The silence in the room was heavy until Faelan broke it.

"Kill the Sorcerer King and his current queen? Are you mad?! That's suicide!" he exclaimed.

Talvar raised his hand, indicating Faelan to be quiet.

"Faelan, contain yourself. Master Blindsight, what makes you think that the Brotherhood of Ashes can succeed where so many have failed?"

Aaron Blindsight sighed. "To explain that, I should explain why I want them dead first ."

He reached up and removed the cloth covering his eyes. A gasp of shock escaped Faelan's mouth. Where the man's eyes should have been were two gaping holes surrounded by severe burns. The man noticed Faelan's shock and gave a dark chuckle.

"Take a good look at it, boy. This is the result of a Sorcerer's Flame. Avery Fanor gave me these burns fifteen cycles ago when I still filled the role of his advisor, and I dared to speak against his opinion. He is a tyrant and should be put down once and for all. Especially now that rumours of a coming war are spreading throughout the lands."

Talvar raised an eyebrow. "He let you live?"

Another chuckle escaped the burnt man's lips. "Not by choice. You see, I'm a seasoned Weaver and have dabbled with sorcery in the past. In that moment, I managed to cast a transportation spell to get to safety. It almost killed me in the process, but I persevered. But back to your earlier question. I don't believe the Brotherhood of Ashes can succeed in this task. I know it."

"How?" Faelan asked.

Aaron turned and looked Faelan straight in the eyes with his empty eye sockets. "Because years after losing my eyes, I started seeing glimpses of the future. Not in clear images or events, but more like concepts or possibilities."

"And you think that I'm the one to kill the king of Grenn?" Faelan enquired, a shiver running down his spine.

Aaron shrugged. "Could be. I'm not sure. Tell me, Faelan. How old are you?"

"Twenty-seven...?"

The reply came out hesitantly. "And when did you start your training?"

"When I was thirteen. What does this have to do with-"

Aaron held up his hand, cutting him off.

"So you have been an assassin for the last fourteen years. You have experience. And from what I have gathered, you're also a Faeblood, a Shifter nonetheless. You're powerful, even more powerful than you might realise."

He laid one of his hands on Faelan's shoulder.

"If anyone can pull this off, it is you."

Faelan's voice faltered. His characteristic confidence and cleverness had left him. Something about this man drew him in, a pull he couldn't quite explain. Yet, his instincts yelled at him to get as far away as he could.

Talvar noticed his son's distress and cleared his throat, shifting the attention back to himself.

"Master Blindsight, we need some time to think about whether we'll take your task. For now, it's almost midnight. Faelan, you should wash up and go to sleep. You have training tomorrow. I'll handle things from here."

Faelan gave Talvar a grateful nod and got up. "Have a good evening, master Blindsight." He greeted the old man and left the office.

===================

Making his way to his bedroom, Faelan couldn't shake the feeling of unease that Aaron Blindsight had caused him. After washing and tossing his dirty clothes to the side, he sank onto his bed and quickly drifted asleep.

He opened his eyes and stood in a brightly sunlit forest clearing. Looking around him, he saw only trees and shrubbery.

Where am I? Faelan thought to himself, confused.

Suddenly, he heard laughter behind him. It was a melodic laugh, like a small creek flowing through the mountains. His hands flew to his hips, reaching for his daggers, but he grabbed empty air. Looking down, he was wearing a simple cotton shirt with linen trousers, his weapons nowhere to be found. He turned towards the sound of the laughter and just managed to catch a glimpse of a figure disappearing between the trees.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Not knowing what else to do, Faelan decided to investigate. Every time he thought he got closer, the figure disappeared, only to reappear in a different location.

"Wait up!" he called out, hoping to grab the figure's attention if he hadn't already.

The figure stopped for a second and turned around to face him. Another melodic laugh cut through the silence. Faelan found it hard to focus on the figure the only details he could make out were its long hair, silver eyes, and a golden gown.

"Who are you? Where are we?" Faelan called out.

The girl smiled at him, and the world around him shifted.

All of a sudden, he stood between the burning ruins of an unfamiliar city. Green flames licked at the wood and stone around him. In the distance, he could hear the screaming and wailing of the citizens.

Around him, the ground was littered with burnt bodies, the earth running red with blood.

As he looked around, he saw the burning silhouette of a grand palace. The scene around him shifted again, and he stood in the square, in front of the burning palace. In the middle of the square sat the same girl he had seen before, except now she was wearing a black dress with golden embroidery. The dress was stained with blood. The girl was kneeling over a limp body, crying quietly. When Faelan tried to focus on it, the image shifted and blurred.

