《Hunters》 Storm Chapter 1 Storm Wind. Rain. Lighting. Thunder. A storm raged in the Telek mountain range. The sky would light up and crackle with energy every few minutes. Thunder rolled through the ravines and rivers ran over their banks, flooded with rain water. The animals crowded around trees or in caves. Those that got stuck outside were curled up in balls at the bases of trees attempting to stay warm. A small cabin was nestled between the trees, at the base of Marail mountain. It was long abandoned and its rotten floorboards were covered in moss. Half of the roof was caved in and the whole thing seemed ready to fall down. But it was good enough for two travelers who had happened to be caught in the storm. They had found it by luck and were ecstatic to find a dry place to spend the night. They were twins, fire hounds in fact. They were carbon copies of each other, both had short red hair and flaming reddish orange eyes like the rest of their race. They were both relatively tall and muscular. Their hands were rough and calloused. While their teeth were a tad bit sharp but, not enough to be noticed. But, there was something that made them not look like the others of their kind. It was their skin color. Unlike most fire hounds their skin wasn¡¯t a brown-reddish hue. Instead they completely lost the red tint and brown skin and were more fair. They didn¡¯t stick out in a crowd and liked it that way. The only thing that was different in appearance between them was a few scars and a tattoo. A black tribal tattoo of a howling wolf was on the half-a-second-younger twin¡¯s upper forearm. It was a quickly done job done by a scide in a shady alley of a shadier town. The other brother had a straight scar on his right cheek. He had forgotten about it, but it was obvious to those who looked at them. It had cut all the way to the bone and he was lucky that it hadn¡¯t torn off his lip. They sat on the floor, back to back, in the only place that wasn¡¯t completely wet. Old blankets that smelled like dust were wrapped around their shoulders. They both were silent, though it would be hard to hear anything over the storm. They couldn¡¯t sleep through the noise and were forced to stay stuck in their own thoughts. A flash lit up the room illuminating the old cabin. Their heads shot up the blue light catching their eyes, ¡°One, two, three.¡± one of them whispered. BOOM! Thunder shook the cabin, the lighting was only three miles out, and getting closer. ¡ì They stayed there all night, eventually the storm passed, and they fell asleep... Drip, drip, drip. Water fell from the ceiling onto a brother¡¯s face. Their only dry spot was no longer dry. He wiped it off his cheek and sat up. The hard floor had not been kind to him, his back ached as he stood up stretching. He shook his head rattling his sleep deprived sight away. Slowly his foggy eyes adjusted to the light and he noticed that the cabin was empty besides him, ¡°Resh.¡± he called heading for the door, ¡°Resh, you here?¡± there was as much annoyance as there was worry in his voice. With stiff hands he reached for the rusty doorknob, but it swung open nearly throwing itself off the hinges and almost knocking him out. He stumbled back surprised and raised his hands preparing for a fight. He lowered them when he saw a bewildered Resh standing in the doorway. His face was red as if he¡¯d been running and his hair was flat against his head, ¡°Back inside Kye.¡± he had strange calm in his voice, and the expression on his face changed to something of worry. He stepped inside closing the door behind him, ¡°Why, what¡¯s going on?¡± Kye asked fear spreading through his body numbing his rational mind. Crazy theories ran through his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± he replied going to sit on a broken stool. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Resh looked at him eyebrows knotting together. ¡°You don¡¯t smell it?¡± Kye breathed in slowly. He felt the air around him and calmed his racing mind. He smelled the trees and the rain and, ¡°Blood.¡± Resh nodded standing once more and pacing about the room. ¡°I went to see what it was when I got up and,¡± he paused sadness running over his face, he looked down at the floor, ¡°I found them.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡ì Resh had refused to tell Kye what he found and insisted on just showing him. Kye knew he could be stubborn but his curious mind was bursting with questions. He forced himself to hold his tongue and they left the cabin and walked into the woods following the smell of blood. As they walked they saw what the storm had done. Countless trees had fallen piling up around them, those that had stayed standing were either too young to be affected or to old and strong to be bothered. The rivers had overflowed filling their ears with the sound of rushing water and their paths with mud. The birds seemed unaffected by the countless number of their homes that had been destroyed and were chirping happily. The other animals had seemingly disappeared. Resh led the way walking slowly, obviously in no hurry to see whatever it was again, ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± he said, emotionlessly. Kye had known, the smell of blood had become more noticeable. Resh ducked under a tree branch and stepped into a clearing. Kye froze as he stepped away from the safety of the trees to stand next to his brother. He took one look and immediately turned his gaze down. Twenty human bodies lay in the grass blood flowing from open wounds. Many had their eyes open fear radiating from all features. Their features were frozen in place forever frightened by an unknown threat. They were dressed in black and green. Leaves were embroidered into the silky cloth. Weapons were scattered about, most were swords but there were some crossbows still clutched in the dead¡¯s cold hands, ¡°What happened?¡± he whispered solemnly, looking at Resh. He returned the gaze, ¡°Come here.¡± he said walking toward the closest body. Kye followed, Resh got down on a knee and flipped the body over. He grimaced, the man¡¯s eyes were open, fear etched on all his features. His mouth was open a scream cut short by a slit throat. He was middle aged and had a long scar that ran from his left eye to his lip. Brown hair stuck out of his hood. Resh closed his eyes and looked up at his brother, ¡°What do you notice?¡± ¡°He¡¯s human.¡± he said after a few seconds. ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°No armor so not king¡¯s men but, they have well made weapons,¡± he said picking up a bow. It was midnight black and had silver hand-carved spirals running up its sides, ¡°It doesn¡¯t have an insignia and they don¡¯t look like hunters or trappers.¡± he bent down to examine the dead man, ¡°There are claw marks on his body so perhaps an unfortunate group of travelers attacked by wild animals.¡± Resh nodded, ¡°Sure, but that doesn¡¯t explain the weapons. I¡¯ve never seen that kind of craftsmanship on just any travelers. And look at this.¡± he said rolling up the dead man¡¯s sleeve. A tattoo of a crescent moon with a sword beside it was on his forearm, ¡°It¡¯s on all of them. I don¡¯t know what it means but I don¡¯t think an animal did this.¡± Resh stood and walked across the clearing to another body, ¡°These are sword marks,¡± he said pointing to the dead man¡¯s chest. Kye looked noticing his brother was right, the flesh was cut clean through, the man had bled to death. ¡°Who did this then?¡± an idea hit him, ¡°What if it was someone like us.¡± Resh nodded. ¡°I thought of that but, there are no burn marks,¡± Resh ran a hand through his hair and sighed, ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t want to know. I just want to get out of here before they come back.¡± he said standing. Kye nodded the smell of iron filled his lungs and was beginning to make his head ache. They left the clearing quickly and headed towards the nearest town, Elm. Resh led once more, jogging, in a hurry to leave the gruesome scene behind him. They wandered through the chaos of the storm for around twenty minutes. They were about three miles away when Resh stopped and held out a hand to tell Kye to stop as well. His twin glanced around nervously. The trees were still, and birds chirped happily. Then he breathed in, the smell of iron filled his lungs again. Kye¡¯s heart beat sped up, a twig snapped, both the brothers jumped, nothing happened, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s--¡± Kye didn¡¯t get to finish what he was saying before the sound of several branches snapping came from above. They jumped out of the way as a body tumbled to the ground at their feet. The brothers both took another step back suppressing screams. It didn¡¯t move and wasn¡¯t breathing. They glanced at one another both wishing the other would move. They both were frozen like children on a stage. Finally, they took a step forward together, and quickly flipped the body over then lept backwards. It was a man, he looked human, mid to late twenties. His short black hair had sticks and moss tangled in it. He would have been quite handsome if he wasn¡¯t coated in blood. Crossbow bolts stuck out of his chest at gruesome angles. His shirt was torn open revealing a mass of sliced flesh. Blood was still running from the open wounds. They both screamed as his eyes shot open. They glowed red, not a red like the firehounds but, the shade of blood. The man gasped coughing up blood. The brothers backed away again as his eyes lost the glow and turned a dark shade of blue. So dark it was almost black. His eyes rolled back in his head and his body shook once before laying still. ¡°Is he alive?¡± Kye asked staring at the motionless body. ¡°Why don¡¯t you check.¡± ¡°No, you check.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Well neither do I.¡± Kye said exasperated. They looked at each other fear in both their eyes. Resh took a step forward and without kneeling felt for the man¡¯s pulse, it was there, slow but there. Resh stepped back from the body worriedly running his fingers through his hair, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m about to say this but, help me pick him up.¡± he grabbed the man under his arms and looked expectantly at Kye. ¡°Can¡¯t we just leave him for the wolves?¡± he asked staring at the body as if it were going to jump up and attack him. ¡°We are the wolves and we found him, now help me.¡± Kye sighed and got down beside his brother. Questions Chapter 2 Questions They had decided that he would bleed out if they tried to carry him to Elm in the state he was in so they brought him to the cabin. It was heavier than he looked and it took Resh and Kye around half an hour to get him back, ¡°Set him down here.¡± Resh said pulling a wobbly table out from the corner with his foot. They carefully set him down being sure the table would hold him then tore the rest of his shirt off. Kye grimaced his skin was completely coated in blood. The cuts were deep and his skin was peeled up and yellowing, he would need stitches to stay alive. Kye had never gotten stitches but he remembered when they were kids Resh had to get them several different times, once for his cheek, twice for his hands, and the last time was for his shoulder which had been torn open by a bear. Kye was snapped out of his thoughts by a gruff call from Resh, ¡°See if you can find a needle and thread. I thought I saw some old clothes in the closet over there they might work for bandages.¡± Resh said pointing toward a fallen over door at the back of the cabin. Kye did as he was told and ran over. He quickly pulled the door away from the entrance and sorted through the clothes. He found a few thick shirts and some towels and brought them over to his twin. Resh grabbed a bucket sitting on the floor full of rain water. He pulled some broken boards from the floor and put them in a small pile. Then he took a deep breath and slowed his heart rate. His finger caught fire, it wasn¡¯t hot to him and he moved his hand in a flicking motion at the pile of wood. Flames flew from his hand lighting up the boards. He carefully put the bucket on top and willed it to heat quickly. Tiny bubbles broke on the surface. He left the bucket there and grabbed a towel from where Kye had left them. He removed the bucket and put out the fire with his hands. He got the rag wet and started to clean the blood off the man¡¯s chest. He had to wash it off several times for it had ??gotten too heavy with blood for him to make any difference. After a few careful passes making sure to watch out for the crossbow wounds he had finished cleaning, ¡°Kye, you find anything?¡± Resh asked glancing across the room at Kye who was pulling a sewing box out of the closet. He opened it and pulled out the smallest needle he could find, along with the thinnest thread. Though the needle was quite large the thread seemed fine, ¡°Bring them here.¡± Kye set the string on the table but quickly heated the needle with a small flame he made in his hand then cooled it in rainwater. Resh watched his confused, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I thought it should be at least slightly clean.¡± he said drying on a fresh towel. Resh smirked, admiring the quick thinking, ¡°This is gonna hurt.¡± he said glancing at the stranger¡¯s closed eyes. He grabbed the needle, quickly threaded it and started to sew the man¡¯s stab wounds closed. The needle wasn¡¯t that sharp so the work was slow. Kye worried about him waking up for a while. They would have to knock him back out and hope he wouldn¡¯t be angry at them the next time he woke up. Kye sighed, if he woke up. He had to admit Resh seemed to be doing a pretty good job but they weren¡¯t doctors. They had no idea if he would survive. Kye waited next to his brother preparing for the worst. In a few more minutes he was all sewed up. Resh took a deep breath and moved onto the crossbow bolts sticking out of his chest. Kye grabbed a wet rag and wiped more of the blood away. The twins shared a frightened look as Resh grabbed onto the first bolt, ¡°Get a shirt, this is gonna hurt more.¡± Resh waited until Kye had the shirt in hand then pulled. The man shot up screaming in pain. A low growl seemed to reverberate around the room. Resh and Kye paid no mind to it, ¡°Hold him down!¡± Resh shouted. Kye ran to his head and slammed his shoulders back on to the table. Resh lit his hand on fire again, ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I have to.¡± he said pressing his flaming hand onto the screaming man¡¯s chest. Kye gripped his shoulders and held him on the table as best he could while Resh fused the skin together. His eyes glowed red and a louder growl filled the room. Kye struggled to hold him down, he squirmed under his grasp, surprisingly strong. Resh pushed harder, his eyes locked on the wound. The man took a few uneven breaths and his eyes rolled back in his head. The screaming ceased as he fell back to the table. Kye slowly let go and glanced up at his brother. His hands were bloodied but still surprisingly steady. They both took a moment to breathe then moved to the second bolt. He was going to pull it out and do the same thing he had done with the other because there was no time to sew it up. The man looked pale and had lost a lot of blood. He needed to get it done quickly or he could die. Resh apologized mentally for the scars this poorly done job was going to leave. Carefully he wrapped his hand around the cold steel. He nodded to Kye who put his hands back on his shoulders in case he woke again. Silence hung over the room. Resh pulled and quickly lit his hand on fire to seal it, but it didn¡¯t bleed. In fact, it did the opposite, it started to heal. Resh took a step back from the body staring in awe. The skin grew rapidly until it completely covered the wound. Within seconds the hole was gone. He ran his fingers over the now smooth patch of skin. It was completely healed, not even a scar remained. Kye reached for the last bolt, stuck in his leg, the brothers shared a look of fear and confusion. Kye pulled. The skin parted then healed quickly, same as the last, ¡°What the...¡± Resh stopped, speechless. Kye stared blankly at the miracle before his eyes. There were many races on Eviet but none contained the power to heal themselves. At least none he knew of. Curious if the other wounds had healed he looked up at the sword wounds, blood started to seep from the largest that went diagonally across his chest. His eyebrows knitted together in confusement. Resh snapped out of his daze and started to wrap pieces of cloth around his torso, gently lifting him up to get it under his back. When he was done, he started to examine the rest of the man¡¯s body. His arms were bloody and Resh did his best to clean him up. There wasn¡¯t much else he could do for him but watch and observe. The man was an average height but was more muscular than most. His short black hair was clotted together by blood. His breathing was slow chest rising and falling unevenly. He would be able to walk since the crossbow bolt in his leg had healed without a bruise. That was something neither of them wanted to talk about. How could someone heal in several seconds when before he was bleeding like a waterfall.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s human.¡± Resh determined breaking the silence. ¡°No kidding, human eyes don¡¯t glow.¡± ¡°And their wounds don¡¯t magically heal.¡± silence, the brother¡¯s minds both racing to a realistic conclusion. ¡°Not human.¡± Kye agreed. ¡ì Seconds turned into minutes and a blanket of silence hung over the cabin. A brother sat on either side of the bandaged man. His breath had steadied and the bandages seemed to be working. Resh had his eyes locked on the stranger¡¯s face deep in thought. Kye had his eyelids half shut attempting to collect his thoughts. Eventually the silence was to hard for Kye to keep quiet in and a random question that had been bouncing around in his head escaped from his mouth, ¡°Why was he in a tree?¡± Resh looked up, surprised, as if he had forgotten someone else was conscious in the room, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Do you think he has something to do with the bodies?¡± Kye asked looking at his emotionless brother. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Do you think he was one of them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Resh shouted, standing up and began to pace the room, ¡°I sorry Kye.¡± he said running his fingers through his hair, ¡°It can¡¯t be a coincidence, but he doesn¡¯t have a tattoo.¡± Kye looked up at him, confused. ¡°Yeah, he does.¡± he said standing and walking over to where Resh had been sitting. Resh joined him. Kye lifted up his shoulder. There was a palm sized black tattoo of a raven about to land, a full moon hovered above it¡¯s wing, ¡°I saw it when you were wrapping him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like theirs.¡± Resh said quietly, Kye lowered his shoulder carefully back onto the table. ¡°What does it mean? Do you think he was a leader?¡± ¡°We can ask him when he wakes.¡± the conversion was over. ¡ì Hours passed, bandages changed and the silence continued. Kye went to go get some food and came back with a bunny. He quickly skinned and cooked it over a small fire. There wasn¡¯t much meat on it but it satisfied them enough to keep their stomachs from growling. When night came neither of the brothers slept, although both wanted the other to. Resh hovered over the body checking wounds to make sure he hadn¡¯t magically healed like the others while Kye sat on a wobbly stool by the door picking at the wood on the frame. They both had decided to leave their worries in their own minds and simply waited for something to happen. Just when Kye thought that he might¡¯ve died a scream pierced the silence, scaring both of them. The man shot up from the table. Resh ran to his side lightly pushing him back down, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t move like that just yet.