The sun had set, and night was creeping through the nearby foothills, spreading its dark fingers across the valley.  Within the local tavern, a large bipedal equine relaxed at his favorite table near the common room's hearth.  From it, he could see not only the entire room, but thanks to a nearby window the wide road that ran alongside the tavern as well. 

October nights were often quite busy, especially during the last week before All-Hallows Eve.  Half a dozen merchant caravans passed through daily, racing against the first snows of winter.   The air was crisp and cold and most of the nearby trees had already surrendered their leaves to the changing seasons.  Something about the world's position in the firmament this time of year weakened the natural barriers between realms. 

Nathan found himself up late many nights, closing one or more of the mystic portals that rested on the hilltop not far from Sylvia's tavern.  It also brought the occasional band of demon or geist hunters, all determined to build upon their lackluster or non-existent reputations.  Such groups were sometimes more of a problem than the ancient stones themselves.   The best thing the village warden could say about them was they provided a modest increase in profits for Sylvia.

Being a small farming village, the only overnight accommodations were a half-dozen rooms on the second floor of the tavern.  Anyone not willing to rent a room could camp in a small meadow across the road from the jailhouse.  The placement of the campsite reminded travelers that, unlike many of the northern villages, this one had someone who enforced the king's peace.  And though some considered it an annoyance, the majority appreciated the protection it offered. 

Looking around the uncrowded tavern Nathan noticed a group of five beast men relaxed over drinks and a game of cards.  The first four, all foxes, were traveling merchants.  The fifth, a smaller, white-furred mink wearing green and brown was examining his hand closely. 

Nathan knew he had to keep an eye on him.  Not only was he Sophie's cousin, but he was also the closest thing the village had to a cardsharp with the skill to cheat, if he ever had a mind to.  Luckily, he was also quite proud of his ability to win without cheating, so he kept the games honest as a matter of pride.  That of course didn't necessarily apply to the other players.  They were on their eleventh deal and third round of beer when one of the merchants began to curse at the mink.

“Damnation!  Ah swear y'all have to be cheatin'.  No one could win as much as y'all have without stackin' the deck."

One of the other foxes reached out and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.  “Take it easy, Squib.  Ah ain't seen no sign of cheatin'.  There's no need of gettin' all riled up."

“But there ain't no way Ah could lose every hand to this country bumpkin if he weren't dealin' from the bottom of the deck!"

“Y'all haven't lost every hand ta him," offered another of his friends.  “Ah won the pot twice, and Allwyn took it three times.  Maybe he's just a better card player than you."

Squib shook off his first friend's hand and stood, reaching for the hilt of a short sword.  “He's cheatin' alright… and Ah aim to prove it!"

A deep, calm voice cut through the conversation.  “Is there a problem here gentle-beings?"

They all looked up to see Nathan towering over them.  The tall equine had enough muscle on him to pick up a dray lizard and carry it on his shoulders, if he wanted to.  Squib saw the warden's eyes focused on him

“Uh…No sir," he replied, anger replaced by a sudden wash of nervousness.  He withdrew his hand from his cloak and quickly sat back down.

The warden smiled.  “Now I appreciate you've had a long, hard day of traveling and just want to slap the road dust off your boots.  But if you're thinking of causing any sort of ruckus here then you'd better get your heads straight.  You won't like what happens, understand?"

The merchants all nodded in agreement. 

Nathan turned and looked at the mink.  “Why don't you go help Sylvia with the dishes." 

“No problem," he grinned, handing the equine his cards before sauntering into the back room.  

Nathan glanced casually at the dealer's hand and folded the cards together, then he looked at the others.  “Call."

They all turned over their hands. 

“Well… Squib was it?  It appears you won this pot.  Now, finish your drinks.  If you're going to continue this game, do it at your camp."  He put the dealer's hand face down on the table and walked away.  When Squib reached for the cards he was stopped by Nathan. 

“Leave them be."

The four merchants quickly drained their mugs, gathered up their things and left peacefully.

Nathan returned to his table, put his hooves up and leaned back, continuing to watch the room and road.  It wasn't long before he was joined by a very pretty female mink with white fur and ebon hair, tied back with a green ribbon that complimented her dress and cream-colored shirt.  She carried a small tray with her, on which were a pair of shot glasses filled with a dark, red liquor.  

Sylvia set one glass in front of the equine and the other in front of an empty chair across from him which she promptly occupied.  As always she was humming a tune to herself with a kind of lilting purr.  “Thanks for keeping an eye on Byrne.  He can be a handful sometimes."

“Not really.  I just didn't want to have to clean up a mess this evening."  He paused.  “What's this?" Nathan asked examining the shot glass.

