The smell of smoke and the angry red-orange glare of fire was all that filled Liam’s senses. He was sprinting as fast as he could, his heart pounding so hard in his chest he feared it might burst at any moment.

“It’s just around the next corner, I’ll be able to see the house if I can make it to the next corner.” He thought as he heard the screams of his neighbors and the ringing of swords on shields and armor. He was trying to stay as far from the fighting as he could while pushing himself to get back to his mother and sister.

As Liam made it past the miller’s house, he saw the motionless body of a man lying on his stomach, a large red gash running from his right shoulder all the way to his hip. It was almost enough to make him falter and lose his footing, but Liam doubled down and with renewed desperation, ran even faster.

There it was, his family’s house. It looked like it had so far been saved from the blaze that had taken over most of the town. As he burst through the front door into the dim mudroom, he saw his mother lying there on the floor only a few feet in front of him, a crimson pool surrounding her, soaking into the floorboards. He froze, horror pinning him in place.

 There was movement to his left which snapped him out of the panic-induced trance he had been in. As he turned to see the figure moving toward him, he realized it was his sister Kira. But something was wrong. Blood soaked her hair and face, and her bright blue eyes seemed to almost glow against the darkness that framed her small, childish features.

She was saying something, but it felt like someone had stuffed cotton in his ears and he couldn’t make out what it was. He shook his head to clear it and then she spoke again.

“Wake up” she said.

“What?”

“I said wake up!”

Suddenly he felt something soft and puffy strike his face, he shot straight up in his bed, sweat falling from his face like tiny streams. His eyes came into focus, and he looked around. He was in his room in his bed, Kira was standing next to him holding a pillow in her hands and glaring down at him. Her black hair wasn’t covered in blood and her eyes no longer looked like they were glowing.

It had only been a dream, but one so vivid that adrenaline was still coursing through him and making him feel like he had lightning in his veins instead of blood. His whole-body shuddered involuntarily at the memory of his dead mother and blood covered sister.

“You’re going to be late you know” Kira scolded him.

It was then that he realized just how bright it was in his room. Then it occurred to him, his lessons with his stepfather Alex.

“What time is it” he asked her.

“It’s nearly ten in the morning. You have class in thirty minutes.”

She was starting to glare at him now and he was reminded of just how much Kira looked like their mother. He smiled at her, the last of the fear he felt fading away as a corner of her mouth twitched up for a fraction of a second before she schooled her expression and continued glaring.

“I won’t be late. I’m going to change and head over to see Pa now” he said as he started to swing off the bed.

“Good, I’m going to let Ma know you’re finally awake” she said brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face as she walked out of his room, shutting the door behind her.

While she had black hair and more narrow features with paler skin, Liam had dark brown hair, only a shade or two lighter than her black. They both had their mother’s bright blue eyes, which was his favorite feature. Kira had developed features similar to their mother, whereas he had inherited more of his biological father’s traits, such as his tanned skin and square jaw.

His biological father, Hal Everit, had died during a war over a magic stone mine with the elves of Lumencia. Alexander Lawson, his stepfather, had been one of Hal’s subordinates in the army. He had come to bring news of Hal’s death to Liam’s then pregnant mother. Alex took care of her during the last two months she was carrying her son, and then helped raise and support the widow and newborn. Eventually the two fell in love and married shortly after Liam turned two. A little less than a year later Kira was born.

Liam got dressed in his usual dark brown pants, grey linen shirt, and calf high leather riding boots. Once he was finished, he put on the leather belt with the dagger Alex had given him for his eleventh birthday last year.

He drew the blade and tested the edge with his thumb; razor sharp and the oil he had put on it the previous night made the metal shine. He was meticulous with maintaining his gear, just as his stepfather had taught him. The feel of the braided leather hilt in his hand was reassuring to him, especially after last night’s nightmare.

Alex had started training him in martial combat when he was six years old. Not only had Liam spent a significant amount of time training in hand to hand combat but also in foraging, hunting, and magic. His stepfather had been adamant about preparing him to join the town guard when he was old enough in hopes that Liam would take over his job as Vice-Captain.

He slid the dagger back into its sheath, grabbed his knapsack that held his books and writing materials, headed out the door and down the stairs into the hallway below.

“I’m heading out now. I’ll see you tonight” he said to Kira as he passed through the kitchen.

“See you later then” she said as she waved at him.

Liam left the house, making sure to latch the door behind him and started heading to the guardhouse. Alex was a senior member of the town guard, which meant that they always did their lessons in his office while he worked.

As he made his way through the village, he noticed several large carts with locks on them moving towards the town hall. He made a mental note to ask Pa about it later and picked up his pace.

