“You realize if you do this, it may cost you your life,” Ofeus said, stirring the final ingredient into the wooden bowl.

I sucked in a breath, trapping it in my chest. I knew the chances of me surviving this were miniscule, but it had to be done. My family deserved better than what they got. They deserved to live long and healthy lives, raising my baby sister. But they were gone, all of them. It was my duty to bring them justice.

And make their murderers pay.

“I know,” I finally said.

Ofeus grumbled before tossing something into the bowl causing a reaction and a puff of smoke. There was no smell to it, but the look of the dark liquid turned my stomach.

“Drink this and it will give you the power you seek. The power of flame to burn your enemies.” He handed me the bowl and I gulped it down without hesitation.

The liquid burned my throat as I drank. I choked as the heat spread to my chest, shutting out any air that passed. My head spun and my vision blurry. I gasped, trying to breathe. My body slammed into the floor as I gripped my throat.

And then, darkness.

~*~

I opened my eyes and found myself in the forest. The sunshine blinded me. Sitting up, I saw no sign of Ofeus’s cottage. “Where am I?” I braced against the tree to stand. Heat radiated from my palm and a black scorch mark appeared on the tree.

My hands looked normal, but they felt hot as if I held them against a fireplace. I reached my hand out and a ball of flame shot out of my palm, striking itself onto another tree setting it on fire. The tree burned up, all its leaves and branches scorched.

I clenched my hand into a fist. It worked—the potion worked. Now, it was time for me to find my family’s murderers.

~*~

“It’s too dangerous. You’ll be killed,” my uncle said as he grabbed my shoulders, shaking me into my senses.

I brushed off his touch and grabbed my father’s sword. “I may, and I may not. It doesn’t matter now. Where are they, Uncle?”

He plopped into his chair by the fireplace, his face lowered, making him look older than he was. The years hadn’t been kind to him since his wife passed away. And losing his brother, my father, didn’t help either.

Whether he would admit it or not, the murderers had to pay for their crimes. We tried to report it to the guard, but they had done nothing about it. They claimed that they were unable to find any traces of the men who killed my family. It was then that I decided to take matters into my own hands.

This wasn’t a job for the guard, it was a job for a hunter.

And that’s what I was doing before I came home to the massacre. I hunted in the forest while my father chopped wood. I left with the warnings of my pregnant mother telling me to be safe—only to return to her throat cut open.

“The tavern,” he said. “Men like that would celebrate such an achievement with a pint. I’m sure they got a lot of coin after selling all of the silver your mother kept.”

He stared into the dancing flames as if it would make everything all right again—that our family was still alive. I sensed the fire’s heat and willed it to burn hotter to keep my uncle warm while I was gone. He sat back into his chair, adjusting to increased temperature.

Gripping my father’s sword, I said a prayer to the gods that he would give me strength and accept my family into his arms.

“And may you grant me forgiveness,” I said aloud.

“For all men sin and it is within your power to grant them passage to your righteousness,” my uncle finished for me.

I watched him for a long moment. He knew he couldn’t stop me down the path I’d chosen, but it didn’t make it any less painful to watch me leave. I was almost out the door before I turned back to him.

“I know I can’t bring them back, Uncle. But, perhaps, I can give them justice and restore our family’s honor.”

And I left with a final prayer that my uncle finds peace.

~*~

The Broken Bowl read on the sign above the main door with a painting of a cracked bowl under the letters. I’d never been here before, but it was popular enough for me to have heard of the fights that constantly rang within its walls. Father once told me that the worst kind of men come to taverns, which is why he’d never want me here now. But there was no other choice.

I pulled the hood over my hair, hiding the long dark locks beneath it—my mother’s hair. The mask that covered my mouth revealed only my eyes—my father’s eyes. I didn’t want anyone to clearly see that I was a girl. The men in this place would get the wrong idea.

I’d barely walked through the door before I ducked to the floor when a mug smashed against the door frame, cracking it into several pieces. Men cheered at one of the tables, slapping each other on the shoulder. I noticed a bloody dagger on one of men. If these men were the ones who attacked my family, why would they wait two days to clean their weapons?

I walked over to the bar and tossed a copper coin, ordering a tankard of ale. I stood there, sipping my drink slowly, listening in on the conversations around me. Most of the people were gossiping about other members of the town. Others were whispering their romantic plans for the evening. I focused on the conversation with the men in red and black outfits. Three out of five of them were dressed in a similar fashion. The other two were dressed in plain rags.

“Oy, Robert, ain’t you goin’ to place your bet?” The man with the rotted teeth said.

“I just don’t feel like playin’ is all,” Robert said, throwing his cards on the table.

He attempted to stand, but the other man pulled him back down into his seat—the one I called Bloody Dagger. I couldn’t make out what he said to Robert, but it mustn’t have been good because Robert picked up his cards. The expression on his face was nervous and uncomfortable.

