek out females of my own kind and I thought he was touched in the head for saying such a thing. Turns out he was right all along.”

As branch explained the answer to Pela’s question as to why Olwa turned out the way he did, she blinked and thought about it. Branch’s simple answer made perfect sense. And when Branch mentioned about Pela loving a Minotaur, Pela’s nose wrinkled up and she couldn’t help but giggle softly.

”Strange indeed, Branch….”




Tanjee nodded

~The Kagonesti are fierce fighters. You were lucky their fear of the dark magic scattered them from the area, otherwise I doubt we would be having this conversation right now. But you are correct….Ky’ly will kill Branch if she is with the younglings. Without second thought. And if he does not, Allawana will. She is almost as ruthless as her husband only her weapons are most often sharp and barbed words dripping with venom. I heard whispers that Branch was trying to teach Olwa how to make his own bow one time and was caught by Ky’ly. Rumor has it she was severely punished for interfering with his training. I never heard what sort of punishment she received, but I imagine it was quite unpleasant and has not been forgotten.~

As Kali mentally voiced her suspicions about how the younglings were traveling, Tanjee drew her horse up to a halt and scanned the immediate area. Like Kali, her elven sight picked up on small shapes here and there. Her eyes looked up at the trees and saw the sinking sun’s rays making their ways through the canopy of budding leaves on the trees.

Twisting around to glance behind her for a few moments, she looked back to Kali and nodded slightly.

~I have as much as it takes.~

She gave Kali a grin that spoke volumes.

After Olwa awoke and was teased by Pela for sleeping the day away the three of them erased all traces of their using the cave and set out again. The white moon of Solinari rose off the horizon and gave a ghost white silhouette to everything. Branch had elected to move ahead of Pela and Olwa, staying about 100 – 200 meters in front to scout out anything that was ahead of them. The devices she had made were affixed to Pela’s boots and made it so her footsteps looked like a deer had been walking where she was instead of a human. The devices were comfortable and didn’t hinder her movement at all, designed to allow mobility but hide her tracks. This allowed them to move faster as they didn’t have to erase Pela’s tracks any longer.

An hour or so into their advancement Olwa and Pela heard Branch’s voice come into their heads, ~ “Wolves, four of them… they have just crossed behind me and between us. They are hunting…” ~

Olwa touched Pela’s arm gently and they both crouched low to the ground and watched. Olwa immediately saw their pink silhouettes as the four canines moved slowly. He could see one catch a scent and the other three turned to follow, they were coming right at Pela and Olwa. He swallowed hard and whispered to Pela, “They aren’t wolves… they’re dire wolves.”

Olwa gripped his bow tightly and silently withdrew and arrow from his quiver, sending a missive to Branch he told her that they were Dire Wolves and that she needed to circle back immediately as they were coming in. There was no answer.

Olwa looked at Pela and pointed in the direction of the creatures, though Solinari’s glow was bright the wolves were hunters and knew how to stick to the shadows, her human sight was not allowing her to see them. Olwa’s breathing disappeared and he kept his eyes fixed on the forest ahead of him, watching as the wolves began to fan out and he could tell by the shape changes in their outlines, they were tracking in.

Kali smiled knowingly at Tanjee and the two ladies kept on, hastening their pace slightly to allow them to catch up. Kali kept watching vigilantly for anything even resembling a humanoid silhouette, She certainly didn’t want to catch an arrow in the heart from Branch and keeping a magical barrier around her and Tanjee would require far too much energy if she channeled it constantly.

After a couple hours she stopped and Tanjee stopped in response. She turned and looked at Kali, she was showing signs of fatigue and her breathing had gotten a little more labored. She spoke in missive to Tanjee, ~ “Apologies Tanjee, the pain on the left side of my body… I need to rest if even for a few minutes long enough to make my tea.” ~

Pela was on instant alert when Branch reported the wolves but when she heard Olwa state they were dire wolves, she knew they would have their hands full. Dire wolves were twice to three times the size of normal wolves and they were more cunning. Not to mention three times stronger. And if they were hunting, there was a pack of them. That could be anywhere from four to eight or more.

Crouching low with Olwa, her body instantly lowered temperature as she felt threatened. Like Olwa, her breathing slowed, her heart rate remained steady and she kept looking around in all directions. As Olwa knocked his arrow and readied to pull the string in the blink of an eye, Pela put just enough space between them where he could move without her hindrance and to keep him from being affected by the drop in temperature immediately around her.

Knowing Olwa had the advantage of sight, Pela would be able to feel the heat emanated from the large bodies but only when they got within a few feet of her. Anything long range would have to be handled on an as needed basis. And it would be Olwa she would have to rely on to let her know where they were.

Of course all of that went out the window when the sound of a twig snapping followed by the unmistakable sound of a snarl just seconds before she felt the heat pressing in on her. Instinctively Pela threw her hands up to protect herself. The sound of a whoosh followed by a solid thud then the sound of cracking ice and the whimper of a large canine filled the air all within seconds of each other. The wolves had split up and half of them had circled around behind Olwa and Pela while the other half kept them occupied from the front.

The impact of the wolf with the ice shield caused it to break and shatter and caused Pela to be knocked backwards on her rear. In a flash, Pela rolled backwards and got to her feet, crouching low and looking every bit like some wild creature. There was no doubt that attack was just the beginning and now that they know their prey would not go down that easy, they were no doubt circling around to figure out their weakness.

Hearing Olwa’s voice in her head, Pela quickly moved back to where he was turning so her back was to his leaving just enough space between them so he was not affected by her cold. And where was Branch? Was she OK? Had the dire’s gotten a hold of her already? Please no….




Tanjee quickly dismounted and walked over to help Kali dismount as well. She knew the mage was still feeling pain from the ordeal at Heartlund but she didn’t realize just how bad until now. She could hear the pain in Kali’s voice even though it was in her mind. Helping Kali over to a patch of soft moss under a large oak, she knelt down beside the mage and gave her a concerned look.

~I am sorry, Kali. I should have known you needed to rest. Here….we will stop and rest for a moment.~

As Kali prepared her tea, Tanjee stood and moved around looking in all directions. There was something in the forest tonight that didn’t seem to set well with Tanjee. Perhaps it was just the fact they were looking for the younglings that had Tanjee on edge. But Tanjee was never one to let her gut feelings go unheard.

Kneeling down next to Kali again, she smiled but the smile was strained.

~How are you feeling? Better?”

Just then she felt a slight tingle and she turned standing up slowly and looking northwest. Tanjee spoke to Kali’smind again.

~Am I feeling things or did you feel that too?~

Piramay sat quietly strumming her fingers upon the armrest of her chair. Even in the cold southern reached of Krynn had flame maiden heard of the festivities in Silvanost. A grand gathering of the elven people to celebrate the wedding of the elven general Aeolis, and the white robe Ceridwyn. While Aeolis was of little interest Ceridwyn was another matter all together. She was a close friend of the Rayann the Red, but more importantly a close friend of Kali. Taking in a deep breath Piramay rose from her seat casting her eyes over the table.

Walking along the length of the table Piramay dragged her left hand across the surface. "What kind of gift should I bestow upon the happy couple I wonder..." Her hand dropped off the end as she walked away towards a full length mirror upon the wall. She stood there for examining herself from head to toe. The crimson red of her robes vibrant in the light of the flames that danced in the sconces of the wall. She reached up with her right hand and pulled the tresses of her hair back revealing her pointed ears. Reaching into the arms of her robes she pulled out some reagent dust and cast it up into the air whispering the words of her craft.

Reaching up she made a grasping motion as if she were plucking a piece of hair. As she did the firey color was drawn from her hair in the form of a living flame leaving her hair black as flame polished stone. She repeated this process drawing the ruby color from her lips and her eyes shifted to an ash gray. She admired her work for several moments and shook her head as her features took on a distinctly elven appearance. "Now that is a face that has not been seen in a long time isn't it?"

Piramay reached for the chain around her neck and lifted off over heard head pulling forth a jewel hidden from her robes. She sighed slipping the jewel onto the chain and slipped the chain back over her head. Moments later the red color was leached from her robes shifting them to a radiant bleach white and the black lacing shifted like a living fire shifting patterns as the color went from black to a dazzling flame blue tone. A soft chuckled escaped her lips as she clasped her staff which came to life at her touch. The ashen color slipped away and made the staff look like it was made of living wood as vines grew and wrapped around the staff.

