Edwin slightly relaxed still looking at the big man with his staff in his hands and he smiled at the half breed with confused feelings, part of him wanted to blow these fools away and the other wanted to talk sense. He was a man of reason so he relaxed and smiled calmly.

"We are on our side half breed and our side is nor good nor evil..." Edwi looked at Ghyreian. "Or well...for my part...no" Edwin smiled

The Knight got up with a furious look on his face.

"You almost killed me with your cowardish tricks!" The knight spoke with an angry tone

Edwin smiled" Ah...if I had wanted you dead you would be laying in pieces all over this forest..."

The half breed was more causious, but continued reasonable conversation.

"What is your side doing here then?"

Edwin shrugged looking at Ghyreian.

"Trying to find a way to Pax tharkas and blow Verminaad sky high...don`t wonder who sent us because you know that the master of wayreth has more matters attend to than come to Pax Tharkas and fight Verminaad."

The thin red mage whispered "Par salian..."

Edwin nodded "yes...but of course I am sorry for not introducing myself... I am Edwin a red mage as you see... and this is..." Edwin pointed at Ghyreian and everone looked at her.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

hah you actually made me laugh

"I don't need to know your name, wretched dark elf!" Gilthanas spat, losing control of himself. He seemed about to strike her down, when both his sister and the female barbarian Plainsman restrained him and spoke to him in gentle tones.

"The same goes for me," the knight said in disgust as his gaze swept over her Black Robes.

Ghyreian smiled, or more accurately, smirked. "That is all very well as I have no intention of giving it," she returned with equal, if not greater, disdain.

"Your reason for coming is to defeat Verminaard?" the half-elf said incredulously. When he received only silent agreement, he seemed to relax a little. "So are we, though for different intentions. I am Tanis Half-Elven. This is Sturm Brightblade, Caramon Majere, his twin brother Raistlin Majere, the dwarf Flint, Eben, Goldmoon, Riverwind, and..." (**did I miss anyone?**) He stopped as he came to the elves.

"I am Lauralanthalasa and this is my brother Gilthanas," Laurana spoke in icy tones. Her gaze slid over Edwin with reluctant tolerance, but turned cold as it came to Ghyreian.

"Well met, my kindred." Ghyreian greeted with the faintest hint of sarcasm, and took advantage of their obvious discomfort by stepping close to embrace both of them as elven custom demanded. Laurana stood rigid, with apparently no intention to return the embrace. Gilthanas simply stepped aside and eluded her altogether.

Taking twisted satisfaction from the baleful looks on their elven faces, she stepped back.

The Red Robe, Raistlin, regarding this with indifference, drew back his hood to let the sunlight fall onto his face. Ghyreian gave a little start. Being a Black Robe, she had seen and done many things ranging from torturing men in the dungeons to witnessing souls being torn apart from reluctant bodies. But nothing, nothing unnerved her more than the metallic gold of the man's skin and his golden eyes with hourglass pupils. The eyes were penetrating, proud, revealing nothing of what lay inside.

"You say you come from Par-Salian?" Raistlin hissed. "For what reason did he send you, a Red Robe and a dark elf?" He acknowledged his brothership to Edwin with a sardonic bow of his head.

_________________

Edwin grinned ironicly and couldn`t help feeling satisfaction of the fact that he saw Ghyreian stading up to those who haunted and hated her because of what she was. Edwin began leaning on his staff, which was only a habbit and he could feel Raistlin`s hate towards him because he was complitely healthy, but with more loss of the body the mind could receive greater knowledge Edwin thought.

"well... Destiny can be ironic and being friendly while looking company can throw a red mage into quite many things such as killing this verminaad fellow. We just happened to cross paths and then Par Salian decided to make it one path that we both walk for now until we get rid of Verminaad then we shall depart way`s and I know that we are both going to be happy about it..."

Edwin rubbed his chin.

"Now that all of us are on our way to Pax Tharkas and Sla Mori, I suppose it would be quite stuppid to try keep seperate now...so.. I`m going with to gain access to the fortress..."

Edwin looked at Ghyreian and the others, but then his eyes spreaded wide open and he cursed loudly as a kender appearred from the bushes.

"What`s happening? OOO... two mages raistlin! and others robe is just like yours!"

Edwin didn`t dare to speak at the kender and the worst thing would be to call him by name.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Ghyreian stifled her grim amusement. "Hello, Tasslehoff," she said quietly.

The companions looked at eachother in puzzlement and consternation that she knew Tas.

