A Thief's Honor

Andarian Forest
August 1346 A.C.

An hour later found them back on the road heading west again. Kael had made sure to skirt the village carefully, so as not to further offend the young girl's delicate sensibilities, or his own for that matter. The killing of the young man had been one thing, but the village was a slaughterhouse. As they rode the girl remained uncharacteristically quiet, wrapped up in her own troubled thoughts. Kael concentrated but on the road but every once in a while other images and thoughts would creep into his mind unbidden.

For instance, he contemplated magic. As a child he had not experienced true magic very often. Of course, there had always been magicians and illusionists of the card-trick and sleight-of-hand variety. Diviners, fortune-tellers and other so-called mediums were very common growing up in a crowded city as he had. True unadulterated magic, on the other hand, was a rare and spectacular thing. As a boy he had witnessed such a show and later on as a young adult he had stumbled across another true magician.

He was only five years old at the time. He'd wandered away from again as was his habit in those days. His mother had lost track of him again, and it had been only one of the countless times she had done so. Then again, she'd never been that attentive to begin with. Kael had never known his father and as such he'd lived alone with his weary mother and his discouraged sisters. It had been a miserable situation at best. It was the times when he ended up drifting around in the city that he found fleeting happiness. One such time was when he encountered the conjurer.

Kael had just come to the intersection of two large, busy streets. He was a tiny boy with scraggly black hair, unkempt clothes and a dirty face. He scuffed his raggedy shoes along the pavement listlessly, taking in all the sounds, sights and smells of the bustling city. Because he'd been more preoccupied with the cobblestones he did not see the man before him until he'd bumped into him and fell down and skinned both his knees. The man had helped him to his feet, and Kael had struggled to bite back the stinging tears in his eyes. The pain from his bleeding knees had almost entirely consumed him then. That was until the conjurer performed his trick.

"Now it's not all that bad," the man had reassured. Kael remembered him as being very tall and very thin, akin to a gangly scarecrow in some old farmer's field. His hair was even the color of straw such as you might see poking out from under a scarecrow's floppy hat. What Kael remembered most vividly, however, was the man's clear, white eyes. They had possessed no irises or pupils. The utter blankness of the eyes did not perturb the young child, who was much more interested in his injured knees.

Then the man had done something incredible. Before the crying boy's very eyes the magician had produced a piece of the world's finest chocolate. One moment there'd been the man's empty, pale hand and the next the very same hand was filled with delicious fudge. Kael remembered gobbling up the chocolate like a starved wraith and delighting in its scrumptious taste. He hadn't even hesitated before taking the chocolate, only blinked once in surprise as it had appeared and then scurried away from the conjurer, bleeding knees or no. Kael hadn't ever doubted for a second that what he'd seen was real. How could he? He'd witnessed it with his own two eyes, and it had seemed just as real as the earth beneath his feet.

The sound of a voice brought him back to his senses. It was the girl. Kael glanced down at her. She was positioned in front of him in the saddle so that he could not see her face, but he could hear her voice clearly now that he had broken out of his reverie.

"We should probably stop for the night soon," said the girl in a strangely flat tone. She hadn't said much of anything all day and when she had it had been in the same expressionless manner of speaking. Kael was becoming slightly alarmed.

The thief glanced around at the surrounding forest and was surprised to find that the light was quickly dimming to blackness once more. Apparently he had been lost in thought for some while. He wondered briefly how much ground they'd covered and when they would reach the next village. He also tried to shrug off the uneasy apprehension that insisted that all they were going to find in these desolate woods was more massacred villages and dead corpses littering the streets. His subconscious was quite the cheerful optimist.

"All right," he agreed.

In one easy motion he dismounted the stolen steed and helped the girl to do the same. As he led the beast into the woods, searching for another good place to spend the night, the girl was conspicuous by her silence. Kael decided that reticence really did not suit the girl whose disposition was normally bright and sunny, if not a little devious as well. The thief couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She had lost her family so suddenly and just recently had been reminded of the tragedy all over again in the form of another destroyed village.

