"I'm going to be sick..." said Theesa. The truth of her words were obvious... she was deathly pale, and her thin limbs were trembling. Her face twisted into a collage of anger and fear and disgust. Fortunately she hadn't eaten breakfast yet and her stomach was thankfully empty. She waited for the nausea to pass, and then handed the remains of Jake Fast's journal to December.
"My apologies for-"

"It's okay," said Theesa. "I wanted to do it. I can handle it... I've seen worse."

"What did you see?" said December. "What did you read of the journal's past?"

"Your friend, Mr. Fast. He's dead."

December nodded. Theesa continued, knowing that December wanted the gruesome details.

"He and another man were being chased. Lots of fighting. And magic. They got separated... Mr. Fast went to hide... somewhere dark and wet, I don't know where. He sent you a message, and then... and then..."

Theesa closed her eyes. She had to take a few deep breaths before she could continue. December reached out and wiped a tear from her cheek. The tiny drop froze at his touch. Theesa grabbed his hand and just held it for a few moments... then finished describing her vision.

"It was the man we saw at the casino. The big one... with the armor."

"Thorne."

"He... he had already killed Mr. Fast's friend, and then he came after Jake. He found him just after Jake sent the message to you."

"What happened then?" said December.

"Jake tried to fight... tried to run, but... Thorne... Thorne caught him and..."

Theesa lowered her head and hid her face in her hands.

"...it was horrible..." she said.

"Say no more," said December. He tossed the damp, half-burnt journal onto the table by the bed and placed his hand on Theesa's shoulder to comfort her. "Such things are not meant for your eyes... try to put them from your mind."

Theesa nodded slowly and took a moment to regain her composure.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be much help."

"On the contrary," said December. "I now know for certain that Jake Fast is dead, and that the journal and its contents are genuine."

"This man... Brinks... and Thorne... you're going to get them, right? For what they did?"

"What they do... is no different from what I do," said December.

"I don't care," said Theesa. "I really don't. Not now... not after what I just saw. I don't want to know what happens... I just want to know that SOMETHING will happen."

"Something will happen," said December. "You have my word."

Theesa took a deep breath and forced herself to stop shaking. She thought of pleasant things, and, after a while, she felt almost normal.

"We have a long day ahead of us," said December. "When you are ready."

"Good," said Theesa. "I don't think I can stay cooped up in here any longer. Let's go."

---

Azarius Park sat quietly at his antique desk. There were several books open in front of him, but the old scholar wasn't looking at any of them. He was asleep. His narrow chest rose and fell in time to the not-so-gentle buzz of his snoring. The window beside his desk was open; and through it, a large, expensive telescope pointed upwards towards the mountains

Knock-Knock!

"Huh! What!?" Dr. Park gasped. He sat up in his chair and looked around- "What was that?"

Knock-Knock-Knock!

It was the front door, downstairs.

"Good morning, Dr. Park," said a soft female voice. "I hope we're not disturbing you."

"Who's there?"

"Theesa Lemay... and friends. We met the other day, remember?"

"Oh? eh? OH! Of course... hold on a minute."

Azarius shoved his wrinkled feet into his slippers and made his way quickly down the stairs. He opened the door without delay and greeted December and Theesa with a broad smile. December was looking as large and imposing as ever. Theesa, however, looked troubled.

"Ahh, my friends," said Azarius "come in, come in!"

Then he grunted at Zade and let her in as well.

"I was just doing some early-morning reading," said Dr. Park.

"Our apologies for disturbing you," said December. His deep voice seemed to roll across the floor like a loose cannonball. The temperature in the room had already dropped five degrees in just the few seconds since he'd entered.

"'Tis nothing," Park replied. He started up the stairs and motioned for the others to follow. "I trust you are enjoying your vacation?"

"Now that it's stopped raining, yes," said Theesa.

"Strange thing, that rain," Park mused. They entered his study... which also served as the loft's spacious and comfortable living room. Azarius planted himself in a huge padded easy chair. Theesa sat down on a large couch. December stood protectively behind her, his hands resting on the back of the couch near Theesa's shoulders. Zade paced around the room like a prowling tiger. "Seemed to end just as suddenly as it began. Good thing, too... parts of the city were already beginning to flood. Another week of rain like that..." Park shrugged and shook his head.

