Shifted

Skylar finished hammering in the spike, and tugged the rope as hard as he could. Satisfied, he tossed Redorak his hammer back. It seemed secure enough, and he looked at his dwarven companion. The pair were rangers, and packed like such, always prepared for the anything. They each had been carrying almost thirty feet of tightly wound climbing rope, easily an inch in diameter. Good tough stuff, made for the cliffs and mountains. But even combined they only had sixty feet, and to start with they needed five feet to stay on the edge of the cliff, so the spike could be in solid, secure ground. So they would be climbing in stages, from ledge to ledge, in a path already determined by Redorak.

The plan was simple. Skylar, being the most agile of the bunch, would free climb. He would be the last one down at every stage, pulling up the spike so Redorak could pull the rope to himself on the next lowest part, and find a suitable part of the face to securly hammer it into. After pulling it out, Skylar would free climb down to Redorak and Leliana, and they would start the process again. Redorak would be the first down each time, because of rather simple logic. If the rope and spike were secure enough to hold him, Leliana should have nothing to worry about.

Skylar nodded to Redorak, and the dwarf took the rope, and swung himself over the side. He rappelled down, down almost fifty feet rather quickly. He was experienced in such matters, and very comfortable climbing cliffs and walls. He made it down to the ledge they'd agreed upon, and he tugged the rope twice, letting Leliana know it was her turn to come down.

On the cliff above, Leliana very carefully set out over the edge, and started rappelling down. She felt very uncomfortable at first, feeling the open air, and the swirling summer wind. Hanging by a single piece of rope didn't really fit her fancy. About halfway down, a foothold gave way under her and she almost let go of the rope, as she screamed. But she kept holding on, and Redorak called out encouragement to her. "Your okay lass, keep a tight grip on that lifeline, whatever you do." he said, keeping his voice level and calm. In truth, she'd been but millimeters from that rope not mattering, her other foot almost off the little edge she'd been balancing on. He guided her quickly, but kept his voice calm. "Move your right leg down, stretch a bit lass, c'mon. Your but half an inch from it, there you go. Now test it afore you move your left foot." She did so, and he smiled. "Good girl, now keep going."

With Redorak verbally guiding her, she slowly made her way down, gaining more and more confidence as she did so. It took her almost a half an hour, but she made it to the ledge. Redorak smiled, as she landed beside him. "Thank-you, Redorak" she said, nodding to him.

The dwarf grabbed the rope, and tugged it twice, as he responded. "Your most welcome lass, but save yer praise until I get us down into the pass, and back up again. Until then, let's just keep quiet and try not to fall."

Above them Skylar felt the tugs. He quickly yanked the spike out of the ground, and went to the edge of the cliff. "Its coming down Redorak!" he called out. The dwarf called back an acknowledgement to his companion, and Skylar dropped the rope. The half elf turned his back to the drop, and started clambering down the ledge, free climbing.

Redorak held tightly to his end of the rope, as he motioned to Leliana to stand as tight to the wall as she could. The rope came down, and the spike plummeted by them. There was a loud clang, like steel on stone, and Redorak nodded, satisfied. He hauled the rope up, until the spike was in his hand. He carefully pulled out his hammer, and manuveored himself to be facing the sheer rockface of the cliff. He looked up and chuckled, for Skylar was already halfway down. "Elf, be careful where ye come down, I don't need ye stepping on me hand!" he called.

Carefully Redorak felt the face of the rock, looking for a proper small crevice in the granite cliff face. It took him a few moments, but he found one. It was small, barely an eigth of an inch, but it would work perfectly. Skylar reached the ledge as Redorak brought the spike up, placing the tip right in the gap. The dwarf started tapping it in, very carefully, concentrating on maintaining his balance. It took him almost ten minutes, but he eventaully got it to the point where he was quite comfortable that it was secure. Redorak grunted his approval, and handed Skylar his hammer, so the elf could use it to pound and chip at the rock if necessary, to free up the spike before he climbed down. Then Redorak took hold of the rope, and started rappelling down.

The climb took the trio almost three hours, for despite being made of solid stone, the cliff was far from solid. The rock was weathered and fractured, and as they reached the bottom, and Redorak saw the complete destruction that had been the land bridge, he realized what had happened. All the larger chunks showed signs of vicious erosion, some having channels and that were almost a half an inch across, and about two thirds of the way through the stone. The problem, however, was that all this was at the bottom of what had been the land bridge. The top, the part travellers saw, had been intact and as solid looking as ever. To an average person, it would have seemed perfectly safe. Redorak shook his head, his face sad. The small group didn't have a chance. He looked at Leliana, who was not even trying to hide her feelings, tears running down her face. The dwarf spoke softly. "Lass, we don't have ta dig up the bodies. I'm sure they wouldn't take offense. We can give 'em proper funeral rites right here, and leave 'em buried as they fell."

