The Story Teller

By

Dustin Feyder

This book is dedicated to my Siblings

"A light in the darkness of loneliness"

Index

Book 1 the Mother

Chapter 1 Mother Corn

Chapter 2 the Late Autumns Ride

Chapter 3 Wolves Run and the Red Flower

Chapter 4 the Poet Chapter 5 the Poet's Memories Chapter 6 what lies ahead?

Chapter 7 Eden 1.1

Chapter 8 Children of the Earth and Moon

Chapter 9 Sins of the Past

Chapter 10 Sonata of the Everlasting

Chapter 11Dreams and Dreaming

Chapter 12 Snow on the Meadow of Heaven

Book 2 the Weaver

Chapter 13 Into the Meadows of Heaven

Chapter 14 The Weavers Resolve

Chapter 15 King of the Mountain

Chapter 16 Book of saint Dove

Chapter 17 Darklings

Chapter 18 Whim of a Father

Chapter 19 the Second Coming

Chapter 20 Warwing's Decent

Chapter 21Arms of the Prophet

Chapter 22 Tempting the Lord

Chapter 23 Elec

Chapter 24 Home

Chapter 25 Speaking with Gods

Book 3 the Goddess

Chapter 26 King of the Republic

Chapter 27 The Last Day

Chapter 28 Into the Unknown

Chapter 29 the New World

Authors bio

Back page ** **

Book 1 The Mother

Chapter 1: Mother Corn

Mother Corn is a young Kobolt (small mouse like humanoid) she has long front teeth and silvery black white speckled fur long and slick as-well-as bright blue eyes so to do her seven children, only six of which traveled with her today, the seventh staid with the forest medicine mouse.

Corn has traveled to the old acres in search of thee maiden called "Jessica the Weaver". She remembers when she was a dumpling herself. Jessica the weaver was a loved and admired woman, but after an argument with the spiritual leader of the clans she was labeled a witch and banished to the dark side of the isles. It was a sad day for the clans but Jessica had quiet dignity; she made no fuss as she left.

The clans on the other hand were more than discontented. The loss of their Weaver resulted in much of tribe turning against the church and creating their own government. That was almost ten seasons ago and Corn can only hope that time has been good for the Weaver for she desperately needs her wisdom.

The forest is dark and dead at this end, the trees are white the land is gray, the trees flutter with black feathers. Deep red eyes come into sight from high in the treetops. Corn hastens her children's steps. Evil black birds descend upon them, their beaks of steel nip at the children's necks. Mother Corn throws herself at the birds protecting them with the utmost of affection. The birds fall from the trees like armies of the dead. A claw grips Corn's wrist and a beak tacks her thigh, the evil birds cry out in victory as the mouse maiden falls to her back, vampearicly they drink from her wounds.

Boldly the boy called Pepper reaches into the mud and draws out a hefty bit of wood. With all the force he can muster he pulls the stick overhead and cleaves down at the winged devil on his mother's leg, the girl called Cream fallows her twins' lead gripping another by its wings she bites the crow. Frightened by the assault the birds fly up into the trees to regroup for yet another strike.

Butter and Garlic (the youngest of the group) take Corn by the arms pulling her to her feet. Limping they family fumbles through the trees. blackbirds taunt them from behind the scent of fresh blood filling their hearts with fire and their veins with lust. Ahead the trees turn greener and the voice of the trees beckon them onwards as does a soft voice awaiting them in the grotto.

"Come forth darlings, and make all haste."

A untraditional kobolt awaits with bright tanned fur and a robe, not earth toned like the ones Corn and her children dawn but one like thoughts in the old times with the colors of the town flag about them, vibrant red commanding attention is her color with a golden inner lining. This kobolt stands slightly hunched forward and has no fur on her tail or hands like Corn and atop her noise sits two bits of crystal held together by a needle and string. "I see you Kari, face me if you dare." she whispers to the trees and the black birds fluttering from atop them. Passing from darkness into light Corn and her family cross in unseen wall that seems to eminent from within the powerful and beautiful Weaver, The birds are turn away.

Corn cannot understand what has transpired, only that she and her children were offered salvation. Upon catching her breath Corn raises herself from the prism of blossoms and falls into the loving arms of Jessica the Weaver. To spite ten sessions apart she intently recognizes the face of the heroic storyteller. Corn dares not speak a word, Jessica instead offers greeting "you are weary darling, please come inside" the motherly Weaver cradles the young mouse-mother wrapping her cloak about her and leading the lot into a modest hut.

"Discard your garbs, you're covered in filth." Jessica request of the children as they step inside, nether child nor mother protest. Jessica lead Corn into the back of the tiny house and binds her wounds with cloth and ropes "Gloomwings, hideous little beast" she whispers as she works.

Pepper still brandishing the branch he had found interrupts Jessica's work "You're Jessica the Weaver, the Medicine-mouse sad you're a witch!"

Jessica need not look up from her bindings to respond "he is not wrong, but I would hardly call him right. What do you think little pepper, slayer of crows" she playfully grins at the tiny warrior.

"You know my name?" he asks looking shocked.

"I now all your names: Pepper, you were the first born, eldest by fifty five whole minutes. You have four sisters in order they are: Cream, Butter, Salt, and Mint is the youngest of the girls, but she is older than Garlic by only three minutes. Then add your other brother Onion and that makes seven. Strange that I don't see him here."

Pepper looks around for a moment as if to search the room for the key to salve this puzzle

"how do you know?"

"I know because I must now."

Pepper moves in cautiously almost hopping into Jessica "you whispered to the trees a

name..."

"Kari."

"Who is that?" Pepper stands noise to noise with Jessica.

Jessica faces him placing one hand atop his cheek "if every hart in the world filled with love belonged to me, then everyone filled with sadness would be hers."

Peppers eyes turn soft with inquiry "why is she so sad?"

Jessica sets her hand to Corn's stomach whispering to her "rest a spell, we will have much to discuss soon." she turn her attention back on Pepper "you certainly want to know a lot don't you?" Pepper nods. "the Crow always plays the melancholy heroes, A life filled with magic that can harm or heal any that she may wish, but never can she see the magic for herself. The

Crows want only one thing but fate transpires to say never will they have it."

Pepper leans in close, the two share a breath, with wide eyes he ask "what does the crow want?"

Jessica rest her noise to peppers ear speaking ever so softly as she hugs the boy "to draw a warm breath, then to feel soft skin."

Pepper shutters in Jessica's arms "why can't they have it?"

Jessica's lips touch his ear "the Crow traded her hart for wings and her skin to learn to fly." she explains softly "Would you tread your skin to fly? It's a titillating puzzle isn't it?"

Pepper mouth drops and eyes widen as he envision the diabolical nature of the Blackbirds. Jessica playfully wraps her teeth around one of his ears "now go watch after your sisters wiliest I finish up with your mother."

Pepper walks out of the room, a slight jitter to his step, his tail slightly elevated from the unfamiliar feelings of both fear and excitement Jessica has inspired. "how old are they? They must be close to twelve sessions, practically adults already."

Corn looks up feeling her bandages "heavens no, there not yet ten sessions."

"did you spot Pepper's little skip there? He is already showing sings of..."

Corn cuts Jessica off "stop that. I'm not ready to think about that yet."

"there are advantages to having mature offspring you know."

"you naughty old hermit." Corn slaps at Jessica, but then recoils as her wounds start hemorrhage. Jessica forces her into a laying posture "you most sit still girl or you'll bleed to death." Corn calms herself "why isn't Onion with you? And for that matter what are you doing so far from the borrows? It's at-least half a day's walk to the village from here."

"Onion is quit unwell. The Medicine-mouse sad he has Consumption, some inheritance form his father, the medicine-mouse thinks if I go to Elec mountain I will find the magic to heal him."

"A mother's journey. I have been there. It is unfair to ask anyone to make that walk. To risk so much. Only those who truly understand the weight of life dare to try. So why come to me?"

"the Crier told me about the road to Elec, told me to see to it my earthy affairs are inline. My only concern is that my children live to have young of their own. Should I not come home. I want you to choose mates for them, and protect them till they are strong enough to do so on their own."

"and for that you beseech a witch? Aren't we brave?"

"storyteller when I was a girl I used to here you spine your webs day and night, you are no witch, you are a merciful angle."

"you are to kind. You must sleep now. I will do your bidding."

* * *

the diversity of Corn's children is overwhelmingly dynamic to spite all of them

(supposedly) having the same father. Between the two boys Pepper is the more aggressive, Onion is a passivest, Garlic is by far the tallest of the kids standing even two inches over her mother but she is timid and homely most would say, Butter is short and plump but was the first of the girls to start showing signs of maturity, Cream is the most like her mother soft-spoken but still frisky when frightened or angry, Mint is wonder-struck always sniffing about looking for new thing, Salt is the most childish and a follower by nature will still mischievous more often than not reinforcing all of Garlic and Pepper's worst ideas.

Pepper walks back into the main room of the hovel, Salt is whispering with Garlic who is in turn blushing bashfully, Garlic offers Salt a playful push away and just barley loud enough to here softly yells "no I won't, you filth little rat!"

Mint and Butter turn their attention to the quit bantering. Cream shacks herself off and looks back to Pepper "is Mother well?"

"The witch clams she needs sleep." Pepper replies

"Weaver!" Garlic corrects him

"Whatever!" Pepper yells at her

Cream cuts them off "will you two hush down!"

Mint's noise twitches as she falls onto all fours and starts looking about. Butter reaches down to pull her tail as she walks past, she tugs up on it and Mint snarls in turn "what are you sniffing at?" Butter ask

"Smells like burnt meat." Mint explains

Cream looks about, "I don't smell anything but sunbaked flowers."

"My noise is stranger than yours, its old meat, like, salt-packed meat." Mint goes on

Pepper looks confused "like that fake skin dad had?"

Garlic scoffs "it wasn't fake, it just wasn't his, he killed a bear and cooked the skin into a blanket."

Mint pushes a spice cabinet aside to reveal a hidden door. Without giving it a second thought Mint swings open the door to reveal a room filled with cabinets overflowing with leather parchments and a fire pit, an armchair and arched treasure-chest, a caldron, flowers that glow like a captive flam, and a tapestry for a rug showing some beast of an ancient race with powder white hair and pastel robs gathered around a table reading a pyros.

The children nearly pile atop one another to look into the room. "What is this place?"

Mint, Cream, Butter and Salt all ask looking to Garlic and Pepper

Pepper looks down to Mint at the bottom of the dog pile "you opened the door, you tell us."

Mint takes the lead waling in, she walks around a moment then looks back "It's Jessica's bedroom."

"I don't see a bed?" Garlic questions as nibbling on one of her fingers.

Cream speaks up "who hides there bedroom anyway?"

Pepper picks up one of the parchments "it's clearly a store room for whatever these are."

Salt bonces up and down "is it delicious? Put it in your mouth and see."

"Don't, it's some kind of cloth." Garlic cuts in

Jessica sneaks in the room behind them "That is the sources of the Weaver's power." The kids scream and huddle around each other. Jessica walks around and takes the scroll form Pepper, she unrolls it to look at the first lines "The Late Autumns Ride" she smiles "for so long as most can remember history has been kept by the Weavers, in an audible format. We tell our children stories and they tell them to their children in turn. But there was a time when the 'Huma' had to many stories to remember so they learned to draw sounds, so they wouldn't have to remember."

Salt cuts in "what is a Huma?"

"they were the third grate race: after the Tamriel, and the Fay, came the Huma, then the Gedira, the Darkling, and finial us the Kobolt, The Huma where the most powerful of the grate and Ancient ones, there power only rivaled by Kari." Jessica explains

"Then why are they gone" Cream ask

"If the words in these scrolls are true it is because they fought Kari for control of time and space and lost."

Pepper comes in "that doesn't sound so grate and mighty. Kari is afraid of you after all."

"Her minions fear me." Jessica points out, "birds and wolves flee from me. But Kari as we know her today is only a memory of a greater beast called Cravixs, the god king of our world." Brightly Jessica smiles as her eyes lower "but that was a distant time, when the god kings where cruel. Today is a different day. So long as we stay near our holes the gods and their kin keep their distances and to that we are thankful. Vindictive gods are a troublesome thing."

Garlic pipes in "you talk as if you remembered a time when they were."

"I do. At-least I can see what things looked like before the peace tax. These scrolls talk about that time to grate length. As far back as Huma history goes they fought the god. Ill-content with the weakness and sickness bred into their being, if ever one was fight to overthrow the natural order and become masters of creation it would have been them."

Butter sits alongside Jessica looking up to her "you idolize them."

"I feel they are deserving. Even the tong we speak with today was inherited form them. Your name Butter was one they made up; in Huma it means a spun cream or milk." She places a hand between Butter's ears and rubs down her noise. Butter laughs in turn. "would you like me to read form one of the Huma scrolls for you?" The kids move in close sighting at Jessica's feet. "I'll start with that one you found Pepper."

Chapter 2: The Late Autumns Ride

The sky is a pale orange, the trees a bright red. The 'Traveler' rides today with only his team of horses. Any other day his partner would be alongside him but today there is only his sword and bow. Today is not like other days, today he rides with a treasure of untold worth hidden within a brown leather sack. The Traveler lies to himself as he tries to calm "it's just another contract" but it's not, today no jowls need to change hands as it was a most trusted friend that pled for this last pilgrimage, he paid his bet with blood. Any other man he would have told "it's too late in the season to fly, besides such work is mint for a much younger generation" the Traveler understand well that his daughter is of only 14 years in age and she could not hand such a long trip alone.

Deep into the woods he must trot away from the better weathered roads his chariot is rich and his team is strong, the air is brisk and he must tighten his shroud hiding deep within it cradling his almost frosted armorer and more importantly tired boons. He understands well that others want desperately what he now has.

Seemingly just beyond his sight the trees howl angrily, the sounds of hooves thunder ahead even louder than that of his own horses, wood cracks and snaps as a shadow of dusk overlies the bright of dawn, a second Rider comes into sight charging clearly to the Traveler.

This one with a feminine form but nearly invisible under the gown of the desert-men 'It' wears. Its horse is blacker then even the darkest of his, it's maim and hooves flicker like an oily-black flame.

The Rider seems to know what it wants and were it is, It rushes the Traveler's wagon and cuts off to one side, a clawed furry hand stretches out to tries to grab the leather sack in passing. The Traveler wraps the rings around his arm and takes up his bow, loading not one but three arrows (thanks to a modification he made to it years ago) he fires a spray of arrows at the would be thief and It seems to melt into the darkness.

The Traveler might be reveled but he has seen death and nothing of this world dies like that, not the highest Arc-Magus or the most pious monk. "What devilry", he thinks "what a sad day to fly alone. I must ride hard and ride long. that monster will be back but my team can out run it!"

To the left in the trees the nightmare nays, the rider is back already a hefty scythe in hand with chain flicking of the back. The Rider bridges the gap and welds it scythe, murder clearly It's intent. The Traveler understands this well and is ready to fight back, he jerks off to one side swinging his carriage. Shocked the Rider falls back, the traveler laughs at the petty attempt to frighten him. He has been on a thousand pilgrimage and matched swords with at least twice as many monsters "She won't be back" he think.

But the Traveler is wrong. It appears again in a gray mist ahead alongside his horses, he can't use his bow again he might hit his team he goes for his sword instead and takes the leather sack as well. The Rider pulls up her scythe and swings at the horses. The Traveler leaps along the horses backs and hooks his sword beneath the scythe pushing agents it. The Rider is of balances the scythe is it clunky to swing from horse back any good rider would know that. The traveler has questions he needs answered and so won't let the Rider fall. He grabs her around the caller and unmasks the beast.

Much to his discontent he sees a dog-faced witch as young as he is old, as delicate as he is strong with eyes as green as pine, as lovely as he is scared beneath his hood and mask. The Traveler has made a critical mistake, he hesitates to act and in his work a second's hesitation can cost a pint of blood or even his head. The Rider proves this seemingly conjuring a hand axes to bury deep in his arm.

The traveler grunts and stagers away falling atop his favorite mare at the head of his team ripping away much of the riders clothing in the fall, the Rider turns tail to regroup herself. He spots three fox tails beneath her rob as he falls.

A grisly revelation befalls the Traveler, with only one arm he can't fight her when she returns and his team can't outrun her. She is 'Kitsune' a bounty hunter for the heaviness, the traveler's partner spoke once having seen one, "what does it want?" he thinks aloud "It does not matter it's in the way, I'll cut my team free and run with just my mare. A pilgrim must find his own path; I will choose one this monster dare not fallow"

So he does, with a swing of his sword he cuts the rings that hold his horses together and ushers on his lead mare charging with all the might they can muster, jumping rocks and trampling brush and smaller trees away. The forest still howls in anger the Rider must not be far behind. The Traveler lowers his head and kicks his mounts sides calling for more speed. A clearing ahead, definitely they could loss there hunter there, his horse is the fastest around and with the open fields she'll never keep up.

Next he spots there coming to a canyon, "I can leap the bluff, the Kitsune will have to go around." as he does something bits him in the back. A glans and he spots the Kitsuna stuck on the other side, we was right...

Half a day passes before a monetary comes into sight, weekly the traveler kicks at the doors then dismounts his steed. A young monk comes to call.

"The Pilgrim, I've seen you before, many blessings honored guest"

"save your blessings you will need them 'Turk', I come with the most argent of messages, Belmont son of Belmont is dead, and this birthright must be delivered to his children there salvation and yours depend on it" the traveler drops the sack at his feet as well as a smaller one containing jowls not easily counted by the monk. "Bring wine and courage you will need booth, take my horse, to make it over the mountains and through the marsh, but do so with all hast for the devil herself comes from just over that ridge!"

The monk looks in the sack and sees only chain and a moldy book

"Two children, the whip for the boy, the book for the girl, know go, the Devil is coming and I have not the magic or strength enough to stop her."

The monk fallows orders well; The Traveler walks only a hand full of paces away and draws his sword. The monk stairs in admiration of in intent, blood streams down one arm of the traveler and an axe is logged deep within the back of his armor. But still he stands awaiting a hero's death...

The Traveler watches with sinister glee as the Kitsuna charges him weapon overhead. A smirk reaches his lips as the painfully transparent nature of good and evil downs on him. Evil feeds of the blood and pain of the world, and good must carry the scares in the name of peace and righteousness.

So it is done. May the Pilgrim, may we find peace in another life.

Chapter 3Wolves Run and Red Flower

** ** Jessica places the scroll down alongside her and looks about. "Now if no one minds I would like to quick peek in on your mother." Jessica dismisses herself.

Cream looks to the others after she leaves. "What's a Pilgrim? , or A Monk? , or a Turk"

Butter looks to her "Isn't a Turk a bird?"

"Sounds more like a place." Mint suggests.

"Clearly a Pilgrim is a traveler" Pepper comments

Salt looks to him "someone who travels for capital? Sounds kind of odd to me." Garlic looks to Salt "we will ask Jessica when she gets back.

** *

Corn has sat up and is scratching at her wounds the color melting form her fur as she does. Jessica nearly stomps into the room and pushes her over "By Goodness' child you will be the death of yourself like that."

"It hurts..." Corn explains

"...and what will Onion say when I have to tell him his father was eaten by a cat and mother by a bird." Furiously Jessica picks up a fist full of flowers and drops them into a cup of water then dips in some fruit skins. "if you won't sleep on your own I will just have to make you."

"this is just like back when I was a dumpling isn't it."

"You where easer to deal with when you were smaller then pinecone."

"How are the children?"

"Relatively mild, Pepper has Daggers for me I feel and Salt might be the reincarnation of her father, and yes, they found my study. Mint I think sniffed it out." Jessica hands over the potion. "Drink this. Unless you're a dragon you will be asleep before you reach the bottom of the cup."

"thank you." Corn takes the brow and sips at it. "so long as I'm acting like a yearling again, do you remember that story about flowers?"

Jessica lifts her head and rolls her eyes back thinking "Wolves Run. I had to write that one down ages ago. I nearly forgot about it."

"my brother and I loved that story." Corn starts to look tranquil. "Then I will tell it one more time."

`** *

It's like the sun will never rise again. The sky is blackened by a cloud of despair left behind by greedy men. I have ran for days nonstop over this wasteland of ice. Not once have I seen the blue skies that my mother would speak of, not once have I seen green grass. For twenty sessions there has been only blackness and ice. Myself like my sisters and brothers run across 'the one world' looking desperately for heaven. "What is heaven?" I think it is a grassy noel filled to the apex with flowers of myriad colors that I have never seen, were the moon glows bright and food runs on all fours, and I am the object of women's affection. But this is only fantasy, there is no heaven.

"If you believe that then why do you hurry so?" Because what else is there to live for? I can smell a sweet sent somewhere in the distance. It's no rabbit, I've smelt rabbits before, it not a girl... or maybe it is?! I've not seen another wolf since leaving my home. I come across a place that is strange, the ruins of a human land. There they are the men that thought themselves greater then gods, turned to stone by their vanity. The earth gave men favor. Earth loved man more than 'her' other children. 'She' made them tall and strong, gave them 'the Red Flowers,' but they had forsaken 'her.' They used the 'Red

Flower' to summon death; not to hunt, or to protect their young, only to prove that they were great.

"Were they great?" To glance upon the mammoths that heeded the call of man? I can only imagine the glory that men must have wielded. Men need not hide in caves, they thrust their eyes into the sky and caves would form before them: Forty bodies wide and a hundred tall. Men feared not cold, for the 'Red Flower' protects them. Beasts lined up before men and offered themselves as sacrifice to feed their hunger. Even wolves bent their knees to them.

"Wolves like me?" No not like me, the wolves that kneeled were small and meek. They struck deals with men. Men would not eat wolves, and wolves would bring men food. Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea at the time.

I find a dead turtle. Its skin looks like stone, its feet are as wide as my body and six time's larger. Its head is lost somewhere within its shell. "What power did men have over the turtle?" The turtle is far from man's only love. The empty husk of a bird lies near, holding an egg in both wings.

I find that I can't help but wonder about the world that man lived in. The power to bend the world that man has was without equal. With birds, turtles, fowl, and even with wolves on their side, what could have convinced them to fight the way they did?

The way it is told. The way men fight is not like the way dogs fight. It is not fast and it is not noble. But it is indeed sophisticated. Humans have only one claw, and they never fight with their teeth. Their one claw is nimble, but why get your paws dirty when you could call on the 'Red flower'?

"What is the 'Red Flower' anyway?" It is a strange and magical thing that takes many shapes. In the early days, the 'Red Flower' could not be tamed. It grew everywhere. Out of control, it would choke out all life and grow so large as to kill trees leaving only blackness after eating everything it could find. Men were creative, they found ways to shape the flower and commanded it to grow only were they would choose: First with bottles where from they would set it free, then sticks, and at last within strange eggs.

Placing the red flower within an egg was amongst the last great evils men would perform. Some think that the mighty egg hatched and form it sprung a flower so large that the earth could only feed it for but a moment. But in that moment the flower grow so large and so beautiful that it took light form the sun so greedily that the sky turned black as did the ground for so far as any beast could see, then came the healing ice we see today.

From the dying earth two alpha men stood. Dressed in the skins of their dead they charged each other letting howl and evil rage and with their last breaths called for the flower one last time. With the last of the alpha men man's last hunters die, and the 'red flower' returns to its rightful places within the earth.

I feel it is best to leave this dire place to rest. Nothing lives here today and perhaps nothing ever should again. I must continue my search for heaven. Yet another week will pass, and I shall run tireless...

...For the first time my paws find soft earth. I scrape my feet harshly to the ground. Beneath the ice and snow I find green earth and a long stemmed flower with long blue petals. I lay my snout against it and inhale the sweetest air I have ever tasted. Maybe there is a heaven after all...

I will run! I will run day and night! I will find Heaven! I WILL find greener fields! I will die on a bed of flowers. I can do nothing less. The sky in the distances burns yellow, a color I have only dreamt of till today. Heaven is in the north. I'm getting closer. Paw prints stain the thinning snow. I smell flowers just over the mountain, just out of my reach. I dream a loving dream, I can see myself chasing beast of all types, I can see the bed of flowers that is my reword for the unending hunt, and I can almost see the woman that will be my last adventure. I can't help but think what if my sisters and I are the last wolves on earth? Would the journey still have been worth it? Yes, it would have been, is, and now I see why, on the other side of the mountain is the beginning and the end, the flowery field on the other side is the sum of all life. We are all here for one purpose. too start again!

** *

"Good night, my dear." Jessica leans over to kiss the now sleeping mouse maiden. Jessica's ears roll slightly detecting movement behind her. "Now who can that be? Mint maybe?"

Chapter 4: The Poet

** ** Mint gasp and hides off to one side of the door, she turns to run away but is cut off by a flickering whit phantom. She falls over into the waiting arms of the Weaver. The ghost vanishes a quickly as it came. "What was that?!" Mint yelps.

"A 'Phantasmal image', I learned that spell form the Princess of the Flames. She asked me to write her a story and she paid me with that spell. It is grate for scaring sneaking little mice." She offers Mint a kiss to make up for the little joke.

"You can just throw ghost around like that?"

"To make a ghost appear is simple, to control them it much harder." she femininity wraps her arms around the child and walk her back to the study wherein the other still await.

Salt and Garlic have pulled open several scrolls and have strolled them across the floor in an attempt to decipher the magic symbols that hide the knowledge within. Butter shacks her head in disbelief. "You're not going to learn anything by just looking. Someone needs to translate."

"That is very true." Jessica explains. "there were once mighty monoliths dedicated to passing the magic of literacy form parent to child but that was at the peak of culture. We are now in what would be a dark era, when only the privileged know this magic. I could pass my power on to one of you perhaps." She looks down to the scrolls on the ground. "The Poet and the Fall. When I found this scroll it was half burned. I tried desperately to repair it... but still so much is lost."

"What is a Pilgrim?" Pepper reminds her of his question.

"One who hordes knowledge, the poet on the other hand is one he strive to bring that which is hidden back to light." She picks up the scroll beginning to reweave it in place. "I will share with you this one. Maybe you will find the missing paces."

** *

Day 1

They say the life of an artist is a life of inspiration; 'the Poet' can move mountains and make kings weep. I was an 'artist', I weaved a tale of swords and sorcery and one of life and of loss. It was no masterpiece, but it was mine.

It has been six months since I have put ink to paper. I'm frightened, poetry is all I know. If I can't write, I can't do anything. So I take the keys to my uncles summer home, it is up in the tundra of Minnesota. I am going to write again, Even if it kills me.

I pack up my car with soda and brownies. Then I take a bottle of Gin and stuff it into my coat, my 'medication' and I case of 'Jack' just in case. That plus my computer should be all I need to survive up there for two weeks.

The first six day's passed without me being able to think of more the five words. So I move on to the next step. I lock myself in the master bedroom! I will deny myself anything of human comfort; even sunlight if need be, speed, soda, imagination, and booze should be all I need.

The first week passes...

Day 7

First day locked in the bedroom, 'the night is...' that's all I have, that would be all I've had for weeks. Tomorrow will be better, I'm sure of it.

Day 8

Sun rise. I've been staring at a blank computer screen for almost twelve hours consecutive. 'It's the best of time it's the worst of time...' 'We hold these truths to be selfevident' 'call me Ishmael' what is the formula for greatness? General Washington convinced four hundred multiculturals to storm the British fleet on Christmas eve with bare feet, and here I am without the inspiration to even complete a thought.

Day 9

I haven't had anything to eat since noon Friday, the only things sustaining me are carbonated beverages' and the booze, I take my medicine, I feel alright still. I look over my shoulder at the door and imagine it is chained shut. I finely move from my chair and take a step in front of the door. I reach up and turn the switch, the lights go off, I laugh, hit it again, they turn on. This goes on till dusk. My computer is now the only-thing illuminating the box I live in. I can hear it raining.

'The night was...' what if the night was moist? Or cold, hot? What if it was hot the previous day but it is cold now, 'the night was foggy?' that is the bane of all poet, the perfect words 'the night was bright' why? How? What if 'the day is dark' is it cloudy?"

Day 10

My head is spinning, I double down on shots, I almost forget to take my meds, they make me feel better. The key to any story is the illusion that is creates. The right words fashion the world you live in and the people that surround you. A gifted storyteller need not know how a story is going to end only how it will start. The world is an organic place. Once it is populated it germinate on its own.

I can hear things outside that I can't understand. The scraping of aluminum against glass is the best way I can put it. I prop my bed against the window to deafen the sound. It becomes impossibly dark. I turn on the light, but they fail to pierces the unnatural darkness. I see eyes staring at me through the void. My computer is the only thing I can see aside from the velvet eyes in the shadows.

I cower in the cold light of the monitor hidings form the darkness in the only light that I can find. 'The night was still...' The house makes noise, it creeks and crakes, rumbles and stirs. The printer alongside me groans spitting out papers, page after page of what looks at first as only binary but as page after page roll out I feel it taking shape. A hand, a head, another hand, a face, many faces, then at-last me lost within the eternity. I sing to myself in comforting madness. I cower, I'm a mess, balled up hugging my lags to my chest in the darkness.

Obsession, we have all been there, nothing becomes something in time of desperation...

Day 11

As the sun rises the horrible night is vanquished for the moment. I take my medicine, my mouth is dry, my hands are num. I find myself sitting in the middle of the floor arranging the montage of papers to admire it in its grotesque completion. I can hear scrapping at the door, as I look up hand-marks are burning into it. Then the door is gone swallowed by shadows. Sometimes what we see we do not, what is isn't, what will be, will be no more...

Fear, anxiety, these are things we all feel, that is at the heart of our reality, these are the thing we try to escape in are fantasies. Lust, we all crave the release that sex brings. Hardship is defining. All elements must come together to complete the world of dreams or we'll fail to believe.

I close my eyes for only a moment. I feel a crushing weight atop me. My eyes spring open the night has come. A woman lays over me, it's face is white as bone, her eyes nightshade, she wares the shadows like a misty robe. I scream. The night end and the day has come again , I'm loosening all perception of time. I smash my folding chair to peaces, then thrash my room, I can't fight my fear. My rage reveals a mag-light hidden behind the nightstand, there's a sticker on it like that which you might find in a church gift shop. It reads 'salvation'.

Day 12

The night has come for me again. I try to chase it away with the flashlight, it works for a time. 'The night was inescapable...', I had tried to nail the windows shut earlier but it is useless, rolling blackness steams in through the windows. Death stairs me in the face. The night grows hands that reach out for me. Huddled in the corner I hide between two walls for what it is worth. Why are the shadows afraid of this tiny light I shed on them? Is that the nature of an artist? One that can shines light on the darkness for all of us.

As the endless night drags on I reach for my bottle hoping to find courage at the bottom.

I'm shaking, I'm crying, I can't remember ever feeling so cold. The night prosiest. My light dies. I hold the light overhead hoping to drink the last drops of life-giving warmth from the otherwise useless mechanism.

Death takes me by the hands and pulls me over to my computer I feel ice burning in my lungs. She throws me to my knees and reaches into my body. Death whispers in my ear telling me secrets only meant for her. Like a marionette she swings me about forcing me to type. I have become nothing...

Day 13

The night is finally over, an empty bottle lays alongside me a stack of paper sits to my other side, Quivering I reach for them expecting some horror of a revelation but instead find a cover-page with my name on it and a title "I am Awake" it's not a statement but a desperate plea. I have work to do. I need to remember where I am and keep going. My story most live. A grin finds my lips; my hands reach for my keyboard, my fingers dances!

'The night was a rolling river of despair and I can only hope to be washed ashore. for she is alive with the pain and torment of my own doing. the Darkness is coming and she will never stop, she wants what we have, and what only an artist can give her, life everlasting. In desperation I called her form her everlasting sleep in hopes of drinking knowledge and inspiration from the night like a vampire fest upon life's blood...'

Day 14

Where I am, where I was yesterday. I've been here before. I've seen it all. It is called 'False Sensory Input' go half a week without sleep or drink yourself half to death and you can experience it all too. I'm out of whisky, and my medicine is gone from my veins. Maybe next time I'll be smart enough not to jump into the snake-pit. If you are where I was, there is hope for you. Call your doctor when you're done with this, your family with thank you.

Ragnarok: 90 days after

last year was the grates year of my life. After months of staring blindly at a blank computer screen finely I finished masterpiece. I am a writer, my last and greatest peaces was "I am

Awake." it's popularity was like nothing I have ever heard of. Almost the night after my book hit shelves I started getting calls about interviews and book-fairs, suddenly my social candider is full tell the end of the next decade. I was at the top of the world...

None of that maters anymore. I know what is going on. The world ended 90 days ago, and I might just have been at the heart of it all. I was touched by a dark force wiliest on my last manuscript, it took control of me, maid me work for it. Once I dropped my story on my editors desk, the darkness left me. I can still see it, or maybe just feel its eyes on me form time to time.

The world grows ever smaller around us here in the days of Ragnarok, the most honorific of what I've seen are what I have deemed "the Forgotten". The dark force has a powerful effect on the weary, once ones will to fight has faded ones body fallows suit in a reflection of the soul, if anyone wishes for in escape form this dieing world, one turns to dust. As I travel from town to town in search of a way to place the Jin back in its bottle I have seen an ocean's worth of the ashes of the dammed. But death of the body is not freedom, the dark force gives no quarter to the dead. The forgotten rise from their ashed flesh with the setting of the sun, for the first moment naked and innocent as the last of the purifying daylight fades into oblivion (after all we were born into this world nude and virginal, why should we come back in any other form? Nudity is paramount to purity.) but as the blanket of night envelop them in its frozen grip a chain of sin binds them to the night sky like the strings of a puppeteer. Then and till daybreak they search to infect all they see with the despair that sickened them to there new form in hopes that by giving there fears and guilt to another as if it should free them. This just isn't so.

The forgotten come in two forms that I have seen: the dead, and the dieing. When one has been touched by the forgotten they are tainted, though there is no ready cure for what ails them they pass through a intermediate stage where there body seemingly starts to reduce to carbon before blowing apart in the wind. It is in this time that there identity is lost completely, only lower brain function seem to renames, they will eat, and they will try to mate (pointlessly I might add). at this stage they are not infectious I have seen, so I have studded a hand full of them to try to find in-site to the nature of the beast I am at odds with.

I have found that the dark-force has rule it must fallow, it is a monster that has escaped form imagination, and as such it must fallow rule. The rules of dreams are not like the rules of our world but seem to remain constant in some since. In the daytime the nightmares power is limited, only affecting objects with direct contact.

It has some strange affection for symbols, like a flashlight or candle, it avoids these things, seemingly unable to tell the difference between true and false light. The dark force has no respect for stone walls, but it does seem to respect windows. A closed window in a room acts like a locked door, it can pass them but doings so seem to make it tiered, weather tangible or intangible the dark force will not attack one if standing before a mirror. The darkness treats water like in rolling flame actively retreating form its. This is all I have confirmed for myself.

I find that as of late I have started to sleep during the day leaving my nights open to hunt those that hunt me. I arm myself with these symbols, water, light, and most recently I have found that the forgotten can be banished back to memory by physical means once burnt with one of its other weaknesses, so I now have a big woodsmen's knife and a small gun to protect myself. Where this all ends I can't say. What I can say is that even the dead can bleed, the stains on my clothing is testament to that.. Ragnarok: day 93

I slept in the middle of the street today. An open area, no building to cast a shadow for over a block I don't fully understand how this happened but I slept for so long, the sun was already setting when a hand one my chest roused me, my tools where not in reach. A forgotten sat on my chest as my eyes opened; she was still alive as it were. The skin everywhere but her and face and crouch were black as coal, she is close to tuning, to close. Desperate for warmth she cries like an animal she runs her body up and down mine. I feel a moment's hesitation as I reach for knife knowing that till the ash of death cover that last inch of her rose skin she Is still human, and my own animalistic needs go unmet also, but my thrust for life outweighs my need for a human touch and I find my blade.

For the first time I have killed a forgotten before the darkness consumed it completely. The dark force flied her body like birds flee at a gunshot. I take my first look at a dead body in this world, a REAL dead body, broken and at peace. A frightful realization dawns on me. To murder the forgotten, is this the kindest thing I can do for them. But now the others are coming from the darkness, the phantoms, I must run, find high ground, a place I can protect, a place where I have easy accesses to the tool I will need to find them off, at least till they get board of chasing me.

An hour till day-brake I come across others like me, two fellow hunters: Angelo Katsith, a boy in his late teens with some kind of feline fascination, and Tomas Phear, a word culture expert. These two seem to understand the dark-force just as well as me, they have learned thing even I haven't yet. Salt thrown liberally at ones feet will make the dark force crawl along the ground in slow motion Angelo tells me. A chain around a box and a gold ring will appear invisible to 'them.' Phear claims.

All we have learned and it still feels as if we know nothing. We have learned to protect ourselves form the darkness, but not how to defeat it, how to save others. I keep reflecting on the words "the darkness respect symbols" something in me tells me the key to defeating the dark force is in those words.

I ask Tomas about it, "What symbol's might save us?"

"That which called the darkness here might yet have the power to send it back"

Angelo asks me where I was when I first felt the dark presence. Then it all started to add up for me. I freed the evil; I have the power to send it back. It won't be easy, but I can do it. "My uncles cabin." now it's not the cabin that is important, the dark force likely took broader strokes then that, it was something in the cabin. I can recreate IT, the trap that held the darkness the first time around. I just need to figure out what attracted it in the first place. A dark room, a keyboard, a chained door, a window that had been nailed shut, maybe that would be enough to call it back to me. But then what? How do I send it back to the nothing form which it came?...

Ragnarok: 160 days latter

I have stood along Tomas Phear and Angelo Katsith in this battle agents the everlasting dusk, but guns and ancient superstition can do nothing but protect us, it can't win us this war.

For victory to be ours we need more. We need a trap for the dark force. And for that we need a Poet. Tomas has pointed out to me that Bards, in some accounts, have the power to capture evil within the pages of books and song. I intend to exploit this.

Modern tales tell of film steeling the soul, be it photographs or motion picture seaming arbitrary. But if it is true then this battle is not unique and I find myself inquisitive considering the time-line of our struggle, did I let the demon into this world or has it always been here and I am just another gatekeeper, or is it even me?

We have found a new study, I have dressed it to look as much like where I first so the dark force as a can, and I have begun typing a new book. Katsith points out to me that the last time I wrote there was but a single page that was not mine slide into the final copy, a page wherein I am the Poet of old and I was given the weapons of my ancestry to duel dark force with, but dark force did not play fair, the weapons I have, the knowledge to use them I did not.

It would be different this time, I know the rules, and I am ready for his attack. As the poet of old I am not bound by the dark force instead I am bound to him, And that means some peace of what he is, is within me, he binds the fabric of my world in on itself to create his legion, I can do the same to the world. But it won't be easy, and I am going to need to pay a price to fight this monster.

'With a quivering hand Phear pick up the page and instantly he understands... Gordon

Meadows has sold him out to the demons.'

As I type these words my heart sinks into my chests, by no means is this certified to work, but it's the beast changes we have.

'The boy Katsith, who has fought largely on instinct, is yet fully unaware of the fate that is to befall him. Tomas turns his eyes to the boy with saddened disbelief then back to Meadows. Even as the reality dawns on them the darkness gathers outside the windows like a school of fish thousands of tiny orbs of condensed shadow swarm as if a sallied mass.'

For theirs to be any victory in all of this I can see that there are many things that must come to pass. First off, I must lure the dark force into a form that I understand, then I must lead him back into his own world, and at last I must find a way to lock the door. It is to this end that I must betray my friends. Honestly I would never have thought of what I am about to do but I can see the stakes. If violence is the only way to stop someone hell-bent on bringing pain to others then violence and non-violence are no longer moral principles but tactics.

'with the utmost of ferocity the windows shatter, Phear stands gripping the page of Meadows book like a page of scripture to save him for the darkness but that page holds no magic that could save him, he is thrust in to the air dragged by the charging mass of evil. Wind howls like a rabid beast, lights burst into flames, books are purged from there resting-places, as Phear finds his feet he struggles for but a breath gripping himself by the sides of his head, the dark forces is within him and he fights for his soul, he can't win. eyes fade to a deep purple and he is dead, there is only the dark force now'

This is where I got into trouble, now that IT is hear, what happens next? Well, I need a weapon that can beat HIM, a gun or a knife isn't good enough, if it were the other poets would have won. No, I need something more colorful, something intangible, something that means nothing in this world but in Dark Force's world is the equivalent of a nuclear warhead in the palm of my hand.

I turn my eyes on Katsith, his headband with cat ears on it, he wears them in the loving memory of his beloved Keith, Angelo believe that his death marked Dark Force entry into this world, and that it has somehow protected him so far. Maybe he is right.

Now as a poet this is one of the most difficult decisions to make, Angelo needs to die in order for the cat ears to work for someone else, but how? He can't just drop dead, so someone needs to kill him, I most certainly could do it but do I want to be the antihero? Or do I let Tomas do the job? I could do that. But how do I know what to do next? Enter Shakespearen law, the three part drama, and this is the crescendo of the second act.

'Tomas, now as the Dark force takes but a moment to look at his new body and find it is good. Yes his strength is now limited to that of a mortal man, but this is hardly a problem, as any methamphetamine addict could point out, fear of mortality is a man's greatest weakness, and pain doesn't heart if you don't feel it. Tom is a powerful looking man for a schoolmaster, his eyes glow as he dances about for a moment to understand what he is, then Tomas grins like a lion thrusting his gaze onto the tender flesh of Angelo. Not yet understanding what has happened Angelo's attention is fixated on chasing the shadows away. Tom holds his arms out calling the shadow to himself and only then does Katsith take notice, he reaches for a bottle of water knowing well the effect it has on the evil, but he can't reach. Tom grips him by the arm and twist him about then with one hand grips his neck and crushes it with the most nonchalant exasperation. Tom drops the body and chuckles triumphantly, the poet has failed, his plan backfired, this man Tomas, Tomas is no weaker than he was before.'

you see in classical drama, there needs to be a distinct possibility that the hero is powerless in the end. There is no fear if clearly the hero can stand toe to toe with the devil, Faust for example out smarted the demon in his tale, and Dante out ran the devil in his epic. So the same must be true of me, I cannot beat Tomas in hand to hand combat.

'Drunk with power Tomas walks around the office smashing apart the furnishings with his bare hands just to prove he can do it. The look on his face is not one of anger or rages but instead an intoxicating joy. Gordon takes the opportunity to steal the neko-meme off the dead child's head.'

