Blaymore watched the shadowy figure on the stairs. He couldn't quite see who it was, but it was too small to be Hax, and not bulky enough to be the cowardly guard who'd peeked in on them a second ago. Whoever it was, Blaymore knew he had to find a way to convince them to let him out. So far, his attempts to escape the enchanted cell had been as painful as they were futile. The enchantments were strong, and he couldn't break them. Two cells away, Ronce continued to mumble random obscenities and squirm around on the floor. The cloth binding his hands and feet still held, but Blaymore would have expected more of a struggle from one so evil. It probably meant that he was up to something... or it could mean something much worse. Blaymore couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. It had nagged him all night, and the more he thought about it, the less he liked it.

"Ronce?" said a woman's voice from the stairs. Someone descended and then paused at the bottom. She stared at them both... first Ronce, then Blaymore. Blaymore recognized her as one of the women from last night... the first person he'd met when he arrived in town.

"Henna!" Ronce's voice was a low, urgent whisper. "Henna what are you doing down here! Hax will skin you alive!"

"I came to see you. Why are you still tied up?"

"Maybe because this fellow two cells over ties one HELL of a knot... I can't get out of these damned things, and Hax's goons won't untie me. Bastards."

Henna looked over at Blaymore. The assassin studied her... trying to figure her out. Why was she here? Probably to free Ronce... but was this part of the shadow's plan, or just one sibling looking out for the interests of the other? Hax seemed to be a man both feared and respected, so why would she risk his ire?

Perhaps she didn't have a choice. Perhaps he had made a mistake, and she was no longer the same woman he'd met last night. No... no, it was Ronce. He was sure of it.

"Don't mind him," said Ronce. "He's just mad 'cause he can't get out. Spent half the night frying himself on those enchantments, and the other half telling me how evil I was and how he was going to kill me. Well... that and just sitting there staring off into space."

"This is barbaric... I'm going to untie you, Ronce." Henna approached Ronce's cell. "How do you open these things?"

"Wait!" Blaymore and Ronce shouted at once.

"What?"

"Do not free him," said Blaymore "If you get close you may allow the evil to escape. If it has not found a way to do so already."

"Never mind that," said Ronce. "Sorrins put a nasty hex on the bars. Good thing, too... or this blue fellow'd be out killing people by now."

"The only one in danger of loosing their lives is y-"

"If you threaten my brother then so help me, I'll tell so many lies to Hax he'll have no choice but to hang you by the neck in the town square!"

"Heh heh," Ronce chuckled.

"That man is not your brother. Not any more. His body is inhabited by... something dark. A shadow. It's wearing his body like a man wears a pair of shoes."

"Well even if that WASN'T pure rubbish... which it is... then I'm sure YOU'D be the one behind it."

"I came here to stop this thing before it's too late. Your only hope to save this town, and many others like it, is to let me out so I can send the evil back where it came from."

"He's mad," said Ronce. "And speaking of mad, Hax is going to explode if you don't get out of here."

"Where is Hax?" said Blaymore. "How did you get down here?"

Henna looked confused for a moment. She glanced back up the stairs, and then back at her brother.

"He... should have been down here by now..." she said. "Surely he must have noticed I was gone."

"What's going on upstairs?" asked Blaymore. The uneasy feeling he had suddenly doubled.... and then doubled again. What WAS this woman doing down here? Where were Hax and the guards?

"Wouldn't YOU like to know?" said Henna.

"It's you, isn't it," his chest tightened around his thumping heart. How could he have been so stupid... "It was never your brother... it's been you all along."

"Ronce is right. You ARE mad."

"Ronce, is your sister acting strangely? Look at her stance... her mannerisms. Is that your sister?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"ANSWER ME!"

"Now wait just a damned minute!"

Suddenly, the door at the top of the stairs flew open. Henna gasped and stepped back against the wall where she couldn't be seen from above. There was an ominous silence... then a soft, choking sound, followed by a series of thuds as something heavy rolled down the stone steps.

Henna gasped with each thump, and Blaymore was as close to fear as he'd come in a long time. Not only was something very, very wrong... he was trapped and powerless to do anything about it. That was exactly what the shadow would want.

