The meeting at breakfast time and his conversation with Li-eira afterwards had left Coren somewhat drained. Considering it was not long into the day, Coren felt more tired than he should. He stood in his room, rubbing his forehead, trying to take in all that had been said and what it meant.

Suddenly, Coren heard the door open and turned around. He was more on edge at the tower than he would have liked, but he couldn’t help himself. The place was full of too much sorcery for his comfort. He turned abruptly and saw the beautiful form of Sanyangia Shal-Ashrahad standing in his room.

She curtsied and dipped her head to him, a gesture that showed her grace. Her dark skin and bright eyes were such a contrast and gave her an exotic quality that caused a memory to flood through Coren. It was there, but on the outside just past his grasp.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me,” she told him in a softer voice. It was…is… good to see you again.”

Gates opened as the memory came back. Dreams and visions melded with reality as the memory played out before his eyes.

He felt weak and suddenly alone. With all his effort he looked up. There above him flew a black shape only just visible against the dark sky. Coren recognised the shape. It was one of the Dragonlords’ wyrms. A part of him knew that it was one of the smaller beasts but from here it appeared huge. He knew he had no chance against it. It would swoop down and devour him in its vicious jaws. He knew it was watching him, about to descend and end his life.

Then a brightness lit the sky. The moon appeared from behind a cloud, followed by a huge, blazing ball of fire. The ball of flames arched across the sky above Coren and hit the wyrm in its chest, where it exploded into an almighty firestorm. The fireball was quickly followed by a beam of lancing light that shot out from a nearby hilltop and ripped through one of the wyrm’s wings. Badly injured, the wyvern began to plummet downwards, heading towards the sea.

Coren turned to look up at the hillside. There he could see a single woman dressed in a white robe. Her hands glowed with a dazzling, silver-white light and her face shone as if reflecting Mathern’s glow. As Coren stared at her, behind her other sorcerers appeared, many also dressed in white but others in grey robes. Coren could hear the sound of many voices chanting coming from the hill, as the sorcerers began to glow and cast spells at the oncoming wyverns and at groups of dolfanc still fighting on the battlefield below them.

Coren blinked twice, the memory flooding through his mind and washing away the irritating curiosity that had plagued him since first seeing the woman. That was where he had seen her before, he thought, on the hill during the battle at Per and the realization caused him to step backwards, letting Sanyangia enter the room.

“I…”, Coren began before recovering, “Aye, it’s good to see you again too”.

He indicated for the sorceress to sit in a nearby chair whilst scratching at his beard. After ensuring she was comfortable, he then continued the conversation.

“And not just from earlier in the tower”, he added. “It was you on the hilltop, wasn’t it? Five years ago, give or take. Outside of Per, fightin’ the blasted wyrms and their masters. You and the other white robes helped us out, for which I’d like to thank you”.

Coren smiled warmly at the woman. He didn’t mention the fact that she’d saved his life. If she hadn’t cast some unnatural spell at the wyvern, Coren doubted he’d be here now.

“So, what news do you have that might be useful to Freehold?” he asked, whilst taking a seat himself.

“Yes, it was I that was upon that hilltop that day,” she said as if she didn’t hear the question. “I often wondered what became of you afterwards. You were most brave. And now you are the Great Bear, hero of the north.”

Coren listened but could detect no hint of sarcasm or malice. She seemed genuinely impressed by the accomplishments she recounted.

“I noticed,” she continued “that you did not seem as bleary-eyed as your companions. “Did you not stay up and drink late as they did?”

“I didn’t know the others were up for a bout of drinking”, Coren muttered, a little surprised by the change of topic. “Anyway, they can’t take their drink. I think they’re used to weak wine and that dishwater they call cider”.

“Not sure what was up with Yahim though,” he continued. “He seemed to be taking his hangover out on Li-eira”. The look on Coren’s face made it obvious that he didn’t approve of that at all.

Sanyangia lifted one eyebrow at that, but did not interrupt.

“But no. I am not bleary-eyed miss. A little disturbed to be in this… unnatural place, but otherwise bright and healthy”. Coren smiled. “Now about that news…?” he enquired, hopefully.