The final act is now in motion, the trap is set, the hero will be tried, the hero tempted, and the vile one will taunt my ineptitude, and he will be terrifying. The only thing left to see is will this be a Greek tragedy wherein I die alone and shamed, or a western adventure where a lone warrior overpowers insurmountable force for honor and glory. I think I now already. To carry on now will require Asgard like selflessness.

'the vile one sees the poet take the cat ears and giggles madly proclaiming that such childish things can do nothing to help him now.'

Ragnarok has come, the time of man has passed, what was will be what is will be no more, that cannot be changed. The transformation has done nothing to hinder the monster it seems, he still commands the darkness.

'The monster calls on his minions to slay the poet and solidify his claim on our realm. The poet draws his flashlight to frighten the darkness away them makes his escape. Dark force fallows. As the two of them step outside a collapsed sun can be seen underfoot and the monster is suddenly aware of the trap, the poet has opened the door to the cage that once held him and now there in the cage once again, but the door is still open, one of them can leave, what dark force doesn't understand is how. Dark force is unaffected by the super-gravity of his dead planet and part of the deal of entering earth was that he needed to gift that power to another so Meadows can withstand the force as well, at-least momentarily. The cat ears in his grip have taken on the form of a tiny stair in the poets hands, the one thing that this world does not have. The minions of the dead world flee from the punishing light.'

light, we take it for granted, no man can understand what it must mean to live in a world without light, but that is all dark force understands, to him light is a weapon, to use it is only light.

'the light protects the poet form all the evils of this world, and form dark force himself, it is also the key to his escape, as a shield the neko-meme is impenetrable. But the poet can now see he cannot save himself and overcome his foe at the same time.'

'unfortunately the dark force knows this as well and so send forth the blunt of his power, waves of darkness topple into Meadows and bounces off the wall of light. Dark force laughs at the poet then turns to walk bake into the human world knowing well that the poet doesn't have what it takes to lock the door. After all who brings a shield to a sword fight?' and to be fare Tomas wasn't wrong, I was afraid, besides I'm no soldier, I'm no Viking, I have no delusions about what "death" means.

' and the Dark force commands "you can't hope to stop me poet. Your weapon can't protect you and vanquish me." the poet looks to the cat ears, and understands that he is right of course'

'the poet walks to the edge of the world and looks down into the sun "But you see, I haven't made up my mind yet." and with that Gordon throws the light into the sun and it is reborn in a flash. In the moment that the protection fades a school of evil light descends on the poet crushing him.

And that is how I die...

But now time for some disclosure, outside of a dozen Forgotten the only person I have ever harmed is myself. I did not betray Tomas Phear, or Angelo Katsith, they in fact helped me construct this bit of performances art. Angelo divined that the use of the word Poet in my story had double meanings and Tom pointed out that in eastern Europe and Asia the words writer, story teller, actor often share a single noun. This understanding leads us to the consistence that Poet and Bard are one in the same and so we need booth to conquer our nemesis.

And so I was sent out into the darkness to make a deal with Dark Force. I showed him the book, I offered it as a gift to him. He accepted. I went back to the loft and took down the magic charms the protected us then sat down at the computer to enact the last pages of the script. Dark force saw the theatrics and played his role. So long as the three of us did as the pages instructed Dark Force would leave our world. Which meant Tomas, Katsith and myself needed to allow the darkness to calm us.

But then the unexpected happened, Dark Force was sent back to sleep for another decade, but also sent us back in time before hand, Angelo back to school, Tom back to his home on the lake and me, back to my uncles cabin.

Tomas was still hunted by the memory of Dark Force and sleepwalking.

Angelo was still largely lonely in the school.

And me, I still had to write my next book.

We each were given a gift by Dark Force it seems. Angelo met a girl the day he was destined to meet the evil presence. someone just as lost as him. They could be lost together.

Tom sleepwalked right into the mines and found some old cave-drawings; he told his story to the school and found some level of fame.

Me, I got off the drugs, cooled turkey, I finished my book this time without the evil. But withdraw sickness still ran its course. My uncle will find me in the winter when he come up here camping.

This leads me to my last thoughts. I never told you what dark force was. Mostly because the answer wouldn't mean a thing to you, it simply has no merit on the story. But he did have a point to make. The greatest stories in the world aren't the ones that go one forever but are the ones that get retold every generation.

I have tried to imagine the time line as dark force must have seen it. In my lifetime he has lived as a timeless snake god only to be banished by a child spell-caster, and ancient dreameating phantom sealed in a church by a young girl that shared his power and a withered emperor slain by his own black knight. A century before that he must have been a best locked in a tower slain by a maddens kiss, before that maybe he was a serpent embattled by the old gods of Asgard and Greeks. I can only imagine where he will be next...

Fin...

** *

"And with that children, I most did you all a good night." Jessica rolls up her scroll and lead the young ones off to the main room and dresses them in knitted bedrolls.

Chapter 5: The Poet's Memories'

Jessica finds her way to her bed in the depths of night, a familiar feeling of motherly gratification offering her a fine and restful night. She wiggles her head and curls into a tight ball on her bed nearly putting her head to her knees and her tail twice entwining her body. She sighs a contented sigh and takes a single deep breath in preparation of her slumber before the scrapping of stone to wood perks her ears. Her eyes open sharply and she places here glasses back on her nose. "Good grief, what could that be?"

Jessica sneaks around her hole in search of the noise. She finds her way back to the study by candle light her attention drawn by the flickering eyes of a child crawling over the book cases. Cream jumps down yelling. "I found them! I found them! The lost pages!"

In a whispering shout Jessica commands "keep it down! You'll wake the dead at this hour." She then picks up the girl and looks at the papers in her claws "what do you mean you found the lost pages?"

"The poet story, Here is the rest of it."

"I don't think so..." she looks hard at the pages quickly running her eyes up and down them "or may be..." Jessica mutes herself

"Read them! Read them!" Cream hops up and down.

** *

Keith and Angelo were never popular. Everyone said they were strange. Angelo likes catears, he has crafted a fake par that he wears around most days, Keith is the silent Bob type, he like long sleeves and winter coats even in the summer. Wail most boys in their classes were playing football Keith and Angelo were practicing fencing, when most the guys in school were talking about cars, Keith and his life companion never wavered form there scholarly studies. Then sex became the hot topic of the school Keith and Angelo were labeled as queer, the par didn't protest, after all when you like to dance and wear makeup it's tuff to come up with a good excuse why. In truth the hair die, the makeup, and jewels it's all cultural. The par identified themselves with the gypsy tribe called the Gothics, ancient rouge artisans.

At the beginning of the semester a talent show was held, Keith brought in his viola Angelo dressed up in a skeleton costume and the two of them preformed a druid like dance number. Apparently a number of the alpha males in the school felt uncomfortable with the performance and so took out their frustrations on the violinist. Keith was bet within an inch of his life after school that day. No one said a word, no one tried to help him. Keith had been beaten before but this time was different, he changed that day, didn't feel like talking to anyone.

A week later, Keith was dead, chained to the flagpole outside the school. Keith was cut down and carried away. No one talked to Angelo, no one said they were sorry, no one asked he if he was ok. Angelo didn't expect them to. In respect for his life brothers passage he wore his skeleton costume again. If anything Angelo expected closure, en explanation as to why his best friend is dead. Quickly he found he wouldn't get it. There were no police, no investigations.

Keith was just gone. No one even spoke of that day again.

Angelo looked to the tabloids, people don't just die and it's over. There are funerals and there is grieving, surely if no one else Keith's family could explain a thing or two. Angelo opens newspaper after newspaper ever one seems to contain anything, nothing but variety pages. No deaths no crimes nothing in the whole town everything is perfect it would seem. He goes in search of his friend's family but it is hopeless, they have left town. Something is horribly wrong in this town.

Katsith bikes to school the way he always has. A strange wind blows; the sheriff is outside speaking with the principle. They speak in hushed tones, Katsith can understand only a tiny fragment of what is being said "...three more..." Katsith understands nonetheless. Keith is back from the dead, and he is punishing those that had hurt him.

A devilish smirk take to Katsith's face, might this mean that he could do whatever he wanted now? No! That can't be right! Keith was no monster, and neither is he. IF Keith is back, then HE wouldn't be doing something like killing his classmates. IT could only be a Demon PROTINDING to be KETH! But things don't add up still. Today is going to be a bad day, there is only one thing that the school would be thinking, Angelo Katsith IS a WITCH, and THE GOOD PEOPLE are going to CONDIM him for his SINS!

It's not more than an hour into his day before he proves himself right. Stan, Christopher, and Edger, three members of the varsity team corner him outside the locker-room "You think

I'm afraid of you SPOOK!" Edger shoves Katsith furiously.

Angelo is tiny compared to these three but he seems unshaken. "Half the team is missing, what did you do with them." Stan demands

"One third, Lunchbox. You play baseball. If there were nine min on the field and three of them left that would mean that one third of the team was MIA, And by the way what makes you think that I have anything to do with this"

Edger smashes him into the wall again. "You're a witch and everyone know it."

"I'm a Wikka, but I don't expect you to know the differences Caveman. Just between me and you, Edger, its September right, I've got a five spot that sees by autumn harvest I'm going to be the only one of us still alive. You want to take the over or the under on that bet?"

Edger drives his knee into Katsith groin then takes him by the coat and throws him to the ground "how about I just hold on to that five for you and well see what happens. Thanks for the loan." Katsith's classmates spend some time stomping on the punker just for the hell of it then they pick his pocket. Angelo laughs it off, he know he is right.

The darkness spreads in the fallowing days. It's just as Katsith suspected, more and more student turn up missing, not dead, just gone. Katsith takes to studding the darkness relentlessly trying to find a way to control it. Stan comes flying into the library late into the day looking for Katsith.

Stan grabs Angelo pulling him out of the chair he was reading in. "Spook, you got'a help me!"

"You know we have been going to school together for eight years and you don't even know my real name."

"Dam it help me!"

"I could let the darkness eat you" Katsith is playing around, Katsith is harmless, he has never done harm to anyone let alone stud by to watch another. But it is fun to see how people react to the threat.

What came next the would be cat-boy would never have suspected. There darkness has always come in the dead on night, never seen in its manifestation. Solidified night rolls into the library like liquid fire. Books fly off shelves, tables and counters burst into flames, light is drowned-out. Stan shacks Katsith "WHAT are WE going to DO!"

Quietly Katsith considers and then whispers with his tormenter "we are going to run." the two young men make their way for the door. The door has come to life and is laughing at them. Katsith grabs a chair and smashes his way through.

The two head into the halls of the school. It is silent in an unheard-of fashion only their own footsteps echo in the halls. "What the hell is that thing that's after us?" Stan shouts.

"A class four phantasmal apparition." "What?" Stan asks as there running.

"It's negatively charged psychokinetic energy, lots of it."

"What can we do?"

"Three things," Katsith explains as he bounces of a wall turning the corner, the darkness reaching for their feet. "one, we find a ten pound worth of un-iodized-salt, sodium-dioxide, sodium-chloride, you know rock salt, something clean." the two of them start hurdling tables in the lunchroom "two, chlorinated water, we need to sit in the middle of the swimming pool till it losses interest in us..."

"How long would that take?"

"Let's just say we might be late to graduation." Katsith bellow through the gymnasium doors "three, human sacrifice."

"I don't think I like where this is going. How do you know about this shit?"

"You and the swim-girls go to orgies, I hang out at bookstores." gym equipment comes to life and seems to add the mass of darkness. Katsith pushes Stan into the pool room. The darkness stops at the door. The two wade into the water. The air crackles, the par stand quivering in the water overnight speaking nearly a word.

Slowly they make their way out of the water and back to the locker rooms as sunlight begin to fill the pool. "Angelo," Stan addresses his partner. Katsith looks pleased to her someone calling him by name "Thank you, Looks like we survived the night." Stan spoke too soon, lockers start braking open the darkness snatches up Stan and drags him into a locker then welds itself shut. Stan is taken away from this world completely, gone with the others that were not killed, but erased.

It looks like again Katsith is alone in the world. He arms himself with his cat-ears and skeleton costume a slight grin on his lips. Tomorrow night he will go in search of more allies, other which may be able to stand in the dark. Maybe Thomas Phear the new art and culture teacher...

^^^

Have you ever had the dream where you're at home, franticly searching for something?

I have. In fact I've been having it allot lately. I'm ready for a new life. Miles from the big cities I've known all my life. I've given up on drugs, no not with twelve stepping, not with the grace of god, not with the love of 'a good women', cold turkey by myself; I put down the pipe and stopped smoking. That is that. I bought the home on the lake for almost nothing. When I ask for a quote he (the relater) almost handed me the keys without signing the sales resets, he was overjoyed to get it off his hands.

I just made my first payment on my new house. It's a lake side Victorian style house likely built around 19'hundered. In a small town that looks like it belongs in the thirties. The high school and the middle school share a parking lot (not that I've seen a car aside from my own and the sheriffs since I got here), and only one doctor that treats everyone, one grocer, one bar, and three restraints all privately owned make up the rest of the entertainment, everyone knows ever one. I'm an outsider.

The area is called the northwest wasteland by the natives. Standing on the parapet to the east there is a sawmill, it looks overgrown, whenever it was abandoned it was clearly done so unexpectedly as there is a rusted old truck parked out front and a dilapidated crane off to one side of it, across the lake there is a coal mine that looks to have been boarded-up for years, beyond that there is in endless meadow, and a sea of trees. To the west there is the town, one endless road and only a hand full of establishments.

Once I was a school teacher for an intermediate university, my experts' art and modern culture. With a little luck on my side I'll be doing the same thing hear starting in the fall. Till then, it will be just me hear working day and night doing art as a hobby.

I wake in my dreams, that is the way it always starts, the clock is spinning backwards, that is how I'm aware that I'm dreaming, I feel like something is missing. Where is my wife? I think sometimes. But then reality intrudes on fantasy reminding me that I've never been married. Don't I have a dog? But then I remember that my dog has been gone for some time. Something is missing I just know it and I feel panic, I need the thing that I lost. Without is something bad might happen.

I go to the kitchen and start frisking cupboards. It's not there!? I don't know what it is but I know that it's not where I'm looking. I go to my room. It's not there either. The sky grows dark, the wind howls so loudly that the windows begin to splinter, I yell at myself 'Tomas, get up. Tomas Phear wake up'

I snap awake, it's still the middle of the night, more often than not, only ten to twenty minutes after lying down. My lungs burn, my hart pounds, my eyes water, it feels almost like the first 'hit' after lighting up. I can't remember why I liked this in the first place.

The dream seldom ends there. I know I won't be sleeping again, so I make my way to the roof where I have my tripod and acrylics set out and waiting already. I face the lake and feverishly paint through the night. I try to paint with the warm pallets I love so much from years of schooling. But I find that my brush keeps moving to the cooler colors, blues, grays, black.

Every sky line I paint from here is a nighttime sky.

Shifting through a summers worth of work, it is clear when the dreams started. The themes of my art have changed. All my portraits look cold and shadowy; all my landscapes are covered by an unending night. I've tried to paint during daytime hours but when I did my dawning sky transformed into a burning sky. I've tried to paint nature but always hidden in the shadows are faces I can't remember placing therein.

I feel secluded. I've invited my neighbors over a dozen times and tried to talk about local history, and the perverse owners. No one wants to talk to me. Everyone clams up as soon as I ask about the town. I even went to the school asking the Dean; surely an academic like myself wouldn't be frightened by the 'evil eye'. He whispered briefly of the death of one of his student last fall but wouldn't say another word thereafter.

The fallowing night I notice a High school aged boy hanging around my house after dark. I don't think much of him at first. He looks untraditional, dark hair dark cloths, pail, and where's lots of jewelry and makeup, at my old school there were lots of kids like him.

I pace around thinking hard about all I've seen and heard over the summer. There is something terrible in this town and it wants to be found. All the evidence point in that direction, If I ever want to sleep again I need to find out what people aren't talking about.

First; I look to the artwork I've been doing, maybe there is a clue there?, Eyes hidden in trees, faces masked with shadows, but then something far more tantalizing comes to view. I did a painting of the coalmine, wherein the coalmine is open... what could that mean?

I call the sheriff in the morning. I tell her "I want to go down to the coalmine. " She ask me "why?",

I tell her "I think there is something important down there"

She seems aggravated "the coalmine has been sealed for 30 years"

"I understand but..."

She won't let me finish "Phear, we do thing hear with a purpose, and doing them as such have bought use a decade of peace"

I need to know "What does that mean?"

"Every town has a demon or two. We just found a way to keep ours quiet." Silences, that would be this towns poison.

May be there are demons. Be that being the case I feel inclined to go looking for them, and maybe I'm not alone in that notion. The boy that I saw outside his name is Angelo Katsith. The dead student that the Dean spoke of was his best friend, but it would seem that now he is the only one that remembers him. I think maybe I can help him find out why.

Angelo points out some more then disturbing aspects of the town to me when we meet.

He is willing to talk, and I'm glad to have the company at long last. He directs me to the library.

It's the middle of the night, we brake in.

He starts pulling newspapers for me

"Keith was my best friend, he was found dead, chained to the flag pole. No one sad a word about it, Look through the papers, apparently no one had died in this town since 1990. In fact there is no record of any crime in this 'hole'. But I'll tell you. It's all a lie. Keith was the first and his death triggered a chain reaction. Seven of my classmate died this week. Keith parents are missing, the only thing in their apartment is a spool of tape"

The story didn't make since till I started to consider the possibility of conspiracy or something more sinister yet. The whole town had been consumed by evil and we might be the last untouched souls.

"What do we do Angelo?"

"We have to stand against the dark. We have to lay the dead to rest, and we need to restore the lost balance to this place. Find the truth, the evil and dispel it."

Its insanity, me fight the darkness, I'm an artist not a fighter. But this kid, he needs me. I'm a teacher, the world is getting stranger by the minute, I don't like where this is going. There is nothing left to do. I need to fallow the kid no matter what...

Chapter 6 What Lies Ahead?

** ** Mother Corn finds her way outside Jessica's hole with the first light. Jessica walks alongside her. "It's cold today." Corn explains

"an April frost." Jessica whispers to herself

"I'm sorry Jessica I didn't get that."

"Have no fear. Today is a good day to start your walk if you are ready."

Corn nods "Yes I think you are right." She breaths deep. "It's such a long way."

"You are young, your hart is strong, and you will make it. But the road is long; I can help you only as much as I can. The work ahead is best left to those with more years left them myown." Jessica looks about. "Have you ever heard of Winterskiss from the others?"

I slight tremble to her words Corn nods "that is the home of the grate birds, Kari worshipers I've been told."

Jessica nods "you have been told right." Jessica finds an old box outside of her home; she opens it and withdraws a flout and cape "Take my Crimsons with you when you go, and this whistle."

Corn shacks her head "for one like you, so old and brave, I Crimson is a symbol of power.

To one like me would it not be a mark of misfortune. Kari could see that robe for miles around."

"If that old hag's power where half what she boast it wouldn't matter what color your vestments were she would still see you. But this is not for Kari, this is for Rook Warwing, she owns me much and I intend to cash in. bring these to the forest on yonder, where the Crimsons and play. She will come, and she will take you to Elec Mountain." Jessica explains "If not I will scramble her eggs for her." She jokes slightly it seems "I will also give you bow, and pray you never need it."

"Rook, that's a Roc name! kobolts and Roc's have no earth dealings with one another..."

"And yet we both seem aware of them." Jessica calls heed

"Too an adult Roc I would not be even a mouthful."

"True, you would be a poor meal. But maybe it's not her belly that needs be filled."

"What does a Roc own you?"

"I am a Weaver not only for Kolbolts but for all tribes of this land. She is to me what you are too I, and to what Onion is to the medicine mouse. The price of life need not change with feather or fur. The sun is up, it is time to eat, come back inside please."

And with that Jessica returns to the hole, she grabs mixed nuts, milk and cheese, hardened wheat bread and fruit jam then sets the table with the utmost of heist. Jessica is one who is accustom to serving food for many so can do so quite swiftly. Corn fallows in only a short time later but Jessica is already presenting a well maid meal. Corn blushes at the sight of such a fine meal for her and her young.

Corn goes to fetch her kids, the lot gathers in the serving room. Jessica folds her arms as she sits at the head of the table awaiting her guest hands folded atop the table. The children hungrily start sifting across the table grabbing up bread and nuts, the adults wait with a touch more refinement.

Mint is the last to eat as she watches the two mothers with some interest. "you still did not tell me what had happened to Onion."

Corn looks to her "his Fever has been persistent for a few days, I thought he was getting better but then he and Garlic were playing in the marsh and he was stung by one of the eight lagged turtles and..." Corn brings one hand up to cover her faces as she starts whimpering.

Jessica olds up one hand to hush her "its ok I understand" Jessica thinks about the term 'Eight Lagged Turtle' "A Ctenizidae, sounds like, it's a Araneae. The medicine mouse is right, he is very sick but I don't know..."

Corn slaps the table alongside her "Jessica, it is time for me to go. I cannot wait another moment!"

"Then take as much bread as you can carry in that satchel and I will wait here with the yearlings." Jessica waves Corn off. The kids freeze a moment looking up to understand the sudden stress between the women. Corn takes a bag and fills it with food form the table she carries it with her to the door and puts on Jessica's red robe, she ties the bag to her hip and secures the whistle to her neck with a string. "your mother can be excitable can't she?"

Salt nods "it looks that way."

Cream tugs on one of Jessica's arms "you were about to tell her something."

"I think that the Medicine mouse is wrong about what made Onion sick."

Pepper grads his garbs form the basket and picks up a broom "I'm going to bring her back!"

"Make no mistake, the healing stone from Elec Mountain will still work, but there may be a different way. I wish she had brought him here with you."

Pepper drops her rob back in the basket "I don't get it."

"The healing stones are very strong, So much so that they attract spiritualist and sorcerers from everywhere to see them. But there is a problem with the stones: there power diminishes as you hold them, even to the point at which they start to steel youth form the greedy, and rob them of their ability to pass on their seed. My grandmother told me she once lived on Elec Mt. with a hundred and ninety nine others, all where seekers of wisdom. The stones kept them strong for many years. But young ones wishing to be mothers found that it was difficult to rear even with the strongest of partners, and not long after burns started to appear on people's bodies with no evident coz. Then some were born on the Mt. with no fur at all. That was when my grandmother fled. She was right to do so. My mother was the last to be born on the Mt.

My mother returned to Elec shortly after my birth to seek out my father but everyone living there had passed, the stones took back all the life they had given. I have been there myself since, no small number of my scrolls where taken from Elec"

Cream points out "you're a wizard?"

"Born to a wizard's family" she confirms

Pepper laughs "I know it!"

"Do you see wizards in some ill light?" Jessica asks.

"Ask anyone, magic is taboo, all wizards are old birds hiding in the trees that eat little girls that stay out to late."

Jessica recoils a hand to her breast "oh my..."

Garlic places her hands to her hips and look to him angrily "Pepper!" "That's what we were told right?" Pepper shrugs.

Butter shacks her head "I think it might be a bad idea to anger a witch." Garlic looks to butter with the same irritated gaze.

Jessica gets out of her chair and starts a small fire under a caldron "I think it is time to clean house. I'm going to wash your robes, the rest of you find some tools and start cleaning counters."

Salt yells out "I didn't say anything."

"Hush dear, manual labor heals the soul."

Cream slaps salt on the side "yes, don't day anything or thing might get harder."

Cleaning is a quick task when you have some many hand, but sweeping and dusting does not suit young pups so well, quickly there is dissention between the ranks and the lot start fighting more so for fun than anything. But what harm is there in a little squabbling? So long as teeth and claws stay out of it anyway.

But hard work does not go unrewarded in the Weaver's home. At the end of the day beets and honey-water run in abundance. Over a cup of sweet water garlic looks to pepper

"where do you think mom is by know?"

"Maybe the long river?"

The old Weaver walks up behind Pepper and whispers in his ear gripping him by the shoulders "we don't have to guess, we could go see." Pepper offers a look of confusion "I am a witch after all, I have a magic eye." She teases.

The six young-ones gather about and almost as one ask "Do you?"

Jessica leads them outside with a wave "grab your cloaks." She picks up a red and yellow hooded cap for herself and steps out. The children find their clothing and re-equip. though the day was cold the night is warm and inviting. The air is thick with phosphorus bugs and pollen, the air smell sticky with fresh vegetation. Jessica leads them to a pond, she kneels down in front of the water.

The kids have been swimming with their mother before and the concept of swimming brings out the carefree nature in all of them. They throw down there robs as quickly as they had picked them up and jump into the water joyacly, instantly having forgetting the function of the walk. Jessica giggles softly to herself watching the horseplay.

Butter jumps up on Pepper's Back pushing him out garlic, Garlic screams in protest as she is knocked over, Mint tags salt then runs away, Salt knows the game she is playing and runs after her, Cream finds a place to sit in the sandy clay and start to mold the mud around her into shapes. For a short time Jessica sits watching and reminiscing of better times, and of her young, wondering where they must be as well.

Jessica brings one of her claws down and runs it along the surface of the water, the water shimmers a soft blue and light pores forth turning the night into day it would seem. In a skitter the kids rush form the water to seek shelter with the Weaver. Butter points and stutters an incomplete thought which Jessica finishes for her "A magic eye. You wanted to know where your mother is, I can watch her from here. We all can."

The genteel old women reaches her arms around the kids to pull them in close. The water takes on the properties of glass, as the reflection clears a mist outlines a ring in the water and Corn can be seen walking across a overgrow forest hiding in the thickets. Corn lowers her head seemingly stalking a middle aged man who is singing as he walk, angry birds a watching as well. Jessica whispers to herself "The Grate and Powerful Rodney."

Chapter 7: Eden 1.1

** ** Corn takes to the bushes hearing the most odd sounding of voices up ahead. Near every voice of the forest quits to hear the lone out of place sound. Corn spots walking about a fellow Koblot, but he seems strange: his face is rounder then hers, as are his ears, his noise is flat at the tip not sharp like her and her kids, on his cheeks are ruffles of fur that stick out a bit, and also he lacks a strip on his neck as his fur is a hard orange red all around. To make himself even more strange looking he is dressed in lairs, starting with a top hat that adds an exstra third to his height, then a white blouse, covered by a black vest, a green clock and a checkered scarf, a belt is run around his waist and his shoulders with a knife straped to his arm and in ax to his lag, and on his other hip is a bag carved form animal skin.

As the funny looking mouse walk he sing to himself "Love is so Red, Red-er then any flower, O-love how I miss you my cruel mistress. For you I was born and now for you I will die, Love, love, so red. O- you are my beginning and you are my End, O-love, My love, why do I need you so? Love, love, so Red..."

The evil black birds of Kari gaze down at the little snack prancing about, the sky pales with the black feathered beast in the air. Corn looks up and cringes, with one hand she squeezes her wounded lag and snarls holding down a yelp. Corn jumps form the bushes pushing over the strange mouse heaving him into the overgrowth on the opposing side of the trail. She grips him by the lapels as she sets herself on his lap shoving him hard into the dirt. "Itiz' this a robbery?"

Corn grips him by the noise to silence him "what kind of a singing fool are you? This is

Kari's land. You can't sing here."

"I beg to differ." He proclaims "there is nothing at all that is preventing me form singing to my heart's content." He removes her hand form his snout.

"Kari will eat you."

"but that is only causality, that cannot stop my song, only offer me incentives, as a man of grace and wisdom I can still chose to sing, even if choosing to do so comes at a cost. Now if you do not mind madam. I am not accustom to lying on my back."

Corn crawls backward off of him "sorry."

"There is nothing to be sorry for. Life is what you want it to be, and we surround ourselves with that which we believe defines us, we are but in experience. And that is what I seek: Life, love, and wine, in every township from Nebbinbog to Queens that is the experience is wish for."

"Forgive me but dead mice drink vary little wine."

The bardic mouse takes off his hat and tucks it under his arm "well then thank you for your concern. What is Kari? And why doesn't it like you singing?"

Corn scoots up to his side and pushis his head slightly down so they can see past the bushes, she points "up there." She fingers the birds in the trees "eyes of Kari. They have a powerful presences here."

The adventurous boy looks to her "those are nothing but common Jackdaws. Quite harmless to anything but flees."

"I know what a blackbird is and I know what Kari is, that is the latter. Those birds are Vampires."

"What happened to your lag?"

"I've been bit." Corn turns away walking with her body tightly to the tree, "fallow me," she whispers "I can lead us away from them."

"Kari is a vampire?"

"Kari is our goddess. The vampires serve as her top emissary"

"I think you chose your gods poorly."

"We didn't chose Kari, she choose us."

"I bit on the vain side, don't you think." He rolls his eye up a moment thinking "but maybe I have no grounds to stand on, in Tear'lord we worship Dragons, and dragons don't make genital gods more-so. The faulty of being at the bottom of the food-chain I think."

"STOP TALKING! You silly furling"

Corn crawls on all fours till they reach tall grass and the tree line thins, her reluctant partner close enough behind that she can feel his breath in her tail. She at last sits up and breathe a sigh of relief, her partner sit up as well and dust himself off "crawling has never been my bag, I'm much more a jogger. You smell quite sweet, you know that don't you? And thank you again for the escort."

Corn blushes "thank you. You're welcome. Now stay out of trouble." Corn goes to run ahead

"My name is Rodney. The Grate and Powerful Rodney, are you in need of the services of a wizard? "

Corn looks back in disbelief "you are a wizard?"

"Indeed I am." Rodney reaches into his cape and presents a stalk of lemongrass. "a nibble my girl?" Corn giggles and takes the grass from him. Rodney turns his hand slightly and calls forth a small stick, he pulls his hands apart spinning the stick freely in the air it would seem.

Corn cheers him on "Amazing! Do another!" Rodney takes his twig between both hand and pushes the corners compressing the stick to half its size making a playful click sound as he does. Corn bounces up and down clapping "More, More!"

"Another time." He takes a bow, Corn protest. "OK one more." Rodney pulls a length of cloth form his shirt and throw it into the air, followed by have more. He dances about catching the cloths as they fly throwing them up again in a rainbow display. He swoops one arm out in an arc grabbing them all up in one swing after a time and they vanish as he twist in a spin throwing his arms out laughing at his own trick.

"yes, yes I do need a wizard." Corn explains.

"so then what is the plan!"

"we are going to Mount Elec in search of a magic stone." She points across the valley to a lonely spire reaching nearly into the clouds. The mountain looks like glass from a distance, smooth and cylindrical, by far the tallest point on the island.

"That's not so hard. We will be there in two days walking at a far pace. What is standing in our way?" Rodney ask

"The ghost of the accent races, Memories of dead worlds, which is the path to heaven the wolves took, and where the last Huma died. That's what Jessica thinks anyway."

"You look like her."

"Jessica?"

"The Weaver." He nods "the Red Flower lies ahead?" with his head held high Rodney jump up and down once and start to walk, corn scampers in only a few steps behind.

** *

Jessica pulls her claw from the water and smiles "Eden lies ahead." She remembers

** *

I worked once to make the world a better place. We had a dream, we had the money, we had the technology, we wished to cure all sickness, and we thought we knew the way. Most all bacteria acts the same way, but move differently. So we made a cold to fight off the sickness, and it was perfect! It seemed to do everything we wanted. But it was slow and costly; it took years for "Harbinger" to offer a single man complete immunity to sickness like we planned.

So new men were brought on board to help, and that's when it started. Our language started to differ, and so did the ideas we seemed to work towards. Sickness became

Imperfection, the Cure became the path of Peace, Death was soon called Weakness, and as for my fellow doctors, we became slaves.

Our Harbinger elixir stopped being used to cure sickness, but to make monsters by the same name. New versions needed be made with a special ingredient "They" called "Protein 77.7". This was not for such complex organisms as men or as simple as bacteria; this one would be a puzzle piece for something far different. Soon we were creating our own animals within the labs; they were subservient in every way. Not reacting to sound, movement, or doing anything until they were ordered to.

The director was pleased with what she saw, and asked if the same process would work on plants. But it wasn't a question, one that could be answered yes or no, the answer needed to be "when do we start."

My god, what am I doing? This is no longer science, not by any accepted definition. We thought we had become masters of creation, and what can that lead to but destruction.

A new protocol is now underway. We live in our labs now, leaving only to attend daily conferences, where in, we present our progress to the director. In return are afforded some comforts: soups and tea to some, cigarettes and bread to others.

A new building is under construction around us, but we cannot see it, for we are now denied the pleasure of light itself. It is just as well thou, for I am now the father of a living machine. To what purpose, I am not privileged.

Flowers the size of a room, its petals are six feet wide with vines that swing and dance in the air. I watch, as slowly my creation infects the very building in which we live; vines growing into walls and emerging out pipes.

With terror in my heart, I hear outside of my office voices, at last reveling what we have become.

"The Harbinger virus is now an arousal" the first voice claims.

"And Eden is almost ready to rise."

"Imperfection can be cured?"

"I am the sword and cross of humanity, and I shall save them even if I need to send them all to hell to do it!"

"Why are we not flying already?"

"Eden needs a brain to operate it first. Then we can rain down the cure, the cure to war, the cure to hate, the cure to weakness, and the cure to race"

Can that all be what it sounds like, is that what I've been building? The cure to life, is death, the last great medicine left? As for a brain what can that be? But then it comes to me.

Can that be why we were engineering living organisms, to feed this carnivorous plaint of mine, to give it divinity?

"Koji's plaint is our Adam, and now we need to find him an Eve. After that is done I shall cut down the tree of wisdom to ensure we do not fail again." Koji?, that's me.

"Must individuality be erased to cure sin?"

"I see no other way. Do you director Wright?"

"No, Miss Van Richton."

No! This is not science; this cannot be what it sounds like! Surgically or chemically removing the soul as a sacrifice to... to... what, to long life! To God! What must I do to stop this?! Is my own life a high enough a price to end the madness. So much evil looms in the air like a noxious gas. One of the women we built will be chained to my flower. Wrapped snugly in its grip, vines burrowed into whatever cavity its wishes, then at last releasing its soul-eating seeds onto the earth below?

Who could have guested so much evil can be born from the will to do good? I search my lab for a solution to these enigmas, and my eyes turn only to, to the chemical vault to my left. Poison, yes! I'll poison the damned thing. I go to the vault and search, nothing but isolated DNA strands. Nothing that would kill it on its own, But what if... I drowned it in the vary compounds that brought it to life?

Yes, the plant is not "real". It's fused together from hundreds of other plants and rose in an incubator. It has no immune system, like a real organic creature would, so.. if I over feed it, maybe it will.... self-destruct.

Chapter 8 Children of Earth and Moon

After returning to the homestead the children and Jessica discarded there robes again, Jessica takes them and throw them into a cauldron of boiling water, with a long stave she churns the grim form the cloth then strings it across the ceiling to let them dry overnight. This time with very little fuss the kids go to bed in the main room as Jessica returns to her room for the night.

The wisend, kolbot maid tosses and turns hunted by her past lives. She reaches beneath her bed finding a dusty old book. She cracks the cover hopping to find peace between the pages. "Children of the Earth and the Moon Act I by D. Feyder and Bryon Reach"

***

the old one's

In a time long since passed humanity enjoyed a time of fruitful harvest and wealth like no time since. The times of grate bounty were attributed to the watchful eyes and strong hand of their protectors: the tall and beautiful Methuselah (sometimes called the moon people) and there cousins, the Gaiadren {pronounced Gee-dray-en} the Earthly spirits.

But wall man live in bliss not all was well amongst their parent races. Times grow tense between the immortals. The Methuselah grow apprehensive of the Gaiadren's animalistic behaviors, there hungers for flesh both as food and to fulfill their strange sexual needs. As did the Gaiadren fear the favor the gods bestowed amongst the people of the night and the Alchemy that they wield.

The old ones saw that there was need of a new government if there was to be lasting peace. To this end called upon there favored children, the strongest and the wisest of their ken to perform a rite that would ultimately transform the two ancient races into a signaler being. Gaia sent her most lovely daughter to meet with the King of Methuselah to being the hundred yearlong ceremony. But according to the tales the 'Wolves' tell today, she never arrived {in the modern age the Gaiadren began to call themselves Wolves} . The Vampires as they are called now blame the Wolves saying that the girl refused to perform the spell as it was written, the Wolves insist that there princess was murdered by the bloodsuckers. History has forgotten the truth.

As the old one suspected, war was just around the corner. A battle issued that over the course of the next thousand years would leave the world in ruins and the immortals crippled at the hands of their own weapons.

Most have forgotten the old ways but no one has forgotten the hate that came after. The Wolves still hunt the vampires, and the vampires are now more powerful and narcissistic than ever before.

Times became more and more desperate, The vampires feared that one day the Wolves would be numerous enough to overrun there cities and overthrow the near godlike over-beings that they had become.

It is true that the moon people never grow old, once they reach maturity they never age another day, as well as the moon people do not experience illness the way the lesser races do. But in all there splendor they are not without fears of their own. The Wolves harness fire to scar there timeless faces insomuch as to rob them of their beauty. Shortly they would then find that not even the alchemy of the Methuselah could heal the wounds left if the head were to be taken and the body burned to dust.

Furthermore there weakness lay within their lust for perfection and there slow mating rituals. It takes the Methuselah one hundred and fifty years to raise a child into adulthood. Well on the other hand a Wolf mother given fare weather and descent food need only ten years to give birth to and raise six children.

The Wolves chased the Vampires to the gates of their last Safe-haven expecting decisive victory after lifetimes of conflict. But the vampires would not die quietly. They called forth their heavenly favor to strike there nemeses with a powerful sickness that aged there enemies to a vulnerable state, stealing their strength. The wolves' mightiest warriors were no more. Mighty beast that neared divinity in their prime are now reduced to scavenging hyenas.

The Vampires would recover from their wounds and rebuild their ruined monuments but the world was not without scars. The world has been broken into three distinctive lands. The blight in the south: an endless desert of ice containing a mammoth monolith, a lone structure, pillar five hundred feet high as a testament to Methuselah's strength and the sources of the neverending winter. Then the waist to the north: a land burned and salted to see to it no one ever live there again with a sister monolith to mark yet another irrefutable victory of the night gods. At last alone in the middle of it all 'Paradeco' A string of island virtually untouched by the carnage of the millennia of struggle as well as the new stronghold of the vampires.

To sleep with death

Life beneath the Methuselah king's is good most would say, half of how have become so

inebriated as to forget that they live beneath an entity that is neither man nor god. The Vampires construct schools and libraries, there subjects enjoy clean water, wine runs in abundances, women come cheap, and the price of live is low. All wealth is managed by the local lords or by task masters that the lord has appointed. Work hard and please your lord and your live a long and healthy life. But if you displease them you are collected as a 'tax'.

There is little to no crime in the cities because the law is clear, one strike your out. Thieves, rapist, and killers are not tolerated. A deputy sees you commit a crime, there is no trial, no logistics, you simply disappear into the castle or monastery your lord presides within and you never return.

Human children living within the cities and townships ruled over by the vampires are conditioned to believe that the white skin, dark hair and sharp eyes of their masters are beautiful. Some even try to imitate the vampires to gain there attention dreaming of possibly joining there ranks. The Methuselah don't truly have the power to transmogrify a human into a Vampire, but the flattery is welcome.

It has taken generations but the vampires have become numerous again. The children of the vampires that drove the Wolves to the brink of extinction are now coming to age and ascending positions of authority in the land that their fathers governed before.

The moon people can be as cruel as they can be fair, some of the younger ones have fancied playing games with their human servants changing them to ridicules games of predator versus pray. Utilizing the mythology of their namesake commanding their pets to try to kill them with shape sticks and fresh fruits before they are turned to pigs or cat or any number of other hysterical from, It's not fare that's true but to the sadistic it's funny.

But in spite of good humor the pains of the past never subside. The older vampires remember the near humiliation that there wolf counterparts delivered and offer a rare treat to any skilled or brave enough to try. Bring a wolf to your master, bruised and broken as need be, but still alive and you or the individual of your choosing is deemed a noble with all the benefits in toe, up to and even including a bride of Methuselah dissent. This promise has inspired a newly born witch hunt. Everyone wants to be a king and if capturing a wolf is all it takes, so be it.

_The place of man _ do not mistake me child humans may be weak and small by comparison but they are far from useless, the vampires think of them as food and cheap entertainment, but they are in-fact frightfully intuitive and marvelously creative.

Man has a gift that none of the other races possess, the ability to 'Dream' therein making them fine artisans, and uncanny engineers. Most of the tools and artillery on both sides of the war were crafted by human smiths. The art, the architecture, most the culture of vampires was stole form human literature and the most devastating of devices in undead arsenal provided by human weapon-smiths. Yes it is true that Alchemy is powerful but when combined with tools of war humans make it becomes so much more. Be wary.

But it is not all bad. There is a bright side to the alliances, that would be renegades. Most noteworthy would be the 'Pilgrims' worthy friends indeed. The Pilgrims conjure of nightmares for their once masters. Savage fighters garbed in the skin of their fallen enemies with welding stolen weapons lurking in the night and slaughtering the kings they once served and freeing vampire slaves. No one can possibly understand the indignation that leads them to bestial life that they now lead. There is rumor that these savages and rejects are organizing and that is good news indeed.

Running with wolves

The skies are burned; food is in short supply it is a hard time to be alive if you haven't sided with the bloodsuckers. But it is times like these that weakness gets bread out of a race and a stronger breed is born. The vampires hurt the Wolves only as much as they could be hurt. The prides have scattered almost lost to the winds. The elders had sent word out to ever man and women of breeding age that was still healthy and asked them to mate, mate with anyone around:

man, wolf, or dog, isn't important, mate as often as you can. The time would come soon to fight again and when the time came we would need every healthy wolf available. For twenty-two generations that would be everyone's job. The order was clear and most ever one took the order for all it was worth.

Wolves are nothing if note adaptable. They relish in the opportunity to watch their prey learn from them and from each other. You see, they need to learn quickly for they unlike there equals do not enjoy immortality so much as they do timelessness, they still are subject to illness, they still bleed when cut, and if they stop eating they quickly turn to dust. For these reasons the wolves have learned to employ a variety of skills unique to them. Transmutation, mind games amongst the most prevalent, But as every vampire is unique so too is every wolf, so to call any beast common is to make a grave miscalculation.

The Night-stalkers had method to their madness when they froze the southlands. The way they saw it no one but a vampire could live out in the fridge blight. They were wrong. The wolves could do it to. But that was hardly there most impressive feet of deception, the wolves also learned how to mimic humans and vampires alike, how to wearer there cloths and fight with their weapons and lust espionage became there new favorite pass time.

