The door splintered and caved in upon itself as the dark army breached the foyer with swords swinging and magic reeling.
Women and children fell before the onslaught and made easy game for the evil warriors.
The room was a river of innocent blood as torches were thrown to the curtains.
Three mages teamed their lightning as one and flung it at a great emblem that hung from a balcony.
The emblem came off the wall and fell to the floor as death swept around it.

The distance!", a bearded warrior screamed to his company.
"It burns!", one of the lady warriors screamed in shame.
The party cascaded down the cliff with red capes in the wind, kicking up the snow in their frantic effort to reach the ashes.
As they approached they could tell the attack was at least a day old. They walked around the hollow remains, horrified at their loss. Their loved ones lay scattered in the ash with horror planted on their faces of death.
A mage, in white robes and a white bandanna, knelt and picked up the GR emblem, which was almost burned beyond recognition.
"All lost.", he said in a hushed voice.
"By who’s hand!", The Lord in Command demanded.
"Our own.", the mage answered quieter still.
One lady fighter with hair of gold, rushed over to a table that had somehow escaped the fire.
On it’s surface was a book bound in cracked leather. She took it in her arms and hugged it like a babe.
She then held it high and screamed over the ashes. "Our Ode, we have forsaken what we hold most dear!"
She placed the book back on the table and drew her sword and quickly fell upon it.
The others followed suit until the only movement was the flapping of the pages as they blew in the wind.

Christina finished reading the tome and stepped down from the podium with tears streaming from her face.
"I understand perfectly now.", she replied as she took her seat.
Silence followed then, until finally Sir Dyer stood and voiced everyone’s question. "Is this us, Janalon? Is the ancient tome about us?"
The others in the room pondered a bit before talking amongst themselves.
"Of our ancestors, from long ago.", the mage replied.
"They were mighty fighters and mages of great caliber. They had accomplished it all.
They had taken their place on Glory Row, but in the process had lost all that was most dear. They wanted to be even mightier, they took every last fighter on a hunt into a cave, to build their army’s experience so they could cast out all evil.
They gambled their loved ones and their home in hopes of sitting even higher on Glory Row.", the mage finished.
Gourry stood and stated. "In our quest for greatness may we not leave a trail of tears along our way."
"Glory Row is a state of being, an accomplishment, without any cost to the ones around you.", Black Lotus said without standing.
"Sasha seeks this ancient book, for she feels it will bring our circle closer.", Janalon offered.
It must mimic some of the the very things we speak of here.", Mathurin said out loud.
"What’s this ancient book called?" Deezy wondered.
"Glory Row?", Lord Orion asked, already knowing.
Zedd stood and walked to the front of the table. "Our Guild Mistress is missing, on a quest to find this book, this book of ancient creed and advice that we should follow."
"Tell us about your vision, Janalon.", Christina pleaded once again.
The mage met her eyes but spoke naught.
Zedd picked up the scroll in front of Janalon and faced the crowd of red capes. "This be a vision from our Janalon, scrolled and waxed tight for none to witness save one. This one must be of great worth and have an inkling of our ancient creed. Am I correct so far?" Zedd looked back at the mage.
"Indeed.", Janalon nodded
"One question we pose, one answer there be, and our champion will be chosen and will go to our Sasha’s need."
Silence fell around the room as Zedd’s voice boomed like thunder. "Why must you covet your hand like your heart?"
"It holds my sword.", Sir Wallace answered.
All shook their heads and the sound of the rain outside shook their souls.
Sir Draegon stood.
"It’s what I shake my brothers hand with!", Sir Draegon exclaimed as he walked towards the front.
Christina gasped and covered her mouth.
"It’s the only part of my body I can give with.", Sir Draegon said as he stood before Zedd.
It’s what I wipe the tears from the face of my child to be, with!", Sir Draegon yelled above the storm.
Mdnitrdr nodded at Acolon.
Zedd handed Sir Draegon the scroll and bade him to take leave.
"Come back naught without our dear Sasha by your side."
Sir Draegon turned and walked towards the door.
The storm swallowed him as the door slammed after.

Sir Draegon crawled more than walked through the snow as the cold air froze his lungs to a chill.
His mind grew numb as the blizzard moved across the plains with icy fingers that poked death into the frozen ground.
He once again reached in his backpack and pulled the scroll written by his Guildmaster and charged to him by the Lord in Command.

A place of numbness I plead to be.
Through the forest and across the sea.
Creatures of white are company.
Seekest the steps to sincerity.