¡± he grimaced laying back down. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked, voice low, wary. ¡°We¡¯re the ones who saved your life. My name is Resh and this is my brother Kye.¡± they stood on either side of him looking curiously at his eyes, they were the same dark blue as before. ¡°Who are you?¡± Kye asked crossing his arms. ¡°The less you know the better,¡± he said swinging his legs over the table with a pained look on his face, ¡°for both of us.¡± Resh gripped his shoulder where he had burnt the wound closed causing the man to inhale sharply, ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± he growled shoving him back down on the table, ¡°I have some questions for you and you''re in no condition to leave.¡± Resh stared into his dark eyes, ¡°What do you have to do with the massacre in that field?¡± the man¡¯s eyes widened momentarily. ¡°Massacre.¡± he whispered, ¡°Show me.¡± his eyes flickered to Kye, ¡°You need to show me.¡± Resh sighed. ¡°That¡¯s not really the answer I was looking for. Let¡¯s restart, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Caspian.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an answer. Is it just Caspian or do you have a last name?¡± the man¡¯s eyes fell to the bandages covering his chest, confusion crept onto his face, ¡°Just Caspian then, okay. Caspian, can you tell me why you had three crossbow bolts in you and were cut up like a slaughtered pig?¡± His eyes closed as if trying to shut the world out, ¡°The less you know the better.¡± he repeated opening them again, Resh thought he saw them flash red but he simply shook the thought away. ¡°Listen we brought you here and stitched you up, you owe us some answers.¡± ¡°Fine what do you want to know that you haven¡¯t already asked?¡± ¡°What does the tattoo on your back mean?¡± the question was simple but there was anger in Caspian¡¯s eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t answer that.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Kye asked. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± he insisted. ¡°You know what, I¡¯m done with this,¡± Resh said grabbing the man by his arm and pulling him to his feet. He stifled a scream the wounds on his chest bleeding once more, as he fell to the ground. Resh kept a hold on his arm, ¡°Tell me how you were able to heal from two crossbow bolts.¡± he let go of his arm allowing him to fall the rest of the way to the ground. He was on his hands and knees and he slowly turned over to a sitting position, ¡°Tell me how your eyes glow and how you¡¯re even able to move right now!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± he shouted, glaring at Resh, ¡°They¡¯ll be here soon, it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t know anything.¡± he moved an arm across his stomach grimacing as he touched the wounds. ¡°Who¡¯ll be here?¡± Kye asked kneeling down beside him. Caspian sighed, ¡°What have I been telling you, it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re just trying to protect us then?¡± Kye asked catching his eye. ¡°I need to get to where you found the bodies.¡± he said, ignoring the question and trying to stand back up. ¡°Resh, can I talk to you?¡± Kye walked over to where his brother stood and dragged him over to a corner furthest away from Caspian, ¡°We should help him.¡± ¡°What! He won¡¯t tell us anything and we¡¯re just supposed to trust him.¡± ¡°I never said we had to trust him, just help. And maybe we¡¯ll be able to learn something along the way.¡± he reasoned. Resh groaned, ¡°Fine, but I don¡¯t like him.¡± he said casting a wary look at Caspian who had managed to stand and was leaning heavily on the table. Kye smiled triumphantly and walked over to Caspian, ¡°We¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°I never said I needed help?¡± he said sitting on the table. ¡°Well you¡¯re gonna get it.¡± Kye said, smiling slightly threateningly. ¡°We need to get out of here then,¡± Caspian said, ¡°They¡¯ll be here soon.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Kye said ignoring a glare from Resh. ¡ì It took them longer to get to the meadow than the last time. Caspian had to be supported by both the brothers. His were arms draped over their shoulders. The birds chirped, and the streams gurgled. Everything seemed normal, but nothing was. The brothers felt it. Somewhere inside them they knew, there was anger. Not your normal, didn¡¯t get your way anger but, an anger you get from a death. The kind you get from war. When they got there the bodies were gone. The weapons were missing and, grass was green once more. It was almost as if it never happened. The brothers almost thought it was a dream. Almost, the smell of blood was still stained in the air, ¡°Where¡¯d they go?¡± Kye asked setting Caspian down. ¡°They took them.¡± Caspian said quietly, both the brothers looked at him, confused. ¡°Care to elaborate?¡± Resh said frowning. ¡°Not really.¡± Kye knelt down beside the wounded man. ¡°You¡¯ll tell us eventually.¡± he said pulling him to his feet. ¡°Maybe.¡± he said wincing. ¡°Well we¡¯re going to help you, you have to tell us something.¡± Resh mumbled. ¡°They¡¯re Hunters.¡± he responded, a growl in his voice. The twins both looked at each other then at the blank face between them, silently pleading for more. Caspian wasn¡¯t looking at either of them, ¡°Hunters of what?¡± Resh asked slowly, he looked up at them a hint of red in his eye. ¡°Me.¡± Elm Chapter 3 Elm ¡°What!¡± Resh ran his fingers through his hair wildly trying to sort out the information he was given. The first piece of information he had been given. Caspian had gone silent again staring at the grassy ground, that still smelled of blood, ¡°We should go.¡± he stated, ¡°They can¡¯t be far.¡± ¡°You mean the so called ¡®Hunters¡¯. No, I think we should leave you here let them take you.¡± Resh said looking the man up and down, ¡°What are you.¡± it wasn¡¯t a question this time. He was angry and didn¡¯t care what Caspian thought of him, ¡°If you knew you¡¯d probably want to kill me too.¡± he said bluntly. ¡°Well we know you¡¯re a killer.¡± Kye said stepping in front of him, ¡°You did that to them, I don¡¯t know how but you killed them and, you need us to get you out of here.¡± he said looking him in the eye. Caspian wasn¡¯t the slightest bit intimidated. Kye didn¡¯t seem to care though and held is ground in front of him, ¡°You¡¯ll find out eventually.¡± he quoted mockingly, dark eyes staring right back. ¡°Maybe.¡± Kye mumbled, giving up. Resh grunted and started walking toward Elm once more deciding fighting with him was useless. The sun was over their heads as they walked through the thick forest. The birds were twittering happily at angry squirrels that they stole nuts from. Larger creatures roamed above them in the trees making sure to stay out of sight. The going was slow, Caspian was limping and gripping trees for support. He made no sound or motion for them to help him. The brothers would look back at him now and again, making sure he was still there. He was, much to Resh¡¯s dislike. Kye nudged his brother once, when Caspian almost fell over. Resh smirked, happy that he was in pain. The birds became louder as the sun climbed higher and the smell of iron finally left their noses, it was replaced by dirt and wet grass. The mountains soon surrounded the travelers and the trees had dispersed. A waterfall fell down a cliffside beside them. Moss grew around its bank and the rocks beside it were green and slippery with algae. The brothers decided to turn right once they passed it, they were relying on an internal compass to get to Elm. They didn¡¯t exactly know how they knew where to go, it was just a trait that most firehounds had. It was more like a feeling, as if they¡¯d walked the land before. Many of their kind believed they had just in a past life as a true wolf. When they were younger and traveled to the west they¡¯d heard many different theories about their kind. Most of them were random profanities people shouted at them while they ran away from them their arms loaded with food. Kye was always looking for more information. Even when they were stealing food to get by, he would sometimes just go listen to people''s stories of the places they¡¯d been. He was curious and looking for different things to learn about. His mind was a roller coaster of questions swirling about gleefully. He raised his head to look up to the top of the mountain. The slope was increasing and he wondered what would happen when it snowed. Would that waterfall freeze over or form a seal around it in ice keeping its beauty locked away for winter. If they¡¯d come a few weeks earlier they would¡¯ve been able to see it but the spring had come early and there were only small patches of snow left. He frowned if they¡¯d have come a few weeks earlier they never would¡¯ve met the annoyance walking behind him. Kye shook the pesky thoughts away and focused on climbing. The sloping ground had turned into a cliff and he had to get on his hands and knees for a moment to keep from tipping over. Caspian would look over his shoulder every few minutes after checking he had a good grip on the ground. Soon the brothers were doing it as well. They were alone on the mountains but still they felt someone, or something was watching them. A chill ran down Kye¡¯s neck. He felt a presence on the mountain. It wasn¡¯t threatening but unsettling and powerful. Kye felt like eyes were boring into the back of his skull. Resh kept turning back to look at him, there was fear in his eyes that made Kye even more unsettled. He took a deep breath in. Clean air devoid of any living scents filled his lungs. Suddenly paranoid about the amount of life on the ridge the brothers started walking faster. Caspian was right behind them, forgetting about the pain in his upper body. The faster they walked the louder their hearts beat in their chests. The brothers seemed to lose all rational thought and began to shift into their other forms without thinking. Kye dropped to all fours and a burst of blue flame enveloped his body. It was a power all of their race had, they could turn into flaming wolves. Resh also burst into flame and emerged from it seconds later looking far different from before. He had a silky black coat that shimmered in the sunlight. Blue flames ran down his back more collecting at the tip of his tail. Smoke wafted out of his mouth and sparks flew off of his feet. As he stepped fully out of the flames, he began to run. Being twins Kye looked the same and followed after him dashing up the cliff. When they first found out how to shift they decided that it would be better to only turn into their wolf forms when they needed to run or sleep in the wilds. Walking on two feet seemed to be more socially acceptable and decreased the risk of being shot or mistaken for a pet. They couldn¡¯t talk as wolves which Resh didn¡¯t mind but it drove Kye crazy. He would growl constantly before shifting back into what Resh had started to call their flameless form. For a few weeks Resh had stayed as a firehound but eventually he started to get headaches and loose who he was. He began to growl at Kye and eventually forced himself to turn flameless after he bit him. He¡¯d heard stories about people forgetting who they were and turning into dire wolves. He never believed them until he hurt his brother. After that Resh refused to become a hound for a while. Eventually he found out that if it was only for a while he would be okay. They began running faster and Caspian struggled to keep up. They quickly made it to the peak and almost ran right off a cliff. A strong wind pushed them back onto sturdy ground. The brothers stopped fully and shook away their false fear. Resh growled and with a burst of flame turned back into a man and looked across the mountains. Caspian appeared beside them still running. There was no wind to stop him from falling but he managed to keep his footing and took a few steps away from the edge. Resh waited until his brother was standing beside him before pointing directly across the mountains. They all stared in awe at what Resh had spotted. An enormous blue serpent-like creature crouched on the mountains across from them. Its scales glimmered in the sun making it look like flowing water. It wore a dark brown mask that seemed to be the same texture as wood with spots of red surrounding two dark holes. Two more red spots were placed where its nose would be. The eyes showed nothing but darkness, it was as if they consumed the sun itself. It¡¯s snake-like body wrapped around the mountain. A set of dark blue wings were stretched out, their leathery surfaces catching the light making strange delicate shadows appear beneath it. There were claws at the end of its wings gripping the mountain ridges. Sharp brown spines ran along it¡¯s back ending just before the spade tip of its tail. It was beautifully serene while being breathtakingly terrifying.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°What is that?¡± Kye asked in awe. ¡°It¡¯s an elder spirit.¡± Caspian answered, the brothers both looked over at him, ¡°They¡¯ve been here since the beginning of Eviet, watching over nature. It was just trying to get us out of here. They don¡¯t like people on their lands.¡± all eyes were now on Caspian who still stared blankly ahead. ¡°Why does it wear the mask?¡± Resh asked. ¡°The mask contains the magic in it.¡± he explained simply, ¡°We should probably leave before it makes us tear each other apart.¡± he said walking away to find a way down the mountain. ¡°It can do that?¡± Kye asked rushing to catch up with Caspian. Resh followed just as quickly, looking back just as the spirit¡¯s scales changed color to match the landscape. Within seconds it was gone. ¡ì They made it down the mountain within a few hours. They were all relatively quiet each consumed with their own thoughts. The sun scorched their backs but, they managed to find a game trail that they thought would lead to a road to Elm. Caspian was bleeding, but he didn¡¯t seem to care, ¡°How did ?you learn about that creature?¡± Kye asked glancing over his shoulder at Caspian. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m curious about that too.¡± Resh said slowing to walk beside him. ¡°You two ask a lot of questions.¡± he growled eyes locked on the trees ahead. Resh sighed and joined his brother ahead, deciding it would be better to not annoy himself further, ¡°How much longer do you think?¡± Kye asked. ¡°There can¡¯t be that much more till we reach a road. I know one runs through here.¡± he responded. ¡°What are we going to do when we get to Elm?¡± he asked, lowering his voice. ¡°Get some food, find a comfortable bed, buy supplies, get a job.¡± he smiled at his brother, ¡°In that order.¡± Kye smiled back, the thought of hot food and a comfortable bed the only thing on his mind. ¡°What kind of job?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Elm¡¯s a big place I¡¯m sure someone needs something.¡± ¡ì They made it to Elm by night fall. Blue jellyfish-like creatures hovered above the town. They glowed brightly swaying slightly in the breeze. The town had begun to call them lytors, meaning light giving. Cities found it easier to capture and feed them than to light their own streets. They cast a blue light across the city giving it the appearance of a ghost town. Red candle light brightened the streets even more. All the shops were closed, and all the bars were full. They walked down an empty street taking in the sights, trying to find a tavern that wouldn¡¯t make them pay too much. Two turns and a drunk man away they found Tiffany¡¯s Tavern. It seemed decent enough, its brick walls and shingled roof were still standing. Its sign was a bit crooked and the door needed another coat of paint but it seemed alright. It wasn¡¯t packed like the rest of the places, but there were enough people there for them to slip inside unnoticed. A few couples mingled on the dance floor while drunks leaned heavily on barstools near a set of stairs in the corner. They found a table near the door and Resh left to talk to someone about getting a room. A young lonnie waitress came over to their table with a fake smile plastered onto her face. She was pretty like all lonnie, perfect skin and strawberry blond hair contrasted her bright blue eyes. ¡°Would you boys like anything this evening?¡± she asked wiping her hands on her green dress. ¡°Three beers and,¡° Kye glanced down at the small menu on the table, ¡°The large roast chicken.¡± ¡°Ok, would you like anything else.¡± she asked glancing over at Caspian who only stared blankly back, ¡°Alright then, we¡¯ll have that out for you right away.¡± she said walking away. Resh returned seconds later carrying a key in his hand, ¡°We could only get one room.¡± he mumbled. ¡°Did they run out? This place doesn''t seem that full.¡± Kye asked. ¡°No, you two are just broke, and now I¡¯m wondering how you¡¯re going to pay for food.¡± Caspian said getting glares from the brothers. ¡°Thanks for your input.¡± Resh growled. The waitress came back with three beers in her hands. She set them on the table and quickly moved away, ¡°Thank you.¡± Kye said only getting a nod in return. Resh was already gulping down his drink, ¡°Slow down you¡¯re only getting one.¡± he frowned, setting the bottle down on the table. Caspian took a sip and looked around the room. Kye smiled sitting back in his chair. Resh mumbled to himself tapping his fingers on the table, ¡°When was the last time we had warm food?¡± Kye asked. ¡°I heated up that rat in Bakil, remember. Delicious.¡± Resh said sarcastically. ¡°Why¡¯d you make me think about that.¡± he said frowning. ¡°Hehe, it was better than the pokola. You could slurp that one right down.¡± he joked smiling. ¡°I think I¡¯ve lost my appetite.¡± Kye replied, causing Resh to burst out laughing. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard you say that.¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± they both smiled again happy to be happy. ¡°Get a room.¡± Caspian growled. ¡°Why are you so cynical?¡± Kye asked glaring daggers. ¡°Why do you never stop asking questions.¡± he retorted. ¡°Because I never seem to know anything. Now answer my question!¡± he shouted drawing the attention of the tables around them for a second. But all was forgotten as something delicious filled their lungs. The waitress was coming back with a glistening gold chicken. The three of them immediately turned their attention to her. Resh was salivating and Kye was almost purring. Caspian had turned to stare at the dull silverware in front of him. She set the steaming hen in front of them and hurried away. They tore off chunks and rapidly shoved them down their throats. Caspian went at a slower pace but, he was obviously hungry. It was gone within a few minutes. ¡ì When they finished their beers, they headed to their room. Resh stayed with Caspian while Kye went to look for bandages. Their room was small. One window was located above a rickety cot. A small nightstand sat in the corner wobbling on three legs. The carpet had been removed and a thick layer of dust lay on the floor. Resh sat on the bed while Caspian sat on a small chair pushed into the corner. Caspian¡¯s shirt had blood showing through once more. Resh kicked off his boots and laid back in the bed to wait for his twin. An awkward silence settled over the room. Resh breathed in but the only scents that he could smell through the dust was the blood seeping from Caspian and mildew on the carpet. Caspian coughed sending dust spiraling into the air. Resh sneezed and tried to blow it out of his face getting a weird look from the other man. They shared an awkward moment of eye contact before Resh glanced away, ¡°Soooo what¡¯s your last name?