Strange as it may seem, human made themselves out to be a much more useful assist then would have been believed. After all what good can mortals do in a battle between immortals?

And so enter a strange walk of people calling themselves 'Pilgrims' there not sophisticated, there not strong, but they are fuelled by zealous rage, inspired by an unseen force and filled with lunatic determination. Ferocious and fearless enough to impress even the wolves. An unlikely friend, but a welcome one, and maybe even useful to boot, The Pilgrims brought with them to the blights civilization in the form of trader colonies, Filthy, lawless places. Everyone has guns, everyone has drugs, and no one is in charge. People live worse than animals, it is repulsive. But fun. A good place for a wolf to practices his spirit magic and boon-up on the hearsay, and for the egotistic learn what's 'hot' on the mainland.

Man eat man seems to be the rule of thumb in those ports. The real inquiry for a skeptic might be where did the pilgrims come from?

It is a shame that the relationship we share with our 'would be allies' is one built on lies but it seem that the nobility that our fathers held in such esteem is a thing of the past. If you are smart young wolf, you will tell no one your name, and no one will see your lovely face, you will slip silently from place to place till it is time for you to serve your purpose.

I have given on to you the wisdom passed down from mother to daughter for countless lifetimes and now young one I most wean you from my arms and send you into a dark and frightful place. You will see suffering, you will see death, but with luck and skill on your side you might find love. Your rivals are old and patient, and yet they are cunning, they will take everything from you if you let them, so don't.

Go now, waist not a moment more, And shadows hide you.

Rose petals in the wind

Max the hunter lifts his rifle. He aims it down the street where Hetatsubashi-una waits. 'I can't believe he is real' the hunter thinks as he quivers in fear and anticipation. 'the snow devil is real'

Hetatsubashi crouches on all fours, he sees the hunter and he knows that he is no pilgrim to spite his roes. Hetatsubashi speaks to his rivals mind "Vampire's slave, I have traveled across and ocean of time and a sea of ice to come here. Do you think you have what it takes to fight me?"

Max hesitates; he has never experienced wolf magic before. He can see the devil twice, first standing before him in the shape of a dog and yet again hiding within the eye of his mind. The hunter sweats shaking. He remembers the stories, Hetatsubashi, the devil of the snow, wares a scar in the shape of a flower over one eye to mark he killed king Krusha a master vampire, and he did it with his naked fangs, he has master all the magic of the old world he might even be the oldest wolf still alive. The hunter know well that the reword for killing this wolf is he shall get to name his own kingdom. But if his first built doesn't kill Hetatsubashi he won't have time to take a second.

The risk is worth it. He can kill this wolf. His weapon was given to him by a overlord, he can't miss. The hunter takes aim, he steals his nerves slowly he gathers his courage. The wolf, with its white hair and yellow-black eyes stairs, not run, not conjure his magic, simple looks and waits. It is only a hundred or so feet, it will be easy.

"Come on Max, I didn't come all this way to kill you. Think hard, if you can, I'm after something far bigger. Walk away and you won't become dog-food"

The devil is playing game with him, maybe he is afraid. Max takes the shot. The gun flickers with light and a burst of lightening leave the barrel. It passes through the wolf like a shadow. The hunter barley has time to lower the gun from his shoulder and ponder whether or not the wolf is dead before Hetatsubashi's jaws are around max neck, struck by diabolic strength he flies backward a dozen feet failing to stop his descent even passing though the wall of a pub. Blood flow free from the wound. The wolf squeezes ever so tighter infatuated with the blood filling his mouth. Max is dead long before he lay still on the floor. Thieves' bandits and outcast alike scatter from their seats in shock at the sight of this grate dog holding a human by the neck. Hetatsubashi removes the esophagus dropping his hunt.

Nervously several of the patterns scramble for their guns and knives. Hetatsubashi's eyes flare as he jars forward, the bar and its accessories dislodge and flies across the room ripping one whole wall form the building. Panic runs ramped the patrons of the pub flee for their lives as the blood-hungry wolf marches from the wreckage. Hetatsubashi has a job to do and no man is going to get in his way.

The wolf's eyes roll around the streets searching for his pray. And at last there it is! A girl, twelve maybe thirteen standing before the smiths forge dressed like a tomboy with short natted hair. His tail raises in anticipation, nearly drooling from the delight. "Princes Shah-czar,

I've been looking for you" he whispers lowering his torso in preparation.

A horse cuts of his line of sight and a long thin hooked blade drops before him. His eyes scissor in on the sword "Horse knife. You must be form Akadoma." Hetatsubashi's eyes fallow up the metal blade and beyond the steel horse to a black robbed warrior with a fedora covering his face.

The Stranger pulls back his giant blade cast it out in a mighty swing. The snow devil howls as the blade goes up and cast a cyclone of flames around the metal beast. The horse whinnies recoiling form the flames.

Hetatsubashi swivels his eye taking in his environment. The situation is getting bad. The townsmen are organizing, and the stranger appears to be a vampire. After six days and nights of running he lacks the strength to destroy this town and then kill a vampire, besides reducing this town to smoldering ashes is hardly relevant to his interest in the first place.

He is too close to the princess, he can't fight here. He will need to lead the Stranger out of town. Surely Hetatsubashi can outrun him on the open plains and then come back for his target. This was not in the plan, what is a vampire doing out here? And why is he wearing the pilgrim's death-shroud?

Hetatsubashi makes a brake for it, he dashes under the lags of the metal horse leaving a trail of fire for the Stranger to fallow. Hetatsubashi wants him to lay chase, so he does. Hetatsubashi lead the stranger into the endless ice, he find a hill to stand atop and wait's the Stranger is but steps behind him. The bat and the wolf, what lovely symbolism, black and white, night and day, a duel to the death at dusk, what could be better? But today is not a good day to die, there is too much work left to do, to many schemes that still need executing. He will have to kill the Stranger quickly and then make all haste back to town, he has lost half a day already and he can hardly afford that.

The Stranger stops at the foot of the hill; he can see the trap, and the bait. Now where is the trigger? "You make quite the entrance don't you?"

Come hither darling the wolf thinks "I'm hardly the subtle type"

"You didn't need to kill those people" the Stranger comments

"Feeling sentiments bloodsucker?"

"Why should that matter to a fellow flesh eater?"

"You think your smart don't you?"

"Do you?"

"Aren't you going to fight me?"

The Stranger keep his distance he has seen this magic at work once before "you do know that mind tricks don't work on Methuselah don't you?"

"What if they did?"

"I would be dead already wouldn't' I?"

"What if I were just playing game with my food?" It's a conversation only gentlemen killers could have. Staring each other down, sizing each other up. Which one is going to go for first strike? Which is more foolish?

"Vermillion is a long ways form any den, what were you looking for?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Would you believe me if I said I could help?"

"How foolish do you think I am?"

"You looked at the blacksmiths daughter."

The Vampire is smart, and that is why he needs to die now. Hetatsubashi stomps on the ground walls of glacial spike erupt form the earth. The Strangers horse is ripped asunder the Stranger leaps sixty feet into the air his cap flowing like wings a he soars over the attack. The Stranger summons shadow phasing into close quarters with the Snow devil. Steal clashes with bone as Hetatsubashi's mouth raps around the blade. The air tremors as the monsters collide. The Stranger grips his sword with a single hand and utilizes the other to call the darkness to his aid. Hetatsubashi invokes his mind magic and the spells explode about their casters flinging the twosome about. The stranger flips around in the air and land on the ground dragging himself on his knees upright burrowing into the earth near harmlessly. Hetatsubashi land on all fours, crouching he unleashes psionic rage.

The mountain lifts from the earth and courses through the air. The Stranger sprints into the attack and smashes his blade though the monument splintering it in its entirety.

* * *

Daybreak the Stranger wonders back into town dragging a satchel behind him housing the remains of his horse and one exhausted Gaiadren. The militia meets the stranger at the gates arms in hand.

"Keep walking vampire, we don't need your kind here." they cock there weapons. The stranger throws his satchel. The wolf rolls out as does the broken pieces of horse. He then tosses down a fist full of jowls "I need another horse. Then I'll be going"

The towns spokesmen walks forth "we'll take your money and you'll be going. Right now! You'll find no love hear."

The stranger strolls into town. He unleashes the first horse he spot and guides it off. No one gets in his way. He knows the wolf's secret but he need not speak.

* * *

The wolf is taken not the deepest darkest hole in town and a cage is thrown over him. He is shackled with mystic chains to stop him from using magic. The smith daughter kneels over the cage the fallowing night at midnight. Shah-czar smiles down at him. "You know you're going to get hurt walking around like that."

"I have come to bring you home princess" the rugged wolf commands

"How do you plan to do that form inside a cage? Personally I would by masking myself as a man and begging someone to free me. But seeing that everyone can see you're a wolf already I don't think that is going to work for you."

The white wolf places his paws apart and lowers his head with a light deep growl "the calling has begun, It is time for war."

"I head this rant once before. If you fight, you die, my mother did. Do yourself a favor, worship the methuselah. They are kind gods"

"I would rather be dead then sheath my fangs"

The young wolf girl kneels "you can have it your way. But as for me, I would rather be a live coward then a dead fool."

"Where is your wolves pride princess? When a wolf dies fangs out they are welcomed onto Fenrir and his host Skoll and Hati and the brave never fall..."

"I've seen enough death already, the vampires will never go away, someone needs to call off this feud. Better me then my young. Will you help me end this?"

** *

The book falls onto Jessica's face as she at last finds sleep. She rolls onto her side dropping the book off one side of her bed. There is a rustling and Jessica opens her eye to see she is no longer alone I her bed. She gasp and pulls her lags into her body defensively but then calm seeing it is only Pepper.

Cutely Pepper grabs one of Jessica's ears and rubs down her neck. Jessica lies back down relaxing. "I would say 'good morning' but I don't think it is yet." "Jessica," Pepper whispers with her.

"Is something on your mind darling?" Jessica rubs one hand across the tuff fur on the side of his face.

"I wanted to ask you something." He freezes a moment; nervously his tail reaches up his back. Jessica's eye move slightly up seeing the timed wag "my family isn't form the commons, we live a half day's walk form the town, In the farming sector, mother rises sugar crop and makes five trips a session to trade with our nearest dealers for,... stuff like these." He points out the antiquities' that are Jessica's flair. "I don't see many people. Mom keeps us all close to home. This is the far lest any of us have ever been from the farm. All the new smells and." He freezes again.

Jessica touches her noise to Peppers. "What are you trying to say?" She dabs her tongue to his noise playfully.

"I'm having trouble sleeping, all the strange things around, there magical and enchanting, but you, your smell, the strange flowers, there all so existing and... can I stay here?"

Jessica tips her head examining the fumbling statement. "you mean in my room?"

After a long, somewhat unsettling stare he nods. "I think that's what I mean."

Jessica nods "yes." She caresses his face once more. "Turn around please" pepper fallows the instructions turning to face away from Jessica, Jessica hugs up against him draping one arm over the boy holding him gently, the hot breath on his neck and loving warmth on his back tranquilizing, as for Jessica she find the same hold true for her. In her solitude she has nearly forgotten how desperately she needed the comfort of another to feel safe at night. It is a part of all warm-blooded animals. To sleep alone is a thing of torment to all but those who know no better.

Chapter 9: Sins of the past

** *

To: my readers

My name is Louis Dark-O I am a Scholar, Philosopher, Theologian, and a demon. I have sent out twenty copies of this page and the pages that follow to the ruling bodies of 'Enmack' and any others that may be sympathetic to our intention. Within the 'Darkland' and throughout her Majesty's empires monsters procreate beneath our eyes. Much by accident I have stumbled into their ranks and ultimately become one of them. Beasts of unspeakable intent lurk among us. Yet not all hope is yet lost. My body may now be twisted by evil but my soul remains in tacked, and with my last breath of sweet humanity I intend to reveal them to you if not teach you to figh/t the bastard sons of Satin.

Why you may wonder would a monster come forth against its own kin. That part is simple I feel we are a terrible disease and we deserve to die some of us embraces evil like my 'friend' Dr. Jake Drake wall others are consumed by it like the pore Winchester child you will read about in the following pages. And finely there are ones like myself that would fight and contain their evil, ones that live in suffering rather then die to bliss. To us death is the last grate mercy.

So to the brave, stoic man with indignation in his hart look to the shadows and see me, see my brethren, see that we may look like min but there is no man in us, and in the name of god or whatever philosophy you serve strike! Be rid of us or be prepared to become us.

Louis Dark-O

(From the pages of Dr. Jake Drake's diary)

Dec 15th

I have lift my home in 'White Bay' after resaving telegraph from my teacher Professor Rudolph Von Wolfwood. His telegraph was veg saying only that he needed assistants from a student he could trust and to be prepared for an exscinded tripe for he now not how long we would be needed. I boarded the 'A-17' train heading west through 'Maries' to 'Alicardo' where Professor Wolfwood joined me.

It has been 4 years sense we had last seen each other in person so it came as no small shock to me to see how he had transformed from a plump giggling loon to the rugged hairy best he is today. His delicate gray hair has grown wild and he has brisk berried like some kind of mountain man. If feel terribly overdressed as my teacher sits across from me in a coat that looks to be made from wolf's skin and I where a tan blazer and waistcoat.

"Jake" he bellows in greeting slapping me on the back and half dragging me to the next train, Strange that a man three times my age would still be so strong. "we must take the S-171 south next to St. Constants where we will then need a horse, three day's we will ride" he then told me.

We eight roast beef that night as he told me why we where there and what we would be doing "the Darkland is now empyreal territory, and there is sickness in the countess house, and it is sickness we most heal. We will be strangers in a strange land and I will note be alone" the idea I thought ridicules, Called away from my home to play nurse half way across the globe?

Dec 17th

I was quite amused to watch winter melt to summer as the train trucked forth. There was a several our delay today do to some sort of mechanical trouble. Know we are told we will not reach the last stop till midday tomorrow. My teacher capitalizes on the extra time by educating me on the customs and experiences I may expect in the Darkland. Only a hand full min in the Darkland will speak our tongue. They will look different then he or I he explains. They will be larger and there skin a strange black or gray color. Many of them do not yet enjoy the pleasures of formalized education and so may seem savage at times. I honestly can't figure whet he means to say, it is unimaginable to think there are men anywhere that live unlike me and mine, in this age where even children have the great gift of literacy and where a telegraph cost but a single bit of copper how can anyone be without. Dare I say it I believe before I die we will all have a telegraph in our vary den. But maybe I am just spoiled from years of the comforts of a school life.

Dec 20th

The scent of dung is repulsive, for two days Wolfwood and I have seen nothing but flooded plains and baboons in men's clothing husking corn and shucking wheat. Not but a moment before picking up this book I saw a women with a whole drilled in her noise and a chicken skull and chain hanging from the wound. Even now as my doctor and I are watering our beast there are twelve naked children standing under a tall oak weaving chain up their spines in preparation for some voodoo rite where they plan to hang themselves to demonstrate their sexual power. I hold a hanky to my lips to hold back my vomit but somehow can't look away.

The only redeeming quality of this place is when we approach the countess hall things go from savage to slum-like. 'Hook warm fever' is rampant here as is evented in the lack of color to the lips of streetwalkers. But on the plus I find a bottle of rum, a hotel room and escort for less them a silver loon. What I wouldn't give for a good cut of mutton, but I dare not eat the same food as these people.

(Louis Dark-O)

I do not see myself as the saint in my own story, if there were an angle to speak of it is the child to hum I was responsible. If I may, when I first saw Jack, I thought him charming. Alongside Wolfwood I thought him a missionary like I, but I was far from the truth. Jake was a thrill seeker and coming to the Darkland was the most horrid of mistakes he could have made.

You see, the Darkland rewords people for their work by giving them the power to do it better next time. If you are a healer, it will place flowers in your wake, if you are a preacher it will give you books, but if you are a predator it gives you food to hunt.

After the two doctors find the maggots cultivating in the bosom of the countess and suckling them out with leeches, the charming young doctor invites me to join him in partaking of the local flavors. Seeing how I have lived here of some time now and he was just arriving I offered him the pleasure of my experience. He was less than a gentleman.

(Dr. Jake Drake)

Dec 21st

The grapes and eggplants sold in the market her are by far the most absorbent thing you can buy. But if you have the coin people seem fast to line up to help you eat your bounty. Wolfwood is convinces that the food here is toxic in nature and that is why hook worm favor is so prolific. That lead me to think what if I were to take the infected flesh and boil it into soup, would that make it better, and if so, I wonder if my friends up north would want a taste of these primates also. I will need to test this tomorrow, Darklander stow, it might just be the empires new craze.

(Louis Dark-O)

The Countess was the first to feed Jakes hunger, Wolfwood was not far behind as he had seen the deed being done. The Empyreal foothold on the Darkland is in decent as no doubt you know already. I must say I have no small part to do in this. It seems that Jake has found he has some power over the darkness as he had used it to imprint some part of his unholyness unto me.

I have taken precaution to contain what I have become but by no stretch is it under control. I have tide bells to my body so you might hear me coming, but I fear it makes no heed, for the vary smell of meat changes me form a scholarly man to a monster that likes his food to fight, and only eating the eyes of my pray lets me change back.

I have tried to fight for my freedom, but it seems that as my father Jake Drake has the power to bind me to his will in spite of what I am. So in the name of all that is good left in this world I say again, fight. When the darkness comes to call kill or be food, there is nothing inbetween.

Fin

Louis Dark-O

** *

Corn sleeps under a shelter of sticks, mud and leafs Rodney nestled with her. In hushed tones she whispers with him "Do you have a family Rodney?" she lays on her side one arm under head looking up to him.

"I have a twin sister, she used to work in the family operation with me before," he stops "things got complicated, she went one way and I jumped a boat out here." He nearly cries thinking about her "I do miss her."

"She's a wizard also?" Corn looks amazed "you come from a blessed family.

"Heaves no. I am the magician, she is a cut purse, will people were watching me do my little magic trikes she would walk around and scrounge coin form their pockets." Rodney explains

"You mean to say your family is full of thieving rats!" she looks mad

"No need to raise your voice. It's a perfectly fare way to make a living."

"How did you come to that?" Corn nearly yells at her new friend. She turns her back on

Rodney pulling her cloak hard around herself in frustration.

Rodney mostly oblivious to her expression continues the talk, "how about you, you're a weaver aren't you? You're wearing Crimson.

"when I was a youngling there was talk that I might become the next Weaver, but that never came to pass. Our story teller was banished and I took up my mothers work as a forager and a farmer." Corn resights

"What sort of a community banishes a Weaver? Without a proper teacher how can you expect to keep any level of focus or discipline?"

"Odidimusee, the onetime partner of Jessica the Weaver started a new type of school, he built it around his favorite stories, he calls it the Cannon, 'the most important of our stories' he claims. 'the only ones we need to know' my favorite story isn't even amongst them. So I never went to his school. It sounds to me like he had friends from oversee help in chose the stories."

Rodney shakes his head "can't say I like that idea much. How is one to under such a flag? The trade of art and fable is amongst the oldest of trades, if we all agry to tell only one store then the market will stale."

The two of them sleep a weary sleep that night, and rightfully so. As the first light brakes the trees grow silent. Rodney's eye pop open from the splintering whispers of song in the silence. "Come my beautiful, Come to me, a place ever so happy it will be, with soft velvet walls and friends galore lonely you will never be, safe and strong my ropes will burn, once you have heard this loving song. Come little ones, we will have so much fun..."

Rodney struggles not to scream as he holds his muzzle closed and grabs Corn much the same way "Scara the Devourerer!" Corn gasp her mouth falling open, Rodney tightens his grip and pulls her back to his chest to whisper in her ear. "Don't make a sound. Do you hear that singing?"

Corn elbows Rodney to push him off of her "yes I can! Why?"

"That is the song of Scara. That song means that the Devourerer is here."

"I don't know that story, what does it mean?" the ground underfoot shutters slightly then a spear-like claw cracks the shelter with a diameter similar to that of a body. Corn shrills and Rodney grabs her by the noise and breast as she is about to run away.

"she is a monster from the Grate Blue, she has eight lags and four arms, twelve eyes and two mouths with six teeth each, she sings to lore out unwise pray. She like to hear her food scream before she swallows it whole. She is taller than a tree and wide as a foothill and like a storm come and goes with the wind. She will eat her fill then sleep till it is time to do so again."

The sound of Corns scream call the force of nature down on them, the claw lifts pulling the shelter apart, a giant head lower to see them. Scara is something in-between being a walking mountain and a giant crab as it looks spider like but is coated in grassy green stone and ancient carvings cut into it as it slept. It's maw is wide enough to fit small trees within it but clearly it likes it's food to fight as it shows off its fangs to the mice.

The living landmass eyes shimmer like starlight as it moves it's head in close to Corn. Foolishly Rodney jumps in-between them drawing his ax, he swings down for all he is worth and his ax shatters on the skin of the monster. This creates a moments distraction with which

Rodney starts to push Corn crying "Fly!"

The two of them run from the smashed remains of the shelter making their way deeper into the forest, a line of trees behind them toppled by Scara. The eminent demon howls and lays chase to the two of them thrilled by the game at hand, it prances throwing down its claw shattering stone and wood "come my children, you are not so clever, soon you will be with me forever."

Corn and Rodney jump and slide, kris and cross desperately seeking a place to hide.

"Rodney! Can't you cast a spell on it or something?" Corn ask

"Did you see my magic tricks? Do you think this thing will be scared off by floating twigs and flowers?" one claw sweeps the ground, Corn ducks into a hole in the ground slidding under it, Rodney is less lucky. He is swept up and dragged high into the air.

Corn turns back to see what has happened, in a strange burst of courage she runs back and jumps onto the lags of the beast striding up it's body with amazing grace. Rodney is dropped in its mouth and Corn stands atop one of it's eye, she Draws her bow and fires a blunt arrow into it's skull, Scara leers forth throwing Corn to the ground and vomits up Rodney.

"thank you kindly my lady" Rodney complements Corn's good work. The two of them struggles a moment to refine their footing only to see an army of back birds surrounding them, the sky is darkened by the vamperic monsters. "This day just keeps getting better."

The birds fly in attacking Scara, Corn looks to Rodney "Is Kari helping us?"

"Do you want to wait and see?" Rodney grips her arm and keeps running as the monstrous spider starts swatting at birds.

** *

Jessica is a woman who likes predictability, so yet again she shakes herself awake well before dawn and fetches breakfast, pecan, and pineapple being the main dish, a side of sweet leaf water and acorn butter to finish it all off. Butter and Cream are the first two to make it to the breakfast table.

"No you're not going to learn the Huma language before me. I'm booth older and smarter then you." Cream crosses her arms proclaiming her dominance.

"We were born at the same time. As for smarter, what are you measuring against?" Butter asks.

"I was the one that found the key to the wardrobe."

"Dad had it in his jewelry box; one of us would have found it sooner or later."

"Yes! And I found it sooner!"

Jessica comes between them "Children. That is enough, what is the point of this?"

Butter and Cream jump up and down proclaiming together "I want to be the new Story

Teller!"

Jessica looks between them "you both a bit old to start training. But then again so was I. but why must only one of you take the job. I have many books, so many so it took me a lifetime to read them all. If the two of you worked together to learn all the tales of history and romance it would take only half the time.

Garlic walks in to the room "why isn't there a formal Story Teller in our town right now?"

Jessica lowers her head in reminiscences. "Blood and Politics got in the way of education. There is no other way to say it."

"so who started it, you or Odidimusee?" Garlic asks.

"To be fair, I can't remember, I think he did, but maybe I failed all of you."

Chapter 10:Sonata of the Everlasting

After eating Jessica leads the young in cleaning. Pepper, Salt, and Mint have joined in.

Mint looks to the motherly Koblot "what is your favorite story."

Jessica lifts her head thinking "there are so many to choose from, how am I to find but one? With every year and every reading I find thing ever deeper and more insightful in even the most familiar of my books."

** *

Marks is arisen form his sleep, images from the most powerful dream in his life burned into his brain, he had seen himself passing a book form his withered and worn hands into the hands of a younger self. Marks swoops down picking up his cat, Nuku, with intent of traviling to his office in the tower. He grads his hefty black overcoat from the door but fails to grab a shirt.

Nuku lies quietly in the jeep as her gentle master drive into his work in the early hours of evening, Nuku like to drive, every day she rides in the car with him, and when they arrive at work she gets a cookie.

Marks eye glassine with anticipation. Marks struggles to contain his excitement, all the mysteries of the last near hundred years have been revealed onto him. He has become the vassal of unspeakable power, the endgame of his life is within reach.

Marks grips his cat firmly in his arms like a child as he makes his way up the hundreds of steeps to his office. He has the energy of a schoolboy, empowered by his dreams. The way to his desk is lit almost solely by a lone spotlight. All doors open in his wake.

Nuku leaps from her keepers arms to the spot on the table were she typically sits, she feels something is horrible amidst. 'Their here to early' she thinks 'where is the hairless man with my cookies, he meats us at the door everyday?'

Marks slaps a empty notebook down on the table. Before he is dun today this one and maybe a dozen more will be full. Marks lifts a pin high up over head and dynamically stick inc to paper. His teeth grind as his pin flies form corner to corner, he take on a almost wolf like exasperation as he lies over the book digesting every line as he writes. His lip curls and he cackles as the images he constructs start to divide out before him.

All the works of Marks life have been adding up to this moment, this glorious moment. A coworker of Marks once sad to him "Loath me for I am becoming Death." Marks is about to do the opposite 'I will, conquer Death. I will, Rob the reaper of his power." Like a composer demanding strength of his orchestra he thrust his arm to the side throwing inc into the air crossing his "T's" then again accenting the note he need to remember. Finding he lacks the speed he need too finish his calculations in a timely fashion he employs a second pen to write in a second book calling out the greatest of dexterity.

All strife, all heartache, his every experience, good and bad like needed to align in this one instances of triumph. His adulterous wife, his deceitful best friend, the words of a monk in a distant land, his failure to protect one daughter, and the absences of another. All this events give him the passion to bleed out the poetry that must be his final works.

Like a painter he lashes his pens, his liquidly silver hair flows around his body like a typhoon, his hardy black jacket flutters like batwings in the night, the pages of his books thunder a warlike chant as page upon page flash by. Marks laughs in madness throwing his first completed book aside to make room for more. The work most go one. The doors remain locked long into the day, the lights remain off, Marks can not be interrupted now.

Nuku sees her masters pain in his heaving breaths and the sweat rolling down his skin. She sits up and places a paw on his thermos inviting him to stop for a drink. Marks is feverous he struggles for air as he works maliciously, he most not stop even at the coast of his vary soul. His hands cramp and arms become num with hunger his veins grow dark but with nerves of steel and a heart of stone he push against his own mortality to carry on. Light trails from his pens as he slashes them across his body his eye burn with intellect.

Nuku pushes a plush mouse with a bow wrapped around its waist to remind her owner that it is approaching dinner time. Marks falls to his knees and looses the strength and focuses to maintain his grip on his secondary pen. He throws his third and fourth books form the table and focuses with all his might on his fifth precipitation runs in abundances form his face and hair. He slaps the table hard with one hand and the old man forces himself upright.

He has found the soul. The vary essences of life and humanity! A peaces of coding in are neuroses the hides the tiniest peaces of our being that defines the differences between artificialintelligent, and true intellect. With this knowledge, he will become the master of destiny. His useless wife and her shallow ideas will be the first to see the truest extinct of Marks Vigeta

Karingson's near omnipotent might, then the fair-weather friend of his that is her boy-toy and his power will be their unmaking.

His foolishness has seen the end of enough lives. This foolery will mark the end of it all, when this work is finished there will be no more sins. This revolution beyond the limitations of physical existences will be the end of everything for him. No more death no more hunger no more sickness. Dr. Marks Vigeta Karingson will cure all the ailments of humanity with this code. 'We will ascend, we will endure, hark onto ye all the day of giving is upon us. The end of suffering is hear and all men will be with their brothers and sisters, lovers and beloved we will see the time of eternity as one mind. This is my last and finest gift onto humanity, we need on gods and messiahs, our savors are ourselves and the endless reaches of the mind and Our one concusses. Christ offered you eternal forgiveness, I offer you eternal life.'

Marks drops his pen the last of his strength has left him. He lies his head on his desk and wraps Nuku in his arms. The slender black cat looks at him a slight look of distaste and a hint of scolding in her eye but loving adornment fallows quickly as she places her paw on his shoulders and rubs her noise in his ear in act of forgiveness. What goodness and humanity is left in this cold and hardened vessel seems to have leaked away and found its way into this motherly feline. With the loss of his children Marks became more metal then man. The hardest part of this ascension is past tomorrow the next phase can begin, till then this old man can pray for the cleanliness of peace giving sleep.

The elevator door slides smoothly open. Marks steps out dressed in his street clothing: a hefty black leather duster style overcoat and matching cackles'. His long thick gray hair tucked into his jacket. Under one arm he carries with him a cats crate. His long time companion travels with him, a slick black tabby named Nuku, she wears a red caller. Marks is nearing eighty years old but looks young and vital as a man half that.

Marks strolls across the elegant lobby of the R&D office at which he works. Leaning against the security desk is a fellow doctor, Juan Sanchez, he is a Spaniard with dark hair tide up in corn rolls and a mustache, he switches out of his work clothes and into an outfit only a collage professor would wear. A green silk shirt with a patchwork sports coat and faded slacks. It looks as if he was engaged in a powerful conversation with the security operator, a colored man named Dwight Egget, he appears young strong and bold.

Dr. Sanchez waves to call Marks over. "Dr. Karingson! Got a sec?" Marks looks down at his watch a hint of distaste on his face, I really don't. Marks began to approach the desk.

"Good evening, Dr. Sanchez, Officer Egget." He greets his co-workers with a slow deliberate tone

"Working late?" Sanchez make with pleasantries.

Marks looks down to his watch again anxiety getting the better of him.

Dwight had begun talking but Marks has heard only half of what he said. "... so your kid had some kind of an accident, that's ruff.

Marks hastily replies, "It was no accident, I attempted to conduct a procedure I was not qualified to conduct. In my arrogance I made a fatal mistake."

"What was the problem?" Sanchez inquires

"Hemophilic glucose disorder crystalic mutation, it's a type 1 disease; I'll spare you the details."

"What possessed you to think you could treat that..."

Marks cuts him off again "prior to my employment with Claw co. international I had served at D.C.'s pentagon health and human service department vaccinating solders. I was granted a pharmaceutical license as part of my formal training." Every question these two muter is completely predictable, Marks has answered every one of them 20 times already around the office.

Marks tones out again a moment as he feels around n his pockets checking for an assortment of tools he is caring on him. Egget specks up "Marks if there is anything you need..."

"Yes, thank you," he reaches into Nuku's cage and unclips a portable hard drive from her collar "take this down to 'B ward' next chance you get and plug it into my desktop." Marks hands over the tiny tool as he makes his way to the parking garage door "also can you tell me if

VP Ako Karingson is still in the building?"

Dwight laughs "you could just ask me if your wife is in" he looks down at his log book "looks like she is with A.C. Dem-row and your former lab assistant Allen Wesker at a budget meeting."

"Good, could you detain her?" Marks steps out.

"How long" Dwight questionably jokes.

"Indefinitely" Marks yells back as he is on his way to the subterranean levels.

Dwight looks to Juan "What does he do here anyway?"

"Only: Cryonics, Bionics, cybernetics, gene slicing, genetic research, and robotics." "Is that all?"

Juan shakes his head. Dwight holds out the USB drive, "You handle this shit; I don't want to risk breaking anything that might be worth more than my penchant."

Marks walks briskly through the silent parking ramps, making haste as he is a man with a purpose, it would seem strange that only ten hours ago one could not find a parking spot in this lot as every inch was covered, but now the only car in sight is Marks jeep. It's the middle of August, but already there is frost on the ground and a stiff chill in the air. Marks unlocks his car door and places Nuku in the seat alongside him, the back is filled with a assortment of devices. Atop his dashboard rest a camera the size of a deck of cards. After starting the motor he flips on the camera.

"Vigeta, my old friend, I'm sorry things had to go this way." Marks starts the engine "I had hope for sixteen more months to work, but it would seem that the 'Powers That Be' have forbid that from happening. I have no doubt you will have many questions about who we are, and mayhap what we were. You will certainly find your way to my office, read the files I have written, but words on a computer screen do no justice when compared to the expertise that comes with seventy years of life experiences "

Marks turns the jeep around and makes his way down the street and onto the side roads "you will hear many things about who we are, allow me to illuminate a thing or two with the moments we have left together, my only true regret is that I will not be present to watch you being born, that will have to be left to far less loving hands. First off, we are wed, our wife's name is Ako Esuna-Karingson, we have been together for fifteen years as of October, but we do not love each other, our union is one of conveniences. Shaun Clawed saw me as his own personal Nicola Tesla, a rock star of the scientific world and it simply would not do to have a single superstar. So a wife was bought and paid for in our name. If she loved any one it would be our old friend Allen Wesker."

"Next, we had a child, that is true but we killed her. Her name was Tara she was conceived as part of an experiment involving in vitro birth, Ako and I both donated DNA for this project, hints why we were allowed to keep her. There was a deformity and as a result of my attempt to correct the anomaly... well, you'll figure it out... she would have been ten"

Marks makes all effort to stay out of sight staying on the side roads, weaving in and out of alleyways, he stays well below the speed limit "some may say that we consort with demons in order to harness our magic's. This is not true, all that which we have, we have worked for. However to say we know nothing of witchcraft would be far too modest. You will quickly come to find 'we' possess certain abilities that are quite uncommon. "

"After the 'Big One' we moved to Tibet for some time, wherein we came to know a golden eyed Taoist who offered to teach us a very old and spectacular martial-art he referred to as Ki-Ho, the blood sword style. With this knowledge in hand a masterful individual could in essence separate their mind from there body and wield there spirit as an extinction of there will. It is no mystery why some perceive this as magic or devilry"

"You too will need a Nuku by your side, so I have arranged for this to be so. You will find in my office your own Nuku 2, or maybe I could say Nuku Nuku? ... Poetry was never amongst my greater passions..."

"My dear Vigeta in the time I have worked for Claw Co. R&D I have seen thing that were never meant for the human eyes. I have seen into other men's fantasies, I have witnessed the fantastic evil's that come from science that is conducted without moral or restraint, I have even looked into the book of life beneath Cronos' (god of time) arm and I have both penciled in names and rubbed them out."

"Vigeta, we have done things in our life that we would not wish for any to ever speak of again, I have killed off over two hundred men with my bare hands, and weapons I have constructed have tenfold that. I'm told that when a great age comes to an end that sometimes it will leave behind a rage that will burn away the past and a curse is then born. You are my curse. There are so many things I wish I could change. But now my faith lies solely with you"

Marks was swift and he was silent, but in spite that still he was seen. Allen, his form partner, has followed him step by step till at last he reaches a place where he can do his bloody business without being seen. Allen drives an armored car discussed as a luxury sedan. He drives slow stays quiet, he leaves his lights off and tracks his prey via a tracking beacon hidden within the jeep. Allen is a young man still in his thirties, in spite of his occupation he is a fit man six feet tall 200lbs, he wears his hair short spiked up and pulled back.

Allen pulls in close to Marks. He flashes his lights only once in warning as if playing a game of tag then pounds the gas in his armored car slamming harshly into his back end, pushing him into a building.

Allen steps out of his car and walks slowly to Marks' Jeep expecting that the 'old wizard' would not die easily.

Marks sits stunned for a moment then smirks whispering to his friend without need to lift his head in confirmation of his approach "Allen my friend, I wasn't expecting you to be so jolly on the spot today"

Allen smashes in the driver side window reaching in with one gloved hand he grabs the old man dragging him to the street "tough luck old wizard, we have known for weeks you had plans to run." Allen's eyes glow like flashlights beneath the thick glasses he wears reflecting a yellow glow onto his face. He is garbed in a tuxedo that would seems to fit the rich well, as for whatever Allen would be (murderer, assassin, contract killer take your pick) it looks almost comical.

"It looks as if time has been good to you, have you been keeping up on your studies? Frankly I'm surprised you came after me yourself, with your level of power and privilege you had no reason to come all the way out here in person" Marks ask tauntingly as he is thrown to the ground by the deceptively strong corporate executive.

Allen reaches around behind himself pulling out a rich looking hand gun "what was the alternative? Hiring Death-Dealers? You would have killed them before they could get within 50 paces" Allen cocks his gun and holds marks to the ground with one foot.

"I have a question old friend. Will you look after Nuku when I'm gone?"

"Of course, she was mine first anyway"

"Thank you" Marks grins

Allen points down at Marks drawing back the hammer of his pistol "Aren't you going to fight back at all; struggle, yell, anything?" Marks just grins and shakes his head "what part of this do you find amusing old wizard?"

"I'm wearing a Biomiter."

"So what, someone is going to know your time of death"

"Oh, that will be only the beginning, when I die I will become more powerful than you can possibly understand"

"Old man, you have finally lost your mind." Marks laughs the laugh of a lunatic as he is shot three times, twice to the chest once to the head the echo of the gun shot silence well before the laughter of the doctor has gone...

** *

... Jessica continues "you see my dearest young ones, it is not just your body that grows with age, so too does your mind, ever changing ever evolving, stretching and pulling in new and existing ways, when I was a church keeper in my early days of training there where many stories I just could not understand, but now in the fading summers of my life everything seems to have a new light about it. The meanings of words even seem to change with the passage of time. Have no fear you will see this for yourselves soon."

Chapter 11: Dreams and Dreaming

After eating Mint, Salt, and Pepper go outside to play. The land around Jessica's house is firm yet in some spots spongy. A dark glowing green moss covers the east side of most of the trees. Playfully Mint tugs Peppers tail, she is about to speak when something catches her eye. Just as Pepper is about to ask her what she want Mint jumps forth and points "Look! What is that?"

A large mound of red clay is pilled ten inches high nestled between two trees. Garlic bits one of her fingers looking at it "looks odd."

Pepper goes wide eyed "I bet there is something hidden under there."

Mint nods as she squeezes her fist shut "let's find out!" she and Pepper get down on all fours running at the strange clay.

Salt reaches out for them "what! Is that wise?"

A red misty phantom flashes between them gripping the recluse children by the scruffs.

Jessica then forms from the mist "it certainly is not." She pushes the young behind her "watch." She pulls a fish from her satchel then throws it at the sand. An army of long tailed, six lagged monsters crawl out and attack the fish "we call them Fire Crawlers"

Salt and garlic tug at the Weavers robe hiding, Pepper wraps his arms around her from in front hiding his face in her breast. Jessica places her hand on the boy's head "they are the thing nightmares are made of." She rubs her hand comfortingly down the children petting them down. "this is a nasty part of the woods, let us go elsewhere."

Jessica leads them to a field of berries. Mint looks up to the old and wise mouse mother

"Jessica, do you dream?"

"...Of untold lives past my sweet lady."

Mint grips Jessica by the hand "I dream of the future, and a time when I will fill my mother's rule in the community."

Jessica brushes her thumb up and down the back of her hand "when I was young so did

I."

Salt looks to Jessica "so, what are dreams?"

"A strange and powerful magic left over from the time of our father's fathers. Windows to the past and the future, world between worlds, even the oldest and wisest of us cannot say without doubt."

** *

James waves to his band-mates as they make their way out the door of the warehouse he calls a home, The quintet of teenage-punker-girls wave as they make off for their Independent destinations leaving the lone raven-haired Asian to his own devices. James rubs his eyes as he makes his way down the long museum-esque chambers of his flat, back towards the finest in corner he calls his room.

James' room is a tiny alcove filled with a bed, T.V., and a V.C.R. That looks old and rusted-out enough to be amongst the rest of the antiques bared around this building. He shuffles about the stack of VHS tapes pulling out an entourage of concert tapes as to study their prominences, starting with Dick Dale, then moving on to Hermon Li with various other rock-roll legends such as Daisuke Ishiwatari, and Nobuo Uematsu. He sits hard in his chair studying harshly the moves and techniques of the greatest-of-the-greats searching for the sources of their godlike powers, as it would seem. Guitar in hand, James watches each tape with diligence until he can no longer work.

In his dreams a lone truck speeds through an endless desert, walls of dirt and sand chasing thereafter. Strange alien rock formations begin to manifest in its wake. Followed only shortly thereafter by worms a hundred feet long jumping in and out of the sands like dolphins. The sounds of a piano seemed to carry in the wind almost as if in a Techno jam. James climbed out the window of the truck and atop the roof dressed in his finest goth attire, a red mesh shirt, leather, chaps, boots and biker gloves with matching sunglasses. Balancing atop the roof he folds his hands as to grab his guitar and it indeed appears.

James spends only a moment tuning his instrument before laying down a powerful cord and pyrotechnics explode around him and the truck becomes a stage on wheels, himself standing behind each and every instrument, 2 guitars, 1 drum, and a microphone. The skies darken as rain begins to pour. One jumping worm becomes aggravated and flies at the truck in hopes of swallowing it in one bite.

But the power of Metal would not let it be, the gods of music send a dome of lighting to fend off the monster. The storm becomes more intense until at-last becoming a solid-mass and the stage is floating in a bubble.

Schools of merfolk gather to worship the band. Cries and cheers of awe and adoration of the strange and magical melodies they produce fill the waters. But it would seem lovestriken mermaids are not the only things in the water as from the depths an angler fish the size of a house charges into sight the fish shows off its maw full of teeth as it threatens the band. The James at the Microphone sets one foot on a speaker that seemingly wills itself into existences and points making a sound that is no word, simply a sustaining vibration. The ray of sound slings deep into the fish's body and it swells, bloats and enlarges to critical mass popping like a balloon.

The merfolk cheer and run up against the stage in hopes of simply touching their saviors but it seems the gods of music have other plans as the stage grows wings and becomes a dragon bursting from the oceans. A large sleek female, three horns as is the traditional for alpha females of the breed, with a coat of shimmering steel and golden plates.

A flock of other dragons swarm around dancing, examining the newcomers, Playing with them and flying under and over and roundabout in colorful patterns, This beast at least twice the size of any other. There is no rest though, as an armed group of flying snakes appear with skeletal riders. The two James' with guitars begin a dueling solo and the dragons form ranks. Fire, ice, and acid tsunami within the firework like display of Draconic power ending the battle in nothing more than moments.

