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thisisnotthenerd · 11 months

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guess who's back! that's right, it's another edition of thisisnotthenerd's d20 stats. this time we're talking level progression.

a few disclaimers: this is only inclusive of initial and final levels. i may go through each season to find the exact points of change and the full progression at some point, but not right now. i don't have the time for that. this is already incredibly long with just initial and final levels. anyways:

level progressions

these are sorted into a couple of categories: major level progressions, minor level progressions, nonprogression seasons, and nonleveled seasons (which basically just means they are non dnd seasons).

to start we have:

major level progression seasons

this includes most of the intrepid heroes' seasons, plus a couple of sidequests that had or are in the process of having major level changes. major level changes means the party levels up two or more levels during the season. without further ado:

fantasy high freshman year: this season had a fairly standard progression; everyone starting from level one, milestone leveling with each battle until they hit level 8 for the finale.

fig faeth:

initial level: bard 1

final level: whispers bard 8

gorgug thistlespring:

initial level: barbarian 1

final level: berserker barbarian 1

adaine abernant:

initial level: wizard 1

final level: divination wizard 8

fabian seacaster:

initial level: fighter 1

final level: champion fighter 8

kristen applebees:

initial level: life cleric 1

final level: life cleric 8

riz gukgak:

initial level: rogue 1

final level: inquisitive rogue 8

the unsleeping city: this season follows a similar progression to fantasy high--the characters just start at level 3 instead of level 1. this let them start with subclasses and a more features that let them swing harder in battle earlier.

ricky matsui:

initial level: devotion paladin 3

final level: devotion paladin 10

sofia lee:

initial level: drunken master monk 3

final level: drunken master monk 8 | hexblade warlock 2

kingston brown:

initial level: city cleric 3

final level: city cleric 10

misty moore/rowan berry:

initial level: lore bard 3

final level: lore bard 10

kugrash:

initial level: shepherd druid 3

final level: shepherd druid 10

pete conlan:

initial level: wild magic sorcerer 3

final level: wild magic sorcerer 10

a crown of candy: this season was a little different because of the initial party composition--the adults started at level 3, while liam and the twins started at levels 2 and 1 respectively. the entry points of cumulous and saccharina obviously affected their starting levels, since they had to match the party at the point of entry. there was also more multiclassing and subclass switches for story reasons this season. just a bit more complexity as d20 itself got more complex.

liam wilhelmina: the most effective subclass switch i think ever. he became a war guy.

initial level: ranger 2 (took beastmaster after 1st battle)

final level: gloomstalker ranger 6 | assassin rogue 4

theobald gumbar:

initial level: eldritch knight 3

final level: eldritch knight 10

jet rocks: she started in rogue with martial adept to match ruby, multiclassed into fighter and dropped her rogue level before she died.

initial level: rogue 1

final level: battlemaster fighter 7

ruby rocks:

initial level: rogue 1

final level: arcane trickster rogue 9 | shadow sorcerer 1

amethar rocks:

initial level: storm herald barbarian 3

final level: storm herald barbarian 5 | battlemaster fighter 5

lapin cadbury:

initial level: celestial warlock 3

final level: celestial warlock 5

cumulous rocks: came in as a cloud, cried over magic, killed chickens for temp hp

initial level: long death monk 6

final level: long death monk 10

saccharina frostwhip: a powerful queen

initial level: storm sorcerer 6 | tempest cleric 2

final level: storm sorcerer 8 | tempest cleric 2

the unsleeping city chapter 2: only a couple of subclass switches this season, but more new characters that played in the multiclass space.

ricky matsui:

initial level: redemption paladin 12

final level: redemption paladin 10

sofia lee:

initial level: shadow monk 8 | hexblade warlock 2

final level: shadow monk 10 | hexblade warlock 2

kingston brown:

initial level: city cleric 10

final level: city cleric 12

iga lisowski: she comes in statted with the party, but it tracks because she's been the steward of a magic Polish dragon box for decades.

initial level: genie warlock 10

final level: genie warlock 10 | draconic sorcerer 2

rowan berry: she comes in late and so only really has the opportunity to start at level 12

initial level: lore bard 12

final level: lore bard 12

cody walsh: can you imagine your intro to magic being selling your soul to a lesser devil and instantly jumping to level 10. he's so bad at everything that it balances. the athletics checks? insane. absolute loser of a mall goth sword guy. a time capsule of the year 2003.

initial level: oathbreaker paladin 10

final level: oathbreaker paladin 12

pete conlan:

initial level: wild magic sorcerer 10

final level: wild magic sorcerer 12

a starstruck odyssey: this season isn't precisely DND and so works a little differently. the party started with level differences: all nonhumans started at level 3, the humans started at level 2, and gunnie was level 1. i think this was indicative of the fact that a) takamori leveled up by getting brain slugged, b) margaret leveled up by undergoing a quarter-life crisis, and c) gunnie probably joined the ship more recently. they also have ship deployments that they take levels in to be able to competently run a ship. deployments are indicated in [brackets] like so.

gunnie miggles-rashbax:

initial level: engineer 1 [mechanic 1]

final level: engineer 6 [mechanic 3]

riva:

initial level: suggestion consular 3 [coordinator 1]

final level: suggestion consular 6 [coordinator 3]

norman 'skip' takamori

initial level: operative 2 [pilot 1]

final level: lethality operative 6 [pilot 3]

margaret encino:

initial level: scholar 2 [operator 1]

final level: politician pursuit scholar 6 [operator 3]

sundry sidney:

initial level: corsair sentinel 3 [gunner 1]

final level: corsair sentinel 6 [gunner 3]

big barry syx:

initial level: ballistic berserker 3 [gunner 1]

final level: ballistic berserker 6 [gunner 3]

neverafter: this season marks the first level 1 party since fantasy high, and also follows a similar level progression pattern. however, they got episode 3'd, and so skipped levels 2 & 3. they woke up with subclasses. the baba yaga also helped them skip from level 6 to level 8 iirc.

rosamund du prix

initial level: ranger 1

final level: swarmkeeper ranger 5 | stars druid 2 | fighter 1

mother timothy goose:

initial level: bard 1

final level: lore bard 8

pinocchio:

initial level: archfey warlock 1

final level: destiny (homebrew) warlock 8

puss in boots (pib):

initial level: rogue 1

final level: mastermind rogue 8

gerard of greenleigh:

initial level: fighter 1

final level: battlemaster fighter 8

ylfa snorgelsson:

initial level: barbarian 1

final level: bear totem barbarian 6 | moon druid 2

the ravening war: here's where the distinction between 'leveled up two or more times' and leveled up two or more levels' has to be made. technically there's really only one major change during the season, but they go from level 4-5 to level 9, so it's counted as a significant jump.

delissandro katzon: this is the second time lou wilson has played a fighter barbarian in calorum. truly i would have two nickels. also the second time he's played a champion fighter that switched to battlemaster and multiclassed. really starting to collect nickels here.

initial level: champion fighter 5

final level: battlemaster fighter 8 | barbarian 1

raphaniel charlock: i don't feel like tracking his titles. also he has so many feats. dear god.

initial level: eloquence bard 4 | rogue 1

final level: eloquence bard 6 | rogue 3

karna solara: the third triple multiclass in d20 history. the only characters that i can think of that are of equivalent assassin vibes are liam, gangie, and skip.

initial level: whispers bard 3 | great old one warlock 2

final level: phantom rogue 4 | whispers bard 3 | great old one warlock 2

colin provolone: oh what a guy. a traditional mercenary if you ever saw one

initial level: battlemaster fighter 3 | rogue 2

final level: battlemaster fighter 6 | swashbuckler rogue 3

lady amangeaux epiceé du peche: she starts lower level than the rest of the party because she's more naive and less prepared for the intrigue and assassination plots. she's the only to not multiclass in this season. the only one.

initial level: arcane trickster rogue 4

final level: arcane trickster rogue 9

burrow's end: i know that it's the ongoing season, but evidenced by the fact that they double leveled up in episode 2, i have a feeling this is going to be a major leveling season. i'm anticipating level 10 as a stopping point, but who knows where they go from here.

tula: stoat mom as a feat is all i'm going to say

initial level: redemption paladin 4

final level: ?

jaysohn: adhd karate boy, or all stoats in a nutshell

initial level: astral self monk 4

final level: ?

viola: the embryonic diapause storyline is going to kill me, i can feel it.

initial level: devotion paladin 4

final level: ?

thorn vale: anxious wife guy cult leader is something i didn't know i needed until now, but i'm so glad that that's where jasper went with him.

initial level: fey wanderer ranger 4

final level: ?

ava: if generational trauma was a stoat. the commitment to the werther's? phenomenal.

initial level: ancestral guardians barbarian 3 | fighter

final level: ?

lila: i'm living for izzy as a stoat that can sneak attack people and read???

initial level: inquisitive rogue 4

final level: ?

and that's all of the major progression seasons. with that concluded, we move into:

minor level progression seasons

as stated earlier, these seasons really only have one major level change as opposed to the progressive milestones of the major leveling seasons. i think that comes down to a couple of things: 1) they all start as midlevel characters who are reasonably powerful 2) two of these are 10 episode seasons that had less time to do progressive leveling than most of the intrepid heroes' seasons, and 3) the timeline of the level ups really only makes sense for one level change, especially since they start out of the low levels that shift easily. fhfy is like a week and a half in universe, t7 and acofaf are each like a week. anyways, here it is:

fantasy high sophomore year: mostly carried over from fhfy to start, with one major level but we really got into multiclassing and subclass switches for story here, i think in part because running live sessions is inherently a little more spontaneous than a pre-recorded season.

fig faeth:

initial level: whispers bard 6 | hexblade warlock 2

final level: lore bard 6 | hexblade warlock 3

gorgug thistlespring:

initial level: berserker barbarian 8

final level: berserker barbarian 8 | artificer 1

adaine abernant:

initial level: divination wizard 8

final level: divination wizard 9

fabian seacaster:

initial level: champion fighter 8

final level: battlemaster fighter 6 | swords bard 3

kristen applebees:

initial level: life cleric 8

final level: twilight cleric 9

riz gukgak:

initial level: inquisitive rogue 8

final level: inquisitive rogue 9

the seven: the ladies are here! they start at the level 9 baseline set by the end of fhsy and hit level 10 in like a week. granted the second half of the season is almost all encounters--three double episode battles total, with two in the back half.

antiope jones: the reluctant leader, not that kind of ranger. a choice aabria character. sometimes i think about the fact that both of aabria's spyre characters could conceivably meet, and it's not even that contrived. myrtle is sam's cousin.

initial level: arcane archer fighter 6 | monster slayer ranger 3

final level: arcane archer fighter 6 | monster slayer ranger 4

katja cleaver: half horse girl, half childhood neglect and abandonment, half rekha shankar's brand of ttrpg decisions.

initial level: battlemaster fighter 9

final level: battlemaster fighter 9 | barbarian 1

penny luckstone: eldest daughter syndrome to the max. deeply funny. an incredible rogue, even if she feeds old men horse meat candy hearts.

initial level: arcane trickster rogue 9

final level: arcane trickster rogue 10

danielle barkstock: actually erika ishii's second shepherd druid. they really like summoning geese, spiders, pixies, and various creatures that can absolutely ruin brennan's day. with a side of no self-care.

initial level: shepherd druid 9

final level: shepherd druid 10

ostentatia wallace: she lives up to the name. the forge cleric i want to be when i grow up.

initial level: forge cleric 9

final level: forge cleric 10

sam nightingale: a masterwork in character building, from a mechanical and story standpoint. i love the use of eldritch adept to maintain the build and keep with the story during their level up.

initial level: storm sorcerer 6 | glamour bard 3

final level: storm sorcerer 6 | glamour bard 4

zelda donovan: my girl! the other fighter barb of the group, but built in the opposite direction. also 55 movement speed? by god she can hustle.

initial level: eagle totem barbarian 8 | fighter 1

final level: eagle totem barbarian 8 | fighter 2

a court of fey and flowers: this season starts in a similar place to the seven with midlevel characters and levels up mostly for story reasons. it's a little more important to track reputation by episode, but i don't have the time for that at the moment.

andhera: hot, but built mid according to omar. an ace he/they king. never actually levels up, probably because they avoid conflict by beign a slippery pillar boy in wet cotton pants.

initial level: devotion paladin 8

final level: devotion paladin 8

k.p. hob: triple multiclass, builds on brennan's theme of self-sacrificial characters who don't think love can find them.

initial level: battlemaster fighter 6 | rogue 1 | barbarian 1

final level: battlemaster fighter 6 | rogue 2 | barbarian 1

lady chirp featherfowl: an assassin wizard with bird puns, a wife and daughter, and no regard for her reputation.

initial level: bladesinger wizard 8

final level: bladesinger wizard 9

lord squak airavis: the sluttiest bird you'll ever meet. the author of the green hunter. they got renner.

initial level: lore bard 8

final level: lore bard 9

delloso de la rue: made me cry when i watched them come out. the outfits. the pizzazz. the 'i love him'. the miscommunications. an icon. doesn't use subclass features, so we'll never know.

initial level: bard 8

final level: bard 9

binx choppley: another fantastic reveal. a single mom who works two jobs, but she's a warlock patron and trying to revive her dead court while masquerading as her friend while said friend dates her warlock on the material plane. truly who is doing it like them.

initial level: arcane trickster rogue 8

final level: arcane trickster rogue 9

now that we're through with the minor progression seasons, let's look at the single-level seasons.

nonprogression seasons

there's variance in these--there's not really a consistent start level. they go low level when they need to and high level when they need to. the lack of progression here also indicates timeline and season length: most of these are 4-6 episodes, and all of these seasons happen over the span of about a day or two in-game.

escape from the bloodkeep: d20's highest level season to date. unbelievable shenanigans, deeply funny. it's also fun for me to note that d20 and cr both have their morally dubious seasons that start and end at level 14 (eftbk and exu calamity) but they end up in literal opposite ends of the comedy/tragedy scale.

maggie (magfelda):

level: berserker barbarian 14

leiland (kraz-thun):

level: hexblade warlock 14

efink murderdeath:

level: grave cleric 14

sokhbarr:

level: beastmaster ranger 14

lilith:

level: shepherd druid 14

markus st. vincent

level: swashbuckler rogue 14

tiny heist:

rick diggins: the most charisma rogue i think you can get. negative dex and strength? grifter

level: mastermind rogue 4

boomer coleoptera: his subclass is unknown--it's never really mentioned during the season. it's theorized that he may be a battlemaster. the muscle

level: fighter 4

agnes: she also doesn't use any subclass specific features during the season. the other grifter

level: bard 4

ti-83: what a little fount of violence. the techie/explosive specialist

level: artillerist artificer 4

bean: the grease with a bone to pick

level: shadow monk 4

car-go jones: the mastermind, even though he's not a mastermind rogue. the danny ocean.

