《The Bringer》


 Chapter One

    I find myself stranded in the middle of the southern Kiish ocean, blood pouring from my right shoulder. A wound created with what looks like a knife. Though I can not be sure, unfortunately I can''t recall anything of what''s happening. How long I''ve been here, I don''t even know. The only thing I can tell you is my name, Aero.


    Both my mind and body are weak. My hands tremble when I try to hold them out in front of me. I have just enough strength to hold onto this log that is keeping me afloat. My stomach screams at me from hunger. I don''t know how long it''s been since I''ve eaten, or better yet had water. I fear I''m getting very close to dehydration. Ironic--I''m surrounded by sea and have nothing with which to quench my thirst. If I''m unable to find land and something to drink soon, I will die.


    I''ve never been this close to death before. It really opens your eyes. I look back on my life--at all the things I''ve done--and wish I could change it all. I wish that somehow there were some way I could redeem myself for all the pain I''ve caused. I''ve certainly done many things I''m not proud of. The list is far too long to even start going through. Who knows, though--maybe I will make it out of this, maybe I will have a chance to right my wrongs. I suppose if this is the end and I don''t make it, this is what I deserve.


    No, I can''t allow myself to think like that! I''m going to make it out of this. I will survive and be fine, somehow. I just need to focus on the task at hand. Now what was I doing just before I became lost out here? Come on, Aero, think, you didn''t just fall into the ocean. You had to have been on a ship. By the look of things you were coming from Kheran Island. It''s the only place around this area, aside from the mainland. Sounds reasonable, and I do vaguely remember being there. Yes, yes, it''s coming back to me now. I was on Kheran and left by boat not long ago. Ahriman, Strah, and Khalm were there also. Now what were we doing? Why were we even on Kheran? Wait, if my friends were with me then where are they now? If our ship was attacked when we left Kheran, then that means my friends are in just as much danger as I am. For their sake, I hope not, I hope they''re okay.


    Maybe they are nearby and can hear me. Possibly in the same situation I''m in. "Ahriman!" I yell at the top of my dry and weakening voice. I wait quietly, listening intently. Only silence responds. Again I call out, "Strah!" Waiting, waiting, and nothing. I fear I''m alone out here. I can''t keep shouting; my strength is draining out of me like water from a cracked vase. I don''t know if I have enough to keep myself awake. It''s getting late, the sun is falling fast, and my eyelids are getting heavier by the minute. Soon it will become very cold. This part of the world is known for its brutal nights, and here I am without a blanket. Hmph, guess I''ll have to manage. Ok... ok... one more time. I''ll call out once more before I really need to start saving my strength. With what I have in me I ready a deafening roar. "Khalm!" Come on! If anyone is out there, now is the time to speak up. Someone has to be nearby. We couldn''t have separated that much. That is, if they are even out here. For all I know, they could be on land searching for me. I guess I can only wait for a response. A few seconds goes by, nothing. A minute, nothing. Two minutes, three minutes, no one is there. I just have to face it; I''m alone out here.


    Once I get on land I''ll set off to find my friends. For now though, I need to just focus on staying alive. "You just need to hold on a little while longer," I whisper to myself. Even though no one''s around to hear, it is still comforting to hear myself talk. Letting out a long sigh filled with exhaustion and pain, I notice something. My breath--it''s turning to fog. The temperature is dropping fast. Soon it will be dangerously cold. How much more time do I have left before the sun goes down completely? With what strength I have, I prop myself up on the log enough to look behind and see how low the sun is. It''s touching the horizon. Night is only moments away.


    Looking at the sunset behind me, I realize something. There is a long red trail following me. Sitting on the surface of the ocean, following the small waves and darkened by the twilight sky. "That''s my blood, that is a lot of my blood," I say aloud. As if I didn''t have enough to worry about already. Now I need to make sure I don''t die from blood loss. I need something to stop the bleeding. With nothing better to use, I rip off my sleeve and use it as a bandage. It will help a little but without anything to disinfect the area, I''m at risk of it turning really ugly. I will just have to work with what I have for now. Shore can''t be that far away. The island of Kheran is fairly close to the mainland. I''ve already been out here a while, drifting in the right direction. I estimate to be out of here by the end of the night. That is, if I don''t freeze to death. With the water being as cold as it is, I need to keep kicking and paddling to get my heart rate up.


    One, two, kick. One, two, kick. Follow the pattern, come on, keep pushing forward. Stay awake. One, two, kick. It''s gone now. The sun is gone. Just complete darkness ahead and the stars for light. If I follow the big star Seiren I''ll be heading in the right direction. One, two, kick.


    I can really feel it now. The cold is starting to settle in. Every inch of exposed flesh feels like it''s been stretched thin. It feels brittle too, as though it could shatter with one good blow. The longer I''m here, the more it settles in. The chill pierces more deeply under the skin, even down to the bone. They rattle and shake from the feeling. The quiet rumble of the water is the only sound to be heard along with a shivering body and chattering teeth. Just hold on and keep kicking. With what energy you have left, keep kicking.


    Every kick is like a whole new enemy. Fighting and pushing to keep moving forward but I can feel my energy drain with every kick too. I feel dizzy and sick. I don''t know if I can keep doing this. My will to survive may be strong but my body fights back every inch of the way. It doesn''t want to continue, it wants to rest. It wants to just lay down and sleep. Sleep, that sounds good right now. It wouldn''t be for long, I can just rest for a few minutes then keep going. All I need to do is rest my head and close my eyes. Yes, that''s it. That feels refreshing. I close my eyes and let my head rest. I''ll move again in a little bit. I can already feel my heart rate drop. My body is coming to a complete rest. My breath lessens. The shakiness starts to lessen. Maybe I can stay like this for a little longer than planned.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.Thump, thump, thump, I can feel the pounding of my heart. It''s soothing and peaceful. Every beat calms and relaxes me. Thump, thump, thump, time continues to pass me by as I slowly drift along with the sea. The seconds become minutes and before I know it, I have been resting far too long. Thump, thump, the feeling only continues to drift my mind further from this world and my problems. I don''t seem to mind what''s happening anymore. My eyes burn too much to open them and gaze out to my goal. I only want sleep. Thump, thump, the beats are much further apart now. With every pulse I feel much more than just peace and relaxation. I can feel my energy bleeding out from my body. My consciousness is following close behind. Maybe I''ll just sleep for awhile. Thump, yes, I''ll wake up in a while and continue. Is that a good thing to do? I am not sure. I don''t know if I''m really thinking clearly right now. It doesn''t feel like I''m even making this choice on my own. More like my body is doing it for me. Don''t worry--I''ll do what you say. Just a few minutes won''t hurt anything, thump...


    Thousands of icy needles rake across my face. Struggling to swim back up from under the water I hold my breath and grab onto the log. What happened? Now, more alert to what''s going on, I realize I¡¯d fallen asleep. Spitting out salt water I think to myself, How could you be so foolish? There was a good chance you wouldn''t have even woken up from that. Death is lurking just around the corner, crouched and ready to pounce on any chance you give it. You need to be more careful. Next time you might not be so lucky.


    It''s not long before I realize something has changed in my surroundings. The night is almost gone. Sunlight is rising right out in front of me. As it makes its way above the horizon a flat beam of light shoots across the sky, hitting me directly in the eyes. I turn my head slightly and squint. Even though death may be lurking right behind me, hope and salvation are just ahead.


    I can see it ahead. A small but noticeable sliver of land is bathing in the glow of sunlight. You''re almost there, Aero, now push! With all my might I begin to kick forward, inching closer and closer to my goal. The sun rises higher in the sky and no longer blinds me. It''s bigger now, and I''m close enough to make out details. The color of the sand. Green lush trees following the shore across miles further than the eyes can see. Snow tops mountains in the background, creating a gray and white spine as high as the clouds. All of it blends perfectly together, creating a sanctuary I wish only to step foot on.


    Only a few more feet and it''s over. I can hear the gentle crash of the waves. I can feel the water push and pull against the shore. I summon my strength and put both hands and knees down on the sand. Crawling up the slant of the shore, I head for dry land. Once I''ve made my way from the water I can feel the sand. It''s brittle and doesn''t shift beneath my weight. Instead, it crumbles apart and leaves a deep imprint. A crust of frost covers the entire shore. It whitens the tips of grass ahead and the tops of all the trees. It''s still cold out, very cold, but right now that¡¯s not important. I''m just glad to be out of the water. I turn around and fall flat on my back. Sprawling out on the ground, I take a much needed rest. As I lay there, rays of sunlight fall from the sky and cover me from head to toe. All my limbs are numb, I look up into the clouds and feel nothing. I can''t feel my arms. My fingers burn and feel as if they want to fall off. Breathing slowly, time seems to be standing still. I finally made it, but something doesn''t feel right. I just can''t seem to put my finger on it.


    It takes me a moment to realize the problem. I''m not bleeding anymore. It would at first seem like a good thing. This is not the case. It hasn''t healed itself--no, it''s completely frozen over. The blood that was once running out of me has now solidified. I can''t leave it like this. It''s still cold out and can continue to freeze even under the skin. I need to pull it out. Who knows the next time I''ll be in a town with a healer?


    Mentally preparing myself for what I''m about to do, I try to not think about how much it could hurt. Okay, let''s do this. I reach my hand over my shoulder, dig my fingers under the icy patch, and pull. I let loose a deep growl of pain while baring teeth like a wolf warning an intruder. Collapsing under the pain I let out a deep breath and examine the wound. The amount I managed to pull off reveals it''s beneath my skin. Icy tendrils are slithering over my veins creating a deep intricate root system. I can''t simply leave it be. I need something to help get through this. Looking around I only see the log I hung on to only moments ago. I could break off a branch and bite down on it. That will distract from the pain just enough to tear it off.


    I put the branch between my teeth and bite down. Dig my fingers under the ice. One, two, three, pull. I immediately sink my teeth deep into the branch to keep pushing through. I can hear the veins ripping out of my shoulder. One by one, I can feel them separate. Slowly at first then ripping faster and faster like the cords of a rope under too heavy of a load. I''m almost through, just one last tug and it will be out. I bite down even harder and ready myself for the pain. One, two, three, pull. Snap, the pain was too much. I snapped the branch between my teeth. The final veins violently ripped from my body. Any of the veins still attached sprung back and sank under the skin. That''s it, I did it. Completely drained of any energy I have left I fall flat on my back and gaze up into the sky. Relaxing my hands I let the bloody patch of veins slide through my fingers. Close my eyes, and release one final deep breath. "It''s done."

 Chapter Two

    The sound of birds singing echoes in the air, very nearby and loud. Peaceful and relaxing, soothing enough to lull any grown man to sleep. I should just lay back down and sleep. This is it for me. I know my body simply can''t carry on any further.


    That''s when it hits me. A strong wave punches me in the face, filling my mouth and nose with potent salt water. Immediately I flip over, dig my hands and knees into the sand, and cough up a mouthful of water. I had lost hope of this moment ever coming. I flip back over stare up into the clear blue sky and exhale deeply. The sun is up, filling the air with warmth. My breath is still visible in front of me, though. The sharp bite of a cold morning has yet to go away.


    I''m not out of the woods just yet. I still have a severe injury that needs attention. I reach over and brush my fingers over the wound. It''s starting to seal, stopping the bleeding. With how much blood I lost, I don''t even know if I have the strength to lift myself up onto my feet.


    I have to try and move forward. Come on, Aero, you made it back to shore one kick at a time. You can carry yourself to salvation one step at a time. Just start with lifting yourself up. I call forward any energy in me and stand on my feet. I begin to stumble forward out of the sand and toward the woods. I am familiar with the area. Straight north there should be a small village I can take refuge at. They should have some medical supplies I can take advantage of.


    The woods are a more dangerous path to take but I can''t waste any more time following the shore all the way around. It takes a long detour in the wrong direction. I make my way to the tree line, grab onto a low hanging branch for support, and head in. Slowly taking one step at a time and leaning on tree after tree as I pass by. One hand on my shoulder.


    I need to stop often and rest. My head is pounding and the world spinning around me makes me want to vomit. Since I haven''t eaten anything in a long time it would be a painful dry heave. Despite feeling sick, my stomach is calling, begging to be given attention. I need to eat something, and soon. That''s when I see it about 30 feet ahead--a rabenberry bush covered in bright blue rabenberries.


    I make it there, fall to my knees, and grab a handful of berries. Looking down at them in my hand, I open up wide and pour right in. I have always enjoyed their taste. I grab another handful and eat. Then another, and another. Before I realize it, the bush is completely picked clean. Not a single berry left. I had to have eaten at least a pound of them, yet it still feels as though I haven''t eaten at all. Just knowing I found food is good enough for now. Not to mention the berries are a small supply of water. Not enough, but it will have to do for now.


    Before I have a chance to stand up I hear something straight ahead. It sounded like a branch snapping. There is a hill just ahead of me. I stand up and look down to see what it was. Just below me lies a small clearing. I don''t see anything, though I can hear something moving in the bushes. I wait a few moments and out walks a deer one of the biggest I''ve ever seen. Its shoulders have to stand close to six feet tall. Almost taller than I am. The antlers coming out of his skull spread across a wide three feet and fork out into ten different directions.


    He bends his head down and begins grazing. An amazing sight, though I must keep moving. Just as I shift my weight to turn, the ground beneath me gives way and sends me tumbling down the steep hill. Crashing through bushes and thorns. Bouncing off trees left and right. Rolling several times before finally slamming into the flat ground below. The impact knocks the wind out of me. As I lie there struggling to breath, I tilt my head up and look ahead. The deer is still there. Standing, looking at me. Not sure what he wants to do. He looks like he is fighting the urge to run the other way. Yet his eyes are too consumed with curiosity about me.


    He slightly lowers his head in my direction. Careful not to startle him, I ease my way to a nearby log. Prop my back up to rest and continue to look at him. He does the same to me. One leg moves forward and stops. Not really paying attention to what I''m doing, I find myself rubbing my shoulder. It''s bleeding again. Not a lot, only a small amount flows out. Still he stands watching. I''ve never been this close to a live one before. I don''t understand why he insists on staying near me. Another couple steps forward he moves, pauses slightly, and continues without hesitation.


    Now only a few feet ahead of me he stands. Head up high. I look straight up at him. He completely blocks out the sun, casting a shadow that covers me entirely. He looks much, much bigger from this angle. Looking off to the side for a moment, checking his surroundings, he eventually bends down within inches of me. I can feel his body heat like an aura surrounding his entire being. Then something strange happens.


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    He begins licking my shoulder. Brushing the exposed layers of skin. For a while I just watch. This is very odd. Does he pity my weakened state? Afraid to move, I slowly raise my hand up and begin petting his neck. He looks over for a second and continues on. After a while he''s done, I look over at my shoulder and the bleeding has stopped. He managed to seal it shut again. Springing his head up he looks to my right and stares off into the forest. He heard something.


    Suddenly a soft whipping sound flies nearby. That''s when I see it. An arrow has pierced right through his neck. Immediately he drops to the ground with his head falling on my lap. His legs kick and he thrashes around violently. Slowly he comes to a resting state. The only movements he makes are faint breaths of air. Now looking up at me, his eyes close and the breathing stops. He''s gone.


    Have you ever felt the life leave something? At first it''s one of the worst things you could ever experience. After time it becomes easier to handle. I''ve felt it many times before, and not just from animals.


    All of a sudden three men come crashing out of the forest into the clearing. One holding a bow and the other two with swords at their sides. Dressed in a black and red leather. Upon seeing me the two in the back draw their weapons and take a fighting stance. Out of instinct I reach for my sword that usually hangs off my side. Nothing, I only grabbed at air.


    "Hands up," the archer demands. He must be their leader. The other two haven''t said a word. An arrow is nocked and aimed straight at my heart. I raise my hands up, being unarmed and outnumbered. Normally I could take them with no problem, but not in my weakened state. I have no choice but to, begrudgingly, comply. "Not another muscle," he yells, not taking his eyes off me for one second, barely even blinking.


    Keeping his eyes in place, he slightly turns his head to the men behind him and whispers something I can''t make out. They reply in the same quiet manner. One of the men steps forward and looks at his commander. They both nod at each other and he walks towards me. Raises the hilt of his sword up and strikes me clean across the head knocking me out immediately.


    Darkness is the main image inhabiting my mind. From time to time I manage to crack my eyes open and get a blurry glimpse of the forest canopy above. Wide beams of light break through the branches to hit me in the face as I slide across the ground. Someone is dragging me by my feet.


    The urge to fight him off is very strong, but I simply have no choice but to go along with it. If they had wanted me dead, it would have been done by now. No, they want something else from me. It''s of no surprise considering who I am. I''ll just have to regain my strength and escape at a later time. That is, if they haven''t finished with me before then.


    The man dragging me stops and I hear someone yell out, "Open the gate, we have a prisoner!"


    I open my eyes and look ahead at a very large, ominous-looking gate that stands at least thirty feet tall. A fence travels left and right, and large trees rest not far in front of it, adding an extra layer of protection. As if the perimeter¡¯s height alone wasn''t enough. I fight to stay awake so I can get a good look at the layout of their fortress. I''ll need to know it later.


    "Thane is going to want to see this," mutters the man standing a few feet in front of me. A few men raise their heads above the fence line. A few seconds later the gate begins to open. I can hear gears turning and the loud echo of creaking wood. Slowly it pushes inwards, revealing small buildings, tents, forges, sparring circles, training dummies, and more men than I can count. Some watching what''s going on, and others going about their business.


    I get dragged into the fortress and shortly after the gate closes behind us. A man, simply dressed in small amounts of leather, says, "Thane just left yesterday. He won''t be back for at least a few weeks."


    The archer sighs in response to the news. "Looks like we have to hold him longer than expected.¡± He looks at me. "Markus, he''s coming to, take care of it." My feet drop out of his hands, he turns toward me, unsheathes his blade, and once again knocks me out with the hilt.

 Chapter Three

    Violent waves crash along side the wooden planks, pushing the ship side to side. Rocking fiercely enough to make a normal land-faring man turn green. While I may not have a lot of experience out at sea, I have not been seasick in a long while. The sun is at its highest point during the day, hidden behind the clouds. Barely noticeable, even less so down here below deck. Dull slivers of light shine through the cracks in the main deck, but other than that, it''s dark down here.


    Something about this whole situation seems off. I am seeing through my own eyes, but I don''t feel in control of my body. Turning of the head from side to side and shifting my legs from place to place are not of my voluntary choice. On top of all that, things feel oddly familiar. Like I''ve lived this all before.


    I feel strange sitting down here on a bench attached to the wall. Angry, to be more precise. I don''t know why, though. My head turns down and focuses on my hands. They are soaked in blood. Not of my own. I can''t see anywhere I could be bleeding. Nor am I nursing a wound. This is someone else''s blood. Still wet and dripping off my finger tips. Clenching one hand into a fist a strike the wall just behind me. My anger has boiled to the point of rage. My heart is pounding and I can feel energy rushing through me. It''s a mixture of many emotions. Burning rage accompanied by dreadful sorrow and a fear of coming events. Something terrible just happened and I wish I knew what.


    The creaking of loose floorboards above my head echoes in my ears. Multiple people move around up top. Constantly moving, never in one place for very long. I can faintly hear voices. Familiar sounding ones. Ahriman¡¯s deep voice is most noticeable. It''s a voice of power and confidence. Calm, very rarely reflecting his emotions. If he feels anything at all, it''s hard to tell. He''s the only member of the squad who carries himself this way. Fitting for our leader, I suppose.


    The voices slowly fade away as they move toward the bow. I can still plainly hear footsteps, though. Thumping louder and louder. They are coming downstairs. Now entering the room I''m in. Ahriman followed by Khalm and Strah. They are escorting someone. I can''t get a good look at him behind his hooded cloak. They continue to push him in front of me, heading toward the holding cells. As he crosses my direct line of sight, this man looks me in the eyes. I don''t know him; I do know fear when I see it, though. This man reeks of it. He is afraid for his life.


    The cell bars open and he is pushed inside. "Until we know you are innocent you are to remain here," commands Ahriman. He locks the door and heads back up above deck, followed by Strah. Khalm, however, lingers behind by a few seconds. Not moving, just... staring. His eyes, fixed on the man in the cell, are glazed with hatred and disgust. The way he is looking at him is almost as if he is mentally firing an arrow right into his heart.


    Khalm breaks his gaze and heads toward the stairs. He looks my way and grunts, "Come on," continuing, "Ahriman wants to speak with us." Shortly thereafter he takes his leave upstairs. Putting my hands on my knees I stand up. I glance over at the cell and see the man turn his back to the wall and slide down it into a sitting position. With his knees to his chest, he briefly looks at me, and then down to his feet before closing his eyes and bowing his head. This man is deeply upset by something. I have a strong feeling it''s more than just having to deal with spending the night in a cell. I can''t continue to watch him, though. They are expecting me upstairs. Without wasting anymore time, I head up.


    As I walk toward the captain''s quarters of the boat, I can hear the loud creaking of the floorboards beneath my feet. Each step is accompanied by an obnoxious sound I can''t ignore. This boat is old. Everytime it moves in any direction it lets out a cry of pain. Pain from overworked and tired joints. It wants to be done with its journey. It looks as though it¡¯s seen everything and is ready to give out.


    I''m above deck now. The sun is now covered in clouds. As far as the eyes can see the skies are blanketed. Snow is beginning to fall. It''s not much, but is beginning to cover the boat. This chill leaves the skin feeling tight and brittle.


    I''m here now. The captain''s quarters are only a few steps ahead of me. Before continuing forward I notice a mop bucket sitting in the outer hallway with a small amount of water still inside. I stop and bend down on one knee. I can see my reflection in the water. It moves and shakes along with the rocking of the ship. The thought pops into my head again of how I''m not in control of what''s happening right now. Somehow, I''m just a passenger in my own body. As I stare directly into my own eyes it feels as if nobody''s looking back. I''m just an empty body walking around. My eyes turn from looking at the water down to my hands. Still red from blood that has now dried. They are more stable than before and I don''t have a deep feeling of anger anymore. I''ve calmed a little bit and the feelings of hatred have turned into a darkened sadness. I take my hands and wash them off in the water, leaving the blood behind. The reddened water now obscures my reflection. I can''t see into my own eyes anymore. Perhaps that''s a good thing.


