Story Thread: The Remarkable Life of Jacob Dunn

[Velociryx]

It’s been a long time since I posted a story thread, so I figured….what the hell….here’s a little something that spawned from the Candle’Bre project….a story that (hopefully) helps flesh out the history of the world that the game itself is to be set in. For reference, here's a map of the kingdom...story to follow momentarily....

-=Vel=-

[Velociryx]

The Remarkable Life of Jacob Dunn

Story by: Christopher Hartpence

No one knew exactly how old Jacob Dunn was at the time of his death. No record of his birth has ever been found in any province, and if anyone in the whole of the basin has knowledge of who his birth parents were, they are keeping that knowledge to themselves.

The mystery, it seems, died with him.

But, I get far, far ahead of myself, for Jacob Dunn is not remarkable for his death, but rather, for his life (as you will soon discover). The following account has been painstakingly reconstructed from letters and verbal accounts of Jacob's life, and presented here in fictional form. Certain creative liberties have, of course, been taken with the characters, but I have tried to make them as accurate and genuine as my collected accounts.

~ Llankhan the Wanderer - Freeman of Trentare

***

Part One - Hlo'Haas - 96AC
Jacob comes home

Called "the Good Neighbor" by the Free Folk, there are few things that make a citizen of Hlo'Haas happier than working the land. They are generally a stocky people, ruddy skinned and well-built for the task of working the land they love so. Strong, and pure of heart, there are no strangers in the province….only friends who have not yet been introduced.

Hiram and Elizabeth Dunn were a couple well into their middle years when they moved to Hlo'Hass upon receipt of a land grant from King Aesil, Second King of Candle'Bre.

Normally such grants went to younger folk, and families with children, but the King's Minister of Land Management made an exception in Hiram's case. Having known him for some years, and knowing him to be an upstanding citizen and tireless worker, he realized that land granted to Hiram Dunn would be land well cared for, and further, Hiram's even temper and level-headed thinking seemed a good addition to the strapping young bucks being organized to send to the provinces. Give them someone they could look up to and turn to for advice in times of trouble. On both counts, the Minister was not wrong.

Elizabeth was barren, and so bore Hiram no sons, but they were as in love with each other in the middle part of their lives as they had been on the day they had first met. She kept their small ranch home neat as a pin, and Hiram's magic touch brought the land to life around them.

They prospered in their new home, and both became pillars of the newly founded community.

And so it was that during their fifth year in Hlo’Haas that they came to know a very young Jacob….

***

"Lizzy will you lookit what I found wandering the north-forty?" Hiram called from the back lawn as he strode toward the house, dusting his overalls off with one massive, calloused hand as the other held the hand of a small fence-post thin child with wide eyes, taking everything in with a sense of….not fear, but wonderment and joy.

Elizabeth opened the door and stepped out onto the back porch, smoothing her dress unconsciously (a habit she had picked up years ago, and a thing she did anytime company arrived). A small boy, so skinny you could see his ribs….couldn't have been more than five or six years old, walked next to her husband, struggling to keep pace with Hiram's long, steady strides.

There was something….different about him. She could sense it….see it in the way he showed no fear or wariness in the presence of strangers--a thing most children his age did almost universally--see it in the wonder in his gaze.

"Found a little traveler, did you dear?" She asked with a smile.

"Aye…seems he lost his way. He don't talk much though, but maybe if we clean him up and fix him some supper, we'll be able to find out a thing or three….maybe locate his parents."

"I'll go set another place for dinner. You two wash up, and report to the kitchen as soon as you're presentable."

Hiram chuckled, "Yes Ma'am! C'mon little fellow, let's get some food in you."

The small boy's face lit up with an enormous grin that contained a thousand candle-power or more. "HooHoo! Jaky Hunry!" He said emphatically, and laughed with a magical, infectious glee that spread to every corner of the House of Dunn.

It did not take long to determine more-or-less what had happened.

Jacob ('Jaky,' as he called himself) was feebleminded. He had difficulty speaking, and only commanded a limited vocabulary, but the little boy had absolutely no problem communicating. He had traveled this way from the south (or at least, that was the direction he had pointed), with two bigs and nany-los (many-lots) of littles on a 'horsie-pull.'

During a stop, one of the bigs gave him a ceramic jug and told him to fill it with water in a stream nearby.

The little boy did so, and when he returned, the horsie-pull was 'lost,' and so Jaky set out to find them.

No fear, and no understanding of what had occurred.

Abandoned.

Hiram's face clouded over with anger as the little boy's story unfolded, and Elizabeth's eyes teared up.

Such a sweet, innocent child….who could do such a thing?

An entire conversation was held via glances between the two adults as they sat with Jacob that evening, asking and answering questions for each other without words, in the way of people who have spent a lifetime together.

There would be time for talking later….for the here and now, the boy took center stage.

Best estimate was that Jacob had been looking for the lost bigs, littles, and horsie-pull for six days, faithfully and dutifully carrying the water jug the whole time, and only drinking from it when he got 'dursdy.'

He ate nearly as much as the adults, and did so with gusto, chattering animatedly about all the things he had seen while looking for his family. Birds and rocks, pretty flowers and trees, and a few other things they couldn't quite make sense of, due to the language barrier between them (having never had children of their own, and further, having never encountered anyone as unique and special as Jacob, they struggled to understand his broken language. In time, it would become as familiar to them as breathing, but early on, some of the things he said surely left them mystified).

In time, and almost in mid-sentence though, all of Jacob's adventures caught up with him, and the little boy slumped forward in his chair and fell fast asleep.

Hiram carried him into the spare room and tucked him into bed, and then returned to Elizabeth in the kitchen.

She poured strong coffee, and the two sat in silence for a few lingering moments.

"What do you make of all that, Honey Bee?" Hiram asked quietly.

"They left him." She said incredulously. "Told him to get water, and just left him to die out there….what sort of monsters could…."

Hiram held up a hand. "We don't know enough to judge them, love….could be that the whole family was in a sad state and in danger of starving….we just don't know….what we do know is that however he came to be here, we got a little boy who could use a place to stay….a place to call home."

Elizabeth smiled, her anger shattered and gone as she realized what Hiram was suggesting. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes we do….don't we?"

And so, Jacob the Wanderer became Jacob Dunn, child to a husband and wife that could have no children of their own.

***

[Velociryx]

Part Two - DunnAcres, 101AC
Broken Wing

The creature was small and helpless.

Shivering….quivering in fear and lying on the ground with one wing bent horribly askew, and crying loudly in its high-pitched, warbling voice, edged in pain.

It was that pain-filled cry that brought Jacob's head up with a start.

He had been swinging from the rope that Pop-Hiram had put on a low-hanging tree branch in the back lawn, delighting in the simple pleasure of wind in his hair when the cry reached his ears.

The instant he heard it, his hands left the rope, and he tumbled gracelessly to the ground, head snapping up in alarm, rising and dusting himself off without thinking.

"Hurted." He whispered fearfully as the meaning behind that shrill intonation seeped into his bones.

Cautiously, he started off toward the source of the noise, and within moments, spied the bird. Moving only occasionally, and each movement drawing forth another cry of pain.

A bright yellow flutter-by danced crazily in front of him…a thing that normally would have sent him laughing arms-flailing across the lawn after it.

Now though, he only brushed it aside and wiped his face, thinking (a habit he had picked up by watching Pop-Hiram).

Another tentative step closer and the bird flopped miserably, crying out once more.

The sound of it made Jacob wince. "Shhhh….pretty-birdy hurted." He whispered as he crouched before it. "Pretty-birdy hurted…." Chanting those words to himself over and over again as he reached out tentatively toward the creature.

Soon, gentle, certain fingers were stroking its head, and then closing carefully around its trembling body, taking care not to touch the out-of-place wing. Some instinct snapped vibrantly awake inside of him, and though he could never have described it with his limited vocabulary, he didn't need to. He only needed to let it fill him up, and do what his instincts directed.

And he did.

Lifting gently, and then, in slow, measured steps, making toward the house, and his parents.

"Pop-Hiram fi' hurteds." He whispered to the pretty-birdy, which amazingly, seemed to calm somewhat and settle down in his small cupped hands.

Tears were streaming down his face as he slowly, carefully let himself in the back door and approached his parents, as though he could feel some measure of the bird's pain.

"Jacob what's wr…" His mother started to ask, and then spied the poor creature. "Oh my…well, bring him right over here and let's see what we can do."

Hearing his son enter, Hiram wandered into the kitchen, and likewise spied the injured bird. "Well now….got himself into a bit of a pickle, didn't he?"

"Hurteds." Jacob nodded gravely as he wiped his tears away, only to have them replaced by fresh ones. "fi' pretty?"

Hiram nodded. "I think we can, yes. Fix him up good as new."

Jacob smiled tentatively.

***

Later that day

Hiram and Elizabeth sat quietly on the back porch swing, holding hands and enjoying the day.

"Amazin' how that bird let the boy pick him up without raising a fuss." Hiram remarked, rubbing his chin and considering that.

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "He does seem to have a way with animals. Even the barn-cats let him pick them up, and they're as wild as wild can be. She held up a hand, displaying the scars she'd gotten when she'd last attempted to feed them.

"I know it….I was worried the first time he started to chase after them, but they don't seem to mind him."

"Funny how as long as Jake was pettin' that bird, he was all calm and peaceful, but as soon as he took his hand away so we could get at the little fellow, he started flapping and squawking all over the place."

"I noticed that too…good thinking, you having Jacob keep petting his head while you put the splint on."

"Was the onliest way I could think to keep it still long enough for me to get the durned splint on."

They sat in silence for several long, comfortable moments, the swing creaking quietly as they rocked the afternoon away.

"He's an amazing child, isn't he, Hiram?"

"That he is, Honey Bee….that he is."
***

[Velociryx]

Part Three - Chance Encounter

The years sped by on DunnAcres, and as they did, the adopted son of Hiram and Elizabeth grew and thrived. From the wispy, rib-thin child, sprouted a large, physically imposing man, whose muscles were spectacularly toned by the fertile land of Hiram's farm. As age began to slow Hiram down, Jacob took on an increasing amount of the day-to-day labor that kept the farm going, with Hiram hiring extra hands now and again to get them through the times (planting and harvest) where the work was simply overwhelming.

Jacob's mind, however, did not grow in time with his body. His vocabulary as an adult was not much expanded from his vocabulary as a child, and his eyes were always wide and filled up with a quiet wonder. The simplest things…things most 'right-minded' people would not even notice, would enrapture and enthrall Jacob Dunn.

Watching the crazy flight-path of a flutter-by, or the sounds of crickets in the night.

These things held a powerful, magical significance to Jacob….you could see it in his eyes, but it wasn't something he could have described with his limited vocabulary.

It was there though….oh yes…it was always there.

***

Cutter's Creek - Western boundary of DunnAcres - 107AC

"Smote!" Jacob said to himself as he cautiously sniffed the air. He could smell it. Not strong yet, but it could be if left alone.

That's the way smote worked. Once the fire started, the smote got worser and worser till the fire went away.

Jaky didn't know how to make fire go away, but he also didn't want to be wrong.

There were lots of things that caused smote. Even Pop-Hiram's pipe caused smote on the rare occasions when Ma would let him use it. It smelled different than this tho…this smelled like wood smote, not pipe smote. Still, he knew he should check first before bothering Pop-Hiram with it, so he dropped his hoe and began making his way toward the creet.

As he crested a gentle rise, his sharp eyes spotted the source of the trouble at once, from some hundred yards out.

There had been nany-los peoples here….

His nose wrinkled at the smell of something Bad.

There still were nany-los peoples here, but most of them were Gone Away now. The copper-laden scent of blood told him as much. His eyes took in the sight of the smoldering remains of a campfire, too. It didn't look like it would get worser and make more smote, but he filed it away as something to tell Pop-Hiram.

He didn't want to….found himself shaking from head to all his toes as he tiptoed closer to the scene of the battle, but he knew he had to be sure.

Find out, then tell Pop-Hiram.

"Find out, then tell Pop-Hiram." He whispered to himself over and over again. "Find out, then tell Pop-Hiram….Find out, then tell Pop-Hiram….Find out…."

He crept closer.

A low moan came from the site of the battle, and an arm in the jumble of bodies shifted slightly.

One of the peoples was not Gone Away!

Maybe they were hurteds bad and mad….maybe they would try to hurteds him.

He shivered in fear at the thought.

But he had to find out…he had to, and his sense of duty to Pop-Hiram kept him moving.

Up to the sight of the battle then, and up to a strange looking man with funny pictures painded on his face.

And bloods.

Nany-los of bloods.

He knelt down beside the Painded-Man. There was a big hurteds across his tummy, and smaller hurteds on his arms and chest. The Painded-Man looked spookily like an unfortunate mouse after it had gone rounds with one of the many cats on the farm.

Maybe he felt like that too.

As he crept closer, he felt something snap awake and surge inside of him….a presence looming up in his mind, guiding and directing with firm insistence.

He knew what to do.

A distant, detached part of himself could feel the Painded-Man's hurteds, and he found himself weeping silently….He….

The Painded-Man opened his eyes. They glowed a fierce, beautiful blue, and the warrior raised a shaky hand, gripping Jacob's forearm with surprising strength. "He…..help." He croaked weakly.

Jacob knew that word.

"No moves! Nany-los bloods Gone Away! Pop-Hiram fi' and gi' waders!"

"yes….water….nffh….." The warrior closed his eyes, and a terrified Jacob ran at full-tilt for home, and for the wisdom of his parents.

***

"Pop fi' quick! Creet! Creet! Man hurteds, bloods, smote, nee' waders!" Jacob shouted excitedly as he charged into the lawn.

Hiram translated and filled in the blanks quickly enough. Years of practice with "Jacob-speak" made it second nature. Something about an injured man down by the creek. Blood, smoke…that didn't sound good, and he knew Jacob. No way would he make something like that up.

He hauled himself up out of the chair he had been sitting in. "Lizzy, get a pan of water and meet us at Cutter's Creek! Something's going on down that way, I'm heading out with Jacob now!"

Elizabeth opened the door and handed a pair of long-handled axes and a water skin to the men. "You two be careful."

Jacob took one of the axes solemnly, his fingers gently wrapping around it as though a weapon of violence might….corrupt him somehow, while Hiram slung his easily onto his shoulder and belted the water skin. "I don't think we'll need these," He said, motioning to the axe. "Sounds like we missed the party."

Jacob nodded, but was clearly not reassured, and the two men struck out toward Cutter's Creek and the site of the battle.

***

Several Hours Later

He stirred slowly into wakefulness, roused by the sweet, spicy smell of rabbit stew. It made his mouth water, and he tried to sit up.

Big mistake.

Grabbing his head as the world bucked and swam beneath him, he laid back down, then cleared his throat in a great rumbling sound.

"I am not dead….or if I am, then this….is not as I envisioned heaven might be."

Hiram walked over and knelt beside him, coming into his field of vision. "Not dead, Kellen….among friends. Welcome to the House of Dunn, and good hunting…. you sent five of your attackers to an early grave. How many were there?"

"Eight." He whispered.

"Five of eight…I'd say that was a fair day's work…any idea what they wanted or where they were headed?"

The Kellen shook his head. "None, but I know their faces….and when our paths cross next…."

"I think you've seen the last of them….they left you for dead, and even if they found out you were alive, having witnessed you kill five of their number, I doubt they'd be over-eager to…." Hiram groped for the right phrase, "renew your acquaintance."

"Mmph." The mercenary grunted in general agreement.

"I was headed to Trentare to repay a blood-debt." He volunteered after a lingering moment of silence. "With the Bordermen dispatched to the front fighting the damnable Nilrogg, their HearthGuard is a little thin….thought maybe they could use a hand….the bowmen of the Pine Cross have been continuing their skirmishes despite being at war with the Nilroggi, and I owe the men of StroudHaven some blood and vengeance in any case."

Hiram nodded. "Then these men could well have been hired by the men of StroudHaven to intercept you."

"Perhaps." The Kellen said wearily. "Perhaps."

Then he studied Hiram's face closely. "My memory is cloudy, but…you were not the first who found me…." It was more question than statement.

"My son….Jacob."

"Where is he now?"

Hiram motioned for Jacob to come closer, so the Kellen could see him. He did so, but was clearly unsettled. Once the worst of his wounds were dressed, and he was not delirious with pain, the warrior was an imposing figure indeed, even injured.

The Kellen held out a weathered hand. "I am Braal, of Kell, and I owe you my life." He said solemnly.

"Jaky!" Jacob said enthusiastically, thumping his chest with one hand while enthusiastically shaking the barbarian's hand, once he realized the man was friendly.

A slow smile spread across the barbarian's face as Jaky's infectious laughter filled the room. "The boy is touched." He said, amazed.

Hiram nodded and beamed. "Touched indeed….a very special lad."

"Aye." Braal whispered. "He is that."

***

[Velociryx]

Part Four - DunnAcres, 113AC
Lord Randall Fury's Proposition

The deep rumble of cavalry on the move could be heard for nearly an hour before the column swung into view. Long lines of fine black steeds galloping in formation under the Fury banner, and no doubt headed east to give the Nilroggi a taste of death, Fury-style.

Jacob stood by the road and watched them as they rode past, grinning widely and waving at both the horses and their riders.

More often than not, the soldiers waved in return, and more than one bent down to ruffle Jacob's hair. In many cases, even the horses seemed to acknowledge his sendoff, holding their heads higher as they passed him, or snorting regally in his direction, and craning their necks in so he could pet them.

"Very odd thing, that." Lord Randall Fury remarked thoughtfully as he passed the gate of DunnAcres where Jacob stood.

"What's that, Sir?" One of his Lieutenants asked.

"Our mounts are born and bred for war….trained to only respond to a select few groomers, aides, and attendants, and the soldiers themselves, and yet this man can smile, wave, and tame our great stallions enough to touch them….remarkable."

"Shall we call a halt, Sir? Ride back and see if anything is amiss here?"

Randall shook his head. "No…no…my gut tells me that there is no skullduggery at work here….just a man with a remarkable gift….a way with or sensitivity to animals….they respond to him."

