GUARDIAN (Working Title)

Summer 1003 L'Anse aux Meadows, modern-day Newfoundland

Bjarni Herjlfsson smelled burning flesh before he even saw the smoke. The Norse ex lorer had been given !ommand of a vo"age a!ross the sea b" #ing $agnus nearl" a "ear before. %!!om anied b" more than one hundred men& women and !hildren& Herjlfsson set sail for the strange new land far to the west of 'r(nlend in order to !laim it for his land)hungr" king. Herjlfsson& one of the finest seamen of his time& had been !harged with a monumental task*the foundation of a !olon" that would give the Norse !ommand of the entire !ontinent. This was& against all im robabilit"& not the Norseman+s first visit to the land a!ross the sea. That journe" had o!!urred ,"ears before& when Herjlfsson was little more than a "outh. He had sailed from his homeland of Norwa" in the summer of ./0 to visit his father in 'r(nlend& that barren island so man" had been enti!ed to migrate to in sear!h of the fertile lands its name im lied. 1es ite the harsh !limate& the settlers had !arved out a leasant enough life& and Herjlfr Herjlfsson was one of those men. His son visited ever" "ear& but in that summer Nj2r3r had used his swa" over the o!eans to guide Bjarni+s shi off !ourse. W"rd bi3 ful ar4d& goes the sa"ing. 5ate is inexorable. The Norse gods still held ower over the land in those da"s& and Thor+s lightning and 5re"r+s sleeting rain ushed the shi far west of its destination to an unknown land to ed with mountains and trees& a land that looked hos itable. 1es ite his !rew+s wish to ex lore& the gods sta"ed Bjarni+s hand. That res onsibilit"& and the glor" that !ame with it& had been awarded b" the gods to another6 7iefr 8ir9ksson. The gods of the Norsemen were !a ri!ious& and though the" took fame from Bjarni& the" gave him a se!ond !han!e at ex loring the land he had dis!overed. : on 8ir9ksson+s return from his last journe"& the king re;uisitioned three shi s for a settlement ex edition to the new world. Bjarni+s fate had been tied to the new world b" the three s inners& for he was !hosen to lead the vo"age. :nfortunatel"& the land was not uno!!u ied when Bjarni and his men landed on the !oast of resent)da" Newfoundland. <ndigenous tribes lived on the land that $agnus thirsted after& far outnumbering the invading Norse in numbers. However& the"

la!ked the te!hnolog" and wea ons that the Norse brought with them& subsisting off the land with stone tools. The" found the Norse strange to look at= Bjarni himself was a short but sturd" blonde& blue)e"ed man& and none of the natives had lightened e"es. 1ue to their la!k of advan!ed !ivili>ation& the Norse dubbed them Skrlingjar& or barbarians. 1es ite the disdain that the Norse seemed to hold for the rimitive natives& the" soon stru!k u a mutualisti! relationshi . The more advan!ed ?ikings gave the Skrlingjar metal axes and wea on& though when the" dis!overed these items had a tenden!" to be!ome dull and break the" returned to rimaril" using stone tools. <n ex!hange& the natives instru!ted the Norse in the wa"s of agri!ulture& as the !ro s that grew in ?inland were unsuitable for the North %meri!an !limate. <n the ungra>ed lands of North %meri!a& the !attle had more than enough grass to flourish. When !ombined with the booming agri!ulture& this sur lus of su lies romised to last through the dangerous winter months without a roblem. But Bjarni was not !ontent with !laiming the @aint 7awren!e @eawa". Aerha s he was anxious to earn renown amongst his kinsmen in 8uro e& or erha s the gods ushed his s irit onwards& or erha s he sim l" wanted to rove his worth to the gods. #ing $agnus had ordered him to hold as mu!h land as ossible in the new !ountr"& and sto ing ex ansion so ;ui!kl" would be tantamount to disobe"ing. @o& nine months after the settlement was founded& Bjarni Herjlfsson and eight" ?iking soldiers began moving southwest. The" originall" intended to return to the settlement after three weeks. But the new !olon" was mu!h larger than the Norsemen ex e!ted& and ex loration took mu!h longer than that. <n this time& the ex lorers !overed mu!h of the eastern :nited @tates& !rossing the % ala!hians and rea!hing the $ississi i Biver in a remarkabl" short time b" both land and sea. The trek lasted somewhere around two months before the ex lorers began to run out of su lies. @atisfied with their rogress& the Norse band headed ba!k the wa" the" !ame& leaving a trail of rune stones in their wake to mark their new borders. With all the ex loration out of the wa"& the journe" home took about one month. The men were anxious to see their families

after su!h a long se eration& and Bjarni was eager to dis at!h a messenger ba!k to the king with re orts of his su!!ess. <t was drear" when the" !ame within sight of the land the" had originall" !laimed. The sk" was a mass of !louds that were on the verge of raining Nj2r3r+s tears. The sun !ould barel" make itself noti!ed& with onl" a fra!tion of the sunbeams getting through to the Norsemen below. % heav" bree>e blew from the south& ummeling the ?ikings ea!h time the" took a ste . The Norse& who saw omens of the gods in all of nature& knew that so mu!h dark weather meant evil was !oming. % few wanted to rea!h the !am & but man" wished to wait until the gods smiled on them again. 5inall"& not even the hardiest ?iking !ould stand the de ressing !onditions. 7oath to sto so !lose to their goal& "et e;uall" unwilling to in!ite a revolt& Herjlfsson relented and joined in setting u !am for the night. %fter gorging themselves on the last of their su lies& the ex lorers dro ed off to slee one b" one& until onl" Herjlfsson& the self)a ointed sentinel& was awake. %s the moon rea!hed its a ex in the sk"& even he began to nod off. $inutes later& the wind shifted and began blowing heavil" from the north& bringing with it the smell of smoke. %n extremel" light slee er& Herjlfsson was startled awake b" the gale. %s he graduall" regained awareness& Bjorne distinguished another& more alarming s!ent from the a!k*burning flesh. Colted awake& Herjlfsson stood and !re t awa" from the !am . %s the smell grew in intensit" with ever" ste towards the settlement& so did the Norseman+s footfalls until he was running at a full s rint the two miles to the !olon". <n the ba!k of his mind& Herjlfsson knew what he would find there& but it still felt like a blow to the stoma!h when he arrived at the settlement. No houses stood inta!t= smoke so thi!k it was still tangible !urled through the ruined rafters of the destro"ed buildings. But the buildings were not the fo!us of Bjarni Herjlfsson+s attention. His ga>e was fixed on the horrif"ing !harred& mutilated !or ses that littered the ground. Women were not s ared& but the" did not give u without a fight& either*Bjarni noti!ed women !lut!hing ever"thing from swords to hat!hets to sti!ks in their death gri s& rote!ting their !hildren with an"thing at hand. %nd&

judging b" the half)do>en !or ses !lut!hing stone wea ons& the" hadnDt been !om letel" unsu!!essful. 8ven as Herjlfsson bordered on h"steria& his rational mind reali>ed what was missing from the s!ene*the !hildren. Barel" able to tear his e"es awa" from the !arnage& he began sear!hing for smaller bodies& ho ing that the" were gone*gone meant a !han!e of survival. He found their bodies laid out around the well in the !enter of the town.There were twent")six !hildren in the settlement& and twent")four of them arranged around the stone well. :nlike the rest of the massa!re vi!tims& the !hildren at least were not !harred. But this& Bjarni reali>ed& would make it even worse for the returning ex lorers= the" would be fa!ed with the ain of identif"ing their murdered sons and daughters. 8ven worse& the male !hildren had not died with wea ons in hand& whi!h barred them from an afterlife in ?alhalla with their fathers. There was one stroke of fortune for Bjarni amid all this= his wife 5re"di was not among the dead& and the two !hildren missing from the well were his own son and daughter. 'rief)stri!ken as he was at his !omradesD loss& the Norseman felt ho e flood his veins at the thought of 5re"di and the !hildren surviving. 5or well over an hour& Herjlfsson sear!hed the de!imated settlement for his wife to no avail. He left no stone unturned& but still he found nothing& not even the slightest !lue. %s the sun began to rise& he gave u in des air and turned ba!k towards the !am . $aking his wa" ba!k through the trees& a glim se of !loth !aught the !orner of his e"e. Hurr"ing over to the bush where the offending s!ra was hanging& Bjarni s ied a bod" l"ing ten a!es awa"& four arrows rotruding u to the flights from its ba!k. 7"ing next to the !or se was one smaller& but unmistakabl" human& figure. 5earing the worst& the Norseman s rinted to the !or se and fli ed its over onto its ba!k& letting out a gas of re!ognition. as he did so. <t was 5re"di and his daughter& who had "et to rea!h eleven "ears. Hours later& the soldiers woke to find Bjarni gone. 5iguring his homesi!kness had won out and !aused him to journe" home during the night& the" followed the well)worn ath to the s!ene of death and destru!tion that had so traumati>ed their leader.

The" found Bjarni around midda"& and onl" then b" following his foot rints. When the" !ame a!ross him& he was !urled into the fetal osition beside his wife& whim ering like a hound tr"ing to wake its de!eased master. %t the sight of his desolate !om anions& the ?ikingDs grief !hanneled itself into rage& to the oint where he began shrieking at the to of his lungs& one word over and over*a word filled with assion& rage& and violen!e. EHefndE was all he !ould sa" for the next hour. EVengeance.E His laintative s!reams grew louder and louder until& in an anti)!limax of rage& his rigid shoulders sagged and he began to sob for his lost eo le& for his lost settlement& but most of all for his lost wife and !hild. <t began to rain.

