Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2000 01:56:37 -0400 (EDT)
From: Rune Therain <mist_dark@yahoo.ca>
Subject: Harbingers: part 6

Okay here it is.  Part six.  And I have to admit something.  I posted part
five and then went to the archives and discovered the voting for the awards
was happening and I didn't put anything about them in part five.  So I'm
doing it here.  I'm really pleased that I got nominated for some
categories.  And I'm really happy just to have my name next to those other
authors.  Go vote, if you haven't already.  The authors really deserve your
support.

On the e-mail front I have to say that only two people e-mailed me about
the last installment.  (pouts) I normally get at least five.  I mean I
survived and all, but just barely.  I'm an e-mail junkie and I don't deal
with withdrawal well at all.  But thanks to those two that did e-mail me.
You can get me at either Mist_dark@hotmail.com or Mist_dark@yahoo.ca either
one will work.  I'll respond as quickly as possible.  Special thanks to
Kenitra, Shade, Aeoros, Di, Aphrodite, Matt, Hamado, and Tom.  There are a
lot of other people, but these are a few of the regulars.

On the legal end of things: this story in no way is suppose to imply
anything about the members of Nsync.  If they're gay it's not my business.
If you're too young in your area, or it's illegal to read this, please
leave.  If homosexual themes offend you I'd leave as well.  Parts of this
story are based of the RPG Rifts.  All trademarks belong to Kevin Siembieda
and Palladium books.

Anyway, read the note at the bottom of the story.  And remember to vote for
the awards.  Enjoy the story.


Until next time,
Rune


PART SIX


	"Come on Joey," Justin whined.  "Move faster.  You're taking
forever."

	"Justin," Joey sighed.  "We're going to get there.  Just calm down,
we're going to get there."

	"We'd move faster if you let me fly us there," Justin grumbled as
they continue walking through the forest.

	"And if I let you fly we'd take twice as long," Joey countered.
"Just try to relax we won't be too much longer."

	"Why would it take twice as long?"  Justin wanted to know.  "I can
fly really fast."

	"But you'd have to go above the trees," Joey pointed out.  "And I
only know the way through the trees."

	"You sound to parental," Justin muttered.

	"Evelyn sort of rubbed off on me," Joey said wistfully.  He was
quiet for a moment.  He shook his head to clear it.  "Anyway, that should
be it over there."  Joey pointed to a large cliff face that was visible
through the trees.

	The cliff face rose impressively into the sky.  It practically
blotted out all of the light from the mid-day sun.  They hadn't seen it
from the forest because of how tall the tress were.  A few brave bushes and
other plant life clung to the side of the cliff in various places.  A great
deal of scrub growth grew along the base of the rocks.

	"Okay," Justin said slowly.  "Now where?  I don't think I've seen a
nicer rock face in my entire life Joey.  But I'm noticing a distinct lack
of dragon."

	Rolling his eyes Joey walked past Justin.  "Smart-ass," he muttered
under his breath.

	"Hey," Justin called after him.  "I heard that."

	"You were suppose to," Joey said simply.  "Now we're looking for a
tree about ten feet tall.  It's kind of scraggly looking."

	Justin floated six feet into the air and floated gently left and
right.  "Like that one?"  He pointed at a tree fifty feet away.

	"Let's check it out," Joey said.

He started jogging toward the tree Justin had pointed to.  Joey let out a
startled cry when Justin picked him up and whisked him toward the tree.
Justin set him down first and then touched down next to him.

"What?"  Justin asked.  He attempted to look innocent, but failed.  "It was
faster this way.  So is this the three or what?"

Joey walked over to the tree and pushed it aside mentally.  He saw a thin
crack just behind the tree.  "Yep, this is the one."

"Cool."  Justin leapt forward but was stopped suddenly.  "Joey?"

"Okay, there's a sleeping dragon in there," Joey pointed out.  "And though
I don't technically know a whole lot about dragons I don't think they take
well to being woken up."

"But it's Pyre," Justin pouted.

"Are you sure he's going to know it's you when you go barging in there and
wake him up?"  Joey asked.  "And are we absolutely sure you'll survive if
he decides to breathe fire at you?"

