--- Adventure 1 ---

Thorn stopped chewing for a moment, then swallowed deliberately and looked Angy in the eyes: "Why have you come along? What do you hope to find in the Vanished City... or along the way there?"

Sihaya shifted in her place, causing the raven to open its half-closed eyes in wonder and give a cry of protest before falling silent again. "Well, I can tell you about the forest if you wish, or at least what I know if it. There is no one alive that I've heard of, not even the wisest of High Elves, that can claim to know all about it... and they are not easy willing to admit a lack of knowledge, I assure you. However you would have to be content with storytelling rather then song in this case."

*What the... now he's asking me this!*

She was amazed , but this thing didn't last more then a couple of seconds.

"My family was killed as you well know. I found out who's their murderer. All I want is revenge , although it isn't a smart thing. It isn't smart at all. I heard that the murderer lives somewhere up North, and I recently found out that the Vanished city is pretty near so...."

Angy fixed the fire with an empty look. "No matter how childish my reason is , if I won't kill that bastard , the regret will haunt me until my dying day." She looked very determined to do what she had in plan.

Soon , she added : "And , let's say I always wanted an adventure of my own , and of course , friends. It's foolish , I know... I'm sure you think I'm just a silly child who doesn't know what's life all about. Even if you're right when you're thinking this , I don't care , 'cause I don't have anything to lose. I want to have colour in my life , no matter what colour it will be. My life is gray.... I want to change things in it. When I'll die , I would like to feel that I left something behind. Can you understand this feeling?"

She hesitated. * No , I don't think he can understand , but....*

" I only have one life , not nine". She laughed weakly.

"Well, I didn't imagine you had nine. As for the bit about revenge... change it to 'put to justice' or even 'pay for their crime' and it will almost sound good. Only cowards would shun that."

He paused a while, finishing his steak.

"Well... so you hopped along by chance. You could find this in any other circumstance, with others or by yourself... or not at all, as far as friends go." He smiled bitterly. "You don't actually care whether you reach the Vanised City or not or what you find there. I do. This is not the beginning of a quest for me, it's the end... and once I get there, the start of a new one, hopefully. To cut a long (and I mean long!) story short, let's just say I met Sihaya at the very beginning of it. We've had a love-hate relationship from the beginning. Just take the way you can't stand me and multiply it by ten" He grinned. "Her brother, however, was as close to a friend as I got and he happened to share my dream once I realised what it was. I left her and made him leave her too to chase my 'fool's dream' as they call it..." He laughed bitterly "...and managed to get him killed in the process, too, in her view." he added quietly. "So the love-hate thing turned to less love and more hate. I've told you these swords belonged to a Blade Dancer of Shilmista. They were his and are forged by Elven craft. They won't serve anyone as long as their true master lives. I meant to take these blades back home... to her. But now I think I'll keep them. They have a purpose to serve yet and it is me who is their master now, not a crazy Druid." He smiled, lost in thought... or maybe in a dream.

"I see....."

She was rather confused , she just found out many things that she couldn't imagine. Thorn and this...druid ...

*Darn....* She felt regret , but didn't really know why. However , she remembered what Thorn just said about her.

"It looks like I must explain you my situation with the necessary details. I wish we would not arrive here but...

This guy we're talking about is strong , very strong. I might die when I'll be there , in front of him. But I'd want him finished, and I'd want to do it." She paused , watching the fire again .

"Think whatever you want , as I said before , I don't care... I don't give a damn." Angy was nervous , she started to play with her hair.

"I don't hate you , in matter of fact , I can stand you too. It's just that I can't understand you , not entirely. There's a difference , you know."

She started biting her lips nervously. She wanted to find out something that was pressing her.

Finally , she said :

"And , do you still...ehm , you know , love her?"

*Curses , curses , curses! I shouldn't have asked him this.*

She muttered : "Sorry .. I was too nosy this time".

Thorn smiled. "No freakin' idea."

Drogo made a pale attempt to join some of the conversations going on. "Uhm... about those stories...?"

"Got it...." she said in a whisper.

She had a tear in her right eye. Maybe something bothered her eye or....

But the tear was gone so fastly that nobody could have noticed it. Or so thought Angy.

"Stories? Why don't we start with a song.... I'd like to be first." she said smiling. But this smile was like a mask , it was without any colour or motion.

Sihaya turned to her, eyeing her curiously. "I'd love to hear you sing."

She gave her a sour smile.

"Deal , I will sing..."

She gave a soft cough , drank some water and...

"There used to be a greying tower alone on the sea

You, became the light on the dark side of me

Love remains, a drug that's the high and not the pill

But did you know that when it snows

My eyes become large

And the light that you shine can't be seen?"

She had a beautiful voice , her song made you think about a phoenix singing up in the sky.

Sihaya listened intently. The girl had a very pleasant voice and the song somehow suited her. Sihaya had an ease of catching tunes, so after a few lines, she took the small silver flute from her belt and put it to her lips. Its clear sound rose about the fire, mixing with the girls voice, as silence seemed to descend all around the campfire, hushing the sounds of the night as the song seemed to weave itself on its own accord, touching all that lived with its enchantment.

Drogo had closed his eyes and was lulling his head left and right to they melody. He could... see the song.

Thorn had leaned back, resuming his play with the beads on a string, staring intently at them... or through them.

"Coming from the Ether Halls,

*We* learned to live *togheter*... on the pedestal of marble...

Just one dark word is written,

As *we all*... are...

Going through the endless Halls...

If seeing is believing, dreaming is deceiving...

With no escape, engraved is Death...

But finally... *we*...

Arriving in the Nether Halls..."

Obviously enough, it was Ias's voice that softly sang those words. He used to sing all by himself, but, with all this, it was very unsual for him to recite with such a vague melody in his voice and a gentle tone, more like a child singing, a clear male voice coming from the dept of his chest. While prolonged words had clear vowels, long pauses were also strategically placed whenever needed. This made the ideea a bit hard to catch. Maybe this is one of the key-elements to his succes. The melody was very sad, but slow, and almost silent, like a murmur. Deep metaphores were carved to be read between the lines. Whoever said that it was not Ias singing may have been partially right - this wasn't Ias the kaj'siurandeth... it was simply... the *foal of Nadiarko*.

"Sorry.. I didn't quite mean to... but the atmosphere is of such nature. Fragments with no aparent meaning I like to sing from time to time... however those used to be sang by my mentor - the one who raised me after I ran from home - whenever me and my brothers could not sleep." Ias smiled a bit. " I... I know it's weird... how, we, just small foals... with such deep words... but a child's mind is always on the run... you may never know what he really thinks and feels. It helped a lot to silence stormy nights and make us forget all our fears... those... endless and unseen etereal places... that pleasently haunted our dreams. The Halls..."

After a moment of heavy silence, while smiling with a distand grief in his eyes, Ias retook his former attitude: "Just another of my realm's legends... maybe I'll tell it sometime... whenever the circumtances will be of such nature... well... we're near a forest so... let's hope nobody will pass in the Halls too soon..."

Rissa forgot what she was supposed to do and, like mostly everyone else, remaind silent while listening carrefully to the others.