5ueled b" anger and a bestial thirst for vengean!e& the Norse began to re are for battle. Though the" were far outnumbered b" the various Skrlingjar nations& battle was bred into their genes. The" shar ened their axes and shined their !hain) mail knowing that !ertain death at the hands of stone hat!hets and arrows awaited them& but honor and glor" in death was mu!h referred to !owardi!e in life. Those who died in battle& said the Norse gods& would as!end to the uto ian ?alhalla& a land where ?ikings !ould fight all da"& then be reborn at night to share in the finest food& drink and merriment with old friends and enemies. When the" were not read"ing the wea ons and salvaging the su lies that had not been destro"ed& @igavtson and his men !arried the dead settlers ba!k to the largest of their three shi s& whi!h the" then sank to the de ths in honor of their de arted loved ones. Traditionall"& the bodies would have been buried& but Herjlfsson feared that an"one !a able of massa!ring babies would just as easil" lunder the graves for a tool or wea on. %fter what seemed like an eternit" to the battle)starved ?ikings& the swords were shar ened and the s ears toughened. Fontrar" to later legends& the helmets were sim le metal !ones without an" de!orative horns. The !hain)mail armor& however& was ornatel" adorned with famil" !rests and m"thologi!al beings in

order to bless the wearer. Their swords& s ears and axes& made b" the finest 'ermani! bla!ksmiths of their time& were treated as living !reatures. The" were given names b" their owner& and engraved with !arvings similar to the armor. Herjlfsson and eleven other men stood at the forefront of the ?ikings. The" were the strongest and most bloodthirst" of the bun!h& !a able of fighting off a do>en men at on!e when the" tasted battle. <n the Gld Norse tongue& these men were known as beserkrs. Their strength and rage was multi lied tenfold before battle& where the" would drink a otion that turned them into mindless killing ma!hines. %rmed with three)foot long battle swords and even larger battle axes& an" one beserkr was a for!e to be re!koned with*a grou of them was something to flee from. Gnl" the five skaalds& magi!ian)bards whose legndar" songs gave warriors the strength to turn the tide of a battle& la!ked these wea ons. %lthough armed with slingshots and short daggers& the more)sensible skaalds ra!ti!ed a flight)before)fight mentalit" when the battle was lost. Arote!ted b" sturd"& if !om arativel" lain& armor& the skaalds were an invaluable !om enent of the ?iking arm". @o im ortant were the"& in fa!t& that Herjlfsson !harged two of the twelve beserkrs with the singular task of guarding the bards& three males and two females (whi!h was unusual for a ?iking settlement& for women were regarded as inferior skaalds) at all !ost. 5inall" read" for battle& Herjlfsson+s berserkers lifted metal goblets to their li s& ;uaffing down the bitter drink with a straight fa!e. The effe!ts of the brew took effe!t almost immediatel"& an almost im er!etible !hange twisting the menDs fa!es into !ruel& rimitive ex ressions of bloodlust. Bjarni himself did not artake of the drink= as the leader& he would be in !harge of the rest of the men. Norse warfare was a sight to behold. Before a!tual fighting began& the berserkers were unleashed into the enemies. The" were living kamika>e ilots& wreaking havo! and sowing disarra" and ani! amongst the enem". These soldiers& mindless with rage& felt no ain and !ontinued slaughtering an"thing that !ame !lose until their souls were at ?alhallaDs gates When the berserkers began d"ing& then !ame something even more fearsome6 the shield wall. $en trained for "ears before

the" were read" for the wall& but nothing !ould ever re are them for the first !lash. Bows of twent" or more men stood shoulder to shoulder& their shoulder)high shields interlo!ked with those of the men to their left and right. $ore ex erien!ed men lined the front& for the" would bear the major for!e of the atta!k. Those who had "et to arti!i ate in a battle would sta" behind the front line& using long)handled s ears to atta!k their enemies over the shoulders of the veterans. The front line would be more limited in their atta!ks& so the" atta!ked with short swords& stabbing at un rote!ted limbs to in!a a!itate the enem" so the s earmen !ould learn to kill. <n order to survive& the shield wall+s one riorit" was to sta" together. Though death was diffi!ult to avoid& battle in the shield wall was not won b" slaughter& but b" s lintering the enem"+s wall. Gn!e that was !om lete& the defenses of the enem" would !rumble to fear and ani!. <t was unlikel" that the Skrlingjar would have the knowledge of shield warfare& but Bjarni knew that the sight of a Norse shield wall would strike fear into their hearts nonetheless. %s HerjlfssonDs men underwent their transformation& the rest of the soldiers and skaalds dabbed sweat gathered from their hounds on their bodies. Though in!onvenient to the extreme& the rank !ologne marked the ?ikings as allies to the beserkrs& whi!h was the onl" thing that would kee them from being torn to ie!es. The brew in full effe!t b" now& Herjlfsson+s men roared wolf)like howl sat the moon and& their newl")shar ened senses dete!ting the Skrling !am three miles awa"& bounded in the dire!tion of the enem". The beserkrs left the soldiers in the dust& the onl" sight of them was from sunlight glinting off their armor. :nder usual !onditions& the Norse were !unning ta!ti!ians& but atien!e was not an ingredient mixed into the skaald otions. Bather than surrounding the !am and waiting for an o ortune moment to atta!k& the berserkers waited onl" long enough for the ?ikings to !at!h u before barreling through the gate& roaring at the to of their lungs. There had been no berserkers at the settlement& so the Skrlingjar were not read" for su!h wanton bloodletting. 7eaderless but still deadl"& the eleven drugged ?ikings slaughtered men& women and !hildren indis!riminatel". The men of the shield wall were eager to !harge& to avenge the deaths of their families&

but Herjlfsson was rational enough to hold them ba!k. When the berserkers were loose& even s!ent)marked men risked their lives b" drawing !lose. 5ive minutes assed& and four of the eleven berserkers had managed to survive. Gne was ier!ed through the throat with a wooden s earshaft& and still fought on even as his lifeblood oured from the wound. The other three had assed straight through the !rowd of natives and found themselves !ornered against a sheer hill. The" did not have long to live& but the damage the" !aused was nothing short of !atastro hi!. %ll in all& at least .H men had fallen to the ,, berserkers. The shield wall advan!ed. %t first& the Skrlingjar were too o!!u ied with finishing off the berserkers to noti!e the mass of soldiers a roa!hing. B" the time the" had killed all but one of the berserker vanguards& the shield wall was within striking range of the first grou of enemies. Bjarni Herjlfsson !ould not be sure whi!h man there had murdered his famil"& but the deaths that would o!!ur toda" would surel" honor their memor" and earn him glor" in ?alhalla. % brisk signal with his hand formed the men into a wedge& and the wall lunged into the !onfused horde. Herjlfsson took the front and !enter osition of the wedge. The !rag where the three berserkers had fallen would be fairl" defensible with three s!ore ?ikings& and if the wedge !ould get the majorit" of his band there the" !ould begin the eradi!ation. 5a!ed with an unsto able for!e of metal and death& the Skrlingjar began to ani!. %bout half of them took u arms and attem ted to form a wall& but few had shields and the ones that did held them with shaking arms. The rest of the tribe turned tail and ran for !over amongst the trees. % few of the ?ikings turned as if to give !hase to the !owards& but Bjarni bellowed at them to return to their ositions. The stragglers !ould be hunted down later= what mattered most was rea!hing the defensible !liff. His wall met slight resistan!e when the" en!ountered the defenders. % tall dark man& shirtless with the tattoo of a winged god a!ross his !hest& s rinted at Bjarni with a stone axe. He swung the wea on ex ertl" at the Norseman+s fa!e& turning his wrist so that the blade of the wea on hooked the bottom of his shield. Faught unawares& Herjlfsson did not have

enough time to rea!t= the enem" ri ed the shield from his hand& in the ro!ess mangling the lower half as he did so. Without rote!tion& Herjlfsson found himself in serious danger. 'ri ing his short sword like a javelin& he hurled the blade at the sur rised man. The blade stru!k oint)first in the native+s throat& and Bjarni i!ked u the stone wea on from his inert bod" before lowing into the midst of battle. The shield wall !losed to a!!ommodate his absen!e& leaving Bjarni alone in the midst of eight" enemies. He !ut down two before the" knew what hit them& and injured one more with a jagged but shallow !ut a!ross his leg. Then& as suddenl" as he entered the fra"& he was on the other side. The shield wall rea!hed their leader and turned& moving into a defensive half)!ir!le to rote!t from an" assault. The natives seemed on the verge of being de!imated& and it seemed as if the" had sim l" lost the resolve needed to fight ba!k. But fight ba!k the" did. %t first it o!!urred in small bands of four or five men who were ;ui!kl" !ut down& but larger o!kets of resistan!e formed& large enough that the natives who had Ies!a edJ were able to get to their wea on of !hoi!e*the bow and arrow& a large number of whi!h had been hidden in the treeline. Their sa!rifi!e gave others the !han!e to fill the sk" with arrows& and then the Norse be!ame the ones d"ing as reinfor!ements from nearb" tribes began to arrive& for the shields were not large enough to rote!t the entire bod". Herjlfsson and the last berserker waved off the arrows as if the" were gnats& de!imating an"one brave enough to !harge them. % few brave souls s!rambled through the village in sear!h of signs for the five missing women& along with the leaderDs eleven) "ear)old son. Though no one was found& s!ra s of dresses worn b" the ?iking women were seen shredded on the ground. With no bodies in sight& the men !ame to the !on!lusion that the Skrlingjar were not just enemies*the" were !annibals. This dis!over" am lified the rage flowing through the ?ikings tenfold. <n realit"& the !a tives had been given as gifts to neighboring tribe leaders& but the Norsemen did not know this& and so the slaughter would !ontinue. With utter disregard for ersonal safet"& Bjarni i!ked u the wea ons of a fallen berserker and& with his one remaining

beserkr, threw himself headlong into the fra" again& his sword and battle)axe !oated with !rimson. He knew the ar!hers would be the death of them& and that the onl" wa" to survive and satisf" his gods+ thirst for revenge would be to destro" the bowmen who stood where his shield wall had been shortl" before. With the rest of the ?ikings at his heels& he tried in vain to break through the writhing mass of soldiers to get at the murderous bowmen& but the swarm was too great. :nfortunatel" for Herjlfsson& ain and exhaustion began to wear down the Norsemen now that the" were no longer in the middle of the slaughter. @ensing that the tide was turning& the Skrlingjar's unrelenting rain of arrows began to !ut them down until& when the men were !om letel" human again& onl" one do>en men and the skaalds still remained. @ensing that the battle was lost& the two berserker guards used the last of their magi!all")enhan!ed strength to hammer a ath to safet" through their enemies& leading the bards ba!k the wa" the" !ame in sear!h of a la!e to hide. Though it went wholl" against their nature to run from battle& the ?ikingsD lo"alt" to their leader was even stronger. The" found a small gull" hidden b" the trees and settled in to wait for the battle to end. %t this oint& the Skrlingjar abandoned their !aution and !harged the larger& stronger Norsemen& whom the" outnumbered b" more than fift" to one. Though death was guaranteed& Bjarni and his men fought with grim jo"& knowing that ea!h man the" killed earned them more restige for their entran!e into ?alhalla. The surging tide of stone hat!hets killed all but Herjlfsson and one other man= the" fought ba!k to ba!k against more than five hundred enemies. Before long& the hat!hets overwhelmed even Bjarni Herjlfsson& and he drew his last breath& hurling himself into the leering fa!es of the natives. He died surrounded b" the !or ses of his enemies& his li s ursed in the eternal war !r". The Skrlingjar were a alled at the death toll of the battle. %ll of the battles between tribes in their histor" had not !ome !lose to the more than four hundred <ndians who had died at the hands of the white men. :nwilling to fa!e su!h events a se!ond time& the" vowed to destro" an" white men to !ome to their lands again& before the" !ould !ause even more damage.

