When our people saw the light of the sun they were fearful to leave the great caves and held back beside the sacred mud holes to watch the others leave. As they did so they heard the cries and screeches of those born from the mix of blood and were concerned. The demons spilt passed them with the dark gods and their minions and myriad of monstrous companions to go out and spoil the beauty of Nabuto’s child. But then we made a choice. The creatures of blood could barely stand in the light and brought clouds of dust and disgust up from the dark depths to shield them on their journeys, so we dug back down to fight what had not surfaced and cut the mists and disease ridden clouds at their roots. Our people chose the deep darkness of the earth and when they had culled the last of the chaotic ones, they found twelve stones waiting for them, shining like the great sun god himself so that they could never forget his face or their purpose to fight.

- History of Virenheim, Marguson Nelighan

The cool spring air from the world above filtered down the pipes to clean the smells of yesterday from the kingdom. Within her bedroom covered in bright pictures and colours, Damara opened her eye with a gentle sigh of pleasure. Slowly she sat up and rubbed her foot along Catos’ yellow belly, irking a burping squeal of pleasure from the Dregg. Then slowly she leant forward to throw her arms around Jube in a tight hug before she stood herself up. Once she was up and the sleep was falling from her eyes, Damara yawned and wobbled toward the basin in her bedroom and began to wash herself.

When clean and dressed in black robes with her hair under a floral patterned head scarf, Damara strolled down the small series of steps into the hallway before the kitchen where Talon was at work. As always a sheet of paper sat beside him requesting signatures as apart of his probation and Damara squiggled her own signature to inform the Lords that she had seen him working away. She noticed though that two hours previously Anouk had done the same and written a comment that whilst out on patrol, Talon was under Damara’s orders. It would not mean much of course but it told Damara that the next week was going to be quiet and she had to be on her best behaviour out in public.

The party two nights ago had been a complete success with lots of praise upon Damara and even to Anouk. Everyone had been happy but there had been two things that had bothered Damara greatly. First had been the conversation between Anouk and the Karayan, which had produced so many questions that Anouk had closed down over and even the Karayan had refused to speak. It was tantalising to let the mind wonder and ask if maybe the Karayan had been an admirer of hers living in the foreigner’s quarters above who had perhaps been hurt by some demonic attack. Maybe he had some relation to the memories Anouk had lost?

The second item of frustration to Damara had come when retired Speaker Gelmar Yeruell had approached her with a thought. Gelmar was a strong looking figure even at over a century in age but his eyes were often cruel and his attitude harsh. His thoughts on the nephew to take his son’s place were very unkind as he had often threatened to trim down Ilos’ long ears to an appropriate height; even Damara could remember Ilos in tears over it. But Gelmar had questioned Damara on her opinions of his nephew and indeed of her arrangement. With the contract severed many lords had already suggested their heirs but when Gelmar had suggested Ilos, Damara had been fearful. Ilos was quite handsome despite the long ears, gentle, kind, rich, well respected and she knew he’d treat her with respect and tenderness but he was not Jarl. She also knew that though it would be the best match after Jarl, Ilos would only go with Damara if he knew Anouk would never have him… which Damara already knew just like everyone else.

As she grabbed the mineral milk and black wheat bread for her breakfast, Talon was busy preparing a box of leftover food to go to the orphanage. He knew that the food would be appreciated and with Damara on her special assignment for several hours it would give him something to do. Now he had no wife or child, Talon was more aware of the plight of the orphans and his wish to help them was stronger then before. He would also be able to check up on Annaballa, Loteg’s only sister; a woman ravaged by the parasitic Boodoo during a pregnancy who was then unceremoniously divorced, she had been sold by her religious mother to the Sacred Women’s Society where she was trained to be a nurse, a carer for the young and old, a prostitute for the well being of society and one of the lowest ranked people in Virenheim. In a position like his, he would not have been permitted to the society and he was expected to live as a eunuch, but Annaballa was someone he had to protect for Loteg’s sake. With only the Benaga family putting money into the orphanage as well, it was one place Talon was permitted without having to explain himself.

Damara could read the smile on his face from the thought of seeing the children and old friends again and she felt sad. It would be the first time he’d go without his wife at his side and the children might be cruel and call him a murderer. But she gently kissed his cheek in greeting before grabbing his arm in a tight hug. Talon froze in his work to turn and hold her back, glad to be called Brother and be in a safe place again. Damara then spotted the other box of supplies for the school on the high stone counter and grimaced. She knew to be proud was wrong but to have to lug such an awkward crate all through the tunnels was inconvenient. This time she looked toward Talon with a slight moan of displeasure as she tried to manipulate him.

