Aaspaelwin knocked on the door to the farmhouse and waited in the sweltering heat. Sekafi leaned against him, her arm hooked around his neck. Her weight chafed against his battered muscles. The door opened. An olive-skinned man with grey hair and a dark beard glared out from the dark interior of the house. He wore simple farmers' clothes but looked well-fed and stocky.

'What?' he snapped and glared at them.

'Greetings,' Aaspaelwin said and nodded. 'I'm sorry to bother you but –'

'Who are you?' the man interrupted.

'Uh...' Aaspaelwin glanced at Sekafi before answering. 'My name's Aaspaelwin, and –'

'Isn't that an elven name?'

'Yes. But never mind that, I'd like to ask you a question.' Aaspaelwin tried again, his patience running short.

'You don't look like a pure elf,' the man stated and spat on the ground. 'You a half-breed?'

Aaspaelwin's face heated in indignation, but he swallowed his pride. He needed the man's help. 'Yes.'

'Thought so. Disgusting.'

'Um...'

'I thought that was forbidden.'

'Not... where I'm from...'

Sekafi growled, and Aaspaelwin felt her muscles tense. He prepared for the worst.

The farmer took a cautious step back but didn't change his demeanour. 'It's not natural, mixing breeds like that.' He crossed his muscled arms and tossed his head. 'What d'you want?'

'Please, my friend's been hurt. And I only ask for some shelter for her so that I can get to the city faster and get help.'

'You've been hurt too. You're still standing. What do I care if your hyena's too lazy to walk?'

Bristling with fury, Aaspaelwin clenched a fist but kept his voice calm. 'She's not a hyena, she's an Ikelos. And she's been poisoned. Can you please help us?'

The man gave them a sceptical look. 'What's in it for me? I don't want no trouble with strangers and half-breeds.'

'Look, I'm sorry for the bother, but I'll return as fast as I can with help. Please?' He hated to beg to this piece of dirt but there were no other farms within sight and before they'd reach the next one, Sekafi might collapse in the heat. By the dark ones, he'd collapse in the heat. 'All I'm asking for is a sheltered place and some water. That's not too much to ask, is it? I'll pay you for the trouble. Please, kind sir.'

'How much?' His eyes gleamed at the mere mention of money.

'I can give you five Talents?' Aaspaelwin said. Too much already, but what could he do? He needed his help. Best not be cheap.

'Five?' The farmer sucked on a tooth and watched Sekafi. 'For keeping that?'

'I can bring back more, but only if she's been properly cared for.'

'Bring me ten more Talents, and I'll let her rest in the shed.'

The shed? Not exactly great, but better than nothing he supposed. At least it'd be shielded from the sun.

'Fine,' he snapped. 'Show the way.' Fifteen talents were probably more than the man made in several months, but Sekafi was worth the price.

The man smirked and strode past them. Aaspaelwin follwed, staggering under Sekafi's weight. He was too tired for this. But he'd be able to travel faster without her. 'I'll be fine,' he whispered to her. 'You'll just rest here, and I'll be back as fast as I can, all right?'

She nodded. 'You know... Aspen... He's an... ass,' she muttered.

Aaspaelwin smiled despite their troubles. 'Yes. But I don't care right now.'

She grunted in answer.

'Here. You can dump the hyena in there.' The man gestured towards a small shed in the shade of some trees. Some sacks of grain and a messy bale of hay stood on the earth floor.

'Thank you,' Aaspaelwin said, surprised. He'd expected something worse. Maybe he wasn't quite as bad as he'd seemed?

Helping Sekafi to lay down in the shed, on a cover of hay, he promised her again to return as fast as he could. With a healer if possible. She smiled at his promises but said nothing.

'Don't die, furball. Or I'll come after you and beat your ass,' he threatened.

A faint giggle escaped her, but it ended in a groan. 'Be careful, Aspen.'

