Graynin stood still, his chest heaving. His entire body was drenched by rain, sweat, and blood. He dared not move before he could see through the veil of swirling smoke. The screams of men burning alive still pounding in his ears, more men than he had known were there. The fire had licked him, tasted him, he had felt the anger when it had been denied the act of incinerating him. The wildness of the fire was unlike any he had ever felt, the power boiled from it, the anger fed it. In all his life he had never felt so powerless. He now feared to move, in case the simple act call forth the fire once again.

As the black smoke thinned, his eyes were finally able to make out Ryder's form. She still stood where she had been pinned by the Dakawolf, but there was now a blackened trail of earth where the Dakawolf had stood barring her way. The scorched earth path continued all the way to him. He felt the grip of fear loosen, she was standing firm, her arms still outstretched, her satin dress a clinging wet rag. She was alive. She began to move towards him, the confusion and bewildered joy apparent on her face even through the smoke. But before she could finish her first step her body went rigid and she collapsed.

Graynin's terror reignited. He sprinted for her, knife still in hand. He leapt over the remains of the Dakawolf, its body now only smoldering logs and the smell of putrid earth. He collapsed to his knees, dropping his knife to take hold of her head as her body convulsed violently. All he could do was try and steady her until the seizure subsided.

The moment seemed as if it would never end. He knew he couldn't move her, but there was nothing he wanted more than to get her away from this nightmare of a place. His mind reeled with the very real possibility that he might lose Ryder in the very place he lost Aurora. Once again sacrificing herself to save him. He gritted his teeth at the thought, his anger finding new height. He would not allow this to happen. As soon as Ryder's spasming muscles began to relax, he scooped her up in his arms. Agony shot through his shoulder and side. The Dakawolf's teeth had sunk in deep, just missing his jugular, and that bastard's sword had sliced farther than he'd like to admit. He ignored it though, he would not let her die, even if it killed him, she would not die.

He ran. He had to get her back to the house, there were some excellent Healers attending the party, Healers that Athos had trained personally, they would be able to help her. But before he could make it through the forest she began to stir in his arms.

"What happened? Where am I?" She whispered through the fog of her jostled mind.

He slowed his sprint, not wanting to jar her too much now that she was conscious, and when her eyes fluttered open he slowed to a walk.

"It's ok Ryder, you're safe." He said between breaths. He knew this wasn't the place to talk about anything. He had to get her back to the house. Even though they were safe at the moment he was not sure how long that would last. Nothing about this place felt safe, and he knew Dakawolves were nearly impossible to kill. Despite only cinders of them being left, he didn't want to wait around to see if they stayed that way. The power wrapped around them was more complex and older than anything he knew.

The look of confusion began to leave Ryder's face as her mind began to fill in the blanks to her own questions. Graynin watched as tears welled up in her exhausted amber eyes, she flung her hanging arms around his neck and sobbed into his good shoulder.

He ached for her, the deep wild fear in her eyes was clearly being fed by events even deeper than what had transpired this night. All he wanted was to get her somewhere safe, somewhere that didn't frighten her.

"Graynin, please can we stop. I just need to rest for a moment." She meekly begged.

He had no desire to stop, he wanted only to get her back to the house, but the pain in her voice was too much for him. He would stop for her, despite every instinct in his body warning against it; he would push them aside, and he would give her a moment. Not here though, they were too exposed. The old house was nearby. It would basically be a ruin now, brutally wounded in the Last Battle, and now neglected for eighteen years. But it would provide them with a hidden moment where she could take a breath and center herself.

"Ok Ryder, we'll stop in a moment. I have to get you to shelter though."

"Please just stop now." She pleaded.

His heart broke. "In a moment, we have to get you inside. It looks like it's going to rain again." He hadn't looked up in order to make that prediction, he could feel the storm reconfiguring above them. The elements coming together again.

"Ok" was all she timidly whispered back. He pulled her tighter to himself, trying to show her she wasn't alone.