He let out a sigh and chewed his bottom lip absently for a moment. "Continue to lead the column eastward….we are needed at the front, and I see no cause to delay our arrival there. I think I'll stop over at this farm and talk with the Master of the House for a time…I'll catch up by the time you get the camp assembled."

A curt nod and salute was his reply. "It shall be done!"

Randall wheeled his mount around and trotted leisurely back toward DunnAcres.

***

Hiram sat watching from the porch, and took note of the fact that the leader of the column, a member of the proud House of Fury, had turned back and begun approaching the spot where Jacob was standing.

Somewhat warily he got up and walked to the edge of the lane to stand by his son. He didn't imagine there'd be trouble, but the Furies were such an important House in the Kingdom, and with all the Nilroggi troubles in the east….

When the Lord was within earshot, Hiram nodded and bowed slightly. "Lord Fury, my son….he didn't mean no harm….he just loves horses and never saw so many all in one place before."

Randall favored them with a smile, putting both Hiram and Jacob at ease immediately. "Oh, no harm in the least! I was just remarking to one of my Lieutenants what an amazing gift he has…such a way with animals is rare indeed….we could use such talent in the House of Fury."

Of all the things he imagined that Lord Fury might say, that was the absolute last one on the list. Hiram gaped, dumbstruck, and Jacob, sensing a shift away from the smile flashed only a moment ago, began shuffling his feet nervously. "Pop….wha'rong?" He asked shyly.

As soon as he spoke, Randall knew, and understanding flashed across his face. Not a man….but a child trapped in a man's body. A deeper-than-casual recognition seemed to flash in his eyes, and his features softened several shades. "Perhaps we could talk further inside? Get away from the racket and sit down, the three of us."

"Four of us." Hiram said dully, blinking and shaking his head as though fighting off a haze 'round his head. "Lizzy needs to be a part of it."

Lord Randall nodded as he slid smoothly off his mount and offered the reins to Jacob, taking note that neither man-child nor beast showed the slightest bit of hesitation at the transition that should have sent his steed into a frenzy. "Of course….shall we?"

Hiram didn't move at first, and Lord Randall did something entirely unexpected. He…a Lord of one of the most prominent Houses in all of Candle'Bre, dropped to one knee before Hiram and looked up imploringly. "Hear me out, Master Dunn, I beseech you. There is a war on as you undoubtedly know, and it will not be easily won. Your son's gift may seem mundane to you, and in this setting, it can well be taken so….but we could train and guide such a talent and turn it into something remarkable."

Hiram flushed at having a man of higher station kneeling before him, and offered the man his hand to help him back to his feet. "We best get inside then…I expect the missus will have a few words to add."

Slowly, the group began moving toward the house and Randall leaned in close to Hiram. "He reminds me of the son I lost two winters past….a child trapped in a man's body….retaining the child's full innocence and sense of wonder…..I….I'm not saying this in an effort to press my case, but know that if you accept what I propose, your son would remain close to me at all times, and would be kept well away from harm's reach."

Later

They stood on the front porch of the House of Dunn, tears in three sets of eyes as they exchanged hugs and well wishes, while Lord Randall Fury waited a short distance off with his battle steed and one of Hiram's horses.

His mother gave him a water skin and a knapsack filled with dried fruit, cheese, and other snacks for the road.

His father gave him a hunting knife and a long-hafted axe. "You mind Lord Randall just like you mind me." He told his son. "Stay close to him, and come home safe and sound when your business with them is finished."

Jacob took the weapons up carefully, touching them gingerly and only 'round the edges….it really did look as though he was worried that such tools might corrupt him in some way. He wanted no part of them, and yet…where he was going….

"Jaky lu' you." He told them simply as they embraced one final time….his tears shining in his big, wide eyes, giving them a luminous glow. "Lu' you."

"We love you too son….be safe." They weren't sure exactly why they were telling him to be safe…no way to know what sort of dangers to tell him to be wary of, and no guarantee that he, in his innocence would even begin to understand their warnings in any case.

He stepped off the porch, mounted his horse smoothly, and suddenly found himself awash in a sense of newfound adventure. It dispelled much of his apprehension, and he actually found himself grinning.

One final wave up toward the house, where his parents lingered on the porch to see him off, and then, he turned to his traveling companion.

"Ready, Master Dunn?" Lord Randall asked him good naturedly.

Jacob nodded, and without another word, the two started toward the lane.

As they passed the gates of DunnAcres and turned eastward, Hiram and Elizabeth heard their son's voice float back to them in the darkness. "Jaky no ge' los!"

They clung to each other in the night, and to the hope that their son was right.

OoO

[monolith94]

wow - a story thread in the off topic forum! You've got cajones!

[Velociryx]

Not the first time I've done it....but yes....it can be....terrifying....

-=Vel=-

[Velociryx]

Part Five
In the Army Now...

Lord Randall took things very slowly, explaining and re-explaining with a patience that could only have come from direct experience in dealing with the special needs of those like Jaky.

It would have been unfair and grossly inaccurate to call Jaky limited….he was not. That much was made strikingly clear by watching him with the animals. When introduced to a hundred plus pounds of frenzied, jaw-snapping War-Mastiff whose back legs had been crushed under the wheels of a wagon, Jacob Dunn had been able to approach the beast and soothe it in less than a minute. He sat with the creature's head in his lap as the surgeons set bones and created a cast. No anesthetics for the dog whatsoever, whose trusting eyes never left Jacob's during the procedure, and who whined like a lost puppy when Jacob finally had to leave him. This, when no one else in the entire camp had even been able to draw near. Limited? Hardly. Jacob possessed natural skills that the most talented animal handlers in the camp would have given an arm, an eye, and several teeth to acquire. Nonetheless, it was truer than true that in terms of comprehension of the world around him…the subtle, complex human world, Jacky was out of his element, and thus vulnerable. One off-color remark, one single cruel comment, even a harsh glance at this point, and Jacob Dunn might never be able to integrate fully with the camp…a thing that was absolutely essential if his potential was to be fully realized.

Lord Randall knew the temper of his men well, and he knew that once they saw with their own eyes the amazing feats Jacob was able to perform with animals, he would quickly become an adopted member of the army. Until that time, he was tucked snugly and safely under Lord Randall's wing, and none of the troops under him would dare to raise so much as a curious eyebrow.

Problem solved….or so the Fury Lord imagined.

He took Jacob's initial instruction upon himself, slowly introducing him around the camp, and watching the eyes of his men….wary and uncertain at first, and then glowing warmly with friendship and recognition as Jaky and his talents became better known to them.

But unseen and unseeable….unknown and unknowable, a web of danger had already begun to spin out….

OoO

"And so you see, Master Dunn, the armies of Candle'Bre are much more than the men who serve in their ranks…." Lord Randall told him as they walked toward the Officers Tents.

"Purdys helps!" Jacob exclaimed proudly.

"That's just exactly right….the animals serving in our armies play roles that are every bit as important as their human counterparts….we rely on Falcons to deliver messages to other field commanders quickly, our War Horses are trained to fight with their riders, not simply carry them into battle, our War-Mastiffs are more than a match for a man in open battle, and a pack of them can hem an entire Nilroggi battle wedge in, effectively paralyzing it….and, we're looking for new ways of making use of animals in our military all the time. The possibilities are only bound by our imaginations."

"Purdys helps!" Jacob agreed, and Lord Randall laughed with him and ruffled his hair good-naturedly.

"They do indeed….your work here will be important for two reasons, Jacob…first, when the animals get sick, we need to be able to make them better."

"Fi' hurteds." Jacob said gravely.

"Yes…but sometimes medicines are in short supply. It would be cruel of us to try to operate on an animal without anesthesia of any kind, but with you beside them, we don't have to worry about that, and our medicines can be saved for the fighting men…an important advantage. And second, when we're not tending to the wounded, we need to continue to work with other animals to see if they might be useful to us, militarily….so far, we're working with owls and reindeer from the northern provinces to see what potential they might hold….given your empathy with animals in general, I think you will be invaluable in helping with that research."

"Petteds…Jaky talkings to purdies."

"That's what we're hoping, yes…that's exactly what we're hoping. That your empathy will open up whole new channels of communication between us and the animals."

The child-trapped-in-a-man's-body beamed. "Jaky li'it here."

"And we like having you here….now off with you….Chef will be expecting you for dinner, and I'll stop by your tent before lights out to make sure everything's okay."

"'k!" He shouted as he ran toward the Officers' Mess Tent.

Lord Randall couldn't help but smile as he heard friendly cries of greeting from his officers as the boy sped past them.

Good.

Better than good, even.

There was a lightness in his step as he made for the Command Tent to check on the latest Nilroggi position reports.

And still….the web of danger grew.

OoO

Elsewhere in the camp of Lord Randall Fury - deep in the night

"The Fury Lord keeps him always close at hand." The Watcher whispered softly in report.

Then do not be hasty or premature….we must be certain, for the Furies are mighty indeed….bide your time and watch him. The reply floated back to him in his mind.

"And if he…"

You will do nothing, Watcher….you are our eyes….nothing more. If the man-child is demon-possessed…polluted by Ollux, then you are to report evidence of it back to us, but make no move against him…..understood?

"Yes, My Master."

Very good….bide your time….the truth will reveal itself, as truth does.

"Yes, My Master."

The Communion ended.

OoO

Skirmishing - Two days later

"No….I want three companies of our cavalry posted here, just south of this ridge line and out of sight….put the bowmen here…here….and here," Lord Randall said, gesturing at the map, "And set the Pikes up in front of them. That'll make the beasties thing twice about it, and if they decide to play, then we'll have a lovely little surprise waiting for them."

"It will be done!" His Lieutenants barked in near-unison and departed. He turned to Malachai, his most-trusted Aide. "Go and Find Jacob Dunn…this is our first taste of battle, and I do not wish to see any harm befall the lad."

The Aide nodded and departed, and Lord Randall turned his attention back to the map, studying it intently….yes….come on you grotesque bastards….hit us….come to us….

He would get his wish.

For a few moments, he paced around in his tent, waiting for Jacob to arrive. Given the delay, he was beginning to wonder if Malachai had somehow lost his way to and from Jacob's tent.

Impatiently, he stepped outside, only to see him approaching, with Jacob in tow.

And something else, too.

Something that caused his hackles to rise slightly.

There was a contingent of Pine Cross Bowmen traveling with them….currently assigned to the top of the ridgeline, and a company of those same troops was marching past his tent (apparently bound for that very location) as he stepped out of it.

Not a single word was spoken, but Lord Randall could almost feel the eyes of a hunter….not trained on him, but….

Jacob.

He swallowed hard and surveyed the men in the company more closely. None of them seemed to be paying the boy any attention whatsoever….still; he could not shake the feeling.

"Malachai….You will remain with Jacob while I'm gone. I want you both to stay in my tent until I return…can you do that for me?"

He shot Malachai a look filled up with meaning and a level of communication that was only possible between people who had served together for years, but he kept his tone intentionally light for Jacob's benefit.

Malachai sensed the threat (though apparently, not its source), and nodded at his Master, loosening his blade in its sheath casually, but following Randall's lead and keeping his tone light. "I think we'll be able to keep plenty busy, isn't that right, Jacob...perhaps another game of King's Gambit? I think we can find some cards around here somewhere."

"In my sundries chest" Randall said, flashing them both what he hoped was a casual smile. "I'll be back soon."

"Ran'll no get los'!" Jacob said sternly…a look and an intonation that seemed completely alien and out of place coming from him. So much so, in fact, that Randall bit back the beginnings of a smile, lest it be misunderstood. "Don't you worry…I'll find my way back."

He nodded again, and ducked out of the tent, features hardening in an instant, eyes narrowing into the calculating eyes of a hunter.

No sign of the Bowmen.

"Of course not…you're too careful for that, aren't you?" He whispered as he went to get his mount.

OoO

[Velociryx]

Transitional/Interlude

It was over in scarcely three hours, and although the tent where Jaky and Malachai were playing cards was some distance from the battle, they could hear the victory trumpets quite clearly.

"Sounds like we won." Malachai said as he studied the board. As usual, Jacob was more than holding his own in King's Gambit. Another of his natural talents, it seemed.

"Wha' we wind?" His charge asked him with genuine curiosity.

That brought Malachai up short for a moment. For all his talent with animals, the question drove home the point that Jacob had no idea what they were doing out here…no comprehension that he was in an army. No understanding that the Nilroggi were invading his homeland. To him, it was simply "Ran'll's mooning hous." (that one took them a while to decipher and led to a great many chuckles at the Fury Lord's expense…."Randall's Moving House" was what they settled on in the end).

What indeed? And how to explain it to the boy?

After a pregnant pause, he cleared his throat and said simply, "We beat the Nillrog…made them leave us alone."

"'gogs make nany-los bloods an' nany-los peoples Gone Away….bad." Jaky said gravely as he nodded in understanding.

"Not this time." Lord Randall said as he entered the tent and tossed his bloodied blade onto his hammock. "This time, we sent the 'gogs Gone Away."

"Ran'll no get los'!" Jaky said proudly, jumping up and hugging Randall fiercely (card game totally forgotten....which was fine by Malachai, as he was behind anyway).

"Of course not! I told you I'd find my way back!" The Fury Lord said with a grin.

Jaky broke the hug when he felt Randall stiffen slightly, and his eyes were drawn to a dark spot on Randall's royal-blue tunic. "Bloods….Ran'll hurteds?"

"Not much more than a scratch, really." He said nonchalantly. I'll head over to the hospital wagons later and let the surgeons patch me up, but I wanted to come back here straightaway to make sure you two were behaving!" His eyes sought out Malachai's, and then filled with relief when Malachai sent back the silent message that the evening was uneventful. "So…what do you say we head over to the hospital train together? Jacob….there are some War-Mastiffs that could use your help, and we've got acid injuries on nine steeds."

"Jaky helpings fi'!" He told them as they left the tent.

Now that the battle had ended, it was time to work.

OoO

Hours Later

By the time they left the Hospital Train, they were all exhausted. Randall sat still long enough for the Chief Surgeon to sew fourteen stitches into the gash on his chest, and then he was up, making the rounds, lending a hand anywhere he could….fetching water, changing bandages, and more times than he cared to, participating in Last Rites ceremonies for the fallen.

He knew it was not good form, but with each such ceremony he had to perform, he mentally added the phrase and damn each and every one of the Nilroggi to the Eternal Fires to the end.

And he meant it.

Damn them for this war!

OoO

Malachai had some formal medical training, and was quickly drafted into service. He spent the better part of the evening making casts, setting bones, and sometimes, overseeing amputations.

A grim business indeed.

OoO

For Jacob's part, the aftermath of the skirmish opened his eyes to sights he had never seen before. Three hours of fighting, and it would take days to care for the fallen and had it not been for the power of the recently discovered Moon Lilies, it would have taken months for some of the injured soldiers to fully recover.

And there were plenty of injured. Always were when Humans fought Nilroggi.

Row after row....so much blood that it made his head swim, and something about being surrounded by all that pain and suffering sparked a change in him. That power....that calm understanding that he lacked the words to describe snapped and sizzled to life inside of him....different this time. Stronger and more urgent than he had ever felt it. It was as though a storm was brewing inside him, and he felt it immediately, but did not fully understand it until later that evening.

By the time he had finished his marathon shift in the Hospital Train, however, he would understand it very well indeed.

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Six
Grim Flower Blooming

Snap!

He felt it inside his tummy…just like that. The storm awakening.

Snap!

And again....gaining in strength, as though the sight of all the blood and misery was a catalyst of sorts.

Nany-los bloods. Peoples and purdies cryings. Hurteds bad.

"'gogs made hurteds." He murmured darkly as the Snap! went off in his tummy again with an increasing urgency. It was becoming a maelstrom, and it frightened him.

"Jacob…I need you here!"

The voice was familiar, but the world was fuzzy….it was hard to tell where the voice had come from. He tried harder to focus, but with the strange stirrings inside him, it was all but impossible.

"Jacob?"

Closer now….a friendly voice….one of the good Peoples in Ran'll's Mooning Hous.

Ashlynn Briggs…the Master Animal Handler touched his arm. "Jacob…what is it?"

He jumped and then tried on a sheepish grin.

It fell away in seconds. "Nany....nany-los bloods." He said weakly, as though the sight of it all had worn some part of him away.

"I know…and if you don't think you can do this, it's okay….you can go back to your tent….we'll take care of it."

Snap! Snaaaaaap! The power within him came fully awake now, and that familiar calm settled over him as it had before when he had seen pain…suffering. He shook his head. "No…Jaky helpings hurteds."

He knew without knowing the words to express it that he could help, and that this time, for whatever reason, he could help in ways he had never before imagined. His eyes burned with fierce determination as he said it, and it made Ashlynn smile. "Okay then…come with me and let's get started."

Twenty-three Mastiff's had sustained injuries, ranging from minor chafing caused by tiny bits of acid spray, all the way up to a near-disembowelment, for which there was nothing to be done.

The beasts were arranged such that the most severe cases were treated first, and Jaky approached each with the same level of care and concern. From his perspective, the Mastiff with the slight abrasion was every bit as important and deserving of close attention as the one they had to put down because his innards weren't exactly innards any more.

The first one was the worst; both because there was nothing to be done for the poor beast except end him quietly, and because of the pain he was so obviously in.

Too weak even to manage a warning growl as they approached.

Jaky held out his hands and the dog sniffed them, then licked weakly and whined.

One final Snnnnnaaaaaaap! that was so loud in his head and tummy, he thought surely everyone in the Hospital Tent would have heard it, and the power inside him flared brilliantly....the storm was breaking.

The world bucked and swam under his feet and beads of sweat popped out on his head. He grimaced and bit back a whimper as he felt the power surge through him....felt a level of connectedness to the injured and dying creature that was stronger by far, than anything he had ever felt before. It was as though a part of him was the creature, and the dog's pain was now his pain. Perhaps not the full measure, but every ounce of it he took from the Mastiff, he bore personally.

And he couldn't stop it. Could not control the storm raging inside him that kept spiraling up and up and up....stronger with each passing second as he connection with the animal grew deeper.

