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Chapter 1: First decision

It was a cold night. Dark and bleakly. The moonlight was not able to

shine through the haze. Silence has ruled the night. Only one lonesome carriage

was driving fast on the rural road. The coachman drives the horses hard, to keep the speed on and he always

looks with a hectique gaze back on the road he has passed. The beggarly light

of the moon makes it even more difficult to see the road. Sweat was running

down from the mans forehead, his eyes wide open. What was it, who let this man

acting like this?  Was it his duty, or only the haste.  No. Fear has grab the coachman in her claws, and seems to following the

coach. He takes another look back. Feeling a cold shiver that runs over his

back, like something was looking at him out of the darkness. It makes the man

wince, and he looked back on the road in front. „Heyyaahh!" he shouted to the horses and crack the whip.„They can`t hold this speed for long, my lady!" the man shouted through

the open window in the front of the coach. A homely dressed woman sat on the bank inside. Her coat pulled down to

the face. She turns her head to the window and spoke with a warm voice. „All

right, Gustav. Take them to hold down a bit. We also had a long way to go. And

I am not in the mode to get it on my own feet." „Yes my lady." answered the coachman with a long nod of his head. The

coach got noticeable slower. The woman inside was looking again out of the window

on her side, her gaze was wandering over the passed road. „I think they don`t follow us anymore." she muttered and looked back at

the other end of the cabin. A boy was sitting on the bank and clutch himself to

it. He looked earnest to the wall, like he can look through the wooden planks. He turns his head to the woman. „Mother?" The woman pulled her coat back

and watched the boy with a little smile. „Yes, Roland?" she asked soft. „How

long is this going to take? We drive like this for hours now!" complained the

boy. "We will be there in a short time, my dear." she turned her focus again

on the road outside. "This men on the road? Did you know them?" Roland looked

to his mother with an inquiring gaze. „And why did they try to stop us?" "No, I don`t know." she began hesitantly. Important is now, that we get

as soon as possible to Stronos. My sister will be waiting for us." She clutched

her boy and looked again out of the window. "I hope my message has reached in

time." The coachman opened the front window again. "My lady, we have just

reached the right road!" The woman takes a look out of the side window. "Good

Gustav, now it is not far until we limit the pass. She looked back to the street, on which they had come. And spotted the

shadow of a rider who appeared among the trees of the forest edge. He just

stood there, his hooded deep drawn into his face. Waiting and watching. Scared

she extended her eyes. "GUSTAV, NOW, HURRY!" she hissed. Gustav raised the whip. The horses moved again and the coach took to

ride. The driver saw the rider too, and was also keen to pass the right road

as soon as possible. The Stranger noticed that the coach was faster. He raised his arm and

two other riders met with from the shadow. They immediately took up the chase.

One of the two held a long rod with a rotating movement forward, who was

crowned with a purple crystal. The rider muttered a vague incantation to himself, and pushed the top of

the rod forward. The crystal flashed once on. On the right road ahead were formed black cloud fields, which were

gathering and piling. "Brace yourself somewhere, it will be a bumpy ride!" called Gustav in

the cabin, before he closed the window. The right road was peppered with numerous small impact holes and the

severally trees at the street edge stretched their roots into the off. What the

passengers noticed too well. The woman sat down again to her boy, and held him tightly. He knew that

something was wrong. "What...." It suddenly became dark and the young fell

silent. A bright sheen, followed by a loud thunderous rumble let the inmates

wince at the same time. She risked a quick anxious look outside. Black clouds were in the sky,

which absorbed the moonlight almost. Lightning ran through the piled formation

and light up the night with the short shimmer. "This is not a normal storm." the woman thought. There was no rain and

no strong wind, not even the cold of a storm was present. Only the thunderous

rumble was there. This was the factory of a magician. Lightning struck close to the coach in the ground and the trees a. The

wood immediately caught fire and startling the horses on. "My lady!" permeated from outside to inside. The vote was taken by a

dull impact silenced. The young winced. The woman stood up, opened the front

window and found the driver seat empty. She looked back on the way and saw

Gustav lay on the street. What should she do now? Her thoughts raced in this moment. Should she

stop to look for Gustav, or continue? She could not just stop. Not with the persecutors in the neck. But she

could not read him just lying on the street. The horses pull again to continue.

Uncontrolled they drove on the stony road. Another lightning struck and brought her out of the thoughtless. She

looked at her son with a serious look. "Hold you as best you can!" Roland looked at her anxiously. "Mamma, what..." "Roland not now!" she said with a determining word sound. "You sit there

and hold you tight as best you can." Roland swallowed hard and said no word, he

just looked quietly at his mother as he sat down again. She looked back at him

only briefly, then she climbed out of the front window and grabbed the bridle. She tried hard to keep the horses on the road. The roots and numerous

stones on the roadway made the journey even more difficult. Two more flashes put the trees ahead on fire. One of the trunks broke

through with a noisy crack and dumped on the street. A fire wall blocking her

escape route now. The woman pulled the reins in panic to the right, so the cart made a

sharp turn with the coach. However, this strain did not keep the belt was and

the horses tore themselves away. She saw the animals flee and threw a shocked look backwards. The three

riders had caught up and were not far behind them. The coach rolled without the

cart further. A deep pothole captured one of the wheels and the cabin tipped

ride in full to the side. The charioteer was dropped and slid next to the coach

down the hillside. The vehicle overturned several times and came to stop between two trees.

The woman landed not far from it on the ground. Her leg was twisted. Unable to get up, she crawled in the direction of

the wreck. She lifted her arm to the broken coach and hold the air with her

fist. "Roland, NO!" she moaned in pain. Her eyes began to blur. But she recognized a small shadow. A little

person came out of the remains.  Roland walked slowly toward her. He moved his right leg limping along

behind him. A large wooden splinter had drilled through his right calf. The

young knelt down in front of his mother. She lifted her head and held out her

hand to his cheek. "I thought I had lost you." she whispered weakly. Roland felt the warm

hand of his mother and held it with his own. Unable at the moment to say

something to her ran only tears over his face. The three riders stopped in front of the burning barricade and descended

from their riding animals. The leader placed himself at the flames and began to

breathe heavier. He clenched both hands into fists. Vigorously he walked up to

the man with the rod and grabbed him by the neck. He lifted the man from his feet and brought his face to eye level. "Is

there really nothing you can do right?!" Two red eyes shone out of the shadow

of his hood. He threw the wizard a piece back and went with wide steps to the burning

trunk. The man seemed to get larger. The shoulders went apart and his steps

were heavy. "He can produce lightning." he bleated with a sarcastic wording and put

a foot on the flickering wood. "And not even hit a DAMN COACH!" he yelled and

pushed with full balancing against it. The tree trunk broke apart with a loud

bang. Several sparks were briefly light up the whole street. The stem halves came a few meters away to a standstill and gave the way

free again. Some parts were rolling down the hillside and set the bushes on

fire. The man was breathing heavily in front of him and tried to curb his anger.