"It is indeed fortunate," said December.

"Well, now that we've gotten that useless banter about the weather out of the way... to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Mr. Jewel-Trader-From Montfort?"

"It concerns my acquaintance... the one for whom I was searching."

"Any luck at the casino?"

"Yes and no," said December. "He is still missing, but I have come into the possession of his journal. Unfortunately it is unlikely that he would part with it while still alive."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Dr. Park. "But that's not all that unusual in New Venyce. People disappear all the time... sometimes they find bodies, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they find stuff that they can't even tell was human."

Theesa winced.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Dr. Park. "I forgot there was a lady present."

"Two, in fact," said Zade.

"What I meant was that you're lucky to get that journal."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," said Zade. Azarius continued to ignore her.

"So... what can I do for you?" said Dr. Park. "Need me to translate something?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," December replied. "My acquaintance, Mr. Fast, was carrying an object he believed to be of great value. There is mention of it in his journal, however the portions detailing what it is and where he found it were... damaged. He seemed to think it had some historical... or perhaps even mythological...significance."

"Ohh, you've come to the right place!" said Park. "Tell me what you know and I can fill in the rest!"

"We know very little... only that he called it the 'Frozen Heart.'"

"Frozen Heart, eh? Hmmm..." Park's brow wrinkled, and his face went through a half-dozen expressions of deep thought.

"He doesn't know anything," said Zade. "Let's go."

"Will you please shut her up; I'm trying to think!"

December and Theesa both gave identical looks of disapproval.

"Hmmm...AHA!" Azarius got out of his chair and walked over to his bookcase, which consumed an entire wall of the study. He ran his fingers across the spines of the leather-bound books until he reached a particular three-volume set. He removed the first volume and returned to his chair. He sat the book down on the coffee table in front of him. Theesa leaned over and read the title

"'Encyclopedia of Ancient Pantheons and Mythologies,' by Azarius and Princeton Park. Your son helped you write this?"

"Yes," Azarius groaned. "Back when he still had half a brain. What an utter disappointment HE turned out to be..." Dr. Park began flipping pages. "...Hmmm... fog of death... food-demons... frog-men... frost giants...AH! The Frozen Heart... more commonly known as the Heart of Verraque."

"Verraque," said December. "That name is familiar."

"Don't see how THAT would be," said Azarius. "Unless you're a fellow student of mythology. This is an obscure myth of the Eskriri... a primitive culture from the far north, just south of the polar regions. Unless you've been there-"

"I have," said December. He offered no further explanation. "Please continue."

"Ah... well... THIS myth is particularly interesting because it involves the gods not only the Eskriri pantheon, but also those of a neighboring culture, the Blanir. Now, the Blanir, THEY had a very unique-"

"What IS the myth, Mr. Park?" said December.

"Oh. Oh, yes. Uhh... hmmm..." Azarius read a few lines from the book to refresh his memory. "It seems Verraque was the Eskriri rain-god. He was known as Verraque the Terrible... Verraque the Destroyer... and all sorts of similar names."

"A RAIN god?" said Theesa. "Why?"

"Verraque wasn't a very nice fellow. Mischievous and malicious... once there was a town that refused to pay homage to him, so he made it ran for 40 days and 40 nights. Put the entire town under twenty feet of water, and flooded all the surrounding lands. Now as punishment for that, the chief god, Abzec-Syr, banished Verraque from the Temple of the Sky... or whatever they called it. But then Verraque went on another rampage and put even MORE Eskriri land under water. He made it ran continuously for a year... flooded the farmlands... washed the rich topsoil right into the sea. The years of starvation and disease that followed nearly eradicated the Eskriri. The other gods finally caught up with him, and here's where it gets interesting... It seems that Abzec-Syr couldn't bring himself to punish his own son with anything more harsh than banishment, so he appealed to the pantheon of the Blanir for help. More specifically, to Drya, the ice-goddess. Now Verraque was mean, but Drya took meanness to a whole new level. The Blanir believed that-"

"I am familiar with the myths surrounding the ice-goddess," said December. "Please continue."

