Eros hopped up and down as he tried pulling the black leather trousers to his waste. He was still damp from the bath making the task awkward. Heaving the pants slid up with a squelch, he let out a sigh of releif securing the drawstring. He pulled the rough linen shirt over his head lacing up the front tucking away the glowing conduit that thrummed with power at his chest. A few beads of Nectar moved about the channels on his body, probably just maintaining the energy reserves of his Channeler Nodes. He had Deamos keep certain Nodes topped off at all times. Mainly the Node of Mending and the Node of Fire the two that Ero's prefered to have at the ready on the road. As he laced up his boots he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." He said. The door clicked open, Scant ducking into the room closing the door behind him.

"I hoped we could have that word." Scant said putting his hands to his hips.

"Alright." Eros said as he finished lacing his boot. He was dreading this, Eros had only been with the caravan leader for 3 months now. Scant was a good man who took care of his people. A lot of caravans Eros had come across were run by little more than slave masters who thought whiping the best form of encouragement for the horses as well as the worker. Scant was the strangest caravan merchant Eros had ever met. He kept very few slaves and even then they were more indentured to the man rather than actual slaves. They were allowed to mingle with the waged wagoneers, sharing in food, lodging, and even pay. The main exception being the collars around their necks that often blinked with the gold light of moving nectar, and the 40% of pay that Scant withheld which he used to pay their way to freedom. Scant had built a strong outfit on his reputation for a supportive yet firm wagon leader. Eros had noticed the man acted the part of a gruff and frugal wagon leader, barking orders with a commanding air. But the man had taken Eros in off the streets treating him better than anyone he'd met since he'd fled the Frond and the Channeler Order.

"So, this new recruit of yours, how did you actually meet him?" Scant asked watching Eros. The man had an uncanny sense for a lie and it seemed he'd spotter his.

"He was one of the men hired to kidnap me. The other man said something about Alchari mystics out east. I was hoping you'd let him tag along while I try and learn more." Eros said bluntly. Scant nodded thinking things over. 

"I think it's time we talk about going our seperate ways kid." Scant said his face tight with worried contemplation as he paced back and forth in the room. "I don't like the idea of abandoning you out here," he continued "but I have 36 other souls that are under my charge. I can't put them at risck for a wanted channeler." Eros stiffened wanting to disagree but he knew it was true. If Nalee or Jepsum had decided to come with him last night there's no telling what would have happened to them. It would have been his fault if something had happened to them.

"I know." Eros said his eyes turned to the floor. A black shape landed on the open window to the room. It dropped to the floor crossing the room quietly before it bumped into Scants leg. He squatted down to the floor scratching behind it's ears. He needed just a little more time, if he could figure out who kept contracting these bounty hunters he could put a stop to it and keep protecting the caravan. He was starting to realize how much he cared for the wagon driver and his team that had so accepting of him all those months ago.

"Now you want me to allow one of those men into our midst as well?" Scant said shaking his head. "You must see how foolish that is."

"I do," Eros said "but hear me out Scant..." Scant rolled his eyes making an exaggerated gesture of surprise. "If I can get a lead out of this man I could track down whoever is ordering these bounties and put and end to them. I just need a little more time, then I promise, I will leave." 

Scant eyed the boy skeptically. Damn him he thought to himself, Scant couldn't figure out why but he trusted the boy. Scant thought back to the day he had found the boy trying to stow away in one of the wagons heading out of the Sourtin Frost. The starved and terrifyingly frail face etched with lines, the pleading for work, for warmth, for food, for anything. Looking at him now he could still see the hopeful look of someone who had no place in the world and was desperatly clinging onto the one bit of peace and friendship he had found in the world. Then Scant thought to all those nights when with a gout of flame or a well placed hand Eros had saved a member of his team. They had been safer since they had taken the boy in, maybe it was time for Scant to give him a little more trust. A comprimise was starting to form in Scant's mind, one that just might work.

"You better keep an eye on the man, one foot out of line and well leave him tied to a tree in the wood." Scant said in a gruff tone that brooked no arguement. 

"Of course Roadmaster." Eros said bowing slightly in deference. "Thank you Scant." Scant stood up holding the cat scratching at is while it purred into his chest. He let the cat down before turning and grabbing his cloak from the door.

"You're lucky you are so useful in a fight boy, otherwise i'd have left you behind a long time ago." He opened the door smiling at Eros. "The wagons will be leaving soon, you'd better hurry before I reconsider and leave you anyway." He stepped out the door clicking it closed.

