Hi every one. It's been a long time since I wrote last.
My book is coming to a possible closing spot so may be sumbmiting it to publishers or
Putting on lulu.com soon, although I may keep writing for a while on it.
If I finish this book, I will write a sequel and possibly continue to write the series for years. Good bye now!

Please respond to this post with ideas for my story.

I have created this blog as a way for people to respond to and vote on changes in my book. please check it regualarily and contribute to polls. for people who have not read my book it is below.

Chapter 1


K


RAKOOM! Thunder rolled.

I stared out my window at a business man who, despite the weather, was pacing back and forth in front of our house. I had been watching him since ten when I was supposed to go to bed. It was close to eleven thirty now and he finally looked up at the window. I glanced at his face and saw that he had rat-like features and glowing red eyes. You must be hallucinating, I told myself. You just need some rest. I climbed into bed and closed my eyes but could not seem to forget the man with the red eyes. Soon however, tiredness overcame me and I was taken into the peaceful oblivion of sleep.

I stretched and rolled over in my bed, yawned and finally cracked open my eyes. After blinking a few times I got out of bed and grabbed my glasses. As I stretched one last time I realized I had slept in my clothes. I then grabbed a sweatshirt and jogged through my small house to the kitchen.
I grabbed a jug of milk and poured myself a bowl of cereal, then sat down at the table. A hastily scribbled Happy birthday note propped up against the salt shaker reminded me that I was turning thirteen this afternoon and I felt a stab of regret that my parents would have to work all day, but I quickly reminded myself that Urgent Care was the only place that had offered to hire them. I grabbed the newspaper and began to read, a somewhat unusual (compared to the kids at my school) habit I had acquired several years ago.
I scanned the page, looking from bad news to bad news, car crashes, wars, recessions, and munched my cereal until the newspaper became too depressing and I put it down. I went to pour myself some more milk and realized the bottle was empty. I grabbed it and hurried down the basement stairs to the recycling bin. I tossed the bottle in and was about turn when suddenly I smelt smoke.
I looked around the corner into the basement and saw a small blaze in one of the corners. I instinctively ripped off my sweatshirt and began trying to smother the flame but after a minute the fire did not seem to be getting any smaller and the sweatshirt was in tatters.
I scanned the area for clues of how a fire had started in our basement until I saw a broken window and the remains of a torch below it. That could only mean one thing. Arson. A small flame of anger and fear burned in my chest and suddenly I burst into a fit of coughing. I quickly covered my mouth with my arm and charged up the stairs into the kitchen. I then sprinted through the living room and out the front door.
A cold breeze ruffled my hair and I shivered, then turned around to face the fiery inferno that had once been my house. Flames danced in and out of the windows and the roof was sagging as though under a great weight. I looked around hoping to see a police man or a fire fighter who I could tell about the torch. I heard clicking sounds behind me as someone approached and then before I could react a knife was pressed to my neck.
“Don’t move,” someone hissed.

I whirled around and saw that it was the man who had been pacing in front of our house. I stared at his face and saw that my suspicions from the other night had been confirmed. The man’s eyes glowed with an eerie red light.

“I told you not to move,” he hissed as he shoved me forward. Suddenly a jogger wearing a light grey coat rounded the corner. Something seemed to be wrong about him but I couldn’t put a finger on it. The man that was holding me said some words that I didn’t recognize but I dare not put them in print in case somebody does.

“Forward,” he hissed into my ear. He then pushed me down an alley and made a few turns until quite suddenly we popped out on the main road and he pushed me into a waiting limousine. There were two more of the men in the limo and as soon as we got in, one of them put their foot down on the gas pedal. As we sped away I looked back and saw that the man in the grey jacket had just come out of the alley way. Then he began to run after the limo.

He’s never going to be able to keep up, I thought, but I was proven very wrong. He easily jogged about fifty feet behind us. Suddenly we pulled on to an empty road and doubled our speed. Even the man could not keep up.

He stopped running and pulled out a bow. As he did so his coat fell away slightly and I saw two sword hilts in his belt. His first shot missed and broke on the road. His second shot however, was much more successful as it smashed through the window and buried itself in the neck of the man beside me. He slumped forward and I felt sick to my stomach. I then stared at the hole in the “bullet proof” glass and wondered what kind of supernatural war I had gotten myself in the middle of. Then the limo kicked into high gear and the man became a speck in the distance.

We drove in silence for what seemed like hours but was probably only about twenty minutes, until we came to an obscure looking exit. The limo pulled off the highway and began driving through a seedy neighborhood. We stopped at an abandoned house. I was shoved inside and the door shut behind me. The building was falling apart and I guessed it must have been unoccupied for at least five years. One of the men reached down and pulled up three floor boards. Underneath them, instead of the dirt I was expecting to see there was a six foot drop to a wooden platform. Each corner of the platform was attached to a leather string. The strings each led up to a pulley that was attached to the inside of the pit.

“You first,” I said moving out of the way so the men could jump down. They hissed and suddenly I heard a crack and a second later felt a red hot needle of pain in my neck. I turned around and saw that one of them had drawn a stick from inside his suit. He raised it to strike again and I covered my face with my arms. This time it did not hurt nearly as much but the force of the blow knocked me backwards and I toppled into the pit. The platform was hard and I lay there, winded. Suddenly I heard a clicking sound and realized that the pulleys were being released. The platform shot downwards with surprising speed and I closed my eyes. After almost a whole minute it jerked to a stop.

When I opened my eyes I saw that I was in a cave. I heard a creaking sound as the platform started to rise and I hurriedly jumped off. Soon the crude elevator was at the top and I heard dull thumping sounds as men jumped on. Then the platform shot down again and my captors got off. They both stood there for a second and suddenly fur began to spread over their skin and the shape of their head began to change. After a few moments they had transformed into giant, bipedal rats. Each of them grabbed one of my arms and pulled me to the mouth of the cave. I looked out and saw that we were in a vast underground cavern that stretched out farther than the eye could see. All of it appeared to be covered with desert except for an imposing forest that stretched in a large semi circle. The only sign of civilization was a small group of black tents about five hundred feet from the bottom of the hill the cave was on.

We made our way down the hill and began in the direction of the camp. After a five minute walk through the blistering desert we had made it to the tents farthest away from the rest. There were many of the rat creatures wandering around or sharpening weapons. All of them wore black armor.

I was shoved into a cage in the center of the camp and one of the creatures stepped forward to guard me. I stared through the wooden bars of my prison as the cage was lifted up by a pulley system. As I looked downwards I realized there seemed to be a conflict.

“I tell you, we should kill him. We’re too deep in ranger territory. They’ve probably already heard he’s here,” one of the rats whispered to what seemed to be their leader.

“No, Koll, Karnaff wants him alive, do you hear me, alive” he hissed at Koll as he smacked him in the chest. Koll lowered his head but as soon as the leader had turned around he whipped out a black knife and stabbed him in the back.
“I’m the captain now,” he told the rest of the creatures, “and as my first order of business, he dies.” About a dozen of the creatures lifted cross-bows and pointed them at me. The rest were slightly hesitant to follow their new leader but he viciously kicked out at them and they got moving. In all there were about a score of bows aiming at me. As I scrambled to the back of my cage I felt it give way slightly beneath my feet and looked down. I saw that at the very back of the cage there was a point where a rusty nail had broken so the solid oak wood floor did not quite meet the metal bars. I began jumping on the spot and soon more nails broke. Suddenly the whole floor gave way and I fell down onto a tent. As I untangled myself I noticed quite a few swords and maces lying around and realized this must have been the armory.