level: inquisitive rogue 4

pirates of leviathan: this entire season happens pretty much in the course of 24 hours. a good chunk of that time is just spent having a spa night at the gold gardens. who is doing it like them. everyone in this party can do magic.

sunny biscotto:

level: devotion paladin 5

bob (barbarella sarsaparilla gainglynn):

level: lore bard 3 | city cleric 2

cheese:

level: necromancy wizard 5

myrtle (the bitch):

level: tempest cleric 5

jack brakkow:

level: ancestral guardians barbarian 5

marcid the typhoon:

level: gloomstalker ranger 5

mice & murder: the oops all rogues season. for a low level season there are some astronomical dcs here. it really does a lot to show off the range of subclasses. all of them have dramatically different abilities, when they're not competing.

gangie green:

level: thief rogue 3

buckster $ boyd:

level: mastermind rogue 3

daisy d'umpstaire:

level: assassin rogue 3

vicar ian prescott:

level: eloquence bard 3

lars vandenchomp:

level: battlemaster fighter 3

sylvester cross:

level: inquisitive rogue 3

coffin run: this season is actually another one with mixed leveling--maybe to indicate time spent with dracula, maybe to level out powers on from a spellcasting level

aleksandr astrovsky:

level: alchemist artificer 7

squing:

level: undead warlock 8

wetzel:

level: mastermind rogue 7

may wong:

level: shadow sorcerer 6

dungeons and drag queens: i'm fairly sure they filmed this season in one shot. a great intro to dnd and the mechanics of level 5 characters.

troyánn:

level: arcane archer fighter 5

princess foehammer:

level: berserker barbarian 5

gertrude:

level: shadow sorcerer 5

twyla:

level: gloomstalker ranger 5

fantasy high oneshots: this is just the one-off characters from the fh oneshots. both of these characters show up in between freshman and sophomore year and so land at level 8.

hargis:

level: brute fighter 8

ficus:

level: dreams druid 8

and last but not least, we have the non-DnD seasons that have no level progressions:

misfits and magic

shriek week

mentopolis

and that's all folks! this one got so long. as always the spreadsheet is open to perusal. i hope you like it!

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kayura-sanada · 5 years

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Beastmaster, Season 4 (Dar/Tao, ch. 4)

Title: Beastmaster Season 4 Chapter Four: The Return of the Mad King, Part II Pairings: Dar/Tao Ratings: M Words: ~21000

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence

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BeastMaster, Season 4 - A few months after Dar takes the throne, his kingdom comes under attack once again. Episode One | Two | Three

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“He's my friend. Don't you hurt him.”

- - - -

Dar stared blindly at the remnants of the cave.

Tao.

He'd raced in the opposite direction once he'd realized the rock barring him from Tao's side wasn't going to budge. But by the time he'd traversed the narrow path, Tao had already been gone. He'd gone back up, stopping only when he saw Arina, who merely pointed him toward the original opening of the cave. And then Sharak, who had called for him, tried to hold Voden off. And Ruh, Ruh, who was unconscious on the ground, still unmoving after being checked over by Tao. Tao, who was dragged from Ruh’s side by Qord – Qord, his murderous fingers wrapped around Tao's neck. He thought of it, Tao bound hand and foot, unable to so much as grab the hand wrapped around him, and wanted to scream.

Dar had raced out, finding Ruh seemingly dead on the ground, and he'd run to Ruh's side, even as Sharak shouted for him to hurry, feeling Ruh's fur, feeling the steady inhale, before getting up to continue on. Sharak had followed Voden to a small boat, only large enough for Voden and Qord and the young boy with them. They'd nearly hung Tao into the water to get themselves going, and had only pulled him up once they'd gotten moving. Dar had watched through Sharak's eyes as Tao coughed up water onto the boat, only to get kicked in the gut for his trouble.

Now Dar was standing in the cave as his soldiers tended the wounded and bound the bandits. He stood stupidly as rocks were beaten down with swords taken from the bandits' hands. He felt numb. A few soldiers searched for a way to cross the sea, and the seagulls and fish were following the boat to its destination. Until he found a way to cross – short of swimming, and the distance to the island was just too far. He would be exhausted from the trip and easily defeated.

But before Voden got away, he had to do something. He asked the animals to help him, begged them in a way he hadn't thought he would be willing to do, and he was amazed at how quickly they responded, from the fish to the birds to a few crocodiles lounging further downstream, where the cliff face smoothed into a grassy beach. All of them hurried to Tao's side, ready to delay Voden despite the dangers. The response made Dar's heart turn in his chest; he never should have left the animals, even to stabilize the world. He would never be able to repay this debt.

So now he was there, trying to find something to get his brother out of his chains, being led like a lost lamb by Arina, who took charge faster than he, demanding explanations for everything. It was through her that he learned that the villagers had been held hostage against Sendar and his men when they came to stop Voden. He learned that his brother had demanded each villager go free, one villager in exchange for one soldier, until all were let go and scattered to the winds as Sendar gave himself up to Voden. Dar was pulled from his grief enough to thank Sendar for his sacrifice, and for his brother to turn his head to the side and huff, “it was my duty.”

Then Arina was tugging him along to the narrow passageway, muttering about getting him somewhere quiet while a soldier used her dagger to try to break Sendar's chains.

Then they stepped into the small chamber at the back of the cave, and they froze.

The torch was still lit in the room, one of many tokens Voden had abandoned in his efforts to escape. It was perhaps the worst thing in the room, if only because it allowed Dar to see all the others.

On the right side of the room was a rock, thin and tall, with two chain cuffs swinging idly from the top. They were open, unlocked, but Dar could see, in his mind's eye, Tao trapped by those cuffs. Beside that, what Dar recognized as a tool used for hurting horses – a rider's crop, or something. It was on the ground beside the pole, and he thought of Tao, trapped against the pole, getting beaten.

But all of these images froze and disappeared and contorted the moment his eyes took in the rest of the items on the ground. Strips of Tao's clothing. A chain, long, abandoned to the floor, coated in sharp barbs, each and every one drenched in blood.

And oh, the blood. Dar's eyes stung at the sight of it. A puddle of it, just below the pole. And beside it, in small splatters and scrubbed everywhere as if someone had smeared it on the ground like a canvas. So much... how was Tao not dead?

That thought made everything jumble in his mind until he couldn't think anything at all, could only see all that blood and the sight of Tao, struggling to breathe on the boat.

Arina cursed, loudly, vehemently, over and over again, and nearly dragged Dar from the room. “Goddamn you, Voden, I will skin you alive for this,” she hissed, her gaze stuck on the bloodstains, as well, until finally they were far enough down the passageway that they couldn't see any of it anymore. “Come on, Dar. Dar. We have to get going. They can't be too far. They have to still be on the island. Right? Right, Dar?” And she shook him, just a little.

Tao. Tao was injured. He'd seen the blood; it had caked the front of Tao's shirt. But Tao had seemed relatively uninjured, and Dar – just what had he expected? He shook his head. One quick call to the seagulls confirmed that Voden and Qord were only just landing on the island. Sharak was struggling to catch up; his eagle wings weren't made to catch the strange swells of air over the water, but he would do it. If he asked, the animals would flock to attack him. Dar remembered the fire Voden threw at Sharak, however, and asked that they just try to slow him down, or to stay back entirely, if it was too dangerous.

Swimming would exhaust him, but Tao was bleeding profusely. He couldn’t begin to guess how long Tao had. Exhaustion didn’t matter anymore.

“They're on the island,” he managed to say, and Arina pulled him past the cavern.

“My liege?” one soldier asked, stopping Arina, looking at Dar like one might an injured child. Dar managed a short nod. “Sir, if you're going after them, please take some of us, as well.”

“We don't have transport,” Dar said, but the idea of these men wanting to follow him bolstered his resolve. Tao was still alive. Injured, alone, but alive. Dar would get him back. He would. And it wouldn't be too late.

“Sir, if we must, we will swim with you until we drown.”

The words made Dar glare down at the man. “Your life is not one to throw away, Ducard.” The name came to him just as he said it, and he remembered the man, suddenly. He'd followed Dar through the mist after just a couple of weeks of him as king; he'd pledged his life to Dar that very day, still grinning from the victory of arriving. Sendar had recruited him to Dar's army immediately.

“It wouldn't be thrown away if it helped you,” he said, and his bright jade eyes were wide on Dar's. He remembered that he was king then, in a way he hadn't remembered since racing to the Vella camp. The lack of robes and crown seemed to matter very little to Ducard, who still stared at Dar as if he was born from the sun's rays. “What do you need us to do? Tell us, and it will be done.”

Dar had to stop himself from telling the man to simply stay back; his army existed to help him, and he had to remember that he was no longer alone. “I need some men to stay behind and protect Ruh and Sendar. Others will have to stay with them, build a fire, continue searching for a drier way to get to the island.” He thought of what he might face and said, “distribute the weapons amongst you all. Keep constant watch on the prisoners; see if any of them will tell you anything. If they won't together, try separately. Men falter when alone.” Alone. He wouldn't let himself ponder that word.

Already Arina was leaving him behind, as frantic as he to reach Tao. “Five of you – the best fighters, two in close combat, three in medium- or long-range, come with me.” He paused and asked his animal friends exactly where Voden was, and they reported him to be heading over to the west side of the island, toward a larger boat. His heart seized in his chest. He hurried to the exit. “Head to the east side of the island and sneak from behind. If we haven't gotten to Tao, focus on getting him out of there.” Dar didn't want to think about how far Voden planned on going, or whether Tao would be in one piece when they arrived. He would stop Voden in his tracks before he ever got off that island. Or else Tao... no, no, he wouldn't think about it! “Just hurry,” he said, and rushed off.

Arina, when he exited the cave, was already hurrying around to the meadow's edge. It had been further up that the boat had been waiting to take Voden and Tao away, but here, the island was just that little bit closer. “He's getting ready to leave the island,” Dar said, and Arina barely took the time to nod before she was unstrapping the dyed leather skirt at her hip and diving into the water. Dar quickly followed suit, dropping the pack with Kodo and Podo inside and ordering them to stay with Ruh. They squeaked an affirmative as he joined Arina in the water.

It was colder than he'd expected, but he'd hardly been of a mind to notice how dark it had become. The lack of light would have leeched any remaining warmth from the water. Arina wasn't waiting for him, but soon enough he'd caught up. She was a fine enough swimmer – if she wasn't, she would have died after falling off that cliff all those months ago – but he was an expert. She huffed as he sidled up next to her, then glared at him as he stayed in pace. He accepted the rebuttal and hurried ahead of her.

Voden was finding his boat to have a hole in it, courtesy of a few helpful crabs, and the damage was forcing him to delay his retreat. Qord was making camp, most likely fortifying their position on the island. Tao was near Qord, obviously under the man's guard. From what Sharak could see, finally reaching the island, Tao was shivering and eyeing Qord's every move. When Qord made to leave the camp and passed by Tao, he stopped just behind Tao's head. Tao nearly bent his spine backward trying to catch the man's eye, and when he nearly did, Qord put his boot on Tao's face and squashed it into the wet grass. Dirt clung to Tao's face. Dar seethed. The image was enough to push him that little bit harder. Tao wasn't able to defend himself, and as Sharak watched, the immortal eagle's anger feeding his own, Qord kept his face trapped beneath his foot for a minute, two, before finally pressing harder for one short moment and letting him up. Tao did not raise his head again until Qord had left, and that last sight hurt more than the rest. Tao looked tired. Dar's limbs ached from the swim, and the island still stood against the horizon, still a ways away. So far. Too far.

Then he heard the sound of movement in the water and stopped swimming to strain his ears. Whatever it was didn't respond for a moment, and he feared he would have to try the awkward attempt to grab his sword from his back.

The voice that suddenly called for him, however, made him sigh in relief. He turned back to Arina, who was quickly catching up to him. “Arina.”

“Dar? Why have you stopped?”

“A couple of friends have come to help us,” he said, grinning, and though it was dark, they were now close enough to make out the fins cutting through the water.

One came to him, another to Arina, and one more swam away, past Dar, to grab one of his men struggling to match pace through the water. They'd come inland a bit more than usual for the trip, and Dar thanked them profusely for it. He wrapped one hand around the fin and waited for Arina to copy his move before asking them to go. They wasted no time, hurrying through the water. Arina's eyes widened at it, and Dar felt a nearly painful pang of loss as he thought of how Tao would have responded had he been riding the third, the grin of delight and spark of wonder in his eye. He thought of the ridiculous rant Tao would begin, something about a device that could swim underwater, perhaps. He imagined how Tao's mouth would fill with sea water, how he would splutter and complain and never, never lose his grin, and he swore that he would give Tao such an experience, if only he got him back in time.

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The night was cold, especially with torn clothes and skin still wet from an impromptu dunk in the sea. But that wasn't why he shivered uncontrollably.

He knew Dar was out there, chasing him down. He knew Dar would stop at nothing to get to him – the boat had already suffered damages, and while Voden and Qord were suspicious, Tao was certain it was because of Dar.

And that left him with a very difficult decision. Because as much as he wanted Dar to catch up with him in time, he couldn't let him.

He clenched his eyes shut. Voden had found the temple with the chant on how to defeat Awun. Though Voden had only found a piece, even that was more than they had at the moment. If Tao could see this information for himself... if he could piece it all together...

It was an opportunity Tao couldn't afford to pass up. Simply knowing this piece of the chant was from wherever Voden hailed wasn't nearly good enough. It could take them weeks, months, to find the place, when instead all Tao had to do was wait a few days.

But the idea of what could happen in a few days made his body seize up.

He breathed deeply. He just had to get through it. Voden wouldn't kill him, not while he could get answers out of him. Which meant that as long as Dar followed behind, they could reach the temple with Tao still, if nothing else, alive, and they could find information within.

Of course, the only serious issue with that plan was getting too close, because Voden's men were there, waiting, and if they waited too long before surprising Voden, then Tao really would be trapped within.

But even if he was, he would just have to find a way to get the information Dar needed and then get back out. He'd been tortured before – Zad had helped him gain a small immunity to it – and as long as he wasn't killed...

