Revenge is sweet

by Cyanshade

AU, Yaoi. Jou's sister is accused of whichcraft, she is due to die and Jou must race against time and chance to save her. But what if he doesn't? Will there be someone willing to help him get revenge for a certain price? Very high price.[discontinued unti

1. Chapter 1

AN: this is the first experimental chapter. I based this loosely on Dragon Bait, a book by Vivian Vande Velde. The idea came after I've read that book for like the seventh time, I really love that book and recommend it to everyone. This is almost completely AU, almost, there are mixes of real and made up facts.

On the religious subject here, this is not meant to offend any Christian or pagan worshipers. Please, if you are Christian, Wiccan, No-pagan or have any belief that you think I touched down on here, don't tell me in your reviews that this is all nonsense, I'm aware that Christianity and Paganism never co-existed so closely like I depicted here, but as I said, this is partial AU, so I am making up the settings to suit the plot. Once again, please don't be offended by anything I write here, it is all for the sake of the story and does not reflect my personal opinions.

Also, I know that at that time, paganism would not be practiced the same way as it is practiced now, but I don't know how it was practiced, so I used modern elements here. Once again, the religious setting in this is not realistic, I just based it on the real settings from different times and places and then mashed them all together, please don't kill me for it.

I also like to use a mix of both Japanese names and American names, it's just my personal preference and it doesn't really mean anything.

WARNING: this story will contain YAOI and maybe even YURI, if you DON'T LIKE then DON'T READ!

I'm not going to tell you the pairings just yet, there will be more then one in the future. Well, on with the story.

Chapter one

The day has started out pretty normal. Jou woke up at the first light of dawn and stretched on his straw mattress feeling his feet touch the roughly fashioned wooden edge of the bed, it was getting too small for him to sleep in. Jumping out of the bed quietly as not to wake anyone who was still asleep up, Jou started to get dressed. Pulling on his plain cotton shirt and roughly fashioned but durable breeches he put on his cheap shoes and laced them up.

Jou was not one of the richer people in the small village he was living in, in fact, he was quite poor. All he had was his sister and himself. After his parents have died, Jou lived with the smith who took him in as an apprentice and took his sister in because she did not have anywhere else to go. The smith was a greedy man and didn't want to pay for an apprentice therefore Jou who didn't want payment for his work was perfect, except for his sister who was nearly blind, could do no work and was a generally useless item in the house. The smith would've turned her down, but Jou would not stay with him without his sister.

Lately though the smith's wife died and the smith himself has been more and more irritated. Jou's tiny and lean built did not allow him to do the hard work of the smith, and no matter how hard Jou worked, his complexion did not change, he just didn't seem to be getting much stronger, as if there was only so much muscle his lean arms could have. The only reason the smith kept Jou and his disabled sister around was because Jou's long skilled fingers and hands were perfect for doing decorative details and even jewelry.

Jou tiptoed downstairs as quietly as he could. Everyone upstairs was still asleep and he did not want them to wake up. He cringed and quickly looked around when a wooden step creaked loudly under his foot.

"Whew, that was close." whispered Jou as he continued his way downstairs.

Every mourning Jou would get up at dawn, make breakfast, clean up, then go out and get the fire started, maybe if he had time before the smith got there, even work quietly on some unfinished tool. This day was no different; breakfast was done by the time the sun rose high enough to paint the sky a beautiful shade of rose.

Jou stopped what he was doing to admire the beautiful sunrise, he smiled. The sun really was beautiful, yes it was. Jou's eyes were dreamy and clouded, he was in his own little world, daydreaming while admiring the clouds dressed in ruby and gold, like fairy castles of magic up in the sky.

Jou yelped when he felt the hot pot he was holding burn his hand. He dropped the pot and all of its contents, which was a thick sticky stew spilled out onto the floor. Jou stared at the breakfast all over the room clutching his burnt hand. He whimpered miserable, this was not good, the smith will be furious, not only he wasted good food and made a mess in the room, but he has burnt his hand which meant that he was not going to be able to work well today. Jou almost felt like crying as he busied himself with cleaning up.

No doubt the smith will be furious, even more so because he will be hungry, he always got mad when he was hungry. Jou's hands trembled on the broom at the thought that he will probably be beaten for this. He sniffed and continued doing what he was doing.

Eventually Jou's mind started to drift again, he was a daydreamer and many times his daydreaming caused him to get in trouble, he was just not the kind of person to be interested in the hard and brutal life of a smith. Jou dreamed of magic, mystical creatures, forgotten kingdoms, all the things that he would never ever see in the poor little village by the forest.

All the boys here ever thought of was getting married and inheriting their fathers' farms and businesses, nothing greater ever crossed their minds. Jou sighted, he would be lucky if he ever traveled as far as the closest village on the other side of the forest, there were no greater opportunities for anyone in a poor little village like Saniks, the place he called home.

Jou's hands twitched and his whole body stiffened when he heard a cough behind him, a very impatient cough. The smith must be up and he hadn't even finished cleaning the room, this was bad. Jou's head ducked and his eyes lowered trying to avoid the smith's burning and already very angry glare.

"Well, well, will you look at that, you filthy dog, you ruined my breakfast!" Jou cringed at the unkind words and even more at the threatening tone they were spoken in. The man was angry all right and he took no effort to hide it. "How did this happened?!" the smith asked sternly looking at the boy.

Jou shifted nervously keeping the broom in front of him as if it would shield him from the angry man.

"I w-was daydreaming, and I burnt my hand. I dropped the p-pot." Jou stuttered, he was visibly starting to sweat and wrung his hands nervously around the rough wood of the broom.

"Daydreaming again boy?! What do I keep telling you?!!!" the smith was really loosing his patience now.

"T-that I should keep my head focused on the work I am doing." Jou mumbled sniffing in mid-sentence.

"Speak straight lad! You are such a wuss; can't you even talk to me like a man and accept responsibility for your clumsiness?!!! Or are you going to break out crying like your worthless sister?!"

Jou bristled at that, his head snapped up and his amber eyes seemed to glow with anger. He wasn't angry for himself; the only thing that ever made him this angry was his sister.

"Now that's more like it! Be a man, and like a man, you will be punished for wasting good food that the Gods have so graciously given us." The smith didn't smile and his voice held no malice. He wasn't usually a bad man, but he was an impatient one and liked to have everything done right, if not, then you had to face the consequences of failure, unless you had a good enough excuse.

Jou's face fell noticeably, his anger drained, he was going to get beaten after all. His eyes almost turned into pleading, but he was aware that they wouldn't help his situation at all. The man worshiped the pagan Gods and believed that their gifts were not to be wasted or else they will not be so generous next time, Jou was going to be punished for wasting those precious gifts.

