[Mkguild] The Illusive Chain (16/?) CORRECTED - my comments

[cokane8116 at aol.com]

MSWord decided to copy and paste all of the deleted markup text in the story partI posted last night, making it an incoherent bunch of trash.  Hopefully no one read it in that form.  Here is the corrected version.
 


>>>>>I hate it when that happens!







-LurkingWolf
 
 
Link4: Influence
 
Loisstarted awake in a moment of panic.  Evenwith his memory in shambles as it was, he was unable to shake an unmistakablesense of familiarity with the sensation. He rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes with one of his paws,thankfully wakeful enough to turn his claws away to avoid harming himself.  Turning to dangle his legs off the bed, hetried to determine what had woken him, but nothing stood out.
 
Itwas only after a few moments of sitting in silence that he was finally able topick out something apart from his own breathing and the beating of hisheart.  It was faint, even to the ears ofan animal, but it did become clearer as he picked out the direction it wascoming from and turned his ears to hear it better.  It was a sort of humming… no, singing, thoughhe could only hear the cadence of words rather than what was being sung.  
 
Loisstood, adjusting the loose robe around his shoulders.  He stepped lightly to the door, feeling thecold chill of stone beneath his pawpads, and did his best to open it withoutcausing any noticeable sound with the latch. With the door now opened into the dark hallway, Lois could make out thesounds of singing a little more distinctly. He took care to determine the direction that the sounds were comingfrom, but it did not take him very long to decide that the voice was comingfrom the right branch of the hallway. 
 
Hehesitated for a few brief moments, trying to decide whether following themysterious voice was really in his best interests, but curiosity overruled anyconcerns that he had.
 


>>>Cool and curious!







Hepadded quietly down the hallway after the unseen voice.  Reaching a corner, and his ears twitched tofollow the sound in the new direction at the fork.  Uneasiness crept into the back of his mind;it seemed almost as if the sound had entirely changed directions as he reachedthis branch in the hallway.  He took abreath to steady his nerves; he would not be defeated by feral instinct, notagain.  Something assured him that thiswas a song that he had to pursue, a song meant for him in particular.  He glanced around the corner to see if hecould see the source of the singing yet, but the hall ended at another branch.
 
Hemoved as quietly as padded paws allowed, carefully muffling the sounds of hisclaws as much as he was capable.  Thewords of the mysterious song were becoming more distinct as the voice itselfgrew clearer, but he could not recognize anything that was being said.  It was a woman’s voice, of that he was nearlycertain, but he was almost as certain that the words of the song were in aforeign tongue.  That itself was no greatmystery; many people from around the Midlands came to Metamor for just as manyreasons.  Lois was drawn on not by theforeign words, but by how they teased at something in the back of his mind.  He knew this language – had known it prior tolosing memory of so much of his past.  Hestill understood and spoke the Common tongue; why would this other language soinsistently evade his grasp?
 
Herounded another corner at a steady pace, and was greeted by the sight ofstarlight in an open sky.  He was leavingthe barracks.  Here a few plants weregrown in a small garden, a strangely peaceful location to be built directly adjacentto where the Outpost’s soldiers were gathered. Perhaps it was meant to distract war-weary men from the pain of timespast, or perhaps the pet project of some of the local citizens.  Whatever the case, Lois determined that thevoice he heard was coming from under the centerpiece of the small garden plot,a tree that grew solitary among the many climbing vines and low shrubs thatgrew up around it.  While the gardenitself seemed to have been raised up in recent days, the breadth of the treespoke of long years remaining rooted as it was. It had doubtless been here since before most Keepers had been born.
 
Theermine stepped silently between the rows of flowers, many freshly sproutingwith the recent arrival of spring.  Thevoice was very strong now, tantalizingly nearby.  The words continued to tumble through hismind, each one seeming so achingly familiar yet remaining meaningless to hisconsideration.  He had to find the onewho was singing, to see who was singing. Perhaps it would be the spark to restore these fleeting memories…
 
Loisstopped as he rounded the base of the tree. He had found the singer.  She saton a stone bench that seemed itself to grow from the earth by the base of thetree.  Her tail, black-tipped like hisown, swayed in time to the words as she sang, her white fur blown gently by anevening breeze.  His eyes widened as hespied her form, so similar to his own. His breath caught in his throat as she turned slowly and glanced towardshim, her eyes a pair of glowing blue orbs that shone even now, though lit bylittle more than starlight.  She movedslowly, deliberately, song never wavering, and offered him her paw.




>>>> Weird!



 
Loishesitated.  Something seemed strange; hehad not known that there were other ermines in the Keep.  Or perhaps he had simply forgotten?  Something about this woman, much like hersong, ached of familiarity.  Was she anenemy?  A friend?  A lost love?
 
Heroffered paw remained steady, waiting for him to decide, and her muzzle turnedin an earnest smile.  He took a stepforward, trying to unwrap his confused thoughts.  He was struck by her beauty; the way herform, though Cursed, fit the dress that she wore made his heart flutter.  She seemed almost too regal for reality, andsuspicion made him pause.  Still, Loisfound himself drawn in by a strange allure. He crossed on silent paws and took her hand, and she gently guided himaround from behind the bench to stand before her.
 
