Sorry for the delay.  I've been sweltering in this heat. :)

 Enjoy.
 D.Fire


 The characters herein belong mostly to Rumiko Takahashi-sama and Viz.
 I do not own them.  This is a work of fan fiction for fun and may be
 archived freely.

 I would like to thank Matthew Campbell and Freemage without whose
 pre-reading efforts, this fan fiction effort would have fallen flat on
 its face.

 Comments are always appreciated.  You can always get previous chapters
 by emailing me.  Or by going to http://idt.net/~phongb9/

 Notes:  
         "" is for verbal speech,
         '' is for internal thought,
         <> is used for general telepathic thought,
         :::: is used for master to familiar thought

 What has happened before:  Ranma and his friends have been living in a
 magical world for the last ten years, having been de-aged to
 six-year-old initially.  The entire crew have grown up living with the
 curses and Ranma (now known as Raeni) is a well-adjusted, powerful
 teenager.  He/she search for his friends to gather them for a future
 confrontation.

 Last time:  Raeni battled with dangerous but slow, obsidian golems.
 As Aarun watched on, she took down two in quick succession,
 discovering that the creatures had no defense against chi.  After
 battling with two others, she disabled the third whereupon she
 discovered something amazing.  The last contained the body of an orc,
 and it still lived!

 Sword and Sorcery
 Chapter 18

 by D.Fire
 phongb9@idt.net

         A council of war would soon convene in that cavernous space
 beneath the featureless plain.  Aarun had come into the room expecting
 it to be still be filled with an air of despair.  When he had finally
 arrived, he could tell an immediate difference.

         In the center of the room, a pile of bedding had been hastily
 assembled near the fire.  The orcwen and the children, who had been
 scattered throughout the vast space, now clustered in the middle.
 After a short period of adjustment to the light levels in the room,
 Aarun headed toward the center of that clump of life.

         Long before he entered their midst, those in his way parted,
 leaving a clear path to the middle.  As he neared, he could finally
 make out Gihari and her daughter by the hastily constructed sick bed.
 Upon it lay the pale orc that Raeni had rescued.  Only his head was
 visible because of the layers of blankets heaped upon the rest of his
 body.  Even then, the pale form shivered as if from extreme chill.

         Raeni had located herself a discrete distance from the others.
 After spotting Aarun coming into the crowd, she made her way over to
 guide and perhaps to explain a little.  Reaching the man, she extended
 a hand and, tugging lightly on his arm, pulled him back to her chosen
 spot.  Pointing to the shivering form, she told Aarun, "That's
 Gihari's mate."

         The old ranger's eyes lit upon hearing this little tidbit of
 information.  "Really?  I had thought he died some time ago.  Are you
 sure that's him?"

         Unexpectedly, Gihari answered for her.  "It is he, Lord
 Aa-run."  The ranger had the decency to flush red.  "Of that I know
 with-out a doubt.  Without a doubt, it is he."  When the orcwen leader
 finally raised her head to speak once more, both the mage and the
 ranger saw the still pools gathering in her eyes.  "Raeni, I can-not
 ever re-pay you for the deed done to-day."  She bowed her head deeply
 in respect to the young, red-haired girl.

         Raeni had a distinctly uncomfortable look upon her visage at
 the orcwan's words.  A faint blush appeared on her face, too light to
 be noticed in the dimness of the room.  Never before had she been so
 praised and the young girl really had no idea how to handle it.  She
 stuttered a reply, "I-it was nothing, Gihari."  Not knowing what else
 to say, she babbled meaninglessly, "Fate allowed his return.  I only
 brought him back."

         "No!" Gihari exclaimed, shaking Raeni with her vehemence.  "It
 was *not* nothing!"  Gihari's eyes seemed to shine with an unnatural
 light as she spoke her next words.  "I, Gihari Moonstead, and my clan
 owe you.  A blood debt for returning something we thought irrevocably
 lost."

         At these words, Raeni began panicking.  To her ears, that had
 sounded like a geas.  Although she had not been the target but the
 recipient, she didn't want anybody to owe her in such a manner.
 "Stop!"  In a flash she was over by Gihari's side.  With the speed of
 a zephyr, Raeni had raced over the orcwan in a desperate attempt to
 stop the completion of the spell.  She placed a hand over the orcwan's
 mouth, preventing further speech.  "That's the last thing I need!"
 The mage suddenly realized that she had just seriously insulted, if
 they took it that way.