Suddenly a dart zipped by and I turned my attention back to the rats. One of them was advancing on me with a naked sword. I reached franticly behind me and my fingers found a curving scimitar. I jumped up. The rat sliced at me but I dodged and the heavy sword thudded into the ground. I slashed upwards and my blade hit home. The rat fell down. I stared at my blade, sickened by what I had just done. Just then Koll’s harsh voice cut into my thoughts.

“Well that sword play was all very nice, but I have you surrounded. Drop the weapon and no harm will come to you.” I looked around and saw that he was telling the truth about being surrounded so I dropped my blade and kicked it away. He stepped forward and drew his sword. I realized he had no intention of keeping his promise. He smiled evilly. His smile lasted five seconds…ten seconds. Then he thudded to the ground with an arrow in his back.

What seemed to be a bipedal wolf in a leather body suit stepped out of the woods. Over the body suit it had buckled a leather breast plate and bracers. It was carrying a drawn bow and two swords were stuck in its belt.

“Pick up your sword and begin backing away,” it told me. It then turned to the rats.

“The first one of you who moves gets an arrow in the chest,” it warned them.

“We outnumber you. If you surrender peacefully and hand over the child we will not harm you,” one of the rats said as he took a step forward. The wolf’s arrow passed clean through the rat’s body. The creature stared at the wound for a few seconds and then he toppled over backwards. I looked back and saw that the wolf had already re-loaded its bow. It suddenly grabbed me and sprinted into the woods. It ran about fifty feet in, checked we were not being followed and stretched out its arms in front of it. I watched as its snow white fur began to recede and the shape of its head changed. In a few seconds I was facing a normal looking human. I recognized him as the man who had run after the limo.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“You may call me Aust. I am a Lupen, or Were-wolf,” he told me. I started to introduce myself. “No need Samuel,” he interrupted me. “Now, I expect you would like to know where you are.” I nodded.

“You are in Shademoor,” Aust told me. “It is a planet inside the earth. In some places where the crust is thin we have built lifts so we can occasionally visit the world above.” I winced at the reminder of my terrifying free-fall.

“What were those things?” I asked.

“There are the Kätor or were-rats.”

“Why did they want to kill me?” I said.

“Your parents were great Paladins until they received sidelining injuries. Many think you will become a great warrior too. The Paladins’ enemies wish to kill you before you can defend yourself.”

“Who are the Paladins?”

“They are noble human warriors who help us and the rest of the lawful Were-clans to fight the chaotic clans like the Kätor.” I thought about it for a second and realized that I still wasn’t sure if I believed any of this. The fighting did look pretty realistic though and I loved fantasy books and had always wanted to discover another world. I decided to believe Aust.

“Where are you going to take me?” I asked him.

“The Lupen city of Okäm,” Aust told me. “Come now, there’s no time to waste,” he motioned for me to follow him and headed off deeper into the forest. The woods were beautiful but occasionally I got the feeling that I was being watched. I gripped the handle of the scimitar tightly. After about an hour’s slow walk Aust abruptly stopped and held out his hand to stop me also.

“Anità,” he yelled. Aust waited a few seconds and when nothing happened began walking again.

“Why did you do that?” I asked him.

“If I did not you would be dead right now,” he told me “It means; I bring a guest.” I looked back and saw that there were two sentries in wolf form with drawn bows crouching down in ditches on either side of the road.

After about ten minutes more walking the path came to an end. Two more Lupen soldiers stood with double ended spears barring the way. Aust nodded at them and they raised their spears, allowing us to pass. We kept walking when the path gave out and when we had gone only about five hundred feet into the forest Aust kicked aside a screen of leaves and I was staring at a great expanse of stone wall.

Aust walked up to a section of it that must have been the front gate and pounded his fist against it. A small flap on opened and someone peered out. Then flap shut and after a few moments the section of wall swung smoothly outwards. Aust pulled me inside and I looked around. We were standing on a huge field. Lupens were shooting bows at targets or sharpening swords. A few of them were in human form but most had transformed into wolves. A constant stream of merry noise bombarded us as we stood at the door. But the most amazing thing about the city was the platforms - there was a great many of them being lowered or raised from a series of spindly walk ways crisscrossing the sky.

Aust motioned for me to follow him and stepped on to one of the platforms. I followed him warily and the platform began to rise. When we reached the walkway it was suspended from, Aust thanked the wolf who had pulled us up. He was wearing full armor and was heavily armed so I figured he must be a guard. Aust turned and began walking in the direction of what seemed to be a command tent. Because the walkways were almost deserted we reached the tent in about five minutes.

“Stay here,” Aust told me.

He stepped inside the tent. About ten minutes later he came out. His face looked slightly gray and he was frowning.

“Something important has come to my attention. I’ll tell you more tomorrow. Our spies should have reported back by then,” he told me grimly.

“What should I do until then?” I asked him.

“First you should eat dinner, I expect you’re famished,” he said. “Then we can see about your training.” We were lowered down by platform. Aust began leading me across the field. After about a minute I could tell we were getting close. I could smell delicious aromas from straight ahead. After about another minute we arrived. There were fifteen Lupens almost completely surrounded by a huge brick oven.

The oven was about four feet high and stretched in a circle around them. The ends did not quite meet however, leaving a small walkway. Whenever something was done baking the Lupens would set it on the counter where the heat from below would keep it warm.

Aust walked up and grabbed an earthen wear plate from a pile on the counter. He inclined his head at the plates and I followed suit. We walked along the counter and I chose a pastry that looked slightly like apple pie. Aust then led me over to several large barrels that were leaning on the oven.

“That one’s a fruit cordial,” he said pointing to a barrel with pink splatters around the top. “And that one’s I guess what you’d call lemonade.” I chose the latter and Aust poured me some.

Aust scanned the field with his bright green eyes and then nodded.

“Let’s eat over there. You can meet my friend,” he said pointing to a solitary figure sitting on the field. We walked over and I noticed that he was not a Lupen. His skin was a grayish pink color and his face resembled that of a boar, except for the eyes which were clearly human. He was munching happily on a slice of potato pasty.

“Hello Aust,” he said while moving a large battle ax so we had room to sit down.

“Oscar this is Samuel, Samuel this is Oscar,” Aust said. “He is a Scrofa or Were-Boar and my very good friend.” Oscar nodded politely to me.

“Hello, Samuel,” he said while shaking my hand with such strength that I was sure something broke. I sat down next to Oscar and looked at him curiously.

“If you’re a Scrofa and not a Lupen, what are you doing here?” I asked him.

“I came to supervise the building of several new catapults…,” he said. I had the feeling there was another reason he wasn’t telling me. He glanced at Aust. Aust shook his head slightly and Oscar looked at the ground. I turned back to my pastry. It was filled with a delicious apple sauce. After about twenty minutes of eating in silence I finished. Aust, who had finished several minutes earlier turned to face me.