“Something new I picked up from the wine merchant who passed through here yesterday.  It's called Cherry Ice Wine."

“Is it good?"

She smiled wickedly at Nathan. “It might be.  We're about to find out."

“We?  Since when did I become a part of your culinary experiments?"

“I need a neutral, honest, second opinion."

“I'm not much of an expert on anything other than beer.  You may not like what I think."

“Whether I like it or not isn't the point.  What you say will be as close as anyone around here can get to the truth."

He picked up the glass.  “Cherry Ice Wine… Made from cherries I presume."

“So I was told," Sylvia smiled. 

Nathan shrugged and took a small sip.  The drink definitely had a strong, fruity taste though he couldn't decide if it was made from cherries or currents.  There was also a kind of smokey aftertaste.  He considered the glass, then downed the remainder in one gulp.  It went down cold, but after a moment exploded into a strong, but pleasant burning sensation, not unlike swallowing ice.  

 “Not bad," the equine said with a smile, “though I don't think it will ever replace hard cider." 

Silvie followed his example, smirked triumphantly, then broke into a coughing fit that lasted several seconds.  Nathan pushed his tankard of ale toward the mink who took a long draw on the beverage.  “Whoa," she gasped at last.  “That was… intense."

“It would appear so," the equine observed. 

“Did you like it?"

Nathan nodded.  “It's kind of strong, so I wouldn't drink it often, but it has a nice flavor.  You might want to have a couple bottles on hand for any travelers who pass through."

A small clock on the mantle began chiming.  Sylvia glanced up at it and slid off her chair.  “Got to get back to work.  You going to stay for supper?"

“What are you serving tonight?"

“Beef liver for the carnivores, potato soup with carrots for the herbivores, and cornbread for both."

Nathan leaned back.  “Soup and cornbread, if you please."

“Figured as much," she smiled.  “It'll be about forty-five minutes."  Sylvia snatched up the empty glasses and tray and vanished into the back room.  A few minutes later Byrne came out and started lighting candles around the room and stoked the fire in the hearth. 

The warden watched casually for a few moments, then took out a small notebook and began recording the day's events.  It had been a quiet day, so there wasn't much to write about.  He closed the book and glanced over at Sylvia's cousin.  

“I'll be back in a few minutes."

“You going to check the stones?"

“Maybe…"  

            “You want me to get you a lantern?" asked Byrne.  “It's getting kind of dark."

Nathan shook his head.  “Thanks, but I don't really need one.  Just keep my soup hot."

“Sure thing," the mink replied. 

The warden stood, buckled on his sword belt, adjusted his cloak and strode out the door.   He stood for several minutes in the shadows of the tavern as his eyes adjusted to the gathering darkness before strolling over to the nearby jailhouse.  Once inside he went into the small backroom that served as his living quarters.  From it, he retrieved a shoulder bag.  Exiting the building he strolled up the hill behind the village. 

He paused and looked up at the rising moon.  It was a full moon.  Not the best of omens when it came to mystic powers or otherworldly portals.  Nathan scanned the valley below him.  Pausing,  he noticed two riders as they stopped in front of the tavern and dismounted.  From their movements they appeared to be soldiers.  That in and of itself wasn't unusual as many caravans hired mercenaries as guards.  He resolved to check on them when he returned and resumed his climb.  The sooner he inspected the stones, the sooner he could be back at his nice warm spot next to the hearth.

The equine reached the crest of the hill and stopped.  He could see the light of a small campfire on the opposite side of the knoll.  A large figure sat on a rock warming his hands.  He turned and looked at Nathan, then stood and pulled back his hood.  The face confronting him was that of a dire wolf, one of the few supernatural races of his world.

  “It's about time you showed up.  I've been waiting here since mid-noon for you to check on the stone circle."

“Do I know you?" Nathan asked warily.

“No, but I've heard of you.  Nathan Stonespur…  Warden of the North Valley, Guardian of the Crossroads.  Oldest lawkeeper in the kingdom.  It's hard to tell from here, but you don't look anywhere near as old as you are supposed to be."

“I hear that from time to time."  The equine stepped towards the figure.  “You sound as if you're from Kingsport.  What brings you all the way out here?"

The wolf shook his head.  “Come now… Isn't the answer to that obvious?"

“Might be," Nathan replied, “but I never like to make assumptions."

The dire wolf grinned.  “Spoken like a true lawkeeper.  Keep everything close to the vest.  Never let an opponent know what you're thinking or how you'll react."

“Are you my opponent?"

“Depends on how cooperative you plan on being."

Nathan stopped about twenty paces from the wolf.  “Well, my cooperation hangs on what you and your friends want."

“Friends?"

