Demon Fever (The Original)

Demon Fever

By Ken Gibson

CHAPTER ONE

            The wind whipping by where she stood on the bow of the ship picked up her long, mahogany colored hair and tossed it behind her, sending a thrill of freedom through the shapely high elf.  Her seafoam green eyes were closed, her full pink lips turned up at the corners in a beatific smile.  Few things in the world could make Natashiana Grasamere feel as vibrant and alive as cool sea breeze.  And with the ship due to draw into port soon she didn't really know when she might feel another, so she was enjoying this experience while it lasted.

            "Damn woman, you are truly a sight to behold!"  came a mans voice behind her, accompanied by the heavy footfalls she had come to expect from the booted feet of Captain Dale Crawford.  She sighed, not bothering to turn and face him, having long since grown weary of the mariners constant and clumsy attempts at seduction.  "Wouldn't be hard to convince this sailor you were a siren sent to seduce me to my doom!"

            Still without turning, or opening her eyes, Tasha responded lightly, "Except I can't sing, Captain, so I would make a poor excuse for a Siren."  That wasn't entirely true, in fact Tasha had a very nice singing voice, but what the Captain didn't know couldn't hurt him.  "How long till we reach the coast of Errgaunt?"  She was eager to get off this man's ship, a merchantman called The Last Hope.

            "Two, maybe three hours."  He responded, moving up to stand next to her at the railing.  He gazed out over the water till he realized her eyes were closed, then he turned and openly admired her profile, the delicately pointed ears over her high cheekbones, the full lips and gently rounded chin.  Beneath that a long, smooth neck, somewhat broad shoulders that supported her full, firmly rounded breasts and a flat stomach which blended beautifully into her shapely hips and long, well turned legs.  For about the five hundredth time in the six weeks she had been at sea with him, the captain asked, "Are you certain I can't entice you into my cabin for a drink?  Just to wish you well, of course?"

            Finally opening her eyes and deigning to turn and face the captain, she responded with a finality that left no room for discussion.  "Captain Crawford, the only interest I have in you at all is in your capacity as the captain of this vessel, which I have hired to take me from my home town of Hanover in Aldonia to the coastal city of Milligant in Errgaunt.  Your constant attempts at courting me have met with zero success throughout the course of this voyage and I fail to see what might have changed to make you think this effort would fair any better?"

            "I'm just stubborn I guess."  He replied with a crooked half smile.  Tasha frowned, regarding the sailor for a moment.  He wasn't a bad looking man, tall and squarely built with decent musculature and long, though perhaps too straight brown hair.  His jaw was firmly squared, his mouth a narrow slash across the bottom half of his face and his eyes, when they weren't so openly undressing her, were a rather pleasant shade of green.  But of all the men she had ever met, Captain Dale Crawford had the largest number of rather gross habits.  She had seen him pick his nose, blow it onto the deck a nostril at a time and he chewed the most foul smelling tobacco she had ever encountered, and those were just the top of a very long list!  All in all, despite his at first pleasant appearance, he was a thoroughly repulsive man.

            Shaking her head, she turned back to continue watching the sea.  "I am not now, nor shall I ever be interested in being courted by you.  Are we clear on that Captain?"

            He scowled darkly, but nodded.  "As crystal, milady."  As he turned sharply on his heel and stalked off across the deck she reflected that that was the first time during the voyage that he had actually referred to her by her title, since Tasha was a noble woman, though one of low ranking within the Aldonia hierarchy.  Her parents, Ragnor and Ayla Tulaetin were the noble lords of the small coastal community of Hanover, on the edge of the Eastern Sea in the elven empire of Aldonia.  Being the noble lords of the town put them in the lowest caste of nobility and Tasha, along with her sister Kallysta, were thrust into the same category by right of birth.  None of them put much stock in their rank, however, having been raised to believe that a persons worth should be based more upon their personal beliefs and accomplishments.  Ragnor, being a Priest of Roma a goddess of war and of the sea, was a devout man though he sometimes had trouble separating his duties to his faith from those to his town.  His wife, Ayla, was a warrior monk of the same faith and frequently served to keep him and their children walking the right path. 

            Tasha had been gone from Hanover for several weeks now and though she had traveled before, this was the farthest she had ever gone on her own and she missed them all dearly.  She knew that if not for the information she had received shortly before her departure she might not have left at all.  Ten years before her home town had been raided by a renegade group of monsters and during that attack Tasha's husband Calistone had gone missing and had been, for the last decade, assumed dead.  Several days before she had booked passage on Crawfords ship she had learned, through the admittedly jaded testimony of an imprisoned hobgoblin, that Calistone might still be alive, the slave of the monsters that had attacked Hanover.  Unable to fathom this turn of events, Tasha had been unable to ignore it and booked passage on the first available ship from Hanover to Errgaunt, the human empire.  The hobgoblin prisoner had told her that Calistone was likely somewhere in the monster kingdom of Keyos, but in order to get there she must first travel through Errgaunt and the land of Trey'Elden, where the northern barbarian tribes resided.  Thus her voyage to Errgaunt, which was nearly over, and she looked forward to finally starting her search for her once thought deceased spouse.

            After sparing a few moments for thoughts of home and her coming mission, Tasha turned from the railing and started across the deck, her long legs carrying her quickly toward the stairs that would then take her below to where her rented cabin was located.  She knew that she still had some packing to do and wanted to be ready to depart as soon as the ship weighed anchor.  She had been glad, since first boarding the ship, that she had opted not to wear the gowns most commonly associated with nobles because the lustful stares she had drawn from the crew made her worry that she might have had to defend herself at some point.  She had opted instead for the garb she had purchased in Hanover before leaving, having outfitted herself as best she could for adventuring.  Her attire consisted of snug fitting black leather leggings, a tunic worn beneath a brown, hard leather corset style vest that laced up the front and shoulder pauldrons.  The vest and tunic were a bit lower cut on the neckline than she might have preferred, but they suited her purpose.  She had finished off the ensemble with a pair of archery gloves which were missing the middle two fingers on each hand, knee high soft leather boots and a broad leather belt that was cinched tight about her narrow waist and from which hung her quiver and a long sword that had been a gift from her father.  This outfit was much more conducive to the possibility of combat, since her mother, the warrior monk, had made certain that both of her daughters had at least had a passing knowledge of martial arts though neither of them were masters.  Tasha had focused instead upon her studies in archery, one of the things that had drawn her to Calistone in the first place, since he was both an accomplished bowyer and a well known adventurer in his own right. 

            Entering her cabin, Tasha moved across the small room and threw her saddle bags on the bed, starting to put what few meager belongings she had brought with her into them quickly, wanting to get back on deck as fast as she could.  She jumped slightly, startled by a sudden heavy pounding at the door to her cabin.

            "Yes, what is it?"  she called, not pausing in her packing.  The only response was another insistent pounding at the door.  Straightening from the bed with a frown she turned toward the door and started slowly forward, "Who's there?" she called loudly.  She stopped halfway to the door, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.  When another loud knock sounded at the door she turned and quickly retrieved her longbow from where it leaned in the corner of the room near the bed.  Drawing an arrow from her quiver she quickly knocked it to the bowstring and called out again, "Come in!"  She was aiming down the shaft, the arrowhead pointing unerringly at the door as she waited.  Another loud, insistent pounding and Tasha lowered the bow and arrow slightly, frowning more deeply as she wondered who was outside her cabin.  Placing the weapon on the bed, she instead drew her sword from its sheath and approached the door, pulling it open but staying back in case whoever it was meant her harm.  In the hall outside the door stood an elderly human that Tasha recognized as the man the crew called "Gappy", because of the many gaps between his rotted teeth.  He wasn't tall, several inches shorter than Tasha's own six foot frame and had long, stringy gray hair and beard to match.  His nose was large and oddly bent from his face and he had rheumy, bloodshot eyes that lit up happily when they saw her.  Upon recognizing the old human, Tasha relaxed, for she remembered that Gappy was a deaf mute and she had struck up something of a friendship with the old man when he learned she knew how to sign.

            Sign language was something Tasha had learned out of necessity when a young deaf child had come to stay at the orphanage she had founded in Hanover in honor of all those people lost during the raid in which Calistone had gone missing.  Several of the older children that stayed at the orphanage had lost their parents in the raid, one of which was Sheridian, the half-elven woman whose parents had been friends to Tasha and Calistone.  Sheridian was the only one of the orphans that Tasha had legally adopted, and the young woman was now in charge of the orphanage in Tasha's absence.  Smiling slightly, she signed to him, "What can I do for you?"

            With a happy, gap toothed grin, he responded with, "I just wanted to let you know that we've sighted land and will be making port in about two hours."

            Of course Tasha already knew this from what Captain Crawford had told her earlier, but the old man had no way of knowing that.  Nodding, she signed a thank you and pointed at the bags on her bed, showing him that she was already preparing to disembark.  Smiling himself, Gappy waved and moved off down the hall, Tasha closing the door behind him with a shake of her head.  She had just returned to her bed and was shoving a few more things into the saddle bags when there came another pounding at the door.  Hanging her head and sighing she turned and approached the door, not bothering this time with any weapons.  "Gappy, you're going to be the death of me!"  She said loudly, knowing the old man couldn't hear her.

            She had just turned the knob when someone threw their weight violently against the other side, slamming the wooden door into the elf and sending her sprawling backward on the floor with a surprised cry.  Looking up, her eyes widened in surprise and fear as Captain Dale Crawford stalked into the room, glowering down at her with lust burning in his eyes.  He kicked the door closed behind him as he licked his lips in anticipation, "I tried to do this the nice way, bitch, but you apparently think you're too good for ol' Dale!"  His eyes sliding hungrily over her curves was almost like a physical touch, making her skin crawl and she noticed him flexing his fingers as though they were eager to begin their work.  "Well we got two hours a'fore we make port, and that's more than enough time for me to teach you what a real man feels like between them noble thighs!"

            Tasha crawled backward as he advanced on her, the mariner chuckling at her apparent fear.  As he bent at the waist to reach for her he realized the error of his thoughts though, for the elf had only been trying to keep enough distance between them to act.  As he bent over she lashed out with her left foot, the soft leather toe of her boot catching him just under the chin and snapping his head back, blood and teeth spraying from between his lips.  The captain staggered back, his hands rising to his mouth as blood leaked between his fingers.  "You fucking cunt!"  he raged, lowering his hands and charging at her, his lower face a gore soaked mask. 

            Remembering well the lessons her mother had imparted, Tasha knew that any enemy that struck in anger struck in error and such was the case with Crawford.  As he came at her wildly she rolled to the side and spun on her back, executing a scissor kick, the back of her right calf catching the front of his legs while the front of her left went behind his knees.  Crawford howled in surprise and pain as his knees buckled and he fell backward, his head smacking hard against the small dresser that stood against the wall opposite the bed.  Dazed, he rolled to his side, shaking his head to clear it as Tasha sprang nimbly to her feet and made a bee-line for the door.  She felt his hand close around one of her ankles and the elf cried out as he jerked backward, making her fall forward, her manicured nails scraping the door as she went down.  Kicking and squirming she fought against him as the human dragged her along the threadbare carpet toward him.  His hands made their way up her legs as he pulled her hand over hand back to him and when his fingers slipped into the waistband of her leather pants she knew she was in trouble.  She hadn't wanted to kill him, only to teach him a lesson but as their battle became more a contest of strength in which Tasha knew she was outmatched, she realized she had to rethink her strategy. 

            Reaching across her flat belly she wrapped her fingers around the hilt of her sword and drew it from its scabbard with a hiss of metal on hardened leather.  Crawford heard the sound and growled, his only acknowledgement that the stakes had just been raised and Tasha felt him jerk her farther down as he used his greater weight to pin her to the ground.  Growling herself, Tasha brought the blade down in an attempt to slice across his eyes but the captain, a veteran of many ship attacks, was no slouch in combat and caught her wrist in a painful grip, squeezing hard.  She felt her fingers go numb and she winced, trying desperately to avoid the urge to drop the blade.  Putting his weight behind his already greater strength, Dale began to slam the back of her hand against the floor repeatedly until Tasha did in fact drop the sword.  She reached up with her free hand then and tried to gouge his eyes out with her nails but the sailor slapped the hand away and then caught that wrist as well, transferring it to the other hand so that he held them both in one, after which he pinned them to the floor above her head.

            With his greater weight pinning her down and her wrists held in his powerful hand pinned above her head there wasn't much she could do to resist him and they both knew it.  Crawford grinned, looking down at his soon to be conquest, groaning at how her position hollowed out her belly and caused her breasts to strain against the leather ties of her vest.  "Damned if you ain't the sexiest thing I ever did see!" he moaned, reaching down with his free hand to stroke her satiny flesh from the top of her neck to the low cut neckline of her bodice, paying special attention to her abundant cleavage.  "I can't wait to get you naked elf!" he chortled, and Tasha responded by spitting in his face.  Growling, the mariner slapped her viciously across the face, rocking her head to the side and making her see stars.  When her head had stopped spinning and her vision had cleared she could feel the tip of his tongue tracing her pointed ear and she nearly vomited, arching her back and trying to throw him off as she felt the fingers of his free hand working at the ties on the front of her corset like vest. 

            When he had gotten the leather ties at her bodice loosened she felt his hand slip into her shirt and his thick fingers tweak one of her nipples painfully.  He moaned as he kneaded her firm globe, lowering his face to see where his hand had entered her bodice.  Something inside Tasha snapped and she reacted purely on instinct, lashing out with a head butt that caught the mariner in the side of the head.  He grunted and his weight shifted while his grip on her wrists lessened.  Tasha took advantage of the momentary lapse and twisted her hips to the side, shifting some his weight off her then raising a knee and driving it painfully into his ribcage, knocking the human the rest of the way off her.  As he rolled away, grunting in pain her arms were released and Tasha quickly rolled to her hands and knees and then pushed herself up to her feet.  Wobbling slightly, still woozy both from his slap and her own head butt, she glanced around and her gaze fell on the bow and arrow still resting on the bed.  Staggering to them she retrieved the weapon and turned, raising it and drawing the string back to her ear. 

            Crawford had righted himself somewhat, leaning heavily against the dresser though partially bent over, cradling his chest.  'I hope I broke some of his ribs!'  Tasha thought to herself happily.  "I should kill you."  She told him, her voice dripping acid.

            Crawford shook his head, his gaze measuring.  "You won't, you ain't a killer lady.  I've known some killers in my time, and you ain't got the cold streak necessary to take a life in anger or cold blood."

            Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him down the shaft of her arrow.  "You might be right," she allowed, "but I'm not above a little payback!"  Tasha dropped her aim a few degrees, seeing his eyes widen in fear as he realized what she was about to do and she heard the soft twang of the bowstring as she released it.  The arrow shot across the tiny room, and at this range there was no possible way she could miss.  There was a meaty thunk as the projectile sunk into the mariners groin and he doubled over, his eyes nearly popping from his head as he opened his mouth to scream.  Not knowing why their fight hadn't already attracted attention but not wanting his high pitched scream to bring his men running, she stepped forward and kicked him as hard as she could in the face.  The blow not only stood him up straight but sent him back onto the dresser, shattering the mirror that was mounted above it.  He rolled to the side, toppling from the top of the small chest of drawers and landed on his back, the arrow pointing straight up in exactly the position his manhood would have done, had he had anything left there with which to function.  He was bleeding on the floor of her cabin and Tasha was afraid he might die from blood loss, but she had a hard time caring over much. 

            Still sore and angry she retied her leather bodice, finished shoving her few belongings into her bags and headed for the door and the deck beyond with them slung over her shoulder.  She wasn't certain if he would stay unconscious for two hours, or even if he'd wake at all, but she knew that when he came to she didn't want to be anywhere around.  Tasha prayed that the Last Hope would be secured in its berth before its captain made another appearance.

            Tasha closed and locked the door to the room she had just rented in the Milligant Arms, putting her back to it and sighing deeply.  She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the door, trying to rid herself of the memory of what had transpired on the ship less than three hours before.  She was grateful that Crawford hadn't appeared again before they made port, but now that the situation had passed she was concerned that he might have succumbed to the loss of blood and died.  She didn't know how such a thing would be received in Errgaunt, where she had learned in her studies she was actually considered a minority and had no real rights.  The only people considered by the throne of Errgaunt to be "first class" citizens were humans.  All others were treated with disrespect at best, outright cruelty at the worst.  She knew from the books she had read while journeying here that elves and dwarves were considered of a slightly higher quality than, say, goblins or orcs, but only very slightly.  She had also learned that many elves were kept as servants or outright slaves by the nobility of Errgaunt.  All of this meant that she would have to tread very softly and be careful who she trusted.

            Pushing away from the door and opening her eyes she looked around the room that the innkeeper in the lobby downstairs had seemed reluctant to rent her.  Tasha was certain that if it hadn't been for her offer to pay double and his obvious admiration of her feminine charms she probably would have had to go to a place of much less quality.  As it was, the Milligant Arms wasn't exactly a four star resort, but at least the doors locked and being an elven female traveling alone in a place like this, that was a must. 

            The room was comfortable enough, though sparsely furnished.  It had a queen sized bed centered on the wall to the left of the door as she came in and opposite the bed was a four drawer dresser.  To the right of the dresser, arranged at an angle in a corner was a standing closet and a little farther to the right of that was a sight that nearly made tears of joy fall from her eyes, a bathtub!  She saw no wood stove in the room for heating water, but there was a rope by the door which she could pull and she assumed that would bring a staff member to see to her needs.

            As she piled her saddlebags in a corner of the room she wondered how difficult it would be to acquire a horse if renting a room had been so tough.  Leaning her bow against the wall next to the bags Tasha unbuckled her broad belt and removed it along with her sword and quiver, laying them on the pile as well.  Untying the leather bodice she moaned her delight as she removed the constricting garment and stretched, enjoying having the still unfamiliar armor off.  Kicking off her boots last she then moved to the rope by the door and gave it a solid tug.  She didn't have to wait long before there was a soft knock at her door.  She opened it and saw a youthful human male she guessed to be in his late teens standing in the hallway expectantly.  When he saw Tasha standing in the doorway his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.  Tasha frowned slightly, then looked down at herself, realizing for the first time that the leather vest she wore had caused the light material of her shirt to mold to her breasts, leaving very little to the young mans imagination.  Rolling her eyes and sighing, she moved the door to block his view and leaned around it to gaze with scolding eyes at him.  "Are you quite done ogling me?"

            It took him a moment to recover, but when he did he smiled and said, "Is saying no an option?"  When she narrowed her eyes at him dangerously he cleared his throat and in a more businesslike tone he asked, "What can I do for you ma'am?"

            "I'd like for you to fill the tub with hot water so that I can bathe."  She said, motioning with her head toward the tub. 

            He nodded, "That's not a problem, miss.  We keep hot water on hand for the guests for just that purpose.  Won't take but a few minutes."  As he walked off down the hall she pulled the door all the way open then moved deeper into the room and started to pull at her top, trying to stretch some of the shape out of it so that she didn't give him such a show as he made what she was certain were about twice the amount of trips necessary to fill the tub.  Once it was full of steaming water, the boy reluctantly turned and asked, "Will there be anything else?"

            "No, and don't expect a tip.  Next time, if you want me to tip you, try acting more civil."  She closed the door in his face and locked it, then turned and started to strip from her clothing as she crossed the room to the tub.  Stepping into the hot water Tasha hissed, then sighed as she settled into the bath, the heat almost instantly soaking away some of the aches left over from her ordeal on the ship earlier.  Using some soaps and scented oils she had pulled from her bags earlier she finished bathing and then settled back, resting her head on the side of the tub, closing her eyes she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

            Tasha's eyes snapped open as loud banging sounded on the door to her room, rattling the door in its frame.  Looking toward it she frowned, sitting forward and preparing to stand.  Again the loud rapping at her door and the elf was standing in the tub now, reaching for the large towel that the inn had supplied.  "Who is it?" she called irritably as she stepped from the tub, still dripping, her hair soaked, wrapping the towel about herself.

            "Open up wench!  This is the law!"  Tasha's heart started to race.  They were city guardsmen, which she knew meant trouble for her, a non-human.

            Securing the towel as best she could, she moved to the door and called through it, "Can you give me a moment please?  I'm not decent."  Tasha cried out, leaping back to avoid the door as it was blasted open by a booted foot.  Five men crowded into the room, the leader at their front his eyes raking over the semi-naked elf with obvious pleasure.  "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, trying to hide her discomfort at being caught so completely unprepared.

            "I'm captain Blaine Toliver of the Milligant city guard and you're under arrest!"  he said, pointing at her accusingly.  Toliver, she had to admit, was an imposing figure of a man, standing well over seven feet tall and being so broad of shoulder that he had had to turn sideways to come through the door into her room.  He had a broad face, with harsh, chiseled looking features that Tasha supposed a lot of women would have found attractive and a days worth of stubble lining his cheeks and chin.  His hair was black as night and worn military short, the hunger burning in his intense brown eyes leaving no doubt in the elf's mind that he wanted her terribly.

            Tasha was very aware that the gazes of the men with Toliver were very openly perusing her scantily clad form as well, all save one that is.  The man behind and to the immediate right of the captain was actually quite dashing, shorter than Toliver by at least a foot, but well built with brown hair and blue eyes.  Like the other soldiers in the room he had a sword on his hip and a shield on his back, but he was pointedly not looking at Tasha, or at least, he was trying very hard not to.  "On what charge?" she demanded hotly, her ire rising almost instantly at the crassness of these men.

            "Assault on a citizen of Milligant… a human citizen."  He said that last part with a special emphasis on the race, as though that alone should explain everything to her.  In fact, it pretty much did.

            "Who am I supposed to have assaulted?" she demanded, pointedly readjusting the towel so that it rode a little higher on her chest, of course that only revealed more of her sleek thighs and one of the guardsmen moaned in delight.

            His thin mouth turned down at the corners Captain Toliver motioned two of his men forward and they started to circle around either side of the elf, "Dale Crawford, captain of the Last Hope.  He's a taxpaying citizen of Milligant and you very nearly castrated him a few hours ago!"

            "He was trying to rape me!" she cried as the two guards suddenly stepped in and took hold of her upper arms.  She started to struggle against them but only succeeded in losing her towel, which fell to the floor, leaving her completely naked before these five human soldiers.  "It was self defense!"

            "By the Gods!"  gasped the man behind and to the left of Toliver when he saw the naked elf.  The other man, who had been quiet till this point actually colored in embarrassment on her behalf.

            Toliver stepped forward, leaning in so that his face was inches from hers and growled, "You are a member of a sub-human race and as such have no rights under the laws of Errgaunt.  Therefore no real crime can be committed against you!  Whether or not you call it self-defense is irrelevant, you are guilty of assault on a human citizen and you will be jailed!"  When he had finished speaking he stepped back and openly ran his eyes over her lush body, the barest shadow of a smile on his thin lips.  "Personally, I'm looking forward to your stay in my brig, wench."

            The handsome soldier, who Tasha took to be a lower ranking officer than Toliver judging by the rank insignia on his shoulder guards, which differed from the other mens, finally spoke up for the first time.  "Captain Toliver, I must protest this treatment of the prisoner.  She hasn't even denied that she attacked Captain Crawford, nor has she really tried to resist us.  At least let the lady put on some clothes before we parade her down the middle of the street like a common prisoner!"

            Toliver rounded on the younger officer, his eyes flashing, his voice rising in anger.  "She is a common prisoner!" he shouted at the other man, who Tasha noted didn't back off as most any other would have in the face of that tirade, "And your concern for the lesser races will one day prove your undoing Everstar!"

            "Because I respect every life equally Captain?  Is that reason for me to be punished as well?"  Tasha got the impression that these two men had had similar arguments before.  "I insist that she be allowed to put something on before we take her in!"

            Tolivers' eyes narrowed dangerously as they locked with the younger mans, but neither of them backed down.  Finally, for reasons that Tasha was unable to fathom, the captain gave in though he never stopped glaring at the other officer, who he had referred to as Everstar.  "Fine!"  Without turning he pointed at the fifth soldier, who had gasped his admiration of Tasha's body a few moments earlier and growled, "Corporal, search the bitch's bags for something she can wear."

            The corporal, a man barely out of his teens from the look of him, tall and lanky with a badly pockmarked face, grinned like a schoolboy as he fell to his knees beside Tasha's bags.  All eyes, including the elf's, were on him as she started rifling through her things.  Laughter and lewd comments abounded as he started to pull out her undergarments, tossing them around the room.  He got to one item, a lacy chemise that Tasha would normally wear beneath a dress and Toliver stopped him.  "Hold it!  That will do right there."  He wheeled and glared at Everstar again, his gaze challenging.  "Or do you have a problem with it?" 

            Evidently the young officer thought better of renewing his argument, though it was obvious that he wanted to complain more.  The corporal brought the sheer garment to Tasha, whose arms were released long enough for her to pull it on over her head.  As it fell over her breasts and hips her still damp body made the satin cling to her and become basically see through and all the men in the room save one moaned their delight at the view.  Slapping the young officer on the shoulder, Toliver laughed, "Damn Everstar!  That was a good idea after all!"  The other three men laughed as well but Everstar just shot her an apologetic glance.  Tasha, for her part, was just glad to be wearing something and knew that once she had dried off sufficiently, the garment would be less transparent.  It still didn't hide much, having a very low cut neckline and only coming to mid-thigh, but at least it was better than nothing.  "Now slap her in irons and let's get out of here!"

            One of the two men to either side of Tasha stepped forward with manacles but Everstar stepped up and shoved him back, giving the angered guardsman a warning glance as he stepped up behind Tasha.  As gently as he could he clasped manacles around her forearms, then surprised her by removing the cloak that all the men wore as part of their uniforms and wrapping it around her shoulders, concealing her nudity from the eyes of the others. 

            Toliver rolled his eyes and shook his head as the other men grumbled.  "Thank you."  Tasha whispered to the young officer as he started to guide her to the door.  Toliver led the way and the other three fell in behind them.

            "I'm just sorry I couldn't do more."  He responded softly.

CHAPTER TWO

            Toliver and Everstar were the only two to accompany Tasha into the cell block and as they paraded her down the hall between the cells she heard hoots, howls and catcalls from the other prisoners around her.  Though she made no real effort to see who the men were that she was sharing this cell block with, she couldn't avoid seeing some of the criminals that were so interested in her and she wasn't surprised to find that none of them were human.

