Tiger

The Adventures of Caleb Crowsnest

Caleb hauled yet another bucket of water across the lawn. Edward had already gone through four buckets, three of them with salt. He set the fourth bucket down and dipped a rag into the water. Slowly he washed his friend's flanks of sweat and dirt. He was glad that they had bought dye that would not run in water. Though it had been rain on their minds at the time of purchase. Caleb rinsed out his cloth before raising the dripping rag to his friend's side once more.

"I'm sorry, Caleb." Edward had never sounded so young as he did right in this moment. "I am trying. The ship was so much easier to pull, and I am so tired all the time."

Caleb lifted his chin. He needed to be strong for Edward. He was still just a child, no matter how grown up he might look. "You are doing a wonderful job, Edward. You are very far from the ocean, and we're only getting farther. Of course you are going to be land-sick. Your father is going to be very proud of you when you go home to tell him about your adventure."

"Do you think?" Edward's ears perked up with his renewed spirits. "I do hope so! I miss him very much. Do you think my father misses me as well?"

"I have no doubts at all that he does." Caleb washed the dust off Edward's legs. The mud ran freely back into the earth. "Fathers love their children and miss them when they are away." Or, at least, that is how Caleb believed fathers should be. Surely his own father missed him, didn't he? He cast a hopeful glance towards the house. The answer to his question, and so many more, sat just through that door. More than anything he wanted to jump up and run inside to learn every fact there was to know about his father. Who was he? Why did he abandon Caleb? Had he even known that Caleb was born? Maybe his mother had hidden his existence from his father. What about siblings, were there any? Did anyone still want him?

Edward did not miss the longing look on the youth's face, nor the way that his friend had stopped cleaning him. He shook himself and flicked his tail into Caleb's shoulder. "You should go inside. That is where you want to be."

Caleb shook himself. "I will have plenty of time. You are more important." He turned back to the task at hand. "When your skin feels it is more normal, let me know. I'll get a fresh bucket of water if you are still dry after I have cleaned you." He dipped the rag into the water one more time, then began to sing. "Swim, swim my darling, and go learn to be free. When you get too tired, that is when you'll see. All the waves in the ocean, will bring you back to me."

Edward relaxed and closed his eyes. Caleb had remembered his comfort song.

It was a long while later that Edward finally felt normal. Caleb drew his arm across his forehead. "I'll see you tonight, Edward." He hugged the young hippocampus, then turned to Sara. "I am ready to go inside now."

Sara set a hand on his shoulder. "You are a brave child. Come. Stay close to me. Don't eat anything I do not eat from first. Do not drink anything that I have not drunk from myself. Keep your wits about you, and be prepared to run. Know where your exits are. Do not worry about me or Rainbow. If it comes down to it, you get yourself and Edward away from here. Rainbow and I will be fine."

Caleb nodded. His stomach twisted at the ugly thoughts. "You don't truly believe we are in danger, do you?"

Sara looked towards the house. "I hope not."

The Adventures of Caleb Crowsnest

Caleb stopped and picked up the paper. His eyes scanned the page, though the only thing that truly registered was his own face staring back at him. Newspaper Caleb had a small smile on his face and his eyes looked straight out at the viewer, as if he were holding the best conversation of his life with the one reading about his disappearance. His chin was lifted in the familiar, confident way that knights and adventurers held themselves while discussing their latest victory. He looked for all the part like someone destined to do great things.

But here he was, his shoes still lightly stained from the blood of the dwarfs. A revolution still buzzing in his mind. And breaking laws to try and save a single person. He knew he was a good person, he was doing good things. But those good things put him on the wrong side of morality, or at least of legality. The child in the paper looked as if he'd never wondered about if his path was the right one to walk or if his soul was as pure as he'd always dreamed it would be.

Luke laid a gentle hand on Caleb's shoulder. "Dad's always followed that paper, though I can't say I've always understood his insistence upon it. Perhaps I will learn to tonight."

Caleb gave him a faint smile and set the paper down. Changing the subject as quickly as he could, Caleb reached for the first new topic he could think of. "Do you think I could bother you for some water? My horse is going to be very thirsty." He felt bad referring to Edward as a simple horse, but he couldn't risk giving away his friends identity. "I should really take care of him before we get wrapped up in things here."

Sara smiled at the child. As selfless as always. "I'll help you take care of him, Caleb. Luke, please thank your father for having us and let him know we won't be but a moment."