'I will. Stay right here.' He turned to the farmer who observed them with a raised eyebrow, hands on his hips. 'Can I have some water for the trip? I'm all out.'

'Sure, the well's over there.' He sighed and waved a hand towards the back of the shed. 'But be quick about it, and don't forget those Talents when you return.'

'Yes, thank you. I promise.'

The man snorted and left. Aaspaelwin hurried to fill his waterskin, then left the farmhouse to continue down the road. The sun burned mercilessly against his pale skin, and the dust from the road soon had him wishing to empty the waterskin at once. But he had to save it. It'd take him at least another day to reach the city. Against his protesting muscles, he set off at a slow jog. The need for haste giving him more strength than he knew he had.

* * * * *

The city palisade clawed at the sky, tall and imposing. Protective. As Aaspaelwin staggered between the guards, through the open gates, relief flooded his system. Finally. He only had to walk a few blocks to find himself at the council. His lungs burned, his ribs pounded with each heartbeat, and his legs trembled. But he forced himself to move onwards. Just a little more. Almost there.

Soon the great building towered above his head, and he approached the heavy double doors. Two armoured guards watched him passively. He stopped before they told him to and announced his name and intentions.

'I'm Aaspaelwin Selksem, map-maker for the High Council of Toin Caas. I have returned. Notify Lady Hennaja, please. It's urgent.' He pulled out a scroll-case, holding his identification papers. Not that he needed them, he figured. They all recognized him as the only half-elf in the city. But they were strict with protocol.

One of the guards snapped a salute, grabbed the papers and vanished inside. After a few minutes only, he returned. 'You may enter. Lady Hennaja waits in the western hall.'

Aaspaelwin nodded and pushed the heavy doors open. His footsteps echoed in the large hall. The cool air soothed his aching muscles and made breathing bearable again. He'd have liked to take the time to wash and change clothes before seeing the Lady, but there was no time for such pleasantries. He swiftly made his way through the long corridors, careful not to slip on the well-polished, red granite floors. He found the room and entered, forgetting to knock.

He stopped short as the assembled people inside turned as one to stare at him.

'Uh, beg your pardon,' Aaspaelwin mumbled and cast his eyes down. What was the council mage doing here, he wondered. He must have intruded upon an important meeting. Had he taken the wrong door?

'Greeting, Selksem,' Lady Hennaja's rich voice interrupted his thoughts. 'You're back earlier than expected.'

He glanced up. She stood from the table, her dark brown locks framing a heart-shaped, olive-skinned face with dark, almost black eyes. She looked regal in her rich red robes of office, embroidered with golden designs. Numerous bracelets and large earrings completed the picture.

'Yes, Lady,' he replied. 'We encountered some problems, and –'

'What happened to you? You look terrible.' She wrinkled her nose, her sharp gaze travelling over him, noting everything.

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'We found something dreadful. We were attacked.'

'Attacked? By what? Highwaymen? An animal?'

Aaspaelwin swallowed, his throat dry like the desert. 'No. It was some kind of monster.' He cringed as a memory of teeth and eyes swam before his vision.

'Monster?' a dark slender woman with short, tightly curled hair asked.

She had to be all the way from Akashi in the south, or even from Shintas to the far west, Aaspaelwin thought and nodded. 'Something huge, with many legs and eyes and...' He couldn't breathe, his heart hammered under his ribs, threatening to break out.

'Are you sure?' Lady Hennaja asked, a worried crease between her brows.

'Yes! It was like nothing I've ever seen before.'

The council mage spoke up. 'Tell us everything you remember.'

Focusing on the mage's narrow face and attentive brown eyes, Aaspaelwin forced himself to continue. The monster wasn't here. 'It attacked out of nowhere, and it almost got us both. If not for Sekafi's quick thinking and prowess in battle, we'd both have died. She saved us. The thing was black and had a long tongue that appeared to be poisonous. It had a long tail, and it was really quick.' He dried some sweat from his face and wiped it on his dirty tunic. 'I'd say it was at least as tall as a big horse, but much more muscular and with a long body. It had hundreds of eyes, and horns.'

