Rowan dropped her pack into the dust of the road and sighed. The outskirts of the town loomed in front of her. Not terribly promising, it was. She found she wished that she'd stayed with that merc group in Almanca. The pay was good, and it suddenly seemed a lot more intelligent than tramping around looking for some magic rock that might not even exist.
    ~Well, you're here now, my girl, and it's no good turning around now. No place to go but forward…~ she told herself, her mental voice a lot like that of her cousin's. Eibhlin, too, was much too far away to think about now. Shouldering her pack, Rowan climbed the last stretch and entered the town proper, noting the darkened windows in every building she passed. It was the middle of the night, after all. Her yellow eyes scanned the streets, watchful for other people out at this time, for they were not likely to be as harmless as herself. With some relief, she spotted light streaming from the large windows of a building up ahead- an inn. She did not bother to note the name on the sign that swung above the door, only that it seemed to be freshly painted.
    Stepping in, she surveyed the room. To her right, a group of drunken humans shouted with laughter. She shook her head slightly, moving her hair to cover her pointed ears. She disapproved of their being drunk... and it did much to hide from herself the twinge of fear she felt. On her left was another group of humans, playing some kind of card game. She rolled her eyes and strode to the innkeeper, standing behind the bar. Another man, apparently a wizard for he wore the robes of that kind and had his nose stuck in a weighty tome, sat nearby as she inquired about a room. Rowan ignored him with the finesse of long practice. She was ready to drop from weariness and would have paid almost anything, but the innkeeper promised her a room and breakfast the next morning for two gold. She gladly handed it over, only nodding to the wizard when he suddenly spoke, “Good choice.”
    The innkeeper gave her directions to her room- “up the stairs, take a left, then a right”- and she was about to turn away when she felt the crawling sensation of her mind being invaded. Her eyes narrowed and she kept herself from some involuntary movement as she scanned the inn's other patrons. However, she was spared a long search by the wizard's sudden sharp laugh.
    “No need to peer around like that. It was me. So, you're chasing the rumors, are you? It's really no business of mine, but you might want to wait before going out to chase that particular legend…”
    Rowan took a deep breath and exhaled some of her irritation with it. She felt quite violated and was not in any way disposed to listen to this… man. Her temper was not improved any when, as she drew breath to tell him it was indeed no business of his what she chose to do, she heard his voice in her mind.
    “You don't need to defend yourself… I mean you no harm.” He had noticed the tension in her body then. She swung on him and hissed sharply.
     “Then leave me alone!” Her eyes reflected her blaze of anger, which she allowed herself the luxury of entertaining for a few seconds before shoving it down as she knew she must. She had no need of the kind of trouble she would bring down on herself by being careless now. Besides, invasive bastard though he seemed to be, he might have some information that could help her later.
     She made herself look at him calmly, though that little imp of rage still danced somewhere back in her head. He was standing to leave, actually seeming a bit disappointed as he gathered his books.
    “Wait… I'd like to know why you think I shouldn't go?” He only looked at her.
    “You wouldn't believe me, just like the other three that came before you.”
    She mentally counted to ten, and then did it again just to be sure she was under control.
    “Why don't you just tell me, since I'm asking you? I'm sure it's nothing to you if I die, anyway, but you thought it important enough to bring up. Quit being coy.” She snapped out the last few words, patience thinning every instant she had to stand there wondering with a blessed, comfortable bed waiting upstairs. The wizard blinked at her for an instant, with a slight, irritating smile. Everything about him was rubbing her the wrong way. But he replied.
    “A fire elemental waits for you, not the treasure. I've seen it consume three men so far.” And as she stared at him he chanted in the language of magic, disappearing as a nearby candle exploded in a shower of sparks.
    Blinking away the afterimages, Rowan climbed the stairs to her room and was asleep almost as soon as she pulled off her boots.

    She awoke and lifted her head, staring blearily at a bird framed in the window. It sang loudly, cheerfully, of the day outside. The sky was eye-searing blue. Rowan scrubbed at her face with her hands and sat up, swinging her feet over the side of the bed. She noted ruefully that she had fallen asleep in her clothes, and she stripped, washing up quickly with some very cold water from a pitcher by the door. Then she dressed in her one spare outfit and went down to the inn's common room, pack in hand.
    Requesting the promised breakfast, she sat at an empty table, well away from one occupied by two very hung-over gentlemen from the evening before. When the food arrived, she was distinctly unenthused by the looks of it, but she forced herself to do more than pick at it. Eventually, she had to declare herself finished, and stood.