"Oh, my gods," gasped Ronce, who was the only one with a clear view of the stairs. He wiggled around and tried to stuff himself into a corner.

"What is it?" said Blaymore.

There was no need for Ronce to answer. Vance's body bounced off of the bottom step and came to rest near the center of the room. His arm, legs and neck had been broken by the trip down the stairs, but from the look of things he'd already been dead well before the journey began. His pale face was contorted into a twisted mask of agony... there was moist blood all around his gaping mouth, and his eyes were on the verge of popping out of his skull. His one unbroken hand was still clamped to his throat with such vigor that he'd probably crushed his own windpipe. Falling down the stairs had done nothing to loosen the grasp.

"Oh GODS!! Vance!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh..." the sinister chuckling was coming from the stairs, where someone was slowly descending. The footsteps were so slow and deliberate that there was no doubt that whoever it was was trying to frighten them. The laughter continued as he drew nearer... transforming from a chuckle to a maniacal cackle.

"heh, heh, heh... AH HA HAHAHA!"

"Henna! The guard's sword... grab it!"

Blaymore pointed to the dead man's weapon, which was still in its scabbard around the man's waist. Henna gaped at it as if the blade were going to jump up and disembowel her.

"Get the sword! Defend yourself!"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," said the figure on the stairs.

"It's the doctor!" said Ronce.

"It's just little old me." Berwick reached the bottom of the steps and stood there. He held a wicker basket with a few apples in it. "Besides, I can't be killed... just ask Blaymore here."

"Berwick, what happened to Vance?!!"

"Oh, that." Berwick looked down at the body. "Quite a good show, that was. Hated to keep you waiting down here, but I do love a good poisoning. Didn't want to miss a minute of it."

"Berwick?" said Henna. She backed slowly away from the doctor, who was standing between her and the room's only exit.

"That is not your doctor," said Blaymore. "Run! Run while you can! It isn't the man you know!"

"Oh, he's right about that. I'm the new improved Berwick... with a special secret ingredient. Would you like to hear about it, my dear? Or has Blaymore here already spoiled the surprise?" Berwick moved toward Henna, who promptly backed herself into a corner and screamed.

"Leave here alone!" shouted Ronce.

"Or what? You're going to come out here and slap me around? I don't think so. Your time will come soon enough. Sooner than you think, in fact."

Blaymore's form grew blurry as he loosened his mental grip... allowing his body and mind to speed up. He had to get out of here or everyone was most certainly going to die... including him. Especially him. But there was no way out!

ThinkThinkThinkThinkThink!

His mind raced, and his body went along with it... nervous energy turned him into a fuzzy blue image in the cell.

"RUN HENNA!" Ronce shouted.

Henna tried to bolt past Berwick, but the old doctor moved very well for his age. He grabbed the woman by the arm and slung her back against the wall. She kicked at his crotch. Berwick caught the dainty limb and twisted it, sending Henna tumbling to the floor. She gave a pained yelp, and Ronce began shouting.

"Henna! Get away from my sister! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"

"Ohhh... a pair of screamers! This is going to be such fun."

"Leavethemoutofthis!" said Blaymore "It'smeyouwant."

"Oh, how wonderfully cliché that was! Tell me, do you heroes go to some special school to learn those lines or do you come up with them on your own? And you're quite the little hero, aren't you?. Always butting in where you don't belong... rushing in to save the day. Right the wrongs, help the helpless!" Berwick turned to Ronce. "The amazing thing is that he doesn't even CARE! I know all his dirty little secrets, you see." Berwick tapped himself on the forehead and winked at Ronce. "He's not in this for the good of humanity, I can assure you. He is an assassin, after all."

Blaymore was ignoring the possessed doctor. His eyes were on Henna, who was quietly crawling behind the doctor's back... was she going for the sword, or the door?

"Why are you DOING this, Berwick?" said Ronce.

