[Zade]

Without a doubt, it had been one of the most boring days of her entire adult life... worse than the time she was locked in a dungeon awaiting execution... worse than the six weeks she spent hiding in a cave after ESCAPING that execution, worse even than the month she spent in the hospital after that same cave collapsed on top of her. By no small margin... tending to December's store was worse than all of those times put together. Times two.

A few hours after December ran off with this brood, he returned with the 'woman' still at his side. He gave some hushed instructions and a bag of coins to Lovvorn. When he departed for the second time, Lovvorn set about his mysterious assignment and left Zade to fend for herself. There were no customers or visitors of any kind, and after a while Zade found herself eyeing some of the ridiculously expensive display pieces. She wondered what she would look like with wearing diamond necklace...

An hour later she had tried on everything in the store.

An hour after that, she was taking a nap in the back room.

Two hours after she awoke, Lovvorn finally returned.

"It's about time," said Zade.

"Miss me?" he said.

"No. Can I go home now?"

"Actually you could have left an hour ago, but I thought I'd drop by and offer you a ride home!"

"Ride?"

"Lovvorn Express! Mr. Hood thinks it's a good idea to keep off of the streets until this thing with Chain is settled... I can teleport you DIRECTLY into your bedroom!"

"Oh, really! Thank you, Lovvorn... that would just be so sweet of you. And while we're there you can FORGET IT!!!!!!"

"But-"

"I'll walk home."

"But Mr. Hood said-"

The door slammed, with Zade on the other side of it.

Despite Mr. Hood's concerns, the walk home was uneventful... leaving Zade disappointed. She was in the mood for another good workout, but there were no further volunteers.

She arrived home and found a package sitting just outside her door. It was a heavy gift-wrapped box with a single spring blossom and a card inserted under the bow.

"I was wondering when you'd show up again, Blaymore." she said. She sniffed the air and tilted her head to one side in order to listen... there was no one there, invisible or otherwise. Then there was the box... it didn't *smell* like Blaymore, but it did have a familiar scent.

"Hmmmm...."

Zade opened the card and read the ornate handwriting:


Dear Zade,

Thank you for a wonderful hunt.
I have faith that your new employer is a wiser man than Von
Sinterbourne who sent you to a wolf's den to collect the fleece
of sheep.

I regret any inconvenience that you or yours may have suffered
as a result of the disfavor of the gods of drink or your brush
with brewery security. As you may know, the brewery lost a good
man that night as a result of Von Sinterbourne's treachery, but
his heroism earned him a spot in the halls of Dionysus, a far
better end than he could have hoped for otherwise.

I hope you will accept this gift as a token of my esteem for you
and for your skill at arms, and as a token of my regret for what
you must have suffered that night. Though I am sure you are not
the type to seek after clouds with silver linings, I do hope you
understand that sometimes what we see as our most horrible
curses in life can, with effort, be turned into our greatest of
blessings.

You will no doubt recognize the metal used. The asteroid steel
holds an edge much better, is much stronger and less brittle,
has better penetrating power and is equal in corrosion
resistance to the silver you favored before your encounter at
the brewery. Should you need replacements, simply ask me, or
if you prefer, purchase them directly from the Montfort Forge where
they were made. The specifications and tooling are on file there.

I have inscribed three of the items herein with oriental
characters. These items have been specially blessed for one use
each by the gods of drink. They should prove useful in
emergencies should you need a lucky shot.

Affectionately Yours,

Swami Sottigee Briatinebridee

Within the wrapping paper was a box made of sandalwood and lined with black velvet, obviously crafted in the orient. Inside were 81 star shuriken, nine stacks of the traditional nine, exact replicas of the silver ones Zade used to use before she misplaced them.

"Sottie strikes again." said Zade. "Lunatic."

She carried the package inside and set it on a table. Zade didn't put much stock in luck or the 'gods of drink,' but she rarely ever turned down a good weapon. Especially when things were as unpredictable as they had been recently.

Zade retired to her room, removed the more cumbersome bits of her armor, and lay down on the bed. Despite her nap earlier, Zade was tired. She hadn't intended to fall asleep, but she began to snore lightly just moments after her head hit the pillow.

