A little further down the road leading away from the Coralyn barony, the two came to an Inn called 'the stone circle'. The windows were shuttered and there were no lights to be seen; they could hear neighing coming from the stables, but when they looked they saw no carriage, black or otherwise, just some skittish ponies and a traveling merchant's cart. “We have lost the carriage. The best thing will be to get a bed for the night.” Elysua suggested, casting a wary glance at the moon, whose chilling silver glow was stronger. “I don't feel calm outside tonight. I have a bad feeling." “You are weak, cat girl, and cowardly.” "They will have beer." "On the other hand, some of your suggestions are not without merit, although the beer of this country is watered down." "Of course" replied Elysia. Frey did not detect the ironic tone of her voice. The inn was not fortified, but it had thick walls, and when they tried to open the door they found that it was barred. Frey pummeled her with he

They walked wearily through the forest. Overhead, the moon shone with chilling light; the moon had grown even brighter and now its silvery glow lit up the sky. A fine mist had fallen, and the terrain they were advancing on was bleak and wild. Rocks rose from the peat like the eruption of a plague breaking out on the world's skin.Sometimes Elysia thought she heard the flapping of huge wings above them, but when she looked up she saw only the glow of the sky. The fog spread and distorted the surroundings in such a way that it seemed that both of them were walking on the bottom of an unearthly sea.“I have a bad feeling about this place.” Elysia thought. The air tasted foul, and the fur on her tail was constantly standing on end. Once, when she was a child, on the estate of her owners, she had sat and watched the sky turn black with menacing clouds. Then the most monstrous storm she could remember had come. She then experienced the same expectant feeling, and she knew that powerful forc

I can't remember exactly how we decided to head into the gloomy mountains in search of the lost gold of an old, abandoned dwarf fortress, but I remember that, like many important resolutions from that period of my life, it was one we made in a tavern under the influence of huge amounts of alcohol. I also remember an old, toothless dwarf repeatedly babbling the word gold, and I have vivid memory of the insane gleam that appeared in my companion's eyes as he listened to the tale.Perhaps it was typical of the Dark Hero to be willing to risk his life and limb in the wildest, most barren territory he could imagine, no matter how tenuous the provocation. Or maybe it was the characteristic 'gold rush' effect that the vast majority of people tend to suffer when they find a way to get money quickly. As I was to discover later, the lure of that shiny metal has a tremendous and terrifying power over the minds of all relatively civilized beings.In any case, the decision to leave

Elysia knocked on the wagon door, which she was told belonged to the baron's master-at-arms. She was alone mainly because her partner, Frey, was in charge of maintaining his armor and giving his sword a perfect edge."Ahead". said a voice.Opening the door, her nose was assaulted by the smell of bear grease, so she reached for the hilt of the sword.Five men were gathered inside the wagon, and she recognized three of them: they were the hunters she had met the night before. The other two were a young man, richly dressed and with delicate features, with short hair in the style of a noble warrior, and a tall, powerfully built man clad in furs. The latter was tanned and appeared to be in his thirties, although his hair was silvery gray. He carried a quiver of black-tailed arrows slung across his back, and close to his hand was a long, sturdy bow. The men she didn't know, Elysia, bore a certain family resemblance."That's the bitch." Lars said through his missing teeth, and the two strang

The crossbow bolt whistled through the air and stabbed quiveringly into the earth before the steed's hooves. Frey struggled to control the animal, which reared. At times like this he was glad to have ranks of skill in Riding."Come no closer, stranger, or we will fill you with arrows, white flag or no white flag." His voice was rough but powerful. It was clear that its owner used it to give orders and have them obeyed. Frey struggled with the mount and managed to control it."I am a messenger to Garfield Von Deyl, Baron of the Northern Fringe of the Gray Mountains." Frei yelled. “He has no intention of causing you any harm. We just want to shelter from the elements and refresh supplies.”“Well, you can't do it here! Tell your Baron Garfield that if he is so peaceful, he can continue on his way. This is Aken, and we are not interested in any dealings with the nobles of any country. We are a free and independent city, we do not bow down to anyone.”Frey studied the man shouting at him f