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    I can hear someone''s voice coming from the room. It sounds like Khalm. "Without any leads, we can only believe he is the one responsible for this." Someone else in the room grunts in agreement. Khalm¡¯s voice raises slightly, "Someone needs to be held responsible for all those lives."


    Hearing this makes me wonder again, Whose blood did I just wash away? I open the door and walk into the dimly lit room. Strah looks my way, acknowledging me being here but not saying anything to me. Khalm stands there with his arms crossed and nothing else to say. He exhales deeply, letting out the steam built up inside. Ahriman stands with his back to everyone, looking out the very large window in the room.


    That''s when I see it. A field of dead bodies lie outside. The island of Kheran has been wiped out. There isn''t a single living person in sight. Men, women, and children all lay outside robbed of their lives. Families huddled together on the side of huts. Men struck down trying to protect their mates. Mothers still holding onto infants wrapped in blankets.


    The snow is falling more heavily now. The faces in the distance will soon be covered, but not forgotten. That''s a sight not easily let go of. I''ve seen death plenty of times before but never this brutal. It didn''t even look like these people were armed. Slaughtered like defenseless sheep. Who could have done this?


    Ahriman turns from the massacre and looks at us. "Our prisoner knows something about this," he states.


    Strah immediately responds with slight hesitation in his voice, "You don''t think he''s the one responsible for this?¡±


    Ahriman looks at Strah. "If this one man could erase a hundred lives from existence, then why would he be caught by the three of us?" Pausing for a moment to let his words sink in, he continues, "No, I don''t believe this man to be a killer. His eyes may have seen bloodshed, but not his hands. He is very afraid right now, but will soon be able to tell us everything."


    Khalm uncrosses his arms in frustration. "Soon? Why not now? If he has information that could help us, why are we just letting him sit down there?"


    Ahriman waits a moment before replying. "He has been through a lot. Give him some time and I''m sure he will talk to us."


    Khalm stares into Ahriman¡¯s eyes intensely. Neither one of them breaking their attention from the other. Ahriman keeps a calm about him the entire time. Khalm, on the other hand, is boiling inside. He wants answers. Normally he is a very patient man, but under these circumstances, people act differently than how you''ve come to know them. After what seemed like an eternity, Khalm adverts his eyes, turns his back to Ahriman, and walks toward the door.


    "Where are you going?" Ahriman asks in concern.


    With one hand on the door, back still toward Ahriman, he replies, "Someone has to deal with the bodies," and with that, he makes his leave. Strah, looking back and forth between the two, shouts after Khalm, "I''ll help you." He too walks out.


    Ahriman turns and looks out the window toward the carnage. He lets out a deep sigh at the picture painted using innocent blood before him. "You look terrible, get some rest." says Ahriman, not even bothering to turn back he continues, "We set sail in a few hours. You''ll need your energy. Be ready."

 Chapter Four

    I can feel the inhale and exhale of my chest slowly rising and falling. I lie here, eyes still shut, becoming more and more conscious as the seconds pass by. Blinking my eyes open I first notice the several parallel beams of light shining through a barred window at the highest point of the wall next to me. Dust particles float and glide along the illuminated sections of the air above me. The light is slowly fading away, dusk is approaching.


    Is any of this real? Was I just dreaming? I appear to be lying in a crude bed that¡¯s padded with straw. No pillow, no blanket, as simple as can be. No doubt I''m being held in some sort of prison cell. It was made very clear from the men who captured me that I was not welcome anywhere near them.


    It would have to be from the brand permanently burned into my right hand. The insignia of Lunis. Not warmly welcomed in very many places. Mandatory for anyone in any division of the Lunar guard. Something I wish could be washed away. It is a shameful reminder I will always have to carry with me. They must''ve seen it, prompting the decision to bring me in. I don''t blame them.


    Strange thing is, their uniforms are not something I have seen before. I don''t know who they are, or why they are operating so far south. There hasn''t been any combat in this area for years. What are they planning to do out here? So many questions but no time for answers. I need to get out of here. I have no desire to be a part of whatever it is they have planned for me.


    I spring upward, trying to get out of bed. It''s no use, my arm is shackled to the bedpost. An extremely short chain yanks me flat on my back. The sudden jerk of my shoulder leaves a familiar sting. I look over and notice something. My wound has been treated. It''s sewn shut and has a bandage covering it. My clothes are completely different too. Someone changed me into some plain white garments. Tattered and worn. The edges are long passed frayed. Stains covering several places. No coverings on my feet.


    The question running through my mind is, What do they want with me? I remember them saying I was to talk to Thane. He must be the leader here. From what I can tell he hasn''t arrived yet though. They said he was a few weeks out. I run my hand across my chin and feel a thick layer of facial hair. Judging by the length of it I''ve been here a little over three weeks. Thane could show up any day now.


    It would be wise to get out of here before he arrives. A couple more tugs of the chain assures me it''s securely fastened. Grabbing on with two hands, I ready a strong pull. Using all my strength in a sudden forward thrust of the arms, I attempt to rip the chain out. No luck, but to my surprise, the bed moves forward just a little. It''s not attached to the floor. I might have some luck after all.


    Sliding as much of me off the bed as I can, I plant my feet on the wall and push off. Turning the bed, putting the foot of bed firmly on the wall now in front of me. It makes a loud screech as it spins. I stop for a moment to listen outside the door and try to figure out if any one heard that. I lie in wait for several moments. It''s not long after that I hear footsteps approaching. Faint at first, they sound far away. Stomp, stomp, stomp, the drumming of boots running on wood getting closer. He''s in a hurry and heading right toward me. Someone knows I''m trying to escape. Stomp, stomp, stomp, even more loudly now they approach. Quickly and awkwardly I slide the bed back toward its original position. Crawl back on top and lay down. Stomp, stomp, stomp, they pound like thunder right on top of me. He''s here, I shut my eyes and hope for the best. I have one free arm and could take him out if I can catch him by surprise. Trying to breath as lightly as possible I ready myself for the door to open any second. Stomp, stomp, stomp, he passed right by the door.


    What was that? Did he not hear me? It appears a little fortune shines my way. I can''t waste one second of it. As fast as I can, I spin the bed back around and firmly place both feet on the backside of the head rest. Bringing both knees up to my chest, I use the chain as support while I hover a few inches off the ground. Using all of my body weight in one massive thrust, I push off the bed, separating the post from the rest of the frame. A couple more pulls and it¡¯s completely detached. I am able to slide the shackle right off. One end is still attached to my wrist, but I''m able to move about freely now.


    Getting out of the room is the next challenge. Suddenly I hear several men shouting to each other. I peak out of the window and look outside. I see a crowd of armed men gathering at the front gate. Some with swords others bows and even a few axes. A few men stand atop the fence line as lookouts. One of them yells out "prepare to open the gate"! Ten men on each gate door grab onto pegs on a wooden circle that sits around a post with gears. They push all at once and the gears begin to turn in unison opening the massive gate.


    Several men riding in on horses. All of them carrying weapons and wearing the heaviest armor I''ve seen so far. A mixture of leather and some metal make up what they are wearing. Still in the same red and black color pattern. Except for one. The man in front leading them all has slivers of white running throughout all the different pieces of armor. This must be Thane.


    As he steps off his horse, men line up on each side of him. The line stretches out toward my building. Thane begins walking past everyone. The moment he passes each segment of soldiers, they all salute him and hold until he passes by. One stands by himself at the end of the path that''s been formed and gives a single salute as Thane approaches. I recognize the one saluting. He''s the same archer that brought me in. He blocks my vision of Thane. I can''t get a good look at him. Then he speaks.


    A deep and slightly gruff voice comes out. "What news do you have for me, Ric?"


    Ric responds, "We currently have a prisoner in the holding cell."


    Thane sounds slightly confused. "A prisoner?" He pauses for a moment and continues, "What do you mean, ¡®prisoner?¡¯"


    "We were on a hunt and stumbled across him. He was injured and came without a fight. Our medic was able to patch him up, though he hasn''t awakened yet and that was three weeks ago now."


    "What was he doing out here?"


    "That we are unsure of. Like I said, he was nearly dead when we found him."


    In a low voice Thane mutters "Strange."


    "Sir, there is one more thing you should know."


    "What is that?"


    Ric leans in closer and in a quiet whisper he reveals my secret, "He bares the symbol of Lunis."


    Unsettled by the news, Thane immediately responds, "What? Are you sure?"


    "Positive, sir," says Ric. "Have you seen any more besides him?"


    Ric shakes his head. "None so far. I have men scouting the area around the clock ever since we found him. None of which have seen anything."


    Thane exhales in relief. "Good, we can''t give away our position just yet."


    Thane walks forward and, respectfully, Ric steps out of the way. The two of them continue to walk side by side and that''s when I finally get a clear look at Thane¡¯s face. Judging just by look alone, I would have to put him somewhere in his early fifties. He has a wide jaw line with a short, dark, black beard connecting all the way up to his sideburns. He wears a covering over his left eye; it seems to be hiding a scar. The other eye is visible with a light brown coloring to it. Hair as dark as his beard sits atop his head, medium length and feathered backwards. More and more gray makes its way out the closer to the neck the hair line travels.


    "I want guards stationed around the perimeter and at all watch towers, around the clock. The scouts were a good start but we can''t risk them missing something."


    Ric responds to Thane, "Yes, sir, right away." He begins to run off just as they approach a nearby barrack in the center of the camp which must be Thane¡¯s quarters.


    Thane turns toward Ric with one hand on the door. "One more thing... I want to speak to the prisoner when he awakens."


    "Of course, sir. I will have someone check on him right away."


    With that, Thane turns back and heads into the shelter.


    Someone will be here soon. I need to think of a way to escape, and it needs to be fast. There are far too many soldiers outside my window for that to even be an option. The only other exit is the door, and that''s reinforced so well it would take a battering ram to knock it down. You just need to keep looking around.


    There has to be some way out of here. I continue to examine the room from top to bottom. The light from the window fades away as I come up with a plan. It''s dusk, yet looking outside I can see clouds rolling in, covering the sky. Dark clouds, the kind carrying a rainstorm. That''s perfect, the noise and obscured vision from the rainfall will make it easy to escape.


    Before long, buckets of water dump on the roof, completely drowning out any other sound. All sound except the thunder. A sudden flash explodes in the air, illuminating the entire room. The light is followed by a loud but distant roar of thunder. That''s when I see it. A shadow projected under the door. Someone is right on the other side. They came to check up on me. That''s it--I''m out of time. No more thinking, no more planning, just react.


    I look at what I have to work with. The broken and splintered bed lies in the corner. A large dowel from the headboard is in the mess. I quickly grab it and hold a firm grip on it as I await my capturers. It¡¯s crude, unbalanced, and not very heavy, but it will have to do. My fingers shift as I try to find the perfect handle. The shadow moves a little to the left and a little to the right. He''s reaching for his keys. Soon after, I see the door handle begin to turn. I slowly move behind the door as it opens.


    Candlelight from the hallway shines into the room. A single silhouette stands in the door frame. It pauses for a moment, I can only imagine he''s staring at the debris on the ground. He creeps into the room cautiously with one hand on the hilt of his sword. The man behind the shadow is almost right in front of me. He takes a few steps forward and the door swings behind him, not fully closed. Suddenly, lightning strikes again painting the room in white. This is it, my time to strike. The moment thunder rolls in, I jump forward and deliver a single blow to the back of the head. Immediately he''s knocked out and on the ground.


    I pull his sword out from its scabbard and open the door behind me. A quick look both ways down the hallway assures me no one is within visible range. I lean over, blow out the candle, and head out. Darkness envelopes the long, narrow hallway. Loud rain crashes down on the roof, swallowing the sound of my footsteps. As I approach the corner, I lean my back against the wall and peak around. Not a guard in sight, but it''s no good--I''ve come to a dead end. Before me is a storage room with nothing useful to me.


    I turn around and head back the other way. It''s second nature to move around in silence in situations like this, even though no one can hear me. Stealth has never been my most refined skill, but I can hold my own. Strah was always best at moving about unseen and unheard in any environment. I wonder where he is right now. Is he even alive? Is any of my squad still alive? I''ve seen not a trace of them anywhere. That won''t last forever, though. I will find them soon.


    Stay focused, Aero, keep with the task at hand. I pass by my cell and see the guard still laying there face down. Not a threat, keep moving. The next corner approaches quickly. One swift look around and of course, a guard. Just beyond him is a wide-open doorway leading outside. He stands, arms folded, staring off into the rain. It''s much quieter outside.


    There isn''t much room to move in this hallway. Engaging in a fight is not an option. I need to take him out another way. I put the sword down and prepare to pull him back around the corner. Now inches behind him, I check to make sure no one is nearby. I''m in the clear. Reach my arms under his, and around the neck. He tries to fight back but I have his arms pinned up. You''re not going anywhere. He immediately tries to call out for help. Before he has a chance to get past one syllable, I cover his mouth and pull him around the corner into the safe darkness. I kneel him down close to the ground for better control. He kicks and squirms, trying to get free. My grip tightens around his neck, cutting off his air. He''s not going down without a fight. Both feet plant firmly on the ground and he pushes off, which slams my head into the wall behind me. It hurts, but I''m not letting go. I shift his bodyweight so he can''t do it again. His life is firmly in my hands. Just one quick turn and he could be done forever. It would be easy, and quicker too. No, I maintain a little self-control and just hang on a bit longer.


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    Soon his kicking lessens until it comes to a complete stop. He''s out, still alive but no longer standing in my way. I leave the body where it is, take his shoes, and head around the corner to look outside. The rain is still coming down very thick and limits visibility. I can make out a few figures off in the distance moving around. Quickly searching for cover from the downpour.


    While no one is looking my direction I pick up my sword and go outside. I''m completely soaked from head to toe within seconds. My hair, heavy from the extra weight, lies flat, almost covering my eyes. Outside, the main pathway is turned to a muddy mess. I stay low to the ground in a crouched walk. Everyone is just about inside one of the many shelters around the area. I make my way to the nearest building and lean up against the wall.


    The area within this camp is very large. They have the supplies and man-power here to qualify as a small army. My better judgement tells me to get out of here, but yet something lingers on asking, What is going on? I continue to follow the same pattern of running from building to building, scoping out the area before moving on to the next safe zone. Finally, after making my way past several buildings, I see it--my path out of here. I can see the large stables where they keep all of their many horses. All are under cover during this storm.


    The horses are not my salvation--no, it¡¯s what I see lying near them that¡¯s what I am after. Someone has left a very large amount of rope out in the open for the taking. I can use that to scale down the outer side of the surrounding wall. Thirty feet is a long way to drop and I won¡¯t get very far with a broken ankle.


    I quickly make my way over to the stables, not wasting any time. I don¡¯t know how long this storm will last and give me cover, so I need to take advantage of every second of it. Upon getting in close proximity of the stables, I slow down so as to not spook the horses. The last thing I need is one of them getting scared from my presence and kicking the wall behind them. I don¡¯t know if there are men in the building attached to the stables but you can never be too careful. There are roughly thirty horses tied up here, many of which are sleeping since it¡¯s starting to get dark out. A few of them are still awake, just watching me. None of them seem to mind me being here. I reach out for the rope laying across the railing. The nearest horse snorts at me and steps back a bit but does nothing more. I''ve got a hold of the rope now and have thrown it over my shoulder. One hand has a hold of it about halfway down my chest to keep it in place.


    Suddenly, a flash of lightning shines across the sky, followed almost immediately with the loud boom. That one was almost right on top of us. The overwhelming sound of the thunder startles every horse in the line. All of them jump back and let out a neigh. I can¡¯t stay here, they are going to blow my cover. It¡¯s not long before I hear a door open around the corner. Faster than I knew possible, I bolt down the line of horses and slide around the opposite corner of the building. Mud and horse manure completely cover the ground in the area. Looks as though I found where they throw all of the waste produced by the horses. The bottom halves of my legs are now covered in a slimy mess. Not a pleasant smell in any way.


    Slowly sliding up to the wall behind me and looking around the corner, I see two men out by the horses, calming them down. They grab the reins and hold them down, petting each horse. Once a few of the horses settle down, the others follow. These animals are well-trained. The more and more I see of this place, the clearer it becomes these men are prepared for war. They can¡¯t possibly be thinking of fighting Lunis, can they? I don¡¯t know who else they could possibly want to fight..


    This place raises so many questions. The old me would have given my dying breath to see to it that this place never has the chance to even scratch the image of Lunis. Now my loyalty no longer belongs to a single flag or banner. I am my own, me and my allies. Ahriman, Strah, and Khalm are who I fight with. They are my friends, my family, and my army. As soon as I get out of here, I will find them. My time in this place is soon to end.


    It¡¯s not long before the two men leave the horses and head back inside. Once I hear the door close, I start heading toward the nearest guard tower along the outside wall. All the men standing in the towers are so preoccupied scanning for anyone outside the base, they don¡¯t even realize who moves about inside.


    I keep my same pattern of running from building to building until I come up to a smaller structure only about twelve feet tall. No walls, just four posts and cross joints going up the sides. At the top sits a very large bell. Hanging all the way down to the ground right in the center of the structure is a rope attached to the bell. This must be how they signal the other men in the base. Best that I don¡¯t get too close to it.


    I keep moving and I can see the wall not far from me. A guard tower in the corner and a ladder leading straight to the top. Only one guard on duty in this tower. It¡¯s all too easy, he won¡¯t know what hit him just like his two friends. The sun is down and the time to escape couldn¡¯t be any better. I am more than ready to get out of here. No one to my left, no one to my right, it¡¯s time to go. I snake between the last few buildings in my way and hug up to the last one before the wall. There is a large gap of nothing that stretches about 50 feet that I need to cross to reach the ladder.


    Here I go with my first few steps out into the open. Nothing to hide behind, I just need to keep moving. Sword in hand and rope ready, my freedom is just within reach. Then it strikes--lightning touches down just outside the wall. The boom of thunder is immediate and louder than I have ever heard. All the guards in the towers are focused in the direction it hit. Now is my chance to leave while they are distracted. The light has cleared from the sky and that¡¯s when I notice it. The ground I''m standing on is painted in a yellow glow. A light shines through a doorway directly behind me. Dead center of the illuminated ground is a shadow of a man who has seen me. I turn back and look at him. He is motionless, taking in what he sees, and realizes I¡¯m not where I belong. He is carrying a heavy pile of firewood with both arms. In his mouth is an apple, top and bottom teeth are sunken into the fruit''s flesh.


    He stares at me and I at him. I can¡¯t let him live, I do what I can not to kill but I have no choice. We are both bathed in light while the rest of our surroundings are swallowed by the dark of night. Anyone can see us, it would only take one second for a guard in the towers to turn his head and see me. I will have no regrets, this is for survival. It¡¯s either him or me. The rope hanging off my shoulder slides down onto the ground as I lose my grip on it. I firmly grip my sword and raise it, ready to strike. Feet thrusting forward, pushing me as fast as I can go. My blade is steady and ready to pierce through his heart. It will be over soon. His eyebrows slightly lower in anger. The apple falls from his mouth and rolls into the mud, teeth marks face up in the air. I quickly lessen the gap between us and ready myself for a leaping strike. The moment I am about to jump he throws his entire stack of firewood in my direction. Logs of various sizes rain down over me, striking me in the head and shoulders, leaving behind cuts and scrapes. I raise my hands to block some of the blow and a small log lands on my knuckles, cutting one open, spilling blood down my hand and onto the hilt of my sword. He pulls out his sword and readies a fighting stance. In a few seconds, I recover from the several blows and plunge right for his heart. He parries the attack and pushes my blade away. With an opening, he takes a heavy swing which I quickly dodge. Another to the left and one to the right, both miss. I see he¡¯s off-balance and I strike again. He blocks and our blades lock. Being off-balance, he falls over backwards, still holding his sword against mine. Both hands on his weapon, he hits the door behind him, closing it and pushing the light back inside. Down on the ground with his back firmly planted on the door, he doesn¡¯t give me an inch. Our swords at a stand-still, playing reverse tug-of-war. I give it everything I¡¯ve got and push my blade toward his throat. Moving only inches at a time. He¡¯s grinning his teeth, knowing he¡¯s about to die. I can feel the edge of my sword press up against his skin, drawing blood as it slides across. He lets out a single growl and pushes me back. Our blades no longer locked, he raises his hilt and strikes me across the jaw. I stumble back a few feet and jump back into stance. He stands up and stares me down. Our eyes lock in a battle of their own. No one moves for a few seconds, waiting to see what the other will do.


    Then, suddenly, he turns back and looks over his shoulder, and back at me. Not a second goes by and he bolts away from me. He must be going to get help. I don¡¯t give him another second before I start chasing him down. Both of us at a full sprint. Like cat and mouse we swerve around obstacles, jump over fences and slide around muddy corners. Dashing through small alley ways. It¡¯s not long before I realize where we are heading. Then around the next corner I see it. The signal bell from earlier. He¡¯s not getting just any help, he plans to call out the entire base. We are not far from the bell when I get within reach of him. I slash at his heel and he lets out a scream falling forward into the ground. The thick layer of mud slides him straight under the structure. He reaches up with both hands and grabs the rope. My heart leaps up into my throat and everything goes silent. The only thing I hear is an explosive ring rippling through the night. Then another, and another. Three tolls of the bell.


    That¡¯s it, my cover is blown. I know I can¡¯t fight an entire army. My chances are slim but I might have enough time to get back to the wall and escape. Leaving him where he lies, I turn around and run. Sadly, I don¡¯t get but a few strides when doors all around me start slamming open. Men start marching out, the majority is armed. I look to my right, to my left, behind me, and every direction I possibly can, but it¡¯s no use. I am completely surrounded.


    The man I left lying on the ground bellows out to them, ¡°The prisoner has escaped!¡± There must be at least two hundred men here. Fighters wielding various weapons slowly close in on me. I know I can¡¯t win but I won¡¯t go down without a fight. As soon as they are within reach I slash, plunge, and swing all around me, fighting off anyone who gets near. Not an inch, not a single inch I let them advance. We dance like this for what seems like eternity until my defense is finally broken. Two men grab me, each one holding an arm. They rip my sword out of my hand and hold me still.


