[Chain]

Cemeteries- like houses, cities, and people - can be alive or dead. The dearly departed can rest beneath a carpet of well-kept cut grass, with their markers framed by the blooms of newly placed flowers, or they can lay forgotten among the weeds and vermin. The remembered dead rest peacefully in cemeteries, the forgotten rot in derelict graveyards. And there was never any confusion between the two.

Chain and his men were most certainly in a graveyard. The weeds were so high that Chain had to send one man to fetch a scythe just so they could enter. They began slicing a path from the rusted gate to the very heart of the field of graves. Tombstones poked out of the grass at irregular intervals... their tops barely visible. Rats and snakes scrambled away from the three intruders, but not nearly as fast as Chain would have liked. The vermin lingered for a while before they vanished into the grass.

"We're being watched." said Chain.

"Maybe we should go get Belladrox," said one of the men. He wasn't one of the elite... just a petty Montfort thief who had more blade than brains. Right now his only job was to carry the torch that lit the surrounding land. "He can clear all this out, snakes and all."

"And tip our hand," replied Chain. Right now we're just snoops. Trespassers...either lost or stupid. We start slinging magic and the whole game chances real quick."

"Oh. Okay."

The third man, the one with the scythe, was also a Montfort denizen. A highwayman that was driven out of business by the Night's Bloom. Chain couldn't remember either of their names, primarily because he never bothered to ask. He didn't want to know, and if the men were smart they wouldn't tell even if he DID ask.

"So we're snoopin,'" said the scythe-bearer. "Snoopin' for WHAT, mate?"

"First of all, you will address me as either 'CHAIN' or 'SIR'. Take your pick. Secondly, a group of VonSinterbourne's men vanished in this graveyard. I want to know why."

"Lookin' for bodies, then?" said the thief. "They have any gold on 'em?"

Chain shook his head. He had no intention of telling his men the real intent of their midnight visit.

"That way-"

The torch-bearer's light illuminated a large above-ground crypt. The grass was twice as high around it, and the stone slab was framed by two dead oak trees that should have collapsed long ago. Chain pointed to this structure, and they altered their course to head in that direction.

They had gone no further than a few yards when the thief cried out-

"YaaHEYYYY!" He jumped back a few steps.

"What?"

"Something slithered over my foot."

"Just a snake," said Chain.

"That waddn't no snake!"

"Nobody move." ordered Chain. All movement stopped, but the whispering of the grass did not. There was something nearby.

"There!" the scythe-bearer pointed to his left. The grass was shaking...

"No! There!" the thief pointed in front, where something was disturbing the grass there as well.

"Both of you, quiet."

Whatever it was, was all around them... surrounding them in a perfect circle at six yards. If it was a snake, it was a BIG snake.

"t-t-t-t-tssssss"

"Rattler!"

"Uh, Mr. Chain... you gonna do somethin?"

"We wait."

"Uhhh...."

"T-T-T-TSSSSSSSS"

"Weapons up. When I say duck... you duck. When I say attack, do it or I kill you both myself"

Chain loosened a four-foot length of chain from shoulder and began twirling it at is side. It made a *whoosh-HISS* as the deadly links whistled through the air and grass.

The thief pulled his sword from his scabbard, the other raised his scythe.

"T-T-T-T-TSSSSSSS!"

Something reared up from the grass in front of them. It was a snake... mostly. The head, however, was far too human to be natural. Shrivelled, leathery skin covered the huge, fang-sprouting skull. The thing glared at them with two red eyes. Chain's two companions screamed bloody murder, but, to their credit, neither of them dropped their weapons or ran.

"Duck!"

Both men dropped as the chain *whooshed* through the air above them. The snake-thing jerked backwards just in time to avoid a skull-shattering impact. It reared up, focusing its eyes on Chain...

"Attack NOW!"

The scythe slid easily into the thing's exposed belly. The shriveled head snapped down toward the human attacker, but the introduction of a long-sword through its throat slowed it down considerably. Both men danced away. The scythe dripped black blood in onto the grass, and the thief's sword was still protruding from the beast's neck.

