Forest of Flames:

It was a bleak morning. Frigid autumn air formed dew on the leaves as Colt silently walked past the camp towards the wrecked forest grounds. They were partly cleared, but it was all still there. Splintered wood, fallen trees, old bones and the cold bodies of the dark beings. The wind blew carrying the scent of the dried blood with it. It was a battlefield, peaceful compared to what may be ahead of them.

Colt glanced at a tree. His eyes calm, and pleasant. Jack sighed and jumped down from his hiding place. He’d followed Colt, but he knew that the latter had been aware of it. “Are you alright?” He asked. Colt smiled a little. His eyes were serene, almost happy but in their depths was his despair, and his fears hidden away locked in his heart.

“Pass my orders, we march with the sun,” Colt said and went on his way. Jack narrowed his eyes as he gauged Colt’s reply but didn’t press on. He’d been with Colt for years and knew that he needed some time to himself. Colt followed a trail used by wild animals and reached a small pond a little over half a mile away from the camp. His eyes became distant as he glanced at his reflection. How long had it been since he used an actual mirror? At some point in his life, he’d stopped using a mirror and never bothered to buy one for himself since then.

“I guess I aged a bit,” Colt thought aloud. His skin was a little brown, black hair with some gray in between. A small stubble adorned his chin, and his brown eyes were bright. By all standards, he wasn’t handsome but lord, he looked dashing, he did. Colt smiled, and the folds of his skin showed his age. They spoke of his past and his life.

He unsheathed his sword and washed away the greasy coating in the clear water of the pond. Staring at the old sword, he caressed it with his fingers. “Things are going to change Black,” he said as he glanced at the morning sun peeking out of the foliage and added, “Sleep well until then.”

By the time Colt returned, the whole army was in order waiting for him. Darren had recovered from the events of the last night and regained some of his former presence. Colt mounted Nelly, and soon a total of almost three thousand soldiers marched towards Ashfield leaving behind the forest which had changed their lives forever.

****

Colt opened his eyes to a wintery snow and instinctively reached for his sword, but found himself unable to move. That’s when he realized he was a child, only about eight. Before him was a sea of blood and corpses, more than he could count. Blood flowed beneath his feet, like a river, forming a pool on the expanse. Colt glanced back, feeling the breath leaving his body.

It was war, and it was a battlefield. But, it resembled Hell. Screams, he’d hear. He saw humans, and dark beings, in millions. And, he saw Cimmerians, in thousands. It wasn’t just any war. Millions upon millions of soldiers were fighting all at once. Tens of thousands of lives were exhausted every second. And, then a rogue arrow silently pierced him from behind before everything went dark.

Colt woke up with a start. He instinctively reached for the throat of the person above him but stopped midway as he saw Ursula brooding over him with worried eyes. Tim was there, and so was Ragnar. Colt sat up and shook his head as he realized that he was sweating all over. He breathed deeply and calmed down his heart as he tried to stabilize his condition. What was that? He questioned himself thinking of the battlefield.

He’d never dreamed so vividly. The war and the horror he’d seen were too distinct to be a figment of his imagination. He remembered everything clearly as if it all happened before his eyes. He even remembered the moment of his death. “Colt,” Ursula called in a worried voice. He glanced at her and noticed that she was looking at him, her hands clenched, worried about him. Colt smiled and patted her. “I'm all right,” he said. No, I’m not, his heart screamed. “It was just a dream,” he added. It was a nightmare, one I fear isn’t just a dream. He told himself.

Colt glanced out of the carriage. The sun was a hazy orange. He’d slept all afternoon. It was unlike him, but sleeping in the middle of the day was also unlike him. Was that all a dream? He questioned. “Colt,” Tim called. Colt glanced at Tim and nodded his head. The old man’s eyes spoke of unspoken words exchanged between them. “Sir Colt,” They heard Darren’s voice from outside the cottage as Ragnar stared at Colt and asked hesitantly, “You alright?” Colt glanced at the boy and smiled. “I am,” he said glancing at Ursula and got down from the carriage.

Ursula studied Ragnar. She’d always felt some connection between Colt and the boy. Even though they weren’t related, Colt took care of him. By no means, Colt was a kind man. He was a mercenary leader, not a philanthropist. He’d seen many atrocities and had turned a blind eye to them. But, Ursula never blamed him. Colt wasn’t a god. He can’t save everyone while protecting his men. The world wasn’t a fairy tale, and there were no heroes. There were just those who live to see the next day and those who die in the place of others who managed to live.

