Scepter.

Break the Scepter. Sorn felt the voice in his mind, pressing on him from the skeletons around him.

Break it.

Sorn tightened his grip. He recognized the feel of other voices in his mind- from wizards trying to peek and pry during the war, from psionic Kalashtar, from his own soarial mount and the elders of his village. No, he thought back. I need you here.

Sorn shifted his stance, standing his full three feet ten inches, squared up. With Quinten out of commission he was the ranking officer, never mind what this Aurum scum said.

"Everyone in formation." The twins hurried to flank him. After some hesitation, Heljah and Valasar did the same. So, to his surprise, did Tomas. "What are you up to, scum?" He demanded harshly. His own voice sounded ridiculously high in his ears, a product of a smaller, childsize throat, but in his battlegear, and flanked by warriors (incidentally forming a crescent formation to protect the two fallen behind them), and most especially, with the scepter, he felt he cut a somewhat impressive figure. He felt Tera settle on the roof of the building, and a moment later she let out a hoarse shreek that startled Ireselans' already jumpy men.

Break the scepter.

Ireselan didn't seem impressed, or even worried. Instead of answering, he smiled mockingly. "You think I'm trying to play a trick on you? If that insipid fool hadn't swooned, you would be asking him this instead of me. How do you think we knew to come here? Why do you think my men were already waiting? Theatrics aside, your men must have noticed how easily we worked together, back their. We've been partners before." He grinned viciously. "Ask the dwarf, she knows. Quinten has been working for us all along."

Heljah snarled a retort, but Sorn cut her off. "We already know about their past, Ireselan, and about you." Heljah gave a start. Sorn nodded back at the twins, telling her, "Han and Kol noticed something back in the city, Cassandra knew the whole time. We didn't want to pester you about it until you wanted to talk."

"Guilty as charged," Han smiled cheekily. Kol only raised his dirks into a better position.

"I didn't think you knew" Heljah whispered, subdued.

"Silverhand likes to know who works with her before she hires anyone."

"Irregardless" Ireselan said, his smirk only a fraction smaller. "You don't know the whole story. The great General Silverhand his being courted by the Aurum. We know about your monetary problems, and we are quite prepared to do business. This was a test, to see how well you would work with future employers." He stood up. His men seemed to take heart in what he was saying. They shifted to attention and readied themselves.

The man had Sorns' hackles up. "You must think little of Silverhand, if you do not think she would trust me with something like that." He bared his teeth in response, "or did your reports not mention me as one of her Captains? Sorn Leodychus?" Sorn shook his head in mock disgust. "History never pays attention to halflings. Now." He hardened his voice. "Enough chitchat. I'm going to tell you what will happen. You, and your men, are going to leave. Any of them want to join us, can. I've been talking to Tomas here," Sorn indicated with a nod, "and while you seem to hire the cheepest you can find, it appears most of your people didn't know what they were getting into."

Sorn waived the scepter at them. "You're going to leave, and I'm going to send a few of my bony friends to follow you. We're leaving afterwards, at a different time, from a different place. Try anything, and I'll make you regret it."

Break the scepter.

Iresilan shrugged. "I'd hoped we could do business, but-" he waived his hand, "Any of you boys want to turn traitor? Tomas, you think you're on the right side?"

"I never liked working with you, Ireselan." Tomas said defiantly. "I'll bet anything you would have left my- my brother back in that place if you could have."

"I thought you felt that way. At least the end of your stupidity will serve some purpose." Ireselan's hand whipped out, to quick to follow. Sorn moved to block, but the dagger flew, scarlet spouted from Tomas's chest. He looked down, mutely wondering, and sank to his knees. His faced drained white, red droplets spurting from his body.

"You didn't think I would come without insurance, did you?" Ireselan raised his fist, and a black-jeweled ring pulled the blood from Tomas, like scarlet rain flying sideways. A dark cloud circled him, and suddenly Sorn felt the scepter being pulled from him.

Break the scepter.

Sorn fought back stubornly. It was strange, a silent, motionless fight- Ireselan motionless in a cloud of gore, Sorn across the room, each surrounded by helpless warriors, seperated by a line of deathless warriors.

Release us. Break the Scepter.

Sweat beaded on Sorn's forehead. His body felt week. He fell to one knee, clutching the scepter to his chest. He knew if he let go, even for an instant, the scepter would fly back to Ireselan's ringed fingers, and the skeleton hoard would be his to command once more.

They can't be free until you break the sorcery. This voice was different than the others. It rang out, clear and sharp. Sorn dimly sensed the old, dead necromancer on the edges of vision. You have to let them go.

If I let them go, Ireselan and his men will kill us all, Sorn replied silently.

Perhaps. But if he wins, he gains the secret that caused the downfall of Cyre. Him, and those he works for, ruthless men who won't hesitate to kill everyone, everything you love, in the pursuit of power.

Break the scepter.

Sorn's grip almost slipped, and Ireselan sneered in triumph.

I'll help you, a little girl's voice whispered. Sorn felt other hands helping him.

Break the scepter.

Sorn slowly raised the scepter above his head. "Sorn, know!" Heljah cried. Kol and Han tried to restrain him. Ireselan grinned in triumph-triumph that turned to horror, when he realised-

CRACK!!!