Leliana looked at the dwarf, and wiped her eyes. She wasn't sobbing or bawling audibly, but she was obviously weeping. She kept a stiff demeanor and shook her head, though, and whispered. "They were my family, they are my family. They deserve at least this much."

Redorak nodded, and set to work with Skylar. Using a simple spell to grant themselves temporary strength like a bull, they started moving slabs of stone aside carefully. They didn't honestly think there would be any survivors, but on the off chance, they wanted to insure they didn't crush them. Leliana helped as she could, moving the small bits of dust and stone, and trying to figure out where they had all been in relation to the rubble when it had been whole.

They kept at it, and after six or so minutes, they came upon the first body. Leliana nearly shrieked in horror. It was Erika's body, but it left little to the imaginaton. The horse's back legs were snapped like twigs, bones sticking out, blood everywhere. Her ribs and spine were shattered, and her skull caved in. Leliana could barely look, but she forced herself too, saying a blessing for the poor creature, fighting vile and sorrow in her throat. Redorak dragged the horse's carcass to the side of the rubble, as Skylar kept searching.

Next they came upon Frendar. As they pulled his corpse out, Leliana saw what had killed him. His own axeblade was bent and shoved through his left leg and stomach, and out his left thigh. It had severed his femoral artery, and nearly severed his leg entirely. Other then that, unlucky blow, the dwarf showed no signs of injury other then the axe. Redorak carefully flipped over Frendar's body, and had to chuckle. His fellow dwarf had died with a small tight lipped grin on his face. Leliana saw his body, and felt an odd mix of feelings. How could she feel sad, or cry for someone who obviously hadn't been afraid of death. She also felt a strange sense of hope, for the dwarf's body had somehow escaped being crushed, and only a unlucky stone hitting his axe at the wrong angle had killed him. Perhaps a member of the group had been luckier then Frendar.

Redorak dragged Frendar's body over to the pile of stones, and carefully arranged the dwarf, placing his twisted battleaxe in his dead hands. He did a quick search of Frendar's body, and found what he was looking for. Around Frendar's left wrist was a small bracelet, with a small symbol on it. The symbol was a small charm, shaped like a battleaxe, and black as night. The holy symbol of the dwarven deity Cuthan Blackbeard. Redorak nodded, such a choice made sense for a warrior whom had found family. Duty and Courage were the domains of Cuthan. Redorak nodded, placing the symbol tight in Frendar's lifeless left fist. He stepped back, and spoke in their racial tongue. "Du døde med mot, og levde av plikt. Måtte Svartskjegg ønsker deg velkommen til sine haller." With that, Redorak helped Skylar, and they carefully entombed the dwarf in the stones they'd removed thus far, and set back to work, adding to the pile.

Leliana looked at Redorak. "What did you say to him?" she asked softly.

Redorak smiled. "He was a dwarf of courage and duty, a servant to his family and his kin. He may not have died in battle, but he died well, knowing no fear, and fell with his family. He followed Cuthan Blackbeard, the dwarven god of courage and duty, of warriors. I simply gave the common blessing for one such as him, whom worships one of our gods, but has no clan name attached to him. 'You died with courage, and lived by duty. May the Blackbeard welcome you to his halls.'."

Leliana nodded, smiling as more tears rolled down her face. "He would have liked that." she whispered. Redorak nodded, and the trio moved on, continuing their search. They soon enough found Nano, or what was left of him. He was a bloody mess, the landslide having caught him with the full brunt. He was only identifiably from the small size of the robes around the torn up mess of flesh and bone.

As Redorak and Skylar collected up the mess, Leliana turned her back on the scene, this time unable to control herself. She hit her knees, sobbing, and vomited as well. She couldn't take anymore, she couldn't believe this had happened. She drew her mother's mace, and looked at it. She knew what her mother would expect of her, would want of her, but she wasn't sure she could do it. Life was just not fair. How could it be part of the balance that she live, yet her whole family die before her eyes. How could that be justified as an equilibrium. She screamed out, and threw the mace at the stones where Frendar's body was buried. "It's just not right!" she screamed, crying. Mercy flew and clanged off the stones, and hit the ground.

