I lay on a bed of rough hewn logs and furs. The smell of the place was pungent, and I noticed a foul odor emanating from the woman sitting next to me. I saw that my leg had been wrapped in bandages and a splint.

I tried to look around, but every movement made my head pound. I could tell that I was in some sort of room. A cramped space, it appeared to be little more than a hollow in the earth with rough hewn boards jointed together above me.

I felt a sense of dread at being confined inside such a small space.

The woman sat watching me, her face hidden behind a mask of ornately woven and beaded cloth. In her hands, she held the object that glowed faintly with a soft, warm light. The disturbing organic crystalline thing seemed to ooze and change shape in her hands.

She spoke, and though the noise she made was harsh and guttural. I heard her soft voice echo within my skull. "You are fortunate. You have been found by one who knows the old ways."

The words sounded foreign, but I understood her meaning well enough.

I tried to say something back, but could only manage a weak, unintelligible whisper.

"Do not worry," she replied. "Your wounds have been tended to. The bone set and torn flesh mended"

Her tone within my mind was flat, and I could tell she was distracted. Though I found her presence disturbing, I had no choice but to accept her help.

So I lay there on my bed of furs, and waited for her to finish packing pungent herbs around the splinted leg.

After a few minutes, she finally stood up. "We need to leave immediately. There will be no rest until we reach safety."

"How did you find me?" I asked.

"I know these lands better than most. I observed you for a time. Seeing if you meant harm."

I frowned. "Observed me…for a time?"

The woman nodded, and her movements seemed stiffer, more jittery and mechanical than before. She was obviously distressed.

"And what would happen if I did mean harm?" I asked.

She froze as the words escaped my lips. "I would ensure your corpse would feed these plants and spirits."

Her curt reply made me wince as each mental word was accompanied by a wave of dizziness.

"Kill me? What for?" I demanded. "I'm just a wanderer looking to make a living in this land."

"That's not for me to decide. Do you understand?"

"No, but since when does any of that matter?" I asked sarcastically. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I can save your life." She said simply. "If you do not agree to join me, then I shall carry out my promise. For it is better to die swiftly and whole, than slowly with the taint that rots body and spirit."

I considered the offer. What other options did I have? At least with the woman, I might get to know something of this world.

So I agreed.

"Very well." I responded.

The woman nodded her stony face once before the pulsating crystal flared once more, plunging me again into unconsciousness.

-----

When I awoke, I was lying on a different bed of furs.

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It appeared to be a larger chamber, different than where I'd been before.

But rather than seeing her, I saw only the woman's shadowy form standing near the entrance, still robed in furs and clutching the same staff and glowing thing as before.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"I must be going," the woman replied. "The storm approaches."

"What storm?" I asked, confused. My voice slurring from pain and exhaustion.

Before she could respond, the room filled with a blinding flash of light. A second later, the light faded leaving spots in my vision like a sheen of oil on water.

Blinking my tear filled eyes, I saw the strange woman was nowhere to be seen.

As soon as I moved, the room shook violently and a wave of dizziness hit me. I struggled to rise, but felt too weak and exhausted to move.

"What happened?" I weakly asked the empty chamber.

I looked around the rough room and spotted the woman's cloak on the packed dirt floor.

Confused for a moment, I failed to immediately notice that the contents of my pack had been disturbed. The leather straps binding the pack had been cut, and my hatchet had been taken, with the remainder of the contents dumped haphazardly in the corner. The pack itself thrown carelessly nearby.

Sitting half covered by my belt of bags was a worn looking leather bound tome. Rolling off the rough sawn logs of the bed, I landed hard on the packed dirt floor of of the cavern, the impact sending a jolt of pain through my splinted leg and aching body.

Somehow, I managed to drag myself across the ground to the dirty pile of my belongings. Extracting it from the heap, I held the book tightly against my chest as I felt the last bits of strength drain from my body.

With a herculean effort, I pulled myself over to the wall and slumped against it while the first wave of nausea passed through me.

I held the book to my chest, my breathing slowing as the dizzy spell receded into the past.

-----

"Miras?" Her voice echoed softly within my skull, the rasping tones of her voice fading in the cramped space of the hollow.

I looked up to see the woman staring at me. Naked and covered in a mix of grime and blood, her staff and pulsating crystal held loosely in her hands.

She seemed surprised to discover that I had regained consciousness, though her face betrayed no emotion.

There was a sense of urgency in her eyes as she regarded me, eying the tome with suspicion.

"Who are you?" I asked weakly, struggling to sit up. "Where am I? Where is this place?"

"You are here because I chose to save your life." She answered. "Though, I'm sure you'll wish I hadn't done so."

"What do you mean?" I asked, attempting to focus on her features. "Who are you?" I asked again forcefully, demanding an answer.

"I am called the Wild Rose." She replied, her mental voice cold and detached. "And you are in one of our sanctums"

"As for the other questions, answers will come in time." The woman, the Wild Rose continued. Her features remained unchanged as her mental voice echoed within my skull.

"For now, you are fortunate enough to be alive. Your injuries have been tended to, and you should recover quickly in both body and spirit once we begin."

"Begin what?" I asked. "Whatever has happened, I can't stay here. I need to get back to Ardalk."

The Wild Rose nodded briefly. "And you shall not. As I said this is merely a sanctuary, a resting place, a shelter for times of need."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, confused by the whole situation. "Did you bring me here to tend to my wounds, or do you intend to kill me?"

The woman suddenly lowered her head, and her shoulders shifted slightly forward. "Some may say there is little difference." She whispered, her matted hair woven through with vines seemed to flow about her face like water.

I looked up at the woman, and her eyes seemed distant. As though she was somewhere else entirely.

I could not help but wonder how long I'd been out of it, and why I'd been asleep at all.

I took another deep breath and forced myself to rise to my feet, the worn leather bound tome forgotten. Grabbing a root that snaked out of the wall and between the rough hewn logs of the ceiling to steady myself.

I limped around the room, trying to gather my scattered belongings.

"…and we are in one of your sanctuaries…" I repeated. "Just like that?"

The Wild Rose nodded, and appeared to study me more closely. "Yes." She replied. "There are many things you do not understand yet. But you will learn them in time."

"Such as?" I asked. "How did you find me?"

She sighed deeply before answering. "That is not important. For now, there are more pressing matters."

I turned my attention away from the woman and toward the entrance to the hollow. A large opening near the center of the circular chamber.

Mist and motes of dust filtered in through the hole in the ceiling. I could barely stand, let alone climb.

My attention snapped back to the woman as she spoke. "We have to move. You will not last long without the aid of others."

I looked down to my left side to see my open pack. All of its contents still strewn about the packed dirt floor.

Trying to ignore how exhausted I felt, I hobbled to the pack and lowered myself to the floor, roughly shoving my belongings inside.

"Where is my axe, and where is my knife?" I asked, not turning to look at the woman.

"I have saved your life," she replied calmly. "I will return your weapons when we reach safety."

"And where is that?" I asked, impatiently. Securing the pack as best I could, considering Its condition.

Amber light flared once more as I passed out, slumping over my pack in the cramped hollow.