"He just doesn't get it, does he?" The doctor shook his head and smiled. "You see, boy-" He leaned close to Ronce's cell, but was careful to avoid touching the enchanted bars. "I'm not Berwick. Berwick's trapped inside his own body, screaming himself insane... pretty much what you two will be doing in a few minutes. He's not putting up much of a fight, though. But oh, you should have HEARD the noise he made when I gave the poisoned apple to sonny-boy-" Berwick kicked Vance's corpse. "Pure gold! I just LOVE it! Whined and screamed like a little puppy when you snap its legs off. Hmm... now I haven't done THAT in a while..."

"You murdering bastard!" spat Ronce.

"Murdering bastard? I'm hurt! I'm just trying to have a little fun. What's the point of being immortal if you can't have a good chuckle every once in a while. It's all just fun and games! Except for Blaymore over here. I'm afraid that with him it's a little more personal. Right Blaymore?"

Blaymore didn't reply. Henna was right behind Berwick now... and she was reaching for Vance's sword. If she could get it out without making a noise, she'd have one clear shot. If she killed Berwick, the shadow would emerge into the room, where the strong light would dispel it. All she had to do gather the courage to strike...

"Funandgames?" said Blaymore. "Isthatwhatthisistoyou?"

"SURE! What's a little rape and murder between friends! Or perfect strangers, for that matter? But YOU had to show up and spoil my fun. I'd have had these people at each other's throats within a week. Blood in the streets! Then I'd possess that wonderful Hax fellow and use him to wreak havoc across the countryside."

"Hax?" said Blaymore. Henna was still on her hands and knees, but she had her hand on the sword. She was pulling it free. Blaymore slowed himself down to buy her a few more seconds. "Why possess Hax? Why not Sorrins... he's the most powerful."

"Ohhhhhh! That's what YOU think! I've got the doctor's memories, you see, and he knows something you don't. Actually, he knows a lot of things you don't. But right now there's one thing bothering me. You see, by now the speeding blue freak should have uttered another one of those heroic cliches like... oh...'stop talking and get on with it,' or some other nonsense. But he hasn't. THAT means he's letting me talk, probably hoping I'll keep myself distracted while the Virgin Henna sneaks up behind me with that nasty sword.

Berwick spun and grabbed Henna by the back of the neck.

"Sorry... not going to happen."

He shoved her face-first into the floor.

"HENNA!"

The half-drawn sword fell from her hand. He lifted her up, and Blaymore saw blood pouring from her broken nose and from a large gash on her forehead. She was still awake, but barely. And clearly in no condition to save herself, or them. He dragged her limp body back over to the corner and left her there.

"Okay," said the maniacal doctor. "Our little chat is over... time to make the corpses! Where to start, where to start.... hmmm perhaps I should perform some unnecessary surgery on the young lady while you two watch. Say Ronce, have you ever wondered what your sister's spleen looked like? Let's find out!"

Berwick pulled a small, sharp knife from his pocket. He grabbed a fistful of Henna's hair and yanked her upright. She tried to twist away, and when that failed she kicked at the doctor's legs.

"Ohhh, a fighter," he said as he placed the blade to her throat. "Didn't know you were going to be that lively... in that case maybe I'll do a few unpleasant things to you before I kill you. Or maybe AFTER I kill you! That's always a lot of fun."

"...help..." she mouthed silently. "...please..."

Blaymore had to do something. But WHAT!?! The evil inside the doctor would live up to his words and then surpass them. It liked nothing more than the suffering of innocents. No... there was one thing...

"You leave her alone!" shouted Ronce.

"Pay close attention boys and girls... surgery has begun!"

As the blade bit into Henna's skin, Blaymore reached out and wrapped his gloved hands around the cell's bars. The enchantment flared to life...

ZZZZACKT!

Large sparks leapt in all directions... radiating from the spot where his hands touched the metal. His black leather gloves smoked and sizzled against the bars. Blaymore screamed as the burning energy raced up his arms, scorching his skin

"AAARRRGH!!"

"O-HOHOHO!!!" The doctor turned to watch the spectacle. "FRY, YOU BLUE FREAK! FRY! OOOHOOHOOHOO! WONDERFUL!"

"ARRRGH!"

"Henna RUN!" Ronce yelled.

Henna snatched the knife from the distracted doctor's hand and slashed at his leg. She opened up a deep gash in his upper thigh.

"OUCH! YOU BITCH!"