Leliana stood and tossed her mother's shield at the larger pile, as she remembered her mother's final actions, actions which had undoubtedly saved Leliana's life. But emotion was not the voice of reason, and Leliana couldn't help but be viciously angry at her mother, for her sorrow was overwhelming. "Why did you save me, yet kill yourself!" She screamed. "Why couldn't you hop on the back of Flame. He could have saved us both!" She fell to her knees again, pounding the ground. "Why, mother, why!?" she said, breaking down into unidentifiable sobs.

Redorak and Skylar nodded, knowing she needed to let it out now or later. Skylar motioned to Redorak to keep sifting through the rubble, and he moved softly to Leliana's side. As he came to stand beside her, he smiled and spoke softly. "I know things seem a mess right now. I can't imagine what you are going through. But I don't think your mother would approve of that little tantrum, do you?" he kneeled beside her, hugging her lightly, as she cried. He continued speaking, knowing she was listening. "I know it seems unfair, and in truth it really is. But we are all meant to die at some point, and in truth your parents wouldn't have picked any other place to die. They were wanderers, travellers, adventurers even, to a point. Especially your mother, she truly had the wanderlust. The thirst, the need for the unknown, for the risks, and rewards of the road less travelled. It's a mentality I understand, because I share it. And," he said, lightly lifting her face, so her crying eyes looked into his smiling ones. "It's one which I'll be willing to bet you'll find you have soon enough."

Leliana sniffed. "I know that, but she could have saved herself along with me." she said, still sobbing softly.

Skylar smiled. "Yes, but there are many reasons why she might not have. Perhaps she wasn't sure Flame would make it with the weight of two of you on his back. He barely made it carrying you! Perhaps she just didn't think about it, and her protective instinct as your parent just reacted. Or perhaps she just realized it was her time to die." he added, whispering wistfully.

Leliana looked up at him. "What do you mean, her time to die? Why would she ever accept such an idea?"

Skylar pointed to the rubble. "Well look at it from her point of view. Two trusted allies, myself and Redorak, who would see you to Joakim. He would, and will, take you in, without question, and start and continue your teachings as a cleric of Talia. Meanwhile, her husband, and adoptee brothers are doomed, death is upon them. Mayhaps she decided that Talia was trying to tell her something, trying to call her home." Skylar looked to Leliana, and got her to look to Mercy, her mother's mace. "Maybe, she decided it was time to pass along the story to its next teller."

Leliana stared at Mercy, looking at the mace. Memories of the tales of the weapon and its previous wielders came back to Leliana. She could hear her mother telling her of the epic adventures and journeys of the previous wielders, of battles and fights with monsters and dragons, of epic rescues and daring escapes. Leliana could hear her mother like it was yesterday."Soon enough, it will be yours to carry, and yours to wield. It is a weapon that has an amazing history and reputation, but for all that, from my experiences it's the wielder not the weapon. Soon enough it will be yours to carry, and the story will be yours to create." She looked at Skylar and found no way to truly disagree. It hurt so much, but there was only one way to look at this that her mother would approve of, and Skylar hit it dead on. "You're right." she whispered to the half elf.

Leliana had to smile through the tears, for her mother had warned her that the day she inherited Mercy would probably be the toughest and most painful day of her life. A young, naive Leliana had asked why, and Liandry had simply responded, "Because if you are getting it, then I'm obviously not able to wield it anymore." Back then, Leliana hadn't fully understood the weight of that statement. Now she did, and she rose no longer crying, although tears still dripped from her eyes. "You were right mother. This is the toughest and most painful day of my life. I can't believe you're gone." She moved to her mother's, no her shield, and picked it up, sliding it on her left arm. She then moved to Mercy, and picked it, staring at it. "It might be mine to wield now," she whispered, "But to me it shall always be my mother's mace." she finished, as she slid it into the loop on her belt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Skylar and Redorak sifted through the rubble as best they could, but even with their magically enhanced strength, much of it was just too large to move. Leliana helped as she could, constantly trying to even at least catch sight of her mother and father's bodies. They worked for hours, trying to find something, but eventually Redorak glanced at Skylar. Knowing that Leliana couldn't speak dwarven, Redorak spoke to his companion in his racial tongue. "We're getting nowhere now, and the sun is starting to sink. It'll take us an hour, at least to get back up the cliff. I would not camp here, nor even in this pass." he said.