“I know that look…” Talon stated as Damara’s big blue eyes wavered and fluttered pityingly towards him. He folded his arms, raised an eyebrow and gave a soft snort. “You’re a Benaga Woman, pillar of the community and never too proud to rely on Thralls to carry your load.”

“Darn… you sound like Anouk!”

Damara could hardly have expected the sight that met her eyes as she hurried into the school building with the collection of books and papers in her arms. It was the usual task of the female elves to get involved in the teaching of the youngsters on their days off, at least amongst the nobles, as they were likely to take on such jobs in their elder years. But though Damara and Lady Simtohk usually got on well when she arrived to help out, it was clear from the exasperated expression of the old woman that she was clearly having a bad day. In fact, when Damara looked out amongst the group she spotted the figure dressed head-to-toe in black with the lower half of his face covered and she almost giggled.

Although the nobles and the elder elves were still finding it very difficult to cope with the constant presence of the “Cursed” individual within their ranks, the children were ecstatic. They sat upon Karayan’s lap, hung from his shoulders and one even clasped the slick brown hair upon his head as they listened in to the daily lessons of the universe. Their faces were lit up with smiles around the big figure and whenever one looked to be confused or having trouble with a word, he would assist them and in return they would help him out. It was a very unusual thing to see when even the males of Virenheim were never to be involved in such interactions with the youth, but the children couldn’t care less. Damara was reminded of her own father and how he was supposedly always spending too much time with her when she was a child. With an unwelcome grin she had to cover from view, Damara recalled her father had almost had to be yanked out of the school lessons because he was so afraid of her not being able to cope without him.

“Hello Lady Benaga… will you come and tell us all about the Sacred Stones today? Lord Karayan doesn’t know what they are and Lady Simtohk hasn’t said a word since we had nap time and cuddled up with him. She said it was a strange thing to do, but he didn’t mind so that makes it okay doesn’t it?” One of the young girls beamed as she galloped over to Damara’s side and grasped her arm tightly. The other children wanted to rush as well, but at the words their grey-skinned elder shifted and pointed a long bony finger upward to remind the children of what they had been taught. Swiftly everyone stood straight and Damara copied, placing her hand to her heart and then bowing before gently rubbing the child’s head.

“One must never forget… the choice to be underground is to remain humble to the power of the sun and believe that we are not above Nabuto in our positions. Pride is a sin… as is ignorance to tradition and respect.” The lady wheezed through her high, wide nostrils as her large glassy eyes switched about the children to check their behaviour. All the bald little figures blushed and lowered their heads at the sensation of her eyes upon them and quickly settled back down into the circle in front of the fire to listen to more. Damara chuckled at the familiar words of her old teacher and she stepped to the circle with her head bowed before sitting and feeling Karayan’s eyes upon her. She turned to him and he gave a soft and gentle look of appreciation and friendship towards her.

“To that thought, I hope your sister is feeling less frustrated today then she was at the council meeting. I did not like the thought of her being angry over the fate of someone believed and tried as a blasphemer, especially someone she calls friend.”

“Ah… if you please Lord Karayan there is no political talk when in the presence of the children. All adult talk must take place outside of these buildings; a school is neutral to the will of anything but knowledge.” The old lady stated and Damara nodded her head in agreement although for a time the Karayan did not seem as willing. From what he had learnt already of this place there was no neutrality to be gained when everything could be censured by their king and he was the one to decide the traditions of their world.

“Then… if you would Wise Madam, tell me the story of the stones… no one outside Virenheim has ever heard of these things only the magic you all possess.” Karayan stated with a sigh, trying to sound more polite but still frustrated at the way the old woman scowled at him. But the old lady recalled the request of the children and with a soft smile she turned to look toward Damara for the story and swiftly Damara grinned at them all and gulped heavily. She was not sure if she could tell the story properly, or at least do it some justice, but the children were already clambering onto Karayan again, eager to hear the tale. Damara had wanted to ask why Karayan looked so happy with the children upon him but then she assumed it must be something related to his own… species.

As much as Damara was about to speak the old lady spoke first, trying to encourage the youngsters to behave as they clambered up Karayan’s high chest and tried to pull at his mask. This was one such thing that the creature would not accept and gently he cautioned them that such a thing was forbidden under the laws of Nabuto. This encouraged a variety of upset questioning as the children seemed determined to know what their new friend appeared like underneath and Damara grimaced. She had not seen what was beneath the mask; neither had Droy or Martum and they had instead been warned that all who looked upon the mouth of the Karayan would die. Swiftly Damara encouraged the idea to the children that it would mean they’d all be cursed too, if only to spare Karayan the upset of seeing the children scamper away from him in fear. The being seemed to appreciate it but Lady Simtohk swiftly ushered Damara aside with a long finger and willingly the Benaga princess followed, giving the children an excuse to ask their knew friend to swing them by the arms.