The dragon the band rides flies into space to greet where the serpent goddess,

'Chaos', watches them joyously for a moment, the wurm larger than a planet whispers not a word but smirks lustfully. The detour lasts not but a second before the band becomes a swarm of meteors to burrow through the earth and into an upside down world hidden thereunder.

An army awaits them when they arrive: An army of were-rats, wolves, and demons. Giant stone pillars hold them in place, as a lone monster approaches armed with a set of drumsticks. The demon swings his arms like a monkey and a band of imps join in as he produces his own band to duel their music.

The bands square-off to a dredge of emo-rock versus the power of opera-rock/ speed-metal. The evil drummer pounds his base knocking the four James' off their feet. The James' on lead guitar is the first upright as he kick-flips up and lies down a scale of notes to rally his team. The other guitarist cartwheels and joins in. the guitarists tap their necks together and a wave of pure light shatters the air. The singer picks up his glasses and as he put them on, he throws his fist in the air and the armies recede slightly entranced by the sheer power being displayed.

The Demons snarl and redouble their efforts. The demonic guitarist summons up a brutal rift, salt and burning rock fall from the sky. The James' on the drums quickly whips up a cool bet to counter-attack. The earth rips open and the legions of other worlds pour in.

The were-beast turn coat and mass chaos ensues.

The demons try to retake the stage with a hypnotic rhythm but it's too late. The Fates have spoken, this battle goes to earth's champion. The demon searches as he is overrun and the ritualistic shattering of weapons is performed and statues topple.

The netherworld melts away to the desert from which the journey began, but now it's a grassy plains and scores of adoring fans fill most every inch in sight. From a dozen worlds they gather in praise. What once was foe is now friend and all is good by the power of the metal. As their song draws to a close, a holy light fills the stage and the band is drawn into heaven. To be given immortality? For another adventure? Only the Fates know.

James is slingshoted back to reality by something smashing into the steel shutters on his house and can think of nothing to describe his dream but "Wow."

Book 2 The Weaver

Chapter 13: into the Heavenly Valley

** ** Corn and Rodney seem to have at last found a moments peace, the two of them look around to find the scenery has changed: The ground before them is blanketed in a hefty whit fog that hovers gently around their knees, the hills and dales around them dip periodically over the thick clouds, the lonely spire of Elec mountain has somehow slipped from their view. "I think we might be just a touch off course." Corn looks to her friend, her voice slightly heaved from fear and excitement.

"Not to threat my dear." Boldly Rodney proclaims "we simply went around the mountain. All we need to do is cut across the valley hear and climb that hill down yonder and we will be right back where we started."

Corn looks unclearly to her friend "I hope you are right about that."

"Absolutely," Rodney proclaims. "Fallow me, I know the way." Without fear or hesitation he picks a direction and starts walking.

"I think you're a loon." Corn expresses fallowing in behind.

The ground underfoot feels worm but there is a stiff breeze on the plane that cools them, the fog stays patchy with subtle but frequent changes in elevation which makes sound distort making their ears to ring. The flowers on this plane are fluffy and bright in color sometimes even taking on the characteristics of peacock plumage.

"Rodney, tell me again, why would someone with magic like yours turn to pillaging as a way of life?"

"you say it as if forcing myself on others is a way of life. It's not like that. Meredith and I just like... the sweeter things in life, we like armchairs, and books, I like candied nuts, and wine, fireplaces and sweaters, leather and blankets, and these things are hard to find if you have no craft to fall back on."

"You're a wizard!" corn calls to him "and apparently a packrat."

"but it's not just me and Meredith, you see our mother and father practiced the same trade, my mother cast spell to entertain and my father collected compensation for her trouble."

"Are you and your sister?..."

"let's just say you and I sing the same songs and leave my love life at that."

"I see."

"what about you lady Corn, have any interest outside your farm..." Rodney's question gets cut off by a scream. He turns to look back only to find she has vanished below the fog. "Corn!" he call searching for her. Rodney searches franticly for his traveling companion. In short order he finds that a whole has opened under the mist that oozes over with boiling water. A long whip-like tail can be spotted waving side to side, it is not the pink tail of a kobolt but the grease tail of another beast "Selkie?" he questions. He pulls his knife from his hip and bites onto it as he jumps in to chase them.

Selkie are a largely isolated lot wonting little to do with other races, they look like otters at first glance with their silky fur and long necks, they have short arms and their feet are webbed, their tail is hefty and doubles the length of their torso. They are a people interested in little aside from their games and finding a partner (which they cleverly rolled into a lifestyle all it's of own.)

** *

The ground gives way under Corn's feet and she falls into the nearly boiling water hidden bellow the misty fields, light floods in creating waves of rainbow light, Corn is griped around the waist by a strange looking Kobolt with a sharp black noise and long neck, it wraps it's muzzle around hers and breath fresh air onto her body to protect her, as well as a venom that morphs her perceptions.

In the blink of an eye the magical waters have given away to the flower laid valley the wolves called Heaven in her beloved fable of "Wolves Run and the Red Flower" Corn looks around baffled by the glowing blue sky and endless flowers blowing in the wind. She can see a wolf walking towards her with glowing white hair and a scar shaped like a rose entwined around his left eye. She whispers to herself "child of the earth and moon: Hetatsubachi?"

The phantom wolf nods to her sliding his head under her hands encouraging her to rub his neck and back "Yes. Corn the Weaver. I am here."

In a fit of confusion she tries to pull away. Corn slips over her own feet and falls unto a bed of daffodils. Hetatsubachi stands over her rubbing his noise up her breast and face "have no fear; I am here to give you everything you wish for."

Corn becomes ever-so-slowly more intoxicated, she wrestles with her own mind and memories "Hetatubachi-una: one of the heroes of twilight, born a slave to the king of Dis, risen to the title of Alpha, survivor of a hundred battles. You died in the battle of Yggdrasil, killed by

Harm the god of blood."

"You know me so well, that is why I came. Now, show me you love me."

Corn's eyes fog over as the fantasy becomes harder to resist. Corn grips her romantic hero by his ears and likes his noise placing her lags up at his sides. But then something goes wrong. Heatsubachi pulls back, like a confused girl, he pulls away. Corn starts to regain control she lowers her lags back to her sides and looks on in confusion. The white wolf lowers his head back to his lovers face offering to start again.

A voice calls from outside the dream to her "Corn!"

** *

Rodney fallows the Selkie back to its lair. Rodney is a strong and stout man (by Koblot standards) but is no match for the magic of a Selkie in water. The Selkie's lair is a nest of drift: plants, wood, and clay piled high to make a dry spot in the underwater channel where it sleeps.

He finds the Otter girl lying atop Corn their mouths intertwined

"Corn!" he calls. The Selkie looks to Rodney, Rodney pulls his knife from his belt gripping it in both hands startled by the witch looking at him. "Stay back sea-hag, Give me the girl and you can go."

"Who are you?"

"the Grate and Powerful Rodney"

The Otter child drops Corn, much more interested by the plump field mouse, "who powerful are you?"

Trembling Rodney steps forward, squeezing the handle of his knife "I am the greatest warlock in Winterskiss." He shutters slightly as the Selkie slithers along the ground at him.

"You're that powerful?"

"Behold!" he drops the knife and it flutters in the air between his hands, he rolls his hands over and under the blade then drops one hand to his side and the knife dangles two inches beneath is other hand, he nods his wrist and the blade summons back to his grip. Snidely he laughs and points the edge "Now free lady Corn from your spell or face my wraith.

"But if I free the Corn mouse then who will I practice my craft on?" the Otter is less then enticed by the trickery of Rodney. "Will you take her place, you're so much prettier." Rodney backs up slightly out of her reach. "You have no magic do you? Would you like to see mine?"

Rodney's eye roll up, "I do have the worst luck in the world don't I" he mumbles to himself. The Selkie leaps at Rodney bearing her fangs, she easily fells the conniving mouse hero thrusting him on his back, and she snaps her head down to bite at him. Rodney brings up one arm to cover his face, the Selkie's maw wraps around his arm, she then lashes from side to side struggling to pierce the hardy fabric of his laired overcoat.

Rodney grips the otter girl in a counter grab rolling her onto her back taking advantage of her uneven center of gravity. But this game is far from one sided as she flounders her hips and tail flipping Rodney overhead. The dexterous Selkie flips herself about and in a flash is atop the blossoming wizard. The young witch salivates with anticipation of her new toy, her body quivers as her claws puncher the wizard armor, childishly she giggles. Rodney braces both arms to her neck and breast struggling to keep her at bay.

"what is the end to this game!" he demands "If I may be so bold."

"Practice" the physically more powerful witch explains "if I am to be a woman with the coming of the next snow I must be confident in my ability to entertain my mates with my magic." The Selkie's jaws snap, venom drips from her fangs as she gets ever close as Rodney

tires

"And how long does Selkie magic last?"

Corn has awaken from her hypnotic sleep the venom is still thick in her vanes but she is mostly aware of her surroundings. She sees the fighting between Rodney and the Otter, she can see that Rodney cannot win she gasp silently and takes action. Corn picks up the largest rock she can move and sneaks up to the two of them she brings the rock overhead and thrust it down on the witch's back "as long as it takes for..." the otter starts to say.

"Not too long it seems." Rodney jokes crawling out from under the dazed Selkie. Drained by the toxin Corn starts to fall over Rodney braces her and starts to move to the exit dragging her along. "it's been a jolly good time but what do you say we hightail it out of here?"

The two of them find their way back to the surface before there advisory can regain her bearings. After some time Corn's strength returns "Rodney, you got bit. Are you..."

"I'm dandy. She got nothing but fabric." Rodney lets her go as she tries to walk on her own again "and you."

"I'm sweating, shacking, and my vision is a touch on the loopy side."

"Sounds like you had one to many cups of wine." Rodney makes light of the predicament.

Corn nods "It is a lot like that." She rubs the back of one of her hands and looks down at herself "my tummy hurts, and I feel sensitive. What was it doing?"

"Even if I told you I don't know if it would make any difference... when you were a little girl did you ever kiss someone just to see what it was like?" "I think everyone did." Corn retorts.

"Well, did you do anything else?"

"That is positively indecent!" Corn protest, Rodney shrugs Corn calms herself as they pick a direction and start on their way again. "Rodney, after we reach Elec Mountain what will you do?"

"Haven't though that far head, I would like to sniff out Meredith again, maybe restart our show." He reminisces.

"Do you have any place to go?"

"What place is there for lost souls? When I left my family I left everything behind but my name."

Shyly Corn places a hand on his back "maybe you wont to come home with me?"

"You are far too kind lady Corn. I fear there is very little of me that you will like or need but give me some time to think it over."

"If you have no life and no family to go home to why not share mine?" there is in uneasy silence as the two of them watch each other trying to understand the others motivation.

"Thank you Mother Corn." Rodney whispers. The silence persist another moment as Corn places her hands on his arms and brings her head up to offer him a kiss. Rodney stop her short "do you have any more of those mixt nuts from earlier?" Corn blushes and nods pulling away awkwardly she nods and the two of them sit down a moment to divvy out rations.

Chapter 14: The Weavers Resolve

** ** As time passes the children grow ever more excepting of mystical old women called Jessica. Mint approaches the mystic as she is reading by herself in the early hours of the morning, all of the children have started studying under her so Jessica can only imagine that with the early approach of the girl she is looking for a lesson.

"Come dear." Jessica waves her on "how may I serve you?"

"I want to go home and get Onion" Mint explains. "Come with me."

"I have to imagine my old mate will not be pleased by that." Jessica mummers

"you mean King Odidimuse? I don't think he will even remember."

"It's King now? When I knew him it was Judge Odidimuse."

Mint covers her mouth giggling "That makes you Queen Jessica the Weaver."

"It would wouldn't it" Jessica giggles with her "But why do you want to go to your brother?"

"it has been five days since Onion was sent with the medicine mouse, if the medicine mouse can help him by now he has and he should be home, if he can't help him then he can't and there is no reason for Onion to be with him."

"that is powerful logic. Let your siblings know that after class we are going to get Onion." Mint jumps up and down a bit then runs off. Jessica goes back to her scroll "the Gospel of Saint Jacob

** *

_ _ It seems as if the battle is won. Charlie Belmond and Lances Jacob have traversed a hundred world and gathered there allies on all of them for one last glorious battle against the Nothingness, the multivurse itself has seemingly stud up and declared Independence from tyranny. All the warriors form all the free world's now stand at the gates of Cravixs last stronghold: Yggdrasil. And from the grate tree spills the endless hordes of monsters under the void mages command.

David Jazzmen, princes to the realm called Dis, walks forth and pulls his sword on the hordes at the gates demanding "I am David Jazzmen, the man called Devil, is there one amongst you brave enough to do battle with me?!" he waits standing between Charlie, Jacob and the army "No?" he charges recklessly into the fray engaging the battle "Very well, then I will fight all of you!" Jazzmen's fences is inspiring, Belmond's allies from a hundred worlds fallow the demonprinces into battle. Jazzmen calls back as he slashes his way across the battlefield "find the worthless son of a snake and send him to meet my father in Oblivion."

Charlie call back in high sprit "it will be done!" in the mist of mayhem quickly Lances and Charlie are able to sneak to the front of the ranks, but there charge is not unhindered as a face the have come to know well steps into bar their path.

He is called Harm, son of Akash goddess of blood and pain (she called him Sindaquil, but no one seem to remember that name, it's all the same though the meaning remains.) the vampire with the blades growing form his crown holds his arms out in welcome of his longtime nemesis. With a smugly chuckle he greats them "Jacob, Charlie, Belmond's. Are you ready to join your parents in Styx?"

Charlie draws his mighty Souleater and Lances his Crossbow but before another word is mumbled a celestial howl shatters the air. A trail of flames chases the paws and tail of the great white wolf Hetatsubachi-una, the white hound thrust himself onto the vampire throwing him to the ground "Go mighty ones! Leave the flesh-eater to me!"

"But... I can help you." Charlie protest

"Nonsense, your battle lies ahead. It is you that must kill the demon sorcerer. His peons are mine. Now Fly!" Jacob takes his leather clayed friend by the arm and charges forth to the obelisk at the base of the mighty Tree if Eternity.

A wall of souls rises forth to protect the door. Lances Jacob reaches around his neck drawing forth the Jesuit Cross and in a flash of divine light the wall of lost souls are banished to another world by the clerics grace. Charlie playfully slaps him. "Good show old man." As the exalted hero's from the world called Red Twilight begin there climb up the tower the sky goes dark and the mouth of the void opens, the voice of the avatar of Cravixs calls down from atop the tower "Fools!, all of you! You come here! To the holiest of holy places! With your blasphemies thoughts and dreams! You stand in the shadow of Your God! Behold my boundless power." With that the moon burst into flames and falls form the sky, a wall of dust no less than four miles high flies across the sky blacking all sight as the earth shacks and cracks, fire spills from the ground, the power of the demonic Adam Crow nearly kills the world itself in a fit of rage leaving only the onyx tower untouched and the endless garden beyond.

Charlie shakes his head in disbelief glancing back at the battlefield; there is no sign of life. "No..." he shakes again "How...? Why...? Lances, there is no one left."

"Find your courage. The final battle is at hand, we have chased the demon to his lair: my eyes see only valor, my ears hear only glory, my hart screams for victory. Do not allow their suffering to go unheeded, my boy trust in you, in me, in us, and Victory will strike again." Lance places his fist to the wall pushing Charlie forth for several steps.

For a time the gallant pare are unhindered as they approach the summit of the monolith but one final barrier drops between them. A wall of lightening thrust the two of them apart, Charlie lands against the door, Lances nearly is knocked down the steps. Lances finds his footing and charges forth only to be smitten by the crash of lighting again, the heckling of the void worshiping Necrophights can be heard coming up the steps Lances calls to his traveling partner "you must endure."

The facesless ghostly demons called Necrophights stock up the steps and encircle Jacob. Jacob stands ready, his eye stone and determined, the battle across worlds has filled Jacob with a vingfull holy light so great that the vary touch of his flesh to monsters so corrupted as the void worshipers if fatal. Somehow unaware of their pray the nearest of the monsters dashes at the old priest. Jacob grips the monster by one arm and the forehead and flames roll form every whole in its body howling as it is slain by his grip. Charlie cheers Lances on, Jacob offers one last nudge of encouragement, "onto Glory old Friend!"

The door at Belmond's back leads him to a great glass and opal cathedral he walks in boldly his Souleater in hand "Crow is here, I can feel it." He whispers to himself. But Charlie never sees the monster's face as he is struck from behind, the moon shaped blade of his sinister reaper emerges from his chest. It takes a few moments for Charlie to understand what has happened as he reach one hand up to touch the blade and feel the blood hammering from his chest, the reality of what has just happened only truly dawning on him as he hears Crow whispering in his ear.

"Did you really think you had what it takes to fight me? I am the king of Tamriel, the

Avatar of Cravixs, Fillios-mammon, and Your God."

"I don't understand..." Charlie mumbles

Crow pulls the blade hard to the side ripping the rids form Charlie's chest, with his dying all the magic Belmond had absorbed in his journey burst form his body in a tremendous flash of glory blowing the top floor from the tower. Crow stands unharmed by the attack with insurmountable power of his own "ow, such insistences, all the blood on your hands and still your hart burns of childish warmth 'Please, I don't understand, help me Crow, what does it all mean?' Let me help you sweet child of mine. All your work was for not, your powers meaningless, your valor unbecoming your end. Nothing has changed, my hunger goes unsettled.

Your world will be my next morsel."

Crow turns to the exit to seek out Lances Jacob, the last of the warriors form Red Twilight. His search is short as Lances awaits Charlie's victorious return but instead sees the face that had been burned into his nightmares, the silver skin, the burning eyes, the oily black hair. Cravixs, the eater of dreams and of worlds stands before the cleric in all his regal splendor. Jacob howls in disbelief his hands mounted on his head, eyes wide in horror "NO!!!"

"Hello again priest. The Rapture has come" Crow grips Jacob by the cheeks and the old man turns to salt then crumbles out of existences. The mad beast holds his hands off to the side and dances around the crumbling remains of his world "I Live Again." He glances about "made a bit of a mess it would seem..."

Belmond, son of Belmond has fallen, now no one is left to stand against the endless Night, Cravixs has won and all existences grovels before the King of Tamriel once more.

** *

Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Mint, Cream, and Butter gather there clothing and line up Behind Jessica for the long walk back to civilization. Butter explains "We have to go into the city. Onion is in the home for the sick."

Jessica looks disappointed "I remember a time when the ill were treated in the home." The walk is much less eventful this time around. There is hardly a bird in sight and they have nearly reached town before seeing their first sign of life, A koblolt riding dog-back wrapped in steel vestments. Jessica looks shocked at the sight (as does the rider of her as he runs away)

"Graces', what was that thing."

Pepper looks to her with a joyful skip to his step "he is a Knight of the Order of the Long Patrol also known as OLPs" he picks up a stick playfully swinging it around "it's their job to protect us from Dragons and cats and..."

"How many dragons have you seen around here?"

Salt answers for him "none..."

Pepper comes back in "There are no dragons brave enough to go where OLPs walk." Mint points "so way is he running away from six young kids and an old women?"

** *

King Odidimuse is roused from his chamber by the sounding of horns; he quickly straightens his tunic and mounts his spectacles on his trembling noise, with a paranoid shuffle he stumbles into his meeting room shouting "Preston!, Montgomery!, Penelope!, who is sounding the horns and why!" Once Odidimuse was tall and brave, Once the king was young and loving, but now he is fat and sluggish all the time.

Preston is his top militiaman, well versed in all the local lore and looks just as Odidimuse had twenty years ago "it was Grace the OLP." Preston leans into his beloved king "your wife has been seen in the southern woods."

The king mumbles "my wife?... is that really need for alarm? I've not heard from her since before Jenna's death." He looks back and forth between his trusted inner-circle.

Montgomery (also called Monty) the court's sage whispers with Odidimuse reminding him of the Weaver "your wife is an exile you're Holiness, she is a witch."

His eyes roll a bit looking into the back of his own head for recollection "Yes! That is right! I sent her to the forest to be alone for the rest of her life."

Monty nods "she is a violent recluse. She threatened you and your friends from

Winterskiss, she hates the birds and wonted you to go to war against them."

"Yes! Yes! I remember that know. Penelope, go with Preston and bring Jessica to my court will all haste." Odidmus orders "Monty! Where is Ambroshuse!"

"you steed my lord?"

"of course my steed."

"you retired her sir."

"Bring her back! if I can't rest no one can."

"Permanent retirement,"

"Permanent?"

"Yes my lord."

"Do I have a replacement steed?"

"no sir"

"I need to get one."

Preston interrupts the discussion "we have been given on order by our lord and master, suit up." He waves on his number two.

"Yes, Go my boy, and my Kari grant you far winds." Odidimuse waves them off then falls into his chair. "Jessica, I miss her Monty."

The sage kneels next to his king taking him by the hand "you are not alone in that my king. But she has sinned so her and hers needed be punished."

Odidimuse looks to the dining table in the room "the table is set for ten" he start counting the chairs "I sit under the crest of the scroll and claw, Monty, you sit next to the cabinets, Preston sit nearest the door with Penelope, who else sits at my table with me?"

Monty starts to point form chair to chair "Princess Jenna the kind, Princes Timothy the fair, Princes Chase the bold, and Princess Mozia the strong."

Odidimuse looks to his sage "my children?"

"Yes my excellences."

"Why are they not there now?"

"They are with Kari in the place of enlightenment." The look on the king's face is one of shock and confusion; he is horrified by how much of his life he can no longer seem to remember, and by the reality that he is the last of his kin.

"But why?" the king ask

"You sent them there." The sage coldly explains as it is clearly something he has reminded the king of before "you are weary my gently lord, let me fetch you a cup of tea whilst you rest here in this chair." He softly pushes the aged hero into his set.

"Yes that would be good." The old mouse rest his head in his hands as he tries to remember that which he has lost, if one cannot remember the fate of their love and their beloved what else must he have lost? "It is good to have so many trusted friends to help remember. But do they remember right?" how is one to know?

Monty slides out of the room to fetch the king his tea.

Chapter 15: King of the Mountain

** ** When Jessica was last at the Koblolt stronghold it was a blossoming community made up of two dozen families of farmers and craftsmen, her mate Odidimuse was the newly elected Marshal Chaplain, such a thing was surly needed as the people of the community were often struggling to find borderlines for fair trade and land divisions. The Weaver and her mate were chosen as the oldest and wisest of their kinsmen and as such it was thought together they would reface the world as the kobolts saw it.

But Jessica, who at a young age traverse the world in search of unforeseeable wisdom, would not see the fruit of her passion grow. Now a lifetime later she has returned to the place of her youth. But it is nothing of what she remembers. Always the koblot's have lived underground, tunneling into hillsides to build their homes, but no more it seems. The hovels have grown out of the ground and tall walls have replaced hidden doors.

A wall three times the height of the tallest marks the entrances to the village with a arced door five times the size of any mouse maid. Jessica looks up the door with wonder and sorrow "my mother wouldn't know what to say. How our home has changed. What do you call this place?"

"Most call it home." Cream states

Preston calls over as the gates slide open "Today we call it Gray Wall Keep." Preston is someone who bares all the signs of one born into prosperity: he walks with a sway his fingers tucked into the rings of his belt, his fur and fangs are flawless, he stands straight and sleaks with a voice to calm a crowed. "not what I was expecting from a messiah." He glances Jessica up and down.

"If you believe me a messiah, I think you have misunderstood our teachings." Jessica lowers her head with a hint of embarrassment.

"to be far my giving lady, there are very few who understand your teachings better then I" he kneels before his queen then takes her by the hand offering a nuzzle to her hand. Jessica lowers her head choking down her laughter.

"I understand you are the same Jessica for Saint Dove's gospel, that being the case you are over three thousand years old, and the mother of our race. It was you who drank form the chalices of wisdom in the court of Mistress Darklair queen of fire, and drank wine alongside

Lord Cravixs himself in the Kingdom of Tamriel thereafter being crowned the goddess deemed Mother of all Children, the history of our world balances on your shoulders, but with all these gift you have been given, why not share your Immortality with your mate if no one else?"

"these are fables of an ancint time my good boy" she takes him by the hand and rubs

him lightly.

"if that were true why do you blush so deeply." He smile to her. "if you are not convinced of my wisdom already I also I'm versed in the origin of Kari herself."

Jessica's ears perk, she waves the children behind her as she spots a dozen more knights lining the wall "is that so?" she ask starting to back away.

"it is." Preston baste "Kari is Adam Crow, a new body assigned to him during the age of the fourth race, after falling in battle to Marks Karringson, Crow was banished to another world and was forced to assume a new form in order to escape his earth bonds. The void magus of Harm re-wrote Cravixs as a feminine god in order to respeck his dominion and make him more passive, lust a god of death becomes a goddess of life."

"Stop right there Witch!" a voice calls form alongside them. Preston's partner Penelope brandishes a blade on Jessica. There is a sequel from one of the children and Jessica steps bladed to place herself between the threats. The wind howls as Jessica call on her ancient power. Penelope cackles pulling her blade back to strike down the weaver.

Preston hops forth drawing his sword "Stand Down!" He shouts to his partner "Jessica will come with us quietly, I have no doubt. Isn't that right." He looks to Jessica, Jessica lowers her arms to her sides and the wind fades to a whisper. "my lady, your mate request you appear at the palace. Will you comply?"

"if she does not, I bet my blade is swifter then hers."

"I told you to stand down, one more outburst and I'll be forced clam sedition against you"

"I will come."

Pepper squeezes his walking-stick tightly as he looks to Jessica unsure if the lot of them are going to fight or not. Preston looks down to the courageous child, placing one hand on his head Preston rubs him by the ears "cute boy, one of yours?"

"if you are affiliated with my mate then surly you know who my children are." Jessica explains with a touch of shyness to her voice. "I am simply watching this lot whilst the mother runs errands on the behalf of the town's healer."

"I beg to differ, in the time I have served my post always has the banquet hall been ready to serve the princes and princesses but never have I seen them dine." Preston turns to face the fortification moving his hand from Peppers head to Jessica's back.

"How can that be?"

** *

With an air of apprehension the two honor guards lead Jessica and her flock across the blustering township and to the heart of the city, Oddidmus keeps. The craftsmanship is something to behold, it is nothing like the fantastic cities of gold and stone that are ever-so common mythology but it is borderlined on Gothic Victorian: with mighty stone effigies placed over the doors of the most luxurious establishments, totem spirits watching over street corners, and the town cut into clear divisions of class in a slowly escalating tear cast.

Odidimuse watches form the parapet as Preston returns home, Monetary standing over his shoulder "Oh dear Kari." He looks to his friend "there she is, my mate, she is unchanged from when I was a lad."

Monty leans over the railing to see what Odidimuse has already "then our scout was right. What do you wish to do about this outrage?"

"I want nothing more than to see her face to face."

"Kari will not be pleased that she is here."

"That is between me and Kari!" Odidimuse shoves his partner off to one side to walk down the steps. "If I see it fit to hold the hand of my lover but one last time in my life then let it be so. If Kari sees fit to punish me for my weakness then I am ready for judgment."

"Do not be so fast to tempt our Goddess. It was your hands that built this castle but we built atop Her back." Monty calls down chasing his king

After entering the keep Preston whispers with Jessica "you will find the king in his chamber, Just carry on down this hall and to the twin doors, I will take the young to the diningroom."

The children look to Jessica, Jessica nods back waving them on "I will be back soon, then we will find Onion." With that the lot part ways, Penelope fallow Jessica to the chamber and Preston take the kids to find a snack.

The Weaver and the King meat gaze for the first time in a lifetime, and the apprehension is clear and thick, booth stare the other down waiting to see what the other wants. At last the king finds his feet, he takes his staff from the wall and walks slowly to her. Penelope grips her blade and Monty hides his hands in his sleeves. "Jessica, Jessica, Jessica." he wraps his arms around her neck and shoulder pulling her in to embraces his love once more. "so many years have passed. I have so much I want to say."

Jessica can think of nothing to say, the young man she knew as Odidmus was an young brave scholar, this man hold little in common with him, but will her eyes see a dying old man her heart and noise can see the fading remains of her love. She take the old man by the arms and squeezes him in return.

Odidimuse lets loose his grip and waves about, "we have finally arrived in the future you foretold my beloved. A time when no longer we have to hide in the ground, a time when all who live in the shadow of the wise will know the past and future alike, it has begun. Under my leadership we are ready to fulfill our right as the fifth grate race. We have harvested cobblestone, me have mind oar from the earth, and we command the red flower. With Kari as our witness we are becoming masters of our world."

"we have tried to master this world once already." Jessica starts to explain

"You are about to worn me of Elec mountain, and how when we tried to steal from others to grow ourselves we failed." Odidimuse cuts her off "but this is not like back when, this time whe did not take form the Gaia or the Huma, this time the power is ours and ours alone.

And it is good."

"our elders have been clear, if we are to be strong, we first must by gentle, and wise."

"For how long would you have us hide in the crakes of the earth? We have clean water, we have fire, we have the blessings of Kari..."

"Why would you turn to Kari for aid?" Jessica intercedes "Kari is the god of hunger hiding in the skin of a goddess of lust."

"your wrong, Kari is the hope of our people, a worm that grow wings and took to the heavens just as we will."

"it is no accident that the birds are Her sign."

"Enough of your Blasphemy! Utter another word about Kari and you will inspire my wraith. I will find the darkest sweatiest hole in Gray Wall Keep for you to sleep in" Odidimuse waves his arms enraged

"It seem you have upset our king." Monty walks over to separate the two of them.

"in the naivety of yester year I may have sad many strange thing but to give oneself to the bird I do not recall being of them." Jessica steps away from the mage.

"But why not turn your fate over to one grater then yourself in the name of peace and serenity?" Monty ask theatrically.

"the fly does not plead with the spider for his life nor should we pray to birds for peace. Need we do more than pray to never see war?" Jessica turns her gaze from the wizard back to her mate "this land is your land remember that. Now I must do what I came here to do I am here for the boy called Onion."

"Penelope, show this young lady to the dungeon." The king commands, as Monty is whispering with him.

"good chose my lord" Monty lowers his head walking away.

"Think hard about what you are doing Odidimusee, you are building up a theist nation, do you really want our children to be risen under such a flag?!" Jessica ask hastily.

"We have no children... Anymore."

With those words Jessica's mouth drops open in horror understanding just what

Odidimuse means to say with a whispering scream she shutters "what have you done Odidimuse?" Odidimuse waves his hand and Jessica is struck in the back by Penelope knocking her over.

"Jessica!" Pepper calls from the doorway having snuck away with Garlic to look around.

Chapter 16: the Book of Saint Dove

Cold moonlight spills across Jessica's face stirring her from her slumber, she rubs her eyes fiercely to clear her vision as sparks of blue and green light still flutter across her eyes from the trauma of being struck in the back. The ground feels dank and the air smells of mold. There is a window in the upper left corner of the room far too small for even a child to squeeze through dressed with moss. There is a cadge door to her right and to either side a matching cell block, there is a chamber pot on a bed near the center of the room and a chain bracing her to the bed allowing her run of only half the room.

In the cage to one side of her sits hidden in the darkness a fellow prisoner, a middleaged woman with flashing white fur and black hair with shimmering purple eyes, she sits with her lags tucked into her chest to hide her features, the cooing of birds echoes throughout the silences of the dungeon orchestrated by the tiny birds that have crawled in through windows and prances about the cadges. Jessica's cell mate is clearly amused by the animals.

Jessica finally gains her wit and jumps to her feet, "the children!" she calls forgetting her feet are bound her runs to the door to see if it is locket and falls onto all fours when she come to find that the bed is fussed to the ground.

The women across form Jessica speaks up in a strangely manly voice "Jessica Brispbane, have no fear, Mother Corn's children are in no danger." The voice is low and monasteries, slow and commanding.

Jessica bites her hand thinking "Brispbane? I haven't been called Brispbane sinces..." she freezes thinking, as the words sink in she crawls away from the door sliding on her back as far from the stranger as she can "Kari!" only the princess of fire new Jessica as Brispbane which can only mean that this is Princess Darklairs other half.

"I far prefer Crow, But yes Kari is what your people call me today. But what is a name anyway? I have been called so many but they always have the same meaning, so is it the name that identifies you or you that identify the name?" Kari rolls her neck stretching "I think we are each subject to the actions of ourselves therefor we really don't need names. You more them most can feel that your eyes and your noise can see past such formality." She leans in slightly "take a deep breath, taste my blood in the air and know in your mind what your heart has already told you. It is I, your god, in the flesh."

"I have tasted your flesh once before, I need not do so again."

"I see why Meyu liked you so. You are courageous and cowardice at once, Such the symbol of the age from which you came." Kari goes one.

"why are you here?"

"you are speaking with the creator of your world and that is really what you want to ask?" she stops a moment "but after so many profits I should have guessed that it is all ways the most advises and least worth will questions that get asked first. As always my motivations are selfish." She waits a moment. "one of my sisters children are running amuck on my playground and I want them to leave."

"You're asking me to fight a goddess?"

"are you kidding, your hapless, no match of a god despite all the blessings that have been rained down on you, beauty, immortality, command over water and fire and ever so sensitive to even the most simple of movement, but no you are no match for a Tamriel-child. What you are to do is simple by comparison. I want this city empty; you can go back underground or off to the wilderness somewhere but wherever there is it is away from here.

Anyone still whithin the walls of this city in a weeks' time becomes food for us."

"Why give me this job. My mate would be so much more..."

Kari stops her "You are a spawn of Ceto, mother of monsters, and she belongs to me."

"And if I don't?"

"think hard about what I am telling you. I am giving you the opportunity to save the lives of oh so many of your own. You, a child of Ceto, mother of your race being give the changes to remind the world of who you are. And I can give you all that you need to make this moment last forever."

"I'm not like that. I'm no mother to a race," Jessica tries to say "I only had a hand full of kids..."

"And how many children did they each have?" Kari points out.

There is a long silence before Jessica speaks again "why would one with all your might be bound to a body so, uninspiring."

"How would you like me to appear?" Kari turns to sand and fades between the walls:

shinning like gold the phantom snakes around Jessica lifting her into the air and rolling her about haplessly a moment. "or is this more of what you were imagining?" the room fills half with water instantly then burst into flames, wind wipes the room around and the walls quake. Jessica screams being thrown around in the chaos. "I can be as kind or a cruel as you would like me to be. But why should the master of creation be anything shy of desirable? I look as I do because I wont to be loved and therefore must be something worthy of a dream, whatever the dream of the day happens to be."

Kari turns next to a flock of flowers and feather floating about the room, the flowers flutter around Jessica rolling her around on the ground, Jessica pulls her arms and legs into her chest definitively, the room becomes warmer, Jessica shacks herself as if to shoo away the change "your next question of me would be 'and what function does the creator serve to the created?' to that one must ask themselves what would one wish of their betters? When we look to ourselves we find that it is more desirable to serve a malevolent king the a neglectful one for a cruel king is a predictable one, anger lures hate, hate lure judgment, love inspires mercy, but to be neglected leads only to empty promises with or without prayer. But even uncaring is worthwhile over absences. A vengeful king may still reword on that brings him plusher and that is just what I am. I find you amusing."

Jessica sweats and pants overtaken by the unadulterated spiritual power filling the room, her body falls limp as she allows herself to be controlled "what is it that motivates you Brispbane? Be it The past? Or that which is yet to come? If I were to rain my will onto you would you bring the dead back to life? Would you summon a monsoon of good tithings on your brethren? Or fill yourself with gluttony saving yourself from hardship for lifetimes to come? Do not answer in hast. Time is one thing you and I have little to fear of." Jessica rolls around on the ground squalling till atlast she is drained of her strength and collapses from the overwhelming energy in the air.

Jessica rolls unto her side and curls herself tightly into a ball. Kari retakes her Kobolt shape back in the corner from which she came. "Fourteen day, that is what I can offer you. Lead your people away from Gray Wall Keep before then or I cannot offer them protection any longer, you will be my harbinger, you will offer a sermon every other day from now till the calling and after each sermon I will reveal a taste of my power to them. Those who heed the words of my harbinger will be blessed, those who's hearts are unmoved will be cursed. So let my will be done."

Jessica finds the energy to whisper with Kari "and if they refuse to hear my words?"

"Then you and Corn's family will rebuild Gray Wall Keep atop the bones of the unwise."

"Are you grater then the advisory to who you will fight?"

"There are no gods grater left in heaven."

"Then you have no equal?" Kari refused to respond allowing Jessica to contemplate for herself what has already been told. She recalls the gospel of saint Dove

** *

After you have been in the field for a year or two you start to just know when someone has something to say. So you do what anyone would do, follow them; see what they have to say. I'm on the streets of New York; it's three in the morning and it cold as hell. I spot my prey, a middle aged man, dark hair, dressed in black. He has the look of a man with something on his mind. The streets are crowded as always, and I like it. The streets of 'the big apple' make for a good place to tail someone without being seen.

As I walk behind my tail, I feel as if I know this guy, someone I tracked once before. He steps into a rickety looking building with a demolition tag on it. He goes to slam the door; I slide my cane into the door to hold it. The dark man swerves between some drifters clogging the condemned building's halls. He walks up the steps, I keep my distance. He gets ahead of me for a time; I catch up with enough time to see his coattails slip into a room with an emergences generator set outside. Most be the only room with lights. I stand against the door and pull my notebook out of my pocket. The first words I hear are "Mister Dove, would you please come

in."

The whole scenario sound like an early sixties bomb shelter, it seems like a good idea till you come to notice you're really sitting in a hole in the ground with your head between your lags. I walk through the door, thing start to look clear; I know who I've been fallowing. I've been fallowing him for years, its damn near my life's work.

It's the demon called Crow, its an empty room aside from a table and two chairs, you would think he was expecting me. I except, "It's been a long time Mr. Dove"

"I don't seem to recall having ever met you face to face"

"You? no. the men you represent on the other hand I know very well. Every decade or two we have a heart to heart like this."

"How charming" I make no attempt to hide my life of sarcasm

"I don't mean that literally of course, it would be a waste of both of our times if I were to rip your heart from your chest and eat it."

"that's reassuring"

"I trust you know who I am"

"Adam Crow, Vampire, Warlock, and demonic prince. Am I close?"

"Some time I am also called Filius-Mammon king of Tamriel. One of three at least"

"How lucky for them"

"Can the jokes old man before you become a late night snack."

"Look who's calling who old. Well it looks to me that you planed for me to be hear so what are you looking for"

"I want you to place your holiest of holy book on the table before you and do what you

Watcher do. I'm going to speak and you are going to write. Or is that too hard for you"

"Maybe I should call for backup, do you mind waiting for about half an hour" Crow growls making an unearthly sound and throws me into the chair before me. "Should I take that as a yes?"

"Now start writing." Crow takes a seat in the opposing chair. His head drapes back and his long dark hair falls away from his face. "Would you believe me if I told you only a hand full of centers ago this world was a united being? All races, human and animal alike spoke a singular tong?"

"is that a rhetorical question?" I know it is but I ask anyway

"Mister Dove?"

"Yes"

"Be quiet"

"Do you want me to record that as well?" I'm already writing

"Mister Dove, we are not friends, in fact I deeply hate everything you stand for and after this speech I was going to tell you how I laid a hex on you and that your son is going to murder you"

"I don't have any kids"

"ah,... how silly of me"

"Do you know what Narcissism is?"

"what your full of"

"A witty demon, we are going to get along great."

"What did I do to deserve this?" Crow rubs his eyes momentarily. I don't waste in instant; forty years ago I swore to do everything in my power to rid the world of monsters like Crow. Now I have a chance to assassinate the king himself. I'm going to take it. I twist the handle of my cane and withdraw my Iai-do blade without a word or a sound my blade strike home digging deep into Crow chest and into the seat beneath him. Crows eyes roll downward "that was uncalled for, Do you mind if I continue now, or shale we proceed with this foolishness, you see mister Dove many hunter mistake me for a night stalker that simply is not the case. Mister Dove, I am God, your pitiful assault is nothing if not meaningless" the humor melts from my face as I slowly sit back down.

Crow slowly slides the blade out of his body and talks a moment to admires the art of the oriental edge "this is a finely crafted blade, where about did you happen across it?" Crow ask as he courteously hand the blade back to me.

"A friend"

"anyone I might know?"

"who knows? The world not that big after all." Strange, or maybe not so strange, Crow doesn't seem to bleed. He didn't even seem to care that I attacked him. I tap my pen on the table "please go on."

Crow places his feet on the table as he rest back in his chair "Mister Dove, these world is not your world. It is in fact my world. you had stolen it from me several thousand years ago. I lived on this world and you worshipped me as well as my two brothers and my sister. We were your beloved. But, one day someone became greedy and asked 'why must my life be one of bowing and graveling' naturally the faithless would be willed out of reality. But somehow this one gained power. Enough so that he had power to harm the immortal overseers'. you found weapons that could cut our flesh, armor that could deflect our magic. You even had stolen a fraction of the power of creation. Not enough so to really do anything, but enough that one day you might. That on top of the fire and fertility you already had pillaged from us made you a worthy enemy "

I feel the need to cut in "you're immortal, how can we have harmed you"

"Move world to world for a time and you'll find that you become susceptible to some of

their rules "

"Traveling makes you weaker?"

"I'm not at library to discuss that at this time"

"I'm deeply sorry"

"the point is, you have something that belongs to me and I plain to take it back. I'm not unsportsmanlike, I understand you are somewhat attached to this world and I will give you the opportunity to keep it. The world as you know it is coming to an end. trees will walk, animals will talk and humanity will take its rightful places back as messengers to the ancient gods. The transformation will begin with the burring of a mighty church then fourifths of all men will die. Beast will override your cites, rives will run black like oil and the oceans will swell. Yea they that love me will be spared my wraith. On the last day of the purging the sun will set and shall not rise again till man and monster sleep together in acceptances of the coming of the lord."

"...And when will this last day be, how long will the transmutation take?"

"Nine years"

"Nine, why not ten? Some astronomical event accruing that we should be aware of?

Some aligning of planets?"

"No, I simply think nine sounds right."

"I think your full IT. I don't think you have the power to do everything."

"No?"

"and even if you could, someone would stop you."

"like who?"

"Sal-la-day-namO,"

Crow finds his feet leaning forward he manifest a bottle of wine and two goblets made of gold with gemstones. He pours the glasses and passes one to me as he thinks about the statement made "Sal-la-day-namO, my younger brother. It's true he might still have the power to stop me, if he were still a god, or reobtained his divinity. Good luck with that though, no one has hard form Sal-la-day-namO in over fifty years I would wager."

