Dreams and Nightmares
I've just arrived at a foreign village after a long, dangerous trek. I look around for a place to meet some of the people of this strange land to get information and inquire about a place to stay for the night. I see a tavern with a light on so I go to it. There are few people around and being a stranger here I don't know if the tavern is always so empty or if the local people are too frightened to leave their homes. The tavernkeeper approaches and after looking me over, asks what my business is so I tell him: "I am Lady Luscinia of Willow Spires." That's all he needs to know about me for the moment. I am a Shadow Knight from the kingdom of Willow Spires, which means that rather than attacking my enemies with swords and daggers, I'm training to attack my enemies through their thoughts and dreams. Obviously, it takes many years to learn this skill so in the meantime I travel with a winged tiger named Benga for my protection. He pours me a flagon of ale and asks what brought me here. "I'm passing through the area on a mission. I need a place to rest for now and I need to assemble a group of people to help me on my quest. Do you know of where I might find skilled fighters or adventurers?" "Well, you've come to the right place" he assures me. "We get all types in here, mostly people like you passing through. I can put you up at the tavern and you're sure to meet people here who may be interested in working with you". I'm relieved to hear that I've found the right place to start my quest. I can't be too trusting since I'm new to the area and know no one here but I have to start at some point. My quest is too dangerous to be done alone so I dare only start it when I've assembled a strong team to work with me. Any skills could be useful so I'd welcome warriors, healers, sorcerors, anyone with any special skills. Before I leave to find a secluded place for Benga to sleep during the night, the bartender asks what is the nature of my quest. Not wanting to reveal too much to the someone who may turn out to be untrustworthy, I simply tell him... "Weapons. Magical weapons".

After securing Benga in a grove just beyond the tavern, I walked back to the tavern with Bitunorasepidall. Ah, yes, I had certainly heard of her native land, Sarmisegetuza. My own mentor, Heatherlark, had told me of the place. Sarmisegetuza was well-known for training wizards, sorcerors and people with skill in reading ancient runes and archaic manuscripts. Someone like that could be very useful to a shadow knight like me, however, they could also be very dangerous because my skills were useless against them. I regarded Bitunorasepidall with caution but decided I wanted to find out more about her in hopes of gaining a powerful and much-needed ally. We settled in chairs by the fire at the tavern and I explained more of my quest to Bitunorasepidall. "These are dangerous times and my own homeland of Willow Spires is in chaos. Bands of rogues wander the streets by day and at night they attack people's homes at random, causing everyone to live in fear. I was born with uncommon abilities to strike back at my enemies as they sleep so I've been training to develop my skills." "I was sent to apprentice with Heatherlark of Deviantart. Already I've learned much but I'm at the end of what I can learn from books and lectures. I can only gain the skills I need now through experience and by acquiring some magical items which will be of use to me". Bitunorasepidall nodded as if taking all this in but her expression was inscrutable. She could have been nodding to indicate she understood and I should continue or she could have been nodding because my tale was putting her to sleep. I paused to allow her to speak if she intended to but since she remained silent and watched me intently, I continued. "I'm searching for the first of seven magical artifacts my village would like me to acquire--the Dragon Tears Amulet. Do you know of it?" "Of course I do" Bitunorasepidall said with a wide grin. "There's a fascinating legend behind it. Oh, I've read all about it. The last red dragon slain for its blood, its tears transformed into garnets which were collected and set into an amulet, thought to give its wearer the power to enter other people's dreams." "Yes," I confirmed, "that is the amulet I seek. It's said that whoever owns all seven of the artifacts will rule the world. My people want to ensure that the forces of good get it to vanquish the evil ones who plague our world and keep them from acquiring them. No one knows for sure where the items are or if they even truly exist. For all they know, they may be no more than legends". "I was told there was a man to the north who might know where to find the Dragon Tears Amulet so I'm making my way to him. It's not known whether he is good or evil and the way to him is dangerous so we'll need warriors with us before we attempt to seek him out". Bitunorasepidall was silent for a minute and then sighed and leaned toward the fire. I watched her, wondering if she would join my quest or chose to part with me. I listened to the crackling of the fire and waited for an answer.