'Did it have a lair? Was it protecting something, or simply roaming about?' the mage asked.

'I-I don't know.'

'What about the place? Was anything off with the forest?'

'Yes, actually!' Aaspaelwin had all but forgotten it as thoughts of the monster had taken over his thoughts. 'The closer to the monster we got, the worse the trees looked.'

'How so?' Lady Hennaja asked, with a glance at the mage.

Aaspaelwin told them of the sickness, the bad tasting water, and lack of animal life. He wished to be done with it, so he could get to the matter of asking them to hire a healer for Sekafi.

'Was there an altar or something nearby?' the mage asked.

Lady Hennaja turned to watch him at those words. Did he know something, Aaspaelwin wondered. 'Well, there was a large standing stone there, but I didn't get a good look at it. We were rather busy with the creature.'

'Interesting.' He scratched his beard. 'Did it have any inscriptions?'

Aaspaelwin shook his head and fiddled with the hilt of his knife. He hadn't exactly studied it. Though there had been that smaller stone. The waystone. A cold lump settled in his stomach.

'What is it?' Lady Hennaja asked. 'You don't seem too surprised.'

'Indeed,' the mage agreed. 'There were rumours. A long time ago, naturally. But I didn't believe there was any truth to them. Were there any signs of people?'

'What rumours?' Aaspaelwin asked. Had they been sent into danger knowingly? Anger simmered and bubbled, giving him a headache. 'And no, not really. Just an old bridge, not used for a long time by the looks of it. And a waystone. I marked them on my map.' He pulled it out from his scroll-holder and placed it on the table.

'Excellent. Many years ago, a sect of Dorma followers was supposed to be active in the area, but they vanished near a century ago according to the historical documents. But that's why scouting the area was necessary, to see if it was fit for expansion.'

'It's not,' Aaspaelwin grumbled. 'And what's a Dorma sect?'

'Dorma is the goddess of disease and decay,' he replied casually.

'Can we not!' Lady Hennaja snapped, drawing everyone's eyes. 'Don't mention her name or you'll draw disaster upon us all!' She made a sign of warding against evil.

'Don't worry, lady,' the mage said. 'Nothing will happen. But I can make an offering to the Heldest temple to appease the gods if you wish.'

Lady Hennaja stood and paced to a window and stared out for a minute. Then she spun around, her bracelets jingling. 'Maybe nothing will happen, but I'd rather not risk dooming us all to famine and disease, if it's all the same to you.'

The mage gave a thin smile. 'Of course.' He bowed his head.

She turned to face Aaspaelwin again. 'Where is your bodyguard, Zand?'

Finally. He let some of the pent up tension out of his system. 'When I was attacked by the thing, she fought it and saved my life. But she was hit several times.'

'Oh. In that case, I'm glad you made it out alive. You're our best mapper.'

'Our only mapper,' the young man seated by her side muttered, drawing an annoyed glare from her.

'Thank you, Lady. But Sekafi wasn't as lucky as me.'

'She died?' Lady Hennaja folded her hands inside the wide sleeves of her robes, a disapproving frown darkening her expression. 'What a pity.'

'Not yet,' Aaspaelwin replied, unable to keep his voice steady.

'Where is she? She's supposed to stay by your side.'

'I left her at a farm. She's severely injured. I beg of you, let me borrow money to bring a healer to her.'

'A healer?' Her eyebrows shot up. 'They cost more than her entire yearly salary.'

'I know. But she'll lose her arm, and maybe even die without one.'

'It's too expensive. And without her arm, she can't protect you anymore. It's unfortunate, but we'll hire another bodyguard. I'll see to it.'

'No!'

Lady Hennaja and the others in the room stared at him again. He hadn't meant to shout, but he wouldn't accept it. He couldn't.