"I hadn't thought of that," Justin admitted.  "I guess I got wrapped up in
the moment."

"We'll just have to be careful," Joey said.  "Now let's see what our little
dragon is dreaming about."

"Alright," Justin said.  "Want me to go first?"

"Probably be a good idea," Joey said.  "The crack shouldn't be too long,
but it'll be a tight fit."

The pair carefully worked their way through the crack.  They couldn't walk
forward in a number of places.  They had to slide sideways in order to fit.
Like Joey had said, it was a tight fit.  They scrapped their backs in a
number of places, but nothing serious.  They could hear the heavy breathing
of the sleeping dragon as they grew closer.  They stepped into a large
cavern.

"Pyre," Justin whispered.  His eyes had adjusted to the gloom and he could
make out the dragon.  The reddish-gold hide gleamed dully in the gloom.
Pyre's wings were folded neatly along his back and his tail wrapped around
his legs touching the tip of his nose.

	"Sort of reminds you of a cat, doesn't he?"  Joey grinned.
"Granted most cats can fly or breathe fire, but it's still there."

	"He kinda does," Justin admitted.  "How do we wake him up?"

	"Shake him?"  Joey suggested.  "I don't know."

	"Worth a shot I guess," Justin said.  He walked over to Pyre and
gently tapped the dragon's snout.  The dragon didn't even register the
touch.  Justin pushed the head slightly and then let it fall back into
place, but nothing happened.  He looked helplessly at Joey.  "Pyre forgive
me."  He poked the dragon in the eye.

	The dragon's head shot upward knocking Justin across the cave.  A
bellow pain issued from his mouth.  The eyes were instantly alight with
golden fire.  Without even looking around the cave Pyre began breathing
fire.  Justin jumped up and flew upward to avoid the flames.

	Joey looked in horror as the wave of flame made its way toward him.
He raised his arm and a bluish shield appeared.  It covered his entire arm
and extended down to the floor.  The flames hit the shield and curved
around it.  He was completely untouched, except for a few threads on the
back of his shirt.

	Pyre roared again.  In part from being jabbed in the eye, and in
part from being disturbed from his rest.  He inhaled deeply to unleash
another blast of fire to purge the cave of whatever annoyance had woken
him.

	"PYRE!"  Justin screamed while dodging more fire.  "IT'S ME!
JUSTIN!"

	"Justin?"  Pyre said with hope dawning in his voice.  He flames
abruptly vanished.  He scanned the cave looking for Justin.

	Justin flew down and hugged the dragon tightly around his neck.
"I've missed you so much."  The blonde began to cry, but he didn't care.

	"I have too," Pyre said.  A crying dragon is truly a sight to
behold.  Golden tears of pure fire rained down his scales and burned the
stone of the cave.  Slowly the dragon began to change his shape down to his
human form.  He never let go of Justin while doing it, and the moment his
form would allow it he pressed his lips against the youth's.  A kiss that
Justin readily returned.

	"Um.."  Justin said after he broke the kiss.  "Joey could you...?"

	"Already ahead of you Justin," Joey said.  He was halfway into the
crack again.  "You've got an hour, and try not to make a whole lot of
noise."













	In my years of researching I have come across several interesting
pieces of information.  Most of these I have included in my various essays,
and one of these I will discuss here.  The topic that will be talked about
here is the creatures that exist beyond our perception.  I am not simply
referring to ghosts and other spirits, or the multitude of creatures that
lack a corporeal body.  Instead I am referring to creatures that could only
be discussed in a theological sense.  These creatures do exist, or rather
the effects of these creatures exists.  This should be taken in the same
sense that the wind is.  One has never seen the wind, but only the effects
thereof.  In the same sense these creatures can't been seen, felt, or
heard.  They none the less exist.

	The first and most notable of the three creatures is the one I like
to call the Creator.  The concept of the creator is not a new one and I
won't discuss him in depth.  I should also note at this point that I am
using the male pronoun for simplicity rather then accuracy.  The Creator is
exactly what his name suggest he is.  He is the being that created
everything this is, was or ever will be.  It is impossible to comprehend
how he created everything when one must realize that he had nothing to work
with.  In that sense he literally made existence by willing it to appear
and then shaping it to his liking.  I have spent countless hours attempting
to comprehend this concept, but I am unable to do it.  There are a number
of spells that will `create' something out of nothing, but when one stops
to study the spell they will realize that they are simply converting the
air into something else.  They aren't creating anything, but simply
changing what already exists.  The Creator alone is the only creature that
has been able to perform that event.

