Chapter 13

Assassin kept her word. She killed him quickly. Mid-sentence. In the middle of his plea for mercy. Then she turned to leave without a glance back; Kalen followed her. Jaened joined them immediately.
"Where's Eldan?" He asked Kalen after a few moments. Kalen shook his head. He was still too breathless to speak.
"Eldan can take care of herself. Jaened, you're with me. We're going to get your sister out if I have to burn Fellyre to the ground." Assassin paused for a moment to retrieve the glaive she had hidden in the underbrush. "Are you with us, Elnite?"
She was giving him the choice? "No. Why in heaven or hell would I want to follow you?"
"It was an offer, not a request. I have no need of you. You may live longer with us, but then again, perhaps not. I know your kind--you carry ill-fortune with you everywhere you go. Those who believe such things would call you cursed."
Kalen opened his mouth to demand what made him cursed, but immediately saw the truth of her charge. What other explanation could there be? "Well then, I'll free you of a bad luck charm." He turned to leave. No one protested or moved to stop him, so he kept walking.

Retracing his steps from the pile of bodies Assassin had left to where he had parted ways with Eldan was easy, but following her trail was nigh impossible. She could have gone any direction. Elnites were traditionally hunters, but military only taught basic tracking. The broken rubble gave no space for footprints, and he knew she would not be so idle as to let her clothes catch and tear on thorns and stones. Assassin was right--Eldan could take care of herself. He began making his way towards the trees. She was not his charge--wait, was that blood?
He knelt and touched the dark smear. It was still wet. No wonder she had been lagging. He searched the area, but at the same time hoped that she was not bleeding enough to leave a trail. He sighted along the course she'd taken to guess her direction and followed it into the thicker underbrush amass with willows.
"Eldan!" He dared to call her name quietly as he crept forward. Sloosh The turf gave was to swamp, leaving his left leg soaked to the knee. Why would she go this way? "Eldan!" He called her a few more times, then began retracing his steps. If she hadn't gone that way, there was no telling where she might be.
He stopped at the edge of the clearing and dropped quickly to the ground. The rubble was swarming with soldiers, for more that the thirty Assassin had spoken of. Whatever Eldan had taken was clearly of great value to them. He waited, scarcely daring to breathe, until he was certain no one was looking his way, then retreated back into the swamp. At least they wouldn't be able to track him there.
He found a moderately dry log to rest on, but, as the day grew cooler, the insects began to swarm up from the waters. When he could stand the bites and buzzing no longer, he pressed on, deeper into the swamp, since he did not dare to go back.  It had to either dry out or or lead to a larger body of water eventually.
Eventually. Hours passed; darkness slowly descended on the forest, and still there was no change. Every second step landed in deep mud or a small pool of water. What foolish notions of heroism had possessed him to come after Eldan? She was probably safely hidden away with the rest of the Tassin, while he, like the gallant hero he wasn't, was lost in a disease-ridden marsh. The damp worked its way into his bandage, making his shoulder ache and itch.
His mind began to wander. Syriel. What was she doing right now? Was she safe? Free? Was she mourning them? Could his father really protect her? He glanced up at the stars. Wherever she was, she was probably safer than he was right now.
"Kalen?" He started and turned around, finding himself staring down the shaft of a crossbow. Eldan relaxed her weapon. "Thank Ithien you escaped! When you took off, I thought you were dead!" She slid down against the tree she was leaning on to sit on the turf. Kalen joined her.
"Are you hurt? I saw some blood--" Eldan shrugged and pointed to her side. Her shirt was tied up tightly as a makeshift bandage. Dry blood crusted the skin below it.
"It's not bad. I know a serious wound when I see one. I just failed to fully deflect a blow. But how did you manage? I thought you were dead."
Kalen explained in brief what had transpired. "So I came back to find you, but all Terraphel is combing the ruins, so I went this way."
"You came back for me?" Eldan paused for a moment, then added, "So Assassin and Jaened are off to Fellyre? Four against Terraphel, two against Fellyre--that woman is far to confident in her own skills. But I would rather have her attacking Fellyre than on their side."
They sat in silence for a time. Eldan lay back and closed her eyes. In the moonlight, she seemed smaller than she had before.
"What did you steal from Terraphel?"
Eldan opened one eye. "This." She drew out a small, ornate box from her jacket. "I don't know what it is, but it looked important. I wouldn't suggest opening it." Kalen took the box. It was so light it felt almost empty. The wood was deep red, bound with hammered gold and intricately carved. He felt the carvings since it was too dark to see them. So this was what he had almost been killed for. He would normally have been curious about such a thing, but now...
"We should bury it or hide it somewhere that they'll never find it."
"If it's important to them, Fellyre will find it anywhere we hide it. It's safest if we keep it."
"It's safe? What about us? Are we going back to the Tassin?"
"No--not me at least. If those soldiers are after this, I'm not going to lead them to my people. I'll show you the way come morning, but I can't follow until I know what this is and what to do with it."
"If you want to find out what it is," Kalen quickly flipped the clasp and opened the box.