With a feint chuckled Piramay tapped the end of her staff upon the floor letting the sound resonate in the cavern before the air around her shimmered and she vanished from sight in a ball of light. Appearing once more before the gates of Silvanost. She approached slowly till the guard roused and asked her name. "I am Amayth Reniatess (roughly Beauty of the West Flame ) of the western reaches." a smile spread upon her lips. It had been decades since anyone would have heard the name of the mage, but it would be a name that was known. A reclusive mage who would rarely take guests and even rarer still were her visits to Silvanost itself.

Kali coughed hard, her body was racked with pain and she sat on the soft moss that Tanjee offered. As the Elfess apologized Kali held up her hand through a coughing fit and whispered, “You have nothing to be forgiven for Tanjee, it is my body shattered, not yours. This is the cost of serving the gods.”

There was a hint of bitterness and sarcasm in Kali’s voice, there always was however this was a bitterness of defiance not one of anger. She seemed to almost reveal in the fact that the gods left her in this state, it gave her something to overcome and conquer. Tanjee had prepared a small bed of coals and Kali warmed water in a small device her Father had given her that sat in the coals but had a handle which remained cool to the touch. As she sipped the tea Tanjee would see the almost instant relief that came over Kali, the color began returning to her face and she breathed easier.

As Tanjee knelt beside her again and asked how she was feeling Kali nodded and spoke, “Yes, I appreciate your asking.”

Just as Tanjee asked her question Kali furrowed her brows and looked quickly towards the northwest. She seemed to stare into nothing for a moment and then turned back to Tanjee, “Pela is drawing magic to her…” She paused a moment and her eyes went wide. Immediately standing she spoke, “Something is going on, Pela is casting magic, strong magic.”

Tanjee and Kali covered and buried the tiny fire pit and were up on their mounts in a flash. In haste they headed in full gallop to the northwest in the direction Kali could feel Pela.
Olwa spun as he heard the Dire Wolf smash into Pela’s ice shield. He saw her hit the ground but saw that she immediately recovered and was back on her feet, ” ~Get back to back with me, like we did in Heartlund!~ “

Pela was almost against him, he could feel the cold resonating off her body. The Dire Wolf that had hit the ice shield recovered and had tucked itself back into the foliage so fast Olwa hadn’t had a chance to get a shot off. He gripped his bow tightly, scanning the darkness… he could see small hints of pink here and there, but nothing solid, nothing that identified a Dire Wolf… he spoke again to Pela’s mind ~ “Stay on alert, be ready…”~

The instant he said it to her the form appeared before him. He drew his bow up and fired hitting the Dire Wolf directly in the front of the nose. The arrow ripped into its nasal passage and became lodged in the bone, the Dire Wolf howled in pain but shook its head and recovered quickly. It was about to lunge in again when a second and third arrow hissed through the air only milliseconds apart from one another. The wolf cried out in pain and hit the ground as the gurgle of blood through the last breath exiting lungs filled the air.

Branch looked frantically in the direction he thought the arrows had come from and he spoke to Pela’s mind, ” ~I guess we know Branch is still out there.~ “

--
The gate guard immediately recognized the name Amayth Reniatess and bid her enter. The Captain of the gate turned to a lower ranked Elf and spoke, “See that Amayth Reniatess’ arrival is announced.”

The Elven soldier saluted and turned, mounting his horse and disappeared into the city. The Captain then turned to the Wizard and spoke, “It has been many moons since you have graced our city, I suppose we should have been expecting you given who was getting wed this day.”

Pela felt Olwa moving and by the time she snapped her head around to glance at what was happening, the wolf fell dead, gurgling as Branch’s arrows pierced it’s body. Daring to cast her eyes towards the trees, she thanked the Gods for Branch’s safety but that was about all she had time to do. The next instant, Pela practically felt the hot breath of the next wolf as it took her from surprise from the left.

Instantly reacting once more, ice daggers shot from her fingers towards the lunging wolf and like its fallen comrade, Pela heard a sickening, liquid like thud just seconds before the large body, unable to stop its forward momentum, slammed full force into her and Olwa knocking them both back about five feet.

The wolf’s sharp claws scraped over Olwa’s upper arm leaving dark crimson stains in their wake while the full weight of the creature landed on top of Pela’s prone form. The weight of the creature was far too much for the small human to even think of trying to move from off her body but if she didn’t, she’d slowly suffocate to death as the weight would slowly crush her.

She heard Olwa yell her name immediately followed by the sound of another attacking wolf…or was that two? Panic began to set in and the fear that Olwa was in danger set the young sorceress into action. Drawing as much magic as she could into herself, she pushed against the huge, dead weight of the dire wolf and let out a cry of determination.

The dire wolf’s body suddenly erupted and shattered as Pela’s cold touch flash froze the body making it like delicate glass so when her blast of icy air hit the body, it shattered like fine crystal into thousands of pieces. Scrambling to her feet, she ran over to where Olwa stood after going head to head against another wolf.

Olwa could feel the cold Pela gave off was even more than when she had fought side by side with him in Heartlund. Standing defensively she began to draw magic to her again and Olwa would see the ground was beginning to freeze and move outward looking for anything it could claim for its own. Pela knew Olwa would tell Branch what was happening so the elfess would not fall victim to the growing cold.





Tanjee couldn’t imagine what was causing Pela to cast the way she was but Tanjee could feel the prickles of magic use getting stronger. That either meant they were drawing closer or Pela was casting very strong magic.

All of a sudden, their horses drew up short and started pawing at the ground acting very nervously. Tanjee recognized the behavior right away and she spoke quietly to Kali.

”Predators lurk nearby, Kali…..”

Tanjee’s nose sniffed the air and her ears could hear sound in the distance, the sound of a fight but they were still a ways away, but close enough that the horses could smell something threatening. Drawing her bow and notching an arrow, she scanned the area looking for the familiar pink silhouettes of what the horses were trying to tell them.

Just then Tanjee saw a form and gasped. She was just getting ready to say something to Kali when she heard the mage’s voice.

“Dire wolves….”

Tanjee felt the draw of magic again and furrowed her brows.

”I think we have discovered why Pela is casting…”

Olwa felt Pela casting and immediately sent a missive to Branch, hoping she was close enough to hear. The arrows struck at an angle suggesting she was in the trees. He assumed that Pela’s cold spell would not climb the trunks so he informed Branch to stay aloft and hit the beasts from the up high.

As Pela was casting and focusing to concentrate Olwa kept a watchful eye. His arm hurt like the abyss but he held his bow and waited. A flash of pink caught his eye to the right and he turned, the image was nothing short of horrifying. A massive wolf, larger than any of the others was rising up from the foliage and spoke to him in common with a voice that could only be described as someone gargling hot coals, “Give it up whelp, we have you surrounded.”

Olwa spoke back, “We will not surrender, if you want us it will have to be dead, not alive. I don’t know how many of you there are or what you want with us but I guarantee that we will kill as many of you as possible before we are taken.”

The Alpha Dire looked at him and responded after a few seconds of contemplation, “Your offer is fair and worth the trade.”

It was dark, the Alpha was a good distance away and Olwa could only make out the silhouette of him. He drew swiftly and loosed an arrow that struck dead center of the Alpha wolfs chest and a resounding “DING!” rang out. Olwa furrowed his brow and the sound of the Alpha wolf laughing echoed out. Suddenly a second volley of arrows came from the trees and struck the Alpha in the side, the same metallic ding as if a gong had been struck rang out.

The woods suddenly came alive with pink silhouettes rising up from all over as if a veil had been lifted, Pela and Olwa were surrounded by no less than 20 wolves plus the Alpha. The Alpha wolf spoke again and his words made Olwa’s spine shivier, “Devour them my children!”

Kali didn’t say anything but her response told Tanjee all she needed to hear. Kali kicked her horses sides and though the mare protested due to the presence of hunters she charged forth as commanded by her rider. Though they were warhorses they still had instincts and Kali knew that Pela and Olwa were in danger. She heard Tanjee follow only a split second later and the thundering of their two horses hooves pounded the ground. Kali could feel the tingle of magic buzzing all around her, Pela was channeling magic, and though she was effective with this sort of magic Kali knew that she wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long. Reaching into her robes as her horse thundered along Kali removed a small ball of reagent about the size of a marble and hissed the spidery words of magic as she tossed the ball into the air. It shot up into the trees and exploded in a brilliant flash of light that dissipated across a wide area and began to float down from the canopy slowly, illuminating the entire area.