---

She awoke just before nightfall. The late-evening sun beamed its last through her bedroom window. She watched it with half-closed eyes, cursing herself for sleeping so long.

When the sun was at last gone, Zade's grogginess and lethargy melted way. She felt *full* of energy. Too bad she would have to waste the first few hours of this wonderful night in a meeting with December and his cronies.

"I'd better get ready," she grumbled.

Zade donned her favorite suit of form-fitting black leather and her steel-reinforced boots. She slipped her arms into a pair metal bracers and fastened them securely. Then she added a pair of fingerless gloves with studded knuckles. She tightened her belt and began assembling her weaponry... nine of Sottie's throwing stars, her trademark black leather whip, as well as a few choice metal attachments for the latter. She completed the ensemble with a dagger strapped to each thigh, one in her right boot, one in a special sheath near the small of her back, and another in the final notch of her belt... plus five more of Sottie's stars slipped into various small hiding places on her outfit.

She studied herself in the mirror and smiled. Then she frowned and put on her most intimidating face...

"You talkin' to me, punk? Huh? HUH! I THOUGHT not..."

Zade turned and examined herself from the rear.

"I still got it..."

"I'll say!" said Lovvorn. The mage had appeared in her bedroom without warning.

"What are YOU doing here!" Zade reached for her belt.

Lovvorn vanished and reappeared again on the other side of the room just as two throwing stars buried themselves in the wall where he once stood.

"Now THAT wasn't very nice," he said.

"Reflex. Now answer the question."

"I'm here to escort you to the meeting, of course."

"No thanks. I'll walk."

"Not this time. Boss's orders."

"December?

"Yep. Everyone's waiting... I came for you last so you could get your beauty sleep."

"Fine then... let's go." Zade folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Oh you'll have to get closer than THAT. You're all the way on the other side of the room... I can't teleport you from over there."

"Bull."

"Honest! I've been popping back and forth ALL day and I'm tired... you'll have to get closer."

Shaking her head, Zade walked over and stood next to Lovvorn.

"Happy now?" she said.

"Almost..." Lovvorn reached up with one hand...

"Touch me and you die."

"Oh. In that case..."

They vanished.

---

Zade blinked... and jumped when she realized they weren't in her bedroom anymore. The teleportation had been smooth and flawless. As annoying and unpleasant as Lovvorn was, his skill with magic was greater than anything she had seen before coming to Montfort. They had re-appeared in a rough-hewn stone hallway that was lit with torches placed every few yards. It was the so-called 'headquarters' of December's thugs, the Night's Bloom. In reality is was a small collection of underground rooms and passageways beneath one of Montfort's many abandoned building. Just in front of them was one of the larger rooms, which had been furnished with a huge rectangular table and a set of chairs.

"We're here." said Zade.

"Where else would we be?" Lovvorn flashed a devious smile.

Zade was glad that amorous mage hadn't decided to make any unscheduled detours... like a dark, deserted alley or his own bedroom. She really didn't feel like killing him tonight.

They entered the room together, and Zade found that she was the last person to arrive. December sat at his usual place at the head of the table, taking up enough room for *two* people of his considerable size. Zade was immediately stricken by the vacant, distracted expression on December's pale face. It was a look she had never seen before, and she didn't like it.

Well, thought Zade At least he didn't bring the little scamp with him.

To December's right was N'Doki. The skeletal necromancer looked the same as he always did... dead. His leathery brown skin was draped over his seven foot tall, nearly fleshless body like a cloak of old rags. What would be the white portions of N'Doki's eyes were blood red, and every one of his pearly white teeth had been filled down into sharp, carnivorous points. Each of his fingers were tipped with short, wicked-looking claws. The scent of powerful incense hung in the air around him, barely masking the underlying smell of moisture and decay.

On December's left sat Eric Hood. Eric was a stark contrast to the huge bulk of his employer. He was relatively short with mousy brown hair that kept a dirty appearance even when clean. Were it not for the shifty eyes and near-perpetual frown on his face, Hood would have been the perfect picture of normalcy... able to blend in with any crowd of ordinary citizens. But there was also the smell. Eric Hood always smelled like he had just bathed in freshly spilt blood.

