 
Luck of the Claw

Matthew C. Gill

Published By: Matthew C. Gill at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Matthew C. Gill

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free eBook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book; please return to Smashwords.com to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.
Table of Contents

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10

Episode 11

Episode 12

Episode 13

Episode 14

Episode 15

Episode 16

Episode 17

Episode 18

Episode 19

Episode 20

Episode 21

Episode 22

Episode 23

Episode 24

Episode 25

Episode 26

Episode 27

Episode 28

Episode 29

Episode 30

Episode 31

Episode 32

Episode 33

Episode 34

Episode 35

Episode 36

Episode 37

Episode 38

Episode 39

Episode 40

Episode 41

Episode 42

Episode 43

Episode 44

Episode 45

Episode 46

Episode 47

Episode 48

Episode 49

Episode 50

About the Author

\- Episode 1 -

There is a subtle music woven into the forest; it can be heard in the sound the leaves make when the wind blows. It is a form of magic, in a way. That is what Trinity had always thought on clear cool mornings like this. She liked to close her eyes and then let the wind blow her hair as she imagined herself singing magical songs of her own as well. Oh, to be up on a stage and have all eyes excited to see you there! The very thought of it was her idea of heaven. Standing here beside a crude dirt path that cut its way through the woods to serve as a makeshift road and left to puzzle over where her brother had gotten off to was not.

"Where could Camden be anyway?" Trinity asked herself. "Please, don't be getting into trouble," she started repeating to herself. It never seemed to do any good, but Trinity always secretly hoped that maybe the next time she might get lucky and find her brother actually not causing mischief.

Unfortunately, there was an approaching sound from over the hill that could only mean one thing; Camden had done it again. It sounded like someone was particularly angry and they were passionately chasing after whatever it was that had caused their unhappiness. Just as predictable as the sun rising each morning Trinity spotted Camden flying over a hilltop and heading her way.

"No time to talk Trin," Camden managed between gasps for breath. "We best be off!" With a free hand her brother grabbed a hold of his sister and took off into a full run diving between trees. As usual luck was smiling on them possibly almost big enough to rival the one on Camden's face - an arrow missed them both to thud into a tree behind them.

"What have you done this time?" Trinity demanded as she tried to keep up. He was always doing this to her, every time she wasn't looking he was doing something that led to them both running for their lives. She was certain she could have been on her way to being famous by now if not for Camden.

"Don't worry Trin, I remembered breakfast," Camden explained with a chuckle. "I got your favorite; roast chicken!" In his other hand he held up his prize for her to see and sure enough it looked like he hadn't been joking. As much as he could frustrate her, she had to admit Camden did do his best to look after them in his own weird way.

Right now though, they needed to escape this angry farmer first. While Camden liked to act first and think second (or never) Trinity preferred to think first. And as it just so happened, she did have an idea to save both of their skins. If she wasn't mistaken, and she rarely was, they were close to the perfect spot. Very few people dared to venture near the Pool of Tears and for good reason. It was a both a sacred place and surrounded by steep rocky walls.

With a quick giggle Trinity told her brother: "follow me, I have an idea!" Camden always hated it when she had one of those.

\- Episode 2 -

Ever since he could remember Trinity had always been trying to tell him not to do this or how to do that. Never-mind her being his sister or a tiny bit older, it could drive anyone mad he figured. She was always worrying over how to do something or busy daydreaming she missed the opportunities that Camden could spot.

Like this food for example. There it had been, just sitting there waiting for someone to eat it. Well, if the farmer couldn't appreciate the delicious food he had available to him then Camden would just make sure it went to someone who would; namely him and his sister. It wasn't the first time he had to take something to feed them and probably might not be the last either.

He couldn't say he didn't enjoy it, though because to be fair he did like the thrill of being chased. Camden may not be a careful planner like Trinity but one thing he could always count on was thinking on his feet. There had been many a tight spot he had seen his way out of by just reacting on instinct. To him it reminded him of how he saw a fox one time get away from a hunter's trap. The fox had never seen it there but when he realized it was about to catch him it just reacted and managed to escape. No elaborate plan, just instinct and good reflexes - just like him.

They had been on their own for as long as he could remember. Trinity often tried to tell him they had ran away from a home for orphans when they were smaller but he didn't like to believe her. No, instead he liked to imagine that they had been taken from their parents in the night by people seeking revenge on them. Surely his father had to have been some kind of hero or something and had been killed. There just was no way they were simple orphans.

Camden was determined that one day he would find out what happened to their parents. That and he would become a legend himself - he was already pretty good with a blade. All he needed now was some kind of adventure that could lead him to fame, treasure and perhaps someplace they could call home.

"How about that plan Trin, any time now it might be good to hear it!" Luck was a great thing to have on your side but eventually it had a tendency of running out and Camden didn't like to think of that happening right now. "Almost there," Trinity answered and then pointed to a section of rock. "As soon as we pass through there, hit the ground and slide."

Camden decided that maybe next time it would be best if she didn't tell him her plan after all. Because this was fast becoming less and less fun. When they passed through the opening in the rocks he obediently did just as she had said though and found they were both sliding down a slope fast.

"Trin, I don't think I like you very much right now," Camden decided to mention. "It's alright, love you too," came her reply. Before either one of them knew it the ground below their bottoms came to an abrupt stop. Volunteering to replace it was the Pool of Tears.

The only problem; the water was beneath them and the wind was already whistling in their ears as they plummeted to meet it. Yeah, Camden really didn't like his sister much right now.

\- Episode 3 -

High atop FrostThorn tower Baron Samael sat awaiting an important message. He gazed out carefully watching for some sign that one of his crows might be on its way with news. But nothing approached his dark stone tower.

Any day now he should receive word, he was sure of it. The Baron had been setting his plans carefully into motion for a very long time now and the thought that they were all about to be coming together excited him. Some unfortunate fool had already found the Vault of Echoes and that meant very soon his minions would deliver to him a key element of his plan.

The Vault had been an ancient site used to lock away dangerous and powerful items of magic. Legend said it was lost to the ages forever and would never be found again. Only it was. And Baron Samael planned to use the power it contained to enhance his own magic. Then, nothing could stand in his way of taking over everything for as far as he could see.

It really was getting damp in this old tower, the Baron noticed. He had been so preoccupied of late he had managed to miss it. With a single gesture arcane energy snaked from his finger as it reached forth to summon one of his servants to him. This wouldn't do, he couldn't allow even the smallest task to be overlooked. If he did, well the next thing he knew they might begin to think they should be free as well.

A small slender figure appeared in the doorway before the Baron careful not to speak or look up at him. Green fire flew forth in a flash to torment and burn at the servant's flesh who barely managed to keep from crying out in pain. All the servants had learned painful lessons of their own as well as from watching what happened to the others who didn't. The silence was fortunate for them since the Baron despised weakness.

Satisfied the lesson was firmly engraved upon his servant, the Baron turned his gaze back to the skies. "See to it that the entire tower is cleaned and dried of this irritating dampness immediately," he ordered quietly. "I need not remind you that next time you will find me far less forgiving." The Baron could have easily taken care of the whole tower through his magic alone, but he did so enjoy this so much the more.

Now, where is that crow he wondered? If Thatch or Cobble had bumbled things up again he would torment them until what little wits remained to them were gone. No, clearly even those two couldn't screw things up at this point. All that was left to do was to wait for word that his prize was on its way.

Baron Samael hated waiting.

\- Episode 4 -

"Hey, Thatch, you sure we're going the right way?" Cobble asked his taller companion. Of the two, Cobble was short and round while Thatch was tall and skinny. Neither was known for being overly smart though.

"Yeah, yeah, Cobble we'll be back to the tower in no time," Thatch explained. "I keep telling you, I know the way back, Baron Samael told me himself exactly which way to go." "But didn't he also tell us not to forget something though?" Cobble had to ask. He couldn't shake the notion they had forgotten something important.

"Nope, we took care of that guy and snatched up everything he had found. All we were supposed to do was bring it back to the Baron and he'll be so happy. I bet we even get rewards!" Thatch seemed so sure that Cobble couldn't argue, it did sound nice to think about not getting punished for once.

"If we're getting close, does that mean we can stop and rest a bit?" Cobble offered up another question. "Because I am getting tired, maybe we could stop and take a nap or you could take a turn packing the big bag." Thatch clearly had no intention of actually doing any more heavy lifting than he had to, so the idea of taking a break was definitely the better of the two.

"Alright, we'll pause for a brief break, but then we'll hurry back, agreed?" Thatch offered. Without a second thought Cobble blurted out; "agreed." And before you could even blink the two flopped down beside the path with a grunt. "This stuff sure is heavy," Cobble said considering his bag as he removed it from his shoulder. "I know the Baron wanted everything but didn't he say it was a key or something that was what was important?"

"Yeah, he did say that, didn't he?" Thatch said as he recalled the same thing. "And he is sure to be really proud of us for bringing him all this other loot too. But I bet he would be even gladder if we already weeded out some of the junk for him!" Cobble was always impressed by how Thatch always had the best ideas.

"Like this silly little book," Cobble mentioned while holding a small plain book. It didn't look like much except for a slight etching of a white horn marked on the cover. The funny little thing didn't even seem to have any words in it. Not that it would have mattered; neither Thatch nor Cobble could have probably even read the thing anyway.

After a few minutes the two had sorted through their pile of items and tossed aside anything they were sure wouldn't please the Baron. Quite proud of their labor they decided to take a quick nap before heading back. Surely they would make better time without the weight of the extra junk and either way Baron Samael would reward them for being so smart.

As he drifted off to sleep, Cobble still kept thinking there was something they had forgotten. He never had been great at remembering things, but he was sure they were supposed to do something on their way back. His stomach growled at him as he tried to remember what it could have been. It sure would have been nice if they had another one of those crows like the other day. Sure was a great idea Thatch had had to cook it for a snack. Maybe the Baron would give them a really tasty treat as a reward! Yeah, that sounded really good to Cobble as he drifted off to sleep.

\- Episode 5 -

A warm splash silenced both Camden and Trinity as they said their own little hello's to the Pool of Tears. The fall itself was scary enough but at least they could now say they no longer had an agitated farmer stalking them. Either he figured it foolish to venture to close to the sacred pool or that the fall had taken care of the thieves he chased.

It really was kind of nice down here though, Camden had to admit. The water was warm and crystal clear, if a little salty, which was weird but he figured maybe that was part of why they named it what they did. With a moment to catch his breath he didn't care where he had ended up, since he didn't have a farmer hot on his heels.

That is, until he noticed that in their fall the roasted chicken had been tragically destroyed. Being carried in a full run during a wild chase and then crashing into a pool of water may not have been something the once tasty meal was meant to survive. Camden figured he should have been happy the two of them had managed it in one piece.

"Look what you have done now," he snapped at Trinity as he tried to hold up the mangled remains of the chicken. "I go to all the trouble to get your favorite breakfast and you ruin a perfectly good meal." Camden was not about to thank his sister for saving both of their hides, but he had no problem blaming her for his grumbling belly.

"Me," Trinity objected instantly, "who stole that food without even thinking about how he might get away with it? You always do this Cam," Trinity began to explain. "Every time you act without thinking and then we have to run for our necks. You're just lucky I thought of this place when I did." She knew her little brother was never going to change, much less thank her let alone apologize.

"How did you know about this place," Camden asked her as it occurred to him he wasn't sure how she could have known. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing he expected her to know about. "I read about it in a book once," Trinity answered as she made her way to the pool's edge. "We should start to make our way back up and find our way out of here."

"Yeah, yeah," Camden agreed as he started to follow her. He couldn't help but notice though that the light down here looked funny. Well, at least he could say both of them had managed to get a bath this morning. With a grin they both wadded their way up out of the pool and giggled at how they were both cleaner than usual.

Little did they know that they now carried the blessing of the Pool of Tears, and as they made their way out of its mystical waters the whole of the forest watched over them.

\- Episode 6 -

Tossed aside into a pile several strange items were laid in a clearing. The entire forest had watched as they were discarded before Thatch and Cobble had surrendered into a deep slumber. Trees whispered to one another in a language so old almost none still living could have understood it. Grass and stone looked up to see that even the wind was dancing about as it playfully considered what to do. They couldn't allow even the remote chance that Thatch or Cobble might retrieve the items when they awoke. It was far too dangerous for them to fall into the hands of Baron Samael.

But there was one possible option - the children. The idea made the wind tickle the trees and ruffle the grass. Yes, the children who even now were walking this way. A subtle shift in the forest path they followed and they would pass right by this very spot. Just to be safe the trees moved a few branches as well and let a stray sun bean peek down upon the items.

Delighted and giggling the wind raced away to watch with anticipation as the pair were wandering up. The trees grew silent, in their wisdom it was best to let things happen as they would. Once Camden and Trinity had touched the Pool of Tears the forest had seen their worth. It had measured them in a way and if there had been even a drop of evil or doubt within them they would have never made it out of the pool. For the Pool truly was a sacred place, and only anything pure had ever witnessed it and been allowed to live.

Camden and Trinity had actually been fairly lucky picking the path they did; it had actually led back up out of the rocky walls. If they had picked any other path it might have taken hours to find their way, or they might not have found their way at all. Camden couldn't help but think they had been luckier than usual. Well, except for the roast chicken part, it would still take some time before he got over that one.

Trinity herself couldn't shake the feeling that something was different. She could almost hear something, faint and distant like a giggle. The sound reminded her of wind chimes or a baby laughing, it was kind of musical. Cam was probably just playing another joke on her she figured and left it alone.

Camden's hand suddenly grabbed at Trinity's wrist and without making a sound he gestured for her to be quiet. Two figures lay sleeping in the clearing and right there before them sat several objects lying in the sun all by their self. While Trinity tried to figure out why these things were cast aside or who the two travelers might be she watched as her brother was already scooping them up without hesitation.

There wasn't any time to debate the matter, Camden motioned for her to come on and the two left as fast and quiet as they could. Well, Trinity had to admit at least they could put some ground between them and the two asleep. But she couldn't help but think that Camden had just managed to bring even more trouble their way.

\- Episode 7 -

After traveling for what seemed like forever Camden and Trinity finally decided to stop and rest. And just to be safe they tucked themselves under an old fallen tree that was partially hollow. At least that way if the two sleepers had tried to follow them they wouldn't be easy to spot.

"You're still doing it, Cam!" Trinity fussed at him. He didn't even seem to hear her as he dumped his bundle down on the ground. Camden smiled one of his big silly grins as he held up two of the items. "Look, Trin, I got you a present," he proclaimed as if he had just returned from the city market triumphant. She was about to correct him but when the light caught what he was offering her she lost her train of thought.

"Oh, thank you Cam," she said with a squeal as she accepted his pseudo-gifts. It was a simple book with a faint etching of a horn on the cover and a silver and ivory pendant. Trinity had always adored both books and jewelry but they were the kind of gifts one gave to a noble lady or someone wealthy enough to purchase them for one. It wasn't something a kid much less a poor one would ever have.

As she inspected her newfound treasure she couldn't help but spot a smudge of dirt. Those two they had come across most likely had pawed over this prize with their dirty hands before throwing it aside like garbage. "Uneducated mongrels," Trinity muttered to herself. The very notion that anyone could treat a book in such a way was utter insult, at least to her.

The hem of her dress was still partially damp; she was certain she could at least wipe it down and get some of the dirt off. While she set herself to cleaning her treasured little tome, her brother was already scrutinizing his own preferred prizes. It may not have seemed like much to anyone else but to him his heart was already awash in wonder.

Two items out of all the bobbles called to him, catching his eye. One was a rather plain long dagger that wasn't quite big enough to be a sword but clearly wasn't a typical dagger either. He had heard stories, even seen a few on the sides of knights, this had to be the kind of dagger they used to defend themselves when they couldn't use their swords. The blade was thick and sturdy, clearly made more for use instead of looks.

The other thing to interest Camden was a leather bracer, it didn't have a match but it did have a shiny silver stud on top. Or at least it would have been shiny; it was a little tarnished from not being taken care of in a while. Camden didn't care; he finally had something that let him feel more like an adventuring hero.