"H….hurteds so bad." He whispered as he stroked the proud Mastiff carefully, trying to keep his hands from shaking, and willing as much of the pain onto himself as he could bear, to keep the dog from suffering anymore than it already had.

Ashlynn joined him, gently stroking the dog's head as she prepared the poison stick. It smelled sweet, and one taste would put him out of his misery quickly and painlessly. "Yes….he fought bravely today….it will be over soon…we won't let him suffer."

He looked up at her through his tears and tried to focus on her. Tried to tell her what he could feel.

But there were no words, and the connection he shared with the dog ran so far beyond his limited vocabulary that he couldn't even fathom where to begin.

She had no idea.

None of them did, and he didn't have the words to tell them.

So he bore it.

Silently.

As stoically as he could manage.

In a few moments, Ashlynn brought up the poison stick and moved toward the Mastiff's head with it.

Jacob closed his eyes, but felt the connection with the animal weaken almost immediately.

The dog whined in response, and Jacob re-opened his eyes. Met and held the dog's gaze.

Ashlynn slipped the poison stick in the dog's mouth and his tale thumped weakly…happily at the taste of it.

Already his eyes were glazing over.

Pulse….weakening….fading.

Gone.

Jaky closed the proud animal's eyes as the pain receded from him. "No more hurteds…purdy….no more."

But he did not let himself rest. The storm within him was in full command now, and it simply would not allow it. There were other injuries here, and he could do something about them. He could ease their pain. "Wha'net?" He asked the Master Handler, and she guided him to the next-most-serious injury.

He kept a steady pace for nine solid hours. Never in a million moons could he have explained how he established that primal, empathic connection and been so completely plugged into the creatures' thoughts that their fears and pains became his own.

With each creature he touched, the level of connectedness grew deeper and stronger....his living essence became the healing, soothing balm that the animals were treated with. The medicines and surgical techniques were secondary. Jacob Dunn became, in those hours, the ultimate instrument of healing.

If not for the keen eyes of Ashlynn Briggs, the world might never have known exactly how strong Jacob's powers were growing, but as it was…hours later, and bent over yet another badly injured Mastiff, Jacob Dunn put his hands on the creature and locked eyes with it, once more fighting to keep the lines of pain from showing on his face, when Ashlynn saw it.

The dog had a nasty gash from a Nilroggi blade, just along his third rib.

And in that same spot, a thin, angry line of blood began seeping through Jacob's tunic.

"Gods and Saints." She murmured. "You can feel them."

He tore his eyes away from the dog's and met hers briefly.

Yes.

It was true, she realized.

How obvious it seemed now…the pain in his eyes. She had seen it earlier in the evening.....no mistaking or denying that, but she thought it was just the sight of them that affected him so, but now….it could not be.

And yet, she was witnessing the proof with her own eyes, in the form of his life's blood seeping through his tunic.

Her mind raced back along the list of injured he had treated so far, and when she mentally arrived at their first patient of the evening she bit back a gasp. Thankfully, that patient had been in a deep state of shock, or it would have been worlds worse…still, she shuddered when she realized how many hours they had been working and…"Oh Jaky, no! Please stop it! Please!"

She tried to pull him away from the dog, but he was a farm boy, strapping and strong. She had no more effect on him than a mosquito.

Another snap! inside him and his power grew again, such that he no longer needed to maintain eye contact for it to work.

He looked at Ashlynn, a thin, pained smile on his face. "Jaky helpings hurteds." He said with determination. "Hel….helpings hurteds."

In that moment, she wasn't sure whether to be horrified or awestruck.

Not knowing what else to do, she left him where he was and went to get help. "Randaaaaaall!"

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Seven
The Lantern

One look at Jacob's pain-strained, tear-streaked face, and Randall knew he would have to take quick, decisive action....whatever the nature of his abilities had been, it was clear that they were different now.

Different....more powerful, and growing much more quickly than Jacob's abilities to handle or control them.

He bit his bottom lip, thinking quickly, a thousand options and possibilities flashing through his nimble mind in an instant.

"Lady Briggs....find the Chief Surgeon and seal the Hospital Train at once! Nobody out, and only the seriously injured in. Absolutely no one else gets in here until I say otherwise. Understood?"

She nodded and left immediately to see to that task.

"Malachai!" He shouted....he did not see his Aide, but he knew that the man was likely still somewhere in the Train.

As if summoned by Lord Randall's calling his name, his long-time friend raised a hand, nodded, and began striding toward him, shouldering his way through the throng of people that was gathering around Lord Randall, even as he strode toward Jacob, barking orders as he moved.

"Move Jacob's things from his tent to my own. He'll be bunking with me from here on."

"It shall be done." Malachai said with a nod.

"Then....I want you to hand pick a full company of men....draw handfuls from various companies....I want the bravest of the brave, and the most loyal of the loyal. Have them assemble at my tent and await further instructions."

"Understood." Malachai left without another word.

Randall reached Jacob and put a hand on his forearm.

He was hot to the touch.

Too hot.....it went beyond feverish....as though the power he wielded was consuming him.

Roasting him alive.

"Jacob?"

No response.

Randall watched wide-eyed as the wounds on the Mastiff began closing....healing in an instant.

He also took note of the fact that there was more blood seeping through Jacob's tunic.

"Jacob....remember your father.....Pop Hiram told you to listen to me as you listen to him....stop.....Stop what you are doing."

Slowly, Jacob turned his eyes toward Lord Randall. They were blazing with fever...alive and crackling with power. "Jacob helpings.....fi' hurteds.....no more purdies hurteds.....no more."

"I want you to stop, Jacob.....I mean it....right....now." He wrapped his fingers around Jacob's wrists and tugged firmly.

Slowly....reluctantly, Jacob loosed his hold on the mostly-healed Mastiff and let his eyes drop to the ground.

"Good.....now close your eyes.....let it go Jacob....let it go.....don't look around you.....shut it out.....ease down.....that's it.....come on....ease down."

And he was....or at least, he seemed to be.

In that moment, he almost seemed to shrink a bit before Randall's eyes. He looked ravaged....pale and drawn....thinner....somehow lesser than he had been moments ago.

The storm was receding.

For now.

Randall hugged him fiercely for a long moment. "Come on," he whispered. "Let's get you out of here.....let's get you away from this for a while."

Jacob nodded weakly and started to walk with Randall, then collapsed and would have fallen completely if not for quick reflexes on Lord Randall's part.

"C.....can' wal'.....nany-los tir'deds." Jacob said weakly.

"It's okay son....I've got you....you're gonna be alright now." He told the boy....only half aware that he had called him 'son.'

It was how he felt.

"Jaky....do bads?" He asked miserably.

"No....no son...you did just fine....better than fine.....you helped the pretties....made them good as new....we've just....got to let you rest.....that's all."

"'k....Jaky res' now."

Carefully....tenderly, Randall led him from the Hospital Train, and back to his tent.

OoO

A short while later

For a considerable time after the founding of the Kingdom, the Wizards and the House of Fury had been on extremely good terms. In fact, the love affair between Duncan Fury and Lady Dierdranna, of the Order of Mystics was the stuff of legend even today. Songs were written about it....plays performed.....everyone in the Kingdom knew their story.

What most did not know, however, was that during that time of such closeness, Lady Dierdranna ordered the construction of twenty magical amulets as a gift to the House of Fury. With these amulets, members of the House could communicate quickly with one another, from anywhere in the Basin.

Over the years, two of the amulets had gone missing, but the House still knew the whereabouts of eighteen of them, and any time a member of the House of Fury was assigned on an important mission, one of the amulets was issued to that member, in case an emergency message needed to be transmitted.

"And thank my ancestors for their wisdom." Randall whispered to himself as he laid Jacob down on his hammock, and dug the amulet out from beneath his tunic.

He held it up and focused his attention on the bejeweled center, concentrating his mind on his sister, Lauren Fury, who was of the Witching Way, and presently in Trentare, studying with the Free-Folk.

In a moment, the amulet seemed to warm slightly in his hands, and the likeness of his sister appeared, in miniature, inside the bejeweled center of his amulet.

"Lauren....thank the gods you had it on."

"By the look on your face, brother, I'd have to agree with you.....what's wrong?"

He could see hints of movement behind her, and what looked like dancing. None too surprising, given the Free-Folk, and their love of that particular activity.

"I'm...sorry for interrupting, but I didn't quite know who else to turn to....we have, in our encampment, a most extraordinary young man....."

He spent the next hour telling her everything he knew of Jacob Dunn.

"I am not the one best-suited to help you." She told him when he had finished. "I lack any sort of empathic ability, and from the sounds of it, that would be required if we are to have any chance of saving the boy from himself....verbal communication would be of limited value in this case....we would lose time trying to convey advanced concepts to the boy, and trying to decipher what he was telling us.....what we need is someone who can plug directly into him, just as he seems to be able to do with the animals."

"And you know of such a person?" Randall asked hopefully.

"I believe so, yes. Give me till sunrise to locate her and speak with her on this matter, but I think I can pique her interest enough to deliver her to you.....in the meantime, let us end this communication....you put yourself at risk, brother....knowing that the Nilroggi are sensitive to our magics, you have, no doubt, just given your camp's position away to them."

"True enough, but under the circumstances, I thought it a risk worth taking."

"And given what you have told me of the boy's powers, I have to agree....keep safe, and I shall send her to you direct, as soon as I have spoken with her.....only if she is not coming, will I contact you through the amulet."

Randall nodded. "Thank you, Lauren....keep safe."

"And you, dear brother." She smiled, and let their connection fade.

OoO

"Malachai....convey my orders 'round the camp....I want pickets tripled tonight....we may be faced with a Nilroggi attack....and is it not so that Freeling's Command, of the House of Mourngrym is encamped nearby?"

"It is so, Lord Randall."

"Then send riders to them and tell them to expect the same. I would rather appear over-cautious than to inadvertently cost us more lives by being silent."

"It shall be done."

Malachai left the tent to carry out his friend and Master's orders, and Randall followed him out. The company of soldiers he had requested was standing silently at attention.

"Men, you are to guard this tent at all times, whether I am in it or not. Your presence is not for me, but for young Jacob, and should he and I separate for any reason, you are to remain with him. Understood?"

Nods and salutes all around.

"Good....look sharp....I don't know if we'll be in for a long night or not."

He went back to his tent, and spent the rest of the night kneeling beside Jacob Dunn, applying wet rags to his feverish brow and soothing his troubled sleep as best he could.

OoO
Blessedly, there was no Nilroggi attack that night, and shortly after sunup, as Randall half-slept on the floor beside an unmoving Jacob Dunn, he felt a tickle on his mind. At first, he thought he was just so tired as to be imagining it, but it came again....more insistent this time.

Randall? Randall of the House of Fury? He heard in a lyrical whispered voice.

"Yes? It is I." He whispered aloud, and heard a magical, beautiful laugher.

You need not speak aloud to me....I can hear your thoughts.....your sister spoke with me last evening about Jacob Dunn....is he with you now?

He is, M'Lady.

Sleeping? Will I disturb him if I appear before you?

Sleeping soundly indeed....I daresay your appearance won't have any impact on him whatsoever.

Very well....I will be with you shortly.

Those words were still echoing in his mind when she appeared in his tent, bathed in a lustrous silvery light.

A vision....there were no other words to describe her. Delicately beautiful, with long, flowing locks of blonde hair that seemed to shimmer.....she seemed to shimmer.....it was as though she were simply too beautiful to belong to this earth.

And lightly caressing the curve of her lovely neck was a thin, silver pendant of a river flowing.

"You...."

He whispered.

"You may call me Annabelle." She said with a warm smile as she came toward him.

"Enchantress of the Silver River."

"The same."

He was awestruck.

OoO

"It is actually best that he is sleeping....the mind erects barriers in the waking world....barriers that are easily breeched when sleeping....I can begin here and now, if you wish."

He nodded. "As you will, M'Lady."

She knelt before Jacob Dunn and placed her fingers lightly on his forehead.

Jaky....I can feel you Jaky, but I can't see you....where are you?

It's Jacob. His voice floated back to her, fine and strong. Jaky doesn't live here....only out there.

I understand.....my name is Annabelle....I have powers similar to yours, and have come to help you learn to control your gifts....to harness them, rather than being a slave to them as you were last night.

I.....couldn't make it stop. He said miserably as he stepped out of the darkness he had hid himself in and into her sight. It was killing me, and I couldn't make it stop.....was so scared.

She nodded and with a wave of her hand, materialized some chairs for them to sit in. Let us be comfortable, shall we....we have much to talk about, you and I.

Jacob sat and waited.

Nervous.

Uncertain.

You need not fear this gift, Jacob Dunn....for that is precisely what it is....a gift.....used well and wisely, this power you possess could save untold thousands from needless suffering.

Yes but last night....

She held up a hand, and he fell silent. Do not dwell on last night. You were a slave of the power you wield last night, but with understanding and practice, that need never happen again.....for us to succeed though, you must trust me.....Do you trust me, Jacob Dunn?

Yes.

Good....then let us begin, so you can realize your full potential.

Annabelle?

Yes?

Why am I..... He groped for the right words. Why am I....Jaky? I ache to be able to talk and think and communicate with everyone around me....like this....like we are right now....and in my dreams, I can! I am just like everybody else....but when I open my eyes.....I..... Tears welled up in his eyes and he shook his head and blinked rapidly in an unsuccessful attempt to stop them from coming. I hate being the way I am! He said bitterly. I hate being Jaky!

Child....you are who you are....here and now....in the waking world....it makes no difference....you are the same there as you are here. You should celebrate that....not despise it.

Then why does it feel as though I have a veil clouding my mind when I am awake....stirring up my speech and making me sound like an imbecile? If I am truly the same, inside and out, then for the mercy of all the Saints why can't I tell my father than I love him without sounding like a three-year-old?

Each of us....myself included, Jacob, has strengths and weaknesses. Life-challenges to overcome....that is one of yours. Accept it....accept it and learn to deal with it, or it will consume you. You can never realize the full potential of who you are if you despise yourself or any of your limitations. You should celebrate them just as surely as you celebrate life itself.....be glad in who you are, and strive to make that person as complete as you possibly can.....do you understand?

Jacob sighed heavily. I think so....yes M'Lady....it's just....so hard.....so.....so....

She reached out and touched his forehead. Shhhh....no words.....I know.....I know.

In a few moments, he had composed himself.

Ready to begin?

He nodded.

Excellent....now, the first thing I want you to do, is to picture a lantern....conjure one up here with us.

But how.....

All things are possible in the sleeping world, Jacob Dunn....you are talking to me right now, are you not?

Yes but...that's different...that's....

No different at all....will it into being, just as you will yourself to speak to me, not as Jaky, but as Jacob Dunn. *Make* it happen.

He closed his eyes and furrowed his brow for a moment. Slowly opened one eye a crack, not quite sure what to expect to see.

A lantern was seated neatly atop a newly conjured tree stump, and Jacob laughed with glee. I did it!

Very good.....now....study this lantern.....what do you know about it.

It gives off light.

Yes.....but what if you don't want the full measure of its light?

Jacob picked it up and adjusted the shutter on it. Then you do like this.....close the shutter and you.... He saw where she was going with it. So....I am the lamp....and the power in me is the light?

She nodded. Yes....you are the lantern....the power in you is just that....*in* you....without you, it is nothing....without you, it cannot survive....thus, you are in command of it....it is not in command of you....now what you must learn to do, is to keep this image of the lantern in your mind any time you make use of your abilities.....you are the lamp....the shutter is yours to control, and by adjusting it, you control how much of your power you let out....holding back when you feel you must, and opening it wider when the need arises.

He stared at the lantern, amazed that such a mundane object could hold such hidden wisdom.

Shall we practice?

He nodded.

And they did.

All that day, and well into the night, they practiced in the garden that was Jacob's mind.

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Eight
Dog Days

"I have seen to the worst of his injuries, and instructed him in the use and control of his power." The Enchantress said as she stood slowly....painfully, from the position she had been kneeling in for an entire day.

Randall went to her and knelt, took her hand and kissed it. "Thank you M'Lady....if not for you, I fear the boy may well have consumed himself with his powers."

"Aye....he surely would have. He has a gift....a potent gift indeed....empathy, communion with the natural world, healing, and possibly more....Time will tell."

Randall stood, and the two shared a moment of silence between them.

"So....what next then?" He asked.

"Let him rest. I put him through a rather exhausting series of trials today, but when he awakens, I think you will find him much more focused. Much more able to control his abilities....and let him use them. Give him every opportunity to practice his gift....only through practice will he truly master it."

"No fears there, M'Lady Annabelle....with the Nilroggi close at hand, I suspect that he'll have ample opportunities to hone his skills."

"Sadly, I suspect you are right, Lord Fury....and as for me....I must be off....my people, The Free Folk, have need of their Enchantress....my home is Trentare, and the Silver River in particular, and with all the troubles in the Kingdom, I fear being away for much longer a time than I have been already."

"Thank you again." Randall told her sincerely. "And if there is anything The Furies can do in exchange for your kindness here today, do not hesitate to call on us."

"Kind words, my young Lord....and thank you for them."

She favored him with a smile, and then was gone.

OoO

Later

Jacob did not awaken until noon the following day, and when he finally rose, he seemed....subdued. Not quite himself.

Almost....resigned about something.

It troubled Randall to see him that way, but he decided that the best thing to do was to simply make sure he knew how glad they were that he was alright and once more moving around among them.

When he was up, washed and dressed, the two left the tent together, and went to the Cook's tent, where Chef was busy preparing the noon meal.

As they walked that direction, Randall took note of the fact that almost everyone they passed took the time to wave to, or speak to Jacob. Some ruffled his hair with a smile as he passed, and others greeted him with a friendly "There's Jaky boy!" and similar phrases, and slowly, Jacob's familiar, infectious smile took root on his face and remained there.

He was returning.

Bouncing back from the nightmare of the Hospital Train, and the rigors of whatever training he had endured.

It was good to see.

Halfway through lunch, and in between bites of toast, Jacob met Randall's eyes and half-whispered, "Jaky deem purties la'nite.....helpings....Jaky lannern."