Skylar knew well enough what he meant. Such a tragedy, but more importantly, the smell of death, would bring about scavengers of all kinds, both for a meal and for booty. He sighed, and responded in dwarven. "I'll talk to her, you prepare the pyre for the other two." he told his companion. He moved to the other side of the rubble, where Leliana was staring at the rocks. She looked up at him, and he spoke. "Redorak would not camp here for the night, nor do I disagree with him." the half elf said.

Leliana heard the unspoken part of that message, and smiled at the ranger. "You two cannot move what is left of the rubble, can you? Even with your magical aid, you can't move them." she said, her eyes still red and puffy from crying, but now with no more tears rolling down them.

Skylar nodded, and on the other side of the pile Redorak's voice chipped in. "That's right lass, we've found those we're gonna find. Your mother and father were crushed underneath the larger boulders, obviously. Take some small heart in that, at least, for their deaths would have been almost instant."

Leliana looked at the rubble, and for a few tense moments Skylar thought she was going to try and argue with the pair. In truth, his fears were well founded, for she thought about it. But as she turned her head to start arguing with him, she caught a glimpse of something amidst the rubble. It was a glimpse of silver and gold. She hit her knees and looked closer, using her hands to move around dust and small stone chips. She got hold of it, realizing it was twisted chain links. She pulled it, and out came a neck chain. Her mother's neck chain, the one with her holy symbol. Leliana stared at it, in a mixture of horror and relief. This was it, the proof of her mother's death. It was in her hands. Her mother would never have let go of this handcrafted symbol. Yet here it was, what was left of it. The chain was short a few links now, and what was left was a twisted mess. Yet somehow the holy symbol had survived intact. She carefully took the small pendant off the amulet, looking at the black and green piece. It was only the size of a silver coin, but beautifully shaped to look like the tree of life and death.

As she held it, memories came back to her, of watching her father working on the piece, putting hours and hours of effort into each tiny detail. The result had been amazing. The tree looked and felt real, right down to the texture of the canopy on the living side. The artwork was amazing. Leliana felt tears welling up inside her again, and felt a weight rise off her back, but her heart sink. She pocketed the small symbol, and nodded to Skylar. "You guys are right. They're gone." she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm an orphan now, a novice with no teacher."

Skylar nodded. "I'm sure Joakim will take you under his wing. Your family were great friends to him and his, and the very least he will feel he can do is to take you in and teach you." the half-elf said, completely confident in his words.

Redorak smiled and nodded. "The old man is good like that, a kind soul. Tough as a mountain though, and has the work ethic of a dwarven miner!" He turned and looked at Leliana, torch in hand. He'd soaked the remains of Nano and Erika in lantern oil, and was ready to light the pyre. "Lass, any last words for 'em?" Redorak asked her, his face going solemn.

Leliana came around to stand in front of the remains of her two friends turning herself to also be addressing the makeshift cairn where Frendar was, and the pile of rubble that had claimed her parents. She thought about the group, about her family. The love, the friendship the group had shared. She thought about the adventures and mishaps, and all the fun and important lessons she'd learned. She collected herself, as she fumbled around her belt, pulling out her flute. She looked at it, the amazing childhood gift from her mother. She stared at it, and smiled, remembering all the silly songs she had learned to play and sing, all the fun they used to have on the road.

She thought long and hard, trying to decide what would be a fitting send off. She smiled, a sad, yet satisfied look in her eyes, as she realized the perfect send off. It was a tune she'd learned from a travelling musician many years ago at Bivrik's tavern. A complex little piece, it was not the fastest nor happiest of tunes, but it did have a quick pace far faster than most funeral songs. It was meant for two things, saying goodbye, but also moving on. The song was called 'The Hardest Mile' She started playing the five step beat, and Skylar and Redorak smiled, and listened intently.

She played in, tapping her foot to the beat, as she thought up her verses. The song didn't have any words, for the word were supposed to be improvised for the people to who you were saying farewell. After a few cycles, she stopped playing her flute, simply tapping out the beat with her right foot. Redorak and Skylar did the same, and she started singing.

