(Submitted by Morngrym)

As hot as it has been recently, its hard to think of the freezing cold of
winter...however, this story indeed takes place in those winter months...;>

                    Lines of Fate -- Part One
                         Erin Johanason


     All she could think of was the cold.  The chill had challenged almost
every last spot of warmth in her body...and won.  Erin clutched the reigns of
her steed as she rode on through the frigid air.  The animal was almost dead
from exhaustion, but to stop and spend the night here would mean certain
death for the young ranger as well.  Lines of frozen blood streaked her face
along with the paths of tears shed hours ago.  The Company of the Silver
Dagger was no more, she being the only survivor.  The group was ambushed by a
pack of Yeti on an expedition into the frozen wasteland, miles from the
nearest outpost.  Maybe the scepter of might they were seeking was never
meant to be found...Maybe the dark god Bane had taken notice of them, who
could say.  They were her closest friends....they were everything to
her...and now they were gone...A thousand thoughts raced through Erin's mind
as she rode, trying to deny the chill and avoid the eternal sleep that was
beckoning.

     She knew she had to stay focused...She concentrated on the horizon,
searching for some indication of the city.  There was no sign of civilization
close, but she knew Neverwinter was her best chance for survival...it was the
least far of any settlement.  She continued on as a light snow began to fall,
trying to ignore the occasional cries of strange creatures she preferred not
to meet.  Several times she thought she had spotted the city, but it was only
an illusion brought on by the hypothermia.  The sun continued its downward
arc, threatening to cloak the land in darkness and Erin in certain death.

     By her estimate two more hours had passed...She could hardly feel a
thing as she clung to the arctic steed, which had now slowed to a brisk walk.
It looked as if the sun would leave her in another hours time.  She hugged
the steed's neck just to stay mounted as it plodded along...Despair
overwhelmed her and she tried to cry again, but the tears wouldn't come.  She
thought she heard voices in the distance and was vaguely aware of falling
from the mount to the rock hard ground below.

     "M'lady?" echoed in her mind..."I think she's waking up...". Erin slowly
opened her eyes and took in the surroundings.  Her blurred vision cleared and
she could tell that she was lying in a small room on a bed.  Carvings covered
the ceiling above her and some sort of incence filled the air.  Two people, a
man and a woman, hovered over her with concerned expressions...Their garb
marked them as clerics of Gond.  "Where am I?", she managed to mutter.
"Quiet child", the woman replied..."You're in the temple of Gond in
Neverwinter.  You're safe now...We weren't sure you would pull through;
you've slept for days".  Erin took the cup of hot liquid they offered and
sipped it as she tried to recall the events that led her to the temple...


     A week passed as the young lady regained her strength.  The skillful
clerics of gond helped her to avoid any permanent damage from the cold.  Her
excellent physical condition and strong will also helped the recovery to
progress quickly.  She learned that a man had brought her to the temple after
finding her still form on the frozen tundra, almost dead.  He gave his name
as "Kerik", then departed.  The clerics described him as a medium sized man
who looked like a fighter, or maybe a ranger like her, but they couldn't be
sure.  Erin thought about the man a great deal in her last few days at the
temple.  She felt a strong need to find this person and at least thank him
for saving her life...Besides...she had no one else to see, no other place to
go.



(Continued next week in "Lines of Fate -- Part 2".)