By order of the King and Council, any being of any species caught touching a stone or removing them from their place of sanctuary shall be punished severely. The charge of this action is treachery to the king and will result in the execution of the criminal following the cleansing of the stones. However, exceptions to this rule include the King himself and those who can be proven to touch the items for the sake of the kingdom i.e. stone retrieval. An exemption also exists for oracular purposes.

- Laws of Virenheim Order One Point Seven

Damara could not figure out where she was only that this must be a dream and she had no choice but to let it flow naturally. Dreams were often unusual things for her but this one was particularly unnatural and it did not follow the usual muck around pattern of most dreams. For a start she was not even in this dream herself and yet everything within it was familiar and felt very real indeed. For once she was not being led through a random series of events with a purple Yub-Yub squealing around her feet telling her it was the personification of her most dreadful desires! Confusion ate at her body as she found no way to control the direction or her thoughts and was no longer clear if this was just her mind playing along or a spell.

Instead she was forced to watch as her body, or at least the body she was inside, motioned to look about a castle of pallid grey stone that was almost familiar to her. Where she looked down was a female elf’s body but nothing she recognised as hers as this being was adorned in jewellery and walked with a fierce determination unknown to her. She knew it was not Anouk either, if only because this being still walked like a woman. Somehow the veil this woman wore was barely over her eyes and the males in grey robes that passed by the circling corridors did not seem to notice or react to her as they might do normally. The faces of these figures Damara did not know, but she could tell by the way the corridors spun around in an endless sloping coil that she was in the mind or memory of one of the King’s Watchers… but a female one?

Ignoring the thoughts that bubbled in her head as she watched the story unfold as if she were a part of it, Damara followed the hands that began to trace the walls nervously. With growing anxiety she noticed the manner in which the body began to shake and the head looked back and forth as if it expected attack or defeat. She could feel a sensation as if she might be killed at any moment and the body was alert and tense, making Damara feel scared. But if this was the tower then why should she be afraid when nothing bad had ever happened there in her memory at least?

Damara was led in this new body up towards a strange dark room where there was nothing to see except a small little altar where a pot of incense sat burning away. Damara could not smell it but something told her it would have been familiar and so she let the body lead her to a strange line within a wall that was no longer stone but wood. She felt her hands lift and trace the lines with an intimate familiarity as they clasped one neat little section of the wood panelling and pulled it away. To Damara’s great shock she looked into a small enclave where three shining, colourful stones of crystal glittered together in seeming harmony. It did not take a genius for Damara to recognise them as the Sacred Stones; each one was etched with the three letters of the longer word they all made together, but why was this person here?

Damara allowed the dream to flow onward and her body to relax into it more as she watched a stone be removed and turn within the hand into something like soapstone away from the light of its companions. Then a strange crystal, one of the many from the crystal cave perhaps, was put in its place as the sacred stone was smuggled away. To Damara’s great upset this figure was able to get out of the building without anyone questioning her until she stepped along the great bridges and thoughtlessly turned to look down into the water. Damara could feel the sudden dizziness from the height and see the rushing foam of the rapids below as the figure chuckled and she listened to the words that slipped past the figure’s lips.

“Return to the depths with me so that the traitor cannot steal you away….”

* * * * *

The Bulgas were retreating, save two berserkers that were proving quite stubborn and difficult to knock from their perches. Anouk was frustrated as she was forced to keep her chain wrapped around her body and both dagger and scythe blade in her hands at all times. The demon may have been dead but it had certainly brought in a unique collection of aggressive Bulgas. Unlike the usual tunnel digging horrors this little pod did not really seem to have any set goal for the attack, just infiltration as if testing the strength of the older tunnels for a higher problem. The guards, patrol and the Royal core had all taken up defensive positions and the Core members had already brought ropes to subdue one of the berserkers as the Dreggs remaining grabbing flesh and ripping it open. The other beast was undergoing a barrage of fire magic from Sarag, hacking slashes from Karayan, sharp blasts of wind to blind it and Alard held it firmly at the throat in his slow attempt to suffocate the damn pallid brute. Anouk was forced to try and cut its tusks down as the rest of her squad swarmed the beast’s large body and drove their weapons into its harsh hide.

“Lord Benaga… are you sure these are the only remaining beasts?” Lord Lutas stated as he galloped down the tunnel with other members of the council and the police. With the great massive hulks still wrestling to try and continue their attack, the nobles pulled back with grimaces of disgust. None were willing to go any further past the kennels and instead waited for the rest of the guard to bring their pikes and continue to spear the great beasts until they stopped moving. In the last throws of its life, one of the berserkers managed to swing its body about and smash itself firmly into the emergency centre, crashing through the weaker rock and crumbling the facility beneath its heavy body. By a stroke of luck Molwesa had been the last person in the centre after sending the staff and patients on to the main hospital to deal with their minimal wounds, but the collapse of the structure caused a creaking sound in the rock wall of the tunnel and whatever structural weakness had been caused by the beasts’ charge, the roof of the passage began to fall. “EVERYONE OUT!”

