An Evening at the Theatre

         The seats in the open air ampitheatre were full. The sound of conversation filtered through the evening air. Two voices, soft amid the crowds, held a discussion that went beyond the normal.

         "I'm surprised, Kargon. You've never struck me as the cultural type." The velvet voice was little more than a whisper of wind in the crowd.

         "Let's just say I'm here to look at more than the scenery, Jamien." Kargon's voice was anything but soft, more the grinding of gravel by mailed boots marching along.

         "All right, Kargon, out with it. What is it you think is wrong here." Jamien was dressed in a long white dress, plain but elegant. The short saber at her side looked somewhat out of place, but just added an air of mystery to her appearance.

         "Well, I just remember this same group was up North two weeks ago when we were." Kargon wore a long, heavy cloak, long on his short frame at any rate.

         "Yes, I remember. It's too bad we were too busy we were too busy negotiating a treaty between the Ochremoch and Lady Chellis to attend a showing. I'm glad we caught up with them, I hear it's an incredible..."

         "Jamien, could you be quite and listen? The same thing as is happening here was happening there. People are going missing, and it all started two days after this troupe showed up."

         "So naturally you think the actors have something to do with it. Kargon, in a city this size, people do go missing. Still, the timing is a bit odd, and these groups can attract some strange people. All right Kargon, you win. What do you suggest we do?"

         "Hmm. This is a first. You're actually going to listen to me."

         "Keep that up it will be last time too."

         "Allright, allright. Way I see it, we should watch the play and then stay near the theater afterwards to see what happens."

         "That's your whole plan? I'm in awe of your tactical abilities. The Kurakin race should have no fear once you assume your rightful place..."

         "Fine then, can you think of a better idea?"

         "No, and it annoys me to a degree you cannot imagine. Does any of this have to do with your mysterious visit to the Apothecary earlier?"

         "Maybe. I've just got a hunch, and it's better to be prepared. Before you make some other comment, let me ask you this? What's this play supposed to be about?"

         "It's an ancient Eldrin myth about a huntress who falls in love with a fallen star."

         "What? That's gotta be the dumbest thing I've ever heard! A fall..."

         "Quiet, the play's starting."

         The crowd fell silent as the curtain rose from the stage. The background was a forest scene, full of green trees. It looked almost real. It was obviously enchanted, as the odd squirrel went running from tree to ground and back again, and shadows could sometimes be seen moving from tree to tree. A young Eldrin woman came on, wearing a green forest cloak, and carrying a plain hunting bow.

         "Game is scarce tonight. I should have seen something by now. Deer, bear, rabbit. But tonight, nothing. Not even a couple of hares. Just these accursed squirrels. It's like they know some danger is approaching."

         The scene was suddenly brightly lit. The woman blinked several times, trying to regain her sight. "What in the world was that?"

         Off in the distance, a loud crashing could be heard. It was like a giant was tearing the trees out by their roots in a fit of rage. The Eldrin woman stepped out of sight.

         The scene changed to another part of the forest, one in ruin. Many trees were on the ground, some charred black. Small fires still burned, but the fires were dying quickly in the green wood. In the middle of the destruction was a patch of scorched earth, with a tall, pale man in the middle. He wore a plain white robe, and his hair was of a silvery color. The huntress came on from the left.

         "Who are you? Are you all right? What happened here?"

         The pale man stammared, "I don't know. I can't remember..." His voice sounded strange as if he were unsure how to speak.

         "It doesn't matter. We should leave this place. It's not safe here. My name is Sholless, what's yours?"

         "I can't remember. I can't remember anything."

         "Well, you came the same time as that bright light. I'll call you Lunieth for now. Let's go back to my village."

         The forest scenery drifted by and stopped on a small village. Built in old Eldrin style, the buildings blended into the forest. They were almost invisible until several Eldrin emerged from them. A silver haired man with a weathered, wrinkled face approached.

         "Welcome home Sholless. Who is this stranger you have brought among us?"

         "I found him in the woods Grandfather. After the great light appeared in the sky, he was there in a burning circle. He doesn't remember who he is, so I have named him Lunieth. I thought maybe we could help him to rediscover himself."

         "So we shall, granddaughter. Lunieth, though you are not of our people, you are welcome among us. Come, we will find suitable lodgings for you and welcome you into our family properly."

         That night, a feast of welcome was prepared. A boar was roasted over a spit, the Eldrin giving thanks to the boar and to its ancestors for providing them with food. The villagers numbered only a dozen and a half, plus their guest. All were part of a single family, either by birth or by choice.

         As the feast progressed, the Grandfather, Sholian, stood, to offer welcome to their guest, Lunieth.

         "You have been brought to us by my granddaughter, Sholless. You are welcome in our family for as long as you choose to remain. We pledge to aid you in your endevours and ask only that you will do the same for us."

         Lunieth stood. "I swear that I will be a part of this family, as though I were born into it. I will do what I am able to aid any who ask me, and to defend the family in its times of need." The Eldrin applauded the speech.