He saw the burning scrub the hillside lit up and spied a wooden wreck below. He lowered his arms and stood up straight again. Strongly exhaling he

bowed his head to the side until a crack was fortuitous. "Why not so from the beginning?!" he muttered under his breath. He

pointed down the hillside with a poor. "Down there!" he shouted aggressively to

his two attendants, who immediately set out on their way. "You need to immediately disappear! Roland!" She looked scared up at the

approaching men and then back to her son. "But... But where shall I go for?"

Roland asked anxiously. "Run in the forest, hide you in the shadows! The main

thing is they do not get you." She gestured with her trembling hand to the

trees. Roland let his tears run free and shook his head. "But I will not go!"

he bent down to her and hugged her tightly. "I will stay here with you!" Her

arm clutching the young. She gave him a loving kiss on the cheek and looked at

him with a warm look directly into the eyes. "I love you, and that will always

be so." With her last strength and tears under, she pushed her son away from

her. "And now run! Go!" she gasped behind. Roland lay there scared, looked up at the approaching men and then again

to his mother lying. Laboriously, he straightened up and hobbled the first

steps away from her. The boy standing under the first tree and threw back a sad

look. He closed both eyes and pressed out a lonely tear that fell to the

ground. Then he turned and dragged into the shadows. His mother watched him

until he disappeared into the darkness and then burst in exhaustion. The three man had meanwhile reached the wreck. "You two searched the remains!"

This deep and menacing voice let awaken the woman. "And I take care of our

guest here!" The man standing before her. She looked up hesitantly. He grabbed

her by the neck and lifted her from the ground. 

He held her to his face. Her legs were hanging loose in the air. "Look at this! Whom we have there?" The man tilted his head slightly to

the side. "This time seems to be our find there is to my favour to develop."

His hand around her neck was close and she began to pant after air. "If I

remember correctly you still owes us something?" One of the riders interrupted

him. "The boy is not here, the wreck is empty!" The leader`s voice grew louder

as he shook the woman. "Speech! Where is he?" He loosened his grip around her

enough to let air, so that she could answer. "Drive to hell." she gasped from

her mouth. "Hell? Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow and put on a devilish smile on.

"I have already seen the hell!" He looked her in the eyes greedily while he

squeezed her neck again. She clung with both hands to his arm firmly and fought

desperately for air. "I send you advance, so that you can make yourself silence

in a picture of it." He saw it in her eyes, as the spark of life began to go out. And he

enjoyed every moment of it. The man smiled. With a hard jerk was a slight crack

to hear and her movements slackened. Then he threw the lifeless body in the

remains of the coach. After that he turned to his comrades. One of them knelt in the shade of a tree. "Here are footsteps and blood.

They lead in this direction!" He pointed with his hand to the cliff. "Far he is

certainly not come with the injury" The leader briefly waved his arm. "Go, get

this bastard!" Roland dragged through the darkness, not knowing where he was going.

Each further step ached like a thousand needles prints. His pursuers close

behind him. He reached a steep cliff edge. Before him lay a huge forest. He breathed

heavily as he let slip his overview of the endless sea of trees. "Could that be

the Darkwinterforest, of which his mother had once told?" he asked himself. His

thoughts reverted to the last instant, where he saw her the last time. He held

his hand to the cheek soaked by tears, as if he could still feel the one of his

mother.  "All right! There he is! Roland!" A deep voice pulled him from his

remembrance. The boy turned around, startled, with his back to the cliff now.

Three men stood in a semicircle around him, the hooded pulled deep into their

faces. One of them held out a rod. The tip began to glow in a purple sheen. The

great one in the middle make a step forward and pointed his finger to the

wizard "No, not YOU!" he shouted to the man. This lowered on slow his rod and

began to dim the light.  The leader looked again to the boy. "And now? That was it!?" he turned and

held both arms apart. "Can we now stop this damn charade?" His voice grew

louder, as he looked again to the young. "You know not what it has given to me

for trouble to find you!" He showed vigorously with his finger on the area next

to him. "So now be a brave lad, and come here!" The young returned the rigid view of the leader, but said not a word. He

made only a small step backwards to the cliff. The foreign infuriated one step

forward and pulled back the hood. What emerged was a bald-headed face. Dark red

eyes stood out from it, and a tattoo graced the right side. A dragon wing, who

was impaled by a straight sword was the picture. Left a broad scar from neck

pulled her up on the cheek up to his left ear. The ear was split. "Do you want this really, boy?" He stretched out his hand close to the

front and pointed his forefinger at him. "You can not even walk properly with

that leg. Or are you going to fly?" His words sounded more aggressive. "I`m not

going to say it again! COME HERE!" He stamped his foot once on the ground, the

hand clenched into a fist. The other two men stood there as a silent witness and watched the whole

thing.  Roland felt a slight breeze, which rose from the rear upwards. He took a

step farther back, as another wave of pain seized him. The young lost his

balance and fell backwards down the cliff. He closed the eyes and let himself

drop. The two men next to the big bald guy took a startled step forward when

they saw the boy fall into the darkness. The leader himself, however, responded

not at all.  "Hmph." Could be heard from his mouth. He pulled the hood back

up and hid his face in front of his comrades. "Get him, or what's left of

him back up!" He waved his arm at the cliff. "I have to report to the

authorities." Furious, he gave the order. "Do not return empty-handed!" The two men stood upright

before him. They pulled the right fist up to the left shoulder and bowed

the head forward. They spoke at the same time. "The immortality for

us!" Their leader made the

same gesture. "Death

to the others!" he added.

The commander turned and made his way back, while

the other two climbed down the

cliffs. Roland fell further

and further down. His eyes

closed. It was

quiet. ......  It took a few hours and

the sun was already on the

horizon. "Mamma!" cried Roland shocked when he woke up. The arm far outstretched,

as if to grab her. He saw his mother, gradually

disappeared and he

looked into a bright light that

shone down from the ceiling the shade. He heard only his own echo,

it halls from the tunnels back

when he felt a sharp pain from his lower leg, which

left him wince. He

sat upright in a narrow vault, holding his injured leg. His gaze upon the walls. Was it a cave or a

tunnel? He did not know. A weak beam of light shone

on him. The light

came through a crack in the

ceiling. He tried to identify

its origin, but it blinded him too much. One

hand he held between the light and his face. He then crawled out of the

glare. As his eyes adjusted to

the darkness, he recognized some outlines.