Loistried to speak, but his voice caught and little emerged beyond a confusedsqueak.  Her eyes laughed at him, even asthe words of her song continued, their rhythm never wavering despite her clearamusement.  Her paw pulled him gentlydown, and he knelt before her, eyes still locked questioningly on herface.  She gently guided him to sit onthe bench beside her, and then to rest his head cradled in her lap.  Although he continued to resist briefly, thenervous tension drained from his body until he was comfortably lounged acrossthe bench.  Even his eyes fluttered shut,and the quiet tones of her song erased concern from his mind.
 
Herested there several golden moments, the jumble of his thoughts quieted in hiswaking mind for the first time in many an hour. There must have been a touch of the Divine in her song; no lesser powercould have so easily stilled his mental anguish.  With no desperation, his thoughts turned tohis missing memories. In the clarity of his calm repose, he wondered if perhapsthey would return.  He could almostvisualize the jagged edges left between the things he recalled and those thathad been lost.  It seemed so simple.  If he could only find those missing pieces…
 
Asudden, sharp, stabbing pain interrupted the ermine’s silentcontemplation.  Opening his eyes, heglared in horror at the hilt of a stiletto, buried in his chest and held in thegrasp of the mysterious ermine lady whose song still rang in his ears.  He reached up and grasped it, reaching afterthe lady’s hand as she released her grip but she easily slipped from hissuddenly weak fingers.  Lois rolled fromthe bench and landed on the ground, tried to scramble away from his assailant,gasped in astonishment even though the pain of his injury was stillunfelt.  Even as the song continued, heheard laughter from behind him.
 
“VincentLois.”  He rolled onto his back, grippingthe hilt with both hands and crying out. Somehow he could hear the lady speak as she continued to sing.  “Too valuable to die, too dangerous to leavealive.  You should feel privileged; thatdagger is worth more coin than most men will see in their entire lives.”
 


>>>What?




Loiscoughed and gasped, looking at the dagger. He only now noticed that no blood was pooling from the wound.  It had been long enough; he should have beenseeing the results of the injury, but there was nothing.  Still, the edges of his vision were beginningto fade, and he could feel his grip on consciousness slipping.  Grunting, he tried to pull the blade from hiswound; perhaps he could stop the blade from accomplishing its purpose if hecould remove it.  Unfortunately, removingit from his chest was like trying to lift a horse barehanded.  His vision faded entirely for a moment, andhe was forced to halt his attempts.  Whatwas the dagger doing?  His heart sank ashe considered the words his assailant had spoken.  If he was too dangerous to live and toovaluable to die, that didn’t leave any pleasant options.
 
Hisvision began to fade again, and he turned his head to glance towards hisattacker.  She stood by the bench still,taking short, easy steps towards him, the dress about her paws still flutteringlike something out of a dream even as she stalked him like a nightmare.  “Relax, assassin.  It will be over soon.”
 
Unableto remove the dagger, Lois struggled up to a kneeling position, then tried tostand long enough to scramble away.  Heonly managed to take one drunken step before collapsing again and rollingpainfully onto his side.  The ermine ladywas almost to him, and he could barely move. An icy cold gripped his body, and he found it difficult to even think.
 
Ashis grip on consciousness faded, Lois was dimly aware that another person hadarrived.  He tried to concentrate enoughto see who it was or even track what was happening, but only vague impressionscame to him.  A few heated words, ashout, a scuffle… then Lois couldn’t tell what was happening.  Everything went black.
 
Loiswas not sure how long he remained unconscious. There was no pain, nor feeling of any kind.  There was, however, an uncomfortableconsciousness of a passage of time.  Thisblackness was not the pleasant refuge of sleep. It was a terrifying, empty feeling that nagged at him, continuallyreminding him that the world continued on in his absence.
 
Finally,something changed, and the ermine slowly began to regain awareness.  His eyes felt dry, and the images he sawblurred into an unfocused, uncertain miasma. His ears were a little clearer, and he could hear a quiet, masculinevoice speaking to him.
 
 “Stay calm; you will be all right in a fewmoments.”
 
Slowly,Lois’ vision cleared, and he could see a wolf crouching over him, one pawgrasping the hilt of the dagger which still protruded from the ermine’schest.  He waved his other paw over theend of the hilt, whispering quiet words. Runes along the hilt were glowing, pulsing in a silent rhythm as thewolf worked.  Feeling was beginning toreturn to Lois’ extremities, and he realized slowly that the paralysis in hislimbs was relenting.  He twitched hisfingers and began to raise his head, before a pointed glare from the wolfconvinced him to stay still.
 
Afew more moments passed before the wolf ceased his murmuring, and with a rapidmotion withdrew the blade from where it had been buried in Lois’ chest.  The ermine gasped and reached hastily for thearea.  As he clasped the area, however,he became quickly aware of the fact that there was no sign of where he had beenstabbed at all.  Not only did he have novisible injury, but even his clothing was unharmed.
 
“Canyou stand?”  The wolf offered Lois one ofhis large paws.  The ermine accepted theoffer, and was pulled up to his feet quickly. He took a few moments to be sure that his balance was sure, but whateverill effects had been caused by the mysterious dagger seemed to have been fullyremoved by the wolf’s work.
 