¡± Resh asked. Caspian smirked, ¡°Nice try.¡± Resh half heartedly smiled and the room fell back into silence for a while, ¡°How about you?¡± Caspian asked. Resh tilted his head up intrigued by his sudden interest, ¡°Don¡¯t have one.¡± Caspian nodded and dropped the conversation. They sat there for around twenty minutes forced to wander through their own minds and just when they thought they might die from boredom there was a knock on the door. Resh hopped up practically running to the door. He opened it slowly to confirm it was Kye. The red haired hound stepped into the room with a small bag of medical supplies, ¡°I spent the last of our money on this stuff.¡± he said slightly irritated. ¡°Take off your shirt.¡± Resh commanded looking over at Caspian. He did as he was told removing the blood stained t. The bandages beneath were soaked through and falling off. Resh took the bag from Kye and moved over to the wounded man, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be bleeding this much.¡± Resh mumbled unwrapping the bandages. Caspian looked down at his own chest. He cursed, causing Resh to take a step back, ¡°It¡¯s poison.¡± ¡°What!¡± Kye shouted, starting pacing around the small room worriedly. ¡°Hang on.¡± Resh said standing up, ¡°Are you sure, what kind?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been hit by it before. This explains why I wasn¡¯t healing.¡± he said moderately annoyed, ¡°Its called bora.¡± ¡°Is it lethal?¡± Kye asked. ¡°Very.¡± Bora Chapter 4 Bora ¡°Ok, how do we fix you?¡± Resh asked re-bandaging him quickly. His heart raced and he stepped back afraid Caspian could hear it,¡°It¡¯s an antidote as well as a poison.¡± Caspian responded quietly. He seemed deep in thought and his eyes stayed fixed on the window. Kye snapped him out of his daze by asking, ¡°Where do we get it?¡± He glanced up at him surprised, ¡°You still want to help me?¡± he asked almost worried. ¡°Well they say curiosity killed the cat but they never said anything about wolves so I figure we should be fine.¡± Caspian smirked. ¡°Nice logic. It¡¯s very rare, and only grows in certain conditions. Meaning we couldn¡¯t find it growing anywhere.¡± he said pulling his bloodied shirt back on. ¡°Then who do we get it?¡± Kye asked. ¡°The hunters,¡± Resh sighed annoyed, ¡°they collect it.¡± ¡°And how do you propose we get it from them?¡± Resh asked rolling his eyes. ¡°They have a safe house here. It¡¯s the only one that doesn¡¯t move around.¡± Resh stood up and began to pace, ¡°We have until morning.¡± ¡°We! Who is WE!¡± Resh exploded unable to contain himself any longer. ¡°You were the ones who wanted to help me.¡± Caspian said emotionlessly. ¡°And we are.¡± Kye said glaring at his brother, ¡°How do we get in?¡± ¡ì Three figures walked down an empty street. They stayed quiet not wanting to draw attention to themselves. Taverns were busy, sending candle light into the street. Their shadows flickered eerily in the light moving like liquid coal along the cobblestones. The clicks of their boots echoed through the alleys giving them the unsettling feeling that they were being followed. Caspian turned quickly into an a separate alley. The two men behind him followed, arms raised ready for a fight. He slowed down, passing a sleeping alley cat. Its eyes clicked open as he tried to take a step around it. It hissed and ran up a pile of trash clawing its way onto a roof. Cans and rocks tumbled to the ground causing the thin alleyway to fill with noise. ¡°How do you know where this is?¡± Kye asked giving up entirely on being quiet. ¡°I had an unfortunate encounter with a hunter.¡± he said, smirking, ¡°Well for him at least. I followed him down here.¡± He said his eyes flashing red and his smile growing wider. ¡°I¡¯d rather not hear the rest, thanks.¡± Kye said slowing to stay away from the poisoned man. ¡°Are you sure? I-¡± his words froze in his throat, unable to speak. A raspy cough left his throat and blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. He fell to the ground, landing hard on the stones and nearly falling right into a yellowish green puddle. Resh didn¡¯t want to know what it consisted of and dashed forward hoping he was still alive. They bent over his motionless body and flipped him over hurriedly. Kye grimaced, he looked like he was in a lot of pain. His eyes were glowing red once more and his face was unnaturally pale and cold to the touch. He coughed blood, turning his lips red. His face was curled up in pain and his arms were wrapped tightly around his stomach. Resh reached toward him slowly afraid he would lash out at him. When he didn¡¯t respond he grabbed his arm and lifted him up. Caspian¡¯s legs hung uselessly under him as Resh put his arm over his shoulder and Kye slipped his arm around his back. Together they dragged him to the wall and set him down slowly. Resh slapped his face lightly attempting to wake him. His eyes flickered open but he didn¡¯t seem to be particularly awake. His eyes were clouded over and his pupils had nearly disappeared into his iris. He coughed and they both backed away as blood flew from his mouth. He glanced up at them his eyes half shut, ¡°Yo-u have to ge-t the bora.¡± he whispered raspily between coughs. Resh nodded and the hounds slung his arms over their shoulders and lifted him up once more. They dragged him down the dark alley no longer caring to make sounds. Trash was kicked into the air and puddles filled with Caspian¡¯s blood which poured from his mouth and chest, ¡°Just hang on Caspian you can¡¯t die right now.¡± He was shaking violently but managed to whisper directions to them. The twins rushed through the alleys trying their best not to drop him. His shaking was making it hard to carry him without adjusting their positions constantly. His breathing was low and Kye made sure to listen for his coughs just to tell if he was alive. He coughed reassuring Kye, blood trickled down from his lips. He shook again more violently, falling from the brothers grasp. Kye caught him by the back of the shirt this time and lowered him to the ground. He struggled on there for a moment, Kye kneeling by his side. He convulsed once then went still. The hounds glanced at each other, worried and disgusted by his poor state. Silence fell over the alley, ¡°Is he dead?¡± Resh asked for the second time. A gasp came from the body, he coughed once more blood pooling on the ground, ¡°It seems I¡¯ve miscalculated the time we have.¡± he said slowly standing onto his wobbly legs. He looked like he¡¯d been ran over by a stampede of wildebeest, ¡°The entrance is around the corner.¡± he stood fully and wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He shook his head walking away from the stunned brothers a grimace on his face. He stood and waited for them to follow while leaning on the walls of the alley. The hounds followed after him deciding not to waste their energy questioning him. He disappeared around the corner and the brothers ran to catch up. When the brothers turned the corner they gagged. An awful smell filled their lungs stealing the fresh air out of their throats. The street had opened up a little and two dumpsters sat stacked high with trash and other fowl substances on the wall beside them. Trash coated the ground making the stone nearly impossible to see. Cats hissed at them as they tried to step around them. A group of cats looking more ragged than the others on the street howled as Caspian pushed over a crate of garbage they were standing on. It must¡¯ve been at least two hundred pounds but he didn¡¯t even seem to care. Resh looked to the ground to see if it had wheels but only saw deep scratches the posts had made when he pushed it. Resh decided to ignore it and looked to see what Caspian had uncovered. A steel door smeared with cat feces and other strange liquids stood in front of them. Caspian reached for the knob. His eyes flickering red as he touched the cold steel, ¡°Wait.¡± Resh said his voice low, cautious. ¡°Yes?¡± Caspian asked looking back at him in pain. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be a guard or something?¡± ¡°Who would guard a trash dump.¡± he asked, Resh nodded deciding that was good enough logic for him. Caspian twisted it slowly but it didn¡¯t move. He twisted it further accidentally breaking off the knob. Annoyed he slammed his shoulder against the steel. It flew open revealing a long set of stairs into darkness. Without thinking Caspian started down the steps. The brothers looked at each other nervously. Resh shrugged and walked inside. Kye shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ll be a lookout.¡± a hand flew out of the tunnel grabbing him by his shirt and pulling him inside. ¡°You are not leaving me here with this lunatic.¡± Resh said closing the door behind them. Complete darkness surrounded them for a moment. Their hearts beat loudly in their chests. Suddenly feeling confined Kye¡¯s lit his hand fire almost scorching Resh¡¯s hair. Red light spread through the tunnel. They saw Caspian¡¯s silhouette leaning on the wall at the end of the tunnel. They rushed down the stairs fearing the walls would close them in before they made it to the bottom. When they made it to the end Caspian stepped out of their way. They walked into a dimly lit room. Candles were set around the room their wax running low. A bluish glow hung in the air. Shelves were placed symmetrically across the floor. Weapons of all kinds lay on them. Small hand grenades, bows, swords, axes, and other crude items that the twins didn¡¯t want to know what they were used for were scattered about. A shelf to the far side of the room had plants growing from it. A purple electrical light hovered above the shelf. It buzzed loudly giving the brothers the unsettling feeling that bees were swarming the room. Resh shuddered the room was freezing cold. His breath steamed out in front of him. They¡¯d only walked down a few meters how had it gotten so cold he wondered to himself. He scanned the room for some kind of enchantment that would answer his questions. The walls were blank but when he looked up he realized what was making the blue glow. A large circle with different lines cutting through it was carved into the ceiling. It was huge and covered the whole room. The carvings were about an inch thick and the magic hung just below the top of the concrete. Resh tapped Kye¡¯s shoulder pointing for him to look up, ¡°Caspian what kind of magic is that?¡± Caspian looked up to the ceiling. ¡°Water, it''s a seal to keep moisture out of this room.¡± his voice was rough and his skin was losing even more color ¡°Don¡¯t plants need moisture to survive?¡± Kye asked keeping a watchful eye on the seal. ¡°Not this kind.¡± he answered simply. Caspian limped over to the plants leaning on the shelves of weapons for support. His eyes didn¡¯t reflect the flames of the room like the fire hounds did. Instead they stayed eerily dark. Kye was curious about the room and wandered away from his brother who followed Caspian. His eyes wandered to a shelf with swords on it. He walked over to it forgetting to be cautious. They were well crafted, he couldn¡¯t see any dents or scratches on them. Blue sun steel formed their razor-sharp edges. Black heart wood was carved into the hilt. It wound up the blade infused with the steel. The sheath was made of the same strong wood, gold was embroidered into it spiraling up the dark material. It must¡¯ve cost hundreds. He reached toward it slowly. As his fingers got closer to the cold steel, he felt his hand tingle as if it was falling asleep. His brows knit together in confusion. He tried to pull his hand back but he couldn¡¯t seem to control his body. His legs were frozen in place his hand still reaching for the blade. A cold hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him back. He snapped out of his daze and could move his legs once more. He looked over to see who had helped him. Resh was glaring at him, ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything.¡± he whispered, pulling them away from the sword, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the circle?¡± Kye¡¯s confusion grew. He looked back down at the sword and saw a small golden circle glowing beneath it. Three triangles crossed in the middle and a smaller circle sat in the center, ¡°Light magic.¡± Kye mumbled to himself. ¡°Yeah be careful in here I don¡¯t know what any of these things are.¡± Resh said worriedly glancing around. Kye nodded and walked back to where Caspian was. He had knocked over a few plants and was now triumphantly holding a small red vial. Inside was a strange blue liquid, ¡°Precrushed, they¡¯re saving me so much trouble.¡± he grumbled walking over to a wall. He collapsed to the ground, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we leave?¡± Resh asked looking around nervously. ¡°No, we don¡¯t have enough time.¡± He said straightening while pulling off his shirt. He peeled off the bandages revealing large splotches of dried blood. His skin was a bluish hue around the cuts. Green slime oozed from them as well. Kye looked away disgusted. Caspian grabbed the vial and popped off its lid. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He took his bloodied shirt sleeve and placed it in his mouth. He brought the vial to his torso and started to pour the liquid on the wounds. His eyes began to glow as the liquid bora began to steam. Heat radiated from his body. Causing the freezing room to steam up. His hand fell to the ground, the vial shattering on the concrete. Green smoke rose from the wounds and added to the heat.His face was a mask of agony and his body was turning red with blood. He leaned his head back against the wall and ground his teeth into the sleeve. His eyes clenched shut and he stopped breathing for a moment then went still. The amount of smoke increased, and his breath became ragged once more. The twins backed away, suddenly worried for their own safety. His eyes shot open as the smoke turned blood red. His eyes glowed the same color. A low growl echoed around the room. His teeth ground harder into the cloth nearly breaking his jaw. Unable to take the pain any longer his arms wrapped around his torso and started clawing at the wounds attempting to manually bleed himself to get the poison out, ¡°Stop you¡¯ll kill yourself!¡± Kye shouted realizing how much blood he was losing. They both quickly forgot about their own safety and ran toward him. They grabbed his arms and held them back against the wall. A scream escaped from Caspian¡¯s throat and he tried to reach for his stomach again. He was still surprisingly strong in his wounded state but the twins managed to hold him down. After a few agonizing seconds he closed his eyes and the smoke dissipated. Soon it was completely gone. The brothers slowly backed away again. He coughed, blood ran down his lips again. His body went limp and he sank to the floor.and he sank to the floor. Accidents Chapter 5 Accidents Caspian woke up feeling like his guts had been removed from his body and replaced with rocks. His limbs were too heavy to lift and his mind was too muddy to think. His head pounded and he could hear his heart beating. It was slow and sounded as if lava was rushing through him. He knew this sound well, it was of his blood. He kept his eyes closed, afraid if he opened them this lava that kept him alive would be flowing out of him. Eventually his common sense convinced him he was still alive and wasn¡¯t bleeding out just yet. He blinked his eyes open, his vision was fuzzy. The objects around him blurred together in warm reds and browns. He kept his eyes fixed on the ceiling hopeful that the dizziness in his mind would soon cease to exist. Slowly his vision cleared and he could see the world once more. The ceiling he had been staring at was made of straw and wood. The rafters looked miles away to his cloudy brain. He tilted his head to see what his surroundings consisted of. He regretted it immediately as pain shot up his spine and filled his skull. Little daggers poked at his skin and he clenched his eyes shut, hoping to block off the torturous feeling. The pain soon dissipated and he opened his eyes to see Kye glaring at him from across the room. He stood by a large barn door framed by red bricks. Sunlight streamed into the room behind him. He walked to a fire pit in the middle of the room. Red coals glowed in the bottom of it. As Kye walked past it they caught fire and sparks flew into the air. A chill ran down Caspian¡¯s spine. Kye wasn¡¯t just angry, he was furious. He looked around attempting to find something to defend himself with. He froze when he saw the wall closest to the small cot he was laying on. Blood was splattered all over it and ran down the bricks like a waterfall. Small drips ran toward his bed. He looked back up at Kye stopping him in his tracks. Caspian looked at his clothes. Kye¡¯s boots and tunic were stained red with blood and his hands were clenched into fists. Caspian¡¯s voice was stuck in his throat. He tried to sit up but only managed to pick up his head. His worry and confusion grew when he saw that bandages were wrapped tightly around his chest. Hoping the blood on Kye and the wall was his own he looked back over at the twin. Kye stood there glaring at him. His heart beat faster in his chest. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself but what he smelled only startled him more. The scent of iron hung thick in the air. It was a scent Caspian had become accustomed to but this time it scared him. It was unfamiliar. It wasn¡¯t his own. Caspian tried to speak again but his throat was too dry to get any words out. Silently Kye left the room and came back seconds later with a glass of water. Caspian raised his heavy arms and clutched the cold glass in his hand. He drank it happily as Kye stood beside him. He cleared his throat and looked back up at Kye, ¡°Did I hurt anyone?¡± he asked his voice still hoarse. Kye grunted and slapped the glass out of his hand. It shattered sending shards around the room. He grabbed his shoulder and threw him upright. Caspian screamed as he was slammed against the wall. They locked eyes for a moment Kye¡¯s rage reflecting in his burning eyes. Caspian¡¯s dark blue ones staring fearfully back, ¡°You don¡¯t remember do you?¡± he asked searching Caspian¡¯s eyes. ¡°Remember what?!¡± He asked frustrated Kye let go of him and stepped back, confusion and anger running across his face, ¡°You hurt him Caspian. He didn''t hold it against you much, but I do. I can¡¯t just forgive you after you nearly killed my brother.¡± ¡ì Two days earlier Resh stood in the cold room a trail of blood running toward his feet. Caspian¡¯s body lay still against the concrete wall his chest rose and fell with each uneasy breath. His twin stood beside him, silent. Resh took a step forward staining his boots with the liquid, ¡°Com¡¯on Kye he¡¯s your charity subject help me carry him.¡± his voice was monotone and low. Kye nodded and walked over to help. Resh¡¯s mind was surprisingly calm. A simple plan was forming in his head. Made concrete by what he had seen in the city that day. He had a knack for staying disconnected in stressful situations. His childhood had taught him that there was no point in worrying. Getting scared was to be saved for later. He knew Kye wasn¡¯t the same. Resh knew he tried to be, but as much as he wanted to stay strong for his twin Resh knew he couldn¡¯t. So Resh stayed strong for both of them. He gave the commands and tried to stay level headed. When his life wasn¡¯t in danger he could never seem to focus and his emotions guided him. He let Kye take over then. They balanced each other and together had been able to stay alive. Resh thought about Caspian. He had no one to keep him stable. No one to turn to if he needed help, comfort, or just someone to talk to. ¡°No wonder he had been so suspicious of us when we first met.