A few days later, Kal summoned Cailin and Kuro to his study. When they entered the study, they found Kal sitting at his desk, poring over a letter. Cailin settled into one of the chairs in the smallest circle and waited, and Kuro folded himself to the floor next to Cailin’s chair. He nudged Cailin’s hip, almost pushing the chair and its occupant over, and got rewarded with scratches behind his ear. This was new behaviour for the massive cat, who had begun craving physical contact with Cailin.

The minutes passed, with the only sound in the chamber being the cat’s rumbling purr and the shuffle of pages coming from Kal’s desk. Cailin shifted around on the chair, trying to stay patient as Kal was clearly engrossed by what he was reading. Cailin found his eyes drawn to the map that dominated the wall across from him.

Cailin had seen it many times in the past, but where it had been blank before, it now sported a few marks on it in a few places. Cailin squinted at the marks but couldn't make out what they were or their precise placement. He rose and walked over, looking over the map and noting that one of the marks was in the valley. If his sense of direction was correct, the mark was centered on the cave where Petram had found the stones…

He was pulled out of his study of the map by Kal huffing behind him, folding the letter and carefully sliding it back into the envelope lying on his desk. He still looked deep in thought as he rose from his desk and walked over to the window, idly stroking his beard with his other hand in a fist behind his back. Cailin waited, still studying the map and its markings. A tense silence settled over the room and its occupants.

When Kal finally turned away from the window, he motioned Cailin to one of the seats in front of his desk. Once seated, he slid the letter over to Cailin, and nodded to him to read it. Cailin carefully pulled out the letter, unfolded it and started reading. The script was flowing and curved, and used language Cailin had always assumed to be used by the upper classes, but the message was clear.

The letter oozed fear and distress, and openly begged for aid. The capital city was awash with the special soldiers, the streets were beginning to run with blood and the regular army disbanded and exiled from the city and surrounds. But the most distressing news was the public execution of the king. The writer explained how he was literally torn apart by the soldiers, his various body parts displayed on spikes at the gates to the city.

Every male child below a certain age had also been killed., including the princes. The city had been purged and no one knew why. All that was known is that the high priest, Geros, now ruled ostensibly until a new king could be chosen. Cailin frowned, the questions bubbling up in his mind along with images of all the dead he had seen in the chamber below. He read the letter twice before folding it up again and sliding it back into the envelope, then sat back in his chair, scratching at his beard as he mulled over the letter’s contents.

As he was brooding, Kal slid another letter over to him, this one much smaller and rolled into a tube. Probably delivered by pidgeon, Cailin thought, as he untied the string holding it closed, and carefully unrolled it. The hand that wrote this was rough, jagged and coarse, and contained a single line.

I have found it, the letter read, with no salutation or signature. Cailin glanced at the back of the letter, before rolling it up and tying it again. He tossed it onto Kals desk, leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers before him. “What can I do to help?”; Cailin asked, and Kal’s face smiled while his eyes mirrored his sadness and concern.

The elder walked over and singled out a spot on the map. It had one of the marks over it. Cailin got up and joined Kal at the map, staring at the spot intently. “I want you to go here, my friend. You will find a temple there, called Gannons Spire. Go there and search for a man named Belen. Tell him I sent you.”; Kal rested a hand on Cailin’s shoulder. “Belen was my student, many years ago, though now he prefers the simple life of a wine merchant and trader. He will direct you to one of the artifacts. Once you have it, bring it back here.”

Cailin stared at the spot on the map that Kal had pointed out. The map was very detailed, showing cities, towns and villages, and Cailin traced the route he should take to reach his destination. Should be easy travelling, even on foot; he mused. He turned his head, sharing a long look with Kuro before making his decision. “When do you want me to go, Kal?”; he asked, already listing what he would need for the journey.

Kal sighed, and some of the tension left his shoulders. “The sooner the better, my friend. We need to destroy at least one more artifact in order to stop anyone from summoning Ath’Teruk again.” Cailin’s face must have betrayed his confusion, and Kal walked over to one of the bookshelves, reached up and pulled out a faded book. He walked back to Cailin, leafing through the book and when he found what he was looking for, he handed the book to Cailin.

Cailin sat down at Kal’s desk, quickly reading what Kal had given him. The book was a history of the war and the principal actors in it. The chapter he was reading dealt with the one who had started the war. A monstrous being named Ath’Teruk wanted to subjugate all life, to spread suffering and misery to the furthest corners of the world. He had gathered followers, disciples who were in thrall to him and lived only to do his bidding. Entire nations were lost in the spiralling conflict until the Seven managed to split his spirit from his physical body and seal it away in the artifacts.

