Chapter 13

The 'Temple of the Morning Light', in the middle of the Great Desert, Andor.

Dunin and Beriwen had talked late into the night about their individual hopes, fears, and goals, as well as their new life together. At one point Mara had left the two alone and went in search of accommodations in one of the other rooms within the temple. Beriwen had changed the room into a living space with two beds separated by a curtain of vines and she and Dunin finally fell into them sometime early in the morning hours.

Dunin was up a few hours later and eager to be on the road, and eager still to see his mother. He had packed his meager things and was busy finishing checking the room for anything left behind. Beriwen had packed as well and was dressed in traveling clothes and waiting for him. Her traveling clothes consisted of a belted robe of earthy brown colors, with a gold sash. A slim rapier and matching dagger hung from the sash.

Beriwen had enticed the vines to produce berries and planned to break their fast before they left. Dunin did not want to wait and convinced her that his mother would put out a spread if they hurried. Mara chuckled at his antsiness and helped Beriwen sanitize the room. Beriwen took one more look around her old chamber and nodded that she was satisfied nothing remained of her being there. She escorted the other two out and closed the door and turned to Mara, who led them up the stairs and out through the opening to the top of the temple.

"You will have to help me since this is your age and not mine," Beriwen explained to Dunin. "Tell me about the road near the city gates."

"I would be more than happy to shift you two to where you need to go," Mara interjected. "I have a little more skill in being discreet."

Dunin described the area, as much as he could remember it and Mara said she had the picture in her mind. Mara reminded Beriwen that she would be in the tower to the west when Beriwen was ready and then put her hands out and summoned her staff and stone and shifted Beriwen and Dunin to Malkur.

City gates of the city of Malkur, Central Plains, Andor.

Dunin and Beriwen appeared on the road about half a league south of the city. It was early enough that there was no traffic in their immediate vicinity that would raise a concern about their appearance. Dunin looked around to gain his bearings and they started for the city.

As the city walls came into view they saw a small bazaar set up outside and on either side of the large city gates. It was still early and the only people about were the tradesmen and merchants preparing their stalls for the day. The gates were open and manned as they approached. Dunin watched as a few early shoppers were leaving the city and entering the faire.

They were passed through the gates without a second glance and Dunin led the way past the market and toward the upper city where his mother worked and lived. They were briefly stopped at the upper city gates where Dunin had to explain who he was and his business in the upper city. After explaining that his mother worked for House De La Rose and showing his Merchant-Marine credentials they were given a pass and allowed to enter the upper city.

Dunin was telling Beriwen all about his mother as they walked up the lane leading to the house. How she had to raise him on her own when his father died. How she worked two jobs to make ends meet. How she always encouraged him and prodded him when he was down. About how excited she was finding a job with Lady Anastasia when the living arrangements did not work out with her sister and her sister's husband. How proud she was of Dunin's achievements at the academy. By the time they reached the walkway leading to the front door Dunin was bursting with excitement for the two women in his life to meet. He approached the door and noticed that it was slightly ajar.

"Something is not right," Dunin announced, drawing Kalaban. The sword began to pulse with a silvery light.

Beriwen drew her rapier and watched as Dunin slowly pushed the door open, allowing the morning sun to illuminate the ghastly scene in the front room. Dunin's cry of anguish pierced Beriwen's heart. He quickly sheathed his sword, flew through the door, and dropped to his knees at the side of a woman's dead body, weeping. He gently cradled the woman's head in his lap and rocked back and forth. Beriwen saw a man lying beside her and another woman lying unmoving on the ground near them, arm stretched out toward the dead bodies.

Beriwen slowly entered the room looking for threats and after finding nothing first checked the man, who she found dead, and then the woman lying on the floor.

"Dunin, this woman is alive," Beriwen announced. "Just barely."

Dunin was consumed by his grief and did not immediately hear Beriwen and continued to rock his dead mother. Beriwen called out to him again, this time in a louder voice.

"What?" Dunin replied, looking up.

"I said, this woman is still alive, but barely. We need to do something."

"That is Lady Anastasia Whiterune, recently ennobled, Marquise De La Rose."

"Whiterune?" Beriwen asked, with a perplexed look on her face. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, why?" Dunin asked, standing and crossing over to where Beriwen knelt next to Lady Anastasia.

