Chapter 2

  Meanwhile, business was booming in the tavern downstairs. Aly stood behind the bar, serving her usual visitors their usual drinks, as well as serving whatever new adventurers were in town whatever they wanted. Just that very morning they had received a new barrel of Alinaian wine – apparently this year’s harvest had resulted in some incredible wine. Then again, the gnomes had their methods of improving flavour regardless of the quality of the harvest.

  As Aly brought some plates to a table of customers sitting close to the bar, she noticed Elion coming down the stairs. She waved to get his attention, and as soon as he noticed her he started to smile from ear-to-ear. He was doing his best to appear well-rested and recovered, but Aly couldn’t help but notice the sweat on his forehead, his pale skin, and the slight tremble in his hands. No one else would notice of course, but Aly knew Elion better than almost anyone. She made her way over to the bar, weaving through merry men and women engaging in booze and song. Two halflings were already up on one of the tables, dancing in unison as the crowd around them chanted “And another one, drink another one,” handing the pair more and more mugs of ale, wine, and brandy. Aly sighed but didn’t say anything about it, the house rules were clear: you fall over, you leave. Nothing to do about it until one of them fell over.

  By the time she reached the bar, Elion was already seated and patiently awaiting the dinner he was promised.

  “So, what would you like?” Aly asked.

  “What are tonight’s choices?” Elion responded jokingly.

  Aly sighed and leaned across the counter to get right up in his face. “The same three things we serve every night you smug bastard, now order or I withdraw my offer,” she said with a smile.

  “Alright, I’ll have my usual,” Elion stated.

  “You don’t have a usual, you only ever eat here once or twice a year.”

  “And every time I order the same thing, you really don’t remember?”

  Aly sighed again, rolling her eyes as she tried to think back to the last time Elion visited her at work. They hung out more often in the weekends as Elion’s evenings were usually centred around skinning the few things he had managed to actually hunt down, and her afternoons were focused mainly on preparing for the evening. As the only place in town where you could get a decent drink and a more-than-decent meal, they were quite popular. All in all it had been a very long time since he had been a guest in the tavern, as opposed to one of its suppliers.

  “Alright, fine, I’ll remind you,” Elion finally interjected. “I’ll have the fish please.”

  Aly laughed. “Of course, now I remember. You always order the one dish we serve that doesn’t contain any of the meat you hunted.” Elion shrugged.

  “It just feels rather unfair, you know? I hunt for other people to enjoy. If I want to eat any of my own produce I’ll save some, but everything I sell is for other people.”

  “Weird way to think about it, but I get it,” Aly responded.

  “Think about it, would you feel good drinking the booze meant for your patrons?”

  “Elion, my dear friend, I work exclusively with drunks and extroverts – I only feel good drinking the booze meant for my patrons. In fact, there’s rarely an evening where I don’t end up at least slightly buzzed. After all, what’s the fun in only watching other people get drunk?”

  Elion laughed wholeheartedly, his strength visibly returning – albeit very slowly. Aly had missed these moments.

  After their previous hunter died in a horrible accident, Elion had been thrown into a whirlwind of responsibilities. Over the months since seeing her friend smile had become more and more of a rarity. Elion would never admit it, but the pressure definitely had an effect on him. And now, who knew what he would do.

  “So,” Elion started, “I think I’m leaving tomorrow, first thing in the morning.”

  Wide-eyed, Aly stared at him for a moment.

  “Where will you go?”

  “Look for them. My parents. It’s my fault they’ve been taken. It’s my responsibility to get them back,” Elion said. He stirred his food as he stared off into nowhere.

  “Besides, I can’t stay. Mart’s dead, my parents’ house burned down, I’m sure rumours have already started making the rounds. Some of these people are still convinced I killed Olor to get more business, it won’t take long for them to jump to the conclusion that I killed my parents and Mart.”

  Aly realised that she hadn’t actually asked Elion about what happened yet. All she knew was deduced from the situation she found him in and the writing on the ground outside.

  “About that, could you tell me what happened?” she asked.

  Elion chuckled.

  “I honestly don’t even know. There was some man, Artir is what Mart called him. He took my parents and executed Mart after writing me that message. Apparently he wants me to chase him, so I will. You told me you knew where that temple he mentioned in the message was, right?” Aly nodded. “Then could you point me in the right direction?”

  Impulsively, Aly made up her mind.

  “I’ll do you one better, I’m joining you,” she said. For some reason she knew it was the right decision, even though it went against everything she had worked for. After all, what kind of person would let their friend go off on an epic adventure all by himself. And an epic adventure it would undoubtedly be. Either that or they would die before reaching the halfway point. Fifty-fifty odds really.

  “You really don’t have to,” said Elion.

  “You’re right, I don’t have to. I’m still going to. After I close up shop tonight I’ll get some stuff together. We leave in the morning like you said. First we head east, and after crossing the border we go further sou-” A loud crash disrupted their conversation. Someone had kicked the door in.

