Solomon Rayne stood outside the door of a cottage.
Outside the cottage, twilight was lingering. Clouds covered the darkening sky, leaving only a pale, bluish gray light filtering down on the village of Annwyn, and even the pale light was beginning to fail. Though his cloak was thick and warm, the evening breeze was cool on Solomon’s face.
Inside the cottage, candlelight flickered. The sounds of conversation spilled out of the nearby window. He stood quietly at the door, listening to the voices for some time.
“What are we doing here?” a voice whispered from behind Solomon.
“I’m waiting,” Solomon replied.
“Waiting for what?”
“For the right moment,” Solomon’s voice trailed off. “Take the others down the street to the inn, and settle in for the night. Get some rest. We’ll stay in the village, at least for tonight.”
“But the wizard said…”
“Quiet!” Solomon’s whisper interrupted her. He listened carefully toward the window. The voices from inside the cottage continued conversing. Convinced that no one inside had detected their presence, he turned back to his companion.
“Now, listen carefully because I’m only going to say this once. I don’t work for anyone. Least of all, a wizard…understand?”
His companion nodded her head, a mix of hurt and anger in her eyes, which were fixed on Rayne.
“If you lot want to march right on up to that cemetery and just start digging around because the wizard told you to, that’s fine with me. I told you before, I work alone. I don’t like having you lot following me around. So if you’d like to take that lot up there right now…at night…without knowing where to look for the Deathly Hallow or anything about the thousand deadly things you might be facing in that graveyard…you go right ahead. Not having to look after all of you anymore would sure take a load off my back.”
“If you’re so eager to die for that bloody wizard, you go on ahead. Now, I’m going to spend the night in the village, get some rest, and get some information before I go up hunting around that cursed cemetery. If you want me with you when you get there, then I suggest you and the rest of your adventurer pals get over to that inn, get some rooms, and get some sleep.”
Solomon’s companion bowed slightly, her eyes still fixed on Rayne, then backed slowly away into the muddy street. She turned around and motioned to a group of others to follow her. She didn’t look back. Solomon watched them walk down the street toward the inn at the far end.
“I see your way with women hasn’t improved any,” said a rough voice from just inside the now open door of the cottage.
Solomon spun around to see a large red-haired, rugged man standing in the doorway. He was strong, confident, and shrewd, yet there was kindness in his eyes.
After a few moments, Solomon said, “Alastor.”
“Solomon,” Alastor replied. “It’s been a long time. What are you doing here? Who are all those…people…with you?” Alastor motioned toward the group now making its way toward the inn.
Solomon looked after the group. “Travelling companions, nothing more,” he said.
“I thought you always worked alone.”
“I do,” Solomon replied, quickly turning back to face Alastor.
“Fine. What are you doing here, Solomon?”
“May I come in?” Solomon asked.
Alastor stood in the doorway, his large frame nearly filling the opening. He looked carefully at Solomon, studying him, but said nothing. The voices of a woman and small children could still be heard spilling out into the street from the nearby window and now, open door.
“Please, Alastor,” Solomon asked quietly. “I’m here because of the Deathly Hallow.”
A brief flicker of understanding and suspicion crossed Alastor’s face. His eyes darted up and down the deserted street. Then he stepped back from the doorway and motioned Solomon inside. Solomon bowed slightly, and stepped inside the cottage. Alastor closed the door behind him.
It was a simple cottage, but warm. Alastor directed Solomon toward a room on his right. A fire crackled in the hearth and large animal skin covered most of the stone floor. Several wooden toys littered the corner of the room. Alastor motioned for Solomon to sit in a nearby chair.
“Are you hungry?” asked Alastor.
“Yes,” Solomon replied.
Alastor left the room again. After a few moments, he returned with a plate of food and a mug of mead. He handed them to Solomon, who thanked him, and then sat down in a chair opposite him. Alastor allowed Solomon to finish a few bites of food and a drink before he spoke again.
“So…what about the Hallow?”
Solomon took another gulp of mead, and then replied, “The Shadowfell is rising again, Alastor.”
“I’m aware of that, Solomon. I live here…remember? But what has that got to do with the Hallow?”
“The Hallow is fueling their rise, Alastor. They’re using the power of the Hallow buried in our graveyard to open a doorway for their armies into our world.”
Alastor stood up and began pacing, thinking hard, and Solomon took advantage of the moment to take another bite of food. After a few moments, Alastor asked aloud the question he’d been running over in his mind. “How… How can they do that?”
“I don’t know,” Solomon replied. “The lords of the Shadowfell must have found some way to tap into the Hallow’s power from their world.”
