[Theesa]

Theesa allowed the sensations to wash over her... sights... sounds... smells.... they swirled around in her mind like pieces of a puzzle thrown into a storm. But slowly they came together... one piece at a time...

[December... a long time ago...]

December walked alone. His long, spindly arms hung limp at his sides. His pale skin, and mop of unruly white hair added to his awkwardness, making him quite an odd site to behold. He looked like an elderly zombie. But it didn't seem that December cared. The dejection on his face was obvious. His head was held low, and December had a sullen, defeated look that instantly made Theesa's heart ache. She remembered the events that had led up to this moment: Those vicious rogues...the King brothers... had threatened him AND his wife... and when he risked his own life to stand up to them, his employer... a cowardly old imp of a man named Ylthon, chastised him and threw him out of the store.

And now December was walking... head down, breathing in shallow puffs punctuated with deep sighs.

Theesa assumed he was going home, and the time couldn't have been more than a few minutes since his encounter at the jewelry store. Theesa watched the vision progress in her mind, waiting for whatever revelations it would bring. She didn't have to wait long.

December had been walking for just a few minutes when someone threw a rock a him. It was a pebble... a tiny stone that bounced off of the ground near his left foot.

December continued into the shadow of a nearby building and stopped. He looked around as if expecting someone, but Theesa could see no one there.

"I was wondering when you would show up." he said.

Theesa wrinkled her brow... who was he talking to? Someone invisible?

With an eerie *lack* of any discernable sound, a smallish, humanoid... THING pulled itself over the edge of the building's roof and descended the sheer wall. It was man-shaped in the way that a monkey or kobold resembles a human, but that was where the similarity ended. Its skin was a patchwork of opaque scales and thick tufts of light-brown fur. The creature's limbs were long and thin, ending in clawed hands and feet. The claws were several inches long, and sank into the hard wood of the building like hot knives into soft butter. The thing's head was an awkward globe, with small pointed ears and a slightly protruding canine-like nose. A long prehensile tale swished back and forth in the air behind it as it glared at December and started down at him.

"Well... come on," said December.

It climbed down head-first and halted, hanging upside-down just above December's head.

December stepped to one side and looked up into the thing's yellow, reptilian eyes.

"Hello J'Hasp." he said.

The creature smiled, revealing a row of small, but incredibly sharp teeth.

"J'Hasp were you at the house this morning?"

"Yesss." the creature spoke with a wet hiss that made Theesa's stomach churn.

"Looking in Jessica's window?"

"J'Hasp watch. J'Hasp guard masster. Masster safe."

"I told you to stay away from the house. You scared her and she got sick."

Theesa knew how Jessica must have felt. What WAS that thing?

"J'Hasp ssorry. J'Hasp watch masster from far away."

"I don't NEED watching. And stop calling me 'master'."

"Masster?"

"Stop."

"Masssster?"

"I said st- oh never mind." December sighed. "You don't have to hang around me, you know. I can take care of myself."

"Masster not like J'Hasp?"

"Well no- I mean yes- I mean, you're... I don't know."

"Masster ssave J'Hasp. J'Hasp ssave masster."

"Exactly. So that makes us even, right? You don't have to keep sneaking around trying to help me. I saved you and you saved me. We're even now."

The creature tilted is head to one side and wrinkled its furry brow. Apparently it did not understand the concept of 'even'.

"Never mind." said December. "Do whatever you want, but stop peeking into my windows. Please?"

"J'Hasp pleasse."

"Do you understand?"

"J'Hasp pleassse sstop window peak no more!"

"Whatever."

J'Hasp sniffed the air suddenly, as if catching wind of a familiar scent.

"Ssomeone comess."

"You'd better go, then."

"But-"

"Go."

J'Hasp righted himself and quickly scrambled back up the side of the building. He disappeared over the top just someone began shouting from around the far side.

"December? Deck, you around here somewheres?!"

December sighed. He obviously recognized the voice and wasn't in the mood to see whoever it was.

"Over here." said December.

A short, roundish man with dark brown hair turned the corner and approached. He looked very much like a over-fed squirrel. Theesa took an immediate dislike to him.

"I THOUGHT I saw you walkin'. Whatcha doin' standin' out here?"