         Sholian waited for the applause to die. "No more could be asked of any daughter or son. You are a part of our family for as long as you wish it. Welcome!" Everyone lifted their wooden cups to toast the new member of the familiy. As they did, Sholian looked at the heavens and his brow furrowed.

         Sholless came to stand beside him. "What troubles you grandfather?"

         "Look there, granddughter. The Forest Lord stalks the skies tonight, but the tip of his spear is broken. One of the stars is missing. What can this mean?"

         "Does it relate to the light that burned sky and land today, grandfather?"

         "I do not know granddaughter. We must watch the heavens more closely for any other strange signs."

         The days passed in a series of tableaux. Lunieth became more integrated with the family. He hunted with them and ate with them. He took many walks in the woods with Sholless. They swam together in a clear river. Finally, they embraced, kissed, and the stage went dark.

         All was silent in the darkness, and then the lights returned to the stage. Sholian, Sholless and Lunieth sat together near the river where the embrace had occured.

         Sholian was looking skyward again. "Now the whole of the spear is gone. This gets stranger and stranger."

         Lunieth looked up as well. "I know I should be disturbed by the changing of the stars, but somehow it fills me with a sense of calm. I wonder what that means."

         Sholless looked up at the sky, a frown on her face. "I don't know what either of these things mean, but they make me feel anything but calm."

         As Sholless's gaze returned to the other two, the sky changed from dark to bright red. The sounds of many voices rang out in the distance. Lunieth looked up at the now crimson tinged sky. "What is this? Why has the sky changed?"

         "Fire!" Sholless had a look of concern now. "And a big one from the look of it. We have to try to stop it."

         The three ran into the forest. The scene changed to one of fire and chaos, with Lunieth and Sholless entering the heart of it. Sholless was working a spell and Lunieth looked about, calm amist the flames. Suddenly, a loud popping, tearing sound roared out, and something fell from above. The pair were cut off by the large object, perhaps a branch from a tree that burst asunder from the heat. Sholless dove away, but found her self then surrounded by flames. Lunieth was nowhere to be seen.

         Sholless tried once again to work her magic, but her spell was broken by a wracking cough, as the smoke from the burning trees began to fill her lungs. She fell to the gound. Then Lunieth appeared and strode towards her. The flame and smoke seemed to cause him no concern, as he lifted her from the ground and carried her away from the inferno.

         The scene changed to an untouched part of the woods. Sholian stood there with another of his family. "The blaze is contained, but I have seen no sign of Sholless. Have you heard if she has returned safely?"

         "I have heard nothing of her. But what I have heard bodes ill. Another of our wardens had to cleanse her region of the woods of the fire. There was no sign of Sholless."

         From the right, Lumieth came into sight, carrying Sholless. She was stirring and coughing. In between hacks, she managed to stammar out, "He walked through the fire. He saved me by walking through the fire. How..." She coughed again, breaking her voice.

         From off the stage to the left came a dry voice, that did not seem to modulate at all. "It is because he is not of your world, Eldrin maid. He is of ours."

         From the direction of the voices came three figures. They all appeared to be male, and had very pale skin like Lumieth. In fact, they looked almost identical to him. The one who walked ahead of the other two looked at Lumieth. "It is time to return to your proper place."

         Lumieth gently set Sholless down and faced the new comers. "Your words strike a chord within me, but I do not understand what you are saying. What is my proper place?"

         The spokesman pointed skyward. "There, in the sky. You are a star, as are we. You were too interested in what happened on these bodies, and it finally claimed you, causing you to fall from the pattern. Your thoughts were too bound to the earth, and you lost your memories of being a star. But, now it is time for you to return."

         "But if I return, will I lose the life I had here?"

         "You will remember your time, but you cannot return to it."

         "Then I cannot leave." He pointed to Sholless, who had just regained her feet. "I love this woman, and I cannot leave her."

"But you must. Do you think the fire in the forest was an accident? It is the world you walk on crying out against your nature. You are a creature of the sky, not the ground. You must leave this place, before your presence reduces this world to cinders."

         Sholless, her voice recovered stepped between the two pale beings. "I will not be separated from Lumieth. If he cannot stay, then I will go with him."

         The spokesman stepped back from the woman's intensity. He turned to his two compatriots, and they spoke in hushed tones. Finally, he turned back to them. "It may be possible, but once it has been done, there is no turning back. Our realm will not respond as poorly to you as yours to him. If you truly love him as deeply as you say, you may survive."

         "He will not be taken from me, nor I him. I will give up this world for him. Will you take me with you Lumieth?"

         "You have no need to ask. I will take you whereever you choose to go. We will be together. For eternity."

         With that, the five walked off the stage, and the scene darkened. Light rose again, with the Eldrin looking up at the sky. Sholian spoke. "And the Lord of the Forest's spear is whole again. And at the tip, the once lonely star is now twinned. And so it shall be, for evermore."

         The light died once again, and this time stayed dim. People began shuffling away. Quiet conversations could be heard about the play, all very positive in tone. Kargon looked up at Jamien. "You know, I thought the whole idea was stupid, but once you see it, it's actually pretty interesting. Who'd a thought an Eldrin myth would have so much good stuff in it."

