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fter a few moments of contemplation Takashi opens his mouth again addressing both Qoren and KIt; "Well, it seems as if your expedition could use a good healer. If you have no objections I'll accompany the two of you." Qoren turns toward Takashi and looks at him with his best sergeant stare, all the more emphasized by the old scars and one eye. "You do realize what you're saying? Don't get me wrong, I'm not objecting, I just want you to understand the weight of that decision. This mission, as I understand it, will most likely put us into direct contact with more wraiths of a very dangerous nature and possibly require travel into the Ashenlands. Both of which have been known to kill better men than you and I." "Better men--and women," Kitseya says tartly, and shivers. The soup is all but gone by now. "Knowing this, do *you* have any objections to accompanying this expedition?" Qoren watches Takashi closely for his reaction and awaits his reply. Takashi eyes Qoren for a long moment. As he finally begins to speak, his uneasiness is obvious to the careful observer. "You must think that I'm a fool, because onloy a fool could make such an offer lightly, but I assure you that I am no fool, nor did I make the offer lightly. In fact I gave the matter careful consideration." At this point Takashi makes a short pause. It looks as if he is unsure how to continue. As he continues some of the uneasiness has vanished as he recollects memories of a more pleasant time. "Several months ago, I stayed at my family's home in Bereshen. As always when I'm at hom, me and my father exchanged a lot of gossip that we learned of during our travels. One evening, while we sat in front of the fireplace and enjoyed a good glass of wine, my father told me about rumors that some people in the south insisted on having seen 'shadows' and wraith-like creatures. "You can't possibly imagine my amusement when I heard that. My father didn't believe the rumors either. I believe he only told me about it because it seemed like a good joke. It's not that me and my father are among those foreigners who don't believe in the existence of wraiths. We have both seen our share of wraiths while staying in Qenar, but the thought that wraiths had been spotted in Bereshen seemed ridiculous. After all, everyone knows that the wraiths only live in Qenar and the Ashen Lands." After a moment he adds dejectedly, "Or so I have always thought..." Takashi pauses again to regain his composure. When he begins to speak, again, uneasiness and depression seem to be gone and are replaced by grim determination: "As you can see I have more than enough reason to want to accompany you on your mission, and as to the dangers...I'm aware that here is a significant probability that some of us won't return from this expedition. In fact--since I'm unfamiliar with combat, wraiths and the Ashen Lands--it seems I will be among those casualties." He gulps. "But knowing that there is a danger that threatens all I hold dear, I ask you, how could I possibly stand back and let others risk their lives?" At this point Takashi audibly takes breath before he continues, "So I ask you, again. Do you have any objections that I accompany the three of you on this expedition?" With a light nod and what one almost thinks is a smile, Qoren simply says, "Not anymore." Qoren turns from the commander to Kitseya and Takashi, a puzzled expression on his face. "A question for the both of you. You succeeded in unravelling the spellbird, but what happened to the wraith? Exactly how did you know that it was destroyed? I'm curious considering it seems it was able to evade both Kitseya's and the high magistrate's detection." "I don't know," Takashi admits. "I supposed that it was destroyed, simply because there was no further attack..." Frenil cuts in, "It wasn't destroyed, it fled. As soon as it recovers from backlash there are three possibilities: one, it will try to wipe out this fort quickly; two, it will pick off people a few at a time; three, it will return to the Ashen Lands. Either way I suggest you check the gate because if it attacks the fort it will be watching for us to leave and if it flees it will wait until the gate is opened for someone else and sneak out. I suggest you send a mage to spot it." Qoren says, "Ashenlander, you sound very sure of what this wraith might do." Frenil shakes his head, a clear negative. [David's note: the certainty came from Frenil's lack of fluency in the language. He doesn't yet really know how to indicate things like opinion.] "Why are you so sure of those three options? Are you aware of certain information that the rest of us might benefit from?" Qoren's gaze travels around the room. "For example, does anyone here even know what type of wraith we're dealing with? How about any ideas as to why it