The Story

"There has been another disappearance, captain." The guard avoiding his commander's frown, glanced nervously at Sir Delarn, the Lord's eldest son, nursing a cup of wine by the fire. "A young tavern keeper. The wife said he went out back to darken the yard lamps and lock the gate after closing, and never came back. The patrol on duty reports signs of a struggle and something heavy dragged into the alley, but they didn't find anything else, sir."

"No one heard or saw anything?" Corwin asked, knowing the answer.

"No, sir. It's this damn fog, sir. Creeping in here at night. It muffles all sounds. When those animals, or worse, took out Gorem's patrol two night ago... Well someone should've heard, that all. Someone should've heard."

"Anything else, Guardsman?"

"No, sir." Corwin dismissed him, but the guard paused. "How's Sergeant Kent, sir?"

Corwin closed his eyes for a moment. "The healer says, well, not good. But the Sergeant’s a fine strong man. He'll pull through."

"Holt was a fine strong man too, sir", referring to another guard who dies the previous week of the same sudden and unknown illness.

Corwin headed home near dawn, hoping for a few hours sleep. There had been little sleep in the last weeks. Since the last full moon, strange nightly fogs oozed into the city smothering it with an unnatural quiet. And with the strange fog, reports plagued the city guard. Odd misshapen men seen only as shadows in the mist. Murders and disappearances witnessed by no one. Corwin groaned as his headache returned.

A shuffle. Corwin peering toward the sound, caught sight of two cloaked figures moving away from him. "Now who would be out..?" Suspicious, he slid into the shadows, quickly following the two dark shapes before they faded into the thinning mist.

Corwin pulled up short rounding a corner. The objects of his curiosity had stopped near a street lamp to kiss. Chagrined, Corwin turned away to depart.

"Cass, it's not safe, there've been disappearances" the man's voice pleaded.

Corwin stopped, turning back toward the couple.

The woman's hood fell back to reveal pale hair in the lamp light. "Delarn, my love, don't be silly." She hushed the elder son of the city lord, her voice soft and gentle. Again, they kissed. She spoke next in a firm, commanding tone. "Return to your room. Do not let anyone see you. Go to bed. Sleep.", and pushed him away like a child.

Corwin’s eyes widened in surprise as the usually willful young knight trundled along the castle without a backward glance. The woman walked quickly down the street as a predawn glow began to lighten the diminishing mist. Corwin cautiously followed.

They came to a large old house with walled gardens,. As the woman hurriedly slipped through the garden gate, there was a metallic clink. Corwin moved forward to find a small pearl encrusted hair pin. After a few moments, he eased open the gate. A bang reverberated near the house. Tracing the noise to an old root cellar near the house, Corwin drew his sword. opened the cellar door, and descended a steep stairs into the dark.

The cellar was empty, except for several old and moldering crates. Corwin frowned at the shadows. The pale woman was not there. Searching the garden, he found no sign of her. The house was boarded shut. He returned to the cellar and began a more thorough search using the dim light coming through the open door above.

Something gave a slight metallic clink as he shifted his foot. Sweeping the floor with his hand, he found it. Another hair pin. "She is here." he whispered.

The watch tower was ringing the morning watch before Corwin stumbled upon the trigger he was looking for. Corwin's foot shifted on the stone floor as a stone slid gently downward. As he stepped back to examine the stone, he fell backwards into a deep pit that had not been there moments before. Before Corwin could rise to his feet, the stone above his head slid loudly into place with a solid thud. Corwin instinctively reached for his sword, only to find he must have dropped it above, when loosing his balance.

After searching without reward for another mechanism that might open the stone ceiling, Corwin proceeded into the trap.