Jou sighed and continued cleaning. He heard his sister wake up upstairs, he doubted that she would be coming down, she barely ever did, neither did she ever went out, she was too ashamed of her nearly unseeing eyes and weakness to let people see her much. When Jou was finished he walked outside and to the back, where he knew the smith was. He walked slow and his head was hung. As he was expecting, the smith had a cane in his hands, Jou cringed.

"Cm'ere lad." The smith waved his big hand.

Jou whimpered frightfully, he was really afraid now, the smith had strong hands and when the smith punished him he knew that he would be in pain for days after. Jou shifted a little closer but did not dare to get much closer; it was like his feet have frozen to the ground.

"I said cm'ere!" the smith repeated standing away from the barn wall he was leaning against previously and waving the cane in the air threateningly. Jou knew that if he didn't comply right now his punishment would be even worse. Jou took a few steps towards the smith eyeing the cane with frightened eyes; his lower lip was beginning to tremble.

Finally he broke down and threw himself at the smith's feet crying.

"Please sir! Please, I'm sorry! Please don't punish me! I'll work hard, I promise, I'll make it up, please don't beat me!" he begged as crystal tears streamed down his fair face. His clear amber eyes sparkled beautifully in the rising sun.

"I'll have none of this nonsense lad!" the smith grabbed Jou's ear twisting it painfully and dragging him to his feet "I'll teach ya how to be a man!" he threw Jou against the barn wall and before Jou could get up the smith grabbed a rope and twisted it painfully around Jou's wrists binding him to the ring in the wall used to tie horses to.

Jou was shaking; he was on his knees, tied to the wall and about to get caned. He gritted his teeth determined not to cry, he has already made things worse by loosing his nerve, the smith had no compassion for him, the best he could do was to not let the cruel man have any satisfaction of seeing him cry out in pain.

Jou froze and waited for the blows to start raining on his upturned and unprotected back. He flinched when he felt rough hands on him, but this was not the beating he was expecting yet, the smith pulled his rough cotton shirt up and almost over his head exposing his back. The cold breathe on his back did not feel good, it made him expect the blows to fall any minute, it made him feel naked and even more unprotected, vulnerable.

'Oh merciful Lord, please don't let the pain be as bad as I think it is going to be!' Jou tightly shut his eyes and gritted his teeth more tugging at the rough ropes that were mercilessly digging into his wrists, his pale gentle, not like a peasant's skin will be bruised there later, as well as many other places too.

Jou heard it before he felt it, the whistling of the cane coming down fast on his bare back. When the cane connected with his skin Jou's whole body shuddered horribly. The sudden tug made the ropes dig further into Jou's skin leaving friction burns and causing a small amount of crimson blood to stain the fibers of the sturdy homemade rope.

Jou's teeth were clenched so tightly that it seemed that they would break from the pressure, but when the cane connected they unclenched and his mouth hung open, jaws quivering unable to control their movement. His eyes clouded with pain as they snapped open and stared at the dirt of the ground not really seeing it. His air was choked out of him as a silent scream ripped out of his tight with fear throat. More clear tears stained his pale face.

The smith didn't let the boy recover and the next blow was as swift as the first one was. Jou was too shocked from the first blow to anticipate the second or even comprehend what was happening. He wanted to scream, but his throat was too tight and all that left it was again a strangled choke as his body once again convulsed in sharp, sever pain. The blows just kept coming not leaving him time to recover or mentally prepare him, if there even was anything that could prepare a boy for such pain.

Finally Jou's throat unclenched, his eyes focused and his body reacting to the pain started to tremble and shake horribly. Jou panicked trashing against his tight binds; streams of blood were running down his arms where the rope cut deep into his flesh. Finally he screamed, and screamed, with every blow he let out a terrified pain filled scream and the blows just kept coming, it seemed like there was no end to them.

Eventually Jou stopped screaming and his limp body has just collapsed against the wall. He lost consciousness. That seemed to enrage the smith, he started hitting and kicking Jou's limp body leaving behind broken ribs and big black bruises. He probably would've kept hurting the child had he not heard a loud gasp from behind.

Whirling around on his heel the smith's dark eyes stared into the pale blue and terrified eyes of Widow Margaret. She was a gentle soul and must've come by to pick up her cattle that he was fixing for her. Her mouth was hanging wide open gaping in horror and shock at the battered body hanging from the horse ring by the bloody wrists, the skin where the smith's boots have connected with Jou's body was already turning blue.

The smith extended his hand in front of him as if reaching for the young woman, but she ran before he could explain himself. By her terrified expression he could tell that if he tried to follow her she would scream and then the whole village would believe that he was pursuing her.

"Curse her! Now she will tell the whole village that I'm abusing the worthless dog, that big mouthed moth! She should know not to stick her long nose where it don't belong!" he cursed pulling out a knife from his belt and cutting Jou's body down watching it drop with a thud to the ground. He picked Jou up not taking any care to avoid his wounds and swung him roughly over his wide shoulder. The smith's face was dark, he would have to do something to fix the rumors that Widow Margaret was about to start.

Not even an hour later the smith heard loud knocking on his front door and looked out the window carefully drawing the curtain back. It seemed like the whole village was here, angry people were outside shouting and demanding entry. He frowned and cursed both Jou and the widow. He has just finished fixing the boy up, just in time. Earlier, he has locked his sister in her room upstairs even though she wouldn't come out either way.

The smith stood up calmly, but then he made his eyes seem mad, his breath ragged and he messed up his hair and cloth so it would seem as if he was struggling. He put a terrified expression on his face and then he ran. He ran straight into the front yard and spinning around shut the door behind him as if someone was chasing him.

The crowd parted before him, springing away from him as if he was diseased. A quiet murmur went through the crowd as they observed his madly dashing eyes. He watched as people averted gazes when he stared at them, his plan was working so far and if everything went well, then his name would be cleared and he would be rid of an unwanted nuisance.

"Has he gone mad?"

"T'is the devil playing tricks with him."

"He looks possessed." He heard whispers pass through the crowd, the crowd was too big for him to identify where the whispers came from, but he didn't really need to know that anyways.

"People, I saw him, he was beating that child like a beast, mad in rage, only Satan could do that!" called out Widow Margaret not even aware that she was saying exactly what the smith wanted her to say.

Somewhere at the edge of the crowd a blond man with dark eyes and bulky built was observing the whole scene. His name was Keith, the farmer that came to the village seeking shelter from someone or something, he had never told and people were afraid of him, too afraid to even ask. He had few friends here and therefore he intended to keep the ones he had, without them, the villagers who were already edgy around him were bound to turn on him.