Lady Simtohk was not in a happy mindset as she watched the entertainment and Damara could understand. Barely two weeks of knowing him and it seemed people were still reluctant to think Karayan brought them no danger. But with various whisperings and rumours about missing men all over the city, people were getting suspicious even though Damara knew the majority of these people were patrolmen killed at their stations. But she was shocked herself when Simtohk hissed violently behind the great curtain that separated them from the soft floor where the children played.

“It’s disgusting Damara… how can such a creature have been sponsored by you? We may have needed my idiot nephew culled but we did not need a monstrosity that breaks up our orders. He was sent here to learn the earliest rules we teach and yet he has disrupted them… a foreigner should never interact with nobles so young… a male should not interact with his children like this! He let them fall asleep on top of him at nap time and stayed as protective and motionless as a Dregg!” The old lady was biting to keep her voice down, angry and upset over the intrusion to her sacred duty as well as the fact she was teaching the murderer of her nephew. Her attitude upset Damara greatly, if only because she could see no malice in what Karayan was doing and in truth, she envied the children to have such an exciting and happy visitor play with them. “These children are so stupid… why can’t they see he is dangerous?”

“Lady Simtohk I don’t mean to be rude…” Damara stated calmly with her head bowed and her eyes to the floor in respect. The old woman was caught off guard and swiftly she noted the respect and yanked her black scarf closer to her head and looked down herself. Damara then breathed a sigh and looked out past the dark purple curtain to the happy little scene beyond and grinned. “We do not know if the Karayan was once a man with a wife and children… that his curse has separated him from his family and he probably had a massive brood to take care of. He is gentle and kind towards everyone weaker to him so you should not be afraid of him and not be afraid for the children. Besides you’re forgetting one of the laws of Nabuto – ‘let no one judge he the children have judged friend’. If you recall it was a child that first met the son of Nabuto and brought him to the people to protect them from Diabolash and Dubshlaine.”

“Perhaps you are correct… Lady Benaga.” Lady Simtohk looked even more miserable if only because she had been proven prideful by her own student. She asked for forgiveness, was granted the hand upon her head in reassurance and then she turned toward the wall where an image of the sun and moon had been painted centuries ago with gemstones encouraging the image to shine. Here she muttered a few prayers of penance for her guilt and Damara knew it was best to leave her to it. She turned on her heel, pulled her floral head scarf down a little more and then stepped out from the curtain.

As Damara strolled to the gaggle of children she noticed that they were all busy explaining to the Karayan why male and female at their age were shaved bald so that they could mingle without judging each other. It made Damara giggle to hear about the ritual shaving that encouraged the first mat of downy grey hair to change into its natural shade and assist the genesis of their magic. It was something only permitted to young nobles as the commoner had to wait until their thirteenth birthday when their natural skills were showing already. But Damara could recall how Anouk had been born with bright red hair, at least according to their mother, which had only made it more painful that Anouk had been female and one of many reasons mother and daughter had never quite got along.

“Alright children, I do believe it’s time I told you all about the stones…

In the beginning there was nothing but the great eye Nabuto and he stared out into a world where nothing existed but himself and he grew bored. Slowly he blinked his eyes until one of his great eyelashes fell into the emptiness and became fixed in place, this would become Organra… at the edge of the eyelash was a pallid white lump that glowed almost as bright as Nabuto himself so he urged the piece to sit away from the stem and sit in the sky where he blinked and shaped it into the moon herself. Then he felt something painful in his eye and it began to water… more lashes with dirt fell down upon the first to create a strange dark mass and as he tried to clear his eye the moon looked to the mess. She used her abilities to smooth the mix together into a great wide plate lined by the lashes with two large pieces of dirt forming the two continents of our world – Gardmiu the realm of the dragons and Organthra the realm of the mortals… or at least that’s what we know them as today. Where mucous fell from his eye the great ocean between the lands had formed and when Nabuto paused in blinking he saw what was created and he was pleased.

But then as he stared at it, some great lump of flesh, blood and tears fell from his eye to land in the northern most corner of Organthra. It buried deep into the earth with the flesh turning into a great mud mix where strange creatures called the First Ones emerged to spill out onto the land and claim it. But Nabuto was not pleased with them and ushered up something else from the mud where his tears had mixed into it… the Gods of Light, the elves and all other life we know to have travelled up to the surface and developed the world. The gods of light created the gardens and rivers and mountains of the world before something else emerged from the mud to fight them. Where the blood had mixed with the mud the Gods of Darkness emerged and stormed out to find and fight their elder siblings who had been made by Nabuto where they had been left. But what followed them out were not the demons at first… instead it was the Deep Elves and though some did indeed follow after the Light Gods to inherit new kingdoms, some followed the Dark Gods and became the Dark Elves. But those that remained were our ancestors and they stayed behind because they feared damaging what Nabuto had made for them and as they remained they watched the creatures made purely from the blood and pain of Nabuto, the demons and their kith, sprawl out of the deep tunnels and spoil the land. So our people chose to fight them and followed them to a new nest in the Giroff Mountains, the Orcreich.

