Death always drew the companions back together. Three years had passed since Kayla Windshaper saw her friends. But time turned quickly for a Kowluun Elf and it felt like she saw them only yesterday. Astride her brown stallion, she crested a sloping hill and the town of Tamberlain spread out before her. With a smile from the watchman, the large wooden gates opened wide allowing her entry upon approach. The small trading town bustled in the mid-day sun with everyone preparing their last minute wares in anticipation of the winter months. Before crossing the threshold, a western wind bellowed Kayla's emerald robes and drew her intense gaze to the Whispering Woods. Darkness ever-cloaked the towering trees. She had not stepped foot in those woods since...

"Hail, stranger!" a loud grumbling voice shook her from her memory and made her clutch for her staff. It was only Haygen.

"Would you mind?" asked Kayla, "I'm looking for a dear friend of mine."

"Alright. Be more specific?"

"Well, yes I can actually. " She groomed her long silver hair in deep thought, "A giant, green, hairy creature. Probably drunk off ale by now. Smells of either Goblin's blood, or maybe a black Dragon's backside."

"Hey!" Haygen lifted his massive arm and sniffed his hairy armpit. "Hmm...I don't smell anything." He smiled. "Come here you!"

They laughed and the burly Half-orc lifted her from the saddle and squeezed life from her in a friendly embrace.

"It's been too long, old friend," Kayla said catching her breath.

"Much too long, Kayla. Let me take your horse. You've traveled far."

"I left as soon as I got your letter. I've been on the road for two moons straight, but it's nice to get away from the towers." She adjusted her leather war belt that girdled her enchanted robes and held many leather pouches filled with spell ingredients. Stretching to the side, she yawned and rubbed at her aching muscles. "I'm used to sitting in a chair, though, not a saddle."

"Trouble on the road?" Haygen's brow furrowed. Ever the warrior, his double-bladed ax sat cradled in its sheath on his back even now.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," she said brandishing her knurled staff bearing a red crystal headpiece. "I should see Otis though. Wolf nipped me in the leg. Seems to be healing, but best to be sure, you know."

"Dag! Wish you would've let me come get you."

Kayla shook her head. "Not enough time if I wanted to make the funeral. Besides, you know I can take care of myself."

"I know...still." Haygen let out a deep sigh. "Anyhow, we've got our old table at the Fuzzy. Supposed to meet there."

The pair made their way through the crowded vendor stands of Tamberlain's central market. Haygen bought a bottle of sweet wine from a Dwarven brewer. He gripped the cork with his teeth, opened it with a twist and handed the bottle to Kayla.

The Wizard took a long pull letting the cool drink revive her. "Not much has changed since I left." A handful of small children went rushing past them and it brought a smile to her face.

"Well, in town things remain the same," said Haygen, "but trade with Corfé has been difficult with the main route closed."

"That is something we need to discuss later," said Kayla. She rolled her silver hair behind her ears. Her pale blue skin darkened at their pointed tips. "Going to need your help."

"You know you'll have it."

Kayla's eyes softened. Her anxiety from travel melted with him by her side. She took in the smells of cooked meats, fresh fruit pies, and stacks of corn that Men, Elves, Faelings, and Dwarves hoped to sell with smiles on their faces. She missed the people of Tamberlain the most.  This was always her home away from home.

"Does Otis still have his cottage up the road?" asked Kayla.

"Yep. I finally moved into your old room, but Otis already prepared an extra bed."

"Thanks. I could use a good night's rest."

They arrived at the Fuzzy Quarterstaff inn. A place that normally in an uproar with song and dance, now sat quiet and somber.

"I'll meet you inside," said Haygen, "they're waiting." He shouldered Kayla's backpack and guided the worn stallion to Otis' cottage.

"See you in there." Kayla smiled her thanks and pushed through the inn's double doors. Stubby, dim candles that told no tales lit the long, narrow room. A dull murmur of muddled conversation hung in the air with a thin cloud of tobacco smoke. The wormy oak bar lay stretched out before her. A young woman stood behind it pouring ale from a massive barrel. They gave each other a knowing nod and the bartender pointed to the back away from the fieldstone fireplace. Kayla made her way through the gambit of townsfolk and round tables to the dark corner. Many came to drown their sorrows this day. Several of the patrons looked up and held their gaze on her. Once eyes caught a glance of Kayla Windshaper's beauty they found it difficult to pull away. But in the end, her kind smile drew friends and strangers to her.

She finally spotted her two friends. Otis, a middle-aged Dwarf wearing an epic black beard, sat drinking ale with Wess, a young Faeling man trying desperately to grow one.

"Hail, Kayla!" her two friends raised their pints to her. She raised her bottle of sweet wine and knelt to embrace them. Otis let go quickly, turning red from the many patrons watching. However, the Faeling, who stood a tad shorter than his Dwarf companion, grabbed her and would not let go.

