Dropping to her knees beside her, just as darkly dressed, Cassia Moray looked behind them, her gold eyes glittering in what little light a nearby lamppost threw out into the mists. "Yes! Three on the bridge with longbows!" Shifting her weight, she brought her crossbow up to let four bolts fly rapidly into the black.

A shout of agony confirmed at least one hit.

"Stay down!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Trevan griped.

Rolling her eyes, the dwarfish human gripped his neck a bit tighter. "It's not like those can hurt you!"

The voice of the war ax rose a notch. "Have you noticed what arrowheads can do to my finish!?" A second later, three shafts thunked into the wooden slats between the two women. A fourth bounced off of Trevan's handle, scoring its ornate carving. "You see?!?"

"Oh, there's a loss! What ever shall we do if you loose your shiny hide?!" the short woman growled, quickly shifting him to the thick leather holder on her backpack as the wagon jolted over the cobble street. The driver in front, shielded from the hail of bolts by a tall canopy, seemed to sense something amiss was going on behind him. Spurring his horse to the trot, he wisely ducked his head.

"Remind me," the taller, brown-skinned woman asked, turning her body aside amid another round of shafts, "why we keep your great-grandfather around?!"

"Hey!" Istara half-shouted, "We'd never survive half of the scrapes we get in without his help!"

"Well, if he'd only learn to keep quiet…" Cassia said dryly.

A muffled "I heard that!" came from behind Istara, as the brown-haired woman ducked another shaft as it flickered close to her face.

As the cart rumbled away, Kev Iba's remaining archers couldn't keep them in range. Shouts echoed through the fog, then stopped as the faint clatter of boots on cobbles followed quickly after them.

Peering into the gloom as she rose to her hands and knees atop the cart bed, Istara sighed, "Now they decide they can catch us if they follow on foot!" Glancing past the edge of the wagon top, she added, "Do you think we can get off of this thing now?"

Putting her quick-loading weapon away, Cassia nodded. "Sounds good to me… but not that side!" Placed a restraining hand on Istara's arm, she hissed, "You want to swim to the Barleyman's by way of the river? This way! There's a pile of old straw on this side." With a lightness of years of bounding through trees and over rooftops, she vaulted from the moving cart, swallowed by the night.

Istara hesitated. It was either this or explain to the driver where she came from. Gathering her scattered wits, she plunged off the edge, tumbling end over end before she landed with a shush in a mountain of dry, dirty grass, enveloped on all sides.

"Oh, Blazes!" she cursed, thrashing about.

A second later, a slim, firm hand tugged her to the surface, setting her booted feet back on the worn stones of the street. "Shhh! Let's not make anymore noise than needed!" Cassia said crossly.

Brushing the chaff from her hair, Istara hissed, "Don't you think--!?"

"Hsst!" Cassia cut her off just as sounds of booted feet on cobbles came storming up from behind them. "Come on!" With a shove, she pushed Istara into the mouth of the alleyway, half hidden by the hay pile. As the retreating sounds of the wagon echoed along the riverside, she watched as shapes emerged in the half-light of her vision, resolving into three brutish footmen, each with the leather-and-plate metal mantles the Iba Gang on their shoulders.

Almost as one, their heads swiveled about, squinting in the gloom. "I can't see 'em!" one said.

"Well, what d'you expect?! None of us can see past our noses in this muck!" the Second griped.

"Don't need that blinkin' yardarm to see where you are, Fromit!"

The Third snapped, "Do either of you want to go back to Kev and tell him we lost those two?"

Silence.

"Thought so! Now get your rumps moving! They have to be headed that way, since there's no bridge for another six streets or so!" With Third's prodding, the hulks shuffled off into the night.

Both women held their tongues until the brutes were out of Cassia's sight. Saying nothing, the taller woman led the shorter along the side of the street, into another alley, vanishing into the night like a pair of shadows…

###

The lone light above the brick-and-wood building that housed the inn named 'The Burly Barrel' still burned bright when the two women arrived.

“Well," the sable-haired adventurer sighed, "we made it!"

"And still with your skins and limbs intact! Not to mention my own finish," Trevan sniped from behind Istara. "It's another midnight miracle."

"Oh, be quiet, Uncle!" said the dwarfish, human woman tiredly.

"I told you not to call me that, Granddaughter!" the possessed war ax reminded her, again. Istara just rolled her eyes with practiced patience.

Stepping into the light, the two looked around cautiously. No one was outside to greet them, but the two women could see from the lights in the windows that someone was inside.