"Well... Abzec-Syr takes his wayward son to Drya, hoping that she'll teach him the error of his ways. She taught him alright. Drya removed Verraque's heart and froze it inside an ice-gem... a solid manifestation of her power. Very much like a diamond. Now, being a god and all, Verraque viewed this as just a minor inconvenience... until Drya gave the frozen heart to Abzec-Syr, who turned around and gave it to the Eskriri."

"Why would he do that?" said Theesa.

"Because," said Azarius. "It turns out that whoever possesses Veraque's frozen heart can command the powers of the rain god. Verraque became their slave... a slave to the very mortals he tried to destroy. Abzec-Syr considered it to be a lesson in humility. The Eskriri used the Heart to restore their land... holding back the rain until the land dried, and then summoning rain at will to water their crops. The Eskriri became known throughout the region for their bountiful harvests... fields of perfectly watered plants that stretched for miles and miles. Dry, useless territory became lush green farmland within just a few years. A few centuries later, Abzec-Syr decided that Verraque had had enough. He tried to FREE Verraque and restore him to the Temple of the Sky, but discovered that he couldn't do it. Only Drya's magic could release his son. And, of course, Drya had no intention of undoing her curse. I imagine she thought it was quite funny. A few more centuries go by, and eventually the Eskriri were conquered by the Ekar. The Ekar were supposedly a roving band of barbarians who hailed from a great desert. They took the Frozen Heart to their lands and tried to use it as the Eskriri had done. Unfortunately they weren't too smart, and Verraque, being the ever-mishceivous sort, took advantage of their ignorance. They wanted it to rain, so he made it rain. And rain. And rain. And rain... and within a year, the Ekar's great desert became a sea. Only the highest mountain peak remained above water, and there the Frozen Heart remains."

"Well, why didn't they just ask him to make it STOP raining?" said Theesa.

"Because this is an Eskriri myth," said Azarius. "The Eskriri aren't going to make a myth in which some OTHER culture becomes the hero of the story, are they? Absolutely not... the point is that the Ekar shouldn't have stolen the holy whatever and tampered with the forces of the Eskriri gods. That tends to be the point of MOST Eskriri myths... and myths in general, for that matter."

"So, that explains the rain in New Venyce," said Theesa. "If Mr. Fast had this Frozen Heart-"

"I rather doubt that he did," Azarius replied.

"Why?"

"Because!" Azarius tapped the pages of the open book with his finger. "NONE of this is real! They're myths! There is no Verraque, no Abzec-Syr, no Drya. The Eskriri and the Blanir are real enough, but there's no evidence that the Ekar ever existed. Your friend could not have had the Heart of Verraque in his possession because it does not exist."

"So basically you've spent all this time telling us a lot of completely useless information," said Zade.

"Well, you DID ask..." replied Azarius. "You wanted to know about myths; I told you. I assumed I was dealing with people wise enough to know the difference between myth and reality."

"The reality," said December. "Is that Jake fast had something of great value that he believed was the Heart."

"And now Brinks has it," Zade added. "I saw him with it last night... trying to make wishes with it. It didn't work."

"What you saw was obviously some trinket crafted by someone with nothing better to do with their time," said Azarius. "Brinks is behind it, no doubt. It won't be the first time."

"First time?" said December. "Brinks has a history of such deception?"

"Not really a 'history,'... but there IS that cheap suit of fake plate-mail that he claims is the Golden Armor of Fzrath. HA!"

"Thorne," said Zade.

"Yes... Brinks has been trying to pass that foolishness off as the genuine article for years."

"Real what?" said Zade. "What is this 'Armor of Fath'"

"Fzrath," Azarius corrected her. "F.Z.R.A.T.H.... Fzrath. Here..." Dr. Park turned more pages in the book until he reached a small entry near the back. "Fzrath, the Armor-Smith... brother of Vlarim, the Forger of Mighty Weapons. They were part of a rather large pantheon devoted to the art and science of war."

"What does it say about the golden armor?"

"Hmmm..." Dr. Park skimmed the text. "Hmmm... Armor of Healing... Armor of Endurance... Glass armor- HA! wouldn't be caught dead in that!... uhhh...ah, here it is: 'And besiege by the wielder of the Dark Sword of War, the followers of Fzrath beseeched their god to forge a suit of mighty armor such that a mighty warrior might stand against the Siege. Fzrath heard their prayers and produced a suit of Golden Plate that did transform he who wore it into an unstoppable juggernaut.'"

