Arrow of Justice

by R W Caron

  He smiled at her and she returned the grin. This young man, even though his antics had been strange had managed to take her mind off of what her brother had said and his kind words had managed to warm her heart again. Alina lowered herself to his level and grabbed her pack. “Have you eaten?” He shook his head no. “I’m sorry for how I acted. I just miss him.” He pointed to his eye and then his head.

  “I know you know.” She replied and offered him a piece of bread from her pack. He took the bread from her hand and made a motion from his mouth to her, Alina assumed it meant thank you. “You’re welcome.” The two sat for a few moments in the shelter of the tree line watching as their tracks slowly disappeared in the snow.

  “Do you have a name?” She asked.

  The boy nodded and used his finger to draw in the snow. He drew a picture of an arrow pointing down and then held up the bread. Alina took several moments to think about it and shook her head. The boy stood up and placed his hand way above his head. She looked at him confused and then he dropped his hand low. “Low?” he smiled and have he a thumbs up. He then pointed to his bread. “low bread, low grain.” He nodded. “Low grain? Oh Logan!” she exclaimed. He nodded happily at her and sat back beside her.

  “Logan, do you remember where you found this?” Alina asked looking at the Arrowhead she had given Nahan.

  He thought for a few seconds and then nodded. He grabbed her hand and lead her off into the forest.

  For a little guy he was quick. Alina almost lost him several times, she felt so exposed on the ground floor of the forest but if this was the way she needed to find clues to Nahan, she would do it. Logan lead on for what seemed like an eternity but finally slowed up as they came to the clearing in the forest. Logan stopped and froze where he stood and did Alina as they peered through the thick trees. In the clearing stood a man in a blue cloak with a huge beast standing beside him. The creature was all white, except the bright marigold beak. The feathers on its head ran swiftly down its neck into a white muscular body of a huge feline. On its back was a leather saddle, lashed under its belly and under its front feet which where the talons of a bird of prey. The man was kneeling in the middle of the clearing searching the snow for something. Logan leaned through the trees to get a better look and snow abruptly fell from the branches. The beast’s head shot towards their direction and Logan tried his best to hide. Alina drew an arrow and notched it I her bow and slowly walked out of the trees. Logan attempted to grab her and stop her but she merely pushed him aside and strode into the clearing her bow at full draw.

  “Who are you?” She demanded. Something inside her told he she had nothing to fear but her gut had been doing her wrong lately so she had to use her mind. Millions of questions flowed through her mind, hope and doubt swept over her as the man turned to face her, holding his mount with a mean finger.

  “That is not the question you want the answer too.” The man replied, from under his drawn hood.

  “Why are you here?”

  she asked, stepping to the right and giving herself a clear shot at the mans head.

  “Another wasted question child.” He replied in a soft voice that was almost lost on the wind.

  “What are you looking for?” She asked.

  “Something that does not belong to me.” He replied shifting his weight ever so slightly.

  “So you are a thief!” Alina accused.

  “I have been called many things, but thief? That is new to me.” The man replied in an eerily calm voice. “Lower your weapon child, I wish you no harm.”

  “I don’t think so.” Alina retaliated. “Lower your hood and I may consider it.”

  “As you wish.” The man replied and reached up to the long blue hood that hung from his head. He flipped the hood down and revealed his bald head with veins like streams, his eyes were as white as snow with the pupils as dark as moonless startless night and his beard whiter then the snow, while still holding a hint of grey. Logan gasped as the sight of the man but Alina did not faultier. She held her arrow positioned between his eyes still at full draw. “I have done as you have asked; now please lower your weapon.”

  “Before I lower my bow, you shall answer my questions.”

  “I will only answer your questions if they are the right questions my dear.” The man replied.

  “What is the creature you hold?” Alina asked, referring to the beast now standing behind its master.

  “It is not a ‘what’ but a ‘who’. This is Traid and she belongs to a ancient race of creature call Griffins. ”

  “Are their more of these beasts?” Alina asked.

  “Some wild Griffin still roam the land yes, but for you to ever encounter one, you would surely perish.” The man replied. Alina stared at the tracks the beast had made in the snow and her heart slowly began to sink. The man noticed this as her gaze slowly dropped from his eyes to the tracks. “You have seen these tracks before?”

  “Yes,” She replied. “While searching for a friend.”

  “A man perhaps?” The man asked.

  “Yes.” Alina replied. As he bowed slowly fell to the ground out of her hand as the man’s stare cut through her like a warm blade through fresh butter.

  “Was he just a man?” The man continued.

  “No, I loved him.”