December jerked his thumb up at the roof of the building.

"Oh. J'Hasp peekin' in your window's again."

"Yes. What do you want, Rey?"

"I hear you had a run-in with the King boys."

"You heard? Rey, it just happened a few minutes ago."

"I was watching. From outside... me and J'Hasp."

"Figures. Thanks for the help."

"Heeey... SOMEBODY had to keep J'Hasp from runnin' in there. Besides, there's no need in BOTH of us getting chopped up. Hey, you handled yourself pretty well in there... where'd you learn to fight like that with just a stick?"

"My father."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Sorry," said Reynaldo. "Didn't mean to bring that up."

"Not your problem. So... I know you're not here to congratulate me on getting fired."

"FIRED!"

"So what is it you want?"

"You got FIRED!"

"Might as well be. Ylthon doesn't like the idea of people standing up for themselves. He'd rather let the King brothers take all we've worked for. He said he'd have to THINK about continuing my apprenticeship... which means I'm out."

"That's too bad, Deck. Guess I'll have to find me another source for cheap jewelry."

"Always looking out for yourself, eh Reynaldo? I don't know why I even hang around you."

"Because I let you marry my sister. That means you owe me."

December nodded, and an almost-smile flashed briefly across his face.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah guess you're right."

"Damn right I'm right! I gotta look out for her best interests... that's why I keep an eye on J'Hasp for ya while you're out getting the snot beat outta ya."

"And if something had happened to me? Who would take care of Jessica?"

"ME, of course."

"Reynaldo you don't have a job."

"Neither do you!"

"Yeah, but at least I've got marketable skills."

"So do I!"

"Picking pockets and avoiding the King brothers isn't a skill."

"I'm not even gonna respond ta that... I'll let it just slide off my back because we're friends. And that's ALSO why I'm comin' to you first about this thing I got goin..."

"What is it now, Rey? Fake gold? Selling people their belongings back after you rob them?"

"Hey... I don't steal."

"You don't have to. I know you've been teaching J'Hasp to pick locks... I found him curled up in my CLOSET last week. My LOCKED closet."

"Oh... heh, heh... sorry about that. He gets away sometimes. But you gotta admit... with those claws of his he could be a big help to... uhhh... businessmen like myself. Too bad he insists on hanging around YOU. But, hey... I got somethin' new going on now."

"What?"

"Oh, you're gonna LOVE this. We're gonna be RICH!"

"Again? This better not be another scam, Rey."

"Oh come on, December? Have I ever scammed you?"

"No. But remember the LAST scheme you got us into?"

"This is different-"

"They were ALL different."

"Oh yeah..., well take a look at THIS!"

Rey reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of parchment and held it up before December' face. The paper was old and worn, and being crumpled up in a dirty pocket hadn't helped its condition much. Nevertheless, it was easily apparent what it was supposed to be.

"It's a map," said December. "So?"

"Not just ANY map... A Diamond Mine!"

December reached for the paper, but Rey snatched it away.

"Lemme see it up close," said December.

"No, you gotta promise to help me."

"A diamond mine. Yeah, right. You drew that yourself, didn't you? Gonna sell it to some sucker? You'd better not try to pass that thing off to Ylthon!"

"I didn't draw it, but as for whether it's the genuine article or not, that's what I want YOU to help me with."

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"Lemme see the map."

December's brother-in-law handed him the crumpled parchment.

"I can't tell if this is real or not just looking at it," said December. "Where'd you get it?"

"Well, you see... "

"Reynaldo.... the truth."

"I found it."

"The TRUTH!"

"I DID find it. Well... sort of. There was the guy walkin' around town last night like he's all nervous about somethin.' I figure he's up to somethin, so I follow him around. He goes to a couple o' bars and gets drunk... then he passes out and that there map falls out of his pocket."

"It FELL out of his pocket." December frowned. "Without ANY help from your nimble fingers?"

"Right."

"OR from J'Hasp's claws?"

"Well...uhh.. you see..."

"I'm not going to help you, Rey. This map belongs to whoever you took it from."

"But if it's real then we can be RICH!"

"That's where you're wrong. Even if it IS real, it's worthless to us."