“Itseems so,” Lois replied, feigning a bit more confidence than he felt afterbeing attacked.  He glanced at thedagger, which the wolf still held in one of his paws.  It seemed to be radiating heat, though thewolf gave no indication that it was painful to him.  Images beyond the weapon seemed to warp andbend as though it projected invisible flame. “What sort of magic is in that weapon?”
 
Thewolf glanced at the dagger with a scowl. “Soul trapping magic.  It isstrictly forbidden by any of the major magic schools in the Midlands, but Iimagine that the people who are trying to capture you are not particularlyconcerned with anyone else’s rules.”  Helooked around for a few moments before turning to look Lois in the eyes.  “We should get to shelter quickly.  She may be back soon, and if there are anyothers in her group then we may have more to deal with than one hypnotist witha few nasty toys.”
 
Loisnodded, but the wolf turned and stalked away without acknowledging hisresponse.  The ermine followed him, stillshivering quietly to himself as his mind replayed recent events, giving a fewglances over his shoulder to make sure that they were not being followed.  The dark furred wolf quickly worked his waythrough a few halls in the barracks before reaching a room and enteringhurriedly.  He held the door for theermine, and threw the latch behind them. Lois felt nervous to be locked in the room with the mysterious wolf, butsilently reassured himself with the knowledge that he would not even be alivewithout the help of this mysterious figure. For now, he was just trying to focus on settling his rattled nerves.
 
Theroom that they had entered was already lit by an oil lamp set on a table in thecenter of the room and several candles lighting the deeper shadows of thecorners from sconces on the wall.  Theroom struck Lois as some sort of meeting room, likely for use by patrolcommanders to plan their missions.  Bythe way the wax had pooled around the base of the candles, the wolf had been inthis chamber for some time previous. Lois tried not to think too much about why he had been expected.
 
Withthe initial need to escape from immediate danger gone, Lois was able to see hisrescuer a little more clearly.  The wolfwore a light tunic that contrasted with his black fur, but over top of that hewore a dark coat that obscured most of what he carried on his belt.  Lois could see the haft of a weapon sittingreadily available at either side of the wolf’s person, but the rounded designof those grips was unfamiliar to Lois, though that could as easily have beendue to his loss of memory as to a lack of experience with this particularweapon.  Regardless of what they were, hemeant to keep an eye on them.
 
Layingthe stiletto upon the table at the center of the room, the wolf wasted littletime walking to a cupboard to one side and pulling out a pair of glasses and abottle.  He poured a glass and offered itto the ermine, who looked at it suspiciously.
 
“I’msorry, someone has already tried to kill me once today.  I’d rather not accept a drink from you atthis point.”




>>>Smart idea!





 
Thewolf shrugged and set the bottle down while he took advantage of the drinkhimself.  “I do understand why you arehesitant to accept a drink at my hand. Still, I think both of us could use one after what just occurred.”  He took another sip and walked to where hehad left the enchanted blade.  “You wouldbe hard pressed to find a weapon of this sort, even among the servants ofNasoj.”
 
Loisturned his head suddenly as the sound of singing resumed in the distance.  Even knowing what the lady intended for him,Lois found himself rising to his feet, meaning fully to again search out thesource of the song.  He had alreadynearly reached the door when the tones of the song suddenly stopped, and hestaggered to a stop, just a few steps short of a wolf who glared at himsharply.
 
“Getcontrol of yourself,” he ordered sharply. Lois saw now that the wolf had placed some sort of glyph on the door,which pulsed erratically with some unknown power.  “The woman who sought to trap your soul is aSiren, a very sinister sort of hypnotic mage. Sirens can exert simple influence over the minds of men with their song,but I imagine by the strength of her power over you that she was given a vialof your blood.”
 
Loisblinked, backing away from the door warily. “Why would she need that?”
 
Thewolf made a few gestures about the door, and whatever he was doing seemed tocalm the eddies of power that were causing the glyph to pulse.  “It is a primitive form of sanguimancy.  After drinking a small amount of a victim’sblood, a Siren can impose their will on a subject with very little resistance.”
 
>>Blood magic!  Nasty It does explain things







Theermine stumbled to a chair and sat, feeling weak.  “I think I would like that drink now.”
 
Thewolf nodded.  “Of course.  That ward should prevent her song fromreaching you until her influence has passed. Meanwhile, we have nothing to do but bide our time.”
 
Hepoured two more glasses of the drink and set the bottle between them beforehanding one glass to Lois and sitting across the table with the second.  He took a quick sip of the drink, and theermine did the same.  The sharp sting ofalcohol on his tongue assured him that whatever sort of drink it might havebeen, it would quickly leave him in a drunken stupor if he did not exerciserestraint.  As tense as he felt knowingthe control that the strange enchantress held over him, he did not need thatsort of relaxation.
 