         The orcwan, at first frightened by the red-head's actions,
 calmed and nodded once to indicate her assent.  Sighing lightly in
 relief on two counts, Raeni removed her hand, adding, "Besides, I'm
 not done yet."  Gazing upward toward the ceiling, she continued,
 "We're all still stuck in here.  We've got to find a way out first.
 Don't you think so?"

         Gihari bowed her head in response.  "You are right, Raeni.  It
 is not yet time to settle debts...."  The gaze she then leveled at the
 young mage bespoke of a time in the future when they would settle the
 matter.  It promised that there would be balance.

         An uncomfortable silence reigned in the room, broken only
 occasionally by the crackling of the fire and some random snuffling
 from the assembled crowd.  Since Raeni was currently close at hand,
 she bent over to check the 'patient'.  Although the orc still looked
 bad, he didn't look as bad as when Raeni had brought him into the
 room.  At first he had looked like death warmed over; now, he just
 looked like the newly dead.  His life force had been nearly depleted
 at the onset, but with the 'infusion' of chi she had given him on the
 way here, he at least now seemed stable.

         In truth, she couldn't take much credit for the 'operation'.
 All the young girl had provided was an abundant source of chi; the orc
 had to gather it in on his own.  Because his own form had been so
 depleted, some natural instinct had driven him to draw in the chi
 available.  Shaking her head slightly, Raeni pondered the
 possibilities.  It could have been a natural reaction.  It could have
 been that such a vast imbalance of chi had allowed Balek to draw in
 the minimum necessary to sustain him.

         More worrisome was the second possibility.  She feared that
 being encased within an obsidian golem had turned the orc into a
 semi-vampiric creature.  Only one thing pointed otherwise.  On her
 journey to the underworld, she hadn't noticed any major draining on
 her part.  From what she could see, only the barest trickle of energy
 had been drawn away.  Certainly for one such as her, it was nothing.
 But it had kept him alive, so she did not begrudge that slight loss.

         If Balek had truly become such a creature, then he should have
 taken the opportunity to drain more, or so she reasoned.  Still...

         Further thought about the unpleasant subject was banished as
 Balek's eyes opened.  Gihari, his mate, was the first to react.
 Gathering her mate to her bosom, she cradled his head, crooning, "My
 husband, how are you?"

         Blinking in confusion at first, the orc uttered in its own
 language some phrase that Raeni had no idea how to interpret.
 Whatever was said, however, delighted Gihari and the other orcwen
 assembled.  Gihari's eyes lit up upon hearing the answer, her once sad
 eyes showing a hope once lost.  The others reacted with animated
 murmurs and excitement filtered through the room.

         Raeni withdrew a short distance to allow them some privacy.
 Although she understood not a word being spoken, it still seemed rude
 to eavesdrop on such a touching moment.  Gihari begging her to save
 this tribe had surprised her, in truth astonished her.  But seeing the
 tenderness and affection Gihari showed to her mate blew Raeni's mind.

         So lost was Raeni in her amazement, only the light touch of
 Aarun's hand upon her shoulder shook her out of her shock, causing her
 to almost leap out of her skin.  The understanding expression on the
 man's face conveyed to the young mage his full agreement in her
 surprise.  Drawing her lightly away, he moved over to the edge of the
 gathering for some privacy.

         For the most part, Aarun was sure that the others of the orc
 tribe would not understand if he spoke to the young girl in Human.
 Since none of the others had even reacted when he made some silly
 comment in his previous conversations with Gihari, he suspected that
 only the leaders of this little tribe understood Human speech well.
 Not that he had anything to hide from them, but he needed to speak
 with Raeni alone.  He finally broke through the outer perimeter and,
 pulling the somewhat dazed mage after him, moved some distance away to
 the edge of the circular room.

         There, he congratulated the girl.  "You seem to have made a
 lifelong friend, Raeni," he said, a wry smile firmly in place on his
 face.  "Gihari certainly wasn't that enthusiastic when I was last
 here.  You were right in stopping her.  Since she is their shaman, she
 probably would have the ability to cast a geas."

         A slight grimace crossed over the girl's features as she said,
 "That's the last thing I need now, another obligation.  Although it
 would be me being owed, it didn't feel right.  We're all still in this
 mess, and she's still weak.  What's the use of me bringin' back her
 husband if she's just going ta waste energy casting a geas and maybe
 die."  Casting a look to the center of the room, she continued, "But
 you saw that, right?  I would never believe it if I hadn't seen it
 with my own eyes."