"Cam," Trinity called to him, her voice while quiet had an edge to it that grabbed his full attention. Her book was glowing, and as her eyes poured over the first page it was slowly changing from a blank one to become covered in strange words. When next she spoke her tone was musical and different.

"Virtue is the key for any who desire to enter me. The Vault of Echoes shall mirror forth that which is within and weight your worth." Trinity closed her eyes as she shut her book. "Cam," she began, "I think we're into a different kind of trouble."

"Not trouble, Trin, adventure!" Camden corrected with eyes that burned full of excitement.

\- Episode 8 -

The very ground itself shook as Baron Samael's voice echoed like thunder. "What do you mean you didn't bring me everything you fool?" He was genuinely furious, so much so that the stone tower was threatening to come crashing down. All his plans, all those years of carefully positioning everything could be ruined.

"Tell me again, you ignorant wretches, what is the fate of the key? Where is it right now?" the Baron asked them while still rubbing at his forehead. Sheepishly, Thatch was the first to open his mouth. "Uhm, gee Baron, there wasn't any keys that we found. I looked over everything real good, and I couldn't find anything that looked like a key at all."

After a moment Cobble decided to add to the explanation as well. "Yeah, Baron, we did toss a few pieces of junk out for you though. But it was only a blank old book and some other stuff that we left in the woods. We figured you would be proud of us, wasn't that smart of us? Huh, Baron, didn't we do well?" Before the Baron could even turn on his heel to gaze at his blundering minions, Thatch had already nudged Cobble for mentioning it.

"A book you say? You complete blunder-heads! Was I not crystal clear? Did I not give you the utterly simplest of instructions? You were to go there and recover every single thing and return to me with all of it. And what of my crow, what has happened to it? Why wasn't I even informed to expect your return, as instructed?" By now even Thatch and Cobble could feel the power that was hanging in the air as it built upon the Baron's rage.

"It was killed by a starving hunter, Baron," Thatch scrambled to explain. Cobble opened his mouth to protest but he quickly stomped his foot to try and mask his cohorts objection. "After we obtained your items we were set upon by an armed hunter who took us by surprise. We barely made it out of there with anything but he managed to strike the bird with a lucky arrow." Desperately Thatch prayed the Baron believed the tale, that and that Cobble had just enough sense left to keep his own mouth firmly shut on the matter. This could very well be the only chance they had to not end up as specimens in a jar, or worse.

The Baron's mind raced and riddled over his next course of action. These two might have just completely destroyed all his plans in a single moment of stupidity. But then again, he had chosen them for the task even though he was never one to let blame set on his shoulders. There was always the chance that this whole matter might still be salvaged. Perhaps the book was still safely setting within the forest and had yet to be found by anyone else.

"I shall spare your miserable lives but know this; your fates are now bound to my plans. Should they fail me even in the slightest the both of you can be assured to feel the full measure of my displeasure." A voice from deep within Baron Samael warned him that this wasn't a good idea. Both Thatch and Cobble had screwed things up terribly so far, odds were they would only make matters worse.

However, he really didn't have too many other disposable assets to send forth at the moment. Plus, only these two maggots for brains knew where they had left the book. A second thought occurred to him before sending them on their way. "Do make certain that should the book not be where you claim then it might be wise to not return until you locate it. And if it has fallen into another's hands, then do whatever is necessary to recover it."

Emerald flames burned behind the Baron's eyes as he peered straight through Thatch and Cobble. "Bring back that book - no matter what it takes!" Neither of the two waited to be asked if they understood; it was obvious to them both. They both scurried down the tower as fast as their feet could carry them.

\- Episode 9 -

"It'll be getting dark soon Cam, we really should be finding a place to bed down for the night." Trinity was right, of course, but it didn't mean Camden had to like it, or make it easy on her. "It isn't dark yet though Trin, we could still make it a little further before we do." Trinity begrudgingly nodded to her brother and the two continued on through the forest.

"Why can't you ever just accept that sometimes I am right?" she asked Camden's back. "That is an easy one; it's because you're always playing it way too safe. If we only listened to you then we would never have any fun or find half the opportunities for adventure that we do. Besides, you would have never even picked up these things, would you?"

Trinity did have to stop and think about that one. She honestly couldn't say she would have just picked them up, even if they had been left there without anyone around. Who knows who they had belonged to or what kind of trouble they could bring. But Camden had already taken them and something told her there wasn't any returning them now. Not that she could really bring herself to consider parting with them now. They had kind of grown on her already and felt important to her. She couldn't resist the idea now that they belonged to her as much as she might belong to them.

"Do you wonder maybe why these things were tossed aside like they were? Or, I don't know, get curious what those two were even doing with them? It doesn't seem like something normal, does it?" Always worrying, always asking question - that was his sister for you thought Camden.

"Quit being so concerned! They were asleep and had thrown these things away, it is that simple. This was just stuff they didn't want any more or something why would that be a problem? Probably they should have thanked us for taking it for them." The sun was starting to pass behind the hills to the west, making Camden secretly have to admit to himself that his sister had been right.

"Hey, Trin, it looks like it is getting dark already. I got an idea; maybe we should head over there to that old granary to hide for the night." Camden didn't want to bother thinking too hard about the matter; to him it just seemed like a good idea. They would need shelter for the night and that right there was obviously some shelter they could make use of.

"And you honestly don't think the farmer there will mind when in the morning he'll find two strange children asleep in his granary?" Trinity pointed out. "Details, details," Camden complained with a groan. "I doubt that thing is even used much anymore, and besides we'll be awake and long gone before some old farmer finds us. That is if there is even anyone still working this farm at all."

Trinity couldn't agree with her brother on this one. He obviously wasn't even really thinking anything through but the last light of day was quickly fading so arguing seemed pointless. They needed a place to sleep and here was a place, regardless of what it might mean for them come morning. With a sigh she motioned for Camden to lead the way.

"Let's get some rest then," she admitted. "And I hope that for once your right." "Trust me," Camden replied as they slipped inside. "What could possibly happen? It'll be fine." Trinity hated it when he said that.

\- Episode 10 -

Old Mal never had been one to wait for the rooster to inform him it was time to start the day. In a way he figured anyone who used to know him wouldn't be surprised, he had always had a knack for getting things done even before it was readily known they needed to be. But back in those days he had been a bit of a legend, everyone knew the name Malthurion Abardeen. Or, rather Sir Malthurion Abardeen, if your inclined to be formal.

Mal had served the kingdom honorably for many years and championed many great causes. He had never truly been bested in battle nor had his courage ever really been questioned. As far as any knew he had been one of the greatest knights ever to serve the kingdom. But as he had seen the years pass by Mal had found less and less that he looked for glory or renown. In truth he had never accomplished anything while seeking such fame or reward. Yet by doing all he had it had came pouring in. It wasn't something that had ever truly set well with him and as his legend grew he came to be burdened by it more and more.

Eventually, Mal decided to turn his back on his life of service and seek a quieter life. He took up some old farm land offered to him for his years of dedicated duty and set his days to working it. The truth of it all though was that still, deep down, Mal had never changed. If ever he saw a good hearted person in need his old fiery dedication would roar back to life and drive him to do whatever he could to help. You might say compassion had always been a weakness that drove his courage.

One welcome reward Mal was grateful for was that with the slow passing of the years his name had slipped from everyone's memory. At least in his retirement he could rest without hearing everyone recount his various exploits. Every time he used to hear the tales of his deeds retold they always managed to sound bigger and bigger than the reality of the matter. It was the kind of thing that made him feel like he never could have lived up to the image everyone had of him. So, instead of letting everyone down he just quietly stepped aside. He had done his duty, and more than a few good deeds. But in a way he had always felt that he owed the kingdom more.

As he walked towards the granary however his thoughts shifted slightly as a grin threatened to show on his face. Someone had left the door cracked open, just a hair. Any other farmer might not have even noticed or bothered to care. But old Mal was never short on caring, and if someone had been desperate enough to sneak into his granary for the night then he figured the least he could do was show them some hospitality. Even if it wouldn't exactly be free.

He firmly tapped the tip of his thick oaken cane on the old granary door allowing the sound to echo up and around inside the aged building like a bell. "Rise, now," Mal snapped the order like he was commanding young recruits once again. "You can shovel out the stalls in the barn and feed the animals, and then meet me at the house for a meal." After a short pause he slammed his cane to the door once more. "Hop to, and don't bother trying to sneak off. I have the eyes of a hawk, ears of a wolf, and know every member of the watch from here to the ends of the kingdom."

Mal had to fight doubly hard not to giggle aloud as he walked back to the house. At least he was going to have a little break from some of the chores this morning but more importantly he felt good about helping whoever was hiding in his granary. It wasn't the best of places to spend the night and he figured at the very least they might be hungry.

Camden refused to even look over at his sister, he was already certain she was leveling her best 'I told you so' stare at him. And, to be fair, she was.

\- Episode 11 -

Old Mal was already busying himself fixing breakfast for his guests. He hoped some of his livestock wasn't in a particularly grumpy mood today, especially his cantankerous old steed; Percival. That irritable old horse was often ill tempered and prone to never behaving himself for anyone except Mal. As he lit the stove, Mal made a gesture in the air and wished his visitors luck.

"So what is your glorious plan for today, oh wise and magnificent Camden?" Trinity mocked her brother while she picked something out of her hair. She would love to know what he figured on doing about this new turn of events. Especially considering it was his idea to stay here for the night when he refused to listen to her.

"As much as I can't stand doing actual work," Camden began to speak as he watched the sun rising in the sky. "I hate hearing your I told you so's as much as your offers to solve the problem for me. So, I reckon we'll just bite the bolt and do a few silly chores for this old coot. He did offer a meal and then we'll be on our way."

Trinity had to blink for a second as it all sank in. Did Camden just seriously agree not only to actually doing real work, but also just think it over? Oh, wait, it quickly occurred to her that he had also pointed out that he despised hearing her say I told you so. With a sigh of relief Trinity realized her brother hadn't changed overnight on her - he just wasn't about to admit she had been right.

"I'll start with the feeding Trin, you see if you can find a shovel," Camden told her with a laugh. He was already out the door and heading towards what had to serve as the barn. Trinity groaned with frustration, she wasn't about to let him get off with the easy work. She had to sprint to catch up with him and managed only just to do as the both of them reached the barn door.

This shouldn't be too difficult they both thought as they looked around them. Most of the stalls were empty, save for a handful of chickens, a tired cow that almost looked ancient, and a massive horse. Camden had never seen such a strong looking horse before, at least not up this close. He was sure it had to be able to easily carry at least two maybe even three knights in full armor and then some. But as he reached up to touch the majestic creature it stomped it hooves and jerked its head angrily.

"On second thought, you can feed them Trin," Camden said shakily. Let her deal with the temperamental thing, he certainly wasn't about to get himself kicked by anything with legs that huge. He didn't wait for his sister to agree before he started looking around for the shovel.

Trinity was about to say something to pick on her brother but instead found she was curious at what had changed his mind. She looked up and into the horse's big dark eyes and felt a strange tickle from where her pendant now hung. Something strange and far away seemed to be trying to tell her something and for a second she thought she could hear the rustle of pages.

But when she opened her mouth to speak it wasn't words that came out. Instead, Trinity found herself still gazing up at the creature as a soothing song flowed out of her and washed over the animal. Where moments before the temperamental titan had been agitated and reluctant to allow anyone to touch him, now it seemed calm and friendly. How had she done that? She had sung many a song over the years but never anything that caused any manner of reaction like this.

"Hurry up Trin," Camden called to her. "How long does it take to toss some food in there anyways?" The question made her wonder just how long she had been standing there as well. Trinity quickly shook it from her mind and tried to finish up. The thought of a good meal sounded wonderful to her, which meant Camden was probably starving too. And he was never known to be the most patient person in the world. If she wanted to make sure that he didn't try to eat both their food then she best finish.

Once they were both done the two raced straight for the house. But for Trinity something else was weighing on her mind other than just a fresh meal.

\- Episode 12 -

"Well I can see the two of you are both in one piece," Mal pointed out as they approached the door. "Either you haven't met Percival, or you know some secret trick nobody else ever has. I don't think I have ever seen anyone other than me that he would tolerate, quite frankly - period." Curious, Mal arched one eyebrow up and narrowed his gaze right at the children. "Mind sharing with me just how you managed it?"

Camden had no clue how his sister had pulled that little miracle off. Actually, he had been betting his sister would have been limping her way out of the barn. He was sure there had been zero chance of him not getting mangled by that muscled monster of a horse. "Yeah, how did you manage that Trin?" Camden decided to ask as well. Now even he was getting curious.

Trinity opened her mouth to answer them but something in her face must have given her away. Mal seemed to be able to read the doubt written on her, the very fact she herself wasn't even sure was somehow obvious. "I am not really sure," Trinity stumbled to explain. "I think I might have sung him a little song."

Apparently Camden thought the answer was hilarious, but then again he had often made fun of her singing. Mal though, he just nodded and told them to hurry in and eat before the food was cold. It was her turn to notice the look of deep contemplation etched on his brow.

And then for some strange reason something came to mind, it was the name of something that she had seen in that book. As they all began to set down to eat she could hear herself ask the question before she even knew what she was doing.

"Have you ever heard of something called the 'Vault of Echoes'?" Mal's heart skipped a beat and his plate fell to the floor. His voice became a coarse whisper that barely slipped from his lips. "How do you know of that place?" the old knight implored of them.

When Trinity answered him, he could hear it in her voice this child had no idea what she was asking about. "I read about it in a book," she stated before repeating the little rhyme. Mal recited the passage along side her word for word:

Virtue is the key for any who desire to enter me. The Vault of Echoes shall mirror forth that which is within and weight your worth.

Memories flooded back to the retired hero, he could still see clearly all the dangerous things he himself had locked away inside the Vault under the order of the King. It had been a long standing mission of the Knights to seek out anything too dangerous in power that was out there and lock it away for the safety of the realm. Mal himself had even seen to removing all the records of the Vaults location so that no one might seek it out. It was one of his greatest reliefs that the kingdom could rest easy knowing that so many terrible threats were buried never to trouble them again.

"This could be very, very bad," Mal said more to himself than anyone else. "You are going to have to tell me everything." Camden and Trinity wasn't sure why but they did as he asked and told him everything. It took awhile, since they started with as far back as they could remember but they did eventually work their way up to how they found the strange items.

Long before they did, Mal had already decided two things. One was that it looked like he was going to come out of his retirement. And the other was that these two kids needed someone to look after them. In fact, they deserved it. Well, Mal figured he still had a few more adventures left in his old bones and it looked liked duty was calling once again.

\- Episode 13 -

"Hit him again, he has to know something," Thatch said firmly. Cobble held aloft in his left hand a battered farmer whose face already sported a few bruises. He raised his right hand, a big meaty and calloused thing almost the size of a mallet to threaten his helpless victim.

"I told you, the only thing I know is there was a pair of little thieves that stole some chicken from me, but they fell into the Pool of Tears trying to flee. There is no way they made it out and they are the only one I have seen besides you two lately." The farmer had the look of desperation in his eyes; he had already taken enough of a pounding he would do anything to avoid any more.

"Please," he begged, "I swear that's all I know." Cobble didn't want to hit him anymore but he wasn't sure what to do so he waited for Thatch who he figured was thinking it over. After a few long moments of silence Thatch finally spoke. "Alright, we'll take your word for it, but if we have to come back this way my friend here won't bother to pause for us to ask any more questions. Understand?"

The pummeled farmer nodded as he fought to keep his feet under him, he had been sure these two had meant to leave him dead. "Let's go Cobble," Thatch declared as he turned to look around. Which way was this Pool of Tears again he wondered. "Is that Pool the one where people say you never come back from?" Cobble asked sheepishly. He looked up to see Thatch nod in agreement. "Isn't that the one that's over that way by where we had the nice nap?" Cobble continued while pointing off towards the woods.

"How do you even possibly think you might know where the Pool of Tears is?" Thatch snapped as his head shot around to look down at Cobble. His cohort merely shrugged back at him. "I seriously doubt that you're right Cobb," Thatch told him. "But I guess we best go have a look just the same."