His toil had left him weak and disheartened.
For eight straight days he had unraveled the mystery that surrounded Sasha’s quest for the Ode to Glory Row. An ancient book written by the hand of their ancestors of the Glory Row Guild.
The Shrine of Honesty loomed in the distance, his quest was near end, at least he thought.
The wind howled on Ice Island like a wraith when he walked up the steps to the shrine. There was no sign of life in or around the shrine.
Sir Draegon sat down on the steps, not knowing what step to make next. His eyes scanned the snow covered plains, cascading down the mountains in vain. But there on the slope that led down into a white valley, he saw clearly. A spot of red on the snow white surface. He ran towards the object already knowing what it was, he knelt and dug frantically at the snow around the red cape and brought Sasha, cold and blue, out of the frosty white grave.
Sasha’s lips were deep purple and her fingertips were as blue as her dress. He felt no pulse as his thoughts raced for an answer. He carried her then, to an over hanging rock that offered a hint of cover.
With his tent pitched he immediately set upon building a fire.
For two days and two nights Sasha gave no sign of life. On the third day as Draegon approached the campsite after returning from harvesting firewood, he was enlightened to find Sasha sitting up and sewing a pair of leather boots.
“Sasha,” he exclaimed and bowed.
“You’ve done well,” Sasha stated rising to greet him.
“But our quest is not over, hurry let’s make haste,” she stated as she tied the boots and ran down the slope into the valley.
Draegon ran after her, catching up with her as the wind picked up.
She stopped suddenly and pointed around them.
Ancient stones lay around the valley, old and cracked with age.
Draegon asked. “What is this?”
It’s the home of our ancestors from Glory Row,” she replied. "I was told of it’s existence through dreams,” Sasha went on to say.
"What do we do,” Draegon asked unsure.
“Dig,” Sasha knelt.
The night came and midnight approached, the light from the lanterns gave forth a feeble light as the two labored on. “What is it we seek,” Draegon asked as midnight fell. “Something special,” Sasha continued to unearth ancient rock and petrified wood.
By the howl of the wolf, Draegon gasped and held something into the light.
“Sasha,” he exclaimed but she was already by his side.
Without speaking, Sasha took the emblem from his grasp and let it rest on the snow, its GR design barely recognizable even in the lantern light.
"Kneel beside me, make haste I plead,” Sasha begged.
As Draegon knelt beside Sasha he noticed how dark the night was around the lantern.
Sasha took the dagger out of her boot and raked it across Draegon’s wrist.
“By the god’s, Draegon exclaimed. “What are you about?”
“Only one with an inkling of our ancient creed in his veins is worthy,” Sasha said through tight lips as she squeezed his wrist spilling his blood onto the emblem.
Thunder cracked and the clouds parted with anger, as the night sky was filled with a horrible dread.
The two fell back into the snow, rolling to escape the harm they sensed.
A hollow voice echoed through the night. “Witch!” It accused.
Draegon’s heart raced as he realized they were surrounded by shades.
Who’s dares to use necromancy to wake us from our slumber of agony,” one of the shades asked as it stepped forward.
“Tis I, Sasha of Glory Row, who seeks the ancient ode,” Sasha got to her feet.
It was then that Draegon noticed the resemblance in the features behind the death cowls.
The resemblance of Janalon, Christina, Acolon. He looked around and saw the bearded face of Zedd, behind the death mask that he wore.
Even the ghost face of Sasha, Amberlee, Vade Won, and all the rest.
“Sasha, what are these shades about?”
One shade stepped forward and stopped before Sir Draegon.
It then threw back its cowl and met Draegon’s eyes.
Sir Draegon, as brave as he may be, stepped back in horror from the shade.
The shade was him self.
“Only our ancient ancestors,” Sasha calmed him, they wear these faces only in warning, warning for us not to let the same thing befall us.
“What do you know of creed, Witch,” the one that wore Sasha’s face accused.
“I come to claim the Ode to Glory Row, the simple book of our creed,” Sasha stood before the shade unmoving.
“Here’s your book,” the shade spat and handed over an ancient tome.
Sasha’s hands as frozen as they were, opened the book.
Dismayed, she thumbed through the pages in frenzy.
Sasha reeled about and screamed at the top of her lungs. “It’s empty!”
“As is your quest,” the shades spoke in unison.
“Blank pages”, she yelled above the wind and dropped to her knees.
Sir Draegon stepped up and put his hand on Sasha’s shoulder. “Not Blank, only forgotten, Sasha, only forgotten”.
Sasha rose then and faced the death crowd.
“Forgotten, you forgot and that’s why you fell, that’s what crushed you in the end, your creed became greed,” Sasha walked boldly up to the shade that wore her face.
“You forgot your honor and compassion and replaced it with self worth,” Sasha said in a whisper.
Sasha watched as one of the smaller shades manifested into almost human form.
It walked up to Sir Draegon and threw back its cowl. Sasha noticed how the shade that wore her face, turned it’s back to the scene.
Sir Draegon dropped his bardiche in the snow and wiped the tears from the ghost child’s face.
The ghost child then replaced its cowl and approached Sasha. Sasha’s heart raced and she prayed with all her might that the apparition would not remove its cowl.
“Open the book and read,” the child instructed.
“Sasha opened the book and found the pages to still be forgotten.
“Don’t read with your eyes, read with your heart,” the ghost child turned transparent and changed into a small glowing cloud that surrounded the book in Sasha’s hands.
Sasha closed her eyes and started reading the book from her heart.
Draegon overlooked her shoulder and listened while she recited the passages.
As each line was spoken it became written across the pages.
As Sasha read on, the shades around her started speaking the words with her.
The shade, that wore Sasha's face, turned to speak the creed along with the others, with a look of peace on its face.
Every soul, alive and long dead, joined in to recite the creed.
Until the pages were forgotten no more.
Sasha opened her eyes and felt peace in the valley.
The dread that was in the air was replaced by compassion.
Both her and Draegon watched the shades, at peace now, fade slowly into the night.
The book in her hands was fully scribed now, with the ancient creed of Glory Row.
“They remembered,” Sasha praised as dawn cut the night.
“No, you remembered,” the ghost child once again stood before Sasha with it’s head bowed.
“Pray you never forget, mother,” the child faded away as the sun claimed the valley.
With the book clutched in her grasp, Sasha choked back her sobs in vain as Draegon caught her before she hit the snow.
While Sasha composed herself Draegon read the pages of the book, still warm from the magic.
When he was done, he put it away in his backpack and led Sasha back up the slope towards home as the snow begin to fall once again.

This Page Hosted By Get Your Own Free Home Page