I walked into the tavern. Just another village tavern but perhaps one I could talk the keeper into giving me a night or two rest and food for a bit of music. I smiled at the tavernkeeper. "Hail and Good E'en, Sirrah! I am Valentino San Diavlo, traveling musician. I offer my services as entertainer for your fine establishment. Granted, I can see that you have few patrons tonight...but my fee is very small. I ask but for a night or two lodging and food. For that I will play tonight, tomorrow and tomorrow night. I offer a 60/40 split on any gratuities that may be tossed my way as I play and will even play a brief bit in the village tomorrow by way of advertising that you will have live music here. Perhaps that will bring more business in, eh? What do you say?" I strummed my mandolin that was hanging about my neck, and picked out the first line of "She Wore a Velvet Ribbon" and riffed into "Bantam Rooster". The tavernkeeper seemed unimpressed but "Bantam Rooster" is a fine, dancable jig and when his toe started tapping I knew I had him. Most villages were starved for good entertainment, and I knew I played well...since I wanted to eat regularly and my other profession as soldier-of-fortune was spotty when it came to pay. "We split any coin 50/50," the tavernkeeper bargined. I wasn't choosey tonight. "Deal. If I can eat before I start playing for the evening." I found a small table and accepted a steaming bowl of mutton stew and hot bread. I glanced at the two women, obviously not from around here, who were talking quietly by the fire. As I spooned up the stew, I had a nagging feeling that those two were trouble in the making.

In a land far from the quiet tavern, snow was falling and a brutal breeze whipped around the barren trees where a lone rider on a black horse galloped through the darkness. She wore a black cape and had a bow on a harness slung over one shoulder. Silver-tipped arrows were in a quiver at her side. Other people might be afraid to travel in these woods alone but not Katarina Spear. She had nothing to fear because other people feared her and she feared no one. She was hunter but she wasn't riding through the woods in search of quail or deer. She hunted people. The quarry she was hunting at the moment was a young shadow knight who would lead her to a great treasure. She couldn't kill Luscinia until after she had found the Dragon Tears Amulet because why should Katarina do all the work in finding its location? No, it was better to find Luscinia and trail her for the time being and then take her out when the amulet had been found. Katarina was unconcerned about being a few days away from Luscinia. After all, she was friendly with rogues in the area and none of them could forget seeing a flying tiger. Katarina was closing in on Luscinia and was confident she would catch up to her when the time was right.

Seeing that Bitunorasepidall wasn't ready with an answer about whether she was joining me or not, I told her to think about it and get back to me. Those who joined me would be putting themselves at risk so I had to be sure they went willingly and weren't going to abandon my cause midway through. While I had been talking to Bitunorasepidall, a musician had come in. I saw him watching me as I walked away from the fire and although I knew I hadn't met him before, I felt a connection with him, almost like I had known him in a previous life. I had a feeling I was going to be seeing his face in my dreams for many months to come. I couldn't understand where that feeling was coming from because he didn't seem particularly interested in me. In fact, he watched me cautiously as though he expected me to pull a knife on him at any moment. Maybe he, too, felt he had known me before but it hadn't been a pleasant experience for him. I wasn't quite ready to go to my room, despite being weary from my travels, so I talked to the tavernkeeper for a while about the town I had settled into. The town was called Betulaburg because of the many birch trees that lined the riverbanks surrounding it. It would have been a beautiful village except that there was unnatural stillness and coldness surrounding it. People were afraid to be out and around. I asked the tavernkeeper why that was. "Dark magic surrounds this place. People practicing evil skills are drawn to our land because it is at the crossroads of many larger towns. They can practice their arts in secrecy whereas they would be driven out of the other towns. The citizens are peace-loving so they don't have the ability to fight the evil ones and must suffer their presence here". I nodded my understanding. "It sounds very similiar to the situation in my land, Willow Spires" I said. "I'm hoping to change that and let people feel safe again". The tavernkeeper raked me over with a skeptical expression "How do you hope to accomplish that? Even if you manage to round up a dozen people to join you, how can you expect to defeat the hordes of rogues that plague us?" "I don't believe that we'll have to vanquish every rogue" I stated with conviction. "Generally there are only a few truly evil ones. The rest do their bidding because they want the power they get from their dark leaders. If we can get rid of the leaders, the others will be no threat to us". "Sounds like wishful thinking to me", the tavernkeeper scoffed. "What choice do we have other than to stand up to them? We can't cringe away in our homes waiting for them to come kill us. If I'm going to die, I'm at least going to take some of them down before I go. We have to set an example for others that they, too, can take a stand and not let the dark forces win". "Nevertheless, if you plan to keep anything here while you're out on your little quest, be sure to leave me some money to send your belongings back to where you came from or I'll sell it myself", the tavernkeeper said dismissively. "You aren't the first adventurer to come in here with big talk and great expectations and you won't be the last. Most of them end up dead. I've learned to take care of myself and mind my own business and that will keep me alive longer than chasing a dream will." "Maybe so, " I conceded, "but obviously something inside you has already died. There's more to living than just being alive. If you have no joy and live in fear, you aren't really living. In my opinion anyway". With that I decided I'd had enough of our conversation and went to my room to contemplate my next move.

