by Tom Burton
“What is your purpose here?” the guard atop the wall asks Luke.
“I’m here to hand over a fugitive.”
The front gates slowly open, and a guard walks up to Luke.
“Who is the fugitive?”
“I don’t know his name, but on the wanted scroll, he is referred to as the Python.”
He takes out the scroll and gives it to the guard.
The guard looks at Luke incredulously and then looks at the Python’s face, seeming to inspect his face and compare it to the hand-drawn face on the scroll.
The guard looks at Luke again.
“How did you manage it?”
Luke simply shrugs his shoulders and smiles smugly.
“The lord commander will need to see this,” the guard says. “Follow me.”
He turns to walk back into the royal castle. Luke then follows him in.
As they walk through the court within the royal castle, the guards atop the wall lower their arrows then turn to face outward again.
When Luke and the guard reach the interior gates, the guard stops.
“Wait here.”
The guard walks into the castle and closes the gate behind him. Luke waits nervously for a few moments, then drops the Python on the stone of the castle grounds. He attempts to soothe his hurting shoulder. Suddenly, the gates in front of Luke fly open, and the same guard walks out with a new man beside him.
“Luke,” the guard introduces, “this is Lord Commander Karl Rane.” The lord commander shakes Luke’s hand intimidatingly.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Luke says.
“Luke, is it?” Karl asks.
Luke nods.
“I’ve heard many tales of your heroic captures of those who escape justice, something we are missing in the West,” Karl says. He then squats to check the condition of the Python lying on the stone.
“This man has been getting on my nerves for several months—thank you for this,” Karl tells Luke. He looks gratefully back up at Luke.
“Thank you, that means a lot coming from you,” Luke replies, placing his hand behind his back.
“I expect you are after the reward?” Karl asks, standing back up.
Luke nods and smiles.
“Come with me; I’ll get it for you.”
He signals the guard to take the Python away. Another guard comes to assist with the task, and the two drag the body away. Karl then walks back into the main castle, Luke following quickly behind him.
As they walk through the main throne room, Luke admires the empty throne. It sits majestically at the end of the room. Luke keeps his eyes fixed on it as they walk through the room.
“So, how did you do it?” the lord commander asks.
Luke turns his gaze away from the throne. He then takes a few moments to answer.
“Well, it was complicated — just a little bit of patience to capture him at the right moment.”
Karl looks back at Luke for a moment and then continues to look ahead.
The two men walk down a corridor. They eventually reach a small door. Karl takes out a chain of keys and opens the locked door. Inside, they see a young Jaylen Vance searching through the inventory.
“Good afternoon, Jaylen,” Karl says.
Jaylen turns to the lord commander and becomes alarmed by his presence. He assumes a formal posture, immediately.
“Sir!”
“Have you found the bag?” Karl asks.
Jaylen reaches for a bag and gives it to Karl. Karl then turns toward Luke and offers it to him.
“Here you are, as promised,” Karl offers.
Luke excitedly takes the bag. It is heavier than expected — he almost drops it. Inside the bag shine many gold coins.
He ties the bag up and slips it into his pocket.
“Thank you, lord commander,” Luke gracefully says.
Karl simply nods and turns toward Jaylen.
“Jaylen, could you show our guest the way out once you are both finished talking?”
Jaylen’s eyes are fixed on the lord commander. “Yes, sir,” he replies sternly.
Karl then turns back to Luke.
“Thanks again…. You have saved many lives today.”
He places his hand on Luke’s shoulder then walks out of the room and returns to the corridor.
Jaylen breathes a sigh of relief.
“Not a fan?” Luke asks.
“That’s the first time I’ve had a conversation with him,” Jaylen says. “He’s well- respected figure in the military… most people look up to him.”
“How old are you exactly?” Luke asks.
“Fifteen, sir,” Jaylen answers proudly.
Luke is stunned. “And you’ve already completed your training?”
Jaylen nods.
“I’ve known no other life.”
He looks toward a table and chairs on the other side of the room.
“Fancy a sit-down? I would love to know how you did it.”
Luke nods. The two approach the table and sit opposite each other.
“So where was your training?” Jaylen asks.
Luke initially smiles at the question.
“I never had a formal training, except on the streets, where the real war is.” Luke takes out his bag and starts setting his scrolls onto the table. Jaylen looks at them curiously.
“I’m a bounty hunter, you see. That’s what I live on.”
Jaylen continues looking at the scrolls. “Why would you commit yourself to a life of murder for payment?” Jaylen asks harshly.
Luke looks down at the table. His mind and his heart fill with emotion.
“A long time ago, my parents and I moved up North when I was a young child. My dad was a blacksmith, and my mother was a tailor. She was one of the rare women who worked in those parts, so people noticed us very quickly. One day, I saw in the streets a wanted poster of a bald man, seemingly older. Every morning I would see this poster, the reward only get better, but nobody else noticed, nobody else saw this man as a danger. One night, when we were around the table eating, a man barged in and began to tear the place up. I backed off, and my parents went to fight the man…. He stabbed them, over and over again. Before I could do anything, he then torched the house, and a few slabs fell on me. I couldn’t move, I could barely breathe; all that I could do was watch the man continue torching my house to the ground. The man was the same man whom I saw on the wanted posters.” As he recounts the incident to Jaylen, Luke begins to wipe away tears. Jaylen looks at him sympathetically. Luke says to Jaylen, “If someone had done something to stop him that day, or on any day before, my parents would be alive today. That is why I do what I do: so other families who work hard every day don’t get punished like mine did.”
