Fade to Black

Night fell upon the Faydark, cloaking the spaces between the trees in darkness- a darkness the lone figure walking there normally welcomed, enjoying the serenity and solitude of the night- but not this time, maybe never again. It was the dreams...the damned dreams. Gules was not normally given to vivid dreams, except those involving Ally, but these had no sign of her in them- and were vivid indeed, so much that he had more than once awoken with panic welling in his chest, having to bite the screams back to avoid waking the entire camp. It confused him, being so frightened, because this was not a normal emotion...he was afraid of nothing, and barely knew what fear was. Yet the dream terrified him..something unseen, something evil, something much greater than he, there to take his moment of vengeance from him.

As he walked, his mind went back over the events of the day...the news Vallon had delivered, and the meaning it held for all of them. He had been gathered with some of the senior soldiers of the Order, going over plans for a supply raid he was leading..one that would be setting out within the hour, but with a new leader. As they conferred, ensuring the preparations were complete, his father walked by, beckoning to Gules and speaking tonelessly, "Come with me, Gules..let's walk a bit."

Gules looked up, surprised, and answered, "But father..the raid.." before Vallon cut him off with a sharp look and his reply.

"I said walk with me, son- and last I heard, I was still in charge here. Now come."

Obeying, the Ranger rose and followed his father in silence. They were presently met by another, a scout that Gules' memory held no name for. They stopped in a small clearing, far from the eyes and ears of the camp. Vallon stood for a moment, silently considering his son with his dark eyes- eyes that almost perfectly reflected those of the younger, which returned the gaze with equal intensity. After a moment of this, Vallon sat, directing Gules to join him on the soft turf.

"We found her, Gules. More correctly, Arntos here did. I promised you I'd tell you when this happened, and so I am..." Vallon's voice trailed off, clearly expecting the response to this news he was soon to receive. "We have maps here, with the locations she was seen clearly marked. If you wish, they are yours- as is vengeance. If you still want it."

"Aye, father..I wish it. As you knew I would..this was a promise I made myself, and I cannot rest or feel myself worthy until it is fulfilled." Gules glanced over at the scout, willing him to bring the maps to him..the maps which would lead him to the one who had so tormented his Ally. Instead, he satisfied himself with a question: "Where is she?"

Vallon beckoned to the scout, bidding him to unfurl the map. As he did so, Vallon said, again in that oddly flat tone, "Antonica. Near what was once Freeport." As he continued, he pointed out the places on the map where Arntos had trailed the Seer, the path clearly headed toward the ruins of the city- to Eidolon. "We have reason to believe she is seeking entrance there- likely with the aim of betraying us to Amrian. I have no need to tell you what grave danger this presents...the threat is now not just to your family, Gules...but to us all. I know I can't stop you from pursuing her, much as I'd like to- but beg you to take a force along. Even a small one would ease my mind."

"No..no." Gules shook his head, the familiar resolve entering his eyes. "The Seer is not going to be a problem- I can dispatch her at will, I believe. But I cannot expose anyone to the possibility of being confronted by the creatures Amrian commands..not with the threat of possession and torment they present. It's best I do this alone...and tonight, I think. Ally will assume I've gone on the raid, so she won't worry..."

Realizing his son would not be swayed, Vallon rose, effectively ending the meeting. As he began to walk away, back toward the camp, he spoke over his shoulder, "Very well, Gules. Prepare yourself and report to my tent when you are ready to depart." Signalling the scout to follow, he moved quickly down the path and was soon lost from sight, leaving Gules to gather the maps in solitude.

As his mind returned to the present moment, the mists of memory clearing, Gules stopped his aimless wandering. Choosing a fallen tree to sit upon, he extended his arm, whistling softly. From the darkness above, the figure of Zemiel appeared, taking his accustomed spot on the Ranger's forearm and looking at him quizzically, his odd head tilted to the side.

"Trouble, Gules? Bad feeling..." the bird croaked, not taking his strange golden eyes from the face of his companion- sensing something different in the complicated way he always seemed to have, the connection to Gules unexplainable but there nonetheless.

Gules sighed heavily, offering a small piece of rabbit meat to the Raven. "Yes...no...maybe, Zemiel. I know what I must do, where I must go, in order to safeguard my family and the Order....she must be silenced and prevented from harming Ally and the baby. But there's a pall over this task, one I can explain no more than I can explain the stars. I spoke long with my father earlier, and with the scouts he has been sending to find her, and am as well prepared as anyone has ever been..." He paused for a moment, looking at Zemiel with eyes that shone in the dark, perhaps a bit more than usual. "I don't think I'm coming home again, my friend. Something is waiting for me there, something I cannot defeat..vengeance will be mine, and by duty done, but I'm very afraid of the cost...." His voice trailed off into silence, a silence that was unbroken for some time. Finally, Gules took his feet, Zemiel leaving his arm to perch on a nearby limb.

