Chapter 2

December 12, 10,236 b.c.

Drip. Drip. Drip. The entrancing sound continued as the thunder crackled in the distance. Raindrops danced in the night as footsteps hurried to get to their rightful homes. Carts hurried to get to shelter as the rain pitter-pattered onto the shielded goods (now to be sold the next day).

"Master," the pale-faced girl whispered in the night, slightly whimpering. "May I change back now? We have finally arrived in this strange place. Wherever people use wooden circles to drive wooden boxes is strange enough for me."

"You may," he hesitated, "because I sense powerful magical activity in this town. It must be filled with sorcerers."

The child, who was with the boy, started to laugh coldly. "Master Ephraim, I understand. The last thing you would want is for me to be stolen…."

"As unlikely as that seems, Naressa, it may actually be a possibility. When there is strong magic afoot, one must tread with caution. Master mentioned that earlier, remember?"

"I never knew your 'Master', Ephraim. The only 'Master' I've known is you, you mangy brat!"

"Do not raise your voice with me, Naressa. You are first, and foremost my companion. Others may think of you as a slave; you may think that I think of you as a slave. However, I do not. You are my companion and my friend, Naressa. I cherish loyalty above all else, for loyalty derives from respect, and respect derives from love."

Let her think what she will. I shall be done with her once I have Life and Death on my side. The Gods shan't even try to set foot on the ground I tread on.

The boy wore a silver gown adorned with small star-like spheres of gold-blue crystal that reflected the slightest amount of light. Though many thought of him as king or a prince of sorts, he appealed to most thoughts as if he were a wanderer. He wore a hooded, black gown over his silver that covered all of his body, for he was fussy about showing even the slightest amount of skin. He wore two different gloves: One black, the other white. On the back of each glove, there was a symbol. The black glove contained the sun on the back; the white one, on the back, contained a crescent moon.

On his arms, bangles and armlets of very light stature were adorned to appease his presence. On his legs, anklets of thin metal protected him without lengthening his efforts at moving.

Likewise, Ephraim had long, flowing golden tendrils of hair that lengthened down to the end of his thighs, almost his knees however right above that. They were tied in such a fashion, that they didn't get in his way of battle. He also had eyes that were hard and piercing, mostly emotionless yet beautiful at the same time. They were amber with specks of teal, making them seem as if ablaze, yet, a serenity emanated out-forth of them as if they were the sky and the sun. In turn, his hands were always covered unless he was in battle. However, even then, he would cover them if using sorcery in battle.

As Naressa looked at her master once more, she immediately understood that she had spoken unwisely, and therefore returned to her normal self. "Master," she spoke, breaking the silence, "My apologies. I spoke—"

"Consider yourself forgiven," Ephraim interrupted, "And now return, so I can walk in peace, and before someone recognizes you."

"Wait… I hear voices, Master."

An ear-splitting scream was heard not far from their present location. They hurried towards their destination pushing the water nymphs, which were dancing, aside for they were irrelevant, and irrelevance was useless (to be redundant).

They, both, walked towards the sound. It was not that far, actually. It was just a few buildings away. However, that did not make up for the fact that Ephraim had not planned to fight today. He was tired and irritated even though he knew he had to be cool and collected. Naressa was not helping either, with her constant interruptions and negligence. Hopefully, if he was lucky, there would be no fighting involved, and that girl would have screamed from laughter. However, he soon found that as not possible, unfortunately.

Once they landed on a steep road-like hill, they saw a girl covered by a round object, possibly a wheel of sorts. Ephraim continued to walk, though slowly for he could sense much magical energies emanating from the limited place. The closer he progressed, the more powerful it became. Once he was about fifty yards away from the person who had screamed, he could literally feel the magic in the air. Touching it, breathing it, tasting it, hearing it, he could do all these things. It was literally alive!

Ephraim quickly passed it as a disturbance and rushed to the girl's aid. The air was hard and thick. A misty substance formed in the distance taking Ephraim's attention away from the wounded girl. Naressa, as well, seemed worried. A blackish dust cloud was emerging in the distance, and 'dark dust', as it was called by the village-folk, was a bad omen. It meant the King, himself, had administered Martial Law.