Daracus, the tavernkeeper, had been told by a band of rogues to keep an eye out for any travelers for he would be paid for any information he could gather about him. Fortune had smiled on him and sent him several in one day! The lady with the flying tiger might bring extra money since she was obviously trying to stir up trouble. He was sure she was exactly the type of person the rogues would be interested in being informed of. Daracus grinned to think he might make enough money in the next few days to close the tavern and leave this godforsaken land. He had no loyalty to anyone but himself. Not anymore. As a younger man, Daracus had put the needs off others before himself and had gotten nothing back in return. He had worked for a healer, mixing up salves to put on burns, wrapping bandages on supporating wounds and attending to many grieviously injured people but when his own wife sickened, nothing could be done for her and he watched her waste away before him. Perhaps if he had been home more watching out for her, he would have noticed that she was ill and treated her before it was too late. Daracus learned then that nothing was more important than taking care of himself and his own. He had considered apprenticing to be a healer to be a noble profession but what good did it do him if he couldn't even save the woman he loved more than life itself? This town meant nothing to him now but a collection of terrible, painful memories. The sooner he was able to put distance between himself and it, the better. There must be some corner of the world that darkness hadn't extended to and he planned to find it if he had to spend the rest of his life wandering around in search of it. All he needed was enough money to get to his new destination and leave his past behind.

I had hoped to get a restful sleep after my travels and start the day feeling refreshed but instead I was plagued by nightmares and awoke filled with anxiety. The curse of shadow knights is that while we have prophetic dreams and can use dreams to influence events in real life we also still have normal dreams. It can be hard to tell what dreams are being sent to us and what dreams were created in our own mind. Part of my training involved studying dream recall, symbolism, and interpretation. The images seen in dreams could be a straightforward depiction of future events or they could be a strange mix of realism and symbolism that had to be analyzed and interpreted to provide any meaning. Dreams could be memories of the past or recognition of a connection that the inner mind noticed and is passing on to the waking mind. Sometimes a dog appearing in a dream was just a dog, either the memory of a former pet or a wish for something never had, but sometimes the dog was a symbol for something else, like a subconscious fear. I had dreamed that Benga and I were soaring through the sky and arrows were being shot at us from the ground. Most of the arrows fell just short of us so Benga was able to keep us out of their reach but then suddenly a silver arrow raced toward us from below and pierced Benga in the neck, causing us both to tumble from the sky. When we landed, I immediately checked Benga to see if she was alright. As I was tending to her, a man who looked very much like the tavernkeeper came up behind me and stabbed me in the back with a dagger. The last thing I remember was feeling like I was falling and waking up very abruptly, my heart pounding. My training kicked in then and I started analyzing my dream to see if it brought me a message or if it was just a collection of miscellaneous thoughts and fears being purged from my mind. It was unlikely that I was foreseeing a future event because although I can ride Benga, it can only be for short periods. It would make her too weary to carry me and our supplies when we travel, plus she couldn't adequately defend me without getting me in harm's way if I was on her. I ride a horse and follow her from the ground while she flies ahead to check for danger. I had reason to be cautious of strangers and I didn't know the tavernkeeper well, having just met him the previous day. Was I having normal anxiety about putting my trust in a stranger or had my subconscious mind picked up on something about the tavernkeeper that made him untrustworthy? I hadn't really thought of him as a threat until now, although he was certainly the most pessimistic fellow I'd met in a long time. I had planned to remain in this town long enough to gather companions for my quest but suddenly I felt like it was best to keep moving. I trusted my instincts and right now they were screaming at me that it was too dangerous to stay here much longer. Bitunorasepidall had indicated a willingness to join me and hadn't yet indicated a change of heart after I had explained the mission more fully to her. I decided I would plan on staying here one more day but then Bitunorasepidall and I would have to go. We would decide together where we should go to find more help. Perhaps I had revealed too much to the tavernkeeper but it was difficult to look for people to join my cause without revealing at least part of what that cause was. Being a shadow knight, I could read what was in men's heads and hearts to some degree but unfortunately that connection could be used against me as well. I had to learn to delve into other people's thoughts without revealing too much of my own. That would come in time as I gained more experience but I worried that I didn't know how much time I had left. A challenge might come my way before I was prepared to deal with it and then my cause would be doomed. I wasn't going to be like the tavernkeeper, though, and let my doubts and fears control me. I would use my fear to stay alert and keep me motivated. With that, I felt I had gleaned all I could from my dream analysis and had decided on a course of action so it was time to go check on Benga and start this new day.