“We should start your training,” he said as he stood up. As me and Oscar followed suit Aust began to walk across the field. After a few minutes we came to about twenty iron paddocks. Most were being used for dueling or archery practice but Aust found and empty one and went inside and motioned for me to face him. He drew one of his rapiers and went into a crouch. I lifted my scimitar and waited for his attack. Aust stepped forward and made a feint at my legs. I lowered my blade to block but the rapier was already slicing at my head. I brought my scimitar up just in time but it was at a bad angle and it was knocked sideways in my hand. Aust’s blade deftly hit my cross-guard and sent my sword spinning through the air.

“Not bad for the first time,” Aust said. I sat down on the ground and laid back, completely exhausted from our match. After a few minutes I stood up and faced Aust again, determined to be the first to attack this time. We circled around each other; each of us hoping the other would make a mistake and lower his guard. Suddenly I leaped forward and slashed at Aust’s sword hand. He jumped out of the way easily and his sword slammed into my hilt. I managed to hang on and I whirled around and brought my sword in a gleaming arch toward Aust’s head. His sword danced up to block and he held it at such an angle that when my sword hit it, it glided off the side and diverted all the power behind my blow. Aust’s blade was suddenly coming at my face. I held my scimitar in a block at the same angle I had seen Aust use. Most of the power behind his cut was dispersed but the force was still staggering. Aust’s rapier slid down my blade. As it came off the end I expected Aust to swing it back and prepare for another attack but instead he whipped it around the tip of my blade, holding it backwards. His hilt slammed into my wrist and my hand opened reflexively. As my sword clattered to the ground Aust grinned and lifted his blade to my neck, tapped me lightly and lowered the rapier. Suddenly I was overcome by a wave of sleepiness and I yawned.

“Oscar can show you where you’ll sleep,” Aust yelled over his shoulder as he jogged out of the paddock, “I’ve got to go; Ivellios wanted to see me.”

“Who’s Ivellios?” I asked Oscar.

“He’s one of the lupen’s top tactical commanders,” he told me.

“Why would he want to see Aust?”

“I’m not sure,” Oscar said, but he quickly looked at the ground and I could tell he was lying. “Come on,” he said as he started off across the field. After a few minutes we came to five wooden buildings.

“That one’s where the spear fighters live,” Oscar said, pointing to a building that had a double ended spear painted with red paint on the lintel. “That one’s where swordsmen live,” he said pointing to one that had two crossed swords painted in yellow paint, “and that one is where the archers live,” he told me pointing to a building that had a bow painted in green paint. “That one’s for Special Forces,” he said, pointing to a slightly smaller building with a blue star on the door frame. “And that’s where we’re going to stay,” he said proudly pointing to a small building with a travelers cloak on the lintel. He led me inside. A desk ran from one side of the room to the other, blocking the only other exit; a wooden stair case. A burly Lupen sat behind the desk with a sheaf of papers spread in front of him.

“Who are you?” he asked us as we walked inside.

“Oscar Torren,” Oscar told him. The Lupen checked one of his papers and then nodded. He reached out and pulled on a hidden handle on the desk beside him. The desk swung inward and he ushered us through. At the top of the stairs there was a long hallway. Oscar led me down it until we came to a door marked 56. He pushed the door open and we stepped inside. There were two beds, one on either side of the room. In the middle of the room there was a large pot. “There’s your bed,” Oscar said, pointing to the bed on the right side of the room. “If you have to go to the bathroom you have a chamber pot,” he told me, moving his finger to point at the pot I had noticed earlier. I groaned inwardly at the lack of indoor plumbing but decided not to say anything. “See you in the morning Samuel,” he called as he leaped into his bed. I lay down and placed my glasses next to the bed. Soon I was asleep.
 