            As if reading her mind, Toliver leaned over and said into her pointed ear, "This is the wing of the jail where we keep the uncivilized non-humans!  You should fit right in!"  Tasha said nothing but felt relief flood through her body as she saw the cell they were taking her to was empty, she wasn't going to have to worry about a roommate with amorous thoughts.  Toliver shoved her roughly into the room, jerking Everstars cloak off her as she staggered forward.  Seeing the elf in nothing but her slip sent the prisoners in the cells around her into fits of hysteria, shouting and whistling.  An orc in the cell right next to hers flung himself against the bars that separated his cell from hers, reaching through them, his clawed hand very nearly getting wrapped in her long hair before Tasha got her balance and skipped away from him.  The orc, a red skinned monster with beady black eyes, a broad ape like nose and sharp, jagged teeth overlapping his upper lip growled and stayed pressed against the bars, thrusting his pelvis in her direction repeatedly.  Tasha turned away, feeling her stomach turn.

            "Is it really necessary to keep her here captain?"  The lieutenant asked.  Tasha had learned that Everstars rank was lieutenant while she was being paraded from the inn down one of the cities busiest streets.  Men, women and children had stopped to stare as she was led down the street, some of the men even shouting out obscenities at the beautiful elf.

            Once again Toliver rounded on him, poking the smaller man in the chest with a finger as he growled, "You better remember your place boy.  She's a non-human, this is where we keep the non-humans.  Female or no, she's a criminal, she gets no special treatment in my brig."  Wheeling back around Captain Toliver marched into the cell and up to Tasha, spinning her around he quickly uncuffed her then shoved her toward the small cells only piece of furniture, a narrow cot with a threadbare blanket and no pillow.  "Go on and get comfortable bitch, you'll be here a while!"  Then Toliver marched out of the cell, closing and locking it behind him.  As he stalked past the lieutenant he tossed the younger man his cloak, then he was gone.  Everstar stood outside the door, gazing through it with sympathy in his eyes.

            "Thank you for trying lieutenant.  It was more than I would have expected in this place."  Tasha said to him.

            He nodded, his jaw set angrily, "And that's exactly the problem, isn't it?"  He shook his head.  "I'll do what I can to get you out of here, just…" he glanced over at where the red skinned orc still stood pressed against the bars, gazing with unbridled hunger at the sexy elf, "…keep your wits about you."  After another few moments he turned and followed his superior out of the cell block.

            Tasha felt a chill course through her body and she glanced to her left where the orc still stood.  Seeing he had her attention for a moment he grinned lecherously, a tongue that was all of three feet long slithering from his mouth and whipping at her, causing the elf to shy away.  To her right was another cell and in this one stood two of the most repulsive creatures Tasha had ever set eyes upon, both of them watching her with the same sort of primal hunger she had seen in the orcs eyes.  Both of them were about six feet tall with very long, pointed ears.  One stood leaning against a wall of their cell, his black eyes unwavering as they slid over her curves appreciatively, one of his ears was bent forward from the weight of a thick golden earring.  His skin, like that of his companion, was greenish black and he had a long thin nose that hooked sharply down at the end.  His mouth was a bit wider than his narrow head and he had bushy eyebrows that were the same shade of green as the shaggy hair on his head.  He wore dark leathers and Tasha could easily imagine several blades protruding from various places on his wiry but muscular frame.  The other man in the cell with him was of the same race, though his ears seemed to stand straight out to the sides of his head, which was shaved and covered in tattoos of coiled snakes.  His long nose had been broken once too often and jutted out from his narrow face like a lightning bolt.  His mouth, too, was too wide for his face but she could see several very sharp teeth just protruding over his lower lips.  One of his dark eyes was riveted on the scantily clad elf but the other was milky white and Tasha doubted he could see anything with it. 

            "What, you never seen hobgoblins before?"  The one leaning against the wall asked her.  Tasha looked away, not wanting to hold a conversation with any of these creatures. 

            "What'cha in for elf?"  asked the hobgoblin with the milky white eye.

            Without looking at either of them she responded.  "I nearly castrated a man that tried to rape me earlier today."  The three cells were quiet for a few moments, then the two hobgoblins and the orc all threw their heads back and howled with laughter.  Tasha crawled onto the narrow bunk, pulling the thin blanket from it and wrapped it around herself as she pulled her knees to her chest and settled in to wait for whatever would come next.

            Merdock Everstar couldn't shake the image of the beautiful elven woman standing alone and scared in that cell.  She had hid it well, true enough, but he could see the terror in her eyes.  It had been enough to make him want to get her out of there as soon as possible, but he wasn't certain how to manage that.  He knew it wouldn't happen without earning the enmity of Captain Toliver, but he really didn’t care too much about that.

            After leaving the cell block he went to his small desk located in a far corner of the crowded officers hall of the Milligant Guardsmen's headquarters building.  There were roughly seventy officers ranging in rank from Junior Lieutenant, one grade below Merdock all the way up to Captain.  Toliver, while not the highest ranking officer in the city, was the highest ranking in the building and ruled his private little army with an iron fist.  Merdock had been assigned to this headquarters a few months previous and had been butting head with his Commanding Officer ever since.  He was certain that if it weren't for the fact that his family were nobles, Toliver would have already found a way to be rid of him.

            Merdock was leaning over his desk filling out his report on the elf's arrest and being as critical as possible of Tolivers performance when a very shapely backside entered his peripheral vision, propping itself on the edge of his desk.  His blue eyes slid slowly up from the rounded bottom, taking in the swell of the bosom and the long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail before he met the eyes of the only ally he truly had in this entire company of soldiers.  Ylesia Aleric was, like Merdock, a senior Lieutenant in the Milligant Guardsmen but unlike him, obviously, she was female.  That combined with her being more attractive than the average woman had caused her to catch the eye of Toliver and several of her other co-workers.  She had gotten used to fending off the advances of these men on her own, but since the arrival of Merdock Everstar she had had a welcome ally against them.  Merdock suspected, though he had no real proof, that Ylesia had given in to Toliver a few times, though he didn't judge her for that.  Keeping the Commander happy in that way would have been a good way of keeping the others from getting too serious about her.

            It looked to Merdock like she was either coming back from a patrol of the city, or preparing to leave for one.  Her sword rested in its scabbard on a shapely hip and her shield was still on her back, her helmet was tucked safely beneath her left arm.  "I hear we have a new prisoner in the non-human wing."  He nodded, saying nothing.  Ylesia could see the anger brewing in his eyes.  "An exceptionally beautiful elf by all accounts."  Again he nodded wordlessly.  Leaning over so her next words were heard only by him, she said, "Let me know if I can help in any way."

            Merdock genuinely liked and trusted Ylesia, though there were no romantic interests there for either of them.  They couldn't afford to become lovers, though there was a definite mutual attraction, it was simply too dangerous with mutual enemies around every corner, and it would have been too distracting, but he knew that her offer was heartfelt.  "I will, thanks."  He murmured and she nodded, hopping off his desk and heading for the front exit.

            Merdock finished his report and put in the outgoing paperwork box, where he knew it would eventually find its way to Toliver where it would be heavily edited before being sent along to his superiors.  With the completion of that form his days duty was complete and he headed out into the encroaching night, thinking that after the day he had had he could really use a drink.

            A few blocks down from the headquarters of the city guards was a tavern called the Wolf's Tooth bar and it was a favorite of Merdocks, mostly because none of the other guardsmen went there, with the exception of Ylesia, who went there because Merdock did.  As he walked in he was surprised to find the place fairly busy, considering the sun had yet to fully set.  Bellying up to the bar he waved over the bartender who recognized the soldier and came right down with a big smile. 

            "If it isn't my favorite city guard!  What can I get you LT?"  He was a rather jolly, portly human of middle age with an unruly mop of dark blonde hair and a dirty mustache.  Still, Merdock liked him, though even he didn't really know why.

            "Just an ale right now Joley."  He told the fat barkeep, "I'm nursing a grudge tonight and could use a break."

            "Toliver up to his old tricks again?"  The bartender asked as he set a frothing tankard in front of the handsome officer.

            "Of course."  Merdock drank half the ale in one swallow and slammed it down on the bar.  "Today was worse than usual though."  Half the time Merdock didn't know why he found Joley so easy to talk to, but he knew that because of him the bartender was one of the better informed men in the city.  "We arrested this elven lady, newly arrived to the city just today on a ship called the Last Hope."  Merdock shook his head.  "The captain of the vessel pressed charges because she had shot him in the balls with an arrow, though he didn't tell us he had been trying to rape her at the time."  Merdock made a disgusted noise in his throat before taking another pull on his ale.  "Of course, that didn't matter to Toliver.  She was elf and she had assaulted a human in his city, so naturally she was a criminal.  We found out where she was staying and went to pick her up."  Merdock shook his head.  "When he saw the woman…"  Everstar growled, slamming his ale down and spilling some of it on the bar as a result, "…I just know I'll check on her when I get into headquarters tomorrow and she will have been violated by that sadistic son of a bitch!  But short of clearing her name and getting her out of there, there isn't a whole lot I can do about it!  He wouldn't even be breaking the law by the standards of this travesty we call a kingdom!"

            Joley's expression suddenly became concerned and he leaned toward Merdock over the bar.  "Hey, hey, hey!  Watch your tongue!  Men have been hanged for treason for less than that!"  The fat man lowered his voice even more, "Especially you, with that Commander of yours gunning for you!"

            "I'm sorry Joley, I just want so badly to help her!"  Merdock said miserably.

            The bartender nodded sagely, his expression knowing.  "This elf, I take it she's a looker?"  Merdock nodded as he drained the last of his ale.  "Perhaps there is something more there for you than simply a desire to help a damsel in distress?  Do you have feelings for this woman?"

            Merdock scowled at the bartender.  "Don’t be ridiculous Joley!  I can't even remember her name at the moment.  Hell, the only contact I've even had with her was helping to lock her up!"

            "I see, so you're just going to give up then?"  The fat man said, his tone suggesting he knew something Merdock didn't.

            Meeting the other mans gaze, Merdock narrowed his eyes suspiciously.  "Talk to me, what are you not telling me?"

            Smiling enigmatically, Joley picked up a clean glass and started to nonchalantly wipe it with a dirty rag.  "Oh, nothing much."  He pretended to spend a moment inspecting the glass for dirt, found some that hadn't been there when he started.  "I believe the captain of that ship you mentioned, the Last Hope, his name is Dale Crawford, yes?"  Merdock nodded, not speaking, letting the bartender play his game for he knew it was the only way the man would get to his point.  "Well, I happen to know that a Dale Crawford went upstairs about an hour ago with one of my girls.  I find it difficult to believe a man who took an arrow to the groin earlier today would be able to function with her so soon… don’t you?"    Merdock didn't say a word as he set his empty tankard on the bar, turned and headed for the stairs.  "You're welcome."  The bartender muttered.

            Tasha looked up at the sound of booted feet approaching her cell.  When she saw Captain Toliver stop outside the door it felt as though a lead weight had settled in the pit of her stomach.  He was no longer wearing his armor, having exchanged it for a simple tunic and pants, the shirt stretched over his impossibly muscular chest till the seams looked about to pop.  Pulling a key ring from his belt he fitted one into the door of her cell and opened it, then stepped through, his eyes riveted on the elf as he came half way across the cell and stopped, gazing at her where she still sat on the cot, covered in the blanket. 

            Snarling, he came forward the tore the blanket from her, though she tried to hold onto it he was far too strong.  Throwing it into a corner of the cell he stood there and let his eyes play over her scantily clad form.  "That's more like it."  He said, his words slurring slightly, his now bloodshot eyes moving along the sleek lines of her legs, bare from mid-thigh down.  "You're about the sexiest bitch I've ever seen!"  He said, then started toward her, "I aim to get me a piece of you right now!"  At that pronouncement the prisoners in the cells around them started to hoot and holler, shouting their encouragement.

            "Give it to her Cap!"  one man cried.  "Let me have a go when you're done!"  Said another man from across the hall.

            When he got to the side of her cot his powerful arms reached for Tasha but she surprised him, her long legs uncoiling like a spring from where they were bent to her chest, her heels driving solidly into his chest.  Bellowing more from surprise than pain the captain staggered backward and would have fallen if not for one corner of the cell helping him to keep his balance.  Before he'd even fully realized what had happened Tasha was up and racing for the still open cell door, but Toliver was far from finished.  With a savage growl he thrust himself out of the corner and in one long stride was at her side, catching a handful of her lustrous hair and jerking her back.  Tasha cried out, wincing in pain and raising her arms to try and break his hold.  The captain would have none of that however, slapping her hands aside and hauling back on her hair so that the elf was forced to bend backward, the satin of her chemise stretching taut over her firmly thrusting breasts, plainly outlining her nipples beneath the thin material.  Plunging his free hand into her low cut neckline he filled it with one of the firm globes, squeezing till she opened her mouth to cry out.  Before she could utter a sound, however, his mouth crushed hungrily to her full pink lips, his tongue groping deep inside her mouth.  Tasha tasted stale alcohol and tobacco as she started to pound his impressive shoulders and what she could reach of his head with her small fists.  She knew how to hit, but from her precarious position, bent backward as she was, she could put no force behind them.

            With a moan of delight the captain released her breast and plunged his hand farther down her chemise, his fingers sliding along her flat belly till they found the soft patch of hair between her thighs.  Tasha stiffened, her eyes widening in horrified surprise as she felt him beginning to probe her womanhood with his fingers, one of them even slipping inside her.  When Toliver felt how tight she was, even around just his finger, he lost control.  Breaking his forced kiss he roared and shoved Tasha hard toward the cot, his hand sliding from her slip as she staggered back, her arms spinning wildly as she tried to control her fall.  She hit the cot and before she could react he was on her, one powerful hand pinning her wrists above her head while the other worked at opening his pants.  Tasha fought like a wildcat, squirming, kicking and bucking like mad in an attempt to throw him off but pinned beneath his weight with her hands locked in one of his there was little she could do. 

            'This is the second time in a twenty-four hour period that a man has tried to rape me!  But this time I think he will succeed!' she thought desperately.  She felt his manhood slap against her thighs as he freed it from his pants, sending a chill of trepidation running down her spine when she felt its immense girth.  Growling in his rush to have his way with her the captain reached down with his one free hand and tried to force her legs apart, but Tasha resisted as much as she could.  As strong as he was, even Toliver couldn't out muscle her legs with one hand, and not for the first time Tasha was thankful for the steep roads back home in Hanover, which had toned and hardened the muscles in her legs.

            “Stop fighting me cunt!”  he shouted at her, slapping her hard across the face.  Tasha gasped, her head rocking to the side and her vision swimming as the men in the cells around her roared their approval.  Most of the fight drained from her then and Toliver reached down, hooking an elbow beneath her knee, and raising it to her shoulder in an impressive display of the maidens flexibility.  Raising his hips slightly he positioned himself, the head of his rod pressing against her soft mound and Tasha moaned, shaking her head in denial as she felt him starting to push into her.

            Toliver still had her wrists caught in a vice like grip so when he was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders and jerked from the cot he wound up dragging Tasha from the thin mattress as he was flung across the cell.  Tasha rolled onto her side and raised up on one arm, surprised to see Lieutenant Everstar standing over her, his face contorted in rage as he faced off against his commanding officer.  Toliver had slammed into a wall of bars to one side of the cell and was shaking his head to clear it, as surprised as Tasha at the interference, though certainly not as thankful.

            “You’re dead boy, I’m gonna tear you apart, then I’m gonna fuck the bitch anyway!”  He gave a mighty roar as he charged across the cell, head low and shoulders bent to tackle Merdock.  The lieutenant easily sidestepped the charge though, driving an elbow into the larger mans back with all his might and dropping Toliver to the ground in a heap.  The captain, having been drunk before he’d entered the elf’s cell, was no match for Merdock Everstar in his current state.  The lieutenant kicked the older and larger man in the side, rolling him onto his back and then placed his booted foot across the other mans neck, pinning him to the ground.  Toliver reached up and wrapped his forearms around Merdocks calf, trying to force his foot away, but the younger man applied pressure, choking off the captains air supply till his struggling ceased and he lay there, exhausted, glaring up at the lower ranking soldier.  “You’ll be court-martialed for this for certain Everstar!  Your career is done!” 

            Merdock leaned down and glared at him, “Captain Crawford has dropped the charges against the lady, Captain.  He’s seen the error of his ways and I came back here to release her.  What do I find when I get here?  You in the process of raping her!  And you think I’m the one whose career is finished?”

            Toliver’s face was red with rage.  “She has no rights here Everstar!  No crime can be committed against her in Errgaunt, therefore I’ve done nothing wrong in the eyes of the law.  You, on the other hand, are guilty of assaulting a superior officer!  That will not go unpunished!”

            Merdock narrowed his eyes at the other man.  “I can live with that,” he exclaimed, “but she leaves with me.”  He motioned at Tasha with his head and the captain said nothing.  “We can no longer hold her here, rights or no, she has broken no law now.”  Merdock slowly and carefully removed his boot from the throat of his superior and backed away, expecting the other man to charge off the floor and come after him again.  Toliver did sit up, glaring at the both of them, but he didn’t attack again.

            “This isn’t over Everstar.” He promised the Lieutenant, “And you and I will see each other again bitch!”  He promised Tasha.  Merdock retrieved the threadbare blanket from the corner of the cell and wrapped Tasha in it, then led her from the cell and out of the building.

            On the road outside, while on the way back to her room at the Milligant Arms, Tasha spoke to Merdock after being quiet for several minutes.  “Thank you.”  She said softly.  “You risked your career for me, though I confess I don’t understand why.”  She was still reeling from the near rape, sore and wishing like Hell she hadn’t ever left Hanover. 

            “It was the right thing to do.” He told her simply.

            They were moving along the street with the soldiers arm draped over her shoulders protectively, drawing curious glances from the people they passed.  The elf looked up into his handsome face, “Even though you’ll likely wind up reassigned to some backwater, war-torn outpost on the fringes of this kingdom?”

            Merdock smiled grimly.  “He may court-martial me, but he won’t reassign me.”

            “Why is that?” she asked.

            “I’m a member of a noble family here in Milligant and he’d be afraid of incurring my father’s wrath.”  He shrugged, “I’ll be okay, don’t worry about me.  It’s you that needs to worry.  Toliver won’t rest now till he’s gotten revenge on us both, so it would behoove you to not stay in the city very long.”

            “I never intended to.  I was only planning on being here long enough to find a way north, through Trey’Elden.”  She allowed him to guide her up the steps and through the door of the Inn, then across the lobby and toward the stairs.  “I have business in Keyos.”

            He laughed softly.  “You think it’s bad here in Errgaunt, you’re in for quite an eye opener when you get to Keyos.  It makes this place look tame.”

            Now it was her turn to shrug.  “Be that as it may, I’m going.  I haven’t got a choice, really.”  They had reached her room by now and she turned to the soldier, gratitude reflected in her eyes.  “I’ll be okay from here, Lieutenant, thank you again.”

            “Please,” he said, “call me Merdock.”  He smiled and Tasha felt her heartbeat quicken.

            ‘Easy girl.’ She thought to herself, finding it amazing that she was actually swooning in his presence.  She attributed it to the fact that he had just saved her from a fate worse than death, but it didn’t hurt that he was so damned handsome.  “All right, Merdock.  I’m Tasha.”  She could see in his eyes that he was trying to make a decision right then and since the same thought was running through her own mind, she decided to make it easier for them both.  “Good night, Merdock.”  She backed through the door to her room quickly before he could try and kiss her, because Tasha was fairly certain if he had tried, she wouldn’t have tried to stop him.

CHAPTER THREE

            The next day, Tasha over slept but forgave herself considering the events of the previous day.  Glancing out the window before she dressed she saw that the sun was shining brightly and the city of Milligant seemed to have come alive.  Deciding that an elf walking down the street well armed and wearing armor would likely attract even more attention than she knew she would anyway, Tasha pulled from her bags a simple cotton dress.  Slipping it on over her head she took a moment to smooth out the wrinkles over her supple curves and examined herself in the mirror above the rooms small dresser.  The dress was blue, nearly matching her eyes and fit her nicely, having been custom tailored back home in Hanover.  It wasn't daringly low cut, but still gave a tantalizing little glimpse of cleavage, the rest of the bodice hugging her generous breasts.  From there down to her hips it fit her like a second skin, then dropped from her hips straight down to conceal the well turned thighs and shapely legs.  It also served to conceal from view the dagger she strapped to her thigh, hiking the skirt up to her hip in order secure it properly.  Stepping into a pair of gladiator style sandals and running a brush through her hair a few times, she pronounced herself ready to face the world and left her room, being extra certain to lock the door behind her.

            Tasha knew that her first order of business should be to find the means by which to travel north.  She had no real knowledge of the area and so would need a guide, or a group to travel with.  All she knew for certain was that her final destination for this perilous journey lay somewhere in Keyos, which was inhabited primarily by what was commonly believed to be monsters.  It lay on the other side of Trey'Elden, which was the home land of the barbarian tribes and she still had to navigate the human empire, which had already proven itself to be less than hospitable.  All in all, she didn't feel as though she had much to look forward to in the coming weeks.

            Believing that when it came to finding someone for hire things in Errgaunt couldn't that much different than back home in Aldonia she figured to try some of the taverns that permeated the city, with at least half a dozen on every street!  She was surprised to find many of them closed, for she had been certain that a city like Milligant would have many taverns that were always open.  The first six she tried, in fact, had closed down till that evening, but when she finally found one that was open it doubled as a restaurant, which she felt might have explained its hours.  Walking in she paused just inside the door to let her eyes adjust to the dimmer interior.  As she stood there, her silhouette backlit by the bright light pouring in through the door behind her, she heard a man give a long, appreciative whistle from somewhere to her right.  Though she glanced in that direction she couldn't tell which of the four or five men in that part of the room had done it.

            "Just sit anywhere elf, we'll be around in a minute to take your order."  Called the man behind the bar, a young human with unkempt hair and an ugly scar across his forehead.  He wore a dirty white apron and was lining up drinks on the bar, which were then being placed on a serving girls tray and taken to patrons around the room.  Tasha found a table near the door, sitting with her back to a wall so she could see as much of the room as possible and waited for someone to come.  It was the young bartender who finally made his way to her.  "What can I get you?"

            "Whatever the house special is for breakfast, and perhaps some information?" she responded.

            He glanced up at her from the small pad of paper he had been jotting notes on, his eyes running over her shapely form with interest before he said, "The meal I can do, I'm not sure about the information.  I really don't know too much about the city, I'm fairly new here."

            "Well, I'm trying to go north and seeing as it's not the safest of ideas for a lone woman to travel the roads anywhere, much less an elven woman in Errgaunt, I thought I'd try to hire a guide, or maybe tag along with a group that was heading in the same direction.  Would you know of anything like that?"  Tasha pretended to adjust in her chair, bending over in doing so to provide the young human with a breathtaking view down the front of her dress.

            He swallowed audibly, his eyes sweeping her succulent figure again, then he nodded.  "I might, actually."  He turned and motioned with his quill at a corner table.  Tasha had to lean way over to one side to see around him and saw a man seated at a corner table.  It was hard to determine his race, though he was quite obviously of mixed breed.  Tall and wiry, he wore a leather vest that displayed ropy muscles all along his arms, showing a strength that was not evident in his build.  His hair was shaggy and somewhat long, tainted an unnatural looking shade of green.  His skin was a mixture of green and black and his eyes were monstrous, the irises colored bright red while the sclera, or what most people call the whites of the eyes were yellow.  When he saw her looking over at him he flashed her a toothy grin and Tasha gasped, her blue eyes widening slightly when she saw the two rows of very sharp teeth.  “Calls himself Jackal.”

            Tasha could understand why.  The last thing she saw was his pointed ears, standing taller than her own, the top of one bent over from the weight of an earring.  “What in the name of the Gods is he?” she asked.

            “A scout, from what I hear about town.”  The bartender regarded her for a moment, then said, “Oh, you meant his race.  Not sure about that, but he’s obviously mixed blood.”  The young bartender shrugged, “I heard tell he’s going to work for a group that’s heading north in the morning.  You could ask him about it.”  With that, he turned away to start preparing her meal.

            Tasha sat there in relative discomfort, for evidently when the man called Jackal realized she had noticed him, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.  Not that he was the only one, every man in the room was staring openly at the sexy elf, but Jackal himself was the most noticeable man in the room simply because he was so repulsive.  Having him staring at her just made her skin crawl.  ‘Do I really want to travel with a group that would hire him?’ she asked herself.  Then she chided herself for such thoughts, for she really didn’t know the man and had in fact been judging him just on his appearance.  The fact that he was staring at her didn’t really make him any different than the other men in the room.  She suffered through her meal in silence, pointedly not returning the gazes of any of the men, not wanting any of them to get the wrong idea.  When she had finished eating, she rose and turned toward the table at which Jackal was sitting.  She saw him watching her, a mostly empty plate of food on the table in front of him.  He was leaning back in his chair, smiling slightly, chewing on what looked like a chicken bone.

            As she approached his table she could feel his monstrous eyes undressing her and it was like a physical caress, making her skin crawl.  She stopped on the far side of his table, meeting his gaze with difficulty.  “You’re called Jackal, right?” she asked him.

            “That’s not my given name, but it’s what people hereabouts call me, yes.”  The half-breed informed her.  “Would you like to sit beautiful?”

            Tasha declined with a shake of her head, still not wanting to convey the wrong idea.  “The bartender sent me over….” 

            He cut her off rudely, “Remind me to give him a good tip.”

            Rolling her eyes, Tasha continued as though he hadn’t spoken, “…because I’m looking to travel north and he heard you are supposed to be scouting for a group heading in that direction.”

            He regarded her a moment, then he nodded.  “That’s true enough.  A small caravan from Milligant is hoping to settle up north, start their own town.  They’ve asked me to act as guide for them.  I suppose if you wanted to join with them, you’d have to run it by their leader.”

            “Who would that be?”  She inquired, quickly growing tired of the mans eyes roaming her body.

            “A nobleman named Connor Shayde.  His whole family is filthy stinkin’ rich, the new settlement was his idea, the family if funding the whole thing.  Rest of the family is going to join him there once he’s established the settlement.”  Jackal informed her.

            “Where can I find Lord Shayde?” she asked.

            “The entire caravan is assembling in a field just to the North of the city.  I suppose he’d be there, overseeing things.”  Jackal answered. 

            “Thank you for your help.” Tasha said, then turned and made her way toward the door.  She could feel Jackal’s eyes on her backside as she moved and wished, not for the first time, that the Gods had not graced her with quite so nice a sway to her walk.  As she was approaching the front door someone pushed through it, nearly running into her.  Tasha glanced up, seeing a heavily battered face and nearly didn’t recognize the man till she noted his clothing.  “Captain Crawford!”  She exclaimed, amazed to see that he appeared to have taken a heavy beating.

