CHAPTER 9 ~ GRIFFIN PROBLEMS

TWO YEARS ONE MONTH AFTER BANISHMENT

When the small group of soldiers limped into camp, barely able to stand and with blood covering them, I knew I would be summoned soon. It was the fourth or fifth group to come back in the same state. I had lost track. Sure enough, within minutes of their passing my spot, Jaton hurried over.

“He’s fit to be tied!” Jaton explained.

“Did they have any success?” I asked calmly, looking in the direction of the large tent.

“No. And they lost over a dozen more soldiers as well. Those things are tearing us apart. Ricald is sure the Hunter set them up to it,” Jaton replied.

I looked at Jaton amused. “The Hunter told two griffins to attack us? The man is legendary, but I’ve never heard of him being able to do something like that. Griffins are not exactly known for their friendliness.”

“Tell that to Ricald. He wants you now,” Jaton answered.

I sighed, and put away the dagger I had been sharpening by our fire pit. I looked at Travon, who had been sitting next to me, sharpening his own sword.

“Stay,” I commanded, to which he stuck out his tongue, but didn’t move.

I walked through the camp quickly, dogging sleeping soldiers and working ones. Sartan nodded to me from his place next to a broken wagon wheel. He looked like he was trying to hammer it into submission and the wheel was winning. Outside Captain Ricald’s tent, one of the blue and silver hippogryph banners had fallen to the ground. I picked up quickly and leaned it against the tent. The brown hippogryph, standing on his hind legs over a fallen sword meant little to me, but it carried great weight to Ricald and others in the camp. I fought for my own reasons, but I often wondered if they really thought this piece of cloth was worth dying under.

I banged on the tent flap and was quickly ordered inside. More banners of blue and silver hung everywhere. It almost seemed Ricald thought he was impressing someone by filling his tent with as much of the two colors as possible, but right now he wasn’t worried about the colors at all. He was worried about his griffin problem.

“I’ve tried everything, Aiden. You’re going to have to stop them yourself,” Ricald said point blank, from his position in his high backed chair.

I stopped in front of his desk. “You want me to take on two angry griffins by myself? Were you planning on me coming back alive?” I asked sourly.

Ricald shrugged. You’d be out of your contract then. Just kill the griffins first. And besides, you won’t be totally alone. I’m sending a small regiment with you.”

“To make sure I come back if I am alive at the end,” I stated. He wasn’t fooling me.

Ricald only shrugged again.

“I want horses,” I stated firmly.

He looked at me surprised. “Horses? I can’t afford to lose any.”

“But you can afford to lose all the men your throwing at those griffins?”

“I don’t have a choice,” Ricald growled in a low timber. “They are attacking all of our scouts, making off with vital supplies, and killing without any reason. They are dwindling or numbers more than any battle we’ve fought!”

“Then it sounds like you can’t not afford to give me horses if you really want them gone,” I responded calmly.

Ricald’s brown eyes flashed dangerously. “Ten, no more.”

I nodded as if I had expected nothing less. Griffins and horses had always been mortal enemies though why was up to what legend you happened to believe. There was some kind of irony in taking horses to fight griffins, when the flag I would be traveling under was a hippogryph, a hose and griffin as one. I doubted Ricald would be amused by my irony however.

“How many soldiers?” I asked, instead.

“I can’t afford to lose anymore. One regiment is all, but bring them back alive,” Ricald responded. “I want this finished before the days out.”

I raised an eyebrow. Was he crazy? I wouldn’t even attack them before dusk hit. “I’ll be back by tomorrow,” I responded before turning and walking out the tent door. This was not going to be easy.

***

The griffins had built there home high up in a cave on the edge of Mairbarc Forest and the Cirthian Mountains. The place was deeper into Elangsia territory, where we had retreated after a major battle. The rest hadn’t lasted long before the griffins had started to pick us apart.

Ricald claimed they were aggressive animals with no cause to attack, except their wild ferocious nature, but he was just looking for an excuse. I couldn’t prove it, but my guess was that he had done something to provoke them. It was well known that griffins loved gold and protected it with ferocity. Ricald was just the type of person to send out a little expedition to see if he could get some. Now, we were all paying for it.

I stopped the crew with me a few hundred yards from where their cave entrance was. The plan was simple, send the horses in to be slaughtered and the attack while the griffins ate. My problem was that there wasn’t just one griffin, there were two. One I could defeat, but I wasn’t positive how I was going to attack two. My one option was to split them up, but I wasn’t positive how I was going to do that either.

I motioned for the others to stay and crept forward. Travon followed, obviously my telling the others to stay behind, didn’t include him. We moved the last fifty feet or so and took in the sence. In front of us lie over a dozen soldiers dead bodies. Obviously, the griffins had killed more than I thought. Something about the scene struck me as odd. There was too much blood on the scene and most of it was around the foot of the mountain, as if it had fallen from higher up.

“What is it?” Travon asked quietly.

“One of the griffins is hurt,” I answered.

“How do you know?” Travon questioned, looking up to the higher cave entrance.

I pointed out the extra blood and moved back swiftly, “Come on.” With one griffin out of commission, or at least hurt, it would make the job a little easier. I hoped.

We made our way back to the others and I directed them to split into three groups, who then spread out to surround the glen in the front of the mountain. I gave a low caw and the horses galloped into the glen. They could smell the blood and it made them very nervous, but each time they tried to leave a soldier would prod them back in. Their panicked whinnies filled the darkening night sky.

It took only a few seconds for the high eagle screech to pierce the night air. The griffin excited his cave and glared down at the intruders. He was obviously not happy with their presence. The griffin was huge and by all appearances very angry. He didn’t waste much time, but spread his wings to fly down. They must have reached over nine feet. His dark brown feathers moved with the wind as he swept down on to the utterly terrified horses. The horses screamed as he hooked his huge front talons into one and pulled it far above the earth, his lion’s tail whipping in the wind. He reached the tops of the trees and went slightly higher before he released the horse and it fell to the ground, crashing with a sickening thud. Travon groaned beside me and promptly threw up. The site was a little nasty, but I had seen far worse. It was only an animal after all, nothing to throw up about. But I didn’t comment as Travon wiped his mouth and grimaced.

The griffin swooped down after the horse and landed next to him. The other horses trembled at the forest’s edge as far from the menace as they could get. The griffin ignored them in favor of the downed horse. The creature was still alive, but one swipe from his talon and a second from his back claw meant the horse’s death.

With him now totally preoccupied I let out a second caw. Within moments, spears were flying threw the air. More soon joined them. The griffin screeched in outrage as spears flew in to land around him. Some hit his hard hide and bounced off, but two found their mark. One was buried between his shoulder blades and the second on the side of his rump. Blood trickled from the marked places.