I
Chapter 2

Yawned blearily and stretched my back as I sat up in bed. I grabbed my glasses and then looked around. I realized that Oscar had already left. As I got out of bed I saw that Oscar had left a note. It said:
Meet me by the ovens.
-Oscar
I stuck my scimitar through my belt and jogged down the hallway and the stair case. I nodded to the Lupen manning the desk and he let me through. As soon as I was outside I broke into a run and I made it to the ovens in a few minutes. As I walked up to the counter I noticed Aust and Oscar talking together, both in human form. I grabbed a berry scone and a mug of fruit cordial and made my way over to them.
“Good morning Samuel,” Oscar called to me as I approached. I sat down with them and turned to Aust.
“What where you going to tell me about?" I asked.
“What you mean?” Aust said with a fake look of confusion.
“You know, after you came out of the tent you said you’d tell me something important today.” Aust swallowed nervously.
“A few days ago one of our spies reported that the Kätor were trying to find Rathar.” I must have looked confused because Aust continued, “Rathar is a legendary sword that gives the bearer great power. We think it is somewhere on the western steppes, which is only about a week from here but there is one complication. The wizard who enchanted it was afraid one of the other races would capture him and take the sword before the Paladins arrived to protect him so he laid one last spell on it. Only someone born on the surface can touch the sword and live.” I looked at him and felt a sinking in the pit of my stomach.
“I’m not going to be able to go home, am I?” I asked, already knowing what the answer would be.
“Samuel, if you don’t help us with this you’re not going to have a home to go back to. The Kätor can’t sneak a large enough force through the streets unnoticed to attack your parents, but if they get the sword they wouldn’t have to go unnoticed. They could take over both planets.”
“Why can’t someone else do it?” I asked.
“A normal person would have been killed by the pressure down here. Your parents were born in Shademoor and their descendants have a great pressure resistance.” I sighed.
“I guess I don’t have a choice. I’ll go with whoever they choose to go after the sword.”
“They already have been chosen,” Aust told me.
“Who?” I asked them. They both stared back at me. “It’s you guys, isn’t it,” I asked. They both nodded.
“Each clan is sending a representative,” Aust told me.
“Are any other representatives?” I asked.
“There is another representative. He is a Buteo or Were-Hawk. He’ll meet up with us outside the forest, as he prefers open places.” Aust stood up and stretched his back. “Be prepared to leave tomorrow morning,” he said as he strode away. I turned to face Oscar.
“He doesn’t stand around much, does he?” I asked him.
“No,” Oscar agreed.
“I should probably train some more,” I told him.
“Can I train with you?” Oscar asked. I nodded, happy to have some company. We walked to the paddock and I went into a crouch. Oscar simply stood, axe on shoulder. Suddenly he stepped forward and with blinding speed brought the axe toward my head. I jumped out of the way and the axe bit deeply into the dirt floor of the paddock. I swung at his head, using the same move I had used on the Kätor. As I prepared to stop the path of my blade and tap him lightly on the neck I realized that I had made a serious miscalculation. Oscar was much faster than the simple solider I had been fighting. His axe was already there, blocking my blade like an iron wall. My scimitar bounced off the axe and I raised it in a block, just in time to defend my face against the attack that Oscar launched almost immediately after my sword had bounced off his axe. I was sent staggering backwards and lowered my guard. Oscar seized the chance, bringing his axe in a scythe of cold steel toward my ribs. An instant before the weapon hit Oscar used all of his considerable strength to bring it to a stop. He then tapped me roughly on the spot where I would have been hit.
“You’re getting better,” he told me, wiping sweat off his near bald head. I grunted in agreement as I sat down and leaned on the fence at the edge of the paddock. After about five minutes of resting I stood up and turned to Oscar.
“I’m going to explore,” I told him.
“Can I show you around?” Oscar asked. I nodded and he took off over the field. I followed him and after walking for less than a minute I saw the back wall of the city and noticed that something seemed to be protruding out of it. As we got closer I saw that the protruding thing was some sort of platform and that there were a lot of large bumps on it. After walking another minute we came to a hill that was overlooking the platform and I realized that the bumps I had spotted earlier were a great many catapults, battering rams, and ballistae all in various stages of construction. The platform itself stretched for perhaps half a mile and seemed to be raised ten feet off the ground. Hundreds of Lupens were working on the platform and I noticed several Scrofas mixed in. I watched the workers in amazement until I turned and discovered that Oscar was already half-way down the hill.
“Come Samuel,” he called, “There are many other things to see.” I hurried to catch up as he jogged off across the field. As we jogged I began to notice a rise in the number of younger Lupens. Soon we came to a large depression in the field. There was a wooden fence around it and many Lupens had gathered around the edge. Oscar pushed his way through the crowd and I followed him. We came to the fence and I looked down to see what everybody was looking at. There seemed to be some sort of martial arts lesson going on. One of the Lupens was in human form and I guessed he was about ten. Oscar turned to me “This is the children’s hand to hand combat lesson,” he said.
Suddenly a piercing whistle sounded and the Lupens lined up, half on one side of the pit and half on the other. The instructor produced two large buckets of paint, one green, and one yellow. He then handed one to the first person in each line. They immersed there leather clad feet and hands and then passed them down the line. After each Lupen had completed the ritual a runner brought buckets back to the instructor and the lines (which I now realized were teams) began to spread out on their sides.
“The point of the game is for your team to have the least amount of successful kicks and punches against it. At the end they count the paint marks on each team’s armor,” Oscar said. The whistle was blown again and a Lupen from the yellow team began to sprint up a small hill to the other side. Just as he reached the top another Lupen’s leg caught him in the kneecap, creating a green blotch and sending him sliding down the hill. The Lupen who had just kicked turned and signaled with his hand. Just then a yellow team Lupen appeared at the top of the hill. He twisted, preparing to punch. Suddenly his target whipped around, raising his foot in a perfect kick. His boot slammed in to the other Lupens shoulder, forcing him into a barrel roll down the hill. I watched in amazement as the Lupen then jumped after him and grabbed a yellow team guard and threw him to ground. As he sprinted off he brought his leg back in a graceful last move, connecting with the guard’s chest.
He ran a few more yards and then dropped into a fighting stance but there did not seem to seem to be any enemies around. His eyes opened in understanding and he whirled around to warn his teammates who stood at the top of the hill. He realized he was too late as he watched feet and hands collide with his team’s armor. I grimaced as I saw green team Lupens sliding downwards.
“Don’t worry,” Oscar said. “There armor protects them.” The instructor scanned the field and blew the whistle for the third time. The Lupens picked themselves up and quickly lined up on their sides. The instructor counted the paint marks on each team and then returned to the middle of the depression.
“Yellow team wins,” he declared. The crowd around a five foot stretch of fence began to clear as the exhausted teams jogged up. One Lupen flipped a latch and the section of fence slid smoothly outward. As they trudged past, Oscar reached out and thumped the green team Lupen whose skills I had been so impressed at on the back. I had a sudden pang as I realized Oscar probably wished the Lupen was coming along instead of me. After a few moments a bell rung somewhere across the field.
“Time for lunch,” Oscar called “I’ll race you there.” We both took off at a sprint, dodging Lupens. Just then Oscar transformed into boar form and put on an extra burst of speed. The kitchen came into view on the horizon and I continued to run, my lungs burning. I felt my scimitar banging against my leg. Our destination was only about ten yards away when suddenly Aust flashed by us. He sprinted to the ovens and then turned to look at us. He grinned and we all grabbed a bowl of soup. We sat down some distance away.
