Ezzy, her mother Alexia, and her two brothers Max and Mox, were all gathered in the one large room that was both their living room and bedroom. A small stove sat in the center of the room with four cots lying in each of the corners. Max and Mox, ages twelve and eight, were both sitting on Max's bed. Despite the age difference, her brothers were similar in appearance--slight of build, with spindly legs, shaggy brown hair, and bright mischievous hazel eyes. Both worked with their mother in one of the fisheries down by the docks and were starting to put a little muscle on their thin frames. Mox, who had been much smaller than his older brother just a year ago, had sprouted up while Ezzy had been away. It pained her a little to be missing chunks of their youth.
"I was just defending myself! I didn't mean to cause any damage to the town."
"We both knowyou didn't cause the damage. It was that abysmal Vilathos you keep around. I should have knocked more sense into you the first time Nolan bonded you to that thing. Nolan's lucky he didn't receive the same."
The way Ezzy remembered it, poor Nolan had received more than a few blows himself.
"We were surrounded by gang members. Having Paz help was the only option we had!"
"Gang members?" her brother Mox chimed in. "Are they like the gangs here?"
"I wouldn't call the groups of beggars and thieves that live in Fisher's Row gangs," her other brother Max replied. "They get beat up more often than they get money from anyone. It was probably the same with whoever attacked Ezzy. I bet it was just one guy that was flirting with her, and she got so scared Paz had to come and save her."
"Shut it, you little imp." She threw an empty wooden cup at Max, who snatched it out of the air. Placing it on his head, he stuck out his tongue at her.
"Don't call me an imp, you mudfish," Max responded. "I'm not the one getting into trouble."
"Oh really? So I didn't see you sneaking a mug of burnbeer from your boss down at the Old Sea Hag Inn last year?"
"You snitch!"
"Enough!" Alexia roared, her long, black braided hair whipping about behind her. "Now is not the time for bickering!"
"Sorry," all three said in unison.
"Now, back to this bounty."
"I swear, Mother. It was either I used Paz to save me and Nolan, or our lives were as good as forfeit."
"I suppose I have to take your word for it since I wasn't there. And how much is this bounty?"
"Twenty-five silver pieces," Max jumped in.
"Is that enough to turn her in ourselves?" Mox asked.
"Nah, "Max replied, "think of Ezzy as an investment. She is sure to get into some kind of trouble and bump the bounty up. Best if we wait until she reaches her full potential."
"Why you little pieces of--" Ezzy fumed, but her mother cut her off.
"The two of you. Out. NOW."
"But mom," they both whined in unison. They leapt to their feet, however, when Alexia grabbed a large, wooden spoon. Ezzy's mom caught them both once with the spoon on their backsides as they sprinted out the door. She watched them go, the faintest smile touching her lips. When they were gone, she rounded on Ezzy. For a moment Ezzy thought she was going to use the spoon on her too.
"As for you," Alexia said, brandishing the spoon at her. "I want you to stop running all over the place. I still know enough people that we might be able to get rid of this bounty IF you keep a low profile for a while."
"Mother, you know I can't do that. I can't sit here in this house when I know that the person that put us here is still out there somewhere."
"Esmerelda, you can't keep blaming one man for what happened to us. Out of all of the people that worked to destroy this family, from what I've heard, this Ean fellow was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"From what you've heard?" Ezzy had to clench her fists to hold in the anger that was bubbling up inside her. "I talked to someone that was there! Fredren Prown told me that it was this Ean fellow that started everything. Ean started a riot using some kind of magic."
"Ezzy..."
"I'm going to find him and make him tell me the truth, mother. If he was hired to sabotage father, after I bring him to justice, I'll go after whoever hired him. I won't stop until everyone responsible for father's death and everything that's happened to us since are brought to justice."
"And justice is bringing in those responsible for the Heroes to judge, right?"
