Early on midwinters day, usually the day for celebrating the midpoint of the year's death; Tegg, Vallen and Ren were lying beneath a skeletal chokeberry bush on the frozen ground in a dusting of snow looking up at the Tohri fortress. If In'Tet Ponsin had sharper eyes and the luck of the gods, he might have seen them staring up at his fortress in wonderment. It might have warmed him to have impressed the ragged band with the efficiency of the Tohri engineers and he might even have gloated a bit as he ordered their execution. But today Ponsin had barely glanced out at the impressive vista and Tegg, Talbert and Ren were relatively safe from discovery. Ponsin's square wooden tower stood in the middle of a semicircle pallisade of sharpened wooden poles, backed by several sharp hills and jagged rocks. The outer wall of poles stood on a short cliff of broken shale and limestone, which added some dozen feet to their impressive height. Tohri engineers had built the wall so the topmost section slanted outward, making scaling the wall difficult. An inner wall of shorter poles created a killing zone as an advancing army was forced to breach or scale the first wall, only to find a lower wall blocking them. Small, collapsable bridges connected the two, allowing a quick retreat into the defended central section, where the barracks, woodshops and mess stood. The tower itself was five stories high, the lowest housed the officers, then next, slightly smaller story held meeting rooms, and the top two were reserved for the rooms of the highest commanders. To Ren, Tegg and Talbert, the stacked block tower formed the tallest structure they had ever seen.

Tegg indicated that he was finished with a light poke to Ren, then backed out of from under the bush. Their miserly camp was a good walk to the southeast, and he wanted to get the group ready to move as soon as possible.

Their journey of the last few days had been rapid and silent. Tegg had assumed command with no objections, even though Talbert technically outranked him. The group was dispirited and confused, willing and even eager to be led somewhere. It was not a position Tegg relished, nor did he like the feeling of being herded like sheep. Worse, the freezing rain had become snow, although thankfully only a light dusting that largely melted in the afternoon sun. The result, however, was that their trail was becoming increasingly easy to follow. Tegg often looked back in concern, but knew that the party's collective injuries were slowing them down enough without trying to hide their tracks. Finally seeing the huge Tohri fortress was, to him at least, akin to finally meeting the butcher at the end of the gate.

When they reached camp, the remaing party was packed to move. Talbert was carfully binding their dwindling supplies to the horse while Arasen sat, head down in the saddle. Tegg briefly described what they had seen to the pair, who listened but showed little emotional response and after a quick check around the campsite the despondent group turned a bit more norteast and trudged onward.

Jenk was in better condition, but not much better spirits. He had approached the same fortress further west where he had encountered a newly built road running southwest through the woods. Piles of felled trees, some cleared of branches others lying where they had been cut, sat on both sides of the roadway. The road showed clear signs of heavy passage, including drag marks from logs. Jenk sat for two days and considered the road from a treetop lookout. From time to time he made out groups of soldiers moving northeast along it, many including heavy supply carts pulled by odd draft animals that Jenk didn't recognize. He also identified several distinct divisions of troop types. The officers and standard solidiers were easy to pick out, but there were disorganized and noisy creatures that were led in shackles by groups of soldiers. These made animalistic noises that gave Jenk the cold shivers.

At midday on the second day, Jenk made up his mind to follow the road along the northerly side. He believed that he would be fairly safe if he kept a decent distance and hoped the road would lead him somewhere near the pass in the mountains. Drawing his cloak around him for cover and heat, he picked his way east through the trees.

Tegg's hurried pace held up for that day and the next, but Arasen's fever finally halted them.

“He's hurt, Tegg. I have to build a fire to make more medicine.” Ren argued.

Tegg wanted to refuse, but Arasen was clearly in pain. With a glance toward Vallen, who had spent the last two days in the agonies of early withdrawl, he mumbled in agreement. They moved east a short ways until Tegg found what he wanted, a low area where the light of a fire could be blocked. He wished for more wind to draw the smoke away, especially given the poor availability of decent wood, but it couldn't be helped. Soon enough, he had a very low fire going, covered by an arch of wet, green saplings to disperse the smoke. As soon as the water had boiled, Tegg buried the firepit in snow.

Tegg wanted to set a heavy watch that night, but Vallen and Arasen were in no condition to sit up. With just himself, Talbert and Ren, Tegg surrendered to the fates and went to sleep.

They crossed another scout path the next morning, which didn't make Tegg any happier about the risk posed by the previous day's fire. Cathnoma sniffed the footprints and gave a few clipped growls, but didn't indicate that they were fresh. Ren made a comment about their luck with the dog which earned him a sharp look from Tegg.

That evening, with the light rapidly falling, Tegg finally glimpsed the pass into the mountains. His hopes rose briefly until he saw the distance between the end of the trees and the pass. “Stones...” he muttered. “we'll be naked out there!”

