Tinberly sat on the edge of the fountain, swinging her legs idly as she watched the crowd go by and chatted with her best friend. Lissica was her own age, eighteen years old, and they'd grown up together, only a few streets apart. They had a lot in common, both having lost a father; in Lissica's case a southern merchant who simply never returned home one day from a long trip abroad. That showed in her fair hair and grey eyes, contrasting against the more typical dark tones of Tinberly's own.
They had a lot to talk about, as they always did, the comings and goings of the neighbourhood, the constant bustling life of the city around them. The afternoon had gone fast, and now the sun was setting, the sky starting to dim, signalling that the day was finally at an end.
"It's getting late," said Lissica, eventually, sitting beside her on the stone ledge. "Maybe tomorrow?"
"I can't go home," said Tinberly, glancing down at her feet, "not yet."
The other girl frowned, a quizzical look on her face. "Why not? Is everything all right?"
"Yes, yes... there's not a problem." Which wasn't exactly true. "What I mean is, my mother has a guest, and, uh, I probably shouldn't, um..." she trailed off, unsure of quite how to phrase things, especially since it wasn't something she really wanted to think about.
Lissica's grey eyes widened, evidently catching the meaning anyway, "your mother has a boyfriend?" she asked with surprise, "why didn't you say earlier?"
She almost said 'because he's a half-orc, and he's really ugly, and I actually heard them having sex, which was gross, and I can't understand why he's still coming round, and why she looks so happy to see him'. All of which would have been true, but was far more than she wanted to share. So instead, she just said, "I'd rather not talk about it," and Lissica caught her expression, and evidently understood that she shouldn't press the matter.
"Well, what do you want to do? I guess we can stay out – we're adults, after all."
"You'll stay?"
"Yes, of course. What else are friends for?"
"Thanks, Lissi," she said, beaming, "I really appreciate it."
The other girl leapt to her feet, long hair swishing around her shoulders, contrasting with the blue-green of her dress and complementing the light copper scarf that she wore about her throat. "So, what do we do? Your decision!"
"Well..." she suddenly stopped, voice frozen as she felt a strange tingling sensation, and a burst of warmth against her chest. It took her a moment to realise what that meant, and, when she did, the alarm clearly showed in her face.
"What is it?" asked Lissica, voice suddenly serious.
"My amulet!"
"What amulet?"
"It's... it's something my mother bought for me," she wasn't going to explain how, especially since it involved him, "it's magic."
"You've got a magic amulet! Wow... let me see."
"No, no," she said, suddenly getting to her feet, "you see, the enchantment is that it gets hot when someone dangerous is coming. Somebody that might harm me. And that's what it's doing now."
"Are you... yes, of course you're serious. Oh my gods... what should we do?" The other girl was looking frightened now, catching Tinberly's own fear, glancing about across the square, although nothing in particular seemed to be happening.
"We've got to keep moving, until it gets cooler. That's what she said."
"What who said?"
"We don't have time. Come on, Lissi!" She turned instinctively in the direction of the street that led towards her own home – both of their homes, actually – but, as she did so, she felt the amulet grow warmer. That was where the danger was coming from! She grabbed Lissica's hand, and tugged her in the other direction. "This way, follow me!"
They ran down the street, in the direction of the market, the amulet growing cooler as she did so. So far, so good. She was grateful to her mother now, no matter what the circumstances. The amulet worked, and, tonight, it was truly showing its value.
Suddenly, she stopped, as she felt another burst of heat from the amulet, even stronger than before. She was still holding onto Lissica's hand, bringing the other girl up short, so that she part span around, grey eyes now wide with shock, a wordless question on her face.
"It's coming from up there, too!" Was the amulet supposed to get this hot? It was positively uncomfortable. But how could a threat be coming from two directions at once? Was it tricking her, somehow? Nyvara had hardly been a trustworthy person, no matter what else had happened that night... something else she didn't want to talk about, even with her best friend.
A scream from up ahead answered that concern. Somebody was running towards them, and, in the rapidly gathering gloom, it took a second for her to realise that he wasn't an assailant – he was running away from something! Something really terrible was happening! Was the city being attacked?
"Monsters! Undead! Walking corpses!" screamed the man, trying to warn anyone who would listen.
Tinberly's heart almost skipped a beat. No wonder the amulet was so hot! And she, really, really, didn't want to see a walking corpse. Still less be attacked by one.
"What do we do?" wailed Lissica, her hand now gripping Tinberly's tightly.
"Side alley," she said, breathlessly, and pulled her friend in that direction. Normally, a dark alley would not be the best place to avoid danger, but right now, she didn't feel she had much option.
She wasn't sure how much later it was that they finally stopped running. She wasn't even sure where they were, they had taken so many back alleys to get here. Somewhere not far from the city outskirts, that much was clear, and probably on the far side to that with which she was most familiar. Whatever sudden disaster had suddenly raised the unhallowed dead seemed to have mostly affected the central areas, and the amulet had, so far, prevented her from actually seeing any of the monsters. At least, if they weren't on the outskirts, that meant her mother should be safe... and whatever she thought of Rolgor, he was as able to protect her as anyone else she could think of.
