“Yeah right, lady. Now give us the goods and we’ll be on our way.”
From the cover of the foliage, Emil drew his dagger from his right side and slowly placed his hood back on top of his head. Soon after, the dagger began to faintly glow light-blue. Crackling sparks danced along the blade as the ignited metal dully hummed.
A flash of lightning. A thunderous roar. Their bodies fell with the thunderclap. Emil stood between the three of them, his dagger bloody, his face unmoved.
“Are you okay?” he calmly asked as the blood dripped from his blade and pooled together on the forest floor. Serenity’s mother gazed upon the corpses before Emil’s feet in disbelief as the ground turned crimson, drunk off the blood of her fallen attackers.
Her pale face became even paler as she slowly nodded her head, still in shock from what she had just witnessed.
“Good,” he said as he tucked his dagger away and began to move back into the cover of the forest.
“Hey, wait! Where are you going? It’s raining outside!”
He turned around and looked at her. His pure eyes pierced her soul. No longer was she afraid nor was she shocked; only concerned. What she saw in front of her was no killer but a young man who was tired, hungry, and out in the elements.
“Oh my God. You’re not much older than my daughter. Please stay with us; at least for tonight. You look tired. It’s the least I can do to thank you.”
Taken aback by her kind gesture, an unfamiliar emotion ran across his face. An expression that he had long since forgotten; a smile. He had been with them ever since.
Emil’s stream of thought was severed, returning him to the waking world, carried back from Taeo’s words.
“Mom, if Emil is such a good person, then why do they call him a monster?”
The words cut deep into him. After the initial pain, Emil’s breath escaped from his contracted lungs. The sigh was brief and sharp but strong enough for everyone to momentarily feel his pain. In his younger days, Emil had asked himself that very same question. He looked like everyone else. He bled like everyone else. Aside from his abilities, there was no distinction that he was unlike anyone else. Still they labeled him.
“Taeo!” Serenity shouted angrily from across the table. Her scorn flushed across all of her face. The question was an innocent one, asked only from a young boy with little understanding. At his age, he was naïve of the cruelties that often fell upon the inhabitants of this world.
The room fell silent as all eyes shifted to Emil. His gaze never met theirs. Instead, his eyes drifted downward, hovering over his plate.
“Sometimes people fear what they don’t understand. Emil is no monster… he’s family.” Taeo and Serenity’s mother broke the silence that hovered over the table, parting the fog that separated the four of them. The frown that had emerged on Emil’s face inverted slightly.
Family.
For a moment, he was happy. But it was only that; a moment. The smile he found across his face slowly reverted back to its depressing demeanor as memories of old came to surface. The love of his father, the quiet strength of his mother. The memories came like flashes of white lightning, uncaring as to which point it struck. The good, the bad, it remained unbiased as it struck, leaving him emotionally drained. And while it was beautiful it pained him to know that it had been so long he could no longer remember their voices.
Brother, where are you?
“So is Beth coming over?” Serenity interjected, noticing the drawn expression on Emil’s face.
There were two seats empty at a table for six. The one at the head of the table was for the late husband of Grace. The other alongside Taeo was reserved for Elizabeth, one of Grace’s girlfriends.
Serenity’s question echoed to the ends of the table. Despite her attempts, the silence remained strong. Grace, from the other end, looked up as if she had heard something but wasn’t sure.
“Um, I don’t know. It’s strange that she hadn’t dropped by the past couple of days,” Grace said before looking down to continue picking at her food. “Hope she’s okay. I tried to get something out of her but she’s been distant lately… nothing but hellos and goodbyes.”
“We did see her on the way back home, mother. She didn’t say much. Taeo was with her son when Emil and I passed by … barely recognized her.”
Emil paused to reflect. He remembered the look on Beth’s face when the three of them were walking through town. The lady who ushered her child inside as he walked by. That was her. The look of fear on her face blinded him from noticing her. She usually had her hair down and carried an open expression. Compared to what he had seen today, it was day and night.
“Poor child, she must be going through something…” Grace said as she shook her head, still eyeing her meal.
What Serenity failed to mention was that when they saw her, she was cowering away grasping at her child. Her withheld information, however, was for a just cause. Looking over at Emil, she realized that he was still sore from the previous string of conversation. He was no monster. That she knew for certain. But still, there were those who thought otherwise.
Chapter Two: In A Perfect World
A knock on the door. Another knock. The four of them looked at the door as it vibrated in tandem with the string of urgent booming. Emil began to rise from his seat to the door, but Grace insisted that she answer. As she moved closer, she wondered who would be bothering her at such a time of night. Her hand hovered over the wooden knob as she pressed her ear against the door, waiting for another series of knocks. But there were none.
“Who is it?” Grace said, still leaning with her ear pressed against the wooden door.
There was a noticeable pause.
“It’s Beth.”
Grace’s shoulders dropped as she exhaled with a sigh of relief, elated at the voice of her long lost friend.
“Can I come in?” The voice said from the other side.
“Sure,” Grace responded enthusiastically. “One second.”
