[coronatiger]

28th of Mitra’s Second Month, year 412

O Ashtar, Mother of Snakes, Keeper of Death’s Door, hear my confession!

I woke while it was still dark. The animals in the village were restless. I slipped my knife belt around my waist and put on my cloak, meeting Xipil, Lunari and Grogg in the orchard. I suggested that we take a look around the village to see what was going on.

We soon spotted a flock of hens in the street, heading north, out of the village. Grogg told us he smelled something strange and asked if he should get his club. The poultry were not the only animals on the move; sheep and goats were also walking off, with frantic villagers trying to gather them up. When Grogg returned, he said that Kraa was reacting to something. We decided to follow some hens that the villagers had failed to round up, sending Kraa ahead of us. I sent Xipil forward as well, reasoning that someone with the capability of communicating what they saw would be more valuable as scouts. Grogg glared at me.

We followed the poultry for about an hour, and Lunari commented that he thought someone was using animal magic to summon the animals. He suspected it was the goblins. I took off my cloak and gathered up the hens in it. Xipil had found more animal tracks paralleling our path, and reasoned that all the animals were headed in the same direction.

Returning to the village, I handed the hens over to their owner, who was thankful for the assistance. Lunari wanted to return to bed, but I told him we had to leave; he could sleep on the wagon. The horses were affected by the spell, too, and wanted to leave the road, but I managed to keep them on the right path, with some difficulty. I’m not a teamster. Xipil sat by my side, watching the stars. Five minutes out of the village, he removed his cloak and leapt off the wagon, disappearing into the night. I called after him, but he didn’t reply. I was a little concerned, for he seldom took off without telling me where he was going, but there wasn’t anything I could do. Neither Grogg, Lunari, nor I were capable of tracking him down, at least not in the middle of the night. The accursed full moon was disrupting my night vision. The bright side was that it gave off enough light for me to see the road. Xipil knew where we were headed. We just had to hope he didn’t run into trouble on the way.

Lunari slept through the whole incident, but Grogg was awake. After a while – it seemed like hours, but the sun had yet to show up – he started sniffing around Lunari, waking him, and explaining that he could smell wicked horses nearby when Lunari complained. Grogg picked up his boss’s spear, and Lunari tried to take it back. He exclaimed that it had become magical, something to do with the “Ancient Stallion”. Grogg gave back the spear and told Lunari that Xipil had vanished. Lunari started looking around, but I told him it happened hours ago. Lunari suddenly remembered that we had forgotten to bury the star box when we went to sleep, and told Grogg and me that we had to help him remember, tonight. I asked if he could take over the reins so I could get some more sleep.

Xipil was back, and woke me when the wagon rumbled into a palisaded village. Lunari swaggered around, holding his spear with extreme confidence, filling soldiers and villagers with awe. One soldier called out “Commander Lunari arrives!” and everyone snapped to attention when we followed the elf into a building where Lord Lunas was having a meeting with his officers. Lunas told Lunari to relax the magic around his people, but Lunari explained that it was the stars that were especially active; he hadn’t done anything.

Lord Lunas asked if we had spotted animals heading north, and Xipil told him that the animals were led into the desert by giant ants about the size of goats. Lunari told him everything that had happened in Guling. The half-elf lord said he had to go back, but Lunari assured him that we could take care of the ants and the goblins.

Lord Lunas told us what he knew about our opposition. It boiled down to that goblins of the Flame Clan had allied with fire ants, so called because their bites burned. He emphasized several times that we shouldn’t trust the goblins, whatever they said or did; they were the epitome of deceit and treachery. The fire ants were not intelligent beings, they were only animals, but the goblins controlled them somehow.

There was only one horse in the village that suited Lunari’s extreme mood, and he was able to convince Lord Lunas that he needed to borrow the war stallion. Lord Lunas told everyone that we were in charge here when he left, and to give us whatever help or equipment we required, but I don’t think anyone would deny Lunari anything, the way they were fawning at him while he strutted about with his spear. We got something to eat, and two rooms with two beds apiece, and Xipil and Grogg tried to get some shuteye while Lunari pranced around on his new horse. I walked with him outside the village, and buried the star box so it would discharge faster. Lunari stood on the saddle, showing off. The enchantment oozing off him didn’t seem to affect those of us who knew him from before the same way it spellbound strangers, but I found myself glancing admiringly at him from time to time. I stomped on the feeling and reminded myself that he really was a whining coward.