“By the go…, ” She hadn’t even gotten the entire swear out when a Dire Wolf shot out from the underbrush and smashed into the side of her horse tearing the guts from it in seconds and throwing Kali to the ground. Her nimbleness as a half Elf allowed her to roll gracefully and land on her feet. Despite the pain of the impact she was relatively unscathed and she brought her staff up hissing words of magic, “[i]Rasharlack Dra Gelshrista!” The dire wolf that had just killed her mount was just beginning a second lung at her when the shadow spell hit it dead on in the chest killing the creature instantly.

The spell Pela cast was like a living, growing organism that attacked any living thing it could and consumed it. The cold crept partly up the trunks of trees and the sound of crackling timber soon filled the air as the trees protested the extreme frigidness. All around the immediate area, the temperature dropped as though a second ice age was taking place.

Just as the sound of the wolf’s call to the other pack members rang out to devour them, Pela let her spell go. The numbing cold would drastically slow down the movements of the wolves closest to Pela and Olwa but not stop them entirely. The Alpha seemed to know what she was doing and stayed just far enough out of her range.

It wasn’t until the light suddenly bathed the dark woods that Pela saw the real danger they were all in as the bodies of the drooling Dires came into view. She gasped and was momentarily stunned by what she was seeing but her shock was gone the instant she saw the dire lunging for her.

The beast leapt from the very outer parameter of the numbing cold circle she had created and opened its mouth to clamp down on her. A bolt of pure frost erupted from her hand freezing the beast instantly causing it to drop like a rock, frozen in mid lunge, at her feet.

From there, the full on attack was on. Pela could feel herself weakening but she knew she couldn’t give up either. Thankfully the skills Bad Rock taught her about hand to hand combat came back to her with ease and she was able to move while casting spells.




When Tanjee saw the wolves, she let out a gasp and spoke a small prayer to the Gods. As she saw Kali’s horse go down, she leapt off the back of her own knowing the animal would fend better without the added weight of her on its back.

Drawing her bow and firing off several shots before the wolves realized she had come up behind them, some of them now broke off from the main attack and started in on her and Kali. For once, she was glad she was a pain to Aeolis all those years and insisting he teach her all he could about using a bow and the environment around her to help her fight.

As Kali fired off another spell, Tanjee saw two wolves closing in on her and she shouldered her bow and ran to her right. The wolves took off after her as she suspected and just when they were about to lunge on her, she jumped up holding her hands over her head and swung herself up the large branch. Pulling her bow, she as soon as she crouched down, the wolves came to a skidding stop a few seconds later, their heavier bodies unable to respond as quickly to the elfess’ moves. As they turned to see where she went, Tanjee fired one bolt into a wolf and was getting ready to fire into the other one when she heard the hiss of an arrow followed by the solid thud of the bolt hitting the wolf and the wolf falling.

Snapping her head to the right she saw movement in the trees and on the ground. The Rangers the Queen had sent out to locate the younglings were now joining the fight. At least, Tanjee thought, the odds were evening out now.

The Alpha Dire growled angrily in protest at the light. Kali turned and looked, seeing him facing off in front of Pela and Olwa. He had a dozen Dire Wolves in front of him and he was covered in metal plates that seemed to be attached to his body rather than strapped on. Kali furrowed her brows and turned sharply as she heard the thud of arrows to her right. Tanjee was in a tree and Kali could see three rangers a little further off knocking arrows and preparing to fire.

The Alpha Dire was squinting through the light, but he saw them too and was making a strange, throaty growl that was like a chirp more than a deep, menacing sound. Suddenly the Dire Wolves ceased their attack and almost vaporized into the undergrowth. All remnants of the pink outlines that made them visible to the Elves disappeared and Kali looked at suspiciously. Even the Alpha Dire Wolf was gone. Kali ran with haste and came up to Pela and Olwa, Tanjee hot on her heels arriving only a second or two later.

“What in the Abyss was that?” Olwa said as Kali brushed him aside and looked at Pela, “Are you alright?”

Pela swallowed hard as she nodded and looked around, the silence in the forest was beginning to ring in the ears. Olwa tapped Kali on the shoulder again and she turned to look at him from under her hood. Her eyes were glowing like fire and she spoke, “What?”

Olwa now swallowed hard and spoke softly, “What were those things.”

Kali half sneered and spoke, “Dire Wolves, have they not taught you that in Ranger School?”

Olwa shook his head, “No Dire Wolf has ever disappeared into the underbrush like that.”

Kali looked as the three Rangers approached, they were the same three that she and Tanjee had encountered on the road earlier, “Princess Kali, the two we shot, they are gone too.”

Kali looked up and watched as the light from her spell was slowly flickering out. She whispered so the group could hear, “Yes young Olwa, that is the real mystery here… my spell has only about another minute and I am sure we will get a second look at them to answer your question.”

Olwa looked at her with wide eyes and she spoke, “Did you think they were going to quit just because I made a light in the sky?”

He glanced around and then to Pela before looking back at Kali, “OK, what do we do?”

“First you need to tell your third party member to stay where she is, we will need her in the canopy where they can’t see her.” Olwa looked at Kali and spoke, “There is only the two of us.”

Kali looked at him hard and snapped her hood off her head, staring at Olwa sharply, “Do you think we have time for lies Young Olwa? Do you really want to attempt to convince me the Kagonesti didn’t accompany you from Silvanost while we let the remaining light die out?”

Olwa swallowed hard and looked at Kali, “Right… now send her a missive and tell her to keep vigilant from the tree tops.”

She turned to the three Rangers, “You three spread out 30 meters apart and get along those three trees there. The more we have up shooting down from a superior position the better. Clearly they have us outnumbered so we need to gain the tactical advantage to make up for our lack of numbers.”

The three Ranger’s immediately turned and took up positions in the trees. Kali turned to Tanjee and her voice became a little softer. Stay with the two Younglings, I will be right over there,” She pointed to a position that was about 25 degrees off where she just sent the three Rangers, allowing there to be no crossfire casualties but also give her a wider vantage point to work from, “I will do my best to cover this back side, if I need you I will call via missive.”

Olwa spoke, “I will come with you Kali, you will need…”

Kali snapped her head to look at him again and hissed, “I need nothing from you Olwa, nothing. What you need to do is take some responsibility for leading your party into a pack of magically enhanced Dire Wolves. You wanted to be the leader, well now it is time to act like one.”

Olwa shrunk back slightly and Tanjee looked at Kali speaking, “Magically enhanced?”

Kali looked at her plainly and barely whispered, “Is there any other explanation?”

Kali moved to where she said she would be just as the remaining light from her spell extinguished, no sooner had the light died when the sound of rustling in the under growth returned and the sound of growling both distant and close could be heard.

There were a lot of questions going through Pela’s mind right now but there was no time to ask them. Obviously they hadn’t gotten away as clean as they thought they had and she felt deflated thinking they would be marched back to the city and have to face Olwa’s parents. But that was for another time. Right now they had to survive this horrific night.

As Kali stationed the Rangers in strategic places, Pela saw what she was doing and knew it was going to be a multifaceted approach to facing off against the Dire Wolves once more. Taking a deep breath, she positioned herself at Olwa’s back once more and prepared for an even more vicious attack from the beasts.

As the light finally faded, Pela heard the snarling and growling almost immediately. Looking over at Olwa as he looked at her, she nodded firmly letting him know she was good to go. Closing her eyes for a moment, she refocused herself and began gathering magic so she could cast.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she brought her hands up and let a volley of ice spikes go hearing the sound of yelps and cries as her spikes hit the wolves. This deadly dance was starting up all over again and this time Pela was going to be one of the best dancers these foul beasts had ever seen.






Tanjee shook her head.

”No. None at all.”

Kali was right, though. These things were magically enhanced somehow but hw and who had done such a thing? Questions to be answered at a different time. Right now, Tanjee had to take her place next to Kali to make sure the mage was given the chance to concentrate and cast her spells.

As she heard the snarling and growling start up, she brought her bow up and pulled the bolt back and watched for the familiar pink hue that would outline the Dires. A little easier said than done, Tanjee was discovering. Still, she wasn’t as much of a push over as one would think. After all, she was tought by one of the best.

And she was needing every skill he taught her.