"Well this must be goodbye my friends,
As I set out on this road.
It will be the hardest mile,
that I have ever known.
Frendar, strong as the mountain,
yet friendly as a kitten.
You showed me many things my friend
And to those lessons I swear I'll listen
You showed me the true value
of kin and family.
And I swear I'll not forget
No matter how far away I be.
Nano, the little gnome,
A creative illusionist he be.
You had many tricks and spells
that could do things we couldn't believe
You were in love with life
and never seemed worried nor concerned.
Carefree, happy, some might say,
Or maybe even crazy.
Erika, noble mare, she worked
and never stopped pulling her weight
She was like a big sister to me.
She even saved me life.
I'll miss you girl, desperately
But wherever you are, girl,
I shan't hope you'll be missing me.
Finally there's my mother and father
Liandry and Teolan
Amazing parents they were.
I'll never forget either of you,
Or the values you preached unto me
Love, happiness, courage,
Valor and honesty, tis true
And whilst I swear to keep going
And live my life to the full
Tis also true when I say,
Forever I'll miss you."

With that, she played out the four note outro slowly coming to a stop. The lyrics hadn't rhymed perfectly, and indeed had been out of the beat a few times, but it had been the best way to say what she'd been thinking. As she finished, she looked to Redorak, and nodded. He moved to the remains of the pair, and struck flint to steel. The spark caught on the oil, and soon enough the remains of gnome and mare were burning brightly. Leliana wiped one last tear from her eye, and put her flute back on her belt. She turned and started walking back to the cliff face, slinging her shield over her shoulder, hooking the hand strap on a small slot of her breastplate. Checking it was secure, she waited for Redorak to start climbing the rope.

The trio did much the same as before, except after the first section, Skylar climbed first, free climbing with the spike and Redorak's hammer. He would climb to the ledges, which the rangers had premarked on their first climb down with bright blue strips of fabric. They'd stuffed them in the cracks that the spike had been in, or more specifically Skylar had. As the half elf got up to each ledge, he pulled out the strip of fabric, and put it back in the pouch on his belt. This time the climb only took the group about an hour and a half, Leliana now much more comfortable with climbing with only just the rope.

They crested the top of the cliff, and Skylar looked about. The sun was setting on the day, the trio would have perhaps an hour or so of daylight left, and off in the distance, Skylar heard what was definitely thunder. He looked to the north, and cursed softly. The sky was lined with thick dark clouds, and obviously the storm was headed towards them. Skylar looked to Redorak. The dwarf could tell what his companion was thinking, and nodded his agreement. Skylar hauled Leliana up as she crested the edge of the cliff. He gave Redorak his hammer back, and the dwarf retrieved the spike and rope, whilst Skylar explained the plan to Leliana.

"It's getting dark, and me and Redorak would prefer to camp off the road, somewhere sheltered. There is a big thunderstorm coming, and me and Redorak would rather not be caught in it. Especially considering it looks like it could very well be the first Autumn Screamer." Leliana paled slightly, looking to Flame. The gelding was breathing deeply, and obviously a little concerned. She realized he could smell the approaching storm, and based on how he was acting, his eyes wide, it was obviously a big one. 'Autumn Screamer' was a term for the most vicious of thunderstorms that pounded the Balin Crags after the summer solstice, until about the fall equinox. In that two month period, storms and rainfalls were an almost daily event. However, generally only two or three storms earned the title of 'Autumn Screamer'.

They generally were vicious torrential downpours, with ferocious winds that could pick up and throw most people, and sometimes even send horses and larger creatures for a unexpected tumble. Besides that, they were generally rather cold, made it look like the middle of the night, and lightning strikes were dangerously common. Thankfully they moved rather quickly, and didn't stay in one place for long. They also generally rained themselves out within two or three days, although in that time they could easily travel over a quarter of the Crags.

The only other bonus is generally they weren't very big, normally only covering a couple dozen square kilometers, at most, at one time. So normally they were easily avoided. This one, however, was on a direct collision course with the trio, and was coming directly from the direction they eventually would be travelling.

Leliana nodded, realizing at that moment she needed to stop mourning, or at least hold off. Flame was still alive, and he was as much family as Erika had been. He was depending on her. She looked at Skylar with concern, and seriousness on her face. "Where to then? Do you two have anywhere we can hide?"

Redorak and Skylar nodded. "Mount up, and make sure Flame keeps up. There are a few small caves about an hour north of here. Judging by the size of that front, and the speed of the wind right now though" the dwarf said, pointing to the black mass of clouds, "We need to make it in three quarters of that. Me and Skylar can set that kind of pace, we've another spell or two today we can put to perfect use for this. But we can't afford to be slow, so I hope you can ride, lass."

