<html> <body> Metamor Keep: Lament of the Kangaroo By Charles Matthias Part 4 <x-tab>         </x-tab>The Pyralian sailors were at first disturbed by the presence of Keepers on board the Racasse, but Captain Aldanto silenced all grumbling with promises of extra shifts on the oars for any who even suggested violence against their guests.  The Keepers brought good will to themselves when Charles, Jerome, Andares and James all volunteered for shifts on the oars.  None would sit beside any of them, even the human Jerome, but their sneers and frightened glances turn to looks of admiration and gratitude as the hours wore on and the day turned to a week. <x-tab>        </x-tab>The Keepers were all surprised when after several days on the oars, Andares’s hands showed no sign of callusing, where the others all found them growing even thicker and harder than before. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Of the others, Jessica spent her time watching from the crow’s nest, while Kayla and Abafouq pored over maps with Aldanto and Darius Egland.  Guernef usually paced them high in the sky, claiming that the cool air would help mend his pierced thigh.  Lindsey kept to herself and spoke little, rarely ever even leaving the room she shared with the other two women. <x-tab>        </x-tab>So it was that Charles overheard her on the afternoon of the third week.  The rat, stepping as soundlessly as ever, was intent on retrieving Jerome’s scarf to help keep his neck cool.  A bitter wind blew out of the north, promising ice and snow in the days ahead.  The others were all protected but for his fellow Sondeckis who had thought the exertion alone would suffice.  It had for most of the day, but now as the sun set, the chill grew worse.  And even though Jerome hadn’t said anything, Charles knew him too well, and so had excused himself to reclaim the scarf he’d acquired in Sutthaivasse. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Only he stopped, ears turned to the other oil-slicked door across from his.  He recognized Lindsey’s voice immediately, but he couldn’t quite discern who she was talking to. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Why would they want to harm you?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Charles’s whiskers drooped and he took a step closer, resting his ear against the jamb.  But he only heard Lindsey speak. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I will keep you safe.  I won’t let them hurt you.  You are mine.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>A brief pause, in which the rat risked sniffing, but he could only smell the salt of the sea and the earthy flavour of kangaroo, and the fainter musks of his friends and the captain. <x-tab>        </x-tab>But Lindsey’s voice came again, sounding almost subservient. “Zhypar gave you to me.  I am yours.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>This was very odd.  Charles felt an urge to knock on the door and see what was amiss.  But that would be rude. He resumed walking, his original errand all but forgotten.  He knocked lightly on the captain’s door, and at his voice, stepped through.  Kalya and Abafouq were there as he expected, while Captain Aldanto squatted on a three-legged stool with his chin in his hands and elbows on the table.  Darius Egland stood at his side scratching his chin thoughtfully.  Between them stretched a map of the coastline ringing the Sea of Stars decorated with little wooden markers for the Racasse and what they supposed to be the iceline chocking the northern harbours. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Ah, Charles,” Abafouq said with warm delight. “How are you enjoying the life of an oarsman today?” <x-tab>        </x-tab> “Invigorating,” the rat replied honestly. “I just needed to speak with Kayla about something.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>The skunk smiled and stepped away from the table. “What is it, Charles?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>He trusted Abafouq, but the little Binoq might not have seen anything odd in Lindsey.  Only Kayla or Jessica might have seen them, and Kayla was closer at hand.  He beckoned her toward a corner of the room.  Abafouq, Darius, and Aldanto took their meaning and spoke loudly what the day’s weather meant for the remainder of their voyage. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Kayla’s smile had turned into a worried frown. “Is something wrong?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I just passed Lindsey’s room and she was talking to somebody.  Only I don’t think there was anybody else in the room with her.  Have you seen her do anything odd?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>The skunk’s frown deepened. “She hasn’t wanted to spend any time with any of us lately.  I’ve been starting to worry about her.  But just talking to herself?  There must be something else, Charles.  What did she say?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Who or whatever she was talking to, she seemed to think it would come to harm, and that she was going to protect it.  It belongs to her, and she to it.  And that Zhypar gave it to her.” Charles narrowed his eyes as he struggled to explain the momentary horror of it all.  “It was just so odd, and the way she spoke, it was so different from her.  I’ve never heard her like that.  Ever.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Kayla’s tail lashed back and forth the way it always did when she was concentrating on a particularly difficult move in a game. “That does sound odd.  I hope she’s okay.  I’ll check on her in a little bit and see if she’s okay.  