And that was it. No flash, no sound, no sign of magic. Inside lay three pieces of parchment, neatly rolled and tied with black ribbon. Kalen was almost disappointed, but Eldan sat up quickly.
"That's the dumbest thing I've seen you do, but it just might have been the best thing you could have done. We can leave the box for them to find and take the scrolls." She picked one up and began to untie the ribbon.
"Is it safe?"
"You're the one who just opened a box that could have had a viper in it. It's just parchment. It's..." She unrolled it. "Blank." She turned the scroll over. There was not so much as an inkblot, even when she held it up so the moonlight could shine through it. She took the second scroll and found it likewise. Or at least, so it seemed at first.
Kalen glanced over. A long, single sentence was scrawled across it in an unbroken, wavy hand.  "Well that says something."
Eldan looked at him, puzzled. "No it doesn't." She turned it to face him. He looked more closely at the writing. It wasn't like any script he had ever seen before. He gingerly took it from her hands. It was hard to distinguish the thin letters in the dark.
"It seems...it's not Fellyrian--or any common Selvran language. Not that I know anything but Elinite and Common Speech, but I've seen a fair bit, travelling with the army." Eldan snatched it back and turned it over a few times.
"Kalen, there is absolutely nothing written on this." She laughed slightly, then stopped, looking him in the eye. "You actually see something, don't you?"
"You don't?" The writing was thin and a little faint, but it was obvious. He ran his finger along it. The slight ridge of ink--it was all there. How could she not see it?

Beauty and the Beast...and Sin and the Christian

So there has been a lot of buzz going around about the new Beauty and the Beast. On the one side, there are those who have started a Disney boycott and are blowing the whistle loudly on anyone and everyone who condones it.

On the other side, we find the defense who praise its merits to high heaven to the point of denying any problems.

So I went and watched it.

And I liked it.

It had merit and all the charm of the.beloved cartoon But the problems were also real, if a little over-stated by some people. So here are the problems (we all like to get the bad news first any ways):

1. Low collars on the ladies. I guess camisoles weren't invented yet.

2. The prince was a good child, then corrupted. Small, I know, but it is still worth noting (especially if you are talking it over with a child) that, contrary to its assertion, people are born sinful. We do not need to be corrupted to do evil.

3. Warped portrayals of marriage. First, there is the obvious. Gaston, who epitomizes the classic chauvinist, wants a little wife to bear his children and massage his feet. There is some implication that literacy is considered dangerous for girls in his opinion (and a few other characters). Codsworth is revealed to have a wife who, after he is restored, embraces him, saying how lonely she has been. He replies by expressing his desire to be a clock again (to escape his wife). Lumiere and Plumette are presumably unmarried and markedly passionate in their romance.

4. Lefou. Yes, I know, you were wondering when I would get down to that. To be honest, if you were to watch this without hearing all the rumors, you may very well not pick up on anything there. But, we've all heard it, so I could not help seeing it. He is somewhat effeminate and one can definitely see the looks he casts Gaston's way. But it remains by no means a gay movie. He does once sort of wrap Gaston's arms around himself in the middle of his famous song about Gaston, which act, Gaston informs him, is "too much". Gaston is clearly oblivious to Lefou's feelings, and, as far as I can tell, Lefou is more confused than anything else (hence the name). And, very briefly, he can be seen dancing with a man in the ball at the end.

Now for some good news. Let's hear what they did right.

1. Belle and her father's relationship. As far as parent-child relationships are concerned, this is one of the best I have seen in film for a long time. The love they both bear each other is tangible and heart-warming as, over and over again, they sacrifice themselves and their wishes for each other's sake.

2. Belle and the Beast's relationship. This is more fleshed-out than in the original, showing how their love grows over a passion for reading. One notable emphasis in this is that people can change far more than they may think. Change is part of real love--changing and surrendering your own desires and plans to sacrificially serve and help the beloved. There have been a number of popular romance movies that came out relatively recently which portray as desirable being loved just the way you are with the desire for you not to change. It was refreshing to see a love portrayed which necessitated some of the changing on both sides that a real relationship requires.

3. Gaston. Gaston is evil. You hate him for all the traits that you should hate--pride, selfishness, uncontrolled temper, cruelty, cunning. While some of these traits are rather exaggerated beyond anything you are likely to encounter, it is always good when you see something you despise to stop and take a double check in the mirror and be sure that you do not harbor a few of those sins yourself.

4. Mr. and Mrs. Potts and Chip. Okay, I have little so say here except that they are a truly adorable family.

Over all, my verdict was favorable. I would watch it again. I think I could recommend it too. And this is why:

We are in this world. If you expect the world to turn out Christian material, you are going to be sadly disappointed. I am only surprised that it has taken Disney this long to get on board. I cannot, off the top of my head, think of a single prominent film company that has not yet put a gay character in at least one of their movies. And, my dear Christian friends, if this offends you, stop and consider what else should offend you. We watch films and TV shows every day where unmarried couples are living together and we don't bat an eye so long as they don't "show anything".