Finally, they found a suitable place for encampment and Kael took over setting up. At first, Kaiya tried to help as well, but he bid her to sit and rest. She did so a bit reluctantly and watched him as he gathered wood for a fire. After a half an hour of preparation a fire was crackling merrily before them and Kael was preparing a vegetable stew for dinner. He was running dreadfully low of supplies. When he had bought his rations he'd counted on feeding himself and no others, but things had changed quite drastically since then.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he said finally to break the unbearable silence that had sprung up.

The girl shook her head and continued to stare blankly into the flames, as is trying desperately to divine some sort of meaning from within. The thief sighed and continued to stir the watery stew in a lackluster fashion. If they didn't reach an inhabited village or town by tomorrow they would have to hunt or forage for food. The thought was not particularly uplifting. Kael did not have all that much experience with surviving in the wild. He'd been born and raised in the city. He'd even made his dishonest living in the city.

"What's going to happen to me?" asked Kaiya suddenly. Her passive expression had not changed, but Kael could tell by the tone of her voice that she was afraid.

"I don't know," he replied truthfully.

"I don't want to be alone," she whispered waveringly.

"You're not alone. I'm here," said Kael matter-of-factly, though the discussion had begun to make him uncomfortable.

"I know you want to get rid of me first chance you get," she accused, staring at him with overlarge, shining eyes. The dancing of the flames was reflected in those blue orbs creating an eerie effect that was slightly enthralling.

"You don't know that," said the thief quickly, but realized too late that that would only serve to confirm her suspicions.

She turned away from him and continued to stare into the flames in hurt silence. Kael sighed. He was never going to win with the girl. If she knew what he really was, a thief, she would probably prefer being alone to his company. Kael suddenly wondered why he didn't just tell her then. It would probably drive her away, and that was what he wanted. Wasn't it?

"I'm a thief," he blurted suddenly into the sickening quiet.

Kaiya looked up at him with surprise though she seemed in no way ready to bolt away from him. Kael wasn't sure if he was disappointed or relieved at this fact.

"I'm a thief and a murderer. I killed the man back there because I was trying to steal his horse and he stood up to me. I'm a bad man, and should be nowhere near a young girl such as yourself, let alone traveling with you," he continued on a little helplessly, trying to make her see that he was the last person on earth she should choose as a companion.

Kaiya said nothing for a few minutes. Then she smiled. "I don't think you're a bad man at all," she replied. "A bad man would have taken advantage of me, and even though you want to be rid of me so much you're still keeping my best interests in mind, whether you know it or not. If you wanted to be rid of me so much and you didn't really care about me at all, you'd have abandoned me to the wilderness, but you didn't."

Kael said nothing. Instead he could only lower his eyes. He wasn't sure why he couldn't bear to look at her anymore. Perhaps it was the creeping shame that had begun to entwine about his heart at the mention of her words. Just yesterday hadn’t he contemplated riding off and leaving her behind in the woods, no matter what happened to her? He had, but he had not done so. He had killed a man, but not out of choice, out of necessity, for his own survival. Conflicting emotions and thoughts boiled up inside of him until he thought he would burst or lash out.

"And I don't think you would have killed that man if he wasn't already trying to kill you. I don't think you're a murderer. You may be a thief, but I don't really think you're all that bad at all," continued the girl confidently. "So stop berating yourself so harshly for all the wrong things you think you've done." She smiled weakly.

Kael said nothing. The girl's words seemed honest and from the heart. How could he even contemplate abandoning her anymore? He couldn't. In a way he had grown slightly fond of her over the past few days. Alone for so long, the girl had become the first companion he'd had in years. Could he really be so callous and deposit her somewhere, not knowing if she'd even survive? And if he did, he knew he'd surely miss the sound of the girl's voice, running non-stop thought it inevitably did, because for so long he'd moved through the world in silence.