Uncharacteristically Crow sights after tacking a drink "I think it is truly sad what became of him (Sal-la-day-namO). I love retribution as much as anyone, but justice should be fast and passionate I feel, not what Laus-deu-O subscribed. This is not the first world Laus-due-O created and humans were not its first inhabitants. The Greeks were more or less right there were many gods at one point. we have been somewhat wasting away with the passage of millennia. We have a set of conducts we follow amongst them is a law stating that once a race is strong enough to survive without our direct interventions, we let them grow on their own, till they can pass-over into our reality. Sal-la-day-namO could not comply. He loved one of you, mortals I mean, more than our elder brother. So he was condemned to live on this rock, stripped of everything but his timelessness, till the end of history."

Crow sits in deep thought, what can he be thinking about, is it anything I could even comprehended. "I'm sorry mister Dove but I grow weary. I wish to retire for the evening, can I call you back to finish this another time?"

Gods get tired? "Yeah, no problem. You have my number," hastily I collect my notebook and cane. As I walk out the door I hear Crow speak one more time.

"Joe, my brother traded his soul for ten years of pleasure. Did he get a good deal?"

Standing in the doorway I recall my own tortured past, "I've known people to settle for less. Whether or not that's a good deal I'm in no position to make wagers..."

Sometime latter Joe looks around to find himself right back at the abandoned building where he had met Crow for the first time. The lights are on and there is Crow looking down on him from the window seven floors above. Joe breaths hard a moment then walks in.

again a nearly empty room awaits, the two min stair each-other down a moment before

Crow wave Joe down. "please, Be seated."

"I don't think it has been a lifetime already." Joe jokes.

"Joe," Crow sits down putting his feet up as he places one hand to the side of his head resting. "Where is Sal-la-day-name-O?" Crow rolls his eyes slightly "where is my brother?"

"you mean you don't know?"

"That's what I thought you would say." Crow sits up looking at Dove. "so lets get to the point. The world is going to end and I want someone to stop me."

"Why me?"

"You?!" Crow throws his head back in laughter "not you, you are going to bring me someone to fight. This is a game. I need an enemy. There are let's say twelve people on this plaint that can fight me. You will find them and you will bring them to me. If you find them first

I leave you alone for let's say for two-hundred years. You don't in nine years everything ends."

"Find them first" Joe whispers "what do you mean END?" Joe ask

"IT has already begun. In two years time there will be more of my slaves on this world them men, people will die at in unprecedented rate, the dead will feed on the living, in the last hour before I rise, the moon will fall form the sky, the sun will set never to be seen again, and as is told you before trees will walk, fish will talk, and your home will burn, as for you, you will see none of this." Crow monologs

Joe jumps to his feet "Dammit Crow! This doesn't need to be this way! I know everything! For god sake Crow you were one of us! You might have been the original Watcher!

Do it again! Fight alongside me! End this war without it ever needing to find the streets!"

Crow roars demonically punching the table before him standing noise to noise with

Dove. "this man is nothing but a body, I am God, I am the Cravixs. I will rise with the dawn, I will consume your tiny sun, you will see my majesty for I am the cosmic horror, larger them this solar-system, I will devourer everything; you will be nothing but my dreams in the end. Fall to your knees and worship me cowered magi."

"make me." Joe demands

Crow holds up one hand levitating dove, with a nudge of his head Crow thrust Joe into a wall then drags him up it and across the ceiling "you doubt me, you doubt what I am? I am power. Absolute Power. I have seen the beginning of time. I walked the grate tree form moon to moon, I flow through the 'Never' with Chaos at my back. I have seen thing you can never understand. This world of yours, your small ideas, they are meaningless. I blink my eyes and a thousand years passed." Crow drops his head smashing Joe though the table, dominatingly he places one foot on Joe's chest as he gasp for air. "make no mistake, I will do as I wish, and you are powerless! Your fate is sealed! It is not your life you struggle for, It is you soul!" Crow looks up becoming momentarily calmed "there are twenty six keys that seal the door to this world.

For every one of them I find the end of the world grows closer. I have one. And already it makes me stronger. Find the others Joseph Dove von Richton. This is your only changes to survive."

Joe gags and struggles to get out form underfoot "help me Crow! For the love of your own bloodline come back, be one of us. A protector of this world!"

the evil voice echoes form deep within Crow's body. "I admit I did find a good host didn't I. Strong enough to withstand 'Worldwalking' and the passage of five hundred of your lifetimes. I want my ring back by the way." Crow holds his hand over Dove's chest floating the chain out of his pocket and back into his chest. "The original of this world's gatekeepers gave this to me as a gift. It unlocks more than just that book you know, it is also the key to the mana stream. However week it is hear."

"He gave the Key to Adam Crow, not Cravixs."

"We are one in the same." Crow melts into the shadows leaving Joe alone and beaten on the floor. Joe struggling reaches into his coat and calls for backup. One last sound comes from the darkness, the echoing of Cravixs voice whispering in Joe's ear "my brother traded his immortality for a lifetime of pleasure. Did he get a good deal?"

As Joe lie on the ground he whispers to himself "maybe he did."

What did Dove know of the gods? did he know a secret that could have save Crow back then? If only he told the rest of this tale. Perhaps this old whaler could have had his catch. All this talk of kings and key, what does it all mean?

Chapter 17:Darklings

** ** Corn and Rodney continue their way across the valley for some time in relative silence. Corn only slightly upset by Rodeny distancing himself from her, but a friend is a friend when times are trying and letting little things bother you is ill-advised so she bits her tongue. As the quite hours drag on it become harder to keep their destination in sight, Rodney draws out a parchment from his pocket and reads it softly to himself "Rodney: last we spoke I had just reached the harbor of queen. Hear I have found that our stalk and trade is over-saturated at the very least and I will be moving on as soon as I can find a pound of silver to trade for a boat but even then it is unclear what my next stop will be. Maybe I will travel to 'the land of silk' over the horizon that so many are talking about. I will write eight letters to you and send them off with eight waling priest the day before I leave and then I will send eight more after I find dry land, if you have been kind to Remmeal surly one will find you. Go forth with love. Meredith."

Corn looks over his shoulder "Remmeal?"

"A fairy tale from my hometown." Rodney hides the parchment, "in every land that

Chaos graces she leaves behind and egg. Ours is called Remmeal."

"your sister?" Corn ask

"what of it? You have your kids, I have my sister." There bickering is cut off by the sound of dogs barking and a snarl like no animal they have seen yet makes shouting in an alien tongue calls over the roaring. Rodney whisper as he recalls the language "Heifer, you have lead your hand across the face of a man, and you refuse to do your duties as a Cow. This is punishable by death twice. how do you plead?"

Corn whispers with Rodney "what do you hear?"

"I had truly hopped that walkeing half way around the wolrd would get me away from things like this." Rodney slurs "Darkling Head Hunters"

"what are Darkings?"

"what you and I would most likely be with no more or ethical code, they are a nonesecular culture of pig-face carnivores obsessed with the status quo above all other things... that and in endless land grab campaign." Rodney runs off, Corn fall onto all fours fallowing "if there carnivores then what are we doing?" she shouts in a hushed tone.

Five armored beast raiding wolves: dressed in robes liaised with animal bones are circling a feminine creature with a blindfold. The girl at the center of the circling has two long blades with hooks on them strapped to one hip, her hands are reached across her body gripping the blades listening to the taunting of her peers. Her skin is a gray-green, her noise is tipped upwards like a hogs, her ears are sharp and jet backwards across her back, and her teeth are long and jagged like a lizard, her hair looks like grass growing down her back framed by her ears. The strange woman lowers her body hissing like a cat at the dogs, she has cloaked herself in the pelts of the fallen.

"Rodney?" Corn ask

"There reading her rap sheet, she is a convicted murderer there saying, and she is barren. The second being the more horrendous of her offenses it would seem."

One rider charges forth with ax in hand to dole out punishment. The seemingly blind warrior drops to her knees hearing the charge and draws out one sword, she slashes the dog across the lip and it rears back throwing its mount to the ground. With a bloodcurdling cry she jumps into the air and lands on the rider blades in hand.

Rodney turns away for a moment from the battle "oh my..." he looks to Corn "I want to help her" Rodney give Corn a playful kiss then runs out to join the battle.

The second rider sees the death of his fellow at the hands of the outcast and pulls a whip from his belt. The warrioress snarls bestially thrusting her arms behind her charging her challenger. The judge is fast on the draw but the huntress is just faster, before he has time to wind his whip she leaps onto his shoulders and silences him with her blades

The next in line reaches for a sword but Rodney intercepts, Rodney picks up the discarded ax on the ground and lings it at the side of the Riders hound, the dog runs off uncontrollable dragging it's rider with it. Rodney laughs and cheers clapping. The forth and fifth stand shoulder to shoulder one produces a lance the other a pair of hooked swords like those of the huntress that they have been stalking has.

Rodney reaches into one of his pocket finding a fistful of sparking powder and grins playfully. As the lancer charges Rodney fling the handful of glitter blinding and confusing the lancer sending him screaming off to nowhere. The huntress grabs one of the swords of the other between her blades twisting it from his grip then thrust it at him inflicting a deep wound in his side. The last of the raiders flee frightened off by the huntress and the Grate and Powerful Rodney.

Still giggling Rodney reaches over and playful grabs the arm of the Darkling girl shacking her. The Darkling takes less than kindly to this as she howls and points her hook-sword in her primary hand up at him. Rodney backs off hand holds up his hand in surrender. "It's all right, I'm harmless."

The darkling pull her blade away sliding them both back onto her hip proclaiming in her native tongue "I believe you are." She sniffs at him "Not a drop of blood on you, you do not take your enemies lives. Merely frighten them with your games."

"that is all I needed to do."

"When your enemies live to see another day, they have time to redouble their efforts, and find faster cleaner ways to deal with their problems." the huntress twirls her blades about cleaning the mud and blood form them.

The happy wizard nods his head in understanding "that is true, yes but the dead get few opportunities to have a change of heart. Once they are dead that is that as it were."

"If you think those head-hunters are going to give you their blessings you hare surly misdirected."

"Maybe they will maybe they won't. There is no way to know for sure. By the by, I am the Grate and Powerful Rodney, at your service" Rodney lowers his eyes to the huntress. "you stand at my side, you can see I am marked for death and yet you wish to speak nevertheless..." she runs her noise up and down his body snorting "I feel as if I own you much for your kindness, if not bravery. I am the heifer Ownlog of the Aalieth tribe. I will bend my blade to your will, for a time." Ownlog lowers her head drawing her sword and taking a bow.

"I can ask for nothing more." Rodney turns to face the road. "Then we must carry on.

There are those how eagerly await us."

"That which awaits me can wait much longer for all I care." Ownlog fold her arms

snarling.

"Come Ownlog, we travel to the fabled Elec Mountain in search of ancient and mystical

thing."

Happily Rodney pillages another discarded ax from the ground mounting it on his back; the then wave's forth walking back to where he left Corn. Corn mounts her hands on her hips and huffs in frustration at the boyish magician, she stands noise to noise with him and brings up one finger to poke him in the noise in protest of his stunt but Rodney beats her to the punch. "Mother Corn, I would like you to meat Ownlog of the Aalieth tribe, she would like to help us reach Elec." He grabs her hand and squeezes it between his.

Corn sighs "You silly; silly, man." The party now three strong carry on.

** *

After the passage of another day the weather on the valley grows sour, dark clouds gather in the distances and the smell of salt in the air grows pungent, Ownlog seems to understand the turan better them most and leads them to a rocky field and from there into an underground chamber to hide from the approaching storm.

Corn runs her hand up and down the walls of the chamber finding drawing on them and starts to read them aloud as she translates. "on the corpses of 26 honorable dead I build 13 towers of flesh turned to stone." Corn freezes as if she couldn't understand the words she just red, "Rodney will you please ask Ownlog where we are."

Rodney taps Ownlog on the arm and whispers with her Ownlog start chattering in response to the whisper, Rodney starts to translate "This place is called Moon Flower cave, it seems that this is the place where, I hope I understand right, is where dead kings are sent to rest, this is a holly place, and she is asking if you understand the markings on the wall, and... will you slow down a bit. This place has something to do with the Avatars, the ahm... the hands of the gods or some rote."

Corn looks to Ownlog "Yes I can read." Rodney relays the message. Ownlog walks over to Corn and starts pointing around grunting.

"she wants to know what these symbols mean." Rodney explains.

Corn reads on "In the time of Ragnarock, all the kings of the lands gathered with their finest blades in hand, the kings all named there greatest heroes, and in a fierce charge past and present meet in a battle for the time yet to come. The sun fell from the sky when the grate wolf goddess Skoll killed Apollo, Loki killed his father Odin, and Hades claims Zeus throne for his own."

Ownlog removes her blindfold and begins to question the story with Rodney's help, "Is this past or future?"

Corn looks at Ownlog tipping her head "aren't you blind," she looks to Rodney "isn't she blind?" Ownlog looks back and forth watching the tow of them.

Rodney shrugs "maybe not." Rodney talks with Ownlog a moment "it seems that she has something called 'day sickness' she has to where a blindfold anytime she is outdoors or the light induces something... unpleasant to happen." Rodney shacks his head "this is just unnerving. I'll spare you the icky parts." He looks back to Corn.

Corn studies the writings some more "the story seems to be half in the past and half in the future, as if the writer were in both places at once."

Rodney stands by Corn's side, "what is this written in anyhow?"

Corn runs her hands up and down the wall "this part is in Huma, this part Gaiadren, over here is our tongue, Enokian I think."

Rodney leans in "Never heard of it."

Ownlog whispers with him "the tongue of the kings."

"Kings?" Rodney ask

Corn mumbles "the language of Tamriel." She walks a few feet ahead reading to herself "this is a place of worship."

Ownlog whispers with Rodney then Rodney to Corn "she wants to learn how to read."

Corn nods in agreement.

As the rain grows thick outside a growling can be heard clearly in the cave, the resting of the trio is interrupted. Something is watching them, Ownlog is the fastest to her feet and has sword in hand ready to fight in a heartbeat A bellow shatters the stillness "Mammon!" it calls in a animalistic voice. Corn lowers her head hiding her ears between her hands from the earthshacking sound: Rodney does mutch the same pulling his hat over his ears Ownlog falls onto all fours in a lizard like stance howling in responses.

A giant cat made of stone and grass steps out of the darkness with flames bleeding form its eyes and mouth. The cat is three times the hight of any of the lot, its body looks to be carved out of living earth. Corn cries out horrified by the sight. The cat roars again slowly packing forth.

Owlog jumps at the monster as the monster charges at them. Ownlog lands on its head gradding it with one hand and her feet, she brings back her hook-sword punching at it, the monster flicks its head to the side throwing ownlog off of it.

Rodney draws his ax and knife, the monster stampedes forth, Rodney looses his nerve and dives to the side. Corn stars the monster down nearly frozen till she sees the reflection of the campfire off to one side of her, she swoops down grabbing a burning peace of brush and waves it in front of herself. The monster stops and lowers its head backing away from the mouse mother and her burning bush. Corn notices the strange recourses and slowly starts to pace forward, the monster paceses back keeping just outside the fire-light.

Owlog and Rodney stand dumbfounded at the display. The light flashes of Corns fur in a nearly angelic light as the monster cowers form the tiny women. Corn waves the bush left and right still shacking but managing to note only hold her footing but press on. Soon the monster is standing with its back to the wall. It lowers its head and cries as the light shines on its face. Corn calls down to it as she seems to tower over the mammoth. "I am Corn the light bringer. Can you understand me beast?"

"Mammon!" it howls

"I'll ask again! Can you understand me?!"

"Stop!" it shouts. "We can hear you."

"Why do you attack us?!" Corn holds the fire close to her face, the monster shrinks itself tucking its tail. "I wish no harm into any beast; I will make the red flower flee if you run away.

Do you understand."

"The remains of Kari's father are here. Kari ordered me to stand watch till the end of time." Ownolg picks her swords up off the ground and prepares to fight again but is stopped by Rodney who is watching greatly interested by the monster's reaction to Corn.

"We did not come for Kari's father. We are here to seek refuge, nothing more, nothing less. I am a woman of my word." Corn drops the buring bush on the ground then pulls her cap form her back throwing it down on the flames to snuff them.

The monster lifts its head to look into Corns face. "you are the gentlest and most elegant beast I have ever seen. I leave you and yours in peace. Should you ever be in need of a protector," He rolls his jaw slightly off to one side, grinds it then spits a tooth onto the ground.

"speak to the stone, it will hear you." With that the beast flees as quickly as it came.

Corn picks up the tooth and rolls it in her hand she feels the texure of the stone and tips her head, she pulls the flout out from the pocket of the Weavers robe, that Jessica had handed her she notices that they seem to be one in the same. 'what can this be' she ask herself. Then what she had just done dawns on her and she falls to her knees overtaken by fear. Corn folds her hands around herself and weeps.

Rodney slides over to her and picks up her robe rewrapping her in it and holds her. He tries to speak but no words come to mind. Corn leans over Gripping Rodney hiding her face in his chest till at last she stops shaking.

Chapter 18: Whim of a Father

Preston marches enraged up to Odidimuse on his throne, his hand thrust itself off to the side in abject frustration "I can't believe you just did that!" his hands run through his hare and pulls back on it to inflict only the slightest pain to help him keep his focus "Jessica! Your mate! First you have her banished from the kingdom but writer her into our history as a messiah and when she returns home you have her thrown in the dungeon within a night! That is disgraceful!"

Monty steps in front of the king to protect him from Preston "did you not hear the way she spoke? Clearly she had gone mad."

Preston steps into the wizard leading forth with his fingertips delivering in explosive shock to his chest thrusting the mage onto his back. "I will hear those words form the mouth of my king, not you conjuror!"

Penelope stands back shaken by the rage of her captain. Preston steps over the fallen wizard and kneels before his beloved monarch "I beg of you sovereign, do what is right, and welcome the queen back into your court. Have we not seen enough hardship already?"

Odidimuse eyes roll back and forth between Preston and Monty as Monty is refinding his footing and coursing his chest. Monty mouths a hand full of words to Odidimuse who then looks at his captain with hard eyes "Jessica maid her chose when she turned her back on Kari. It is not her will or intention to be a part of our world."

Monty smiles and bows as Preston stands tall before the king with a bitter look on his face and a unsatisfied twitch to his noise "How can you know that?" he chokes down a growl.

Monty retakes his place in front of the king standing noise to noise with Preston "how dare you use such harsh words in the company of our king? You should be shammed..."

Preston draws his sword from his belt. There is a shocked jump from most everyone in the room and a gasp. Preston punches the hilt of his blade at Monterey handing his the saber "I am. You and I Monty, we are better then all of this." Preston turns his noise up at his friend then turn's tail to walk away.

Monty looks to Penelope "stop him!"

Odidimuse holds up his hand "I did not give that order."

Penelope whispers with a fellow guard a moment then with a nod from both parties run after Preston calling to him "Captain!" in short order the two of them are walking side by side "I've never heard you talk like that." Her tone changes to much more feminine and soft.

"I got angry, even when you and I were kids there was always this hero worships in our tribe and no tales were spun more-so than that of the grace and wisdom of our queen. Everything we are was built on her shoulders. We all know that, and here we finally see her, and we can see clearly, it is all true. She is a child of the moon, timeless, flawless..." "She is a conjuror, a juggler just like Monty." Penelope cuts in.

"No, that cannot be. I can feel the ancient power rising from her."

"She is no doubt a strong and competent mother I am sure but nothing more. And as

Monty told you, she is mad. She does not believe in Kari."

"But why do you? Have you seen Kari? Have you spoken to her? Has she done anything for you?" Preston leans against a pillar.

Penelope places her hands at his sides "she lead us out of the underworld and into the light, she gave us the wisdom of the lost recesses, built our city..."

Preston takes Penelope by the sides of her muzzle and touches their foreheads together offering a whisper "did Kari do all that? Or did we do it for ourselves?" Preston start to tip his head taken by a moment of weakening lust and goes to take Penelope's muzzle into his but the moment is shattered by the sound of clattering objects only a few doors way.

** *

Two knights descend upon Pepper and the others shortly after Garlic explains how Jessica was attacked by the king's men. Pepper takes a blade off the wall and swings it at the knights to threaten them, he ends up hitting the dining-room table knocking a number of the decorations off of it. Salt grabs a flag off the wall and stand by her brother holding the other back and between them.

One knight runs at Salt, Salt jabs him with the spearhead on the flag, the second reaches around her grabbing the staff of the flag and her arm. Clumsily Pepper falls forward swinging the sword knocking the knight down. The other first knight swings his shield at Pepper sending the small boy flying across the room and onto the table. The knight then jumps onto the table with Pepper resting his arm across his neck to restrain him.

The second knight lunges at Salt picking her up "aren't you the sweet little thing?" Mint picks up the soup caldron threating to throw it at the guards as Preston charges into the room.

Preston points at the knights shouting "set the girl down! And you!" he looks to the other "get that boy back on his feet! That is not how Justice is dispensed when I'm around"

"they attacked us!"

"Are you saying you feel threatened by 60lbs boy dressed in a hemp robe and five farm girls? You are OLP's go fight a loin somewhere I'll handle things here." Preston orders

"Monty told us to..."

"Monty is not the Captain of the Honor Guards I am."

Penelope adds in "You have been given in order." The two guards drop what they are doing and walk off

Preston looks at Mint and the soup boll. "you weren't going to waist good soup on the likes of him where you?"

Pepper takes the sword off the ground and jumps into position to protect his sisters, holding the sword in front of him with both hands. "You attacked Jessica. You're men attacked my sisters and... and..." he stumble, the blade too heavy for him to hold straight.

Preston holds his hands slightly up watching the blade "take it easy. You're all right." Seeing the poor footwork Preston brings his hands together folding them around the blade one hand slightly off center form the other as he sift his weight to the outside, the shock brakes Peppers grip and sends the sword rolling along the ground. "I don't think you're ready for a sword like that one. Could I get you a lighter one?" the kids huddle around one another.

Cream speaks up "what is going on. We came here for Onion and now..."

"Who?" Preston ask

Butter finishes "our other brother he is with the Medicine mouse sick with

Consumption."

Preston tips his head up "I think I remember you. Corn's children." He snaps "you fathers name was Edge wasn't it? he went to school with me, rumor has it he went AWOL after a hunt some time ago." He tucks his hands behind his back and strolls over to a window. He points "you see that house with the spotlight in tower? That is my place. I'll go find Onion and bring him there. Then I'll get Jessica and you can all be on your way if you so choose." Trusting the leader of the knight's the children nod.

** *

Preston waste no time making good on his word, he makes his way to the medicine house, a small hump in the ground with a door on it and a lonely window. As most of the Koblot were overjoyed to live above ground the family of healers felt it was safer to stay much more hidden. "Willy!" Preston calls into the house.

Shortly he is met with a call back "do you need to call my name so." Will the Medicine mouse come into sight, a short shaggy Kobolt mostly gray fur with black and white strips on his noise dressed in a watery green mantle "tell me you didn't get stabbed in class again, you need to stop studding so hard before it kills you."

"You react how you train my friend. So I need to train hard."

"You call it training, I call it silliness. Every day I need to run a fish wire through someone I know to stop them from bleeding to death. There must be a better way to practice catching bladed thingies" Will thoughts his hands up in lament.

"I'm looking for someone."

"You found someone"

"A boy called Onion."

"I know him."

"How does he look?"

"I have seen worse, but not many, many that pull though any who."

"what is the condition?" the two of them start walking through the house filled with bloodstained beds and worn tools. "Consumption his siblings claim."

"Yes. Onion gets sick a lot, most of the time eating some moss with hot water hand honey will cure him. As he has been getting older he has been getting stronger, I was starting to think that all this was behind him but then this came up."

They step into a secluded room where a pail koblolt bay is lying on a bed, his fur is yellowed, it's true color nowhere to be seen, the pink of his ears and tail have given way to a green gray white muddy mess, four puncher wounds can be seen on his hip just above kidney level, the wounds are blistering black and white with a crawling appearances, leaches line one arm and bruises tarnish is skin with blue stripes.

Preston claps his mouth shut and turns his head. Relatively unmoved by the sight Will explains "when he came in his airway's were swollen shut, his eyes where discolored, and he had no ability to eat. His weight was down dramatically for his age clearly his mother tried to treat him at home."

"What are those marks on his side?"

Some sort of a combat scare, I'm sorry to say I don't know form what. I packet the wound with fly eggs to eat out the infection and I have been bleeding him to stabilize his temperature. He's not healthy but he is better them before."

"Fly eggs?"

"yes, vary exciting new idea one of my friends form out of town told me about. We have been trading back and forth notes for some time, infact I was just telling him about this idea I had for curing Anemic Dysentery, you see you force feed you subject pinecones and then take fresh composts and inject it into the inflicted..."

Preston cuts him off "that is vary interesting but what about Onion."

"I don't think it would help him at all but we can give it a try."

"No, I mean is he safe to move."

"Protect him from sunlight, don't let him drink cold water and yes I think so, but why?"

"His family wants to be with him."

"Well I don't think he is up for a walk quit that long."

"We are going only as far as my place."

"Ok, I'll clean him up and then you can go." Will closes the curtain to the room and pulls out a spoon to clean out the fly eggs, salt water to remove the leeches and some wire to close the wounds. Preston step out not wanting to watch the display.

After what seems like forever Will walks out side to show off the now cleaned up boy. He hands Preston a bag of assorted herbs "boil one leaf and one comb into a pot of water with a spoon full of the green moss hear and have him drink it before he eats anything, day or night. If he starts wheezing or shacking uncontrollably bring him back her at once. Also don't go out after dark"

Will kneels down and pocks Onion in the ribs "and whatever caused this, don't do that either" Onion starts to giggle but this stops himself gripping his chest in pain. "are you sure you're ready to go?" Onion lifts his head with a smiles and nods.

Chapter 19: the Second Coming

Jessica awakens from the spiritual climax she encountered and fids she is face own in water as septor on the ground alongside her twisted and scorched crafted form red hart wood with an effigy of a bird on one end. Jessica takes up the staff and pushes herself upright/ the room has grown dark and Kari in nowhere in sight, the song birds are gone and only the water running through the room remains. "Fourteen days." Kari's voice whispers into her mind

"deliver the sermon."

Jessica touches the wand to the door of her cage and the cage door turns to sand flacking away. Overpowered momentary by the Avatar weapon she wealds it pulls her through the dungeon and into the courtyard a knight approaches her proclaiming "what!" Jessica holds one hand forth in a claw like mime, as if a crushing weight fell upon him he falls silent collapsing. The sound of birds starts to call again. The door to the fort pulls itself open for Jessica. Jessica takes control of the staff again locking it out of her mind.

As Odidimuse and Monty sit at the table sipping drink a bird lands on the window twenty feet overhead and calls down to them "Kakah! I, Baba-Yung hand of Kakari! (Kari) Call to you! Behold! the Voice of God Comes! Jessica Avatar of Tamriel! The King has Spoken_! KaKah!_"

Wind wholes and the door to the dining-room brakes open. "Jessica?" Odidimuse ask as she walks in tapping her staff to the ground.

"What sort of game is this?" Monty ask

"Leave Gray Wall Keep!" Jessica orders "This place is cursed! Take all you can carry and fallow me across the ocean."

"Guards!" Monty calls

"Kakah, Kakah!"

_ _I ten foot long viper forms on the table staring down Monty.

"Jessica stop, please." Odidimuse whisper.

"Kari demands this place be offered as a sacrifice. Any who do not leave become a part

of that sacrifice."

Monty hides behind the King as he taunts Jessica "Foolish milk maid, it is no mystery that you are a practitioner of the Ancient power, you are no proper Kari worshiper and have no calling to the name of Avatar. This is nothing but childish magic."

Odidimuse reaches around himself to take Monterey by the hand "use your magic, make the snake vanish."

Baba-Yung flaps her wings "Kakah! You are the fool if you think Kakari's will can be overwritten! Kakari has spoken!"

Trembling Monty walks out from behind Odidimuse, we watches the snake dances as he

reaches for his staff, as he lifts the staff it falls limp in his hands, Monty looks to his weapon only to find it two is now a snake. Baba-Yung laughs incessantly. Monty throws the snake atop the table.

The snakes tangle themselves around the lags of Odidimuse thorn. Odidimuse picks his feet up hiding atop his chair. Jessica pleads with him "I harbor no anger for anything that has happened. Please make no mistake, I am a messenger sent by god, this place, this town of yours is dammed. Kari has given us fourteen days to run as far from here as we can. Please my love, make it so."

Baba-Yung calls down "Kakah, your heart is as empty as Kakari's! he will not hear you! Tonight, All milk in Gray Wall will turn to sand! So let it be done! Kakah kakah kakah!" the hand of Kari jumps out the window flying away.

Jessica places her hand to the head of the two snakes and they fall asleep at her feet. "is this so my dear Odidimuse? Are you not convinced I speak the truth?" she slides her walking stick down her back and places her hands at Odidimuse sides.

Monty gads a knife from the table and reaches around Jessica threating to her life. The Snake that was Monty's magic wand open's its eyes and jumps up grabbing his hand in its teeth, Monty howls and throw the snake and his knife with all the force he can muster, the snake turns to wood as it dies on the ground form the trauma.

Jessica looks back to Monty "I am sorry." She looks at the wound on his hand "wrap your arm in sheepskins at once, then soak your hand in cucumber juice and fermented water with apples or your blood will run yellow before dusk and you will be dead by sunrise." She reaches around Odidimuse taking his belt off. She ties it around Monty's arm "Go! Run! Now, If you value your life." Monty runs away.

"Jessica." Odidimuse stands up. "things aren't as simple as all of that. What we have here is not so easily picked up and moved as a box of parchment..."

"if you cannot find away, Kari will become only more cruel in the coming days." She offers Odidimuse a kiss then walks off. "I will be around. I will be sure to tell you when the next plague will come."

"Milk to sand?" Odidimuse whisper to himself

** *

Half overwhelmed with anger and sadness Jessica walk into the town, one hand wrapped around her eyes she hardly takes an upwards glance. When at last she looks about she has found her way to a fallen tree off to one side of the town. The stump is shaved down to make a platform, a stack of rocks makes up steppingstones leading to center stage. Jessica places one hand on the fallen tree and walks around it swimming in memories. An elderly woman watches her dropping her workload to do so. The older women flip the basket of cloth she had held upside-down and seats herself atop it.

Jessica finds a bronze plat mounted on the ground the reads "Tree of Tales". Jessica gasp a moment, she climbs onto the fallen tree and walks around the stump, she then outstretches her arms looking to the sun. The old women calls to her "Read the 'Prince and the

Flower' If you can please. Havn't heard it since I was a yearling."

"this tree, it was my podium, I have read atop this stump hundreds of stories." She whisper to herself.

The old women nob to her "I was here for most of them."

Jessica looks to her "you have no eyes. Are you Theea Masa, The stenographer?"

"that is what they called me when I was a girl. Today I am Mama Masa, the crazy old women that talks about the old world day and night. Only other thing anyone remembers about me is I'm the mother of Vector the walking messenger." She giggles.

"The career?"

"Yep."

"I see."

"Do you remember 'The Princes and the Flower'?" Theea ask again.

"I do." Jessica nods

"Read it to me. Please"

** *

"In a time long since passed in a place far from here lived a man that was without fear for he lived with a mountain. His pantry was never bare and his cellar overflowed with wine. He was tall and his face was clean like marbled stone. Never was he in wont. One day the man in the mountain was visited by an old beggar, the night was frigid, the wind howled like hungry wolves and ice caked the country side. The beggar pounds at the princess door and pleads 'It is ow so cold out do you have a bed I my lay on.'

The princes looks the beggar in the eyes 'I have no beds you would find fitting'

'my mouth is dry, do you have a sip of wine we can share.'

'I have wine enough but I fear there are no chairs for us to sit at and drink, another time vagabond'

'my satchel is feeling ever so light can I trade you this flower of some bread?'

'I got barley enough bread ready to fill myself, so I must wish you goodnight.' And with that the princes closes the door on the beggar. But the princes hardly steps away before there is pounding at his chamber door again. He opens the door hastily and yells out 'what more do you have to say vagrant?'

But it is not the traveler this time but is Kari that stands before him, the princes cowers before her loveliness. Kari pushes the beggars flower into the princes chest and kisses him 'dear old princess, your heart is as empty as mine and so I shall give you a hunger to match. Till such time that you lie with one that loves you and to who you love equally you shall live as the flesh hungry monster you really are.'

And so his back bend and his fur turns blacker then sand and his eyes fill with the yellow silver of moonlight and his hands become like stones, the princes becomes a giant. For years to come the princes of beast would hunt the valley around his home till such time a young maiden would see past the black magic and turn him back to a man."

** *

After the story Theea leaves and word pf the Weavers retune finds its way crass town

Chapter 20: Warwing Appears

** ** Ownlog parts form the group explaining to Rodney that she is going to search for food. She finds some mud to roll in and tightens her blindfold sniffing around. Her fingers dig into the ground as do her toes as she crawls on her stomach. A bulbous beast with three horns and hooves walks into sight. Her lips part in anticipation as her noise twitches, the hot blood of her pray practically running down her skin already.

One hand finds her hooked sword on her left hip as her back end lifts into the air and her knees quail to attack. Owlog throws herself at the monster, the claws on her hands and feet cut into the flesh and her fangs find it clouted artery her sword comes up on the other side and drives into its jugular vein dropping it to the ground with hardly any effort. The fifty five pound darkling slays the thousand pound lizard quickly and near silently.

** *

Rodney takes off his overcoat and looks at it a moment, "well, this has had better days. Don't happen to have a needle and thread woven into that cap of yours do you?" Corn shacks her head, Rodney nods. Rodney dips his coat into a shallow puddle and starts to shack the mud off of it as he sings

"all so long ago in a land so far away, I found myself ling in the sands along the bay. There at the see shore at the end of day a light shown down told me there is way. The way to the long forgotten light at the end of the world, how I wish to be there even today. Once again in the life so far away, never oh never let her go away. Oh this is the long forgotten life at the end of the road. Long forgiven truth never foretold, here with her if never to grow old..."

Corn's ears rise as she partakes of the song "you like to sing?"

"Only every chances I get." Rodney walks over to her after throwing his coat onto some rocks to dry. "Would you like me to show you another magic trick?" Corn folds her hands over we waist as she nods "I can take from you everything you are carrying, every trinket form your pockets and even to cap off of your shoulders and you will not notice..." Rodney walks in a circle around her pulling on one end of her cap lifting up on it and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"That's not possible." Corn expresses

"of course, you're fare to attentive for that right? Well you see that's where the magic comes in" he brings the hand from her shoulder down one arm and the one from her caps tail onto her opposing shoulder rubbing up her hip and side folding the fabric in on itself. "You see the closer you move in to try to see the trick the easier it is for me to slip in and do my work. I can even tell you just what I am doing and you still won't be able to stop it." He tuck her hand behind her back then lets go if it to slip her cap around her tail, he lift up on one corner with the hand on her shoulder and slides it into her pocket to take her flout. "the brain is a amazing thing but magic it is not, we can only see what we see and only hear that which we can understand." Rodney then places the flout in his packet

Rodney movies around to Corn's side and tugs hard on her cap pealing it open "what pocket did you put that woodwind into?" he ask as his other hand reaches around her neck to untie the cape.

"it's right here." She starts goes to pull it out then franticly pats herself down noticing it

is gone.

"Slow down!" Rodney grabs one of Corns hands and pulls it down to hop leavel squeezing it, his other hand fills down her side and find the tooth in her other pocket, her replaces the flout with the tooth then shacks her cape "it is likely over here." Corn finds the flout and thanks Rodney, she then hugs him. Rodney takes the now untied cape and moves the far shoulder of it around onto his own shoulder, finishing his walk around her he transitions the cape off her body and onto his

"But you see that is what it is all about. That's how the trike works, I control what you see and what you feel. I do this by grabbing at you, I talk loud and move around a lot. Even as I am saying this you have yet to notice you no longer have your cape, and as you are reaching your hands around your neck to see if I am telling the truth I might even be able to reach around a play with your sticky bits if I had a mind to."

"Ok maybe you could have moved my flout but how..." she stops noticing her missing cape then looks to Rodney seeing he is wearing it "how does that work?"

Rodney touches there noises together and grads Corn by the cheeks "Mintalisum, is what some call it." He takes the cape with one hand and flips it around back onto her shoulders. "Magic of the brain, I control what you see and feel" he uses one hand to take the ties of it and reaffixs them "so watch me as closely as you can. The more of your attention you give me, the more I will lie to you, and the more you will believe me." His opposing hand moves down her stomach slowly gripping her fur, he approaches her pelvic proving to himself it can be done then just short of touching her crouch his other hand drops and grabs her tail tugging on it. The hand that was on her waist tucks behind his own back. Corn jumps in surprise as she shouts an incoherent protest.

Ownlog as she approaches swoops down and grabs a stone form underfoot, she throws it off to one side of the koblolts and shouts at them in her native tongue "you are noisy, like puppies, quite yourselves." Ownlog drops her bag full of meet "we will cook the meet over smoke, burn off the blood and dry the meat; we will eat for week if we eat slow." And so the three of them build a fire and construct a rack to roast the meat over.

As they wait Ownlog grows evermore restless, her ears twitch irritatingly, all three of them being assaulted by a noise that seems only half real. Ownlog Jumps at Corn and pulls her flout from her cap finally coming to understand it it's the sources of the aggravating sound. Corn takes Ownlog by the hand and lowers her head to see that her flout is now playing itself In he hand "the monster from who's hand this was cut is close."Ownlog explains.

The roar or wind becomes defining and a black bird that stand an scale to (if not grater) Scara descends onto them, each claw larger than any of the travelers, the beating of its wings so powerful the wind pressure throws all of them onto their backs, it dips its head and eats there fire pit with a single swipe of its beak. The monster throws Its head up and squawks showing off a bangle around its neck with the skull and talons of one of its brothers hanging form it. The beast stretches it wings and cast a shadow over the company.

Ownlog hisses as she find her feet, she start to reach for her swords but the bird picks up one foot and crushes her beneath it, it the swings its head at Corn picking her up in its beak, it tosses her in the air to swallow the tiny mouse but freezes seeing the crimson wrapped around her body she falls to the ground with a horrible crash, the air ripped from her body, her arms and lags numbed by the fall, Corn rolls onto a ball crippled by pain and shock. Rodney stands by hiding beneath his hands stunned by the speed and ferocity of the attack.

The bird flaps its wings and shrills, it stumps forth flapping and squawking Corn rolls around, the bird slides it beak under her and flips her around, Corn gasp and rolls onto all fours trying to fight, the bird grabs her cap and strips it from her body throwing it to one side and nearly strangling her at the same time, Rodney finally gains his courage and fumbles for his axe.

The giant flicks her head up and throws Rodney into the air.

Squaking and flapping some more, Corn finds her float still flashing on the ground. As the bird goes to ick her over she brings the float up and starts to play. The bird throws her wings up into the air and starts to pirouette.

The battered trio gathers around Corn looking to her. The giant lowers her head "the power of the weaver, is the power to movie the heart. Those that heir you sing will forever understand you and heed your idea."

Still struggling to breathe Corn gasp "I'm... not a weaver... I never finished school."

"That is and ending, the life of a weaver has endless beginnings, but never endings." The bird explains.

"Are... you... Jessica's friend?"

"I am here eggling, she hatched me."

"I see... we need you." Corn pants, Her breathing finally returning to normal.

Chapter 21: Arms of the Prophet

Preston returns home with Onion now in toe, he passes through the door to find that Corn's other children have arrived. "I see that you found your way here. Looks like you found the key to my pantry also."

"Butter, Cream, Mint:" Onion softly calls out to his siblings. In large the kids drop what they are doing to run over and great him. Salt, Pepper, Cream, Mint, Garlic, and Butter all run over and start scuffing Onion's hair and feeling him up and down in excitement. The children ramble mostly incoherently telling Onion about meeting Jessica and there fight with the bird in the woods.

Cream steps away to grab some snakes for Onion and runs a plat of nuts and a beerstin over to him Cream thrust it at him overjoyed that there family is now all but together again.

Onion mumbles a thanks as he takes the nuts first then goes to sip form the chalice.

Quickly onion spits out the drink "Cream, there is no cream in this cup," he pours it onto the plate of nuts, "it's sand?" the young share a glance of confution as Preston looks about.

Cream complains "it was Milk when I poured it."

Pepper looks to her "are you sure?"

"I know what milk looks like."

Preston looks back to them as he is uncorking battles, "there all filled with sand." Before anyone else has time to speak the door crashes in and Penelope steps in

"Preston! You are needed at the east wall at once!"

"why do I feel like running out doors is my lot in life." Preston checks his blade on his hip then runs off with his partner.

***

Jessica spends much of her evening patching together a tent to throw over there old perching podium Baba-Yung roosting in the nearest tree. Jessica speaks with Baba-Yung "I am the voice, you are the hand, what does that mean?"

"When you speak, you're words are Kari's words."

"But will I speak or will Kari"

"when Kari chooses her voice will leave your lips."

"but till then?"

"you are a tool in waiting."

"why does Kari need such a thing?"

"why are you asking so much of me? Why must I know these things?" Baba-Yung flies down to sit on Jessica's arm "I am but a hand, I go where god tells me to go. And when he wishes to smite, I warn of her coming."

"the Prophets and Avatars have no power?"

"when I was young a member of the Raksha clan throw a rock into a tree, that rock crippled my father. When Kari came to me and offered to let me be her hand I asked Kari to punish the one who throws rocks. Kari sent me to his home and told me to 'Damb you, one he harmed my blood, now I harm you.' And with that the sky opened and fire rained on the Raksha's home. I burned him with my thoughts, and my words become manifest. If it is Kari's will surely you have the same power."

"Baba, I wish harm on no one, I never have. I truly feel Kari is a god of pain and can do no more the proliferate pain more-so."

"then when Kari came for you why did you not fly?"

"Kari told me that many would suffer if her will went undone."

"many will suffer regardless."

Jessica nods as she falls to a sitting position. She places Baba-Yung on her chest, "yes, but if I am here to heal them, maybe there suffering will be lessened."

"you are nothing like Kari. You overflow with courage but lake the strength to rise a blade."

"tomorrow will not be carved by blades but instead inked on scrolls."

"if that is Kari's will." Baba-Yung lies atop Jessica

Softly Jessica pets Baba-Yung form beak to tail "why must it be Kari? What about your will and mine?"