*WOOSH-CRACK*

The snake's human skull cracked as Chain's weapon smashed into it. It's red eyes flared, and then grew glassy and unfocused. Fearing nothing, Chain stepped forward and shortened the chain's length to about two feet. He swung it above his head and brought it down on the beast's face once... and then again.

The thing struggled, its coils convulsed in the grass. Chain continued to bludgeon it until it lay still. Then he retrieved the sword from it's neck and tossed it to the thief.

"We GOT it!" shouted the scythe-bearer.

"Yes." Chain was silent for a while as he studied the surroundings. "And now we're leaving," he said. He looped his chain back over is shoulder.

"What?" said the thief. "What about the treasure!"

"There is no treasure. We got what we came for."

"The HELL you say! I'VE got the torch, and I'M going THIS way!" The thief shoved through the grass, and stepped carefully over the snake-beast's unmoving coils.

"Sir, he's leaving us!"

"Shhhh... Watch and wait."

Chain watched as the thief drew close to the crypt. Then, without warning a large, gray *thing* stepped out from behind one of the trees. It was larger than a man, but with small, spindly arms and tiny clawed hands that were almost useless. It had a wide body and disproportionately large head. Most of the head was made up of a *HUGE* mouth and bulging, muscular throat. Chain recognized it immediately...

"BANSHEE!!! GET DOWN AND COVER YOUR EARS!!!"

He flung himself back and rolled out of the direct line of fire. Just before he slammed his hands to his ears, he heard the deadly beast tune itself up...

"Brak! BRAK!

The torch bearer was standing directly in front of the thing, holding his sword as if he were going to charge it.

"GET DOWN!" shouted Chain.

"BRAK! BRAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The primal wave of sound burst forth and struck the sword-bearing thief square in the chest. He was knocked off of his feet and thrown backwards... but he never landed. The thief vanished in a shower of blood and liquefied organs that rained down on nearly the entire graveyard.

It was as if he had been crushed between two rocks and thrown into a rapidly rotating fan.

The man's torch... now no more than flaming splinters... landed in the grass, setting it alight.

The sound ended. Chain could tell because his bones had stopped rattling... but his ears were still ringing, despite his best effort to cover them. He flipped over and crawled for the main gate.

"OUT!" he yelled over his shoulder. "STAY DOWN AND GET TO THE GATE!"

"BRAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

"UNGH!" Chain dropped flat and covered his head. He saw the ground explode a few yards in front of him. The continuous 'explosion' arced off to the left, forming a deep trench, as if an invisible farmer were plowing through the weeds. The banshee was fishing for vermin, using its scream as a sonic scythe to slice furrows into the graveyard in hopes that something would pop up into view.

Chain never heard the second man scream, but he felt the warm, red rain pelting him and knew that there was only one intruder left... him. He hadn't been expecting anything THIS powerful... still, he knew how to deal with it. His timing would have to be perfect...


When the ground stopped shaking beneath him, Chain stood and ran. He made nine or ten steps and then threw himself back down. He rolled away from his former position and lay still

"BRAEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

Dirt and grass showered him as the ground where he had been exploded. The scream ended, and Chain repeated the maneuver... taking a few running steps, dropping, rolling...

"BRAEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

Taking advantage of the banshee's 'recharge' time, Chain dropped and ran, dropped and ran, until finally he got within sprinting distance of the gate. Even though he *knew* they had left it wide open when they entered, he was not at all surprised when he found it closed. He didn't bother trying it... he knew it was locked.

When the banshee's latest blast died, Chain scrambled up the high metal gate. He was counting in his mind...

...five...four...three...

He scrambled over the top.

...two...one...

There was no time to climb down; Chain just let himself drop.

"BRAK! BRAEEEEEEEEE!"