They spoke little as they ate their meager supper. After they finished Kaiya wordlessly began the ritual of cleaning up and stowing away the cooking utensils while Kael withdrew their blankets. Even in the few days they'd been together, already they'd developed a sort of rhythm to their actions and movements. It was comforting and familiar and just one of the things Kael wasn't sure he wanted to give up just yet. The thief handed the young girl one of the two woolen blankets he'd purchased from the village outside of Andaria.

The girl accepted the blanket gladly and curled up in a ball on the ground, snuggling deeply into the covers. This brought a smile small to the thief's lips. Then he too wrapped the blanket securely about himself and lay down upon the hard ground to let his mind wander away to sleep. That night, for the first time in many nights, he dreamed. At first the dream was a pleasant one. His mind traveled back through time and a place to one of the few moments in his history where he had felt secure and happy.

Her name was Adriana, and she had been his first love though he had not got the courage to tell her that. In the dream she was dancing like she always loved to do. She was in the courtyard of her father's house where he had often come to visit her. Though he was just a lowly poor urchin of the city streets and she a wealthy merchant's daughter she had nevertheless decided to befriend him. In the dream she danced and held out her arms to him, beckoning him forward to her embrace. On legs that felt too light to be real and with an overpowering joy in his heart, the thief-in-training, as he'd been back then, walked slowly over to the object of his affections. As he reached out for her the dream immediately changed and shifted.

The summery sweet light from the courtyard darkened to a sickly, diseased shade of brown. Even as he watched, the façade of the merchant's house crumbled and faded away to reveal nothing but an infinite blackness where the thief could hear the screams and wails of tortured souls. His heads flew to his ears, trying to block out the horrendous screeching but to no avail. The sounds were everywhere; they penetrated both his body and his mind. He reached out for Adriana, but her body wavered like an illusion and then disappeared entirely. She was gone and he was alone in the darkness.

Unconsciously, the thief rolled over and moaned in his sleep. The dream, the nightmare continued. From out of the imperturbable darkness came shapes that were even blacker than the void surrounding them. Now the thief could clearly see the source of the hellish wailing. It was the shapes crying out in agony and despair as they shambled towards him. He no longer wanted to see; he would not be able to bear it if those shapes turned to him and revealed their faces to him. The thief shut his eyes tightly, but it made no difference. The creatures had invaded his mind, and in his mind's eyes they came forward unrelentingly until they were only inches from him, reaching out with clawed, decaying hands and pleading with their screams.

The thief sat bolt upright on the ground. Sweat poured down his face, but it was cold. His hands were shaking uncontrollably and his breathing came in shallow, quick gasps. He began to shiver and one glanced toward the fire showed that it was completely out. Only small embers glowed futilely against the night now. Kael looked toward the girl and suddenly his stomach clenched into a cold, hard ball of fear.

One of the shapes from his dream was hovering over the sleeping girl.

Kael cried out in alarm. His shout was enough to wake the girl who rolled over and sat up, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. Then the creature extended a dark, rotting hand and touched her shoulder. Kaiya screamed, and the sound was unnaturally shrill and piercing. It seemed to echo in Kael's mind long after the creature had grasped her and silenced her screaming with one clawed, ugly hand. The girl struggled in the thing's grasp, and at first Kael was paralyzed with shock. After a few moments he regained his sense of mind long enough to withdraw the long dagger from inside his coat.

Kaiya began to moan and writhe in the shape's vice-like grip. Somehow this was worse than the screaming. Kael leapt over to where the creature was pinning her down onto the ground and lunged forward with the knife brandished before him menacingly. The creature whirled with preternatural speed and knocked the blade out of his hand just as quickly. Kael's stunned mind could not comprehend what was happening even as the creature lunged for him and the thing's face drew disturbingly close to his own. The thing's skin was a sickly, mottled grey and its face was wrinkled and twisted, distorted to an ungodly degree. Its huge eyes bulged forward like an insect's, completely and utterly black as the night sky above with no irises or pupils to disrupt the complete and utter darkness. As the creature opened his mouth and uttered a hissing noise, not unlike that of a cat, Kael caught a glimpse of long, yellow, recurved fangs.