Leliana nodded, and quickly double checked that the small pack her mother had tied to Flame was secure. Part of the exercise of riding and carrying her own equipment had included, oddly, carrying her own blanket, a lantern, and some other basic supplies for life on the road, including three days of water and food for herself. It seemed sickeningly ironic that the second day her mother had started making Leliana include that as part of the routine, she would be the last one left alive. She shook herself out of that line of thought, and quickly mounted Flame, after unlooping his reins from the large hunk of rock she'd tied him too. She looked at her companions, waiting for them to take the lead.

Skylar and Redorak both finished muttering, and both felt a tightness and power in their legs, as they cast a quickened movement and cat's grace spell on themselves. The effect would be temporary, but would last long enough for the rangers' purposes. They took off, running at full tilt, which proved to be quite a pace, and Leliana was almost left behind, for she was caught off guard. Leliana heeled into Flame, calling him to gallop. He needed very little invitation, and started running full tilt, sensing the urgency, as they began racing towards the storm. The race against time was on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The trio made great time, but the storm was also faster than Redorak had first guessed. They made it to the area Redorak and Skylar had been thinking of, but as they started moving up the paths and ledges towards the caves, the storm swept down on them furiously. Soon enough, they were traversing slippery granite shelves and overhangs, inching towards the cave Redorak had in mind. Through viciously howling and gusting winds, getting soaked by a furious pelting pace of rain. They were barely able to see five feet in front of them, but Skylar, whom took over leading for Redorak, led the way with confidence. His sharp eyes and picture perfect memory of the area serving him well.

The group were soaked, cold, and tired, as they came up onto a large overhang. Skylar smiled, pleased as he rounded the bend and started moving towards the cave. Flame and Leliana, now leading the horse on foot, came next, carefully rounding the bend. Redorak came around the bend last, water dripping from his shaggy head of hair, and his thick beard. Skylar smiled, and turned to face his companions, waving them on into the cave thirty feet in front of him. "Here we are, nice and cozy." The hole was maybe twelve feet tall, and the cave looked shallow, but wide, with plenty of room for all of them, even Flame. Leliana smiled, and moved to take a step forward, but turned to look behind her as she heard something odd.

Redorak came around the corner, but as he did so, he slipped and lost his footing. "Bloody well abou-oomph!" was all he managed, as the impact knocked the wind out of him. Before he could blink, he was hanging over the edge, to far over to pull himself up, and slipping fast.

Leliana reacted before she even realized it. She let go of Flame's reins, and the first thing she could think of was in her left hand, her shield. As she dove, she slid it onto her arm properly. As Redorak slipped and started to fall, she came sliding at him, and yelled to him, "Grab the shield, Redorak!" She slid fast, but luckily for her, came to mostly a stop, her head and shoulders over the edge. Redorak just managed to grab the bottom edge of the shield, and realizing that grip wouldn't do him good for long, quickly mustered up all his strength, and yanked himself up, so he was holding it on both sides, half of it below his hands, half of it above them.

Now things were desperate, for Leliana could feel herself being slowly pulled down by the dwarf's weight. But she had no intent of sitting by and watching another friend die. She glared at him, as her mind raced, trying to find a plan. "Don't you dare let go dwarf!" she yelled over the howling wind.

Redorak looked up at her. "I've no intent of dying lass, no worries about that. But I've no intent of pulling ye to yer fate either, so whatever yer plan is, ya best put it inta action, or I will be letting go, despite yer protests!" he roared at her, as he slipped another inch or so, pulling her.

Leliana quickly tried to come up with a plan. There was no way Skylar could haul them both up, and Leliana was past the point where she could add her strength to the task, for she had no solid traction, her body slowly slipping off the cliff's edge. She racked her mind, thinking and trying to come up with something, as she slowly felt herself slip yet another inch. Redorak looked up at her. "C'mon now lass, we're running out time here!" he called to her.

Leliana looked at him, and yelled back, "I know, I know! I'm trying here!"

Skylar watched helpless. He knew that he should help, but reasonably also knew there was nothing he could do. He wasn't strong enough to haul them both up. Suddenly, he looked at Flame. The strong gelding was probably close to a thousand pounds, and despite being a bit spooked at the weather, young and strong. He could do it. "Leliana!" Skylar called out, hoping she could hear him over the howling wind and thundering skies, "Flame, the horse, Flame is strong enough!"

Leliana thought she heard Skylar call her name, and she nearly cursed at him for distracting her. But then, in a quick split second between thunderclaps, as the wind changed direction, slowing for the briefest of moments, she heard one word he yelled. "Flame." she muttered. She smiled, and looked at Redorak. "I've got it, Flame he's strong enough, he can get us out of this!"

