Under Alune

Brambelhein

"Aeisha!" exclaimed Keysean as he came awake. He spoke with encumbered lips. What was it that sat upon him, holding him down?

"You're awake!," said a youthful female voice in response. Keysean's eyes gained their focus. It seemed as though he was lying beneath a layer of turf. Tangled branches met and pressed together above him like a thatch.

"You're awake..." said the voice again. Keysean noticed that there was a weight upon his chest, very light and soft in its press. The smell of lilies answered his question before he spoke it.

"Darlaune?" he asked instead. Her hands reached through the grass and caressed his chest and neck as best they could. "Where-?"

The wind stirred harsh and there came aloud humming from above. Before this had passed, it was joined by a throaty roar. Keysean could see through a hole in the roof a winged thing passing over the brambelhein; Its legs tucked close to its body, its long neck winding back and forth as if searching.

Darlaune leaped to her feet. Seeing the wyvern flying low, she crouched and placed a finger to Keysean's lips. Quickly she became a thrush and covered the hole in her roof. She went back to Key.

"Please be quiet and still. You are in our brambelhein. Please Keysean." She couldn't help grinning down on him. "Please be patient with your questions."

Keysean nodded as best he could. Just to be safe, he closed his eyes and tried to slow his breathing. From what Keysean could discern by sound, Darlaune was cleaning her room; Water sloshed around near his feet, and earthen pottery clinked and scraped dryly. That meant she was preparing for someone. He immediately assumed it would be her father and tried harder to appear inconspicuous.

'and why am I here?' he wondered. Keysean was suddenly very worried for his family, then for his friends, and finally for Wolfhelm in total. Where would the druid be returning from?

Darlaune seemed to finish was she was doing then came near. She stood beside him, then thought better of it and sat cross legged on his chest. Heeding her request, he did not ask any questions. They sat like that for many minutes, quiet, both waiting for the Druidyer to appear.

"Darlaune?" came his voice finally in a sort of command.

"Father!" Darlaune waved emphatically, seeing Barteriyud beyond the barricade. She slipped carefully off of Keysean and stuck her hand through. He father took it in his, and oddly, kissed the back of it. Through the twisted branches of the barrier, Darlaune could see that her father looked as he always did, except for the wry smile he now wore.

"What is that you've grown in there?" he asked.

"I was bored father, where have you been?"

"Doing as I will. And how have you been occupying yourself?"

"Oh sitting around, hearing stories and practicing Gaia's will."

"Not sneaking around?"

"No, father, I-"

"Silly girl. Did you think I wouldn't notice the troll rooted in the mire," Barteriyud's voice bore only the hint of anger. Still Darlaune flinched and felt her cheeks growing hot.

"Well, I-"

"He caught you sneaking out and you had to stop him from telling me." Barteriyud gripped her hand tightly. " You disobey me. Were you not content in the little punishment you had?"

"I'm sorry, father-"

"And yet you sound so insincere." Barteriyud frowned and allowed his daughter to retrieve her hand. He touched the barricade, causing it to recede. "Where did you go, daughter?"

"To play in the woods."

"More lies!" Barteriyud snatched up a branch and laid it softly against Darlaune's face. "Where did you go?"

Darlaune's eyes began to tear, and soon enough the tears were falling down her cheeks. "Father, please."

Barteriyud gave her cheek a light pat with the branch. "You will tell me."

"To see the shift-"

Barteriyud snapped wroth and began to beat her about the shoulders. Darlaune cried hysterically and covered her face with her hands. "Aberrants!" He shouted. "You do not have a heart for them! You do not speak of them unless of ill!"

And all the while Keysean watched, trying to remain calm while Darlaune was beaten. Barteriyud continued over-long, berating her all the while. Darlaune howled like a wounded banshee and curled up on the mossy floor of her chamber.

"I... will.. DESRTOY them," said Barteriyud, panting. He relaxed the branch to his side. Darlaune only cried from her fetal position. Keysean could no longer keep his eyes closed, the strain was unbearable. He inhaled and exhaled as slowly as he could. A sleight growl passed his lips.

