The Keys of Djinn

  Vitalen paused to dump ash and dirt out of his boot. He wondered idly how so much managed to get in there. He contemplated the other boot, wondering if it was worth the removal as he scanned his surroundings. The grass was beginning to grow back. That, at least, was a good sign. Still, he could see the scorch marks. It always took nature a while to recover from an unnatural attack. In his mind's eye the young man saw The Gates of Djinn, semi-transparent and bluish, towering before him. His fingers twitched as he remembered the feel of the key in his hand. The final key of the three that would open The Gate. How they had seemed to electrify, eager to open the door they had been made for. He had felt an almost greedy glee as he had extended his arm. The large group of adventurers staring in awe around him had certainly stroked his ego as well.

And then something had hit him. Hard. Even now he winced. He had felt ribs shatter. Important organs rupture. It had taken him seconds to die. Much longer to revive. Now his hand massaged his right side, where he swore sometimes he felt a twinge, even if that should be impossible. His jaw tightened as he began to walk the field again, scanning the ground with the same hopeless, sinking feeling he always had when he made his familiar trek to this land. He moved in concentric circles like a careful dancer, his eyes scanning the scrubby grass. There he had fallen. There he had last seen the keys.

He scuffed his boot over the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dirty ash. He sighed. This was pointless. "Fuck," he exhaled wearily.

"Language."

Inwardly he was startled but he gave no outward sign. His sword and shield were on his back, but he could reach for magic faster. His hand flexed as he considered his spells.

"Calm down," said the voice.

Vitalen's mouth tightened into an annoyed line as he turned to face the speaker. "Vessa," his eyebrow quirked. "You cut your hair."

"You grew yours," the woman said. She stood, arms folded across her chest, hip cocked as she studied him.

Vitalen self consciously touched his long hair, which was held back with a leather string. He let his hand drop to his side and squinted at the woman. She had the appearance of one in her twenties, but he knew she was much older. There was something about her eyes, as he suspected of his own, which told of an age of un-death. "You still live around here?" he asked. "I haven't seen you since the shop burned."

Vitalen had helped Vessa in her popular magic stall within the nearby forest. It had burned to the ground the same year he had found the keys and died so spectacularly in his attempt to use them. The tower had sent him to help at the stall few times, during a large festival called GAC (a faire of sorts which almost always ended with a massive battle), but he had enjoyed the work. He had not seen his fellow shopkeeper since, though he visited this field at least twice a summer. Just to check. To convince himself again that hope was lost.

"I came back because I thought maybe I could salvage something of the shop," Vessa shrugged. Her voice was accented and husky. Her posture was calm, which made Vitalen nervous. He didn't trust people who were too confident in their surroundings. Those people tended to be hiding something.

"Wait...do you still have the-" he was unable to finish his thought as a streak of white and brown hurtled towards him and slammed into his legs.

"The dog?" Vessa was laughing now.

As a rule Vitalen liked dogs. This one, however, was vigorously sniffing him in a place he rather felt was private. He gently tried to push the hound's muzzle away, aware how awkward he looked. "She seems well," he grunted as the animal redoubled her sniffing efforts.

"As ever," Vessa agreed, smiling animatedly. Then the woman whistled and the dog turned her attention from Vitalen's nethers and trotted to her owner's side. "So, what brings you to these parts?"

Vitalen suspected she already knew, but he explained. "I'm looking for the keys to the Gates of Djinn. Three years ago I lost them on this field."

"Ah, yeah, when you died."

"Yes. When I died."

"I see you got over that rather handily," Vessa remarked, a smile playing behind her eyes.

"I tend to do that," the adventurer nodded glumly. "Which is why I want the keys. If I can open the gate I can throw this damned thing in-" he paused, pawing angrily at the necklace he wore. It felt like it was made of scarred bones and did nothing but remind him of the curse it bore.

"May I?" Vessa asked, stepping closer.

Vitalen dropped his hand from his throat and allowed the woman to approach.

She slid her fingers under the necklace, squinting. "Interesting. Very powerful. Where'd you get it?"