"That's it?" said Zade. "That's all it says?"

"Well it IS a rather obscure myth. I think there are a few other mentions of it... let me see... unstoppable juggernaut... blah, blah, blah...invulnerable...blah, blah... strength of the heart..."

"Wait. What's that last bit?"

"'Strength of the heart'? Oh, that's a common theme in a lot of the myths concerning the Gods of War... the full power of their gifts, which were usually weapons or armor of some sort, could only be released by someone who was worthy. The Golden Armor, for example, gives the wearer superhuman strength, but that strength will only match the strength of his own heart. Apparently Fzrath didn't want some cowardly lout running off with it."

"That isn't helping me," said Zade. "How do I STOP it?"

"Stop? My dear... you seem to be under the impression that all of this is REAL! As I said earlier, there IS no-"

"In the myths... how was the armor defeated in the myths?"

"I have no idea." Azarius shrugged.

"What? What do you MEAN you have no idea! You're the expert!"

"Many myths are unfinished... stories lost... details buried with the ancient cultures that first dreamt them up. This is one of them. I'm sorry."

"This is a waste of time!" Zade snapped.

"I disagree," said December. "However we do have other plans for the day. Thank you for your time, Dr. Park."

"Ah-Ah-Ah, not so fast!" said Azarius with a smile. "You've asked me questions and I've provided answers... now its my turn!"

"I am afraid we have very little to offer you."

"Ohhhh, I don't know about THAT! You seemed quite knowledgable of the northern pantheons. You said you know of Drya... you seemed familiar with the name Verraque... at first I figured you to be a scholar, but then if that were the case why would you be here asking me silly questions, eh? A scholar would have copies of my books and could have read them for himself. Sooo..."

"As I first said, our curiosity is due to the entries in Jake Fast's journal."

"...then there is your name... your strong facial features... large, square chin... strong jaw... I don't detect an accent, although those can be lost over time. Tell me, Mr. Jeweler-From-Montfort, where were you born?"

December and Azarius exchanged stares.

"You have me, Dr. Park," said December. "I do indeed hail from the northern continent, near the polar region."

"I KNEW IT!" Park shouted. He seemed like an exuberant child who had just solved a complex puzzle. "Are you of Eskriri descent?"

"No," he said in an icy tone.

"No matter," said Azarius. He started flipping pages in his book again. "Doesn't matter at all... you can still be an invaluable source of information. I'm here on research, you know... but I never expected a genuine Northman to walk through my door. Ohh, the stories you must be able to tell... ONE in particular... just let me find the page..."

"Some other time, perhaps," said December. He motioned for Zade. Theesa rose and accompanied December as he joined Zade by the door.

"You said you were familiar with the legends of the Ice-Goddess," said Azarius. He found the page he was looking for. "Tell me... about Drya's Tear."

December stopped in mid-stride. He paused in the doorway as if frozen... then slowly backed up and turned around. His icy blue eyes transfixed Dr. Park. The temperature in the room began to fall rapidly. Dr. Park opened his mouth to say something else, but apparently decided against it. A cold, cold silence filled the room... a silence that was finally broken by December's deep bass voice.

"The Tear of Drya," he said in slow, deliberate words. "It is a dead tale... a fable concocted by a people who no longer exist... and have not existed for quite some time. I am surprised you know of it at all."

"Well, it IS what I do," said Azarius.

"Do tell us about it, Dr. Park," said Theesa.

"Great," Zade groaned. "More useless old stories."

"This one is not quite as useless or irrelevant as you might think," said Azarius. "Many believe the Tear of Drya to be real. Several generations ago, the Warlord K'Sano sent his Horde into the northern continent to search for it. They slaughtered the Ekar... eliminated the entire race. Questioned and killed every man, woman, and child that they found. They supposedly returned empty-handed, but the information that flows from the Warlord's kingdom is sketchy at best."

"So what is this 'Tear'?" said Zade. "Why would K'Sano want it."

"Why WOULDN'T he want it!" said Azarius. "Drya was the goddess of the cold and the wind... two of the most extreme natural forces in that part of the world. Her mate, Kainnes, was the lord of the frozen wasteland."

"Sounds like a very cozy couple," said Zade. "But what's that got to do with anything?"

