I then proceeded to tell him just about everything that I've told you now. The whole thing felt like a dream, I don't even remember exactly what I told him, or how much detail I went into. Certainly the most important aspects. I felt as if I were reliving the whole thing as I was telling it. I could see the thief get knocked into the light, the look on his face as he looked helplessly at the Hammers. Everything came back to me. Lord Tahnit was acting unlike I had ever seen him. He was staring at me intently. I had only seen that look fleetingly, when he caught me in the library. Now his eyes never left me, it seemed as if he didn't even blink. I was too exhausted, and possibly too drunk, to be unnerved by it, but it did bother me to some extent. The words of the thief rang through my mind whenever I turned my head away from the ceiling to look at him, "You're going to wind up just like your master." The thought kept coming to mind to ask him about it, but I was too busy trying to think of things to tell him that he might want to know, I couldn't get the question to my tongue.

"Poor Renik... He was good. Very good. Such a shame he ended up that way." he said, after what must have been a long pause. I was starting to wake up from my visionings. I looked back over at him. He was now slouched in his chair, his eyes staring intently at the fire, betraying a sense of cunning that I had never seen before... except in the thieves of the tavern.

"Who are you?" I asked.

His stare came back to me. A questioning look passed over his face. He then furrowed his brow as he brought his glass to his lips. "What do you mean?"

"This thief, this Renik... he said that I would wind up just like you. What did he mean? What sort of secrets are you hiding here?" The anger from earlier had returned to me as I continued. "I risked my life for them, I killed for them, and watched a man die for them. I think I should know what they are." I said, practically spitting out the last sentence.

He looked down into his glass, swirling the last sip of brandy in it. "Yes, I suppose you should." he said, almost inaudibly, followed by a long silence. He then sighed. "It is a long story. Too long for tonight. Please do not feel I am avoiding telling you, I'm being completely sincere. I feel so..." his voice trailed off as he looked at me. His eyes were filled with sorrow. He got up from his chair and came to stand over me. "I'm so sorry about what happened to you tonight. I want to tell you everything. But you've had a rough night, more than anyone should have, and I can see the brandy has gone to your head as well. And as much as I would like to recount my past to you, there are obviously things about the present that require my immediate attention. For now, try to sleep, rest. I promise you that as soon as I can, I will tell you everything."

I was still quite angry with him, but the sorrow in his eyes softened, and at the same time frightened me. I was too tired and too drunk to try to figure it out, or to insist any further. He was right. I was going to have a hard time walking to my bed, let alone listen to his story. I slowly managed to get out of my chair, with his help.

"Here, let me take your inheritance items there. I don't want any servants to come by and find them on you. And the cloak, yes, there's a boy!"

I couldn't feel my feet. Just as I had half-carried Renik earlier that night, so Lord Tahnit took me to my room and laid me in bed. I barely even remember it. All I remember was the need to crawl and sleep and hide.

At first the darkness simply enveloped me. I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, I'm not sure for how long. Then, the visions started coming back. I could feel myself gagging in my sleep as I heard Renik choking to death on his own blood, the cold sweat as I looked down at the dead Hammer. I woke up drenched in sweat. My room had no windows and I had no idea how long I had been sleeping, perhaps a couple hours, perhaps a day. Someone had come and placed a water pitcher and washbowl next to my bed. I quickly started washing my face, trying to rid my mind of my nightmares. The cold water was so welcome compared to the thick velvet of darkness that I could not escape from. I thought of getting up to look around, but as soon as I got on my feet I felt terribly dizzy and had to lie down again.

I didn't want to fall back asleep, but eventually the darkness won. The visions returned, even more vivid. Sometimes there were variations... Renik dying on the spot from the first hammer blow, and me crying out in terror, running with the Hammers chasing me throughout the city. Or I would look down at the dead Hammer and see his jaw slowly opening and closing, crudely forming a silent call for help. Then came other visions. I saw Lord Tahnit walking through the City, stopping at various stands and examining the wares when an arrow from nowhere shot into his skull. Then, the most terrifying, I saw a man, dressed like a thief, lying down in the grass, people and bizarre creatures battling around him. I approached the figure, he had a long gash down his right shoulder, clear to the bone. I turned him over... and it was me! With four long slashes going across my face, the top one just over my eyes. As if some creature had just tried to claw my face off. I wanted to wake up, but I couldn't. I think I remember screaming and crying in my sleep... then nothing.

The next thing I remember is seeing some kind of torch and footsteps approaching my room, two sets. I wanted to sit up to see who it was, but I was too weak. The door opened and I could vaguely see the light of the torch. I heard Lord Tahnit's voice talking to someone, and a soft, light female voice responding. He sounded very concerned, but I couldn't make out exactly what he was saying. It sounded like some form of instruction, I wasn't sure. Then I heard the torch getting put into a holder in the wall, and the door closing. Then the sound of someone approaching my bed. I turned my head and tried to open my eyes, but the torch was too bright.

"Ah, you're awake now, are you?" It was the woman Lord Tahnit had been talking to. "Shhhhh... don't stir, you need your rest." she said as she sat down on the edge of the bed. She reached over for a cup on my table and filled it with water.