"A friend of mine, if you can believe that," Vitalen said as the woman continued to examine the jewelry.

"I don't think you know what 'friend' means," Vessa let the necklace drop against his collar bone and rocked back on her heels, eyebrow raised.

"He didn't mean to give me a cursed item," Vitalen tucked the necklace back under the front of his shirt. "He's a barbarian. He didn't know any better."

Vessa wrinkled her nose, "it must be unpleasant for you to wear. I can feel the magic seeping off of it from here."

"You get used to it," Vitalen lied. In reality it kept him up some nights. The constant thrum of the magic around his neck. It was like trying to sleep with electricity humming through your body. Sometimes he would use his own magic just to distract himself from it.

"I assume you can't take it off."

"Only to pass it through the gate, which I believe is where it came from originally. If I remove it now every death I have ever suffered while wearing it will be enacted upon me at once."

Vessa grimaced, "you'd probably look like a pudding!"

"That had passed through the digestive system of a horse," Vitalen agreed glumly. "I keep coming back here hoping to find some fragment, some evidence that the keys weren't destroyed-- what?" The young woman suddenly wore an expression he didn't think he liked. A little too much like the cat that ate the canary.

"I think I can help you," Vessa said, her blue eyes sparkling. "The keys you found were not the only ones."

"And I suppose you just happen to know the location of the others?," Vitalen asked, folding his arms.

"Actually..." Vessa reached into a pouch at her belt and held something out towards him.

"No...what? No." he snatched the object she held, cradling it in his hands. "How the hell?"

"I bought it last year in a magic shop. I planned to sell it once I got mine up and running again. I just figured it was your run-of-the-mill magical key. One of those ones that opens some treasure chest or another. I figured the right adventurer would pay well for it."

Vitalen was hardly listening. He was totally absorbed with the key. Copper colored, heavier than it should have been, and greening with apparent age. He exhaled his words like a baffled sigh, "this is it. This is fucking it. One of the keys." He ran a hand through his hair, a habit he had adopted since he had out.

"How many more are there?" Vessa asked, watching him with that same, disconcerting expression.

"Two," he mumbled, barely able to form words. Three years he had kept his ear to the ground for any sign that other keys existed. Three years he had tread this same battleground hoping to find some piece of the old ones. Now this woman had one. Just happened to find it in a magic shop? He would have cussed her out, but he was too happy.

"Two huh?" Vessa smirked.

Vitalen finally looked up. "What is that look for? You got the rest of the keys stuffed in your corset somewhere?"

"No," she grinned crookedly, "but I do have the next best thing. A magical hound," she gestured to the slender dog, who had wandered away and was busily sniffing a rabbit hole. The woman whistled again and the dog rushed over, a dopey, overjoyed, doggy expression on her features. "Let her sniff," Vessa instructed.

Vitalen lowered the key to nose height and the animal took a good whiff.

"Seek!" Vessa ordered.

"Shit!" Vitalen exclaimed as the dog took off with a speed he hadn't been expecting. "How the hell do we follow that?"

"She'll double back," Vessa assured him, beginning to walk.

Vitalen rushed to where he had left his traveling pack and gear, hurriedly pulling his haversack onto his shoulders and rushing to catch up. He dropped the key into the pouch he wore at his belt where he kept his most precious magical objects. It was made of the hide of a wyvern, which protected him from the constant buzz of magic the items let off. "So you're just going to help me?" he asked, reached Vessa's side. Damn, she walked fast. He noted that she stood straight and unhindered by a pack of her own. "Do we need to stop somewhere for your supplies?"

"No," she said, simply. She didn't turn her head to look at him so he too faced forward as they entered the woods. He hoped that she was right about the dog.


The hound did indeed double back from time to time to ensure they were on the right track. Sometimes the animal would trot ahead of them, helpfully, and other times the beast would dart away and he would be certain that she was never coming back. The moment he finally gave her up for lost, there the dog would be, looking as pleased and dopey as ever.