"Nothing, it must just be coincidence," Beriwen replied, shaking her head. "Help me roll her over. Carefully."

Dunin helped her to roll the unconscious women over onto her back and watched as Beriwen checked her for injuries. He could see the blood surrounding a hole in her blouse.

"Yes, it looks like she was stabbed and has lost a great deal of blood," Beriwen announced. "Let me see what I can do."

Beriwen placed her right hand over the wound and then her left hand on Anastasia's forehead. She closed her eyes and concentrated as her hands began to glow with a greenish tint. Dunin saw a silver glow coming from beneath Anastasia's blouse, near her bosom and then Beriwen flew back in the air and landed on her backside near the bookcase on the far wall.

"What happened?" Dunin asked as he hurried over and reached down to help her up.

"She is protected from my magic somehow," Beriwen replied as she shakily gained her feet. "Powerfully protected."

"I saw a silver glow from under her blouse near her neck," Dunin explained as they crossed over to where Anastasia lay.

"Silver?" Beriwen asked in clarification. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Why?" Dunin replied.

"That is the color of old magic, very powerful magic," Beriwen replied. "Ask Kalaban, it has the same color."

"Magic has a color?" Dunin asked, drawing his dagger.

Dunin carefully slit the blouse from the top down to expose a necklace with an amulet at the end. He started to reach for the amulet when Beriwen stopped him.

"Wait, it could very well have other protections."

Dunin looked at her and nodded before touching Kalaban's pommel.

"Kalaban, am I in danger?" Dunin asked.

"Every day of your life, My Lord," the sword replied.

"Kalaban, that is not what I meant," Dunin replied, harshly. "Will the amulet harm me if I try to remove it?"

"If you do not use magic or power than I do not believe so," the sword replied. "Do you wish me to protect you?"

"Yes," Dunin replied. "What can you tell me about the amulet?"

"It is an amulet of protection as the Brown Witch has surmised," the sword explained. "It reacted to her use of power but should not pose a problem if you simply remove it from the human's neck."

"Witch is not very flattering, Kalaban," Dunin admonished his sword. "I have never known you to be so cruel."

"You misunderstand, My Lord," the sword replied with a chuckle. "I name her Witch because that is what she is. Ask her to explain. I meant no disrespect, I assure you."

"Kalaban says that the amulet reacted to your power and that I can probably just remove it," Dunin explained while reaching down and gently grasping the amulet. "He also said you are a witch, the brown witch, which I do not understand. Why would he call you that?"

"Because female Elfen magic users are called Witches, while males are called Warlocks. Specifically, I am the Brown Witch of the Woods but that is not important right now. Can you remove the amulet?"

Dunin nodded and lifted the golden amulet up to inspect it. He noted the crossed roses on one side and a runic symbol identical to the one in the pommel of his sword on the other. He could not find a catch for the chain and finally decided to break the chain with his dagger. When the chain was broken the amulet began to throb with power and glow with a silvery light. Dunin quickly dropped it to the ground, stood, and drew Kalaban. Beriwen stood as well and backed up.

"Quickly, My Lord. Pierce the amulet!"

Dunin complied with the sword's request and there was a brief flash of silvery light and concussion of power as the sword's point touched the golden amulet. When Dunin moved the sword away the amulet was nothing more than a slag of molten gold.

"Well, that was unexpected," he declared. "Kalaban was wrong."

Beriwen nodded and then retook her position at the side of the body and again placed one hand over the wound and the other on the woman's forehead. While Beriwen was attending to Lady Anastasia Dunin went back over to where his mother lay dead and gently laid her out on her back, being careful since the body was starting to stiffen, and crossed her arms over her chest. He repeated the procedure for Oliver, whom he recognized as the house's butler.

"She is starting to come around," Beriwen announced. "She will be very weak because of the loss of blood. Her hand's position over the wound and how she was lying probably saved her life."

Dunin looked up and sighed, before standing and crossing back over to where Beriwen knelt next to Lady Anastasia. The moan was the first indication that Anastasia was coming around. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around questioningly.

"W-what happened? W-where am I?" she asked groggily. "Oh no! Oh, Rac-Nur! Oh, Kate and Oliver!"

"Shhh," Beriwen started. "Easy now, you had a terrible wound and almost died. You are fine now. Do not over exert yourself."