The only thing I can think of that Zhypar gave her were the letters.  Oh my!  I’d completely forgotten about them!” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I had too.  I think she still has them.  We should find out what he wrote us.  With all the care he spent in them, it must have been important.” <x-tab>        </x-tab> “Indeed.  I’ll ask her.  You go back to the oars.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Charles smiled and patted the skunk on the arm. “Thank you, Kayla.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Thank you for telling me.  I hope she’s okay.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“She will be.  She just needs to know we’re all here for her.  Maybe reading Zhypar’s words to her could help.” The vine at his chest tightened in agreement. ---------- <x-tab>         </x-tab>Lindsey lay sprawled on the bed, her paws rubbing over the hefty weight filling her pouch.  Her child grew so fast, drawing nourishment from her body.  It was the only reason she would join the others now, to go and partake food that she might pass as much sustenance on as she could.  The child assured her that they were not to otherwise be trusted.  And how could they?  They hadn’t experienced what she had.  They would hurt the child if they could. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Yes. <x-tab>        </x-tab>But not while Lindsey still drew breath.  She gently pet the form inside her pouch, a smile breaking her muzzle. “My little one.  I love you.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Yes. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I will keep you safe.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Yes. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I will — wait!” The last was shouted toward the door.  Someone was lifting the latch. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Lindsey quickly threw the blanket over her body and rolled onto her side, long tail poking out the side of the bed.  It would hide the child growing inside her pouch from foul eyes.  And something foul did indeed step through the doorway, her black and white snout creeping in like a spy.  The eyes noted her, and the smile seemed a predators. “Oh, Lindsey.  I didn’t mean to wake you.  Are you all right?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Do not let her come close to me! <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I’m fine,” she replied as briefly as she could. “What do you want?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I just thought I’d come and see how you were,” Kayla replied as she crossed the room.  Lindsey shifted back in the bed, eyes wide.  The skunk stopped and shut the door, then sat down on her bed, coming no closer.  Her paws rested on the hilts of her swords. “You’ve been keeping yourself a secret in here all this time, and I’m starting to worry about you.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Please don’t,” Lindsey said, her voice strained. “I’m fine.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Kayla frowned, leaning closer. “Is there anyone else here?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>She suspects!  She’s come to kill me! <x-tab>        </x-tab> Lindsey’s ears laid back and she shook her head. “No!  There’s nobody else here!” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Kayla shifted on the bed, her paws tightening about the hilts. “But I heard you talking to somebody before I came in.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“No, you... I...” Lindsey lowered her eyes and sighed. “I was talking to Zhypar.” A tear perched in the corner of one eye, ready to stain her cheek fur. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“You miss him terribly don’t you.” <x-tab>        </x-tab> “Aye.  I loved him, Kayla.  I loved him so dearly.” Kayla moved to lean closer, but the kangaroo held out a paw. “Please don’t!  I just need to face this by myself.  When... when we return to Metamor, I think I’ll be ready.  Just... just not yet.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Kayla sighed and leaned back. “All right, Lindsey.  But please don’t push us all away.  We’re your friends and want to help.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>She lies! <x-tab>        </x-tab> Lindsey grunted and shook her head. “You can’t help me with this.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>The skunk’s tail drooped, but still she held the blades. “I want to, Lindsey.  But maybe you’re right. There is one thing.  The letters.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“The letters?” Lindsey felt the child kick in her pouch. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Zhypar’s letters.  You saved them for us.  I was hoping we might be able to read them this evening. The others will finish with their shifts on the oars soon.  Do you think you could retrieve them for us?  It might help.  We could all use his foresight now.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Lindsey had completely forgotten about Zhypar’s letters.  How jealously she’d guarded them against all the elements after their escape from Marzac, but since then, they had slipped away like sand through her fingers.  Still they lingered in her pack, unopened and unread.  Just to see the letters drawn by his paws would be a great relief. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Do not share them! <x-tab>        </x-tab> “I’ll.. I’ll see if I can find them,” Lindsey replied, trying to smile to Kayla through her confusion.  The skunk appeared to accept the word as she rose and turned for the door. “I’ll bring them out when I do.