The day wore on as they walked in silence. Vitalen idly wondered how far these keys might be scattered. Would they have to walk across continents? Would ships be required? He began to wish he had brought some of his household with him. He had recently become a lord and he had several servants who would come in handy to help carry the needed supplied for such a journey. On the other hand, an adventure like this was right up his alley. Best not to clutter it up with unskilled and unneeded followers. It seemed like forever since he had had a good, cross country trek. The air was fresh, the sky endlessly blue and the day not too warm. He would have tilted his head back to take in a big, gulping, breath of air had he not suspected that Vessa might make fun of him for his frivolity. He didn't feel like dealing with that.

The dog came back again, tail whirling in a wild spin that moved her entire backside. "We're close," Vessa said, stopping and holding out a hand to indicate Vitalen should stop as well. He rolled his eyes, but stood beside her scanning the path ahead. The forest seemed to be beginning to crawl upward. It was to be hills then. His mind strayed to all the things that live in and around hills. He shrugged off his pack and secreted into a shrub, unstrapping his shield from his back.

Vessa slid a small shield onto her own arm, her eyes narrowed, scanning the underbrush. Her other hand she held free, which he knew was for spell casting. She had no sword, but instead wore a dagger at her belt if needed. He felt the crackle of her magic joining his in the air. It seemed highly unlikely that the key here in the forested hills would just be lying around.

"You don't have to help me," Vitalen said.

"Are you kidding? I'm itching for a good adventure. My life has been so boring these days," she replied.

Vitalen looked sideways at her and saw her eager expression. He wished he could feel that good about the possible danger ahead. He wasn't in a hurry to get killed again.

The two moved forward, following the dog, who now merely trotted in front of them, nose to the ground. Soon a low cave came into view. More of a long, ugly crack in the mossy earth. A rock jutted out from the top, shading the rough passage into the hillside. The dog marched up to the hole and sat down, tail a-wag. Vitalen stopped, already feeling annoyed. "I hate crawling around in dank tunnels."

"Baby." Vessa snarked, already squatting down to get a better look into the gloom. "Do you mind?"

Vitalen heaved his most dramatic sigh, to no effect, then strode forward and muttered a few words. A ball of flame erupted onto his hand. He bounced it on his palm as though he felt the heat, but Vessa failed to laugh, so he gave up and grumpily extended his hand into the darkness.

The cave, while narrow at first, seemed to open out after you got past the entrance. It looked gravelly rather than damp and rooted inside. Better than some caves he had been in, for certain. Still, he held back. He knew the sort of creatures that frequented such dwellings. The light in his hand glinted off several silvery scales discarded on the floor and trapped between rocks. He swallowed, then got onto his belly and crawled inside, Vessa just behind him. The dog did not accompany them.

At first the pair had to walk at a crouch, which was uncomfortable, and Vitalen's shield kept catching on things. Finally the passage opened out and he was able to stand. He worked a kink out of his back and looked around. A larger area with a rounded, gravelly floor, spread before them. About the size of his bedroom at home. He wondered why he had thought of that, until his eyes fell of piles of scales and a tooth or two laying in the open. "A nesting room," he muttered.

"They often have several, depending on how large the colony is," Vessa spoke quietly.

"To be clear, we're both thinking drakes, am I right?"

"You are correct," Vessa gave him a smile.

"So if I remember my monster books from when I studied in The Tower, the treasure room is usually near the back of the colony cave." Vitalen was hoping that his friend would contradict him. She didn't. He tried to look game for whatever they faced next and moved onward. "The colony should be out hunting this time of day," he said, more to himself than to his companion.

"Right. They 'should' be," she replied, unhelpfully.

The two moved onward, following what seemed the most traveled path as others branched away to different sleeping chambers. Once they passed a food cave which smelled so horrific that Vitalen almost wretched and had to walk on very quickly. Then he saw something glint in the corner of his vision. He swung his fireball around to point in that direction, and there it was. The treasure cave. Gingerly he stepped inside, Vessa close on his heels. "Gods almighty," he exhaled. This was an impressive trove, especially for drakes. Items of every description littered the room, haphazardly. Everything from a child's rocking horse to what appeared to be a king's golden scepter. "Ambitious fuckers, aren't they."