"What are we going to do if it was two kids who found those things Thatch?" Cobble inquired as the two headed out. "Hope we find them hiding at some nearby farm or something and they still have them," Thatch stopped to explain. His face had the expression of dire earnest as he muttered quietly to add; "We both know what awaits us if we can't find them."

Cobble swallowed hard at that thought, and hurried to follow Thatch. It was a frightening thing to even consider, even for his simple mind.

\- Episode 14 -

"Those two Neanderthals will never manage to accomplish the task you set them on, you know that right?" The Baron immediately recognized the voice that drifted through the shadows and delicately brushed his ear. It was both soft like a stray beam of moonlight and yet it also held a carefully veiled razor's edge. There was but one person capable of being both a thing of beauty and coldly vicious as any predator - Lady Adriana.

As sinister as they come the Lady had been a strong supporter of Baron Samael, providing him with key information. Even now she seemed to purr advice in his ear. "And what then do you propose, my dear?" The Baron let the question effortlessly roll from his tongue without looking up. He knew better than to allow her to distract him as she often easily did.

"I think the solution should be obvious," she declared casually. "If the likely result is that your servants should fail then we must be prepared to consider taking action. When that happens I think it save to presume that whoever has the key will endeavor to seek out the Vault. All I propose is to position myself to follow them to our prize and then reward them appropriately for their hard work."

The Baron couldn't argue with her logic, not really but he also felt like he detected a certain glee creep into her tone. It wouldn't surprise him at all to think that she might possibly enjoy her little plan, much less personally dealing with whoever now troubled them. "That does sound prudent," The Baron agreed. "We have worked too hard for too long to let our plans be ruined now."

"Very well then," Lady Adriana whispered with a curtsy before stalking out of FrostThorn tower. There was a dark joy in her step as she echoed across the tower's stone. She was determined to keep everything on track, and so very happy to do so.

\- Episode 15 -

"We must be ready," Mal's voice was clear and resolute as he stood across from Camden in the morning sun. He had replaced his thick oaken cane with a sturdy steel blade and wore the stern face of a Knight once more.

"If someone has managed to locate the Vault then we have to be prepared. They may look for you two to reclaim what you now hold, and even if they do not we have a duty to make sure the Vault's guardians still defend it." Mal had roused them from bed just before dawn, every bit the old veteran knight ready to put his charges through their paces.

"Attack me," He ordered Camden who was still trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes and stifle a yawn. "But all I have is this dagger, that really doesn't seem fair," Camden protested. "Boy, I have served the realm for many years and there are a few simple truths I can tell you. For one, nobody ever waited for me to get an equal footing or arm myself before they attacked me. Two, you have at your disposal more weapons than that you wield in your hand. You have a mind in your skull, breath in you, and a beating heart. Make use of everything you have - use your arms, fists, feet, everything. Don't limit your options to only think of the weapon in your grasp, to do so is foolish. But you also should not discount what you carry; I have seen them before. That blade was borne before you by a worthy friend; he died most unfortunately when we placed the guardians in the Vault. It is more than an equal for any sword you will find and I don't think he ever even found its full potential. We had decided to leave him with it both to honor him and to ensure it never fell into wicked hands."

"Now, I don't like wasting time or repeating myself - strike at me!" This time Camden reluctantly charged forward and thrust straight ahead at Mal's middle. The cunning and experienced knight only waited for him to close the distance between them before he spun with a grin. With a pivot he twisted his own arm at the elbow and angled his blade down. The two shafts of forged steel sang as they connected and the force startled Camden driving him to the side. He had to fight to regain his footing as well as halt himself, his momentum threatening to continue to carry him forward.

"Defend," roared Mal as he raised his sword to arc downward toward his student's unprotected back. Camden had little time to even think of how to react and instead had to resort to pure instinctive reflex. He twisted swiftly and threw his left arm up to try and block the blow only realizing at the last second that it was a sword that now moved towards his forearm, not a club or some such. The only thing that stood between his tender flesh and cold steel was a simple leather band with a dull silver stud. Camden couldn't hide the panic from his face and even as Mal pulled the blow to a halt he knew it was likely to at the least leave a nasty cut upon the boy.

But instead of seeing blood flow a blue arc flashed to life with a pale flicker that stopped the oncoming assault. The impact deflected Mal's old blade to the side almost as readily as thick strong shield of worked steel. Luck truly had blessed these two young orphans indeed! He made sure to note to himself how Camden had reacted to the attack; it had been some time since he had seen anyone that young with such good reflexes. With further training he might one day be able to hone the boy into a worthy knight himself.

"Very good," he congratulated Camden without dropping his serious demeanor. "There are some old pells out behind the house, go back there and practice striking at them and I will come to check on you shortly. You need to get used to swinging that blade of yours some."

"But what are you going to do?" Camden asked impulsively. "Don't question me boy, go on and get to work, now!" Mal barked with every ounce of authoritative tone he could muster. The result was always the same, even now after all these years; Camden took off as fast as his feet could carry him to obey.

Mal waited a few breaths to make sure the lad was well out of earshot before he allowed himself a quick chuckle. "Now," he told himself decisively, "to check on the lass and prepare her." That was going to be both more difficult of a task in itself but also just as important. Because if he wasn't mistaken what she was carrying now was the very key to an ancient magic few dared wield. It was powerful enough that it could unlock the Vault itself but it required a pure heart. Supposedly the legends had said it was a gift given freely from a Unicorn to a repay an act of kindness made by a benevolent traveler.

Hopefully she could unlock its secrets to help them keep it safe until they could return it to the Vault. And if anything had happened to the guardians of the Vault then it alone might be the last chance to reseal it permanently. There simply was too much at risk to even chance anything else being removed.

\- Episode 16 -

"Hey, Cobble," Thatch made sure to keep his voice low and pointed over to an old farm house to direct his peer's perspective to match where his own was trained. "Look, there is a boy over there, all by himself," he whispered while rubbing at his chin. Cobble was quite used to the gesture; it generally meant to him that his vertically gifted peer was deep in contemplation. "Didn't the farmer say it was a pair of 'little thieves' that stole from him?"

Cobble had to try really hard to remember what the farmer had said but he couldn't seem to. So he just shrugged his reply at Thatch before deciding to add a simple; "I don't know, I forget." As usual Thatch responded with a groan of exasperation before chiding Cobble. "You know if you paid just a half a grain of attention sometimes we might not get into these messes!"

After a few long moments the two watched the boy draw a small weapon and begin hacking and bobbing around some wooden poles. Whatever he was doing was lost on both of them but there he was out there all alone. "Even if this isn't one of the two the farmer spoke of, this farm is too close to not check it out," Thatch asserted. "We'll grab the brat and question him. Either they have the key the Baron needs or they at least maybe know something about who might have passed this way."

Arrogant and assured of their superiority Thatch hefted up a makeshift club. "I'll give him a good whack and you tie him up," instructed Thatch. Cobble pulled out a long length of rope and nodded, he did so prefer these simple plans. "Ready," Cobble grunted.

The two inept minions charged up and out of the brush towards Camden crunching twigs underfoot as they went. Like a lightning bolt Camden's head jerked around to notice two figures racing towards him. One with a club in and hand and the other rope - it didn't take a scholar to guess the pairs intentions.

Without a moment to lose, Camden threw himself into motion deciding to trust in his own instincts. He knew there wasn't time to stop and think about what to do, so he charged at the oncoming attackers. Thatch slammed down towards him hard with his club trying to knock the boy to the ground. But he didn't expect the resistance of some unseen force from Camden's left arm. The moment of confusion was all he needed to roll aside.

Immediately Camden spotted the rope and slashed at it with his blade severing it in two. It was Cobble's turn to be bewildered as a short "huh?" escaped him. Seizing upon the opportunity Camden grabbed at the end of the rope pitched his momentum into a wide slide that carried him behind his attackers.

Thatch and Cobble fell hard on their backs to land in the dirt. Furious they fought to regain their balance and stand. "You're going to pay for that kid!" snapped Thatch whose face now began to burn red. Camden knew he had managed to get lucky so far and as he watched Cobble set his jaw it became clear. These two were determined to take him, and without some help soon they might just succeed.

Surely Mal or Trinity had heard something and would be here any minute Camden figured, right?

\- Episode 17 -

Mal already felt vastly out of his depth. He had only just begun to try and talk to Trinity but he had immediately found himself grasping for what to say. The triumphant veteran had been victorious in countless battles; he had reclaimed and locked away untold scores of dangerous relics. But when it came to trying to talk to a young lady he wasn't quite sure how to handle the matter.

"The book you carry, it is quite special," Mal struggled to explain matters. This had been so much easier with the boy! "You said you had already read from it, right?" he decided to change his approach and asked.

Trinity looked up at the old knight's kind eyes and saw how nervous he was behind the mask that even now seemed to be failing him. She wasn't sure how but she could feel a subtle flow in things around her, kind of like how she had somehow felt the agitation in Percival. In some way she had started to realize she had altered or shifted some aspect of the animal's mood. At the time it didn't make sense to her but now it was all starting to become clear.

"Yes," Trinity lowered her head as she answered not completely sure how what she wanted to say would sound. "I was cleaning some dirt off the book since my dress was still damp I was just going to wipe it down. We had fallen into the Pool of Tears before we had stumbled onto those two sleeping guys. They had thrown some of the stuff they were carrying aside into a pile like they were sorting through what to keep and what to throw away or something. Anyway, Camden had grabbed the discarded items and we ran for it."

Mal had already heard the story once but he let Trinity tell it again, she seemed to need to. "The pages were blank, I had opened the book and it was empty." Trinity looked up at him and this time he could see the confusion that had plagued her. "It was blank, and then all of a sudden the writing just started to fill itself in on the pages - it was even glowing. How could it do that?"

The question was more of a plea for understanding than one to merely seek some arbitrary answer. "The book is very special," Mal let his voice drop down to as soft a tone as he could. "It is an ancient tome that legend says was a gift given freely from a Unicorn to repay an act of selfless kindness. But it was locked away because it was too dangerous to risk it being sought out by the wrong hands. The legend claims it required a pure heart to unlock its secrets but nobody knows for sure. I don't think anyone has ever managed it except maybe who it was first given to, that is if the legend is true."

"If you have already managed to read from the book then you have been allowed to do something truly precious." Mal wasn't sure how and had no explanation to offer, he was a man of blade and battle. This wasn't exactly within his realm of expertise. "All I can say is that it is very important that we keep this book safe and try our best to ensure the Vault is secure. The only advice I can offer is that the book has opened itself to you and you alone. Only you will be able to look to it, but if it really has deemed you worthy - perhaps then you will be able to use its secrets to help."

A sudden clamor interrupted the conversation and both Trinity and Mal spun their heads to redirect their attention. It was coming from behind the farm house. "I sent Camden back there to practice," Mal stated absently. "And that doesn't sound like him practicing," Trinity added.

Worry gripped both of them heavy in the pit of their stomach. Neither of them had to say another word as they both rushed out the door to investigate.

\- Episode 18 -

A strange scene unfolded before Mal and Trinity as they rounded the corner of the farm house. There, facing down a pair of oddly mismatched thugs was Camden and he was fighting for all he was worth. The taller of the two was slamming and swinging a club around savagely while his shorter partner grappled to grab Camden. It was amazing that these two had not yet managed to seize the brave boy who defied them like the swirling wind.

"He can't keep that up forever," Mal remarked with a tone that was level and firm. He drew forth his sword and studied the fight before him, measuring for just the right moment. It never paid to charge in blind or you might actually cause more harm than good to who you sought to help. "I'll try to lend him a blade, you see if there is anything you can do as well."

Trinity didn't even get a chance to agree, or ask any number of the questions that leaped to mind at that plan. What was she supposed to do in a fight? But Mal was already stomping his way directly into the melee and she was left to think of something herself. Where Camden had been a whirlwind of instinct and reflex it was obvious that his strength couldn't last. Mal was a stark contrast, his movements were fluid and he parried with a strategic skill. It was like watching a chess master demonstrating himself; he somehow even seemed to be able to predict Camden's almost random movements.

Witnessing Mal in his own element was truly a sight to behold. Trinity had never seen anyone who seemed to be able to fight like that and this old man wore no armor and wielded not one item of magic. How did she know that? The question rang a bell within her mind; it brought her back to her senses and allowed her to focus. Mal had told her that only she could look to the book for help.

And she really could some help right now. Trinity closed her eyes and seized on that thought riding it down to a calm place inside where she tried to concentrate on it. "Please, I cannot let them take him," she compelled the empty air for aid. "I can't let him be hurt, he's my little brother - he is all I have."

A single tear formed to roll down her cheek as Trinity's mind wrestled to think of something. While she watched on Camden barely managed to throw his left arm in the way of Cobble's face to stun a desperate charge and halt what would have been a crushing tackle. There was no more thinking about what to do, no more helpless worry left for Trinity. She opened the book and her necessity transformed into action as pages ruffled of their own accord. Words danced to life on the page like leaves falling from trees and caught on a breeze. Trinity could hear them whispered into her ears as she felt them flow out of her carried upon her voice.

It was the most beautiful song she had ever heard, the melody of it lifted her up and washed through her while a single purpose drove her. She could not allow them to hurt her brother or take him from her. Trinity refused to be separated from Camden; it was something she had always feared. The magic had given form to that desire and shaped it into life. Answering to her call was the very wind itself that blasted to life to rush past her as it delighted in her song.

Camden was breathing hard from behind Mal who stood resolute with his guard raised in the boy's defense. Thatch and Cobble were preparing for another assault when a column of air swept around their foes to slam into them. It was like a massive sledge hammer had connected with them square in the chest, driving their breath from them and propelling them backwards. If not for a rather thick trunked old tree the two might have been carried far off into the distance. Instead, Trinity could just make out two figures as they struggled against the force of the wind to get to their feet before fleeing.

With the threat to her brother gone she could feel the driving force fueling her song leaving her. And as it did a terrible exhaustion rose to grip her turning the world around her into darkness. Relieved, a smile marked her face as Trinity collapsed to the ground still clutching her book. Without her doing so, it had managed to become closed.

Too tired to think Camden let his legs lower him down to the ground. There would be time for someone to explain what had just happened to him later he figured. But for Mal, he now found himself even more worried about the Vault.

\- Episode 19 -

Awaiting Thatch and Cobble deep within the forest stood Lady Adriana proud and majestic. Surrounding her there was a pack of no less than six strange beasts that looked to be restless and ready to obey her command. They were something unknown to Thatch or Cobble but their own primal instinct told them immediately to fear them as sure as any predator is a source of terror to its prey.

The beasts resembled something akin to a massive wolf almost as much as it did a hulking cat. Their eyes seemed to shine reflecting of the diffused forest light as they paced back and forth without taking their gaze from the approaching pair. While Thatch looked to the Lady he tried to riddle out what was going on and Cobble settled for keeping his attention on claws and jaws.

Lady Adriana took pleasure in the fear presented before her. Everyone prioritizes threats differently she supposed, and it always amused her at how different people did so. A dark power slithered to life within her and she let it work its way into her voice before she spoke. "Report to me, you worthless worms; tell me everything!" She gave the command with a voice that sounded like steel being honed. It carried to Thatch and Cobble's ears and she grinned with a certain sinister satisfaction as she watched her own subtle magic take hold.

For a split second Thatch had been only thinking of The Baron, and then this mysterious Lady was standing before him. He couldn't help but feel like he was missing something but as she spoke he felt compelled to answer her. It seemed so very important. There was something vital he had to tell the Baron, they had found the key! And yet, somehow, all he could think of was how he needed to tell this Lady. All of a sudden it was she whom he feared, this lady who was to be obeyed.

Before either of them knew what they were doing they both gave Lady Adriana a detailed report of how they had found the Key. Especially making sure to punctuate the discovery of the fact with how it had been used to expedite their escape. While they spoke Lady Adriana watched with the gaze of a night hawk that never wavered from them. Had she even blinked? Thatch wondered but quickly discarded the notion.