At the opposite side of the table from December were two chairs. One was occupied by Rivus, the leader of the Night's Bloom, and the other by Hars, his second in command. Neither man was very tall, especially when compared to N'Doki and December, but Rivus was certainly the shorter of the two. Hars, however, had such wide shoulders that he was nearly as wide as he was tall. His barrel chest and tree-trunk arms gave the red-bearded rogue the appearance of awkward clumsiness, but Zade had seen him fight and knew that he was anything but clumsy. His skill with the twin falchions that he wore across his back was so great that it made Zade... and perhaps Eric Hood as well... more than a little suspicious. The man fought like a knight or a paladin, certainly not the simple highwayman he pretended to be. In contrast, Rivus was just a slick, oily thief. The little man had more in common with Eric Hood than either would like to admit. Though Hood was clearly the more dangerous of the two, both could easily hide themselves in plain sight... given enough common Montfort denizens with which to mingle.

Finally, December's pet *thing* J'Hasp was curled up in a corner opposite the door. The creature was vaguely the size and shape of a small man, but its remaining characteristics came more from the primate, rodent, and lizard species than anything else. Thick tufts of golden fur fought with patches of translucent scales for dominance on the creature's skin. The round, bulbous head lifted when Zade and Lovvorn entered the room. J'Hasp bared its cat-like fangs briefly as it sniffed the air, then it lay back down and resumed... whatever.

Lovvorn plopped his rainbow-clad bulk into the chair between N'Doki and Hars on December's right side. Zade took the only remaining chair which was directly opposite the mage, on December's left. She immediately regretted arriving last. Her position at the table gave Lovvorn a free and unobstructed view of her chest, at which the mage continued to stare even after December brought the meeting to order.

"Now that we have all arrived, shall we proceed with business?"

December's voice was strange... it held less force than it usually did. In fact his whole manner was distant, and devoid of a certain *energy*... It was obvious that he wanted to be somewhere else, doing something else.

Or someONE else, thought Zade.

No one said a word. Zade noticed that both Rivus and Hars looked impatient... Rivus was tapping his boot against the bottom of the table, and Hars was silently drumming his fingers. Neither looked directly at December, or at anyone else seated at the table.

What are THEY up to?

"Ahh... excuse me a moment..." Lovvorn stood up and disappeared. Eyebrows went up all over the table. The mage reappeared a few seconds later, with a tankard of ale clasped firmly in each hand. He quickly sat down and commenced drinking. "Okay, I'm ready." he said after his first gulp.

Eric Hood shook his head, and Zade couldn't help but smile.

"Lovvorn," December began, "have you had any success deciphering the formula we obtained from Sinterbou-"

"Wait a minute!" said Zade. "I thought we were going to talk about Chain? That's why we're here, right?"

December paused for a moment, then sighed.

"If you would recall... this meeting was scheduled IN ADVANCE of Chain's arrival in the city. I run a complex organization... reports must be given and decisions made in a timely fashion. That is our purpose tonight."

"But-"

"There are many PENDING ISSUES that must be dealt with. Chain is a minor annoyance that will be addressed later... if time permits

"If Time Permits?" said Zade "What... you got something to do? Somebody to see?"

"Lovvorn, report on your progress please," said December, "Have you located an alchemist?"

"Oh, Plenty! Unfortunately, none of them can read the formula you got from Sinterbourne. Whenever I show them the excerpt they just look at me like I'm crazy."

"Imagine that," mumbled Zade.

"They all want samples... if we could get a little of the original potion, then they might be able to...you know... analyze it to discover the formula."

"Unfortunately there ARE no samples." said December. "Everything was either crushed or incinerated during the destruction of the building."

"Well there MIGHT be..." said Lovvorn. December raised an eyebrow, and Lovvorn continued. "One of them said that... if someone used the potion recently, then there might still be some of it still floating around in their blood."

Lovvorn looked sheepishly at Eric Hood.

