Arrow of Justice

by R W Caron

  The hunter’s smile did not fade though. “This will work out wonderfully.” He replied.

  Shantina stared at him in shock. “What!?” She exclaimed in a hiss.

  “I do not fear your kind. Nor will I ever fear anything from this land. However, I assume you wish to rule, which is why you hired an assassin to kill your husband.” The hunter started. “Your people once ruled this land until the kings of old chased them off and slaughtered them. You are the last of a dying race, and I wish for nothing more than to get out of this land and back to my home land, where I too can rule.”

  “What does this have to do with anything?” Shantina asked, fighting all her urges to eat him.

  “You guarantee me a ship to get out of here, and I will make sure your love dies.”

  “I carry his seed.” She replied.

  “Thus, he shall rule as human and weird snake thing.” The Hunter replied. Shantina lunged at him put his lightning fast reflexes caught her by the throat. “Shall we seal the deal with a kiss?” Shantina’s fork tongue traced the lips of the hunter and he pushed her away.

  “Someone is coming.” Shantina said glancing at the door but the hunter was already on the move. Slipping out the one window in the room. Shantina quickly turned back into her human form and launched herself onto the bed as the door opened King Erwin walked in as she playfully moved her legs and locked eyes with him. “Come my Darling, sleep with Shantina.” She hissed as he froze in place.

  The hunter stood in the moonlight as the crisp cold wind of winter washed over him. How he longed for the warmth of Okora. Okora never had weather like this unless you climbed to the top of the mountains. Only once had the hunter encountered such weather, and it was a time he would like to forgot. His feet slid from the thin ledge and he landed softly, without a sound on the rooftop below. He moved quickly to his chambers and slipped in through the thin slit that was to be his window. As he entered he breathed a sigh of relief. Today had been a long day, but not nearly as long as it this record season that was coming.

  A black Raven landed on the sill of the window and beckoned his attention. The hunter smiled and walked over extending his arm as the bird hopped onto it and he brought it inside. “Hello Mera,” the hunter purred. “What news do you have for me?”

  The hunter slid his hand into a small pouch on his belt pulling forth a small silver necklaces with a red jewel on the end. He slipped it over the bird’s neck and closed his eyes. “Speak creature.”

  “Master hunter,” came a mystical voice from the necklace. “I have seen many things, things that the king would care very greatly for.”

  “Do tell.” The hunter said with a chuckle as he moved across the room setting the bird onto his bed post.

  “You must ask the question master hunter, or have you forgotten the rules of my magic?” The pendent replies in a cool tone.

  “Right, I hate magic.” The hunter says aloud. “What have you seen Mera?”

  “Many things.” The pendent around the bird replies.

  “What things would the king be interested in?” The hunter growled.

  “The settlements seem to be joining forces.”

  “For war?”

  “I do not know.”

  “What else?” The hunter asked.

  “The Forest of Azar seems to be more active.” The pendant replied reading the bird mind and seeing through the bird’s eyes.

  “How can a forest be active?” The hunter asked. Thinking the bird must be mistaken.

  “I do not know.” The pendant replies.

  “Is that all you have seen Mera?”

  “Yes, and No.” The pendent replies.

  “Enough with your riddles, tell me if there is anything else this blasted bird has seen.”

  “It is not so much what she has seen but who.” The pendent replied with a sense of wonder in her voice.

  “Who has she seen?” The hunter asked.

  “A man, who should be dead but is not. A man that has become the predator instead of the prey.” The pendant replies.

  “Who is this man?”

  “The bird does not know his name.” The pendant replies.

  “What concern is this to me.”

  “He will come for you.” The pendant replies.

  The hunter laughs out loud. “And he will die like all the rest. Ye Silly bird.” He pulls the pendant off the bird and slips it back into his pocket. He pushes the bird out the window and shakes his head. The hunter slowly slides his shirt off and studies himself in the long slender mirror. Battle scars riddled his back and chest, none more than a scratch but enough to leave scars. One still healing on his shoulder, the one Nahan has given him. He reached over and touched it. A smile side across his face as he remembered killing the man. The three deeper pink scars were from the damned bird he had set free.

  The Hunter has not been in a challenging fight in what seemed like ages and he did have respect for he young man that had so valiantly struck him, he also had a duty. How he longed for another fight with someone who could challenge his skills. How he did not know however was that that fight would come sooner then he expected.

