Stories from RhyDin & The Rings

#9 Halflight Hollow looked like a military encampment with tents pitched all over Maggie's yard. A cooking fire blazed in the center of them. Being one of the Wardens of Twilight Isle was just the tip of the iceberg of the duties the young woman had taken on in the last few years. She had spent a great deal of time sifting through books borrowed from various place to research this Dark Hunter, who had arrived on the doorsteps of the Isle's residents.

Captain Cennétig, commonly known as 3PO, handed Maggie a log book. "We have three dozen present. The ..." What did one call them them, bears who walked between planes? Ghosts? Specters?

Maggie picked up on his hesitation. "They are bears that have crossed, but not quite given up on the land of the living, Captain. Just as many of the others here hold bears within themselves. They are patrolling the boundaries between the charges of the Keepers, especially near Fire since it is without a Keeper at present. If they are needed, they will know. They have been advised to not engage the Hunter unless attacked. Depending on what she truly is, they might only be able to ward her off, but not end her."

"Do you think the Dark Hunter is undead, My Lady?" He studied her face.

Maggie leafed through the logbook. "I'm uncertain. Keep in mind, not all creatures who are undead are inherently evil." She frowned slightly. "It's much like spiders, you know."

"You going to explain that for the benefit of the others?" The Knight grinned as he studied the mildly annoyed look on Maggie's face.

"Spiders and snakes, for that matter, are often perceived as evil when they are simply trying to survive." She started ladling out the stew that was cooking over the fire and passed out the full bowls to the platoon present. "All right, people. Listen carefully. You've been paired off for this series of missions. This is an old school buddy system safety protocol. You've each been issued a life signs monitor. I cannot stress this enough, unless you're in actual danger of losing your hand, keep them on. This is also a retrieval method if you are unconscious or, Mórrígan forbid, someone needs to find your remains."

Several of the soldiers ate in silence. Some had questions.

One dark haired woman swallowed the food in her mouth before asking, "Have the shadows not yet been defeated, My Lady?"

"Not all, no." She shook her head. "Some seem to forget that shadows are darkness, but they grow when light shines on them."

3PO had seen that thoughtful look on her face many times. He frowned slightly, he knew what was she was doing, but not what she was thinking. "Maggie?" he whispered. It was rare for him to call her by her name.

"We'll meet in your quarters after assignments are made." She gestured toward the upper level of her guesthouse.

He nodded then helped her dole out the assignments.

Before heading off to allow those camping to eat and rest, she said, "Remember, anyone you find that is feeling unsafe on the Isle right now is to be offered safe haven at the Overlook."

As they walked, 3P0 asked, "My Lady, what about Ms. Armstrong's All Souls' Celebration?"

"She hasn't contacted me, yet. However, rest assured, Conchobhar, if Karma Armstrong wants an All Souls Celebration at the Overlook, this year, then she will have one."

The guest house at #9 Halflight Hollow had been set up as two two bedroom apartments with the Knight's quarters on the upper floor. The lower floor was often occupied by older nieces and nephews in need of a place to stay for a while. Maggie had few rules regarding those stays; the parents needed to know where their children were and the guests were expected to keep the place cleaned up.

The broad shouldered man already had tea prepared and set two mugs on the table. "First light?" It was shorthand between two people who had closely worked together for a couple of years.

"Yes, even though it won't be light here." After sitting, Maggie curled both hands around her mug and blew steam off the tea.

"You broke the list down to have at least two people searching for each item. Except for those in the Dead Scar. Why is that?"

Maggie smiled wryly. "Mephisto the Red lives in the Dead Scar. Given he's a dracolich, lives might not be the right word, but you get my point. Having grown up with a dragon as a grandfather, I know it's best to have someone they know ask for their assistance or at least let them know who is coming to call. He's known me since I was a small child. He should be able to feel my presence even if he doesn't see who I am. He's highly unlikely to interpret me wandering around as a threat. Especially since I periodically visit Jesse's gravesite."

