Thatch had felt it when they had arrived, but he figured it was the amount of wild animals and vicious thoughts swirling at the base of the tree. However, after Diago raced up the tree, the animals around began to scatter and leave the area and he could still feel it.

  His training as a weaver had granted him a faint level of general awareness. For lack of a better word, people had auras. Though it was not a spiritual thing, it was their mind’s threads moving in distinct patterns. Of course, Thatch could only see that when he concentrated hard, but when he did it allowed him some very vague insight into people’s moods, but it was not always clear. However, The growing feeling in the clearing underneath the Demon Tree was very clear. It was both enchanting like it wanted Thatch to come, but it was also hateful, though Thatch felt an urge to approach anyway. He wondered if that was why beasts came here and why they left when the sense of hate became clearer. He was starting to get nervous.

  That’s when Thatch spotted Diago and Saama in a vertical dive carrying Trig. Saama spread out her webbing at the last moment and was propelled forward. As they passed by, Thatch could have sworn he heard the screams of a little girl, but that must have been his imagination. Saama took a long loop around the clearing until her momentum slowed enough for her to drop to the ground. When they landed, Diago looked rather pleased with himself and Thatch didn’t need to read his mind to see why. Trig was the source of all their chief hopes and curiosity. He was also the reason for so much fear and anxiety, so seeing him experience some of that felt just.

  “Took you long enough” Said Aylah. Thatch had his suspicions about Aylah’s reasons for being so annoyed, but he kept them to himself.

  “Big tree,” was all the reply Diago had for her as they dismounted. Then he addressed everyone, “Trig this is Aylah the annoying, Thatch the mustached, and Finch the…” Finch flashed a smile and Diago thought a second, then, “This is Finch. Everyone, meet Trig”

  Trig gave a nervous wave. Aylah immediately sprang into action. She rushed the poor man, taking out the dagger from her boot and pressing its edge against his throat, “Alright Trig, tell us everything!”

  Diago was too stunned by the sudden viciousness to do anything, so Thatch stepped forward behind Aylah and tried to calm the situation. He smiled at Trig and said, “Please?”

  Trig choked on his own spit and that’s when Diago piped in, “Hey Tantoos, he already told me everything, so maybe put the knife away?”

  Aylah’s frustration got worse, but as she could not release it on the shaking man before her, she threw her knife at the base of the Demon Tree and pinned a lone Krull to the trunk, She stalked off toward it, “I’m going hunting”

  “Hunting?” Asked Diago, but she had already grabbed her knife and was running off into the woods.

  Thatch sighed, “we were talking after you went up the tree and decided that we should make camp”

  “terrible idea,” proclaimed Finch, who was taking some bags off of a talard.

  Thatch sent an annoyed glance toward the old man, but he wasn’t watching.

  Thatch continued, “We figured that with your new friend,” he pointed toward the Aazotas, who was curled up a few yards away, “no animal would want to come near here. Besides, now they are all back in the woods, it wouldn’t be smart to travel through it anymore.”

  “What about the stories of noises and disappearances? and what was the other thing you wanted to talk about?” Asked Diago.

  “I’m not personally worried by any folk tales. As to the other question…” Thatch shot a look toward Trig, who was still standing close by. Diago understood,

  “Hey Trig, help the old man would you?”

  Trig shifted in place, “it looks like he has it under control”

  Diago’s face went stern and then relaxed into a grin, “Saama, help Trig”

  Saama let out a hiss. Trig wasted no time in responding. “Let me help you with that!” He cried out to Finch as he rushed over toward him, Saama following close behind.

  Diago smiled and then turned to Thatch with a more serious expression, “What’s wrong?”

  Thatch explained what he had been feeling since they arrived and how the feeling seemed to be growing.

  Diago looked like was thinking hard for serveral seconds, then he looked up at

  Thatch, “that feeling would happen to be coming from over there would it?”

  Diago pointed over toward a stone that rested against a rather large root that was jutting above the ground. Thatch closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the feeling he had been describing to Diago and as it turned out, “it is coming from there… how did you know that?”

  Diago explained to Thatch what Trig had told him. He also added his wonderings about why the fades had directed them here. Diago added, “He said he had no other information to offer and he didn’t seem to be lying.”

  Thatch took in the information and considered. He recalled some of the events that had led them here and happened upon an idea, “I have a thought. It may amount to nothing, but its the best I can think of. We’ll wait until everyone is winding down to sleep. I will take the first watch and use that time to search his memory for any clues as to what we are supposed to do next.”

  “like with Hult,” it was more a statement than a question, but Thatch nodded anyway.