    There is a man in front of me dressed in an a white apron and covered in blood. His left hand holds a meat cleaver. I can take a guess and say he¡¯s their butcher. He has a beard that hangs a foot from his chin and a long pony tail to match. A smile forms on his mouth, revealing stained and broken teeth. His eyes meet mine and his mouth opens, ¡°Well it looks like the scum of Lunis has finally awoken from his little nap.¡± He clenches a fist and punches me across the face, and another to the gut. Before he is able to let loose another swing, a couple men from the crowd hold him back. ¡°Let me go! He deserves every bit of it!¡± I raise my head up for the blow and spit at him. It lands on his beard, his brows harden and he snarls. ¡°You dog!¡± he says, breaking away from the crowd, planting another punch right to my gut. This one hits hard. It knocks the wind out of me, dropping me to my knees.


    Suddenly I hear a roar in the distance, ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Breaking through the crowd is Thane. He walks up to the man. ¡°You are way out of line, Horace.¡± Thane steps in between me and Horace. ¡°Get out of here,¡± he says to him in a stern voice. Horace looks at Thane and then down to me, lets out a grunt, and disappears into the crowd. I bow my head in exhaustion and let out several deep breaths, still a little winded. Thane turns and looks at the men holding me in place. ¡°How did he get out?¡±


    One of them responds, ¡°We have no idea, sir.¡± I raise my head and look up at Thane. Blood and spit dripping from my bottom lip, intestines still in shock from being used as a punching bag. It¡¯s in this moment I am able to get a really good look at him.


    He towers over even the tallest men in the crowd, he has to be at least seven feet tall or more. Not only is he of great height but of great strength as well. A wide chest is in the center of two enormous arms, each covered in muscle. Our eyes meet and he squints once he sees me. Not because he can¡¯t see me--no, he''s examining me. He gets a good look at me and then turns away.


    Ric is in the crowd not far off. Thane looks at him and says, ¡°Where did you say you found him?¡± in a soft but hurried voice.


    ¡°A few miles south, in the forest,¡± he replies. ¡°I will be in my quarters. In five minutes I expect to see him in the interrogation room.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, right away.¡±


    Thane stands up tall and looks out into the crowd. ¡°As for the rest of you, head back inside, there is nothing left to see here.¡± He walks off and the crowd parts in front of him as he walks by. Soon after, they follow his orders and leave.


    The two men holding me by the arms lift me up, placing me on my feet. Ric looks at me ¡°You heard the man, time to go.¡±

 Chapter Five

    The storm is calming, I can barely hear the sound of the water crashing down on the roof above me. It¡¯s dark in this room. Two candles sit on each side of the door behind me while a third makes its home on the table in front of me. Very little light shines in this room. The only objects in here are the candles, one table, and two chairs. One chair on each side of the table. I¡¯m shackled to my chair. Arms pulled behind my back and shackled together. Each foot chained to the legs. They sure aren¡¯t taking any chances of me escaping again. I''ve been sitting here for quite some time now. Alone with my thoughts. I still don¡¯t know exactly what this place is, who runs it, or for what reason. My recent memory still fails me. The most recent thing I can remember is being stranded out in the ocean and then washing up on shore. That, and there is that weird dream I had.


    I didn¡¯t get very far before being captured. Stupid, how could you let yourself be captured like that? And then not even be able to escape. You¡¯re better than that, Aero. You were trained to handle these situations and have dealt with far worse.


    My mind is racing around a thousand different places right now but the one thing that keeps coming back to me is, Where are my friends? It¡¯s been weeks since I have seen them. Do they think I am even still alive anymore? Have they given up hope of finding me? Maybe they have moved on. With no sign of me in weeks, I would probably do the same in their situation. Well, then, I guess I will just have to catch up with them. Sooner or later I will find a way out of here.


    I sit here thinking of my next move. I''ve regained a lot of my strength back. It¡¯s very possible that when they are transferring me back to my cell I could break free and outrun them. I¡¯ve gotten a good layout of the area and know exactly where to go now. Dawn is almost here but there is still enough darkness to vanish into the forest surrounding this place. I will make it out of here, no doubt about that.


    These guys don¡¯t know who they¡¯re dealing with. I come from the army of Lunis. Or, at least, I used to. I was raised on the battlefield and have known it my whole life. For better and for worse, I am a fighter. Much of what I learned from fighting for Lunis still rests inside me. Although I am no longer with them, it is still difficult to just abandon so much of who you were from birth.


    Thump, thump, thump, the sound of footsteps approaches the door behind me. My attention quickly snaps away from my previous thoughts and focuses on what¡¯s happening. I can hear not just one, but two separate sets of steps coming toward the door. One set is distinctly louder than the other. Now I can hear the doorknob begin to turn and the door creak open.


    Someone in the hallway says, ¡°Here you are, sir.¡±


    A familiar voice responds, ¡°Thank you, go ahead and wait outside in case I need anything.¡±


    Thane has a voice you can¡¯t very easily forget. Deep and gruff, it fits his size perfectly.


    ¡°Yes, of course, sir,¡± says the guard. Thump, thump, the boots send a soft rumble through the floor as Thane steps into the room. Behind him creaks the door as it shuts. I can hear the distinct click of the lock turning into place.


    Thane walks in front of me and sits down in the other chair. Scoots in closer, cups his hands together and places them on the table. He looks directly at me and says, ¡°I have to apologize for my men, I see they left you with a few extra bruises.¡± I look at him and say nothing, examining him intently. He continues, ¡°They have been cooped up here for quite some time now and they get a little restless every now and then. It certainly doesn''t help that you are from the Lunar Guard, or so they think.¡±


    He¡¯s peaked my interest. ¡°So they think? Do you believe differently?¡±


    A slight grin curls on the corner of his lips. ¡°I know a runaway when I see one, boy.¡±


    I haven¡¯t said a word to anyone here, how could he possibly know I am no longer in the Lunar Guard? He raises up his forearm and slides his coat down to his elbow. The mark of Lunis rests on his wrist. A mark of a crescent and a sword. He must have sensed my confusion. There are no military bases that belong to Lunis out this far. He must not be with them.


    I say to him, ¡°Ex-Lunar Guard, huh? I¡¯ve never heard of anyone else ever leaving before.¡±


    He slightly shakes his head ¡°No, I can¡¯t say that I have either. Many attempts, but none had such luck.¡± He reaches over, fixes his coat, and places his hands back down on the table ¡°It would appear to be just the two of us.¡± Five of us if you include my friends, but I keep that to myself. Hearing what he¡¯s said makes me believe he isn¡¯t a threat to me. At least not right now. I am still chained to this chair and it doesn''t look as though he is going to just let me go any time soon.


    He continues talking to me. ¡°Enough about that, the reason you¡¯re in here is I have a few questions for you.¡± He shifts his arms on the table. ¡°My men found you in an interesting situation. They say they found you alone in the woods with a severe injury. In fact, if it wasn¡¯t for them you would have died.¡± He pauses for a moment, letting that thought sink in, and keeps talking. ¡°In the years we have been out here, no one has ever come this close to our base. It¡¯s certainly not a place you just stumble upon. So that raises the question, what are you doing out here?¡±


    All my recent memories rush and spiral through my mind, but I still can¡¯t figure out what exactly I was doing. If my dream was to be believed then I was on Kheran and left behind an unsolved massacre. Nothing before that wants to come back to me. In frustration I can only respond with ¡°I... don¡¯t know.¡± And that¡¯s the truth.


    Thane inhales and lets out an uncomfortable sigh. After a brief pause he says, ¡°You don¡¯t know? I¡¯m sure you can see how that¡¯s not an acceptable answer. I run an operation here that I cannot put in danger.¡± He continues, ¡°You have to give me something to work with here. If you don¡¯t talk, then I have no choice but to see you as an enemy. Something tells me it isn¡¯t that simple, so it would be in your best interest to enlighten me on what you were doing.¡±


    With nothing to say I get a little defensive and show my frustration. ¡°Enlighten you? I¡¯ve done nothing wrong here. You¡¯re the one who is holding me captive. If anything I should be asking you what¡¯s going on here. This place has been nothing but dense forest for as long as I can remember. Very few people inhabit the surrounding area, but yet you¡¯re raising an army here with enough men and weapons to take over Moorhall.¡± I started getting a little heated, I¡¯ve had nothing but troubles the past few weeks and this doesn¡¯t make it any easier. I continue, all the while raising my voice, ¡°So the real question here, Thane, is where are you planning on pointing this big weapon you¡¯ve crafted here. People certainly don¡¯t spend years building a small empire just for fun.¡±


    He shifts back in his chair, putting a little more distance between us. ¡°I can¡¯t answer that.¡±


    Silence engulfs the air around us as we both wait for the other to make the next move. It¡¯s not long before I begin talking again. ¡°Look, I am telling you the truth. I have no idea why I am out here. I washed up on shore with very little memory. It wasn¡¯t long after that your men found me and took me in.¡±


    Again silence fills the air. Thane sits back in his chair barely moving, just analyzing me. Seconds feel like hours in this uncomfortable quiet. My own heartbeat is the loudest noise I can hear right now. Each beat awaits his response until finally he shifts his arms up and scratches at his beard followed by a calm, ¡°Okay¡±.


    Not sure how to take that I respond, ¡°Okay?¡±


    He nods in reply. ¡°I believe you¡±


    I feel relieved upon hearing this, but I¡¯m not out of the fire just yet.


    Thane wastes little time before continuing, ¡°I still need something, though. You really need to give me anything you can remember.¡±


    I look down at my arms chained to the chair and back up at him. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell you everything I can remember.¡± He leans in slightly, listening closely. I continue on, ¡°In exchange for my freedom, and I want to know what you¡¯re planning here¡±.


    He takes a moment before responding, ¡°Deal.¡±


    The longer I''m in the room with this man, the more I begin to trust him. I can¡¯t tell you exactly what it is about him that draws me in. He keeps a calm demeanor that is something I can respect. This entire time he has been patient with me. I¡¯ve attacked and injured some of his men yet he still is giving me a chance.


    Here goes nothing. Over a long period of time I explain to him everything I know of recent events. Being stranded in the ocean, my dream, and how I¡¯ve been separated from my friends. The entire time he listens closely, not saying a single word, allowing me to tell my story uninterrupted. The lone candle on the table gets shorter and shorter as time passes by. I don¡¯t leave out a single detail. Part of me hopes maybe he knows something that can answer my many questions. When I¡¯ve finished and let out everything I know, the candle is now half of its original size. He silently takes it all in for a few moments. Scratching at his chin, he finally speaks to me, ¡°Wow, that¡¯s quite the story.¡±


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    I blink a couple times. ¡°So, you believe me then?¡±


    He responds, ¡°Yes, your dream wasn¡¯t just a dream. From time to time I like to check in on any nearby towns and villages, scouting for potential recruits and also just helping out anywhere I can. We live in dark times and a little bit of sunshine can help someone go on.¡± He looks down and appears disturbed by something. ¡°Upon visiting Kheran I discovered everything you just described. Something tragic happened there. I spent some time investigating and discovered something.¡± He reaches into his front coat pocket and pulls out a small blue gem. He lets it slide off his palm and onto the table. It¡¯s crescent shaped and when the light from the candle hits it, it gives off a faint sparkle.


    I have seen it many times before. Immediately I shift my focus from the gem up to Thane and say, ¡°Lunis¡­¡± The gem could be found on any standard issue sword of the Lunar Guard. They vary in color depending on rank, but the shape and sparkle are always the same. Blue isn¡¯t the highest rank you could achieve but still a respected position.


    He nods his head with a disgusted look on his face. ¡°Yes, those tyrants are behind this. I am sure of that. I am still working on why, though.¡± Not saying anything I allow him to continue, ¡°I took a few weeks and paid a visit to Moorhall. I knew the trade capital of the world would have some answers. While I was there I kept a low profile and heard stories about how Lunis wiped out an entire island because they couldn¡¯t pay their taxes. They claimed it was to make an example out of those who didn¡¯t share in their part of the greater good.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°That didn¡¯t sit well with me. I had been to Kheren plenty of times. I knew they didn¡¯t have very much money, but still enough to pay. I left Moorhall and went back to Kheran, went inside the small town hall, and looked inside the treasury.¡± A brief pause, then, ¡°It was full, the money was never touched. I knew something was wrong with that story.


    ¡°Shortly after making this discovery I noticed I wasn¡¯t alone. I could hear someone outside moving. I went out to investigate and found a man burying a woman. He was startled to see me, but I assured him I wasn¡¯t of any threat. He explained to me that he wasn¡¯t here when everyone was attacked and returned to find his home, friends, and family dead. The woman he was burying was his wife. I told him he was welcome here with us and made my leave. He stayed behind to finish the burial and spend his last few moments with her.¡±


    I can tell talking about this bothers him. Not in a way that causes him to struggle speaking or get choked up. You can hear it in his voice, it¡¯s not the same voice he uses to give commands. It¡¯s more gentle and weary.


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible,¡± I say. ¡°I once believed in our rulers, I was foolish to ever believe they were doing what¡¯s right.¡±


    Thane lets out a small grunt in agreement.


    ¡°That¡¯s all you know?¡±


    He nods his head and says, ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Taking a moment before continuing he says, ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn to hold up my end of the deal.¡± He sits up straight. ¡°Everything you see here is known as the Red Heart. All of us make up a resistance group sworn to fight against Lunis. We haven¡¯t quite grown to the size needed to make a successful attack against the throne yet. One day, though, we will. Every month we get more and more recruits and our chances of success rise higher.¡±


    I look at him in confusion and say, ¡°The Red Heart? I thought they were stomped out years ago.¡± As I think back to the last time I saw them, Thane starts to seem a little more familiar, as if I have seen him before. I say to him, ¡°Last time they were seen was when they attempted an attack on Lunis. I was there, they fought hard and made it to the palace steps. It was my squad that eventually cleared you all out. There were no survivors.¡±


    Thane clears his throat and says ¡°Well, none that you knew of. Only three of us made it out--Ric, Horace, and me.¡±


    Surprised to hear this, I say, ¡°Horace? Isn¡¯t he the butcher that hit me square in the gut?¡±


    Thane laughs, ¡°Yeah, he''s always been a little quick to violence. He used to be one of my best fighters. Unfortunately, the attack on Lunis left him with some injuries that he could never recover from. You wouldn¡¯t know it by looking at him but his right leg is fake.¡±


    Ashamed at hearing this, I avert my eyes away from him and say, ¡°Sorry. If it wasn¡¯t for us a lot of your friends would still be alive right now and the world might be a different place.¡±


    Thane shakes his head ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I too was once in your position. Right and wrong are not painted in a clear picture when it comes to war. We both fought for a misguided nation just as my men fight for me and our cause.¡±


    Still not looking at him I respond, ¡°It¡¯s still something I have to live with. If only I could have seen the signs before things got bad.¡±


    I look back up at him and he says to me, ¡°It¡¯s odd. You look very familiar to me yet I don¡¯t remember seeing you there that day.¡±


    I respond to him, ¡°In our full suits of armor we wouldn¡¯t be recognizable. It completely covers from head to toe.¡±


    Thane goes silent, then, ¡°Unbelievable, that was you? I¡¯ve never seen men fight like that before. It was almost unnatural that way you guys moved.¡±


    Before anyone has a chance to say anything else, there is a knock at the door followed by a muffled voice. ¡°Thane, he¡¯s here. Erik arrived just moments ago.¡±


    Thane shouts out, ¡°Go ahead and come on in, Ric. I am just about done here.¡±


    The door opens and Ric enters the room, he looks at me and then at Thane. ¡°From the way things look I would say you were right earlier.¡±


    Thane assures him, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s no threat to us.¡±


    Ric gives a slight nod. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    Thane pushes his chair out and stands up, facing Ric. ¡°Go ahead and send Erik this way. I¡¯ll show him around.¡± He reaches at his belt and grabs a ring holding several keys. Picking out one in particular, he moves behind my chair.


    It¡¯s at this time Ric responds back to Thane, ¡°I¡¯ll bring him in now.¡± He walks out the door and leaves.


    Thane frees me of my shackles and says to me, ¡°I have to apologize. I never even asked for your name before.¡±


    I stand up next to this man, who is at least a foot taller than me, and say, ¡°The name¡¯s Aero.¡±


    He reaches out and we shake hands. ¡°Aero, it¡¯s an honor to meet you. Now, being a man of my word, you are free to go, although I do have an offer.¡± He hasn¡¯t let go of his grip on my hand yet. ¡°Why not stay and get the tour? We could use someone of your skill and knowledge.¡±


    I quickly shake my head. ¡°No, my friends are out there somewhere. I still plan on finding them.¡±


    Thane releases his grip. ¡°Well, when you do find them, just know you are all welcome here. The Red Heart is always searching for new recruits.¡±


    Just then Ric escorts someone into the room. He gets one look at me and his eyes open wide, followed quickly by his brow dropping in anger. He springs forward, pushing the first chair out of the way and flipping over the table. His hands reach out and grab the second chair and he lifts it above his shoulders. In what looks like every ounce of strength he has, he swings the chair at me. I quickly turn and absorb most of the blow with my shoulder and upper back. The chair flies out of his hands and hits the wall. He tackles me to the ground and both of his hands reach for my neck. Now he¡¯s on top of me, but I push him back and stop him from getting his fingers around my throat.


    Before he is able to take any more actions, Thane reaches down, grabbing him and throwing his back against the wall. In anger he shouts at him, ¡°What are you doing?!¡±. Erik, so angry he is barely able to speak, manages to let out, ¡°That¡¯s the man that killed my wife!¡± Everyone looks at me and the room is engulfed in silence.

 Chapter Six

    The room is still silent. Erik is trying to break free from Thane¡¯s grip. Turning from side to side, grabbing Thane¡¯s arm, and attempting to push it away. Thane, being as big as a mountain, isn''t budging. Erik eventually settles down and says, "I''m good, I''m good, I won''t do anything." Thane looks at him and then to me, loosens his grip and lets go of him. Erik stumbles off to the side and turns his back to me. He runs his hand through his hair and lets out a long sigh.


    In that time I push myself up to a standing position and say to him, "I don''t know who you think I am, but I haven''t done anything."


    He snaps back at me, "Then explain why I saw a group of soldiers leaving behind a field of dead people on Kheran. I recognize your face, I know you were there." As he continues speaking his voices gets more and more angry. "No one else was there." Now he''s yelling. "I know what I saw! You killed her! You took away everything I''ve ever known!" Each accusation he makes at me is followed by a stab of his finger in my direction.


    Thane interrupts, "He didn''t do it,¡± in a stern and confident voice.


    Erik responds, still angry, "How can you be so sure?"


    "We had a long talk and I investigated the situation. He''s not responsible for this."


    Erik¡¯s now pacing back and forth. "No, no I don''t believe that!" His blood is boiling. Looking down at his hands, I can see one of them clench into a fist. "He''s a murderer and my people deserve justice. That includes my wife, you cold-hearted bastard!" With that, he shifts his weight and throws a punch in my direction.


    I''m ready for him this time. Before his fist gets within a foot of me, I snatch it out of the air. His wrist is in my hand and he looks over at our suspended arms. He sees my marking. "Lunis..."


    His face goes emotionless briefly, then back to anger.


    "He belongs to Lunis and yet you believe he''s innocent?!" Looking in Thane¡¯s direction, he says, "This is all the proof you could ever need. I say we hang him on the spot." His eyes are locked with Thane¡¯s. "Before you left Kheran you said Lunis was behind this."


    His attention has now turned to me. "One of their dogs sits here before us, just waiting to pay for his crimes. What are you waiting for?"


    Bong, bong, the bell outside can be heard in the distance. No one pays much attention to it. Erik continues on, ¡°I say we tie the noose and be done with him. Guilty or innocent, it would be a pleasure to watch one of them squirm.¡±


    Bong, the toll can be heard a third time, immediately after the last two. Erik continues, ¡°You say this is the birth of something big. Your rebellion will destroy the council of Lunis, bringing peace to this world for the first time in 30 years.¡±


    Again the bell tolls, bong. Four times now. Erik looks at me briefly and then back to Thane. "Here''s your chance to stay true to your word. Justice could be served here."


    It''s clear both Thane and Ric aren''t paying attention anymore. Something is keeping them occupied. Bong, a fifth toll of the bell ripples through the air. Thane and Ric look at each other in shock. Thane quietly mumbles, "No..."


    Ric stammers in denial, "This can''t be happening."


    Confused, I jump in and ask, "What, what is it? What does that mean?"


    Thane looks at me. "We''re under attack."


    Ric calls out to everyone, "We need to hurry," and leaves the room.


    Erik steps back a few steps. "What do you mean, ¡®under attack¡¯? Does this happen often?"


    Thane shakes his head, "No, this has never happened before. We''ve been discovered." He waves us to the door all while using a voice of authority, "Follow me, we need to get to the armory."


    We follow him out of the room, through the hallway and outside. He''s running at full speed. His long strides send him forward very fast. I stay close just fine, but Erik struggles to keep up. We sprint past several buildings as we head toward the armory. There are paths leading off in different directions. Each one is filled with men, each scrambling in all directions. . Everyone is shouting out a million things at once, I can''t make out what they are saying. With all of this commotion, it sounds as though we''re right in the middle of Moorhall¡¯s trade center. We make it to the center of the base where there is a large open area all around what looks like the armory. Off in the distance I can see Ric. He''s holding up a device to amplify his voice. Loud and clear you can hear him shouting, "I want everyone to their defensive posts right now!"


    Men are running in and out of the armory. Those who go in come out armed and ready for battle. We break through the crowd at the door and get inside. All along the inside walls there are weapons hanging. Everything from swords to axes, some large and two handed, others small. Spears and pikes rest in the middle of the room while bows and arrow-filled quivers have their own racks around them.


    Thane pushes through the dozens of men and makes his way to the back. He turns back to us and shouts over the crowd, "Arm yourselves with your preferred weapon."


    Erik snaps back, "You can''t be serious about arming him."


    Thane cuts him off before he has a chance to say anything else. "This isn''t up for discussion, now move!"


    Erik stumbles around trying to find something, he seems lost and doesn¡¯t know what to grab. Just when it seems he has made up his mind and reaches out for something, one of the many soldiers in the area snatches it up. I, however, know exactly what I¡¯ll choose. On the right wall sits many longswords. Simple, but effective. They have always had a natural feel to me. I pick up a few and feel them for balance. Trying to move quickly and not waste too much time on this, I find one that suits me and grab a scabbard along with it.