"Brave talk but when Kari uses us to burn this place to the ground no one will heir you voice over Kari's" sleepily Baba explains. Jessica's eyes drift shut her expiration scared with heartache. Baba's being that of a dominated soul. Jessica can feel her pain, it is clear that when Baba killed the man that hurt her she gave herself to Kari, Baba is a prisoner in her own skin, it is Kari that speaks. That story alone being the last window into which she was.

The night air is hunted by hungry crying, the curse Baba-Yung for warned has come. The night is warm but a phantom cold still bites at Jessica's neck keeping her alert Jessica sobs to herself "how long will this curse last?"

"till it is over." Baba whispers in her sleep

Trumpets sound and a gong rings, touches line the city walls. Guards call to the town " Keep all doors closed! Stay away from windows! Send your younglings to your callers and or pantries! Bring weapons and hide your food! Raksha is at our town gates once more!" Baba leaps to attention and squawks angrily

***

Preston marches across the wall of the town looking down at the environment as giant cats walk the perimeter eyeing the Kobolts hungrily. Preston leans on the fort wall calling down "who's in charge down there?! This is in clear violation of the non-aggression pact between our clans."

A cat with white hair tan paws with sleek features and a black patch on her tail movie to the front "I am Shadi, daughter of Shi-ra, this is my pride."

"Shadi, I am Preston, I am charged with protecting this wall and upholding Graywall's

affairs."

"then you know about the tax paid to my people that was not received." Shadi demands.

"you butter was sent at the dawn of the day was always."

"you sent a box of clay!" a roar comes from below as the cat move closer to the wall.

"its been five winters since the last time our clans traded blows, do you real want to do this!" Preston yells

Shadi howls "this is your doing kobolt" the crowed moves forward.

***

As the cat movie closer to the walls and the archers ready for combat Jessica movie onto the wall being nearly dragged by Baba-Yung. Cats Jump at the walls and claw their way up them with frightful speed and strength, Graywall's warriors lunch there counteroffensive first with bows but within moment the bows are discarded and the blades of Graywall meet the spears of Raksha.

"The people of Graywall are fine and brave, but they are a culture of artist farmers and healers fighting is not amongst the finest of their skills. Raksha is ages behind Graywall in the way of agriculture and architecture but theirs is a vary different breed of people, in Raksha War is their culture." Baba-Yung explains "Graywall will fight courageously, but they will not win." Preston charges to the head of the skirmish, he is well trained and easily pushes the first of the cats off the wall but the first up the wall are old, and are sent to weaken and confuse, it is the second wave, the huntresses that are there to do the real fighting, and killing. It is with them that Shadi joins the fight.

A dozen Koblods run in to fight the pride leader "an endless supply of the butter we so crave, that is what you promised us. If you will not give it to us we will suckle it from the breast of your farmers ourselves" Shadi commands throwing her attackers over the wall with a swipe of her spear. Preston runs in to stop Shadi but gets stabbed in the rids on his approaches, Shadi sneers "or maybe we will eat all of you and keep your castle for myself."

Jessica throw her arms in the air calling out in rage "that is enough." A blinding holy light spills from Jessica like a river of molten steel that turns night into day. The light paralyzes all the warriors that see it. Jessica's noise twitch as she can feel Pepper has snuck onto the battlefield. The magic that has frozen the battle below has left Pepper untouched.

Pepper looks about at the frozen field , he approaches Jessica aw-striking. He points out the frozen warriors as he looks to the weaver asking, "what is this?"

"Thank you Pepper for being here, I cannot hold this magic in place forever, I need you." Jessica explains. "bring your siblings, and find Theea the messenger, track down the medican mouse and anyone else you can find bring them here. No one needs to day today, so we heal everyone, but we must do so before I grow to weary to hold up my arms or my spell will break and we will have failed." Jessica looks to Baba-Yung who is sitting by her side "Baba, please help him."

"how are you doing this" Pepper walks around Jessica examining her as the magic is creating a contend tornado around her blowing her robe around. "that is amazing."

"another time Pepper!" Jessica barks "Now Please Run!"

Baba-Yung squawks and jumps into the air, flying back into town. Baba calls back "this has never been done. Kari has taken many live, never has she given one back."

***

It truth it only takes a few moments for the people of Graywall to respond to the Weavers call but to her it feels far too long. Garlic and Cream are the next on seen. Garlic runs up. "we can help you."

The staff in Jessica's hand whispers to the children (who understandable jump back startled) 'Hold up the Weaver's arms, so long as she stands in the posture of Kari no one will die. That is the will of the Avatar. So it will be done.'

"Cream! Help me hold Jessica." The two girls hold Jessica's arms letting her rest on them. Swiftly more and more youths and women find their way outside and start to bandage the wounded. The battle lasted only moment but it takes till midday for all the injures to be bound. But of all those that come to the Weavers aid there is one face missing from the crowed. Odidimuse remains ignorant of what has passed.

Jessica faint after half a day of holding her spell in place. Understanding the revelation that has befallen them Shadi and her pride retreat with the best wishes of the community. Just as Jessica wished many were harmed in the fight but do to her magic and the aid of Graywall at large no one died this night.

Jessica and Preston I carried by Corn's young to the healer's house. The healer Willy stands between the hero's as the two of them awaken. Preston is the first to speak "Report."

He mumbles draggy

Willy is pully broken bit of bone form the captain's chest. "you have two broken ribs, one crushed lung, I'm going to pack you full of herb and clay and hope for the best, you friend over there is covered form head to toe in surface burns, I've dipped her in toad oil already and that is the only thing I can do for her. It isn't fatal but she will be fairly upset when she wakes up to say the least."

Baba-Yung squawks "it is time for the sermon." "give her time for goodness sake." Willy rants.

Jessica falls out of bed. Trying to stand "yes, I think it is time. Preston, do you believe in me? Can I count on you to support me when the time comes?"

"you single handedly turned away are most feared enemy... I will fallow the Weaver." "thank you Preston."

Chapter 22: Tempting the Lord

Odidimuse sleeps soundly thru the fighting of the night, but he is hunted by his own demons, And by Baba-Yung. In his Dreams Odidimuse sits waist deep in wine in a valley of grapes, but yet he starves, for his arms a shackled to the ground by tree roots and his feet sunk into the earth as if part of the bushes themselves. Wine turns to sand as he drops his head to drink and grapes to stone when he tries to eat. He tries to yell but cannot find his tongue.

Baba-Yung roost on Odidimuse window watching him dream before invading his mind herself. When in the king's mind Baba is a young women with burning hair and sleek curves, she has a twisted tail that is a grease pink and a matching noise, clearly she has become something that Odidimuse craves, a young girl that could very well be one of his own.

Trees bind to a hall as Baba-Yung slithers through Odidimuse dreams, Baba slides down sitting on the kings lap dropping her (arms) wings round his neck, her lags find his hips and she rolls herself from side to side getting comfy. "You poor unfortunate soul, how heavy your crown must be." Her hands find the scruffs of his cheeks. "Let me comfort you for a time."

"How am I to experience love when so many of mine are without?" Odidimuse ask.

"Your mouth is so dry. Let me wet your tongue."

"I have turned away your gifts once and I will do so again." Odidimuse explains.

"You chain yourself here time and time again, bound to the earth by that which you believe is and can never be. And yet if only you embrace me and what I am I can give ever-somuch more. Give yourself to me and I will be your slave, worship me and your kingdom will become boundless."

"I cannot give myself to you for already I have given myself to another."

Baba-Yung thrust herself onto the king dropping him onto his back, the water that they sat in turns to a cloud of dust, vengeful she drops her weight on him forcefully rubbing her chest to his she whispers in his ear "I have been kind to you king of the furling's, but I will grow cruel. If I cannot satisfy my lust, I will feed my anger yesterday I rob you of your milk and butter, and I instigated a scuffle that will eat away at the heart of your nation. Tomorrow I will flood your home with worms and you will burn the cloak of your shoulders to frighten them away." Baba-Yung's voice grows deep and monstrous "so let it be written." Her eyes bleed with blue violet light. Baba-Yung takes a hard breath and lies her hands on his chest steeling the air form lungs.

Odidimuse falls form his bed struggling to breath, he shouts with what strength he can find, "Bring me my Tea!" he gasp swallowing hard and digs his fingers into his chest as if to try and force his lungs open in search of air. a dozen feathers adorn he bed hinting that Kari's hand indeed rested atop him.

Odidimuse fumbles to his armoire peeling it open, he grabs the first cap he can reach and as he pulls it down an army of larva rain down on his head. He screams silently dusting himself off.

The king is found by Penelope and Monty who carry him to his throne-room and splash him with near boiling water to shock him onto awareness, the sound of earth shacking rain only now coming clear for him. He coughs and barks "why did you just throw boiling water on me?" he commands still chocking.

Once Odidimuse can breathe the first phrase he barks is "for goodness sake Monty keep your robe on when in my chamber. How is your arm by the by. You smell like radish."

"I have no robe to tie, Neither a belt to hold it if I had. Every scrap of silk leather and wool in the town was destroyed when the rain started. Narrowly, a hand full remains untainted." Monty looks at his hand "it should be tied up with cotton and the wound wired shut but we have not that either."

Penelope cuts in "before dawn Raksha taunted us, but Jessica turned them away."

"by herself?"

"yes."

Odidimuse grows cold and angry "bring her here, I should with to speak of this face to

face."

Monty looks to him "half our men saw her power and my not heed your call."

"if it is the Weaver they fear, remind them who I am, and what power I have. Now send

Preston to find my mate. "

Penelope crosses her arm over grunting "Preston is unavalible, he was wounded in battle yesterday."

** *

Jessica walks slowly through the already crumbling city of Graywall, her head rolls side to side taking in the sights. People pure out of their homes in the nude as worms seem to push them from their door, fear and pain thick in the air, Jessica alone seems uninflected. Baba-Yung flutters around Jessica, Jessica lifts her head to Baba, "What is all this?" she ask.

Baba-Yung squawks "the next plague."

"so soon?"

Baba flies noise to noise with Jessica "Kari's will be done, with or without your wishes!"

"this is inhuman."

"then heal them." Baba explains.

"I have not the power." Jessica offers a counter argument.

"you have all the power you can possible ask for. Rest your hands on the brow of the sick and hungry and Kari cast out the devils that smite them."

With little hesitation Jessica cast her gaze from side to side spotting the old women Theea walking by, her walking stick held before her tapping the ground and her head held high and noise scrunched in repulse of the scent of putrid muck thick in the air. Jessica call to theea, "old women!"

Theea's head rolls to the side fallowing the voice "Jessica the Weaver. Tell me what is this stale scent I smell? It is like that of the springs mulch. Or the Cow's..."

"it is that Yes." Jessica cuts her short "the keep is flooded, as worms and maggots are swarming."

"I did not sleep last night, the crying from outside would not let me close my eyes."

"we are in the grip of famine. Many are ill."

"the king should be ringing the church bells and calling us to heal." Theea explains. "that was the old way, before the kings aristocracy held siege over the faith."

Bab-Yung whispers in Jessica's ear "she is without sight, born with no eyes. Give her eyes."

"my mate is grate and mighty, Yes, when he was young there where so many thing he belived he could do, and many of them he has, but behold what I will do next."Jessica brings one hand forth to cover the old women's eyes, white light pours from Jessica's hand and into Theea's empty eyes then out her mouth and ears like water, Theea's eyes grow anew as briefly laser-light flashes from her every orphus. For the first time in her life Theea see something with her eyes and not her hands she gaze deep into the Weaver's face.

Shocked by her healing Theea jumps at the Prophet embracing her tightly, she cries out to all that can hear her "Kari is the one true god, I now this to be true, for I have never seen but now I can see clearly! All prays be onto Her our god and to the messenger sent to speck her words! Oh lovely Weaver." Theea falls to her knees gripping Jessica by the robe "I am your slave, for you have breathed a new life into me." She bows her head kissing Jessica's feet "how may I serve you?"

Jessica slides her hands under the old women's arms "Rise up my dear, I will not see you one your knees. Go now and find all that are ill and send them to the Tree of Tales, I will feed the hungry and cloth the naked." Theea waste no time running off to fulfill Jessica's wishes and before the day is half dun an army has gathered to see the power of the Weaver first hand.

Jessica looks out to the masses placing one hand over her heart in shock of the gathering. Jessica taps the bird headed staff against the ground to call the audience to heel "All that are here to heel hear me! Send forth your young first. Children and mothers stand at the foot of the fallen tree, parents stand behind your children, fathers behind your mates, then the old, lame, and venerable. Those who are stout and brave make a rank around the tree and I will touch each of you in turn."

Jessica's arms outstretch as the crowed organizes. Jessica starts to walk in rings around the tree moving slowly outwards brushing her hands against everyone she sees. Her touch heals all just as she claimed. She atlast opens her eyes as she feels she has reached the end of the line, her hands resting on Preston's chest, his shattered ribs healed just like everything else.

Preston takes Jessica by the hands whispering with her "I fear even to this moment I had the feeling that you may not be who you appear to be but that is now at rest. Theea was right, you are Kari in the flesh."

Jessica whispers back "do not except such things into your heart, it is not Kari I do this for, it is you my children." Preston's eyes lock with Jessica's, her smooth features, her worm gaze, her sweat sent, everything about her pulling him in.

The moment is shattered as Odidimuse appears, seemingly half the town fallowing behind dragging barrels of wine and tainted cloth. Baba's tongue peeks out of her beak as she licks her own noise. "Come forth all the Faithful, it is time for an offering to be maybe to Kari, gather all the silk, cotton and leather you can carry. Drop it here before the sanctified wine that we may be blessed. Have no fear for Kari will provide, give generously you will be blessed."

Torches are lit, clothes are piled high, a fire that screeches to the castle's highest peeks is grown. Odidimuse dances and leads the people in chanting. Bitterly Jessica walks up to her mate asking, "what is all this?"

Odidimuse exsplains "I am here heal the faithful"

As The fire burns a zealous priest runs over threatening the weaver with a hidden blade,

Odidimuse gets caught between the Weaver and the priest suffering a slash across one ear,

Jessica fall back in surprise. Preston and Theea jump into the fray seeing what has happened. The two of them wrestle the knife from the priest and take him by the arms to present to their monarchs.

Jessica places her hand over Odidimuse ear and the wound burn closed. Odidimuse looks to the Priest "I know you son, you are Chris son of Cass why did you bring a weapon to prayer?"

"I am Chris father of Kat, my eldest daughter passed last night; she drowned in what she thought to be like from her mother's own breast. I found this blade in the underbelly of my mate when I awoke today. I prayed to Kari to bring back my girls, but Kari did not hear my prayer. So I come to you King and Queen of Graywall. Give me my life back. give me my child and my mate."

Baba-Yung calls out "Never! Take a new mate, one younger and more fruitful. If you are lucky Kari will let you keep this one."

"Silence yourself," Jessica yells at Baba-Yung "it is unwise to raise your voice to the harmed."

The priest looks between the king and Queen "if you can speech to Kari. Please ask her to bring back my beloved."

Odidimuse lowers his eyes to the priest "I have asked Kari to have mercy on many. But never has Kari offered more than kind words and happy dreams."

Jessica rambles silently to herself cursing Baba before at last stepping forth "take me to them. I will heal them as I have healed so many already."

Baba-Yung jumps into the air laughing horribly as she flies away

***

Overtaken by an irrational joy Chris leads the lord and lady to his home in the shadow of the church. They are lead to a pile of stow three feet wide by two feet long and one foot deep where atop wrapped in a hemp blanket are two bodies, that of a child less than a session old and a girl scantly old enough to have produced a baby. Chris kneels before his family in joyful tears. He wraps his muzzle around that of his baby girl whispering "there is no reason to be afraid I found someone that can help you." He then takes his mate by the scruffs of her checks and likes her noise crying.

Odidimuse takes Jessica by the arm. "Are you really going to do this?"

"Yes." Jessica nods pulling away from Odidimuse "I have to."

Baba-Yung appears in the scaffolding "You waste your time. You contaminate your home with filthy meat. Throw them on the fire already and eat them. That is nothing but skin you lie your lips upon."

"Oh dear Kari, does that bird have no soul?" Chris pulls away from his partner.

"I have many souls." Baba calls down.

Jessica rest one hand on Chris arm and pulls him away, she falls to her knees placing one

hand on the breast of both the girl and child, her head falls back in trance and her mouth drops open as she call on Kari. Chris falls back into Odidimuse waiting arms as he partakes of the power rising form the weaver body. White fire spill from her hands bathing the past, Baba laughs again.

After a time Jessica starts to run shy on breath. She looks down to the dead waiting for them to awaken. Her eyes tighten as she doubles her efforts. Odidimuse leads Chris from the room. Baba yells down "you're wasting time."

Jessica turns her eyes to the heavens "Kari? Why can I not hear your voice? For days yours has been the first in my ear but now I hear nothing. Let me save these two."

"There is nothing to save!" Baba yells "what they were is no more. Once the spark has left the body it leaves behind nothing but dreams. Even if Kari brought those two back what they were would be no more. Just skin, that is all they are, skin, a butterfly can never become a worm, and once you have left your flesh you can never be you again. They are with Kari. Food for a god, You Jessica the Weaver will have the opposing problem when you die. Your spark will fuse to the ground at the end of time and you will be stuck in that husk you wear."

Jessica drops her head in defeat she can see that she can do nothing this time. All that is left to do is pray for safe passage to the next life. She walks out to pay her respect to Chris now understanding the limits of the power Kari gave her.

Weekend by her strangely helpless fear Jessica leans on Odidimuse speaking softly with him "Odidimuse. Can you read to me? It has been so long."

Odidimuse hugs his mate and nods. "Let us go to the church. I fear there are many that want to hear me read to them tonight."

***

Jessica and the other make their way into the Church, the halls are packet tight with those how have yet to be healed, warms pure form there rods onto marble lased floor, the ill hide their faces from the well, chocking on their own saliva, throats swollen from the stings of the plagueing larva. Jessica outstretches her arms blessing the church to heal all that hide within.

Odidimuse takes the stage after finding himself a suitable cloak to wear. "my friends, it has been a long time since last I stood before you. When I was a much younger man I found my way to this spot day after day to see to it we all knew each other. I am not that young man anymore. But still you call me King. I would like to start with roomer control. It is my understanding that things are hard right now many of us where fresh scars from food shortages, the dry spell last year or mounting illnesses. Yes things are hard. But we will overcome.

The clans on all side of us have seen much of the same. Even to the ends that are brothers on the other side of the river have come pleading for our aid. We have done all we can. Some of you have also notice that my mate has returned from her twenty year tour of the outskirts. Yes she is here to aid us in our time of tribulation. She will stay for only long enough to see the end of the plagues then she most return to doing Kari's work elsewhere.

Time like this, times of hunger and loneliness remind me of other harsh time. When I was not yet five years old I recall we lived in the shadow of a clan called Azure, the stone bats.

My uncle once wove his own tale about their rage, he told me once about a man named Coal..."

***

When the Koblots still live in the underground, Azure's left obsidian mockups of their selves most everywhere they went. When the Azure slept they masked themselves as stone and these idols where a constant reminder that the winged masters of the land could do as they please. Coal was a stone smith, he worked the lowly job of moving rock from fresh tonels to a self-made hillside, most stone was crushed into sand but here and there he would find a peace that could be shaved into a tool, or fashioned into peace of artwork, but those where the best of days, most days where just find the rocks then move them.

Coal lived a lonely life, he was not wise or hansom. One day as he walked home he found a fresh lied field of sleeping Azure. One leaps to its feet and reaches its close around the lonely stonemason. The bats mouth opens wide showing off that it could and likely will eat the mason in only a gulp or two.

"Such a shame that one so small should stand in death's shadow." The Azure speaks.

"The day is braking and I feel en emptiness in my bosom. You will fill it. Do you have any regrets carpenter, Any words to your young that I should remember?"

In the grip of fear as the Azure hold Coal overhead he call down "I have no young and that is my regret. Only the stones that I cut do I leave behind."

"Then will no one cry for you?"

"Hardly a man in this town knows my name. Who is there to cry?"

The Azure looks down the stonecutter's noise staring him down for truth only to nod its head after sometime "I will not eat you today little mouse, but never are you to tell anyone of this, for the day that our meeting escapes your lips I will return, and I will take more than just your life." With that the Azure drops Coal and vanishes into the night leaving the echo of its wings rattling in his ears.

Coal hasn't yet found his feet before another stands by his side pulling him upright, a trembling voice whispers with him "are you harmed?" the voice comes from a girl of Coal's age, one he has not seen before. She helps Coal home then into bed. He learns the name of his savior is Myst. She stays with him tending his wounds then helping him in his work.

Myst stays by coals side more loving and excepting of him and his shortcomings then anyone he had ever been with. Coal happily shares his life with Myst but he remembers the words of the Azure and keeps the day of their meeting out of any conversation.

Within a year's time, Coals life has grown happier than he could ever have dreamed, with Myst by his side Coal's every venture end in stunning success, and Myst never ask for more than Coal to tell her stories. Before the end of their first year together Myst berths her first child with Coal and Coal is overjoyed and this would only be the first of a dozen in the fallowing years.

Coal and his family fight their way up the ranks of their community till they become the most respected and powerful of people in the Underdark. But then Azure statues start to appear around Coal's home, Coal had hardly seen a single Azure in five years now they nearly eclipse his doorstep.

Myst for the first time Coal can recall shows fear at their approach, she begs with Coal to explain, she ask him "do you have dealings with the Azure?"

And with that he slips "They ask me not to tell." "who? What?" she ask again.

"the day we met, an Azure spared my life. It told me never to tell anyone or it would come back. but I haven't told anyone. So why are they here?"

Myst cries for a time "you were alone, and so was I. alone we had so little, yet together we have so much more. The Azure gave this all to us and ask for nothing in return." "only that I not speck of it." Coal reiterates.

"so then why brake your word?" Myst ask.

"I didn't."

"You lie." Myst sods one last breath. Her skin melts from her body and the Azure from so many years ago whips the mask of Myst from its wings "But I did to." The Azure lifts its head and squeals. Just as Myst had Coals children shed their skin turning to Azures "I love you Coal."

***

"the ending changes depending on who is telling the story. Maybe Coal was eaten, or maybe he was left forgotten and alone with only his dreams to bring him happiness. Since the first time this story crossed my ears I have asked myself what does it mean? Be truthful? Be caring? Kari will provide? Or sometimes a lie is worth more than truth? Truth cost Coal his love and his beloved at the very least, His life at the most. Maybe the weaver that first spun this tale is the only one to truly know. I will not tell you my perspective for I fear the truth. I instead turn myself over to the power of Kari and trust that she will tell me all I need to know. Look to the one sitting with, look left then right ask them the meaning of the story if you must..."Odidimuse buckles forward onto the podium. "I need to seat myself. I give the floor back to father Ax."

Preston finds his way into the Church fallowing Corn's family, with a smile and a elbow to Jessica's ribs he whispers "so what is the meaning of the story?"

Jessica whispers back "Love knows not age or color."

Pepper looks to Jessica sourly "kind of a dark ending for a bright morality."

"fear is part of objective reality, just like light and dark, hat and cold, we all understand what the word afraid means and so we will call on fear win looking to describe something so opposite but still parallel." Jessica whispers with the children.

Butter shacks her head "that whole thing just made me afraid to sleep alone."

Chapter 23: Elec

The Colossus Warwing takes: Corn, Ownlog and Rodney high above the cloud-line into the near freezing atmosphere, the sky burns orange above the clouds. "Corn the Weaver and Corn's mate. I would like to ask you a question."

"I'm not a Weaver." Corn calls down from Warwing's back "and how do you think is my mate?"

"The only person on my back that could be. That little chew toy you call Rodney." "What did you want to ask?" Corn yells over the burning wind.

"Which makes a better story: one that never ends, or one that gets retold forever?" Warwing ask

"stories change with the passage of years to reflect changing thought and ideas of those hearing them. So a natural better story is one reimagined by everyone that hears it." Rodney throws down his thoughts.

"we love the things we love because we understand them. That is why we repeat ourselves as often as we do. It reinforces a collective experience. Everyone knows the core of our local parchments. 'Wolves run and the red flower' acts as the foundation of or bible our own time before time. 'the ride' is our yardstick for good and evil and how we understand what makes them different."

Warwing bobs her head in understanding "the birds of Winterskiss have a holy book too. Stories of hero and monster, and a holy women from Underdark that rises. Her touch kills monster, and mends broken bones, she walks on water and fire and dresses in a shroud made of blood. We pretend she is like us, a bird, but she is not, she is like you, a mouse of Graywall Keep. Maybe that is how we deal with what we don't fully understand. We change the story to meet our need. Make them more relatable by making them more of ourselves. Are you Gaia worshipers?"

"I am a follower of Kari, if I am a follower of anything. Rodney is a snake worshiper, and I don't know about Ownlog."

"Snakes, Birds, Trees, I wonder, might they all be the same thing? Maybe your Kari and my Gaia are the same creature. one god with many faces. I want to find god. Whatever its name is and I want to ask 'what forth are we responsible for.' My people once were artist but now we spend most of our time fighting over a pile of bones where we believe the undying mother was born atop."

"why fight over bone?"

"the bones are holy. Whoever roost atop the bones will be empowered by and protected by our

virgin mother for so long as that sit atop it."

Rodney looks down to Warwing "if she is virgin then how is she your mother?"

"she is Our holy mother. All eggs laid belong to her for she is the hatchling of Gaia herself. She slept one day at the foot of a river and the water washed across her loin and where the water dripped from her chops eggs formed from stone then all the birds of the earth leapt fourth there from."

Corn takes in the story "so all birds are formed from dirt and water?"

"Why not?, All mice are forged from clay. It's the same story" Ownlog express and Rodney

translates.

"I have children thank you very much. Let me tell you I didn't forge mine out of clay."

Rodney smiles and pat her on the tail, "really where did you get yours?"

Corn snorts not sure if that was a playful jest or ignorant regurgitation. Warwing then pips up "I laid a virgin egg then I was three years old, I then laid three more after rubbing my tail against a boy at a fest two years later. The first never hatched, the others did. I bet if I mated I would lay a lot more."

Ownlog bashfully whisper through Rodney "you rubbed tails and laid three eggs?"

"well he might have touched my... but we didn't... and if his... and my... we all know what mating means and I didn't do it. He was touching me for only a second and it was an accident, we were from different families and we weren't even to be talking, we were just kid and I wanted to know... then he wanted to know... . But it was fun."

Rodney looks to Warwing, he climbs up to touch her on the noise "wise man once told me, is it isn't fun to sin, then you're not sinning right."

"Eat my tail feathers poet." Warwing curses at him.

"I can promise you I will do no such thing. I haven't even looked at your tail feathers."

"why not?" Warwing flushes her tail dropping into the clouds, she pulls her wings in then snaps them out slowing herself to map the aria. Her eyes roll back then widen "oh..." being the only sound to leave her beak as she is thinking.

Corn looks to her "so what did you do with your unexpected eggs?"

"I gave them to my mother, she never asked any question. I pretend there my siblings."

"And the father?" Corn ask.

"I told him about it. We are planning to keep this under wraps till the war is over, Assuming it ever ends."

"I love this story. Can I have it?" Corn ask

"when you write down the story I want my name recorded as Liz the fourth 22end queen of Winterskiss."

"why?" Corn ask.

"I think the name Liz sounds better in your tongue then Warwing." Warwing points with her beak. "There it is, the summit of Elec is there." Warwing lands atop the mountain. "Ill wait here. I don't think what lies ahead was meant for me."

Rodney tips his noise in the air sniffing about Ownlog stands beside him growling "What do you smell." She ask.

"dead fish, cinnamon and butter, maybe a hint of garlic with a splash of vinegar, and black magic, what about you Ownlog?" Rodney explains.

She pulls her hooked swords from her back "battle, blood old and sour staining this place with evil. Souls where lost here, and the dead come back looking for what they left behind. Rodney steady your blade and ready your magic Hades awaits." Ownlog bares he fangs lusting for the fight.

As the team dives into the crevasse at the pick of Elec quickly they find the cold heat of the mountain has locked in the scent of death. Corn grips her gut with one hand and her muzzle with the other struggling to hold herself up after tacking the first whiff of unsanctified air. Rodney bite his tongue swallowing hard. Ownlog growls and breaths deeply of the stale earth Ownlog mumbles "just like home."

Corn and Rodney spend a moment nearly carrying each other, Rodney hacks "what is down here again?"

"A stone of healing. It will be protected by those who failed to find it in the past" Corn recaps

"we have nearly died three times so far, maybe the stone was never meant to be found."

"I am ready for death, if you are not I understand. Go with Warwing."

"you have a family waiting for you."

"and they will be protected. If I do not find the stone, you will go to Graywall and tell them I fought bravely, I have many daughters also: Salt, Butter, Garlic, Cream, Mint, maybe if I don't come back one of them will make you happy and you them."

"I fight by your side. Your children deserve a mother. Draw your bow."

"Thank you Grate and Powerful Rodney." Corn set her hand on his noise then touches her muzzle to his.

Much of the inside of Elec seems to be coated and smooth steel, strange inscriptions adorn the walls and phrases mostly worn written in Huma mark the passages. Corn tries reading some of it but has little luck understanding the meanings "Hi, Volt." She points out one passage "In, Fire, Star." She points to another as the find a vertical shaft leading down the caverns. "In, Ploy, Own, Lee, Main, Ice." She points at the next phrase she can see.

"when we get back to Graywall Keep, you and I should go to the school, I'll help you study, become a real Weaver." Rodney encourages Corn.

Corn points at one last sign "three triangles. That is the symbol of the healing stone." Corn moves to the door.

Rodney sniffs about then call "Stop! Red powder."

Ownlog looks to him as does Corn "Red Powder?"

"Corn, shoot your bow at that door." Corn nods walking backwards, she lifts her bow and fires in arrow. The arrow burst into flames and fire spills form the door momentarily after being struck. Corn hides under her Cap and Rodney pulls his arms over his face "my sister and I use red powder in a number of our spells, a small amount of it flashes in struck, a lot of it on the other hand makes that happen."

Once the smoke clears the room starts to fill with eyeless winged Koblolts. Ownlog barks and runs at them she, slashes and stabs her way into the fray. The monsters scatter dazed and confused that the blast didn't kill and cook there food all at once. with the loss of only a hand full one monster finds a stone in his pocket that flashes with a blinding white lite and the lot flee form the Darkling knight.

Ownlog slashes and claw fiercely at the air for some time still looking for the monsters.

Corn knees on one of the fallen monsters looking at it. She looks back to the others "this isn't a ghost."

Rodney joins her "well it is no Koblot."

"I think this used to be an Unpine." Corn strip the monster looking it over more closely: long ears that it can flatten along its back, a fuzzy prehensile tail, a pouch on its belly, and mostly flat teeth.

Ownlog ask "Unpine"

"Tree Koblolts, they were like us years and years ago. They left to upper world some hundred generations ago. They grow wing, and carry their young in these pouches on their stomachs. The only thing wrong is the eyes. The eye are big and round, on the sides of the head, they only eat tree nut."

Rodney looks to her "I think these ones have a different delicacy in mind."

Corn nods "we are lucky to have Ownlog here or that might have gone most unfortunately."

The team walks into the collapsed room on past the door. There they find a thin platform leading across a large and hallow room with pillars seemingly a hundred feet tall made of steel and water growing from the floor. Ownlog looks at Rodney after removing her mask understand they are far enough underground that she can see again "this place was built by the Huma, what was it for do you think?"

Rodney shrugs, "some holy place I think, why else have all the divine writing." He then turns to Corn "Where would the healing stone be?"

Corn looks over the side of the walk way down into the pits of the room. "Down there I think."

The track down is slow and hard, without the help of one another the climb might be impossible, rusted wall, crumbling floor, and unexplainable burst of fire and water slow there advance to a crawl in some places to say nothing of the threat the returning Unpine provide.

In the deepest depths, Ownlog growls to let the party know she can see movement in the darkness. Now Koblots are creatures of the night to be sure, their eyes well adapted to low light, but here the dark is well below low to the point of near absences, Ownlog on the other hand can see clearer hear then in full light, this is what she was breed for.

Ownlog waves Corn and Rodney to stop as she lies on her belly like a lizard and crawls along the ground, she crawls on one wall from there and hangs off of it hidden from view.

Ownlog crawls in ever-so slightly closer fallowing the shadows in the deep.

A raspy voice can be heard speaking "the three of you have been taken by the fever! You are no longer like us and by the law of 'Maleficarum' you are to be sent into the deep with all those who have had the fever before you. May you find peace there amongst the bones. Your name and estate will be given to your next of blood. Artemis takes pity on your soul." Three Unpine in chains are being led by four away from a mess of caves. The ones with chains have fur of mono color those without have spots on their face and wings

Two walk salimly but one cries out in pleed "I cannot be sent out with the ferals! I am heavy with young!"

The preacher consoles the frantic one "you have lost your spots, in but a short time you will lose your speech and the hunger will come. If you stay here you may bring harm to your lover or to another. You must leave today."

A second escort grips her by one arm whispering softly with her "Father is right my sister. All that can be done now is for you to take a walk and pray for Artemis to protect your children." He pats the long pole on his hip with a sharp spearing point on one end and a hefty cudjal on the other "or we bless you now."

"Please Brother; let me see Malic, let me berth my litter in the city at the very least."

The preacher steps between them "if you had told someone when you lost your spots that might have been a possibility. But you lied and hide. Not I; or your Brother, or even Bishop

Malic can do anything to help you now."

Boiling with rage Ownlog hisses, she leaps from her hiding place and sinks her fangs into the preacher. He falls to the ground without making a sound as his windpipe is crushed on contact, the two silently waiting prisoners run off panicked, the pregnant women falls into a sitting position terrified the other guards jump away reaching for weapons unclear as to what is attacking them.

Ownlog stands with a roar once the preache has bleed out she takes her swords In her ands tightly and throws back her blood-soaked hair she steps into the guard nearest to her gripping his hammer with her blades and twist it from his grip then runs one blade across her stomach spilling it's contents. The second catches both swords to his brachial plexus tie-ins forcing him to open his hands and fall to his knees, she then jabs the butt of her swords into his clavicle crippling his.

The one called Brother is armed and ready for Ownlog, Ownlog holds her blads to her sides snarling, fangs bared. Brother steps in for a counter offensive thrusting the spearhead of his weapon. Ownlog thrust both arms in to catch the spear one land near the tip the other at the butt of the spear, she twist her hips after catching the weapon splintering it in her grip.

Brother steps in again calling onto the heavens "Hail Artemis!" he throws a hook punch at Ownlog who meets his attack with in elbow guard shattering his hand on her elbow, she then revurses the attack throwing a secondary elbow crushing his elbow in return, finishing with a wing like downwards ark she stabs him twice in the shoulders toppling him in one swift string of strikes.

Ownlog looks to the expecting mother crawling away from her Ownlog commands her

"Run home. Hide your babies from these monsters." The young women scatters to her feet and runs back to the town screaming. Ownlog stomps on the arm of one of the dead and carves it asunder, she brings it up to her lips rending the flesh from bone.

Rodney and Corn come running hearing the commotion, Rodney calls ahead "what on earth is going on?"

Ownlog explains to him "the Unpine out there are Ferals these one are healthy, Some kind of fever. A man Bishop Malic is in charge. He punishes the sick by sending them out there, they are all Artemis worshipers."

Rodney looks at the arm hanging form Ownlogs mouth "what are you eating?"

"Meat." She starts to walk into town "we will ask the Bishop why he doesn't use this healing stone on his own subjects."

"Please stop eating people. It is unnerving." Rodney chases after her.

***

The sister Ownlog had spared tells everyone in her path a demon is coming to punish them for their sins the pious denizens of Elec are quick to look for the demon, shrine keepers, faith menders and hunters take to the streets in force to face the holy messenger. Even the bishop's ear is bent and curiosity peeked, never have the holy ones sent an envoy to this corner of nowhere.

The three travelers are tracked down quickly and put at spear-point. Ownlog grins hungry for battle. Rodney holds her back as the army of Unpine gathers. Corn glances form side to side whispering to herself more so than anything "these ones still have eyes."

The Bishop finds them and the crowd parts for him the women called Sister at her side. Malic is a goliath next to his subjects standing 10% above everyone, his whiskers swing around his waist and his eyebrows have grown long and thick partly hiding his eyes, he covers himself in several folds of dark fabrics covering his frail body.

Malic reminds Ownlog of her owner and she jabs one arm backwards pushing Rodney away she steps in to attack Malic but is blocked by a wall of spears Corn grads Rodney franticly asking "what should we do?"

Rodney holds his hands up to his chest "we give up."

Malic looks the team over "these are not divine messengers. These are pilgrims. Bring them to the temple. Bring rice water, chocolate and young women to entertain our guests. We are do for some clean blood around here. As for the darkling fit her with some armlets and a caller let's keep her teeth in her mouth. I'm in no mood to have my neck ripped out today." Malic points back the way he came as he give directions.

***

The three of them are stripped of their traveling garbs and given red and black tonics then offered gifts of silver rings to wear on their wrist and tails. Their hair is dipped in oil to clean it and soothing ointment is rubbed onto their sores to dress and treat them before they are brought to the Bishops dining table. Rodney whispers with Corn "Ownlog killed and devoured at least four Unpine on our way here, and we are still being treated like nobles?"

Once at the table Malic looks them up and down his eyes lock on Corn briefly "I'm sorry

I couldn't tell you where a lady when we were outside. Could I fetch you a lad to serve you."

Not understanding the words used Corn looks to Rodney for advice. Rodney looks back to Malic "maybe latter in the evening. First I think we should cool our heels, drink some water and taste the local flavors you have presented us with."

"Bishop, what has happened to this town since our fathers left?" Corn cuts in.

"Not one for pleasantries I see." Malic adds in

"That's not what I meant. This place is nicer then I was led to believe, but with all this talk of illness it is worse than I would have hoped." Corn explains no small amount of fear in her voice.

"When your tribe left, tales of ghost and demons littering these halls spread far and wide. A secular division of my people came her looking to reclaim this place from the monster only to find non. Quickly we clamed this place as our new home and in no time we started to grow. The magic that you once told of still in the air let us age slowly and have more children per litter then in years passed. For a dozen generations all was finer then we had dreamed It could be. But in the last years our numbers have halved. We started growing old and ill. Not a one of my children lived to see a single gray hair on their head. Then youthful mating pears started losing their fur and their eyes fell from their skulls. After that sick children it is claimed began eating the well to heal their ailment. Now we are building these walls to lock us in and everyone else out. No pilgrims travel the old roads anymore." Malic tells the tale of Elec as it is today.

"The magic turned on you just as it had our father. That is terrible." Corn expresses.

"Some of my brothers think it is because our blood is growing stale, there are too few family of pilgrims immigrating here to satisfy the gods that protect us." Malic goes on

"Do you keep genealogy charts? Do you know who's whose father? If there where per say only twelve men fathering a hundred children every generation that would invoke ethnic sterilization and your resistance to infection would deplete, somewhat." Rodney explains.

"Where are you from where a man would dare ask a women who she has bread with?" Malic looks repulsed.

Rodney lowers his head with a light smirk "much farther way then you have traveled I would wager."

"Let us not talk of such unpleasant things at such a joyful time" Malic claps his hands and a team of minstrels trot into the room fallowed by a group of dancers "I notice that you let your heifer walk around with a blade, and frankly better dressed then your partner."

Rodney holds his hands out in protest as Ownlog slaps her hands down on the table angrily "Corn and I aren't partners, we are friends, and Ownlog isn't our slave."

Malic ducks his head in shame "I'm sorry then, we are quite close to a Darkling kingdom and it is common knowledge that girls of Ownlog's age are used as..."

Rodney stops him as Ownlog threating jumps to her feet "I know. But Ownlog is free."

Corn jumps into the conversation hoping to dispel the mounting tempers "Bishop, it is my understanding that you have a magic healing stone left by the Huma here. Don't you?"

Malic nods "in the reflecting pool down yonder. Not but a short sprint from here."

"can you not use it to heal your families ailments?" Corn ask

"to drink the lime water in which it sits should have cured the ill by itself. None have ever clamed otherwise. It is as you told, the magic is gone, At least for us." Malic melts into his chair folding his hands over his chest.

"then may I have it?" Corn ask

"when the Huma would move the healing stones they used a number of sanctified chest to hide, I happen to have one. Let us say I trade it to you for..." he freezes a time looking them up and down. A dancer sits alongside Rodney and rubs one hand down his back then playful grabs his tail, Rodney jumps up to his feet with a surprised squeal. Malic smiles "For Rodney."

Corn looks upset looking first to Rodney then to Malic as if pondering the possibility then she shakes her head. Rodney looks to the Unpine that is holding his tail; the girl takes his tail in her mouth playfully biting it. "...and why do we need the sanctified chest?"

"the healing stone is blanketed in fire that you cannot see or feel, it cannot be doused by water or sand, but to set a bear hand on it will burn the skin from your bone, even if you can't see

it."

"I can't pay that price."

"then you."

"no."

"what else do you have to trade?"

"what about a bit of magasight ripped from the body of a living dragon?"

"you can call dragons?" Malic looks interested

"I can." Corn stands up, she takes the tooth of the grate wolf she had fought from around her neck and speaks to it. "I need you." She whisper to the tooth A giant wolf carved of stone covered in flowers and moss fades into the room Malic falls from his chair looking up at the beast that could likely swallow him whole.

"genital Mother Corn, master of the red flower, you have called and I have came, what is your wish?"

"this place was once protected by the ancient power but now it is gone. can you heal this place?" Corn ask.

"This place was not protected by the ancient power, it was cursed by Huma magic, I can give you the real ancient power." The wolf explains.

Malic regains his footing, "that is... something. Grate hound what form will the ancient power take?"

"if it is the will of the Mother Corn I will give you my shed skins, you will paper the walls of a single room with it and that which you place in that room I will protect with my shadow. Any who disturbed that place without whispering the Kari prayer I will steal the shadow of and they will be marked as a sinner to be shamed freely, and there face they will never see in glass again."

Malic folds his hands "and how long will this magic last?"

"I am ten thousand years old and I expect to live another hundred thousand. Should you offer me a fruitful madden as a sacrifice perhaps I can make the deal even sweeter."

Corn stops him "I don't want to hear about any sacrifices. No one needs to die like that."