Sanyangia walked slowly across the room to a table. She poured water from the pitcher there into two mugs. She moved to Coren and handed him one of the mugs as she took a sip from the other one. As he took the mug, Coren’s rough fingers brushed gently against the back of Sanyangia’s smooth hand. A not-unpleasant shiver suddenly ran down Coren’s spine, though he quickly hid it as he accepted the water.

Sanyangia sensed his physical change and smiled softly. She did not press him, but stepped back a little to give him more space.

“This place disturbs you?” she asked as if she never heard him repeat the request for news of Freehold. “You have spent much time with a Pathmage, travelling around Northreach. How is it that you are so put off by us?”

Coren took a sip of the liquid and frowned as he remembered it was only water.

“Things with Li-eira are… different”, he replied. “She mainly uses her magic in battle. Fightin’ is something I understand. A building that seems to move about and is never where you expect it to be, well, that’s something else. Bolts of fire aren’t that different from flaming arrows if you don’t think too hard about it. Whereas these unseen servants made from bound spirits or shaped air are just… unnatural abominations”.

Coren shuddered again and hastily took and gulp of water.

“Your magic affects things in weird ways and causes strange things to happen - things I can’t explain. It’s not physical, not real. I… I just don’t like it”. He shrugged, unsure about how to describe his feelings.

“I can understand exactly how you feel. I also understand the comfort of a firm weapon in your hand. I believe that is why I am more suited to conflict and danger than most of the other conclave members.”

She leaned in a little closer to him as she continued.

“It’s probably why I volunteered to go to Karmeik for the last three months while the stodgier ones stayed here at the tower,” she said with a wink that made Coren’s heart skip a beat. His breath caught in his throat for a moment and, smiling, he continued stumbled on talking about magic. He mentally filed away the mention of Karmeik for later.

“I don’t know how you live with this magic but what do I know, eh?” he smiled and decided to change the subject. “So, you’re from Sundarya, are you? You live in the southern desert, like Yahim? Seems like a long way from home for you”.

Sanyangia laughed at his words. It was a beautiful, musical laugh that was genuine and not mocking.

“Oh no,” she continued. She knew of Yahim’s true lineage and knew that Coren was aware of it as well. “Princess Yasminna, may the sun always rise for her,” she began, “was raised in Kughdahd, the empirical city in the mountains of southern Sundarya. My people are of the desert. I am from the Di’Brani clan of the Scorpion Nomads.“

She moved towards the window as she spoke, her back turned to the Great Bear. The light from outside poured into the window and filtered through her dress. The diaphanous fabric revealed the hourglass shape and curves of her body, and Coren found himself staring.

“There are times,” she said as she gazed out of the window, “that I do miss the vast spaces of my home.”

Coren didn’t really hear her talk about the various lands in Sundarya and they didn’t mean much to him anyway. Instead, he couldn’t help but gawp at Sanyangia’s beautiful body. Were all the white witches so gloriously attractive? he wondered. Was it magic that gave them their beauty? Or, like Li-eira, was this woman before him also part Choshu? With a fair degree of difficulty, Coren pulled his gaze away from Sanyangia’s form and cleared his throat.

“*cough* Well, erm, there are plenty of open spaces here in Northreach too. Most of ‘em are filled with snow and ice instead of sand, mind you”.

Coren wandered closer to Sanyangia, close enough that he could touch her if he lifted his hand. “You said you were in Karmeik? What were you doing in that forsaken place?” His eyes narrowed, wondering what the woman had been up to in the Dragonlords’ lair.

She continued to look out the window as she spoke.

“Yes, I was there,” she replied. “I volunteered to go there. Atreus contacted us when he discovered the rumors of increased activity amongst the Dragonlords, so I went to their island to learn what I could. It was then that I discovered the reason for their buildup, and sent reports back to the Conclave. They contacted Atreus and Freehold began to plan its defenses. Lord Valgard was most displeased when he learned that Freehold had begun shoring up it’s defenses.”

