PART ONE - PROLOGUE

Kregmond strode up the marble staircase, his armour clanking noisily. It had been a long year since he had been home, and Silver Cove had not changed too much in the interim it seemed. He'd been involved in a tumultuous battle in Paradise Valley, and could still hear the insane screaming of Devils in his ears.

"Barrabas, my friend!" A large man with what appeared to be metallic arms appeared before him, and threw his arms around him. "How goes it my friend?"

"It's been a long time, Leska! Come walk with me.." said Kregmond. He had not seen his old friend for so long - they had been seperated at the Blackshire pass. As always, Kregmond had presumed Leska had survived - his instinct for survival, raw power and animal cunning were unsurpassed. And he was not born of woman - he was one of those "Cuisinart" creations of Agar's. The old Sorcerer had considered them a failure, having developed independent will and humanistic qualities, but Kregmond had been only too willing to accept his cast offs as part of his own Guard. In fact, Leska was only twelve years old in Enroth years, yet he had the appearance of a man in his thirties - and indeed would remain so until killed - the Cuisinarts had no measured lifespan other than that decreed by accident or misfortune. And besides, provided with a good cause for allegiance, they were legendary in battle.

"We got the callback at Edenbrook. And you?" asked Leska.

"We were about to cross the Sweetwater border. And we'd been forcing them backwards. Utter nonsense. Has Humphrey's envoy arrived yet?"

"Yes - he has. In consultation with Lady Kregmond I believe. Give the bastard hell!"

"Oh, I plan to, Leska." Kregmond laughed, but his eyes showed no humour whatsoever. "And as usual he'll stretch the truth beyond it's limits, I don't doubt. No idea why Humphrey trust Silvertongue - a slimier individual I have yet to encounter... But how is my Lady?"

"As always, my friend, as always - need I say more?" Leska grinned rather sympathetically.

Kregmond sighed visibly. "Best not to keep her waiting, eh?"

They had ascended the staircase, and arrived at the great double doors of the Fortress' inner chamber. This was reserved for dignitaries and strategists only, and the doors were made of a polished oak. Two guards stood wait outside the door, and nodded to Kregmond and Leska as they approached. One of them, a somewhat lumbering figure with long flowing raven hair flowing from beneath his helmet leaned across and opened the cross door bolt, pulling one of the doors across in order for the two men to enter. Kregmond grunted appreciatively - the bolt weighed almost as much as a man, though evidently not as much as this man, and he even had trouble on occasion lifting it himself, especially after an ale or two.

"Shut the door." Lady Kregmond stood up from the long teak table at which she had been sitting. She was very young in comparison to Kregmond - whilst he was in his forties, hair greying at the temples and wearing a salt and pepper goatee, she was a lithe woman in her early twenties with a sarcastic twist to her features, and pale as linen skin. Along with her blonde hair she was practically albino, though the number of portraits of her throughout the land virtually unseated Queen Catherine as the most often depicted woman in the galleries of Enroth. Seated next to her was a far more ignoble character - shoulder length hair and overdressed as always, Slicker Silvertongue. Though he did often share her sarcastic expression, albeit with completely different meanings.

Leska shut the door, and Kregmond removed his helmet. "Good to see you too, Olivia. And as always, Silvertongue - if it were only different circumstances under which we meet." This was his standard greeting to Silvertongue; the two men's dislike of each other was no secret.

"And to you Kregmond - as you say....Always" smirked Silvertongue. Please be seated, I have important news. Greetings Leska - how's your mother?"

Leska didn't respond - he was used to Silvertongue's insults and provocations. Of course, he didn't have a mother - he was born in a vat.

Lady Kregmond chuckled. "Oh, Slicker, stop it! One day you and Leska will share a room alone, and not a word will be spoken between you!" For all her beauty and charisma, she was not popular. She didn't seem to have an affinity for compassion, and many wondered why Kregmond had married her. Truth was that when he first met her, she had been of an entirely different disposition, and either power or those clandestine Druidic meetings seemed to have spoiled her. Kregmond often wondered what would happen to his militia should anything ever happen to him. And he also himself pondered occasionally what he saw in her - but there definitely was something. Perhaps he was a little afraid of her, like everyone else with a voice to whisper in Silver Cove. Yet he still found himself perturbed that she had referred to Silvertongue by his first name. Somehow he even doubted that Humphrey's envoy's parents had even done that. And at the reference, Slickertongue's smirk seemed even more permanent, were that possible.

