[Chain Gang]

Chain, Belladrox, Drinder and Bradley entered the old, abandoned theater through the side entrance. Chain had three men waiting for them inside, clearing out space and preparing for what was to come. The building was two stories, each with two main rooms. The rear room was just an open space surrounded by dressing rooms. The upper floor was a wide, semicircular walkway with closets for equipment and storage. At each end of the walkway was a large, decorative window. Amazingly, the windows still had glass in them despite the age and condition of the place. In the forward room was the stage itself, with a second floor balcony running around the room's entire perimeter. Everything was covered with a thick layer of dust, through which generations of rats had left their tracks.

"Bradley... on the roof," said Chain. The archer disappeared through a side door and the others could hear him ascending a set of rickety stairs. Next, Chain handed Theesa to Drinder. "Put her behind the stage. Tie her down good."

"Heh, heh..." Belladrox chuckled.

"Crossik... you go round up the rest of our locals and bring 'em here."

"And don't forget my JEWELS!" added Belladrox.

"Grims, you watch the door. Belladrox, You come with me." Chain grabbed the large box of books from December's library and lifted it with ease. He walked up to one of the dressing rooms, kicked the door open, and threw the box on to the floor inside. The room had a small chair and a table, both of which looked like they were being held together by dust and spider webs.

"What am I supposed to do in here?"

"The stone has Lovvorn's recent memories. Cross reference it with those books."

"eh?"

"Cross ref-"

"What?"

"Read through the books and see if Lovvorn has any memories of them. Maybe he helped December with whatever he was looking for. If so, I want to know what it is."

Belladrox frowned.

"What about my loot? Those guys-"

"Read The Damned Books." Chain stepped outside and slammed the door. "Cale! Throw me some water!"

One of his mercenaries, a bearded man with a scar down his face, tossed Chain a waterskin.

"I'll be with the prisoner," said Chain as he headed backstage.

[Theesa]

The shock of water on her face snapped Theesa back to consciousness. She was tied to a chair in a dusty room. The ropes were tight and painful, but they didn't hurt as much as the bruise on her face. Theesa didn't recognize the place, but then she didn't expect to. A large man with chains around his waist was standing in front of her.

"Who are you?" she said.

"Who are YOU?" Chain replied.

Theesa looked around. Was there anyone here who could help her?

"Don't bother screaming," said Chain. "Save your breath... and use it to tell me about December."

"Who are you! How Dare you-"

"I'm the man that kidnapped you. And I'm the man that's going to make what remains of your life very unpleasant if you don't tell me what I want to know."

"I'm not telling you anything."

"What does December have besides the Sinterbourne potion? What weapons? What magic?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"He's hiding something. What is it? What was he looking for in Trisk's books?"

"Sooner or later, you're going to realize that I don't know what you're talking about. Until then, I'm just going to sit here and say nothing."

Chain stared at her for a few uncomfortable moments, and then continued with a different line of questions.

"What are you to him? Sister? Lover?"

"We're..." Theesa turned red and looked away.

"Lovers," said Chain. "That's unexpected. No one has mentioned you before, so December seems to have hidden you well... unless this is a new development. Is it?"

"That's none of your concern."

"December IS my concern. I was sent here to find something he has. Instead, I found you. How long have you been in his house? Where does he hide-"

"Will you STOP ASKING ME QUESTIONS!"

Chain grabbed Theesa's throat and squeezed her windpipe shut. She couldn't breathe. Theesa began choking and straining against her bonds.

"You will tell me what I want to know," said Chain. "Or I will remove it from your mind against your will. The first option is much less painful than the second."

Chain gave her neck another squeeze and then released it. Finger-shaped bruises blossomed on her delicate throat.

"Now. We start again."

"I don't... I don't know anything," gasped Theesa. "H-he's just a jeweler. Leave him alone, he's already been through enough in his life. Why are you bothering him?"

"Just a jeweler? Woman, either you are very brave or... you... you don't know, do you?"

"That's what I've been trying to TELL you! I don't know ANYTHING.... PLEASE let me go!"

Chain smiled and shook his head. Finally, he laughed out loud.

"This is all just a big mistake," said Theesa. "You see that now, right?"

"A mistake? Oh, yes... but YOU are the one who has made it. December is no jeweler. At one time or another he has run criminal organizations in almost every major city in the kingdom... and beyond."

"That's not true."

"He's a nomad, sucking cities dry of their wealth and power and leaving their empty husks behind."

"You're wrong. December is a jewel merchant-"

"The jewelry store is just a front. He hides behind a false display of innocence while his employees deal with the scum of the city on a daily basis. He comes in and takes over the existing underground. And if there isn't one then he creates it. Murder. Robbery. Kidnapping. Extortion. Prostitution. Drugs. Anyone that doesn't deal with him ends up dead...or wishing that they were."

Theesa would have laughed if her face didn't already hurt. As it were, she just shook her head and chuckled.

"You doubt me?"

"Of course I do. You don't know him like I do. You don't know what he's been through. What you're saying is impossible."

"Is it, now? And what is it that you know, then?"

Theesa hesitated. The last thing she wanted to do was give away December's secrets. Especially after he had trusted her with them.

"The last thing in the world he would be is a criminal," she said.

"HA! He certainly has you fooled, girl."

"No he hasn't! December has his secrets and his burdens to bear, but deep down he is a kind and gentle man!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Stop laughing!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Stoppit!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"You stop that right now! I don't know where you get this nonsense about him being a criminal but it's all LIES!"