"I never understood why they collect treasure. I mean, where is a drake going to use it?" The woman fished a jeweled ornamental sword from a pile and squinted at it.

"I think it's like those birds that line their nests with pretty things. The larger the trove the better the mates," Vitalen speculated. Dropping his shield he lifted his key free from the belt pouch. He tugged the leather string from his hair, letting it fall free around his shoulders. He looped the string around the handle of the key and dangled it from his hand. He swung it slowly over each pile of treasure, waiting. Finally the key seemed to tug against the leather, like a magnet attracted to another. "Magic items are often attracted to their counterparts," Vitalen noted, moving to dig through the objects.

"I know," Vessa was giving him a lopsided grin and he couldn't help a brief smile back.

He shoved aside a rolled carpet with golden threads woven in, and what appeared to be a back-scratcher that was encrusted with gems. There it was, on the floor beneath a punctured and slightly sticky wine barrel. He picked up the key and turned it over in his hands, feeling relief flood through him. "This might actually not be as difficult as I thought."

"You had to say that," Vessa growled suddenly. She picked up his shield and tossed it to him as a scraping, dragging sound reached their ears. An acrid smell filled the air. Not as bad as the food storage, Vitalen thought wryly, as he tugged his shield into place. He had had to let the fire in his hand go out to do so, and when he spoke the words to bring it back to life he inhaled sharply. At the entrance to the room lurked a massive drake. Its scales were silver with obvious age, and it swung its head blindly back and forth. One wing rested at an awkward angle on the beast's back and its hide was decorated with ragged scars. It tilted its muzzle up and sniffed loudly.

Vitalen met Vessa's eyes, glimmering in the firelight. No words were needed. They both knew that silence would be their best chance of escape. Each moved as quietly as they could toward opposite walls of the room, skirting towards the door as the beast moved into the room. It shoved treasure aside loudly, which helped cover the footsteps of the two humans. Still, every time it stopped to sniff, Vitalen felt a chill tap dance up his spine.

They were almost to the doorway. The beast was mostly inside the room by then. Only a rear leg and its tail still stood in the entrance. Vitalen made eye contact with Vessa again, giving her the slightest of nods. She moved first, testingly. Her slender frame slid easily past the monster's limbs and out into the passage. She turned to face him, urging him with her expression. Vitalen balanced his weight carefully on the balls of his feet, preparing to jump the creature's tail, when the beast gave another, massive sniff. It made a snarl and swung its head around to face Vitalen.

"JUMP NOW!" Vessa yelled, darting forward and jamming her dagger into the drake's opposite flank. The beast coiled back to face this new threat and Vitalen moved with a quickness and agility that was impressive, he thought, for an undead fellow. Then, WHAM! He cried out, he couldn't help it. The drake's tail had come back around and slammed him against the wall. He felt something break inside him as he crumpled to the ground. He was vaguely aware of Vessa shouting before blackness overtook his mind.


"That is a neat trick you can do."

Vitalen slowly became aware of his surroundings again. Before his eyes opened he took a moment to use his other senses. He was sitting propped against something, and the air smelled fresh, not like the cave. Something furry and warm nuzzled his hand. He opened his eyes and found Vessa with her face closer to him than he expected. He felt her fingers under his chin, lifting it as she peered at his eyes, a scrutinizing look on her features. "Well, your pupils are equal and reactive now...you know, now that you're not dead."

Vitalen swatted her hand away lightly, feeling his strength return in a surge. "Stop it, woman," he said, coolly. The necklace was vibrating with magic against his collar bone and it was all he could do not to tear it free. Only thoughts of horrible, pudding style death stayed his hand. He sat up, curling his legs under him, and looked around. Vessa had made camp a good distance from the drakes' nest. A fire was crackling with a small stewpot nesting in the embers. The dog was laying at Vitalen's side, wagging her tail gently and looking happily up at him.

"So you don't need anything?" Vessa asked, her hands lit by white, magical energy. Her skill lay in the healing arts.