The Adventures of Caleb Crowsnest

Caleb sat quietly on the cart and stewed over his choices. The mystery of his family had always been very important to him. He had always wondered just why he was left behind, or what might have led up to the events placing him in that orphanage. The answers sat so very close to him now. Or at least a very good lead. They were just down the road in a farmhouse. He needed to know more.

"Caleb?" Edward kept his face low to the ground, as if nibbling stray grass. His voice was so quiet the boy nearly missed it. "What are you planning to do?"

Caleb licked his lips as he tried to formulate a reply. What would he do? "I will do the right thing."

"What's that?"

Caleb sighed. "I don't know. I suppose talk to Sarah. I mean, grandmother. If she doesn't think we can take the time to talk to him now, then after we save Lydia, I'll come back myself to find him. I don't think he'll mind if I have to delay our visit. But if he can tell me about my parents, I must see him." He paused, then sheepishly added. "I do hope that Sarah thinks we have the time, though. I would like to know now."

Edward nudged him affectionately. "So do I."

~~~~

Sarah returned to the cart as the market began to dwindle. She did not think she would find any more useful information today. What they had would have to be enough. "Calvin, start packing up. I think we're just about done here." She sighed heavily as she began to stack the books they had not sold back together. "Doesn't look like too much went, did it. I suppose books like these are not the most common market commodity. We'll have to see if there's a shop around here that might be willing to take some of them off our hands."

Caleb nodded absently as he began loading books back into his cart. "Before we decide what to do for the night, grandma, I need to talk to you, please. There was a man here earlier that I was speaking with, and I want your opinion on what he said."

Sarah felt a frown cross her face as she looked over at the young boy beside her. "Is this a good conversation or a bad one?"

"Good, I think." Caleb hesitated, wondering exactly how he could clue her into what it was about without giving them away. After a moment he tentatively added, "he called me by dad's name." If it weren't for the slight hitch in Sara's breath, Caleb might have believed that she had not heard him. He peeked over at the stern woman just in time to see her nod once in acceptance. He relaxed, knowing that they would have a chance to talk things over before he lost his chance completely. One way or another, he needed to figure out a plan for how he would speak with this man.

The Adventures of Caleb Crowsnest

A small metal coin with a faint green sheen to it. Though the gold glittered like any other, when the light caught it just right the hue shifted as if reflecting fields of clover that did not exist. A small bag sat behind the coin, tied up with a green ribbon. "Excuse me?" Sara approached with an empty smile. She did not know if the seller was aware of just what he had. "What is this?" She picked up the coin curiously and turned it around. "It looks like a bad fake to me."

The seller shrugged. "A novelty, nothing more." The man picked up the bag and emptied it onto the table. Three more of the green-gold fell out, along with a wide assortment of wooden and stone replications of the local currency. "Probably some scam artist was hoping he could pass them in the dark. They'll make fine toys for a child to practice counting and figuring change with."

Sara beamed at the man. Though a small part of her felt guilty for not telling him the truth of what he held, she had more important things to worry about. Like Lydia. "That sounds perfect, what a lovely idea! Have some young grandchildren that would just love them. How much would you like for the bag?" She didn't care what the answer was, she knew she would pay it. Barely registering what he asked for, she set down the coins without question. The bag of fakes, along with those four precious pieces of leprechaun's gold, were slid into a pocket on her dress.

Before she turned away, however, the matron remembered her actual quest. "Do you think you could answer me a few questions?" She smiled brightly at the nodding man. "Thank you! I haven't traveled these roads in quite a while, and I should like to avoid the mines if I could. My grandson is with me, and I have heard that those looking to escape will sometimes attack passing carts. For his sake, I should like to avoid a tussle. Do you mind telling me which roads lead closest to them?"

"Why of course!" The man set into a detailed description of the local roadways, along with where they could expect to pay tolls, what was considered the safest course of travel, and of course, where the most active mines currently were situated. "Thank you very much." Content with the information, she headed back out into the markets to see if she could find anything else that might help. Now that she had the leprechaun's gold, she had no doubt she would be successful. After all, it was one of the luckiest substances known to man.

The Adventures of Caleb Crowsnest

Caleb sat quietly in Sara's embrace. It was nearly an hour before he became alert to a change in their pace. "Edward? Are you doing alright?" The youth sat up and leaned forward to hear his friend better.

"Yes, I'm okay." Edward answered in a weary voice.

Caleb frowned. "Are you sure that you're okay? You seem really tired."

"It's just a very long way from home." Though reluctant to admit his weakness, the young hippocampus was honest with his friend. "I can't feel my magic at all any more."

Sara and Caleb exchanged a look. They hadn't considered the possibility of Edward having a limit to the range hey could go. And he was still so young, what Roger knew from his old friend might not apply to little Eddy yet.

"Have you had enough of your salt water?" Sara's voice was clipped with focus as she set to discovering a solution to their possible situation. "How well did you sleep last night?"

Edward cast a guilty glance back at them over his shoulder. "I though I'd had enough, but maybe some more would help. Can you prepare it for me, please, Caleb?" The lanky boy nodded. He passed the reigns to Sara so he could get to work.

"Rainbow, can you open that secret compartment and get out a half cube of salt, please?"

The Rablin was quick to obey the request. He had grown rather fond of Edward himself, and he hated to think that the child mighty be suffering. Flower appeared to be of like mind. From the skies above, the seagull dropped down to draw level with the cart. She swooped forward and landed upon Edwards back. The bird rearranged her white wings carefully, taking a moment to prean her feathers. When she was satisfied with how they felt she tucked herself against Edward's neck and nibbled at his mane.

The Adventures of Caleb Crowsnest

Hazel nodded once. "My notes are in the book on the table. You won't be any more successful than I am, however. These potions are my creations, I know everything about them. There's nothing you can brew that I could not." As she spoke, her hand continued the slow measured rotations through the pot. Three clockwise, four counterclockwise, two clockwise, one counter clockwise. Repeat. The freshly cut yew stick still seeped sap, a vital part of the process. From a nearby glass dish Hazel took a pinch of a powdered silver leaf and sprinkled it across the simmering liquid in her pot. "You are welcome to look them over, but only the pages I have marked for you."

Roger smiled at the woman he disliked. "Thank you. I will be certain to stay within the allotted pages."

Hazel's frown was as intense as ever. This time it was directed at John Junior. "You are a blithering idiot, and the lies you tell everyone are very insulting to the warnings I gave you with those concoctions."

John closed his eyes so he would not need to look at her. Hazel's tongue could be as sharp as her mind, when she cared to use it, and he did not wish to invoke any more of her ire than necessary. "I was careful with what you gave me. Darmae used a spell that intensified every substance in my body. I believe it heightened the magic of everything within a specified range. Ow!"

Roger raised an eyebrow at the bone Hazel had bounced off John's forehead. Whatever she had been using it for earlier, it appeared she no longer considered it to be the most vital item on her workstation. At least, not more vital than inflicting a bit of pain upon her boss. "Is this part of your healing process?"

"It is now." Hazel snapped. "You did not think it important to tell me that part of things? Has anyone done a diagnostics to determine exactly what was amplified by how much? I've been dousing you with the wrong percentages if she amplified things too much! The intensity of their effects does matter! What shall happen to your daughter if you do not recover from this? Shall she live without a father? Or shall she be saddled with an invalid to care for over the rest of her life? I do not intend to raise her!" Shaking her head, Hazel snatched up a small basket. "Roger. Stir this. Three clockwise, four counter, two clock, one counter. Got it? I need to go get some more skullcap from your garden."

As Hazel stormed from the room, John let out a long sigh. "Could of sworn I told her."

