Lena was in awe. She had never seen such a variety of people, things, or colors in her small hometown of Sloan. There was a woman in a Yamani style silk kimono speaking Yamani to a boy who must has been her son. It sounded like scolding to Lena, who had heard the same tone from her mother when she forgot to empty the chamber pot, or let her mind wander wile stiring the stew. A tanned man, who looked like he was from Carthak in the south, called for her to buy some of his beautifully crafted jewlery.

'As if I had the money,' she thought. 'It's going to take a lot of discipline not to buy anything hear, even if it's exactly what I don't need to become a warrior.'

Lena's mother had, only two weeks ago been killed by bandits wile she had been lazing in the nearby wood, lisening to the wind rustling in the trees. Lena's last family member had been her ma, her pa having died years before from heart problems.

After pondering what to do for days, and even more mourning, she had decided that she would try to save others from such a lose by joining the Queen's Riders.

"Well," Lena sighed, "The sights and sound of the city are amazing, but it's nothing like a cool breeze on a warm summer day, or the soft sound of raindrops on your window. but now I need to find the Rider's baracks"

~*~

No one noticed the plain brunet girl aproching the Rider's recruting baracks at the edge of the city. She was neither fat, nore thin, tall nor short, but had a spray of freckles across her nose to show that she had been in the sun for most of the two sunny days they had just had. In fact the most noticeable thing about her was her eyes. They were a dazling bright blue, with flecks of white that made them lighter without losing their brightness. Aside from her eyes, she was very plain.

~Sandy~

Hidden in the shadows in one of the many side streets, a keen set of eyes watched the hustle and bustle of the street vendors. They caught everything that happened, from the Yamani mother pulling at her reluctant child to the Carthakian merchant selling his over-priced items. The eyes stoped their searching as they watch the young girl walk through the crowd, the girl was out of place in this city, to young to be on her own yet to clean to be a street orphan. The eyes watched as she bought several apples from one of the vendors and walk toward the recruitment barracks that lined the north wall of the city. As the eyes went back to their watching they noticed the dark cloaked figure slip out of a door way and follow the girl.

*Not your business Kevick your supposed to be looking for the *darkling* not worrying about young girls.*

Watching the 2 figures disappear down the street, the man called Kevick stepped out of the alley and started to follow them.

*Stay out of my head old man I know my job*

*Evidently you've forgotten. Your to kill the darkling before he changes bodies again, putting us back at the beginning of our search. Leave the girl to the fates.*

Kevick, ignoring the other's thoughts hurries to catch up with the girl.

*Chuck*

As Kevick finally reached the girl, and put his hand on her shoulder, a puffing innkeeper whose wife had urged him to stop the man, caught up to them "What do you think you're doin'?" the inkeeper asked. the cloaked man brushed him off.

Then Kevick swung around and punched the inn keeper in the face. the girl didn't turn around, just hurried up. Kevick cursed, and the voice in his head sounded smug. *GET ON WITH YOUR WORK.*

~Chocolate

Lena was a country girl, but she was not stupid. There were men in dark clokes following her, and she hadn't the slightest idea why. A cloud floated in front of the sun, and the market place that had seemed so cheery a moment ago, just seemed loud and forbidding. Lena stole a peek back.

There was now another man following her, or rather following the two cloked men. He seemed much nicer untill she saw him knock down an inn keeper that tried to delay him. At that point, she decided to walk more quickly, and hope not to bring notice to herself.

'I always knew I was somehow different, but how would these men know it? I've neve even seen them before! What do they want with me?' Lena's mind was a jumble of thoughts, but she was almost to the baracks. Above the clouds were getting heavier.

~Sandy~

The sky darkened with an approaching storm, almost a harbinger of the things to come. The girl, Lena, glanced once more behind her at the 2 cloaked men. Her mind raced at the thoughts of what they wanted from her. Choking back her fear she hurried down one of the side alleys that led to the rear entrances of the barracks, she'd try to lose the strangers in there.

The thin stranger watches the girl go down the side alley and an evil smile spreads across his rat-like face. He hurries after the girl, pushing his way rudely past the peasants staring at the scuffle that has broken out behind him. Once inside the alley it wouldn't take long to reach the girl and when he did...

