Illari's smile never faded, but he shrugged with some disappointment and looked at the money. "I'll give you your two rings' change in the morning, Lady Ticca." He flipped the covers back onto the bed. "Oh yes, we had a very big fire. It burned down six lovely homes before the guards and citizens got it out."

"That sounds bad. Does it happen often here?"

Illari headed for the door. "Oh no, Lady Ticca, this is a nice, clean city. Sure, we have a fire from time to time, like everyone else, but this happened on a very windy night, which caused the fire to jump. If Magus Vestul had only been here, it probably wouldn't have happened at all. But alas, he is traveling someplace romantic, I am sure, and he will be sad on his return." He opened the door, handing her the key.

Alarm bells started ringing in her head. Keeping a casual tone, she asked, guessing at the coming answer, "Does Magus Vestul protect the city from fires?"

"No, Lady Ticca. You see, the fire started at his house, so if he had been here, he would have stopped it quickly, yes? Ring if you desire hot water or something from the kitchens... And of course, if you need me," he said, giving her an obvious, intense look, "I'll be downstairs."

Ticca was too surprised to respond, which he must have taken for a gentle 'no,' because he gave her a friendly, crooked smile, shrugged again, and closed the door. She heard him humming the jaunty song the bard had been playing earlier, as he walked back down the hall.

Magus Vestul's house burned down a week ago? That cannot be a coincidence. She carefully closed and locked all the windows. Next, she closed all the shutters, but left just enough s.p.a.ce to look out onto the street. She noticed a bell-pull by the door. She pulled it, and started taking some of her stuff out of the packs. A few minutes later, a soft knock came at the door. She opened it, and there was a kitchen girl there. Well that tells me who the bell summons. I was worried it might be Illari.

The girl looked at her expectantly. "Yes lady, you need something?"

Ticca nodded. "May I have some hot water for a bath, and do you do laundry here?"

The girl nodded. "I'll fire up your hot water, milady. It will take about twenty minutes to warm. I can do your laundry tonight, if you wish."

Pulling out another bell, she handed it to the girl. "Yes to all of that, thank you. Is this enough?"

"Yes, lady, it is more than enough."

"Ah, good. You may keep the rest."

The girl did a little curtsy and smiled, running off down the hall. In thirty minutes, she came back with some towels, and showed Ticca how to open the hot water sluice from the boiler mounted on the roof. "I put a bucket of coal out for your boiler, lady, so it will stay warm all night. A boy keeps all the boilers full and stoked until late, and then checks early in the morning, so you'll have really hot water in the morning. This here," she pointed at another valve at the bottom of the tub, "will send the water into the sewer when you're done."

With that, Ticca stripped down, wrapped herself in one of the towels, and gave her clothes to the girl, who promised to have them clean in the morning. Once the girl was gone, Ticca locked the door and took her knives into the bathroom, putting them on the cabinet, close at hand. She then grabbed one of the Llino tobac shop cigars, putting it on the bath table, too. Testing the water, she found it was surprisingly hot, and she added a little cold water to make it just right. Letting the towel drop to the floor, she climbed slowly into the hot tub, and let herself enjoy it for a few minutes.

She scrubbed herself down, drained the dirty water, and then opened the hot water again and filled the tub a second time. Taking the cigar, she bit the end off and lit it from the table lamp, and again, climbed into the hot tub. Leaning back, she relaxed, enjoying the cigar and the bath's heat soaking in. When the cigar was long finished and the water started getting cool, she got out and drained the tub. She dried herself with the other towel and took her knives out to the main room.

She dressed in her only clean clothes and slipped the boots back on. Taking all her gear, she arranged it around the room, with her knives out and ready. She climbed into the comfortable bed and fell asleep, feeling very relaxed and comfortable.

She was sitting by the silver lake at the edge of Rea-Na-Rey. The sky was clear, and the moons were reflected in the calm waters. Next to her, sat Kliasa, who was staring out over the waters.

"h.e.l.lo Kliasa."

"Ticca, I am worried for you."

"Yes, I know. I have walked into a trap, and only appear free at the moment; it can close at any time."

Kliasa nodded, turning to her. "I saw through you, the bard. She is Nhia-Samri, as you guess. You are in extreme danger. They have been waiting for you, and have already destroyed Magus Vestul's home."

Ticca sighed. "Yes, I expected this, which is why I asked Lebuin and Ditani to stay in the forest. We need to know what is happening." Turning to sit facing Kliasa, she continued, "I have lived most of your life with you, but you have withheld some things. Your love is Shar-Lumen, the Grand Warlord of the Nhia-Samri, isn't he?"

