Nevertheless, I cannot afford to humor the romantic ideals of children. This world is far too cruel, cruel and hard and cold, and it is only those strong enough to endure it who survive. One must be hard as steel and cold as ice. That’s the only reason I’ve lived this long. Several minutes passed with Darien lost in his own thoughts, when finally, Jerris interrupted his silent contemplation. "I don't have any proof, or even any evidence, but I think Duke Parham, Boras, killed my father. I don't know why, but I just can't get it out of my mind. It's something about the way he looks at me, or maybe just a feeling I have in my bones."
"You have good instincts. You should trust them. That explanation makes more sense than a goblin raid two hundred leagues west of their nearest holding. There are certainly other possibilities, but that seems as likely as any." Darien remarked. Jerris raised his head and smiled slightly at this encouragement. "Enough of this discussion for now. I have a little bread here, and a little breakfast is better than none."
They ate a meal of cold stale bread in silence. While they ate, Darien pondered what all this might mean. The starstone, the half-elf child, and this strange story had been a stroke of strange fortune, or perhaps a turn of ill luck. The coin might fall upon either side yet. The thoughtful and careful shade turned the situation over in his mind. In his hands, that stone would be a powerful weapon, not just a pretty trinket. If he used it to magnify his own magic, he would at least stand a far greater chance against the assassins that might be sent after him. On the other hand, he knew very little about the stone, and it could contain any number of unknown dangers. Would it magnify magical energy in the same way that smaller ones did, and would the effects be more difficult to control, he asked himself? Had he not seen it himself, he would have doubted such a large starstone existed anywhere in the world. If the Master knew it existed, he would certainly try to obtain it, whether or not he intended to remake the crystal. The only thing certain was that this witless child could not be left with it or it would probably get him killed.
Darien reasoned he could take the stone by force or steal it easily enough. In his former life, he would have done so without hesitation, and even since then, he had often used theft, deception, and intimidation to get his way. Still, he felt something different this time. Perhaps it was Jerris' youth and naiveté, or perhaps because he shared a common half-elf heritage. Then again, perhaps it was something else, something more ethereal, an intuition, like the hand of destiny pulling gently upon his arm. Whatever it was, Darien felt a sympathy for this youth, a strange and alien feeling to him, but not altogether unpleasant.
Darien gave Jerris a stern look, assessing him as best he could. I must know if he’s holding anything back, he reasoned. Any information might be useful, even things which might not seem significant to the young man himself.
Jerris was focused intently upon his meager meal when Darien spoke to him. "Did your mother tell you anything else about that stone, like where it came from, or how she came to possess it, or why she felt the need to hide it? You must tell me anything your mother shared with you about that stone, however insignificant it might seem." Jerris looked up, and as he did, the Executioner looked directly into Jerris' eyes, and, using a spell called shadow sight, peered into the mind which lay beyond. The shades used shadow sight to gather information from unwilling targets, and all shades had been expected to learn both how to use it, and how to resist it. Its effectiveness depended upon the relative strength of will and magic of both the caster and the target. The spell took hold almost instantly, and Darien held Jerris, who was now unable to look away, or conceal any lie. A look of surprise and sudden fear flashed
"You have good instincts. You should trust them. That explanation makes more sense than a goblin raid two hundred leagues west of their nearest holding. There are certainly other possibilities, but that seems as likely as any." Darien remarked. Jerris raised his head and smiled slightly at this encouragement. "Enough of this discussion for now. I have a little bread here, and a little breakfast is better than none."
They ate a meal of cold stale bread in silence. While they ate, Darien pondered what all this might mean. The starstone, the half-elf child, and this strange story had been a stroke of strange fortune, or perhaps a turn of ill luck. The coin might fall upon either side yet. The thoughtful and careful shade turned the situation over in his mind. In his hands, that stone would be a powerful weapon, not just a pretty trinket. If he used it to magnify his own magic, he would at least stand a far greater chance against the assassins that might be sent after him. On the other hand, he knew very little about the stone, and it could contain any number of unknown dangers. Would it magnify magical energy in the same way that smaller ones did, and would the effects be more difficult to control, he asked himself? Had he not seen it himself, he would have doubted such a large starstone existed anywhere in the world. If the Master knew it existed, he would certainly try to obtain it, whether or not he intended to remake the crystal. The only thing certain was that this witless child could not be left with it or it would probably get him killed.
Darien reasoned he could take the stone by force or steal it easily enough. In his former life, he would have done so without hesitation, and even since then, he had often used theft, deception, and intimidation to get his way. Still, he felt something different this time. Perhaps it was Jerris' youth and naiveté, or perhaps because he shared a common half-elf heritage. Then again, perhaps it was something else, something more ethereal, an intuition, like the hand of destiny pulling gently upon his arm. Whatever it was, Darien felt a sympathy for this youth, a strange and alien feeling to him, but not altogether unpleasant.
Darien gave Jerris a stern look, assessing him as best he could. I must know if he’s holding anything back, he reasoned. Any information might be useful, even things which might not seem significant to the young man himself.
Jerris was focused intently upon his meager meal when Darien spoke to him. "Did your mother tell you anything else about that stone, like where it came from, or how she came to possess it, or why she felt the need to hide it? You must tell me anything your mother shared with you about that stone, however insignificant it might seem." Jerris looked up, and as he did, the Executioner looked directly into Jerris' eyes, and, using a spell called shadow sight, peered into the mind which lay beyond. The shades used shadow sight to gather information from unwilling targets, and all shades had been expected to learn both how to use it, and how to resist it. Its effectiveness depended upon the relative strength of will and magic of both the caster and the target. The spell took hold almost instantly, and Darien held Jerris, who was now unable to look away, or conceal any lie. A look of surprise and sudden fear flashed
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