"Yeah, right. Now you're being silly-"

"What are you gonna do with a diamond map, Reynaldo? Just show up with a shovel and start digging for chunks? It takes some serious up-front money to run an operation like that... You've got expedition costs... mining equipment... you've gotta hire miners... then hire someone to watch them or they'll steal you blind. THEN you have to get on the trade routes... pay some over-priced trader to ship what you bring up and even then they'll steal half of everything anyway. That's not even BEGINNING to talk about the taxes and bribes for the public officials... OR the mercenaries you'll have to hire to keep bandits.. LIKE YOU... from just walking in and-"

"Okay, OKAY! I get the picture."

"If it's real then the rightful owner is rich, not us. You have to find that man and give it back."

"Oh... and just HOW and I supposed to do that? This is a big city, ya-know."

"J'Hasp can find him. He's got a good nose... just take him to the place where you FOUND the map and set him loose."

"But there's gotta be SOMETHING we can do! This is the chance of a lifetime!"

"Look... I couldn't help you even if I wanted to. I can't tell a real map from a fake one."

"No... but your friend can."

"My friend?... J'Hasp? J'Hasp doesn't know anything about-"

"No... your OTHER friend. The one who 'knows things'. You know..."

December looked confused for a moment, and then he began shaking his head.


"Ohhhhh, no. I'm NOT going to bother him with your little schemes!"

"It's not a scheme. We find out if the map is real, and then we can SELL it back to the guy who lost it!"

"Sell it? Sell it back?"

"For a reward! You know... if that's a REAL diamond map then his guy'll be THROWING money at us when we return it."

December thought for a moment.

"So... we're giving it back?"

"Ohhh... so it's WE now, eh?"

"If I can verify that this is real-"

"We sell...uhh... return it back to the guy and split the reward. Fifty-Fifty."

"This better not be a scam, Reynaldo."

"How can it be a scam? I haven't even asked you for anything!"

December nodded.

"Yeah... yeah okay."

"GREAT! We can both go and see-"

"Uh-uh. Nope. No way. N'Doki doesn't like strangers. I'll go alone... you just keep J'Hasp away from the house until I get back."

"But you're not even gonna tell me where-"

"No. Just go..."

"All right. I'll stop by and see Jessica later... we can talk then."

"Okay. Okay fine."

Reynaldo backed away, looked around, and then vanished around the corner. December stood by himself for a few minutes, as if reconsidering what he had just gotten himself into. He sighed, came to some unspoken conclusion, and then turned and walked back the way he had come.

He made his way across town silently. His head was held low most of the time, but he did cast a mournful glance at Ylthon's store as he passed it. Block after block of the unnamed city passed beneath December's trudging feet, until he finally found himself nearing the very edge of the town.

There he paused before the metal gates of an enormous cemetery. The green lawns beyond stretched as far as the eye could see... even in the beaming light of day. Row upon row of headstones and monuments sprouted from the well-kept hills like a garden of stone.

December looked at the place with obvious foreboding.

"Reynaldo..." he mumbled. "If this is a scam, I swear..."

December shook his head and steadied himself with a deep breath. Then he walked through the gates and started down the cobblestone path that lay beyond. The path took him deep into the heart of the graveyard, where it branched off into several smaller tributaries. December took one of them, which then took a winding, tortuous path even further into the chilling arms of the place. As December went deeper, the headstones became older and less elegant. The grass grew higher and was eventually choked off by tall weeds. Small rodents... and then LARGE ones... would scurry across the path and disappear into the savage green veldt on either side.

At a seemingly random point, December veered from the path and began plowing through the hip-deep weeds. The headstones were completely covered by this point, and December stumbled and fell several times. Eventually he came to another path... a beaten dirt walkway that was completely invisible from the main part of the cemetery. In one direction, it lead off towards destinations unknown... and in the other it made a straight line for a large, ominous crypt that was barely visible over the next hill. December made for the crypt without hesitation, and when he reached it he found rusty door was unlocked and standing ajar. The hinges were rusted in place, but the opening was just large enough for December to squeeze his spindly body through.