The creature lowered those deadly teeth dangerously close to the thief's neck. As the creature pinned him to the ground with its massive weight and strength, Kael reached out, struggling to extend his arm far enough to reach the dagger, which had been cast to the side. After a few agonizing moments during which Kael was certain he was about to die, his fingertips brushed the cool hilt of the dagger. Then utilizing every ounce of speed he possessed he drew the dagger upwards and slashed back down, sinking the blade hilt-deep into the creature's throat. Immediately the creature flapped backwards off of the thief and began shrieking and uttering those inhuman sounds he'd heard in his nightmare. Then two huge wings erupted from the thing's back and it clumsily threw itself into the air. For a few moments the thief was sure it'd come crashing back down to earth, but the thing clambered awkwardly into the sky and was soon lost in the thick canopy of the trees.

Kael sat shivering upon the ground clutching the dagger to his chest. Then slowly he lifted the blade up before him. The weak light of the moon illuminated a dark, sticky fluid coating the blade, which the thief supposed was the creature's blood. After a few moments of stunned incomprehension the thief finally remembered the girl. He let out a startled cry and ran over to the girl's limp body, kneeling down next to her. He set the blade down on the ground and rolled the girl over so that her face was looking up at him.

Kael let out a startled oath. There was blood everywhere. Blood coated the girl's face and more blood seeped through her dress from seemingly everywhere at once. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought someone had tried to skin the girl. She shivered and moaned quietly. Kael began to check the girl for injuries. What he found amazed and sickened him. There were two long gashes covering the girl's face. There were several deep cuts and gores covering almost the entire front of the girl's torso from chest to lower abdomen. The thief had had to lower the girl's dress to see these wounds, and he'd felt very uncomfortable doing so, but he had to know.

Also, he had to stop the bleeding or the girl would die in his arms.

As he worked on ripping up one of their blankets, the thief wondered how the creature had inflicted so many wounds. Kael hadn't given the thing any chance to scratch and tear at the girl, but somehow it had. The situation was almost impossible, but it was still real. Every second that passed lessened the girl's chance for survival. Kael ripped the blanket into strips and began to pack and wrap the girl's many wounds. Even as he pressed the rough cloth to a cut the material would darken and bloom with crimson. Still, he had to try.

The girl remained awake but barely. She seemed somewhat numb from the pain, as if she were already half unconscious. She lay very still and made no sounds except for the occasional moan. The thief knew he had to get her to a healer or physician and quickly. The only problem was that he did not know how far it was to the next village, or even if the next village was inhabited. Quite possibly the next town he came to would be just as dead and ravaged as the last one had been. If the creature that had attacked them was of the same type that had massacred the village, the thief predicted that the surrounding towns and villages were in very deep trouble.

When he was done there was no blanket left. The entire piece of cloth had been ripped and shredded to form makeshift bandages for the girl. The thief sat back on his haunches and rubbed at the cold sweat on his brow. A nasty voice crept into his mind and urged him to leave the girl and run to save his own life. Who knew if the creature would come back or not? If it did it might even bring a few of his friends, and then the thief would have no chance at all. Wouldn't it best if he left the girl behind?

"No, I can't let her die," muttered the thief, staring at the pale form of the little girl. "She needs me."

He knew he'd never be able to live with himself if he just walked away and left the girl to her death. So he had no choice but to help the girl. She really did need his help. As it stood now he was the only person she had in the world. Even though the situation was dire and grave, the thief couldn't help but feel a little good at the thought that somebody actually needed him. So he resolved that he would not let Kaiya down. The first order in that business was to find an inhabited village with a healer. To do that they needed to get away from their current campsite in case the beast decided to return and finish them off.