Cailin snapped the book closed and laid it on the desk, his mind lingering on the description of Ath’Teruk and his thralls. Kal sat down across from him, his fingers steepled before him and his eyes distant. The men sat quietly for several minutes, wrapped in their own thoughts about the days ahead. Eventually Kal sighed and stood up, pulled open one of the drawers on his desk and took out a letter which he handed to Cailin. The letter had a wax seal on in the image of the five pointed star.

“Give this to Belen. Its a letter of introduction, from me.” Cailin tucked the letter into his pocket. He glanced over his shoulder at Kuro, who was sitting where Cailin had left him earlier, idly bathing himself. Kuro looked up and winked at Cailin. He smiled and turned back to Kal.

“We will leave before nightfall, Kal.”; he said, gripping Kal’s forearm. “Rest easy, my friend. This shouldn’t be a problem, and I’ll bring the artifact back soon.” With that, he released Kal and strode from the study, Kuro a silent shadow following him down to his chamber. When they got there, Cailin set about putting together a pack for the journey. All the clothes he had was clothes he had received since he agreed to live in the fortress, and was mostly woodsman garb.

As he was packing, Kuro sat by the door, idly flicking his tail. Cailin glanced over his shoulder, eyeing the huge cat. Don’t you think you should go greet your mother?; he asked, and got a large yawn in response. I’ll go before I leave. Don’t you worry, my friend. Cailin smiled as he pulled open a cupboard and grabbed a spare pair of boots. He eyed the black outfit he had gotten from Ryna, but decided against taking it.

After he had packed his clothes, he took his sword from its place hanging on the wall, sliding it into the beautiful scabbard Blake had made for him. The scabbard was footed in silver, and made of a tough, lacquered black wood with a matching silver cap. Cailin hooked the scabbard onto the left side of his belt, picked up his pack and left his chambers, closing the door after Kuro had slipped out and headed down to one of the kitchens.

When he got to the kitchen, he was greeted by Blake and his wife. The pair had already prepared a package of food for him, and spoke very little as he packed it away. They left the kitchen together, walking down the long staircase to the main entrance hall. They stepped out into the fading light as the sun touched the edge of the cliff, setting the tops of the trees afire but leaving the courtyard in late afternoon shadow.

The stable master, Cade, had saddled a dappled mare for Cailin, and though she eyes the massive cat as he disappeared into the shadows to find his mother, she stood her ground, apparently used to seeing the predators coming and going. The swordmaster Yon, the man who had perfected Cailin’s skill with the blade, was also there, chatting with Cade. When the party walked up to the saddled horse, Cade bowed and scurried away and Yon handed Cailin a bow with a quiver of arrows, and a bandolier with the throwing knives he prefered.

The swordmaster was a lithe man, two heads taller than Cailin but half as wide through the shoulders and chest. His strength was impressive though, born from long years working with every weapon imaginable, and it showed as he and Cailin gripped each other’s forearms in farewell. He had a gruff demeanor, but had warmed to Cailin the time he spent training under Yon.

“You be careful, boy.”; Yon grumbled as he turned away. “I want my knives back.” He strode away gracefully, back to the armory, and Blake put his hand on Cailins shoulder. “You remember everything we taught you, and you will be fine, my friend.”; he squeezed Cailin’s shoulder. Cailin thanked the smith, then stepped into the saddle, turning the mare and slowly riding out into the approaching night.

High above them, Kal watched as Cailin rode into the forest, with the cat following a few minutes after, little more than a black streak shooting into the darkening forest. He folded his hands before him, silently praying for the young warriors safety.

Liran swung her sword as hard as she could, slamming into the edge of one of the special soldiers’ shields, and barely ducked under the replying stroke from his blade. She jumped back, scooping up a shield of her own. She barely hard time to set it properly on her arm and raise it before the heavy blade of the soldier fighting her crashed into it, denting the shield and sending her tumbling.

A heartbeat later, the soldier’s mask was knocked off by a crossbow bolt sprouting from his forehead. Liran stared in horror at the face revealed from underneath the mask. The lips were pulled back, revealing a maw filled with rows of fangs. The eyes had horizontal slits for pupils and had no iris. Instead, the entire eye was a dirty brownish red, hovering over a sunken gap where the nose should be. The forehead was high and rigid, with several rows of tiny horns running up into the hairline from the brows. The soldiers skin looked like untanned leather.

The soldier teetered for a moment before toppling face first into the grass, his chainmail hood shining in the sun. Liran surged to her feet, sword and shield at the ready as she spun around to see the next soldier she had to engage. But the field of battle had fallen still save for the groans of the wounded, accompanied by the stench of death.

Leran lowered his crossbow, letting it hang by his side as he slowly walked over to where Liran was standing. He gave her a lopsided smile as he reached her, flopping down on the grass next to the dead soldier. Liran knelt next to her brother, her eyes sweeping the field of battle. Too many of the dead wore clothing she recognized. For the most part, the men and women who had fought and survived either sat on the blood soaked grass singly or in small groups of two or three, or wandered around the field, looking for friends among the fallen.