         At her comment, the ranger became a study in seriousness.
 Nodding slowly, he replied, "Yes.  I told you before.  This tribe of
 orcs is very different from the others I've run into."  Leaning back
 against the wall, he withdrew a dagger and a grindstone and began
 sharpening the weapon.  Continuing the conversation, he said, "From
 the very start I realized something about them.  It's odd, but at
 first I thought that it was because all of the adult males had been
 taken from the tribe.  Naturally, they wouldn't be as aggressive."

         His hands kept in motion as he slowly slid the whetstone
 against the already sharp blade in his hand.  It struck Raeni that his
 actions were more of nervous habit than any real need of sharpening.
 "But it still didn't explain why they tended me, when I was first cast
 into this dreary place."  He waved an arm indicating the huddle mass
 of life in the middle of room.  "You saw how they were when you first
 got here.  I didn't think they had any hope of ever leaving, but
 Gihari tended my wounds with a motherly care.  Only when I was able to
 heal on my own did she sink into the despair that the others were
 already in."

         His voice dropped to a low murmur barely discernible by Raeni.
 "Even though she healed me, she didn't expect anything of me.
 Obviously, they had nothing to fear from down here.  So it couldn't
 have been for protection.  If anything, I think they should have been
 wary of any human, since orckind and humankind have never been at
 peace."

         "Ever since then," he continued, "I tried to pull Gihari back
 out of her shell, to see if I could get any information that would
 help us out of here. At that point, only the children still had some
 life, so I tried talking to them.  Thank Gaved that I understand a
 little of the orc language.  As I found out after a little bit, only
 the chieftain and the shaman could speak Human standard well.  And the
 shaman, Gihari, wasn't talking at all."

         "I finally got her to talk.  I got bits and pieces of her
 immediate past over the next couple of days.  I think you know
 everything that she told me about that.  Then Gihari started talking
 about the days before their entrapment.  I think it distracted her
 from the now, since she seemed to perk up a little when talking about
 how her tribe was founded.  They had split from a much larger tribe of
 about five hundred others."

         Raeni nodded in agreement.  That sounded about right.  From
 she could recall from the treatises she had read, orc tribes generally
 ranged from one hundred to one thousand males.  Unless this particular
 tribe had been somehow decimated (which had been a distinct
 possibility given the current circumstances), then this was a newly
 formed offshoot of a much larger tribe.

         She focused her attention on Aarun's tale, as he continued
 speaking.  "Gihari told me that Balek,, her mate, had found life
 intolerable while part of the larger tribe.  You see, he had these
 'strange' ideas to open trade with humans and try to barter instead of
 raiding for anything they needed.  The other males, for the most part,
 either ignored him or tried to make him shut up.  They laughed at him
 and called him weak.  Eventually, totally disgusted with the others,
 he and Gihari gathered a small group of sympathetic followers and fled
 from the others."

         "I don't know if they were chased, but they traveled for ten
 years trying to find someplace that would accept them.  Most humans
 wouldn't tolerate their presence and of course they couldn't settle
 with other orcs."  At this point, Aarun paused and his eyes hardened.
 "Then they were caught by this demon."

         ***

         A dark-purple panther paced nervously across a slight clearing
 in a dead area of the forest.  To be quite honest, 'nervous' was not
 an adequate description of his actions.  'Panicked' would have been a
 better description, although he would have denied it vehemently.

         Its current captives weren't in that much of a better shape.
 Having a predator of the forest go to pieces in front of you wasn't
 that reassuring of a sight.

         Azure had lost contact with his current 'owner' some time ago,
 and was feeling like the unluckiest familiar in the world right now.
 One minute, he was eyeing the minotaur, ettin, and mage captive in
 front of him, making sure that they made no attempt to escape, when
 suddenly, the presence in the back of his mind that represented his
 connection to Raeni had disappeared.

         When long moments passed and the bond made no indication of
 returning, he started panicking.  He'd been that way for the last
 half-candlemark.  The link had not been torn, as what had happened
 upon Hariule's death.  Hariule, his old master and Raeni's adopted
 father, had left the mortal sphere, nearly taking his familiar with
 him, the breaking of the original bond nearly killing him by shock
 alone.

