by Tom Rogal
Levus passed the house of the Ferrud family as he continued traveling north. The Sintars and Ferruds have been friends for a long time, even before Jared had moved to Arnis. Levus believed his father and Harrin Ferrud went back to their days on the mainland. Levus also enjoyed spending time with the Ferrud children. Their oldest, Arden, was one of his best friends and the second-best hunter in the village. Levus probably would have been dating one of their daughters, Marden and Lexa, if it wasn’t for Leeta. He knew both had a crush on him. They also had a dog, probably one of the smallest in the village, though Levus could attest to its courage. Lexa named him Cosmo because of her love for the stars and the celestials.
He stopped in front of a larger house located near the northern gate of the village. It was as large as three other houses combined, with a porch that covered the entire front. Two chairs were in the middle. There was one more thing to do before he left for his hunts this morning. He only hoped she would be back by now.
Levus called out, “Leeta!”
Silence was the only answer from the house. Levus thought he could hear shuffling inside, but he wasn’t sure. He knew that Leeta had left early in the morning a few days ago to get the results from her test. She had always dreamed of being an engineer and the only place on the Dyyros continent where one could learn such a trade was in the capital.
Levus called out again, “Leeta!”
Finally, an old woman stepped out onto the wooden porch. Leeta’s mother, Diera, was one of the richest people in the village, if one can call it rich. Both she and her daughter were highly respected, though, and that was all you needed sometimes. Her husband perished warding off thieves a couple years before, leaving her to have to raise Leeta alone, not like it was difficult in their situation, though. Diera flung her fur robe across her shoulder and looked at Levus.
Levus said, “Good morning.”
“Morning to you too, Levus,” Diera replied.
He must have awakened her. Her eyes were half open and she leaned on the railing of the porch like she couldn’t support herself.
Levus asked, “I’m sorry, were you sleeping?”
“It’s all right. I had to get up early anyway.”
“Is Leeta back yet?”
Diera replied slowly, “Not yet. You know she won’t be back for another week at least. Dynis isn’t that close,” she laughed. “Travel is going to be slow today too, especially after that huge storm we had last night. You’re lucky you left when you did.”
Levus couldn’t even remember there being a storm. He had been very tired from yesterday’s chores, though, and probably could’ve slept through anything. It must have been shortly after he left Diera last night. She was eager to make Levus and Leeta’s courtship go as smoothly as possible. That is why he was over so often even while Leeta was away. Rumor around town said that she was of a once noble family, but when that Aranian kingdom took the reins, it dispelled most of the nobility, opting to favor the commoners. Levus was the closest to a knight Diera would find to give her daughter strong children. He was no knight like his father had been, though, just a simple hunter.
Diera continued, “I’ll make sure to tell her you visited often while she was gone. Are you going on a hunt now?”
Levus nodded, “I’ve got a long order to fill today. Besides, I’m eager to try this new sword.”
Diera smiled, “If it is not too much trouble, and you’re able to bring down a Styligius Deer, could you bring it to me? If Leeta passed her test, I want to celebrate with her favorite dish.”
Levus replied, “I will try. They might be in hibernation. I’ll see what I can do, though. Later!”
Levus waved excitingly to Diera and set off. He felt like today was going to be special. Whether it was because his girlfriend might be getting closer to her dream, he’d be making lots of money today . . . or something else. It was a feeling in his gut.
“Going out to hunt now, Levus?”
Levus turned around and bowed respectfully. Standing before him was a man in his upper forties wearing a new leather tunic. He had a dark gray beard, though his hair was still its natural brown.
“Yes. Going to have a big day, Mayor Vullnar.”
Jarek laughed. “We all hope you do too. I wanted to let you know that I’m going to hold your junior hunting assistants in today. You normally don’t need the help from what I hear. That storm left an eerie fog across most of the landscape out of town. You be careful yourself. I don’t want to lose our best hunter because of the weather.”
“I will,” Levus reassured him, “It will take more than just the weather to keep me from returning.”
He nodded and replied, “Very well then. Good luck.”
Jarek headed back toward the town square where they had normal meetings with the villagers. The more Levus thought about it, the more he saw how lucky Arnis was to have a man like him as the leader. He was the type of ruler who was worth dying for.
From a post at the edge of the town, Levus grabbed a bag. These were reserved for the hunters of the town, and there was none better than Levus. One could hold almost four hundred pounds. They also came with a wooden pulley so they could wheel their large kills in instead of carrying them. He slung the sack over his shoulder and left through Arnis’ main gate archway.
***
The clouds over the forest thickened and the wind started to pick up. The eagle-like hurips scavenged for food while the deer ran silently looking for water beneath the semi-frozen ground. The Dyyros Woods were the largest forest in the known world, covering almost the entire middle section of the continent. For the splendor they were often recognized for, they had always been shrouded with mystery and fear. The stories that grew around them were mostly concerned with the night. Tales of men that attacked wanderers and then ate them to leave no evidence were by far the most frightening.