Vitalen checked for aches and pains. He felt like he'd been punched a few times in the gut, but otherwise he was alright. He decided to wait on standing, however, in case he might fall down. Instead he leaned back against the rock, lacing his hands casually behind his head. "Save your nurse routine, Vessa. I'm fine."

"Does that mean you won't need any soup?" she asked, an impish expression on her face.

"Dammit," Vitalen grumbled. "I love soup."

She laughed as she handed him a bowl.


Several servings of soup later Vitalen set down his bowl and looked across the fire at his companion. "So what happened after I..."

"Died," She sat on a rock with her hands between her knees. She bounced one leg absently as she spoke. "I hit the drake with a few stun spells. Most deflected off his scales, but I got him in the face and that slowed him down enough for me to drag your ass out of there."

"Well," He shifted to rinse out his bowl with a little water from his canteen. "Thanks for getting me out. It wouldn't have been fun to wake up from being dead only to have a family of drakes chew my face off. I don't think even the necklace can bring me back from dismemberment and digestion." He tucked the bowl back into his traveling pack and peered across the fire at Vessa. She was watching him with that same, hawk-like expression she always seemed to have. Like constantly staring at someone was a perfectly normal thing for people to do. "How long have you been alive?" he asked. His tone was flat. Matter-of-fact.

"I can't remember," she shrugged. "A long time."

"I know you're immortal, but there are so many different kinds. You've never told me what flavor of immortal you are" He settled back against his rock and folded his arms.

"You never asked," she smirked.

"You never asked me either."

"Fair enough," her eyes looked distant for a moment, then she began. "A long time ago I encountered what I now know must have been a god. Or at least a lesser deity. We had a chat and he said he could give me a gift or a curse, but it would be random which I got. I told him to do it."

"So which did you end up with? The gift or the curse?" Vitalen asked.

"I don't know," she gave him a tight smile. "Most of the time it feels like both. Obviously I can't die, but sometimes I'm not so sure that's a good thing."

"What happens when you do...die?" Vitalen asked. "Do you revive like me, or do things that should have killed you just bounce off?"

The impish look was back in her eye. "Here," she held out her dagger to him, handle first. "Find out."

"I'm not going to stab you," Vitalen replied, sharply.

"Fine then."

"Shit!" Vitalen sprang forward. The woman had sat up straight and pulled the dagger across her own throat in a smooth motion. Vitalen was around the fire in seconds, catching her as she tumbled from the rock. "What the hell?!" he snarled, reaching to put a hand over the gash on her throat. Instead of blood, however, the wound was bleeding dust. It poured out, silvery and light, onto his palm. Much of it drifted away in the wind. Then the woman too began to change, dissolving, even her clothes. Vitalen dropped what was left of her and staggered back, eyes wide. He wiped dust from himself feeling disgusted. He watched as Vessa's entire body was reduced to a pile of dust. He wondered with alarm if he should be trying to stop so much from blowing away. He almost went for his hat to start piling dust into it, but then a new gust of wing whooshed through the trees, and the pile that had been Vessa was swirling in a grey tornado. Vitalen tried not to breath too deeply, in case he inhaled some of her. She reformed. Colorless at first, then finally that too returned and she stood before him the same as she had ever been. She smiled absurdly at him.

"Fuck," he growled. "Warn a guy before you do that!"

"Sorry," she smirked. "You asked."

"I think you got the curse," Vitalen said, turning back to his side of the fire and picking up his pack. "Is that why you don't eat. I noticed you didn't have any soup."

"I haven't needed to eat since 'it' happened," she shrugged, patting the dog who had walked over to investigate.

"More for me," Vitalen grinned and she laughed gratifyingly at his quip. "So. Where next?"


Hours of dog following later led the two across a flowering prairie and a river which was a challenge to cross. Vitalen eventually gave in and teleported, though he felt like that was cheating at adventuring. Finally more trees came into view. By then the moon was up and stars salted the sky. Cicadas buzzed happily in the forest ahead of them, and all around the night animals stirred through the long grass. Vitalen squinted at the trees. "I think I see something in there. A building of some kind."