Istara turned to her companion. "Just tell me you still have what we went into that rat's nest to get?"

Cassia patted the bulge in her belt pouch. "Still where I put them. Now, let's see if our customer is still awake to receive it." Together, they walked to the door of the inn and rang for the innkeeper, who quickly ushered them in.

Inside, Cassia located her charge; dressed in a somber ensemble, seated at a table in the one corner of the inn's common room. The russet-haired man was staring into the flames of the open fire pit, watching as the wood smoke curl-climbed up the flue.

Istara got her bearings on the inn's tavern. With a glint in her eye, she nodded to Cassia "See you after you finish up, Cass. I think I'll take a bracer or two."

"Just take it easy," Cassia reminded her. "I need you clear-headed for the trip home."

"So long as she avoids strong spirits, she will be fine," said Trevan archly. "Unlike the time in Bar-Tar."

"Will you never forgive me for that, Uncle?" the short woman asked as she left the common room.

"Never! Not after that ax throwing contest--!" Trevan complained, his voice drifting off as the doors closed behind them.

Shaking her head, the sable-haired treasure seeker stepped towards her client, who half-rose from his seat at her approach.

"Miss Moray?"

Nodding, Cassia greeted, "Master Kine."

He motioned for her to sit down, his bark-brown eyes wavering from her face a little as he looked around. "Did you.. um, I mean, were you able to…?"

Cassia unlaced her belt pouch, gingerly removing the two embossed, crystal earrings from inside. "It was a bit rough getting out of their den, but here they are."

With a pleased grin, Kine took a moment to examine them himself. "Perfect! Not one dent or score!" He gingerly took the two earrings in one palm. "These are a strong link to my family's past. Every woman for the past ten generations has worn these as a bride of the reigning lord."

"They weren't easy to find. But, I didn't have to go too far to figure out who it was that the thieves looked to."

"I fully understand the difficulty you went through, Miss Moray. When these had been stolen, we wanted nothing more than to get them back and see the guilty punished. But, when we learned whose gang the thief belonged to…"

Cassia nodded. "Even the constabulary in this town don't dare to cross steel with Kev. But, a job is a job, and now it's done."

"But what will you do now, Miss Moray? Surely a man like him won't let you get away with taking back what he stole!"

"Call it 'professional courtesy', Master Kine," Cassia smiled, running a hand over stiff muscles, remembering the climb up the sheer walls of Iba's hideaway, and the chase that followed when someone discovered her presence. "Besides, I did a job for him once." Seeing the shock in his eyes, she asked, "You do remember my services are for anyone that can pay my fee?"

"Well, I… yes, but, I never thought you'd work for a criminal like Durgan?!"

With a rueful glimmer in her eyes, Cassia admitted, "Well, he may be a cutthroat, but he does have an incredible personal collection. Speaking of which…"

Nodding, Kine reached to the satchel beside his chair, pulling out a thick, brass tablet from inside. "One of the few remaining plates from my family's foundry; the first ever in Burkavale." Turning it over a few times, he added, "My ancestors etched a copy of one of the first languages human-kind ever used onto several of these plates. Unfortunately, hard times at places over the years force many of the originals to be smelted down for mundane uses." He passed it over to Cassia, remarking, "It's not gold, but…"

"It will do nicely, Master Kine," Cassia interjected with an awed tone. "This will add to my collection, and… if applied right, I can finally translate some of the other pieces I hold as well."

Resting his chin on one hand, Kine commented, "You are a strange person, Miss Moray! You work as a thief, yet you take only what others have stolen, and you ask not for gold or other riches in return, but for old, musty artifacts and histories!"

"My teacher once said, 'Gold can rust, and jewels lose their luster… but, knowledge is the one treasure that can last forever.'."

Arching one eyebrow, Kine uttered, "Indeed." Then, in a conversational tone, he queried, "Miss Moray, may I ask you a… slightly personal question?"

Slipping the tablet into her back pack, Cassia shook her head. "I don't mind."

"Well… ever since we first meet, something has been niggling at me for some time."

"And that is?" Buckling the pack closed, she looked back at the noble.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Kine plunged ahead. "It's your eyes. How did they ever become that gold color!?"

Cassia was silent, then she burst out laughing. "Oh! Is that all!?" Seeing his confusion, she quickly replied, "Forgive me, Master Kine! I thought you were going to ask for something… well! To be honest, I've never had someone ask about my eyes."