I went to the patch of trees where I had left Benga the previous night and she must have been watching for me because she swooped down, landed at my feet and rolled over onto her back like a big housecat wanting to be pet. I wrestled with her for a bit and she playfully nipped at my hands. She could do serious damage with her jaws if she was on the attack but was surprisingly gentle when she was playing. I didn't have to worry about feeding Benga from my supplies because she preferred to hunt during our travels. My only concern was making sure she didn't kill animals belonging to other people and incur their wrath. As long as I didn't keep her for the night at someone's farm or stable, she was ok. Benga had been hunting last night, as was evidenced by the remains of a few squirrels and rabbits. Benga was anxious to get moving again, too. She loved to travel and not be confined to one area for too long. I wished she and I spoke the same language so I could explain to her what I was doing here and when we would be leaving but all I could do was pat her shoulders and say "Soon" and hope they she understood that she had to be patient a bit longer. An interesting thing about shadow knights is we can get inside the minds of others but it's not as effective with animals because of the language barrier. Even when a shadow knight did penetrate an animal's mind, they couldn't translate the messages picked up unless they also happened to have the skills of a beastmaster, which I did not. I could pick up on Benga's emotions--whether she was annoyed, angry, anxious or excited--but that could just as well have been from being companions for so long, just as a pet-owner might get to know their pet's temperment. Benga was more than a pet, though. Winged tigers had originally only been found in the wild but some of them had been domesticated and bred to serve humans. They were fiercely loyal and brave in battle, which made them ideal protectors. Benga was given to me when I turned 16 and I raised her from a cub. In a way, I was her protector until she grew old enough to protect me. We went through many months of training as I learned how to read her and she learned what was expected of her. Since we can't talk to each other, when Benga flies ahead and sees something that might be a danger to me, she has to communicate that information to me in another way. If the road ahead is impassable, she'll fly back to me, and circle around in the air, like a dog chasing its tail, to let me know I'll have to turn back and find another way to pass. If she sees other people ahead, she'll come back to me and climb and dive in the air a few times to let me know to be on the defensive. If there's another direction I can go to travel around them, she'll lead the way. When Benga gets too tired to fly, we either take a break or she'll trot on the ground in front of my horse as we travel. It was comforting traveling with Benga, knowing that she would help me if I got into danger but also just having her with me for companionship. I likely would not get another winged tiger after Benga because by the time she became too old to be my guardian, my skills as a shadow knight would have progressed to where I wouldn't need a protector anymore. Then, once again, I would become Benga's protector and she would be my pet and my friend.

Luscinia didn't know it yet but she was about to cross paths with another stranger. His real name was Lord Darth but to avoid detection as royalty he went by the common name Man-ho. Neither a brigand or a hero, Darth rode with whichever group he chose and amused them with his wit. His bawdy repertoire and skillful magic tricks made him a friend to many and enemy to none. If it was discovered that he came from a wealthy family, however, his life would be at risk so Darth willingly played the role of the clown. The current group Darth had been traveling with had been fun for a while but as their butchery had increased lately, Darth was enjoying his time with them less and decided it was time to make a break from them before they ran out of victims and turned on him. Darth planned to look up an old friend of his in the village of Betulaburg. It had been several years since Darth had been in that area but he was sure Fabu would remember him from last time. She gave him quite a send-off party when he left and even did a bellydance to entertain him that night. He had nearly changed his mind about leaving after watching her exotic dance for him. When Darth arrived, the village appeared deserted. Where there used to be children playing in the streets, peddlers peddling their wares, and people going about their business there was nothing but silence. Had the plague been through here, Darth wondered? Making his way through town, Darth saw a woman outside of her house, but when he called to her to wish her a good day and ask about what was going on in town, she fled from him and dashed into her house. His apprehension mounting, Darth urged his horse to go a little faster so he could get to Fabu sooner and see if she was alright. At last he arrived at her home. He tethered his horse outside the house and called out to Fabu. Getting no response he knocked on the front door. As he was waiting, he noticed that a window on the side of the house had been shattered. Broken glass spilled out onto the ground outside the window and some of it looked like it had still-wet blood on it, indicating that this had happened recently. Darth looked in the window, intending on entering the house from there, but stopped when he confronted a body propped up just inside the window. It was a man so it clearly was not Fabu but it was not anyone Darth recognized, although it was hard to tell because the body was covered with blood and had multiple cuts on the face, arms and chest. There was a shard of glass in the base of the man's skull and his throat had been slashed, either of which could have been the fatal wound. Hearing the crunch of glass underfoot, Darth sensed that someone approached him so he drew his dagger and turned to defend himself. Fabu was there, thankfully unhurt.