  The hunter took one final look at himself in the mirror before blowing out the candle in his room and laying in bed. Still laying in bed the hunters mind wondered to thoughts of the queen and his heart; no matter how small some thought it to be, longed for his home land. Those thoughts where what took him into the darkness of his sleep.

  Chapter 16

  Out of the Pan

  Nahan’s body and mind were exhausted. The training with the other masters had become more intense with no results. He was being shocked, pushed and attacked by plants every day, and still could not harness any of the magic. What the other masters did not know was that he was training at night, atop the mountain peak with Master Magmas Nor.

  Magmas was different from the others, instead of trying to force Nahan to use magic he believed in letting it flow though him. He had informed Nahan that he had never met someone with as much passion as Nahan showed when dueling and explained that if he could feel it the other masters could as well. Magmas had explained that Nahan was gifted with the ability to Focus and basically slow down his surroundings in his mind enough that his body was able to do extraordinary things.

  At first Nahan had not understood until Magmas had led him to a cliff side a little way down the mountain. Magmas had taken Nahan’s equipment and tossed it over the ledge and told him to retrieve it. The task seemed impossible but somehow Nahan had managed to find a foothold on the smallest pieces of rock, enough to retrieve all his equipment before the sun rose. It was then that Magmas had told him he was gifted, for any normal man would not have been able to retrieve the equipment and would have died.

  Magmas trained hard but Nahan was catching on and his actions where gaining speed as he trusted his body to know what to do. His body had become accustom to training in the freezing cold of the mountain top and he no longer felt cold when the wind whistled around him. On this night however, it was not the wind that made his bones shiver but the night it’s self. Something was off; Nahan could feel it as he made his fateful climb up to the top of the mountain peak.

  In the low lands winter was coming to a close but in the mountains, it was always cold, something Nahan had become accustom to in in many months here. Alina on the other hand was still cold all the time, but she did not complain. Being with Nahan was enough for me, which is why he hated leaving her in their bed alone while he went out to train but he knew it was necessary. Nahan pause to take in the view something he often did before heading to his lesson. As he looked out over the world below he could not find peace in his thoughts this day. Something about his last encounter with Master Magmas had troubled him. He took a deep breathe and replayed the meeting over again in his head.

  Magmas had come to him after his training with Master Barton and roughly pulled him into a secluded hall. He dragged Nahan down the hall and though a door that looked like solid st
one. They passed through it effortlessly, the wall feeling like silk robe brushing up against Nahan’s body. Magmas then had let Nahans arm go and turned to speak with him his voice frantic and displeased.

  “Have you told them about our Private sessions?” He demanded.

  “No.” Nahan said pointedly.

  “Have you excelled in your other trainings?” He growled.

  “No, only with you.” Nahan admitted looking defeated.

  “Damn it.” Magmas shouted and punched the stone wall.

  “I’m doing the best I can.” Nahan replied.

  “I’m not mad at you.” Magmas’ voice softened. “Its just everything the old bastard said is coming true.”

  “What who said?” Nahan questioned.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Magmas shot at him and Nahan knew better then to push the matter. “No matter, I guess its time then.”

  “Time for what?” Nahan asked having never seen his master this distraught.

  “To choose sides.” Magmas whispered to himself.

  “What?” Nahan asked having not heard what Magmas has said.

  Magmas turned to him and smiled. “For your I-passed-magmas’-trails-n-torture gift.”

  Nahan stared at him blankly and magmas attempted to cuff him into reality. Nahan’s reflexes told him to move but he had accepted the cuff as a sign of good fun. Magmas smiled and yanked a sheet off something sitting in this magical room. Under the sheet on a mannequin carved roughly of stone sat the most beautiful set of armour Nahan had ever seen. The decorative design of the stitches only highlighted the sheer beauty of the armour. It looked to be leather but it was far more than leather. As Nahan ran his slender fingers over the material it was like nothing it had ever felt. “Wow. What is this?”

  Magmas lowered his head and turned to the side away from the armour. “Hide of the First Elder Dragon.”

  “How did you get that?” Nahan asked.

  Magmas glared at the young man for just a second and then realised it was just a question. Magmas had never told anyone this story, and if the Prophesy was right, Nahan would be the only one to know it. “My son.” Magmas replied.

  “Your son slayed the Dragon?” Nahan asked.

