Chapter One

Karai Koro stretched and ran his fingers through his long, pale hair. He reached over the bed to grab the clothing hanging on the post. He pulled on a sleeveless, black shirt and tucked it into his loose, dark colored pants. He slipped on his short leather jacket covering a long white scar running the length of his arm. He strapped a sword across his back. He stamped his feet into shin boots. Taking a strip of leather, he tied back his hair. He left the room, heading for the dining hall.

He was greeted in the dining hall. "Good morning, Karai."

"Morning, Durka." He greeted the giant man with long, wild black hair. "What's for breakfast?"

"Smells like some sort of eggs and mystery meats." Durkatcha snorted in disgust. Karai Koro grinned at his cousin's dislike of Perihama Inn's dishes. He complained about the food everywhere they went, but they had to eat to stay alive. The two young men sat at the long table while waiting for their meal. Durkatcha drummed his fingers on the grease stained table, much to Karai's annoyance.

"Durkatcha, stop that infernal drumming before I add a new scar to your face." Durka continued to rap away at the table grinning at Karai, making the deep scar on his left cheek stand out even more. He finally stopped when their breakfast was served.

A short, robust woman came bustling out of the kitchen carrying a huge platter laden with food. A young girl followed behind her mother bearing two plates and utensils. She placed the platter before the two hungry men. The girl arranged the plates and utensils in front of the men. The two women left the room. They looked at the food in disgust. There were undercooked eggs floating in a sea of grease and mysterious meats smothered in a mixture of lard and gravy. The young men glanced at the food and then at each other. They both wore identical grimaces and gulped simultaneously.

Karai Koro glanced back down at the greasy plates. "Might as well dig in." He grabbed a spoon and plate of food. He attempted to shovel the grease covered food into his mouth fast as possible without choking. Durkatcha watched him for a moment then followed his example with a look of distaste on his face.

After gulping down the unpalatable food, Karai and Durkatcha went outside. "Ugh, remind me to never eat here again," groaned Durkatcha.

"No doubt," agreed Karai. "My mother's cooking is better and she can't even cook."

"No kidding. Aunt Viola may be a great spell-caster, but she doesn't excel in much else."

"Hey, that's my mother you're talking about." Karai raised his fist threateningly at his cousin. "But you're right." He lowered his fist. "She is pretty inept at everything mundane." The two headed back inside to their rooms.

Karai Koro grabbed a small pack from his room and went back to the dining hall. Durkatcha met him there with a similar pack slung over his shoulder and a long dagger strapped to his side. They placed their packs on the floor. Karai placed his hands over the packs. A bright blue-white light emitted from his hands and encompassed the packs.

The packs seemed to collapsed in on themselves, becoming small enough to carry in a pocket without problems. Karai picked up the two minuscule packs and put them in the pocket of his jacket.

"I wish I could figure out that diminishing spell of yours, Karai."

"Maybe someday you'll get the knack of it."

"I doubt it. Every time I've tried it everything in the packs breaks or shreds."

"Don't worry. It'll come to you when you really need it."

"That's your answer to everything, isn't it Karai?"

"Yep." He adjusted the sword on his back. "Let's hit the road, Durka." The two men left the inn and took off down the path at a leisurely pace.

"Durkatcha, you think we'll ever find what we're looking for?" Karai glanced over at the older man.

"I don't know." He sighed. "There's not much call for warrior- wizards anymore."

"That, plus the fact that people fear us and our family's reputation, doesn't help much, does it?" sneered Karai.

"That pig-sticker of yours doesn't help either."

Karai reached up and touched the hilt. "It has its use."

"Sure, what ever you say." Durkatcha looked ahead of them. "We'll be crossing into Glenhelm soon, Karai." Durkatcha gestured toward the forest in the distance. "Stay alert."

"Don't have to tell me. I'm always alert."

"It's just a warning." They approached the woods warily. Karai stretched a magic web of sensors outward. Both kept their ears perked and eyes peeled. Neither noticed anything out of the ordinary.

"Durka, what kinda realm do ya think it is?"

"Not sure. Never been there."

"Hmm, hope nothing can negate my web." Durkatcha nodded in agreement.

They walked into the dense vegetation of the forest.

The men had only gone a few feet when there was a double thwack. Their hands went to the back of their heads while they collapsed. They both hit the ground with a loud thump.

There was a barely perceptible rustle nearby. It was followed by the loud snapping of a twig.

"Hush, Lana," came a voice.