Their feet galloped swiftly out of the passage, Anouk making sure her team and the Dreggs were all out as the great boulders smashed down into the floor of the bulge. She dodged a few rocks though her side was bleeding and just when she looked to be lagging behind, the Karayan lunged forward before Alard could to hook her about the waist and throw her and one of the core members still lagging straight onto his back. He jumped clean over the fissure forming from the collapse and into one of the kennels as the last chunk of the hill above slumped downwards into a locking position. With the rockslide over, the emergency passage lost and a cloud of dirt and stone dust filling the kennels, the guards, core, council and Anouk’s patrol emerged with the remaining Dreggs to the centre of the passage with heavy grunts and sneezes.

Alard rushed to Anouk’s side, straightening her wobbling form and patting her back until she coughed out a cloud of bloodied stones. As he tried to hook his arms about her bleeding form to take her on after her sister, Anouk slapped him heavily. When the Karayan then stepped out with his nervous looking soldier she slapped his arm hard as well, making him jump and swear aloud. Her harsh eyes caught his and he felt her rage forcing him to apologise for daring to pick her up; of course he had no idea that to carry a soldier was to mock their gender and therefore their position. But as she wobbled around with her bleeding side, her squad rushed over and together they all measured one another’s injuries and checked for any casualties. By some curious luck none of them had been killed, even the Core and the Guards had been injured but the Dreggs had suffered great losses. The big reptiles rushed to lap at the wounds of their masters, spreading their healing saliva to stop the bleeding like the faithful creatures they were.

“By the luck of Nabuto we’ve managed to survive… but what on Organthra happened? One minute we’re all quite content getting on with the daily business and then we go from a Hive Demon sitting at the First Dam staring to a Bulgas attack? What do you think is the cause of this?” Lord Angemar, the guardian of the river and therefore the tunnel passages, came shooting down from the wall of the kennels with a look of exasperation upon his face. A stocky and quite rotund figure despite their species, Angemar rushed up and down the kennels and counted how many Dreggs he had left before he froze in front of the great black and iron grey rocks that now smothered the passage. His thick fingers drummed nervously against his chin and he looked toward Lord Benaga, Lord Lutas, Karayan, Lord Caphoni and Lord Floryas in concern.

“According to the message down the pipe from Chroniison, the Hive Demon at the dam is still standing there staring at the defences, he’s locked everything down thankfully but no one knows what to do? Personally I think we need to just kill it and be done with the figure like these fellows did down here.” Lord Floryas was a tall, nasal figure with a lean face and all the manner of an aristocratic human rather then a Deep Elf. As head of the police he would have to investigate not only how the demon got in but why Anouk chose to change the route of her patrol, but right now the fact a demon was still in the kingdom boundary concerned him. The others nodded their heads in agreement but swiftly Anouk gave a growl.

“Think carefully Caphoni… you know all too well how tricky the Hive Demons can be. It’s probably been sent out here as a scout or was to be a distraction to this attack – we can’t let it just be killed as if we didn’t expect it here. We need to surround it and form an ambush to kill it, the only way the connected mind of those things will be confused.” Anouk grunted to the bearded figure of the square-jawed army commander who grasped at his ears with concern over the situation. He knew of course that Anouk was right but the shock over the attack that had taken place was keeping him from coming up with a rational response. With a grunt Anouk rolled her eyes and then breathed a heavy sigh of annoyance. “Send out some of your archers, Kaloon and Ling can follow on ahead and lay out the trap so no one is at risk of getting killed by the monster.”

Caphoni gave a grunt of appreciation but swiftly he had been prevented from giving the order when Lutas lifted his hand and elected a party of his own. At his sudden interjection Caphoni and Anouk sneered at the figure’s suggestion and almost threatened him for speaking out of turn until he reminded them all of the recent scouting magic Lord Zehna had trained some of his students for. Anouk still shook her head in mistrust of the thought but when Lutas stated he would take Kaloon and his old friend Ijah, she was forced to accept the decision and the arrangements were made. The lords then ordered all injured to head towards the hospital and then to report to Lord Gahlvrod to log their information of the situation before returning to duty. Anouk was then informed of her sister’s predicament and with a screech of anger she galloped off before even thinking of giving orders to her companions.

* * * * *

For five days straight Damara stepped in and out of hallucinations, dreams and seeming memories of the long dead. Her wound had been cleaned up and was nearly closed but the poison from the Hive Demon still rocked her with fever as her body fought it down. As always Anouk shirked her household duties to Talon, ignored the wound on her side from Bulgas claws and maintained silent, unmoving vigil beside her sister. She had not been permitted to use her blood-based poison magic to form an antidote to the fever as it was believed all first demon encounters must be handled by the victim’s mind alone.