  Diago liked the idea and the plan was made. With that, the day's events had primarily drawn to a close. The various tensions of having to get here and the question marks that had now been answered sent Diago’s body into a drained relaxation. He felt like he could sleep for days. He went to unstrap Saama’s saddle. As he did, he began to feel the soreness crawling up his body like a creeping vine (creeping vine is a very dangerous plant that grows near the border of Phelgan and throughout that wild country).

  Diago pulled off the saddle and winced, he hadn’t realized till now that several of the stitches on his back had ripped open at some point. He had forgotten that they were even there. The idea that the jynx race was only a few days ago made Diago feel even more exhausted. Saama stretched, feeling the freedom of not having a saddle on her back.

  Diago walked over to the Aazotas. She saw him coming and produced a deep rumbling sound which he percieved was a good thing. He put a hand on her big snout and rubbed it gently. The Aazotas’ head alone was about as tall as Diago. He noticed some white fur on the corner of her mouth and looked over to see that the carcass of the Grimis was gone.

  “Glad you got something to eat,” Diago said happily.

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  Thatch and Finch had taken some time to unload the talard and had let them roam around the clearing grazing on the grass. Thatch had started to work on getting a fire going so that when Aylah returned he could set to work on the food. Finch continued to gather sticks for said fire. The old man was quieter now than he was before. He started to look at Diago in peculiar ways. Something Diago could understand, he’d look at someone like that too if he saw they had a giant spiky lizard as a friend. However, that didn’t negate how unnerved he was continually feeling about their elderly companion. Saama was always keeping a weather eye out for him like she was ready to sever limbs at the first reason for doing so.

  Diago walked over to Saama and placed a hand on her head. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate on that same feeling he had felt before. As before, he began to feel a strange unifying feeling. However, he was now feeling a similar feeling coming from behind him where the Aaoztas now rested. Diago wondered if that would happen. He felt the breathing of both and his own breathing began to match theirs. Diago marveled at the feeling he was getting from the Aazotas. When he interacted with Saama, she felt agile and quick and an intense loyalty. When he came in contact with the Aazotas, she felt powerful and commanding, like she could take out the entire forest of creatures and yet still have strength to keep going.

  Diago’s time in concentration was interrupted by the sound of something being thrown to the ground near him. When he turned to see what it was. He first saw a cluster of assorted game that were tied together by some string. Then his eyes lifted to see the scowling figure that had dropped it there. Both Thatch and Finch looked up at the sound as well. Thatch was about to thank Aylah, but his words were halted by the look she was giving Diago. Finch just smiled, apparently, he enjoyed dramatic entries.

  “Can I help you Tantoos?” Said Diago, feeding off of her annoyed glare.

  “Come with me,” She replied as she turned and walked away

  “Make me,” Diago scoffed, but a well-placed knife throw that threatened his future line was compelling enough for him to decide to follow her.

  They walked toward the base of the Demon Tree. Aylah climbed up to one of the tops of the big roots that protruded from the ground. She always liked to be above ground level if ever she could help it. When Diago finally made his way up after her he saw that she was turned away from him. Diago couldn’t read people like he could read Saama, but even he could feel the tension swelling. He could feel his frustrations rising,

  “Alright, why did you bring me up here? What’s got you so mad at me this time?”

  Without turning around, she said in a cold voice, “It goes to me”

  “What are you talking abo-”

  Aylah whipped around, “The Ariochmar! It goes to me.”

  The fierceness of her declaration was unsettling. Why should it go to her? Is this what was making her mad? Why? Aylah must have seen the questions on Diago’s face. She continued, “Listen Sunburn, you are a nobody! You don’t know anything! You are a rotten road thief and a reckless pest! Stop pretending like you can take control of everything! You aren’t in charge and you don’t make the plans! When we find the armor, it goes to me, not you.”

  “What in Phelgan are you talking about, Tantoos?! Just what is it that I’m controlling? And what makes you the one to get the armor?” Diago bit back, “Why does it need to go to anyone?! Our only mission is to seek it out, who said anything about taking it?”

  “I don’t need to explain myself to you! From now on out, you wait for me to make a call before you do anything stupid. Got it?” Aylah’s voice sounded low and rigid.

  “Right and which stupid thing are you referring to? Saving you and Thatch from those guards? Saving Rayna’s life? Saving your life in the canyon? Saving Trig from-”

  “Those were all just lucky!” Aylah interrupted, “Sooner or later that luck is going to run out. You keep rushing in and doing stupid things like we are all supposed to follow after you, but I wouldn’t follow you even if you were in charge of all the five kingdoms! I am the one who is going to get the armor. Get that into your thick skull. From now on out, I make the plans.”