“Isuppose an introduction would be welcome,” his host said after he had alreadydowned another half tumbler full.  “Myname is Nathan.  As to how I know you andwhy I came to your aid, that may be slightly more difficult to explain.  Truly the answer to the first question shouldhave prevented me from ever helping you, but I am only here because I have beensent to someone’s aid, and as loathe as I have been to accept it, you are theone to whom I must now give my help.” Lois was confused as he listened, and from the way the wolf’s voicechanged tone and inflection throughout his speech the ermine could sense aclear conflict.  Again, he doubted hischoice to drink, even as his savior leveled another sharp glare on him acrossthe table.  “I ask you, Vincent Lois,what is the worth of a life?”
 


>>>Now there is a profound question.







Withadrenaline now fading and the touch of alcohol settling his nerves, Lois wasbetter prepared for the sudden, unexpected shift in the wolf’s demeanor.  The question hung in the air, and Lois leftit so unanswered as he slowly drank from his glass again.  Setting it down, he met the wolf’s gaze asdirectly as he could.  “I sense in yourquestion a test for me.  If there is acountersign you expect me to deliver, I do not remember what it might be.  If it is a catechism I should recite, I haveno knowledge of it.  I can only offer myown answer to the question.”
 
Nathanshifted in his seat, something changing in his expression, but that searchinggaze remained.  “And?  What is your answer?”
 
Loispaused, trying to determine what the wolf expected.  Then, he realized, it made nodifference.  “A life... is a man’s firstand most valuable possession.  No otherriches have value unless life itself remains.”
 
Thewolf snorted a short laugh and stood, taking the bottle from the center of thetable and filling his glass again.  “Anamusing answer,” he said, drinking a quarter of his drink before immediatelyreplacing it from the bottle.  He staredat the full glass again for a moment before setting it down and pushing ittowards the center of the table, beyond an easy arm’s reach.  “I have heard you in your sincerity, now hearme in mine.  The answer you gave me isnot the one I expected – and yes there was a specific phrase I expected to hearrepeated – but it tells me what I needed to know.  You have lost your memory, as I had beentold.”
 


>>>Questions answered raises yet more questions



Loisnodded, trying to determine exactly what the wolf was doing.  “I remember bits and snatches, people andevents, but not much more than that. There are only very few things I even recall from before coming here.”
 
Thewolf nodded.  “So I have heard from atleast one person I consider trustworthy, but I had to be sure.  Though they may think they know you, they donot know about you nearly as much as I do.” He paced a few steps towards the door and turned back to look at theermine contemplatively.  “Ignorant as youare of your own past, I suppose some degree of explanation would be helpful forus both.”
 
Theermine nodded his agreement.  “If youknow anything of my past I would be glad to hear it.”
 


>>>Perhaps not - somethings are best left forgotten.







Nathanshook his head sharply with a bitter chuckle. “I doubt that.  Nevertheless, I amnot here to judge whether you will enjoy learning of your past.  For me to be of any true help to you, it isnecessary for me to explain those things now past.”  He clearly wished to take more of his drinkto still his nerves before starting his explanations, but some more rationalpart of him realized he needed clarity more than calm at this moment.
 
“Beforeyou came to Metamor, Lois, long before you lost your memory, you were anassassin.  Not some hired blade who hidbehind the influence of nobility or royalty to work tasks without hope ofreprisal, no.  You worked for whatever sortmight have the coin to pay: nobles, yes, but also merchants, moneychangers,even members of the clergy.  If a manwanted blood spilled and could afford your fee, you would see the task done.”
 


>>>A true mercenary!





Instinctively,Lois wished to deny it, but something in the back of his mind kept himsilent.  Whether it was simply the desireto remain impartial, or some part of him that wished to accept the story astruth he could not tell from his own part, but at least he meant to hear whatthe wolf would say.
 
“Thatis why I know you in a way that many others here do not,” the wolf saidquietly.  “A merchant’s family shouldnever have to hear that he was murdered at the behest of a rival, yet one day Ireturned home from learning my trade and found the town guard explaining to mymother that my father’s throat had been slit and his body left in a gutter withthe sewage.  None knew it was your workthen; no man in such profession wishing to live past the next week wouldperform such an act where he could be identified.  Only later were you captured after anotherattempted assassination, and you coldly and calmly admitted to killing amerchant in addition to several other murders. I couldn’t bear to watch you sit there and smugly admit what you haddone.  The guards had to escort me fromthe room screaming, but as they did I knew that you would escape.  How could you not?  The court had denied me justice, of coursefate would do the same.  Before thegallows had even been prepared, your cell was found empty, and nobles are onlytoo quick to forgive a killer when his services may be useful to them later.  I swore, with or without the aid of the law,to bring you to justice myself.”
 


>>>Oh this will not end well





Thestory made Lois increasingly uncomfortable. He finished his glass in an attempt to settle his nerves, but he couldbarely even taste the alcohol anymore and certainly could not feel itseffects.  Only the fact that the wolf hadnot yet killed him kept him from trying to make a quick escape.  “So… you have rescued me from the Siren inorder to kill me yourself?”
 
Thewolf sighed and paced back towards the table, leaning across to take histumbler and drink again.  Between the twomen trying to calm themselves, the bottle was already very nearly empty.  “I would sorely like to.  To be honest, had the Curse not changed yourface, I do not believe I would have been able to stop myself.”  He glanced over at Lois, his expressionimpossible to read.  “In my obsessionwith revenge, however, I began to learn more about you.
 
