Chapter One [Maryna]

The air smelt of burning flesh and was filled with a chorus of screams. All she could focus on was her breathing, she just needed to breathe and get out of this alive. Ahead of her was Kaya on his horse. He was guiding them through the forest, leading her to safety from the hoard of fanatics behind them. But no matter how many twists and sharp turns he made, they never seemed to shake them. The girl focused on the back of his head, watching his hair bounce with every stride the horse made, her heart was racing and blood was pounding in her ears. Was this it? Was this to be their last night in the mortal plane?

"Kaya!" She called out, but he couldn't hear her. On top of the fading screams of their fallen town, the sound of the wind whipping by them deafened everything else. All she had to really occupy herself as she relied on Kaya's intuition was her mind. And it was rather chaotic at the moment. How had they found them? How had they managed to track them down? They had been so careful for the past five years, meticulously wiping any sort of trace of them from the public eye. She was no longer a conduit for the gods and he was no longer her sworn shield. They were now twins, recently orphaned and seeking religious sanctuary after their home was destroyed by the Tahl and by the king.

In the middle of the night they had attacked Helaena, a large town they had lived in for two years. Their caretaker, a man named Adam, had helped them to escape with the possible cost of his life. Being shoved awake in the middle of the night, the two had no other choice but to run, they had no chance in fighting if they wanted to live. So now they were on the run, and it was beginning to seem just as fruitless if they had stayed behind.

Kaya turned and they were now on a large dirt road. She caught up to him and the two shared a fearful look amongst one another. "Kaya! There's nowhere else to run! We either fight or die."

"No! We just have to make it to the plains and we'll be safe!"

"How will we be safe in the open when we're not even safe in the forest?"

"Do you really doubt me?" He yelled out.

"Right now I do!"

She saw him smile under the dim light of the moon and she returned a similar one, hoping he could glimpse it. Turning she could see the people dressed in red veils with golden bands perched atop their heads. Some were holding torches, others brandishing beautifully polished swords. All of them on horseback. It was a sea of red, as if their veils had been dyed with the blood of all those they've killed throughout the centuries. Suddenly a black mass broke free from the tree line and raced onto the road. A figure dressed in the darkest of armor rode fiercely atop a black steed, their face obscured by a large hood, their eyes glowing a deep amber in the darkness.

"Oh shit!" Kaya yelled.

"We're gonna need a better plan!"

"Shut up! I'm thinking!"

"Well think faster!"

It wasn't that she didn't trust him, after all the goddess of judgment and law bestowed upon him a gift of fair judgment and good intuition. Out of the three of them, he was the smartest and most cunning when it came to expeditious decision making. She trusted him with her whole being, even if it was life-or-death she trusted him implicitly.

Peering back, the figure was closing in. She couldn't believe how quickly they caught up with them, when they were back in the city she had struck the Tahl and 3rd Legion with bolts of lightning, but here they were acting as if nothing had happened. The Harbinger of Calamity, the Council of Five's butcher, and the Tahl's loyal dog. The Harbinger raised their arms but she couldn't make out exactly what they were doing. The figure pulled back on something and her eyes went wide at the sudden realization. Something high-pitched singed through the air and suddenly her horse let out a scream and it immediately collapsed.

Maryna flung forward, letting out a cry as her body crashed onto the dirt road, the air escaping from her and a loud crunch sounding in her chest. She gasped out as tears flooded to her eyes, when she went to move her shoulders to pick herself up, a sharp pain erupted around her collarbone.

"Maryna!" Kaya yelled out, there was so much fear in his voice. He pulled his horse to a stop and turned back around, racing back for her.

Looking back she saw the Harbinger approaching upon her rapidly. Her throat closed and she could feel tears welling in her eyes. This was it. She was going to die.

"Get up!" Kaya shouted. Maryna looked back towards him and swallowed back the lump forming in her throat. Her whole body ached as she moved, fighting against her body's every ache.

She stumbled to her feet no matter how much it hurt to move. She had to get out of here, this was not how she was going to die. Every muscle and bone in her body screamed at her to stop but she had to keep moving forward, for both her sake and for Kaya's.

"Grab my hand!"

Looking up, she saw him leaning out to one side, his hand outstretched. She ran forward, her lungs and chest aching as she gasped for air, desperately reaching out for him to grab him. Reaching out she grabbed his arm, her foot pushing up on his own and with his help she hoisted herself up behind him. Kaya pulled on the reins turning the horse back around and they continued racing down the road, towards the edge of the forest.

"Are you ok?" He asked. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his back, and lightly nodded as she suppressed her tears.

"I'm fine. Please, just get us out of here!"

With a snap of the reins the horse pushed on. Chancing a look behind her she watched as her horse was swallowed up by the wall of red, she could hear it screaming out. Still at the head of the group, the black mass was still racing after them, their hands pulling back once more repeating the same motion.

"Kaya! They're gonna release another arrow!"

He let out a frustrated yell and made the horse take a sharp left, leading it back into the forest. However it couldn't be as nimble as it once was, with two persons on its back, it was struggling to keep pushing forward.

"Kaya we need to abandon the horse."

"I know!"

She pressed her face tighter against his back, her hands clenched tightly together. They pushed through the forest and were now riding onto a field. The stalks of grass hissing as the horse raced through the prairie. Glancing behind them the Tahl were still in the forest, somehow Kaya had lost them even for just a moment.

"I don't see them!" She called out.

"Maryna let go of me. When I count to three, jump off, I'll be right behind you, ok?"