Randall got the first part, but not the second. "You dreamed of a pretty last night, did you? Did she have blonde hair and the most beautiful blue eyes you've ever seen?"

Jacob nodded.

"No dream then, my young friend....that Lady was the Enchantress of the Silver River, and she came to help you understand your powers."

"Helpings Jaky.....ma' Jaky see lannern."

Randall still wasn't quite sure what the boy was saying, but nodded in agreement nonetheless. "And it's good that she did.....we've got a lot of important work ahead of us....I've had Ashlynn Briggs working on a special project for me for quite some time now, and if you feel up to it, we could test out those new abilities."

"Owlses?"

"That's right! I had forgotten that I'd mentioned the Owls to you once before....yes, we've got three trained, and have sent them out patrolling....the hope is that you will be able to talk to them, and tell us what they saw."

"Owlses purdies no hurteds?"

Randall shook his head. "No....none of them have been injured....this time, it's all about talking this time....think you're ready?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Jaky re'y!"

"Excellent! Then after we...." The savage growling and barking of one of their Mastiffs not far off interrupted him in mid-sentence. And before he could even fully turn his eyes in that direction, the growling became a pain-filled yelp, followed by an eerie silence.

The soldiers in the camp took such sounds very seriously, and men who had been enjoying lunch only seconds before were on their feet, weapons ready, and charging toward where the sounds had been.

Jacob included....The moment he heard the sound of an animal in pain, he was on his feet and running full tilt toward the sound.

"Jacob...wait! Wait for me!" Randall called after him, sprinting off in the direction Jacob had gone.

OoO

"Shhh...." Jacob whispered to the dying Mastiff as he approached slowly....hands out. "Jaky helpings hurteds....Jaky fi'....Shhh...." Repeating that phrase over and over again as he drew closer, and then knelt down beside the dog.

A throng had gathered round him....some distance back to give him plenty of room to work, and as Randall drew nearer, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

The Hunter was close.

He scanned the crowd, trying to memorize as many faces as he could....trying to assess the danger....see what direction it might come from.

He noted that the bulk of the company he had assigned to watch Jacob was close at hand, but for some reason, it didn't give him much comfort. All it would take was one dagger thrust, one arrow....

His mind went back to the sight of the Bowmen of the Pine Cross....the first time he had felt the eyes of the Hunter.

Quickly, he searched the crowd again, looking for any soldiers bearing the emblem of the Pine Cross.

Nothing.

"You're careful....I'll give you that." He whispered, as he circulated through the crowd....not entirely sure what he was looking for, but keeping a sharp eye out nonetheless.

OoO

The wound was deep.

A thin blade had carved a neat line through the Mastiff's belly, and the dog's innards were in danger of falling out.

Jacob shivered, remembering the disemboweled dog he had treated in the Hospital Train.

Still, neither the sight of it, nor the memory of that night dissuaded him.

He put his hands on the dog.

"Jaky lannern....Jaky lannern." He whispered over and over again to himself as he slowly willed the shutter open and connected with the dog.

Opened it further until he shared the dog's pain.

Connected on such a deep level that he allowed himself to take the wound away from the dog, and bear it himself, and then turned the power onto himself to close the wound and ultimately be rid of it.

Control.

Exquisite control, just like the purdy Lady had shown him.

He was the lantern.

He was in command of his abilities.

His hands seemed to shimmer with light for a brief moment as the dog's wounds closed, and then the wound on his own tummy seemed to shimmer briefly before fading away.

He heard a surprised gasp from the crowd around him, but blocked it out.

There was only the dog, and the connection he and it shared.

Vaguely, he was aware that someone was watching him.

No....that wasn't right....there were lots of Peoples watching him, but one in particular was different.

Dangerous.

He let it go, and focused on what he was doing.

OoO

"Jaky fi' hurteds now." He heard the boy say, and then heard a collected gasp from the crowd.

Hearing that, Randall gave up the notion of ferreting out the would-be assassin, and decided to see what all the commotion was about. He began shouldering his way through the crowd that had gathered around Jacob, but by the time he got through, it was over.

The dog was on his feet again and licking Jacob's face happily.

The only indication that he had ever been injured at all was the dark blood stain on the ground where he had fallen.

Randall reached out and touched Jacob's shoulder. "Come on....let's get you out of here."

Jaky met Randall's eyes and for the briefest of moments, true understanding seemed to glint in them. Jacob nodded and the two left wordlessly.

But they both felt the continued eyes of the Hunter.

OoO

Somewhere in the Camp of Randall Fury

You have proof?

"Yes, my Master." The Watcher whispered reverently. "I saw with my own eyes....the dog should have died, but he laid his hands upon it, took the wound onto himself, and then closed it."

His hands and the wound were bathed in light?

"It is so, my Master."

Very well. We have all the proof we need. J'honsa is wise and benevolent. All-knowing. He would never allow such a power in the hands of one unworthy to wield it, and this man-child is an abomination. Feebleminded, and yet, having been 'gifted' with such power....it is surely the hand of Ollux, the Polluter.

The Watcher shivered at that. "What must I do, my Master?"

Pray that his pollution and corruption has not tainted your soul, and watch for our signs. We will send another to rid the Basin of this unclean presence.

Without waiting for a reply, the Communion ended, and the Watcher sat huddled in his tent, eyes tightly closed, hands clasped together in desperate, frightened prayer.

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Nine
Owlses

The best remedy for a troubled mind is hard work.

That's what his great grandfather Duncan used to say, or so he had been told by both his grandfather and his father, and perhaps there was a measure of truth in it.

In any case, there was certainly much to be troubled about. In the larger sense, there was, of course, the ever-present Nilroggi invasion and his concern over the well-being of the men in his command, and for that matter, the whole of the Basin. Times were desperate. The common folk may not have been aware of it, but as it was, they were holding on by the skin of their collective teeth, with the Armies of Candle'Bre spread dangerously thin and suffering losses they could ill afford. Every time they lost a seasoned veteran in battle, he was replaced with a less experienced farmer-turned-soldier, who, like so many others in the ranks of Candle'Bre's armies, had no idea or understanding of the enemy they were fighting, nor the true scope of the battle. This wasn't about territory, borders, or boundaries, it was about survival. A brute-force, tooth-and-nail battle for survival. Two races who hated each other, trapped in the basin together, and there was only room for one.

The Nillrog had already amply demonstrated that they were not interested in parlay or discussion. They would show no quarter. If the Armies of Candle'Bre faltered, and the Nilroggi gained a permanent foothold in the Basin, then everyone in the Kingdom was lost.

That was the simple truth, and that alone would have been ample cause for a troubled mind, but it was just one of many things that weighed heavily on him. In addition to that looming danger, there was also the matter of Jacob's powers…worries and questions about whether or not he could control and contain them, long-term, and then there was the problem with the Hunter whom Randall had felt twice now, but as yet, had had no success in finding.

Who was he, and why so interested in Jacob Dunn? What possible motive could anyone have to harm him? And beyond that, how far would the faceless Hunter go?

For the first time in his military career, he longer felt secure in his own encampment, for if the Hunter wanted Jacob, and Jacob was tucked under Randall's protective wing….

"….Randall are you listening to me?" Ashlynn nudged him gently.

I'm…sorry Lady Briggs….I must confess that my mind wandered a bit." He looked up at her sheepishly and smiled. "What was it you were saying?"

"Communication." She said in mock exasperation. "You know….talking….listening….the back-and-forth interaction between intelligent species? A thing we ought to work on a bit ourselves." She shook her head and chuckled at him as she added that last bit.

"Yes…that's right…communication."

"Jacob should be finished with the owls momentarily, but before he comes back out with his report, I wanted to get your opinion on my idea."

Randall raised a curious eyebrow. Your idea concerning…..

"Argh! Were you not paying attention to anything I said then?"

He said nothing, but the guilty look on his face was an answer in its own right.

She laughed good naturedly, and then sighed and looked impossibly put upon as she repeated herself (still smiling though, so he knew he wasn't completely in the dog house). "I said that if the experiment with the owls is a success, perhaps we can try something similar with the Nilroggi. We assume that they're not interested in talking because they haven't, but what if they haven't because they can't?"

She let the question hang there for an extended moment and the full weight of what she was saying settled over him.

His jaw dropped open.

She was right.

If Jacob could talk to the animals then what if…..what if….

"Ashlynn that's brilliant! That's….I'm going to catch one….I'm going to capture a Nillrog and see if Jacob can talk to it."

"If the experiment with the owls works."

"Yes….if it works."

Those words were no sooner out of his mouth than the door to the makeshift aviary opened, and Jacob emerged beaming. "Owlses purdies say funnies!" He told them gleefully as he motioned them to come with him.

A slow smile spread across Randall's face. Early indications looked good, that much was certain.

OoO

After taking Jacob's initial report, they sent him back into the Owl room to play with his new friends while they discussed what he had told them.

"It looks good on the surface of it….the Owls described all the major terrain features nearby, and did so with enough accuracy to warrant further use of them for that purpose…our maps will be better for it, that much is true."

"But…." Randall asked her, sensing a hesitation on her part.

"But the repeated references to rolling rocks is worrisome. There have been no mudslides, no geologic disturbances in this area at all….I question the validity of their reports not so much on the basis of geological inaccuracy, but on potential misunderstandings between us…there is a communications gulf not easily overcome."

Randall smiled at her. "In that, I think we are secure….mostly. I've been getting better at Jacob-speak since coming to know him, and I believe you're not listening with quite the right set of ears."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't take the report of the Owls quite so literally, M'Lady Ashlynn. I think it unlikely that avian creatures would care enough even to know to report things like mudslides or falling rocks to us. It's both literally and figuratively beneath them, and unless we specifically asked them to keep a sharp eye out for that sort of thing, I don't think it would even occur to them….on the other hand, predators….now there's something worth writing home about….I think the Owls have been informing us as to Nilroggi troop movements and positions….from the top down, would they not look like…"rolling rocks?""

She gaped at him, and then a smile crept onto her features. "I think you're right!"

Randall nodded. "I'd call that a success then."

She jumped up and down excitedly and then ran off to get Jacob.

When she was gone, Randall let out a long sigh and with his finger, traced imaginative designs into the wood of the table he was seated at.

"We've got you now, you sons of *****es," he whispered. "And I'm going to catch one of you….I'm going to catch one of you or I am not a Fury!"

The best remedy for a troubled mind is hard work….and what could possibly be harder than the task ahead? More to the point, what could possibly be harder than catching a predatory Nillrog, while keeping his army in fighting shape, while keeping Jacob safe from harm, while discovering the identity of the Hunter who was so interested in his charge, and of course, all the while, not getting killed himself.

He smiled at the challenge that lay ahead.

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Ten
Fury

Approximately Six Weeks Later

It had been a busy time indeed, with the army almost constantly on the move….barely enough time to get the camp firmly established than it was time to break it down and move on.

Armed with their new intelligence gathering apparatus, the army of Randall Fury launched a series of stinging offensives against the invading Nilroggi hordes. At every turn, it seemed that the humans were one step ahead of their foes, laying in wait along well-traveled Nilroggi paths, setting ambushes in places when the Horde attempted to move its forces in secret, and inflicting a steady barrage of casualties on their enemies.

The victories did not come cheaply or easily, however. In battle, the Nillrog were fearsome opponents, and one of their number was generally more than a match for a human.

And so blood flowed on both sides, but as always, the Nilroggi seemed much more capable of simply absorbing the losses and moving on, while the human forces felt the bite of each and every casualty they suffered, and found it increasingly more difficult to field a battle-hardened force. New recruits filtered in with at least semi-regularity, never asking who it was that they were replacing, or why.

No need.

By the time they had been rushed through the basics of their training (at least enough so that they posed as much of a threat to the Nilroggi as they posed to themselves with the weapons they wielded), they had been transformed from common folk, largely ignorant of the present human situation, into informed soldiers who represented the thin line between the Horde and the Homeland.

There was simply no time to dwell on the fallen….not if any were to survive.

Nonetheless, in the weeks following Jacob's successful communications with the trained owls, the Army of the Furies struck a series of hammer-like blows to the leading elements of the Horde, and in those battles, they had consistently given better than they had gotten.

They were still a long way from being at a time of celebration, but at the very least it was a time of cautious optimism. The feeling was that if things continued on as they were now, the humans just might get out of this war alive.

One thing that had proved frustratingly difficult, however, was capturing one of the creatures they fought.

The Nilroggi were fiercely protective of one another, and quite careful of their own, taking great pains and even greater personal risk to rescue their dead and wounded comrades from the field. On more than one occasion, Randall had witnessed Horde elements launch a strategically unsound attack that cost them still more lives, simply to recover their fallen.

And one could hardly argue with their success, militarily unsound or no.

All the years that humans had spent fighting the Nilroggi, and there was still so much that they simply did not know about their opponents.

The Nilroggi seemed to prefer it that way.

"They're a stubbornly determined race, and not fond of the notion of parting with their secrets, but we'll have them….we'll have them." Randall Fury whispered to no one in particular as he sat writing in his journal.

Jacob lay asleep in his hammock. It had been another exhausting day for him, as well. More injured animals to treat, intelligence reports from their animal scouts to take, and then relay to the War-Captains, but he was holding up well. Not once since that dreadful first night had he lost control of his powers.

It seemed then, that the Enchantress had instructed him well.

Randall allowed himself a weary smile. Well, that was something, at least.

That, and the fact that not once during the past six weeks had he detected the eyes of the Hunter while walking with Jacob around the camp.

Of course, they had been kept mightily busy of late, and the possibility always existed that the Hunter had been among the many casualties suffered, but Randall was a cautious man, especially when it came to the safety of those he cared about. The company of guards he had hand-picked to remain near Jacob retained those orders. He had not released them back into the army proper, and despite the fact that they had seen more than twenty actions in the past month and a half, that particular company of men had not seen the first bit of fighting.

Jacob remained their one…their only priority.

An alarm bell sounded on the western end of the Encampment.

Nilroggi night raid.

"Damn them!" He hissed as he hauled himself up and retrieved his cutlass, then made for the Command Tent to find out what was amiss.

OoO

"They must be using tunnels, Lord Randall." One of his Lieutenants informed him in explanation for the attack. "Our animal scouts report *no* Horde forces anywhere within a day's ride of the camp."

"And yet, here they are….attacking us in the night."

The Lieutenant nodded meekly.

Randall considered a moment, and then started barking out orders.

"First, find Captain West and have him send feelers out into the countryside near the western edge of the camp. We must gain some knowledge of the approximate strength of the enemy force…is it a harassment raid, or a full blown attack. This, we must discover quickly.

In the meantime, treat it as though it were a full scale attack. Route half your available men to the western section of the camp; keep a quarter in reserve, and post a quarter around our flanks. The Nilroggi have never yet used a feint, but it doesn't mean they won't start, and just in case, I don't want our boys too badly out of position.

Execute a rolling advance….Pikes out front, cavalry charges to break up the approaches, and then holding the line till the Pikes advance and catch up. We'll take steady ground from them and get the fighting away from the camp border till we have a better idea of what we're up against.

Next, find Captain Preston and have him get the rigging and nets ready. By the gods I will not let this opportunity escape us. Another battle, another attempt to capture one of them."

He pondered a moment, reviewing in his mind to see if he'd missed anything.

It did not appear so, and he nodded to himself. Satisfied. "That's it….dismissed."

"It shall be done!" Was the curt, no-nonsense reply he got from his Lieutenants as they went to convey his orders.

"Yes…." He whispered as he studied the map, trying to fathom where the caves might be. "Let's play a little deadly hide and seek tonight."

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Eleven
Night Raid

A skirmish force, apparently.

That was Captain West's initial assessment, and he'd be the one to know….out there in the dark with his men….the most dangerous form of scouting imaginable.

"Very well." Randall told the runner. "Pass this order to two others, and the three of you make back for West….tell him to form up behind where he last saw the largest concentration of them, and attempt to drive them toward us. I want to isolate a small band of them and trap them between us."

The runner nodded and departed, and Randall stood in the tent contemplating the most delicate bit of the operation.

Three weeks earlier, they had one. They had one! Cut off from the main attack group, a lone battle wedge had been whittled away until only a smaller male remained. They netted him, stripped him of his weapons, and then moved in for the capture, intent on dragging him back to Jacob.

What they wound up with though, was a dead Nillrog.

He had no weapons. They had made quite sure of that, and there were no visible injuries on him at all.

He had just….died.

Once the others of his group were gone, he had managed to evade them for more than an hour as they closed in around him. Finally managed to snare him, and he fought like a wildcat. One minute struggling fiercely, and the next, lethargic. Almost sedated.

After that, he hadn't lasted long.

The life seemed to fade from him as quickly as the fight had.

So….since bringing the Nillrog to Jacob didn't appear to be a viable option, it only left one road open to him.

"Bring Jacob to the Nillrog." He said it aloud, half-hoping that hearing the words spoken, he would talk himself out of it.

Damn, but he wished there were some other way!

If there were, it eluded him.

He sighed, resigned.

This was too important not to try….still; he fervently wished he could come up with a way of doing it that didn't jeopardize Jacob Dunn.

He could minimize that risk, but he couldn't eliminate it, could he?

And that was the thing that gave him pause. No matter how many contingency plans he made….no matter how many bases he covered, there was always the possibility of overlooking something. And it wouldn't be something that he planned for that would sneak up to bite him….no, even if those things happened, they could be dealt with and worked around.

It would be the one thing he overlooked that would blindside him and make it all come tumbling down around him.

Still, he knew he had to try. A successful contact with the Nillrog would be….huge.

Beyond huge….it was bigger than any imagining.

With one final sigh, he left the Command Tent and went to find Jacob.

OoO

"Here's how we're going to do this, and people….hear me….if you never obey another order of mine so long as you live….obey this one. I want no mistakes….this must be absolutely flawless in its execution."

"It will be done!" Came the shouted, enthusiastic reply from the dozen assembled before him, which included Malachai, Ashlynn Briggs (decked out in full battle dress, and sporting a pair of hand crossbows, with her prized falcon on her shoulder), and ten of the company of hand-picked soldiers he had requested to guard Jacob.