He found himself in a stone chamber. Fierce bolts of sunlight beamed through large cracks in the ceiling... providing enough light for December to see his surroundings. To the left and right, the walls were lined with vaults. Behind him was the door through which he had just come, and directly ahead was another opening... this one was a jagged hole where the wall had been *knocked* down. However, instead of leading back outside, the hole revealed a set of dark steps that lead to another level of the crypt. December took the steps, and the light quickly left him. He was in total darkness for a few uncomfortable moments, and then light came into view. He continued downward, and the light grew brighter. At long last, December emerged into another rectangular room lined with vaults. This room, however was occupied by something *other* than corpses.

The man saw cross-legged in the center of a crudely-drawn pentagram. He was thin almost to the point of being unhealthy, and he accentuated that fact by wearing nothing but a small loin-cloth around his waist. His skin, illuminated by the ring of candles that surrounded him, was smooth and brown. His hair was a short carpet of black with occasional specks of grey.

Assembled before him was a collection of ceremonial tools... daggers of bone, silver and steel. Tiny vials of murky liquids and colored powders, and a few bowls filled with various concoctions. A live chicken sat quietly beside him. At first, the bird appeared dead... but its upright position and occasional soft clucks indicated that the fowl was indeed alive, although it was acting rather strangely.

The man was stirring the contents of one of the bowls with a spoon-like object, and when December stepped into the room, he stopped and looked up.

The man smiled, revealing a set of perfect white teeth that gleamed in the candlelight.

"N'Doki," said December. "It's...uhhh.... It's me."

"Ahhh...." replied the man. His voice was soft and rhythmic... and he spoke with an accent that bordered on hypnotic. "Dere iz no need to announce yourself, young godling. N'Doki knew you would come."

"S-sorry to bother you."

"Tis always a pleasure when December come to visit. We are friends, no? We haf been troo many tings togedder..."

"Yeah. So, uhh.... how's it going?"

N'Doki laughed. It was a deep, eerie sound.

"Dere iz no need for idle talk, young one. N'Doki knows you come not for chatter... come now... tell N'Doki what it iz you dezire..."

"Umm... a friend of mine found this map..." December pulled Reynaldo's map out of his pocked and handed it to N'Doki. "He wants to know if it's real."

N'Doki took the map in his boney hands and stared at it.

"Can you read it?" asked December. "The light's not so good in here."

"N'Doki's eyes see clear in de darkest night, little one. Or did de godling forget?"

"Oh. Yeah."

N'Doki studied the parchment while December shifted about nervously.

"So, is it real?" he said after a while.

"N'Doki cannot say... but de spirits will know. I will send dem to dis place... into de ground and rock... dey will return and tell N'Doki what dey see."

"Spirits. Umm... can you do anything more definite?"

"De spirits know all... and dey will not lie to N'Doki. Be dere diamons or fool's gold, dey will say what lies beneat the ground. I can do noting more 'definite' dan dat."

"Okay."

The necromancer nodded. He cleared a space on the floor in front of him and spread the map out on the rough stone. Then he began chanting in a strange, guttural language. The candles flared and their flames doubled in length. The air grew thick and heavy, almost to the point of being unbreathable. The chanting continued. Long shadows twitched and danced all along the chamber walls. December wrapped his arms around himself and looked around nervously.

N'Doki kept chanting...

Suddenly he gave a shout, and one long, boney arm shot forth, with a single finger extended toward the map. There was a tangible *snap* in the air, as some force was released. A stiff wind shot past December and raced up the dark steps to the surface.

Everything else returned to normal.

"Well?" said December.

"Be patient, godling," N'Doki chuckled. "De spirits act in dere own time."

"Well how long is it going to be?"

"Hours. Days. De dead haf no concept of de passage of time."

"Oh great. You could have told me dat...uh... that BEFORE!"

"Perhaps December should learn from N'Doki, no? Patience can bring you many tings."

"Yeah, you've said that before..."

"It is true... and now I can prove de truth of my words."

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

"Long ago you come to N'Doki for help. You ask him a question. Now I haf an answer."

"Question? What ques..." An excited grin dawn on December's face as he remembered. "You mean... you mean you can CURE ME! You can make me normal!"

"No, no, no," N'Doki raised a single gaunt finger. "I haf searched for a way to undo what de gods have done, but de spirits say dat December is better off de way he is."