“Assoon as my time as an apprentice was over, I spurned the life of a craftsman tosearch you out, using what coin my father’s business had provided us after hisdeath to fund my ventures.  I expected tofollow a trail after you traced in blood and death, but as I slowly picked upyour trail it was from men and women who considered you a friend, not fromwidows and orphans of your victims desiring to help my righteous crusade.  As furious as I was about my father’s deathat your hands, I could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.  I began to ask different questions, inquiringafter your past instead of only asking where you had gone.  As I gathered new information, a strangepicture emerged that I had not expected.
 
“Youwere, as I said before, an assassin under no banner.  I assumed that this meant that you workedalone, but I learned that this wasn’t the case as time passed.  You bore a brand on your left hand, inscribedwith a simple message sketched in fine scars: ‘No life has value except for myown.’”  He let the phrase hang in the airas he watched the ermine for any reaction. Lois was too frozen by anticipation to even react, though he did realizethat this was the source of the wolf’s earlier question.  “Such a brand was entirely consistent withwhat I knew of you already, but it was something more.  I discovered in time that you were not theonly one to bear such a mark.  I spentfar too many crowns to purchase the cooperation of those who had seen the markin other places, and what I learned in those interviews made me reconsider myquest, and drove me to turn my life to another purpose.”
 
>>>Curious!





Loisstirred.  He looked at the palm of hisleft paw, but found no message – there was only a clutter of scars with nopattern or meaning.  He sighed.  With what remained of his memory, the messagemight have been there once, now erased by the Curse.  As it stood, if this was the conclusion tothe wolf’s tale, he was not sure he found it satisfactory.  “You came here, a place where the Curse wouldhold you and prevent you from completing your mission of revenge?”
 
Nathanchuckled with a shake of his head.  “Icame to fight during the Battle of the Three Gates, responding to a summonsfrom the Duke to fortify against the coming siege.  That the Curse kept me here was coincidence,though it did certainly make returning to my hunt much more difficult.  Then, after almost ten years of buildingmyself a life here away from dreams of vengeance, you came to me.”
 
“Andrather than kill me, you saved my life.”
 
Thewolf shook his head and tried to drink again, only to find he had emptied hiscup already.  Heaving a sigh, he set iton the table and placed his paws on the wood beside it.  “Vincent Lois, I cannot forgive you for whatyou did, but there is more at work here than one more death could possibly makeright,” he said, speaking slowly.  “I donot know how to best explain what is going on, but my understanding of theevidence leads me to believe that every assassin with that mark upon theirhands is a thrall, with no control of their own actions.”
 


>>>Wow - a bigger enemy is behind this?




Loisbegan to protest, but he held his peace. Even if he did deny the claim, he knew he would not be trusted.  The very nature of the suggestion meant thatdenial would only serve to make him seem even more suspicious.  In fact, as he thought about it more, hebegan to see a strange sense to the idea. “If that is true… that could explain why I remember so little.”
 
“Yes.”  The wolf finally sat again, clasping hishands before him.  He was clearly stillstruggling with his own emotions, but he also seemed to have reached the pointwhere he was ready to try to help Lois. “Some of the assassins that I discovered bearing that brand haddisappeared without a trace, but others had been captured.  Disturbingly, of those that were captured,most died in their cells with no visible wounds, faces twisted in agony.  Of the few that survived, most were reducedto mindless babbling before any trial could occur.  Only a few had survived with some degree ofsanity, but each maintained that they could remember none of their allegedcrimes.  More strikingly, the mark haddisappeared from their hands.”
 
“Whatconvinced you that they were under someone’s control?” Lois asked.
 
Thewolf turned to meet his eyes.  “Thoughmany times I received my information long after any trail had occurred, once Iwas able to observe one of the trials myself, and had the opportunity to speakto the man in question.  Like you, heclaimed that he had some fragments of memory remaining, but that included somedim recollection of assassinations he had committed, and of a voice directinghis every action.”
 
“Youtrust his testimony?”
 
“Notwithout some cause,” the wolf replied. He sat back, running claws through his fur as he organized histhoughts.  “Though that was the only oneof the assassins to whom I spoke personally, his story matched too closely withthe others for me to simply ignore it. He gained nothing from convincing me of his innocence; I had no power tofree him, and his appointment with the hangman’s noose was mere hours away.  There was no desperation to his speech, onlyan earnest desire to be believed.  Addedto the weight of evidence I had already collected, it was enough to confirmwhat I had already suspected.”
 
Loisglanced at the door, where the glyph still pulsed with energy, though visiblyweaker now than when it had first been drawn. “So the Siren…”
 
“Likelysent to eliminate you after your masters’ control had been thwarted,” the wolffinished, nodding.  “To the best of myknowledge, you would be the first of their assassins to have broken free oftheir control without them intentionally abandoning you.  It seems that their magic was unable towithstand the Curse’s power to alter your mind, and with their control brokenbefore they could dispose of you on their terms it seems they had to send anagent to do so personally.”
 
Theermine looked back at where the stiletto sat. It still pulsed with a strange energy that warped the light around it,causing images of impossible shadows to flicker around its silhouette.  “They were not trying to kill me, though,” hemused.
 
