Adobe Acrobat Format - The Grey Company

"I knew the undead were not Ebonstarr's style. I wonder who is responsible?" Riklaun said.
"Come, we better get going." Riklaun and Starrbolt, along with Brisid and Nalynn went off to help Modar,
hopefully before Ebonstarr could get to him...
Chapter 17
Tizer and Riklaun spoke in hurried whispers, anxious to reach Modar before Ebonstarr made her
next move. Riklaun, along with Starrbolt, Nalynn, and Brisid decided to search for Modar.
"Rik, remember that Rand still has vital information concerning Ebonstarr's activities," Tizer
pointed out. "I will go on to Nightsedge to find him. I don't believe you two were on the best of terms
anyway."
Tizer glanced at Sheilandri and Dae Draug. "Will you two accompany me to Nightsedge? If this is
just another of Ebonstarr's tricks, we are more likely to prevail if we are a group."
The two Elves nodded and Tizer, Sheilandri, and Dae set out towards Nightsedge. After walking a
few paces, Dae stopped, chuckling, and informed the other two Elves that it would be faster to ride Klack,
his eagle, who was waddling awkwardly along the path beside them.
"Well that is indeed a bright idea!" Sheilandri giggled.
Even after the day's grueling battle, Tizer had to crack a smile at his silliness. They all climbed
upon Klack's giant saddle, and he soared upward towards the sky. From their vantage point, they could see
Nasher's castle, a small grey spec against the green of the forest and the blue of the ocean. They flew for
two hours and landed in Nightsedge.
Other than a bit of tangled hair from the blowing wind, each Elf was intact. As they approached the
west gate, they encountered a group of drunken Orcs, looking rather disheveled, marching towards them
with sword tips bared. Pulling an arrow from his quiver, Tizer notched his bow and shot the missile at the
orc leading the pack. It felled him in one blow.
However, the rest of the smelly bunch did not realize that their leader had fallen, and simply
continued marching, trampling his body in the process.
Sheilandri summoned a cone of freezing wind to blow the foul creatures away. Several got caught
up in it and they were tossed high into the sky, never to be seen again. "Well, that was effective, perhaps we
need a bit more power..." Dae pondered.
As the remaining Orcs advanced on the three Elves, Dae whispered a command in Klack's ear and
the giant bird rose to its hind legs and let out a deafening roar. It flapped its wings with awe-inspiring force,
and the Orcs could not hold their footing. They were blown backwards with such velocity that they were
skewered upon the tangled branches of the trees in Nightsedge's forest.
"Poor creatures... Why they even bother is beyond me," Tizer chuckled nervously. Sheilandri
winked at him and said, "They were drunk out of their heads. We probably appeared as mugs of ale in their
deluded eyes."
With the Orcs no longer a threat, the three Elves entered Nightsedge through the west gate. They
proceeded to the third house on the left and knocked three times quickly and twice slowly, as Riklaun was
instructed by Gmanfandan in the Rankled Boar Inn several days earlier. They waited several seconds, and
when there was no sound of activity coming from within, they again knocked three times quickly and twice
slowly. This time the door opened a crack and a raspy voice asked, "What is the password? I must have the
password to let you inside."
Tizer quietly spoke the word "Omens" and a hand appeared to gesture the trio inside...
Chapter 18
As Modar cast his Invisibility spell the confusion around him was slowing down. He knew that
some of the undead were likely to survive the encounter and he was determined to follow them to their
camp in hopes of finding out who was behind this dastardly attack. Just before he disappeared he flashed
hand signs at Tizer letting him know that he was going to follow the survivors and would leave a trail for
him to follow when ready.
At first, the Skeletal Riders were very easy to follow as they fled the scene of the crime. After a
few hours they began suspecting pursuit and Modar had to slow down to avoid detection. Using all of his