Out of all the groups of men here, these were my first suspects. The ones that killed my family couldn’t have been any of the others. They seemed too cheery, and their clothing was unlike that of common bandits. I pulled down my mask.

I leaned towards the bartender with an extra ten coppers between my fingers. “Sir, may I ask you something?”

He placed the mug down on the counter and listened. “Who are those men in the black and red outfits? The ones with the daggers on their side. I’m unfamiliar with their kind here in town.”

“Aye, miss. They’d be coming in here for the past few days. Have a room upstairs and all. Gave me fifty silvers to pay for all their drinks. Bad folk. I’d suggest you stay away from them if I were you,” he said in a low voice, glancing toward the men.

“I understand, sir. Thank you.” I slid the ten coppers to him. He snatched them instantly and placed them in his pocket.

I went back to sipping my drink, listening. They didn’t speak of anything directly relating to my family, but one of them said something about needing to cut a pregnant woman’s throat. Would these men be so stupid to say such a thing in a place like this?

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Would I be so fortunate?

“Shut it, Krish!” Bloody Dagger snapped.

The tavern went silent and turned towards their table. It was the perfect opportunity for me to see their faces. Bloody Dagger was a dark-haired man with a scar across his face. He was grabbing onto the shirt of who I assumed was Krish.

Krish raised his hands. “Sorry, boss.”

Boss. Bloody Dagger was the leader.

The ale in my mug steamed as my gripped tightened on the handle. I turned away from the men to hide it from wandering eyes. When the men sat back down, the rest of the tavern went back to their conversation. I gulped the rest of my hot ale as it burned down my throat. I had to get more information. This was too convenient for these men to be here and not be the ones who murdered my family.

Chairs slid across the floor, and I looked over my shoulder to see that the three men in uniform heading upstairs. The two in rags separated, one said he was going to piss outside.

This was my chance.

I lifted my mask and slid my mug towards the bartender. I waited for the man to exit before I followed him. He walked around a stack of barrels to relieve himself. Making sure no one would hear us, I stepped carefully behind the man and slammed his head into the stone wall causing him to fall to the ground.

I knelt and shoved him against the wall to face me. My dagger at his throat. He groaned in pain and touched his head, finding blood coated on his hand. When he came to his senses, he realized I was there when I pressed the dagger against his skin, blood trickled down his neck.

“Now that I’ve got your attention, I need you to tell me about your friends,” I said, keeping my voice low and deep as I could.

“Wh—What friends? I don’t know who you’re talkin’ about.”

I cut his throat as blood trickled down his neck. “You know exactly who I’m talking about. The ones you were just playing cards with. I hear your friends already paid for all your drinks tonight. Now, don’t make me to ask you again.”

“Oh, them?” he chuckled nervously. “We just have a few drinks now and then. Play cards, you know how it is. If you ask me, they’re just a bunch of thugs. Always pushing me— “

He gasped when I shifted the dagger upward. “Who are they? Where did they get all their coin?”

“I don’t know exactly! They just said they ransacked some cottage out of town. They killed all witnesses. Said something about a pregnant woman and her husband. Made off with all their silver. The one guy, Stephen, said they’d head out tomorrow morning to go back to their camp. That’s all I know I swear!” He raised his hands, blocking his face as if I was going to hit him.

I removed the dagger from his throat. “What are their names?”

“Krish, Colten, and Stephen. Stephen is the leader. The other two are just his minions. Like I said, they’re leaving here tomorrow morning, but I think they’ll leave later tonight. Stephen was upset when Krish was blabbing about what they did. I think they were once Kingsguard, but they abandoned their posts, so Stephen is paranoid someone will rat him out. I think there may be a bounty on him.”

Kingsguard. That would explain why the guard did nothing about the murder. They were probably old friends since they used to work together. It would be safe to assume they bribed them to keep their mouths shut. This wasn’t good. I leaned back from the man, giving him room to move.

“Can I go? I told you everything I know,” he asked.

I tilted my head, considering his request. Would it be wise to let this man go? While he had nothing to do with my family’s death, he could still warn their murderers. I’d need to stay here to make sure he couldn’t.

“I’ll let you go on two conditions,” I said.

The man was silent, nodding his head.

“One: you mustn’t tell anyone about this conversation. You never knew me and that includes you mustn’t warn the men because if you do, I’ll burn you alive. Do you understand?”

He nodded again. “And the second condition?”

I stood. “Leave and never return here.”

He knelt on the ground and bowed his head. “Thank you. Thank you.”

He got up and ran out of my sight, leaving me alone in the alleyway.

~*~

The man was right. The men were leaving in the middle of the night, walking out of the tavern quiet and rushed. I followed them out of the town, staying out of sight. They were headed northeast towards the riverbank, but instead of going straight to the bridge, they turned onto a side path.

I stepped carefully as the men walked down the path out of my sight. Remaining about forty feet behind them, I let them lead me towards their campsite. I climbed a nearby tree to get a better view. There were two other men in the same uniform waiting for them and they argued over the coin Stephen had spent at the tavern.

