Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 16:41:24 -0400 (EDT)
From: Rune Therain <mist_dark@yahoo.ca>
Subject: Harbingers: part 4

Well here's part 4.  As a note though I have to point out that I'm going to
college in the next month and I'll lose the internet for a while.  So I'll
probably get an installment out before I go, but after that I'm not sure
when the next one will be up.  I'll get it again, but it'll probably be
mid-september before I get the net again.  But I will.  So bare with me.

Anyway let me know what you guys think.  Mist_dark@hotmail.com or
Mist_dark@yahoo.ca

Thanks to all the people who have taken the time to e-mail me.  And I'm
sorry if I haven't gotten back to you.  Special thanks to Kenitra, Shade,
Aeoros, Matt, Di, Aphrodite and Hamado.  You guys are great.

Anyway, usual disclaimer here.  Don't know them, if they're gay, I don't
know.  Nor is it any of my business.  If you're to young, go away.  If it's
illegal in your area, go away.  If homosexual themes offend you, go away.
Parts of this story are based of the RPG Rifts.  All trademarks belong to
Kevin Siembieda and Palladium books.

Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Until next time,
Rune



PART FOUR



	It is most interesting to note how, despite it's chaotic
appearance, nature is in fact ordered.  When one enters the forest from the
`civilized' world, it seems that this world is completely ruled by chaos.
But if one looks closer one can actually see that there is a pattern to
nature.  A beautiful pattern, one just has to look in the right way.

	For example, the seasons.  We have four of them.  Spring, summer,
autumn and winter.  Each has their own characteristics and, in a sense,
their own personalities.  Let's take winter as the example here.  Everyone
who has experience a winter in the north knows that you can always tell
what is going to happen.  There is, of course, the biting cold.  You can't
have a true northern winter with out that.  Once the wind brings in the
cold the snow will follow and the land will be blanketed in several feet of
white.  When the snow has settled in the occupants of the north will be
prepared for the next several months of pure cold.  The winds will drop new
layers of snow so that the people don't forget where they are.

	To a southerner this season is chaotic and there is no way to
prepare for it, let alone survive it.  However, to one who knows it's
coming, it's easy to survive.  The people of the north prepare throughout
the year.  Gathering the food they'll need, that isn't available during the
winter.  Meat is rarely a problem, because even the animals know how to
survive.  The northerners know how to survive and, to them, winter is as
predictable as the rising of the sun.


		The Balance shall be in ruins.  The Seeker shall be the one
to restore the Balance.  Find the Seeker.


	When one takes the time to realize this it is painfully clear that
anything we consider chaotic is anything but.  It makes me wonder if there
is a greater `balance' in this world.  Or perhaps the worlds beyond.  That
in the grand scheme of things everything is ordered and that there is some
pattern that we could see if only we could comprehend enough.

	If this grand Balance exists I shudder to think what would happen
to it if it were knocked out of place.  Going back to my previous example
of the seasons, it is painfully clear that each season must happen in a
particular order.  The seasons run: spring, summer, autumn and then winter.
Birth, growth, age, and death.  In that order.  One has to be born before
one can die.  It's a simple fact.  The fields are planted in spring, mature
in the summer and they are harvested in the autumn.  If winter were to
replace summer, even for just one year, things would be destroyed.  The
harvest wouldn't mature and would actually be killed because of the cold
and snow.



		Fire and ice shall unite


	Now if one takes into account the effects of swapping two seasons,
they can easily see how this sort of thing disrupts the natural order of
things.  The harvest would be lost as a result, countless people and
animals would be killed as a result of the sudden winter and more because
of the lack of food.  The land itself would be horribly damaged, and the
list of things that could happen is incredible.  Now apply all of this to a
much large balance, this Grand Balance if you will.  Just try to understand
what would happen if the Grand Summer and Winter were changed.  Think of
the disasters that would happen if the balance were disrupted on the larger
level.  I can only hope that this theory of mine never comes to be tested.

						Arvick,

A renown scholar in his age.  Also discovered to be a unknowing prophet
after his death










Dear Lance,

	I'm not sure if you will ever read this letter.  It's been over
five years since you've left here and since Selvar died.  I buried him
below the castle in the crypts.  I searched your room for something of
yours to give him in death.  You had forgotten to put your silver cross on
the day of the battle.  It was still on the bedside stand.  It was painful
for me to do it, but I put the cross around his neck.  It's not much, but
it was all I could really do for him.  I lost a great friend that day.  One
I had known for countless years.

	I have watched over the castle since that day to see if you would
ever come back.  You haven't so far and this is why I'm writing this
letter.  The castle is yours.  I have to leave.  A number of other master
vampires have decided that I have to be executed.  I'm taking what remains
of the vampires I was given and fleeing.  I'm not sure where I'm going to
go, but it's going to be far from here.  I hate leaving Selvar's place like
this, but I have to do it.