"That's not the answer I wanted to here."

"Dat is why N'Doki call stronger and stronger spirits to search for the godling's cure... If dere IS one. But some time ago dere was ANOTHER task dat you want N'Doki to perform... a question you wish him to answer."

"I... don't know what you're talking about."

"De godling's memory is short, no? Perhaps de answer will help him remember de question..."

N'Doki reached beside him and grabbed the live chicken that had been sitting there the whole time. The bird didn't struggle as he held it over an empty bowl and slit its throat with a bone dagger. Blood flowed freely into the bowl, filling it almost to the brim.

"Uggh..." December's stomach turned. "Was that necessary?"

"Some spirits obey de words... but others require de blood of de living to do N'Doki's bidding."

The necromancer added a handful of some fine grey powder and a few dashes of a thick, strong-smelling liquid. He stirred the concoction with his fingers, then snatched up a candle and set the mixture aflame. A cloud of thick, oily smoke rose from the burning blood and hovered in the air before N'Doki, who had begun to chant in his strange language. Again, the air thickened and the candles flared... the cloud of smoke began to swirl and coalesce into a shape.

As the necromancer continued his arcane song, the shape became more definite... it was a face. The face of a little girl...

Theesa recognized it immediately, even before the image was complete. It was Katerina... the girl December claimed to have rescued.

"What's this?" said December. "Is she-"

"Yours," said N'Doki. "De spirits say dat dis is de face of your child... soon to be born."

"But I thought you said that I couldn't HAVE children."

"Dat was long ago. N'Doki's grasp is stronger now... I send spirits further and further in search of de answers you seek. And dis is what dey say... Dis is your child. De daughter of December."

"Jessica... she... she was sick this morning. Now that I think about it, she's been sick the past FEW mornings. OH, how could I be so STUPID! She's PREGNANT!"

December smiled from ear to ear, and it was all he could do to keep from dancing a jig around N'Doki's crypt.

"Oh, THANK YOU!" he said. "I'm going to be a FATHER! Jessica's PREGNANT! Show me more, N'Doki.... will there be other kids or just the one? I always wanted a son and-"

"Dat is all dat I haf."

"Wait... will she be normal? Will she be human or... or like me? I mean she LOOKS normal, but-"

"You know all dat de spirits haf shown me. But now know dis... you are touched by de gods and dat is both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes de gods give tings jus so dat dey can take dem away... I warn you long ago to harden your heart and prepare for de fate dat de gods haf written for you. I haf glimpsed de future, and-"

"And now it looks like that future isn't as gloomy as you first said it was! I'm going to have a CHILD! A REAL FAMILY!"

"You are not listening, godling. De tings I saw long ago haf not changed. Dere will still be a-"

"A daughter! Wait until I tell Jessica! No... maybe she doesn't know yet! But how could she NOT know!"

"December... heed my words: Your heart is a large target, and fate will strike at it until you learn to shield it, or until you haf been destroyed."

"A daughter! A little girl! Jessica will want to name her after her mother... Katherine. Katherine Chyrnomir! MY CHILD!"

While December continued to babble, N'Doki dismissed the smoky image with a wave of his hand. He stood up to his full height, which was very nearly 7' tall.

He clamped one bony hand on December's shoulder...

"What?" said December.

"Dere was a time when you listen to N'Doki, but now December tink wit his heart and not his mind. Dis will pass... and when it does, you come to N'Doki again."

"Oh... I'm sorry, but you just don't understand. You don't even HAVE-"

"Children? N'Doki haf many children..."

"Well then you KNOW how much this means to me! Oh, THANK you, N'Doki!"

"Your heart does not heed N'Doki's wise words, so now I can do no more. Go... enjoy dis time while you can. N'Doki send word when de spirits return from de mine."

"Mine? What mine? OH! Oh... who CARES about that mine! I'm going to be a father!"

December spun on his heels and bolted up the stairs and away from the necromancer's gloomy abode.

---

The arcane scenery of the cemetery quickly gave way to the decrepit shanties on the outskirts of town, and then to the squat one and two-story buildings that made up the majority of the city proper. December moved like a man possessed... just short of a run but far too fast to be walk. His long arms swung like pendulums at either side as he headed across town, towards his house. When he passed Ylthon's store for the second time, he didn't even spare it a second glance.