"But, Skylar," whined another voice, "they're out cold."

"Maybe, but one doesn't take any chances."

Two cloaked and hooded figures approached the two still men. The taller figure knelt next Durkatcha's prone form. It reached out a slender hand and placed its fingertips on his temple. It mumbled some words and removed its hand. It looked over at the other cloaked figure who was doing the same to Karai Koro.

Both figures pushed back their hoods, revealing long, golden hair framing delicate, tanned faces of two young women.

"Now you can make as much noise as you want, Lana, without worry," said the taller woman.

"What are we suppose to do with them, Skylar?" She gestured toward the prone figures.

"Search them." Skylar put action to her words by going through Durkatcha's clothing. Lana followed suit with Karai.

"What are we looking for?"

"Anything useful for our people."

Lana rolled Karai over onto his back. He groaned slightly. Both women froze. When he didn't move or make any further noise, the women exhaled the breath they had been holding.

"That was close."

"Lana, are you sure you did that spell right?"

She nodded. "I did it perfectly, Skylar." She looked back down at the young man she knelt by. "I don't know what's wrong."

"Be careful and finish the job quickly."

"Right." She started to search the pockets on the jacket. She looked puzzled when she pulled out the diminished packs. "Skylar, I found something." She held out the tiny packs for her inspection.

"Diminished packs?" She inspected them closely. "At least one of them is a spell-caster of some sort. And powerful." Skylar took the packs and placed them in a pouch she had attached to her belt. "Diminishing spells use a lot of magic." The two went back to searching through the rest of the men's clothes.

Lana pushed back with annoyance the hair that fell in her face. She gently and cautiously rolled Karai over. She pulled down the collar of his jacket and stared with puzzlement. On the back of his neck was a mark that looked like a double hook within the outline of an eight-point star. It was a paler shade than the rest of his skin.

"Skylar, there's a weird mark on this guys neck."

"Let me see."

Skylar peered closely at the mark, then gasped. "Oh, no," she moaned. "The elder will kill us if he finds out what we have done."

"What is it, Skylar?" She looked worriedly at the man and her companion.

"He's a Sacazin."

"What's a sacazin?"

"It's not a what, but a who. They are a prominent family of strong spell-casters."

"And we had the audacity to knock one out." Skylar nodded nervously.

She went over to Durkatcha and lifted his mess of hair away from his neck. "We're in deep drugan, now," she moaned. "He's a Sacazin, too." Lana gulped audibly.

"We have to take them to the village."

"Can you handle a teleportation spell, Lana?" She nodded. They both placed a hand on one of the young men. There was a flash of light and a boom and the four young people were gone.

They reappeared miles away in the center of town in a blinding flash of light. The town was more of a village. The paths were of cobblestone. The mud brick houses surrounded the cobblestone plaza in the center of town. There was one building made of stone. Animal skins of various shapes and sizes fluttered in breeze drifting through the windows of the huts. Some of the thatched roofed buildings looked chard and about to collapse.

Skylar left Lana with the two unconscious men. She entered the sole stone dwelling. "Elder Malkin," she called out.

"Over here, child," came a faint raspy voice. Skylar headed in the direction of the voice.

She followed the voice to an alcove on the far side of the building. She found the elder; a thin, balding, wrinkled man with a sorrowful face. He was seated in a rickety chair next to a cot. On the cot lay a withered, middle-aged woman. The elder was clutching her hand to his chest.

"What is it, Skylar?" rasped Elder Malkin.

"Lana and I did something terrible, Elder." She took a deep breath. "We attacked two Sacazin."

"How did this happen?"

"We were doing what we usually do on patrol and requisition. Their family mark was hidden from sight. We didn't know until after we knocked them out."

"That's not good. Where are they now?"

"The town square."

"You and Lana need to bring them in here."

"Yes, sir." The woman lying on the bed mumbled something unintelligible and groaned softly. "How's she doing, Elder?"

"Not well." He wearily shook his head. "That monster's curse will kill her if we don't break it soon."

"I wish Lana and I could help, but we just don't have that kind of strength."

"I know." He put one hand on the woman's cheek. "She was the strongest spell-caster we had and she's helpless against this curse."

"We'll find a way to help her, Elder," she said with conviction.

"We will try. Now don't you have something you need to do."

"Oh, yeah." Skylar rushed out of the building.

She returned at a more sedate pace with Lana, floating the two prone forms of the Sacazins. They took them over to two empty cots in the rear of the large stone building. Elder Malkin shuffled over to inspect the two young men.