Lena stumbles over the debris strewn along the alleyway, jumping once when a large, a way too large rat scurries out of a garbage pile. Running now she looks back at the alley entrance and sees the thin stranger coming after her, she didn't lose him as she hoped. Panic became a real thing to her now, not a fear like she had of the dark when she was little but a true tangible living thing of nightmares. She had only one hope: to reach the barracks before the nightmares caught her or she'd never be able to wake up again.

The thin stranger ran now, a lust born out of hatred and need pushing him faster than should be humanly possible. As the girl turned down one of the many side passages leading off from the main alley the thin stranger lets out a strange cry, something no human could make, a scream of victory from the throat of an animal.

Lena hears the scream and screams herself, tears streaming down her face as all thoughts of hope leave her body. In her panic she chose the wrong alley passage and now finds herself lost. She stops, leaning against the wall of the alley trying to make herself run as she gulps in ragged breathes of air. Behind her she hears that strange inhuman scream again and starts running. As she comes to an opening she stops dead when she see's a second figure standing there. Hoping. Praying that it's the second stranger, the one she at first thought was nice before he got into the fight with the innkeeper. A small smile touched her lips before she realized that it wasn't the nice stranger but a second thin man. He looked so much like the other that she at first thought he had somehow gotten in front of her but she noticed his cloak was differant and so was his hair. In the moments it took her to decide what to do she was grabbed from behind by the first thin stranger.

~*~

Kevick had finally gotten past the innkeeper but only after throwing him thru the front door of his inn, which was a first since he had, in his time, thrown many a drunk out the door working in his fathers inn back home.

*Where is she V'rn?*

*Your job isn't with this young one, you job is to kill the darkling. Or have you forgotten your vows already?*

* I haven't forgotten a thing! The thoughts of that stranger who followed her were some of ther most vile I've ever read. No matter what my vows to your order my first duty is in the protecting of the innocent. And thats what I'm going to do. Now find her for me!*

~*~

Lena felt herself floating, almost as if in a stream of warm water. She knew nothing of the world around her only of the peace she felt at this moment. As she floated she noticed the face and then body of an old man, well not really a man but a Sauran, the eldest of the lizard races. She had heard stories of these ancient wizards, told around the fireplace by her grand da but had never seen one before, yet she knew what he was just as if her grand da was beside her telling her a story. The old man/sauran looked at her, a look of sadness creased his brow as he reached out for her.

~*~

*I found her. Hurry, they're killing her.*

~*~

Re-doubleing his pace and following the way shown to him in his mind by the link he shared with the ancient wizard, Kevick soon came upon the 2 thin men and the body of the girl they were leaning over. Rushing toward them he saw what they were doing to the girl, saw the blood dripping from their mouths and cried out. They spun around, showing their true faces. They were Were-Rats, some of the most evil and most dangerous of the dark races. Seeing his attack they pulled out their short blades, made of the dark metal that was harvested from the mine pits of the Trugur or dark dwarves. Kevick pulled his own blades out, not the long swords strapped to his back, the narrow alleys wouldn't allow their use, instead he pulled out the twin Sai his father had given him before he left to join the Paladin. These silver metal weapons were elvish forged, and as such glowed faintly in the darkness of the alley. They stood looking at the other, measureing. Thinking. Waiting. Just then a loud crash of thunder rang out startling all 3 and signaling the attack. They ran at each other, weapons held low, as the rain came, not a soft gentle shower but a downpour, almost as if the gods were trying to clean the surface of the world of the filth of humanity. The first were-rat lunged at Kevick trying to score a fast draw of blood. Kevick caught the blade of the were-rat with his own and parried it away, spinning through his movement to cut a slash down the second were-rats chest. The wounded creature cried out in pain, making the mistake of dropping his guard and realizing to late to stop the second spinning blade from severing his head from his shoulders.

