[Several months ago, in some caves south of Montfort]



Though he was sleeping soundly, Rivus's eyes snapped open when he heard the messenger enter his private quarters. It was Hars, bearing news from the main guard.

"Norzen and his band have returned," said Hars

"Were they successful? What bounty do they bring?"

"They wouldn't say. Something big. They were excited about it. Said they'd show it only only in your presence."

"Well then, lets not keep our new initiates waiting."

Hars vanished through the room's only visible exit, while Rivus retrieved a few weapons from their various hiding places. He didn't follow Hars. The system of caves in which the band of thieves made their home was riddled with hidden passageways. As their leader, Rivus's quarters had no less than three exits. The casual visitor only saw one. His trusted assistants, like Hars, knew of one other. Only Rivus himself knew of the last.

Rivus stepped behind a thick, decorative tapestry, and exited the room. A series of twists, turns, and straitaways merged into a dark corridor which eventually led into a large, open meeting room. The room quickly filled as the twenty-five thieves, rogues and highwaymen that made up the Night's Bloom assembled to receive their newest members. Hars appeared several moments after Rivus. They shared a knowing glance that was interrupted by the arrival of six armed men.

Norzen entered the room from another corridor which led to the cave's main opening. His five cohorts entered a second later, struggling to drag two large chests across the rough stone floor.

"We have passed your pitiful initiation!" announced Norzen with a cocky flair. "Child's Play."

"We'll see. What have you brought?"

"Drag it in here!" Norzen shouted to the others. With several grunts the men moved the heavy chests into the center of the room. Rivus made note of the fact that Norzen made no effort to help his fellow initiates, as if such a thing were beneath him.

"Open it." said Rivus. Both chests were opened and a single surprised gasp filled the throats of everyone in the room. The chests were filled with jewels.

Diamonds. Rubies. Sapphires. Other exotic gems of every conceivable shape and size. Rivus reached in and removed an emerald as large as his hand. He examined it closely. He was no jeweler, but his experienced thief's eye told him that the stone was real. Which meant that the other stones were most likely genuine as well.

"They're real." he announced. A low murmur floated around the room. Several of the less disciplined men stepped forward, eager for their chance to examine the booty for themselves and claim their share. Rivus stilled them with a wave of his hand. He tossed the emerald back into the chest and brought his gaze to Norzen. His expression was one of deep concern.

"Where did you get these?" he asked in a low, controlled voice.

"The caravan." said Norzen.

"The caravan I sent you after was carrying gold. Not jewels."

"So? Bounty is bounty. Someone decided to ship jewels instead of gold. The better for us, right?"

"A man can always get more gold, Norzen. This many gems...a king's ransom...is worth going to any extreme to retrieve."

"We weren't followed."

"Where did you get these jewels?"

"I told you-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME, BOY!!"

Norzen stepped back, his eyes shifting to the others in the room. Most of them had their hands on their weapons.

"The caravan, like I said. Only-"

"Only What!?"

"Only we were too late to intercept it! The weather delayed us on our way out. They were past the clearing and out of the woods by the time we caught up with them. We were on our way back when we saw another caravan. Smaller and not as well protected."

"You robbed the wrong caravan!"

"We were on our way back with nothing! This was our initiation into the Bloom! We couldn't just come back empty-handed!"

"Who was it? Whose jewels are these?"

"Who cares. They're ours, now!"

"What ensignia did the guards wear? And the chests...any marks on these chests? Ensignia? Runes? Wards? Did you even bother to look?"

The men fell silent and averted their eyes, confirming Rivus's suspicion. He slammed the lid down on the nearest chest, and then bent down to examine it. The wood was old and worn, but still tough. There were scratches and notches from the rough handling, but nothing he could use to identify their owner.

"See! Nothing!" said Norzen. "Ours, free and clear!"

"Hars!" he turned to his trusted aid. "Bring me a scry-glass."

Hars disappeared down the corridor leading deeper into the caves. Rivus was lost in thought. Who would ship so many valuable gems in a small, relatively unprotected caravan? Who would even HAVE so much wealth? It had to be either royalty, or an exceptionally prosperous thief. No, a thief would never allow his hard-earned loot to be taken so easily. Unless...

Hars returned and produced a small circular lens, trimmed in gold, which he gave to Rivus. The scry-glass hummed lightly in his hand. Rivus held the lens up to his right eye and again examined the chests. There was a gasp of shock and surprise as Rivus nearly dropped the glass.

The wooden surface of the chests was alive with arcane symbols! They glowed with a sickly green luminescence, covering almost every inch of the wood. It was a wonder that they weren't all killed the second the chests were opened! But no, these wards had a different purpose. They would alert the true owner if the chests fell into the wrong hands, and then lead the vengeful man right to their location. Rivus continued to search; somewhere amoung the runes would be the owner's symbol. It didn't take long to find. On the rear of the chest, a large diamond-shaped sign pulsed malignantly. It's sky-blue glow contrasted sharply with the green of the surrounding wards. Rivus recognized it immediately, and this time he did drop the glass.