"They bore a son, whom they named Athey. Unfortunately, there was no life in the ice-goddess... her womb was as cold and barren as her soul. Athey was born dead. They buried him, and Drya shed a single tear over his corpse... the only tear that the goddess has ever shed in all of eternity."

"Oh, how sad..." said Theesa. Zade rolled her eyes in contempt.

"That tear fell to the mortal realm where it froze into a gem of unbelievable size and beauty. It became lost somewhere in the polar region. It is said that should a mortal find that gem and drink of its substance, he will become a god... will, in fact, become the lost son of Drya for whom the tear was shed. Isn't that true, December."

"That is one version of the story, yes."

"Version?" said Azarius. "You've heard it told differently?"

"Very much so," said December. "The Tear of Drya is not a source of godhood... it is a curse. The gem bestows Drya's wrath... a curse of agony and eternal torment.. upon whoever dares partake of its power."

"Ahh, 'curse of agony and eternal torment'... now THAT sounds more like the Drya I've studied." Dr. Park scribbled some notes in the margin of his book. "I rather like YOUR version better... Much more effective at frightening wayward children, wouldn't you think? What do you suppose 'eternal torment' means to someone like Drya? Something rather nasty, I'd imagine! HA!"

"Eternal torment," said December. "Is no mere myth or legend, Dr. Park. It is real. It is to be forever banished from the world most men take for granted... to see and hear that world around you... yet be shut away from it by the corruption of the most basic of human senses. It is to never feel the heat of a fire... or the rays of the sun warming your skin. To watch the flames that warm others die at your touch... as if the fire feared your very presence. It is to never again experience the warmth of another human being. To hold someone for whom you care deeply... to hold them as closely and as tightly as you dare, night after night... yearning for the tiniest spark of the warmth you know is there... and yet feel nothing but the frigid emptiness of a cruel goddess's curse. It is to live in a world devoid of heat... to be forever cold, Dr. Park... always... for all eternity."

After that, no one spoke for a long time. Theesa held December close, hugged him tightly in defiance of the intense cold that radiated from him. Zade looked away from them both and tried to decide exactly WHAT she was feeling... and why. Azarius park stared down at his book for a while. He placed his pen on the table... and then continued to stare at the pages as if the text were about to start moving around on its own. Finally, he spoke:

"I... I'm sorry," he said. He wasn't quite sure what he was apologizing for, but he felt the need to do it anyway. "I can't imagine-"

"No, doctor, you cannot," said December. "It is beyond imagining. You dismiss the subject of your work as primitive flights of fancy... of no use save for frightening young children who are too ignorant to know better... but there is truth in some of them. And that truth is much darker than any 'story' that can ever be concocted by the mind of man."

"I didn't mean-"

"Ask me nothing more of Drya. Not now. Not ever. Come, Theesa... we must take our leave now."

Too stunned to even show his guests out, Azarius Park just sat and watched them go. When the front door closed behind them, Dr. Park returned his book to its place on the shelf, then sat down and stared out the open window for a long time.

---

"Are you all right?" said Theesa as they left Dr. Park's loft. December hadn't said a word since leaving the doctor's study. Normally such silence was not unusual at all... it meant that December was thinking, something that he spent a lot of time doing. However, this was not the 'thinking' kind of silence. This time it was something else.

"You okay, boss?" said Zade.

December slowly turned his head to look at her, and gave her a curious look.

"Yeah, I know... caring isn't my style," said Zade. "But back there... what you said... I didn't know..."

"There was no reason for you TO know," said December. "I require neither pity nor sympathy... unlike Gabrial Brinks, who will very shortly be in need of both."

"Glad to here it," said Zade. "What's next?"

"You reported that Brinks was reluctant to remain at the pier lest the sheriff arrive to investigate. This would indicate that, while members of the Sheriff's squadron are undoubtedly on Brinks' payroll, the sheriff himself is not. That is a glaring weakness in his grasp of the city. That is where I will begin. You, however, will devote your attention to a different task."

"What's that?"

"We have a ball to attend this evening." December removed a small pouch from his pocket and handed it to Theesa. "I believe some additions to your wardrobes are in order."

