Into Darkness

"Stay down, and keep yourself hidden, Wraith. This isn't for boys." As was his wont, the boy, seemingly unperturbed by the chaotic bloodshed about him, just nodded silently and slid quietly into the shadows of a supply wagon.

The attack on the supply depot the Alphatians were guarding had come almost without warning. The attackers, however, had underestimated the perimeter guards and the warning had gone up, just in time. Still the attackers outnumbered the defenders significantly.

Fighting together like the trained unit they were, the Alphatians and the local soldiers fought a bloody battle against the shadowy enemy. Slowly retreating, and taking advantage of the defensive cover, the attackers' numbers dwindled rapidly.

Wraith, looked out at the battle, watching carefully, when suddenly, the master wizard was blown backwards into the supply wagon by a blast of flame. Dazed, the wizard struggled to regain his senses as two darkly armoured men rushed at him with swords.

Not thinking, Wraith grabbed the wand at the wizard's side, quietly saying the activation word "Bestacando" and aimed the wand at the two would-be killers. A bolt of lightning shot out of the wand roasting the two men where they stood. Wraith watched them wide-eyed as their bodies collapsed, dead before they even hit the ground.

"Wraith! Snap out of it! And by the Immortals, you can talk boy!" The fast-recovering wizard tugged at the boy's hand. "We're winning, but it isn't safe here any more. Fall back to the main barricade. And take the wand, you can obviously use it. Go, on boy! Run!"

As the wizard watched the boy run back to safety he muttered under his breath, "Bloody kid can talk, and he's a mage to boot." Shaking his head, he turned back to the battle. The enemy had lost, they just didn't know it yet.

"They're dead because of you! You and you're fucking bounty!"

Shocked, and hurt, Wraith retreated to his customary silence in response. Telasia, once his friend, he'd thought, wasn't the only one looking at him, just the only one to put it into words.

"Cut it out!" Kelan, always the leader, stepped in. "You all know the Count has bolstered his forces. That's why this bloody war has lasted months, instead of a few weeks like we though. We've had losses before. Comes with the territory."

The other mercenaries, mourning their two fallen comrades fell into silence, but the furtive looks continued.

Kelan crouched down next to Wraith. "You haven't helped yourself, boy. Refusing to give up that two-bladed sword or hide your hair. Best be thinking about it."

Wraith spent the evening in silence, fulfilling his camp duties, but speaking to no one. Climbing into his tent, he felt uneasy. 100,000 gold coins for his death was an almost unheard of bounty, especially for someone just past his 16th birthday. Never one to ignore his hunches, he quickly stuffed clothing into his blankets, making it appear as if he was asleep in bed. Quietly gathering the minimal essentials, he carefully made an unobtrusive slit in the back of his tent, and silently slithered out. Finding a hidden spot not too far from camp, he magically enhanced his night vision, and set himself to watch.

As several hours passed, be began to think he'd been foolish. These were his friends, they'd raised him from a child, taught him everything. Sure, they were upset, but no bounty would set them on a friend. Just as he'd convinced himself to head back to his tent, he saw a magical darkness appear and several of the mercs approached his tent, weapons drawn, spells prepared. One of them was Kelan.

"He's gone! Who told him?"

"He must have figured it out."

"Find him you, fools, that's 100.000 gold if he gets away!"

Wraith listened, stunned, to the various voices.

"Fan out, search for any sign of him. He can't have gotten far." That was Kelan.

Now, truly afraid, Wraith muttered a few quick spells under his breath, gripped his trusty two-bladed sword and hunkered into the shadows.

From his hidden spot, he heard the quiet footsteps of two approaching men. With his usual patience, his simply waited, unmoving, until the sound was . . . right there! He lunged up out of the darkness, one blade piercing the throat of one of the Alphatian mercenaries, and with a twist of his shoulders, he impaled the second in the chest. The second, his one-time mentor.

The wizard looked at Wraith, quickly dying, a slight regret in his eyes. "Run, boy. Trust no one. Ever." And with that, his closest friend, died; Wraith's blade through his chest.

Realizing his chance, Wraith slipped back into the shadows, muttering a haste spell and heading out into the darkness.