This is where the Viren River ran towards the northern ice and Nabuto must have willed them to fight for there were deep caves, clean water and minerals to help the Deep Elves thrive and survive. But there was something else too as within the last tunnel back toward the ancient mud pool of creation; the Deep Elves found twelve gleaming stones etched with three letters on each. These stones gave powers to every elf within their presence and they swiftly built a palace to house them where the stones alone could be touched by the light of Nabuto and therefore grow all the more powerful. When the Black God Diabolash noticed the power he strove to come and steal the stones and though they pushed back the demon and orcs and goblins that followed after him, the great monster was able to get through to the stones. But here, a lone figure by the name of Uthall took the stones in a circle around him and spoke the letters in sequence… his body was split between each stone and his blood sent spitting out onto the god, burning its powers away and forcing it back into the Giroff Mountains. Uthall’s son then took the role of king and learnt the truer magic of the stones and their ability to protect against gods when the speaker of the spell was willing to sacrifice themselves….

Since then, every time Virenheim was in danger the stones were used to fight them back but over the years the demons became more cunning. They sent agents to steal the stones and there were traitors that were jealous of Uthall’s bloodline taking power – always the stones have given us power to fight and yet we have been reduced to just two. But for King Otzell, who is the greatest of that bloodline, two stones are enough.

“That is the story of the stones… we believe they were the last part of the moon that was not pulled from the form of Organthra and gifted to us to help bring about the fall of the blood born gods.” Damara stated with a soft smile and the kids nodded their heads in delight although Karayan looked slightly confused over it all. Lady Simtohk then stepped out from behind the curtain and back to her high seat where she towered over the collection. Damara looked towards her with a fearful expression, worried that she might not have told the story correctly and the old lady simply gave a grunt.

“You did well until the final part where your enthusiasm was lagging. Perhaps you need to re-read the old scrolls again and remind yourself about the stones and the king.” The old woman grimaced slightly but she could see the children had questions as they lifted up their hands to ask and even Karayan copied them. The old woman shook her head gently and grimaced before she stated what she thought was going to be the obvious question. “If you’re all going to ask what happened to ten of the stones then there have been serious situations involving stealing by foreigners, demon attacks where stones were acquired, possessed residents taking stones and two incidents where two members of the mage council claimed to have learnt terrible secrets and disposed of them. Not to mention the incident where the last female Watcher ever to be selected took a stone and leapt into the Viren River with it. Her action was assumed to be caused by her sorrow over the loss of her child in a demon attack and therefore women are not permitted within the Watchers for fear of our passions overtaking our senses.”

Damara listened to the statement with an obvious look of sorrow upon her face as she heard the words again about the final stone’s disappearance. She could not believe she’d accepted that statement so easily as a child despite the fact that it was a blatant aggressive statement against her own gender. Damara knew very well that men used their aggression much more vividly then any woman used their sorrow. As she thought over it all and the old lady began to continue her original lesson on the place of women within society, Damara just felt all the more depressed. How could she be thought of as so little at times when her gender was the only one to produce and teach the children? Her thoughts must have been similar to the Karayan’s for he listened with an obvious scowl upon his face.

* * * * *

Upon the surface Anouk and her group were on patrol around the perimeter of the Pitch Forest, their eyes all scanning the trees and dark scrub in search of trouble. The mud and grass were wet enough from the rains to have kept foot prints and on a dry day, as it was; the squad had managed to catalogue and identify seventeen different sets of tracks all around the forest edge. With concern that something had been close to the Emergency Tunnels near this end of the First Dam, Anouk had chosen to move out of the usual patrol route and head down towards the hidden crystal boundary on the edge of the forest where the trees faded and Benaga Land sat. Although none of her companions would dare to say that she was doing it for selfish reasons, they all felt a little disconcerted that their leader had felt compelled to do it this time.

Considering there was the possibility of seventeen different monsters hanging around in the area, the squad kept their hands to their weapons and their eyes peeled. Nothing felt good on the surface but in the sunlight most demons were unable to attack so they knew at this time they would have an edge over them. Yet as each foot stepped cautiously within the familiar worn track of the safety route for the farmers, their eyes could not see any visible sign of the normal wildlife or even of the sheep and cattle. Although it would be too early for the animals to have been grazing on the fields they were usually audible in the nearest corral and to Anouk’s frustration the world was too quiet.