Talbert came to stand beside him, surveying the steep hills leading up to the pass. “Do we have a choice?” he asked flatly.

“No. No I suppose we don't” Tegg answered, exchanging a look with Ren. They had both caught the fatalism in Talbert's tone, and worried about him.

Sitting at the near end of the treeline at sunset, Tegg and Ren looked west for any signs of their enemy. They couldn't see much, and it worried them. “Once we crest that hill, we'll be visible for miles.” Ren said. He halfway indicated with his hand, but dropped it. He suspected Tegg was well aware of what he meant.

After a brief pause, Tegg sighed. “We can't sneak up there, not with Arasen and Vallen. I guess its best to make a break for it.” he said.

Ren surveyed the landscape, looking for an easy path up the hill. “Can we do it tonight? Could the horse manage that?”

Tegg didn't think so, “I think we make a break for it at dawn.” he said in a tone that matched Talbert's.

Jenk had been impressed by the fortress, but didn't bother to scout it out. His woodland skills were hardly necessary in determining the amount of enemy activity in the area, and Jenk quickly decided he'd seen more than enough. After skirting the fortress he headed north into the high foothills and found good cover and few signs of enemy scouts in the rocky terrain there. His journey east to the mountain pass was not hampered by injured comrades, and as Tegg and Ren surveyed the pass from the south, he sat just west of it.

The pass opened south from the mountain range through a sharp cleft in the rocks. Once there had been a river here, slowly cutting through the stone of the hillside. At some point, however, softer rock to the north gave way, and the river turned further east, dumping out into a great swampy delta between the foothills of the mountains and the Bay of Rushes. Had he not spied the four guards and their dogs, Jenk would have easily had a day's head start on the party, but as it was he was trying to figure out how to sneak around them and into the ancient riverbed. Further, had Jenk not taken a minor fall the night before while scaling a rocky section, he wouldn't have opted for a night's rest before moving on.

And so, as fate would have it, Tegg's miserable party charged north at the first light of dawn, completely ignorant of the guards ahead. Tegg's eyes were fixed west, Talbert's east, Ren's eyes were fixed on the horse and the rest were too occupied in their misery to pay much heed to anything. There was some fortune to be had, the Tohri scouts had lapsed into a bored routine of sleeping, gaming and lounging after two weeks guarding a forgotten mountain pass. When one finally spotted the horse trotting north toward them, they had barely enough time to set their archers before being spotted. The cry to arms also alerted Jenk, who was sleeping late and in no particular hurry to crawl out of his blankets into the cold chill.

Jenk assumed he'd been found out somehow but after scrambling for cover, he couldn't spy anything to take cover from. A quick series of peeks around the rock showed no charging enemy, and his muddled brain finally figured out that the sounds were too distant. Jenk grabbed his bow, made his way as high into the hill as he could and worked his way around the laurel bushes and vinegrass to a decent vantage point.

When Tegg spotted the guards at the entrance to the pass, his heart sank abruptly into his stomach. Two guards had just released dogs and were drawing swords and another two had taken position atop a rock, bows at the ready. “Hells and damnation” he muttered.

Ren turned to look ahead and gasped, relaxing his grip on Cathnoma who burst free from his hand, dragging the chain in the dirt and charging the enemy dogs.

Talbert groaned and drew his sword. Vallen, still fairly alert, drew her dagger and looked to Tegg, who had his bow out. “This... does not look good”, Tegg said simply. Arasen carefully climbed down from the horse, his face betraying his pain.

Talbert nudged Tegg in the arm as he moved forward. “I think we should charge them ” he said simply. “We're probably bow range, so it's that or retreat back into the woods.”

Tegg blinked at him for a moment, then nodded. He drew in a deep breath, let it out, drew in another and shouted “Charge!”

Tegg's yell finished the picture for Jenk, who had a poor view to the south. He worked his way around a clump of bushes and saw the haggard group rushing north. “Bloody hells” he whispered. Jenk rushed back to his spot and surveyed the situation. He saw the dogs, which he'd seen off and on along the road, but they were near the edge of bowshot and running fast. Instead he selected the bowmen as the greatest threat. The terrain ahead was too open for comfort, but Jenk assumed that with the party charging north he could progress across it without being spotted. Somewhere he'd have to find a good line on the bowmen.

Cathnoma reached the dogs first, which ignored him. They were swerving to avoid him when Cathnoma dropped low and caught the lead dog's front shoulder in his vice-like maw. The force of the impact swung Cathnoma around and caused him to slip free, but the attacking dog was severely injured and spun in a flat turn and landed hard in the dirt. Cathnoma rolled to his feet to face the other dog, which was rushing downhill.