The wolf smirks and it's eyes burn "if you only understood the word sacrifice the way I do you might feel differently. Skin is not the only part of yourself you can sell to a pettygod. Nor is it the only part we are interested in"

Corn looks to the Bishop "even without the sacrifice I am still offering you nearly endless protection from him" she points at the wolf "for a fading magic stone do you except? Magic for magic."

Malic rolls his finger together thinking "that might be worth more than what I first ask

for."

Corn nods "then fetch me the stone and we will be on our way." Snobbishly Corn huffs.

***

Warwing roost atop the spire awaiting the return of her company, as she is sitting she dreams of her home and family. In her youth Warwing lived in an honorable household, her uncle was a respectful member of the Winterskiss republic. The republic was slow to action but never did they let a family go hungry. Things changed after a grate storm sent half the city tumbling into the ocean.

Many families and many tribes fled after that. Then Warwing (then called Elizibata) and her twin brother then called Caligulis (now more often called Caligula) watched as the republic came to an end. Angry people commanded that Winterskiss be restored to glory, but that could not be done. What was claimed by the sea can never be restored.

But the worst of it was yet to come, the totem animal of Winterskiss disappeared, the mighty Three-Horned Ox, it was the most holy of beast. From the three horned ox came much of there years bounty, and with its loss many of the families left, an army of fifty five thousand wings dwindled down to less than six hundred. Warwing's uncle Septemberus lost an arm in a bar room fight at the same party she conceived her eggs.

A blood conflict broke out between the reaming tribes. Winterskiss stares down its last days, the loss of their totem promising to end their culture outright. Caligulis offers a solution to Septemberus, Exploit his executive power , with the republic failing give sign over all power to a single family, charge protecting the union to them. There is nothing left to loose.

It is a bold idea , not since the declaration of their nation has one family had so much responsibility. Septemberus is crowned the keeper of the republic , he appoint each of the remaining families a new name and tittle. Feeling the change in the wind Septemberus' former compatriot protest the change by cutting off their own wings and throwing themselves form the parapet of the grand cathedral.

Drowning in sorrow for what has happened Septemberus fills himself with apple vinegar till falling into an unwaking sleep. Caligula takes the crown from his uncle naming himself the first pharaoh of Winterskiss, he names Elizabata as his queen then builds a monument to his Uncle calling him there new god. Every family thereafter is charged with stripping the countryside for food.

Bring back all you can carry, and if you cannot find "ones fair share" Caligula would have one punished. First offence he rips off ones tail, and sould one fail again before their tail has regrown next they lose a wing and that will not grow back. should you be incompetent enough to upset the pharaoh three times they are put in the ground with the old republic ritualistically thrown from the parapets.

This leads to unrest even the pharaohs most trusted friends start whispering about changing management. But there is a dived in spite of his cruelty some praise Caligula for doing what the republic failed to. Food is in abundances once more. Caligula grows ever more selfish and starts courting women that are not his and killing men that challenge his entitlement.

Warwing can do little but watch as her twin grows ever more demonic. Elizabata conspires with those that dream of bringing back the republic. Caligula sees her treachery but cannot bring himself to disfigure her as he has so many others and sends her out as a hunter instead.

Elizabata thought to herself at that point. If the mighty Weaver that had brought her back from the dead as a child were still around she could fend off the monsters in her twin brothers heart making him kind and loving again. Yes that is what Warwing was thinking when she saw Mother Corn. Maybe Corn can do for Caligula what Jessica had done for her.

***

Corn calls up through the hole in the mountain to Warwing as the sun sets "Warwing, we have the magic stone. Bring us back to Graywall Keep."

Warwing sticks her head in the hole helping the lot of them out. She places the three on her back and jumps into the air. "Have no fear, you will be home before sunrise. So did you dispel the ghost?"

Corn shakes her head "No, no ghost, only Unpine."

"I was expecting something bigger." Warwing floats above the clouds

Chapter 24: Home

Baba-Yung cackles as the sun rises "Kahka, Another day comes, all who did not fear and love Kari, and except her as your one true god, be afraid another plague is here. Today all meat sours and all fruit will rot in your hands Kahka the lord has spoken."

***

Warwing lands outside Jessica's house as by Corn's instructions. Everything seems still at first and that is frightening. She walks about discarding the crimson Jessica gave her and finds her maidens gown. She calls out for Jessica and for her children but no one is home. "Rodney?

There not here." She looks back to the others.

Rodney shrugs "could they have gone to the keep itself?"

"It's worth a look"

The lot of them climb on Warwing and go first to Corn's farm then carry on to the keep.

Ownlog complains "smells like Darkling"

Warwing shakes her head as she lands outside the wall "no, that is the smell of decay.

This place must be filthy in ways I can't imagine."

"with your place and Jessica's so orderly I can see why you stay away from the township." Rodney jokes around

Corn climbs down and approaches the gates "this is wrong. Graywall is the image of

Kobolt society. Everything is clean and well maintained."

Rodney looks to her "what is your waist management strategy?"

"same as everyone's? dig out a hole near your home and bury 'it' at the end of the day" Corn explains Rodney and Warwing nod.

Ownlog looks to them "you are wasting perfectly good building material that way. Burn it and it turns to stone you know."

Rodney looks concerned "I didn't know that."

The gates refuse to open at their approach. Corn tries yelling for the guards to let her in with no avail. Warwing puts one foot on the gate and shoves it open. Many of the dwellings near the gate are clearly abandoned. No small amount of fear and repulse scattered across their faces the lot of them walk in silence. Somehow the presences of a bird the size of a house hardly attracting eyes.

Corn looks to Warwing as they walk "Warwing, what does the phrase 'Scramble you eggs' mean?"

Warwing's head tips up offended at first then understanding the question she lowers down to speak closely with Corn. "in your tongue it must sound silly but in mine it is most offensive, I don't understand your tongue well, but I think it is like saying 'go sleep in your father's bed' or 'lick your tail' what it means is 'eat your young' but that is derogatory to women because when we lay our virgin egg it is a rite of passage into adult hood that we do eat our own

egg..."

Rodney stops her "Thank You! That sounds dreadful! And such harsh word."

"One Side Milk Maid!" orders a tall proud woman dressed in the colors of the crown.

Penelope is her name, Corn has seen her before, she is the captain of the guards' number two.

Corn looks to the powerful woman "is there a problem?"

Penelope stops to face Corn "Where have you been Milk Maid? There is no cream to

drink, no fruit to eat, all the leather in the town has turned to rot. Curses to the like we have never seen plague every household and I know who is to blame."

"who? How?" Corn ask

"An avian sooth sayer called Baba-Yung"

"I crier?"

"Truth speaker." Penelope expresses "everything she speaks aloud comes true. So for the good of my young and in the name of the crown I must shut her beak."

Penelope pushes her way past the group and makes her way swiftly to the Tree of Tales, Corn seems interested by the story and fallows her waving the team to file in.

"Jessica the Weaver hand over Baba-Yung!" Jessica waits at the tree giving soft prayer to herself. "Weaver! Where fourth is Baba-Yung ?" Penelope draws the blade form her hip.

Jessica looks to her "I have no power of the one called Baba-Yung."

Baba squawks from the trees "she tells the truth!" Baba flaps her wings and jumps down to ground level with all them , Baba stands only around knee high to Penelope but still sticks out her chest as if to look down on the knight.

"You have defiled the sanctity of my home with your filth witch. Prepare to be judged!" Penelope grids her blade against the back of her arm threateningly.

Baba-Yung flaps her wings laughing "Fool! I am the hand of Kari! No blade crafted on earth can harm me! To even try to smite me will triple your suffering!" Baba-Yung holds out her wings awaiting the strike. Penelope's knife slashes across Baba's noise and Baba falls down rolling from the strike but it is Penelope that bleeds, as if cut by a phantom sword Penelope kneels, blood streams down her face and her hearing is lost instantly, she reaches up feeling the side of her head only to find her left ear missing. Baba stands up flapping her wings in hideous laughter "Do It! Strike Me Again! Your blade hurts me Yes, but you will die before me!"

Corn runs over to Penelope cradling her like I child. As Jessica walks over to Baba wrapping her arms around the bird picking her up "stop this Baba." Jessica orders she grads

Baba by the beak shutting it when she starts to complain about being held "shut your beak." Jessica places Baba down and makes her way to Penelope taking finding the cut ear on the ground. Jessica places the broken ear atop Penelope's head and it burns back into place.

The pain gone Penelope wraps her arms around Jessica and cries smitten by an overwhelming love and fear of god. In a fit of rage Baba flies off in search of pleasures of the flesh to wash the anger out of her mouth, be it food or sex booth would do.

* * *

Baba flies around fuming with a need for vengeance, being struck by the knight not nearly as painful to her as the simple degradation that someone would dare think about fighting her. Only flying around the outskirts of town does it start to dawn on Baba-Yung, the strange silence on the wind. At most any hour of most any day Baba can hear the calls of fellow avians for miles around looking for friends or chattering about good roost or stockpiles of nuts and seeds. But today there is no singing.

Without songs guiding her it takes Baba some time to find a fellow bird to sit with. It is an older man, a black miter bird, not a crow like her, but closes enough, if she is lucky they can still lay eggs together and the thought of that makes Baba happy for the moment.

Baba flies in close rubbing her tail across the miter birds noise, she then lands alongside him and fans her tail feathers showing off her womanhood. The miter looks at Baba with only a sideways glance. Baba shacks her tail trying to get him to look at her "Come on! Pay attention to me!" the miter flaps his wings and jumps up to another tree branch. Baba chases him, she binds over parting her tail feathers and walks backwards rubbing her tail up his chest. "what is the matter with you! I'm showing you my tail, use it." the miter lowers his head closing his eyes "please lower your tail, I'm not going to lay any more eggs, and I don't think you should ether."

"What is the point of these enter-locking parts you and I have if we aren't using them?"

"Taste the air girl. It is stale. Smell the wind, it is sour. I saw a spider yesterday walking just on the other side of the grove. It was so big it was eating trees whole, it was singing as it walked. I have not song since. In its shadow swaying to its song where tenfold ten thousand spiders, where they walked, all life ended, and I beheld as the spider mother reached into the earth proclaiming 'that which was will be' then the dead rose to her aid. Child, this is it, the last hours of the last days of this mortal life. The world is ending, if you lie eggs today they will hatch into a world where all are born dead."

"then fly away." Baba explains

"and where will I fly to?"

"across the see, where the spiders cannot fallow."

"do you see those grapes down yonder?" the miter ask, Baba nods "bring one."

Baba nods thinking that this will cheer the older bird up and maybe convince him to sleep with her. The miter buts the base of the grape with his beak and it bleed sand. Baba's eyes go wide as she watches the sand spill from the fruit. She mumbles to herself "this is here to?"

"I have been to the six nearest camps. This evil befouls all the tribes of this island.

Graywall seems to be the only safe haven. Once the spiders reach their, then we all die."

"No!" Baba orders "that's not what is supposed to happen. The cat, the mice, the bats, and the squirrels die not us."

"why not us?"

Baba raises her wings "Because Baba-Yung, the hand of Kari, doesn't want it to."

** *

Warwing runs up to Jessica pressing her beak into Jessica's belly knocking her over "Mother" she calls out. Jessica laughs placing her hands on Warwings beak.

Rodney looks baffled. "What? How can a koblot birth a roc?"

Warwing explains "I hatched to small. Jessica fed me cream, and that made me grow fast and strong."

The lot of them hardly have time to great each-other before Odidimuse shows up with his escorts. "Jessica, we need your magic." Odidimuse expresses. "Baba has unlashed another plague."

"tell everyone to leave at once. I can't heal all of them forever." Jessica retorts.

"it's worse than all of that is would seem. Running will not help; I spoke to my brother's daughter living with the Unpine at Watersend. The plagues have reached them as well." Odidimuse goes on.

Corn cuts in "Jessica, what does this all mean?" Jessica gasps. She sits frozen for a long moment forgetting even to breath as what Odidimuse has claimed sinks in for her. Corn grads

Jessica by the arm and call to her again "Jessica!" Jessica fails to blink and her eyes water .

"Jessica!" Corn shacks Jessica, Jessica nearly faints from the loss of breath.

At least Jessica whispers so softly that only Corn who is noise to noise with her can hear, her voice reduced to a childish whine "I lost. I failed. I can't protect you. I can't protect anyone." Jessica slumps over Corn in the grip of despair "I made a mistake. I misunderstood what Kari said about fleeing. She didn't mean Graywall. She meant the island. Everyone."

Odidimuse speaks up "Jessica. Tell me what to do." Odidimuse is in shamble, fully ready to turn himself over to Jessica's whim. He knows that he has been bet, there is no more room for pride, only a need to save that which he can.

"we are at Kari's will" Jessica meekly tries to explain.

Corn grinds her fangs and pushes Jessica back holding her firm at arm's length. Jessica covers her face with her hands weekly. "STOP IT!" Corn shouts at Jessica. "I have just survived fighting a dozen giants, and falling into the heck of our past lives! And I am a child! Jessica I need you. You are the mother of our tribe. We need you."

Jessica whines shaking her head in defeat "I.. I don't..."

Corn takes one hand smacks Jessica's noise down "You Must! Now gather your straight before I hit you again."

The sharp pain in Jessica's noise helps her gather her thoughts, her eyes burn cold and determined. Jessica wipes her face on her arm. "Bring me a plate cast out of white gold, a fist full of cheese, a biscuit and a string of grapes assort the nibbles atop the plate. Tell everyone in the town to gather at the tree of tails at once. tell them all to sniff the cheese and to lick the grapes, then to pinch the biscuit. They will find once this is done that no one will feel hunger.

Odidimuse, Warwing, you will go to Watersend, fly my child as if Hades stood in your shadow, fly like you have never flown before. Odidimuse find your brother and his child, have them send their brethren two the six largest camps within a day's walk, Tell every family that wishes for salvation that they will find safety in Graywall even if it is for but a day. Then we make our way to long river, we seek Shada and her cats, we will gather in their boats and be across the see in no time."

Odidimuse nods his head once then looks to her "and what if one will not do as I say?"

"They will. They must." Jessica looks to Corn "Go to Preston, be with your children."

Jessica finds her feet and turns way from the group her clothing fluttering in the sudden wind like a holy mother figure.

"Where are you going Jessica?" Corn ask.

"To summon Kari."

***

Jessica marches into the church and thrust her hands down to her side shouting "Kari!" her voice squeaks as she is short on breath from the run here. "Cravixs! Mammon! Answer me!"

The rat dressed that is Kari's shadow appears sitting atop a statue of a bird her lags tide around it. Kari playfully kisses the effigy "it is not fit for a queen to raise ones voice like that." The phantom garbed in bird feathers looks down to her from high on its perch, its eyes glow of blue red draining the light form the world around it "I am no god of fortune or peace, and I have little love or need for your prayers. So why do you call onto me?"

"Baba-Yung's plagues have spread into the countryside and brought pain to many." Jessica explains.

"So?" Kari ask

"You have given me power to change the world but not the knowledge or time to do so.

Spare these beasts your wraith." Jessica begs

Kari's eyes narrow and the marble images of her splinter, the paintings lining the walls melt and the benches fly into the air then smash themselves on the stone walls. "Are you telling me what to do?"

Jessica hides her head under her arms as she ducks from the rage "I am asking you for help."

Kari's form gives way to something far too horrible for Jessica to understand, something truly unearthly, no head, no face, no shape that is easily described, something cancerous, with countless teeth but no mouth, countless eyes growing from bubbling purple flesh and arms with no bone to hold them in place, it outreaches weaving in and out of the room strangling it. "Nonsense! I have been kind to you already. Give you more than I have given any in hundreds of lifetimes. I am god! You serve me! I do not serve you! If you cannot save your family, then save yourself. If you cannot save yourself I will call into being another Avatar, one stronger and smarter then you. Now stop cowering and serve your end."

Jessica falls onto her back and crawls away from the outreaching shapeless mass, her mouth fallen open and eyes wide with mortal fear she tries to scream but the horror takes her breath away. In a flash of starlight the monster is gone, leaving behind only destruction where it had been this time.

The plan is in motion, the magic breed feeds all that hunger and Odidimus has gone with

Warwing to gather the tribes. At long last Corn goes to see her young, to make her family whole.

Chapter 25: Speaking with Gods

With the aid of a handful of friendly by passer Corn finds out that Preston is the leader of the town's guard and lives in the a place called 'The Spire'. With this in hand she makes her way there, her trip is largely unhindered. Rodney and Ownlog wait outs side as the doors open to reveal a lavish estate to like of which someone like Corn is seldom privileged to see: the walls are decorated with flags of numerous medleys and trophies for all sorts of works and accomplishments ranging from knife throwing, to swimming, to wall climbing. Corn is mesmerized by a wall of shinning pines describing some of Preston's other works as well.

Preston sneaks up alongside Corn and lowers his head to her ear to whisper with her

"There nice aren't they?" Corn jumps not having noticed his walking up to her, "I went to privet school, outside the main township 'Nu' was a place real big on celebrating accomplishments." He looks down at Corn who is staring at him trying to decide what to think of the mildly girlish man "I'm sorry, Preston, at your service." He picks up one of her hands and brings his head down touching his noise to her fingers "You must be Mother Corn."

"Yes, yes I am."

"It's a pleasure, please fallow me. I can think of a handful of others that will be excited" Preston leads Corn to his den where the children await. In a flash the lot of them take notice of there mothers sent at first then her presents and they all run to her: Onion in the lead, then Butter and Cream jump at her Salt and Garlic after that and Mint and finely Pepper. Corn ends up toppled by the loving arms of her young as they pile atop her. Preston smiles watching the affair play out. "I would offer you some hospitality but I don't know what is safe to eat. Let me look in my pantry." Preston slips out of the room leaving the family on their own.

Corn slips out from under the pile and calms them kids down as all of them at once try telling the tail of how they got to the city and what has happened. Corn looks to where Preston had slid off and whispers "Charming young man isn't he."

Butter nods "I think he would make a good dad."

Salt sticks her noise in Garlic's ear whispering "I bet you and Pepper would make good parents to. Should the three of us go find out?" Garlic as she thinks about what Salt is implying squeezes her lags together feeling jittery "I can pull his tail to distract him as you get ready."

Garlic looks to Salt and places one hand on her head pushing her over yelling "stop that!"

"If you don't, I bet mom will." Salt joke with Garlic "you're ready, he is ready, what are you waiting for?"

"That is it!" Garlic gets up on all fours and runs at Salt, Salt turns to run also as the two of them start bouncing off wall running about.

Corn calls to them. "Ok everyone calm down and let's talk. I have been away for some time and I need to know what has been happening."

Onion starts them off. "I had asked Cream the same thing. No one thought your going away was a good thing, even if it was to help me. I guess the loss of one of us is excepted but to lose a brother and there mother in the same day was to much. They had Jessica us her magic to fallow you on your adventure. Before long they felt the need to go see me as well and so came had Jessica bring them here, that was when things started to get strange."

Butter picks up the story from Onion almost jumping on his back to be seen "we were attacked by the knights and brought to see the king. Then Jessica was arrested for witchcraft and the kings guards threatened to make us there mates but Preston should up and Pepper stole'd one of their swords but Preston fought off everyone and broke Pepper's sword with his bare hands.

After that we went to get Onion, then all sorts of strangeness happened.

Garlic comes in "the smells all over the city get strange, the sent of cream and butter are gone and the smell of mold becomes overbearing. That night the town is attacked by cats. Preston is harmed in the fighting, Jessica shows up to save him. She throws her hands in the air and the fighting stops all at once, the town is gathered and we find our way to the gates to heal the sick."

Cream takes up the mantel "here is where we saw Baba-Yung for the first time, a Glowwing like the ones that attacked us outside Jessica's house the day you left. She had grate and evil power she flew around telling everyone that if we did not leave our homes more suffering would fallow and it did."

Salt cuts in "not long after that we found that our clothing was covered in warms, and the town was half flooded and now all the fruits and meat in town are soured. The monster Baba-

Yung is destroying the town."

Pepper grunts "Baba-Yung and Jessica are friends; I saw them sleeping together at the

Tree of Tales."

Corn looks between them all "this is very strange."

Salt jumps in grading Corn by the cuff of her dress "what should we do mother?"

Pepper blushes but turns away as Salt accidently slaps him with her tail. Corn bites her tongue thinking "you are dressed now and look fed, so what happened to the warms?"

Salt looks at Pepper as if waiting for him to answer then Salt looks back "Jessica scared them away with her magic."

Corn slides one hand under Salts rump sitting her down on her lap "this is in spite of

Jessica and Baba being friends?"

Onion thinks aloud "what if they aren't friends but close enemies?"

Pepper snuffs "that is dumb."

"But why not?" Onion as "think about it, they're not going to eat each other or anything right, so the best way to fight one another is to stay close by."

Pepper cuts him off "If I were sleeping with Baba-Yung, she would be my chew toy in one night." Salt giggles immaturely at Pepper saying chew toy.

Corn looks to Pepper "I think Baba-Yung might be immortal, I saw a knight try to stab her just before I came here. When Baba got stabbed it was the stabber that bled."

Garlic's eye open wide "that is something."

Corn pats Salt on the lag, "get up, let's find some snakes."

Pepper points up to get their attention "Just a reminder, if you want to eat today we need to find Jessica first to uncurse us or whatever it is."

** *

After a long flight Baba-Yung is drawn back to Jessica's side without a upwards glance

Baba quivers as she approaches Jessica now frightfully aware that the plagues have dessimated her clan be it having killed them off or scared them away, Baba's gloomwings are no longer about, she is now the last of her kind in Graywall. Jessica still paces about the church now burring with righteous indignation. Baba hops over to her sniffling like a child. "Jessica."

Jessica turns to face Baba-Yung throwing her arms in the air enraged "You filthy thing! All this mess! All that has passed! Why have you accommodated it all! The genie is out of the bottle and befouled everything in its path! You have not only dammed us but..."

Jessica is a powerful women who is well known for her love and understanding but not her anger, Jessica bares her teeth as she yells at Baba, Baba cowers, Baba can see the phantom light that is Jessica's soul flaming in her bosom, and maybe more importantly the diseased black shadow of Cravixs hiding in her wake. This anger it is not hers, everything that is known of Kari is true, she is a vampire, and now she feeds on the purist soul the kobolts have to offer.

Jessica's eyes fade to a gemstone violet, one hand creeks into a claw lifting to face Baba, Jessica wishes to see Baba in pain, she wishes for blood, and she has the power to kill an immortal. Baba rolls over onto her back and tucks her beck into her breast to reinforce her helpless predicament pleading for mercy. "Jessica the Weaver, lower your magic."

"What evil do you have in store for us next soulless bird!"

"Kari has your heart in her grip just as she has mine, but you still have your inicance,

Kari can control you but she does not own you. Please forgive me!"

"Tell me what I want to know before I end your meaningless life."

"Jessica! Sillance Kari's voice form your mind and hear me."

"I give endlessly! I gave my children art! I gave them wisdom! I gave them direction! And yet they smite me across the noise at every turn. And you, I gave you my love! I gave you warmth! I was the mother that you so longed for! And you smite me as well!"

Baba pulls her lags into her chest and covers her body in part with her tail "come mid-day tomorrow, the earth will freeze, the sun will hang in the sky and the wind will fade, then the rivers will boil and the hour before Kari appears in the flesh all who are without young will fall asleep and never awaken. Once the last child of Graywall is dead this island will sink to the bottom of the sea and Kari will eat this place and all that are left within."

The darkness fades from Jessica as she grabs herself by the noise, her hands melt down her face and she bits her own hand, she reiterates "All without children?"

"Only expecting mothers will be spared on that day. A lonely male child will be born to each tribe the same hour as you find the land across the sea. They will be the fathers of the new kingdom; they will each father seventy seven sons and one hundred and one daughters."

Jessica whimpers "I can't let that be. What of Preston, Onion, and Pepper?"

"They have two days left to live."

Jessica yells out to the walls again "Kari! I will not let you take our sons away!"

Baba looks to her "you still think you can fight Kari?"

"you are the hand, I am the voice, that must mean something. So many have died today, and so many will die tomorrow."

"if we fight Kari, there is nothing to stop Kari from eating us and calling a new hand and a new voice into being."

"If Kari wanted a follower she would not have chosen me. There are so many others that would do as there told with much less of a fight."

"Cravixs chose you to be dominated. To crush the spirit of one with so much strength is a thing of pride"

"are you a bird or a fish? Do you wish to die laying on your back? stand with me. Kari can have the island. I will not let her have your children."

"you have a heart like a hen. Ready to die in I meaningless fight in the off chaces your bones will cradle your eggs. You wish to bargen with god? So be it. I will grant you this wish."

Baba stands up "we will need to ready ourselves. We need salt, a gold needle, a snake's eye, a fat leach, the feather of the thigh of a black bird, and a tooth plucked from the mouth of one touched by Kari, and should we need to cut Kari to make her hear us, we will need a knife dipped in powdered lighting glass."

Jessica thinks about that a time "between you me and the medicine mouse I think we have all but the lighting glass."

Baba jumps up on Jessica's arm "then I hope your tongue is forged in silver."

***

Jessica waste no time summoning the mouse called Willy in helping her gather the bits and pieces of the spell. He protest at first but once Jessica spills the story he reluctantly fallows along muttering "this is sickening."

Baba barks at him "this is somewhat time sensitive, now stick your hand in her mouth and pull out a tooth." Jessica lies on the alter knees up head back mouth open as Will stand over her with a spike and hammer. "I hope you understand that these things don't grow back."

Baba calls to him again "...and once you are done with that you need to stick your hand under my tail and find a juice feather to pluck."

"Can't you do that on your own?" Will looks at Baba.

"I need one off my thigh; those are harder to pull out then you think birds still bleed you know."

"I had no idea." Willy stretches one of Jessica's lips and places the spie hard to her gums as far back as he can reach it. Jessica closes her eyes tightly awaiting the strike as Will pulls the hammer back "hold on, this is really going to hurt." His first strike missis the tooth and cuts the inside of Jessica's jaw, Will rest one lag on Jessica's breast to hold her still as he takes a second swing shattering one of her teeth. Jessica rolls onto her back and vomits up a mess of blood and other fluids. "I told you." It takes her a moment to catch her breath and then to use her magic to stop the bleeding.

Baba looks to Jessica. "good, now start to draw a eight pointed star on the ground of the church out of salt. Place the leech and the tooth at the heart of the star and I will take care of the rest." Baba climbs on the table and bends over showing off her tail to Will. Will stairs at her for a bit "What are you doing? Pluck me!"

Will grabs one of Baba's lags "I think it would be easier another way." He flips her onto her back, Baba squeaks and flaps her wings as Will pulls her lags off to the sides and places one knee on her stomach to hold her down. He rapes two fingers around a perky feather on the rigged between her pelvis and her thigh. This being a live feather it bleeds after being plucked, Will holds the wound shut with one finger.

Baba complains "I have had surprise mountings gentler then that."

"I'm your doctor not a lover. Keep squawking and Ill pull another one." Will gets off of

Baba, "now let's do this dirty deed."

Baba rolls over "A man that knows what he likes. I can respect that." Baba takes the feather and goes to finish the spell.

The salt on the ground starts to burn and a wall of sold night forges inside its confines. The walls of the church start to couture bubbleguming outwards as the darkness pushes against the construct. Jessica has herd of magic like this but never seen it, Jessica harkens back it her books as the magic takes hold and a story like no other begins unfolding.

The tale takes place at a strange time in Huma history, a new land had just be discovered overrun with snakes and ox, the king of men had decreed that all living in chains must be freed, a powerful wizard had created a fire-staff smaller and faster than the ones Human wealded for the last hundred years and cheap enough that for only a fist full of coin anyone could have one.

***

Sometimes he is called Jim, sometimes Jessie, but his half-brother calls him J.J. Young, and that is the name he like the most. The road leading from the east into the west is still being laid, a hundred feet of fresh steel is hammered into place every hour. J.J. and his brother Franklin are gamblers, gunfighters, and thieves, everyone living east of the Mississippi now it. A thousand min on horseback chased the two of them to the Rocky's. The two found safety for a time in Oregon.

But the thing with men that like wine and woman is they will always like wine and woman, and those things aren't free anywhere. One day Franklin finds himself out drinking when he runs out of coin, he is ready to shoot the barkeep to get out of paying his bill when a man in a fine suit that looks fresh for Italy take the gun out of his hand making him a deal.

The man has a thinning mustache, and sweets profusely, he stinks like aging cheese and his skin is white like bed sheets. He is a small man with a gamers chest he halls around with him. He places a purse overflowing with sparkling gems on the counter to pay off every debt the bartender is owed.

The stranger calls Franklin by name "Frankie, people say you like to play games, you like the finner things in the world." Franklin is a giant, stands a foot over any other man in the bar with hands the size of small melons. Franklin nods and the stranger goes on "so do I, but between you and me, when I play I win, and I don't ever let a man leave the table if there is a coin left on it."

Franklin laughs at the stranger "I like to win also. But the only way a man gets that good is if he isn't playing by the rules."

"Nonsenses," the strange looks about a wide smile on his lips "I just bought a drink for you and everyone who wants one for the rest of the night, What part of that isn't playing fair?" he then slaps Franklin on the arm "I've got my cards on me and looking to play a hand, join me.

You win you and J.J. will never have a problem in the world again."

Franklin tips his head "Or."

The stranger sets up a table, shuffling his cards and setting out a stake of chips "I take your life, one year at a time."

"what does that mean?" Franklin wants to fight but a chair pulls itself up under him pushing him into the table. Once the cards have hit the table Franklin can see that the bar's patrins are nothing but piles of bones on the ground. This is devilry at its finest Franklin takes his gun and shoots the gambler till his gun runs dry the shots pass through him like water.

"Have you ever heard the word shinigami?" the stranger ask, Franklin shacks his head

"then let me introduce myself, my name is Greed, and I am a shinigami."

"so Greed what is your game?"

"you are marked for death, if you beat me in a game of poker, you live till you die, if not you never leave that chair." Franklin is a smart man, but not too smart, he can see that the cards are stacked against him, he does the only thing he can as the game drags on he finds a pin and a cuts the word Shinigami into his arm, J.J. will find him dead in the morning, and with no way to save his own life, he can at least have revenge.

J.J. does find his brother aged to death buy the monster, and he finds the note cut into is arm with the pin. If there is one thing that J.J. has more than most it is tenacity, this death after seeing so many more leads him to a rage that would send him cross country looking for the devil. In his rage he finds a rusty book with the letter W cut into the cover, there he finds a spell to call the demon to him. Next he finds a witch named Loretta Belmond who forges him a gun that can kill even a god if need be and that is the plan.

A shard of glass struck by lightning, a chickens lag, a bit of his own tongue, a cross pounded out of iron, and a ring dipped in salt. J.J. is ready to fight the devil.

J.J. calls out to the monster and he appears just as he had to Franklin, Greed smiles

"Jessie..."

Jessie doesn't wait for the sales pitch, he shoot the Shinigami in the lag. The monster falls onto its knees "shut your fool mouth. I came for my brother and if you don't show him to me right now I'm shooting again."

"you mean Franklin."

J.J. shoots him in the arm toppling the shinigami "what part of Right Now did you not get! Try again."

"where on earth did you get an Avatar weapon?" Greed ask

"God dam it, next Ill shoot your eyes out!"

"What!" Greed orders, "I am a shinigami, a god of death, I can only take life, to give it back you need a god of creation: Chaos, Mammon, DayO, someone stronger than me."

"then you better start hollering!"

"New Orleans, there is a swamp hag with burning hair there, she knows how to call on

Mammon."

J.J. flips his gun over like a hammer and slaps Greed across the jaw "if what you say is anything less the true, I swear on all that is holy I will chase your ass all the way to hell just to shoot you one more time."

J.J. leaves the half dead god there on the ground as he hops the train to New Orleans, and into the den of the waiting witch. The witch looks like a child not yet sixteen, her hair is a flashing red, her eyes a flaming yellow, her ears sharp like a hound and her voice deep and hungry with sexual thought. The center of her home is a burning coal pit, sixty or more feet deep shimmering orange with an undead light.

"I'm here for Mammon." J.J. explains.

"I know." The witch goes on "that is why I have this." She shows off a box of spell components. "you are not the first to try to bargain with him, if you speak and he doesn't like what he hears he will..."

"Miss, I don't give a fuck."

The witch cast her spell calling a flock of birds out of the hell pit and together they form into a slender man glowing purple eyes and ivory skin he looks to the witch "Meyu, I have been asleep for a hundred years, why did you call me?"

The witch Meyu points, the god Mammon looks to J.J. the power rolling off of Mammon is stunning. J.J. fights though the pain cased by looking into the face of god "You killed my

Brother, I want him back!"

"greedy, and selfish min have often beckoned onto god to salve there menial strife and never have I give in. what does it mean to be a perfect conductor if every man with a dream can wish for once to change their plans to fit their own needs? " Mammon walk slowly to J.J. "how brave you have become, once men fainted at my sight but you star with knife filled eyes. But have no fear, I can heal your emptiness. If it is to be with the one you love you wish I grant you that." Mammon wraps his arms around J.J. and with a kiss sucks the life form his body. "You were once full of loneliness, now you are not"

***

Slim spills though the walls, Teeth shatter stone and the roof is stretched being held only by the ooze dripping in, the voice of Kari silences all other sounds "Baba-Yung, the most beautiful of my gloomwings, Have you just committed the most high of blasphemy's? Have you tried to chain your god to a mortal form?"

Baba stretches out her wings and her beak drops open hissing as she tries to threaten the

God that she has called on "more than a dozen times you have called on me to fight your foes,

you think none of them have bargained for their lives? Many have spoken of your fears, one even gave me a spell to..."

Kari speaks "You are sloppy, your spell is weak, you misspoke the binding, and even if you hadn't I see no powdered glass in this ring of power. Your magic is powerful, but this time you failed. I am not chained in place." With that Baba-Yung falls to her knees as Kari reaches

into her chest with a invisible hand a starts to strangle her hart.

Jessica throws her hands in the air and then thrust her staff to the ground vengefully. A blinding light flows through the staff and the ooze seems to cower form the Weaver's light, Baba doubles over struggling to breath. Kari howls with laughter. "Tiny Prophet, do you intend to fight me?"

"We brought no weapons because we do not intend on fighting, we intend on talking." Jessica explains.

"And what is it you wish to speak of my puppet." Kari inquires

"The plagues, stop them." Jessica orders

"why?" the God ask

"your point is made, we are leaving. One more weak is all I need."

"I told you, you had fourteen days to leave Graywall."

"yes. But we will give you the whole of the island if you simple let us go. My mate is going to gather the tribes; we will be gone before the frost."

"I will just as soon send this place to the bottom of the sea."

"If that was your wish you would not have named me your Avatar. You would have simple crushed us under your mighty claws. You were once called Cravixs god of Emptiness now you are Kari goddess of Creation, you have changed. But what part of you speaks now, the Cravixs or Kari?"

"Cravixs or Kari, Tis' nothing but a name, we are each other nothing more nothing less."

"Baba-Yung lives, the plagues end, we the beast of Graywall willingly offer this island as a sacrifice barring you allow us all to leave unhindered."

"You play to my vanity. I like that. But your sacrifice is only material. The island is already mine. This world is mine; there is no formation of rocks you can give me that is not mine to take already. But, there is something you can give me."

"what is that?"

"Your hart, your soul, your flesh, give it all to me."

"What need do you have for flesh?" Jessica acts unshaken, but the sweet running down

her tail tells the tale, she is tarrifide, thoughts of escape are clear in her mind, Kari is asking all to much, but thinking about what is on the line, is her body and soul a fair trade?

"Do you remember the story of the crows? We traded our flash and are hands for wings and feathers, we feel no warmth. Right now you are my Avatar, now I wont a Vessel. Jessica the

Weaver will become the body of Cravixs." Jessica is frozen, the room shutters the oozing cancer breaths a scolding breath over the room "Give Yourself to Me!"

In haste Jessica responds "Granted." The slim moves close ready to infest her body "but first..." she calls out and everything stops in place "Guaranty my people salvation."

"I know that part already, anything else?" Kari ask in a seemingly hormonal frustration

"You will facilitate our exoduses."

"And...?" broadly Kari asks

"only after my people have come to a suitable home away from here will I submit to your

will."

"FINE!" Kari bellows "transportation will be provided, an endless food supply for our journey, and Ill throw on top of that timelessness for everyone under your wing till the moment you arrive at the promise land I will provide. Then your body belongs to me?"

Jessica nods. Baba and the doctor both look at Jessica, their faces flush with fear and confusion at the idea that Jessica just gave her soul away. Jessica will die so that her people may live. But is this the end of a story or the beginning? Only Kari knows what happens now.

***

After Cravixs vanishes the church starts to come apart, Jessica and Baba-Yung leave and slowly watch the pits and pieces of the structure crumble away. Corn finds her and tips her head as a strange sadness can be seen on Jessica's face, it is as if she aged ten sessions in just a moment, Jessica doesn't speak to Corn, she instead wraps her arms about her taking in the warmth of her body. In that instances Jessica becomes like a child and Corn the wise old women.

Book 3 the Goddess

Chapter 26: The king of the Republic

Odidimuse is not a large man, not even by his own people's standards. Bing of smaller sizes has a hand full of advantages but is not without a hindrance to boot. His arms and legs are short; his hips sit close to the ground, in a fist fight this makes you fast and gives you leverage over a taller man. On the other hand your lungs suffer, Odidimuse is also hefty and old on top of that, these things don't lend themselves will to flying.

At takeoff having just been caring a number of younger and more fit passengers Warwing wants to fly high and fast. It doesn't take long for Odidimuse to start to become ill and ask her so get closer to the ground.

The skies are a bright orange, it is late in the year, the farmers are pulling up their fields filling the air with clay and dust giving the air a strong sent only a farm boy could fully explain. It takes Odidimuse back to his youth to see the golden vallys once more. It seems somehow fitting, gold fields of grain filled his childhood dreams with wonder and now approaching the winter of his life he sees them from atop the wings of a giant, a perspective most dream of as the vantage of the honorable dead.

Odidimuse filled the summer of his life with greed and grandeur, he feels as if he has decreased himself. Now he has one last changes to redeem himself. Strange as it is, if not for the suffering he had seen in the past day's he might never have looked so deeply into himself and seen all the things about himself he is unsatisfied with.

Warwing calls up "we are almost to Acorn Woods, that is where the king of the Unpine

lives."

Odidimuse thinks hard for a short time "Yes. But go past it, carry on to Winterskiss." "Winterskiss?" Warwing sounds unclear.

"Yes, I want to see the king of your tribe first. Think about it my girl, it will take you one day to reach from one end of the island to the other and then come back. Now if I need to spend half a day at each camp on the way then this flight will live little time for our escape." Odidimuse coheres his mount.

"that will leave no time to escape. Don't spend half the day at any camp." Warwing is upset.

"and even if I spend only the time to eat and drink in each town we still have no means of moving the people and so we need the strength of the Rok on our side."

"I do not know how much strength my brother will offer you."

"he will offer as much as he can."

The wind is stiff, it makes Odidimuse eyes water as they fly, Warwing is unharmed by the splitting wind, Warwing is angry at this point, she had little interest in seeing her brother. This time had to come, sooner or later she would need to make this trip but after there last argument she had secretly hoped she wouldn't have to.

***

When the two travelers reach Winterskiss Warwing lands atop the roof of the central monument, what was Winterskiss? Not even the Weaver can remember. It is a compound so large it can even house thousands of Roks, the walls are so tall it takes twenty Roks standing on each other's heads to reach from ground to ceiling. When the Roks found it so many years ago it housed little but a hand full of stone figures, a device made up of mostly string and hammers that made a strange sound when touched and a painting of a monkey like beast most unhappily hanging from a dead tree swarmed by a gleeful crowed.

To Warwing's surprise Caliguluse seems happy to see her, he prances over joyfully tying a branch of figs around her neck as he dances about her. "Elizabata, my most beautiful sister, welcome home." Caliguluse provocatively slides his beak under hers tipping her head back, as Warwing looks back down at him Caliguluse touches his tongue to her noise. "Come in side at once. I have something to share."

The imperial bird waves one wing back ushering the two of them into his living space.

There they are greeted by a stonework monster that seems to be a stone representation of Caliguluse but ten times his size. Caliguluse spreads his wings and fans his tail mimicking the stance of his statue. "The King of the Sun. Caliguluse, the divine made flesh, Bask in my glory for I have just crowned myself the new patron god of our tribe, and you my queen. May all your eggs grow to match the glory of their fathers."

Odidimuse looks up in confusion "you named yourself a sun god?"

Caliguluse jumps forth lowing his head looking for the sound "who speaks? Why?" Odidimuse climbs down from Warwing's back "are you a mad man. You can not name yourself a god."

"why not. Who gets so say who gets to be a god if that power is not in the hands of a king? I am a perfect god. My power is unmatched, my word is law, I have laid eggs with every women on this island that is worth my blessing, and every man and beast in this hall has roosted with me. I have dominated everything since the passing of my uncle"

"that makes you loony to say the least. Not god." Caliguluse movies in close to Odidimuse touching his beak to the rats chest, Odidimuse steps back placing his walking stick between them proclaiming "take a step back if you don't mind."

"But I do. What is a rat doing in my den?" Caliguluse orders.

"I am Odidimuse, King and keeper of Graywall and I have come in times of grate hardship to employ the aid of my brothers."

"We are Roks you are a rat, you will find few of your brothers here, and even if they came changes are they are food."

"Nonsense, you Caliguluse are my brother, and it is you I seek."

Caliguluse lifts his head looking about boredly, he locks eyes with Warwing. "Elizabata, my lovely. I can taste your love in the air. why don't you lay an egg so long as you are home."

Warwing squawks in frustration "Are you Ill brother?"

"quit the opposite, do you remember when you and I where yearlings and you caught Worm-tongue fever, the sage gave you a mixture of apple hart, beet sugar and Tree-grass soup to cure you. It was the most vile drink in the world you told me, simply dipping your beak in it nearly killed you. But it did kill the worms. The drink made you strong, the day after you drank it you could feel no pain and where stronger than three birds..."

"I was also blind and dumb that day." Warwing adds

"all that strength from one beak full. I have been tasting the potion for weeks, now I can drink a bathing vessel full of it and gain all the power with none of the weakness."

Odidimuse taps his staff to the ground "enough of this silliness, call your chamber at once, I must address your tribe at the earliest possible conveniences."

"the chamber to which you speak is me and no one else. The rest of the congressmen are dead, I tossed there empty shells to the see."