Malkin scrutinized the two strangers. He noticed few similarities between the two. They looked nothing like the Sacazins were rumored to look like.

"These are the two Sacazin?" Malkin raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Yes, Elder Malkin," said Skylar.

"Where are the family marks?"

"The base of the neck, between the shoulders," answered Lana.

"Hidden by their hair and clothing, no doubt."

"Yes, sir," said Skylar. "That's why we didn't know until after we knocked them out."

"The don't look like the Sacazins that live near here."

"What do you mean, Elder Malkin?" asked Lana.

"Yeah, Elder, there are no Sacazin near here," said Skylar.

"They no longer go by that name. You know them better as the Nizacas."

"But, Elder, they're the ones that cursed all our strongest spell- casters."

"If only Nicholas Koro, Viola, and Mikal had stayed here, this would never have happened."

"Who are they, Elder Malkin?" asked Lana.

"Viola and Mikal were the strongest and kindest of the Sacazin before they left. Nicholas was of this village and left with them. He was almost as strong as the Sacazin."

"Why did they leave?"

"They felt that they were needed elsewhere in the world. Nobody has heard anything about them since they left. Except for the odd tales from travelers."

* * *

Karai and Durkatcha shook their heads, groaning as they placed a hand on their foreheads. The three standing over them looked at their faces. Both were pale and drawn in pain. The watched as Karai lips moved silently as he slowly sat up. His hand dropped from his forehead as he opened steely blue eyes.

Karai noticed the three standing before him. Watching them warily, he cast a quick glance toward Durkatcha. Durkatcha was in the process of sitting up, rapidly blinking his eyes. He shook his head trying to clear it. Karai quizzically raised a pale eyebrow at the strange people before him.

Durkatcha grumbled under his breath. "What hit me? How? Where?" He kept repeating over and over again.

Karai turned to his cousin. "Hush, cousin." Durkatcha turned to Karai.

"What's going on?" Durka rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head.

"I don't know."

"I can tell you," said Skylar. Both turned toward the woman that had spoken.

"Do tell," said Karai. "Who are you?" asked Durkatcha.

"I'm Skylar. My sister, Lana, and I knocked you out and brought you here."

"How did you escape my magic sensors?" Karai's voice carried a hint of curiosity.

"We have special cloaks made of dragon skin that hide us from magical sensors." Lana and Skylar held folds of their cloaks in their hands, giving the two men a closer look at them.

"Hmm." Karai got a far away look in his eyes. Durkatcha nudged him back to the present.

"We're sorry for attacking you," said Lana. The two young women wore identical expressions of contriteness.

"Who's the old man?" asked Durkatcha, jerking his thumb towards Malkin.

"This is the Elder of our village, Malkin." Lana motioned gracefully at the older man.

"Elder Malkin, huh? Nice to meet you." Durkatcha held out his hand which Malkin grasped in a firm shake.

"Likewise, I'm sure," said Karai, nodding and accepting Malkin's hand.

"What are your names, gentlemen?" asked Malkin.

"I'm Durkatcha and this is my cousin Karai." Karai acknowledged them with a nod.

Suddenly there was an earsplitting scream from another part of the building. The two women rushed off toward the screaming voice. "Trina!" they yelled in unison.

"Elder Malkin," came a hysterical voice, "come quickly. Trina's dying."

The elder left the two men in stunned silence in a shambling rush. Karai and Durkatcha exchanged a glance.

"Wonder what's wrong with that woman," said Durkatcha.

"We could find out," said Karai. He looked askance at his cousin.

"Let's." The two men left their corner of the building, heading toward the place that the three took off to in a rush.

They arrived to see a woman thrashing wildly in a bed. Skylar and Lana were trying to hold her still while the elder tried to spoon some sort of potion into her mouth. They approached the bed cautiously. When they were within a few inches Karai doubled over in pain with a shout. Durkatcha put an arm around him to keep him upright.

"Karai, what's wrong?" he asked anxiously.

"Magic," he gasped. "Dark magic. Can't you sense it?" Durkatcha paused a moment. His face went ghastly pale and he nodded.

"We've got to help her, Karai." Both men took steadying breaths and stepped up to the woman. Her body was now radiating a sickly green color tinged with black. "That's one powerful curse, Karai. Think we can do it?"

"Yes," he said tersely. The elder and the two young women noticed the two men, then. Their jaws dropped when they saw them start in unison to draw signs in the air and speak a spell none of them had heard before.