The instant Pela let her ice spikes fly Kali’s ear twitched and from behind her a noise of breaking timber erupted, she spun and cast a shadow orb spell that ripped through the flesh of a Dire Wolf and filled the air with the smell of burnt blood and fur.

She spun as she heard the sound of an arrow barely missing her shoulder and spun in time to see a second wolf taking a shot through its left eye. There was barely time for a yelp as the broad head pierced the brain and the Wolf sailed past her and hit the ground dead. Kali turned and looked, Tanjee was knocking a fresh arrow and wasn’t even waiting for a glance of affirmation or thanks from Kali. Kali felt a faint smile creep up the right corner of her mouth.

From the distance the sound of the Alpha could be heard, chirping and growling orders like a commander right behind the lines of his troops. He was there, but he was staying just out of sight. Whatever this thing was it was intelligent enough to recognize the odds had just evened up a bit and he had withdrawn to approach the attack from a new angle.

Suddenly the sound of an Elf screaming echoed out and Kali looked to see one of the Rangers had been ripped in half, literally, by two Dire Wolves up in the tree. “By the gods they got up into the branches.” She whispered as she saw the two halves fall to the forest floor. She sent a missive to the other two Rangers and instructed them to take whatever evasive or precautionary measures they needed to avoid harm.” Almost instantly the two of them scattered from where they were perched and moved into the thicker cover of the forest. Tanjee was firing frantically, hitting some, missing others, Kali listened and the sounds of the movement in the brush was all around them now, the wolves were toying with them, moving to make their numbers seem greater than they were.

Suddenly both of the Dire Wolves at her feet began to twitch and move. She stepped back and watched as one at a time they began to stand and turned to snarl at her. She instantly reached into her robes and removed another pinch of the same reagent she had used to make the light and hissed words of magic as she flung it at the wolves, the bat guano mixed with sulfur exploded into a fireball and incinerated into ash. She looked down as she began to find a new position hissing, “Reanimate from that.”

She ran up behind Tanjee and crouched low speaking to her mind as she reached into her robes, ~ “The can reanimate, the two that were dead at my feet just came back to life.” ~

Tanjee looked down and stared at her in amazement and disbelief, Kali shrugged and gave a look that said, “You got me.” And she stood up again, hissing words of magic as she flung a handful of sulfur, sand and stones into the air. The reagents exploded into thousands of searing orbs that flew out in all directions, striking and burning through anything they hit. It was a blind strike but enough to open a gap in the advancing Dire Wolves. She reached and grabbed Tanjee, “Come!”

Tanjee and Kali sprang forth from the spot they were standing and ran directly towards the sound of the Alpha Dire, his sounds suggested he was just over a small rise and just out of sight.

Tanjee was firing as best as she could but her accuracy was nothing compared to Olwa’s. It was where she lacked in skill as opposed to the others who were more proficient. But her shots weren’t completely useless. What shots did hit were lethal or at least maiming.

Whenshe heard the screams of one of the Rangers, Tanjee startled and looked at the horrific scene as the Dires pulled the elf apart. As the other elves scrambled for better cover, Tanjee couldn’t get over the fact the Dires had gotten into the trees. How on Krynn did they do that?

Before she could find out how, she saw the wolves at Kali’s feet began to twitch and move. Tanjee’s eyes grew wide and she whispered softly.

”By the Gods….how…”

Before she could ask the question, Kali grabbed a hold of her and half dragged her through the path Kali’s spell had created for them to run through. When she realized what direction they were moving in, Tanjee’s voice sounded shocked in Kali’s head.

~Kali! We’re headed right for…..~

Before she could get the rest f her words out, a large Dire lunged at them both from the right and Tanjee pulled the bow up and fired her bolt.






Pela was growing tired. The Dires were relentless and attacked her and Olwa at every angle possible. They were getting more brazen or desperate, which one Pela couldn’t tell. Either way, they were turning up the pressure on them and Pela was doing all she could to make sure they didn’t wind up ripped in half like the Ranger.

As she felt Kali’s spell fire off, Pela caught a glimpse of Kali and Tanjee headed straight for the Alpha Dire. Seeing what they were doing, Pela fired off a blast of cold as she saw another Dire headed for the two women. The Dire went flying miss9ing Kali and Tanjee while Tanjee fired a bolt at another Dire from the opposite side.

Just then she felt heat from her left and turned just as a large Dire came at Olwa as his back was turned firing at another Dire. Screaming, Pela jumped in front of Olwa just as the wolf would have clamped down on him. There was the slightest yelp and the wolf fell, dead with a large ice spear through the beasts mouth that came out the back of its head.

Blood, gray matter and chunks of fur spattered over her body but she was very much alive as was Olwa. When she saw Olwa turn and see what happened, he let his gaze settle on hers for a moment before they both turned and defended themselves against the Dires.

Branch noted the movement of the Black Wizard and the other Elf who she didn't recognize. From her place in the canopy she was moving and firing her bow, striking down Dire Wolves one by one only to watch them come back to life. This was strange, and something unlike she had ever seen. She could see the dark one had a plan but she did not have faith in any wizard who wore the robes of Nuitari, they simply could not be trusted. She moved along the branches and found a place to crouch, pushing her back against the bark she turned and fire at a beast that was charging from Pela's right side. The arrow went through the shoulder, right where she was aiming. The bone shattered and the arrow then pierced the heart and stuck into a root, anchoring the animal to the wood. She wasn't sure if it would thwart the damn thing when it came alive, but it was worth a try. She then turned and watched as the two Rangers began working in tandem with one another, drawing the wolves while the other fired, when the beasts would redirect to attack the other they would switch. She had to admit for Silvanesti Elves it was a good strategy. At the switch the Ranger to her right was firing and picking off wolves with well placed shots. He was so focused that the two coming up behind him in a creep were going unnoticed. The animals were at such an angle she could barely see the second behind the first. There was no time to send a missive and warn her cousin, she simply had to act. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and knocked it, drew back and sighted, placing the broad head on her target, the arrow whizzed through the air and struck the first beast in the head. piercing his temple right behind the ear through all the bone and severed the spinal cord where the vertebrae meets the skull. Like a lightening flash she drew and fired a second arrow that was a split second behind the first. It struck the first arrow dead in the knock and drove it all the way through, piercing the second wolf that was stalking behind it. Both beasts hit the ground simultaneously. The Ranger looked up, to see where the shots had come from, Branch was already gone from the spot.



Olwa wanted to scream in protest, he was a better shot than Tanjee, he should be going,but at the same time he needed to, and WANTED to stay and protect Pela... he watched as Kali and Tanjee thundered through the underbrush up the hill. As Tanjee and Kali ran a Dire Wolf exploded out of some dense foliage, right on top of the two ladies. Olwa pulled back and fired, the arrow shafted the beast in the heart and as it hit the ground he heard the two of them continue up the hill. The darkness was so thick it was getting harder and harder to see. The half light of Solinari wasn't giving near enough through the canopy for them to see perfectly clear. Even the Elven sight was useless as the Wolves somehow seemed to be able to elude them, masking their silhouettes and appear seemingly out of now where.

He turned and drew back, firing again as a creature lunged at them. His arrow hit the beast dead in the center of the chest and Pela froze it solid as it skid to a stop at her feet. He spoke over the sounds all around them, "We aren't going to last much longer, I am down to three arrows."

Suddenly there was a gentle thud behind them and Branch had landed on top of a Dire that was almost on top of them from behind. Her short sword was through the center of the beasts head and she twisted the blade as she stood to her full height, "Branch is out of arrows Master Olwa. Whatever Tanjee and the Dark One are doing, Branch hopes they do it quickly."

She spun and caught another wolf under the chin, tearing it open from the top of the throat down to the middle of it's chest. She drew her knife and backed up so the three of them were in a triangle now.