"I cannot imagine why? They are… rather unique."

"And unusual," Cassia admitted. "Being gold-colored isn't their only attribute. With them, I can see very well in near-darkness."

"Great Maker! Like tales of some animals I have heard of," Kine replied. "But, just how did you acquire them? We're you born this way?"

Another chuckle. Seeing the nobleman's interest, she leaned back in her seat and pursed her lips. "No. To be honest, my eyes used to be as normal as yours are, and they didn't turn this way until after I passed my thirteenth year. I was at the right age when I was wanting to belong to something. I was too young to follow in my father's trade, and my… condition over boats left my mother's shipbuilding work not a good option.

"So, I started looking for something else to belong to, and sure enough, I thought I found what I was looking for one day…"

###

With a look of disbelief, thirteen-year old Cassia looked down into the jagged, rock-lined hole in the ground before her, Turning to fix her sea-green eyes on Dunkir, who was grinning like it was all some supreme joke, she stated, "You can't be serious?!?"

"You bet!" Ruddy-faced with a snarl of blaze-red hair, the leader of the odd-assembled group of young teen-aged boys crossed his arms over his cast-off leather vest. "You want to join The Red Round Guard? You go down into Helm's Watchhole and bring us back a smoothie stone from the furthest chamber inside. It's the only way. Every one of us has one." He fingered a flat, reddish disk dangling from a thong around his neck, as if to prove his legitimacy.

A chorus of "Yeah!" came from the other boys, forming the loose half-circle around their leader and the prospective new member.

Cassia looked back at the hole, tugging at the hem of her favorite 'outdoor' dress as she toed a small rock with the tip of one of her boots. Flipping it forward, she watched as the rock dropped through the opening. A few clatters followed, then a couple that were fainter, then silence.

"You mean… down in there??"

Beside Dunkir, Goudy, his left-hand man, snorted. "'Praps she fears the Howler, Dunk!"

Cassia tried sounding disinterested, unnerved by the apparent depth of the hole. "The Howler?"

"Garn! Everyone around Tane knows about the Howler of Helm. The beast which steals out at night to feast on the bodies of those unfortunate to be caught out at night near the Watchhole!" Dunkir rolled his eyes at her. "Or do you spend too much time with that effeminate father of yours to listen when people at the tavern talk?" The bigger youth laughed, only to be cut off by two quick kicks from the short girl; one in the knee, and the other hitting his belly, sending him gasping at the ground.

"My Da is a professional dancer! Don't you dare call him that again!"

The other boys growled and stalked forward, but Dunkir waved them back.

"Leave her be! We'll let the Howler deal with her… if she's unlucky enough to meet the beast!" Getting back to his feet while rubbing his bruises, Dunkir snatched a torch from one of his gang and tossed it at Cassia. "Here! That will last one complete trip to the Howler's Lair and back. You'll find it at the end of the tunnel."

Cassia stared at the torch. "Don't I get a weapon? A staff or a knife, even?"

"You have to make your way with what you have on," Dunkir said, smirking. "Oh! You do get a torch," he added, tossing a stick with black strips of cloth wrapped around on end at the girl. "But it will only last you long enough to get there and back, so you'd better not be draggin' your heels!"

Catching the stick, Cassia glowered at Dunkir. "It's foolish to go down somewhere like that, not knowing what to expect, without a weapon!"

One of the other boys made an exasperating sound. "Aw, give her a knife or somethin'!"

"Yeah, so she'll stop complainin' and get on with this!" a second chuckled.

"No! Fair's fair," Dunkir snapped. "She has to do it like the rest of us did. No weapons." With a snide twist to his smile, he added, "Or the whole thing won't mean nothin'… after all, we all come into the Guard as equals, and we wouldn't want to see any new member as less that that. Even if that member is a girl!"

With a scowl, Cassia coolly tucked the torch into the side of the belt on her dress. "Fine! Let's get this over with."

Dunkir motioned to two of the boys behind him. "Get the rope."

With wicked grins, they brought a long coil of hemp forward, trudging towards Cassia eagerly. With swift movements, they looped on end three times around her middle, before tying it off.

"This is the only way down the hole," Dunkir said, answering her question before she could put it to words. "It's also the only way out. When you get to the bottom, look for an old stake that we left in the ground. Tie your end off on it, and, when you're ready to come out, yank on it twice. We'll be waiting to pull you up."

Eyeing each of the boys once more, the dusky-skinned girl swallowed hard. "You will wait for me to pull on it, right?"

