Eirik: New page: Category:Story Category:Eirik Category:Animal {{DEFAULTSORT:The Road to Quint}} {{title|name=The Road to Quint|user=Eirik|author=Eirik}} A figure leaned out of the darkness an...

2007-09-12T19:46:22Z

New page: Category:Story Category:Eirik Category:Animal {{DEFAULTSORT:The Road to Quint}} {{title|name=The Road to Quint|user=Eirik|author=Eirik}} A figure leaned out of the darkness an...

New page

[[Category:Story]] [[Category:Eirik]] [[Category:Animal]] {{DEFAULTSORT:The Road to Quint}}
{{title|name=The Road to Quint|user=Eirik|author=Eirik}}
A figure leaned out of the darkness and peaked around the
corner, pulling back into the pitch black alley after only a
moment.

"What did you see?" whispered a voice next to him.

"Palace guards, they're all over the square and fanning
out. We can't stay here."

Yarl nodded even though his partner couldn't see it.
"Should we try the guild hall?"

Tyback snorted, "I wouldn't. After what you did, they'll
raid the guild first looking for us. What under Gorn were
you thinking?"

Yarl didn't feel like answering that right now, "Not now, we
can go over this later. Do you think that we can get to the
horses?"

"Not a prayer," he replied, thinking. "How much money do
you have?"

"Three kroner, that's it. You?"

"A little more. Not much, but we can probably bribe our way
onto a caravan," Tyback said hopefully. "Assuming we can
get out of town."

They heard the guards approaching down the street, their
chain armor echoing off the stone buildings. Yarl grabbed
his partner by the shoulder and pulled him back into the
alley. They silently climbed the building and got to the
rooftop, taking shelter in the shadow of a large chimney.
"I still say we try the guild," repeated Yarl. "We can
always find someone to help us at the tavern."

Reluctantly, Tyback nodded. Getting out of the walled city
tonight was hopeless, and by dawn they would enlist the help
of the court wizard to find them. You didn't try to steal
the purse from Crown Prince Sebast and get away with it.
"Let's go."

The crossed from rooftop to rooftop as long as they could
before taking to the streets again. By now, the alarm had
been raised in the entire city and every soldier was looking
for them. They kept to the shadows until they reached the
dilapidated inn. It was one of many that was controlled by
the guild. They slipped in the back and into a small dark
storeroom and waited.

They didn't have to wait long. The door opened and a
scruffy dwarf entered carrying a lantern and a small plate
of cheese. "I figured I'd see you two fools tonight," he
muttered angrily as he dropped the plate in front of them.
When they didn't start to eat he waved his hand at it, "I'd
take some if I were you, you're going to need to eat before
you leave."

"Thanks Tyhp," said Tyback and he took a small piece. "Can
you get us out of town?"

The dwarf sat down. "I will, but by all rights I should
turn you in to the crown. By the Great Forge! You ''know''
the Crown is off limits! The only reason that the King
tolerates the guild in Lamonter at all is because he owes us
a debt! He's already had the guild hall raided looking for
you two."

"I'm sorry," said Yarl. "I didn't know he was the Prince!"

The dwarf was far from understanding. "You should make it
your business to know." He shook his head, "We aren't
getting anywhere with this. I've already made arrangements
to get you out of town. You're going to join a wool caravan
going to Qint tonight."

"Qint!" exclaimed Tyback. "You're kidding! What are we
supposed to do in Qint?"

The dwarf picked up the lantern, "Stay there and out of
trouble. There is only a token guild in Qint but they can
put you up for a few weeks. They don't operate openly,
though. Sultan Hiriann doesn't look favorable on anything
that would mar his desert paradise, so be careful."

"So why bother having a guild there at all?" asked Yarl.

"For fools like you," spat Tyhp. "Go out into the alley.
There is a man there who will take you to the caravan. Do
what he says and you'll get out of the city. Don't stop for
anything, you'll be provisioned. If you choose to leave
before Qint, that is your business."

Tyback nodded, "But then we forfeit our guild membership."

Tyhp smiled, "I'm glad that one of you has a brain. Part of
being in the guild is taking instructions. Now go, the
guards will search this place soon."

The two men skulked out the back to find the man while Tyhp
went back to his usual table in the rear of the bar. He sat
next to the dark man and took a long drink of his ale.
"It's done," he said once he'd finished.