“That wasn’t fun. Can we not do that again?” Leran’s dry sense of humor came out at the worst of times, and this was one of them. Liran only grunted, going down to one knee next to him. She let her sword and shield drop next to her, feeling the ache in her shoulders start to ease a bit. The battle had been brutal, the squad of ten soldiers they had encountered in the hills east of the capital city had surprised them, seemingly spewed out from the earth itself. And though they had been outnumbered four to one, they had wiped out almost a third of the defenders.

Liran sighed as she sat back next to her brother, looking out over the dead scattered across her field of vision. She pulled her water bottle off her belt, and took a long drink, offering the remnants to Leran, who waved it away. He lay back on the grass with a groan, still breathing harder than normal. “These things are damn hard to put down. Their armor is almost as thick as their skins, and that's pretty thick. Had to hack one open just for my sword to break while stabbing it.”

Liran said nothing, having been in the battle herself and getting first hand experience on how tough the soldiers were. She picked up her sword, running her gloved fingers along its length, seeing the chips in the blade and the strange yellowish blood adorning it. She quickly swabbed the blade down with a scrap of cloth, throwing the scrap away when she was done. The blood stank.

“Leran;” she groaned as she got back to her feet. “If these things come at us in force, we are finished. We need to regroup and plan for this.” She started walking toward where a large group of their people had formed. She slid her sword back into its scabbard on her left hip, whistling to bring everyone together. When the group comprising mostly of former soldiers from the capital had come together, she had been joined by her brother in the centre of the group.

Her eyes met those of the group, seeing the absence of a few familiar faces. When she spoke, she tried to put as much conviction in her voice as possible. “Gather up as much as you can from our fallen, weapons, armor, whatever we can carry. Including the soldiers that attacked us. We will put the lot of them on a pyre and burn everything else.” She turned to a heavyset man, with wavy dark hair and a heavy beard. “Ricker, take four men with you, and find us wood to burn. There should be more than enough in the woods we passed an hour ago.”

Ricker put his fist to his heart in salute, then picked his four companions and started jogging back over the hill to the woods. The rest of the men and women scattered and began stripping weapons and armor as well as anything else that they thought to be valuable. Some were dragging bodies to a central collection point. The twins also helped with the collecting, distasteful as it was.

By the time they had collected everything, the first load of dry wood had begun trickling back from Ricker, and a few of the men left the group to go and help him and his men. The sun had set when everything was ready, and Liran stood before the pyre, her torch blazing. “For the fallen…” she said softly as she threw her torch onto the pyre. Several more torches followed, along with softly spoken prayers and weeping from those who had lost loved ones and friends.

Leran laid his hand on Liran’s shoulder as they watched the fire consume friend and foe alike. With a final sigh, and a few tears hastily brushed off, she whistled again, hoisted her pack and turned away from the light, leading her group into the dark of night. Several looked back, saying a last prayer for the fallen.

They travelled east until they reached the river, then turned north along its banks. For three nights they marched, avoiding anything that looked suspicious, until they reached the town of Bend’s Rest. A medium sized town, it had a log palisade built around it with two large wooden gates at the north and south ends of the town. When the group arrived at the gates, they were immediately admitted. The twins made sure the soldiers were settled in a nearby warehouse that had been put aside for their use, before finding their way to a small inn close to the center of the town.

The inn was named the Oasis, and was owned and managed by a lean, one-eyed man of an indistinct disposition called Rex. Though he was a grouch most of the time, the twins enjoyed his company as he was outspoken about his thoughts regarding the happenings in the capital. His nature tended to draw the wrong kind of attention, but the presence of former soldiers in his common room made the trouble think twice before knocking on Rex’s door.

When the twins entered the smoky common room, Rex was heading for the door, dragging an obviously drunk patron by the collar of his shirt towards the door. He nodded to the twins then unceremoniously pitched the intoxicated man into the street. He slammed the door, dusted his hands and went back behind the bar followed by a wave of cheers and laughter. The twins ordered ale from a serving girl, and when it arrived, they settled in to wait.

They did not wait long before a figure shrouded head to toe in a dark cloak slipped into the inn and made its way to their table, perching on a chair without invitation like a giant crow. The voice that emanated from deep within the dark hood was gravelly and rough. “Report. Leave nothing out.”; the command in the voice was unmistakable, but Liran laid her hand on her brothers arm before he could speak.

“Let me.”, she said to his puzzled glance. She waved over a serving girl, ordered three plates of food, lamb with roasted vegetables and bread, and waited until it had arrived before starting to speak.