"On our honor," Dunkir avowed, raising one hand to his heart solemnly. All the other boys quickly followed suit. Almost too quickly. Watching as she stepped closer to the edge, the red-haired youth added, "Oh, and remember to watch where you put your feet!" He then slapped a broad-palmed hand against Cassia's backside, making her yelp as she inadvertently leaped forward into the maw. For a span of heartbeats, her scream reverberated against the walls of the hole, coming to a stop when the rope snapped taut in the hands of the two holders.

Nothing could be heard for several moments, except for the creak of twisting hemp. Then, six words rolled out from the mouth of the fissure: "I'll get you for that, Dunkir!"

###

Minutes later, under the flickering light from her loaned torch, Cassia picked her way along a narrow tunnel, strewn with jagged rocks and signs of other unpleasant things. Thankful for her boots, the young girl was certain by the smell wafting up from the mere inch of water under her feet that they would never come clean.

"Mom is gonna be upset with me… I should've brought my old boots!" Sshe groped with her free hand along the tunnel wall, peering off into the gloom that sat on the edge of the torch light. Now, as every splashed step echoed wetly in her ears, little by little, this whole affair was beginning to sound less and less appealing than it originally had.

"Cassie," she told herself, using the familiar name her mother always used, "if you get out of this, let this be the last dumb thing you ever do!" Turning around, she looked back down the way she came. "Really, it wouldn't be so bad to just turn around and go back. I mean, they gave you their word that they'd wait to pull you out… and father says 'a person is only as good as their word.'"

She grimaced and sighed, plopping down on top of a rock behind her. "I'm stuck down here!"

For a moment, all she did was sit and mope, while the sounds of water and the crackle of her torch kept her company.

"Shards of the Canticle!" she uttered at length, using one of her mother's oft-used curses. Looking at the burning end of the torch, Cassia squared her shoulders and stood up. "At the least, I can find another way out of this place. There can't just be the one opening… or there wouldn't be any air down this far." So consigned, she turned and continued her way deeper into the darkness ahead.

Soon enough, she found a few holes in the roof of the tunnel that had the press of air coming through them, but they were too small to afford her any egress from this underground realm.

“Shards!" she cursed, "You'd think I'd find that 'farthest chamber' by now!"

Then, as if fates were listening, the light from her torch illuminated a widening in the tunnel before her. Moving forward, Cassia raised the light higher, watching as the walls dropped away, turning into the entrance of a underground chamber.

"Finally," she sighed, suddenly mindful of the words Dunkir spoke before she came down here. Edging her way to the lip of the entrance, she peered into the room, not knowing what to expect.

Beyond the tunnel, a space a large as her mother's house curved around like a fat elliptic shape, with protrusions and jagged rocks breaking through the surface of the walls. More rocks, from large to small, littered the bottom of the chamber, shadowing the far end beyond the reach of her torch. The air, while stale with overtones of musk and something else foul, was breathable, and the trick-trick of water echoed in Cassia's ears.

With a flutter in her belly, Cassia slowly reached for a handhold on the side of the tunnel entrance. Mindful of slipping and falling,, she gripped the stone face with one hand, keeping the lit torch high overhead as she made her way down.

It wasn't until she was nearly at the chamber floor when she heard a growl… a low, menacing sound. Turning around, she stared into the gloom, just as a pair of eyes flashed into view, glowing with a golden-amber light. Caught in the gleam, the young girl could only watch as the owner of the eyes crept slowly forward, a series of tapping sounds indicating it was ether clicking a fair-sized set of teeth, or its claws were clacking against the gravel underneath.

"Oohhh, Shardssss!"

With a rush, the creature appeared fully into the light, its muscles visible even under a covering of ebony fur. A feline head snarled, its jaws snapping as it growled, charging towards her. Paws out, it reached towards her with claws extended. Jerking backwards, Cassia slipped the rest of the way to the floor, throwing herself behind on of the larger rocks that happened to be close to her. Just a hairsbreadth behind her, the beast slapped empty air, snarling in frustration.

She didn't scream this time—she was too much her mother's daughter for that—instead, Cassia used the only weapon she had on hand: her wits. Ducking down, she grabbed a handful of gravel from the ground. Standing up, she waited until the beast lunged again, its head so close, she could feel the heat from its breath against her skin. With a pitched grunt, she threw the handful of rocks at the creatures face.