What a change it would make if Christians today could look for ten seconds through the eyes of God and see sin for what it is! But that is not how we function. We have classified sin. We have the okay sins and the not okay sins. While it is true that, in this world, we have to walk about with a tolerance for unbelievers' sins, as, if we did not, we would be too overwhelmed to step outside our own homes, I fear we have drawn our lines in strange places. Sin does have categories. Sexual sin is a unique category (1 Corinthians 6:18). But that category covers everything from looking at a woman with lust to sodomy. If the Christian blanches at the sight of a man dancing with a man, then shrugs off straight sexual innuendos in other films, we have a problem.

This is why Christians fear to share the gospel with homosexuals. This is why Christians struggling with homosexual desire think they need to keep it secret. We have put that one sin in a class of its own.

So you are probably asking if I am about to tell you to never watch another movie unless it is Christian. That is not my recommendation. Nor, I believe, is it the demand of Scripture. Setting no unclean thing before your eyes is not a command to walk around blindfolded. On the contrary, we need to walk with our eyes a little wider open. Be aware. Know what is right and what is wrong and recognize and address it as is needed. If you see sin in a film (and you will if you watch any movies at all), know it as such. Don't shrug it off or petition for the movie being good despite it. Acknowledge it and be honest with yourself and God as to whether you can watch a movie like that or safely recommend it to others.

So now you are saying that, as long as I know what is and isn't sin, I can watch whatever? No! Emphatically no! Here are some simple criteria:

1. If sin is exalted, do not watch it. Sin portrayed as a fact of life is one thing. Sin portrayed as good and commendable is another thing entirely. (Isaiah 5:20)

2. If it tempts you or others to sin, do not watch it. The most obvious example is sex and nudity. But excessive language can also have this effect. God does not let us tamper with sin. We are to flee it. (2 Timothy 2:22)

3. If it is part of the movie's supposed appeal, do not watch it. Gratuitous violence and sex/nudity scenes are the most common of this sort in modern films. If that is what people watch the movie for, Christians have no business there. You may as well go to a nightclub and say you are there because you like the lights. (Even if that is the truth, you are still taking part in what is going on there) (Ephesians 5:11-13)

Lastly, I would ask you to all ask yourselves what the things you are viewing do to the glory of God. The answer may honestly be "Absolutely nothing". But, often as not there are some things which bring God glory and some which do the opposite. Beware of those that mock God. The Bible has grave warnings against them. You should fear to be a partaker in that. Do not imagine that you can watch and enjoy a portrayal of sin without being a partaker in it. And that sin is the same stuff that nailed Christ to that bloody cross. Hate sin, Christian. But hate it most within yourself.

Chapter 12

"That would be a great plan if we had a hundred men. But we don't."
"All it will take is four. Terraphel has thirty guards. Eight will be on watch here, here, and here," Assassin jabbed her knife into points on the rough diagram she had scratched in the earth. "And the rest will be in the guard hall. The dungeon is probably still empty, but i there are guards down there, that just means fewer for us to deal with. You two will be the distraction. Jaened and I will go in here and make our way straight to Symorkhel's chambers. We will be out with the Sheela in minutes."
"So Kalen and my lives are a sacrifice you are willing to make? I've done the math and I can only see two getting out alive." Eldan argued.
"As tempting as it would be to lose you, that is not my plan. You've escaped Terraphel once. These woods are full of your people. You should have no trouble staying alive until we rejoin you."
"Why don't I go in with Jaened and you lead the wild goose chase then?"
"You think I would entrust him to you? I won't let him out of my sight. If we lose him, we've lost our chance with the Sheela. I've lost my revenge and you have lost your war."
"Glad to hear I'm good for something." Jaened laughed a little. "I was beginning to wonder if--"
"No one said you were good for anything." Assassin interrupted coldly. "I said we need you. Once we have the Sheela, you can go to the Pits for all I care." She turned abruptly back to Eldan. "The signal is the only difficult part. We will be concealed over--"
"What about Erissa? What will you do with her after we rescue her?"
"That will depend on what state she is in.  I won't kill her unless I have to."
"So," Kalen put in, "Is this a rescue or an assassination?"
"You're not going to touch her." Jaened's tone held a warning that his lack of skill gainsaid.
"If she stays in Terraphel, she will be worse than dead." Assassin's tone softened--something Kalen had never heard. "Don't fear, Jaened. Your sister will come to no harm by my hand if you do your part. I can take her from Symorkhel, but only you can bring her back from whatever dark spells have taken her mind. If you succeed, you can both go and do whatever you please with the rest of your lives. If not, it will not be your sister that I will be killing."
Jaened took her answer and quietly retreated. Kalen resumed his quiet observation of Assassin's plans. The only thing which made him uneasy was that Assassin no longer spoke of leaving once the Sheela was theirs. He felt that, perhaps, there was a darker plan underlying all that she said and did and dreaded discovering what it might be. She was a little too open with them. With her skills, what if she chose not to disappear afterwards?
He shook himself. He hated her, but he had no reason to suspect her of anything worse than an ice cold heart. Which was bad enough.

