I said, We'd better ride! PROLOGUE & C1

The persons are riding hard and fast. We want to avoid being caught by the town's people.

“I said, Ride for the hill!”

I, Shallynne and Thallin rode at breakneck speed to escape the town that had turned against us. “No to be more accurate It’s just me they are after. You see there has been a bounty set on my head. Dead or alive!”, I said as I began to slap my horses withers to have pick up speed.

“I told you to put away the sword. You wouldn’t listen to me!” Shallynne said as she looked at me,

I saw the torches being held aloft by the town’s people, as they chased after us.

We began to ride into a huge bank of fog, Ahead of us was a huge blanket of fog rising from the river's bank; there was a chill to it on our flesh. We were galloping as fast as we could ride. The blanket covered the horizon in its grasp holding everything. There was a cold that swarmed over us as it seeped deep within our flesh. We could feel it gnawing away at our nerves. It held us like a garter on a woman's leg to keep her stockings up. I could see my breath out of my mouth, ease from my lips. On my waist hung a sword which I was proficient in using when it was called for.

\Thallin said,”Creeton. Watch the way your horse is riding! We’re near the bank of the river here!”
“
I know this,” I said as I began to pull back on my reins to slow down,I looked over my shoulder to see the torch light following us. They vanished into the fog. I began to relax.

The reason that they are pursuing us. Is thanks to me, wearing the sword in its balrick. It is my father’s sword. It is distinctive as the cross piece has marking on it of my father.

“The bounty is 15 gold pieces, it is a great deal of coin that they would receive if my body or I walk into the sheriff’s office with one of them leading me there.” I said as I thought about it happening to me. There would be no trial. Just the executioners blade to fall on my neck.

“I think I see, something a head of us!” Thallin said as he peered into fog ridden darkness he saw seven flames at the height of our steed’s head. Two of these things looked to ears of a horse, two more looked like eyes, nostrils and mouth, there were four of them there. He pointed at the fires before him.

“Didn’t you see, the flames there! Its about the height of steed head.” Shallynne said as she looked at the heads of these horses there.

“I see them!” I said as I had drawn closer to these flames. I heard hooves striking the earth, I saw a shadow with what appeared to be a head on its shoulders. I turned away from this shadow it looked like a man. I saw flames in its head where its mouth should be, and eyes were in flames as well.

Night was falling, the moon was full, but there were dense clouds covered the skyline. So, there was no moon in the sky, but I knew it was there above us. I saw it rise on the horizon as I entered the tavern to partake of some good ale, talk with the patron and have a good time there. Maybe play a few hands of cards as well. I wasn't much good at that Thallin was better at it than I. Also perhaps listen to bards as they sing their songs or dance to be paid for their show.

Shallynne urged her mustang ahead of mine, pale hair streaming like a banner from it's sigil. And Thallin, bless his soul, clung to his reins as if prayer alone could keep him in the saddle. He hadn’t fallen off just yet. His fingers felt the chill of the wind howling about us. The wind tried to make him release the reins. He would die.I f he did this and he knew this. He would not release the reins.

I dug the heels in harder to urge my steed to gallop further and harder. Behind us, the glow of torches flickered in the dark like embers in a forge. I swore I could hear them chanting for me to fall into their hands. They imagined what they could buy with it. That is the prize they sought.

####

You see my father was gambling man, He was cursed with the plague that this had brought this to our home. He lost what should have been his home. But he put the marker down on his wife instead of his house.

Pa left the house one evening when a slaver was brought to the house with a few of his people to acquire mom from the house. His people walked into the house, they arrived late in the evening.

There were five of them, including the slaver. They woke me, when they came in. They headed to the bed chamber of my parents, they opened the door. Stepped inside one of them was holding a net which they flung over my mom as she woke.

Another one of them grabbed me, when I strode out of my room, I grabbed my dagger to protect mom from whoever this was. One of them grabbed me, by putting a dagger to my throat I froze.

“I don’t wanta hurt you boy!” the figure holding the dagger said as I felt the chill of its blade against my skin. I turned to face the man holding the blade there against my skin at my throat.

“Drop the dagger. I will allow you to say good bye to your mom! Otherwise I will kill you without a thought.” the man said, his skin was pale as pale as the moon in the sky. His hand did not falter as he held it there.