	If you're reading this then you've obviously returned.  The minions
of the castle are still alive, so to speak.  They'll protect the grounds
from any intruders.  They'll listen to you and any of the other guys.
Anyone else they attack, unless ordered not to by you or your friends.

	Take care my friend.  I wish I could be here for you when you read
this.

								Your
friend, Maria


	Lance reread the letter several times before setting it back on the
desk.  David was right.  Maria was gone, at least for the time being.
There wasn't anything that she could do to help him, or his friends.  He
knew that she would if she could, but she was far to busy.  He shed a tear
when he thought of Maria's last action for Selvar.  He knew that carrying a
cross for a vampire was an awful experience.  The burns that they could
leave in undead flesh was horrific.  It must have taken a great deal of
concentration for her to even pick up the cross, let alone carry it.

	He looked once more at the letter before leaving the study.  He
told the guys surrounding the door that he had some business to take care
of and that they could read the letter on the desk.  Before any of them
could answer he strode down the hallway and around a corner.

	It had been a while, but he still knew the way.  He hadn't changed
into his robes and it felt odd walking these hallways in jeans.  Not wrong
exactly, just odd.  In this world he was a mage, and for some reason jeans
just didn't suit a mage.  Several skeletons roamed the hallways, but none
paid him any mind and he returned the favour.

	The corridors were gradually growing darker as he walked toward his
destination.  The lit torches flickered further and further apart as he
made his way down into the lower levels of the castle.  When he came to two
large doors he took one of the torches off the wall to continue.

	The hallway beyond the two doors was dark and dusty, far more so
then the rest of the castle.  It took a moment to steel himself for what he
was about to do, but he stepped forward.  The darkness surrounded him like
a blanket and only the dim fire on the end of his torch kept it at bay.  He
followed the hallway and was grateful that the architect had designed this
passage to be straight.

	Several stone doors appeared as he traveled down the darkened
passage.  He ignored them and kept going.  Finally he arrived.  Two
life-sized statues marked the entrance to the tomb.  He ran his hand over
the smooth marble of one of the statue's face.  It was flawless.

	Selvar had told him that he had had the statues and rest of the
tomb made just in case he ever had to flee.  Necromancers were rarely
welcome through out the world.  Now and again they had to flee for their
lives.  He'd had the tomb created to fake his death should the need have
arisen.  As fate would have it, he needed the tomb for himself.

	The door divided in the middle and swung inward when Lance pushed
on it.  It took a little pressure, but the doors did move.  Pure white
marble lined the walls, ceiling and floor.  In the center of the inner
chamber was a large block made of black marble.  Centered on the block was
a black sarcophagus.

	Lance placed the torch in a bracket and moved to the sarcophagus'
side.  The light flickered eerily over the face engraved on the lid.  The
black of the marble gave Selvar's face the look that it should have had in
life, but because of his mutation he had skin that was as pale as the white
of the walls.

	"It's been a while," Lance said softly.  "Longer for you then me,
at least in reality.  Though it's felt like an eternity to me.  Maria says
it's been five years here.  And by the looks of the castle I can believe
that."  He laughed slightly.  "Five years in this world, and it's been less
then a year in mine.  Kinda funny when you stop to think about it."

	He stepped away from the sarcophagus and moved around the tomb,
looking at the writing on the walls.  "I don't know how I've done it
Selvar.  I really don't.  Somehow I've managed to live six months without
you.  Six months knowing that you were dead and never coming back.  I did
it somehow, but I don't know how."  He laughed again quietly.  "I do know
that the guys wanted to kill me those first few weeks.  I moped for so
long.  Even management was starting to notice.  It took some fast-talking,
but we covered my ass.  Justin and Joey mourned their losses too.  But
Justin had it the easiest, he could hold onto the hope that he and Pyre
would meet again.  And I guess they will now that we're back.  Joey
recovered reasonably quickly too.  Though he still holds a place for
Selena.

	"I'm the only one still truly mourning.  I probably will for the
rest of my life.  You meant a lot to me, you still do.  I won't forget
you."  He laughed again.  "I doubt I could even if I wanted to."  Lance
turned back and walked over to the sarcophagus.

	"Maria's left.  But you probably already know that.  She wanted to
stay, but she's on the run for her life.  I'm not sure how she's doing, but
I hope she's alright.  She said the castle was mine now.  I guess it kinda
is," he sighed deeply.  "I'll take care of your home, but I'd prefer having
you back."

	Lance stepped over to the torch and took it down from the bracket
as the tears started to roll down his cheeks.  "I'll be back to talk to you
soon.  I promise," he turned to leave.  "I love you," he whispered as he
closed the doors.