Considering that her house was a shambles, a window was broken out, and there was a dead man inside, Darth expected Fabu to be shaken up but amazingly she was smiling. Fabu stepped over the broken glass and flung her arms around Darth. "I'm glad to see you again, Man-Ho, although you were the last person I expected to find here" she said. "What has happened?" Darth said, looking into her eyes with concern. "Are you ok?". "I'm fine," Fabu assured him. "Haven't I always been able to take care of myself?" Fabu went to the back door of her house and motioned for Darth to follow her. She used her key to open the door and they walked from the back of the house to the main room, where the body was. "I was inside working on a tapestry when that beastly man showed up at my door. He wanted me to give him money and if I didn't he was going to take anything I had of value in my house. I told him he could threaten me all he wanted but I'm not afraid of cowardly scoundrels like him. He seemed to think I was joking because he laughed at me and shoved me aside and then came into my house. He stopped laughing when I pulled a knife out and told him to leave or I'd cut his throat". "He unsheathed his dagger and chased me into the main room of the house. He was big and clumsy so I was able to evade him easily at first. I swiped at him with my knife and managed to make him drop his dagger but then he grabbed me by the throat and pushed my back against the wall. He tried to knock the knife out of my hand but I held onto it firmly and was finally able to kick off the wall and push the blade against his throat. He stumbled backward, tripped over a chest of linens, and fell against the window, knocking out the glass. I didn't need to check if he was dead because he stopped breathing the instant his head shattered the window and slumped to the floor". "I left his body there and ran outside to get his horse and lead it to the back of my house. If he had any companions, I didn't want them seeing his horse and thinking he was still here. Then I came inside briefly to change clothes and wipe the blood off me. I was in the back, trying to figure out what to do next, when I heard you call out". Darth approached the body and crouched down to get a better look "Did you check to see if the man had anything on him? Do you know who he is or if he was traveling with anyone?" Fabu shook her head "I do not recognize him. He didn't tell me his name and I haven't yet checked to see if he was carrying anything. For all I know, he could be traveling with someone. Most people don't travel alone these days, but he was alone when he came to my door". Darth checked the man's pockets and found nothing. His belt had only a sheath for his dagger. "Obviously, the first order of business is to get rid of your uninvited houseguest", Darth said. "Let's wrap him in a blanket and put him in the back and then tonight I can strap him to my horse and take him out of town". "I'll not waste my fine linens on this cur", Fabu sniffed. "I rely on the sale of my linens to support myself. We can put him in an empty feed bag and take him out of town on my wagon now and then come back and clean up". "Sounds sensible to me" Darth nodded. "Even in a crisis, you keep your wits about you. You're an amazing woman, Fabu". "Yes, and you can tell me all about how fabulous I am later, after you've told me what you're doing here. My considerable charms weren't enough to keep you from leaving town so obviously something else brought you back". Darth grinned sheepishly and Fabu laughed at his expression. "Come", she said, taking him by the arm, "Let's take care of this problem and then we can catch up". They both returned to the back of the house. Fabu emptied a bag of feed into pails for the horses while Darth checked the man's horse. There was a pack strapped to the saddle and in the pack Darth found a key and a map. "Very interesting…" Darth mused. Fabu looked over at him when she heard his comment. "You found something?" Fabu questioned. "What is it?" she said, hitching the horses up to her wagon. "I'd tell you if I could read it", Darth said. "There's a key and a map but the map is written in a language I'm unfamiliar with. Can you read it?" Fabu came to his side and peered over his shoulder at the map. "I can't but I know someone who can" she said. "Bitunorasepidall."

At an encampment at the base of a mountain pass, Katarina has stopped to rest her horse, get information, and have a drink to warm herself. She takes a tankard of mulled mead and greets the thieves, looters, and mercenaries gathered there. None of them could truly be called friends but she has met several of them in past excursions and they were the closest thing she had to friends. They sit on logs around a bonfire and exchange news from their travels. A group of rogues has just returned from Willow Spires and is anxious to speak of their adventures. Since Katarina is pursuing Lady Luscinia of Willow Spires, she is particularly interested in hearing their tale. "There is no militia in Willow Spires anymore" their leader, Rufus, gloats. "I took some of my best girls--La Belle, pinkcatshadow, Brinna of C, Slim Smurfy, and Lady K.--and we attacked the military barracks at Willow Spires two nights ago." "Yeah, they ran like dogs rather than fight us!" pinkcatshadow cackled with glee. "I thought you girls specialized in cat burglary" Katarina mused. "Did you tire of home invasions or had you simply already taken everything of value from the villagers?" "We wanted to remind the town who was in charge" Rufus declared. "The King had said crime was getting out of hand and was talking about bringing in military units from other kingdoms to clear us out. We had to strike at them first and we didn't have time to summon Qbone and his gang of ruffians to do the job. Besides, I knew my girls could handle it and they didn't disappoint me" Rufus said, smiling at La Belle. "So what's your next move?" Katarina inquired. "You know the King isn't going to back down and the game will be back on when he brings in reinforcements from other towns". "Either way, our group wins" Brinna chimed in. "If troops are brought in from other villages, those villages will be undefended and our counterparts in those villages will be free to continue their work". "If we can get Willow Spires under our control", Rufus added, "we will have no one to stop us. We have sent word to Qbone and will wait here for him. Then we'll decide on our next plan of attack". "What about you, Katarina?" Slim Smurfy asked. "Will