Redorak looked back up at her. "That's great lass, but as ye can see, now's not the time to be all proud of yerself for thinking of it. Now's the time to make it happen!" the dwarf roared at her, as they slipped yet another half an inch.

Leliana nodded, and started trying to get Flame's attention. "Flame, I need you, I need your help. Please, I need you to help us. You just need to grab my belt in your mouth, and pull us up!" she cried out desperately, realizing that the horse would be rather uncomfortable already with the weather. She came to realize what she was asking would be far from easy for the gelding. For to do it, he would have to walk backwards, walk blind. Uncomfortable doing such things in good conditions, the storm would only make matters much worse. So she coaxed him, urging him along, trying to keep calm.

Flame pawed the stone nervously, but quickly put her belt in his mouth, grasping it. Leliana smiled at his quick reaction, gaining confidence. "Good job, now you need to pull us up. You can do this, I know you can." she urged, still somewhat desperate, as she felt the strain on her arm and shoulder from supporting the dwarf's two hundred pound frame, and the thirty or forty pounds of equipment he carried. Flame pawed the stone, and she craned her neck around, seeing his wide eyes. "Its okay," she coached, "I give you my word it will be fine. There is nothing but flat, safe ground behind you. I know you can't see it, but I can."

Flame lifted his right back leg, still hesitant, but after a few seconds, took a step back. Leliana smiled, as she felt herself get pulled up about two inches. "Good, Flame, you're doing a great job, keep going!" She said, offering encouragement. Redorak couldn't believe it, as he felt himself rise another inch or two.

"That's it! Keep it going!" the dwarf yelled, offering as much encouragement as he could, as he fought fatigue. He could feel the muscles in his hand and fingers stretching, and his arms were starting to shake a bit. As he inched closer and closer to the cliff he muttered thanks to all the dwarven deities, and Talia as well. Finally, Leliana was no longer over the edge, managed to get to her knees, and she heaved with Flame, pulling Redorak up. He let go of the shield and rolled over, sitting up looking over the edge of the cliff. He couldn't even see the bottom, and it would have been nothing but a straight drop. The dwarf rose, and as Leliana got up, he hugged her. "Thanks lass, I owe ye me life."

Leliana smiled, and motioned to Flame. "He's the real hero. I just dived to save you, he's the one who pulled us back, despite his inborn fear of walking backwards." She moved to the gelding, and rubbed his nose, kissing the side of his face. "Thanks to you, we're both alive." Leliana whispered. Despite the wide eyes, and obvious stress and fear the act had induced, Flame nuzzled up to her, acknowledging the thanks. He even almost seemed to smile.

Skylar came up to Redorak, and gripped his shoulder, as the dwarf got to his feet. "You alright my friend?" he asked, concerned.

Redorak shrugged off Skylar's concern, "I'm fine, ye durn fool elf. A little slip, that's all it was. Now let's get out of this blasted downpour afore we bloody well drown!"
As he walked by Flame, he rubbed the gelding's nose, nodding his thanks. Leliana smiled, and followed the pair of rangers in, leading Flame carefully. "You did good, Flame, really good. Now c'mon let's go and rest up and wait this storm out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It took almost a week and a half, but the trio made it to the small sanctuary without any incident after the storm. It took all of the ranger's skills, but they managed to avoid any sort of combat, or violence. Leliana looked around, smiling, but not quite happy. It was a sad happiness, for she was still horribly hurt with the loss of her family. But Redorak and Skylar had helped, and were helping, treating her with respect, even teaching her a few things about nature, lending their experience to her.

The trio moved down the path in the late summer sun. Now a week after solstice, the rangers and Leliana could feel the slight change in the winds. It was still warm to be sure, but it was much cooler than a week before. The leaves of the trees had faded slightly, and very light tinges of color change could be seen amongst a small percentage of them. Soon enough, the holding's short autumn would be fully upon them. Raechin, due to where it was located, had very short transitions. Autumn was normally two to three months, and spring only about two months. The other seven to eight months were split, about two or three for summer, and five for winter. Winter was always the longest season in the holding, and spring and summer were generally the shortest. It was also rather extreme, things getting quite warm, even hot in the summer, sometimes, but bitterly cold in the winter other times.