The scepter broke, shattered. Fragments of wood and mettle lodged in Sorns' hands.

"No!" Ireselan screeched.

The skeletons were gone. The warriors, mobilized by their masters' cry of rage, rushed to Sorn, Heljah, Valasar, the twins, but before they took more than four steps the ground shook. Cracks appeared in the floor, and they stopped to steady themselves.

Chunks of ceiling started falling, crashing around them. One of Ireselan's cronies got hit in the shoulder and went down with a cry. Behind them, another piece of stone almost crushed Quinten's head, but Valasar caught it, whirling to throw it at their attackers.

"We have to get out of here!" Kol yelled over the sounds of destruction.

"I'd rather stay a while, this is kind of fun!" Han yelled back.

It Was all Part of the Plan

The coin never had a chance to fall

“Man I love it when I come back and find money falling from the sky.” Han stepped through the still glowing gateway made by the solider singing. In one hand held high he clasped the coin with the other he supported the still week Quinten. They both came through the gateway followed by Kol supporting Quinten on the other side and staring back the way they had come holding a throwing knife in his free hand.

No sooner than they had crossed the threshold than Ireselan came followed by the rest of his men at arms. They immediately went to the corner were the rest of his the men at arms were huddled. Their undead guards still very intent on their duties let them through without seeming to notice. When they reached the center of the group of men at arms they collapsed and the other men at arms surrounded them from view. Heljah came through the gateway with a face of murder looking the way that Iresalen went followed closely by Valasar caring the wounded soldier.

Sorn rushed over to Kols group to see if there was anything he could do. They were all pale and white washed. Their skin looked lifeless and Sorn was afraid that he was just seeing more animated ghosts. He noticed they were all covered in blood. Kol and Han looked like they still had steady legs but it looked like it was taking all of Quintens willpower to stay awake. For some reason the skeletons were still standing to attention waiting. Not thinking about it too much Sorn commanded one to go off and find a medical kit. Sorn than directed Kol and Han to the opposite corner of the room followed closely by an ashen looking Heljah and a very gray looking Valasar still carrying the wounded man at arms. The rest of the skeletons moved in creating another wall of bone bodies between them and the men at arms.

“Get out of my way that’s my brother.” Tomas said trying to push past the skeleton guards. They paid him no mind, just stood there waiting for Sorns command. Tomas was the only man at arms not with Ireselans group in the corner. “Let me through.”

“Let him pass.” Sorn told the white guards. Kol and Han had sat Quinten down leaning him up against the wall then sat down on either side of him. There was now a slight tinge of health in there cheeks that Sorn had not noticed before. Heljah went down onto one knee and took large grateful gulps of air. Valasar sat the Man at arms that he was carrying against the wall and started to look at his leg. By that time a skeleton came forward with a heavy medicine box. Sorn dived into it grabbing bandages and cleaning supplies and set about helping his friends with their wounds. Tomas came through the undead guards and knelt beside the wounded man at arms.

“What happened to my brother? Is he ok?” Tomas asked. Valasar looked down at him with a confused expression.

“Is this a kind of human joke?” He looked over at Heljah. “I do not understand.”

Tomas looked at Valasar as if seeing him for the first time. A look of pure terror was on his face. Sorn was not surprised by that most people looked at Valasar like that. This was about the most Sorn paid attention to their conversation. He unrolled the bandages and started to bandage up Quintens arm where he had just wiped away the blood. None of the wounds looked very serious or deep but there were dozens of them. Han and Kol looked shaken and gray faced but Quinten looked ready to pass out. Quintens eyes kept fluttering open and closed and he looked like he was only half aware of what was going on.

Sorn noticed Valasar insert his claw into the hole of the soldiers pant leg. He quickly made a perpendicular cut around the thigh so that the excess pant leg bunched up around the soldiers boot. That’s when the soldier’s older brother took over for Valasar almost pushing him out of the way to get to his fallen brother. Valasar didn’t seem to mind he just went into a crouch and looked at the young soldier as if at a puzzle. Heljah the least hurt of the whole party, manly due to her heavy armor, started to bandage up the gash running down Valasars side.

“whats wrong with Quinten what happened to you on the other side of that gateway?” Sorn asked as he took care of them.

Han and Kol shot nervous glances at Quinten and then over at the group of Ireselans men. Loud cursing and heated talk came from that side of the room. Then they begin to tell their story and it was all Sorn could do not to listen with an open mouth. They asked about what had happened here and as Sorn began to explain he noticed something very strange. The skeletons still stood to attention waiting another command. According to the lich they should all be gone released from their curse. Sorn became aware of his hand tightening on the bone scepter. Fully aware that he did not want to see them go and be left in a room with hostile men at arms and more than half of his friends out of commission.

Kol leaned his head back against the wall taking large breaths before he talked. “What are we going to do now?” he asked no one in particular. “And how did we even end up here.”

There was movement on the other side of the room that drew everyone’s eyes. Ireselan was getting to his feet starring in their direction. A cold smile played across his face as he saw there predicament. “If you want to know how everyone ended up here why don’t you ask your fearless leader? It was Quinten who came up with this whole idea to begin with.”

Kol Han Soren Heljah and Valasar looked over at Quinten whose only answer to this accusation was to pass out.