         This time, his link with Raeni had simply disappeared, with no
 indication that his mistress had died.  For that, he was grateful.
 But that didn't stop him from going nuts over the lost bond.  This
 simply shouldn't have happened.  In his many years as Master Hariule's
 familiar, nothing of this sort had ever occurred, and he had no idea
 what to do.  So here he was, panicking.

         Azure turned to his prisoners, and a low menacing growl
 escaped from between his lips.  The mage of the group, a dark-haired
 woman whose beauty was marred by a black eye and a broken nose,
 flinched in response and lowered her head.  The two-headed monstrosity
 was still out of it from Raeni's lightning-speed attack.  The
 minotaur, its hands and feet bound by iron chains, warily eyed him,
 but couldn't do much.  None of them were much of a threat, yet he was
 sorely tempted to take out some his frustration on them.  In a way, he
 hoped that one would make an attempt to escape, so that he could
 unleash some of his anger.  Fortunately, or unfortunately as the case
 may be, none of the three seemed inclined to take foolish chances.

         The mage had learned her lesson earlier, when she had tried an
 illusion on Azure.  Knowing her nature and his own magical nature had
 allowed him to pierce the weak illusion of a summoned demon, brushing
 its fake attack off for the lack of substance it was.  His immediate
 response had been to stalk over to her location and place his jaws in
 position to tear off a sizable piece of her arm.  The illusion had
 been quickly dispelled after that, and no attempt had been made since.
 Luckily, for the mage, that had been a time before he had lost all
 contact with Raeni.  If she were to try it now, his reaction would
 have been more direct and, undoubtedly, much more atavistic.

         Azure paced frantically while the illusionist and minotaur
 watched with growing concern for their own lives.  None of them
 noticed when a light fog began rolling into the clearing, so
 preoccupied was Azure with his predicament and the others were
 preoccupied with *him*.  Before long, visibility was reduced to a mere
 five paces, that is, outside of the clearing.  Within it, the air
 remained the same.  Randomly, tendrils of fog encroached within the
 boundary and just as quickly withdrew.

         Only when one of these oddly behaving strands slithered up to
 touch Azure did he jerk out of his own blind panic.  Blinking rapidly,
 he crouched low as he finally noticed the entrapment of magic.  Of the
 mist's magical nature, there was no doubt.  He smelled it in the air,
 and more importantly, in the thread of fog that had reached him.

         Thinking that this was some ploy of the illusionist, he turned
 to his captives and stared at them piercingly.  To his relief, it
 seemed that none of them knew what was happening either.  If he was
 wary, then they were feeling something much worse.  Whenever one of
 the fingers of fog worked its way inward and 'touched' the minotaur,
 it flinched and tried to withdraw, as much as was allowable by the
 chains that bound it to the ground.  The illusionist was no better
 off, being tied to the others and staked in place as well.

         With a cry, she drew the panther's attention to a spot within
 the clearing, her eyes pointing it out.  There, a mass of fog had
 gathered.  Where on other occasions, the fog had come and gone, in
 this location, it had accumulated.  When it had gathered enough volume
 to dwarf a man, it began glowing.  Softly at first, the green light
 pulsed and throbbed unsteadily.

         Since Azure had no clue what to do, he merely watched as a
 shape formed from the undefined mass.  His ears were flattened against
 his head as he tried to assess the danger.  He even considered dashing
 in to release his prisoners but dismissed the thought.  This was an
 unknown, but the mercenaries were a known danger.  Besides, he didn't
 know how far beyond the clearing the fog extended.  It might be
 useless to free them just to have them trapped in here with him.

         He watched as the throbbing steadied and a blurred form
 emerged from the gathered fog.  It looked human, he decided.  A woman,
 if he judged correctly.  He couldn't make out many details since her
 body was shrouded by much of the fog from its prone position.  As the
 fog compressed down to size, the features became more sharply defined.
 She wore her hair long, the shifting fog seemed to show, and from all
 aspects, she appeared nude. What color hair she had, he couldn't
 determine, for there was no color, other than the flash of green that
 now beat steadily.  Other than that green, she remained placidly gray,
 her eyes closed in silent repose.

         The gray woman opened her eyes.  They say that the eyes are a
 window to one's soul.  In her case, Azure suspected that this was the
 literal truth.  Rather than having normal eyes, or even normal 'gray'
 eyes, a steady green light filled the space where her eyes were
 supposed to be.  Blinking several times, she sat up and gazed
 curiously around the clearing.

