Shadows in the Forest

The Leaves Will Fall: Chapter One

Gilad was on the run and his pursuers, clad in dark red robes and scarred masks, crept ever closer. He pulled a small blue gem out of a pouch on his hip. Magic was new to his faith, but the young cleric had few options left. Speaking a silent prayer, the dust around his feet started to crackle with blue streaks of raw magic. As the magic coursed through his legs, the trees surrounding Gilad started to blur. At this speed, the masked followers would be far behind and he could finally find a safe place to rest. Maybe he could even see his family again. He wondered how

Suddenly the trees stopped. Then they moved backwards. Gilad’s smile faded as his jaw went limp. Blood flowed from his gaping mouth. With a thud, he hit the ground and a cloud of dust rose above his crippled form. His chest, along with the armor covering it, was caved in. Each arm laid limp on the earth, each broken in several places. Shards of chainmail and iron plating pierced his skin. As his vision slowly returned, he saw a masked figure straddling his broken body. A familiar energy crackled around the shapeless assassin.

They lowered one knee to Gilad’s chest and bent to his ear. A soft voice spoke to him, as if miles away.

“Be careful to whom you pray, young one.” With that, the voice screamed towards Gilad until its words resonated from within his skull. “For you never know who will answer.”

“Good work, Kyra,” said one of the mask-wearers. “Now finish the job. Alisaire already has a week’s lead, let’s not give him more time.”

“Yes sir,” said Kyra. She raised her left hand in the air, fingers curled upwards. “Ainu thiër” Kyra said as her resting hand grabbed the sky’s essence. Her fist hovered over Gilad’s face. Kyra opened it and exhaled. A blast of concussive force erupted from her palm and cratered Gilad’s face into the soft dirt. Kyra closed her eyes and whispered, “Elër ní theras, faól. Rest now, young one.” She looked over at her commander. “Okay Gaius, that was twelve. We’re done.”

“No, no, no, little mage. That was number eleven” said Gaius. With a scarred hand he pulled off his mask, revealing a thick brown beard and a face full of scars. He sat the mask on his head, looked at his hands, and started to count.

“First was the family in Wurstheim,” said Gaius. “Three of them, right? A man my age, a woman about yours, and their child.” He tried to make eye contact with Kyra. “Remind me again how young the child was? Never mind. Not important. Body’s a body, right, Knightslayer?

“Next was the two sellswords on the road to Hillcrest. Then the stable master in Hillcrest.” Gaius stopped and his brow furrowed. He started counting his fingers again.

Kyra sighed. “The family in Eadomer?” she said.

“Yes, yes, of course,” said Gaius. He narrowed his eyes at Kyra. “I would have remembered eventually.” His entire face relaxed as he took a deep breath. Exhaling, he continued. “A family in Eadomer, right, right. Their kids were fully grown, no?” Gaius let out a deep and sudden chortle, pointing at the crack in Kyra’s mask. “They sure did put up a fight though, didn’t they? I think that was the first time I’d seen you kill with rage burning behind them beautiful eyes of yours. So now we’re at, what, ten? Six before that family of four is…yeah, it’s ten. And now this poor sod down in the dirt. Well, how about that. I was right. That’s eleven.”

“Damn, one short then? And here I hoped I’d finally be free of your horrid grasp?” said Kyra.

“’Fraid so. I still don’t understand why you don’t like this arrangement,” said Gaius. “Being seen around from town to town with you on my arm? Well, it’s made me quite popular with the ladies, what with their jealousy and all.” He shook a meaty finger at Kyra as she walked toward him. “Hell, you were pretty popular yourself with the men I paid to take you behind each local tavern or inn for bit of, ahem, relief. As it were.”

Kyra let the old man ramble while she focused on the dirt in her fists. Above Gaius’s head, a boulder began to form. Once it was big enough to kill a giant, Kyra raised her fists to the sky and swung downwards, like a hammer striking a nail. The stone crashed on Gaius’s skull, shattering the mask that rested there moments before. His body teetered as Kyra grabbed the air around her.

“Ainu thiër,” she said. Her hands thrust towards Gaius’s weakened body. The same magic that stopped young Gilad in his tracks surged toward Gaius. It impacted his armor with a force that shook the trees and the earth, and the twelfth target fell.

“It’s done,” said Kyra. “I’m free.”

“And I’m alone.”