The second Hive Demon had been killed by a trap of flaming arrows already, yet in the course of the melee Kaloon had been killed. His body had been burnt in the fires so there was no proof to bring back to collaborate with the statement, which had angered Anouk. Her suspicions on Lutas had been growing and she had recalled Ijah’s previous loyalty to that master with irritation. No one else seemed concerned, there had been too much to fear already and council meetings continued to occur despite the notable absence of the king. Patrols were kept tight and the full guard was on parade, the Karayan had been more practical in the matter and doubled the Core on shift and encouraged the reserve to start re-training. Nothing happened within these few days but a curfew was put in place and the lords begged for an audience with the king.

Finally on the fifth day, it came and with her the broken Anouk was able to leave her sister’s side. She was not keen on going but Molwesa harangued her personally and though both women sneered at each other they could not deny the brevity of the situation. With a grumble as she refused to cover herself at all and instead marched in with her hair and stomach on display, the nobles shrieked. Yet Molwesa dutifully began cleaning the bandages and apologised to them all on behalf of her niece.

“Do not judge Lord Benaga on this dear friends, she has come straight from hospital at her sister’s side for the sake of this meeting alone. Please, ignore what will be covered up in due course with clean dressings.” Molwesa stated nervously in her soft, gentle voice that was almost like a whisper. The lords muttered for a time but Anouk ensured her hair was tied back, head down and she remained silent as Molwesa treated the great lines in her flesh. For the elder nobles it should not have been a bother as they were all married and knew their limits; although every one of them were pulled into staring at the jagged edge of the great scar that split her torso.

For the younger members of the council, or at least the unwed few, it was an unexpected display of flesh that made them anxious of their own desires. None seemed to be as affected as Yeruell, who conveyed the matter swiftly with the king as he questioned the odd atmosphere about them. The Karayan appeared unmoved and was masked as always so no one could see the twitching of his mouth. When everyone was settled the discussion and concern over the collapse of the tunnel was made and a fight nearly broke out. Many nobles wanted it left covered but a few individuals demanded it be restored; the sudden chaos of foolish arguments encouraged grunts of frustration before the conversation was interrupted by the king’s own voice.

“Silence, please….” Though stated calmly the words of the king grasped the mind and shook the individual to the core. Silence reigned as each noble dropped onto their bellies in abject apology, humiliated that they should only hear such a sacred sound because they were arguing. Rocking in his throne the king slowly pulled himself upward onto his feet and stepped within the veil again, only to rip it aside with a growl. The lord’s trembled to look away as he hissed at them for attention. “I have been unfair to you all… I should have spoken of my weakening before but it was clear how greatly my powers are diminished. Recall that the life of the stones is the blood of my ancestor, the longevity they produce limited by the number of stones. I have been ill for nearly ten years and finally must request your aid and stop lying to you all and my people.”

The words were strained as if they hurt the king to speak, but awe and sorrow fell upon the faces of the nobles as they were encouraged to look up. For the first time every noble was being permitted to see the face of King Otzell and their bodies quaked in surprise. His thin grey skin sat delicately upon the long bones of his crooked fingers covered in liver spots of a gold shade. His head was rounded, bald and his ears had dropped and folded over themselves with a lack of cartilage. His nose had been sharp once but now was swallowed into his face as the muscles seemed to be devoured. The teeth were bare nubs upon the ice-white gum, his lips dusted and cracked but his eyes were fluid gold, large and swirled with his power. It was humbling to see so ancient a being but then Lord Yeruell rushed to him and covered his fragile skin from the light of the fires swiftly to stop it harming him.

“Oh Sire… what do you wish of us? What can we do to secure your life and our safety?” Lord Gahlvrod whimpered, mentally telling himself he could not record the ill look of the king for history’s sake. His questions were echoed by the other lords and yet Lutas remained silent, awed and trembling as if he had seen the future. Molwesa finished dressing the silent Anouk and noted the Karayan had barely opened his eyes to observe. Neither of them were as fascinated by this situation as the others and that concerned Molwesa, if only because they should have been staring in awe.

“The answer is simple…” Lord Sheran, keeper of the sacred stones, grunted in place of the king. His expression was harsh and they all looked to him with discontent for his announcement and the distraction it caused them all. Eyes fell upon the deep voiced, barrel chested but short figure in his blue robes spangled in white stars and small crystals. His statement was easy to accept although none were truly pleased by it, if only because the obvious manner of the decision put them all at risk. “The lost ten stones must be recovered within the next circle of the moon. If we wish to hold out against an Archdemon, which must be out there controlling this, then we need at least one before the coming of the Firagon Bloom when Nabuto will be covered from sight for three whole days.”