I released my dagger, my eyes swept the room. There were three people in the bed room, one holding my mother’s wrist as another threw a fist at her face. The third figure was a big man, he was a big man, maybe twelve stones. Muscular in build he wore a black breast plate with a skirt of leather.

The other figure was holding the door open, he looked at me and said, “You’re a fighter! Good to know1” Wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“There’s a fire going. We might as well brand her now. That we have her!” The one with the breastplate said as he pulled out a metal rod with a flat end on one side of it. He pressed the rod into the fire which was burning there. He withdrew the rod from the fire the tip was red in color smoke rose from it. He brought the rod to my mother’s hip. She screamed,

I tried to attack, but the knife at my throat caused me to not attack them.

They left the house.The wind howled as it blew through the house. Pa was no where to be found.

When he returned, he saw that I was awake. He looked at me and said,”Where’s mom?”

“Someone came here and took her with them,” I said.

“That’s unfortunate, that this had to happen here,” Pa said as he looked at me, he wiped my tear filled eyes.

The man I knew who was wearing the black metal breastplate was a slaver, no one questioned him or dared to question him for his actions. Pa was afraid of what had happened.

I snarled,”What is the meaning of this happening?”

“It seems, there was debt that had to be paid off! She chose to pay it off!” Pa said as he looked at me.

“Whose debt is this debt?” I growled as I approached Pa

Pa took off his sword from his balrick that was on his back, to put the sword to my chest, I felt the blade’s edge cut into my flesh. He declared,”If you dare to question me. I will kill you! Without a qualm. Do you understand me!”

I stepped back from his sword’s edge. He smiled as I did this. He said,”You will obey me!”

I closed my hands and said,”I would do this?”

Pa smiled as he lowered his sword from my chest, He gave me a hug. I accepted his doing this. I wanted him to pay for what he done to mom. I knew i would have wait until he fell asleep. I would bid my time with him.

He did not see what the slaver did to mom. My heart was cold upon seeing this happen. He fell a sleep that day. I drew up my dagger slipped silently into his room. He lay there sleeping, I slowly began to walk toward his sleeping form.

He was on his side. The bed was in the center of the room, I crept upon him. He turned to face me. His eyes were closed, his eyes shifted beneath his lids. I threw my dagger at his neck, I cut his jugular artery. Blood jettisoned out of his body.

I smiled as he died. I stole his sword from his body. As I pulled it out of its baldrick smoke poured off the sword’s edge.

There were things etched into the blade, that looked like words but I could not read them.

The pommel was cold to the touch, until the blade was a blaze. Than it grew warm in my hands. I put the blade back into its sheath. I was nearly 11 stones, I was muscular in build. My black hair fell to my shoulders. I took my cloak and walked out of the house after setting it a blaze.

Someone put a warrant on me. I would be hunted until I died.


Chapter 1

I woke, sweat covered me. I was trembling. I looked at fire that was a blaze.

Shallynne lay down. She was sleeping. Her hair fell across her breasts she had curled up. Her snores would have awaken the dead. I saw her left hand shift, I saw a brooch there that was emerald gree, with what appeared to be leaves surrounding it. The brooch was ths size of her palm. I hadn't seen it before. She was with us always. Where did this brooch come from I wondered. Her hand quickly closed about it, she stretched out and rose to her feet. She has me help get dressed in the breastplate she wore, she slipped on her skirt of leather. Walked towards where her horse stood watching us.

I wanted to know where she had come across this brooch, but I decided not to tell what I had seen. This brooch was unique. I hadn't seen it before. Where did it come from. I didn't know the answer to this question.

When I drew out my sword from its balrick the glow was brighter than it had been before this happening. The heat burned into leaves that came in contact with it, The flames rose up as if it was on fire. The flames began to burn significantly.

Thallin was no where to be found. I expected him to be on watch, that could he where he has gone.

There was a chill in the air. Our horses were standing beside the trees where we had flung our reins over the branches. They looked at me as I ambled out of the blankets, I shivered I approached Shallynne whose hand lay on the pommel of her sword. I brushed the hair out of her face.

She grimaced seeing me kneeling there. She grumbled “I’m up,”

I said,”Any idea where Thallin has gone?”

“Not a clue.” she replied, as she lifted the blanket from her form, looked about. “Its not like him to wander off is it!”