"Hello, my name's Tasslehoff Burrfoot," the kender came up to shake Ghyreian and Edwin's hands, apparently oblivious to Edwin's glare. "My, how exciting! A real dark elf!"

Flint strode up to seize Tas and drag him back. "A real dark elf that's probably going to fry your brains if you get any closer!" He watched Ghyreian warily.

"I would take no greater pleasure than in frying your brains," she responded.

The dwarf hefted his axe, his face contorted in rage.

"I jest," Ghyreian said smoothly. "And yes, we are here from Par-Salian, Red Robe, and our reasons are our own. I intend to linger in this company, however pleasant - " here she glanced disparagingly at the Qualinesti elves " - company you make." And without further ado she bent her head in mocking respect and started down the hill to Sla Mori.

_________________

Edwin followed Ghyreian quickly and all the others walked behind them except Tanis and Gilanthas demanded to be in front, Edwin talked with tanis taking what ever information he could find from their companions and then returned to Ghyreian. Edwin walked his staff on his right and with the left he grabbed Ghryreian`s left hand. Edwin looked forwards with a glance in his eyes and whispered with a careful tone.

"Ever came into mind NOT to call him by his name because you have never actually met the present him?? Don`t you think we aren`t suspicious enough? They don`t trust us one tiny little bit, the elves hate you except for the *beep*, perhaps only the read mage understands us, but he also envies us...He is very smart... I can tell...he eyes and body...must have been a great payment for a great power..."

Edwin paused releasing his hand and looked around.

"Then another concern of mine...the knight won`t at least stab us in the back, but will fight us if we do something unacceptable...second we seem to have a priest in our group..I saw a quick flash of the medallion of mishkal on that barbarian woman, but we shouldn`t go to close because his man seems quite paranoid.... they are not truly what bothers me of all these people... You see that old man with Raistlin there? There`s something very wrong about him... You can feel it can`t you?"

Edwin spoke as they walked and soon would arrive to a battle place where dead bodies laid on the ground.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Ghyreian irritably wrenched her hand from his grasp and hid it once more in the black folds of her robes. "Of course there is something wrong with the old man, Fizban they call him. What do you take me for, a gully dwarf? And do you think I'd sleep peacefully in this foul company? With brains like yours, you probably would."

She glanced back warily at Raistlin, whose eyes were hidden in the depths of his hood. But she detected a glint of gold in hers and Edwin's direction. That one wouldn't leave them in peace. Her glance strayed to the knight, whose expression was dark and forbidding. Nor that one. Behind the knight was the old wizard Fizban, rattling his walking stick and chatting cheerfully with Tasslehoff. Something about him put her in mind of Silvanesti, though she couldn't tell what.

She turned back to Edwin's seemingly impassive face, relented, and said softly, "Forgive me. I am swift to anger these days."

Tanis Half-Elven strode over to them, breaking their whispered conversation. "What are you muttering about?" he said sharply.

"I say we just ditch them. Especially the Black Robe. And we don't need another crazy Red Robe on this trip," Eben snorted.

Raistlin coughed.

Caramon growled under his breath.

Tanis looked to Eben in an odd expression of distrust and thoughtfulness. Finally he sighed. "You say you are going to kill Highlord Verminaard. We come for about the same reason and to free his slaves. Since we are traveling the same road, we might as well travel together."

Ghyreian suppressed her own little snort. Sentimental fool.

Tanis ignored her. "You put us at disadvantage, lady."

Ghyreian was puzzled a moment, then she laughed. "If it bothers you so much, my name is Nightsong."

"Nightsong?"

"Ghyreian Nightsong."

"We are here," Gilthanas announced.

_________________

Ediwn listened to Ghyreian with a small smile ecspecially when the following words came out.

"Forgive me. I am swift to anger these days."

Edwin smiled to Ghreian`s words and answered.

"since when did you have to apoligize me Ghyreian? I am a lesser life form and a red mage..."

Tanis interrupted him before he could finnish his words and everyone talked until Gilanthas informed them all.

"We are here"

Edwin looked forwards seeing a rocky wall.

"and I suppose that here is on the entrance of sla mori?"

Gilanthas went next to the wall nodding slightly not giving Edwin time answer and spelled few words, which made Edwin snort loudly.

"Amateur..." he whispered to himself.

A door opened in the wall and Gilanthas looked inside, then he returned to the others.

"No one has been there so it should be safe..."

Tanis began speaking.

"We should rest inside and continue tommorrow because we are all tired by the trip.."

Without any words Edwin walked inside and lighted up his staff head with few words, it wasn`t the light like on raistlin`s staff, but more brighter. Edwin stepped forwards and looked around while the others came behind, it was an empty room with a bronze door in the other end.