Tegg saw the second dog closing the distance and fired. The arrow was true, but the dog's armor deflected it. Tegg managed to notch another arrow, but the dog was too fast. It had spotted what its training said was the main target and the horse barely had time to react before the dog skillfully disembowled it.

For Arasen, making the arm motions was torture. Scars ripped open again and damaged muscles burned like fire. But Arasen had made a decision when he saw Henton's bloody body at the last battle. Never again would he sit by, no matter how much it hurt. Standing behind the horse, he had hoped for some small cover while he slowly performed the motions of gathering earth magic. When the horse screamed and fell, his mind blanked and he cast.

Tegg broke into a charge, and almost faltered when he heard Arasen yelling. He could only hope the boy survived, though, because the first arrows had started to fall around him. Tegg wanted to take out the archers, but knew that he didn't have the range for it if they stayed atop their rock perch. Instead, he focused on the two guards who were rushing toward him and had charged forward with his bow notched. He also noted the dogs circling each other to his right and added it to his mental target list. As soon as he was comfortable with the distance, Tegg dropped to one knee, targeted one of the guards and fired. The shot was clean and on target, striking the Tohri scout in the shoulder and knocking him off his feet. Tegg cursed to himself for not hitting the heart, notched another arrow and turned his attention to Cathnoma's opponent. Just as he drew, an arrow struck his armored chest almost in the same spot as his last target, shattering into splinters and knocking him over.

Jenk could see most of the battle from his spot as he clambered for a firing position. He drew his newfound Tohri bow, grumbling again at the odd feel of the bow, sighted one of the archers and fired. The pain in his side still burned but after two weeks of being wrapped it was at least manageable. The combination of an unfamiliar bow and a hesitation in anticipation of the pain fouled his shot and the arrow missed, clattering in the stones at the archer's feet. Both archers looked over at the same time in shock. One immediately lept off of the rock, the second drew his bow and searched for Jenk's position in the rocks. Without really thinking, Jenk adjusted his aim and sent his next arrow through the enemy archer's leg.

Ren rushed forward, and spotted Cathnoma in battle and saw Tegg fall. He decided, however, that the archers were a bigger problem and was charging them as fast as he could run. He had just passed Tegg's still body when a blast of dust surrounded him. There seemed to be rocks flying by his head to the right, so he dove left and rolled onto his stomach, covering his head. When the blast subsided, he looked back to see Arasen kneeling in pain next to the corpses of their horse and the gory remains of the dog that had killed it. Ren decided to figure it out later, and resumed his charge.

Vallen, meanwhile, had decided to help Cathnoma. If nothing else, the other dog was the closest possible target and her screaming headache and nausea precluded any charge like Tegg and Ren. Arasen's dust and rock attack caught her off guard, but she managed to recover from the shock faster than the enemy dog. She flanked right as it circled with Cathnoma, and timed her attack just after Cathnoma snapped, driving her dagger through its back and into its organs. The dog yelped, tried to turn, and had its throat slashed by Cathnoma.

Talbert had much poorer luck, he had attempted to follow Tegg, but as soon as he started to run he was blasted by Arasen's attack. He didn't fall from the wind, but he lost his footing on the slope and fell hard to one knee.

Tegg heard Ren rush past him, but couldn't move. He managed to open his eyes and stared into the blue sky while he struggled to breathe. He could feel the wound in his chest, directly across from his sore shoulder, which he was now lying on. He thought briefly of bookmarks, one in his upper chest, one in his upper back, both now singing a duet of pain, just before blacking out.

Ren didn't know why the archers had stopped firing but it simplified his intended targets. When he met the Tohri scout on top of the hill, his staff skills served him very well. The enemy attacked high and fast with a yell but Ren easily deflected the blow, countered the spin and struck the man in the temple. The fighter rotated, spun his arms for balance and nearly dropped his sword. Ren took the opening and drove the tip of the staff into the man's sternum with a loud crack. The scout's eyes went wide in pain and Ren struck again, hitting him in the bridge of the nose. Blood poured down the man's chin and he staggered for balance, coughing blood and wheezing. Ren said a silent prayer, whipped the staff behind his back, spun completely around for momentum and struck out in a huge arc. The blow crushed the side of the Tohri scout's skull and his eyes were dull and lifeless before he ever reached the ground.

Jenk abandoned the bow and slid down the hillside. His side couldn't bear another bow shot and he had run out of targets after the second archer crawled off the rocks. When Jenk reached the base of the hill, he jogged over to the rocks where the archers had been and peeked around. Both archers had crossed the pass entrance to find cover behind a pile of wooden crates. Jenk looked right, noting Ren and Vallen working their way toward him, and Talbert further back. He also spotted another dog, although this one appeared to be running with Vallen toward the pass, and wasn't wearing armor. Shaking his head, he drew his dagger and waited for an opportunity to charge.