"What? Me?" said Eric. "There ain't nothin' in MY blood but blood!"

Zade wondered about the truth of that statement. There was something about Eric that disturbed even her...

"But you DID use it-" said Lovvorn.

"Not by choice."

"Doesn't matter. The guy also said that IF there were someone like that... then they'd probably be experiencing some strange side-effects. The remaining potion could become part of their metabolism... then it could go active at any time... randomly. Like flashbacks. Sometimes the effects might not be the same as the original-"

"I don't have any side effects." said Eric.

"Well-"

"Mr. Hood is correct." said December. "If he carried the potion in his blood, then we would know it by now."

"Not neces-"

"I tasked you with the job of finding a translator for the formula, NOT with conjecturing on the contents of Mr. Hood's blood. Now, I find it difficult to believe that there is not a single alchemist in this city who can read a simple alchemical formula."

"W-Well...uhhh... It's like a secret code, see? Alchemists have different schools, and each school has its own type of script. We'd need to find someone who went to the same school as Sinterbourne's alchemist..."

"And there are none to be found? None at all?"

"Uhhh, no. Not locally. But perhaps Spooky here can get it from some of his...uhh... long-distance contacts?"

N'Doki turned slowly and looked down at Lovvorn.

"De alchemist's spirit has bin taken by whatever gods haf claim to it. His soul is beyond N'Doki's reach. For now."

...and what does 'for now' mean? thought Zade.

"And Sinterbourne himself?" said December.

"Hiz soul is likewize unreachable."

"He couldn't tell you anyway," said Zade. "Only the alchemist knew how to make the stuff, and he wouldn't let anyone stay in the room while he worked... not that anyone wanted to."

"Did he mention anyone else who might have the knowledge?"

"No... wait... He talked about someone named Rennan. Old friends of his, from what I could understand. Maybe they went to school together."

"Good. Lovvorn... locate this Rennan and bring him to me."

"Oh. Sure. Just a first name and the fact that he MIGHT be an alchemist... why not give me something challenging?"

"I am sure you are up to the task."

Lovvorn nodded and sipped his beer.

"Mr. Hood, Report."

"The last of Sinterbourne's leftovers have been brought in line and collections are ahead of schedule. All of Soloman Nale's contacts have either bowed down or they ain't in business no more."

"Templeton Glynn?"

"Gone."

"And what of Aeragar, Charn and Amberghyles?"

"Nobody's makin' any direct moves that I can tell. They're watchin' us as much as we're watchin' them... everybody's waitin' to see who jumps first. Unless something changes the balance of power, then as long as we don't bother them, they ain't gonna bother us."

"Excellent."

"Our total collections from the shopkeepers this week added up to-"

"Forgo the financials, Mr. Hood."

"eh? What? But Boss you always want to know how much-"

"We must move on. N'Doki, do you have anything of relevance to add before we address our new problem?"

"De spirits speak of a disturbance on de nether-plane. Someting is gathering power, growing strong like a storm."

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"De spritis cannot say, so N'Doki travel to de nether-planes to look for himself. Dis ting dey saw... it hide when N'Doki come. It know N'Doki dere... and it hide."

"A storm that hides," said Lovvorn with a smile. "I'm not sure I heard that right... maybe you should say it again WITHOUT the accent."

"Little man make fun... but someting comes. Or perhaps it is already here."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure," said Lovvorn. "Anyway... what are we going to do about this Chain fellow?"

"Mr. Hood... report from the beginning please."

"This guy shows up the night we take out Sol the Snail. Word on the street was that Sol had hired some out-of-town muscle to protect him from us, but the guy didn't show. Seems to me that he DID show, only a little too late for Sol. Next day, this guy is all over town askin' questions about everybody at this table. By nightfall, he's put word out that he's lookin' for some men. He got himself a few takers... PanDemonica scum mostly... and then they just up and vanished."

"Until this morning," said Zade. "When they came crawling out to the woodwork like cockroaches. I stomped two in Ander's glass shop."

"I had four try and trail me, but I lost 'em. A few tried to jump fat-boy over there-"

"HEY!"