    A few steps behind me I see Erik still hopelessly lost. I look around to find him something to use. I pick up a weapon he could use easily and head his way. When I approach him I say, ¡°Here, take this short sword. It doesn¡¯t look like much but they are easy to use.¡±


    He looks at me, still not wanting to trust me. Reluctantly, he reaches out and takes it from me.


    I continue on, ¡°I take it you¡¯ve never had to fight before.¡±


    He shakes his head. ¡°No, never.¡±


    Being as quick as I can I give him a few pointers and show him the proper way to use a blade.


    Through the crowd comes Thane, wielding a sword of colossal size. The blade has to be at least five feet in length, and that¡¯s just the beginning. It¡¯s single edge and roughly two inches thick and a foot wide. It dwarfs any sword I¡¯ve ever used--comfortably, that is. My sword is a little over three pounds, a good balanced weight. His sword, however, has to be no less than thirty. Only a Desarian could ever hope to wield something like this. I swear there is something in the water where they live that causes everything to grow to such great size.


    He looks at us both while effortlessly holding this enormous sword in one hand and asks, ¡°Are you guys ready?¡±


    I give a slight nod and respond with, ¡°Yes, how much time do we have?¡±


    ¡°I would guess only a few more minutes. One of our northmost outposts have seen the incoming attack and signaled us.¡± He goes on to say, ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving. We can find some armor next door.¡±


    The three of us leave the building and head outside. Thane leads the way toward another structure not too far-off. There isn¡¯t as much commotion going on outside anymore. Everyone must have taken their positions by now, awaiting the attack. We arrive at the next building and go inside. No one is in here and it looks as though a tornado blew inside. Wooden mannequins that once held pieces of armor now lay on the ground. Various pieces are scattered about the place. Helmets sit crooked upon the mannequins¡¯ heads while everything from gauntlets to grieves sit on the ground beneath them. There isn¡¯t much left to choose from. Thane already has the armor on that he was wearing from before. Erik and I look for something that fits us. All that¡¯s left is hard leather. It doesn¡¯t look like much, but can prove to be very useful. The two of us are able to find something that fits us fairly well. We both come out with greaves, bracers, and breastplates. I was able to find one last pair of pauldrons and as luck would have it, they fit me.


    Thane directs us outside and says, ¡°We need to get to the main gate. Everyone else will be stationed there.¡± He takes off running in that direction and we follow. We pass by several buildings--the empty horse stables and the bell. I can see the top of the main gate above everything and it¡¯s not too far-off. Everything clears open and now we stand at the back of a big crowd in front of the gate. Everyone is armed and ready for battle. They all stand quietly and wait for instruction. All the men in front sit on horseback. Along the top of each fence line is a row of archers. Everyone in the entire base is here. I can even see Horace on the side of the crowd.


    Thane whistles with two fingers to get everyone''s attention. They all turn and listen in for what he has to say. He stands in momentary silence before speaking. ¡°We all hoped this day wouldn¡¯t have come so soon, but none the less, we stand here ready to crush anything Lunis sends our way. Our enemy is fast approaching, but we¡¯re ready. So what say we show them we are not to be trifled with?¡±


    The crowd cheers and shouts.


    ¡°For honor and for justice!¡± he yells, holding his sword high in the air.


    The crowd yells back at the top of their lungs in confident battle cries. Everyone is filled with energy and ready to die in battle if necessary. It¡¯s obvious these men trust and respect Thane. I haven¡¯t known him for long, but he is certainly someone you would want to lead you into battle. I look over to my left and see Erik. His head is bowed, eyes closed and his whole body is quivering. He has never seen battle before and is terrified of what¡¯s about to happen. There is still tension between us, but we both have an understanding that there are more important matters at hand. I don¡¯t say anything to him and leave him be.


    Two men stand at the top of the gate on each side of it. Together in unison they blow their war horns, sending an echo that can be heard through the entire camp. Thane shouts out to everyone, ¡°Get ready!¡± Hundreds of swords can be heard ringing in the air as they are pulled from their scabbards. The sound of the horns fades out of the air, leaving a deep silence as everyone waits. The only sound to be heard from here is the sound of arrows being nocked. All archers hold their positions ready to fire at a moment''s notice. Then, something strange happens. They all put their bows in a resting position and look at each other in confusion. One of the men handling the horns walks over to his side of archers and speaks to them. I can¡¯t make out anything that¡¯s being said. I can only see them shaking their heads and giving shrugs to him as they speak. What¡¯s going on out there? They wouldn¡¯t have blown the horns if the enemy wasn¡¯t in view. So what is it? Did they stop, or possibly turn back?


    Thane calls out to them up there, ¡°Hey, what do you see?¡±


    The horn blower looks out, then to Thane. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this before. It¡¯s an army of wolves, sir.¡±


    Thane responds back in confusion, ¡°What?¡± He starts moving forward, breaking through the crowd.


    ¡°Come see for yourself, sir.¡±


    I follow closely behind him as he makes his way there. His men respectfully move out of his way as he comes through. I don¡¯t have the same treatment, one of them tries to stop me and says, ¡°Get back to your spot.¡± He puts his arm across my chest as I try to walk by him. I push him off me and keep going. No one else seems to be paying enough attention to me to worry about it. Thane walks up the stairs to the top of the fence and I follow right behind him. I climb step by step until finally I can see over the top. Off in the distance on top of a ridge I see all the wolves in a line, just standing there. Tall trees cover the area, leaving shadows below and making it hard to see clearly. The wolves stretch far off on each side and disappear into the dense forest. There are too many to count.


    My heart drops into my stomach, I know what¡¯s going on. These aren¡¯t ordinary wolves.


    Just then, a single wolf comes over the ridge and stands in front of the formation. He bears a silhouette of a rider on top of him. This confirms my fears and I realize these things are massive and make any ordinary wolves look like pups. To carry a full grown man in heavy armor makes them just as big as horses.


    I step back and quietly mumble to myself, ¡°Alphas¡­¡± Thane hears this and looks at me. I look him in the eye and say, ¡°We need to leave now. Your men don¡¯t stand a chance. Evacuate everyone.¡±


    He responds, ¡°Why? What are these things?¡±


    I look out and see them all still standing in place, waiting for their leader to give them direction. He sits out in front, not moving, eerily watching us.


    I say to Thane, ¡°There isn¡¯t time to explain.¡±


    He snaps back in frustration, ¡°I am not doing anything until you explain to me what I¡¯m looking at!¡±


    I don¡¯t have much time to give him the full details so I shorten it a bit. ¡°They¡¯re called alphas. Genetically enhanced super wolves. Lunis¡¯ latest weapon to add to their collection.¡±


    He looks out at them and back to me. ¡°They can do that?¡±


    I reply back, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid so. You don¡¯t know what these things are capable of. You need to listen to me and--¡±


    Before I can finish I¡¯m cut off by the sound of a single howl coming from the shadows. The one out front has his head lifted high in the air, communicating to the others. All at once they respond with howls of their own. They harmonize as if in song. The sound sends a chill through the air that pierces down to the bone.


    I look at Thane. ¡°It¡¯s too late,¡± I say, and before I can add any more, the pack starts moving. At a full sprint they come at us. The rider still sits in the front, not moving, just watching. As they get closer to the front gate they split and some go left while others go right. They wrap around the corners of the base and disappear. Just as a pack of wild wolves surround their prey as they close in, so do these. They want to see to it that we don¡¯t have any way to escape.


    The archers send out their first wave of arrows into the sky and they rain down, killing only a couple of the beasts still running toward us. They keep shooting, now aiming for specific targets. One goes down here and there, but it¡¯s not enough. They''ll run out of arrows before they can even make a dent in how many there are. I ready my sword and Thane does the same. They have us completely closed in, and that¡¯s when one of them leaps a tremendous bound right onto the gate, landing on one of the archers down the line to my right. He kicks and screams, trying to push it off him, but it¡¯s too late. Its paws are as big as a bear¡¯s, pinning him down. It lets out an explosive bark and more quickly than lightning its teeth rip into the archers throat. His screams cut away, he¡¯s gone. More start making the leap onto the fence and taking more lives. Just to my left one of them comes flying at Thane. He steps to the side and takes one swing with his tree trunk of a sword and hits it right between the chest and the gut. The crushing sound of bone can be heard as its body folds in half from the impact. It lets out a loud yelp as it topples over my head and onto a roof behind me. It slides across the wood surface several feet before coming to a stop and lying there motionless.


    All of the archers have begun to retreat off the fence and down onto the ground. More wolves flood over. They stop landing on the fence, instead they are clearing it entirely and landing in the base directly. The small army begins fighting them off as they come pouring over the side. I look around at the entire base and can see them coming in from every side. The ones far-off on the other side begin using their size to break down the walls of buildings. They come crumbling down onto themselves leaving piles of rubble behind. Some of them catch fire as the lanterns hanging outside of the doors shatter, spilling oil and flames everywhere. Smoke begins to climb high into the sky as one by one each building inside the base is destroyed.


    I turn around to show Thane how we¡¯ve already lost. Before we even had a chance to fight our fate is set. But before I have a chance to say anything, one of the beasts flies into me, sending us falling off the fence toward the ground below. The time spent in the air feels like an eternity, time moving at an unbelievably slow pace. The wolf is above me, pushing all its weight down onto my chest and sending its fangs toward my throat. It wants nothing more than to rip me apart. I don¡¯t give it the chance and instead give him a mouthful of my bracer. One arm is being used holding him back while the other still holds on tightly to my sword. I shift my weight, spinning us still in mid-air. I have the dominate position now as it falls down backwards. I take my sword and drive it into it¡¯s heart. I ready for impact and we slam down, sending my blade clean through his chest and into the ground on the other side. Its jaws open, freeing my arm and allowing me to stand up. It lies there, lifeless, with my blade resting in its chest. I place my foot on it and pull the sword out.


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    I look up and see everyone fighting off countless wolves. They are no longer fighting a battle for justice but a battle for survival. Fear and terror consumes the eyes of all the men around me. The beasts push their weight around and pounce on any soldier that has his back turned. Each one going for a quick kill and moving on to its next victim. The men fight with every ounce of strength they have but it isn¡¯t enough. One by one they fall prey to their enemies. As the numbers continue to fall, soldiers start to flee in fear. They sprint to cover inside buildings and around corners. The wolves follow closely behind, crashing through walls if they have to. Screams come out of all directions from the ones trying to escape. There is nowhere to run that they can¡¯t follow.


    The sound of a war horn can be heard calling from above me. It has a higher pitch than before. I look up and see Thane still standing atop the fence hacking away at wolves that try to come his direction. He¡¯s the one blowing the horn. As he finishes he drops the horn and leaps off the fence. He lands firmly on both feet, crouching down to absorb the impact. This guy is as tough as they come. He shakes it off as if falling thirty feet is a simple task.


    Suddenly, I find myself under attack. Two wolves approach me and simultaneously leap in for a kill. I dodge to the side and slice one across the neck. The other lands behind me, turns around, and strikes again. I drop down onto my back as he soars overhead, snapping its jaws at me. Before he completely makes the jump, I plunge my sword upward into his gut. He lands behind me and turns around. It didn¡¯t even phase him to be run through like that. He growls with his hair standing straight up and crouches down, readying another attack. This time I don¡¯t give him the chance. I run straight toward him and he counters by jumping back on his hind legs, standing upright. Claws are ready to strike. As I close in, his shadow completely blankets me in darkness. The sight of one these things standing at its tallest is a terrifying sight for any man. I don¡¯t let it get to me, though. In one swift motion I send my blade past his front legs and right through his lower jaw and out of his skull. The beast falls and I stand victorious.


    I run over to the last place I saw Thane and fight my way through all these monsters. They are much easier to kill when they don¡¯t see me coming. One, two, three, they drop like flies as I barrel through from behind. I clear through the ones standing in my way of Thane and our eyes meet. He nods, looking relieved to see me alive. I make my way up to him and we stand side by side weapons ready. He holds his firmly with two hands, eager to give it some more use. His armor is ripped and his flesh is torn along the arms and chest. What he has in raw, unparalleled strength, he also lacks in finesse. These things are just two fast for him to get away unscathed. His size surely helps keep him from getting overwhelmed, though.


    More wolves filter into our area and surround us, forming a perfect circle. They left us no way out and we are left with only the option to fight. We stand now, back to back, each facing a half-circle of snarling, bloodthirsty abominations. Trapped like rats, I am left with the same thought that keeps running through my mind. We¡¯ve lost, sure we could make it out alive from what¡¯s in front of us right now, but what about the other hundred that we haven¡¯t faced yet? The more time we spend fighting, the more we lose. Cries of men can still be heard coming from all around us. None are able to stand up against the beasts and men are dying left and right. I lean back to Thane and say, ¡°This looks like the end.¡±


    He responds back to me, ¡°I have a plan, don¡¯t worry. We may still be able to make it out of here alive and save a few of my men.¡±


    Not sure how this is even possible, I ask, ¡°Well, what¡¯s your plan?¡±


    The wolves don¡¯t give us any more time to converse. One by one they attack. The two of us fight them off and hold our ground well. Thane more than I is the one doing all the work. I get in a few respectable kills here and there, but he tears them apart like stuffed animals. Bones crunching and cries of pain flood my ears, along with the sound of countless bodies dropping behind me. Time passes by and the all too-familiar muscle memory of battle kicks in. Before I have a chance to think about anything, it¡¯s over. We stand surrounded by death. A sickening mixture of man and beast lay on the ground lifelessly. Very few battles I¡¯ve been in compare to the carnage of this one. It¡¯s sad for me to admit, but each and every one of them were just as exhilarating as the last. I was born into battle and raised in violence. This is my life, and, sadly, my passion.


    The two of us look at each other almost breathless, but ready to move on. Thane begins to explain his plan to me now that the area is clear. ¡°We may have a chance of escape through the underground tunnels.¡± I listen in closely and don¡¯t say a word, he continues, ¡°Beneath your feet lays a vast network of tunnels that was made for situations like this. As they lead further outside the base they begin to get more and more narrow. There won¡¯t be enough room for the wolves to follow us through.¡±


    It sounds like a good plan except for one flaw. ¡°Won¡¯t they just turn around once they¡¯ve realized they can¡¯t follow us? Eventually they will get out and come find us. We certainly don¡¯t have enough time to get very far before they catch up. In case you haven¡¯t noticed, these things are huge--they can travel just as fast as any horse, maybe even faster.¡±


    He nods his head in agreement and pulls out a pendant from under his breastplate. ¡°That¡¯s what this is for,¡± he says as he holds it up into my view. It¡¯s a rough stone of a very deep red color, one I am very familiar with. ¡°Scorch stone,¡± he says. ¡°The tunnels are lined with it, and in my quarters sits a detonator. This stuff is highly explosive. Once triggered, the chain reaction will completely wipe out anything alive down there and bury the entire base.¡± He looks around and continues, ¡°Well, at least what¡¯s left of it. Now we must hurry, there isn¡¯t much time left.¡±


    Thane turns and sprints toward his quarters. I follow, matching his pace directly behind. His long legs shoot him forward with explosive bursts of momentum. It¡¯s difficult to keep up, but I manage. As we pass by demolished buildings and burning wreckage, wolves start to discover us. They leap at Thane but he cuts them down without slowing down one bit. One strikes, hiding around a corner, and another flies from a nearby roof. Both of them are crushed and turned into corpses after Thane is done with them.


    Before we are able to make it to our destination, Thane makes a stop by the bell. He runs under it and grabs the rope shouting out, ¡°Cover me!¡± The bell rings and sends out a deafening rumble. He rings it again and again with no sign of slowing down. Four rings, five rings, and six -- he isn¡¯t stopping. Barking can be heard coming in the distance. A pack is approaching and a seventh ring strikes. Three wolves make their entrance into the area and howl into the air. I look down and see the body of a fallen soldier on the ground. Beside him is his sword, dropped inches away from his fingertips. I reach down and pick it up. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind if I borrow this,¡± I say as if he can hear me. I stand back up, firmly readying for the battle. A sword in each hand and a fire burning in my gut. I¡¯m ready for this. The pack makes the first move and sprints forward. I copy and meet them halfway. We dance in a circle as I block every attack they send at me and counter with my own. An eighth ring strikes, followed by a ninth. The wolves are dealt with and a loud final ring strikes, that makes ten.


    I turn and see Thane coming out from under the bell and he waves me to follow him. ¡°Come on, I just signaled to abandon camp.¡± I look back out and see more wolves approaching from several places in front of me. Thane calls out to me, ¡°There is no time, leave them.¡±


    I follow, knowing there are too many to take on alone. Again we find ourselves in a sprint, this time being chased. The closer and closer we get to our destination, the smaller and smaller the gap is between us and the wolves. We finally make it to his quarters and close the door behind us. Loud pounding can be heard coming from the other side as the wolves throw themselves at the door, trying to break in. I watch, ready for them to come crashing through.


    Thane walks away and says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry; it¡¯s reinforced. It¡¯ll hold, but not for long. We have to keep moving.¡± I can barely see anything in here. The only light is what¡¯s shining through the cracks of the door. It¡¯s not long before Thane pulls out the scorch stone pendant he has, which, like all scorch stone, gives off natural light when exposed the darkness and now illuminates the room in a soft, red glow. He moves to the back of the room and opens a big trunk sitting on the ground by his bed. Once the lid is lifted it exposes a single slot and Thane inserts the pendant like a key. He twists it around completely and lets go. It begins to slowly unwind backwards and gives off a clicking sound. Just then, a hatch door springs open behind us, revealing the entrance to the tunnels below. Thane walks over to it and kneels down. ¡°Hatches like this one are now open all around the base. Everyone knows to use them to escape.¡±


    As we are about to jump down into the tunnels we hear a voice: ¡°Wait, I¡¯m coming with you.¡± A man crawls out from under Thane¡¯s bed. It¡¯s Erik. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡±


    I ask him, ¡°What were you doing under there?¡±


    He drops his head and sighs. ¡°I was hiding.¡± Ashamed of what he did, he continues on, ¡°I¡¯m not like you guys. I¡¯m just a coward. When I saw everyone around me being mutilated, I ran and found this place. I¡¯ve been hiding in here ever since.¡± I can¡¯t imagine leaving behind fellow soldiers to die as I cower in a corner. How could he possibly do that? Fighter or not, he still should have done whatever he could.


    Thane stands up, puts his hand on Erik¡¯s shoulder, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on it anymore. You were never meant to be a part of this. I¡¯m sorry for putting you in front of danger.¡± I can¡¯t believe he is so forgiving toward him. I surely wouldn¡¯t be.


    Erik replies, ¡°It¡¯s still no excuse. I could hear men outside screaming as they were being torn apart and I couldn¡¯t bring myself to help them.¡±


    Thane responds, ¡°I understand. However, now is not the time for grieving. We have very little time left.¡± With that, he turns and jumps down through the hatch. ¡°We must hurry!¡± he shouts up to us and runs out of sight.


    I look at Erik, and he back to me. He says nothing to me and jumps down to follow Thane. I grab onto the hatch door and get ready to shut it behind me. Suddenly, the wall bursts open, sending wood splinters and dust into the air. A wolf comes crashing into the room and pounces on me, pinning me to the ground. I drop one sword and hold onto the other. All this weight on my chest is preventing me from moving. The wolf lets out a loud bark, opens its jaws, and goes right for my throat. With the one sword I have left I raise it up above my head and block the attack. My blade is wedged sideways between its jaws, preventing it from closing in on me. It snarls and tries to snap at me. A mixture of spit and blood drip from it¡¯s mouth as it fights back. I look over to my left and see my other sword laying on the ground inches away just out of reach. Still holding back the wolf, I stretch my arm out for the sword barely grabbing it with my fingertips. As soon as I have a good grip on it, I plunge it deep into the beast''s heart. It stops moving and falls over sideways. I stand up and more come crashing through. Each wall has a massive hole in it now and the entire building becomes unstable. The roof begins collapsing and debris falls, covering the hatch. The entire place falls apart piece by piece on top of me. I waste no time and jump through the only wall that doesn¡¯t have a wolf guarding it. I make it outside and Thane¡¯s room comes crashing down on itself, burying everything inside.


    I need to find another hatch. I don¡¯t know how much time is left but I know it¡¯s not much. Behind me I can hear the pile of rubble begin to move as the wolves underneath try to break free. I look all around and see a hatch open not far off. As fast as I can I sprint over to it and jump in. Once inside I can see far into the tunnel, it goes on forever. In the dirt walls are hundreds of small scorch stones giving off light. It¡¯s eerie knowing that at any moment the timer could stop and these could all blow, killing me instantly. I don¡¯t give it a second thought and move forward. As I run down the paths I can see dozens of men running through the tunnels connected to mine. There were more survivors than I thought. Not knowing where the exit is, I follow far-off behind one of the crowds.


    All of a sudden, we are cut off by a pack that followed us in. They attack one of the men in front and pull him away. Everyone else scatters and runs down different paths, trying to escape. No one seems to be sticking together and they all disappear before I can see which way they went. This place is like a maze and I am completely lost. The wolves see me and try to make me their next victim. I don¡¯t waste any time fighting. Instead, I run. I pick a tunnel and dash through it as fast as I can. Following behind are several wolves hungry for blood. I don¡¯t look back and keep running. The walls begin closing in, getting smaller and smaller. I must be heading in the right direction. Thane said they would do this as they got closer to the end. I keep moving forward and run into an intersection of six tunnels. Great, now where do I go? I look around trying to pick which way to go. I can hear barking and growling fast approaching from behind.


    Just then, Thane and Erik come running into the intersection. Thane nods. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you alive. You had me a little worried back there.¡±


    Multiple loud barks echo through the tunnel. Thane hears this and says, ¡°Come on, this way. We are almost there.¡± He runs forward through one of the six tunnels and I follow closely behind, with Erik following behind me. We are getting closer to the end. I can see the light of day breaking, shining at the end of the tunnel. The walls begin to close in on us as we make our way through.