         Seeing the gathered trio in the center and the familiar
 guarding them, she frowned and a look of concentration passed across
 her face.  Azure watched with growing fear as the bound illusionist
 jerked in response to whatever the phantom was doing.  Suddenly, the
 mage's eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted to the ground.

         Not seeming to care in the least, the gray woman shifted her
 gaze on to the minotaur.  After a moment that caused the humongous
 beast to snort and make sounds of fear, she shook her head in disgust.
 Her gaze moved onward.  The minotaur continued to gibber
 unintelligently.

         Not bothering to do to the unconscious ettin whatever she was
 doing, she finally turned to Azure.

         Alarmed, he backed up to edge of the clearing, thinking
 perhaps it was a lesser threat to brave the wall of fog than to remain
 here and allow her to 'experiment' on him.  Turning, he was about to
 leap into the unknown when something stopped him.

         <Wait!> came the thought.  That single word had pierced his
 mind, startling him out of his timing and causing him to fall to the
 ground, as fear-driven, unsteady feet crumpled beneath him.  He closed
 his eyes in defeat as he waited for his doom to come.  With the
 thought came an image of great fire, consuming, burning and
 destroying, and then nothing.

         Long moments ticked past as nothing further happened.  The
 silence was soon broken as another thought came at him.  <You... you
 are intelligent, aren't you?>  No vision accompanied it that time.

         'What?!  S-she just spoke to me!' Azure thought frantically.
 Daring the fates, he opened his eyes slightly, and still slightly
 cowed by the phenomenon, he turned back to face her.

         The gray woman waited patiently as he gathered enough of his
 confidence to rise unsteadily to his feet.  Still wary, he slowly
 approached her and stopped two paces away.  Not knowing why, he bowed
 slightly, his forelegs bending just a smidgen while his back legs
 remained straight.  He answered tentatively, <Yes.>  For some reason,
 it just seemed appropriate to bow; something about this apparition
 commanded respect.  Something about her was... familiar.

         A smile appeared on the phantom's face, transforming it at
 once to something less fearsome and infinitely more approachable.  <I
 am... My name is...>  A troubled look replaced the smile.  Then
 softly, the thought continued, <I can't remember.>

         Looking around the clearing, the woman pondered her situation.
 The telepathic conversation continued, <I-I think I died here.  This
 place is familiar to me, but it doesn't look like I remember.>  Waving
 her arm, gesturing across the whole of the clearing, she concentrated.
 The gray fog on the outskirts of the area began shifting and moving,
 some moving back and some moving inward, to coalesce around the
 various dead trees.  Some covered the ground, blanketing it with a
 thick layer.

         After the movement stopped, the fog in place began condensing
 just as it had to form the woman.  Unlike the woman though, this time,
 the fog coalesced into colorful forms, although still as indistinct as
 was the woman herself.

         Azure watched in amazement as the semblance of life and nature
 returned into the area.  Where dead stumps once stood and barren
 ground once lay, now flowering trees and a lush field of green
 seemingly thrived.

         <This is how it should be.>  Suddenly, the ghost shook as if
 feeling some chill and bowed her head.  With her concentration
 disrupted, the area returned to its previous state.  When she next
 looked up, Azure could see a stream of gray flowing down her face,
 separating into blobs of fog upon reaching her chin and slowly
 dispersing, merging silently with the fog gathered at her feet.

         <I-I remember my purpose.  I did die here.>

         Azure wanted nothing more than to comfort the grieving spirit,
 but he knew not how.  It was all he could do to be there and be
 sympathetic, a silent witness to her sadness.

         The woman came to a realization.  <I-I haven't fulfilled my
 purpose.  What am I doing here, then?  I think... I think that I heard
 someone call me.>  She paused as she considered her words, and then
 continued, <Or maybe not call me directly, but someone was calling
 very loudly.>  She turned her gaze to a suddenly very still panther.