The howl that followed made the marrow in her bones turn to runny sludge, as the beast jerked back to scrub at its face and mouth to dislodge the sharp little stones from tender tissues and eyes. Recovering, Cassia quickly moved to another larger boulder, further away from the beast. Looking back, she watched at it gathered up for another lunge, only to stop in mid-stride, going no further than it had before.

"What's stopping it?" she asked herself. Scared, but curious, she looked closer as the beast strained, before falling back on haunches, growling and hissing at the prey now out of reach. It was then that she noticed a heavy metal collar around its neck, with a chain of heavy links dangling down between the two front legs.

"Chained?!?" Shock now replaced her fear. "What sort of person would chain a creature like this down here?"

The beast offered no help, rumbling as it glared at her.

Puzzled, Cassia snapped back to reality. "Well, so long as it stays there, I should be all right." Looking around, she tried to see where the smooth stones Dunkir spoke of were at. Mindful of the hateful glare of the beast… no, the Howler, she thought, Cassia picked her way carefully around the rocks. Making sure that she didn't get too close to it, she searched all along the far wall, but found nothing. All of the stones that were small enough were still sharp or malformed, and anything larger was far too large to be considered as the right kind for this challenge.

"Shards of the Canticle! This is getting ridiculous! They send me down a hole that houses a beast, with not even a knife to defend myself, to find a stone that isn't here!" Sighing, Cassia flopped down onto a low-sitting stone, facing the Howler, whose eyes never left off watching her progress. Her lips thinned. "Oh, this is a waste of my time! I'm getting out of here, while I still have the light to do it!"

Standing up, she started to pick her way back towards the entrance. Halfway there, she heard the Howler begin to growl anew.

"Oh, you hush! I'm going, and you just leave me be, understand?" she snapped, turning to face the Howler again.

It was then she noticed that the beast wasn't facing her. Its nose was pointed at the far wall, as it growled again, but this time Cassia could hear a different pitch in the noise. Was it fear? Holding her torch higher, Cassia squinted into the gloom. Just then, a trick-trick-trick sound caught her ears. Even with the growls of the Howler, she couldn't miss it. Searching her memory, she tried to recall what sort of thing made sounds like this…

"What in the Maker's name…?" Suddenly, she remembered. "Shards! Rock Creepers!!"

The beast's growls climbed another notch, adding an eerie counterpoint to the scrabble of claws over stone.

Whipping the torch around to make it glow brighter, Cassia thrust it high overhead to light up the cave. What she knew of Creepers came from her father and mother, who had once encountered them on a trip into the highlands around Tane, searching for seasoned woods for a new ship. While they said little about the encounter, she had been warned to never go into dark places where these tenacious scavengers made their nests.

Without warning, they were there: three large creatures that looked like a mix of beetle and spider, one-third the size of the Howler. Their bodies gleamed black in the light of her torch, which revealed their sharp-pointed limbs, angular heads with fanged mandibles, and whip like tails that looked like a thin rat's appendage. They made no noise themselves, but the trik-trik of their claws on stone was enough of a sound to put fear into anyone's heart.

The chained beast was no exception. Backing it's ears, it hissed and snarled, backing away from the trio. For the longest moment, the insects swayed on their legs, as if deciding who would get the first crack at the bound beast. Then, the closest one gathered itself up and leapt at the Howler. Unable to do much in the way of dodging, the beast roared and lashed out with its paws, smacking the attacker aside like it was batting a fluttering fly out of the air.

This left its flank exposed, and the second Creeper charged in. Claws darted out, and the Howler screamed. Soon, everything seemed to be all dark shapes, shells and fur while Cassia looked on with horror. The Creepers would dart in, stab, then retreat, leaving the beast with little time to react to strike back. It could barely defend itself, and only once did it gain some advantage when it swatted one Creeper down, the insect getting stuck between a short gap between to boulders. With a howl, it sank its teeth through the hard carapace, only to get stabbed when the other two attacked at the same time.

Realizing that the creatures were ignoring her for now, Cassia felt the strong urge to scramble for the entrance and leave this den of horrors. But, a stronger tug of emotion held her in place. Perhaps it had something to do with the way the Howler was outnumbered. Maybe it was due to her younger years. Whatever it was, Cassia knew she couldn't stand by while a chained animal was torn apart by these scavengers.

"Shards, I must be mad!" Turning around, she stooped over to find a fair-sized stone. Hefting it, she took aim at one of the two pressing their attack, and let the stone go with as much strength behind her toss as she could muster.