But he shuddered at the thought of that chain being near him again, and he couldn't help but jump at the idea of Qord being too close...

No. No, he would just have to deal with it.

He needed to not get saved. But that was looking more and more impossible, and he was feeling the twin emotions of relief and concern, joy and horror. He felt like he was being torn in half.

“Enough,” Voden said finally. “Laafi, stay behind.” Tao jerked at that and looked up, but Laafi didn't seem even remotely disgruntled by it. “Keep the Beastmaster busy. If he's the same as he was, then he won't kill you. Just force him back as long as possible. Qord. Get him.” Voden waved a pale hand in Tao's direction, and Tao flinched. “I'll keep the water from the boat long enough for us to reach the ship.”

Qord snatched Tao by the arm again, and Tao winced slightly; a bruise was apparently forming where Qord grabbed. He was dragged from his place on the ground to the boat and thrown within. The water immediately filled the space, dampening Tao's clothes and chilling him all over again. His teeth chattered.

Voden and Qord joined him then, Voden's hand glowing a light blue, and the water receded as if the floor of the boat was completely solid. Tao's heart hammered. He'd wanted this. Well, wanted was a strong word. But since he'd made the decision, he should stick to it.

He felt like he had that day he'd told Dar to hurry off to take care of Arina when Zad had captured him and had him make swords for his army. Willingly alone, all to protect another. Panic shimmered just underneath his skin as Voden pushed the water behind him. Tao could see perspiration on Voden's neck and upper lip and had a brand-new fear. If Voden lost control of the water, even for an instant, Tao would sink like a stone.

He stayed quiet, the very thought of struggling in his bonds as he sank to the sea floor granting him a patience for silence he hadn't previously owned.

Besides, he would need to learn how to be silent very quickly. He had no idea how long he would be at Voden's and Qord's nonexistent mercy.

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Dar didn't need to receive Sharak's vision to know he was too late. He'd felt it in his gut as soon as he'd stepped onto land, the dolphins waiting for him in the slightly deeper waters, keeping themselves safe from being beached.

He knew it for certain as soon as he stepped onto land and the young man stepped out of the short bushes on the edge of the island, swinging a small sword just barely longer than a normal dagger. The young man was buying time for Voden. And without a doubt, Tao would be with the mad king. In order to harm Dar, or for his own reasons – the soldiers had told him Voden was looking for information on Dar, on the magic he himself commanded, on several things, and there was no one Dar knew with more information within him than Tao. And so Tao was gone, and he was too late, and even as those horrible words resounded in his mind, this young man dared stand in Dar's way.

This time, Dar's sword did not turn into his staff.

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Arina eyed Dar as they rested around the campsite that had already been half-made – by Qord, Dar had told her, his words soft and short. Their prisoner, bloody but alive, was unconscious against a tree, watched over by Arina, because she was the only one with enough focus to do even that much.

Dar looked out to the sea, his head tilted slightly, and she knew he was receiving news about Voden. Dar had called on animals far and wide, asking for their help, using his ability in a way she'd never seen him use before. But she couldn't bring it up, remembering the blood. Tao could well be dead, or near it, and Dar's tension was mirrored in her own body, every muscle ready to spring the moment an opportunity arose. For now, the tension thrummed against her nerves, nearly bringing pain, a desire to launch without the ability to move.

“He's reached a ship,” Dar said, his lips curling.

A few minutes later, Dar's men came out of the woods, several carrying firewood, others still wet from the roundabout route Dar had ordered them to take. Each was silent, carefully unobtrusive, as they set about making the camp a bit wider to accommodate their needs. Dar stood to help, and one of them came and bound their prisoner with wet rope. It woke the young man up, but weaponless, all he could do was spit and snarl. The soldier binding him leaned over and said something, and the young man went quiet, though his eyes still stabbed fire at the man.

Setting up didn't take nearly as long as Dar clearly needed it to, and she let him wander the island, curling like a tiger trapped. The fire burned bright in the darkness, stealing her night vision. Soldiers had taken up the watch around the perimeter, though she knew it was useless. Better to have them, she eventually decided; after all, she didn't have the ability to focus on more than the need to move, to get to Tao.

Dar must have been feeling it even more than she; their bond had always been stronger. Like brothers, yet even closer, as if they had the same blood running through their bodies, pain echoing through them both when one was hurt. She thought she and Tao had gotten closer, as they both struggled to find a place without their compass. She'd been there for him when he'd first entered Xinca again, as people turned very different stares on him than Tao was used to. He was there when she first returned to her homeland and stared at her baby's grave as if, if she stared long enough, she could raise the child back into her womb and start over, all over, and somehow do it better. He'd moved in with the Vella after the reception at Xinca, after being named a leader only because of his station as a rare surviving Eiron, and she had traveled the world, selfishly pulling Tao along when the woods got too quiet.

But she still couldn't compete with the camaraderie between Dar and Tao, the way they gravitated to one another. How Tao would always work on a project beside Dar; how Dar would always return to camp by Tao, as if to be closer to him faster. As if the two were connected.

And if they were? How did it feel, to feel the echo of that horrible chain digging into his flesh, knowing it was digging into Tao's? It made her furious, the knowledge of it, but all Dar could see was his friend's agony.

Dar returned to camp, looking even more tired than ever, his eyes wide open as if ready for an attack, and Arina was suddenly reminded of the first time she and Dar had met, the driven focus he’d had on finding Tao, getting to him. But she couldn't pull Dar out of his funk this time. Not when they knew Tao was in danger. Hurt.

Their prisoner watched Dar for a moment, two, and she saw him open his mouth. She glared a warning at him, but still he spoke. “You have my respect, Beastmaster,” he said, and Dar looked at the man. “You have not tortured me for information.”

Dar pulled back his lips. “I'm not the one who uses such methods.”

The prisoner didn't look chagrined in any way, just nodded as if simply hearing Dar's opinion and not the accusation. “Your friend will not be harmed if he cooperates.”

Dar's lips thinned. He was obviously thinking the same as Arina – if it meant harming Dar in any way, Tao would not cooperate. “And if he doesn't?”

The prisoner didn't frown, didn't grin, didn't even shrug. “He will.”

Dar moved again, getting ready to pace, but Arina was the one who acted, who moved to the boy's side and held his jaw in one hand. “Hope that you're wrong,” she hissed, and the boy's eyes narrowed. “Tao is a good man. If anything happens to him, we will tear your world apart.”

The boy finally reacted, lifting his chin. “We hold with us the master of the lands and elements. The lord of destruction leads us. If anything will be torn apart, it will be by his hand, not yours.”

Arina dropped him, her fingers suddenly like ice. She thought of Awun's dark gaze fixing on Tao. “He leads you?” she asked, vaguely aware of Dar stopping his pacing and staring at the blond.

“He knows you,” the boy continued. A small grin played at the edges of his lips, his eyes bright. Enjoying the conversation. “He knows you, especially, Beastmaster,” he said, and Arina felt a bit sick. “He remembers how you refused to help him. He remembers the intelligence of your friend. You've been wasting the man's potential. So he thought to make better use of him.”

Something sharp twisted in her stomach.

“Fear not. Once your friend learns he can't escape, once he accepts Voden as his master, then the punishments will stop.”

Arina shook her head, the sharp something in her chest and stomach loosening so fast it hurt anew. “Voden? You think Voden is the lord of destruction?”

The kid's lips turned down a bit then, and Arina was glad. She didn't think Dar would approve of hitting a bound man. “Of course. The scripture says so.”

Scripture? Arina scowled. “What are you talking about?”

The blond shook his head, his eyes widening. “Of course you don't know,” he said. “We live to the north, where the ices encroach. But we will not leave our temple. We are protected.” The boy leaned forward. “The Herald. And as the Message states, the cold and darkness brought the cleanse of nothing to everything.”

Dar's brows furrowed. Arina was left to ask. “What?”

“He came, through fire, just as it was said. His vessel, the forgotten child.” The young man struggled in his bonds as if trying to move his hands, to make a point. “In his hand was fire. And when he came, he came in bright guise, with a smile and a desire for death.”

Dar's mouth worked, then he shook his head. “Voden isn't the lord of darkness. Awun is.”

“Voden is a child, one used to getting his way,” Arina said, backing Dar up, though she already knew he would ignore them.

And he did, rolling their words off like water. “The forgotten child, yes, the vessel of destruction. The one who will purge the lands and raze them to dust.”

“Enough.” Arina waved her hand and jerked when one of Dar's men came forward and gagged the prisoner. Dar made a short sound, but when his guard looked to him, he said nothing. The warrior tied the gag and backed away, hovering for a moment before returning to watching the edges of the island. “Dar.” It took him a moment to look at her. “We need to find a way to follow Voden.”

“The animals are watching him,” he said. His voice was raw. If she couldn't see his face through the firelight, she would think he was crying. It wasn't like him.

“Dar? Are you okay?”

She put her hand on his shoulder, only to feel the skin beneath her fingers jump. She pulled them back. Dar shook his head, closed his eyes, shook his head again. His lips firmed. “Not one week back, and you two are already in danger.”

Arina scowled. “Shut up with that right now, Dar.” Dar blinked at her. “You didn't start any of this; Awun did. Everything that's happened is because of him. Not you.” Dar had that odd look on him; Arina wondered if it was the same one he'd worn when considering dropping his quest when he'd thought she'd died. “Besides,” she said, gentler now, and Dar's brow furrowed at the change, “Tao is happy you're back. I'm sure if he were here, he'd tell you that any danger is worth it. You're his friend.”

Something akin to guilt played over his face, a guilt different from that of concern or fear. Maybe he regretted not coming to see them? She wanted to feel bitter about it, bust she couldn't. His rule was still so new. He had to be busy. And if Tao could recognize that, then she could recognize it, too.

“Come on,” she said, and this time when she clapped his shoulder, he didn't pull away. “We need our strength to pursue these guys come morning. Let's get some rest.”

She felt the shiver of Dar's muscles, a tension, then a rush of resigned defeat. “You're right,” he said finally. She took the victory silently and watched as Dar shuffled down to the ground to sleep. Only after she was certain he wouldn't just stare into the fire all night did she do the same.

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The morning light attacked his eyes as Voden entered the small space hidden beneath the ship deck. Tao squinted and shivered as the ocean breeze burst into the room. Voden looked like a god, his white cape brimming with light from the outside. He hadn't seen the outdoors since they'd made it to Voden's larger ship and he'd been dragged into this small cubbyhole of a room. He'd been relieved, however. He hadn't seen Voden or Qord before this moment.

“Tao.” His lips pulled back at the condescending tone. “I have no desire to harm you. In fact, I quite respect you. Knowledgeable, savvy. Loyal. These are all commendable traits in a man.” Voden stepped inside, closer, and Tao had to fight to not back away. “You have shown yourself to be a wise and dependable man to your friends. And you stand strong against enemies far greater than you. Also a commendable trait, I suppose, if foolish.”

Tao tensed. Of course Voden had the unicorn horn; he pulled it from his cloak and looked upon it, almost the same way he had back in the cave. “I don't know anything more about the gems. It's all speculative at best. And I already told you all I know about Awun.”

“Yes. You did.” Voden's ice blue eyes glinted. “But I doubt you told me everything.” He took a breath and pointed the horn at Tao. “It's that loyalty of yours, Tao. You see, I think you're hiding something. Multiple somethings, in fact. Pertaining to the Beastmaster? He always does seem to be in the thick of it all, doesn't he?” Voden smiled. “And you're always right there with him.”

“So?” he asked.

It was the wrong thing to say. Voden's grin widened into something almost reptilian. “So your secrets are his, are they not? Anything that may be his to know, you keep for him.” He waved the horn and stepped closer. Tao tensed. He'd been left tied in the small room, but that didn't mean he couldn't fight. It just meant he couldn't fight well. Or win. “That loyalty of yours should be for someone smarter, someone far more powerful than your dear Beastmaster.”

“No one deserves it more than Dar,” Tao said, lifting his chin. Only his hands were bound, and behind his back. His feet had been untied, most likely so that he could relieve himself in the bucket in the corner of the room. It gave him the chance to fight back, so long as he avoided Voden's gemstone magic.

Voden sighed. “The Beastmaster is certainly lucky to be able to accrue such loyalty. Even from those who used to swear their allegiance to another.” Voden stepped closer. Tao tensed. Even if he managed to defeat Voden, what would his next step be? He couldn't possibly defeat all of Voden's men. And if he could, he couldn't swim from deep rivers and hope to reach land. And if land was in sight, would he reach it before the animals or the elements got to him? And if he did, what were the chances he would ever read the prophecy that Dar needed to know?

So while he tensed, he considered the battle already lost. He altered his thoughts from defeating Voden to appeasing him, or perhaps even manipulating him. He didn't want to get stabbed again.

“There,” Voden said, nodding toward Tao as he untensed. Noticing the change. “All that brilliance, wasted in the wild.”

“It's only wasted if I decide it is so,” Tao said. He'd already accepted that the best place for him was right where Dar needed him, whether that be by his side or guarding over Balcifer's remains with the Vella. Though, to be fair, he thought with another pang of guilt, he'd failed in the latter task. “What did you come here for, Voden?”

It was a risk, saying the man's name without the 'king' attached. The man's grip on the unicorn horn tightened. One of the gems sparked; the red agate. Linked to anger, maybe? Or maybe the man just didn't have much control over that particular element. Or over anything; Voden's temper was something that seemed to take the man over whenever it rose.

Like now, as Voden finally stepped into Tao's personal space, and Tao had to control himself not to lash out, or to fight back in any way, or even to show his fear as Voden brought his hand up and touched Tao's cheek. He was ready for the magic, for the gems to light up and for something like fire or lightning to touch his skin. He had actually managed, in one short half-second, to forget about the unicorn horn.

Voden only slashed down Tao's side, through the tears and rips already decimating his shirt. It was a low fire, after everything else he'd dealt with, and he was certain it was merely a reminder. Voden grinned and patted Tao's cheek. “There, you see? It doesn't take too much effort to get those like you to show their hands, so to speak. You are hiding something. Why else would you egg me on?”

Tao barely hid his grimace as Voden laid out Tao's own reasoning.

“Now, do try to give me the proper respect. I understand those in the wilderness don't care much about kings or countries – or, at least, they shouldn't. Your Beastmaster played me rather well back then, didn't he? Acting like he didn't care about such things.”

