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Every city, every town and village, bore within its heart a dark spot. Perspective taught that such darkness usually existed within the divide between the wealthy and the poor. Fights, cheap alcohol, baser culture, drugs, sickness, and the sale of unrefined pleasures like sex or forbidden foods blossomed where the shadows of the rich fell. In those areas, though, the passions for life were no less strong; the desire for safety and love and success no more muted than within the halls of power. About the only real difference in how tightly such places residents held to life was that their traditions were not blunted and smoothed by coin. As such, no dive, no bar or "bad part of town", frightened Adam. They had always felt like a rustic home. Here, however, under the eaves of The Miner's Rest, the shadow of threat was immediately tangible. The danger was clear, quickly dashing his life experience.Spellswords mastered all manner of combat magic. There were incantations that could conjure a blazing fire or summon blinding light. Such spells might stun a goblin or troll; possibly injure an unprotected orthoc. But it was twenty feet to the door from where he and Eris stood. And in that darkness he considered banishing, there were glowering eyes sufficient to quash the idea that they could make it without a scratch. He flexed his injured wings, contemplatively. Eris would be caught off-guard by any magic he might use. Although her eyes were not as susceptible to bright light as the others, the spell would still blind her for a moment. She may have been a master of improvisation but that would be crippling in crucial moments.In the seconds it took for the severity of their situation to sink in and for him to evaluate his available choices, the muttered laughter died down. Tense silence filled the void.The troll stood, stoney bones beneath leather-tough skin creaking as he did. He looked down at Irri, Adam, and Eris for a moment before casting a glance past them at the tavern's door."Don't leave," he rumbled. "We're jus' getting to know ya."In the moment it took for Adam to realize the words were directed past him, his hand had already slipped the clasp from his scabbard's peace-bond. Not an inch of steel had slid forth, however, as he came to understand the troll proprietor and the tavern residents were not paying attention to the dragonkin and tahvic. They weren't even paying attention to Irri.Slowly, Adam turned.At the door, looking nervous but resolute, were the two humans who had been unsuccessfully shadowing them."Thank you, Martek," Irri said. "They've been following us for blocks.""Ever since we left the shrine of Neiro," Eris added. Her voice sounded a bit shaky but she was adapting to their situation, quickly."Your credit is still good, here, little one," the troll--Martek--said to the whimsy. "But perhaps we can save that conversation for -- STOP!" His last word was boomed at the two who had followed them. The male of the two had started edging back towards the door. And although they were but a few scant feet from freedom, both humans stopped. "You have business with my friend, here, yes?""You misunderstand; my brother and I--""Yes or no," the troll snarled. The woman who had tried to speak looked cowed."No: it was just a misunderstanding," she said. She and the man looked and even dressed very similarly. Nonetheless, while he carried a quarterstaff she was armed with a short sword, a khetef, the hilt of which was in her hand. The scabbard was not peace-bonded. "May we leave, now?"The dark laughter returned, rippling through the room like vibrations through an underground lake."Yes," Martek said. He bowed his head towards the door behind them.The woman looked relieved. The man she had identified as her brother looked uneasy. As she nodded and backed towards the exit, he raised his hand."No. No, we are not ready to depart."Martek looked amused. "No?""No. We--I--have a need to talk to these three. We will not leave until we do.""Kelmore: what are you doing?" The man's sister looked an even blend of frightened and furious."You wouldn't understand," he hissed."Who are you?" Eris demanded. Her concerns had melted away to reveal the take-charge sort Adam was used to. "Why were you following us?""Seal the doors," Martek instructed.At his word, shadows that were orthoc detached themselves from the darkness around tables and chairs to usher the duo further into the room. A goblin rose and shut the door, lowering a heavy, black beam across it to seal them inside. Soon, the denizens of The Miner's Rest stood around Adam, Eris, Irri, and the two humans, as if awaiting Martek's decree. After a long few minutes, he strode forward. Gazing down at Kelmore's sister, he frowned."You did not answer the tahvic's question," he observed. "Far be it from me to warn you against