He continued for a few more blocks and was walking along a row of clothing stores when a voice called out to him.

"Hey, there freak."

December stopped and turned around. A scruffy, evil-looking man stepped out of one of the stores. He was wearing a sword on one hip and a wicked-looking dagger on the other. Both of his hands were adorned with large, knobby rings.

December looked confused for a moment, and then recognition dawned on him. His giddy smile vanished like the morning fog, and the temperature around him began to drop rapidly.

"L-Lonnik."

"That's MR. KING to you, freak. I hear you been interfering with my business."

"Me? Me... No, I haven't been-"

"So you're callin' my brothers liars, then?"

"No. Look, you and your brother-"

"Funny you should mention that word 'look'.... maybe you should look behind you."

Before December could so much as move, something *hard* and heavy knocked him in the back of the head. The world exploded into a spray of colors... and then faded to utter blackness.

---

There was no way of telling how long he'd been out. The pain rushed into December's awareness like a roaring flood. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but blurred shapes fuzzy outlines. His ears were ringing, and the back of his head felt like it had been cracked open like an egg.

He was lying on the ground. At first he couldn't tell if he were inside or out, but when his vision began to clear he realized he was in an empty store-room of some kind.

"unnnggh..." he tried to speak.

"Oh, looky-looky," said a voice. December recognized it immediately, and so did Theesa from her earlier vision. It was Scar.

"See," said another voice. This one was Fist. "See I TOLD you I didn't hit 'im too hard. Not YET, anyway."

December turned over on his stomach and tried to get up. He was on his hands and knees when a swift kick rolled him over and sent sliding into a corner. He curled into a ball and looked up at his attackers.

There were *three* men in the room besides him. Fist and Scar were the ones that has snuck up behind him on the street, while their older, and more vicious brother Lonnik distracted him. There was a distant family resemblance. Scar was slim and oily, while Fist was a wide hulk of a man. Fist was wearing bandages around his arms and bare chest from his earlier encounter with December. Scar's silk shirt hid his own injury, which amounted to a hand-print of December frozen onto his chest. Lonnik was a combination of the two, only without the bandages and with a few more years of meanness under his belt.

"Now, I bet you're wonderin' what you're in here for." said Lonnik. He walked over to December and kicked him a gain. Despite the pain, December reached out to grab Lonnik's foot, but he was a bit to slow. Lonnik stomped the heel of his boot down onto December's fingers.

"AAAAH!" December jerked his hand away, and Lonnik kicked him in the face.

A stream of blue blood tricked down from December's split, swollen lip. It dripped off of his chin and turned red a few seconds after it touched the ground.

"See," said Scar. "He's a freak... look at his blood!"

"Yeah!" added Fist.

"Freak or not, he interfered in my business. That means we gotta teach 'im a lesson."

"A permanent one!" said Fist.

"Wait..." said December. He was holding his hand out in submission. "No... there's no need-"

"Oh, so NOW you're tellin' me how to run my business, eh freak?"

"No, I-"

"Do it, Fist."

"Yeah!"

Lonnik backed away while his hulking brother stepped forward. Before December could protest any further, Fist began kicking him repeatedly. He tip of his steel-toed boot cracked two ribs with the first kick. December tried to curl up again to protect himself, but someone *else* began kicking him from behind. His head...his back.. his legs... his neck... the King brothers literally poured kicks down upon the struggling apprentice. He couldn't even draw a breath to scream without the wind being immediately kicked out of his lungs.

His pain-besieged mind reeled under the physical onslaught. One part of him wanted to stay conscious in hope of some means of escape, but another wanted to slip away and avoid the torture. While he struggled with pain and with himself... something snapped...

"OWW ! HEEEY!!!!"

"What the HELL!"

The kicking stopped and the King brothers jumped away... at least two of them did. Fist hopped backward with one leg sticking straight out in the air. The tip of his boot was cracked and broken away, revealing a set of blue-tinted toes.

"HE FROZE MY FOOT!"

Fist hopped around and then lost his balance. He fell to the floor and began screaming... his breath was plainly visible in the suddenly frigid air of room.