            His blackened, swollen eyes settled upon her and she could see hatred burning there.  “Good day, milady.” He said evenly, though it obviously pained him to keep a civil tongue.  He said nothing else to her and pushed past into the dining room, leaving Tasha to exit the tavern with a wondering look on her face.  Did that swollen, battered face have something to do with why he had dropped the charges against her?  It occurred to her then that she hadn’t thought to ask Lieutenant Everstar about that.  ‘No, it’s Merdock.’  She reminded herself with a slight smile.  Memory of the handsome soldier made her feel instantly better, and honestly she couldn’t bring herself to care if Dale Crawford had suffered a beating to get her out of jail.  She figured he deserved it.

            Though she had a little trouble navigating the streets of Milligant, once she was outside the north gate she had no trouble finding the caravan.  It was mid-day by the time she exited the gate and immediately to the left of the main door was a grassy field in which was situated no less than fifty wagons, each in good repair as near as she could tell.  There were well over a hundred people scampering about, looking like worker ants as they prepared to hit the road the following morning.  Tasha’s long legs carried her across the field quickly and several of the men working on packing the wagons stopped to admire the curves of the elf.  One such man was graced with a smile as she stopped to inquire from him as to which of the individuals in the field might be Connor Shayde.

            He was young and strong, broad shouldered and sun-bronzed.  Tasha could see that he was going to be a real lady-killer in a few years, if he wasn’t already.  Turning, he raised a muscled arm to run his fingers through his hair.  Tasha couldn’t help but smile, for she was certain the sudden flexing of those muscles was anything but accidental.  Gazing across the field, he finally extended that same arm, still flexing for her benefit and pointed across the expanse of wagons, “There he is there.  The well dressed man with the dark hair and goatee.”

            “Thank you so much.”  Tasha said, making the young mans day when she openly and quite appreciatively ran her own eyes over his muscular physique.  On certain occasions, when the mood struck her, Tasha was not above a little harmless flirting herself.  He couldn’t have been more than nineteen, but Tasha had to admit that he was an extremely handsome specimen.  Turning from the young laborer, Tasha started across the field to where the nobleman stood, barking orders and directing the work.

            Tasha’s keen elven vision allowed her to take stock of the man long before she’d actually reached him.  He was tall, but no overly so and darkly handsome with short black hair he wore slicked back on his scalp.  His goatee and mustache were neatly trimmed and he wore a nicely tailored suit of clothes, all in black with silver trim.  Hanging from his broad shoulders was a black cloak, the inner lining of which was blood red.  Around his neck Tasha saw something that sent a chill running down her spine, a pentagram hanging from a silver chain, the symbol of Nocturne, God of the Undead.  It was a symbol she knew quite well as the Sect of Nocturne considered itself the enemies of the church of Roma, the deity worshipped by her family to which her father was a priest.  Tasha was thankful for perhaps the first time in her life that she had never taken to openly wearing a symbol of Roma, for that would cause her a great deal of trouble here.

            When she had finally reached the nobleman his back was to her and she said softly, “Lord Shayde?”

            He rounded on her with a scowl that quickly melted into a look of surprised delight as his dark, penetrating gaze roamed slowly over her from head to toe and back again.  “By Nocturnes eternal darkness,” he breathed in an awe struck tone, “I pray there is something I can do for you.”

            Tasha had difficulty accepting a compliment from so obvious a worshipper of Nocturne, but she hid it behind a well practiced smile.  Her life as a lesser noble had had her assisting her parents in hosting parties and such for people that none of them could really stand being around.  “I think there probably is.”  She informed him, and the nobleman, obviously at least as practiced as she, put a decidedly political expectant smile on his handsome face.  “I understand you’re in charge of this caravan, which is heading north.  It so happens that I’m heading north as well and I was hoping I might tag along with you and your people.”

            Connor Shayde narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, regarding Tasha with a combination of lust and suspicion.  Instinctively recognizing this as one of those times when her Gods given beauty could work to her advantage, Tasha crossed her arms beneath her bosom with apparent casualness, pushing her ample breasts up so that the cleavage visible above her neckline suddenly doubled in size.  Connor Shayde,  proving himself as susceptible to such things as any other man, moved his gaze downward and his narrow slash of mouth turned up at the sides at the view provided him. 

            Not completely taken in by her feminine wiles, Connor asked, “Have you any skills that might be handy to the caravan on the road?”

            Tasha raised her hands out to her sides in a kind of shrug, “Don’t let my current attire fool you Lord Shayde.  I happen to be quite a skilled archer, not to mention a bowyer and fletcher.  If you have any guards on your payroll, I might be able to assist in arming them.”

            “Elven crafted archery supplies would indeed be a welcome addition to the security of this caravan.”  He admitted, then lost a few points with the elf when he added, “Not to mention what having you around might do for the scenery!”  He paused for another moment’s thought, then finally nodded.  “Very well, you may accompany us.”  Then a thought occurred to him.  “May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

            After a moments thought of her own, Tasha determined that it might be prudent to let the man know that she was in fact a peer, every bit the noble that he was.  “Lady Natashiana Grasamere of Hanover in Aldonia.”

            He leaned over and took her hand, bowing to kiss its back.  As he stood, he appeared quite dashing as he said, “A true Lady!  It will indeed be an honor to have you amongst us then!”

            Tasha forced a smile onto her face, trying to seem grateful for the flattery though such things had never held much sway over her.  “We leave at first light?”  He nodded, still smiling that false, diplomats’ smile.  “I’ll be here.”  Mumbling a few parting words Tasha turned and started back across the field toward the north gate into Milligant.

            As she approached the gate she had to stop, allowing a quintet of men on horseback to exit.  One of them, sighting her on foot next to the entrance, reigned in and dismounted, the other four men only stopping after a few yards when they realized their comrade had left them.  "Fancy meeting you here."  Said Merdock Everstar with a warm smile.

            Tasha's face lit up, she was surprised that she was so happy to see him.  "Lieutenant Everstar!"

            He frowned.  "I thought I asked you to call me Merdock?"

            He laughed lightly, "Merdock it is then."  Pausing, she glanced over at the quartet of soldiers that were watching them with mixed expressions ranging from curiosity to jealousy.  "What brings you out here?"

            "Business I'm afraid."  Merdock motioned over to the caravan.  "The Shayde family has quite a lot of pull in Errgaunt and Connor is no exception.  He pulled few strings and managed to get a military escort to the site of their new settlement."

            "Oh?  How many men will be accompanying us?"  She asked.

            "A full platoon, twenty men."  He replied quickly, then paused, glancing at her questioningly.  "Wait… us?"

            She nodded, smiling again.  "Yes. I never intended to stay in Milligant, always I had intended to travel North.  If the thing with Captain Crawford hadn't happened, I'd likely have already been gone."  Then something occurred to her, "Speaking of Dale Crawford, I ran into him this morning.  The bruises on his face have done wonders to improve his looks, I must say."

            "I couldn't stand the thought of you staying in that jail any longer, so I… uh… 'convinced' him to drop the charges."  He smiled a little sheepishly.

            Tasha stepped up and had to stretch onto her tiptoes to kiss the tall officer on the cheek.  "Thank you for that."  The four men still seated on their horses hooted and hollered at that and Merdock rolled his eyes.

            "You are most definitely welcome."  He told her.

            "So, will you be leading this platoon of men?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound too hopeful.

            "No, that honor will fall to Captain Toliver, I'm afraid.  But I'll be serving as his number one."  He smiled, "Perhaps we can meet for dinner in my tent during the journey."  He said this softly, hoping it didn't carry to the ears of his men.

            Tasha's smile was warm, full of promise.  "I think I'd like that."

            "Excellent, now if you'll excuse me, we have to speak to Lord Shayde.  There are arrangement to be made regarding the military escort."  She nodded and he turned away, climbing back into his horses saddle.  Tasha watched him and his four men ride away, then she turned and headed through the gate.  The prospect of having Captain Toliver, who just the day before had tried to rape her, along for the journey north was unsettling.  But the idea that Merdock Everstar was going to be there as well somewhat assuaged those fears.

            The next morning Tasha arrived at the field outside the North gate an hour before sunup.  She had managed to rent a horse from a stable man that was friendly to elves, or perhaps just pretty women in general, but either way she had a decent steed beneath her.  The field was in chaos, with people scrambling every which way, trying to prepare their wagons, livestock and families for the journey ahead.  In the field across the main street from Shayde's group a platoon of soldiers sat astride military issue mounts, all of them in neat formation.  In front and slightly to the right of that formation, astride a magnificent black war horse, sat Captain Blaine Toliver.  Their eyes met across the distance and she could feel the animosity radiating off of him, but there was intense desire burning in his eyes still.  She would have to be very careful around that one, but she had already known that.

            "Lady Grasamere!"  This from Connor Shayde as he approached her from the turmoil of the caravan, which seemed to finally be settling into some semblance of order.  His eyes played over her traveling garb, which was the same leather armor she had worn on the ship and judging by his expression he evidently liked what he saw.  "I see you have acquired a horse, that's most excellent!  We'll be setting out in less than an hour, so fall in wherever you feel most comfortable.  Perhaps this evening, when we stop for the night, you would join me for a nightcap?"

            She desperately wanted to say no, having hoped that she and Merdock would be able to spend some time together that evening, but she couldn't be rude to the man who had allowed her to travel with his caravan.  "That would be lovely, Lord Shayde, thank you."

            "Call me Connor!" he said with a bright smile that looked anything but sincere on his darkly handsome face.  She did not offer to let him call her Tasha, which he seemed to notice and didn't like.  Nodding at her, he moved on, crossing the street to speak with the captain.  They exchanged a few heated words and it was apparent to Tasha that the two men didn't like each other much, then Shayde started back toward the caravan and Toliver started to bark orders at his men.

            Tasha followed the noble lord with her eyes, seeing the dark scowl on his features after his brief exchange with Toliver.  'Perhaps,' she thought to herself, 'Lord Shayde might be an ally against Toliver should such a thing become necessary.'  As her eyes followed the nobleman she suddenly found herself looking as well at the half-blood tracker, Jackal.  She was surprised to find that he was even more frightening looking in the light of day than he had been in the dim light of that smoky tavern.  After a brief conversation Shayde started to his own wagon and Jackal shot Tasha a toothy grin before turning and jogging to the front of the procession.  Glancing across the street Tasha saw the soldiers splitting up, some of them going up front with the scout, some going to the rear of the caravan and still others apparently deciding to ride along side.  She saw no sign of Merdock and realized he must have already moved into his position, whatever that might have been.  As the caravan started slowly to roll out of the field heading north Tasha kicked her horse into motion, checking to ensure that her bow was securely in its saddle boot and her quiver in place on her hip.  Assured she was as safe as she could make herself, she fell into the procession next to a small covered wagon.  Hearing low, appreciative whistle from the drivers seat she glanced that way and saw the muscular, handsome young human that had been so helpful to her the day before.  She offered him a smile, which he returned in kind and they continued on in companionable silence, though Tasha did see from the corner of her eye that he kept glancing over and eyeing her hungrily.  'Oh well,' she thought to herself, 'he's a damn sight better to be around than Toliver!'

            It was mid-day and Connor Shayde had called for the caravan to stop for a meal break and water the livestock.  "One hour!" he shouted as he climbed down from his own wagon.  All around her people started to disembark, breaking out their personal food stores and preparing a light meal before getting back on the road.  Several younger humans, mostly males, were going around and seeing that all the horses and other animals were given water.  Tasha saw the soldiers gathering in their own section of the clearing that Jackal had chosen for the stop, Merdock among them and obviously very busy as he and Toliver organized their men for food.

            Glancing around, Tasha saw a fallen log at the very edge of the clearing and she kicked her horse lightly in that direction.  Stepping down from the saddle she did some quick stretching exercises to work the kinks out of her lithe form, then she opened one of her saddle bags and started to pull out some bread, dried beef and cheese that she had bought in Milligant.  At the sound of approaching footsteps she turned and smiled as she saw her young admirer approaching.  He held in his hand what looked to her like a wine bottle and two glasses.

            "Would you mind if I joined you?" he asked, displaying the bottle and glasses.  "I'll share mine if you share yours!"

            Tasha laughed, not missing the innuendo in his words, and motioned him forward.  "What is it you have there?"  She started to lay her fare out upon a small towel she had also pulled from her saddle bags.

            "Strawberry wine."  He replied as he settled cross-legged beside the small cloth on which she was spreading out the bread, beef and cheese.  "My father owned a winery in Milligant."

            Tasha stretched out on her side across from him, propped up on one elbow.  "Owned?  Past tense?"  She reached for the glass he had already poured for her and raised it to her nose, inhaling the sweet aroma.

            "He's dead."  The young man said softly, his face falling slightly.  "He and my mother.  They were murdered by raiders who wanted their supply of wine for themselves.  Father should have just let them have it, but he was too proud, claimed he had worked too hard."  The youth shook his head, "They killed him, despoiled my mother. She died at the hospice hours later."

            Tasha's heart went out to the young man, for the memories of the raid on Hanover where she had lost Calistone were still very vivid to her, even though now more than a decade old.  "I'm so sorry…" she trailed off, then continued, "You know, it occurs to me that I don't even know your name."

            He gave her a half smile and Tasha noticed yet again that he was a very handsome young man.  "It's Breck… Breck Tanner."

            Taking a sip of the wine in her glass Tasha found it sweet and quite succulent, one of the better wines she had ever tasted and she considered herself something of a connoisseur on the subject.  "Well, Mister Tanner, I'll say this for your father, he knew how to make wine!"

            He smiled, "This is from the last case I have of his stock. It wasn't found by the raiders so I kept it.  I sold the winery and all my other worldly possessions and bought my way into this caravan.  I hope to make a fresh start in Shaydeheart." 

            It was the first time Tasha had heard the name that was planned for the settlement.  "Doing what?" she asked.  She truly liked this young man and was curious about him, found that she was even a little attracted to him.  'Whoa there girl!' she warned herself mentally, 'Let's not go there.  Must be the wine talking!'

            He had to swallow a large bite of bread a cheese before he answered, "When the raiders attacked the winery I was in the city working.  Father arranged a couple of years ago for me to be apprenticed to the local blacksmith and, since there's really no reason for me to stay on in Milligant any longer, I decided to try my hand as the blacksmith in this new settlement."

            'That would explain the physique.'  Tasha thought as she ran her eyes over his muscular form, feeling her temperature starting to rise considerably.  She took another sip of the excellent wine and had to look away from the young man as her imagination started to run away with her.  "It sounds as though you have a good plan for the future Breck."  She hoped he couldn't hear the slight tremor in her voice.  'What is wrong with me?'

            "Why are you going north?  You don't strike me as the type that would be settling in a frontier town on the edge of a human controlled empire."  Breck asked, then took a bite of the bread and started to chew with relish.

            "I'm looking for someone," she said guardedly, "someone I thought I'd lost years ago."  She shook her head, feeling a thin sheen of perspiration breaking out on her body, making it look as though her satiny skin were glowing slightly.  "Is it getting hotter out here?"  She asked, glancing up at the sun.

            Breck frowned, glancing around himself.  "I don't think so.  I heard that there's a fresh water stream near here, we could go and fill your water skins if you like."  He shrugged, smiling disarmingly at her, "A cool drink of water might help you."

            "It might at that."  She agreed, rolling onto her hands and knees and then starting to push herself upright.  She swooned, feeling the world start to spin around her and was surprised by how fast the young man was there at her side, bracing her.  "Thank you." She told him, turning to face the young man and placing a hand on his broad chest.  Her eyes met his and she found she couldn't have looked away if she wanted to!  Her heart started to race, Brecks face moved in to kiss her and Tasha found herself lifting hers to meet him, her full lips parting.  He gripped her upper arms in his powerful hands, was holding her lush body tightly to him and their lips brushed ever so slightly, causing Tasha to swoon yet again, but the powerful young man held her steady, his lips pressing against hers with even more urgency, his tongue probing deep into her mouth, sparring with hers in an erotic dance that moved from her mouth to his.  Her hand slid up his muscled chest and around his neck, her other rising to join it, a moan escaping her lips as she melted against him.  That was when all Hell broke loose….

            There was a wild thrashing from the wood line a few short yards away as figure came hurtling out, slamming into the pair and knocking them to the ground, Tasha instinctively rolling with the impact and coming out of it on her knees, already glancing around for her bow.  She saw it near her horse and sprang to her feet, her adrenaline rushing, the powerful lust that had been driving her on a moment before now lost in the face of danger.  Sprinting toward her weapon of choice she glanced over to see Breck on his back, struggling mightily with a being that might have been human, once.  It was no larger than a young child, its skin blistered and scarred as though having been in a fire and there were three horns sprouting from its small forehead.  In spite of its diminutive size, it was obviously giving the well built young man a run for his money, Brecks powerful arms nearly doubling in size as his muscles flexed in response to the strength being exerted against him. 

            Tasha was mere paces from her bow when another form came hurtling from the trees, landing between her and the weapon and crouched, glaring at her with inhuman eyes, a feral hiss on its ravaged lips.  This one was similar to the other in that it looked like a human that had survived a fire, though a woman this time and fully grown.  Her hair was long and stringy, black as night and seemed matted with something that Tasha chose not to try and identify.  There were two horns protruding from her temples and canted forward, the points twisted toward the sky and looking somewhat like the horns of a ram.  With an enraged snarl the woman flung herself at Tasha and the lithe elf leapt into the air, diving over the oncoming woman.  They passed each other in mid-air and when Tasha landed her hands closed around the cool surface of her bow and she tucked her head, shoulder rolling and coming out of it on one knee, twisting and the waist.  An arrow was already in hand and she knocked it, pulling the string back to her cheek as she sighted down the shaft.  All this she did in the split second when the horrifying creature landed on only its hands, twisted and shoved off toward her again with its feet. 

            As it flew toward her Tasha released the bowstring, sending the arrow rocketing forward.  Her aim was true and the other woman took the arrow in the mouth, the arrowhead bursting from the back of her skull and spraying gray matter into the air.  The arrow did not steal the woman's momentum however and Tasha had to roll to the side to avoid the impact from the dead body.

            "Help me!"  Breck cried as Tasha came out of her roll and she looked toward the young man, her eyes widening to see that his hands were now on either side of the childlike head, barely keeping inhumanly sharp fangs from burying in his face.  The little creatures fingers, evidently having been turned at some point into claws, were sunk deep into Breck's sides, blood pumping from around them to pool on the ground around the large youth.  Blocking from her mind that fact that this thing resembled a child, Tasha swiftly drew and fired another arrow.  It caught the creature in the side and rather than knock it off the larger man it simply turned and hissed at Tasha. The elf's eyes widened again, this time in terror, amazed that the little body could take the arrow shot and not even blink!  Instinctively attacking the one that had harmed it, the little creature launched itself off Breck, lunging for Tasha.  Moving with a swiftness that surprised even himself Breck reached up and caught the things ankle, arresting its forward motion immediately and sending it slamming face first into the ground.  Tasha stood, took one step forward and sent an arrow into the back of its head, pinning the creature to the ground and killing it instantly.

            As her heartbeat started to slow, other sounds became apparent to the elf as she adjusted her gaze to the rest of the caravan.  There were screams of terror, cries of pain and savage snarls mixed with the sounds of rending flesh and the coppery smell of fresh blood.  All around the demonic creatures, all of them looking at once similar but very different to the ones they had just killed, were emerging from the wilderness and setting upon the caravan.  Men, women and children were falling under their assault, whole families were being slaughtered.  The soldiers that had been assigned to protect them weren't fairing much better she could see, several of their bodies already littered the small clearing they had chosen to lunch in.  Those bodies and any others that had already fallen were being feasted on by these creatures, whoever or whatever they were.

            Breck's pained moan brought her attention back to him and she dropped to one knee beside him.  He had rolled onto his side and vomited, the elf noting a great deal of blood mixed with the lunch they had been eating mere minutes before.  Without setting her bow down, Tasha leaned over and examined him, probing the wounds in his side with dexterous fingers.  The little creature had buried its claw like hands deep in the young mans sides and Tasha could tell that several internal organs had been pierced. 

            "I'm dying, aren't I?"  he asked, his pain filled eyes looking imploringly up at her.

            Tasha met that gaze, feeling the tears welling up within her.  She felt sorry for him, even though she now understood what he had been trying to do moments before.  Obviously there had been a love potion or something in the wine but such mistakes were easily forgiven considering the current circumstances.  "Yes, you are."  She replied gently, reaching up to brush his hair from his forehead.  "I'm sorry."

            He shook his head, "No… I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have tried to take advantage.  You're just so damn beauti…."  He couldn't finish his statement because at that moment his eyes rolled back in his head and the grim reaper claimed his soul.

            "Damn it!"  Tasha cried, standing up and drawing another arrow from her quiver, knocking it to her bow as she started to stalk toward the main body of the caravan, where most of the turmoil was located.  Tears were blurring her vision as she started to send a wave of arrows into the swarm and though she couldn't see well, it seemed as though her every arrow struck home.  After six such shots the creatures took notice of her and started to converge on the elf who kept firing, giving up no ground.  She developed a kind of tunnel vision, drawing and firing repeatedly, her mouth set in a determined frown as she killed monster after monster.  A wave of the creatures was coming toward her and Tasha was suddenly peripherally aware of two soldiers flanking her, their blades flashing as they cut down the monsters that were getting too close.  She could tell without having to look that they were Toliver and Everstar, the sounds of their shouts and grunts as they met the creatures in combat told her that.  A bright flash of light from somewhere behind her followed immediately by an explosion amid the monster in front of her and Tasha knew someone with magical knowledge had joined the fray.

            "We're driving them back!"  someone shouted and she thought that it was Blaine though she couldn't be sure.  "Keep it up!" 

            Tasha had no intentions of stopping.  This attack seemed senseless to her and the monsters obviously posed a threat to the caravan.  Breck, a young man she would probably have grown to like very much even though he had planned on taking advantage of her, was dead and that had struck a chord within Tasha.  She would wonder later if her reaction to his death had been a side effect of whatever he had laced the wine with, but for now she was using it.  Over and over she fired, dropping monsters in piles all around them.  She didn't stop shooting till someone forcibly pinned her arms to her sides and shouted into her ear to stop.

            "Tasha!"  She blinked and her head snapped around to see Merdock staring at her with concern.  "You can stop shooting now, they've retreated back into the forest."  Tears were flowing freely from her eyes and when she realized that the immediate danger had passed she nearly collapsed into his arms. The lieutenant wrapped them around her and held the elf while he glanced around to assess the situation.  It looked to him like the only individuals left standing after that unexpected attack were himself, Tasha, Blaine Toliver, Connor Shayde, Jackal and one of the other soldiers from the platoon, a very young man whose name escaped him at the moment.  Everyone else was dead or dying and Merdock was stunned at the suddenness and ferocity of the attack.

            Suddenly Tasha pulled back, looking at a spot on his arm that was seeping blood.  "You're hurt!"  He started to try and shrug it off but she insisted on treating it for him, forcing him to sit down and fussing over him. He realized that tending to his wound had given her something else to focus on until she was ready to face the reality of the situation.  While Tasha dressed the wound Merdock looked to his commanding officer. 

            "What do you think they were?"  he asked Toliver.

            The captain had walked over to the pile of dead creatures and was kicking them aside as he examined their damaged faces.  "I'm not sure what they became, but I know what they used to be."  He glanced around, making sure everyone was watching.  "They were human, every one of them.  This one," he motioned to the body at the top of the pile, "I recognize, though just barely.  It's Lyndon Baines, the warden of the northern prison. It's not ten miles from here."

            "Do you think these others were prison workers?"  Shayde asked, "Or perhaps inmates?"

            Toliver shrugged.  "I don't rightly know, but I'd like to find out.  If there's something wrong at the prison we need to know it.  This could be far worse than just this group attacking us."  He glanced around at the others gathered with him, "We'll have to return to Milligant anyway after this, but if you all don't mind I'd like to investigate the prison first and try to get an idea of what's happening.  That way we'll know what to report when we get back to the city."

            "That seems logical."  Jackal agreed with a nod.

            Shayde sighed, but shrugged.  "It seems I've no reason at the moment to continue north.  I may as well continue on with you, it's bound to be safer than returning to Milligant on my own."

            Toliver nodded.  "We could use some more of that magic you were tossing around if we run into more of these things, too, don't doubt!"

            "I'm in."  Merdock said, though if his superior was going he really didn't have any choice.  The young soldier, though he looked frightened, nodded his acceptance of the idea.  "What about you?"  Merdock asked Tasha.

            The elf had just finished binding the wound on his arm and when she looked up the tears were gone, replaced by a sudden resolve to see this thing through.  She felt she owed to the people that had died here.  "I'll go too."

            Toliver nodded.  "Very well.  Jackal, can you guide us to the prison from here?"

            The half breed nodded and turned immediately to the north.  The others fell in behind him.  Tasha said a quick prayer to Roma asking that she watch over those who had died there that day, wishing that they had time to at least bury the bodies but understanding that they did not.  'What is happening in this kingdom?' she thought to herself.  She hoped, no prayed, that they would find some answers at the prison.

Chapter Four

            The sextet made their way slowly, having to hike the distance on foot since the monsters that had attacked them had also killed or scared off all the horses.  Tasha had retrieved what she could of her arrows but what hadn't been broken or lost didn't amount to much and she was concerned at her effectiveness should they encounter more of the creatures.  She had only twenty arrows left and they had no idea how many of the monsters there were, much less where they were.

            Jackal moved easily through the woods, up at the front of the group, choosing the easiest path for them to follow.  Directly behind him was Blaine Toliver, the officer having apparently taken command of the group, though technically Lord Shayde outranked him.  Behind Toliver came the nobleman, moving along at a good pace and, to his credit Tasha thought, not complaining aloud about his bad luck regarding the caravan.  Behind the nobleman the elf trudged along, keeping her thoughts to herself and focusing on trying to keep up with the pace the leaders were setting.  Behind her came the young soldier whose name, she had learned, was Nels Vaughn.  He was a brand new recruit in the Milligant guardsman, this escort detail having been his first official mission.  Tasha could think of better ways for the young man to be initiated.  Behind the youthful warrior, also notably quiet, came Merdock Everstar.  Once or twice as they trudged through the woods Tasha glanced over her shoulder and met the Lieutenants gaze.  He would offer her a reassuring smile, but nothing further.

            Finally, as the sun began to set on the horizon, they decided to stop for a rest.  Jackal, addressing the entire group, reported, "We can stay here for the night and make a small and probably very cold camp, or we can press on to the prison.  It's only a few more miles and if memory serves they have a small barracks where the guards assigned there sleep.  We can probably stay there and be more comfortable than here."