As Kali and Tanjee ran Kali spoke to her mind, ~ "Somehow these damn things are reanimating, only a Necromancer can do that! If the Alpha is some sort of Necromancer or animated by one it could be the key to killing them all. If it is not I want to die knowing at least THAT one is dead by my hand ... at least once." ~

Her words were laced with a strange hatred that Tanjee had never heard from Kali before when she said the word 'Necromancer'. Kali seemed to have a strange new strength that was encircling her and the hairs on the back of Tanjee's neck would be tingling. As they crested the hill sure enough the Alpha was barking orders and a slight purple aura was surrounding him. He was in a semi-trance like state and the sounds coming from his throat sounded evil and sinister, even though they couldn't understand whatever he was saying was not friendly. Kali looked at Tanjee and spoke to her mind, ~ "Ever seen how metal allows electricity to move through it? When I stun him strike." ~

Kali brought up her hands and hissed words of magic. There was a dark and evil build up of power around her, more dark than Tanjee had ever felt. Tanjee also felt a slight hint of nausea as the energy built and Kali's hair suddenly flowed with deep shadows and purple flames. She brought her hands up and purple lightening exploded from her fingertips hitting the Alpha Dire dead in the chest. He yelped and smashed backwards into a tree behind him. The lightening that encirlced the massive beast illuminated him, flashing off the metal and Kali spoke, her voice was exhausted from the magic that had just moved through her, "Find the chinks where the light is dimmed by its fur, hit it between the metal plates on its body!"


Branch immediately felt the darkness that erupted from the direction of the Dark Wizard and she instinctively moved in front of Olwa and Pela, putting herself between them and Kali, even though Kali was almost two hundred meters away and out of sight over the hill.

Pela startled slightly when Branch landed behind her and Olwa. When she stated she was out of arrows and Olwa stated he was down to only three, Pela knew things were growing from bad to worse faster than she anticipated. At this point, there was only one thing she COULD do.

”Stay close…both of you….”

As Branch killed another Dire, Pela acted quickly. Clapping her hands together then holding then over her head, the three were suddenly encased in a bubble of frost. As the wolves tried to break through the bubble they would freeze instantly but with each hit the bubble took, Pela could feel her energy draining as she concentrated on maintain the bubble of protection around the three of them.





Tanjee practically felt the hatred dripping off Kali’s words when she said the word Necromancer and the elfess had a good idea as to why. As Kali cast her spell, Tanjee felt the nausea hit her and she swallowed hard to keep herself from wanting to wretch. As Kali’s spell hit the Alpha Dire, Tanjee watched in amazement as the purple lightning moved all over his body.

Hearing Kali’s words, Tanjee took a deep breath and drew a bead on the beast, aiming for the places Kali told her to aim. Firing the first shot, she heard the sickening thud of her bolt hitting flesh and bone. Praying to the Gods her aim remained true, she fired another bolt. She would keep firing until she had nothing left to fire.



As Kali gathered the magic to cast her spell, Pela felt the nausea hit her and her spell began to weaken and it seemed like the Dire’s could tell. With each hit, Pela grew weaker and the nausea was causing her to lose strength quickly. Dropping to her knees and clenching her jaw, Pela struggled to maintain the protective bubble for fear of being overtaken by the ravenous Dire Wolves hell bent on devouring them as their leader instructed them to do.

But her efforts were futile and the bubble burst, exposing them to the deadly jaws of the Dires.

Kali managed to get back to her feet as the Alpha Dire recoiled with each impact of Tanjee’s bolts. Tanjee drew her last arrow and Kali placed her hand on Tanjee’s arm. The Dire Wolf was pinned to the tree behind him, snarling, barely holding on to what life it had left. The Dire Wolves all around seemed to be going into a frenzy at the injuries to their leader and were starting to close in fast. Kali reached into her robe and removed a red powder that she smeared on the shaft of Tanjee’s arrow. Kali turned and looked at the Alpha Dire who’s eyes seemed to be fixed on Tanjee and suddenly there was fear in his pupils.

Kali spoke through a hiss, “Fire.”

Tanjee drew back and Kali spoke in the spidery words of magic. As Tanjee loosed the arrow Kali finished the incantation and the arrow streaked through the air like a meteorite. It struck in the exposed flesh of the Wolf and he buckled under the impact. The Dire Wolves eyes glowed red from within and then slumped over.




As Pela collapsed Olwa moved to aid her and felt Branches hand on his shoulder. She shoved him down to the ground violently and knocked that air out of him. In his haste to help Pela he was right in the path of a closing Dire Wolf. Branch took the brunt of the impact as the beast collided with her and they both flew back several meters, skidding to a halt. The Wolf had turned its head as it was still focused on biting Olwa so branch had managed to avoid his jaws, but the impact against her chest caused several of her ribs to crack and she coughed violently as the air was forced from her lungs.

The Dire stood and had Branch under his front paws, he drew back and was about to shred her throat when Branch hissed in ancient magic. Several of the branches from the trees above suddenly whipped down and snatched the wolf off her, yanking it about 10 meters into the air and squeezing the life out of it. Branch stood and returned to Olwa and Pela as quickly as she could when she suddenly felt a massive rift in the magic around them and then the forest went dead silent. She looked around, one hand on Pela, the other on Olwa. Olwa was about to speak and she shushed him. After a moment she whispered, “Listen to the land Master Olwa, it is no longer shivering, the evil is defeated.”

She turned and looked up towards Tanjee and Kali, then back to Pela and Olwa, “Branch thinks maybe the Dark One and Silvan have defeated the Alpha.”

She was about to move when the two Rangers ran up and spoke, “Halt, you aren’t going out of our sight, any of you.”

Olwa stood up and spoke, “Wrong, we have to go up there and see if Kali and Tanjee are ok.”

The Ranger looked up the hill and furrowed his brow. Watching the landscape a moment he nodded, “Fine, we will go, but you three will stay with us, understood?”

Pela was about to protest when she felt Olwa’s gentle hand touch her on the small of her back, suggesting she keep quiet, for now, and Olwa spoke, “Agreed, we will stay together.” He glanced at Pela and nodded softly as she looked at him assuring her that it would be alright.

The five of them made their way to the top of the hill and saw Kali and Tanjee knelt side by side supporting one another. Tanjee looked pale and sick, as if she was about to vomit all over the place. Kali looked exhausted, clearly whatever magic she had just cast was powerful enough to bring her to her knees. They could hear Kali whispering softly to Tanjee, “I am sorry Tanjee, I had to use the ambient magic, it was that or someone else besides the Ranger die…” Kali had her clammy forehead pressed against Tanjee’s and the two were breathing in unison, trying to get the strength enough back to stand.

As Kali cast the spell on her arrow, Tanjee felt the bile trying to climb up the back of her throat as the nausea grew even more. Forcing herself to focus on the task at hand, she took careful aim with her bolt. She could see the utter hatred in the creatures eyes as she took aim. Finally her fingers released the taut string of her bow and the bolt sailed forward like a strange beacon in the night. As the bolt struck and the beast finally extinguishing the red glow in his eyes, Tanjee felt her legs buckle at the same time Kali’s did.

Reaching out for the Princess, she half helped Kali down so she wouldn’t fall too hard and half used the leverage of Kali’s form to help herself ease to the forest floor.




The buzzing in Pela’s ears and the nausea that engulfed her caused the sorceress to be dazed for a few moments. She felt Olwa’s hand on her shoulder followed suddenly by the hard impact of Olwa next to her. She didn’t see the Dire but she felt the heat of his body as he jumped over them and impacted with something behind them. Pela had an idea of what, or more precisely who.

Gathering her senses about her, she sat up quickly and snapped her head around to see the Wolf holding Branch down with one of his massive paws. Seeing the wolf look back at her and Olwa then back to Branch, Pela had just enough time to yell Branch’s name when she saw the branches reach down and pull the wolf off the elfess and squeeze him until he moved no more.

The air was suddenly still and everything eerily quiet when she slowly got to her feet with Olwa’s help. Hearing Branch’s whispered words, Pela looked all around and sure enough, the area seemed to return to normal. Looking towards the area she last saw Tanjee and Kali, Pela was getting ready to move when she heard the Rangers halting them. Furrowing her brows, she was getting ready to tell the Rangers just what they could do with their orders when Olwa glanced at her. She would follow his lead, for now.

Making their way to the top of the hill, Pela saw Tanjee and Kali knelt, forehead to forehead, their arms clasped to each others. Rushing to their sides, she heard Tanjee ask the question that was buring in her own mind.

”What…..in the nine layers…..of the abyss…….was that thing?”

Pela flopped next to the women and reached over gently touching Kali’s shoulder. Her pale blue eyes and even paler face looked at the mage with deep concern etched on her own face.

”Kali? Are you alright? And you, Tanjee? Are you unhurt?”

Tanjee nodded with her eyes still closed and her forehead pressed against Kali’s as the nausea began to finally subside.

”I will be fine, Pela. And it is quite alright, Princess. You did what had to be done to save us all.”

Tanjee slowly lifted her head and reached her hands up to gently, lovingly cup Kali’s face, smiling slightly.