The gate exploded behind him. Chain threw himself to one side as the twisted piece of pulverized metal shot past him and landed in the street with a loud *CLANG.*

He staggered over to the graveyard's high stone wall and rested. He knew the banshee wouldn't leave the safety of it's lair. He was safe.

"Well? said a voice. It was one of Chain's men who had been left to wait outside.

"Success." said Chain. "We need look no further... the necromancer is here." Despite the exertion, he caught his breath relatively quickly.

"What do have to deal with?"

"The usual. Summoned animals, supernatural and possibly enchanted. And a banshee."

"Nothing we haven't handled before."

"Right," said Chain. "His pets are a non-issue, but we'll need some magic to handle the man himself. I'll take care of that. We're going to lose some people on this one, probably quite a few, but that's to be expected. The end result... December will soon be short one necromancer."

The man nodded.

"Come... the night is young and we've got more work to do. It's time to see if the Night's Bloom lives up to their reputation..."

---

[ADMIN - Sottie, the Inebridee Brewery, and the Wolves are written

by Greg Dewey: 3mfpl7n@cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu]

[Zade]

Battered by the shock of seeing herself, Zade's consciousness shattered and fell away. A few moments later, her loosened clothing did the same... exposing her naked body to the night. She looked up at the full moon with wild, panic-stricken eyes.

[Sottie]

For many new to the wild, it took months before the individual realized what was happening, and if that person dwelt in a city, the carnage she caused frequently caught up with her before the realization of what she had become. Without guidance and aid, those first months were usually the last.

As the transformation gripped Zade, the Swami spoke softly but with great meaning, "The key to all dilemmas is knowledge. Learn to remember every nuance of this moment and you will learn to control it."

With that, the fakir let control over his own form slip and succumbed to the power of the moon...

[Zade]

Bones twisted and transformed, forming odd angles and joints that bore little resemblance to their original human form. Layers of thick fur sprouted from Zade's smooth skin. Her nose and mouth elongated into a lupine snout. The night snapped into focus as her eyes became more sensitive to the light.

Zade growled as new sensations washed over her... hunger... desire... the enticing scent of the Alpha Wolf...

...but something was wrong! The transformation that had come so smoothly suddenly lurched to a painful halt. Caught in some grotesque juxtaposition of woman and wolf, Zade cried out in fear, frustration, and rage.

"oooOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!"

[Sottie-wolf]

"Woof! grrr-wuf!" The brewmaster knew he must be firm, and must communicate with both the lupine and the human elements in Zade. In addition to the lupine tongue, he used surface telepathy only, not wishing to give Zade the impression that he was invading her mind. ::"My strength is with you Zade," he sent. The Swami conjured an image of Zade's fateful night at the brewery in her mind and sent, ::"You were bit by no normal wolf. You are now no longer a normal woman. You are now the louped garou, a werewolf. What is considered a curse can also be a blessing. If you are strong, your mind can become one again, and the form of your body will not matter. You will always be Zade."

Sottie realized that Zade would probably not remember his words when she returned to human form, but at the same time, they would not be truly lost. At present, Zade the woman and Zade the wolf were having difficulty reconciling themselves. Zade was trapped between the worlds, more wolf than human, yet not fully wolf. It was a common occurrence for lycanthropy's initial stages. It was also the rule that the human mind could not conceive of itself as a wolf, nor could the lupine mind conceive of itself as human.

Swami Sottiegee Briatinebridee could not begin to conjure balls of flame and such as Western wizards did, yet the fakir had an intimate understanding of the mind and its powers. Werewolves were the ultimate example of multiple personality disorder. The mind protected itself from the curse by developing two distinct personas, the wolf and the human. The memories of each personality were distinct. The wolf had no memory of being a human, and the human had no memory of being a wolf. Yet, in truth, the two were one, and only by realizing this and integrating the two personalities could the individual retain all of her memories and gain a degree of control over the transformation.