"Well then... I guess we will have to get comfotable as we can..."

Edwin sat on a small rock or what ever it had been and took out his books beginning to study them as the other began making a fire and deciding guard turns.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Gilthanas, Sturm, and Riverwind were all glaring at the two newcomers balefully, each with a different reason to do so.

They ate their rationed meal in silence, none of them daring to light a fire for fear of drawing the enemy down upon them.

Ghyreian unpacked her own food. Though she was weary to the bone and stiff with exhaustion, she ate little. Soon she gave up, packed away her food, and took out her spellbooks. She leaned against a boulder to study them.

"Be on your guard," Raistlin warned in a piercing whisper. "I sense great evil here...."

Sturm made a contemptuous sound, which Raistlin pointedly ignored. Tika grabbed Caramon and kept him from taking action.

"We'll post double watch," Tanis declared. "Sturm and Caramon first, Gilthanas and I, Eben and Riverwind, Flint and Tasslehoff and Tika." In a low voice he murmured to Caramon and Sturm while no one else was listening, "Watch the two mages."

"We should just kill them and get it over with," Eben suggested, coming up to them.

Riverwind grunted his agreement. His distrust for elves and magic-users was apparent.

Ghyreian, sensing they were talking about them, smiled. She moved to where Edwin sat. "If we should sleep tonight, I'll take first watch."

_________________

Edwin raised his eyes from his book and looked at Ghyreian, then at Tanis and inspected him. He had a beard, which would fool original people, but slightly smarter creatures and humans would notice his elvish looks.

"Very well... We are not trully welcome here, but they know that we will prove a great use to them in the end, but they don`t really want to take the chance of trusting us or fighting us... They are trapped like we, there is one single path for us all and we can`t go back for our own reasons..."

Edwin returned to his books, but after a while got up and decided to confort the red mage known as Raistlin who was reading his book as well, Edwin looked at the book and smiled slightly. If these others knew about mages they wouldn`t truly trust this man neither they actually did now, but they got here so far, which made a certain trust perhaps. Edwin sat next to Raistlin and smiled looking at tanis, sturm and caramon.

"So tell me Raistlin...what are you dong here? You could be well in Wayreth under a master learning more, but by looking at your book it seems you have been learning well by yourself....black magic`s...heh quite ironic that I have fallen the same way.."

Raistlin suddenly began staring at him and Edwin looked at the eyes shaped as time glasses.

"Most intresting" Edwin mumbled and took his amulet out showing it to Raistlin.

"Ah a medallion of nuitari I presume?" Raistlin slightly spoke with mockery and lust in his voice.

"Yes...but that is not why I`m speaking to you..." Edwin put it back in his robes. "Must have been a terrible price that you payed in the towers, but it must have been a great knwoledge that you received?"

Raistlin returned to his books"Yes it was, but one day even you will be nothing compared to me..."

Edwin got up smiling and left to his own books, but looked at Raistlin with a smile.

"I`ll be looking forward to that day..."

Edwin returned to his books and soon would begin sleeping as the night would come.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Ghyreian studied her spellbook through her watch, otherwise doing nothing but returning the fierce glares she received from Sturm and the slightly uneasy glances from Caramon. She noticed however that Caramon cared much more for his twin Raistlin than he cared about the new possible threat of the two newcomers. His anxious, loving gaze kept drifting to his Raistlin, who was shivering and coughing and wrapped in a cloak twice as heavy as everyone else's.

She felt not much compelled to pity Raistlin. His sacrifice had been great, but hers had been equally trying. She remembered, on the day of her Test that had taken place decades ago but was remembered with a clarity as if it had happened yesterday.

Ladonna, Head of the Black Robes, had smiled at her - a knowing smile. "What will you sacrifice for your power?" Ladonna had asked. Only after she had taken the Test and completed it had the horrible truth dawned.

For the magic, Ghyreian would turn her back to her people, the elves that had raised her. For the magic, she would turn her back to E'li and his son Solinari to embrace Nuitari's darkness.

For power. For the magic.

Raistlin's sacrifice had been of the body. Hers had been of the soul.

She jerked from her thoughts to find her mind much awake but her body weary to the bone. With a sigh she crawled over to the slumbering form of Edwin and gently shook him awake.

"Your watch," she told him quietly.

_________________

Edwin mumbled to himself as Ghyreian woked him up and got up to the watch, he felt slightly tired but that`s because he was asleep moments ago, but soon he would be quite awake. Edwin looked at the people around the old room, tanis was sleeping with gilanthas and sturm while Riverwind kept the guard.