you stay and join us?" Katarina nodded emphatically no. "Sorry, ladies, but I have other business to attend to, more important to me than a petty town squabble. Plus you know I don't work in groups. I work alone". Even amongst her comrades, Katarina did not feel comfortable disclosing her plans. They could not be trusted to keep secrets and they might work in competition with her if they knew what she was after. “Has anyone come here from the Northwest?” Katarina asked. “I’m traveling that way and would like to know what to expect. “Missy was here about a week ago and she passed through the town of Betulaburg” Lady K told her. “It’s mostly deserted but there are a few residents left who may be of use to us. Word is there’s a witch named Fabu who has knowledge of enchantments and potions. Jacob was sent to talk to her and persuade her to join our group so we can use her skills”. “Jacob? The village idiot??” Katarina roared with laughter and the others laughed, too, at the thought. “Well, somebody had to go and Fabu could be dangerous if she wouldn’t go willingly” Lady K continued. “If he succeeded, Jacob will return here with Fabu” Rufus said. “No offense intended” Katarina sneered “but sending a petty thief to talk to a powerful witch for an important mission was not the best plan. Whose idea was that anyway?” “How would I know?” Rufus barked. It wasn’t by my order. Jacob was clearly under orders from another leader, someone closer to his area. Man-ho was going to be assigned the task but he declined to do it and took off. He hasn’t been in contact since then”. “You know, I heard a curious thing the other day” Katarina remarked casually. “Villagers told me a tiger flew down from the sky and killed a rabbit just outside Briarwood Forest. I’ve heard of winged tigers but haven’t seen them with my own eyes”. “Missy has!” La Belle offered. “She swears she saw one a few days ago at the crossroads just north of here. “We thought she must have been seeing things and she got all offended and said she knows what she saw”. “Winged tigers, eh?” Rufus said with interest. “Do you think that means the King has business in the Northwest, Katarina? Is that the reason for your interest in going there?” “Not entirely”, Katarina answered evasively. “It’s not so much business that takes me where I’m going. It’s a personal matter. I’m looking up an old friend and would like to surprise her when I arrive”. With that, Katarina walked away from the fire to find a spot to bed down for the night. She had learned what she needed to know and didn’t need to divulge any more information. Rufus might be suspicious of her plans but she had her own matters to keep her busy so she likely would be no further trouble to Katarina. In the morning, Katarina would head for Betulaburg to get more information from the tavernkeeper, Daracus. If there were newcomers to the area, he would know about them.

When Lady Luscinia returned to her room, Bitunorasepidall was just coming to see her. Luscinia beckoned her inside her room and closed the door. "I'm happy to see you today, Bit. I was about to go looking for you. We need to make plans". "I agree" Bitunorasepidall replied "Which is why I sought you out. I don't like what I'm sensing today. This town is usually pretty desolate and inactive but in the last few days, there have been many more people converging here and I sense most of them are here for evil purposes. My instincts tell me we need to start moving" Bitunorasepidall said urgently. "I had a dream last night that left me feeling that we're not safe here", Luscinia confirmed. "How well do you know the tavernkeeper?" Bitunorasepidall frowned "You mean Daracus? I can't say I know him well. We don't talk about anything besides what I'm ordering from him. I make it a point not to spread too much information about myself to others. You would do well to do the same yourself" Bitunorasepidall cautioned sternly. "Why do you ask about him?" "In my dream I got a strong feeling that I shouldn't trust Daracus, that he might bring harm to me" Luscinia replied. "I don't know if the feeling is normal suspicion since he is a stranger to me or if my insight has picked up on something that I did not. I didn't dream of feeling threatened by you and you are as much a stranger to me as he is. Regardless, I think we should plan on leaving here soon, maybe tomorrow morning. Can you be ready by then?" Luscinia questioned. "You have much to learn, Luscinia. I see that your instincts are good but you lack the logic to plan how to respond to those instincts" Bitunorasepidall counseled. "It's good to be aware of danger but you can't impulsively run off every time danger approaches. You ask if I'm ready to leave...are you sure you're ready? Do you know your destination and which way we're going to go to get there? You came to this town looking for people to help you on your quest and have added one to your party. Surely you need more people than that. How are we going to get more followers and where should we go to find them? We can't make a beeline to your destination and rely on chance to lead us to people who will join us. I'd like to hear what your plans are, Luscinia" Bitunorasepidall challenged, "then I'll tell you if I can be ready to follow you". Luscinia felt rage building in her over Bitunorasepidall's appraisal of her but she forced it down because she realized this was the kind of experience Heatherlark had sent her out to find. She couldn't learn survival skills from books. She needed someone to guide her and she was lucky to have found Bitunorasepidall. Luscinia would learn a lot from her if she didn't let her pride get in the way of Bitunorasepidall's guidance. "I know not the location, or even the name, of the man I seek, the man who I've been told might be able to tell me the location of the Dragon Tears amulet. I'm relying on my dreams to guide me toward him. As I get closer, I'll start picking up more of a connection and should be able to tell where I might find him". "That's not much to go on, Luscinia" Bitunorasepidall said doubtfully. "I have skills as a shadow knight" Luscinia asserted. "I know you don't believe it now since you haven't seen them in action but I was chosen to train as a shadow knight because of the talents I was born with. I can tell you that I have seen the world from this man's eyes in his dreams and he lives in a land of red mountaintops and fiery fields. I have seen the landscape surrounding him and recognize it as an inferno". "Well, that's a bit more concrete information to go