"What happened?" said Lonnik. He was curious... but not afraid.

"It's cold! He's doin' it again!" said Scar.

"Not for long, he ain't" Lonnik drew his sword while December staggered to his feet. He reached out and grabbed the blade of Lonnik's sword before the rogue could swing it. A split-second later, Lonnik's eyes bulged. He released the freezing-cold sword handle and backed away.

The sword fell to the floor and shattered like fine glass.

"Magic!" said Lonnik. "Scar, get the STUFF!"

Scar scrambled over to a corner and opened a wooden crate.

"Now, you're gonna let me go," said December. "I don't want to hurt anybody."

Lonnik drew his dagger and held it in front of him. He maneuvered between December and the door, and then just stood there. Unlike December, there wasn't an ounce of fear or apprehension in Lonnik's face.

Scar turned around and was holding an ornate box... it looked like a very large jewelry box, decorated with silver and pearls. He stepped over his squirming brother Fist and came to stand beside Lonnik.

"What's that?" said December.

"Bet you're wondering how we always get past all that magic the shopkeepers put up. We stole this from some old mage... works pretty good. Open it, Scar... give the freak a good long look..."

Scar opened the jewelry box. Inside was a fist-sized chunk of glowing rock.

Null-magic.

As soon as it was uncovered, the rock inundated the room with wave after wave of magic-nullifying energy. Every ounce or particle of magic in the storage room quickly dwindled to nothing. The effect on December was as immediate as it was unexpected.

December's body convulsed with such violence that he actually *threw himself* back several feet. He hit the floor and began jerking and twisting like a fish out of water.

"What's that?" said Scar. "What's he doing? It's hurtin' him...it's not supposed to do that."

"He's choking." said Lonnik.

"But nobody's touchin' him! And look... he's still breathin!"

"I've strangled enough people to recognized it when I see it. This null-magic stuff's killin' him. Get closer."

"No WAY!"

"Do it!"

Scar approached December and held the null-magic stone down closer to him.

"LOOK!" said Scar.

When the stone got close to his head, Decembers hair began to darken. In seconds, it had gone from pure white to a very dark brown. His skin began losing it shocking pallor, and his sky blue eyes darkened to a normal brownish color. The tiny bruises from his earlier beating blossomed into deep black and purple splotches, and December's entire body even appeared to *shrink* slightly.

"It's turnin' him normal!" said Scar.

"But it's killin' him too."

Indeed it was. December's painful convulsions weakened as his muscles gave out. Despite the fact that he could breath normally, it was as if there was no air in the room. His body was *missing* something... something vital that the null-magic had taken away.

December looked up with his brown eyes and tried to plead for his life, but all he could do was make weak gasping sounds. He couldn't talk. He could hardly move.

He was dying.

"Touch 'im with it." said Lonnik. "Touch 'im and see what happens."

"Okay..."

Scar took the null-stone out of the box and held it in his hand. He leaned down even further and brought the toxic rock even closer to December.

Suddenly, the storeroom's thick wooden door exploded inward. Splinters and large planks flew into the room as *something* destroyed it with a single blow. Scar stood and turned, but before he could even move or shout, a humanoid *thing* shot past Lonnik and, with a swipe of its clawed hand, knocked the null-stone away.

"AAAAH!" Scar screamed. He still had all of his fingers, but just barely. Three of them were hanging from his hand by thin strips of severed flesh.

The stone hit the wall with such force that it actually knocked a *hole* through it and ended up in the street outside. With the null-magic gone, December's hair and skin returned to their pallid state... and it began to grow cold in the room.

Lonnik slashed at the attacking beast with his blade, but J'Hasp jerked to the side and made another slash with his claws. Blood splattered against the far wall, and the left side of Lonnik's face was sliced open to the bone. The blow spun the thief around, sending him crashing into the still-screaming Scar.

Fist, who had just barely managed to get to his feet, took one look at the inhuman thing and backed away. He put one arm around each of his brothers and began quickly dragging them out of the storeroom.

J'Hasp hissed at them, baring his sharp fangs. All three men yelped, and a wet stain began to spread along the front of Scar's pants. They vanished outside, leaving a trail of blood... and urine.. behind them.