“Lois,I was not able to determine exactly how long you acted as an assassin, but Iknow it was longer than ten years.  Thrallor no, I expect some measure of personal skill was involved in your successover that length of time, and that would make you an extremely valuable assetto them,” Nathan explained.  “If theycould trap your soul magically within this blade, it would allow them to moveyou to whatever location they wished. Your body would appear as a corpse, and few people would stop a hearseon its way to return a fallen soldier to his homeland, regardless of whetherthe body was Curse-touched or not.”
 
>>>They wanted him back





“Andthen they could have simply taken control again,” Lois muttered.  He shuddered a bit. Although he had norecollection of being enthralled, the idea itself sent an unearthly chillthrough him and made the fur stand straight along the back of his neck.
 
Nathansighed and nodded.  “Unfortunately, thethreat has not passed.  We have thwartedtheir first attempt, nothing more.  Ihave no question that they will try again soon.”
 
>>>And the next try will be even more deadly







Theermine looked across the table seriously. His claws were beginning to dig into the tabletop.  “I have to escape before they can strikeagain,” he hissed.
 
Thewolf nodded his agreement.  “As much as Ihave wished to kill you, Lois, I realized in time that it was not Vincent Loisthat I wished dead, it was the puppet master pulling the strings.  As soon as the Siren ceases her song, we mustleave this place.”
 
“We?”
 
Nathanlooked at Lois soberly.  “I cannot leaveyou to fend for yourself, as much as I might desire to do so for my father’ssake.  Throughout my quest for revenge, Ihave soothed my conscience by telling myself that killing you would not make methe same sort of assassin you were.  Ihave lived a life enviable by some priests, convinced that my good deeds wouldundo the necessary evil I sought to commit.” He slowly shook his head, running a paw through the fur along the backof his neck.  “Jaded as I have become, Istill could not consider myself honest in my intentions if I was not willing toextend a helping hand to you now that I am convinced of your innocence.”  The words he spoke came out from a tight jaw,and he refused to make eye contact as he spoke. His continuing anger was clear, but he still made no move to harm theman he had rescued perhaps an hour before.
 
>>>Wow!







Loiswatched the black wolf, trying to collect his thoughts.  On the one hand, he feared what would happenif Nathan’s anger were to boil over against him.  His duels against Balrog the day before hadbeen ample proof that he would be defenseless if he was ever attacked.  By the same token, however, attempting to fleeon his own would leave him exposed, forced to fight any pursuer with whatlittle skill he still possessed. The wolf was dangerous, but Lois judged thatfleeing on his own would be even more so.
 
>>>Fleeing is not an option!





“Whencan we leave, then?”
 
Thewolf looked at him briefly, then turned to look at the rune that had beentraced on the door.  The pulses I theenergy seemed to have calmed and lost their regular rhythm, even as the glyphitself had visibly lost much of its power. The wolf crossed to the door and ran his claws through the air near thedoor, and slowly dismantled the magic. Lois strained to hear the hypnotic tones of the music, but even once thespell was fully removed he heard nothing from beyond the door besides a lightbreeze and the very quiet sound of a torch guttering in the sconce beyond thedoor.
 
“Bettersooner than later I would say,” Nathan replied. “We have several hours until sunup, and that should give us time todisappear into the wild before my patrol realizes that I am gone.”
 
Loisfelt a sudden chill run through his body. Though he felt willing to do almost anything to avoid another encounterwith the Siren or anyone allied with her, the thought of leaving immediatelymade him realize how serious the situation was. He was isolated, cut off from his patrol, with only this strangerbetween him and the sinister purposes of an unknown pursuit.
 
“Ihave one friend here still,” Lois said. “Could we try to bring him with us?”
 
Thewolf shook his head resolutely.  “If heis sleeping in the common bunk room it would not be worth the risk, even asempty as it is now.  We know for certainthat the enemy has agents within the walls, and while it may very well just bethe Siren, we should still take precautions and avoid giving her opportunity tofind you again.  I will escort you toyour chamber so that you can collect your things, but that is already asignificant risk.  We should hurry toit.”
 
Thewolf stepped briskly towards the table as he spoke, and leaned down to take ablack travel bag from where it had been set below the tabletop.  He slung it over his shoulder and looked toLois meaningfully.  It was clear that hewas serious about his suggestion that they leave immediately.
 
Nervousas he was, Lois still felt that the wolf was right.  He stood and joined Nathan by the door.  The wolf cracked it open and glanced beyondthe threshold, his ears swiveling slowly to check for threats his eyes couldnot detect.  The ermine waited, straininghis own ears to try to hear anything, but there was nothing unexpected.  After several moments of silence, the wolfturned and nodded towards the door.  Loistook the suggestion and passed the wolf into the hall, taking a moment to gethis bearings before setting off in the direction of the room where his possessionswaited.  The wolf followed him, keepingclose with eerily silent footfalls devoid even of the clicking of claws theermine made himself.
 