But the land was not !om letel" urged of 8uro eans. %fter the dust had settled and the war !ries died awa"& the skaalds and their guards set out in sear!h of a new !am ground& where the" !ould reestablish their settlement and rebuild until the da" the" !ould avenge their beloved leader and !omrades. This singular ur ose in mind& the" stru!k out east& following the same ath the" walked on their ex loration ex edition. <t took them nearl" a week to find the !ave. The" had !han!ed u on it while hunting& following one of the strange animals that the" knew to be edible ba!k to its den. %fter killing the !reature and re aring a fire& the two "oungest skaalds went to ex lore for an" "ounglings that would rovide further sustenan!e. <nstead of food& the two bards dis!overed the erfe!t hiding la!e. The !avern was long and dee & even larger than their settlement under Herjlfsson had been. G enings along the to and sides rovided light enough to see& and a natural s ring of water !olle!ted along the right wall. There was onl" one entran!e at the front& whi!h was small enough to be defendable b" two men. <t was& in short& the erfe!t la!e to reestablish the !olon". There was onl" one roblem with the !ave*the water was salt"& brought to the surfa!e not from an a;uifer& but from an underground entren!hment of o!ean water. The skaalds were frustrated b" this in!onvenien!e& and knew it meant the" would have to leave their newfound home. <n a last)dit!h attem t& the older skaald began ra"ing to the gods for a mira!le. <n the middle of her ra"er& she gesti!ulated at the water*and the salt lifted out of the air and vanished before her astonished e"es. That was the first indi!ation that the New World held grand otential for magi!. The skaalds dismissed the henomenon as a mira!le erformed b" the gods& but when a similar ra"er a few weeks later brought rain to the newl") lanted !ro s after a month) long drought& the" knew that some other for!e was at work. %fter all& wh" would the gods have su!h ower in a land the" did not hold in their thrallK The eldest skaald was the first to reali>e that the Gld Tongue had new ower in this land. He began a seemingl")endless ex eriment& going word b" word through the original Gld Norse al habet to see its effe!t. %s he redi!ted& ever" word brought with

it an undeniable ower& tangible ower that had never been felt in the homeland. % generation assed& and the skaalds began to hone their knowledge of their abilities. %s an understanding of how the magi! !ame to be& the" reali>ed that the words themselves were not the sour!e of the ower. The words were sim l" a wa" to !hannel that ower safel"& so that nothing unex e!ted would o!!ur. %s the" be!ame more ade t in using their abilities& more and more s ells were dis!overed until nearl" an"one or an"thing !ould be !ontrolled with the magi!. The two beserkr guards who es!a ed& who la!ked abilities to !ontrol the magi!& de!ided to make themselves useful. $an" !olonists& not !omfortable enough with their newfound abilities to rel" wholeheartedl" on it in battle& !ame to the Norsemen for wea ons training. Though this was informal and o tional& so man" skaalds took this u in their s are time that learning how to smith and use wea ons be!ame an unwritten rule for the order. %nd as their ower grew& so did their feelings of res onsibilit" for the Skrlingjar. <nstead of lotting revenge& the" reali>ed that the" were barbarians who had onl" rea!ted to the new and different the same wa" an" human would)with violen!e. 'ifted with their owers& the new generation of skaalds felt res onsible for this new land& and es e!iall" for the native eo les the" had harmed. To re resent their res onsibilit" to rote!t the eo le& the" !alled themselves Vrr& or& in the language of the 8uro eans that would establish the most su!!essful !olonies in histor" three !enturies later& Guardians. 5or the first time sin!e the Skrling massa!re& the" were ha ".

Sprin !ime 11"#

Nor!$eas! Nor!$ Ameri%a Gne hundred "ears later& the settlement alread" had sur assed the original with more than four hundred men& women and !hildren living in the !avern. <n that time& the natives had found themselves blessed b" a !entur" of fair weather and health" !ro s& whi!h the" attributed to the favor of the gods. But still the" were war" of the white men& so the 'uardians were for!ed to erform their good deeds in se!ret. %nd though ea!e reigned& the" knew it would onl" be a matter of time before evil threatened the land& an evil far worse than an"thing the white men !ould bring. That evil !ame with the arrival of a "oung <ndian bo" with blond hair and blue e"es. % hunting art" stumbled u on the !hild& who was no more than nine& wandering aimlessl" through the woods. Be!ause of their unseen intera!tions with the natives& man" of the skaalds knew the Skrling tongue& so one of the men asked what the !hild was doing. He res onded that his tribe had exiled him for being ossessed b" the owers of the devil. EBut the devil is su!h a great& evil being. How !ould one as small as "ou house something that large withinKE asked the translator& dis!on!erted b" both the stor" and the bo"Ds gravit". The bo" did not answer& instead motioning at a rabbit staring at them from the underbrush. <nstantl"& the !reature !onvulsed on!e& then flo ed ba!k onto the ground. Gne of the hunters ste ed over to the rabbit and !he!ked its ulse. E<tDs dead&E he said& awed. E% bo" said that m" famil" is of a line of insane murderers&E the bo" said& not even looking at the rabbitDs bod". E< got angr"& and...that ha ened. < just wished he would sto ed sa"ing those mean things& and then all of a sudden he did.E EWh" was the bo" sa"ing su!h mean things to "ou in the first la!eKE the translator asked. IBe!ause m" father wasn+t one of us. The" told me that he was the devil too.J IWho was "our fatherKJ the 'uardian asked. EHe was ale as death& with hair like the sun and e"es the !olor of a lake& just like mine&E the bo" res onded. ENo one ever knew his real name& but someone told me his father turned into a wolf and slaughtered ,HH of our kind before he died. Though no

one knew his surname& m" famil" still !arries his name& a name that the" sa" !omes from be"ond the sea*Herjlfsson.E 8ver"one sto ed what the" were doing. EHerjlfssonKE the translator re eated& unsure he was hearing right. The bo" nodded. EWh"K 1o "ou know the nameKE The translator laughed at the inno!en!e of the remark. E< think "ou had better !ome with us& bo". We have mu!h to tell "ou& as <+m sure "ou have mu!h to tell us.E IWh" should < !ome with "ouKJ the bo" asked. IBe!ause what "ou !an do is not from the devil&J answered the translator. IWe !an show "ou what it is& and& more im ortantl"& tea!h "ou how to !ontrol it. Lou don+t have an"where else to go& so "ou !an !ome with us or die out in the !old.J Not sur risingl"& the bo"& who was !alled BeDnae& !ame along. Bit b" bit& the 'uardians finall" began to ut together the events that had led to a des!endent of Bjarni Herjlfsson+s onl" son standing before them. 1es ite his "oung age& the bo"& Be+nae& ossessed a nearl" hotogra hi! memor"= he had no trouble ie!ing together the !onvoluted tendrils of what he had been told b" his elders with what the 'uardians knew. 5inall"& after nearl" a week of interrogation& the entire stor" !ould be told. HerjlfssonDs son had been out of the settlement when the Skrling atta!ked& la"ing with a to" boat down b" the river. He was dis!overed b" one of the <ndian warriors& who de!ided to ado t him& as man" tribesmen did during their eriodi! mourning wars to re la!e dead !hildren and s ouses. The four women& all of whom were between twent" and twent")five "ears of age& were given as gifts to all" tribes for the leader to wed. BjarniDs son lived a normal !hildhood among the natives& wholl" a!!e ted as one of their own. He married the town healerDs daughter at nineteen& and had three daughters before she died in !hildbirth. Gnl" a "ear later& when the son was thirt")four and his !hildren no older than ten& he set out on a solitar" hunting tri and never returned= the bod" was still missing to this da". His line had lived on& however& through his three mixed !hildren& all of whom retained his blonde hair and blue e"es as roof. %s for the bo"Ds magi!al owers& there was no ex lanation. The Skrling healers had no true !ommand of magi!& and none of