Jaylen nods sympathetically. He leans toward Luke.
“The lord commander asked something else of me,” he tells Luke. “He has a proposition for you.”
Jaylen removes a first-class scroll from his pocket.
“As you know, the West state and some of the Northern regions of the Crown Lands are facing more and more crime waves, as we struggle to provide the necessary military support to keep up with the demands.”
He hands the scroll across to Luke, who slowly unrolls it.
“To try and improve the relationship between the two states, we as the royal guard propose that you continue doing exactly what you did before you came here, only now you are a representative of the crown.”
Luke reads the same words on the scroll; it appears to be a contract, signed off by Karl Rane.
Jaylen offers Luke a quill.
Luke pauses for a moment—then takes the quill and signs the contract.
Jaylen smiles as the two shake hands.
“You will need someone to help you,” Jaylen advises. H
e bangs on the table and a man of the guard walks into the room.
“This is Jon Luther, a friend and colleague of mine who has offered his services for this mission.”
The two shake hands.
“I look forward to working together,” Jon says. “I’ve heard a lot about you, the way some of the soldiers applaud you taking down the Python.”
“Thank you!” Luke replies.
Jaylen smiles across to them.
“When do we start?” Luke asks.
“You head for the West in an hour,” Jaylen tells them sternly.
The three soon walk out of the small room and into the corridor. Jon walks off, as Jaylen stops in his way to talk to Luke.
“When you go out there, you are representing our king,” Jaylen warns. “Treat your actions as such.”
Luke nods as the two walk out of the corridor.
That afternoon, Luke walks toward the stables where he had left Skylight. As Luke turns the corner of the stables, Skylight neighs in excitement. Luke smiles as he approaches to stroke his muzzle.
“Hey boy.”
He lays his head against Skylight’s head. Then he places the saddle on Skylight and mounts him. He whistles. The man and the horse then begin walking out of the stables and toward the front gates of Dellmoor.
As Luke arrives at the main gates, he sees Jon on horseback, his horse armored with silver plates. Jon carries a large pack on his back, while his horse carries two large saddlebags. Jaylen waits for Luke to arrive.
“Are you ready?” Jaylen asks.
Luke says, “Yes.”
“We are going to use your scrolls for now and then move on from there,” Jon explains. “You have them?”
Luke lifts his bag in the air, smiling. Jon gives a thumbs up.
“Where to first?” Luke asks placing his bag on his back.
“Greyshore!”
He rides off on his horse, leaving Luke behind to talk with Jaylen.
“Good Luck!” Jaylen wishes.
Luke gives an encouraging nod, and heads off after Jon.
Luke easily catches up with his companion. But as the two head up the hill, Luke stops and turns to look at the capital again. He watches the gates slowly shut in the distance. As he looks closer, he figures the mage behind the gate.
You’re no longer just a human, soon the world will see this, the mage whispers in Luke’s head. Every war has blood in the ashes…you know this, she warns him.
Quickly, Luke’s eyes turn red.
Noticing that Luke has stopped in his path, Jon also stops.
“Hurry!” Jon barks.
Luke shuts his eyes. When he opens them his pupils have returned to their normal color. Luke then looks toward Jon.
“Coming!” Luke calls, even as he looks back to the capital, Skylight gallops after Jon, toward the West.
Back in the house in the field, beside the blazing fire, Luke pulls himself out of the trance. He breathes heavily, his hands firmly gripping the chair he was sitting on for hours.
You know who you are, go where your power leads!
Luke hears the voice booming over his head. He looks upwards — and then all around him. Finally, he looks nervously toward the fire. He slowly pulls himself back into the trance….
A week after leaving the capital, Jon and Luke arrive at Greyshore. The two men ride past the same sign that Luke had seen when he first came to the village. Luke laughs in delight, and the two begin to walk their horse into the village. As they enter, some of the village folk look at Luke, and recognizing him, they smile.
Jon notices the attention being placed on Luke. “They seem to like you,” he observes. However, as he looks around, he sees people looking straight past him, some even scowling at him.
Luke notices this too. He looks over to Jon.
“But, they don’t like that,” Luke says, pointing at the crest on Jon’s silver chest plates. Jon scoffs at this, clearly unimpressed.
Suddenly, Jon stops in the street. He signals Luke to stop as well.
“What’s happening?” Luke asks nervously.
Jon points to a man walking toward them. “Search through your scrolls and find a Brad Grant,” Jon instructs Luke in a hushed voice.
Luke searches through the scrolls in his bulky bag. He quickly finds the culprit. He compares the face on the scroll to the man he sees in front of him. Luke then turns to Jon and nods, encouragingly.
“We’re going after him,” Jon tells Luke.