“We went to the capital to scout around, as you asked. The situation is the same. More special soldiers are appearing almost daily, and the amount of cruelty in the city is increasing. People are being forbidden from leaving, and those that manage to sneak out are hunted down and either imprisoned or killed on the spot. No one is talking about what's going on in the palace or the cathedral. Anyone heard asking questions or voicing complaints are rounded up and disappears.”, Liran spoke softly, barely audible over the background din of the inn.

She sipped from her ale before continuing. “We gathered as many of the exiled soldiers as we could. Fortunately, most of them kept their arms and armor, so they were ready to go at short notice. But we were ambushed by a squad of the new soldiers. The cost was high. We lost two men for every one of those things we took down.” She swallowed before continuing, “They aren’t human. Wherever they come from, they aren’t human.”

The cloaked figure leaned forward on an elbow on the edge of the table. He was silent for several minutes, then said to Liran, “I must send a message to Kal then. We may need the aid of those in the fortress. For now, carry on with your tasks. Gather as many men at arms here, as you can. We will need them all before this is done.” Without a further word, the cloaked man stood up and swept out the door, leaving the twins alone at the table.

When the serving girl came past again, Liran dropped a few coins on her tray and stood up to leave, her brother close behind her. They made their way quickly to the warehouse where they had left the others, now cloaked in the velvety darkness of late evening. One of the guards patrolling the streets around the warehouse hustled over when he saw them, and after a brief salute, pressed a letter into Leran’s hand. The twins slipped into the warehouse as the guard went back to his patrol.

Liran left Leran to read his mail and climbed into the loft where a space had been set aside for her and her brother. She lit a lamp and pulled out a map of the countryside, picking five villages and one fair sized town to travel to, on the opposite side of the river. They would have to leave tomorrow, after repairing their weapons and resupplying their stocks of arrows and bolts. Grimly, Liran made a note to begin packing and wearing some form of armor. She did not want to feel so naked if they had to face the capital soldiers again as she had during the ambush.

As she rolled herself into her bedroll, her thoughts dwelled on the soldiers infesting the capital. What were they? And where did they come from? Her mind still gnawed on the questions as she drifted off to sleep.

Geros was furious. The news the woman, Ariadna, had brought him after her mission to find the stones had failed was beyond galling. And he knew that his master would be displeased. His fury was turned on the messenger. He towered over her, wiping the blood off his knuckles, looking at her writhing on the floor were she fell after he smashed his fist into her face. A single blow would not satisfy him though.

He bent over, grabbing her by the hair and hauling her to her feet and punched her in the midsection. The force of the blow was hideous, and she gasped for breath while dangling by her hair. He sneered at her as she coughed blood, little drops spattering his cheeks and lips. “Our master has no time for failures!” he hissed at her. “And you have failed him!”, he screamed as he flung her into the opposite wall of his chamber in the cathedral.

Her head bounced off of the cold stone, and she crumbled into a heap on the floor. Her whimpers of pain only infuriated the priest all the more, and he kicked her solidly in her midriff, eliciting more bloody coughing from her. He sneered as he knelt beside her, grabbing a handful of her hair and pulling her head up so he could look in her eyes. His sneer became a smile that radiated vicious intent.

He rose to his feet, still with a fistful of hair and began dragging her from the room. She screamed, grabbing his wrist and trying her best to either pull free or get to her feet, but he was too strong for her and was walking too fast. He dragged her down one of the corridors at the back of the cathedral, until he reached a plain wooden door. He hauled her to her feet before slamming her against the wall again, holding her in place with a meaty hand clamped around her throat while he fished in his pocket for the key to the door.

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He finally found the key, unlocking the heavy lock with a resounding clank and pulled the door open. Stone stairs fell away into a dark maw, and Geros unceremoniously threw Ariadna down them. He followed close behind her, hearing her body smack against the stone on her way down, ending with a final crash and breathless, pained cry echoing up to him.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Ariadna had already crawled away from the entrance, probably seeking a hiding space. Geros sniffed, ignoring her for the moment and raised his closed fist, flicking his fingers open and causing the torches and candles in the underground chamber to flare to life. The flickering light revealed a nightmarish vision of what lay under the cathedral.

The chamber was built in a star shape, like two squares placed at right angles on top of each other, and was massive, at least as large as the cathedral above them. Each point of the star held a corpse, eerily lit from behind by a brazier that burned with a green flame. Symbols were pieced together on the walls by bones, strips of skin, drawn in blood and in a few cases, rotten flesh. The symbols were evil, radiating hate as they spiralled out from the center of each section of wall.

Periodically, the corpses in the corners stirred, straining against the hooks and chains they hung from, the jaws moving as if to scream but emitting only a sound akin to the wind softly moaning around a building.

In the center of the room, a deep, double ring had been gouged into the stone, ten meters across, and fifteen centimeters deep.