~~~~

Sara looked around at the young faces around her. Kaden especially looked concerned about the subject of her announcements. The child was dressed in a bright yellow and gray dress that contradicted severely with the expressions she wore. Someone so young should not have so many fears and anxieties. Her other grandchildren still seemed happy when they played, as children should. Skyla was still giggling over Edward's latest joke, even as she looked up at her grandmother expectantly.

"Caleb, Rainbow, Edward, and I shall be leaving on a small trip soon." She saw no reason to lie to the children about what they were doing, only the danger of it. "Aunt Lydia has been located, so we're going to go and see about showing her how to get home. We shouldn't be too long, I don't believe."

"Jake," Sara smiled at the young boy. "I need you to do an especially good job of keeping your sister and Kayden safe."

Kayden wrinkled her nose with displeasure. "Papa keeps me safe." She stated the sentiment as if it were fact.

Sara couldn't find it in herself to argue with her granddaughter. "Your mother and Lala then, Jake." She knew that Marrathew would do everything he could to protect all of her little ones. "Mind what Roger says, all of you. And listen to your mother. Now. Do any of you need anything before I am on my way? Best to tell me now, I won't have time for requests later."

The Adventures of Caleb Crowsnest

Sara's displeasure at the request was evident. Unfortunately, Hazel was the best chance they had to save her son. She alone knew what was in every potion he had taken, and if someone had a counter to the concoctions, it would be her. For John and Kayden's sake, Sara crossed to the door and pulled it open. "Hazel."

