Voidchaser chpt 23, part 1

Hi,

Here's chpt 23 (I'm sending it in two parts because it's a little long)  
Any and all comments/praise/criticism are very welcome.  Let me know 
what you think.

- Sebastian

		Cyril Blackthorne is a fearsome soul
		With his eyes so clear and his smile so cold
		He lusts for blood, he likes to kill
		He tastes their fear, and crushes their will
		



			 Chapter Twenty-Three



	"This is the place?"  Barundar was dubious; the giff shot Nym a glance.  
"Looks like an unlikely spot for a meeting."
	Reanyn raised the torch he held.  The dim outline of a lone building 
lay ahead; a blocky stone structure squat and low, standing in the 
darkness amidst surrounding rubble.  "Unlikely or not, this is the 
place."
	"What concerns me," said Nym, "is that it looks like a very likely spot 
for an ambush."
	Although nearly the entire inside area of Syrrus B had man-made 
structures lining it, it was not all occupied.  Indeed, the true 'city' 
of Syrrus B, while extensive, occupied only a portion of the interior, 
and vast areas of the outer city stood abandoned, crumbling stone ruins 
long since deserted for reasons forgotten.
	Here the blackness was nearly absolute; they had left the dim lights of 
the city proper far behind.  Both Reanyn and Barundar held torches, but 
the flickering pools of light they cast did not extend far, and the dark 
shapes of crumbling walls and windowless buildings loomed up on all 
sides, seeming to shift threateningly in the uncertain light.
	The instructions had been clear: this was the place were Windhook would 
meet them.
	The building sat atop a slight rise, and though it was only a 
single-story structure it was tall and fairly imposing.  The empty 
window sockets showed only blackness beyond; there was no sign that any 
other person had passed here in decades.  It was a squat, blocky 
structure of antique design; Tianna wondered it if had once been an inn 
or an alehouse.
	Barundar puffed out his cheeks.  In one smooth motion he drew his axe 
from his belt loop.  "Well, if we're going to do it, then let's do it."
	Reanyn passed his torch to Tianna.   "I don't expect trouble," he said, 
"but if things get dangerous stay low and keep behind me."
	She nodded.
	The building was surrounded by blocks of rubble and circled by a broken 
and crumbling waist-high wall of stone.  There were several spaces where 
the wall had crumbled away completely; it was through one of these that 
they passed.  Tianna wondered if it might have originally been the gate 
but decided it was impossible to tell.
	Barundar and Nym reached the front door of the building first, halting 
and waiting for Reanyn and Tianna.  At a nod from Reanyn, they stepped 
back.
	The door was made of stout weather-beaten wood, aged and cracked in 
several places, and hung crazily askew from one twisted hinge.  There 
was only a hole where the handle should be.
	Reanyn tried to push it open, but found that the wood had swollen so 
that it was jammed into the doorframe.  He took a step back and lashed 
out in a lightning-swift kick.
	The door splintered under the force of the blow, flying backwards into 
the black interior of the building as the rusted hinge gave way.  It 
made a dull boom as it crashed to the floor within.
	Reanyn entered first, with Nym right behind him, arquebus held at the 
ready.  Barundar took up position behind Tianna, bringing up the rear.
	The room they entered was a large one, with a high ceiling and a wooden 
floor that creaked unsteadily underfoot.  The chamber was empty for the 
most part, but here and there lay small piles of wreckage from what had 
once been tables and chairs, and along the far wall there stood a high 
wooden bar.  Perhaps Tianna had been right; maybe this had been an 
alehouse.  
	The room was utterly silent and dark.  It had the look of a place long 
deserted; the taste of old dust was thick in the air.
	Reanyn raised his torch, and there was a squeek and a scrabble as 
something small and furry skittered across the floor on the far side of 
the room, heading for the shadows.  Rats.
	They all started at the sound.  Nym had raised his weapon and taken 
aim; sheepishly he lowered it.
	"You're certain this is the place?" asked Barundar.  "Looks abandoned 
to me."
	"Maybe we're early," said Nym.
	Reanyn didn't answer either one.  He was staring towards the bar.  
"Jarren Windhook?" he asked, stepping forward.
	A small man stood up in the shadows behind the bar.  Apparently he had 
been crouched there, though Tianna wondered how Reanyn had known.  He 
held a crossbow awkwardly in his hands.  "Alright, that's far enough," 
he said as Reanyn approached.  "You just stay where you are, hear?  I 
don't want to hurt nobody, but I will if I have to."
