The plot thickens...

The tiny house appeared larger on the inside, and Penny was amazed as she walked slowly through it. On wall was completely dominated by ceiling to floor shelves which were filled with hundreds of books and scrolls, with a huge stuffed owl in the center. A battered oaken table was in the center of the room, surrounded by several mismatched chairs. On the table was a lantern, a small book, and a tattered scroll covered with runes that Penny didn't recognize. She picked up the scroll and the book, and stuffed them in her backpack, and was about to look closer at the items on the shelves when she heard the screech of Troop. She almost tripped running outside to see what has caused her beloved dog to scream.

As she exited the small cottage, she saw Aerylon galloping towards the west side of the village, wild-eyes and whinnying. This frightened her a bit, as the huge battle stallion was usually calm, even in battle, and she ran after the rushing horse in a panic. Nearing the lean-to, she slowed somewhat, puzzled, because she heard the little terrier barking and what appeared to be a boy's laughter.

Entering what was obviously intended to be a barn, she saw a small boy, apparently no more than 8 or 10 summers old, laughing at the disconcerted hound. In the back was a roan horse, a mare, sturdy with a shaggy mane and tail.

"I'm Penny, and that's Troop, and this", she said while pointing to her horse, "is Aerylon. And who, pray tell, might you be?"

The boy looked at her for a brief moment, and she saw that he had the most unusual turquoise eyes, and that she had misjudged his age a bit, for he was obviously at least 12 or 13 summers old, and most likely a half-elf. His shaggy blond hair hung down to his shoulders, and his ragged pants and tunic were almost too large for him. He eyed her without answering her, and then reached down to pet the dog.

"Can you at least tell me what has happened here?" Penny asked, wondering if he even understood her. He looked at her again with his amazing eyes, and finally spoke. "Did you see my mother? Is she ok?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, you're the only person we've found alive so far." Penny reluctantly replied. "What does your mother look like?"

Instead of answering, the boy rushed out of the barn, with Troop right behind him. Penny followed as far as the entrance to the crude barn, and watched as the boy went directly to the front of the cottage, and pulled back Penny's cloak from the dead woman's face.

Penny heard his sobs, and went to try to comfort him. At first, the boy jerked away, but eventually he pulled her close as he cried against her chest. She led him inside the cottage, and sat with him at the table.

"At least, please tell me your name, son", Penny told him, concerned that she wouldn't be able to console him

"My mother called me Flick", the boy said sofly, still crying, but calmer now.

"What happened here, Flick?" Penny asked again, and sadly, with tears running down his cheeks, Flick began to tell Penny his story.

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Outside, a small white and tan terrier could be seen, scampering about the village, sniffing an orc corpse here or there, and looking at the small cottage where his mistress had entered some time before. Nearby, Aerylon, a huge Appaloosa stallion, grazed, occasionally eying the little dog disdainfully when he would squeak or growl in reaction to the scene around them. Troop, as the terrier was called by his beloved mistress, soon came to a small stable and being perpetually curious, went inside to investigate further. The structure was barely more than a lean-to, really, with an sod roof and three sod walls, the front open to the elements. He smelled horses, and donkeys, and it wasn't long till he noticed a brown mare in a back stall. Happily, he headed deeper into the stable, bounding through the straw strewn on the dirt floor. He yelped loudly when something grabbed him from inside the hay, which brought not only Aerylon, a seasoned battle horse, but his mistress hurrying into the stable to see what had caused him to make such a ruckus.

The boy cowered in the dark basement, hearing the shouts and screams of battle going on outside. His mother had shoved him down there when the intruders had arrived, forbidding him to come up till she gave the all clear. He was so frightened, not only of the terrifying sounds above, but of the darkness that surrounded him. He wished for a small bit of light, and was surprised to see a tiny globe of light appear before his eyes. Delighted, he watched the globe, transfixed and mesmerized. It was several minutes before he realized that it had gone silent above him. He started to rise and see why it had gone so quiet, but then remembered what his mother had said about leaving the damp, dark basement. So he waited, watching the tiny globe of light, for the all clear from his mother, that, unfortunately, was never going to come...

As Penny entered the small village, she was bombarded with horrific sights. All around her were burning buildings, and scattered in the street were bodies, bloody and horrible. Not much was left standing, just a house here and there, and even those showed massive damage from fire. She dismounted from Aerylon and dropped his reins, and slowly, solemnly walked through the village, hoping to find someone, anyone still alive. As she strolled through, she saw as many dead warriors, in full armor, as she did the poor villagers that lay dead on the ground. It was obvious to her that the village had given as good as it got, and she managed a sad smile at the tenacity of the people of the tiny town.

She strode up to the only structure that bore no damage at all, puzzled as to why it was untouched by the battle or the many blazes about it. As she neared the door, she saw a woman lying on the threshold, also untouched by fire, with no obvious wounds to indicate how she had died. She went to the door, and attempted to open it, but was promptly knocked off her feet by a powerful warding spell. Returning to her horse, she retrieved a crooked stick, seemingly ordinary, but charged with powerful magic. She carefully returned to the small house, and cast a spell of divination, to determine the strength and type of warding on the door. Learning that the protection was a simple deterrent that a child could cast, she quickly removed it and entered the small house.