On the street to Rivana, near the City of Rivana, Kingdom of Astralia
In shock, Eve watched the blood-soaked young man stand over the lifeless bodies of her companions. The ambush had initially seemed promising. She had recognised the crest of the Black Swan merchants on the gaudy black carriage as it had passed her hiding spot a quarter hour earlier. That there were only two guards had surprised her, but the extra horses tied to the carriage suggested they might have faced trouble on the road already. Good, she had thought. Fewer guards meant fewer problems.
Eve had caught a glimpse of the passengers inside - a young man, likely the merchant, and someone she thought of as an elderly servant. Satisfied with the target, she had signalled her companions down the road, imitating the haunting cry of the Luminara, a rare owl-like creature with luminescent feathers that wasn't native to the region.
When she had arrived at the ambush site, one of her companions was already facing off against the young man with black hair and striking silver eyes. She had seen fear in his expression and had briefly felt empathy and regret, realising her time with the bandits hadn't made her immune to these emotions.
However, the fight had ended abruptly, and to her surprise and shock, it was her companion's head that had rolled through the dust. Confused and uncertain about what had transpired, Eve had struggled to comprehend the swift and one-sided outcome.
For a moment, she had considered intervening, not out of concern for her fallen comrade, as she had never truly seen the bandits as anything more than a means for her survival. Her concern had been with how this death would reflect on the rest of her remaining squad. However, she also had known that her remaining companion, Johnny, would have wanted to take revenge himself. He would not have been happy if she interfered. Ultimately, she had decided to observe as Johnny squared off with the merchant.
Johnny hadn't been as brutish as her other companion, so she hadn't been surprised when he had approached the fight more intelligently and had steadily gained the upper hand. It only had taken a short while for her to see that their victim wouldn't have been able to go on for much longer.
Just as she had thought that the young man had made a lethal mistake, he had once again leapt into the bandit's range. However, the unthinkable had happened and Eve had been relegated to stare in disbelief as the young man somehow grabbed Johnny's hand and embedded his sword into the chest of the bandit.
It shouldn't have been possible, and she couldn't explain how it had happened. Magic, she had initially thought, but she hadn't heard the man use any incantation or chant, nor did he have any obvious magic objects on him.
Eve had known that she needed to act. The fate of her companions would have already displeased Kierran, the leader of their motley band of bandits. She couldn't come back empty-handed. So, Eve readied her bow, aiming at the young man's heart, and released the arrow.
She had always been a prodigy archer, going back to her childhood, when her parents were still alive. Her ability with the bow was why Kierran let her join his group of outlaws to begin with.
To her surprise, however, the arrow that she had been sure would end the young man's life hadn't found its target. As if he had known that death was coming, the young man had twisted away suddenly, and the arrow hadn't inflicted more than a minor cut on his chest.
In the present, the young man had just said something that the archer couldn't quite make out. She felt an icy shiver running down her back as he returned her stare with his intense grey eyes. Eve thought she saw red particles swirling in the man's striking eyes, otherworldly entities dancing like they were alive. The sight was enough to bring her out of her stupor, and she scrambled to nock another arrow, firing it immediately.
"Shit," she cursed behind gritted teeth as the man easily sidestepped, causing her arrow to miss its mark.
"We don't need to fight," he said in a voice that was entirely too calm for someone who had just killed two men as he slowly narrowed the gap between them.
"You killed my companions. Boss won't be happy if I don't bring him your head," she retorted, nocking another arrow.
However, her subsequent shots also proved futile, and cold sweat formed on her forehead. The young man somehow managed to evade her attacks with ease. It wasn't like he preemptively avoided them; it was as if he could predict the exact trajectory of her arrows and avoid them with slight, almost imperceptible movements.
"I would really appreciate it if you could stop trying to kill me," the man said as he continued his way toward her. "We can help each other."
Eve gritted her teeth and ignored him as every sense in her body screamed at her to get away as fast as possible. "If you really want to help me, die already," she sneered, firing another unsuccessful arrow.
She knew she was rapidly emptying her quiver, she just wasn't equipped for this. Between her light cloth-and-leather armour, her hunting bow, her small pigskin quiver and the pair of knives that she had hidden in the crevices of her gear, she was fitted out for quick ambushes, not prolonged fights.
"I'm afraid that isn't an option," the man said with a smirk.
An entirely unfeminine grunt escaped Eve's lips as she let go two arrows in quick succession. She had aimed the first one to the man's right and the second shot to his left, hoping he'd dodge into the path of the second arrow after avoiding the first.
Instead, reacting entirely too fast, he jumped to his right, narrowly avoiding the first arrow and causing the second to fly well wide.
"I'm getting tired of this," the man sighed, sending a displeased frown in her direction.
Eve reached back to her quiver to ready the next arrow and dread washed over her as she realised she had only one left. Existential panic spread through her mind as she tried to assess the rapidly worsening situation. The man had easily evaded all of her attacks so far, and she didn't feel confident that her luck would change now. Then, finally, her eyes fell upon something that she could use.