The guild master nodded and left without a word.

{{Separator|x}}

"Is it always this hot here?" asked Yarl and he loosened his
tunic.

The driver of the cart didn't even turn his head. After two
weeks of complaints he wasn't interested anymore. "It's the
desert, you fool," he muttered, not for the first time.

He started to open his mouth to respond when the caravan
master called a halt to the wool train. The driver abruptly
dismounted along with the rest of the dark skinned men and
gathered in a line and began to pray. Yarl just shook his
head. These superstitious heathens would be a lot further
along if they just kept moving and didn't stop to pray five
times a day. If they at least prayed to a proper God, it
wouldn't be so bad. If they didn't sound like they were
wailing it might even be better.

All Yarl could think of was getting back home as soon as
possible. He already knew he was going to hate Qint.

The cluster of praying men broke up and returned to their
posts. The driver looked up at him with disdain as he
climbed up into the cart. "You offend Hummoder by your lack
of respect."

Yarl ignored him and moved into the rear of the covered
supply cart. He and Tyback had been hiding there for most
of the trip and now they were far beyond the reach of
Lamonter. Qint was only a few weeks away.

If they survived the heat.

"Anything going on?" asked Tyback.

Yarl shook his head, "Not really. The Qintens were wailing
to their god or something. Other than that, we're making
good time. I just wish I knew what we were getting into. I
don't know anything about Qint and this guy isn't that
friendly," he said, not caring if the driver heard. "What
have you found out?"

Tyback shrugged, "Not much more. None of the drivers or
guards will talk much about it. I don't think they trust
us. It's just a city, though. We'll learn as we go. How
different can it be than Lamonter?"

Yarl smiled and whispered, "Why don't we rob these guys
blind before we get to Qint?" He leaned on a sack of beans,
"I know where the caravan master keeps his gold."

Tyback grabbed his partner by the front of his sweat covered
tunic, "Don't be an idiot!" he snapped. "It's because of
you we're in this mess! We're going to wait until Qint,
okay?" When Yarl didn't answer, he shook him once, "Okay?"

He smiled a little, "Believe me, I won't take any outrageous
risks."

Tyback didn't like the look on his partners face.

{{Separator|x}}

"What kind of a moron are you!" shrieked Tyback.

Yarl was too busy spitting blood out of his mouth to answer
at first. When he finally came around, he just looked up
and smiled between broken teeth, "I still think it was worth
it."

"Worth it!" screamed Tyback, "Worth it! We're in the middle
of the desert with no water, no supplies, nothing and we're
still at least three days from Qint!"

Yarl wiped his hand across his mouth, "Don't worry, I've got
it covered. We just need a stake to set ourselves up."

Tyback fumed, "And I'm sure you know how to get one, don't
you?"

"What does a donkey go for in Lamonter?"

He blinked, "A donkey?! What does a donkey have to do with
this?"

"You can sell one for twenty kroner. That's enough to start
a good con, fleece these fools for whatever we can get."

"Fine, where do we get a donkey?" asked Tyback.

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed the donkey trains. One
or two men with fifty donkeys! They have to be stopping at
every oasis or we'd be seeing a lot of dead ones. All we
need to do is find one of those and get out of sight."

"Then what?"

Yarl just smiled and started down the road.

{{Separator|x}}

"I don't like this, Yarl. No one is this gullible," he
muttered as he striped off his tunic. "Why don't we just
steal one or two?"

"Because we don't want them to come looking for us, do we?"
said Yarl. "This way we make a clean getaway."

"And why do I have to be the stand in?" he asked bitterly.

Yarl just pointed at his teeth, "They'll probably know
something is wrong if the donkey had teeth and the human
doesn't. Besides, you're more pitiful than I am, they'll
believe you."

"No one in Lamonter would believe this. I just don't think
they are..."

"They pray to a heathen God and don't even have the sense to
allow the guild to operate freely. They couldn't be that
smart, okay!" He looked up at the approaching cloud of dust
down the road, "Keep your head down and stay quiet."

They waited until the donkey train was led into the oasis.
True to form, there were just two men trailed by almost
thirty tired and dusty donkeys. Without coaxing, they all
lined up at the waters edge and started to drink.