An answering screech came from high above and the second griffin appeared at the cave entrance. She made no move to help her mate though. The griffin on the ground looked up and screeched back. The female moved back slightly into the cave in response, while the soldiers advanced. They moved into a circle around the injured griffin, who pawed the ground angrily. Travon and I left our own hiding place and walked into the glen. I crossed my arms as I watched the griffin stare down his trappers.

“Kill him,” I commanded coldly.

The soldiers needed no other words to destroy what had killed so many of their comrades. They lunged in with full fury. But the griffin was only slightly weakened in body, his spirit was stronger than ever. He threw one solder while taking out a second with a mere stare. A third was felled by his hind lion’s paw. There were more than just three men however.

The battle raged for a longer than it should have. Ricald had told me not to lose anymore men, but this griffin alone was felling tons and I still had one more to deal with. I was also getting tired of sitting on the sideline, but I wanted to see the creature fight. Losing men didn’t mean as mush to me as it did Ricald and I had a good sense for how the griffin fought. He had a blind side on his left if you came at the right angle. I made my way over and dodged another flying body. Travon tried to follow, but I motioned him back. Fighting humans was one thing, fighting griffins was something else entirely. The blood was everywhere, and it was becoming harder and harder to tell what was human and what was griffin. Still, from above it must have looked as if the griffin would come out on top, because the female still only watched, although her high eagle screech added to the intense confusion.

Suddenly, I saw the opening I was waiting for. Quickly, I lunged at the animal, raising my long blade high. My lunge took me directly above the griffin on the left side and I plunged the sword deep into the base f his neck. His scream filled the night air with a pierce that could surely be heard back in Bradioch Forest. His wasn’t the only scream. As I felt the knife plunged deeper I heard the sound of furious wings above me. I rolled quickly and yanked my dagger from its place, but the talons of the female griffin still plunged deep into my right arm. I yelled out in pain, even as I automatically switched the knife to my left hand and truck it into the meat of the griffin’s front leg. The female screamed again and rose up on her hind legs. Somewhere around me I heard Travon scream my name. I rolled to the right and just barely missed getting hit with her talons again as they came crashing to the ground. If I didn’t get out of the way soon, she would kill me.

She turned on me again, full of fury at her dying mate’s call. I was out of weapons, my only other dagger was in my boot and I couldn’t reach it. Her eyes were dark with anger and I could feel her hatred at me for still living. In that single moment, she and I were alike. Her hatred towards me was the same I felt for Duard. I too would kill him and she was bent on doing the same to me. I saw her raise her talon again, but I didn’t move.

What would it feel like to die? Would it finally be a relief from the pain and hatred I felt? Would my siblings forgive me for failing them? For turning on them and betraying them? Perhaps death was the only release I had left.

She lowered her talon for the crushing blow and I knew I was dead. But the blow never came. I heard a second scream and a shadow knocked into the griffin at full force. Without pause, more shadows attacked and soon the griffin was covered in them. Travon had yelled the charge and hit the griffin first, while the others had followed his command. I stood and looked on in wonder as the soldiers attacked without mercy. I glanced to the side and saw that the male was already dead. Then Travon stood in front on me with my sword in his hands.

“We saved the killing blow for you.” His voice was low, cold as it had been when we first met. I could barley see his face, but I didn’t have to to understand that he had removed his soul from the situation entirely.

I took my sword and walked to the griffin’s head. Someone had taken the time to light a torch. How long had I been captive in my thoughts? I stared down into the griffin’s large blue eye. She had been a noble creature, fighting only when provoked beyond reason. Even though she had been wounded before the fight, she had come to her mate’s aid and now she would pay for it with her life. The hatred had almost left her eyes completely, but a sorrow beyond words filled them now. She looked up at me and somehow we both understood.

“Find peace in death for both of us,” I whispered and then I severed her head.

***

I allowed no one to touch the bodies that night. Travon and I stared up to guard them as the soldiers slept. The next morning I had them build a funeral prier and place both griffins bodies on top. Then I set them all away, except for Travon, who stayed by my side. The others had been gone for a long time before I finally spoke.

“Take my dagger and cut off the front talon of the male,” I told him as I pulled my second dagger from its place.

“Why?”

“A griffin’s talon once fashioned into a cup will tell the drinker if the liquid has been poisoned. They are very rare and usually only received from a priest or some holy man who was given the talon as a gift from a grateful griffin. We will receive ours in a different way, but they will work just as well.”

Travon looked at me impressed and hurried to the male’s side.

“Take as many feathers as you can. It is said, they can cure blindness. I don’t know that we will ever need it, but we can always sell them to gain some money should the need arise,” I added, pulling feathers of my own and putting them out of the way.

“What about the gold? Don’t griffins love it?” Traovn asked, finishing with the talon.

“Yes, emeralds too. If they have any, it will be up in the cave,” I responded.

“Are we going to look?” He asked eagerly, already fixing his eyes on the cave entrance.

“We don’t have time. We have to follow the soldiers back quickly or Ricald will get suspicious.” I stepped away from the prier and set fire to it.

“Hey!” Travon yelled, jumping back. “I wasn’t finished yet!”

“Don’t be greedy,” I answered calmly., to which he made a rather interesting looking face.

“Why are we burning them?” He asked next.

I didn’t answer right away. The convenient excuse as that it was less competition for the talons and feathers if they were all burned and that was the answer I would give Travon. But the truth was something different. It was the female griffin’s eyes. I couldn’t forget the look in them or the knowledge we were so alike. It was a way to respect that.

“There’s somethin’ in the cave,” Travon’s voice broke into my thoughts.

I followed his gaze up to the cave. There was something moving all right, but from the angle we stood at it was impossible to tell what.

“If there is another griffin up there, Ricald can best it himself,” I muttered.

“It ain’t that big,” Travon protested.

I didn’t answer. Griffins came in all sizes.

“Well?” I glanced at Travon to see him looking at me expectantly.

“What?”

“Aren’t we going?”

“This is a waste of time,” I growled.

“Oh, good,” Travon exclaimed already looking at the wall for the best handholds. I wasn’t quite sure how ‘waste of time’ translated into ‘let’s climb’ but apparently it did. There was little I could do but follow. It was a hard climb with one arm strapped to my vest, but the mountain had easy footholds and I managed. Travon, however, would be paying dearly for it later.

By the time I made it to the cave entrance, Travon was already playing with it.

“No!” Was the first word out of my mouth.

“But I’ll take care of it!” Travon protested loudly.

I did not like the looks of the scene in front of me at all. Travon was crouched on the ground playing with a very young griffin. The animal was obviously only a few months old, since it still had more down feathers than fully matured one’s. It’s hind lion’s tail was short and the back paws huge. This creature was going to be at least the size of his father and probably much larger. He let out a little eagle’s screech at Travon’s playfulness and promptly rolled onto his back to get a good rubbing. What was wrong with this thing? Griffin babies were suppose to be fierce and cruel. This one must have skipped that lesson.