Kliasa nodded. "You figured it out, but you have shared a large part of my life, and you know me better than anyone except the G.o.ds, themselves. You have seen Shar-Lumen before he became evil. You have seen the wonders he has done and the good man that he was."

Ticca didn't answer; she waited. Kliasa looked up at the stars. "This is painful to share."

"They are going to try to kill us. Why?"

"It was only after your fight at the gate that I knew the Nhia-Samri were involved. I cannot answer your question, because I do not know. In fact, no one knew until your actions exposed them. Before you go further, you need to see three things. Then I shall hide nothing more of my past from you. You may then ask, knowing I will answer, if I can. This will be painful to you, too. Once you see, you cannot forget it. You must be strong."

Ticca thought about it, deciding that, painful or not, it was necessary. "Kliasa, I love you as a sister. I am sorry, but I must know."

Kliasa nodded, and her face grew tense as she steeled herself. Lady, what have I asked, that she is so afraid of, even now that she is beyond? Ticca felt her own palms sweating as her heart raced in antic.i.p.ation. The world shifted.

They were sitting at the high table in the middle of a solstice feast. Elves brought dishes of fine foods, and dancers were entertaining the crowd. Kliasa was next to her.

"This is the beginning of the Nhia-Samri." Kliasa pointed at a group of men. The men had shaved heads and wore white, loose clothing and saffron sashes over one shoulder. They sat, enjoying the dancers, and were eating very little of the fare. What they did eat were only vegetables and fruits. Shar-Lumen was speaking with the leader. Shar-Lumen stood as the dancers stopped, and stripped to his waist, pulling two knives. The men did the same. They stepped to the center of the circle of tables and began a knife fight demonstration.

Kliasa sighed happily as Shar-Lumen held off two, then three, then four of the men. Then the fighting stopped, and the master of the men stepped up, bowed to Shar-Lumen, and produced two knives. They fought to the cheers of the crowd, except that Shar-Lumen was forced to back up a step. The elves gasped, and then the man started fighting differently, and Shar-Lumen was put on the defensive until finally, he was disarmed. The elves applauded, and Shar-Lumen bowed to the master, smiling and laughing. He joined them as they sat and began eating fruits again. Shar-Lumen was talking intensely with the master of the group, who considered what was said.

Kliasa explained, "They call themselves monks. They value life and honor above all else. They know many fighting forms, and that was a demonstration of a very old style that was thought lost from this world. They are peaceful, loving people whom the elves respect. Shar-Lumen left with them to learn their ways. He wasn't exactly pleased at being beat this night. He is a very proud man, but at this time, he was also willing to admit when he was wrong, and to learn from it. It was in their home, he found the old tombs that spoke of men called Samri that held honor above all else. These men ruled for millennia, calling themselves Warlords. Shar-Lumen decided he liked it so much, he adopted all of it and began building a vast empire of Samri. Nhia is an ancient name of this world, so he called them Nhia-Samri or Samri of Nhia."

"Yes, but that doesn't explain the evil. Losing at a fight, and getting taught the new techniques, does not make someone evil."

Kliasa sighed. "No, but you need to know that the Nhia-Samri hold honor above all else. They are still trained and conditioned to follow the original pattern of the old Samri. It is the Grand Warlord who sets the tone for all. So long as he acts honorably within their code, they will follow him to their deaths."

Kliasa looked down, her lips going white, and her face tense. "Now, I will show you the seed of evil and the evil itself. Are you sure?"

Do I really need to see this? She is very worried it will ruin me. 'Knowledge is your greatest weapon,' said her trainer's voice. Looking at Kliasa, she nodded yes. Kliasa closed her eyes, and tears appeared. Before the tears slid down her cheeks, the scene had changed.

It was the winter solstice celebration, with all the elves laughing and drinking sharre. Kliasa was again seated at the high table. Ticca, however, was off to the side on a small hill, overlooking the scene. She was a little confused, and then she saw it: Silently, a guard was knifed from behind. Ticca looked around, and the entire area was surrounded by ugly brutish warriors. They were slightly shorter than the elves with misshapen mouths, twisted yellowish teeth, and flattened foreheads; they all had irregular fangs and were heavily muscled beast like men covered with lumpy boils and scares. The brutes were running into the crowd, stabbing everyone in range. A whole group of them swept the high table, grabbing everyone there and dragging them off, screaming. The elves regrouped and retaliated quickly. All had blades out, and the sound of intense fighting replaced the happy music of the celebration. The elves and brutish warriors fought hard, and apparently, evenly. The elves fought with grace and skill. The brutish warriors fought with force and superior speed.