Without hesitation, Grace quickly started to work on the chain lock above the handle of the door to let in her best friend. As she worked against the lock, she smiled to herself eagerly, expectant to hear of what she had been missing as of late. How were her children? Was she seeing anybody new? Their chat sessions had long since become something that she yearned for in her friend’s recent absence. Without her husband around, it had been awhile since Grace had the luxury of talking to someone her own age.
After fidgeting with the chain lock for some time she finally managed to open the door, and to her surprise, Beth was not alone. The grin that Grace wore quickly faded as she stared out of the opening in horror. There Beth stood backed by a platoon of heavily armored foot soldiers sent by the king himself. The blood red seal etched into their plated armor struck fear into her heart as she stood there, dumbfounded by the betrayal of her best friend.
“I’m Sorry.” Beth mouthed as the guards crossed in front of her and presented Grace with a worn piece of paper; a bounty for Emil dead or alive.
“Have you seen this man?” one of the guards asked abruptly, severing the already fragile ties of the former friends. Grace looked down at the tan piece of paper the guard held and then looked up at Beth, who was partially hidden behind his shoulder. The maroon hood that rested on top her head glowed dully in unison with the flickering torches the other soldiers held.
Grace studied the picture as if she never laid eyes on the young man on the worn sheet of paper. Her scrunched brows pulsed as she analyzed the bounty. With a confused look, her gaze met once again with the guard in front of her.
“No, never seen him before in my life.”
By now, Emil and the others had gotten wind of the situation. Grace was in audible range and he knew that she was only trying to buy time. Serenity quietly grabbed Taeo by the hand and began to quietly go for the back door.
“Wait,” Emil whispered. “If they are here for me then the place is already surrounded. If you and Taeo go, they�
��ll know that I’m here. Take Taeo and something to defend yourselves with and hide. I’ll hide too, but I need to be close to your mother in case she needs me.”
Serenity quietly shook her head and tugged on Taeo’s hand. He looked up at her, confused but obedient. She turned to him with one finger over her lips, only removing it to whisper, “Come on, T. In here.”
She quietly crept along the interior of the house, grabbing a stray knife before entering one of the rooms. After Taeo followed suit, she quietly shut and sealed the door. With a muffled sigh, Emil focused his attention on Grace, who was still at the front of the house face-to-face with the Royal Vanguard.
He pressed himself against a wall as he readied himself for the worst. Grace was doing all that she could, but the man in front of her was persistent.
“So you’re telling me that you’ve never seen this man before in your life?” the guard questioned her once more.
“No. Never,” Grace responded adamantly, looking directly into his eyes. He glared at her with squinting eyes before turning back to address the other men who waited outside the door. For a second, a moment of relief coursed throughout her body, and then a dull pain flashed across her cheek.
There was a scream followed by a loud thud. Emil bit his lip as his mind speculated what could have been happening on the other side of the wall. He glanced over at the room that Serenity and Taeo were in. Thankfully, they did not make a sound.
The guard hovered over Grace as she lay there. He had struck her in the face and now she was looking directly at the polished blade that swung only inches from her.
“Don’t hurt her!” Beth cried out from the doorway. One of the guards beside her yanked at her bicep, turning her towards him.
“Shut up! You swore he was here, didn’t you? We have orders from the king to use any means necessary to take down this abomination.”
The grip on her arm grew tighter. The man beneath the helmet no longer seemed human. How blind could she have been? Tears welled up as she looked down at her fallen friend and realized the evil that she had just committed. Grace was bleeding heavily on the floor from the gash that was on her nose caused by the metal gauntlet.
“Now, where is the boy?” He moved in closer as he asked, closing the distance between her and the finely polished blade.
“I… I don’t know.” she said as she crawled away, shaking her head.
The guard let out an un-amused chuckle as he stepped closer.
“Stand up,” he commanded, but Grace remained stationary. It was clear that she was afraid. Her body shook uncontrollably with fear as he towered over her.
“Please don’t hurt her-” Beth pleaded.
“Shut up!” The guard turned back and interrupted Beth’s plea. “You’re the one who did this to her… so shut your mouth. Backstabbing your friend for only a few pieces of gold.” He scoffed as if amused. “Pathetic.”
His rash comment froze Beth completely, shutting her off as she dwelled on her past decisions.
Grace slowly turned her head to Beth. She felt both broken and confused. Silent tears fell from her cheeks as she looked deep into the eyes of her betrayer. Beth searched for the words inside herself to make amends, but before she could air how she felt, their mutual vision was separated by the main interrogator. The head guard took the lead and squatted down to Grace’s level. He sheathed his sword and stared at her intently before clasping her face in his hand. Grace tried to struggle with all of her might, but she soon found that her strength was no match for his. She tried her hardest not to scream as he clamped his cold steel fingers around her cheek and began to squeeze.
He chuckled as he drew out a small serrated dagger he had been carrying on the side of his armor and examined it. A smile ran across his face when his eyes met hers.
“Now sweetie, if you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. It’s just that a very reliable source said that he was here and we came to get him, that’s all.”
With new life, Grace struggled to break free, but once again she was no match for him. No matter how hard she tried to struggle, he remained in complete control.