    The innkeeper stopped her as she was on her way out, and she was forced to spend a few minutes reassuring him that everything had been satisfactory. As she stood with him, two paladins who had been eating finished and took their leave of the inn. Not long after, she too was on her way.
    Rowan spent some time exploring the town, what there was of it. There was nothing to see, and she decided to be on her way. The wizard's words still troubled her, and as she walked around a curve in the road that put the town out of sight, she heard the screams from up ahead. ~Oh, Lady, don't let that be what I think it is…~ The screams were male and distinctly terrified, growing louder as she crept around the next bend. Suddenly a charred, nearly unrecognizable, helmet bounced in the dirt in front of her. She looked up into a pair of blue eyes and froze like a rabbit hypnotized by a snake.
    She numbly noticed the rest of the creature, and as she stared thought stupidly, ~This must be the fire elemental.~ Then there was a disgustingly familiar voice filling her mind.
    “Stand your ground.” The voice jolted her out of her paralysis and she began to reach for the sword strapped to her back. The voice came again, sharp and commanding this time.
    “Stay perfectly still!” She froze again although the thing was reaching towards her, and heard the voice say, “Good girl… just trust me now.” Rowan could feel the heat from the thing's arm on her cheek. She felt the skin begin to blister and bit hard on the inside of her lip to keep from yelping. A second later she did yelp as several magically-propelled balls of water slammed into the elemental with an evil hiss. Magical missiles followed, and then more instructions. “Close your eyes, now… you will see a flash, and when you do, run towards me.”
    Seconds later a nova of light bloomed, clearly visible through even her closed eyelids, and she ran like the Dark Queen herself was pursuing. She had just entered the woods when someone grabbed her, one arm wrapping around her waist, the other putting a hand over her mouth. Her heart nearly stopped, and then she heard the voice, in her ears this time.
    “Shhh…” The arms let go and she whirled, knowing who she would see- the wizard from the inn. He grinned at her, a big, cocky grin.
    “That worked better than even I expected.” Rowan barely heard the words over the thumping of her heart, but she was instantly irritated. It didn't escape her that although he had just saved her life, he had probably only been using her as bait to kill the fire elemental. All very well and good that the critter was dead… but she didn't appreciate being used. So when she replied, her tone was distinctly chilly.
    “I'm glad one of us had faith in you.” This bit of sarcasm seemed to bounce right off of him and he continued in a breezy tone.
    “Well, you were the only one worth saving after all… smart enough to believe me, but in a pinch, stupid enough to listen to me.” Rowan tried to be insulted, but she was already irritated and couldn't work up the energy to be more so with the fear-rush draining away. She settled for frowning at him quellingly. Her whole demeanor was distinctly unfriendly, and she knew she hadn't acquitted herself well in this mess. That was why she looked at the wizard in shock at his next words.
    “So, are you going to join me in seeking that prize? Whatever it is, it's guarded by one of the most powerful mages I've seen so far. That was one of his smaller pets,” he finished, indicating the former fire elemental, now only a patch of boiling mud.
    Rowan snorted in a way that was definitely not ladylike, while considering. He didn't know exactly what it was she sought?
    “I hardly think it's worth it. I don't like nearly getting killed by ‘one of his smaller pets’ and I don't like needing you to save my ass,” she added pointedly.  No matter that she fully planned to go on alone…This barb seemed to strike him, unlike her others, and he threw a fire-blackened sword at her feet.
    “Well, at least your sword doesn't look like this one.” He mounted his horse as she stared at it in silence.  He sat there, watching her think, for a while.
    “You can take it to the blacksmith in Cymeran and he'll repair that for you. It was a fine weapon and could be again, a sight better than the one you use now. If you come with me,” he added at her questioning look, “Cymeran is where we go next.” And he held out his hand to her, to pull her up behind him on the horse.
    Finally, Rowan sighed and looked for a way to carry the charred sword without too much trouble. Then she took his hand and let him pull her up on the horse, wondering if she'd live long enough to regret it.
    They rode in silence for a time, and she began to feel the blisters on her face. She rubbed them gently, wincing. He noticed and from a small pocket in the saddlebags, offered her a poultice. She accepted it warily, and it didn't go unnoticed.
    “You don't trust me.” Once again, he seemed to actually be saddened. She looked at him in open surprise.
    “I hardly know you; expecting me to trust you or your motives just because you saved my life once is expecting too much.”
    “My motives are only to save the people of this cursed realm and magi like the one we seek aren't helping the cause…” he began rummaging in another bag, sorting through scrolls, and she almost didn't notice the prickles as he pried into her mind again. Any goodwill she might have been feeling blew away again, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a humorless smile.