A rapid *CRIK-CRIK-CRIK!* sound - sounding like something unnatural tapping against the surface of rock - along with a sudden hiss indicated that she had struck her target. The Creeper had scuttled back from the Howler, but it simply returned to his attack, ignoring her attack altogether.

Cassia grunted in dismay. She desperately found a small pile of loose stones nearby, and quickly began to toss them one after the other at the two insects. The constant shower of rock finally attracted the attention of one of them. Moving away from the Howler, it swiveled around on spindled legs, orienting on this new nuisance.

"Hoi! You dung-eater! Come on! Here I am!" More stones followed her taunt.

With a burst of speed, the Creeper ran across the chamber in a eyeblink. Ducking, Cassia barely missed getting caught by the sharp fangs as they flashed overhead. Rolling underneath the insect, Cassia did what instinct prompted her to do: she jammed the burning end of her torch into the scavenger's underbelly, where it was softer than its upper shell.

A hissing sound threaded along a shriek. The Creeper toppled onto it's side, kicking at the heat attacking its underparts as the fire from the torch set its oily hide alight. One limb cuffed Cassia hard, sending her flying into one of the boulders. Her head smacked against stone, leaving her dizzied.

Hearing the demise of their fellow, the other two Creepers paused in their attack. Seizing the chance, the Howler pounced on the nearest one with a scream of rage. Claws and fangs cracked through shell, and another shriek rent the air. With one burning and the other being masticated, the last Creeper showed what little brains it had, scurrying back into the darkness.

The last thing Cassia beheld was the fire consuming the one Creeper in a stink-laden blaze…

###

When her senses returned to her, Cassia felt like her head had been set to a anvil and beaten on with several large hammers. Groaning, she slowly opened her eyes, she spied her outstretched arm, and her lonely torch just beyond her fingertips, burning low.

"Oh, Maker," she said slowly as she reached for the wooden handle before her. The flames were just barely clinging to the fuel-soaked tip, and their weak light barely cast any light into the air around her. Picking it up, she rolled to her side before pushing against the rocks beneath her, rising up to get her wits back. One of the first things she noticed was the aftertaste of the stench the one Creeper made when she set it afire, still hanging in the air.

"Shards," she hissed, holding her head where it had made intimate contact with the rocky floor. "I hope those Creepers are really gone… this torch can't last another round like that!"

Just then, a low rumbling sound came to her ears. Swallowing thickly, she peered into the darkness. "I-I sure hope that's only you… Howler?"

She heard a snuffling sound, followed by claws clicking as something slowly approached her over the gravel. A second later, the Howler emerged into the dying light.

"Great Maker!"

But the beast didn't leap at her or even snarl. All it did was walk forward, its sides heaving with shortened breath. The shaggy beast looked at her with two pale-gold eyes. No, make that one eye, since the other was covered with a milky miasma, painfully obvious to her that it was completely blind on that one side. This close, Cassia could see the darker splotches of fur, indicating that it had suffered some wounds from the scavenger insects. With the battle rage departed, the Howler looked more like a tired old cat than a monster from the underworld.

With a surge of pity, Cassia eased herself up onto her knees, still wary of the beast as it stood before her, panting. She touched a spot just behind its left ear, mimicking what she did for the felines that gathered around the wharves during a hall. Her nails scratching lightly through the thin fur, she was rewarded with a broken, but rumbling purr as the Howler closed its eyes in pure bliss.

"Ohhh, you poor… poor thing!" When it shifted its head, Cassia spied the dangling length of chain attached to the metal shackle around its neck. What shocked her was that the chain itself was broken clean through on one of its links.

"Wait! Y-You're free!" she stammered, almost stopping her scritching. "But… if you aren't held fast, why didn't you come after me?!?"

"Because you are not a threat here, young one."

Not expecting an answer to her question, Cassia jumped in surprise. Gripping the one side of the beast's face, she turned it so she could look into it's eyes. "D-D-Did you s-SAY that?"

An amused chuckle bubbled up behind her, just as a rich amber light started to fill the cavern, growing in intensity with every passing moment. "Turn around, young human…"

With cautious movement, Cassia did as told, unsure whether it was a trick of her exhausted mind, or something altogether…

"Do not fear," the voice said, its tone rich as bee-sweets. "You shall face no more danger this day."