The words made another cluster of the lords panic and mumble over what could happen within that time. It may be five years before the moon was next sitting in the circle of the Tower’s glass roof, but they had a mere month or so before the poisoned trees on the mountain released their sun blocking spores. Although an attack in that bloom was an annual event, with their protection damaged it would indeed be an ideal time for an Archdemon to stake its claim upon their world. But no one had seen a stone since the time of Anouk’s grandfather and most of them were deemed lost within the depths of the Giroff Mountains!

No one knew where any of the stones were located… except for one.

“The only stone we can guarantee is in the ancient Dragon’s Cavern in the peak of Mount Robosh. No one can scale that mountain and even if they could, they cannot enter without blood from the ancient king!” Lord Caphoni scoffed in surprise and frustration at the thought of going in search of the stones. In his mind his army was well prepared and capable to fight an army from Orcreich, although the recent incidents suggested otherwise. His words caused renewed agitation as no one would be willing to take blood from the king and the only other descendants, the Benaga Household, consisted of female members only. Though no one had ever tested whether female blood would be different, the lords had a distinct feeling that female blood was inferior to male and therefore could not be heroic enough to be recognised for such a task, not that Anouk was complaining.

“What about that one that was dropped in the water? Surely we can dredge it up or hire swimmers to fetch it?” Lord Kelvis questioned but all he could see was shaking heads and the retelling of previous endeavours to pull the stone from the deep gashes within the river’s underground channels. From what had been noted in the past from that incident, the stone had most likely been washed away in the torrent of the river and dragged out to the Glimmering Sea in the east. The thought of it being lost in the ocean was upsetting and many more theories were produced on other stone locations. But no one could think of something clear and instead the meeting ended with the need to send out birds to their allies in preparation for a war. The foreigners would need to be evacuated and the Deep Elves would be led by Molwesa’s junior Saravona to the Sacred Sanctuary down secret routes along the river. The harvests and Dreggs would be abandoned, but this was the nature of the attack they expected and something common in Virenheim’s history.

As each lord stood up to leave, four remained sitting in the presence of the king as Molwesa ushered the Karayan out to view any of his wounds from battle that she could not before. He did not accept her attention or intentions and to her frustration he simply stormed off in search of the library. In his mind the only way to be of use would be to recognise what the stones looked like and whether, in his travelling, he might have seen one. Only Anouk, Yeruell, Chroniison and Vasagar were left to listen to the last thoughts of the king, though the watchers and their commander Numart remained inside.

“My dear ones, times are changing and if the stones are not found then I will perish. I thought it best only to speak when the others have left. You are my kith and kin… though the blood that links us is ancient or no longer there.” The king stated gently and all looked to him with concern and compassion, save Anouk. A year ago she might have been filled with concern but right now her mind was only upon her sister, even if her allegiance meant the king should be above Damara. The king continued though with a soft sigh as he sank back into his chair. “At this rate Lord Benaga is next in line to the throne. If she does become queen then Lord Vasagar, you must marry her to ensure my blood and my protégé sit upon the throne. Then, Damara must be married to Lord Chroniison, and any child produced of either marriage must pair to unite the most ancient of noble families. Is that understood?”

Although any other lords might feel honoured by the words of their king, all present looked aghast. Each had their own reason for the upset but the most obvious was because of the intended incest within cousins, which was forbidden under Otzell’s own laws! For lord Vasagar it was the idea of giving up his bachelor lifestyle, for Yeruell giving up Anouk, for Chroniison marrying the daughter of his adopted sister and for Anouk… everything! Her face was a hideous scowl and her teeth ground together harshly; she knew her position could not be spoken for but she could speak for Damara’s sake.

“Not in the days of Nabuto’s light!” Anouk barked suddenly, making the others jump in surprise. Otzell shifted in his throne to look toward her and though everyone present could have launched out and beaten her to within an inch of her life, the king smiled. Anouk knew the danger she was in and as she locked eyes with the king she understood the message of her distaste, for Damara’s part, was sent across. But though the king smiled she also realised the danger from the others and shook her head roughly. “The strength of the king is greatest in the hour of need… my master you are not going to die. We will make sure that no one will replace you but an heir you have in future.”

“A bold thought, Benaga… but it is true that if the stones return my body will become younger and… perhaps… this is a sign from Nabuto and dare I say it, Hathorna, to choose a queen. Life is not eternal and I am gracious for your concern… dearest child.” The king stated and suddenly all concern and anger for Anouk’s outburst was cast aside. They could understand then that her loyalty to the king was as powerful as ever and that she could not accept any idea of loosing him. Everyone breathed a sigh and agreed to the king’s thoughts on choosing a bride as well as Anouk’s belief that their king would survive all the troubles to come their way, but Anouk remained unhappy.