He rolled back over and bounded to my side. He cocked his head at me and stared into my eyes with his own deep blue ones. They looked exactly like his mother’s, except the sorrow and hatred was replaced with innocence and curiosity.

“No,” I said again, crossing my arms across my chest.

“But...” Travon protested.

I raised a hand to cut him off. “What do you think your going to do with a baby griffin? He’ll eat more than you can spare and if Ricald finds him he’ll be worse of then he could ever be if we simply left him here.” I wasn’t sure why I was trying to be logical about this.

“We’ll hide him from Ricald away from camp. Everybody’s use to you going off all alone. And I follow. Aiden, we could! He can eat my food and I’ll hunt everything else!” Travon’s voice had that pleading tone again.

I could almost hear Arnan coming through. The whelp had wanted a dragon one time. We had both used almost the exact same arguments as well, only the names had been slightly different.

“Durad will never find out, Aiden. And maybe Draco can help us one day!”

Draco? You named him already?” I questioned, not happy about this at all.

“Come on, Aiden, you know you want to say yes! You want a dragon too!” Arnan tried a different tactic.

“Either you get rid of that thing now or I will later. You are not risking Duard’s wrath on us all because you think you need a pet! Especially not a dragon. Go pick something tamer like Wren’s birds!” I answered, wishing I was saying something different.

“You’re no fun Aiden! You never understand!” Arnan accused.

“I understand more than I wish I did, Arnan. One day, you probably will too” I sighed. “At least if you get rid of him you can make sure he’s safe. If Duard finds him, it will be death for his potions. And neither of us wants that.” The logic was cold, but true.

I had always hated myself for crushing Arnan’s spirit that day, but we had just received a punishment from Duard the day before and I didn’t feel like having sit in solitude for another month because I had helped to hide a dragon.

I shook my thoughts from my flashback. Only to be greeted with the picture of Travon and his griffin friend.

“I won’t save him or you should Duard find out,” I finally said.

“Duard?” Traovn questioned.

“Ricald,” I answered quickly. ‘If Ricald finds him, you will both wish you had let him alone out here.”

“He won’t,” Travon said with the confidence of a youth. Arnan would have been proud.

“It doesn’t make sense, why is he so taken with us?” I asked out loud.

In answer, Travon pulled some of the feathers from his pocket. “I think it was these.”

I nodded understanding. “We smell like his parents.” This was defiantly not supposed to be happening. “I’ll go report to Ricald. Can you find your way back and a place for the creature without getting spotted?” I heard myself questioning.

“I will. Nothing disappointing, Aiden.” Travon grinned.

“We’ll see.”

“We need names. Somethin’ with bite,” Travon decided abruptly.

“Bite?” I questioned, but Travon only grinned, obviously deep in thought.

The creature didn’t have any bite. If anything it was an annoyance beyond compare. Although Wren’s birds were certainly high on that list. His parents however were true warriors and if Travon didn’t coddle him too much, his real nature would show through. In the end, it might not be a bad idea having a griffin on your side.

“Maglynar,” I said out loud.

“Huh?” Travon asked.

“Little Warrior.”

“Nice!” Travon replied, repeating the name again and ruffling the feather’s on the griffin’s head.

It looked like we had just acquired a new friend for good.

***

CHAPTER 8 ~ DEUS TALK

ONE YEAR ELEVEN MONTHS AFTER BANISHMENT

Each passing day seemed to make the camp more stifling and me more restless. Nothing could satisfy me. I was in more fights with those supposedly on my side than I was with the enemy. It hadn’t taken long for the others to learn to stay away. Only Jaton and Travon dared to come close to me and they were the only ones who brought my summonings from Ricald. He sent more out with varying frequencies, but he seemed to be getting the idea I was a loose wild horse in his camp. He’d punish me, if he could figure out how. He had tried a few things, but they were nothing compared to what Duard use to do to my siblings and I, so I barley noticed he was trying to punish me until it was almost over. The fact angered Ricald, but it only amused me. I wanted out of the contract now and out of the army. But perhaps, that was Ricald’s ultimate revenge r punishment, not giving me the one thing I wanted. So instead we stayed locked in a stalemate. It was most annoying. My only comfort were the long walks I took in the woods, when nothing bothered to disturb me.

“Aiden!”

Almost nothing. I turned to glare at Travon who was making his way towards me. He gave me a smile as he stopped at my side.

“Hi!”

“What?” I asked abruptly.

“Nothing. I jut figured I’d walk with you,” Travon replied raising his hands as in surrender or innocence, which this boy never was.

“Chores?” I asked instead

“Tons! Ricald thinks he’s gonna punish you be me! It’s not fair!” Travon whined.

He had been given a five slaves share of the work load around camp. Ricald seemed to think it was amusing to watch the kid hop from one meaningless task to another.

A loud screech from above caused us both to look up. A falcon circled high overhead. It’s circles were small and it spiraled downward with each one.

“Whoa!” Travon exclaimed in a low voice, fascinated with the bird.

I was far less fascinated. I cold think of only one reason a falcon would circle above me. It had to be one of Wren’s birds. I had had relatively little contact with any of my siblings. Although, I knew Wren had sent out letters to each of us, and some if not all had replied back. Each letter sent was another slap in Duard’s face and for that reason alone, I wished my siblings would consider to send out their letters. But relatively few came to me. Wren had written to me once and had sent Gavin to delivery her letter. The experience with the ornery falcon had not been a pleasant one.

I watched silently as the bird came in closer and landed in about seven feet or so in front of us. The bird was gray-brown. I was quickly in a bad mood. Gaven was white. There were only two white birds. There were three gray and brown birds. This was going to take some time.

“Amazing!” Travon said, his brown eyes never leaving the falcon.

I wasn’t really listening. The only birds who acted like this belonged to Wren. That meant one of my siblings had written me and if I wanted to find out who and why I had to get close to the bird. Not a task I relealsihed.

“Name plate, Wren. I told you to put a name plate on the blasted creatures,” I muttered. There were three gray-brown ones, my problem was I could only remember two names. And if my luck held out as usual, it wasn’t either of them.

“Shea? Keaton?” I called anyways.

Travon gave me an odd look. “Are you trying to talk to it?”

“You wanna live, keep the trap shut,” I warned. Travon’s mouth closed instantly, though he watched me intently. The bird didn’t move, but I could have sworn it looked amused. There was no way I was going to remember the things name.

“Rabbit, I need rabbit,” I said, half to myself.

“Like this?” Travon pulled some strips of meat from the pouch at his waist. I raised my eyebrows at him, and he calmly replied, “Been saving them. Ricald’s been stingy with food.”

I shook my head and grabbed the strips. Squatting down I held them out to the bird, “Okay, boy, come get some. Whichever one sent you wasn’t from around here, you’ve got to be hungry.”

The bird looked at me as if weighing its options.