"I must admit... your entertainment value alone is worth keeping you alive! Perhaps I should carry you to the cities he's ruined and you can tell them how kind and gentle he is. They'd love that. Or maybe I'll take you on a tour of the DOZENS of cemeteries he has filled. You can talk to the unquiet ghosts and tell them how kind and gentle their murderer is! Or the royal dungeons! You can talk to all the men he's betrayed-"

"It's Not TRUE! He LOVES me and I love him! And you will NOT talk about him like that!"

"Love? Did you say love? AAAHAHAHAHA!"

"STOP! STOP! STOP! DAMN YOU!" Theesa burst into tears. Chain stood before her and watched her cry.


"You are a weak one, aren't you?" he said. "Weak and easily deceived."

"December wouldn't lie to me."

"He most certainly would. But he probably didn't have to. You probably deceived YOURSELF into thinking him a righteous, upstanding citizen. He'd let you do that... pushing you in he right direction, admitting only a fraction of the truth while never letting a SINGLE falsehood cross his lips. That's how he would do it."

"No-"

"Yes. He'd MAKE you love him if he wanted to. I hear that he's quite the charmer... a woman like you could never resist him. Like a bird looking into a serpent's eyes."

"No, he LOVES me!"

"Well, let's hope so... or my little trap will be in vain. December would never come here after some half-hypnotized wench."

"A trap!" Theesa gasped.

"But don't worry. If he doesn't show, I'll keep you alive for at least a few more days. You can amuse me by telling stories about how kind and gentle December is."

Chain walked away, disappearing through an old curtain that served as one of the walls. But to Theesa it was as if he had never left. His words continued to torment her long after he was gone...

---

[December]

December paused outside his house and looked up at the door. It was open. Someone had been here.

There was a twinge of something that almost reminded him of fear.... He felt his throat squeezing shut... and his very skin became uncomfortable. An empty heaviness blossomed in his chest and slid slowly down into the pit of his stomach. He opened his mouth to call out for Theesa or J'Hasp... but no words came. His heartbeat stepped out of its normal rhythm and thumped wildly for one... two... three beats. Then calmed down as December tightened his grasp on himself.

Something had happened.

Something horrible.

"Theesa..."

His first thought was of the woman. Was she alive? Dead? Or worse... taken? Who had done this? HOW had they done it?

After a moment of painful hesitation, December stepped across the threshold, and paused when he found that the house wasn't completely dark. There was a dim light... flickering like a flame, but with an odd greenish color. It was coming from the main room.

Leaving a wake of sub-freezing air behind him, December hurried into the room and found the source of the strange light. It was J'Hasp. The creature was laying motionless in a corner, tied up in a crackling net of green energy. The 'net' had burned its way into his flesh, and even now, portions of it were still sizzling as they bit deeply into his muscles. J'Hasp lay limp within the painful trap, having ceased his attempts to escape long ago.

December recognized his effect as part of Lovvorn's protective wards on the house. But the wards were designed to specifically ignore J'Hasp... and this particular one was only active on the *outside.*

What had happened here?

"J'Hasp?"

J'Hasp opened one eye and mewled weakly.

Hoping that Lovvorn's magical controls was still active, December made the hand motion that released the wards. The net vanished, and J'Hasp gave a long, weak sigh.

"The woman, J'Hasp... Theesa... where is she?"

J'Hasp tried to speak, but the creature was hurt too badly to do more than hiss and drool.

"Rest and heal," said December. He turned and went upstairs. He took the steps two at a time, but he knew there was no one upstairs even before he reached the first door. The hallway... no, the entire second level of the house felt dead and violated.

"Theesa!"

His bedroom was in shambles. Furniture was overturned and smashed. Huge holes knocked in the walls. Whoever had been here had conduced a thorough, but hurried search. And of course, Theesa wasn't there. When he saw the empty room, December just nodded. No bodies or blood... but no Theesa, either. December went from room to room, his movements becoming more frantic as he left each chamber of his violated house. They were all the same... empty. December ran downstairs.

J'Hasp had crawled into a corner. He was shivering from the pain, but his wounds already looked better.

"WHO DID THIS!" howled December.

"Who the hell do you THINK did this?" said a voice from outside.

[Zade]

Zade stood in the doorway and surveyed the damage. 'Ransacked' wasn't quite strong enough to describe what had happened to December's house. And 'Angry' was nowhere near what she saw in December himself. The man was almost frantic with rage... and the temperature reflected it. The only reason Zade hadn't stepped INTO the house was because she was certain that she couldn't survive the waves of bitter cold that were pouring off of her employer.

December turned to her. His eyes were glowing bright blue... something she had never seen before. Zade looked back at him with an almost equal measure of hatred in her own eyes.

"They took her," said December. He was grinding his teeth, and his fists were clenched so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms. "HE took her."

"That ain't all he took. Your store is toast."

"YOU THINK I CARE ABOUT THAT! HE TOOK JESSICA!"

"Who?"

"FIND HIM! I will kill him with MY OWN TWO HANDS!!!"

"You'll be waiting in LINE for that one..." said Zade. She was intentionally keeping herself calm... forcing herself to think. She had never seen December this enraged. If he didn't stop he would destroy his own house... there was already a thick layer of frost gathering on the walls and what remained of the furniture. She had to calm December down...

"You know about Lovvorn and the Night's Bloom?"

"They are irrelevant."

"J'Hasp looks like he's out of commission for a while. N'Doki is missing. And so is Eric Hood. Maybe you should go find them while I track down Cha-"

"Perhaps you are not CLEAR on what has transpired here!" December bellowed. He walked towards Zade, and she was forced to back away. "He has my-"

"What? Your what? Who is she? What is she to you?"