BjarniDs rede!essors had dis la"ed an" otential as a skaald. But that did not matter. %gainst all robabilities& the rodigal son had returned. Gver the next de!ade& BeDnae exhibited owers unimaginable to the 'uardians before him. Where the" tired after using basi! s ells& he !ould erform magi! on a level above even the most ex erien!ed skaald there. %t onl" fifteen "ears of age& he had !reated more than a do>en s ells& some of whi!h onl" he !ould do without assistan!e. : on his sixteenth birthda"& the golden) haired son of Herjlfsson was named Fhief 'uardian. Not long after& BeDnae was wedded to Thorgill& one of the most romising 'uardians in the !lan& in ho es of assing on his off)the)!harts magi!al enduran!e. 8leven months after their wedding !eremon". Thorgill gave birth to fraternal twins& one dark and brown)haired as his mother& the other fair and blue)e"ed in the image of his father. @u erstitious as an" Skrling tribe& the 'uardians ho ed that the twins were a sign of ros erit" and !hange to !ome. :nder their arentsD tutelage& brooding 8rik and fair)headed 7eif& named in honor of the legendar" Norse ex lorers& learned the wa"s of the 'uardians. But evolution was in the mood for a joke at the time of the bo"sD birth& for neither one exhibited even a fra!tion of their fatherDs otential. %fter nearl" three "ears of tr"ing to find the reserves of ower in their now)adoles!ent sons& BeDnae gave u and set about an alternative lan. Without a word to his wife or !hildren& he left the !ave and set out on a journe" for unknown ur oses. %fter six months had assed without his return& the 'uardians feared the worst and abandoned their ho es of evolving& returning to the wa" of life the" knew before BeDnaeDs arrival. 8xa!tl" one "ear after he set out& BeDnae Herjlfsson returned with new life*and new se!rets. He sto ed onl" to assure his wife and !hildren& now nearl" adults& of his survival& then walked ba!k the wa" he !ame to finish whatever roje!t he had begun. <t took another four months& but BeDnae finall" returned with a tool whi!h& he boasted& would Efinall" give the 'uardians ower be"ond their imaginationE. He unveiled his !reation the next da"*an emerald& about the si>e of a fist& that held all of the

magi!al s ells that had or would be dis!overed. The %mulet of @t"rkrw"rd gave its bearer the abilit" to !ontrol an" s ell tra ed within. But there was one setba!k*the %mulet had needed mu!h of BeDnaeDs strength to exist. This had left him drained of his enhan!ed magi!& whi!h meant that he !ould never make another %mulet. @o one erson& and onl" one& would hold the su reme ower of BeDnaeDs %mulet. But what if that erson de!ided to abuse the sa!red owerK <nstead of kee ing the %mulet together& BeDnae de!ided& he would s lit it into enough ie!es that a !oun!il of 'uardians would have !ontrol& establishing a s"stem of !he!ks and balan!es over ea!h other. This was readil" agreed to b" the rest of the 'uardians& who felt the more ie!es the %mulet was s lit into& the better !han!e the" had of getting one. But this lan was doomed to traged". BeDnae had ut so mu!h of himself into the %mulet that it had be!ome an external !om onent of his soul. When the moment !ame and the 'uardians began to divide the %mulet in two& a searing ain !aused BeDnae to !r" out in agon". @ome of the 'uardians reali>ed what was ha ening and disengaged& but others ke t going& unaware that the" were killing their leader. %s the 'uardians stru!k the final blow to the %mulet& the arteries in BeDnaeDs !hest began to ru ture one b" one& literall" breaking his heart. Though modern medi!ine ma" have saved his life& no amount of magi! !ould heal BeDnaeDs internal wounds. The life for!e tangibl" see ing out of him& the Fhief 'uardian gave one last order*his sons were to ea!h have one half of the %mulet. He then s;uee>ed a dro of blood and s oke his last s ell& binding his geneti!s to the %mulet as a failsafe= the s ell indi!ated that onl" his des!endents !ould a!!ess the ower of the %mulet. With this final a!t& BeDnae !losed his e"es and left the world. He was fort")one "ears of age. %t sixteen& the 'uardians had no !hoi!e but to let Be+nae+s sons& un roven though the" were& assume !ommand as Fhief 'uardians. Gn the same da" as their father+s funeral& 7eif and 8rik were given their halves of the %mulet. 7eif was more than ha " with the talents his half of the %mulet gave him= he was ten times stronger and more ade t and magi! than an"one but his brother.

8rik& however& remembered the immense ower Be+nae !ontrolled before the !reation of the %mulet& and "earned for that strength. The 'uardians knew that 8rik+s ambition would lead to trouble& but the" had no idea how ;ui!kl" it would !ome and how terrible it would be. @!ar!el" six months had assed before 8rik ;uietl" began gearing his strongest su orters for a!tion. He was !areful onl" to a roa!h those he knew would join him& for he knew that unishment for su!h treason would be exile& whi!h would make it im ossible to rejoin the %mulet. %fter another month and a half of re!ruiting and re aration& 8rik began to set his lan into a!tion. B" then he had gathered nearl" one)third of the 'uardians into the folds of his lot. But& for all of his su orters& onl" a fra!tion of them were needed to !reate the diversion needed to steal the %mulet. <t began with a drunken argument. %t least& it began with the si ula!i"n of a drunken argument. The two arti!i ants were a!tuall" su orters of ?in!ent a!ting out a re)!onstru!ted fight that would bring ever"one*in!luding 7eif*running to break it u . The two men seemed to be arguing about a flirtatious girl* also one of 8rikDs followers*and their inebriation led to harsh words that soon turned into harsher blows. The two men began un!hing and ki!king ea!h other fier!el"& ea!h refusing to ull un!hes in the faMade of a fight to the oint where both were bruising after the first blows were thrown. With ever"oneDs attention drawn to the fight& two other men began in!iting more violen!e. The" snu!k through the !rowd like ghosts& throwing indis!riminate un!hes and ki!ks. Before long& another fight had started& and another& until half the 'uardians in the !it" seemed to be involved in the all)out brawl. Gne of the few level)headed men in the ub knew the fight was getting out of hand& and sent a !ourier to the Fhief 'uardians& the onl" two men in the !it" with the ower to bring the brawl !rashing to a halt. The age took the shortest route to the ba!k of the !ave& where the two Fhief 'uardians resided. 1es ite his best efforts& it took him more than five minutes of straight s rinting to rea!h the FhiefsD residen!e. Gut of breath and on the verge of assing out& the man was s otted b" 7eifDs wife 7jNfvina and ;ui!kl" !arried inside. He rela"ed his message to his leader& assing out moments

later as the last reserves of his energ" was s ent. 7jNfvina !arried the un!ons!ious man to her and 7eifDs bedroom. 8rik was nowhere to be found& having left the revious night on a foraging ex edition& so 7eif was left to single)handedl" deal with the roblem. Not even sa"ing farewell to his wife& he made sure the %mulet was se!ured around his ne!k and set off for the bar at an all)out s rint. Within moments& 7jNfvina was alone ex!e t for the messenger. 7jNfvina was gifted in the healing arts& and was utting her talent to good use in reviving and rejuvenating the fatigued age. Gne "ear older than her newl"wed husband at eighteen& she was well on her wa" to be!oming the best healer in the tribe= her good looks had as mu!h to do with this as her bedside manners or ex ertise. Hair whose golden hue ut the sunDs ra"s to shame framed her soft& elli ti!al fa!e& a!!entuating her blue)gra" e"es and ale li s. :nlike man" women of her time& 7jNfvina was tall and thin where most were short and robust. @he moved with a gra!efulness all her own= someone of less beaut" would be !alled lank"& but su!h a word !ould not even begin to do 7jNfvina justi!e. The first time one of the Skrlingjar had met her& he had fallen to the ground& rostate& !ertain her un!oomon frame and ivor" skin meant that she was the rein!arnation of some god. 'rowing u in su!h an isolated la!e& however& instilled an unfortunate naOvete in man" of the towns eo le. The" had never fa!ed an" true danger in their life& aside from the o!!assional s ar after learning a new s ell or an a!!idental flesh wound in wea ons training. 7jNfvina was one of the man" who su!!umbed to this mindset= she was as inno!ent as she was beautiful. That is wh"& when the messenger began to shimmer slightl"& she took little or no noti!e& attributing it sim l" as a side effe!t of her s ells. 8ven when a faint white light began to shine from his bod"& and his outline began to fade into intangibilit"& 7jNfvina still bustled around !luelessl" for medi!al su lies and remedies. 7eif would have noti!ed that the gre" e"es of the age had began to !hange to dark brown& and that his short bla!k hair was growing longer b" the se!ond& sha ing itself into the shoulder) length mane so rare among the 'uardians. 8ven his build was !hanging= the tired& wrinkled bod" of the un!ons!ious older man was be!oming taller& sto!kier& more su le with ea!h assing

se!ond. The !lothing itself remained un!hanged& but grew tight against the mus!ular frame of its new o!!u ant. %round his ne!k& the faint outline of a ro!k)si>ed gemstone bulged against the straining fabri! The manDs ba!k was still to the door& so 7jNfvina was unaware of the transformation taking la!e in her bed. @he strode in with a restoration otion and smelling salts and a !old !loth to soothe the man& but still she did not noti!e that the messenger was not what he a eared. He was unres onsive to 7jNfvinaDs tou!h& even after she ressed the !ool !loth to his forehead and ressed the salts to his nostrils. 'rabbing the otion& she went to turn over the man to better administer the drink= it was then that she noti!ed the !hanges she had been so oblivious to before. :nsure of what devilr" was at la"& 7jNfvina rea!hed out to the atient with trembling hands. @he gas ed involuntaril" as a strong hand gras ed her forearm= her attem ts to s!ream were !ut off just as ;ui!kl". <n just a few short moments& 7jNfvina had be!ome a hostage. But whose hostageK she wondered. The m"sterious man was behind her now& had dragged her into the shadows. @he strained and struggled& but his viselike gri held her tight. He held her for a full minute before releasing her& but the freedom was shortlived. He gestured on!e with his hands and an invisible !hain bound her to the bed= another motion and her voi!e seemed to thi!ken& !ongealing in her throat and rendering her silent. 5inall"& with his re" full" and !om letel" subdued& the man ste ed out of the shadows. E< alwa"s love a good famil" reunion&E 8rik said& a smugl" vi!ious ex ression on his fa!e. E1onDt "ouKE 5or all her healing mindset& 7jNfvina had fighting instin!ts buried dee within. %s her brother)in)law loomed over her rostate form mena!ingl"& she summoned ever" last dro of magi! in her veins& waiting for her moment to strike. 5inall"& when the internal inferno of magi! inside her seemed fit to burst& she !hanneled her ower into a single burst of energ" that sna ed the invisible !hains and simultaneousl" ro elled 8rik into the wall. Wood s lintered and otter" shattered as his head met solid resistan!e. The effort of es!a e had mentall" and h"si!all" drained 7jNfvina ast her limits. @he swooned& even managing to ass out

with gra!e& and fell to the floor. 7jNfvinaDs ga>e fixed on 8rikDs un!ons!ious form& noting with wanton leasure the blood s ra"ing from his nose& whi!h was mangled enough that she knew it was surel" broken. To her sur rise and disma"& she a!tuall" found herself enjo"ing the awful sight. But then darkness rushed u to meet her& and all moral dilemmas faded from her mind as she surrendered to her exhaustion.