Theesa opened the pouch and poured a few of the brilliant cut diamonds out into her palm. They sparkled in the sunlight. Beside her, Zade looked as if someone had just slapped her across the face with a rotting fish.

"You don't mean..."

"Shopping!" Theesa said. "...and such a lovely day for it, too! Just what I need to cheer me up."

"No," said Zade. "No! Nuh-uh... NO! I am NOT going to babysit her all day while YOU wander around unprotected!"

"I did not bring you here to protect me," said December. "You are here to follow my orders. And my orders now are to protect Theesa... and purchase some suitable formal attire for yourself."

"Formal attire? You mean I can't wear this?" Zade looked down at her revealing leather armor. Theesa laughed... very loudly.

"I trust you will ensure that the day is uneventful," said December. "We will meet at the inn this afternoon."

"I wish you could come with us," said Theesa. "I don't like leaving you alone."

"I am not as delicate as I seem." December's reply as humorous in itself, given his size and abilities. Theesa gave him a hug and started walking away. Zade followed with great reluctance.

"I don't like this," Zade protested.

"What you like is irrelevant," December and Theesa both responded.

"Oh, its like THAT now, eh?"

"Stop being such a child, Zade. A little shopping won't kill you. It might even be fun..."

"Only if I get to break both your legs and throw you into the river," said Zade. "THAT would be fun."

"Well I don't relish the idea of being stuck with you, either..." The rest of the conversation was lost as Theesa and Zade moved out of earshot. December watched them for a moment, and then started out across town.

---

Sheriff Wylen imagined himself leaning back in his chair and throwing boots up on the table. He pictured a spacious private office with no one constantly looking over his shoulder... a weekly salary that was actually enough to live on comfortably. He imagined that he had a group of honest, capable deputies that didn't take so many bribes that they ended up making TWICE what he made in a month. He imagined that he didn't have to work 24 hours a day... that he wasn't the laughing stock of the town and that criminals... just for once... would actually be AFRAID of him when they saw him coming down the street.

Sheriff Wylen woke up.

He'd fallen asleep at his tiny, cramped desk again. He'd worked all night, chasing missing children and Dust-addicted fiends from one end of the city to another. Now it was morning. Wylen stretched, yawned... and then began his day as he always did... wondering how many people had been murdered last night. How many reports of dead bodies and missing persons would cross his desk before noon? Hell... how many had been placed on his desk in the few minutes he'd been asleep?

"Mornin' Sheriff," said Deputy Linec, one of Wylen's more honest subordinates. Of course 'more honest' didn't actually mean a lot. The Sheriff's Office was so rife with corruption that the Grand Demon of Hell himself could join the team and still be 'more honest' than the rest of the deputies. But at least Linec was friendly. Most of the time.

"How long was I out?" said Wylen.

"Two hours," said Linec.

"You let me sleep for TWO HOURS!?!"

"You looked like you needed it."

"That's beside the point! Oh, never mind... thanks anyway. What we got this morning so far?"

"We fished another one out of the river about an hour ago."

"Crispy or squishy?"

"Crispy... burnt beyond recognition."

"...figures..."

"He was wearing a pirate's ring, though... it was melted onto his finger. Lots of broken bones, too. Somebody worked him over pretty good before they torched him."

"Pirate, eh? Hell, that narrows it down to half the population of this city. Anything else?"

"Got TWO squishies out at the east pier. Also unidentifiable... hair, teeth, and eyeballs all over the place. Some curious markings on the pier, looked like something heavy had been dropped on it. Nothing there now, though."

"Witnesses?"

"What do YOU think?"

"Well," Wylen sighed. "I guess I'd better go take a look at 'em..."

"Deputies already took notes. Fishermen are cleaning up the pier now."

"WHO took the notes?"

"Wilks and Burm."

"Hell, that's ANOTHER case that'll never get solved. I'd better get down there before all the evidence they MISSED gets washed away."

Wylen stood, but then the half-dozen deputies that were congregated by the front door began shouting all at once:

"WHOA!"

"Hey! Who are you!"

"YOU can't come in here!"

"...Incoming!"

"Damn, he's big! Somebody grab him!"

"I ain't grabbin' him... YOU grab him!"

"Uhh...sheriff, you got company!"