“Where’s our payment? We did all that you asked and burned down the cottage. There are no traces for the guard to find us,” one of the men said.

My heart skipped a beat. They burned down my home? Uncle and I had just buried my mother and father. When did they have time to do this? A flame burned on my palm giving me my answer. It must’ve been when I went to see Ofeus—when I fell unconscious.

My anger rose as I tried to hold back the fire inside me, threatening to consume me. I had to wait for the right opportunity, so that they can see the face of the girl whose family they took away from her. I took a deep breath and listened.

“You’ll get your payment when we leave here in the morning. The bridge up the road will take us to Blackrock Port. From there, we’ll catch a ship and head east,” Stephen said.

They were planning to leave as soon as possible. I would need to act fast. I can’t give them the chance to outrun me now. The men stopped arguing and sat by the fire. They spoke of their plans to head to the tavern where the rest of the deserters would meet to discuss their next move to get out of the kingdom’s borders.

So, there was more of them. I may have to deal with them as well.

The one called Krish stood and walked out of the campsite. He was muttering something I couldn’t hear, but he was clearly irritated with Stephen. I supposed he also expected payment earlier than Stephen had planned, but instead of arguing with him, he decided to leave in order to calm down.

Carefully, I climbed down the tree and snuck behind the man. I kicked the back of his knee and clapped a hand over his mouth, with a dagger pressed to his throat.

“Don’t make a sound. If you do, I’ll kill you right now. Do you understand?”

The man struggled, leaving me no other choice. I slit the man’s throat. His body shook as the blood poured out. When I was sure he wouldn’t make a sound, I dropped his body, leaving it to rot where it belongs.

As the others were getting ready to rest, not bothering to wait for Krish. I walked into their campsite. The men stood and unsheathed their swords. I casted a wall of flame surrounding them. They huddled together in fear.

I pulled down my hood and mask to reveal my face.

“I am the daughter of the family you butchered. Your crimes will be paid with your lives,” I announced.

Colton lurched forward, raising his sword. I sent a ball of fire into his chest but stopped it before it went through him. His entire body burned as he scrambled to put it out. My lips curled seeing him scream in agony. The others stepped backwards to the edge of the firewall.

“Just as you burned down my home, I will burn you all.”

Stephen turned to his men. “If any of you want to get paid at all, kill her!”

I chuckled, feeling my power grow.

I threw my hands upward, summoning the fire within me, and moved the firewall to surround the men. Moving my palms, I sent my will and pushed the fire inward, slowly giving them less and less space. They hit and pushed each other to protect themselves. One of them pushed one so hard that he fell right into it and burned him, killing him within seconds.

The firewall closed in on them, cooking them all alive. Slowly and painfully. I watched as they screamed, begging me to stop and spare their lives. I ignored their pleas and listened until their cries couldn’t be heard any longer.

Stephen was all that was left.

“I’ll give you whatever you want, witch. Just name your price,” he called out.

I walked towards him as he stepped back, dropping his sword at his feet.

“Anything. I’ll give you anything. I have money—goods that are worth a fortune. You can have all of it if you just spare my life.”

I stood in front of the man now, tilting my head. “Anything?” I asked.

The man nodded and threw the bag of the remaining coin he had from selling my mother’s silver to my feet. I picked it up and dug through its contents. Pulling out a handful of coins, the man smiled.

I flashed back to my mother’s smiling face. She was so beautiful and seemed to glow when she told Father and I that she was pregnant—that I had a baby sister on the way. When Father had asked her how she knew the baby was a girl, she simply said it was her motherly instincts.

I was so happy that day, I spent the rest of the afternoon preparing dinner for my family. I’d made a stew that was so bad, I knew Mother had lied, telling me it was good. Father built a new crib for the baby. My family… they were gone.

I gripped the coins in my hand, fighting the tears threatening to fall.

“So, do we have a deal?” Stephen said, taking me out of the memories.

“Let’s make a new deal.”

Stephen’s smirk vanished; his eyes wide.

I closed the remaining gap between us and stared into his eyes. There was nowhere else for him to go. I sent my will to the wall of fire and diminished it, leaving nothing but embers.

“What do you want?” he asked.

Hot tears fell down my cheek. “My family.”

Fire danced in my hand as I shoved my fist into his heart, slowly burning away any remnants of life within him. He tried to scream, but no sound came from him as I burned his throat. His body slowly turned into nothing more than a husk. I watched as his eyes rolled back into his head. His mouth spewing embers.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the fire within me. The charred bodies around me filling my nostrils with a terrible smell, but I didn’t care. The deed was done. My family’s murderers were dead.

I looked at my hands, clenching and unclenching them. They tingled and grew hot to the point where I wondered if I had pushed myself too far.

“I guess Ofeus was right,” I muttered. I laid on the ground, placing my hands on my stomach and watched the sky. The gray clouds covered the sun’s rays, threatening rain. I always loved a gentle spring rain. “Ma. Pa. I’m coming home.”