your own folly but few apart from a troll would want to get on a tahvic's bad side." He crossed his arms, muscles bulging with implied threat. "Who are you and what is your business, here?"She frowned and banished all look of fear from her face. She drew herself up and swept her red hair out of her face, drawing her half-raised hood down around her cloaked shoulders. "I call myself Kaia; I'm with the Gangrenal coterie of Bellwether Sound. If you cross us--""If we cross you, I'll deliver my condolences to Gangrenal, personally," Martek said."Why were you following us?" Adam demanded."At the temple ...the shrine... you said...  The pillars of skulls," Kelmore stammered. "You found the Eilekarra necropolis gate," he said. "We wished, I wished, to ask you where it was."Adam and Eris exchanged glances. Irri, stepping forward, looked hard at the man from over her shiny black beak. "We know nothing of any gates or necropoli," she said. "You sought to rob us!""My brother? Rob you? Hah:  you know nothing," Kaia scoffed. "He's the most pious man in all the world!""Kaia:  please!" he hissed."Enough of this:  tell them the truth," she admonished."The gods did not see fit to bless me for the purpose of personal aggrandizement!""Then they should at least know the gods favor you, before they decide to test that blessing by killing us!" Her statement ended in an exasperated shout.Kelmore's frown deepened."Well?" Martek asked.The troll looked as if he was entertained.After a glance around at the dark faces in the tavern, the human relented. He reached beneath the collar of his shirt and withdrew a small, hexagonal token on a silver chain. It bore a raised symbol:  an inverted crescent over a half-hexagon ... a representation of a building. Between the two was carved a hammer. The silver holy symbol glowed as if reflecting a light that the room did not possess. The glow spread to coat Kelmore,

completely, causing several in the room to quietly curse under their breaths and back away."I am derroni:  bonded, soul and desire, to the great derros, Neiro. I seek the lost city of the dead and, by way of divine augury, came here to find the way." His statement was not a proclamation of arrogance nor was it delivered with a tone intended to inspire awe or fear. Rather, Kelmore spoke with shyness and reserve, eyes downcast.Martek cast a glance at Irri. The whimsey looked to Eris. Eris looked to Adam before turning back to the siblings, saying, "Then I guess we have something to talk about."The heat of the day rarely reached beneath the hill. In the dark of the tavern, across from the chilling hearths of Nephillus' temple, it was even cooler. Coals, barely embers, glowed in small grills in the center of each table, lit from the supply in the kitchens. They shone with a dull red. The illumination and heat, though, was scarcely increased. Adam didn't mind the cold and, as they sat at Martek's table, he regained his appreciation for this part of society that he rarely saw. But he was still uneasy.Eris was difficult to read but he thought she was probably the same.He spent ten of the precious coins he still had in his purse after the rescue mission in Dorath and had the kitchen opened to bring out something to eat for the small group. One tradition, perhaps the only one exactly the same back home as it was on Talvali, sharing a meal was a way to bridge gaps. For that, he didn't mind paying, even if it left them a thread's span from being impoverished.The platter was wood, burnished black, and covered with steamed, flat-shelf fungi. Smoked and glistening with pickled garlic and amberberries, it made for a filling midday meal. Atop the layer, curls of arrow bark, marinated in honey and diced goza, lay sparsely. Scattered throughout, were flaked fillets of some red river fish. It was a hearty midday presentation. Served to the side were thin, puffy, fried pancakes used as edible utensils for picking up the rest of the food.Of the tavern's occupants only Martek sat with Adam, Eris, Irri, and the siblings. The rest--orthoc, goblin, dwarf, and troll--had mostly gone back to their tables and conversations. A few, however, hovered nearby. Martek didn't shoo them away and the promise of an engaging story cemented their presence."So, tell us about this necropolis," Adam began, but Eris raised her hand."No:  tell us about Neiro. What is it to a derroni to come to us? Don't you have a war to fight in or some crusade to mount?" She smiled crookedly. Kelmore's expression remained unchanged. If nothing else, Martek's earlier admonishment about crossing a tahvic seemed to have struck a chord. "Or is this one of those 'need to know' situations where only the pious get to hear the story?""My brother shares all," Kaia said. She had purchased a small flagon of ale and nursed it as she kept an eye on the trio."Maybe so," Adam said, "but clergy are not exactly known for their loose tongues when it comes to things like 'prophesy' and 'divine revelation'.""Luckily, then," Kelmore said, "I am no priest." He did not eat nor sip at the water brought to him. He merely kept his eyes steady upon Adam. "I was a mine architect when the holy spark took me. I know not why but for a decade, now, I have been blessed to have the sight of Neiro within me." He glanced at his sister. "I have looked after my twin ever since.""I think you sort were chosen by