Adobe Acrobat Format - The Grey Company

Riklaun gave a quick salute to Sheil and Nalynn and headed off to find Tizer, silently hoping Brisid had
fared better than the inn.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, Dae struggled with his own Rider. He and Tadsbro circled the beastly thing, they sent
spell after spell into it. Another rider came up from behind Tad and he whirled around into a crouch. He
took the Nightmare's front legs off and the creature tumbled to the ground. The skeletal rider got up and
moved in on Tad. Tadsbro blocked the first blow by the skeleton, only to be hit by the second. Wincing in
pain, he held up his sword in defense. He started to cast a spell and was hit again. Dropping to one knee, he
furiously fought off the blows. Just then the skeleton burst apart, showering him with bone fragments. Dae
stood behind the skeleton smiling....
* * * * *
Still in shock from the fact that skeletal warriors were invading the sanctuary of Tel'Mithrim, Tizer
removed the bow from his back and began chanting an ancient phrase. Within minutes, a glowing green
arrow appeared on Tizer's bowstring and he fired at a skeletal warrior which was approaching Dae Draug
from behind. It caught the vile beast in the rib cage and the potent acid dissolved the creature's spine.
Without the backbone to support its body, the skeleton collapsed and fell from the horse. However, the
night-mare continued to bear down on Dae as he was examining Tadsbro's wounds.
Tizer quickly scaled one of the oaks surrounding the grove as the horse approached. He shouted a
warning to Dae and Tad, yet Tad could not move quickly in his condition. As the night-mare galloped by
the tree, Tizer dropped down onto its back and steered it to the left, narrowly missing the two Elves. Once
upon its back, Tizer removed his enchanted long sword from it scabbard and drove it deeply into the nightmare's
neck. Black fluid shot forth from the wound and Tizer leapt from its back onto the ground. He rolled
to his feet just in time to see the wretched creature fall to the ground, writhing in pain. He retrieved his
weapon from the corpse and then ran over to Dae and Tad to make sure they were okay. Dae nodded
affirmatively, but Tad's face was getting pale as the blood drained from his numerous wounds. "We must
get him back to the guild hall, mellon, help me carry him through the carnage", Tizer said urgently.
"Aye, place him upon Klack, my eagle, and we shall take him there with great haste," Dae
responded.
Tizer picked up Tadsbro's crumpled form and gently secured him in the saddle of the great bird.
Dae mounted his familiar and flew towards the guild hall with Tadsbro.
It was then that Tizer spotted Riklaun running through the scattered bones. "Rik, Tadsbro has been
injured. Dae took him back to the guild hall for recovery. What are our chances for success without the two
of them? Are we still outnumbered?" Tizer asked.
Sheilandri and Nalynn ran up to the pair of Elves. "Brisid is awake! He dispatched a skeleton as he
exited the guild hall. They are very close, we must remove them from the immediate area!" Nalynn
informed them.
The group of Elves quickly decided what to do.
Chapter 16
As Dae flew back toward the guild hall he scanned the scene below him. The town was in chaos,
skeleton's and riders both together and separate were everywhere. A smile crossed the wild elf's face as he
noticed that the townspeople had taken heart in viewing the valiant efforts of the elves. An old woman beat
a skeleton over the head with an iron pot and it collapsed into a pile. Elsewhere two men strung a rope
across the path, tightened it to knock another rider from it's nightmare's back. In the center of town three
men held long sticks with sharpened points and brought down two charging nightmares.
Suddenly a sight filled the wild elf with anger. A small female child, no more than six years of age
ran down the street followed closely by a skeletal rider and his mount. The skeleton swung its mace as it
bore down on the frightened girl.
Dae yelled a wild elven curse at the rider and slid up the left sleeve of his green tunic. Many
magical silver tattoos on his arm gleamed in the sunlight. Dae tapped the tattoo of a streaking bolt with his