         If Azure had hands, he would have probably placed them behind
 his head in a gesture of embarrassment.  His fur was flushed a dark
 purple, much darker than usual, almost to black, as he blushed at her
 statement.  <Heh heh.  Mistress, I guess that would have been me.>

         <I was sleeping and tending when I heard these loud cries of
 distress.  It sounded like a baby without its mother.  That was you?>

         <Well... you see...>  Azure was at a lost to explain what
 happened.  The blood that had rushed to his head had slightly
 befuddled him.  <Well.  There was Raeni.  And there was Uerris.  And
 then that assassin, and then she disappeared...>

         Upon hearing the name 'Uerris', the woman broke his train of
 thought, demanding, <I know that name.  Uerris.  It sounds very
 familiar indeed.  Who is she?>

         A bit flustered at her interruption, Azure stammered out,
 <I-it's this girl we were looking for.  I don't really know who she
 is, but Raeni seems to have some past with her.  Her mother's name is
 Keili and her father's name is Aarun, I think.>

         <Keili, Aarun.  More familiar names.>  Aarun.  That name
 haunted her, and she almost laughed.  Without a doubt, she was dead.
 Haunting a haunt, indeed.  She sobered and asked, <Can you tell me
 more about them?>

         Azure shrugged in reply.  <I only know a little more.  They
 are the Lord Protectors of Gasenheart.  There is one other, Errin.
 He's their son and Uerris' twin brother.>

         The spirit became excited as these names led to others, making
 connections in her mind, bringing back her full purpose and bits and
 pieces of  her past.  <Yes.  It's coming back.>  A slight pause, then
 she ruefully added, <Well, some of it.>

         ***

         What she recalled did not make the gray woman very happy.
 Azure wouldn't understand, but she remembered vividly her own death,
 in full, gory detail.  She recalled dancing around the great fire, a
 moment filled with joy.  Then a twisting and turning of the magics
 cast and danced.

         A different presence had entered her dance, corrupting it, a
 malevolence beyond words, and yet at the same time, a sadness, too.
 It was not sorry that it would kill her; it had seemed regret the
 necessity of having to kill her at all.  She recalled the stricken
 young girl on the ground, near to being drawn into the dangerous,
 burning flames.  She saw herself jumping into its path.

         The girl had to be Uerris.  The name had clicked perfectly in
 her memory, underlain by a feeling of prophecy and fate.  She had to
 protect the girl at all costs.  That was all she could remember.  She
 saw the bolt of fire strike her down, the last fury of a thwarted
 storm.  It had saved the girl.  Then she remembered blackness, for a
 short time.  Then she was outside of her own body, staring down at her
 own corpse.  Uerris had been sobbing desperately over it, but when she
 leaned over to try to comfort the girl, her hand and arm passed right
 through without any resistance.

         At that point, she knew she had died.  That's when she took
 notice of her surroundings.  The clearing that had been of great
 beauty, now, to her spirit sight, she had seen that something had
 died.  Only a putrid presence remained.

         That is when *he* came to her.  She had stood there for
 god-knows how long in shock over her own death and the devastation
 before her.  The physical world in that place would remain for a short
 time, but she knew, eventually, death would claim this place.

         When *he* came, he was all smiles and other emotions, not the
 least of which was mischief.  "Well, Old Miri.  It looks like you have
 died."

         Her first thought had been 'An elfin guide to the afterworld.
 How quaint.'  To her surprise, the boy just smiled more wildly and
 shook his head in negation.

         "Not quite," he said.  "I can serve that function, if you
 wish."

         Stunned that he had heard her thoughts, she remained silent.

         His reaction was something unexpected.  He wiggled his
 eyebrows.

         The ridiculous sight shook her out of her stupor, and
 involuntarily, she laughed.  That one laugh broke open the floodgate
 of emotion that had been pent up within herself.  Laughter led to
 crying and then to sobbing.  The boy was there as a shoulder to cry
 upon.  When he had reached over and laid a comforting hand on her
 shoulder, she had been surprised, although she shouldn't have been.

         Obviously, he was part of her world, now.  Or more precisely,
 she was now a part of his.  He had let her vent all of her raging
 emotions.  Stoically, he was there to be a sympathetic ear.

         After a unknown amount of time, her emotions ran their full
 course, all feelings spent, leaving her drained.  It was silly, but
 although she had no body, she still felt tired.  That's when she
 noticed her own condition.  A grown, naked woman crying upon the
 shoulders a young boy.

         Aghast at the circumstance, she abruptly withdrew, covering
 herself modestly.

         At once, the elfish boy was all smiles again.  "I see you are
 in a slight predicament, milady."  He eyed her casually, as if
 measuring her.  She had not felt uncomfortable at his gaze at all.  He
 hadn't seemed to be looking at her nakedness, but rather, at her inner
 self.

