The Gemstone

Chapter 1

Talace Valerian sat up quickly her master, Bendu stood next to her bed he put a finger to his lips signaling her to be quiet then threw her clothes at her and stepped out of her room. Talace quickly grabbed her clothes and put them on. Talace was a pretty lass she had brown hair and deep green eyes. She was twelve years old and loved the forest and even seemed to have a connection to the plants and animals.
As she put on her clothing then she glanced around her room it was one of four in the tiny log cabin her and Bendu lived in. The other three rooms were Bendu's room, the living room \ kitchen, and a cleverly hidden safe room. The safe room normally looked like a wall but push on the right panel and it reveled a tiny room that could barely fit her and Bendu .
She finished pulling on her boots the headed for the living room
Bendu had a bag packed, Talace looked at the single bag in confusion "where's mine?" she asked
"you're not coming with me" he said "you will take the gemstone and hide in the safe room and I will ride to Ethereal to draw them away from you. Do not leave the safe room til tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow morning then you are to grab your pack and meet me in the rose garden in south Ethereal". " yes master" Talace replied her thoughts spinning she and Bendu always stayed together the Hasena must be really close this time.

*****

Bendu leaned down and gave his young charge a hug he could see that she was afraid, but she would not let it cripple her.
She was a tough one his Tal she would make a good keeper someday he just hoped today was not that day, she was still very young and he would not have that responsibility on her young shoulders yet.

*****

Talace pulled herself out of her thoughts and returned Bendu's hug then watched as he walked past the fire place and the bear skin rug from the bear she had killed and the rocking chair he had carved for her because she could not sit still for more that five minutes, she watched as he walked out the door, she had a terrible feeling that she would never see him alive again. Talace pulled herself out of her depressing thoughts and went back to her room grabbed her pillow and the special bow that her master had made.
She headed into the safe room and closed the door then looked down at her bow it had a slot in the handle where she put the gemstone normally the bow looked like a curved wooden staff but put your hand where the string should be and a green magic string would appear pull back the string and a green magic arrow would appear. It was made of a dark brown wood and every time Talace made a really good kill, man or beast the she would carve something new into it, right now there was only one carving on it. It was from a huge grizzly bear that had attacked her in the woods.
Talace sighed and put down her bow then curled up and went to sleep knowing that she was warm and safe.

A couple hours later Talace woke to a cold feeling in her bones she shifted slightly and peaked out of the peak hole.
The peak hole was tiny so the edges of her vision were blurred she could hear a slight creaking from something moving around in Bendu's room. She shifted slightly and looked toward the door of Bendu's room, the door was open she didn't remember that. As she glanced in the room she saw that the shadows seemed to have a life of their own they swirled and churned brushing over the bed then heading for the door, but as they moved toward the door then they began to change. It looked almost like black smoke was swirling out of the floor and as it began to take shape then a red mist like substance joined the black smoke and together it formed a ghost like figure. It was tall with long claw like fingers and looked like it was wearing a robe she could see glowing red eyes peaking out underneath the hood, there were no legs and it seemed to float across the floor.
Talace bit down on a scream she had only heard her master tell stories about the Hasena, the legendary demons came from the abyss it was said that long ago they had form but  because they tried to enslave mankind so they were forever banished to the abyss but some were said to have escaped by way of men performing blood magic and trying to tie them to their will but they escaped these evil sorcerers and set out to take revenge on mankind and free the rest of the Hasena unfortunately for them they had no physical body but this became their greatest strength and their greatest weakness for because they had no body they could not be hurt by a normal man but also they could not directly influence the world around them in stead a swing of their sword would turn a man into a shade. A shade is a man that is under the control of the Hasena and have no free will.
So they would raise army's of shades none could oppose them, all who did were cut down.
Til the gemstone was created no one really knew how it came to be, some say it was a gift from god, some say it was made by a powerful mage but the fact was it could kill a Hasena.
The gemstone was given to a man named Alrike and he became the fist keeper and as time passed he took on an apprentice named Joy and when Alrike died then she became the keeper and she took on a apprentice and so the tradition continued for hundreds of years. till along came to her master, Bendu he was the twenty first keeper but by the time Bendu came along then most people believed that the gemstone and the Hasena are but myths.
Talace held her breath and froze hoping it would not see or hear her. The Hasena headed to her room and the door creaked open like a gust of wind had hit it the Hasena slipped into her room and out of her sight.
Talace reached for her bow and held it tightly the gemstone glowed softly responding to her emotions.
The Hasena slid out of her room glanced around then seemed to melt turning back into shadows and disappearing.
Talace let out a sigh and and leaned back against the wall and held her bow close to her chest she would not be getting anymore sleep tonight.

Talace let out a sigh, morning had finally come she could see it's light spreading across the floor through the peak hole in the safe room.
Talace stood up and up and stretched feel restless from sitting so long in such a cramped space.
She hoped Bendu had made it to Ethereal and he was safe.
Talace grabbed her bow and then went to her room and packed a bag with everything she would need she then headed to the kitchen and grabbed as much food as she could carry.
Ethereal was about a one day walk from the cabin so she did not have to worry about camping supplies.
After she had her bag packed then she set off on the path her and Bendu usually took when they went into the city to get supplies.
As she was walking she could not help but notice that the forest was beautiful this time of year it was late spring so the air was crisp but it was not too cold out. Many of the trees were in bloom and everywhere she looked there was green.
So all in all Talace was in a remarkably good mood.

A couple of hours had passed since Talace had left the cabin and she was a bout half way to Ethereal, when she saw a man standing in the middle of the road he looked like Bendu but he held himself different, very stiff and every movement was controlled so unlike her warm caring master.
The strangeness stopped Talace from running to him but instead she called out "um master Bendu" there was no reply instead Bendu turned around and regarded her.
Talace took a step back and pulled up her bow Bendu had the eyes of a shade, when a person becomes a shade they keep all of their physical appearance, but their eyes the pupils become grey and clouded.
Talace wanted to cry, Bendu had been like a father to her since he had found her when she was three and living on the streets, to see him like this was painful.
Talace lifted up her bow and pulled back the string.
The shade looked at her then started walking toward her and said in Bendu's voice "give me the gemstone girl".
Talace let out a sob and shot an arrow straight in to his heart, she had made a promise that if he ever got turned into a shade then she would kill him.
Talace watched as he fell back and coughed, blood poured out of his chest, after the magic arrow had done its damage then it disappeared so the blood poured out of the wound unrestricted.
Talace waited til he was dead then threw down her bow and ran to him she gently held him close closed him eyes and sobbed as memories flowed through her mind.
After a while had passed then Talace stood up gently put down Bendu and made the promise to herself that one day she would hunt down the Hasena that had done this to her master and she would kill him like the animal he was.
Talace then grabbed her bow and started walking toward Ethereal the Hasena liked that most people did not believe that they existed so she would be safe in the city for a while.