A cold shiver ran down my spine even before I dared to turn around. Marcy jumped up and stayed close to me. She clung to my brown cloak.
When I finally turned around despite my fear, Kiyan's figure took shape in the dim forest light. His navy blue uniform was dirty in places and not fully covered by his black cloak, which he had probably taken from someone. The golden borders on the narrow sleeves and the crest of the country over his heart still gave him a dignified appearance.
Our tension dissolved instantly.
Before anyone could even say a word, Marcy hurried over to him.
"Kiyan!" she called, and jumped toward him.
He caught her halfway in the air and smiled gently. Then he set her down carefully. In his heterochromatic eyes lay a calmness that belonged to her alone. The way they rejoiced to see each other and looked at one another radiated the familiarity of two people who could rely on each other blindly. Come what may.
Despite the terrible events of last night, it warmed my heart. I hoped that I too would soon stand before the people who represented such security for me. Hopefully unharmed. Especially since Val had put herself out there for us quite a bit.
Kiyan looked pale and exhausted after the sleepless night. The dark strands that the small ponytail could not keep back framed his face gently when a fresh breeze came up.
Marcy began to look him up and down. There was warmth and care in her gaze.
She circled him and then asked:
"You are not injured either?"
"No, I am not injured," he replied tiredly. She stopped in front of him.
"What about you? Were there more problems?" he asked.
"Do not worry about me. We made it here in one piece," she said with a forced smile. Kiyan ruffled her dark, messy hair.
A smile tugged at my lips. I could not help it. She stood there chewing on her lip, and the way Kiyan interacted with her reminded me of a lovable schoolchild. For a moment, all my worries fell away from me.
Kiyan turned to me, but the tense crease between his eyebrows told me that the words came hard to him:
"Thank you for getting her safely out of the city. We will not forget this debt."
His words sounded polite. Almost too polite. While he watched me carefully, and kept Marcy at a distance with his arm, I gave them a short nod and turned to leave.
"Take care of yourselves," I said, my voice quieter than I had intended. I threw a glance over my shoulder.
Marcy reached out her hand toward me as if she wanted to stop me. Her mouth was open and just when her mouth wanted to form a word, Kiyan placed his hand on her arm and shook his head firmly. She looked up at him and let her arm sink again.
It was a familiar coldness that many showed me as soon as they thought they knew who I was. But still, I felt a sharp pain in my chest when I saw that.
I walked a few steps, then turned again and said:
"Oh, yes. You should stay away from all main roads and only use country roads or side roads."
Directly addressing Kiyan I reported:
"There are already many patrols in the area. It will not be easy to avoid them."
He gave a short nod and replied coolly:
"I know. I will deal with them."
For me this settled the matter. I was just about to turn away again when Marcy suddenly called:
"Wait!"
I wanted to keep going, but something about her made me stop. My forehead furrowed as I looked at her wordlessly.
She asked anxiously:
"What will happen to you now? Do you have a place to go?"
I had not expected this question. My pulse and my breathing sped up.
"More or less," I answered shortly.
She blinked at me. So I explained:
"I will leave the country."
Now both of them were chalk white. Their eyes widened and their eyebrows raised so high that the forehead wrinkled in the other direction. No one said a single word and the silence that fell over us was crushing.
"L-Leave the country?!" Marcy asked at last, completely beside herself.
"Yeah…", I almost whispered.
"You cannot just leave the country. The borders have been closed. For two thousand years!", she shouted and waved her arms around.
Kiyan pressed a finger to his lips and searched the surroundings nervously. He breathed:
"Quiet."
Marcy bit her lip. Her eyes dropped to the forest floor.
A suffocating feeling came over me that I could not shake off.
Kiyan looked at me sceptically. Who could blame them for their reaction?
I regretted not just lying and coming up with a more believable story.
"S-so…", I continued nervously, "I am leaving now. See you."
Quickly I turned away.
"Do that," I heard Kiyan say.
It felt like he wanted to get rid of me. Unrest rose inside me, but I pushed it back down again. I was too tired to deal with such things, so I continued on my way.
"Can… can we please come with you?", Marcy asked uncertainly.
I stopped abruptly. I needed a moment to grasp the words that had just been spoken. Was she insane?
"Marcy!", Kiyan went at her angrily, but made sure not to raise his voice too much.
My attention was on them again. Marcy looked at me expectantly while Kiyan stood beside her with his arms folded across his chest. A look full of anger was directed at her.