“Look, Screecher, this is a limited time offer here.”

Travon laughed, but stopped quickly when I glared at him.

The bird wanted more information. I sighed. His name wasn’t one of the familiar ones. It was something a little odd. I concentrated on watching Wren with each of her precious birds.

“They are each important, Aiden, even if you refuse to admit it,” Wren said sweetly.

“If you say so, Wren,” I replied, humoring her.

She shook her head at me, “One day you are going to wish you paid better attention to them, Aiden.”

I groaned now. The girl had an uncanny knack for being right about me. She had been stroking a bird when that conversation had taken place. Now, that I thought about it, it had been this bird and at some point she had used his name. I watched the falcon as I waited for the information to come. He was looking at the meat intensely and I waved it slightly to make it look more inviting. Travon was going to hold the bird while I penned my reply. This was not happening again.

Myrddin.

The name suddenly popped into my mind.

Myrddin,” I called calmly. “Come on, you want the meat and I want the letter. Come here.”

Just like that the bird hopped willingly over. I hated these stupid creatures. Why couldn’t we use something more reliable, like a dragon or unicorn or griffin, anything besides the birds! .As it grabbed the meat I took the letter attached to its little leg.

“How did you…” Travon started.

“Grab the stupid beast and hold him,” I muttered unfolding the letter and settled down to read. Travon looked at the bird suspiciously.

Dear Brother,

Let me say first that I am well and pray you are as well. I am writing this letter to you in the middle of the night because I could wait no longer. This very night I was woken by a dream of our childhood; of the time shortly after the death of our father and mother, when you, already so old for your years, refused to show your sorrow. I remember this because I was angry with you, thinking you cared nothing about our parents. Taerith wisely responded to my anger by telling me gently, "He may bury his feelings deep inside, but he cannot hide the pain I see in his eyes."

Aiden, ever since we were young, you have been the one to make sure the faith of our parents did not die from among us. I know you have not believed for yourself since a long time past, but you, nonetheless, saw to it that I did. You encouraged me to believe in Deus, though you yourself knew not what you believed. For this I feel both gratitude and sorrow. Over these many months apart, I have thought much over our years together in Braedoch and have come to realize my own failure in returning your encouragement. I did not fight to keep the faith alive inside of you as you did for me. I have failed you, Aiden, and for this I ask your forgiveness.

In my dream, as the memories of our childhood faded, I saw you as you look now, standing in a strange place, I know not where. I could see none of your face, only your eyes; and in your eyes I saw pain. Not only pain, but terror. I know not what this dream means nor that it will mean anything sensible to you when you read of it; only that it compelled me to write this letter. I pray for you daily, knowing that the One whom I serve has preserved me, as I trust he preserves you. I live for the day when we might see one another again.

May you know peace, and the love of your affectionate sister,

Daelia

Daelia. The eldest of my sisters. Her woodcraft was legendary in the family, but more so was her caring nature and her need too look after her younger siblings. She had baked bread until the kitchen had overflowed the day before our final departure and separation. It was her final gift to each of us. I had forgotten about her special gift though. So, she had seen the terror in my eyes?

Yeah, I knew all too well what she meant. I had felt that terror everyday since I had turned on Zoe. I read Daelia’s last line again. I live for the day when we might see one another again. Would she feel the same why if she knew what I had almost done, what I had become? Together, Daelia and I had taught the others how to use weapons, but we had never trained them for doing what I did. Cold blooded murder. Their faith in God would always stop them from crossing that line. The faith that Daelia admitted, I had worked so hard to make sure they each had. But when had Daliea figured out I didn’t believe? As far as I knew, only Wren and Zoe, perhaps Taerith, understood that truth. What else had my younger sibling guessed at?

It didn’t matter any longer, once again I had betrayed her. She was in pain, because she thought I was. The guilt washed over me again, almost to strong to handle. She said she was okay, but was she really? Where was my eldest sister? What had happened to her? The dream of me had disturbed her so much that she had to write to me in a frantic way. Whatever she was going through she did not need to be worried about me. I could take care of myself.

Can you?

The voice was unbidden and I was startled to hear it.

What?

Can you take care of yourself?

Yes.

It does not seem to have worked so far. The voice was gentle, but no less firm.

Zoe? I questioned. She had been the only voice I had heard over the long time since our separation. But Zoe’s apparition quickly appeared in front of me, yet far away, and shook her head no. “But maybe you should listen,” she said quietly.

“I know who this is,” I growled. “Leave me alone! I want nothing to do with you!”

Are you so sure?

Of course! You are not needed or wanted in my life! Get out!

Ah, now though you admit I am here.

What? For as long as I could remember I had taught my family that Dues was a real God who would take care of them and listen to them and for just as long I had not believed it. I wasn’t even sure he existed at all, but if by some minor miracle he did, he didn’t care about any of us.

But I do exist and, you have tried to deny it, but you are not able too.

Even if that were true, you have never cared.

Step by step, Aiden. Step by step.

Perhaps, but were they steps I wanted to take?

Screech! “Ow!” The noises brought my head up quickly. Myrddin was taking flight from Travon’s forearm, which had no protection.

“Have you lost it?” I yelled. “You can’t let a falcon land on you without protection!”

“It hurts!” Travon cried.

“Am I suppose to be surprised? Of course it hurts!” I pulled out a dagger and cut a strip off of Travon’s shirt. Carefully, I wrapped it around his bruised and scrapped arm. He wouldn’t be suing it for a little while, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

“I don’t like falcon’s anymore,” he muttered.

“Neither do I. Now keep an eye on him while I write this letter.”

Travon glared at me first then at the bird. I left him to ponder different ways to kill Myrddin, while I pulled out my charcoal and turned Daelia’s letter over.

Daelia,

I can’t forgive when you didn’t make an error. I am fine, do not waste time worrying over me. You will help me best by taking care of yourself. Contuie to trust the God who preserves you. Stay strong, my sister. I too live for when we will be together. It will happen.

Aiden

Did I really live for the day we would be reunited? I must, that was what I worked so hard to achieve. That was why I needed to kill Duard. But would my family want to be united with me when they saw what I had done to accomplish it? Or was I simply giving myself excuses for my deeds?

I shook the hard thoughts off and looked over at Travon, who was standing a good distance from Myrddin and lecturing the bird loudly. I shook my head at his antics, folded the paper, and walked over to Myrddin. The falcon gave me an impatient look. I ignored it and knelt down, while Travon fell silent.

“I need this to go back to Daelia. Understand, Myrddin? Daelia. Take this to her.”

The falcon hopped over to me and offered me his leg. After I had tied the parchment on, he rose into the air and was soon out of site.

“How…?” Travon’s voice trailed off in wonder.