"Regardless, what must be done will be done. I cannot allow fear or misgiving to stand in the way of the vow I took..the vow to safeguard and protect Ally from harm. So long as that...thing...the Seer...is alive, she is in danger, and so is Phaedros." He raised a small object to his lips briefly, a tiny scroll of parchment, tied with a strand of braided crimson. "The only thing worth dying for is love, Zemiel..and if that is what fate requires of me, then I give my life gladly." His voice dropped to a barely audible whisper "For them. I have to go now, old friend...please stay and watch over my family. Say nothing of my destination or my goals, this is mine to do and mine alone. Do you understand me?"

The bird nodded as best he could, knowing that to disagree was pointless.

Heading back toward the silent camp, Zemiel shadowing him on silent wings, no more words were spoken. When they reached the tent where his father spent his sleepless nights, Zemiel flitted away, to find a place to rest as Gules spoke with the leader of the Ivy Order, a place to await the inevitable parting that would soon come. With a nod to the guards, the Ranger parted the flaps and entered the tent.

Vallon sat near a small fire, raising his eyes from his study of the flames to read the face of his son, to try to ascertain what thoughts were behind the dark eyes. A simple nod, a shared look, and he knew...knew what Gules had decided, to carry out the task.

"So..you're going. Alone, I assume?" Vallon spoke quietly, his words not carrying beyond the tent's confines.

"Aye..I am. Alone, and immediately. Soonest started, soonest done..." Gules sat heavily at his father's side, not meeting his eyes, afraid of losing the resolve he had forced into being over the past few hours. "It shouldn't take long...and the Order's secrets will be safe."

Standing, still avoiding Vallon's eyes, he began removing the slightly battered armor he had worn for so long, the firelight shimmering on the mithril surface and causing reflections to dance over the sides of the tent. As he removed the bright items, replacing them with plain black leather, he spoke in a businesslike tone, pushing the nerves beneath the surface.

"I'll have no need for heavy equipment..I'll take my bow, a dagger...and a few other things..." He crouched, bundling his possessions into packs and securing them tightly in canvas. "The rest...please deliver it to Ally for me, when I'm well away. She can keep it until..until I get back. There's also a note..here. Give this to her as well." Handing over a tightly rolled and sealed scroll, Gules stood, stretching and becoming comfortable in the lighter clothing.

Vallon returned to his seat, still not speaking, turning the note over in his hands repeatedly. He then promptly stood again, facing his son and placing a hand lightly on Gules' arm.

"I'm sorry, son...sorry that you feel this way. Sorry that we didn't have the time I wish we'd had..." The words came from the rogue softly, tiredness and effort apparent in equal parts. "I'll miss you, Gules."

"What's done is done, father..we cannot change the past, we can only hope to effect the future." Gules finally met the dark eyes of his father, forcing a smile. "And this isn't goodbye...I'll be back."

Vallon turned away, returning to his seat near the fire, his voice hoarse with some emotion- regret, pain, or fear? "Sure you will, Gules..certainly."

"Give those things to Ally, and please watch out for her while I am unable to...and one more thing, father." Suddenly overcome by the moment, no longer the sure and confident Ranger, Gules looked like the child Vallon had never seen- gazing at him pleadingly, blinking back the sting of bright tears. "Tell her I love her very much."

Turning quickly, Gules left the tent, moving through the camp silently until he reached the edge of the land claimed by the Order. There he paused, turning to look back at the shadowed forms of tents. Swallowing a sob and wiping his eyes dry, he whispered.

"Goodbye...."

And from a branch high above the ground, his form hidden in shadowed dark, Zemiel made the only reply to Gules' farewell, croaking softly "Goodbye, Ranger..your Goddess travel with you, so I hope." With that said, he rose on silent wings to begin the duty he had been given.

For the next few hours, Gules moved steadily southwest, away from the encampment and toward the coastal regions, where he hoped to find transport to Antonica and his target. Durung this time, he prepared his mind for the encounter to come- with both the renegade Seer and the minions of Amrian, were that to occur. Moment by moment, his memory fueled the hatred he felt for the witch, until all fear was removed, so he could set his mind to remembering the Plaguebringers, poring over every weakness that had been exposed, formulating strategies to defeat them if he found himself under assault.

Dawn was breaking as he arrived at his destination, the busy Druid ring in the Butcherblock Mountains. He only had to wait a moment before a Druid appeared there, a young Fier'Dal. Gules approached immediately, hailing him.

"I seek transport to an area near Freeport, and am willing to pay handsomely if you can oblige me. I'm in a hurry, and so hope you accept this offer." Walking toward him, Gules held out a small bag filled with platinum coins. The Druid's eyes widened when he saw the riches within the pouch, but still hestated.

"But...no one goes near there now..nothing there but death and pain, from what I hear...." He stammered, eyes still locked on the bright coinage. He pulled his eyes from the bag long enough to glance up at the Ranger's face. "Although..looking at you, I think even death would quail...."

Gules chuckled, grinning at the young druid, "Thank you for that compliment. Now, will you take me or not? I don't have time for pleasantries."