“Four or five at least," the warden said.   Nathan could see three figures in the moon shadow hiding behind the stones.  Counting the wolf made four.  The warden reckoned there should be one more out there in the dark.  Probably a non-wolf armed with a bow, just in case, and lined up with the campfire so they'd have a clear shot at   him.  “Am I right?"

“Five on one?  Sounds hardly fair," the wolf said.

“Fair has nothing to do with it.  If it did, you would have approached me in town and not out here, in the dark."

The figure dipped his head in respect.  “Not much get by you, does it Mister Stonespur."

“As you pointed out, I've been doing this for a long time. Now, since I've got my supper waiting for me, why don't we clear up what you want so I can get back to the inn."

“It's simple warden.  I want you to open one of the gates for me so I can retrieve something I lost a long, long time ago."

Nathan shook his head.  “Sorry… I don't open the gates.  I only close them.   My job's keeping night stalkers who shouldn't be here in their own realms and out of ours."

The dire wolf reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a sizable ruby.  “Please forgive me… I didn't mean to make my request sound like a demand.  I am more than willing to compensate you for your efforts…"

“The answer is still no.  The magics around here are unstable.  Playing around with the stones isn't a good idea."

“I'm sorry to hear that, warden," said the dire wolf.  “I've spent a lot of time and money learning what I had to and setting all this up.  I'm not about to be denied by a lone, weak-kneed lawkeeper afraid of his own magics."  He clicked his teeth and was immediately joined by two more wolves and a burley human. 

“Killing me won't open any of the gates."

The dire wolf laughed.  “I don't need you for that.  All I really want is that shoulder bag with your tools.  I can handle any magic that's needed."  He raised his left hand and uttered a short incantation.  Green flame erupted from his palm.  His voice became menacing.  “Now hand it over."

 The warden removed the bag from his shoulder and let it slide to the ground in front of him.  “You want it?  Come and take it," he taunted. 

The flame in the dire wolf's hand abruptly changed from green to blue.  Nathan instinctively knew it had to be a signal.  He drew his sword so fast that it seemed to leap into his hand.

            At the same time the two other wolves separated and tried to circle around him from both sides.  Nathan ignored them, focusing on the darkness behind the wolf mage.  He heard the soft twang of a bowstring.  He counted…one, two… on three he swung his sword in a close arc.  The edge of the blade caught the arrow dead center, separating the head from the fletching. 

            The circling wolves stopped abruptly and stared in disbelief as the arrow fell to the ground. 

            The dire wolf hurled his fireball at Nathan.  “Get him," he barked

            The warden ducked under the flaming orb.  It struck one of the nearby stones and harmlessly burst apart into ethereal shards.  He brought his sword up and blocked the swing of the nearest wolf, maneuvering to keep him between himself and the invisible archer.

            The second wolf moved in on Nathan.  The equine spun, blocked the intended strike and stomped his iron shod hoof down on the wolf's foot, breaking it.  He shrieked in pain, leaving himself open for an instant.  The flat of the warden's sword caught him in the face, knocking out teeth and causing him to fall over backward, insensible. 

            The human charged at the warden swinging a large hammer over his head.  Nathan back stepped avoiding the hammer.  It slammed into the ground carrying its wielder a step or two further forward than he intended.  Reversing, the warden drove the heel of his left hand into the human's gut, knocking the wind out of him.  He doubled over and Nathan cracked the pommel of his longsword into the back of his opponent's head.  Both the hammer and its owner dropped to the ground. 

            “DOWN!" commanded the dire wolf. 

The first wolf threw himself sideways as another arrow came out of the darkness.   The warden twisted his body, and it whizzed by, nearly grazing him.

The wolf took advantage of the momentary distraction and moved in on Nathan, thrusting instead of swinging his sword.  The equine blocked, spun and blocked again.  The two fighters rapidly circled each other trading blows.  Some of these the warden parried with his sword.  Others, he blocked using the armored bracers on his wrists.

Unquestionably, the first wolf was skilled.  Nathan knew his opponent was buying time for at least one of his companions to recover.  The longer this dragged out, the better their chances they could overwhelm him.   Thrice more the combatants clashed, moving faster each time.

The dire wolf watched from the side, waiting for an opening to use his magic. 

The warden circled yet again, drawing his opponent in then driving him back at will.  At one point the wolf made a grab for Nathan's shoulder bag.  A flurry of strikes prevented him from succeeding.  They went around one more time, winding up with the lawkeeper's back to the campfire. 

Nathan paused, appearing to breathe heavily. 

The wolf facing him sneered, believing his opponent was tiring.  Nathan counted to three, then ducked.  The wolf turned to match his movement only to discover the shaft of an arrow sticking out of his shoulder.  He howled in pain and dropped his sword. 