"I will lead you into battle personally….our objective will be to link up with Captain Harmon's forces, currently pressing hard against the skirmish group and driving them away from the encampment….Captain West, meanwhile, is making for them, coming from the opposite direction….eventually, the two units will meet, and have the Nilroggi Battle Wedge pinned between them….we go in, and dismantle it….Kill all the bull males….too big and too hard to control for our purposes, but as for the rest…try and subdue as many of the smaller males or females you see…all we need is one, but of course, if we can manage more, then we certainly should….Net them, trap them, and drag them down to immobilize, and then, when the area is secure, we bring Jacob in….if anything, and I mean anything begins to go awry, I want two short blasts from a signal horn, and we pull Jacob out."

Nods of understanding all around.

"Time to earn our pay then….make me proud, everyone."

A lusty battle cheer went up from his assembled force, and he allowed himself a measure of hope.

He had the best of the best with him….if they could not keep Jacob safe, no one could.

OoO

Somewhere north of Randall Fury's Encampment

Braal felt the shiver run down the length of his spine, and stopped in his tracks.

Again.

The death-shiver.

And the only person who could have evoked that particular response in him was Jacob Dunn.

The boy was in danger.

Braal turned to the patrol he was leading. "Change in plans." He told them simply as he started due south, trusting his inner voice to guide him to where he was needed.

None of the other men in the patrol questioned even for a moment, Braal's decision. His abandonment of a direct order to scout this way for Lord Mourngrym's force. It was a thing that every Kellen warrior understood, and a thing they were honor bound to.

If a friend was in danger, then that friend received immediate attention, and the rest of the world could rot in a festering pit of hell if they didn't like it.

And that's exactly what Lord Mourngrym and his army could do, because Braal was Kellen, and he was going.

OoO

Trapped.

So far, it was working exactly as planned. West and Harmon's commands had met as planned, with Pikes and Skirmishers posted in even intervals around the line, forming a pair of arcs that linked up some quarter mile from the edge of Randall's encampment, and inside this slowly shrinking wall of human flesh was a Nilroggi battle wedge.

Originally twenty-one strong, it had seen its numbers dwindle steadily as it hurled itself against that wall of flesh and bone, frantically seeking escape. Now down to twelve, and minus all of its largest males, it was steadily becoming less and less menacing of a fighting force, especially given that there were literally hundreds of humans surrounding them.

They charged the line again, in an effort to use their combined weight to make a breech and then scamper to freedom, but the line held….the humans would not yield, and the Nilroggi were growing desperate. Even an untrained eye could see that much in the character of their movements.

Skreeeeeeeeeahcht! Came the sounds of the Nilroggi battle cry, followed by a series of snorting and chittering sounds as the remnants of the battle wedge charged forward, toward the skirmish line that Captain Harmon had set up.

"Here they come again boys…hold the line!" Harmon said lustily as he hefted up his mace and prepared to join his men. "Let's give them a pasting they'll not soon forget! Go for the legs…try to immobilize a few of them!"

In seconds, the air was filled with the thunderous crash of human and Nillrog colliding, followed by bleats and squeaks of pain, and human wails indicating the same.

Three more Nilroggi fell before they retreated, as did five humans, but the line held, and the wedge retreated away from Harmon's group, seeking the center.

OoO

"My Lord Randall, you just missed them!" Harmon reported as Randall's group of fourteen got into position. "They have quite literally just withdrawn after their latest charge against our lines. Down to half a dozen now….smaller members all."

"The bulls are all dead?" Randall asked, taking note of how big and luminous Jacob's eyes were in the darkness. The boy must have been terrified, but he was doing a good job of hiding it.

"Aye…we value our hides, m'lord…those were our first priority."

The Fury Lord nodded. "Good man….hold the line and constrict it to fifty yards across….we'll go in and finish this."

The initial plan was to leave Jacob behind the line surrounding the Nilroggi, until they had the remainder subdued, but just before he entered the ring of flesh, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up again.

The Hunter, whose presence he had not felt for six full weeks.

And he was here now.

Close.

Too close.

On the other hand, they were within inches of capturing a Nillrog and seeing if Jacob could learn anything from it.

So close....so very close.

"Jacob…come with me…I'll keep you safe."

"We go see 'gogs?"

Randall nodded, and Jacob swallowed hard at the thought, and then followed.

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Twelve
Killing Field

Randall and his men fanned out…stalking. Staying low to the ground in a crouch as they advanced, weapons ready.

Jacob was positioned just behind Randall, following close and visibly shivering.

He was flanked by two torch-bearers who provided light for the assembled group.

"They don't have far to run, but I still can't see anything." Ashlynn whispered.

"Stay sharp people….expect anything."

They continued toward the center.

"Movement, left flank, I need he…." The soldier's words became a shrill scream of pain as the Nilroggi battle wedge descended on the left flank of Randall's small band, intent on crushing the life out of all present. The new leader of the band, a medium-sized male with a wicked scar on his left cheek, impaled the soldier with a pair of Nilroggi blades and then shoved him to the ground to die. Randall mentally dubbed him 'Scar' and tried to keep track of him.

Lady Ashlynn displayed remarkable reflexes, and was the first to react. She spun smoothly, took half a second to aim in the shadow-laden dark, and let two bolts fly, each at a different creature. The leader of the Nilroggi band answered her quick reflexes with a show of amazing agility in response, actually succeeding in dodging the bolt aimed at him. The creature immediately behind took the hit instead. Both of Ashlynn's bolts found their mark in two different knee joints, and suddenly the human scream of pain was not the only sound shattering the silence.

By the time she had loosed her falcon toward the injured ones (who proceeded to swoop in and harass, clawing at those fearsome heads), the others in the group had turned and begun a counter-charge.

Another of Randall's hand-picked soldiers went down, victim of those crushing mandibles, as one of Scar's Lieutenants got up-close-and personal. The soldier had time to put a hand to his ruined throat and make a soft gurgling noise before he died.

Randall chanced a glance toward Jacob, who had dropped to his knees and was rocking back and forth like a child. Clearly sobbing, though the Fury Lord could not hear the sounds of it from where he was. "Jacob…it's all right…it'll be over soon, I promise….just stay there, okay? Stay with me…we'll get you out of this soon, I promise!"

If Jacob heard, he made no sign of it, and continued to rock back and forth, eyes closed tightly, and tears streaming down his face.

It sickened Lord Randall to see, but there was nothing to be done about it. The only alternative would have been to leave him with the company commander, and in sight of the Hunter.

"You and you!" he shouted, pointing at two other soldiers. "Join the torch-bearers and surround Jacob!" He charged past them in time to parry a wicked blow aimed for a still-reloading Lady Ashlynn, who reflexively (and without breaking her reload rhythm, he was proud to note), shrugged her shoulders elaborately and twisted slightly, in a motion which flung a portion of her cape over her face.

The acid-spray from the blade immediately began eating through the cloth of her cape, and another shrug brought it back down to her side. One reload complete, and one more to go.

Malachai scored the group's first kill as he drew his second scimitar and began fighting Florentine….blades flashing in the torchlight in a dizzying pattern, a human-and-steel wall of whirling death that utterly stalled the battle wedge's advance.

Malachai stopped his whirling attack abruptly, bringing one scimitar to either side of a Nilroggi head, cleanly removing it from the creature's body.

The beast crumpled to the ground, and the two behind him immediately charged forward.

Malachai danced gracefully backwards, and started his blades spinning once more.

"Good show, Malachai, but we need at least one alive, remember." Randall called out as he joined battle with another.

"Got it covered." Malachai said in response as his mastery with the blade became apparent yet again, and one of the two Nilroggi now facing him suddenly found himself disarmed, his blade lying in the grass some twenty feet away.

Ashlynn drew a bead on the two Nilroggi she had hit earlier (easy to spot, with bolts protruding from their knees), and went to work on them again….same strategy, other knee.

One out of two this time, and one Nillrog went down screaming. "Net him! Net him!" She called out to the soldiers carrying the nets.

They rushed forward in response, and Ashlynn drew a mace to cover them, smacking the downed one in the head to stun him as she approached.

Suddenly, the fallen one had a pair of Nilroggi blades run through him, and a strong Nilroggi arm rammed into Ashlynn with bone-jarring force, sending her sprawling. Scar chattered angrily at her, ending his string of curses with a fierce hiss before moving on to do battle with another of Randall's soldiers.

"Did you see that?" She asked as she sat up half-dazed and spitting blood. "He killed his own, rather than risk capture!"

Randall nodded, then ducked and rolled partway under the Nillrog he was fighting, cutting deep into the creature's legs. It went down too.

It was hard, brutal work….but they just might succeed.

Despite the blows they had taken thus far, Randall still had hope.

OoO

The Assassin started toward the battle line almost casually. He had given much thought to the problem of who to be when it came time to deliver the deception that would doom the boy, and settled on what he thought would make a fine choice.

His initial thought had been to impersonate Lord Brian Fury, Master of the House of Fury, but ultimately, he put that notion aside.

Too much. Not that he couldn't have made it believable, but it just seemed….too convenient. Contrived.

No…it was much more natural to select "one of the guys"….someone that everybody in the came was familiar with, and who would have no reason to lie about the condition of the camp.

And in that case, the choice had been a simple one.

He smiled as his features shimmered and morphed….shifting to take on the likeness of 'Chef,' the portly, smiling camp cook that everybody saw twice a day.

For effect, he took the sheep's bladder of blood he had brought with him specifically for the occasion, and splattered it liberally on his clothes, rubbing a good bit on his face.

Then, to make the image complete, he mixed some of the blood with the earth he walked on, and smeared mud streaks onto his face.

There.

All set now.

And before he crested the small rise that would lead him to Captain Harmon's force, he got on his knees to pray, both for him and for the mercenaries who would strike on his command when the time was right.

OoO

"Cap'n Harmon sir….Cap'n Harmon sir!" Came the panic-filled cry of a voice familiar to him.

He turned to look, and saw Chef barreling toward him at top speed, huffing and puffing with such urgency that Harmon felt certain the man's heart was on the verge of bursting.

That he was here at all was surprising to say the least, but given his condition….mud-streaked and covered in blood….

Harmon felt as though he had been kicked in the stomach.

"Ain't no skirmish, Cap'n….they's Nillrog all over the camp! They broke through! They broke through!"

"God's Teeth!" Harmon shouted. Camp was a quarter mile away. In the dark, they would not make good time.

He unhitched his signal horn and blew two signals of three quick blasts, in the sign that the base was under attack. That would send everybody scrambling.

"Men…to the camp!" He shouted as he broke the human wall trapping the Nilroggi, and let his men away.

OoO

As soon as he heard the six frantic blasts from Harmon's signal horn, he began piecing together how things would proceed.

He was willing to bet his life that there was no Nilroggi attack on the camp, which was the *only* thing that particular signal could mean.

Which meant that someone had staged it.

More to the point, someone had staged it to get Randall and his small band alone in the dark.

Which meant they would be coming.

Soon.

"Form up! Forget about taking several, we'll go for one and hold!"

"What about the camp?" Malachai asked.

"If we make it out of this, I suspect we'll discover that the camp is just fine."

"Ambush then?" Malachai asked warily.

Randall nodded. "Think so, yes."

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Thirteen
Ambushed!

"See the one with the scar?" Randall pointed as his men rallied 'round him.

All nodded.

"That's the one I want….take him, two men and myself will pin him, and the rest of you drive off or kill the others in the wedge."

"Will they not just flee if we let them?"

Randall shrugged. "As far as I know, they have no idea what our signals mean….so they think they're still surrounded….I believe they'll stand their ground here….plus, we just saw one kill his own rather than see it captured….we're too close to getting one to allow that to happen, so if it breathes and it's not us, it dies."

Half a second's pause, and then there was simply no reason to delay.

"Let's catch a damned Nillrog." Randall told them as they charged.

Randall led the group, approaching Scar and brandishing his cutlass.

Scar answered back by spinning his pair of thick, cumbersome blades.

Unexpectedly, Randall dropped to the ground just as his two soldiers rushed up behind him bearing the net, which they threw over the lead Nillrog, and seconds after that, the rest of Randall's band struck ferociously, Ashlynn leading off with stinging bolts from her hand crossbows, and the rest of the soldiers charging behind the whirling, flashing blades of Malachai.

And it was working.

They pushed the remnants of the wedge back before the other members could rescue or kill Scar, who was now hissing and chattering violently in the net, spinning and lunging at anything that moved.

It was all the three humans trying to pin him could do to keep him from getting loose, and Randall sought the eyes of someone…anyone who might be free to lend a hand.

Finally, his eyes met one of the torch bearer's. "You…help us! Plant your torch in the ground and control this beast!"

The man strode forward, and soon, the combined weight of four humans pinned Scar to the ground firmly.

Better. Randall thought to himself as he gasped for breath.

Not exactly the flawless execution he had hoped for, but then, the whole plan seemed to have pretty much crumbled apart anyway.

At least they had a Nillrog now, so plan or no, that much could be counted as a success, at least.

With their most battle-hardened male captured, and the few remaining Nilroggi either being badly injured exhausted (or both), the fight did not last long, and soon, silence reclaimed the night.

He stood and dusted himself off as another of his soldiers came to relieve him from his duties of pinning the captured Nillrog to the ground, and he walked slowly over to where Jacob was sitting.

He knelt beside the boy and put his hands on his shoulders. "Jacob…I'm so sorry." He whispered and he gathered him up in an embrace. "I'm sorry we had to do it this way, but it's over now…it's all over now, and we need….I need you to come with me and see if you can talk to the 'gog…can you do that?"

Slowly, Jacob looked up and met Randall's gaze. His bottom lip was trembling as though he might start sobbing again at any second, and there was no shortage of tears in his eyes and on his face, but he was looking now, and at least marginally composed. There was at least a chance, then….at least a chance.

"Can you do that for me?"

The boy nodded, and Randall helped him to his feet.

They would have their answer soon.

OoO
Jaky didn't like the 'gogs…they scareded him….made nany-los bloods and hurted purdies bads. He had seen it with his own eyes….shared their pain….watched them as they made Gone Away.

And as he approached the 'gog, netted, pinned beneath the bulk of four Peoples, he wanted to hate the creature. He wanted to scream at it and make hurteds on it, just like he had seen on the purdies he helpinged.

But he couldn't.

As he knelt beside it and reached his hand out slowly, he saw that the 'gog was hurteds too.

And scareded…like him.

"Shhh….Jaky talkings to you now…no hurteds." He whispered as his fingers brushed against the armor-like, rough skin of the creature's head. It hissed softly in response and clicked its mandibles together very slowly, as if in warning, but Jacob did not remove his hand.

Nor did the creature strike, though it easily could have.

From what seemed like very far away, he heard Ran'all say something, and his Peoples started to make circle around Jaky and his 'gog.

The 'gog hissed again and started to squeal and talkings loud, and Jacob could feel, in the beginnings of the connection that was forming between he and the creature that it was terrified.

Shhhh…. He sent into the creature's mind, grateful that his connection was growing stronger, and almost happy in the sense that here…in this form of communicating, he could be Jacob Dunn, rather than Jaky. He deepened the connection, imagining himself flooding the creature's mind with the light from himself, passing on his own growing sense of calm to the Nillrog. If you stop struggling, I'll make them back away. He told the creature, whose eyes widened in shocked surprise.

I know you can hear me….and I know you can understand me….be still, and I will make them move away so we can talk.

The creature made an angry hiss in his mind as a response, followed by a series of chittering noises and then…something that might have almost been….song.

Whatever it was that the creature 'said,' it was clear that he was none-too-happy. Nonetheless, he stopped struggling.

"Ran'all no moonings close! 'tay way….'gog scardeds now…Jaky tyning talkings." He told them, and the creature before him could feel the frown of disgust toward himself in his own mind.

If they didn't get the entire message, they got enough. "Get back!" Randall told them sharply as he took several steps back himself, guiding the others back as he did so.

The creature remained still, eyes locked on Jaky's.

"What the hell are we doing?" Malachai asked in a muted whisper.

Randall shook his head. "God's truth old friend, I have no idea."

They waited.

OoO

Now do you see that I don't want to hurt you…I made them step back.

Lett….meeee….goooooh. came the slow, echoing whisper in his mind. Letttt meeeeeeeeh goooooooooh…..

I can't do that….the people here want me to talk to you if I can….to find out why you hate us…why we fight.

Yesssss…..haaaaaaate....haaaaaate humaaaaaaaansssss.

But why? Why do you hate humans? What have we ever done to you?

Rememmmmmber.

Remember what? There's nothing to remember…you are the first Nillrog I have ever been in contact with.

Youuuuu lie! The creature told him defiantly. Weeee rememberrrr you….weeee alllll remmmmemberrrr.

Jacob had never been more terrified in his whole life, sitting here in the dark with the smell of danger all around him and….

The smell of danger?

He couldn't smell danger.

He contemplated that a moment.

But….

But maybe the Nilroggi could.

If he was so plugged into the creature's mind that they could communicate like they were, then why not? Why couldn't he borrow the creature's senses too?

"Jaky….you've got to hurry…we have to get you out of here!" He heard Randall say from somewhere that seemed very, impossibly distant from where he was.

He vaguely felt himself nodding in response, and then turned his attention back to the creature.

I don't have much time….There are people….other humans who want to kill me just like your kind and mine kill each other….forgive me for doing this, but I don't have time to banter back and forth.

Before the creature could protest or react, Jaky….Jacob opened up the shutter of the lamp in his mind all the way, and flooded the Nillrog with….himself.

Suddenly, his mind was the creature's mind, and the creature's mind was his.

"Mother of God." Jaky said aloud, in a voice that was perfectly clear and understandable.

Randall's eyes widened in surprise, hearing that….not the voice of Jaky, but of Jacob Dunn. He had no idea what it meant, but here….in this place, it was as terrifying as it was mystifying.

He had no idea how much time passed, but when he felt he simply could take no more, he willed the shutter closed.

Not completely….left it open enough to maintain the connection with the creature, but closed it enough so that they could separate their minds.

What did you do, human?