Additional Components Needed for the Druids’ Warding Spell
Dust from the wings of a sphinx moth (granted if you answer the moth’s riddle)
Silk from a mist weave spider (found in the Wilderness near water)
Elemental boundary moss (found in the places where the different Towers’ territories converge)
Bark slivers from a whispering willow (found in the Isle’s wilderness, often near water)
Slivers of petrified rainbow wood (found in the Dead Scar)
Full shadow prisms (prisms can be obtained from the Druids and used to absorb the Dark Hunter’s influence and energy from shadow beings)

Components Needed for the Druids’ Banishment Spell
Pure stardust (gathered wherever it can be found)
Leyline shards (crystals found growing at the convergence of the Isle’s leylines)
The blood of Shadows (drawn directly from the Dark Hunter’s shadowy minions, or the Dark Hunter, herself—dangerous!)
Void-touched splinters (sharp Voidsidian shards that formed when the Dark Hunter tore open the doorway in the Dead Scar)
Elemental harmony resin (sap drawn from the trees that grow where the different Towers’ territories converge)
Essence of twilight’s threshold (found at the doorways that lead to and from the Isle)

He ran his finger down the list of items and underlined those that were now spoken for. "That leaves," he murmur his counting. "That leaves five on each list."

She shook her head. "Five for warding and four for banishment."

"Which one is already with us?" A single brow rose.

Maggie extended her index finger and tapped the blood of Shadows.

"Maggie, how the f...." He suddenly remembered the woman before him was more than just his friend and tempered his language. "How the hell did you get that?"

"During one of the battles on the Isle, I crossed planes. As you know, crossing that boundary means I can physically touch the shadows and other beings. They were here and not at the same time."

"Right, right." He nodded distractedly as he underlined the blood. "A lot of these things are available in apothecary shops."

"Captain Cennétig," she addressed him formally. "None of them are."

"But, things like spider silk are readily available."

"Yes, in general they are. However, the Druids are quite specific in their requirements for the spells they plan to cast. Think like the Fae Knight you are, Conchobhar. What have you learned when sitting in on dealings made and contracts signed in my court hall?"

Suddenly, he grinned. "That every damned i must be dotted and every t crossed. Everything must be to the letter specific."

"I expect the Druids are equally exacting in their spellcraft. If they say they want ..." She looked at the list and read aloud, "Dust from the wings of a sphinx moth, granted if you answer the moth’s riddle, then you better not have killed the moth to get it or otherwise taken it against the creature's will."

"For instance." It was his turn to read over the list. "It must be bark slivers specifically from a whispering willow found in the Isle’s wilderness, often near water not bark slivers from the greenhouses in the Winterlands."

She nodded once. "Yes. With the exceptions of the Shadow's blood and pure stardust, the things on the list and the specific locations have been nurtured by the Druids in some manner. They must already be existing and not newly created. Otherwise, the spells are very likely to fail as the Druids' care will not be present within them. It would be easy for the sitting Archmage to create stardust as they often travel by it, but that is not the pure stardust that they have requested. This is not supposed to be easy." Maggie ran her finger over the list as a contemplative expression appeared on her face. "I wonder..." she murmured.

3PO slid a copper coin toward the young woman beside him and waited in silence for her to continue.

"Perhaps," she almost whispered, "we are being tested in some manner."

"Tested, how?" The Knight looked puzzled.

"What if the being we see as the Dark Hunter isn't the actual danger?"

The Knight sipped his drink. He often acted as a sounding board for the young queen beside him. "You mean like we encountered with Boulanger's hidden allies?"

"Something like that. They were hiding in plain sight." She read over the list again. "What if she's not the danger, but the protection from one?"

He started laughing. "Sounds like the shock effect when people want to fight the Champion of the Winterlands then they find out it's not me." After taking a long drink of tea, he asked, "Have the spirits told you something, Maggie?"

"Not directly. I can't help but be reminded of how many times Des and I have been on a graveyard visit when someone or something showed up. They seemed angry and dangerous, but the reality is they were standing watch." She sipped her drink. "Des and I were usually allowed to pass and explore, but there was always the feel of something more."

"The Overlook feels that way to me. Something more."

Maggie's expression changed; her lips pursed. "Now, it makes sense." She was quiet for a bit as she considered recent events. "There are places in the Overlook where some people are afraid to go. To them, the spirits come off as aggressive. To me, though, they feel protective. Most people can't don't notice them and don't understand the attention is being asked for until it comes off as violence."

3PO was quiet as he considered his Lady's words. Finally, he spoke. "Guardian spirits keep something back or keep it from being disturbed."

"And, now, my friend, we have a different set of questions."

"Which questions?"

She lifted a finger with each question. "Did the Hunter waken on her own or did she stir because of whatever she might be buffering? Are the Druids planning to banish her rather absolutely killing her in some way because they suspect something more?" She closed her eyes and sipped her tea. "Do they know exactly how to banish her ... because this has happened before?"

"Interesting questions."

"I have one more. I just thought of it."

The knight's eyebrows lifted.

"What really stirred Mephisto from his slumber? I know it's not him she's here for. Otherwise, I would have known about her before this."