December's eyes pulsed wildly.

"You... are wasting my time."

A movement in a corner of the room caught Zade's attention. It was J'Hasp... looking slightly better but still nowhere near fighting condition. The creature crawled toward December.

Zade wondered how the creature could withstand the cold, but then something that spent so much time in proximity to December would have to have some kind of natural immunity.

December turned and knelt down. J'Hasp whispered something in his ear, then the crimelord stood.

"What?" said Zade.

"I know where he is. I know where he is keeping Theesa."

"And how did J'HASP know!?! It's a TRAP! Can't you SEE that?"

"Yes," said December.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I am going to kill them all."

Zade stepped aside as December passed. He walked out into the street and headed east. Zade watched him go. Then she closed the door to his house and walked after him. She hoped that December had something planned... but it would be fine with her even if he didn't. They were going to find Chain... the man who had violated her. Plan or no plan... with or without December... Chain was going to die.

As she vanished into the night behind December, a single, stray thought crossed her mind, like the brief flash of a firefly against the dark background of rage...

"I wonder what the hell happened to Eric Hood...?"

---

[Randin]

Randin and four other thieves lugged their bags of loot into the abandoned house. The bags were small, but each one was filled to the brim with jewelry, loose gemstones, and gem-studded objects of every conceivable size and shape.

It had been quite a haul.

And it was about to be an even BIGGER haul. Chain wanted them to watch the loot while he and the others took care of December's house. Randin and his friends happily agreed and, as soon as they locked the doors, they decided that the best way to 'watch' the goods was to transfer the more valuable pieces from the other's bags into their own. Having done that, they sat around an old oil lamp and waited.

"There's still some stuff left in that store," said Stail... a bearded, foul-smelling lout with a penchant for picking pockets. "I say we empty some a' these bags and go fill 'em up again!"

"Nuh-uh," said Rackham, Stail's brother and an accomplished burglar in his own right. "We was pushin' our luck already. Chain coulda got us killed with that stunt."

"And he still might," said Randin. "Nobody steals from Frosty and gets away with it."

"Oh yeah?" Neil was a short cut-throat with a glass eye and permanent sneer. "Looks to me like we just did. No big deal."

"Hey, do you gentlemen realize something?" Porter was the final member of the group. He was a clean-looking, dapper gentleman who... previous to December's arrival in Montfort... preferred to acquire his money by conning it away from unsuspecting suckers. The normally talkative man had been unusually quiet following the robbing of December's store.

"What's that?" said Stail

"Do you realize we're the only ones left?"

"Only what left?"

"Wait... he's right," said Randin. "The men Chain gathered on that first night. The Montfort-natives. We're all that's left... the rest are dead."

"What about Belladrox and Bradley?"

"An aberration," said Porter.

"A what?"

"Belladrox is still valuable because of his magic. Bradley is just lucky."

"What... and we AIN'T lucky?" Stail pointed to the stack of loot.

"Do you feel lucky?" said Porter. "I don't. This whole thing stinks... Chain brought five of his own mercenaries into town with him-"

"Four," corrected Randin.

"No... it was five."

"I only saw four."

"You miscounted-counted. But what matters is this: how many of THEM are dead?"

"Not a one."

"Right," Porter nodded. "Just the Montfort people. Just us. I mean, look what happened... Barker and Kayle got blown up. Alp, Gith, and Selton got sliced to pieces by that maniac Hood-"

"-And Zeth, too. Someone got him in the alley."

"And that Zade woman... she went through the Kinison brothers and their men like crap through a goose."

"What about Soco? She didn't kill HIM."

"Died at the healers," said Porter. "I checked."

"And those guys we lost at the cemetery."

"And gentleman," said Porter. "Let's not forget about the people who just plain disappeared trying to follow December around."

"Riiiight..."

"So what's your point, Porter?"

"My point is, I'm a con-man and I recognize a con when I see one... and I think I'm seeing one now."

"Nooo... Chain's been straight with us."

"Has he? Who's bankrolling this little mission?"

"We get paid with the loot we just stole from December..."

"Fair enough... but what about Chain. He didn't take anything for himself... so where's HIS money coming from?"

"Uhhhh...."

"... well he ain't gettin' any of mine, that's for sure..."

"And where did all that MAGIC come from that he used to take down the necromancer? Who in Montfort would have that kind of power and not already work for December?"

"Amberghylles?"

"Maybe. But we don't know for sure, do we? That's the point... who are Chain and his men working for? Who are WE really working for?"

"Don't matter now," said Rackham. "We just got paid in full!"

"Oh, it matters. Let me tell you how..."

The men all looked over at Porter. They had clearly grown tired of his yammering, but they all knew that he was much smarter than they were... so they listened.

"Why did we all show up that first night to meet Chain?"

"Word was he wanted to do somethin' about December."

"And why did YOU care about that? I cared because that bastard Hood threatened to string me up by my entrails if I didn't pay him a percentage of my weekly take. I don't particularly NEED a partner... especially one with such a high overhead, if you understand what I'm saying..."

"Same here," said Neil. The others nodded.

"So, it was either swear allegiance to December, leave town, or turn up dead. Most chose one of the first two options... which meant they were no longer a problem for December. But US... the criminals that were left over... WE still had to be dealt with. Then... in walks Chain with an offer we can't refuse."

"...gods..." mumbled Randin as the realization dawned on him.