Hazel smiled politely. "Sara." Her arm was wrapped in a yellow bandage with a pungent scent, but otherwise there was no indication from the witch that anything had happened here before. "It is lovely to see you again. I brought a few things for John and Roger." Wordlessly Sara turned to escort her to the infirmary.

~~~~

Roger groaned as he stood up from the table. Caleb's face twisted with confusion. The skeleton laughed. "When your bones are as old as mine, you will be groaning the day after battle as well."

"But..." Caleb decided it wasn't worth trying to apply logic to Roger's condition. "Yes sir." The youth trailed after him in trusting silence. From the garden the sound of children at play floated across the air. The smell of wet dirt rose up about the pair as they crossed the garden. Edward, Jake, and Skyla chased each other around the beds of flowers and vegetables. Skyla was screaming something unintelligibly as she tried to grab her brother. Edward lapped them both easily. Kayden sat by herself pinching flowers off the closest herb bush.

"Edward." Roger offered the young hippocampus a kindly smile. "Could you walk with Caleb and I? I have some things to collect for John and I could use your help."

"Sure!" Edward trotted over eagerly, his tail swishing as he batted away the occasional bug. "What are we getting first?"

"Can I help?" Kayden looked up at her uncle hopefully, her eyes bright with barely contained tears.

Roger shook his head. "You are doing fine as you are, Kayden. I will need those blooms soon enough. Thank you for getting a headstart on them. I am impressed you remembered them on your own." He ushered Caleb and Edward away from the others with a sweep of his bony arm. "This way, boys. We'll start over near the sage."

Edward trotted happily down the path. "Caleb said Mister John was very brave yesterday! I can't wait for him to be better so he can tell me all about the fight! Caleb already told me everything, of course, but I want to hear it from his view as well!"

Roger smiled as he placed a gentle hand on Edward's back. "You may need to wait a while for that, my young friend. I have a task that I need to ask you to complete for me." Edward's head tilted with curiosity, and so Roger explained his plan to the colt. Edward was quick to agree to the task.

That was something that Caleb found himself admiring about his friend. No matter how small or how dangerous the request was, Eddy was so quick to offer to help others. Caleb was not certain Edward had the ability to deny assistance to those in need, so swift was he to leap at the chance to help. It did not seem possible to the boy that his friend might willingly let someone go unaided. Edward was prancing happily now. "I'll be ready to go when you are!"

Roger smiled brightly. "Wonderful. After I tend to John, I shall make you a dye for your coat so that you will be less conspicuous. That will help you get into the mines more easily." He stroked his long gone beard as he thought over the particulars. "You will need to get use to a harness as well, so it would be wise for you to practice as you make your trip there. I think I have a pony cart from when John-the senior, not our John- was little. I will see if I can hook it up to you so you can pull Jake and the girls about the garden today."

The Adventures of Caleb Crowsnest

The small group was silent on the return home. The most noise they made was when Roger accidentally kicked a rock down the street. For a moment the child in Caleb wanted to continue the game, to see how far the rock could travel with them before it skipped far enough off the path that it would need to be left behind. But the exhausted knight won the very brief battle and he dropped his head back down to trudge along behind John Junior.

JJ held himself erect as he lead the way through the streets. No matter how exhausted he was, or how much his body hurt, he would not allow himself to show a physical indication of such. Some of his lesser potions were finally beginning to ware off, though their effects still ravaged his body. His color was slowly returning to normal, and his aching muscles were easing. He also felt mildly nauseous.

Sara walked beside Caleb, a reassuring hand on his shoulder. From behind she studied her son. How he had fallen this far she could not understand. Perhaps he had learned his lesson from all of this. It might only be a mother's dream, but her heart longed for him to set aside his criminal companions and to realize he was causing more harm than good. He could still obtain a respectable job, and he and Kayden could get their lives back on the straight path. A small sigh escaped her. Somehow, no matter what she may wish, she suspected that he would never fully detangle himself from the web of power he had been so immersed in.

As the house came into view, Sara felt her distaste for his situation grow stronger. Kayden waited out front, her anxiety disguised in tending to the flowerbeds below their windows. But her eyes were more often on the street than the dirt she knelt beside. Like a spider stalking a fly, Hazel hovered just past the child. As the small group came into view, Kayden leaped to her feet. She hastily brushed down her dress. Dirt and bits of grass scattered into the wind.

Kayden smiled brightly at the group as a whole, though her eyes remained locked on her father. "I'm happy to see that you have all returned in time for dinner. Jake and Skyla are upstairs taking a nap. Aunt Mary said it would be a wise choice to rest today, so she and I changed all the sheets and turned the beds down if you would like to claim one."

Sara nodded. "Caleb. Go. Roger will see to it that you are properly settled." She sent the child inside with a gentle kiss on the top of his head. Roger accepted his role easily. Once Caleb was asleep, he would see to tending to the injuries and effects of the day that his family had suffered, starting with little Jake. Sara turned her attention back to the distasteful woman. She fully intended to firmly dismiss that Hazel witch as soon as Caleb and Kayden were not there to hear her.

Hazel did not seem inclined to be dismissed. In fact, she appeared to be attempting to lecture John. Her hands were going wildly as she yelled at him silently, gesturing erratically at various symptoms of her potions. Sara had no doubt that if the witch could speak, Kayden would be doing her absolute best to pretend she didn't understand the colorful language.