The dichotomy between wolf and human was essentially a defense mechanism of the mind. The distinction between the two personalities was artificial, though it was physically aided by the transformation. Even so, dreams and flashes of memory often crossed over from the wolfish personality, leaving the human personality in doubt and turmoil. The more memories the wolf had, and the more vivid those memories were, the more likely some would cross over. Abruptly confronting a human with proof

of her lycanthropy was a dangerous proposition, for her personality could shatter, thus producing schizophrenia in both her human and lupine personalities. It was best to allow a person to gradually come to terms with lycanthropy to avoid greater madness.

If Zade proved to be strong enough to weather the shock, realize what she had become, and, perhaps the most difficult, accept outside help, then the swami could render aid. Rafe had been amazed at Sottie's ability to control his lycanthropy, for centuries ago, it had taken Rafe sixty or seventy years, literally a lifetime, to develop reasonable control over his condition.

As luck would have it, Swami Sottiegee had spent his life in drug and meditation-induced altered states of consciousness. In many ways lycanthropy had been no different. The fakir's nature spirit allies had also helped him locate substances that aided him even further in his endeavor. With Amanda, the pack's omega, Sottie was using hypnotic drugs, his mental powers, and the moon-puff mushroom to help her gain increasing control. One reason the wizard Rafe respected the frequently intoxicated swami was that he had never seen progress such as Amanda had made in the short time she had been a werewolf. When the wizard had told Zade that Sottie was an excellent teacher, he had not really been talking about hunting.

Sottie had two goals presently in mind, to support Zade's wolfish side, and to give her memories that would be vivid but not so horrible as to cause her mind to lend greater support to the split it had created. A lone wolf without pack mates, suffering from a mental wound was a dangerous creature. Such creatures often killed humans when they encountered them. Murdering humans in turn disturbed the human mind and reinforced the split. It was a vicious cycle. Thankfully, Zade was a warrior. She essentially made a living murdering humans for pay. Ironically, this would be to her advantage if she were to transform in the city and kill someone.

Unfortunately, now that the moon had triggered her first transformation. Anger and pain, both common in the warrior's trade, could trigger another transformation at any time. Sottie debated whether or not to let Zade's employer know what was happening to her. If Zade transformed in battle, she would have a tendency to continue to kill humans even after the enemy was defeated, thus her comrades would be in danger. Also, though humans could not distinguish a werewolf from any other person, dogs were natural enemies of wolves, and dogs would often attack a werewolf as soon as they smelled her.

The swami-wolf concentrated on the task at hand. If he could reassure Zade enough, then they actually could go hunting. Hunting would be a memory that would be most pleasant for Zade's lupine side, and most instructive were it to pass over to her human side. He hoped he could keep Zade from attacking him in anger and confusion, but if need be, he would have to bring his teeth, his voice and the lupine rituals of dominance into play to initiate the fledgling bitch into the workings of lupine social structure. Whatever happened, the swami would not abandon her.

[Zade]

Zade's humanity was lost in a dark void that crackled with flashes of animal savagery. She didn't know who she was, or what was happening to her. She screamed into the darkness...

The animal growled and raged against the restraints of the incomplete transformation. It, too, was confused. It wanted to run free... to hunt... to kill. But it could not. So it howled into the darkness...

Both facets reached out for anything... anyone who could ease the pain and dispel the void.

The animal responded to the Alpha-Wolf's growls and yips, while the human soul grasped onto Sottie's soothing mental impressions...

The darkness did not lift... but there was calm. Zade receded. The last vestiges of her humanity fell away, and the animal came into full bloom. The transformation continued... the stooping stance dropped into a full lupine form. The snout continued to elongate. Sharp canine teeth sprouted, and the wolf-mind took its rightful place as controller of the powerful wolf-beast that was Zade.

[Sottie-wolf]

The Alpha greeted the new she-wolf with much sniffing, yipping and wufing. When he was satisfied he had performed the requisite lupine social and dominance rituals, he raised his voice to the moon, welcoming the new wolf into the wild:

"Aww-aww-Aaaarrrroooooou!"