This was probably due to its odd location, landlocked, but with a massive lake in the center of it, and a mountain range that dominated the northern and eastern part of the territory. It was a hardy land, tough, but strong, like its inhabitants. That thought was a mantra right now for Leliana. She was born here, raised in Raechin. She was like the land, tough, and strong. Her family wouldn't want her to cry, wouldn't want her to wallow in sorrow. They'd want her to live, and to make something of herself. It was with this resolution she walked leading Flame, with Redorak and Skylar ahead of her, turning off Talios Way, and approaching the edge of Joakim's sanctuary.

There was no physical barrier, but if you got close enough, you could sense a magical one, and a powerful one at that. Without Joakim's explicit permission to enter, you couldn't enter. The magic would repulse you. It was his way of insuring that this was a true sanctuary. He recharged the spell once a day, at sunrise. Leliana reined Flame in lightly, rubbing the side of his neck, as she waited. Skylar glanced at Redorak, and the dwarf pulled out a small wooden whistle from under his armor. It was carved and made from cherrywood, and despite its mundane look, it was a powerful magical tool. the rope it was on was also rather plain as well. But it was a very magical tool, one that Joakim would hear, and the barrier would recognize, allowing the user to pass through. Depending how many times Redorak was to blow it, it would let that many living creatures by. The dwarf smiled, and blew the whistle four times, and then motioned for Leliana and Flame to lead the way. She tipped her head in deference to the dwarf, and walked over the barrier. Skylar and Redorak followed her, and they walked down the pathway, and into the small clearing where the sanctuary was.

They nodded, and Leliana dismounted, leading Flame into the stable. She looked longingly at the wall of the furthest stall on the left. The oak boards that her father had used to repair the holes were still there ten years later. Her father's workmanship had been as always, amazing quality. She hopped off the saddle, and saw a small lad working in one of the stalls across from her. He was perhaps seven or eight, and dressed in simple attire, a brown cloth shirt, and some loose brown pants. The stable hand, obviously so. She looked at Redorak, and asked the dwarf, "Who's that?"

Redorak looked at whom she was gesturing. "That's Erik, the new stable boy. He ended up here after his parents were killed in a highway robbery. Bloody mess, happened about two summers ago. Me and Skylar here found out when the survivors came here, and told us what had happened, so we went out and cleaned them up. We took in young Erik here since his parents had died, and none of the other survivors could afford to take him in. He's a good lad, hard worker, polite, and listens very well." Redorak whistled to the boy. "Erik come here, I've someone you should meet."

The boy stopped mucking the stall he'd been mucking, and looked up at the dwarf. He had dusty light brown hair, about medium length. He walked over nervously over to the trio, looking at Flame. Leliana smiled, as Redorak spoke to the boy, as he pointed to the gelding. "This here is Flame, a good friend of ours. He saved my life, and is a fine companion. I expect you to see to him, however this fine young woman instructs." Redorak motioned to Leliana, "This is Leliana, a personal friend of myself and Skylar, along with Joakim. Flame and her are like family, and she knows better than I what he likes. So you'll listen to her, understood?"

The young boy nodded, and looked to Leliana, still rubbing Flame's nose. "So, Miss Leliana," he said, somewhat shyly, "What does Flame here need to be comfortable?"

Leliana smiled, and got down to be eye level with the lad. "Well Erik, you can just call me Leliana, no need for the 'miss'. As to my companion here, well some hay and water, along with an apple and carrot every now and again. Also, a re-shoeing, a bath, and some company every now and again would be quite pleasant for him." Leliana got up, kissing Flame's nose, and the gelding whinnied and gave her a big horse kiss on the side of the face. Leliana giggled, and continued, "He's still young, quite playful, and loves attention. I'll try and come down here as often as I can, but I don't know how busy Joakim will keep me with my studies."

Erik nodded, and moved off carrying Leliana's tack. He paused and looked at Skylar questioningly. The half elf chuckled, as he realized why the boy stopped. "I'll get a label, for now just put her tack on my hangers, and I'll make a steel nameplate for him by tomorrow." Erik nodded, and moved off quickly, humming a tune.

Leliana nodded, and looked at her two travelling companions. "So," she asked, "I guess this is it, time for me to go see Joakim?" she asked, obviously rather nervous.

Redorak nodded, and looked to Skylar. "You take her," the half elf told his dwarven friend, "I've a nameplate to make."

Redorak nodded, as Skylar headed out of the stable. The dwarf turned to Leliana, and looked at her, a soft look in his eyes. "Alright lass, follow me, and let's formally introduce you to Joakim Oakstaff, cleric of Talia, and arrange your acolyte training."