It was late the next morning before Melethan was finally taken out of the room. The zealots did not feed him or wash him or remove any bindings. He was loaded onto a cart outside the chapel and they proceeded to wheel him into the center of town with a parade to gather attention again. It worked, and Shandor had everyone's attention. The zealots put up a large poll, and then the stage was set. The show was ready to go on.

"Citizens of Skorn!" Shandor shouted to the crowd to gather their silent attention. The muttering of the crowd died so that Shandor could be heard. "The great Mardoc has requested your presence to witness the punishment of one of your own!"

The crowd murmured again amongst themselves, looking around at eachother in confusion trying to figure out who it had been or what had happened.

Shandor explained it to them next. "Last night the boy MELETHAN was caught tresspassing in the chapel. He was there for vicious acts against Mardoc of course! This will not be tolerated!"

At that Melethan was tied up to the pole. This caused dissention within the crowd. There were a lot of angry citizens questioning what they had planned on doing to the boy, and others who praised the Zealots and clapped when they strung Melethan up.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Came a voice pushing through the crowd. It was Edwin, who had come to confront them and free his son. "You let him down now!"

"I am afraid that your son must atone for his mistakes." Shandor replied innocently.

Melethan squirmed uncomfortably against the pole. It was painful and embarassing. Below him was the entire town, looking onward, pointing and laughing or crying. He was helpless and scared. He saw his father arguing with the zealots. He saw the others coming through the crowd: Guldivine, Barbadd, and Mage, all from different directions.

"Edwin dont!" Barbadd cried out.

Edwin already had his fist pulled back. He swung it forward and knocked Shandor across the jaw, dropping the elderly man hard on the ground. The zealots reacted immedately, drawing swords and forming a defensive circle around their priest.

Next, the fight was on. Edwin lunged at the zealots knocking one of them over. He proceeded to pummel his face. Barbadd entered the fight next, also coming at one of the zealots with his shoulder, knocking him over. The zealot's sword went flying out of his hand onto the ground nearby. Guldivine came through the crowd and swooped up the sword and swung it at the next zealot. The crowd began shouting at eachother and also breaking out into seperate brawls. Guldivine tripped his man to the ground with his foot as they dueled. He looked over just in time to see Edwin being dragged off by two more zealots. A few more came up behind those two to bar the way.

"They are taking Edwin!" Guldivine shouted.

Then suddenly to everyone's surprise, a jet of fire came forth out of the crowd and built a wall of flames between the Zealots and the town. The flames reached high up in the sky, causing everyone to have to step back. Guldivine Looked back at the crowd and saw Mage standing ahead of everyone else, hand outstretched. Magic, Guldivine understood. Mage had casted a spell to seperate them.

"Enough!" Mage shouted quite unnaturally. Guldivine always figured he only ever whispered when he spoke.

Everyone stopped for a few moments and caught their breath. The fight was now over, but The Zealots had Edwin, and Melethan was left on the village side of the flames.

When the flames finally subsided the zealots were gone. They had retreated back to the chapel. Guldivine and Barbadd helped untie Melethan and let him down.

"How in bloody hell did all of this happen!?" Barbadd asked Melethan.

"I... I..." Melethan struggled with his words, in disbeleif in what happened. "I..."

"Tell us." Guldivine said to him calmly.

"I went to the chapel after dark. I wanted to figure out what they were doing here! I.. I saw that they were after some sword."

"What!?" Barbadd asked.

"They were digging, under the chapel. They were looking for a sword of Jherrick someone. I didnt know what they meant!"

"Jherrick?" Barbadd questioned, looking over at Guldivine.

Guldivine shrugged then asked, "How did you get caught?"

"I.. I was in the back rooms. And they were all asleep I swear! And I found one room like a messy library or something. It had a table that had their whole plan layed out. There was a map, and a book! Thats where I read it, something in Shandor's personal journal or something. I was going to take the book but they caught me!" Melethan was practically in tears. "All of this is my fault!"

"It's these zealot's faults. But you should be more careful Melethan." Guldivine said.

Mage had approached them. He spoke, back in his normal whisper. "I would expect them to retaliate for this."

"What can we do!?" Melethan asked. "We have to get my father back!"