            "Assuming its not crawling with those monsters."  Tasha brought up.

            Toliver had a quick answer for this though.  "Whose to say these woods aren't crawling with them?  If we find the prison functioning normally we'll ask that they put us up and we'll have the added protection of their guards.  If we find that the prison is abandoned," he glanced grudgingly at Tasha as he added, "or over run, then we'll be more able to defend the barracks than we would be able to repel them out here in the open."

            Merdock sounded as though he didn't like the thought of siding with his superior, and Tasha knew there was little love lost between the men, but he said, "Captain Toliver is right.  Either way we slice it, the barracks is a more tactically advantageous decision.  I say we push on."

            "I concur."  Shayde responded.  Nels just shrugged, figuring his superiors had already voiced their opinions so he wasn't granted one at this time. 

            "You do make a good point."  Tasha conceded to the soldiers, "I think it's a good idea too."

            Toliver nodded, turning to Jackal.  "Very well then, we'll rest here for a short spell, then we push on to the prison."

            It was slow going through the dense forest at night, so by the time they reached the prison gates it was nearly midnight.  Frowns adorned all their faces when they arrived to find the large wrought iron gates to the prison hanging open, one of them having pulled away from its top hinge so it threatened to fall away from the twenty foot tall wall that surrounded the compound.

            "This does not bode well."  Connor Shayde commented, voicing all their opinions on the subject.

            Toliver took a few moments to assess the situation, then he turned and did a quick head count.  "There are six of us.  We split into groups of three, one group will secure the barracks for us to use, the other will check the status of the prison."  He glanced around the group quickly, then he said, "Everstar, you take the ranger and the boy and secure the barracks.  The elf, the mage and I will investigate the prison."  He met Tasha's gaze challengingly, as though expecting her to balk at going into the main prison building, but she just stared back at him steadily, refusing to show the fear that was settling in the pit of her stomach.

            Merdock looked like he wanted to say something as well, but held his tongue, nodding in acceptance of the orders instead.  In a way, it made good tactical sense.  The group going into the prison was the most likely to run into trouble, so having the spell caster and the archer in there was logical as they were better able to keep the enemy at a distance.  "Let's move people."

            The two trios went there separate ways then, each moving through the gate and turning toward their assigned buildings.  Both of them could be seen silhouetted in the dark, neither of them looking as though there was anyone inside alive.  "There should be lights burning in at least some of the windows of the prison."  Toliver commented as they crept up to the entrance.  "The guards would have had lanterns for the rounds, and their office would have been lit, even if the inmates were in darkness, which would have been normal at this time of night."  He spoke softly, but his baritone voice still carried easily through the night.  "Stay alert you two."  As they moved as quietly as they could through the entrance to the prison, Tasha's keen ears caught the nobleman mumbling to himself and she realized he was casting protection spells over himself.

            Turning to him she whispered, "If you can spare any of that for me, it would be appreciated."  He gave her a brief but grim smile and nod, then started mumbling softly again.  A moment later Tasha felt an odd tingling sensation pass over her from head to toe.  She didn't know what he had done and knew that they didn't really have the time to discuss it, she just hoped whatever it was that it would help if the need arose. 

            "Captain," the noble mage called softly and Toliver turned to glance back impatiently.  "The elf can see well in the dark, but neither of us is born with nightvision.  Would like me to cast a spell upon you to help you see in the dark?  It will prevent us from having to carry a torch, which might attract unwanted attention."  The captain considered that a moment and couldn't deny it was a good idea, so he nodded.  Once more the nobleman fell into his silent mumbling, casting the mentioned spell.

            The first room they found themselves in was like a lobby combined with a prisoner in-processing center.  There was a high counter that ran the length of one wall, the floor behind it raised higher than that before it, giving the impression that the guards who would have been stationed there were taller and more powerful than the inmates being brought before them.  She understood that it had been an intimidation factor, but now, being eerily silent and very vacant, it seemed even more intimidating!  The doors that lead into the different cell blocks were behind the counter, so they headed toward the stairs that they saw to one side of it, which would lead into the room beyond.  Toliver lead the way, with Tasha and Connor right behind.  The soldier had his sword in hand, a finely crafted dwarven broadsword, and he scanned the room alertly with his eyes. 

            The area beyond the high counter was strewn with desks, looking very much like the jail that Tasha had had the misfortune of spending some time in back in Milligant.  However, the major difference here was that this office area was strewn with dead bodies, lying on the floor or draped over the furniture, most of them looking half eaten.  Tasha felt her stomach turn at both the sight and stench of the scene.  As she moved through the dim room she kicked something and glanced down to see a human head rolling away to disappear beneath a desk.  Both men looked at her with anger and she realized that the rolling head had been quite noisy, but all she could offer as apology was a shrug.  They all three froze there, listening to see if anything was attracted by the sound.

            "I thought you were the one with the good nightvision!"  Toliver groused softly as they headed toward one of the doors which he knew would open into a cell block.

            "I guess the room full of dead bodies distracted me a bit!" she hissed vehemently at him, "Or did you not notice that most of them are half eaten?" 

            The look of trepidation that crossed the normally unflappable officers face told her that he had indeed noticed and was a little concerned, but he seemed determined to investigate the prison.  She understood why he felt it necessary, for they needed to understand what was happening, she just wished he had chosen to do it in the morning, when daylight was on their side.  Then again, the creatures had attacked them in broad daylight already, so perhaps they couldn't see well at night.  'I hate to admit it,'  Tasha thought to herself as she followed the officer through the door, 'but this guy might actually know what he's doing!'

            They found themselves in the middle of a vast cell block, three stories of cells stacked atop each other running down the length of a vast hallway to either side of them.  There were stairs to the left and right leading up to the cells, but Toliver bypassed those and headed straight down the ground floor, casting his gaze left and right into every empty cell they passed.  He stopped briefly to actually lean into an open cell door and saw a prisoners dead body, or parts of it, strewn about the small cage.  Wrinkling his nose in disgust he suddenly heard the distinctive sound of Tasha's bowstring being drawn back and he whipped around to see her aiming her bow farther down the alley between the cells.  Spinning to see where he was aiming his eyes widened, there was about thirteen of the horribly scarred monsters stalking toward them, their eyes glowing preternaturally in the dark.

            "Too many of them!  Move it!"  Toliver cried, turning and running back toward the entrance.  Tasha let fly her arrow, striking one of the creatures in the head and killing it instantly.  Just before she turned to join the men in sprinting toward the exit she saw the monsters break into a run, taking up the chase.  "Shit!"  Toliver cried, skidding to halt as he saw that their way back had been blocked by another group of a dozen of the creatures moving toward them from that direction.

            "We're surrounded!"  Shayde said, rather unnecessarily, panic evident at the edges of his voice.  "What do we do?"

            "Survive."  Toliver growled as he hefted his sword and started forward, determined to fight his way through the smaller group, which stood between them and the door.

            Merdock, Nels and Jackal arrived at the barracks at about the same time as the other group was entering the prison building.  This door stood open as well, hanging precariously from its lower hinge.  Merdock pushed the door open further with the point of his sword, cocking his head to the side to try and see within.  "I don't suppose either of you thought to bring a torch?  Or a lantern?"  He asked the two men accompanying him.

            Jackal stepped forward, hefting the spear he had been using as a walking stick since leaving Milligant.  "Who needs a torch?  I'm part goblin, Lieutenant, I can see in the dark just fine."

            "That's great for you," Nels commented drily, "but what about us?"

            "I'm the scout, remember?"  The half-breed told the young soldier.  "I'm used to leading the way.  Just stay close behind me and we should be fine."

            They stepped through the battered door and found themselves in a small vestibule that had held a couple of ornate wooden benches.  These were lying in splinters that crunched beneath their feet as they crossed the small room.  All three men winced at the noise, but knew there was little they could have done to avoid it.  Moving into the hall beyond the entrance they found themselves facing a row of doors, six to each side of the hallway. 

            "The guards here had individual rooms?"  Jackal asked, sounding impressed.  "I expected a communal room with rows of bunk beds or something."

            "Likely there's three or four men to a room, or these might be the officers quarters."  Merdock said, keeping his tone hushed.  "We need to check them."  He pointed at Nels, then at the door to the right while he himself went left.  Jackal stayed in the hall, keeping watch on it.  Both rooms had been thoroughly ransacked but showed no signs of life.  Returning to the hall the three men moved a little further down so the two soldiers could check the next rooms.  Again, there was no one there and they continued in this fashion till they had checked all six rooms on the ground floor.  Once that was done, Nels glanced around in confusion.

            "This building is more than one story high," he said as he looked around, "where are the stairs leading up?"  Jackal and Merdock glanced around, similarly perplexed.     "That's a good question private."  Merdock said.  As a group the trio moved back outside and around the building, eventually finding a staircase leading up the outside of the building.  There were multiple flights and each one had a door leading in to one of the three floors.  "Wait here."  Merdock told Jackal, who nodded, realizing that the soldier wanted someone more experienced then Nels standing guard on the staircase so nothing crept up behind them without warning.  Leaving the half-breed at the bottom the two guardsmen ascended as quietly as they could.  Jackal watched them enter the second floor, then turned to gaze off into the darkness, a chill running down his spine when he realized there were no animal noises in the night.  Not even the hooting of owls.

            "The animals have sensed that something is amiss here."  He said softly to himself, then turned back around as the two soldiers emerged from the second floor.  Nels started up to the third but before he followed Merdock cast a glance down at the scout and shook his head, a sign that they had found no one alive.  He watched until the two soldiers entered the third floor then he directed his attention toward the prison building.  He frowned a few minutes later when he saw a series of flashes illuminated in the bottom story windows over there.  He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he recognized magic casting when he saw it.  "Trouble."

            The half breed wheeled around suddenly as he heard a crash followed by a scream of terror.  He saw Nels, the young soldier that had accompanied Merdock inside plummeting from the third story landing, having crashed through the railing, a horribly scarred monstrosity taking the plunge with him, its mouth fastened on the young mans neck.  They hit hard and the creature was thrown from the soldiers by the impact, his mouth tearing out Nels's throat as he was thrown to the side.  Momentarily shocked to immobility, Jackal just stood and stared at the obviously dead guardsman until he heard the creature snarl at him.  Shifting his gaze to it he saw that the thing, which was once human he guessed, was wearing the uniform of one of the prison guards.  It face was blackened and horribly burned, its eyes burning with a feverish light, saliva mixed with the soldiers blood trailing down its chin.

            Feeling a chill of fear run through him the half-breed dropped into a fighting stance, raising his spear in preparation of defending himself.  "All right then ugly," he said, trying to sound braver than he felt, "let's tussle."

            The once human launched itself at Jackal with animalistic growl, gnashing its teeth in preparation for sinking them into him.  The half-goblin stepped into the attack, thrusting his spear up and catching it in its exposed underside, then shifting his weight and used the spear as a lever, using the creatures own momentum to toss it into the wall of the barracks.  The thing hit with a sickening crunch and slumped the ground, unmoving.  Glancing over his shoulder at Nels, the ranger shrugged an apology at the dead body, then started up the stairs, running three and four at a time, wanting to help Merdock before the much more experienced soldiers was completely overwhelmed.

            Tasha alternated her shots, firing first at the group of monster that Toliver was fighting, then spinning and firing in the other direction, assisting Lord Shayde who was using his magic to the best of his ability to slow down or outright stop the monsters coming from that direction.  As she spun back to assist the Captain she reached for an arrow and her fingertips brushed the fletchings of just one last arrow, which she drew out and placed on her bows string.

            "I'm out!" she shouted as she drew the string to her smooth cheek, sighting down the shaft of the arrow at the largest of the remaining monsters.  She let fly, taking the creature right between the eyes and knocking it backwards.

            "Fall back!"  Toliver bellowed, and Tasha saw him starting to back away from the mob of creatures, angling to one side of the hall so that he was aiming for one of the cells.  Understanding where he wanted to go, Tasha turned and dashed through the door before he could, the huge warrior following her and slamming the cage shut behind him.  He staggered back, narrowly avoiding the grasping, clawed hand of one of the creatures as it lunged for him, reaching through the bars.

            "Where's Connor?"  Tasha cried when she noticed the nobleman wasn't with them in the cell.

            Blaine looked around then swore violently.  "Lord Shayde!  Try and make it to one of the cells!"  There was no response and the large soldiers incredibly broad shoulders slumped dejectedly.  "Fuck!" he growled, slamming his fists against the bars of the cell. 

            "That won't help anything."  Tasha said.

            Toliver rounded on her, his eyes flashing dangerously.  "You think I don't know that wench?" he growled.  "I was given an entire platoon of capable soldiers with only one mission.  Guard Lord Shayde and his caravan till they reached their destination and then return home!  Obviously I have failed miserably in that task, so I really don't need you telling me what will or won't help in the current situation!"  He was yelling at her, leaning over the much shorter woman, spittle flying from his lips in his anger as he unloaded on the woman.  Tasha, to her credit, stood her ground though he was incredibly imposing and she wanted nothing more than to be away from him right then.  The problem was, they were trapped in a prison cell together with a horde of monsters straining at the door to their shared cage, wanting desperately to eat them both.  It made putting distance between the two of them problematic at best.  "And now we're trapped in here because I couldn't even get us out of this building successfully!"  His massive chest was heaving as he panted, his ire having taken most of his breath away.  His voice grew suddenly softer as his still hard eyes ran over her with a sudden, fiery hunger.  "There are worse people to be stuck in here with, of course."

            Now Tasha did back away, raising a hand she knew had zero chance of keeping him at bay should he decide he wanted to pursue his suddenly lustful thoughts.  "This is neither the time nor the place for such things Captain!  We need to think of a way out of this mess!"

            He threw his head back and laughed.  "I'm well aware that our current situation doesn't present the best time for us pick up where we left off, lady."  He motioned around them, "But you have to admit, the locale meets the requirement."  It had not escaped Tasha that she once again found herself alone in a cell with Toliver, but she had to admit that she was glad he had no immediate intentions of forcing himself on her.  Without ammo she would have to rely solely upon her sword, and she wasn't certain how good he was with his, but it was bound to be better than her.  Toliver spun as Tasha stepped to one side, both of them directing their attention to the door of the cage which the monsters outside were now combining their strength against in an effort to tear it right out of its housing.  "That's not good."  Blaine turned, his eyes narrowing as he glanced around the cell, looking for a way out.  His gaze fell on the barred window, located high up on the wall, near the ceiling. 

            With one hand he reached out and yanked the bunk up, the bolts holding it down giving a piercing shriek as they were broken with apparent ease.  Tasha's eyes widened, she had known he was strong for no one could have that much muscle and not be, but she had had no idea he was that strong!  Tossing the bed against the wall beneath the window Toliver took a running step and jumped, using the bed as a pushing off point and launched himself up the wall, wrapping his large fingers around the bars of the window.  For a moment he hung there, then he grunted as he hauled his weight upward and planted his feet against the wall.  Tasha watched with an awed expression on her beautiful face as the warrior started to ply his obviously immense strength to the window, the muscles of his arms and legs nearly doubling in size as they flexed.  She heard the seams of his clothing start to rip against the sudden strain. 

            Silently rooting the warrior on, Tasha glanced over her shoulder and saw the monsters performing a similar feat of strength with the cell door.  'Evidently, whatever has befallen these people has greatly augmented their natural strength and other attributes.'  She thought to herself, glancing back and forth between them and Toliver, realizing that this had become some sort of odd race of strength.  The door of the cell gave another horrendous screech and pulled away from the frame enough that some of the monsters were able to reach through.  They came close enough to grabbing her that Tasha had to back away from the door.  It was only a matter of a few seconds, she knew, before they had gained entry to their cell.      

            "Toliver!" she cried, putting as much urgency in her tone as she could.  There was another loud wrenching sound, this time one of metal mixed with crumbling stone and she was showered by concrete as the powerful warrior succeeded in pulling the barred window from the wall, taking enough stone with it to create an exit more than large enough for them to squeeze through.  Tasha's hair and shoulders were white now from the dusting of shattered concrete.

            Blaine, who had fallen heavily to the floor of the cell when the window came free now scrambled to his feet.  "Go, go, go!"  He cried and Tasha, not waiting for an invitation, used his broad back as her launching point, tucking her arms to her sides and aiming with her head as she vaulted her lithe body through the opening he had made.  Once she had cleared the wall and was flying through open air she arched her frame so that she was falling head first toward the well maintained grass beneath the window.  Extending her arms up to break her fall she landed in a remarkably graceful somersault, rolling right back to her feet and spinning, simultaneously drawing her sword, to watch the captain make a far less graceful exit, simply clambering out through the hole and dropping heavily to the ground outside.  No sooner had he hit the ground than the sound of the door to the cell being yanked free came clearly to their ears.  Springing with remarkably agility to his feet, the massive officer started running, motioning for Tasha to do the same.

            "Go for the barracks!" He shouted as the monsters started to follow them through the hole in the wall.  "Our best chance is to rendezvous with the others!"  Tasha turned, sword in hand, her long legs pumping as she started to sprint across the compound toward the barracks building visible only as a silhouette in the distance.

            Merdock was grateful that the third floor hallway wasn't wider, he had his hands full with the three monsters that faced him simultaneously.  If any more of them were able to get up front and take him on, he knew he would fall.  Already he had many cuts and bruises to go along with the one he had endured in that first battle, when they had lost the caravan.  That one had been getting steadily worse and he was certain it was infected, he could feel his temperature rising by the moment and though it concerned him, he kept it in the back of his mind, focusing on the job at hand.  Right now, that job was surviving.  He knew Nels was dead, he had seen the lad go out the door with a monsters teeth sunk into his throat but before he could even think about helping, these creatures had come after him in force.  The mistake they had made, upon entering the third floor, was thinking that the bodies littering it and the six rooms to the sides were dead.  They had been horribly scarred as though burned, just like the others, but there had been no sign of life.  Merdock had gotten nearly all the way to the far end of the hallway, leaving Nels behind to guard the door, when the "dead" had suddenly started to pick themselves up.  Nels hadn't lasted five seconds and Merdock wasn't sure if he had five more left in him.

            That was when Jackal arrived, spear leading the way as he charged down the hall, impaling several of the creatures from behind before they even knew he was there.  There had been ten of the monsters in all, the one that had taken out Nels had reduced that number to nine.  Merdock had killed two more since then and of the seven that had been left after that, Jackal had just taken two more.  Now there were five, and with the skilled ranger to back him up, Merdock felt as though they might just stand a chance.  From either side of the suddenly trapped creatures the two men waded in, hacking, slashing and stabbing for all they were worth.  The monsters tried to fight back and though they had the two men outnumbered, both were skilled fighters and suddenly had the tactical advantage, with the monsters effectively caught in a crossfire of death.  It took less than a minute before Merdock was standing, his barrel chest heaving with the exertion, the last of the monsters lying dead at his feet.  Jackal too stood over the bodies, leaning heavily on his spear, breathing hard.

            "Jackal…" Merdock said, stepping forward and extending a hand, "…I owe you one." 

            Shouts from outside distracted their attention and they both turned toward the door at the far end of the hall.  "You may get the chance to repay that sooner than you think."  The half-breed said as he led way, running back down the hallway.  They stopped on the landing outside and looked out over the compound where it stretched to the prison building.  Merdocks eyes widened when he saw Tasha and Toliver racing across the opening toward them, a literal army of the creatures giving chase. 

            "By the Gods!  We'll never defeat them all."  Merdock gasped.  His shock only lasted a moment, however, as he leaned out over the railing, calling to the two below as they raced up to the barracks.  "Up here!  The third floor will be easier to defend!"  Blaine and Tasha didn't even slow, sprinting as quickly as they could up the stairs.  Merdock and Jackal had already gone inside and were waiting when Toliver and Natashiana raced through.  Merdock slammed the door closed and Jackal wedged a chair pulled from one of the rooms beneath the knob.  Almost at once one of the creatures slammed into the door from the other side, rattling it violently.  Merdock and Jackal jumped back, raising their weapons in case it came through. 

            "That door won't hold them back for long!"  Toliver grunted, he and Tasha were leaning against opposite walls of the hallway, gulping in great breaths of air.  When Jackal turned to regard them his gaze became riveted to the rise and fall of Tasha's perfect bosom.  "We need to find a way to distract them!"

            "I think I've found one."  Jackal said, smiling broadly as he continued to watch the elf pant.  She rolled her eyes and purposefully turned away from the repulsive half-breed.  Jackal shrugged and Merdock shot him a condescending look.  "What? It definitely had me distracted!"

            When she turned away from the scout, Tasha's eyes fell on the dead bodies littering the hall.  Her eyes narrowed as an idea struck her.  "What is their motivation?"  The three men in the hallway with her turned, regarding her curiously.  Turning to meet their gazes, she repeated.  "What is their motivation?  Why are they trying to catch us?"

            "I would suspect they're hungry."  Jackal said.

            "Right!"  Tasha pointed at the dead bodies behind her.  "So let's feed them!  That should distract them from us for a while.  Maybe long enough to devise an escape of some sort!"

            "Damn!"  Toliver said, eyeing the dead bodies.  "That just might work!"

            "How do we get them to the hungry mob though?"  Jackal asked.  "We can't just open the door and say it's dinner time."

            Tasha leaned over and gazed into one of the small barracks rooms.  She saw exactly what she had hoped to see.  "We'll throw the bodies out these windows!  All around the building, we spread them out so that the monsters don't all congregate in one place!"

            "Beauty and brains!"  Jackal quipped, grinning lewdly at Tasha.  "I think I'm in love!"

            Once again she rolled her eyes, though this time with slightly less exasperation.  "Would you stop?"  She said, pushing him toward the dead bodies as Merdock and Blaine moved to follow through with the plan.   Tasha and Jackal took one of the monsters between them while Merdock and Blaine were strong enough to handle one a piece.  Choosing a room, the scout and the archer carried their body to the window and then, after opening the glass, hoisted it out.  They leaned their heads out to watch as it hit the ground with a slight bounce, then they looked around, satisfied to see a large group of the monsters converging on the apparent free meal.  "It's working!" she said softly.

            Pulling their heads back through the window, they stood up and grinned at each other, "I could kiss you!" Jackal said, extending his arms to her.

            Tasha cocked an eyebrow at him as if to say, "Really?"  Then shook her head and walked from the room.

            "You can't blame me for trying!"  The half-breed called out.

           

            It became apparent over the next several minutes that Tasha's plan had not only worked, but the monsters seemed to completely forget that they were on the third floor all together.  Once they had been distracted by the dead bodies to feast on, they showed they had the attention spans of some animals, completely forgetting that they had been chasing live prey less than an hour before.  Toliver, watching quietly from a third story window, shook his head, glancing across the small room at Merdock, who leaned against the wall next to the door.  Keeping his voice pitched low in case the creatures heard them and renewed their interest, he said, "It seems we're out of danger for the moment, but we'll have to be vigilant all night.  Each of us will stand a guard shift, I'll take the first one.  You go and tell the other two when there's will be."  Merdock nodded, turning to do as his superior had instructed, when Blaine called out to him.  "Lieutenant Everstar," Merdock turned back, a questioning look on his face, "you all right?  You don't look so good."  He was right too, Merdock's skin was pale and he was sweating quite a lot.

            "I'll be fine Captain."  He assured Toliver.  "I think I just need some rest."  Without waiting for a response, he left the small room Toliver had chosen as his own and moved down the hall to where Jackal stood by the door leading out to the stairs.  "Any sign of life out there?"

            The half-breed scout shook his head.  "I don't think any of them bothered coming back up the stairs after their little impromptu feast.  Elf girl really saved the day with that idea, didn't she?" 

            Merdock nodded, "Toliver wants us to stand guard in shifts tonight.  He's taking the first, I'd like you to take the second."  The half-breed nodded his acceptance of that.  "I'll go and inform Lady Grasamere that she'll get the third, then I'll take the last one."  Once more not waiting for a response, Merdock turned and moved down to the other end of the hall, rapping lightly on the door to the room Tasha ensconced herself in after it had become apparent that the threat, at least for a while, was passed.

            "Come in." she called softly, and Merdock let himself into the room.  Glancing around, he saw her seated at the rooms only small table, an array of items spread before her.  He realized that she was utilizing some of the wood from the furniture in the room to make herself some more arrows for her bow.  "Hello Lieutenant…"  she stopped, shaking her head and offering him a dazzling smile, "…I mean, Merdock."

            "How are you holding up milady?"  he asked, moving wearily across the room.

            Tasha frowned, seeing for the first time that he seemed to be genuinely ill.  "Better than you, I think!  Roma's blade, Merdock you look dead on your feet!"  She got up from her chair and, despite his mumbled protests, lead the handsome soldier over to the bed where she made him sit down.  "Get that tabard and armor off, I want a look at that wound on your arm!"  He heard the tone in her voice and decided it brooked no argument, so she shrugged and started to remove the breastplate of his armor, along with his tabard and the tunic he wore beneath.  While he stripped, Tasha had gone to where she left the meager supplies she still retained following the earlier attack, among them a small first aide kit.  From it she pulled a poultice and some bandages, then turned back to the soldier.  When she saw him sitting there on the bed bare chested she gasped, stopping her tracks, her eyes playing across his muscled chest and the six pack of rock hard abs above his waistline.  "Oh my." She said softly, her sea green eyes rising to his and she felt herself blush slightly, then continued to his side, bending to examine the wound he had received the day before.  He winced in pain when she poked at it slightly, the skin around the wound having turned a bright red, a sure sign that infection was setting in.  "We should have taken of this when it happened!"  She scolded him gently, starting to apply the poultice to the wound, "It looks like a nasty infection has set in!"

            "I had more important things to concern myself with."  He said, pain evident in his voice.

            "More important than your own health?" she scoffed, "Like what?"

            He turned, meeting her gaze boldly, letting the desire he felt for her burn there, "Like yours."       

            Tasha felt her breath catch in her throat and her heart started to hammer in her chest.  Damn but she wanted this man something fierce!  Forcing herself to look back at the wound she was dressing she said, "Well, you've succeeded in keeping me healthy, now let me return the favor."

            Hearing the quaver in her voice brought a slight smile to Merdocks face.  "Toliver thinks we should stand guard shifts tonight.  The creatures seem to have forgotten about us for the moment, but that may change.  He's taking the first shift, Jackal the second.  I thought you'd take the third, then I'd handle the last one."

            She nodded, finished wrapping the bandage around his muscular arm, then straightened up, returning to her kit to return the supplies.  "All right, I suppose that is for the best."  She shivered then, glancing toward the window and the creatures she knew still lingered over the dead bodies they had thrown to them earlier.  "I can't help but wonder what has happened to those poor people!"

