I took deep measured breaths in the manner taught to me by my now slain father. I could not allow the emotions bubbling up inside me to take over. I needed to be calculated. I watched as they kicked and spat on my father's prone form, I closed my eyes promising vengeance. They looked around the clearing and the man named Henderson finally said, "Come on, lets head back to the mage she will know how to find the boy."
As they moved through the path, I moved behind them. When they took a step, I placed mine in unison, it was impossible in some areas of the forest not to make noise but by using the sound of the wind and my two targets I was as silent as a mountain cat stalking its prey. I needed to interrogate one of them, Henderson being the obvious choice, which meant I needed to either separate the two men or kill the dead eyed man and capture Henderson. Thoughts and visions on how to accomplish played through my mind. Could I torture this man for the information I needed? I did not believe so, which left open combat as my only option.
I was disappointed at their lack of skill in the woods. They did not watch where they stepped, cracking small twigs and stepping on piles of vegetation instead of the smooth dirt or rocks that would make much less noise. It spoke of their lack of fear towards me, they did not care if I heard them thinking me no threat. Never take an opponent lightly as you immediately give him the advantage. I can't say how many times those words or some variation of them were drilled into me during training, but their truth spoke to me now. I vowed never to make the same mistake.
Upon reaching the clearing and seeing the mage, both men quietly stared at the bundle of robes and meat, unmoving. Henderson looked at his companion and whispered in a hoarse voice “by the gods what is going on” to which his dead eyed companion only grunted. “I have never heard of a mage dying to any but another mage. Even if she was weak as the General said, no boy should be able to kill her” Henderson said as he walked over to her slowly and nudged the body. “Pity, she was a pretty young thing.” He rolled her over and examined the wound pulling out the arrow examining it in turn. “Excellently crafted” he muttered to himself. "Perfectly balanced, the General should of used his bow with skills like these." Little did he know that I crafted that arrow. My fathers were even better.
I crept closer to the clearing slightly adjacent to where I shot the mage from. The man called my father General, I always guessed he had some military experience with the knowledge he taught but I never thought so high a rank. A General in the Empire’s Legions was a powerful figure, one that garnered respect and prestige. Henderson began looking all around the body searching for tracks “help me fool, don’t just stand there.” Another grunt came from the companion before he too began searching the dirt and grass for my tracks. They would not find any.
I watched hoping for any more snippets of information, but they searched in silence. My heart raced in anticipation of the kill, patience Rowan, patience is the weapon of a predator. My father's words played through my mind as I watched them search in vain, Henderson growing more and more frustrated. “it’s no fucking use, it’s as if he’s vanished” Henderson exclaimed as he stood straight up placing his arms on his hips. The bald man grunted again and followed suit. It was becoming clear that the bald man either could not speak because he was mute or had some sort of mental condition. Either way that didn’t negate his clear danger, he moved far better than Henderson and was a natural killer. Henderson looked toward my position passing over it and said, “we have to lure him in from where\ever he is hiding. Shit he’s probably crying over his dad’s corpse as we speak” to which the bald man grinned maniacally. But I could see doubt in Henderson’s expression. I readied my bow and thought about my choices. I needed to kill the dead eyed companion quickly. He clearly had extensive battle experience and would flinch in reaction to the sound of the bow releasing. I was roughly 20 feet from the two men as Henderson was trying to make a decision as he halfheartedly looked for tracks. I decided I would take a chance and sighted in on the bald man’s chest, he wore no armor just a dirty rag of a shirt, even if he did the arrow would punch through. I drew back taking into account his body position and where he would flinch to. I released and quickly drew and let loose a second arrow right behind the first. My aim was true and as the bald man flinched for cover the arrow struck him in the heart the second arrow thudding in behind it. Henderson snapped his head to my position weary of another shot but advanced toward me. I dropped my bow to the ground and drew my sword, stepping into the clearing.
“You're a brave one I’ll give you that, but you never should have given up your cover”
I circled him as he circled me and responded “I’ll give you one chance to tell me what I need to know, or I’ll force it from you” my voice was steady which surprised me.
Henderson barked a laugh “you are no ordinary child are you, what are you twelve? Thirteen? and you’re going to torture me? You have skill and balls of a man twice your age I’ll give you that, but torture? I don’t think so. Maybe not yet. Tell me boy, what is it you want to know”
As he pronounced the last word his weight shifted slightly, hips twisting and I saw the lunge coming from next week, I stepped aside with enough time to cut a neat slice across his sword arm.
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“Gah fuck, what do you want to know damnit”
I smiled and said “when were you expected to drop me off and to who?”
“That was all the Witch, we were just to hand you over to her and escort her back through the pass. I assume she would have taken you to the Capitol after we parted ways”
“Why was it necessary to kill my father and why would the Emperor’s mages hire you? Why not just have the Imperial Guard escort them?”
