Gilded Serpents

Chapter Thirty-One: The Intruder

I bolted upright, heart pounding so loudly that it would surely burst through my ears. How did he find me? Was he following us the entire time, waiting for me to be alone? Hiding in the crowds, waiting until I was most vulnerable?

And how long had he been here?

With no aid of magic, my only defense was there, shining and sharp in the darkness, within the void mage's hands. I turned to my right, and saw, much to my relief, that the Halmore armor was there beside the cot, same as I had left it on the floor before going to bed.

Perhaps I could throw it at him?

Each piece was quite heavy and sharp and was sure to do damage if I really tried. But I suppose he would have the advantage, holding a newly forged, freshly magicked blade at the ready. I felt sick with a thick knot beginning to form in my stomach, cool sweat beginning to gather on the back of my neck. However, this escalation of my own sordid nerves was shortly followed by confusion.

Did he not see me stir just now? Did he not see me here, staring at him, audibly hyperventilating? It's not as though the room was very large. Even in the dark, I would be hard to ignore. He was crouched only a few steps away from the foot of my cot, low to the ground and close to the long- dead fire.

But it was then that the strange young man looked up, only briefly to meet my eyes, before resuming his careful study of the falchion. He traced the thin lines of the intertwined blades with a long finger, taking measure of the obsidian inlay. It did not seem to matter if I was there or not - he had found what he needed. Without magic, I was no threat.

But I could not let him take it from me, no.

I swallowed hard, gathering my nerves. I had to think of something, but I had naught but my own words.

"Lovely, isn't it?" I asked, thin voice piercing the dark.

But the void mage did not bother to look up.

I cleared my throat.

"That was a gift - made for me and me alone. I would very much like it back... If you're hungry -I'm sure we can arrange something -"

"You don't deserve this," he said flatly.

"What?"

"I said - you don't deserve this. It'll be a waste in your hands. Same as the armor."

I shook my head.

"To be fair - you don't know me. But I can't say I entirely disagree with you," I sighed, "But - It's still mine."

I considered my options. If he wanted to kill me, he would have done so already, even without the aid of magic. If he wanted to take the armor and blade both, he had more than enough opportunity to do so before I awoke.

"How did you find me?" I asked, still doing well to hide my anxiety.

But he did not answer. He held the blade outward, balancing it first before taking a few practice swings and stabs. He slashed through the air with ease, brows furrowed in focus. I could have been invisible.

"Hello?"

He sighed, rubbing his forehead with his palm.

"Your hand. It's obvious," he then gave a little laugh in annoyance, "How long have you even been in the Barrens? A day?"

I looked down to see the swirling black of the void magic corruption on the back of my hand, still visible even in the dark of the room. It was then that his amusement seemed to turn to anger.

"Fresh from Midland and now you have the finest armor and a custom blade to match. How charming. And was that a personal guard with you before? You must have quite the coin. Steal it from mummy and daddy before they left you here? Better yet - perhaps you were escorted here before the Guides could bring you to trial? Did they see you off with a kiss and a cuddle?" he accused, jaw tight and brows furrowed.