    “You'll forgive me if I choose to reserve judgment on your character until I have more proof of your intentions… and that includes trusting you.. Especially when you seem to disregard even the most simple of personal requests.” She was definitely feeling peevish again. As she finished her soft-voiced tirade he handed her a scroll.
    “If you ever have one hundred gold you can cast this… it might even put a smile on that gods-forsaken face of yours.” It appeared that even the wizard wasn't immune to fits of pique. Rowan almost smirked. “It's a spell called “find familiar,” he informed her as she tucked the scroll away safely. She spent the next few miles staring alternately at the scenery and the back of his head and wondering. She hated wondering…
    As they finally approached Cymeran, it was twilight. The setting sun was behind them and flooded the land with golden light. Their long shadow preceded them, trudging wearily. They rode up to an inn, one considerably larger than the one in Ysse, the town they had left. The wizard gave the stable hand a coin after they had dismounted, and the boy took the patient creature away to a well-deserved rest. The wizard- Rowan still hadn't thought to ask his name- turned to her.
    “You can buy anything you need here, just about. The blacksmith,” he told her with a little smirk that said he knew she wouldn't ask for directions, “is just down there. He can work on that sword for you. I have things to do now, and we can discuss plans later. Good even.” And he turned and walked away.
    Rowan rolled her eyes. She was heartily glad he was gone. Every time she thought she might be able to put up with him, he did something even more irritating. If nothing else, this was going to be a lesson in patience, she thought as she walked slowly towards the blacksmith shop, pack still on her shoulder.
    At the forge, which the massive man was just shutting down for the evening, she was informed it would take at least two days to do any sort of restoration. This was fine with her. They haggled good-naturedly over his fee for the work, and Rowan departed with some of her good humor restored.
    She wandered the streets until it was fully dark, and had been for sometime. Always, she kept the location of the inn in mind so she wouldn't get lost. Like Ysse, there was almost nothing to see, but she enjoyed her walk just the same. It put off having to go back to the inn and talk to the infuriating wizard. On her way back, she was rewarded for her diligence by finding a small magical shop. There was almost nothing of any note there, but she did find some potions of healing which she purchased. She had a foreboding feeling that they were going to come in handy.
    Slowly she returned to the inn, pushing open the door and pausing as she was assaulted by the light and sound of a busy night. The wizard sat at the bar, reading, with his bags at his feet and several books in front of him. She, ignoring him once again, cut a deal with the innkeeper for room and board… and best of all, a bath, to be brought up to her room as soon as possible. She noticed the innkeeper look to the wizard before replying to her, but soon everything was taken care of. She was given directions to her room and nearly flew up the stairs.
    A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. Getting up from where she had been kneeling, going through her pack, Rowan answered the door. As she had been expecting the maid with her bath, she was surprised to see the wizard standing there. She looked at him warily.
    “Yes?” she asked politely. He nodded to her as if he expected no less, and smiled slightly.
    “I brought you some of the components for that spell I gave you earlier…” Rowan frowned in surprise.
    “Once again, I'm shocked…” He raised his eyebrows curiously and she continued, “you know, getting this stuff.”
    “Yeah, well, I tend to do that…” he started to reply, and then was interrupted by the arrival of the tub and bathwater. They both moved aside and he said, ‘Well, my room is the one next to yours. If you need something, that's where I will be.” She smiled at him, a tiny, tight smile but a real one, and he left.
    She dived into the tub with childlike glee, and relaxed with a blissed-out sigh in the steaming water. Soon enough she was dozing and when she woke up, the water was cold. With a sigh, she shook herself awake and stepped out, dropping into bed as soon as she was dry and falling back asleep.
    She awoke to birdsong again, and cracked one eye open to peer at the window. ~That’s not the same be-damned bird, is it? No, it can't be… could be its first cousin though.~ She laughed at herself and closed her eyes, and finally sat up with a groan of protest.
    “I'm up already…! Damned birds…”
    She got dressed and went to see what the wizard was doing. She discovered him downstairs at the bar, reading one of his books again. She watched for a minute, wondering if he really slept or just sat there all night reading… then she mentally shrugged and went to eat breakfast. This time, at least, the inn had decent food.
    When she finished breakfast she looked around. The wizard wasn't reading anymore, he was talking with some men in plain clothing. They appeared to be townsfolk. Rowan sighed. She didn't want to interrupt, and she didn't particularly want to talk to him anyways. The problem was, he was the only person she knew to talk to. She was bored, so she rose and started walking towards the stairs, with an idea of studying her spellbook. She had spent little serious time thus far studying magic, preferring to work on her fighting skills.