Talbert struggled to his feet and worked his way over to the dead horse. The smell didn't help, but he managed to work a bow out of its straps and grab a few arrows. Once armed, he set out north to try and help. He was certain that he could at least offer some distraction fire.

The two bowmen took advantage of their cover and began firing on Vallen and Ren, forcing them to scatter. Jenk wanted to help, but knew he'd be spotted if he crossed the pass. Cathnoma had followed Talbert up the hill until he saw the archers firing at Ren and Vallen. They had been forced downhill to the left, and were now lying prone on the ground trying to avoid the archers, who were firing in higher and higher arcs to hit them. Talbert considered this for a moment, then rushed right as fast as he could, finding cover around the corner from the archers.

Jenk saw Talbert and the dog across the pass, and began waving to get his attention. Talbert finally spotted him with a look of stunned surprise. When Talbert had recovered, he tried to signal Talbert his idea, but Talbert kept shaking his head in confusion. Finally, Jenk decided on the direct approach and stepped into the pass while yelling.

The archers spotted him, nearly as surprised as Talbert had been. Both turned their bows at him, and he lept back behind the rock. At that moment Talbert realized what Jenk wanted, dropped his bow, drew his sword and charged around to attack the archers.

Ren lept to his feet when he saw Talbert, and began rushing toward the archers. It didn't matter, though, because the archers had no time to change weapons and found themselves facing an angry swordsman. The first, the archer that Jenk had shot, fell when Talbert sliced down into his shoulder. The archer dropped his bow and fell in pain, leaving his comrade alone with Talbert and a rapidly advancing Jenk. Talbert swung to the right, destroying the bow hastilly brought up in defence, then brought the sword back like a baseball bat, severing the Tahri's arm at the shoulder. Then Jenk arrived, finishing the man as Talbert tried to extract his sword.

Jenk and Talbert regarded each other with surprise as Ren rushed up. “You're timing is incredible”, Ren said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Jenk looked at Talbert's bandaged chest, then down the hill at the remains of the party “I think you've had as bad a time getting here as I have.” He dropped a few last arrows into his quiver when he noticed. “Wait... Where's Henton?”, he asked, looking around at everyone staggering up the hill. The returned looks and shaking heads answered his question.

Cleanup was a rushed and haphazard affair. Ren treated Tegg and Arasen as best he could while Jenk and Talbert finished off the lone surviving Tohri and scavenged some weapons and food.. Once the last bit of necessary gear had been stripped from the horse and shouldered the party hobbled into the pass.

Oddly enough, Jenk fell in with Tegg's leadership despite his superior rank. Talbert thought he understood, but that night in the pass Ren finally quizzed Jenk on this.

“Not interested”, he said in a tone that seemed final.

Ren started to question this, but shrugged and let it go.

As they made their way through the pass, Tegg worried about finding more enemies. There was certainly evidence, empty crates, footprints, cart wheel marks, and discarded items littered the pass in places. Tegg stayed on the lookout constantly for enemies or cover, but the pass was an ancient riverbed only a few hundred feet across. What few plants lived here tended toward thin, bushy trees and vinegrass, hardly worth considering as cover. As for rocks, where the pass entrance held centuries of washed out detrius, the pass itself held only a few boulders big enough to hide anyone behind. Eventually, Tegg abandoned any hope of secrecy and simply pushed them forward.

Three days into the pass the snow picked up again, slowing their progress and reducing their visibility. They trudged on as the pass turned slightly when Cathnoma began to growl. Ahead of them, in the center of the pass was a lone figure in a heavy grey cloak. He carried a large bow across his back, and seemed to be patiently waiting for them. Tegg considered charging, but a sharp crack changed his mind. In the ground between his feet an arrow sat quivering. The message was clear: You have been captured.

Tegg looked around at the disheveled and wounded crew and sighed. At least they hadn't just slaughted them he thought, putting his hands in the air. The rest of the party glanced at each other then followed his lead. As soon as all their hands were in the air, people seemed to materialize from the rocks. Each wore similar heavy cloaks, colored to look like snow on rocks. Some made their way quickly to the party and disarmed them while others held them at bow or knifepoint. Without a single word they were guided down the pass until they reached a rockslide. With a gasp, one of the boulders opened outward like a door and everyone marveled at it. The inside of the rock had been carefully hollowed out and mounted on a huge wooden frame. Four men pushed the rock, then drew swords and stood back as the party was ushered inside.

The party, minus Cathnoma who had been carefully taken elsewhere, spent the next hour in a fair sized cave. A wall and door had been fitted to the entrance, and the room clearly had once been used as barracks. There were a series of bunk beds arranged along one wall, a large table in the middle of the room and several empty chests sat on another wall. Talbert, Vallen and Arasen gratefully took to the beds while the rest sat and waited for something to happen. Eventually, hot food and water was brought to them, although their guards said nothing.

