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fell on Thad and his bleeding hand her face quickly softened.
    “We had a guest,” Thad replied, clutching his hand in an attempt to stanch the blood that poured freely from his gaping wound.
    Thinking of his other friends Thad rushed from the room, his blood dripping onto the floor as he ran. The sound of the door being thrown open roused even Crusher who jumped up, hand reaching for his nearby axe. Seeing that it was Thad who had barged into his room, the dwarf’s face turned to one of pure irritation. “Boy, ya trying ta give me heart attack?”
    Thad didn’t have a response for Crusher, he simply slumped down to the ground as the tension fled his body. Lifting up his hand Thad inspected his wound as he began to get light-headed. The dagger had not only dug deep into his palm it had also cut a deep line into Thad’s wrist. He was amazed at the sheer amount of blood that could flow from a wound. It almost looked like a tiny river had spouted from his wrist.
    Thad could hear the sound of his friend’s voices but they sounded as if they were coming from far away. Thad turned his head and looked around but his vision was filled with multicolored dots. Thad tried to stand but his legs had lost all strength and he was dumped onto his face.
    Suddenly Thad felt cold, as if all the warmth in his body had been stolen. He tried to push his hands underneath him so he could sit up but his body only weakly responded. Thad could feel the darkness encroaching upon him. He fought to keep his eyes open, but it was a futile struggle. With each passing moment they felt heavier and within moments he was carried off into darkness.

CHAPTER III
    Thad shivered slightly as he opened his eyes. As his mind brought everything into focus, Thad found himself in a large room that was richly decorated. He knew he had seen the place before but in his current condition he could not remember where.
    “Looks like our young master is finally coming around,” Thad heard a faint voice say from off in the distance. Thad slowly turned his head, even that slight movement made him feel as if he were spinning. The captain of the Rose Runner was dressed in her normal finery, her face showing an unnatural worried look. “You’re lucky that you can still draw breath. Don’t get in too much of a hurry lad. You lost a lot of blood, boy.” The young captain squatted down and patted him softly on the cheek, “No reason to push it.”
    Thad didn’t argue, in truth he didn’t have the strength in him to make much of a noise. Trying to grab a blade barehanded will do that to you. The snarky remark made Thad remember the wound to his hand, and suddenly the pain that had been there hidden behind his own instability hit with full force. You’re lucky I was in your hand. I was able to stop the worst of your bleeding. Next time do me a favor and use your brain to set up some protection beforehand.
    Thad groaned, the last thing he wanted to hear was his staff’s snide remarks, even if they were true. Most the time he set up some form of protection for their rooms. He had been so engrossed the night before watching as Crusher was pulled around, that it had skipped his mind. Thad had to admit that it had been a mistake. Nearly a fatal one, his staff added as an afterthought.
    Thad let everything around him fade away. He was unsure of how long he had slept but he was still very tired. This time he did not fight the darkness that threatened to overtake him, he simply embraced it.
    Maria stood in the moonlight looking at the Farlan Palace from a large hill that overlooked the capital. Her red hair was still cut short and seemed to glow lightly in the moonlight. Thad was struck by the pure beauty that radiated from Maria. He had seen her hundreds of times in his dreams but this was the first time he took an earnest look at how much she had truly changed. Then it hit him, it was the first time he had seen her in a dress during his dream visits. She had always worn armor