Liam arrived at the guardhouse with five minutes to spare. He rushed up the stairs to the hallway that led to his stepfather's office.

The guardhouse was one of the largest buildings in their relatively small village, due to the need for personnel to guard the silver mine nearby that was currently the village’s primary source of income. The wooden building was three stories tall with a large, open bottom floor that was used as both a chow hall and briefing room. The second story had rooms the guards would use if they didn’t own a house out in town. The third story was where all the offices were. Alex, being a senior member and vice-captain, had one of the largest rooms.

He knocked and waited for a reply.

“Enter” came the deep voice of his stepfather.

Liam entered the room and looked around. There was an oak desk towards the back wall centered in the room. Bookshelves filled with a variety of books and scrolls lined the left wall, on the right a green couch and two green armchairs sat around a coffee table.

Alex looked up from the document he was reading and greeted his son.

“I was almost worried you weren’t coming” he said.

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Liam grimaced at the disapproving look the older man was giving him.

“If you are fifteen minutes early, you are on time. If you are on time, you are fifteen minutes late” was what his stepfather was fond of saying whenever Liam came close to the exact time they were supposed to meet.

“Sorry” he said sheepishly, then moved to set his bag next to the desk.

“Go ahead and sit here and we will get started” Alex said to him as he got up from his chair.

Liam sat down at the large desk and placed a sheet of blank parchment in front of him.

“Today we will continue to discuss magical theory” his stepfather said.

At this Liam perked up. He loved magical theory. It was his favorite subject during these lessons.

"Magical Energy is an ever-present force of nature that flows through and around every living creature, plant, and person. It is the reason we can cast the spells that we use in our everyday lives. Close your eyes and control your breathing, focus, feel your mana core resonating with the energy around you.”

Magical energy could be broken up into two main categories. Internal and external mana. Internal mana could be controlled like an extension of the body and was used to shape spells and augment one’s physical capabilities, while external mana or ambient magic could be drawn into the body to replenish one’s core. An individual could also connect and resonate with the ambient magic. Doing this greatly increased one’s senses, allowing them to not only hear, see, smell, and feel changes in the physical space around them better than the average human could normally, but also sense changes in the magic around them such as when someone was using magic. However, it took years of practice in mana control to be able to use this technique effectively, especially in combat.

Liam closed his eyes and felt his pulse begin to slow as he controlled his breathing, taking a slow breath in, then slowly releasing it. He did this several times. He could feel the mana inside of him, bright and vivid. It was all colors and none, both hot and cold. It was everything and nothing at the same time, and no matter how many times he meditated he was still in awe of how beautiful it felt. The energy that could do great things and was used by nearly everyone in their daily lives for things as simple as starting a fire in a stove or making the magic stone illuminate when it was dark also had the potential to be used to crush an enemy.

Liam reached out with his mana, letting it connect with the magic surrounding him. He could feel the push and pull of the two energies mixing, his senses sharpening as he felt his body connected to the world around him.

His hearing was sharper, and his sense of smell made it possible to make out the bread the baker had just put out several streets over.

“Now try to draw that outside energy into your core, slowly, doing this will help replenish your mana reserves faster than passively letting it recover." Alex said as he felt the boy’s mana match with the atmospheric energy.

Liam stopped reaching out, instead willing the energies to draw into him. As he did, he felt his body recovering the little mana it had taken to expand his senses. It was a feeling like waking up after a good night’s rest, refreshing both his mana and body.

“Very good, I see you’ve already mastered this step. Next, I want you to conjure a small flame, be careful not to set anything alight though.”

As Liam opened his eyes, he made sure to continue holding onto the connection he’d established. He lifted his right hand and focused on his palm, picturing a red-orange flame in the center. Once he had the image, he allowed his mana to flow from his core in the center of his chest, up through his arm and gather in the palm of his hand. He willed the mana to take the form of what he was imagining in his mind and a small but bright flame formed, dancing gracefully in his palm, licking the tips of his fingertips. It didn’t hurt him but rather had a warm pleasant feel to it.

An image of last night’s dream entered unbidden into his mind. He immediately cut the flow of mana off and closed his fist, his fingernails biting into his palm.

“That was good, I see you have been practicing your mana control” Alex said.

“Yes, I’ve been working on controlling the amount of output I use. I think yesterday’s lesson really helped” Liam replied.

“I’m glad you are getting something out of this then. It’s about time for lunch, so let’s go eat and then we can continue with the rest of your lessons.”

The two of them began heading down to the first floor, greeting a few other senior members and officials on their way.

When they made it down to the short line of guards who were preparing to go relieve their counterparts from their posts, Liam noticed his mother walking into the building.

Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her blue eyes, the same ones he and Kira had, were scanning the room. When she saw the two of them, she started making her way to them, her long blue day dress fluttering around the ankles of her boots. Evelyn was about a head shorter than Alex and had to crane her neck to look him in the face.

“Hi Ma, what are you doing here?” Liam asked, and she smiled at him and then looked at Alex, when the boy turned to do the same, she put her hands on his shoulders and gently rubbed the back of his neck with her thumbs.

“I was just looking for you. The village Chief stopped by the house to ask you to come see him. I told him you would be in the office and that I was heading to the market, so I’d let you know.”

“Did he happen to mention what it was about?”

“No, just that it wasn’t too urgent and to take your time if you’re busy.”

“Alright, I’ll head over after lunch. Liam can self-study here while I take care of that. It’s probably about the next shipment to Midwood Hollow. I heard the Baron will be coming later to finalize the contract.”

“Sounds good, I’ll see you two tonight then. Don’t be late for dinner.”

Evelyn squeezed Liam's shoulders and kissed the top of his head and then kissed her husband and turned around to leave waving to the two as she walked through the doors.

As Liam and Alex got their food and sat down to eat Captain Gray approached the pair.

“Vice-Captain Lawson, when are you planning on speaking with the Chief?”

“I was planning on heading over to the town hall after lunch.”

“Perfect, there was something I needed to discuss with him. Swing by my office on your way out and we will leave together.”

“Yes sir, I’ll let you know when I’m ready to leave.”

“Very well. Good to see you again Liam.”

“Likewise, sir.”

Once Captain Gray had left, Alex turned to his stepson.

“After we eat, I want you to focus on practicing your mana control. This shouldn’t take me too long.”

Liam nodded, putting another spoonful of the savory stew in his mouth. After all the conversation was finished the two of them ate the rest of their meal in silence.

After they had finished and returned to the office, Liam sat down on of the armchairs and pulled out the book on magical theory his mother had given him when he started learning the subject. The book covered all the basics that Alex had already taught him, but it also contained a list of spells that would be useful in all kinds of situations.

The spell he was currently trying to learn was Illuminate. A simple spell, but incredibly useful. It could be used to create a non-fire-based light in one’s hand or to imbue a magic stone with light properties that would draw on the ambient magic and would only go out once the spell was cancelled or there was no more magic to draw from.

The problem he had been facing was the non-fire part. For some reason he could never get the picture quite right in his mind and the light always put off heat. In normal circumstances it wouldn’t be too much of a problem, however, if he needed to go somewhere like the mines where pockets of explosive gasses pooled then it would be catastrophic to use anything other than the cool white light that the spell was supposed to put off.

“Cold.” That was it, Liam had been thinking of the sun when he was casting the spell. Shaping mana was a very precise skill and required you to picture exactly what you wanted to cast.

He tried thinking of the sun but cold like ice, this time instead of heat enveloping his hand, it was like he plunged it into a bucket of ice water. He yelped and cancelled the spell.

“Not cold as ice. Got it” he muttered as he thought about what to try next.

“Maybe closer to how a stream is cool.”

He again pictured a sun, but cool like the water of the stream he used to play in with Kira when they were younger.

This time when he let the mana flow up through his hand, the fist sized orb that formed had a bluish hue to it and had a soothing cool feel, and the way it seemed to flow like liquid was mesmerizing. The light it put off wouldn’t fill a large room but would be good enough to be able to see for about a meter or two around him.

“Pretty close, I’ll have to ask Pa when he gets back if he has any suggestions to make it brighter” Liam thought as he looked out of the window in front of him.

He’d been practicing for nearly two hours and could feel his core starting to deplete. He decided to meditate to restore some of his spent mana.

As he fell into the trance that he’d been practicing with Alex for the last few months, Liam started wondering how long his stepfather was going to be gone. Deciding it wasn’t really a concern for the moment, he focused on drawing in ambient magic. Learning new spells could be taxing on one’s mana reserves until you could figure out how to cast it with more efficiency, and with his current skill at meditating, it would take a while before his core was full again.

After another three hours of meditating, and Alex having not yet returned, Liam decided he’d take a short nap.

Laying down on the couch using his knapsack as a pillow, he thought about the dream he had last night. He couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than just some horror that his tired brain had made up. He thought about talking about it with his parents, if only to assuage his mind of the paralyzing fear that had seized him when he had first awoken this morning.

After deciding to talk to them while cleaning up from dinner, he closed his eyes and fell into a fitful sleep.

As the sun slowly sank down beyond the horizon, an unsettling silence fell over Northmoor.

That was when the screaming started.