Tao didn't know how to tell the man that Dar hadn't cared back then, not because he didn't care about people, but because he didn't separate them into groups, and he didn't care about leaders. He doubted any attempt to explain such things to this man wouldn't end in failure. So he kept his mouth shut.

His silence made Voden grin. “Now, now. Don't be like that. You and I still have a lot to talk about.”

Tao didn't have anything left to say to him. And Tao knew Voden could read such a thing on Tao's features. But instead of getting angry, the man's smile simply turned rueful.

He wasn't going to leave, Tao realized. This was no longer a visit to try to frighten Tao, or intimidate him, or to confirm Voden's suspicions on what Tao may or may not be hiding. It was to gain information. And if that were the case, he would almost wish Qord back. If it were Qord, then it would all just be mindless violence, and Tao would be able to handle that. Or, at least, after what had happened with Zad when Zad had tried to torture the whereabouts of the Crystal Ark from him, or just recently, when Qord wrapped those chains around his body, Tao had been able to resist. But Voden's torture was more devious, more cunning. He thought of Bakhtiar, Voden's once cursed brother, and cringed.

“You know,” Voden said, his voice like he was sipping tea over a tiny table and not leaning into Tao's body, pressing the horn into his stomach, “I do find you and your Beastmaster friend so very interesting. His power alone could have made me a god.” Tao shivered, and snarled, and ignored the pain as the horn pricked through the layers of skin. “But the man's way of thinking? Your way of thinking? It's odd. You have your own little circle, your own little world.” Voden's words were whispered into his ear now, and each breath ghosted over him like the touch of the dead. “And yet you demand the rest of the world bow down to you. Your way of thinking. 'Protect the animals.' 'Save the forests.' 'Help people.'” The man scoffed, and when he pulled back, he took the horn with him. Tao sighed. Momentary as it may have been, it was a reprieve nonetheless. “Though I suppose your Beastmaster always was a leader.”

There was a look involved there, one that said that Tao was not a leader, he was a follower. And though Tao would readily admit the truth of it, there was something more connoted in those eyes. It was dark, almost burdensome, and it made Tao shiver again. There was something about it that made Tao think the man had made some sort of assumption about his and Dar's relationship, and that it might be best if he never found out what that assumption was.

Voden looked Tao up and down. “What would it take,” he said, as if thinking out loud, “for someone like you to switch loyalties?”

A complete personality makeover? Tao thought, but didn't dare say it. Let the man ramble. The more he did, the less time he had to torture Tao before they arrived at their destination. Tao would need to be transported, and Voden, mad though he certainly was, wouldn't want to harm Tao to the point where he wouldn't be able to focus on explaining whatever the man didn't understand about the prophecy.

He wondered if maybe the prophecy needed translation, or if perhaps it was written in code. Had parts of it been decrypted, but not others? He itched to find out, to learn what Dar needed in order to defeat Awun. He needed to be useful, to make up to Dar the fact that he let Balcifer fall into Awun's hands. The prophecy might be the key to Awun's defeat. It had been for Balcifer; it followed that perhaps the same would be for said for Awun.

In any case, he needed to find out. Nothing would be lost by gleaning all the knowledge possible. But not getting enough? That could cost Dar his life. It could cost the entire world.

Voden stared at Tao in silence for a while, much longer than Tao thought the man could stand. The stillness finally made Tao wary. He didn't know what Voden was planning – could anyone ever predict madness? – but the unusual calm was a prelude to something.

“It’s been said,” Voden said finally, “that men, when they undergo extreme stress, will forget themselves.”

Tao froze.

“You are a learned man,” Voden said. He twisted and turned the horn in his hand, rubbed his thumb over the ridges. Tao's heart pounded in his chest. “Do you believe there's truth to these stories?”

Tao's mouth turned to sand. He'd heard similar tales, that men tortured beyond their endurance would become broken. “Yes,” he said, and he fought to keep his voice level. “But these men have also lost many skills. Some lose the ability to fight. Others the ability to draw intricate pictures.” To break meant to not only lose one's memories, but also the innate sense of who a person was. If that was what Voden wanted, it would mean Tao might lose his skills as a healer. It might mean he would lose... if he forgot about Dar, then he would lose a core piece of who he was. That alone was enough to tell Tao that he couldn't allow it.

But breaking a man also took time. While Voden was obviously thinking long-term – well, that or foolishly believing such an endeavor would only take a short amount of time – Tao had no intention of staying so long. He would find a way to escape Voden's sanctuary. And if he didn't, he trusted Dar to come for him. Just as he had when Zad had taken him, Tao would have to pry Dar away. And this time, there were no animals that needed to be protected. As soon as Tao was done copying the prophecy, he would leave.

Just as he thought that, the boat jerked slightly and footsteps pounded on the steps outside the room. “My apologies,” a man said before he even arrived. When he did, it was with a thin beard and an immediate bow in deference to the younger ex-king. Voden's face contorted for a moment before he turned, frown still in place, but head tilted to show he was listening. “We're near,” the man said, finally raising his head. Voden nodded and waved one bejeweled hand, sending the messenger on his way.

Tao breathed in deep, adrenaline burning away the pain in his side. The fact remained that he was arriving at Voden's stronghold, and perhaps relying on Dar to get him out would be a bad idea. Dar could handle numbers, but too many and even he would fall. No, Tao would have to rely on his own intelligence and quick wit to free himself. From there, Dar could help him escape the place entirely.

His gut clenched. This was his last chance. Voden turned toward the door, and if Tao was going to take him by surprise, then it had to be now. This instant.

But Tao faltered, hesitated, because it was important, for Dar's sake, for the world's sake, and he couldn't afford to run. Just as Voden reached the door, the man turned, a small grin on his face, and said, “not going to run, Tao?”

Tao's fingers curled into fists. If he'd tried to run, Voden would have been ready for it. He was very glad he hadn't. “I can't defeat you,” he said. “Not physically.”

Voden's grin widened. “Accepting a submissive role? It's a good first step.”

Tao's heart pounded in his ears as the door slammed shut on him again.

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When the boat docked, Tao had just finished taking care of nature's call, and he was more than ready to leave his tiny room, even if it was to enter Voden's domain. He couldn't stand the lack of open space, the lack of sunlight. Even in the city, there was room to breathe and sky to see.

But when the door opened and Qord led him out, the bastard grinning as Tao leaned away from him, the sudden light hurt his eyes, and he had to close them as he stumbled off the boat. By the time his sight adjusted enough, he was already down the plank and walking on land – hard land, the wind brittle and icy against his exposed body, making him shiver and the wound Voden gave him burn. The world was ice, he found; he was walking on it, then on dry, cracked land. The sky was wide, nearly fathomless, and such a light blue as to almost seem white. Nothing sat around save a large stone structure that loomed only up to a man's head. Tao's heart pounded. It had to be another underground compound. He nearly dug in his heels at the memory of the last one.

It took a while to reach the place, despite how close it seemed, and Tao quickly learned that spacial awareness could be lost in such a dead, open area. His fingers were nearly numb by the time they finally entered the cave, gaining respite from the cold wind. Tao shivered almost convulsively as he was led inside, the cave entrance thin. Perhaps, from far away, a person might think it nothing more than a large rock just before the shore, and might not even enter that dead space. If that was the case, then, so long as no one was seen around the entrance, others might not even be aware this place existed.

The path slid into a deep decline, carved out into thin, shallow stairs, and Tao was dragged down, his feet nearly stumbling, tripping over himself. Qord merely yanked him back up when he fell. The place opened wide, wide enough that there would be no reason at all for a group of people to leave, save for more supplies. There would be no reason for anyone to ever know of this place. Hidden, untouched, passed by every traveler and conqueror both. The wide room was dark, lit with torches and, yes, Tao could see gemstones, as well, groups of them in glass bottles or metal mesh containers, their light brighter even than the flames. He squinted; he thought the gems might be diamonds, or, no, they were too translucent at times for that. Baddeleyite. He could see a small group of people far to his left working on one large group of the gems, holding them in their hands until the gems glowed brightly again. The people sweated profusely from the effort.

It might be something someone could learn to do, Tao thought, a stirring of interest coming over him despite everything. Could he, too, learn how to manipulate the stones to be used for such purposes? Think of the possibilities! No longer helpless in the dark; the cave was lit like twilight, light enough still despite the long cast of the shadows around the room. Tao could read at night, or follow footprints, or even light up the Sanctuary so that Dar could practice his martial arts…

Tao stopped, suddenly, amazed he'd let his mind go to such lengths when he knew very well Dar would have no need to ever return to the Sanctuary again.

Still, even with that knowledge weighing him down, he couldn't help but feel slightly excited by the thought of being able to create fire without slowly lighting kindling, or perhaps to create water where there was none and quench a man's thirst.

The room held more than just that one group, however, and everyone save those working on the baddeleyite stopped whatever they were doing and bowed. Voden raised one hand almost negligently as they passed, yet many smiled at the wave as if having been spoken to personally. Tao shivered as he caught the stares of those he passed, their looks of awe and adoration as Voden crossed their paths. The first one who saw him, on the other hand, took one look at his torn and bloodied clothes and frowned at him. One man nudged another, and suddenly all eyes were on him, all muscles tense. Tao's heart pounded in his chest. Had he been labeled enemy before even having the chance to speak to these men? Could he get them to lower their guard in time to get back to Dar before Dar did something reckless to get to him?

He was led to another room. This one seemed like some sort of barracks; the naturally-formed stalactites actually acted not only as support pillars but also as walls of a sort. Hollow depressions had been carved in the floor, where the drips from the top of the stalactites gathered into puddles. Tao saw children bend down, reach into the puddles, and sip, then go racing off after one another. Beyond the puddles were walkways, each leading to a small bed, or gathering of beds. A few were occupied, but most were empty. Even more eyes turned to him, and he was led through the middle of the room in a silent sort of procession. One woman went and grabbed the children, and again, everyone bowed in deference to Voden.

Once more, their gazes slid from Voden to his men, then finally rested on Tao, and their looks changed. Tension, wariness. And then suspicion. Not, Tao finally noted, because he was banged up, but because he wasn't one of them. These people kept so thoroughly to themselves that they didn't trust anyone who wasn't from their cave. The only exception, it seemed, was Voden, whom they considered their leader, perhaps even their god.

That meant getting out would be difficult. They wouldn't want anyone telling where they were, or giving away any of their secrets. And though Tao had expected some struggles involved in escaping, he somehow hadn't thought an entire village's worth of people would want to keep him locked up. They would work for Voden without him even needing to say anything to them. He would have to work carefully in order to get free.

But only one exit? And up such a steep incline? It would be nearly impossible.

Perhaps it had been a mistake, letting them bring him here.

When they passed the second chamber, it was to enter a small, cramped opening that forced everyone to duck their heads – Tao's head was shoved down by the man behind him – and walk forward in a sort of crouch. Voden, Tao noticed with an inward chuckle, picked up his cape in order to keep it from getting dirty.

When they made it to the third and, it seemed, final chamber, Tao shivered. This had to be where the prophecy was kept. Even though they were still underground, in a cave used as a sort of village, this chamber was empty save for two lone people lying almost prostrate at the end of the large room, their heads pointed to a statue carved out of the very rock the people relied on to support their home. It was shaped like a human, but had little else to mark it; like a hooded reaper, the figure shifted out as if pulling itself from the wall; a head, covered; a body, wrapped in some thick linen, arms as if to push the rest of the body out; all trapped perpetually in one still motion. Pieces were missing, as if lost over time, most likely from the walls being slick with water, or perhaps from an instability created by carving at them; one arm was chipped, and part of the hood missing, taking a part of the head beneath with it.

On the walls on either side of the figure, curls of rock pieced away by hand, were words. Tao was still too far away to read them, and he upped his pace, almost pulling ahead of Voden. One of his men, and Qord's hand still on his wrist, yanked Tao back before he could. He'd nearly forgotten about Qord in his haste and wonder. Now he felt the hand on him like a vice.

Voden led the way to the statue, and while the two people bowing to the statue didn't look up, they were far enough from the figure for Voden to walk in front of them and turn, his cloak billowing behind him, to face Tao – no, to face his entourage. His followers. Voden spread his hands. “This is where my coming was foretold,” he said, and Tao had to bite his tongue to keep from contradicting him. He was certain that to do so here would mean his death. “And you,” he said, looking at Tao, and those pale blue eyes glittered. Voden clasped his hands together as if in prayer and pointed them toward Tao. “You will translate it.”

Tao's gaze shifted to the writing. As far as he could see, it didn't need translating; it was right there. And if these people had labeled Voden as Awun in the prophecy, then they at least needed some basic understanding of what it said, right? But still he said nothing, only turning his attention back to Voden.

“Now,” the ex-king said, sweeping a hand out toward Tao's left, the right-hand side of the statue, and Qord dragged Tao suddenly over to it. Tao stumbled and nearly faceplanted. Only when Qord stopped pulling him did he manage to get his feet underneath him once again. He felt a tension in the ropes around his wrists, and then they loosened. He'd been freed. “Get started,” Voden said, and Tao, despite himself, looked up at the man's command.

It wasn't as if he didn't want to, after all.

--------------

In the Dawn of Twilight:

Cold will come, and Darkness, And the Lord will watch with beady eyes. And after it comes, so will he, Disguised in brightness and desiring death.

His Herald will be the forgotten child, And he will come through fire And carry it in his hands: The unknown vessel, and voyager of worlds.

---------------------

It didn't take long to understand why Voden needed a translation. While the words were simply formed, they were written in a sort of prose. Tao wondered if it was always necessary to keep prophecies so vague and confusing. Then again, it had kept these people, and Voden, from understanding, and perhaps getting in the way of what must be done. So maybe yes, it was, in fact, necessary.

These people had obviously been grasping at straws to understand what the prophecy meant. To Tao, however, it was crystal clear. Cold will come – the cold that was reaching down even now from the North, and what had originally driven Voden into Zad's lands. And Darkness – well, that was Balcifer, almost certainly. 'The Lord' must have been Awun; from wherever he’d been, he’d watched and waited for his own opportunity to return. The 'disguised' in brightness reminded Tao uncomfortably of the man's clothing, that rich, ostentatious yellow.

As for the 'forgotten child,' to Tao, it had to be talking about the man Dar had fought, the one Dar himself had said had thrown fire at him. But what did it mean, that he was the 'voyager of worlds'? What worlds? Whatever world Awun had come from? Or been sent to by the Ancient One? If only Tao could ask; but the Ancient One was long dead, even if the strange wizard had been willing to talk to him.