         Satisfied on some point, he snapped his fingers, and a white
 dress formed about her unclothed body.  He explained, "Most people die
 with some clothes on, so it's natural for them to form clothes in
 their own minds, after death."  He coughed politely and continued,
 "You however, milady, were sans clothing.  That led naturally to your
 spirit being sans as well.  Consider it a gift."

         She curtsied graciously at his offering, now that she could
 bow without exposing so much.  She didn't know if spirits had modesty,
 but she had still felt distinctly uncomfortable in her own nakedness.

         Seeing her in semblance of normally.  He doffed his hat and
 introduced himself.

         'Where did he get that hat?' she wondered.  He hadn't had it
 just a moment before.  The hat was in the style she knew, more a thin,
 flat cap than anything else.  It was a distraction, but not so much of
 a distraction as to make her miss his self-introduction.

         "I am known as Devon, milady, and I am here to offer you a
 choice."

         "Ahem.  Due to the circumstances of your death and the agent
 of it, you have been given an opportunity to right a wrong."  A wave
 of his arm encompassed the clearing around them.  (She had noticed
 that by now her own body and Uerris were gone.)  "The wrong, you must
 obviously see.  There is now a taint here."

         Miri had not known how much time had passed as she had wept,
 but the clearing around her now contained mostly dead things.  The
 trees were all rotted and no hint of green could be seen.  Not even
 the dead brown of natural foliage death could be seen.  The ground was
 gray, gray, and more various shades of gray.

         "The taint will spread throughout all of these woods.  It was
 caused by the corruption of your spirit dance."  He quickly reassured
 her, "It was not you at fault, but the consequences remain."

         The choice was simple.  To be bound to the land to stop the
 spread, or to go onto her afterlife.

         She had grown up in these woods, and she loved them more than
 life.  There really was no choice at all.  An eternity of guardianship
 seemed a small price to pay.

         ***

         Azure gave the gray woman time to assimilate the fact that she
 had indeed died.  He was curious who she really was.  There was a
 feeling in the back of his mind that he should know her, or at the
 very least know her story.

         It seemed sad that ghosts would forget who and what they were.
 Then again, it might be best that way.  Since most ghosts were
 vengeful beings, it made sense that if they forgot, then they would
 have no reason to be vengeful.  Only if they clung onto that hatred
 did they become twisted and evil.  Obviously, this one hadn't.

         After some time, the woman broke out of her own reverie.
 Looking down, she noticed her own nakedness.  It did not seem to
 bother her, but she concentrated anyway and formed a gown of ephemeral
 fog about her form, using habit to form her dress.

         She turned to Azure and smiled.  <I forgot I could do that.  I
 have been asleep for some time.>

         Curiosity got the better of the cat as he blurted out, <Do you
 remember who you are now?  I'm dying to know.>  At least the puzzle of
 this woman had been enough to distract him from his current
 predicament.  He felt much better being able to do *something* even if
 that something was trying to get a ghost to remember.

         At his words, the smile turned into a neutral expression.  <I
 remember that at least,> she admitted.  <My name is Old Miri.  The
 people in Gasenheart should know me, but you might not.  Who might you
 be, enchanted creature?>

         'Old Miri?  But I thought she had died.'  So struck was he by
 her revelation, he had forgotten for the moment that Miri *was* dead,
 and in front of him to boot!  Fortunately, the only person that knew
 of that particularly idiotic thought was himself.  Or so he hoped.  He
 didn't think that he telepathed that.

         Moving on, he revealed something of his own.  Bowing once
 again, he said, <Lady Mirianus of South Beriwick, I am pleased to have
 met you.>

         For a moment, the apparition seemed startled.  Then she
 laughed.  It sounded like a like tinkle within Azure's mind.  <I can't
 believe that anyone of this day and age would remember that title!>
 She gleefully clapped her hands together and asked the panther, <Pray
 tell, sirrah.  How come you by that name?>

         A sly expression crossed the panther's face and he grinned
 himself.  <You and I, lady.  We have met before.  I am Azure.>

         The ghost considered for a moment.  'Azure.  Azure.  That
 *does* sound familiar, but where?'  Tapping her chin, she thought and
 thought.  It finally came to her.  <You're Hariule's familiar, aren't
 you!> she exclaimed.  <But that can't be right.  Hariule had a normal
 household cat for his familiar.>

         Azure looked wounded by that statement.  Sniffing
 disdainfully, he said, <I was NEVER a normal cat.>

         Aghast by her little faux pas, she was about to reassure him
 when she caught the twinkling in his eyes.  He was joking with her!
 Laughing, she said, <Oh, you kitty.  You had me going there.  Where's
 Harry nowadays?  Obviously he's near, otherwise you wouldn't be here.>

         At her question, evident pain showed in the familiar's
 posture.  Before he could answer, she answered for him.