I heard the sound of wheels and marching feet. Aust motioned with his head and I saw a procession of five catapults and ten ballistae, which were surrounded by a battalion of Lupens.
“Company halt,” the captain, marked by the star on his helmet, commanded. A large platform was lowered and four wolves slightly bigger than horses jumped off. Each was being ridden by a Lupen with a long lance. The riders took up position on either side of the battalion and procession began again.
“What are those things?” I asked when the giant wolves had disappeared in the distance.
“There called Latar,” Aust told me “They are wolfs mutated by the pressure.” I looked around and saw that Oscar had gotten up.
“There are more things to see,” he said. I stood and we began walking across the field. After a few minutes I saw a large wooden building. As we got closer I began to smell the strong odor of herbs. We soon reached it and Oscar strode up to the large double doors. He knocked and I heard clicking sounds as the doors were unlocked. A Lupen opened them and waved us inside. “This is the sick ward,” Oscar said. We were in a large reception area. There was a desk on one side of the room with a staircase next to it. On the other side of the room there was a circle of comfortable looking chairs. The Lupen led us up the stairs to a smaller room. There was a rack of herbs on the wall opposite the door.
“I will get you some medicine for the journey,” the Lupen said. He began selecting herbs and placing them in a leather satchel. After a few minutes he came over to us. “This one is for poison, this one is for sickness, and this one stops bleeding,” he said, pointing to each one respectively. I nodded and took the satchel. The Lupen turned and began gingerly fastening the tops on the bottles of herbs and I realized how important they were underground where only a few plants would grow. Oscar led me back down the stairs and as we left I spotted a small garden off to the side of the sick ward.
Oscar began walking in the direction of another wooden building only fifty yards away. I followed him and we soon reached it. Oscar pushed the door open and we stepped inside. We were in a large room. Swords, axes, bows, armor, and shields hung on the walls. Several Lupens were looking around. Oscar walked over to a leather body suit and lifted it off its hooks. He then grabbed a breast plate and bracers.
“See if these fit,” he told me. I quickly pulled the body suit over my clothes and Oscar helped me buckle the armor. I stretched my arms and legs.
“It fits,” I said.
“Hand me the scimitar,” Oscar said. I gave it to him and he grabbed several scabbards. He tried to sheath my blade in each one until he found one that worked. He nodded and as he was putting the rest back on the rack he grabbed a sword belt. He handed my sheathed blade and sword belt and I buckled them at my side.
“Come on,” Oscar said. He led me out of the building and began jogging across the field. After about a minute I saw a dark shape on the horizon. As we got closer I realized that it was a gigantic arena. “This is Talfaer stadium,” Oscar told me. Suddenly the dinner bell rang and Oscar turned toward it. “Come on,” he said. We both walked off in the direction of the kitchens. After about five minutes they became visible on the horizon and it only took two more minutes to reach them. Oscar and I both grabbed a pastry and mug of lemonade, then walked over to where Aust was sitting. Oscar sat down and began eating hurriedly. After he had finished eating he downed the lemonade in one gulp and jogged off across the field.
“Why did he leave?” I asked.
“He is playing in a Haer game tonight and he had to warm up,” Aust explained “We can go and watch him if you want.”
I nodded and said “Let’s go.” We turned back to are pastries and ate in silence. After a few minutes we finished and stood up.
Aust began to jog in the direction of Talfaer stadium and I followed. We soon reached it and we were swept up in the wave of people going in. We walked through the double doors and down a winding passage with hallways branching off. Aust entered one of the hallways along with several other Lupens and we followed it to a large hanging gallery. I looked around and saw that the stadium consisted of a huge playing field. The field had several large puddles, about ten yards across randomly scattered around it. There was a large hole on each end of the field.
A Lupen emerged through a set of double doors. He carried a ball in one hand and a horn in the other. He walked to the center of the field and blew a sharp note on the horn. Doors opened on either side of the field and the teams walked out. One side’s breast plates had a blue dot on them and the others had a green dot. I spotted Oscar among the blue team.
“Choose captains,” the Lupen with the ball called. A representative from each team stepped forward and stood about five feet away from him.
“The point of Haer is to get five points. You get a point when you put it in the other goal,” Aust said, pointing to the holes. I returned my attention the field and watched as the Lupen in the middle tossed the ball in the air and blew his horn again. The two captains rushed for the ball. The green team Lupen was almost to it when the other captain elbowed him in the chest, sending him crashing downwards. The captain then grabbed the ball and charged across the field. He sprinted quickly past the rest of the green team and tossed it in their goal.
“One-Zero,” the Lupen in the middle proclaimed. He handed the ball to the green team captain as the players returned to their starting positions. The horn was blown a third time and the captain sprinted toward the goal. He was almost to it when Oscar tackled him, grabbing the ball in the process. Oscar then threw the ball to another blue team player who took off across the field. The Lupen weaved around defense and quickly made a goal.
“Two-Zero,” the Lupen standing in the middle said. He again handed the ball to the green team and blew his horn. The green team captain ran around one of the puddles and began to close in on the goal. Several Lupens attempted tackles but the captain kept running. He scored from ten feet away and raised his arms in victory.
“Two-One,” the announcer said as he handed the ball to the blue team and blew his horn. The blue team captain punted it over the green team’s heads and the ball landed next to the goal, then rolled in.
“Three-One,” the announcer declared. He handed the green team the ball and blew his horn to start the game. The green team captain motioned with his hand and ran forward. The rest of his team followed and when the blue team tackled the captain the rest of them began to pull attackers off. A large group of struggling Lupens formed around the captain. I watched as the ball was flung out of the group and a green team player who had hung back saw his chance and grabbed it. Suddenly Oscar burst out of the wild mass and flipped the Lupen on his back. He grabbed the ball and quickly made a goal.
“Four-One,” the announcer said. He tossed the ball to the green team captain and blew his horn. The blue team surged toward the captain who looked around anxiously and then attempted a pass. The throw fell short and the ball landed in one of the puddles. Instantly a Lupen from either team dived into the water. After about half a minute the blue team Lupen surfaced with the ball. He tossed it to another player who scared the final goal.
“Game,” the announcer cried. The players gave each other handshakes and then jogged off to their respective doors as the stadium began to empty. Me and Aust stood up and stretched, then walked down the hallway. It seemed like it was taking forever to get out of the arena as we tried to maneuver through the crush of Lupens. Aust led me down a hallway I hadn’t noticed on the way in and suddenly we popped outside. I looked up at the sky, expecting to see stars then realized with a jolt that I was underground. Just then a red faced Oscar burst out of the building.
“Well played,” Aust told him. We began walking toward the visitor’s lodge. When we were about half-way there when a guard member ran up. He spoke in Aust’s ear and then left.
“I must go,” Aust said as he sprinted to the nearest platform “Meet me at the ovens tomorrow.” Then the platform was pulled up and I lost sight of him. Oscar and I continued walking. We reached the visitors lodge in about five minutes and Oscar gave his name to the guard. He waved us through and we jogged up the stairs to are room. I found that someone had left a pair of cotton night clothes next to my bed. I went behind a screen and quickly changed, put my glasses on the floor then collapsed into bed. I soon fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.


