Both rings were filled with blood.

The blood boiled, and overflowing onto the stone. Symbols formed from the blood before it was absorbed by the stone. The area cordoned off by the bloody rings had been carved with symbols akin to those on the walls, but seemed deeper, darker and more viscous.

Geros grabbed Ariadna by the hair again, pulling her into the center of the double ring. He spun her around, landing a solid knee in her midsection again and as she doubled over, he slammed both fists into her back, driving her down flat. He turned her over, spreading her arms and legs, and pulled up magical shackles from the blood in the rings to bind her wrists and ankles.

The stone beneath her absorbed her blood along with the rest.

She struggled weakly, straining against her bonds with as much strength as she could muster. It was of no avail, but she had to try. Geros sneered again, stepping over the rings and walking towards one of the corpses, at the top of the star. Before the corpse stood an altar, carved from obsidian, and the altar held several candles, ensconced in their own wax, and a large book.

The book was wood bound, scarred and cracked, and was quite thick. Pieces of colored cloth oozed out from several places, marking places in the book. Geros grunted slightly as he picked it up and opened it in the cradle of his arm, flipping through several pages pages before finding what he sought. He grinned maliciously as he walked back to the double ring, depositing the book on a lectern at the edge of the circle.

Ariadna struggled as much as she could against her bonds, but the blood shackles held her down. She watched as Geros brought a small table over, and as several items found their way onto it. A jar with what could only be blood sloshing around inside it. Snakeskin wrapped around the hilt of a large knife. Several candles, sticks of charcoal and incense, a brazier. Geros occasionally stepped into the ring to kick her in the head, keeping her from getting her wits together and using her own magical abilities.

Finally, when all was prepared to Geros’s liking, he began reading from the book, dark chants filling the air around him.

Ariadna watched, horrified, as he stripped naked before her, his robes tossed negligently into a pile. Her eyes widened as she saw that he was erect.

She began screaming again as he stood before her, arms raised as the guttural chanting continued. He stepped into the circles, grinning as he began cutting away her clothing. Ariadna saw that his eyes had gone blood red, with no iris or pupil. She fought to free herself, but Geros waved his hand and the blood restraints tightened further.

Motion caught her eye as Geros cut his way through her clothes. On the ceiling, right above her, a bulge in the stone was moving. A face appeared briefly in the stone, a long muzzle filled with fangs, empty sockets seeming to stare at her for the briefest moment.

Geros chanted on, and finally cut away the last of her clothing. The stone beneath her bare back and bottom began to heat up, as if a massive fire was burning beneath the stone on which she lay. She thrashed, screaming for mercy, until Geros smashed his fist into the side of her head, almost knocking her out cold.

She watched groggily, as Geros reached up, scraping the tip of the knife along the bulge in the stone. The ground beneath her had swollen up, allowing the priest to barely reach the ceiling

The stone split where he had scrapped it, like a blister breaking open, dark green light flooding out from the tear and bathing the pair in its malevolence. A hand began pushing out from the light, claws sinking into the stone like it was soft cheese.

Geros stepped over to the table, grabbing the jar with blood. He dipped his fingers into it, and began to draw symbols on himself, from his legs upward. He repeated the symbols in Ariadna’s legs, her hips and her stomach. He carried on until both of them were covered head to toe, the symbols mirroring each other. He drew a last symbol on his forehead, and mirrored it on hers, but reversed it.

He never stopped chanting.

Ariadna’s attention was drawn back to the thing coming out of the ceiling. It was female in the sense that it had breasts and curved hips, but that's where it ended. It fell to the floor next to the bound woman, allowing her a moment to see it in all its demonic glory.

Two inverted wings, dripping a viscous unidentified ooze, slowly unfolded to reveal a face that would be considered breathtakingly beautiful if it weren't for the completely red eyes, and massive horns curling around the sides of its head and halfway down its neck. It ached out to Ariadna, dragging one clawed finger down her cheek as Ariadna began crying in terror.

It’s wings spread open with a snap, revealing the rest of its body. Perfectly sized and shaped breasts flowed down to an almost too small waistline, rising from there to exquisitely curved legs and buttocks. As Ariadna felt her mind shriek in terror and pain, she noted that the thing next to her was covered in fine scales, which were melting together into a semblance of human skin.

Geros, still chanting, knelt between Ariadna’s legs, pushing her hips down as he bent her knees outward with his legs. Ariadna realized what was about to happen to her, and tried one last time to break free, but it was in vain. She screamed as Geros drove himself into her, her tears mixing with her blood as it was absorbed by the stone beneath her.

With every thrust, she felt her body explore in pain. Her screams mixed with his grunts and chanting, and the creature knelt astride him, its hands on his shoulders. In a moment of broken lucidity, Ariadna saw that the demoness was melting into Geros, like butter melts into toast.