Blaymore pulled himself away from the bars and staggered back to the rear of the cell.. He left his gloves, and a few layers of charred skin still bubbling on the enchanted metal. Thin wisps of smoke were rising from beneath his robes... pouring out of his sleeves. He'd never been struck by lightning before... but he imagined he now knew what it felt like. He leaned against the rear wall and gasped... trying to stabilize his racing heart with shear force of will. He gasped again and then promptly collapsed. He fought to maintain consciousness... he saw Henna ran for the exit, but then she stopped to pull Vance's sword and face the doctor.

"No! RUN, Henna!" cried Ronce. "Don't try to fight him!"

"You MONSTER!" she shrieked.

"Hellooo?" came a timid call from upstairs. "Hax? Anybody?"

"HELLLLLPPP!!!" everyone screamed.

"DOWN HERE, SEV!" Berwick added. "HELP ME! SHE'S CRAZY!! They're ALL crazy!"

Sev ran down the stairs and burst into the dungeon with his sword drawn. He paused when he saw the doctor and Henna.

Blaymore could almost read his thoughts. Vance was dead and Henna had his sword. She was holding it like she was going to attack Berwick, who was already bleeding from a cut on his leg.

"What--?"

"GET THE DOCTOR!" ordered Ronce.

"It's HENNA!" Berwick pointed at Blaymore. "HE'S controlling her. She was trying to let them out! SHE KILLED VANCE!"

"Dear gods..."

"No, Sev! BERWICK was trying to kill us! You HAVE to believe me!"

"She's right, Sev!" said Ronce. "The doctor's EVIL!"

"Doc?" said Sev. "Wha- I don't understand!"

"I'm BLEEDING and she's got a SWORD, Sev! WHAT'S there to understand!"

"I was PROTECTING myself from YOU!"

"D-drop the sword, Henna. P-Please?"

Henna dropped the dead guard's weapon and kicked it over to Sev.

Damn! thought Blaymore. He tried to get up...

"Now, I think... I think maybe we should all wait right here until Hax gets back. Does... does that sound like a good idea? Maybe?"

"NO!" Berwick screamed. "I can FEEL him trying to control my mind! He's evil! They're ALL EVIL! I've got to GET OUT! LET ME OUT! MURDERERS!!! AIIIIIGHH!!"

The doctor charged past Sev, and ran up the stairs. The dumbfounded town-guardsman let him pass.

"SEV, YOU IDIOT!" spat Ronce. "YOU LET HIM GET AWAY!"

"But... but..."

Blaymore got up on his hands and knees. The pain from his hands was incredible.

"Sev," said Ronce. The assassin was getting to his feet. "Whatever happened in here, that doctor is either a suspect or a witness. Either way, I don't think Hax would like it if you just let him go."

"But-"

"We're in these cages. We can't go anywhere. And Henna's just a woman... "

"...uhh.... Wait RIGHT here! n-NOBODY MOVE!"

Sev ran back up the stairs after the doctor.

As soon as he was gone, Blaymore moaned, collapsed again, and rolled over onto his back. His head was starting to clear... just a few more seconds...

"Henna," he groaned. "Vance has to have a key on him somewhere."

"What?"

"You have to let me out."

"I can't DO that! You're... you're..."

" I'm the only one who can stop this thing, but I can't do it locked inside this cell."

"No."

"No one in this town is safe as long as he's out there and I'm in here."

"You attacked my brother."

"I thought he was like the doctor."

"What's going on here?" asked Henna. "Tell me what's going on and I might let you out."

"There's no time. And even if there was, telling you would only make the situation worse."

"Don't let that bastard loose," Ronce hissed. "Let ME out! At least come in here and UNTIE me!"

"Right..."

Henna grabbed the key from Vance's belt. There was only one key, and none of the cells had any visible locks. They were secured with magic, and controlled from a metal plate on the wall by the stairs. The plate had four keyholes, with no indication of which one opened which cell. And if there were only three cells, why were there four holes?

"Which one?" said Henna.

"Hell, I don't know..."

"Let me out, Henna," said Blaymore. "It's your only hope."

"My cell is on the right," said Ronce. "Unlock the one on the right."

"On the right facing which way?"