“I have no idea,” I answered, as I watched the falcon fly to my sister. Whether he returned to Wren or Daelia, she would eventually get the letter. I turned and walked silently back to the camp, deep in thought. Why did it seem like everywhere I turned lately my mindset was being attacked?

***

CHAPTER 7 ~ DISILLUSION

ONE YEAR FOUR MONTHS AFTER BANISHMENT

“No, get your sword up! That’s it! Never drop it, unless you want your enemy to think he has an advantage, and then only fake a drop,” I commanded as I struck Travon’s sword again.

“Easy for you to say!” The youth muttered, blocking my attack. He ran his sword up mine and swept it down trying to cut across my middle.

I stepped back and let the swing pass, before attacking his side. I stopped before my sword could cut him. I smiled amused at the thundercloud on his face.

“You have improved again,” I remarked.

“I lost again,” he muttered darkly.

I nodded, “Next time try thinking before you start swinging.”

“I will beat you.”

“One day, maybe,” I responded and laughed when he growled.

He had actually had improved and it was getting more rare that he attacked me out of pure anger. He usually thought first, but I only had to push a few buttons to get him to make a mistake. However, his tactics challenged me more than I would let him know. I was correct that training the kid would help me. I had gotten into better shape since I had stated training again and that alone mad it worth it. Beating the kid up was an advantage too.

“Aiden, Ricald is yelling all over camp for you!” Jaton stumbled into our training session.

Travon sighed. “How long this time?”

“Who knows,” I muttered. Over the past six months Ricald had sent me out on one stupid mission after another. I was required to do all different jobs, sometimes it was to kill someone, or kidnapping, perhaps spying, it didn’t seem to matter to him. After my mission, usually the place I had gone too was wiped off the map. It was a routine I still saw little point in, but for now I followed it. I didn’t really have a choice, since I was under Ricald’s control.

“You better get moving,” Jaton pressed.

I nodded, sheaved my sword, and headed back to the camp. Soldiers were going out of their way to avoid the space around the captain’s tent. It must be bad. I approached slowly.

“Captain?” I called.

“Aiden, get in here!” His voice was not pleasant.

I entered to find the captain staring down at a map and muttering to himself. He didn’t bother to look up at my entrance.

“Go to this section,” he pointed to a small town about four leagues from where we were. “Your going to meet with a woman. She’s dark and ugly. She’ll give you a communication to bring back to me.”

“What is it?” I asked, only because I was expected too.

His dark eyes came up to meet mine. “You don’t need to know.”

I shrugged, “I’m carrying it.”

“Yes, and you will bring it to me immediately. You know the consequences for failure.”

I had never dealt with those consequences. It was why he used me so much. I never failed.

“Why are you still here?” He spat.

I gazed at him steadily and then turned and walked out. He didn’t control me…. not fully, anyway. He liked to think he did and I followed his orders, but only for now. I was quickly tiring of his constant pointless missions. Eventually, I was going to stop and he was going to have to deal. I was only using him for two reasons. One was to help me learn and the second was to keep Zoe off my back while I did. Zoe was still around far too often and I was starting to learn less and less. The kid Travon was teaching me more than Ricald’s stupid war. I needed out of the cycle.

***

ONE YEAR SEVEN MONTHS AFTER BANISHMENT

“Aiden! Knock it off!” Zoe screamed.

“Zoe, get out of here!” I yelled back, as my sword cut the soldier in front of me in half.

“No! Stop it!” She yelled at me again.

“What is your problem? You want them to kill me?” I yelled back as another soldier attacked.

“No! But this isn’t right!” She exclaimed, her green eyes flashing dangerously.

“It’s a blasted war, Zoe!” I had to stop putting her back in her place, in order to kill the newest soldier trying to take me out. I put him out of his misery quickly and looked around.

The battle had started early that morning, but the sun was starting to sink now. Bodies were everywhere and they came from both sides of the field. It was impossible to tell who was winning the fight, but then since I wasn’t positive what that battle was about, I wasn’t sure that mattered either. At least we were fighting the opposite army for a change. Not that it seemed to matter to Zoe, whose apparition had appeared a few minutes after the battle had started.

“Just because it’s a war doesn’t make it right.” She was back.

I glanced up at her. She seemed to enjoy hovering off the ground just above me, forcing me to look up if I wanted to actually see her face. More than often, I didn’t. She was supposed to go away when I joined Ricald’s troops. Instead, she was as persistent and annoying as ever. I just couldn’t figure out why.

“Look, people fight, people die, I have a contract saying this is what I’m suppose to do!”

“You’re making excuses and they aren’t even good ones.”

“Argh!” I growled frustrated.

“You don’t even know why your fighting!” She accused.

“How do you know that?” I asked. It was a stupid question.

“I’m in your head!” She exclaimed in a ‘oh come on, stupid’ voice.

“Well, get out!” I commanded.

“Get off the field!” She responded.

“I have a job to do, Zoe! I’m not going anywhere.” I replied.

“You don’t have a reason to be here,” Zoe said, her voice eerily calm now.

“I have a contract I have to fulfill. It’s reason enough.” I stepped over a body to get back into the fray.

“A contract you made only to give yourself an excuse to kill people. You still don’t know who your killing!” She accused harshly, as she followed. “You promised that would end with little Emma, but you did it again! Your ruthless now!” I cut another soldier down mercilessly, my anger at my talking shadow growing. “You don’t even pause when you kill! You don’t know their reason for fighting! How do you even know you are on the right side?”

I swung around to face my accuser. Rage filling me. I was tired of the questions, tired of the accusations. What right did anyone have to question my actions? I was doing what I needed too. It was vital that I acquire the skills of fighting more than one person at a time. Soldiers coming from everywhere focused my attention. I had to have this! I was right to do this! No one should question that! No one! My thoughts were focused, but full of rage as I raised my sword and then stopped dead.

Zoe’s green eyes stared into mine. They held no malice, no pain, only a look of something I had forgotten long ago. Compassion maybe?

“You would kill me, Aiden, your own sister? Have you destroyed your own soul so much that even I no longer mean anything to you?” Her voice was soft and steady, and it drove daggers of pain through my heart.

I wanted to answer her, to face her accusations, but I couldn’t find any words. Zoe had enough for both of us.

“What have you done to yourself, Aiden? Do you even know who you are anymore? If any of our siblings saw you, I bet we wouldn’t know you at all.”

Probably not, but hadn’t I purposefully kept myself from them? Wren had long ago figured out a way for us to communicate with each other, but I never contacted them. I also received very few letters and I never mentioned my own circumstances when I replied. It wasn’t their right to know, or their problem. My duty was to help them, not the other way around. Still, I was seeing each of them in more and more people that I met.

“And what will you do with him?” Zoe asked, bringing my mind back to her presence.

“Who?”

“Travon. Will you bring him into this world you created? Will you force him to battle the side his village gave their lives for? That’s what you are planning, right? To train him for battle… these battles.” She swept her hand around to indicated the battlefield.