Yarl and Tyback skulked through the bushes at the waters
edge, staying as far from the men as possible. They reached
the far end of the tied line of donkeys and waited. Once
the animal had finished getting its fill, it turned to eat
some of the bushes. It's ears went up when it saw the two
men behind the bush, but Tyback grabbed the hemp halter and
pulled it out of sight.

He pulled the halter off the donkey while Tyback finished
stripping off his clothes. He dropped his tunic to the
ground and slipped the halter loosely over his head. "I
still don't think this is going to work," he whispered
harshly.

"Quiet. Come back here as soon as you can."

Tyback grumbled, but did nothing as Yarl grabbed his clothes
and led the donkey deeper into the oasis. It wasn't much
longer before the two men started driving the first few
animals back to the road, the thick rope tied to each halter
pulling even the protesting animals along. Tyback stayed
hidden as long as possible in the bushes before he came out
into the open. The men leading the train never bothered to
check the animals behind them.

They were long out of sight when Yarl turned his attention
to the donkey. "Well boy, you should fetch a tidy sum in
Qint." The donkey looked oddly at him, then started
coughing, collapsing onto the ground. Yarl panicked,
"Great! I stole a sick animal!"

The donkey coughed and sputtered, if it were possibly its
ears even seemed to get a little shorter, it's head a little
smaller. "What a fool."

Yarl stared at the animal. "You talk?" he said in
amazement.

The donkey stopped coughing and looked at the man with a
look of pity. "You have no idea what you've gotten into, do
you? What your friend is in?" The animal shook his head.
"Six months ago I was an innkeeper in Lebeth. Have you
heard of Lebeth?"

Yarl shook his head, "No," he said quietly.

"The Sultan captured it with little struggle and added it to
his empire. The people, the ones that weren't taken as
slaves, were enemies of the Sultan. The Sultan has only one
punishment for his enemies."

Yarl looked at the donkey with horror. "Tyback! I have to
get him."

"You are already too late," said the donkey sadly. "He was
lost the moment you put the halter over his head." The
donkey coughed again, looking more and more sickly, "The
halter is magic."

His stomach dropped, "Maybe there's still time! You turned
back a little!"

The donkey coughed again, a sound that he realized now was a
laugh. "No one is meant to be half man and half animal," he
wheezed, "I'm dying. I can feel it."

"Maybe there is still time," he said.

The donkey coughed again, red foam touching his lips, "If
you find him, it would be mercy to just kill him. I would
rather die here than as a farm animal in the north lands."
He wheezed again, "If you're going to go, go."

Yarl looked sadly at the dying animal, then jumped up and
raced after the caravan.

{{Separator|x}}

As the donkey lay dying, Tyback was getting a sunburn on his
bare back. He kept following, waiting for the two men to
notice him. He considered saying something when one of them
finally turned back and looked. He did a double take, then
brought the train to a stop. "Finally," muttered Tyback.

The two men exchanged a few words, then started coming
back. "By Arbus, what is this?"

Tyback tried to look pitiful. "Please sir, help me!" he
said. "I..."

The first guard turned to his partner, ignoring him. "Have
you ever seen such a thing?"

The older man shook his head, "Not in all my travels. What
do you think we do about it?"

Tyback was a little confused, but pressed on. "Please sir!
I was cursed by a man to live as a donkey, but you have..."

One of the men grabbed the halter off his head and took a
look at it while the other looked at the train of donkeys
and counted. "Thirty plus this one. We're not missing any,
he was that donkey."

The other man inspected the halter. "Maybe it just came
off?" He looked more carefully at the man, "He doesn't look
much like he was from Lebeth."

"I wasn't from Lebeth," corrected Tyback, "I'm from
Lamonter."

The two men looked at him as if hearing him talk for the
first time. "Must have been in the city. Not our
concern." He adjusted the halter. "Hold him still."

Tyback reacted quickly, but not fast enough. The other man
grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him to the ground.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" The next thing he felt was the
heavy hemp halter being pulled over his head and cinched
tightly. The more he struggled against it, the tighter it
got. "Stop!"

Once the halter was back on, one of the guards reattached
the rope and they stepped back. "I hope this works. If it
doesn't we'll have to return to Qint." The other guard
nodded silently and waited.