Jacob noted with some pride that as a result of their minds mixing, the creature no longer sounded quite so alien to him. I….I am sorry…I had to show you that I mean you no harm…and I had to try to learn from you.

You….your kind….you truly do not remember? Nilroggi remember….the Horde is one.

I understand that now, and no…I am the only one in the entire Kingdom who knows, and I only just learned it from you.

What you have learned….is but the dust on the surface….you must….you must tell others, and you must find….find us.

Then I must leave now.

Because your own kind wish to kill you….you come from an insane race….killing your own….that is why we will….defeat you if the fighting does not stop….if not this time….then later….but it will happen….you realize that now.

Yes…and I must make our leaders listen.

There was a strange gurgling sound somewhere behind him, and suddenly the Nillrog exploded in a frenzy of activity, snapping and snarling up to his full height, and then grabbing Jacob and spinning him around 180 degrees.

Randall saw what was happening and reached for his scimitar, but he would be too late. "Jacob, noooooo!"

His attention was so focused on Jacob and the fact that the Nillrog seemed intent on killing him that he didn't even see one of his men collapse behind him.

Didn't fully realize what was happening until he heard the faint-but-deadly phffffffft! sound, and see the trio of arrows pierce the Nilrogg's back, and bite deep.

The creature let out a low groaning hiss and began to slump to the ground.

F….find ussss….. He said into Jacob's mind as the life and light began to fade from him. Find usssss…. Using the last of his energy, the creature sent a map into Jacob's mind, showing the location of a nearby tunnel network….the very tunnel network that had, no doubt, made the Nilroggi raid a possibility, and though Jacob understood it here…he wasn't sure if Jaky had the vocabulary to make it clear to Lord Randall exactly what the Nillrog had given him.

It was a show of courage, sacrifice, and extreme good faith.

Jacob let go of the Nillrog and looked over Lord Randall's shoulder, taking in the sight of a throng of mercenaries closing the distance between them.

Randall had seen them too, and he and his band had turned their full attention to them, although as the Nillrog died, he chanced a glance back at Jacob. "Run!" He said in a hoarse whisper. "For the love of all the Saints, son, run for your life and hide yourself well….one of my family will seek you out…they will never stop looking, I swear it…..now run, and don't you dare look back….I don't want you to remember me as I will soon be, but as I was."

There was no time for goodbye, though Jacob knew that's what this was. Here. This moment….was goodbye. He nodded gravely, fighting back his tears, turned, and ran.

"Did I just see what I think I just saw?" Ashlynn asked, amazed.

"Looked to me like that Nillrog just saved Jacob's life…took the arrow hits himself." Malachai said quietly as he adjusted the grip on his scimitars.

"That's my take on it too." Randall agreed. "And we'll talk about it more later…if there is a later…in the here and now, if you have any favorite prayers, I suggest you say them quickly."

Outnumbered Gods-only-knew how many to one, there was no hope.

And still they stood firm.

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Fourteen
Cornered

Their band was down to five. Only Randall, Malachai, Ashlynn, and two of Randall's hand-picked soldiers remained standing.

Randall had ordered a fighting withdrawal back to a small copse of hardwoods, with the ruins of a low stone wall running through it.

They slowly gave ground till they got to it, and it was there, with their backs covered by the wall, that they were making their final stand.

Because of the terrain, the mercenaries could only approach them frontally, and because of the density of the trees, they could not approach en mass, but rather, had to keep their rush limited to no more than two at a time. Those were the *only* reasons that any still lived. Had they been caught in the open, the sheer numbers approaching them would have simply swept them away and the fight would have ended moments after it had begun.

As it was, they had been holding their ground for more than half an hour, and though their numbers were thinning, they had truly given much better than they had gotten.

Because of the confined space, only one of their number could fight at a time, and so the others were granted a brief rest and respite.

The drawback was that they had to stand idly by and watch their friends and comrades in arms die one at a time, being able only to avenge the death, not prevent it.

"I'll go next." Randall said grimly, as he watched his bravest fight on. The man was tiring quickly though, and could not hold out much longer.

Malachai shook his head. "I can't allow it. No offense, old friend, but I am the better swordsman. If we can hold out long enough, the men of Harmon and West's' commands will make their way back here once the deception has been revealed."

"We can't expect help for at least another hour…I daresay we won't last that long….you're good, Malachai…better than me by far, but all of us together aren't that good."

"We must try." He said simply.

And he was right.

"What I would not give for another brace of bolts!" Ashlynn said hotly. "From this position…with this cover, I could lay waste to the ones waiting."

"Don't give them any ideas….so far, they've conducted the battle honorably, and using the mercenary's code…a series of duels….but if you were to start peppering them with arrows, they would, no doubt, return the favor." Malachai told her.

True again.

Randall winced as the exhausted soldier currently fighting for them proved a fraction of a second too slow and caught a mercenary spear in the belly.

He let out a weary, pain-laden groan and sank to his knees.

Before he had fallen completely, the last of Randall's soldiers had leapt over him to take his place and the man fought like a lion. Fast, brave, and savage.

He killed six before he went down.

Malachai was up next, and he shouldered his way past Randall to take the point. ”See you on the other side." He said almost casually as he began spinning his twin scimitars wickedly, then smiled and wagged his eyebrows at the mercenary up next to fight him. "Let's do this thing." He told his opponent, a thin, fierce smile on his face.

As a swordsman, Lord Randall had never seen anyone Malachai's equal. The man was tireless, fast, and cunning with his blades. Often, his opponents were dispatched mere seconds after they made their approach, and gasps could be heard coming from the ranks of mercenaries.

Code or no, they were clearly interested in looking at other options where facing Malachai was concerned, and more than once, the man next in line to face the wall of flashing steel that Malachai had become, simply turned and fled into the night.

Randall didn't blame them. Had he been on the opposing side, and lined up to fight Malachai, the thought would have surely crossed his mind as well.

He lost all track of both the passage of time, and the number of men that fell before Malachai, but more than once, he remembered seeing his friend pause graciously, pacing back and forth like a caged tiger while mercenaries crept in to drag the bodies of their fallen out of the way so the fighting could continue.

As long as they were content to conduct the battle according to the mercenary code, Malachai was willing to let them remove their dead.

And it was buying them time.

Randall didn't want it, but could not deny the tiny spark of hope he felt welling up in him.

Maybe….just maybe the three of them that remained would all get out of this.

That was a fragile hope though….and ultimately not meant to be.

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Fifteen
Rescue

The assassin watched in grim fascination as the mercenaries lined up to do battle with the three who remained, and he sneered.

Such an antiquated code, and yet, the mercenaries followed it scrupulously when no particular target was mandated, and as the boy was obviously not with those the mercenaries now fought, they dropped back into their tired, worn-out ways….no wonder they fared no better in battle than they did. All this tripe about personal prowess, honor, and individual courage….what utter nonsense.

Results! That was the real measure of success.

The *only* measure of success.

And, after watching the mercenaries stop the fight to clear their dead out for the third time, he had seen quite enough.

With a derisive snort, he dropped down from the low tree branch he had been watching the festivities from and strode toward the battle-in-progress.

"Enough! Stand down men." He ordered the mercenaries under his command as he strode into full view of Randall and his two remaining brethren-in-arms.

He spread his hands wide in a disarming gesture as he drew nearer. "Lord Randall of the House of Fury….you and yours have acquitted yourselves well in battle, and this need not come to a bad end for those of your company that remain. Simply tell us where we might find the boy, and we will leave you in peace. Our quarrel is not with you."

Randall started toward him, but Malachai flashed out a scimitar to block his path. "I don't trust him, old friend…and I cannot in good conscious allow you any closer."

He knew he could have ordered his long-time friend to stand down, but he also recognized that his actions were guided by friendship and concern.

And he had a point. Randall didn't trust him either, so he stayed where he was. "And what, pray tell, has the boy ever done to you and yours? I have worked with him extensively, and I can tell you that never have I encountered one who is more pure of heart than Jacob Dunn."

The assassin sneered. "The boy is an abomination! An affront to the J'honsa, Highfather of the gods, and to all right-minded folk in the basin! In StroudHaven, such children as he are simply drowned before their corruption can spread, and so we are spared the trouble and danger his type represent, but you…."

Now it all made sense.

It was all about religion. More to the point, it was all about the spookily conservative brand of religion found only in StroudHaven. He rolled his eyes and cut the man off in the middle of his speech-making. "His type? And what would you know of his type?! I think you know not what you are saying, and are but a lackey for some other sadly misinformed religious zealot."

"Watch your tongue, Fury! Your House is mighty, but it is not above the edicts of the Church!"

"StroudHaven does not hand down edicts from the Church, though I am sure it would delight your masters back home if they did. That boy….his ability to communicate with other creatures represents the clearest link….the best chance we have ever had of gaining some understanding of our Nilroggi foes, and you would kill him!?"

"He has communicated with the Nilroggi?" The assassin asked in shocked surprise.

"Yes. He has empathic powers and he…." Wrong thing to say he knew immediately, but it was too late to take it back. All he was doing was adding fuel to the fire.

"You admit that the boy is feebleminded….then you tell us that this feebleminded man-child has had a Nilroggi…enemy of our entire race inside his mind, and you would still defend him!? That is tantamount to conspiring against all of humanity! There is no telling how much damage could be caused by Nilroggi more fully understanding the human mind! The boy's corruption has spread to you then! There is no other conclusion to be reached! Men, kill them! Kill them all!" The assassin shouted in disgust.

And while those words were still ringing on the air, almost quicker than the eye could see, his hands moved in a blur and produced a dagger from his belt, which he hurled at Malachai. "Parry this, swordsman!"

And Malachai very nearly did.

Rather than penetrating deep into his chest as was intended, the dagger struck a glancing blow near his collar bone.

The cut was superficial, but it burned mightily.

Poison.

Malachai hissed and brought up his guard as the mercenaries once more charged forward.

As battle was again joined, a hunting horn sounded nearby, and not just any hunting horn, either. It was the long, two-toned blast of a Kellen hunting party, and these days, the Kellens only hunted one thing.

"Form up, men!" The assassin screamed. "Kellen attack!"

Too late.

The Kellen warriors had already struck on the mercenary flanks and were rapidly carving a path toward Lord Randall.

"If you can, press forward so Ashlynn and I can join in the fight….good as the Kellens are, the more swords we can bring to bear, the better our chances!"

Malachai nodded at Randall's suggestion, and surged forward, blades flashing fast and terrifying.

The mercenaries began to fall away from him at once, and in moments, Ashlynn and Randall were fighting by his side, pressing their way toward the Kellens, who had, for reasons known only to them for the time being, decided to lend a timely hand.

Halfway to the Kellen battle line, Malachai stumbled and then dropped to one knee. "C…can't….continue." He said through gritted teeth.

He had gone quite pale and was soaked with sweat and he met Randall's eyes briefly, and nodded.

"I have never had a truer friend, Malachai, and in this life, I never will."

"Keep safe friend….Master." Malachai said thickly and forced himself to stand. "Make for the Kellen line….I will….keep them busy."

Without another word, Randall and Ashlynn continued toward the Kellen line, and Malachai allowed himself to be surrounded by the mercenaries advancing on him.

He took down four more and injured two others before the poison had sapped enough of his strength and slowed his reflexes to the point where the mercenaries could get the better of him.

They beheaded him as he sank back to his knees, having received a deep gash to the stomach, and shouted "Death to the polluted!" as he died.

Tears stung Randall's eyes as he fought, and his heart filled up with hatred.

Vengeance.

Every blow struck against the mercenaries that stood between him and the relative safety of the Kellen battle line felt like a liberation, and every ounce of blood he spilled was a small measure of revenge for the loss he had just suffered.

He met Ashlynn's sorrow filled gaze briefly as the two continued to fight toward the line. "I swear on the name of my family that if I have to burn every tree in StroudHaven, they will pay for this, and for what they want to do to Jacob!"

She believed him.

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Sixteen
The Caves

Jaky ran blindly, following Lord Randall’s instructions.

He did not care where he ran, only that it was away from the bad peoples who wanted to hurteds him.

Panicked, he did not pay heed to the passage of time, nor to the burning in his legs, lungs, and chest.

There was only running, as fast, and as far from the danger as his legs could carry him.

In time though, there was something else.

An inner voice that guided him, quietly directing him this way, then that, until he came to a hilly place.

There would be brush concealing the entrance to the cave, he knew.

How he knew was unimportant, all that mattered was the cave itself. It was where he knew he needed to be.

Without hesitating, without even thinking, he pulled the brush aside, and slipped into the entrance, pausing only to adjust the brush covering to conceal the way he had gone.

That done, he slowed his pace to a walk, and pressed deeper into the cave…..

OoO

Time passed, and he continued walking. The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, but was much less dark than he would have imagined, thanks to faintly luminescent mosses and lichens growing along the walls. It lit his way with a brightness that easily surpassed torchlight, and made navigation simple.

He noticed from time to time other, smaller tunnels branching off in new directions, but he ignored these, and stayed on the main path, its slope taking him deeper beneath the earth (and toward the mountains, he realized instinctively). He continued, certain of his course without knowing exactly where he was going, until a sound drifted to his keen ears, coming from a side tunnel not far ahead.

Letting his curiosity lead him, he approached the side tunnel, and peered down it.

Like the main tunnel, this side passage was also filled up with glowing lichens, and he could see clearly. What he saw, though, brought him up short, and he knew in an instant that no human had ever before witnessed what his eyes were beholding now.

A new type of ‘gog. A Digger, he decided, watching it work.

True, ‘digging’ wasn’t exactly what he was doing, but the term was apt enough.

The ‘gog was larger than even the largest bull in a battle wedge. Bloated almost to the point of being misshapen, it was both huge and hideous, it’s bulbous head turning this way and that and chittering quietly to itself as it slowly walked forward.

The creature was bathed in a milky, brownish light that seemed to surround it like a bubble, and Jaky saw that beyond its bulky form there was no tunnel. The ‘gog was creating it as it went….moving through the earth as though it were liquid, and leaving a new section of tunnel in its wake.

He changed his mind. A Rock Swimmer. That was what he would call this new kind of ‘gog.

Unafraid, he approached.

Halfway down the newly ‘dug’ tunnel, the ‘gog sensed him and turned his head completely around to stare at him with an expression that might have been….surprised shock at seeing a human here. It chattered angrily at him and hissed, but continued making its way slowly forward.

Jaky caught the creature’s gaze and locked it down, opening the shutter of the lantern within him and establishing a powerful connection in the blinking of an eye, sending the ‘gog before him a barrage of mental images of everything that had happened since meeting Scar.

The creature’s hiss turned into that mysterious song that Scar had begun singing earlier.

‘gog song.

You are…..Chosen. It said in his mind.

Jaky nodded, and the creature held out one of its misshapen hands.

The man-child closed the distance between them and took it, and the Swimmer ‘gog turned slightly, and began arcing the tunnel in a new direction.

The Queen, he realized, not quite certain how the words had gotten into his head. It’s time to see the Queen.

Hand in hand with a creature never before seen by the eyes of men, Jacob Dunn pressed deeper into the earth…..

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Seventeen
Vanished

As suddenly as the battle had erupted, silence reclaimed the earth. There was only the faint sounds of men gasping their last, weary sighs, and quiet moans of pain.

Nine of the Kellen War Party remained standing, along with Lady Ashlynn, and Lord Randall.

The arrival of the Kellens had broken the spirit of their attackers, and they had lost much of their fight. Those who had not gone down fighting the combined fury of Lord Randall and the Kellens had fled quietly into the night, leaving their dead and wounded where they had fallen.

Randall slumped against a tree, holding a low branch for support. “We owe you our lives.” He told the leader. “What is your name?”

“I am Braal, and in truth, it is not you I came to save, but one called Jacob….Jacob Dunn.” The Kellen saw recognition in the Fury Lord’s face. “You know him?”

“He….is my charge….was my charge….when the battle erupted around us, I told him to flee….I know not where he is, or if he even lives.”

“He lives.” Braal said simply. “I would sense it if it were otherwise.”

“Will you help us find him? I swore an oath to his father that no harm would befall him, and….”

“I owe my life to Jacob Dunn….it is why we are here. We are at your disposal in any matter involving his safety.” Braal said, placing his right fist over his heart in a gesture of his people.

Randall raised curious eyebrows at the statement. That a Kellen owed his life to Jacob Dunn….there was a story there, to be sure, but now was not the time to inquire. Finding Jacob was their priority. Their only priority.

“Very well….you and your men begin searching the area, Lady Ashlynn and I will return to my camp and bring reinforcements….men, dogs, falcons….no effort will be spared to find him….he is important to us….special.”

“He is that.” Braal agreed.

OoO

The Next Day

They searched in shifts throughout the night, and all the next day, beginning at the point where they had last seen him, and fanning out from there in an ever-widening circular pattern.

For a time they were hopeful. No signs of struggle beyond the confines of the battle they had fought….no blood, indicating that he had been wounded, but also….no Jacob.

The dogs picked up his scent at one point, and hope surged again, on the thinking that the animals that Jacob had served so faithfully would now return the favor by leading the men to him with their keen senses, but it was not meant to be.

The dogs led them to a rocky hill, and up to a rock face where it looked like a tunnel should be (the men in the search party even found a brush covering that would have been ideal to conceal a tunnel entrance), but only solid rock was found. No entrance of any kind.

“Jacob!” Lord Randall cried out in frustration. “Jacob Dunn!”

His voice echoed emptily around the hills, and there was only silence in response.

It was as though the earth itself had simply devoured the man-child.

Vanished….

OoO

Two Days Later

Lady Ashlynn met him in his tent, and frowned when she saw the bags under his eyes. “Randall, you must rest….the reason we are searching in shifts is so that no one exhausts themselves utterly in the effort.”

“Yes, but it’s my fault he’s gone missing in the first place….my responsibility.”

She nodded. “And it is clear to all that you take your responsibilities seriously….especially with regards to Jacob Dunn….but you have other responsibilities to attend to as well….responsibilities that are larger than any one man, no matter how special he may be….responsibilities to the Basin itself.” She looked at him meaningfully, letting her words sink in.