"No, no, no," said Rackham. "Why would December attack his own people?"

"Why WOULDN'T he? And even if December isn't behind this... maybe it's somebody else. We're rogue criminals... PLENTY of people would want us out of the way. Could even be the Tower Guard-"

"No WAY! They don't work like that-"

"But the fact remains that ONLY Montfort people have died in this thing! We're the last ones left... so if the pattern holds-"

"We're next." said Randin.

"YOU guys are next," said Porter. He stood and headed for the door. "I'm leaving."

"What about your LOOT!"

Porter reached in his vest pocked and pulled out a small bag.

"A few diamonds. Small jewels. A nice ring. Easily pawned and unidentifiable. You thugs can keep all that fancy stuff if you want, but this here is all I need." He put the bag back in his pocket. "If you're smart, you'll leave with me. It'll be safer to stay together at least until the edge of town."

"He's got a point..." said Stail. "This whole thing was crazy from the beginning."

"I think we've given Chain all the help he needs," said Neil. "I'm getting' outta here, too."

"Me too."

Porter watched them sort through the large sacks of loot once again, searching out the smaller, more easily managed pieces. Meanwhile, Randin got up and walked over to the window. He looked outside.

"See anything?" said Stail.

"Nothing."

"Hurry it up, guys." said Porter.

"I think you're wrong," said Rackham. "But I ain't takin' any chances."

"Hey guys," said Randin. "I think I see something..."

"What?"

"Nothing... nothing... he's gone."

"He?" Stail got up and went to another window. "Who was it?"

"Some guy... I think."

"Hey, Porter, check the back window. Porter?"

The only sign of Porter were the sounds of back door slowly closing and rapid footsteps disappearing into the distance.

"Coward. So much for sticking together..."

"Hmmph."

"It was nothing," said Randin. But neither he nor Stail stepped away from either window. "Nothing at all."

Suddenly, the back door slammed shut.

"What the Hell!" Randin reached for his sword while everyone else in the room froze. Just across from him, Stail turned to the two thieves in the main room. No one had a clear view of the back door, even though it was just around the corner. There was an unused bedroom in the rear of the house, which was probably where their 'guest' had gone.

"Probably just Porter comin' back in." whispered Neil.

"Oh yeah," said Randin. "Then where IS he? And why are you whispering?"

"Go check on it," ordered Stail. Neil and Rackham both unsheathed their rusty daggers and tip-toed to the back of the house. They carried the oil lamp with them... which left Randin and Stail in pitch darkness.

Randin heard Stail's window creak as he leaned on it.

"We need another light up here," whispered Randin. "I can't see a damn thing. You?"

"hmm-mmm."

"You find anything back there, guys?"

"Nothing!" shouted Rackham.

"Well come on back; it's dark. We need ta find another lamp from somewhere."

Rackham returned, and with them the dim light from the oil lamp illuminated the room.

Stail was leaning out of the window, with the entire upper half of his body hanging out in the night air. He looked like he was ridding himself of an unusually pleasant meal.

"What do you see out there?" said Randin "Anything?"

Stail was silent.

"Hey Stail.. Stail? Stail?"

Randin gave his comrade a less-than-gentle shove, and Stail's body fell back into the room.

"WHAT THE-!"

"GOOD GODS!"

"I'm gonna be sick... I'm gonna be sick... I'm gonna be sick..."

Stail's face had been neatly cut away from his skull, leaving a red mask of muscle and gristle. His eyes were wide open... looking out into nothing.

"What did you do to STAIL!" shouted Neil.

"What? ME!?!"

"...I'm gonna be sick... I'm gonna be sick..."

"YOU were the only one up here with him!"

"It wasn't ME! He was leaning OUTSIDE!"

"Yeah, right! You killed him for his LOOT! You're gonna do the same to ALL of us!"

"...I'm gonna be sick... I'm gonna be sick..."

"How could I KILL him when I couldn't see a DAMN thing! YOU GUYS had the only LIGHT!"

"...I'm gonna be sick..."

"Well BE SICK already, Rackham and SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Rackham stumbled back into the rear of the house and was violently... and loudly... ill. Meanwhile, Randin and Neil stared each other down.

"It wasn't me," said Randin.

"Uh-huh. Well WHO was it, then?"

"...urk..."

"There were FIVE of us here, remember?"

"What? PORTER!?!!"

"He's the only one that isn't here."

"...urrrrrrrkk...."

"That little weasel couldn'ta done that. He's a con-man, not a... butcher."

"And neither am I."

"You're a lot closer ta bein' one than Porter."

"...ohhhhh.... urk!..."

"Well what about YOU, Neil? How do I know YOU didn't sneak out the back door, come around the front, and YANK poor Stail out the damn window!"

"Don't be absurd! I was with Rackham in the back room."

"Maybe you BOTH did it."

"...urrrrrr...hey....AAACKK...K...K...K...K..."

"Dammit I said SHUT UP, Rackham!"

Rackham went silent. Then the back door slammed once again.

"Rackham? Rack, where'd you go?"

"Maybe he went outside..."

"Or maybe somebody came in. Rack? Rack is anybody back there with ya?"

"He doesn't have any light."

"Rack?"

"Let's go take a look. BOTH of us."

Neil grabbed the lamp and they both went into the rear bedroom.

Rackham was there, lying in a pool of his own blood and vomit. His throat had been cut, and his tongue had been pulled through the hole... making it into a grotesque second mouth.

"...gods..." mumbled Neil. He knelt down and closed his friend's eyes. "They didn't have to mutilate 'im like that."

