WELCOME TO CHAPTER TWO OF WIZARD'S PATH!

As Cellian stepped back to curtsy to the mourners, she felt something crack under her heel. She waited for the procession to leave before investigating. Against the wall was a desiccated finger, old and brittle, her heel had reduced the largest bone of it to powder and flakes of skin. She swallowed and willed herself to focus.

"Rufys," she said carefully kneeling down, "come and look at this." The sad remnant of a person looked to have been roughly handled even before Cellian's boot crushed part of it. There were gouges along the dry skin, though what had caused them Cellian could not tell.

Rufys came over and squatted down. "A . . . finger?"

"Yes, from an ancient body. . . I am almost certain."

"Finger? As in a person's finger?"

"Yes," she replied. "But what is it doing here?"

"Well, we are in a catacomb, Cellian . . ."

"Which is a place where the dead are safely interred. This," she pointed to the finger and then the corridor, "is not safe." She looked back to the hall of bones and then to the exit. "But where did it come from? And how did it end up here?"

"Those are good questions," said Rufys standing and looking around. "We could ask the Diviners . . . or the Necromancers."

"How much can either tell us from a single finger? I fear the worse."

"Walking dead?" Rufys gripped his staff tightly and glanced nervously at the archways leading deeper into the tombs.

"No," said Cellian levering herself up, "grave robbers."

Rufys made a sign against evil. "Who would dare?"

"Who indeed," said Cellian glancing down at the abandoned finger.

This is chapter two of the Mor Aldenn online serial.... the illustrated and expanded pdf version. You can, of course, always just head on over to http://cityofmages.wordpress.com and read the second chapter, completely free of charge, or you can buy this pdf and get the following:

• A full-page illustration by Gary Dupuis
• Statistics of the four main characters
• Statistics on Zalla Leafblade (a Mor Aldenn NPC)
• A new magical item called "Secure Message Tube"

Watch out for the next chapter!