The cat sat looking at Eros as he finished packing up his things. 

"I am not sure if I like that human." Deamos said telepathically with Eros.

"Well you sure do seem to enjoy the attention he gives you." Eros said out loud.

"Yes I enjoy the attention, what feline wouldn't. But just being able to please my beastial instincs doesn't mean I like the man. He spends far too much of his life lying for my tastes. Then after all we do for the caravan he considers leaving us behind simply because of a few ruffians." Deamos said telepathically, the thought was coated in a thin layer of derrision that clung to the words like sap.

"You have to see it from his perspective Deamos," Eros said out loud, "he has a whole team of people that he needs to look out for."

"He must be a poor guardian if he resorts to sacraficing one for the protection of others." Deamos said, an airy condesension permiating the thought.

"Thats easy for you to say, you are only bound to guard one person, he has more that thirty under his care." Eros said. "I think you're just angry that he won't give us Nectar whenever we want."

"There is that as well, I still think that he uses it to keep us compliant." Said Deamos, Eros could feel the aching hunger that laced the words from Deamos, a much deeper hunger than Eros had suspected.

"Well some Nectar is better than being back on the streets." Eros said, this time telepathically, he made sure to tie the words to his memories of their time trapped on the frozen wastes of Sourtin Lake. He heard a gurgle of hunger come from Deamos which caused him to burst out with unexpected laughter. Eros' laughter died off and he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Point taken." Deamos said telepathically, a sensation of humor floating off the words.

Eros' boots kicked up small dustclouds as he walked down the dirt road. The sounds of the city gates faded behind him as the stone walled scenery gave way to the dried and dirty strech of open land that surrounded Ethlas. The warm wind rolled off the Inscald desert to the south, carrying sand on the dry winds, it would spray up against the side of the wagon as its wheels tickered over small stones in the dirt road. He could hear the flat slap of Hestin's large sandles as he trailed behind Eros. Eros looked back to see Deamos resting on the mans shoulder as he pet the cat on the rump.

He dipped his mind into Deamos and was greeted by a strange soothing sensation and what felt a soft comforting pressure working down his back and up his tail. The feeling of having a tail was quite a strange sensation that still reminded him of the legless beggar who'd whisper about feeling his legs walking on their own on night when the drink took him. He quickly pushed the sensations away returning to watching the landscape move around them. The sun was still some way before miday which meant Eros hadn't delayed the caravan too badly this morning.

The lush woods to the northwest were filled with life and green and birds soared overhead, it was a stark contrast to the barren hot wasteland they had traveled the weeks previous. The wagons trailed on ahead of him as he took up his position at the rear of the train. He saw Nalee and Jepsum talking together as they walked alongside the wagon in front of his. The Wagoneer's mostly walked as they traveled the trading roads between the cities. So most of the wagoneers walked flanking the wagons and kicking up roaddust in their wake. The horses nickered with excitement, probably happy they finally got out of their stables, Eros thought to himself.

He found himself somewhat excited as well, he hadn't spent time in a forest since his youth. Most of his time had been spent in the frigid northern tip called the Frond. Or down in the southern frost of the Sourtin Lake. Eros had only joined the Caravan some 3 months before down in the frozen town of Balasty down near the Sourtin Lake. Most of their trip had been through the frigid region and it wasn't until they had skirted the Inscald taking the well worn Nectar Trail, a trade route named for its near constant use shipping Nectar from the fields of the Empire out to the Rim Kingdoms to the east and west that paid good money for a barrel of the golden liquid. The Trail followed the mountain range as the scenery shifted from frost to blazing inferno.

He'd helped treat a bout of heat sickness for the first few days as the wagoneer's bodies acclimated to the heat. He'd had his Bekan rune to cool his body and heal his weary mind. It had cost Scant Dearly in Nectar as Eros burned it keeping the weary and sick tended and well cared for. His seeming immunity to the hard temperature swing and his ministrations to the other wagoneers had earned him fast friends with most of the wagon. 

The first of the wagons in the caravan passed under the tree cover of the Tearnas woodlands. Eros pulled out the map he'd purchased in Chiros and looked at the inked lines and drawn in landscape comparing it to the woods before him. 