”I for one will be forever grateful.”

Leaning in, she pressed a fethery kiss to Kali's cheek before lowering her hands and slowly pushing herself to her feet. Taanjee knew Kali wasn't one for such displays but Tanjee wasn't one to hide how she really felt. As Pela got to her feet, she helped Tanjee then Kali back up. Tanjee shoulderd her bow and looked at the party. Seeing Olwa’s shoulder, she furrowed her brows.

”Well…..I can see one of us that will need some help. Are there any others?”

Her eyes looked around at the gathered group resting on each individual for a moment before sliding to the next.

Shaking her head as she and Tanjee sat together Kali whispered, “I won’t know until we go look, but I have my suspicions. Once we get our strength back we will need to go investigate.” She saw the look on Tanjee’s face and she flashed her charismatic crooked smile, “Calm lady of the greystone, surly deep down you want to know what stalks your woods.” Kali’s joke didn’t fall on deaf ears but she saw the mix of emotion on Tanjee’s face and spoke more seriously, “Calm Tanjee, soon enough we will know.”

Pela flopped down beside her and she whispered, “Yes Pela, I am fine.”

Kali withdrew slightly as Tanjee embraced and kissed her cheek, she inhaled deeply and accepted the thanks but there was a clear look on her face as to how unnecessary all of it was. As she got back to her feet with Pela’s help she felt as if the world’s gravity was twice as heavy, her legs were like jelly and she looked around as Tanjee asked if anyone needed assistance.

Kali took a step and put her hands on Pela’s shoulders, looking her over. A thin smile crossed Kali’s face and she whispered, “You handled yourself well, clearly a past that most see as an unfortunate circumstance is better than one of comfort and privilege.” She brought her hand up and placed it on the young girls cheek, looking at Pela as if saying good-bye, “My offer will always stand, if ever you choose to walk a different path all you need do is ask.”

Pela could tell that Kali knew exactly what was going on between her and Olwa, that they were intent on running on that she was in no way going to attempt and stop them. Kali’s motivations at the moment were unclear, had she come all this way simply to say good-bye? Did she knew they were going to run into this danger and came to assist? Was she here so others wouldn’t be? Kali’s face gave away nothing, only the heart of Kali knew her real reasons for standing in the cool forests of Silvanesti.

She turned as Tanjee finished patching Olwa up and looked over the faces of the group, “So for those of you can or cannot stomach it I think it is time we see what this demon was.”

She turned and walked in the direction of the Alpha Dire Wolf. It lay prone on the ground, a purple ooze coming out of its mouth and seeping from the wounds. The red glowing eyes had shriveled and dried in the sockets and a faint gurgling escaped the throat. Kali turned to one of the Rangers, “Reach there and see what that purple ooze is.”

The Ranger looked at her curiously and smeared some of the ooze onto his finger tip and brought it up, holding it for the group to observe. The group looked and then turned to look at Kali as she spoke, “Hmm, interesting.”

The Ranger looked at her and spoke inquisitively, “What my Princess?”

Kali looked at him and her face was cold, “It’s fortunate the beasts blood wasn’t acidic and didn’t eat through your flesh.”

The Ranger looked at her crossly and spoke, “You used me to test its acidic properties?”

Kali looked at him and made no motion of regret and knelt down beside the creature. She lifted the paw and exposed the chest area. The armor was fused to the creature and in one of the pieces was a protruding handle. She looked at Tanjee curiously and spoke, “What does that look like?”

Tanjee furrowed her brows and spoke, “The hilt of a sword.”

Kali nodded and reached into her robes, hissing words of magic as she spread a white sprinkling powder over the hilt. It instantly glowed blue indicating the item was magical and Kali flashed her crooked smile once again as she whispered, “very interesting…”

She turned to Olwa and spoke, “Hold this.” Shaking the leg she was holding in her right hand. Olwa took it and tried to avoid the purple blood in case any strange acidic qualities had a delay or something. Reaching into her robes Kali took what looked like a stick of tar and some more of the white powder. She drew a circle around the hilt with the stick of tar and then sprinkled the powder on it. Hissing the words of magic the circle flared and glowed a bright orange. Kali reached and took the hilt in her hand and pulled, where the tar was glowing the sword released and she withdrew it from the armor. The metal was fused and still stuck to the blade around the base but the sword was extremely elegant and obviously of elven make. The party looked at it and one of the Rangers spoke, “We will take it to Silvanost for inspection Princess.”

Kali looked at him and spoke in almost a hiss, “You think I would let a magical item out of my sight before I knew exactly what it was?” The Ranger was about to speak and he stopped him as Kali looked at him with an expression that could have bore a hole in wood.

Pela smiled slightly at Kali as the mage double checked to make sure she was OK and offered her words of praise. With the slightest nod, she acknowledged Kali’s offer but said nothing one way or the other. As she turned to see Tanjee finishing up with Olwa, she took his warm hand in her cool one and walked over to the body with the rest of the party.

Pela studied the creature very carefully. Something about the thing seemed to trigger a familiarity in her mind but she couldn’t remember exactly why or what. All she knew was that it didn’t seem all that strange to her and almost expected.

As she watched Kali use the Ranger, Pela couldn’t hide the grin that crossed her face. The mage was clever indeed and Pela had learned a lot from her the short amount of time she spent around Kali. Her attention focused on the object Tanjee identified as a sword hilt as Kali used magic to remove it from the beast.

Tnajee furrowed her brows as she studied the sword. Indeed the craftsmanship was undeniably Elven, but exactly where did the sword come from? And was it a trophy from an unfortunate encounter the beast had with an elf in these woods in the past? Or was it something more sinister than that?

As the Ranger spoke up and kali quashed his actions, Tanjee quirked a delicate brow and looked over at the ranger as she spoke up as well.

”What if the sword caused the creatures unnatural state? Would you want that to happen to you or your fellow Ranger?”

As Tanjee saw the nervous glances exchanged between the two Rangers, she nodded.

”that is what I thought. The Princess is the safest being this object should be with.”

She studied the sword a little closer and her brows furrowed again.

”I swear….the craftsmanship looks vaguely familiar, Princess.”

She looked back to Kali then to the others gathered around before looking back at kali.

”What do you make of such a thing as this? Obviously the creature and the pack were a creation of something full of darkness. But who or what? Do you have a clue?”

Pela looked over at Branch as she stayed just behind Olwa and gave the elfess a small smile of thanks. She saw the way Branch’s eyes darted to the two Rangers before resting on Pela and Pela knew the elfess was thinking along the same lines she was.

Exactly how were they going to lose these Rangers and continue on without killing them?

Kali looked up at Tanjee as she asked about the weapon and Kali shook her head softly, “It will take some time to figure that out. Clearly this sword is somehow connected. Look.”

Kali bent down and pointed at the hole the sword was removed from and it was a path directly into the heart. Somehow, someway this blade was through the creatures heart but the creature was still alive. “This is dark magic, the magic of a Necromancer. The corpse was animated and this weapon was the key to it all. Too many questions come to mind like is this pet of theirs a remnant of their existence or are they still out there.”

She inhaled deeply and looked at Olwa and Pela, then back to the sword, “My guess is that you two were not singled out for anything in particular, just a target of opportunity.”

She opened her robes and removed a velvet bag that was about half a meter long and half as wide at the mouth. She handed the bag to Pela and spoke, “Hold this open please.”

Pela took the bag and opened it. Kali brought the sword up, point first and put it in the bag. As she pushed the sword down into the bag Pela looked at her expecting the blade to come right out the bottom but oddly it simply disappeared into the bag, in fact Kali stuck her arm all the way to the elbow before withdrawing it, the sword no longer in her hand.

She winked at Pela and whispered, “Bag of holding.”

Kali turned and looked at the Rangers, “Collect your companion and return to the castle.”

The Higher ranked of the two Rangers stepped forward and spoke, “With respect Princess we were sent to find the two younglings and return them to Silvanost.”

“Kali looked at Pela and Olwa and then back to the Rangers, “I don’t think these are the two younglings you were looking for.”

The Rangers looked at each other and then to Kali, “Princess of course they are, the white haired human handmaiden of Princess Rayann and Olwa Pilinge of the Rangers.”