She stopped screaming as her mind finally broke for good.

Geros continued his thrusting, highlighted by breathy chanting in between grunts of effort on his part. His blood red eyes bored into Ariadna’s face as he defiled her. Her empty eyes stared past him, alive but unfeeling and uncaring.

A distant corner of her mind was still screaming at what was happening to her. She could feel a burning sensation spreading from her loins, feeling like she was dangled over a bonfire, slowly being cooked. The pain that followed the fire inside her came in waves, like boiling water being poured into her.

Geros seemed to swell as he neared his end, his chanting hoarse and guttural. A few thrusts later and he had reached his climax, and Ariadna jerked involuntarily, feeling the agony her body was being subjected to. Something was very wrong. Try as she might, she couldn't move so much as her eyelids. She strained against the feeling of paralysis, until her fingers began to twitch.

Momentary relief flooded her, until she found that it was not she in control of her body. She had become a passenger, and something else had infested her body with its malevolent presence.

Geros smiled to himself as he drew a sealing symbol in the stomach of the body before him. Drawing in blood and other fluids always felt pleasurable to him, and he sat back on his haunches as he watched the seal being absorbed into the skin of the new woman before him. She sat up, rolling her shoulders as blood manacles drew back into the ring around her.

Her eyes caught Geros, and as he watched, the red flowed out of them, revealing eyes of lavender several shades deeper than Ariadna’s had been. She shook her head, and her hair changed from silky black, to a deep red. She twisted herself around, prostrating herself before Geros.

The priest had gotten up and dressed himself, the blood and worse on his body drying in the heat of the chamber. He turned back to the naked woman kneeling in the ring before him. “Rise, succubus, and do my bidding.” he intoned, and the woman rose to her knees, her arms folded over her middle as she waited to be commanded.

Geros congratulated himself, and began issuing orders to the newly created succubus, instructing her to seek out the power that destroyed the stones and eradicate it.

The succubus grinned, her incisors as long and sharp as fangs. She rose up, and after a moment, unfurled her newly grown wings, wrapping them around herself in a skillful imitation of a dress, and Geros watched, impressed, as the wings rippled, changing color and texture to perfect her disguise. Without another word, she turned and walked into the shadows cast by one of the bodies hanging in the corners and was gone.

Geros smirked. He had done well, and made a note to make a few more of these creatures, if this one succeeds.

In the furthest corner of her mind, Ariadna’s soul screamed and railed against the monster in control of her body. She was but a passenger embarking on a nightmare.

Far to the north, Cailin woke from a light slumber. He and Kuro had made camp for the night in the forests surrounding the crater, being in no hurry to get to Gannon’s Spire. Cailin sat up slowly in the darkness, careful to make as little sound as possible, reaching out and wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his sword.

Someone comes…. Kuro’s thought drifted across the bond to him, and Cailin slipped out of his bedroll, undrawn blade in his left hand as he quietly moved over to a nearby rock, jutting out of the forest floor.

He scanned the shadows around their camp, drawing a light touch of magic to sharpen his senses. He couldn't see any movement yet, but he trusted Kuro and his judgement.

A shadow caught his eye, slipping through the darkness from trunk to trunk, and Cailin hunkered down lower behind the stone. The shadow moved past his bedroll briefly illuminated in the moonlight filtering through the trees. Cailin looked up, searching for Kuro with the bond, finally finding him high in one of the larger trees. His eyes caught the moonlight for a moment, illuminating them as Kuro tracked the shadow moving through their camp.

The shadow reached Cailins bedroll, and began rummaging around in his saddlebags, pulling out clothing and small items, throwing them aside carelessly. Finishing with one bag, the shadow began unbuckling the other bag, and Cailin decided he had seen enough. In a heartbeat, he leapt over the rock, his blade drawn and closing the distance to his bedroll in three bounds.

Kuro dropped from his perch in the tree, sprinting across the space between the shadow and himself, leaping as soon as he was close enough, but when he landed the shadow had slipped away. A moment later, Cailin ran past, his enhanced vision following the shadow as it darted away through the trees.

He relayed the information to the giant cat through the bond, and Kuro took off to intercept the fleeing shadow. Don't kill it! Cailin called to the cat, getting an affirmative grunt in response.

Leaves and twigs crunched underfoot as the pair chased after the shadow. It was surprisingly fast, but the giant cat was closing the distance fast. Cailin dodged tree trunks in the darkness, skidding and bouncing off the occasional tree he misjudged, but the cat had no such problems.

Kuro got to the shadow first, knocking its feet out from under it with one swipe of its giant paw, spinning around and pouncing on the shadow, his weight keeping the shadowy figure pinned to the ground.

