From: bwr@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (bruce.w.reisman)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: STORY: Darkness Rising (part 53)
Date: 28 Dec 92 21:54:22 GMT
Organization: AT&T

53.  FLIGHT


That same morning, after an uneventful night, Alicia turns into her thyfur
form, and Omerta gingerly and somewhat awkwardly finally succeeds in tying
himself to her securely enough, he hopes, to prevent him from falling off.

Alicia takes off slowly and climbs to her decided upon cruising altitude
in a southwesterly direction.  They had discussed going due west to make
sure they hit the coast and then following the coast down, however, once
they gain some altitude, she can see land and heads due south as Meilikki
instructed her.  Omerta attempts to control his queasiness at flying on
Alicia's back.

As the sky begins to cloud, Alicia soars higher to keep out of the bad
weather below.  Omerta begins to doze.

That day and night pass uneventfully.


The second day of flight (their third day of separation from Knearn)
shortly after takeoff, she quickly becomes aware of something huge and
birdlike arrowing down at them out of the sun.  As the shadow passes over
them, Omerta becomes aware and looks up and becomes alarmed as Alicia
begins to climb to get away from the creature.

Omerta screams at Alicia.  She tries to accelerate away from the enormous
bird which she hopes she now recognizes to be the Great Eagle.  As it
descends rapidly, talons fully extended, Alicia dives for the ground.

She attempts to communicate but all that's heard is a series of
unintelligible squawks, which doesn't reassure Omerta in the least.

She continues to dive for the cloud cover, hoping to lose the mighty bird
of prey.  As moments only have passed Alicia desperately attempts to
communicate with it.  However, as she reaches the cloud layer, she tries
to lose it, but the bird is within 300 feet and still closing.  Alicia
squawks again and goes into a full dive for the ground as Omerta buries
his face in her back feathers, convinced they're about to die.

About 10 seconds later, Alicia is sure she's not pulling away from the
predator.  Its full size has become more apparent as it draws closer --
Alicia's 30' wingspan is barely a quarter of their pursuer.  As she drops
below the cloud cover, in desperation she changes back to human form while
praying to Meilikki, "I'm coming to join you, my goddess!"  Omerta in full
panic now clutches her to him in a death grip.  She screams back to the
bird she is Alicia, friend to Queen Ariel.

"What are you *doing*!" he yells at her, "You've *killed* us!!!"

Another 10 seconds pass and the bird is within 50 feet of them and the
ground is rapidly approaching.

"Do something!" Omerta screams and continues to pray to Seker and Brigit
for deliverance as they continue to fall head over heels.

Alicia now casts her spell to be able to talk to animals.  "Help us!" she
screams in the language of the eagles, "Look what you did.  I'm falling
and can't stop!"

If their pursuer cares, or even understands, it gives no sign.  They
continue to drop.

The mighty eagle closes within 10 feet as they plummet toward the ground.
Alicia continues to plead with the bird for their lives.  Desperately, she
invokes another spell, trying to master the creature, when the ground is
only moments away.

Omerta closes his eyes and prepares to die.  At the last possible second,
the talons close around them and jerkily hold them.  Omerta faints in
shock as they are now flying about 5 feet above the ground moving at a
very high rate of speed.

Alicia is gratified and tries to talk to the creature again, but is
ignored.  She tries again and tries to thank the Great Eagle for saving
them and asks it to talk to her -- after all she is an animist.  There's
no response as they cross a river.  "I know Queen Ariel," Alicia comments
and they begin to rise up.  Alicia is gratified and continues to try and
talk until she realizes they are rising to cross over the approaching
mountains.

"Mighty Eagle, what is your name?  If I'm insulting you calling you an
eagle, please let me know."  No answer.  The mountains are directly in
front of them.  It seems unlikely that they can avoid being smashed
against the rising cliffs.

"Mighty Eagle, we are accelerating at a very great velocity at an
immovable object.  Would you please increase the distance between us and
the ground?"  There's no sign the eagle is paying any attention to her.

"Mighty Eagle," she goes on babbling, "An impact against the mountain
would be most unfortunate.  But I do trust your judgment.  I'll just lie
here and watch."  She tries to wake Omerta up now, after all, misery loves
company.

They are quite close to the mountain when the eagle catches a thermal
updraft and they whoosh almost vertically upward at an even higher rate
of speed.  Poor Omerta, who had just been getting ahold of his wits,
faints again at the shock of this maneuver.

Pretty soon they are sailing over the mountaintops and Alicia thanks the
Great Eagle.

"Are you the Great Eagle, Your Majesty?" Alicia now tries.

The eagle flaps a bit, altering its course and speed, and then dives down
and abruptly (and ungently) deposits them on a road.  With another flap,
it's gone.