on" Bitunorasepidall said thoughtfully. "There are a few regions with infernos on them. Most of them are to the North, as you obviously already know. How can you be sure that the inferno you're seeking is not one of the ones to the East?" "Right now only my intuition tells me it's not" Luscinia confirmed. "I need to have more dreams and get more information to narrow down the area. You're right that we need more help before we can continue on that quest and we don't want to reverse direction to where I came from. If I had had anyone who could help me at Willow Spires, I would have brought them with me. My mentor's land of Deviantart might be a logical place to check for help since there are more shadow knights there and the people would be familiar with my mentor and perhaps sympathetic to my cause. However, most of them are scholars, not people of action. We need warriors more than thinkers at this time". "And where do you think we'll find such people?" Bitunorasepidall prodded. "To the West. In the Valley of the Crimson River, amongst the warring tribes living there" Luscinia answered, realizing that Bitunorasepidall had known all along where they needed to go but had taught her how to find the answer herself. Bitunorasepidall smiled and replied "Correct. My belongings are packed and I've arranged to have both our horses groomed, shod, equipped with armor, and ready to go by this evening. We leave tonight".

Meanwhile, back at Willow Spires, the King of the kingdom of Jadencloud, Lord Calvin, paces in the throne room of his castle and worries about if Lady Luscinia’s quest has started off well. His Queen, Lady Kitri, tries to comfort him but she has concerns, too. Not so much about the status of the quest but about Luscinia’s personal welfare. “It’s maddening that I was unable to send scouts to keep me informed of Luscinia’s progress” Calvin mutters. “However, since she’s on a quest for our kingdom, royal scouts accompanying her would surely be noticed and could put her in danger from bandits watching her”. “It’s out of our hands, My Lord” Kitri quietly assured him, coming to stand next to him. “We took Luscinia in and saw that she was given the training needed to go out in the world. We now must trust that she will keep herself safe and complete her task”. “Let me remind you, My Lady, that Luscinia is not our daughter” Calvin said gently, looking Kitri in the eyes and taking her hand in his. “I know you think of her as your own but you must separate your personal feelings from the matter. Luscinia is on a dangerous quest but one which she does willingly and one which she is uniquely suited for. If you want to keep her out of harm’s way, she will be unable to complete her mission and our entire kingdom may be lost. Camilla and Brian did not bring Luscinia to us so we could raise their little girl as a princess. They brought her to us so that her skills could be used to defend our kingdom”. “Yes, I realize that” Kitri sighed. “I fret for her safety and will be greatly relieved when she returns to Willow Spires but I understand the importance of her task. I trust that she will complete her mission and save our kingdom from this plague of evil that surrounds it. They say adversity breeds greatness and if that’s true, Luscinia is certainly destined for great things. It breaks my heart that her parents were killed a few short years after she was brought to us.” “Even if Luscinia had been with them at the time the rogues invaded their home, she couldn’t have saved them” Calvin said. She was too young and her skills too underdeveloped so she likely would have been killed herself, or gone missing, like her sister. Lord only knows what the rogues did to her”. “So what do we do now, while Luscinia is away fulfilling her mission and the rogues and ruffians are camped out all around our castle, building their forces against us?” Kitri demanded. “Do not speak to me like I know nothing, My Queen” Calvin tutted. “I’m aware that our military forces at Willow Spires have been compromised but even now reinforcements are being brought in from Maplewood Towers and Cedar Peaks. My forces are not simply tightening their defenses. I also have scouts from Deviantart keeping an eye on bands of ruffians and scattering them, when possible. They do more damage when there are more of them gathered at one location so I’m seeking to isolate their groups”. As they spoke, one of their royal scouts, Baggins, arrived with news. He kneeled before them and then stood to deliver his news. “My Lord, My Lady, forgive me for intruding. I bring news from Zoltan the Merciless, your general in the Northern region. His skirmishes with the rogues there have gone well and he has captured a rogue leader—Qbone”. “Excellent!” Lord Calvin exclaimed. “My, my, that is an impressive feat. Not just a rogue leader but from what I understand THE rogue leader. If he has indeed captured him, we may be able to end our kingdom’s problems without waiting for the items Luscinia seeks. Where is Lord Zoltan now? Is he holding Qbone at his current location or is he bringing him here?” “I was sent ahead to ask what you wish, My Lord” Baggins bowed. “Lord Zoltan has him temporarily imprisoned at Castle Timberrock but was unsure of the safety of trying to travel with Qbone”. Calvin thought for a few minutes, pacing the floor “I think it would be wise to keep Qbone where he is. We have enough blackguards here at Willow Spires. If we bring Qbone to the palace, he will be surrounded by his people and they will flock here to rescue him. We’ll be doing them a favor by bringing Qbone to them. Tell Lord Zoltan well done and my order is to keep Qbone at Castle Timberrock or move him to a more secure location up north, if necessary. Reinforcements will be sent from Deepwater Moor to help guard our prisoner”. “Very good, My Lord” Baggins acknowledged and left swiftly to carry out the king’s orders. Kitri spoke to Calvin “Do you intend to go to Timberrock to question Qbone, My Lord?” “No,” Calvin shook his head, “Willow Spires is not out of danger yet. “Once word gets out to the rogues that we have captured Qbone we may be in for a last-ditch effort to raze the palace so I will stay here for the time being, consult with my advisors, and plan the next course of action. Have faith, my Queen. This last development is encouraging and may yet drive the darkness away from our kingdom”. Calvin and Kitri smile at each other and then gaze out the window, both thinking about what would happen next and how Luscinia was coming along on her quest.