Theirjourney was short.  Though many of theOutpost’s halls were uniform and utilitarian with few landmarks, Lois foundhimself following small signs that he could remember with startling clarityfrom his few trips through the halls since his transformation.  Momentarily, the nagging fear of becoming ananimal again returned, but the spike of panic was quickly quashed.  There were far more immediate fears on hismind now.  Losing his mind to feralinstinct now felt like it might be a welcome relief with the fate he hadnarrowly escaped barely an hour prior.
 
Herealized that the door to his chamber was ajar as he rounded the corner, andNathan sensed his unease quickly.  Thewolf stepped forward and moved towards the door cautiously.  He reached under his coat and withdrew one ofthe weapons Lois had noticed earlier, revealing it to be a slender wooden rodof moderate length wrought with intricate designs up the half that the wolfgripped.  The manner in which he held itseemed odd as well: he held it almost vertically in his strong hand, with hisother forearm braced behind it.  Hereached the threshold and delivered a sharp kick to the center of the door,spinning to defend against any attack from the corner before entering the roomand pinning the portal to the wall to prevent it from causing any more noise.
 
“Isee no one,” he whispered, stepping back. “I expect you left the door open while investigating the Siren song.”
 
Loisnodded, though his heart remained in his throat even as he followed the wolfinto the room.  Nathan’s amber eyesglowed in the dark as the ermine stepped past him, but there was no threat inhis gaze.  He turned and left the room tostand guard in the hall, pulling the door closed as he did.
 
Theermine wasted no time finding the wardrobe where his things had beenplaced.  Though he knew there was a rush,he could not help himself as he saw the small pile of weapons wrapped inclothing that no longer fit his strangely altered body.  He pulled one of the long daggers from theirsheaths slowly, eyes falling along the silvery blade that almost glowed despitethe darkness of the room.  His mindwandered to the claims that Nathan had made, and a chill ran through him.  Was he truly an assassin?  These daggers… he had no doubt that they wereexactly the sort of weapons that such a man would use in his dark work. It onlyserved to convince him even further of the wolf’s sincerity.  He wondered how much blood had been spilledat his hands…
 
No.  He drew a sharp breath as he snapped theblade back home.  Whatever evil haddriven his actions of the past had been washed away by the enigmatic Curse.  He would not let it haunt him now, while hislife still hung in the balance.
 
Heexamined the bundle of clothing that the weapons had been wrapped in, trying asquickly as possible to determine if any of the ill-fitting clothing could beuseful.  The robe he wore gave him somedegree of mobility, but it offered no protection.  Perhaps some of the armor could still be ofuse…
 
Hiscontemplation was interrupted as something fell out of the bundle, landing onthe floor with a clatter and rolling a few inches before coming to rest nearthe bed.  Clothing forgotten, Lois lookedat it in confusion.  He knelt beside theobject and took it in one of his paws. It was a smoking pipe, ornately carved with designs intricate enough toconvince him that no rank-and-file soldier would be able to afford such athing.  Any question of its origin wascleared from his mind, however, by a strange ache.
 
Theermine knew what it was to try to remember something with no success.  It had become an infuriatingly commonsensation to him over the past few days. Looking at the pipe, on the other hand, produced an entirely differentsensation.  No, he did not recall themysterious artifact.  It was almost theopposite, as though he specifically recalled that it did not exist.  It was an inherently illogical feeling and heknew it, but it was so intense that it made him feel dizzy.  What did it mean?
 
Heturned his eyes to glance about the room, suddenly aware of a hundred tinydetails that had escaped his notice until now. The stones of the floor in the room, he realized, produced a similarfeeling of impossibility.  Turningslowly, he set a paw atop the table beside the bed, feeling a phantom stingshoot through his arm.  It waswrong.  His fingertips passed over thesmooth wood.  Too smooth; he distinctlyrecalled having raked his claws across the edge of the table the nightbefore.  His robe, the sheets on the bed,the wardrobe… they were all wrong.
 
Loiscoughed, realizing that he had not taken a breath since finding the pipe, theimpossible pipe that still rested in the palm of his hand.  He braced himself against the wardrobe, hiseyes quickly darting to the door, which remained closed before him.  The ermine silently approached it, and triedto peek through the crack to see what was beyond.
 
*       *       *
 
Nathanmaintained his defensive posture outside the door, glancing about for any signof a threat while staying close enough to the door to hear if Lois called tohim.  He hoped that the ermine wouldprepare quickly.  They needed to leave assoon as they could, and he hated to consider the possibility that the assassinmight reconsider their attempt to escape.
 
“Whatare you doing?”
 
Thewolf swore and stumbled back from the source of the voice, resuming hisdefensive stance as well as he could.  Hehad not expected any interruption, and now he struggled to catch his breath ashe searched the shadows for the one which had spoken, finding nothing despitehis predator’s vision.
 
“Whogoes there?”
 
“Youwere sent to kill the ermine, not challenge him to a game of cat and mouse.”
 
Thewolf swore again, letting his weapon drop to his side.
 
“Itold the grandmaster that I could bring Lois back alive!” he replied, speakingto the air in the absence of a visible presence.  “I was given this opportunity; do you seek toundo the work I have already done?”
 
“VincentLois is too dangerous to be left alive! If he remembers anything of who we are – if he remembers anything aboutwhat we did to him – he could destroy us!”
 