“This is getting frustrating… I’ve been warning them time and time to keep a patrol going around the city limits and not just to the kingdom’s boarders. There are loads of old wolf tracks around here and the shepherds haven’t been told this. We don’t want a year’s supply of livestock getting slaughtered simply because no one’s been keeping the paddocks clear!” Anouk growled in frustration as she stopped beside a few saplings on the route and crouched downward. She was stroking the edge of the bark, letting her fingers touch old patches of wolf urine from where territory had been marked out and the smell was faint. The rest of her group were a little more on edge and as she squatted down they all formed about her in a tight protective circle, which she appreciated greatly.

“The marks are pungent enough to say the wolves have been out the past two days at least… plus it’s been very quiet at night – the shepherds were commenting on how you usually hear the wolves howling just before lambing season. It’s frustrating because if the wolves aren’t around then something bigger is. What do you reckon Alard?” Ling chirped suddenly as she leapt upward onto the big Aeron’s shoulders, making him wobble slightly in surprise as she wrapped her long legs over his shoulders, wrapped her arms about his head and then looked about with her sharper eyes.

“Lord Benaga… I don’t know about you but I’ve got a very bad feeling about the rest of the path.” One of the newest recruits to the group, Sarag, was standing beside his big brother Kaloon looking down the track way towards the hillocks that hid the tunnel entrance. Sarag was only just twenty-one and had been put with his brother because it seemed the safest place for him. With fire magic he was a very powerful being but what had compelled Anouk and her companions in training the young man was his ability to sense trouble. The moment he became concerned Anouk straightened up and looked toward the young blue-haired figure with a sigh. When Sarag knew he had her attention he stepped past his brother and backed slowly to her side as the group tightened in around one another and Ling peered out toward the pathway. “There’s a weird sensation in the air… don’t know if you can feel it Hamran… but it’s like there’s a spell further up that’s going to trick us.”

“Yeah… the air is feeling a little fuzzy… I think we’ve got a possible infiltration here boss. What do you want us to do?” Hamran, a wind mage, started swirling his fingers around in the air as he straightened himself up. He sniffed at the air and then looked toward Anouk who was nodding her head in agreement. As they all straightened up Anouk grasped Ling’s ankle and gave her a sharp tug to hop down; she also pinched gently at the ear of Laein… another mercenary, this time a wood elf.

“The pair of you are to get back to the Patrol Tower and warn them to pull everyone back towards the city as we’ve got a possible breech. The rest of us will move forward with extreme caution and I want you, Ijah to stand at the front and see if you can dispel whatever’s covering up the path. The last thing we need right now is a tunnel invasion when we’ve already got suspicions of a previous one.” Anouk snarled in frustration as she recalled the snippet of information passed on by Tagrisa, a member of the police regarding a missing guardsman. With frustration the two scouts looked to Anouk with sneers, unwilling to leave her alone and go on to do a job that would be less dangerous. But though Ling hopped off Alard’s shoulders and was about to lift a hand to and start complaining, Anouk narrowed her sharp green eyes and with a grunt the pair agreed.

Turning on their heels and rushing off down the path they’d already used, their feet not missing a previous step in the dirt where they could see there had been no change, the pair galloped off and in less then an hour would reach the first post on the opposite side of the First Dam. Once Anouk was assured that the pair of them had moved on she turned toward Ijah and encouraged him to produce one of the pallid clear orbs to go ahead and scout the area out. Ijah, a Deep Elf older then Anouk and incredibly slim but with extremely long silky silver hair, lay down on the path and seemed to go into some form of meditation. His companions watched him with a nod of their heads as the orbs skidded away along the path and the only other female in the group, Contusa, squatted down beside him with her hand clasped to his wrist reading his pulse. Trained as a healer because she was one of seven daughters, Contusa had been adopted into the Healer Corps as a Patrol Healer rather then as one of the Sacred Women. Contusa had shaved herself bald in recognition of the fact she was a fighter, accepting that her position meant she was unattractive and she was eager to show Anouk just how loyal a soldier she could be when compared to the other males.

For about five minutes there was silence before the female suddenly jolted and slapped Ijah firmly across the face. The loud clap caused the group to jump and turned to look at the stunned and pallid figure as he trembled, huffed and puffed as Contusa pulled him up into a sitting position and patted his forehead in reassurance. Ijah would only have reacted in such a fearful manner if the orb had needed to be destroyed and as he scowled the squad guessed that something dangerous was indeed up ahead and Ijah pulled himself up onto his feet with a snarl. Turning towards his commander he hissed at Anouk, always startled by the fact she seemed to sense trouble much more accurately then any of the other commanders he had worked with.