    Suddenly, I hear a loud thud hit the ground behind me. I look back and see Erik on the ground. He must have tripped. As he stumbles to get up I get a clear look at what¡¯s behind him. A single wolf is scratching and clawing its way through the tunnel, just slightly big enough to let it through. It closes in on Erik and grabs his heel with its jaws. Erik slides backward as he is dragged away. Immediately, I run towards him. He kicks and screams, reaching out for my hand, desperately wanting to get away. I take my sword and drive it through the unsuspecting wolves skull. I reach down for Erik¡¯s hand and pick him up. I push him forward. ¡°Get moving!¡±


    The two us run toward the light. I can see Thane standing outside, waiting for us, roaring, ¡°Come on, move it, they¡¯re right behind you!¡±


    I glance over my shoulder and see several of them within feet of us. We reach the end of the tunnel and jump out. Inside I can see paws trying to dig their way out and snouts pushing through the small opening. Thane pushes us away and says, ¡°Get back!¡±


    That¡¯s when I hear it. A single explosion erupts from within the base. Following closely behind is another, and another. A chain reaction crawling through each and every tunnel. The ground begins to shake and a pillar of fire spits out from the tunnel high into the air. The wolves whimper and cry out as they are trapped inside the flames. The heat is intense and brings the surrounding air to the extreme temperature of the hottest desert, and just like that it¡¯s over.


    All three of us stand looking out at what once was an impressive fortress. Now reduced to smoldering piles of rubble and ashes. Erik asks ¡°Are we all that¡¯s left?¡±


    Thane shakes his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure a few managed to make it out. They were all trained for this.¡±


    I avert my attention away from the wreckage and look out into the forest. Far off on top of the ridge in the distance I can see that lone rider sitting atop the last remaining alpha. Still he watches us. He just sits there, and though I can barely make out his silhouette, I can feel his eyes on me. It¡¯s an uncomfortable feeling. He won¡¯t be happy knowing that we survived. Though he doesn¡¯t do anything, instead he turns around and disappears over the ridge.


    I can hear the sound of movement coming from the tunnel. All of us ready our swords in unison. It sounds as though a wolf survived and is pushing its way through the exit. Thane walks forward and says to us, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this.¡±


    Then, suddenly, a hand breaks free from the darkness and out into the light. It¡¯s not a wolf -- someone didn¡¯t make it out behind us. Thane drops his sword on the ground and sprints toward the tunnel. He grabs onto the hand and pulls the man out. The man lets out a loud, wheezy groan of intense pain. As he is pulled into the light we get a clearer picture of him. His entire body is black and red from head to toe. Severe burns cover him, leaving behind what can barely be recognized as a person. Every strand of hair has been singed off and his eyes look as if they were boiled dry. He is unable to see or even speak. Instead, he keeps letting out cries of pain.


    Thane is holding him in his arms and grabs onto his hand. In a quiet voice he says to the man, ¡°It¡¯s ok, it¡¯s ok. You¡¯re going to be alright.¡± It¡¯s very clear no one could survive that. I think Thane wants to give him a few final moments of comfort. The cries fall silent and his body goes limp. Thane lets out a very troubled and hurt sigh. He is still kneeled down holding the body and says, ¡°He gave his life in service to me and I don¡¯t even know who he is¡­¡± Not letting go of his hand he says, ¡°Your life will be avenged, brother¡±.


    End of Book One

 Chapter Seven

    The three of us sit around a fire thinking of what we just lived through. Night is upon us, leaving our small fire as our only source of light and warmth. Each of us has a small log to use as a backrest. No one has said anything for awhile now.


    Both Thane and Erik gaze into the fire with blank expressions. You can tell it¡¯s not the fire they are looking at; rather, they are looking past it, as if into an empty void. It¡¯s not their eyes fixated on anything--no, it¡¯s more their mind reliving all of the events that took place earlier today. Thane, like me, is a man of war. Erik, however, has never seen battle before in his life. While both of them share a blank expression, Erik looks more like he is dead on the inside. He lost everything he has ever known and had to bury his own wife. Not long after, he was along with the rest of us running for our lives from unnatural beasts produced by Lunis. It¡¯s sad really, though this is the world we live in and I don¡¯t see it changing any time soon. Everyone has suffered loss; Erik is merely another name to add to the list.


    Thane lost his family, too--they may not have been blood, but they were as close as you could get. You eat together, sleep together, live together and die together. You always watch your fellow soldiers¡¯ backs and they do the same for you.


    I look across the fire and through the thin strands of smoke rising into the air. Thane''s eyes--or should I say eye--is visible, and I can tell he is hurting. The entire time we were walking away from the rubble of his base he kept murmuring to himself, ¡°If only I¡¯d waited a little longer. He could have survived.¡± He is beating himself up on the inside. I can tell he feels responsible for all the lives that were lost today. He recruited anyone that was willing to help, and many of them died under his leadership. That¡¯s a burden I would never want to bare.


    I plant both hands on the ground and push myself to more of an upright position. Thane sees me move and looks over in my direction. It may be too soon, but I ask, ¡°So, what¡¯s your plan now? Is this it for the resistance, or do your plans still move forward?¡±


    He takes a moment to collect his thoughts and lets out a little sigh. ¡°No, I won¡¯t let this stop me.¡± He pauses slightly, then, ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time we have suffered loses. As tragic as this may be, we still must carry on. All of my men were ready to give their lives for our cause. They all fought hard and will not be forgotten.¡±


    I admire his determination--just like the mountain he is, he won¡¯t budge an inch on his goal. I have been wondering this for a while now: ¡°How many do you think managed to make it out?¡±


    He shakes his head in uncertainty. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to tell given how many were killed by the wolves before I sounded the alarm.¡± He raises his hand to the back of his head and gives it a small scratch, all the while looking down into the fire. There¡¯s a brief pause before he finally says, ¡°My guess would be somewhere around thirty.¡±


    That¡¯s a little lower than I wanted to hear. ¡°Wow. Only thirty members of the Red Heart remain.¡±


    Thane quickly shakes his head. ¡°Oh no, there is more than that left. I didn¡¯t have everyone stationed in one place. There are various outposts around the world that each contain several men in themselves. Not to mention the two bases. One in Moorhall and the other secretly nestled in Lunis itself.¡±


    This is some good news to hear and a little surprising. ¡°You have a base in Lunis? That¡¯s pretty bold. How has it not been discovered yet?¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.He grins slightly. ¡°I have the very best of my men stationed there. It¡¯s not very big and is only meant to serve as intel. Which has me worried. Either Lunis planned an attack on us and that information went right over their heads, or they¡¯ve been discovered. I will have to send in for an update once I make it to Moorhall.¡±


    Thane certainly knows what he is doing. If he says they are the best he has, than I¡¯m sure they are fine. I wonder now what he plans to do in Moorhall. Continuing the conversation, I ask him, ¡°So is heading to Moorhall your next plan of action?¡±


    He nods his head. ¡°Yes, everyone is instructed to regroup there after events such as this.¡±


    Makes sense--it is the nearest city. ¡°So, then, when do you plan to leave?¡±


    ¡°First thing in the morning. It¡¯s a week''s journey on foot and I have no time to waste.¡±


    I lean forward a bit and rest one arm on my knee. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll follow you to Moorhall.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you want to join us?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps one day, but right now I can¡¯t leave my friends behind. I certainly want to see Lunis pay for what they did to you and your men, but right now I need to make sure my friends are okay. They are all like brothers to me. I¡¯m sure you can understand.¡±


    He nods his head in agreement, though he doesn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Moorhall seems like the best place to search for them,¡± I continue. ¡°It¡¯s likely they would have headed in that direction after we were separated. Who knows, maybe once I find them I can convince them to join you and your cause. After all, we left the Lunar Guard to try and make a difference in this world.¡±


    Thane sits up a little taller now and gives a slight smile. ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me. I truly hope you are able to find them.¡±


    I reply, ¡°I¡¯m sure I will find them some day. We have been separated while out on missions before and managed to find each other again. This shouldn¡¯t be any different.¡±


    Thane doesn¡¯t respond to me, instead he looks over at Erik and questions, ¡°So what¡¯s your plan? Do you still want to be a part of the Red Heart?¡±


    I almost forgot Erik was even here. He hasn¡¯t made a sound ever since we sat down by the fire.


    Erik doesn¡¯t break eyes away from the lock they have on the fire and says, ¡°I don¡¯t know what I want to do. I thought joining you seemed like a good idea. It¡¯s not like I had anything to lose right?¡±


    Thane gives Erik time to continue but he doesn¡¯t say anything. His mind just sort of closes back in on itself. Thane then speaks up, ¡°So are you saying you regret joining us?¡±


    Erik, still looking into the fire, replies, ¡°No, I mean, I don¡¯t know. I guess maybe in some small way I do. I wanted to avenge my people, but I¡¯m just not a fighter. Look at me--I was a fisherman back home. What place do I have in war? I don¡¯t know how you guys do it. You watch your friends die all around you and yet you want to keep fighting...¡± His words sort of trailed off as he finished his thought.


    Thane speaks up and tells him, ¡°Fighting is never easy. It doesn¡¯t matter how much you train, or how good you may be with a sword. Part of you always knows that each breath you take might end up being your last. I have always taught my men to use this fear as a strength. I would always tell them that whenever I¡¯m in battle, I make sure that if I die, I die making a difference.¡±


    Erik shifts his eyes away from the fire and looks at Thane. ¡°I understand what you are trying to say. I just don¡¯t know if this life is for me.¡±


    Thane seem likes he doesn¡¯t want to pressure him any further. Instead he calmly says to him, ¡°There are other ways to help our cause. You don¡¯t have to be a fighter to do some good in this world. All I am saying is just give it some thought. For now you can accompany us to Moorhall and from there you can decide what you want to do.¡±


    Erik nods his head. ¡°Sure, I can do that.¡±


    Thane stands up and heads over to small pile of wood we collected earlier. He grabs a few pieces and throws them on the fire. It¡¯s not long before they ignite and double the size of the flames. After that he says to us, ¡°It¡¯s about time we got some rest. We have a cold night ahead of us and a long journey after that. You¡¯re gonna want the energy. I¡¯ll take first watch and we will rotate shifts after that. Lunis likely would have sent out scouts to track down the stragglers after the battle. Stay alert, you two.¡±


    Erik lays down on his side and lets out a sigh, upset by the fact that Lunis could still be hunting us. This doesn¡¯t really bother me. It¡¯s all just another part of this life. I lay down on my back and rest my sword on my chest with one hand gripped firmly on the hilt. If anyone comes in the middle of the night, I¡¯ll be ready.

 Chapter Eight

    It¡¯s my turn now to watch over the group as they sleep. Thane wakes me to have me take over his shift. He throws a couple more logs on to the fire and tells me, ¡°Nothing to report. The night¡¯s been clear so far.¡±


    I rub both of my eyelids, heavy from only a few hours of sleep. Trying not to seem too tired I reply to him, ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope my shift is just as uneventful as yours.¡±


    Thane chuckles quietly to himself. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s hope so.¡±


    He lays down on the ground and readies himself for a night of sleep. With nothing else to say, he turns over and and goes to sleep. I stand up and begin walking around the perimeter of our small camp to ensure no one can attack us. Doing this helps me wake up a little more and leaves me alone with my thoughts.


    The past few weeks have been chaotic and I haven¡¯t had much time to really think. Each moment has involved me either running or fighting for my life. Stranded at sea, held prisoner, and fighting off gigantic wolves--what more could life throw at me? Perhaps it¡¯s best not to even ask that question. Don¡¯t want whatever it may be to come true. Life has a funny way of tormenting you like that. I can handle it, though. Despite everything I have been through, I always make it to the other side. I always manage to survive even the worst situations I could be in. It¡¯s who I am, it¡¯s what I was born and raised to do. A fighter ¡®til the very end.


    Not only I was raised this way, but all my friends were, too. Despite knowing all of them are very skilled fighters, I can¡¯t help but wonder if they are faring better than me. I¡¯m confident they are alive, no doubt about that. I still find myself wanting to ask, what are they doing right now? Are they searching for me too? Will we actually find each other any time soon? So many questions and no one to answer them.


    I still don¡¯t even remember much of what has happened to me recently. I don¡¯t know, maybe it¡¯s best that I don¡¯t even think about--wait, what was that? I could have sworn I just heard a noise.


    Snap!


    There it is again! I¡¯m not alone out here. Someone is nearby. I look out into the surrounding area but can¡¯t see a thing. It¡¯s too dark to tell who¡¯s there or how many there might be. I slowly inch my way forward into the shadows to hopefully get an idea of what I¡¯m up against. My sword is ready to strike at a moment''s notice.


    So far I see nothing. They must not have any archers or I would have dropped by now. Still moving forward one step at a time I quickly look left to right, scanning the area. Everything becomes much clearer as I step away from the fire and into the shadows. My vision isn¡¯t as obscured by the light anymore.


    Maybe I¡¯m just hearing things. If someone were out here waiting for me, they would have attacked by now. I guess no one is here. Better get back to camp and continue my shift.


    Just as I go to turn around, I bump into something that causes me to trip. I quickly lunge one leg forward and catch my fall. As I regain my balance a racoon scurries away and disappears behind a tree. I stand up straight and he peeks around the trunk at me. He must have been the source of what I heard.


    ¡°Are you the one out here making all the noise?¡± I ask. He stays right where he is and watches me. Should I expect any different? Why did I even talk to him? Obviously he can¡¯t understand me. Even if he could, it¡¯s not like he could talk. You need to just get back to camp and finish your shift so you can get back to sleep, I tell myself.


    As I begin to walk back, the racoon darts out from behind the tree and stops right in front of me. He looks up at me, sits back on his rear end, and puts his hands up. It looks almost like a child wanting to be held by their mother.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I say. He opens and closes his paws as if trying to grasp the air. His feet begin to move and he starts rotating around in circles. I¡¯m starting to get a little confused now. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I mutter to him. He just ignores me. Instead he starts spinning faster and faster until he loses control and falls over flat on his back. All four legs start kicking until finally he stops and falls asleep.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± I quietly mumble to myself as I step over him and walk away. I¡¯ll just leave him alone. I have more important duties at hand anyway.


    I make my way back to camp and continue to walk around the perimeter. I see that the fire is starting to go out so I throw a little more wood on it. The flames climb and wrap around the logs. Heat warms the air to fight back the cold. I watch the flames jump up and down and dance for a bit before returning back to my watch. The distinct crackle of fire flies through the air and keeps me company as I continue to walk in circles.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Time begins to pass and the fire shrinks down a couple more times before my shift comes to an end. I walk over to Erik and wake him so he can take over. ¡°Hey, get up. It¡¯s your turn to stand watch,¡± I say to him. He rolls over, sits up and looks at me.


    ¡°You want me to watch over the two of you? I can¡¯t handle a sword. What if something happens?¡± he says.


    ¡°Nothing will happen,¡± I assure him and continue on, ¡°and besides, even if you happen to see someone, you would just wake us. I don¡¯t expect you to fight.¡±


    He stands up and dusts himself off a bit. ¡°Alright, I can manage that.¡±


    I bend down and pick up the short sword he has resting by his feet. ¡°Good, now hang on to this.¡± He grabs hold of it and gives me a slight nod. I walk over to my spot and lay down. ¡°Dawn is only a few hours away,¡± I say to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to get a little more sleep before we head out. Oh, and one more thing--be mindful of a strange racoon out there.¡± It doesn¡¯t take long before I manage to drift off into sleep.


    First light peaks over the horizon and the sound of birds singing nearby can be heard. I wake up and see Erik sitting down by the fire, staring into it. I sit up and look around. Thane isn¡¯t anywhere to be seen. I ask Erik, ¡°Hey, where¡¯s Thane?¡±


    ¡°He got up not long after you fell asleep. He said he was going out to get us something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Finally, some good news. I haven¡¯t eaten in days. I could really go for some food right now,¡± I say, eagerly waiting.


    He perks up a bit. ¡°Yeah, he said he would be back around dawn.¡± I don¡¯t have anything else to say so I keep silent. Erik, however, continues to speak, ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve been meaning to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°What about?¡± I ask.


    ¡°About back at the base. I just wanted to thank you for saving my life. I could have ended up with my throat ripped open and you pulled me out of there.¡± I let him continue as it appears he has more to say. ¡°I certainly didn¡¯t make things any easier on you before the attack. You could have very easily left me behind. I appreciate it.¡±


    I don¡¯t really know what to say to this. It¡¯s not like I was doing any favors. Erik doesn¡¯t say anymore and he begins to gaze off into the fire again. This man is deeply troubled right now. You can see it in his eyes. They are painted with the terror his life has been filled with recently.


    I try to ignore it and ask, ¡°So, you don¡¯t still think I was responsible for what happened to your home?¡±


    He breaths in deeply and lets out an aggravated sigh. ¡°I know what I saw. You were there that day, everything points to you. Yet as much as I want someone to blame, I just can¡¯t shake the feeling that you¡¯re not responsible.¡± I¡¯m relieved to hear this. He continues on, ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact that I want answers and that nothing adds up. Are you sure you don¡¯t remember anything?¡±


    ¡°Trust me, I want to know just as much as you do. Unfortunately, that whole memory is nothing more than a haze,¡± I reply.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the answer I was hoping for.¡±


    I¡¯m not used to dealing with someone emotionally. In situations like this, I never know what to say to someone. Despite knowing this about myself, I reluctantly stammer, ¡°I¡¯m--I¡¯m sorry about your wife. I know this must be difficult for you right now. As soon as I know anything, you¡¯ll be the first one I tell.¡± I hope that helps in some way.


    He lifts his head up a bit and looks at me. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Not long after this, Thane arrives, breaking this awkward conversation. The sun hasn¡¯t fully risen, leaving a bit of darkness. Thane walks into the circle of light holding two large rabbits, each having a leg caught in a snare. They look fresh, as if they were killed no more than an hour ago. He drops them on the ground and pulls out a small knife attached to his belt.


    ¡°Hope you¡¯re hungry,¡± he says as he drops down to one knee and pulls over a flat piece of wood from the pile. He proceeds to slice down both their bellies, gutting and skinning them. The process only takes him about five minutes before they¡¯re done and ready to be cooked.


    ¡°Wow, that was actually pretty fast.¡± I hurry and put together a quick spit so we can begin roasting them over the fire.


    Thane throws the guts out and says, ¡°I can¡¯t count the number of times I¡¯ve caught my own meals. I¡¯ve had to learn how to get good at it over the years.¡±


    ¡°Lucky for us,¡± I say, eagerly waiting for my food.


    Thane skewers both rabbits and places them over the fire to begin cooking. Slowly he turns them in circles, browning the meat more and more each minute. The fat begins to melt and drips off into the fire. The drops start off slow but rapidly increase in number, creating a constant sizzle that makes my mouth water. Just a little more time over the fire and... There, they are ready to eat. Thane pulls the meat off the bones and separates it into equal piles. We each get our portion and begin eating.


    I waste no time, it¡¯s been days and I¡¯m starving. I lift up a leg, take a bite and wow. It¡¯s delicious--of course, I would imagine after not eating for days, anything would be delicious. I¡¯m just happy I get to eat something that can at least fill me up for a while. I continue to eat and so does everyone else. Nobody is talking and that¡¯s fine with me. They both seem just as preoccupied with their meal as I am. We take our few last bites and throw the bones into the fire.


    As I wipe off a few small droplets of juice from the corner of my mouth, Thane says to me ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. I found something for you. Funny, actually,¡± as he reaches down into his pocket and pulls out something I can¡¯t quite make out.


    I lift my head up to see what it is he is holding. ¡°It¡¯s funny you found it?¡± I ask.


    ¡°No, not that I found it. I meant that I forgot about it. You see, this is coon moss,¡± he says as he holds up into the light a tuft of moss that is a mix of blue and red that spiral into each other. He looks up into it as he holds it suspended in air. ¡°This stuff right here can help you with your memory problem. It¡¯s an old herbal remedy that has been used to help people recover from amnesia.¡±


    Erik perks up after not having anything to say for a while ¡°Really! You think it will work?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I believe so,¡± Thane replies. ¡°Guess we won¡¯t know until he tries it out tonight.¡±


    Erik immediately questions, ¡°Tonight--why tonight? Why not now? The sooner the better, I say.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s said to work best at night just before you go to sleep. We only have a limited supply and I doubt I¡¯ll be able to find more. Best that we make sure it reaches its highest potential,¡± he says as he reaches over and hands me the moss.


    I grab it and tuck it into my pocket to use later. ¡°Coon moss, eh? Bit of an odd name.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it got its name from the effect it has on racoons when they eat it. They start hallucinating and acting like a drunken baby,¡± he explains. ¡°Funniest thing to watch,¡± he adds, all the while chuckling.


    I guess last night makes a little more sense now.

 Chapter Nine

    Lying here half asleep, I roll over with eyes still closed and realize something. I''m not where I''m supposed to be, said place being on the path to Moorhall. I''m in a bed, instead of the stiff and bumpy ground near a campfire. My eyes open and I also see I''m in a room. It''s small, only big enough to fit a bed in here. The only other object in here with me is a night stand inches away at the side of the bed with a lone candle sitting atop. It''s unlit and leaving the room in a darkened state. I can see just enough to make out where the door is located and that''s about it.


    I lift my torso up, slide over and sit at the bedside. That wasn''t me--or that was me, but I didn''t voluntarily do it. Then my whereabouts start to become clearer. The room gently rocks from side to another. Water can be heard faintly crashing along the other side of the wall. I''m back on the boat. I''m must be dreaming again. The coon moss worked, Thane was right. This could finally lead to some answers I''ve been looking for. Now I need watch carefully as I ride along in my own body again.


    I lift my hand up and run it through the thick and course hair atop my head. I scratch at the back of my head while letting out a yawn. I look along the foot of the bed and see my outer garments laying on the floor in a small pile. I reach down grab everything and begin getting dressed. Sliding on my pants at first, I hope on one leg as I try to maintain balance on the moving floor beneath me. The shirt comes next, followed by a belt. Shoes, one at a time and laced.


    Merely moments after finishing I hear a knock at the door, immediately followed by Strah entering the room. With one hand on the door and the other on the door frame, he says to me, "Hurry it up. Ahriman is about to question the prisoner."