"You and my pets will strike them at dawn," the Lady declared icily. "When the sun rises in the sky you will attack, but make no mistake; you are only to harass them. I don't want them killed - yet. Your only to speed them on their way, I will follow them to what we seek and deal with them personally."

In a swirl of ghostly flames of blues, blacks and purples the Lady shifted spinning to take on the form of a vicious bird like creature. As it flexed its wings it turned to regard Thatch and Cobble with the eyes of a ruthless hunter. "Understood?" it asked in an inhuman mimicry of speech.

Thatch and Cobble both gulped down a deep understanding of what might await them if they didn't agree and nodded. And with that she took flight off into the trees leaving the two to look around them at the strange creatures that they just now realized they would be spending the night in the company of. A second round of shudders and gulps was certainly in order.

\- Episode 20 -

"You did well boy, now leave the ground be and help me move your sister into the house." Camden looked up from the cool dirt that felt so good on his weary back to regard Mal. How was this old man not exhausted like him, he couldn't understand it. "Oh, alright," Camden complained with a groan. "Can't we just wake her up though? I don't see why we have to pack her or anything. We did do all the fighting; she could at least take her own self inside."

When Mal turned to look down at Camden his eyes flashed with a fiery forge of fury, his voice held the edge of restrained thunder. "Your sister just did what nobody else has done in countless ages - she channeled the raw magical energies of nature itself. She read from a book nobody else ever could to bend the very wind to her service. I could have bested those two with cold steel but she did so with mere words. And without her they might have managed to kill or take you from her before I could stop them. You don't get it boy, what we face isn't a pair of thugs, we face something far worse and they want everything ever locked away in the Vault of Echoes. Those petty trinkets you have are nothing compared to what rests there, and your sister not only has the key but just proved to them that she now is the key. Now that she can tap into the ancient secrets of the book, they will come for her now as well. Our only hope is to get her rested and protect her until we can reach the Vault to ensure it is still secure. Then we can deal with what happens next. But until then we have to keep her safe."

It took Camden a few breaths to realize Mal had stopped speaking. He was ashamed of himself, it was one thing to give her a hard time goofing around since she was his sister but this was serious. Camden hadn't realized just how dire things were or how fortunate he had just been. But one looming question still nagged him in the back of his mind. It centered on everything that had just happened and was promising to continue to happen to them. It was such a simple thing that demanded he ask it.

So he did. "Mal, who are you?" The old farmer turned to lift Trinity from the dirt and heaved her up supported by his shoulders. "Help me get her inside and we'll talk," he said with a sigh, his eyes closed. Mal had to fight to keep the images from flooding back to mind - that was a long time ago and he didn't want anyone still looking to him like he was that legendary figure. The stories were simply too much to live up to, even now.

Camden did just as he was asked though and helped get his sister inside to rest. Once done they sat down into a pair of weathered chairs and Mal's face dropped the usual stern demeanor replacing it with a grave seriousness. "I was Sir Malthurion Abardeen, Knight of the Realm, Defender of the Peace, and Earl Marshal." It felt like forever since he had recited the old titles, but even after all this time he had to respect them with a moment of silence as they hung on the air. They were far more than empty words or arrogant claims.

In time understanding slowly kindled itself within Camden's eyes but he felt it best not to say anything. Before, if he had managed to have met THE Malthurion Abardeen he would have exploded with exclamation and glee. But now, after seeing the look on the living legends face he couldn't bring himself to. Mal didn't even have to look to Camden's young face to be prompted to continue.

"No doubt you have heard some of the stories, most were true but you have to understand - living under that burden is too much for any man. There comes a time that the deeds grow to shadow the man who did them. And when that happened to me I found myself being revered like something from childhood tales. I couldn't live with all the expectations any more, the stories told in the streets grew and grew. Until one day I found everyone in the realm had come to believe that I alone could stand between them and invading armies. I am no one man army, I helped to lock up dangerous relics - never use them. I was simply a man who was blessed with a skill for blade and battle. I had only ever wanted to serve the realm as best I could, to protect it, but it was growing to ask more and more of me. It was something I never could live up to. So instead of seeing myself become a disappointment to the kingdom I chose to relinquish my title and take up a quieter life. My only hope was that in time everyone might forget who I was and that maybe then I might live without hearing my deeds recited every time I passed by."

As he spoke, Camden thought Mal looked so much older, burdened by an unseen weight and tired. His eyes seemed harrowed with guilt as he looked up at Camden. "Haven't I done my duty, haven't I done enough to be left alone in peace?" The question reached down into Camden and he wished now Trinity was awake to answer it instead of him. It seemed like it required such a delicate response.

Camden, never was good at talking, he never could seem to find the right words when it mattered. But he wanted so desperately to try so he simply said what he could. "I may not know all the stories or what it is like to live up to them." He didn't know where he was going with this but once he started speaking his mouth just took off without him. "But I do know that as long as I can remember I have dreamed of going off on adventures to make a name for myself, to seek out treasure and excitement. I know now that part of that was just the fantasy of a child, an idle hope that we could make our own way without needing anyone to take care of us. But the truth of it is that I wanted to help other people and that is what heroes are deep down - just someone who needs to do what they can to help others. If it is by tending the wounded or repairing things a hero helps by doing what they can. You were a great warrior, even today you moved with a skill far beyond me and if not for you my sister might not have had the time to find her magic. Leave the stories to the storytellers, there are things that need to be done that are bigger than us now and if we have the ability to do something then we have an obligation. Don't we?"

There was a certain truth to the boy's words that resonated within Mal; it made him feel foolish for ever having neglected his duty. A ghost of his old resolve sparked back to life casting aside his doubts once more and spurring him to action. Quickly he rose from his seat and set himself to bark out abrupt orders.

"Prepare a bag for you and your sister, and get some rest. We'll leave at dawn. I'll see to Percival and some supplies." And just like that Camden watched as the renowned Malthurion Abardeen seemed to forget all thoughts of living a quiet life as a farmer. He couldn't help but wonder just which stories might have been true though - surely, that one about single handedly slaying a dragon wasn't one of them. Was it?

\- Episode 21 -

Slowly the sun stalked its way up into the sky. It was now dawn and with it came a wave of excitement that thrilled the beasts who were already poised about Thatch and Cobble. They were already on edge, eager to begin their vicious task. Looming in the distance was a lonely old farm house and waiting inside it was the prey they sought.

"Remember the plan Cobble," Thatch warned his partner. "It's not us I'm worried about forgetting the plan Thatch," Cobble countered eyeing the grizzly growling creatures that surrounded them. "Let's get moving before these things decide to just eat us instead," Thatch remarked. Cobble wasn't about to argue on that one, and the two started towards the house leading the pack.

Just as Mal had known they would he marked the approach from where he had stood watch and drew his blade. "Get Trinity to Percival Cam," he bellowed his voice far more effective than any horn. As he stepped out to meet the rushing foes he wore a trusty old leather jacket studded with steel and layered with mail. It was a far cry from his gleaming old suit of plate but it had always served him well when training or traveling. Besides, at his age he figured he both needed the speed and really didn't want to draw any extra attention to himself that the plate would have immediately brought. Knights wore plate and he wasn't a knight anymore, at least not officially.

"We have to get out of here Trin," Camden pleaded, begging her to get on the massive mount. "Mal will hold them off while we make our way and then he'll catch up." Or at least, that is what Camden hoped he had planned to do. "No," Trinity defiantly proclaimed. She closed her eyes and focused her desire to hold back the beasts back, she had to concentrate.

Heedless, Mal slashed and stalwartly slowed his foes progress. Claws swiped at him from all sides as he rolled to avoid deadly maws to keep his defense tight and strong. He couldn't risk going on the offensive against so many, to turn his focus on any single threat meant the chance any of the others might slip past him. Instead he had to settle for making them pay dearly for every inch they gained with a cut here and a slice there. All he needed was a few more precious moments for the kids to be clear, to be unburdened by that worry.

Twisting to neatly sidestep an off balanced blow from the taller thug Mal reached out and countered with his left to seize the advantage. Thatch found his own weight used against him as he tumbled over to land in the way of the pack of pets. A wave of triumph rose within Mal as he realized he hadn't lost his edge even after all these years. The feeling quickly changed to one of confusion when a single strange word rippled through the ground behind him carried by some melody he couldn't place.

"Involvet," Trinity softly called to the earth at their feet her tone one of kind request. She was careful this time to measure just how much magic she called to her will and watched as the ground responded. Thick thorn covered vines erupted from the ground to entangle and restrict their fiendish foes.

Mal rolled his sword in a quick arc downward to keep from being rooted to the ground himself and backed away. Already the creatures were desperately struggling to free themselves from the impediment and he was sure they would likely manage it before long. And he was certain that they really didn't want to stick around to wait for that moment.

\- Episode 22 -

Circling overhead Lady Adriana screeched merrily; everything was going according to her plan. It wouldn't be long now before these fleeing fools led her directly to the Vault. Even now it seemed to call to her; she could almost feel it bleeding out dark magic. All she had to do was be patient and very soon she could reopen the Vault to unleash its magic.

It did feel so very good to beat her wings upon the air, to soar and drift through breeze. Her eyes narrowed and she could track her prey even at this distance - an always enjoyable perk of this form. They were racing off into the distance heading for Shimmer-Stone River, how interesting. Either they were already on their way to the Vault or that old man with them was trying to be cunning enough to try and first lead them on a false trail.

How delightful, Adriana cooed to herself at such a playful notion. This was becoming more and more amusing. First she would have to deal with those two idiots, who apparently were struggling to free themselves from some simple tangle vines. Frustrated she swooped down to hurry them up before her prey escaped her. It wouldn't do to track them if her pursuing pets weren't able to keep them reminded of the urgency of their plight. They could go to ground and hide or decide to fortify themselves somewhere. That was something that simply wouldn't do, not at all.

A moment before her talons touched dirt Lady Adriana bid her flesh to flow and began to shift her form once more. Thatch and Cobble watched in terror as the familiar bird-like form began to change into that of some hideously muscled hulk of a brute. It stood several heads taller than both of them, a thick scaley hide coated its bulk and razor edged claws gleamed like daggers on its hands. With a deafening roar it began to rend at the thick growth restraining them and within moments they were free.

Even though such a monstrous beast shouldn't be able to it opened its mouth and spoke, a clear reminder that it was still Lady Adriana standing before them. "Go after them you wretches before I decide to make a meal of you!" For a second Thatch and Cobble had almost forgotten it was Lady Adriana, so terrible was the sight of the colossal creature.

They watched as her body began to swirl and flow like a strange liquid to reshape itself back into it's previous flying form before it leapt back to the sky. Both of them couldn't help but shake with obvious fear. "Thatch," Cobble nervously stammered. "I am honestly scared of this Lady; I don't think I want to be around when those people lead her where she wants them to."

"Me either, Cobb but I don't think I want to be on the end of her wrath should we refuse to help her drive them on their way either." Thatch always did seem to have a way with making a good point. As much as he didn't want to be around at the end of this chase, he definitely wanted to be alive long enough to have the chance to avoid it. Reluctantly Thatch and Cobble guided the pack of primal predators to follow the trail and prayed they might be fortunate enough to stay on the Lady's good side. They only hoped that she did actually have one.

\- Episode 23 -

Percival's hooves pounded hard upon the crude dirt path leading towards Shimmer-Stone River. Never one to leave anything to chance, Mal had made sure to have a few escape plans already in mind. It wouldn't be easy but if they were still being pursued then they were going to have to do something. He couldn't risk them being overtaken and something happening to either of the kids.

Mal risked a single glance behind them and cursed under his breath. "Bent blades and nicked edges," he proclaimed through his clenched teeth. He had hoped that fortune might have smiled on them a little longer and Trinity's magic had held them securely for a while yet. Instead, the pack of beasts was hastening towards them at speed followed from behind by the pair of sprinting ruffians.

If Mal couldn't shake those things the situation was going to get ugly quick and his only options would be to try to stand and fight or trust in Trinity's magic again. Neither option was strategically sound to him at this point. While Trinity had proven to be both able of calling on her magic and effective as well they didn't know her full limits yet. If she exhausted herself too quickly again she would be helpless and dependant on both of them to protect her. And while Camden had managed to impressively hold his own against two thugs he didn't want to chance their odds again.

That is where Shimmer-Stone River came in; not the deepest as far as rivers go but it was known for its rather fast current. It was part of how it earned it's name, the quick flowing water had virtually polished the stones making up it's river bed until they reflected the sun almost as much as the river itself. Only a fool would try to cross Shimmer-Stone River without knowing a trick or two, and Mal knew just the kind of trick for the occasion.

"Come on Percival, let's show them just what your made of," Mal proudly shouted as he urged his loyal steed onward. "Hang on tightly you two," he warned as they burst through thick brush arriving on the river's bank. Percival never broke stride as Mal directed him straight towards the makeshift ferry that was secured to both banks with a thick rope. In a single fluid leap the fearless old warhorse vaulted onto the wooden craft to land with a series of loud creaks. Immediately Mal threw himself off to sever the rope behind them and then turned to set himself to the task of pulling them across.

Camden had to fight the urge to smile and wave back as they passed away from the river bank, which was difficult for him. Trinity was more concerned with the growing complaints sounded by the ferry underneath them. "Are you sure this thing can hold our weight," she tried to ask as delicately as possible.

"Less worry, more hurry," Mal answered her while his arms flexed in a steady rhythm. Another crack punctuated a bead of sweat forming on his brow. "Let's hope so," Camden found himself whispering to Percival. Without the need for words, the mighty mount seemed to agree with Camden.

\- Episode 24 -

The ferry made it across to the other river bank, but only just barely before its bottom surrendered to the weight of its passengers. Percival expressed his own displeasure at getting his hooves wet when they disembarked. The temperamental stallion shook his head briefly, his ears back and huffed at Mal.

"I know you didn't enjoy that last bit old friend but we had to get clear of those things," Mal tried to apologize to his long time four legged companion. "My apologies," he murmured with a soft pat to the horse's side, hoping the gesture might reinforce his sincerity. "Now let's get moving, we need to cover more ground and I dare not presume that our gambit has deterred them completely. If anything we may have just purchased ourselves a brief respite before they discover another way to continue their chase."

"Perhaps it would be wise to make use of this opportunity to share with us a little more about the Vault," Trinity probed. "I think it only fair; after all we are in danger here don't you think we have earned the right?" Mal had spoken of the Vault already but while he had warned them of the danger of it he hadn't really told them everything. She still longed to understand more of the book she now carried but she also desperately needed to know more of what was going on.

"Very well," Mal agreed, his gaze cautiously scanning around them while he guided Percival away from the river. "The Vault of Echoes was discovered ages ago by accident, or so goes the lore as we know it. No one knows who found it or any of the real details but it was decided at some point that it was the perfect place to lock away dangerous magic. For as long as I have served it was a well guarded secret and even when I was young it already held a rather impressive hoard. The Vault is masked somehow from view, even magic seems unable to locate it fortunately. Perhaps that is why it was chosen, I can only guess. But I never felt comfortable trusting in its own inherent security, it was too much to risk. So during our last visit to the Vault we brought with us a whole clutch of dragon eggs we recovered to place as guardians. It seemed a better fate then leaving them to hatch without their mother and that way if someone did breach the Vault they would face a deadly surprise."

Regret worked its way into Mal's voice and he had to clear his throat to try and regain his composure. "The Vault had always worried me, I never questioned the wisdom of what we were doing but the fact we were putting all that power in one place never felt right. So I made sure to destroy any records of the Vault's location. I couldn't trust that after I was gone someone else might seek it out or be tempted."

Weariness now draped the warrior like a heavy cloak that Trinity and Camden both could see. "The mother dragon," Camden pointed out as he already decided the old story had been true. "You really did slay a dragon by yourself - you had killed the mother." The statement held a singular pain like a dagger thrust into his chest for Mal.

"To my shame, yes," he answered with his head bowed. "I was ordered to do so, as a perceived threat to a nearby village. It wasn't known that she was merely safe guarding her offspring and wasn't really any danger. The only thing I could do was lock up the eggs, without the mother they would assuredly been seized by any number of ruthless or greedy people and enslaved. I was responsible, so I had to protect them and thought perhaps maybe they might be best kept safe by helping to keep the Vault protected."