And then the second piece, labeled When the End Comes:

-------------

All lands will be his and fall to dust, And his hand will stretch into the sky. And he will be known as Hate, Death, Destruction, And he will be revered, and he will be reviled, And he will rejoice.

-----------------------

The last words were carved deeply, each letter given extra carvings in order to make them stand out starkly against everything. Tao's heart thudded in his chest as he read it; if this was prophecy, and inevitable, then anything Dar tried would be too little too late. The thought of Dar's kingdom falling to such evil made Tao want to weep.

He hurried to the other side, nearly leaving Qord behind in his haste, needing to see the rest of the message.

But then Tao frowned, because the second half of the thing, to the left of the statue, had seen too much wear; here Tao had to squint to find the words. Water from some underground source trickled even now through the lines in the stone, some faded until the water flowed nearly without pause over the entire surface, lining the walls and some dug-out crevices underneath. While Tao thought perhaps the people who first came to worship these writings might have done so here because the water seemed most plentiful in this room – indeed, the crevices acted as a sort of moat, about four inches wide, and Tao thought the water might be led to where the beds sat, creating those walkways he'd seen before and leading to the puddles (yes, that made the most sense) – it had created an immediate issue with sustainability. Over time, the water that these people's ancestors might have considered sent from some sort of god had whittled away whatever message meant for Tao's eyes.

Only a few words remained of the rest of the prophecy. Tao muttered and squinted, brought one hand up to trace the letters, though he heard a few men move as if to stop him. Voden, of all people, held them off, but Tao was too absorbed to care.

But the forgotten child's mother has a redeemer, the first line read, and he managed to pull that meaning only by curling one finger around the symbol for 'mother', ensuring that he wasn't reading that line incorrectly. The rest, however, was too far gone to make out full sentences.

------------------

But the forgotten child's mother has a redeemer,

… and Life,

… of the past, and now, and what...

… in Light.

… him, Shadows, and do not cross.

-------------------

Tao grimaced. Even tracing as much as he could, he couldn't find enough to translate the rest. What redeemer? The man with Awun had a mother? That alone made him lose sight of what the rest of the prophecy could mean. Did the rest of this stanza speak of the mother or the redeemer? Did it say where to find him? Who he might be?

Tao cleared his throat. Dar, of course, it had to have something to do with Dar. And his mother, perhaps? Well, no, the mother of whomever the man with Awun was. But Dar had met several mothers, and had saved nearly as many as he'd met. Tao thought of the chameleon child. Then the number of women Dar had met. Even if the woman hadn't been pregnant then, or had a child then, all it would take would be for a woman Dar had saved to have gotten pregnant, and the prophecy would fit her. But the child was old, so perhaps someone Dar had met far back in his past, when he'd been a child himself?

Of course, Tao knew how Voden would see it. The man would think of his own mother, and who else had been that woman's so-called redeemer save Dar, or perhaps Bakhtiar? Either option would lead to the man wanting her killed.

But maybe his men hadn't been able to read that symbol, the one that said 'mother'? Perhaps Tao could lie about that, or pull Voden’s attention to something else. But with what?

“Speak,” Voden said, and the tone of voice made a line of ice run down Tao’s back.

“I haven't gotten it all yet,” he said, licking his lips and hoping his obvious nervousness would seem more like fear for Voden's power and not fear of being caught in a lie. Maybe he could skirt around the truth? He pointed to the first line. “It's too watered down,” he said. “The rock's been eroded, and the words weren't maintained properly.” Someone snarled something, and he realized it might not be a good idea to blame the wear on these people, even if they very easily could have kept the words present, if only they'd bothered to carve into the rock again every once in a while. They may have considered the first carving holy in come way, and thought that carving over it might be blasphemy. Ridiculous; so much of the message had been lost thanks to their superstitions. “This part is talking about someone called the 'redeemer,' but the rest is too muddled – it says the person has something to do with life, and light. It also speaks of the past, present, and future,” he said, retracing those particular letters, certain that the 'and what' was about what would, or should, or could, be – the future. “But I don't know who this person could be.”

Tao turned in time to see Voden's lips pulled back. “I suggest you find out,” he said, his voice dropping once more into ice. Tao saw the red agate flare up once more.

Tao turned back to the symbols on the wall, pretending to redouble his efforts. He needed to gather as much information as possible, anyway. Dar needed this prophecy. Anything he could squeeze out...

But it soon became apparent that the damage on the top of this side of the wall was nothing compared to the damage as the water traveled past its first hurdles and gathered together on the next. He couldn't even make out the name of this third portion of the prophecy:

------------

In the...

His...

----------

Tao touched the rock, run almost smooth by the water he could even now feel on the tips of his fingers, wetting the entire wall, and he thought he could see tiny holes in the wall, in the middle of the faded carvings, holes that probably hadn't been there when the man who'd carved these words had first done so. Tao sucked in a deep breath. He couldn't even trace these words to try to find their meaning; the small pits and divots where the water trickled out would mess up his efforts. Several lines were missing entirely, with no hope of salvation. Tao nearly shouted at the injustice of it.

Such a large spread of loss, and then the smoothed lines where the underground water had run its damaging course through the rest of the message and into the moat along the edges of the room. He measured the spaces as best he could, and found he was missing more than a stanza of the prophetic poem before he could find any more words he could make out. And what he did finally find made him shudder.

--------------------

...Savior, fear Destruction's call, ... your heart, and how… ...strike at it, and you will...

--------------------

Fear Destruction's call. Tao's lips thinned, even as everything in him railed. There had to be more than that last message, a message that seemed to portend Dar's doom. That last line, that last little piece, seemed to be some small measure of hope. Some sort of answer. But what was it? What did it say?

He wanted to strangle the people who had let such an important message slip away simply through neglect. He wanted to tear his hair out. He wanted to dig into the walls, see if there was the slightest hint left of what it all might mean. He wanted to be able to study it down to its finest grains without feeling the weight of Voden's stare, of Qord's body just behind his, of the religiously superstitious preparing to strike if he so much as breathed wrong in their sacred space. And while he found their religious affiliation fascinating, he also wished it had never happened, because it had given Voden power again and made Dar's already difficult job even harder.

Tao read it over again. Actually, he had no way of knowing if the redeemer and the Savior were the same person. And if they weren't, which one was Dar? He covered his mouth with one hand, slid it down his jaw. He needed to know more to be certain. Dar could easily be the person who'd helped that man's mother; even as a child, Dar was a good person. It was an innate part of him; Tao had seen that when he'd watched Dar's past in Valhalla. But was he a Savior? The Savior? And if he was only one or the other, which would be better? Which remained alive at the end?

“Well?” Voden said, and again, Tao shivered. Voden's voice was as cold was the water on his fingers, and Tao found himself amazed that he'd gained so much control over himself. He remembered the man's childishness, the main flaw that gave some sort of weakness, if also another measure of madness, to his cruelty. If the childishness was gone, then only the madness and the sadism remained. And that would somehow be worse than the temper tantrums.

“Too much is lost,” he murmured, stroking the rock one more time despite knowing it would do him no good. Now that he was done reading and had given up finding more information, he could appreciate, on a different level, the length of time the words must have remained on the rock, how old the message must have been. Preserving it would have been for the best, but on another level, if he stood back and thought of it more as art than the prophecy needed for Dar to succeed, then he could understand the peoples' hesitancy to desecrate it. Just as the statue had been worn smooth and broken down by time, the words themselves were the last legacy of a man who had stood here long, long ago.

Then again, this was the prophecy that Dar needed, and it was lost, gone. Tao bit his lip. “I can't tell enough to know for sure what the message should be.”

“Then tell me what you do know,” Voden said. His voice sounded closer, and Tao turned. The man strode up to him, backed him against the wall, forcing Qord to finally let go of him. As soon as he touched the cold stone, his wound came back into sharp focus; the rough stone and the cold water made him tense, pain flaring out from his side. When Tao's body leaned against their sacred writings, every last person in the room stood and moved forward, en masse. Or perhaps it was because Tao was right against their god, and if Tao so much as failed to show proper reverence, he could easily be killed for the insult.

“The first part,” Tao said. “Tells of the god of destruction's arrival,” Tao said, and then, knowing that separating the god from the vessel would be considered an insult, or perhaps just something Voden wouldn't want to hear (which could be considered the same thing as an insult), he said, “the arrival of the vessel,” and left out the 'and.' “The second part tells of what will happen when he comes, but parts of it are missing.” He pointed vaguely up above and behind him; the first stanza on this side of the statue. “His powers are in the first stanza, but I can't tell about the second. It... it seems to be talking about someone who might come up against this vessel, but I can't tell. I don't know what it says. The third part is all but gone.”

Voden slapped one hand against the stone. Tao opened his mouth to protest; no matter how much had been lost, it was still a timeless piece of history. But he managed to swallow it back before he got himself killed. “I know all that,” he said, and he grinned. “And I know you know more than you're telling me.”

Tao shook his head. “I'm not–”

“You understand what it means when it calls me 'the voyager of worlds.'”

He had an idea, yet he shook his head. Because if he was guessing it right, then it was more proof that it couldn't be Voden. The man's nails scraped against stone as he curled his hand into a fist. Tao's heart beat wildly. He saw, over Voden's shoulder, Qord watching him with a dark gaze. “I don't,” he said. “I'm not sure. I can't be – there's not enough left. If I could read the second part, I might be able to deduce–”

“No, you know.” Voden grinned. It was a grin that made Tao's breath freeze in his throat. “And the 'redeemer'?” Voden leaned down, until he was once more whispering into Tao's ear. “Who is it my mother relies on most?” Tao froze. He didn't even breathe. “Is it my brother?” Voden chuckled. Each breath puffed against the side of Tao's face. “Or would it be part of that which you hide out of your misplaced loyalty for that brainless wildman of yours?”

Tao tensed despite himself. Voden chuckled again and finally pulled away. “Take him to my chambers, Qord.”

Qord moved around Voden to grab Tao up. Stupidly, Tao flinched, ready to fight to get away. But even if he was foolish enough to think he could escape, there were more people in the room now than before. Several other men from the previous room had apparently come in to watch. Their eyes were wide, but there were grins on their faces. Because their lord was the lord of hate, death, and destruction, and they loved all that he was promised to bring.

Tao stumbled as Qord pulled him away, and with a flash of brown from his picture jasper, Voden moved a rock that seemed to be a part of the wall. Tao could tell even before they got close that it led to a thin interior. And it was pitch black dark. Undoubtedly Voden used his red agate to light the way through. Without Voden's abilities, however, Qord and Tao were left blind as Qord led him, most likely by feel, into the tiny walkway. Just as thin as the space leading to the temple-like room, it was at least high enough that they didn't need to bend over or duck down.

Then the room opened up again, though it was a much smaller space than others. It was also lit by baddeleyite, metal mesh cages locking bunches of them, hanging from every corner. One wall, the same wall as the temple, was wet from top to bottom, with water trickling slowly from whatever underground passage led to it. The rest of the room was little more than a bed and a table, on which several maps and a few gems sat.

Qord led Tao to the opposite side of the bed, beside the wet wall. There were no chains, no ropes, no anything, and Tao wondered – feared – how Qord and Voden intended to keep him in place. His imagination was a curse sometimes; he thought about them breaking his legs, stabbing him to the wall, taking his clothes and leaving him on the bed...

That last one also took him down a path he very sincerely hoped he never had to walk.

Thankfully, all Qord did was throw him inside, cross his arms, and stand guard in front of the only exit to the place.

Once Tao managed to catch himself – and he was very proud of the fact that he didn't fall on his butt or knock his head into the wall; his balance had gotten much better over the years than Qord may have been ready for – he took the chance to look around a bit more. He'd already read everything he could from the prophecy; if he had the chance, he would like to go to the Vella's and see if they had anything like it in their repertoire. From now on, all he had to worry about was escape. And he could handle that. Probably. Potentially.

Hopefully.

Tao took the chance to just sit down and rest; while his side ached and burned, the rest of him was simply exhausted, as if he'd been made to run for days. He wondered if perhaps the unicorn horn could only heal physical injuries, but somehow failed to take into account the mental and emotional exhaustion of the wound.

In any case, he had no idea when he would have the opportunity to escape, and he needed to save up as much strength as possible. He was certain Dar would be hot on their trail, eager to get Tao to safety. He just needed to get out of the cave, and Dar would help him with the rest. But in order to do that, he needed to rest. He didn't know if sleep was a possibility, not with Qord watching his every move, mere feet away. He still remembered the pain of the chains around him, the glee that curled Qord's lips whenever Tao struggled to breathe or fell limp to the pain. He remembered the whip. The laughter. He shivered, curled up as he was on the floor, and even though he didn't look, he knew Qord was smiling once more at his discomfort. Yet he was glad, still, because, though the man guarded against his escape, he also didn't come near. There were no weapons, no bindings to hold Tao in place.

Not yet.

Because it was inevitable. Tao knew it was. Even as he listened to the soft sound of water on stone, the drip and quiet ripple as the water reached what was, once again, a thin moat-like line dug into the floor; even as he stared at the long shadow of the bed on the floor, broken into pieces by the separate sources of light, he knew that the reprieve would be short. He hoped he would have a chance to escape soon, before he was tortured too badly. Before Dar arrived and found that Tao was taking too long to escape, and the man burst into the place trying to reach Tao's side as he had at the previous cave.

But how to get out? To do so, he would have to get past Voden's hidden room and the rock that turned the entryway into a wall, the temple, the sleeping quarters of the small town's worth of people, including the religious zealots who considered Voden their god, and the first room, which seemed to be both a place for communing and a false, nearly-empty space that kept any wayfarer from thinking a large grouping of people resided within these walls. Then he would have to travel up a thin, shallow staircase that led into an even thinner opening before even reaching the outside.

This was not a place made for escape. When Tao tried to conceive of a way to get out, his mind fell into pitfall after pitfall.

Firstly, he would have to get past Qord. That alone would be impossible; the man obviously had no intention of letting Tao go anywhere, probably not even to relieve himself. But even if he did, and the rock-door was left open, he would come face to face with Voden and his entourage. They would descend on him like a pack of starving wolves. And if he got past them? He might be able to pretend he was just doing something for Voden if he didn't have to hurry away, but the chances of him not having to were practically non-existent. So that would mean having to try to run past about forty people, at least ten of them adult men, and then get up the slippery staircase without tripping and knocking himself unconscious falling down. And then? Once he hit the open air and faced nothing but a blank expanse and frigid waters?