Somehow she sensed that by invoking the goddess of love and lust, the king had just opened the door to suggestions regarding Damara’s future once again.

* * * * *

There was comfort to be gained in being back at home in her own bed, although the fuss being made for her sake was something Damara could not stand. Even if her sister often remained cold and standoffish whenever Damara did something wrong or got sick, on this occasion she was as attentive as she had been at the death of their parents. Anouk had barely left Damara alone to sleep at night and even moved into the bedroom with her to ease off the affect of bad dreams. It was not a good sign and made Damara worry about her interaction with the demon, but her wound was fully healed and all that was left was the slow recovery of her energy. Use of magic was not permitted for at least a month in case the hive demon might have left a link on her, so Damara was not permitted to go to the academy or even to leave the household! Just stepping out of her bed caused great alarm for Anouk although Talon and Karani would shoo her away to deal with her needs and give her a bit of breathing room.

Still, the curious dreams and visions had not left Damara’s mind and each night she endured another seeming memory about a situation with the stones. She could not identify the reason why the demon’s touch would cause such things, but her conviction that she was learning the location of the sacred stones was becoming stronger. With news starting to spread of the approaching danger and Anouk’s own anxious manner before she went out on another patrol, Damara was becoming certain. She knew that somewhere not too far away in the Pitch Forests was another stone waiting to be picked up and she alone could find it! But, when she told her sister of this thought Damara was startled by the response she received.

“No one can go into the Pitch Forest in case they ignite an early spore release. The kingdom is making its plans to evacuate the civilians and right now you should be thinking of what you need to take with you when it happens. You won’t have graduated the academy by this time so there is no way you or Karani will be permitted to fight and I will make sure of this… understand?” The words were bitter and aggressive, as if Anouk was upset and in truth she was. Unable to tell her sister the suggestions of the king she wanted Damara to get as far away from the city as possible before something else happened. Now that a little knick of a scar sat on her baby sister’s shoulder to remind her of the danger of demons, Anouk felt as weak as any parent fearing for the safety of their loved ones.

Damara had been sitting up in her bed reading over the book that talked about the sacred stones and their uses. It was a very old book but had been re-printed continuously to keep the information fresh and to keep the memories alive. The greatest aspect of this book was that it contained the detailed drawings of each stone as well as the letters on it, which when spoken together would kill the one saying it but produce an immense power. Damara knew that the words only worked when all twelve stones were together, but the image had shown her that what visions were coming to her of the stones in her sleep, they were real. Each of the stones in the dream matched the stones in the book giving her more credence although it was obvious no one was going to listen to her thoughts on the matter.

“But it’s the closest one next to the Dragon’s Cave… plus it’s not that far away, it’s at the furthest boundary of the swamp and…” The moment she said swamp Damara almost bit herself in frustration. Karani and Talon were sitting in the room too and they had been helping Anouk with the inventory list since the possibility of departure had been made clear. If they were to be evacuated then Anouk had to remain and fight so the care of these two young women was given to Talon. When they heard the word swamp they crouched slightly, pulling their bodies tight as they prepared for the barrage of anger Anouk was about to spit over her sister as she stopped writing down the titles of the books and spun on her heel to speak.

“Where the Mud Lurch, Boodoo, Gefafood, Yeravati, Loskad and Marsh Goblins all live and swarm in their thousands! Even if you avoid Boodoo infection, mud Lurch attack, the stings of the Yeravati insects, the hidden jaws of the Gefafood or the Loskad beasts don’t carry you off to eat your eyeballs, just how would you deal with goblins? Not only that but what makes you think the stone could still be there when those creatures know what the stones look like, hey?” Anouk snapped in a patronising manner that made Damara feel like she’d been squashed down into the mud. She could not answer that question at all, only by stating that no other people had been given the stones or been said to have used them or touched them before. She assumed herself that they must have some magic property to defend themselves against lesser evils, but there were legends that if all were gathered and given to a fallen god, that being would no longer be fallen but could return to the surface!

“You don’t have to screech at me like I’m a child, I know full well how dangerous it will be but you said it yourself that the king needs the stones. I couldn’t imagine a world without our beloved King Otzell around to keep us all from harm… he’s treated us like his own children after everything that’s happened and no one else would afford us that affection until you took down your first demon.” Damara snapped, suddenly feeling tears welling up inside her eyes for how much doubt her sister had in her. She also wondered if her sister really understood how dangerous the situation was and how much they needed their king. From Damara’s point of view Otzell was her grandfather, he was the wise one that had always been kind to her when she’d been brought to the ceremonies on her father’s back. He had ensured that no one had commented on her being an orphan and if not for his constant words of kindness presented by Yeruell, she would have become morbid and depressed all the more at Jarl’s change in heart.

