laneys.info Beware of Yankees, drunks, and loose women.

Kailee seemed quite nervous around me at first, but she soon seemed to calm down and relax.  I'm not sure why, but I didn't notice anything odd about her at first.  The first hint I had that she was special came soon after I joined the group.

"It's starting to get dark," Alister said.  "We should find a place to camp for the night."

"There's a wide spot next to the road up ahead," Lericanin replied.  "We can set up there."

We dismounted and began to set up camp.  The forest behind us was thick and very old.  If there was a stream nearby, we would likely never locate it through all the dense foliage.  As I began to unpack my bedroll, Kasar motioned to a mountain ridge in the distance.  Perched high above the valley road was a large castle, its ramparts glowing orange in the light of the setting sun.

"Wow, look at that.  Who lives up there?" he asked.

"That is the residence of an old and reclusive mage," I replied.  "No one has seen him for many years now.  At one time he was very wise and counseled kings of many kingdoms.  But rumors of his death have circulated for years now.  No one knows for sure what happened."

We went about the business of bedding down for the night and the first shift of the night watch took up their guard.  We hadn't even gotten into our blankets when a rider approached.  He dispensed with any formalities and addressed Lericanin and Alister when they challenged him.

"You are trespassing," he said.  "You must leave at once."

Not wishing to give ill will to the landowner, I moved to gather my things and break camp when I heard Lericanin give a cry followed by the sound of steel on steel.  Kasar and I looked at each other.  He gave me a look that said, "here we go again," as we readied for battle.  We were gaining enemies quickly in the darkness and I knew that it could get ugly in a hurry due to the failing light.  I cast a nightvision spell and took a moment to appraise the situation.  We had the original rider and at least four foot soldiers.  Now able to see, I moved to intercept one of the foot soldiers who was attempting to double-team Alister.  As I clashed with the soldier, I began to understand why Lericanin had taken them on: they were undead.

The undead soldier swung on me with his broadsword with a stroke full of power, but lacking in finesse.  Apparently, he thought me to be as blind as my companions.  I took the swing on my shield and countered with my own sword.  We traded another pair of blows, then my sword found its mark, slicing into his shoulder and dropping him to his knees.  He struggled to rise again, but I soon saw to it that he would not.

I began to catch sight of someone moving rapidly through the combat, cutting a path of destruction through the undead soldiers.  The figure moved so quickly, I couldn't tell who it was.  But with my foe down, I could now see everyone in our group.  Everyone, that is, except Kailee.  I filed the incident away for further reference.

We stacked the bodies of the undead soldiers and set them aflame to make sure they didn't reanimate.  We gathered our things by the light of the pyre and set out down the road with a quickened pace.  There was no doubt that more trouble would find us if we remained, and we knew that our assailants were working for someone who didn't like guests.  As we climbed the road higher into the mountains, we hoped to leave those troubles behind us.