    "Alright, I''ll be right there." I say in reply as I hurry to finish up. This is it. I''m about to get some answers. I follow behind Strah as he leaves the room and heads down the hall. He is moving at a rather fast pace, clearly just as anxious as I am to see what this man has to say. The hallway opens up into the main central room of the hull just below deck. I remember being here in my last dream. Just as I remember, the cell holding the man (whom I still don''t know) is at the back end of the long room.


    Ahriman is there and a few feet behind him stands Khalm, arms crossed and looking angrily into the cell. Ahriman grabs a chair and slides it up in front of the cell door. He slowly walks around in front of it and sits down. He clears his throat and begins to speak in his deep and naturally assertive voice. "It would be in your best interest to tell us what happened here. I suggest you don''t leave anything out, either."


    The man sitting on the floor looks up at Ahriman. He doesn''t say anything, but instead squints his eyes and begins to look at each and every one of us in confusion. His gaze then drifts downwards and slowly off to the side. He silently mouths something to himself but doesn''t look back up.


    Ahriman sighs, sits back in his chair, and puts one hand on his knee. He allows a brief moment of silence before asking another question. "Let''s start with something a little easier, shall we? What is your name?"


    I listen, eagerly waiting for him to speak.


    "Erwin," he reluctantly spits out. "But you already knew that."


    I look over to the side of me and Strah is standing there. He also looks at me, no doubt with the same thought running through his mind. What does he mean, we ''already knew that''? I''ve never seen this man before in my life. I doubt anyone else here has either.


    Ahriman lowers his brow and says, "No, I''m afraid I didn''t know that. We''ve, never met before."


    "Is this all a joke to you? Quit playing games, just take me back to Shinkara," Erwin says in agitation as he looks back up at Ahriman.


    Shinkara? What is he talking about? Ahriman concludes my thought by saying, "You seem to be a little confused."


    "Look, I already know why you''re here."


    I truly have no idea what''s going on anymore.


    Ahriman shakes his head once from each side. "Wait, what do you think is going on right now?"


    Erwin immediately shoots up on his feet. He points his finger toward Ahriman, then back to himself, all the while angrily yelling, "You think I don''t recognize the prized hounds of the council? You can go ahead and take me back, but I''m done. Tell Isaac there is nothing he can do to force me to work for him anymore. I''m finished developing weapons for him."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Isaac? He can''t mean who I think he means, can he? What does the research and development head of the council have to do with this?


    Ahriman waves his hand from side to side. "Wait, back up. You think Isaac sent us? I can assure you, no one from the council sent us. In fact, we don''t work for them anymore. We defected not long ago."


    Erwin slowly steps forward and wraps both of his hands around the bars that are confining him. "You, defected?" he stammers. "So you''re not here to capture me?"


    "No, we''re not." Ahriman assures him.


    Erwin laughs and bows his head down slightly, resting it between two bars. "Oh, thank you. I''d sooner kill myself then go back there."


    This is good and all, but we haven''t answered anything yet. I could awake at any moment. Come on Erwin, keep talking. Give me anything I can work with. What happens after this? How do we get separated? Am I the only one left alive?


    Ahriman leans forward in his chair and asks, "What exactly is this... Shinkara?"


    Erwin lifts his head back up from the bars. "It''s a research and development facility."


    "How have I not heard of it?" Ahriman asks.


    "It''s existence is only known to a select few outside of the ones who work there. You wouldn''t have heard of it." states Erwin.


    "Lunis already had a facility dedicated to research and development. Why would they need another?" says Ahriman, perplexed.


    "Yes, that''s true, but only for small projects. All of which were public knowledge. Nothing we did at Shinkara was ever small. Everything we worked on was meant to be a secret. We pumped out weapon after weapon. Each bigger than the last," says Erwin sounding more and more glum the longer he talks about his time there. "I was the lead scientist there. My brain birthed every sick invention that ever came out of that place."


    "How was it that you were able to escape?" asks Ahriman


    "I managed to hide myself in a shipping container just before it was released for transportation. Once it was a safe distance from Shinkara I broke out and ran away. I tried to get as far from there as I possibly could, which led me to Kheran. I''ve been hiding there ever since."


    So Erwin escaped from the grasp of Lunis and was hiding out on Kheran. Thane already discovered Lunis was responsible for the massacre there. That can only mean they were searching for Erwin. Thane was right, they weren''t punishing a village that didn''t pay taxes. It was all a cover. I finally have something answered. Something I can tell Thane and Erik when I awake.


    I look over at Ahriman and wonder what else he has to ask. Maybe I''ll get lucky and hear a few more answers.


    Before I can get too lost in my thoughts, Ahriman stands up. He looks angry, as though his blood is boiling and he''s about to erupt. In as calm of a demeanor he can maintain, he asks, "Lunis did this, didn''t they?! They were searching for you and killed everyone else in the process!"


    Erwin, reminded of previous events lowers his head in guilt. He looks like he feels responsible for everything that happened. "I''m afraid so, they lost their lives because of me. None of them even knew why. I never told them who I was."


    Ahriman quickly turns around and lifts up his chair. He lets out a loud mixture of growl and grunt as he throws the chair across the room. It hits the wall and explodes into several pieces. "Murderers!" he yowls as the pieces fall and bounce off the floor multiple times. His teeth are bared in a grin, and his fists are clenched in rage. Now hunched over his upper body begins to twist an turn. His fists explode open and with both hands he grabs his head. I keep watching as his body continues to convulse.


    Erwin backs up in his cell and hits the wall behind him. "Are you... alright?" he asks in fear almost hesitant to even speak.


    That''s when I see Khalm is beginning to repeat everything Ahriman is doing. It doesn''t stop there. I step aside as I noticed right next to me Strah as well is locked in this frightening episode of boiling rage.


    What''s going on!? What''s happening to them? I''ve never seen anyone act this way. All of them together start howling in pain. Spit begins to drip from their lower lips. Sweat gushes over their brows like a waterfall. Ahriman drops to his knees and keeps letting out cries of agony. Erwin looks terrified now. If it weren''t for the bars around him he would run in fear. I couldn''t blame him. Whatever is happening to them right now doesn''t look natural.


    Before I have a chance to say anything, they all stop. In unison, not simply close to the same time. But all exactly at once. I look around at everyone and they seem mostly fine now. Like as if it never happened. Ahriman in the center of it all, slowly arises from off his knees and stands up tall. He just stands there for a moment. Not moving, but stands still and silent. He then turns and begins walking towards the stairs leading above deck. As he passes by me I get a good look at his eyes. They have partially darkened. From the center outwards black lines stretch to the perimeters of his eyes like a spiderweb. Before I am able to look deeper into them the black quickly shrinks and collapses back into his pupils. He ignores me as he walks by and continues up the stairs. Khalm and Strah don''t seem to be paying attention to anything either. Both of them are standing there in silence.


    I watch as Ahriman climbs the final steps and disappears above deck. Confused and dumbfounded I stand and stare at the empty steps. I turn back and look around the room. After I''ve got a good look at everything I look at Erwin. He springs forward and grabs onto the bars in front of him.


    Knowing I''m the only one cognizant at the moment, he stammers while asking "What just happened?"

 Chapter Ten

    In a sudden gasp of breath I snap awake and spring upwards into a sitting position. Both hands rest slightly behind my back planted firmly on the ground. My heart is pounding like a drum trapped in my chest that booms through the rest of my body. I can feel my blood rushing through my veins. I can feel a cold sweat drip from my forehead and roll over the top of my brow.


    Did I really just see what I thought I saw? Was that dream based on truth, or was it some fabrication of my mind?


    Whatever it was, it wasn''t good news.


    I take a look around and see the smoldering remains of a fire that burned bright the night before. Morning is swiftly approaching and filling the sky with sunlight. An orange glow spills over the horizon and mixes with the dark blue that sat before it. My heart rate slows and I start to get my bearings. The stars above me begin to fade away as an even brighter light consumes them. I let my arms slide out and fall down onto my back into a thick blanket of grass below. Whatever thatwas, it was maddening -- I tell myself. I don''t think I will ever get used to that feeling. Though it appears to be the only way of gaining some answers.


    I reach my hand over and place it on my chest. The pounding has stopped and my heart beat has returned to normal. All the droplets of sweat have dried and my breathing is now at a calm and controlled pace. My body is back in balance.


    "You look like you''ve seen the face of death. Is everything alright?" asks a familiar voice coming from behind. I don''t have to look to know who it is. A voice that cavernous and gruff can only belong to Thane.


    "Yeah, I''m fine now. It was just a dream." I assure him trying not to act too bothered by it.


    "Looks like the moss finally worked." He says as he walks in front of me and takes a seat. "About time too. It''s been days already. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever take effect."


    I look over to the side and see Erik lying flat on his back sound asleep. I sit back up and stretch one leg out in front of me, while the other is bent with the knee pointing upwards. I rest one arm on it before I reply to Thane. "It was intense." To say the least, I thought to myself. "But I managed to get a little information out of it."


    Thane perks his head up slightly "Oh yeah?"


    "Yeah, I still don''t know where my friends are though." Sadly the answer to that will have to wait. I can only hope the moss works again and I can pull out the final bit of answers I need. "But I do know what happened on Kheran."


    Before I''m able to continue Thane raises his hand up and stops me. "Hold that thought for just a second." He stands up and walks over to Erik "Hey, get up. You''ll want to hear this."


    Erik slowly sits up while rubbing at his eyes "What?" as he continues to speak he involuntarily yawns muffling his words "Hear what?"


    Thane steps away from him returning to his spot on the ground "Aero" he says while sitting back down "He managed to regain some of his memories."


    Erik''s eyes widen and he leans in my direction waiting for me to start talking. "So what did you see?" he asks.


    I start explaining everything from the beginning. I try not to leave out anything and walk them through my experience step by step. As my story unfolds and stretches longer and longer the sun climbs over the horizon more and more. Soon it''s fully risen and the night sky is nowhere to be seen. Neither of them have looked away even for a second as I tell my story. It draws to a close and I can tell they are just as muddled as I am with the final events. Seeing my friends behave like that was hair-raising. What does it all mean?If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Thane scratches at his beard and says "Feelings of fear and anger are not uncommon among soldiers. Trauma and stress have a crafty way of overwhelming even the ones with the most experience. That doesn''t explain the eyes though. I have no clue what that''s about."


    I''m a little disappointed to hear him say that. I was hoping he would of had an explanation for what that was. Guess it will have to wait. Not like I have any other choice. A brief silence rests in the air as the three of us stir in our own thoughts. Then Erik asks "So then it''s true. Lunis was trying to cover something up when they slaughtered my people."


    "I''m sorry, but yes it''s true." I say


    "And it was all for one man? Those deranged lunatics sicken me. How could one man''s life be worth more than a hundred?" he says as he stands up and kicks the ashes in front of him. Small remains of burnt wood explode and blanket the ground ahead. Black smoke erupts into the air and latches onto a small breeze passing by. "And it''s all for what, bigger weapons? Just so they can add more to the death and destruction? When will it end? What do they even need them for I ask? It''s not as though anyone has the means to fight them. Most of the world barely has enough coin to fill their stomachs with a hot meal."


    Thane lets Erik settle down a bit before telling him "They just want to ensure they always have the upper hand. It''s been that way from the beginning. After the world fell into anarchy 30 years ago, Lunis was there to jump right in and claim leadership. Not like anyone had any real chance of opposing them."


    Erik waves his hands at Thane and turns away from him "I know the stories. No need to remind me."


    Erik is a bit older than me and likely remembers his life before the council of Lunis assumed ruler ship. I on the other hand was born into the world the way it is now. Their ruler ship is all I''ve ever know. Funny thing is, I was raised by them. Yet, I don''t know anything of what happened 30 years ago. No one was ever allowed to talk about it around the city. Even the highest ranks of the Lunar Guard were punished when they spoke of old times.


    "I feel your pain Erik. It''s not all bad news though. A little light has shined in our direction." says Thane trying to quell his anger.


    "Good news? What was possibly good about any of that? Erik says almost shouting.


    "Erwin." says Thane


    "Who, that scientist?" Erik says with a bitter look on his face.


    "Yes, don''t you see? He could be a tremendous asset to the Red Heart. He was the lead in advanced weapons development was he not?" Thane asks


    "Yes, that''s what he said." I reply


    Thane stands up and keeps talking to us "Just think if we had him as an ally. We would finally had an advantage over Lunis."


    "Is that all you think of?" Erik shouts "Your futile efforts in this army of yours? Do you care nothing of the lives I lost? Or even the lives you lost? All those men were following you and lost everything because of it."


    "I am thinking of them!" Thane says in a loud voice almost shouting. This is the closest to anger I''ve seen him "It''s my job to ensure they didn''t lose their lives for nothing. If I just walk away from it all now I would be a disgrace to everything I once stood for." He steps back for a moment, runs his hand through his hair and turns away from us. He catches his breath and turns back around "Erik, I can''t tell you how sorry I am for what happened to you and your people. I know, I lost nearly everything too. Horace and Ric, they were my closest friends. They have been by my side for years and yet I don''t even know if they''re alive. It''s maddening to say the least. I can''t focus on that though. This is my life, and in this life you lose ones who you hold close to you. All I can do is make sure their deaths mean something."


    Erik calms down after listening to him "Sorry, I didn''t mean to lash out at you. I just wish there was something I could do."


    Thane replies "There just might be."


    I look up at the bright blue sky then back at them "I don''t mean to cut this short, but we really need to get moving. We''ve already lost a lot of daylight."


    "He''s right" agrees Thane "We need to keep moving. The sooner we make it to Moorhall the better. Gather your things and let''s head out."


    There isn''t much to gather. It''s not as though this journey was planned by any of us. We do have a few things however. Mostly small items gathered along the way. Makeshifts items like water pouches made from the skin of animals we''ve managed to capture. The cup I carved to drink my coon moss tea in. I pick everything up and we head out towards our destination. We stay close to the main trail but never travel directly on it. It''s likely there are patrols as we get closer to the city.


    Only a few days left now. Looking out across a wide valley I can see the hills we need to pass over. They are distant and faint, but I can see them. It''s only a day''s travel past those. Soon we''ll be there. Soon we''ll get some more answers.


    Soon, I''ll find my friends.

 Chapter Eleven

    We''ve made it out of the valley and now we approach a wall of trees that stretches beyond what the eye can see. Crossing the valley was the only time we traveled on the main path. We were exposed to being seen but didn''t have any other choice. If someone had seen use we would of known about it by now. Whether it was an outright attack at that time, or later. There wouldn''t have been much we could have done to prevent it. Though now we have the chance to move along side of the path unseen.


    The forest path is only a few paces in front of me. It narrows a bit as it wedges itself between the trees. Both sides of the path is covered in dense shrubbery and forest. The path extends a few hundred feet towards the hills before making a gradual turn to the right and disappearing around the bend.


    "This forest covers a wide area before it reaches the hills. It''ll likely take us two days to make it through. We''ll follow close to the path and will meet back up with it just as it climbs over the pass." says Thane


    The three of us walk off to the side of the path and into the forest. It''s very dim under the trees it''s similar to when you first set foot indoors on a sunny day. The canopy above is extremely thick and allows very little light to pass through it. A few small slivers manage to break their way through and touch the ground. Those are few and far between though.


    Erik, while awkwardly stepping over fallen branches and roots loudly says "I don''t see why we can''t just follow the path. We could travel twice as fast without all of these obstacles in our way." His foot snags on a root he overlooked tripping him. He quickly manages to reach out and grab on to the nearby tree trunk for balance. Standing back upright he continues "It''s not like we have even seen anyone this entire trip. How do we know they are still searching?"


    Thane in the front of us struggling the most says " Just because we haven''t seen anyone doesn''t mean they aren''t there. Lunis likely believed they stamped out the Red Heart years ago." He says as he walks along.


    His massive height is constantly getting in the way. Most of the branches hang low. While Erik and I can easily walk right under most of them. Thane has to duck below nearly all of them.


    "Now that they know it''s still alive you can be sure to assume they will not let us walk about easily. I''m sure they want to find anyone left alive and eliminate any possible threat of us ever reforming." Thane continues


    I''m walking in the back of the group having little trouble traversing through the trees. Placing my hand on the rough tree bark for added balance "You have to remember Moorhall isn''t that far away now. The closer we get to town the better chance we have of bumping into a patrol." I say to Erik. I didn''t think someone could be so oblivious to how things work. I figured it would be self explanatory. How much can I expect from a fisherman though? A fisherman from a remote location I might add.


    Erik says, not speaking to either one of us directly "Fine, if you say so. I just want to make it out of here in one piece." He sounds frustrated and tired. His arms wave in the air giving weight to his frustration.


    After this we don''t speak to each other much. The occasional ''watch your step'' comes forward here and there. Aside from that, the next several hours is fairly quiet. I think everyone is ready to get to town. We all want a bed to sleep in, and a hot meal. We had some luck catching rabbits a couple times, but haven''t eaten in a couple days now. Thanes hunting hasn''t produced anything. I gave it a try a few times but came up empty handed. I''ve never been much of a hunter. Don''t have the patience I suppose.


    The next several hours is filled with nothing but my own voice in my head. Thoughts spin around and around in my mind like the slow stirring of a stew. The same questions keep coming full circle back to the front of my mind. I know I''ve asked the same questions dozens of times. The same, where are my friends, are they okay, how did I fall overboard? It does no good to dwell on what I can''t control right now, but I can''t help wanting to know.


    I reach into my pocket and pull out the last bit of coon moss I have. Not much, maybe enough for one more cup of tea. As I become more focused on what''s in my hand, I begin to walk at a slower and slower pace. It''s shortly after that that I stop completely. No one seems to notice at first. Thane and Erik keep walking ahead unaware I am falling behind. It doesn''t matter, I just keep staring into my hand. I shift the moss across my fingers using my thumb. I try not to be rough with it. I don''t want to drop even a shred of the dried remains. It''s precious and valuable to me. Soon my fingers stop moving at all and the moss lays there motionless in my palm. I stare off into it thinking to myself, you''re my only hope. My fingers close around the moss creating a safe cocoon for it to hide. "Come on, I need you to work." I say as if it''s intelligent enough to hear me.


    I let out a long deep sigh of tiredness as I slide the moss back in my pocket. Once it''s safely in place I begin to step forward. As I lift my head back up I see Thane and Erik stopped ahead of me. They don''t say anything. Instead they wait for me to catch up. I quicken my pace and go into a slight jog closing the gap between us. Once i''m a few steps behind them I slow back down.


    Thane waits for me to stop walking and says to me "I''ve said it plenty of times before, but I still believe it. I''m sure you will find them soon." He puts one hand on my shoulder while the other raises up and points ahead with one finger. In a deep but comforting tone he says "You see that light shining through the canopy ahead?"


    I look forward squinting my eyes slightly to see what he''s talking about. My line of sight shoots ahead and slithers left and right as it passes through the dense forest until it finally hits its target. The light Thane was talking about. I see it now, it''s different from the small occasional beam that falls through the canopy. It''s bigger and brighter. The sun is no more than a couple hours from setting so it''s not as bright as midday, but still noticeable. After I''ve made eye contact with what he was pointing at I reply back to him "Yeah, I see it."


    Thane points his finger with more force now. It''s as if he is trying to break through some imaginary wall in front of us. "That''s the main path. Up ahead is where it forks." After walking under the protection of shadows I lost track of where we were. I realize it now though, instead of saying anything I let Thane continue. "All we have to do is make a right at the fork and we will be at the foothills by nightfall. By this time tomorrow we will be in Moorhall. I''m sure your friends are there waiting for you."


    He doesn''t know that for sure. They could be anywhere. For all I know they could be dead. Despite all that though, his words encourage me to keep moving. I look up at him with a very slight smile and say "What are we waiting for then?"


    Thane lifts his head up and lets out a quiet chuckle "That''s the spirit. Now let''s keep moving." He puts one foot forward and lifts his hand off my shoulder. His wide hand then swings forward and gives a friendly slap on my back. The force jerks me forward and feels like it will cause my heart to explode out the front of my chest. Sometimes I think Thane forgets how much strength he wields effortlessly. I feel sorry for anyone that opposes him.


    He keeps moving and leads the group once more. Erik who remained quiet this entire time moves forward too. I follow behind and keep to the back as we approach the fork. It''s not far off, maybe a minute or so away. After traveling for days a minute passes by in a blink.


    We make it to the tree line just before the path. I look out past the trees and see a tall wooden pole with two signs on it. Each sign is pointed at the end making an arrow tip. The higher one points to the left and reads Bullmar. The one below that reads Moorhall. It feels good to finally read that name. Not much more to go now.


    Thane turns right and we follow. Still staying behind the tree line, this is the closest we''ve been to the path in a while. I can see it off to the side as we walk. I''m able to pick out small identifiable marks on the path and watch as they fall behind us. A small rock, or tuft of grass fades off into the distance as we make our way. Dusk is approaching and our day of travel follows right behind it. Soon we can take a rest and head back out in the--


    Suddenly my attention is snagged on the loud sound of several footsteps behind us. I stop immediately and turn my head down and off to the side as I listen in. Horses, I hear horses approaching. It''s not likely they are wild either. It''s loud and approaching quickly. The steps sound heavy, the horses are carrying men on their backs. I can''t tell if they are friend or foe from here. We need to vanish from sight now!This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Quick hide!" I shout out to them as I dash behind a nearby tree and place my back up against it. The two of them stand in confusion for a brief second before they hear it themselves. Not wasting any time both of them sprint for cover and each hide behind a tree of their own. Erik backs up to one and so does Thane. His shoulders are almost wider than the tree itself. It barely manages to conceal him from sight.


    The galloping sound begins to boom louder as it swiftly approaches. Every second that passes it becomes clearer and clearer. Each step burrows deeper and deeper into my skin. I peek around the side of my tree and look out onto the path to see who''s behind us.


    Nothing but a large dust cloud is visible from this distance. A light shade of brown spins and tumbles through the air like a haunting presence following us. I lean back around the tree out of sight and take a deep breath. I have a feeling of who it may be, but that''s something I definitely don''t want to be true. I let out a long exhale and once again peek around the tree.


    This time I see it-- or should I say them.