The amulet had, at least for the time being, returned to its normal self, no longer warning her of danger. She leaned up against the nearest wall, regaining her breath as Lissica leaned over beside her.
"We're safe... for the moment," she gasped.
Her friend nodded, still panting too much to speak. At last, she straightened up, long hair in disarray, sweat beading her brow. "Where are we?"
"I don't know." She looked at the building whose wall they were next to. "Nice house... the ones over there," she waved at the opposite side of the street, "aren't bad, either. Doesn't look like anyone's home, though."
"What do we do, Tins? We're lost, it's dark, and there's monsters killing everyone."
"We don't know that, Lissi."
"There was screaming. And your... magic doodad said we were in danger. I mean, come on, undead? What else would they do?"
She nodded. Whatever was happening was clearly very, very bad. "Perhaps..." she said, "perhaps we find some shelter? Somewhere dark to hide until dawn? Then we can see what's happening, get home." Right now, she really wanted to be at home, curled up in her bed, whether Rolgor was in the next room or not.
They found an alcove at one side of the building, something intended for water run-off, although, with the clear night sky, there was no fear of that tonight. They hunkered down in the shadow, the wall protecting them from even the light of the double full moons, deep in shadow, eyes staring out into the street beyond.
Tinberly felt Lissica's arm around her shoulder, the other girl pressed up close to her in the small space, and tried to avoid thinking about what else had happened on the night she had gained the amulet. Not that Lissi was at all like that, of course, but she was glad that her friend couldn't see her blushing at the memory. Awkwardly, she put her own arm around her friend's waist, and they huddled together, sharing their body warmth.
She really shouldn't be thinking like that, not at a time like this. But the alcove was dark, and she was tired, and Lissi was warm and soft... For all that she tried to keep her eyes open, she found herself nodding off, and soon surrendered to a fitful sleep full of running, and invisible monsters... and kissing. She wasn't sure how the kissing had started, in the way that you often weren't with dreams, but it was certainly pleasant, and things seemed to be looking up – when she suddenly awoke, to find Lissica's hand over her mouth.
There were voices in the street, and she realised, with horror, that her amulet was heating up again. But she had been asleep, and it had been her friend who had noticed the danger before she had. Now, there was nowhere to run, not if anyone was out there, in the moonlight.
"You don't need to scarper!" a man was saying, "that's what I'm tellin' yer!"
"But they're all dead – you said it yourself!" The second speaker was a woman, her voice creaky and nasal.
"Yeah... kind of. But not all of 'em. Yeah, it's gone a bit tits up, but we still got a chance. Some of 'em's alive, and I still got contacts in the Guild. I still got power. I dunno what's happened to Amloth, and the rest of 'em, barely got out of there in one piece, but I know some of ;em are still out there, and the ceremony ain't failed."
He paused, and then continued, sounding puzzled "Ain't you getting any of this? I know it don't speak in words, but it's still tellin' me. It wants us to go back."
"I've lost control of my horde," snapped the woman, "I'm back to my normal power. Which means that, no matter what you think, you've failed, and I'm leaving!"
"But it's in my head! It's like an itch, it won't let me leave, even if I wanted to. And it don't want you to leave, neither. We're all in this together, the Presence is in you, an' all, Yelvann. How the fuck do you expect to leave with that in yer?"
"I can hear it, Scaggs," said the woman, "but I choose to ignore it. You think that, with my skills and knowledge, I would let it control me? I know how to deal with demons, how to avoid their mental tricks. It doesn't master me, and, once I've left Haredil, I will find a way to get it out. Unlike you, I am not weak, and I am not without resources."
"Well, fuck you, 'cos I ain't..."
"We're being watched."
That seemed to take him aback. "Huh?"
"I can see in the dark, remember? I have senses you cannot dream of."
"Amloth?"
"No, not one of us. Somebody new. Just let me focus, and I can tell you."
"Point 'em out, and I'll fucking kill 'em. Can't 'ave no witnesses."
Tinberly heard the sound of a sword being drawn, and the amulet against her chest surged with almost unbearable heat that made her whimper in sudden pain.
"I 'eard something! Come out, so I can stick yer good and proper!" She could see him now, walking into her field of view, sword drawn. An ugly, rather brutish looking man, in rumpled clothes.
"Yes, it's..."
There was a loud bang, like a thunderclap, and a brilliant surge of white light. An arcing blast of lightning struck the man, and, for a second, he stood there, mouth open in mute shock as the light played around him. There was a horrible smell of singing flesh as the alley plunged back into regular moonlight. The man – Scaggs – convulsed, then collapsed to the ground, sword clattering on the cobbles beside him.