The battle itself had long ago moved ahead of us. I had failed to catch up to it. Instead, I stood among the littered bodies from both sides. I had been training Travon for this. I did fully intend to bring him into battle. How would he feel fighting against those he once fought for?

“Look where your new life has brought you…. Your lessons. To a place where you would kill your own sister. If you kill me, Adien, when you defeat Duard, how will you bring us back together?” Zoe faded away.

I stood rooted to the spot and staring at where my little sister had been. I couldn’t process my thoughts. When had she become so… what was the correct word, wise? But if she was wise, was she also correct? And if that was true, was I wrong? But about what part?

Then one thought surfaced above all others, drowning out the rest, and knocking me to my knees hard. Had I really tried to kill Little Firebrand?

***

ONE YEAR TEN MONTHS AFTER BANISHMENT

He stood like a statue, not moving and definitely not defending himself. If the kid stood still much longer, he would be on the ground just as stiff, but nowhere near as alive. I slashed another soldier and made my way towards him. I could see a rather angry looking solider bearing down on Travon. Panic hit me, I wasn’t sure if he would defend himself or if I would reach him in time.

The solider was closing fast, too fast. I jumped over a body and kept going. Travon had yet to lift his sword. I wanted to yell at him, but I needed my breath to run, besides he could clearly see the solider coming straight at him. Or at least, he had never seemed like he was blind before this point. At the last second, Travon raised his sword and blocked the blow that would have split him in half. Their swords clanged as they knocked together and slide off of one another. The opposing soldier raised his sword again for a second attack. Travon didn’t move. Just as his sword was coming down, I arrived between them and my own sword mad e a clean cut into the soldier’s stomach.

“No!” Travon shouted desperately.

But it was too late. The blood gurgled from the man’s stomach and he fell onto the ground, instantly dead. I turned to look at Travon but he was staring helplessly at the fallen soldier.

“Have you lost all thought?” I yelled. “He was going to kill you! Why didn’t you fight?”

“I couldn’t,” Traovn whispered. “I couldn’t kill my brothers.”

My body reeled from the sudden shock it felt. Wren, Taerith, Ilara, Aquila, Arnan, Daelia, Sam, and Zoe’s faces each floated before me as I had last seen them when we parted ways. I had betrayed them all again.

“They aren’t your brothers and sisters,” I heard my own voice speak.

“My countrymen. That’s the same,” Travon answered quietly, as he bent down to close the eyes of the dead soldier.

I nodded, still lost in feelings and thoughts I couldn’t explain. I swallowed hard and tried to make sense of what was happening. Finally, a single idea came to me. “Run.”

Travon looked up at my whispered word. “What?”

“If you want to run away, now would be your chance. No one will miss you in the confusion. You can return to your countrymen.”

Travon looked at me as if I lost my mind. Perhaps I had, I wasn’t fully aware of what I was telling him. But I knew it had been wrong for Ricald to force him to come into this battle. Travon had been given an ultimatum, battle or a slave. “I warn you though, you can escape now, but if you are ever caught again, there will be no mercy. Ricald will kill you on sight.”

“And you?” Travon asked, his eyes looking off to where the major part of the battle was happing on the left of us.

“He’ll be angry and he will deal,” I replied more calmly than I felt, my emotions still entangled with my siblings.

Travon nodded slowly, then looked straight into my eyes. “I’ll stay with you.”

I hadn’t expected that. Travon had no real reason to want to stay with me, but I felt myself nodded as if I had expected nothing else.

“Let’s get out of here,” I said finally.

Together we turned and walked back to camp, leaving the army’s fighting behind us.

***

CHAPTER 6 ~ GIDRYON’S PROPHESY REVELED

ONE YEAR ONE MONTH AFTER BANISHMENT

I walked numbly through the destroyed village. Bodies were strewn everywhere, dogs had arrows in them, baskets lay trampled, water jugs spilled, roofs caved in, and blood ran like streams. I searched the faces as I walked through, but could find no sign of the little girl. I couldn’t remember her name, but Gidryon had said she was leaving, maybe she had gotten out safely.

I was in old grandfather’s village. It had been massacred on Captain Ricald’s order. There had been no battle and it had taken no time to complete. The village had never seen us coming, hadn’t stood a chance. No explanation had been given for our vicious advance.

As I stepped over a child’s body, I heard a meow. I knelt and lifted the boy’s arm. A cat crawled out and meowed pitifully. Was this the cat that the boy had chased over a month ago? The cat nudged the boy’s body again and I turned away. Why had this happened? I had killed Gidryon, these people could no longer help the Hunter, so why had we killed them? It seemed senseless. Killing for a reason, I could understand, even enjoy, but this?

I shook my head and headed out of the village. After the massacre the army had kept going. I had to catch up.

***

I watched the bush move against the wind again. Someone had been following the army for over three weeks now, but he had yet to show his face. The army had continued to move northeast along the boarder of the forest. There had been no break since the massacre of Gidryon’s village, but I hadn’t been sent out on a private mission for Ricald either. However, I had been doing some scouting around the camp and I was pretty sure it was only one person and probably a young one at that. He left behind obvious signs, but was making attempts to cover smaller ones. It was amusing , expect for the fact that I had yet to catch the little spy. I was about to rectify that problem now.

I got up from my spot near the fire and headed in the opposite direction of the bush. Once I was out of the fire’s glow I circled around back. Practice enabled me to move without a sound, of course the rowdy laughter of the drunk soldiers might have helped just a bit.

Sure enough, a small form crouched behind the bush. It watched the men at the fire intently. The form moved his right hand and the fire light glinted off of something in that hand. The kid held a dagger. I wondered briefly if he knew how to use it. The question had barely formed in my mind before he raised his hand and let it fly. I was helpless to do anything but watch as it embedded itself deep into the arm of one of the men. He howled in pain as the others jumped to their feet, looking all around for the source.

While the kid’s attention was on the activity, I strode quickly to his side. Within seconds, my hand closed on his arm and I hauled him to his feet. He let out a yelp and glared at me.

“You!”

“Me?” I questioned. “And who are you?”

“I’m going to destroy you!” The kid yelled viciously at me.

I lifted an eyebrow, amused. “Just how are you planning on doing that?”

“Aiden! That you?” A voice called from the other side of the bush.

“Did you get him?” A second joined in.

“Let me at him!” Went a third.

They were such pains when they were drunk. I sighed and yanked the kid towards them. We emerged on the other side to see four highly drunk and enraged soldiers staring us down with weapons in hand. The kid shrank back, but only a little.

“This whelp what’s got you all up in arms?” I questioned the four.

“Nah, e’s bigger. Huge, even! Throw a blummen ax at me!” Hitz exclaimed.

“He threw a dagger and it hit Sartan, not you,” I stated calmly.

Hitz looked highly insulted that the intruder had not been aiming at him.