"You can sit down now ya clingy little Demon," said Otis. "Don't ya know she's been on the road for an age. You're making a complete fool of us all."

"I don't care," the Faeling said. "Kayla, I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Wesley," said the Wizard. "I missed you both."

Wess finally let her sit. He held out his hand and revealed a small stone amulet. "Where did you get this beautiful stone anyways? Is it Elf magic?" His large eyes stared in wonder at the carved runes bringing out the sharp Faerie features of his thin face and pointed ears. His culture was one of magic and he had a keen fascination for enchanted things.

Kayla grasped at her neck and in a panic felt nothing there. "Wesley Whiteknuckle that's mine!"

"But what does it do? It's so pretty." He quickly handed it back to her before she reprimanded him further.

Kayla fastened the amulet back around her neck and tucked it into her emerald robes. She drank from her bottle of sweet wine and waited until her anger dissipated. "If you must know, it protects me from little bandits such as yourself." She pointed her finger at him. "It was a gift from a very powerful Wizard."

"Really! How powerful is he?"

Kayla said, "Well, he could turn you into a toad like that." she snapped her fingers. A puff of smoke appeared above her hand and spun into the shape of a winding tree.

"A toad," Wess' eyes widened with curiosity as he watched the tree blow away. "You don't say."

The crowded inn parted as Haygen the Wanted pushed his way to their table. He stood a head taller than any Man. Always trying to embrace his mother's side, he held a large horn of ale made by a Man he helped with a local Thieves Guild problem. He raised the horn to the ceiling garnering the attention of the the crowd.

"A toast! To Raymarn the Blademaster! May he rest with his ancestors and warriors of old."

"To Raymarn!" the whole inn shouted.

A Bard seated near the fire that went by the name 'Happy' saw his moment and played a sad run of chords on his lute and sang tales of their fallen comrade.

The four companions nestled around their table and leaned in for words long overdue. 

"Hard to figure Raymarn could be bested," said Otis. "Never knew one who could beat him with a sword."

Haygen made a swinging motion with his hand as he joined his companions. "Or an ax. He was the best. Taught us well."

"How did Raymarn die?" asked Kayla. "Does anyone know for sure?"

Haygen nodded, "Found his body outside the walls. Five arrows in him. Blades and gear looted. The Watch said he left at dusk to check the fields for game. Found him next day."

The She-elf's hand covered her mouth, then she took another drink. "The funeral is tonight, yah?"

"Tonight under the full moon," said Haygen. "Been searching for words to say. Haven't felt this horrible since...well, you know."

"I know, Haygen," said Kayla. She reached over and held his hand, discovering he'd bandaged it. A red stain bled through the white cloth. Her eyes welled and she turned her head to hide them. He swore a Barbarian blood-oath. Haygen would avenge his teacher, or die trying.

[][][]

Darkness loomed and a steady mist fell over Tamberlain embracing the somber occasion. The whole town gathered in the cemetery around the burial plot. Warriors and students of Raymarn's academy dressed in polished battle armor—their weapons clean and sharp. The Priest said his words and his blessing. To Haygen's surprise and to his honor, Raymarn's wife asked him to help lower the coffin along with Raymarn's five brothers. The Priest closed the ceremony and tears from the crowd salted the earth as folk made their way back to the inn seeking relief in their pints and song. Only the four companions remained in added sorrow.

After a long while, Kayla looked to her Dwarf friend. "Show me, Otis," she whispered.

Expecting this, the old Dwarf nodded. "Very well. This way."

They left Raymarn's grave site and followed Otis in a humble procession between the gravestones and markers until they finally came to a white marble statue of a Knight holding a longsword and shield in a battle stance.

"Aonghus rests here," said Otis.

Kayla knelt to the earth and closed her eyes to hold back her tears. She touched the marble face and dragged down the chin. "The statue is beautiful." After a moment, she pulled a jeweled dagger from her belt and laid it on the dirt. She cast a quiet magic ritual and soon the weapon held a faint glow. She dug deep into the wet earth and buried it in offering as the Kowluun Elves often did.  "May this blade protect you on your journey my beloved Aonghus." She pressed the mud and let it squeeze through her fingers. The Wizard stood and turned to her companions. "I am so sorry I left you all. Three years to you is...I'm so..." she broke into a heavy sob and her friends enveloped her with a somber embrace.

A lone voice in the distance echoed through the night air. "RAIDERS! RAIDERS HAVE CRASHED THE GATES!" The warning bell echoed throughout the town.

The group drew their weapons on pure instinct. Otis his old runed warhammer and heavy shield, Haygen his double-bladed ax, Wess readied two daggers, and the red crystal atop Kayla's magical staff lit up half the cemetery.

Otis smacked his hammer onto his shield. "Panahdae be with us. Blood will be spilled on the night of our Blademaster's burial. He wouldn't have it any other way."

A/N - Thank you for reading my first entry! I hope you enjoyed it and will come back for the next chapters. Please consider comments if you have the time.