"Yes...I will, but only so far as the West Commonlands. I won't approach that place a step closer."

"And I'm not asking you to...the rest of they way I go alone. Now let's be off, my mission is urgent." Relieved that he was only being asked for transport, the Druid opened his spellbook, and presently the pair were set down at their destination. Gules handed the bag over to the Druid, thanking him brusquely. He then set out eastward, aiming his senses at her, the Seer, following the notations on the map he had been given.

He kept on as night fell over the empty land, staying to the cliffs that marked the northern edge and the seperation between the Commonlands and the nearby Desert of Ro, senses sharpened by training warning of danger and allowing him to remain unseen and unmolested. Several times he saw Amrian's scouts on the periphery, wandering in search of prey, but they never saw him pass. As he approached the ruins of the city, he sensed he was very near his goal..she was here, and the moment was imminent. His son, his wife, and his cause would be safe.

A glimmer of fire ahead, and Gules knew he had caught her at last, that the one he sought was now close- and momentarily, would be removed from the world of the living. A small, grim smile became set on his face as he crept nearer, silently approaching her chosen camp site. Just before he rounded the outcropping of rock, he drew his dagger and made certain the device of his father's Order was plainly visible. This done, he stepped out of cover, taking in the scene before him.

She had chosen a small hollow in the cliff face, probably for the shelter it provided from the elements. A small fire had been kindled, and the remains of a meal left nearby- what noxious creature the meat had come from, he didn't know. A short distance away, the Seer sat cross-legged on the hard earth, eyes closed, obviously exerting great concentration on something. Seeing this opening, thinking it too good to be true, he boldly stepped forward,standing less than an arms length from his target. Seeing no response, he delivered a vicious kick to the Seer's ribs.

The seer responded immediately, twisting with a ragged cry, scrambling away from the offensive maneuver to crouch with the firepit between them. Leathered features broke into a wide snarl, thin lips peeling back from her yellowed and broken teeth. The pure white of her blind eyes were narrowed on him unerringly, her senses replacing her missing eyesight as she focused on him, burrowing into his thoughts mercilessly. Gules stared back at her, satisfied with the look of confusion on her face. Holding the razor-edged knife at the ready, he slowly moved around the fire, speaking to her quietly and without emotion.

"You have been marked for execution for cause of treason by my father, Vallon Woodshadow- leader of the Ivy Order, and the true authority in the land of the Elves. I am here to carry out his order- do you accept this warrant and the punishment described?"

As he advanced around the fire, she shied from him, shuffling around in her aged crouch as she clutched her robes securely to her chest. The Seer hissed in reply to his inquiry, spidery digits fanning out in front of her as she focused on his mind and mental defenses. It was Ally's voice that echoed in his ears, crying out his name with grief and loss, empty without him and frightened with her uncertain future after being abandoned by her husband. The sound of her voice in his head hit Gules like a blow, causing him to momentarily sway on his feet- he feared for a fleeting moment that his legs would fail him, but he forced the voice from his head, telling himself it was, like everything the Seer conjured, lies. Repeating that to himself like a litany, he moved closer to the aged psychic, reaching to grab a handful of her greasy hair, jerking her head back to stare blindly into his face. As her mental assault continued, he looked back at her, hissing between clenched teeth, "Enough...stop it."

With her head pulled back and her throat exposed, her hands were free to claw at his light armor futilely. Hanging on his arm by the stringy greyness of her hair, she twisted and snarled, writhing contemptuously. But her prying mind was unrelenting. She showed him images from the deepest and darkest corners of Ally's mind, showing him an exaggerated love and hero worship for Darsilliem, her nightmarish fears, showed him the pain she suffered, weakling elf that she was. Assailed by the images she sent despite his resolve, Gules cried out- a sound so purely elemental that birds took flight from their roosts, the scream echoing across the deserted land. The tortured sound resolved itself into a drawn out word, a prolonged "No!". As his voiced failed, the Ranger did the only thing he could to stop the images- he brought the knife down in an arc, the blade ripping through the throat of the seer. Her nearly severed head flopped back, her heart still pumping blood through the opened arteries, resulting in a hot spray across his anguished face.

Panting harshly, the Ranger pulled a flask from his pack, pouring the cleansing water over his face, rinsing his mouth- wanting her taste out of him, her corrupted blood off his skin. Finally satisfied he was clean, he crouched next to the body, looking for some token to take back to Vallon as proof that she was dead. As he searched, the things the Seer had showed him kept coming back..haunting his thoughts, distracting his mind.

Gules never saw his assailant. As he crouched, trying to force the images from his mind, a savage blow fell on the back of his head, followed by the raking of talons across his back- easily parting the leather as well as the flesh beneath, exposing a white flash of ribs as the Ranger fell under the slashing attack. He tried vainly to turn, to see what the deliverer of his fate looked like, but failed..he simply fell, a mist the color of fresh blood creeping into his vision.

Then the darkness came..washing over him like a tide, pulling him down, down away from sight, from all he felt, from all he loved, until he knew nothing else.