The Keepers of Eternity

XVI

"Are you always so tense-looking?"

Lenore slackened her grip on her horse's reins.

"I—I was just thinking."

Thinking. Her heart and stomach had twisted into a knots whenever she thought about her sister, and of what might be if their mission failed.

"Never let your guard down." Kaisa said firmly. "You never know when your horse will decide to buck you off." The Lieutenant spurred her horse on until she rode evenly with Lenore. One hand firmly griped her reins, while the other rested lightly on the pommel of her sword, a delicate weapon which bounced against her left leg.

It had only taken Lenore a couple hours to get the basics of horse-riding down. Apparently, there was still much more to learn. The Swordfellows, on the other hand, seemed to be having none of her anxiety. From the looks of it, horse riding had been part of their training.

"My father taught me to ride a horse." She continued, "I spent the afternoon with him learning the basics, almost like you have. I thought I had them down, but I went to bed that night with a broken arm and a couple bruised ribs."

Just perfect. Lenore knew she couldn't afford to injure herself, she had to keep moving. Couldn't Kaisa have devised another way of traveling that wasn't this dangerous?

But Lenore wouldn't complain, as much as she wanted to. She bit her lip as a reminder. Lieutenant Kaisa had done them a great favor. The Rvyni woman had broken the four of them free during the night, and given them new clothes, a means of travel, and supplies for their journey. All of this, under two conditions—that Kaisa would lead them, and that Kaisa would be the one to take off the Night Thief's head.

"I want to know more about this man we are hunting," Lenore asked. "and why you want to kill him so badly."

Kaisa's lips thinned at the question. "I received a report a few weeks ago about a robbery at one of the outpost Towers in an eastern village called Rain's Shadow. Numerous soldiers were injured, and something extremely valuable was stolen from the Tower. Witnesses say bats were involved, and the man you are hunting seems to share that similar trait. He is an outlaw, and a master thief, but somehow he fails to overlook the fact that his trademark is able to be easily tracked. We aren't fools."

A cold breeze chilled Lenore's face. "You know, he's no ordinary criminal--"

"He is a legend." Kaisa finished for her. "A legend along the ranks of Dair the Bold and Lady Skinchanger. But more likely, this Night Thief is nothing more the recipient of a mantle that has been passed down from warrior to warrior over thousands of years." Her tone quieted, becoming severe, "Although, there are ways for a single person to survive for that long. The possibility of that is low, but we mustn't eliminate it completely."

It was difficult to believe that a single man could live for a thousand years, and undetected at that. In fact, it seemed almost fake. Why would a man want to live that long in the first place? "Are discs even that powerful?"

"Yes. You probably wouldn't know this, but many, many years ago, the kings and queens and leaders of the world's nations were gifted with Eternity Discs. Unlike ordinary discs, these Eternity Discs are exponentially more powerful, and capable of toppling countries, and bringing he world to heel. Immortality is very much a reality."

"So you think this man has one of these Eternity Discs?"

"I don't think it, it's just a possibility."

Lenore shook her head. It was difficult to wrap her mind around. Magic was one of those special things that she never thought should would learn about, much less need to learn about. Yet, here she was, tracking a legend halfway across the world.