Graynin changed his trajectory, heading towards the old house. Soon the house came into view. It was much smaller than the new house the Reagen's had built. It was made of wood panels that now all seemed to be crooked, the door and most of the windows were missing. It had been struck by lightning during the Last Battle and the upper portion of it had burned, leaving only a black skeleton.

He silently walked up the brick steps onto the porch. Two battered, old rocking chairs still resided there, they creaked as they were begrudgingly rocked by the growing winds. He stepped inside the deteriorating house, the wood floor was surprisingly solid, but as he looked up he could see through large holes in the ceiling, and into the second story, and the sky beyond.

The house had been pillaged by scavengers, even the crystals that used to hang from the entrance chandelier had been taken, leaving only the iron bones. Graynin moved cautiously as he made his way in, his eyes darting to every shadow, his ears pricked for any sound that seemed unnatural to the normal groans of an abandoned house.

The parlor was nearly empty, only a few scattered pieces of broken furniture remained, with one large round wooden table turned onto its side in the middle of the room. He moved to the fireplace and sat Ryder down on the dusty hearth. Deciding it was the safest place in the dilapidated house, fireplaces and chimneys were always the strongest part of houses, so if the house was suddenly going to give this would be the last place it would.

Once her weight was settled on the old bricks, she simply sat there a long moment before her hands unwound from around his neck. He didn't try to rush her, he just waited until she was ready. When she did finally let go of him, he didn't remove his hand from her waist, he didn't want her to feel alone. He kneeled there staring into her eyes waiting for her to speak.

She was still sopping wet, strands of her hair were stuck to her neck, and the rest was plastered to her bare shoulders. Her once elegant gown was now covered in mud and clung to her body the way a piece of seaweed does when getting out of the ocean. He was concerned that she wasn't shivering, everything about the situation, her wet clothes, the trauma she had endured, should have her body naturally shaking, but hers was unnaturally still.

He touched her cheek, she was ice cold. Her eyes looked hollow. He sent a probe of energy into her, to assess her body. When it echoed back, he involuntarily ripped his hands from her, the pain she was feeling was staggering. The pain of her power.

"It's that bad huh?" She asked, with almost a sense of humor, but her face did not reflect the joke.

He tried to smile, "We'll get you to some Healers, they'll be able to help ease the pain." He gently brushed her wet hair off her face.

He was exhausted, but he found the strength to warm her. He knew that he couldn't leave her soaking wet like this, her body would not do well being this cold for very long. He forced the moisture in her clothes and hair to evaporate, he willed the air around her warm. His hands began to shake with the effort, but he didn't stop until she was completely dry.

"Thank you." She whispered. "That does feel better." She forced a weak smile.

Just that small act made the pain of his exertion worth it.

"I knew that field. I have seen it in my dreams." Her eyes fell to the ground. "Was it really a battlefield?"

"Yes, it was." He answered honestly.

"Why was I dreaming about it?" Her eyes came up to his, her voice had been timid, but her eyes looked as if they were filling with fury.

He reached out and stroked her arm tenderly. "We can talk about it when we get back to the house. This is not the place."

She nodded her understanding, the anger in her eyes leaving, all that was left was a young woman, confused and in pain.

"Let's-" Graynin started to suggest they leave, when the creaky house made an uncharacteristic grunt. Graynin's hand shot to his hip to pull his dagger, but his hand found only an empty holster. The memory of dropping it when he had reached Ryder came barreling into his mind. He cursed himself for being stupid enough to leave his weapon. He looked back to Ryder and silently placed his finger over his lips.

She nodded her understanding, her eyes showing that she had heard the sound as well. Graynin slowly pulled his tattered black suit jacket off his back and wrapped each sleeve around a fist. He approved of the well-made material of the jacket, it would be his only defense against any weapons the intruder might have. The only thing he could use to redirect attacks from piercing his flesh.

He looked to Ryder's beautiful face, her hair was now dry and hanging loose over her shoulder, she looked so much like Aurora at that moment.

He nodded his head sharply, indicating she was to stay exactly where she was. He silently rose to his feet and moved to the open parlor door. The way the remaining furniture rested in the room, he knew that whoever walked past would not be able to see Ryder. They would have to enter the room to check, and then he would take them.

