Intertwined Fates

The Boy

It was like she appeared. Ava had just woken up, and she had no idea where she was. Or who she was, for that matter.

Well, Ava remembered a few things like what she looked like and that her name was Avanen, but she went by Ava. She looked down and saw she was wearing a camo jacket over a blue short sleeved shirt and tan capris. She had strawberry blonde hair and green eyes. Her skin was darker so she looked Asian.

Slung over her shoulder was a leather satchel that was very light, almost as if nothing was in it. Ava had a dagger strapped to her arm under her sleeve, another strapped to her leg under her capris, along with two others and a sword strapped to her belt.

Ava spun in a circle a couple of times and scanned her surroundings. The sun was beating heavily on her face and neck. There was a slight breeze, so her hair fluttered around her head. She was standing on a hill, the only one for miles. Judging by the position of the sun, Ava guessed it wes about noon. She was surrounded by trees for miles around so it looked like an army had enclosed her.

While she was trying to see if there was anything in the area besides trees, trees, and more trees, her eyes spotted something that made her heart skip a beat.

About forty yards away from where Ava was standing, two men were there, talking. They spoke in hushed tones so she couldn't hear what they were conversing about.

She didn't think they'd noticed her standing there, so she darted as quickly and quietly as she could to the nearest tree. Once she was behind it, Ava drew her sword, which felt perfectly balanced in her hand. It looked like a mixture of bronze, silver, and gold,with a copper hilt that had a large purple gem on it. It glittered, beautifully designed, in the afternoon sunlight.

Ava decided that while she waited for the men to leave, she might as well inspect her daggers. She took all five daggers- she found another one in her jacket, and laid each one carefully on the ground. They were all unique. The first was a fiery looking blade, the second was made of ice, the third was a jet black one, the fourth was a wooden dagger with leaves sprouting from it, and the final one was a metallic purple.

Ava could sense a strange magical aura coming from the blades and it frightened her immensely. She placed each dagger into its cover and strapped them back into place. She also looked into her bag and found a map of the surrounding area, a small compass, a few granola bars, a water bottle, and a small book with a lock on it. At least now she knew that if she had to run, she wouldn't be completely lost.

Finally, after Ava tucked all the items safely back in her bag, she built up enough courage to peek around the tree, clutching the bronze hilt of her sword. One of the men had left, and the other was just standing there, staring off into the distance.

Ava studied the man as if he were a ghost. His dark black hair was in a rats nest. He was holding a staff that looked like it had been set on fire then shoved into the mud. He was so pale, he looked like he could pass out at any moment. His arms and legs were shaking so violently that it surprised Ava that he was still standing. His cheeks were wet with tears and his eyes looked glazed. Then, Ava noticed it.

His sleeves of his jacket were rolled up so she could see it. Right on his forearm, there was a black tattoo that looked like a tree branch with a black crystal on the end.

Ava all of a sudden got very dizzy. The whole world started spinning around her. She got very nauseous. She leaned against the tree for support. She pulled up the sleeve of her jacket and glanced at her forearm to reveal that she had a tattoo also. Ava's knees locked and she collapsed. Just before Ava lost all consciousness, the pale man turned towards her limp body.