"Now you KNOW that wasn't me," said Randin. "Someone's in here."

"Someone WAS in here... we heard 'em leave."

"No we didn't . We heard the door shut... there's no proof that anyone went OUT of it..."

"If they were here, we'd see 'em, right?"

"I still think it's Porter."

There was a long, creak from the front of the house. It was just like the sound Randin heard when Stail leaned out the window...

...the window Randin never did close.

"GET 'IM!" shouted Neil. Carrying the lamp in one hand and his dagger in the other, the thief charged into the main room. Randin was only three steps behind him, but that was far enough. When he rounded the corner, all he saw was two shadows racing toward each other. They collided, and the oil lamp flew out of Neil's hand. The wick went out before it even hit the floor.

Everything was in total darkness.

Randin readied his sword, but didn't move.

"NEIL!" he shouted. Randin heard the unmistakable sound of two men fighting on the other side of the room. "Get Him, Neil! GET HIM!"

The intensity grew. There were grunts and yelps of pain... footsteps... someone being slammed against the wall. More grunts.... and then... silence.

"Neil?"

Randin's mind raced... who won the fight?

"Neil? Answer me, Neil..."

Randin heard someone moving towards him. Fast.

He swung his blade in a wide arm, and felt the resistance as it sliced into something.

"ARRRGGGH!"

Moving on instinct, Randin spun and drove the point of the sword deep into whoever it was. The man fell, taking Randin's sword with him. Trying to pull his blade free, Randin lost his balance and fell onto his back.

"OOOF!"

He was about to roll over and jump to his feet, but he felt his hand brush up against something. Something hot... the lamp!

Randin got the flint out of his pocket and re-lit the oil lamp. Then he turned to see who it was he had just killed.

It was Neil.

Randin's blade had sliced his abdomen completely open, and his thrust had pierced his left kidney.

Neil was coughing up blood, but he didn't seem to have any other wounds on him.

And there was no on else in the room.

"Neil!" Randin got down on one knee. "Neil, I'm SORRY! I didn't know it was YOU! Why didn't you SAY anything!"

Neil opened his mouth. Despite the blood pooling there... Randin could easily see that Neil's tongue was missing. It had been cut out.

"NEIL!"

"...a...hnnn...uuuu...."

"I didn't mean it.... but... but I guess that's more loot for me!"

Randin grabbed the closest bag of stolen jewels and turned to run for the door. He nearly ran head-first into the man who was standing behind him.

"YOU!" shouted Randin as he looked into the man's face. "Oh gods... oh gods, NOOOO!"

For more than a block away, families were awakened in the night by the horrifying screams of a man dying very, very slowly...

---

[Theesa]

December... a criminal. A murderer. She knew it wasn't true. It COULDN'T be true. But why did Chain's accusations hurt so much? If they were false.... If.... Didn't he try to kill her once? More than once? Theesa thought back to that first chaotic day in Montfort. What was it that December had said? She couldn't remember his exact words.... but he thought she as a spy of some kind. A spy. Someone who was sent to unearth his secrets. Then he tried to kill her. Twice. What secret was worth killing an injured woman? The secrets of a murderer. The secrets of a criminal. But how... HOW could December be what Chain had said? It was impossible. Wasn't it?

Wasn't it?

This was all a misunderstanding... it HAD to be. But the more Theesa denied it, the more her mind worked to prove her heart wrong. She was deluged her with images... flashes... the strange man at the door. Who was that? Zade... the way she looked... how could she NOT be a criminal? Lovvorn... if he was simply a jeweler's assistant, why did she see a violent death in Lovvorn's future? Why was December so secretive?

Theesa tried to stop it, but her mind went on and on. Every point she raised in December's defense was quickly shot down. He loved her... but did he? He hadn't killed her... but only because she looked like his dead wife. Did he really love her or was it what she represented? Jessica. Maybe he was still in love with her... or maybe he was incapable of loving anyone at all. Hadn't she FELT that in her last vision? December Chyrnomir had died seconds after his wife. THAT man was no more. She knew that... she had seen it. So who was this man now?

As Theesa wrestled with her own thoughts, she twisted and strained at the ropes. Her fingers ran across something cold and metallic. A ring. December's ring... not wanting to loose it, she slipped it onto her thumb when the men broke into the house. She still had it. And the vision it contained was still incomplete. It probably wouldn't reveal the truth of Chain's accusations... but then again...

---

[Chain]

Chain walked past the dressing rooms, and paused outside the one Belladrox was using. He listened to the disgruntled mage grumbling and throwing books from one corner of the room to another, then he continued on his way.

Cale was sitting just outside the door leading to the stairs, while Drindel and Grims stood patiently by the upstairs windows keeping an eye on the street below.

"Anything yet?" said Chain.

Drinder shook his head. Chain turned to Cale.

"Go check on our archer. Stay up there with him."

Cale stood, stretched, and vanished up the stairs to the roof.

In the corner of the first floor was a pile of crates and assorted refuse. Behind this was a door. Kicking the garbage out of the way, Chain cleared a space large enough to walk through. Then he entered the dark room and closed the door behind him.

The room held one chair, and the chair's occupant sat with his back to the door. The man neither moved nor spoke when Chain entered. He simply sat... back erect and with his hands curled into fists, one resting lightly on each leg. None of his clothing or features were distinguishable in the darkness, but he did give the appearance of large, broad-shouldered man.

"Get yourself ready. He could be here at any time."

The figure nodded slowly, like a man in some kind of hypnotic trance.

