Chapter 1

The sun rose slowly over the horizon. A butterfly floated without porpouse through the air, and you could hear the birds singing a butiful morning song. Its calm melody flew across the grassy, green pastures. Up and down the small hills.

Halfway up one hill it was met by the thrilling sound of a young girls laughter. Two teanagers came running through the tall grass. One of them, the laughing girl, were running in front. Her stalker followed closely, it was a handsome boy with a smile upon his face. "You'll never catch me Lucuis!", yelled the girl backwards. "Don't you be to sure Hannah," he replied and sped up. Lucuis slowly gained on her, his long legs carrying him faster than hannah's cute, small legs. He reached his hand forward, his hand caught her hand and he threw her to the ground.
-"Auch, that hurt Lucius! What did you do that for?"
-"Oh, I'm sorry," said lucius sarcasticly and started tickling her.
-"Ha, ha, ha. Stop that lucius." She was having trouble speaking because she laughed so much.
-"Aren't you sorry too?" His voice was angrier now. She couldn't reply because of the tickling.
-"Aren't you sorry too?" Lucuis yelled, his tickling becoming poking.
-"I said I'm sorry, I'm sorry I pushed you to the ground. But aren't you going to apologise to me? Say you're sorry!"
Hannah's laughing had stopped once the poking began. Now she started crying.
-"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Really!" The poking stopped, but tears continued to run down Hannah's red cheeks. Now, a little tear twinkled it's way down lucuis' cheek as well. Slowly dancing in the sunlight.
-"You didn't mean to?" Lucuis' voice was broken, and the tears started streaming down from his fiery eyes.
-"What didn't you mean to do? Did you not mean to go with him from the party? Walk with him along the sealine in the sunset? Or didn't you MEAN to go into his house? Maybe you didn't mean to kiss him, OR SLEEP WITH HIM?!"
Lucuis poking had started again, with the last sentence leaving from his mouth he started hitting her. Over and over he hit her. Blood was flowing from her face, but Lucius continued. Even when she stop wriggeling and stopped breathing he continued.

Lucius woke up drenched in sweat. He could still feel the anger burning in his heart, the pain from beating her was still in his hands. "I've got to stop having these nightmares," he thouht, pulling his sheepskin away. "I didn't do anything wrong! She cheated on me, and I took revenge. That is the way of things." He pulled on his woolen clothes, and his leather armor before strapping his sword to the belt. Outside the sun was on it's way up, but it was not a summers heat as in the dream. It was the coldness of reality. It had been cold like this ever since the Serentine took control of the region. Lucuis could not understand why these dreams came as nightmares. That was his first murder, the first time he had felt the satisfaction and thrill of killing. "Man kills and people dies, such is the order of things," he thought to himself. That was what Lucuis said to himself every time something out of the ordinary happened, or he couldn't convince others of something. "Such is the order of things", it had almost become his motto, but that was still "Man kills and people dies".

Suddenly Lucius heard voices coming from a tent belonging to his soldiers. "That's wierd, ther're never up this early." He moved silenty across the camp towards the voices. Lucius had long suspected that some of his soldiers planned to take him down, due to the large price set on his head. Unfortunately Lucius had a knack for getting prices on his head, because for some reason the mayors of the towns he robbed didn't like that he took their possesions. As he came closer, the voices became clear. "This is the time to act, if any more prices come upon his head he'll turn himself in!" Said one voice, Lucius recognized it at once. That dark growling voice couldn't be any other than Veron.
Just as Lucius was about to rush into the tent, and reveal himself, another voice appeared. "But there is something more to him. It's not just the killing or the plundering. There is something deeper, more profound. Perhaps even a higher goal. We have to find this goal before we make our move." All of Lucius' concentration was keened in on this man. He could not remember his voice,
and this was wierd because Lucius took great pride in knowing every soldier following him on his journey. The dark voice of Veron sounded again. "It's morning, he'll be awake soon. Let's wrap it up and get back to our tents." Lucuis hurried back to his tent, panting silently. The experience had been a rush. Now knowing for a fact that some of his men were against him, but also knowing he had a supporter. This idea thrilled him somehow. Lucuis concluded that it appealed to his evilness, knowing this he could easily plan something cruel for his enemies.

Back in his tent he lay himself back on his rugs. It was his way of resetting everything. Once again he "awoke", and got out of bed. He walked slowly, as though trying to be graceful, through the small opening in the tent. He tried to do excactly as he did every morning. Stopping, listening to the birds before stretching his arms towards the sky. Everything was as it should be. Soon, his night scout would return with his report. Lucuis walked over to the blackened charcoal of last nights fire. A little of the heat still remained, as though to show Lucuis that there was still hope. Lucius noticed something moving in the bushes. Slowly he reached for his sword, trying to act casual. He didn't want to alert the spectator that he had spottet him. Lucius pretended to move towards the barrel with water, but in reality he moved towards the tent that would hide him from the onlooker. Finally behind the tent, Lucuis crept together. The creature in the bushes was good, but not good enough to avoid Lucius' hearing. Lucuis was one with the ground, and didn't make a sound when he cearfully lifted himself upwards. Just as the area in front of the tent became visible to him, he froze. Not wanting to risk making any sound. The onlooker had been cearless, obviously thinking that everyone else was asleep, he was moving across the open space between the forest and the camp. He was using small but fast steps, being very silent. Lucuis had to admit that if he did not know the man was there, he would not have heard him. This spy, or whatever it was, had a ragged cloak with a hood that nearly fell of. He was either very smart or very dumb, for his cloak was covered in leaves. It could be a result of two things, he could have used it as a bed in the night which would be stupid. But Lucius hoped that this was a worthy adversary, which had puorpusfully put the leaves there to disgiuse himself.