I tilted my head to the side, raised an eyebrow and replied:
"That is not a good idea. I intend to go to Drakania. It is not exactly safe there, especially not for…"
While speaking, my eyes had been on Kiyan for a blink of an eye. But at my last sentence I broke off instead and looked to the side. He on the other hand did not change his expression. I could see that even from the corner of my eye.
I was not sure if he simply did not care or if he simply did not know what I had left unsaid.
Marcy threw her hands in the air only to let them fall again immediately after. She threw in:
"First of all it is not safe here anymore either, or do you think they will leave us alone? They will likely hunt us throughout the whole country. And second, what are you going to do there? Is the risk not the same for you?"
"Halfway, but staying here is not an option either," I avoided her
"I think the three of us have a bigger chance."
Marcy's small hands were balled into fists and trembled slightly. Her head was lowered.
Now she looked at me with determination and added:
"Especially because you are who you are."
My eyes narrowed. Then I croaked:
"You are overestimating me."
She shook her head.
"I do not believe that. Jarek tried to kill you and you are still alive. Not many can say that," she said.
Kiyan, who had been more focused on keeping an eye on our surroundings during the last moments, spoke up:
"He picked a fight with her?"
Marcy turned her head toward him and nodded clearly. He furrowed his brow and seemed to drift off in thought.
I sighed:
"That was pure luck."
"Only with his subordinates. They were probably inexperienced. They looked very young," she added.
"Marcy, that is enough. We are leaving. There is no time for this," Kiyan interfered and tried to push her in another direction. But she simply stepped aside and refused to be diverted from her intention. Then she took a step toward me.
"It is written all over your face that you are completely exhausted. You need rest urgently, but who is going to keep watch if you are alone? Who helps you if you collapse? In a group we can balance out each other's weaknesses better," Marcy brought the topic from earlier up again.
She was not wrong about that. It would indeed be more reasonable if we did not split up. But what would she gain from that? Just because she believed my plan was the better one?
Kiyan drew in air to say something, but Marcy turned to him before he could even produce a single sound:
"It would be better for you as well. You tend to try to do everything alone and in the end you only overwork yourself again. If you continue like this, sooner or later you will run into your own certain death. Who would that help? I do not want anything to happen to you. And if it had not been for Nova, we would not have even made it out of the city."
Uncertain, my gaze slid over to Kiyan who stood slightly behind her. His crossed arms and the barely noticeable shake of his head revealed his opinion to me.
Marcy had been staring at me the whole time, but suddenly she turned to him with her finger raised and snapped at him:
"Do not think for a second that I did not notice that."
Kiyan remained unimpressed.
"Marcy," he admonished her, "you do not even know her."
Ouch. But even that reaction was not unusual.
"You trusted her earlier and sent me off with her," she countered.
Kiyan replied:
"Because I did not have a choice. I cannot fight so many people and protect you at the same time. Besides, the Flame Huntress does not lay a hand on humans. The chance she would have done anything to you was extremely low. And in her condition she would not have gotten very far with you anyway. I would have found you."
I seized the chance and slipped away a little, but Marcy did not miss my attempt to escape.
She commanded in a controlled tone:
"You stay here."
I stood with my back turned to them and flinched. Like a child that had been caught doing something stupid, I turned around, completely caught.
Her voice became sharper and her hands flailed back into the air again, as if she wanted to underline her words with them.
She defended me vehemently:
"Exactly. So you do not need to worry about me and I do not believe she would hurt you."
"As if she could with that pathetic mana pool of hers," he said and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Again, ouch.
"It was enough for Jarek," she threw in defiantly.
"He has not been the same since his injury either," he sighed.
Then Kiyan let out a long sigh and finally said:
"If even half of the stories about her are true, we should keep our distance from her, Marcy."
On one hand I agreed with him, but on the other hand the statement hit me like a punch to the gut. I first looked off to the side and ended up lowering my gaze entirely to my feet.
"At first I thought the same as you," I heard Marcy say, "but she helped me for reasons I cannot understand and she did not even ask for anything in return."
My eyes lifted to the two of them again. A short moment of silence followed. Then she reminded him with a quiet voice:
"You of all people should know what it is like to have prejudices against others."
A small twitch went through his face. Then he inhaled deeply.
"Nova," Marcy now addressed me again. My heart stopped for a moment when she spoke my name.
"Are you even the Flame Huntress?" she asked me straight out. Her gaze met mine unwaveringly.
Now my heart made a reluctant jump, but I tried to remain calm. I pressed my lips together.
