Chapter 9
“Othen’s balls, these poor bastards didn’t stand a chance.” A slender man was crouched over the dead bodies that littered the blood stained floor of the blacksmith shop. “Who sends three men to face a black flicker?”
“That’s not our concern Jul.” A woman in black entered the shop. The black leather chest piece she wore tightly hugged her body, wraps of deep purple cloth surrounded her arms and legs. As she moved, the wrapped fabric bent and moved with ease. The two other men in the shop matched her near identically. “We are here to find the monsters that did this. Ulrik, we know they ran, find me tracks.”
“On it Sera.” The third figure in black moved with speed as he exited the shop.
“Can I speak freely?” Jul stood as he took in the scene around him.
“When don’t you?” Sera’s tone was stern. It was meant to be jovial, but her mind was elsewhere.
“This is fucked. Let’s pretend for a moment that Jarl Belrot didn’t know that his “personal” blacksmith had a black flicker, and let’s ignore that he sent the captain of his guard for a “standard” order pick up. With all of that out of the picture, the man…men, we are hunting are maniacs. We’ve got one guard’s chest cavity shattered with a gaping hole, the other’s skull was crushed in, and Captain Emery’s face is gone with a hole the size of two of my fists in his skull.” Jul pinched the bridge of his nose, Sera knew exactly what it meant. “Even without black flicker, they could have taken out double the amount of men.”
Sera couldn’t agree more, but she was their leader, her job was to keep her men on track. “Jul, burn down the shop, and then help Ulrik with Jarl Belrot’s order.” She knew that her order wouldn’t ease his mind, but she did know Jul loved using his flicker whenever able, and she had to admit, he was rather adept with the fire that burned within him.
Sera left the forge and took the briefest moment for herself. Jul was correct, the entire series of events was rather strange, even how they happened to be told about this so quickly. As if Belrot knew this was going to- No. She cut the thought and focused once more on the mission. They had two murderers on the run and no one in the village was talking, they didn’t even know their hero blacksmith had a flicker. Sera believed them, she had already decided the man she hunted was no ordinary smithy.
Sera felt the heat tug at her back as she heard Jul leave the building. She didn’t need to turn to confirm the complete inferno that he created. It was one of the reasons she selected him to be under her, his skill and determination with everything he did was only rivaled by one man she had known years ago. Besides, Sera did agree with a lot of his words, no matter how much she had to openly discourage them. They walked toward the well that was the center of Trilia.
Chapter 10
“We will get water once we arrive in Rektra.” Taybus had given Gryr his water skin in the early morning, well before the cloudless sky allowed the sun to beat down on the weary travelers.
Gryr knew it wasn’t hot, he knew there was a cool wind around him, but he couldn’t feel it, let alone anything. The night they left Trilia, it had been a blur. Last night…it was only last night. Gryr lifted his head from the untraveled path they walked on and stared at Taybus’s back. You lied to me…for so long.
“You hear me?” For the first time since he’d known Taybus, there was exhaustion in his words.
“Yes…” Gryr’s words were hollow.
Gryr knew he shouldn’t have been mad at Taybus, but what else was he supposed to feel? Regret? Sadness? Pain? All of those had dropped away as that day’s sun washed away the long night they traversed. Gryr’s eyes dropped to the earth once more, his clothes were changed before they left Trilia, but the blood still soaked his hands.
“Tell me a story.” Taybus’s strange words cut the young man’s focus.
What? The question didn’t leave his head.
“Tell me one of the stories that Frey would tell you.”
Gryr was nearly too tired to think. They had walked the entire night and most of the following day without more than two words between them. Gryr clenched his fist as anger rumbled within him. Why? He didn’t know where the anger came from, but he released it and sighed in defeat.
“Pick a good one.” Taybus’s large legs seemed to tremble as they began an uphill climb.
“There was once an Elk…uh, that no hunter could kill.” Gryr’s mind began to see the story unfold as his focus latched onto anything other than what his life had become. “He was bigger than anything else in the forest. His coat was pure white, whiter than the snow that it walked through…”
“…To this day, no hunter has been worthy of its presence. Some say he still lives, others say a great warrior felled the majestic beast.”
“We are here.” Taybus stopped just before a clearing. The sun had already started its descent below the trees.
“I didn’t even notice…” Gryr’s attention to time had left long ago.
“You were telling quite the riveting tale.” Taybus forced a smirk on his face.
It was a distraction. Gryr would have known that had his body not given up everything but its function of moving. His mind blanked as they made their way to their way to well in the center of Rektra. The young apprentice took in the world around him as he waited for his waterskin to fill with water. If the thirst that gripped him was any weaker, he would have refused the water.
Rektra was in shambles, whatever buildings still stood, were barely defeating collapse. Gryr’s eyes lingered on a drunk man that was passed out on a pillow of his own vomit. Just beyond the unconscious man was a building with women that heaved mucus and spit into the dirt as they waited for any weary men that may have desired their touch.
“It wasn’t always like this.” Taybus thrusted the fat waterskin into Gryr’s hands. “This village once had a chance.”
Gryr was barely listening as he drank deep from the sac, if he didn’t think about where it came from, that water was the best he’d ever tasted.
“Gryr…” The large man placed his meaty hand on Gryr’s shoulder.
The young man felt an immeasurable weight as he locked eyes with his master blacksmith. His free hand went to his necklace as he gripped the Valkyrie’s tear.
“I owe you more than one explanation.” The man breathed heavily as Gryr searched his face.
Kris Writes Worlds 
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