"J'Hasp..." said December. He was back to 'normal,' but he was still hurt. There was too much pain for him to even stand. "J'Hasp help me..."

The horrid creature grabbed December and, just like the King brothers had done, drug him out of the room and into the street.

"...home..." said December.

J'Hasp threw December over his bony shoulder and, holding him steady with one clawed hand, scrambled up the sheer wall of the building and onto the roof.

The rest of the trip was a blur of rooftops and dizzying leaps as the J'Hasp-creature returned December to his home. Each movement jostled December's possibly-broken bones, but the jeweler's apprentice bore the pain as best he could. Eventually, he closed his eyes tight and tried to shut out the experience. It didn't work... the pain continued anyway. But even worse than the physical wounds was the realization of what had just happened.

The null-magic had made him normal.

And being normal had almost killed him.

Finally, J'Hasp dropped onto the roof of December's house. Still holding December, he climbed down the wall and deposited him on the front steps. J'Hasp scratched at the door, leaving a set of deep grooves in the wood. He scratched again, and when he heard movement from the inside, he climbed the wall and disappeared over the roof.

The door opened, and Jessica Chyrnomir... December's wife... looked down at her husband in shock.

"DECEMBER!" she cried. "OH, NOOO!"

She knelt down, and Theesa felt December's heart ache when he looked up at his wife.

"They... they beat me..." he said. "they..."

"Oh, thank the gods you're alive! We've got to get you inside...Can you get up?"

Without waiting for a reply, Jessica grabbed December by the shoulders and yanked him to his feet. He took a few steps and fell... but fortunately that was enough. When he hit the ground, he was safe inside his own home.

Jessica returned to the door and shut it.

"Here... we've got to get these clothes off so I can see how bad it is..."

"...they had...they had this stuff...I was human...just for a while..."

"Shhh... just relax. I've patched my brother up enough times to know you shouldn't try to talk now."

She began unbuttoning his shirt, which became more and more difficult as her husband's cold skin made her fingers numb.

"...no..." tears began welling up in December's eyes. "...listen... I was normal but it...it was killing me... Jes... I... If I ever become normal again... I'll die! I'm stuck like this... like this... forever!"

"Shhhh.... hold on now. I'll get you all fixed up."

When she had it undone, Jessica pulled her husband's shirt off...

And the vision ended.

[Theesa]

Theesa found herself alone, standing in her room and holding the quilt in her hands. Her mind was about as numb as Jessica's fingers must have been... her vision had shown her both more and less than she had bargained for. She was closer to understanding December and his past, but now there was so many MORE questions... N'Doki? Reynaldo? Who were these people? And what the HELL was J'Hasp! and the little girl, Katerina... was she December's blood daughter? Had he lied to her? But wait... if THEESA could look so much like Jessica... wasn't it possible that Katerina was just a stranger who HAPPENED to look like the image shown to December? But what was the likelihood of THAT happening...

Theesa heard the front door open and then close.

"December?"

"It is I, " came December's voice.

Theesa rushed down the steps to meet her... what? Friend?

He was standing in the living room waiting for her.

"How was your meeting?"

"Mercifully short," December sat down and sighed. He motioned for Theesa to take the other chair. She did, and found that she was more tired than she had first thought. Her mind was still fuzzy from the vision.

"You have good timing," she said.

"Oh?"

"I saw more of what happened. With the King brothers."

"And what did you see?"

"So much... I don't know where to start."

"We have all night," said December. "Ask what you wish."

"Okay. What was that THING? The thing that rescued you?"

"J'Hasp."

"Yes, but what WAS it?"

"J'Hasp is rather difficult to explain. He is... what he is."

"Is? You meant he's still... ?"

"Yes. He has been my companion since... since the beginning. No... Since BEFORE the beginning."

"But where it is now?"

"At the moment, HE is standing right behind you."

"Ha-ha! I see you haven't lost your sense of humor. Well, you're not going to scare me THAT easily."

"Very well," said December.

"Fine, I'll play your game."

Theesa turned to look behind her, and when she saw the humanoid, reptilian/rodent THING smiling at her with its inch-long fangs, she did the first two things that came to mind.

Scream.

And pass out.

[To Be Continued]