The smith just happened to be one of those few friends that he had. Keith has been friends with the smith since the beginning when he first came here, still a boy. He didn't believe in the smith's act for a moment. In the past, he had witnessed Alec act out for his benefit and to get himself out of trouble many times, he could easily recognize the mad act of his old friend. It seemed that Alec the smith was in trouble again, as usual.

Keith shook his head, he would have to wait and see what the smith's plan was, until then he wanted to find Tea and Tristan, two siblings that were his closest neighbors. He knew that they were well liked in the village, but he knew more about them then the villagers did. They were as twofaced as the smith himself was.

Tea always pretended to be an angel, friends with everyone and especially Jou, Keith knew that Tea would put a knife through Jou at the first opportunity she had. She hated Jou for turning her down when she liked him, and hated his sister even more for being beautiful enough to attract the attention of the village boys even if she was blind.

Tristen was the village troublemaker and pretended to be Jou's best buddy. Jou had no idea that the numerous times he was in trouble he was set up by his 'best friend' and that Tristen was a puppet in his sister's hands, he hated, Jou because Tea hated Jou.

Keith knew that whatever the smith was planning, the two siblings would be willing to help if it involved getting Jou or Jou's sister hurt. Keith presumed that Alec had some kind of plan; he knew that the smith wanted to get rid of Serenity for a long time and was automatically wondering if the smith was trying to kill two birds with one stone like he usually did. More like Keith was sure that was exactly what the smith was trying to do, Keith knew how Alec thinks and the next words that came out of Alec's mouth did not surprise Keith at all.

"People, listen to me! It's the girl! You have to help me!" he cried out running to the priest.

Solomon, the old priest that lived in the village for as long as the people of the village could remember was a little uneasy, but he was a faithful man, he would not turn away another man without hearing him out.

"What is with the girl my son, you seem frightened. Ask the Lord and he will help you." His soft voice was quiet and the gathered crowd hushed down to be able to hear.

"Father Solomon, believe me, that girl is not right, demons dwell in her! She has been telling lies about me to her brother to turn him against me. She said that I'm no good man and only use him, told him he should rebel against me and leave his work, run away with her into the forest." Keith heard a disapproving, but very unsure murmur pass through the crowd, he had to be careful.

"Father, he has been doing as she said, he did not work, and he argued with me and disrespected the word of God. Today in his rage, he has thrown the food that the good Lord has given us onto the floor and we were all hungry. I thought that it had to stop, so I told her to read the word, but she refused and whispered words in a tongue that I never heard.

At that moment Jou came running into the room and flew into a rage, I believed him possessed so I ran. He chased me, but outside her spell must've broke for the demon that she gave her brother to left him and took control of me. I have turned on the child not knowing what I was doing until I heard a cry and the demon too frightened fled for good."

The smith finished his tale and Keith had to grin, this was such a fairy tale, only the superstitious and simpleminded people of Saniks could ever even consider such a web of crude lies to be passable as truth.

The murmur rose through the crowd and the people looked uncertain. Even Widow Margaret looked at the smith not sure if she believed him or not. It was no question among the villagers that Serenity was strange, her eyes and hair in the light shone red, she never came out of the house, never came to church. And it was known that Jou seemed to be willing to do anything for his sister, as if he truly was under her control.

The priest was softhearted and when someone said something he always believed them on their first word, especially such a respected man as the smith Alec, he has been known in the village to not be the gentlest of people, but surely he would not hurt anyone for nothing.

"Where is the boy now, and his sister?" asked the priest quietly, not sure if he could trust his voice now, this was a serious accusation and if it was proven that the girl indeed was a witch, well, then her life was quickly coming to an end.

"I took care of the boy, I bandaged him up and he is resting, I never meant to hurt him. But the girl, she was so mad when the spell she cast failed that she tried to make a sign directly at me, I had her locked up in her room lest she harm anyone. I was afraid; she started talking to me like a woman, her voice seductive like the first sin. I ran before I heard more of what no decent man should hear." The smith sounded and looked sincere.

Keith had to cover his mouth before he burst out laughing, he's seen Serenity before, she was probably less sexual then a nun! Alec suggested that she was coming on to him! That would happen when the sun rose in the west, probably not even! Alec's plan was clear to Keith now, as stupid as it seemed, it was not such a bad plan.

People in Saniks were very God fearing and superstitious. Lately, things have not been too good, crops were failing, cattle were getting sick and the trade was going sour. Even the game in the forest was nowhere to be found. At a time like this people were always more suspicious then ever, people liked to blame their misfortunes on others, and who better to blame them all on then a crippled girl, a strange crippled girl while no one's enemy, was no one's friend but her brother's.

The crowd was now following the smith inside or the part of the crowd that could fit inside, the rest were still outside, but all were too preoccupied to notice Keith at all. He was looking for the two people he knew would help this story to settle neatly into people's minds, he didn't think that the smith needed much help, but he might need some and later, there would be less questions if there was more then one accuser.

Besides, there were always benefits to be gained out of having a trial, it meant that an inquisitor from the next bigger town would have to be called, money would be collected, lots of preparation and collection, it was a perfect time to enrich oneself financially.

He spotted the two people he was looking for after some searching through the crowd. They were hanging back not wanting to dive right in and waiting for the news to get to them, there was no need for the rush. He wasn't sure if they have caught onto the smith's act so just in case, he decided to approach and inform them on the plan that was already forming inside of his own head.

Jou was sprawled on the roughly fashioned bed, his wrists were bandaged, he lay on his stomach to avoid the pressure on his back and healing herbs, that as a pagan worshiper the smith knew a lot about, were pressed to the wounds where the skin split. A healing paste was rubbed into the bruises that have formed on his milky pale skin.

The smith watched as the priest and Widow Margaret looked over the boy while the rest of the crowd stood in anticipation.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear Lord." the woman kept repeating.

The priest was quiet. Jou was in a bad condition, but he would live, as long as none of the wounds would get infected.

"And what of the girl?" he asked as his sad eyes regarded Jou's limp and beaten form.

"Upstairs, father, don't go there, it is not safe to go there!" the smith pretended to be terrified by the idea that Father Solomon would even consider entering a room where a witch dwelled.

Despite his protests, which of course were not real protests, the crowd pushed their way upstairs and burst into the room all but ripping the lock of the door. The smith grinned at the stunned silence that enveloped the crowd when the door revealed what was beyond.

Candles were set up in circles; a cow's skull was on the floor with chicken blood poured over it. Serenity was sitting on her bed drugged by a hallucinogenic fungus that the smith always kept around for his ritual working. Her blind eyes could not see that what she was wearing was a nearly transparent nightshirt; she thought that she was wearing a dress.

