The World Wanderer Chronicles

Ch. 9 (or the one where stalking isn't that bad)

It took the masked stranger exactly four seconds to track down the newcomers. One to notice the disturbance in his realm and another to open a portal, which then took him to the root of the problem. By the fourth one, he noticed the three intruders. He gritted his teeth with frustration, when they crossed his view. Bloody Aracians, he muttered. Though their faces paled in the gloomy light, their skin shone with a golden undertone. A rare sight in Vesta. The secret spectator was lucky his preys were too busy with their misfunctioning bodies to notice him. He had never seen such effects after using a portal before. One of them, a measly figure with long, nearly translucent hair, collapsed onto the ground and heaved weakly. A guy with the same features as her howled himself into the bushes. The wretched sound he made while dishonoring the plants with his regurgitated meal drowned out all other noises. It nearly distracted him from the third member. Nearly. Though her black hair created a stark contrast on her washed-out blue coat, she was easy to miss. His head throbbed painfully, as he tried to look at her for a long time. It reminded him of studying a detailed map in a dark room with a single glimmering candle. The last one kneeled on the floor, her head hanging low. While the other two lit up the gloomy forest like beacons, she sucked up all the light, dimming her companions' brightness. She was also the only one who seemed to be the least affected by the portal traveling, but only until she lifted her head and looked in his direction. He didn't fear exposure, his skill to cast an illusion veil was unmatched, but he tensed up nonetheless. The light ashy tone of her pale skin distinguished her from the others. She was Vestarian. The dull eyes of the woman before him were coated by a misty sheen. He thought she was drugged and abducted by their enemies at first, until her gaze cleared, and her bright eyes skittered over her surroundings. His posture loosened up. Her demeanor was too stubborn and domineering for a victim.

'Princess, you're bleeding!' The small girl cried out.

Princess? Can it be- His eyes widen in surprise, and within seconds a dark veil of pure hatred clouded his expression. The small trickle of blood flowing from her nose disrupted his thoughts and made him abandon any kind of feeling to strengthen his mental leash on his familiar. The white raven fought against the barrier, his instincts demanded to latch onto the bloodstream and fill his insatiable hunger. Blank let out a silent cry, showing his sharp, needle-thin teeth. The raven's dark eyes looked at him in a disapproving manner. Control yourself, he scolded his impatient friend over their mental connection. He finally looked up after Blank calmed down and saw how the woman wiped the blood away. The ruby-red stain disappeared entirely with a few rubs of her fingers. There were no traces of the metallic smell left, like she never bled at all. Follow her, he told the raven as she staggered on her weak legs away.

After he was sure their leader was out of reach, he blew a fine dust on the fair-haired guy. The heavy thud when the guy fell unconscious to the ground drew a small smile on his face. The girl cried out to him, scrambling to get to him. Still with an amused expression, he dropped his veil and stepped out of the hideout.

'Need a hand?'

The shrill shriek that came from the little girl nearly blew his ears away. He only hoped it wouldn't penetrate the veil.

'Be still!' he winced. 'If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already.'

'Sorry,' she whispered, holding her clasped hands close in front of her body.

'My brother and I are travelers, and we—'

'I don't care,' he interrupted her. 'You'll probably lie anyway. How about this? I'm going to help you carry that lump of a brother of yours to the next town, and you will keep quiet about my presence.'

'But why?'

Her innocent act made him nearly punch the tree beside him. 'Look, all I want is for you to get out of my territory, and all you should care about is not getting eaten by the creatures in the wood. So, be a darling, let me help you, and not a single word to anyone, because if gods and guardians know that I'm in contact with you, I will gladly kill you myself. Peace treaty or not. Deal?'

'Mhm,' her head bopped eagerly with agreement. 'I'm Del, by the way, and you are?'

'No one you should concern yourself with,' he grunted. Within a few long strides, he reached the girl's brother and lifted the meek guy over his shoulders.

'Let's go before someone sees us.'

The Aracian girl trotted behind him and asked all sorts of questions, which he tried to ignore. Her blabbering tempted him to throw her brother into the bushes, and she with him. When they reached the outskirts of the village, he couldn't hold it in anymore.

'Will you just shut up, please?' He turned around and looked at her menacingly. At least she had the courtesy to look bashful. Her fair skin flushed red, and she avoided his eyes. It lasted for a second. A hopeful smile chased away the frown.

'Do you want some sweets?' She peeked at him under her long lashes, her hair floated like feathers around her.

Instead of an answer, he turned back around and exhaled deeply. The raven-haired girl must be at Tawn's right now. He pitied her as much as he pitied himself. His little friend knew how to talk endlessly without making any sense either, but contrary to his current companion, he could extract vital information from the silence of his guests.

'Your friend is at the inn. I'm going to accompany you both safely there, after that, we will never see each other again, and even if we do, we will remain strangers.' His expression hardened, as if he could see the trouble that came with the new arrivals.

He didn't wait for a response before steering to the inn with eager determination. The rushed scrambling behind him let him know she was following. His quick pace was disrupted after only a few steps. The little girl bumped into him. Normally, he would have reacted aggressively towards such a clumsy behavior, but something else caught his attention. The voice of the raven-haired girl snaked its way to his ear. Even the sound of her breathing was crystal clear to him. A deep frown appeared on his forehead. His heart weighted heavily in his chest. He was beyond concerned and nervous about the lack of a protective shield around her. Everyone knew how to protect themselves against unwelcome listeners. Especially in strange territory. He had already noticed the unprotected siblings, but thought they would be too weak from the gliding. Now he was sure they were merely uneducated.

When he heard how the girl made her way outside, he grabbed the little girl's arm and wrapped them all in a protective layer. Within a blink of an eye, a whirlwind picked them up and hurled them across half the village, directly behind Tawn's inn. The unfamiliar way of traveling turned the little girl's face from a red blush to a sickening green. Still holding the protective layer upright, he let the guy slide from his shoulder to the frozen ground and took out a dagger. Jerking the girl against the wall, he pressed the handle against her throat.

'Remember, not a single word to anyone. I don't know you, and you don't know me.' A small whimper escaped from her mouth. She reminded him of a defenseless fledgling. He pushed a little bit harder until he saw raw panic in her eyes.

'Dare to think about telling someone, and I will skin you alive,' his boot nudged the unconscious body on the ground, 'maybe I will practice on him first.'

He released his grip and let the dagger disappear in the folds of his jacket. While the girl clung to her throat and coughed away the soreness, he waved his hand over her brother, scattering a powdery substance that looked like snow. He vanished in a snowy whirlwind again before the guy's fluttering eyes indicated consciousness.