"Who are you?" Anastasia asked, looking up at Beriwen.

"Lady Anastasia, it is Dunin. Dunin Brandson, Kate's son," Dunin replied. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Ambush, they took Rac-Nur," Anastasia replied, moving her head to see Dunin. "Kate, Oliver and I stumbled upon it when we came home. Oh, Dunin, I am so terribly sorry about your mother. I failed in protecting my house. It is all my fault."

"Who ambushed you?" Dunin asked as Beriwen opened a skin of water and began giving Anastasia small sips.

"It does not matter who. I know who did this and they will pay," Anastasia replied. "Please, help me sit up."

Dunin placed his hand beneath her head and he and Beriwen helped Anastasia to sit up.

"I have a surprise for the ambushers," Anastasia announced, her hand going to her neck.

"My amulet, where is my amulet?" she asked, looking around panickly.

"We had to deal with it," Beriwen explained. "It was preventing me from healing you so Dunin had to destroy it. We are sorry."

"You do not understand, it was my link to Rac-Nur," she exclaimed, angrily. "Now you say it is destroyed?"

"Would you rather we have let you die?" Beriwen replied, hotly. "We would have had to, you know. The amulet was preventing me from helping you."

"I do not understand, it should not have," Anastasia replied. "Ordinary magic should not have had any effect on it. How exactly did you destroy it?"

"I did not say it was ordinary magic that I used," Beriwen replied. "Where did you get it if I may ask? Very unusual markings on the amulet, very unusual."

"A gift from my guardian," Anastasia replied. "He made it for me."

He made it?" Beriwen asked, astonished. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, he was a very powerful individual," Anastasia replied, but said no more. "I have to get up and go after them."

She rose and wobbled a moment as Beriwen steadied her. Anastasia reached around and patted her back, frowned, and then looked around her immediate area before turning back to Dunin.

"Did you take anything else?" she asked. "Unique daggers, perhaps?"

"No, nothing like that was here when we arrived," Dunin replied. "I would not have taken anything and like Beriwen said, we would not have done anything with the amulet except it was preventing her from helping you."

"I still do not understand that," Anastasia replied looking at Beriwen intently. "Are you an Elf?"

"Not exactly an Elf," Beriwen replied, cryptically.

"What then? You say you are not exactly an Elf and your magic caused my amulet to react to protect me, hmm," Anastasia's eyes opened wide in recognition and she then took a step back. "My amulet would only react that way to a very specific type of 'magic' as you call it, and I was told that there were only three races that used that type and one of them could be described as 'not-exactly-an-Elf'."

"You are an Elfen, an Elfen Witch!" Anastasia accused and backed away frantically looking for a weapon. "What do you want?"

"Whoa, Lady Anastasia, it is all right," Dunin pleaded, holding out his hands. "Beriwen is with me and she is not trying to hurt you."

"How do you know what I am?" Beriwen asked, her hands out in a non-threatening manner. "Both my race and the fact that I am a Witch."

"Beriwen, I have heard something similar, not witch or warlock but something close," Dunin added. "Back when I was first at the academy. Hold on for a moment."

"Kalaban, that time at the academy when you sensed that powerful person with Runeswords," Dunin explained, hand automatically dropping to his sword's pommel. "What did you call him?"

"Wait, that is a Runesword?" Anastasia asked, pointing at Dunin and the sword at his hip. "That is how you destroyed the amulet?"

"What?" Dunin asked, looking at Anastasia. "How do you know about Runeswords?"

"He was called a 'WitchLord', My Lord," the sword replied and chuckled.

"Beriwen, have you heard of the term, 'WitchLord'?" Dunin asked.

Beriwen drew in a sharp breath in understanding and surprise, and then looked at Anastasia and pointed.

"Whiterune! Dunin said your name was Whiterune and the name of your title is 'De La Rose'; 'Of The Rose'," Beriwen stated accusingly. "Your guardian is a Tarran WitchLord, from the House of Whiterune, the Tarran Royal House of Whiterune. But that does not make sense, that medallion glowed with pure power, not the blue of a Tarran WitchLord."

"Your sword, Dunin. Is it good or evil?" Anastasia asked, backing further away. "And yes, he is, of the Royal House of Whiterune, and yes, his power is silver in color."