Before Cassia's blinking eyes, the orange-glow swirled like something alive, coming from an upright rock, carved with funny markings. The light suddenly shifted, coming into a more defined formation above the stone, finally fitting the shape of a elfin face with eyes of glittering gold, a patrician nose, and small, shapely lips beneath a mane of flowing, amber hair.

"G-Great… Maker…" Cassia breathed.

The face spoke with the voice, chuckling at Cassia's statement. "No, young human. I am not the One-That-Made-All. I am Jishen, the Old Elven Patron of Knowledge."

Without any volition, Cassia sank to one knee. "Lady…forgive my trespass here!"

"Be at ease. I come not to punish you, young one!"

"B-But, what--?"

"Because you seek reasons," Jishen explained. "Reasons for why this creature is here, and what reason do you have for existing."

Cassia sat down with a thump, not reacting as the old beast settled itself against her back amid the popping of its joints. "H-How… d-did…"

"Ask not the how, but listen well," Jishen said gently. "My presence has never been revealed to human eyes, so you must hear my words, for after this, no other human or elf may ever hear them again."

Nodding, Cassia's green eyes fixed unwaveringly on the golden entity before her.

With a soft smile, Jishen nodded. "Your courage has aided my guardian, and in the doing, has kept my holy stone safe once again." Her eyes dipped towards the glowing stone. "For seasons untold, six my holy stones have remained in this place. I had a number of my followers remove them from a former shrine in the Elven homelands, when the Royal house suffered the loss of it's eldest heir. The advisors that served that House blamed the presence of these stones for his death."

Cassia interrupted, "But how can a stone cause death?"

"They believed the stones to be cursed," Jishen stated sadly. "Over there years, much of the old Patrons have fallen into disrepute among the elven people."

She paused, as if remembering those days, then continued speaking. "My most loyal followers placed them on a elvish ship, to sail for a safe place to await return after proof of the heir's death was confirmed. But the ship sank while sailing the once-ancient waters that once covered the land above us."

Listening raptly, Cassia breathed, "Wow…"

"Since then, these stones rested under the waves, guarded by the water and its creatures. But when the water receded, and the lands shifted and reformed, all the stones were crushed save one," Jishen went on, "which came to rest in this cave. The stone called for a new guardian, and the beast you saved from the scavengers was the only one to answer the call."

A rumble, almost an acknowledgment, came from the Howler.

"Since then, knowing my stone was safe, I have been at waiting for the time when the stone could be returned… but now that time can never be."

Cassia looked up from her listening. "Why not?"

"The Elves now look to new Patrons," Jishen said, shaking her head. "Where once I was sought out for wisdom, now no one remembers my name. My former followers exist only in idle legend and infamy. I can never return to the hearts of Elves, since I will soon go to the forgotten place, From-Where-All-Come. But, before I go, I hoped to find one last soul to do a service to, and ask a service of." Smiling, the entity fixed her stare on Cassia's eyes.

Cassia scrambled to her feet. "W-Wha-? ME?!? What can I do!?"

"AII ask that you take my last stone with you when you leave this place. Take it to keep the memory of my work on this world, and the memory of my words, so that they will not be lost once again."In return, you may ask for something that I have within my means to give you, as a gift," Jishen explained. "But it must be one that you can use for the rest of your mortal life."

With a small frown, Cassia closed her eyes in thought. Turning those words over in her mind, Cassia struggled to come up with an answer. Just then, a pop near her hand startled her. Looking down, she watched in dismay as the torch fizzled out completely.

"Oh no!" Reaching out through the glow the entity was casting, Cassia cradled the spent torch in her hands. "Now I can't see to find my way back to the outside!"

Jishen's face brightened. "You do not wish to be unable to see in darkness?"

Cassia paused. "Well, who doesn't? I mean, it would be handy, since I could see where I was going…"

"Then that is what I will grant you," the deity said, nodding. "Young human, pick up my sacred stone."

Unsure what to do, Cassia nevertheless did as she was told. Lifting the stone, she noted how warm it was; as if it had sat in the sun all day, baking.

"As a boon to you, I give this gift to you, Young human. Receive the gift of elven sight, so that you may never fear the encroaching darkness again." Jishen intoned, her own eyes glowing brighter with every word.

At the same time, Cassia watched with wide eyes as the stone began to glow as well. Unable to take her sight from it, her head was fixed in place, as if pinned down by the warm, amber light. The light felt as if it was lancing though her eyes, burning into her head, but there was no pain. Just unending warmth.