         <Oh dear.  He's dead isn't he?>  At the panther's slow nod,
 worry creased her brow.  Actually, that's what Azure thought it was.
 The fog and even Miri's form were still blurred and indistinct.  She
 seemed worried.

         The woman began pacing across the clearing, with the arms
 crossed together behind her back, her carriage straight like that of a
 school marm about to give a long lecture.  It was interesting to
 watch, though.  As she moved, she would leave her little patch of fog.
 A moment later, the little whiff of gray, as if suddenly realizing its
 mistress was not near, sped after her.

         Ignoring the chase by her feet, Miri continued moving back and
 forth, deep in thought.  <If Hariule's dead, and obviously I'm dead.
 That leaves Midra, Joriff, and Osset of the Fellowship.>

         Upon seeing Azure once again shake his head, this time more
 slowly and solemnly, she paused as the implications sunk in.  Her mind
 voice spoke in a low, whispered tone, <They're all gone?>

         The violet panther hated to be the bearer of bad news, but it
 had to be said.  <Osset died up in the far north, warning my master
 Hariule before his death of a 'tracker'.  About a year later, Midra
 disappeared from Paricle Fort.  We haven't heard from her for several
 years.  I don't think she's alive.  Joriff died a short time after her
 disappearance.  You know how close those two were.>

         At her acknowledging nod, Azure continued, <It's been six
 years since your death, Miri.  My master was killed just a few weeks
 ago.>  He said, <I am now the familiar of Hariule's charge.>

         <But what of the others' charges?  What happened to them?>

         Azure could only sigh in answer.  <I have no idea.  We lost
 track of the other children after their guardians died.  It was a hard
 decision, but Hariule knew he had to devote his full attention to
 Raeni.  He had to assume that the others had given enough training to
 their respective wards before their unexpected deaths.>

         <Then what of Uerris, my own charge?  How is she doing now?>
 This was indeed worrisome since she knew she hadn't imparted enough
 knowledge to the young girl before her untimely departure.

         The panther shook his head in disappointment.  <From what I
 can tell, she's magic shy.  From some experience some... time...
 ago...>  His thoughts trailed off just as he realized what that
 experience was.

         Miri knew exactly what he spoke of, and that worried her even
 more.  <Then my task... our task... has failed.>

         <Well.  Speaking of tasks... let me fill you in on what's
 happening now.>  Briefly, he described the current situation.
 Indicating the gathered trio in the center, he said, <Those are
 Raeni's prisoners.  My task is to make sure they don't escape to
 trouble her while she's off chasing the assassin.>

         <Raeni.  That impetuous, red-headed waif, right?>  She could
 dimly remember the little girl, found by Hariule shortly before she
 found her own charge.  <She's all grown now, is she?>

         Azure agreed wholeheartedly, <Definitely grown.  Uerris is
 grown as well, along with Errin.>

         <Where are the children then?>

         Azure looked distinctly uncomfortable as his current
 predicament was brought to the fore of his mind.  Nervously, he
 hedged, <Well, Errin is still back in Gasenheart, being tended by his
 mother.  The others, though...>  Worry became evident in his
 mind-voice.  Not knowing how better to phrase it, he blurted out,
 <Uerris and Raeni are chasing an assassin of the Order of Night
 somewhere in this forest!>

         <What!?> she exclaimed.  <Why aren't you helping them?  Don't
 you know how dangerous->  Her statement was disrupted as, suddenly,
 her eyes gleamed a brilliant green.  Clutching her head, she screamed,
 <No!!  Uerris!>  Her voice echoed as she slowly faded from Azure's
 sight.  The cohesive fog dispersed as a wind of indeterminate origin
 blew into the clearing, leaving the surrounding area unobstructed.



 From - Fri Jul 24 01:47:30 1998