It had been Mal's duty to protect the realm form dangerous threats, but it was his own guilt that even now urged him to ensure that both the Vault and its guardians were safe. He had made them orphans after all, just like these two children. Fate seemed to have a strange sense of humor he told himself. These two he would not abandon like he had before, he regretted ever having done so.

\- Episode 25 -

"Enough of this foolishness," Baron Samael spat looking down upon a swirling green mist. The conjured form spun and swam before his gaze to continually reshape it to show him events transpiring elsewhere. Irritation was rising within him as he watched on until it seemed perfectly clear that Lady Adriana might be trying to double cross him. He had never completely trusted her, and on numerous occasions had to dispel subtle attempts by her to distract or manipulate him. Or at the very least that is what he believed them to be. One could never be too careful, especially with the kind of ambition they held dear.

"Ensnaring my own agents and subjugating them to her own will, this alone I will not stand for. But the dear Lady has also seen to it to restrict them from reporting to me and instead bidden them to drive her quarry like game hounds. They might have failed to retrieve the key on their own but they did locate it and were fortunate enough to witness proof that it has been unlocked. I will deal with Thatch and Cobble later; right now it looks like I must become more directly involved before Lady Adriana is allowed to go too far on her own. If these three are allowed to make it to the Vault the risk is too great that they might seal it forever. It is too vital to our plans, that it cannot be permitted."

Summoning up his will, Baron Samael invoked his power as strange letters and arcane symbols flashed to life to hang in the air around him. Energies sprang into existence to cloak him in their flow pouring out from all around him, even from the very stones of the tower itself. A long staff of bleached bone ringed with iron obediently answered his call to hover at his side.

Not a single servant could be seen anywhere. In truth no living servant had ever bore witness to the Baron actually taking leave of his stronghold before. Gripped with terror they had instinctively hid themselves, unsure what the spectacle might mean. It did them little good, there was a reason none of his thralls had ever seen him leave the tower. As he focused his will he reached out to gather up the very living energy of everyone inside FrostThorn tower and drew it to him. It was merely prudent to not allow anything to be wasted, and in any event it was likely they would have just used the chance to flee. Fear of punishment or not, they would have discovered any of the number of wards or barriers around the tower and perished while trying to escape.

With grim satisfaction Baron Samael measured his magical might and felt it sufficient. A quick series of gestures from his hand and he felt a seal settle over his tower. It was only wise to safeguard his sanctuary even if no one was left behind. "Now, to deal with treachery in kind," the Baron decided aloud, his tone dripping venom. "Then I'll dispatch the others as should have been done in the first place and reclaim that key."

Around FrostThorn tower the air shivered and the ground tensed. Streams nervously rushed with worry as nature itself placed its hope and faith in three unlikely figures. Already the Vault was failing, and so very much was resting on the decisions yet to be made.

\- Episode 26 -

Percival's hooves pounded the ground like the thunder of a summer storm. Something hadn't set well with Mal since the last attack, it was too restrained. If they had been after the key or the kids they would have been more ruthless and just slain them. No, he decided they're purpose had to be the same as a coachman's whip - to drive them onward. That meant they had to be being followed, shattered shields!

It was too late now for any regrets, they were already nearing the Vault and there wasn't any time to double back and lose whatever was tailing them. The only advantage they had left was the knowledge the Vault might still hold a clutch of guardian dragons and they alone had the key. If they were going to make a stand to defend the Vault, one with dragons on their side was a far better chance than without.

"Trinity," Mal's voice suddenly broke the clamor being made by Percival to pull both children's attention directly to him. "I am going to need you to use the book and when we enter the vale you should be able to call upon the Vault to open itself to us." As he spoke the ground beneath them changed and Trinity realized that they were already passing swiftly down into a green valley hedged on its sides by verdant trees.

But something wasn't right; she could feel it but had not the words to express it. Mal had said that the Vault was beyond being located, even by magical means. And yet, as they approached she could feel something dark and terrible seeping like poison from a wound. Trinity wanted to warn Mal but as she opened her mouth to find the words Mal cut her short. "Quickly now, we are being followed!"

Trinity had to try to concentrate, she opened the book and let its magic fill her mind. "How am I supposed to get the Vault to open itself for us," she found herself asking aloud. Never one to miss an opportunity for a witty remark, Camden was quick to answer. "Try knocking," he told her with a snicker.

Trinity wanted nothing more than to criticize her brother, to tell him that he was in fact not helping her at all. Instead, as strange it sounded the very thought of knocking caused the pages to flutter and land on a passage in response. Perhaps it was, in fact, just that simple. Carefully she began to sing aloud the words that chimed into her ears like motes of a beautiful song.

And just like that the empty air before them took on a subtle sheen in the scattered light of the vale as a singular large ironclad door loomed before them like the waiting maw of a titan. The door opened with a pained groan, its massive hinges complaining like some old mans knees. They hurried inside, and behind them the door closed itself once more with an equal measure of objection. The sound was almost mirrored by Mal as he immediately paused with a gasp of shock.

Lying before him within the Vault of Echoes were the littered corpses of several young dragons. Only a lone dragon limped forward from the shadows to greet them, its scales like sapphires and its claws polished silver. Blazing white eyes looked upon them that had grown dim, and the last guardian now stood before them its strength failing.

The old knight's mind reeled as he fought to grasp what could have happened to leave such a sight awaiting him. And as his gaze looked around to make sense of matters his fear deepened. Much of the Vault of Echoes had collapsed in on itself, burying untold treasures that had been locked away. Even Mal and Camden could see nightmarish magic's drifting aloft through the air as they clashed upon each other or the walls around them. He didn't know what to make of it or what he could even begin to imagine happened.

"We have to leave this place, now," Trinity pleaded terror clear in her tone. Mal couldn't question the dire wisdom in the notion as he found his mouth now dry and his hand upon his sword's hilt. "Agreed," he confirmed and jerked Percival's reins to turn his trusty steed about. Trinity set herself to reopen the door just as Camden slipped from the saddle to sprint his way towards the dragon.

"We can't just leave him," Camden protested. But Trinity had already begun her song, the magic was weaving itself into motion she couldn't stop now.

\- Episode 27 -

Lady Adriana seethed with furious rage as her talon-tipped toes touched down. Somehow those pesky children and the old oaf had managed to escape her. And what was worse is they had done so under her very nose. They had to be close; she could feel the growing current of malevolent magical seeping out around her. It had to be the Vault of Echoes!

The power was growing deeper and saturating everything like an abyss made tangible. She could feel it reaching into her, slowly pulling her in like quicksand tugging down a helpless traveler. But she was far from helpless, oh that was certain. Lady Adriana had to be ready; if they reopened the door she could ambush them and win her way inside the Vault. The fools would never see it coming, and then so many precious sources of dark power would be hers for the taking.

Her form twisted and transformed returning to the guise of a muscled monstrosity. This time though the ambient forces infusing the fabric of reality around her wove their way into her shifting form. Scales of pure emerald glistened in the sunlight before shadows clouded their color to form a darker charcoal black hue. Where once her claws had shined like vicious daggers now she found darkened steel-tipped spears eager for blood. Raw strength rippled through her and she drank it in like an intoxicating thrill until it overrode every sense.

As the Vault began to open once more it was cold inhuman eyes that leveled their fiendish gaze upon it. The sights of her prey drove a primal scream out of her, pure animal challenge. What answered her wasn't what she expected however, as another form stumbled forward into the light to stand in her way. A part of her tried to reason how a dragon had suddenly appeared from within the Vault but was quickly lost to a sea of bestial instinct.

"I will kill you," Lady Adriana tried to triumphantly declare but instead found herself snarling through snapping saliva dripping jaws. Weakly the dragon raised its head and whimpered an attempted roar in reply. Stepping out from behind the courageous creature was Camden his bright little blade already to hand.

The decision for him had never truly been one; he didn't have to think things through like his sister. He wouldn't leave the dragon behind to die sick and alone within the Vault. And he certainly wasn't about to let it fight by itself to protect him or the Vault. Camden would leave the thinking to Trinity, let her decide if he was right or wrong later. Right now he was going to do what he did best and that was whatever felt right to him.

This felt right to him, it felt heroic, and being a hero was something Camden had always wanted to be.

\- Episode 28 -

"Half a hammer," Mal found himself cursing once more. "That boy is going to get himself killed and us with him." Whatever this thing was it was already circling around Camden and was looking for blood. There was no way the last living guardian was in any condition to hold it off on it's own and the boy didn't even help the odds any. "I think lady luck has decided firmly to leave us," Mal quipped, already drawing his blade and studying the scaly foe.

"Stay back and try to keep clear," the valiant veteran warned Trinity as he took to the ground. Claws struck out like flashes of lightning to rend the ground and cut through air as Lady Adriana launched her new form into an assault. Gripped by frenzy a savage darkness consumed her, driving her with a will that no longer needed her mind to guide it. The sudden speed and ferocity of his foes strikes forced Camden to rely on every bit of his reflexes to avoid the blows.

Narrowly the weakened dragon struggled to defend itself as well. Where Lady Adriana moved fast, infused with raw power the dragon seemed to already be on its last legs. Yet no wound marked its body, there was no evidence to offer explanation. The fact it was even still standing much less defiantly opposing the monster was a miracle in itself.

Mal carefully timed his swing when the beast's right arm shot up to lash out and slid in below it catching it off guard. Its focus turned on the dragon it hadn't noticed his strategic advance and now its momentum was already carrying the blow downward. Sharpened steel met cruel claws in a powerful blow that threatened to shake the very blade from his experienced grip. Mal had to fight to maintain his hold as he set his own might into a twisting sidestep that jerked his edge free, bidden to follow him.

Dark viscous fluid streamed forth from the wound while bright sharp pain blinded Lady Adriana until all she could see was purple and crimson. At the sight of the beasts momentarily dropped defenses the pale light of the dragon's eyes kindled a briefly brighter spark. A coarse roar labored to fight its way free from its throat and with it a brief burst of cold fire sputtered forth. The dragons breathe even as diminished as it was threatening to wreak terrible havoc upon Lady Adriana. Already dealing with terrible pain she automatically retreated from the blast only to barely avoid the brunt of it.

A broad and sinister grin spread across Baron Samael as he drifted overhead to view the scene now unfolding below him. "Justice will be done," he coldly intoned; his staff a ghostly pallor that now matched the white on the knuckles that grasped it. He would relish this moment for a very long time.

\- Episode 29 -

Power hung on the air as Baron Samael held a ready word waiting on his lips, his staff in hand and a spell already drawn back like a hunter's bow. His deadly aim trained on the thing that had been Lady Adriana as he watched every moment as his sorcerer senses revealed something else reshaping her. "How very fitting, my dear," the Baron cooed. Jade light arced, lancing its way down his staff as it began building and focusing into a bright point of illumination.

Baron Samael grimly concentrated the spells building forces, bidding them into being and waited. Already the insidious Lady was wounded and doubling back, the battle completely seizing her attention. The Baron could leisurely allow himself the precious long moments to savor his vengeance before he struck.

Curiously though, Lady Adriana halted her flight to change tactics in mid-stride and began to circle to her left. The beast moved with its unharmed right side guarding it's left as already shadowy wisps were swirling, attempting to conjure forth fresh flesh. "No," Mal roared, launching himself into motion to intercept her. "She aims to out flank us Camden," he fought to explain their desperate need to stop the beast to the boy. "She will kill Trinity," Mal spat, certain that nothing else might need to be said.

The old knight had been right, that single fear sent Camden surging forward. Everything else stopped existing instantly for Camden; there was only him and the monster. For him each passing breath seemed painfully long as he closed the distance in a dash. Even the creatures swift motion felt slow to Camden who already was moving in a course of action that he himself had no clue as to what it might hold.

With a hard pounding that sent shockwaves up from the balls of his feet into his legs Camden planted his footing firmly into the dirt and pushed off hard. His momentum and speed vaulting him forward into the air on a collision path towards the things face. There wasn't time for regrets or a change of plan as he sailed through the air. Camden kept his left arm tightly tucked up before him and as the unseen force slammed home threw all his weight into an arced spin. The impact combined with his propelled force to send him swinging around the stunned foe, a flick of his wrist allowing him to bite down and drag his stout blade along it shoulder. Gravity aided the gambit driving the wound downward and slowing his harsh decent.

Camden slammed into the ground thrown completely off balance to find he was strangely searching for his breath. Somehow it had escaped him, lost as he impacted the dirt. Struggling to both find his feet and some measure of air Camden tried to roll aside.

Seizing upon the moment like a gleaming gemstone of opportunity Baron Samael let slip the single waiting syllable of his spell. It's deadly hum exploding to life to race downward in a violent burst of magic that was trained directly upon Lady Adrian.

Mal didn't even have time for a curse to pass his lips before the bright flash of light swept in front of him, blanketing both the beast and Camden from his vision.

\- Episode 30 -

Suddenly pain throbbed on the very air around him, Camden didn't even realize he was breathing again as he fought to keep from screaming. Hot pressure slammed against him and felt like a wall of lava was falling down on him. Everything before him blurred out of focus and Camden had to fight to even find his feet beneath him.

The blade in his hand burned with an intense pain and the band on his left wrist ached against his flesh. Something deep within him seemed to spark to life given form by his courage. A slumbering power from within the small blade rose to spread through him and together with the power of his little shield he could feel it push everything back. The pain lessened and with it his vision became clearer.

Whatever it was that was raining down ruin upon them he could now see was focused in front of him. He could see it now, this strange green spiked blaze of power was blasting the beast from somewhere above them. As he watched the creature melted from one strange form into another and as it did shadowy strands of energy swirled around it. The thing should be destroyed in that deadly torrent and instead it was shifting, becoming some sinister shadow that was already threatening to slip away.

Something fluttered into Camden's view from the corner of his eye; at first he had trouble making it out before the sickening realization struck him. Things were slipping free from the vault, some drifted into orbit around the creature while others sped their way off into the distance. If Camden could see even this much of what was happening he had to wonder what Trinity was feeling.

He couldn't see things the way she seemed to, he was blind to the ebb and flow of magic. But what he could see was more of the things he had seen from within the Vault which he figured he shouldn't be seeing out here. What he still couldn't see was Trinity or Mal though; his field of view was dominated by the struggling chaos between them. Even the dragon was beyond his sight, he was truly lost as to if the blast had caught them as well.

And then he heard the scream. It was Trinity, the sound and pitch of her voice was unmistakable to him. Camden didn't think twice before setting out straight back towards his sister monster or no monster.

\- Episode 31 -

Ancient evil arcane energy was beginning to flood its way out of the Vault of Echoes, Trinity could feel it building around her. It was beginning to choke her; the vile forces were sickening to her. And then she looked up, and she could see the intimate madness working its way into reality through the creature in front of them.

So much festering maliciousness, it was so ancient and right now it was mingling - weaving itself together until it was assimilating the helpless entity it reshaped. Somewhere inside it, Trinity could see a vague spark of what it had once been, but already it was too far gone to save. The thought made one simple truth become all too clear to her as she recalled all the dragon corpses. Dragons were known as creatures of pure arcane power, the very natural fabric of their being, their innate essence was magical. If all this malevolent dark magic had coalesced together over the ages then it was possible it had grown into some sentient poison, a toxic magical presence that was deadly to anything living. It had proven fatal for the dragons, the very core of their being destroyed from so much prolonged exposure. And yet, a single dragon had survived!

Trinity turned her gaze upon the weakened wonder, the last guardian of the Vault and let her mind process everything as it continued to come to her. The baneful black forces were still struggling to overcome the sapphire scaled sentinel. For some reason it had not as yet managed to overtake the beast, while instead it was seizing upon the soul of this other thing. There was some difference there, Trinity could almost make it out as it as it tugged and teased at the back of her mind.

"That's it," Trinity declared decisively her voice muffled by the bursting spell's cacophony. Already confused by the strange events unfolding before them, Mal found himself turning to look up at Trinity as he prayed she held some answer for him. He felt powerless against all this sorcery, Mal needed to know where to point his blade and how to fight it. Trinity was his best bet to gain any real understanding, and only a fool would enter into a battle ignorant of understanding what he faced.