"It's been a while... you need a refresher?" asked Chain.

The figure nodded again.

"Gimme the stone." Chain reached out.

The figure lifted his left fist and extended it straight out to one side. He opened his fist slowly, and a small stone dropped into the palm of Chain's hand. The stone was gray, with a flat spot on one side.

It was identical to the memory stone Belladrox had used on Lovvorn.

Chain closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then placed the stone against his own forehead.

---

[Theesa]

As the image assembled itself in her mind, Theesa braced herself for the emotional shock that came with it. The first thing she felt was cold. Even before she could see December or tell what he was doing... she felt the deep, biting cold that radiated from him. Entering his thoughts was like stepping out into a frozen wasteland. It was a frigid, empty place, with no landmarks to help her find her way. No stray emotions... no flashes of hope... no glimpses of the soul that used to dwell there. Nothing. Nothing but the icy winds that clawed at her soul, and the throbbing vein of red-hot hatred that flowed just beneath the surface.

December was walking across town, oblivious to everyone and everything around him. Theesa watched through his eyes as the town rolled past. He was retracing his steps from earlier... going into the bleeding, criminal heart of the city. Going to find the King brothers.

The thieves and cut-throats were out in full force. As were the prostitutes. Most gave December a wary glance as he passed. December never even noticed them. He kept walking... block after block... leaving a stream of sub-freezing air in his wake. And the air grew colder with each step.

"Hey!" shouted someone. "Hey... HEY YOU!" A filthy man wearing rags and carrying a sword jogged up to December and began to scrutinize him. He looked December up and down, but December walked past him without acknowledging his existence. The man drew his sword. The blade bore large patches of rust. "Hey freak! The King boys was looking for you earlier... maybe they give me a reward if I bring you-"

December stopped.

"Where are the King brothers." His words hung like razor-sharp icicles in the air.

"Heh, heh, heh. You come wit me, eh?"

Moving faster than even Theesa expected, December reached out and grabbed the man by the throat. He lifted him up... the man's feet kicked fitfully in the air.

"Where. Are. They."

"The... the Hole... two blocks that way...." The man pointed.

December looked into the man's eyes... and something happened. Something small... a tiny, infinitesimal piece of the rage within him burst to the surface. It mingled with the icy nothingness that surrounded it, and then...

"AAAACCK!!" The man made a choking sound... and then went silent. His skin turned deathly pale. Theesa gasped when she saw the man's eyes glass over, and then freeze solid in their sockets.

Theesa wanted to scream for December to stop, but of course she could not. She was just a voiceless bystander to events long past.

In an instant the man was dead. December released him, and the man's body fell to the ground. It shattered when it hit... Frozen, brittle limbs snapped off like pieces of a glass statue.

And December felt nothing.

No remorse. No pity. Shame... fear...regret... Nothing.

He turned and continued in the direction that the man had pointed.

Theesa felt her own soul grow numb as she tried to contain her nausea. December... the man she loved... had just killed a man. And he didn't care.

Two blocks away was a small circle of supposedly abandoned buildings. Lights burned in some of the windows. Men and women peered out of the darkness at the pale-skinned, white-haired man that stepped into their lair. In the center of the group of buildings was an empty lot. A Hole. And there were men waiting there.

Six of them got up from the piles of rubbish they had been sitting on and walked towards December. One of them was Scar... who now wore fresh wounds on his face. Fist was there as well... the huge hulk of a man limped behind the others.

And in the very front there was Lonnik King.

December saw him and stopped walking. Theesa felt the hatred rumbling within him. The frozen void within him rattled and shook as if atop the shoulders of some giant. The anger grew hotter... the pressure began to build. Eruption was imminent. It was coming.... it was coming...

"Well, well, well," said Lonnik as he walked towards December. He drew his sword and held it in front of him. "What have we here? I do believe it's our friend the FREAK!"

The other men chuckled. One drew a crossbow and began loading it.

"You killed her," said December.

"Eh? What's that, now? Oh, I've killed a LOT of people."

"You. Killed Jessica." There was a faint tremble in December's voice. His eyes became increasingly narrow as he looked at Lonnik. He was fighting to keep control. He was loosing.

"What? The wench? No, no, freak. YOU killed her." Lonnik pointed a finger at December

"You..."

"You killed the old man, too. All you had to do was leave well enough alone."

"...killed..."

Lonnik stood just a few feet from December. Just out of arm's reach. His brothers and their men formed a circle around the two of them.

"...my wife."

"So now what are you going to do, freak?"

December looked into Lonnik's eyes. Lonnik looked back.

"Get 'im, Lonnik!" shouted one of the men.

"Yeah!"

Lonnik smiled.

"Come get me, freak."

December took one step forward, and a tiny knot of anger burst free. Lonnik drew back to swing his sword. December frowned, and the man dropped the blade.

"AAAAH!!"

"Lonnik, what are you DOING!" shouted Scar. "Pick up yer sword!"

"S...s'cold! I c-can't m-m-"

Lonnik shivered as his skin turned blue. The rest of the men backed away as a wave of intense cold washed over them.

Lonnik started to fall to his knees, but December caught him. He grabbed Lonnik by the jaw...

*crick*

...which promptly snapped off in December's hand.

"NOOO!!!"

Lonnik hit the ground. He was still alive, but with a face that ended just below his nose, he was unable to scream. His eyes widened for an instant before shock and fear erased his mind.

"SHOOT THAT BASTARD!" Fist snatched the crossbow from its wielder and pointed it at December. December turned towards him. Fist fired.