¡± he thought to himself. He wasn¡¯t used to other people truly wanting to help him. They tried to get him to open up by asking him questions and constantly pestering him like they did to each other, ¡°Maybe he¡¯d open up if we just gave him the time to trust us. Show him we want to do him no harm.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Resh sighed as he leaned over his motionless body. His curiosity was too overpowering to even have the thought of leaving him there. Quickly he pushed him off the wall and wrapped his arms around his torso. Kye grabbed his legs and they both stood, ¡°Where should we take him?¡± Kye asked, his eyes frightfully watching as Caspian¡¯s blood drained out of him. ¡°We should take him out of the city, bringing him to a doctor just to have him heal in front of them wouldn''t be good.¡± Kye bobbed his head seemingly more focused on not getting his clothes bloodied, ¡°Stay quiet we don¡¯t want to get caught by the night watch.¡± They exited the bunker slowly, still fearful a Hunter might be lurking outside. Much to Resh¡¯s liking there wasn¡¯t, ¡°Kye go check ahead for anyone.¡± he commanded nodding toward the alleyway in front of them, ¡°See if you can find a way to the edge of town through the alleys.¡± he set Caspian down and started walking forward but Resh caught him by the arm, ¡°Be careful okay? I¡¯ll be waiting right there.¡± he said pointing toward a slightly cleaner alley. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± he said walking forward again. Resh smirked as a plume of smoke burst off his brother¡¯s shoulders and he dropped to all fours. Once he was a hound he ran ahead, the blue glow of his flames following behind him loyally. As soon his glow had faded Resh picked up Caspian bridal style and walked slowly into the passage, ¡°For a guy with half his blood drained you¡¯re pretty heavy.¡± he mumbled setting him back down on the cold ground. He propped him up on the wall and examined the wounds. They were deep and didn¡¯t seem to be healing like they were previously. Resh sighed and took off his coat, ¡°What a waste.¡± he mumbled pulling off his shirt and wrapping it around the wounds. The air was brisk and sent chills up his spine. He quickly pulled back on the coat and buttoned it up. Caspian¡¯s skin was unnaturally pale and seemed almost green in the poor alley light, ¡°Don¡¯t die on me Caspian, we still have to figure out what you are.¡± he smirked, ¡°We still have to show you that you can trust us.¡± He stood up a light catching his eye. It was moving quickly through the alley only getting brighter as it got closer. The sound of running feet echoed around him. Suddenly the light disappeared leaving him standing in the dark, a dying man at his side, ¡°Kye?¡± he called. A figure appeared at the end of the alley. It was hunched over and seemed to be listening for something, ¡°Kye?¡± he asked again, heart beginning to race. ¡°Shhh.¡± the figure moved forward slowly, ¡°There¡¯s someone coming from the left.¡± it whispered. Resh breathed in. Past the smell of rotting food there was another scent. It was human and thick with iron. He heard footsteps coming from where they had entered, ¡°Come and help me.¡± he commanded and quickly looped Caspian¡¯s arm around his shoulder. Kye jogged quietly toward him careful to not step on trash. He grabbed his other arm and they lifted him up. The footsteps grew louder, they were only a few yards away. Resh ran forward attempting to dodge piles of garbage. Caspian was a few inches taller than them and his feet drug along the ground, ¡°Nice thinking turning back flameless but you scared the crap outta me.¡± Resh hissed quietly. Kye grinned, ¡°Sorry.¡± he said laughing. They made it a few blocks and slowed down, ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re following us.¡± Resh whispered still wary. ¡°They will once they see the blood on the wall and their flowers all over the place.¡± Kye glanced worriedly down at limp man between them, ¡°Will he be okay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he looked over at Kye, his normally messy hair lay flat on his head. He was biting his lip and hands were shaking. The sight of his brother in this state made Resh¡¯s heart ache, ¡°Just get us out of Elm and we¡¯ll see what we can do.¡± he said shifting so more of Caspian¡¯s weight lay on him. ¡ì Kye had managed to find a way through the alleys that was completely out of sight. When they made it out of the city they were met by grassy hills and a warm breeze. Night had come quickly and the shapes around them blurred together. They managed to find an abandoned barn about a half a mile away from Elm. It wasn¡¯t in the best of shape, its brick walls were coated in cracks which vines grew from. They climbed up its sides attempting to get closer to the sun they relied on. Its straw roof was supported by wooden trusses which seemed to buckle slightly under the weight. Its large double doors hung outward staying attached to the building only by one hinge each. Resh pushed open the door the rest of the way knocking it down. It pulled several vines down with it, crushing them under its weight. He unconsciously avoided touching the other door and moved inside. There was a long cold fire pit in the middle of the dirt floor, small stones circled around the dusty coals. A hard cot was pushed against the far wall. A stool sat beside a table on the other side of the room. Resh and Kye moved to the cot and set Caspian down on it. He was cold to the touch and Resh¡¯s shirt had been soaked in blood. His eyes flickered restlessly in their sockets and his breathing was shallow and choppy. Resh carefully removed his shirt grimacing at the wounds. The cuts had seemingly grown and a blue ooze was leaking out of them. His blood had mixed with it and made it tinted slightly purple. The stitches were holding, on most of the wounds but the ones Caspian had tugged at were snapped, ¡°Kye start the fire.¡± an explosion sounded from behind him. ¡°Way ahead of you brother.¡± he said holding a flaming piece of wood. He put it in the pit and hurried to get more. He ripped them off of the fallen door and added them to the blaze, ¡°We¡¯ll need bandages.¡± Resh said thinking out loud. ¡°I¡¯ll go back into town and get them.¡± Kye responded startling Resh. ¡°All the shops are closed.¡± ¡°And?¡± he asked raising an eyebrow. ¡°Point taken.¡± Resh smirked, ¡°Be careful if you¡¯re not back in an hour I¡¯ll come check for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine it¡¯ll be just like when we were kids.¡± he said turning around and dashing out the door, ¡°Be back in a bit.¡± he called. ¡°When we were kids...¡± Resh echoed distantly, touching the scar that ran along his cheek. He sighed and snapped out his hand. Flames billowed up from his palm as he turned back to the dying man, ¡°Sorry, but we don¡¯t have the time to wait, I just didn¡¯t want him to have to see this.¡± Flame Chapter 6 Flame Kye jumped a creek his back legs splashing in the stream. The chilly water ran down his fur causing it to bunch up. He didn¡¯t slow though and kept running, forcing his legs to work overtime. Mist and smoke swirled around him, forming spirals behind him. The terrain beneath his paws was squishy in the midnight dew. The air was thick and wet, making it hard to breathe. Still he didn¡¯t slow to catch his breath. When they¡¯d carried Caspian to the barn they had to remain flameless, it had taken more time. Kye knew he could make it to Elm and back in less than half the time it took them the first time. Sure enough in around five minutes Kye could see Elm clearly. The lytors swayed high above the stone buildings, their light touching the tops of the homes. He hoped that one of the illuminated houses was an unlocked medical store. He knew Caspian was in bad shape. His brother had tried to hide his worry but Kye saw past it. He could die. His eyes narrowed and he forced himself to run faster, ¡°Please just hold on until I come back.¡± ¡ì Resh¡¯s hand hovered above Caspian¡¯s wounds, flames flickered restlessly on his palm, ¡°I have to do this. There¡¯s no other way.¡±He tried to convince himself the pain he was about to put the being before him through was the right thing to do, ¡°I have to do this.¡± He watched warm blood trickle toward his feet in small streams, ¡°No other way.¡± He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he let it out he flipped his palm over causing fire to envelope Caspian¡¯s whole torso. Resh couldn¡¯t feel the warmth of the flames or the burning and blistering on his skin that he knew Caspian would be feeling. His kind was immune to fire¡¯s wrath. They could focus their flames and make them hotter or colder without having to feel it. Resh had gotten quite good at warming his flames. He¡¯d become fairly experienced at perfectly cooking fish in less than five minutes, of course he had charred about twenty before getting it right. Slowly, he opened his eyes again calmed by the thoughts of warm food and simple times. He steadied his heartbeat and stood up slightly taller. For a moment everything was silent and Resh focused on making the flames hotter around the wounds. But then, as all things do, it went wrong. Caspian¡¯s eyes shot open glowing a viscous red and a bloodcurdling scream left his mouth. He sat bolt upright on the cot and started to pull at the stitches again. He was wild with fear and pain. His movements were surprisingly quick, his fingers tightening the stitches and loosening others. Once his panicked mind realized pulling at the stitches wouldn¡¯t help and was only burning the skin on his hands he began to claw at the flames. His eyes were full of terror and his only focus now seemed to be to disperse the flames. Resh pushed him roughly down to the table with one hand, causing Caspian to realize another person was in the room. His fear turned to anger as he realized his pain was coming from someone alive. Resh locked eyes with him for a moment, a chill ran down his spine. There was nothing even vaguely alive in them, just darkness. Resh¡¯s heart beat faster and fear filled his chest. Caspian didn¡¯t seem to recognize him and tried to stand up. Resh broke the flames, deciding he should show Caspian he wasn¡¯t trying to hurt him, ¡°Its okay I¡¯m trying to help!¡± he shouted, throwing up his hands, Caspain paused, ¡°It''s me, Resh.¡± he steadied his voice and spoke in a warmer tone, ¡°See,¡± he said pointing to Caspian¡¯s chest, ¡°You¡¯ve stopped bleeding.¡± that much was true but his skin was bubbling and browned, ¡°It might hurt but you¡¯ll heal.¡± he tried to reason, ¡°When Kye gets back we can wrap you up again.¡± He said slowly lowering his hands. Caspian¡¯s brows knotted together and his eyes flickered restlessly from blue to red. His head snapped downward and Resh saw the red glow fade out slowly. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he¡¯d convinced him everything would be okay. He took a wary step forward but, Caspain¡¯s head whipped up, the red glow back in full. He growled and a cloud of dark smoke seemed to gather around him. He stood up wobbling slightly on weak legs. Resh backed away, scolding himself for thinking everything would be fine, ¡°Caspian I¡¯m a friend I wasn¡¯t trying to hurt you.¡± he took another step forward, a sadistic smile playing on his lips.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Resh didn¡¯t retreat this time, his legs stayed rooted in place, held down by fear or stupidity. He didn¡¯t care either way, he wouldn¡¯t back away like a beaten dog any longer, ¡°Fine don¡¯t listen to reason, I can be violent too.¡±he thought narrowing his eyes, ¡°Caspian snap out of it!¡± he shouted, his hands catching fire. Caspian paused, fear washing over his face. He didn¡¯t seem to be afraid of Resh but instead stared, terrified, at his own hands. An inky mist gathered in his palms and he clenched his fists shut forcing it away. His hands shook and his whole body seemed to be trembling. His eyes flickered from red to blue and his teeth ground together. His face had lost most of its color and bags were growing beneath his eyes. He shut his eyes, shaking his head back and forth. He fell to the ground, hands scraping at the dirt. His breath became ragged and choked off. Blood mixed with tears fell to the ground sinking into the dirt. Resh was completely frozen in place, this time with confusion, as he watched as Caspian¡¯s fingernails bled while he grated them against the soil. He screamed, it was pained and full of sorrow. The sound shook Resh out of his fear. Worried, he took a small step forward and Caspian¡¯s head snapped back up, watery red eyes glaring into his own, ¡°Run.¡± he whispered, jumping forward. ¡ì Kye had made it to the city and was standing outside of a light blue two story building. He was far from the center square so the houses around him were rundown and unpainted. The store was dark but he could see the outline of selves inside, ¡°Its been awhile since I¡¯ve robbed a place.¡± He thought to himself. As kids they did what they had to, to survive. They had felt no remorse for it. Their want to stay alive kept them moving. Yet, Kye was slightly hesitant to enter the building. He had stolen seemingly hundreds of times but, something was nagging at him. A bell was ringing in the back of his head telling him not to enter, telling him to go back and help Resh. He felt a pit growing in his stomach and his heart beat rapidly in his chest. He took a breath and sighed, ¡°I guess I just thought I¡¯d left this life behind.¡± hesitantly, he stepped forward. After glancing left and right, to see if anyone was watching, he wearily reached out for the handle. It turned a quarter of the way around but stopped, suddenly unable to move any further, ¡°Locked, great.¡±Instead of madly rattling it back and forth he stepped back slightly. Cautiously, he checked to see if anyone was watching again. He took a quick breath in a futile attempt to calm himself and grabbed the handle with both hands. Slowly, the copper heated up under his hand. Kye¡¯s eyes were locked on the metal, completely focused on keeping the magic surging through his hand and not exploding into the world. Kye knew the fire magic that came naturally to them still took energy and a circle to carry the magic through. The circle was created in his very blood so it seemed like the fire came from nowhere normally. But, if he was able to force the circle outside of his body he would be able to heat something without a flame. Once it was nearly melting he focused on creating a small popping flame inside the lock by directing the circle inside the door. A small chink rang out from the handle. Kye smirked and pushed the door open. Resh and him had learned that little trick ages ago, but it had come in very handy on many different occasions. They¡¯d stopped using it when a piece of metal shot out of the lock and nearly went through Kye¡¯s hand, luckily it only grazed him. Kye knew they had been lucky though and didn¡¯t want to test their luck again. This was an exception. Cautiously he walked inside, slowly pushing the door closed behind him. It didn¡¯t close all the way, do to the broken latch and sent cold air into the room. Kye didn¡¯t notice it and walked quietly to a back shelf. He was relieved the floor was tiled and didn¡¯t have to worry about creaky floor boards. The smallest of noises seemed like thunderclaps in the dead of night. Wood paneled floors were his worst nightmare as a hungry kid. Kye could see the outline of a staircase in the corner and a cashier''s booth off to the side of it. Quietly, being sure to not bump anything, he made his way to the back. The shelf full of medical supplies wasn¡¯t in the best of shape. It was nearly empty and the whole top shelf was coated in dust, ¡°Bandages, I need bandages.¡± he rummaged through the shelves shoving the thin stripes of cloth into his jacket. They¡¯d learned from a young age that the things touching their skin were taken away and given back when they shifted. Resh had tried it with dozens of items. Soon they realized that the weight of the items stayed with them if they tried to move. They could only take as much as they could carry. Kye was at first disappointed, for his young mind had made a great plan of how they could use their new found talent to rob places and carry out hundreds of expensive items. He still didn¡¯t particularly know how it worked though, ¡°Maybe Caspian knows, I¡¯ll have to ask him when he wakes up...If he wakes up.¡±his mind corrected him. He shook the thoughts away and walked to the back side of the shelf. He grunted as gleeful get well soon cards smiled up at him. He turned away from the shelf and something caught his eye. A silver rack stood to the left of him, clothes loosely hanging from it, ¡°Clean¡­¡± Mistakes Blood warning Chapter 7 Mistakes Resh leapt backward, his heart beating out of his chest. Caspian¡¯s eyes bore into his own. They reminded him of magma, dangerous when neared. He had to run. Had to get away. As he dove backward Caspian lunged forward unnaturally. His arms stretched toward him, fingers gathering a black mist. His mouth hung open mildly pointed teeth forming a smile. Resh landed awkwardly on his foot, causing him to lose balance. Cursing gravity he twisted in midair and put out his hands to stop his fall. As soon as he hit the ground he pulled his legs forward and began to run. He heard Caspian land seconds after. He didn¡¯t turn around to see if he was following him and made a mad dash for the doorway. His heart was beating so quickly it drowned out the sound of footsteps from his right. His vision could only focus on the escape that he forgot the swiftness of the man chasing him. The wilds outside seemed so close he could smell the forest and the fresh unbloodied air. A chaotic swirl of emotions ran through his fear stricken mind, ¡°Where¡¯s Kye? Can I fight Caspian? Will he chase me out of here? Do I have enough time to shift and run faster?¡±These thoughts were cut short by a shadow lingering on the edge of his vision. He hadn¡¯t noticed Caspian had beaten him to the door. Fear ran up his spine. He tried to stop but his momentum carried him into the figure. They smashed into the wall shaking the weakened timbers above them. Dirt and moss fell from the roof scattering onto the ground. Resh was thrown to the floor. His head smashed against a rock, making stars fill his vision. The world spun around him and a weight pushed on his stomach. Instinctively he put up his hands. HIs eyes cleared just enough to see Caspian standing over him with a crude black knife in his hands. The clouds in his mind lifted and his thoughts went blank. His arms were getting torn apart by clawing fingers and the air in his lungs was being pushed forcefully out of him. He was going to be stabbed. Going to die. The flame within him ignited and without thinking he released the magic that he had been subconsciously building. It flowed through a circle at the base of his palm nearly getting trapped in his arm. Resh quickly expanded the circle and the fire surged out. His hands erupted with such violence that the whole room became illuminated for a moment. The blood that stained the walls was immediately dried and the moss that had fallen was quickly burnt to ashes. Caspian¡¯s screams were lost in a rush of popping and crackling flames. It sounded as if a thundercloud had been trapped inside the barn. Resh felt the weight on his chest lift and then, just as quickly as the flames came, they left. The room wasn¡¯t terribly scorched and by some luck his fearing mind had managed to keep his clothes uncharred. Caspian had not been so lucky. He had managed to keep most of his clothes but his already burnt torso now oozedout a sickly white slime. His skin was blackened and cracked like salt fields. Blood ran slowly out of his mouth and his previously glowing eyes were shut tight. Resh¡¯s eyes widened and guilt racked his body, ¡°No, no no.