“Yourargument is with the grandmaster, now leave before you compromise this missionbeyond repair!”
 
“Loisis a shell!  Bringing him back willaccomplish nothing.”
 
Thewolf paused, blinking.  That was wrong,none of them would – and then he growled angrily.
 
“Wellplayed, Vincent,” he snarled.  Behindhim, the door opened fully, revealing the form of the ermine standingbeyond.  Lois held one of his daggerscasually in his right hand, walking slowly towards the wolf.
 
“Ibelieve the grandmaster would have been pleased with your work, at least withhow it started,” the ermine said drily. His general bearing and manner had completely changed, and he spoke withconfidence and a bite of anger.  “Tellme, do Sirens actually exist?  I amcurious.”
 
Thewolf angrily swiped towards Lois with his strange weapon, but it passed throughthe ermine as though he did not exist. “You fool!  Do you realize whatyou have done?” Nathan barked.
 
“Evidently,you have failed your mission to bring me back to your masters,” the erminereplied casually.
 
“Ifailed to bring you back alive,” the wolf snarled.  “You have left me no choice but to kill you.”
 
>>>Ok. I am confused a bit. But Now I understand





“Iassume we will deal with that once this dream has ended,” Lois remarked.  He stood muzzle to muzzle with the wolf now,staring him down despite his weaker, more slender build.  “When you do, what will your mastersthink?  You failed utterly to kill a vulnerableamnesiac, apparently following a plan of your own conception.  I expect you might be stripped of whateverrank you own, or perhaps they will send another agent to punish yourincompetence.”
 
“Iknow you seek to learn more, Lois, and I will tell you nothing.”  The wolf was trying with little success tocompose himself.  The anger was expected,but there was something else. Frustration, regret…
 
“Youare not fully your own either,” Lois spoke softly.  His voice held something new: a touch ofpity.  “You never wished to kill me; youfought your masters for a chance to save my life.”
 
“Donot patronize me, you fool.”  The wolfangrily circled about the standing form of Lois, who merely turned to watchhim.  “You are nothing more than a usefultool, a puppet to dance at the end of our strings.  After years of useful work, of course we areloathe to lose your services.”
 
“Yetmy services are lost, perhaps irreparably. You know as well as I do that I know too much to risk another attempt atsubterfuge,” the ermine replied. “Perhaps, though, you desire another chance, an opportunity freelygiven.”
 
Nathanstopped pacing and glared at the ermine. “Whatever you would offer, I suggest you do so quickly.”
 
Loisgave an enigmatic smile.  “When we bothawake, I will waste no time in making my way to the common bunks. If you wishto kill me there you will have to contend with my allies there, along with theeyes of every soldier currently housed in the barracks.”  The ermine knew that his deliberate speechinfuriated the wolf, but he meant to make his case clear.  “I will tell them who you are, and while youmay succeed in killing me if you remain persistent, you will never be able towork in the North again, and so Cursed as you are you will be worthless to youremployers, left with nothing but to live out a short life in thewilderness.  However, if you so desire, Iwill leave Outpost behind and meet you in whichever location you wish, alone.”
 
Thewolf sneered.  “Why would you risk such athing with nothing to gain?”
 
“AsI see it, I am very likely a dead man as it is. I do not underestimate the powerful motivation that revenge can be,whether you would gain anything from my death or not.  I wish for a chance to face you, man toman.  I have had my fill of running.”
 
“Ido not believe you,” Nathan replied. “You know you will lose a fight against me as you are.  I watched you fight Balrog this afternoon,and any farmer’s son could have seen that you lost all of your combat skillalong with your memory.”
 
“Whatdo you have to lose, then?” Lois asked. His smile was infuriating to the already-frustrated wolf.  “The worst scenario is that I bring someonewith me, and you will have to kill me in a crowd, the same as you would if youtried to assassinate me in Hareford.  If,however, I am honest, then you have one more chance to bring me to your mastersalive, and save your own life at once.”
 
Thewolf’s amber eyes narrowed.  He slowlyslipped the strange wooden rod back into its position on his belt as he took adeep breath.  “You will take the WestGate and follow the road,” he explained, speaking slowly and deliberately.  “About an hour’s march from here, you willsee a partially cleared area to the left of the road, and beyond that a smallpath leading into the woods.  At the endof that path you will find an abandoned lumber camp.  I will wait for you there.”
 
Loisbowed his head in exaggerated gratitude. “I trust that we will have time to get to know one another better.  We may be working together again after tonight,after all.”
 
Thewolf turned and stalked away, stopping where the hallway visibly faded tonothing in shadow.  He calmed himself,taking a few breaths before he spoke one more time.  “Even without your Balance, you remain insome small way the same assassin that once convinced the Questioners that yourmark commissioned his own murder,” he said. There was a touch of admiration in his voice, some respect leaking inpast the venom he had been spitting since his ruse had been discovered.  “I look forward to seeing how you will try tofix this gamble in your favor.”
 
Theermine had already begun to fade from the dreamscape, but the wolf turned intime to see a glimpse of the mischievous smile on his target’s face.


>>>Wow - talk about a double blind!   This gets clearer and yet more complex!












 
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