Climbing the wall was easier than it looked. And Kalen still couldn't do it.
"It won't work." He whispered to Eldan as he dropped down for the third time. "I can't hold my weight with this arm--it's barely begun to heal."
"I know. Assassin was mad to ask that of you. And doubly mad to refuse to have a second plan if this fails. Wait here and I'll see if I can get the gate open."
"You think you can get the gate open without being seen?"
"No. But it'll make a pretty good distraction--better than what she planned." Eldan was scaling the wall before he could reply. Her legs dangled awkwardly over the side for a moment as she struggled to haul herself over the narrow stone rail, then she disappeared into the fortress. With her gone, the magnitude of how alone he truly was struck him full force. How had it come to the point that this girl, who he had known for scarcely a week, was his only friend left? Friend? She said she didn't trust him, but somewhere along the way, he had learned to trust her. Either she had grown more friendly or just the contrast between her and Assassin had made her seem nicer. Whichever it was, he did not want her to die. He quickly and quietly made his was around to the gate, staying flat to the wall so as to avoid detection from above. Ithien, protect her. He prayed to the deity he scarcely believed in any more.
Time dragged by. She was taking far too long--or was it just time moving far too slow? He drew the sword Assassin had made him take. He was glad, for once, that she was more stubborn than him. He was ready--he had never been so ready in his life--but it was so silent. The gate did not move. A crow's raucous laughter was the only thing to be heard.
Then came the shout. Kalen took half a step before the gate began to move. She'd done it! He seized the one gate and began to pull with all his strength. Fortress gates were impossible to open quickly, and all he could do was curse the wood and iron as it groaned on its hinges. The moment it was wide enough, Eldan slipped through sideways and set her shoulder to pushing it shut again.
"No time for signal," she gasped. "Have to run." The gate clanged and they took off as it began to grind open again. There was no time for questions or even thought. Kalen was running faster than he ever had before. Eldan was lagging a little behind him--an odd reversal of last time. He grabbed her hand to give her a little of his speed. He could hear the pursuit. Horses. They had horses.
"Split!" Eldan yelled it over and over again before it registered. They round the corner of a decaying building and stopped for a second. Kalen ran out first. It wasn't heroism, drawing off the pursuit. It was logic: he was the faster runner. He regretted it instantly. He did not know the terrain. The soldiers and Naresh clearly did.

"Where is it? Did she give it to you?" The guard had remarkably bad breath. Almost as bad as Kalen's luck. He was surrounded, exhausted, and quite entirely caught.
"Yes." He tried, uncertain as to what "it" was.
"Then where is it?"
"I dropped it." He tried again. It seemed to be working...
"Then you are worthless to us." The guard drew his sword. Never mind. Definitely not working.
"But only I know where." How long could he play for time? Was there even a point? Assassin would never come for him. Eldan could be anywhere.
"All we need to do is give the mongrel your scent and he will find it." The Naresh snarled and strained against its chain and massive, cage-like muzzle. Kalen searched in vain for another excuse--why should they let him live?
"But doesn't Symorkhel still need prisoners?"
"The High Priestess has already succeeded. She is no longer lady of Terraphel."
"And the Sheela?"
The guard laughed loudly. "The Sheela! You came for the Sheela?" He paused. "Assassin. This is her doing, isn't it?"
"Yes. It is." They all started as one. Assassin stepped out from behind a tree smiling. With a cool, casual ease, she threw a knife with each hand. Two guards dropped like stones, and she did not pause her slow walk forward. A guard quickly reached for his bow and collapsed with a blade in his throat. The two men holding the Naresh's chain took a trembling step backwards.
"Lady Viella." The head guard bowed low.
Assassin smiled. "You are dead, Sklen. You can talk and die quickly or remain silent and die slowly. And don't even think of releasing that beast on me. You know better." She addressed the Naresh's handlers without looking away from their commander. "If you dispatch that animal immediately, you two can leave alive." The Naresh's head was on the ground in an instant, the body thrashing with the remnants of its life.
Kalen remained on the ground. He could not help but be caught up in the awe and terror of the guards. He had thought Assassin subhuman, but now she seemed almost godlike.
"Where is my beloved mother? I miss her."
"Fellyre. Zerak has made her High Priestess."
"You are lying. It has been five days That much cannot change in so short a time."
"The Sheela is finished. Lady Symorkhel left four days ago and took her pet with her. They will be in Fellyre by now."