No, it wasn't possible. Not yet.

Yet no matter how much Tao tried, he wasn't able to make himself comfortable enough to do more than close his eyes and slow his heart rate. Every time Qord moved, rustling his clothes or clearing his throat, Tao would freeze, wide awake and aware once more. Soon Qord seemed to notice it, and Tao couldn't go more than a few minutes without the man doing something that would pull him back from his attempts at repose. More than once, he caught the man grinning, stretching those scars on his face into deeper recessions.

By the time Voden returned, the sound of rock moving signaling his return before his white form entered the room, Tao was almost glad. Physical torture would be better than the mental play Qord seemed to be enjoying. Instead of waiting, Tao would rather just face down whatever was coming.

Not to say he was looking forward to it. Just that, since he'd run through the variables, he had to say that the most likely chance for escape would be after another round of torture, when he seemed weak and vulnerable and defenseless, and perhaps when the two madmen's appetites were somewhat appeased and they moved on to something else.

Or – and here he hoped this final choice never came – he could undergo the torture for a sustained amount of time, and, if Voden's and Qord's interests were still focused on how much harm they could do to him, they would remain distracted by Tao's pain while Dar and Arina burst in to the cave to free him. So long as these two, the strongest among the lot, were kept from the main fighting, Dar would have a much better chance of getting through unscathed. So long as he wasn't caught in the thin, choking walkways practically made to trap oncoming enemies.

Voden looked Tao up and down as Tao struggled to his feet, his entire body heavy from exhaustion. Qord stepped back as Voden walked forward, but Tao saw a short grimace as he did. Once again he thought of playing the two against one another, but he didn't know if it would work in his best interest even if he succeeded.

By the time he wrote the idea off as a 'maybe later,' Voden had already gathered himself into Tao's space once more. “Listen,” the young man said, leaning into Tao's space, then away, then back again. “I understand loyalty. I understand that, perhaps, you thought of that wild man as your king. It's a mark of respect, how I treat you here. Look.” He waved his hand toward Qord. “I leave guards. I lock you in. I recognize your skills. Your knowledge.” Again, he leaned in close, this time gripping Tao's jaw tight in one hand. Tao saw the red agate glow slightly, turning his skin pink in its reflection. “So when I tell you that I respect you, know that I speak the truth.” He backed away. “Unfortunately, your loyalty is to an enemy of mine.” The man shrugged. “Which makes you, right now, an enemy of mine.”

Tao sucked in a deep breath as quietly as he could. He knew where this was going.

“I don't want you to be an enemy, Tao.” Qord was already starting to grin. “I want you to be an ally.”

Tao shook his head. “The chance of your plan working is minimal. It's more likely that I'll break completely, that I'll lose my knowledge, or even lose my ability to speak.” He backed up until his back lined up rigidly against the stone wall. It was wet, but his shirt was already soaked from the outside wall, and really, the water was not a concern at the moment.

Voden waved all Tao said away. “Right now, you are an impediment to me and an aid to my enemy. If, as you say, you break to the point where I cannot use you, then at least you would be of no more use to the Beastmaster, either.”

Tao's heart hammered. Every beat of it seemed to press against the unhealed wound in his side.

Voden waved Qord over. Qord loomed up and grabbed Tao's arms. He shoved Tao back, even though there was nowhere for Tao to go.

“Go ahead and get started,” Voden said, and walked to his bed. He gently placed the horn down, leaving it in Qord's possession – something Tao had thought he would never do.

Then Voden walked away, leaving Tao alone with a man who could take him to death and back infinitely.

Qord grinned. Tao's heart sank.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dar knew, instinctively, that he was taking too long. He felt it even as they got up, moved forward, left the island and made their way across the land. Before the sun was halfway into the sky, he found himself begging the animals for help. Their trek would take them at least a day’s travel, even at the grueling, nonstop pace he was putting himself, Arina, and his men through. Tao didn't have that time. He might not have the time they'd already spent. He could be dead, bled out, freezing, drowned. If he was alive, who knew what Voden was doing to him?

The animals hardly needed to be asked. As soon as they heard it was Tao, Dar's human friend, who needed help, they rallied together in support of him. He nearly wept in relief.

Don't kill, he told them, but he worried that the animals might have to face death themselves if they didn't harm. Don't get killed. Even if they couldn't rescue Tao, just buying Dar time would be enough. He hoped.

He ran harder, even as Arina panted behind him. She didn't say a word about it, just hurried to match his pace.

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Qord made use of the bed sheets to tie Tao's hands together behind his back. At first Tao thought the man would start in on the torture immediately. Instead the man toyed with him. It reminded Tao suddenly of Zad and his Terrons. He remembered the delight they held in the show, in the spectacle of fear they could produce. Like Zad, Qord liked to grab Tao’s face in his hand, whisper ideas into his ear, trace paths along Tao’s throat, his chest, as if marking where his dagger might strike.

He couldn’t help the way his breath hitched or how his body trembled. He couldn’t help the way his eyes, when Qord leaned in and promised to cut off pieces to drop at Dar’s feet, burned. He couldn’t help ducking his head down and battling back the tears; they would only delight Qord. He couldn’t help how, when Qord slid his knife into his belly button and yanked, he jumped, even though it ended up just being the flat side of the blade.

But he could keep himself from speaking. He could choose silence and determination as his weapons. He could choose to refuse to rise to the bait like he might have when Qord had last known him. When Qord realized this, the man shoved Tao into the wall and backed away.

Tao stayed where he was on the floor of the cave as Qord paced in front of him. The man said nothing; Tao didn't expect him to. What would he have to say? They both knew what was coming was revenge for what Qord had gone through at Dar's hands. At Zad's. Even though Qord’s troubles had been caused by his own greed, his own lust and desire for power. But Tao couldn't say it. He needed to stay aware enough to find the chance to escape and make use of it.

Even though he hadn't managed to get nearly the amount of information he would prefer, he was positive he could make something of it, if only he was given time to think. Now was the worst time to do so; the pain Qord wanted to put him through was supposed to ultimately lead to him giving away what he knew.

Despite that, the knowledge swam in his head, melded and molded together until he wasn’t sure what he’d told Voden and what he hadn’t, what was safe to speak and what wasn’t. Anything to do with Dar, he knew, was not for Voden’s ears. But the mother? The redeemer? The chameleon child or Bakhtiar or perhaps some woman from way back when? How could he know which woman was the mother? Perhaps the mother was a sort of metaphor – but no, no, he couldn’t afford to think about it. Not with Qord turning back to him. Not when the man had that particular look on his face.

Qord yanked him up from his sitting position until he was on his knees. His shirt, already ripped into rags, tore again. The fabric was officially ruined; if he survived all of this, he would simply toss the thing and make a new one. It would take about the same amount of fabric and thread either way.

“Take your time,” Qord said, that dark grin from the cave returning. Tao sucked in a deep breath. He tried to prepare himself, to console himself with the knowledge that Qord wouldn’t get too creative. He didn’t have the mind for it, and the chains had been left behind. Perhaps later, when the routine got old – did the routine of hurting people get old for people like Qord? – but not until then.

All he needed to do was survive. Survive, and wait. Until nightfall, or until he was allowed to relieve himself – perhaps when Qord needed to relieve himself. Anything.

Voden hadn’t returned. For all Tao knew, the man may be returning to find Dar, or to retrieve his men, if he cared enough to do so. Perhaps he’d gone somewhere else, now that he believed he had Tao secured. If not – if Voden remained in the cave – then Tao would just have to find a way around him. He could do it.

He could.

Qord sauntered over to the horn and lifted it. The man looked it over, playing with it in a way not dissimilar to Voden. Then he turned to Tao.

Tao bit his lip, but he didn’t back down. Voden wanted to break him, to mold him into an obedient servant. Qord, however, wanted to shatter Dar. And how better than to shatter Dar’s friend? Tao wouldn’t let it happen. He had faith that Dar would come, faith that he would escape. He just had to weather the pain until then.

He trembled, even as he lifted his chin and returned Qord’s stare. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t break, though. If it took too long.

He hoped it didn’t take too long.

Qord stepped forward and raised his fist. That was all it took, and already, Tao was flinching, squinting his eyes shut and turning away, trying to mitigate the worst of the attack. He almost hoped the fist would bounce him off the wall and he would fall unconscious. He couldn’t be broken by pain if he wasn’t awake for it.

He heard it just before the crack of bone against bone, snapping his neck around and, yes, bumping him back into the wall. Something like the trickle of water, turning into something like static in the back of his ears. But no, that wasn’t static.

It was a hiss.

He felt the heat of Qord’s presence back away and blinked his eyes open. Qord stumbled away from him with a high-pitched shriek. A snake slithered over his leg, wrapping around it and climbing forward. It opened its mouth at Qord, revealing two long, sinister fangs. Several more snakes came – out of the water, Tao noticed; they all swam through the tiny canals of water and slid out, converging on Tao until there were over a dozen, each turned on Qord and ready to strike. To strike like the one that had nearly killed the man. He almost crowed.

Dar was here.

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Dar didn't stop, pause; he didn't even breathe when the animals sent him their news.

A cave, dark and lit with stones. A thin, one-way entrance and exit, oddly unmanned but difficult to maneuver through. While Dar didn't doubt in the slightest that Tao would try to escape if he could, it was immediately apparent that doing so might not be possible. A few vipers scraped their way inside, slowly moving their way down to the warmer recesses of the cave, and Dar thanked them again for going out in such weather, unnatural for them, even dangerous, simply in order to save Dar's friend. They’d been huddled together in a cave a good sun’s pace away and had nearly frozen on their way to the cave Voden resided within.

The snakes had slithered further inside, hurrying for the strange waterways on either side of the room when they saw a large gathering of people within. The water was a near freezing temperature, keeping the snakes from recovering within the relative warmth of the cave. They found another room beyond, then yet another. They swam back and forth for a moment, their bodies getting dangerously cold, their blood slowing in their veins, until they found another path past what looked to be pure rock and slithered through. The secret room finally led them to Tao.

Just in time to see Tao get punched.

The snakes wrapped around Tao, not only protecting him but desperately warming themselves. They opened their mouths, mouthing their discontent with their body’s state. The reaction from Qord was better than Dar could have dreamed. He backed up against the far wall, something in his hands held in a white-knuckled grip. His gaze locked on the vipers and didn’t waver.

After a moment, one of the vipers turned from Qord and looked at Tao. It took Dar several moments to really hear what they were reporting – some busted blood around the eye that would rise to the surface soon, all due to that punch, but nothing more. Despite the blood on Tao’s clothes, soaking the shirt into a brown color and making it tacky to the snakes’ scales, there was no sign of a wound.

How?

No. At the moment, that didn’t matter. The amount of blood he’d seen had made him think the worst, that Tao could have been near death, or even… Dar wouldn’t argue with miracles.

“He’s alive,” he said, wasting valuable air to pass along that knowledge to Arina. He saw her shoulders slump for a moment in relief, watched her pace falter. Then she matched with him again, and he dared waste another lungful to tell her, “he’s healed somehow.”

Her face scrunched. Clearly, the news made about as much sense to her as it did to him. “How often?” she asked.

At first, he didn’t understand. And then, all at once, he did. The knowledge hit him over and over again, churning with it the twin knowledge of not knowing the answer. How often? Arina had asked, and it opened up a brand new kind of horror.

He asked Sharak to scout ahead as the trees turned to pine and spruce and grew sparse, age and strength and height taking over for the dense undergrowth of the southern forests. The animals they passed, those not engaged in helping but still setting up a network of support, became noticeably whiter in fur as they continued. Tiny tufts of snow from a previous storm sat cushioned against trunks and ice caps, still frozen in the cold.

How many times had Tao been hurt? On the voyage here, or even in the cave, had there been more and more times when Tao had lost blood? Had he been tortured over and over again in such a short span of time? Was Voden, who only thought himself the god of destruction, worse, or just the tip of the iceberg? Was all that Tao suffered just the beginning?

Dar remembered Awun's gaze as it fell to Tao, the hate in his eyes as he threatened Tao's life. Would Awun somehow be even worse?

Was the pain Tao had suffered nothing compared to what Awun had planned?

Whether it was or wasn’t, would there be anything left of Tao after this for it to even matter? Would Tao still be the smiling, clumsy man who followed at Dar's side and babbled about circles and letters and herbs? How much of his friend would be lost to Voden's cruelty?

How much pain was Tao in right now, as Dar helplessly chased after the ones who took him?

Even as he pushed faster than his men could follow, until only he and Arina took point across the landscape, leaving only a trail for his men to follow, he listened as the snakes warned of their need for body heat, and how much colder Tao seemed to be getting as he seemed to take on the responsibility of warming multiple freezing reptiles.

The snakes felt vibration in the air – Qord was speaking. Shouting. It would only be a matter of time before Voden arrived, and he, with his strange abilities, would be able to scare the snakes away.

Ruh had run ahead hours ago, his occasional sprints edging him past even Dar’s range. Thanks to Sharak, Dar knew the tiger was close to the cave. Sharak had reached the site and could now see Ruh approaching, still a few minutes off. The idea of Ruh facing Voden and the others, however, made Dar’s heart lodge in his throat. Ruh was still injured from the confrontation the day before. If he went in alone, he would easily be defeated. If he went in with Sharak, both would be defeated. Sharak posed no use in such a confined space.

It was daylight; several groups of animals had offered their assistance, but for many, it was still too early. The bats that had offered to fly were asked to wait and rest, while he begged the crows and ravens to fly to Sharak’s aid. Lynxes and wolves were next, and even though Sharak warned him Voden’s camp was past their usual forests, they answered him. All animals did, in droves, without question. Squirrels and hares warned him of areas of tough terrain and told him of detours. Foxes lured a few of Voden’s hunters away by stealing their catches.

Almost, Dar wondered at it, at their quick readiness to help when normally the spiders, at the very least, would show some sort of reticence at leaving their webs. But he couldn’t worry about it now. Not while Tao waited for him, his shirt still torn and bloody.

Arina, silent since she’d asked her last question, finally puffed out, “how bad?”

Dar didn't know how to answer. He shook his head. “Still safe, for now. But Voden’s coming.” They both struggled to go even faster, despite the numbed feeling in their legs. Ruh had run past endurance to reach the cave, and tigers, though more like sprinters than anything else, could still run much faster than humans. Dar and Arina still had a few hours ahead of them before they reached the cave, and by then, it would be dark. Far too late to rescue Tao from what was coming.