	The light from the torch was amplified a hundred fold in the cave.
It's meager light shone of the ice crystals that comprised the walls of the
cave.  It reflected off the shiny surfaces and spread itself around the
area.  The entire cave was lit up from one torch.

	"Are you aware of what she will be like when we wake her?"  The
Wraith asked Sayer.  He pointed to the fully-grown sleeping dragon in the
center of the cave.  Its scales were a deep blue and the crest of spines
along its spine was pure white.

	"I'm well aware of what she'll do," Sayer said calmly.  "Which is
why you're here.  I want you to make sure her reactions aren't as violent
until I can convince her to work for us."

	"I'm sure," Wraith said.  It turned its sightless gaze to the
dragon's form.  It took the torch from Sayer's offered hand.

	The priest stepped toward the dragon and raised both his hands in
the air.  His fingers began to glow with a reddish light.  He traced a
glowing pattern in the air and then flicked the pattern toward the
dragon. The pattern floated until it was on the far side of the dragon.  He
repeated the process until there was a pattern on each side of the dragon,
four in total.

	"Let's see how she's slept, shall we?"  Sayer said brightly.

	"It's your death," Wraith said.

	"Just be prepared to stop her attacks," Sayer snapped.  He turned
back to the dragon and made an odd gesture at it while muttering something
under his breath.  "Awake."

	At first nothing happened.  Then the dragon's wings trembled and
slowly the body began to stretch.  A dim blue light appeared in the
creature's eyes.  They light intensified when the eyelids flickered back.
The dragon rose its head and bellowed in rage.  The sound echoed around the
cavern deafening the other two occupants.

	"Who dares disturb my rest," the dragon hissed.  Her eyes fell on
Sayer and the Wraith.  "A MORTAL AND A WRAITH!!!!"  She inhaled deeply and
a blast of frost began to issue from her mouth.  Abruptly it stopped.

	A look of confusion crossed the dragon's face.  It shook its head
and began to chant lowly.  A ball of fire started to appear in front of
her.  A wicked smile crossed the dragon's face as she flicked the ball
toward Wraith.  The ball never came close.  The Wraith breathed a wave of
frost at the ball and it vanished.

	"We can keep this up all night Neva," Sayer said calmly.  "I will
not leave here until you've agreed to work for me."

	"I do not work for mortals," the dragon snapped.

	"I thought you would say that."  Sayer gestured to each of the
patterns that were hovering around the dragon.  They each flew inward and
seared themselves into Neva's scales.  He ignored the creature's roars of
pain and trashing.  When the patterns had faded from sight he looked at the
dragon again.

	"Your body will do my bidding, your mind will answer truthfully and
I will have your obedience," the priest looked around the cave briefly.
"You may not agree to work with mortals but you will work with me.
Agreed?"

	A look of pure hatred flashed through Neva's eyes.  "Agreed," she
said slowly.

	A smirked crossed Sayer's face.  "Good."











	"Anyone seen Lance?"  JC asked as he entered the sitting room where
Chris, Justin, Joey and David were sitting around the fire.  Chris and
Justin were involved in a heated game of cards while Joey and David were
arm wrestling.  Joey was losing badly.

	"Not since he left the study," Justin said.  "He probably needs
some time to himself to think.  It's hard on someone to come back to a
place where they lost a loved one.  And I don't doubt Selvar and Lance
would have been married if..."  Justin let the last part of his thought
trail off.

	Chris nodded.  "Yeah, they would have made a good pair.  Hell they
did."  He sighed.  "Anyway, I guess we can't keep remembering the past like
that."  He turned back to Justin.  "Your turn."

	"Well I'm going to go look for him," JC said.  "I want to talk to
him anyway."

	Joey looked up from where David had pinned his arm.  "I will win
one of these," he told David.

	The youth grinned.  "I doubt it."

	"Whatever," Joey said.  "Anyway, JC if you see him don't push him
too hard.  Let him grieve, he needs this."

	"I will," JC said.  "But I still have to talk to him."

	The singer left the room and stepped back into the hallway.
Looking up and down the hallway he decided to go left.  It was easy to get
lost in the corridors if you didn't know the castle, but once you
understood the layout of the building it was easy to find your way around.
Though he knew that of them all Lance knew this castle better then anyone.
Probably better then David, despite the fact the vampire had been living
her for five years.

	He wandered the halls for a while until he found himself in the
sleeping chambers.  Looking around he realized he was standing in front of
a large pair of oaken double doors.  A stylized `S' was engraved on one
door and a Stylized `L' on the other.  Shrugging he knocked on the door.

	"Who is it?" Lance's voice was muffled because of the thickness of
the doors.