    A hexa patrol. I count six in total. My hearts makes a giant leap into my throat. We are out numbered two to one. Only if you count Erik as a capable fighter. I don''t, so that leaves only me and Thane--three to one. The two of us alone were able to fight off more wolves than that. This is different though, these men don''t rely on feral instinct. They may not have as high of a pain tolerance as wolves, but are deadly in other ways. While wolves may be able to push their weight around more, men fight with intelligence. Especially a hexa patrol, they don''t just simply watch the roads. They stamp out anyone who stands in their way. Bandits and wanted men are on the top of their list. They strike with calculation and precision.


    I lean back around out of sight and calm my breathing. We can do this. No reason to fear them. I''m ready for this. Not only am I ready, I''m eager. It''s been days since my last good fight. They won''t know what hit them. I reach my hand down and place it on the hilt of my sword. I can feel it''s thirst calling to me. I take another quick look and size them up. The five in the back all wear matching armor. From head to toe they are covered in hard leather. The one out front differs in his breastplate. It''s metal, shined to a polish. Light ricochets off when it hits the center, soaring out into the sky as he sways back and forth from riding. I can see a prominent symbol painted firmly on the center of his breastplate. A crescent moon evenly surrounded by six daggers. The only other difference I see in him is the lack of a helmet. Leaders of a hexa patrol rarely wear them.


    The gap between us lessens as they continue. The dirt cloud follows closely behind. They are about to pass by. I quickly lean around the other side of the tree and watch them intently. Peeking out only enough to give one eye vision.


    As I''m looking at the man in front he turns his head in my direction. His eyes line up with the tree I''m using as cover. His brow drops and his eyes focus in like a looking glass. He clenches the reigns tight and pulls them back commanding the horse to stop. It digs its hooves into the ground and slides to a complete standstill. The sudden change in speed causes him to lean forward and have to regain his balance. Once the other men see this they follow suit.


    All of them stand a good 40 feet away from us now on the trail. The leader steps off his horse and plants his feet firmly on the ground. He reaches down at his sword and holds on to the hilt as he walks towards our side of the forest. His eyes not fixed on any one location. I can tell he lost track of which tree I was behind. Knowing he doesn''t see me I slowly slither back and vanish from sight. I look over at Thane and Erik, both of them standing as still as possible trying not to make a sound. Erik is behind the tree closest to me. Our eyes meet and he watches me closely as I raise one finger up and press it over my lips. He nods his head and looks down. Droplets of sweat form on his forehead and trickle over his eyes. Not wanting to move an inch he refrains from wiping them off. His hands begin to shake as the footsteps of the man get closer. I can''t see exactly where he is, but it''s close. If Erik''s heart were a drum it would bellow a monstrous beat.


    The steps come closer and closer, leaves and twigs crunch beneath his boots as he stomps toward us. I slowly pull my sword out being careful to not let it ring as it slides against it''s scabbard. Erik sees me do this and shakes his head. His eyes widen as he tries to tell me to stop. He wants to avoid a fight at all costs. It doesn''t phase me. I continue to raise the blade up and rest it along the bridge of my nose, holding it firmly with two hands. In and out, in and out. I steady my breath and heart as I prepare for battle.


    Suddenly the sound of footsteps disappear. Steel can be heard ringing in the air as a sword is pulled from it''s scabbard. "Come on out." A commanding voice calls out only a few steps away.


    Just a couple more steps, come on, step closer. I''ve been through too much to let you ruin it all now. I don''t call Lunis home anymore, and I plan to keep it that way. It doesn''t matter how much I wish him to come closer, he is standing still. Keeping his ground and awaiting someone to come out. He is probably intelligent enough not to approach what he can''t see, but if we get the jump on him we can easily win. After he''s dealt with we will only have five more to go. I can''t see Thane right now, but I''m sure he will join in once I decide to catch this guy by surprise. Erik sees me getting ready for battle. He gives a small hand gesture to get my attention. I look over at him and he widens his eyes and shakes his head, no. I know he doesn''t want a fight but this is no time to be a coward. I don''t see any other way out of this, if we are going to be victorious then we need to strike now.


    Erik then reaches down and begins to unbuckle his belt. He fumbles around nervously as his hands shake uncontrollably. The tension in my muscles relax and my sword lowers a few inches as I stare at him confused. I try to get his attention and mouth to him ''what are you doing!?''. It''s no good though, he isn''t paying attention to me anymore.


    "Are you deaf?" an angry voice barks "I said come out... now!"


    Erik''s belt is undone completely and his pants struggle to stay up. He grabs on to them with one hand and raises the other high into the air. He nervously jumps out from behind the tree now in plain sight. "I''m out! I''m out!" he cries. The one hand is still high in the air signaling he is cooperating. I still can''t see the man and have only my ears to get a grasp at what''s going on. With Erik having left his original position I have a clear line of sight of Thane. I look over at him and mouth ''what is he doing?'' he shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head not sure what to make of it. Not sure what to do at this point I prepare my sword for a surprise attack. Thane sees this and gestures with his hand telling me no.


    I want this guy dead. Though if Thane want''s me to hold off then I will. He must have something planned so I''ll follow his lead.


    "Ugh!" can be heard once the patrol leader makes eye contact with Erik. He stammers in a mixture of disgust and confusion "What--what are you doing?"


    In a slightly high pitched voice Erik nervously replies "Sorry, sorry! I''m sorry. I was just walking on the path on my way to Moorhall when--" Erik pauses and looks behind the tree he was hiding behind. "When I needed to, well-- relieve myself. I thought this was a good place to get a little privacy."


    A burst of laughter can be heard coming from the path as the rest of the men see Erik. Hahaha they all cry out together struggling to keep a calm demeanor. "Come on boss, leave this peasant to his dirty work." can be heard from one of the men as he fights back laughing even harder.


    Erik has yet to say anymore still holding on to his pants with one hand. The sound of faint footsteps can be heard coming closer now. Erik stops him dead in his tracks by says "I wouldn''t go back there if I were you." he takes another look behind the tree and then back to the man. "It''s not the most pleasant smell. I wouldn''t want to upset you."


    At this point the men explode in even more laughter. I can hear the horses fidgeting as they all must be struggling not to fall over.


    "Hm, very well then." crunch, crunch leaves and twigs crumble under his boots as he walks away. They momentarily cease as he turns and says "Just-- bury that when you''re done will ya". He continues to walk away and eventually gets atop his horse.


    Another one of the men cries out to the rest of the group "I''m just happy he didn''t raise both hands in the air" followed by another burst of laughter.


    "Alright, settle down." grunts their leader. I cautiously look around the tree and see him snap the reigns back telling the horse to keep moving. Everyone else follows his lead while still struggling to stay upright. The group moves down the path followed by another cloud of dust. It doesn''t take long before they trail out of sight and the cloud behind them dissipates.


    Once they are gone Thane steps out from behind his tree and begins laughing himself. He approaches Erik who is standing there almost dumbfounded and pats him on the back "clever thinking!". Erik falls forward flat onto his stomach and lets out an "oof" as his pants fall to his ankles. Thane laughs harder at this "I didn''t realize the moon would come so early today"


    Erik stands back upright while lifting his pants back up and buckling his belt. As he secures the notch he says while still laughing "I can''t believe that actually worked. We didn''t even have to fight them."


    Thane calms down as he wipes the tears from his eyes "Guess there is more than one way to deal with a hexa patrol."


    I reach over and place my sword back into its scabbard while walking towards them. Once I reach them I say to Erik "good job". Truth is, I would have rather fought. It would have felt great to knock some heads together for a change. Erik looks over and gives me a nod as a way of saying thanks.


    "Let''s wait here for a little bit. Better give them a good head start so we don''t bump into each other again." says Thane as he looks off down the path.


    "Fine by me. I could use a bit of a break." says Erik as he sits down and rests up against a tree seeming proud of his small victory.


    I look down the path where the patrol went and see the sun is not far from setting. We don''t have much time before it''s completely gone. "Alright, but not for long. I don''t want to waste anymore time, Moorhall is waiting for us."

 Chapter Twelve

    Dusk is swiftly approaching, and the bitter chill of night has started to slither its way around us. We gave the patrol plenty of time to get ahead of us, but now we are trying to gain as much ground as we can before night sets in. We can¡¯t travel on the main path and are still forced to walk in the forest border. The three of us are more cautious than we were before. If another patrol were to come this way again we would want to be ready.


    I say let them come, let¡¯s show them we aren¡¯t to be trifled with. I¡¯m confident in my abilities as a soldier and Thane has proven himself to be more than capable. Why run, why hide? I¡¯d rather confront a patrol and send a message instead of cowering in the bushes. I¡¯m ready for anything they can throw at me. I can feel my fingers aching to wrap themselves around the hilt of my blade. My hand wants to feel the weight of a sword eager for battle. I know our best course of action right now is to remain unseen, but I can¡¯t shake the urge to exact a little revenge. I¡¯ll be good though, I¡¯ll follow along, for now.


    Time continues to pass and the evening grows colder by the minute. We¡¯ve been climbing the base of the foothills and will soon be close to the pass. There isn¡¯t any snow in the area though it is cold enough for it. I imagine we will see some as we travel over the mountains.


    ¡°This looks like a good enough spot to stop for the night. We don¡¯t have very much time before it¡¯s dark out. We need to use the small amount of light we have left collecting firewood.¡± says Thane as he looks around the forest ¡°There¡± he points off into the distance. ¡°That area looks dense enough to swallow any light coming from our fire. We¡¯ll stay there for the night.¡±


    As much as I want to keep moving, I can¡¯t argue with this. It would be foolish to try and navigate through the night. Especially where we are, we wouldn¡¯t be able to see the very ground we walked. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can find then head over there once we have enough wood to make it through the night.¡± The two of them nod in agreeance and we begin searching for anything we can burn. I manage to find a couple small broken branches and some twigs to use as kindling. Before long I have two arms full and so do Thane and Erik. All of this should be enough for us to make it through the night. Thane alone is carrying almost enough to build an entire cabin himself. The three of us regroup before setting up camp.


    ¡°Looks like we have enough let¡¯s head over and set it--¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Thane is unable to finish his sentence before the sound of a blood curdling scream is heard faintly echoing in the distance.


    We all look at each other wondering if the other just heard the same thing.


    ¡°What was tha--¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡± The scream can be heard even louder now booming through the trees like a canon. ¡°Help!¡± cries the voice of a woman somewhere nearby. I immediately drop everything I¡¯m holding and sprint towards the sound. The other two do the same and follow. I¡¯m running as fast as I can weaving through trees as the get in my way and leaping over logs.


    The main path is only a few feet away now and I burst out into the open. I stand here with the dirt path beneath me briefly glancing upwards. The sun has just disappeared behind the mountains in front of us but hasn¡¯t quite set for the night. We still have a few moments of light before we are swallowed by darkness. I look down the path in the direction the voice came from, but there¡¯s no one in sight. The path takes a sharp turn just up ahead. I turn around to the guys and wave ¡°come on, let¡¯s go¡±. Thane is only a few steps behind me but Erik is almost falling behind. I can¡¯t waste any time waiting for him so I run off down the path. With no obstacles in my way I can sprint at top speed. It¡¯s still a ways down before the path turns. Thane and I are running neck and neck towards the voice who hasn¡¯t made any other sounds since. My heart begins to pound and my lungs start to burn from the cold air. Sweat makes it¡¯s way out as I don¡¯t let up for even a second.


    We come up to the turn and make our way around it sliding as we make a sudden shift in momentum. The dirt path coughs out small clouds from under my feet as I try my best not to slip. Once we make our way around the corner I see a group of silhouetted figures in the distance. I slow down a bit to get a clearer picture and see six horses standing in the middle of the path. No riders sit atop them. They have to be on foot somewhere nearby. If i¡¯m silent enough then I might be able to get the jump on them. I can¡¯t help but grin, looks like i¡¯ll get that fight after all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s scout the area and see what¡¯s going on¡± I say to Thane while exhaling from near exhaustion.


    ¡°Agreed¡±


    By this time Erik comes around the corner and catches up with us. He hunches over and rests his hands on his knees. Panting as he tries not to fall over he says ¡°give me a second to catch my breath¡±.


    ¡°No time for that¡± I say to him as I¡¯ve already began running again.


    ¡°Oh, come on¡± he huffs as he begins to follow us at barely a jogging speed.


    I¡¯m at the horses now and begin to scout the area and look for where the hexa patrol went. Off to the side rests a large number of footprints. They lead off to the left and continue into the forest. I can hear the distant sound of men talking and the faint voice of a woman. I can¡¯t make out anything they are saying, it all sounds like mumbling from here. I give Thane a signal to be silent and we move into the darkness under the trees. We crouch down and walk at a steady and stealthy pace. To my surprise Thane isn¡¯t making the slightest bit of sound. I would imagine a man his size couldn¡¯t help but pound the ground with his weight. Instead it¡¯s almost as if he is gliding over all the dried leaves and small twigs on the ground like a weightless apparition.


    The sound of talking is becoming more and more clear the closer we get. I don¡¯t hear the woman anymore though. Hopefully she¡¯s still alive. If not, these guys are going to experience the most brutal beating all of Salus has ever seen.


    We weave around several trees and finally come up to a large row of bushes. Leaves from the bushes are scattered all over the ground. They also look slightly flattened, like someone stepped on them. Only moments after seeing this I can hear a voice coming past the bushes loud and clear. It¡¯s familiar, it sounds like the same one from earlier, the patrol leader.


    Luckily there is little light under the massive canopy that covers us. No one sees me as I part the bushes and peer through them. Just on the other side of the bushes the ground slopes about ten feet before flattening back out. At the bottom of the slope I can see an animal skin pack full of various items and a bow with a quiver full of arrows sitting right next to it. No one in the patrol had one earlier. That must not belong to them.


    I push my hands deeper into the bush and quietly part it even more giving me a better view. I can see past the slope now, down where the ground flattens again. Only a few steps away from the bow is the woman standing with the blackest hair I have ever seen. Not a common color in this world. Her back is turned to us and each arm is being held by a patrol guard. Off to the right by about 15 feet is a man with the dark black hair like the woman, he too is being held by the patrols.


    Two men hold his arms out straight and keep him down on his knees. A third man stands just in front of him cracking his knuckles with a disgusting grin on his face. A closer look reveals he has been beating this guys senseless. He struggles to keep his head up as it bobs up and down. He looks as if he could pass out at any moment. Both of his eyes are blackened and bruised, while blood and spit drips off his bottom lips.


    Standing with his arms crossed is the leader overseeing all of this. I couldn¡¯t get a clear look at him earlier but now I have no problem. He fits the bill of any other hexa leader. He wears a bright blue cape that signifies his place in the military ladder. The sides of his head are shaved and fade up to the top. The rest of his hair is blonde medium length and pulled back into a wolf tail. Standard grooming for a man of his rank. All of him is neatly wrapped in a bow of arrogance.


    He is only one rank above his men, and any other ordinary foot soldiers. Still it takes years to achieve such a rank, and when these men do, they always make sure you respect them for it. It¡¯s sickening to watch him stand there and laugh as his men beat this poor guy to the edge of death. I doubt whatever they may have done deserves this punishment. I close the bush and lean back to Thane.


    ¡°I count six men, it¡¯s the hexa from earlier. They have two prisoners with them. One of them looks to be in bad shape, it looks like they have been using him as a punching bag for a while now.¡±


    Thane quietly grunts in disgust ¡°That¡¯s no way for a man of power to behave. I say we teach them a lesson. We may be outnumbered, but I think we can handle them. They have no idea we are even here.¡±


    I grin at hearing this, and have to admit I¡¯m eager to get going.


    ¡°You read my mind.¡±


    I can hear the mumble of voices coming through the bushes. I part them and peer through once again trying to hear what they are saying. Now that I can see through again I notice the leader has moved. He¡¯s standing directly in front of the woman. He holds a knife in his right hand and is using it to clean under his fingernails. Keeping his attention down at his hands he says to her ¡°You don¡¯t know how happy I am that you dropped right into my hands.¡± He looks up at her now and places the tip of his knife firmly on her neck ¡°You¡¯re going to win me a well overdue promotion.¡±


    She turns her head away from him ¡°No no, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t hurt you, you¡¯re worth much more to me alive.¡± He says as he pulls the knife away from her. He lifts the knife into the air and stares at it a bit before tossing it behind him. It flies through the air and the patrol guard who was beating the black haired man catches it. An evil grin curls at the edge of his mouth as he turns towards the black haired man.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a long trip back to Lunis. We¡¯ll have some time to get to know each other on the way. You can call me Demmin.¡± The leader says as he lifts his empty hand up and places it on her cheek. He begins to caress the side of her face as if showing affection towards a pet. She keeps her head turned and mutters something in a strange language I¡¯ve never heard before. He ignores this and keeps caressing her. An insidious smile begins to grow on his face.


    He leans in close to her and says ¡°Yes, I think we¡¯ll get to know each other real well.¡± He tries to kiss her on the cheek, but she stops him with a swift kick to the groin. Swift and strong, like a sledgehammer between the legs. A loud howl of pain explodes out of him as he hunches over to his knees. All of his men snicker at this discreetly trying not to draw attention to themselves. Demmin huffs loudly as he stands up straight. He reaches behind her head grabs a head full of hair and forces her to look directly at him. Not wanting to appear weak he attempts to hide his raised voice by masking it with a deep gravelly sound of authority. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you to cooperate, you filthy Montinian rat.¡± He lets go of her and turns his back. ¡°We have no further use for this man.¡± The patrol guard standing in front of the black haired man listens for his instructions. Demmin who has regained his normal voice calmly says ¡°Kill him¡±.


    The patrol guard promptly turns around and drives the knife between his ribs. He coughs once before slumping over. He was so out of it I doubt he even felt the pain. A deafening scream bellows out of the woman as she falls to her knees in sorrow. She begins to sob quietly as her head drops and stares off into the ground.


    Demmin stands with his back still turned to her. ¡°Maybe next time you¡¯ll think twice before you try to make a fool out of me.¡±


    The two guards holding the man let go of him and let the body fall. It makes a loud thud as it lifelessly crashes into the ground. Demmin calls out to his men and turns towards them. ¡°Now, what say we deliver our precious cargo as soon as possible.¡± The woman doesn¡¯t react to this at all. The men pull out a length of rope and begin to bind her hands behind her back. Still, she does nothing. She¡¯s given up by this point. Before they are able to secure the binding tight, suddenly we all hear--


    Snap!


    Directly behind us a branch makes a loud sound as it¡¯s broken in half. Erik caught up with us. He stands still not wanting to move another muscle with a wide eyed and terrified expression on his face. It¡¯s too late, they have all seen him by now. Thane and I are still unnoticed however, and we have to do everything we can not to lose that advantage.


    Demmin angrily points up the slope and over the bushes ¡°You!¡± he holds his finger firmly in mid air ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Erik raises his hands up at about chest level and stammers ¡°I uh-- I-- I just, got a little turned around that¡¯s all¡­¡± He bares a nervous smile trying to prove his innocence.


    Demmin isn¡¯t giving him a second chance this time around. ¡°You three.¡± he points to the men standing over the body ¡°Arrest him, he obviously is with these two.¡±


    The three men draw their swords and run towards the slope. Erik looks down at us and I gesture to him to stay put. He is slowly stepping backwards with the intent to turn around and run any second. I shake my head from side to side while maintaining eye contact with him. Quietly I mouth ¡®don¡¯t move¡¯. He stops mid step and gives a single nod. The three men begin to make their way up the slope. The incline slows down their pace and forces them to hunch forward to keep their balance. Dirt crumbles and slides below them as they move higher and higher up towards us.


    Thane clutches his sword tightly in one hand and waits. Just as the men are on the other side of the bush Thane explodes out of his cover and barrels into them like a charging bull. The three of them fall over backwards. Two of them slide down flat on their backs while the other rolls down like a log. Being hit by Thane like that would no doubt leave some bruises. He slides down the hill with them and holds his massive sword out in front of him ready for battle. Two of the men shake their heads and slowly stand up. One of them dropped their sword and had to quickly search to find it again. The third man however is still laying on the ground. The impact must of knocked him out cold.


    Demmin immediately draws his sword and backs up a few steps ¡°What is this!?¡± he yells as he cautiously examines the situation.


    I don¡¯t give him the chance to think any further before I leap out of the bushes and slide down the slope towards the other set of men. Erik stays behind as expected. Demmin shifts his attention between Thane and me, not sure who is more of a threat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let her free at any cost!¡± Demmin bellows as he raises his sword and heads towards me. There is a great enough distance between him and his men that buys me some time. Once I slide down and reach the bottom of the slope I immediately drive my blade through one of their backs. He falls to the ground grabbing at the wound. It¡¯s only moments before the life seeps out of him and he topples over. One down, five alive, one unconscious, that leaves only four to deal with at the moment. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    The odds just tipped a little more in our favor. It¡¯s not over yet though. I take my sword and slide it down between the woman''s arms. Being careful not to hurt her I slide it across the rope and cut right through it. There is no time to unbind her by normal means so this will have to do. The rope falls apart into several pieces and drops to the ground. The patrol guard is still holding onto her arm and is now trying to twist it behind her back. He is fighting with all his strength to pin her down. It isn¡¯t working, every inch he pushes, she pushes back by two. She thrashes around violently and finally wriggles one hand free. The guard only has one of her arms in his grasp. He pulls back at her as hard as he can. She pulls the opposite way. He loses his footing and stumbles forward. She takes this opportunity to send one massive punch right to his gut. A gasp for air springs forward from his lungs as he hunches forward breathless. He barks out a wheezy cough still hanging on to her with all his strength. That¡¯s when she delivers the next strike. She lifts her foot up and stomps all of her weight down onto his ankle. A loud crunch pulsates in the air as his ankle collapses under his weight. Unable to hold on anymore he lets go and howls high into the air in pain. As he struggles to stay up she runs away from him and dashes behind me.


    Demmin angrily shouts at him ¡°You imbecile!¡± giving no care to his pain ¡°You¡¯re letting her go!¡±


    He tightens his shoulders and charges towards her. Sword drawn and ready to strike if necessary. The man with the broken ankle awkwardly hobbles up and pulls out his weapon as well. I step to the side and block their path. Demmin stands beside his subordinate and he hisses under his breath ¡°You have just committed an act of treason. I suggest you all surrender before this has to get any uglier.¡±


    I grab onto the hilt of my sword and raise it up showing them I will not easily back down ¡°Oh, it will get ugly, but not for me.¡± I scoff at him with, I admit, a bit of cockiness. I¡¯ve been fighting my whole life, and I¡¯m not about to lose to the likes of these guys.