The room looked like a place to sleep, but not for a man. On one wall

was a large empty trough, beside a

shallow heap of desiccated

hay. On the other side were bony remains.

He could not determine from which animal do this

though. "Who has lived

here?" the boy wondered when he again felt a

wave of pain. He looked down at his wound. The splitter towered steeply from

his lower leg. What the movement of the leg heavily restricted. Knowing that he will not come with this piece of wood in there far,

he decided to pull it out. Roland grabbed with one

hand then. The mere touch of the wood was

painful and let him wince.

He was focused on getting rid of the splitter and took a heavy. The boy knelt

down and placed the foot of his injured leg on

the floor, then he grabbed with both hands on the wood

splitter. Roland took a deep breath and pushed with all his body weight on his

wounded leg while he moved

jerkily on the spit.

The wood moved out

gradually. He breathed deeply again and

settled again with all our

efforts. "Hiieejjaaah!" echoed in the corridors of the vault again, while the piece of wood fell to the ground. Roland left paralyzed falling

on his back in pain. The boy remained some

moments coughing lying

on the ground and let the pain

subside. He tore a

sleeve on his jacket and tied it around the heavily

bleeding wound on the lower leg. Although the pain was still

there, but he could move the leg

better. Roland looked again

around the room. Some entrances were collapsed or blocked by bars.

He looked in a

not yet collapsed transition. It was felt

a faint breeze that came out of the tunnel to

meet him. He pulled himself up on the wall and was the

first heavy steps to the hall. The light

inside was weak and handed

out just to

see the walls. He

saw that there was a place

lighter at the rear end and

at once made himself on the long journey into the dark tube. Continuous one foot front of the other. He leaned on the wall along as it

progressed slowly. Always the light in front. Cobwebs and roots hanging from the ceiling. His thoughts began to wander.

"Is it an output at

the end of the path? Will he

make it out of

here alive?"He never thought to

be found in such a situation. Never on his own, it

was an intense experience for

him. But somehow he found pleasure in it. His memory of his mother let him sink into sadness.

Roland swore at

that moment revenge for his mother.

One day he will again

see this bald

head, and then, he will pay for this. He beat furiously with

his fist against the wall. A rock

broke off and fell

on his right foot, this brought him back from his memory. The end of the tunnel, meantime, was achieved, but there was

no output. Roland had found a

dome-like chamber. The room was

structured as a prayer

hall. Of the walls hung ragged banners. The

pattern was too badly weathered

to realize something. Musty wooden benches were

arranged in a semicircle around

the middle. He wiped his hand

the cobwebs aside and stepped into the room. In the center was a pedestal. Stone ornaments were incorporated,

and is similar in form and appearance

of a dragon. A beam

of light came through a round

opening of the

ceiling and hit before the

socket on the bottom. The symbol on the floor was illuminated by the light.

The shape of a dragon was unmistakable. Roland strode across the mosaic pattern on the base.

On the stone base

to a larger oval

object was, surrounded by numerous fragments. The boy stepped

closer and grabbed curious

afterwards. It got

the ball rolling and came toward him. He pushed with all his might, however, before it threatened to fall from

the pedestal. "Uff!" Roland

held the large stone-like

object in his arms, but could not keep up

with the aching leg long and let it slowly sink to the bottom. The boy sat tired down next to it and laid a

hand on it. It felt

warm and pulsing like a heartbeat. "Strange?"

he said to himself. For a stone of this size, it was too easy. "Hmm."

He sighed and looked at his found object in the

light sheen. The oval stone had a dark orange-red

color, in addition, it glistened in the dim light shine."Now this is something very

special." Astonished, he leaned

over his find with

his back to the stone pedestal

and put an arm around the oval object. He felt like the heat

was transferred to him. The pulsing that had ran

out of this gave a calming effect

on the boy. The stone in the arm,

the warmth that filled him and a gentle pulse. He

was too exhausted to think forth from the stiff

way here more

about it. The fatigue

took the upper hand and he felt as obeyed his

eyes. It was quiet

around him. Only a warm heart beat could

be felt.

Roland fell asleep.   The evening

before ...

Catherine was sitting in the living room and poring

over a book. The door opened

quickly and a heavy-breathing

man entered. She lifted her eyes from the book and

looked at the man questioningly. "What's going on Daniel? Is something wrong?"  "Forgive me for disturbing, my lady!"

He held up a small piece of paper

in his hand, which he stretched to meet her. "A message from your sister has just reached us,

here.""What?" She took the

document counter hectic. With a thoughtful look she

read the letter. She pulled

startled eyebrows upwards."Daniel, immediately go saddle up the horses

and spun the car in front!" She looked at him with determination. "Of course." He admitted with a nod

in response. "May I know the reason?" he asked hesitantly. "No time

to explain now, we have to leave immediately!"

She threw the book into the chair

and walked to the door. Daniel looked at her and asked. "Is there anything

else?""Yes. Tell the

guards about it. They will

accompany me." She walked out the

door into the front entrance

of the property. Daniel followed her to the stairs. "All of them, my lady?" he said

emphatically. She stopped short on the stairs. Turned

her head to the side and spoke.

"Yes, all of them. You have an hour, Daniel. "Then

she continued on her way to the top

on. Daniel nodded slowly and

went outside to the adjoining building, where he informed the soldiers. He then went

on to the stables. A girl came

to meet him. "Hey Daniel!" she exclaimed with a broad

smile. "Why are you in such

a hurry?" The child stand on front of him, propped her arms on her

hips and held her head slightly

inclined. Daniel hurried

around the girl. "No

time for explanations, little Rebecca. Have you seen

Tim somewhere?" The child made a mad face. "I'm not little!" she groused. "And Tim is in the

barn." Without another word losing, Daniel

went on to the

barn. He tore at the door, and called loudly. "Timmy! Where are you?" Most of the horses were startled then. Tim appeared from

behind the door and taunted

Daniel with his finger in the side. "Can you do that a little quieter? You

shy grows on the

animals."He stepped in front of him and shook his disheveled shoulder-length hair and held out her arms. "In addition, you woke me."

he yawned. "So." He sat on one of the hay bales, lying next

to the gate and steepled his

legs. "What's up?" "No time for this!" bleated Daniel. "Shake

your ass up and

help me to saddle the horses

and bias the car!"