"-But he took care of it. N'Doki, what about you? Anybody been sniffin' around your place?"

"N'Doki haf visitors... he feed two of dem to de banshee, but de large one... he get away."

"Boss, you said you were followed this morning?"

December was staring off into space, oblivious of the discussion going on around him.

"Boss?"

December nodded slowly, but it was obvious his mind was still somewhere else.

"But the problem is this... " Eric continued. "At least with the guys that followed me, the ones I saw at first weren't the only ones there. There were another couple of folks that looked like they were there to WATCH the first group. Chances are, the same was true for the rest of you, too."

"A test." said Zade. "Chain was testing his own men AND us. Seeing how we fight. How we react."

"A logical course of action," said December.

"That's how it stands for now," said Eric "He's made no further move, and I haven't been able to locate him."

There was another uncomfortable silence. And then...

"Mr. Hood, have you been able to locate this new problem?"

"No-"

"He just SAID that!" spat Zade. "Are you even paying attention?!?"

December ignored Zade completely, which only served to raise her ire even further.

"I know where YOUR mind is," she said. "You're thinking about what's waiting for you at home, aren't you? Is that where she is? Did you leave her to rummage through your house while you're out?"

"Her location is none of your-"

"It's TRUE, isn't it!" said Zade.

"Boss, do you think that's wise?" added Eric.

"And what about THIS.... Don't you think it's kind of strange that your new ladyfriend shows up at the same time as Chain? Doesn't that make you the least bit suspicious?"

"No," answered December. "Theesa is exactly what she appears to be."

"Is that your MIND saying that? Or are you thinking with another part of your anatomy?"

"How DARE you!"

"She's right, boss." said Eric. "How do you know she's who she says she is? And for that matter... just who DOES she say she is?"

"What she is... is NOT a subject for discussion here. And I find it FAR more suspicious that the newest member of my organization just HAPPENS to have a prior history with Chain."

"Ohhhh.... so now you don't trust ME? Very smooth, December. Verrry smooth."

"Perhaps you would like to address the issue then."

"There's nothing to address."

"Indulge us."

"Fine. We ran into each other years ago when we were both on the run. I had just escaped from the slave camps and was hiding out in a city called Dross. Chain... his name was Shane then.... had just run off from the Horde and was gathering a group-

"Wait a minute," said Eric. "Did you just say Horde?"

"Yes. He was in K'Sano's Hor-"

At the mention of the name "K'Sano," chaos erupted in the room. Every hint of color drained out of Rivus. Lovvorn began choking loudly on his beer, and without warning, J'Hasp screeched and leapt onto the table. His claws carved deep furrows into the wood and his jumped around frantically.

"BAD MAN! BADMAN! BADMAN!-BADMAN!-BADMAN!-BADMAN!"

"J'HASP!" barked December.

J'Hasp shot off of the table like an arrow. He literally bounced off of the wall and tucked himself neatly underneath December's chair. His shivering was clearly audible, at least until Lovvorn cleared the beer from his throat.

"K'SANO! Wait just a damned MINUTE!!! If this guy's working for K'Sano-"

"Calm down." said Eric.

"Calm DOWN?!?! K'Sano is the closest you can get to a GOD without actually BEING ONE! He can squash the lot of us like INSECTS! He... He'll pound this WHOLE TOWN into a fine power and season his food with us ALL!"

"Lovvorn, no one said anything about-"

"Do you know what they SAY about him!?! They say... they say he EATS DEMONS! Now, I'm good, but I'm STILL just a two-bit MAGE....There's NO WAY I'm going to go up against-"

"ENOUGH!"

December's fist slammed into the table, splitting it down the middle. The furnishing collapsed, leaving the group seated around a pile of wooden debris.

The temperature in the room dropped to well below freezing.

Lovvorn's jaw snapped shut, but the man was shaking visibly. Rivus was still completely devoid of color.

"I think we're being a bit premature," said Eric. "Zade said he USED to be in the Horde-"

"But he isn't any more." finished Zade. "He got out. Escaped."