[Zade-wolf]

Zade responded with a forceful, resounding howl of her own. Her lupine ears twitched as the forest replied.

[The Pack]

At various locations, some quite far off, others somewhat nearer, the pack briefly joined their voices to those of the Alpha and his initiate. Then there was silence.

[Sottie-wolf]

Sottie-wolf sniffed the air and wuffed to Zade: The hunt. It took years for even a wolf to become an expert hunter, and Sottie knew he was a novice compared to some of his ancient pack mates, but Zade, though her potential was great, had little more skill than a pup.

Sottie began to move. He called softly to Zade in the lupine tongue. She must experience the effortless lope of the wolf, to range, to run and to jump as a true lupine spirit. Movement was essential to the hunt, and its four-legged rhythm was a memory that could serve as an important clue to Zade's secret nature

once she returned to her human form and personality.

[Zade-wolf]

Zade followed. Her gait was awkward at first, but soon the rhythm of her new-found instincts asserted itself. She trotted after Sottie... her senses drank in every detail of the forest with an eager ferocity. The scent of the trees... the rustling of the animals as they evaded her.. everything was a brand new experience. It was as if it were her first day in a new world.

In a way, it was.

[Sottie-wolf]

The hours flowed by like a silent river and the Alpha's confidence in the ability of his acolyte to handle her new body matured. Next he wuffed and sneezed and yipped, teaching his comrade about the scents of the forest.

After a time, Sottie caught the delicious scent of elk in a forest meadow. A 600 pound elk would be a challenging first kill, but not so challenging as to strongly court disaster. The scent was relatively fresh, not more than half an hour old. He nudged his companion and sniffed the spot once again.

[Zade-wolf]

The scent was like a carnal bouquet to Zade's heightened senses. She took it in, and her instincts responded.

... meat... hunger...hunt...meat...

She trotted a few steps and sniffed again. The trail was weaker here, so she tried the other direction. The trail strengthened...

Zade's lips fluttered away from her long canines. She growled deep in her chest, and then took off at a full run.

[Sottie-wolf]

Sottie let Zade lead this time. There were many things she might do wrong. She could approach the prey from upwind, she could reveal herself by approaching too rapidly and making too much noise, or the terrain could simply be unfavorable. If the prey got too much of a head start, they would outdistance the

hunters, but there was always other prey, and sometimes experience was the best teacher.

[Zade-wolf]

Zade tracked the elk as if she had been doing such things her entire life. The strength of the scent told her how far away her prey was. As she drew close, she stopped and stuck her nose in the air... then she began to circle around and approach from downwind.

She caught her first site of the meal as it was drinking from a small stream. There was a clearing nearby, but the elk was standing among a copse of trees. Zade stopped and studied her meal... Its antlers were like the majestic branches of a large oak. Its body rippled with thick muscle, all of it tensed to react at the slightest sign of a predator. The animal brought its mouth close to the stream... it drank, paused, listened, and drank some more.

Zade watched in silence.... her eyes drawn to the meal's neck and underbelly. She crept forward, and

a piece of dry wood snapped under her paw.

The huge meal looked up and was gone. Zade was after it, pushing her lupine muscles to the limit as she

chased the beast down.

[Sottie-wolf]

The alpha joined the chase, catapulting over the terrain as he took up a position behind and on the other side of the prey from Zade.

[Zade-wolf]

Roots and vines slapped at her furry flanks, some became tangled in her fur, but she burst through them like they weren't there. The hunt was on... the meal was close.

More of her keen hunting instincts bubbled to the surface. Her

thoughts were not words, or even pictures... just urges. She *knew* what to do...

She ran the beast toward her pack-mate, and he did the same. In this way, they *steered* the meal in whatever direction their whims took it. All the while, Zade was gaining on the beast. As soon as the terrain evened out, she would strike...