	"Josh," JC called.  He heard rustling on the other side of the
doors a moment before they were opened.  Lance had changed into his rune
covered black robes.  Even though they hadn't been worn in over five years
they looked brand new.

	"Yes?"  Lance asked.

	"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute," JC said.

	"I don't really want to.."

	"It's kinda important," JC cut him off.  "Can I come in?"

	Lance sighed and stepped aside.  "Alright."

	"I'll try to keep it brief," JC said.  "But I think you have to
hear this."

	"Have a seat," Lance gestured to one of the chairs in the room.  He
moved to the far end of the room and opened the window in the room letting
the night breeze fill the room.  After that he closed the door to the
bedroom area.

	"Why'd you change?"  JC asked.

	A look of confusion crossed Lance's face.  He touched his robes.
"I guess I thought they'd make me feel more at home."

	JC nodded sympathetically.  "I thought so.  Anyway, what I'm going
to tell you is going to make me sound like a prick, so bare with me."

	Lance nodded and sat down in another chair.  "Okay, I'm listening."

	"You've got to move on Lance.  I know you loved Selvar," JC began.
"Hell anyone who looked in your general direction could tell you two were
in love.  And you're always going to have a place in your heart for him,
but you have to let go and move on with your life.  You haven't grieved
properly.  You keep hoping that it was all just a bad dream and you're
going to wake up and Selvar's going to be there."

	Anger flashed through Lance's eyes.  "How dare."

	JC held up a hand.  "Hear me out.  These last few months you've
been pushing us all away and not talking to anyone.  You've just holed
yourself up in your hotel room, or your bunk, your apartment, or wherever.
You won't talk to anyone and it's eating you up inside.  You can't keep
doing this to yourself.  Talk to me, let me in.  Hell let any of us in."

	A tear rolled down Lance's face.  "You don't know what it's like
Josh.  None of you do.  To love someone so much and then have them ripped
away from you like that.  I'm not ready to talk to you yet.  Or anyone else
for that matter."

	JC nodded.  "But will you?  When you're ready I mean."

	"I'll try," Lance promised wiping the tear away.  "I'm not sure
when, but I'll try."

	"Good," JC walked over to his friend and pulled him a tight hug.
"We've been worried about you buddy."

	"Awww," a voice rasped.  "How touching."

	JC and Lance spun to see who had entered the room.  A stylishly
dressed man stood near the open window.  His blonde hair was slicked back
and not a hair was out of place.  A sneer was etched onto his face.

Crouched behind him were five other people.  Four men and one woman.  They
were all dressed in tattered rags and were covered in dirt.  A feral gleam
shone in their eyes and they made no attempt to disguise their nature by
keeping their mouths closed.  Their sharp fangs were easily visible when
they hissed at the two young men.

"You'll forgive me if I ignore the pleasantries that are normally conducted
in these situations.  I've a task to complete and I intend to accomplish
it."

Lance and JC looked at the man and then at each other.  Without a word they
both dashed for the door.  There was a blur of movement and the man was
standing in front of them, blocking their exit.

	"None of this running away nonsense either," he back handed Lance
in the chest.  The blonde flew backward and slid across the room.  Two of
the other men descended upon him and pinned him to the ground.  He motioned
to the three remaining vampires and two of them broke away from the window
and crossed the room to stand in front of the doors.

	The man walked around JC and over to where Lance was being held
down.  He knelt next to the blonde and looked into his eyes.  "Now you
aren't going to struggle any more are you?"  Lance stopped struggling and
relaxed.  "I thought so.  You're going to sleep.  You won't wake until I
allow it.  Do you understand?"  Lance nodded once before his eyes flickered
shut.

	The vampire stood and looked over to JC.  "I hope you'll be much
more complacent.  I don't want to have to chase you down."  He wrinkled his
nose.  "Nasty business, chasing that is."

	"Like hell I'm going with you," JC snapped.

	"And just how are you going to prevent that from happening?"
Amusement was obvious in the man's voice.

	JC didn't say anything.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
An instant later the room was filled with a song that spoke of the beauty
of the coming dawn.  The five feral vampires began to whimper in pain and
fear.  The woman collapsed to the floor in a fetal position.

	The blonde man crossed the room with incredible speed.  He slapped
a hand over JC's mouth preventing the song from continuing.  With the words
gone the magic faded from the room.

	"You will NOT do that again," the vampire said making direct eye
contact with JC.  "Do I make myself perfectly clear?"  JC nodded once.
"Good.  Now sleep."

	Blackness rolled over as sleep claimed him.



TBC


So what did you think?  Let me know, drop me a line.  The whole nine yards.
Mist_dark@hotmail.com or Mist_dark@yahoo.ca