“Once again you’ve proven your ability to the units and Nabuto, Lord Benaga.” Although his tone was slightly sarcastic Anouk made no note of it as he flicked his thumb to his forehead in a gesture of defeat. It was as good an apology for his earlier ramblings on her decision then she would get and Anouk snorted. She did not care about who was right or wrong, only what he had been witnessing. “There’s a collection of Bulgas running along the tunnel; I’ve blown the orb against the heaviest beast at the back and it’s killed him but there’s a demon guiding these hunchbacked gorillas onward. I think we can take them on as long as the guards at the other end of the passage are stationed there and react to the explosion, it should have echoed down to them by now. In the mean time we can use the boy’s fire power and Alard’s strength to take out the heaviest beasts at the back so they don’t start digging down.”

“What kind of demon did you see Ijah?” Alard stated with a grunt of frustration. Bulgas were like a mix of gorilla and troll, ugly bald grey creatures that shuffled on their knuckles with stunted hind legs with faces like a pig. Their heads were shovel shaped to dig and the largest of the beasts had long furrowed claws they used to dig and if one Bulgas started to dig they all start to dig. The usual defences and patrols coming this way would normally have spotted the signs and called it in before setting up a stun trap to knock the beasts back into the forest; however there was a curious sensation amongst the group that the last squad out here had been lazy or had not gone this far before being called in by the Karayan situation.

“A Hive Mind… that means we’ve got an Archdemon out there calling the shots.” It was not the news any of them wanted to hear and Alard gave a growl of anger as he pressed close to their leader, reassuring her that he’d keep his vow. Like all his kind, Alard was loyal to whomever saved their life in battle and with his own injury five years ago nearly killing him, he felt as if a single life time would not be enough to pay Anouk back for her kindness. The other members of the squad pressed close as well, their faces an array of disquiet and disgust as they considered the trouble they were about to encounter and just how important their next step was going to be.

Kaloon lifted his belt up from his hips and twisted it until the varied pouches attached had spun and he’d found the right one. Flicking the leather sac open he stuffed his hand in and pulled out a small vile of liquid before passing it to Anouk for confirmation. The most dangerous thing that could happen now was for their position to falter and more demons to come along the same path, so the vile was the ultimate desensitising chemical they had in their arsenal… Giroff Troll urine... a potent cocktail indeed that made them all wince in disgust. With a nod from Anouk they all shifted the black scarves at their necks upward to smother their mouths before Kaloon started to spill droplets onto the trail. With the territorial markings of such an unpredictable and unfriendly creature that made a habit of dining on Bulgas, they would only have the demon’s hive mind to contend with. In thought to that Kaloon flicked his finger for a static cloudy orb to hover in the air above them, ready to let off an explosion of light the moment they engaged their enemy.

* * * * *

The children had been taken out on a walk down the tunnels to recognise points of interest and history within Virenheim. With the Karayan, Damara, Droy, Martum and Talon in tow there were enough adults present to take the little squabble of sixteen children out towards the emergency healer’s tunnel. It was a route all the adults needed to know in dangerous situations above ground as well as for those underground to escape to the regions before the Viren River. For those on patrol in the south-western end of the kingdom, this route was the quickest to the First Aid centre that was patrolled by the Head Healer and her associates; it also offered an emergency surface to the foreigners and was the one building in Virenheim with a staircase that entered into the walls around the Citadel itself.

During their walk the children had clustered around the Karayan eagerly and had giggled at his constant chain of questioning for Lady Simtohk, who looked on the edge of exploding when he’d dared to ask about some of the statues passed in the Greeting Corridor. He had been able to recognise Damara’s father with ease however and though she had imitated the act of reverence to him that Anouk had, upon looking at her grandfather’s figure they had all been taken aback. For some reason it appeared all the more angry then usual and even the teacher had covered her face with her hand in respect to whatever might be upsetting the figure of the past. Although the statues were not prone to changing their expressions and indeed could not, the curious vibe had made them all tense as they followed the slender tunnel through seemingly solid rock toward the Emergency Centre.

As they had come close to the kennels the Dreggs within had erupted with anger and rage, which the teacher had waved off, unconcerned despite the abnormality. When Dregglings and children were present the adult Dreggs became vicious towards everything with the need to defend but Martum was curiously frozen to the spot and unwilling to follow his companions onward. With his experiences and Droy’s being strictly to the city squad and the Karayan’s home, stepping this close to the outside was all to forbidding and the reaction of the guarding beasts unsettling. At his staunch refusal to carry on Droy requested they only go as far as the centre on the other side of the kennels and no further. Simtohk scoffed at his suggestion, almost tempted to go to the handsome figure and pinch his ears for daring to speak with authority over a woman’s position. But the reaction had made the children anxious and they were not willing to even pass the kennels, which made the Karayan sneer in frustration.