The crowd sprung away locking the door behind them, if there was any doubt in their mind before, there was none now. Serenity was a witch. It never occurred to them that the girl being blind and naïve could have been easily set up, especially in the smith's own house; it was easy for him to set her up without the interference of her brother.

The crowd flooded out into the front yard. One word seemed to be repeated most often, 'witch'. The smith resisted the urge to grin, especially when he saw Keith and his lap dogs, Tea and Tristan, knowing that they would gladly back him up if any argument arose.

"People, a horrible thing happened in out home. We have allowed Satan to enter our village, we must repent our sins so they might be forgiven and so that Satan will not enter our hearts as he entered the heart of Serenity." The priest sounded sad and disbelieving, but he saw it with his own eyes. Yet still, he could hardly believe the very words that he has been speaking.

"Father, so what of the girl, we can't just leave Serenity up there?!" Tea sounded concerned.

People looked at her with sympathy interpreting her question not as eagerness to see Serenity on trial, but as a concern of a kind soul for even the wickedest of hearts.

"Father, Tea here is a kind soul, but I have seen much evil in my travels and have seen the God's will be enforced upon the creatures of the devil. This calls for a trial, shall we call for an inquisitor?" this time it was Keith who stepped up. There was no one in the crowd that would ever suggest it, he knew, therefore he had to put the idea into people's minds that they were in danger.

"Keith is that really necessary?" widow Margaret intervened.

"My good woman, you are a gentle soul and know not of how powerful Satan can be." Keith looked around pleased that all attention was now on him. He caught Alec's eyes for a moment and a silent understanding went on between them, they have done this before, covered each other's backs.

"I've seen witches in other places. They pretend to be good law abiding women, but at night, when no one is watching, they go around the town causing mischief. They make your goats and cows go dry, they make locusts eat at your crops, they make wolves attack your sheep and foxes steal your chicken. They make your households come down with sickness and when you let them be, let them grow stronger; they steal your babies to sell them to the Devil!" Keith finished his dramatic and false speech watching the faces of the villagers pale and eyes widen with disbelief and horror.

The smith was most happy with how Keith turned things round. Keith was a smart man, he was cunning and dangerous. But when there was something to gain from the deal, Keith was always there and a reliable friend. He was also a smooth talker, he knew how to get into people's minds and make them think and do what he wanted them to do.

One by one, villagers who were first uncertain started to nod and agree that a trial should be called and that they should collect money to call an inquisitor here. Soon the crowd was gone, people leaving to retrieve money that they could spare for the trip and to pay to the church or temple in the town where the inquisitor dwelled. All who were left were Father Solomon, the Smith, Keith, Tea and Tristan.

Father Solomon looked with sad watery eyes at Keith who stood proud and confident as usual, his wide muscular shoulders and arms spread widely. The old priest could see through some of the spider web of deceit that Keith spun around the crowd, and what made him sad was that there was not much he could do about it. Silently the priest retrieved into the direction of his chapel sitting down to pray, he wasn't sure what for though.

Keith and Alec exchanged knowing glances, but neither Keith nor the siblings, Tea and Tristen lingered at the smith's place. That would be jeopardizing their plan that they never discussed but knew equally well. If they were seen together, then suspicion was bound to arise and someone was bound to notice that they were the only ones accusing and pushing for an inquisition.

The smith was left alone, retreating to his house he looked at Jou, still asleep and sneered.

'You'll get everything you deserve lad and so will your sister. You ungrateful dog, I feed you and you bite my hands. I will be rid of that nuisance of a girl and you will finally get your head out of the clouds and see the value of good, hard work!' thought the smith. He really did think that he was doing the better thing, little did he know.

For the next few days there have been money collections all over Saniks. The small peaceful village seemed to turn into a tax collector's office; all talk was about the upcoming trip. Who will go and how much each person should give. During those days, Widow Margaret came by the smith's place a few times bringing food for Jou and helping nurse his injuries. She never spoke of Serenity and what was happening, even after Jou woke up and kept asking her where his sister was. She thought that the witch still had his mind in her grasp and prayed for him every night.

At last, the day of the trip arrived. It has been three days since Jou was beaten, but he still didn't get up from bed, he was too sore. Jou was bitter at the smith, but he didn't have the slightest idea of what was happening, if he did know, even just the smallest part, he would hate the smith with such a passion that his hate alone would be enough of a force to stop the Smith's heart from beating one more beat in his chest.

Jou saw in the window as Tristan, the boy he believed to be his best friend waved goodbye to the villagers. He then walked away, but not before Jou noticed the rather heavy for this town bag of coins handed to him.

'Now where would he be going?' thought Jou. He knew that Tristan was heading in the direction of the forest which probably meant that he was going to the closest town for something. 'Lucky, I wish I could come with you buddy. Be careful in the woods, stay away from the wolves.' Thought Jou even thought he knew that no one but God could hear his thought.

Two days later, Tristen arrived in the town of Taer. A big town comparing to anything he was ever used to, but he knew that it was tiny in comparison to any of he bigger cities.

It was odd for him to be in a place that had so many streets and unfamiliar faces. He was so used to knowing everyone and being able to walk from one end of the village to the other in no time that this struck him as very odd and uncomfortable. He vaguely wondered where he would find a priest here. From what he knew, Christianity was scarce in these parts of the country, most people and towns, especially bigger ones were still predominantly pagan. He was more likely to find a temple to the moon Goddess and the wood Lord rather then a church to Jesus in a place like this.

But then again, they had a priest; they needed an inquisitor, not a priest. Some pagan priest would do just fine as long as he could condemn an innocent girl to death, or whatever it is that she was getting condemned to. Tristan sighed; this was not going to be easy, convincing a pagan minister to convict someone of magic when the minister would most likely believe in magic as a part of his faith himself.

But then again, he could always say that she was doing black magic and causing trouble. Tristen didn't know of a faith except for devil worshiping that promoted anything but 'good', or at least what it considered good. He knew enough of paganism from the smith to know that black magic was not good.

Tristan rented himself a room in one of the town's better inns and sat at the table listening to the people talk. As he was expecting, these were mostly pagan, it was a miracle indeed that Saniks was a predominantly Christian community when most others were still practicing paganism and worshiping ancient Gods. He listened carefully as the people discussed some upcoming holiday, apparently some spring Sabbath. Ostara, Tristan had heard of it from the smith, apparently it was the day when the day and the night were equal and a beginning of spring when all things were reborn and started to grow again.

Tristan was reluctant to join into the conversations, he wasn't sure that he would be welcome here any more then a pagan would be welcomed back in Saniks. At that moment the waitress saved him from looking too suspicious by staying silent when she brought him dinner. He smiled at her and was surprised that she did not blush a bit. Back in Saniks that smile could earn him quite a bit of a young woman's attention, but here the waitress didn't give him a second glance as she left to serve other customers.