Tired as he was, his first impulse was to snap back at her that he knew damned well what his responsibilities to the Basin were, but he recognized the truth of her words, and the concern in her voice.

She was, in short, right.

Absolutely, one hundred percent correct in her analysis.

As important as Jacob Dunn was, the Nilroggi were still invading. His army could ill afford to remain in one place long, lest they lose the initiative they had gained in their recent string of victories.

He sighed bitterly. “One more day. If we still have not found him, I’ll detach a company to remain in this region and watch for his return, and we will continue taking the fight to the Nilroggi.”

“And what of his parents? Shall we send riders to inform them?”

Randall shook his head. “No….we’ll give him time yet to turn up. Braal of Kell tells me that he gets no sense of the boy being dead, so we will list him as missing in action for the moment, and after our tour, if there is still no sign of him, I’ll ride to DunnAcres myself to deliver the news.”

She nodded, and then ran her fingers through his hair affectionately. “You are a good man, Randall Fury.”

He took her hand and kissed it, shaking his head sadly. “Not nearly good enough, I fear…..not nearly good enough.”

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Eighteen
Communion

”We do not tolerate failure.” The voice said sharply, practically thundering through the assassin’s mind.

“Yes, Master….I humbly beg your forgiveness and ask that I be allowed to try again….the untimely arrival of the Kellens threw our attack into disarray. Who could have guessed that he would have such strong allies?”

”Indeed, the fault is not entirely your own, for we badly misjudged the depth of his corruption and how far it had spread….you shall have your wish….the abomination will not remain hid from our sight forever, and when he again reveals himself, you will take decisive steps to remove his unclean presence from the basin.”

“Are all ways open to me?”

”Yes…the ends justify the means in this case, but I am curious….what plan do you have in your mind?”

The assassin told him, and he could almost feel the smile from his Master.

“Truly inspired. Even if he suspects a trap, he will enter it willingly.”

“That was my hope as well….I will leave at once to begin making preparations, so that all is ready when he appears before us again.”

”Very well….J’honsa be with you….our cause is righteous.”

His Master broke their connection, and the assassin tipped back a bottle of ale. “Here endeth the communion.” He said with a tight, thin smile, swearing a silent oath to himself that he would not fail a second time.
OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Nineteen
The Wonders Below….

With no sun, and no moon, it was impossible to tell how much time had passed, but it felt like they had been walking forever.

Down and down and down, so deep now that Jaky began wondering if they would not surface on the other side of the world.

He was beyond tired. Legs aching and burning, dursdy, farther from home than he had ever been in his whole life, but he continued, with the strange looking Swimmer ‘gog leading the way.

They were close now, he realized. The tunnels here were wider, and he intuited that they saw a lot of traffic. It was not unlike the big roads that ran through parts of the Kingdom above, and it meant something important, but he could not quite wrap his mind around what it might be.

Still, he made note of it, and they continued, eventually arriving at a massive wall of solid rock, with vast pillars on either side, hundreds of feets tall, and easily as big around as ten Swimmer ‘gogs.

There were writings on them, up and down the whole length. Strange ‘gog writings.

Jaky never knew ‘gogs could write, and he suddenly found himself wondering what they wrote about.

Maybe the Queen would tell him.

The ‘gog who had led him here approached the slab of stone and let go of Jaky’s hand long enough to plunge all four of his own into the rock face. Given what Jaky had seen the Swimmer ‘gog do, this came as no surprise at all.

What happened next, however, made him gasp slightly, as the entire rock face began to glow with that same milky brown color that seemed to surround the Swimmer ‘gog when he was making tunnels, and then, the entire slab vanished without a trace.

Tons of rock….gone in an instant.

Jaky could not help but peer inside to find out what lay beyond. If the disappearance of the rock face took his breath away, then the sights that greeted his eyes surely stole it for what must have been a dangerous amount of time.

It was….breathtaking. More beautiful than anything he had ever seen.

The cavern was enormous, stretching out as far as his eyes could see.

The entire place was well lighted, thanks to an abundance of phosphorescent lichens on the walls, and somewhere high above, but at ground level, the moss was thick and luxuriant and green….so inviting that it made him want to take his shoes off and feel it between his toes.

There was water here, too. Two waterfalls cascaded down the side of the vast cavern to his left, and a narrow river with brilliantly clear water flowed through the cavern floor, following a winding, meandering path.

Peering into it, he saw fishes like none he had ever seen before. He could see through them! And stranger still, their eyes were milky and glazed over….surely not much good for seeing.

Stalagmites grew up like a mighty forest from the floor, oftentimes covered in that thick, rich green moss. Some of these were adorned with human heads and other trophies from the topside. Others were adorned with sparkling uncut gemstones as big as both of his fists put together. Their names came to him from some quiet corner of his mind. Amber, Amethyst, Diamond…. Riches beyond imagining.

The ‘gog who had brought him here gave him a slight nudge forward, and motioned to a small, crudely constructed stone bridge that spanned the narrow river.

It was so narrow that he knew he would have no difficulty jumping over it, but if the ‘gog wanted him to use the bridge, he would be a good guest and do so.

This was their space. Their place.

He used the bridge, and his guide led him deeper into the cavern, with each moment that passed revealing some new spectacle that took his breath away.

He forgot all about how tired he was, and walked on as if in a dream.

OoO

Later

Through the mossy forest, across two more bridges, and past what looked like a ‘gog town, filled up with blocky houses and even a gate that looked like it belonged topside, rather than down below, Jaky and his guide finally arrived at a strange circle of bare rock in the otherwise mossy floor.

The Swimmer ‘gog stepped on it, and motioned for Jaky to do the same.

He did, and in a moment, the stone circle began sinking into the earth!

Jaky’s first response was to jump off of it, but he knew he should not.

They were here.

The Queen was just below.

He swallowed hard and waited, not sure what to expect….

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Twenty
In the Hall of the Queen

As the circle of stone sank deeper, Jaky’s eyes got heavier and heavier. He was practically sleeping on his feet, and he didn’t want to….not now! Not just before he met the Queen! Besides, she might get mad at him if he went to sleep while she was talking to him.

But he couldn’t help it.

The stone sank further, and Jaky struggled valiantly to keep his eyes open, but to no avail.

Eventually he lost the fight, and his eyes rolled back into his head.

The Swimmer ‘gog caught him as he slumped to the floor.

OoO

Strange images all around him.

Voices, but….not voices.

High pitched chittering noises and song. Beautiful song…so fragile and magical that it made him want to cry.

It was ‘gog song, he realized. One of the ways they communicated.

He saw shadowy shapes all around him and strained to make out what they were, but the images remained illusive….shadowy.

Wraithes His mind told him. I’m surrounded by Wraithes

“Jaky…..as come to us….freely….Chosen….message for us…..essage to take back to…surface.” The voice was smooth but broken, and he could not make everything out, but it was enough, and he understood.

He heard a hiss which ended in a lilting bit of ‘gog song, and the Wraithes fell away.

A new ‘gog approached….gigantic. Bigger than any ‘gog he could imagine. Bigger than anything he could even dream, and she was beautiful. Double mandibles set in the front, glistening and sharp, six arms instead of four, and what looked like wings on her back.

‘gogs didn’t have wings.

Yet. The voice in his head said with a smile he could almost hear. We were created as fallen angels, and have not earned our wings yet....but we will.

The Queen stroked his face with one of her taloned hands, and without thinking, he opened the shutter of the lantern inside him all the way, eyes meeting the Queen’s sleepily, flooding her with every image from his life, and receiving the same gift from her.

His head got fuller and fuller and felt like it would explode with so many pictures racing through it….so much information….and it hurt….God’s Teeth but it hurt worser than anything he had ever felt. His mind was being filled to the point of bursting, and as it was, he began to understand.

First, there was the mine. The darkness. The Voice of the One.

He saw miners…hundreds of miners, trapped. Scareded.

Human miners….we were you….we *are* you. The voice of the Queen told him.

“They will do.” The Voice of the One said almost disdainfully. “Let the experiments commence immediately.”

Darkness and screams.

So nany-los screams. Miners hurteds bad. He could smell the bloods.

Light, in lots of different colors.

Deformed miners that looked burnded up. Gone Away, but….not.

He tried to close his eyes, but couldn’t block out the images. They were behind his eyes and inside his head.

It was how they shared their history, he understood. They have a….communal mind. They all remember us.

He shivered, and the Voice of the One floated back to him. “…and they will revere us as Gods….we are the Creator….”

Colors swirled around him and the Voice of the One was lost for a time.

“….extremely sensitive to magical energies….xposure of great magnitude….put them on an acceleration curve of unbelievable proportions, causing them to evolve at a terrifying pace….no telling how many variants one could expect to see.”

More colors, and then blackness swirling around him.

Deep beneath the earth, he saw the first Horde Gathering.

Their numbers growing in secret, and more rapidly than the One realized, they organized and bided their time.

Writing….religion…..an expanding awareness and comprehension….the dawning of a new race.

A booming voice filled his head….the First Queen. ….the strong devour the weak….our path to ultimate fulfillment is to devour that which made us….by devouring our God….our Creator….we gain His strength, and claim Heaven for ourselves! Attack!”

The Horde marched, and Jacob gasped as thoughts more advanced than any he had ever had began assaulting his frail mind.

We are their gods….
….they see themselves as being created to populate the underworld…Hell….
….we made them as slaves….a slave race….
….they have….religion…..to devour god is to gain his power…..
….Unified, committed….driven….
…..See us for what we are….makes them hate us more….
…..God’s Teeth….the spell that created the basin…..flood of magic energies…..evolution…..

The world went black around him.

The last thing he remembered was the sound of his own screaming….

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Twenty One
Reunion

Six weeks later

He was dursdy. More dursdy than he had ever been in his whole life. He glanced down at the clay water jug he was carrying and took a healthy swig.

Better.

Purdy jug, too. It reminded him of….

Of course. The ‘gogs gave it to him. They had been in his mind…that’s where they got the picture of the jug.

From him.

He checked his knapsack. Cheese, and snacks….like ma had fixed for him before he left with Lord Randall.

The ‘gogs were still in his mind, too….he could feel them. Close.

We are with you, always….and you with us….Brother. He heard in his head. You are one with us now.

Six nearby…he could feel them all. And scores more on the march to do battle with the humans. They were in his head….and he in theirs.

For always.

He munched idly, drank, and considered this as he walked….not knowing quite where to go, but going nonetheless.

“Must break the cycle of memory.” He mumbled to himself, with perfect, unbroken language, as he walked. “Break the cycle of memory…break the cycle of memory….”

He was still muttering that phrase two days later when a patrol from Lord Randall’s reserve company found him.

OoO

In the Camp of Lord Randall Fury

“They found him! Randall, they found him!” Lady Ashlynn came bursting into his tent.

Randall had been resting in his hammock, but upon hearing those words, he sprang up, a smile growing on his face. “When…where?”

“The rider only just arrived! He was wandering in the wilderness not far from where we lost him.”

“In good health?”

“So it would seem….tired, a bit worn from all his adventures, and saying things that none of the men can make sense of.”

“We’ll leave immediately….you, me, and ten men to guard….we can’t afford to pull the lot out, but I’ll give Captain West command here until we return!”

There was a lightness in his step as he went with Ashlynn to get horses and supplies for their journey.

OoO

Six days later, in the camp of the Reserve Company of Lord Randall Fury

“Ran’ll!” Jaky shouted his name gleefully as he rode into the camp. He dismounted and ran toward the boy, and was nearly knocked down by the force of his embrace. “Jaky no get los’! Talkings wi’ nany-los ‘gogs’s! Jaky tell yu! ‘portant stuffs! Big big ‘portants!”

Of that, Randall had no doubt, but first things first. He held the boy back slightly and looked him over. “They sure didn’t feed you too well while you were in their keeping…..are you hungry?”

“Jaky al’ays hunry!”

They laughed together, and the three of them, Jacob, Lord Randall, and Lady Ashlynn, who had been watching the reunion from a slight distance back, headed off to the mess tent to share a meal together.

OoO

Over dinner, Jacob barely stopped talking long enough to eat, and much of what he said made little sense. Either his ‘Jacob-speak’ was getting rusty, or the boy was having a mightily difficult time trying to explain what he had seen, but it didn’t matter. Randall let him talk. They could sort out the particulars later….it was just so good to see him again.

After dinner, they escorted Jacob back to his tent and saw that he got comfortable for the night, then Randall and Ashlynn moved to his tent to talk.

“With so many reports of enemy troop movements in the area, and as thin as our force is here, I don’t dare use the Amulet to contact Lauren in Trentare, but we must get the Enchantress back here, or take Jacob to her with all possible speed. I want to know absolutely everything he found out during his time with the Nilroggi. I trust my ‘Jacob-speak’ with day to day happenings, but this is too important to miss even one small detail, and the Enchantress is our best hope at getting that information out of his head and into the hands that can use it best.”

“Agreed….when should we leave.”

“Strike camp at dawn, and make toward Trentare….when we’re closer, we can try a contact, but if that doesn’t work, we’ll just take him to her direct.”

“I’d better get some sleep then….it stands to be a busy day tomorrow.” She bent down and kissed Randall’s forehead, then left for her own tent, and Randall allowed himself to hope.

It had been a fierce gamble, that much was certainly true, but now….now it appeared that it would pay off handsomely.

As he settled into his hammock for the night, he found himself so excited that he couldn’t get to sleep.

Sadly, his excitement would prove to be premature….
OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Twenty Two
The Circle Begins to Close

A week later, en route to Trentare

They had just made camp for the night when the messenger approached on a fast horse, riding in from the northwest. Letters from home, no doubt, and reports of the latest rounds of recruitment.

“What news, rider?” He asked as the man drew within earshot.

The messenger’s face was clouded with….something, but Randall couldn’t quite make out what it was. “I suspect you’d better read it for yourself.” He said, clearly uncomfortable.

Randall unfurled the scroll and found a letter addressed to Randall Fury and Jacob Dunn, in the flowing script of his mother, Elizabeth.

My Lord Fury,
Hopefully, this letter finds you and my son well, and that your continuing
endeavor to bring peace to the Basin is proceeding as well as you had hoped.
Lords how I wish the tidings were better here, but alas, as I put pen to
parchment, I do so with a heavy heart.

Unfortunately, Jacob’s father, Hiram, has taken gravely ill, and it
seems likely that he will not survive long. The house of
Dunn is not a rich, nor powerful house like your own, but
as a father yourself, I am sure you can understand his sense of it.
Now that his time is close at hand, it is his final….no, his
greatest wish to see his son one final time before the end. He is
eager for it, and trying desperately to hold on. Make haste, and
ride here with all possible speed, bearing our son with you.

Yours,
Elizabeth Dunn

He read the message, and then read it again. There was something…..he couldn’t put his finger on it right away, but something nagged at the back of his mind.

Nonetheless, the course was clear. The letter was addressed to them both, and his conscience would not allow him to keep such news from Jacob.

Which of course, meant that Jacob would undoubtedly want to return home.

With a heavy heart, and a troubled mind, he went off to find Jacob Dunn, bearing the letter along with him like a curse.

OoO

He read the letter aloud to Jacob, and watched his expression….first joyful at receiving a letter from home, then stunned, as though hit for the first time with the realization that his parents would not live forever, and then….something else. Steely determination was his best guess.

“Jaky goning homes.” He said with conviction. “Fi’ Pop-Hiram.”

Jacob….I know you want to go home…believe me, I understand it….but something about this just….and you can’t use your gifts to fix Pop-Hiram….it only works on Pretties, remember.”

“Jaky lannern.” He said with a nod. “Fi’ Pop-Hiram. We go.”

Randall shook his head. DunnAcres was not far out of their way, and if Hiram was as bad off as the letter seemed to indicate, then odds were good that he would not last long enough for them to get to the Enchantress and back. Nonetheless, it was absolutely essential that they get the information that was locked in his head out so they could use it, and the sooner that happened, the better.

He chewed his lip, thinking.

“Well….we can’t go tonight anyway, Jacob….the horses need rest….let’s sleep on this and make a plan at first light tomorrow….does that sound okay to you?”

Jaky studied Lord Randall for a moment, and then nodded. “Slee’ now….goning homes tomanno.”

Randall hugged him fiercely and sent him to his tent to get some sleep. It seemed though, that his mind was pretty well made up.

Knowing that he would not be able to sleep, he sought out Lady Ashlynn, desperately needing someone to talk to about the nagging splinter in on his mind.

OoO
In the tent of Lady Ashlynn - Later that same evening

She handed the letter back to him and shook her head. "Is it just me, or does the language seem....forced somehow?"

Randall nodded. "That's part of it, yes....and I also don't like the timing."

"What are you thinking? Trap?"

"It's what my gut is telling me, yes. Seems too convenient. Weeks missing, and just after he is returned to us, his father takes deathly ill, in early autumn? A man who was tough as nails when I saw him last, suddenly succumbing to some illness just after Jacob returns? I don't like it....I don't like it at all."

"But we can't keep him from seeing his father one last time, Randall...we can't.....you know that."

He sighed heavily, and nodded. "I know. And DunnAcres is more or less on our way...."

"Then knowing, or at least strongly suspecting a trap, the best we can do is ride with him and keep a sharp eye.....trusting in our abilities to stave off whatever nasty surprise they have in store for him."

"It's just....we're so close Ashlynn....we're on the verge of understanding the Nilroggi better than we ever have....everything we need to know about them is locked inside that boy's head. Everything.....and if we can but get him to someone who can get inside his head and make sense of everything he saw....everything he learned, we'll have it! He is the key....I don't know that there has ever been a time in the history of our Kingdom, save for the First King's coronation, when so much potentially rested on the shoulders of a single individual.....he's that important, and to think that there are those who would see him dead is just...."

"It boggles the mind, doesn't it?"

"Aye....it does that."

She went to him and hugged him tightly, much as he had done with Jacob. "Sleep, Randall. Tomorrow will be a full day, and we must all be at our best."

He nodded, took the scroll with him, and headed back to his tent.

OoO

In the Heart of the night

Randall awoke with a start, not quite sure what it was that had awakened him. Some night sound, or perhaps some....