Finally, the light from the deity dimmed and faded all the way to nothingness, leaving a lingering kernel of light hovered near Cassia. "Use my gift well, Young human. Remember your task, and always keep the knowledge close to you…" With those words, the presence of Jishen slipped away, vanishing with the last of her light forever.

Blinking her eyes, Cassia looked up from where she stood, her hands still wrapped around Jishen's holy stone. What she saw nearly made her drop it, but she recovered quickly enough, her mouth wide as she marveled at the sight before her; the cavern was dark, but she could see the faint outline of the rocks, where warmth was still lingering.

"Shards!" she whispered, turning around. Now, she could see the bodies of the rock creepers that littered the floor of the chamber, slowly cooling in death. Looking behind her, she nearly gasped at the massive, large shape of reddish color before her, only to recognize the feline shape of the Howler a moment later.

"Oh! It's only you!" Reaching out with one hand, she rubbed behind it's ear, hearing it pant and purr. It was then she noticed that her hands looked colored in similar red-tones as well. "Incredible! Perhaps this is what elves really see in the darkness!" She chuckled to herself, before turning around to look for the cavern entrance. There, she could make out the faint, faded outline of her hand prints going up the wall.

"Well, at least I won't have to worry about breaking my neck, trying to find my way back out," she said to herself. Taking a step forward, she stopped and turned back to face the Howler. "Oh! You're free now! You can come out and never have to worry about those Creepers again."

The Howler let its head sink back onto its forepaws, a rumbling sigh making its body shake.

Cassia frowned, but her mind flashed with a new insight: the beast's mistress was gone, and it was far too old and blind to go out into the open after all it's years of service to Jishen. "I see. I wish you could come with me. Mother would certainly let me keep you until it was your time… but, maybe it's better this way." Kneeling down, the sable-haired girl impulsively threw her arms around the beast's neck, mindful of the chain and collar. "Be well, faithful one. I'll never forget you or this night."

The Howler leaned into her hug, its throat vibrating with another purr.

Releasing the beast, Cassia stood up and gave it one last look, before turning to face the far wall once more. She had a climb and a long tunnel ahead of her now, but, at least it was a little more bearable than it was before.

###

"…and so," Cassia said, blinking her golden eyes as she finished her telling, "I climbed out and made my way back to the entrance of the Watchhole, where I was surprised to find that Dunkir and his boys had kept their word. Once they pulled me out though, things proved that something more had happened to me, other than just me getting my new night vision." With a half-smile, she recalled, "The boys took one look at my face, and said some prayer to the Maker before they turned tail and ran off. It wasn't until I got home, and my mother made me look into a mirror that I saw just what had spooked the boys."

Kine nodded towards Cassia. "Your eyes."

"Exactly. I never could fathom the reason why, but I assume that Jishen wanted to mark me in some way. Sort of like when someone carves their mark on a tree or rock." Cassia sighed. "But, since then, I've been stuck with this, and it's sort of added to my notoriety."

Master Kine shook his head. "An incredible tale, Miss Moray. And well worth sitting here listening to it." Kine then shifted, remembering something as he pulled out a small cloth pouch. "Oh, I nearly forgot. Your payment for expenses."

Cassia grinned, pushing the pouch back towards the noble. "Keep it, Master Kine. I have my payment," she said, patting the pouch containing the tablets at her side. "That's all I need."

Suddenly, a loud sound of raised voices erupted from behind the doors leading to the tavern. Before Kines or Cassia could rise or do anything else, a large form burst through the entrance, ripping the doors from their hinges in a shower of broken wood and splinters. It tumbled for a few more feet before coming to rest against one of the building's supports.

"Great Maker! I recognize that man," Kines half-shouted, seeing the form resolved into a heavy-set man with dark features. "That's one of the mayor's advisors!"

A second shout, followed by a blur of silver flying through the door, made Cassia groan. "I think I know," she said, watching as the blur thunked into the support just inches above Thom's head.

"Damnit, Istara!" Trevan shouted, his handle quivering as his flight ended. "I told you to ignore him!"

Coming to the doorway, a very irate—and slightly tipsy—Istara scowled at the larger man, planting her hands on her small hips. "What did you expect me to do!? That capson tried to get fresh with me!" The small woman then charged into the room, barreling into the man just as he recoiled groggily to his feet, sending them both crashing into a cluster of chairs and tables.

As the noble turned to look at Cassia incredulously, the sable-haired woman sighed and flashed a rueful smile. "Did I mention that we would need to cover sudden healing expenditures?"

THE END

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