A Invitation
*A long nailed pale hand pulls a peasant's cloak tightlly against briskly striding legs, the deep hood covers all features except for the occassional hint of a determined chin. Avoiding a cart filled with hay, dodging a pudgy woman hawking apple pies near a baker's shop, the figure's hidden eyes followed the progress of the broad shoulders of Arboc the True as he made his way through the village of Misty Hollow.
She'd been stroking the mane of a midnight dark mare in a field outside the village, as his horse pounded past, thinking that such a beast would make traveling less of a time consuming event. If only she'd ever overcome the fear of controlling such a powerful beast with little bits of leather and metal. Men were one thing, horses another. A runaway horse and a fall from its racing back into a rock strewn field had left her with a long thin scar below her right eye. It had faded abit as childhood had been left behind, but the terror of being helpless, out of control, and at the mercy of the horse's whim and bunching muscles had left her to walk most places she could, or arrange a carriage when a prolonged journey was required. Following his progress after he tethered his horse wasn't all that difficult, he stopped often to speak with vendors and villagers alike.
Finally he seemed prepared to spend a considerable amount of time with a vendor with a vibrant sign painted to read, "Rainbow Hues an' Stuff".
This was the opportunity she'd been waiting for. Sliding in to a shadowed, empty alley she pulled Kattah and Dexbramah from the cramped cloak pockets she'd shoved them into at the beginning of her journey. Speaking slowing she commanded the sometimes useful creatures. A small tightly wrapped scroll was placed in Dexbramah's boney bat fingers.*
"Now go, and don't disappoint me or I know a tanner that's looking for a couple of holey pairs of bat wings."
*With alarmed squeaks and a hopping crawl the bats melded themselves to the walls and the shadows, the knight their goal. The scroll contained an invitation. She recited its contents soundlessly while watching Kattah fall into a topless rain barrel he'd decided to try and crawl over. Stupid creature. Dripping he dropped to the other side, joining the more intelligent, or just more lazy Dexbramah. Either way, Dex was the bat with the scroll, so he was the one that needed to stay dry. All was well.
"...The hollow moon illuminates a song of want and hunger. Empty winds scrape the soul, and chaos lays it assunder. All thats false fades away and the truth is there before you. Can you bear it, Arboc? To see whats hidden deep within? Know thyself. Come to me when I call, you'll hear my voice and the path will be clear. Or don't. This time it will truly be your choice..."
*Nearing the knight who was listening intently to the vendor, Kattah did as he was told and suddenly flew into the face of Arboc the True. As he was swatted a good ten feet to the left, Dexbramah quickly climbed the inner fabric of Arboc's cloak, leaving the scroll in an inner pocket. He dropped to the ground and raced unseen back to his mistress.*