Pushing away his disappointment, Tristan dug into the dinner and ate all the while keeping his ears open for anything he might hear. He found out that the Sabbath was on March 21st which was not too good, that was like two days away. He knew that the priest would be busy and would not have time to venture out for anyone right before the celebration, but even though, he still had to find him.

Tristan also found out that tonight was a full moon which meant that there would be an Esbat held, a ritual to honor the Goddess and the High Priest of whatever coven was in this town was bound to be there, if Tristan could find out where it will be held he could talk to the High Priest after the ritual. He was sure that for enough money anyone would go against their morals just a little bit. Tristan had no idea though just how much or how little money he had in his pouch.

It was nighttime by the time Tristan has finished spying on the townsfolk. To his surprise no one was asleep yet and the moon hung high in the sky illuminating the streets brighter then they should be. He felt uncomfortable so used to the quiet and tranquility of Saniks at nigh. He had no idea just how many of the people here would be worshiping tonight, this really made him an outcast.

Tristan wasn't religious, for some money he would sell his God of to anyone and not give it another thought, but even though, he was still considered a Christian, no matter that he didn't care for the title in his heart. A Christian among pagans was never completely safe so he had to be careful.

Tristan crept to the side avoiding the moonlight and sticking to the shadows as he followed where the crowd generally went. Soon they were out of the town and there were no shadows to cover him. The best Tristan could do was to pretend to be one of them even though it was a little too obvious that he certainly wasn't. Either no one noticed, or no one cared, but Tristan got to the forest without anyone questioning. There, finally he could take cover behind the ancient mighty trunks of the trees.

Their destination was a wide clearing in the middle of the forest. The full moon hung right above it illuminating it in clear silver light making it look magical. For a moment Tristan felt afraid, but then he reminded himself, it was just the moon, just the light of the moon and the mood, there was no magic here. Unlike most people in his time, he was not superstitious and didn't care one bit for the existence of magic.

He watched with some interest as the people gathered, the circles were cast and the ritual started. He noticed that all wore very little, light robes made of thin material through which the moonlight filtered just enough to illuminate the outlines of the human forms. Tristan had to breathe in the cool night air to calm him down, people at home never dressed like this. He was thankful for the coolness of the air, for he never knew, if the night was any warmer, they might've skipped the clothes all together.

Tristan waited patiently crouched behind the trees and bushes. He couldn't help the fact that he liked watching the whole pagan ritual much more then a boring Christian mass. It was either because this was so foreign and exotic to him, or the fact that he was too used to the Christian masses, but he thought that he was less bored now then he usually was in church.

There were a few facts that Tristan found strange and unexpected though. The smith schooled him on paganism before he went, but here he found some things that the smith never mentioned to him.

First, there was no high priestess; instead, in her place was a young boy with long black hair and blue eyes. He wasn't sure if there was a symbolism behind this, but he found that peculiar. Secondly, the High Priest and quite a few others did not look from around here. Their skin was a darker bronze and they spoke with a slight accent that suggested that they were indeed not from around here. Third, the name of the Goddess and the God they called out to was not Aradia and Cernunnos that the smith told him about but Isis and Osiris, the deities that he has never heard of.

At the first glance at the high priest Tristan knew that there was no way he was going to bribe him with money. The Priest was wearing bracelets made of gold that alone were worth more then all the money he has brought with him. And the priest wore a lot of jewelry, gold, silver, precious stones and precious materials adorned the tall, young brunette with icy blue eyes as cold and hard as ice.

When Tristan saw those eyes he knew that emotions would not move this man either, he seemed to have enough will to crush the entire village of Saniks, there was no way Tristan would be able to manipulate him. So what was there left? Had he come for nothing? No, he didn't travel this far just to look at the priest and give up; he will at least speak to him.

The crowd dispersed slowly until only three people were left. The high priest, the 'high priestess' and some guy with black hair, tanned skin and bright green eyes, obviously one of the people who were not from around here. Tristan wanted to get the Priest alone, but it didn't seem like he would be able to. He decided against confronting all three of them and on following them to wherever they lived, surely there would be a time where the priest would be alone at some point.

They walked quietly through the forest and Tristan found the trio ahead who were previously silent start to converse in a language he never heard before. He didn't like this, didn't like not knowing what they were talking about. Unfortunately it never crossed Tristan's mind that it might mean something for him, he was just mad that he couldn't spy on them and curious about what they were saying.

Suddenly there was a loud cry right above Tristan's head and an owl took of into the night. Tristan almost cursed as he looked up for just a moment. The next time he looked back at the road where the trio previously was all he saw was an empty space. His brown eyes widened and he crossed himself for the first time thinking of God and that he might just need his protection. If this was not magic then he didn't know what.

Tristan yelped loudly when he felt a hand grab him and he was turned around, slammed into the tree and pinned expertly against it so he couldn't even move. His chest and face were painfully pressing against the rough bark while his arm was twisted behind his back. In other words, he was very, very uncomfortable.

"Why were you following us stranger?" a smooth voice with a slight accent whispered in his ear.

Shivering from the warm breath on his neck and the little space that was left between himself and the man trying to make him one with the tree Tristan choked out an answer.

"I just wanted to talk. I need to ask you something."

The grip on Tristan's arm and the pressure that the high Priest was applying lessened a little, just enough so Tristan could breathe, not nearly enough for him to move.

"You are not from around here." The smooth husky voice that belonged to the priest stated.

"Neither are you." Tristan countered. What was with this guy, did he think this was a game? Tristan's temper was rising while the Priest stayed as cold and composed ever.

"Indeed, I'm not. But I'm not the one stalking people in the middle of the night. Why didn't you approach if you wanted to speak with me?"

"I wanted to speak alone." With that the pressure was ceased, Tristan was pulled away from the tree and shoved away roughly.

"Big brother?" the boy with long black hair questioned and the priest waved his hand dismissively never taking his eyes of Tristan.

'That's his brother?!' Tristan's mind raced. 'That's just wrong! He kissed the kid!'

With no other word needed the man and the boy left and all who were left were Tristan and the High Priest.

'For someone who is a priest this guy sure is not trusting or kind for that matter.' thought Tristan as he rubbed his shoulder. The guy had a really strong grip, and more so, what concerned Tristan, was why would a priest need to know how to fight like that?

"We are alone, speak." He could hear the slight accent in the priest's deep voice, but it was by no means unpleasant, more like exotic.