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Thank you, Lindsey,” Kayla said, her smile too broad for the kangaroo. “We’ll be waiting for you.”  She mercifully shut the door behind her. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Lindsey waited for the skunk’s footfalls to vanish down the corridor, and then in a low whisper she said to her pouch, “What is wrong with the letters?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Until I have come, it is not safe to see them. <x-tab>        </x-tab> Lindsey felt more confused than ever before. “But they’re from Zhypar.  He meant for us to read them.” <x-tab>        </x-tab> Yes.  But not yet. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I don’t understand.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Yes. Trust me.  No one else. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“How can there be any harm in reading his words?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Trust me.  No one else. <x-tab>        </x-tab> Lindsey lay her head back on the pillow and sighed. “Yes, my child.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>If they come for the letters, destroy them. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Her heart ached at the thought of destroying any gift from Zhypar, but the child was the most precious.  Did she really have any other choice but to do as the child asked?  She would have to obey.  She belonged to the child. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Yes. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I will obey.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Yes. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I belong to you.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Yes. <x-tab>        </x-tab> Lindsey lowered her head into her paws and shook with misery over her lost Zhypar. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Prepare a fire. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Still shaking, the kangaroo slid from the bed and proceeded to do as she was ordered.  The child in her pouch quivered in need. ---------- <x-tab>         </x-tab>“So what did she say?” Charles asked when he and the others left the oarlocks to the Pyralians.  An orange sun strived to kiss the western sea, its august light filling the sky with clouds the hue of freshly baked bread.  Jessica landed next to them, stretching her wings as she became human-sized again.  Behind them the drummer kept a steady beat for the sailors, and the oars ground away, chopping the waves as they lapped the Racasse. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Kayla took a deep breath, paws on her blades and shook her head. “Zhypar’s death has hurt her badly.  I don’t think she can accept it yet.  Just asking her about the letters upset her.  But she did say she’ll look for them.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>James rubbed one hand down his mane, sea spray dripping down his arm. “Letters?  Oh those.  I’d forgotten about them.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>The rat blinked and frowned, one paw curling around the vine on his chest. “Did anyone remember them?”  His question was met by headshakes and blank stares. “That can’t be good,” the rat mused darkly. “The last time everyone forgot something it was because of a great evil.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“But that was a magical hyacinth,” Jessica pointed out as she folded her wings behind her back.  The black hawk’s golden eyes bore into the rat. “And Marzac has been defeated.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“True,” Charles admitted. “But that doesn’t mean it isn’t suspicious.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Do you think some magical spell was cast on them?”  James asked, ears upraised in sudden alarm. <x-tab>        </x-tab>The rat shrugged, but his paws stayed wrapped about the vine which now curled up to the back of his neck. “I don’t know, but it is possible.  We were surrounded by magic down there.  Who can say what artifacts it has left on us!” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Andares nodded his head sagely, pointed ears hidden finally emerging through his long dark hair after a day spent rowing. “It is true.  We cannot be certain that some stain has not been placed on us.  If none of us could recall the existence of Habakkuk’s letters, then we should all be wary of magical mischief.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I will use mage sight,” Jessica said. “But if there is something to fear, we shouldn’t delay.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“What of Abafouq and Guernef?” James asked. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Guernef is still flying.  He lands when he lands,” Jerome pointed to the sky, but the white gryphon was nowhere to be seen. “And Abafouq is probably still debating routes with our two good captains.  Fetch him if you like.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I think Jessica and Kayla should go in first,” Charles suggested in a soft voice. “If all of us enter, Lindsey might feel threatened.  We want her to open up, not lash out like a cornered animal.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Right,” his fellow Sondecki admitted. “You two go in first.  We’ll hold back until you call.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>The skunk clearly looked uncomfortable with the way the conversation had led.  Her tail flashed back and forth, and she had the dragon swords a few inches from their scabbards. “I’ll go in first.  She’s expecting me.