After noticing this, Lucuis saw which tent the hooded man was heading for. It was his own. "Perhaps an assassin", thought Lucuis. But he had to act fast now, he had used to much time studying this individual that he had forgot to plan what to do. Once this man realised that Lucuis was not in his tent, he would be a tough one to take out. So Lucius hurried now, toward his own tent. Allways being cearfull not to make too much sound. He could not alert his assassin that he was discovered. The assassin had reached Lucius' tent, shoved the "door" away and went inside. "Argh! I'm too late." But Lucuis did't have time to think more about that. Because the assassin came running out again. He was heading for one of the other tents. Just as the opening was within reach he screamed out in pain, and fell to the ground. He had been hit in the leg with an arrow. The shot had come from Lucius, he had used his personally designed mini-crossbow. But Lucius' face was in shock, just as the aroow threw itself from the crossbow he had realised who this man was. It was Iroh, his night scout.
"What did you do that for?!" Iroh screamed.
"Are you trying to blame me? You are the one who sneaked into camp! I thought you were an assassin." Lucius was embarressed inside, he thought he could recognise his own men in a thousand miles but obviously not.
"Beauru! Get your lazy ass out here! We got a man down," Lucius yelled. The camp was coming to life now. Beauru was the only one still sleeping. Lucius yelled again, still no reaction. He watied for five seconds before yelling a third time. "I'm sure that man could sleep through a siege," Lucius thought to himself. He was moving towards the water barrels now. Once there, he took a cup of the icy cold water and headed for Beauru's tent. "GET UP!" Lucius screamed as he went in. He threw Beauru's blanket of, and poured the cold water straight at his chest. Beauru gasped, as though trying to get water out of his lungs. He was bevildered, but awake at last. "Now get your clothes on and get the arrow out of Iroh's leg!"

Ten minutes later they were all gathered in Lucius' tent, Iroh was reporting what he had seen. "I did what I do every time we put up a new camp. I checked the immidiate area, and looked for a place where I could see others coming as well as keeping an eye on the camp. I found a little place on the hill to the west. Close to midnight another group of travelers came from the southwest. They were about 15, all afoot. After finding a good spot they used maybe half an hour to set up camp, and they all went to bed. The way they were acting, I would guess that they are merchants. But I couldn't see any crates. The whole camp was silent when I left."
Lucius waved his hand, and Iroh discontinued. "Thank you Iroh. Now men, I shall tell you something. I will reveal to you the true reason that we are on this journey. Untill now, our objective has been robbing and plundering. To get rich and famous. However, there is a deeper meaning. I want to discover the secrets of the serentine!" His men gasped, kind of like how Beauru had gasped earlier just that this was another kind of shock.
"Many have attempdet this before, and all have failed. I have used this time of plunder to test you, and to see if you are worthy of following me. You have all proven yourself, by not dieing. Let us do one final plunder. Let's take out these "merchants" or whatever they are. Get yourselves ready, we move out in 20 minutes!"
Lucius' speach ended with a roar from his comrades, and everyone hurried to get ready.

The bird song digged deeper into his mind. His mental defences was almost depletet. Slowly he opened his eyes, a ray of sunlight pushed through into his tent. Within two seconds, Charles was on his feet. He had overslept. Rushing out into the camp, half dressed he yelled: "Come on people! We've slept too long! The serentine secrets aren't going to wait for us." Charles dived for the icy water, and threw it in his face. Judging from the position of the sun, it couldn't be more than two hours till midday.Within 15 minutes all of them were ready to go, and they wasted no time. "Let's go!" said Charles and marched on, with his men following behind him. After half an hour of fast walking Charles stopped suddenly and started stearing to the left. There was a gigantic piece of marble. It looked like a man, holding a piece of parchment. There was an inscription as well, it read: "Here stands The Statue of the Serentines. Built in an age of conquorors, laid here piece by piece. May it forever guide lost travelers." Charles could not make much of the inscrition, but decided that this was a good time to adress his men.

"Men, we have arrived. Behold The Serentine Statue! All our work so far, has led us to this point. But what lays ahead, is far worse than anything we have encountered thus far. Well, we better get moving. Let's move out men!"
Just as he finished his sentence, an arrow flew though the air and hit him in the heart. His men rushed forward, shouting and pushing to help their leader. But it was too late, Charles was dead. They didn't have time to grieve either, for Lucius' men were coming towards them on horses. One of Charles' men, Wardath, shouted: "Form a line boys. FOR CHARLES!" They rushed towards the horsemen. But they didn't stand a chance, they were cut down like animals. Lucius came riding in last, and finished Wardath of with a single swing of his sword.

"Ha! The secrets of the serentine belong to me, and me alone." said Lucius and smiled. "But you heard him men. What lays ahead will get much worse than what we have seen thus far. So be on alert. Let's move out!"
They all turned their horses around and went after Lucius. They were heading north, unaware of what was watching them from the shadows.