"It's the Vault Mal," the majestic little maiden started to point out to him, her eyes almost aglow with the scene around them. "There has been too much dark magic locked away in there for too long, it has become magnified and alive somehow. It wants out, to spread; so many of the things hidden in the Vault were meant for evil purposes and that core element is driving it. The dragons all died from being exposed to so much toxic power for so long."

Trinity raised her finger to mark her point, gesturing at the last of the dragons Mal had tried to safeguard. "Only one remains because it alone had a heart pure enough to fight it with courage." As if it was his cue, Camden erupted out of the deadly magic still pouring down from above to land off balanced from a hard roll at their feet.

"This is very bad," her brother remarked through pants while a strange shimmer made it look like he was smoldering from the magical flames. "We must warn the King," Mal stated, following Camden's lead. "Without warning this could sweep through the kingdom unopposed."

"I think I may have an idea about that," Trinity said with a grin her eyes still shining. And for once, Camden didn't seem to hate those words nearly as much.

\- Episode 32 -

With all this raw evil magic permeating everything Trinity wasn't sure how long before it might start affecting them. But she didn't have to wonder about what would happen if they stayed here much longer. Either the malevolent maelstrom that had been a scaly-hided monster would turn on them, or the source of sorcery from above would change tactics and decide to level everything. Neither was really on her list of 'make-me-happy' options.

No, Trinity had already decided that their only real avenue for escape lay squarely with her magic. She wasn't entirely certain exactly what might happen surrounded by so much dark power. Whatever it was it was worth trying because there wasn't any way she could see Mal or Camden fighting their way clear. And even if the dragon was in better shape she just couldn't see it getting them clear either.

Even with its wings the silver-clawed sentinel simply wasn't big enough to carry all of them to safety. Besides, even if it could they could never leave Percival behind. But if she could use her magic to somehow allow the stubborn steed to take to the sky as well then perhaps they would have a chance.

Pages ruffled to an unseen breeze as Trinity scanned through her book looking for just the right thing. It wasn't easy; it took her a few moments to concentrate her efforts to focus her search for what she needed. As she hunted with her mind she could sense tangible terrors that eagerly probed at her looking for any opening. Their very presence was frightening enough but Trinity reserved herself to the fact that others were relying on her.

Trinity forced herself deeper into the book, allowing her determined need to drive the pursuit. Answering her was a page that began to fill with soft and delicate words that rolled off her tongue like the spring scent of sweet honeysuckle. Strands of pearly light began to take shape that drifted over them like a veil of moonlight. As the magic wove itself to life, carried aloft by her song it delicately started crafting gossamer wings upon Percival's sides.

The purity at the heart of her magic defied the tainted energies around them, driving it back with a hiss that punctuated its displeasure. Even the dragon seemed affected, its eyes brightening as a small measure of strength returned to it. Percival complained with a snort before Mal settled himself back in the saddle and took hold of the reins prompting the loyal steed to silence.

"I don't know how long I can hold this so we best hurry," Trinity explained, her voice strained. Camden found himself staring up into the blazing eyes of the dragon as a thought occurred to him as well. "We have to get away from here so we can warn people, to help them," he said quietly. "It isn't safe here and I can't leave you, will you come with us," Camden asked nervously, a quiver in his tone.

In answer the noble creature bowed its neck and offered its back to Camden. There was no questioning the action for Camden who instantly found a grip and climbed upon the dragon's back. As they left the ground in a chorus of flapping wings it was Mal who raised a concern of his own. "What are we going to do about that," he asked gesturing towards the sorcerer in the sky.

"Trying to concentrate here," Trinity chided trying to not break her focus on the spell. "Less worry, more hurry," Camden quoted at Mal who broke out with a nervous chuckle. With any luck, he hoped Trinity could hold this together long enough for them to escape. Even if she did though, he couldn't shake the worry of what everything that was happening would mean.

\- Episode 33 -

Power roared and crackled as it poured out of Baron Samael's staffs tip directed downward to seek out Lady Adriana. He channeled the vicious force with a dark and grizzly glee before a cautious query began to form its way to whisper at him. Curiously it tugged its way to grab at a measure of his attention before the distraction demanded he consider it.

"How is it that she still lives," he pondered the question aloud, surrendering to contemplate the strange mystery. Now that he actually had spoken the words the idea made him reconsider just how distracted he had been with his revenge. So focused upon his assault he realized that he had somehow managed to actually lose track of just how long his prey had been defying him.

Abruptly the Baron released the spells flow of outpouring destruction and carefully took inventory of his reserves. While he had managed to waste far more than it ever should have taken to remove the dear lady from this world he sighed with relief that he had not allowed himself to further deplete himself.

Baron Samael watched with a cruel pain in his belly as his foe still swam amidst a sea of ethereal swirling strands of power. His teeth clenched and he discovered a snarl waiting on his lips to display his irritation. "Blast her bones," the Baron spat the curse as his fury rose. But already the dark shadow beneath him was spreading like a drawn cloak to cover the very ground as it rippled and flowed like restless waves. The impossible form was slipping from one crude shape to another until without warning it shot away traveling at great speed.

The Vault itself began to shudder with a thunderous groan before it erupted skyward in an explosion that spewed forth inky dark forms to inhabit the very sky around the Baron. "Wet wicks," the Baron declared as he began his own hasty retreat. "Whatever it is that witch has managed to pull, she has ruined my plans," the Baron told himself. But a faint blue flicker of light in the distance snared his attention making him once more reconsider what was happening.

Through squinted eyes he could just make out the flying form; it was a dragon! Already his mind began to churn with new possibilities that he could take advantage of to try and salvage his efforts. "With a dragon enthralled no one would dare stand against me," Baron Samael purred once more pleased with his clearly clever wit.

"Indeed, now, where are those two worthless whelps," the Baron mused as he altered his course and allowed his mind to form a working plan. The Baron continued his plotting and planning, resigning the Vault of Echoes as no longer worth exploiting. But as he carried himself into the distance vast nefarious forces were already spreading to delight in their release.

And what had once been Lady Adriana was quickly finding that it had grown so very, very hungry.

\- Episode 34 -

Still shaking with fear, Thatch and Cobble clung to the desperate security of the thick bushes around them. They had watched in abject terror as they saw what had befallen Lady Adriana. Even when Baron Samael loosed his deadly spell they sat frozen, unable to even consider taking flight. What good would it had done either of them; both knew without even having to ask how far they might have made it on foot. All they would have had to do was draw attention to them and that would be the end of it.

Cobble never even bothered to ask Thatch, his usual source of mental resources, if the Baron might hold it against them for having obeyed the Lady. But as soon as the question formed to him he instantly decided that opening his mouth to ask it wasn't a very good idea. It was one of the few moments Cobble was sure he had a good idea, which even he would admit were rare ones.

Thatch, himself for once, was trying as hard as he might not to think. There was no idea that he even wanted to consider besides somehow staying alive. He didn't even take any note of the baneful beasts who were themselves cowering alongside them. Even these horrid hounds that it seemed like just so recently were something so terrible had managed to discover a force that made them recoil. Above all else, Thatch did not want to allow his mind to think about what that could mean.

But as the Vault of Echoes began to spew forth shades in an explosive surge and darkness began to sweep over the ground on its own accord there was no need for thought. Thatch didn't have to say a single word, Cobble never even asked; the pair of them just bolted straight out of the bushes and headed as fast and hard as their feet could carry them for safety. Even the creatures had sensed it, it was a fundamental impulse that they could detect; that of impending and certain doom.

Narrowly the fleeing flunkies managed to clear the safety of their shrubbery before dark forms awkwardly passed through seeking shape and substance. Where once all the various essences had been given homes, worked into artifacts that gave them purpose and directed their power now they were loose. Now they were free once more, but without something to hold them they were mere pale ghosts of what they once were.

They needed a body, a form of some kind. Fortunately, there were several still lying within the ruins of the Vault just waiting to be filled. Delighted they poured themselves into the lifeless dragons causing them to arise with unnatural movements. While these forms were no longer alive they would provide them a suitable container for now.

\- Episode 35 -

With each ragged breath Trinity struggled to remain awake, the strain of maintaining her spell growing more and more difficult every moment. Wielding such delicate yet powerful forces was still new to her and the effort drained her inexperienced young mind. The sky around her kept threatening to become dark, her last measure of strength failing. She couldn't even find enough voice left to warn the others as she could feel the magic woven into wings unraveling.

Mal had already fortunately taken notice of Trinity's slipping grip behind him and wisely directed Percival into a cautious descent. But even having tried to prepare him to expect her growing fatigue it still stole his breath as the spell-wings dissolved before his eyes. Without time left to gauge how far they had left to fall, Mal had to reserve himself to allowing his reflexes to lock a firm hold on his passenger and the reins.

Percival's steel shod hooves hammered into the ground with a hard clap that made even Mal's belly roll and protest. Shaken by the impact it took a few moments before he had to remind himself to open his eyes. He still had a vice like grasp on Trinity and Percival was loudly voicing his own desire to never ever be given wings again. The stalwart steed tenderly babied his now aching legs that were gratefully once more touching something with more substance than empty air.

"That was a close one," Camden nervously noted hovering overhead until he caught sight of his sister's limp form. "Trin," he screamed, panic and worry seizing him to the core as he almost leapt from the dragon's back. A single barked word, uttered with the clear tone of authority trumpeted out of Mal to slam itself home into Camden as sure as any blow.

"Halt," the weary warrior ordered. The sudden shock was all Mal needed to redirect Camden's intended action and allow himself to marshal his mind to address their available courses of action. "Our task hasn't changed, indeed if anything it has become even more vital that we safeguard your sister. We are also obligated to warn the king about the threat to the kingdom. Our wisest option lay in doing both; we must make for Oakhelm Keep! It is the strongest defendable position within the realm and home to the throne. Once there we can rally the realm and prepare ourselves against whatever has escaped from the Vault."

Camden grimly took in everything Mal said, without any thought of question or dispute. His only concern right now was to get his sister to safety and swiftly. If that meant Oakhelm Keep, then that is where they would head. "Then let's not waste any more time, we have ground to cover," Camden urged his newfound mentor.

"No time to tend our wounds, nor wounded pride," Mal whispered at Percival's ear. "We are needed, desperately once more to heed the call to duty. What do you say old friend?"

Percival planted his feet, his stance one of a statuesque knight's noble steed and snorted. "Thought so," Mal remarked to himself with a lopsided grin before spurring his mount into motion. This was a far cry from any kind of retirement he had ever heard of, Mal mentally noted to his self. But he was now starting to think retirement was never something meant for him.

\- Episode 36 -

"Eh, would you look at that," a tower guard muttered through his slack jaw. He watched in complete disbelief as a man was riding up with the bearing and confidence of seasoned veteran assured that his orders would be accepted. As he rode towards them they noticed the limp form of a lady slumped over on the man's mount being supported by a muscled arm draped around her.

Approaching from just behind them was a sight that nobody would have believed; he had to blink several times to make sure. It was a dragon, an honest to heralds scale covered dragon and it even had a boy upon its back. As he opened his mouth to speak he found himself immediately cut off by a guard beside him.

"Nope, the watch captain isn't going to believe this one so you can have the honor of being laughed at." Neither guard moved an inch as the man allowed his steed to slow to a stop before he hailed them. "Grant us entry and make haste," the proud figure bellowed up at them. "Inform your captain that Malthurion Abardeen would like a word and send for the royal page to request an emergency audience."

Blank stares and empty mouths answered Mal's request prompting him to reinforce his urgency. "Move," he roared fire lighting his face and the peal of thunder in his tone. All at once both guards exploded into motion slamming into each other before racing off into the keep.

"Mal, why is this place even called Oakhelm Keep anyways," Camden had finally managed to bring himself to ask while they waited for entry. "The keep itself, it isn't stone, it is made of aged wood that has become like stone. It is very old and has survived countless assaults as such it is a helm of oak far more valued than any shaped steel. It keeps the king safe, and while we are within it I would ask that you try to refrain from anything foolish."

As the gate slowly cranked open Mal turned to level a stern expression towards Camden. "Not everyone has seen a dragon, much less found themselves on nearly as friendly terms. I would think it wise to keep close to it and neither of you wander off into mischief."

"Who, me," Camden asked with a grin. But after seeing the guard's face as he saw the dragon up close made Camden realize that Mal had indeed been right. There was a mixture of amazement and terror there at being this close to a dragon. He almost wished he could have just waited out here but he couldn't leave Trinity alone locked away inside the keep. And if this was the safest place then being inside to make it just a small measure safer is where he would be.

\- Episode 37 -

Tonniel Rainborne had been king to the realm for many years, succeeding his father as a young man he had been forced to temper himself through tumultuous times. The young ruler had always relied upon wise and capable figures such as Mal to provide him counsel, trusting as his father had in their sound judgment. Over time Tonniel had come to leverage his own keen mind and proven that he had learned greatly from those around him. It was a day filled with sadness however when he granted Mal his leave and bid him farewell. And yet, here he was being told that one of his most respected champions had returned seeking an urgent audience. Curiously he couldn't help but wonder what could have prompted the old hero's return but prudence warned him that whatever it was - it certainly wasn't good.

"Very well," the king conceded with a slight wave of his right hand, his left still cradling his chin in contemplation. "Bid my old and trusty former knight to bring his concerns before me. It is the least I can do to repay his long and fruitful years of service by hearing him out." Silently the awkward young page rose from his customary kneeling position to bow curtly before making his exit, careful to keep his pace proper before slipping into a sprint just two steps out of the throne room. It always made Tonniel chuckle to watch his page drop his royal etiquette the second he thought he was out of sight. If only the lad knew that if he had waited only a few steps more that no one could notice or let alone that it truly mattered enough to hide.

It was Mal who he recalled had taught him that lesson; that the importance of a task far out weighed the presentation. All the fancy words and well presented fluff meant little compared to weather or not something was done. "What was it that he used to always say," the king quietly asked himself trying to spark his memory. "Oh, yes; 'a stout blade no matter how crude is worth well over twice its number whose only use is being shiny and new'."

When he was but still a young lad following at his father's heels the notion had always puzzled him. He riddled over how something so plain or simple could ever truly be worth more than anything crafted with refinement or artistry. After one lesson with Mal in the yard he quickly found a firmly grasped understanding as he starred at a shattered, yet elegant, sword hilt in his hand. No matter how beautiful it had been the blade had proven worthless when set against a simpler piece of steel. It was on that very day Tonniel opened his eyes to the true worth of the old knight that had always served his father and set himself to dutifully study at everything that he could teach him.

Those lessons had always served him well over the years, but he had still missed his absent mentor. Now he had returned, but what trouble could have brought him back? The thought darkened his mood slightly as he waited for Mal's arrival to be announced. Times of late had been peaceful for a change but all things change he supposed. A strong simple steel sword without any adornment rested beside the throne however. Even in times of peace it paid to be prepared, his old mentor had truly taught him well.

\- Episode 38 -

"I see the sun still shines upon the Silver Hall King Rainborne," Mal hadn't forgotten the customary greeting used when arriving before the king. Never one to waste time or bow to empty formalities he only did so out of respect for Tonniel, a boy who now king had proven his mettle to him long ago. He still wore both his steel studded coat as well as his trusty old blade at his side even though anyone else would have been forced to surrender such things before even being considered to set foot before the king. The truth of the matter was that none still served the king who probably could have managed to force him to comply, or quite honestly could have even had the courage to try. Even though it had been years since his booted steps had echoed across these hallowed halls, his name was still revered in whispers and his deeds talked of with wide-eyed wonder.

Now, Malthurion Abardeen, the storied knight himself was standing before them and so far none had been able to find their voice in his presence. The king himself was hard pressed to resist a grin when his eyes finally settled upon Mal, and allowed a half grin to mark his face. It was truly a gift to see him once more, and oddly enough he didn't look to have changed much to Tonniel's eyes.

"I hope you have been finding the quiet life of a farmer a fitting reward, old friend," the king spoke first to break the momentary pause of silence. "You have indeed been missed, what brings you before me now in such array and calling for an urgent audience? What could trouble a simple farmer so that he should take up arms and demand to speak before the king?"