Another unnatural creak softly sounded. Whoever was in the house was aware of how to move with stealth, the house betraying very little despite its broken state. This was not going to be easy.

The rain began to fall hard outside, lightning lit the sky through the broken windows, and thunder answered in turn. Graynin heard another groan from the floor boards right outside the parlor. He waited.

Slowly a large figure moved into the door frame, pausing. Graynin did not move. A large man stepped into the room, he didn't make a sound.

Graynin was shocked at the size of the man, he was broader than any man Graynin had ever seen, and was nearly a head taller than himself. It was no matter, Graynin would just have to change his tactics, large men fell the same way small men did, only harder.

When the man was just about to take his second step into the room, Graynin jumped from the shadows onto his back, slinging his suit jacket around the man's neck. Graynin went to twist his body, so that the jacket would lock around the man's neck, but before he could finish the spin Graynin found himself flying through the air over a broad back.

Graynin broke his fall but had no time to catch his breath. The moment he hit the ground a sword followed, coming down to meet his face. He instinctually rolled out of the way and onto his feet.

Lightning flashed, lighting the room, revealing his opponent. The man had long frizzy red hair, and a thick red beard. He wore thick leather armor inlaid with metal scales. It was an old style created for movement and agile attack, this was no mindless soldier.

The man lunged for Graynin's gut with his sword, Graynin smoothly stepped out of the way, and in one motion wound the jacket around the middle of the sword and pulled tightly. Before the man could react, Graynin pulled the jacket hard, ripping the sword from his burly hands, and launching it across the room.

"You should have kept that Boyo." The man said with dark sarcasm.

Graynin didn't answer. He launched himself, swinging his fist for the man's solar plexus. Even with the man's well-made armor Graynin knew he could do damage with the strike. But the man's wide forearm swung up fast, blocking Graynin's attack. Graynin swiftly brought up both his arms, shielding his face, as the man's giant fist came crashing in. Before Graynin could counter, the large sole of the man's muddy boot slammed into the center of his chest. Smashing Graynin back and onto the floor, he skidded to a halt several feet back.

Graynin shook his head trying to clear away the fatigue, he had to think, he had to find a new tactic. This man was rested, and remarkably fast, where as he was already exhausted and wounded. He glanced to Ryder, she was sitting perfectly still on the side of the hearth where he had left her, but the rage in her face was impressive. He could see she was shaking with the effort of following his orders of staying hidden. He didn't need the extra stress of having to worry about her getting grabbed or worse, killed. He gave her a hard look, reconfirming that he didn't want any help from her.

With that quick, but still time killing distraction, the large man was upon Graynin before he could get up. His eyes shot to the man's hands as they rose above his head, Graynin instinctually rolled as a heavy mace came crashing down, shattering the wood in a burst of splinters where his head had been not a second before.

Graynin rolled to a crouch, watching his opponent's movement, trying to find his weak points. As the man stepped forward to pull his mace free, Graynin spun, swinging his leg low and smoothly, hooking the man's elephant sized foot, and sweeping him effortlessly off his feet. The man crashed to the ground hard, clearly surprised to be doing so. Not even having time to react before his head bounced off the rotting floor. When the man lifted his head, blood was left in its place on the dusty floor.

Graynin wasted no time, he leapt for his opponent, hoping to get him pinned and subdued before the burly man could recover from the daze of his head injury. The red man spun his feet to the attack and caught Graynin in the stomach, but instead of pushing him back, he joined with Graynin's momentum and carried Graynin over his enormous body and sent him crashing through the parlor wall.

Graynin groaned under the heap of rubble. How is he so fast? He painfully wondered.

The house made a loud painful groan, rumbles from upstairs showed that the house did not appreciate losing some of its vital remaining structure. Then it dawned on Graynin, he knew what he had to do to kill this beast of a man. He got to his feet, shouldering off broken boards and chunks of plaster, just as the man came crashing into the dining room, kicking open the stuck side doors.