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  “Elion of Hunter’s Rest, we have come to take you in with regards to suspected murder!” The patrons scattered, some of them jumping out of windows or quickly making their way towards the door as a dozen or so guards fruitlessly tried to make their way in. It had been almost a year since any guards were spotted in the town at all – someone must have sent them.

  “Let’s go!” Aly shouted as she grabbed Elion’s hand and started dragging him over the counter. Once again, her strength visibly surprised Elion.

  “I see him, they’re going out the back!” one of the guards shouted from behind them. Aly held onto Elion’s hand as she ran through the kitchen and out through the backdoor. They entered the alley behind the Hunter’s Lodge, which was mostly used as a storage for trash and drunks. Left or right, both options would end up on the main road where the guards would probably corner them.

  “We go up,” Elion said from behind her. The roof of the building behind the tavern was not that high, three metres and change, and with a boost Aly would be able to reach it.

  Right as the guards turned the corner into the alley Elion made his way onto the roof, and the two of them ran away across the rooftops.

  Unfortunately, Hunter’s Rest was a very small town, and a mere two rooftops along they had to get back down. However, they got out of the alley, and that was a start. Now running towards the woods, Aly noticed that familiar sense of strength bubble up in her chest. Afraid that using it would pull her back into old habits, she reluctantly repressed it. Using her powers would make everything so much easier.

  Still, she kept it in the corner of her mind as a last resort.

  They had almost reached the edge of the village when an entirely new group of soldiers blocked their way. The sheer amount of manpower that was being sent after them felt… off, somehow. A simple suspected murder was not enough to warrant multiple squadrons of guards, let alone well-trained soldiers bearing the mark of the Church-guard on their chests. These new soldiers had golden armour and were better-armed than the ones chasing Elion and Aly. Aly began to wonder if they were even part of the same capture-mission.

  As arrows of light and fire started to fly around them, her questions were answered. These new soldiers were not after their capture, but their heads. Behind her, Elion was starting to look ill. His skin grew pale and the glow of his eyes intensified. Confused and panicking, Aly threw both of them into the nearest building.

  It was an abandoned home, a sight seen far too often in Hunter’s Rest. After the inquisition a few years back, their population had shrunk to nearly half of what it was before. These very same Church-guards had probably been responsible for that.

  “Elion, are you alright?” Aly asked as she guided him to the floor before barring the door. Elion was starting to show more signs of distress, using his hands to cover his ears and shaking his head vigorously. Aly crouched down before him and put her hands on his shoulders, the soldiers and inquisitors banging on the door and the covered windows.

  “Elion, you have to tell me what’s happening,” she said. It was as if he didn’t even hear her. When he finally opened his eyes, the purple glow shone with so much power it reminded her of her father. Before she knew it, Aly was thrown through the room as a mighty shockwave erupted from within Elion.

  It took Aly a few seconds to recover, but when she did she noticed Elion had passed out. She could hear the sounds of confused and frustrated soldiers struggling to get back up in their heavy armour coming from outside. It would not take long before they recuperated and managed to break through the door.

  “A last resort it is,” she sighed. With one hand she picked up Elion as she removed the disguise that limited her power. Her grey skin and yellowish eyes came back and she looked like herself again. She caught a glimpse of her face in a hanging mirror as she walked upstairs – Elion swung over her shoulder – and could only think about how much she had once hated that look and the other person it belonged to. Yet another part felt comforted by the lack of hatred she felt towards it now.

  Once upstairs she looked for a window, one leading to the roof. When she didn’t find one, she simply smashed through the roof itself. It felt odd – almost foreign – to be walking around again without any limitations. Her feet felt lighter, her hands felt stronger. However, in the background she could hear the whispers of an outside force trying to make its way into her mind again. She certainly hadn’t missed that feeling. Being the chosen representative of an ancient deity came with both its perks and downsides. As they emerged on the roof the soldiers had broken down the door downstairs. Apparently the inquisitors had made a different plan, as they were standing around her on surrounding rooftops. Their eyes widened and shone red with a fury she had only seen all too many times. They started shouting and casting spells as soon as they recognised what she was.

  “Shadow! Kill it!” they screamed. Another thing she hadn’t missed was the unnecessary hatred that came from the idiotic mortal races who so vehemently believed Alen was their benevolent creator. The sheer stupidity annoyed her.

  Before the first spells were aimed and fired, Aly clasped her hands together and countered with a spell of her own. With Elion so close and vulnerable, she wouldn’t be able to fight the inquisitors as carelessly as she usually would. On top of that, she didn’t really feel like fighting. At least she could use her powers to escape.

  A cloud of darkness surrounded her and grew to cover both them and the inquisitors. They would be unable to see, but her eyes could adapt to the unnatural darkness of pure shadows.

  “Thanks, Ailwin,” Aly sighed before jumping across the rooftops into the forest towards the east, finally leaving her safe haven after so many years.