Suddenly, he was flung backwards and woke with a scream.

===================

After such a rough waking, Faelan just sat in bed for a moment, thinking about his dream.

That was not a normal dream. He thought to himself.

He lit the candle next to his bed and looked at the clock in the corner of his room. Nine in the morning, it showed.

"Shit!" Faelan shot out of bed and grabbed his training tunic.

After quickly getting dressed, he hurried to the training grounds. As he passed the kitchen, he grabbed a piece of bread and stuffed it in his mouth.

Talvar sighed as he looked at the clock tower of the keep.

"Late again," he grumbled. Letting out another sigh, he turned his attention back to his students. "Alright, cadets. Since Faelan decided it is a good morning to sleep in, we're gonna be doing push-ups until he decides to join us."

Sounds of frustration rose from the group, and Talvar held back a smile. Punishing the group for the mistake of one was one of the things he was infamous for.

After push-up thirty-five, Talvar finally heard hastened steps approach. He turned around and saw his son running at them, his tunic messy and a half piece of bread in his hand. As Faelan skidded to a halt in front of Talvar, he gave a small bow.

"I'm sorry father, for being late. But I must speak to you of this dream I had. I was-" but Talvar cut him off by raising his hand.

"Silence. I am willing to forgive this transgression due to your mission last night. We'll speak of this dream of yours later. Now go join the others."

With another bow, Faelan joined the others. A couple of the other students whacked him on the head for being late again. Faelan awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, apologizing and bowing.

Talvar smiled as he thought back to the day he found the Faeblood boy.

===================

He had only been guild master for a year. It seemed so long ago now. Ten years after the assassination of his wife.

Talvar's shoulders sagged as he gave his students another set of instructions. He had been done teaching a class just like this and was heading to his office.

At the time the House of Ash had been nothing more than an abandoned building in the city. It was only later that he had moved their operations to the Orion Keep.

At that moment he had been thinking about the passing of his wife and how his daughter seemed to be pushing everyone around her away. Deep in thought, he opened the doors to his old office, but he hesitated as he heard something inside. Opening the door quietly, he saw a crying boy, clutching a half-eaten apple to his chest sitting in the corner. The boy was covered in cuts, scrapes, and dirt. He looked around nine years old and had failed to notice Talvar enter. For a couple of seconds, Talvar observed the boy. He noticed the pointed ears and small horns on the boy's head.

A half-Fae, Talvar realized.

The cogs in his mind started spinning. He knew the reputation of Faebloods as deceivers and outcasts, but this kid looked so battered and broken. Seeing this sight, his parental instincts kicked in. Slowly and silently he stalked towards the opened window. As he got closer, the boy's ears twitched, and he perked up. Finally noticing Talvar, the boy sprung up and a growl escaped his throat. Talvar leapt for the window and slammed it shut, limiting the boy's means of escape. Immediately he raised his hands in a gesture of peace.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, kid."

Instead of answering, the boy leapt forward and made for the door. Talvar, however, was faster. He grabbed the boy by the wrist. The Faeblood reacted instantly. His skin started to shift and bubble. In front of Talvar's eyes, the half-Fae started to shrink and change. Within seconds he was holding a wildly thrashing raven.

But Talvar was too strong for him.

"Woah! Easy there. I'm not gonna hurt you, boy. Can you change back, please? I want to help. We have plenty of food and space."

The raven kept trying to escape but eventually gave up. Slowly it changed back into the Faeblood boy. Talvar smiled at him as he picked up the apple the boy had dropped and held it out to him.

"My name is Talvar Orion. What's yours?" he asked.

The boy observed the big man carefully, before snatching the apple out of his hands and taking a bite.

"Faelan." The boy's voice was raspy.

"Well, Faelan. It's nice meeting you. What brought you in here?"

"Hiding. Your window was open."

Talvar arched an eyebrow. "Hiding? From who?"

This seemed to confuse Faelan, and he was quiet for a few seconds.

"Shiney men." he eventually answered before taking another bite of the apple.

Talvar chuckled. "Do you mean the city guards?"

Then it clicked. "You stole that apple from the market, but got caught, didn't you?"

The Fae boy nodded.

"Well. Don't worry about that. They can't find you here. Now, let's find you some proper food, shall we? I'm sure you and I are going to be good friends."