Weight of the World

Chapter Thirteen

—The Walking Stones, Belanen, World of Andavaran—

It made absolutely no sense. They had tracked the stranger for miles, his scent strong, his tracks clear. Never once had they lost sight of the trail, neither her nor Varel, and yet, when they finally happened upon the stranger's camp, he was nowhere to be found. It was as though he had made camp and had abruptly vanished into thin air. There were no tracks for her to follow, and the scent Varel followed stopped there. They hid in the brush nearby, all three scanning the surrounding area, looking for where the stranger could have gone. All they could see, however, was the small burning campfire and the pretty chestnut horse that was tied up nearby.

The stranger had made his camp in the middle of the Walking Stones, a complete circle of white stones that were evenly spaced into two circular rings, one inside of the other. Two large stones held up two more that were wedged on top. Each one bore painted symbols that were completely foreign to Lulu. Around the area, brightly colored flowers bloomed in the verdant grass, fireflies lit up in random patters, and the frogs sang a gentle chorus. Lulu could feel the potent aether of this place, an ancient site of untold power. But she wasn't interested in its history or its power. She wanted to know how a man who had left clear tracks for miles upon miles had suddenly vanished after two days of tracking.

"Fuck it," Lulu shook her head and stood, pulling away from Mervin's outstretched arm that tried to stop her. If the stranger wasn't here, then there might be a clue as to where he went in the camp. She had just made it to the outer stone circle when she heard something whizz through the air. It was a close call, but Lulu reacted instantly, jerking backward at the sound, just in time to avoid the knife that sailed toward her face. Its blade buried in the stone beside her.

Lulu had her sword withdrawn in the next breath, turning to face where the stranger emerged from the shadows. He was a massive man to say the least, tall with broad shoulders and muscles that seemed to strain beneath the plain cotton shirt he wore. Dark brown hair was graying, the long strands of it just beginning to brush his shoulders. It was unkempt, as were his clothes, signaling he had been on the road for quite some time. But Lulu didn't have time to assess him further. In his right hand he raised an enormous looking greataxe that glinted in the firelight. The man's armor lay discarded within the camp, and yet, as he pressed forward, he didn't seem concerned by them in the slightest. Even when Varel emerged, his form changed into the wolf, the stranger didn't even blink.

The stranger dove forward, his greataxe barreling down upon her. She raised her sword to deflect the blow, but he hit with such force, the vibration juddered up her arm, a spark of intense pain making her cry out. Her grip loosened; the sword fell from her grip. Varel lunged, but the stranger pivoted, barely dodging out of the way before sending a blast of aether that sent Varel tumbling out into the darkness.

The stranger could use magic.

It was embarrassing, the speed at which he defeated them. It didn't matter what they did, he was faster, stronger, better. Within minutes, Varel had a broken leg and a large, gaping wound in the center of his chest from where the axe had caught. Mervin was wheezing for breath from a few cracked ribs and a broken leg while Lulu's left wrist had been snapped in a singular motion, her wounds reopened and bleeding heavily as she tried to scramble for her discarded sword. The stranger moved to block her path, greataxe raised to bring its blade down upon her neck.

"No! NO! Don't hurt her! Please! Please!" Mervin screamed, trying in vain to reach her.

His plea made the stranger stop, axe just brushing the back of her neck. Lulu stilled, knowing if she moved, the stranger would kill her. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him. His gaze was fixed on Mervin, yet she knew he was aware of each of their movements. Mervin, too, seemed stunned that his plea had worked, but he swallowed thickly and pressed onward.