Chapter 3
I

Woke to the sound of Oscar getting out of bed. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was three o’clock.
“Too early,” I muttered. Oscar ignored me and went behind the changing screen, emerging a minute later, fully dressed. I reluctantly got out of bed and pulled the body suit over my comfortable cotton night clothes and buckled on my armor and sword. I then grabbed my herb satchel and glasses, then followed Oscar out the door. We walked out of the building and began to jog to the ovens. After about five minutes we arrived. I saw that a few cooks were on duty but the eating area was deserted. Suddenly Aust appeared on the crest of one of the hills. He was leading two Latar and what looked like a giant boar. Oscar ran up and grabbed the boar’s reigns, then pulled himself up on its back.
“You’ll need these,” Aust said as he tossed us grey trench coats like the one he had on. I put mine on and Aust turned to me. “I’ll help you mount,” he said, pointing to one of the Latar with a black area around its eye. “Stand on my arm.” He boosted me up and I sat on the leather saddle and picked up the reigns. I twitched them slightly and the Latar responded instantly, causing me to smile. I had been riding a lot and this giant wolf had a much faster reaction time then any horse I had ever ridden.
“His name is Patch,” Aust said pointing to my Latar. He then jumped on his Latar and turned to us.
“Race you to the gate,” he said. I pressed my heels into Patch’s flanks and he took off. Aust rode up next to me and we thundered across the field, each of us trying to gain the lead. Suddenly the gate came into view on the horizon and I urged Patch forward. Just then Oscar flashed past. He rode up to the gate and pulled sharply on the reigns.
“What are you riding?” I asked him, pointing to the giant boar.
“It’s called a Sata,” Oscar said “They are the favored mounts of Scrofas.” There were four guards at the gate, two on Latar and two on foot.
“Name yourself,” one of the guards commanded.
“Aust Amastia,” Aust said. The Lupen who had spoken nodded and the guards on Latar rode up next to us.
“These are your escorts,” he said “They will follow you to the edge of the forest.” He and the other guard pulled the gates open and we rode out. The others set off at a fast pace and I had to dig my heels in to keep up. Aust saluted the sentries as we passed and they nodded in acknowledgement. After only about ten minutes we came to a stop at the edge of the wood.
“We must leave now,” one of our escorts said. Aust nodded and they peeled off and began riding back to Okäm. Oscar spurred his Sata and it took off across the desert, its hooves spewing sand. Patch took off after him and I was hit by a sweltering wave of heat. I searched through my saddle bag until I found a canteen of water and took a long drink.
“Save your water,” Aust called “We do not know where the next source of it will be.” As I reluctantly put the canteen back I realized that my body suit was already sticky with sweat.
I stared out onto the horizon, trying to see the end of the desert but it seemed to stretch on forever. It had only been five minutes since we left the wood but the mounts had slowed down to a trot and I was becoming miserable. After about an hour Aust stopped his Latar and turned to us.
“Time for breakfast,” he said. I gratefully dismounted and began to stretch my sore legs as Oscar rummaged around in the saddle bags for something to eat. He pulled out a dried pastry for everyone and handed them to us. I took a long swig from my canteen and devoured the pasty in three bites. I then lay back on the hot sand and stared up at the cavern roof, wondering what part of my old home-town we were under now.
After about twenty minutes Aust declared our break over and I reluctantly got back on Patch. Our mounts had been resting and we moved much faster than we had been before. As we sped across the desert I noticed a black dot in the distance. After several hours of riding I still couldn’t completely make it out. As we got closer to it I realized that it seemed to be a camp of some sort.
“Stop,” Aust yelled “Kätor.” I pulled sharply on the reigns and Patch stopped immediately. We waited to see if they’d seen us. After a couple of minutes several Kätor on giant rats emerged from the camp and began thundering toward us. Aust drew his bow and sent an arrow flying. One of the Kätor clutched his arm and after several seconds fell of his mount. I looked at Aust questioningly. “Poison,” he said. Suddenly a giant hawk swooped down and lifted a rat and rider off the ground. It flew several hundred feet in the air and dropped them onto the sand where they lay, unmoving. Several more of the giant birds arrived and I watched as barbed spears were flung from their backs and Kätor fell left and right.
After the attack party was completely destroyed, the birds landed in front of us. There was a strange creature riding each one. The creatures looked like human-sized hawks standing upright with muscular feather covered arms. Each of them had a quiver of barbed spears on their back.
“Hello Severen,” Aust said and a hawk with earring in his left ear the hawks nodded.
“He will be the Buteo member of our party.” Aust told me.
“Time for lunch,” Oscar said as he rummaged in his saddlebag. The Buteos dismounted and as Oscar handed out flatbread Severen took Aust aside. He whispered something in Aust’s ear and he nodded. I munched the flatbread until he came over.
“The Kätor have blockaded the entrance to the western steppes,” Aust said “We’re going to have to go above ground.” I nodded and continued to eat.
After everyone had finished the Buteo escort left, leaving Severen, Aust, Oscar, and I. Oscar packed up everything and we got on our mounts. With Aust leading, we took off, headed toward the mountain where I had first arrived in Shademoor. As we rode, the sand in the air began to irritate my eyes. I looked behind us and saw a giant swirling dust cloud. Severen followed the direction of my gaze.
“Sandstorm,” he yelled. We all began spurring our mounts furiously. We thundered across the desert at probably fifty miles per hour but the storm continued to gain on us and I could feel myself slipping out of the saddle.
“Stop,” Aust yelled when it became clear the storm was going to catch us. “Everyone dismount and get in a tent.” We all jumped off our mounts and began scrambling to set up the tents from our packs. Aust and Severen set there’s up in less than a minute and we herded the mounts in. I continued to fumble with my tent as the sandstorm got closer. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Oscar erect his tent. The storm was very close now, I could barely see through the sand swirling everywhere and I could barely here Aust’s voice crying, “Get in the tent.” I sprinted toward the vague shape, the sand stinging my eyes. After what seemed like forever I reached the tent and felt strong arms pull me inside. The door flap shut behind me, cutting off the sound of the storm. I sat down and looked around. A three inch deep layer of sand covered the bottom of the tent and a single pack lay in the center of it. I realized that it must have been the only one we managed to get out of the storm.
I watched the storm rage outside the tent as Oscar passed out some bread from our remaining provisions. I took the food gratefully, as the storm had made me hungry. We all ate in silence until Aust finished and turned to us.
“I’m going to see if it is safe to leave yet,” he said as he opened the tent flap. The storm had covered almost all of the entrance, leaving a small gap on top free of sand. Aust jumped up and tried to wiggle through it, displacing large amounts of sand. Dust filled the air and I began to cough. Aust fell back to the ground.
“You try,” he told me.
“Okay,” I said nervously. I walked up to the sand wall and pulled myself up to the gap. I then stuck my head through it and pushed with my legs. My shoulders popped through and my arms followed. As I pulled the rest of my body through I felt the hole collapse in on itself. I rolled away from the opening, not wanting to fall back in. After I was a good five feet away I stood up and looked back. The green top of the tent and a small indentation in the sand were the only clues that something laid beneath.
I carefully approached the hole and then dropped to my knees and began digging. I could feel the warmth of the sand through my bodysuit as I shoveled it away. Suddenly my hand burst through the sand and into the tent. Severen thrust the butt of one of his spears through the opening I had created and I pulled him out. He shook himself off and began to help me dig.
“I’m coming out,” we heard Aust call. After a few moments he thrust a sandy head through the opening and stretched out his arms. Severen and I each grabbed one and pulled him out. Aust then dropped to his knees next to us and we all began to dig. Soon the opening was wide enough that we thought Oscar could fit and I stuck my head in the hole.
“Come on,” I called to him. He nodded and began to climb the sand wall. After a little bit his head popped through the opening and he pulled himself out.
“Get the tent,” Aust told Severen as he motioned for Oscar and I to follow him. We ran over to one of the other buried tents and began to dig. After a few minutes my hand broke through the sand. Aust reached into the opening and pulled Patch out by the reigns. He then reached in again and brought out a lead. “Help me,” he said as he struggled with the creature it was attached to. I grabbed it and was almost pulled into the hole. I quickly dug my heels in and gritted my teeth. After a few moments I felt us start to gain ground and I began to back up. Soon the head and beak of Severen’s mount appeared. We continued to pull. When it was almost completely out of the hole it suddenly began to flap its wings and we were pulled forward.
“What is this thing,” I called to Aust.
“It is called a Bara,” he said. I nodded and turned back to the giant hawk. Just then Oscar began rummaging around in our one remaining bag. He produced a tent stake and tossed it to Aust who quickly stuck it in the ground and wrapped the lead around it. I dropped the thick strap of leather and gratefully sat down, exhausted.
“You can rest in the tent,” Aust told me. I turned and saw that Severen had dug out the buried one and set it up above ground. I jogged over and slipped through the flap, then sat down and closed my eyes. After about half an hour Oscar came in.
“Come on,” he said “We’re ready to go.” I nodded and stood up, feeling much better after my rest. I then followed Oscar outside and quickly mounted Patch. Severen muttered something to his Bara and it took off. The rest of our mounts followed and we began speeding across the desert. As we rode, the mountain began to loom above us. After about an hour we reached its base and Aust turned to us.
“We cannot take the mounts with us above ground,” Aust said “we will have to leave them here. They know the way back to Okäm.” I dismounted and patted Patch on the flank. I had grown very fond of him even though we had only been together for a day. I then reluctantly dropped the reigns. Oscar’s Sata jumped forward and began thundering across the desert and the rest of our mounts followed. We watched them until they became specks in the distance.
“Come on,” Severen called. I turned and saw that he had flown about half-way up the mountain. The rest of us began climbing. It was much harder going up than had been going down and after only a few minutes my body suit was sticky with sweat and I was breathing hard. We continued to climb and we soon reached the top. Aust ran his hand over the rock until he found an opening and pulled himself in. I quickly followed him in and found myself in the cave where I had my first view of Shademoor. Oscar and Severen popped in and I began to make for the platform.
“We will rest here tonight, Samuel,” Aust told me. I nodded and sat down on the cave floor. Oscar grabbed two blankets from our bag and carefully cut both of them in half with his axe. He then handed one of the halves to each of us. I pulled mine over me and laid back. I soon fell asleep. 
Chapter 4