Thallin stepped out from behind a bough of a tree. “I was looking toward where you had heard the sounds last night. I saw a figure with a few dogs with him.”

“Does he look like he may need help,” Shallynne said as she walked over to her mustang to feed it some pieces of apples that she had carved before. The horse accepted the apples from her hand.

“No, he seems at ease. From what I could see of him that is.” Thallin said as he walked toward me, across his back was a bow, and broad sword hung from his belt on his right side. There was quiver of arrows lay on his horse.

“Let’s go and see him,” Creeton suggested as he headed to his steed.

We all got onto our steeds to ride toward where Thallin saw this man with his dogs beside him. There was path through the brush where Thallin saw him. There were four dogs running through the brambles. We saw the man as he lifted himself from where he sat. He looked at us, a smile appeared on face. He was clean shaven, he was wearing heavy cloak beside his hand was a staff, that looked very old.

The staff I recognized from somewhere I could not place where I had seen the staff or remembered it from stories that others spoke of. It had a face of a woman, her hair fell to the middle of the staff. Her hair was done up in braids. The eyes on this staff glowed in yellow hue. The eyes were like a cat’s eye. Its maw was open. Her nose had large nostrils. Her eyebrows were high and arched.

It was carved to look like a woman’s figure, his hand fell on her waist. He looked at us as we rode toward him. His eyes were hid beneath a thick bushy eyebrows, his nose was straight, his lips are thin. There was a gleam in his eyes. He said,”Who are you?’

“We are travellers here,” Thallin said as he pulled back on the reins of his horse.

“Why are you here?” he asked as he lifted his hand to his eyes to shield them from perhaps the sunlight behind us.

“We are traveling in the same direction as you are! We wish to protect you from who lies in this region of land,” I said as I looked at him, the dogs began to close the gap with us. The dogs looked to be shepherds. The brambles were crowded with bushes and thick grass there the dogs stood on rocks that were surrounded by the grass stalks that grew there.

“You think I need protection. That is a laugh.” he said as he closed his eyes. The dogs began to howl about him. Their ears went back into their heads, staring at us.

“Why do you feel that it is a laugh, that you will not need protection from us. You only have four dogs, they look formidable
enough true!” , Shallynne said as she looked at him.

“I have walked these woods since I was a boy. The staff I hold will protect me from whatever dares to present itself to me! I am Calla!” he said.

I know where I had heard mention of the staff. Calla is a lord of the realm where we presently are?” I shivered

Thallin did not seem to recognise this name, nor did Shallynne. They looked at him as if he was mistaken.. Shallynne asked,”Calla is man with a great deal of power in his hands, you do not look like you are him! I think you are mistaken!”

“You dare to face me. Fool. Be on your way!” this man who said he was Calla said as he drove the base of his staff into the ground.

I saw the figure on the staff to lift her hands where they rested presently. She stepped off the staff, her eyes still glowed yellow, She brought up one of her hand up.

Shallynne’s horse reared up nearly throwing her from the horse’s back. Shallynne’s legs closed about her horses withers, her hand held the reins tightly. It bucked, but Shallynne held on for dear life.

The woman brought her hands beneath her breasts, she watched Shallynne struggle to be free of the form that she was feeling presently, she patted her horse’s mane, Saying,”Easy girl. Easy!” The horse still struggled to throw her off its back.

Calla smiled, and said,”Do you understand me? I am Calla.”

The horse slowly calmed itself. Shallynne glared at him.

Thallin drew up an arrow to point at Calla, his eyes danced to the right to stare at the woman who stepped from the staff. He grit his teeth. Thallin said,”Release her steed from your control Calla. Or you might be dead!”

Calla laughed as he turned to face Thallin, “You dare to question me! My your brave. No brains in your head,” Pointed his hand at Thallin. The woman began to lift her hand toward Thallin.

Thallin felt a wind hammer him. He felt as if he was a nail and the air surrounding him was the wood he was being driven into. He released his arrow, The arrow snapped in half. Thallin’s arms were driven to his sides. Blood ran from his face, he tasted his blood as it ran from his nose and mouth.

Creeton said,”We mean you no harm. We wanted to help you in your travels here.”

“You have dared to challenge me. I have felt I should show you who I am!” Calla said as he looked into my eyes.