    She hadn't thought of magic at all, until the last group she worked with. It was only her third experience as a mercenary… but she'd thought she had the routine down. This time however… the commander had insisted all fighters with any sort of magical talent be taught some offensive spells. She hadn't been sticking to it much since she left them, but she needed something to do now. Besides, she was going to need all the help she could get against this mage guy, right? So, she headed for her room. A voice stopped her as she reached the stairs.
    “It should be fun, you know.”
    “What?” she said blankly, caught in surprise. This seemed to be a frequent occurrence, why didn't she just learn to go with it?
“Fighting this guy. It should be fun.”
    “It should?” So much for ‘going with it’.
    “Of course,” he replied with a faint smile. Rowan noticed that the men he had been talking to still stood there. They were listening avidly.
    “Just like that fire elemental was fun?” she shot back. If she'd had a tail, it would've been lashing.
    “Oh, no,” he said. “Even more than that. According to a spiritualist, this mage isn't alive.” At her uncomprehending look he sighed and elaborated. “He's a lich.”
    She continued to stare at him, this time with a definite ‘Are you nuts?’ component. Frowning, she thought, ~Either he has a really twisted idea of fun or…~ And he infuriated her again.
    “No, I just have a really twisted idea of fun,” he told her with that big grin that she was really starting to hate. No, who was she kidding… she'd never liked it.
“Great,” she said, with sarcasm dripping from her voice, “I'm trusting my life… to someone with a death wish.” She rolled her eyes.
“Not necessarily… we've made it this far, haven't we?”
    “Oh, sure… but who's to say what will happen next? Are you good enough or sane enough to keep us both alive? I don't know if I should be trusting myself to someone who obviously thinks this is some sort of game. It's not a game! It's our lives!” And she turned her back on him and began walking up the stairs. All of the men listening looked disapproving at this conversation, or maybe it was just her tone they objected to; she wondered why in the back of her mind.
    “Well,” she heard him say, “I died once already… life is a game.” She turned around, slowly, and glared at him disbelievingly.
    “Absolutely wonderful!” she exclaimed with an angry laugh. “Let me tell you something, my friend… My life is not!” and she stomped up the staircase. She was angry, but it was safe to be angry at the moment… it didn't kick in, her little talent, unless she also felt threatened. Right now, she was just pissed. ~Too bad, the bastard is safe for the moment,~ she thought viciously as she slammed her room door. She leaned against it and stared across the room, out the window, counting and taking deep breaths.
    “Damn it, damn it, damn it!” she muttered. She had to find that stone… in light of what she now knew, she couldn't get it alone. She'd be killed. But… she might be killed anyways, with this lunatic for a partner. Besides, who knew what he planned to do with it- and he was a man… you couldn't trust them, even when they acted like your friend...
    But she needed that stone… needed the power it would give her. She chewed her lower lip in frustration. She was on the verge of deciding to give up, and wait until she had a better chance of doing it alone, when there was a knock on the door. She gave a small jump, and then sighed out her indrawn breath and let her head thump against the door.
    “Who is it?” she asked quietly. I know who it is…
    “It's me,” said the familiar voice. “You don't have to open the door, just… Look. I want you to know- I'll keep you alive, even if I have to die.” Rowan closed her eyes for a second, then opened them and shook her head. She turned around and yanked the door open, frowning.
    “I didn't ask you to do that. I only wanted you to take this seriously, and not play games with my life… And anyhow, why promise that? Why should I believe you?” He only blinked at her, sadly, which infuriated her more somehow than his cockiness did… because it made her uncomfortable.
    “I told you, I've died already… it holds no more fears for me. Believe me, I would do it in an instant to save you.”
    “But why?” she nearly yelled it at him.
    “I have my own reasons,” he answered with a sudden poker face nearly as unreadable as her own. “It's a long story and I don't like to tell it.”  Well, this was entirely unexpected… she felt sorry for him suddenly.  His lack of expression told her everything she needed to know, and she gave a tiny nod, dropping it. She wouldn't pry- it was against her code. He smiled slightly.
    “If I should die… go here.” And he handed her a map of the local mountains, with a location marked on it.  “My spellbooks and money are there… take them. It would take some time, but you could destroy the lich then, if you raise a force to take with you. Believe me on this, if nothing else- I will see it destroyed. That's what I want, that's all I want from you.” This last he said while looking at her intently, as if willing her to trust him… as if he knew her earlier thoughts. She shuddered a little, and looked down at the map.
    “Thank you,” she said with utmost formality. It was clearly a dismissal, and he chose to notice it as such. He nodded politely and turned away down the hall. She shut the door soundlessly behind her and went to apply herself to her spell-book.