The Treanas woodlands are the most lush and green lands in all of Amunarr. The forests here grew in thick patches most only some 20 miles wide the largest wood was near 120 miles across. Between the thick patches were green fields with thick grass and barely a boulder between them. It was a place of wonder and mystery. Folk back in Ethlas had told stories of the fae that lived in the woods. Some kinds of fae had interested Eros, the brownies that cleaned up after you and finished your work seems espeically interesting. Then there had been the Grupha, Fae as tall as a man, long lanky arms with sharp claws and teeth that snatched up children to feast on back in the lairs in their wood.

Folktales always interested Eros, the way they worked to weave a shroud around the Channeler Orders had shown him early in life how useful a half lie could be at warning people from things that were truely dangrous. The Grupha were probably some localized tale that described what the Tuskmen actually did.

His feet crunched on the leaves beneath his feet as their wagon crossed into the woods for the first time. Looking out the treetops with only small peeks of light shinging though filled him with a sense of awe. memories of his childhood spent playing in the pined forest near their home warned him and even the other caravaneers hushed their tones as they entered the wood. There was a sacredness to the place. It was old. Not far in now he noticed that there were trees already as think around as he was tall. The number of Passings these trees had stood watching over the land was staggering to contemplate.

Eros felt the hair on his neck stand on end, a soft breeze sighed through the thick wood and a soft animal noise piqued his attention. He felt an ear turn in the direction before he realized it was Deamos tracking a squirl in the underbrush. He was on top of it and Eros felt the snap as the beasts neck broke in his jaws. The shock of it made his gag and cough.

"You all right there?" Nalee worried as she walked up and slapped Eros on the back. 

"Yeah just got something caught in my throat." Eros said as taking a deep breath. She let her hand fall off his back as he stood up. She was looking at him trying to read something from his face.

"So... You gunna tell me what happened to you last night?" she asked. She eased herself closer to him. If Eros hadn't been trying to keep his mind clear of the sensations of blood and gore that Deamos was enjoying in the underbrush he might have noticed the way she leaned in closer than was needed, paying more attention than she normally would. She was just being a good friend though, she told herself. Even as she timidly tucked her hair behind her ear, her cheeks reddening sightly in response to the contemplative look he gave her.

"It's complicated... I met some people, there was a fight. I did make a friend though, that was the highlight of the evening. As far as I remember it anyway." He said.

"Oh, is that why you never came back last night? I thought you just found some better people to drink with..." She trailed off looking a little hurt. Eros' face went from quizical to abashed in a few heartbeats as his memory of the night before slammed into him.

He'd told her before, nothing could ever happen between them. They could never be more than just friends. Eros' hadn't told her why of course, doing so would have broken his one and only oath that he still upheld. But a distinct memory of soft words and his hand clasping with hers flooded his memory filling him with horror.

"I really care about you Nalee..." I'd said, before she subtly invited me up to her rooms once I finished my duties.

"I-uh..." Eros spluttered. What was he supposed to tell her? He couldn't break his word and reveal the oaths of secrecy he'd given to his Order, even if they had removed him from the order for violating the second Oath. The results of breaking the second Oath had been so catastophic that he'd ended up as a beggar in the southern frostlands. Nearly dead for lack of Nectar and food. He noticed now how close she was, as they walked through the sun beams from the treetops overhead she'd inched closer and closer. He could feel her warmth she was so close, the breeze picked up and he could smell her, was that lavander? He stilled his thoughts and forced himself to move a little further from her, more for strength than anything else. She walked alongside him, a sincere and worried look on her face, to Eros it looked like she blamed herself, which made what he had to say next even harder.

"I know what I said last night, I know how I must have seemed..." he paused glancing up at the treetops again, anywhere but at her face, "Let's just say I was not myself last night Nalee. I told you, I can't be that person for you, no matter how honest my words were. No matter how much I care."

It hurt to watch her slump and excuse herself. It was always the best of women, the women who he could really see himself happy with, the women that he could have loved. Those were always the women who he seemed to only hurt. And the worst part is they never seemed to blame him, for some Gods Forsaken reason the women blamed themselves when he had to spurn their intimacy. He tried to stomp these things out before they ever started. I can't be with you, I think of you as a good friend. He'd always been willing to help and talk when they needed him. Eventually they would come to rely on him, then one day it seemed to change into a desire, a need for him, one that he could't fulfil and that only made things worse.

From there everything was ruined, as it had been so many times before. Eros was sure that soon Jepsum would stop talking to him, he'd be polite of course but there would be no more nights at the bar with them. No more long walks, the three of them talking about their homes and childhoods. It seemed his Oaths, be they taken to the nine hells, had cost him a good friend once again.