“Well, what’s he want?” Jaton asked in an annoyed tone, the least drunk of the four.

“Good question.” I looked down at the kid, but he was staring a hole into the ground and didn’t look up. I shook his arm hard, but the kid was stubborn.

“I’m dying back here!” Sartan cried out from his place still by the fire. He was holding his bleeding arm, with the dagger still firmly in embedded.

“Just get more fire brew!” one of the other soldiers said, not taking his eyes of the boy.

“I don’t need more juice! I need this thing out!” Sartan barked impatiently.

“Hitz, take him to the healer,” I commanded.

“But..”

“Go!”

This time Hitz moved at lightening speed, or he would have if he wasn’t busy tripping over his feet trying to move so fast. I motioned for the other two soldiers to go with them. They nodded wide eyes and grabbed Hitz, just before he hit the ground. The man was hopeless.

As soon as the four left, I sat the kid down on one of the logs. He made an ‘omph’ noise as he hit the log, but otherwise said nothing. Jaton sat across from him and took a swig of the fire brew.

“All right, kid, who are you?” I asked.

“Your death,” he snarled.

I looked at him, completely startled. But not for his words, because of his attitude, stance, even his face, all reminded me of someone else. Anther person I had left in my past. One who I was sure had betrayed us all. I was looking at my brother Arnan, a younger version, but definitely him.

Jaton whistled. “Attitude.”

“You got a reason to come after me?” I questioned, ignoring Jaton, and trying to focus.

“You murdered my village.”

Well, at least now we were getting somewhere. But I hadn’t murdered Arnan’s village. Wait, I hadn’t murdered any village.

“I’ve done a lot of things kid, but murdering a village ain’t one of them. At least not yet. So, you wanna explain further?”

He only glared at me. This was going to take longer than I thought. The only village I had attacked with the army was the one slaughtered only a month before, Gidryon’s village. The other places we had attacked had been mostly army camps. But no one had been left alive in Gidryon’s place. I had combed every inch of it myself looking for the girl. Besides, it had been over a month ago.

“No, he looks familiar,” a soft voice said.

I glanced behind the kid to see Zoe looking at him with her head cocked to one side. If she said Arnan, I was going to tare something apart. Still, I couldn’t answer her with Jaton and the kid there, so I waited for her explanation, figuring it would come eventually. It usually did.

Finally she whispered, “Gidryon.”

Would I never be rid of that old man and his village? Zoe hadn’t stopped talking about his stupid last words since we had left his dead body behind. Besides, everyone in that village had died. What could this kid possibly have to do with the old god fancying fool?

“He mentioned a name…” Zoe spoke as if she was thinking very hard.

What? Yeah, his granddaughter’s…. and there had been a second one. He had been mysterious about it. I tried to remember, but my mind was cluttered with other memories from that day and I couldn’t pull the illusive data.

“Oh, Aiden. What if he is the boy Gidryon mentioned? What did you do?” The anguish in her voice was getting old, yet for some reason I flinched whenever I heard it.

I turned my focus back to the kid in front of me. “You came from that village that helped the Hunter.” I spoke as if I was sure, which I was, sort of.

As usual, Jaton sat straighter at the mention of the Hunter’s name. I never did manage to get the connection out of him though.

“I’m surprised you remember us at all,” the boy’s voice was filled with scorn, but it couldn’t hide the pain.

“Everyone was slaughtered there. How did you escape?” I asked.

“I was out hunting,” shame seeping into his tone. So, obviously he hadn’t been hunting, off taming some young maiden was more like it.

“You have family in the village?” Jaton questioned, curious now.

“Sort of,” he whispered.

Gidryon had mentioned that the youth had been his ward, but he had been hesitant about it. If this was the same kid, I had no end of bad luck.

“What’s your name, kid?” I had asked already, but this time I thought I might get an answer.

“Travon. My name’s Travon.”

Zoe gasped. “It is him! Oh, Aiden!”

Someone needed to hog tie that girl’s mouth shut. Unfortunately, I was the only one who could hear her and she never listened to me. I chose to ignore Firebrand and focus on the kid sitting before me. What in all griffen’s caves was I suppose to do with the brat?

“So, you came to avenge your village, did ya?” Jaton asked.

The man’s words constantly surprised me. Travon nodded his head meekly. Now that we knew who he was and where he came from, the fight seemed to have gone out of him.

“Time to be a straight mouth, Travon,” I instructed at last, using the slang I had picked up for tell the whole truth.

He stared into the fire for a while before finally speaking. “I’m an orphan, I think. Never knew either of my parents, so guess that makes me an orphan. I been runnin’ since I remember.”

Taerith would start throwing parchments at this kid’s use of language.

“I got caught by Gidryon once and he struck me funny. He was different than everybody. I stuck around for a while to see how much I could bug him. But he didn’t get bugged.” The kid paused to shrug. “I never left.”

“His only family. Aiden, you killed his only family! You know family is important!” Zoe admonished.

“Shut up, Firebrand!” I growled.

Travon looked at me and I glared back. He took a quick interest in the crackling fire logs. I watched him for a moment, Zoe’s admonishment darting through my mind. I hated it, but she was right. Once again, I had parted families. The last time this had happened, I had become stuck with Zoe’s apparition and she had yet to leave. I messed this up and I might have to deal with Arnan’s too. That wasn’t something I was willing to risk. One annoying sibling from the past was plenty.

“Did you think you were going to kill the whole camp?” Jaton broke in again.

“It crossed my mind,” Travon muttered.

I chuckled darkly. The kid had spunk. I couldn’t just let him go. He had harmed Sartan and someone would have to pay for that, but unless there was a use for him somewhere Ricald would have him shipped behind the lines to become a slave. I glanced up only to see Zoe watching me intently. I would never hear the end of it if I let that happen. There were odd jobs he could do around the camp, but the kid wouldn’t be satisfied working for the enemy he had come to kill. I glanced at the kid again. Not that that was really my problem.

“How old are you, Kid?” I asked finally.

“Fifteen,” he answered smartly.

Young, far too young. I could feel Zoe’s eyes on me, waiting. I hadn’t done much right in her eyes over the past year, but then I hadn’t much cared either.

“I should kill you for your assault on Sartan. Instead, you’ve just become a prisoner of the camp.”

“No!” The youth yelled as he leapt to his feet, his face frozen in a protest of horror.

“He’s saving your life, kid, be grateful.” Jaton said sending me a look of surprise and something else, then he turned back to Travon. “By rights, Sartan can still kill you. Or at the least he gets ownership rights.”

“I won’t be a slave!” Travon protested again.

I snorted, “You don’t have a choice.”

I glanced at Zoe to see her nodding her head. Something she approved of? It had to be a first since I had been separated from the real Zoe. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. Still, it was better than having Arnan keep Zoe company.