Vessa shrugged, "better than a cave full of drakes, right?"

"Don't say that," Vitalen moaned, "it'll be worse."

The two walked on and Vitalen found himself hoping that the building was not their destination. It was giving off a very unpleasant vibe, though he wasn't about to tell Vessa, in case he sounded like a coward. He did notice that she moved tensely, much more alert than she had been before. Sadly for both of their hopes, the dog led the way and came to a stop directly in front of the ornate door.

The building, while old, still held its shape well enough. It was made of large stones and seemed to have been, in its prime, some sort of small fortress. The wooden door was rotting a little near the top. Vitalen glanced at Vessa, who gave him a 'be my guest' gesture, and he rapped his knuckles against the aged planking. Then he stepped back, shield at the ready, other hand open to cast magic. Behind his shoulder he felt the cloying warmth of healing magic. Was she expecting him to do the brunt of the fighting with her as healer backup? The door remained closed.

Vitalen stepped cautiously forward and tried one more time. This time with more force, as he might knock to waken a sleeper inside. He stepped back to his fighting stance again. A firefly floated calmly past his nose. Vitalen sighed and lowered his shield once more, ready to let himself in, when the door swung inward. What appeared to be a man stood in the doorway. Vitalen knew at once that initial appearances were deceiving. The man was extremely pale and his eyes had a yellowish caste. "Vampire," he exhaled.

"I thought those were supposed to be...handsome," Vessa remarked.

"Shut up," Vitalen warned out of the corner of his mouth. She was right, though. When you thought vampire you thought tall, lean, impossibly good looking. This fellow the short, portly and scowling. He had a snub nose and hair that was bleached an obnoxious shade of blond. He folded plump arms and glowered. "Can I help you?"

"Maybe," Vitalen said, straightening from his fighting stance. "We're looking for a key. Goes with these two," he held up the twin keys he had already collected, still hanging from the leather string. They twitched, sensing they were near their final sibling.

The vampire pursed purplish lips and pulled a pocket watch from his vest, peering at the dial. "I suppose I do have some time before the sun rises. Come in and I'll see what I can dig up."

Vessa shot Vitalen a meaningful glance as they followed the strange vampire into his home. While the vampire himself may have been atypical, his house was not. It had the traditional 'vampire' look, Vitalen thought as he spied yet another glowering portrait on the wall, above yet another vase of blood red flowers. "So," the vampire said over his shoulder as he led the way, "looking to open the Gates of Djinn are we?"

Vitalen tensed, but tried not to let it show. "Oh, is that what these do? I'm just compulsive. I wanted to own the complete set." He heard Vessa snort with poorly concealed laughter behind him.

"I've heard that The Gate, once opened, has the power to grant a wish. Perhaps a wish to no longer be dead." said the portly vampire.

Did this stranger sense that he was undead somehow? Vitalen wondered nervously. He wasn't sure he liked this whole situation, but at this point what choice did he have but to go along with it?

The vampire stopped before a closed door, pausing a moment to clasp his hands and smile at the two adventurers as though he was hosting them for tea. "I am a bit of a collector myself, you see. This is my key room. I have been collecting keys since before I was bitten."

"How long ago were you bitten?" Vessa questioned.

The vampire squirmed, his hospitable expression slipping. "Er...three years ago."

It was Vitalen's turn to snort. He slapped a hand over his mouth before a full laugh could escape. To distract himself he lifted the two keys from his belt and held them up to the door. They clinked together as they pulled gently towards it. "Looks like we're on the right tack."

The vampire swung the door open and stood aside to let the two humans in. The walls of the room were rounded, instead of squaring off at the corners, and they were covered in keys. Keys of all shapes and sizes. Magical and non. Vitalen's skin prickled as he walked around, holding out the two in his hand, waiting for a reaction. Finally the keys he held swung forward and clinked together with one hanging at waist height. "Here we go."

Before Vitalen could pluck the key from the wall a sound got his attention. He turned around to see the vampire with his arms wrapped menacingly around Vessa. His lips brushed her neck. For her part Vessa looked annoyed, but not unduly bothered. "You can just hand over those keys, my fine warrior," snarled the vampire, making a show of licking Vessa's neck.