Kael packed the remaining blanket and their supplies back in the satchel that was secured to the dapple. Then he lifted the half-unconscious girl gently in to his arms, cradling her like a fragile doll. Now came the tricky part. He hoisted the girl carefully in to the saddle, and before she could either forward or to the side he leapt up into the saddle behind her and enshrouded her in his arms protectively. Her head fell back against his chest limply, and she clutched at him with feeble hands. Holding her protectively he urged the dapple forward into the darkness.

He found the road minutes later and continued west. The thief struggled with the need for speed and the realization that should he push the horse too fast the girl would be bounced all over and would possibly aggravate her injuries even further. So he kept the horse at a brisk walk despite his desperate mind, which continued to fret over whether or not he was choosing the right course of action. So they rode like that all night. The girl bobbed in and out of consciousness, and occasionally she tried to speak, though the words came out slurred and mostly incomprehensible.

Finally, just as dawn was breaking behind them, Kael saw the telltale swirls of smoke in the distance, emanating from the chimneys of a little village. Relief flooded his tired body and he pressed the horse just a little faster. They reached the village square in five minutes, and Kael was further delighted to note that although the village did not seem very crowded, it was nevertheless populated by real, living people. Not many of these people were out and about so early, but there were a few denizens going about their errands. Kael hailed one such young woman.

The girl turned to face him with a frightened, wary face. She eyed his appearance up and down and fidgeted nervously.

"I need some help," explained Kael quickly. "Will you please take me to the village healer or physician?"

The girl stared up at him blankly for a few moments. Her eyes roved over the semi-unconscious form of Kaiya and then back to Kael, as if contemplating a wild animal that was getting ready to maul her. Then she shrugged and nodded her head. Kael slipped out of the saddle and lifted Kaiya down as well. He held her in his arms as he had done before, as there was no way she would be able to walk. She could barely keep conscious.

The nameless woman started off and Kael followed. She walked very quickly. Burdened with Kaiya's extra weight, Kael found it slightly difficult to keep up. Nevertheless he managed to reach the small house the woman had only a moment before disappeared into. The door of the cottage opened again and the girl beckoned him forward. He entered the house and followed the girl to an empty bedroom where he promptly laid Kaiya down upon the soft, downy bed.

"She'll be with you in a second," said the nameless woman and left without another word on the matter.

Kael sat down next to Kaiya on the bed. The girl's eyes were closed and her breath came slowly and raggedly. Her chest rose up and down with the laboring of her lungs. The thief touched one of the girl's small hands and was shocked to feel that the smooth, pale skin was icy. He rubbed the girl's hand in an unconscious gesture of affection; he wasn't even aware that he was doing so. He was lost in dark thoughts when the door to the bedroom opened to admit an older woman who was apparently the village healer.

Kael looked up. The woman was very petite. If he stood, the thief was certain she would reach only the middle of his chest. She was also slender, but her hips were all delicate curves and her breasts full. Her face was likewise exquisite with soft brown eyes, slightly freckled skin, framed by a mane of mahogany waves. Her face did not change expression when she viewed the thief and the girl. She merely pursed her lips and strode immediately to the bed where she leant over the still form of Kaiya.

"What happened to her?" the healer demanded, peeling back the makeshift bandages on Kaiya's face to reveal the deep gashes.

"We were attacked by a creature," said Kael promptly. "I don't know what it was."

"Well, I do, and I should have known," remarked the healer.

"What are you saying?" asked Kael.

"I'm saying that the creature who attacked this girl is of the sort who have been massacring thousands of people about the countryside. You may not have noticed but our village is feeling a little empty of late. We've endured many attacks recently. I myself have lost husband and children to the creatures."

Kael didn't know what to say. All he felt was a horrified shock and overwhelming sympathy for the woman who had lost her family.

"Do you know anything about these creatures?" he asked finally.

"Yes, I will tell you later when this girl's life is not at stake," said the healer abruptly and left the room.

Feeling abashed, Kael waited until the woman returned minutes later. She carried with her a variety of items including herbs, vials of potion and even a few stones and amulets.