[Sottie-wolf]

Sottie sped along helping Zade to steer the beast, deferring the first strike to his cunning disciple. All the while the Swami-wolf could not help noticing the subtle changes of the birds currently at song and of the scent of the air. Dawn was not yet here, but it was on the heels of night just as surely as Zade and he were on the heels of the elk.

[Zade]

The undergrowth began to clear. Zade knew instinctively that this was the time.

She made a leap for the powerful beast's neck. Her fangs sank into it's neck...

[Sottie-wolf]

As Zade struck at the creature's more vital areas, Sottie slowed, launched and bit, his enormous jaws tearing the hamstrings from the base of one of the creature's rear legs. It was a trick Rafe had taught the swami, highly effective as long as one came in from the side, struck high, hard and fast and avoided being kicked. Swami-wolf struck with a precision born as much of powerful muscles and uncanny good luck as martial training. He lacked Rafe's centuries of practice in the lupine form, but the gods of drink were most generous with their chosen vessel. He had sustained a glancing kick was all, and the bite had been most auspicious.

The smiling alpha veered to Zade's side of the beast to behold the results of her first strike, and to watch her beautiful form as she brought down the kill. Sottie was secure in the knowledge that, no matter how she had faired on her first bite, she would be successful. The elk's ability to sustain high running speeds far longer than a wolf was its best defense, and Sottie-wolf had ripped that defense away.

[Zade]

Her powerful bite went deeper into the animal's throat. The elk staggered as one of its legs was disabled. Zade twisted, and the meal went down.

[Sottie-wolf]

Most auspicious, thought Sottie, Zade had hit the elk's throat and managed to keep hold long enough to tear open the main artery. The elk tried to get up but fell down again almost immediately. Not enough blood was making it to the animal's brain, its neck was a red fountain of death.

The alpha wolf raised his voice in praise of Zade's victory. Sottie's haunting tribute to Zade's victory was a custom version of the kind of song traditionally sung by his pack mates and wolves everywhere at the conclusion of a successful hunt, but this rendition lent itself to being played on a flute as well as being sung by a wolf. It would serve as another potent clue to help Zade's mind bridge the gap between the worlds.

Sottie took only a ceremonial first bite of the meat as was due the alpha male, then hastily invited Zade to partake of her kill. He wanted her to taste the elk, for he could see dawn's rosy hues rising in the East and knew Zade only a minute or two before dawn's light returned her to human form.

[Zade-wolf]

Zade ripped at the still-warm flesh with a ferocity that was completely alien to her human form. Something deep within her flinched, but remained silent.

She fed in peace.

[Sottie-wolf]

Dersh would be coming with the clothing Zade and Sottie had left by the lake. Sottie smiled. Dersh had also followed the wagon as a wolf allowing Zade to get a look at him while she was still in human form - another reminder, a girder in the bridge of memory Sottie was building to help Zade realize what she had become rapidly so that the tower guard would not kill her for her ignorance.

[Zade-wolf]

She knew the dawn was coming... how could she *not* know? But her pure lupine form could not understand its significance. She felt the aching tightness return to her muscles. Her full stomach twisted in her gut. Her paws twitched...

Zade yelped as the first rays of the sun hit her. Not in pain, but surprise. Surprise at the sudden coolness of morning as she felt it through her thinning fur. Surprise at her lengthening paws and receding snout. Surprise at the sudden muffling of her senses, as if a large blanket had been thrown over her head. The scents and sounds of the forest became muted and dull... the wolf was shut off from its element. It raged against the transformation, but to no avail...its time was done.

Zade's human mind screamed as the furthest edge of her awareness realized what was happening. It reeled and receded even as the lupine mind did the same. Zade's body twisted and became human again, but her soul slept on...

[Sottie]

Sottie watched the transformation, standing in Zade's field of vision in his lupine form as she changed. The swami had enough experience to know what would come next. Zade's mind would force her to sleep. If she did not sleep she could not forget, and since her mind could not yet accept the truth of her nature, it would force her into a deep sleep while it shored up the gap between the worlds and hid her lupine memories within itself.