“I bet he was”, mused Coren, though he winced at the knowledge that Valgard was still alive and leading the Dragonlords. He also took note that this woman was a spy for Atreus, a man to whom he desperately needed to talk.

She slowly turned around and looked at Coren. She cocked her head to the left as she saw his pinched expression. “Do I cause you such discomfort,” she asked. “Your face is all, well, scrunched together.” She took a few steps closer. “I am sorry if I do. I will take my leave if you would prefer.” She looked up at him and waited for his reply.

“No lass”, he replied hastily. “Yer don’t cause me discomfort. Well, not really”. Considering her closeness, in a way she did. But, to him, she was more a mixture of the unknown and the desirable. Her magical heritage didn’t help but, as long as she didn’t turn into an animal or levitate off the floor, he could ignore that.

“As I said earlier, you saved my life and probably the whole of Northreach as well. For that itself, you are always welcome. And as for my face”, he continued, his smile creeping through his white beard, “well, it always looks like this. I’m afraid I was not blessed with beauty – unlike yerself”.

And indeed, thought Coren, she is beautiful. Very beautiful.

She stepped in a little closer and he could see her eyes scanning his face. She reached up and he felt the butterfly touch of her fingers on one of his scars.

“You are more handsome than you could possibly know. Unlike so many men, there is a beauty inside you that makes one’s heart smile. You are more pleasing to look upon than anyone I can recall. I have often remembered that day during the battle. I watched you. Your courageous battle and your heroic defense of your comrades. I was honored to be there with you.”

Coren’s eyes opened wide. “Really?”, he said, surprised. Then you do not see far enough to the darkness that is deep within me, he thought.

He turned his head away a little though his feet did not move. “I am not as courageous nor as heroic as you may think. What I did then I did to survive, nothing more”. Still, inside he felt proud and glad that at least one silver pathmage found him handsome.

She looked at Coren as he spoke. His discomfort was obvious, and his self-doubt was great. She needed none of her spells to divine the thoughts that whirled inside him. She knew exactly what he had done, and why he had done them. None of that matters to me, she thought.

“Do not dare to diminish the greatness that is you, Coren dan Balor,” she told him firmly. “You are more courageous and heroic than you know.”

Still looking away he grunted at this. His guilt about his past resurfaced again, reinforcing his need to see Atreus. He sighed and turned back to the beautiful Sanyangia.

“So, was that your news? About the Dragonlords’ army build-up?”, he asked, changing the subject, trying to keep his mind on business and not pleasure.

“Do they hurt?” she asked him concerning the scars as well as ignoring his question. Her face was much closer to his than before, and there was a scent that rose from her he had never encountered before. Coren had never smelled the rare J’Adassarahn perfume from Sundarya. The potent aroma made Coren feel a little light-headed.

“The scars? No. I hardly notice them”, he replied, looking deep into the pathmage’s large, dark eyes. “I have… other concerns that pain me more”. And, for a long moment, Coren just stood there looking down into her eyes.

A part of him wanted to kiss the woman’s luscious red lips, to take her and carry her to his bed. He felt the attraction throughout his body, feeding his lust. But he knew he couldn’t just force himself on her.

Anyway, as he looked at her, he thought of Li-eira. Both were silver pathmages and both were more beautiful than any other women he had seen. Li-eira’s beauty was both ethereal and majestic but it was tempered by a sweet innocence and a friendly, girlish smile. Whereas Sanyangia’s beauty was both more mysterious and more powerful and yet mellowed by an exotic charm. He lusted after Sanyangia but he loved Li-eira.

He bent towards Sanyangia.

“I… I…” he rasped and then turned away. “I fear I am still tired from our long journey” he breathed, lying somewhat to save himself. “Travelling across most of Northreach does nothing for yer feet”.

He moved away and sat down on the edge of the bed as if tired and weary, though he was neither. He looked up at Sanyangia, still near the window. “You still haven’t told me your news”, he inquired, using the query as a shield against the attraction of the woman.