"Do those really work?" asked Kael, pointing to a ruby talisman.

"Sometimes," she replied shortly. "Now let me work, please."

Kael fell silent and watched the woman work. First she stripped the girl of her dress and removed the strips of blanket covering the wounds. She poured some liquid over the many gashes and gores and finally dabbed ointment on the wounds. Then she dressed the cuts with bandages. After she had finished with that she poured the contents of one of the vials of potion she carried into a cup. She stirred the liquid repeatedly until she was content.

"Help her sit up, will you?" commanded the healer.

Kael did as he was bidden and helped Kaiya to a sitting position. The girl blinked a few times and her eyes went in and out of focus.

"Drink this, girl," said the healer in a stern voice.

Kaiya did not respond when the healer put the cup to her lips. Kael spoke encouraging words to the girl, and she blinked rapidly again, as if trying to clear her vision. Then she finally allowed the healer to pour the contents of the cup into her mouth. Kaiya spluttered a bit but the healer held her mouth firmly closed and so the girl was forced to swallow. Kael lay Kaiya back down upon the pillow. The girl's eyes fell closed once again.

"What was that?" demanded Kael, referring to the mystery liquid.

"That was a restorative draught designed to help the body heal and produce more blood to replace what was lost," explained the healer in clipped tones.

As the woman was about to leave the room for a second time, she suddenly whirled on her heel and turned to face Kael once more. "Tell me," she said abruptly. "Is she your daughter?"

"No," replied Kael. He figured there was no point in lying. "I found her in the woods. Her family was killed by those…things."

"Come with me," said the healer with a sigh. "I will tell you what you want to know."

Kael followed the healer out of the bedroom, turning back only once to look at Kaiya. The girl looked very small and very pale spread out on the bed with the blankets pulled up to her chin. However, he could only trust not that she would be all right. With a sigh of his own, Kael allowed himself to be led into a small living area with chairs that sat before a hearth. The fireplace was unlit at the moment, but the room was still cheery in a cozy way. Kael wondered what the house had been like when it had been a home with a family, with the woman's husband and her children.

"Will she be all right? Kaiya, I mean?" he asked, settling down into a high-backed chair across from the healer woman.

"Yes, I believe she will be fine in time. Her body will take care of the rest now," said the woman. "You care for her don't you?"

Kael fought the urge to shift uncomfortably in his chair. "Well, yes, I suppose so," he finally admitted.

The woman smiled, a thing that lit up her sad, tired features and made her beautiful, if only for a few moments. "My name is Alina. And you?"

"Kael," said the thief, saying his name for the second time in forever.

"So Master Kael, I will tell you about the creatures," began Alina. "First, around here they are known as the malori, or those who bring death. We do not know for certain the circumstances of their origin, but many people them to be the work of dark sorcery. In particular, many people believe that they are the creations of the sorcerer of the woods, a dark magician who is rumored to live in the ruins of Eryndar."

The thief nodded. "I have heard of those rumors. Exactly what do the creatures, the malori, do? I've seen the devastation they've left behind, but I don't understand. Do they feed upon humans?"

"In a way," replied the healer vaguely. "Not in the way you mean though. Did you notice anything strange the night one of them attacked the girl?"

"No," said Kael. Then he remembered. "Wait. Yes. I thought it impossible Kaiya could have sustained all those injuries when I never saw the beast actually attack her. Also, the thing didn't have enough time to inflict all that damage."

The healer nodded. "What the malori do is feed upon the life and energy of those they take as their victims. As they drain the energy from their prey they also inflict many grievous wounds without ever having to lift a claw. The very process they use, which is magical in nature, does it for them. It's a very effective method of killing and it leaves a terrible mess of carnage behind."

"I've noticed," said Kael weakly. "And you said these things killed your family?"