  Aylah jumped off of the root and landed with a thud. Then she sauntered toward the camp. The Aazotas growled at her as she passed by and Diago heard her tell it to “shut up”.

  Diago was left there in utter confusion. What gave her the right to be so uptight? Why should he listen to her? Why does she want the armor so badly? He couldn’t answer a single one of these questions. On his way back to the camp, he circumvented toward the back to avoid walking by the angry Onterrin. Finch and

  Thatch must have caught onto the tension, cause they didn’t say much. Thatch got Diago’s attention and shot him a quizzical look. Diago only shook his head and shrugged.

  Diago went to studying Aylah, who was avoiding everyone’s eyes. The firelight flickered against her face and cast a warm glow that was quite opposite the coldness that poured out of her. Diago reexamined the markings on her face and noted out well they complimented her. Her auburn hair rustled in the wind. Diago hadn’t known her long enough to know for sure, but she seemed bothered by something deeper than “who gets the armor”. But Diago didn’t care two jynx droppings about how she felt, if she wanted to be miserable and hurt other people in the process, so be it.

  The rest of the evening was wordless save for Thatch telling everyone that he would take the first watch. Trig tore into his food and fell asleep almost the exact moment he swallowed his last bite. Diago guessed that he might have been up in that tree a good long time and hadn’t eaten since. Aylah decided to climb up a few branches on the Demon Tree to find a place to sleep far from everyone. Finch lay to rest next to one of his talards. Thatch and Diago had shared a wordless conversation, reestablishing the plan of action. Diago took some pleasure in the fact that Aylah was not in on the plan. A feeling that must have been partially felt by Thatch as they mentally spoke to each other.

  “What happened between you and Aylah earlier?”

  Diago thought about telling Thatch not to worry about it and to ignore it, but the guy reminded him enough of Sulien that he couldn’t help it. He told him everything. Thatch patiently listened. When all was said, he sighed,

  “Who do you think it should go to Diago?”

  Diago was surprised by the question. He tried to keep his thoughts about the armor belonging to his real father buried deep down so that Thatch wouldn’t see them. It worked well enough, or if it hadn’t Thatch did not let on. Diago replied, “I don’t know if that’s the point… we are just supposed to seek it out right? If anything it should go back to Eldaren right?”

  “To Cyrus? I suppose that would make the most sense, though I am not sure. If that were the case, why were we the ones called by the fades? Why not someone in the Eldaren court?”

  Diago decided not to answer that. Thatch continued, “I don’t fully know what to say about Aylah, but try and look past her anger. To me, it seems like there is more going on than what she is saying…if you want, I could talk to her?”

  “That’s up to you Thatch, I’m done with it anyway”

  Thatch didn’t seem convinced, but he said, “I’ll think about it. You should get some sleep. Before you do, do you want me to look at your stitches? I saw you broke some open.”

  “I’m fine Thatch.” Diago leaned against Saama and closed his eyes, “but thank you.”

  Thatch chuckled, “you are welcome”

  Diago was sleeping like a rock. He was so exhausted from the last few days and he was so sore that his body shut down almost entirely. That was until he felt a painful sting in the back of his mind. It started to shift and turn. At first, he thought it was Thatch trying to talk to him, so he let it continue, but the pain increased. Diago was about to shoot up and yell at Thatch, but the thin wires in his mind closed around him and held his tongue and body in place. He felt an overwhelming mental pressure begin to build. It tightened around his chest and threatened to choke him out completely. He wanted to scream for help, but he found no voice with which to accomplish the task. He heard a sinister laugh build in his mind followed by a pained whisper,

  “Now, who are you, boy? Let’s find out”

  Pain. Lots and lots of pain. His mind was being sifted through. It felt like someone had taken a pitchfork to each temple and pressed in until they met in the center. When the pain had released the voice began to laugh harder and harder, until suddenly it changed to ferocious,

  “Were it not for the helm keeping me from getting near it, I would kill you now! But I must wait till after you retrieve it. How shameful.”

  Diago was able to open his eyes a little to see a massive, faceless creature lurking over him. It was large and hairy and had six horns. Where there ought to have been eyes, there were only empty sockets dripping with green smoke.

  The Firstborn’s head cocked to the side, “To think the Son of Eton and Fara would be the first Biesaroch the world has seen in generations”

  Diago began to panic and the feeling must have poured over his mind, because the Firstborn laughed again, “Yes, squirm and writhe. How unfortunate that you will not remember the pain when you wake. Alas, I must keep you ignorant.”

  The pain resurged and hit a breaking point. Finch, eyes glowing bright green just like the beast behind him, walked up and placed a hand on Diago’s head. It felt like a portion of his mind had been cut from him and removed. Everything went black.