"What was that?" commanded Barteriyud. Darlaune only sobbed in reply, but was pushing herself up onto her feet. The Druidyer stomped over to the tuffet and tripped over Keysean. The sudden contact brought Keysean immediately into war-form. The grass above him whithered instantly and fell away.

"What!" yelled the Druid-lord. Before he could move or breath again, Keysean had his throat held tight in one massive paw. He snarled into the druid's face, preparing to finish him.

"No, Keysean, don't," said Darlaune in something between a sob and a thick-lipped mumble. Still, her voice pierced through the fog of anger that swirled over the shifter's mind.

Barteriyud face was scuffed down to pallid, bluish flesh in some places. He glared angrily at the aberrant. Keysean, noticing the blue flesh and smeared dobul makeup, was confused.

"You brought this creature into my home!" Barteriyud growled indignantly.

"You do not understand father!" said Darlaune with waxing confidence. "I- ."

"Silence, do you realize what you have done you stupid girl!"

"But father I- ."

A loud crash outside the bed-chamber interrupted her. A troll's headless body was thrust through the bush and what followed was Latyurik. There was gobold-sap matted all over him, to the extent that he appeared green in the moonlight. He howled with all his might and charged at the first thing he saw- Darlaune.

Marsh pixies swarmed down from the roofing leaves, distracting Latyurik so that his hand fell to her breast instead of her throat. He rent from her the Lunar Pendant in one motion, then howled again as great pain lanced through him. He fell to the ground, convulsing.

"Rik!" yelled Keysean, completely releasing the Druid.

As soon as he was free, Barteriyud let out a booming cry. He focused on the branch he was holding then struck Keysean with it. In a blink the branch elongated and coiled itself around the shifter, then rooted itself in the soft earth.

Footsteps approached with startling speed, and in came a host of orks. Barteriyud was the only one who was glad to see them.

"Kill!" he cried out. "And get the girl to the barge." Two orks took hold of Darlaune and rushed out with her.

The orks piled in, but what came after gave them pause. An eagle's cry pierced the air above them then Hunter bowled into their midst. Barteriyud, frustrated and angry, pulled Keysean toward him. As Hunter finished with the orks, the druid began to shout.

"Stop or this one will be no more," he said, glaring at Keysean.

Hunter raked his foot talons across an ork who was trying to rise, then stood waiting his great golden-irised eyes initent on the Druidyer. Latyurik lay still beneath a tumble of dead gobold-kin.

"I'll take this one for safe keeping," Barteriyud sneered. "Though it won't matter for long. Adzudig!"

The roofing branches were torn asunder, and rained down into the room. The wyvern landed and ducked its long neck low. Barteriyud mounted the creature, then directed it to attack Keysean. Hunter launched himself forward but was knocked aside by the wyvern's heavy wing. It snapped at Keysean, and in one mighty gulp, swallowed him whole.

Barteriyud laughed boisterous, and prodded the wyvern to take flight. The brambelhein fell way, as did the mesa and the wood. He thought of circling back so the wyvern could taste of the other shifters, but decided against it. There would be more some other time, but for now, the security of the brambelhein was no longer certain. He had to get to safety.

---

Aeisha and the vampires got to the wind-barge a while after its passengers had departed. It hovered on propellers while trolls prodded an ogre to bring crates from its cargo hold to the ground.

"I gotta say... I'm confused." Iyfril scratched his head. "What is a druid doing using a wind-barge?"

"Keeping up with the times?" offered Viyku.

"He might as well drive a FerNoir..." Iyfril seemed distressed by his confusion. "This is going to be quite a task. What else will he have? Rocket launchers? Micro-wave grenades?"

"He has an ogre," said Aeisha who had taken war-form the instant she saw the humongous creature. "I think that's all he needs."

"Want to wait for Hunter or dive in?" Viyku was grinning and his hands were clenching and unclenching. His talons cut shallow grooves into his palms.

"Give him another half'er, I say." replied Iyfril.