7eif walked with a drunken s ring in his ste as he left the bar and began to make his wa" home. The brawl had been !leared u nearl" an hour before& with sur risingl" few injuries to be healed. @to ing the fight itself took no time at all= 7eif was a giant of a man who !ould easil" take on an" do>en of the 'uardians at on!e and emerge uns!athed. His resen!e alone was enough to make ever"one there think twi!e about throwing another blow or burst of magi!. 7iterall" within se!onds of his arrival& the fight had !ome to an abru t halt. 5or the few injured& healing was immediate and !om lete& thanks to 7eif+s half of the %mulet. $ost had minor bruises and !uts& but these would be left to natural healing. <nstead& 7eif used his %mulet to mend two broken arms& a broken nose& and a nast" burn mark left from a arti!ularl" strong s ell. %ll !ombined& these healings took somewhere around five minutes. The rest of his time at the bar was s ent a!knowledging the bartenders+ gratitude to 7eif for restoring ea!e. The %mulet gave him added resistan!e to the inebriating effe!ts of al!ohol& but 7eif had drunk enough of the bar+s strongest mead to tran;uili>e the great wolf 5enrir in the s a!e of an hour. $agi! !an onl" do so mu!h& and !onse;uentl" the 'uardian Fhief was barel" able to walk straight as he weaved his wa" through the tight !onfines of the village. <n his im aired state& 7eif was oblivious to the signs that a struggle had taken la!e in his house. He o ened the door and ste ed inside while singing a drinking song written a de!ade earlier b" a "oung 'uardian re!anting the !reation m"th. His voi!e

rang out in a dee baritone slightl" slurred with the effe!ts of wine& but his words were still !lear enough to understand.
#$e c" e fr" !%e land "f ice and ri e. &r" !%e s%ad"' lands "f fr"(en Nifel%ei . )"rne fr" !%e c%a"s "f !%e *a'ning gulf, +!ernal ec%"es "f Ginnungaga,. De "n Sur!urG"d "f &ireHe fuels "ur %ear!s $i!% brea!% fr" .us/,el/%ei 0%e N"ise aker / &r"s! Gian! 1 irRises "u! "f !%e r"lling 2a,"urs and clas%es !%e fr"(en air&r" "u! "f !%e gulf ca e !%e c"' Aud%u la, $%" licked !%e sal! and %"arfr"s! fr" an ic* b"ulder. 3u! s,rang )ur, fa!%er "f )"r &r" '%" !%e G"ds 3din, Vili and Ve 'ere s,a'ned. 0%e* sle' 1 ir, And ade .idgard. His b"d* beca e !%e ear!%, His ic* bl""d !%e sea a! large. His b"nes f"r ed !%e "un!ains, His fles% f"r ed !%e s"il, His skull !%e grea! sk*/d" e endued 'i!% c"l"urs r"*al. &r" .us,el%ei ca e !%e sun and !%e ""n, And s!ars !" guide sail"rs and ake drea ers s'""n. 0%e grea! as% !ree 1ggdrasill %eld all in ,lace $i!% i!'s ig%!* r""!s and branc%es in!" s,ace. 4%i,s "f '""d, &r" !%e grea! as% !ree, $ere ga!%ered !"ge!%er, &"r !%e firs! !i e in %is!"r*, 0" f"r !%e firs! an Ask, And !%e firs! '" an + bla, N"' !%e 'arri"r c%ildren feas! fai!% in !%e fabled %alls "f Val%alla. 5

l"ri!s b" $i!hael Aeters

%s ea!h verse !ame to a !lose& he banged together two fallen tree bran!hes that had been iled alongside the ath for firewood& the best imitation of !linking ale mugs he !ould make while awa" from the bar. The song was long enough that& b" the time the final notes died awa"& 7eif was at the door of his house. Normall" a !autious man& al!ohol had taken awa" the Fhief 'uardian+s guarded nature and re la!ed it with foolish abandon. Throwing the door wide& he strode boldl" into the house& making for the bedroom where he !ould slee awa" his im airments unbothered. When he entered the bedroom& his e"es were instantl" drawn to his wife. @he la" on the bed& un!ons!ious and bruised& a thin stream of blood marring her flawless !heek. @haken b" su!h a horrible sight& the effe!ts of the mead began to dilute almost instantl" as adrenaline flooded 7eifDs veins. He began to noti!e other indi!ations that a struggle had taken la!e& some subtle and some so overt that onl" a blind man would ass unawares. Gne of the more subtle signs was a slight shimmering in the air& oised just over 7jNfvinaDs form. 4"uld !%e a!!acker s!ill be %ere, 'ai!ing !" kill e6 7eif wondered& instin!tivel" rea!hing for the battle)axe he !onstantl" wore in a holster a!ross his shoulder. He had no o ortunit" to draw it though& as the a arition suddenl" materiali>ed. 7eif stood stunned to see 8rik standing over his wife& a dagger held at her ale throat. His other hand was outstret!hed towards his brother& read" to unleash a magi!al burst if atta!ked. But 7eif was too aral">ed with sur rise to move. EWhat are "ou doing here& brotherKE 7eif asked& his hand tensing on the hilt of the wea on. ELou said "ou were leaving on a foraging ex edition& "et here "ou stand with wea on drawn in m" house. <f "ou were not m" brother& "ou would be dead where "ou stand.E E<f < were not "our brother& < would not be here toda"&E 8rik !ountered. E5or what use would "our half of the %mulet be to me if < was unable to use itKE 5inall" 7eif understand his brotherDs motive. ECust be satisfied with the ower "ou have&E he urged his brother& la!ing his words with ersuasive magi!. ELou are not an evil erson= "ou will not take the life of an inno!ent for "our own gain.E

8rik laughed malignantl". E< guess "ou do not know me as well as "ou think& brother. %nd "our dear lad" here will a" the ri!e.E He ressed down harder with the knife& and a !rimson rivulet flowed down 7jNfvinaDs throat. 7eif !ried out as if he himself was being stabbed& laun!hing a burst of magi! at his brother and freeing his massive axe from his ba!k in one fluid motion. The momentum from the wea on !arried him straight towards his brother& who subvo!ali>ed a !ommand to the magi! dee within. %lmost instantl"& the itiful dagger in his hand grew into a mena!ing longsword& slowing to a halt two feet later. @omeone of his small stature would normall" be unable to wield su!h an instrument effe!tivel" without tiring ;ui!kl"& but the %mulet allowed him to swing it almost without effort. 7eif !losed the distan!e between them in the blink of an e"e. His axe was nearl" twi!e the si>e of 8rikDs sword& but was nowhere near as versatile. His brother had the advantage of s eed and !lose ;uarter fighting& with a smaller blade to handle. Lelling a fearsome war !r" that he ho ed would arouse an" nearb" 'uardians& 7eif swung his axe in a two)handed downward !ho aimed to s lit his brotherDs head down the middle. <nstead of blo!king the blow as an amateur would& 8rik instead redire!ted the atta!k to his left& letting the axe swing ast his shoulder b" a few in!hes. This effe!tivel" !onserved energ"& letting the enem" waste their strength on futile swings while he remained strong. He retaliated with a ba!khand slash that !aught 7eif on his ex osed flank& !ausing a stab of ain but little damage. :nfortunatel" for 8rik& some of the beserkr blood still flowed through his brother. %t the sight of his wound& a red mist !loaked 7eifDs vision. He gave another !r"& but this time he sounded more beast than man. <t was then that 8rik reali>ed how grave a osition he was in. This was !om ounded b" the fa!t that the %mulet allowed the beserkr to retain his human !unning. These traits !ombined made for a ver" dangerous enem". 8rik had one !han!e at stealing the %mulet and es!a ing before someone heard the noises and !ame to investigate. He began to go on the atta!k& thrusting and slashing at his brotherDs wounded left flank. The man batted these atta!ks aside with an ease bordering on !ontem t& but he began !ir!ling to the right& just as 8rik had ho ed.

% few failed atta!ks later& 8rik found himself ba!k b" the bed. He thrust at his !ombatantDs right side this time& overextending the atta!k just enough to be noti!eable. @ure enough& 7eif took the bait and ri osted& throwing a two)handed slash at his brotherDs ex osed left hi . The slash would have ended the fight right there& would have robabl" !ut 8rik in two. But it did not& for 8rik was not there an" longer. With the %muletDs assistan!e& he !artwheeled to the left and ba!kfli ed behind the bed& utting 7jNfvinaDs rone form between him and his brother. <n a deft movement& 8rik shrank his wea on ba!k to the assassinDs dagger& la!ing it behind her ne!k and using her bod" as a shield in front of him. E1ro the wea on and give me the %mulet& or she diesPE The bloodlust faded from 7eifDs e"es as his humanit" regained !ontrol. His e"es fli!kered from 7jNfvina to 8rik& des eratel" tr"ing to make a de!ision. He was on the verge of removing the jewel from his ne!k and handing it over when 7jNfvina stirred. <t was a barel" im er!e tible movement& but it was movement sure enough. If I can s!all +rik l"ng en"ug%, !%en 7j8f2ina can d" !%e res!, 7eif thought. @lowl"& he rea!hed u to his ne!k and untied the ro e !hain. Holding one hand u in a gesture of ea!e& he la!ed the %mulet in the other and began to extend it towards 8rik. %t that moment& his wifeDs e"es o ened& settling on the s!ene. Her e"es widened& and she o ened her mouth to s!ream& but a darting look from 7eif told her what she must do. @he a!knowledged him silentl"& !urling her hand around the vial of li;uid smelling salts that had& somehow& survived the atta!k. 7eif walked !loser to his brother& his arm outstret!hed& the %mulet dangling on the !ord. His brotherDs e"es wat!hed the gem& mesmeri>ed& as it grew nearer and nearer. Gblivious to ever"thing around him& he rea!hed for the ke" to ultimate ower... %nd at that moment 7jNfvina smashed the vial on his forehead. 'lass shattered as the !ontents of the bottle ex loded over his right e"e. 8rik s!reamed in agon" as the li;uid entered his e"e& the a!idi! !om ounds disintegrating his e"e as it burrowed through the skin and s"na ses. <n a blind stu or& he fired bolts of magi!& breaking furniture and o ening holes in walls. With his good e"e& he noti!ed a hole that led outside and s rinted through it.