“Don’t talk like I don’t understand the consequences… I have my duty to prepare the patrols for battle rather then to go off on a ridiculous search for something we have no proof over.” Anouk grunted before straightening herself up and grabbing a black scarf from the nearest set of drawers to cover her red hair in. It was an obvious sign she was going to go out for a walk and when she gave a whistle to the eager yellow Dreggs, it was obvious she was going to go to the kennels and do some training. But Damara continued to scowl towards her and just before she left the room, knowing she did not want to leave her sister on a bad note as she had done her father before his death, Anouk turned around and looked pitifully towards her baby sister. “Look, I love you very much Damara and I don’t want you to get into any kind of danger. If you could find someone else who has seen the stone in that area, then I would believe you and go out after it with my own squad… understand?”

As she walked off Damara nodded her head but grit her teeth in frustration at her sister’s reactions. She did not want to leave the matter when she felt so sure and in many ways she assumed those last words were just to placate her. However, Damara knew that she could put this theory to the test and that there was one person she could look to who might be able to answer the question. Insistently she called her sister back and with a grunt Anouk returned to view only to grimace at Damara’s new suggestion.

“Can I take the Dreggling to Karayan? After-all I’m feeling much better and you know he’s probably worried about how I’ve been doing and he did save me.”

Thanks to Karani and Talon agreeing to go with her and carry the fat bubble-blowing dark brown baby across the pathways to the Karayan’s home, Damara had managed to leave the household. It was the day in which he was able to encourage people to take stuff from the building that had no meaning to him and the trio watched in surprise as even a few lords were stepping inside to collect expensive items. The Karayan had simply put everything he wanted in three rooms, his and his two assistants’ as well as anything the pair of them felt was needed. Practically everything outside the kitchen and bathroom were being removed and he was sitting in the middle of a blank floor with a glass of the mineral milk and what might have been a grimace on his masked face.

“May Nabuto’s light shine on you, good day Lord Karayan.” Talon called out calmly as he brought the two young girls and the fat reptile into the room. The servants were busy rushing about screeching in upset over the removal of items but Karayan was telling them to take things too. It was another ridiculous situation brought about by the stranger’s odd manners but Damara found herself laughing over it all and the sudden wide eyes of the stranger as they looked at the creature in Talon’s arms. When Talon noticed he put the fat reptile on the floor where it gave a curious sound before galloping straight into Karayan’s lap.

“Awe… he likes you! Anouk always says if the Dreggling comes to you then their loyalty is eternal… so what are you going to name him?” Karani beamed in delight as the fat little creature waddled about along Karayan’s lap, his striped tongue lolling out of his mouth and his nostrils squirting globs of snot onto the large dark brown robes of the stranger. Karayan however stared out at the trio, trying to ignore the creature of his lap, with an expression of disbelief as if he were fed up of them. It was obvious though that his displeasure was more for the fact that they had once again leapt into his household without him having the option to say ‘go away’ and without his permission had just deposited a pet upon his lap. With a groan he lifted one of his gloved hands and patted the creature’s head, only for his small black eyes to swirl with a golden liquid that made Damara squeak.

“Oh dear… when Anouk learns you’ve got a Golden Eye she’ll hit the roof. She was only going to retire old Slobber when he fathered one and now it’s yours as the rules of the society dictate… still… what are you going to name him?” She stated with a vivid smile of affection towards the stranger and Karayan rolled his eyes in frustration. He really could not deal with another creature snooping about his living quarters, it was bad enough with the servants and with Droy and Martum, but he could not refuse a gift from Anouk. “Make sure it’s a good name, after-all everyone laughs when Anouk introduces Slobber in the ring!”

“Ring? You fight them?” The sudden bark of disbelief from the Karayan made the little creature jump and slap its long tongue about in frustration. Its concern urged Karayan to stroke its back gently and he regretted accepting its need for affection, but his companions look confused. They could not understand why he could be upset over such an animal involved in a sport when it was something maintained in every culture. The Karayan snorted at them and gently pulled the little lizard close against him as if protecting it from their plans on the future. “I do not believe you should force any animal to fight for entertainment… I do not even believe in eating them or what they produce.”

“Oh.” Karani produced the noise but almost from disbelief then feeling concerned about the matter. She was not focusing on the thought of the Dregg Fighting but rather the statement that the Karayan was in fact a vegetarian. Somehow, as she looked at the figure, she could not quite believe that someone so massive and terrifying that bore claws and goodness knows what beneath his mask, could not eat meat. She tried to figure out a way to state her confusion but instead found her eyes locked upon the glass of mineral milk in his hand that was untouched. “If you don’t… then why do you have the mineral milk?”