"No one leaves the Horde." said Lovvorn. "It's a lifetime obligation."

"That's what he want's you to THINK." replied Zade. "I know of two people who've done it. One of them is Chain."

"The second wouldn't happen to be you, would it?" asked Eric.

"No, you're not letting me finish the story. I met Chain AFTER the Horde... I joined his group. We were mercenaries; swords for hire. I stayed with him for a year or so, then we had a disagreement and I left."

"What sort of disagreement?"

"Some of the jobs we took disagreed with me. We fought on the wrong side of things too often..."

"I thought that, as long as the money was right, mercenaries didn't care what side they were on."

"You thought wrong. And so did Chain. He was out of the Horde, but he acted like he was still in it... he took whatever jobs resulted in the maximum civilian body-count. That wasn't my style, so I left him and his boys and set off on my own."

"And what do you know of his activities since then?" said December. "Any further involvement with Warlord K'Sano?"

"I didn't keep track, but I heard a few rumors. The last one was sort of poetic justice: Some king on the Warlord's border hired them to fight the Horde. Chain refused to fight his former buddies, and he and his men were locked away. The king deserted the city and left Chain in the dungeon as a gift for K'Sano. That was a few years ago, with no other word since. I assumed Chain was killed... but since he's here in Montfort then I guess that rumor wasn't true."

"Or the Warlord could have re-recruited him." said Eric.

"No. Chain hated K'Sano."

"But what if K'Sano SUCKED OUT HIS BRAIN and replaced it with some hideous demonic-"

"Shut up, Lovvorn. This is serious."

"Who's JOKING?"

"We can safely assume that the Warlord is not involved," said December. "Because if he were, this town would already be a smoldering crater."

"So if not K'Sano, then who?" said Lovvorn.

"Maybe it's Charn." offered Eric. "Or Amberghyles. Somebody local trying to hide his involvement."

"I think it's K'Sano," said Lovvorn. "I think we're dead. The Warlord's gonna chew off our faces and hang them on his wall like paintings!"

"And what input does the Night's Bloom, have to offer?" asked December.

Rivus looked nervously from one set of eyes to the other. Hars broke the silence.

"This Chain character has been askin' about Bloom business as well. If he's itchin' for a fight we'll be more than happy to give him one no matter WHO's behind him."

"You sure about that?" said Eric. He nodded toward the silent leader of the Night's Bloom.

"What's THAT supposed to mean!" said Rivus.

"It means-"

"It means nothing." said Hars. "Warlord or NO Warlord... Everything that lives can be killed...Be it man, god, or something in between. Hell... the philosophers say that even Death itself can die. Now I'm not gonna send my lads off on some suicide mission, but I'll not back down if death comes a-callin.'"

"Very good," said December. "Eric, I will leave Chain and his men to you. You have Lovvorn, N'Doki, J'Hasp and the Night's Bloom at your disposal. Search Chain out... tonight if possible. Find out what he wants, and who he works for. Then kill him."

"We won't have to do much looking," said Zade. "Chain prides himself on working faster than his opponents. He's already got men and as much information as he needs, so I guarantee he's not sitting around trying to think up a plan. The plan is already in motion."

"The sooner the better then," said Eric.

"And until we know for certain," said December, "I will hear NO MORE talk of Warlord K'Sano. From ANYONE. The mention of the Warlord in certain circles can bring unwanted attention."

Everyone nodded, except for Lovvorn who was staring into the bottom of his empty tankard.

"We're doomed." he muttered. "I need more beer."

"And on that note, I have some other business to attend to."

"So do we." said Rivus.

"Wait. That's IT?" said Zade. "A quick run-down on Chain's history and then just let Eric handle things?"

"Yes."

"We've handled guys like that before." added Eric.

"No you haven't."

"Yeah. We have. We're not amateurs...We've been doing this longer that you know, and gone up against guys a lot tougher than some merc with poor taste in jewelry. The Psionicist's guild. The Grey Liche. Marquis DeLemay and his vampires-"

"Very nice; I'm sooo impressed," said Zade sarcastically. "But that doesn't have SQUAT to do with what we're facing NOW!"

