With blood it begins- Part 1 Hate

The woman and the sword

1 century later in a world and empire much the same:

Bren woke to the sound of his mother cooking in the kitchen and singing. He sat up and rubbed his head. His father looked up from his book and over at him, "Ah, Bren. Awake at last eh?" he smiled almost dropping the pipe which hung from his mouth. Bren grinned, "Yes," he said and swung out of his bed. "Oh, Gus is waiting with Mary outside," his father shoved his head back inside his book. Bren frowned, "What are they doing here?" "They said they are waiting to hunt,"his father replied. 

Bren bit his tongue. Yesterday Gus had come up to him in the evening while Bren was working in the forge and told him to be up at six the next day and be ready to hunt. Of course Bren forgot. He didn't want to, but he did. "Tell them I'll be ready in a few minutes," he scuttled off into his room. His bow and a quiver of arrows still hung on the hook behind the door. He opened his cupboard and grabbing his hunting clothes he pulled them on and made for the living room.

It was a cold morning, though what did he expect in winter? The snow had fallen lightly last night and the river had frozen over. The forge was unlit and didn't give of the heat that would have been welcome by most. He spotted Mary and Gus waiting for him by the side of the snow capped road talking to each other.

Mary's black hair was tied back and Gus had his usual un-brushed and filthy matted brown hair. Both of them carried bows and two quivers of arrows each while Gus carried a dagger off finish of wounded animals and Mary had an array of throwing knives hidden inside her red woolen sweater.

When they saw him Gus nodded and Mary waved. Bren waved back and joined the others. "I went scouting while the both of you slept," Gus said as they started to walk. "And?" Mary asked. "Tracked down a lone deer. Should be easy prey," he shrugged with a grin on his face. Bren laughed and glanced at Mary. "Easy prey, you hear that Mary? Deer," He laughed. Mary laughed as well and glanced slyly at Gus who was now red.

"Easy prey eh?" She asked. She teased him because out of the three of them he was the only one who hadn't killed a deer. They laughed as they walked down the road and into the Ra'gnuf forest. It had another name, a name nobody used because they were afraid of it. They were afraid of what the name could do.

Bren stopped a minute and looked over to the frozen river. He smiled when he saw the children playing on the ice, slipping, calling each other names and having fun. He had an urge to go play with them until Mary called his name and ordered him to follow them.

"Where is it?" Mary asked Gus as he knelt low following the tracks of the deer."It seems to have started to run right about here," Gus said in reply pointing to a spot on the ground. "Looks like we are going to have to go deep into the forest," Bren said and Mary nodded. "Probably the old part as well," Mary added. Bren grinned at this aspect. He had been wanting to go into the old part of the forest since he was a boy.

"Yes, then let's go!" He exclaimed and forged ahead only to be overtaken by a stern faced Gus telling him to keep his voice down."Sorry," he muttered and resumed his crouching position.

They followed Gus through the dense and snowy forest until they heard a shrill scream pierce the still morning air. All of them stood up and looked ahead. Over the crest of a hillock came a man shrouded in red mist. He was screaming his lungs out as the mist got thicker around him. They could not make out most of the things he said but he kept on repeating three words; Seopidis, Fargas and the third one was spoken in the tongue of old; Da'kar.

He came to a stop in front of them, and screamed; "Don't go there child! You shan't survive!" Then his gaze fixed on Bren. He pointed an old finger at him and said; "You, you will survive! You will control! You will defeat her! You-" Whatever he was about to say was cut short as the man's eyes turned black and the mist left him and his body to rot and headed in a steady stream in the direction the man came from.

Mary turned her head indisgust and looked away. "Ugh," Gus said and knelt next to the man's... emptybody. "What do you think he meant?" Bren broke the silence. "I recognized twowords, Fargas and Seopidis," Mary said. "I don't want to tell you what theymean, I don't even want to think about it. We should go back," she continued.

"No," Bren said. "What?" Gus shook his head. "Are you crazy? Did you see what the mist did to that man?" "Yes," Bren nodded, "But I have too."

He got up and started to follow the steady stream of red mist knowing that he may not come back sane. The red mist lead him over a hill and through dense shrubbery. He jumped a creek and to his right the river came into view. The mist was growing thick now.

A black wall rose from the crest of the next hill. It looked scorched and it was tinted red. The mist now formed a thick cloud around the top of the hill. When Bren reached the top he realized he was standing at the edge of the ruins of a village. With a shock he realised that he was in the old part of thee forest. The forbidden part. 

He felt a surge of excitement as he forged through the ruins. He crept around the corner and came to the centre of the town. 

What he saw there scarred him for life. 

A naked woman was curled up on the floor. No. Now that he looked... um... properly he realized that she was curled up and sleeping on a boy. Next to her a glowing red sword stuck out of the ground.  

He walked over to the sword and yanked it out of the ground. He studied the handle, it had the word Da'kar inscribed in it. Something clicked in Bren's brain. The man... his meaningless blabber... Seopidis. He looked at the blade and it glowed brighter and brighter until the red mist around him exploded.