The smell of her perfume lingered in his nostrils and he found it harder and harder to deflect his own desires, especially when she was so open and free. Again he watched her draw near and the barbarian’s heart began to race again as she approached him and stood between his legs as he sat upon the edge of the bed. She leaned over, bent at the waist, and placed both of her hands upon his bearded face. She then leaned in and planted a kiss upon his lips. Her mouth never opened, but her full lips sent fire through Coren. She then stepped back and gazed into his eyes.

“A moth is not attracted to the shadows, Coren. Perhaps that will serve as a reminder of the light within you. The light that isyou.”

She then turned and walked back to the window, and softly sighed.

“I relayed to Atreus the news about the increased slave gatherings over the last few months. There had also been consolidation of troops back to Karmeik and an increase in naval construction. That could only have pointed to an invasion of Freehold. Lord Valgard would not have consolidated his forces back to Karmeik if he was planning an assault anywhere else here in Northreach.”

Coren nodded wearily. Sanyangia’s assessment of Valgard’s plans made sense but, right now, that information was unimportant. He already knew that the Dragonlords planned to attack Northreach, so all this added was confirmation. What was important now was Sanyangia.

She believed in him, like Li-eira did. She believed there was light within his soul and in return he had just brushed her away using his interest in her news as a warding shield. Well, now that shield was dropped.

Coren stood, the feel of the southern woman’s lips still hot upon his own, and crossed the room to stand behind and slightly to the side of her. Again, her perfume and her beauty invaded his senses. He placed a hand lightly about the woman’s shoulders, inwardly thrilling at the touch of her slender shoulders through the thin fabric.

“Sanyangia”, he whispered, tripping a little over the unusual name, “I’m sorry, lass. You say you see goodness and courage in me and, although I doubt that myself, your words give me hope and lift my spirit. For that I thank you”.

He squeezed his eyes shut then, knowing what he had to say next but unsure how to say it. Right then, he wished he had Giacomo’s charisma and way with words or even Janus’ wisdom and intelligence.

“But”, he continued, needing to explain himself, “although I am attracted to you, there’s another. I’ve known you only a few hours whereas I’ve traveled with Li-eira for months now. I love her and can’t promise my heart to another. Not now. And I won’t just take you like a whor… woman of the night” he corrected himself in time. “You deserve better than that”.

Sanyangia turned to regard Coren as he spoke, her nearness making it hard for him to say what he did. She listened with an open expression upon her face. She did not wish to cut him off nor make him feel any more uncomfortable than he already did. His touch was like a healing balm to her, but she forced her emotions down. She then reached up and began to rub his beard as she looked up into his eyes.

“Oh, my gentle bear,” she said sweetly and with a depth of emotion. “You could never treat me that way. I know of your love for Li-eira. And while you have only just met me, I have been in love with you since that day on the field of battle. If, in time, you find a place in your heart for me, I shall be there, waiting to fill it.”

She reached up and removed an earring from her left ear. The small platinum chain held a small star sapphire that matched her eyes. She grabbed his right hand and placed the earring in his palm before closing his fingers over the gift. Her hands looked so small compared to his.

“Wear this, if you will. It will allow you to call out to me once. No matter where I am, I shall come for you. I shall come to you.”

Coren looked down at the star sapphire as it glinted in the soft light from the window. The puzzled look on his face faded into understanding and acceptance. He stood tall as flickers of emotions and feelings stirred within him. They were faint at the moment but, given time and plenty of light, they could grow.

Sanyangia stepped up on her toes and kissed him again as she cradled her hands on his face. Coren smiled as she did so and, for a moment, leant his forehead against hers. She then stepped back and looked at him again.

“Goodbye Coren dan Balor dan Banor dan Ifus,” she said with a deep curtsey. “May Verengaard light your path and return you safely home, Defender of Northreach.” And with those words she turned and quietly left his room.

“Goodbye Sanyangia Shal-Ashrahad”, Coren sighed, watching the perfectly formed back of the beautiful woman as she walked out. Clasping the star sapphire within his strong hand, he stood there for a moment still looking at the door. And, for a while, he forgot about the dark memories within his soul.