The Forge Of Kings

Chapter 8: An Ancient Flame

     I sat on the floor, watching the fire grow and fight to escape the makeshift pit we made in the center of the room, my pack and sword on the ground next to me. I removed my scarf, and lowered it to my lap and eventually set it with my sword. My gaze eventually went to the shattered window at the far end of the room, I could see the lights of Sarnawen behind their walls, it lit the horizon in a bright golden glow. "A place of refuge for those facing prosecution for magical or unearthly abilities." It's the kingdom's mantra, I turned my head to the man I had found. He was exploring the house mumbling strange things to himself.

     I stood up and approached the man, he was standing near a bookshelf but his head was facing the floor. As I grew closer I saw he was holding something in his hands, a teddy bear, one which had paid a toll from time. He turned and looked to me with a thoughtful look, "I knew the girl who had this bear, long ago." He turned his gaze back to the stuffed toy. I set a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, and he gave me a slight smile. "Thank you." He said shyly, "May I ask you a few questions?" He asked, "I know, I annoy you, but this is alot to process." he pleaded. I gave him a nod, his smiled widened. "Great." he sighed I led him over to the fire where we both took a seat.

     "Why are we in Ectwe, What happened to this place?..." He asked me, I shook my headand shrugged, "All I know is what is considered 'common knowledge'. The village was destroyed in search of Rotik's heiress, the specifics aren't known to me." The man seemed to be hanging onto my every word, and it only made him have more questions. "I remember that, The imperials captured her mother and tortured her but she never broke, she died in that cell." He lowered his head and then asked his question. "What happened here? Why is the place completely empty?...I would've thought they'd rebuild" he muttered. I shrugged, "That I don't know, you'd have a better idea than I." The fire began to die down, I grabbed a piece of wood from a broken chair and added it to the flames. I tilted my head and gave a small smile. "I still don't know your name." I stated plainly, The man smiled, "I'm Drake, I guess I'm a little rusty on my introductions." He said with a laugh, I could see the darkness in his face, behind the smile.

     Drake continued talking while I listened, He told stories about his trips to the bakery and how he attempted to tame a dragon in Khofte and failed, but with every word, every story he'd tell me, made it harder to piece together how he emerged from the ashes of a sentient tree. Once the fire began to die again and we had run out of furniture to burn I headed outside for firewood. Equipped with my katana on my back, I gathered sticks from the forest floor when there was a shuffling behind me, I turned and it stopped. I headed back to the house with my armful of sticks when I heard it again, I dropped the sticks and grabbed my sword and turned. Still nothing, I searched a couple of yards behind where I first heard it and found nothing amiss. I resheathed my sword, gathered up the sticks and headed inside.

     I walked into the house and Drake's face lit up with relief. "I thought you got lost for a second." He said with a worried laugh, I added a few sticks to the fire and watched the life creep back to the tired little flame. I took a seat next to the fire, and noticed Drake was staring at me with a creepy smile. "What?!" I snapped. Drake turned and mumbled "Nothing..." Under his breath, we sat in silence for a little while enjoying the sounds of the crickets chirping outside and the crackle of the fire, and then there was a crash. It came from the bedroom on the far side of the house, I grabbed my katana and stomped out the fire, I quietly went to the wall next to the bedroom door. I motioned to Drake, he crept over with his teddy bear still in hand and reached for the doorknob. "Seriously, with the teddy bear!?" I shouted in a loud whisper. He mouthed an apology and grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open with a yank. I entered the room ready to fight but there was nothing, no one. I lowered my sword a bit but not my guard. "Someone's watching us." I said quietly, Drake looked confused, "Why would someone be watching us?..." he asked in a scared whisper. I shrugged. I'm not entirely sure why someone would, but I'm not going to make him any more upset than I have to, especially if I don't know the whole story. "I don't know, but let's be cautious." I said calmly.

     I put on my scarf and put on my pack. "Why are you gearing up? It's not even close to sunrise?" Drake asked as he followed me out of the house, I walked down the front path and towards the road. "We're being watched! it's not safe, so we have to go!" I said in an urgent tone. I began walking out of the forest as fast as I could while trying to remain quiet. Drake ran after me, "Wait up!" He scream whispered, once I reached the end of the forest I turned behind me to find Drake missing. "God Damn it!" I growled under my breath, I turned back and headed back into the forest, as I got closer to the house I heard a man scream deeper in the woods, I ran after it. It echoed off the trees but as soon as I got close to it's origin, a wall of flame rose and the forest began to burn. I dove back and saw Drake panickly throwing balls of flame at two men with a person-sized cage, Drake yelled again and hurled more flame at the men. More people started to surround him, I watched as they began to tighten up around him. I searched my surroundings for a way to help him, but I don't see a way without getting to burned to help him. The flames rose higher they were above the forest canopy, the group made a path, and a man approached Drake.

     The man's face began to light up as he approached the flame, I gasped. It was Lord Rostov, He's a cruel man that captures innocent people wandering along the Sarnawenian forests and hunts them for fun. It's said he never loses his prey. I sheathed my sword and quickly looked for a way in, I saw a tree nearby, I climbed up and maneuvered towards the ring of fire. I grabbed my sword, and got ready to jump down, Rostov approached Drake, I couldn't make out what he was saying. Drake's face darkened, and he began throwing fire at Rostov. I jumped down and had my sword ready so when I landed it was at Rostov's neck. "It seems our little mystic has a samurai friend." Rostov said in a provocative tone as he raised a halting hand.

     I glared at him and kept my blade at his neck, I watched his angular jaw tighten, he pulled out a cigar put it in his mouth and lit it with the nearby flames, he took a few puffs before holding it in his hand. "I was just going to take the mystic, and get a thrilling hunt out of it, but I might just take you both, and really test my skills." Rostov seemed to be considering the possibility of capturing us both. I stepped forward and pressed the tip of my sword deeper into his throat. "Feisty. I like that, but your friend there is a full blooded mystic, No man can hold on to their powers for this long without being one, and no one has seen one of them in millennium." Rostov said in awe.

      I wanted to slit his throat right here and now, but his colleagues here would waste me ten times over. The sun began to rise, and there we stood in Drake's flaming circle, surrounded by Rostov and his goons. "Take the mystic, kill the samurai." Rostov said with a snap of his finger, the goons tightened around us, raising their weapons, I stood in between Drake and the freaks, and kept a defensive stance. The first one charged, I cut her head off and slit a man's throat, they fell to the ground. The rest were persistent. The sun rose higher and Drake's flame dimmed. "I don't... I ..." Drake muttered before falling to the ground, I turned and saw him collapse, I kept my guard up, I killed two more of Rostov's henchman, but the last one slashed his sword at me and got me on the cheek, I reached up and felt the blood coming from my face wound.

     I growled, and began slashing and pushing the man back, he stood his ground. "You're surrounded! give up!" He said as our blades clanged together, that just made me angrier, I want his blood on my blade. I dodged his attacks and attacked faster with greater swings, finally he stumbled backward, and I caught him, I stabbed my sword through his throat and into the tree behind him, The man gasped, his eyes widened, I yanked my sword out and watched him fall to his knees and then the ground. I turned and Rostov was locking Drake's unconscious body into his cage. "HEY!" I yelled, Rostov got into the wagon and the horses burst into action. I bolted after him but I wasn't fast enough. I fell to my knees spent and watched Rostov take Drake over the horizon until they disappeared from my view. They were gone... DAMN IT!