Tyback laid on the ground a minute trying to catch his
breath. The halter was on so tight that he was feeling
light headed. Feebly, he tried to grab the rope and untie
it, but found that he could not move his fingers well.
"Why... Haw!" he said, then stopped. What happened to his
voice?

There was a burst of clarity in his mind as he looked down
at his hands. He suddenly realized why he wasn't able to
move his fingers, they were slowly fusing together into
hooves! "Hee-Haw!" he screamed out and looked at the
guards, terrified.

The two men didn't react much at all. They looked as bored
as men who had seen this a thousand times before. They just
nodded at each other and walked forward, driving the donkeys
ahead of them. Tyback struggled against the rope a moment
before he was pulled along with it, stumbling on his
malformed feet. His heart was pounding. What was happening
to him?

The transformation seemed to progress with every step. He
struggled against the rope, but he was feeling too weak to
even try to break free. Tyback knew that it was the halter
driving this, it had to be! He tried to push the halter off
his face, but it was so tight that he couldn't budge it. He
could feel that his face deforming, his tongue getting
thicker. Strangely, the halter expanded with his head. He
tried a couple more times before he felt his weight shift
dramatically and he fell to all fours. It was awkward, his
arms and legs were not the right lengths yet, but his body
was quickly becoming too heavy for two legs.

He didn't have any idea how long this had all taken, perhaps
only a few minutes. He sensed that he would be a donkey by
the time that he made it to the next oasis. Slowly, he
could feel his will to fight it fading. His will to escape
was there, but being replaced by a rumble in his stomach
that needed to be sated.

A movement out of the corner of his eye caught his
attention. He turned his head and caught a sign of Yarl
coming low through the dust. "Tyback?" he said in a harsh
whisper. It was all he could do to nod.

Yarl grabbed the rope and untied it quickly, leading the
half formed donkey behind a low dune and out of sight. He
waited a few moments for the train to get a little farther
away, then turned to the donkey. "I'm so sorry, I had no
idea."

Tyback squinted at his partner, a rumble in his throat. The
problem was that he couldn't get himself past annoyed. If
he was thinking straight, he knew in his heart that he would
trample the man into the sand.

"Look, we're going to go back to the oasis," he said
quietly. "The donkey we stole turned back a little after
you left. That's why I knew to come out here." Tyback
looked hopefully at his partner even as he shook his head,
reading the donkeys thoughts. "I can't just take off the
halter. The other donkey died from being turned back."

The man peaked around the dune again and nodded, "They're
far enough away. We'll go on to Qint and get in touch with
the guild. I'm sure they can get a wizard to turn you
back. It was because of them that we're in this mess!"

Tyback nodded slightly, but couldn't help feel a flash of
anger when he heard the word ''we.''

{{Separator|x}}

Qint, it turned out, was a bustling city that was easily a
match for size and majesty with Lamonter. It was certainly
different, though. Even in the distance as they approached
they could see that the buildings were almost a uniform
brown, made mostly of masonry and mud bricks. The wide
streets spread out like a wagon wheel with what had to be
the Sultans palace at the center and wide avenues spreading
outward, crisscrossed with streets.

Yarl looked at the sad donkey that trailed him. Tyback had
become indistinguishable from a donkey only a few hours
after he freed him from the donkey train. He was definitely
changed inside, too. He was docile and didn't protest in
the slightest when Yarl started riding him the rest of the
way into Qint.

"Don't worry, old friend," he said assuredly as they
approached the city gates, "The guild has never let us down
before. I'm sure you'll be good as new in just a few days.
Just hold on."

The donkey flipped his ears a couple times, but Yarl
couldn't be sure if Tyback actually understood or was just
trying to hear the sounds of the city better.

The gate, surprisingly, wasn't that hard to get through.
The handful of men that manned it were busy inspecting some
carts from a trade caravan and ignored Yarl and Tyback
completely. A single man and a donkey were simply not much
to worry about. The city was located on such a large, flat
plain that any invading army would be spotted long before
they arrived.

It was all the better for the pair of thieves, the less that
they looked at him the better. He already stood out badly
in the streets. Even if there were a fairly large number of
traders and travelers in Qint, Yarls light skin stood out
like a beacon in a crowd. He leaned forward, "What do you
say we find the guild?" he whispered.