"Here, drink this. The servants thought you could get your own water, but it seems you haven't. You need to drink. I'll have someone fetch you something warm to drink later. There you go." she said as I sipped at the glass she was holding. My eyes were starting to adjust to the light. I could see that she was wearing a flowing, white bodice with an embroidered red velvet vest. Her face was somewhat round, with large green eyes and long, flowing blonde hair. She smiled at me as I blinked against the light. "Looks like the stress of your little outing and lack of water has gotten you a bit sick. But don't worry. You'll be fine."

"Who... are..." I started to say. I hadn't realized how dry my throat was, I could barely talk.

"Shhhh! Relax. Drink some more. My name's Hadassah. Your lord hired me to look after you 'till you're on your feet again."

"Why..not..."

"Questions, questions! All in time. Be a good selfish boy right now and think about yourself and getting out of this bed sometime this week. Don't worry about anything else. But," she said, refilling the cup "to answer your question, you've been shouting strange things, frightened one of the other servants, and Tahnit was afraid of what else you might say. He needed someone... in the know, to look after you. There, I think that's enough water for now. Just lie down. I'll go fetch some soup."

"Don't go."

She gave me a questioning look.

"I've seen... strange things, terrifying things... please..."

Her eyes grew very concerned. "I'll only be a little while. I'll hurry back, I promise. Somone's got to get you some food. Relax, I'll be right back."

She hurried out of the room. I looked over at the cup and the pitcher on the table. I stared at them, taking in every detail of the light flickering on them, trying to stay awake. I could feel sleep creeping up on me again. I was fighting it, but losing. Just as I started nodding off again, after what felt like an eternity, she returned. I could see that her skirt was also red, with streaks of purple, blue and white in it. She was, what we called at least, a gypsy. I had seen something of a carnival that they had put on once, as a little boy. They were nomads who wandered from place to place. They were always recieved well as visitors, but were never allowed to actually stay in a city. At least, that's what my father had told me. I didn't know anything else.

"Here's some soup for you. It won't taste like normal. I put a little something extra in it to help get you some strength back."

She sat down at the side of the bed again, setting the soup on the table. I realized just how hungry I was as I smelled it.

"Here, let's sit you up... ugh.... there we go! Now open up..." she said smiling, waving a spoonful of soup. The thought finally occurred to me that I was being waited on hand and foot, and fed, by an extremely attractive foreign girl. I had to smile at my sudden change of fortune.

"Ah! So you're even perking up a bit now, eh? Well, let's get the rest of this soup in you and see how you sleep."

The soup had a strange flavor to it. It was somehow salty, spicy, and bitter at the same time. I finished it off hungrily, and then laid back down, enjoying the warm nourishment.

"Do you want me to leave the torch lit? I can if you'd like." I decided to be brave and shake my head. She poured some water on the torch. I could hear the sound of her taking off her shoes and adjusting her clothes. Then she held me up a bit and crawled into bed underneath me, cradling my head against her neck. I then feel into a deep, peaceful sleep.

The nightmares didn't return, but I had other strange dreams. I saw men walking around with dark cloaks with the hoods covering their eyes, similar to what I had worn, but different. Some of them seemed to be going about their business, others were watching me. One in particular seemed on the verge of saying something, but instead smiled warmly. I looked behind him and saw rows of desks with hooded figures writing like mad. The one in front of me continued to smile as he reached his hands up to my eyes and gently closed them. I woke up. I could feel Hadassah's breathing, her warmth. I was so grateful to her, to Lord Tahnit. If she hadn't come, I thought I would have gone insane. Instead I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep again.

The next day, I'm presuming it was day, I was feeling better. I was still weak, but I could sit up for times. Hadassah chit-chatted and joked with me from time to time, fed me, helped me to the toilet. Lord Tahnit himself didn't visit me. Eventually I drifted off to sleep for the night, again, with Hadassah. Later she woke me up.

"Mishkal? I have to go now. You'll be fine. You should be up and about tomorrow. My folks are leaving now. We'll be back again. For now, goodbye. Sweet dreams."

I wanted to stop her, ask her why, even say thank you, but before I could she was out the door. I drifted back to sleep. The images of my previous nightmares returned, but much less vivid and frightening. I was somehow distant from them. I woke up to the sound of one of the regular servants bringing me fish and bread, my usual breakfast. I guessed it was time to get up. I ate and then got up to sort through my chest for something to wear. I was still somewhat queasy, but I could walk. I got dressed and decided to visit Lord Tahnit's chambers to see if I could talk to him. I had to walk slowly, with one hand against the wall, but I made it. I knocked on his door.

"Come in. Ah, Mishkal! Don't those gypsy women work wonders, you're out of bed already! Come, sit down, I'll be just one minute." he said, sitting at his desk scribbling away at a page. Shortly he finished it, put the quill in the well, and sat back silently. He then got up and sat down in the same seat across from me, by the fireplace. "I suppose the time has come for me to explain myself. I told you I would at the first opportunity. Let me get you some tea, this could be a while." He got back up, held a cup up to a strange oval contraption on legs with coals smoldering underneath it. He came back, handed me the cup and sat back down. He looked at the fire thoughtfully again, then said, "Right. Let's begin then."