Alicia unties the ropes around herself and Omerta and then thanks Meilikki
for saving them.  She looks around although the road doesn't look
familiar, she senses a level of channeling nearby.  Omerta, who's slowly
getting to his feet, looks at her as he becomes slightly aware of the
channeling source as well.

"What happened?  We're alive!"

"Oh, we're fine.  This eagle dived toward us to attack us --"

"I *know* that and you changed and we were about to die!  What did you
do?" Omerta demands.

Alicia stammers, "Oh, well, I prayed to Meilikki and cast a couple of
spells, and the Great Eagle just picked us up -- and you fainted!"

Omerta grits his teeth as Alicia hurriedly goes on, "I sense channeling
around here."

"So do I.  Do you know where we are?"

"No, but it's familiar but I can't quite place it."

"Let's check it out," and Omerta draws his sword.  Alicia looks askance
at him but leads the way.  Shortly they approach the run-down remains of
a permanent pavilion; it looks neglected, and it doesn't feel quite the
same.

Alicia tries to guess if it's safe to go in or not and decides it is, so
she enters it, followed by Omerta, who instantly reappears on the other
side of the pavilion.  No Alicia.  She has successfully entered it.

She finds herself in what she would have thought was Meilikki's forest,
but it feels very distant and has the feeling it's as though she's entered
the forest in winter.  The trees are brown and everything is relatively
lifeless and the vegetation is *not* arranged in the usual pentagram star,
but in rather what seems to be a fairy circle.

She is uneasy but thanks Meilikki and leaves the pavilion.

After only a minute or so, Omerta is relieved to see Alicia emerge.  She
runs up to him.  "I saw myself in Meilikki's forest, but it was like it
was winter, the trees were baren and the grass was brown and there was a
fairy circle where there should have been a pentastar.  I now know where
we are.  Can you guess?"

"I don't think I have to guess," Omerta now recognizes the place.  "We're
near Pegor and Trun."

Alicia is disappointed he knows but goes on, "Well, we should wait a day
until I can turn into a thyfur again."

"How long do you think it will take to get back to Knearn?" Omerta asks.

She estimates about two days leisurely flying, just over a day if she goes
fast.  She then thanks Meilikki for saving them.

They start walking toward Trun and the nearest travelers shelter to spend
the night.

Alicia checks the weather once again and is unsurprised to find it will
continue to rain mostly.  They reach the shelter and spend an uneventful
night.  In the morning they argue whether to fly due south or head for
the road and follow it.  Omerta believes they should follow the road.
Alicia finally performs a magical divination and decides they'll go ahead
and follow the road.


Over the next three days the giants continue to work busily at Alan's
direction as the rest of the party watches in fascination and fear.  By
the morning of the fourth day, the new keep and outer city walls are
complete.  As the giants depart, Oliver gives orders to break their
temporary camp and move back to the new city.  By early afternoon, they
have returned to the new city and begin settling into and exploring the
new keep after Oliver details a guard at the new city gate by the bridge.


Alicia and Omerta finally reach the shelter that's about a day's march
north of Dromayne.  As usual, Omerta stands guard while Alicia sleeps.

Not too long into the night, Omerta is jolted to full alertness as he
first feels something strange in the air and then realizes a tall, dark
figure is approaching from the direction of the road.

Omerta nudges Alicia with his foot to awaken her.  She quietly gets up as
Omerta stands in the doorway and says, "Ho, friend."

"Omerta --" Alicia warns.

There's no answer from the figure, who still approaches and Omerta not
wishing for trouble, says to Alicia, "Let's go.  We'll find another place
to spend the night."  Alicia grabs their packs and follows him out.

As they emerge from the shelter the figure pauses and Alicia and Omerta
both feel oddly faintly depressed somehow.  Omerta shakes himself and
speaks to the figure.

"Sir, there are many dangerous beings out on the road these days and we
would appreciate it if you would step aside as we leave, and you may have
the shelter for yourself."

"With so many dangerous things out on the road, I wouldn't *think* of
having you leave," he gallantly replies.

Alicia has quietly cast a spell to see if this is an undead creature.
She receives no firm answer but sees a white-haired vaguely distinguished
figure under the black cape.  She moves closer behind Omerta.

"Alicia, stand behind me as we move around this fellow," Omerta orders
pointlessly as she's already behind him pulling out her panther.  Omerta
warns the figure again, "Stand back, sir.  Leave us be."  Omerta is still
having trouble seeing any detail which makes him more nervous.

Alicia begins praying to Meilikki as Omerta warns the figure one last
time, "Stand *back* and let us pass!"

The creature continues to move forward and Alicia begins to mutter,
"Shadow from the plain of shadow, come to me my friend right now."  The
statuette turns into the panther as Omerta glances back at her in alarm
and steps quickly behind her as she points at the approaching figure,
"Death!  Kill!  Destroy!"