“I don’t know, Solomon. I can’t see how…”
“It doesn’t matter how, Alastor. It’s happening. It’s not a coincidence that the Shadowfell’s rise is beginning here at Annwyn. It’s happening here because the Hallow is here.”
There were a few more moments of silence while Alastor considered Solomon’s words.
“What’s your plan, then?” Alastor asked.
“I need to find the Hallow and remove it from the graveyard.”
“Ha!” Alastor chuckled. “That Deathly Hallow has been hidden in that graveyard for a thousand years, and for all that time, I, and father before me, and his father before him through generations,
have ensured that it has remained hidden…dissuading seekers, denying rumors, and worse, when necessary… and now you…you are just going to walk in and take it, is that it? Is that your plan?”
“Something like that, yes,” Solomon replied slightly irritated.
“That’s a great plan, Solomon, really,” Alastor said sarcastically. “And all you’re little friends, what part do they play in your plan?”
“The more people I have searching, the faster I can find the Hallow, and remove it. I can hold my own, but I’m no fool, Alastor. The lords of the Shadowfell will be protecting the Hallow well. The sooner I can get out of that old graveyard with the Hallow, the better.”
“All these years we’ve been protecting the Hallow from being discovered by countless seekers, wizards, zealots, and all, and now you expect me to let you just waltz in and take it away…revealing it to the world?”
“It’s not like that, Alastor. These people already know the Hallow is here.”
“Have you told them it is?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then they only suspect, Solomon, like so many others before them. They don’t really know, but if you go digging around in that graveyard, and you find it, then, Solomon, then they’ll know. Then the world will know. Then all hell will break loose, Solomon!”
“Hell is already breaking loose, Alastor, because the Hallow is here!”
The two men stared at each other for a few moments, each breathing heavily, faces stern and fixed.
“Alastor, the Hallow can’t remain here anymore. It’s too dangerous. I have to take it away from here before it’s too late.”
“And then what, Solomon? What happens to the Hallow once you’ve removed it from the graveyard?”
“I’ll hide it again.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know where. Somewhere far from here…somewhere the lords of the Shadowfell can’t find it.”
“What about the wizard I heard you talking about to that woman outside? Will you give it to him to hide, Solomon?” Alastor asked with a hint of accusation in his voice.
“Wizards can’t be trusted,” Solomon replied defiantly. “I haven’t forgotten, Alastor. I have no intention of giving the Hallow to him.”
Alastor studied Solomon carefully again, looking for any sign of deception or bewitchment, but he could find none. Finally, resigned, he said, “Very well. “We’ll go in the morning. The Shadowfell’s reach has grown greater than you know. The veil of shadow has fallen over the entire mountain already. It’s always dark there, now, except for the unnatural, blue glow, so it doesn’t really matter when we go, but I’d feel much better just knowing that it was daylight.”
“What do you mean, ‘we’ll go,’?”
“I mean you and I, Solomon, and I think I can get a few others from the village to help. Men I can trust,” Alastor explained.
“Absolutely not, Alastor. This is my fight. It’s my calling…”
“And it’s my home, Solomon…my family that will be the first to fall under the veil of shadow…my family that will suffer the torment of the lords of the Shadowfell…if you should fail. Isn’t that right? Well that makes it my fight and my calling, too.”
“No, Alastor. I work…”
“You work alone, I know,” Alastor interrupted, “and I know why, but if you think that I would let you come in here after all these years and then go up there to that cursed graveyard and remove that Hallow from its hiding place all alone, then you really have been gone too long.”
“Alastor…” Solomon began, but Alastor cut him off.
“You might as well accept it, Solomon,” Alastor moved over and slapped his hand onto Solomon’s back. “Since when does a younger brother get to tell his elder brother what he can and cannot do, huh?” Alastor smiled at him.
“Alastor, I didn’t come here to get you involved in this. I just wanted to see you. Your family…”
“Solomon, I’m already involved. I’ve been involved since the day I was born. It’s our family’s curse…the knowledge and guardianship of the Deathly Hallow. I’ve been involved since father entrusted me with the great family secret. I may not have embraced that calling in the same way that you have, Solomon, but I’m already involved.”
“Besides, I’m doing this for my family. If we succeed…if we find the Hallow…if we remove it from this place, not only will we save my family and Annwyn, but I’ll never have to burden my own sons with the knowledge of and responsibility for the Hallow. They will never have to carry that weight. I can’t think of a better gift to give them, can you?”Solomon said nothing.
“Come on,” Alastor beckoned, “I want to introduce my sons to their Uncle Solomon.” The two of them left the room.
To be continued...
Blogger's Note: Here are play testing cards for Alastor Rayne and the Warriors of Annwyn. You may notice that they bear striking similarities to existing Heroscape figures and cards.
Blogger's Note: Log on next week for the final bonus episode...
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