"I'm aware that you will have many questions to ask me. I ask you to be aware that many will remain unanswered." Silvertongue leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "Lord Humphrey wishes me to pass on a message to all the other Lords and Ladies of the Kingdom, andTemper advised I pass it on to you personally, as leader of his military forces."

Kregmond turned towards Leska. "This means I'm not going to like it. Why wouldn't Temper send his own envoy?"

Leska raised an eyebrow, and looked at Silvertongue. "That's Lord Temper you refer to I presume?"

"We're getting bogged down in a stupid game of manners here, gentlemen... Slicker has something of great importance to convey, and we're arguing about what we call Osric? The message is being relayed by Humphrey from Roland himself." Olivia Kregmond's baritone had a strange masculine intonation, at odds with her fragile countenance.

Kregmond abruptly stood, knocking over his chair loudly. "From King Ironfist? He's not dead? Where is he? And how did he establish communication with Lord Humphrey?"

"As I had mentioned" smiled Silvertongue, "most of your questions will go unanswered - largely because I and those not a member of the High Council itself have not been informed as to such matters. What matters to you is the content of the message."

"For pity's sake, man - read it out!" blustered Kregmond. He still stood - rather awkwardly, halfway between standing upright and sitting down.

Silvertongue produced a scroll, rather over flamboyantly. "Certain aspects of this communication have been edited for the good of the Kingdom's security. The message is as follows:" He leaned forward, and read aloud.

"To my loyal Lords and Lady. I am not deceased, nor captured, as some of you may have envisioned. I cannot reveal my current location, as it is important that no attempts be made to mistakenly rescue me, and make our position as rulers of the different shires of Enroth even more precarious. I have discovered information that, while it concerns me deeply, forces me to issue some commands which may meet vehement disagreeance from a number of you. This information has been delivered to me by a [message edited]. which I know will shock and outrage you, but the information has been proven to me without doubt to be valid. These [message edited] claim to have knowledge as to the operation of the [message edited]. You of course know that we [message edited] for quite some time. When Lord Humphrey under my orders recalled the militias from the advance towards Sweetwater, I know that many of you were concerned as to my reasons. I can only say that I have Enroth's best interests at heart in this. But rebel forces continue to advance, as you know - mainly opponents of the Church Of Baa, but there is a strong peasant contingent also. These bands have not encroached as far as our armies had - they are not as well equipped, but quite fanatical, and have ignored Humphrey's pleas to retreat repeatedly. This cannot continue - it endangers us all. I request that a squad be put together to remove these attackers by force if necessary. I know this may seem an unreasonable request, but I must emphasise the fact that were any of these rebel bands to reach Sweetwater, the Kingdom will be doomed. I cannot explain more fully at this stage. Use extreme prejudice if necessary - these rebels must be forced back, and if no other method is effective, they must be eliminated. I thank you for your continued obeyance to the Kingdom of Ironfist, and as validation that it is indeed I that sends this message, I include [message edited] which should put the matter beyond doubt. Yours in faith, King Roland Ironfist"

There was an uneasy silence for a minute or so.

"Who edited the message?" asked Leska.

"It was edited by the High Council. They have all seen it in it's original form." Silvertongue's smugness seemed to imply that he'd seen the missive in it's entirety.

Kregmond spoke slowly. "What on Enroth could conclusively prove that the King sent the message? They could have cut a finger off to extract a ring, or extracted personal information through torture."

"Or cut a lock of hair from a corpse" added Leska, sadly. Lady Kregmond looked as though she'd heard it all already. She gazed out the window abstractedly.

"Suffice it to say that whatever was sent convinced the High Council without doubt." countered Silvertongue. That is not your concern. If you wish, you may verify this through whatever means you deem necessary - I expect you can take this up with Temper. But time is precious - the orders must be carried out as soon as is possible. Kregmond, you have been chosen of course to command this taskforce."

"To potentially slay my own loyal countrymen? You're right - I will have to validate the authenticity of this communicae before I can proceed. I must speak to Lord Temper first." Kregmond snapped.

"You may find that hard, darling - apparently he's absent for a month. 'Official Duties' or some such." said Lady Kregmond. Barrabas felt the onset of paranoia - he no longer was sure what was fact and what wasn't, nor who was telling who what.

"Quite right." smiled Silvertongue."So there clearly isn't time. But I understand your requirement for authentication before you progress further. So I've taken the liberty of inviting a guest, to convince you of the urgent action this situation demands." He turned to the doorway to Kregmond's library, off the main chamber. "Enter!"

The door slowly opened.....

END OF PART ONE