Kliasa was being dragged off, along with the elven lords and ladies. A detachment of elven warriors intercepted them as Ticca ran to see what was happening. The fighting was horribly b.l.o.o.d.y, and all but three of the high table occupants were freed. Kliasa was not one of them. She had been carried off by a small group, in a different direction; Ticca followed them, her heart racing.

They carried Kliasa into the forest, kicking and screaming, as she tried to use her magic. Finally, when they were a long way from the city, one of them laughed and pointed at Kliasa. Ticca didn't understand what he said, but she screamed when the brutes began to beat and play with Kliasa, like a toy. Ticca tried to attack them, but her attacks simply pa.s.sed through the warriors; she was only an observer.

Waves of horror tore through Ticca's wretched heart. Sweat oozed from every pore in her body as the adrenaline poured into her bloodstream. She sobbed as she watched Kliasa brutally raped and tortured. Her heart felt such agony, she wasn't sure she could survive the stress.

The more Kliasa fought, the happier the brutish warriors became. It didn't stop with that first attack. When they stopped to rest, as they traveled, over and over again, the brutes played with her. Ticca followed them for three days, suffering Kliasa's pain with every breath she took. Eventually, they came to a mountain village filled with ugly creatures like the brutish warriors. They carried Kliasa, beaten, bleeding, and broken-spirited, to a large, central building with a cavernous entrance and a bonfire burning in the center. Kliasa was tossed to the ground in front of the leader.

The leader laughed and grabbed her by the hair. Kliasa made a gesture, and a magical blast burned the front of the leader's body. He laughed and began his own torture, raping her again on the spot, to the cheers of all the creatures present. It was then that a cry came from outside, and fighting was heard.

The leader grabbed a sword and stabbed Kliasa through the stomach. He threw her, screaming, into the fire. Ticca fell to her knees, her soul screaming out for mercy. She heaved, but her empty stomach had nothing to send forth. The pounding of her heart was only intensified by the crushing sensation in her chest. The sound of her heartbeat was deafening in her ears. Ticca's body convulsed with sobs, as she watched what her mind didn't want to comprehend.

Elven warriors, in their shining silver armor, burst into the room and began killing everyone present, but the brutes soon pushed them back out. Kliasa, still clinging to life, managed to roll out of the fire, burnt almost beyond recognition. She lay on the ground, trying to gather some magic to heal, but was too tired and damaged to succeed. The fight continued while Kliasa's breathing slowly became shallower as she died. Ticca watched helplessly, her head pounding. Ticca wrapped her arms around her chest and shoulders, in a futile attempt to comfort herself.

The elves fought hard, but the creatures were too many. Then Shar-Lumen came running into the room, his clothes caked in snow, as if he had somehow come from the top of a mountain, to this hot forest. He slew every creature in his path, running straight to Kliasa. He screamed, and pulling an emerald out of his pouch, bent close to Kliasa, as the emerald began to glow. Kliasa opened her one good eye and smiled at him, cracking her burnt lips. Pain was evident in her contorted face. Through mangled lips, she managed to cough out, "You are too late. I will await you, my love. Don't forget to wear my boots." The emerald in Shar-Lumen's hand blazed white, and then broke into pieces. Shar-Lumen screamed his anguish at the G.o.ds as Kliasa sighed deeply, and then breathed no more.

Shar-Lumen went berserk. He killed every creature in the village, even the women and children, constantly screaming his heart out. The elven rescue party stood back, in shock and horror.

Orcs, these are orcs. I heard they were ugly and the Nhia-Samri hunted them to extinction. She shuddered at the implication. Shar-Lumen took out his revenge on the entire race. My uncle told me there was a standing bounty of one cross for every pair of orc ears and scalp delivered to the Nhia-Samri. Every bad-mouthed mercenary in the world tried to cash in on that bounty. The entire world hunted orcs for years. The entire race was made to pay for the death of one.

With tears still flowing from Ticca's aching eyes, she fell to the ground. This is too horrible. How could this have happened? Why did they take Kliasa, only to kill her? An entire race, good and bad, paid a terrible price. It is too much.

"They were brutal, wounded beings. The council had blocked them from moving into our forest. There had been a meeting that had not ended well. The orcs swore to teach the council a lesson. As I was sitting at the high table, they thought I must be one of the council. If it hadn't been me, it would have been another." Ticca looked up, and Kliasa was standing there crying, even though her burnt body was also on the ground in front of her. "Millions have died because of where I sat."