The panther leaps forward -- and passes right through the figure!  It
turns back and leaps for the creature again -- and again passes right
through it.  Omerta begins praying to Seker and Brigit to save them as
Alicia begins praying to Meilikki again.

"Meilikki!  Save us!  Meilikki, please do something, oh mighty goddess,
best in the world.  Do something to save us from this creature and the
panther!"

Omerta begins praying to every lord of light in turn, convinced Alicia's
unleashed doom upon them.  Meanwhile the panther continues to leap back
and forth through the still approaching figure as Alicia and Omerta
continue to edge away.

As Alicia's holy symbol alights the figure shrinks backward away from
them.  Alicia now steps forward toward the creature and it continues to
back away.  Omerta stays right behind Alicia.

"Back, creature from hell!  What are you!" Alicia demands as she
approaches.

"I mean you no harm!" it plaintively replies.  "Put that thing away, it's
hurting me.  Why do you attack me?"

Omerta backs slightly away from Alicia as he's suddenly feeling slightly
weaker.  Alicia glances back at him, sensing his slightly greater
distance.  "Where are you going?" she demands.

"Something is draining my strength, Alicia.  Move away from it."

She backs away from it, closing the distance to Omerta.  The creature
starts back for them as the panther continues to leap through it.

Seeing this, Alicia starts forward again as fast as she can, "Go back to
hell!  I am a priestess of Meilikki!  I command you to be gone!  Now!"
As it backs slightly away from her, she begins to feel drained as well.
Alicia glances back at Omerta, "Let's get out of here."

As Omerta quickly realizes they seem to be in some sort of stalemate, he
debates joining the fight with his laen sword.  Alicia prays to Meilikki
for more power to defeat the creature as the panther continues to leap 
futilely back and forth.  Omerta steps around to Alicia's side and stabs
at the creature with his sword when the panther is on the far side of it,
then steps quickly back before the panther can complete its near pass.

Omerta is shocked to see that as his sword passes through it, the creature
is entirely illuminated with orange and the sword goes dark.  It staggers
briefly, but Omerta realizes the sword somehow has been discharged.

"Omerta, the only way we're going to get rid of this is for my holy symbol
to touch it!"

"Well, what do you want to do?" he demands.

As they talk, the approximately 10 foot dance back and forth between them
and the creature, and the panther and the creature continues, only Alicia
and Omerta are beginning to definitely feel more rapidly drained of energy
so they know this stalemate cannot continue much longer.

"Alicia, let's run!" Omerta counsels.

"We can't.  But maybe if I can touch it with my holy symbol that will get
rid of it!" she repeats, with less certaintity than before.

"How do you propose to do that?"

She tries to run suddenly forward but the creature is too fast and
retreats just out of her touch.  Then moves back forward toward them
as Alicia backs off in turn.

Alicia glances at Omerta and demands, "Toss me on it!"

Omerta's eyes widen in disbelief but he picks her up suddenly and hurls
her bodily at the creature.  It winces and shudders as she passes through
it and seems to fade a bit and moves a few feet away.

"Oooooooooowwwwwwwwwoooooooooo!" it shrieks, in obvious pain.

"Do it again!"

Omerta obligingly tosses her twice more onto the creature.  The third time
there's a flash from her holy symbol and the creature vanishes in a puff
of smoke.

"Ah haaa!" Alicia exclaims quite gratified.  Omerta quickly moves behind
her as the panther has sat suddenly back on its haunches with a puzzled
look on its face.

"You did it, panther!" Alicia quickly states.  "Congratulations!
Good-bye!"

It cocks its head at Alicia. "Please leave now, panther!"

Omerta is very still and very quiet.  Alicia attempts to communicate with
the panther but nothing happens despite her best efforts, "Panther, you
did a great job.  We thank you.  Go away."

The panther leaps suddenly at Alicia as Omerta automatically swings his
sword up past her side to defend her.  Alicia tries to duck away.

The panther passes *through* Alicia on its way to Omerta and knocks Omerta
flat on his back landing on top of him.  Omerta realizes that the panther
has impaled itself on his sword and with a supreme effort slices through
the powerful, dark form, as he himself is mauled by the panther's dying
convulsions.  As Omerta starts to lose consciousness the panther suddenly
collapses and reforms intact into a statuette.

Alicia rushes to his side and begins healing him with her herbs as he is
losing most of his blood from having been very nearly shredded from top
to bottom by the panther.  After a few minutes, her healing powers finish
working and Omerta groggily sits up.  She goes and puts the panther away
and in turning back to Omerta apologizes to him.  He grits and teeth and
thanks her for saving his life even though .... he doesn't finish the
thought.  He *is* grateful to be alive but seriously angry over Alicia's
irresponsibility with her powers.  So he simply shuts up.