***

What an idiot. I thought with disgust as I watched Travon take yet another beating from Sartan. If it had been me, the kid would have been dead long ago. He constantly bucked everything Sartan told him to do, but for some reason Sartan hadn’t turned him over to Ricald yet. Sartan yelled again and this time Travon limped off.

I turned to stomp of into the forest with my bow, leaving the feuding behind me. We had been stuck in the same place for over a month now. The tree leaves were starting to turn color and that meant cold weather on the way. I had only spent one winter out in the land, I wasn’t looking forward to spending a second one, especially now that I was higher in the mountains. Besides that, I was getting restless. I had gotten used to the constant moving, always looking for the next kill. Now I spent more time looking for meat to kill, just to waste energy.

I stopped to watch the area around me. Rabbit stew was what I was craving at the moment. It seemed like a year since I had found a nice fat rabbit. The ones around here tended to be lean and hard, not even much blood to soak the meat in. A real rabbit sounded perfect, but right now, I’d just settle for making a kill.

The pounding on my right made me turn quickly. The coyote shot by at a speed that said she was being chased. I grinned and notched an arrow into my bow. Only one thing made a coyote run that fast. Sure enough, when the Eland came charging after the coyote, I let the arrow fly. It hit him full force in the side and toppled him. I rose quickly and flicked my wrist dagger into my hand.

“No way!”

The voice came from behind me and I didn’t think as I spun and released the dagger. Travon stood stock still as the dagger landed half buried and still shaking in the tree next to his head.

“What do you think you are doing?” I growled.

“Staying away from your dagger,” he replied, taking a large step away from the offending weapon.

“Your lucky it didn’t hit you between the eyes,” I muttered. Obviously, I wasn’t so lucky.

“I believe.” He watched silently as I retrieved the dagger, but he wasn’t silent long enough. “How’d ya do it?”

I didn’t bother to answer. Instead, I turned to go over to the Eland. The arrow had landed deep into his shoulder, but it was a tough animal, and he had only been stunned. I sliced his throat quickly. I had missed the satisfactory feel of the knife cutting its way through the skin. The kid was lucky he hadn’t managed to wake the animal up, or I would have skinned the kid instead.

“Teach me that!” Travon exclaimed from my right shoulder.

“Why, so you can use it on the rest of us while we are asleep? I don’t think so,” I replied.

The thought seemed to settle him, as if he had forgot for a moment his current situation. “So what if I do? You afraid of me?” He sneered.

I wiped my dagger off on the animal’s side and returned it to its sheath. “Afraid of who?”

“Me!” He said more forcefully.

“And why am I afraid of you?” I questioned calmly, knowing full well I was confusing him.

“Because I can hurt you!” His voice was very frustrated now.

“I doubt I have anything to fear from someone as puny as you,” I stated, as I pulled out a rope and tied the beast’s front and back legs together.

He was silent for a moment. “Wait…” He thought for another minute while I ignored him. “I ain’t puny.”

I spared him a look. He really wasn’t, lanky maybe, but not puny. He was somewhere over five and a half feet. A lot of arms and legs, but he had some muscles on him too. His hair was a jagged blond and brown. Ilara would be cutting his hair by force. Right now, his muddy brown eyes were meeting mine in a very defiant manner.

Finally, I just shrugged and picked up my catch. Quickly, I made my way back to the camp. We would be eating well tonight. The kid trotted along behind me asking annoying questions without pause. It seemed his estimation of me had grown, though I couldn’t figure out why.

“Kid, shut up!” I growled as we entered the camp and headed over to my fire.

Jaton and Sartan were both waiting, deep in discussion. They looked up as we approached and Satan’s gaze slide behind me to rest of the welp.

“We were just talking about him,” Sartan commented. “Why’d you drag him with you?”

“I didn’t. The kid followed him,” I replied as I hosted my catch off my shoulders and let it fall to the ground with a loud humph.

“And you let him?” Jaton asked amazed.

“I almost killed him,” I answered, sitting down and taking out my boot dagger to skin the animal.

“Why didn’t you?” Satan questioned.

“I didn’t know it was him.” I hated answering questions.

“I’m standin’ right here!” Travon finally protested loudly.

I didn’t bother to turn around, “Your point?”

When he didn’t say anything, I spared him a glance. He was standing with his arms crossed in a defiant mode. At least he was silent for a change.

Sartan shook his head, “The kid ain’t worth it. I should just let Ricald send him packing. It takes more effort to corral him than it does to do the job myself. At least, if Ricald sends him back I’ll make some money off him. Not as much as Ricald, but…” Sartan shrugged.

“No! You can’t!” Travon yelped.

“Why not? You brought it on yourself,” Sartan said calmly.

“I’ll knock it off. I’ll work for Aiden!” he cried.

I dropped my knife and the Eland. “You’ll what?” I exclaimed, turning to face him.

“I’ll work for you and you train me. Fair deal.”

“No.” I sat back down. Had the kid lost his mind? What made him think I would train him under any circumstances? Besides, he still wanted to kill us for murdering his village! He was a loon if he thought I’d help him do that.

“I’ll do it right. Firebrand would say yes!” Travon pleaded.

I was on my feet before I knew it and hand a hand around his throat. “How do you know about Firebrand?” I growled.

“Nothin’! Honest! You just mentioned her sleepin’! That’s all.” He chocked out.

Zoe had been in my dreams again… all of them had. I could see each one’s devastation as they were told we were no longer a family. Then I watched each leave again and again. Duard stood somewhere out of sight laughing at us all as the red hot flames and black smoke swallowed each one of the people I had called sibling. It played over and over in my mind. Somehow I was unable to shut it off. Yeah, it was quite possible I had called Little Firebrand’s name. It was possible I had called each of their names.

I let Travon go, almost subconsciously, and slumped back down to sit on the log bench. The others were silent. For so long I had been running. My only aim was to find a way to make Duard pay for all he had down to us. And somehow reunite us as one family again. At least, I think that had been my aim at one point. I couldn’t remember. I only felt violent hatred towards the man who had caused me so much pain. It was his fault alone that I was even at some idiotic camp where nothing mattered. I was supposed to be training myself! Yes, I had to train to beat Duard. He had defeated me last time. I remember. I had walked away without even a fight. He had stopped me with one word. One word! No more, next time we met, I would beat him to death. But I had to train first. I had to get all the training I could.

“I have to train,” I muttered out loud.

“Yeah, train me,” Travon added.

Train him? Why? It didn’t matter in the end. I could use the kid to help my own training. What he did with it was up to him, but it was time I stopped mopping around and got back on task. I would train harder than ever and when Duard and I met, I’d be ready.

“Yeah, Kid, I’ll train you,” I finally answered.

Travon whooped, but I barely heard. Nor did I really see the strange looks Jaton and Sartan were giving me. I had a direction again and nothing would make me waver. Daurd would pay by my hand.

***