  “No.” Magmas replied. “It is forbidden for the wizards of the North to have children of their own. I am one of the few who can travel to the lowlands.”

  “Why is that? You and Cento can both, yet the others can not.” Nahan asked having never had truly gotten an answer from the others.

  “Cento was given passage to train griffins. I was banished from learning until I had corrected my mistakes, thus giving me passage to the lowlands.” Magmas replied.

  “What mistak…” the words caught in Nahan’s throat. The Wizards for the North were forbidden to have children of their own, yet Magmas had a son. “You didn’t kill your own son, did you?”

  “No.” Magmas replied. “A powerful sorcerer named Balin found my son. He knew that he was mine and had wanted to become one of the Wizards of the North. He had requested to join several times; each time being denied. This time however he brought my son with him. When Barton refused him again he did the unthinkable. He attacked my boy.”

  “Why?” Nahan asked.

  “He knew I would defend him, thus proving that he was mine.” Magmas replied. “When I blocked the lightning bolt by thrusting myself in front of it was all the proof Barton needed. The lightning bolt was a ruse however for the Sorcerer had already cast the second spell.”

  “What did he cast?” Nahan asked.

  “A hex. My boy Transformed into the first Elder Dragon and only someone of the same blood could kill him. I was forbidden from learning more magic until the Dragon wars had ended. I had a chance to slay him, however I could not. Instead I cut several scales from him as proof and put him under a powerful spell. He will never awake so long as I live.”

  “These are those scales.” Nahan said as he ran his hand over it. “I can not accept this.”

  “You will accept it and these.” He pulled two swords out from behind the armour. “Forged from Cloud Steel, they will never dull, never rust and never break.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” Nahan stammered.

  “Nahan, I need to you listen to me. I need you to understand something. You write your own path, you write your own destiny. Prophesies can say a lot of things but only come true if you follow what they say. I believe that you can write your own path and never forget a bow without and arrow is useless.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You and I are one in the same Nahan. We are both arrows, sharp and to the point. I found my bow once and lost her, don’t do the same.”

  Nahan still standing on the cliff side felt very confused about his master’s speech. He did however enjoy the armour. He ran his hand over the breastplate and somehow felt at ease. He continued up the mountain, his heart skipped a beat however as he crested the mountain area to find that Alina was not in their warm bed but here on the top of the mountain with Magmas. Something felt even more out of place but Nahan pushed the thoughts aside and rushed to them.

  Magmas held out his hand and sent Nahan flying backwards with an unseen force of power. Nahan looked at his master who looked hurt that he had to do this to his pupil. Barton stepped out from behind Magmas then. His scowl is that of legend and the displeasure is written all over his face. Nahan stares at the two Masters with a look of bewilderment. Nyala stands opposite to Barton now as the three line up. The platform they stand on is an old dueling area that Barton carved out of stone and where Nahan had practiced his weapons skills every night with Magmas. The silence is deafening as they all stare at Nahan. The seconds feel like hours as Nahan slowly pushes himself to his feet and looks between the masters.

  “I hear you have been getting special Training from this one.” Barton finally breaks the silence.

  “You heard wrong.” Nahan lied. Trying to spare his teacher. He instantly regretted it as Barton shot a small fireball his way, much like he would in Training when Nahan would fail. This time However Nahan moved out of the way. Barton’s eyes grow with rage at the sudden arrogance of this young man.

  “Tell me the truth, for I already know it.” Barton snarled.

  “If you know it then why ask it?” Nahan shot back, trying to make sure that his Master did not get a fireball for his arrogance but also trying to get information on why his Masters are acting this way.

  “Very well if you will not tell me then,” Barton suddenly shot a fireball at Alina, Before it hit her though Magmas stepped in front of it and look the brunt of the assault.

  “Still have a soft spot for the young ones I see Magmas.”

  “Barton, what are you thinking?” Nyala speaks up. “You said this would be a lesson.”

  “And it shall be. A lesson that Nahan will not soon forget.” Barton suddenly fired three firballs at Magmas and Alina, in a blink of an eye Nahan was lunged to his master and love blocking the fireballs with his new-found armour. He expected to be burned to a crisp, but the fire did not hurt him. He looked down and smiled.

  “Why are you doing this?” Nahan demanded.

  “Tell him.” Magmas replied. “Tell him what it is you fear.”

  “I fear nothing.” Barton snapped.

  “And yet everything.” Nyala added staring at the man in disbelief.