Chapter 11

Syxel, the City of Lights and legends. Syxel, birthplace of Lord Taril, center of Ithien-worship. Truly, Ithien had forsaken these lands.
All Kalen could do was stare. What perverted savages would think of such a thing? The walls were torn down and stripped of their silver--all but the Eternal Spire. The ancient monument, the only one still standing from when the city had first been erected, five hundred years since, had been turned into a monstrosity. The sides, half-way up, were painted with flaking dried blood. Bodies of warriors were pinned to the spire with massive spikes driven through their hearts, and all around, decapitated bodies of men, women, and children were strewn all laid out carefully, with their heads lying at their feet in a grotesque distortion.
"Look well, Tassin," Assassin's cold voice rang out in the empty space. "Behold the work of Fellyre. There will be no peace for your people until they are overthrown. They do not delight in conquest so much as cruelty. They revel in it. And you, man of Hyedan: these are the people in whose hands you have left your sister." She turned to Kalen, who had sank to his knees. He could not--would not look at the faces. He didn't want to know. "Elnite, think of your friends and family who lie here. Those who butchered them and desecrated their bodies--do you not want revenge? Follow me and we will overthrow Fellyre's plans. We will weaken them such that they may yet fall."
Revenge. The word seemed meaningless. All Kalen could feel was a hollow nausea. Dallanis, Aethan, Taldyr--and so many others. They had trained together, fought together--the countless evening of laughter and humble feasting beside a roaring fire, the foolish horse-racing that had nearly sent twenty of them home, the early mornings when they stumbled out of the tents, rumpled and bleary eyed--gone. A sickening guilt washed over him. He had fled the field. He should have stay--stayed and died with them.  The Four Loyalties--he had failed them all. He saw, once again, the girl with the arrow in her throat. She had the courage--she had died for her people. She had died for him. All the Elnites lying here had died because of him. They had been sent there because of him. Dallanis had been right: they should have deserted.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. Eldan. But it was she who had taken him from this field of death. He pulled away involuntarily. If she had only left him...
"Kalen." Her voice was no more than a distant whisper against the torrent of accusations and questions raging in his mind. "Kalen, look at me." She knelt in front of him, her eyes unavoidable. "I know what's going through your head. Your death would have changed nothing here. It is no sin to survive."
"And no sin to avenge." Assassin's tone was cool. Kalen realized he hated her.  She was unmoved by the carnage--she had brought them here to serve her own ends. She only cared about his grief if it served her purposes. He turned to face her and--Eldan's hand tightened on his arm in an effort to restrain him.
Assassin was moving quickly from body to body, rifling through their gear and weapons. Plundering the dead. She looked up and saw them watching her.
"What? Friend or foe, they have no more need of these. You three are poorly armed. Like it or not, they have what you need." She tossed a sheathed broad sword towards Jaened, but he made no effort to catch it.
"You--" The words came from Kalen with difficulty. "Have you no respect for the dead?"
"No. Nor for the living. Why should I? They've gone where they'll never return. Why would they care what becomes of their carcasses? Come--if your self-righteous sense of  honor won't let you take from your own people, take some Fellyrian gear. It's not half as good quality, though."
After a few minutes, Eldan and Jaened reluctantly took up a few weapons from the dead, but Kalen couldn't. Assissin's logic made sense--cold, heartless sense--but he could only think of what Taldyr would say if he could see them now. How are we better than Fellyre? He recalled the commander's rebuke from years ago. We cannot and we will not stoop to their level. Where is your honor? You call yourselves followers of Ithien? 
"This is a fine piece." Assassin easily spun a massive glaive around. Kalen recognized it immediately. It was Taldyr's. That weapon had been Syriel's pride; she was the only one he permitted to touch it. It had no equal. Now, to see it in the hands of that woman...
"Give me that."
Assassin laughed. "Look who is suddenly interested! Found a weapon that suits your fancy?"
"A plague on you!" Kalen cursed, "That's Taldyr's--you have no right to touch it!"
"I don't care if it belonged to Zerak. It's the finest blade I've ever seen and it's mine. Any who would contest that is welcome to fight me for it." To prove her point, she lowered it so to point was inches from Kalen's face.
"No one is going to fight you for it." Eldan stepped between them. "Right, Kalen?" Kalen lowered his eyes, too angry to reply. How had they let themselves fall into Assassin's power like this?
"We should leave. Whoever did this can't be far away," Jaened put in.
"Fellyre moves quickly, but they wasted a bloody lot of time here." Assassin smirked. "Their arrogance could be there downfall yet." Kalen almost choked. You're one to talk of arrogance! "But if you have all you need, we can go."
Their pace was slower, laden down with weapons. Jaened had acquired a Syxelite mail shirt and a round Fellyrian shield as well as the sword Assassin had given him, and Eldan now had a crossbow bound to her back. Assassin led the way, pointing directions with Taldyr's glaive.  She had taken a bronze helm with a rough half-mask which made her look more manly than ever, and four swords of varying length and make had joined hers on her belt. Kalen marveled that she could walk at all. Marveled and wished it otherwise. If she dropped dead in her tracks, he would have been glad. The force of his hatred surprised him, but it felt good in the place of the numb horror of the carnage at Syxel.
"We will be at Terraphel by nightfall. I trust you all know how to use those weapons?" When Jaened admitted that he did not, Assassin called a halt and, laying aside the rest, drew her old sword.
"Attack me."

It was both sad and comical to watch Jaened try to fight Assassin. She fought carelessly, holding the blade with only two fingers at times, but every time he swung, she sent him to the ground with the flat of her sword. Finally, she laid her sword aside and challenged him again. He swung his blade at her neck and she dove for his feet and laid him flat again, effortlessly catching his blade and disarming him. He tried again, and she sent him flying without even looking. At last, she stepped back.
"You're hopeless." There was no humor in her tone. "You'll never be a warrior. You are more a danger to yourself than anyone else with that blade." She took it away and put it in Kalen's hands before he could protest. "That shield will be your weapon. Don't fight. We need you alive."

