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t is a blustery and hectic day: the Stronghold has been swept several times by harried-looking soldiers, most of whom take the threat of a wraith loose in the Stronghold very seriously. Amid the magelights that illuminate the corridors, there are now spinning spheres of silver, violet and black: Cat's signature colors, Qoren recalls. But he doesn't seem to remember the subtle shadow in previous magelights. Perhaps it is a reflection of troubled journeys. Frenil is the first at the gate, will he, nil he. Wrathblood (as he thinks of her) is twitchy with exasperation at this intruder upon her back, but the eye she rolls back toward him is almost amused, as horses count such things. He has to keep her from savaging the other horse, Takashi's gentle mount, and the several mules. He handles her with his usual grin. Takashi is next, and then Qoren, accompanied by Commander Aris. The commander looks around and says, with a shake of his head, "You may be the motliest group ever to travel in Qenar." Kitseya, who came up behind him, unheard, says, "Does this trouble you, Commander?" Her hair has been braided and pinned to the back of her head; her breathing, though labored, is clear. No weapons are visible. "I hate it when you do that," Aris growls. Frenil grins; Aris shakes his head resignedly. Kitseya smiles at the others and takes up the lead reins for one of the mules. "Shall we proceed?" They make an uneasy procession through the streets of Tenu, leaving behind the Stronghold with its soldiers and magelights and the shadow of dread both old and new. Motley, indeed: Qenaren, Ashenlander, Bereshi, Summersea islander. The traders and travellers who walk Tenu's streets spare them no few inquiring glances, but they recognize Commander Aris, and ask no questions...out loud. The group, after all, breathes danger with every step: battle-axe, battlesteed, bows, Bereshi drugs...and the islander's own magic is no stranger to these streets. At last they reach the iron gate that leads into the Ashen Lands, the only such gate to break the Black Wall. The gate is taller than any structure Frenil has ever seen, even in this strange city of people who have fixed homes. It is flanked by two towers, octagonal in cross-section, and the guards who stand there are, as Qoren notes, newly vigilant. The captain at the gate salutes Aris, Qenaren-style. She is a lanky woman with deeply cynical eyes, and she says only, "No sign of trouble." Aris frowns. "I almost wish there were." He looks back at the group. "I won't be accompanying you past the gate. If serious, serious trouble befalls you before you've gone more than five days into the Ashen Lands, send for help, I don't care how." His eyes linger upon Kitseya: perhaps she has some hidden method of sending messages. "We've increased the watch on the Black Wall, and there will always be a squadron on gate duty ready to leave." His voice is painstakingly steady. "After five days, you're on your own. Takashi," and he offers the physician a respectful nod, "if you can keep the others hale, that's all to the good." "I know something of healcraft," Kitseya adds. "Perhaps you and I can trade notes, Takashi." She pronounces his name carefully, undoubtedly wary of giving offense. Aris' attention turns to Qoren. "You know procedure on the Wall, but beyond the Wall, I think Hrenil is the best expert." And then to Frenil: "You were in damn awful shape when you crawled to the Wall. I doubt anyone will blame you if you're not immediately familiar with the territory." [In game terms, this means that the region near the Wall may be unfamiliar to Frenil, simply because he was delirious when he travelled through it. As they travel further out, however, the land may become more familiar. Since he knew enough to head for the Wall, I'm assuming his tribelands couldn't have been so far from Qenar that he wouldn't've heard of it.] Wrathblood (whatever her "real" name may be) punctuates the remark with an ear-splitting whinny and a twitch of her shoulders, as if warning Frenil that she doesn't *have* to be biddable. He tries to calm her a bit. The horse twitches again, jogging sideways (as irritated and irritating horses are wont to do), then stopping jarringly. Kitseya looks ruefully at the others, then at Frenil, and asks, "Will we given offense to those whom we might meet, past the possibility of parley, if we carry weapons openly? Or is it better to negotiate from a position of strength?" Frenil's answer is a bit incredulous. "Of course we carry weapons openly. How else?" [Frenil's answer, no doubt, will apply mainly to the tribes with whom he's had closer contact; customs vary.] A dagger appears in her hand, disappears up her sleeve. "There are advantages to the hidden blade," she says. Takashi shakes his head and grins. Commander Aris waits for the questions to be cleared up, then gives each of them a final, sober salute. "The gods be with you, if the gods dare walk in that land," he says. Frenil's answering grin is all teeth. The gates open: Takashi and Frenil ride through, followed by Kitseya with some of the mules and Qoren with the rest. [Qoren's been around long enough--no doubt with crabby quartermasters and supply trains--to learn to handle mules. A little.] Frenil warns Kitseya and Takashi about his fear that the wraith might be hiding, watching the gate, and asks them to check magically. Takashi nods and closes his eyes and begins to calm himself down by drawing breath in a very elaborate fashion. After several seconds he opens his eyes again and carefully scans the surroundings. Slowly he turns his head around and for a few heartbeats his eyes linger on each of his companions before he goes on and checks the animals. Finally Takashi shakes his head and tells Frenil that he couldn't sense anything. Kitseya looks inquiringly at Takashi. "Your arts are different from mine," she says. "I sense nothing...It is a pity," she ways. "I would feel better if I knew *where* that things are amiss." There is no immediate difference between Qenar and the Ashen Lands: the trees are more sparse, conifers and great oaks; there are no paths trampled into the dying autumn grass and weeds--whatever a weed might be in this uncultivated land. They take a reasonable pace, considering Kitseya's weakness; but she does not allow that weakness to slow them overmuch. Frenil goes ahead to scout. The land is--at peace, he might say, if peace be an idea he finds at all compatible with his homeland. While the ground is not paved as are Tenu's streets for human travel, neither is it particularly broken or treacherous. Qoren simply travels with the usual vigilance he uses on the wall, keeping his eye and ears open for trouble. Of course, he has the uneasy feeling that trouble will announce itself very blatantly, here. Takashi notes that there *are* some few herbs and edible plants growing here, but he wonders if that will continue to be true as they head deeper into the Ashen Lands. Takashi ponders the issue for a short time and decides to discuss the matter with Kitseya (and probably with Frenil once he returns from scouting). Carefully Takashi steers his horse next to Kit's and addresses her. "I could hardly fail to notice the plants and herbs that are growing here. Now I wonder whether we will continue to find such plants, when we head deeper into the Ashen Lands..." Kitseya says grimly, "There must be *some* medicinal art practiced in this land, but aside from a few plants that I have seen in Qenar, I recognize few of these." She looks at Frenil. "Do you know aught of herbalism?" It is only after the Black Wall is out of sight that the wraith comes into sight, pearl-scaled, crescent-horned, and half as tall as the ugly Haravai horse that Frenil rides. The mare, contrary to any signals otherwise, stops and snorts, but doesn't seem alarmed. The mules, too, are subdued, shifting their hooves and refusing to move. Frenil draws his bow and strings it. Kitseya exhales in a hiss, but she does not reach for any weapon as far as anyone can tell. Takashi and Qoren both note that she has no spells prepared. And only then, after they've been forced to a halt by the four-footed, do they see the silver liquid that streaks the wraith's flanks and drips from her scales. She stands there, crescent horn throwing back more light than is cast by the morning sun, challenging them with her gaze.
Back: Frenil, Takashi & Qoren: Interlude 1 Castle image provided by Clipart Castle.
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