Mal had known the man whose level gaze was trained keenly upon him since he was little. He had seen the measure of him and judged there was more cautious wit reserved behind his words. No longer was he a knight of standing within the court, which meant Mal, would have to be addressed as such.

"The Vault of Echoes has failed, its guarded secrets loosed upon the world. I have witnessed it with my own eyes, myself and 2 other agents acted to preserve it. We were only successful in securing a single guardian of the vault, while being beset by a hostile sorcerer and his forces in the attempt. Fortune alone provided us with salvation - my companions intercepted items stolen from the Vault allowing us to at least thwart their plan if only barely. The Vault is no more and while the treasures it held were destroyed, their heinous magic has corrupted it somehow allowing it to escape."

As Mal briefed the king every ear in the court listened in shock and disbelief save for the king himself. He alone marked his trusted former knight's words attentively and allowed himself to contemplate both what he was saying as much what he wasn't. Whoever these two 'agents' were, if they had stood with Mal against such dire odds they must possess at the very least some portion of his courage.

And it desperately was sounding like they were going to need all the courage they could gather.

\- Episode 39 -

Lady Adriana stalked through the night looking for another meal to satisfy her gnawing hunger. A couple of farms back the dragons of dark magic had caught up with her, joining in the hunt for food. So far they had found very little to appease their fiendish appetites, but they also had not yet come across anything that stood against them.

It felt so delicious to be free of the Vault, even if it did mean they had to exchange one vessel for another. At least they were free now; able to feast until they had their fill and then relish in all the fun these forms could provide. There was such sport they could have, and if these bodies failed them they could always take another.

What could stand in their way now? The memory of magic carried aloud, shaped by song and purity returned to haunt them. There was something in its woven flow that had eluded them, defied and burned at them even as hastily summoned as it had been. Frustrated roars and bestial screams filled the night air as the monsters voiced their collective irritation at the idea of being opposed. Even the chance of being imprisoned again was a thought they would not tolerate.

A half eaten cow dropped to the ground from one dragon maw as the resounding wet thud was echoed by another, this time a wounded goat. They would have to seek out the source of that magic, the voice that had breathed it to life. Sniffing at the air the dark creatures shifted their attention to hunting down this threat to their freedom.

A sharp scream pierced the halls of Oakhelm Keep as Trinity bolted upright drenched in a cold sweat. Her limbs were heavy and stiff slowing her movements as she fought to get up. When Camden's head burst through the doorway he found Trinity was still trying to untangle herself from her sheets. In her panicked haste she couldn't waste a moment, not even for her brother to ask what was wrong or greet her. Instead she forced out the only words she could manage around her thick tongue trying to explain what she had seen in her dreams.

"They're coming," she warned him, her eyes still burning with a soft glow. Camden's expression turned to one of determination, a stone like resolve upon his brow. "Don't worry Trin, Mal has gone to speak with the King, me and Silver-Claws won't leave your side. We'll keep you safe," her brother promised firmly.

"Silver-Claws," Trinity had to ask, her head aching as she struggled to understand. "Oh, I named the dragon, he seems to like it - what do you think," Camden explained. "I suppose it fits," Trinity commented awkwardly.

"Cam," she began her voice low and hinting at faint tremor of fear. "The other dragons, their dead bodies; they are now being used by the dark magic." Trinity had to swallow hard as she could still picture them. Camden's hand reached up to rest on her shoulder, when she looked back up it was his bright blue eyes she found looking into her.

"We will face them and stop them; I won't let them hurt you or anyone else," he assured her. Out in the hall another pair of eyes, burning like a white-hot blaze mirrored Camden's in agreement.

\- Episode 40 -

Mal strode back into the room to find Trinity and Camden both awaiting him, his heavy boots carrying with him a rhythmic series of drum like beats. "Come with me, both of you - now," Mal's tone was somehow distant, different. His bearing itself had changed; the old knight had always carried himself with a detached, relaxed strength that now had become hard and lean. A cloak of deep storm sky blue was draped over his shoulders with a bright silver clasp bearing the token sigil of a raindrop. The longstanding emblem of King Rainborne, everyone in the realm immediately knew that it marked the bearer as being in the service of the King.

Curious, Trinity and Camden set their feet to follow Mal as he turned to make his way back through the halls. They walked in silence for a few long moments passing from one darkened corridor to another before coming to a halt before a pair of heavy iron banded doors. "It looks like I am to serve as Earl Marshal etc. again, so I best look the part," Mal started to explain to them.

"That also means that I am going to need a pair of capable deputies to act as my agents bearing the title of Knight Marshal. Interested?" The question caught both of them off guard, Camden stammered to reply with a 'but' and Trinity had to find the words for him. "We're just kids though," she pointed out while her brother nodded, sighing with relief. "Is that a refusal to take up arms and office in defense of the realm," Mal asked.

"Well, no, of course we aren't refusing but..." Trinity was now finding herself struggling to grasp for the right words. "Then it is settled," Mal declared decisively and shoved the doors before them open. "I herby do welcome you to the service of the King and defense of the realm granting you the title of Knight Marshal." Not stopping to stand on ceremony, Mal walked through the doors to seize a large hefty blade from the wall and set himself to inspecting it. Upon leaving his old office he had been required to also relinquish the symbols of its authority; chief among them the Marshal's Edge, a blade borne by every Earl Marshal since it was forged. It took a special knack to wield it due to its awkward size; it was a thick wide blade demanding two hands in its use. Many a man had foolishly presumed that its use sacrificed defense since wielding it meant you could not also carry a shield. But Mal had long ago mastered not only the art of its use but also in unlocking its various slumbering enchantments.

Systematically Mal moved to strap the large blade on and slung it over his back, then collected a few other various items. "Your badges of office," he proclaimed and handed each of them a sigil etched pendant of silver emblazoned with a raindrop. "Camden, your speed is strength, your blade and spell shield a proven asset at your side. But even speed can slow and strength can fail, so I would like you wear this leather jack. It was crafted by a master long ago and has served every bearer well. Don't worry; it won't slow you down like a heavy suit of armor can so you can take full advantage of your speed.

Trinity, your magic has served you well so far and I dare not presume to claim myself well versed enough to advise you about it. However, I do know that to rely solely upon it is foolish and unwise. So I would like to give you this; it was fashioned from the heart of a white ash tree and blessed in the Pool of Tears itself. This staff has been wielded on occasion by wizards in the service of the King and it is said that it can lend you its strength. I cannot offer you heavy armor or stout steel as such proven weapons would be of little use to you. But I can attest to the value of a strong staff wielded in defense and if it might aid your magic as well so I can think of nothing more fitting for you."

Camden and Trinity took a minute to study their gifts before gratefully thanking Mal for them. They examined them in all their detail, appreciating every aspect of their new treasures. It seemed like so long ago that they were just running through the woods, arguing with each other. Now they were newly appointed Knight Marshals bearing emblems of office and wielding enchanted items like storied heroes from a fairy tale.

It almost didn't seem real to them. The echoing roar of Silver-Claws instantly reminded them that indeed it was all too real. And now, it was time for them to start acting like it. The dragon must have sensed the decaying forms of its former siblings, that or the taint of dark magic, Trinity decided. "They're getting close, come on boys," she announced and set off back down the hall.

"Time to go to work," Camden replied as he set off to follow his sister. Mal was left alone to gruffly complain to empty air; "You're supposed to wait for my order. Sundered swords," he allowed himself a quickly muttered curse before rushing himself to catch up.

\- Episode 41 -

From within the throne room Tonniel could feel the building pressure on the air as if the presence of what was coming was a tangible thing. He appreciated the poetic irony of the moment; it was like a coming storm - you could feel it in the air but you couldn't touch it. His left hand brushed reassuringly over the pommel of his sword always at hand, while he raised his right in a regal gesture calling for attention.

"Activate the wards," Tonniel commanded. He could leave the defenses to his Earl Marshal, and rightly so; there was no one else more capable when it came to strategy. But only the King himself held the authority to raise the ancient runes etched into the very foundations of the keep that warded it from outside forces. It had held strong against entire armies, spell onslaughts and a legendary rampaging raid of giants (or so the story goes). Tonniel had every confidence it would secure their safety as well against whatever had escaped the Vault. But nothing like this had ever happened before, so there was no way to know for certain what awaited them. Even so, Tonniel was a firm believer in being prepared, so he grinned with satisfaction as power channeled from deep within the earth to fill every glowing rune around the throne.

The sudden surge in magical current immediately alerted Trinity to it's presence as it sparked to life and set itself to its designed purpose. She could see its rushing flow, feel it as it conducted its way beneath their feet and around them through the walls. Trinity studied it carefully as she realized a quiet part of her mind was already deconstructing it, analyzing how it was shaped and crafted. Some inner part of her grasped the core foundation of this magic, its central design and whispered to her what it found.

What she was seeing was more than just illuminated runes along the walls and floor. No, it was far more than that; what was taking shape was an intricately woven layer of enchantment that was blanketing the keep. It was a beautiful thing to her sight; it shined like pale moonlight in the dark. This was an artfully crafted masterpiece.

Silver-Claws once more called to them, a restless growl alerting them before they could see the dragon's form. It's time away from the Vault had worked wonders in returning it's strength, and with the wards sparking to life the young dragon was all to eager. Camden could see it in his eyes, in the way its scale-draped muscles flexed and shifted. Just as Silver-Claws could mark the same look of fiery promised fury behind the young boy's eyes as well as he returned Camden's gaze.

"Make for the courtyard," Mal snapped the short order from behind them. He gratefully mouthed his thanks as they all obeyed instantly without hesitation. The last thing he wanted was for them to be trapped inside with a dragon when the fighting began.

\- Episode 42 -

For several long moments there was only silence as Camden and Trinity found themselves standing in the courtyard looking up in awe. Above them was set the star studded night sky but between it and them there were strands of pearly light carefully intertwined. It was almost as if the night sky and air had crafted a tapestry of starlight to drape over them.

Camden eagerly gripped the hilt of his blade, keeping it at the ready as he kept his eyes scanning the sky. He knew that for him he could only wait for his eyes to detect the pending threat and with any luck perhaps Trinity might provide some measure of warning. One glance at Trinity and he could read the concentration written on her brow, she really seemed to be getting better at using her magic he had to admit. This was good, because he knew they were going to need every bit of it that she could manage.

Trinity focused her mind, allowing her will to flow down through the staff and around her. She could feel the familiar ball of nervous excitement that was her brother, which in its own way was reassuring to her. As her thoughts passed over Mal she immediately noticed that the old knight was like a vast calm lake, tranquil and serene. With so much looming danger, so much to fear or worry, Mal simply was. His relaxed core warmed her and allowed her some measure of confidence as well. But as she brushed by the last guardian whom her brother insisted she refer to as Silver-Claws she was again amazed. Here sat this large creature, and at it's core was magic itself. It burned with the fury of a thousand furnaces inside, a stark contrast to Mal. She couldn't grasp how so much primal raw force was restrained, let alone inhabited the young dragon. But she was indeed grateful that Silver-Claws was there standing with them.

Trinity felt it only a split second before the others caught sight of everything with their eyes. Dark flames of purple and black erupted to lick at the woven wards of Oakhelm Keep as the defenses flickered defiantly against the assault. Without hesitation, Mal quickly un-slung the sword from his back and drew the Marshal's Edge from its scabbard. The steel of its hefty blade rang upon the night air and a series of runes along the length of the weapon sprang to life. Gripping the weapon with both hands Mal treasured the balanced weight of it once again in his hand and longing to be of service.

"To arms," commanded the Earl Marshal wielding the symbol of his office and authority. Every guard and member of the watch no matter how far out of earshot all heard his cry echoing as it carried itself through the wind to them. Bows were drawn; swords and spears made ready as they watched in terror at what assailed the Keep's defenses.

Trinity's heart sank as she could feel the masterfully made magical barrier begin to falter against the attack. The strands of its magic began to snap as it struggled to hold back Lady Adriana and the dark magic dragons. She had to do something, and fast but she needed time to act. And with every seconds passing time was about to become precious indeed.

\- Episode 43 -

"I need you guys to buy me some time," Trinity desperately pleaded the request at Mal and Camden. "The wards are failing and those things will get through if I don't do something! I need you to keep them busy, distracted so I can work some form of a way to reinforce it before it collapses. But I won't be able to protect you while you do it, I will have to concentrate - you'll be on your own and so will I."

Camden didn't focus much on the details his sister told him, all he needed to hear her say was to keep the monsters busy. "Consider it done," Camden confirmed as he straddled himself upon Silver-Claws back. "We'll take to the air and intercept everything we can to draw their attention."

"Sound plan," Mal confirmed. "You draw their fire and I'll assign my best bowmen to cover you, it'll leave me free to provide a line of defense for Trinity." As Mal had barely let the last words leave his lips a pair of footsteps thudded to a halt behind them and another voice joined them.

"Not alone your not," King Rainborne declared with a wry grin lighting his face. "I finally get my Earl Marshal back after all these years, I'll be trice cursed if I'm going to let him stand alone." With a roll of his shoulders the king drew his cloak behind him and brought his sword to hand. "Besides, you've probably allowed yourself to get rusty my old friend and as for me, well I could use a good bit of fun for a change."

"Never ever assume my skill to be anything less than what you have known it to be in the past," Mal corrected his former student. "Did I not instruct you to always consider your foes hidden strengths; never to assume your blind superipority? It always ends with you eating dirt."

"Arrows at the ready lend your aim to cover the boy and his dragon," Mal ordered his men. "Hurry," Trinity whispered as lines of worry furrowed her brow and a bead of sweat formed at her temples. "I'll have to pull the wards back to try and reweave what of the magic I can, you have to make haste and keep them held back while I work."

"On your signal then," Mal answered her, a soft tender tone of rippled resolve to bolster her.

"Now," Trinity screamed; as she did every strand of pale interlocking light above them began to shatter and withdraw. And as it did, the swarming creatures rushed in without restriction, furiously seeking the magic they feared could imprison them once more. With a roar of glee Silver-Claws took wing carrying him and Camden straight at them like a hurled spear.

\- Episode 44 -

Camden heard a loud flutter of wings flapping against the night wind as he and Silver-Claws sailed straight through the middle of his foes. Black fire licked and sputtered inches from behind him as his courageous cohort slammed into two of his former clutch-mates driving them from their path with a crack of collided scales. Claws struck out and slashed like arced lightning seeking to rend the tainted forms that lingered as an insult to the last guardian's blood-kin.

A fanged maw darted to snap at Camden, perched upon his winged companions back forcing him to twist and bring his shield to bear blocking the beast. Silver-Claws registered the threat to his newfound friend and turned his own mouth at the attacking undead dragon, loosing his cold-fire breath. The ghostly blue-white flames roared to life and erupted into the attacking dragon's neck in an explosive stream. Its magic burned at the very lifeless flesh, the flames so cold they scorched all heat and life away until the creature's corpse began to collapse.

Sensing the threat the other dragons immediately moved to overwhelm Silver-Claws before he could train his deadly dragon breath upon another. Camden had to quickly drive his blade to parry at claws that frantically reached for them while the sapphire scaled sentinel darted and dodged.

Arrows swam through the air like schools of flying fish seeking dark scaled dragon flesh to pierce. Of those that managed to find their mark the bowmen soon found that their arrows only bounced harmlessly off the hideous hides. But not without drawing the dragons' ire, prompting them to turn their attentions downward at the irritating albeit harmless attempted attacks.

Camden and Silver-Claws dove down as several dragons set upon the guards but were too late to save them. Cold fire spewing forth to roast a pair of the dark devils before the others returned their attention towards the defiant dragon. At this rate Camden wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the fiends distracted, or if they could even stop them from slaughtering anyone else. Just the thought of it filled him with a furious rage, and he directed Silver-Claws into another headlong charge.

While Camden battled overhead, Trinity still struggled in strained concentration to work whatever miracle she could as Mal and King Rainborne marked the approach of another figure. In all the confusion they had lost sight of the beast from outside the Vault, who was now stalking its way straight for them.