"I'm from Saniks, a village on the other side of the forest. The villagers sent me here to get an inquisitor, but as this is not a Christian town I didn't expect to find one, so I found you." Tristan studied the chiseled tanned face and cold blue eyes for any reaction, hate, surprise, dislike. He was expecting the priest to withdraw at the mention of Christians, but his face stayed blank and composed so Tristan continued feeling slightly uncomfortable because he didn't know what the guy was thinking about.

"There is a girl in Saniks. The villagers accused her of black magic and they sent me here to get someone to hold the trial."

"Is a girl in a Christian village a witch, or just someone who is no longer wanted?" the priest surprised Tristan more then he cared to be surprised.

"I d-don't know, but the." he was going to say that that's what the villagers said, but he was cut of before he finished.

"I'll come. Follow me; I have horses that will get us there by mourning. I'll deal with the witch then." The man's voice was cold and unwavering, not for a moment.

Tristan blinked. How could he talk like this, weren't all pagans witches themselves? Didn't that mean that he was willing to accuse a person of his own faith for nothing, or did he just not care? Did this man know something that Tristan didn't know, or was he just going to help them to get rid of someone they no longer wanted?

Tristan was more confused then before so he just dumbly followed the three people as they led the way. He realized that the priest asked for no payment and by the sound of it, didn't need one either; he seemed very rich, even for a man in this bigger town. He probably had enough to purchase this entire town and the land around it too if he wanted to.

They reached a house which was quite different from any other here. Tristan realized that it must be the temple or shrine, or some kind of other worshiping place with the priest's dwelling attached to it. He was left outside for just a little while before the priest showed up again. He had changed his clothes and now was wearing black breeches, soft leather boots, a dark blue silk blouse and a heavy warm cloak around his shoulders.

'Ok, he is definitely rich and most likely powerful, so why is he coming with me? I highly doubt he did it out of the goodness of his heart.' thought Tristan as he eyes a pair of black horses that were brought out by the Priest. He has never seen such beautiful beasts in his life. Moonlight glistened brightly of their dark sides; manes shone and caught moonlight as the horses restlessly tossed their heads. Long black tails beat against the beast's legs. Magnificent creatures, Tristan wondered just how much the Priest paid for them.

As if realizing it just right now, Tristan shifted nervously and asked.

"I never asked your name, mine is Tristan." He offered a smile, but it was not answered the same.

"Seth." stated the blue eyed dragon as he mounted his horse easily.

Tristan on the other hand had some trouble getting on, the beast was restless and it was also way taller and stronger then the tiny weak horses he was used to. Finally mastering to get up he looked at the other man looking at him annoyed, Tristan was almost surprised to find no amusement in those cold eyes. He fought a shiver; did this man even have emotions?

They sped out into the night, Tristan nearly falling of the horse, it was so fast! He has never moved so fast in his life, it was overwhelming; he just had no idea how in the world he was going to stop this powerful creature.

They were back in Saniks a little after sunrise. The villagers who had not expected him back so soon looked worried at the intimidating looking man that came with him. Blue eyes flashed danger, even the elders of the village could not hold the glare of this youth, those blue eyes seemed to hold such rage and power that it was impossible to look at them and not wish to lower your gaze.

Seth dismounted gracefully; it was like jumping of the tall beast was nothing. It was just the opposite for Tristan who nearly fell of the horse, stumbled and nearly fell face first into the dirt. His descend was anything but graceful.

"Tristan!" he heard Jou's voice and saw the teen leaning against a fence. He wasn't recovered yet, but it looked like he was well enough to walk again.

Tristan smiled a little and looked away, hadn't anyone told that fool what was going on? Jou eyed the man that came with Tristan and didn't know what to make of him. He was dark skinned, his eyes were like blue fire, or ice, he wasn't sure if they were burning or freezing, but he was sure that they were intense. Sculpted features of his face revealed no emotion, he was tall and by the looks of it quite strong. To say the least he was intimidating and his presence here made Jou nervous.

"Who is that?" he asked Widow Margaret who followed him like a shadow lately making sure he was all right.

She averted her gaze as if ashamed and that was the second sign Jou got that something was very wrong.

"That must be the inquisitor. Looks like a pagan inquisitor too, oh dear." She whispered not feeling well. It has been a whole seven days since Serenity has been accused. No one has told Jou what was going on, all he knew was that his sister was ill and that he was not allowed to see her lest he catch the disease too.

"Lead me to whoever is in charge here." Seth said coldly as he motioned for someone to take care of the horses.

Tristan was a little shaky from the wild ride still, but he nodded and walked towards the smith's house. He saw Keith and his sister there before they even walked through the gates. She greeted him with a smile and looked sweetly at Jou who followed too, with every moment growing more and more worried.

A crowd was gathering and Keith instead of the smith walked up to greet Seth.

"Good morning Inquisitor." He greeted perfectly aware that this man was not Christian. The age was wrong, this man was barely past the age of man, nineteen, maybe twenty, no more then that. Also, his head was not shaved in the manner of the man of the Christian church and he wore a symbol on his chest that looked like a cross, only instead of the top bar there was a loop. It was made of pure gold with precious jewels in it. Keith was not sure why this man bothered to come, by the amount of gold he had on him and the cloths he wore, one could easily tell that he was very wealthy.

Keith was satisfied by that, 'Excellent choice.' He thought when he looked the man over. He would have not taken the payment which meant that it was theirs for the keeping, and his eyes were so cold, this man would have no pity for some blind girl.

Seth only nodded. It was Tristan who introduced them.

"Inquisitor, this is Keith. Keith, this is Inquisitor Seth."

Keith raised an eyebrow at the foreign name. He has seen people like this one before when he was still traveling, he must be from far south, the land where rain doesn't fall and the sun is so merciless that it turned the fertile lands into the ocean of dead sand.

At that moment the smith walked out of the house and greeted Seth in a similar way, he could not risk a pagan greeting here, where everyone would hear.

"Where is the accused?" he asked his voice carefully neutral not betraying any emotion he might have felt, or not felt.

Jou's eyes widened. There was an inquisitor at his door asking about someone who was accused. For a moment Jou wondered if it was him, if it was something he did that was bad enough for them to call an inquisitor, but the smith's next words made his knees go weak and he nearly fainted all over again.

"She's upstairs, locked up. Someone, bring her out!" two young men rushed into the house and within moments they were out with a struggling Serenity.

Seth regarded her levelly noticing that she seemed disoriented. He wondered if they hit her, but that didn't seem likely, it seemed like she wasn't able to see them.

"What is your name girl?" he asked coolly.

"Serenity." she said, her voice small and frightened. Serenity's unfocused eyes darted here and there they were only able to recognize vague shapes and blurry colors.