"Yes, yes, of course. I might have Paz give them a few extra bruises, but the point is to have them brought down and locked away for the rest of their lives. Whether it's one of the other Hawkpurse families or just Ean."
"Just be careful, Ezzy. I don't want you getting so wrapped up in finding justice that you forget to live your own life. And especially don't want you to do something you'll regret."
"Oh Mother, you make it sound like I'm going to turn into some psycho. I just want to make father proud, and I know that he wouldn't be proud of me if I went around murdering people."
"I'm sure destroying buildings isn't making him happy in the afterlife either," she said, a slight smile touching her lips.
"Oh really? I heard about the one time father crashed a wagon into the Darkdwellers storage house just because the Talon of the family insulted his coat."
Alexia couldn't hold back a laugh. "Yes, well, that was during your father's younger years."
"Theseare my younger years."
"Exactly! You have the same temper as your father."
"I take that as a compliment."
Throwing her hands in the air in mock frustration, Alexia looked to the ceiling.
"Oh Drenks, why did you curse me twice. Once with a stubborn husband, and now with an equally stubborn daughter."
"Mother," Ezzy said, her voice growing cold, "I've told you I never want to hear that god's name even mentioned around--"
She was cut off as the door banged open behind her, sending a shiver through the pieced-together home. Nolan stepped in, his face pale and his breaths coming in short pants.
"Nolan!" Ezzy grimaced. How late was it? "I'm sorry, I lost track of--"
"We have to go. Bounty hunters are coming."
Ezzy blinked a few times, trying to gather her thoughts.
"How many?" she finally got out.
"I saw two, but they were going to get two more, I think."
"And they know where I live?"
"I'm not sure. They mentioned coming to Fisher's Row but didn't mention anything about your mother's house."
"Either way, it's only a matter of time until they figure it out. Let's go."
Thankfully their camping supplies were still with Paz, and she had repacked her personal bag as soon as she got home. Snatching it up from beside her bed, she was about to head out the door when her mom grabbed her shoulder.
"You can at least say goodbye. I never know when I'm going to see you again."
Ezzy's heart hurt as she noticed a single tear roll down her mother's cheek. Wrapping her arms around her mother, Ezzy gave her the biggest hug she could handle.
"I promise to send word when and if I can."
"Where are you going next?"
"Shade."
"Ezzy," Nolan cut in. "We have to go."
"One more second!" Alexia grabbed a piece of paper from one of the stands in the room and began writing something. When she was finished, she pressed the crumpled up paper into Ezzy's hand. "When you get to Shade, look for a woman named Syla Trane. She was loyal to our family, at least before everything went to the Abyss, and owns a small blacksmith's shop. Hopefully she'll be able point you in the right direction."
"Thanks, Mother," Ezzy gave her one last hug before heading out the door. It was painful only getting a few moments with her family before running off again. The fact that she didn't get to say goodbye to her brothers was downright devastating. Being gone from her family for long stretches of time was the only thing that made her rethink her quest for the man who took her family down. But in the end, her desire for justice always won out.
> Nolan was standing in the alleyways that snaked through Fisher's Row when she walked outside. Still looking winded. How fast had he moved on that lame leg?
"We have to swing by my house to get my things," he said, looking around as if he expected the bounty hunters to appear at any moment.
"That's fine. We'll cut around Merchant's Circle and follow the road all the way around the west edges of town back to your house. If the hunters are coming straight from the High Horse, we will miss them completely."
Nolan nodded and gestured with his cane for her to lead. He might know how to get to her family's new home from the main street, but he had no idea how to find one of the dozen other exits out of these slums that didn't lead in the direction of the inn.
Moving at as fast a pace as she thought Nolan could handle, Ezzy began to navigate the dark alleyways through Fisher's Row. After spending a year living with her mother, she was confident in her ability to navigate the twists and turns created by the haphazardly arranged houses. The alleys here were nowhere near as intimidating as the ones in Wethrintir; the shabby homes here did little to hold in the sounds of those inside. It was almost soothing compared to the silence she had experienced passing through Wethrintir. Even so, at any time, they could turn a corner and run into someone. The only solace she found as she hurried along was the thought that Ean would eventually feel the same way as she got closer to catching him.