“S
amuel,” Oscar said “Wake up.” I looked blearily at him and then slowly pulled myself into a sitting position. Aust and Severen were staring out of the cave mouth at five dark shapes that were rapidly approaching. I stood up and buckled on my sword. Suddenly one of the dark shapes swooped downwards and I caught a glimpse of bat wings.
“Epta,” Aust said.
“What?” I asked.
“Were-bats. They are allies of the Kätor,” he said. I nodded and turned to see that Oscar had grabbed our remaining bag and was standing on the lift.
“Come on,” he said and pulled me up next to him. Severen jumped on after me. Aust grabbed his bow and drew it all the way back. The Epta flew closer and I realized that they were riding on giant bats. Aust let his arrow fly and I saw one of the mounts tumble out of the sky. The rider quickly jumped ten feet on to the back of one of his companions and I realized that these were much faster than Kätor. Aust then turned and jumped up on the lift. He grasped one of the leather strings that hung down the side of the shaft and gave it a pull. His corner of the platform moved upwards, throwing the rest of us off balance. We all grabbed a string and began to pull. The lift surged upwards. We continued to pull and after a minute I guessed we were about halfway up. Suddenly we heard a loud screech and felt a shudder as a black shape slammed into the boards.
“Faster,” Aust cried.
“Take my string,” Severen yelled to Oscar as he pulled a barbed spear from the quiver on his back. Oscar grabbed the string and Severen began jabbing through the floorboards at the Epta. Just then the lift reached the top of the shaft and we jumped out. Aust moved a heavy sack on top of the floorboards that concealed the lift.
“That should hold them for a bit,” he said. Then he, Severen, and Oscar transformed into human form and we began to run. I burst out of the abandoned house and onto the cool street. It was dark out and I guessed it was around midnight. I stopped and took a long breath of fresh air. Then I heard a loud shriek and I continued to run, the herb satchel bouncing against my chest. We sprinted past a row of houses onto a main road. I looked back and saw several Epta emerging from the abandoned house. They hadn’t bothered to change into human form and I caught my first glimpse of one. They had cruel blue-black eyes and a velvety fur covered their body. Large bat wings stretched out from their backs and arms sprouted from the same joint. Each of them carried a double ended sword.
“Split up,” Aust called. I turned and saw that we had come to a cross road with several paths branching off of it. Oscar ran down the one on the left. As I followed him, out of the corner of my eye I saw Aust and Severen continue to run forward.
As I ran I began to hear a rhythmic whirr-whirr sound behind me. I looked back and saw that two Epta where flying after us. They tucked in their wings and prepared to dive. I grimaced and tried to move faster. Suddenly our path took a sharp turn and the Epta were thrown off. Oscar and I sprinted forward and jumped between two buildings. I watched as they pulled sharply out of there dive as their wings would not fit in the enclosed space. I smiled grimly and made a rude gesture at them.
“Come now,” Oscar said. I nodded and we ran out from our cover. I looked around and realized that we were standing next to a train track. A row of box cars stretched out for about half a mile in either direction. Between them I could just make out a cemetery. Just then I heard a loud shriek. I looked up and saw that the Epta were hovering almost exactly above us. I began to sprint toward one of the box cars, hoping that I could make it before one of them caught me. I felt the wind from the Epta’s wings on my neck. The box car grew closer and closer. Suddenly a hand closed on my neck. Instantly my vision cleared and I instinctively twisted around and delivered a perfect kick to the ribs. I felt one give way and the were-bat was flung backwards. It stared at me and flew away. I saw its companions join it as it left. I then looked down at myself and gasped, unbelieving. My body was covered in golden fur and a mane hung around my head.
“I…I thought they were extinct,” I heard Oscars voice come from behind me. I turned around.
“What was extinct?”
“Panthera,” Aust said as he jogged up. I looked at him questioningly. “It’s a long story,” he said. “You’d better sit down.” I sat on the edge of one of the box-cars. Severen flew up and Aust began the tale.
“In the early days of Shademoor there was a race of were-lions called Panthera,” he said “They fell in love with the sun and spent much of their time above ground. They soon began to mate with humans and their bloodline became diluted. Then world above became polluted and they moved back under ground and formed the paladin order. We did not believe any of them had enough Panthera blood to transform. Until now.” I nodded.
“How do I transform back into a human?”
“Think about what you look like in human form,” Aust said. Okay, I thought I’m tall, I have light skin, brown hair and green eyes. I immediately felt a tingling sensation and my vision blurred. After a few moments I looked down at myself and saw that I was human again. Suddenly I felt a rumble in my stomach.
“I’m hungry,” I said.
Oscar rummaged in the pack. “Were all out of food,” he said “We’ll have to find a restaurant.” He then stood up and began walking down the rail. We all jumped out of the boxcar and began to follow him.
We trudged along the rail. At some point the boxcars stopped and we came to a road. Severen peered down it.
“I see a restaurant,” He said. I looked down and saw a large building with a sign proclaiming: Shelton’s Café. Aust turned on to the road and we followed him. After about a minute we reached the café. I pushed the door open and looked around. It was pretty small and there were only a few customers because of the hour. We sat down at one of the tables and a waitress handed us menus. I perused mine and finally decided on a stack of pancakes. I put it down and turned to Aust.
“Where are we going after this?” I asked him. He pulled a writing utensil out of the pack and drew two circles on his napkin, one large, one small.
“The larger circle represents the desert and the smaller one, the western steppes. We are about right here,” he said, pointing to a spot about an eighth of the way into the larger circle. “We must get to the lift above the steppes, which is about one hundred fifty miles west of our position.” I nodded. Just then the waitress walked up with our food. Aust quickly stuffed the piece of paper in one of the pockets of his trench coat.
I was given my pancakes and I began to devour them rapidly. It was the best food I had eaten since I had gone underground. Suddenly Oscar grabbed my arm. I looked up and saw ten business men exiting two limousines that were parked in on the street. Half of them had blue-black eyes and the others glowed red. Well, well, well I thought it didn’t take them very long to regroup. Severen jumped up and turned to the waitress.
“Is there a back door?” he asked.
“It’s right over there,” she said, pointing to a wooden door that was partially hidden by a sign. We quickly walked over to it. Oscar kicked it open and I ran out into the parking lot. As Severen and Aust followed me I heard the waitress yell “Come back, you haven’t paid yet.” Oscar jumped through and braced himself against the door. Severen motioned toward one of the cars in the lot. Aust drew a rapier and smashed both windows. Severen then crawled in and began to unlock the doors. As I watched him work I realized he had done this before. The passenger door popped open and Aust got in. he then turned towards me.
“Get in,” he yelled. I sprinted forward and quickly sat down in the back seat. Finally Oscar released the door, sprinted over to the car and jumped in next to me. Severen peeled out of the parking lot and took off down the road. As we sped over the asphalt I looked back and saw that both limos were chasing us. A Kätor leaned out of one of the windows and took aim with a cross bow. I quickly ducked. After a few second I heard the bolt shatter the back window and felt tiny pieces of glass rain down on my neck and hands. I grimaced in pain and sat back up. Suddenly I heard a siren and saw a police car speeding after us and the limos. We swerved around a corner, trying to throw them off. Just then I saw an Epta’s two handed sword flash past the window and slam into one of our wheels. The car shuddered and stopped.
“Get out,” Aust yelled. I quickly grabbed the herb satchel scrambled through a broken window dropped to the ground. I then turned, just in time to see several dark shapes collide with the gas tank. There was a tremendous explosion and the car was sent spinning across the street. Just then the police car shot around the corner.
“Don’t move,” a cop called as he jumped out, carrying a drawn hand gun. He approached us and suddenly Aust stepped forward. I didn’t see what happened but before anyone could react the cop was laying on the ground, unconscious and Aust was calmly holding his gun.