"Kliasa, I am so sorry. This was far more than I ever imagined!"

"I tried to warn you. But now that you have seen this, you need to see one thing more."

"There is more? I know what happened; I know why Shar-Lumen hunted orcs. It was blood revenge, an honorable cause, but the scale..." She shook her head, unable to find more words.

"Yes, the scale. You need to understand the scale."

Ticca stood on a hill. The burnt body of Kliasa was gone. Kliasa stood whole and safe next to her. "Where are we?" Kliasa only pointed to a small village on the edge of a lake or sea. There were human peasants farming, children running in fields, laughing. By the water, old men were busy repairing fishing poles and making new line. A number of fishing boats were just pushing out for the morning. It was absolutely beautiful, peaceful, and almost perfect.

A movement caught her eye. She saw warriors moving out of the forest. Behind her, a man stepped out, and on his belt, were two oda.s.si blades. Another ran up to him. "Sir, scouts have located the hunting party. They report that the objective is in the second house. The hunting party did not survive the interrogation."

"Well done. Signal the attack ships to take out the fishing boats, once we have secured the objective. We do this by the numbers. Precision, lieutenant, precision."

"Yes sir." The lieutenant ran off as more warriors appeared out of the woods, on the far side of the village.

This vision did not have the same quality as every other thing she had experienced. It was clear, but it became blurred at the edges of the village. Only the area to the surrounding forest around the village, and the village itself, was clear and sharp. Ticca looked at Kliasa. "What are they going to do?"

Tears still flowed freely from Kliasa's sad eyes. "You must see."

Shivers running through her body, Ticca reluctantly turned back. It didn't take long. At a signal from the commander, men marched down on the village from all sides. As they approached, the kids stopped playing and ran for their parents. When the warriors reached the villagers, they pulled their oda.s.si and slaughtered everyone. Women screamed and ran, carrying babies or children, but warriors ran them down and slew all of them without pause. Men tried to fight back with gardening equipment, and were simply cut down. There was no one capable of standing against one, let alone dozens, of these highly-trained warriors. Bile rose in Ticca's throat, and her stomach cramped, as she choked out cries of anguish at the scene.

An officer ran up to the commander. "Sir, the enemy is resisting, but we are winning the objective. So far, no casualties."

Resisted? Enemy? These farmers are being spoken of like a veteran army! How could anyone accept these kinds of orders?

The commander pointed at the fishing boats. "Make sure those enemies do not get away."

The other bowed and ran off, shouting more orders.

It took only minutes, and everyone visible in the village was dead. The warriors then broke into the houses, where more screams could be heard, but suddenly ended. Finally, a group of warriors dragged a fishing net filled with orc children up the hill, to the commander. "Sir, objective confirmed. All targets have been dealt with."

The commander looked at the frightened orc children. He pulled out a golden sphere with a crystal mounted on it. It glowed, and Shar-Lumen was standing there. The commander bowed. "Lord, objective achieved, these are the last."

Shar-Lumen walked around the children, his eyes cold and merciless. "Burn them." Looking at the village, he continued, "Burn it all. To think these animals managed to infect others to try to help them. Yes, we'll have to burn it all, Commander. Burn it to ashes. Burn as my love burned to death after being brutally raped and stabbed. Raped, stabbed and burned to ashes. That will be a complete blood revenge, Commander."

The commander motioned, and oil was dumped on the screaming orc children, followed by a spark. Ticca, gasping and sobbing, watched the children writhe in the fire. When she could take no more, she spun around, turning her back and covering her ears, trying to block out the torturous cries of the children, as tears continued to flow across her face. Still, she heard Shar-Lumen, "Once it is all burned, return to Outpost Thirty-five. You and your men are to be commended for your excellent performance and commitment."

Ticca was back by the silver lake. Kliasa was holding her gently, and they both cried for a long time.

Kliasa kept her in Rea-Na-Rey for almost a year. They practiced knives and walked the forest paths. They talked little, and slowly, Ticca managed to regain herself. The knowledge was almost too much for her to bear. But she knew. She knew why Kliasa was holding herself here. Originally, it was just to wait. Then, it was in the hope of healing her love back to the good man he had been. She also knew that the origins of the Nhia-Samri were rooted deep in the past, with skills and knowledge thought forgotten or lost.

Finally, Ticca was sitting by the silver lake enjoying the sun, when Kliasa walked up. "You have healed. Your spirit is bright, and though not as cheerful as it once was, I don't see any darkness."

