Chapter 13: Who are you, strange travelers?
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   The old man gestured to Cecil and Kain.  "Please, come in.  Wait here.
I shall speak with my Master."  The old man walked into the dining room,
leaving Cecil and Kain standing in the parlor, wondering about the safety
of this strange, old house.

   The old man appeared before Rhiannon.  Immediately his shape began to
change.  The old man's figure disappeared, and in its place, a black
wraith appeared.  "Master, there are two vagabonds standing in the parlor,
shall I get rid of them?"

   Rhiannon looked at Lola, and then back at the wraith.  "Who are they,
my servant?"  Rhiannon shifted uneasily in his seat.  "I sense that I
don't like them..."

   "Master, all they want is to stay the night..." the wraith began.

   Rhiannon screamed at the wraith.  "SILENCE!"  He tapped his fingers on
the table.  "No, they are here for the girl.  I can sense the good in
them..."

   Lola spoke up.  "No, I saw them... I don't know who they are...."

   Ignoring her, Rhiannon stood up.  "Take her to her room.  Immediately!"

   The wraith grabbed Lola's arm with an icy cold grasp and whisked her
out of the dining hall.  Lola struggled weakly, "I don't know them... it's
not my fault!"  Despite Lola's protests, the wraith continued to lead her
kicking and screaming down the hall.

   Cecil looked up as the dining hall's doors flew open.  "Aye!  Look,
Kain!"  Cecil tried to focus his eyes.  "Some undead wraith is taking that
girl somewhere!"

   Kain scratched his head.  "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's get
after her!"  Cecil nodded, and the two of them dashed down the hall toward
the fleeing wraith.

   Neither of them noticed the dark figure sliding out the door and into
the snow. Rhiannon smiled in his darkness.  "Next time, flower-spirit...
next time..."

   A sudden thought hit Kain.  "Weren't we supposed to rest here?", he
panted.  "The next time you get any bright ideas to crash someone's party,
remind me to have no part of it!", Kain chuckled.

   Cecil smiled at his old chum.  "I thought it was YOUR idea!"  Cecil
noticed the wraith dash into a door at the end of the hall.  "We got him
now, Kain!  He went in that door!"

   Kain stopped.  He looked at Cecil.  "Well, it's now or never," he said
gesturing toward the door.  "Would you like to do the honors?"

   Cecil nodded.  "I would love to, my friend..."  With one mighty kick,
the door bowed inward.  Cecil looked inside.  "It's dark in here."  He
groped around for a light switch.  He yelled back to Kain, "I found the
light!"  He flicked on the light, then turned around.  "Kain... I... HOLY
SHIT!"

   The room was filled with wraiths and dark forces.  The one they had
followed was sitting behind the others, holding the girl prisoner.

   Lola tried to scream, but the wraith had covered her mouth.

   Kain immediately swung into action.  He gathered up all of his energy
and leapt upon two of the wraiths at the same time, vaporizing both.

   Cecil noticed a dark force heading straight for Kain.  He thought,
<I'll have to cover him.>  Cecil jumped up and grabbed the dark force
before it could get to Kain.  He raised his crystal sword, and plunged it
into the unseen soul of the undead creature.   After killing the dark
force, Cecil looked up at the girl. <I gotta get to her somehow,> he
thought.

   Lola noticed Cecil's gaze, and felt she should try harder to escape.
She wrenched the wraith's clammy hand from her mouth and motioned to
Kain.  "My tools!  Up there!"  A wraith had her equipment, and was
carrying it away at a rapid pace.  "Do something!" she shouted.

   At Lola's command, Kain performed yet another spectacular leap.  He
brought his spear down upon the wraith's head and then grabbed Lola's bag
of tools.  He landed on the floor and tossed the bag to Lola's
outstretched hand.

   She barely caught the bag.  <That was a close one,> she thought,
reaching into her tool bag.  After a few seconds of searching, she pulled
out her razor-sharp trowel.  The wraith next to her had no chance to
react.  With one clean swipe, she drove the trowel through the wraith's
ghostly body.  <I'm free!> she thought.  Then she heard Cecil's voice,
"Look OUT!"

   With lightning speed, Cecil grabbed Lola, and covered her with his
body.  A second later, a dark force slammed into the floor in the exact
spot Lola had stood.  Kain came up behind the hideous creature and stabbed
it with his spear.  "I got it!" he said triumphantly.

   Kain looked around cautiously.  "I think we killed them all...."

   Cecil stood up, and helped Lola to her feet.  "Sorry about that... I
tend to cover people when they need it... it's a talent."  He blushed
slightly.

   Lola smiled at Cecil, and glanced around the room.  "You guys... ah,
did kill everything in the room..."  She blushed and let out a small
giggle.

   Kain winked at her.  "Yeah, except ourselves... but that's the way it's
supposed to be!"

   Lola looked at the two men standing before her, and she shook her
head.  "I should introduce myself," she said, looking at Kain.  "I am
Lola Amorante, and I owe my life..." She looked at Cecil.  "... to you."

   Cecil, a bit speechless, took her hand and lightly kissed it.  "*Ahem*
I am Cecil, a Paladin knight.  I am pleased to make your acquaintance,
Lady Lola."  He motioned to Kain.  "This is Kain, a trustworthy Dragoon."
He eyed Kain with intensity as he introduced him.

   Kain smiled uneasily at Lola.  "Hello."  He couldn't help but wonder
why Cecil had looked at him that way.  "I don't mean to break up the
party, but are we ever going to sleep?"

   Cecil and Lola looked at Kain with amused smiles.  Cecil spoke up.
"Well, all we have to do now is find a suitable place to rest."  He
scratched his chin wearily.  "What do you want to do, Kain?"