"Why are you so adamant about forcing this issue, Zade?" said December.

"Because I've gone through this once before with Sinterbourne... and everyone at this table KNOWS how THAT ONE turned out."

"Your point has been made. My orders stand."

"No. Noooo... NO! December, don't you realize that your little girlfriend is going to get us all killed! It doesn't even MATTER if she's a spy or just some lucky tramp... her presence is affecting you! You aren't thinking clearly... Hell, you're so busy thinking about her I bet you haven't heard a single word anyone has said tonight!"

"You are wrong, Zade."

"So what would you do if she weren't here? Would you STILL let Eric handle this or would you think this thing through?"

"My order would be the same."

"Are you sure?"

"Do not second-guess me, Zade. I am not accustomed to having my authority questioned."

"Why start now? From your reputation, I should be frozen solid by now, right? But I'm not. Why?"

No one said a word as December and Zade locked eyes over the wrecked table. Surprisingly, it was December that looked away first.

"Looks like spring thaw came early this year," said Zade.

"This meeting is adjourned," said December. "Lovvorn... teleport me to my home, then return here. Eric, I want you to keep Lovvorn with you at all times... for protection"

"Who's protection?" said Lovvorn.

"Yes sir." said Eric.

"The rest of you should make yourselves ready in case you are needed. I want this matter with Chain ended by morning."

"Oh, it will be," said Zade. "But probably not the way YOU'RE thinking."

"You are wrong, Zade. Wrong about a great many things."

"We'll just have to see then, won't we?"

---

[Theesa]

After removing her new clothes and relaxing for a few minutes, Theesa found herself growing restless. December's house seemed so *empty* without him in it that Theesa couldn't bring herself to remain in the living room alone. It seemed *wrong* somehow. Theesa walked upstairs and made a quick tour of the upper floor. Every door except hers was locked... and each was completely devoid of psychic impressions. She wandered to the upstairs window where she had received the vision of Zade. She started to repeat the vision... but Theesa had had enough of that unpleasant woman for one day. Instead, she just looked out the window at the street below.

Across the street was a man, who looked up at her and waved before continuing on his way. Theesa noticed that he had a strange contraption on his hand... like a crossbow. Theesa instantly became nervous... Had he been watching her?

No, he couldn't have been. And even if her were, he was gone now. Theesa sighed walked back down the hall.

It was after her third tour of the upper level that Theesa realized that she was avoiding something.

Her room. Her bed.

The quilt with the old patch.

The rest of the story.

December had interrupted her earlier vision, but now there was no one here but her. So why was she wandering around aimlessly? Didn't she WANT to know the truth?

No. No she didn't. Despite her earlier eagerness, Theesa was in no hurry to reveal any more of December's past. She was afraid. Afraid of witnessing whatever horrible events had transformed the young care-free apprentice into the icy semi-human she knew now. She was afraid of the pain it would cause *him* to know that she knew.... Afraid that it would drive him away.

Yes... Yes, that was it. She was afraid her prying talent would *spoil* things somehow.

Theesa didn't even bother asking herself just what it was that she was trying to preserve... She already knew.

Standing by the upstairs window for perhaps the third time, Theesa hid her face in her hands.

"Please don't do this..." she said to herself. "Please don't fall in love with him. Stop it, Theesa... just STOP!"

She sighed and realized that there was water in the corners of her eyes. She had been crying without realizing... crying because she was doing something so incredibly stupid. She was falling in love with December... someone she hardly even knew. He was an attempted murderer. He was a knight in shining armor. He was an inhuman freak. He was a man who, at the very least, had suffered more in his life than Theesa ever could in hers.

But what about December's feelings? Is he even still *capable* of returning what Theesa felt?

The answer to that, thought Theesa, lies in the past.

With a new determination, Theesa marched herself into the guest bedroom. *Her* bedroom. She sat down and dug through the layers of quilts and comforters until she found the one she needed. The patch was still there. It had been made from an old shirt... the shirt December had been wearing on that day so long ago...

Running her fingers across the cloth, she closed her eyes and let the visions come...

[To Be Continued]