The first were-rat sees his companion fall and realizes that this human is no mere guard or constable. He was facing a warrior-born, one who knew how to fight and wasn't afraid to kill. More cautious than before the were-rat circled his opponent looking for an opening to strike. Each feint he made was matched by the human warrior, no openings were shown other than ones that would have left himself vulnerable for a counter strike. Frustration grew in the were-rat and so did fear. The warrior never waivered, no emotion betrayed his face making it impossible to know his thoughts as they circled. A slight misstep by Kevick was all it took, his footing slipped in the mixture of blood and rain on the cobblestones. The were-rat lashed out, his blade driving for the exposed neck of the human, but missing as Kevick simply rolled thru the stumble taking him out of the reach of the were-rats weapon. Surprised by his miss and off balance the were-rat was unprepared to meet the attack of Kevick who struck out with both weapons, one aimed high and the other low. Both weapons struck true, the first piercing the were-rats throat and the second taking him in the stomach. With a final jerk, Kevick severed his opponents head and let the body slide off of his weapon.

Throwing a quick glance to make sure no more of the creatures were around, he turned his attention to the girl's body, lying motionless and bleeding in the rain. Kneeling over her he placed his hands over her wounds, absorbing their pain into his body as he started to heal them. Deep inside her mind joined by the bond of the healing trace, Kevick saw her life play before him. From her first breath of life and the long scream she let out after her birth, to the vision of her parents and grand parents who doted on her. He followed her life thru her childhood and the strange effects she had on those around her, the absolute trust animals showed her and the way fate seemed to weave around her. Could she be the one? Were the legends coming true? These thoughts were cut short as he felt the girl's movements and heard her first weak cry of pain. Calling himself back from the healing trance he was in he wrapped the girl in his cloak, picked her up and hurried toward the barracks of the Queen's Riders. He could think of no place safer for a young girl than with them.

*V'rn, did you see her thoughts? Did you feel the pull of fate in her?*

* Yes. It flows around her, even more strongly than from you.*

*What do you think it means?*

*I've no clue Hunter, but whatever it is she's the focal point. And now so are you.*

~*~

The storm, as suddenly as it started, stopped.

chuck

Kevick reached the barracks of the Queen's riders and began pounding on the door. A young woman with the brightest blonde hair and eyes the color of the sea at its darkest depths answered. She was small, but with the way she held her body and the determined gleam in her eyes, you knew she could take care of herself.

She took one look at the girl in his arms and pulled the pair inside. She began moving quickly down the corridor without a word and so Kevick, helpless followed her. After what seemed like hours of walking, the girl was getting heavy, they finally went into a small room, sparsely furnished except for a bed and some tools that seemed to be for healing.

And once again the woman left, hopefully in search of help, Kevick thought to himself. He looked down at the girl, who was semiconscious, and still bleeding. He had healed most of her wounds, so that they were no longer fatal, but she was still in pretty bad shape.

The door slammed open and a woman walked in. Her raven black hair and pearly white skin blazed in contrast. Her shinning green eyes were filled with concern. Kevick looked the woman up and down. Even in the plain tunic and breeches her perfect hourglass figure hardly went unnoticed. Kevick shakily bowed to the Queen Thayet, but she simply waved a hand at him, saying,

"We have no time for such niceties! Rachell get the healer here at once. If she can do nothing we will have to send for Lady Alanna."

Kevick assumed she was speaking to the woman who had taken them here, but at closer inspection he realized that she was no older than seventeen.

Turning her attention back to Kevick, the Queen Thayet said, "What happened?"

"Were-Rats. I healed most of her wounds, but I wanted to get her to safety."

Thayet looked at him appraisingly, but asked no more.

Rachell returned out of breath, "Thayet, the healer is no where to be found. I sent a rider for Lady Alanna, she should be here soon."

"Fine. Get some warm water and a rag. We need to clean these cuts."

These cuts, however, were much more than that. The girl had several deep bite marks on her neck and arms. They were no longer bleeding because of Kevick's healing, but they were still open. If they were not stitched they would become infected.

It seemed like an eternity, but finally the door to the room slammed open. The short, copper-haired woman pushed everyone aside. Her violet eyes were ablaze with fury as she surveyed the girl.

"Everyone out!" she commanded. Thayet and Rachell left immediately, but Kevick was slightly slower. This time the Lioness screamed, "I said out! There is work to be done!" ,p> Kevick ran from the room, the door slammed rudely in his face. Turning, he thought he saw the hint of a smile on Thayet's and Rachell's faces, but then it was gone.

~Cat~

To add to this fic, e-mail me at coopersheart@yahoo.com