They walked on in silence. Kalen suspected that she had done that, not to train Jaened, but to show them all her strength and skill. The sooner they were finished at Terraphel, the sooner they would be free of her. And that was all Kalen wanted.

The Beast

"You have been dreaming again." It wasn't a question. Claire nodded miserably. Her psychiatrist gave her his professionally sympathetic smile. "Can you describe it to me?"
"It was the same again. I saw myself, but it didn't look like me."
"And what did it look like?"
"Distorted. Hideous. Evil. It's hard to describe, but I was a monster."
"No, you weren't. Remember, Claire, the person in your dreams is not you. It may be like you, but you are not that, so that is not you."
"But it is me. I know myself--even as each dream shows a darker version, I know they are me. It's like I am seeing my true self for the first time."
"You need to stop looking at yourself that way. Look around--you are a sweet, kind, friendly young woman. Ask anyone--everyone who knows you loves you."
"They love me because they don't know me. They don't know the real Claire--the Claire I have met in my dreams."

Back and forth, they went. Claire insisted, Dr. Seger denied.So the session went, only this time, she would not be convinced.
"I have to leave. We've been here for hours." She did not wait for him to protest, but snatched up her purse and coat. The door snapped shut behind her with a deafening force. Looking out the window, he saw her jump into her little car and rip out of the parking space with a violence. There was only one thing to be done.
He had the number on speed dial.
"We're losing Claire. She may never come back." He cringed as he waited for the burst of anger from the other end. He knew he deserved it. He had been careless--again. But it did not come.
"Does he have her?" The icy voice on the line demanded.
"No--not yet, at least. But it's only a matter of time. We've seen this before."
"We can still stop her. We stopped Evan, and he was further gone than her."
"Evan is dead. What's the use in that?"
"He does not have Evan. It is the only way. Claire must be eliminated."
"Yes, my lord."

The door was locked. Claire cursed her luck as she fished around in her purse for the keys she knew she did not have. Perhaps one day, Jesse would remember that two lived in this house. The lights were off and his truck was gone. All her phone calls went straight to voice mail. Another night in her car. She rapidly texted Jesse her explicit opinion of him. Just as she hit 'send', the image surged back into her mind. Claire the Monster. She staggered back against the porch railing. The monster from her dreams--it was leaking through into the real world. The text suddenly was a dark, hideous thing--already sent, an irreversible evil.
I have to call Dr. Seger! Her thumb hovered a moment over the phone. What help has he ever provided? He'll just say it was a dream. She returned to her car and rested her head against wheel. Who else was there to turn to? Jesse would think she was nuts. Her parents--she laughed out loud at the thought. They would never understand--as usual.
No one. Alone in the world. Claire wished that Dr. Seger was right. If only this was just a mixture of childhood trauma and deep-seated fears. If only it could be fixed by a little self-esteem boost. Night slowly gathered around her blue Sunfire as she tried in vain to answer the many questions tormenting her. Finally, she sank back into the seat and let the warmth of summer night, mixed with the stress of the day draw her to sleep.

She was choking on blood. Hideous gasps and snarls filled the air as she thrashed about, tearing the turf and corpses strewn about her. She had killed them all--Jesse, her parents, Dr. Seger, her neighbors--everyone. Now, not her blood, but theirs was stifling her life. She struggle to rise from the mound of bodies, but her claws were tangled in the gore, binding her to her victims.
"Claire." She twisted her neck, trying to find the source of the voice. An unfamiliar face looked down on her. The stranger approached slowly and deftly set to loosing her from the gristly bonds. Finally, she tore free, and sprang to feet, spitting out the mass of blood. But seeing herself free, she turned on the stranger with a mad fury and--

Claire awoke with a scream. She clutched her throat, still gagging from the dream. She felt her nails catch in the fabric of her seat. She held the hand up against the dim glow of the street light. The gnarled, hairy fingers, the four-inch claws--in terror, she turned to the mirror. The fangs glowed faintly with their own light. Her eyes were swallowed up in massive holes of blackness. She had become the beast of her nightmares. No! It's impossible--I'm still dreaming. The grotesque hands trembled as she lied to reassure herself. But it was real. She could feel her hair rising in sharp bristles along her neck and her leathery skin scraped against her sleeves. Everything in her wanted to scream, but she did not dare to think what monstrous roars would come if she opened her mouth.
She fumbled with the ignition until the engine came to life. Now Dr. Seger would have to believe her.
The sun was rising as she pulled up in fron of his office. A few teens loitering in front glanced up before she could hide her face. Strangely, they didn't react but just returned to their business. She checked the mirror again. Was she the only one who could see it? Perhaps it was just the window tint hiding her from them. She pulled her hood up and hid her claws in her pockets and quickly stepped out of her car. She ran to the door, keeping her head low. Then she saw him.
A dark-haired man, waiting patiently for the light to turn at the crosswalk. The stranger from her dream. Forget Dr. Seger--if anyone could help her, it was that man. She turned back to her car, opened the door and--
Crrash!!!
The door was ripped from her hands as the car flew forward and up on on the sidewalk. Pedestrians scattered as a massive tanker truck followed the car. Claire jumped back just in time. The side of the tanker tore against her, spinning her around and sending her backwards onto the sidewalk.
She had no time to register what had just happened before a strong hand seized her claw and hauled her to her feet. She found herself face to face with the stranger from her dreams. She could see herself reflected in his eyes. He could see the beast.
"Claire!" She started at Dr. Seger's voice. He was standing in the doorway of the office building, eyes wide with horror at the scene that had just played out on the street. He was beside her in an instant. "I saw it all. Are you hurt? Come in--can you walk?" He took her arm. "Lean on me--it's--"
"I'll take her." The stranger said firmly. Dr. Seger looked at him in disbelief for a moment, then turned to Claire.
"Come, Claire. You know me. This man could be almost anyone. I will take you to the hospital." He doesn't see it. Claire realized.
"N-No. I'll go with him. He's a friend." She silently hoped that that was true.
Dr. Seger's grip on her arm tightened.  "It would be much safer if--"
"Release her, Seger." The stranger's voice was calm but firm. "You and your lord have lost this one. My Master calls for her." For a moment,  the doctor looked like her would throw himself at the man's throat, but instead he let go of Claire's arm and fell back a step. The man let Claire lean on him as they began to make their way down the chaotic street. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Dr. Seger stare at her for a moment, then bolt back into the office building.
"Watch your step." Claire stumbled over the sudden dip in the pavement.
"Where are you taking me?"
"To a friend. You do not know him, but he has been watching you for a long time. Now that you see what he has known all along, He is able to help you."