Both men then look straight at Brad Grant, who is still walking toward them.
“I will go around, make sure he doesn’t get past you,” Jon tells Luke. He snaps the reins of his mount and gallops off into a side street. Luke remains stationary, continuing to monitor Brad Grant. But as Brad Grant draws closer, he apparently becomes suspicious: he drops his possessions and runs the opposite way. Luke quickly dismounts Skylight and chases after Brad Grant, the villagers jumping out of the way as they rush by.
As the chase continues, Luke continues to show his outstanding agility. Brad Grant, however, easily dodges the villagers and objects in the street. He also shoved some of the objects in Luke’s path, causing Luke to slow down.
Eventually, Brad Grant turns into a backstreet. But, the street is blocked by a high wooden wall. Realizing there’s no way out, he turns and sees Luke appear at the end of the street. Luke then charges at Brad Grant. The fugitive presses up against the wall behind him. Luke flies his knee against Brad Grant’s head, causing him to fall to the street. Luke then rolls Brad Grant onto his back. He unsheathes his knife and presses it against the fallen man’s neck.
“Stop!” a voice cries.
Luke looks up to find Jon. He dismounts his horse and walks toward him.
“Read the scroll,” Jon instructs. “The king wants him brought back to the Crown Lands alive!”
Luke confronts Jon.
“I think you need to read the scroll; this man is a serial rapist. His kind doesn’t deserve to be alive.”
“This is not our decision to make.”
Jon pushes Luke out of the way to get to Brad Grant. He turns the fugitive onto his stomach and ties his hands up with a rope. Luke then storms out of the backstreet. Worried, Jon watches Luke walk away.
That night, Luke spends time with Skylight in the local stables, cleaning him. He throws a bucket of water on the horse’s legs and begins scrubbing. Skylight neighs in discomfort, but Luke strokes to soothe him.
“Easy…you’ll feel better after this,” Luke whispers.
Soon, he hears a female voice muttering in his head. He cannot figure out what she is saying. He stops and looks around quickly to see if the mage is nearby.
He doesn’t trust you, the woman whispers in his head, her words more clear this time. But Luke simply shakes his head in denial.
“Stop!” Luke mutters openly. He closes his eyes tight to shut out the woman’s voice.
He doesn’t believe in you, the woman says again.
“Stop!” Luke screams. His body begins to tremble. He looks around but sees no one. The woman’s laughs as her muttering fades away.
Luke takes a few moments to let his body stop trembling. Then he gets down on his knees and begins to clean Skylight’s legs again. Soon after, Jon walks up to him. He sighs in relief.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Luke looks up to find Jon standing over him. He then gets back on his feet and heads for a bench in a corner of the stables. Jon follows him.
“What happened earlier,” Luke says, “was stupid of me. It won’t happen again.”
Jon nods, accepting Luke’s apology.
The two men sit next to each other on the bench.
“Jaylen told me what happened to your parents,” Jon says.
Luke turns away in a
nnoyance.
“Of course he did!” Luke replies.
Jon looks at Luke.
“It’s not something I would wish on my worst enemy, but we have orders. The king is the one who keeps everything together; if we go behind his back, the world gets darker.”
Eventually, Luke nods. “I know,” he agrees reluctantly.
Jon breathes a small sigh of relief.
“We will say no more about it,” he says. Then he removes a scroll from his pocket, and unrolls it for Luke to see.
“She was last seen here. I’m going to do one last search tonight to see if I can find anything that may help us tomorrow.” He rolls up the scroll, then gives Luke a key. “Turn in for the night,” Jon orders Luke.
Luke closes his eyes and nods. Jon pats Luke on the back then walks away from the stables.
The next morning, the rain splashing on the roof wakes Luke from a deep sleep. As he wakes up, he sees Jon, fully clothed and looking out of the window, extending his forearms against the window frame. Luke looks over to him curiously.
“What’s going on?” Luke groans.
Jon looks over. He realizes that his companion has just woken up and continues to look outside the window.
“Last night, I heard she was coming back into Greyshore. I will be leaving in a few minutes to welcome her.”
Luke sits up and leans forward in bed.
“What will I do?”
“You will stay here,” Jon turns back at Luke. “This won’t take long for me to do.”
Luke leans back on the wall behind the bed. He does not say anything in response. Jon then takes his sword and begins to walk out of the room. Before he leaves, he turns back to Luke.
“Wait here until I return.”
But, Luke deliberately looks away, ignoring Jon. Jon slams the door shut as he storms out of the room.
Slowly, Luke climbs out of the bed. He hears the horse neigh out in the stables and walks toward the window. He sees Jon and his armored horse gallop away. Then, Luke hears screaming downstairs. He quickly slips into some clothes and takes his dagger and rushes down the staircase. He sees a man rushing out of the tavern with a few bags on his person, seeing silver coins spill out of the bags. The tavern owner and a few patrons try and stop the man, but he easily pushes them all out of the way. Before the man can flee the tavern, Luke grabs him from behind. He throws him back into the main room of the tavern. The robber lands roughly on the floor. Luke grabs a rope from the bar and approaches him. His eyes begin to flicker red. Luke stops suddenly.