The bolt struck December in he shoulder. He flinched, but remained standing. He was too angry to even feel the pain. Blue blood flowed down the front of his shirt as he stepped toward Fist.

"GET HIM!" shouted Scar!

All around him, the men began to mumble...

"... his blood's blue..."

"... what IS he..."

"... did you see what he did to Lonnik..."

"If he can BLEED, we can KILL 'im!" Scar yelled. He drew his own weapon and ran forward. He had only take two step before he encountered a cold so deep and fierce that it was like a solid wall. It sapped the strength from his muscles just as it had done to Lonnik. It was all he could to do back away to safety. Two of the men turned and ran.

"Run," said December. "Run as far as you can... as fast as you can."

Another man ran. Fist and Scar were the only ones left. Fist was desperately trying to reload the crossbow, but the biting cold had numbed his fingers.

"All of you," said December. "This city. This place...."

Scar and Fist backed away... and finally they turned and ran as well.

But December never moved.

"There is no place you can hide!" December yelled. "No place you can be safe! YOU HEAR MEEE!"

December spread his arms and lifted his face to the sky. The seething anger inside him rumbled and cracked the icy surface. Rage poured forth like hot lava, and the air itself grew thick and heavy around him.

"You CANNOT ESCAPE ME!!! NONE OF YOU!!! No matter WHERE YOU ARE! Or HOW FAST you RUN! There is NO safe place for you! Because EVERY place has a WINTER...

The hatred flowed like an ocean tide gone mad. December fell to his knees, but still he shouted...

"And WINTER always comes! DO YOU HEAR ME!!!"

December raised his hands above him and clasped them together in a double fist.

"WINTER!!! ALWAYS!!! COMES!!!"

He brought his fists down with all his strength, pounding them into the ground before him. And at that moment... the dam burst. The elemental fury sprang forth with more power than any mortal could ever hope to control...

There was a sound like thunder as wave after wave of power blasted away from December in all directions. One after another, rings of unnatural cold sliced into the ground...the air... the buildings... the people... They expanded in every-growing spheres, with each one colder than the one before it. In seconds, the ground had grown rock-hard beneath December's kneeling form.

Deep beneath the city, an underground river froze solid... sending jets of water and columns of ice exploding up through wells for miles around. Above him... bats, owls and insects fell from the air in a surreal hailstorm of icy death. The inhabitants of the buildings around him died instantly... frozen in place like eerie statues. A second later, the buildings themselves succumbed to their own weight and collapsed as their suddenly-brittle structures gave way.

But December's rage did not stop there. His cold vengeance went onward... moving like a scythe through the very heart of the city. It was unstoppable... radiating outward and obliterating everything it touched. The strongest of men were helpless before it, and the sturdiest buildings crackled and fell apart like houses of cards.

The remaining King brothers died instantly... their screams of fear caught in their icy throats. Fist's bulky form shattered before he even knew he was dying. Scar turned toward his brother, but the petrifying wave of cold yanked the heat from his body like a chilling, grim reaper hunting for souls.

On and one it went... One block away, scantily clad prostitutes froze solid alongside their patrons. Two blocks away, a gang of petty thieves saw their own bodies fly apart as the cold solidified the blood in their veins. Three blocks... patrons of an illegal casino felt the sudden bite, and then had just enough time to panic before the heat was violently snatched from their bodies.

And the innocent were not spared... mothers died with their children frozen to their breasts. Men of virtue froze alongside men of vice. None were spared. None were saved. All died before the frozen vengeance... At four blocks, the power abated... but still, any who stood in its path were stricken with a frost so cold that it burned their skin like fire. Many lost fingers... toes.... ears.... At the very edge of town, husbands and wives shivered and held each other tightly to shut out the sudden chill in the air.

And still, the rage would not die. The wave of cold wrung the moisture from the very air. The sky thundered in futile protest as snow and ice poured down from the clouds... an unseasonable blizzard that coating everything for several blocks in a thick carpet of white more than a foot thick.

And just as quickly as the fury came, it died. Snow continued to fall over a seven-block area, but the waves of bitter cold that had spawned it were gone. What it left behind was nothing short of a frozen wasteland. Men and women stood like statues... their rigid features slowly vanishing as the snow covered them. Buildings lay in tumbled, frozen ruins alongside the frozen streets of ice. An eerie stillness... like the depths of an ancient tomb... settled over the heart of the city. No voices cried out in awe or fear. No one screamed to the gods, or called out for help. Nothing broke the silence save for the howling of the wind and the cracking of the ice. And above it all, the full moon peered down like the eye of some long-dead wraith.

Somewhere in the heart of this blasted ruin, a single man began to stir. December lifted himself from the snow-covered ground. His clothing crackled and fell away from him as he moved, but he did not care. He rose slowly to his knees and surveyed the wasteland around him with cold, emotionless eyes. He beheld the death and destruction... and felt nothing. His soul was a dark, frozen crater... with not even his hatred left to fill it. All that remained of his former rage was a few sparse, dying embers. His fury was spent, and now there was only darkness. And cold.

December rose. He took a few shallow breaths, and felt a twinge of pain with each one. The wound in his shoulder still wept blue blood, but the crossbow-bolt had long since broken free. Ignoring the wound and the pain, December walked away. With each step, he grew more and more numb... more empty... and the vision in Theesa's mind grew weaker. It had been sustained by the power of his feelings, and now that the last of his hatred was dying, the vision died as well. Her link into December's mind vanished. Then the sensations... the cold... the wind... diminished until they, too were gone. The images became blurry and indistinct. The last thing Theesa saw before they vanished entirely was December stopping and looking up into the sky. It was as if he had seen something hovering in the air above him. He opened his mouth to speak...