"Who else should she be? Throughout all of history there has only ever been this one human who could use magic. Including multiple magic, which she clearly has," Kiyan threw in, but Marcy waved it off.
Instead her eyes remained on me.
With my heart beating up in my throat and cold sweat running down my back, I shook my head barely noticeably.
Kiyan blinked rapidly while Marcy turned to him with a smug expression:
"You see."
He shook his head as if trying to sort his thoughts that way, then he wanted to know from me:
"But how is that possible? Besides…"
He broke off, placed his thumb and forefinger against the bridge of his nose and fell silent for a moment. Marcy touched his elbow and addressed him with a questioning look:
"Besides what?"
"Both the type of magic and the description of her appearance fit her. So who are you then? And why can you use magic? Including the magic of my people?" he pressed out, and his voice lowered noticeably on the last sentence. His gaze shifted sideways for a moment before he looked at me angrily. But when he looked at me, his features suddenly brightened and he asked in a voice that was almost gentle:
"You did not know?"
I shook my head. In truth I only knew little about the magic I had at my disposal. I had assumed I had summoned the fire with arcanist magic.
"Then what are you?" he demanded to know, while Marcy observed the scene down to every detail.
Without thinking, I answered:
"I cannot tell you that."
Every single word in my statement was meant seriously.
Marcy and Kiyan exchanged a few wordless looks that I could not quite interpret. Towards the end Kiyan shook his head.
One heartbeat later he spoke toward me without looking me in the eyes:
"You should go."
"Kiyan," she admonished her friend and bumped the back of her hand against his upper arm. She was so delicate that it was more of a soft tap than an actual hit. At her touch he threw her a fleeting glance from the corner of his eye.
Without saying another word, I turned around and started moving. But each step was harder than I wanted to admit.
"Wait," I heard Marcy's voice say.
This time I did not let myself be stopped. Stubbornly, but looking out for possible patrols, I walked along the edge of the forest. Between me and the open area there were still a few trees and some brush. I headed for an open meadow at the end of this small forest. Behind it the next stretch of woodland waited.
Marcy apologized with a hoarse voice while she ran after me:
"I am sorry that we behaved like that. It is very difficult for Kiyan to build trust in others. Once you know him, he is really quite nice. Truly."
While walking I closed my eyes for a brief moment and sighed inwardly.
My mood was in the basement. Well, the situation I had maneuvered myself into again was disastrous. But it did not help that I had been interrogated. Why did I not leave earlier? I did not owe them an answer.
Behind me on the right I heard Kiyan's voice, sounding slightly hurt:
"Hey…"
"And now you are just following me?" I asked, annoyed.
"Yes," came Marcy's immediate answer.
"After what happened last night it is very reassuring to be near you," she added in a whisper.
From Kiyan I first only heard a long sigh, but after a few moments he finally said:
"I cannot just let her go off alone."
So that was a yes then.
"Well, fine. I cannot stop you. Do whatever you want," I said and gave up. I was simply too tired for this.
*********************************************************************
A few hours earlier, after a long day of work at the palace, Lucian was relieved to finally be able to go home. He walked down the long corridor of light stone. Every step he took with his black leather boots echoed across the smooth polished stone.
The long strip of fabric he wore as a kind of headband lay tight and pressed uncomfortably against his ears since the morning. But he had not found the time to fix it, which was why he tried to loosen the spot with his fingers while walking.
He glanced out of the arched window to his right. The sun was slowly disappearing behind the rooftops and his stomach growled relentlessly. He was used to long working hours, but it still bothered him that he had to postpone dinner with his family and Nova.
He walked past the narrow shelves and wall sconces before turning into the next corridor. Here in the staff area they did without splendor. As he turned the corner, he avoided a cleaning bucket and a servant who was currently scrubbing the floor on his knees.
"Good night, Paul," Lucian said as he passed by, waving and trying not to step on the freshly cleaned spots.
Paul raised his brown mop of hair, wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and replied with a grin:
"So, finally heading home?"
Lucian stopped and looked around for a suitable spot where he could stand.
Paul pointed with his finger at a spot beside him and said:
"Oh, over there on the right I have not cleaned yet."
Lucian hopped to the other side and thanked him with a smile. Then he answered:
"Yes, it was about time. How are the kids doing?"
Paul returned to his task and said:
"Good, good, thanks. And your little sisters? They should be around eleven years old now, right?"
"What can I say. They are little whirlwinds and drive me crazy," Lucian said with a grin, "but I would not want to miss them."
"That makes me happy. Now get moving. I still have to finish this corridor today," Paul laughed and gestured for Lucian to go.