"You have been accused of witchcraft, a crime against God in Christianity. More so, you have been accused of black magic, a crime again nature in the pagan faith. What do you have to say for yourself?"

She stared out into space her weak eyes not seeing her accuser. Her mouth fell open and she choked on her words. Serenity was too shocked to say anything.

"Very well then, let us proceed inside. That will be our court." Seth led the crowd inside. The room was cleared of the furniture so that more people could fit in.

Serenity was dragged inside. She struggled against the strong arms of the men that held her in vain, she was no match.

Finally recovering from his shock Jou sprang to her defense.

"Liars, she's no witch! My sister is not a witch! Don't touch her! Don't you dare touch her! Let go of her!" he tried to run to her sister, but was ceased by Keith who held him in one place while he screamed and struggled.

Seth turned his cold eyes to the screaming boy. He was younger then Seth was himself, fourteen, maybe fifteen. He looked into the amber eyes burning in fury, took in the battered appearance of his body, took in the fire that raged in his eyes and for once there was someone who could stare back up at him without lowering his angry eyes. This boy was fascinating and beautiful. Just for that, Seth decided to do something useful with this meaningless trial.

"Child, unless you wish your sister to pay for your bad behavior, I suggest you keep quiet. You wouldn't want her to be hurt even before her trial started." Seth's voice was cold, chilling to the bone and it got a reaction out of Jou, he went silent, but he kept glaring at the man that was going to judge if the most important person in his life will live or die. For some reason Jou's hope of Serenity being proven innocent were diminishing.

"Call forth the witnesses." When the order was established Seth spoke.

The first one to talk was Alec, the smith. He has told the same story to the priest that he had to the crowd. He knew that the priest would know right away that the story was a lie and that the girl was no true witch, but he didn't think that it would be a knowledge the priest didn't already possess.

The smith suspected the whole time that the Priest was perfectly aware that the girl was innocent, he looked too experienced to believe such foolish lies, he also have probably traveled enough to know the customs of the land because he was conducting himself perfectly in the role of someone he definitely was not. Whatever the reason the High priest was here was not to judge the girl, he wanted something and was willing to condemn her for that.

Second witness was Keith, who spoke of how they once had a dinner and all girls were baking bread. Everything was fine until Serenity showed up, after which all the bread mysteriously went flat. The young girls who have been scolded for their carelessness in forgetting to put the yeast in chorused their agreement ready to get the guilt of their backs and blame it on the not too popular Serenity.

Next, to Jou's greatest shock Tea came forward with her accusation. Unlike most girls in the village, Tea's hair was not long. Last summer she had a bucket of paint dropped on her head and all her hair had to be cut of. Now it grew out a little, but was still short and made it look like she was shamed. Tea has accused Serenity for making the bucket slip because they had a disagreement earlier that day, a disagreement Jou never even heard about.

Then the grand blow came. Tristan stepped forward with his story how he saw Serenity make a sign at the tailor's house and the next day their baby boy was found mysteriously dead.

"The boy died because it was cold that winter, and Serenity never goes out of the house, especially not at night in the middle of the winter, she can barely find her way around in bright daylight, she would never make it at night." Spoke up Father Solomon in defense of the girl; some of the accusations were just too stupid and unreal.

"That only proves the accusation correct, her eyes don't see the light which is the goodness of gods, but she sees in the darkness of evil." countered Seth; he was enjoying the challenge of countering every defense that was brought up in favor of the girl.

The crowd almost went wild. Serenity was never liked in the village because her brother was a trouble maker, she herself could not work and was a burden, and even more so this past hard year, everyone was more eager to agree that she was guilty rather then to prove that she was innocent.

Other people came forth with their ridiculous accusations and every ridiculous accusation was taken seriously. But everyone who tried to protect the girl was countered so craftily that it made it seem like they too were accusing her.

Jou looked on hopelessly as the tall man who didn't seem to have a heart was stealing away his most precious person, destroying her in front of his eyes. And the people he thought of as best friends were on his side, accusing her, supporting him. Jou's heart could not take much more, he started to cry, silent bitter tears.

This was it, it was confirmed. Serenity was 'proven' guilty. The heatless dragon looked deep into Jou's eyes and saw the pain there, total devastation and unmatched hatred. It was amazing to see such a young and pure soul hold so much bitterness.

"So, do we burn her?!" asked Tea sounding exited. Jou flinched, this was his friend, someone he trusted, how could she?!

"No." the priest stated simply and the whole room turned to look at him questioningly. "The time is not right, this is the time of the spring equinox, the time for birth and growth. No one will be executed during the next few days. I understand how dangerous it is to leave her here though, I will take her with me and when the time for celebrations passes, she will be useful to me."

"How so?" inquired Keith genuinely intrigued, surely this handsome man had no problem getting himself a woman, he wouldn't want a worthless blind pet to amuse him, if that was what he meant by useful.

Seth glared catching the hidden meaning behind the question. That was not what he was implying.

"She can be an offer to the spirits of the forest. They have been not at rest lately; perhaps a token of our respect that is worth their attention will direct their wrath away from us." Seth spoke smoothly clarifying himself.

Keith almost smirked, if put in simple language, they were going to give the girl to the wolves. He noticed Jou tense in his arms, so the kid understood it too.

"NO! DON'T! PLEASE! DON'T! TAKE ME INSTEAD!" Jou's eyes were terrified as he started to struggle in Keith's grip again.

"I'm afraid not." The reply was spoken without any emotion and with that Seth left the room. Serenity was drugged outside after him. She was struggling and panicking. She almost wished she could have a quick death on the fire, and not be tied to a tree somewhere in the forest as bait for the hungry wolves.

Seth mounted the horse that he rode here and waited for the men to tame the struggling girl. Her arms and feet were bound by rope and she was gagged so she wouldn't scream. Seth nodded and bending down hooked an arm around her waist and hoisted her up into his lap effortlessly. She was still struggling but it was fruitless, he was way stronger then she was, especially bound like she was.

"Give the other horse to her brother. He did not sell his soul to the evil side; he deserves some payment for his pain." Seth gave one last order and sped of towards the forest. Jou glared at the path tears still staining his face. When Seth was out of sight Keith finally let go of Jou who collapsed on the ground crying and digging his hands into the dirt.

"You better get up boy, you have work to do, forget about her now." The smith was grinning; he was expecting Jou to submit now that his only motivation was gone.

Keith on the other hand frowned. He didn't believe for a moment that Jou will just forget, and he didn't think that Seth left his horse here just because; he was giving Jou a chance to escape. Either way, he was not going to stop the kid, he was sick of him, he didn't like him, it would be easier for him if Jou was just gone.

Keith did not expect Jou to just get up and go inside, but he did not for a minute believe in submission, he saw that fire in those eyes, that kind of anger didn't just disappear just like that.