  “So you no longer love him?”

  “I do still love him but...” Alina tried to fight the images out of her head but the man’s magic was to strong. She saw Nahan lying on the ground where she now fell to her knees. She could see the dagger in his chest and the tears slowly flowed from her eyes.

  “He is gone.” The man replied. As his lips curled up with a smile.

  “No.” She replied. More images flooded her mind. Nahan was being carried in the talons of a beast, the images of a mountain, of a pool surrounded by men. Suddenly one man flipped down his hood and revealed himself to be the man standing in front of her. Their eyes locked in the image and then suddenly they were gone. Alina looked over at the man who had dropped to a knee clutching his head. “Where is Nahan?”

  “How did you, of course.” The man replied staring at her in shock.

  “Does he live?” Alina asked, she stood quickly and locked her sights on the man’s head with her bow and arrow again.

  “Yes he lives.” The man replied. “but he is not what you think he is.”

  “Explain yourself NOW.” Alina ordered.

  “The man you call Nahan is not one of your people. He is from a land far across the Helkus Sea. He is the one of the last Azrael warriors.” The man responded. “and he is stronger than I could have ever imagined.”

  “What are you talking about?” Alina asked. “I have known Nahan since we where children.”

  “He was always the best at everything he did right?”

  “He worked hard yes.” Alina replied in his defence.

  “He was always faster, always able to see thing before they happened. He is Azrael not Nipawin.”

  “I have never heard of the Azrael people.” Alina replied with a look of distrust.

  “I can see it will take more than me just telling you. Please tell your little mute friend to come out of the bushes and I shall take you to Nahan.” The man responded.

  “What is your name?” Alina asked.

  “Cento. I am the youngest member in the wizards of the north.” Cento replied and bowed low.

  “Wizards of the North?” Alina asked.

  “I shall show you Lady Alina.” Cento replied.

  “How did you...” Alina started but Cento was already on the back of his griffin with his hand extended. Logan rushed from cover and to Alina’s side. “I am sorry friend, but I must do this alone.” Alina removed a worn leather bracelet from her wrist and tied it to Logan’s. “Stay safe and remember me, I owe you more then you know.” She grabbed cento’s hand and he hoisted her with ease onto the griffin. Traid’s powerful wings sprayed snow all over Logan and Alisa held tight to Cento as the mount took off into the sky climbin
g up into the clouds. Logan watched as they took off and where out of site. Suddenly he was thrown to the ground with a flash of blue and his body started to convulse. A large heavy rope net wrapped around him.

  “You will do fine as bait.” Came the sinister voice of the Hunter. Logan tried to cry out but to no avail as the hunter collected his prey.

  Chapter 11

  Winters COld

  King Erwin stood in his bed chambers, staring through his arching window as the winter storm blazed on. How he wished he could conquer the weather as he had conquered the people of this pathetic land. He pulled his robe tight around himself as a chill passed over his body. Since his Father and Brother’s sudden passing, he had controlled all aspects of his life. He had conquered the settlements, and any who opposed his ruling had paid with their lives. Fear was how he controlled them all, fear and lack of vision. Erwin knew should they gain a vision of a world without his rule, there could be war, a war that would not end well for the people of this land. Rumors had flooded the land that Erwin had failed to exterminate the Nipawin people, and if those rumors where allowed to grow people may have started to believe it. Lord Andrew Brady had made sure that did not happen and Erwin was grateful to him for ensuring those rumors where extinguished. Andrews raiding party had wiped them all out, and Andrews’s men had been venturing to the settlements around Esmos to ensure those rumors stopped.

  Andrew had sent messengers to the king every week highlighting his progress and informing the king of the settlements cooperation. Erwin smiled to himself; the boy was doing a much better job than his father had ever done. Andrews Father had been a thorn in Erwin’s side since the day he took over the throne. It did not sit well with Andrews father that he had wished to exterminate the Nipawin people. He positioned the idea of working with them, but King Erwin had dismissed it. After all it was a Nipawin dagger found in his bothers back. Erwin looked towards a family portrait that had been painted days before his father fell ill and an evil grin creased his boyish face. “If they only knew.” Erwin said to himself.

  His father was a great man. One that accepted people at face value, never asking for explanation, just wanting everything to run smoothly in his kingdom had allowed a Nipawin girl into the Citadel. She was treated well, but was his personal servant. Young Erwin had found them one night in his father’s bed chambers and was disgusted that his father could do such a thing to the memory of his mother. A few short months had passed with young Erwin spying on his father before he realised something had to be done.