"Oh, ew..." the healer moaned. "Stop it, you little toad."

The vampire ignored her and kept talking to Vitalen, who was taking two very small, very surreptitious steps to his left. He slid the keys back into his belt pouch and made a show of holding out his hands in a calming motion, "easy now friend. No need to bite my companion."

"I have nothing to lose here, warrior. Either you give me the keys and I let you go about your business, or I get myself an attractive new thrall."

"You have got to be kidding," Vessa rolled her eyes, then fixed Vitelan with an expressive look he understood.

Vitalen's mouth quirked into a snarky grin as he watched Vessa's lips move, chanting a healing spell. He saw her right hand glow white and she pressed it against her captor's ample stomach. At once the vampire yelped and let her go. Vessa stepped neatly away and made a truly disgusted face, wiping at her neck. Vitalen took that as his cue and seconds later a fireball hit the vampire, point blank. He went up like dried parchment.

Both Vitalen and Vessa wrinkled their noses at the smell of him as he scorched into a pile of ash. "He'll reform eventually," Vitalen muttered, skirting the pile of vampire so as not to get any on his boots. He took the third key of Djinn and tucked it into he belt.

"We'll be long gone by then," Vessa said. "You know, I was half tempted to let him bite me and get a mouth full of dust. That would have been a surprise for him."

Vitalen addressed the pile of ash, "you really shouldn't judge people by their appearance. She's not a simple lady, and I am no mere warrior."

"Stop gloating. Let's go open you a portal," Vessa said, striding out of the room.

"I need open space to open the gates."


It was perhaps 2 or 3 in the morning when the friends reached a substantial clearing in the forest. Vitalen took the keys from his pouch, looking down at them in his hand. His ribs gave a twinge as he remembered what had happened the last time he had held such items. He rubbed his side.

"You alright?" Vessa asked. Her blue eyes shone from her pale face in the moonlight.

"Yeah," he gave a brusque nod, "I'm good." He selected the first key and held it out before him, as though opening an invisible door. He turned it in the air and felt a surge of magic fall across his shoulders. He closed his eyes and let it rush over him like a tide. Behind him he heard Vessa inhale sharply.

He did the same motion with the second key, turning it in the air. This time the surge of magic came with a cascade of color. Mostly blues and purples in the night. A vague door shape was forming before him. He dropped the second key to the ground, where it twitched, then slid over to clink together with its brother. Vitalen extracted the final key and held it up towards the door. THUCK! "What the hell?!" It took Vitalen's mind a moment to catch up. A throwing dagger was lodged firmly in his outstretched forearm. "Son of a bitch!" he snarled, pulling back and scanning hurriedly for the attacker.

Vessa reached him in seconds, as he was pulling his shield from his back. She yanked the dagger free and slapped her hand over the wound, which was already gushing red. "OUCH!" Vitalen yelped, as she was none too gentle. Then the warmth of healing magic coiled up his arm and repaired the hole. THUNK, WHAM! Two more daggers lodged in Vessa's shield, which she had already strapped to her arm. CLANG! Another bounced off of Vitalen's skidding to earth. "What the hell is going on?" he shouted, a fireball forming on his hand as he moved to be back to back with Vessa. He hated an opponent he couldn't see.

He felt Vessa's shoulder blades stiffen against his. "No way."

"No way what?!"

"Well, er...You know how I said I bought the key I gave you?"

"You stole it, didn't you?" Another dagger clattered off his shield and he launched the fireball at the spot where he thought the projectile had come from.

"Yes," she answered shortly, then hastily added, "but I never guessed he would catch up with me! I stunned him really well. I was sure it would take him ages to figure out the key was even missing."

"He figured it out!" Vitalen gritted his teeth, feeling a dagger sail past his cheek. "Who the hell is this guy?"

"I don't know. An assassin I think. While I was going through his stuff looking for the key I noticed he had a lot of camouflage clothing and a goodly number of throwing knives."