Caramon was worrying about raistlin and sat besides him, Edwin wondered what tommorrow brought with it. So he had thought the day before the test, Edwin had payed a prize by promising to nuitari to serve him and lunitari whose robe he already carried. His soul and body were corrupted and ripped apart every moment between two sides. He would have lost his left arm and that wouldn`t have been funny for him as long as he would have to use ingredients in his spells, but luckily he had gotten rid of it.

He could get rid of the medalion, but he would lose his other arm for good, but luckily it would be only from his wrist. Edwin took his books and drove such thoughts away, he read until he noticed the sunrise from the door, which was slightly open. Someone had been following them and a trap was decided to be made. Edwin woke Ghyreian up.

"Wake up Ghy...we need be preparing to go deeper to sla mori.." Edwin called her that cause the name was long enough otherwise.

Edwin began eating his breakfeast, which wasn`t much because he wasn`t really hungry at that time, but it would have surely gone to Caramon`s belly unless Edwin would have whacked Caramon lightly on the knee`s.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

**wait Edwin has only one arm?

Ghyreian had been on the verge of sleep and wakefulness and was already half-conscious when Edwin woke her up.

They ate their breakfast in eerie silence. Having had last night's dinner taste like ash in her mouth, her appetite for food that morning rivaled Caramon's. She noticed the others, especially Caramon himself, regarding her in some astonishment.

After breakfast they packed up their things and arrived at the crossroads.

Eben insisted they turn back before being sharply rebuked by Tanis. Raistlin drew closer to examine the tracks on the floor.

"The evil comes from the right," Raistlin whispered.

"I sense evil on the left as well," Ghyreian observed quietly. "Yet there is a chill from the right. It reeks of Chemosh."

"Chemosh!" Flint snorted into his beard.

"I say the mage is lying," Sturm retorted. "Both the mages."

Raistlin stood and said nothing.

"We have trusted Raistlin this far, Sturm - " Tanis began in mollifying tones.

"If we had wanted to kill you do you think we would have left you in peace the entire night?" Ghyreian intervened scornfully.

"I'll have nothing to do with an elf of evil!" Sturm roared. "Either she goes, or I go! I've put up with Raistlin and this other Red Robe here for so long, Tanis!"

"I agree," Gilthanas put in.

"I would leave, if that cursed Par-Salian hadn't crossed our paths!" Ghyreian hissed, her carefully kept under guard emotions blowing at last.

"Sturm," Goldmoon pleaded, but the knight turned a deaf ear to her.

"I've had enough of mages!"

"Watch who you're insulting!" Caramon bellowed, and took a step towards his brother, who seemed to be watching the proceedings with grim amusement.

"QUIET!" A voice as deep as thunder, as proud and strong as the gods silenced the arguing voices.

Everyone turned in astonishment and disbelief to Fizban. The old wizard that the companions had dubbed crazy and daft stood tall, majestic in his ancient aura of power. Then his unearthly radiance faded, leaving once more his familiar, confused self.

"Now you look here, Sir Knight," Fizban chided, tottering over to the bewildered Sturm. "You know they've got no choice but to come with you. They're on an important mission from Par-Salian, you know." Sturm stood, at complete loss for words.

"And you, my young elf friend." Fizban moved to Gilthanas. His hat slipped over his eyes in the process. "Ah, help me! I've gone blind!" Tasslehoff hurried forward to adjust his hat. Fizban continued, "Ah, there. Where was I? Oh yes. You, Gilthanas, should learn to accept the differences of others and judge them fairly."

He clucked his tongue at Riverwind. "Tsk, tsk. You too, Flooswun."

"Riverwind," Tas corrected.

He turned to Ghyreian. "And you, young lady. Learn to control that proud head of yours." He paused, seemed satisfied. "Now, my friends. Off to Pax Tharkas!"

_________________

Edwin followed amused as the other argued, but was slightly offended still amised until Fizban shouted out and that voice drove all the color out of Edwin`s face. Edwin was quite as they continued their trip arriving to a tomb where was a throne and a dead man`s skeleton sat on it with a sword in his hand.

Edwin sighed "Let me guess...this is the tomb of kith khan? I`ve read about this place and only elven priests were allowed to step in such places..."

Gilanthas took teps forwards with Tanis and Sturm got uncomfotable from Edwin`s words.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"What's that?" Tas asked suddenly, cocking his head.

"What's that?" Flint said absently, slapping the walls.

"A scraping sound," the kender said, puzzled. "It's coming from those doors."