	"You are Jarren Windhook?" asked Reanyn.  He glanced back at Tianna for 
confirmation, but she shook her head.  She had never seen this man 
before.
	"I'm here on his behalf," said the man.  The crossbow trembled in his 
hands.  "Let's leave it at that."
	"Peace, Gerrod."  There was an open doorway behind the bar which led to 
a back room, and a second man emerged from it.  Tianna recognized him as 
Hyrund Skaltos, the seeker from the herb shop who had arranged the 
meeting.  "Gerrod here has... reservations about giving Jarren over to 
bounty hunters," he said apologetically.  He gave the little man a sharp 
look.  "Mind you don't shoot yourself in the foot with that thing.  I 
don't even know why you brought it in the first place.  We're hardly 
here to do battle."
	The little man scowled, but did not lower the crossbow.  Tianna noticed 
that despite Hyrund's words the butt of a starwheel pistol jutted from 
his belt.
	"Where's Windhook?" asked Reanyn.
	"He's here," said Hyrund, "and you'll get to see him in good time.  But 
first there are things we must discuss."
	"Such as?"
	"Such as what you mean to do with him when you've got him.  Where you 
plan to take him; how you plan to keep him safe."
	"Haven't we been over this before," grumbled Barundar.
	Hyrund shrugged.  "Maybe.  But we didn't go into specifics then.  I 
want to know exactly where you're taking him and what your plan is.  
Tell me why you think you can protect him."
	Reanyn was silent for a moment.  "I'm a bounty hunter by trade.  My 
business is finding people.  I know how to hide someone.  If he comes 
with me, he'll be safe."
	"If he comes with you where?" insisted Hyrund.
	Reanyn shook his head.  "I can't tell you where.  If I did, and someone 
found you...  The secret wouldn't be safe."
	The little man with the crossbow gave Reanyn a suspicious glare.  "And 
what guarantee does he have that you won't harm him?  You're a bounty 
hunter, like you said, just like the others."
	"I don't think he has much choice except to trust me," said Reanyn.  He 
spoke loudly, as if to be heard by someone waiting in the next room.  
"There are a lot of men after him, he has to know that.  They're after 
the Raver, and most of them will do anything to get information on him.  
If Windhook falls into their hands, it won't go easy for him - most 
won't let him live after they've gotten what they needed."
	"Right," said the little man with a sneer.  "So what makes you any 
different?"
	"I'm not after the Raver," said Reanyn.  "I don't think he exists.  I 
took a contract from the Imperial Elven Fleet to find Windhook.  As for 
his safety, I offer my word of honor that he will not come to harm."
	A moment of silence passed, and Hyrund shook his head.  "I'm afraid 
that's not good enough-" he started, but just then there was a commotion 
at the entrance.
	Tianna turned to look, and took an involuntary step back.  A creature 
from a nightmare was shuffling through the entrance.  It looked like 
some kind of giant worm or slug, and filled the doorway with its bulk.  
It had two eyes on stalks that moved independantly of each other, and a 
gigantic open maw, lined with jagged-looking teeth.  It oozed into the 
room quickly, surging forward.
	Barundar growled deep in his throat.  His axe was in his hands and he 
grabbed Tianna roughly with one hand, pulling her behind him.  "I knew 
it was a trap," he growled.  "Keep behind me, girl; I'll take care of 
the monster."
	Nym had raised his arquebus.  "Stand back; I've got a clear shot." he 
said, speaking at the same time as Barundar.
	"Wait, wait!" cried Hyrund.  "Hold your fire!  It isn't what you 
think!"
	The creature had surged into the room.  Now its eyes fastened on the 
giff and the dracon, and it backed off a little, seeming to wilt.  
"Pardon, pardon," it said.  "Pardon, pardon.  Did not mean to frighten."  
The words emanated from the direction of the creature, but its gaping 
mouth never moved.
	The giff and the dracon had both held their attacks at Hyrund's cry, 
but eyed the thing warily.
	"What... what is it?" asked Tianna, peering around Barundar's shoulder 
in horror.
	"A friend," said Hyrund quickly.  "He did not intend to startle you."
	"A fal," said Reanyn, and he sounded more than a little surprised.
	"Can't be," said Barundar in dibelief.  "It's not big enough."
	"Looks big enough to me," muttered Tianna, but no-one took notice of 
her comment.
	"Jitessar is one of our seeker brethern," said Hyrund.  He eyed the fal 
sharply.  "He was supposed to keep well clear of this meeting, though."
	"Pardon, pardon," said the fal again.  "Would not have disobeyed, 
brother Hyrund Skaltos, but there is danger in the city."
	"Danger?" asked Hyrund.
	"Jitessar was pursued," said the fal.  "Men, seeking to capture 
Jitessar.  Jitessar did not know what to do."