She walked away, her shoulders slumped. Eros let Deamos' hunt consume him, it was disgusting and dirty. But it was pleasent next to the sick feeling he had watching Nalee in pain.

What had been in his drinks last night? Most of the time he kept his romantics heart in check. He controlled himself, filtering out the desires for companionship and focusing on friendship. But last night he'd let loose, his lips had run wild and he'd told Nalee exactly how he truely felt.

The exact words were ephemeral to him now, whatever drug had been in his drink it had worked a storm on his memories of the night. But he knew that even if a small part of his inner poetic heart had shone through the sedative laced drink last night he'd definatly said too much.

Jepsum wrapped an arm around Nalee's shoulder as she let out a soft sob. He looked back at Eros with an angry look on his face that was probably the least of what he deserved.

Yes, he had definatly said too much to the woman and it had cost him some good friends.

"Hey Hestin..." Eros said as he slowed to walk even with the lumbering man.

"Yes Boss!" Hestin said, words laced with excitement oblivious to the recent heartache.

"What exactly did you and your friend put in my drink last night?" 

"Uhh, It was a mix wes got from our Alchemist buddy back in Chiros, calls it Xylium. Or sommit like that anyways." He said, Deamos came rushing out of the underbrush clawing his way up Hestin before he sat and started cleaning his paws. Hestin face beamed at the sight of the cat, he reached up and scratched his scruff.

"Oy es a good kitty."

"I can tell you," Deamos chimmed in from within Eros' mind, "the drug worked quite well on both of us. Even though I never partook I found myself sleepy. I dozed off and next I awoke you were gone. Your Node was so damaged I had to run around the city feeling for faint pulses from you just to get a sense of where you'd gone." He kept cleaning his paws as the words filled his head. The cats words drowned out Hestin as he spoke .

"Wait what was that?" Eros asked.

"I said I got some leftover if you be wanting it. Its good to go with a nighcap Morris used to say, but it always makes me feel sad and lonely on the inside. I get right sick if I use it with drink, so I just stick to drink." Hestin said.

"Yeah i'll take it off your hands if you dont mind Hestin." Eros said. Hestin reached into a bag at his hip pulling out a small glass vial filled with a milky white liquid. He handed it to Eros.

Eros tucked it away for a later day.

He heard a faint horncall off in the distance. The caravan once bustling with wagoneers chatting the hours of walking away stilled. All went quiet as they held their collective breath waiting for the warning blast. The horn rang out again. one. two. three blows. All in quick succession followed by a long pause, then three more again in quick succession. A raid was coming. The caravan burst to life with activity. Bellit cam galloping down the line on his horse shouting order.

"CIRCLE THE WAGONS, READY WEAPONS, WE HAVE INCOMING HOSTILES!" He turned repeating the order as the wagons began to form up. Everyone was pushing the wagons together. Some of the horse hands had unhitched the beasts letting the frightened animals gallop off into the wood. The wagon teams worked with a practiced efficiency. Bellit's drills and training for the teams showed as they gracefully manuvered the heavy wooden wagons into a barrier protecting them on three sides. It made a perfect choke point for killing whatever decided to get at them. Bows, maces, spears, and shields were pulled from weapon stores in the wagons, on the sides of wagons, or under the wagons.

Inside 5 minuets the crew was fortified and ready for anything. Hestin stood around looking confused through all of this, someone handed him a thick wooden club with a notch missing from a sword strike. 

Eros climbed up into one of the wagons laying on the stacked barrels inside. He unknotted the tie on the wagon cover and lifted it just enough to see. Peering out he saw large muscluar figures moving through the trees. Their green mottled skin blended in well with the tree cover. Stark white bones jutting from their jawlines at various angles, a pair on each.

"Tuskmen Incoming! Archers! Ready arrows!" Betllis roared in command. Eros heard shafts clatter against bows and strings drawn tight as they readied.

"Deamos, get somewhere high, I need to see what were dealing with." He commanded through their mental link.

"On it." Came the cats response. Eros closed his eyes and the felines vision filled his senses. He climbed a nearby tree and rushed out onto a branch overlooking the oncoming band. The cat eyes gave him sharp detail even from this distance. He counted out 14 Tuskmen, most carried axes and spears. There was a line in the back that pulled out bows and knocked their own arrows.

"Arrows! Incoming!" He shouted.

The green skined beasts pulled and losed arrows that soard toward the wagons.