The street gave way to a small city park. They turned off and and followed a walking path to an ancient stone building, worn with ages of neglect. The door stood wide open, but the park was empty. Claire hesitated on the threshold.
"How will he help me? Can he make me like I was before the dreams?"
"No. You cannot go back, Claire. You have always been as you are now, but you never before saw it. For you to be free, the beast must die."
"But that will kill me! The beast is  me."
"It is. But it does not have to be. Come. My Master will show you how."
Claire hesitated only a moment. She could not live like this. Even if it killed her, it could not make things any worse.
The light inside startled her--it had looked so dark from without. She searched the hall. "Where is your master?"
The man turned to Claire. "Do you not know?" She shook her head, and he beckoned to a door on the side. Claire could smell the blood before she saw it. It spattered the walls and streaked the floor of a room riddled with carnage. Even the stone walls were chipped and cracked, while all that was left of furniture was splinters. Her guide held the door. "This is where your kind attacked him."
My kind... "You mean the beast?"
"I mean your kind. My Master came to destroy the beasts."
"But they killed him?"
"He did what he came to do. He opened the portal." He pointed to yet another door--a door she could have sworn was not there ten seconds earlier. The door was pure red, as though made of blood. Claire took half a step forward and the door flew open of its own accord, revealing nothing but blackness.
She hesitated.
"Go in, Claire. If you would be free, go and do not stop!"
The darkness gave way to blinding light as she stepped through. She took a few steps, blinking, trying to make out her surroundings. Then she caught a glimpse of her hand. It was a hand. The claws were gone, then skin was smoothed. How could it be that easy? She looked up again. She was in a field, the source of light somewhere beyond her, on level with the land. But who cared? She was free--
A snarl behind her made her start. Turning, she saw it--the fangs, the bloody claws, the hollow, black eyes--the beast. Go and do not stop. Go where? The light blazed brighter than before and she turned to run to it. She had never run so fast in her life. Heart pounding, lungs aching, she did not dare to stop. The beast was only a few paces behind her, running on all fours like a grotesque, malformed wolf. She could feel the heat of the light as she drew closer. She could not look at it, so she ran with her eyes closed until she collapsed.
She lay still, waiting for the beast to kill her. There was no escape. The stranger had lied to her. But the attack never came. She turned to see a brilliant figure--he had to be the source of the light--standing between her and the beast. The beast snarled and gnashed it's fangs, but it hung back. The shining figure drew a sword and struck the beast in the head. Claire fell back with a shock of pain, but it faded as quickly as it came. The beast turned and fled, leaving a trail of blood.
"Claire."
Claire did not dare to look this man in the eye. "Are you the Master who opened the portal?" She asked the ground at his feet.
"I am. And I am he who called you here. I sent my messenger to bring you and you have come."
"Is the beast dead? Or will it return?"
"It is dying. I have dealt it a mortal blow. But it is not far away."
"I cannot fight it. If it comes back, it could kill me."
"Stay close to me and it will not." He reached out his glowing hand and she took it. The light shone through her flesh like glass. The two walked together through the grass. So this was what freedom felt like. Claire smiled. She was safe at last.

"You are telling me you let him take her?!"
"I had no choice--I tried--" Dr. Seger protested
"Tried! You failed, Seger--Failed again! Incompetent fool! You were supposed to kill her. Now she's lost to us forever!"
"My lord, he called for her. What did you expect me to do? I cannot stop him. He--" The line went dead.

Let there be Life.

Dark the night

Evils arise

Long the fight

The dying dies

Let the be LIGHT

Cold the grave

The heart is stone

None can save

We are alone

Let there be LIFE

He calls the dead

And tells them, “Live!”

For He has bled

New life to give.