Kali stepped forward and smiled softly. She hissed words of magic and brought up her hand releasing sparkling sand and letting it drop in an arc across the space between herself and the Rangers. Both instantly collapsed into each other and then to the ground as they fell to her sleep spell . She looked over at Pela and Olwa and spoke, “I would suggest you put as much distance between Silvanost and yourselves as possible and do it as quickly as you can, this isn’t the last of the Elves that will come looking for you… do you understand me?”

Olwa and Pela both nodded and Olwa spoke, “I will watch over Pela Kali.” Kali looked at him with a slight coldness on her face and spoke, “I am sure you will find that it will be the opposite in the end.”

Olwa looked at her and the expression on his face was clearly annoyed but Pela would know exactly what Kali was talking about, the shortest and easiest part of their journey was the forests of Silvanost, after that it would be an area that only Pela knew, and Olwa would be completely at the mercy of her wisdom and leadership. Kali turned and looked at Pela, giving her a nod of respect and spoke to her via missive, ~ “Mind yourself my friend, it is a long and dangerous road. I hope you find what you are looking for when you reach your destination.” ~

It wouldn’t escape Pela’s attention to detail that this was the first time she had EVER heard Kali refer to someone as her ‘friend’. Kali nodded yet again and then turned to Branch, she spoke in Elven and her accent was perfect Kagonesti, “Watch over them Branch, we will delay the Silvan as long as we possibly can, but I cannot guarantee that will be very long.”

Branch stepped forward and looked at Kali, speaking softly in Elven, “Branch misjudged Morier, Branch will see that Istar’ostring and Master Olwa reach their destination. Branch will thank Morier for her aid this evening for as long as the moons rise.”

Kali simply nodded and turned to Tanjee, “Well, now for these fellows.”

As the party of three turned and continued on their journey if any of them happened to turn and look they would see Kali sprinkling more reagents of some kind and hissing spidery language over the two sleeping Rangers.

Pela nodded to Kali as she heard her voice in her mind. The fact kali had referred to Pela as her friend didn’t go unnoticed. Pela knew that for as long as she lived, Kali would always be there for her is she should ever need her. And vice verse.

Without hesitation, Pela took Olwa’s hand and urged him to continue onto the path they had been on when they came in contact with the Dire Wolves. She didn’t hear Branch approach them a little later, she merely caught the slightest sight of her when she seemed to appear from thin air next to Olwa.

”Suffice it to say I wish we never meet anything like that again as long as I breathe. And if we do, remind me to help eliminate them right from the start instead of trying to engage in battle with them.”




[center]
Tanjee watched the retreating forms of the three travelers for a few more moments watching as their pink silhouettes grew dimmer. Finally she turned back to Kali and smiled.

”Ah….young love. Such a beautiful, innocent thing. I hope they are able to remain as much in love as they are now for as long as they are together.”

She saw the look that crossed Kali’s face then shrugged her shoulders.

”I cannot help it. I am a hopeless romantic at heart.”

Looking down at the sleeping rangers, she sighed softly as Kali sprinkled the reagents on the sleeping forms and cast her spell.

”They will not remember a thing, will they? Oh well….it was far better then getting into a confrontation with them.”

Kali looked at Tanjee and Tanjee grinned. Looking around the immediate area for her horse, she whistled softly. At first, there was nothing to be seen or heard but after a few moments, Tanjee’s ears twitched slightly as she heard the faint sound of rustling leaves. Her elven sight saw the familiar outline of her horse and she smiled reaching out her hand as the horse approached, nickering softly, allowing her hand to rest on the velvety muzzle. She spoke softly in elven to the horse as she stroked the soft muzzle and strong neck muscles.

”There now, my hoofed friend. It is alright now. The danger has passed. Are you ready to carry us safely back to Silvanost?”

The horse seemed to understand what Tanjee was saying but it was nothing more than a natural response to the petting it received. Tanjee looked over at Kali as she mounted the horse and leaned down offering her hand to the mage.

”Come. You can rest against me as Liri get us back to the city. I know you are tired. I shall not awaken you until we reach the gates. Unless we meet a pack of reanimating Dire Wolves.”

Kali and Tanjee came to the main gate on one mount and the guards came swiftly as they approached. The Captain of the guard spoke, “Tanjee, Princess Kali… where is the other mount.”

Before Tanjee could speak Kali spoke, “The animal gave its life for me, see that it is given sufficient representation in the stables on the wall of memories.”

The Captain saluted sharply and the two ladies dismounted as the horse was led to the stables. No sooner where they in the wall when Ky’ly came and spoke, “My son, where is he?”

Kali looked at the elder elf and spoke, “We could not find them, apparently his skills as a Ranger were too great for us and they managed to give us the slip.”

Ky’ly looked at her with deeply furrowed brows and he practically hissed, “I shouldn’t have expected a half-elf and a healer to find them anyway.”

He turned and was about to leave when Kali spoke again, her voice was not the least bit sweet or comforting, “Ky’ly.” The Elder turned and looked directly at her, she spoke again, “We have protocol’s and I will have my rank from you.”

Ky’ly’s eyes shifted slightly as the guard of the gate all were paying attention now. His jaw tightened and though he did his best to hide it the contempt on his face for having to lower himself to this level, placing title on a half-elf would be obvious, “Of course, my Princess.”

Kali narrowed her eyes and her voice was slick, “That is better.” Ky’ly nodded thinking the indecency of it all was past him now and Kali spoke again, “As general of the castle guard I assume that all the security is in place for Ceridwyn’s wedding today.” Ky’ly had to stop mid turn as he was already trying to get away. He turned back to her and spoke, “Of course my Princess, we have sufficient security to protect the Speaker and his family as well as all the guests that will be within the castle walls.”

Kali narrowed her eyes slightly and he cleared his throat, “…My Princess.”

She looked over his shoulder at the castle slightly off in the distance and spoke, “Something… something is off here.”

Ky’ly furrowed his brows but then brought the regal look back to his face almost immediately, “I don’t know what you mean my Princess, we have guard stationed at every strategic as well as potential breech point.” Kali looked up at him and spoke in almost a whisper, “No… it’s not that.”

Ceridwyn woke and made her way to the castle grounds out front of the main building. Kali and Tanjee were there. She walked up to them and spoke in a hushed tone? Tanjee, Kali, What news of the younglings?

Tanjee was not at all pleased with Ky’ly’s actions towards Kali. She always knew he and Allawana were full of themselves but to see such contempt displayed openly for a member of the Royal Family was borderline insubordination and dereliction of his duties as General of the Castle Guard. The displeasure Tanjee felt was clearly evident on her face and she was getting ready to let him know how she felt when Kali’s voice spoke his name and the tone in which she spoke it caused everyone to stop and pay attention. Including the guard who was leading Tanjee’s horse away.

Thankfully Ky’ly remembered who was who here and the situation was brought under control quickly, to Ky’ly’s utter distain. Tanjee could see the anger seething beneath the surface from both of them as Kali spoke to Ky’ly. Thankfully things remained beneath the surface and the guard turned to take Tanjee’s mount back to the stables.

As Kali was mentioning something was off, Tanjee glanced around then saw Ceridwyn coming out to greet them with Rayann following behind her. Her smile broke into a surprised smile as she embraced Ceri. As Ceri asked about the younglings, Tanjee spoke before Kali could to ease Ceri’s worries and looked at both Ceri and Rayann.

”We were unable to find any sign of them, Ceri. It is as if they up and disappeared. There is no doubt they wish not to be found.”

She turned a hard look to Ky’ly then as she continued speaking to Ceri.

”I suppose it is to be expected when you force you will on another and it is not what they want.”

She saw the General bristle at her reference and almost dared him to say anything to the contrary. She saw him glance at Kali then back to her narrowing his eyes at her but Ky’ly said nothing. Turning her gaze back to Ceri and Rayann, she smiled again.

”They are quite capable of handling themselves. I am sure we will find them when they wish to be discovered. The Rangers will report back when they return and hopefully they will have the younglings or news of which direction they are headed. But for now, I believe there is a wedding ceremony taking place today.”





Rayann saw the look on her daughters face and walked over to Kali.

”Kali….there was a late night guest arrival while you were gone. It seems the reclusive mage Amayth Reniatess has come to join in the celebration and witness the ceremony of Aeolis and Ceridwyn. I haven’t had the chance to see or speak with her yet. I’m sure she will be up and moving around shortly. Do you feel like going with me and Ceri to formally greet her?”