	The other two creatures are ones that I have recently discovered.
In my years of researching I came across references to beings known as the
Guardians.  Beings that guard the Balance.  For many years I believed that
these creatures were the top of the power chain.  No being, even the
creatures calling themselves gods, would stand opposed to even a single
Guardian.  However, besides the creator there are two other creatures.
Once again I will be referring to them as male for simplicity's sake.  I
affectionately call them the Gamers.  They are the Good and Evil of the
world.  Opposites forever competing with neither winning for long.

	Dealing with them, Good and Evil that is, is always a difficult
task.  Obviously we would like to look at them in the proper light and when
one does so they will realize a number of things.  One of the most
important is that neither Good nor Evil is good or bad.  They are opposites
and their purist form are equal, and therefore one is not inherently better
then the other.  The way our society is based (human, elven and dwarven
societies that is) it is impossible for us to look at true evil and not be
repulsed.  That is because our society is based on rules, and therefore
order.  And Order by its very nature is akin to the forces of Good.  Chaos
by its nature is allied with Evil.  It is one of the rules that our world
is based on.  If any form of Chaos were to infiltrate our society we would
purge it.  We are creatures of order, just as goblins are creatures of
chaos.

	This of course raises the interesting question of the men and women
who have signed themselves over to the forces of evil.  Why have they done
this?  And why have some creatures, like the goblins or orcs (as
individuals of course) signed themselves over to the forces of order?  The
answer to that is fairly complicated, but does explain why I refer to these
two creatures as the Gamers.

Picture if you will, a chess board with two players.  This is the
representation of the forces of Good and Evil.  Each of their pieces is an
individual person, and the board is that person's life, or the series of
events that surround a particular person.  The only difference between this
particular board and a normal chessboard is the size and number of pieces.
This board is existence, and there is a piece for each person.  Now each
creature is, in theory, allied to a particular force at birth.  They have
no choice over this.  Just as they have no choice over their skin colour,
eye colour, sexual orientation, psychic abilities, station in life or race.
These are all factors determined before their birth, some by heritage and
some by forces high above them.  As such they will be called to fight for
their particular side when the need arises.

A number of people believe that they are neutral.  They aren't.  Everyone
has a side to fight for.  Some simply are never called because the need is
never there.  This accounts for the vast majority of people.  They never
directly interfere with this cosmic game.  But their actions alone affect
things.  Looking the other way when a man is calling for help, or smiling
at a stranger for no other reason then you can.  The tiny things can have a
vast impact on events.

The Gamers will be forever locked in their battle for dominance, but will
never succeed.  A sad thought if you stop to think about it.  Perhaps the
Creator would interfere, but I doubt it.  He has completed his objective,
he seems to be content to allow the two to struggle for eternity. Or
perhaps he is simply waiting for one to succeed in dominance and destroy
everything he has created, so that he can begin again.


								Arvick,

									A
text found three hundred years after his death.

















	JC gently dabbed the woman's forehead with the damp cloth that he
had made from the remains of his shirt.  Yesena had finished torturing them
for the time being and had left them in a room together.  She hadn't
bothered giving the woman back her clothing and had simply had them both
dumped in the room.  He had come around about an hour earlier and had tried
to make the unconscious woman as comfortable as possible.  She had some
answers that he wanted.

	He had taken some torturing at Yesena's hand, but nothing compared
to what the woman had.  His chest bore a few marks from where the vampire
had sliced him with a few knives.  Mostly his torturing had been done by
the tiny needle like device.  It could wrack the body with agony and not
leave a physical mark anywhere.  Every time it touched his skin he had
shrieked in pain.  After the first few times the screams started melding
into one constant scream.  He had passed out before more then ten minutes
had elapsed.