He waved both arms and looked sternly at Tim.

"Come on come on, do not dawdle. We have

not much time. Movement, move, move!"Tim laid Daniel a hand on his shoulder and held him a

finger in the face. "You urgently need some reassurance."

He winked at him. "I've got something

suitable for you afterwards. Then you will again loosen

up a bit."Daniel rolled his eyes. "What would loosen me

at the moment the most, would be

a biased car and saddled horses!" He held his hand to his forehead. "So how

about if we do this

as soon as possible here and continue this

conversation later? OK?" "Sure, man!" said Tim

with a big grin. "Everything

easy." "Good, then you can go easy now the

get the car out of the shed?" He looked at Tim with a serious

expression. Timmy stood there

motionless shortly. Then raised a hand and pointed

his finger at Daniel's face.

"You can take a really long stare without

blinking. How do you do ... "  Then Daniel

loosed his control. Rebecca stand in front of

the stables. Loud curses lay in the air

and a rumble and clatter came out of the

barn. The gate opened and Tim

flew out in a

high arc. He landed softly

in the dirt. "CART, SHED, NOW!" Could be heard before the door closed again.

Rebecca raised an eyebrow as she looked at Tim. "He's a

little tense today, right?" Timmy

shrugged and tilted

his head to the side. "My

speech." He stood up and brushed

the pants off. Tim leaned down

to her and looked at her with a wink. "Do you like

to help me bias the car?" Rebecca sat

a cheerful smile. "Yes, I will! Where

are we going?" she asked.

"Oho hoo. You and

I are not going anywhere." He

turned to her and pointed a finger at her. "Your mother is going anywhere." He looked

back to the estate, where eight uniformed

men lined up. Tim pulled his eyes and nodded

to the guards. "And it looks like she does not go alone. Come on, we better

hurry." The car was ready in no time

and also the horses. Catherine stepped out of the house. "Is everybody ready?" she asked. The

men saluted and the captain

spoke. "Ready to leave, Lady Catherine." She walked toward the carriage."Where are you going?" asked a little girl the

woman. She knelt down to the

child and closed it short in the arm. "I'll explain when I get back Rebecca."

She stood up again and climbed into the carriage. "Let's go." she said to the

men. "On the eastern mountain pass. Let us see that we arrive until

the next morning there." The group began to move. Rebecca waved the coach

and ran her a

little way on the road afterwards.

Daniel and Tim watched

the troops until they disappeared around the next bend. "So." Tim sighed. He put his

hands on his hips and grabbed Daniel's shoulder. "And now we do something about your stress." Daniel shook

his head and slapped his hand

against his forehead. "Oh man!"

he muttered.  The Night was

falling. The moon stood

high, but he can

barely shine through the fog. The coach

came quickly forward.

Accompanied by six uniformed horsemen.

"Lady Catherine!" said

the wagoner. "There is the pass road!" "We better hurry." She looked strained out

the window. "Hopefully we can

reach them in time." she sighed. "WHAT THE!" cried the coachman and pulled the

reins to the left. The carriage swerved sharply

with the coach to

the left and almost threatened

to overturn. But then came to a halt. Catherine got

out and looked scared on the road. A single man stood there, now surrounded by

their escort. She

went vigorously to the man.

"What does that mean?"

She raised her eyebrows in astonishment as she recognized the person. "Gustav? What are you doing here?" She looked at

him in surprise and saw the

bleeding wound on his head.

"You are hurt!" She put a hand on his shoulder and walked with him back to

the coach. Inside the cabin he get a bandage and told her

everything. From the beginning of

their journey, until his overthrow of the coach. "And where my sister is now?"

she asked him with moist eyes. "I do not know, my lady." Gustav held a hand

to his forehead. "I have come

to me until some

time ago. And if they have

not crossed your path?" he continued. "So something must have happened to them." She got out and waved the six riders

to herself.  "Addiction from the pass road. Also off the

beaten path." she gave each

of the companions a hopeful

look. "You must find them." The riders went at

once on the way, and the coach remained with

her, two guardsmen and Gustav on the roadside. Impatiently she waited for the return of a good message. A rider after another returned

unsuccessful. But the sixth came

back at a gallop. Gustav sat on the roadside and

scratched at the bandage when he saw him approach

hurry. The guard got

off his horse and rushed to

Catherine, who was already facing

the coach. He did not hear the man's words. It was enough for him, to see

the woman's reaction to understand, what he had found. Catherine burst into tears and fell to her knees. She

winced several times and was breathing heavily. The guard helped her stand up. "Show me the place, NOW!" Her

grief turned to anger. "I want to see her!" The man nodded to her once briefly,

sat again on his horse and waited for the rest of the group. The morning had dawned and the first rays of

sun appeared on the horizon.Catherine stand in

front of the shattered wreck.

Her sister was lying lifeless in the rubble. She walked hesitantly toward

her. Breathing hard, she knelt beside the prone body. The tears flowed like small

rivers down her face. She put both hands to her

forehead to the upper body of her

sister and shouted uproariously. She sat up slowly, trying to

get her emotions under control. "What about her son?" she sobbed. "Is Roland

here?" She threw a desperate glance at her

companions. "There is no

trace of him." said the

captain. "Look, my lady." Gustav

pointed to the neck of Catherine's sister."

The marks on the neck. She died

not by the accident." He put

a serious thoughtful look on

and said nothing more. "Here are footprints!"

shouted another guard. "They

go away from the scene of the accident!"

Catherine stood up

and quickly turned to her companions. She gave two guards the command to

bring her sister into the

carriage, and then joined the tracker.

"Go on." She let precede the guard.

It was not long until they came to a cliff. The

guards stood at the edge of the slope and looked

down at the huge forest."I had forgotten how big the Darkwinter

really is." sighed one. "Here ends the track, my

lady." The tracker came on a small ledge to

standstill. He looked over the edge down. "Down there is a lake, maybe he is ...." He

was interrupted by Catherine. "How

long does it take to overcome the

cliffs?" she said firmly. "It will take a few hours if you're up to climb,

my lady." he argued. He made a

gesture with his arm to the side of the mountain. "We could also drive around though.

That would be faster to get down." "Well, go ahead." She turned and walked quickly back

to the car. Her companions

followed her.   Returned in the cave came

Roland back to himself ....