“Manners and acceptance of different cultures is a very different matter. I was told that as a lord I must drink some of the first batch of the season in respect to those that gather the mineral and tend the cattle. I will only do it for that sake… and even then I’m still worried that this cocktail is poisonous to non-Deep elves.” He grunted in frustration as he put the lilac coloured liquid back down on the floor with a growl. He looked toward the curious colouration of the cocktail and then towards the curious skin tones of the Deep Elves themselves and pondered if it might just be related, after-all his own tan skin was turning pale within the shadows of the caves. “Why do you fight your Dreggs then?”

“It’s not to the death… it’s part of the breeding ritual – female Dreggs won’t breed unless their partner is proven as the greatest fighter so each noble family owns the big brown male Dreggs and present them to all the females that have started to sing for breeding partners. If the female shows interest in more then one then the males are permitted to fight… it’s not a bloody situation at all, all they do is wrestle until one is on the ground beneath the other. It’s as natural as we can allow it when we need the Dreggs present to protect our boarders.” Talon snorted in frustration and shook his head angrily. “Next you’ll be assuming with castrate or execute them when they’re too old or their sickly!”

“Forgive me… but I still do not quite understand it.” The Karayan stated and more conversation continued over the subject until their heads started to spin. All around them the variety of people within the underground kingdom came back and forth to collect things of varied worth or interest. For some it was the opportunity to own something valuable, for others the chance to sell something and make money or pass it on as a gift, but most of the people that came as Karayan had hoped, were people working at the orphanage to collect furniture they could give to the children. The bedding material and some clothing Karayan could not guarantee was suitable had been burnt and he had ensured the servants were specific in what they gave to the kind ladies that stepped in covered up in blue robes and hoods to collect.

Talon watched them go back and forth and the moment he recognised one of the younger and more delicate looking beings to be Annaballa, he hopped up and insisted he had to help her out. Although it was considered rude to just abandon a conversation as he had, when the others noticed he was helping to carry a table they refused to comment. Instead Karani then got herself up and shuffled over to assist carrying a few more things that Annaballa and two other women from the order could not carry all on their own. Damara watched almost wanting to help out as well until she recalled that she was not fully recovered just yet. As she grimaced watching them, the Karayan suddenly lifted up the little Dreggling and stared at it curiously.

“I’d call him Cuddles… but that wouldn’t be an appropriate name for a wrestler, just kind of funny. Maybe you should call him Crusher or Kigat… that’s a type of smooth brown coloured stone we see in river beds. That suits.” Damara chuckled as the little creature gave a few funny gurgling reptile sounds of pleasure as he was sat on his back and had his rotund belly scales itched gently by Karayan’s claws. Damara watched with amusement the casual and familiar manner the Karayan showed, as if he’s owned a Dregg before or perhaps had owned a dog. Once again she was reminded of her thought when he had been with the children and though she could not bring herself to say it, she had an idea though that the Karayan was definitely still in love with someone and with a nervous gesture she questioned his mouth. “So… what’s the truth behind your mask?”

“Beneath my mask is a strange kind of black tattoo over my lips, like extra tusks or fangs painted into the flesh to make me appear more threatening. Where I came from, it was a tradition and yet when I was cursed, it did something else to my mouth that means all who are touched by my breath seem to just die. I do not understand it, but I do not want to bring harm to anyone here so I will remain wearing the mask. Is that enough for you?” Karayan stated as he continued to tickle the Dreggling and Damara’s eyes were widened in shock over his words. He could only imagine what she assumed to be beneath the mask and though he did not have a beak as Droy had once asked, his tattoo was not the only terrifying feature of his jaw, though he would not tell her any more.

Damara then gently reached a hand to tickle at the little monster’s belly, nodding her head in agreement to Karayan that she did not need to know more. Somehow the thought of the tattoos reminded her of the books about demons in the Orcreich and those human imitations created by the demons that lived savage wild lives on the coast, their dream to rip Nabuto from the sky to own him. She felt her head lowering and her jaw clamping as she became uncomfortable with the idea that her friend might have been made to look like such a being purely to make people hate him. The reason for is curse bothered her greatly, Karayan had never produced one but he had been to so many places and told her so much about the world already, so Damara decided to ask him finally about the stones.

When she asked him what they looked like and whether he had learnt anything more about them, the Karayan simply shrugged his shoulders. He could not describe them to her or whether he had possibly seen something similar within his life time, but could tell that she was thinking something important. Karayan did not know Damara as well as he might hope in this place, there were a lot of reasons socialising was different then it was on the surface if only because of position and fear. Of all the beings within this land she was the most fearless around him and somehow she was able to trust him where no one else was willing or happy to and he appreciated that. As he lifted up the little Dreggling again and cuddled it gently he passed the creature over to her so she could hold it as he stood himself up.