¡± he crawled toward the body, which didn¡¯t look much like a a body anymore, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I hadn¡¯t meant to,¡± He reached out slowly, afraid he might still lash out at him, ¡°It was an accident.¡± he whispered an invisible weight pushing on his chest again, ¡°Com¡¯on heal you b*stard.¡± he pleaded, sadness hanging heavy in his words. He closed his hand into a fist and lowered it to the floor, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Guilt dropped him to the ground, his knees crawling up to his chest, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he mumbled again, lowering his head, the fear of the moment suddenly rushing in on him. It had been in self defensebut, he hadn¡¯t meant to hurt him. He wasn¡¯t a killer and he knew it. He felt ashamed, angry, and sad all at the same time. The rush of emotions made his head hurt. His hands shook and his body felt weak. He bit back tears, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± he whispered, shakes rocking his body. He lifted his hand back up touching his arm lightly. It was rough and scaly almost like coal. A piece flaked off, ¡°What the...¡± a small pink patch of skin had been revealed beneath the dead. Resh blinked away the tears that had been growing in his eyes and forced the lump that was rising in his throat back down. Hesitantly he ran his hand down Caspian arm. The charred skin fell away revealing fresh skin beneath. Resh backed away running his hand through his unruly hair, forcing it back upright. His heart beat rapidly in his chest. Slowly he kneeled over Caspian and put two fingers against his neck.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Seconds past and Resh stayed still. An unsteady beat touched his fingers. It was weak but he was alive. Resh breathed out a sigh of relief a smile growing on his face. Caspian¡¯s chest rose slowly up. Happiness and excitement washed away his fear and he fell to the ground. He gave up on holding back his emotions and now let the tears run down his face. Caspian spat blood, a shaking breath rattling his body. With each breath more of the dead skin was pushed off. His eyes remained closed and Resh remained wary. He shivered and more of the skin fell away. He looked nearly fine. The previously bubbled and browned skin on his torso was the only part of his body that still looked wounded. The skin was red and lumpy at his ribs. Resh walked slowly toward his body afraid he might lunge up at him a knife pointed at his throat. He stopped a few feet from him still unsure if touching him was the right idea. He glanced up to the open door. Moonlight streamed through it caressing the charred ground, turning it blue. The chilly fresh air had snuck inside the room and forced goosebumps to crawl up his arms. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and a chill ran down his back, ¡°I could leave him here. It would be easy, I doubt he¡¯d come looking for us...Us. Kye.¡± Resh looked back down at Caspian, ¡°He was adamant on helping you, I can¡¯t leave you either. I still need to show you that you can trust us.¡± He kneeled down still keeping his distance and whispered, ¡°Caspian?¡± silence echoed back to him, ¡°Hey you¡¯re alive right?¡± He scooted slightly closer his boots touching the small pool of blood draining from Caspian, ¡°I¡¯m going to pick you up, please don¡¯t attack me.¡± he whispered to no one in particular. Slowly he shuffled forward on his knees. His pants absorbed the blood, turning the dirty brown red. He slid his arms under his torso, ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± a weak but rough voice said. Resh froze, it was choked up and hurt, ¡°Stay back Resh, I¡¯m still healing I don¡¯t have control.¡± Caspian shook, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± he mumbled, his back was toward Resh but he felt the pain in his words. The lump in Resh¡¯s throat came back, ¡°You¡¯re going to bleed out I have to pick you up.¡± He slid his arms further under him. Caspian drew in a sharp breath, ¡°Please don¡¯t, you don¡¯t understand.¡± he choked out shakes rocking his body. Resh shut his eyes, ¡°You¡¯re right I don¡¯t understand, but whatever you are you can¡¯t become again. Not now. I have to get you off the floor so I can help you.¡± Resh started to stand Caspian¡¯s body hanging limply in his arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t.¡± he whispered looking up at Resh. Their eyes met. Caspian¡¯s teeth were grinding together as his eyes shifted chaotically from red to blue. He looked in pain, his eyes wet with restrained tears, ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± he pleaded as Resh took a step forward, ¡°Stop.¡± He didn¡¯t seem to be speaking to Resh anymore but instead to himself. Resh walked forward again, his bruised limbs aching. The weight of the bleeding man seemed even more heavy than before. He sped up his pace stumbling around rocks and the uneven ground, ¡°No,¡± Caspian whispered shutting his eyes. Resh stopped now at the foot of the cot, ¡°Sorry.¡± Resh dropped to his knees, ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± he said a growl returning to his words. Before Resh could set him down all the way Caspian whirled in his arms to stand. He grabbed his arm and pushed him to his feet. The monster from before was back. He threw him against the wall. The impact against the bricks sent the air out of his lungs. He fell to the ground his heart beating rapidly once more. He tried to stand and run but Caspian¡¯s dim red eyes locked him in place. He was emotionally and physically drained, ¡°Caspian don¡¯t.¡± he pleaded holding his hands up, ¡°I can¡¯t fight anymore, I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± Caspian¡¯s face was torn between anger and pain. Blood ran freely down his torso pooling at his feet. A mist gathered in his hands. He grabbed Resh by the cuff of his shirt and lifted him up, ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Resh pleaded staring into his eyes. Caspain¡®s smile wasn¡¯t there this time and frustration ran over his face. His fingers twitched uncontrollably, the mist flowing out of his palms like water. His hand shot up, a knife grasped in his palm. Resh¡¯s nerves were shot he couldn¡¯t move, couldn¡¯t talk, he could barely even think. His hand came down and Resh screamed as a warm stinging sensation shot through his right shoulder. Hot blood trickled down his arm. The knife was ripped out causing a chill to run through his body. The pain didn¡¯t register until he raised his arm again. Cold air floated through the wound and pain rang through his shoulder. Resh tried to free himself from his grasp but it was useless his right arm felt numb and Caspian wasn¡¯t budging. A tear ran down his face and he locked his jaw tight to keep from crying out again. The knife swept toward his neck and he shut his eyes tight, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Kye.¡±But the blow never came. The hand holding him to the wall fell away and he opened his eyes to see Caspian¡¯s arm next to his head a knife jutting out of it. Blood dripped onto his shirt mixing with his own. Caspian¡¯s eyes were dim and he fell to the floor the knife nowhere to be seen. Resh¡¯s shoulder burned with such ferocity he couldn¡¯t stand any longer. Dizziness rushed through his head and he fell to his knees. Caspian¡¯s body seemed so small and blurry. The world spun around him and he collapsed to the blood stained floor. Caspian Caspian Chapter 8 Caspian nodded. He walked to the side of the caravan and sat down. Blood that wasn¡¯t his own coated his hands. He could smell the brother¡¯s fear. He could feel the heat of the bodies he had killed, could taste their blood. He hated it. He hated that he couldn¡¯t control the color of his eyes. Hated that he had enjoyed killing people he didn¡¯t even know. ¡°Caspian-¡± Resh started. ¡°Don¡¯t. Please, just don¡¯t.¡± he said taking a few uneasy breaths. The brothers glanced at each other. Caspian ran a hand through his bloodied hair. A sharp stabbing pain pierced the back of his head. It would always happen when he killed someone with those swords. He rubbed the back of his head in small circles. Slowly the pain subsided. He took a deep breath and looked up at the twins. They were staring at him with fear in their eyes. He could hear their heart beats. They feared him. He stood, and they took a step back, ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± He said but, their heart rates only sped up. ¡°You¡¯re a demon.¡± Resh said again. Caspian¡¯s eyes dropped to the ground, ¡°Yeah.¡± Kye shook his head, ¡°I thought demons were just something parents told their kids about so they would behave.¡± ¡°I wish that were true.¡± Caspian said, ¡°But, it¡¯s obviously not.¡± He said waving a hand at his eyes. ¡°And they are?¡± Resh pointed at the stack of bodies. Caspian didn¡¯t look over at the bloodshed, ¡°Hunters.¡± He said walking over to Casey¡¯s body. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kye asked nervously. He ignored him and knelt down by the noble. Casey¡¯s body was face-down, warm blood running down his neck. Caspian flipped him over and closed his lifeless eyes. His pale skin was even lighter than normal, ¡°Sorry.¡± He whispered sticking his hand into the dead man¡¯s jacket. He pulled it out holding a bag of coins. He tossed it to Resh, who looked at it confused for several seconds. Slowly he put the bag into his pocket. Caspian stood and walked over to the caravan. The horses stomped the ground as he opened the door and crawled inside. It was well organized. The small space had a cot off to one side and a desk on the other. A trunk was on the floor by the end of the bed. Caspian went to the desk first. He threw open the drawers. Finding only sentimental items inside he moved to the trunk and threw it open. Clothes spilled out. Caspian pulled out a shirt and pants. He quickly changed and rummaged around in the bottom of the chest, ¡°Didn¡¯t take the noble to be the type for these.¡± he mumbled pulling out several hoodies. He picked out a black one and pulled it over his head. Blood was drying to his skin and clumping his hair together. There was a mirror beside the door and when he turned around he saw himself. But it wasn¡¯t really him, all he saw was a red eyed killer. The Hunters were right when they said he was a murderer he had killed more than he could count. He hoped the twins would be gone when he came out. They¡¯d be safer without him. He opened the door again to find the two redheads staring at him, ¡°Caspian we still want to help you.¡± Kye said instantly. Caspian froze, ¡°Why?¡± he asked slowly. ¡°Because, you seem like you need it.¡± Resh said, looking at Caspian¡¯s hand. He gripped a dagger loosely it his right hand. His eyes narrowed, he didn¡¯t remember calling it. He dropped it immediately. It vanished before the night black tip touched the ground. His head spun and he clung to the side of the caravan. The pain in his skull returned and he collapsed. He hit the ground hard, smashing his head against a rock. His vision blurred and he felt hands flipping him over. His head was screaming in pain. His eyes cleared for a second to find Kye staring at him whispering something to Resh. Caspian reached up to his head. Warm blood flowed over his fingers. He felt it healing already but, his whole skull still hurt. It felt like knives were being pushed into his brain. His thoughts mixed together, and his eyes lost all sight.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡ì He wasn¡¯t out long. The blood he had lost was still wet and he was lying on a cot. The room jostled around. He looked around with fuzzy eyes and realized he was in the caravan. It was different though, the desk and trunk were gone and a pile of clothes lay on the floor. His headache was almost gone, and he stood up. The mirror on the door showed the same being as before. A red eyed demon. He opened the door almost taking out Resh who was walking behind it. He looked up at him, surprised, ¡°It¡¯s only been a few minutes.¡± he grumbled, ¡°Never seem to get away for long.¡± It was night and the stars shone brightly in the sky. Caspian jumped out of the moving vehicle, landing easily, ¡°Kye, he¡¯s awake.¡± Resh called. ¡°Already?¡± Kye answered back, surprised, ¡°Come here.¡± Resh rolled his eyes and walked forward with Caspian. Kye was sitting on the front of the caravan holding the reins. He scooted over on the seat and Caspian crawled up to sit next to him. Kye inspected his bloodied head, ¡°That¡¯s awemazing there¡¯s not even a scar.¡± he said releasing him. ¡°Are all demons like you?¡± Resh asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Caspian responded, shifting uncomfortably in the seat. ¡°Umm,¡± Resh paused, ¡°Do they all have swords?¡± he started. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ok, then why do you?¡± Kye asked, scooting further away from him. Caspian sighed, ¡°I¡¯m a Bloodbane. We are able to call bloodblades from Oblivion.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, bloodblades?¡±. ¡°And Oblivion?¡± Kye questioned. Caspian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, ¡°You two really know nothing?¡± the twins glanced at each other. ¡°Not really.¡± Caspian sighed. ¡°All demons and monsters go to Oblivion when they die and all souls go to The Void.¡± he paused making sure the brothers understood, ¡°Sometimes demons or souls escape. Souls get lost on planets and become what you call ghosts or harts.¡± ¡°When I use a bloodblade I become more demonic. Each time I draw blood I lose more control.¡± he explained staring at his hands. ¡°That¡¯s why your eyes are still red?¡± Caspian nodded. ¡°Bloodbane usually try to refrain from using their swords because, if the swords taste blood, they will lose control.¡± ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you¡­¡± Kye stopped. ¡°Killing you?¡± he nodded, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± knives pierced his skull, ¡°I can¡¯t explain that to you.¡± ¡°Ok, why do the Hunters want to kill you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just me they want to kill, they¡¯re on a mission to kill all creatures from Oblivion. Do you not know the story of the humans?¡± they shook their heads. ¡°We didn¡¯t have the best education.¡± Resh admitted. ¡°I doubt they would teach it in schools. Humans came from the south on boats they were oblivious to the other races. There were hundreds of them. They colonized the rivers where the delir lived. The river giants weren¡¯t going to let them take their home and tried to tell them to leave. The humans were afraid of the delir but, not willing to go. The peaceful giants didn¡¯t want to start a war so they went to their brethren, the mountain giants.¡± ¡°The mountain giants refused to get involved though so the delir took their issue to Imreald, the capital of the mainland at the time. They agreed to help them in return for drinkable water. A small army of two hundred marched down to the river kingdom and convinced the humans to leave the delir¡¯s land peacefully.¡± ¡°The humans wandered into the cities and began a new life there. Within a few years they were a common race and were accepted into society. No one knew where they came from and no one really felt like finding out. They had a strange hatred for other races and most were unfriendly.¡± ¡°They made a small city by the ocean and invited all humans to live there. They named it Primis, meaning first. They didn¡¯t trade with other races and kept to themselves. One day a mortiem demon came to their town and killed half the population. When others offered to help rebuild it they turned them away, saying they sent the demon. The other races were offended by this and left them alone. They decided that day that all things they thought were evil should die.¡± ¡°I never thought about how different races would get here.¡± Kye said. ¡°I¡¯ve met a lot of humans and they seem like an okay people.¡± ¡°Many of them have forgotten about Primis. Only Hunters remember.¡± Caspian stared down at his hands. How did he know that? The knives dug deeper. He stopped thinking about it and moved on, ¡°I have one more question,¡± Resh said, ¡°Well I have a lot of questions but, I¡¯ll settle for just one. Why would you take more of a poison that could kill you?¡± he didn¡¯t respond for a little while. ¡°The bora acts as a paralytic for my healing. I only heal when I¡¯m in pain and it couldn¡¯t sense I was suffering.¡± he paused watching Resh think. ¡°So you put more inside of yourself to increase your pain, so you could heal.¡± he said looking up at him, he nodded, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just break an arm or something?¡± ¡°When you do something enough times it becomes instinctive right?¡± Resh nodded, ¡°Well I¡¯ve broken my arms more times than I can count so my healing immediately knows how to fix it. That¡¯s why the crossbow bolt in my leg healed as well. I figured if I got more of the poison in me my healing might be able to detect my pain and fix me.¡± ¡°How did you know it would work?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± he responded looking up at the sky. They fell silent for a while, Resh yawned and Kye blinked away drowsiness, ¡°You two should sleep.¡± he said taking away the reins, ¡°Before you crash us into a tree.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± Resh asked, slightly skeptical. ¡°Yeah, can¡¯t sleep anyways.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± they said nervously, walking into the back. They couldn¡¯t stop moving but the horses couldn¡¯t keep going forever. Caspian sighed, it was going to be a long night. Stories Stories Chapter 9 When daylight streamed over the trees announcing it was morning Caspian was still at the front of the caravan. His eyes would flicker back to dark blue at times, but they would always change back to red. He hadn¡¯t slept a wink and had been left alone with his own thoughts. The brothers still slept in the back and the horses couldn¡¯t take much more without food and rest. He pulled at the reins slowing the horses. Under the seat there was food. He took out an apple for himself and some grain for the horses. They munched on the grass on the side of the road and when he neared their heads popped up. There was a brook to the side of the river and when they were done eating he unhitched them and let them have a drink. The brothers opened the door just as he was putting the horses back. They walked over to him, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Resh asked. ¡°The horses needed a break.¡± he said walking to the river. The blood had dried to his skin and was flaking off. He washed his hands off, turning the river red for a moment. He splashed his face sending cold droplets down his neck. He washed his hair off, flattening it to his head. When the water cleared two red eyes stared up at him. They flickered for a moment but came back seconds later. He sighed pushing wet hair out of his face. The brothers walked over and filled up water flasks, ¡°When will they go back to normal?¡± Resh asked gesturing towards Caspian¡¯s eyes. ¡°Whenever I can regain control.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kye took a step back. ¡°I can¡¯t explain it. I have control of my limbs but...¡± he paused, ¡°My mind is a mess.¡± ¡°Like, emotionally?¡± Kye asked raising an eyebrow. ¡°No, I can¡¯t describe it.¡± he said shaking his head. ¡°Okay.