Sottie nodded to Dersh as he separated himself from the shadows. The ancient thief had no doubt been waiting for some time, but one did not see Dersh unless he wanted to be seen. Soundlessly, the thief spread a blanket on the forest floor. While sending soothing thoughts to her mind, Sottie carefully lifted Zade's

sleeping form as though the powerful woman were weightless and set her on the blanket. Sottie reached out through the brotherhood of intoxication and called to Ridgeman, a staunch disciple of the gods of drink though not a werewolf. :: "Come this way please Ridgeman, and bring the stoutest horse."::

Dersh and Sottie softly cleaned off any leaves and twigs that had stuck to Zade's skin and then meticulously dressed her in her clothes and armor. Rafe had already cast a mending spell on any seams that had torn during Zade's first transformation. That had been one of the reasons Dersh had followed at the beginning of the night. Someone had to fetch the clothing and take it back to Rafe. If Zade looked closely she would be able to see the areas where the seams had been flawlessly restored, for they would look new. This was but another clue to her condition.

Dersh put the finishing touches on dressing Zade, and put away the blanket, He arranged her body and whip so it would seem as though she were injured during the hunt. Meanwhile, Sottie donned his simple robe and sandals, slung his ale skin and wiped the hallucinogenic "sweat" off his dagger with a cloth from his pocket. Using the magical Eastern dagger, the swami field-dressed the elk, then returned the dagger to its customary hiding place. Sottie nodded his thanks as Dersh finished and melted into the shadows of the forest.

It was about that time that Ridgeman arrived leading one of the Inebridee Clydesdales and carrying a stout canvass.

"Good morn Ridgeman," Sottie said softly. "Zade suffered a shock to the head in the last moments of the hunt, but she did well before succumbing to her injury. The gods of drink be blessed, her head is now whole, but she yet sleeps. Let us pack up the elk we brought down and drive slowly back to town so that

she can sleep and complete her recovery."

[Ridgeman]

Ridgeman nodded and he and Sottie quietly wrapped the elk carcass and attached it to the draft horse. Ridgeman dragged the corpse off in the direction of the wagon. Sottie carefully lifted Zade and followed.

As he was situating Zade between himself and the elk carcass in the back of the wagon, and putting a pillow under her head, Sottie mulled over how he would deal with Zade's employer. If December was not told what was going on, he might damage Zade's psyche or kill her as an intruder while she was in lupine form. This would be a delicate matter. Sottie had no idea what sort of man December was to work for, but he knew that Zade could now revert to wolf or crinos (wolfman) form whenever she was angered or hurt. Without December's support, Zade might be killed by her own coworkers.

As the wagon started on its way back to the brewery, Sottie took a drought of ale to wet his parched throat and took up the stainless steel flute Ridgeman had given him from the compartment under the front bench of the wagon. Sottie began to play a piece that might have been entitled, "Variations on a Lupine Song of Victory After the Hunt." The haunting melody filtered through the trees as the brewery wagon made its way back into town.

--------------------

[Rivus]

Rivus sat in his customary location... in a corner, back to the wall, facing the main entrance of the Club. Rivus wasn't expecting trouble, but he wasn't expecting an ABSENCE of trouble, either. He was a very cautious man. It was trait that most people mistook for cowardice, but those who made that mistake usually ended up dead. One could never be too cautious when you robbed caravans for a living. OR when your current employer a cold-blooded freak of nature with a *strange* taste in pets.

Rivus nursed his ale for longer than he wanted, and then he saw his appointment walk through the main door. Rivus waved at the short, young-looking man, and waited as he weaved his way through the crowd and joined him.

"Mereth." said Rivus.

"Nice to see ya again." answered the man. "I suppose it's even nicer to see you getting back to the old habits, yes?"

"I never said that. I'm just curious. You said you had somethin'..."

"There's a shipment coming through the east trade route tomorrow 'round midnight. Gold."

"How much gold?"

"A lot."

"You know I need more than that. Who's gold is it? ... what's it for?... And how much?"

