<em> “So it was with a warning of grim tidings on the road that my quest finally began. I would be lying if I were to say that I wasn't in the least bit nervous. I was terrified, though I did my best to hide it. There were so many things that I hadn't told them. So much that I had no confidence in my ability to do,” Rain gave her audience a sad smile. <br/><br/>“I wasn't particularly confident in my abilities when it came to much back then. I'd heard too much nay saying; been too overprotected to know if I was capable of caring for myself or not. Then there was the complication of the nightmares, thankfully those are no longer an issue. More than anything however, I was concerned about something else, something that I feared would make me useless in the midst of battle should we ever become actively engaged in it. I'm getting ahead of myself though.”<br/><br/>Rain rose then with a wry smile. “My tale really starts as so many epic tales have so I apologize for the cliche, but the night </em>was<em> dark and cool. There was the faintest hint of summer flowers on the breeze and the road before us was bathed in a thin, low fog. There was an eerie stillness to the air, the only sounds the muffled clopping of hooves and our conversation. It was rather as if the world was asleep, and all the animals in it were asleep as well. Including those that should not be...” </em><br/><br/>There had been little difficulty in slipping out of town unnoticed. The gruff Dwarf at her back certainly couldn't have hurt the speed of that process. There had been a few odd looks when it became apparent the Dwarf and the Elf were part and parcel of the same party, but that had been expected. What hadn't been expected was the quiet. For all the times that she had traveled late into the evening with Daemion, she'd never heard it this quiet except in the dead of winter. She hoped that that didn't mean that a storm was coming. That was the last thing that they needed.<br/><br/>In the omnipresent silence, talk had dwindled quickly, but that was just as well as the pace that had been set made talk hard as it was. Right now all she could let herself be concerned with was getting away from there as quickly as was safe. She was thankful for her palfrey’s smooth gait, it would be beyond disastrous if the Dwarf were to fall from the horse's back. Rain knew she wasn't strong enough to manhandle the fellow into staying on.<br/><br/>For all the quiet though, things seemed to be going well. Certainly beyond expectations up to this point. Even given the setting she felt safe with her small guard. It was more clear than ever that the Elf had a great deal of experience in the wilds and certainly having an experienced bodyguard along for the journey would do nothing but help in the overall safety of the group. Who knew what had become of the human blacksmith, but perhaps they would run into him again at another time. Certainly their road was bound to be a long one. They had the whole length of a kingdom to traverse before they reached even reached the hard part.<br/><br/>It was nearing midnight, and she was about to call a halt for the night to find a place to make camp when it happened. One moment, all was just as it should be, the next there was  a soundless flash and they were engulfed in a large ring of fire. Deka reared a little, whinnying in protest at the sudden appearance of the flames and Rain clung on for all that she was worth quite forgetting her passenger. With luck, he wouldn't grab for her and she would stay on board. Then again, there was little else for him to grab at so her chances were slim.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The dark figure reached the edge of the wood just in time to sense, then see the ring of magical fire come around the party on the road. There was little to see of them behind the eight foot wall of flame and for just a moment the figure wondered if it was too late. Then movement became apparent through the fire. There were still living people in there, though what was happening to them was still far from clear. The caster must be near here somewhere. The taint of foul magic was on the air, for any sensitive enough to notice. If the figure could find the caster then they could stop this, but where was the foul creature responsible for this?<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The black cloaked caster watched the first stage of their spell with a glee that would have been palpable to anyone nearby. This was going just as they'd hoped. The frightened sound of the horses inside told the caster that they were off balance in there and that made them easy targets for what was about to happen. With a quick gesture and a few muttered words the summoning began.<br/><br/>Soon there would be a small swarm of goblinoid imps in that circle of fire with only one objective. Subdue the captives, but do not kill. Take them alive. The caster had plans for this band. Plans that would make the caster a very rich person. First though, they had to be captured and made complacent. If all went according to plan, the little imps would be able to do just that.