“Kid, did you eat?” Ursula asked impatiently. Ragnar glanced at her. She looked unapproachable as usual, but he still shook his head. Ursula eyed him frowning for some reason. Even though Martha took care of Ragnar, years of negligence had left him with a weak and bruised body. Ursula felt a little guilty at the way she’d treated Ragnar. He’s still a child, she thought. I shouldn’t have been so harsh. And, her expression eased a bit.

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“Wait here; I’ll bring something for you,” Ursula said and rushed off towards the supply wagon. Moments later, she returned with bread, fruit wine, and some dried meat. Ragnar suspiciously took the food from her and began to dig in. Ursula glanced at him and narrowed her eyes. She’d frown every time he coughed and seemed to be intrigued every time he did something. Her actions were as usual bizarre and watching the pair; Tim smiled to himself.

Jack rode with Em to greet Colt. Everyone by now had a clear understanding of the relationship between Jack and Colt. Although Colt’s strength masked Jack’s achievements, they were all aware that this Deputy commander was much stronger than any warrior, perhaps second only to Colt himself. And, rumors were beginning to circulate that he was also an Arcane user. It made sense to them as Jack was able to defeat a Dakspren on his own and they thought it’s plausible that he’d agreed to serve Colt as he was a Rune Knight.

And thus, Darren’s position had fallen to third overnight. Colt glanced at the distant mountains. Beyond those mountains was Ashfield. He’d already sent Neo to meet the Baron, so Colt wanted to hurry up and join the forces stationed there. Although additional troops of a few thousand wouldn’t cause any drastic difference, his men would be a lot safer.

“Colt,” Jack called. Colt glanced at Jack and nodded his head after a moment of silence. Everyone thought that they had escaped the danger, but the reality wasn’t that kind. Being a Rune Knight meant a lot of things. It meant a potential enemy to the imperial family. Rune artifacts were by tradition held only by the royal family, and the high princes who served the throne. Undocumented Rune Artifacts were rare, his being one of them. Even if they might not blatantly try to steal his sword, the knowledge of this artifact will result in many greedy eyes noticing them.

And the person who might turn into their enemy was right before their eyes, Darren. Jack’s eyes were cold. Em glanced at the duo; he could more or less understand the silent conversation going on between them. Darren was a Ranked Knight. He rose to his current rank from the station of a foot soldier. He might’ve been scared, and startled the previous night but he'd already regained his calm.

To Darren, Colt’s Rune Artifact was a treasure trove, one which could change his future forever. He lacked the strength to obtain it for himself, but he could still benefit from this knowledge. If he traded this information for a military support which could obliterate them all, he could even fool others into believing that the events of the last night didn’t happen at all.

Jack’s eyes made it clear. Let me take him out; he is an uncertain factor. We can’t risk everyone’s safety. Colt glanced at the Knight riding a little distance away from him. By all means, he appeared like a soldier who’d never betray his men, but Colt knew from experience, appearances can be deceiving.

“Not now,” Colt said. Jack frowned, and Em maintained his silence. They trusted Colt’s judgment. Colt watched the soldiers who were riding silently along with his men. He couldn’t risk a rebellion at the moment, and if Darren was going to betray him, Colt would like him to be in his grasp. Like the eye of a tornado, the safest place in the face of an invisible enemy was by his side.

Colt studied the sky. The faint smoke rising from beyond the mountains told him that they were near. The Ashfield was a small settlement, but it had far greater importance as it was a military outpost. The mountains facing north protected the settlement from cold northern winds and surrounded by rocky outcrops on three sides; it was a natural fortress.

Wait! Colt thought as he stared at the skies. The amount of smoke didn’t match the number of soldiers garrisoned at Ashfield. There was too much smoke in the air. He glanced back at the northern skies. The sky was clear behind him and yet it was foggy before him. The air wasn’t moist, so there was no rain. And, the winds were blowing from the north towards south. It didn’t match up. The smog in the air wasn’t natural.

Colt nudged Nelly, and the war horse galloped ahead of everyone. Jack, Em, and Darren were startled, but they immediately followed leaving the command to one of the officers. The four covered the remaining few miles within minutes and as they reached the mountain pass, a forest of flames greeted them to a reality of a mountain of corpses burning before their eyes.

*****

Chapter 6 - On the eve of Love 

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