Through the mind)numbing ain& he had enough resen!e of mind to use a s ell of vanishing. He stumbled headlong through the village& !ursing and romising vengean!e u on his tormenters. His followers heard the disembodied voi!e and followed him out of the !ave& disa earing into the underbrush. Gut!asts of the 'uardians& 8rik and his followers found a remote lo!ation and built a !am & using magi! to hide their new home from h"si!al and magi!al dete!tion. Horribl" disfigured b" the !hemi!als in the salts& 8rik began develo ing lans to exa!t his revenge. His new !ult& !alled the f9rbj:;rs (1ese!rators) (a name derived from the vow that the" would maim their enemies just as their leader had been maimed)& began to raid the 'uardian Fave. To survive& both grou s began to ex and west& setting u out osts from the % ala!hians to the Bo!k" $ountains. Wherever the" went& the Native %meri!ans were de!imated b" !rossfire& to the oint where natives began to steer !lear of the warring tribes. The" and their invisible !ities be!ame lo!al legends& grou s of gods battling with might" wea ons and fier!e su erhuman atta!ks. 7eft to themselves& the two fa!tions began to fear outsiders as mu!h as ea!h other. When the 8uro eans first !rossed the o!ean& the" saw them as enemies& rea!ting just as the skrlingjar had rea!ted !enturies before. 8x lorers heading west were either avoided or& in the !ase of a few like Hernando de @oto& killed to reserve their se!rets. But& over time& ex lorers and fugitives found their wa" to the !am s& and showed them that the men from a!ross the sea were more like them than the" thought. Henr" Hudson and his son& among others& joined the ranks of the 'uardians. With the founding of the %meri!an !olonies& the 'uardians and 1ese!rators saw a !han!e to reintegrate with so!iet"& to enlist even more soldiers in their res e!tive !rusades. But des ite their added man ower& neither side !ould break the !enturies)long stalemate. <t seemed that the war between the fr:;leikr (magi!ians)& as the" !ame to be !alled b" natives who witnessed the effe!ts of their struggles& was doomed to !ontinue until Bagnorak itself. Then !ame the %meri!an Bevolution& and ever"thing !hanged...

&ff 'lam(orou $ )ead, *n land Sep!em(er +3, 1##, The 5irst Nav" Ca!k billowed roudl" in the wind as the )"n%" e Ric%ard !ut the la!id waters of the %tlanti!. %t ,QR feet long& the Ric%ard was one of the larger frigates in the fledgling Fontinental Nav"& being given to the !olonies b" the wealth" 5ren!h months before in a!!ordan!e to the 5ren!h)%meri!an allian!e formed after the Battle of @aratoga. %lthough it had not "et seen a!tion& the Nav" was !onfident of the Ric%ard<s abilities& and rightl" so= at the time& the SR)gun frigate had more fire) ower than an" other shi in their fleet. Cohn Aaul Cones stood at the helm& ex ertl" guiding his shi at a stead" !ourse following the British !oastline. $ore than a month before& he had de arted from 7orrient& 5ran!e& with orders to !ir!le Britain and atta!k an" 8nglish mer!hant shi s in the area. <t was now two hours ast high noon on @e tember RT& and he had sailed the enem" waters virtuall" uno osed throughout the vo"age. He had run into and !a tured sixteen shi s to date& but almost all the battles had been bloodless& beginning and ending with a white flag waving in the bree>e on the mer!hantsD mast. Cohn Aaul began his !areer at just thirteen "ears old. %fter being a!!used of murdering one of his offi!ers in Tobago when he was R0& he left the !ountr" and added the surname IConesJ in order to es!a e the hangman+s noose. % remarkable navigator& he la!ked the flair for oliti!s that was re;uired for romotion& and was onl" a !a tain des ite his im ressive tra!k re!ord= if not for the endorsement of his !lose friend and Fongressman Bi!hard Henr" 7ee& Cones would have never even been ut in !ommand of a tugboat. This would have been a !ostl" oversight& as Cones+ re!ent !a ture of the H.S Drake, a RH)gun Bo"al Nav" sloo out of 8ngland& was one of the !oloniesD most resounding maritime vi!tories. Cust be"ond her ,.)feet wake& a flotilla of three shi s adjusted their !ourse to mat!h the Ric%ard<s. Vengeance, a ,R)gun brig& and =allas, a relativel" small TR)gun frigate& sailed obedientl" behind Cones. Bringing u the rear of the undersi>ed warband was the Alliance, a larger and better)e;ui ed T0)gun frigate.

8ven though the Ric%ard was almost fort" feet ahead of the Alliance, he !ould feel resentment wafting towards him through the air like smoke. Though there were more than THH !rewmen aboard the shi & Cones knew without a doubt where the !loud of anger emanated from. Aierre 7andais& !a tain of the Alliance, !ame to %meri!a ho ing to be!ome a maritime $ar;uis de 7afa"ette. He had been assigned to Cones+ s;uadron u on arrival& but soon !lashed with the @!ottish immigrant after the Alliance and the Ric%ard !rashed into ea!h other+s riggings. Gf !ourse& ea!h !a tain blamed the other& and on %ugust R0& 7andais dire!tl" disobe"ed a dire!t order and sailed off from the rest of the fleet. He rejoined with the fleet on the first da" of @e tember& but tension still !louded the hori>on. % few da"s later& Cones signaled 7andais to !ome aboard the Ric%ard for a dis!ussion. 1isgruntled with Cones& the 5ren!hman refused& instead sailing off again. He was gone for u wards of two weeks this time= onl" this morning had he returned to the fleet& under the guard of the =allas. I! s%all n"! be l"ng bef"re !%a! ,iss/,r"ud 7andais !ries !" c"n2ince !%e res! "f * flee! !" sail a'a* 'i!% %i , Cones thought bitterl". I@hi s on the hori>on& sir& !oming from norDeastPJ a lookout !alled from ato the main mast. There was no !row+s nest aboard the Ric%ard, so the ha less lookout !lung to the sturd" wood with onl" his gri and a ie!e of ro e kee ing him from a long fall ;ui!kl" followed b" a ainful death fift" feet below. I<t+s onl" a !onvo" of shi s& nothing we !an+t handle.J Cones grinned roguishl"& his dark brown e"es unnaturall" resembling the British blood he ho ed was about to be s ilt. IHold on& sir. @omething else a roa!hesPJ The lookout s!anned the hori>on like a wingless hawk homing in on its latest re". 5or the next few minutes& the de!k of the Ric%ard was silent ex!e t for the relaxing !rash of the o!ean waves in the ba!kground. 5inall"& the silen!e was broken b" a shar intake of breath. IBlood" hell& Fa +n. Gne of the shi s is too far off to see& but < !an just make out the other+s flag. <t+s the damned Sera,isPJ Cohn Aaul Cones !ursed vehementl" at the news& "et his e"es still shone with bloodlust. IAre are the marksman and assemble a boarding art". We have a true battle on our hands this timePJ Not even waiting for his mate+s res onse& Cones stoo ed&

grabbed a air of signal flags at his feet& and franti!all" began sending the tidings of imminent battle.

Aierre 7andais was not a ha " man. 7ess than twent")four hours reviousl"& he had sulkil" returned from his fortnight)long solo tri & in the ro!ess subje!ting both himself and his shi to Cohn Aaul Cones+ t"ranni!al !ommand*"et again. 8ver sin!e that fateful !rash& 7andais maintained that Cones was a boorish idiot who was unfit for !ommand of a !hild+s sailboat& let alone a frigate like the Ric%ard. To most of those around him& Aierre was seen as a !oarse& headstrong sailor who was a little too big for his boots. %t least& that was how Aierre 7andais 'an!ed to be seen. <n realit"& 7andais was a man well)liked b" ever"one he met& with a rare !ombination of intelligen!e and modest". He was a ;uiet man& referring to make de!isions after mu!h !onsideration& rather than ta!kling them immediatel" and rashl". He was nothing like the !ourse& brash man whose role he had taken for this vo"age. But& even though he would be for!ed to la" this distasteful !hara!ter for "ears& 7andais knew his role would be of tantamount im ortan!e to the Bevolutionar" !ause as Fommander 'eorge Washington+s vi!tor" at @aratoga two "ears before& even if the general ubli! went unawares of his true a!tions. Aierre 7andais knew he was risking his honor and his ne!k when enlisting in the %meri!an es,i"n ranks. But he also knew that& no matter how dangerous it got& he had a wea on that none of the enem" had. 7andais was not onl" a s " and a first)!lass shi sman= he was one of a s!ore of members of a se!ret so!iet" known onl" as the Gerdi"n*the 'uardians in the %meri!an tongue. Having just been initiated into this se!ret so!iet" less than two months rior& 7andais had learned more about the Gerdi"n from whis ered rumors than an"thing else. The 'uardians& it was whis ered& were su ernatural !reatures& !a able of bending an"thing and ever"thing to their !r" ti! will. Before his initiation& the !a tain had heard tell of the H.S 4erberus& a shi that had been sent to the bottom during a British siege of New ort in ,--/. Gne of the witnesses& the gunner of the shore artiller" that dealt the killing blow to the 4erberus& had been transferred to the