was riding along with Kitseya?" Frenil replies, "I am not certain about its next actions. I am merely assuming the most likely...possibilities, considering its own words that we broke our bargain with the wraiths. And that is also my explanation for its...possession of Kitseya--to try to reach here and punish us, or at least figure out how to punish us when the time comes. Also, within what I referred to as a third possibility lies many choices for it to make." Then Frenil looks inward for a second and starts laughing silently at himself. Qoren says, "True, very true." He pauses for a moment before continuing. "Now that you mention it again, I wonder what bargain it referred to? The ancient one between Qenaren and the wraiths which live here and uphold our law? That's the only one I know between man and wraith." Kitseya says, "A bargain made...not broken. Made. A new one, perhaps?" "You have a gift for bringing up the unpleasant," Aris grumbles to Qoren, but his eyes are deeply shaken. Qoren nods while smiling a very ironic smile. "It's my job." "How do we know the wraith wasn't killed?" Kitseya asks, frowning. "I am awake now...and I feel no other presence here." "And elsewhere?" Cat says. Takashi says, "We don't, but taking into consideration how dangerous a wraith is, it might be best to assume it wasn't destroyed. 'Better be safe than sorry,' Makimura, my old master, always said." Aris swears. "We'll have to put the Stronghold on full alert, just in case. Maybe it escaped." He doesn't sound optimistic. "This makes the mission all the more urgent--the sooner we can discover what new force moves in the Ashen Lands, the better." Looking back toward Frenil, Qoren says, "As for the gate, I wouldn't specifically worry about it. Considering that it was inside Kitseya, can we rule out that if it wants to leave, it can simply walk right through the walls of the fortress? Let alone through the nearest window? If that wraith had wanted to leave the Stronghold, I'd say it's long gone by now. Unfortunately, I don't know what it might have wanted. We can't forget that wraiths are intelligent, sentient creatures. They are not simply killing machines and they certainly don't take action without a purpose." "What about it watching for us to leave from the gate?" counters Frenil. Qoren pauses and looks down, obviously thinking. "I mean, if you were alone in enemy territory, hopelessly outnumbered, what would you be? I'd say a spy or an assassin. Admittedly, we're dealing with a non-human intelligence, but I still don't see other options. Certainly not an invasion force or a one-wraith army. It may be here to collect information, at which point both killing people and leaving defeat its purpose. As an assassin, I'd first determine critical points in the chain of command, or just the best leaders and eliminate them. Or possibly, if I wanted to inspire fear, after hitting the military, I'd move on to the countryside. That's where random attacks would be easier and certainly inspire more fear in the local population." "Even as a spy it would kill wherever it could get away with it. To my knowledge all Ashen Lands wraiths enjoy human death," says Frenil. His grin is dry and hard. Qoren sighs and looks up. "All this of course assumes that the wraith is not dead, which we have no proof either yea or nay. And thus we must assume that it's alive. I'd personally suggest a coordinated search of the building by all mages available, and simply move from one end, on every floor simultaneously, to the other. After that initial search, follow up with periodic, random sweeps. Of course, we don't know how good mages are at detecting this particular wraith. Considering it was able to evade both Cat's and Kitseya's detection until too late." At this Qoren walks over to the bed and Kitseya. Hunching down until he faces Kitseya, he says, "I realize this probably isn't the most pleasant of conversations right now, but what we need is information. Do you know if tihs wraith was simply trying to kill you? Or was it along for the ride? Or maybe even trying to get something from you? Any feelings at all on this matter would be of great help." Kitseya's face is pale, and sweat trickles down her cheeks. "I am a foreigner here, though I renounced the sea," she says, "and there is little of Qenar that the wraith could have learned from me. Had it wished to kill me, there are more efficient means. I suspect I was a means of transport--but to where, and whom?" Her breathing becomes labored, and unwillingly she closes her eyes. Soon she is asleep. Cat says to the others, with a last regretful look at Kitseya, "I will inform the marshal." He bows, then leaves; his footsteps linger for a long time.
Back: Frenil, Takashi & Qoren's Prologue 6 Torch image provided by Clipart Castle.
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