The Cult Of Spear (The Empress of Hell Series, Book 1)

Hunted

After a restless night of talking about conspiracies, cults, and stories about ancient empires and bloody battles, the two decided to take a few hours' sleep. They were to head east as soon as they awoke.

Lariel could not sleep, although he tried. Her thoughts were disconnected and confused, and the revelation that she had an uncle did not help at all.

Losing one family member and gaining another soon after. Fate must have been finding it hilarious.

Eric explained that the old man was supposed to be living there, and would probably be the Cult's next target. They should hurry as much as they could, since time was against them. 

Just as she was about to relax and catch up on sleep for good, she feels a friendly squeeze on her shoulder.

"Shall we?"

She doesn't have much choice but to get up, drink some water, and begin the long walk into the forest.

Eric even seems in a pretty good mood for someone who has spent the night sleeping on hard ground. Lariel would give anything for a bath and a soft, fluffy mattress.

As they started walking, the half-elf saw Seelk at the cave entrance, sniffing and looking for something.

"Isn't he coming with us?"

"Why would he come?" The mage asks as he takes a last sip of water.

"Well... Isn't he your... Friend?"

"Yes. I still don't get your point."

The girl's impatience quickly shows.

"If he is your friend and you two travel together, then he should come with us, shouldn't he?"

"I never said we traveled together."

Lariel doesn't bother trying to argue. She simply ties her hair into a tight bun, washes her face, and takes a few steps in an easterly direction. Eric comes up to her and continues explaining, even though the girl has not pressed the issue:

"Seelk is free to do whatever he wants. I met him right here in this forest, many years ago."

"Many years ago? But he is still a cub."

"Seelk has a very rare syndrome, which affects one in every hundred thousand dragons born. He will never reach adulthood, and will probably die before he can spit out a jet of fire."

The girl doesn't want to feel sorry for the animal, but she suddenly imagines a lonely little dragon in the middle of a forest, dreaming of a future it will never have. She falls silent when the wizard says:

"On the first occasion I met him, Seelk was already showing signs of having something wrong. His odd, dog-like behavior gives me serious suspicions that he was once very close to civilization. At least, close enough to learn and understand canine behavior."

"But what were you doing here a few years ago?"

"Hunting."

"I thought you lived in a country far away."

"I do."

Once again, Lariel preferred to remain silent. Could he not make things clear? How was he so intelligent and astute, while he seemed to have severe communication deficiencies?

The two had already walked for a good forty minutes when the half-elf asked:

"Do you travel without supplies?"

He just swings his cloak behind his back.

"Ah. Of course."

"I thought you would have figured it out by now."

She ignores his mocking tone, more interested in the magical garment:

"So... It's like a suitcase, only fancy and imposing and much more practical to carry?"

The man assumes a slightly arrogant posture as he smooths the terry cloth of the cloak.

"It is a rare item, forged by fairies. A priceless gift that I carry with great affection. As you can see, in addition to all that you spoke of, it can also carry a myriad of things."

"How do you know space is over?"

"The mantle itself swirls in red and white colors."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

The two decide to take a short break. Eric takes the opportunity to change the poultice on Lariel, who is uncomfortable having to lift his shirt for him to examine it again.

The mage begins the procedure as he asks:

"I'm sorry, but... Aren't you worried?"

"Of course I am. But why the question?"

"I talked about your uncle and you didn't want to ask a single question about him."

The girl ponders the questioning for a few seconds. After all, it was really strange that she hadn't said anything. 

"I'm not sure I care much about that."

"Really? Most people would care quite a bit about some new relative being discovered."

"It was always me and my dad. He never talked about his brother or any family members."

"What about your mother?"

"She died."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I didn't know her, she died in childbirth. All I know about her is that I look a lot like her. We have the same hair, skin color, body type. My only resemblance to my father was my eyes."

Eric's voice is quite deep and really full of guilt when he says:

"I have no idea how you are feeling. I wanted to give you time to process all this, but too much can happen and the clock is not in our favor."

"I know."

"But I want you to know that I owe you a debt from this day forward."

The girl is surprised when he stands up and pokes his own finger with a needle she had not seen before. The red liquid drips three times onto the floor before he covers the wound.

"I swear that from this day forward, I will protect you and fight by your side, facing any physical or emotional scourge without deviating from my goal. I swear that I will avenge your father and help you destroy one by one those responsible for this. May the Goddess testify in my favor."

Lariel is completely shocked and stands up, but groans in pain due to the not yet fully healed wound.

"Don't make too sudden movements, you can't make too much effort yet-"

Before he can complete the sentence, an arrow is nicked inches from Eric's head. All the half-elf sees is the blue shaft still moving from the shock of the impact on the wood.

"We are being hunted. Come on, hold my hand!"

And the two take off running. Zunks behind them indicate that more arrows are being shot in their direction.

They would never make it to Zana alive.