Roland slowly opened

his eyes and ran with his hand

through the hair. He looked up

to the opening in the ceiling. The beam of light was now standing above the stone base and

the boy.He heard a soft cooing

from below. Roland looked hesitantly down

on his lap. A creature stood on his legs and

slept peacefully."Woohh!" he cried scared. The

boy pushed down the thing by himself

and crawled frantically backwards away from the socket. Until he arrived on the

wall. He braced himself against

the wall, breathing heavily. "What the? How in the world?" Roland looked at the small creature who woke

up immediately. He could not see it exactly. It was in the shade of

the base. Two large blue eyes looked

out of the darkness to the boy. He swallowed hard again.

The creature came slowly toward him and stepped into

the light. Roland let fall open

the mouth and could not believe his

eyes. He pinched

once in the arm to

make sure also that he was not

dreaming. "That can not be!" he muttered to himself, and put his hand to his forehead.A little dragon, about the size of

a dog, made a cautious step after

another toward him. The color of

the scales shone in the light and really lit up the whole room. It

was a dark orange red with a faint

sparkle as littered

with metal shrapnel. The paws of the animal

were a little darker, with black claws. Long

leathery wings, with

dark gray membranes were folded on his back placed.

On the head two black horns, each with a

smaller underneath. The ears superscript awakened, like small wings.Roland thought of the strange stone, which he held in his arms

before he was passed out. "Could this really be the egg of a dragon?" he

wondered. "How it came here. And why was

it there exactly?"His thoughts overwhelmed him with questions. But his thoughts voice trailed

off as he felt a sharp pain.

The orange-red lizard had reached the boy and

pushed with the nose at his injured leg. Roland groaned out loud. The

dragon shook his head, ears

set high, looked

at him with curious look and

turned his head slightly to the side.

The boy was sitting just there, not knowing what is to come.

He stared paralyzed in the blue eyes, which

returned his gaze. The lizard took a deep breath. Roland closed frightened

the eyes, turned his face on the side and held

in front of a hand. "Meeep!" could be heard loud from

the dragon. The boy opened his eyes in relief. He raised

an eyebrow and brushed the sweat

from his forehead. Not what he had expected. The

lizard sniffed a few times

to him, lay down

beside him on the floor and placed a foreleg and

the head to his left thigh. The

boy could not stop being amazed.

"A dragon. A real living dragon lying

next to me."Reluctantly, he put

his hand on the animal's back. He

heard a contented cooing of the lizard. Roland felt his hand

towards the head of the dragon. Between the wings through

the neck up to the

horns high. The scales feel soft and velvet.

Other than he had suspected. When his hand reached the head, the dragon

looked at him from below. The animal closed his eyes halfway and was a long contented

"Churrr" by itself. Roland saw his

reflection in the big dark blue

eyes of the dragon. They shone

like jewels. With a fine trace of turquoise around

the iris. That look said more

than a thousand words. Roland felt a connection

between him and the dragon.

He did not know where this feeling came from, but it

was there. There was no doubt about that. This dragon belonged to him. This thought he liked very much. He started stroking the animal on the side, what the lizard

liked all too well. She turned to the side, on the back and stretched the legs high. A

contented "Churrr" was

the answer. The scales on the belly and the bottom were dark gray, with

some lighter areas in the neck

and between the hind legs. "You like that, huh?" Roland stroked with both hands on the belly of the dragon.

The beast closed his eyes and began to coo

contentedly. It enjoyed

the cuddles. His eyes fell on

the area between the hind legs. "So." He raised an eyebrow and looked astonished in the dragon's face. "You're a girl

dragon." he said, putting a weak smile. Roland's eyes wandered around the room again. "So,

enough played."

He interrupted his cuddles.

"With stroking alone we can not get out

of here." The dragon stood up,

gave a satisfied "Meep"

by and licked Roland once over his face."Thank you." Roland said

sarcastically, wiping once on the cheek. He

straightened up and looked down at

her. "You do not know the way outside,

right?" The Dragoness tilted her head slightly inclined and snorted once

strong. "Would have been nice." he supplements with a downcast undertone.

Not sure whether the animal could ever understand

him. He looked further around the room. "The tunnel from where I came from

is a dead end." Roland began thinking of his

options to list. "The room looks like a prayer

hall. And if that was really

one, the people still need to be somehow came

here." He reached up with both hands to his head. And looking

at the ceiling. The female dragon watched the boy excitedly. She cooed quiet to herself, almost as

if she would giggle. "Are they hardly all entered through the

roof?" This consideration let

him even smile.

"Oh, so I do

not come on!" he sighed and threw his

hands as he sat down on the base. Roland looked

at his companion and shrugged

his shoulders briefly. "Did you maybe have

another idea?" He asked with

a raised eyebrow and a faint smile on his face. The female took a deep breath. Paused for a moment and pushed out a cloud of black ash.

Roland held panicked

a hand over his mouth and waved with the other soot mist from his

face. "What the!" he

coughed. The boy dodged

to the side and looked angrily at the little dragon.

This gave a little leap of joy and looked happy

to the cloud. The

ashes floated in the light cone

and let darken the room. But not for long. The

soot particles were pulled away. Roland saw

that the cloud was carried to

one of the ragged tapestries. He lowered his head and closed his eyes. "Clever girl." He said to

himself and walked over to the

tapestry. As a matter of fact. A stream of air

was felt. Roland pulled

the yellowed cloth until the bracket gave way. What emerged was a deranged

wooden door. Individual sites were broken,

as though something or someone wanted

to break in from the outside. He looked back at the

female dragon, which was right behind him. "Did

you know that?" He asked

the lizard, pointing with his thumb

back to the door. She looked at him with half-open eyes and gave a quiet "Churr" by itself. He looked forward

again and shook his head. "Whatever." He pressed against the door. "Hrmpf!" He took a deep breath.

"Come on, come on!" he groaned

again and pushed against

the gate. The door did not move. Neither the front nor

to the rear. "Great, and

now?" Roland grabbed with both hands on the back

of the head. Behind him he

heard a soft cooing. He looked to the female, which maintains sat behind

him on the ground, held his head slightly inclined and highly placed ears."You still find this funny, huh?" He looked

into her eyes and raised an

eyebrow. The lizard made a

nodding movement of the head and closed both eyes halfway.

A cheerful "Meep" came

from her throat. "Oh great, enclosed in a chamber without open

exit!" He began to vigorously

back and forth to pace "With a female

dragon, which also finds that funny!" he added sarcastically

and waved his hand to the female. The lizard stood on all fours and bent her

head down, ears laid back. A faint growl

was heard from her. Roland stood motionless,

holding his arms apart and looked nervously back

at her. "What is it? Did I

say something wrong?"Once snorted strong

and pointed with her snout

to the demolished

door. Roland raised

his eyebrows and shrugged.