Alina lowered her eyes. "Yes," she said quietly. "My husband and my two boys. Jasen and Ben were twins. They were only eight years old, and now they are gone." The healer turned her head and lifted a hand to her face to conceal the tears that had sprung up in her exhausted brown eyes. "Now I care for the victims that fall prey daily to the very monsters that took my family from me."

"Are they nocturnal in nature?" asked Kael, hating the fact that he kept pressing this poor woman for information when she was so clearly suffering from terrible grief.

The woman nodded. "Yes, we have only ever encountered them at night. That is why everyone hurries to be home before nightfall. We lock our doors behind us now. The creatures are persistent. Soon I think we will have to bar the windows as well."

"The one I saw had wings. It could fly," said Kael slowly.

Alina again nodded. "Yes and it makes them all the more deadly. They can fall upon you from the sky and you will be none the wiser until you are dead."

Later that same day Kael ventured into the village to stock up on much needed supplies. Alina had assured him that Kaiya would be safe with her and that if he desired he could stay the night in her house until the girl was healed up. Kael wasn't sure about the prospect. He knew he would feel more than uncomfortable staying in a recently widowed woman's home. He already felt like an intruder as it was, having to pry into the woman's life for information about the malori.

After he had bought the necessary items, Kael decided to stop by the one and only inn in the entire village. It didn't even have a name. The sign that swung above the doorway read only one word: inn. Kael entered the common room and looked around. It was not crowded by far. A few patrons sat on stools, slumping over the bar and still a few others sat at dirty tables. A greasy pall of smoke hung thick in the air although very few of the patrons were smoking. The cloud of smoke was seemingly a permanent fixture. Kael didn't mind so long as he could have a drink. With recent events, he felt he was completely entitled to a little beer.

He perched himself upon a raggedy stool at the bar. A lean man with a gaunt face approached. Kael made his request and waited while the stringy bartender served up a frothy tankard. Hesitantly, Kael took a sip of the brew and was relieved to find it drinkable, if not completely enjoyable. Minutes passed and Kael sat staring into his drink and trying to divine the future from within the dark liquid. He became lost in his own thoughts again until a new patron stumbled through the inn doors and looked wildly about the room.

Kael turned in curiosity to the young man who had just barged in the room. Several other men looked up briefly as well, but upon seeing the boy they turned back to contemplating their different poisons. The young man was not much more than a boy really. Kael guessed him to be only a few years older than the fourteen-year old Kaiya. What was most striking about the boy other than his overall disheveled appearance was his garb. If Kael's eyes were not deceiving him the boy was actually dressed in the vestments of the clergy.

"Brothers, the time is near at hand!" the boy cried out suddenly. "The dark magician has unleashed his demons to feed upon us all! This is but a sign of the evils to come! The end is upon us all! We must all repent of our sins and ask God to--"

The young man broke off suddenly as he realized that no one was really paying attention his speech. He glanced around in exasperation and then turned to the bartender for help.

"You know, boy, if you wasn't a priest and all that, I'd have shut your mouth long before now, you hear? Nobody wants to listen to that kind of crazy talk. Now you can either shut up or take it elsewhere," stated the bartender calmly, wiping at a dirty mug with an even dirtier cloth.

"But--" began the cleric.

"Shut up, Alec," remarked one loud patron from within the dusty confines of a shadowy corner of the common room.

The priest sank down upon one of the barstools in defeat. Kael noted that his black priest's cassock was torn in several places and stained in others. The young man's tanned face was lined with worry and his grey eyes were almost wild with some sort of religious fervor. His chestnut hair was tangled and matted and hung in his face. Overall the priest seemed to be possessed of some sort of hysteria, and Kael was loath to even go near any sort of religious madness. It was just not his style.

Still, the priest's words echoed in his mind. The thief couldn't help but think about the malori and what was happening to the world. What if the creatures couldn't be stopped and they continued on their homicidal path of destruction? Kael knew one thing that would happen if such a horrible event occurred. People would grow ever more wary and vigilant, and that was decidedly bad for a man of his profession. Kael sighed and took another long drink.