Rayann had heard of the reclusive mage but had never met her and she was a bit curious as to what the mage was really like. After all, when one was as reclusive as this mage, it could be quite interesting. Never knowing what sort of personality they will have being secluded from others usually made for a strange person indeed.

Piramay emerged from the quarters provided for her a pleasant smile upon her face. She wondered how many years it had been since she had walked the paths of the elven city. It was rare of her to shed the trappings of the feared fire mage. Her identity as Amayth was one of her closest guarded secrets that she had never even told Fifth about. The only person in Sylvanost who even suspected that Amayth led a life as another was now dead, his tower now dust passing into memory. Her grey eyes fixed on the place the tower once stood and she could only shake her head. She had spent here evening in meditation contemplating what her chosen path here would be. While feeling more than recovered from the events at Heartlund a direct confrontation with Kali was not in the cards this trip. Instead she wanted to give the woman and her friends a gentle reminder that she was still very much alive and capable.

Slipping through the paths of the city Piramay found herself in the grand bazaar. Her mind was focused on the task at hand as she listened to the hustle and bustle around her. Her ears perked up as she heard that the princess had returned without success. She wondered what could be so important to draw Kali from the city in the night. It was likely of little consequence but she listened on regardless of things. Abotu a half hour later she slipped out of the bazaar and headed to the memorial park that had been built in Nim'Sul's honor. I fitting place to contemplate her plans and relax away from the eyes of the city.

Kali looked at her mother and her eyes knowing reflected her thoughts, “Amayth Reniatess…” She whispered the words almost as if she had memory. Rayann looked at her and questioned, “Do you know her?”

Kali looked up at her mother and shook her head, “By reputation only. The name used to be murmured in the Dark Queen’s castle from time to time, but even there it was acted as if the woman was merely a ghost. One can only wonder why a white robe would choose a life of seclusion and self-induced exile. Seclusion is counter to the mission of the Order of Solinari, I think it is the reason I was always so curious and perplexed about the rumor.”

Rayann would see it in her daughters eyes, she was mildly concerned about this news. Kali was cautious by nature and though she thoroughly enjoyed exploration and adventure when there was a means to the end, however having a riddle that was unsolvable, or at least truly seemed so it would gnaw her to no end. She suddenly snapped out of her mental trance and looked at her mother, “Perhaps I can put some answers to the riddle.”

Ceridwyn didn’t take the news that the younglings weren’t found well. Rayann read her old friend perfectly and gave her a look that suggested ‘you are getting married this evening, don’t even plan on running off.’

It was obvious Ceridwyn had little on her mind until the presence of Amayth in the city came up and she was able to bury the idea of going after Pela and Olwa, “Oh yes Kali, please accompany us. I was the Master of the Order of White and even I only met her once, about 30 or so years ago. I hardly remember what she looks like, almost as if she was only partially opaque or something… she truly is someone to meet.”

Kali looked at Ceridwyn with a slightly quirked brow… even Ceridwyn was unable to put a finger on this Amayth, what was it about this wizard that had so many of the smartest people she knew in such a state of excitement.


The three companions were half a day from Sithelnost at best if they kept a hasty pace. Branch circled back and met up with Olwa and Pela as the two of them stopped to take a break. Branch sat beside Pela and looked the girl over, she was beginning to look a little warm and she turned to look up at Olwa, “Master, keep her still, quiet… Branch will be back soon.”

Olwa went to say something but Branch was gone in a flash. He turned and looked at Pela, “I think this is why my parents kept her as a house servant, she never seems to run out of energy.”

The two of them sat still and quiet for half a candle tick when Branch suddenly seemed to materialize out of nowhere. She had a filled water skin. She gently placed it on Pela’s lap and reached up touching the girls cheek, “Istar’ostring is warm, Branch has solution.”

She reached into her pack and removed some small linen rags. Placing them over a log she took the water skin and poured it liberally over the linen rags. She took the rags and held them in her hands, the water was dripping and sloshing out and she bowed her head whispering words the sounded Elven but also ancient and powerful. A white mist formed over her hands and the rags crackled softly as the water froze. She looked up at Pela’s wide eyes and smiled timidly as she spoke, “All elves know magic, we are part of magic Istar’ostring, I cannot do what you do but Branch can make certain things, happen.”

Her eyes sparkled softly as she said her words and she started to separate the rags. They were freezing cold and she placed one over Pela’s head. She then reached up and placed her finger under the fabric of Pela’s tunic at the shoulder touching her collar bone, “May Branch?”

Pela looked at her finger and then nodded softly. Branch lifted the fabric and placed one of the freezing cold rags over her shoulder, being discrete but getting the rag tucked under the dress and against her skin. She did the same on the other side and then had Pela lean forward, placing the last one on the small of her back. Olwa looked at Pela and joked, “Maybe I should be doing this.”

Branch, without even looking up spoke softly, “Master Olwa for all his authority needs to mind his self,” She looked up at him as she leaned back from finishing up with Pela, “Master Olwa is decent and pure… he needs to keep himself from falling into trouble.”

It was the most ‘motherly’ Pela had ever heard Branch speak to Olwa and he responded by going flush in the cheeks and whispering, “Sorry Branch.”

Branch looked over at him and smiled, “Master Olwa is young, Master Olwa needs much leeway when it comes to forgiveness.” She chuckled softly at her own joke and Olwa just laughed and shook his head. Clearly Branch was becoming more comfortable with the two of them, the soft timid shell was starting to crack a little.

Rayann was concerned. If this mage’s name was whispered in the Dark Queen’s Court, was there some sort of connection between the two that was something other than enemies? And she shared Kali’s curiosity as to why a devoted follower of Solinari would chose a life of seclusion instead of immersing themselves in the middle of population to help those who needed their gift most?

Apparently the mystery of this mage was something everyone was curious about and not all of them for the same reason. There was no doubt when this unusual mix of mages showed up to greet the elusive mage, she would no doubt wonder what on Krynn was happening.

Looking over at Ceri and Kali, Rayann’s brows furrowed slightly and she nodded.

”Do you need a few moments for a cup of tea before we head out to greet her?”






Tanjee listened to all of this between the mages and perked up at the sound of the reclusive mage coming to the ceremony. She excused her interruption then looked to all three ladies and smiled.

”Well, it looks as though you ladies will have things under control. If you will excuse me, I think I will retire to my house for a few hours of rest before things really get going.”

She stepped up and hugged Ceridwyn then stepped back and took her future sister in law’s hand in her own.

”Do not get into any mischief. You need to look fit and fresh when you marry my brother.”

She looked at Rayann and smiled, inclining her head respectfully.

”Princess…”

Looking at Kali, she smiled even more and inclined her head likewise.

”Princess Kali….We shall have to take another ride sometime when you have time. I enjoyed our conversation.”

Turning on her heel, Tanjee left the three mages and slipped into the city making her way to her home so she could bathe, rest and eventually change into her formal clothing for the ceremony.






By the time the trio stopped to rest, Pela could feel the affects of the warmer weather starting to creep up on her again. Between the drain on her from the spell casting followed by the fast pace they were moving her energy was starting to wane and with it, her temperature was starting to rise. She knew if she didn’t find some water to cool down in, she would have an incident similar to the one before.

As Branch left, Pela didn’t have the energy to talk so she sat next to Olwa. Her porcelain skin began to take on a much paler look and by the time Branch returned, Pela was wilting. As Pela watched what Branch did, she blinked and looked wide eyed at branch.

As Branch placed the frozen cloth strips at the different places on her body, Pela could feel her internal temperature rapidly lowering and the instant relief was just what she needed. As Branch more or less told Olwa he needed to mind himself Pela glanced over at the Ranger and saw the color in his cheeks. Chuckling softly, Pela’s light blue eyes twinkled with mirth.

”Well, I will not have to worry about you taking advantage of me while Branch is with us.”

She looked over at Branch and smiled.

”Thank you, Branch. I feel much better already.”

Pela reached out her hand and touched Branch's showing Branch the coolness had returned to her touch. Glancing around the place, she looked up through the canopy of trees and squinted slightly.

”Once we stop in Sithelnost to gather supplies, we should be good to go to Pashin.”

She looked over at Olwa then to Branch as she spoke.

”Pashin is a place where beings do not care what they do, how they do it or who they hurt come to seek fortune any way they can get it. You must be more aware of your surroundings there than you are in the forest. And no one there is looking to help you. You are either a predator or the prey. And I intend for us to not be prey to anyone or anything. And they will try their hardest to make us the prey.”