         Jamien was still staring at the darkened stage. "Kargon, we should see it again tomorrow night. I think I missed some of the nuances..."

         "Sounds like your throat's a bit dry. Here, have a drink of this." Kargon held out what looked like a small bottle of wine.

         "Thank you. I am a bit thirsty." Jamien raised the bottle to her lips, eyes still on the stage, nigh invisible in the darkness. She quickly tipped the bottle up and drained it's contents. She did not break her gaze on the stage. Then she screamed, "GHAA! What was that Kargon? It's revolting."

         "I know. I took some earlier, but I didn't think there'd be any way to get you to try it while you were in your right mind. It really is vile."

         "Why did you trick me into drinking it...What's going on up there?" Figures were moving about the stage. There were still three more members of the audience sitting, eyes rivited to the stage. They were rising and approaching the three who had just come out.

         Jamien called out twinned words of power, and a globe of light flared to life over her shoulder. The three figures on the stage covered their eyes and hissed. The three from the seats still stumbled forward, as if blind, but following a strong scent or pleasing sound.

         Jamien and Kargon rushed the stage as the three upon it lowered their arms. They were all minor players in the performance. One of them was one of the two star people that had not spoken in the performance, and the other two were Eldrin who had been at the celebration. They snarled at the pair who advanced towards the stage.

         Jamien darted ahead of Kargon, who called after her, "Watch them Jamien. They're stonger than they look!" His warning came too late, as the star leaped forward with blinding speed and brought Jamien to the ground. The other two advanced on Kargon.

         The star opened its mouth, and what emerged repulsed Jamien. Instead of a tongue, three thick black tendrils emerged. The tendrils ended in deep red points. They seemed to move like separate beings, and sought Jamien's throat and face. The thing held her to the ground by her shoulders, but had not pinned her legs. She brought them under it's chest, and pushed off, sending it hurling over her head. It slammed into the ground behind her and released its grip. Jamien stood, and so did the creature. Its eyes gleamed with rage.

         From beneath his cloak, Kargon drew out two short single bladed axes. While they were not his favored weapon, they would still serve well enough. It would have been difficult to hide an axe that was bigger than him under the cloak. He faced the two creatures, black growths emerging from their mouths. They both lunged at him, and he dove between them leaving them trying to grasp empty air. He slammed one of the axes into a creature's back. As he drew it free, gouts of black liquid sprayed out, soaking him through the cloak.

         Jamien drew her saber. It was shorter than the pair she usually bore, more of an ornament than a weapon, but it was still a functional weapon. The creature sent one of its tongues out toward her face. She brought the saber up and sliced through the sickening member, severing it. The creature fell back, black fluid streaming between the fingers it clamped over its mouth. The strange tongue writhed on the ground until Jamien stepped on it. Then she advanced, and ran the monster through the chest, hoping to find its heart. Whatever she struck must have been vital, as the beast fell and lay still.

         In the moments it took to heave his axe out of the beast he struck, the other leaped upon him from behind. It clawed at his face, but he was able to shield his eyes. Its blows took their toll, though, and Kargon knew he had to get it off him quickly. He ran to the edge of the raised platform that served as a stage, and jumped off. Twisting in midair, he slammed down to the ground, with the creature beneath him. It let out a squeal, and Kargon stood, and took its head before it could rise.

         The three people who had been enraptured regained their senses, screamed and ran. Jamien went to Kargon. "All right, explain this. What is going on here."

         "A couple of years before I met you, one of our clanholds was attacked by a group of these, a dozen at least. We found out later, they'd been called by a group of Malorgs, trying to drive us out. One of their weapons was some power to beguile their victims. That's why the potion. It can protect someone from that kind of influence."

         "So why didn't you just tell me that before, instead of letting me get beguiled?"

         "Yer always so proud of how strong willed you are. Would you have drunk it if you know what it was for?"

         "No, I guess I wouldn't. The question is why..."

         From off the stage, blazing light erupted forth. "Why would someone summon these creatures? Think about it. A beast that can control peoples' thoughts. How better to attract loyal patrons? And they only need to feed off a few from each place we visit."

         As the light became bearable, Jamien and Kargon could see a woman flanked by two more of the creatures. She wore elaborately decorated robes, fine chains of gold about her neck and wrists, and rings on every finger. Her hair was as black as the night sky. "And now you shall..."

         As she spoke, Kargon threw open his cloak, revealing a two more axes, these double bladed, and perfectly balanced. In a fluid motion, he dropped the axe he held and brought one of the others out. Then he hurled it as he cried, "Might have worked if you didn't talk so much!"

         One of the twinned blades sank deep into the woman's chest. She screamed, and her sorcerous light died. The two creatures charged forward, but were easily felled by the two heroes.

         Jamien shook her head. "The play really didn't need any help. It's sad when someone is so afraid of failure that they will rely on such evil to force people to do what they probably would have done anyway."

         "Yeah, I guess. Maybe I'm getting sentimental, but I hate to see an artist sell out like that."