"Must be handy, being able to read people like that."

Kliasa laughed. "You might be able to do the same one day. But it will take many years to develop."

"Well, you are right. Thank you for keeping me here 'til I dealt with what you showed me."

"Time is something I can give you here. The elves have always been good at healing wounds; even those of the spirit. It took me longer than you might think to recover myself, even in this place. But I am well again, and I have forgiven."

"If that is so, why is Shar-Lumen still bleeding from the heart? Why doesn't he heal?"

"Because he is stubborn and refuses to be consoled. He took my boots off the day I died. By the time I had healed myself, and learned how to communicate through my creations, he had removed everything I ever made for him, from his body. He has never put anything I made for him on since then. I think he has them in his chambers, where he can cry over them every night. If only he had put them on, or held them and slept, I could have tried to mend his soul. Now, I think it is too late. The evil has destroyed all the good in him."

"So whatever is going on, he is at the center, and I need to find a way to stop him."

Kliasa nodded.

"What is this thing Vestul was working on? Why does Shar-Lumen want it? If we destroy it, will that stop Shar-Lumen?"

"I don't know. No one knew Shar-Lumen was involved until you exposed the Nhia-Samri. I only know some of the details, because Vestul wore my boots or wrote in my journal often. He never slept with them, and his mind was too shielded for me to penetrate when awake. So he never knew I was still here and watching. In fact, it wasn't until you came along that I even knew I could communicate with someone in the physical realm. Your first night was simply me wishing I could talk with you, because I saw in you a kindred spirit, and it has been a long time since I talked or shared with another lady."

"But you now believe the Nhia-Samri to be central in whatever is going on?"

"It is very possible. There are still a few things I know I cannot say; the G.o.ds themselves warned Vestul, and thus me, as well."

"Well, I doubt we can kill him, which would be a quick end, unless he has embedded his orders into the Nhia-Samri. There is no way I could beat him in a fight, fair or not."

Kliasa shook her head. "No, do not try to best him or kill him from surprise. He cannot be surprised, and he is the best there is. Not even the G.o.ds could beat him in a fight now. He has almost become a G.o.d himself. His powers have expanded, and he has gathered knowledge and applied it in scary and ingenious ways for over a thousand years. He may even be immortal, like Duke. None can say."

"The key is the Nhia-Samri. If I can convince them he is no longer honorable, they will not follow him."

Kliasa shrugged. "It might be the answer. But again, we do not know. I love you, Ticca, and I trust you more than you will know for a very long time. I hope you and Lebuin are the keys to salvation. I don't know how. But I have done all I can to help you two grow, and to have the ability, knowledge, commitment, and courage to do what is needed. Like the G.o.ds, I am launching you like arrows at the heart of a catastrophe which I cannot see clearly. It might mean I am sending you to kill the love of my soul, because we must stop what is happening. If that means sending him to meet me here, then my long wait will be over. You have my blessings and my prayers to do what you feel to be right. If you need me, I'll be here for you, at least, 'til the end, and perhaps longer."

Ticca nodded and hugged Kliasa. "Thank you, sister, for everything." She lay down on the soft gra.s.s and closed her eyes.

When Ticca opened her eyes, the sun was streaming through the cracks in the window shutters. It was early morning, and she was in a Nhia-Samri trap. She stood up feeling marvelously rested. She did her morning stretches and a short version of the Patterns that could be done in the smaller s.p.a.ce of the room. Grabbing her gear, she packed quickly and made sure all her knives were in the right place.

Unlocking the door, she headed to the main room of the inn. Time to see what they have planned.

In the main room, a few patrons were quietly eating breakfast. She took a table and was brought a platter containing fruit and porridge. The girl from the kitchen came out and handed her clean clothes, and started to count out three rings' change. "No, you keep that." The girl smiled, curtsied, and went back to the kitchens.

After she ate, Ticca put the clean clothes in her pack and walked out to the front. Her horse was already there and ready. This is a good inn. I'll have to stay here again if I come this way. She tied her saddle pack to the horse and climbed up, taking the reins from the lad. "Which way to the mayor's residence?"

"You can't miss it, lady. Just follow the road to the center of town, and on the right of the central square will be his residence."

"Thanks, and don't give up on that dream. If you come to Llino and I am still there, you'll find me at the Blue Dolphin."

The boy's eyes widened in surprise. "You're a Dolphin Dagger?! Lady Ticca, I shall find you, I promise!"

"Careful with your promises. Daggers take them very seriously."

"Yes, milady, I know."