“These aren't the same guys.&rdquo Jenk observed.

Tegg shook his head, “No. I don't know what we've stumbled on, but everyone we've fought so far has had that pale skin.”

Ren grunted in agreement. They had spent the last hour discussing their ill-fated missions, wondering at their continued survival. Finally there was a single rap at the door and a short, heavyset man entered.

“My apologies for the rough welcome”, he said, taking a position at the end of the table where Jenk, Ren and Tegg sat. “I am Genjen Vat, the leader of this mine. We've not seen a single person in the pass in the last few years, at least not until these pale whoresons arrived.” The man assumed a military rest stance, with his hands held behind the back. He only paused a moment, then said “you'll be free to go shortly. Night's falling and there's a bite of a storm out there. I take it your are all from Bridgeton?”

Tegg nodded, saying “We're taking a message to Tivar.”

Genjen raised an eyebrow. “Things must be fair miserable to take this path rather than a ship or the caravan road.”

Jenk answered him, “These pale fighters have taken the road. They've filled the woods and are probably going to attack Bridgetown... if they haven't already.”

The man grunted, considered this and said “That's a pity, but it makes our future clearer. We're moving out of here. The mine's not been easy in the last year or two, and having soldiers snooping about... makes mining difficult.”

Tegg considered this, then asked “How did you hide this place so fast?”

Genjen laughed, “this place has always been hid. This is freehand country, nobody claims anything around here for long. If we didn't hide the mine, somebody come and try and take it from us.”

Jenk, Ren and Tegg looked at each other and shrugged. Ren turned back to Genjen and asked “Our comrades are injured...”

But Genjen cut him off, “As sorry as I am to see that, I've got precious little to offer. We have but a tiny store left, although we'll give you what we can spare. We had hoped to leave for Bridgetown, so as to cross and go on, but with what you've told me, we'll be leaving for Avendoor come New Year.”

Tegg thanked him, and Genjen left. “Well, at least we'll have somewhere warm to sleep.” he said, carefully removing his damaged chain shirt.

Their luck in getting captured turned out to be greater than they first though. Although the miners had only enough medicine to suppliment Ren's treatment, they did have a medic who could look at Arasen's arm. The damage was, as feared, extensive, but would not require amputation. “You're lucky to keep your fingers”, he said to Arasen in a tone of warning “but if you aggrivate this wound this bad again, you'll never use that hand proper again.” Tegg, Jenk and Talbert also got fresh treatments, and Ren managed to fill some of the empty spaces in his medical pack.

In addition, the party had two warm nights out of a snowstorm that swept down the mountains and plenty of food. They also got excellent information, “Those pale guys were marhing through here like ants for a week.. then nothing. Either they don't like the cold or they moved everyone and everything they wanted to.” one of the miners explained.

The next day the group was allowed to exit their room and explore a bit. The mine was surprisingly snug and warm, with ample light from carefully tended lanterns along the walls and large rooms carved out of the rock. Genjen had sent a one-legged miner nicknamed "Hob" to lead them around. Hob, which he insisted they call him, was a short, stout, bushy-beareded miner with sharp wrinkles around his eyes. He also had a blue-green lizard that scurried from one shoulder to the other as he walked.

“I've been here some forty seasons, and that cheap bastard has yet to pay me what I'm worth” Hob said in a joking tone.

“And what are you worth?” Jenk asked, taking up the joke.

“A new leg!” Hob answered, cackling and turning into a mess hall.

The group got bowls of hot stew and water, then sat with Hob at one of the long wooden tables in the room.

“How'd you lose your leg, Hob” Talbert asked.

Hob cocked his head at Talbert's timid tone and his face went very serious. “I'll tell ya boy. If you're ever planning on being a miner...”

In the hushed pause, Talbert barely whispered, “yeah?”

“Don't ever get lost in the mineshaft without plenty of food.” Hob answered in a low whisper, then added a wink.

Talbert looked stunned for a moment, but Tegg and Jenk finally burst into guffaws.

“I don't think they believe me, son” Hobb said in mock idignity. Talbert frowned, then shook his head with a smile.

Hob laughed and said , “Lost it as a boy, took a bad fall off a horse and got the gangrene. Doc cut it or it'd have killed me.”

“So why mining?”, Arasen asked, looking around.

“No horses.” Hobb said quickly, grinning.

Everyone laughed. Through the meal, Hob described the mining process, where they sold the copper they collected, the dangers of the life and even showed him the tricks he had taught his cave-lizard.

It was nearly Newinter when they finally packed their gear and assembled at the mine entrance.

“Thank you, Genjen” Tegg said, holding out his hand.