	The woman lying in front of him groaned in her sleep.  He had
covered her naked body with a tattered blanket that he found in a corner of
the room.  She had a very attractive figure, but he didn't want to
embarrass either himself or her when she woke.

She had taken far more abuse then he had during the torture session.
Yesena had started out with the needle and then moved onto the knives.
After that she used hot pokers and then a whip.  None of this should on her
body anywhere.  Not a mark was to be found.  Every time a wound was
inflicted the shapeshifter would unconsciously alter her form slightly to
cover it up.  Leaving the skin unblemished.  Yesena thought that this was
wonderful.  The pain was still there, but she could go for ages without
breaking the body.  In the end the woman had passed out from the pain and
Yesena had moved onto him.

He dabbed her forehead again and she groaned.  Her eyes flickered open and
she stared up at him for a moment.  She sat up quickly and moved backward
wrapping the blanket around her.

"Where are we?"  She asked

"I haven't a clue," JC said.  "I was hoping you'd know."

"Great," she muttered.  "Locked in a room in who knows where with a man who
I don't even know."

"I'm Josh," JC said.  He offered his hand.

The woman took it.  "I know.  I'm Calypso by the way."

"Nice to meet you," JC said.

"Not to sound rude, but are you always this polite in possible life
threatening situations?"

"Sorry," he apologized.  "Nervous habit."

"Don't worry about it," Calypso brushed his apology off.  She looked around
the room.  "So any ideas about what to do now?"

"Well I thought about escape, but I don't think we can get out of here with
that vampire out there.  That and I didn't want to try dragging you through
the halls while you were unconscious."

Calypso arched an eyebrow.  "I see.  Well now that I'm awake we'll see what
we can do."  She stood abruptly and the blanket fell to the floor.  An
amused expression crossed her face as she watched JC turn a bright red and
turn away.  "Let me guess.  Nudity bothers you."

"Um.yeah.  In most cases yeah," JC said.  He made sure he didn't look at
her while he said this.

"Alright then."  Calypso's form shifted slightly and she was covered in a
fine layer of white fur.  "It's safe to look now.  I'm decent, so to
speak."

"Thanks," JC said as he looked back.

"Not a problem," Calypso said.  She walked over to the door and ran her
hands over it.  She leaned into it testing its strength.  "Think we can get
through the door?"

"How much noise can I make?"

"It's after sunrise.  I know that for sure.  So we should be able to make a
fair bit of noise without worrying too much."

"Alrighty," JC said.  "I'd move away from the door."

Calypso arched her eyebrow again but didn't say anything.  She stepped
around JC and stood behind him.  The singer took a few deep breaths and
began to hum a tune.  Quietly at first and then gradually louder.  The door
began to hum in sync with the song and then it began to rattle at the same
pace.  It soon tore itself to pieces trying to keep up with the tempo,
which JC was fluctuating rapidly.

"Effective," Calypso congratulated.  "I wouldn't have guessed you were a
siren."

"Why not?"

"You're male for one," she said.  "And for two, you don't look aquatic."
She pointed to the gapping hole where the door used to be.  "Let's get out
of here."

"Sure," JC agreed.


The hallways were deserted.  Calypso had been right about the sun.  It had
risen a number of hours before.  It was probably just after noon.  They
looked down the hallways and made their way to the left.  They were in a
mansion of some sort, and oddly enough, they seemed to be above ground.
Layers of dusted covered everything.  This wing of the mansion probably
wasn't used very often.

"Be quiet," Calypso told him.  "We've no idea what's around here."

"But all the vampires will be asleep," JC said.

"They aren't the only thing we have to worry about," she replied.  "Human
servants, and other nasties could be anywhere."

They made their way to a flight of stairs and carefully moved down them to
the floor below them.  This area seemed to be far more used then the one
they had just come from.  Dust wasn't to be found and everything was neat
and tidy.

"I think we can get outside from here," Calypso said.  She took a few steps
away from the stairs toward a pair of double doors.  A flash of light
suddenly encompassed the room.  "Damn."

"What was that?" JC whispered to her.

"A ward."  Calypso pointed to where her foot had touched a marking almost
invisible on the dark wooden floor.  "I don't know what it did though."