Frustrated, Hazel threw her arms into the air and promptly dismissed John. She turned on her heal and stomped towards the herb garden she had previously taken note of. First things first, she needed to brew the cure for her voice. And then she would need to try and mix up something to counter the many substances John had stupidly subjected himself to. She had told him to only take two at a time for a reason. Three was the maximum that she would have allowed him to combine, and only if it was truly a necessary. It was just like him to disregard her warnings and to take on more than he could possibly handle. Now she would have to figure out exactly how much and how many he had used on himself and what he had distributed among his men. If he was lucky, he'd get out of this unscathed.

John scooped his daughter up into his arms and merely held her tight. He never wanted to ever let her go again. He had come far too close to death far too many times this last week. She deserved to know her father would always come home to her. "I love you, Kay Kitten." His whisper was ragged with emotion and exhaustion. Her could smell the lye of her soap as he buried his face against her hair. "Let's go inside. I'll sit with you, and you can tell me everything about your day."

Kayden pulled back enough to smile brightly up at her father. "You'll be proud of me, papa! Uncle Marrathew was asking lots of questions, but I didn't give anything away." She snuggled back in against his chest and closed her eyes. "I'm glad you're home, papa. I love you."

The Adventures of Caleb Crowsnest

The small group stood in tense silence. The air practically shimmered with the anticipation and the magic leaking out of John. The only sound was the ragged breathing from those who had already seen battle. John reached for his beltpouch. Roger looked over sharply and frowned. "If you put one more thing in your system, you are not going to survive."

John shook his head. "It's not for me. It's for them."

Sara frowned at her son. Her grip tightened on her daggers. "And just what are they going to do to us?"

John rolled the vials around in his hand. "Nothing, if I'm careful."

Sensing the tension between them, Caleb hesitantly spoke up. "Then we'll just be careful."

John smiled at the child's optimism. Stepping in front of the crowd, he poured two of the potions together and began to shake them. So long as he kept his thumb over the top, nothing would happen. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. "I can hear them. They've congregated in the atrium. We should try and block off part of the doorway, so that less of them can enter at a time." His eyes scanned the room they were in, a deep frown on his face. "Try piling some of the bodies in the doorway. It will at least make it harder for them to enter."

Sara shook her head. "There's no time." As if the tree understood their words, the doorway began to shrink. Sara's eyebrow shot upwards curiously. "Well that is useful." She eyed the smaller entrance way. "Caleb, you stay back. If you see a chance to escape, I want you to take it."

Caleb set his jaw stubbornly. "I am not leaving." Knights did not run from battle. However, as the army of gnomes began to come into sight, Caleb began to wish that knights could run from battle. His grip tightened on his dagger. This was not going to be an easy battle.

The opposing warriors filed through the entrance in a determined stream. John drew back his arm and whipped the small bottle into the crowds. An explosion rippled through the ranks. Taking advantage of the distraction the enchanted warrior surged forward, his sword flashing as he cut the first couple down. Blood flowed and limbs flew. The crush of soldiers pressed the small group backwards. John's defenses broke. The gnomes surged forward into the room in a steady march of destruction. Their fallen comrades were kicked to the side or trampled over with little regard to if they still breathed.

Sara joined her son in the fray. With expert precision, she flowed from combatant to combatant. Her daggers slashed through flesh as easily as if she were cutting through clouds. As one blade slid through a gnome's tender throat, another sank deep inside his companion's stomach. One died with a bloody gargle. The other clutched at his gut in a desperate attempt at keeping his innards where they belonged. From behind a sword removed his head. The soldier that had so callously dispatched of his weakened companion pressed forward, his blade sailing towards the deadly woman.

Sara leaped backwards to avoid the first blow, then faded to the side to avoid a second. She lashed out with her blades, just missing her chance to take him down. The gnome, having expected her counter lashed out with his fist and caught her hard across the jaw. Sara staggered backwards in a disoriented daze. John's heart stopped. Sara shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. Her opponent had a sickening grin across his face. His arms were over his head, the light flashing off his sword. With deadly precision he sliced downwards.

With unnatural speed John leaped between his mother and the gnome's blade. His own sword surged upwards, knocking the gnome's clear away. "Don't you touch her!" he raged. Pressing forward, his blade practically sang as he decapitated his foe. Fury ran thicker through his veins than the potions he had consumed earlier. His blood pulsed green and his eyes flashed red. No matter their issues, no one touched his mother. A title wave of fury, he cut through the opponents as if they were mere ghosts. So focused was he on his retribution that all else was lost to his world. Even when one gnome sank a lucky blade into his side, he failed to register the glowing blood that dripped down his side and soaked into his shirt.

Scer was not happy about the loss of his troops. He would have sacrificed all of them, if they had managed to take out even one of their opponents. And yet they seemed utterly useless. "Worthless maggots." He sent a surge of power forwards, blasting a path that cut through gnome and tree alike. Soldiers fell screaming as the black flames consumed them. John flew backwards and slammed into the wall, his combatants clattering to the ground around him in a disoriented pile. Scer slithered through the doorway and towered over the humans, skeleton, and rablin that dared to oppose his plans. "It seems I shall have to kill you lot myself."

The Adventures of Caleb Crowsnest

Ribbon barked happily as she nudged her boy down the street. She liked having jobs that she could do, and she liked doing them perfectly. She could perfectly get Jake home. Jake depended on her to be able to. Barely aware of the passing street and the chaos that surrounded him. As much as the common person might like to keep their head down and go about their business, it was near impossible not to notice the devastation coming from the giant tree that featured so prominently in their city. Nor could the stern faced guards marching towards the source of the explosions with their hands on their weapons be ignored.