Genjen took it and shook, “wish we could help more. We're likely following in your footsteps, seems the south has gotten a bit dangerous. The boys want to head to Tivar, then Avendoor, and then... who knows. When you get to the bridge, I suggest you take the north pass. The western one is where those pale boys came from. Maybe they're done on that side... maybe not. North will take you into the big plains up north of the mountains, just head west.”

Tegg nodded, adjusted his pack on his good shoulder and braced for the wind as the stone fascade door opened.

The march north through the ancient riverbed was made tougher by the foot of snow that had fallen in the storm, but fresh supplies and two days of warmth and rest pushed them forward in a mood that approached cheerful. By late morning the sky had fully cleared and the sun rose above the eastern ridge of the valley, adding a welcome bit of warmth. Tegg opted not to stop for luch and no one protested. It would have been uncomfortable at best, clearing seats from the wet snow.

For Arasen, the time in the mine might not have been a lifesaver, but it had probably saved his sanity. The constant pain in his arm had been treated, although he was left with an incessant itching. The limited medications that Ren had managed to get access to were enough, it seemed, to keep his arm whole until they reached the healers in Tivar. Arasen looked around at his companions, lingering on Cathnoma, and considered his fate. Getting tossed out of the mage's school had been a rough blow to his ego, and now he had physical scars to highlight that feeling, but it had shown him a small bit of what he could do. Leaning over ancient bits of parchment and studying the stories of mages from history had been stupifyingly boring and, he admited, largely useless to anyone. Most mages graduated and did limited work for some town or another, which mostly included training new mages. Arasen marvelled at how he had once aspired to such a limited existance, revelling in the fear and respect of a few villiagers who thought his scraps of magic were wonders while evils lurked unnoticed at the gates. With that, Arasen arrived at a decision. This war would be his school, and if the Duke would not take him as a mage in battle then he would tail the Duke's armies and prove his worth.

As Arasen was considering Cathnoma, Ren was considering Arasen. The boy's arm would never fully heal, Ren was sure of that. Even if there had been instant access to every healing herb and magic Ren knew of, the boy would still have lost some use of it. It would be useful, and the boy's magic seemed to work regardless, but Ren wondered at it all. Greater healing works were possible, he had learned that in the schools. The problem was that few were capable and fewer were interested. Ren wondered if he could learn more, do more to heal others. It was a sad fact that if he stayed involved with this war, he might have ample chance to test his healing arts as well as his skills in killing.

Talbert's mind had been operating under some sort of self-defence haze since seeing Henton fall in the woods. While they were on the run in the forest he'd been able to keep his mind on the tasks at hand, but two days of rest in the mine had robbed him of that shield. Both nights he'd dozed fitfully and considered his own mortality. It wasn't something he had ever considered, but sitting in the dark watching your friend fall with a sword between his ribs over and over had pushed him hard. At first, he had considered escaping the war, running for his life into whatever dark corner of the realm would have him. The anger, however, would burn that thought away and he would be berate himself being a coward. Next his thoughts turned to revenge, attacking and killing every pale-skinned soldier he could find. That hadn't lasted long either. Finally, he reached a sort of defeated determination: he didn't have a direction and it galled him. He'd joined the watch purely because it seemed like the easiest path. He wasn't cut out to be a smith and lacked the skills needed to be a scribe or tradesman. The watch required one thing, a willingness to do what you were told and he managed that well enough. Now, however, he was rudderless. He considered following Tegg. Tegg had probably saved his life in both battles, stepping in to help when the enemy had outmatched his sword skills. But that path seemed like hero worship, and Tegg had never shown him the sort of friendly comradery or mentor attention that Henton had. No, Tegg was determined and capable but Talbert simply wanted something to anchor himself to and after mentally glancing around at his current companions, Tegg was simply the best option. Talbert wasn't going to settle for that, he would just have to find something more.

Vallen wasn't considering anyone or having any lifechanging epiphanies. She was barely concious and suffering while trying desperately to appear normal. The agony of withdrawl had started in the caves as she drank the last dregs of the ariss. It had been fifteen days since Henton had died and Tegg and confronted her. Despite severe rationing and even skipping a day here and there, Vallen had none of the ariss left. She had, at the end, come very close to chewing the leaves in a panic. Sitting in the dark in a dusty storeroom of the mine, knowing that chewing the leaves would make the last of them stretch for days, she had held it up to her mouth and cried. The shivers would start, her mind would flash to images of addicts in the last stages of their slow and ugly living death and she would silently sob. In the end, it was the confrontation that stopped her. Knowing that Tegg, and likely the rest of this misbegotten party, would simply write her off as some worthless addict was sobering. She imagined herself in the mountains, abandoned by the party, chewing the ariss in a mental fog. Her death would be mostly painless she presumed, from exposure to the elements. She would end up dying in the snow with blood and the drug leaking from her idiotic smile. Lying alone in the snow. A worthless adict. She steeled herself against the misery of living and concentrated on moving and not shivering. She would not alow Tegg the satisfaction of seeing her stumble in the snow.