    Off to the side of me I hear two grunts followed by two loud thuds. I turn just enough to see what it was in the corner of my eye. The two other patrol guards lay on the ground motionless. Thane stands above them holding his sword in one hand. He made quick work of three hexa guards in a matter of seconds. From the look of things, he didn¡¯t even break a sweat. He turns his back towards the men on the ground and walks towards us.


    The 30 pounds of hard steel he holds drags along the ground creating a small trail of parted dirt behind it. He doesn¡¯t bother to raise it in the slightest, he¡¯s letting it look heavy and cumbersome. It doesn¡¯t need to be drawn for it to be intimidating. Thanes height alone is enough. The sword just adds an extra touch of fear, to an already fearsome man.


    Demmin is no fool, he can count. There is only two of them left, and one of them can barely stand up without assistance. I lower my sword and stand at a resting position. Demmin¡¯s eyes shift nervously between me and Thane. I¡¯m just having a little fun at this point. I prepare to let loose a snarky remark ¡°Looks like you--¡± Demmins attention is broken from the two of us. His eyes widen as he peers behind where we are standing.


    Whoosh!


    The sound of an arrow flies right by my ear. I can feel the wind spin and twirl as it passes by. It hits the already injured guard. His armor wasn¡¯t enough to protect him. The arrow punctured completely through the leather and into his flesh. His legs give out and he collapses. The arrow hit him clean in the heart. Dead before he even hit the ground. I look behind us and see the woman. She holds the bow firmly in one hand. It wobbles just a bit as the rest of her begins to tremble. She lets out a long exhale that stammers as it escapes her lungs. The bow drops from her hand and she falls down down to her knees. Her legs shake as the rest of her is now frozen in place. I don¡¯t have time to watch her further and turn my attention back to Demmin.


    Demmin looks down at his fallen soldier and nervously whispers to himself ¡°Oh boy¡­¡± He raises his hands in the air, he knows he¡¯s been beaten. His legs slowly start to carry him backwards. I am half expecting him to run at any second. ¡°Come on guys, I¡¯m sure we can work something out right?¡± he sounds skittish now. Coward, he can¡¯t even finish what he started.


    ¡°I know, I know! The horses, take the horses.¡± I don¡¯t think so buddy. Thane and I slowly walk forward and cover his exits. I stand on his left and Thane stands on the right. Behind him is a thick line of trees. You¡¯ve got nowhere to go now. Still trying to reason with us he says ¡°Oh, and as a bonus how about a little money? The satchel on my horse has gold inside it. Take it, it¡¯s yours.¡± I haven¡¯t known Thane for long, but something tells me that¡¯s not what he has in mind.


    The two of us continue to back him into a corner and stare him down ¡°What else do you want from me?¡± Demmin suddenly stops and stands in place knowing he has nowhere to go. I go to step forward and end this but Thane cuts me off and pushes me back with one hand. He stands between the two of us and holds me back. He wants this guy all to himself. Lunis killed nearly all his men and I¡¯m guessing he wants a bit of revenge. I respect that and back away. Thane lifts his sword up and grabs onto the hilt with both his hands. He spins it around and sends the blunt side of the blade soaring towards him. Demmin, as fast as he can, lifts his sword up straight and hides behind it. His sword is dwarfed by the size of Thanes, he doesn¡¯t stand a chance.


    The two metals clash together and a loud clang ripples through the air around us. Demmins sword loses the battle and is pushed up firmly against his chest. Thane doesn¡¯t stop there. All in one smooth motion he uses his massive sword to lift Demmin off his feet and into the air. In mid air he pushes at him with all his strength and flings him like a doll. Demmin soars through the air and slams into a tree directly behind him. The impact whips his head backwards and it crashes into the rough bark. He slides down and his eyes roll upwards. His sword drops to the ground and Demmins body soon follows. Thane lifts his sword over his head and straps it behind his back. ¡°That takes care of that.¡± he says as he turns around and nods at me.


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding.¡± I say as I curiously walk forward to look at Demmin.


    ¡°He won¡¯t be needing this anymore.¡± says Thane as he kicks Demmins sword towards me. It slides across the ground and dirt splashes over it like water. I want to step over it and keep walking towards Demmin, but something doesn¡¯t seem right. I look down at the sword and can¡¯t shake the feeling that something is off.


    Something is out of place here. I bend down and clean the dirt of the sword. I start with the blade, then move up to the hilt. That¡¯s when I see it. His blue crescent gem. It¡¯s missing.


    A rush of angers begins to consume me. It boils and burns deep into my heart. My blood ignites and floods into my entire being. Demmin was on Kheran.


    My anger reaches pure rage and boils over. I squeeze the hilt of my sword tightly between my fingers. Any tighter and it might shatter. I spring up and rush towards Demmins unconscious body. Thane sees me, and he already knows what I¡¯m planning. I can¡¯t hide my emotion. I want him dead and no one is going to stop me. He tries to stand in my way but I push him aside. He stumbles backwards while trying to reach for my arm. I sidestep him and keep moving.


    My anger channels through my arm and into my sword. It aches for his death as badly as I do. He deserves to pay for what he did. I reach over and grab on with both hands. I¡¯m going to need all my strength for this. I lift my sword high above my head and slam it down with every ounce of force I can muster. The blade rips through his armor and bursts past his ribs and into the heart. The pain snaps him awake. For a few moments he stares up at me. His eyes glazed over in a mixture of fear and confusion. I stare back at him. All of my anger pools into my eyes and sets them on fire. I don¡¯t allow myself to blink a single time as my gaze rips past his eyes and into the very essence of this sick, sick man. His head slowly turns over, eyelids close, and the life spills out of him. The man who was once called Demmin is no more.


    I can feel every muscle in my shoulders and arms clenched from the killing blow. My breathing is agitated, and my heart is pounding. Demmins¡¯ life may be gone, but my anger lingers behind. My hands tremble as I pull the blade from his body. I take a deep breath. One long inhale, and exhale. I can feel the anger leaving me. It feels stronger than the emotion i¡¯m used to, almost like some entity inside me. Anger has never controlled me like that before. I¡¯m not quite sure why it did now.


    Thane shouts to me from behind. It¡¯s not a shout that would normally be associated with anger, I sense more of a ¡®disappointment¡¯ in his tone. I¡¯m not sure what the problem is. Thane knows just as well as I do, this man was no better than the dirt he walked on. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°He could have been of some use to us. I purposefully chose not to kill him. The same goes for everyone else here.¡±


    ¡°Because he deserved it.¡± I bark back at him not trying to hide my agitation at the question.


    ¡°He could have been of some use to us. I purposefully chose not to kill him. The same goes for everyone else here.¡±


    In the heat of battle I overlooked it. Taking a moment to get a clear look over all the bodies I see it now. Thane didn¡¯t kill a single one of them. Should I feel shame for this? I did what I believed needed to be done. Or at least I think I did. I sort of, lost myself for a moment¡­


    It doesn¡¯t matter, sometimes you have to take a life to save another. That¡¯s what I keep telling myself.


    ¡°Do you have nothing else to say?¡± Thane asks. I¡¯ve been quietly thinking to myself for a while now and haven¡¯t replied to him yet.


    I turn around and walk away from Demmins¡¯ body and reach for his sword. ¡°Look¡± I say to Thane as I hand him the sword facing the hilt towards him.


    ¡°What- What am I looking at?¡±


    ¡°Take a closer look at the hilt. Do you see anything missing?¡±


    Thane squints slightly and examines the hilt for a brief moment. I see the expression on his face change the second it hits him. His eyes open back up and his head leans back slightly. He reaches down into his pocket and pulls out the blue crescent gem. It gives off a faint glow. It¡¯s dim but just barely noticeable in the tiny slivers of light we have left. He slides the gem over the empty socket and it falls perfectly into place. Thane closes his eyes and lets a powerful exhale leave his lungs. He looks over at Demmins body, then back to the gem. ¡°This used to be his.¡± His attention now turns to me ¡°That¡¯s why you killed him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s taken enough lives. It was about time someone ended it.¡± I confidently tell him.


    ¡°Right- Look, I¡¯m just as angry about all this as you are, but we still don¡¯t have any answers and this man may have been able to change that. We won¡¯t know now. The rest of these men don¡¯t have the clearance to even possess any answers we want, you know that.¡±


    ¡°How about next time you fight with this-¡± He points his finger at my head.


    ¡°Instead of this.¡± now pointing down at my heart. He tosses the sword and it lands in some nearby bushes.


    He can lecture me all he wants, but I stand by what I did. I don¡¯t say anything to him. Instead I just turn and look away.


    My attention is suddenly grasped by an odd sound coming from behind us. I quickly look and see the woman still sitting on the ground. I nearly forgot about her. She''s turned over to the side and makes the sound again. I recognize it now. She¡¯s vomiting. I walk over to her and stop a couple steps in front of her. Thane stays where he is at. I stand and watch for a bit, just long enough for her to gather her composure. When she does I ask ¡°Are you alright?¡± not even sure if she speaks common tongue.


    Still turned over to the side with she spits out the last few drops. Once she is completely done she sits up, while still keeping her head down. She then replies to me ¡°Thank you, yes, I¡¯m alright.¡± in a strange accent. It¡¯s odd, and very different from anything I¡¯ve ever heard before. I put one foot forward and reach my hand down towards her. She brushes off a light coating of dust from her legs before grabbing my hand.


    I pull her up off the ground and say to her ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your friend over there¡±.


    She stands up on both feet just in front of me. She¡¯s tall, I find myself to usually be taller than most people--excluding Thane of course--but my eyes can barely see over the top of her head. She lifts her head up slightly to look at me. Tears still continue to drop from her eyes at a slow, but steady rate. She¡¯s not sobbing anymore, instead she¡¯s quietly crying to herself.


    Our eyes meet and my curiosity is instantly peaked. Her eyes, they¡¯re purple.


    Who is this woman? Out of all the time I¡¯ve spent outside of Lunis on missions I¡¯ve never seen an eye color quite like that. It¡¯s hard not to examine them for a while. The deeper I look I notice not one, but two shades of purple. The inner part of her iris is a deep, but bright violet, while the outer part fades into a softer orchid like color. She doesn¡¯t give me much more time to look at them before she turns them away. Soon after that she steps to the side of me and runs towards the man she was with.


    ¡°Is everyone alright?¡± a voice calls out from atop the slope.


    I look up and see Erik watching cautiously. ¡°No, not quite.¡± I call back. I don¡¯t elaborate on that any further. I am not very happy with him at the moment. He¡¯s not someone I can count on to have my back in a fight. I know he¡¯s just a fisherman, but I find this hard to forgive.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back and watch the patrol horses. We might as well salvage what we can from this.¡± Eriks eyes drift downwards and he gives a nod without saying anything. He spins around and walks off towards the path.


    Time is slipping past us and the little sunlight that we had is almost gone. We find ourselves in the brief moments of twilight before the darkness of night sets in. We should get moving soon.


    The woman kneels down beside her friend''s dead body. It lays there motionless as all life has completely escaped. She reaches down and picks up his hand holding it gently between hers. She bows her head and begins mumbling something in that same strange language. Though I don¡¯t know exactly what she is saying, I can only guess she is saying good bye.


    Thane walks over and kneels down beside her. He waits patiently and gives her the time she needs. Eventually she has nothing left to say to her friend and lets go of his hand. Thane reaches over and puts his hand on her shoulder ¡°I am deeply sorry for your loss. I know you need time to grieve, but we can¡¯t stay here.¡±


    He looks behind him at the three unconscious guards ¡°They¡¯ll wake up after a while, and we¡¯ll want to be far away from here when they do. Come one, you¡¯ll be safe with us.¡±


    She looks up at Thane then back down to her friend ¡°What about Roland? I can¡¯t just leave him here like this.¡±


    Thane shakes his head ¡°No, of course not.¡±. He leans down, picks Roland up and throws the body over his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll give him a proper burial in the morning, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I appreciate everything you¡¯re doing for me.¡±


    I look around at my feet and find the woman''s belongings. I slide my sword back in my scabbard and proceed to pick up everything on the ground. First I grab the bow and quiver of arrows. Then I grab the bag nearby. It has a fair amount of weight to it and the contents inside clank together. It makes the sound of glass bottles banging into each other.


    The woman quickly looks over at me and sees the bag in my hand ¡°I¡¯ll carry those.¡± She quickly exclaims.


    She walks over, takes it from my hand and slides the strap over her shoulder. I then give her the quiver and bow. She then proceeds to strap the quiver to her back and slings the bow over her other shoulder. ¡°I know I already said it earlier, but thank you for saving me.¡±


    ¡°No need for that, we weren''t about to just leave you with them.¡± I take a look at the bow hanging off her shoulder. ¡°Besides, you were a pretty good shot with that bow of yours. It¡¯s not like you were completely helpless.¡±


    She starts to reply to me ¡°I-¡± but is interrupted. Her hand quickly flies up and covers her mouth.


    ¡°I-¡± she tries to say again. She¡¯s not looking too good. She looks like she is going to vomit again. She takes a deep breath and waits a moment before speaking ¡°I don¡¯t really want to think about that too much right now.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I say with a little confusion.


    ¡°It was her first kill.¡± Thane jumps in before she has a chance to answer my question. ¡°Taking a life isn¡¯t easy. It puts a lot of stress on the body.¡± He looks up the slope and begins walking up it. ¡°Come on, we need to get going.¡±


    The woman follows closely behind Thane and the two of them make it up to the top of the slope. I call out to them just as they reach the top ¡°I¡¯ll catch up to you two in just a moment. I wanted to search these guys for anything that could be of use to us.¡± The two of them look back at me and Thane says ¡°Alright, meet us at the horses.¡± He turns around and walks off with the woman close behind.


    I wait for a moment and listen to make sure they are gone. Once the crunching sound of leaves and twigs can no longer be heard I walk over to the three unconscious guards. I stand over them and watch their still bodies for a moment. They are all out cold. I know Thane didn¡¯t want to kill them. Killing is not something I find enjoyable either. If I need to do it though, I won¡¯t hesitate.


    I reach over, pull my sword back out and clench it tightly. We risk too much by leaving them here. Lunis is searching for us, and these men were the last to know where we were. I close my eyes and take a single deep breath. I don¡¯t have a choice, this needs to be done. I take the final steps and stand directly over one of them. It¡¯ll be over with soon.


    Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t feel a thing.

 Chapter Thirteen

    The dark of night has finally settled in. Before making our way to the campsite, we stopped at the horses. Erik was there watching over them. Six horses in total, all of them bred to be better than any average horse. They were bred for strength and endurance, the best of the best. They all were dressed in light armor, not meant for war, but suitable enough for a fight if needed. This was a patrol after all, it wasn''t often they saw any action. Most of their time was filled with long rides along the main paths. The armor didn''t need to be much at all. Demmin''s horse was the only one whose armor differed in any way. Variation in color was what set his horse apart from the others. Bright blue and a touch of silver painted the edges of the metal. The same color of Demmin''s cape.


    We spent a couple minutes searching the horses for any valuables. Two of them carried large packs filled with supplies. Things like small cooking pots, fire steels, a utility knife, rope and a little bread for starters. I continued to dig through the packs and found not much other than a few blankets. It''s not much, but at least the essential survival tools are taken care of. While I searched through the bags, Thane found the gold that Demmin offered us. His horse had its own satchel with a little pouch of gold coins inside. What he found was a good amount, enough to accommodate us all at an inn for nearly a month. At least something good came from Demmin.


    After searching through the horses we lead them to the camp, along with the woman. We gathered the scattered firewood from earlier and began a well needed rest.


    Thane takes some kindling and starts a fire for us. It couldn''t of come any sooner, the night brought along a cold and bitter bite that sinks deep into the skin. It only took a few strikes from the fire steel to get it going. Much more effective than rubbing two sticks together for near an eternity. Once the kindling burns hot, Thane throws some bigger pieces on the fire to get it going. The flame starts small but soon begins to roar and radiate a dome of heat around us. Thane rubs his hands together and sticks his palms out by red dancing flame. He takes a deep breath and sits down up against a tree. Erik sits against his own tree just off to the side of Thane. I sit across from them, up against a log that''s nested firmly in the ground. A thick layer of moss covers the backside entirely while the other side is dusted in a light layer of dirt. Small hollowed out nests show that little critters called this place home at one point. That time has passed though, this tree fell some time ago and has long passed it''s potential to reach the sky.


    I stroke the lightly dampened moss and let it slide between my fingers as my heart beat finally calms from the previous battle. It''s not normal for it to take me this long to get over the high that fighting gives birth to. Normally within moments of the fight being over I am able to move on calmly from the scene. I feel a little different this time around and I can''t quite figure out why. Anger still thickens my blood as it courses through my veins slowly. I am not sure why these feelings linger, but I try to let go of them and think of something different.


    I look over to the right of me and see the woman sit down and cross her legs keeping a little distance between the three of us. I know she''s grateful for us having saving her but it feels a little like she still isn''t quite comfortable of us yet. Not that I entirely blame her, the world right now is not exactly full of men you can trust. Smart of her to keep a watchful eye on the three of us. She takes off her bow quiver from her back and puts them off to the side of her, but not to far from being able to reach them if needed. As she settles in a bit more she takes a firm hold of her bag and pulls it in close to her chest, almost cradling it like an infant. Whatever is in there she cherishes deeply, it seems more important to her than her own weapon. Curiosity peaks my interest, I wonder what she has in there. I certainly do want to know, but perhaps it''s none of my business.


    I scoot over a little bringing myself closer to her. Not too close as to seem awkward but enough to reach out my hand to her. As it hangs in the air opened wide I say to her "I just realized I haven''t officially introduced myself yet, the name''s Aero."


    Her bright eyes almost glow from the light of the fire as she turns and looks at me, then down to my hand hanging in the air. She doesn''t reach for it, instead she just sort of stares at it with a little bit of confusion in her eyes.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "What''s the matter, haven''t you seen a handshake before?" I say to her jokingly.


    "Oh, right of course, you can call me Galeana." she replies to me as she reaches out and grabs the tips of my finger and gives them a single up and down.


    "Alright then..." I point over to Thane and Erik sitting across the fire and tell her both of their names. She gets up and goes over to them repeating the same handshake she gave to me. After each handshake she gives her name to them as if they didn''t hear it the first time. Erik looks to me and then over to Thane confused as to why she is behaving so strangely. Thane doesn''t pay any attention to him but instead just watches her as she walks back to the spot she was sitting before. The look in his eye shows he has a good idea who she is.


    As she leans forward getting ready to turn around and sit down she suddenly stops and looks at me. Her dark hair falls forward and covers part of her face. She pulls it back and tucks it behind her ear as she says to me "You''re bleeding."


    I look down and immediately see a red spot forming on the outside of my shirt. It''s my shoulder, the wound must of reopened. I slide my shirt down enough to reveal the wound, and sure enough the stitches have torn open and the hole in my chest is showing the bright red muscle beneath the surface. "Great, how did that happen?" I say allowed as I rub my fingers over the surface of the wound covering the tips of my fingers in fresh blood.


    "It likely happened when you tore through Demmin''s metal chest piece. The amount of force needed for something like that must''ve expanded your shoulder muscles immensely." says Thane from across the fire. "I think I saw a small sewing kit in the supplies we took from the patrol. It should be enough to hold until we get to town."


    Galeana sits down and looks at her bag as Thane gets up to grab the kit. Once he finds it from the satchel of supplies he brings it over and kneels down in front of me. He quickly threads the needle as I clean around the wound. Just as he reaches over about to puncture the skin Galeana calls out "Wait".


    Thane stops within an inch of the skin and we both look over at her. "The wound needs to be closed so it can start healing." I say in response to her.


    "Yes, I know, I can do better." she says as she opens her bag and rummages through it''s contents. As everything rolls around inside a constant clanking sound of glass bottles can be heard coming out.


    I let her search around inside the bag a bit before asking "How exactly do you plan to help? This will only take a minute, we don''t really need an extra hand."


    She pulls out a spherical glass bottle holding some sort light green liquid. "Here it is, this will help." she says in her accent.


    Thane takes one look at it and nods his head at her. He then puts the needle and thread away and steps back giving her room. I watch him for a second and then look at Galeana with the question "How is that supposed to help me?"


    "Just watch" says Thane in a low tone.


    Galeana puts her bag down and slides over in front of me only inches away. She lifts the bottle of green liquid up to the light of the fire and looks into it. Being able to look at it more closely now I see there are small slivers of what looks like torn up leaves. As the light pierces into the bottle the leaves begin to glow and shed a subtle green hue. She spins the bottle around and creates a small whirlpool inside. As the leaves begin to spin around they glow brighter and brighter until they glow so much the entire bottle is engulfed in a bright green aura. She takes the cork out from the mouth of the bottle and pours out a splash onto her fingers. The liquid continues to glow as it rolls over her fingers and drips to the ground below. Within seconds of it hitting the dirt tiny blades of grass begin to sprout upwards. They don''t reach very high but are still plainly visible.


    She slowly reaches over to the wound and brushes the liquid over it''s surface. Immediately the skin around the area begins to feel warm. Underneath the surface it feels as though the blood is beginning to rush intensely towards the affected area. The skin grows warmer and warmer but it''s not uncomfortable, in fact it''s quite soothing. I look down at the wound and to my amazement it''s beginning to heal. The bleeding has stopped and what is more magnificent is the muscle fibers underneath the outer skin tissue have begun to weave themselves back together like a carefully woven blanket. One by one they locked themselves into each other until finally they reach the surface of the skin and the wound is completely healed over. There''s no scar, or any indication that the skin was ever damaged to begin with.


    I''ve never seen anything like this, I''ve only heard or read about it. Herbal healing is something we have lost touch with ever since Lunis gained control of the continent all those years ago. So if this woman is practiced in herbal medicine, then that must mean.


    "So, you are a Montisian after all." Thane says, completing my thought process.


    Is it really so? A Montisian, this far south? After what I just saw, it would have to be.


    "Yes, I''m afraid it''s true." Galeana says in a soft voice as she puts the medicine away, looking almost ashamed of what she did.


    "Don''t worry, your secret is safe with us." Thane assures her.