The man's armor was covered in wet blood, but the inhuman smile strewn across his bearded face showed no signs of pain or concern.

"You're tougher than you look." He said in demonic admiration. He let out a deep bellow as he broke into a run towards Graynin. Mace slung back over his shoulder, poised to slam into Graynin's skull.

Graynin stood his ground, waiting for just the right moment. In a flash Graynin stepped out of the way. The brutal mace swinging within inches of his face, making contact with the decrepit wallpapered wall of the dining room behind him. Extending the hole that Graynin's body had made. The house seemed to scream with rage as the structure lost more of its support. A sly smile bloomed on Graynin's lips.

The man went wild. He wrenched the mace from the crumbling wall, his eyes turned furious when he looked back and took in Graynin's smiling face. It was clear the man was not accustomed to someone not succumbing to his overwhelming force and skill. Graynin understood the feeling.

Now all Graynin had to do was get the beast of a man to follow him through the house, while unknowingly taking out the house's integral structure. While making sure he left enough time to get himself and Ryder out before it all came crashing down. He knew it wasn't his best idea, but it wasn't his worst either. He was off to a good start, he swore he could feel the whole house sway as it attempted to redistribute its own weight. Rage was his new ally, for with it he could keep the man blind to what he was unwittingly doing.

The red man pulled his mace free of the crumpled wall, Graynin swiftly moved into him, just as the man's mace came back over his shoulder. Graynin locked the man's elbow back, so that the mace could not come sweeping destructively into him. In the same swift motion Graynin's fist crossed over his heart and swung up. Striking the man's large head with the back of his knuckles. The man staggered with the pain of the impact.

Graynin had missed his mark, rather than landing a devastating strike to the man's temple, his fist had smashed the right ear. The man was shockingly fast, even with Graynin's quick strike, he had been able to turn his head just in time.

No matter, Graynin thought, as he pushed past his dazed opponent, who now had hot red blood seeping from his ear. Graynin began running down the long dining room, heading towards two half closed doors that were hanging off their hinges. At the other end of the house, the old study. He ran slowly, not wanting to get too far ahead so that the man lost sight of him.

Graynin ran through a puddle that was forming on the old wooden floor, the house's leaks showing themselves as the rain continued to rage outside. As he splashed through the water he focused on it, willing the water molecules to slow, until they nearly stopped moving, he could feel how minute their vibrations became. It was a simple tactic but it was one of the few he had left in him.

He ran through the broken doors without looking back, he could hear the pounding footsteps. The old study was in shambles, the shelves that remained were empty, most were broken. There was no furniture left in the dark room, and both of the large windows in front of him were broken. Gusts of wind and rain rushed in unimpeded, to the once rich, comfortable room. He stopped in the middle of the room, turning to face the open door. With every breath his side wound burned, feeling as if it might rip open further, the slice that Stephan had given him was not dangerously deep, but it was still painful, and could easily get significantly worse if Graynin wasn't careful.

He watched his opponent running towards him, Graynin stood his ground, baiting him. As the man's foot came down into what looked like an innocent puddle, his foot met solid ice. Shock bloomed on his blood streaked face, he flailed his arms, his mace coming loose and flying into the wall. The man fell forward with all his weight into the already broken door frame. The rotted wood splintering further with the force of his large body.

Graynin stood his ground in the center of the dingy room that he had once drank dry whisky in, and sat by a warm fire exchanging military tactics with a young Lord Reagan when he was just an eager aristocrat. Now the shambles of the room reflected this moment in Graynin's complex long life, broken, and on the edge of collapsing.

He watched the smoothness with which the large man recovered from the weighty rubble that threatened to pin him down. He was back on his feet in a matter of moments, the white dust from the wall caking on his wet bloody face, the debris settling into his mess of red hair and beard. He looked like a man risen from the grave, his dark eyes wild with the vengeance of death. "You're going to regret that little trick." The man said through gritted teeth, "I'm going to skin you slowly, and make your death last longer than you can imagine." He pulled the hilt of his mace from the rubble without taking his eyes off Graynin, who stood motionless, staring relentlessly back.