	Hyrund grew concerned.  "You didn't lead them here?" he said.
	"No, no.  Men who followed were left behind.  But Jitessar thought it 
prudent to seek wise Hyrund Skaltos' advice."
	"Who was after you," asked Reanyn.
	"Men," the creature said.
	Hyrund shook his head.  "I'm afraid Jitessar has difficulty telling the 
humanoid races apart.  He's only three hundred years old, and has little 
experience with men and the outside universe.  We all look alike to 
him."
	"So it could have been anybody?" asked Nym.  "Goblinoids, humans, 
elves, dracon, giff?"  He moved past the fal to the entrance, peering 
out into the darkness.
	"Men," said the fal again.
	"Doesn't matter," said Reanyn.  "It's just one more reason why Windhook 
should come with me, right now.  Someone's on Syrrus B, looking for him, 
and apparently they know where to look.  Whoever it is, he isn't going 
to be friendly."
	Nym turned from his place at the door, moving to a nearby window, still 
looking out.  "How do you know you weren't followed?" he asked.
	"No, no," said the fal emphatically.  "Men who followed were left 
behind."
	At that instant Tianna's body went completely rigid.  She was able to 
give one gasp before paralysis overtook her.  Her head turned, seemingly 
of its own volition, and her eyes scanned the room, looking at each 
person in turn.
	Reanyn glanced at her, hearing her gasp.  "What's wrong?" he asked, 
stepping forward.
	She tried to shriek; to communicate, but she had no control.  She heard 
herself answer.  "Nothing... nothing.  Thought I saw a rat."
	Reanyn didn't look convinced.  He stepped closer.
	"No need for concern," she heard herself say.  "Don't come any closer-"
	Abruptly control returned to her when Reanyn stepped near.  She nearly 
collapsed.  "Tavras!" she cried.  "Tavras was in me!  He must be 
nearby!"
	Hyrund had a fierce expression on his face, his eyes closed.  "He's 
here," he said.  "Near, very near.  So powerful..."
	"Why, thank you," came a familiar voice from the entrance.  Wayland 
Tavras stood there, an insolent smile painted on his face.  There was no 
sign of the injury he had taken during the battle on the Nightwarder.  
"I'm flattered.  Especially since the compliment comes from a fellow 
practitioner of the Art."
	"Tavras," said Reanyn grimly.
	"There are men moving out there," said Nym from his place at the 
window.  "He's not alone."
	Barundar growled and sprang at Tavras, axe lifted high for a killing 
stroke.  His aim was perfect, and the ferocious blow sheared straight 
down into Tavras's head - and continued straight through his body, 
encountering no resistance.  The giff yelped with surprise and lurched 
off balance, nearly falling.
	Tavras's image flickered once, as if it were a projection, and he 
vanished, reappearing yards away, between Nym and Hyrund.  "Missed me," 
he said with a malicious smile.
	"He's playing mind tricks!" shouted Hyrund.
	A shiver went through the ground beneath Tianna's feet and a tremendous 
boom deafened her momentarily.  A section of the left wall exploded 
inward, sending fist-sized pieces of stone and mortar flying.
	A flying shard struck her side painfully, and that coupled with the 
violent vibrations beneath her feet sent her tumbling to the floor.
	For a moment she lay stunned, blinded by the choking dust that suddenly 
filled the room.  But the cloud quickly cleared, dust swirling to the 
floor, and she rolled to her side, trying to get back to her feet.
	As she looked around, she saw that she was not the only one who had 
fallen.  She couldn't see Hyrund or the little man with the crossbow 
from where she lay, but both Barundar and Nym were picking themselves 
up.  Reanyn had somehow managed to keep his footing, as had Tavras.
	Two tall forms came loping through the new opening in the wall.  From 
where she sat, she could make out little other than dim silhouettes, but 
it seemed to her that they did not move like men.
	"Windhook!" cried Hyrund from somewhere off to her left.  "Get Windhook 
out!  He's in the back!  I'll hold off the mindbender!"  She spotted him 
a second later, caked in whitish dust, standing in front of the bar.
	Tavras, in contrast, seemed unaffected by the dust; it swirled away 
from him as if repelled.  "You?" he said mockingly.  "You'll hold me 
off?  I think not."
	Hyrund stiffened, his eyes shut and fierce concentration etched on his 
face.  Tavras only smiled more widely.
	"Dizanter!" roared Barundar, leaping forward to engage the two tall 
forms that had entered through the new hole.  "Two of them!"
	Tianna was confused.  She had heard of dizanter, but every story of 
them she had ever heard said that they always worked alone.  And if they 
were as deadly as the stories said...

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