Travelling from the capital to the Warlord's summer palace, the carriage carrying the warlord's mistress and her
escort had stopped to spend the night in the safety of one the realm's coastal forts. Sadly, it was also the night
that a savage band of marauding Moorish pirates, intent on pillaging the coastal villages, attacked.
Vanessa awoke to the terrifying sounds of battle, the crash of swords upon shields, the screams of the wounded and
the dying. Moments later the door to her chamber crashed open as the captain of her escort and his four heavily armed
men rushed into the room. Leaving his men to guard the door, the captain rushed to Vanessa's bedside and with no
pretense of insuring her modesty, threw back the covers and boldly took her in his arms.
"My Lady, there is not time for you to dress, we must escape at once. Those Moorish devils have already breached the
fortress walls and are slaughtering the heavily outnumbered garrison as we speak. If they capture the main gates before
we can make good our escape…"
The trip through the burning fortress was like a scene from hell, everywhere Vanessa looked there was only death and
destruction, the dead mutilated bodies of the garrison lying in pools of their own blood. The Moors were
everywhere and my escort had little choice but to fight their way through the burning corridors that led toward the main
gate. By the time we'd reached the south tower stairwell, that led directly down to the fortress's outer courtyard and the
main gate, all but one of my escort had fallen in battle. But their noble sacrifice had been for naught. The Moorish
pirates already controlled the outer courtyard and main gate. Escape was impossible.
Barricading the heavy door that opened into the fortress's outer courtyard, my one remaining escort paused with a look
of sadness in his eyes to take me into his arms.
"I'm sorry Lady Vanessa but we're too late and escape is now impossible. And sadly, my only remaining duty is to keep you
from falling into the hands of the warlord's enemies."
In shock, Vanessa looked up into the eyes of her one remaining escort as the meaning of his words sank in. An instant later
the razor sharp blade of his dagger entered just below her sternum and slipped effortlessly upward toward her heart.