"Good grief, alright, boss," he joked back, "No respect for rank, huh?"
He winked at Paul, who shook his head laughing, and passed the plain doors that led to storage rooms and other small chambers. His goal was the staff exit door. Just as he wanted to open the door, it flew open and Kiyan entered.
Lucian stepped aside and greeted the entering elementaris kindly:
"Oh, hello Kiyan. You are just arriving for work?"
Kiyan shook his head and returned Lucian's smile weakly.
Instead of stopping, he pushed past Lucian and answered briefly:
"I was already gone, but I had to come back again."
Then he turned away and headed for the next corridor. Paul, who had just been glancing over at the two of them, fixed his eyes stubbornly on his task, as if no one else was in the room. He did not even react to Kiyan's brief greeting.
Lucian's eyes narrowed, but he swallowed down the bitter feeling that had risen inside him and ran his hand through his short light blond hair. He sighed and grabbed the door handle. Then he heard a very familiar voice calling:
"Lucian!"
The tone cut sharply through the air when his name was called. Instantly he grimaced and turned around slowly with tense shoulders. He spotted the man with the almost black hair, whose eyes were fixed on Lucian. Jarek raised his flat hand into the air. Lucian sensed nothing good.
Jarek was standing with Kiyan at the corridor intersection. Apparently Jarek had stopped him as well.
Before turning back to Kiyan, he ordered:
"Stay where you are. I will be right with you!"
Lucian knew exactly why Jarek had called him. He sighed, leaned forward slightly and touched his forehead with his hand.
Two maidservants entered the corridor from the next bend, greeting respectfully:
"Commander and… oh…"
Then they fell silent and walked in a wide arc around the two men. With lowered heads they hurried over to Lucian, trying to get outside quickly. Lucian shot the two women a dark glare as they pushed past him.
Jarek spoke quietly to Kiyan and handed him several documents in the end. Kiyan nodded and said goodbye before continuing on his original path.
Halfway through, he passed Jarek.
"Let me guess," Lucian sighed, "I am supposed to stay longer."
Jarek looked at Lucian with his almost black eyes without any expression. Which told Lucian that he was right.
So he asked in a sluggish voice:
"What is it this time?"
A few meters away the door swung open. More staff entered.
Jarek grabbed Lucian's upper arm, the fabric of the black uniform stretching over his muscles, and pulled him toward the door. While doing so he whispered:
"Not here."
He led Lucian outside, a bit away from the door, until they were standing beside a neatly trimmed hedge in the garden.
Lucian tapped his foot nervously on the ground as he waited for Jarek's answer. Jarek let his eyes wander over the outdoor area before pressing a folded note into Lucian's hand.
He whispered with a tense, tight voice:
"You need to leave for this address immediately. The city guards cannot get the problem under control."
Lucian unfolded the note, read the contents, and remarked while reading:
"Oh, that is on the other side of town. It will take a while until I get there. Even with a good horse."
Someone from the staff came toward them.
Jarek waited visibly impatient beside the paved path until the man had walked past them and stepped through the door.
Lucian raised an eyebrow and examined Jarek with his blue eyes. His superior's behavior seemed odd to him, since he was usually a very composed person.
So he asked:
"Is everything alright, sir?"
Jarek nodded, adjusted his black scarf and answered with irritation:
"Everything is fine. Now take care of the assignment. And call me Commander. Because of you everyone now calls me sir… I obviously need to impose harsher punishments on you all."
"But why is no one else dealing with it? I belong to the Royal Guard, tasks like this are not part of my area. Not to mention that I am not even trained for it," Lucian questioned him and pointed hastily at the note. His voice sounded more impatient than he intended.
Jarek's jaw muscles tensed even more.
While he answered Lucian, a tendon became visible on an unscarred spot on his neck:
"Because you are the only one who can deal with it, you fool!"
Lucian's eyes widened. The message had been unmistakable.
So he asked him so quietly that he was barely audible:
"What about the Leonis? Something like this belongs in their area of responsibility."
"They are all not working today," whispered Jarek and crossed his hands over his upper arms. His gaze checked left and right. But nobody, not even the people who occasionally walked past, paid them any attention.
In Lucian's head a hundred new questions immediately opened up, but since Jarek seemed so unsettled to him, he only nodded and said while he stashed the note into his trouser pocket:
"Alright, I will take care of it."
Jarek returned his nod, which for him meant that he thanked him. In the same moment Lucian set off. Jarek's eyes clung to his back as he ran in a straight line toward the stables.