On the knife's edge
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 6901
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Lady Andrea Croix just couldn't shake the feeling that some presence
stalked behind them as the mist set in. This path was safe as far as the
fens themselves were concerned, but what else skulked here? "We'll have to stop for the night," Lord Frederigo D'Honaire said, "When the mists set in, night is about to fall, and further travel is hopeless. It's the only thing that separates day from night in these damned swamps." "How are we going to make camp?" Andrea asked, "There's no ground to put a bedroll on!" "You have a lot to learn, my Lady," Frederigo answered, as he drew forth from his pack a strange contraption of canvas and rope. "You ever slept in a sling before?" "Have I...Have I what?" Frederigo set up the contraption, which turned out to be a simple piece of canvas secured by ropes at either end, large enough for a person to lie on. He tied it to a sturdy tree branch and then set to putting up another one. "A sling. The only way you can really make camp in the Fens. Keeps you above ground, so any of the predators and parasites that live here can't get at you." Andrea accepted this. It made sense after all, and it took the edge off the feeling of dread that crept into her frame. She bedded down for the night, uncomfortable, but safe, she hoped. Sleeping more soundly than she would have thought herself capable of, Andrea awoke with a start. Something was moving towards her, something dangerous. Not knowing how or why, she surprised herself by involuntarily uttering a strange word. She did not know its meaning, but suddenly a silver light flared up, just in time to see Lord Frederigo, a dagger in his hand and murder in his eyes, standing over her. The dagger's metal flashed as he struck, and then all was blackness... Slowly, the world came back to her. She couldn't tell if she was alive or dead, but she was aware. Coldness seeped into her bones, and then sensation returned. She opened her eyes to a curious sight. If she was dead, then so was Frederigo, for there he stood, knife in hand, over the body of a figure cloaked in cloth as grey as the fens themselves...
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The Traveler
1/4/2000 12:11:49 PM
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