The Twelve Stars

Chapter 1

I should have known that I couldn't hide from the Empire forever.

Steel clashed against steel.

Now it would only be a matter of time until they had all twelve of us.

Weapon in hand, I saw an opening as my opponent stepped back and took that split second to advance with a counterattack. As skilled as Robyn Lockwood was, I shouldn't have expected defeat so easily. She parried, followed by multiple feints of her own. The duel continued for as long as we were able to block each other's attacks.

It didn't matter if they didn't know who you were.

Neither of us broke a sweat.

The Empire will do anything to get what they want.

She thrust her sword out. I parried which she broke away from by rising the hilt high enough in order to trap my sword under her arm. Before I knew it, she had the edge of her sword on my wrist, holding me in place, and pulled away in one clean move, successfully disarming me.

I wasn't safe. No one was safe.

I fell back over my feet and landed on a pile of hay which softened my fall.

"You're distracted," she commented.

I supported myself on my elbows. "I still prefer the dagger," I said.

She held out her hand. The afternoon sun was setting. Its rays cast through the slits of the barn walls that we stood in. I looked at her hand nervously, reluctant to shake it knowing what I could do. "Come on, Callyk. You can't hold out on me forever," she said.

The distant toll of the village bell went off, saving me from countless excuses that would unwillingly activate my cursed ability, but declare me dishonorable to some instead. I picked myself up. We stepped outside, the barn doors already open. The constant chime of the bell earned looks of concern from us as we tried to get a visual understanding of the sudden commotion down in the village district from the hill we stood on.

"Raiders?" Robyn asked.

"What if it's the Empire?" I proposed.

Our current attire had us prepared for whatever danger awaited us ahead. I couldn't say the same for how we felt. She wore a long-sleeved, red tunic that cut off at her knees with protective arm guards, along with dark breaches and leather boots that covered her legs. A thick leather girdle fastened around her waist. She appeared confident until my suggestion provoked worry in her green eyes. Her olive-skin paled, bringing out her red hair that had been braided back in rolls to keep it knotted in place atop her head.

As for me, I wore a blue tunic over a white-long-sleeved undergarment and black trousers with ankle-length boots. A similar girdle to that of Robyn's also fitted around my waist where I kept my dagger sheathed in its scabbard attached to it. For training, I had equipped myself with my own pair of arm guards. It was due to my cursed ability that I wore a pair of gloves at all times.

"My parents are down there," she said. Without waiting for my response, she dashed off onto the graveled path that led to the village district. I had no choice but to go after her.

"Robyn!" I called.

She didn't stop. I only hesitated upon sight of my house as we passed it on the way, being close to the barn. I thought of my uncle. Was he alright? Had he already gone down to assist on sound of the warning bell? I ask that as my Uncle Quentin was not a man to hide away from a fight just because we lived on the outskirts of the village district. He was the town's blacksmith and therefore did anything he could to help others when in need, especially if we were under attack. What eased my thoughts of his safety was his wisdom. Unlike me, he didn't act without thinking.