Cailin came running up a few moments later. He slid the last meter or so, stopping next to the growling cat, his sword at the ready. When he arrived, the figure stopped struggling. Cailin slowly reached over and pulled the figure’s hood back, starting in surprise.

It was a young girl. Tears were streaming from her large brown eyes and she had her mouth pressed into a tight line, the terror in her face obvious.

Cailin slowly went down to his knees, one hand on Kuros shoulder to keep him from harming the young girl beneath him. Kuro, get off her… he asked through the bond, and the giant cat complied,albeit slowly. Cailin got to his feet, sheathing his sword and tying his sword belt around his waist, then offered the girl a hand up.

She hesitated, eyeing the big cat looming over her, then allowed Cailin to pull her to her feet. He took a knee, letting a friendly smile steal over his face. He flicked his eyes over her, and aside from a few scrapes and a bruise on her cheek, she seemed completely fine if a little wild around the eyes.

“What's your name, girl?” he asked. The girl looked at Cailin without answering. Cailin glanced at Kuro, who was sitting next to him, idly bathing himself. He put his hand on Kuro’s massive shoulder and said to the girl; “This is Kuro. He is my friend, and he won't harm you. My name is Cailin. We won't hurt you, I promise.”

Still the girl remained silent, the fear plainly written on her little face. Cailin sighed as he got to his feet. He didn’t know what to do, as the girl refused or was unable to answer his questions. He glanced at her again, then made a guess.

“Are you hungry, girl?”; he asked, and smiled when she nodded. So that’s what she was after in his saddlebags. He held out his hand again as he said to her; “Come on. We have food at our camp.”

The little girl gingerly took his hand, and they started back to camp. Before they had taken 3 steps, Kuro had melted into the shadows under the moonlit trees, and his unease vibrated along the bond. Be at ease, my friend. Cailin sent across the bond. He got a muffled snort in reply, and smiled at the great cat’s distrust.

Once they reached the camp, Cailin dug out some bread, jerky and cheese, which the girl began devouring the moment it landed in her hands. Cailin unbuckled his swordbelt and sat back against his saddle, watching the girl inhale the food. Poor thing must not have eaten in days, he thought to himself. When the child had finished eating he offered her his water bottle to wash it all down with.

When she was finished, the little girl walked over to Cailin and wormed her way under his arm, snuggling herself into his side. Cailin wasn’t surprised when she started crying quietly. He reached out with his magic, drawing his cloak to him and draped it over the child and leaning back against the rock.

Kuro appeared out of the velvet throat of the night, sniffing at the child in the crook of Cailin’s arm. So, what do we do? the giant cat asked, sitting down next to the pair. Cailin shook his head slightly. I was hoping you could tell me... , the young man replied. We can’t leave her here in the middle of nowhere, and unless I miss my guess, she is very far from home, if she has a home at all.

Cailin sighed, then a thought struck him. He tilted his head back, closing his eyes and called out with him mind to the heavens. Gaia! We need you!

Kuro raised one eyebrow, then stood and padded back into the darkness. Cailin settled in to wait, watching the moon filtering through the treetops, light playing in the darkness of the forest.

As he waited, he became aware of eyes watching him from the darkness. The sense he got from those eyes were malevolent at best. He eased himself against the rock, his hand casually finding the hilt of his sword on the ground next to him. Kuro…, he called through the bond. We have company. Unfriendly company.

Kuro’s sense through the bond came back instantly. He had been circling the camp, and was heading toward Cailin from behind. Being a cat, he did so quickly and silently.

Before Kuro made it back to the camp, Cailin spotted the watcher. It was perched in a tree on the other side of his camp, squatting on the lower limbs. It seemed to grin at him. Cailin drew on his magic again, enhancing his sight in the darkness. He drew a deep breath when the thing watching him was revealed in the night.

Talons, like an eagle’s, gripped the branch it was perched on. The thing had stubby legs covered in dull scales, tapering to thin waistline with a broad, powerful-looking chest. It had wings wrapped around its body, thin membranes stretched between long, thin fingers. The head looked like a giant bat, triangular, but also covered in scales split by a wide maw filled with fangs. Its ears constantly twitched, as if listening to everything around it. A shiver seemed to run through it, making a sound like coarse sand running off paper.

The thing hissed, a forked tongue darting out from between the fangs as its black eyes stayed focussed on the pair by the rock. As Cailin watched, it swung down from the branch, landing with a soft thud, and began stalking over to them. Cailin shook the girl awake as he rose to his feet, drawing his sword as he did so. The creature stalked forward a few more steps, then reared up on it short legs and spread its wings open, hissing at Cailin again.

Cailin found himself somewhat underwhelmed. This thing didn’t look too dangerous and considered telling Kuro that all was well when he saw the saliva dripping from it’s maw. Where it hit the ground it smoked for a few moments. Cailin pushed the girl behind him, raising his sword before him.