"What is it then?" He did not

understand exactly what she was

trying to tell him. A bright shining out

of his back let him wince.

He turned his head startled backwards. A shimmering

blue rune had appeared on the door. "Oh, that was it!" the boy said, astonished. The female lifted her head back and rolled her eyes slightly. "Excuse me." he added with a faint smile

and patted the female

lightly on the head. A faint "Churr" was then yet to hear. Roland stood in front of the rune. A soft

crackling was heard. He kept his

hand in the vicinity. The rune began to glow more intensely. He pulled his hand scared back and the lights dimmed down

again. "That`s strange?" He felt a familiar aura

that emanated from the symbol. Almost as if he had seen

it once already. "Let's see

if I?" He hesitantly placed his right hand on the rune. Roland turned

his head sideways and closed

anxious his eyes. With the expectation that equal something strange will happen. He held his breath. And nothing happened. He opened his eyes reluctantly.

"Phuhh!" he exhaled in relief.

The lights began

to dim, until it finally

went out altogether. The boy took his hand from

the door and looked a little

perplexed about the female.

"That was weird." He looked at his hand and had to smile. "Felt like ...." The Dragoness first

made a step toward Roland,

but then shrank

back. She took an

aggressive stance and hissed

again. Roland froze in shock. The rune had now appeared

on his right hand back and

a bright glow surrounded the boy. The lizard kept a

wing in front of her face to protect herself from the blinding glow and

hissed again. "What the!" cried the boy.

Then it was dark and he was alone. Roland sat on the

floor. Around him there was only

darkness. "Hello!" he shouted. But there was

no answer. Only his own echo

felt back several

times. It was quiet. Not the slightest

sound could be heard. But then he heard a deep and slow breathing, which seemed to come closer. He stood up and tried the

direction from which it comes to be determined. The breathing became louder. Roland swallowed

once heavy. He looked nervously back and forth, not knowing what may lie ahead for

him. "Your destiny, your decision!"

A deep voice, like a roll of thunder came from the darkness. "Now that the next companion has

revealed." The pressure waves of the voice were Roland fall on his

knees. "It is now time to

decide!"  The boy asked.

"What? Who are you? Companion? "He turned his head frantically. "And what a decision?" In the emptiness, a ring of flames,

from which a figure stepped in a orange-red frock

was born. The symbol of the door lit up

his clothes. "Who

I am is irrelevant. But who you are, or

will be is

a more important question." said

the man and stood before the boy.

Roland could not

see the face under the hood. "And who is supposed to be this companion?" the boy asked energetic. "That depends on you. You have shown the potential. But there is still deciding whether you want to use it or not." "Me?" said the boy,

looking back of his hand on which

the same symbol could be seen, as well as on the cowl of

the phenomenon. "Yes, you!" The man raised an arm and waved to the left. A crack developed

in the void. It was a house to be seen. Before that there was a woman with a face he knew well. "You've lost a lot." said the man, waving his arm to the other side. Another crack opened up. He

could see a dark chamber with a solitary cone of light shone down on a small orange

red dragon. The man spoke again. "But also

new to win."Roland stood up and

looked at both cracks. "I do not quite understand? Why all this? Why me?

Why now? "He looked the man in the cassock confused."Fate rarely calls us to a time of our choosing. We can only decide what

we do with the opportunities that

are given to us." The man walked

over to Roland. "This is now

such a crossroads." He pointed to the crack with the dragon. "You can now proceed further.

Accept your destiny." The man waved his

arm to the other plan." Or hold and

return to the past." The boy stood between the cracks.

Looked restlessly back and forth. "But which one is the

right choice?" Roland saw

the figure confused in the

habit of. "There is no right or wrong." said the man. "Here there is only one decision." The figure pointed to

the boy. "Your decision."

He stood between the two cracks. "Now, choose."Roland went up to the crack, in which his

mother was to be seen. His

eyes began to fill with tears as he saw her.

He put his hand on the crack, like a

window pane. "Will she live again?" asked the boy hesitantly. "She

will live and return to you."

said the figure. "And the recent events disappear into the void." "Wait!" Roland stepped hastily before

the second crack

and looked in inquiringly.

"Does that mean that I will never meet this

dragon?" This thought made

him sad too. His

acquaintance with the animal was

new, and he did not want to give

it up right now. "Yes." said the figure with sparse

undertone. "That's not fair!" cried Roland,

clenching his hands into fists. He stood before

the first crack and looked in, the woman

inside waved him over her. "Mother."

he sighed sadly. The

woman knelt down and opened

her arms, waiting for that her boy back to her. She

began to smile, and shouted with a

warm voice his name. Roland closed his eyes, lowered his head and turned away from her. "I'm sorry." he sobbed as his

tears run down the cheeks. He walked with faltering steps to the second crack.

He saw the dragon in it, and felt that his choice was made. "I'm going to progress!" he said firmly, as he

wiped the tears from his face. "So it will be!" said the man

in the cowl. He waved his hand and the

first crack started to close

up. Roland looked

one last time into his mother's face until it disappeared into the void. "Your destiny, your decision."

boomed the voice and

the man in the cassock disappeared in the fire ring, from which he came. There was a strong suction

that pulled the boy into the

remaining crack. Roland tried to keep desperately determined. But without success. He was sucked

in before closing the crack.

"Whoa!" Roland woke up in shock. He

lay on the floor in the chamber

with the light cone. An orange

red female dragon lay with

her front legs on his chest. She pulled a small piece back when she realized that

he had come back to him and

made a little leap

of joy. She nudged with her snout to his

head and licked him on the nose. A cheerful

"Meep" she also gave of herself. He stroked her down over the

head and the neck and gave her a

little kiss on the nose. "Thank you for waking me up."

he said with a wink. "I had a strange dream." he murmured then. The dragoness cooed

satisfied, stood up and took a few steps

away from him, but then stopped and turned her head to see if

Roland took the hint. He looked at the female and noticed that the door was now open behind

her. Roland smiled. "You're right." he told her. "Time to go." He stood up slowly and walked carefully to

the door. Behind it he saw a transition to

be discarded, with bright light at the other end. The lizard looked at him, closed her eyes halfway and gave a

quick "Churr" by herself. Then she walked through

the door. Roland took a deep

breath and followed the dragon

then. Together, they walked side by side in the direction of an expected output.   In the meantime....               

"How long before Captain Koris?" asked Catherine out of the carriage. "We will arrive shortly at the lower

part of the cliffs, my lady," he shouted,

and rode beside the carriage. The group reached the spot, which could be seen from

above the cliffs. The vehicle came to a halt.