"There isnt much we can do at the moment." Barbadd said. "We cant just get em to let Edwin go, and we cant take em all on. Its twenty to four unless we round up some more townsfolk. We're not even properly armed."

Guldivine looked at took stock at the weapons they did have. He had taken one of the swords off the ground. It was identical to the short sword Melethan had, but it seemed the Zealots had take it back. So they had one short sword and one Warlock... if the warlock was willing to help.

"That spell you did," Guldivine said to Mage, changing the subject. "That was quite effective. What do you call that one?"

"That spell is 'Wall of Fire' and it takes a lot to learn." Mage said. "But don't ask me to use it again on them today. I am Mana Fatigued now."

"Mana Fatigued? What does that mean?" Barbadd asked.

Guldivine did the explaining. "It means He needs to recover his magic strengths or whatever before he can use it again, right?"

"Exactly. Even Magic has its limits." Mage said. "But I can still throw a few 'fire bolts' before I am completely drained. That could help. Its a lesser spell."

"Do we have any other weapons?" Guldivine asked.

Sadly the rest of them shook their heads. This did not bode well for any sort of rescue mission.

"I am afraid we do not have enough to fight them right now." Guldivine admitted. "We wouldnt win against them."

"So we have to wait for them to come back out." Barbadd concluded.

"So we do." Guldivine agreed.

The rest of the day for the entire community of Skorn was that of unease and uncertainty. No one was sure of what to expect next. Rumors spread like wildfire about Mage, about the Zealots, about Melethan and his captured father Edwin. There was a degree of mistrust in the air from everyone.

The zealots themselves remained quiet, hidden from sight all day, locked in their chapel which seemed more like a well guarded fortress

now. There came no sounds, and no noticible activity. Most had figured they had been embarassed by Mages Impressive display of magical dominance. After all, everyone was fearful of Mage now.

The second gathering began around dusk. Quietly, the hooded zealots emerged. All of them silently walked to the town square, where everyone had previously met. They had Edwin with them, a hood pulled over his face. He was bound just like Melethan had been. This time they did not erect a pole though, instead they put down archway and swung a rope noose over it. It was clear to everyone they intended to have a hanging.

"No!" Melethan cried out in defense but Barbadd stopped him from doing anything rash. All of them had returned, Guldivine, Barbadd, Melethan and Mage. They stood together at the front, watching with anticiption what the zealots next move would be.

"Citizens of Skorn!" Came the all too familiar voice of Shandor once more. This time his head was wrapped in a bandage. "Earlier today we were brutally attacked right here in this very spot!" Shandoor looked directly at Melethan and the rest of them when he said it.

Like before, the crowd was divided, some of them cheering and some of them booing. It seemed there was more support in favor of the dragon than against it within their town.

Shandor continued. "Now it has been asked of us by Mardoc himself to punish the man responsible."

They produced a hooded man who was heavily guarded and removed the hood. Edwin looked back at the crowd, dried blood on his now black and blue face. Somehow behind the damage, he had the expression of knowing and acceptance. He knew what was to happen. He looked right at the four companions, trading eye contact. He even took note of Guldivine before he nodded at his son.

"Live." Edwin muttered towards his son. "Live."

Then Edwin was manhandled into position by the zealots. The crowd roared as a rope was fascined around his neck. A long end hung over the gallows and a few more Zealots grabbed the otherside, preparing to yank their prisoner up to his suffocation and death.

The next moment was profound. The crowd continued to shout at one another angrily, until suddenly Edwin was pulled into the air. Then everyone went silent. Melethan stood watching his father struggle with the rope, twisting and turning violently in the air, grasping for any breath, but none came. His face turned deeper and deeper red, his eyes bulged... Then with one sudden jolt, his entire body fell lifeless. Everyone could have heard a mouse scuttling across the ground. No one moved or said anything. The zealots themselves started to look guilty, everyone except their priest, Shandor.

The crowd dispersed, slowly. One by one people began to walk away. All the shouting stopped, all the arguing stopped. No one wanted to say a word. The grim had washed over the town. The zealots tied the rope off and left Edwin's body sway.

When everyone else had dispersed, only Guldivine, Melethan, Mage, and Barbadd remained. The sun had gone down and the four of them stood there, staring, devistated.

"Help me get him down." Barbadd said in utter disgust.