~~~~

Darmae hissed in pain as her wrist snapped up. Caleb cried out in pain as well, though he kept his wits about him enough to jerk his hand free and to bolt. The young teen scrambled to hide behind Byurn's supine body. He dropped to the floor and curled his knees to his chest. He clutched at himself tightly, his body wracked with sobs. Roger positioned himself carefully to defend both the hunter and the prey that sheltered behind his thin legs.

"Guard the entrance, Junior." Though he did not trust the man fully, Roger was not above giving him orders. It had not taken him more than a glance on the way in to tell that John was in above his head. More magic than man at the moment, John was barely recognizable. Grotesque green veins pulsed with a sickly yellow glow. Streaks of purple laced through the whites of his eyes and infecting his pupils. The air around him practically shimmered with the intensity of his various enhancements. Even his very form seemed warped into an exaggerated caricature of who he had been mere hours ago.

John's voice was thick with pain and excitement. "None shall get past me. The chamber is secure." No longer concerned with the need for his disintegrated shield, John instead filled his hand with a second sword, his stride never breaking as he snatched the weapon from the hands of a corpse. Back up troops would arrive soon, and they were sorely mistaken if they thought to reach these chambers alive.

Rainbow drew a deep breath, his body trembling as he tightened his hold on Darmae's arm again. This was his chance. "ይህ ማለት እርሱን ይመስላል እንጂ ቀዝቃዛ . ያደርጉ ነበር ፣ በክልሉ የተነሳው አንድ ዓይነት ቃል ወደ እኔ . እንደ እኔ ደብዳቤ."

As Ribbon's words echoed through the very soul of the chamber, Caleb picked himself up from the ground. "I'll go with John," he told no one in particular. John had saved his life, and more importantly, he had saved Jake's. Caleb could not forgive him for the betrayal, but he also could not let the deed go unrepaid. He could not possibly bare to tell Jake that the uncle that had demanded his life be spared had not made it out alive. It was the noble, knightly thing to stand by his friend's uncle and to fight with him. And to arrest him for his crimes after everything was all said and done.