“I will go on to the centre because beyond it is a fresh supply of air… I might even follow the tunnel up and glimpse the sky for a reminder of what you all respect so greatly. I do not expect any of you to go further and would be quite against it. So stay with Martum and Droy children, Lady Sim… whatever… if your purpose was to instil caution into the minds of these children then recall the warnings you teach about the aggressive manner of the Dreggs. There could be something going on up ahead so don’t put the young at risk.” If she had not been afraid of him, then the old lady might have given him a mouthful for disrespecting her name and suggesting she had intentions of upsetting the children. But instead she bit her lip and tapped her front teeth three times in an insult toward Karayan regarding ‘speaking out of place’, which Damara noted but did not speak about. She did not want to hold such disrespect from her teacher but she had to agree with Karayan and she had been curious about his need for fresh air and sunlight when he was trapped in their world.

The children all muttered with fear but they pressed to the neat dark grey robes of Droy and Martum for protection as the sounds of shrieks screams and barks from the reptiles seemed to calm at the approach of the stranger. The children watched eagerly with baited breath in case something might lunge out of its kennel and attack him, but the animals remained calm and the Karayan practically glided down the passage. Damara and Talon quickly skipped after him although Talon had swiftly removed a wooden pole for sitting on from the wall and lifted it up to him like a spear. He also felt unnerved and with his motion of caution the old teacher stepped back towards her students with a grimace of frustration, removed another pole, stuffed it into the appropriate hole on the floor and sat down.

Damara’s body began to tingle and prickle with frustration and excitement at the thought that something could be coming their way. If her sister or her companions had noticed her interest and eagerness to prove herself useful, they might have scolded her for tempting fate but Damara could not prevent the rush entering her blood. There was something bad up ahead, her body knew it and craved to advance as a curious electricity sparked between the three adults and their casual pace dropped down to something more purposeful. After the forty paces that made up the length of the kennels they stopped at the wide bulge within the straight tunnel as it angled upward and became pitch black. Here in one of the pockets in the stone wall sat the lonely looking white hut of the Emergency Centre and automatically they watched Head Healer, Lady Molwesa Ahygah-Benaga, strolled out of the great wooden doors with a grimace upon her face. She had a large satchel wrapped about her white and blue robes as she strode towards their position and then froze beside her niece. Her eyes locked onto Karayan and he turned to face her, snarling.

“I have said before, General Karayan, that I refuse to treat you within the sacred kingdom’s apartments and will only work with you at your home. If you have come for some medical query I suggest you return to your livings and send Droy or Martum out to meet me.” The aggression in her manner toward the figure was palpable and beside her, Damara could see that even Talon was confused by the attitude of the seemingly gentle woman toward the curious figure of the Karayan. But he remained ignorant to her words and with growing terror Damara watched as the great figure’s shoulders bunched and his hands reached into his robes and produced his hideous axe from thin air. She had no idea where he’d been keeping that around the children, but it just fell into the massive catalogue of questions and mysteries about the strange figure.

“Talon… was it? Go tell Martum and Droy to alert the Core and the Guard to fill up every tunnel into the city… and take the kids and their teacher back to the main square. Little One…” His words had them all on edge and before Karayan could continue more Talon was already on his way to the others and Molwesa was producing her own sword from its strap at her hip in preparation for battle. Damara copied but found she had no sword to wield of her own and she grimaced fearfully, until the Karayan pulled out his own crooked, gnarled blade and cast it to her. With a shriek she snapped at it in the air and just about managed to keep hold as the Karayan snorted. “Don’t touch the edge, but you should be able to use your magic with it. The moment things get carried away, you’re to run… got it Kid?”

Hurriedly Damara nodded her head but no sooner had she done so then a strange smell wafted down the passage to her nose. It hit Molwesa too and the healer almost vomited visibly at the stench of rotten fish mixed with eggs, the usual stench of a collection of troublesome monsters and then they saw the horrific figure strolling towards them. The moment Damara clapped her eyes upon the one massive, bulging reptilian eye of the figure gliding towards them she froze to the spot. Her body trembled with terror as she felt the air being sucked out of her body and a strange sensation creeping into her mind, the eye was fixed upon her and she felt her knees buckling to give in as the horrendous Hive Demon approached.

What Damara did not know or even feel, was that the demon had already hooked onto her fear and was encouraging her to walk towards it. Though she still held the blade defensively Damara was walking towards the enemy and in a trance of terror she whimpered and mumbled to herself. She heard something like a bark from Molwesa to close her eyes but it was too painful a thought and Damara managed only to close one… but it was enough as from nowhere a bright light came skimming down the tunnel and smashed into the giant eye on the slender body of the demon. In a sudden pop the ball exploded into a massive wave of light and there was a scream from the demon as it was blinded from its hive contact and Damara was released.

