The only way to spot the Elyion mountain Camp was from the air. Despite the scarcity of trees to conceal the sand-colored tents, the camp itself was imbedded so deep within the rigid crags of rock that finding it was impossible unless one was unusually lucky or already knew where it was.
Samuel spent a lot of time sitting on those rocky crags, straddling the sharpened ends that jutted out of the earth like dragons' teeth. Up in the mountains the sun was fierce and unforgiving, a force of nature unto itself that seared the ground and anything stupid enough to remain in its sight for too long. After three years here, Samuel no longer noticed the blinding light and its accompanying heat- he'd become like a serpent, basking in its warmth for hours while it turned his skin brown and his hair white. It was on that mountain crag that his sister, Felicity, finally found him.
"Saaa-mmy," she called in a singsong voice, her tiny hands grappling with the rock and earth as she climbed up to sit beside him. "There's a little bird sitting on your door. I think he's come for tea, he's all dressed up with a bow on his leg, but he wouldn't come inside when I invited him." She pet Samuel's hair. "Please come down and talk to him for me?"
Grunting, Samuel lurched upright and began his descent back down the mountain side.
"Yay!" Felicity squealed, clapping her hands and following. "I hope the birdy likes crackers."

~*~

As Samuel had guessed, the bird was a messenger pigeon of sorts, and it was indeed perched over the door to his tent. When he offered it his hand, the bird hobbled off the edge and fluttered awkwardly to settle on his fingers, grasping them with fleshy, peeling and infected looking feet. The bird blinked at him through glassy eyes, its feathers matted and falling out.
By Samuel's estimate, the bird had been dead for almost two weeks.
"Necromancer," he spat, untying the parchment from the bird's leg and handing the animal to Felicity. His sister cuddled her new pet and cooed at it. "Pretty little birdy, are you here for tea? I've some crackers I'll feed you if you're good."
"Don't humor it, Felicity." Samuel scanned the parchment as he spoke. "Kill it and bury it somewhere, soon. It's been tied to life too long. Just put it out of its misery."
"Ok, Sammy." The girl wandered off, still whispering to the bird and patting its head. "It's ok, Pretty, I'll dig you a deep hole under some flowers and you can take a nice, long nap."
Samuel listened until her footsteps faded, then turned his attention to the parchment and its contents. It had been a long, long time since the Elyion had heard from a Necromancer, and longer still since anyone in the Ring had taken the offered contract. Then again, it had also been a long time since anyone in the Elyion had taken up a real challenge such as this one, and Samuel didn't like the idea of the Elyion developing a reputation for being soft.
He glanced at the parchment again, reading the words on it slowly.

Elyion,
Contract: Deharisa Vampire Prince Valdemar
Request: Termination
Payment: 100.000.00 up front, 200.000.00 upon delivery of Contract's head

"Valdemar." Samuel considered, his mouth curling into a predatory grin. He knew two Elyion members who would take up this contract just for the challenge, and the money and publicity would benefit the Elyion Ring as a whole. There was, of course, the inevitable problem of the Vampire's kin deciding to seek vengence, but the Elyion had held their own against vampires before, and Samuel had never been one to say no to causing a little nationwide chaos.
Still smirking, he went to go find Felicity before she could do away with the pigeon. He needed the bird to take his acceptance letter back to its blackhearted master.