Strolling towards the nearby bookshelf that thankfully had not been emptied; the Karayan pulled out a tattered and ancient piece of scrap and stepped back to her side. Settling back down on the floor on his knees, the great being opened up the crumbling pages until he found the description of the stones within the old book. Damara was startled by the book, never seeing such a thing before but recognising the name of the author as one of the Royal Secretaries of the Togoll family, but she did not recall the first name as any of the members alive today or spoken of in history. From staring into the pages and looking at the nearly hand-written pages herself, let alone the curious musty smell of the paper, Damara could only imagine that this book had been exposed to the surface at one point and possibly confiscated. She did not want to ask anything about it, knowing that Karayan would hardly know anything himself, but she focused her eyes upon the writing that was in Deep Elf script, something illegible to any non-Elf.

Upon the page was a curious and crude sketch of the basic stone, a large naturally crystal shaped object with ragged edges as if it had literally been pulled from a groove in the earth. It had some slight squiggle upon the centre of it but that alone was the sign there was any kind of unique ability to the image. However, the notes upon the page were far more fascinating and Damara’s eyes widened in excitement to see a more thorough description of the stones that made her own thoughts all the more astounding. It stated plainly that each stone was slightly like a crystal in its overall pallid cloudy colourisation with the edge of colour about it, the size of a head but unusually light in weight. It was said it could be wrapped up in swaddling and appear like a baby for when separated from its fellows, the stone turns from a crystal to something more like soapstone. It was a curious image to come to mind but beside it were more notes on how only a full demon could touch it, that even an Archdemon needed to possess a body in order to touch it. The stones shone light and truth onto their holder so all demons would be burnt and forced to drop it and all cursed beings would be cured. There was nothing more to the page, but it was shocking enough and Damara looked up to Karayan with wide eyes of fascination and delight for the information he had shared with her.

“This is it… this is just what I needed to know!” Damara stated and the Karayan screwed his face in frustration. He was not sure what was going on with her but he felt suddenly concerned and steadily he stretched out a hand to touch her shoulder in reassurance. He could tell by the excitement in her tone as well as the unequivocal determination in her eyes that there was a reason she’d come to visit him. He could not tell whether it was because she wanted him to know that she was indeed safe after what had happened or that she wanted to be around some kind of friend, but he wondered if her sister had something to do with this need to prove herself.

Yet the moment they touched Damara’s eyes shot upward and locked firmly onto his. For a second he was able to read something strange within her eyes and then he realised that something was very wrong with her indeed. Damara’s blue eyes seemed to be swallowed by the light of the Karayan’s yellowed orbs as they seemed to swirl with blood red lines and stretched out to meet her, as if she were staring at the Hive Demon again. Suddenly the pair of them appeared to vibrate together as if they were being grabbed by some spell and violently shaken about by the demons that must still be connected to her. As Damara opened her mouth to scream but could barely force breathe out of her lungs, the Karayan shot his over arm out to grab her and held her firmly in his gaze, pushing her down to ground her in reality.

“Cut them out Little One… imagine the pain being pushed out of you and aim it for me….” The Karayan growled at her, making the people walking past freeze in surprise. They were watching the situation with whimpers of concern and then they began to rush off in search of Talon and the others like Molwesa to give them some assistance in the matter. They were not sure if the Karayan was killing Damara or if he was trying to help her fight. Damara could hear him, barely and when she heard him she tried to relax her body and copy the techniques she’d learnt in the academy to see the dark energy leave her, although she did not want it to go into the Karayan.

He remained holding her tightly and staring deeply into her eyes as if he were cutting away into her very mind. Karayan could feel the darkness bubbling up within Damara’s delicate aura and though the other beings scampering around the household could not see such a thing, the stranger could. The foreigner could see a massive black bubble forcing its way up Damara’s throat, trying to push itself backward into her and avoid him. The moment it wheezed its way past her little pink tongue, she gave a sudden gasp and began to breathe more freely with her body no longer shaking. Karayan held her steady with one hand as he used the other to lift his mask slightly. Damara was able to blink her eyes gently for a moment, but in that moment she was sure she witnessed a great forked tongue slap out from under the mask to taste the air like a snake, unaware that the black bubble had come from her and been burst.

The moment Karayan felt it pop, he lowered his mask again and suddenly he found his head aching and his jaw trembling. He could not allow anyone to see what was about to happen to him but he had to fight it back so he could help Damara out. Swiftly he straightened his body and hooked her limp form into his arms, wobbling and grunting breath as he carried her towards the bedroom, Karayan wanted to scream for some kind of help. However, he would not call out and instead he was able to get the door open to the clustered piles of items he wished to keep and hobbled to the bed. He dropped Damara onto it and was able to pull the blanket over her moaning form before he collapsed upon the floor. Damara’s eyes flickered slightly again as she felt something like a roar vibrate the air, but there was no noise to it and she was sure in that brief moment she’d seen a shadow upon the wall turn into some kind of creature with horns and wings she’d never seen before… but perhaps it was another hallucination.

Next Chapter: Seven