Catherine got out and held a hand in

front of her eyes to hide them

from the sun. Her gaze was

clear and she saw the remains of a tower, which stretched into the sky at the foot of the cliffs. A stream sprang from a

little way up the slope and

filled a lake next

to the ruins. "This was once a ceremonial hall of the old cult." said Gustav as he stood on the

shore of the lake and looked at

the ruins. He pointed

a finger at the tower remains. "The tower is the only thing, the hunters let left."

Gustav let his

gaze wander over the ruins thoughtfully. "I know the stories, Gustav." said Catherine and began to walk up and down along the shore. The guards have started to systematically search the area. Captain Koris went

with two of his guards around the lake when he spotted two men in the

upper parts of the cliffs in

brown cloaks among the rocks."HEY, YOU OVER THERE!" he cried. "GIVE TO RECOGNIZE!"

The unknowns were startled and moved quickly backwards behind the stones. The captain waved his arm to the left.

"You two go left

around the top. And

I go up behind." he

ordered his companions. They both nodded

to him quietly and drew their swords as they

went on their way. The guards circled the

rock, which gave the unknown men

cover. They jumped around the rock. A black cloud enveloped

the area. The smoke cleared and the two unknowns were

gone. Only a few footprints

were left. "What the hell?" grumbled

Koris angry. "They

can not vanish

into air." He looked curiously up the cliffs. "Oh, what the heck. Come on, we go back to

the lake. "He made a

gesture in the direction from

which they had come. "We

still have to find a boy!" Catherine walked up to the three guards. "What

was going on at the top?"

she asked in surprise. "Two

men in brown robes. They've got

themself a little further delayed

up between the rocks." He gestured with his hand on the area above the lake. "They have immediately fled when they saw us." "Who were these men?"

asked Catherine emphatically.

"I do not know, my lady. I could not see their faces." he argued. The captain turned around, looked at the rock high and lifted an eyebrow upward.

"But they seemed

to search something or are looking for someone." "Then he must be here somewhere." she said hopefully. "Keep looking, we need to find him."  Meanwhile in the cave....

Roland and his companion took one step after

another toward the light. He made

every few feet a little breather,

and held his still bleeding leg. The sound of running water could be heard, and became constantly

louder. The closer they got the bright glow. "Do you hear that?" he asked

the dragoness. "There

must be somewhere a stream or something." She paused and listened to

the sounds. The female walked a

little way ahead. Turned around,

bowed her head slightly to the side and gave a

sharp "Meep" by herself.Roland leaned against

the wall and waved to the females once. "Calm

down. I'm coming." he

complained, breathing heavily. "You do not

need to limp." he pointed to his wounded leg. "Your legs are not

hurt." She looked at him briefly, closed her eyes halfway and gave a long "Churr" by herself. Then she went

back to him and stood beside him.

The female looked at him with a warm look and sniffed a few times on the wound.  She went a little apart and began his limp

with one of her hind legs to imitate. Roland saw

the female dragon in amazement

and then had to smile.

He knelt down beside

her and grabbed her head. He gently pulled

her toward him until he had

eye contact with the deep blue eyes.

"So I did not mean it."

he stroked her with his hand over his face. She closed her eyes

and purred contentedly.

"But, thank you for your compassion."The boy smiled. The animal seemed to actually understand everything he said. Roland stood up again and continued on his way, with the female at his side. He stepped into the incident ray of light and held a

hand over his face. A cool

blast of air could be felt. And fresh air filled

his nose. As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he looked at a large lake.

He stood next to a small waterfall, which hid the tunnel entrance. Before him, led a dilapidated stairs.

At the end of the narrow staircase a ruined

building was to be seen, with a

lonely tower. He looked over the edge down to the lake.

He could see several

people, were moving around the

water. Roland took another step

forward as broke a

rock and fell down into the water. The

stone splashed on with a large fountain in

the lake and caught the attention of the people. Gustav was still standing in front of the ruins and

saw the water fountain first.

"What was that?" he shouted to the men and

went to approach the water. "There's something fell into the water!" said one of the

guards. "A rock which had

most likely been resolved." "Hmph." Gustav thought,

scratching his chin. He looked thoughtfully up and followed the trajectory of the stone back. He

looked at the waterfall and

noticed how short a face behind it came out, but again disappeared. His

gaze settled on the floor and he crossed his arms. "There

you are hiding." he thought,

and began to smile. Gustav waved two

guards close to him and went with

them to the ruins. He said to the first he should bring Lady Catherine to

him. And the second guard he told

to hide in the building

remains and to wait for his signal. "What did you find Gustav?"

Catherine asked curiously as she came to him with

the guard. "The boy is here,

my lady." he whispered to her.

"He's hiding a little further up, behind the waterfall."

He gestures with his hand to the waterfall. "But

by himself he will not come down. Not with

all the guards here

around.""And how do you achieve that the boy comes down by himself?" she asked skeptically.

"It looks like there is a way

out of the ruins to

leads up the waterfall." He looked

at the ruins and pointed with his hand to the waterfall. "Therefore, I will call him from there to

me." "How do you know that this will work?" She raised an eyebrow. "He knows me. But not you,

however one of your followers." He looked at her questioningly.  "May I be well with you, to ask your guards to return

to the coach?" "Yes, Gustav. You may." She smiled at him briefly. "But I want to be aside." she said demanding. He nodded her

once. She took a piece

of the ruins away,

gave the men a collection

command to go to the coach and

then returned back

to him. Gustav stood with Catherine alone in

the ruins, looking at the way

to the narrow staircase that led to the waterfall. "ROLAND!" he cried out loud

upwardly. "Are you up there?" Roland recognized the voice. He looked at the dragoness.

"You stay here. Okay?" he said to her, holding his hand on her nose. She

looked at him questioningly and

snorted once strong.