Desperate, he asked the wolves and lynxes and spiders to hurry without him to reach Ruh. To, when they met up outside the cave, somehow, someway release Tao from his imprisonment. He didn't know how they could do it and remain alive, especially against Voden. But if they didn't do something, then by the time Dar arrived, Tao could be dead. Or, as Tao would say, worse.

For now, he would have to hope that the threat of the snakes would be enough.

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Qord hadn’t come nearer. His shout for Voden, however, couldn’t have gone unheard. If Voden hadn’t heard it himself, then certainly some of Voden’s followers had. Tao shivered at the cold dampness on his torn shirt and skin, but continued holding the snakes close. As much as they hissed at Qord, they also huddled into him. They were cold. The chances of them being able to properly attack were slim.

Tao looked around. The walls and ceiling were all unnaturally smooth; while the damp wall could have smoothed out over time, the rest should be as caves usually were – craggy from wind and the elements. These walls were likely formed from magic. He couldn’t see any other secret entrance, and certainly no lever of any sort. His only chance was through the rock, and he hadn’t the strength to move it on his own.

Just as he was about to look away, to study Qord and perhaps find some way to push past him or something, he looked back. Just out of the corner of his eye, he could see spots on the ceiling move. They… weren’t spots.

He very carefully looked around some more, trying to hide what he’d discovered. Qord’s brows lowered, clearly not falling for Tao’s poorly designed trick. Qord looked up – just as a spider fell and landed on Qord’s shoulder. He jumped. Qord swatted the spider off, however, with little more than a grimace, not even shouting in surprise or concern. Qord glared at Tao as if he was somehow at fault.

Outside the room, Tao heard muffled screams from beyond the movable rock. (Where obviously, Tao thought now, Voden had gotten the idea to do the same at the previous cave.) Even as the screams rose and fell, another snake slid into the room through the tiny water canals on either side of the rock. Qord skittered away from the snake toward the side wall. With one hand, he held out the horn as one might a dagger. The snake stayed away, but several spiders clustered above him and just. Fell. One after the other, they dropped onto his hair, his arms, one onto the horn itself. Here, where the first spider had failed, these succeeded; in Qord’s effort to ensure the snakes stayed away, he reacted with frantic slaps to get the spiders off of him. The newest snake slid around Qord for a few moments before slithering up Tao’s leg and nesting around his calf.

At first, Tao didn’t understand what the snake and the spider had been trying to do. Then the screams rose in pitch, and he realized. They were keeping Qord from acting. Stopping Qord from going outside the room while ensuring the ex-Terron also left Tao alone.

He bit his lip as the chill from the newest snake left him shivering yet again. He didn’t want to show any ingratitude; it was thanks to the snakes and the spiders that he was safe still and had nothing more than a black eye and a wound on his side to show for his travel with two of the craziest men on the planet. “Thank you,” he murmured softly.

If someone had told him when he’d been younger that he would be thanking snakes and spiders, natural enemies to the human race, he would have laughed. Now he was only grateful. The snakes along his arms and chest had begun to warm, until they felt almost like a lumpy, scaly blanket more than anything else. Better, they were a blanket that scared off monsters.

He and Qord eyed each other, both waiting for the other to move. Whatever chaos was going on outside, in this tiny piece of the cave, the world was at a standstill.

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The spiders wreaked havoc on the underground populace, and Voden was limited in how he could respond; any attempt to burn the spiders terrified his constituents still more; they recognized Voden as the god of destruction, and at least knew, apparently, that such a god would not differentiate between them and anything else. All attempts to drown the spiders in the water he manipulated from the cave walls – there seemed to be a good amount down there, actually, somehow, though Dar was certain Tao would have been able to explain it to him… but no, best not to think about that at the moment – was met with the snakes curling around Voden’s legs until he dropped the water bubbles and tried to move the rocks to crush the snakes. Which, of course, led tot he spiders dropping onto the man’s face.

This repetitive stalemate could only last a few moments longer, and Dar was still hours away. The other animals, however, were ready to fight, and Dar asked them to join the snakes and spiders. Without hesitation, they did.

Just as Dar sent his friends into battle, the snakes and spiders got in touch with him again. Tao was safe with them, for now; though he was shivering, he was keeping the snakes warm enough to survive, and the spiders, in turn, were waiting on the walls and the ceiling once again in case Tao or the snakes needed their help. (The snakes were quick to note that they were hungry, but trying to play nice.) One also mentioned a wound on Tao’s side, a place where he flinched if they crawled over it, and showed him a poor snake’s-eye-view of Tao’s quickly purpling black eye. The air tasted of Qord’s fury. They didn’t know how long their safety was going to last.

Even though every muscle in Dar’s body ached, he tried to hurry more. He couldn’t; he was at the end of his ripe, and Arina, panting right next to him, was at the end of hers. More the air had gotten colder, downright chilly, and the forest no longer kept the wind from penetrating through. Every part of him felt hot, but now his every breath felt like inhaling fire.

A few animals called to him, asking if there was something they could do, and finally Dar realized they were acting as if Tao was a part of their packs. While Dar was accepted by the animals due to his ability to speak with them – and for them, to the human communities – it seemed Tao, in association with Dar, had become a part of their groups, as well.

Most of the animals who called to him, he answered with thanks, but did not give them any orders. He didn’t know how they could be of use without placing their lives in far too much danger. Wolves and snakes could defend themselves. Several of the birds that remained in the snowy regions at this time of year wouldn’t be able to leave their trees without compromising their own safeties, and the small rodents, though eager to help, wouldn’t be able to scare off Voden’s ire the way the snakes and spiders could; they would easily be burned or drowned and swallowed by the rocks of the cave, and no one would be able to stop it. In the end, he asked them only to keep their eyes open and to send the word along.

Dar had no doubt that Voden would soon turn to hurting his own people in order to get at the animals, and when he did, there would be fire, and perhaps the light from the skies, and more than just his animal friends would be lost to Voden’s chaos.

It was nearly dusk, and the bats were starting to rouse themselves from their slumbers. Dar and the diurnal birds sent out messages for help that were quickly picked up by the first few early risers and passed down the line. The bats who had roused early woke the rest as Dar thanked them, his pounding heart full at what the animals were willing to do for him. He would owe them more than he could ever repay.

Thanks to the spiders and the snakes, no one guarded the thin entrance properly; the wolves pushed down the two warriors watching the entrance, forced to snap their jaws on the wrist on one who raised his dagger on the animal intruders. From there, they gathered the women and children, protecting the spiders from their hands and feet and keeping them to the far corner of the first room. They and Ruh relayed the women’s mumblings of curses and the end days and ‘the Life of the Redeemer.’ Dar committed what they reported to memory, hoping against hope he and Tao could talk about it, perhaps weeks from now, when Tao’s scars weren’t as fresh in his mind, if not in his body.

Ruh, behind the wolves only because the wolves worked best in their packs, moved on Voden, snarling and demanding vengeance for the humiliating defeat the day before. Voden shouted something as Dar watched through Ruh’s eyes; the old king screeched out the Beastmaster’s name. Fire glowed around his hand. One of the wolves snapped in his face, and the fire flew to the ceiling. Dar’s heart tripped as he thought of the roof of the cave collapsing on the animals, on Tao. On the innocent people still trapped inside. But it held firm, and Voden was forced to retreat deeper into his own cave.

By the time the sun was down completely, a few of the wolves had herded the women and children out of the cave, and the bats had reached the cave entrance. Ruh and the rest of the wolves retreated as the bats used their bodies to cover the sources of light, and without them, Voden was forced to use his fire as a light source instead of a weapon. Thanks to the bats, who offered their way of seeing, confusing and dizzying as it was, Dar was shown an image of the mad prince, who shouted and shook his fist at the animals in impotent rage.

The bats left then, retreating from the confines of the cave and leaving the wolves and Ruh greater space to maneuver; many of the spiders had also retreated, returning to the ceiling or hiding in the wolves’ fur. Qord, however, remained in the room with Tao, every once in a while testing the snakes to see if they were still watching him. The closest he got was when several snakes had worked to divest Tao of the bindings around his wrists, though he hadn’t yet succeeded.

Tao, the snakes reported, looked tired, and his side was turning red, even though the bleeding had stopped. Their concern was more than what reptiles usually felt for others; apparently the snakes had grown fond of their heat source, enough so that even the increased heat of Tao’s infection couldn’t deter them from their worry.

In any case, Tao was trembling a bit too much for the chill of the snakes’ bodies, and they could feel a sort of rattle from his chest. Tao was getting sick.

Dar wasn’t going to make it. Even when the snakes offered Qord an escape route, Qord didn’t give up his position in the room with Tao. Every time Tao attempted to go to the rock barring his exit, Qord would attempt a flailing attack. The snakes hissed him away, even going so far as to take turns leaving Tao for a few minutes to keep Qord back while Tao struggled to move the rock. Nothing worked. Without magic or muscle beyond Tao’s lone abilities, he would remain trapped within that room. All of the sacrifices the animals had made would be for nothing.

Over time, the animals had chosen to bring Voden out of the cave, and several of the wolves and Ruh all put their lives on the line once again to herd Voden where they wanted him to go. They managed to keep him on an acceptable leash by flanking him; even with his fellow soldiers, the wolves managed to keep themselves safe, first by nipping at his heels, then by using his fellow humans as shields. It wasn’t what Dar would have preferred, but he did not order them otherwise; they were putting themselves at risk for him and Tao. He would not tell them how to do so.

They got him through the first room, and some of the wolves switched with their packmates, allowing a few to rest guarding the women and children while the others continued shooing Voden from his hideaway. The bats returned, obscuring the warriors’ vision. One bat took a glancing blow to its wing, and it had to fly brokenly away, out of the cave, as the rest continued the fight.

Ruh was the one to leap up on Voden and finally shove him through the last tiny corridor and out into the dark, empty night. The tiger roared in the madman’s face. Voden threw up his hands, for once less interested in making magic than in escaping the tiger’s wrath. The bats descended on Voden’s hands, their claws tearing at his fingers, scrabbling at the edges of his rings. Voden shouted. His men swarmed out from the cave, reaching out for the bats or swinging with their daggers. Dar quickly asked them to retreat, afraid another would be hurt.

From then on, it was a battle of attrition, neither the animals nor the warriors ceding any ground. The only strong point was how the wolves kept themselves in a circle around the warriors, and how Ruh placed himself in danger multiple times to get past the warriors’ blades and scare Voden every time any of the gems on his fingers glowed. Thankfully, one of the bats had managed to loosen a stone from its holding; Voden lost precious time fumbling it back into place.

Tao, however, remained trapped.

For now, Qord seemed content to bar Tao’s exit without doing anything that might put him in range of the snakes. Every time the man seemed to be losing patience, the snakes need only raise their heads and hiss for him to back away once again. So long as Tao stayed away from the rock, the stalemate continued.

For the first time since he'd lost Kyra, Dar was grateful for Zad's murderous sense of justice.

There was still more forest to breach before they reached the open area where the cave resided, and Dar had already lost sensation in his legs. His chest heaved with every breath; the back of his throat ached hot and cold whenever he inhaled. But every time he felt like he might flag, he thought of what the snakes could sense; Tao, sick, recovering from injury, from torture, alone in a cave with the man who had hurt him. And as night – Tao's second night with Voden and his men – pulled time deeper into her net, Ruh and the wolves nipped at Voden's heels.

The other humans finally managed to push the wolves and Ruh away; the instant the slightest distance was made, Voden called forth flame. It burst bright into the night sky, scaring the bats further away. The wolves yipped at the sight; only Ruh remained, unwilling to bend, snarling at Voden to return was was theirs – what was Dar’s the tiget was saying, its words crystal clear in Dar’s mind. Return what is Dar’s, or else I will take from you what I left to Baha!

Thankfully, at Voden’s fire, his people scattered, leaving the wolves to snap at them and send them away from Voden’s side. Ruh took advantage; when Voden threw his fire, the tiger slumped into the ice, clenched its claws into the slippery surface, and leaped. Voden screamed and ran backward. He and his men went on the defensive as their shoes skidded on the ice. Voden lost his balance and bounced on his butt. His men picked him back up, shouting of demons, of nature itself defending against Voden’s existence. The animals reported the screams of this so-called ‘redeemer’ again, and even more of some unnamed ‘savior.’

By the time the forest finally thinned out and fell away, Dar had been running for nearly a full day straight, and Arina had begun to fall behind. When Dar hesitated, not knowing if he should leave her, she waved him on and said, “go. Go on ahead. I'll be right behind you,” and Dar found his rubbery legs pushing him forward without any thought from his brain.

He could see the cave for himself now, no longer needing Sharak's eyes. If it weren't for Voden and his men making for the forest, however, he might have been willing to think the large outcropping to be nothing more than a group of rocks; if it weren't for Sharak watching the procession go inside with Tao, he might have questioned what he was doing in such a remote place.

Of course, once he knew to search, that which in the darkness could be mistaken for a clump of trees was almost certainly a boat – the large boat they would have arrived in.

“Ruh!” Dar shouted, his voice nearly gone in his need to breathe. He shouted again, using his ability. Ruh! Go get Tao! I'll hold Voden off.

Dar would never be able to get past the huge mass of people, and as a human, every man would consider him the most approachable enemy. Their only chance was Ruh. Even though a rock stood in Ruh’s way. If nothing else, Ruh would be able to reassure Tao that he had not been abandoned. Dar was on his way.

Ruh reared up onto his hind legs, whapped at Voden, then turned even before he landed and ran back into the cave.

Voden, as soon as Ruh left, turned his gaze on Dar as he raced forward. Voden’s lips pulled back in a snarl. One hand rose, but before more than a bright light of yellow could spark from one of the gems, several of the bats converged on Voden, ignoring Dar’s order for retreat, and the madman was forced to drop his concentration to keep the bats from attacking his eyes. “Beastmaster!” he snapped, his voice a high-pitched shriek. “You once swore your animals weren't slaves to control.”

“They aren't,” he panted, though he doubted the man could have heard through all the chaos, even if he had the ability to use his vocal chords at the moment. He couldn't hesitate, even though his legs felt as if they were disintegrating piece by piece. He hurried forward, not slowing from his endless sprint even then, at the end of the line. The wolves disengaged and gathered around him, moving into a pack formation, letting him take the lead, for the moment, from their alpha.