Turning a corner, she poked her head out and looked around. Perfect. She was exactly where she hoped to be. To her left, far down the open street, she could make out the High Horse Inn across from the wagon fields. They were on the far west side of the homes off of Fisher's Row. Across the street sat homes that were a marked contrast to the house where her family now lived. Stone and brick buildings, most two stories tall, lined the street. Towering behind them stood the temple of Drenks, a huge, oval building covered in banners of gold and silver. Flags ringed the walls of the building close to the clay-tiled roof. Each flag, sitting motionless in the moonlight, bore the sigil of a Hawkpurse family. All of the family flags were displayed sequentially, repeated four times around the perimeter of the building.
Ezzy's body shook as she looked at the four empty spaces where a flag was noticeably missing. Her family's flag. A part of her wanted to have Paz try and rip the entire building down.
"Focus," Nolan said from behind her. The foolish man knew her too well.
"This way," she snapped.
They followed the empty street towards the west side of town, then continued several more blocks into an area with multiple homes being constructed. Past that were a few more houses, some finished and others still being constructed. Then they reached an area where open space sat on either side of the road. Not even the base of the wall had been started this far north in the city, so they had a clear view of the fields and farms to the west. Far to the north, Ezzy could just make out the dilapidated temple of Iaradune, the fallen god of battle. To the south, the road curved around until homes started to pop up on the left and the partially constructed city wall sat on the right. This was Nolan's street.
As they walked towards his home, Nolan tapped her on the back.
"Don't you think you should bring Paz over? This is close to where you left him."
"Yeah, well, after I left you, I sent him over the bridge. He's sitting by the Lost Soul's Inn."
"Really? That was a smart move."
"Don't sound so surprised."
"Don't act so surprisingly responsible and I won't act surprised."
Ezzy grunted at him and picked up the pace.Let's see him crack jokes as he tries to keep up.
By the time they reached Nolan's home, he was sweating. Ezzy smirked as he moved past her and unlocked his door. He went in and was back out in an instant with his bag around his shoulder. When he struggled to situate the bag and lock the door, a pang of guilt struck Ezzy in the chest.
"Here," she said, grabbing the strap of his bag. "Let me take that. I can carry both bags."
"I'm fine," he snapped back at her.
"Just give me your bag, Nolan. If we have to run, you'll pass out before you even make it a few paces."
"Alright," she said after getting both of their bags adjusted on her shoulders. "Up Main Street, then over the bridge."
"Ezzy, they could be on Main Street, especially if they searched Fisher's Row and came up empty."
"I know what you are about to say and the answer is no."
"It will be safer if we cut across Main Street and head down Melcoi's Curve--"
"No, Nolan, I can't handle that."
"Would you rather risk getting caught, or worse, starting a fight and someone getting hurt?"
She responded to his question with silence. It was one thing to know he was right, another matter altogether to say it out loud.
It's fine. It's only a road after all.
If only she could believe her own thoughts.
"Let's go." She had tried to keep the quiver out of her voice and failed. Nolan looked like he was about to say something, but she spun and walked away before he could. If she was going to head down Melcoi's Curve, the last thing she needed was Nolan trying to comfort her.
Ezzy glanced back once to make sure Nolan was following her and then continued on at a fast pace. Best to get this over with and get out of town. She could handle a walk down memory lane. A very fast walk. A sprint, if Nolan could keep up.
Before she knew it, Ezzy was crossing over Main Street. The houses on Melcoi's Curve were grand displays of the owner's wealth, most of them belonging to the lower members of the Hawkpurse clans or merchants with connections to them. Cut stone and brick took the place of painted logs and planks. Slate and clay tiles covered the homes instead of thatch and wood. Grand windows adorned each floor, framed by ornate shutters and small flower boxes. Each home had extra space out front for a yard, although many were filled with flowers or vegetable gardens.