'No. I won't go with another. She's too...' Important? My best friend? He didn't know what to say for a moment and stuttered. 'She's the best bodyguard I've ever worked with, but she's also a very good friend. She's loyal and we're a great team.' He couldn't quite keep the quaver out of his voice.

The lady watched him for a while, her eyes softening. She turned to the others in the room. 'How much would a healer cost for this? And do we have any hold on any of them to pressure the price?'

Aaspaelwin sighed quietly in relief.

The dark woman raised her voice, 'We could ask Serigel. He's a good healer and he does charity now and then. Maybe he'd accept a lower price?'

'Not from us, he wouldn't,' the young man beside the lady replied.

'You're right,' Lady Hennaja agreed.

They spoke in hushed voices around the table for a while. As he waited, Aaspaelwin studied them. His fists clenched behind his back as worry coursed through him in waves. The conversation didn't appear to develop in his favour.

'What is that knife you're carrying?' the council mage asked, stroking his long grey beard, his sharp eyes fixed on the blade.

Aaspaelwin started. 'Huh? This?' He pulled the knife from his belt even as unease settled in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want the blade taken from him. He hadn't even gotten a chance to show it to Sekafi yet.

'Yes. Hand it to me.' He held out a long-fingered, bony hand.

'Why?' He got the feeling he wouldn't get it back if he let it go.

'Selksem!' Lady Hennaja snapped, making him jump. 'Hand it over if Master Owadro wants to look at it.'

'Yes, lady,' he mumbled. Eyes glued to the knife, Aaspaelwin almost didn't dare blink as the mage turned it over in his hands, mumbling under his breath. Master Owadro would realize it was an enchanted weapon and take it from him, he was certain.

'Where did you get this?'

'In the forest. Where the monster was,' Aaspaelwin said, still keeping his eyes on the knife. 'I found it by a corpse,' he elaborated after a short hesitation.

'Curious,' the mage mumbled.

'What is it?' Lady Hennaja wondered, speaking for the entire room.

'These symbols,' Master Owadro said, indicating the runes on the blade. 'Did you observe anything else with such runes on? Maybe the waystone you mentioned?'

So he'd been right, they were the same type of symbols. 'Yes. But I couldn't read them.'

'Naturally. I didn't think...' he trailed off, seemingly in deep thought. Then he looked up again, locking eyes with Aaspaelwin.

He wavered under the piercing gaze.

'Listen, Selksem. I can help you heal your friend. I'll pay for the healer myself if you go back there and find the stones with the runes on. We need to know what they say to be certain what we're up against here, and whether it's safe to assume the beast will stay in the forest, or if it'll follow you here.'

Aaspaelwin stiffened and sweat beaded on his forehead. 'I-I can't read them...'

'Of course not. But you can copy them, and bring them back to me.'

Cold fingers of ice traced down his spine. Go back there? He blinked rapidly, feeling oddly light and distant from the room. Little dots swam in his vision.

'Aspen?' Lady Hennaja grasped his arm.

He stared at her hand for a second, uncomprehending. Why was she holding him?

'Are you all right? You lost all colour.' Her voice was soft and muted, far away.

'I... I'm fine,' he mumbled. Go back to the monster? Sekafi needed his help. He forced himself to focus, turned to the mage again. 'Will you send the healer in advance? She can't wait.'

Master Owadro smiled. Aaspaelwin's skin crawled.

'Of course. But he'll have to travel with you so you can show where your friend is. Does that mean you agree to do it?'

No! He wanted to scream. He didn't want to see the monster again, didn't want to go to that forest again. He didn't want to die. 'Y-Yes, I... guess so.'

'Excellent!' The mage walked closer. His dark blue robes hissed as they brushed over the smooth floor, loud in Aaspaelwin's ears. Eyes glittering intently, Master Owadro held out the knife.

Aspen snatched it back, afraid he might change his mind about it. 'What do I need to do?'