At the tavern, Luscinia and Bitunorasepidall are listening to Valentino’s music while they watch people who come in the tavern to see if they can find more travel companions. He sings a bawdy song about stroking a cat in the evening and pulling a cock all day which makes Bit chuckle with amusement but Luscinia flushes and pretends not to understand what it means. His next song is a story about the fall of Sarmisegetuza. Luscinia listens to it intently since she hadn’t known the whole story. Bit, however, clears her throat and walks away, saying she has something stuck in her throat. She goes up to the bar to get another drink. After the song is over, Luscinia goes to talk to Valentino. “You play very well, sir”. “Thank you, kind lady” he returns. “Do you write the songs yourself or are these songs you have learned?” she asks. “Actually, it’s a little of both” Valentino tells her. “I’ve picked up some songs in my travels and I dabble at writing some of my own, too”. “The one you just did about Sarmisegetuza…did you write it?” “No,” he answers “I learned that one many years ago. I’m interested in the history of our land and preserving it in song so when I come across a tale like that, I commit it to memory and play it so future generations will remember our past”. “Do you know any songs about dragons?” Luscinia asks. “Oh, you like dragons, eh?” Valentino grins. “I know many songs about dragons, young lady. Here’s one I think you’ll particularly enjoy. It’s about the last red dragon—Erubescent”. Soaring through the sky, Erubescent gleamed bright, The sunlight beamed red from his scales, Shielded by his armor the dragon was encased From his head to the tip of his tail. But the dragon’s tough hide was no match for steel, And Erubescent was sent to his grave. Stabbed in the heart, the poor beast was slain, And it wept as it realized its fate. Cry not, brave dragon! Your spirit lives on, In every gemstone you shed. Darkness claimed your life, At Castle Crescent Moon, But the tears of the dragon, From this terrible deed, Will curse the dark souls, Which made it bleed, And Erubescent, in the end, Will send them to their doom. Luscinia was silent when the song ended. Suspicion entered her mind—why had Valentino chosen this particular song, of all songs he knew about dragons? Was he onto her? Did he know she was a shadow knight and she was seeking the Dragon Tears Amulet? It seemed too coincidental. Bit had wandered back over as the song began and she and Luscinia exchanged glances, each wondering the same thing. Finally, Luscinia spoke “Well done, Sir. I know of the story of Erubescent although I have never heard it in song before. It’s a sad tale”. “Indeed, it is” Valentino remarked. “Tell me” Luscinia asked. “The song mentions a Castle Crescent Moon. What does it mean?” Valentino frowned as he thought “Obviously, this song was written way before my time. It was probably hundreds or even thousands of years ago that the dragons lived. From what I understand of the story, the last dragon was captured at Crescent Moon Castle and the blood of it used in a dark ritual. A shrine to Erubescent was built there after the inhabitants of the castle all died. Some say it was from a curse placed on them by killing the dragon. Its tears haunted their dreams until they died”. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a break” Valentino announced. “If you have any requests, hold them until I return from washing down a tankard and I’ll play it for you” he said with a wink. Bit approached Luscinia and remarked casually for the benefit of anyone possibly observing them “Interesting story about Erubescent, the last red dragon”. “Yes, it was” Luscinia responded, following Bit’s lead. Then she leaned in and whispered to Bit “I think I’d like to visit Crescent Moon Castle someday to pay my respects to Erubescent”. “My sentiments exactly” Bit agreed.

*Future chapters of Dreams and Nightmares will be posted at Reality Island* http://realityisland.com/viewtopic.php?t=3797&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 *A new chapter has been posted today.*