“Bulgas… Damara use your magic… I’ll take care of the demon!” Molwesa barked to her niece, making Damara jump back in terror as she scampered back towards her original position and gripped the sword tightly. She closed her eyes again and imagined a series of small balls filled with freezing water that squeezed their way out of the stone walls to surround her. It was just in time too as a massive collection of ugly, ape-like creatures thundered down the tunnels with roars of anger. Some were already bloodied from whatever was happening within the depths of the tunnel but most of them were small, blood thirsty and on a clear rampage towards the Dregg tunnels. Damara released her balls to shoot out and splatter against the creatures, but though some froze most of the beasts smashed through their stiff companions and charged the group. Damara lifted her sword as the first horrendous creature came charging toward her with its hog mouth open to smash her apart on its tusks and she was not sure what to do.

Damara would have been ripped apart had she not heard the Dreggs explode from their kennels behind her and charge into the battle. Yellow, green and brown beasts leapt onto the Bulgas that rushed into the bulge of the tunnel, stabbing their vicious teeth into any flesh and ripping off chunks. Many were trampled beneath the hefty brutes but it was enough to smack Damara into action and she swung the sword about, clasping the hilt tightly and forcing her ice magic into it’s blade like she was squeezing water from a cloth. At each magical embrace the sword shattered its immediately frozen enemies to pieces and with the Dreggs’ help Damara was able to clear the first wave as Molwesa and the demon fought, her sword against his tree-like arms as he tried to feel for her with extending fingers. The Karayan though had been eagerly avoided by the Bulgas, who whimpered and whined to make a space around him as he swung his axe and slapped into the bone of every beast heading through the tunnel. He did not seem eager to fight the first wave and instead stood in front of the passage, eagerly waiting for the next.

Damara could hardly imagine what he was thinking until she heard stone cracking and the heft snorts of a great Bulgas Berserker trudging down the path. When this beast broke into the dim light from the centre it was clearly ten foot tall and at least six foot across, smashing stone as it charged down towards the Karayan. It was not afraid of him but with a grunt of frustration the Karayan merely shook his head and stepped cleanly out of the way of the charging animal. The pallid monster spun neatly on its heels, still crashing its backside into the rocky walls and knocking stones flying but charged again. Once more the Karayan stepped out of the way but as it passed he reached out with a clawed hand and grabbed the beast by its stump of a tail. The moment he did something must have happened for the Bulgas jolted forward and folded up as a dead heap as the Karayan had jerked it’s tail back and caused something further up it’s spine to snap in half!

“How did you do that?” Damara squeaked in surprise but just as she was distracted the great branching arm of the demon shot out her way. Suddenly the great feelers stabbed into her shoulder and her body exploded with a burning sensation of agony. Molwesa rushed toward the girl, forgetting her fight with the giant eye as the Karayan hurried over and severed the branching arm with his axe. As the demon gave a shrill cry and Damara gasped for breath as the pain eased, the great stranger lunged toward the hideous being and without fear of the branches that swung back and stabbed into his body, he grasped it by the skinny neck and swung his axe right down to spilt the eye in half. There was a fizzling sound of rage as the Hive Demon disappeared into dust but then another rumble as the rest of the Bulgas group slammed through the tunnel.

“Healer… take the kid and go, I’ll clear the mess.” Karayan barked as the next berserker came screeching towards him, this one twice the size of the last one, shattering stone as it charged but coated in fresh wounds. The Karayan was almost surprised when he looked to the great slices and gashes removed from the beast as it continued to charge him, but then he heard a whistling sound. From nowhere a curved scythe blade on a silvery chain shot out and stabbed into the back of the beast’s head, making it hurtle into a heap to turn and face its attacker. As it spun the chain swung and pulled the perpetrator’s bloodied form screeching out of the tunnel to place her dagger firmly into the middle of the beast’s skull. Karayan gave a cry of excitement and relief as he rushed to the side of the figure and aimed to pull her up. His joy was short lived as she instead dove out of the way of a leaping Bulgas that Karayan grasped by the throat and swiftly hacked up with his axe. “Anouk… what are you doing here?”

“No time to talk there’s still a few more coming down the tunnel… along with my squad.” Anouk blustered, walking about a little awkwardly as if she had been forced to ride one of the horrid hunched beasts, which somehow Karayan thought to be true. He gave a soft chuckle at her remark before throwing the corpse aside and hearing the familiar sound of a horn in the distance. Damara and Molwesa were gone, Talon had led the kids and their teacher to safety and it seemed Droy and Martum had done their job. Now he could truly focus on his fight and thankfully Anouk felt the same.

Next Chapter: Six