5ren!hman+s shi a few weeks after. But he told a different stor" than 7andais had heard= this gunner insisted that he had not fired a shot at the 4erberus& but that a illar of flame had des!ended from the sk"& smiting the shi like the hand of 'od himself. This information& !ou led with the long)held tenet that a Gerdi"n base was lo!ated in New ort& gave 7andais the first hint of the organi>ation+s existen!e. He !onfronted Benjamin 5ranklin& whom he had met a few "ears before during 5ranklin+s di lomati! visit to 5ran!e and a man who he sus e!ted was a 'uardian. The %meri!an Fongressman admitted his role in the Gerdi"n and agreed to take 7andais for ossible admission. Within the month& 7andais was assigned to an %meri!an fleet and trans orted to the %meri!as& where he was a renti!ed as a 'uardian in se!ret. He had not learned mu!h at all about the Gerdi"n from even 5ranklin& who he !ame to regard as his mentor during his training. @ure& he learned that the 'uardians had been around sin!e the" were founded b" the survivors of a blood" massa!re that almost wi ed out a Norse ex loration art" in the eleventh !entur". He had learned that the Fommittees of Forres onden!e had been nothing more than a front !reated b" the great @amuel %dams to allow the 'uardians to work in se!re!". He had even learned that the 5reemason so!iet" was nothing more than a front for the 'uardians where the leaders met to dis!uss their ideas and lans. But one thing he had not learned was wh" he had been !hosen for the mission he was on& one that !ould deal a fatal blow to the Bevolution if his se!ret !argo was inter!e ted. Gnl" one other 'uardian had been assigned to the mission& the last erson an"one would ex e!t of subversion*Cohn Aaul Cones himself. Cones had been a 'uardian for onl" half a "ear longer than 7andais& but was ut in !ommand of the !argo due to a !ombination of his sailing rowess and the insisten!e of Cones+ benefa!tor Bi!hard Henr" 7ee& who was above even 5ranklin in the 'uardians. %dams& the !urrent Fhief 'uardian& had no !hoi!e but to relent to 7ee+s onslaught& and there Cones was& in !ommand of an o eration that !ould s ell the end for the Bevolution. To be honest& though& 7andais was not even sure wh" the Gerdi"n were so interested in the Bevolution. %s far as he knew& onl" the 1ese!rators had the right !ombination of hatred& ower and knowledge to !hallenge the 'uardians. He had heard the

strong denun!iations against the wa"s of the 1ese!rators so man" times that he had them memori>ed. Gver and over the instru!tors had !autioned against the 1ese!rators& who embra!ed greed and lust rather than shunning these dangerous emotions. %s a result& the" had been driven mad with ower and turned their envious sights on the 'uardians& who shared their otherwise uni;ue gifts for magi!. But this !ould not be the onl" reason& for 7andais himself had learned no magi! so far& and Cones little more. His thoughts returning to Cohn Aaul Cones again& 7andais furrowed his brow and !ontorted his features in a !ontem tuous sneer. He did not a!tuall" hate Cones= the disagreements were sim l" a red herring to throw an" nearb" 1ese!rators for a loo . The most im ortant fa!et of the mission was that the enem"& both the British and the 1ese!rators& did not how !losel" involved the Gerdi"n were with the rebel !olonists. His thoughts turned to the mission& and !onse;uentl" to his sa!red !argo*the %mulet of @t"rkrw"rd. %s new to the 'uardians as he was& he had heard more about the %mulet than he had about an"thing else. He had noti!ed how eo le+s voi!es dro ed to a reverential hush when s eaking about it& had noti!ed how the !a ital A was em hasi>ed to su!h a noti!eable level that the %mulet was almost ersonified as human. The one thing no one s oke about was what the ,ur,"se of the %mulet was. 7andais& his !uriosit" aroused& had asked around as to what se!rets to the universe the %mulet held& but either no one knew or the" weren+t telling. But now onl" QH meters of o!ean and a metal and wooden hull se arated 7andais from the !oveted %mulet& and he !ould not bear it. 5or that was the real reason 7andais had stormed off in a huff during the se!ond negotiation*the u tight Cones had refused to let 7andais alone with the %mulet. H"' can %e n"! '"nder a! !%e A ule!'s a'es" e ,"!en!ial6 wondered 7andais. N"! e2en >"nes is rig%!e"us en"ug% !" iss "u! "n !%is c%ance !" disc"2er !%e dee,es! secre!s "f "ur "rder. $ell, %e can d" '%a! %e 'an!s? c" e %ell "r %ig% 'a!er, I will ge! * %ands "n !%a! A ule!I@irPJ his boatswain !alled& destro"ing the tendrils of a lan that were forming in 7andais+ head. ILou had better see thisPJ IWhat is itKJ sna ed 7andais.

IThe )"n%" e Ric%ard has her sema hore flags out&J ex lained the boatswain& a "oung man named Noah Br"ant Foo er. I@he just signaled for all guns to fo!us at ,, o+!lo!k& and to be read" for battle with the Sera,isUsirKKJ Before Foo er even finished rela"ing the message& 7andais was dashing to the nearest gunners. IAre are for battlePJ he "elled at the to of his lungs& alerting the !rewmen who !ouldn+t read sema hore. I%ll guns to ,,6HH))the Sera,is !omesPJ

7andais was not sure what made him do it. <t was half ast seven in the evening& and the Sera,is had just engaged the Ric%ard a few minutes before. Cones was taking the heaviest battering of the %meri!an shi s& and 7andais knew it would onl" get worse when the 4"un!ess "f Scarb"r"ug%, a hired es!ort of the es!a ing mer!hant shi s& joined the fra". Though Cones was an able !ommander& he had no !han!e against two shi s*not alone& and es e!iall" not when the 4"un!ess was rumored to be !a tained b" a 1ese!rator. <nstead of throwing himself into the battle headlong& 7andais knew he would be safer if he distra!ted the 4"un!ess. Grders were assed along the line to fire& from maximum range& at the es!ort. %fter firing a broadside and trading shots for fifteen minutes& he disengaged and let the =allas take over the fight farther downwind. Gut of harm+s wa"& 7andais surve"ed the battles as he tried to !ome u with a fool roof ta!ti!. %t /6TH& the moon rose overhead& enlightening the o!ean if not 7andais+ mind. The 5ren!hman was tra ed= he had orders to rote!t Cones and the %mulet at all !osts& but !ould do little be!ause Cones had lo!ked the shi s together b" entangling mi>>en masts and jib)booms. 5inall"& a lan began to resent itself to 7andais. If I g" !" %el, !%e Aallas& * ,a!% 'ill !ake e direc!l* acr"ss fr" !%e @era is. &r" !%ere, I c"uld fire a r"und a! !%e s%i,s. If !%e +nglis% are %i!, !%en I a jus! %el,ing "u! * fell"' c"un!r* an. If !%e Bi!hard is %i!, !%en I can !ake "2er in >"nes< ,lace, assu ing all "f %is carg" af!er !%e ba!!le, including !%e A ule!-

7andais knew that he was endangering an entire boatload of !rew to satisf" his !uriosit"& but the urge was over owering. 0%ere is n"!%ing else !" d", he de!ided& and set !ourse for the 4"un!ess. %s his shi neared the Sera,is and Ric%ard, the !annoneers let loose a single broadside at the entangled shi s& dealing massive damage to both sides. @atisfied with his work& 7andais maneuvered his shi just out of range of the 4"un!ess< guns and blasted awa". $inutes later& the 4"un!ess surrendered& and 7andais had no !hoi!e but to return to the main battle. <t was just after ten& three hours after the first shots had been fired. Cones& sighting the Alliance sailing ba!k towards him& began signaling for a joint boarding o eration. 7andais& however& stu!k to his revious lan. He gave the order to fire again& and the Ric%ard was riddled with friendl" fire again. :nable to take the barrage& the Ric%ard began to sink. <n des eration to save his shi & the master)at)arms authori>ed the release of more than ,HH 8nglish risoners& who began bailing water alongside the %meri!ans that had !a tured them. 5ortunatel" for Cones and 7andais& Sera,is< Fa tain Aear!" did not know of the ani! aboard the %meri!an shi . 5a!ed with two (it seemed) strong and able shi s& he !alled for tru!e and& just after ,H6TH& surrendered with the knowledge that his mer!hant shi s had made it to safet". The shi was then taken relativel" ainlessl"& although three 8nglishmen who believed the battle was still raging fired shots at the %meri!ans. :nfortunatel"& Cones was for!ed to abandon his doomed shi & and the ri!eless %mulet along with it& in order to save the lives of himself and his !rew. % fortnight later& a team of Gerdi"n !ame to the site of the battle and sear!hed the o!ean floor& making use of a newl") dis!overed s ell that sealed shi s in an airtight bubble when underwater. Though the" !ombed the o!ean surrounding 5lamborough Head& no tra!e of the Ric%ard was ever s otted. :nha " as the" were with the terrible loss& the" took !omfort in the fa!t that no 1ese!rator had his hands on it& and tried to forget about their re!ious item. 5or& though it was little hel to them at the bottom of the o!ean& the 1ese!rators at least were oblivious of its final resting la!e.

Thomas 1ebs was tra ed. He had s ent nearl" two months in hiding aboard the )"n%" e Ric%ard& se!reted awa" in a hidden tra door near the !a tain+s !abin and the treasured %mulet. Aosing as an %meri!an sailor& he had snu!k aboard in the dead of night and lo!ked himself into the !om artment& just as his 1ese!rator leaders had instru!ted him. %s a 1ese!rator s e!iali>ing in sor!er"& 1ebs !ould !on!eal himself in a ball of magi!al energ" that stifled his roje!tion of magi!al ower& as well as his resen!e at all. He had maintained this s ell for hours ever" da"& onl" dro ing his shield when ever" sailor aboard was slee ing. $onths of su!h a lifest"le had begun to take its toll on the 1ese!rator. The on!e striking man had grown ale and gaunt from su!h a long eriod of near)starvation& as he !ould onl" !onjure food when no one was awake= su!h a s ell would almost instantl" bring the 'uardians down u on him if the" felt magi! being used. He had enough energ" to maintain !on!ealment& though& and !omfort was not a matter of an" im ortan!e to his su eriors. <nstead of suffering su!h terrible !onditions& 1ebs s ent most of his time in a meditative tran!e. He !ould sta" in this state for u to four da"s at a time without needing food& rest or other ne!essities. Time had lost all meaning for the 1ese!rator over the ast month. He had s ent so mu!h time in his tran!e that da"s had literall" assed unnoti!ed. To 1ebs& it seemed as though he had been aboard the Ric%ard for about two weeks. 8ven so& two weeks as a stowawa" is enough to drive the sanest man to the threshold of luna!"= to !ombat this& the s " had begun s ending longer and longer eriods of time within himself in meditation. Gne of these extended tran!es was broken b" the deafening sounds of !annonfire overhead. 5or!ed to sta" hidden& 1ebs had to rel" on the sounds of sailors overhead to get a i!ture of the battle. This was the first real ex!itement during the entire vo"age= Thomas 1ebs was not about to miss out on a !han!e at relieving the mind)numbing boredom he had grown so a!!ustomed to. Hours dragged b"& un!tuated routinel" b" the roars of guns trading shot. The 1ese!rator began to grow restless& !oo ed