No....it was the letter.

He knew!

Heart pounding hard and fast in his chest, he lit a candle, and wiped the sleep from his eyes, unfurled the scroll from Elizabeth Dunn, and read it again.

Yes.

Help us....danger.

The first letter of each line.

Coincidence?

Couldn't be.

"Elizabeth, you are one smart cookie....message recieved." He whispered as he blew the candle out.

"Message received."
OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Twenty Three
Homecoming

Long before the sun came up, Randall took a chance, and attempted to contact Lauren via the Amulet.

No response. She was either sleeping, dead, or had taken it off.

War had not touched Trentare proper, so he felt certain she was safe and sound. Still, how wonderful it would have been if they could have brought the Enchantress to them now….right now, while things were still calm and controlled.

He shook his head, visibly disappointed.

There was no point in sugar coating it. Randall was relatively certain that none of what he was about to say would do the least thing to change the boy’s mind, but he had to get it off his chest, so at first light, he burst into Jacob Dunn’s tent, to find the boy up, dressed, and ready to depart. Somehow, that did not surprise him in the least.

He took a deep breath, and let it all out.

“Jacob, I stayed up most of the night thinking about this….I’m absolutely certain that if we take you home, we will be leading you into a trap. I believe that your mother was forced under threat of pain to write that letter, and there are most likely men waiting for you at your house, who will try to kill you the moment you set foot on DunnAcres….I found a message from your mother hidden in the letter….a desperate attempt at code, I believe, and I must tell you that if we do this, we are almost surely playing into their hands….are you sure you want to do this? If I’m right, then your father isn’t even sick, and you are too important for us to risk you needlessly. Please let me do this my way….let me lead my company forward, attack the assassins, and bring you up once they have been killed or chased out.”

The boy-trapped-in-a-man’s body shook his head. “Jaky ha’ to….i’ Pop-Hiram hurteds, Jaky fi’.” His jaw stiffened resolutely as he spoke, and Randall saw in that gesture that there would be no changing Jacob’s mind. No matter the danger to himself, he was going home to make sure his family was safe. Danger be damned when it came to family….exactly the response he would have given, had their situations been reversed, so how could he refuse the boy?

And he also recognized the truth of the words the boy had not spoken….if he was wrong, and Hiram was fallen ill, odds were good that Jacob would arrive too late to help (and he seemed convinced he could help) if he followed a distance behind the troops.

Would he himself take that chance if his brother Brian lay dying in Fury Keep? In his heart of hearts, he agreed absolutely with him, and yet….

God’s Teeth.

He signed and nodded, resigned to it. He was not at all sure he could keep Jacob safe….so few men, so many unknowns, but he silently swore to try.

Without another word of argument, he gave the order to break camp. They were taking Jacob home.

OoO

Elsewhere
Braal was just about to let an arrow fly into the neck of a buck….fourteen pointer, too. A good trophy, and food for several days for he and his men.

The Death Shiver hit him just as he was about to release.

The arrow went wild, the buck caught wind of him, and ran off into the woods.

No dinner tonight then.

He sighed, and stood.

Jacob Dunn, he realized at once.

Returned to the land of men then, and in danger again.

Without hesitating, he turn ‘round and made for his camp and his men.

Time for a different sort of hunting then, and Kellens were always up for that.

OoO

On the approach to DunnAcres

Randall brought the company to a halt to issue instructions. “Men…I honestly can’t tell you what to expect here….we have no good sense of what we’re up against, or what we’ll see when we reach DunnAcres. All I can tell you is that there is danger here….stay sharp, watch out for each other, and if anything makes a move for Jacob, it dies. He is more important than any of us here, including me….is that understood?”

Nods all ‘round from the ranks.

“Very well. I want the main body to surround the house completely. Nothing gets in or out. I’ll go in first with Lady Ashlynn, and we’ll scout the place. It won't take us long to go over the place and make sure it's not brimming with assassins, and once we've done that, we’ll bring Jacob in….questions?”

There were none.

“Then let’s do it.”

The company marched.

OoO

DunnAcres

As planned, the company raced for the house when they arrived on the property, and surrounded it, keeping a sharp, watchful eye for anything amiss.

The house was silent.

No one came to the wide front porch to greet them.

Randall waited.

Only when he was sure that all his men were in position, did he break ranks with them and start for the front porch, Lady Ashlynn at his side.

Too quiet.

At the porch, he called out. “Elizabeth Dunn, it is Lord Randall, come at your request.”

No response.

“Hiram….Elizabeth….we are here, as you requested. Can you answer?”

Nothing.

His eyes sought out Lady Ashlynn’s, his voice barely above a whisper. “Let’s do a quick check of the house before bringing anyone else up.”

She nodded, and they entered the House of Dunn.

OoO
Ashlynn’s nose wrinkled when they stepped across the threshold. Blood. Fresh, too. Randall’s expression darkened visibly when he caught scent of it. Not a good sign. Warily, they moved deeper into the house, generally toward where the smell was stronger, but stopping along the way to check each room, lest they find themselves surrounded.

The kitchen, Randall said to himself, not really wanting to see the cause of the unmistakable scent in the air. They killed them in the kitchen….one definitely….probably both….dear God….

There was no going back though, and as their search continued, they drew inevitably closer. The archway that led into the kitchen practically loomed before them at the end of the hall. A stream of golden sunlight was drifting through it and into the hall….deceptively cheerful.

He fought off a shiver, and Lady Ashlynn’s hand sought his as they tentatively started down the hall.

Closer.

Closer still.

Each step seeming to be more difficult to take than the one before it, and yet they had to.

They had to.

Ashlynn screamed reflexively as they passed under the arch and into the kitchen, averting her eyes from the scene, and in that grim moment, the scene crystallized in Randall’s mind, and he knew exactly how it would play out.

It ends. His inner voice told him as his stomach turned flips and both the scene before him registered on his brain, and the scene in his mind played out just ahead of the reality.

Time seemed to draw out then, with everything happening in slow motion, and yet, far too fast to react properly to.

He closed his eyes for a moment to block out the grisly scene in the kitchen, but that only made him focus all the more on the scene playing out in his head: Jacob hears her screams, and fearing the worst, charges up to the house, heedless of the danger….

“Noooo! Pop-Hiram! Pop-Hiram! Jaky fi’ you!” He heard faintly from outside as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. It was happening, and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.

Tears.

There would be a great many of those today….of that, he had no doubt.

He opened his eyes again, disgusted at the sick mind that had painstakingly orchestrated the scene in the kitchen.

Elizabeth Dunn, hanging from the main beam of the house where it bisected the kitchen, hung there by her own innards.

Impossibly mutilated, and so much blood…

Hiram lay in the kitchen as well, his chest, arms and hands covered with deep cuts. Looked like he had given them a fierce fight indeed.

His eyes scanned around for….across the front lawn, Jacob’s heavy footfalls pounding up the steps and across the wide front porch….smashing through the door and into the main hall….

He heard Jacob’s booted feet on the porch and practically winced at the sound. He was coming….and fast, too.

I yell out a warning which is sure to be ignored, and turn to try and block his path, knowing that he is bigger, and driven by a primal need to protect his family, and will easily overpower me, and force me backward and out of his way….

“Jacob, don’t come in here!” Randall called out to him, rising and turning to block the boy’s path.

It all felt like a dream. An impossibly sick, twisted dream.

Jacob was closer now, pounding down the hall at full speed, and Randall turned his attention back to the boy. “Jacob, no! Do not come in here! You don’t want to see this…you don’t need to see this! For the love of all the gods, Jacob, no!”

As expected, his warning went entirely unheeded. Panicked by the sound of Ashlynn’s screams, fearing the worst, and determined to help, Jacob barreled into Randall almost blindly.

He was at least four inches taller, fifty pounds or more heavier, and so pumped up with a mix of adrenaline and determination that Randall may as well have been a ghost for all the resistance he provided.

Randall fought to keep his feet as Jacob sent him flailing backwards, spilling back into the kitchen, with Jacob following a fraction of a second later.

His heart broke….shattered, as he watched the expression on Jacob’s face change as he took in the kitchen scene. “Ma?...P….Pop-Hiram? N….no. No….” Those tiny, little-boy words, spoken with the razor-edge tone of despair said so much, and painted all too clearly the depths of pain flooding into the room.

Jacob knew instinctively that no matter what his powers, there was no saving his mother, but held out hope where his father was concerned. Randall could see it in the boy’s face that he made a real effort to block out the image of his mother hanging there as he closed the distance between him and his father and dropped to one knee, placing his hands on Hiram’s numerous wounds and opening the shutter of the lantern inside as wide as he possibly could. Trembling, whimpering, half whispering in his own unique language though, Randall knew that the boy failed miserably to block out the image of his other parent. He wondered if it was even possible.

Light poured out from Jacob as he channeled his power into the body of his father, trying desperately to find some faint thread of life so he could weave the tapestry whole again. “Jaky fi’ yu….” He mumbled to himself over and over again as he cradled his father’s head in his lap and rocked back and forth. “Jaky fi’ yu…lu’ yu….fi’ yu….”

For a moment, he caught the fleeting sense of….something, but it wasn’t enough…..it just wasn’t enough, and on that day, he found the one barrier that his power could not cross.

He tried and tried, stoking the light inside to levels higher than he ever thought he could, but it was just no use.

Pop-Hiram was gone, and the little boy wail that filled up the kitchen on that day was among the most heart rending sounds any present had ever heard.

That’s when all hell broke loose, and his mind struggled to make sense of too many things happening too quickly.

OoO
More footfalls on the porch, followed immediately by the sounds of a scuffle there.

That would be Braal, arriving to rescue Jacob as is the way of his people….detained by well-meaning soldiers who are only following orders, trying to keep a situation they do not understand under control….he will come too late, and from somewhere we didn’t see….

He reached for Jacob and took a step toward him. The boy was still rocking back and forth, stroking his father’s forehead gently, trying to fathom why his remarkable gifts simply would not work here. Over-sized tears flowed down his cheeks….shivering head to toe….overwhelmed by the sight in the kitchen, which was more terrible by far, than anything he had ever seen in the hospital tent.

The hairs on the back of Randall’s neck stood on end before he could close the distance between he and Jacob.

The Hunter.

The Assassin.

Here.

Now.

A crackling noise behind him.

He turned to look, in time to see the assassin morphing out of the wall itself. Some kind of magic that allowed him to camouflage himself….he had been in the room the whole time. Watching their expressions….their reactions to his “work”….biding his time….waiting.

“Jacob Dunn.” His rough voice resonated through the air like thunder.

Jacob met the gaze of the assassin.

“I wanted to look into your eyes as I made the pronouncement of my Order….you are an abomination….an unclean, feeble-minded, traitorous presence in the Basin….you have the Mark of Ollux on you, and now, you will die.

Unflinchingly, he brought his repeater crossbow up and let a bolt fly.

“Noooooo!” Randall shouted, jumping in front of Jacob, and not because of the information in his head. He could not have loved Jacob more had he been his own son, and he….

The bolt took Randall in the stomach, penetrating deeply. He gasped in pain and went down near Jacob’s feet.

“Bonus kill…the poison works painfully slow, too.” The assassin said coldly as he let a second bolt fly.

This one found its mark and bit deep, making a solid, sickening wet sound as it drove more than half of its length squarely into Jacob’s chest.

He made a small, pathetic mewling sound and gasped as his powers fell away from him and blood began welling up from around the shaft, and in that moment, the veil that had clouded his thinking in the waking world for his whole life fell away, and everything became strikingly, blindingly clear.

Footfalls pounding furiously down the hall now, and Braal burst into the room. All eyes turned toward him, and he took the scene in, digesting it with a detached professionalism, he nonetheless could not keep the sorrow out of his eyes, and when he understood, his terrible gaze fell onto the assassin.

“You!” He said acidly, in apparent recognition.

From the floor, Randall gasped. “He….he likely isn’t alone….make s….sure….none live.”

“None will.” Braal told him matter-of-factly as he drew his blade.

Pffft! A smaller bolt than the one from the assassin’s crossbow arced out and found its mark in the assassin’s thigh.

Lady Ashlynn had shaken off the shock of the kitchen scene and was wasting no time now.

The assassin hissed in pain and bolted out the back door in an attempt to escape, but a grimly determined Braal was quickly and easily closing the distance between them. In a matter of seconds, his own screams would be added to the growing chorus of misery that had become the House of Dunn.

The boy stared down at the wound, dumbfounded for a moment, and then realized that his friend was hit as well.

“Ran….dall?”

Randall tried to sit up as Lady Ashlynn ran to them both, biting back a sob. “Oh god…no….noooo……not like this.” She was not a human medic, but had tended enough injured animals to know the basics, and started automatically going through the motions. In seconds, she had produced salve from her knapsack and long strips of bandages.

She stood to find water, but Randall reached out for her to stop her. “N….no…too late….for us.” He gasped again.

“Ran…dall, no….oh no…..” Jacob bent down, hissing in pain as his hands sought the wound in his friend’s stomach.

Randall shook his head. “You first, Jaky….use your powers to…..save yourself….let me be.”

Jacob shook his head. “It’s….Jacob…..my name is….Jacob Dunn, and….can’t use my gift….on myself.”

“Help me….Ashlynn…pull….” he nodded toward the bolt embedded in Randall’s stomach. “Hard and….fast.”

She did, and Randall screamed as gouts of blood flowed up from the wound. Jacob’s hands covered it at once, and it was awash in his inner light.

In an instant, the wound began to close.

“Oh Jacob….” She whispered, stroking his forehead. “I….” There were no words, and her heart broke as she watched him….beads of sweat popping out on his forehead as he struggled to maintain his concentration.

“Have to….save….one.” He whispered. “Have to.”

Outside, he felt his brothers coming, and sent word to them not to attack the humans. There had been enough blood spilled for one day.

More than enough.

Coming to take me home. He realized, as understanding of what that meant sunk in.

It was his time.

Slowly, he took his hands away from the spot where the bolt had hit Randall, and though there was still blood on his tunic, no trace of the wound remained, and he could no longer feel the poison burning through his veins.

Jacob coughed and clutched his chest, blood and spittle flying from his mouth.

Bright red.

Ashlynn closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against Jacob’s. “There’s no….nothing I can…..I….so sorry, honey….I wish….” She lost the words then, and was wracked with quiet, miserable sobs, and he held her close for a moment.

“Shhh….I know….I know….y….you both did….your best….it was….my st….stubbornness that br…ought us here…..had to….you…..know that.”

Randall nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes.

They were instantly replaced by more.

“Oh god Jacob….what have we done to you….”

He shook his head weakly and opened his mouth to speak.

Skreeeecht! A chittering sound behind him.

“God damn your ruinous hides!” Randall shouted as he drew his blade and spun ‘round to face the Nilroggi who had somehow entered the house undetected.

“No.” Jacob told him firmly, in a clear voice.

Randall did not lower his guard, but did not attack.

“N….not much time now….must….tell you.”

Randall risked a glance back at the dying boy. “Tell me what?”

“T….they will not hurt….you….come for….me….to take me…..home.”

“Home? Jacob, what are you talking about?”

“C……ome….close.” He motioned weakly. “Close…..”

Reluctantly, the Fury Lord turned his back on his sworn enemies and knelt beside Jacob, who framed his face in his hands and met his gaze.

“Must….tell you….must try…..” Another coughing fit. “Th….they are…..brothers…..we are….their gods…..weak gods…..what is lost…..in the pages of…..our history….burns bright in….the HordeMind…..fresh……break the…..cycle of…..memory…..save our….people…..r…..resonance.”

The light flared brilliantly inside Jacob one last time, and images began assaulting Randall’s mind. They were weak….fading….and then gone with Jacob’s passing.

He died with his eyes open, his gaze burning into Randall Fury’s, trying desperately to impart at least some of what he had learned. Trying to pass the information on.

At least in part, he succeeded.

He gasped again, and then was still.

The light faded, and then went out all together, and Jacob Dunn slumped forward.

It was finished.

The Nilroggi waited a moment, giving the humans time to say their goodbyes, and then carefully lifted Jacob up, bearing him off to a grotesquely misshapen Nillrog waiting on the lawn just outside a freshly dug tunnel.

The bearers entered the tunnel, and the misshapen Nillrog followed close behind, sealing it behind him as he sank beneath the earth, mending it in an instant back to its former state.

And then, there was quiet.

A stillness on the air.

Jacob Dunn was gone.
OoO

[Velociryx]

Afterward

Jacob Dunn died in the year AC 113, killed by the hand of an assassin for being an “abomination”….a polluted, corruptive agent that would spoil the purity of the Basin.

Sadly, although he was able to impart some portion of what he learned to Randall Fury, he took the vast bulk of what he knew about the Nilroggi to his grave with him. There is no proper method of calculating the true cost of his passing on the Basin….no way to properly assess how much damage that singular death caused.

He was made an honorary member of the House of Fury, and though they could not lay his body in their family crypt, he was given a memorial service fit for a Lord of that House.

Lord Randall was never the same after the events of that day. He retired from military service, and spent the rest of his years quietly, on a small farm in Parthaway. He was visited regularly by both the Enchantress of the Silver River, who saw to it that the portion of Jacob’s discoveries that was preserved was put to good and proper use, and by Lady Ashlynn Briggs, with whom he shared Jacob’s memory.

It should be noted that the author has taken some extreme liberties in describing the events that occurred while Jacob was among the Nilroggi. Obviously we have no way of knowing for certain what he saw while in the caves beneath the Basin (though I have attempted to be as factual as possible in my reconstruction, basing my notes on other explorations, and was granted an interview by Lord Randall’s grandson, who told me the stories that have been passed down through his family about the knowledge Randall received from Jacob Dunn). Nonetheless, the details in those sections of the story should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt, and may well be the simple result of this author’s overactive imagination at work.

~ Llankhan the Wanderer - Freeman of Trentare

-Finis
OoO

[Imran Siddiqui]

Jeez, that's a lot of words

Bump... for me to read later .

[Velociryx]

Indeed....when a story idea grabs me gently by the throat, I have no choice but to get cracking! And, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that you enjoy!@

-=Vel=-