Some time later they were hidden just outside the clearing with the stone slab. The mist had risen here too, but it was not nearly as thick as at the lake or in the town. And it was far too quiet. Why was nothing happening? Hadn't the culprit taken the bait?

Raviel couldn't help jumping a little as Thalassal laid a hand on his shoulder and leaned closer to whisper, "Someone's coming."

Only now Raviel noticed that the hound had returned to its master's side. Then he could hear the hurried footsteps. Not even attempting to be silent, like running for their lives. Two people would be his guess. Both were light and swift, elves most likely. Or...

Saska? He tried to reach out, but couldn't sense anything. Maybe they should have practiced this a little more.

Thalassal prodded him again to pull his attention to the clearing. Two people emerged from the beaten path and stopped in the middle of the open area to catch their breaths. One of them was Saska. Another an elven woman. A pregnant elven woman.

"Raviel!" Saska called out.

The woman instantly hushed him, fear marking her features. "Don't yell! They'll find us!"

Raviel left his hiding place. "Saska, what's going on?"

The boy sighed in relief. "The townspeople are looking for us," he hastened to explain. "That necromancer told them we're to blame and should be burned. If not for Lene...something here, I would have been caught already."

"Lenethael," she offered. "I saw them gather on the streets with torches and whatever weapons they could find. I just couldn't watch Thalassal kill any more innocent people."

"And pray tell, Lenethael, what innocent people have I killed?" the necromancer in question asked, following Raviel. He had planned to stay in hiding until the situation was clear, but he was not about to let anyone turn his allies against him. "You have no right to spread lies about me just because I didn't return your feelings."

"Thalassal, I..." She seemed at loss for words. "She's gone now. Couldn't we try again? I have a wonderful gift for you too." She gently stroked her belly. "She's going to be so beautiful."

Raviel cast a sideways glance at Thalassal. "If you fathered her child, you should at the very least take responsibility."

Thalassal said nothing. Instead he took the bottle with white powder out, opened it and spoke a spell to call the spirits of the dead. Two wraiths, wispy creatures resembling human warriors in heavy armor, appeared to his side.

Raviel quickly moved to the side in order to keep both elves in his field of vision and drew his sword. "Thalassal, what is the meaning of this? What is your real goal?"

"Right now...to kill her. Don't get in my way."

Saska moved in front of Lenethael. "Because she's carrying your child?! That's insane!"

"It's not my child!" the necromancer snapped. "It's not even an elven child!"

Lenethael placed her hands on Saska's shoulders and moved behind him like he were a shield. "Please. Don't let him harm my baby."

Thalassal snarled. Fools, both of them! He should have picked his allies more carefully. But...although he had not thought about it before, he did have another ally. One that might make them see the truth. "Sasha! Do you really want to see your brother taken from you? If not, you better do something right now!"

At first absolutely nothing happened. Then Saska's body started glowing with faint, white light. An increasingly loud hum could be heard, until finally a white-hot brilliance split apart from the boy's chest. Sasha was most definitely angry.

People usually thought will o'wisps harmless little balls of light. If you didn't follow them, didn't believe the illusions they might show you, they were not a threat. And that was usually the case as long as you didn't attack them. When angered, will o'wisps could use powerful magic that turned their shimmering light into a lethal weapon.

"Sasha, stop!" Saska spread his arms to shield the elven woman. But his brother was momentarily forgotten as the stone lid was thrown aside again and the malformed, gigantic baby crawled out of the hole, its mouth wide open and drool slowly dripping from its chin.

Raviel took a step closer to Thalassal, his blade pointed at the necromancer. "Tell it to go back. Now."

"I can't! This is not my doing!" His eyes narrowed and he took a leap back. "Behind you! The seal is gone!"

Raviel instantly put more distance between himself and both the necromancer and the monstrous creature. But the baby was not even slightly interested in him. Instead it started crawling towards Saska and Lenethael.

Saska swallowed and drew one of his throwing knives with shaking hands. His heart was beating like crazy and he found it hard to breathe. Why hadn't...Raviel kept his promise...

"Run," he whispered to the elven woman. "I'll try to at least distract it."

Her hands tightened on his shoulders. "No, no, silly boy. Can't you see that she's just hungry? My precious baby wouldn't possibly harm mommy."

WHAT?!

"Now be a good boy, call your..." She cast a curious look at Sasha, "...brother back and help me feed her. She gets so upset when food is late."

Raviel swore under his breath and called on Phoenix. At the very least he had to deal with that abomination before Saska became its meal. "Purify your soul and lead you to reincarnation," he spoke softly. Some part of his heart insisted that it was a monster that had to be eradicated, but another could only see a baby that had been cruelly twisted.