¡± Resh said quickly, hoping not to anger the man. ¡°Well, since we¡¯ve stopped we can eat breakfast.¡± Kye said walking over to the seat. He opened it up pulling out the bread and cheese along with some fruit. He tossed some to Resh and left the rest on the seat for Caspian. Kye walked to the back of the caravan and sat down. Resh joined him taking a drink, ¡°What are we going to do Kye?¡± ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know, but I think helping him is the right thing.¡± he whispered. ¡°With what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know he just seems¡­¡± Kye trailed off, unsure of what to say. Resh rolled his eyes, ¡°He''s not helpless Kye.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯ve never seen anyone fight like that.¡± he said a cold chill running down his spine. ¡°Yeah.¡± Resh said, ¡°The way he moved...¡± he paused, not knowing how to finish. ¡°I know.¡± they fell silent staring at the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t know why but, I think you¡¯re right.¡± Kye looked up at him an eyebrow raised, ¡°We¡¯ll stay with him.¡± he stood, offering a hand for his twin. He smiled and let Resh pull him to his feet. They walked to the front of the caravan to find Caspian sitting on the ground leaning against the caravan. His eyes were flickering from red to blue, ¡°Hi.¡± he mumbled standing up. ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± Kye asked. He nodded. Eyes shifting red one more time before finally turning dark blue again. ¡ì They were on the road for an hour before they spoke to one another, ¡°How long did Casey say it would take to get to Luwas?¡± Kye asked his brother, who walked beside the horses with Caspian. ¡°What day is it?¡± ¡°Mid weekish.¡± ¡°Then it will be about two more days.¡± ¡°We would travel faster if we ditched the caravan.¡± Caspian noted. ¡°I¡¯m in no hurry and, we have enough food to last several days.¡± Resh said. ¡°Caspian?¡± Kye started nervously. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°What do you know about spirits? I¡¯ve been curious to know more about them ever since we saw that one on the mountain.¡± ¡°What do you want to know?¡± ¡°Umm,¡± Kye scratched his head, ¡°How did they get here?¡± Caspian thought a moment before responding, ¡°At the beginning of time there were three. The first was Nakiria, she had taken the shape of a large wolf with a feathered mane. The second was Kanivin, he was a snake that had fangs filled with poison that could kill gods. The last and most powerful was Strea, he was a dragon with scales as black as night.¡± ¡°The universe was empty then and they didn¡¯t know the others existed. Alone they roamed the darkness for many years. It was Strea that first spotted Nakiria and Kanivin. The two spirits were miles from one another and he watched as they slowly made their way towards each other. When they eventually met Strea went down to join them.¡± ¡°They all told the same story of wandering in the darkness. They quickly became friends and spent several months together roaming the empty galaxy, hopeful they would find something together that they couldn¡¯t alone. It was about half a year before Nakiria began to feel something between them. A power that could be channeled when they were together. She told the others this and after a while they were able to make a light.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°This was the sun of the first galaxy ever made. Once they realised they could make worlds they started to fill the darkness with them. Nakiria made the land, Kanivin made the oceans, and Strea made the skies. All of them were content doing their jobs but, Strea felt that he could do more. The worlds were empty and devoid of life.¡± ¡°One day they had finished making a planet near a sun and Strea let his powers loose. From his claws flowed forests, animals, and people. He spread his wings and put breath in their lungs and with his fire he started their hearts. The spirits were amazed by his powers and, they named the planet Eviet meaning life. They stayed on our flourishing planet for sometime. They provided the people with food and drinkable water. They kept the peace, but something felt wrong.¡± ¡°When the lifeforms on Eviet died they had nowhere to go. Their souls roamed the lands and some became evil, possessing animals and other people. Kanivin saw one of these possessed people burn down a small town. He was horrified and told Strea and Nakiria. They observed the souls and monsters and, decided that they should be sent somewhere before they destroyed the world they had made.¡± ¡°Together they made a pit far away from and worlds and named it Oblivion. There they put the evil creatures that roamed their planet but, it was unfair to place uncorrupt souls there. So they made another hole in space and put souls there. It was named Void. They then returned to the planet and fixed what the monsters had done.¡± ¡°They stayed several years longer but, they had to move on eventually. They all wanted to test the limits of their powers. So they placed spirits to watch over the world. They were meant to protect the Wild and the people. These are elder spirits they can make omens and lesser spirits. They all protect the good on the planet to this day.¡± Caspian ended. ¡°What happened to Strea and the others?¡± Resh asked. ¡°Most believe they created other planets like our own, all filled with different life forms.¡± ¡°Where¡¯d you learn that?¡± Kye asked, genuinely interested. Caspian knew if he thought about it the knives would return, ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re a demon how did you get here?" Resh questioned, moving on. ¡°Necromancers and people who use dark magic can sometimes call creatures from Oblivion or Void.¡± he said spitefully. ¡°Then how long were you in Oblivion?¡± ¡°Time was irrelevant there, all I can remember is darkness.¡± he said quickly. Kye and Resh shared a look, he was hiding something from them. They didn¡¯t push though, afraid they might anger him. Clouds were forming overhead and a breeze was picking up. Caspian pulled up the hood of his new hoodie. His hair was drying off, ¡°Winter just ended right?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah, if we came here a week earlier the ground would¡¯ve been coated in snow.¡± Resh responded. Caspian nodded, he had lost track of time a while back. Where was he a month ago? A year ago? He shook the thoughts away, he remembered bits and pieces but they seemed like dreams. He thought he remembered running through a forest, an arrow stuck in his leg. He remembered tracking a dire wolf that had slaughtered a whole village. Yet, he couldn¡¯t recall when these things happened. He sighed, they¡¯d come back eventually. Resh dropped to all fours suddenly and started walking as a wolf. Caspian glanced up at Kye who shrugged, ¡°Probably got tired of walking.¡± then he turned to his twin who no longer looked quite like him and said, ¡°You should go scout ahead.¡± the canine rolled his eyes and ran forward. They walked in silence for a while. The horses kicking up dust and a light breeze pushing it further into the air. Caspian searched for things to get his mind off of missing memories. He decided that starting a conversation with the redhead beside him would be best. Sadly, Caspian wasn¡¯t the best at small talk and tended to treat things like they had no emotions, ¡°Why did you lie to the noble?¡± Kye, who did have emotions was slightly shocked by the sudden question. ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked slightly irritated. ¡°When you were telling him about yourself you said the orphanage closed down. You were lying.¡± Kye shook his head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really lying, just not telling the whole story. How could you tell?¡± ¡°I can hear your heartbeat and sense the temperature of your skin.¡± ¡°Interesting. Little creepy but interesting. We can do a similar thing just on a far smaller scale and it has more to do with emotions. Well anyways you¡¯re right, the orphanage didn¡¯t close down. Our mother did die giving birth to us though. But, it was to be expected, she was ill and starving. The fact she was having twins didn¡¯t make it any better. Apparently our father was heartbroken over the loss and almost burnt down the midwifery. He gave us to an orphanage run by a crooked whik.¡± ¡°He took horrible care of the place and ran away anyone brave enough to come inside. We were practically slaves packaging and sorting whatever he threw at us. We lived like that until we were six. Our race start learning how to control fire when we are six. It took us a year to master and when we did it we could be happy. One day Resh found out how to make a fireball in the palm of his hand.¡± "He immediately taught me how. I was so amazed I forgot how to make it go away. Next thing I know our bed is on fire. The owner burst in, furious. He put the fire out quickly and demanded to know who started it. Resh quickly stepped forward. And the owner immediately flipped out a pocket knife and grabbed his hand.¡± ¡°Resh freaked out and started fighting him. I tried as well, but we were both too little to have any effect on his fury. He cut Resh¡¯s cheek wide open, giving him a lifelong scar and, a way to tell us apart. As the owner went to cut off a finger Resh summoned some fire and flung it at him. He caught flame and we ran as fast as we could for the exit.¡± ¡°But, he cut us off just as we got to the door. His hair was burnt and sizzling, he had obviously grown it out to cover his tiny curved horns. His clothes were burnt off and we could see the spines that ran down his grey back. Both of us were horrified by him and stopped dead in our tracks. He came for us hands in fists.¡± ¡°We both tried to send fireballs at him but we couldn¡¯t aim and after a while the building caught fire. He got lost in the flames and we escaped through the back door. The building burnt down and we never saw him again.¡± Kye stopped and they fell silent for a little while. Caspian went back to trying to avoid thinking about anything and Kye looked down at him slightly confused with his behavior. He had expected some sort of reaction, ¡°What are you thinking about¡± Caspian glanced up at him an eyebrow raised. ¡°Nothing much.¡± he answered truthfully. ¡°Well then what are you trying not to think about.¡± Caspian remained silent, ¡°You¡¯re going to be traveling with us and taking your fair share of the money we make. I want to help but, you make it hard.¡± Caspian sighed. ¡°When you say you¡¯re going to help me you have no idea what you¡¯re helping me with. Honestly, I don¡¯t know either. But, since I know that you¡¯ll bug me all day if I don''t, then I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Caspian paused to make sure Kye was listening, he wasn¡¯t going to repeat himself, ¡°Ever since I woke up in that shack my memories have been choppy. I can remember bits and pieces but I feel like something¡¯s missing.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s just a feeling. Something is missing.¡± Kye pursed his lips, this was not what he had expected. ¡°Think it¡¯ll come back?¡± Caspian glanced up at him. ¡°Maybe.¡± he looked to the road ahead, Resh had rounded the corner and was running towards them. Kye tugged the reins pulling the horses to a stop. He wasn¡¯t far away and soon stood next to them, ¡°There are some people off to the side of the road, and they don¡¯t look friendly.¡± he said while dusting his hands off on his pants, that had thankfully shifted back with him. ¡°Hunters?¡± Kye questioned glancing down at Caspian. ¡°No, they wouldn''t let themselves be seen.¡± ¡°Prolly just thugs then, waiting to take our money.¡± Resh growled. ¡°This is why Casey hired us I suppose.¡± Kye said frowning. ¡°Well, what should we do?¡± Resh asked. ¡°We should just try to pass maybe they won¡¯t care about us.¡± ¡°I love you optimism bro but,¡± he looked at the caravan that obviously cost a large sum of money, ¡±I think they¡¯ll care if we try to pass.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way to avoid them. I think we should just go and see who they are.¡± Caspian reasoned. ¡°I guess.¡± Kye said hesitantly. He whipped the reins moving the horses forward at a trot. Bandits Chapter 10 Bandits ¡°Hey Nova.¡± a rough voice whispered near the bandit''s ear, ¡°There¡¯s someone coming.¡± Nova turned around to face the black haired hilden. Purple veins ran up his dark face stopping when they got to his hairline. His green eyes flickered about, ¡°How many?¡± she asked creeping toward the road. ¡°Three.¡± he croaked, ¡°They¡¯re gonna come ¡®round the corner soon.¡± Nova pushed her tangled red hair from her face, ¡°Get the others.¡± she whispered crouching down to wait. She heard it before she saw it. The horses hooves kicked away rocks that tumbled into the underbrush. When it turned the corner she saw them. There were two twin fire hounds one riding the other walking. The one walking had a nasty scar across his cheek. The other looked tense. A third man walked on the side closest to her. He looked human, light skin tone and short black hair. She smirked, ¡°This is gonna be a piece of cake.¡± she thought to herself. The caravan was beautiful, the finest one they¡¯d seen in a while. It probably cost more than the dragon scales they had sold last week. A good catch by any thief¡¯s standards. The horses could be sold as well, after their shoes were taken off and traded of course. The bushes rustled near her head and four others appeared at her side. Two were blue scaled scides who were always happy to loot unexpecting peoples. Max, the hilden, held a dagger in one hand. The last person in her group was a wye, his smooth reptilian face staring at hers, ¡°Ready?¡± she asked her comrades. They all nodded and burst from the trees, weapons drawn. The horses stopped, rearing up in surprise but stayed on the road. To her surprise the travelers didn¡¯t even flinch. She shrugged it off and pointed at the wye and scides, who went around the back to loot the caravan, ¡°Empty your pockets.¡± she barked. Even more to her surprise the human started laughing, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± he said, and for a moment she thought she saw his eyes flash red. Seconds later Max had a dagger pressed to his throat. A smile crept across the human¡¯s face, it almost managed to reach his eyes. A shiver ran down her spine, ¡°Empty your pockets or I¡¯ll slit your throat.¡± Max growled. The human was a good few inches taller than him and looked down at him raising an eyebrow, ¡°Caspian,¡± the fire hound with the scar started, ¡°You mind ending this?¡± Nova drew her sword regretting her words. ¡ì Caspian needed to relieve some stress and, what better way than punching out some bandits robbing them of a dead ?man¡¯s items, ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡± he responded letting the surge of adrenaline rush through him. He grabbed the knife that was pressed to his neck and ripped it from the hilden¡¯s hand. Then spun around and punched him in the stomach. He knocked him out with a fist to the jaw. The girl was calling for the others who were ransacking the caravan. Two of the unfortunate souls came at Caspian while the other one went for Resh. Caspian¡¯s smile grew as the scaly bandits raced toward him, weapons drawn. He dropped to one knee and shifted his shoulder forward just before one of them could chop off his head. The thief tumbled over his head. Before he could stand Caspian had his sword in hand. He knocked the scide in the head with the hilt and quickly stood to block the other foe¡¯s attack. He was off balance for a moment and his opponent saw it as his chance to strike. His sword came for Caspian¡¯s ribs. He dodged backward at the last minute, the blade slicing through the space where he had been seconds earlier. It was then his opponent¡¯s turn to become unbalanced. Caspian sliced his leg causing him to tumble to the ground. He kicked him in the head, knocking him out. Resh was still fighting the other bandit. Kye sat watching the fight as if it was a school play. Resh seemed to be unhurt while the thief looked like he had been in a house fire. A blast of flames flew from his hands setting the wye¡¯s measly amount of hair on fire. He screamed trying to put it out before it burnt his skin. Resh rushed forward and knocked him out with a right hook. Caspian turned, something was wrong, ¡°Where¡¯s the girl?¡± Kye asked. ¡ì ¡°That was a bad idea.¡± Nova thought to herself as she pushed a branch out of her face, ¡°This is a bad idea.¡± she stopped climbing the tree about halfway up and unhitched her bow from her back. It was an elven longbow specifically crafted for her. Her parents had made it, they had told her that she was going to be the best hunter in all of Fen. It was mostly black, her father had carved in flowers and leaves on the sides. She doubted this was the kind of hunting they expected her to be doing with it. She knocked the arrow and drew the string back. Which one first? She pointed the arrowhead towards the human, ¡°You first.¡± she took a breath and let it go. The string vibrated as the arrow was released into the sky. Time seemed to slow as she knocked another arrow, and watched as the one she just fired raced towards him. She blinked. He was holding the arrow in his right hand. ¡°Did he just catch the arrow?¡± He was looking right at her, a very unfunny grin on his face, ¡°He just caught the arrow.¡± she let the other one go. It was headed straight for his torso. Her eyes widened as the arrow stopped just before it pierced his clothes. His left hand gripped the arrow, ¡°Lose something?¡± he called waving the arrow through the air. She knocked another arrow and let it fly. Her aim was off though, and it landed at his feet. He didn¡¯t even flinch. A shiver ran down her spine as his smile disappeared and was replaced by a glare, ¡°Your friends are fine. We¡¯re going to leave now, if you shoot at us again I will personally hunt you down and kill you. I suggest that you find a new career.¡± he nodded to the twin in front who whipped the reins moving them forward at a canter.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡ì They walked in silence, Caspian kept a watchful eye on the trees. Resh had switched places with Kye and was now steering the horses, ¡°Do you guys mind if I go get some sleep?¡± Caspian asked suddenly, stifling a yawn. ¡°Not at all.¡± Kye responded quickly. ¡°Okay.¡± Caspian quit walking and waited until the caravan passed him then climbed inside. Kye turned his attention back to the road. He was itching to tell his brother what Caspian told him but didn''t want to tell him while he was still awake. Several minutes passed. Kye shuffled nervously, ¡°Spit it out already.¡± Resh laughed at his twin¡¯s surprise, ¡°I¡®ve known you your whole life, you get fidgety when you want to say something.¡± Kye smiled. ¡°Sorry, I was just waiting till the right time.¡± ¡°No need to apologise, just tell me already.¡± he looked down at him, concerned. ¡°Well, Caspian told me something sort of worrying.¡± Resh raised an eyebrow, ¡°He can¡¯t remember things.¡± before he could start questioning him Kye spoke, ¡°He told me that he could only remember bits and pieces ever since the storm. He said that something was missing but, he didn¡¯t know what.¡± ¡°Did he say anything else?¡± he asked. ¡°No, he didn¡¯t really want to share it in the first place.¡± ¡°A demon with memory loss. What have we gotten ourselves into Kye?¡± Resh said shaking his head. ¡°A mess?¡± Kye smirked. ¡°It was a rhetorical question.¡± ¡°I know.¡± he said laughing, ¡°We could always leave.