Amid these horrid woods, Divi ran. She had been running almost nonstop since leaving Porsita. She luckily found an abandoned boat a few miles outside the town and used that for as long as her telekinetic powers would allow her, which wasn’t as far as she hoped. She could have gone longer, but the stress of recent events wore on her emotions. What little abilities she had did her little good when she couldn’t control her feelings. About an hour after she fled the boat, she heard the voices of three men along with the familiar drone of the dragon-beasts. Divi successfully evaded them the rest night in the huge rainstorm and the extremely thick fog that followed. That had all passed now, though. The murky clouds and soft earth were all that remained of the inclement weather last night.
She leaned on one of the trees. She had to rest. It had been a while since she last heard her pursuers. She was hoping they gave up trying to catch her, but that was an unlikely thought. She was a witness to a crime and would be hunted down to keep her silenced.
Divi shuddered as a sharp wind passed her. The woods had gotten chillier to where she could see her breath now. Even the bark felt like jagged ice to her chapped hands. Still nothing was seen or heard. She sat down and pulled a small piece of bread from her pouch. She grimaced as she bit down. It was dryer than a desert.
A large snap echoed throughout the forest, so loud that the hurip sitting on a branch near her startled from its post and flew elsewhere. Divi listened carefully. The snapping of twigs continued and got closer and louder. They had found her! She had to get a move on again. She didn’t want to suffer the same fate as her father. Divi stood up and ran toward a small pond in the distance, hoping the water would lose her scent.
Levus hid patiently behind a large bush. Much of the game came to this pond to get a refreshing drink. You had to usually get here early, though, since hunters from other villages knew of this location. Thus far it had been a very disappointing day for Levus. On the biggest day of his hunting life, with money and prestige on the line, he was only able to slay a few measly hurips. He had seen one normal deer, which was smaller and had far fewer antlers, but it was aware of his presence and escaped b
efore he could even prepare. He was equally disappointed that he couldn’t find any Styligius deer. He truthfully didn’t expect to this late in the year, but Leeta would have been very flattered by this gesture.
Levus blew on his hands to keep them warm. The temperature had dropped dramatically since his arrival at the pond. He understood that it got cooler by water, but this was unbelievably cold. It was still a couple months before Hunter’s Fall started, which was the last time to hunt this far out before winter’s snows came. Levus adjusted his body, moving slightly so as not to make too much noise. As he took another glance at the pond, his eyes opened wide. Leaning over the water was a Styligius deer! It must have left its hibernation hole for a cool drink. This might be his only chance for months to catch this difficult animal.
Levus reached to his side and moved the sword and its holster in front of him. As he unsheathed it, the sword made an odd noise. He never heard such a sound. Neither had the deer apparently, for it froze, only its eyes darting around. Levus began to sweat. If it ran off, he’d have no chance to catch it . . . especially in his position. After a few seconds, the deer bent its head back toward the water. Levus slowly crawled toward the deer. He had to freeze when the deer looked up, continuing when it went to drink again. He eventually got right behind it, a most difficult task given the animal’s tremendous hearing. The deer was probably not expecting a hunter with the temperature as chilly as this, any more than he had expected a deer to be. Time was short to make his move. It usually took fifteen minutes for a Styligius deer to fully quench its thirst. Levus lifted himself to one knee. The deer was still unaware of his position behind it. He tightened the grip on his sword.
Muttorio....
Suddenly, from somewhere nearby, Levus heard . . . a scream? Trying to discover the source of the noise became secondary when he saw the deer trying to escape.
“Damn it!”
He chased after the deer as if his life would end if he did not catch it. Its hooves against the leaved forest floor grew fainter and fainter. How he prayed for a crossbow right now as he jumped over a dead tree stump. He didn’t have Marian, the best archer in the village, to bail him out on it, either. As a married woman now and mother to two children, her hunting days were delayed at least until they were of age. The deer was still in his sight, but gaining its distance. Levus panted heavily as he leapt over one more fallen giant into a small puddle on the other side. His forward motion was stopped by a collision.
Levus dropped his sword as he fell in the fresh mud. Wiping some of it off his face, he turned in the direction of the deer. All he could see of it now were its legs as they kicked mud and leaves in the air. Levus pounded his fist on the moist ground and stood up. He brushed more mud off his armor when he noticed someone on the ground, struggling to get up. So, this is who I ran into, but what is she doing here by herself? Levus walked over to her and bent down, extending his hand.
Levus said, “Here, let me help you.”
The woman violently shook Levus’ grasp. She stood and tried to run, but she slipped and fell back in the mud. She panted heavily and he could see the sweat on her brow.
“Hey!” said Levus, “I’m not here to hurt you. Why are you running?”
The girl looked up to Levus. Mud had covered her face completely, so he couldn’t make out many features. She appeared ready to answer when her eyes fixated on his. His eyes! It can’t be!
The girl yelled, “Get away from me!”
He tried to help her once more as she slipped in the mud, but she rejected him again. This time she got up to run, but didn’t get very far.
“Hey, miss! What’s with you? Why are you afraid?”