"You've got three guesses," JC said pointing to a number of golems that
were closing in on them.  "And the first two don't count."

	Calypso swore lightly under her breath and dodge the blow from one
of the statues.  She spun and knocked it off its feet.  Rubbing her leg she
got back up and threw herself away from another blow.  "I don't think we
can beat these things Josh.  They're too fast, and I can't hurt them."

	"I think I can," JC responded.  He sidestepped a golem's blow and
began to sing again.  This time the noise that came from his mouth wasn't
beautiful.  It could only be described as a shriek.  A concessive wave
slammed into the nearest golem.  The statue shattered the moment the song
touched it.  Without pausing JC pivoted and took out two more golems.
Calypso dodged around the room until she was standing behind him.

	There were only a few golems left when JC stopped singing.  Calypso
turned to him to see why he had stopped.

	"Josh?"  She asked.  "Why did you.."  She gasped.

	A metal plate covered JC's mouth.  A look of panic was rising in
his eyes.  His fingers were frantically pulling at the edges and he was
sucking air through his nose quickly.

	"Who.."  Calypso scanned the room.  Her gaze stopped on a robed
figure by the stairs.  "Who are you?"

	"One of your hosts," the man replied.  "Sayer, if you must know.
And I'm afraid I'm not going to let you leave here.  We have far to many
uses for you."  He walked toward them.  A gesture at the remaining golems
sent them back to wherever they came from.

	"And those would be?"  Calypso asked.  She put a protective arm
around JC's shoulders.  Trying to calm him down.  It wasn't working very
well.

	"The most important one is bait," Sayer told her.  "You're going to
have to go back to your room.  And this time you won't be escaping."

	"And you're going to make us?"  Calypso asked.  Her body started to
fill out and become more muscled.

	"Nice try," Sayer said.  He flicked a wrist at her and she was
hurled across the room.  She slammed into the far wall and slumped into a
heap.  A moment later JC joined her.














	Neva stalked through the corridors of the castle.  She hated
wearing human form, but she had to.  Her natural form wouldn't fit in the
walls.  She had chosen a slim female figure with white hair and ice blue
eyes.  She wore a simple dress that was pale blue in colour.  Tiny trails
of cold mist filtered around her body.

	"I will repay you for this indignity Sayer," she whispered.

	It didn't take her long to find the scent she was looking for.
Dragon's senses were far more heightened then most people realized.  She
could smell a man hundreds of yards before she saw him, and she could
easily see him at a mile.

	The scent led her toward what she guessed to be the library of the
castle.  She rounded a corner and nearly ran into a dark haired man.

	"Whoa," he said.  "Who are you?"

	"Move," she said.  She shoved him in the chest and he sailed down
the hallway on his back.  Not pausing she continued following the scent.

	"Hey bitch," the man called.  A moment later a fireball struck her
in the back.  she staggered forward from the impact.  When she didn't go
down another hit her.

	"You are annoying me human," Neva said calmly.  And edge of anger
was apparent in her voice.  She took a deep breath and exhaled a wave of
frost.  She swiveled her head to covered the entire hallway.  The edges of
a table and the tapestries sparkled with a layer of frost.  The floor and
walls were quickly coated in full ice.  In less then a minute a solid wall
of ice stood between her and the man.  "I do not annoy well."

	She turned back to the scent.  It was still strong.  She would be
able to track it for a while yet.  It led her past the library and toward
the sleeping quarters.  She had passed several doors when another fireball
hit her.  Spinning around Neva hissed at the man.

	"Bad move human," she snapped.  "If it weren't for Sayer's commands
you'd be dead right now.  Go play with the Gemini."  She waved her hand at
him and he flickered out of sight.  Sighing she pushed open a pair of
double doors.  The scent was strongest here.  The man she wanted was
inside.  Sleeping most likely.


TBC.


Well that's it for now.  I'm leaving for college on the 23rd.  And I'm
losing the phoneline on the 18th.  So this will be the last installment for
a while.  Until I get the internet at my grandmother's.  (isn't staying
with relatives great?).  I'll keep writing, but I probably won't get
anything posted until mid-September.  So this will have to do.  And if I
don't respond to my e-mails for a while, that's why.

Until next time, Rune