FIREFANGED

Chapter 11 (Weapon of kings)

Raven sat across the table, her eyes on a bowl of spicy trout soup and dark bread hot from the oven. We were both freshly washed, dressed in new clothes, and doing our best to break the uncomfortable silence.

Raven's appetite wasn't a problem, but with every small bite she took, a wave of grief and sadness crossed her brow. Someone had done their worst to this woman, and I was concerned that her exhausted body couldn't overcome her broken heart.

I had no idea what to say to help her condition, so I started with a simple adage from my younger days, "You can't heal your heart on an empty stomach."

Faster than Brandon Hicks, she snapped back, "And what would you know about my heart?"

No vambrace was quick enough to block that. Even worse, I took it on the chin, knowing she was right. What did I know?

"Nothing—I don't know—I'm sorry," I placed my fork on the table. I didn't even know my own heart. Never had the chance.

Feth.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to sound so angry."

Looking past her overly pale complexion, her down-turned lips, and weakened movements, I searched her eyes until I found a glimpse of the fierce survivor that I met on that dark Everest hillside. "We all do what we must to survive."

She whispered back, sharing her secret, "I don't feel like I survived."

"I know what you mean."

"You do?"

"Before I came here, I was hunted by a demon. I fought it and—"

It had only been a couple months since I'd trapped the beast north of Lockrun. The vivid memory was still fresh in my mind. I hoped to meet Raven there, one survivor to another. A strong connection might help pull her soul back to the side of the living.

"And what?" she said.

I smiled, knowing I wasn't going to give up. "Eat, and I'll tell you."

After lunch, we walked the castle grounds. I gently coaxed out her story as she coaxed out mine. I didn't want to wear her out, but I was riveted by her tale of sudden exile and fighting her way through the Everest range for the past fortnight. The hellish hunting party had picked up her scent about a week ago, and she had been fighting for her life ever since, with little to no rest, let alone sleep.

She had been able to gain ground during the daylight hours when the demons became more sluggish. Still, they would increase in strength and speed during the night and eventually find her trail. Besides her injuries and fatigue, the exile and the demons had plagued her spirit, and her smile was never more than fleeting.

I told her about my life in Lockrun and how the Vigil had recruited me based on my success in killing a single demon. I left out the gorier details of the fight and my injuries and skipped the part where I had been branded as part of the Order's recruitment process.

Being marked as someone's property is probably not the best way to impress a girl, and yes, I wanted to impress Raven. She was a survivor with a fierce heart. Her long, beautiful black hair framed her dusky yet pale complexion while her dark red lips and light gray eyes locked my attention in place. I'm only impressive when fighting demons, and the last thing she needed was to be near more of those damned beasts. So instead, I showed her my horse, Daur.

It turns out that the dark elves don't have many horses. Living deep in the mountains, they have plenty of goats, but horses are harder to feed. Daur was on his best behavior and showing some charm. She was so fascinated by the beautiful animal that I offered to teach her to ride once she was feeling stronger.