He barked another laugh and said “it was understood that your FATHER was the dangerous one, if he wasn’t killed immediately the seers foresaw your escape. I was hired because if the magi came alone, or with the Imperial Guard, the seers saw your escape.”
“The seers” I whispered, in awe of the situation and confused at how I could be worth all of this effort. “Why does the Emperor want me captured?”
“it’s obvious, isn’t it? He sees you as a threat, the seers do not cast their gazes lightly and must see what you will become” He said flicking out a quick thrust that I parried
“And what is that?" I asked watching him frown at his failed attempt.
“The gods only know boy, now let’s get this over with, I’m done talking”
He rushed me thinking to finally use his size advantage and I ducked and spun out of his overhead strike flicking my blade up in a flash cutting a neat slice across his neck. Henderson was right about one thing. I could not torture him for information. Not yet. I gained far less information than I had hoped for, but I could not allow myself to be injured in this environment and the longer we fought the more danger I was in. If he had used his size and reach advantage from the beginning, I would have been hard pressed to come out unscathed.
With the last enemy defeated I finally allowed the situations gravity to take hold, the emotions I held at bay now rising to the surface. I walked the long trail back to the cabin in a daze slowly and stumbling over to my father, tears of grief overflowing onto the cool dirt. He was dead, my father was dead. I knelt next to him, his wound still wet reflecting the moons light in shiny pools. “I’m sorry father, I could not get back in time” I whispered as I began to sob. My mother had been gone for years and I always held out hope she would return, with my father’s revelation about her capture I felt as if I had lost her too this night. I hugged him for the last time. Burying my face deep into his chest, hoping beyond reason that he would suddenly return my embrace. I was a little boy once more, a son longing for his father's return. I don’t know long it was before I fell asleep, but I suddenly found myself once again waking with an urgent sense of dread.
My head shot up eyes filled with sleep searching for the new danger, they found all too familiar danger every woodsman must face, wolves. I knew the pack well as my father hunted them to try and keep their numbers in check. Their alpha pair was a black coated male massive and with a vicious temper. The female had a beautiful grey coat with white shaded through, she was as measured and calm as he was vicious. Our eyes met and then darted to the entire pack behind them. Both of their faces were coated in blood. Henderson or maybe the mage it seemed had already been a meal and now they were after my father. Terror and dread coursed through me in sudden waves “No” I screamed “you can’t, please” my voice broke, and I began to sob once more. A tenacious younger wolf scampered forth sniffing and probing. The alpha watched him and when the young wolf lunged for a bite the alpha quickly put him down with a snarl and a bark. I watched the scene with some hope, but once the alpha raised his head, I knew that hope was false. He took a step forward, then another, a growl emanating from deep within his chest. He lunged and bit deep into my father’s boot almost in the same place I had just dragged him from. I screamed and lunged toward the wolf but he called my bluff and continued pulling my father out from under me. I held on tight refusing to let this be my final moments with my father. My strength gave out and I fell to the dirt watching in wide eyed horror as they began tearing off chunks and fighting over them. I wretched and heaved sickness to blend with the blood in the mud.
My fear gave way to rage, and I charged the wolves, only for the young male that was put down by the alpha to meet my challenge with ferocity. I fell back as he charged and scrambled up the steps and into the shattered doorway of my home. I turned and ran for my room tears flowing freely down my cheeks, rivers of ice cooling the rage into despair as I slid down my door cradling my knees.
I am not sure how long I cried, long after the howls and barks of the wolves had quieted. I faded in and out of consciousness, dreams of the past played so vivid while I slept that I wanted nothing more than to return to them the moment I woke. Light shown through my window only for darkness to take hold in a cycle that repeated over and over. I escaped into unconsciousness ignoring hunger pains and my dried throat. Tears would not fall no matter how much I wailed. I had given up completely, scenes of my father being ripped apart playing through my mind every time I awoke. It was the ultimate betrayal, not only did I allow him to be killed but I could not even protect his boy long enough to bury him with the great mother. I slipped into unconsciousness on what must have been the fourth night and finally I saw her, with golden hair shining like the sun and eyes so blue to make the sky jealous. My mother walked towards me as I sat in a field of wheat. She wore a glowing green gown and tears rolled down my cheeks with her beauty. A part of me knew it was a dream, but that part was quiet and allowed the larger part of me to believe. She cupped my face and whispered “my dearest Rowan, you must get up. You cannot let this defeat you.”
I stared into her eyes for a long moment and then I breathed heavy and hard taking in her scent, she smelled of lilac and wildflowers and finally I spoke “I don’t understand, why did this have to happen. What did the Emperor want with me? What is the hidden path? Why did you both have to die?” It all spilled out of me in a jumble, and she took me into her arms. “In time Rowan you will find those answers, but now is not that time. You must rise and you must endure. You must practice everything you have been taught. You must find the hidden path.” She held me tight and whispered a final “wake my darling, the world awaits you”.
My eyes opened and I took a deep breath. The scent of lilac still present in the air.