FIREFANGED

Chapter 3 (Vigil's mark)

Four weeks later, everything changed.

The King's Realm Guard led a long parade of troops through the middle of Lockrun. Their steel-plated armor and surety of spirit put everyone at ease; for one late spring afternoon, the knights pushed back the invisible cloud of fear and despair that had descended like a curse upon our city. Though only six in number, the contingent of Realm Guard rode massive mountain bears. Each rider and bear had the air of predators, confident and hungry, and we all kept a polite distance as they strode past.

Corey pointed, "The farthest knight is Sir Tytus, and his bear is named Ganymede. I can't imagine anything standing in the way of the Realm Guard when a battle starts."

Corey's father was the town's only blacksmith. His family often did repairs for the duke's men and the town guard. Having recently turned nineteen, Corey was a year older than me, but we were of similar height as he tended toward stocky, and I tended toward tall. We both had an interest in the weapons his father produced at the forge. As the apprentice, Corey had the focus and frame needed to take on the work full-time. His path in life was as clear as the muscles under his shirt.

I pointed out the trailing rows of knights and footmen. "Most of the mounted knights are wearing the duke's colors, but I don't recognize those wearing the gray."

"Holy Shrike! Those are paladins! You can tell by the gray tunics and the huge axes that they wield," Corey leaned in close. "They only take to the field for one reason. Demons."

He whispered the final word into my right ear so that my friend Cat wouldn't hear it. She was easily excited, to say the least, and clung to my left arm, nervous at the sight of so many weapons.

Most of the troops were wearing the red of the Duke of Stonnberg, our city's distant liege lord. A few dozen heavily armored paladins and a large contingent of axe-wielding foot sported simple gray tunics with a sun-and-eye symbol stitched onto their right breast. Each of the gray-clad soldiers carried a broad steel shield and a double-bladed axe.

According to Corey, they were sentinels of the Order of the Vigil. To me, the gray soldiers smelled of determination and fear, and I certainly understood why.

The column of almost two thousand soldiers tromped through our city and out the eastern gate, heading to a camp a mile farther up the valley to the northeast. They were on their way into the foothills of the Everest Mountains to engage the enemy.

As if speaking about it would make it more real, no one in Lockrun ever mentioned who that enemy was, but by now, everyone felt the heavy pall that had descended on the town, and there were those of us that knew the truth.

As the last of the gray-clad soldiers marched out of our city's eastern gate, the crowd began to disperse. Corey trotted off, heading back to work at his father's blacksmith shop. Suddenly, I heard the small shrill voice of Cat behind me, "Ara! Run for it! Run!"

I quickly spun to the left just as a big pair of hands clamped on my arm. My knees buckled as rough fingers dug into my left forearm, pressing into a savage-looking scar and the poorly healed bone beneath.

"The lord mayor asked to see you, boy," said Hector Sims from above me. "He's got company and doesn't want to be kept waiting."

Hector was, in my opinion, an overbearing goon for the little city of Lockrun. Lately, he'd used my weakened condition to exact a bit of revenge, though for what I couldn't say. It seemed like everyone was on edge.

My vision blurred from the mind-bending pain, not from any tears that might have been leaking from my eyes, I swear.

Cat stood nearby as Sims and one of his helpers lifted me off the ground, keeping my arms well locked behind my back. She laid into them verbally with everything she had as they dragged me away, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. The scene might have gotten more attention from passersby if it hadn't played out a few too many times before. For the life of me, I couldn't comprehend why it was happening again. I was still on the mend and had been staying well out of the bailiff's way.