Ghyreian now heard it too. It was, like Tas said, the sound of rubber scraping on stone, followed by a faint yet distinct squishing noise. Now it was accompanied by a stench of decay. She gagged.

The others looked up in alarm.

"Shut the door!" Raistlin whispered urgently.

Caramon and Sturm, feeling the mage's fear, threw their whole weights against the huge metal door. It was a futile attempt, for the next moment the door burst open and the comrades set their horrified eyes on the source of the confusion.

A giant slug, reeking of stenches of things best left unsaid, slithered into the room.

"Look at it!" Tas said in wonder. "How did it get so big? What does it eat?"

"Us, you ninny!" Flint roared, and dove for the kender to shove him out of the way.

The slug, smelling its prey, released a jet of noxious saliva that charred the stone floor of the chamber.

Tanis loosed an arrow at it, which bounced harmlessly off its rubbery hide.

With battle cries, Caramon, Sturm, and Eben charged to attack it. Their swords barely bit into the slug's flesh.

"Stand back!" Ghyreian commanded. She spread her hands out in front of her and chanted a spell. Small torrents of fire streaked from her fingers, striking the slug in the chest.

She heard more chanting and saw out of the corners of her eyes Raistlin releasing a bolt of lightning and Edwin preparing his own spell.

_________________

Edwin was ready for battle because the place had a flow of evil and gave him an uncomfortable feeling, as soon as the giant slug emerged from the huge twin doors Edwin began preparing. Ghyreian and Raistlin used their spells, Edwin shot a group of small fireballs like at sturm, but this time he used them to kill and aimed them towards the slugs head.

The slug strangled in pain, but didn`t give and suddenly a scream came from the other side of the room. It was something about Tanis and Edwin turned to look at a beatuful elf, she was something he had never seen and stood for few seconds staring at her beaty until snapped out of it. Raistlin didn`t look well at all like he never did, the slug made it`s way towards Tanis and the elf woman he had ran to. Edwin began cursing for her appearence and began preparing a spell, but suddenly the warrior were in his way.

"get out of the way you fools if you don`t want to be blasted!!" Edwin shouted in anger and fustration.

The warriors didn`t seem to hear him and then the slug got them off beginning to make it`s way towards Tanis who was at the throne og kith khan. Edwin got his chance and shot many magical arrows at the slug, but it didn`t die and continued. Soon Tanis stumbled and was going to be killed, the mages were exhausted, but suddenly tanis thrusted with a sword at the slug, which began retreating. Edwin stared at Tanis and the body of Kith Khan in deep silence.

"He gave you the sword..." Edwin whispered at the same time as Tas informed Tanis how he got the sword.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"Tanthalas!" a voice screamed.

"Laurana!" the half-elf whipped around to see who had cried when the slug spat another jet of oozing saliva at him, searing his arm. Tanis gasped in pain.

"Tanthalas!" the elfmaid screamed again, running for him.

"Get out of the way you fools if you don't want to be blasted!" Edwin shouted in anger and frustration.

Goldmoon ran forward to heal Tanis, who shoved Laurana behind the throne of Kith-Kanan.

Ghyreian brought another spell to mind, and was just about to yell for the warriors to move away again when the slug screeched in agony. Tanis, a shining sword in his hand, had plunged his blade into the slug's maw.

"Run!" Tanis commanded.

But the slug had lost its appetite. Writhing in pain, it slithered back into the hole from whence it came and disappeared into the darkness.

The comrades stumbled out of the throne chamber and back to the crossroads, where they leaned against the wall, panting for breath. They hadn't suffered many injuries, and what injuries they had Goldmoon healed.

Ghyreian studied the elfmaid, who stood alone and shivering in the dark passageway. The elfmaid's shining hair poured over her slender back like sunlight incarnate, falling forward to shield her face. Her beauty alone cast a shining radiance in the unlit passageway, even as Ghyreian's own beauty threatened to darken it further.

After they had caught their breath Tanis and Gilthanas turned in fury to the elfmaid.

"What in the name of the Abyss are you doing here, Laurana? Did something happen in Qualinost?"

"Nothing happened," Laurana said meekly. "I... I... just came."

"Came to join your dear lover?" Ghyreian mocked.

The others especially Goldmoon glared at her, appalled at her uncaring bluntness.

Gilthanas seemed on the verge of choking, whether from embarrasement or anger they could not tell.

"Save your petty fights for later," Raistlin said irritably. "There is nothing we can do. Either we leave her here or spare someone to escort her home, neither of which I think is likely."

_________________