For the rest of the day all people talked about was the trial. They pitied Jou for having to go through this, but he seemed to become wild all of a sudden, he shied away from all people, he wouldn't talk to them, wouldn't even come near them. He hated all of them, every one, down to the last person. Because of them, tomorrow, his sister will be dead and there wouldn't be a thing he could do, unless.

Jou crept around the house silently. The smith was too busy with the people to notice him much. Jou was gathering things. Food, cloth, money, a knife, a few tools, everything he will need later on. He stole the pouch that Tristan brought back with him, it was too easy, the dumb man never expected Jou to act like he was acting now, he probably thought that Jou was curled up somewhere in the corner crying his eyes out. Not the case, she was not dead yet, he was not going to let that monster of a priest kill her, he knew she was innocent, he knew! He just wanted her for some kind of ritual, as a sacrifice! Not going to happen!

Night has come and the whole village calmed down. It was a long day and everyone was very tired, they all went to sleep early. Jou lay in his bed, the house feeling emptier then it usually felt. He lay asleep for as long as he thought there might be a chance someone was awake.

When he was sure, Jou got up and got dressed quickly, or as quickly as his injuries allowed him to. Getting out the bag he has gathered his things in he slung it over his shoulder and tiptoed to his door. To Jou's greatest surprise and horror, it was locked. The lock has never been used for years, but now, it was locked! He was locked in!

Why? Did somebody know?! Did somebody see?! Jou couldn't understand. He made sure that no one saw him gathering things, had made sure that he didn't say anything and his antisocial behavior was appropriate enough at the moment, he just lost his sister!

He let the bag drop to the wooden floor with a quiet thud. Jou was starting to panic; he has already waited too long. It was way past midnight, two, or maybe even three in the mourning, if he didn't get out of here now, he would never make it in time!

Frantically he looked around for something to open the door, nothing, there was nothing! He wouldn't give us searching, he would find something to pick the lock with and get out of here! Jou even looked out the window, but that was out of question, he couldn't jump and if he climbed he would probably never make it, he would either fall or make too much noise and wake someone up.

So Jou continued searching and finally found something adequate enough, it was a hair pin, it belonged to Serenity once and she must've dropped it while doing her hair. Her being near blind explained why she never picked it up; she would never have found it.

Holding the object in his hand Jou turned it over a couple of times, it was so precious, he had the urge to keep it, not ruin it with a lock, but the urge passed, he had to get out and save her.

The next half hour was spent in fruitless attempts to open the lock, it was old and rusted and was probably stuck. The gentle pin was not enough to open it. Jou once again was close to panicking, it was nearly four in the mourning, he could tell because the candle went off in the chapel, it always went off at the same time. With frantic movements Jou tried to work faster, and then with a loud snap, the pin that he was holding in his hand snapped.

He stared in disbelief at the tiny peace in his hand, he couldn't get out and now he jammed the lock, he was doomed! Jou started to whimper and pace the room forgetting about being quiet. He sat down near his bed and rocked back and forth clutching the peace of Serenity's pin in his sweaty hand, this couldn't end like this!

Jou had everything planned out, he knew what he was going to do, where he was going to go, even how he was going to put a knife through the man's heart that took away his sister, and now, all his plans fell apart before he could even get out of his room, all because of a locked door, one stupid locked door!

He sobbed into his fists not sure what to do, he sat there for a whole hour sobbing helplessly until his gaze once again fell on the pin in his hand, his sister, he had to do it for his sister. Getting up Jou decided on one last risky option, he was going out the window.

He cursed himself when he saw some dogs already awake, he waited too long to decide, the people of the town woke up early, some might already be awake, he was so stupid! Ripping the curtains of the wall he tied them together and then tied the bed sheet to them making a crude rope which he threw out of the window. He tossed his bag cringing at the loud thud and clang that it made. Apparently the sound didn't go unnoticed because he heard sounds below, the smith has woken up!

Quickly Jou pulled the rope back up just in time before the front door was opened and the sleepy smith poked his head out looking around. He spotted the bag under Jou's window right away and went to it. He looked inside, and then looked up just barely missing Jou, who drew back so he wouldn't be seen. He heard the smith curse and run inside, moments later her heard steps running up the stairs and a key inserted into the lock.

Jou was thankful that the pin has jammed the lock, otherwise he would have been caught no doubt. Jou didn't know how long the tiny pin will hold out against the key, panicking he threw the rope back out and quickly climbed out of the window just in time as he glimpsed the door bursting open.

For a few moments the smith's eyes still searched the room until they landed on the rope going out the window and the movement. He darted for it, but those few moments were just what Jou needed to get out of arm's reach so he couldn't be pulled back. The smith attempted to pull the rope back in and terrified at being caught Jou reacted before he thought, he let go of the rope and fell the rest of the way landing so very painfully on the hard ground.

Every part of his body hurt as he choked struggling to get the breath that was knocked out of him back, it hurt even more because his ribs were broken, it was crippling pain, but his fear was even stronger then the pain. Adrenaline saturated his blood and dulled the pain, it hurt so much that he didn't even feel it. Springing to his feet Jou ran for the horse all together forgetting the bag with his necessities. Jou untied the rope as fast as he could and started to run with the horse even before he ever mounted it. The smith ran out of the house and was right on his heels, gaining on him.

The horse was now running on her own dragging Jou behind who refused to let go of the saddle and was not strong enough to mount. The beast was gaining speed and the smith was falling slightly behind, Jou didn't trust it though, he knew Alec's strength, he could run for miles and not tire out, he could still catch them. Gathering what last strength he had, Jou pulled himself up enough to sling his body sideways over the saddle.

He ended up with his head upside-down, beating against the horse's side with every leap. Had his hands not been instinctively grabbing the saddle he would have tumbled over to the ground head first, and most likely straight to his death. As if knowing that Jou was on top now, the horse went full speed galloping blindly towards the forest. Jou blanked out, he was unconscious and at the mercy of chance, and perhaps wolves.

'Serenity, if I can't save you, then I will die with you.' was his last thought as the already dark world went completely black.

AN: in the next chapter I explain what happens to Jou and Serenity. Find out if Serenity really dies, if Jou ever finds her, will he save her or will Seth tie her up for the wolves to feed on? Will Jou himself even survive? Also, Jou meets an unexpected friend who is willing to help him, but what is it Jou needs help with, if it's not saving serenity, what else can it be. And is this new friend really a friend or does he want something more then Jou is willing to give?

Reviews are highly welcomed. I appreciate suggestions and corrections to whatever you think needs to be changed, and don't worry, this is only the introduction chapter, it gets better after.