Tegg's mind focused on the terrain, the path ahead and the simple tasks that kept him moving north. He had no idea that Vallen was out of drugs, that Talbert was now guiding his ship without a star or that Arasen was widening his life goals. The one thing he had considered was his path after Tivar. Seeing Henton die had made him think of Sirus and his family. Tegg had no idea if Sirus was well, or if the enemy had crossed the caravan road to harass the ranchers there. And there were hundreds more. Farmers beyond outtown, ranchers in the high passes, people he knew and people he'd never met. It worried him and Tegg promised himself that he'd find out what happened the first chance he got.

Amid all of this self-examination, Jenk and Cathnoma were simply enjoying the snow. Cathnoma had been under lock and key for several days, but was now free to scamper in the snow with his newfound pack. He recognized Tegg as the Alpha Male, Ren the pack member who had helped him with his injury and spoke to him so well, the female who he knew was unhappy and the others who he hadn't quite made up his mind about. Jenk, meanwhile, was simply enjoying a day without pain and chuckling at the dog's antics in the snow.

The party arrived at the bridge the next night, and camped on the near edge. The bridge was a natural formation of rock across the steep crevasse of the river. The river itself flowed in from the northwest in a very steep valley of rock which had been worn away over the millenia. It went under the stone archway, turning eastward and eventually spilled out to the northeast forming a swampy delta which then intersected the Malloron north of Bridgetown. The bridge was wide and relatively flat, but Tegg decided not to risk the crossing at night.

Tegg had a second motive for camping at the bridge. Once across, they would be bound to the northern path through the mountains. It was easier going, from here the path led upward between two mountains, then down into the foothills on the western side of the pennensula. To the west, however, was the more direct path. Along the side of the river's crevasse was a rough trail that the miner's had called "knee-killer trail" for all the tripping and sliding it would produce. Eventually it led to a wide gap in the mountains that opened up near the north end of the caravan road, just south of Tivar. That path would save them a number of days. The miners had insisted that the enemy troops, whose name they believed to be called "Tohri", had an army camped at the end of that pass.

They crossed the bridge the next morning. It was but two hundred steps across and offered their first glimpse of the raging river below. Tegg paused midway to look down on the river which glinted in the sunlight before rushing into the shadow of the bridge. As the rest of the group stood to admire the view, Vallen's eyes glazed over and she started to slump, leaning forward. The bulk of the party had already started walking the rest of the way across the bridge and only Ren noticed her stumble. Standing just behind her, he gasped and grabbed her shoulder, startling her. The rest of the group continued on in ignorance of the moment, and Vallen muttered some half apology to Ren and turned to follow them.

Ren pondered this in their climb. The path had all but vanished into the wiregrass and low bushes that had managed purchase on the sides of the mountain. After finally escaping the ancient riverbed, it was nice to see some vegetation poking out of the snow, even it was dormant and grey for the winter. When they reached a roughly level spot, Tegg called for rest so they could stretch their legs. The climb hadn't been too difficult, but walking uphill seems to take a toll on leg muscles that you are rarely aware of. Everyone was happy to stretch and sit for a moment, cooling off in the chilly air.

Ren intentionally sat behind Vallen, who sat in a slump with her head down, and used the same magic on her that he had used on Cathnoma. Extending his mind outward he touched her thoughts and was stunned. Her mind was a torrent of confusion, pain and a driving need that he finally identified. Although he recoilled at the chemical addiction he found staining her mind, Ren knew that without some help Vallen would never make it to Tivar. Ren withdrew a bit and steadied himself, gathering magic around him and preparign his mind for the uninvited invasion it was about to launch. Vallen barely flinched when his magic enveloped her mind and Ren saw firsthand the damage as a lightningstorm washed across her mind. There was no sheltering her from this, he realized. To fight the storm was to expose himself to its madness, so he took the only course he thought would work. With only a slight pause at his audacity, Ren did something he had never done, which he had only heard whispers of being possible. He cut Vallen's conscious mind off from the rest and wrapped it in a sheltering bit of magic. It would mean Vallen would have some shelter from the ravages of the addiction, but it would require Ren to take over certain functions while she was sheltered. It would be impossible to keep her isolated for more than a few hours each night and for an hour or two at a time during the day, but without it Vallen would die.

For most of the party, the trip across the plains was a welcome relief from the rocky mountain pass. During that time, Tegg became aware of some interaction between Ren and Vallen, and rightly assumed some small glimmer about what it meant. He grumbled a bit at the waste of effort, but decided that if it kept Vallen progressing forward on their path, he would tolerate it.