When Dar engaged Voden, swinging his staff from his back, both relieved and upset that it didn't change into his father's sword, the wolves tore into those surrounding him; the game of burning up time had ended. Only at the last minute did the wolves keep their jaws from snapping around necks or thighs. They focused on arms and wrists and bellies, with the intention of taking them down. Dar watched the alpha howl, heard it call the men’s blades horns and the hands heads, and watched the pack react accordingly. Dar finally let it go; the man had the unicorn horn. He could use that to heal his men.

Voden backed away from Dar the moment he first swung; with the first strike, Voden pulled rocks from the ground and flung them at Dar. Dar, too tired to dodge, simply absorbed the blows and stepped after him. Another retreat. So that much, at least, hadn't changed; the man enjoyed hurting, but not being hurt. Dar's lips thinned. He thought of Tao, the blood he'd lost. He wanted to hurt this man. It surprised him. Concerned him.

Ruh shouted that he'd found Tao. Tao was speaking, and Ruh needed Dar to translate. Dar called a wolf over to help him, and one raced behind Voden, catching his attention long enough for Dar to listen. The top of the rock. He intends to climb it, but he needs you to destroy it.

Ruh grunted. Dar caught Voden in the gut with his club and watched the man sprawl out for a moment. Voden crashed lightning down from the sky – a short spark, but enough in the darkness to momentarily blind him. He covered his eyes. The sudden stop nearly made him collapse. His legs, deprived of oxygen for so long, screamed at its return. He gritted his teeth and gripped his staff with white knuckles. His steps turned stumbling, but he continued after Voden, anyway.

Ruh roared in triumph. His claws scrabbled against the rock, scratching at the other side. Tao, from what Ruh could see, had gripped the top of the rock. Ruh clawed at the air when Qord made to move forward; the snakes seemed to rise as one, a multi-headed beast, as he neared. Qord cursed, stabbed the horn into the bed, and watched Tao go. Dar listened to the snakes as they slid off of Tao, afraid of being crushed as he made his way out. They instead stood vigil, ensuring Qord stayed back. He did.

Tao was free.

The warriors slowly gave way to the wolves, though not without getting a glancing swipe off the alpha’s mate; the alpha gave no mercy to that human; that one would not be using his arm ever again. The rest, watching as their supposed god gave in, ceded ground completely. The wolves chased them back, nipping and snarling, separating the group into individuals.

Dar saw the spiders retreat from the wolves’ backs, scuttling madly now that there was a safe moment to try to run. Arina arrived then, dodging the black mass with a stumble that nearly took her feet from beneath her. She continued running through the stumble, managing to keep her balance. With a war cry, she took up position beside the wolves and smacked a man in the face with the pommel of one of her blades. The man fell like a sack of wheat.

The sign of yet another human made the warriors lose the last of their fighting spirit. Even as they dropped their weapons to their sides and put their hands up, Arina went after one, then another, her war cry turning into shrieks as she attacked. A few warriors attempted to face her, only to find their weapons gone – taken from them by the wolves. Arina happily knocked several unconscious before they could sound a retreat.

Movement centered around the cave’s entrance. Ruh and the last of the wolves returned from the cave. With them, nearly stumbling over Ruh’s large form, was Tao.

In that one moment, all Dar was Tao. He looked… tired, and his eye looked nearly swollen shut. But when Tao caught sight of Dar, he gave him a wide smile, and for the first time in over a day, Dar could breathe again.

Voden cursed him, vowed revenge. Dar barely spared him a glance. Tao was safe. Voden didn’t matter anymore, save to ensure he knew to never touch Tao again. With his legs like jelly, there was little he could do. But Voden needn’t know that. “If you come near us again,” Dar said, cutting off whatever Voden was saying, “I will not ask my friends to be so lenient.”

Tao ran up to Dar’s side. What Dar had thought was just the snakes, who looked to be wrapped around his arms and chest like some scaled shirt, turned out to be strips of fabric hanging loose from Tao’s chest, dyed red-brown by Tao’s blood. Dar snarled. He twisted his staff until the blade pointed at Voden’s chest. The man gasped.

Tao grabbed Dar’s arm. “Don’t!” Dar stared at him. “I’m all right,” Tao said. Dar looked at those lips, that face. The eye, the only one Tao could see out of, and the one that was blackened by these men’s touch. Dar’s hands gripped the staff so hard he couldn’t feel his fingers. “I’m all right,” Tao said again, and this time, Dar lowered his blade.

“For your sake,” he said, turning a single, flinty glare in Voden’s direction, “these had better be the last wounds he sees from you.”

Voden waved his hands. “Rest assured, Beastmaster. I will return this favor.” He was already backing away, using one of his men as a shield as he spoke.

Dar made to follow after him, only for his legs to buckle. Tao, his hand still on Dar’s arm, knelt down with him, only to stand straight back up when Dar forced himself back to his feet. “I can only ask the animals to choose to help,” he said. His words made Voden chance a final look over his shoulder as he ran. “I can’t order them to. I also can't order them to not harm those they consider dangerous. So while I may not kill you, Voden, rest assured, every animal here wants you dead.”

And quite frankly, so did Dar. Even if it made him less of a man than he'd been two mornings ago.

His feet stung like nettles were being pricked into his skin. He swayed on his feet, ruining the strength of his words. Thankfully, Voden had already turned away, calling his men with him. The men hesitated, their gazes on the cave and, likely, the people Voden was ordering them to leave behind. But leave them behind they did.

Dar struggled to get his breath; now that he had let himself stop, his entire body seemed ready to revolt. His stomach churned. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to finish what he started. He asked the wolves to take the snakes home, and to ensure the spiders reached their webs before freezing to death. The snakes weaved themselves free of Tao, sending a final thank you to their heat source before heading for the wolves, who looked highly uncomfortable with their charges but who did not argue.

Dar asked the alpha if his mate needed attention, but was told the wound had been but a glance and would heal after a good day’s rest. Dar thanked them all, again and again, for their help. For you and yours, the alpha said, we will come. Dar nodded. It was more than he’d ever thought to ask, but he remained grateful. Tao was all right, blabbering on about what it had been like when the snakes and spiders showed up. Dar let the sound of Tao’s voice wash over him. It had never sounded more wonderful.

The night was freezing; it wasn’t long before he was shivering. Ruh snarled, and Dar looked up to see the women and children exiting the cave. Qord hid among them. “They ran,” Dar said, and nodded in the direction Voden had gone. “Go. But this place will not be a haven for you anymore. If you’re wise, you’ll leave these lands. Until you divest yourselves of your desire for war and destruction, you are not welcome in my kingdom.” Dar pinned his gaze on Qord. “For you – if you return, you will find yourself hunted.”

Qord sneered. “Much like the beasts yourself, as usual, Beastmaster.” Ruh roared. For all of Qord’s bluster, the man retreated faster than those he hid behind.

None of the others spoke. Dar saw a variety of looks on their faces. He was too tired to categorize them all; what mattered was that they turned and left and did not try to fight. After they were gone, Arina checked the cave, then nearly crawled back up to give the okay. Ruh followed them inside, escaping the wind with them; Sharak was only a moment behind. With him was the injured bat, still struggling to fly. Tao made a moue of concern and reached for it. The bat flapped its bad wing only twice before Tao made a clucking noise and held up his hands. He wants to help, Dar said, and the bat carefully sat on the floor. Dar did the same, unwilling to move a foot further. Sharak. I know I ask a lot, but could you watch for the soldiers?

Of course. Sharak took off, then returned. He did that twice more before coming back and reporting their approach. Dar just nodded, listening as Tao spoke aloud to the bat, telling it what he was doing as if it understood. “I’m going to fix the bone and put it in a splint. That means you won’t be able to use it. No using it! And don’t get mad at me when I put it in place, either; it’s going to hurt, but it’s a lot better than your wing being permanently mangled.” Tiredly, Dar acted as translator. The bat squawked several protests when said ‘fixing the bone’ occurred, but it did not try to attack Tao. Instead it tried to slink away, apparently done with Tao’s ‘help.’ Tao had to carefully scoot after it. “Hey! You need the splint! Come here already!”

Dar smiled. This was how it should be.

Ruh came to rest beside him. With a huff, the tiger lay his head in Dar’s lap. I will keep you and your Tao safe, Ruh told him. A promise. Dar rested one hand in the tiger’s downy fur.

I know.

Tao had said once that the stain of having killed a man was one that could never be washed away. That may have been true; Dar had chosen not to kill, this time, and he was all right with the decision. But if Qord went after Tao again, he didn’t know that he would be able to find it in him to spare him again. He most certainly would not stay the bite of any animal who might choose to eliminate the threat. He would not, for instance, stop Ruh from keeping his promise.

For now, it was enough that Tao was safe, and busy distracting himself from what he’d endured by berating the bat for trying to nibble at his thumb while he worked on wrapping its wing with the splint. When Tao finally concluded his work done, Dar reached out for his friend. Tao sat next to Dar and let Dar wrap his arm around Tao’s shoulders. Arina lay on his side slightly further in. “I’m sleeping,” she announced, and closed her eyes. Giving them privacy, should they need it. Dar smiled.

“I’m tired, too,” Tao said. “But when I wake up, I want to show you something.”

Dar rolled his eyes. “Of course you do.”

Tao just grinned at Dar’s reaction. “You’re gonna like it. It’s pretty incredible.”

Tao did indeed rest, his head falling against Dar’s shoulder as he slept. Ruh snorted, ordering Dar to rest, as well. But he couldn’t. So he and Ruh waited, until finally Dar’s fighters arrived. Sharak guided them to the cave, and Dar quietly gave them the information on what had happened and asked that they rotate shifts to watch over the area. Only then did Dar rouse Tao and Arina and lead them slightly further inside, where they could rest without the winds from outside howling at their ears.

Tao mumbled, complaining of nothing but the loss of the cold as he settled down once more. Dar frowned. Remembering what the snakes had told him, he touched Tao’s forehead.

He was burning up.

“Tao.” He shook his friend. Tao scowled and opened bleary eyes. “Where are your herbs?”

Tao frowned. “With you?” Dar shook his head. “Oh.” Dar frowned. That meant that, wherever they were, they were not here. With Tao. “It’s just a cold, Dar. I’ll be all right.”

“What reduces fever? What allays colds?”

“Not much, up here.” He shrugged. “I’ll be fine. It’s just hot.”

It was not hot.

Dar let Tao rest, but forced himself back up to his men. “Have any of you seen a leather pouch with herbs in it?”

Several men looked at each other, and Dar was about to give up hope, when one of his men rushed forward. “Here! Here, sir!” The man held out, not simply Tao’s herb pouch, but his other sacks and his water skin, as well. Dar beamed the man a grin.

“Thank you, Esmond.”

He went back down. Arina still slept, but as Dar started a fire in the first room, she woke, rubbing her eyes at the flickering light and crackling firewood, retrieved by another of his soldiers. “Dar? You know there’s already light in here? From those weird lamp things.” She pointed to a couple of them.

“Tao is sick,” he said. It was enough to get her sitting up and blinking her eyes wide open. She reached over and touched his cheek.

“He’s burning up.”

“Here.” He held out Tao’s pack. “Grab the spearmint. I remember Tao once saying it helped with fever.”

“Sure. Hey, at least we have water in this place.” She nodded to the bubbling streams on either side of the cave.

Dar nodded absently. He tried to remember all the lessons Tao had given him. He found the utensils Tao used and started squashing the spearmint. It crinkled, nearly frozen in the cold, and Dar despaired that it had been ruined. But after a while in front of the fire, it started to melt, and he started to see signs of the paste Tao preferred. He would have to get Tao to digest this. Maybe put it in water? Would that dilute it too much?

Better than nothing, he thought, and hoped for the best. He moved to Tao's side. His shirt was no more than rags, both it and his pants drenched in his blood. His fingers clenched around the bowl, only to loosen a moment later. His shoulders slumped. As far as he could see, nothing but the sickness remained; Tao's physical injuries, save the black eye and the long, angry red line on his side, had all been healed by the horn. But instead of granting relief, the knowledge only made him feel worse. Yes, the physical pains were gone. But the mental? The torture Voden and Qord must have inflicted on him, knowing they could bring him back from death over and over again…

He remembered the chains in the previous cave, each thorn red with blood. He remembered the snake showing him Qord’s fist as he slammed it into Tao’s face. He’d only seen Tao take a single hit, and it was enough to make him want to throw something. The tiny, hitching gasps as Tao fought the resulting fever made him feel sick.

All he could do was wipe away Tao's sweat with a small cloth. Arina returned with Tao’s water skin, now full of water, and Dar mixed it with the spearmint before waking Tao up. Tao grumbled, but accepted the bowl when Dar gave it to him. The feel of it made Tao crack open an eye. He smiled. “Wow. So you were listening to me,” he said, and his words were a croak. He drank before Dar could answer, then winced. “Might want to make sure I don’t drink the leftover leaf bits, though.”

“Sorry,” Dar said, but Tao just grinned up at him.

“You did a good job. I really will be all right, Dar.” He frowned. “But grab some willow bark and rubber sap. Work them together and put them on the wound. If it’s closed, open it again. That’ll help with any infection.”

He did as told, and while he couldn’t see any improvement, Tao sighed at the feeling. He returned to sleep. “Go ahead and rest,” he told Arina then. She scowled. “Later,” he said before she could demand he do the same. Her gaze slipped to Tao before she rolled her eyes and huffed. He smiled slightly as she curled up on her side facing Tao, clearly still worried about him.

He watched as Tao’s hunched shoulders slowly fell, as the redness around his infection started to turn pink. His eyes drooped. Just as his head was about to slip to his chest, Arina launched herself up, one hand on her dagger. Dar could only stare slowly at her as she took in her surroundings. They were safe; neither Dar nor Ruh had heard anything. As Arina got herself more under control, she looked over to Tao. Her shoulders fell. She let out a long breath. “Rest, Dar,” she said, and scooted over to take his place. He had no choice but to let her.

Even though he knew whatever nightmares she'd woken from would haunt him, as well, still he let Arina take the medicine from him. He forced himself to rest his head. Even exhausted, sleep came slowly, as if in trepidation. He fell into it with muscles tense and ready for battle.

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A/N:

Magic swords don't rust. Fact.

I happen to be well aware that people can't usually travel through different biomes so quickly. I also know this is Beastmaster, where Dar has sometimes traveled from forest to marshland to forest again in about a day or two – walking. So screw it.

#beastmaster #beastmaster season 4 #dar/tao #dar and tao #sorry for the wait!#fanfiction #my fanfiction #voden #dar #tao #TV beastmaster #beastmaster tv

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