Blood as thick and black as tar dripped slowly off the tip of Leo’s single-edged sword. Each drop hit the damp earth with a dull pat. Before him, lay the hewn, bloodied carcass of some unholy creature. Next to the vile thing laid the corpse of an elderly man, the creature’s latest victim. Leo frowned. He had been too late to save the old man.
He flicked his blade, as if in silent protest, sending drops of the creature’s blood in a curved line around him and then sheathed it. He lifted his hand, facing his palm towards the corpses and closed his eyes.
“May you find your way to the Hallowed Morrow,” Leo said quietly as he channeled magical energy into the palm of his hand.
Both the remains of the old man and creature suddenly caught ablaze. The intense heat forced Leo to look away. He knew little of Tyrosian funeral rituals, only that they cremated their honored dead. The Tyrosians believed fire to be holy and purifying. This came as no surprise considering they had been regarded as the greatest fire mages since before history was first writ. But as a stranger to Tyros, there was only so much Leo could do. And he hoped this would be enough for the old man.
Leo took a step back as the flames grew larger and hotter. He looked on with morbid fascination as both corpses were consumed by fire, slowly turning to ash and cinder. He continued to watch and Leo wondered if the old man had any family. He wondered if there was anybody waiting for him to come home, only to wait for an eternity. A constricting sensation began coiling around his neck, which he suppressed with a guttural cough. He did not like the turn his thoughts were taking. After all, it had been quite some time since he was forced to think about his circumstances. He had been a vagabond for almost a year now, taking on one harrowing job after another, desperately trying to forget. With all the trouble he had encountered in the past few months, it was easy for him to ignore his nagging thoughts. But now, after all that running, he had finally stumbled. And it hurt all the more; time had not dulled the pain of this wound.
He brushed the back of his fist against his nostrils and mustered new resolve. His carelessness wouldn’t get the better of him again.
Leo scanned the trees around him, but could see little past the dark, tangle of gnarled branches. All seemed calm, but he knew his eyes betrayed him. The sweet notes of songbirds and the rustling of creatures were decidedly absent from the air, as if the whole forest were lying still, waiting for some evil to pass.
Leo opened his eyes wider, his silver irises gleaming in the sunlight. He focused and strained until he could hear the throbbing beat of his own heart. His vision suddenly became sharper… and more. He could see far past the tangled wall of branches as if they were but gossamer threads. And he could see all around him, even behind himself. Every animal, large and small, appeared to him as clearly as if they were standing at his feet; nothing could hide from his eyes. It was seer’s magic, which allowed him to overcome the natural limitations of his vision—an ability he found immeasurably useful.
There, to his left. Two figures stood hidden behind large oaks. That would not help them. Leo focused a bit more and saw that one was a young woman with a bow trained on him, and the other was a man wielding a spear. Leo didn’t like being stalked, let alone ambushed.
He drew his sword and threw it at the trunk of a tree between them, all in one fluid motion. This startled his stalkers, forcing the archer let loose her arrow, which flew aimlessly into the sky. Leo was inhumanly fast. Almost immediately after his blade dug itself into the tree, he had closed the distance and appeared directly between his adversaries. He swept his feet at the young woman, throwing her off balance. Leo then turned around and delivered a sharp thrust with his foot at the man, who managed to quickly block with his spear. Unfortunately for the spearman, the price of his parry was his balance, and the man fell flat on his back. Not giving either a chance to retaliate, Leo pulled his sword free from the tree and brought its edge to the man’s neck in one swift motion.
“Stop!” The man cried out, but not to Leo.
The young woman paused and reluctantly backed down, not sparing a venomous glare at Leo. If he hadn’t known better, Leo could have sworn he heard the woman hiss as well. He looked back down at the man, who had his hands up, palms open. Leo let up and eased his blade away.
“Who are you? And what are you doing here?” Leo demanded. He kept a weather eye on the woman’s hands, making sure she didn’t reach for any one of the many throwing knives that lined her various garments.
“We could ask you the same thing,” The man said as he got up, patting the dirt off his rump, “But since I’m in such a fair mood, I’ll go first. My name is Damien, and this is my younger sister, Lara.” He swept his hand to the young woman, “I guess you can call us ‘adventurers.’ We go where there’s danger. And treasure.”
Damien smiled broadly, which didn’t seem right to Leo. He couldn’t see what was so amusing about this situation. Deciding to ignore it, Leo moved on with his interrogation.
“Adventurers,” Leo paused on the word and decided he liked it, “I don’t suppose the haunted citadel beyond this forest has anything to do with why you’re here?” He asked, glancing at a nearby mountain range, where the citadel was supposed to be.
“Like I said, treasure and danger.” Damien smiled again in the same cheery manner.
“That doesn’t explain why you were stalking me.” Leo said brusquely. He found this fellow’s devil-may-care attitude awkward, considering the circumstances.
“We heard a shriek and followed it to you. When we got here, we found you burning bodies. Naturally, we thought you were a killer,” Lara said scathingly, “And I still do.” Her gaze remained as cold and venomous as before.
Leo clenched his jaw tightly. He didn’t like being implicated of murder, but considering the circumstances he understood her position. Leo sheathed his sword and took a step back, his gaze shifting between the siblings. It was hard to tell that they were even remotely related at first. The woman had short fiery red hair, typical of Gebbans, and the man had brown hair like that of an Ithian’s. But their kind eyes shared the same shimmering hazel color.