The only interruptions in their travel were the occational tracks. Some, Tegg immediately identified as Trogs, large badger-like creatures with notable tempers and territorial natures. Tegg didn't worry though, the winter was the best time to travel through Trog territories since they spent most of it in near-hibernation around their dens. His eyes met Jenks and Jenk grimaced and shrugged, apparently coming to the same conclusion.

On the seventh day since leaving the mountains and the fifteenth since leaving the mine, they walked out of the high grass of the plains and onto a rough road. It had clearly been recently and hastilly built. The ground had been cleared of grass, apparently by burning it, and there were large ruts in the rich soil below. The cold had made the road hard, but it was clear from the marks that it was once a muddy and rough journey.

“What do you think?” Talbert asked as Cathnoma sniffed across the road excitedly.

“I think our enemy used this... but not recently” Jenk answered, stooping down and looking at the marks. “This area hasn't been muddy since Aewinter, which is when these tracks were made.”

Tegg stood beside him and nodded in agreement. “I think the miners were right. They're camped out at the edge of the mountain range”, he said, pointing to the southeast. “I also think we should keep going.”

For the next few days the group travelled without incident through the undulating grasslands. Their only company were the few birds that never migrated and an occational rabbit bolting from them through the grass and joshua trees. Then, on the fifth day from crossing the road, they crested a hill and got their first look of Tivar.

Tivar was a massive amber walled city surrounded by towns and farmland. It sat on the bank of a large lake, which glittered in the sunlight, and was surrounded by radiating roadways. Even from this distance, still two days away, they could see the bustle of people moving and the smoke from hundreds and hundreds of chimneys.

For Tegg, it looked like hell.

Uron stood with the rest of the Dom Tohri as the Siv commander spoke. They were assembled in the mess hall, which doubled as a lectern whenever the Siv wished to rally or motivate the troops. Intin'Tet Lorpasi stood on a high balcony and his voice reverberated throughout the room, echoing off the stone. Uron and his kin had long since stopped listening. The droning platitudes, empty praise and endless assurances of victory were wearysome and stale, a plate of gruel that had been served too many times to troops tired of its flavor. Over the last dozen days Uron had met with as many of the Dom as he could, trying to judge their displeasure with the arrangements and had been stunned. The rumors had managed to spread, despite the Siv's tight grip, and there was an undercurrent of dissent that Uron could not believe. Friction had arisen between the religious faith of Ja and the religious following of the Siv leadership, and that friction was getting hotter and harsher. Uron noticed the Elder's apprentice across the room, a Dom whose name he still did not know.

Master Adsentis had sent his understudy to Uron's hut shortly after their meeting. The two barely spoke, Uron was instructed to find proof for the Dom so that it could be carefully described to the Elders. Having fitted the Dom in a spare uniform, Uron and the aide wound their way through the camp to the main tower and made their way up the dark stairwells. As they climbed the two were regularly forced to huddle against the rough, unfinished wood walls as Siv soldiers passed them from above. Each time, Uron shivered uncontrollably. It wasn't uncommon for Dom messengers to travel through the tower, but any second glance could spell doom, any hint of what they were attempting would send the Siv leadership into a frenzy and Uron would spend weeks on the spiked chairs of the Tohri inquisitors. Uron cursed his weak will after the fourth Siv passed and steeled himself for the final, risky move. They would have to enter a restricted area, the rear of the tower where his proof would be revealed.

Uron shuddered to himself and glanced around at his gathered bretheren. As expected, nearly every face looked upward at the Siv leader, each with the same practiced look of interest betrayed to Uron by their empty eyes. The Siv would only notice the upturned faces, would only care that every Dom heard and reacted. The blank looks would be ignored. The fact that no Dom moved, shuffled or tried for a better position in the throng would be ignored. The exact timing of movements, the rote responses, features not matching smiles, it was all clear to Uron. When the Siv leader finished there was a hearty, exacting response from the Dom. Uron recognized the hollow sound in their cadence, it tore at him. It was a sound that would resonate clearly in the minds of every Don Tohri, but would sound genuine to the sterile ear of the Siv. Uron shuddered again. That sound was a wedge in the crack slowly appearing within pillars of the Tohri army.

Sliding the door open, he and his accomplice had slipped unseen into a hallway and worked quickly to the end. In the large room at the end, proof was found. Proof as large as a Moonbear and twice as hideous. All doubts were erased, here could be no doubt. By the time of the great gathering, Uron was no longer Re'Tet except in name.

As Uron left the mess hall and headed toward his bunk, he considered the alliance. Sooner or later the rumors would be confirmed throughout the Dom. The very worst gossip would be revealed to be the least of the Siv's sins and there would be a collective recoil from the Dom. There could be no other reaction, the Siv were gambling that their control over the Dom would exceed the di'Ja, the following of the Way. They would lose that gamble.