“We made a mistake! I apologize for our actions here. Will you forgive us of this mistake! Release us from your spells!” , Creeton said as he watched Shallynne trying to calm her steed and Thallin fall from his horse.

“I think, i should try and protect you from yourselves! If you get my drift?” Calla said as he watched Shallynne glare at him. The woman stepped back to where she had come from.

Shallynne held onto her reins, the horse started to calm itself. Thallin toppled to the ground. I sat there staring at him. He smirked as he began to walk away from us, his dogs followed him.

Thallin slowly rose to his feet, he wiped his face blood covered his hand. Shallynne released her reins. I watched Calla walk away, he looked over his shoulder, his dogs walked with him.

“I think, that was Calla!” I said as I drew up my reins.

“Who was the woman with him!” Thallin asked as he lifted himself back to his saddle.

“A Garderein I believe. The one who attacked us was her!”

“I think, we should make haste in getting to Cull,” Shallynne suggested as she looked us over, she did not look pleased.

“Who do you think is going to be looking for us?” Thallin asked, as he spat out some blood from his mouth.

“I don’t think anyone will be looking for us. But I think, we’ll need stables to stay alive with. Don’t you?”

“I suppose you’re right!”

“I don’t think we should have challenged Calla. He rules over this region with an iron fist.”

“How were we supposed to know who he was?” Shallynne said peering into Thallin’s face. Thallin winced as he grasped his saddle horn.

“We shouldn’t have questioned him. That was a mistake, wasn’t it?” I said as I closed my eyes to relive the battle with Calla. Tears sped into my eyes.

“I want to see what the seer can tell me about my sword! That’s the reason we should go there?” I said as I patted the pommel of my sword, I felt something surge within it and into my hands, smoke oozed between my closed fists and fingers, crawling into the sky.

“You’ve often wanted to see what they could tell you about the sword!” Shallynne said as she looked to where Cull was.

We could see its strong, blood covered walls that made up its exterior. The gargoyles looked most pronounced, these statues She felt were alive. The gargoyles were twelve feet in height. The ramparts had stones two feet in depth between the stones there. The walls were a hundred feet in height. Moss crawled across the stones. Making it exceedly difficult to scale the walls. There was a moat.

We had learned these details talking to othera coming from there, they spoke of things that could not be, but were there. Beings who looked like whisps of smoke these beings were able to lift and carry things. The beings form is blue whisps of smoke.

There was mentioned that there is a mage there who dabbles in things that should not be dabbled with. It is suggested he rules over the community there. When people speak of him, they look over their shoulders as though they are afraid of what they are willing to tell.

It was night fall when we arrived before its dark gate, the drawbridge was up. There was a bell to ring to have the people within to be aware of who was there. The bell was in a building there, the bell was attached to a rope inside the building. The building was dark thanks to shadows that have fallen inside this building. The building was ten feet square, the building has a window in it and beside it was a section of stones that are three feet across teh drawbridge was with a thirty foot drop, we could hear water as it roared below the building.

Thallin ran the bell.

We heard someone scream,”Come back in the morrow!”

We looked across the battlements to see the walls of the castle, there were lights about the walls of the castle. Forty feet across from the drawbridge to the castle.

“We’ll sleep here!” Thallin said as he turned about and rode down the road to arrive at a village about half a days ride.

“I think Calla is behind us. I don’t think he’ll want to come here?’ I said as I came off my horse’s back.

Shallynne scratched behind her mustang’s ears. As she slowed her steed to a slow canter.

Thallin lifted a door’s knocker to knock at the door.The knocker fell. A man slowly opened the door to the inn, he wiped sleep from his eyes/ he had a long nose. He said,”What are you doing?”

“We’d like a room for the night!”

“Come back when the sun rises! We’re closed now.”

“I said, we’d like a room!” Thallin said as he grabbed the man by his collar lifted him from where he stood to have him dangle from his hand. He shook him a bit to have him realize that Thallin was serious.

“Tell him, money is no object for him to worry about! We have the coin! That should make up for us arriving at an hour such as this.” Shallynne said as she reached for her purse to show him what she meant. The purse had gold and silver coins at the most.

Thallin dragged his head over to the bag to show him what they had to offer him. He saw the coins, he did not say another word of argument. He said,”I will find you a room for the night.”

“That is all we wish?” I said as I looked at him, he was fumbling with the coins that Shallynne gave him.