            Merdock shrugged, rising himself to move over to the window and gaze out at the small mob of creatures that were still feasting on the bones of one of the dead they had supplied earlier.  "I wish I knew.  Perhaps a disease of some kind settled upon the prison, infecting both the inmates and the guards."

            "There are no children at the prison, are there?"  Tasha asked, her gaze distant, thoughtful.

            Frowning, Merdock turned back to her.  "Of course not, why do you ask that?"

            Tasha turned to face him then, "I was just thinking back to the attack on the caravan.  Breck, the young man who wanted to be a blacksmith, he and I were having lunch together when the creatures attacked."  Tasha left out the part about the young man having spiked her drink in an effort to seduce her, she didn't want to tarnish the boys name any further.  "It was a young… boy, I think… that killed Breck Tanner.  How did that child turn into one of these things if whatever this is originated here?"

            Merdock looked stunned, blinking a couple of times.  "That's a very good question."  He allowed, "We had assumed this was the origin of the… whatever this is… but if there was a child involved in the attack on the caravan then that shines a whole new light on things!  I'll have to inform Toliver of this, we'll need to visit Meldwick."

            "Meldwick?" Tasha repeated, sounding as though she wanted to laugh slightly.

            He nodded, bending to retrieve his clothing as he responded, "Yes, it's the closes town to the prison.  Not a big place, but there would be children there.  Perhaps that's where this whole thing started.  I have to speak to Captain Toliver."

            Acting on sudden impulse, Tasha quickly crossed the room, placing a hand on his shoulder.  As Merdock stood their eyes met and her full pink lips spread in a smile, "Do you have to speak to him now?  Couldn't it wait till morning?"  As she spoke, her hand slid from his shoulder, trailing down his broad chest, her fingers tickling his chest hair till the tips of her nails were scraping lightly over his chiseled abs.

            Merdocks throat was suddenly very dry and he swallowed audibly as he let his gaze wander from her angelic face down to the impossibly deep cleavage at her neckline, then back up again.  "I suppose it could wait…." He trailed off as he dropped the tunic and breastplate on the ground at their feet, that arms sliding about her waist and pulling her tight against him while his other hand moved around to caress and squeeze her firmly rounded buttocks.  Tasha smiled wider, her arms circling his neck and pulling his face down to hers.  When their lips met for the first time they became completely lost in each other, the guardsman lifting her easily in his embrace and turning to fall with the sexy elf onto the thin mattress of the rooms only bed.  They spent the next several hours using each others bodies to forget about the problems that faced them both outside that room….

CHAPTER FIVE

            When Tasha awoke the sun was streaming through the window and fell upon the bed, illuminating the shapely elf who was only partially covered by a single sheet.  Her seafoam eyes opened and she blinked at the light, then realized that she was alone in the small bed and rolled onto her back, looking around for her lover.  She saw him standing, still very naked, by the window, gazing out at something.  Pushing herself up onto her elbows so that the thin sheet was molded to her beautiful breasts and flat stomach, she gazed across the room at him with a frown.             

            "What is it?"  Then after a moment she added, "And why wasn't I awakened for my guard duty?"

            He smiled, answering her second question first.  "When Jackal knocked at the door to wake you, you were too sound asleep to respond.  I think I wore you out too much!"  He glanced at her and chuckled at her scowl, "So I pulled both our shifts and let me tell you, that is one extremely jealous half-breed scout!"  Tasha laughed at that, easily able to imagine the look on Jackal's face when Merdock had answered her door, and had probably been as naked then as he was now!  "As to what's going on, look for yourself."  He nodded out the window and Tasha climbed off the bed, keeping the sheet wrapped around herself and moved over to stand beside him.  She frowned when she gazed out at the ground three stories down.

            "They're leaving?"  she asked, her tone sounding slightly incredulous.  Sure enough, the army of creatures was all leaving, moving like a herd of cattle in the same general direction… east.  "What the hell?"

            He shrugged his broad shoulders.  "I don't know, but I don't intend to look a gift horse in the mouth.  Let's get dressed and wake the others.  I still need to talk to Toliver about going to Meldwick."

            As they started to gather their clothing, which was scattered all across the room due to their extremely energetic lovemaking the night before, she asked, "Is the town seriously named Meldwick?"

            Merdock nodded and chuckled slightly.  "Yes it is.  I heard once that it had something to do with its founder being a candle maker.  In fact, candles are still the towns chief export."  He was pulling on his boots after having fastened his pants, then he glanced around for his tunic.

            "Here."  Tasha tossed him the shirt which he caught and started to put on.  When it came to moving the injured arm, however, he hissed in pain and stopped moving for a moment.  "Is that getting worse still?  I had thought that poultice would have removed most of the pain."  Tasha was really worried about that infection.  She hadn't mentioned it the night before, and in fact had been far too busy to do so, but she had felt that Merdocks temperature was climbing at an alarming rate, and it hadn't just been due to her talent as a lover, though she was certain that had been part of it, he had certainly gotten her pulse racing quite a bit!

            “I’ll be fine, it’s just a little tight.”  As he spoke, he slipped the shirt on and they both finished getting dressed in silence.  Once they were done, Merdock moved to the door and opened it, peaking out into the hallway.  There was no one in evidence, so he moved out into the hall and down to Tolivers door, Tasha following close behind.  He knocked lightly on the captains door and it was jerked open almost immediately.  “The creatures are leaving.” 

            Toliver nodded, his eyes traveling from Merdock to Tasha, evidently curious why they were together so early in the morning.  “I noticed.  Been watching them all night, couldn’t sleep.”

            “I think we should go to Meldwick from here, captain.”  Merdock announced, then in response to the officers questioning look explained his reasoning. 

            Blaine looked at Tasha, “You’re certain it was a child that killed that boy from the caravan?”

            “I am.”  She assured him.

            Toliver nodded, “All right then, Meldwick it is.  Rouse Jackal, we leave within the hour.”  He closed the door on them then, and the lovers made their way down to the door to the room the half-breed had claimed as his own.  When he hadn’t answered after several knocks they exchanged a glance, then Merdock tried the door.  Inside the room was vacant, the bed hadn’t been slept in as far as they could tell.

            “Where in the Hell do you suppose he went?”  Merdock asked, moving over to the window and glancing out.  There was no sign of the creatures, it seemed they had all moved on to wherever it was they were going.  At that point the door opened and Jackal walked in, both Tasha and Merdock spinning to face the door, weapons drawn and ready.  The half-breed froze, his eyes falling on the swords in their hands. 

            When they had all recognized each other, Jackal smiled at Tasha, “I had a dream I’d come back to my room and find you waiting for me, but in the dream you weren’t holding a sword…” he ran his eyes over her speculatively, “…and you were wearing a lot less clothing too.”

            She rolled her eyes as she sheathed her blade, “Where have you been?”

            Merdock sheathed his blade too, waiting for the ranger to answer.  “Noticed the creatures starting to move off an hour or so ago, thought I’d scout out the prison compound, see if there was anything worth salvaging for the trip.”

            Merdock’s expression reflected surprise, “That was a fine idea, if a little reckless, going out on your own.”  The soldier paused a moment to let that sink in, then asked, “Did you find anything useful?”

            “As a matter of fact I did, but it’s not so much a thing as a who.”  He stepped more fully into the room and both the human and the elf were surprised to see Connor Shayde standing behind him, looking a little the worse for wear but obviously very much alive.  “Also found this in one of the guard towers.”  He tossed Tasha a small quiver packed with longbow arrows.  Her brows shot up in surprise and she gave a curious, if grateful look.  “Trust me, the guard who it used to belong to has no further use for it.”

            “Lord Shayde,”  Merdock stepped forward and shook the nobleman’s hand, “it’s good to see you survived the prison, though it begs the question how.”

            Connor Shayde grimaced slightly, then shrugged, “When we were about to be overrun I heard Toliver shout to head for the cells but we had already been cut off.  I did the only other thing I could think of… I hid myself beneath the bodies of the creatures we had already killed.”  He shuddered, the memory still fresh in his mind, “I didn’t dare move till I was certain they would be gone and that wasn’t until Jackal happened along and found me.”

            “Your quick thinking very likely saved your life milord.”  Merdock informed the mage.  Then he addressed them both, “Some new information has arisen and Toliver says we head for the town of Meldwick within the hour.  I suggest you both be ready to go.”

            They got to the small town of Meldwick without incident, though they did see from a distance another large group of the creatures heading east, as the one from the prison had done.  Entering the town on foot the quintet looked around, an eerie feeling settling over all of them.  “Is there no one left in this town that wasn’t turned into one of those… things?”  Tasha inquired.

            All eyes turned to Lord Shayde, since everyone knew that mages possessed senses beyond those of regular people.  He shrugged, “I sense no sign of life within the village, though there is residual magic here… very dark magic and very powerful magic.”

            “Maybe we should split up and search the town for survivors.”  Merdock suggested, and the strain in his voice was apparent to everyone.  All eyes turned to the guardsman, noting that the man was sweating profusely and his skin seemed waxen. 

            “Lieutenant, are you all right?”  Toliver asked.

            “Frankly sir… I’m not sure.”  Merdock answered honestly.  “There seems to be some kind of infection setting in on the wound I received to my arm during the attack on the caravan.  I am feeling rather feverish sir.”

            “Can you carry on, or do you need to rest?”  Toliver asked, earning a surprised glance from Tasha.  She was surprised the man cared enough to offer Merdock a chance to rest.  But of course, he was a tactician and he knew that whether they liked each other or not, Merdock was needed here.

            “I believe I can carry on for a time sir.”  Merdock said, though it didn’t look as though he would be able to follow that through.

            Blaine Toliver nodded, glancing around at the others.  “All right,” he pointed at Tasha then at Jackal, “you two search the north half of town.”  He pointed at Lord Shayde then, “You’ll come with Lieutenant Everstar and myself to search the south side.”  Tasha wasn’t real keen on being paired with Jackal, nor did she like the idea of an obviously ill Merdock going off with two men she wasn’t entirely certain she trusted.  She definitely didn’t trust Toliver, Shayde was still an enigma to her, but there was something about the man… something dark… that she couldn’t quite bring herself to like or trust.

            “You watch your back.”  She told Merdock and he nodded, then cast a distrusting glance at Jackal, his way of telling her to do the same.

            “Someone has been through here recently.”  Jackal said suddenly, dropping to one knee and examining some tracks he found in the dirt outside a general store.  “Like, in the last few hours.”

            “So, since the creatures left the town behind you mean?”  Tasha asked, stooping to look over his shoulder.

            Jackal nodded, his eyes traveling up to the door of the general store.  “Yes, and it looks like he went in here.”  Glancing around, he raised his eyes to lock with hers, “There’s no sign of him or her coming back out.”

            With that, they both readied their weapons, Tasha knocking one of the borrowed arrows to her bowstring while Jackal raised his spear.  The half-breed led the way inside, Tasha following at a discreet distance, wanting to give him room to maneuver should they suddenly need to fight.  The interior of the shop was in shambles, shelves knocked over and merchandise scattered across the room.  Glass fronts and tops of cases were shattered, it looked as though someone had come through and looted the place, but they both knew that the creatures they had encountered hadn’t displayed a level of intelligence needed for that type of thing.  Moving along in front of her, Jackal suddenly pointed to his right and Tasha followed the motion not only with her eyes but with her bow as well, gasping when she saw the horribly torn body of a human lying sprawled atop the counter, his internal organs lying all about some of them half-eaten.  The entire wooden surface of the countertop was soaked in the persons blood.

            Motioning forward, Jackal continued toward the back of the store, where the storeroom would be.  As they passed through the curtained doorway into the dimly lit interior of the storeroom Tasha felt something akin to a wave of dizziness pass through her.  She moaned slightly, leaning against the wall to keep from staggering and possibly falling.  When the feeling had passed, she saw Jackal on his knees before her, shaking his head vigorously as though to clear it.  Apparently he had felt the same thing.

            “What the hell was that?”  The half-breed asked as he got back to his feet.

            “I don’t know, but stay alert.”  Tasha cautioned.  He nodded and they moved further into the room, searching it as thoroughly as they could.  “There doesn’t seem to be anyone here.”  The elf commented.

            “I don’t see a back door for them to have gone out of either!”  Jackal sounded more than a little annoyed.  “I know no one went out the front!”

            “Let’s move on, maybe we’ll find another clue to this mysterious visitor in another building.”  The high elf suggested, turning toward the doorway that would lead back into the main shop.  As she turned that way her eyes widened in surprise, for there in the doorway stood a man she didn’t recognize.  He was dressed in the attire commonly associated with rogue classes, but rather than black as that clothing normally was, his was brightly colored in yellows and oranges, including the long cape he wore.  The lower half of his face was covered with a scarf that was wrapped around his head from the base of his neck on up to half way up the bridge of his nose.  His hair was light brown, pulled up into a ponytail that fell off the top of his head to fall down the middle of his back.  She could see dark, penetrating eyes that gazed menacingly at them and the telltale points of his ears that marked him as an elf of some kind, though with only the top half of his face showing it was difficult to determine what race.

            Jackal had turned toward the door a few seconds after Tasha, so he didn’t see the newcomers hand flash forward, or catch the glint of sunlight reflecting off a silver blade.  Tasha flung herself to the side, crying out a warning that the half-breed heard too late.  The blade, a small throwing weapon, caught Jackal high in the chest, just below his neck, knocking the scout back into a stack of crates.  Tasha, having hit the ground when she dived to the side was frantically trying to bring her bow and arrow to bare on the intruder, no easy feet from the ground when there were barrels and crates stacked to either side.

            Moving with a fluidity that told of his skill in combat he stepped forward and lashed out with a kick, the toe of his soft soled boot connecting with her wrist.  Tasha cried out, her hand going numb as her bow fell from suddenly lifeless fingers.  Without the slightest pause, she reached across her body with the other hand, her fingers curling around the handle of her sword but he alternated his feet, thrusting the other one out to put against both her hand and the hilt of her sword, preventing her being able to draw it forth.  “Don’t make me kill you wench, I would consider that an awful waste.”

            His voice was harsh and raspy, as though he hadn’t used it much, but it sent a chill down Tasha’s spine.  She quickly opened her hand, releasing the sword and he removed his foot so that she could withdraw her arm.  She lay there on the ground, propped up on her elbows, staring up at the man with the eyes of a killer.  He stared at her, slowly and very deliberately letting his gaze slide over her voluptuous form from head to toe and then all the way back up. 

            After a few moments of him perusing her feminine charms, Tasha found the nerve to talk, “Who are you?”

            When she spoke his eyes flicked quickly up to her lips and the expression in them changed to one of desire, as though he had enjoyed watching them move.  “They call me Viper.”

            She frowned slightly, the name was vaguely familiar to Tasha.  “Who’s they?” she asked, trying to keep her voice evenly pitched, almost conversational.

            His eyes narrowed angrily, “The ones that locked me in that cage and left me there for two hundred years!”

            ‘So he was an inmate at the prison!’  Tasha thought, then something clicked in her memory.  Though an elf, Tasha herself was not yet two hundred years old, still she could recall stories overheard from the sailors that arrived in Hanover from Errgaunt telling of an infamous assassin named Viper who had finally been caught.

            “I’ve heard of you.” She said, her voice betraying her sudden fear with a slight quaver.  “The assassin.”

            He crouched before her, his penetrating dark eyes meeting hers steadily.  “Nice to know my reputation still holds after two centuries of incarceration.”  He ran his eyes over her again, “You should know that in those two hundred years, I never so much as saw a woman, much less had the company of one in my bed.  So if I were you, I would do exactly as I tell you, do you understand?”  Tasha nodded mutely, for she understood very well what his threat had promised.  “Stand up elf.”  He straightened,  backing away a few paces as she got to her feet, careful not to move too fast so she wouldn’t spook him.  When she had risen to her full height, which had her still a few inches beneath his, he growled, “Turn around.”  Fighting back the nervous shakes, Tasha did so, swallowing against a suddenly dry throat and mouth.  She sensed rather then heard him come up behind her and felt the hand clamp on the back of her neck in a vice like grip, forcing her forward till she was bent over a couple of crates that were stacked waist high.  At first Tasha thought he was about to rape her anyway, in spite of his earlier warning, but then she felt his hand slid from her shapely hip along the cool leather of her belt.  He unbuckled and removed it, then tossed the leather strap along with her quiver and sword into the darkness in a far corner of the room.  “Do you have any other weapons on you?” he asked, his cloth covered mouth less than inch from the point of her ear.  She shook her head as much as his grip on her neck would allow, but he didn’t buy it.  “I think you’re lying to me, pretty.”  Tasha had to endure it then as he took his time frisking her, groping every curve and probing every crevice.  “Well, I guess you weren’t, but I’m still not sure I trust you!”

            Viper took six quick paces backward and Tasha stood up, slowly turning back around to face him.  He turned his head, quickly searching the room with one pass of his eyes.  Tasha used those few seconds to take his measure, seeing the slender but muscular build, the graceful way in which he moved and the nimble fingers that never seemed to stray too far from his clothing.  No doubt, she thought, he had more of those throwing blades concealed in his clothing.  Apparently finding what he wanted, he took two sideways steps and reached into a large crate that was roughly six feet long.  Leaning over to peer into it, Tasha made no move to run, sensing that that was exactly what he was waiting for.  Her eyes narrowed when he withdrew from the crate a bundle of what looked like silk, blue as the sky and shimmering even in the dim light of the storeroom.  Tossing it to her, Tasha caught it reflexively, then held it up, allowing the material to fall from her hands as she did so.  It was a dress, and of relatively high quality too, though certainly not in a style that Tasha would normally have chosen for herself.

            “Put that on.”  He ordered, and she lowered the garment to look at him with disbelief.  “There are no places for you to keep any nasty surprises concealed from me, so put it on!”

            The gown was about two sizes too small for the statuesque elf, but she made no mention of this as she started to strip out of her travel garb, letting it pile on the floor at her feet.  When she stood before him in nothing but her brassiere and underpants he groaned, feasting his eyes on her nearly nude form.  Tasha pulled the dress on over her head, smoothing the material over her curves and becoming suddenly very aware that it was way too tight.

            “Lose the bra.” He barked at her.  Tasha cast him a hateful glance, but made no complaint as she skillfully removed the bra without having to reveal her bared breasts to him.  When she stood before him then he smiled, she could see the movement of his lips through the scarf wrapped about his lower face.  His eyes feasted on her once more, pausing for a prolonged period on her breasts, the nipples plainly visible through the snug and far too thin material covering her chest.  The gown was daringly low cut and clung to her like a second skin, the skirt slit up the side all the way to her hip, revealing the entire length of one of her sleek, well turned legs.  He nodded his approval of the gown, “That’s more like it.”

            “What do you want?” she dared to ask.

            He met her gaze again, and she could see reflected there that he was impressed with her, liked her nerve.  Most women, she figured, were completely cowed by this admittedly very menacing individual, but Natashiana Grasamere was not like most other women.  “To get as far away from that cursed prison as I can in as short a time as possible.” 

            “You don’t need me for that.” She said, trying and failing to keep the fear out of her voice.

            “I disagree.  You’ll make a valuable hostage should I run afoul of any guards, and even if we don’t run into the law, just having you along will greatly improve the scenery!”  He chuckled, raking his eyes over her yet again.

            Tasha shivered in revulsion, “Have you not seen what’s going on around here?  The population of this town, the people from the prison, they’ve all been transformed into monsters!  You have no reason to worry about the law, they have bigger problems right now!”

            “Of course I’ve seen it!”  He growled, closing the space between them in the blink of an eye, making Tasha gasp in pain and surprise when he suddenly grabbed her hair and jerked her painfully backward, causing the elf to arch her back, her generous bosom threatening to burst the seems of the dress she wore.  Viper reached up and jerked the scarf covering his lower face down, revealing generous lips that were eternally set into a cruel line.  Tasha realized he was very attractive physically, but the evil radiated off of him like a suns rays.  “How do you think I made my escape from the prison?  I took advantage of the plague, used my ability to mask my presence from the minds of others to slip out unnoticed!”

            ‘So that’s how he got the drop on us!’  she realized, thinking back to the feeling of nausea she had experienced on entering the storeroom.  The look on his face changed then, reflecting surprise as he realized he had told her too much.  His lips curved into a snarl and his dark, emotionless eyes played over her face before he suddenly lowered his head and crushed his mouth to hers, the hand not in her hair suddenly filling with one of her generous breasts and squeezing painfully.  Tasha winced but was determined not to cry out or react in any way that he might notice.  When he pulled back there was saliva trailing from his mouth to hers and lust burning brightly in his eyes.  “Whether I run the risk of being caught by the law or not, you’re coming with me.  And if you don’t do exactly as I tell you,” he growled, emphasizing the exactly, “I can guarantee you’ll regret it.”  Tasha suddenly stiffened as his hand slid into the slit of her gowns skirt and his fingers slipped between her thighs, cupping her and then squeezing until Tasha had no choice but to cry out in pain.  Removing his hand he used his grip on her hair to spin her around and shove her toward the door.  “Now move bitch!  I plan to be long gone from here before your other friends realize your missing!”

            Merdock, Blaine and Connor wound up searching their part of the small town quickly since they had very few residences and mostly small shops to peruse.  Like the others, they found no sign of life, but when they went back to the prearranged rendezvous site and didn’t find Tasha and Jackal waiting for them, Merdock was concerned.

            “What do you suppose is keeping them?”  The junior officer asked, his breathing having grown ragged during the search, his sweating having increased a great deal.

            “Perhaps they’re still searching?  We should just wait here for them.”  Connor Shayde suggested, leaning heavily against a hitching post located in front of a local tavern.

            Toliver glanced around with a frown, then nodded.  “We’ll give them an hour.”  He motioned with his head toward the tavern and said, “Why don’t you two go wet your whistles, I want to check something out.”

            Merdock thought about reminding Toliver that they shouldn’t go off alone, but he realized that the captain would only do it anyways and probably wanted Merdock to keep an eye on the nobleman.  With a shrug, he followed Shayde into the tavern while Blaine started across the street, his gaze riveted on the large picture window of a shop catty corner to the tavern.  He was a few yards from it when he glanced over his shoulder, wanting to be certain that the other two had gone inside and wouldn’t see where he went.  Once he had ensured himself of that, he trotted the rest of the way to the store, testing its door and grinning when he found it unlocked.  Pulling it open, Captain Blaine Toliver stepped into the small alchemist shop.

            He was surprised on entering that nothing seemed disturbed, but then he realized that the alchemist, whoever it had been, had likely set up protections against thievery.  Or at least, any potential thieves might have believed he had, such was the reputation of such places.  Blaine knew that it had become so ingrained in the general populace that alchemy shops were heavily protected that most rogues didn’t even try any more.  He thought it possible as well that the instinct to not steal from alchemy shops was so firmly ensconced in peoples psyches’ that the creatures who had run rampant here not long ago might have still retained that knowledge, which explained why this place had been left alone.  He was willing to wager, however, that a shop in a town this small hadn’t bothered with big protections and likely didn’t have any at all, but relied upon the reputation of such places to protect it.  Since there was no one left in this town now… everything here was free game!

            He started to wander the narrow aisles of the store, perusing the magical wares offered for sale.  He didn’t really know what he was looking for, knew next to nothing about magic, but he did know that it was valuable and he would likely make a pretty penny selling any of this stuff on the black market.  Blaine wandered between the shelves for nearly twenty minutes without seeing anything that jumped out at him, then he came to a section of the shops where the magical powders, scrolls and potions were kept.  He was happy to see that everything was plainly marked, otherwise he wouldn’t have known what any of it was.  Feeling a little heady about this windfall, he quickly pilfered several healing potions and some potions of negate poison.  He was about to turn away from that section of the shop when his eye fell on one label in particular.  There were six phials of pinkish liquid evenly arranged above a label that read “love potions”.  Grinning, Blaine thought of Tasha as he slipped those six small jars off the shelf and placed them in a bag hanging from his belt.  Chuckling to himself over the fun those particular potions were going to get him, he started for the front door then stopped.  He remembered once purchasing a magical sword from an alchemist.  He had since lost the blade in a poker game, but he remembered the shopkeeper going into a back room to retrieve the blade for him when he had purchased it.  Wondering if this alchemist had had a special room in the back like that one had, he started toward the door he had spotted behind the shops narrow counter.

            "First Tasha and Jackal, now Toliver too?"  Merdock commented.  He and Connor Shayde were standing out in the street in front of the tavern they had just been utilizing.  The hour that Blaine had told them they would wait had come and gone and they were outside waiting for him.  "Maybe this town isn't as abandoned as we were lead to believe?"  Merdock asked, glancing over his shoulder at the mage, who was once again leaning against the hitching post.

            Connor opened his mouth to say something when they heard a loud roar that sounded like it came from a human throat.  Turning in the direction it had come from Merdock and Connor both saw a large form come hurtling through the large window set in the front of the alchemist shop a short distance from the tavern.  Merdocks hand dropped to his sword as his eyes narrowed suspiciously.  He stayed where he was, waiting for the person to make a move.  The huge, heavily muscled individual got to his feet quickly, dusting himself off.  Merdock could see smoke rising from the broad shoulders and points elsewhere around the huge mans frame.

            "Captain Toliver?"  Merdock called uncertainly.  This man was certain large enough to be the captain, but the last time they had seen Toliver he was wearing a uniform very similar to Merdocks'.  This person was wearing hark leather, colored as black as the night sky.  Around the shoulders, waist and tops of the boots were what looked like silver chains.  His arms were bare save for the spiked black leather gloves on his hands and when he turned to face them Merdock and Shayde could plainly see the silver knee guards and pauldrons, both stylized to resemble the skulls of demons.  On his head rested what was known as a half helm, a helmet that only covered the top of the skull and the face.  The face plate of the helmet was also styled to resemble a demons skull, the fangs descending down past the corners of his mouth.  On his back rested the familiar claymore which was the only evidence Merdock needed that this was in fact his superior officer.  But now he had weapons hanging from each hip as well, one a spiked mace called a Morningstar and the other a coiled bull whip.

            As he trudged toward them Blaine Toliver extended his hands out to his sides, a smug smile spreading across his face.  "What do you think?"

            "Well, I don't think it's regulation, that's for certain."  Merdock told the large man, though to himself he had to admit that this new armor was far more intimidating than the man had been before, and Toliver hadn't exactly been unintimidating before!

            Blaine laughed, "That's all right, 'cause I don't think I'm going to be going back to Milligant anyway!"

            Merdock frowned, "What do you mean?  You're considering deserting?"

            Blaine Toliver kept walking toward him, that same smug smile on his face.  "Naw, as far as anyone else is concerned Captain Blaine Toliver died out here fighting these crazed monsters… or whatever they are."