"Age before beauty," Tonniel jested as he raised his guard to the oncoming abomination. "As you wish your majesty," was Mal's reply as he took his own defensive stance, his Marshal's Edge held before him. "Just don't complain any when your aged mentor proves your better even after all these years."

Both men had just enough time for a quickly chuckled breath before a chaos of claws and jaws descended upon them.

\- Episode 45 -

Mal studied the charging beast's movements as it came at them, carefully looking for anything he could use against the creature. While it moved fast, seemingly reckless in a headlong rush it was different this time around - more cautious. It had been harmed before, and clearly seemed to remember the experience. Trinity seemed to be its intended target, but the monster wasn't ignoring him or Tonniel either; perhaps it was learning. Mal would have to be careful; if that was the case he couldn't rely on the same tricks working a second time around. It was all the same to him however, he would just have to dust off a few other ones.

"By the authority of his majesty, King Rainborne, I hereby give you fair warning and order you to halt or forfeit your life." The ground at Mal's feet shuddered violently as the creatures clawed fists slammed into it, barely missing him as it continued it's assault. "Didn't think you'd take it," Mal remarked, mostly to himself. With a tilt of his broad blade he shifted his footing and took a short step to keep a defensive barrier between them.

Narrowing his gaze Mal let his instincts rise from the back of his mind and allowed himself to sink down into a deep quiet. His hands set themselves to motion, moving in tightly controlled series of blocks and parries that kept his guard strong. Patience was the key, he knew, this was not the kind of fight that would end quickly unless he was foolish and he couldn't afford to be that.

"Oh, quit toying with the thing," Tonniel exclaimed as he moved forward to join the fray. With a surge of swirling swiped strikes the king circled in towards the monster his own blade a deadly arc of spinning steel. "Cower before the king," Tonniel roared a sense of triumph in his tone. The beasts claws clanged off the feverishly flung weapon and it screeched back its own challenge.

So caught up in his own attack Tonniel had taken his attention off the creatures other clawed hand leaving Mal alone to intercept the sinister blow. Power answered his call from within the blade as he rolled it into a strong arc that met the deadly digits with a crackle. Tonniel wouldn't need any reprimand; it was already written upon his face that he had misjudged his hasty attack.

Riding her will down through her staff, Trinity focused her mind deeper and deeper into the weakened wards of Oakhelm Keep. She had to have faith that her brother and Mal could protect her long enough to work, there was no time to spare worrying over it. Magic flowed around her like a waiting song, its words somehow out of rhythm now.

And then Trinity could hear it, a voice pure and peaceful as a tumbling snowflake drifting down beside her. The silver and ivory pendant dangling from her neck began to glow with a warmness that held the promise of tender kindness. Trinity was no longer alone, she could feel it now; she had never really been alone. That is what she had been carrying all along - it wasn't a book of magic at all. It was the gift of the Unicorn's essence itself, the very Unicorn's spirit that even now was walking with her trying to help.

Born from the very presence of the Unicorn, hope began to flood through Trinity's heart, filling it with song.

\- Episode 46 -

Camden clung desperately to Silver-Claws back as the young dragon endlessly kept moving, dodging blows and hastily flung dragon fire. At times it was all he could do to hang on, trusting to his companion to keep him safe as they maneuvered through the air. Claws tore through the air to rend and rake at Camden, but only found waiting shield and jack resisting them.

If only Silver-Claws could catch all of them with his breath, Camden was sure that it could end this whole ordeal quickly. The only problem was that there was still enough dragons moving around them that there just was no way that Silver-Claws could envelop all of them at once. Every time the dragon loosed a blast of his vicious cold-fire it seemed to tire or lessen him somewhat. As powerful as it was it only made sense to Camden that it would take a lot out of Silver-Claws to summon up such a potent attack. It wasn't the kind of thing he could maintain indefinately; otherwise he would have been doing it none stop.

"Oh, great; now I am starting to think like Trinity," Camden thought to himself. Here he was in the middle of battle riding on the back of a dragon of all things and he was even thinking things through. Surely his sister hadn't used that magic of hers on him, had she? He would have to save all this thinking stuff for later; right now he had to keep buying her time.

Below him, Mal and the King were still battling the black beast using the steel of their skilled blades as capable as any shield to defend Trinity. Cautiously Mal kept himself between his fearsome foe and his charge, patiently parrying blow after blow. Every time the creature attempted to charge forward it found itself rebounding off edged steel.

It was becoming furiously frustrating; before it was the one thing that it could feel as sure a threat as anything to its freedom. And yet it remained just out of reach, thwarted by a pair of irritations. A dark rage began to consume what was left of the creatures mind as desperation demanded the removal of this obstruction.

Both pairs of clawed hands exploded towards the King, followed instantly by snapping jaws that sought their way towards Mal. It was just the kind of reckless gambit the old knight had been waiting for, and one he hoped he could still manage to take advantage of. Perhaps he had become just a tad bit rusty after all.

\- Episode 47 -

The music of life itself flowed all around Trinity; she could hear it, see it; feel its delicate warmth. There was a pure power here, running through the runes it seemed so simple and yet it was so very beautiful. Soft strands of light were in tatters though, frayed and scorched. There was so much damage to the ancient wards they just simply couldn't cover an area the size they once had.

She knew that she would have to do something, but rebuilding the entire series of wards was far beyond the scope of anything she could manage right now, especially rushing. No, she was going to have to find a way to reweave what she could of the working barrier and protect what she could. There was no way it would cover everything, but just maybe she could cover enough.

Quick as she could she grabbed at the pearl and ivory wisps and set herself to finding everything she could salvage. As she worked a strange memory puzzled its way into her mind, it was a fragmented thing from long ago. Something she barely remembered from when she was little, it was a trick some kindly lady had shown her once to keep her busy.

The image played out inside her as she absently worked her hands to rearrange the strands of woven magic. It was thing of amusement, a simple construct of interlocking meshed yarn or string. But for a child it was a thing of wonder, when compressed it was just a ball of unassuming mess. When pulled outwards it sprang to life to form the shape of a ball or whatever it was created to become. Trinity had nearly forgotten about the little marvel, it wasn't the kind of thing she spent time practicing and it wasn't really anything she had time for these days.

And yet, all at once she realized she had been reworking the wards into something similar. They had formed a web-work of energy that she tugged at carefully watching it compress in and out. It was a far cry from the masterfully crafted thing it had once been, but given time Trinity promised herself that she could perhaps repair it further.

Right now, there was no longer time to waste, she could feel it. So with a brief sigh Trinity pulled together all the fibers of magical force as tightly as she could and then released those strands to throw those outwards. The spell-woven strands exploded, stretching and springing with a surge of flexibility. Trinity rode the wave of magic back up, her focus slowly returning as she opened her eyes.

Camden was above her, riding on the back of Silver-Claws, frantically fighting to defend the new friend he had found in the young orphaned dragon. Before her she could see both Mal, this kindly old knight that fortune had led them to fighting side by side with the king himself. The paired protectors were valiantly defending her from the self-same creature that sought them outside the Vault.

Her heart warmed to see such sights, fear faltered in the face of the hope that was being carried inside her. Trinity could feel the wards she had worked as they returned to life. It was time to see just how well she done, and if it would work at all.

-Episode 48 -

Silver-Claws had been bravely battling the pernicious pack, but he was only a single dragon; it was only ever going to be a matter of time before his out numbered adversaries wore him down. Camden watched seemingly helpless as his newest friend tired in his struggle to outmaneuver the other dragons only to see them still circling. Below them his eye caught a sudden flicker of movement drawing his attention; one of the other dragons was rushing up from below to sneak attack Silver-Claws!

Camden had to do something; he refused to let his friend go down like this. Especially not after all that he had done to protect them, how he had bravely fought to buy Trinity the time she needed. Suddenly Camden released his grip upon the dragon's back and flung himself down to meet the upwardly rushing assault. He fell through the whipping wind his stout blade held squarely before him gripped by both hands. Like a spear thrust down he ripped into the dragon's waiting flesh, a scream trailing off as his breath left him.

The sudden halting of his flight downward was far more of a shock than Camden could have ever expected. Even if he had thought about it ahead of time - which he didn't, as usual; it was not the sort of thing you consider in the spur of the moment. His only concern was to buy his sister the time she needed but he wasn't about to sacrifice Silver-Claws just to do it. It was odd; really, it hadn't occurred to him to consider that in saving the sapphire scaled sentinel that he would be himself helpless against gravity.

A screech overhead alerted him that his friend had found him missing from his back, but Camden had no idea if the desperate dragon could make the dive in time to save him. The wounded dragon slipped free from his blade as the two fell together back towards the earth.

Beneath them, Mal pivoted and shifted his weight to throw himself towards the beast's chest placing his back towards it. The Marshal's Edge rippled with lightning as it danced along the blade in answer to some subtle trigger from its master. Mal brought the broad blade into a sweeping slash trained on the creature's claws, his steel seeking to sever them.

Neatly his masterfully made blade found waiting flesh to seize upon as it unleashed a portion of its potent power to rip through and remove both hands. However, throwing himself into the strike Mal had been forced to drop his defenses for a moment. It was a calculated risk, the experienced champion knew it, but it was necessary; he couldn't risk the king's life. He did have a duty to perform after all.

Even with agony flooding its way to engulf the monster that had been Lady Adriana, rage still fueled its attack pressing its teeth to repay the man who had again brought pain to it. But Tonniel had never been a fool, he had always know his dear old mentor's mind; the wise warrior would always place his life before his king's. So he had anticipated Mal's reaction, and following upon his old instructor's lead he launched his own bold blade into a tactically placed thrust.

The shinning steel cleanly pierced the beast's blackened hide beneath the jaw and slid upwards to seek its brains. In a blinding flash light erupted around them that spread outward, bringing with it both a wave of hope as well as confusion. Had his strike rang true? King Rainborne had no way of knowing, the wards had washed over and through him leaving his sight dazzled. For what seemed like an infinitely long moment he could only fight to clear his mind as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. Was it over?

\- Episode 49 -

Trinity had flung the wards of Oakhelm Keep up in a hurry, seeking to return them in time to halt the assault of their fearsome foes. But when the powerful barrier burst back to life she marked an obvious difference; it's more elastic form wasn't just resisting them, it was driving them back. Instead of acting like a hardened shield the protective magic was instead bouncing any force used against them to send the blows back at their sources.

The spell woven shield had sprung to life and as it whipped outwards it had cast everything away from them with it. An almost audible crack could be heard, even as it was felt, as the black scaled beast before them was the first to be hit hard by the spreading wards. The force of the impact lifted it clear from its feet and jerked it backwards as it carried it with it.

In the air, dragons collided with it in a cascade of chaos and shock to find themselves forced out. Camden watched in his own moment of mystery as the sky cleared to the returning enchanted light before finding Silver-Claws swooping under to catch him. Immediately he pushed aside all questions that tried to form in his mind save one and directed the dedicated dragon to head for his sister.

As Mal and Tonniel watched with clearing eyes they caught sight of their opponents as the Keep's ancient defenses washed the deadly dragons outwards in a wave of wispy light. Neither dropped their guard, instead returning to a defensive stance as they studied the creature's reaction. "This may not be over yet," Mal warned Camden as he and Silver-Claws landed just behind them.

"Are you alright Trin," Camden shot the question out, the only possible one of worth to him as soon as he was close enough to speak it. "It should hold for now I think," Trinity replied absently to them, her eyes blankly gazing at the distance. "Thank you for distracting them, I had to alter the wards somewhat, but I think if given time I might be able to rebuild them completely."

"Trinity," Camden called to his sister once more, an edge of frustration in his voices tone. "I don't care about the blasted magical light show; I asked you if you were okay!" The notion of her brother actually concerned about her startled Trinity, and she had to look in her brother's eyes before she could believe it.

"Yeah, Cam, I'm fine," Trinity explained softly, surprised by Camden's unusual show of emotion. "But you shouldn't be worrying about me; we have more important things to deal with right now." While all four of them watched the barrier kept flashing against repeated attacks only to see it spring back into place over and over.

Slowly the menacing mob began to circle the Keep as the creatures paused longer and longer between strikes. After a while it seemed like silence had returned to the night breeze once more. Perhaps they had actually accomplished it; just maybe they had driven the tainted creatures into fleeing. Even if that were the case, it wasn't something Mal could consider a victory.

\- Episode 50 -

Baron Samael watched from the waiting shadows, Thatch and Cobble silently in tow behind him.

The fearsome dark magic infused dragons had withdrawn from the potent defenses of the Keep's wards that even now were still flickering. Such a powerfully spell crafted barrier would be near impossible to breach by brute force; it would take some time and careful preparation to subvert it. Time was something he had, even if it did strain his patience. Yes, indeed, if he was to get his hands on that dragon or reclaim what those meddling brats had stolen from him he could wait.

And as for those rogue forces from the Vault, perhaps they could be yet mastered and guided to serve him. "Thatch, Cobble; it looks like you may yet be able to avoid your fates for failing me," the Baron coldly cooed. Both of his cowardly cohorts gulped down their fear as they tried not to imagine what that might entail.

"We have more work to do, so very much to prepare for, come," Baron Samael bid them with a gesture as the empty air shifted and transformed briefly around them. When next Thatch or Cobble looked around them they found the familiar stone walls of FrostThorn Tower awaiting them and a strange tingle lingering in their skin. It was a rare enough experience that neither knew what to make of it - the Baron never had been known to use his magic to transport anyone other than himself.

But as the pair allowed themselves a sigh of relief for managing to return to the Tower intact and not in some other twisted form they couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. After a few long moments of being left alone it slowly started to sink in; aside from the Baron they were alone in FrostThorn Tower. Where had everyone else gone? Terror tickled its way back up both Thatch and Cobble's spine until they both found themselves shivering.

"Until I can restock myself with suitable materials, you two will see to the various tasks required. Cobble, you'll find those interesting beasts below; see to it that they are fed and secured. Thatch, you will bring to me every tome and journal I have so that I may research a few things. Go on now, to work with you," Baron Samael ordered them.

The Baron, already beginning to become lost in contemplation, marked the exit of his misfortunate minions. "Time for a few experiments I think," he quietly remarked to himself. The image of Lady Adriana crying out in pain like some savage beast warmed him inside as he recalled the scene he had just witnessed. His only regrets were two-fold; that he hadn't delivered the blows himself and that he had not been able to see her lifeless corpse. Instead Baron Samael would just have to treasure the look on the creature's face as he turned his focus on towards new plans.

\---

Meanwhile, back in Oakhelm Keep; Trinity was struggling to make sense of a sudden ripple of magic beyond the wards marking a casted spell. Moments ago someone, or something had been out there unnoticed and now only the lingering echo of dissipating magic remained to confirm it's presence. Her mind raced to try and make some sense of what it could mean but Trinity had grown too tired; she couldn't think of anything.

"I think I should warn you," Trinity started to explain to everyone. "This is far from over," Mal interrupted her as he cautiously started to re-sheath his sword. "Those dragons will be back, if not here they will be waiting to seek us out elsewhere," the old knight declared. "Then we will be ready for them," Camden added proudly as he patted Silver-Claws affectionately on the neck.

"It looks to me like not only has my best knight returned to me but that he has brought with him three new heroes to safeguard the realm," King Rainborne mused thoughtfully. "I'd say we are in the best possible hands," Tonniel added as he slapped Mal on the back playfully.

"Fates favor us all," Mal prayed as he looked into the eyes of both Camden and Trinity. Something told him they were going to need all the help they could get.

About the author:

Ever since he has been able to hold a pencil, Matthew C. Gill has been scribbling down stories. Burdened by an over-abundance of imagination and discovering a lack of fitting bedtime stories for his children he set himself to attempt to create his own. What he never could have expected was the interest of all four of his children as they eagerly awaited each new 'episode' every night. He now lives as a slave to their literary appetites.

Connect With Me Online:

Twitter – Http://Twitter.com/SilverPenScribe

My Blog (For more stories and other random tidbits) – Http://SilverPenScribe.Blogspot.com

More of my works available on Smashwords –

Http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Daedaleus