On the last word the two men dropped their hands to the woman's thrashing body. A bright blue light shot from their hands to encompass the woman, eating away at the sickly green and black light emanating from her. The woman calmed as the dark light faded and disappeared in the face of the bright light from the two men.

She took a deep breath and opened eyes that hadn't been open in weeks. They blinked rapidly, clearing her vision. She whispered in a croaking voice, "Nicholas."

Karai looked startled at the whispered name. He exchanged an uncertain glance with Durkatcha. Durka shrugged his shoulders as much at a loss as his cousin.

"No," came Trina's raspy voice, "you're much too young to be Nicholas. But you look just like him."

Elder Malkin, Skylar and Lana stared in amazement as Trina talked coherently for the first time in weeks. They glanced to the two young men that were the cause of this with wide eyes. They had been trying to break the curse for weeks and these two guys, with just a glance at Trina, managed to break it with just one spell. They were so astonished that they missed what Trina was saying to the two young men.

Elder Malkin leaned over into Trina's view. She glanced his way. "Elder Malkin, how long was I out?"

"Four weeks, Trina." Malkin took Trina's hand and held it to his cheek.

"Who," she rasped, "broke the curse?"

"These two young men broke it."

She shifted her gaze back to the young men. She smiled weakly and whispered, "Thank you."

"It was the least we could do for a victim of dark magic." Karai watched as Trina yawned widely. "You had better get some sleep, ma'am."

"Thank you, I will." Trina's eyes closed slowly and she began breathing deeply and evenly. Karai and Durkatcha straightened themselves and turned to the three stunned people.

"Come, let her sleep." Karai waved to them and the five of them exited the little alcove where Trina rested peacefully for the first time in four weeks.

Karai, Durkatcha, Skylar, Lana, and Elder Malkin left Trina resting fitfully. They returned to Karai's and Durkatcha's cots. The young men wearily sat on the cots.

"Hope we don't have to do that spell for a while," muttered Durkatcha.

"It's down right draining," agreed Karai.

"How did you break that curse?" asked Skylar. "We'd been trying for weeks to break it and you do it in a moment with one spell."

"Karai's and my training focused on breaking spells and curses of varying strengths."

"That curse was by no means the strongest one we've broken." Karai added his own comment.

"We have stronger spells, but she needed our help immediately, not in a few hours."

"Thank you," said Malkin, "for saving Trina's life."

"You didn't need to, but you did," said Lana. "Why?"

"We had to," said Karai. "Our parents would kill us if we didn't help the helpless."

"Oh." They were silent for a moment.

"Where did you learn that spell?" asked Skylar.

"Alconion." Karai rubbed his shoulder, jostling the sword on his back.

"Where's that?" asked Lana. Her puzzled expression caused the young men to chuckle silently.

"Beyond the highest mountains to the west," Durkatcha explained.

"You're a long ways from home," said Malkin.

"Yes we are." Karai looked bored with the subject.

"How did that woman," asked Durkatcha, "become cursed?"

"She was protecting our village from the Nizacas family," said Elder Malkin.

"They've been threatening our village since before I was born," interjected Lana.

"Trina blocked many of their attempts to destroy us. Trina is the strongest spell-caster of our village. The Nizacases decided to end Trina's interference with that curse."

"She held it off for a couple of months before she succumbed," said Skylar. "She's been unconscious for weeks."

"She spoke a name when she woke up," said Durkatcha.

"It sounded like 'Nicholas'. You have any idea who she was talking about?" asked Karai.

"Nicholas is the name of her older brother," said Elder Malkin.

"Is there a family name?"

"It's Koro." Karai and Durkatcha exchanged a startled look.

"Nicholas Koro is my father's name."

Lana's, Skylar's, and Elder Malkin's eyes widened and hiked their eyebrows in shock.

"You're the son of Nicholas Koro," said the elder breathlessly. Karai nodded. "Who's your mother?"

"Viola Sacazin." If it were possible, their eyes would have become wider.

"Who are your parents?" Malkin turned to Durkatcha.

"Mikal Sacazin and Callista Zodan," said Durkatcha.

"Their the sons of the ones we drove away," muttered Malkin under his breath.

"Did you know our parents, Elder?" Durkatcha and Karai implored the elder with their eyes.

"Nicholas, Viola, and Mikal grew up in and near this village."

"I can't believe it. We found my parents and Uncle Mikal's childhood home." Karai had a look of disbelief and shock on his face.