"I coudn't tell ya."

Rivus removed a small sack of gold coins from his belt. He opened it and tossed a few onto the table.

Mereth glanced at them with an expectant expression on his face.

A few more coins joined the others on the table.

"They've got a strong-box filled to the brim with royal minted coin."

"From who... and TO who?"

"Word is that Soloman Nale made one last deal before he...uh... vanished. Money's supposed to be for a shipment of weapons he was holding."

"But Sol the Snail is dead."

"Is he?" Mereth winked. "You'd know better than me."

Rivus stared at the man... his rodent-like eyes narrowed.

"What fool would be sending a shipment of gold to a dead man?" he said.

"I don't know. Somebody that wasn't going to get their weapons anyway... so why not make it a TOTAL loss and take the gold, too. Heh, heh."

"What's the detail look like?"

"Four horsemen, one guard on the carriage, and one driver."

"That's IT? They have that much gold, and THAT's all the guards they have?"

"That's what I hear."

"Your source is reliable?"

"As reliable as it always is. Have I ever let you down, Rivus?"

"No. But there's a first time for everything. And I STILL don't know who's going to come looking for that gold after it disappears."

"What does it MATTER! It's GOLD!"

"See... that's why you've never been asked to join the Bloom. No common sense. There's a big difference between stealing from Soloman Nale and stealing from someone like December or Charn. And gods forbid that K'Sano or the Queen of Swords is shipping something through here and we snag it by mistake..."

"The Night's Bloom doesn't MAKE mistakes, Rivus. You told me that yourself. Besides... if the gold belongs to someone big, then they'll mark it with their flag so no one messes with it. You see the flag, you leave it alone."

Rivus sat and squinted at nothing for a few moments.

"So?" said Mereth. "You gonna hit it or not?"

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Because I-"

"I NEVER tell you what I'm gonna hit and what I'm not gonna hit. so, why are you askin' now?"

"Because I want a cut-"

"No cuts."

"But this is a BIG ONE!"

"IF we hit it... you'll get your usual fee."

"Oh COME ON, Rivus!"

"PLUS a bonus. Bonus'll be based on how close your information comes to the actual truth. If there's less gold or more guards than you said-"

"And how am I supposed to know what you find? You expect me to take your word?"

"Have we ever cheated you, Mereth?"

"No. But like you said-"

"We don't cheat our sources... as long as they don't cheat us. That's how I do things."

"So you're hitting the shipment then?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. I'll think about it."

"You'll let me know?"

"If you find some money in your horse-bag the day after the gold ships, we hit it. If you don't, then we didn't."

"I don't like this, Rivus."

Rivus ignored his table-mate's protest. He flagged down another ale and drank it in silence while Mereth watched.

"Okay," said Mereth. "But DON'T screw with me! I've been REAL GOOD to you, Rivus. I've set you up with the best information... I always come to you first when I hear stuff... don't screw with me on this one!"

Rivus took another sip of his ale.

Mereth stood up and left.

[Mereth]

Outside, Mereth rounded a few dark corners and disappeared from the main street. The sun was almost up and he was late for work... but he had one more stop to make. He glanced nervously over his shoulder as he entered the alley several blocks away.

"Is it done?" said a voice from the shadows. Something moved... and there was the unmistakable sound of metal clinking against metal

"Yes, Mr. Chain. I t-told him what you said."

"Did he take the bait?"

"I don't know. Rivus is real picky when it comes to stuff."

"Simple question... will they strike or not?"

"Probably. I tried to get him to tell me for sure but-"

"Good enough. And now there is the small matter of your payment."

"Y-yeah. Y-you said you'd give me-"

*whoosh...THUD*

Mereth's lifeless body fell to the ground... his cracked skull poured blood and gray matter out onto the street. Chain stepped out of the shadows and returned his chain to its place around his waist. He looked down at the twitching corpse...

"Services Rendered. Payment in Full."

[To Be Continued]