¡± They fell silent again both of them thinking over other possibilities, ¡°We¡¯ve gone over this a lot and I still don¡¯t think that''s the right thing to do. I don¡¯t think he would hurt us purposefully and I want to help him.¡± ¡°Me too. I just don¡¯t know how. He doesn¡¯t want our help.¡± ¡°Well he hasn¡¯t run away which he could easily do. I know I wouldn¡¯t chase him. So he must have some reason for staying with us.¡± ¡ì Inside the caravan Caspian was struggling to sleep. His body and mind were tired but he just couldn¡¯t find a way to fall asleep. So he listened to the twins talk outside. He wasn¡¯t surprised when Kye told Resh what he had said. Wasn¡¯t worried. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he could trust someone. When they mentioned leaving him he didn¡¯t mind. He knew it would be better for them and probably keep them alive longer. Rolling over on the hard cot he thought about what he had said. He knew something was missing. It wasn¡¯t just a ¡°feeling¡± he had. He could sense his brain trying to repair itself. It was a strange stinging that echoed through his mind. His healing was being blocked by something. A wall or barrier had been put up and he couldn¡¯t get passed it. But, maybe he could get around it. Magic was a tricky thing and he knew that if used properly it could very powerful. Powerful enough to obstruct his healing and block off his memories. He knew if his healing was able to take down the barrier he would be able to remember more. He just didn¡¯t know if he wanted to. He knew he wasn¡¯t a good person. Nothing pleasant ever came from being with him. So what good would he get from remembering everything? He sighed. ¡°Whatever happens happens.¡± he thought to himself. He closed his eyes and forced himself to fall asleep. He dreamt of unhappy times. He was in a dark room a heavy chain wrapped tightly around his neck. His clothes were torn and his skin was coated in blood and dirt. A steel door stood in front of him. A dim light shone through thick bars. A completely barred door was to his left. Even though he was dreaming he could still smell the room. It was rancid and there was a trace of blood in the air. Screams and shouts surrounded his cell. The sound of what he hoped was dripping water echoed through a corridor outside the door. Drip, drip, drip. It was rhythmic, one drip every other second. It was enough to make any sane man snap. The screaming stopped abruptly and footsteps replaced it. They were getting closer and Caspian could smell freshly spilt blood and hot sweat. A name entered his mind. The Thrasher. He knew those footsteps, they belonged to that name. ¡°This isn¡¯t a dream it¡¯s a memory.¡± he thought with a sickening horror. The footsteps were getting closer and his heart was beating rapidly. For some reason though he felt like smiling. His lips parted, drawing into a smile. Fangs were revealed to the light. He realised his eyes were red as well. They were reflected in a puddle of blood at his feet. His heart beat faster, he wasn¡¯t in control of his own body, but he could hear and feel all that was happening around him. The door opened quickly light from a torch spreading into the room. A man Caspian knew was The Thrasher walked inside, he was a burken. Much to Caspian¡¯s dislike he was shirtless and only wore torn shorts. His blue skin was soaked in sweat and blood. He gripped a tool box in his right hand. Caspian¡¯s body lunged at him, arms reaching for his large mass. The chain around his neck stopped him and jerked him back against the wall, ¡°Hehehe,¡± his laugh was drawn out and his voice was deep, ¡±Subject, you never learn do you?¡± the burken smiled, showing off his missing teeth. Caspian coughed gasping for breath, ¡°Subject?¡± The Thrasher was speaking again, ¡°We¡¯re gonna have some fun today ain¡¯t we?¡± he sat down on a stool that Caspian hadn¡¯t noticed was by the door and opened his tool box, ¡°He said I could have as long as I wanted with you today. How do ya feel about that?¡± a growl escaped his throat, ¡°Hehehe.¡± he laughed again while pulling out a folded metal bar. He flicked it out and Caspian dodged its razor sharp tip. The Thrasher smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s just get you strapped in.¡± he shoved the bar forward, straight at his chest. The room was too small for him to move and he screamed mentally as the spike went through him. His body convulsed and pain spread throughout his torso. He still couldn¡¯t remove the smile that was plastered on his face though, ¡°Still smiling?¡± he sounded annoyed, ¡°Well let¡¯s turn that smile upside down.¡± he reached behind him and closed the door. The light from the lantern spread throughout the room. Caspian clawed at the bar but, it held firm. Warm blood ran down his leg pooling on the floor. The burken was digging through his bag, ¡°Where are they!?¡± he shouted. Several seconds passed. Caspian¡¯s head was spinning, his healing couldn¡¯t work unless the bar was removed. The Thrasher was standing, thick handcuffs in his hands. Caspian reached for him and tried to summon a dagger but all that appeared was black smoke that fell through his fingers, ¡°Hehehehe you never do learn.¡± the large man stepped toward him. Caspian punched at his stomach unwilling to go down that easily. He caught his arm and twisted it until a pop sound by his ear. His shoulder erupted in pain but, still he smiled. The burken put the cuff on that wrist and tightened it as far as he could. Caspian was breathing hard. His ragged breaths spitting out blood. Faster than a snake The Thrasher had his other arm. He cuffed his hands behind his back and smiled, ¡°Now for my favorite part.¡± he removed a butchers knife from his bag and stepped toward him. Caspian tried to wake up, tried to escape but it was all futile. He burken placed the cold steel on his face, ¡°Stop smiling!¡± he shouted slowly pushing the blade into his skin. It was a dull pain at first. One Caspian had become accustomed to, but as it got closer to his bone it hurt more. Still, he smiled. The burken¡¯s eyes were filled with rage. Caspian¡¯s head was snapped to one side and The Thrasher leaned in close to his ear. The blade was removed and the burken¡¯s hot breath warmed his neck, ¡°Why are you still smiling?¡± he growled. A sharp pain burst in his stomach. The knife was removed and the crazed burken started sawing at his left arm. Caspian saw stars. He felt his concentration slipping then being pulled back in by his healing. His head pounded and his ears rang. A river of blood was running down his legs. He coughed again and his smile grew. Words that weren¡¯t his were spoken from a mouth that he didn¡¯t recognize, ¡°Is that all you got?¡± The Thrasher stopped. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Caspian¡¯s cuts healed quickly. His broken shoulder¡¯s pain left first, then his other arm and finally his stomach and face. The bar was still stuck in his chest but he couldn¡¯t feel it anymore, his whole chest had gone numb, ¡°Subject?!¡± the burken glanced over his healing body and rage contorted his face, ¡°Stop healing!¡± Caspian¡¯s eyes closed but his smile remained until the pain was over. Mirror Chapter 11 Mirror He woke up covered in sweat and breathing quickly. His body shook even though he wasn¡¯t cold. He bolted upright and put a hand to his chest. His breath caught in his throat, his healing didn¡¯t leave scars and there was no way to find out if it was truly a memory. He was still happy to find that there was no hole in his chest though. The Thrasher¡¯s words echoed through his head. ¡°Subject?¡± it must have just been a dream but, the pain had been so real. He backed against the wood and lowered his feet to the floor. He ran a hand through his hair and stood. The mirror on the door mocked him showing the caged beast he was in his dream. He growled and shifted his eyes back to blue. He put a hand on the edge of the mirror. It had been glued to the door and didn¡¯t seem to be removable. But, that wasn''t going to stop him. He called a small knife and after several minutes he managed to get under it. Slowly being sure he didn¡¯t crack it he started to peel it off the wall. The wood underneath had been scratched and stained the wrong color. Caspian grunted and threw open the door, mirror in hand. He jumped out catching the attention of Kye who was walking off to the side of the caravan, ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± Caspian ignored him and walked to the side of the road. It was mid-day and the sun shone clearly through branches above. He quickly found a place where the ditch at the side of the road was a bit deeper. Resh was pulling the horses to a stop, ¡°Caspian!¡± he shouted. Crash! The mirror split into tiny pieces at the bottom of the trench. Caspian smirked and started walking towards the front of the caravan. Resh glanced at Kye with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged and reached towards Caspian. Resh saw his eyes light aflame as he laid a hand on his shoulder. Caspian whirled and instinctively called a dagger. The cold metal pressed against his attacker¡¯s throat. Kye¡¯s eyes were large and his heart was beating rapidly. The expression on Caspian¡¯s face was what had scared him the most. His eyes were red again and his face showed no emotion. But, Kye could sense fear lurking beneath the surface. Caspian slowly took the blade off his neck and backed away, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± he said, eyes turning blue again. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± he said quietly. Caspian turned his back on them. He still held the dagger in his right hand, ¡°Sorry.¡± he said again, dropping the bloodblade. It vanished as it left his fingers. Resh glanced at Kye, worried. He nodded to tell him he was okay, ¡°What happened?¡± he asked, keeping his distance. A stale laugh echoed off the caravan, ¡°I remembered something.¡± he paused as if he were going to continue. Several seconds passed, ¡°What was it?¡± Resh asked urging him on. Caspian turned a sat down leaning against the caravan, ¡°I was in a cell. I was a prisoner but he called me subject.¡± his eyes were distant and he looked as if he was thinking out loud. ¡°Who?¡± Caspian glanced up at him. ¡°The Thrasher. A punisher of sorts, a hangman for those who won¡¯t die.¡± he said staring at the trees behind them. Kye decided to drop it and moved over to the caravan. He offered Caspian a hand. He took it and let him pull him to his feet, ¡°We should get going.¡± Resh said climbing onto the front seat. ¡ì Nova ran through the woods until she made it to a meadow. The flowers hadn¡¯t bloomed yet and dead moss and brown grass wet her feet. She was breathing hard and her heart beat in her ears. She didn¡¯t see the shadows moving behind the trees. Didn¡¯t hear the snapping of branches or pulling of bowstrings. But, she did see them as they stepped from the forest and into the daylight. Arrows aimed at her and stealy glares bore into her eyes. She fell backwards away from them hoping to run until she realized she was surrounded. She put up her hands and inspected the humans around her. They wore black and had hoods pulled over their faces. Handkerchiefs were pulled up over their noses. Their hands were wrapped in cloth and they had beautiful black and gold embroidered bows. Nova admired the craftsmanship. Her bow was nice but everything about those bows screamed money. A female stepped from the crowd a dagger clutched in her right hand and a crossbow in the other, ¡°Where is he?¡± she asked getting an odd look from the elf.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The demon.¡± her eyes widened. ¡°That was a demon?¡± the female in front of her gave her an odd look. ¡°Where did he go?¡± she asked sharply. ¡°They went down the road that way.¡± she said pointing the way they had gone. ¡°They?¡± ¡°The two firehounds and the hu- demon.¡± she corrected herself. The female narrowed her eyes and slowly reached for a crossbow arrow on the inside of her cloak. Nova went rigid with fear, ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me I won¡¯t say a thing.¡± one of the people beside the woman whispered something in her ear. ¡°What is your name?¡± she asked. ¡°Nova Hunt.¡± she said trying to calm herself. ¡°Occupation?¡± there was a pause, ¡°Don¡¯t lie Miss Hunt.¡± ¡°Thief.¡± she said hanging her head. ¡°Nova Hunt you are hereby sentenced to death for thievery.¡± her head shot up but, before she could plead for her life an arrow was lodged into her throat. Warm blood ran over the female''s hand as she pulled out her arrow and cleaned it on her dying body, ¡°Clean her up and bury her beneath the trees.¡± a smirk ran across her face, ¡°We¡¯re getting closer.¡± ¡ì ¡°Caspian?¡± Kye asked slowly. ¡°Hmm?¡± they had been going for about two hours and the silence was killing the hyper twin. ¡°The tattoo on your back¡­ what does it mean? Or does it mean anything at all? Mine means something and everyone I¡¯ve meant says theirs means something. I was just wondering because you seemed like you didn¡¯t really want to tell us fo-.¡± ¡°You¡¯re rambling. Quit rambling.¡± he said causing Resh to smile. ¡°I wasn¡¯t-.¡± he began only to be cut off again. ¡°Resh tell him he was rambling.¡± Caspian said a smile playing on his lips. ¡°Kye you were rambling.¡± Resh told him flashing his teeth. ¡°Fine I was rambling but I would like an answer to that question.¡± Caspian¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Tell me what yours means first.¡± ¡°Um okay, I guess it resembles who we are and what we thought we were.¡± ¡°Wolves?¡± He asked. ¡°Yeah, lots of firehounds think that in past lives we were wolves and ran through this world mapping it.¡± ¡°Yes I know but, do you believe that?¡± Caspian asked looking over at him through the horses. ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t get a wolf head permanently tattooed on my arm for nothing. So yeah I guess I do.¡± ¡°So you could say this is a piece of your history you care deeply about?¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± he replied slightly confused by his questions. ¡°Well in which case I have no idea why I have a raven on my back. I hate those birds.¡± ¡°Why do you hate them?¡± Resh asked mostly to keep the conversation going. Caspain¡¯s eyes flashed, ¡°It¡¯s like an instinct, a forgotten memory...¡± silence began to settle over them again, ¡°Or something that they took away.¡± he whispered. ¡°What do you mean? Who took what away?¡± Resh asked suddenly very intrigued. Caspian sighed, ¡°The people the Thrasher worked for.¡± ¡°Caspian, I think you should tell us everything you remember about that dream of yours.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a dream it was a memory, I was there I could feel everything.¡± ¡°Okay then what happened?¡± ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not quite sure. I had no control of myself it was like I was stuck in between shifting. Then the Thrasher was calling me a subject not a prisoner. But, it was like I was a prisoner. Before I had the memory I was thinking about magic and how it could block off memories.¡± ¡°You think that someone made you forget?¡± Kye asked. ¡°Hang on let me finish. If skilled enough magicians were able to block off my healing for a bit and put up a wall blocking off my memories they could make me remember or forget anything and everything. I don¡¯t know why they would do it, but it makes since because I¡¯ve been having headaches like my healing is trying to take down the wall.¡± ¡°Is that what you meant when you said your mind was a mess?¡± Caspain nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of magic doing anything like that.¡± Resh said slightly awed. ¡°Dark magic can.¡± Caspain said. ¡°Dark magic?¡± ¡°Do you know what light magic is?¡± he asked. ¡°No not really, I¡¯ve heard of it, but never really understood to be honest.¡± Resh admitted sheepishly. ¡°Alright well, light magic is an energy that runs through Eviet. Some believe that it¡¯s leftover power that leaks out of spirits. Mages and wizards can channel it with runes, tattoos, symbols, or items. Some have learned the spirits language and can just speak commands. Yet no one understands it when it appears. The language is to old and complex for anyone to decipher. Its powerful and though often used for good it can also be very destructive. In some cases it can be deadly for the mage. When they don¡¯t have some way to channel the energy they can fall ill and die. Cases like those are rare though.¡± ¡°Dark magic is the non physical part of light magic. It''s still channeled through runes and tattoos but, if a mage tries to use it without some object or tattoo it will wear on their mind and eventually break them. Because of that its taboo in most countries but its illegal because it deals with the mind and unseen parts of life. It can change your brain and control your body. It''s often harder to learn and far more dangerous. It''s the half that could¡¯ve taken my memories.¡± ¡°What if your healing fixes you?¡± ¡°I might remember bits and pieces or the whole thing or it might make the dark magic run through my whole body and kill me.¡± Luwas Chapter 12 Luwas They traveled in silence until nightfall each one lost in their own thoughts. When Resh pulled on the reins to stop the horses Kye nearly walked into the back of the caravan. He got food out for each of them and set it on the seat then wearily dragged the horses down to the stream that still flowed by the road. When he hooked them back up Kye and Caspian were already eating. He quickly snatched the rest of the food left off the seat and joined them on the ground. Kye was piling sticks on the ground and Resh absentmindedly set them on fire while his hands were still setting them up, ¡°Hey!¡± he said patting out the sleeve of his shirt. ¡°Oh sorry.¡± he said shaking his head to wake himself up. Kye rolled his eyes and turned to Caspian, ¡°I¡¯ve never been to Luwas have you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m assuming I have, I remember a bunch of random and information about it.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± Resh asked. Caspian''s eyes flashed red, ¡°It was built by dwarfs on top of the ground a spirit died on. They rely mostly on trade and tourists throughout the year. Because the spirit died there, magic is easier to access and flows thick through the ground and is easier to use. They made enough money off of tourism to buy mages and expand their town. And they made enough money off of trade to light their buildings with electricity.¡± ¡°It sounds nice.¡± Kye said hopefully. ¡°I think it might be.¡± Caspian mumbled. ¡°I hope.¡± Resh said yawning. ¡°You two should get some sleep I¡¯ll keep watch.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to fall asleep.¡± The twins glanced over at each-other, ¡°Alright.¡± They both stood and headed into the back of the caravan. The fire flickered as they closed the door. He moved closer to its heat and tried to ignore the pounding of his heart and the buzzing in his head. He was afraid, but didn¡¯t know why. He had an awful feeling in his gut like something horrible was going to happen. He called a sword to comfort himself. It appeared over the fire, the red vines crawled slowly along the metal. He grabbed its hilt and lifted it away from the flames. The hilt was wrapped in a thin cloth but, it was still cold to his touch. The blade was rapor sharp, he tapped the end drawing his own blood. The vines crawled toward the liquid and sucked it into the sword. Caspian felt a quick rush of energy rush go through him then disappear. He sighed his own blood wouldn¡¯t change the color of his eyes but it would make the blades excited. He dropped it and watched as it dissolved. A breeze rustled the trees making Caspian jump. He grabbed a few sticks that had been blown out of the trees and placed them on the fire. His body shook. He scooted even closer to the fire, but soon realized it wasn¡¯t because he was cold. It was because he was terrified. If the dark magic killed him he would be sent back to Oblivion. He had lied to the brothers he didn¡¯t remember anyone from that place, but he had an everlasting impression of it in his mind. It was cold and dark. A place devoid of real life. The only things that existed there were horrible monsters that lurked in your nightmares, and it seemed like you were always asleep stuck in a terrible place with no way to escape. He didn¡¯t remember if there was anyone close to him there. A family or friends he sighed again, ¡°Maybe they took that too.