“Get out of the car,” He said, pointing it at the other officer. He obeyed and Aust held out his hand. “Keyes,” he told him. The cop dropped them into his palm and suddenly began to sprint away. Aust watched him go and then slid into the driver’s seat of the police car. Oscar sat down next to him and I got in the back with Severen following close behind me. Aust checked to make sure that we were seated and then put his foot down on the gas pedal. As we sped away he tossed the gun into the burning wreck of the car we had stolen.
“Why didn’t you use it?” I asked.
“Guns do not work in Shademoor because of the pressure, so I never learned to use one,” Aust replied matter-of-factly. I nodded and leaned back. The whir of tires on asphalt began to put me to sleep and my eye-lids started to droop.
“Get out Samuel,” I heard Oscar say and I realized that the car had stopped moving. I crawled out and saw that we were in an alley. Aust was leaning up against a garage door.
“Where are we?” I asked him.
“Near the train station,” Aust said “Severen has gone ahead to get tickets to the town the lift is in. He should be meeting us here soon. I sat down and began to wait. After a few minutes a small brown hawk dived downwards and landed in the alley. It began to grow and soon Severen was standing before us.
“I got the tickets,” he said, holding up a sheaf of papers.
“Good,” Aust said as he began to jog down the alley “Follow me.” We all walked after him and after about a minute we burst out into the station. It was relatively small and there only a few trains so we didn’t have a hard time finding ours, the only one that carried passengers. As we walked toward it I noticed several few people staring at. We must make quite a spectacle, I thought, three men and a boy in leather suits and trench coats. As I was thinking this we entered the train and sat down in a booth that consisted of two benches facing each other with a table in between. The whistle sounded and I felt the train lurch forward. We quickly sped away from the station and after a few minutes we were in the country side, leaving my hometown behind.
I stared out the window, watching the rows of golden wheat speed by. As the train continued to move I noticed a group of five hawks flying parallel to the train. That’s strange, I thought hawks are supposed to be solitary birds. Just then, one of them turned and swooped at the window. It swerved away at the last second, but not before I saw that it was carrying a thick manila envelope. I shot a glance at Aust and realized he had seen it to.
“Samuel,” He said “There’s a platform on the back of the train. You aren’t allowed to go on it well were moving but will create a diversion back here so none of the staff will be looking. Once you get out there the Buteo will deliver the letter.” I nodded and began hurrying to the back of the train. I looked back at booth just in time to see Aust collapse to the floor and begin screaming. Just then I spotted a door. On it, in red paint it said: Back platform. Do not use well train is in motion. I checked to make sure everyone was still watching Aust and quickly slipped through it. The instant I stepped outside I was almost blown over by the winds. I grabbed one the hand rails and began to make my way forward, scanning the sky for the hawks. After about half a minute I saw a flash of brown and seconds later a hawk swooped down. As it passed over head I grabbed the envelope. I then turned and hurried back inside. Aust was sitting on one of the benches and breathing deeply. A large group of people had gathered around him. He shot me a questioning look over their heads and I nodded. Aust said something and the group of people headed back to their seats. I hurried over to the booth and put the envelope on the table. Severen glanced around to make sure no one was watching and then reached inside his trench coat and pulled out a dagger. He quickly broke the seal and returned the knife to its sheath. Oscar turned the envelope upside down and a bundle on money and a letter slid out. He picked up the letter and began to read.
“Hello Severen, Aust, Samuel, and Oscar. It has come to my attention that the Kätor and the Epta have arranged an ambush near the town of Glencoe. I suggest that you spend the night at a hotel and take a different train to the lift in the morning. Signed, Ivellios.” Aust nodded.
“We can get off at the next station,” he said. Just then a worker walked up and handed us each a sandwich and a coke. As he moved off Oscar took a sip of his coke and I had to bite my tongue as he burst back, looking surprised and muttering something about bubbles. After that we continued to eat our lunch, nobody except for me touching there cokes.
After about an hour the train lurched to a stop and Aust stood up. As he walked toward the door I grabbed the herb satchel and followed him with Oscar and Severen right behind me. I stepped outside and looked around. We were standing on the main street of a small town. There was a slight breeze and dust was swirling around. Through it I could just make out a building with a flickering neon sign that read: motel, space available.
“We can stay the night there,” Aust said, pointing to it. We quickly walked down the dusty street, our strange dress attracting many curious glances from the villagers.
After a few moments we reached the motel and stepped inside. I looked around and saw that we were in a small reception area, with several chairs and a lady in a green uniform sitting behind a large desk. Aust walked up to her and said something in a low voice. The worker nodded and handed him a set of keys. He then turned and began to walk up a staircase in the corner of the room. We all followed him up the stairs and down a hallway to suite twenty. Aust quickly unlocked the door and I slipped inside.
I glanced around our suite and saw that it consisted a large living room equipped with a TV and counter, two bedrooms with to beds each and three bathrooms. I threw my trench coat and satchel on one of the beds and went into a bathroom, peeled off my leather suit and unbuckled my armor. After I was completely undressed I jumped in the shower.
I stood in the shower a long time, the hot water rushing over my head. It was the first shower I’d taken in a long time and it felt great. After awhile I turned off the water and stepped out. As I grabbed a towel I noticed that someone had left a tee-shirt and pants on the floor. On top of them was a note that read:
Too many people have been looking at us strangely, so I bought these. Put them on over your armor and bodysuit.
-Aust
I quickly toweled myself off and put the body suit and armor back on. I then pulled the tee-shirt and pants over them and walked out into the living area. The TV was on and Severen and Oscar were sitting on floor in front of it, watching intently. Aust was standing by the counter and putting pizza onto paper plates.
“Where did you get that?” I asked him.
“Room service,” he explained. I nodded and collapsed into an armchair. Just then the news came on and Severen cried:
“Look!” a business man wearing tinted glasses was holding up a picture of us standing next to the burning wreck of the stolen car.
“These are dangerous criminals,” he was saying “There are wanted for car theft, attacking police, and reckless driving. If you see them, please contact local authorities immediately.” The man then turned and began to walk off camera. Just before he disappeared he looked back at the screen and lowered his glasses just enough for us to catch a glimpse of glowing red eyes.
“Looks were now public enemy number one, two, three, and four,” I muttered, imagining myself being gunned down by the FBI. Aust superstitiously locked the door and then turned to us.
“Nothing we can do about that tonight,” he said “Let’s eat.”
Oscar switched off the TV and we all grabbed a plate of pizza. I sat down again and then dug into my food with gusto, as I loved Italian food.
After awhile I reluctantly swallowed the last piece of crust and leaned back in the arm chair, suddenly aware of how tired I was.
“I’m going to bed,” I said. I then stumbled to the bed where I had left my satchel and trench coat. I just had time to sweep them off and put my glasses on the bed side table before I fell asleep.
 
Chapter 5

I
cracked open my eyes and sat up in bed. I could barely make out a fuzzy looking Severen standing near the door way. I blinked and then remembered my glasses. I quickly put them on and glanced at the clock, which reported it was eight o’clock. I then got out of bed and walked into the living area.
“Hello Samuel,” Oscar called as I approached. He was sitting on a stool at the counter and eating a piece of toast. Severen and Aust were sitting next to him with a map of the train system Minnesota spread out in front of them. I sat down on the last stool and Aust handed me a slice of bread.
“Eat up,” he said.
“What’s all this?” I asked, gesturing at the map.
“We were trying to figure out which train to take,” he told me as he began to roll up the map “We decided to take one that leaves from the station outside in about twenty minutes, so we will be leaving shortly.”
I nodded and walked back to my bed where I grabbed the herb satchel and my trench coat. I then turned and jogged to the door where Severen, Aust and Oscar