  His father had gone into the Forest of Czar months before in pursuit of the Aslian creatures that had been attacking his farmers. When his father had entered the forest with the bulk of his army he had found nothing but a young girl dressed in farm cloths sitting against a giant tree. His father had wanted to slay her, but the Nipawin woman had convinced his father that she was just a child in need of help and could very be one of the farmer’s daughters. They took the girl but no farmers claimed her as their own. The king had assumed her parents had been killed so she had become part of his family. He had pushed her upon Young Erwin as an adviser. At first young Erwin resented her but slowly he started to take a liking to her, the way she talked to him, the words she said continued to make sense.

  She had agreed with Erwin that the Nipawin woman was a problem and the two of them constructed a plan to eliminate her. Young Erwin used traces of a flower that Shatina had picked for him out of the forest of Czar as a poison. The Nipawin people often used poison to paralyze their prey in order to catch bigger prey. Erwin how ever had been foolish and used to much. His father had drunk from the water glass and the poison screamed in his veins. He died the next morning with the Nipawin woman sleeping beside him. When she awoke and tried to raise him, she yelled for the guard. Young Erwin sat in his room, tears streaming down his face but Shatina assured him everything was going to be okay. His brother turned of age for the throne but Shatina had explained to Erwin that his brother was weak and would allow his kingdom to fall. After watching his brother for days, Erwin also came to this conclusion. He slipped into his father’s old bed chambers, removed the daggers for the Nipawin woman’s belt and drove the dagger into his brothers sleeping back. Erwin was much smaller than his Brother so Shatina had sat on his brother head while he drive the dagger into this back over and over trying to find a vital organ. The dagger had pierced his brother heart finally and he stopped moving.

  Erwin had looked at Shatina and the two embraced, sharing their first kiss over the body of his dead brother. The two snuck out of the room and into his bed chambers. They had made love for the first time that night, though he could not fully remember it. King Erwin turned away from the painting and back to the storm that raged outside his window. He and Shatina had made love many times but for some reason he could not remember a single time. As he started to focus harder on that fact the door to his bed chambers opened and Shatina walked in with a smile across her face. “Hello my king.” She said with a coy tone.

  “Yes my dear.” Erwin replied as his focus altered to his mistress. She was in a long green and yellow robe that held to the curvature of her body and he could not remember her looking this beautiful.

  “I have good news for the clerics.” She started as she walked across the room.

  “Oh, do tell.” Erwin replied eagerly.

  “We are to have a son.” She hissed, extending the ‘s’.

  “That’s wonderful news my dear.” Erwin replied with a joyful expression. Years he had waited for her to tell him those words and now it was official, we were to have a son. I son meant his legacy would live on, since he had never taken a wife and to marry a farm girl would be to look unfavorable, Erwin had never married. Now however his legacy would rule on. He moved to her and embraced her, lifting her off the ground and spinning with her in the bed chambers. He kissed her soft lips and his smile ran from ear to ear. “When can we announce that we are to have a son?”

  “Soon my love, after that Nipawin boy is killed.” Shatina replied. “No need to place a target on me after we made Lord Andrew kill his lover.”

  “I love the way your mind works.” Erwin replied. She was right, if somehow the young man had survived, there was no need to place a target on his mistress and unborn child. “He is probably dead and forgotten.”

  “You are right my love. Still though, until we know for sure i would like to keep this a secret. Besides, it will be like when we were young, all the secrets we have kept together.” She suggested with his voice trailing off.

  “Many secrets.” Erwin replied with a smirk. He leaned in and kissed her again then stared into her eyes. It was strange that she had mentioned that for she had not mentioned the secrets they had together for some time. The timing was almost eerie after he had just been thinking about those secrets that she would bring them up, but he assumed they might have just been on the same mind wave. As he looked into her eyes she pulled him and kissed him more passionately. Erwin felt his body start to tingle when suddenly there was a knock on his chamber door. Shatina pulled away and Erwin shook the cobwebs from his head. “Enter.” He called to the door. A servant boy walked into the room. He bowed quickly to the king and his mistress and waited to be spoken too. “Speak boy.”

  “Your majesty,” he started, diverting his eyes to the floor. “You’re hunter has returned.”

  “Ah, I will meet him in the throne room.” King Erwin replied. It was about time his hunter had returned. He had his inquisitors searching for any kind of information on the magical beast the hunter had told him about. Now after almost a full cycle of the seasons; the Hunter had returned, and Erwin’s wait was over to see this beast in the flesh.

  “As you wish your majesty.” The boy responded with a slight bow.

  “What has the hunter brought you?” Shatina asked after the boy had slipped out of the room.