the gods for divine missions," Eris asked. "Was your mission to look after her?""Hardly," Kaia laughed. It was a short bark of a chuckle; one made wryly rather than in true mirth. "The Becoming that made my brother derroni meant that he could leave the mines and follow me around. Seems he didn't want his only flesh and blood taking after their father.""Your father was part of the Bellwether Sound cutthroats, I gather." Martek's words were more statement of fact than question.Kaia nodded. "Cutpurse is a term I prefer; death is too final for my tastes.""Don't trust the gods will weigh in your favor when it comes time to reincarnate?"She shrugged at the troll's question. "I don't have any particular view on that one way or another. But if I was born quicker, nimbler, and smarter than the others around me, I have to think they must approve of my taking advantage of them, no?""No," Kelmore said, flatly. Kaia merely smiled in return. The derroni returned his gaze to Eris and Adam. "Neiro may have chosen me, but I did not choose Neiro. A fragment of the derros is lodged in my soul and offers both power and guidance but little in the way of explanation. In short, there are no great wars I have been guided to. And since I did not ask for this 'honor', I choose to watch over my sister and pursue my own destiny.""So what, then, drew you to this necropolis. You said you'd been led here; I assume you meant by the derros?" Adam had to admire the man's drive. To turn down a great gift, to bear it like a burden in order to help someone close was something he could identify with. "What is 'Eilekarra'?"Kelmore leaned forward, his full attention now on Adam. "You tell me this:  have you seen it? Great pillars of stone skulls:  rising to an arch, many yards in the air ... flanking great stairs climbing a mountain. If you can confirm this--""It's true!" Irri's raspy voice startled everyone and, abruptly ashamed, she looked down and did not meet anyone's eyes. "I mean, we all saw it."Martek nodded. "And many are the tales I have heard about Lost Alamar ... including its kingdom, Eilekarra.""Lost Alamar?"Irri looked up at Eris and nodded. "As a newcomer you may not have heard the fables.""There are many stories of lost islands," Kelmore said. "But few as famous as Alamar." He frowned and steepled his fingers in front of his face, thinking. "Most lost island tales are mere fables. But Alamar was well-known. Large, too:  not just some, small lightland, recently appearing in our skies after a dragon storm."Martek nodded. "Large enough to sponsor many tales of many kingdoms; many heroes, over the years, have been attributed to the land. Some even say that Yerrick, the troll empress, was born there in a city-state called Ulm.""The entire island--a continent, really: easily the size of Kellendar, if tales are to be believed--was, in the end, unified by The Dust King. His initial kingdom of Eilekarra grew to consume the rest. Then, abruptly, it was gone.""The whole continent?" Eris asked. "How?""No one knows," Martek said as Kelmore nodded."It may not have even been real," the derros continued. "But one of the tales, one of the fables told by those who serve Neiro, was of the great necropolis constructed to house the bodies of Eilekarra's dead. In all of Alambar, there was no greater example of holy structure. It predated even The Dust King." His voice fell low and troubled. "It was said to housed within a deep valley, reachable only by a vast flight of stairs, carved into the living rock of the surrounding mountains, passing through three gates comprised of stone skulls devoted to the twenty peoples of Talvali. It contained all the theological wisdom and rites of the peoples of that lost continent."Adam exchanged a look with Eris and stifled a shudder. He could already see her interest was piqued and felt he knew what she was going to propose. He had to nip it in the bud."Well, if the price is right, we can tell you where--""We'll take you," Eris said. "If you hire us, I think you'll find our bodyguard fees to be lower than most. As, well, newcomers:  most folk don't necessarily trust us to be trustworthy. But, believe me, we've never failed a contract, yet!"The fact that they had been with the mercenary's guild for only three years, so far, and had only six contracts was something Adam knew Eris hadn't mentioned."But the cost would be high," Adam, said, hoping to gain some semblance of control over the conversation and still dissuade the looming threat of a job. "Even for a representative of the gods."Irri, looking between the dragonkin and the tahvic, furrowed her brow and settled her gaze on Kaia. "I thought your brother said he didn't follow Neiro's way," she said. "Why would he want to go to this place if not to serve the derros' will?"Kaia shrugged. "You got me," she admitted, casting her gaze at Kelmore. "You were already having me seek penance at the shrine; this isn't more of that 'purifying my soul' nonsense, is it?"Her brother frowned and took some mushrooms up in a scrap of fried bread. "My reasons," he said, taking a bite, "are my own." He chewed thoughtfully for