"You Fools! You've killed us all!"

"What? What did you see?" the quiver in Norzen's voice betrayed his fear.

"You should have returned empty-handed, rather than bring this here! Better to face my wrath than that of the owner of these jewels!"

"Who?"

"There are some men who are NOT to be stolen from! The warlord K'Sano. The Queen of Swords. And the jewel trader known as December. The last is on his way here now, and he will have our lives as well as his jewels! Alert the guar-"

A scream stopped the words dead in Rivus's throat. The main guard. The temperature in the room began to drop suddenly, until the air hovered just above freezing. A white smoky mist rolled out of the corridor and into the room. The cloud thickened, and soon, footsteps could be heard. A shape stepped out of the fog.

The thieves drew their weapons.

"Run!" shouted Rivus. "To the tunnels! Leave everything and run!"

"Wait." Norzen drew his sword and faced the approaching stranger. "Don't listen to that coward! He's only one man!"

Norzen appeared to have more of an influence over the thieves than did Rivus. No one moved. Norzen and his fellow initiates, the ones who had stolen the chests, gathered together in the center of the room with their weapons drawn, watching as the stranger stepped into the room.

The man was large, at least six feet tall. Wide and bulky, but his musculature was hidden beneath his white fur-lined tunic. His hair was gray, although the face was not that of an old man. The eyes were the color of a clear, winter sky. Desolate and cold.

Something moved in the misty corridor behind him. Something vaguely man-shaped, but wrong somehow. Rivus didn't want to look at it for more than a few seconds.

Norzen gave a war cry and started to rush the man, but December reacted quickly. With a quick swing of his arm, he tossed something, a cool blue gem, directly into Norzen's path. Rivus watched as the sparkling gem flew, and he thought that it was perhaps the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. It hit the ground at the bandit's feet, and shattered.

Rivus had heard stories of the man called December and how he dealt with those who crossed or betrayed him. He never wanted to know if the tales were true, but tonight he was a witness to the most terrifying display of power he had ever seen. The instant the stone hit the ground, Rivus felt the sweat on his face freeze solid. The moisture on his lips froze and was gone, causing them to chap painfully, and a chill wind blew, seemingly from all directions, as if some giant creature was sucking all of the air out of the room. Rivus shut his eyes tight and, when the wind suddenly died down, was not at all surprised to find that they had been frozen shut. He had to use his numb fingers to pry them open and view the sight that awaited him in the center of the room.

Norzen and the others who had been standing with him, were frozen solid. Their skin was hard and gray, like stone. Their faces betrayed neither fear nor pain, for their deaths had happened so suddenly that they had had time for neither. Norzen was frozen in mid stride, with his weapon extended. Suddenly bereft of vitality, the frozen figure was grossly off balance, and quickly toppled over. Norzen cracked and shattered when he hit the floor.

December then turned his attention to Rivus.

"Well, now," said December. He spoke clearly, his voice was smooth and deep, "The Night's Bloom."

Rivus nodded. A short, nervous motion.

"And you would be they're leader."

Another nod.

"You would have to be either very daring or very foolish to steal from me. Which is it? You do not seem particularly daring to me."

"The men disobeyed orders. It was unintentional. P-Please forgiv-"

"Then the fault is yours. You send your whelps out without forewarning them. Without telling them: Stay. Away. From My. Property."

"They didn't-"

"I have worked hard and endured much for everything that I have. I will not allow even the smallest crumb to be snatched away by vermin such as you. Even by accident or ignorance"

"T-Take the chests."

"Oh, I will. But you and I have business to discuss first."

"Business?"

"You are an ambitious man, Rivus. I hear that you want your Night's Bloom to rival the Thieves Guild one day."

"Perhaps."

"It will never happen, of course. Not with men like these. Not this close to Montfort. You will be stamped out. Exterminated. But there is an alternative. If you are interested?"

"A deal?"

"I am moving my operation to Montfort. The shipment you... liberated, was destined for my new store there. Strictly legitimate goods. But I shall need men to help me with my 'other' affairs. Men who know the streets and the surroundings. Men with little need for questions. Now why should I go about constructing such a network myself when I stand in the middle on one right now? Interested? "

"You want us to work for you?"

"It will be the best thing that ever happened to you and the Night's Bloom. Or the worst, depending on your loyalty. And, naturally, you shall be well compensated for any duties you perform for me."

"I suppose we have a deal."

"Be sure about it, thief."

"A deal, then."

"Good. I knew you would see things my way."

December turned and walked back into the misty corridor. No one even thought about following or attacking him. Rivus breathed a sigh of relief as the warmth began to slowly flow back into the room. The other creature that accompanied December, the one that had stayed well back into the darkness, scuttled hurriedly after it's master. It made a hard, clicking sound as it went, like claws on rough stone. Sharp claws.

"How do we contact you?" Rivus called.

"You do not." said December from the foggy darkness, "I will be in touch."