"I am Kaska, the Red Hand. I think all men should know the name of the man who kills them. That way when they are twisting in agony in the depths of Hell, they have a name to scream." The twitch of a smile on his powder dusted red beard was more menacing than most men could muster with their most bitter scowl.

Graynin's expression darkened, he stared at Kaska from beneath his brow. Waiting for the right moment, not letting the man's words distract him, the way Kaska was surely intending. Graynin's fingers twitched at his sides in anticipation, all his muscle's poised, the throbbing in his side and shoulder pressed back to muffled screams in the back of his sharp mind.

"Stricken mute with fear?" Kaska cooed, "don't worry you're not the first, and you certainly won't be the last." With that he pulled his mace into both his meaty hands and swung it effortlessly above his head, breaking into a run.

Graynin's feet pressed hard into the sturdy section of the floor he had found, launching him forward, hurtling him towards the blood-thirsty man. Just before their bodies were to clash, just as Kaska began to swing the heavy mace forward, Graynin shot his foot forward and down, the rest of his body falling in behind its lead. Graynin slid under Kaska's left leg, just as he was taking a massive stride. Without skipping a beat Graynin was back on his feet and running out the crumpled door, leaping over the rubble. There were new holes in the second floor above the dining room, water rained in. His plan was working.

He ran down the hall, passing doors he remembered from a lifetime ago. Memories flashed through his mind as he ran past the hall doors, before entering the foyer. The metal remains of the chandelier were swinging broadly, the shifting of the house upsetting the delicate balance of everything. He turned the corner back into the main entrance of the parlor. Ryder was standing in front of the fireplace. Her eyes were wide with concern and anticipation. He didn't have time to do or say anything, he turned on his heels, throwing up his arms.

Not more than a heartbeat later Kaska came skidding into the foyer, his raging eyes not noticing the swinging chandelier above, his eyes only seeking Graynin. Once locked on Graynin, who was standing in the middle of the parlor the way he had done in the study, Kaska turned his pursuit.

Kaska ran headlong into an invisible wall spanning the doorway. He pounded his fists against the solid wall of air, screaming for Graynin to be a man and face him. Graynin slowly walked to the door, coming within inches of Kaska's irate face. Kaska scratching at the invisible barrier like a dog trying to get through a window to maul a cat out in the garden.

Graynin stared at the wild man, until the man's cursing subsided. In the silence, both men stared daggers at the other. Kaska's chest heaving with rage. Graynin cold and calm.

Graynin seized the moment to speak. "My name is Graynin Rathem. I thought you should know the name of the man who kills you, so that you have something to scream for your deserved eternity in Hell." The twitch of a dark smile claimed Graynin's lips. The anger of everything that had transpired that night rising up in him, the hate beginning to boil over. "And that creature over there," He motioned with his head at Ryder, never taking his eyes off Kaska. Kaska's eyes flicked over Graynin's shoulder and went wide when they took in Ryder. His surprise was evident, he had not realized she had been in that room, he must have assumed Graynin had hidden her somewhere.

"She is the greatest prize you will never have." Graynin's voice dropping into a growl.

Kaska's eyes flicked back to Graynin, a twinge of fear making its first appearance.

Graynin turned on his heels and ran towards Ryder. He threw out his arms, and the air shield trapped in the door frame exploded. Kaska was thrown back and hit the wall on the other side of the foyer, twenty feet away. The entire wall of the parlor blew out, the ceiling lagged for just a moment, but in its next breath sagged and splintered apart, causing a domino effect rushing through the rest of the house.

Graynin leapt, reaching out to Ryder, she reached back. He wrapped his body around her as they crashed through the window behind her. The weak air shield he attempted to muster around them did not provide much protection, shards of glass cut at his arms. He turned their bodies, so that as they crashed to the ground she would not be under him. They landed hard on his bad shoulder, the pain ripped through him stealing his consciousness.

They lay there in the mud, as the entire house came crashing down on itself.