She let go of him and nodded. She turned, bringing one leg over, ready to push off when he gave the go ahead.

"One… Two… Three!" She pushed herself off and brought her knees into her chest. She fell to the ground, her knees pushing into her already fractured collarbone causing her to gasp out in pain as she rolled for a few feet. She quickly scrambled onto her stomach and watched as Kaya jumped off, but not before strapping a bag to his back. He tumbled into the grass a few feet to her right.

"Kaya." She hissed out, too nervous to bring her voice louder than a whisper. Now that they were no longer racing she could hear the sounds of the Tahl and the 3rd Legion quickly approaching the edge of the forest. The lights of the torches were just beginning to flicker between the trunks of trees.

"Maryna," she whipped her head and saw Kaya crouched low to the ground. His green eyes sparkling in the starlight. His expression was soft but there was a warning behind that gentle look, he was trying to keep her calm.

"Shh," He brought his index finger to his lips, "Stay low to the ground, we gotta keep moving southward." When Kaya whispered it was like the wind trying to speak to you on a calm summer's day —soft, delicate, and hardly there. His voice never carried in any air currents. Slowly, his eyes focused on hers and he outstretched his hand and she took it, his calloused palms a familiar and comforting feeling.

"Don't make a sound." His voice was soft but also curt, not suggesting but in fact directing her. The shadows were his territory, instructed by the goddess of the night and shadows herself, Kaya had become a master of stealth, always finding a shadow to hide in.

He led her surprisingly quickly through the tall grass. She heard the sounds of the Tahl and 3rd Legion break through the treeline and were racing manically after their horse who she presumed had already made it to another treeline. They kept moving though, Kaya never looking back, she kept her focus on the back of his head as they continued for what felt like hours until finally they entered another section of the forest.

Sitting on a fallen log Maryna could just make out Kaya's figure in the darkness. He was bent over, his hand resting on a tree, his breathing was heavy and labored. She peered out through the treeline and focused her gaze on the prairie, the Tahl were long gone, but there was this sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that they were still being watched. Looking around, her focus was solely on the one sense she had, hearing. There was no other sound in the forest other than the crickets and Kaya's wheezing. They would be safe for now, they lost them.

"Maryna, you ok?" Kaya asked after some time.

"I think I broke my collarbone." She admitted.

"Ok," he breathed out, "We'll rest here for the night and start moving again in the morning. I'll take the first watch."

She smiled. "You mean the only watch?"

"Well, you hurt yourself. You need to rest."

Maryna could imagine him staring at her with a concerned look, his head would be cocked to one side, his arms crossed over his chest like an overbearing parent, even though she was older. Even though this was his job, there had been so many times where she'd fought him relentlessly, even with him being severely hurt he would be adamant that he was to take the watch so she could rest. But tonight she couldn't muster anything to fight him, she was exhausted, her whole body ached and her lungs still burned from the fires and from being flung off her horse.

"Sleep, I'll be here in the morning."

And he was. She woke the next morning to him sitting by her side. He had his knees to his chest and his arms resting on top of them. His green eyes peered out through his glasses, his gaze narrowed as he continued to watch the prairie for any sign of people covered in red veils. The only colors she saw were the shades of yellows of the grass, the muted greens of the trees way off in the distance, and the orange and pink skies of sunrise.

"You awake?" He looked over at her, hearing her slow movements

She nodded rubbing her eyes much to the dissatisfaction of her collarbone. When she brought her right arm up, her shoulder shot with pain. Looking at it she saw it wasn't quite shaped how it was supposed to.

"Kaya, I dislocated my shoulder." she said plainly.

He inwardly groaned and turned to his side, his hands pressed on either side of her shoulder.

"On three. One―" he shifted her arm aggressively and she let out a small cry. Immediately, relief swept through her shoulder. She playfully glared at him, pursing her lips as she did so. He simply ignored her and moved back to his original position. She watched him for some time, there seemed to be something heavy on his mind. His eyes had that normal dreamy disposition, but they seemed cloudier than normal. She wanted so badly to dig into his mind to figure out what exactly he was thinking.

"So which way is south?" She finally asked.

He leaned forward, suddenly broken out of his thoughts. "Well if the sun is behind us, that means south is to our left."

"Where to?" She stood up, Kaya following suit.

They stepped out onto the plains and both of them closed their eyes for a moment, rejoicing in the feeling of the morning light shining warmly on their skin.

"Just as Adam said, to Ithronel. To the port city"

Maryna opened her eyes and looked at him. The port city was a four day journey from here on horseback. Who knows how long on foot alone. "But we have no money. The horses had all of our stuff."

He shrugged, pulling the bag off his shoulders. "Most of our stuff, however, I was able to grab a couple of things before we bailed. Plus, you have the world's greatest sneak and you're one of the most cunning people I know, I'm sure we'll get by." He opened the bag and she peered inside seeing two satchels each filled with around 100 gold pieces, a few wrapped pieces of bread and some dried jerky among a few other things.

She looked up at him and let out the biggest sigh of relief before smiling up at him. If Kaya had never been in her life, she was sure she would have died on her first day in the real world. Even though she had a brother, Kaya had always been the one to protect her. So many of the scars he carried had been in order to protect her. Even if the gods scorned him, he was always going to be her hero, and the only person she regarded higher than the gods themselves.

"Let's just pray the gods have our backs, just until we get there anyway." He smiled, slinging the bag back over his shoulders. Maryna nodded and two began their first steps to a new home.