Sheriff Wylen's desk was at the rear of the room, right next to the door leading to the lock-up. Besides the advantage of being able to ensure that the prisoners STAYED locked away, he also had a clear view of anyone who walked through the front door. He could see any visitors in plenty of time to react before they reached his desk. Wylen saw the man that had just come through the door and instinctively reached for the crossbow he had clamped to the underside of his desk. He grabbed the weapon, but did not pull it free. Yet.

The man was huge. Huge and pale and... huge. He was heading right for the Sheriff... walking calmly forcefully toward Wylen's desk. He didn't look angry or violent, but there was no doubt that if anyone jumped in his path, said person would be stepped on or shoved aside without so much as a second look from the large visitor.

Then Wylen noticed the temperature. It was getting cold... and the temperature continued to drop as the visitor approached. By the time the man was standing over Wylen's desk, the room felt as if it would start snowing at any minute.

Wylen looked up at the man.

"...uhhh..."

"I am December."

Wylen recognized the name. The man before him certainly matched the description he'd heard... big... cold... pale... white hair...

The day... which had started out as reasonably normal... had just gone straight to hell.

"Sheriff Daniel Wylen," said the Sheriff. "I'd heard you were in town; but I figured somebody was pulling my leg."

"That appears not to be the case, sheriff."

"I would stand up and shake your hand, but I rather like my arm where it is. I hate to ask this... I REALLY do... but... what can I do for you?"

"I am here on official business, Mr. Wylen."

"Business, eh? Sorry, I'm not for sale. You want to purchase some law enforcement officials, talk to some of the deputies by the door. But at least have the decency to do it out of earshot."

"You misunderstand my intentions," said December. "I wish to file a report."

"A report?" said Wylen. "A report of what?"

"Of a crime."

"Uh-huh. This a joke?"

"I have come to this town to meet with an associate... an associate who is now missing, along with a item of substantial value." December went on to describe Jake Fast in excruciating detail. Wylen listened, but all the while he was wondering what December was REALLY doing here.

"We found a body matching that description the other week," said Wylen. "Arm torn off. Drowned. No identifying marks."

"The body-"

"Cremated. Its what we do here... no land to bury 'em, ya understand."

"And you have suspects in this case?"

"Suspects? Case? Do you know where you ARE? Do you know how many bodies we fish out of the river every day?"

"You do not intend to investigate."

"Oh yeah, I INTEND to investigate. We take the evidence and keep the files... but by the time the first line of ink is dry THREE MORE bodies wash up and we're off to take MORE evidence and make MORE files. Nothing really gets investigated here. There's no time... no manpower. No manpower that I can trust, anyway."

"I see," said December. "Then it is fortunate that I am able reduce your workload by supplying you with a suspect."

"Oh?"

"Gabrial Brinks."

Sheriff Wylen's eyes narrowed. He looked around, then leaned forward to speak quietly. He knew that, all around the room, multiple pairs of ears had suddenly become VERY interested in what was being said.

"Look... I wouldn't go throwing that name around here like that unless you're damn sure-"

"I am," said December. His voice was just as deep and loud as it had been before. "I have a witness that has seen Brinks in possession of the item that Jake Fast was transporting for me. That same witness saw one of Brink's employees murder two pirates on one of the eastern piers. This employee was carrying out a direct order from Brinks... who was present the time."

Suddenly Wylen's throat was very, very dry. The room seemed waaay too small, and, despite the deep chill in the air, Wylen's brow began producing copious amounts of sweat.

"P-pirates, you say?" he whispered. His words were barely audible.

"Indeed," said December in his same loud voice. It was almost as if he WANTED to be over-heard. "There was a shipment of Dust-"

"Dust is legal in this city."

"But murder and theft are not."

"And you have a witness?"

"Yes."

"A RELIABLE witness? One without a criminal background that the defense attorney can use to discredit them?"

"Yes," December lied.

"Look..." Wylen said in an even softer voice. "You realize that Brinks owns the courts in this city. Hell, he owns everything in the city except for you and me... and sometimes I ain't even too sure about ME. I can't investigate him. I can't take him to court. I can't touch him at all. You bringing this story in here to me is like dangling a big juicy steak just out of reach of a starving man. All it does is remind me how ineffective and useless I am... and I don't appreciate it."

"So you will not investigate Gabrial Brinks?"