"Fuck!" Vitalen ducked behind his shield as two more daggers flew in quick succession. "I knew you just giving me the key was too easy! So what now?"

"I honestly don't know. You're a plan-type-guy. Thoughts?" She asked, pivoting with him, still back to back, as the daggers came from a new direction. He heard her grunt as a dagger must have hit her, but moments later he felt the warmth of her healing magic. "He's got to run out of daggers eventually, right?"

"Hopefully," Vitalen turned again, just in time to deflect another dagger. "Maybe, if we make a run for the trees..."

"We'll get impaled on the way?"

"You are an extremely unhelpful person!"

"I got you a key!"

"You got daggers stuck in me," he snarled as one lodged in his thigh. He tried not to tip over. He felt her kneel so he did the same, still with their backs to each other. He tugged the dagger free and let it fall to the side as she healed him.

"You focus too much on the negative details," she said over her shoulder to him.

Suddenly the daggers stopped and there was a a snarling sound from the trees to their left. Then a yell. Vitalen stood up, running in that direction. "The dog! She's got him!"

"Why didn't we think of sending the dog to begin with?" Vessa called as she ran after Vitalen.

The two reached the dark treeline and Vitalen readied a holding spell, as he squinted into the gloom. He glimpsed a flash of white that was the hound's tail. It was wagging, as ever. Crouching, he crept forward, trying not to snap every twig he trod upon. Finally he saw their attacker. The man's face was pale and it was about all Vitalen could see. He hated doing it, but he aimed his spell for the stranger's nose and muttered the required words. The man yelped again, his feet held in place. The dog was gripping his arm, but gently. Vitalen saw no blood. None the less, the man was obviously frightened of the animal. He kept cutting uneasy glances towards it.

"Ah, good, you both have him under control," Vessa strode up beside them, eying the man. "Now what?"

"L-Lord Vitalen?" the assassin spluttered, eyes going very wide.

"Lord who?" Vessa's eyebrows shot upward.

"Lord me," Vitalen sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He always hated when people recognized his status and treated him differently. In this case, however, it seemed as though it might be useful. "So, you live on my lands do you?"

"Y-yes sir. I had no idea you were friends with-" he shot Vessa a very dirty look.

"I'm afraid so," Vitalen sighed.

"I'm sorry, I'm still not over this. Lord Vitalen?" Vessa's eyebrows had not returned to their normal position.

"Shut up," Vitalen shot at her before turning back to the man. "Yes. Vessa here is my friend and she was helping me gather the keys I needed for...a very important magical ritual."

"I see," said the assassin, still eying Vessa with distrust. "I am very sorry about throwing those daggers at you, sir," the man said. Vitalen was beginning to see how young this fellow was. Probably fresh out of his training with the assassin's guild.

"No harm done," Vitalen said.

"Yes harm done," Vessa piped up, tugging Vitalen's sleeve where there was a bloody hole. "I imagine this tunic wasn't cheap."

"Not now, Vessa," Vitalen spoke between gritted teeth. He gave the young man a wan smile. "We're going to call off the dog and let you go now. You had best head home and mention nothing of this little mistake on your part, eh?"

"Yes sir! Of course!" the man said, hurriedly.

Vessa sighed and addressed the dog. "Leave him." The animal gently removed her jaws from the man's arm and a few words from Vitalen released the spell. The would-be assassin scrambled up and bobbed a hasty bow before darting off into the darkness.

Vitalen heaved a sigh and began to walk again, back towards where the thin outline of the Gates of Djinn still shimmered in the waning moonlight. He stood before it, watching it waver like the surface of the water in a clear stream. He sensed Vessa standing behind his shoulder. He was getting used to her being there. Waiting to heal, or, more likely, offer a quip. Perhaps, after this was over, they wouldn't part ways immediately. The dog rushed up and gave him one more rude sniff, just for good luck. He patted her head and smiled as he fondly tried to push her away from his delicate bits.

Taking the final key from his belt again, Vitalen held it up to the key hole, which was visible now. He swallowed hard, feeling the surge of magic coil up his arm. With a determined twist of his wrist he turned the key.