            "You can't possibly expect me to go along with that!"  Merdock said indignantly.

            Blaine was standing right before him then, that smile spreading to almost split the bottom of his face.  "Frankly, Everstar, I couldn't care less what you think."  He lashed out suddenly, moving with such swiftness that the ill Merdock had no hope of evading it.  The larger mans hand closed around Merdocks throat, cutting off his air and lifting him easily off the ground.  "I've never liked you Everstar… always lording your families nobility over me, thinking it made you untouchable!"  Merdock could never remember having done such a thing, but it was becoming pretty plain that Toliver was no longer thinking clearly.  Not only that, but the mans strength seemed to have increased by ten fold or more!  "I can't afford having you go back to Milligant and telling the authorities there that Captain Toliver is alive and well!  So I think I'll just kill you!"  With that he heaved Merdock away, sending the warrior sailing through the air.  He crashed into and then through the tavern wall, collapsing along with a table and several chairs to the floor of the tavern.  Blaine started for the front door of the establishment, glancing at Shayde as he passed.  "I'll deal with you in a minute!"  The nobleman took a step away from the monstrous warrior, but to his credit didn't seem overly concerned.  He did fall into spell casting, however, chanting an incantation as Toliver stalked into the tavern.

            Merdock was trying to struggle upright, having risen to his hands and knees by the time Toliver found him.  The larger man stepped forward and kicked Everstar savagely in side, his greatly augmented strength lifting the guardsman off the ground and sending him flying across the room to crash into the shelves full of bottles of alcohol, breaking several ribs in the process.  Once more Merdock crumpled to the floor of the tavern, but this time he didn't move.

            As Toliver rounded the bar and approached the downed fighter he paused, his eyes narrowing suspiciously beneath the ruby lenses of his new helmet.  There was steam rising off of Merdocks prone body, the result of the alcohol having come into contact with his suddenly very hot skin.  "What in the nine hells?" 

            Toliver took a step toward Merdock, then stopped again as the downed man suddenly emitted a low, feral sounding growl.  Blaine saw the mans arms slide down and he cursed when he saw the claws that had sprouted from the ends of Merdocks fingers.  He started to back away as the soldier began to pick himself up off the ground.  When he came to his full height, Merdock started to slowly turn toward Blaine, whose mouth set in a grim line when he saw the horns that had started to sprout from Merdocks forehead and the sudden change in the color of his eyes, yellow where they had been white, black where they had been blue.  Merdock peeled back his lips and hissed, reptile like, at Blaine, revealing a mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

            "Really?  You can't handle me kicking your ass, so this is your answer?"  His attempt at levity was lost on the metamorphosized human, who launched himself with preternatural speed at Blaine.  Toliver, who had discovered almost instantly that his new armor not only augmented his strength but his other attributes as well, was still barely able to evade the attack, rolling across the bar and landing with surprising lightness on the balls of his feet.  He spun, seeing Merdock crouched on top of the bar, all the way down at its end.  The demonic looking man was snarling at him, saliva spilling freely from his mouth.  Blaine's eyes narrowed when he noticed that the spit was actually burning the other mans skin.  "Well, that's unsettling!"  Once again Merdock launched himself at Blaine, a long forked tongue trailing from his mouth as he flew at the larger man.  Toliver ducked, pulling the whip from his belt as he spun and unfurling it at the latest victim of whatever malady was effecting the people of the region, the end of the whip wrapping about Merdocks ankle, then constricting and holding him tightly. 

            Blaine grunted as he threw his weight backward, using his tremendous strength to halt the other mans forward motion, then he started to pivot, swinging Merdock on the end of the whip.  With perfectly executed aim Toliver sent Merdock careening into the corner of the bar, the afflicted man crashing through it and crumpling to the ground, unmoving.  With quick flick of the whip Blaine made it release its hold, then he cautiously approached his former subordinate.  Reaching down, he pressed two fingers to Merdocks neck and then pulled them quickly away with a hiss of pain.  Even through the leather gloves he now wore the touch of the mans skin was scalding hot!  Even as he watched he could see blisters forming on Merdocks skin.

            "Has he succumbed to the Demon Fever as well?"  Blaine turned and saw Connor Shayde standing in the doorway of the tavern.

            "Demon Fever?"  He queried.

            The nobleman shrugged.  "It's victims take on an oddly demonic appearance, they seem to have been horribly burned and Lieutenant Everstars horrendous fever gave me a clue as to how.  It seems a fitting name for this malady, don't you think?"

            "Yes it does."  Blaine agreed, rising to his full, considerable height.  "And yes, he has succumbed, as you put it."  The large warrior turned to face the mage, who stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a completely unconcerned look upon his darkly handsome face.  "What am I to do about you?  Killing a soldier," he said with a nod toward Merdock, "is fairly easily explained.  Even when his family is noble, but you pose a problem.  Not only are you a member of a high ranking noble family, but you're a mage as well, so your death would be far harder to explain away."

            Connor Shayde started to pace across the room, both men keeping the other in sight as he moved.  "Then don't try to kill me."  Shayde said in an almost off-handed way.  "Frankly, I don't believe you could anyway, even with your new toys."  He smirked, "Do you even know the full extent of their abilities?  I can help you with that, you know."

            Blaine frowned.  "I just tried to kill you, why would you now offer to help me?"

            Shayde smiled disarmingly.  "Alone, either of us could be taken down by this horde of monsters.  But together we stand a chance of surviving.  Survival is all I truly care about.  Plus, if you were to put yourself on my payroll, I could use the vast resources of my family to help you hide who you really are.  Blaine Toliver could truly have died out here, with a reputable witness to swear to it."

            "Blaine Toliver did die out here, I said that already."  The man formerly known by that name growled.

            "Very well then, what will you call yourself?"  The noble mage asked.

            After a moments consideration the immense warrior grunted and said, "Call me Skull."

            As Tasha was forced to walk ahead of the assassin named Viper she wondered if Jackal was dead and if so, whether or not the others would find him.  She didn't hold much hope of them finding her if their ranger didn't survive.  She admitted to herself that her situation was looking pretty grim, but in true Tasha fashion, she refused to give up.  She would do what she could to mark her trail and pray that Viper didn't catch her.  She knew that if he was able Merdock would come after her.  Without Jackal, she didn't know how successful he would be, but she refused to lose hope….

Chapter Six

            Connor Shayde and Skull made their way slowly through the northern part of Meldwick, where Jackal and Tasha were supposed to have been searching.  It had been too long since they had seen any sign of the duo and with what had just transpired with Merdock, they weren’t too keen on taking chances.  They were moving down a main street of the town, calling out to the pair, when Connor saw movement through the window of a general store.  He reached out and tapped Skull’s arm, then pointed toward the store.  As the large newly helmeted warrior turned to look, they saw Jackal stagger from the store and collapse in the street.  They both plainly saw the throwing blade that was buried in his chest, just beneath his neck. 

            Rushing forward, Shayde fell to his knees beside the half-breed and immediately fell into spell casting.  While he focused on magically healing the scout, Skull went inside to search for the elf.  All he found were her weapons and leather armor, a situation that did not bode well for her, he was certain.  As he exited the general store Shayde was just helping Jackal up to a seated position.  The warrior brandished the woman’s clothing for the mage to see, then turned to the scout.  “What happened?  Where’s Tasha?”

            Jackal eyed him curiously but obviously recognized the warrior due to his immense size and no doubt the parts of his face that were still visible around the faceplate.  “We were ambushed by an assassin.  He hit me with that blade and got the drop on her.  He thought I was out while he talked to her, but I was faking it.  Called himself Viper, said he’d been locked up in the prison for two hundred years.  He made the elf change into a sexy dress then forced her to go with him when he left, claiming that all he wanted was to use her as a hostage until he got as far from the prison as he could.”  He glanced around, noticing that someone was missing, “Where’s Everstar?”

            The other two men exchanged a glance, then the one who used to call himself Blaine Toliver said, “He didn’t make it.”

            “Damn!  So it’s just the three of us then?”  Jackal asked.

            “For now,” Skull commented, then answered their questioning looks.  “We’re going after Tasha, of course.  I know all about that Viper character and believe me, once he feels he’s gotten far enough away, he won’t hesitate to kill her.  Of course, since he has been locked away for two hundred years, he’ll probably take out his sexual frustrations on her first!”

            Shayde regarded him with a furrowed brow, “Since when do you care about anyone else?” he asked.

            Skull gazed at him steadily through the ruby lenses of his helmet.  “Since now, apparently.  Our survivability is greatly increased with her here, unless one of you can wield this?”  He held up the longbow he had found in the storeroom.  Both men shook their heads.  “All right then, I we need to catch up to them.”  He turned to Jackal, “Can you track them?”

            “I think so.  He claimed to have an ability that made it so others couldn’t see him, but if he doesn’t know we’re coming I should be able to pick up their trail.”  The half-breed reasoned.

            “Let’s get moving then.”

            The sun had begun to set by the time Tasha and Viper found the small farmhouse.  “Hello, what have we here?”  the assassin commented, his hard eyes sweeping the scene before them.  Tasha frowned, noticing the smoke rising from the chimney and realizing that that meant that whoever lived in this farmhouse had not been exposed to whatever plague it was that had been changing the people of the region into monsters.  “Let’s go introduce ourselves, shall we?”  He said, sounding almost jubilant about it.  He shoved her ahead of him, toward the narrow walkway that meandered between two wooden fences, to the right a few head of cattle grazed while the fence to the left held within it’s confines a couple of horses.  “Nice of them to supply us mounts, wasn’t it?”  the assassin chuckled.

            Tasha led the way down the narrow trail for a few yards, then she suddenly stepped back, stomping her foot into the side of his knee.  Viper grunted as the knee buckled and he fell, the elven woman bolting toward the small farmhouse, hoping to warn its inhabitants before the assassin could get there.  The way before her looked clear and she poured on the speed, grateful for the hundredth or more time for the steep hills back home in Hanover that had kept her legs so fit, making her a relatively fast runner.  Tasha slammed hard into something unseen, grunting and falling backward to sprawl on the grassy terrain.  When she looked up she saw that she had run full tilt into a wooden fence that she would have sworn wasn’t there a moment before.  The trail she thought she’d been following between the fences was actually several feet to her right.  Viper appeared at her side and she remembered his claim about being able to alter peoples perceptions so that they couldn’t see things that were directly in front of them, like the assassin himself.  Now she knew he could apply it to inanimate objects as well. 

            Dropping to one knee the assassin grabbed a handful of her hair and dragged her to her knees, the woman wincing but refusing to cry out at the pain.  “That’ll cost you wench.” He snarled in her ear and Tasha felt her arms jerked behind her, her elbows forced together.  She had to shift her shoulders back in order to not suffer dislocated jointed, which of course thrust her breasts forward, straining the already tight bodice of the dress she wore.  She felt something like a leather strap get wrapped around her elbows, then descend the length of her forearms, binding her arms behind her. 

            ‘Where the hell did he get that?’ she wondered.

            Once again jerking her head back by the hair he snarled into her ear, “You know, I might have let them live before. But after that little display of defiance I kind of feel the need to kill something!”  He stood, dragging her to her feet by her hair and shoved the archer forward.  Tasha’s balance was precarious with her arms secured behind her like they were and she struggled to maintain her footing.  She saw the front door of the little farmhouse open and a man step out onto the top step of the house, squinting against the waning light at the couple barely visible between his pens.

            Tasha’s heart seized in her breast and a cold chill ran down her spine as she saw Vipers hand tuck into the loose tunic of the bright yellow outfit he wore.  Breaking free of the assassin she ran forward, screaming to the farmer.  “Run!  For Roma’s sake run, he’s going to kill you!”

            The farmers initial reaction was to frown as he tried to process what the beautiful woman in the blue dress was telling him, and the unfortunate man died with that expression on his face.  She felt the breeze caused by the throwing blade as it passed within inches of her ear, saw the glint of light off the silver as it flashed toward its target and saw the distinctive backward motion of the mans head as the blade struck, cutting deeply into his skull, right between the eyes, penetrating his brain.

            “No!” she cried, tripping on a root as she became distracted by the unnecessary death of the farmer.  “You son of a bitch!” she cried at Viper as he strode past her, making for the house.  Tasha saw a human woman of middle age who had likely been pretty once but had been hardened and prematurely aged by the harsh life she lived step into the open doorway.  She saw her dead husband lying sprawled at the bottom of the stairs and her eyes widened in horror, then she saw the assassin stalking across her yard toward her and she screamed, turning to flee into the house.

            Viper didn’t quicken his pace, he simply flung another blade, this one aimed at a small window to the left of the still open door.  The window broke as the blade passed through it and Tasha heard a female scream, but the voice didn’t sound the same as the womans had, it sounded younger, more shrill.  There were children in the house.

            Her movements born of desperation Tasha staggered clumsily to her feet, unable to use her hands for support and she started running to the house.  Viper entered as she approached and she saw his arm starting to pump back and forth, flinging death into the room beyond.  Her heart pounded in her ears as she raced toward the open door, leapt up the three short stairs and slammed into the assassin shoulder first.  He grunted in surprise, her momentum taking them both down in a tangle of arms and legs.  As Viper tried to extricate himself from her Tasha raised her face and saw the woman lying dead near the door to what must have been the kitchen.  The body of a young boy of about eight was sprawled across what was left of the shattered remains of an end table, a throwing dagger visible protruding from his temple.  Tasha shook her head, unable to fathom the cold bloodedness of the act, then a flicker of movement drew her attention to the kitchen doorway.  A strikingly pretty girl of about sixteen stood there, her long dark hair falling around her face, her brown eyes wide in horror as she surveyed the carnage in the room. Her eyes fell on the dead body of her mother and Tasha could see the panic creeping into her gaze, and as her eyes traveled to the other side of the room and settled upon the assassin that was even then getting to his feet she opened her mouth as if to scream. 

            “Run, damn you, run!” Tasha cried at the girl.  The older woman’s words seemed to break through the youths impending panic and she turned, her skirt twirling about her ankles and dashed through the kitchen.

            A feral growl rumbled from Vipers chest and he looked down at where Tasha still lay on her side after her improvised tackle.  “So it’s to be cat and mouse is it?”  he leaned over, his voice dripping venom as he continued, “I always get my mouse!”  His cloak flapped briefly behind him as he dashed for the kitchen door and then disappeared through it.  Once again Tasha had to painfully and rather clumsily stagger to her feet, then followed the assassin into the kitchen, stepping over the dead woman and avoiding looking at the boy, for that just hurt too much.  On the far side of the kitchen was a back door leading out and she could see Viper standing on the patio, looking out over the small houses back yard.  As she moved into the doorway, leaning wearily against the frame, she heard the wicked laugh from the assassin, followed by, “I know you’re out there pretty, I can smell your fear!”

            Tasha’s eyes played across the back yard, seeing an enclosed chicken coop, a wagon that was missing a wheel and had become overgrown with weeds and vines and not far past that the solid wall of corn that had to be the first of hundreds of rows of the farmers main crop.  Tasha willed the young woman not to run, not to draw attention to herself or she knew this psychopath would kill her… or worse.  “No!” she cried as the young girl broke from cover behind the wagon and made for the rows of corn.  Viper laughed, starting down the stairs from the patio to take up the chase.  Tasha glanced around and saw a pitchfork leaning against the wall nearby.  Kicking out she knocked the farming implement over, watching the handle get tangled in the assassins legs and tripping him.  He fell, but ducked into a well executed roll and came back to his feet facing her, his eye flashing menacingly.

            “You’re pushing your luck lady!” he growled at her, then turned and sprinted toward the corn, the stalks where the girl had entered the field still quivering from her passing.  Viper was very fast and Tasha, determined to push her luck even farther, was quickly losing ground as she followed him to the edge of the corn.  Ducking her head she plunged in, pushing her way through the thick crop as best she could without the use of her hands.  Every so often she would stop and listen, hoping keen elven hearing might detect some telltale sign of the girls location, or perhaps give her a clue as to where the assassin was.

            The sign she eventually got sent a chill racing through her, from somewhere in the now complete darkness the girl gave a high, keening wail of terror.  Praying she wasn’t too late to help Tasha started to dash through the corn rows, not certain if she was going the right way or even what she would do once she got there, but trusting to her instincts to guide her.  It felt like hours had passed but was really only minutes, before she burst out of the dense crop of corn into a clearing that seemed to stretch to a wood line a hundred yards away.  Tasha looked around, straining to hear, her nightvision penetrating the darkness easily.  She found them in moments, the orange cloak worn by Viper plainly visible between two large boulders.  His back was to her as she Tasha approached and she thought that if only she had had a weapon she might end him then and there.

            Apparently the girl had secluded herself in the crevice between the rocks, thinking it would be a good hiding place.  If it had been a less skilled opponent looking for her, it might have been, but Viper had obviously discovered her with relative ease.  Now he had the girl pinned against a rock, her blouse ripped open to the waist his hand filled with her smallish but firm breasts.  The girl was crying, struggling to the best of her ability but Viper skillfully deflected her every attempt at a strike.  When Tasha arrived he had opened his pants in preparation of the rape and the archer felt her bile rising in her throat.  She knew she couldn’t just stand aside and let it happen.  “Get your hands off her you animal!” she growled at him.

            Viper backhanded the girl, who sobbed pitifully as she was knocked to the ground.  Turning to face the elf she averted her gaze from his fully erect manhood, hanging freely from his pants and now pointing at Tasha as though it had sensed something it wanted even more.  “You’re in no position to be giving orders woman.  The girl led me on a merry chase, but she lost and now I get to claim my prize!”

            Tasha had never met a more revolting man in all her years, but she knew there was likely only one way to spare the girl from this fate.  “You get your jollies raping little girls assassin?”

            “I take what I can get, when it’s available.” He snarled, then turned back toward the teen.

            “Why rape a girl…” she called, feeling her stomach turning at the next words she knew she had to speak, “…when you can have a woman?”

            Viper paused as he was leaning over to drag the girl back to her feet, then turned his head to glance at her over his shoulder.  “Are you offering yourself to me wench?”

            Swallowing the bile that rose in the back of her throat at the thought of it, Tasha nodded.  “I am, provided you let the girl go free.”

            He shook his head, his eyes narrowing slyly.  “No, she stays so you don’t have any reason to change your mind.”  He glanced over his shoulder at the girl, “Watch this bitch, you might learn something!”  Turning back to Tasha he reached out and slipped his fingers into the plunging neckline of her dress, jerking her forward then turning and shoving her back against one of the boulders.  It was awkward leaning against the rock with her arms secured behind her, but Tasha knew better than to ask him to untie her.  A man like Viper would want her submissive, and the binding was a good way of keeping her so.  Stepping up to her so that his body was pressed against hers he growled deep in his throat as he slipped his hand into the hip high slit of her skirt and hooked his fingers into the waistband of her underpants.  Slowly he slid them down over her rounded hips and then over her long and shapely legs, bending till they were lying on the floor at her feet.  As he stood back up he kissed his way up her front, sending a quiver of revulsion through Tasha as he made his way to her breasts, pulling the neckline of the gown down to allow him access to them.  He took one of her nipples between his teeth and chewed softly as he hooked his hands under her knees and hoisted her up.  Tasha leaned back, molding her body to the contour of the boulder as she hooked her legs around his waist.  Tasha gasped, her back arching as his hips thrust forward and she squeezed her eyes shut, chewing on her lower lip, trying desperately not to give him the satisfaction of a response….

            Shayde, Jackal and Skull paused when the reached the clearing that contained the farmhouse.  The three men scanned the entire farm, searching for signs of life but saw none.  “They had to have come here,” Jackal said, “we’re not more than fifteen minutes behind them!”

            “You’re certain?”  Skull asked and the scout nodded as they moved out to close the distance to the house.  Connor was the first one to see to the dead farmer lying at the foot of the stairs and he pointed it out to the others.  They exchanged grim glances, Skull and Jackal making certain they had their weapons held ready as they moved through the open door of the house.  In the sitting room they found the dead woman and the young boy and Skull swore fitfully.  “What kind of animal assassinates little kids?”

            At the moment a womans scream, high and piercing, drifted to them from the distance.  The three men exchanged glances and Jackal moved through the house, leading the way to the back porch.  He glanced around quickly, then said, “There was a scuffle here.”  His gaze was resting on the pitch fork lying across the stairs leading down off the porch.  “Three people left the patio, one headed to the old wagon there, then went into the corn field.  The other two followed almost immediately.”  His eyes moved off toward the distance, “I think the scream came from that direction.”

            “It’s safe to assume one of those three people is Tasha.” Skull concluded.

            “Another would be Viper,” said Connor, then he frowned, “but who’s the third?”

            Jackal glanced over his shoulder toward the dead bodies.  “Another family member perhaps?”

            “We need to get out there and find them.  The answers to our questions are waiting for us in that corn!”  Skull started forward, his great weight shaking the boards of the porch as he moved down the stairs.  Jackal and Shayde fell in behind him, the trio heading for the dense crop with a determined stride.

            Vipers hands and mouth were eagerly exploring Tasha’s body as he continued to thrust into her powerfully, rocking the lady elf’s body with every deep lunge.  He was grunting in time with his thrusts now, and Tasha was starting to lose her control as well, her bodies natural responses to his carnal proficiency overcoming her own mental control.  Whimpers and gasps were escaping her as her lithe body broke out in a thin sheen of perspiration, she could sense that he was nearing his end and she prayed he didn’t hold back, wanting the ordeal to be over and not wanting him to have the satisfaction of bringing about one in her.

            Suddenly he stopped thrusting, his manhood buried deep inside her as his head came up and swiveled around, narrowed eyes peering toward the corn field.  It took Tasha a moment to realize that he had been distracted by something and another couple moments to get her own senses about her enough to home in on the sound as well.  There was someone… or something thrashing the corn and coming in their direction.  Tasha gasped as he suddenly lifted her from his shaft and tossed her roughly to the ground beside the traumatized young girl, who seemed to slither backward, trying to become one with the rock at her back.  Tasha spared her a brief glance before watching Viper slip from between the rocks, closing his genitalia back inside his pants and disappearing into the night.

            Not knowing exactly who was coming but praying it was her companions Tasha moved to the mouth of the opening between the rocks and called, “Be careful!  He’s waiting for you!  He has the power to affect your mind so that you can’t see him!”  As if showing proof of her words something seemingly invisible hit Tasha hard on the side of the head, throwing her backward to rebound off the rock she had just been getting raped against before tumbling to the ground, her head throbbing and her vision swimming. 

            Jackal and Connor Shayde were the first to emerge from the corn field, the mage surrounded by a slight glow that engulfed him like a bubble.  They glanced around, the mages’ eyes coming to rest on the small rock formation, Tasha barely visible sprawled on the ground between the stones.  He started in that direction, seeing no apparent threat but paused when Jackal called out to him.  He turned, raising his hands in preparation of casting a defensive spell and he saw the scout launching himself at… nothing.  A throwing blade suddenly appeared in Jackal’s throat, arriving there as if by magic, out of thin air.  It knocked the half-breed out of the air and sent him careening head over heels to the side.  The man didn’t move again once he’d hit the ground, but blood squirted up from his severed jugular.  Connor could tell the man was dead and knew that he was beyond any help he might offer. 

            Raising his voice to a thunderous shout that had to be magically augmented, the mage raised his hands toward the air, the words pouring from his lips obviously in some ancient, arcane language.  The energy bubble that encased him flashed, a sign that something had attacked it, but he knew he had at least a few more moments before the unseen assassin could break through his protection.  High above his outstretched hands dark clouds started to form, lightning and thunder crashing among them and within moments rain had started to fall.  His protective shield flashed again, then dimmed, telling Connor he had maybe one more strike before his defense was down.  Spinning in place he scanned the area around him, looking for some sign of the invisible assailant.  His dark eyes narrowed when he suddenly saw what looked like a mans shape outlined in the streaming raindrops that were running off him.

            “There!” he shouted, pointing at the still hard to see shape.

            “I see him.”  Grunted Skull as he stepped from the corn, launching his newly acquired Morningstar at the assassin with a mighty heave.  Viper, unaccustomed to being outsmarted when using his perception altering power, barely dodged out of the way.  The spiked mace struck a tree behind him and there was an explosion, not unlike one of the claps of thunder still echoing from the storm clouds that had been conjured by Shayde moments before.  The concussive blast knocked the assassin and the mage off their feet, tossing the nobleman far enough for him to again be lost among the corn.  Skull seemed unaffected by the blast as he lumbered forward, toward the spot he could see the assassins watery outline lying in.  As he moved he drew forth his claymore with his left hand while uncoiling his whip with his right.  “You should have stayed in that prison boy, now I get to teach you the error of your ways!”

            Viper allowed his mental haze power to drop, becoming fully visible to his opponent and rolled his weight onto his shoulder than whipped quickly to his feet, turning to face the larger man.  “Better than you have tried to take me down chrome dome!”

            Behind the demonic skull mask, Blaine Toliver’s eyes narrowed dangerously.  “The way I see it, boy, you’ve been out of practice for two hundred years.  That gives me quite an advantage.”

            “You see it wrong!”  The assassin spat, falling back as he started to pump throwing blades at the large warrior, both arms flinging out in a left, right pattern that he repeated over and over.  The air between them literally filled with small, shiny blades and when they hit the soldiers black leather armor they rebounded without leaving a scratch on him.  Where Skull wasn’t armored, like on his arms, the blades would strike home, stabbing and cutting deep, his skin running red with blood quickly.  But the huge warrior either didn’t notice or didn’t care, continuing his forward movement unhindered.

            Skulls right hand flicked forward, the end of the eight foot long whip lashing at the assassins feet.  Viper back flipped nimbly, the leather lash passing harmlessly beneath him but Skull was no novice and as the assassin again found his feet the warriors claymore was nearly already in his stomach.  Twisting desperately, he almost avoided the stab but felt the white hot pain as the blade sliced deep across his stomach.  He hissed at the pain, staggering backward and clutching his stomach, blood pouring through his fingers.  It was to his credit that he didn’t take his eyes off the warrior and so was able to duck beneath the next swing of the dangerous sword.  This time, however, when Skull brought the whip forward it caught around the assassins ankles, cinching tight around the both.  Grinning triumphantly, Skull jerked backward on the lash, pulling the killers feet out from under him.  Viper landed on his back with a grunt and then rolled to the side as Skull leapt forward, driving his claymore down one handed into what should have been Vipers heart.  The assassin narrowly avoided the stab, feeling the side of the blade graze his back as he rolled away.  The rain still fell in torrents from the sky, mingling with his blood as it pumped from the cut across his stomach and turning the ground beneath them into a marsh.         