¡± he thought to himself. ¡ì They were up before the sun rose and on the road just as the moon was beginning to set. Deep blues and rich purples ran through the sky. The trees had dispersed to reveal rolling hills and the vibrant sky. Resh had noticed the road looked more used, gravel coated the path and a real ditch followed the sides of the road. Kye was at the reins his head bobbed from side to side, ¡°Caspian?¡± Resh asked walking to his side of the caravan. ¡°What is it?¡± he replied not turning around. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about demons. You said that you were a bloodbane demon, what are the other ones?¡± Kye pursed his lips and glanced nervously at Caspian hoping he would answer the question. ¡°There are four main races,¡± Resh held back his questions and waited for him to continue, ¡°Bloodbanes make up a small percentage. Shain make up most of the population. They¡¯re lifeless bodies always hungry for flesh. They live in large groups eating each other if they get hungry. The Gray are the second most common. They can take the form of anyone they wish but always have hollow black eyes.¡± A chill ran down Resh¡¯s neck.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Mortiem are the worst kind. They¡¯re the monsters you see in your nightmares. They don¡¯t feel pain. If you cut off one¡¯s head its body would still be crawling for you hoping to still be able to cut you open and tear you apart. I¡¯ve seen my fair share of each and if you ever see anything that resembles my description.¡± he paused looking directly into Resh¡¯s eyes, ¡°Run as fast as you can in the opposite direction.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen them?¡± Kye asked shakily. ¡°Yeah.¡± his eyes dropped to the ground. Resh regretted asking and didn¡¯t want to know anymore so he gazed into the horizon. They were going up a hill, the river had curved away from them and had disappeared. As they neared the top of the hill tips of buildings appeared. They were tinted pink and red. They were finely crafted and so tall that they rose far into the sky. As the caravan rolled over the hill the city came into full view. Resh could see roads running into it from all angles. The river they were traveling with seemed to run directly around the west side of the buildings, ¡°I guess we¡¯re a bit early.¡± he said letting his eyes wander up to his brother. ¡°Suppose we are.¡± he said cheerily. ¡°It looks about two or three hours away.¡± Caspian said. ¡°Two hours until hot food.¡± Resh muttered happily. ¡ì The city approached quickly as they continued. As the stone buildings got larger their excitement grew. Soon they were among the residents and walking through the busy streets. They were packed with carts and merchants. The hounds looked around in awe of the richness of the city. The stones of each home were carved to fit perfectly beside one another. Every building had a word carved into the stone by the door in spiraling letters neither brother could understand, ¡°Looks like they¡¯re beginning to start the water works.¡± Caspian said looking off to the side, Resh followed his eyeline to a fountain that sat in a square they were going by. People were separating for a line of five blue cloaked people. Their hoods went over their faces and covered their hands. The backs had symbols embroidered onto the cloth. Each one was the same, a circle with a wavering line through the center and a hexagon touching at each corner, ¡°What does the symbol mean?¡± Resh asked Caspian. ¡°It''s a guiding line for water magic. It allows the mages to push and pull the water through the streets.¡± The mages had made it to the fountain and people had crowded back around. Kye parked the caravan on the side of the street and climbed on top of the roof, Resh joined him in awe. Caspian sighed and stood on top of the seat to see. The mages were splitting up and walking toward the edge of each street. Their sleeves twitched and swayed and the guiding symbol on their backs began to glow blue. Gasps and mutters filled the crowd as the water rose from the fountain and began to flow through the air. Four streams separated and ran down the street toward the separate mages. The fifth mage walked toward the pool a vail in hand. She slowly poured the liquid in and a glowing line shot through the water, ¡°What is that?¡± Kye asked staring at it. ¡°It''s a luminescent algae that they weave through the water to make it glow.¡± Caspian responded amused by their excitement. Resh looked further down the street and saw that there were more mages helping to move the water. The alae was running through each stream brightening the street. Resh¡¯s stomach growled getting the attention of his brother, ¡°Maybe we should get some food.¡± he said suppressing a laugh. ¡°Okay.¡± he chuckled climbing down from the roof. They wandered about for a few minutes trying to find an inn that would have room for the caravan. Eventually they ??made it to a two story cobblestone tavern named ¡°Luis¡¯s Corner¡±. A stable boy was outside and kindly took their horses. The bottom floor was a restaurant and bar people were chatting at tables and the air was sweet with food. A faltek waitress approached them. She had a face similar to that of a snow leopard and wore a navy blue dress, ¡°Hello gentlemen!¡± her voice was gravelly but light, ¡°Will you be staying the night or just eating?¡± ¡°Both.¡± Resh said examining the rest of the room. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful!¡± Pawed hands gave them menus and she led them to a seat, ¡°You¡¯ll have to talk to Luis over there about the rooms.¡± she said pointing to a dark skinned dwarf by the bar talking with guests, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a minute to take your order.¡± she said hurrying to another table. ¡°Thanks.¡± Kye called with no response. ¡°I¡¯m going to see about the rooms.¡± Caspian said standing. ¡°Okay be nice I don¡¯t want to be kicked out of here.¡± Resh responded browsing the menu. ¡°What are you implying?¡± he asked smirking. ¡°Oh nothing.¡± He said waving a hand at him. Caspian shook his head and smiled walking away, ¡°What are you going to get Kye?¡± ¡°Steak sounds pretty good right now.¡± Resh nodded. ¡°Yeah I think I¡¯ll get that too. I don¡¯t recall the last time I had steak.¡± he smiled and enjoyed the warmth of the room. Resh glanced over toward the bar to see Caspian walking toward them with three beers and a key, ¡°Well, glad to see you didn¡¯t start a fight.¡± Resh said smirking. He laughed, ¡°Come now that¡¯s not the way to treat someone who bought you drinks.¡± Kye smiled and grabbed a bottle. ¡°Thanks!¡± Kye laughed talking a drink. Resh grabbed his as well, ¡°Much appreciated.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering,¡± Caspian started getting their attention, ¡°What were you two doing in the woods the night you found me?¡± ¡°We had just finished up a job with a farmer and he told us we should take the mountain pass. So we did and we got stuck in the storm. Then we found you. Not much to it really.¡± Resh said. Caspain nodded to acknowledge he¡¯d heard them but provided no response. They sat at the table for about two more hours. Resh talked about simple times with Kye and Caspian watched as the food on their plates vanished. When they were stuffed and tired they went up to the room. Caspian took the floor and Resh gave Kye the bed. He shifted into a wolf to sleep on the floor. It had been a long day but there were longer ones yet to come. Simple Chapter 13 Simple The morning came to quickly for Kye he was shaken awake by an unamused Resh, ¡°What is it?¡± he asked rolling over. ¡°Get up already.¡± he said walking to the side of the bed where Caspian was laying, ¡°Oh you¡¯re already wake.¡± Resh said seeing Capian¡¯s eyes open. Kye rolled off of the bed a stretched, ¡°Why¡¯ve you woken us up so early?¡± he questioned rubbing his eyes. ¡°It''s not that early, look outside.¡± Kye did as he was told looking around the small room to a window above the dresser. Light was streaming through the window and people were milling about the street below, ¡°Oh.¡± he said sadly. ¡°We should sell the caravan.¡± a voice from the floor said. They both looked down at Caspian he had his arms under his head and was staring blankly at the ceiling, ¡°Why?¡± they both asked. ¡°The noble said his family lived here if they saw us with it they¡¯d get us arrested also we have no need for it anymore and going through the streets with it is bound to be tiresome. We can keep some of the horses for us to ride but I think it would be best if we sold it.¡± he reasoned. ¡°Hmmm good point.¡± Resh said gazing out the window, ¡°How much do you figure we¡¯ll get for it?¡± ¡°At least ten gold.¡± Caspian said shrugging. ¡°That sounds about right.¡± Kye mumbled. They cleared out of the room quickly and headed down a narrow set of stairs to the bottom floor. Kye was excited to get a breakfast of warm food and he sat down at the table closest to the stairs. Resh laughed and pulled him off the chair, ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked annoyed. ¡°You¡¯ve been on the road for over a week and you smell like horse crap, there¡¯s a bath house just across the street.¡± Kye realized his brother¡¯s hair was lying flat against his head and his skin was pinker than normal. ¡°Oh,¡± he grumbled shrugging himself out of Resh¡¯s grasp, ¡°Fine.¡± Caspian stifled a laugh and went to sit down as well but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Caspian you go to. You have blood all over you.¡± Resh said glancing at his hair. Caspian ran his hand through his hair and watched as his hand came back red, ¡°Huh see you in a bit then.¡± he stood back up and walked toward the door. Kye sighed and followed him outside. It was sunny and people hurried through the streets. The cobblestone was slippery with morning dew and Kye watched his step. The mages were gone from the streets thought to be useless in the morning light. Caspian was already across the street and pushing open a wooden door. Kye hurried across the street and entered the stone building. The floor was tiled and the air was humid. Electric lights hung from the ceiling, glass bulbs burning brightly. A young wye sat at a desk by a door on the far side of the room. He had slitted eyes and nostrils, smooth gray scales coated his near bare body. A blue tunic loosely hung off his frail form. He was reading a small book and gazed up at Caspian when he approached, ¡°The showers are the last door on the left.¡± he pointed to the door on his right, ¡°Towels are in a stack by each stall. Although the showers are free the bathhouse is not. If you want to leave a donation there is a jar by the door.¡± he turned back to his book. Caspian sighed and headed to the door. Kye followed him through. As the door closed behind them the air became even hotter and the lights became dim and tinted blue. The walls were slick with steam. Kye trailed behind Caspian attempting to read the plaque on each wooden door they passed. The letters were unfamiliar to him each one curling and twisting around the brass, ¡°Can you read these?¡± he asked. Caspian stopped by one of the doors to see the words, ¡°Its dwarven they¡¯re just numbers. This one is 27.¡± he said lightly tapping it. ¡°You know how to read dwarven?¡± Caspian shrugged and walked further down the hall. ¡°I guess, come on this is the door.¡± He threw it open and walked in. The sound of running water filled Kye¡¯s ears. Closed off stalls lined a large room and towels sat on a small table outside each door. Caspian grabbed one and headed into an empty stall. Kye did the same. ¡ì Back at the hotel Resh was enjoying a hot meal in the quiet. He leaned back in his chair and smiled warmly. The last few weeks had been a mess and he was overjoyed to have a little peace. Slouching over a little in his chair he thought about the demon he had come to befriend. If he hadn¡¯t been so curious he wouldn¡¯t have to be worried about Caspian and his brother. He trusted them and that scared Resh. He didn¡¯t know if he would help Caspian if something happened. He didn¡¯t know if he would go back for him if he got hurt. He shook his head, ¡°Course I would.¡± he thought to himself a smile creeping further onto his face, ¡°He¡¯s just as crazy as Kye.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The longer he sat alone though the more his smile fell. He thought more about what Caspian said about the world he knew. If what he said about the spirits and magic was real then when he died he would be going to the Void. He wondered what it would be like. When he and Kye had traveled to the west they had heard many different opinions on what happened after death. Strange theories with nothing to back them up were thrown out left and right. None of them included the living proof of the spirit they saw in the mountains. Resh of course was only paying attention to them to distract them from Kye who would pick their pockets while they were focused on him. He sighed it was different back then. They only had to worry about themselves and staying alive. He now worried about Caspian¡¯s volatile mood and stolen memories. Resh slouched forward in his chair and ran a hand through his damp hair, ¡°Oh yeah.¡± he mumbled closing his eyes for a moment. His hair burst into flames evaporating the water quickly. The waitress that served him screamed and ran toward him a towel batting the air frantically. Resh smiled lopsidedly and forced the flames to disperse, ¡°Its okay calm down.¡± he said holding his hands up to block bats from the towel. The waitress lowered it and breathed out heavily, ¡°N-no open flames in the restaurant please.¡± she said shakily. Resh grinned sheepishly, ¡°Sorry about that its just the best way to dry my hair.¡± he ran his hand through it again creasing all the hairs back down. The waitress shook and her eyes gazed ahead fearful, ¡°Hey are you okay, sorry if I scared you.¡± he reached toward her worriedly. His hand touched her wrist and she snapped out of it, ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry there was a fire here a few years ago the whole place burned down, we got electricity after that...just no more flames please.¡± he nodded apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± he said looking up at her. She nodded absentmindedly and walked away. Resh sighed again and glanced toward the door, ¡°They¡¯re taking their own sweet time aren¡¯t they. Maybe I should go see if they¡¯re okay.¡± his eyes wandered back to the half eaten meal on his plate, ¡°Nah they¡¯re fine.¡± he said happily. He sat at the table for another ten minutes before the door swung open and two familiar faces walked in. Kye was smiling from ear to ear and Caspian was glaring daggers at the back of his head, ¡°What happened?¡± Resh asked as they sat down. Caspian took the seat furthest from Kye, ¡°He lit my hair on fire.¡± he grumbled. Resh stifled a laugh, ¡°Where?¡± he was staring at his head but couldn¡¯t find any scorches or burnt parts. ¡°It healed.¡± he said in an empty monochrome voice. ¡°Your hair grows back when it heals?¡± Resh said gaining Kye¡¯s grin. Caspian sighed, ¡°Yeah.¡± he rolled his eyes at the brother¡¯s laughter but couldn¡¯t help smiling with them, ¡°Alright you two done?¡± Resh chuckled one last time before calling the waitress over. She happily came and Caspian and Kye ordered breakfast, ¡°When we¡¯re done we should go see about the caravan.¡± the twins nodded in agreement. Their meals came quickly and as the two ate Resh went to give back the key to the room. Luis as the waitress had referred to him the night before was still behind the bar chatting with a customer. His skin was dark and a greying beard hung down to his waist. As Resh approached his attention switched from the drunken man to him, ¡°How was your stay?¡± he asked with a rosey grin. ¡°It was very nice.¡± he said handing over the key. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Resh nodded and walked back to the table. He reached into his pocket and picked out a few coins for the meal, ¡°You two ready?¡± he asked putting the coins in a neat stack on the table. Their plates were empty and they both stood up. Resh headed to the door and stepped out in the sunlight. Two seven foot tall dark blue banis walked down the street in front of them. They wore the black and blue outfits of a police officer. There was a scaly faced scide walking slightly ahead of them he ducked into an alleyway and let the police walk by him. Resh watched curiously as the banis stopped and peeked their heads around the alleyway corner. He moved down the steps to get a closer look. The banis weren¡¯t moving into the alley but instead started shouting and cursing at the scide, ¡°Get one of our town you inbred dragon!¡± one of them yelled. The scide ran away quickly, leathery tail between his legs. The one who had spoken picked up a rock and threw it at him. He missed but they just started to laugh. The police pulled their heads out of the corridor and walked down the street laughing heartily with one another. Resh looked over at Kye, a disgusted look on his face. His brother was glaring at the back of their heads as they turned the corner and walked out of sight. ¡°Its awful aint it.¡± an unfamiliar accented voice said. Resh turned to see a copper haired dwarf standing beside him. He looked a few years younger than Resh and was still trying to tame a scruffy beard. He wore a grey tunic with dark brown pants. Brownish gray eyes looked at the corner where the banis had left, ¡°They¡¯ve been trying to scare that poor race out of Luwas for years. Last winter they wouldn¡¯t let them into any houses and made them freeze to death.¡± ¡°That¡¯s horrible.¡± Kye said shocked. ¡°I know sadly the mayor doesn¡¯t seem to care and lets the police force do whatever they want.¡± he shook his head, ¡°It''s just awful.¡± ¡°Why are they so aggressive toward the scides?¡± Resh asked. ¡°Dunno they just always have been.¡± he said shrugging, ¡°Anyhow I¡¯m working the stables today did you three need something?¡± Resh let the questions he had drop from his mind and focused on the present. ¡°Yeah we were just coming to get our caravan. The big black one with the four horses.¡± the dwarf clicked his tongue. ¡°Me and the boys were making bets on who was going to come and get that. I expected it to be owned by a noble or businessman. No offence of course.¡± he added quickly. Resh chuckled, ¡°None taken.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring it right out.¡± the dwarf disappeared behind the building and came back seconds later leading the horses. ¡°Thank you.¡± Kye said giving him a coin from his pocket. ¡°My pleasure.¡± he said with a smile Kye climbed into the seat, ¡°Do you know where we could find someone to get some repairs?¡± Resh asked. ¡°Yeah right up the road that way, take a left then a right and just go straight and you¡¯ll see the sign.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± he nodded his head and Kye whipped the reins getting the horses moving forward at a trot.