a moment before continuing. "And what I said was I was not accepting Neiro's guidance; that doesn't mean the derros isn't, still, guiding me.""For what purpose? Why would you care?"He looked back at Irri. "Because in my household I served the tenets of the gods, faithfully, all my life. I had taken Neiro as my patron derros because of my profession. I did all I could to please the gods. But, then..." He trailed off. "Let's just say his 'gift' of invoking a shard of his divine presence in my soul was not wanted." He looked back to Kaia. "My reasons are my own but when have I ever asked for anything for myself? I served our family, well, in the mines ... I looked after you. I looked after everyone in my life. Now, if Neiro sees fit to put this ... this thing directly in my path, perhaps he is finally rewarding me rather than requiring service in vague and mysterious ways.""So, what's your reason?" Kaia asked.Kelmore did not answer."So, a reluctant servant of a divine messenger--the servant and embodiment of a derros--wishes to follow his own destiny in search of a fabled ruin?" Martek snorted. "You sound younger than your years; don't humans usually stop their adventuresome ways and settle down by thirty years or so?""I'm thirty-two," Kelmore said."Same here," added Kaia. "But you settled down long before you even had a chance to live a life, brother. Trust me:  the troll's right. You shouldn't be looking for adventure at this late stage, yes? If I were seeking this, it would maybe make sense. I never stopped trying to find my destiny; I never stopped finding a good fight. But you?"He stared at both the troll and his sister. "Again:  my reasons are my own." He turned to Adam. "You can guide us and provide bodyguard services? At what price?"Adam snorted thin trails of smoke from his nostrils. "Expensive. More than a penniless traveler can afford.""Bullshit," Eris said.He fixed her with a long gaze down his muzzle. "I'm still injured. The extra costs, the equipment and protections needed, will be considerable."Kelmore looked between the two and nodded. Then, without another word, reached across the table to brush his hand across the back of Adam's wrist. A brief surge of the same light that had suffused the room, earlier, returned. It coiled around the derroni like a luminescent serpent, down his arm, and into Adam's body. Before he could react, it permeated his every inch, every cell, and left in its wake a peacefu calm. He felt the aches and pains in his wings flicker and fade as if candle flames, blown out in an unexpected breeze. He knew without looking that his bones had knitted and his

flesh been stitched back together."Neiro is master of stonework; the derros of mines, structures, buildings, and architecture. I see little difference between the bones of the great underground cities and the bones within a dragonkin's flesh." Kelmore leaned back, satisfied. "I may be poor but I can offer quite a bit in trade.""As long as I am paid ten percent as a broker in this matter," Martek said, leaning forward, "I see no problem with this arrangement."Adam looked at the people sitting around him. He felt fine in every way but emotionally. His heart sank and fear began to creep in alongside self-loathing. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to go anywhere. He was at the point in his life where he should be settling down not running off on some fantasy quest. And worse, Eris wanted nothing more."Why are you doing this?" he hissed to her, leaning close to the tahvic's ear. "Why would you want to risk life and limb?""Why wouldn't you?" she asked, back. Then, turning to Martek, she frowned. "Five percent broker fee; the guild already takes enough from us.""Eight percent," the troll countered. "I have my own expenses.""Seven; I'm sure the guild would want to know who's been undercutting their business.""Deal," Martek said and proffered his enormous hand.Eris shook it and smiled. "Nice doing business with you.""And what if this isn't it?" Adam said, directing the question to the siblings. "This could be something similar; some ancient homage or hoax. It could even be what you're looking for but not in the way you expect! I only saw two gates, you know. The rest of the stair went nowhere:  right of the edge of where we saw it!"Kelmore crossed his arms, nodding slowly. "You'll still be paid," he vowed."That's not the point:  do you really want to commit to a dangerous journey, far into the hinterlands of someplace you don't understand, and risk not finding what you're looking for?"The derroni met Adam's gaze and shrugged. "Such is the nature of life:  you sometimes must risk all to gain even the smallest of rewards. Perhaps that is a lesson that Neiro intends to teach me. But, finally, I have something to look for, myself.""Shall my brother and I meet you at the mercenary's guild hall?" Kaia asked.Eris confirmed and shook on it.Without wanting to, or even trying very hard, they had inherited a quest.Adam hoped Eris could understand why the stair had haunted him, so, and--even more--could appreciate what he feared he would find in this lost necropolis.