Aeisha nodded, then said, "can either of you sneak aboard the barge?"

Viyku craned his neck forward as if peering and calculating. Iyfril took off his glasses, polished them, then replaced them on his face. "Yea I can see some shadows in there I may be able to squeeze through."

Aeisha watched the wind-barge for a few moments more, then looked back to Iyfril. He was already gone.

"Now you've done it," Viyku leered at Aeisha. "Gone and gave him a challenge."

"What if Key isn't here?" Aeisha asked softly, afraid of the answer.

Viyku heard her anyway. "We keep looking until we find a clue. There's gotta be something in this forest that can tell us where they took him, what they did, and how hard he fought."

"What if-"

"NOT," said Viyku loudly, over what he assumed would come next. "Not yet. I mean I don't know that, but I owe him one. Gotta pay my debt, you know? Wouldn't be right if it was just written off."

"Huh? What debt would a vampire honor to a shifter?"

"Y'all lay it on thick, don't you?" Viyku gave a sort of sneer. "Like you're all blameless."

"I only meant-"

Viyku shrugged and turned to face the barge. He pulled his hood a bit lower over his face. " 's ok, just getting a little old. And this is serious s**t 'tween me and him. Got him in big trouble once, which he got himself out of easily enough. Only, you guys' elders weren't too happy at all." The vampire shook his head slowly, "Dunno what happened to him after that. Little guy just disappeared."

"He never told me a vampire had wronged him," replied Aeisha, trying to put a more positive spin on it.

"He doesn't consider it my fault, and it was supposed to be a deep down secret." He appeared to be eying her sidelong, but it was hard to tell with most of his face hidden in the depths of his hood. "So shhh... please. We'll save the story for another time. Just know I'm looking out for Key, and it's most certainly personal."

Viyku posed so dramatically that Aeisha couldn't help but chuckle. The vampire eyed her again, then hid his hands beneath his jacket. They watched the trolls go about their business, handing off crates to teams of stout gobold-kin. They dragged the crates off westward.

Aeisha growled and fought with her urge to intervene. Suddenly there came a loud roar from the direction of the brambelhein.

Aeisha's attentions shot southward. She found herself rushing toward it, with Viyku yelling for her to slow down from somewhere behind her. She shortly came to a vast chasm and stopped with foot-claws scrambling on the muddy cliff's edge.

She cursed and howled in frustration and for a moment almost attempted the leap across, but the sight of the ogres laboring and jostling below killed that notion. A horn sounded from the other side and the ogres began to move. With fearful instinct, Aeisha shifted into fox form and hid in the underbrush to wait for who should cross.

Trolls began to show on the southern cliff, the leader of their group blowing the horn endlessly. The ogres lifted their wooden planks to form the bridge, then the trolls stomped across. None looked back, as if they were afraid of what followed them. Aeisha tensed, wondering what could make trolls appear fearful; and was more so discomforted to see a single ork run past holding a young woman in its arms.

The girl was somewhere in her early teens. Flowers bloomed wild in her tussled moon-lit hair, and were not the least displaced by the ork's lumbering pace. Her azure satin gown wafted gently as they went and disappeared through the trees.

Aeisha was quick to follow them, scampering through the brush back to the wind-barge. The trolls there were arguing over something, and were about to go to blows when a wyvern's shadow came over them. The trolls quickly went back to their tasks. The ogre was put to double time, unloading with one hand and lifting the passengers to the wind-barge with the other. Aeisha studied the scene, skimmed her options, and decided to stow away. The vampire Viyku was nowhere to be found, his stench overpowered by that of the gobold-kin.

Aeisha waited until there was another lapse in focus then raced across the clearing to the ogre. Its hand came down right on time, and Aeisha slipped aboard with a press of orcs and trolls. They were to busy fighting over position to notice her.

Aeisha slipped away from the orks and out of the way of the ogre's questing hand. It found the last crate and pulled it down. The cargo bay doors slammed shut, trapping her in the hold, amongst the gobold-kin, with nothing to hide behind.