"Oh, for GODS sake!"

Henna placed the key into the rightmost hole and turned it.

Clink-Clink-Clink!

All THREE cells unlocked, and the doors swung open.

"NO!" she spun around to look at Blaymore's cell... but it was empty.

By the time the woman felt the wind from Blaymore' passing, he had already grabbed the dead guard's weapon and was halfway up the stairs. Carrying the weapon was torture on his blistered, bleeding hands, but he grasped it tight nonetheless. It hurt to move. He stumbled more than he ran, and his head was far to fuzzy to even attempt any magic. But he still had to act fast. If that fool guard chased the doctor into a suitably dark place, then the shadow would be free to change hosts. He had to keep that from happening. The doctor would probably lose his life, but Blaymore hoped to put an end to this thing before any more innocents were sacrificed. First he had to find them.

Fortunately, even slowed down by injury, Blaymore's speed made a non-issue out of whatever headstart they had. No matter how fast they ran, compared to Blaymore they may as well be standing still.

He caught up to them much sooner than he'd anticipated. Berwick and Sev were right upstairs, along with Hax and Dwar. Hax was standing in front of the door with his hand clamped firmly... and probably painfully... on Berwick's shoulder. Sev and Dwar stood in front of them to either side. Both had their backs to Blaymore, but they were in the process of turning around to face him... most likely responding to the sound of the cell doors opening downstairs.

Blaymore headed straight for Berwick. There was more than enough light in the room to take care of the shadow once it was freed. Hax and the others would be witnesses, but Blaymore could deal with them one way or another before they even knew what was going on. The guards were still turning... slowwwllly... Dwar was reaching for his sword, and Sev already had his drawn. Hax didn't appear to have a weapon, and even if he did, there'd be no time for him to use it. Berwick was yelling something, his mouth opening in slow motion. At his current speed, they probably hadn't even seen Blaymore yet.

But something was wrong.

Blaymore drew his sword back and prepared to strike.

Something was NOT right here...

The sword came around towards Berwick's neck.... the blade was nothing more than a blur...

If I'm moving too fast for them to see, thought Blaymore then why is Hax looking straight AT me?

The blade struck.

CLANK!

Metal met metal. The force from the impact traveled up the blade to Blaymore's burned hands. Pain erupted, and the blade tumbled from his fingers.

Acting on instinct, Blaymore lunged for the blade... but something hit him in the side HARD. It was a glancing blow, but it felt like he'd been struck by a runaway carriage.

Hax had punched him.

The leather padding he wore under his cloak barely kept his ribs from breaking. He twisted away... still minus his sword... and backpedaled. As he did, he removed a dagger from his belt and launched it at Berwick's startled face.

Had the dagger not been enchanted to make it invisible, its speed would still have rendered it unseen. It flew threw the air with more momentum than an arrow launched from the strongest hunting bow. Had Hax not already been in motion he wouldn't have had a chance at saving the doctor... but he was. He shoved Berwick into Sev's arms and stepped forward. The dagger shot towards his broad chest.

For the merest instant, Blaymore was tempted to intercept the dagger himself... but no, this would be easier with Hax out of the way. Blaymore paused to watch... the dagger would probably go completely THROUGH Hax's muscular body-

CLANK!

"Ungh!"

The dagger bounced off of Hax's chest like a wind-blown pebble. Hax grunted in surprise, and then frowned. He pointed at Blaymore, and as he did, the guardsman's skin darkened and then turned metallic gray. His muscles bulged larger than they were an instant ago. The flesh of his hand warped and twisted.... it happened so quickly that only Blaymore could see the change as it occurred. To everyone else it must have been instantaneous. Hax's palm expanded... the edge turned into a sharp blade as the skin turned to steel.... and in the blink of an eye Hax had a solid steel battle-ax poised at the end of an equally solid steel arm.

The man known as Hax now stood before Blaymore as a seven-foot iron giant.

"I don't know who you are," Hax's voice boomed. "But I just saw you try to kill a man. That makes you a criminal. You'll be going back to your cell now, and I DO hope you try to resist!"

Stunned and surprised, the only thought in Blaymore's mind was:

What the hell!?!

[To Be Continued]