And it was gone.

Theesa opened her eyes, and found that she was crying. Now she knew. Now she knew that the man she loved was a monster. And no matter how hard she tried, she could not stop the tears.

---

[Belladrox]

"Damn books..." Belladrox threw yet another thick tome across the room. It hit the wall and fell to the floor, kicking up two large clouds of dust in the process. There, it joined five other books that had already had their chance at flight.

Belladrox was fuming... almost literally. He didn't like books. And he hadn't been surrounded by this many of them since before he left the mage's academy.... taking a good share of their money with him. Reading was a pastime Belladrox associated with dainty women and spineless intellectuals. A battle-mage like himself had no use for it, and he would have liked nothing better than setting the two stacks of books aflame and forgetting the entire task. Only his fear of Chain prevented him from doing so. Instead, he picked up the next book and placed it on the table in front of him. He read the title, which was simple one word:

"Artifacts."

Belladrox flipped through some of the pages just to get a feel for what the book contained. Like the others, it was a catalogue of ancient magical items, listing hundreds of amulets, shields, enchanted armor, helmets, boots, gloves almost every type of druid-stone. Most of the descriptions were accompanied some type of drawing.

"Okay," Belladrox placed the memory stone against his forehead. The stone contained over a year of Lovvorn's memories, and as Belladrox opened his mind, all of them rushed forward and arranged themselves before him like the pages of the catalogue. As he had done a half-dozen times before, he scanned the images looking for any reference to the particular book. Due to Lovvorn's tendency to spend most of his time drunk, the mage's memories were fuzzy and chaotic at best. Trying to find Lovvorn's spells had been hard enough. Now, it was all Belladrox could do to keep his own mind focused on the target while he sifted through hundreds of nights of overindulgence. Weeks and months flew past his eyes like the ticking of a clock. Every once in a while, a memory would stand out with unusual clarity, but these rare moments of sobriety were mostly insignificant, so Belladrox ignored them. In the most recent memories, he found lots of fantasies about Zade. He also found some humorous moments where Lovvorn had nearly set himself on fire trying to learn some new spells. None of those spells involved the target book, so Belladrox moved on.

At first, Belladrox thought he was going to draw a blank yet again. But then he found something. It was recent... just a few months back during the time December took on Damion vonSinterbourne. It was a very brief conversation between December and Lovvorn. December had been looking at the book, and Lovvorn glanced into it while they spoke. They were talking about some kind of potion and how it mimicked the effect of something called a Siege. Whatever that was. The book had been turned to a page showing a wicked-looking longsword with a black blade.

Belladrox replayed the memory several times before he removed the stone from his forehead. When his head finished buzzing, he flipped through the book looking for the pages from Lovvorn's memory. They weren't there. The pages concerning the Siege had been neatly cut away.

"Bingo."

Belladrox smiled. Then he stood, stretched, and walked out into the hall.

[Chain]

Chain closed the door behind him as he left the dark room. He saw that Belladrox was out looking for him.

"Did you find something?" said Chain.

"Yeah. What's a Siege?"

"Is that what was in the books?"

"No, that's what WASN'T in the books. Some pages missing, but Lovvorn remembers seeing them there."

"December doesn't have the Siege... it belongs to someone else."

"So?"

"So keep looking."

"OH COME ON!!!"

"Crossik's back." said one of the men. A few seconds later, the mercenary Chain had sent to fetch the others came through the door. Alone.

"Where are they?" said Chain.

"Dead."

"DEAD!" yelled Belladrox.

"How?" said Chain. "Frozen?"

"Butchered. No.... 'slaughtered' would be more like it. Slaughtered like cattle, only worse."

"What about the loot?"

"Just sitting around where they left it."

"And you didn't bring it WITH you!" protested Belladrox. "What kind of-"

"HEY!" Cale burst into the room. He had been on the roof with Bradley. "We spotted someone."

"December?"

"Hard to tell. Just a shadow... he ducked behind a building just down the road. Didn't come back into sight."

"It's him," said Chain. "Are all the other doors sealed?"

"This here is the only way in," replied Drindel.

"Good. Cale... back on the roof. Tell that archer to take out anyone stupid enough to step out into the open, As long as it isn't December. Everyone else, find yourself a door or window and guard it. If December is bringing any leftovers from his organization, I don't want to see or hear 'em. Kill 'em right here, but let December through to the stage. I'm taking care of him personally."

[Belladrox]

"You think you can take December on all by yourself?" said Belladrox.

"You think I can't?" said Chain.

The two men exchanged glares for a second.

"Can I have your chain after you're frozen?" said Belladrox.

"Trust me... you don't want it. Just try not to burn the building down with your spells."

Chain walked back into the theater's backstage area.

"Is anyone here besides me not comfortable with this plan?" said Belladrox. No one was paying any attention to him. "I'm going to fetch my loot..."

"You'll stay right here," grunted Drindel.

"Oh, like YOU could stop me."

No one responded to his challenge.. Everyone was peering out of the windows, watching and waiting.

"Hmph. Wouldn't miss this show for the world anyway. But I think I'd like a balcony seat for the ice capades..."

Belladrox took a set of steps up to the theater's balcony.

"Winter's comin' early this year, gentlemen," he yelled just before he rounded the corner. "Winter's comin' early..."

[To Be Continued]