Arise from sleep

And hear His voice

You are His sheep 

Rise and rejoice.

Chapter 10

Eldan's hand had recovered her sword. "You're that viper's child?!" The assassin was on her feet in an instant.
"Viper? Yes, and torturer and witch. I know a thousand harsher names for her. I am her own flesh, but all she saw was another tool. I will be wielded by her no longer. If you will not help me, I will find revenge another way. But think: You are of the Tassin. Terraphel poses the most immediate threat to your people. I have lived there since it was taken. I know every weakness, every vulnerability. I know Symorkhel's weaknesses too. With me, it could be taken."
"Why? Why should we take Terraphel? It's small. If Fellyre falls, all its little outposts will fall with it. You are in this war only for your own gain. We fight for all free people."
"I am in this only for my gain. I never claimed otherwise. But know this: If the Sheela stays in Symorkhel's hands, Fellyre will rule the world. Of course, I do not care. I have yet to see any that might be called "free people". You are all some form of slave, whether you see it or not. Slaves to causes, laws, and fears. But your cause and my revenge could serve each other. After Symorkhel is destroyed, I do not care what becomes of Fellyre or the Tassin, but you would do Fellyre an injury that it would take decades to heal."
"I have no reason to trust you."
"And I have no intention of giving you any reason." A long silence ensued as the two faced each other. Eldan's distrust matched the assassin's defiance. For a moment, Kalen thought they were going to fight, but Eldan took a step back and extended her hand, breaking the tension.
"This doesn't mean I trust you, but I don't trust them either," she glanced at Kalen and Jaened, "Welcome to our company. My name is Eldan."
The assassin smirked and took her hand. "Assassin."
"That's your name?" Jaened coughed.
"What of it? My mother is not sentimental. She named me what she wanted me to be, and I have not disappointed. But she never supposed that one day, she would be my victim." She laughed at her own irony.

Assassin proved a strange companion. She made Eldan look genteel and delicate with her crude manners and bitter sarcasm, but her weapons and armor were of kingly quality. Day and night, she wore a hauberk of fine mail under her jacket and greaves over her thick leather leggings. Only for eating would she set aside her flexible gauntlets of leather sewn over with interlocking steel plates. The sword at her side would have trailed on the ground had she been but a little shorter, and she carried a short bow and well-stock quiver, but she obviously favored her knives. There were five strapped to each thigh and an indefinite number hidden amid the crisscrossing mess of belts and straps over her chest. Though he still did not trust her, Kalen felt far safer with her on their side than tracking them. He could see Eldan felt the same, though she chafed at the obvious scorn Assassin cast on her skills. She had met her better and knew it.
When Assassin volunteered to keep watch, Eldan's refusal to allow it was met with a smirk and a shrug. Kalen could see Eldan fuming as she took her place to watch. She was clearly not accustomed to being laughed at. There was really no need for her watch--none of them could sleep that night. None but Assassin, at any rate. She lay down and did not move again until the sun was rising, and, when she did, she was the only one with the strength to rise. She shed her armor with little regard to modesty and polished each piece before forcing them all to their feet.
"And you think Fellyre should fear your kind? The least of my mother's handmaids could have killed you all in your beds by now."
"Well, you would know, wouldn't you, witch's spawn?" Eldan threw back. For a moment, Kalen thought Assassin would go for her throat, but instead, she threw back her head and laughed. The more he heard her laugh, the more he hated it. There was no humor or joy in it: just scorn.
As they traveled on, all Kalen and Jaened could do was keep silent and stay out of the ever growing tension between the two women.

"You don't want to go that way."
Eldan turned on her heel to face Assassin. "And why not?"
"You can go. He's the only one I need alive." Assassin pointed over her shoulder at Jaened. From that point, she took the lead.
Kalen came up quietly beside Eldan. "What do we do if she leads us into a trap?"
"Then we all die."
Kalen mulled over it for a long moment, then asked, "What if we split? All she wants is Jaened. We--you and I could part ways with them. I know that sounds awful, but Jaened--"
"We owe Jaened our lives. We can't part ways with that debt unpaid. Trust me, I am as eager to be free of them as you are, but what would that say of us? We swore to help him free his sister. That was the condition on which he helped us. But we haven't kept it, and I cannot leave a broken promise. It's against the Tassin Code."
Double checking to make sure Jaened was out of earshot, Kalen replied. "I don't know the Tassin Code, but Elnite law calls for equal exchange. We saved his life as surely as he saved ours. If anything, he owes us. But this isn't about Jaened. It's Assassin. She could kill us any moment and I think she'd enjoy it. What might she do with us once her plan has played out? When Symorkhel is defeated and her revenge is over, what will she do with her life? She could wreak havoc on our people. We could be following the Plains' destruction."
"You need not fear that." Assassin called back over her shoulder. How in starlight had she overheard them from that distance?! "Once Symorkhel is destroyed, I will be content. I have no political plans or interests. I would live out my life as far from all peoples as is possible. Your petty tribes and cities disgust me; why would I want anything to do with them?"
"Well, you've already set our course for Syxel. Why is that?" Eldan demanded. Assassin laughed again and kept walking.