            Skull’s boots made a slurping sound as he jerked one up and tried to slam it into the assassins’ stomach.  Spinning on his back, Viper avoided the kick then flung his right hand out in a lightning fast move, another throwing blade flashing out to sever the whip below his ankles, releasing him.  Rolling backward, Viper landed in a crouch facing Skull and tried to activate his mental haze, hoping to use the brief distraction to get away.  Skull felt an odd tingling in his head and for the briefest of moments the assassin did disappear, then he was suddenly back again and Skull grinned wickedly.  Evidently, the helmet he had found could block mental powers!  He wondered at that, since when he had first stepped into the clearing, the assassin had only been visible because of the falling rain.  Did that mean that a mind trick could only work against Skull once, then the helmet would block it?  All this flashed through his mind in the split second between Viper trying to use his power and Skull’s next attack, which was a mighty thrust of his claymore. 

            Having expected his power to work again, Viper was caught completely unaware and didn’t even think to try and dodge.  The sword caught him just beneath his ribcage and the assassins eyes widened in surprise mingled with pain.  Skull ran him through, driving the blade into him all the way to the hilt.  Standing very close to the assassin now, Skull growled at him, “I told you that you should have stayed in prison!”  He twisted the blade, grinding several of the assassins internal organs to mush before he jerked the blade free and shoved the smaller man backward.  Viper toppled onto his back, seeming to move in slow motion, landing with a slight splash in the rain induced muck.  Skull stood over him a few moments, glaring down at the man, before he turned his attention to the rest of the clearing.  He saw Connor Shayde just emerging from the corn field and asked, “Hey, Shayde, can you shut off the water works?  I’m gonna float away here!”

            The mage nodded absently and mumbled a spell.  Within moments, the rain had stopped and the skies were clearing again.  The ground was still soaked, marsh like, but at least it wasn’t raining.  Moving over to Jackal, Skull shook his head, seeing that the half-breed was beyond any help.  “Crap, we lost our scout!”

            Connor headed for the rock formation and as he arrived, Tasha was just sitting up, holding her head and moaning.  Crouching in front of her, the mage reached out and gently pulled her hand away from her face.  He winced at the bruise that was forming there.  “Can I help with that?” he asked, and she nodded.  He mumbled a spell and placed a hand over the injury.  His hand glowed and the spot he touched grew comfortably warm for a few moments, then when he pulled his hand away her headache was gone, as was the bruise.

            “Thank you Connor.”  Tasha said softly, glancing past him to where Skull was approaching from across the small clearing.  “Where’s Merdock?”  As she spoke, she was allowing the mage to help her stand.  When she looked into his brown eyes she saw the answer reflected there, or rather, she thought she did.  “He’s dead?”

            Connor shook his head, but it was Skull that answered, evidently having heard the question even from the distance he had been.  “He might as well be.  Succumbed to the demon fever.”

            Tasha cast a questioning glance his way, her eyes sweeping his new attire.  “You like?”  He grinned, holding his arms out to his sides.

            Tasha shook her head, as always unable to tolerate the mans behavior.  She turned her attention instead to Connor.  “Demon Fever?”

            The mage shrugged.  “A term I’ve coined to describe what’s happening to these people.  It seems to fit.”

            She nodded, “Indeed it does.  So, Merdock is lost to us then?”  There was the slightest glimmer of hope in her voice.

            “He is, unless we can come up with a cure of some sort.”  Shayde answered.  Tasha’s head fell dejectedly, but then came back up and around when Skull spoke.

            “Well, hello… what have we here?”  he was looking past Tasha, and when the elf turned she saw the young woman from the farm who she had saved from being raped by Viper.  She had nearly forgotten the girl was there.

            Putting a smile on her face, Tasha slowly approached the girl.  “Hi there.  We haven’t officially met yet, I’m Tasha.”

            “Dawn.”  The girl said, and it took the elf a moment to understand that that was her name.  “Thank you…” the girl paused, glancing at the two men with them, “…for what you did earlier.  I appreciate it.”  The girl was holding her blouse together in front and Tasha remembered that Viper had torn it open before she arrived.  Dawn’s dark brown hair was wet, plastered to her head and shoulders.  She was frightened, near panic and very, very pretty.  Tasha hadn’t realized just how pretty she was from the brief glimpses she’d gotten of her earlier. 

            “I couldn’t just stand by and let him have his way.”  The elf said with a shrug, trying to make the girl feel like the sacrifice she had made on her behalf wasn’t a big deal.  Glancing at Connor and Blaine, she decided to ask Dawn a question.  “Tell me something Dawn, were you or your family aware of what’s been happening in the area?  The changes that have been coming over people?”

            The girl nodded, “Father said that we were safe from the plague because of my uncle.”

            Connor cocked his head slightly, intrigued by her words.  “What about him?”  The nobleman asked.

            The pretty young girl seemed frightened still, but her bravery made Tasha proud of her.  “Father said that Uncle started the plague, and because we were related we were immune to the changes.”

            Connor, Skull and Tasha exchanged glances, amazed that they had found the family where this plague had originated.  “Who is your uncle child?”  Connor asked her, trying to make his voice, his whole demeanor softer, less threatening.

            The girl let her gaze travel between the three adults, then she responded, “His name is Duncan Benson, he just came home from traveling abroad.”

            “I know that name.”  Skull said softly, thoughtfully.  Tasha and Connor turned to regard him, seeing the frown on his helmeted face.  Tasha wondered at the odd change of attire for the man, made a mental note to ask him about it later, when the opportunity presented itself.  “Duncan Benson,” he murmured, as though chewing on the name, trying to job his memory, “he’s a sailor, right?”  The girl nodded, obviously very frightened of Toliver.  “Yeah, I remember now!  He’s the captain of a ship called the Explorer, and that’s what he fancies himself.  He’s kind of famous for searching out legendary treasures and such.”

            “Perhaps he found more than he bargained for at one of his last ports of call?”  Connor suggested.

            “How would we find that out?”  Tasha asked.

            “Why don’t we go ask him?”  Blaine proposed.

            The three adults looked at each other again, then nodded to themselves.  “Why not?”  Connor said.

            Tasha turned back to Dawn.  “Do you happen to know where your uncle is?”

            The girl nodded, seeming suddenly excited about the prospect of helping them to find her uncle.  “I can take you there if you like!”

            Tasha smiled and nodded. “I think we would like that very much.”

            Dawn frowned then, looking down at her torn blouse and dirty clothing.  “I should probably change first, though.”

            Tasha agreed whole heartedly with that logic.  “That goes for me too,” she turned to the two men, “don’t suppose you brought my things?”

            Skull motioned with his thumb over his shoulder at where Jackal’s body lay.  “The scout had them in his backpack.”  Tasha rose and started to move toward where Jackal’s body lay, then stopped, her seafoam green eyes sweeping the clearing.

            “Where is Viper?”  She asked and Connor and Skull spun, looking to the spot where the assassin had fallen.

            “Shit!”  Toliver swore, trudging out to look around them for some sign of his passing.  “How in the Hell can he still be alive?”

            Tasha didn’t know, but she had a feeling she hadn’t seen the last of him.  “We need to get moving, this whole ordeal can likely be solved once we find Dawn’s uncle.”  She knelt by Jackal’s body, rolling him onto his face to sort through his pack  She removed her leather armor, then glanced around the clearing and asked, “What about my weapons?”

            “We left them at the house so they didn’t slow us down.”  Skull responded.

            Tasha nodded, then moved to follow Dawn as she started to lead the way back to her family’s home.

CHAPTER SEVEN

            While Tasha and Dawn cleaned up and changed into travel clothes, Skull and Connor saw to the unpleasant duty of burying the girls’ family.  They buried them beneath a tree in the back of the house that Dawn pointed out to them, and then waited in the sitting room until the women were done preparing.  Tasha had to help Dawn decide what to wear since the girl was no adventurer and wasn’t certain what would be best for the occasion.  With the elf’s help she settled on the only pair of pants she owned, which were far too snug on her in Tasha’s opinion but were rugged enough to offer protection, a heavier work shirt that had belonged to her mother and fit her loosely, and some boots that came up to just below her knees.  The girl tied her own hair back into a loose ponytail, letting it fall down the middle of her back and tucked a knife that had belonged to her father into the waistband of the pants, at the small of her back.

            When the women arrived in the sitting room both men smiled and stared quite openly at the young girl, bringing a scarlet hue to Dawn’s cheeks.  Tasha felt that when Skull gazed at her he was looking right through whatever clothing she wore, and the thought made her uncomfortable.  She wondered if Dawn picked up on it too, though judging by the way she sidled a little closer to Tasha, she definitely had. 

            “All right my dear,” Connor said, trying to use his best diplomats voice, “where do you believe your uncle to be?”

            “Father said he took up residence in some caves to the East of here, and that he started referring to himself as Overlord now.  I know where those caves are, and I’ll take you to them, provided you help me to find work or something when this is all settled.”  Dawn had set her jaw, as though unwilling to be denied in this.

            Connor Shayde spoke up, a little too quickly to suit Tasha.  “Of course I will child!  My family is not without means, I am quite certain there is an opening somewhere that you could easily fill.”

            ‘Yeah, like the one in your bed.’  Tasha thought, easily reading the nobleman’s mind.  She made a mental note to herself to speak to the girl about going to work for her family back in Hanover, perhaps even in the orphanage she had started.  “How far is it to the caves, Dawn?” she asked the girl.

            “Not too far,” the girl said with an uncertain shrug, “half a day’s ride maybe.”

            “Ride?”  Skull spoke up, “We are without horses, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

            Dawn frowned.  “This is a farm sir, we have horses to spare.”  Tasha smirked when she saw the scowl that passed across Toliver’s face.  Dawn turned and headed for the door, the elf and her companions following.

            The sun was beginning to set and Dawn was looking for a nice spot she said she knew where she, her father and brother used to camp.  They would reach the caves easily by late the next morning, she assured them.  They quartet had indeed found suitable mounts in the stables of the Benson family farm and Dawn had proven herself to be an adept rider, far better, it turned out, than either of the men.  She was better than Tasha too, though the elf was a better rider than Shayde or Skull.  As they moved slowly through the woods in a generally south east direction, the teen looking for the camp site, Tasha kicked her horse ahead a bit and came abreast with Blaine Toliver.

            “So,” she began in a conversational tone, “I’ve been meaning to ask you about the new look.”  She turned her head, running her eyes up and down his huge, well muscled frame, taking in the new black armor and the silver demon skull helmet. 

            He grinned, not bothering to look at her, but obviously liking that she was looking at him.  “You like it?”

            She scowled thoughtfully as she considered her answer, than shook her head.  “Frankly… no.  Your size was intimidating enough when you were in a military uniform, Blaine.  This makes you look down right frightening.”

            His grin widened. “Good.”

            Her brows shot up at that.  “You were hoping for that?”

            He nodded, glancing at her, then saying, “Sort of.  What I wanted was to assume a new identity, something that would let me get on with my life and not have to worry about people coming after me.”

            “That deserves some further explanation.”  She said.

            He sighed, his great barrel chest swelling mightily before he started to speak.  “Thought I was an officer in the Errgaunt military, I wasn’t a solider by choice.  I was forced into it, that or prison.”  He glanced at her, looking for a reaction.

            “Ah.” She said with a knowing nod.  “I’ve heard of such things before.  May I ask what you did to deserve the sentence?”

            He paused, as if contemplating whether or not to tell her.  Finally, he said, “I met this girl in a tavern in Milligant, we hit it off, it turned into a one night stand.”  He shook his head, “She didn’t survive the experience.”

            Tasha’s brows shot up again, this time in genuine surprise.  “You killed her?”  A fairly long pause as she processed her next words before actually vocalizing them, “In bed?”

            He nodded, scowling at the bleak memory.  “I had been drinking, she wasn’t as sturdy as she looked… she wound up smothering beneath me.”  He shrugged, “Her father turned out to be a nobleman with some clout and he had me jailed.”

            “Surely they could see it was an accident though?”  Tasha insisted.

            Skull snorted, “This guy didn’t care.  I’d killed his little girl, that was all he saw.  Fortunately, the judge saw something else.  He saw the potential to add some muscle and talent to the local militia.  I was given the option of enlisting or spending the rest of my life in prison.”  He shrugged his broad shoulders, “You know which one I chose.”

            “You made it to Captain, so obviously you were doing something right!”  Tasha reminded him.

            He nodded, “I was, for a time.  Then the girls father got word of my success and arranged it so that I wouldn’t receive another promotion.  I was looking at answering to men like your Lieutenant Everstar before too long, and I couldn’t stomach that.  So I started looking for a way out.”

            Now Tasha understood.  “The Demon Fever has given you that.”  She continued after a moment, realizing what he must have been thinking.  “You feel that if Blaine Toliver dies out here, no one will question it, or even miss him, is that it?”

            He nodded.  “In a nutshell, yes.”  Then he added, “But it won’t work if I can’t rely on my current companions to keep my secret.”

            Tasha’s full pink lips pursed thoughtfully, “You know, I haven’t forgotten that I narrowly avoided rape at your hands in that jail cell…” she paused for a moment, “…Gods, could that really have only been a few days ago?”  She shook her head, then after a moment she told him, “I’ll keep your secret… Skull… provided I don’t have to worry about something like that happening to me again… or to Dawn either, for that matter.”

            She saw his jaw clench angrily, and that confirmed her suspicions that he had had his eye on Dawn Benson.  “I can live with that, I guess.” He growled irritably.

            “Then consider your secret safe with me.”  She told him, and kicked her horse to a faster pace, moving ahead to ride with young Dawn. 

            Watching her go, Skulls hand moved to the pouch on his belt, feeling the telltale bulge of the six potions that still rested there.  A slight smile played across his features and he patted the love potions, realizing that they could easily make it possible for him to meet her conditions and still get his secret kept.

            At the front of the group, Tasha spoke softly to Dawn.  “How you holding up?”

            The teen glanced at Tasha and smiled wanly.  “I’m all right, I guess, considering that I just lost my entire family.”

            Tasha frowned.  “Is there no one left?  Aunts, Uncles… grandparents perhaps?”

            Shaking her head, Dawn said, “No… I’m alone now.”

            “No you’re not,” Tasha told the girl, reaching over to give the girls arm a reassuring squeeze, “you have at least one new friend.”  That brought a genuine smile to Dawns face, and Tasha thought this a good time to mention the job offer.  “Look, Dawn, I want you to consider something.”  The girl nodded, gazing at Tasha with interest, “I know that Lord Shayde has said he would have his family put you to work, but frankly, I don’t trust the man.” 

            “Imagine that.”  Dawn said with a nervous little laugh.

            ‘That’s good,’ Tasha thought, ‘she has good instincts about people!’  Aloud, she spoke, “When we’re done here, I’ll see that you have enough money to catch a ride on a ship bound for Aldonia.”

            The girls eyes widened in wonder at that.  “The elven empire?  Really?”

            Tasha smiled and nodded, “It’s my homeland.  Specifically, a coastal community called Hanover.  My parents, Ragnor and Ayla Tulaetin are the noble lords of the city and I own a small orphanage there.  I’m certain if you can make your way to them, and tell them I sent you, they will see to it that you are taken care of.”

            The elf saw tears of gratitude brimming in the young woman’s eyes and Dawn smiled at her, “Thank you so much!  I’ll do that, for certain I will!”  Tasha smiled then, satisfied that the girl would find the right path from there.

           

            That evening, after the sun had gone down, the four of them sat around a small fire resting after a fantastic meal that had been cooked by Dawn.  Tasha was amazed at the young woman’s skills, and Dawn claimed that her mother had taught her how to cook.  That was a skill that would serve her well in the future, the elf knew. 

            “There’s only one way to follow up a meal like that!”  Skull announced and produced a dark bottle that looked to be about half full of wine.  “I found this in that last town we passed through and figured I’d grab it for a special occasion.  I figure this works!”

            Skull raised the glass to his lips and turned it up, taking a long swallow, then passed it across to Lord Shayde.  The nobleman took it, then passed it along to Tasha, “Ladies first.”

            Tasha paused, wondering if the warrior had laced it with something, then remembered that she had just seen him drink from it himself.  Smiling slightly at how untrusting she had become, she put the bottle to her own lips and turned it up, taking a long swallow herself.  The wine was sweet and she had to admit it made her feel better as she passed it along to Dawn.  The girl hesitated and Tasha realized that the girl might never have imbibed alcohol before, so she gave her an encouraging smile and a nod.  The young woman would have to get broken in to this sort of thing eventually.  Better that it happen while Tasha is there to watch her back.  Dawn tossed back the bottle as well, then lowered it, squeezing her eyes shut and coughing violently.  Skull and Connor laughed and Tasha couldn’t suppress a smile.  The bottle got passed to Shayde, who took a drink, then he tossed it across the fire to Skull.  The warrior made a show of missing the bottle and quickly going after it, tipping up the contents of one of the potions into the bottle  while his broad back was turned to the others.

            Moving back to the fire, Skull turned up the bottle again, pretending to drink, then passed it back to Dawn, not bothering to offer it to Shayde who had already said he would drink last.  The girl took another drink and this time when she lowered the bottle her cheeks were slightly rosier than they had been before.  As the bottle came down her eyes fell on Connor Shayde and stayed there, desire suddenly burning brightly in her vibrant blue eyes.

            Tasha leaned over to take the bottle from the girl and as she put it to her lips and turned it up her mind registered something wrong.  The liquid was already sliding down her throat as she recognized that look in Dawns eyes and realized exactly what Skull had done when he went after the bottle.  ‘Damn him!’ she thought, squeezing her eyes closed as she brought the bottle back down, tossing it away as she turned and bolted into the surrounding woods.

            Dawn turned and watched her go with wide eyes, “What’s wrong with her?”  the young girl asked.

            Skull chuckled, knowing very well the answer to that question.  “Can’t hold her alcohol, I’d wager.”  He stood up, stretching slightly and then moved around the fire, saying, “I’ll go after her, it’s not safe to move about these woods alone.”  He started off after the elf, wanting to catch up to her before the potion wore off. 

            Connor, his brow furrowed in a curious scowl, had watched the warrior till he disappeared into the dark woods, then he looked back at young Dawn and his eyes widened, for he too recognized the look on the young girls face.  A slow, almost predatory smile crossed her lovely features as she dropped onto all fours and started to slowly crawl around the fire, her movements as fluid as a cats.  That was when he, too, understood what had happened with the wine bottle and why Tasha had run off into the night.  “Oh…”  The girl was climbing into his lap then, her lips starting to work some incredible magic on the mages neck, “…damn!”

            Once she was certain she was away from the small camp, Natashiana opened her eyes so that she didn’t risk running into any trees or other things.  She could feel the potion, like hundreds of little butterflies moving about in her stomach and knew that if she could stay away from the men long enough she outlast the effects.  The problem was, Tasha was no woodsman and she quickly became lost running about through the woods.  Finally, after she knew not how long, she stopped, backing against a tree, her breasts heaving as she gasped for breath.  She realized then that her weapons, bow and quiver and her sword as well, were still back with the others in camp, so if she ran into something unfriendly out here she was pretty much defenseless.

            “Toliver!” she griped angrily, “I’m going to….”

            She never finished her statement as his voice, the one voice she didn’t want to here for a while yet, said, “What are you going to do elf?”

            Instinctively she turned toward the voice, her eyes finding him leaning casually against a tree, his helm tucked under on arm, his eyes traveling boldly over her body.  As soon as she saw him there her heart started to race all the harder and she felt a stirring in her loins.  ‘Damn it!’ she screamed in her head.  Aloud, she answered him, “I’m going to…to….” she wanted to say she was going to kill him, but instead she felt her feet moving, as though of their own accord, carrying the elf toward the man she despised above all she had met and currently wanted more than any other.  He growled triumphantly as Tasha moved into his embrace, her luscious body molding against his as she raised her full pink lips, accepting his kiss and parting them to let his tongue slide through.  She whimpered, clutching at him, drawing herself even closer to his muscular form, her left leg rising, her inner thigh caressing his leg.  Skull lowered his right hand, his fingers sliding under her thigh as his other hand moved from the small of her back to the firm roundness of her buttocks.  She groaned as he kneaded her ass, one hand easily lifting the elf and then turning her, pinning her to the tree.  Tasha wrapped her legs around him, her hands caressing the side of his face as they continued to kiss, Skulls fingers moving to the ties that held the leather vest closed in the front.  His fingers, impossibly strong, still managed to fondle and squeeze her breasts even through the tough leather bodice.

            He nearly had the vest open and was moments from claiming his ultimate prize from the elf when she felt an eerie sensation, like wave of ants crawling across her flesh and her brightly burning libido was quelled almost instantly.  She started to struggle against him, then realized it was unnecessary as the huge warrior slowly toppled to the side, snoring before he hit the ground.  Tasha, her reflexes honed to razor sharpness, was able to lower her feet and catch herself before she fell.  Confused, she looked from the peacefully sleeping Skull and glanced around, finally understanding when her gaze fell on Connor Shayde, standing a short ways off, a terrified Dawn Benson cowering behind him.

            By way of explanation, Shayde said, “I am not an honorable man, I know this.  I have many faults, but one of them is not and will never be the ability to take advantage of a seventeen year old girl, or to stand by and let another man take advantage of a comrade.”

            Tasha was surprised and, she found, more than a little impressed.  “I confess, I wouldn’t have expected such noble actions from you Connor.  Thank you.”  He gave her a brief nod, apparently taking no offense at her words.  He knew what kind of man he was, and evidently he was comfortable with that.  “Now what do we do with him?  I’m not comfortable with continuing on to the cave in his company, not after this.”

            “Nor am I.”  Shayde assured her, “Especially when he finds out it was I who cancelled the effects of his potion and put him to sleep.”

            “Can we just leave him here?”  Tasha asked skeptically.

            “As much as I don’t trust him to travel any farther with us, neither do I think it is wise to leave him undefended.  I am certain he doesn’t know this area well, so if young Dawn can guide us to the cave, we should be able to leave Skull safely behind.”  They both turned to look at the young girl, who was glaring balefully at Skull.  She nodded in the affirmative.  “It’s decided then.  Let us return to camp and gather our belongings.  By the time Toliver… er… Skull wakes up, we will be long gone!”

            The mouth of the cave looked pretty ominous to Tasha as she crouched among some brush a hundred feet from its mouth.  The cave was situated in a rock formation that seemed to just up out of the ground, seemingly at random and obviously had no room within for a cave, therefore they deduced the cave itself must have been an underground cavern.

            “How exactly did your family know about this place?”  Tasha asked the young girl.

            “Father and uncle used to play out here when they were kids, back when the family owned much more property than it currently does.  Used to be, the Benson family owned this entire area.”  Dawn sighed wistfully, “At any rate, father loved to tell a story about how his brother got lost inside that cave and my grandfather and some other volunteers spent two days inside searching for him.  Most people think that this was when uncle Duncan received his love of adventure and exploration.”

            Tasha turned and glanced at Connor, “How many of these creatures do we think could be in there?”

            The noble mage shrugged, “No way of knowing, at least the population of that town and the prison, several hundred.”

            “Do we have a plan?  Several hundred of those… things, is too many for us to contend with on our own.”  Tasha said.

            Connor frowned thoughtfully, but it was Dawn that spoke.  “Why don’t you just cave in the entrance?  Eventually they’d all starve to death.”

            Tasha shook her head, “We need a more immediate solution, besides we’d like to cure them if possible, killing them all is a last resort.”  She glanced over at Shayde and saw on his face that he didn’t look so certain of that.  “Right?”

            “I know what your thinking Tasha, but there is no guarantee that we can help Merdock, even if we knew how, which we do not.”  He shook his head, “I believe the safest thing for the entire kingdom would be to take the young ladies advice and kill them all.”

            “And what if they’re not all in there?  Or perhaps they have another way out?  Some of them could be out here and isolating them from their fellows might just make them angry, cause them to attack more innocents, and the plague spreads.”  Tasha reasoned.  She was thinking of Merdock, but not only Merdock.  Her feelings for the soldier would outweigh her sense of what was right. If sacrificing Merdock for the greater good were what was required, she would do it… he would want her to do it.  She just wasn’t convinced that was the case yet.

            Connor sighed, but could find no fault with her logic.  “You make a valid argument.  What would you suggest?”

            “That we go in there, find Duncan Benson…” she glanced at Dawn, saw the pained look on her face and altered her wording for the girls benefit, “…Overlord, and we kill him.  Perhaps killing the originator of this plague will kill the strain, it might cure everyone.”

            “Or it might not, leaving us trapped within and likely only hours from either being their next meal or joining their ranks.”  Connor argued.

            Tasha couldn’t deny that he, too, made a valid point.  Then she thought of something, something that she was surprised they hadn’t thought of before.  Turning to the youth in their midst, she asked Dawn, “This last time your uncle returned from abroad, did he have any tales about where he had been?  Was he perhaps acting funny?”

            “He always acted a little funny.”  The girl allowed, frowning thoughtfully.  “I don’t recall any actual stories, but I did notice something.”  Connor and Tasha waited patiently while the girl got her thoughts in order.  “He was wearing a medallion when he came home, some kind of silver piece, a stylized skull with very dark rubies for the eyes.”  The color drained from Tasha’s face.  Being the daughter of a priest of Roma she was very familiar with the symbols that represented the deities that were supposedly unfriendly to the warrior goddess.  Dawn had just described a symbol of Nocturne, the God of the Dead.  “I asked him about it, thinking it an odd piece, and he told me he found it in a temple on the Island Kingdom of Shadowveil.” 

            Now it was Connors’ turn to speak, his voice hushed, his visage reflecting fear.  “Your uncle was exploring the vampire kingdom?”  Dawn nodded, obviously not understanding the reaction.  Connor raised his eyes to meet Tasha’s, saw that she had made the same connection as he.  “My older brother is Errgaunts high priest of Nocturne, he and Baron Vonderlicht aren’t exactly friends.”  Baron Vonderlicht, Tasha knew, was the ruler of the vampire kingdom.  She had never met or even seen the man, but his name was known to all. 

            “Vonderlicht has been very outspoken against Nocturne,” Tasha recalled her father having said something about that once, “this medallion, whatever it is, might have been left in that temple on purpose, in the hope that someone like Duncan Benson would find it.”

            Sudden understanding dawned upon Connor Shayde then and his eyes traveled back to the cave mouth.  “This isn’t a disease… some plague that has befallen our lands.  This is a curse, placed upon a person by powerful necromancy.”

            “Do you have an idea?”  Tasha asked hopefully.

            “We need to get that medallion, once I have it… hopefully I will know what to do.”  Shayde responded.

