With a gasp, I was pulled out of my unconscious state. Hovering over me was Kathryn. Her glowing white hands hovering over my battered and injured body

“Be still.” she commanded. “I've not had the chance to take the pendant, nor the stone back from you yet, given that your injuries were so great, but rest assured that if you try to escape, I will hurt you.” She frowned. “I'm surprised that you were able to survive. The homunculi don't give up their chores so easily.”

“I was lucky,” I said. “What happened. What happened to Christen? Rico?”

Kathryn finished healing my wounds and set her hands gently in her lap. “They are as good as gone, Stiri,” She said. “Kos has taken them hostage to Lake Artis. The full moon is coming tonight, and he expects you to bring him the items. He must have been able to feel the power of the stone once it were taken from my protection.”

I sat up and struggled to my feet. At soon as I was up, Kathryn was hovering only inches away from my face, her hands glowing with a strange purple light. “The pendant Stiri.”

I reached for the chain of the pendant. “If Kos has these items, then he can break the moon open. He can bring the one eyed goddess into the world.”

Kathryn nodded. “I've not heard her named that in many many years. Your encounter with the Magus of the woods must have been very... informative.”

“It was,” I said. I dropped the pendant back down and started to walk back to the town.

“Where are you going?” she demanded. “I don't want to hurt you, but if you do not give me the pendant...”

“I'm going to Teans.” I said. “I'm going to try to figure out a way to save Christen and Riko. I'm going to try to figure out how to keep us from being destroyed by the One-eyed Goddess.”

“You can do so by giving me the pendant. I can keep it from Kos.”

“And what about Christen and Rico.”

Kathryn was silent for many long moments. “I already told you, they are lost. He will kill them if he cannot summon the demon. He should not summon the demon. Even if he succeeds, even if you give him the pendant... He thinks he can control the magic that will pour fourth from the moon, but he will not: He will be too weak, he won't be able to do anything. No matter what, your friends will die before sunrise.”

“Why? Why will he do this? What is his-”

“They are your allies. He can turn them into homunculi, and for a time, perhaps fool you, and use you.”

I thought of Christen and Rico as homunculi, and my stomach clenched. If he didn't have the items, he would perhaps kill Christen and Rico. If he did have them, the One-eyed Goddess would likely destroy us all. The pendant, the feather, the Moonshard, the damned book and the damned rock.

I stopped walking as I remembered something. “He can't summon the Goddess.”

“Not as it stands now. You have the pendant.”

“I lost the stone.”

“... you what?”

“It's a long story. My caravan, and my horses were plunged into the harbour. The stone was in the caravan, and now it's at the bottom of the sea.”

“He can get it there, you know.” Kathryn said. It's not a problem for him. However, that means that he won't be doing the ritual tonight. The goddess will not be released tonight. Tonight, your friends will die.”

“No, they won't.”

“You plan to save them?” Kathryn glided in front of me. “You're several days travel from Lake Artis. You have only your feet as a means of travel, only your dagger. Kos will take the pendant from you and do what he wishes with you and your friends, even if you do manage to make it there.”

“... Making it there is my biggest problem.” I said. “After that... After that I have a plan.” I kneeled down on the grass. “I have a plan.”

“What's your plan, Assassin?” Kathryn asked. “What do you intend to do?”

I picked up a rock that lay before me on the ground. “I intend to kill Kos.”

I walked into Teans. Kathryn waited for me outside of town to fetch a horse for our travels. But I had to be fast. The stables were all closed and locked, and I had no gold to bribe people with.

I walked to one of the stables. I pulled on the door, which rattled but stayed shut thanks to the secure lock. Annoyed, rushed, desperate, I took the rock and beat upon the door. It was thin and old, and I was able to break a hole though the door. I reached in and opened the door from the inside. I went inside and chose the first horse I saw, a pure white horse with a long, well-groomed mane. I pulled it out of the stables, and rode it bareback out of town. “You're likely going to die.” I whispered, “Most of my horses do.”

I quickly rode the white horse out of the town and into the fields that Kathryn was waiting in. I jumped down off the horse. Kathryn walked up to it and gently rested her hands on it's snout.

“Only one horse.” I said, “Just as you asked. Do you think you can make it gallop fast enough over the fields to reach Lake Artis in time?”

“No.” She whispered. “We will not be galloping.”

The horse stood unnaturally still as Kathryn whispered to it almost silently. The warm wind lifted her pink skirts and played with the horses mane. I shut my eyes and smelled the air. I could smell the scent of apples and flowers on the wind. It tugged at my hair, on my bloodstained cloak. It was a pleasant night, the nicest night I had experienced in a very long time. It was a shame that it had to be marred by such unpleasant events.

The horse whinnied as the skin on it's back arched and pulsed. The skin broke, bled, cracked, and a pair of wet wings broke free. Kathryn waved her hands, and the blood was gone from the horse's pelt.

“We will be flying.” She said, “That should get us there in time.”

“Thank you.”

“... Do you know why I am doing this?”

“No.”

“I'm taking a chance on you, Stiri.” She said. “I've lived a very long life. If you succeed, I can relax a little in this life and enjoy the pleasures of the world.”

“And if I fail?”

“Then I've failed, and we will likely have another Night of Chaos. Our world will be lost to history, and our names all lost.”

I nodded as I mounted the horse. I reached my hand down to help Kathryn up, although she likely could have gotten up onto the horse herself. I kicked the horses sides, and the horse galloped across the field before flying up into the air.

All I wanted to do was help Christen and Rico.