He and the girl began backing away from the thing, trying to get the rock between them and the rearing little beast. Cailin reached out to Kuro, and found him circling around to come at the thing from the side. Do you know what this is? Cailin sent urgently. Kuro’s sense deepened for a moment, before he responded; No. It looks familiar but I’ve never encountered it before. It’s venomous, be careful.

Cailin resisted the urge to snort at the unneeded warning. He kept his eyes on the beast, still standing with its wings flared open. It seemed to rock slightly, side to side, while staring at Cailin. It’s tongue flickered in and out of its mouth, it’s breath a quiet hiss in the night. Cailin got the girl behind the rock, and spread his feet, both hands on the hilt of his sword.

The thing cocked its head at Cailin, quivering its wings as it opened its wide mouth. What happened next shook both Kuro and Cailin. The beast spoke.

“The girl…”, it’s voice was a breathy hiss as it repeated it’s demand. “Give child me.” The voice was cold, high pitched and raspy, as if the mouth had problems forming the words. Cailin’s hands tightened around the hilt of his sword as the beast cocked its head to stare at him again. He spread his feet, keeping himself between the beast and the girl.

Kuro’s sense had swung around and was coming up from behind the creature, and Cailin knew the moment to act had arrived. He bent his knees slightly, blade steady before him as he circled away from the direction Kuro was coming up from. Cailin caught a flash of luminous eyes and leapt forward, his sword tip whistling as he swung at one of the beasts’ wings. At the same moment, Kuro exploded from the undergrowth, clamping his jaws around the other wing and wrenching it aside, tearing the wing out at the shoulder. Cailin’s blade, meanwhile had completed its arc, shearing through the shoulder joint of the beast.

The force of the attacks threw the beast so far off balance that it could only spin slowly on the spot. It made to hiss, but was cut short by the giant cat’s jaws closing over its throat before it was ripped out entirely. It teetered for a moment on its stubby legs before seeming to fold into itself and collapsing into a tiny heap. As with the assassin, a fine red mist began rising from it almost immediately, to disappear in the tree canopy.

Cailin and Kuro shared a long look, then walked over to the girl, who was still hiding behind the stone. Kuro sat down behind her, with his back to her so he could listen to the forest around them, his ears already swiveling around, and his eyes tracking through the shadows under the trees in the complete opposite direction.

Cailin, having cleaned his blade with a rag, re-sheathed it, and squatted in front of the girl, intently staring at her. He asked her why the monster was after her, but she refused to answer, just shaking her head and averting Cailin’s eyes. Her finally gave in, stood up and walked back to his bedroll, having made a decision. When he reached his bedroll, he quickly gathered his things, stuffing them into his saddlebags before whistling for his horse. When the horse came strolling out of the shadows, Cailin quickly saddled her, then tied her to a low branch.

He walked back to where the cat was guarding the girl, pulling his pendant out of his shirt as he did so. When he reached them, he called out to Ryna.

Mistress, he called, your servant calls for aid….

Silence reigned in the darkness of the forest as Cailin waited. The girl had pulled up her hood and was trying to become as small as possible. Cailin kneeled next to her, gently laying a hand on her shoulder, and he could feel the child trembling like a leaf in a high wind.

As Cailin decided to call again, a light came floating through the trees. Cailin got to his feet, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. He was not going to take any chances this night. The light came ever closer, lazily drifting through the trees until it reached the party by the rock. There it stopped, growing in size and luminescence till none could look at it. A figure moved within the light.

The light faded, and Ryna stood before Cailin. “As you have called, I have come, my Acolyte.” Ryna’s voice seemed to fill the space beneath the trees, and Cailin could feel the little girl trembling next to him. Poor thing, he thought to himself. Tonight has been too much for her…

“Mistress,” Cailin began. “This child is lost, and has been targeted by Ath’Teruk and his agents. We must give her sanctuary…” As he spoke, he drew the girl forward to stand before the spirit. Ryna smiled at the girl, who smiled back hesitantly. Ryna held out her hand to the child, and after a moment's hesitation, the child put her hand in Ryna’s.

Ryna pulled the child close, wrapping her slight frame in her robes and smiled at Cailin. “We will give her a home, my Acolyte. I urge you to hurry on your mission. The darkness moves quickly, and we must respond.” As she spoke, light began to blossom around her, and grew into a blazing ball that floated above the ground. “Until we meet again, Cailin.”

The blazing ball of light streaked up into the night sky, and was gone. Cailin and Kuro shared a glance, and Kuro curled his lip in a parody of a grin before fading away into the shadows, already scouting ahead. Cailin stepped into the saddle and followed the giant cat.

From the darkness, a pair of unseen eyes followed Cailin’s movements until he tee faded away into the shadows.