            They left Dawn in the brush, telling her to watch the entrance though in reality they just wanted to protect the girl, and keep her from being a liability to them while inside.  Before entering the cave, Connor Shayde cast a couple of spells upon himself and Tasha, the first making them invisible to those that might otherwise see them, the second allowing them to see each other.

            “Can you wield a blade?”  Tasha asked him and he nodded.   She lent the noble her sword, figuring he might find use for it inside, and then led the way to the cave, her bow held out in front, an arrow knocked and ready.  They hadn't moved more than twenty feet into the cave before they encountered their first group of Demon Fever victims, but as agreed before they entered, they chose not to give away their presence until they found Overlord.  Keeping as much distance between themselves and the creatures as they could, they made their way ever deeper into the cavern, finding more and more of the victims of the curse the deeper they went.  Tasha also noticed that the deeper they went, the more the changes in the victims seemed apparent.  She realized that these were the people that had been afflicted for the longest amount of time, and so that meant that the Demon Fever kept working on those it infected long past the initial transformation.

            They had been searching the caverns for some sign of the one called Overlord for nearly an hour and Shayde had managed to communicate to Tasha that he was concerned his spells would lapse soon, so they needed to find an isolated spot in which he could renew the magic.  Ducking into what they thought was a small alcove, they instead found themselves in a long, narrow tunnel.  Moving to its end, they saw what appeared to be the tunnels only purpose for being there, a small room sealed off from the rest of the cavern by a thick iron door.  There was a small barred aperture in the door and Tasha moved up to it, peering through into the room beyond.  Within was a lone man, a human by the looks of him. He had straight blonde hair that hung to his collar, broad shoulders and looked as though he would be fairly tall, though just now he was crouched in a corner of the room.  What caught Tasha's attention however was that one side of his face seemed to be partially melted away, resembling what happened to the Demon Fever victims only it appeared to have only affected his right side.  The left eye was not visible, but the right was a piercing blue and seemed to look right at Tasha.

            "Who are you?" He asked, making the elf gasp.  It was then she realized that her invisibility spell had worn off.  Shayde was behind her, preparing to recast the spell and she spoke quickly to the prisoner.

            "My name is Tasha, who are you?"  she inquired.

            He stood then and Tasha realized that she had been right about him looking like he would be tall.  "My name is Colter Chase, I'm a bounty hunter."

            Tasha frowned, glancing over her shoulder again to see Shayde completing the castings upon himself.  He looked to her expectantly and she held up a hand, asking that he wait a moment.  "What would a bounty hunter be doing locked up in a cell in the middle of a cavern full of Demon Fever victims?"

            He blinked at her, seeming surprised, then said, "Is that what their calling it?"  Then he shrugged broad shoulders.  "I was hunting Duncan Benson, he had stolen something from someone and that individual placed a rather sizeable bounty on his head.  I was attempting to collect it.  Benson evidently spotted me and I chased him in here.  We were in the middle of fighting when he… changed.  He did this to me."  He gestured at his face and Tasha winced.

            "We're after him too."  She informed him.  "If you were to see him again, after his change, would you recognize him?"

            The bounty hunter nodded and Tasha turned to Connor.  "We could use the help, and I'm thinking he can handle himself all right."        

            "We can't trust him, we know nothing about him."  Connor warned her.

            "Wrong, we know that we have a mutual enemy, which for right now makes him an ally.  Wherever his loyalties may lie after that we'll deal with later."  She motioned at the door and he sighed, then cast a quick spell.  Tasha heard the lock on the door click back and soon the Bounty Hunter was standing among them.  "We work together till we get out of this, then we go our separate ways.  Agreed?"

            Chase shrugged.  "As long as I get to take Benson with me when I go, to make this whole thing worth while, I couldn't care less!"

            Shayde cast the necessary spells to make both Colter Chase and Tasha invisible, then again to allow them all to see each other, then they continued to search the cavern for the man called Overlord.  With the help of Chase, who remembered some of the layout from the first time he had tracked Benson through there, they found the area the bounty hunter believed the monsters leader to be located in.  It was a small cavern that joined a larger one and within it the three invisible allies found a kind of throne that looked to be formed right out of the rock around them.  On it sat a creature that Tasha could only describe as hideous, one of the most demonic looking individuals she had ever seen.  During her childhood, while listening to her fathers sermons and looking through the holy book of Roma she had seen pictures of what artists thought demons and devils would look like, but this was far more hideous than even their imaginations had been able to grasp.

            Whatever size he had been as a human, the being that now referred to itself as Overlord was a hulking brute.  Though seated, she could tell he would be well over eight feet tall, even without the series of horns that sprouted from its scalp, two of them rising nearly two feet in the air.  Off the back of his head, behind the series of more than a dozen smaller protrusions, descended a thick blanket of inky black hair.  He had three eyes evenly spaced across his forehead, each of them colored red with yellow irises and a broad, flat nose.  From the tip of the nose up the bridge there were odd boy plates that seemed to overlap and ascended to spread across his forehead, above the trio of eyes.  His mouth was filled with two rows of jagged but obviously very sharp teeth and his skin had been blackened as though exposed to open flame.  A mass of scar tissue and oozing puss, the creature called Overlord seemed to be coated in a layer of slime and Tasha's stomach turned at the sight.  The only clothing he wore was a loose loin cloth around his middle and Tasha thought it was probably because it was too difficult to find anything that could fit him, not to mention that that slime he oozed would ruin anything he covered it with.  His hands, which rested easily on the stone chairs arms, were tipped in long, wicked black claws.

            As the trio entered this impromptu throne room Tasha noticed all three of his eyes shift in different directions and she realized belatedly that he was focusing on all three of them individually.  The invisibility was still in place, but he could obviously see them.  "He sees us!" she cried just as the monsters leader opened his mouth to growl an order at the two monsters that flanked him, apparently his body guards.  The two of them were obviously confused at their leaders warning, not seeing any threat and that gave Tasha the precious moment she needed to launch her arrow.  Of course, as soon as she took a hostile action the invisibility was canceled, as Shayde had warned her it would be, but her arrow took the guard on the left between the eyes and toppled him backward, dead.  The guard on the right, suddenly seeing Tasha, howled a war cry and charged at Tasha, his claws brandished like weapons.  In the next heartbeat Connor Shayde became visible as he launched a bolt of energy from his hands, which impacted the creature and sent it tumbling across the floor, still very much alive, but stunned.    Chase came forward, scooping up a big rock and crushed the monsters skull beneath it, thus canceling his own invisibility as well.

            More monsters entered the room from behind and Tasha, along with her companions, turned to meet their charge, but a commanding voice echoed through the cave, "HALT!"  The creatures that had come in, presumably to defend their master, froze in their tracks at the command.  Not turning their backs on the creatures, Tasha, Chase and Shayde twisted slightly so that they could see Overlord as well.  Looking at the bounty hunter, the monstrous being said, "I know why you're here."  Then he turned his attention to Shayde and Tasha. "But what do you want?"

            "To cure the affliction that you're responsible for spreading through this realm."  He had been looking at Connor when he spoke, but when it was Tasha that answered Overlords three eyed gaze switched to her.  It was disconcerting to the elf to see that middle eye give her a lustful once over while the other two met hers squarely.

            "And who might you be?" he growled, a serpentine tongue flickering out quickly, its tip flicking the air inches from her face though he still stood many feet away.  Tasha couldn't help it, she flinched and grimaced in disgust.

            "I am Natashiana Grasamere."  She truly saw no reason not to tell him her name, but opted not to tell him Connor's, thinking the mage would do that if he chose.

            Stepping up to Tasha, the monster allowed his whole head to move with his three eyes this time as he perused her ample curves with interest.  "And what makes you think you know how to cure them?"  Tasha had another arrow knocked to her bowstring, but kept the weapons lowered, not wanting to instigate something.  She didn't know the limitations of this beast and had no idea if she could even hurt him with her arrow.

            "We've spoken to your niece, Dawn.  She told us about the medallion you were wearing."  Her eyes drifted down below his neck and though there was no medallion in evidence, she could easily make out the silver skull with ruby eyes that seemed to be embedded in his scarred, slimy flesh.  "We believe it is cursed and that that curse is what has caused this Demon Fever."

            He through his head back and emitted a low, hissing laugh.  "Demon Fever, I like that."  He leaned down then, his serpentine tongue sliding from his mouth and trailing from her cleavage, up the side of her neck and then up her face.  Tasha fought back the bile that rose in her throat as a shudder of pure revulsion ran through her.  "I suppose we are rather… demonic."  She cried out in surprise as he unexpectedly lashed out with one powerful hand and knocked her bow from hers, the weapon clattering away into some corner of the room.  "You were foolish to come here, you stood no chance of beating me, especially surrounded by my minions as I am."  Turning his back on the trio, he growled an order to the monsters that stood behind them.  "Disarm them, lock up the men, but leave the woman to me."

            "Do not resist."  Connor warned as the creatures came forward and took whatever weapons they found on the mortals.  Tasha felt a lead weight settle in her stomach as she watched Overlord return to his chair, his three eyes fastening once more upon her, a smile of sheer conquest spreading across his monstrous face.  "We will find a way, I promise you."  Connor spoke in a low voice as he was shoved away from her, out the door, followed by Chase.  Tasha made no comment, just stood there staring at Overlord whose three horrible eyes gazed at her with such hunger that she was literally petrified with horror.

CHAPTER EIGHT

            Skull awoke not knowing how much time had passed, but he was instantly angry.  'Shayde!' he groused to himself, 'That bastard has to have been the one to interrupt!  Damn him, I had her!'  All this he thought to himself as he climbed slowly to his feet, his arms and legs still moving stiffly.  He glanced around, realizing that night had settled fully over the forest and very little light filtered through the treetops.  He thought about what to do next, should he go after them?    No doubt they had continued on to the cave without him, and he knew they were far less likely to succeed in their quest without his aide.  But in truth, he didn't know this area very well and without the girl to guide him to it, he didn't think he could find the place on their own.  "Well, I guess their going to have to get along without me then!" 

            Making his way back to their camp he found that while his stuff was still there, everything that had belonged to his traveling companions was gone.  He stubbed his toes against a large rock as he rummaged around, trying to find wood for a fire.  "Shit!" he bellowed in pain, unconcerned about being heard.  "Never thought I'd be jealous of an elf's ability to see in the dark!"  Suddenly, his vision cleared and the campsite around him appeared as clearly to Toliver as though he was seeing it in broad daylight, only it had a slightly red tint to it, as everything witnessed through the ruby lenses of his fantastic new helmet did.  He blinked a few times, surprised at the sudden development, then grinned and set about making a fire to cook something.  He had been asleep a long time, and he was hungry.  It wasn't until he had the fire going that he realized he didn't actually have anything to cook.  Sighing, he shook his head and settled down on the ground next to the fire, thinking about the events of recent days and what he should do with himself next.  Whatever it was, he knew he wanted to gain some modicum of revenge against Connor Shayde for interfering with his plans for the elf.  Who would have thought a man like Shayde, certainly an evil bastard in his own right, would have a sense of honor toward women?

            Skull spun suddenly, hearing what sounded like light footfalls approaching through the wilderness.  His hand dropped to the handle of his spiked mace, his eyes narrowing until he saw, to his surprise, the girl named Dawn walk into the open.  She looked nervously at him, her blue eyes showing that she was frightened of him.  "Didn't expect to see you back here."  He said, keeping his bass voice as soft as possible, not wanting to scare her away.  Mentally his shifted his vision over to the type of sight he had already discovered the helmet provided, that of x-ray vision.  His smiled slightly as Dawns' clothing vanished, leaving the young girl standing apparently naked before him.  "Where are the others?"

            Somewhat encouraged by the fact that he didn't seem angry with her, Dawn moved further into the camp.  "They went into the cave hours ago, when they didn't come out I thought I had better try and find help.  You were the only person I could think of that might be able to help them."

            He snorted, reaching out to stoke the fire with a booted foot.  "Yeah, I can help them, the question is why should I?  In case you've forgotten I'm not exactly on the best of terms with either of them."

            "Perhaps that's why.  Helping them to escape those creatures might improve your status with them!"  Dawn moved over to crouch by the fire, across from him.  She wasn’t looking at him directly, but he could tell that she was watching him from the corner of her eye. 

            "Am I supposed to care how I am perceived by them?  I can't figure why.  My soldiering days are done, so I have no duty to help them any longer.  What is there for me to gain?"  His eyes, beneath his helm, were sweeping her naked body, liking the toned musculature, the long legs and flat stomach.  Even her breasts were nice, though small they were firm and round. 

            "Lord Shayde is very rich," she tried, "I'm sure if you were to recue him he would compensate you monetarily."

            "That's fine for him girlie," he growled, and his change of tone brought a scowl of concern to her pretty face, "but why should I help you?"  He met her gaze levelly as she stared at him across the fire, looking very much like the scared little girl that she was.  "It's you that's asking me to help them.  They can each compensate me individually, but what do you have to offer?"

            She swallowed, her throat suddenly quite dry.  "Nothing."

            He smiled, "Don't be so sure."           

            Three hours later, Skull was following Dawn through the woods toward the cave where she said Tasha and Connor had disappeared.  The girl was moving gingerly and walking considerably bow legged considering the huge warrior had just taken her virginity.  She had impressed him for though she had initially been scared and reluctant, she quickly showed herself to be a fast learner and a natural lover.  Blaine was highly satisfied as he followed the girl through the woods and was even considering arranging to keep her around for a while… strictly for his own enjoyment.

            Tasha hung suspended by a chain that hung from the roof of Overlords chamber to another that connected the manacles secured about her wrists.  The elf's feet dangled inches above the ground and the strain on her shoulders was causing them to burn, but she refused to give the monster the satisfaction of seeing her pain.  He still sat upon his makeshift throne, where he had been during the entire time he had his minions strip her and string her up, his eyes caressing her nudity from across the room.  It was starting to get to the point where Tasha wondered if he was just going to stare, or if he actually intended to do anything to her. 

            She wasn't certain how much time had passed, but it felt like hours before he finally rose from his chair and started to amble slowly across the room toward her.  Those horrifying eyes played hungrily over her naked form, the corners of his wide mouth turned up in a grin that had just the hint of sharp teeth poking through.  When he reached her he started to speak, though he continued to walk past, extending one hand to allow his long claws to trail lightly over her flat belly.  "You are the most exquisite specimen of womanhood I have ever laid eyes on, elf."

            Tasha felt an involuntary chill streak through her in response to his claws raking lightly over her flesh.  She closed her eyes, trying desperately to fight down her bodies natural reactions.  "Don't touch me you sick freak!" she managed to gasp.

            He chuckled, moving up to wrap his arms around her from behind, filling his big hands with her breasts and squeezing them as he ran his impossibly long tongue up the side of her face.  She turned her head, grimacing in disgust and he chuckled again, "Before long, wench, I will have done far more than just touch you!"  He stepped away then, though again his claws trailed lightly across her soft skin, this time the flesh of her buttocks.  Before they slipped from her body completely he applied just enough pressure to set her gently spinning.

            Tasha fought down the bile that rose up in the back of her throat, the feel of the coating of slime he had left on her back and breasts enough to make her skin crawl.  But she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her reaction.  "I hope you don't expect me to cooperate with you!  I'd rather lie with a hobgoblin!"

            "Even if the lives of those two men you barged in here with hung in the balance?"  He asked her, meeting her eyes briefly as she spun in the middle of the room.

            Tasha spoke honestly on that subject, "To be perfectly honest, I don't know either of them that well.  So no, I wouldn't compromise my own dignity on their behalf."

            He frowned slightly, but nodded his acceptance of her words.  "I admire a strong woman, and you certainly seem to be that.  But make no mistake beautiful, I will have you, and soon."  He sighed dejectedly before adding, "But first, there are other matters I must attend to.  Fear not, another hour or two and I will teach you what true passion feels like!" 

            She forced a derisive laugh, "I've experienced true passion you deviate, and I don’t think you even know the true meaning of the word!"

            "We shall see." He told her before turning and stalking from the room.  Tasha was left hanging there with no guards, no company of any kind.  She spun idly in the center of the throne room, wondering how in the hell she was going to get herself out of this one.

            "That's the cave."  Dawn said softly, pointing at the entrance visible in the rock face a short ways ahead.  "They went in and haven't come back out."

            Skull nodded, then told her to stay put before he moved ahead, sprinting across the distance to the cave mouth.  With a brief thought he adjusted the vision in his helmet again, smiling at the nightvision the magical device granted him.  Rolling his shoulders in anticipation of the fight to come, Skull strode purposefully into the cave.  He hadn't gone twenty feet before he encountered the first resistance of the night, and he smiled as he moved forward to meet their charge.  There were about ten of them and Skull grunted as he met the first one, quite a bit faster than the others, grappling the smaller framed creature to the ground.  He was surprised at how strong they were, but with the items he had taken from the alchemist shop back in Meldwick, he was more than a match for it physically.

            The monster snarled at Skull as he hoisted it it's ankles and set about beating the other nine creatures, using the first as a club.  Once it had been reduced to a bloody mess and was useless as a weapon he drew forth both his Morningstar and his sword, wading into the fray with abandon, a war cry on his lips.  The more of the creatures he laid low, the more of them seemed to appear but Skull kept going, hacking and slashing through wave after wave of the demonic creatures.  He knew they used to be mortals, but right now they were monsters and they were trying to kill him, so by his standards that made them fair game.

            Skull was becoming coated in their blood, the touch of the stuff scalding him like lava but still he pressed on, ignoring the pain.  Many times they scored deep cuts or scratches in his arms and he knew that that was how the disease that created them was passed, but he pushed that aside as well and pressed on, determined to find the leader of this band of crazies and slay him.  Knowing that if he was now to be infected than he was fully committed to this battle and he refused to lose.

            Left went his spiked mace, splattering one of his opponents against a wall while his sword went right, easily lopping the head from another.  Two more jumped inside his reach while his arms were outstretched, wrapping their arms around his bulk and trying to bear him to the ground.  Skull set his feet wide apart and growled as he closed his arms around them, gripping in them with incredible strength and prying the fever victims off of him then slamming them together and flinging them ahead to crash into a group of six more of the creatures.

            His adrenaline was pumping, his blood pounding in his ears and Skull, who had long ago undergone the process to become what is known as a berserker experienced something he hadn't felt in more than a decade.  The rage that had made that rare class of warrior so feared by some and valued by others overcame him and even without his helmet's ruby lenses he would have been seeing red.  His mouth dropped open and he roared, the cave walls around him shuddering at the sound.  A great many of the creatures, terrified at this unforeseen change in their supposed prey, turned tail and ran.  A few stayed to attempt to slay him and they were quickly laid low by mace or blade as onward, ever onward Skull surged.

            Her keen hearing brought the sounds of the battle to Tasha long before it actually reached her and as they grew louder her captor returned.  Snarling ferociously he approached her and reached up, using one hand he broke the chains that connected her manacles and the elf fell, the suddenness of the movement combined with the lack of blood flow to her limbs making her collapse on the floor before him.  She winced and hated herself for crying out in pain as he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to her feet.  From behind her he wrapped one powerful, slime coated arm around her waist and then lowered the hand gripping her hair to place one of his long claws at her throat.  Tasha's heart was pounding and her limbs were tingling as the blood began to rush back to them.  Wide eyed, she waited for what sounded like an army to enter the room and rescue her from this monster. 

            When she saw Skull, blood soaked and wild looking saunter into the room her heart nearly stopped.  It had sounded like an entire army was laying waste to these creatures, so to find out that it was Skull, a man she had no reason to trust and even less reason to like didn't exactly make Tasha feel better about her situation.  He stopped in the doorway of the throne room, a smirk on his face as he took in the sight before him.

            "Hello elf." He said almost cheerfully, "See what happens when you don't let me have my way?  You end up the plaything of a demon!"

            "Frankly Toliver, I'm not entirely sure you'd be a better choice."  She quipped, trying to sound unafraid even with her life so obviously held in jeopardy. 

            He smiled grimly, "Well, I guess it's to your advantage then that I now have a vested interest in making sure he doesn't live too much longer!"  Tasha had seen all the wounds on the huge warrior and knew that he had to be infected now as well.  "So what do you say Overlord?  Quit hiding behind the woman and let's finish this!"

            With him standing behind her, Tasha couldn't see Overlords face but she heard him snarl and was astonished to feel herself suddenly shoved away.  She was instantly thankful that the feeling had returned to her legs so that she was able to keep from falling as she staggered, raising her arms to catch herself on the wall of the cavern.  She felt the vibrations in the stone beneath her bare feet as Skull and Overlord charged at each other across the throne room.  The crash as they came together was enough to cause a shock wave that rippled through the room, actually staggering Tasha who rolled along the wall.  She stopped after several feet, her back to the rock and her eyes on the two men battling it out near the door of the room.

            They were grappling, their hands clasped together, the muscles of their arms straining mightily as each sought dominance over the other.  Tasha's eyes flitted over to the stone throne, saw her bow and quiver lying in the ground next to it, where Overlord had left them when they had been taken from her.  Pushing off the wall she sprinted across the room, clearing the distance in mere seconds and scooped up her weapon of choice, dropping to one knee as she slid and arrow from her quiver.  Gritting her teeth against the pain that still radiated from her shoulders she knocked the arrow to the string of the weapon and drew it back, the fletchings tickling her cheek as she sighted down the shaft of the arrow.  Though she hated to admit it, Skull was likely the best chance of defeating Overlord right now, and didn't want to risk hitting him so she aimed low, drawing a bead on the back of the demonic creatures left knee.

            The bowstring gave a soft twang as she released it, sending the arrow rocketing across the room.  Overlords head flew back and he roared in pain as the arrow struck him, its head shattering his kneecap as it burst from his leg.  That shot gave Skull the advantage he needed as Overlords leg gave out beneath him.  The helmeted warrior grimaced as he started to slowly force the demonic Overlord backward, bending the creatures spine nearly double.  Tasha drew another arrow and knocked it to her bowstring, drawing it back to her cheek and aiming toward the creature, waiting to see what would happen.  More and more Skull bent the monster backward, sweat breaking out across his body from the strain.  Tasha distinctly heard a couple of loud pops and then Overlord groaned, grimacing in pain.  The elf felt her stomach heave slightly as she realized that that sound had to have been the monsters spine starting to give way.  She released her second arrow just a might snap signaled the creatures spine breaking.  Overlord collapsed, his shoulders touching the heels of his feet and there was a meaty thunk as Tasha's arrow struck and sunk into his brain, breaking easily through his skull.

            Skull reared back, staggering to the wall and leaning against it, breathing heavily, moaning in pain.  Now that the battle was done his injuries were starting to be felt and his battle rage was wearing off.  Tasha rose slowly and unsteadily to her feet, her eyes on the massive warrior, uncertain if she should approach him.  Then she heard screams from the cave beyond the little makeshift throne room.  Skull's head swiveled in that direction and he frowned, the pained sound enough to lend wings to Tasha's feet as she sprinted out of the room.  She skidded to a halt in the next chamber, her green eyes playing over the carnage left behind by Skulls rampage.  There were people still alive here, and Tasha suddenly realized that they were in fact people and not monsters.  The remaining creatures that had resided with Overlord in the cave were reverting back to their mortal selves following his death.

            "Elf," Skull gasped as he came up beside her, "not that I don't enjoy staring at your naked body, but you should probably get dressed before these people start to ask questions."  Tasha looked down at herself and only then realized that she was still nude.  Coloring slightly in embarrassment she turned and headed back into the throne room where she had seen her clothing near where her weapons had been.  She hadn't taken two steps before she felt Skulls' hand on her bare buttock, copping a feel.  She jumped, yelping slightly and turned to glare at the man.  He had a cocky grin on his face and Tasha sighed, but decided that after the job he had just done maybe he deserved at least that much.

            Several hours later Tasha had set up a makeshift hospital in one of the chambers of the cave complex that hadn't been bloodied up by Skulls rampage.  Several of the Demon Fever victims had side effects that were painful and in need of first aid.  She did what she could for them with the help of Dawn Benson who had come in after all the shouting and screaming had died down.  Also, Connor Shayde was doing his part, soothing some of the pain through magical healing.  Colter Chase, evidently not one for long goodbyes, had quickly claimed the body of Duncan Benson, which had also reverted back to mortal form following his death, and headed out to collect his bounty.  Skull had vanished, though Tasha had a good idea that she would likely see him again one day and she dreaded that day coming.

            It was a happy occasion indeed when, after a few hours of treating the wounded, Merdock Everstar staggered into the cave.  Tasha had greeted him with tears of happiness streaming down her face, having thought the man dead she was very happy to find him alive though a little the worse for wear.  She treated his injuries personally, though because he had been a recent convert of the Demon Fever he wasn't too badly scarred and she was certain he would heal up nicely.  Once everything had been done for the victims that could be done, Shayde volunteered to return to Milligant and retrieve enough aid to come back and ensure that all the victims were transported to the city.  Tasha agreed to stay at the cave and look after them till he returned, Dawn by her side the entire time.  It took several days, but eventually the noble man proved true to his word and a contingent of military with stretchers and many wagons arrived to see to the wounded.  Tasha decided to return to Milligant as well since she had to make new arrangements for her journey across the mountains.

            Tasha's head was back, her full lips parted in ecstasy as she rode Merdock expertly.  The soldier lay on his back on the bed in her room, his hands caressing her thighs as he watched her lithe, shapely body undulate over him.  He moaned, arching his back and thrusting mightily upward as he exploded within her, causing Tasha's back to arch as well, a groan of pleasure escaping her as she, too, reached orgasm.  Once the waves of pleasure had passed she rolled off him, laying on her side, her head on his shoulder her incredible body pressed against his.

            "So, what will you do now?" he asked, stroking her hair gently.

            Tasha was absently running her fingers through his chest hair and she smiled, "Exactly what I set out to do when I first arrived here.  Go to Keyos and investigate the tale of my husbands enslavement there.  I'll need to hire a new guide though, someone who knows Trey'Elden as well as Keyos."  She sighed, "I don't think I want to try my luck with another caravan.  I'll hire a private guide this time."

            "I'll be sorry to see you go."  He told her.  "I wish I could come with you."

            She smiled, shaking her head gently.  "No, you don't.  With Toliver gone there is a position here that needs filling.  It's one I think you are well suited to, cleaning up the corruption that seems to run rampant through the guardsmen here."

            He shrugged, but didn't argue the logic.  "Just promise me that if you come back through here on your way you'll look me up."

            Tasha laughed, "That's a promise easily made and kept!"  She smiled again as Merdock rolled on top of her and she and her soldier spent the next several hours saying a memorable goodbye.

The End

For now….