u in a room little bigger than a !loset while no one even knew he was on the shi . 8ver" man aboard was on de!k tr"ing to re el the British& 1ebs was sure of it. He ut his ear to the door and sent out a small robe of magi!al energ". <t returned to him with indi!ation that the lower de!k was devoid of life. N"''s * c%ance- 1ebs thought ex!itedl". $i!% !%e en!ire cre' ,re"ccu,ied, I a free !" s!eal !%e A ule! and esca,e ab"ard '%a!e2er friendl* s%i, is "u! !%ere. Al,%a 'ill be ,leased 'i!% * ini!ia!i2e in "2ing a%ead !%e !i e!ables, and 'e can begin "ur eradica!i"n "f !%e Guardians a%ead "f sc%edule. @ urred on b" dreams of romotion and ower& 1ebs !ra!ked the tra door ajar and sli ed through the s a!e. Fareful to kee himself !on!ealed& he !re t to the Fa tainDs !abin and turned the knob. The door slid o en silentl" on magi!all" greased hinges& ensuring that no nearb" !rewmen !ame to investigate an out of la!e !reak. Cones was the t" e of man who referred s ending his time on the de!k of his shi to whiling awa" the da"s in his !abin. The room refle!ted this a ath"& with onl" minimal furniture and de!oration to be seen. % hammo!k and dresser were ro ed near the far wall= the onl" other obje!t of interest in the area was a massive metal safe l"ing against the wooden beams that made u the right artition. Cust in !ase Cones was !raftier than he seemed& 1ebs sent out another robe of energ"& this time to dete!t an" tra s or alarms on the !hest. This one& more !om lex than the other& took nearl" ten minutes to determine that there were in fa!t two tra s on the safe. Gne was a basi! but owerful firebomb& the other a more subtle but just as dangerous aral">ation s ell= both were easil" assed b" 1ebs& who had been a i!k o!ket in his "outh. He had never known a famil"= the !obblestone streets of Ahiladel hia were his father& the dark alle"wa"s where he sle t were his mother. % su!!essful burglar& he had dreamed of saving enough mone" to bu" land and es!a e the life of overt". Then& one fateful da"& he had made the mistake of tr"ing to steal from a 1ese!rator. @ensing magi! in the waif& the 1ese!rator& a Tor" named $argaret $!'overn& had !onvin!ed her eers to train the bo" in their wa"s. That was twent" "ears ago= now 1ebs had shed his roots as an inex erien!ed i!k o!ket to be!ome one of the

1ese!rators. His newfound abilities had am lified his natural talent for lar!en"& making him the most infamous thief in the !olonies. %nd his ba!kground was the reason he had been assigned to this all)im ortant mission. Before he was !aught b" $argaret& the "oung 1ebs had held a flawless re!ord in thiever"= that streak had never been broken sin!e then. The 1ese!rators needed someone who !ould sneak in& wait for his !han!e to sei>e the %mulet& and make it ba!k out alive and inta!t. That was the greatest advantage the 1ese!rators had over their enemies at the moment*the" not onl" knew that the %mulet was being transferred to one of 7eifDs des!endents& but the" knew it was aboard the Ric%ard. There were onl" s e!ulations about the true reason for its entrustment to su!h an untried !a tain so far from home& but 1ebs and man" others theori>ed the 'uardians thought it would be safe so far from the main fighting. The frigate ro!ked violentl" under the im a!t of gunfire& and 1ebs shook off his da"dreaming. He sli ed o en the !hest& read" to s ring awa" if another& more so histi!ated boob" tra had been integrated into the !hest. 1ebs had not survived in his dangerous rofession b" being arrogant and foolhard"& and that mindset had sta"ed with him even as he sur assed all his fellow thieves. He had no need to worr"& though. Cones was too sure of his se!urit" to add more than minimal rote!tions. $ell, %e 'ill ,a* a %ig% ,rice f"r %is blunder, and n" is!ake, 1ebs thought itilessl". He had no reservations about stealing from the foolish= in his mind& their stu idit" gave him even more right to their valuables& where the" would be treated with the ro er res e!t and !aution. $ade out of ure iron& the lid was too heav" for an" one man to lift b" himself. This would have sto ed a lesser thief& but 1ebs gestured on!e at the !hest and it o ened effortlessl". Gn!e again& he bra!ed himself for a tra & and again nothing ha ened. The !hest was em t" ex!e t for a brilliant gem on a thi!k silver !hain. This& 1ebs knew instin!tivel"& was the %mulet. There was an aura about it& the 1ese!rator felt more than saw& that romised the ultimate ower to those who !ould wield it. <t was the Hol" 'rail of all trinkets& a veritable 8x!alibur brought out of the mists of legend right into 1ebsD hands.

Bationalit" took over as 1ebs remembered what he had learned about the %mulet. Gnl" a sele!t few& those des!ended from the original Fhief 'uardian and %l ha 1ese!rator& !ould ta into the for!es im risoned within its fa!eted surfa!e. Belu!tantl" ignoring the rimal urges of ower aroused b" the jewel& 1ebs i!ked it u and sli ed the %mulet into his robe. <n the !onfusion of battle& he had no doubt that he !ould es!a e to whatever friendl" shi was fighting the Ric%ard. 1ebs had no idea how fero!ious the fighting was above de!k& as he had blo!ked out most of the booming !annons and guns to fo!us on his mission. When the water first tou!hed his bare feet& he did not register that the )"n%" e Ric%ard was d"ing. %s he made his wa" a!ross the lower de!k& however& the water began to rise to a oint where the 1ese!rator suddenl" reali>ed he did not have long to live. 1es eration swelling to overtake his i!" !almness& 1ebs broke into a flat run for the ladder that led above de!k that ;ui!kl" turned into a breaststroke as the water !ontinued to our into the shattered hull of the Ric%ard. He was fifteen feet awa" from the ladder when a massive !annonball smashed into the de!k& ulveri>ing the ladder and ever"thing within the immediate area. B" then& the water had risen ast his waist& making it diffi!ult for 1ebs to move. <t was then that he knew all was lost. The shi was doomed& and so was 1ebs unless he !ould somehow es!a e. <n a futile last gras at survival& he !lut!hed the %mulet in his hands and ra"ed to an" god listening for a mira!le. The water was u to his ne!k when the %mulet began to rea!t to his tou!h. <t was im ossible& for no one but a des!endent of the %l ha !ould utili>e the gem& but it ha ened nevertheless. 1ebs stared in astonishment as a ale !loud transferred itself from the !onfines of the %mulet to surround his bod". %t on!e& he felt !om letel" at ea!e. His hands jerked in front of him and began to write unfamiliar signs in the air while unfamiliar words rolled over 1ebsD tongue as if he had known them all his life. %s ;ui!kl" as it had !ome& the %muletDs ower drained awa" from the 1ese!rator. With it went all of his reserves of enduran!e and strength. He began to lose fo!us on the world& barel" able to noti!e a strange loud o .

1arkness envelo ed 1ebs. He was not !ons!ious to noti!e that the water had abru tl" drained awa"& and that the blue sk" that had been overhead moments before was suddenl" re la!ed b" the dark browns and shadow" bla!ks of some sort of en!losed !ave. <f he was !ons!ious& the ;ui!k)witted 1ebs would have reali>ed that the %mulet had tele orted the shi and all its !ontents awa" from a water" grave& just as he had ho ed. But he was not !ons!ious& and so these im ossibilities fell on deaf ears and on blind e"es. When he awoke hours later& 1ebs was thrust into a new world of !onfusion and darkness. %fter adjusting to the reali>ation that he had somehow survived& he began to understand that his !han!es of being res!ued were bleak. He thoroughl" ex lored the !ave& but there were no entran!es or exits= the o!ket of air would be 1ebsD tomb unless a se!ond mira!le o!!urred. The magi! of the %mulet would no longer work for him& !om ounding 1ebsD des air. Bobbed of his last !han!e of survival& his ra!ti!al mind a!!e ted the inevitabilit" of death and turned from saving himself to saving his !argo. Be!ause he had no idea of where the %mulet had brought him& he !ould not mark a ma . %nd he was too weak and exhausted to attem t forming a landmark above what would be!ome his tomb. % da" assed before his mind formulated its last lan. :sing his dee est wells of ower& 1ebs thrust a magi!al bea!on into the timbers of the shi . He then isolated its magi!al signature and bound it to a small ie!e of ar!hment that had been on the shi . With the last vestiges of his strength& he tele orted the newl")formed $a to his overseers in the !olonies with the s ell he had used to trans ort the shi . Though he would be dead long before a res!ue team arrived& his work would allow the 1ese!rators to trium h& and his name would be remembered for the rest of time. With this last task a!!om lished& he la" down on one of the few !ots that survived the battle with the Sera,is and waited for death. Thomas 1ebs died two hours later& the last of the air in the !onfined area de leted. He died !om letel" at ea!e& sure that he had gotten through to the 1ese!rators& that he was not d"ing in vain& that his a!tions had won the war against the 'uardians. He would not have went so !alml"& however& had he known that the %mulet he had died rote!ting was a fake& a de!o" used to

draw the 1ese!rators awa" from the genuine item still in the !olonies. Had he also known that the $a he !reated with his last bits of strength had onl" made it art of the wa" to the 1ese!rators& buried in the ground in some isolated at!h of frost and dirt& he doubtless would have died s!reaming. Thus did the fate of the )"n%" e Ric%ard& and of Thomas 1ebs& remain shrouded in m"ster"& disa earing into the sands of time without a tra!e.