Levus could already see his answer. In the near distance, three men approached on large beasts. He knew these creatures the men rode were expensive, so whoever was coming owned a good amount of coin. He retrieved his sword. He had a bad feeling about this. As they got closer, Levus saw that one of the men had long, white hair. He looked familiar, but couldn’t remember from where. He sheathed his sword so as not to be the aggressor. When they were fifty feet away, the three beasts stopped. Great. The insignia of the Dyyros capital sat slung across the dragon’s back. What kind of trouble did she get herself into?
The man with the white hair glanced at Levus and at the young woman, “You! I order you to hand that girl over to us!”
Levus looked at the girl and back at the man. Levus presumed he was a general of some kind. Why couldn’t he remember this man’s name? “Why should I? What has the girl done?” asked Levus.
The white-haired man appeared to be very perturbed by Levus’ lack of appreciation towards figures of authority.
“That is of no concern for you. You act brave for a peasant.”
“If I am a peasant, then who might you be?”
“I am Kile. That is all you need to know. I demand to have your name as well.”
That was all he had to say, too. Levus silently cursed. If he was just a simple lieutenant, this would have been easy. But Kile . . . of all the people on this big continent, why did it have to be Kile? Levus could probably duel with any soldier, but he wasn’t so confident in his swordplay when called to go against the most dangerous swordsman on this continent called Dyyros. Too late to turn back now. Whatever this girl did, now he was in the same trouble as she was just for standing up to her pursuers.
“My name is Levus Sintar.”
Kile looked down at his new adversary. Levus knew he was observing him, looking to see if he was armed. He moved his right hand near the sword’s hilt in case Kile made any aggressive movements. The soldiers watched close by, ready to act on their leader’s call.
Kile moved his head down and said, “You will hand her over to me or else!”
Levus looked at the girl, who had ducked behind a tree, and then at Kile. She looked so innocent. What could she have done that angered this man? One thing was for sure: he wasn’t going to find out if he handed her over. He only hoped he didn’t regret this later. His mom always told him that he was too impulsive. He began to think she might be right.
“If you want her, you’ll have to get through me.”
Kile unsheathed his weapon. Levus had never seen a sword designed the way Kile’s was. It looked longer than the one who possessed it. The blade was thin, yet it looked extremely strong.
Kile pointed his sword at Levus, “So be it. I warned you. Men! Get this insignificant twerp!”
His lackeys laughed as they dismounted. Levus pulled his sword out as the two soldiers approached. At least he didn’t have to face Kile for the moment, though he wondered why not. Did Kile think him that weak?
As the soldiers closed in, Divi continued hiding behind the large tree to view the ensuing fight. Although she was scared as she didn’t know if she could trust this man, she was touched that this stranger was putting his life on the line just to protect her. No one had ever done that before. Then again, nobody ever needed to before yesterday. My life has gotten so terribly out of hand!
Kile’s men advanced casually on Levus with swords in hand. He watched both men like a hawk as the soldier on the right made the first move. Levus blocked his slash attempt before the one on the left decided to attack. He ducked the swipe and punched the left soldier in the back. He fell to the ground. Levus took advantage by dominating the one-on-one fight with the still standing one.
Kile watched with keen interest. He was very impressed with the boy’s sword skills. He moved so fluently and almost flawlessly, like he was fighting to music. It reminded him a little of himself at that age.
Levus took a blow at one of the men, but had it blocked. He instead grabbed the soldier’s arm and threw him to the ground. Considering her had no military training, this was going quite well.
He now stood eye-to-eye with Kile, who stared at Levus’ face and gasped. How did he not see this before? Levus had one blue eye and one green eye, just like . . .
Levus took a hard slash at one of the men, the blow
striking so hard that it rode down the man’s sword and gashed his arm. The man fell, screaming as blood began to pour out of the open wound. He rolled away from Levus. The other soldier, who had backed off, began to taunt him from behind.
“You just wait until Master Ulcinar hears of you! You and your family will never be safe!”
Levus faced him. What was this feeling running though him . . . this anger? It was an odd sensation, but he could suddenly feel a power flowing through his veins, controlling his actions. It felt . . . good! Levus tightened his grip on the sword.
“What did you say about my family?”
As he yelled this, the jewel in Levus’ sword and the emblem on his breastplate began to glow.
Kile said softly, “Impossible!”
The wind around Levus became heavy and swirled like a tornado. The taunting soldier was silenced by his own fear. His legs refused to move, no matter how hard he tried. Even the girl couldn’t take her eyes off the blade of Levus’ sword as it began glowing a bright orange.
Levus circled the blade in front of him, leaving an orange outline in the air. He pulled his sword back and focused on the man before him framed by the glowing circle. You threaten the lives of my family? Nobody does . . . nobody!
Levus finally yelled, “Circle of Fate!”
He charged through the circle at an incredible speed. The soldier held his arms up in the air in the hope of withstanding the blow and screamed. As Levus reached the man, the screams were silent. Kile could not see what happened, but when the boy passed through the man, the soldier was gone. Not even his uniform remained.