They walked through the crowded streets slowly. Yarl
remembered that there was no hall here, but he still knew
what to look for. It took some searching, but he found an
inn with the mark of the guild over the door. He thought
about tying up Tyback to a post in front but didn't want to
risk the animal being stolen in this strange city. Without
the guild to help, he wouldn't know where to start looking,
and he didn't even know if Tyback had the mental ability
anymore to fight it. He nudged the donkey forward and
walked around the side of the building, leaving him tied in
the quiet alley.

He slipped into the side door and looked around. The inn
was definitely different than anything he had seen before.
It was late afternoon, but there wasn't a single drunk yet
in the dining area. In fact, he couldn't detect the scent
of ale in the air at all. There was a smell, but it was of
unfamiliar spices coming from the kitchen. There were a few
patrons sitting and talking, but it was far from crowded.

He sat at a table in the back and surveyed the room. He
waited a few moments for the serving wench to come to him.
"Ale," he said simply.

The woman looked strangely at him, "Ale, sir? We don't have
ale."

Yarl sighed, what kind of dump was this. "What do you have
to clear my throat?"

A burly man came up behind the woman, "Get him some water,
Ala." When she left, he sat down. "They must not have told
you much about the city. There are no spirits here."

His mouth dropped open, aghast. "What?" he said more loudly
than he intended. "What kind of idiot..."

"Quiet!" the man hissed. "It's the local religion and I'd
respect that if I were you. You're not in Lamonter
anymore."

Yarl nodded reluctantly, "I'm sorry. There wasn't exactly
time to tell us much about the city. I've never been out of
the north lands before. Yarl of Lamonter," he said
extending his hand.

"I'm Golin," said the man as he took it. "The guild master
wanted to meet you personally, but to be honest we expected
you earlier. The caravan you were supposed to be with
arrived yesterday."

"We ran into problems," he replied quietly.

The man rolled his eyes, "I have an idea. You're lucky to
be alive, you know." The man frowned, "Where is your
partner, by the way? Dead in the desert?"

Yarl thought a second, wondering if he should tell the guild
about Tyback at all. He could just as easily sell the
donkey the man had become and buy his way back to Lamonter.
After a few moments, he decided that he owed it to Tyback to
try and help. "It's a long story," he started as he related
the encounter with the donkey train.

Golin didn't react at all until the tale was over. After
Yarl stopped talking, the man sat across from him silently.
Yarl was about to open his mouth again when he was slapped
soundly across the face, sending him falling to the floor.
"You idiot!" he snapped. When the other patrons looked up,
Golin grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him into the
kitchen, throwing him against the wall. "You only had to
stay out of trouble! Now...!" he stammered, so angry that
he could barely talk.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't think that it was
that big a deal! We stole horses all the time!"

"You're in Qint now!" he snapped then paused as if that
explained everything. Slowly, he calmed down. "Where is
your friend?"

"In the alley," he said quickly. "Can you help him?"

The man sighed. "It's not that easy. Word will be sent
back from the donkey train that they lost one, and the
guards will be watching."

Yarl shook his head, "We went through the gate
unchallenged."

Golin smiled, "You're not familiar with Qint at all, are
you? You were noted. A northlander on a donkey without
supplies? You were noted and word was passed around the
soldiers in the streets. They are very efficient." He
paused a second, then grimaced, "Brutally efficient."

"Maybe I should get out of town," he suggested, "before they
realize what happened."

"We've got a few hours yet, but I'll speak to the guild
master. We'll have a few hours before the guards know that
they want you for something. Ideally, we should get you out
without them know you're gone," he replied.

Yarl nodded quickly, "Thanks. I'm sorry that we made of
mess of things."

Golin gently pushed him toward the side door. "Get your
friend and bring him out back, there's a couple of small
stalls back there. There's water and hay, too. Get him
settled and wait there. Don't leave!" he snapped, "Get some
rest, you might need to move fast."

Yarl nodded and followed the directions to the letter. Once
the donkey was settled in, he was tempted to get out and see
the city a little, but restrained himself. The donkey ate
and drank his fill, then laid in the old hay and slept.
Yarl sat against the stall door and dozed himself.

{{Separator|x}}

It was dark when the door to the stable opened again. Yarl
snapped awake and rolled to his feet. "Who's there?"