They return to the waystation to spend the night and the following day
arrive at Knearn.  *Not* the rubble they left four days earlier but the
major beginnings of a new city.  Omerta is stunned as they fly in to see
a seemingly complete, large new keep inhabiting the center of the city
environs, along with a complete high wall surrounding the city limits.
Roadways have been cleared along with much of the rubble but no additional
buildings have been erected.  But what *has* been built is amazing enough.
Clearly Lord Alan is a most powerful wizard, Omerta thinks.

The keep is a two-story edifice, with smooth, marble walls tilted slightly
outward.  Four large turrets, one at each corner, tower an additional ten
feet higher than the main building, and provide excellent platforms for
defending the keep.  Narrow window slits provide ventilation, light and
secure posts for archers.  The single entrance is appoached by a narrow
stairway, clearly designed again for defense.  Though they are unaware of
it, as yet, the marble-like rock of the walls is rich in keogh -- a rare
mineral that renders them immune to magic!  The keep is as impregnable as
Alan could conceive.

They land in the courtyard of the new keep and are greeted with joy by the
other companions and taken to see the princess and duke.


Several days after Alicia and Omerta return to Knearn, Vilim wakes.  He's 
lying on his back on the floor of a dimly lit stone room.  Without moving
he can see he's no longer in the tower but just where is he?  He sits up
slowly and starts taking inventory.  First, he realizes he actually feels
all right, though a little 'off' somehow.  The last he remembers is being
violently flung backwards.  What then happened?  Where's Jhere?  Is he a
prisoner?

He pauses and takes closer stock of his surroundings.  He *is* in a small,
squarish stone room with a small high window permitting a faint level of
sunlight in.  Either it's just after dawn, or just before sunset.  There
is a door that's shut.  He will finish reviewing his exact status before
he tries to leave.

As he glances about, he is both intrigued and dismayed.  What to
concentrate on first?  He's still clothed and his pack seems intact,
but his new laen staff is gone.  And his lyre!  It seems to have been
transformed to laen!  What could this mean?  He puts it aside for the
moment as he stares at his hands.

Oh, *no*!  His most useful magical ring -- his plain silver one with the
magic compartment that discharged the healing berries -- is crushed about
his finger.  He can remove it, but it no longer works.  He sadly puts it
back on.  His mahagony ring, on the other hand, has acquired a 'glow' of
its own.

Okay.  Some things have definitely changed so he'd better try to figure
out what, if any, of his abilities have changed.

He casts his spells to determine what the powers of his various items may
be.  He is pleased he is able to do so, but displeased to realize that
some of his capabilities have apparently been diminished.  He then decides
to cast another spell to determine how long it has been since he lost
consciousness.

Phew!  He rocks back on his heels.  He has been unconscious for 63 *days*!
Where has he been?

He turns to his lyre.  He's almost afraid to play it.  He's never heard
of nor seen a *glass* lyre.  Does it still possess its magical properties?
Can it even be safely played?  What are the strings made of?  He
determines it *is* his lyre, transformed and more potent, but just how
he's not quite sure.

He decides to wait until he knows where -- *when* -- he is before
experimenting any further.  He stands slowly and moves over to the
door.  It opens easily.

Vilim steps out into the hall and startles a patrolling mercenary.

"M'lord," he stammers. "Where did you come from!"

Vilim vaguely recognizes him, though he cannot put a name on him, "Where
am I?  Is this Knearn?"  As the mercenary nods in confusion Vilim goes on,
"Take me to the Princess!"


Later, Vilim asks the queen to appraise his new ring and lyre and asks
for an explanation of the 63 day difference.  Curious as to what has been
wrought, and why, she agrees.  Ariel reports that the ring seems to be
a link to a deity who has taken an interest in him and is keeping watch
although there does not seem to be any way *he* can communicate directly.
The lyre is definitely essence; beyond that she cannot help him.  She also
tells him that when Freya chooses, time flows differently within the ward
than without.

He spends the next month exploring the capablities of the laen lyre.  He
is able to determine it amplifies the power of his magical songs and also
can directly cast any elemental attack spell if he plays the correct song;
what he sings will happen if he knows the appropriate song.  This puzzles
him until he begins experimenting and developing his own songs.  The
longer he plays, the more potent the attack that it casts.  In exploring
its origin, he finds that it was worked on by someone who's too bright to
look upon; it's not clear which deity though he would assume it was one
of the Lords of Light since the creature was too bright to look upon and
Ariel did not detect any evil.


+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|       Copyright 1992, 1991, 1990 by B. W. Reisman & E. E. Wolfe.        |
|                           All rights reserved.                          |
| No part of this tale may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,   |
| or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying,  |
| recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the     |
| authors.                                                                |
|                                                                         |
| Permission is hereby granted, in so far as no fee or charge is made for |
| such publication, and that this notice is retained.                     |
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Note: the last episodes of "Darkness Rising" will be posted by year's end;
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