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I’ll follow you in.  It looks like she’s built a fire.” The hawk gestured with a nod of her head to the plume of smoke rising from just behind the starboard gunwale. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“It is cold,” Jerome muttered.  He pulled the scarf tighter around his neck. <x-tab>        </x-tab>They exchanged a few more quick words, then Kayla and Jessica entered the central passage beneath the aft castle with the others following discreetly behind.  Kayla knocked on their door and called out, “Lindsey?  It’s Kayla.  Jessica and I are coming in.”  She opened the door and saw the kangaroo crouched with tail pressed to the deck warming her forepaws by the fire.  The small stove in the corner was just big enough to steam a single pot, and a rich blaze burned within.  She wore very baggy trousers that hung about her middle.  Between her legs was a satchel. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Kayla smiled and came within six paces of the kangaroo, paws wrapped about her swords.  The warmth of the fire greeted her.  Lindsey’s eyes were iridescent with the flames as if hypnotised. “Oh that is quite warm, Lindsey!  It feels very nice.  Are you feeling any better?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I’m really not ready to talk, Kayla,” Lindsey said, her voice strained as if she bore an incredible weight. “Please don’t ask for anything.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Kayla sucked in her breath. “I’m sorry, but I do have to ask... are those Zhypar’s letters?  We are hoping to read them.  Everyone is eager to see what he had to say.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I... can’t...” Lindsey cried, agonized and forced.  She put one paw on her middle.  “Please don’t ask that.  Please, my... don’t.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Lindsey?” Kayla asked, her heart beginning to flutter in fear.  The kangaroo leaned back on her tail and put her free paw in the satchel. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Jessica squawked in alarm. “By the gods!  Stop her!” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Lindsey yanked out an armful of sealed letters and threw them into the fire, tears streaming from her eyes and a mournful cry ripping her tongue.  Kayla jumped forward, intent on grappling her to the side, but took her paws from the swords a moment too late and merely bumped into her back and bounced off.  Lindsey lifted one foot and gave the skunk a firm kick with the heel.  Uncut, Kayla still flew across the room and slammed into the wall, her back a million lances of pain. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Charles and Jerome rushed into the room a second later as Lindsey tossed the rest of the letters into the fire.  Jerome grabbed the kangaroo about the middle of the back and lifted her off the ground.  She shrieked, kicking and gouging her claws into the ceiling.  Charles’s flesh turned grey as the deck groaned under his granite weight.  He thrust his arms into the fire and yanked out the burnt letters.  He took a handful of sand from the bucket next to the hearth and dashed it across the letters, extinguishing the last of the flames and embers. Dust and ash gathered around his legs and tail. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“There’s something in her!” Jessica shouted as Andares helped the Sondecki restrain their companion.  James and Abafouq rushed in a moment later, the latter’s face ashen as he searched through his leather pouch for some spell component. “Something black and evil like we saw in Marzac!  Beneath her trousers.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Andares slid his ivory-handled blade down one leg of the trousers, and then cut outwards.  The fabric split in two and was easily yanked free.  Something stirred beneath the skin near her waist.  A large lump squirmed back and forth like a toad in the mud.  Lindsey’s eyes were frantic and she kicked at the ceiling with both legs.  Jerome gasped and fell to his knees, one arm sagging. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“She just dislocated my shoulder!” The Sondecki cried as his grip failed and Lindsey slipped free.  Cradling his wounded arm, Jerome crawled out of the way, while Andares kept his sword trained on her with slackened face.  James joined him a moment later, though his eyes were more confused than determined. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“You will not hurt us!” Lindsey screamed, voice hoarse.  She had no weapons but her claws and feet and she backed away from them until her tail bumped into the corner of the room. “You will not hurt us!” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“That thing inside of you is evil,” Andares said levelly. “It must be destroyed.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“No!” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Kayla, still stunned, managed to stand up with Abafouq’s help.  The Binoq blew some powder into her face, and after snuffling at the acrid scent, discovered the pain rippling her back was no more.  And though she was still unsteady on her feet, her mind worked fast enough. “It’s a child!  She conceived it on the Dais.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“He says you’ll kill us both!  Please! He’s Zhypar’s son!” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“He’s Marzac’s child,” Andares declared without a trace of doubt. “It is altogether evil.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“He wants me to... to...” Lindsey stopped, shaking with a fury they had never seen even when she’d been a man. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Hold a moment!” Charles shouted, picking up one of the letters. “This letter was meant for you, Lindsey.  It’s from Habakkuk.  He calls you his one and only love.  Much of it has been destroyed, but that remains.  And these lines: ‘If you should conceive, my Lhindesaeg, whatever grows in your pouch must be destroyed.  This is the most horrible thing I have ever had to write, for I have only ever wished to have a child by you, my Lhindesaeg.  But this cannot be, for it is my greatest temptation as it is yours.’” Charles held out the burned letter. “See it for yourself.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Lindsey’s eyes glanced quickly at the sheet, and then were dragged away.  The thing in her pouch shrank back against her flesh as if pushing inside her.  Her wail was a thing to mar glass.  “No, you lie!” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“It’s his own hand,” Charles insisted. “You know it well.  Just look at it and read!” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Lindsey’s paws fell to the pouch and grabbed at whatever seethed within.  Her snout turned to the letter, ears pressed back, fur trembling as if set afire.  Eyes passed over the text, and then shut tight.  She wailed. <x-tab>        </x-tab>And then to their surprise, she jammed her paws inside her pouch and pulled.  Something dark bubbled up across the fleshy line in her mid-section.  The figure beneath the skin struggled with the fury of an insect.  Lindsey yanked and the black ichorous mass spilled forth, a head shaped in the manner of a kangaroo emerged, fiery eyes opened with hate.  A vicious howl escaped its throat as its skin glistened and coagulated as slick and as thick as corroded oil. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“By Eli!” James swore as he fell to his knees and began to retch. <x-tab>        </x-tab>The monster’s arms came free next, and they grasped at Lindsey’s fur, soiling it with its foul mucus.  Lindsey’s paws appeared charred as if she’d thrust them into the fire. “Zhypar forgive me!” She screamed, eyes closed and dripping tears.  She gave one final pull and the creature came free, legs and tail, much like a young kangaroo would be.  Only this one was black and coated in a slime that seemed to bubble from within its body before being sucked back in.  Lindsey cast it to the ground and the wood sizzled where it struck. <x-tab>        </x-tab>The creature spat foul words in a language none of them could understand as it crawled toward Lindsey and the half-open pouch still dripping the same ooze.  It was stopped short when Andares’s sword shore it in two.  And then three.  And four.  And several more pieces each smaller and smaller until there was nothing left that moved.  While not all the insides were dark, the blood was as black and as foul as its skin. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“What in all the hells was that!” Kayla asked, tail stiff, her body ready to spray. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“It looked like what we saw in Marzac,” Jessica said, her eyes still peering into the magical weave that surrounded and flowed through them.  She looked at Lindsey, and then gasped. “Lindsey!” <x-tab>        </x-tab>The red-furred kangaroo collapsed into the corner, her body trembling and then sliding against itself.  Her chest filled out and broadened as her arms thickened, the fur absorbed back into the skin.  Her ears and muzzle shrank as her cheeks widened.  Her tail dwindled into nothing, and her legs tightened and stretched until they were human.  The red of her fur bled back into long braids of hair on head, chin, and cheek.  Where once had been a kangaroo now lay the once familiar man naked and quivering.  He took one look at himself and began sobbing anew. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“The Marquis’s spell...” Jessica said, shaking her head, a quaver of awe mixed into her fear, “I saw it!” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“What spell?” Jerome asked as he massaged his wounded shoulder. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“The one that made Lindsey a kangaroo.  He didn’t change the Curse, he just overlaid it.  His spell just melted off Lindsey.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Charles draped a blanket over Lindsey’s shoulders, and then stepped back to collect what remained of the letters.  Lindsey said nothing, but did hug the blanket close.  Captain Aldanto stuck his head in the door, face livid. “What by Eli are you doing to my ship?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Jessica turned and spread her wings. “There’s nothing to fear now, Captain.  We’ll tell you later when we can.  For now please leave.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Aldanto glowered at her, but the hawk’s stare was the more intimidating.  After several seconds, Aldanto turned and left cursing under his breath.  He shut the door behind him. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Well, now what?” Jerome grunted.  He slammed his shoulder into the wall and gasped in pain. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Charles, still stone, sorted through the letters, pieces crumbling off despite his careful touch. “The letters are ruined, but I think I can identify who they were meant for.  Is everyone all right?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Kayla nodded as she stepped around the bedpost. “A little stunned but I’m all right.”  And then she looked at Lindsey and tears came to her eyes too. “Oh, no...” She crept closer, falling to her knees, cheek fur beginning to stain. “Lindsey?” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Lindsey lifted his face, and reached out one arm toward her.  The two hugged, crying.  The Keepers clustered around to lend what comfort they could, but all kept clear of the black mess still marring the floor.  Abafouq sprinkled several powders over it that sizzled like incense.  It may be dead, but it was still evil.   ---------- <x-tab>         </x-tab>Later that night, Captain Aldanto lent them a steel canister which they carefully filled with the remains of the Marzac-spawn.  They used a wooden spoon and small knife to scoop and scrape the remains off the floor, and once done, these too were tossed into the canister.  Abafouq sprinkled more powders inside, and then they sealed it with locks both mundane and magical.  Guernef was employed to fly it further out over the sea and drop it where it would never be found again. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Charles distributed the letters as best he could, but the fire had done so much damage that most of them revealed only a few words.  The only things discernable on the rat’s were his name, the name of their host in Sutthaivasse, and an unspecified loss.  Of the rest, only Jessica and Andares’s letters had one or more complete sentences. <x-tab>        </x-tab>Andares frowned as he read his aloud. “ ‘Your sword has been of inestimable use in our journeys, and will strike down an evil that seeks to destroy she whom I love.  But it is also something that must be passed on to another.  You will instead take up...’ and there it breaks off.  I can make nothing further out.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Kayla glanced at the Binoq who was turning his letter upside-down. “Surely there must be some way we can bring the letters back.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Even in the hands of a clever alchemist I do not think you could bring these letters back,” the Binoq admitted with a moue souring his face. “The fire has truly destroyed them.  I have only a few scattered words left on mine, and they make no sense that I can tell!” <x-tab>        </x-tab>Jessica glanced at Lindsey who sat still wrapped in the blanket, but whose tears had ceased.  “I see only this sentence, ‘Do always what the one you love asks of you.’  The rest is obscured.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“All this care,” Charles said as he carefully folded his letter, “and yet I wonder if Zhypar knew the letters would be burned anyway.  Is that why he took such pains in writing them?  Perhaps he wanted what was left to be enough to instruct us in whatever it is he saw coming.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“He didn’t see everything,” Lindsey murmured in gruff, but empty tones. “He wrote letters for himself and Qan-af-årael too.  He didn’t know until it was too late which of us would survive.  But still... he knew to warn me.”  Lindsey’s eyes strayed to the carpet they’d used to cover the burn marks the monster had left in the floor. “I was ready to kill you all.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Why didn’t you?” Kayla asked, her voice soft and gentle. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Because of Habakkuk’s words.  It’s all I have left of him now.  I wanted to believe the chi... thing.  But it wanted me to destroy all I had left of Habakkuk.  Once you read the letter, Charles, I knew the words were his.  I didn’t have to see them.  I knew.  His letters were his way of reaching beyond the grave to save me again.”  Lindsey took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “And that’s when I knew it wanted me to hurt my only friends left in the world.  That’s when I understood that it was not my child.  It was... evil.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“We who went into Marzac and left may still have horrors to confront,” Andares mused quietly. “We should be watchful.  Of ourselves and each other.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I agree,” Abafouq added. “None of us should let ourselves be alone for long.  If we feel a need to withdraw, let us remember this and seek each other.  If there are any other evils we have carried back with us, we should destroy them together.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Let it be a pact between us,” Charles suggested. “Even if we must go our separate ways.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“I’ll agree to that,” Lindsey was the first to offer his hand. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“And Guernef will too when he returns,” Abafouq agreed.  He clasped hands with Lindsey. “Let us all be together in this for a little while longer.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Hear, hear!” Charles put his paw down, then James, Kayla, Andares, Jerome, and Jessica.  And for that moment their eyes locked, they each felt in their heart the great misery that Lindsey knew.  Without Habakkuk or Qan-af-årael, they were so much the weaker.  And they always would be. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“A drink then,” Lindsey suggested. “To seal our pact.” <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Captain Aldanto has a decent selection,” Abafouq added with a half-smile. <x-tab>        </x-tab>“Then tonight we shall dip into it,” Charles declared, rising to his paws. “I’ll go get some.  I’m thirsty too.” The vine tightened briefly about his chest.  ---------- End of "Lament of the Kangaroo" May He bless you and keep you in His grace and love, Charles Matthias !DSPAM:4b18f7c6263071398310010! </body> </html>