"It's Golin, I've spoken to the guild master," he whispered.

Yarl groaned and worked the kinks out. "What's the plan?"

"The good news is that what happened to your friend is
completely reversible, but not here." He nodded his head in
the general direction of the Sultans palace. "The crown
here has a strong grip on the wizards and there isn't one
that would help."

"So where do we go?" he asked.

"Lamonter, actually," he said with a lopsided grin.

"You're kidding!" he said. "I can't go back there! The
crown wants me dead!"

Golin smiled, "Ah, that is true, but they aren't looking for
a couple of donkeys, are they?"

Yarl hated the sound of that, "Couple?"

"It's the guild masters decision," he said quietly. "It's
the safest way to get you out of the city. I'm traveling in
two days to Lamonter anyway."

Yarl backed away, "I won't do it!" he snapped. "I'll take
my chances getting out of this myself!"

Golin just shrugged, "Just like you got into this?" He
sighed, "that's your choice, but you know what that means,
you're no longer in the guild. Assuming you get out of
this, you won't be welcome in any city of the north lands.
Pick one pocket and you'll lose the hand." He smiled, "If
you're lucky."

"I don't want to be a damned animal!" he snapped back.

"That's what you'll be anyway if the guards catch you," he
said. "They don't tolerate thieves here. The donkey trains
that you saw? They weren't all war prisoners. Some of them
were thieves, con artists and robbers. If the guards catch
you here, I can assure you that you'll end up gelded and
pulling a plow until you drop dead of exhaustion."

Yarl trembled, he was sure that the man wasn't lying to
him. "If I go with your plan?"

"You'll spend a month or two as a donkey and we'll take care
of you in Lamonter. If you're really good, we might even get
you out of there. Again."

"How long can I think about it?" he asked.

The man reached out to the wall and pulled a familiar halter
off a peg. "Now, or you leave."

{{Separator|x}}

True to his word, Golin got the pair of donkeys out the
gates of the city without incident. The guards looked only
a moment at the two animals, recognizing their status as
former humans, a state so common that they didn't think
twice. The trip across the desert was uneventful. The
donkeys were perfectly behaved when working, neither
protested their treatment as they pulled the small cart. By
function of the hemp halters that they wore, neither could.

When they weren't pulling, the donkey that had been Tyback
tended to kick and bite the other. Even the magic of the
halters couldn't prevent that.

They passed through the gates of Lamonter with little more
of a look than they had leaving Qint. By dark, the two
donkeys were standing in stalls behind the guild hall,
thinner for their long journey. They weren't totally
animals, both could still remember being human. It just
wasn't as important as fresh hay and water. Even when the
magic halters were removed, they couldn't bring themselves
to think beyond the immediacy of they're needs.

Golin left the donkeys and entered the guild hall. He told
the serving woman who he was and who was with him, then
waited. It wasn't long before he was joined by the guild
master who handed him a mug of ale and sat. "I understand
you brought back a couple of idiots," he said simply.

He nodded, "They're in the stable out back," he said as he
explained what had happened. "What should we do with them?"
he finished.

The guild master stared at Golin a few moments, then laughed
and laughed, wiping tears from his eyes as he finished.
"Don't worry, don't worry, we'll let them tow wagons a while
for us until they've learned their lesson. After that, I'll
have them turned them back." He laughed again and took a
long, deep drink of ale.

The subject of Tyback and Yarl never came up again.

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:55, 12 September 2007
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[Category:Story]] [[Category:Eirik]] [[Category:Animal]] {{DEFAULTSORT:~~The~~ Road to Quint}}		[[Category:Story]] [[Category:Eirik]] [[Category:Animal]] {{DEFAULTSORT:Road to Quint, The}}
	{{title\|name=The Road to Quint\|user=Eirik\|author=Eirik}}		{{title\|name=The Road to Quint\|user=Eirik\|author=Eirik}}
	A figure leaned out of the darkness and peaked around the		A figure leaned out of the darkness and peaked around the

User:Eirik/The Road to Quint - Revision history

Bryan: move article to end of sort key

Eirik: New page: Category:Story Category:Eirik Category:Animal {{DEFAULTSORT:The Road to Quint}} {{title|name=The Road to Quint|user=Eirik|author=Eirik}} A figure leaned out of the darkness an...