“I don’t know anything!” Grace said as she broke into tears. “I promise. Just let me go. Please!”
Her plea fell on deaf ears. The hold he had on her intensified. The crushing pressure he had on her cheeks caused her to cry out in pain as he clamped down.
“I think… I think I’m going to cut off your tongue!”
“No! Please! No!”
At the sound of the captor’s threat, Emil’s heart stopped. His eyes widened as he envisioned what was happening on the other side. The heart-wrenching cries ignited a familiar warmth that radiated from the base of his palm.
“I’m going to give y- ”
A dagger sunk into the side of the guard’s neck. A crimson puddle formed where he fell. The others gathered at the sight of their fallen leader. Emil never parted eyes with them. His gaze was directed straight ahead of him peering outside at the Vanguard troops who marveled at the sight of his pulsing hand. Beth was amongst those troops, awestricken yet terrified at what she had just seen. She backed away slowly, knowing that he could take her life in an instant if he wanted to. She waited for the inevitable, but her death by his hands never came.
Emil remained still, dagger in hand. The once pulsing blue light on his hand now glowed dully and lay idle by his side. He stood firm as he watched her moving further into the darkness. The remnants of the Royal Vanguard rallied closer.
“Surround the house!” one yelled. “Light it on fire!”
The dull blue light brightened and danced as it began to slowly grow in size.
“Can you stand?” Emil asked Grace, his eyes still entranced on the armed men before him.
“Yes,” she said as she gathered her strength and rose to her feet.
“Hide.”
Grace complied but only after she handed Emil his sword and armed herself with a knife of her own.
“Thank you.”
The guards took that moment of distraction as an opening and rushed towards Emil. The sword in Emil’s hand glowed sky-blue as he charged them head on.
As Beth distanced herself from the house that had begun to burn, she saw not a monster, but a man who would stop at nothing to protect those he loved.
The five that charged Emil dropped almost instantly in combat against the brave wanderer, taking every opening possible to kill those who put his new found family in danger. There was no point in holding back in a situation like this. Not after what they had already done.
After they fell, Emil ran back into the house and opened the door to the room where his family was hiding.
“We have to move. They’re trying to burn the house down. Follow me… but not too close.”
He sheathed his sword and ran out through the front door where more guards waited for his return. With a grunt, an orb pulsed from his hand and ignited against the armor of one of his opponents. Without breaking form, he grabbed his dagger from his side and swiftly assassinated the others who stood in his way. He looked back, unmoved, at the burning house that smoldered behind him. The peace that once rested in his eyes had now been lost; submerged deep within the rivets of blood that ran down the tip of his blade. As he neared his family, the glow of his palm faded once more.
“That was only the first wave. You need to run… go somewhere safe. They won’t stop until they have me.”
Grace placed a hand along his cheek, running her finger tips lightly along the contours of his face, holding back her tears.
“Please be safe.”
Emil grasped her hand in his, lowering it down to her side.
“I will… thank you for everything.”
She stood silently as she tried her hardest to ingrain the image of her new found son deep into her memory in case she would never see him again. Taeo was buried in Ren’s arms, gripping the drift of her dress as he held her tight.
“You’re one of the good guys, right Emil
?” Taeo asked.
“Of course. I won’t let them hurt you or anybody else. I just need for you to look out for your sister and your mother while I am away. Keep them safe, Okay?”
Emil directed his eyes towards Serenity. The ash caked around the cheeks of her face. Narrow traces of her skin were visible where her tears had fallen.
“Emil!” she called out in a frenzied panic.
A stream of fire siphoned through the interior of the village, hurdling full speed at Emil.
Shit. There’s not enough time!
“Stay close to me!” Emil yelled as he placed both of his hands in front of him. Almost instantly a blue shield surrounded both him and his family as the fire collided with the exterior, washing over and around the shield that encompassed them.
Hugo? It would be him.
Wisps of fire seeped through the barrier lashing at the skin of the champion as he diverted all of his efforts into keeping the shield strong. As the pillar of fire pounded away the barrier, the light that encircled Emil and his family grew visibly dimmer. The crashing waves of heat intensified as they remained trapped inside what little protection Emil had to offer.
As Emil and his family remained engulfed in the torrent of flames, The Village of Nerai plunged into chaos. Stray flames that had been deflected sprouted into fires of their own. The townspeople felt endangered and began to fight against the soldiers who threatened their homes and their way of life. The chinks of metal swords clashing, the cries of agony by the fallen, seemed to be feeding the fire that encircled the one person who could save them all.
Holding back his flames is taking too much of my energy. I’m fading fast. If I didn’t have Grace and the others with me, I could slip past his attack, but I can’t risk losing them.
“Ah!” Like a blazed whip, a stream of fire snapped against Emil’s cheek, penetrating through the rapidly weakening orb that surrounded him and his kin.
Damn it! We’re trapped. He only plans on holding me here till I tire out, then he’ll rush me when I’m defenseless. Coward! Using the villagers against me like that.
The Dreamer and the Deceiver (The Last Light Book 1) Page 2