said Caius.
“No,” said Ridmark. “She’s exhausted herself. The Magistri can draw too much magic through themselves, like a man undertaking heavy labor in the hot sun without rest or water for too long. If we let her rest, she should be fine.”
At least, he thought so. He hoped so.
“We’d best make camp away from here, then,” said Caius. “The reek of those kobold corpses will hardly help her rest.”
“But the beastmen,” said Gavin. “Will they not trouble us?”
“Beastmen?” said Caius.
“We’ll take a few corpses with us,” said Ridmark, looking at the dead kobolds. Calliande stirred in his arms, her eyes twitching behind closed lids. “That ought to deter the lupivirii. They’ll be able to smell the dark magic.”
“Beastmen,” said Caius. “It seems you have quite an interesting tale to tell.”
“And you as well,” said Ridmark.
###
In the darkness of the caverns below the Black Mountain, the creature some men called Shadowbearer opened his eyes.
“Well,” he said.
Fury stirred within him. He had come so close to ridding himself of Calliande at last and claiming the soulstone. He would have preferred to kill her while she was helpless and powerless after awakening, but that idiot Qazarl and his pet fool Vlazar had made a botch of it.
It was Shadowbearer’s own fault, really. Mortals were so easily corruptible…but rarely made reliable servants.
No matter. He had time yet. A year and a month since the omen of the blue fire filled the sky, a year and a month while the thirteen moons were in proper position and the threshold was open.
There were other ways to obtain an empty soulstone, and Shadowbearer had many other servants.
Servants that made a collection of dead kobolds and a few fanatical orcs look like feeble kittens.
He strode into the darkness, his rage, his ancient, eternal rage, driving him forward.
Chapter 5 - Blue Fire
Ridmark had the others make camp in the clearing where he had challenged Rakhaag. The lack of trees would make it harder for the beastmen to creep up unnoticed. He had Kharlacht and Gavin drag a pair of kobold corpses from the river and dump them at either end of the clearing. Ridmark doubted Rakhaag and his pack had ever encountered kobolds before, and he hoped their scent would keep the beastmen away.
They were predators, and predators did not like the unknown.
Of course, that would make it harder to prove that Ridmark and Kharlacht had not kidnapped the lupivirii females and young. Or perhaps Rakhaag would blame the disappearances on the kobolds. Still, Rakhaag had claimed that men and orcs were responsible for the missing lupivirii, and the beastmen did not knowingly tell lies.
As dusk fell, Gavin got a fire going, and Ridmark lay Calliande down near it and covered her with a blanket.
“We ought to be secure enough for now,” said Ridmark. He picked up his staff and brushed some dirt from its length. “The beastmen will rip us apart if they get a chance, but their alpha promised to leave us alone until we came to Aranaeus.”
“Though he said nothing about Calliande and Brother Caius,” said Kharlacht.
“No,” said Ridmark. “If he disagrees, we shall have to contest them.” He looked at Calliande. If she was awake by then, she could use her magic to frighten them off.
But why was she even here?
“What are you doing here?” said Ridmark.
Caius snorted. “Following you. Is that not plain?”
“Pardon, sir,” said Gavin, “but your friends…who are they?”
“This is the Magistria Calliande,” said Ridmark, “and this is Brother Caius, a brother of the order of mendicants.”
“A pleasure to meet you, young sir,” said Caius with a stately bow. “Might I know your name?”
Gavin blinked. “Ah…Gavin of Aranaeus, Brother. My father is the praefectus of Aranaeus.”
Caius nodded. “In whose name does he hold the village?”
Gavin shrugged. “In the name of the village
“No,” said Ridmark. “She’s exhausted herself. The Magistri can draw too much magic through themselves, like a man undertaking heavy labor in the hot sun without rest or water for too long. If we let her rest, she should be fine.”
At least, he thought so. He hoped so.
“We’d best make camp away from here, then,” said Caius. “The reek of those kobold corpses will hardly help her rest.”
“But the beastmen,” said Gavin. “Will they not trouble us?”
“Beastmen?” said Caius.
“We’ll take a few corpses with us,” said Ridmark, looking at the dead kobolds. Calliande stirred in his arms, her eyes twitching behind closed lids. “That ought to deter the lupivirii. They’ll be able to smell the dark magic.”
“Beastmen,” said Caius. “It seems you have quite an interesting tale to tell.”
“And you as well,” said Ridmark.
###
In the darkness of the caverns below the Black Mountain, the creature some men called Shadowbearer opened his eyes.
“Well,” he said.
Fury stirred within him. He had come so close to ridding himself of Calliande at last and claiming the soulstone. He would have preferred to kill her while she was helpless and powerless after awakening, but that idiot Qazarl and his pet fool Vlazar had made a botch of it.
It was Shadowbearer’s own fault, really. Mortals were so easily corruptible…but rarely made reliable servants.
No matter. He had time yet. A year and a month since the omen of the blue fire filled the sky, a year and a month while the thirteen moons were in proper position and the threshold was open.
There were other ways to obtain an empty soulstone, and Shadowbearer had many other servants.
Servants that made a collection of dead kobolds and a few fanatical orcs look like feeble kittens.
He strode into the darkness, his rage, his ancient, eternal rage, driving him forward.
Chapter 5 - Blue Fire
Ridmark had the others make camp in the clearing where he had challenged Rakhaag. The lack of trees would make it harder for the beastmen to creep up unnoticed. He had Kharlacht and Gavin drag a pair of kobold corpses from the river and dump them at either end of the clearing. Ridmark doubted Rakhaag and his pack had ever encountered kobolds before, and he hoped their scent would keep the beastmen away.
They were predators, and predators did not like the unknown.
Of course, that would make it harder to prove that Ridmark and Kharlacht had not kidnapped the lupivirii females and young. Or perhaps Rakhaag would blame the disappearances on the kobolds. Still, Rakhaag had claimed that men and orcs were responsible for the missing lupivirii, and the beastmen did not knowingly tell lies.
As dusk fell, Gavin got a fire going, and Ridmark lay Calliande down near it and covered her with a blanket.
“We ought to be secure enough for now,” said Ridmark. He picked up his staff and brushed some dirt from its length. “The beastmen will rip us apart if they get a chance, but their alpha promised to leave us alone until we came to Aranaeus.”
“Though he said nothing about Calliande and Brother Caius,” said Kharlacht.
“No,” said Ridmark. “If he disagrees, we shall have to contest them.” He looked at Calliande. If she was awake by then, she could use her magic to frighten them off.
But why was she even here?
“What are you doing here?” said Ridmark.
Caius snorted. “Following you. Is that not plain?”
“Pardon, sir,” said Gavin, “but your friends…who are they?”
“This is the Magistria Calliande,” said Ridmark, “and this is Brother Caius, a brother of the order of mendicants.”
“A pleasure to meet you, young sir,” said Caius with a stately bow. “Might I know your name?”
Gavin blinked. “Ah…Gavin of Aranaeus, Brother. My father is the praefectus of Aranaeus.”
Caius nodded. “In whose name does he hold the village?”
Gavin shrugged. “In the name of the village
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