Nolan walked beside her, his attention straight ahead. Of all of the people in the world, Nolan best understood what her family had been through. He walked beside her in silence, offering neither his hand nor words of wisdom, but Ezzy didn't mind. His stoic presence alone had always given her a sense of comfort.
Melcoi's Curve got its name from the fact that it arced from east to north as it ran alongside the Melcoi River as it flowed south. The homes on the right side of the street backed up to the river, most having small beaches or decorated shores. As the two came to where the street curved, Ezzy stopped.
There, sitting on one of the largest plots of land in the city, were the burnt ruins of her family home.
CHAPTER EIGHT
A Moonlight Stroll
The charred remains of the home she had grown up in looked like a skeleton left to rot. Wooden beams stuck out of the ground like the fingers of a half-buried hand. The flower beds of what had been the most magnificent garden in the city - better even than the famed garden around Ni'Aren's temple - were now piles of ash. The metal fence, with its ornate designs, had been knocked over and reduced to twisted mounds of iron. Even the cobblestone path leading up to the house had been ripped apart. It had been close to a year since the loss of her father and destruction of her family's businesses. One of the Hawkpurse families owned the property now, but she didn't know which one. But the way they had left the home destroyed, it was obvious they were trying to send a message--the Ciantar family was dead and gone.
But Ezzy would show them that it took more than that to eliminate the oldest Hawkpurse family in the realm. As long as she had breath in her lungs, she'd make the enemies of her family pay.
Starting with Ean Sangrave.
"We should go," Nolan said, causing Ezzy to jump.
"Yes, yes," she said, brushing away an unwanted teardrop. "We should keep moving."
As they followed the road, she kept her eyes on the river to the right. She needed to focus. This wasn't some casual stroll at night. They had bounty hunters after them. After glancing at he
r destroyed home one more time, Ezzy was starting to feel that a fight wouldn't be a bad thing. Maybe running into one or two bounty hunters would be a good thing.
"Beating up a bunch of thugs will not help our situation," Nolan said.
Could the blasted man read minds? He certainly had touched hers enough in creating the bond to Paz.
"I don't want to fight anyone," she lied.
"That's not what your expression is saying. You have the same look that you get when you're about to teach one of your brothers a lesson."
Good, he couldn't read minds. She was just really transparent. She needed to work on that.
"Beating the stuffing out of a few dirty bounty hunters would make me feel a lot better."
Nolan let out a loud sigh. "We don't need the bounty increasing just to make you feel better."
"The bounty on me."
"Don't even try to play the victim. It's only a matter of time before I'm added on to that bounty or have one of my own."
"Yeah, yeah, alright. I'll calm down. Now stop making so much noise. Do you want the whole city to know where we are?"
Nolan shook with frustration, but kept silent.
They continued up the road, remaining quiet and scanning the streets for any sign of life. This time of night it was rare to see anyone out and about. All three moons hung high in the sky, bathing the streets in their green, blue, and red glow. Ezzy found her gaze wandering to the river as the different colors danced along the surface of the water. Funny how she had never noticed how beautiful it looked growing up, when she had lived only a few paces away. Now, while she was on the run, Ezzy felt a little sadness creeping in, thinking about how she couldn't sit and appreciate the swirling reflection of colors. Of course, the mammoth building sitting on the opposite shore made it hard to enjoy the sights.
The Endless Tombs towered over every building along the shoreline, including the building connected to its left side: the Temple of Kaz'ren. The temple by itself was an impressive marble structure, but the Tombs were the second largest creation in the world, second only to the Unyielding Wall. Created by Kaz'ren herself, the black stone building stretched high into the sky and was said to stretch even further deep underground. The bodies of every single person whose soul had been claimed by Kaz'ren was laid to rest in those tombs. Even those who died before the Plague.
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