Nathan strode over to the wolf, picked up his sword and drove it through the mercenary's left foot, pinning him temporarily to the ground.  He shrieked even louder

“I'm going to rip your heart out and eat it, you bastard!"

“I don't think so," the warden replied.  “You can't fight if you can't stand.  Just be glad I didn't cut your foot off."  He moved back to stand over his shoulder bag.  Turning, he looked at the dire wolf.

“I think we're just about done here," Nathan said. 

“We're not done until I have what I came for."  He uttered a short spell, gathering yet another ball of blue fire in his hand.  He looked up, then stared at the lawkeeper, his jaws open in surprise.

Nathan was standing before him, his own hand open holding a ball of blue fire three times the size of the one his adversary had.  “Mine's bigger," the warden said, a tight grin running across his muzzle as he sheathed his sword.

The mage banished the spell and dropped both hands.  

An instant later Nathan heard a distant twang from the darkness.  Obviously, it was yet another signal from the dire wolf.  This time, he deflected it with his wrist bracer. 

“This is getting damned tiresome," Nathan muttered.  He straightened his arm and sent the blue fireball into the darkness.  It exploded in a nearby tree hurling what appeared to be the figure of a fox out of it.  “The jail's going to be a bit crowded tonight," he grumbled. 

The dire wolf glared at the road warden and drew his own sword.  “I will not surrender.  You'll have to kill me, unless I kill you first."

            “You already tried… several times.  How's that working out for you?"

            The wolf howled in defiance and charged Nathan, hoping to close the distance before the warden had a chance to cast magic.  To his surprise the lawkeeper simply stood his ground.  

            The wolf thrust his blade forward, impaling the equine through his abdomen.  The shock of the strike brought his charge to a dead stop.  Nathan grunted heavily and took a single step back, grimacing as blood ran down the sword's fuller and dripped from its guard. 

            The dire wolf stared in disbelief as the warden reached up and pried his fingers off the hilt.  The equine kept one hand firmly gripped on the wolf's wrist.  He drew back his fist and slammed it into the beast man's head, knocking him back several feet.  His foe dropped like a sack of flour and remained silent.

            “I guess you didn't know as much about me as you thought," he mumbled to himself.  A noise of rushing feet behind him caused Nathan to turn.  In the light of the campfire he saw three villagers, each armed with various farm tools crest the top of the hill.   They were accompanied by Sylvia, Byrne, and the two mercenaries he'd seen earlier.

            Turning so they couldn't see; Nathan pulled the sword out of his gut and dropped it into the grass.  He hissed in pain and clapped one hand over the wound whispering a short enchantment.  His hand glowed for a moment and the blood stopped flowing.  He looked up at the small knot of would-be rescuers.  “Can I help you?" he queried.

            “That's what we were going to ask you?" Sylvia responded. “We could hear the yelling and noise all the way down in the village and thought you might need help."

            “Actually, you can," the warden said.  “I'd be appreciative if you could gather up this lot, tie them up and carry them down to the jail house for me."

            “How many are there," asked one of the villagers.

            “Five, if you count the one lying unconscious next to that burning tree over there    They shouldn't give you any trouble.  Just strip and search them before you tie them up."

            “You want we should strip them naked?"

            Nathan nodded.  “Naked prisoners tend to be a lot more cooperative in the short term."

            The villagers and mercenaries set to work, piling the brigand's weapons and gear next to the large center stone.  Sylvia came over and stood next to the warden, taking his hand.  He bent over and picked up his shoulder bag.  Reaching in he pulled out the keys to the jail and handed them to Byrne.

            “Keep an eye on these guys until I get there, and don't worry about any injuries.  I'll patch them up after I finish things up here."

            The mink stood with the equine as he oversaw the collection of both rogues and their property.   “Drinks and supper are on the house for everyone who helped up here," Sylvia announced as the villagers finished clearing off the stone circle and disappeared down the hill.

            She looked up at Nathan.  The light from the nearby campfire revealed streaks of grey flowing through his mane and peppering his muzzle.  “You were using magic, weren't you?  You know what that does to you."

            The lawkeeper shrugged.  “It was necessary.  It'll reverse itself next time I close one of the gates."

            Sylvia looked at the bloody sword at Nathan's hooves and smelled the blood on him.  She didn't miss how he was holding his side.  “And who's going to look after you?" she whispered.

             The lawkeeper waved a hand casually, magically snuffing out both the tree and campfire.  “I figure you've got that covered," he answered. 

            The warden bent over and picked up the sword.  Sylvia used the opportunity to reach up and rap Nathan on the end of his muzzle. 

            “You bet your ass I do," she purred as they headed back towards the village.