Shadow: Sorry about the shortness of the last chapter. I meant for that to be the prologue ;;; Anyways, thanks to those who have reviewed!!!
Chapter One: The Robber's Blade
The blood was flowing faster than she could stop it. With every contraction of his heart, more blood poured from the open wound like water from a smashed jar. She ripped her sleeve with her teeth and used the torn fabric to soak up his precious blood.
"Please hold on," she pleaded as she tied a makeshift tourniquet around his arm. She knew in her mind that the wound was too deep and if he didn't make it to a sanctum, he would…no, she wouldn't think about that.
Adrenaline was pulsing through her veins as she quickly scanned her surroundings. In the shade of a pine grew a soft green carpet of moss. She didn't bother to stand; she simply crawled across the forest floor and tore the furry plant from the soil. She crammed it in her mouth and began to chew at it like a piece of meat. It had a bitter, earthen taste. But she could bear the plant's taste if it meant saving him.
She cupped her hand and spat the green paste into it. With her free hand, she gingerly removed the bandage and smeared the salve into the wound in attempt to clot the blood. Her eyes kept returning to his face. His face was loosing its color, but not its beauty. She placed a hand on his face and gently caressed it. What was he to her? A friend? A teacher? A lover?
There was a rustle in the bushes behind her. Her staff lay in the grass beside her fallen comrade. She outstretched her palms and her staff flew to her hand in a burst of psyenergy. Her slender fingers wrapped themselves around the metal shaft of the weapon. A grey wolf leapt out of the underbrush and stepped towards her. At the sight, she let out the breath she had been holding.
"Don't scare me like that," she sighed as she lowered her weapon. The wolf glanced at her and then back at the fallen warrior. She watched his moist nostrils flare and take in the scent of his blood. "Touch him and die," she threatened. "You know better Romulus."
The wolf shot a glare at her. "Like I can help it," his voice echoed in her head. "Now Rachel, be a dear and tell me what happened."
She gave him a glare of her own and then turned away from the wolf. He sat on his haunches and watched her. All that was left to do was wait. Wait for the moon and wait for death.
"Here's the item you requested," a heavyset woman said as she handed Felix the sword. "We only accept cash, is that alright with you?"
"I know the routine," he sighed as he doled out the correct amount. "But first let me inspect it."
"Oh you know how the quality is!" she snapped as she placed her hands on her hips. Felix pulled the sword from its sheath and marveled at its beauty and craftsmanship. Not a fleck of orange remained on the now silver blade. The hilt's grip had been replaced and now the sword rested in his hand comfortably. "Sunshine wouldn't cheat you out of your money!"
"Another fine blade," Felix smiled as he re-sheathed the sword. "You never let me down, do you?"
A raspy laugh could be heard from forge. The aged Sunshine limped over to Felix. "Does the sword please you?" Felix nodded. "And the Glower Staff, how is it?"
"Perfect. It was worth every coin." This was a compliment coming from the frugal Venus adept. "What do you call this one?"
Sunshine scratched his bearded chin as he jogged his memory. "I think this one is the Robber's Blade. One of the lost weapons."
"Lost weapons?"
"I don't know too much about them. They are merely legends that I heard as a child. And my childhood was long ago enough to be known as a legend," he grumbled as he limped over to his bed. "This one just looks like the Robber's Blade. I have no idea if it is or not."
"And what about the Glower Staff?"
"Also, it just looks like it. I have no idea if it is the real Glower Staff or not." He untied his apron and hung it on the peg over his bed. "Come back if you find some more raw materials."
It was obvious that his visit with the master blacksmith was over.
The small bag fell on the table with a distinct jingle. Its owner pulled out a chair and lazily flopped into it. With his gloved hands, he pawed through the bag and produced a single gold coin and held it between his thumb and index finger. He examined the coin with his olivine eyes, scrutinizing over every detail. He brought the coin closer and sniffed it. He curled his lip up in disgust. There remained only one thing left to do. The coin met his canines and yielded beneath their force. The now bent coin flew across the table and ricocheted off the candle votive before hitting the oak with a clatter. The man did this to most of the coins in the bag, the ones that did not pass the visual and olfactory tests.
"Can I help you sir?" a young boy asked as he walked up to him. He was a scrawny boy, the innkeeper's son.
"Yes, I'll have ale," he growled.
"Half or a pint?"
"Pint."
"Coming right up sir," the boy said as he disappeared among the maze of tables. The man's ears perked up at the sound of the opening door. No one else seemed to hear the sound and continued on with their conversations. The visitor found his way to the table, standing opposite to his companion who was patiently waiting for his drink.
"What's the matter Romulus? You seem perturbed," he asked with a slight accent.
He countered with another question. "You want to know why I'm 'perturbed'?" The young man nodded. Romulus motioned for him to lean in closer. In one swift motion, he had his companion by the shirt collar and a sword at his neck. "I'm 'perturbed' because my assistant presents me with this crap instead of getting what his master really wanted!" he spat.
"I'm sorry! I was in a hurry! They were on to me!" he stammered. Romulus rotated the blade so that a single drop of blood collected on its glistening surface. He thrust the young man away and licked the blood from his sword. That was when he noticed the innkeeper's son, who had been watching the entire thing.
"Thank you my boy," he said in a softer tone. He placed one of the real coins in the boy's hand. "It's a shame that I must wash the taste of this blood away like this," he sighed before he took a swig. He looked up and saw that his assistant was rubbing the cut on his neck, blood seeping through his fingers. He sat down and wiped his hands on his pants leg. "You see those coins there on the table?" he asked. His assistant nodded. There were ten coins, all bent at a 90-degree angle. "That's your share."
"The people in Daila won't accept that!" he shouted, gesturing to the coins for emphasis. "Give me at least five! That's enough money for a loaf of bread for my mother and sister to last a week!"
"Maybe you should've thought about that when you raided that shop then," Romulus sneered as he returned to counting his loot.
"But you gave the boy a coin! Why can't you just give me one!"
"He was doing his job correctly."
"But that's not fair! I did mine correctly!"
"Well, life's not fair, is it?" he snarled. "Do you think it was fair for me to watch my father burned at the stake, ALIVE?" No response. "Do you think it was fair for me to become a thief in order for my mother and me to survive? Do you think it's fair that Adepts are persecuted now?" Still no response. "Well? Speak up, Jacob."
Jacob sat in silence under Romulus' stare. His green eyes sent shivers down his spine. With his hand under the table, he felt the scabs of when he last invoked his master's rage. They would soon be scars he remembered Romulus saying, a painful reminder of what happens when he decided to be disobedient. Two scars, one from each tooth, were enough. "No, it's not fair," he found himself mumbling. "It won't happen again."
Romulus gestured to the boy. "Bring me two more pints and two loaves of bread. Except wrap the second in a cloth." The boy nodded and rushed back to the kitchen. The two men sat in silence until the boy returned. The wrapped loaf was shoved into Jacob's hands as well as two coins. "Get your ass on the next ferry out to Daila. Deliver the bread to your family and meet me back here in Kalay. I'm giving you two days. This is enough for both passages, nothing more. Do you understand?"
Jacob nodded excitedly. He took the gifts and stood up to leave. "Aren't you going to have your drink?" He looked back, his face flushed red. He sat back down and enjoyed the oaken taste of the ale.