Then she gave a

faint "Churr" of her

and sat down on the ground. "I'll

be right back." promised Roland and

patted her on the head several times. Then he stood up and turned to the

stairs. He limped frantically, as well allowed it

his injured leg, the steep stairs. The boy saw the

man known to him between

the charred walls stand and took a few

steps toward him, but remained standing

startled when he saw the woman beside him. The boy looked confused to Gustav

and the woman. She took a step toward

the boy. "Roland is that you?" The boy sat on a step back. He

did not know the woman and was skeptical. Roland

looked at her nervously. But she seemed somehow familiar to him. "Now!" cried Gustav. A guard came out from behind the crumbling wall

and grabbed the boy. Roland began to squirm

and scream. "Calm down, I'll just wants to help you!" said the man to him. A loud roar was

heard and let everyone wince. The guard let

the boy go out

scared. Roland crawled

frantically away a

few feet from him. With a few wing beats landed an orange red

dragon between the boy and

the guard. Her head down and her ears pulled

back. The wings obliquely applied to the back. Mouth

open, enough to see the pointed teeth, accompanied by a deep

menacing growl. The

guard stood there motionless,

looking fearfully into the blue eyes staring him,

the pupils contracted as pointed daggers. Gustav and Catherine were paralyzed and looked

shocked at the

dragoness. Roland recovered breathing heavily from the shock and saw the female in

her aggressive attitude. He was surprised and scared at the same time of her response to the events. Koris came with

the remaining guards to the place.

They drew their swords and stood up in a line

between the dragoness and their lady. Two turned

their crossbow at the animal

and waited for a fire

command. Roland shook his head

and looked at the shooter.

"NO!" cried the boy. He held his arms apart

and stood before them in the line of fire of

the guards. The female hissed

and flexed the wings apart. "Go beside boy!" cried

the captain, waving his arm to the boy. Roland saw the

guards with a serious expression. He did not made any movement. "Do

not do this!" he cried loud. "She

wanted me only protected!" "Hold on!" ordered frightened Catherine. "To

the Five! Down with

the weapons!" The men lowered their weapons hesitantly.The situation seemed to relax. Roland lowered his arms and turned to his

companion. She growled still

and let her eyes frantically

by a guard walking to the next. He went to

his knees and holding her head with both hands. The boy looked deeply into her eyes. "All

right." he said quietly to her. "They will not hurt us. No reason to

get angry even more." She found eye contact with him.

Her pupils widened again and took on a

round shape. Her breathing calmed down. The female

dragon snorted once condescending to the men and sat down on the ground. Skeptical she watched

the people in front of her. Roland put his arm on the back of the

female and looked glanced back at Catherine and Gustav. "You see. She is not dangerous." he said quietly. The guardsmen did not understand why

the dragon heard on the boys command.

They looked at a loss and sought an explanation for this. Gustav took a step forward. "She wanted

to protect you?" He pointed his finger at him and pulled surprised his eyebrows. "But how is that possible? Where is this thing coming from?" He looked confused to Catherine. She closed her eyes and once shook her head. "That's not important now." she said quietly. "We've finally found him." She walked toward Roland, kneeling down

to him and smiled at him. "That is enough for me for now." Then she looked at the dragoness. The female looked back skeptical

and snorted again. Catherine stood up and waved her main man to herself. "It's

alright Koris. This dragon is not a threat to us.""Very well, lady Catherine."

he nodded at her and then turned to his entourage to. "Men!

Dismissed. Let's get together and make our

way back to Ironwing." The men saluted and

spoke at the same time. "Yes Captain." They put their weapons and marched back to the carriage and the horses. Catherine turned to the boy. She smiled and held out an open hand. "Come

on Roland, let's get you home." The female growled

out softly. "You're

of course with." said Catherine, smiling at the dragoness. The growl

trailed off and she

cooed satisfied. The boy was lost briefly

in thought. "Home." he thought, and it seemed a foggy picture of his

mother's mind. Then he shook his

head and looked at Catherine.He stood up and grabbed the hand which she held out to

him. Halfway he felt faint. The boy lost his

balance and fell to the ground. In

his view all began to blur. He took some

movements around him true and

then lost consciousness.

Meanwhile....... at a far location. "And there you are

quite sure?" asked a figure in a red robe and

a long golden staff in his hand. He was sitting in a stony

throne and wore a

silver mask. The one side of the face made a cheerful impression, the other a sad. "Yes, your lordship."

said the big man in front of him. "And the boy?" asked the figure impatiently.

"He is, well." he said hesitantly. He

reached a hand to the back of his head and looked sheepishly to the side. "He's fallen down a

cliff. As we tried to get him...." He held a hand to his forehead."You let me down again, Larzarus!" The

figure held out the pointed of the rod. The

tip was looking like dragon head,

spewing out fire. "No,

your lordship. I would never do that!" The man dropped to his knees looked submissive to his master. "I sent two of my best

to look after him." The figure stood up

from his throne and turned his bony hand on

the man. "I'll show you what it means to disappoint

me!" He lifted his wand

and held it in front of him and began to mumble unintelligible

words. With both hands he began

to swing it in a circular motion. Around Larzarus, a pitch black cloud that moved like a

snake around him arose. "Master, what does that mean?"

The man looked at him desperately. The cloud stood over him and took the shape of

a man. The shadow stared Larzarus

deep into his eyes. A violet glow burned on his face.

The man in the red robe once met with the staff

on the ground. Larzarus was grabbed by the neck and lifted from the appearance. "Do not kill me, Lord! Please!" he begged, gasping for air.

The man with the rod lifted his head up at him and walked around him. "Kill

you?" he said followed by a cold laugh. "No,

I have in mind something more suitable for you." He met again with the bar

on the floor and the shadows began to unravel. Larzarus fell to the ground. He lay on all fours and coughed heavily, the dark veil floated above him.

The figure in the robe stood beside him, stretched

his arm straight. "You will receive a gift." He

began, lowering his arm. The veil

went down on the coughing

man. Larzarus went to

his knees, the upper body tense

up, stretched his

arms back and face upward.

His scream echoed from the high dome of

the roof. The shadow came through

the mouth, nose and eyes into his body and

threw him to the ground again. The man lay on his stomach cramped and trembled. He

was breathing heavily and glared

at his master. His eyes shone with a violet sheen

that is slowly extinguished

and the red color of the pupil was visible again. "You become a fellow. A fellow who

makes you never fail again!" The masked man walked up a few

steps and sat down again on

the stone throne. He leaned against the bar on the side of the chair and held his fingertips

together in front of face. "Returning now to Parem and join the search. No one escapes a

deal." He held his arms apart

and turned his gaze to top.

"Sealed with blood.

Paid for with blood!" he voice and his echo

resounded from the ceiling. "The immortality for us." said the figure.

Larzarus stood upright,

bent his head forward and pulled his right arm to

the left shoulder. "Death to

the others." said he,

and walked hurriedly out the door. Larzarus stood under

the archway when he paused

coughing. He held a hand over his mouth and a purple shimmer flashed

briefly in his eyes. Then he shook his head and

walked outside. "Yes. Death to all others." muttered the

figure on the throne in front of

him as two dark violet eyes gleamed from the mask.