The Attempt

[Mizbiz]

The day started out warm and bright. I set out from Daggersprings to Daggerfalls, hoping to see Alana Senner's potion selection inmproved. I got half way and realized I had not the money.

I felt a fool.

It was no great loss, for on the road I met Ky'Talas. She does not know it, but she has charmed me. Ky'Talas means forest fox, whether she is called that because of her hair of flame, or becuse of her stealth, I do not know. She seems gruff and suspicious on the outside, but withal has an innate generosity of heart. I cannot blame her suspicions, she is a wild elf, who had raised herself alone.

I knew how she felt. I did not have a parent after my 40th year, my father being dead and my mother quite mad.

Ky'Talas and I talked in the rain. Of course it was raining, we were in Daggerdale.

She and I made plans to go to the Rystall Wood. I had sworn to the fey who's forest it is that I would help protect it, and as it was Ky'Talas' home, she glady went with me. The fey tolerate us, yet they do not fully trust us.

The biggest problems for a long time there had been the Zhentarim. Driven out of the desert by the war, they now looked with hungry eyes on Daggerdale and the Rystall again. However, they were not foolish enough to open a two front war, and from what I had heard from Velyn, about Zhentarim mounted on pikes as far as they eye could see along the Black Road in the great desert, they seemed awfully busy.

They had lost many of late. An informant told the follower of Sheverash Maielchyr what was killing the Zhentarim. The informer, who we have to believe is a Zhent, told us we were facing two drow, one a hand fighter, one a mage of great skill, and also a half orc with a vicious blade. There was one other described, a being of shadow. Maielchyr was taken twice by these attackers and beaten near to death as a warning to us to stay out of their business with the Zhentarim. The wounds had been curious, bruises but with gouges in them.

Right on the Black Road one of these things had killed Satish, also konw as Mara. A Zhentarim who had been my adversary for many years. A blanketing darkness, a scream, and she was dead.

That frightened me. Since then, the Zhentarim had been antsy. They had been losing whole patrols, sympathizers, and people under their protection. By the dozens.

Ky'Talas and I had just turned in the direction of the forest, when we heard the sound of someone following us. Ky'Talas drew her bow and took carefull aim.

It was a young bard I had met the day before named Filip. He had been expressing a desire to see Daggersprings, and said that the roads did not seem so bad.

I almost laughed at his naivete. We told him about the Zhentarim, we told him of the dangers. In the end he accepted us as escort to the villiage. We told him we would continue on the the forest. The forest is no place for a young man who's only weapon is a lute. Ky'Talas, being as prickly as ever, said that the human was slow, but she adjusted her speed for him. As I said, she is good at heart, no mater how aloof.

We reached Daggersprings with no problem, pointing out the Inn for the young man. Knowing that now that Filip was as safe as could be, Ky'Talas and I continued on the the road.

I wish I could convey in words the beauty of the Rystall Wood, that the humans call the Border Forest. Pine trees tickle the sky, and all is shrouded in mist, the very air of the plants. It is also very hilly, and I followed Ky'Talas' lead. We made a good circuit of quite a bit of the wood, and even explored some of the desert. We were content to drink in the sound of the trees.

We watched the sunset together, the sky turning to purple and gold. Our minds were on nothing else. We begant to take the longer way through the forest back to the road.

Suddenly, there was blackness, blackness all around. An attack without warning. I felt my protections granted me by the Oakfather slide away like rain off new beech leaves. Ky'Talas! She is so much leass training that I! In desperation I call on my spider friend, Legs. He attacks, drawing the foe's fire. I attack too, maul at the ready. Ky'Talas scored a fine hit, and I helped to beat him down.

The darkness lifted with his death.

I saw a dhearow. Some of his possessions melted before my very eyes. Ky'Talas took what she could carry, and I got out my trusty shovel, burying him under a sapling where it would not show.

We all but ran to the villiage.

Ky'Talas and I went to the lookout to examine the things. "What do you make of these?" she held out some bracers to me. The bracers had a little spike on each knuckle. This dhearow then was the ud'jukket who nearly killed Maielchyr! The one who warned us to stay out of their conflict with the Zhents. Apparently the drow minion of Shadow decided he wanted us back in since he attacked us.

We went to get some soothing tea. As I sipped the bracing brown liquid Ky'Talas and I talked. I had a horrible realization. What reason would a dhearow have for fighting two elves, one albiet understrengthed. Suddenly it came to me in a flash. My hands shook.

Assassination.

This was supposed to be my time to fall into the darkness, scream and see no more. This person, who I have heard called Darkhand wanted me dead. Who will it be next? The half orc? The mage with death magic who can summon skeletons?

I shiver, look into my tea and come to but one conclusion.

The Shadowed ones are no longer after only Zhentarim, but anyone who threatens them. Like us.

May Silvanus give me strength,

Arien

EDITs: Typos. Last time I write a story at five in the morning with no sleep.

[Killthorne]

Very cool Miz. Yeah, I can imagine Arien (and yourself) is a bit shaken..

( and I really thought I'd get ya' too, or atleast get away when things got sour... damn spiders! )


~Killthorne~

[Burt]

I like it! Seems like the drow was a njub though (what do you expect with Kill playing him).

[Misty]

Beautiful!


Very good sense of how the realisation hit you with an almost physical thud. Assassination. *shiver*