The Magician's Sorrow

"S-s-st-state your business!" Ordered the young guard Mortier. He wore a suit of armor that was highly tarnished and had many dents. It probably had belonged to his father. Chances are the sword was a hand me down as well.

"When was that thing last sharpened?" The rider asked. The voice, while not soft, was indeed feminine. This calmed the guard some as he could surely take a girl. Raising his semi-dull blade he told himself he was quite brave, he lied. In his defense it had been a slow day on gate guard and they expected Froise back with chow before anyone approached.

"I'll ask the qu-questions here. I said state your b-bu-business!" He didn't enjoy being this stern with a lady, but orders were orders.

"My first order of business" she said, as she lowered the hood of her cloak and shook out her long blond hair, "is to find out why I'm being accosted trying to enter such a small, peaceful town."

"Ashiernya! I-I'm s-s-sorry I just.. you come back unexpected."

"Oh I'm sure if father had his way my official return will have much fan fair. No I am merely here to pay a visit to some old friends. Enough of that though, I don’t wish to ask again.”

“There are creatures on the move Ashe, more than enough to be classified a horde, and they are acting rather strangely.” The guard explained.

“Go on..”

“Yes well.. they’re mostly goblins which generally travel in packs anyway, but nothing this large. But they had cynogs with them...”

“Dog folk!”

“Yes.”

Ashiernya was more shocked by this news than she was by being accosted in the first place. “But the only way they’ll go near any other race is if it’s bleeding!”

“I told you they were acting strange! But wait, there’s more. They passed through here just yesterday, the closest not ten meters from this spot. There were children playing in the field here, and none of those vile creatures so much as took a second glance in this direction!”

“And you alone guard the town now?”

“No, there are two of us. Or well, there should be. Where the hell is Froise? You don’t think..”

“No, he didn’t run into trouble. Much like the idiots who decided a two man guard would be enough, he figured if they wanted to stop here they would have done so yesterday. Figuring the horde long gone and someone elses problem by now he, I’m sure, sees no reason to hurry back.”

“And what are your thoughts Ashe?”

“They are definitely somebody else’s problem. But when they’re done, we’re too close here to not be next. Especially if they’ve already caught wind of a snack, when they’re objective is met whoever controls them may reward them with some play time.”

“You think they’re after the Sheirba?”

“They harbor a secret few humans know of, if you prove worthy you’ll know of what I speak soon enough.”

“Prove worthy?”

“We’re going after them.”

“Wait, what.. no, I I....” The guard slowly started to step away from Aheirnya as if she herself was a pack of cynogs.

“Look, it’s really simple,” she said, attempting to explain her position, “what would you do if I left to go after them right now?”

“I’d t t-try to st-stop you.”

“And failing to do so you’d alert the elders who would dispatch enough riders to succeed. I can’t allow that to happen. In order to prevent that...? Well, I could kill you. But you strike me as the type of man, who, despite being weak and cowardly on the outside, harbours a strength of character he doesn't even know he has.”