"They never mentioned this place though, Karai. I wonder why." Durkatcha raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"And father never mentioned having a sister."

"I don't know why they never told you about their childhood," said Elder Malkin. "But you are both welcome here."

"Thank you, Elder." Karai looked around their small alcove. "Is there any place where we can stay with more privacy ?"

"The infirmary's not really designed for healthy people, is it?" said Skylar. "And we have no inn."

"Skylar, Elder Malkin, they could stay in one of the empty huts," said Lana.

"Good idea, Lana," said the elder. He looked at the two young men. They still looked a little drawn, but appeared able to walk to a vacant hut. "Come with us. We'll get you settled in one of our huts." The young men stood and followed the three locals.

The elder led them to a dilapidated hut on the edge of town. The roof looked about ready to fall in some spots and the edges were burnt. Some spots of the thatch roof looked thin. The windows lacked any form of covering. The door sagged on the hinges.

Malkin dragged the door open, ushering the young men inside.

The inside appeared worse than the outside. Dust drifted in clumps from the ceiling and stirred in a breeze from the windows. Cobwebs glistened in the sunlight filtering through the ceiling. The dirt floor was littered with broken crockery. Crawly vermin scurried over everything, avoiding the random patches of light.

The girls, shivering in revulsion, hung about the door, refusing to enter. Karai and Durkatcha carefully walked about the one room hut, avoiding the debris on the floor. Durkatcha cautiously knocked the pommel of his knife against some of the standing furniture, watching a layer of dust drift to the floor.

"Hmm," murmured Karai. "Needs some work."

"This is the best we can offer," said Malkin apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Elder Malkin. Durkatcha and I can fix it up in a matter of moments." Karai unstrapped the sword from his back, rubbing between his shouldered where the hilt had been pressing against it. He hung it from a nail, making sure that it was in a patch of sunlight.

"Karai, I need my pack."

Karai nodded and reached into his pocket. He was perplexed when his hand came away empty. "The packs are gone."

"No they're not," said Skylar. "I have them." She grabbed the pouch at her belt and pulled out the two minuscule packs. "Here you go."

Karai nodded, accepting the packs. He handed Durkatcha one of the packs. Durkatcha mumbled a few words and the pack expanded. Holding it in one hand, he rummaged through his pack. He pulled out a short, thin stick no longer than his hand.

"What are you going to do with a stick?" asked Skylar skeptically.

"You'll see. Lets go outside for this." Karai grabbed his sword and all five stepped out the door. Durkatcha faced the building and pointed the thin stick at the hut. He said one word, "Dust."

Suddenly a vicious wind swept through the hut. The supports and rafters rattled, shaking the entire building. Clouds of dust came billowing out the windows and the door, coating the three unsuspecting locals. Karai and Durkatcha had enough sense to stay away from the openings in the building. Skylar, Lana, and Malkin coughed furiously, trying to clear their lungs. As suddenly as the wind had picked up, it was gone.

"What kind of spell was that?" coughed Skylar.

Durkatcha chuckled softly. "Just a dusting spell."

At their puzzled looks, Karai laughingly added, "You might want to explain your stick." The three nodded in unison.

"This stick is imbued with different cleaning spells. I made it before Karai and I decide to go adventuring. It certainly came in handy at some to the inns we stayed at."

"You should of seen some of the looks we got when we left a room cleaner then we found it." Both young men laughed at a private joke.

The locals continued to stare at the two with puzzled looks. Karai glanced at the three dusty individuals, noticing something glistening in their hair. "I think you took care of some of the bugs and spiders, too, Durkatcha."

"Let's check inside."

There was a noticeable difference inside. The inside had been swept totally clean of any loose dirt. The cobwebs were totally gone from the rafters. The floor still had a liberal dose of vermin and trash. Karai enlarged his pack and rummaged inside. He pulled out a small box and placed it on the floor. Stepping back, motioning everyone to do the same, called out, "Open."

The box glowed with an inner light, pulsating as it grew bigger. The broken crockery lifted off the floor and drifted over to the pulsating box. The trash hovered above the top of the box. A beam of light shot from the top of the box, enveloping the trash above it. The light faded back into the box, leaving nothing behind of the trash. The locals stared at the box in wonder.

"I told you Karai and I could clean it up in moments." Durkatcha chuckled.

"That you did," answered Malkin. "Come, girls, let these young men settle, in peace." The three left, leaving Karai and Durkatcha alone in the house.

"Now for the bugs," said Karai, picking up his cube.