"Shhhh!!!!! Will you keep quiet! YOU might be able to afford the kinda protection that'll keep you alive in this city, but I'M just a guy with a cheap sword! Are you trying to get me killed!?! Everybody in this room can hear you-"

Suddenly the realization dawned on Wylen.

"You... you bastard! You're trying to start up some trouble aren't you?"

"I see my time here is wasted. Good day, Mr. Wylen."

"No, wait! Come back!"

December walked out of the building... but before he reached the door, he turned and looked at Wylen.

Sheriff Wylen never made any claims of being telepathic, but the thoughts behind December's backward glance were all too clear. Thanks to December, Wylen was now as good as dead. So, if Wylen wanted to live past tomorrow night then his only hope was to help December take down Brinks.

"Smooooooth," said Wylen. "Reeeal smooth. I never even saw that one coming. Damn."

---

"And so I'm STILL no closer to figuring out just what this THING is!"

Brinks handed the Frozen Heart of Verraque to Dravian. The black-robed mage studied it for almost a minute before giving it back to Gabrial. The two of them were standing in Brink's trophy room, where Brinks had just watched his first sunrise in weeks.

"The gem appears no different than it did before," said Dravian. "I'm afraid I cannot help you."

"But it STOPPED THE RAIN! I SAW IT! WHY won't it do anything else?"

"Perhaps the cessation of the rain was a coincidence."

"It wasn't!"

"Well then... let us simply use a bit of logic. The gem has a substance inside it that resembles water. So far, the only thing it has done is to end the rain... rain is water, is it not?"

"Hmmm..." Gabrial held the gem up to the window. "Gem! I command you to make it rain!"

Instantly... all over the city... the sky opened up and released a downpour of divine intensity. It rained so hard that the drops actually stung the skin when they hit. Visibility dropped to zero...

"GEM! I command you to make the rain STOP!"

The rain ceased... snuffed out like a candle flame in a strong wind.

"Oh, this is absolutely USELESS!" Gabrial screamed. "A rain-gem... BAH! What the HELL am I going to do with a RAIN-GEM!!?"

Dravian stifled a smile... as if he had come up with several rather interesting uses for such a gem. He kept them to himself, however.

"It does appear to be little more than toy," said the mage. "Still, the complexity of the magic deserves study... perhaps you would like to donate it to the Mage's Guild?"

"No! It's mine! It may be useless, but it's still mine."

"Very well," said Dravian... obviously disappointed.

A guard knocked on the door.

"WHAT!" Brinks bellowed.

"Visitor, sir. A man with something to report."

"Send him in."

The huge metal door opened, and Deputy Linec walked in. He gaped at all the wonderful treasures in the room... and the enormous diamond that Brinks was holding in his hand.

"Don't just stand there with your mouth open," said Brinks. "You have something to say? SAY IT!"

"Uhh.. OH! December... he was at the sheriff's office this morning, about an hour ago. He spoke with Wylen... your name was mentioned several times."

"In what context?"

"Well..." Linec looked nervous. "I distinctly heard the words 'pirate,' 'murder,' and 'reliable witness,' I think you'd have a better idea of what that means than I would."

Gabrial didn't say anything for almost a minute. He just looked out the window... then:

"I'll need details. Tell Wylen I want to see him. Tell him it's important."

"Uhhh... the Sheriff sort of... disappeared. After December left, Wylen said he was going home to get some sleep. But the guys we had watching his house never saw him."

"The mouse knows he's in a trap," said Brinks. "He'll turn up eventually."

"There's one more thing. I was on my way here when one of the traders from the square gave me something to give to you."
Linec gave Brinks a small bundle wrapped in a piece of black felt cloth. Brinks unwrapped it.

"Where did he get these?" said Brinks.

"Traded for gold coin by two women... two women matching the description of December's companions. They're shopping in the square as we speak."

"Interesting," said Brinks. "Linec... find Wylen before the ball tonight. If you have not located him by sunset, then I suggest you and your family leave town immediately... else you will all be dead by sunrise."

"Yes, sir." Linec scampered from the room.

"Dravian... go wake Thorne. Tell him to get dressed. Tell him..." Gabrial looked down at the diamonds in his hand. "Tell him we are going shopping."

[To Be Continued... ]