The Phoenix's flames enveloped the creature, but it just kept moving. As the fire died out, the baby was untouched.

Raviel was stunned. This had not happened before. Not knowing what to do – and not aware of what Lenethael had said to Saska – he ran between the boy and the monster. If enchanted silver and steel didn't work either, he didn't know what would.

Thalassal all but sighed out loud. He had said that they needed to kill the real culprit first. People really didn't listen. "Go," he told the wraiths. "At least try to stall it."

"Let the boy go, Lenethael," he spoke to the woman. "That is not your baby. It's a monster that needs to be destroyed."

"Oh, but she is my baby. And your baby too." She giggled. "You see, I ripped her from that despicable woman's belly. That should have taught her not to steal what should have been mine."

Thalassal paled. That...thing was his unborn daughter?

"It makes sense, doesn't it? She's our baby and we'll be a happy family now."

"She's not and we are not! I'll never forgive you for making them suffer like this! I'll kill you even if I have to rip apart that boy in the process!"

That got Sasha's attention. The will o'wisp had been hesitating between attacking the baby and fleeing far away from here, but the necromancer didn't inspire such fear.

No no no! This was all going wrong! If Sasha killed the necromancer, they'd still have to fight that creature, and with one less ally. Saska closed his eyes briefly and switched his grip on his knife.

"I'm sorry," he whispered right before thrusting the blade into the abdomen of the elven woman behind him.

Both she and the monstrous baby screamed. Saska shook off her hold, twisted around and plunged his knife to her throat. He could feel the warm blood flow on his hands grasping the blade handle, but could not see anything through the tears clouding his vision. She had helped him. Had wanted to save an Outcast from angry mob, and it had all been a lie.

Was he really so cursed that everybody he dared to feel something for died?

Raviel saw a dark, swirling mass rise from Lenethael's body as she fell and flee to the monster's. So that was it. It could not die because its heart, its soul, had not been in its body, but hers.

"Phoenix," he spoke one more time. He should not summon in so rapid succession, but did they really have any alternatives? "Please, erase this monstrosity."

The flames surrounded both the baby and the two wraiths still fighting it. The mist around them started fading.

"Really?" Thalassal asked, frustration clear in his tone, when the firebird also disappeared, leaving behind nothing but scorched earth. Scorched, but also purified of the dreadful presence that had soaked into it. "I specifically asked you not to kill my wraiths and you sic a holy creature on them?"

Raviel fell to his knees heavily, leaning on his sword. He was exhausted. "I didn't really have the time to think of any other plan."

The necromancer sighed. "Never mind. I owe you my gratitude for your assistance. Let me finish sending any souls still trapped here to rest and I'll see what the commotion in the town was about – if there even was one."

Raviel tried to push himself back to his feet, but failed. "Saska?" he asked, rolling to sit so that he could face the boy. "Are you alright?"

Saska didn't say anything. He just sat still, curled around a small ball of light and swaying a little back and forth. The will o'wisp on his arms kept making a faint sound, like trying to comfort.

~*~*~

Somehow they made it back to the inn. There had never been anybody out to burn them tonight, even less at Thalassal's urging. Davon and his mother were both very relieved to hear from the necromancer that the threat was gone. The unnatural mist would not rise again, nor would people disappear like that.

In the morning Raviel felt a lot more refreshed. He wasn't planning to use any more magic for several days if he could help it – four summons in just two days was way too much -, but at least he didn't feel like dropping where he stood.

He noticed Saska still lying on his back in his bed, staring at the ceiling. "Are you feeling better now?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Saska replied without looking at him. "It's not the first time I've killed. Well, it was the first time I killed an elf, but...anyway."

"How is Sasha?"

"He's fine too. Resting. He used all his strength to protect me. Like you promised to do."

Raviel walked over to the boy's bed. "I'm sorry. I know I failed to keep my promise. I..." He shook his head. "No, everything would just be excuses."

Saska looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Just forget it. I knew you wouldn't be able to. Good enough that you didn't get yourself killed."

Raviel smiled sadly and caressed Saska's hair gently. Their age difference was immense, and no matter how mature or street-smart, he couldn't help but think of the boy as a child. It should be his responsibility to protect Saska. "I hope you will give me another chance to prove that I can keep my promises."

No reply.

"Well, I'll leave you to rest and go ask the Lady to uphold her end of our bargain." And he'd have to retrieve the blue pearl from Thalassal and hopefully get a chance to ask how the necromancer knew his brother too.

Saska waited until Raviel was almost at the door before speaking. "Raviel?"

The elf stopped. "Yes?"

"Don't you go and die on me too."

Raviel smiled a little. "I'll try not to. You be careful too."