"Neither, it is a Sword of Neutrality, and its name is Kalaban," Dunin replied. "Lady Anastasia, we, Beriwen and I, are not the enemy. She saved your life for goodness sake."

"But she is an Elfen Witch," Anastaia retorted. "An enemy of my guardian."

"And your personal bodyguard is a Dark Elf," Dunin countered. "An enemy of most every race on Andor."

"True, actions do speak loudly," Anastasia conceded and visibly relaxed. "I am sorry and I wish to thank you both for saving my life."

"Now what do we do?" Dunin asked, looking around the room.

"We need to contact the Undertaker, the City Guard, and my House to make arrangements for a burial," Anastasia began. "I also have something personal to do before I leave to find Rac-Nur. I will stay for the funeral but then I must be off."

"We must be off," Dunin countered. "Beriwen must return to her home. There are things she has to see to, but I am going after whoever killed my mother. I swear by Kalaban that I will have justice."

"AS YOU COMMAMD, MY LORD!" a deep voice reverberated throughout the room as all could he thunder crack in the distance.

"Kalaban, what was that?" Dunin asked, hand on Kalaban's hilt.

"An oath has been proclaimed and acknowledged, My Lord."

"Wait just a moment, Dunin. I am going with you," Beriwen interjected. "So that 'we' includes me. You may very well have need of my abilities before this is over. Anything I may need to do outside of going with you can wait."

"Fine, Dunin, will you go outside and find a street boy or two and have the Undertaker and City Guard called?" Anastasia asked and commanded all in the same sentence. "Beriwen can accompany me upstairs so I can change into more fitting clothes for what we will be doing for the rest of this day, as well as pack for our journey."

Dunin nodded and turned toward the door before Anastasia called him back.

"Where is Angela?" she asked out of the blue.

"Angela?" both Dunin and Beriwen replied at the same time.

"Angela, my Lady's Maid," she replied and added. "Never mind, she spent the night at her sister' s and should be back any time now."

Dunin left to find messengers and Beriwen followed Anastasia upstairs and to her room. Anastasia stepped behind the privacy screen and quickly changed from the remnants of her dress into a black long sleeve blouse and black dyed doeskin pants bloused into calf high boots. She also packed a rucksack with several items and changes of clothes.

She crossed over to a locked weapons cabinet and unlocked and began removing weapons. She had previously put on her back rig and now slipped daggers into the sheaths. Daggers also went into each boot sheath and finally she buckled on her sword belt with matching dagger. She finally hooked her scabbard onto the belt and tested her sword for ease of removal. She turned to Beriwen and announced she was ready and grabbed the rucksack.

The two women descended the stairs and found Dunin talking with a member of the City Guard, who also wanted statements from both Beriwen and Anastasia. While they were giving their statements two representatives from the undertaker showed up and began wrapping the bodies in linen shrouds for transport to the undertaker's facilities.

The three watched remorsefully as the two bodies were removed by the undertakers and placed in a waiting covered wagon outside. The undertaker's assistant told them that the bodies would be prepared and the burial would take place in the morning. If u wanted custom headstones then she would need to come by today and place the order, otherwise a standard stone would be used. Anastasia thanked the man and told him that they would like custom stones and would stop by later that morning.

After the undertakers and the city guard left, Anastasia took one more look around and told Dunin and Beriwen that she had several errands to run. She also told them that she had everything she needed and that she would not be coming back to the house until she returned with Rac-Nur. Dunin let her know that they would be accompanying her on her errands and that they could then find an inn for the night and leave directly after the funeral. Anastasia thanked him and the trio left the home.

Pious Satyr, Duchy of Malkur, Central Plains, Andor.

Tristan was being lazy and had already slept through his wake up call from the front desk as well as the incessant knocking from Graydon. Finally deciding that he had made up for the sleeping arrangements on the road, or rather, the lack there of, Tristan had finally gotten up. The last few days saw the autumn weather turned decidedly colder in the mornings, a harbinger, no doubt, of the winter to come. He still had a chill in his bones from sleeping on the cold ground so he had a bath called for and was currently soaking in the large tub. Graydon had stopped by twice since Tristan had entered the tub and the big man was chomping at the bit to get back on the road. Tristan told him that he would be ready in short order and the two would leave within the hour.