Warwing tips her head asking "how?"

"I ripped off their wings." No longer entertained by the questions Caliguluse rushes forth pushing Warwing over, the smaller bird girl falls onto her back pulling her lags into her chest and spreading her wings in confusion as Caliguluse places his claws on her wings to hold her still. A slight chuckle escapes Caliguluse as he rest himself over Warwing.

Warwing Cries and flaps about trying to regain her balance. Odidimuse outraged crawls up Caliguluse body and sticks his walking stick up Caliguluse noise. "that is about enough of that

I think." Caliguluse freezes in place as he can feel the pressure form the stick under his skin.

Odidimuse lifts the stick slightly pulling his Caliguluse head backwards "now I don't know if you are mad or just plain crazy but if you can't contain your demons I would be happy to do it for you. Now here is what I need form you King of Winterskiss. Our island is about to fall into the see and we need to movie everyone in the kingdom to Graywall and then off the island..."

In a struggle against a beast larger then oneself an indispensable rule is 'Pain Compliance' this rule states that you must use the minimum amount of force to hold your target at bay to do otherwise triggers a survival reflects allowing your opponent to push against the pain looking for relief and Odidimuse forgot about it in his anger. Caliguluse flicks his head back standing up and in turn throws Odidimuse onto his back.

Warwing starts to stand but Caliguluse stomps on her chest to hold her down.

"Preatorians!" Caliguluse yells and a dozen birds flock into the room. In an instant Warwing is in chains and Odidimuse is capture in the mouth of one of the solders "Dress my sister as a hen and bringer her to the entertaining hall, as for the rat, give him a spear and some fighting garbs, he is going to duel Dux." The two of them kick and scream as they are cared off but there cries fall on deaf ears.

***

Odidimuse is outfitted in tableware are marched into a sandpit with a fork and a plate as weapons, the fight is clearly exploitation, Odidimuse is meant to die for the entertainment of the so called bird god. Theatrically Caliguluse lifts his arms to the sky and calls down to the mouse being dragged to his pending death "If one wishes to come into my home with dreams of overthrowing the words of their god-king let this fate be known. Slay my Dux and I will hear your words otherwise..." Caliguluse points at his Captain "Dux, bring me my tribute! Kill him gently."

Odidimuse calls back to Caliguluse fruitlessly "your vanity will be the death of you Caliguluse."

Dux is in old women, well passed her breading age, she has a bald spot on her chest and only one eye, the skin on her lags is bruised red and yellow as reminders of a hundered battles she has fought and one. Odidimuse can only assume that Dux has served as the elder hunter to this tribe for many generations

"have no fear my pray Muninn will not forget your sacrifice." Dux calls as she holds her wings and feet apart awaiting the order to attack. Odidimuse holds the plate before himself hiding behind it, he tuck the fork behind his back gripping it hard. The battle is hopeless, there is simply no way that the aged king can hope to overpower the weathered warrior before him. If her beak grips his chest or head she will break him in two, if her claws grip him surly she will rend him asunder. Odidimuse can only hope to outsmart this hero of a hundred battles.

Birds sing a song of suffering in honor of the combatants, Caliguluse ties his flowing rob tight around his body as he lowers down to a resting position alongside his chained sister. Dux hisses low as she drops her head and fans her tail revealing her massive size in all its glory.

"FIGHT!" Caliguluse orders.

Dux charges forth thrusting her head at Odidimuse, Odidimuse throws the shield after being struck and falls onto his back. Odidimuse was a once trained in hand to hand, he cant remember much and he was never good but he remembers the simplest and most important parts, how to fall down without getting harmed and how to stand back up without jumping into your enemies arms or giving the your tail. Odidimuse land flat on his back, he holds his arms away from his body to maximize his surface area and minimize the stress on his bones form the

fall.

Dux is standing over Odidimuse, Odidimuse rolls onto his side resting on his hip and one elbow, he pulls one lag into his chest for cover and holds one hand up pointing his fork. Dux swings her beak stabbing at him. Odidimuse rolls side to side transferring his weight from hip to hip to keep out of her reach. After a dozen rolls Odidimuse swings his fork up stabbing at Dux beak but it bounces of the hard cartilage. Dux opens her beak wide and goes to pick up

Odidimuse. Odidimuse shoves the fork into her uvula when she exposes her mouth to him.

Enraged Dux take the fork in her mouth and thrashes side to side peeling it away from the king of mice. Resting on ones back is about the worst place one can be, you are slow when on your back, it is hard to protect your vitals and it is hard to find ways to redirect an incoming assault. Odidimuse moves his feet onto dux beak when she comes in for another bit and pushes off her making himself roll head over heels then jumps to his feet facing her. He has made distance, and that is a good thing, Odidimuse understand that it take more time to block an attack then throw one so a dozen steps give one time to look around and come up with an attack plain.

Dux stomps forth. Seeing nothing else in reach Odidimuse swoops down grabbing a fistful of rocks form around his feet. He throw the handful of earth at his attacker, she growls and spins in a loop lashing with her wings and her tail as she shacks the rocks for her feathers and sneezes Odidimuse eats a wings strike and falls over again. The shear mass of his target being overwhelming, but having been hit from the side lets him drop his shoulder in and roll back upright.

When Dux faces front again she is filled with furry at the honor-less maneuver. She picks one foot up and thrust it down at her pray, Odidimuse slides off to the side to stay away form the grate bird. Dux shuffles off to fallow her target kicking him. Odidimuse grabs dux foot and claws his way up her body. Dux lashes side to side and Odidimuse holds on to her for all he is worth. Dux throw herself onto her side feeling Odidimuse on her back. Odidimuse flips around hiding on her chest as she rolls on her back then swings around onto her side as she rolls onto her chest. But again Odidimuse is outdone, he fails to remember that a bird's neck is not shaped like a kobolts and she can looks straight down and straight back. Dux grads Odidimuse in her mouth as he tries to run up her neck.

After taking in her environment for a time and coming to understand who is who in this presiding Warwing makes her move. Warwing jumps to her feet and slides her mouth around Caliguluse throat just under his beak, she pushes down and back bending her brother over in a most uncomfortable way. She calls out to the Preatorians, "free Odidimuse or a tare the king beak from his face."

Caliguluse giggles "you can't do that." As if not fully aware of his surroundings he moves his wings around Warwing's body rubbing up her sides.

"you have pealed wings from men's backs you know I am powerful enough to crush your skull with my jaws." Warwing starts to squeezes her brother to make her point known, only then does Caliguluse start to take heed of what has happened and flap is wings calling for aid.

The Preatorians start to move in to attack Warwing, Warwing turns her eyes calling to them "one more step and we see if my brother really is a god." The guards freeze waiting orders from there king.

The thought of death at his sisters hands sobers Caliguluse in a hurry and he calls out gagging "drop Odidimuse, Dux!"

After Dux drops Odidimuse Warwing stand up and stand atop her brother proclaiming her dominancy. "I am Elizabata, rightful speaker of the Republic of Winterskiss; All in this house that remember my name give me your ears. Ragnarok is coming, but I have found us escape, but to escape alone is to live without the wisdom and honor we pride ourselves on so greatly. King Odidimuse and Jessica the Weaver have a plane to save all of us from the wraith of Kari. In the names of the first king and queen Huginn and Muninn lift your wings and come with me if it is glory you seek!"

as if with one voice All of Winterskiss call out to their queen. Warwing steps off of her brother and looks down to him her eyes full of love and forgiveness "my beloved brother, you have done much without honor, but all you have done has been with the good of the commonwealth in mind I have no doubt. When hunger and fear run rampant a lonely voice must rise up to calm the fire. You are drowsy, your head his heavy from the weight of the, allow me to carry your burdens for a time." She slides her head under her brothers beak and runs her noise up his body nuzzling him like a child.

With only the slightest of nods Caliguluse gives into Warwing's offer "by the power vested in me by the Republic of Winterskiss. Let it be known to all that today Caliguluse and is five hundred strongest fly to the aid of Graywall Keep" cheers echo as far as can be heard as Winterskiss ralies to the aid of their king, and to the aid of their onetime friends. A relationship that died with the passing of the old king now risen with but a spark.

Still dizzed form the battle Odidimuse does not cheer but instead sits on the foot of Dux, only scantly breathing, Dux leans over looking upside-down at her former rival "you are spry for an old mouse."

"thank you kindly madam." He sruggles to say placing one hand on Dux noise and patting her.

***

With Caliguluse at their back no one stand in to argue with the summoning to Graywall not even the cat. And with each monarch to join the others become only that much more eager to hear the story that lead up to this moment. In two days' time all the tribes of the kingdom have gathered outside the gates of Graywall for the first time in the history of the kingdom.

Jessica the Weaver stands tall on the walls looking down with her most trusted followers at her back. Mother Corn and her family, the Grate and Powerful Rodney, Preston the captain of the guards, Theae the blind, Willy the Healer, and Penelope Odidimuse's Honer guard. "look at them, there are so many of them, what is one to do?"

Preston looks to her placing a soft hand on her back, "and there are more on the way. By sunrise every best in the kingdom should be down there waiting to be addressed. But do not loose hart this is what the some of your life has been leading to. Your finest day."

Penelope speaks up. "Odidimuse and Warwing are looking for Monty, he has not been seen in four or more days. I hope they arrive soon."

Jessica looks to Corn. "Corn, I will pass soon. When I do, I hereby pass my name and power onto you. Everything that is mine hereafter becomes yours shy of my staff, glasses and the robe off my back." Jessica removes her bangle and hands it to Corn. "Even this, the symbol of the ancient power."

"is this not the sources of the weavers power, and are you not immortal?"

"maybe my body is, but that will not mater soon. I can not give you give my memories however much I wish I could, but this is a good start. When my mate returns go to my home and take every book you can find, have Warwing hold them for you, surly you will find my spell book and with my bangle you will have the key to unlock it."

Corn nods not fully understanding the strange way Jessica is talking.

Baba-Yung looks to Corn, Baba hops onto her arm and whisper with her "Jessica is not misleading you. She has done something unspeakable. When you are the Weaver, remember always that you are a image of light standing against the darkness. You must become even grater then Jessica is if you wish to honor her name."

The lot falls silent for a time.

Chapter 27 the Last Day

Odidimuse would track down Monty in time, but when he does he is not the mouse he once was, sometime in the last several days demons had taken his mind, and his hand. He has become a snarling monster crawling around in the hills not far from the farm-ships. Odidimuse brings Monty home but never expect him to recover from whatever wickedness he had seen after leaving the capital.

***

All present stand and star at the Weaver as she leers over the wall. In the time she has stood her face has changed from one of fear, to one of anxiety, to the perplexing look that a kitten gets when it first sees the awe striking power of lighting crashing into the earth. From there her eyes seem to fall out of focus and what she sees then, what she feels then no one can know, it is as if her eyes turn inwards, no longer looking onto the crowds but instead into herself.

At one point in this intense glare Pepper rest his hand in Jessica's arm to ask her what she is thinking about, but Jessica rolls her arm in a small ring removing his hand form herself pushing him off. Even after Odidimuse returns the silence stands firm.

One last change of expiration, A desperate narrowing of the eyes, a fever curled of the lip , and her ears raise on point. The look of a hunter, the look of a killer, Jessica has channeled all of her strength, all of her wisdom, all that she has seen in her timeless life has boiled over in her hart for one moment of glory.

Jessica throws her hand and her staff into the air and shouts out to the crowed calling all in the kingdom to heel. Jessica is a lone tiny Kobolt but her voice is heard by all. Only by the grace of the stars can this be possible, every voice falls silent to hear the words of the prophet.

What did Jessica have to say? She dare not start with speaking of the moment that they live in. no. she speaks to the crowed, she harkens to the past. She did what she has always done. She reminds everyone of who they are, she invokes the names of hero's, she respites the written history and it's most magnificent moments, then recalls the spoken history as only the sages and bard of years past remember it.

Jessica offer the performance of a lifetime, what the Roks and the Gloomwings would call 'the Song of Swans' and what the Kobolts and Unpine call 'Magnum Opuses'. The words she spoke will never be spoke again, and even if they where it would not be the same. When Jessica sings the songs of the past the hills stir and kings weep. Some even think that the stars in the sky shed a tear. It was a solitary moment of peace in a land littered with blood and war that never seemed to halt.

Jessica's last words are confession, God had touched her, God had spoken to her, God confided that the devil has come to their homes, and that a battle between the earth and the sky is at hand. God had offered the people of this land forgiveness for their crimes, and that she would pay the blood-toll for their salvation. Jessica offer to act as a mother one last time in her life, she insist that the kings and their families meet her at Odidimuse home that she may cook for them and discuss the future. But she speaks little more.

It would seem that there is not a dry eye in the kingdom outside of Jessica's. It is as if she has cried her last tear already. Her packet with Kari is starting to shine through already.

Jessica turns her back on the crowd physiologicly drained of strength.

Jessica demands that Odidimuse fetch a small fish and a sweet roll. When he hands them off to her she tosses them over the side of the wall and a rain of meat and candy falls into the hands off all that wait bellow.

***

Jessica find she feels quite unwell after her performance but going to the castle and cooking gives her a feeling of contentment, in that content she finds peace and in peace wellness.

Not a one of the seven kings dare turn down Jessica's offer for fine dining at the presidential hall. But the mood is hardly one of joy when the lot of them find themselves I such close chambers. Odidimuse takes his set at the head of the table, he looks over to Preston, "My boy, when was the last time I sat in this set?"

"I think it was when Jena died."

"Will I ever sit in this chair again?"

"I don't think so."

Tor, the Darkling king pounds the table to get Odidimuse to look at him. "I saw you had a heifer. Unless my eyes decisive me she is Ownlog Aoliath, she is a criminal awaiting judgment.

Give the cow to me."

Caliguluse looks to Tor "why, you want to eat her?"

Tor grunts "she has killed many min. now it is her turn to die"

Caliguluse laughs "if there where one like her under my wings I would honor her for her good works."

"What good is a cow that has no milk to give" Tor ask his peers

Odidimuse looks to him folding his arms tight "If the cow has no milk to give then place a spear in its hand and call it a dog"

Tor waves around the table, "of all the kings at this table you are the only one, Odidimuse that allows his Queen to hold a set of power. A Heifer belongs on all fours serving her master not on a battlefield."

Odidimuse grunts pulling is arms tightly into his chest and nearly growling "I find your view of our better half disturbing. A girl is more than just a pair of reproductive parts."

"your wife may be something exceptional, but it is the ancient power that defines her not anything of her own doing." Tor heckles

"I don't think that you strong-arm dedication to the past will serve you well in the future."

Tor chuckles "your head is soft old man, you have become half heifer yourself, forgotten how to be a man, so you let a cow tell you how to behave. Is that why you left the underworld for this sunbaked pill of rocks?"

Shada, the lady of the cats looks to Tor "If you think that I am but half a man I will happily show you the power that a mother has."

Tor jumps to his feet at the insult shouting in the Darkling dialect a phrase no one fully understands. Shada matches his furry by brandishing her claws and letting loose a roar like only the cats can do. Odidimuse tries to convince Tor to be seated but it is to late the duel has already begun. Tor pulls a knife from behind his back, Shada leaps onto the table on all fours.

Sigh the Unpine lowers her head rubbing her eyes as she looks to Odidimuse "we can hardly sit in a room together, how are we to survive the trip to the new world?"

Odidimuse lowers his eye "many of us likely will not."

Tor and Shada are both from tribes filled with seasoned killers, but will Tor lived a life of laziness Shada is a huntress, she kills and eats her own food daily. For that resoin alone when Tor leaps with his blade Shada has no fear, she grips Tor's arm and twist his wrist making him throw the blade she then brings In own claw of her own threatening to rip his heart out of his chest.

A fist full of workers shot out to the guards that a fight is under way. The gaurds grab

Shada but she is a powerful foe easily picking up and throwing two guards across the room.

Jessica is called to arm next, she is not so easily amused.

Jessica shouts as she steps into the room "children," She slaps her cane to the the ground and arms reach out off the chairs pulling the combatents back into their seats "blast the lot of you, what is one to do with naughty dumplings!" The tone of Jessica's voice advertises to Odidimuse that she is falling I'll but he dare not speak of it.

The maids bring out the soup Jessica has readied and Jessica sits at the head of the table across from Odidimuse. Sigh looks to Jessica "what happens now, where do we go?"

"North, a bout is waiting for us at the end of the river."

Caliguluse ask "what will we eat?"

"you have so little faith. I will provide."

Tor looks her up and down "who will lead this party?"

"trust in me, I know the way."

Shada questions "Will this journey be unhindered?"

"No, demons will try to block are path."

Shada continues "and how will we deal with them, swords and spears?"

"Tornados and lightening will clear us a path."

Tor mocks Jessica "and you an old cow will do all of this?"

"you can chose to have faith, or you can chose not to, it counts for little."

Tor asks again "But how will you do all this?"

"Have I not made myself clear?" Jessica tips her head and widens her eyes confused by the ignorance.

Caliguluse looks to Jessica again "and this demons? Will we escape them?"

"no, not all of us."

Caliguluse looks upset "and how does not?"

"I will not tell you."

Tor points to her "it is not that you will not, it is that you cannot, not even an emissary of god can be taken for granted if it is a cow they speak through."

Jessica's eye turn discreetly from green to purple "the wise do not tempt the lord."

"you are nothing are you? You have deceived all of us to play some kind of game."

Jessica rises from her chair and walks around to Tor "treed softly for you know not where your master dwells." Jessica's hand finds Tor's cheek and his hair turns to silver and skin takes on the look of stone. The faint glow in Jessica's eye becomes ever harder as she drains away Tor's youth with her touch at first softly but then violently as she starts to move in for a kiss.

Odidimuse yells "Jessica!"

Jessica's eyes widen as she notices what she is doing, she drops Tor halving drank away half his life with her touch. The purple light fades form her eyes as she backs away sniffling in fear. Jessica runs off. Silence falls over the kings. Sigh looks at Tor concerned for him "How do you feel?"

"cold." Is all Tor can come up with.

***

Jessica hides in Odidimuse bed chamber, she walks over to the mirror in the room and runs one hand around her neck feeling herself. Her eyes glance up and down as it seems she is confused by her appearance, she is younger, the dusting of gray in her fur has given away to the light brown and tan of her younger years.

She giggles slightly smiling at herself but then freezes as her fingers find something on her neck that is alien to her. Jessica grips the imposing object on her neck pulling hard to dislodge it. Jessica finds a slender black bird feather woven in with her fur, a dribble of blood trailing it as she rolls it between her fingers. At first Jessica thinks it must have come off of Baba-Yung but the hot blood dripping off of the feather is more than proof enough that it did not.

The door swings open loudly as Monty walks into the room squeezing a spear in his claws to tightly that his claws are punching the flesh of his hands. Monty is babbling as he falls into the room "on the first day, the bird showed me a doorway, behind it a turtle breath fire and a mountain grows wings laughing at the white bird by my side. And then the second day, the bird showed me a river, and the river was filled with thoughts, I drank of the river and I was filled with life, but the life did not belong to me for the life was given by the giver of all life, we walked along the river till we came to a man with four heads, he holds a scale in his left hand and an axe in his right, he calls himself the judge of life, and throw him is the second gate..."

Monty faces Jessica, he throw his head back screaming "Come little child! Come to me!

You and Me! We will Be! But a part of Me!"

Jessica's Reflection in the mirror is what calls back, not Jessica herself, the reflection is wrapped in shadows as if looking through smoke, only the eyes are clear, glowing with in evil light. "Hello Scara." Jessica stands to face Monty "your mind is not your own, a daughter of Chaos is inside you."

"Come little child! Come with me, came and stay with me forever!" Monty starts to sing. Monty runs at Jessica swinging the spear.

Jessica ducks the first swing, Monty counter-swings, Jessica holds up both hands grabbing the spear, she pulls down with one hand and up with the other pulling the weapon off balance, she rolls the innermost hand slightly then pushes inwards then pulls out to brake Monty's grip. Jessica jabs Monty in the gut now having control of the spear, she slaps him left then right left then right again then jabs and uppercuts with the butt of the spear sending Monty into the ground.

Monty howls demonically, his eye turn white and his teeth drip with a steaming ooze. Monty's skin tightens to his body and spike line his face as he starts to stand again. Hearing the fighting spectators start to gather in the room, all are stricken dumb for a short time seeing

Monty transforming onto something part Kobolt and part bug "Avatar, I will eat your heart." Jessica drops the spear and places one hand to Monty's head the other holds him by the arm. Flames spill form Monty's eyes and mouth as he howls in mortal agony, a holy light fills the room burning and angelic image into the walls as Jessica fights the demon.

The monster is powerful but is no match for Jessica's divinity, the holy fire make Monty's body inhospitable and the monster in the form of a centaur like spider falls form his mouth. Monty falls to the ground losing all control of his body. The room bathed in holy light is no more welcoming to the extra-planer beast and it summons a black-hole into the room to escape though.

The white light burns away leaving the image of Jessica with angelic wings scorched onto all four walls burned into the room itself. The evil cleansed form his body Monty will recover, the events of the past largely looking as a half remembered dream to him.

Chapter 28: Into the Unknown

With the turning of the next day the prophesized hour comes. The streets of graywall begin to fill with spiders then the song of Scara can be heard carried on the wind, the monsters spider queen is coming.

All the armies of the kingdom gathered it is everyone's wish to stand and fight, on last glories battle to mark the end of an era. Even Jessica briefly gives into this idea, standing atop the walls of Graywall she holds her hands high blessing her people so that the spiders can do no harm but when the queen herself comes onto the battlefield her blessing is shattered.

Scara holds up her mandibles showing off her epic scale "Keeper of Tamriel. Do if feel the magic of my father upon you? I am a princess, you are a court jester. What do you hope to do to me?"

Jessica summons her ancient power turning to flames to fly over the battlefield to meat Scara face to face. The kings and the apostles gather at the castle watching with much interest and fear as the battles come under way. Odidimuse looks about noticing that Jessica has flown off. "What on earth is she doing?"

Baba-Yung looks unapproving "making a fool of all of us."

Corn slaps Odidimuse on the arm, "Jessica told us to go North did she not? Now is the time, we must fly." The apostles nod and move with purpose, the brave and the strong movie to the front to make room for the young and old alike to start there retreat.

Scara looks down at Jessica as she stands before her holding out her staff ready for battle.

"You have Mana on your side, how interesting." Scara lowers her head to get eye to eye with Jessica. "it will do you no good." Scara brings one claw down to crush Jessica.

Jessica holds on hand aloft cascading light form her body that stops Scara's attack, Jessica movie her hand forth and the shield becomes a wall of water flowing fervently into Scara momentarily pushing her back. Quickly Scara adapts and the water magic has no effect.

Jessica glows brightly with purity as she commands "leave now and no one needs to

suffer."

Scara enters Jessica's mind letting Jessica see the hive minds of the spiders, all at once she can see though all there eyes, feel all they can feel, taste all they can taste. The air is thick with death, the people of the kingdom are fighting bravely, but all the armor all the weapons and skill the races bring to one another is amounting to so little. The blight of the spiders seems a hopeless swarm to overcome. "Silly girl, we have you outdone a thousand or more to one. Fight all you like but this is my sandbox, and I will do as I please."

Distracted by an overload to her senses Jessica is defenseless. Scara movies in for the kill taking Jessica in her mouth, Scara seems to have mouths within mouths to use as more and more teeth come from all sides punching and squeezing leading her into its body. Jessica can do nothing but give in. Jessica's eyes close as she is drowned in saliva.

The battle is chaos, there is no order, and even if there where the spiders can out run or our minuver most anyone with little thought do to the link they share. The Rok are the strongest of the ranks, and stand the best changes at survival with hit and run tactics, picking up spiders in there claws and tossing them away, or eating them. But the spiders learn there tells fast and counter by setting traps and binding the birds to the ground.

The Unpine are smart, there rock bombs kill spiders fast. But there artiliry is not unlimited. Of the races the Unpine are the smallest and so are quick to turn tail when the battle turns tide. The spiders can see this and attack from the flanks.

The cats are skilled hunters attacking from dark corners, jumping atop their pray and crushing them in a single blow more often than not. The cats trust in there armor, lair over lair of skin wood and metal. There weakness lies in their code of conduct, the cats like to fight alone, and if only they knew how to fight shoulder to shoulder there shields would make a nearly unbreakable defense. The spiders do not fight one on one, they fight a hundred to one whenever they can.

In the underground Darklings are something to be feared on the surface they are weak. The light blinds them, there sword smiting is without equal in this land but a sword is of little use when you cannot swing it.

Koblots count on there speed and sharp ears and noises in a fight, there skills are balanced and they have no exploitable weaknesses. Number are all you need to overrun there ranks and that is just what Scara had in mind.

Only half the town reaches the rear gate before the spiders take control of most the city.

Ownlog stands probe the only Darkling that has adapted to fighting on the surface. Tor, Odidimuse and Sigh watch the rear gate protecting it and ushering others to escape. Caliguluse has taken to flying in and out of the battle field with Dux and Warwing by side caring away whoever they spot to the outside of the walls. This quick becomes a hunt and peck mission.

A dozen spiders move in to ambush Odidimuse Sigh and Tor. Ownlog is well adapted to this attack and movie in to assist. Ownlog runs up the wall of the nearest structure and Jumps atop a spider drilling her swords into its eyes as it springs the trap.

Odidimuse swings his staff pushing against one but his staff is of little effect against spider armor, the Grate and Powerful Rodney throws his ax to aid the king of mice. Pepper steps between Sigh and her attacker grabbing the spider by the teeth and twisting it to flip the monster.

Preston stabs down with his short blade to finish off the beast.

Ownlog is a berserker, she dances for monster to monster in a spiral of blades killing four singlehandedly. Rodney pulls his knife and steps into the next spider driving his knife into the soft under-skin of its jaw and into its skull. Rodney call to Ownlog as the struggle carries on

"Maybe some one will write a song about us."

Ownlog snarls and barks "shut up and fight."

Pepper finds a discarded mace nearby taking it up reading himself for the next monster. Corn fires a cluster of arrows into an approaching monster to aid her son. "this is not going so well." Corn expresses.

Odidimuse yells out "Jessica! Where are you."

A baker's dozen fireballs rain form above creating a funnel the spider must run through to narrow there assault, Baba-Yung calls down "Killed in battle with Scara."

Odidimuse head drops in despair. "I'm sorry. I should have acted sooner."

Pepper yells at Baba "what! Why didn't you protect her?"

Baba yells back "Why didn't you?"

"you're the hand of god aren't you? Summon some kind of monster or something..." Baba squawks "I can't do anything without Kari telling me to."

More spiders start to rush the gate, the battle is over. Any who have not escape already simply will not. Odidimuse waves the last line on. "it is time to go, Sigh destroy the gate."

Pepper calls to Odidimuse "But not everyone is accounted for?"

"the cost of war boy. There is nothing left for us to do." Odidimuse explains as the

retreats.

Pepper is determined to stay till Corn takes him by the arm offering him a kiss repeating the order "it is time to go."

Tor turns to Ownlog "thank you for your help."

Ownlog grabs Tor by the back of the head and pulls him down onto her sword impaling him, Ownlog doesn't kill Tor, she mortally wounds him, she takes him by the hair and throws him to the ground in the spider's path sacrificing him "of course master." Ownlogs path for vengeances is over.

The walls of Graywall come crashing down. The spiders are still coming, this only buys a moments head start. The Apostles run alongside the kings protecting them as they bring up the rear of the exodus. Rodney steps alongside Preston taking a knife from the knight to rearm himself "thank you chap. So I fancy fish for dinner tonight how do you feel?"

With hardly a time to breath spiders start jumping out of the grass at them. Preston braces his sword with is forearm rolling a spider over himself. Rodney stomps on the spiders chest then dips into a kneel stabbing it in the side of the neck then keeps paces with Preston. "I feel like the cost of this fight is quickly becoming unacceptable."

Rodney chuckles "but what a story to tell the dumplings."

From a short way ahead Penelope calls "statues report."

"one third of our troops are unaccounted for." Preston explains "Update." He request.

"Air support is running out. Caliguluse believes the spiders haven't reached the river yet.

Should I hold this position?"

"Negitive. No one else is coming." Preston grabs Penelope and she joins there run.

***

Scara walks into the heart of Graywall gloating over her victory. The acids of Scara's body slowly melt the dead remains of Jessica... till she opens he eyes, her eyes now a burring purple. The sky over head rips open as the mighty void comes into this world, in all its glory it covers the day sky from horizon to horizon. Scara stands frozen unsure what is happening.

The void speaks in a tongue no living beast speaks but everyone alive understands it "For three thousand years I have slept. Only my dreams walk amongst you whispering history to me. Scara daughter of my sister, for too long you have eaten from my plate. Feasted on the souls of those that are rightfully mine, my Avatar gave you an avenue of escape. You thought it would be more fun to smite me? Behold the King of Tamriel has risen.

Scara giggles "good morning father. I'm just playing. Go back to sleep."

"play or no play you raised enough hell to call me here. Return now to our kingdom or I will drag you there." Scara has a moment's hesitation as she looks about at her playground. Jessica wraps her fingers around her staff and it grows a long hooked blade from its tip forged of evil fire, Jessica swings the blade down into the spiders intestines cussing a vomit reflex spitting the Weaver onto the earth.

Jessica speaks with the voice of Cravixs overlying her own. "you can have it your way Scara." Tornado's start ripping out of the earth sending rocks thousands of feet in the air, fire spills form the cracks in the top soil. Ice swirls around the weavers hands. Jessica punches her hands off to her sides and a web of darkness entwines the town. All the spiders and anything else caught in the web die instantly, there lifeforce sucked into Jessica to feed her growing need for strength

Scara cries "Father stop!"

Jessica glares into Scara, Jessica's glance alone starting to turn the spider to stone. The void sends down a set of hands forged form lightening to pick up the dyeing goddess nd suck her back into their world.

In a flash the battle is over, but the integrity of the island is compromised, water spills in from the groundwater tables starting to drag the land back to the bottom of the sea. Jessica turns to fog flying to the land's end.

When she turns back to herself, she has grown even younger, back to the prim of her life. She is strong and sexy her body reset to when she was but sixteen seasons old, her glasses now hinder her so she hides them away.

The survivors of the battle are just arriving Jessica appears. Still possessed by Kari Jessica looks to the ocean stabbing her reaper into the ground and calling forth a whirlpool to part the ocean and reveal a ship made of steel half the size of the island itself t seems. Holding back the water with her force of will she orders the people of the kingdom to flee to the ship. No one dares do otherwise.

Pepper runs up to Jessica hugging her when he comes into sight. Still burning with power she reaches down placing one hand on his back holding him to her body taking in his warmth. "I thought you fell in battle."

Baba-Yung exsplains "she did. Look at her eyes, that is not Jessica the Weaver, that is

Kari." Peppers head lifts to look into Jessica's eyes, what Baba has claimed is surly true

Jessica rubs the boy's back, her head up and tail raised exhilarated by the ecstasy of warmth on her skin. Jessica turns to the apostles. "Go to the ship. It is time for our exodus." The last of the vagabonds make their way to the sunken ship. Once Jessica has set foot on it the ship wraps with sliver and the years of rust melt away bringing the ship to the peak of its glory.

Glowing orbs line the ship so it never grows dark, wood, sliver steel and glass adorn the walls with an artistic flair like few have ever seen, even Caliguluse finds himself amazed by the grace of the ship "Allure of Seas" is written on the side of the boat: it is more than 40 bodies langh form the desk to the top of the tallest tower on the vessel, there are more than 3000 doors lining the ship, each door leading to a new room, walking from corner to corner of the main deck takes 3555 paces. Every cupboard abord the 'Allure of seas' overflowing with food, no mater how much food is taken out the cupboards never have any less food.

The see falls back into place and the ship is afloat, for days the void is all that can be seen in the sky, but once is retreats the sky is still dark. The ship movie of its own will as if pushed on its path by the ghost of the fallen. Jessica stands unmoving, unbreathing for days on in at the port of the ship watching the world roll by. Life on the ship is good for a time, no one grows ill, and in fact many believe that they are growing younger and stronger as the days pass.

Weeks, maybe months pass as the ship movie across gray water and blind white sky. From time to time Jessica enjoys a moments clarity and in that time she tracks down Corn to keep her promise teaching her how to use the ancient power. But quickly the darkness takes her again.

As luck would have it Corn learns that Jessica had given knowlage of the ancient power to many beast around the land, including Sigh, Caliguluse, Baba-Yung and Odidimuse (who in turn was Monty's teacher) Corn seeks out the other practitioners of the ancient power to try to understand what has become of Jessica.

Monty is the first to come to a conclusion "most beast can call on the ancient power but we are limited in the ways we can forge it. But only a few can even choose what shape the power takes. Jessica is ended something special, her power is nearly without equal. But she reached her plat toe years ago. But when Kari touched her, she took in more power then her body could handle. It looks to me as if to protect itself the mind created a second Jessica, one that is as we remember her, the other a monster that hungers endlessly for things of the flesh. An Id and in

Ego."

Corn ask him "can you heal her like she healed so many of us?"

"I don't have that type of magic at my fingertips. Maybe Baba-Yung?"

"How long can she live like this?"

"if not for the blessing of the fire princess I imagine she would have died long ago. It is the ancient power that is killing her and the ancient power keeping her alive."

Corn hunts every book and studies every spell for a year looking for the magic she wishes for. Many find so much strange about the ship. The young to not grow old, the old grow young, no new lives can be brought onto the ship and it is of no lack of trying. The ship incurages it's riders to read and practice art. But not everyone is impressed with the accommodation after some time.

Many unwise souls question if a new home will ever be found. Jessica is angered by there lack of faith "Have I not given enough yet? I grant you your dreams! I grant you long life! I grant you wellness like few have ever enjoyed! I ask nothing in return. If the ship is not to your liking then feel free to step off the side." When some grow even more angry and try to take control of the ship this leads to punishment. Those that try to fight Jessica turn to stone.

Only a fourth of those that boarded the ship on judgment day live long enough to see land, how long where they at sea? Some think a hundred sessions. Those who are left are not as they were when at last the ship finds land. The tribes have grown close, that which make them different has become hard to see, Unpine and Koblot are but one races with only their wings accenting the divide, the Darklings have grown smart and adapted to light, the cats have lost their taste of flesh, and the Rok have forgotten why they dislike their fellow Graywaller's. They are now a new race, they are five tribes but with only one flag between them. They will keep the name of Graywall but now it is not a name for only Koblot's it is a name for their shared history. It's even put to a vote as to if all their children should be given a uniform education so that all may share the ancient power.

The ship beaches itself, Jessica leads them to their to be home. It has almost no resemblance to the world that was left behind; the air is dry and salty. The ground is stained red with clay, sand reaches out for miles in all direction. A lonely river marks the road they will walk from her on out.

For seven and a half days Jessica is herself, sharing her most beloved of stories, it them becomes clear that Kari's power is fading as food runs dry and the sand and salt sting bare skin. But all are so pleased to have found a new home that this is quickly overlooked. As the sun sets over the sea of red sand on the seventh day Jessica mounts her staff into the ground overlooking the land ahead a since of childlike wonder finds her lip. Her staff talks to her "It is time Jessica."

Jessica turns to the apostles. "Here in the valley of red sand new stories await you. We have walked around the world, our past is lost but not forgotten, a new generation will soon arrive. You will brave the last mile of this trip without" Jessica point to a fork in the river they are approaching. "you will walk west, I will walk east, if the gods of this land are kind, we will meet again and it will be a day of celebration. But kind or unkind gods this trip is not over. Build wall, make them strong. Build a new castle with your back to the river, live the north and south sides open to take in the wind so that you will all ways be able to see where you have been and where you will go next. Build a courthouse where you will rule from a chair not above your people but alongside them. Be fair, be kind, and whatever you do, do it with the greater good in your heart."

The seventh night a fire is built and there is much dancing. Love is strong that night, a strange zin overtakes many. Today is the last day of the old ways with the rising of the sun a new kingdom will be born. What will that kingdom have in its future? For the first time in a lifetime not even the Weaver knows.

With the first light Jessica vanishes. Baba-Yung tries to fallow, but there link is gone, as is Baba's magic, Baba is free of Kari's grasp, now she is only a Gloomwing and could not be happier.

Odidimuse has awaken with the first light, wise with age he understands what has happened and has taken no measure to try to undo fate. Baba flies to Odidimuse side "your mate is gone." She sits on Odidimuse arm.

"she was gone long ago. That soup all those years ago marked our last meal together. The day Scara appeared Jessica died so that we may live." Odidimuse explains "Baba-Yung, I want to build a stairwell in that valley down yonder, we will dig out this gully my stairwell to heaven will be 2000 paces by 2000 paces and it will reach 500 paces into the sky there at its peak we will place a bell, we will cast it out of bronze and call it the 'Weavers Bell' the bell will sit in a cradle and on that cradle I will write all our names. I see no reason what we did together should ever be forgotten. Cravixs claimed he had slept for 3000 years, so our stairwell must stand for 3000 more years."

So it was written and so it was done.

Chapter 29: the New World

Garlic closes the book in her lap an army of small children of many races sitting around her. She has grown old with the passing of the last twenty session, and she has grown wise, she has children of her own now, one fathered by Preston, two with Pepper, and three more how she can't be sure who's are. She looks around the modest room she has set up for her reading.

Garlic has been given a new tittle, teacher Garlic daughter of Corn the Weaver is now Garlic the

Teacher her siblings share her new name, all but Pepper who is now called Pepper the SnakeEater

Garlic looks out her window as the young wait for her to continue her story "it took nineteen and a half sessions to build the stairwell, and many battles were fought in that time, Corn the weaver spent 12 sessions searching the red sand for Jessica's trail and even met Hathor queen of the sands on the way, Pepper launched a siege on the stronghold of Apapi the snake king and turned the five tribes into seven. And now today at the zenith we will see the

Weaver's bell set atop its cradle."

A Kitsuna with one and a half tales and white fur with red spots speaks up "what else happened to the Apostles? Ownlog, Rodney, Warwing, Baba-Yung, Preston, Penelope, Monty?"

Garlic folds her lags tightly and leans forward onto them "Ownlog's story ends the only way a sword-slingers can, fighting alongside Pepper the Snake-Eater she suffers the serpents kiss, after that day she never fought again. The Grate and Powerful Rodney helped build the school we all enjoy today, and has spent the rest of his days making copies of the books for us all to enjoy, his life is bittersweet as he never stops smiling to spit never having seen Meredith again. Warwing to this day can be seen in the courthouse night after night. Preston had in on and off relationship with me, my mother, Cream and Butter but after much fighting over his affections we all thought it best he went work alongside Penelope as the town's blade-masters.

With but one hand Monty was of little use as a magician but he did find work as a master builder, having panted the castle and the grate stairwell..."

A child that is part Unpine and part Gloomwing speaks up "and Baba-Yung?"

Garlic walks over to the window. "I don't know." She yells out the window "Baba -Yung? Are you still around?" Baba flies in the window, the blue of her beak having given way yellow after many years

Baba looks around "I'm still around."

"what have you been up to these last years?"

"I had gone with Corn in search of Jessica but instead found a crypt with a sleeping fire bird inside. I have been with the fire bird learning the secrites of his race."

"Anything else?"

Baba lowers her head and covers her beak with one wing whispering "well, I did lay some eggs too."

An Unipine calls out "anyone know what happened to Jessica?"

Garlic calls out "come dumplings, if we wish to watch the Bell being set into the cradle we must start walking now." Garlic lowers her head thinking "what become of Jessica is something all the teachers and weavers wish to know. Many say she died in the wilderness, some say she become a vampire, I don't think this is true. I would wish to think Jessica went off to the edge of the world and called on Kari one last time. An with all of her love healed the mighty black bird that is Kari with enough strength to brake its own curse and bring the dead god back to life. At long last the black birds curse is gone and the gloomwings can feel warmth and affection just like you and I. Baba, do you feel affection."

Baba squawks "you're embarrassing me."

"didn't the other island also have otters" a mouseling ask

"seeing that there are Selkie here I must assume that they had a paralleled journey to ours, now hush up. We will talk after the dedication."

All the tribes of Graywall gather to watch as the bronze bell is lifted by six men and walked up the 500 steps to the top of the stairwell slowly the Weavers Bell finds its home and Onion the apprentice to Odidimuse picks up a hammer walking over to it. He holds the hammer overhead and swings it into the side of the bell; the bell calls out to all the land 'Graywall stands.'

The next generation is born, the Weavers will tell their tales yet again. The wisdom Warwing had shared with Corn on the day they met ring truer all the time. The greatest story in the world isn't the one we never forget it isn't the one that never ends, it's the one we retell tell the end of time.

The sun has risen on the new kingdom at long last. Some many stories to tell, and with each day a new story began, but let the past never be lost.

FIN

(Last page)

Once the Weavers where the most powerful of People in there land, every tribe had a story teller, but with the loss of the Weaver and the loss of the past begins the fall of a kingdom. A selfish king and a greedy church grows weary of sharing its power and so banishes the Weavers.

Years pass the old way is nearly forgotten, a middle aged mother seeks out an old witch for aid as one of her children are dying. Hidden away in a hallow tree a day's walk from

Graywall Mother Corn finds Jessica the Weaver, once thought a Saint now living as a hermit.

After meeting Corn Jessica returns to her old home and the old gods stir yet again.

Come along on this journey through a land of magical beast, fallow the Epic of a Weaver and of a Mother, see the life and death of "The Story Teller"

(Jessica) she speaks to the crowed, she harkens to the past. She did what she has always done. She reminds everyone of who they are, she invokes the names of hero's, she respites the written history and it's most magnificent moments, then recalls the spoken history as only the sages and bard of years past remember it.

Jessica's last words are a confession, God had touched her, God had spoken to her, God confided that the devil has come to their homes, and that a battle between the earth and the sky is at hand. God had offered the people of this land forgiveness for their crimes, and she would pay the blood-toll for their salvation.

(authors Bio)

About the Author

Dustin Feyder was born in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. He has two brothers and two sisters. He is the eldest. Dustin did a good deal of traveling at a young age but ultimately found his way back to the twin cities. Dustin is a gamer at heart and a frequenter at electronic shows. Dustin got his philosophy degree in his late teens. Dustin has worked in restaurants most of his life but now is working at a grocer near his home. Dustin likes to spend his weekends playing cards with his lifelong friends. He has always had a passion for storytelling. Many of the characters were taken from his other favorite pastime--D&D.