They had moved deeper into the forest during their encounter and were now surrounded by towering, old trees. Suspended between her and the young man was a large, gnarled branch. An idea sparked in Eve's mind. If she hit the branch with her last arrow, it might come crashing down, providing an opportunity for her to escape. She didn't like the idea of fleeing, but facing Kierran's wrath seemed more favourable than death.
"What happens if I surrender?" she asked, trying to distract her opponent and buy time to execute her plan. He was about to respond when he finally stepped under the branch.
In that moment, Eve swiftly drew her last arrow and fainted another shot at the young man, diverting her aim towards the branch at the last moment. The arrow hit true, and with a loud crack, the branch plummeted to the ground. She heard a shout from behind her as she spun around, threw away her bow and quiver, and started sprinting away as fast as possible.
Triumph flared inside her, but it faded quickly. Confused terror replaced it as something grabbed onto her ankles, causing her to crash headfirst into the forest floor.
For a few moments, Eve's vision filled with white noise, her head ringing out with a dull pain. As she regained her senses, she realised she was being dragged back by her ankles. A smile of satisfaction crossed her face, thinking that her opponent had finally made a mistake. Brandishing one of her knives, she spun onto her back and blindly slashed at her assailant.
To her bewilderment, her knife met nothing but air. No person was dragging her, and the young man was still standing next to the fallen branch, giving her an amused but strained smile. Eve looked at her ankles and felt a shiver running down her spine as she saw what was dragging her towards the closest tree.
A string made of a black, mist-like substance had latched onto her. The magic, Eve was sure of that, was pulsating as it slowly jerked her down the path. She sliced at the magical binding, trying to free herself once more. Unfortunately, the small gaps she managed to create immediately vanished as the magic regenerated itself.
Eve stopped to struggle as she couldn't help but wonder at the material. She hadn't ever seen anything like it. Its colour was truly black, not like the usual dark shade of grey that the dyer's guild created, but like the absence of light itself. She had seen many accomplished wizards and witches back when her parents were still alive; the memory caused her heart to ache, but this was different.
"What are you?" her voice trembled as she asked the mysterious man.
As the tendrils had finally finished dragging Eve to a nearby tree, forcing her to stand and binding her to it, the man stepped next to her. "Oh? That's a rude question, don't you think? I'm–"
Eve cut off his sentence as she tried to capitalise on the closeness of the man. She freed her last knife from the hidden pocket in her right sleeve and tried to stab him.
The young man once again reacted faster than he had any right to and grabbed her before she could fully commit to the attack, twisting her hand and disarming her, the knife clattering to the ground.
A sharp slap stung her face, not inflicting severe pain, but more like a disciplinary measure from a parent to a child. "I thought that you were done trying to kill me," the man said with an annoyed frown.
Now that he was so close, Eve could fully see his captivating grey eyes. She realised she hadn't been mistaken earlier when she thought she saw red pigments in his eyes. They were swirling around in his irises, giving his unique eyes an eerie, haunting look.
"Just end it already. Kill me." She snapped at him.
"Oh? I don't intend to kill you."
The man smiled and Eve paled and tears began to flow down her face. She knew that the Black Swan company was from Astralia's northern duchy. She had heard stories about nobles and rich men from the north who took female prisoners as pleasure slaves, using them to satisfy their darkest urges, before selling them to work in the mines of the Severed Mountain where they would labour in the worst conditions imaginable until they died of exhaustion.
Red-hot anger shot through her and she spat in the man's face. "You pig!" she cried. "I will kill you! I'm going to cut off your cock and make you choke on it! I will boil your testicles and make you eat them, I will–"
"Woah," the man interrupted her, holding up one of his hands. "I'm not sure what you think that I'm intending, but I assure you, it certainly is not that."
Eve narrowed her eyes at the man, not allowing herself to be too hopeful yet. "You are not going to take me against my will? I'm not going to be your sex slave until you get bored with me and sell me off like property?"
The young man blanched at her. "What?! No, of course not. Is that actually something that people do here?"
"Yes, they do," she said and gestured toward the Black Swan carriage, "where you come from."
He just frowned at her before sighing and speaking up again. "Well, I'm not going to do that to you."
"Right," Eve said doubtfully. "If not that, then what else?"
"Well, you tried to kill me and you certainly will need to be punished for that." He paused and looked at her, tilting his head and reminding her of an animal that was judging its prey. "Killing you, however, would be a massive waste of your talent, especially considering how weak everyone these days is."
Eve didn't really know what her captor was talking about. The last part was almost whispered, and she didn't think that he had meant it for her.
"I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Your magic. I'm talking about the magic that you used to avoid my aura senses," he replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Eve stared at him in bemusement, her confusion deepening. "Again, I don't know what you are fucking talking about. If this is some sick joke, it's not funny. I was never good with magic and haven't used any since… in a long time."
The young man just frowned at her. After a brief moment, his gaze intensified and the red fragments in his grey eyes started to swirl in an excited pattern. Eve could feel that he was doing something, as it felt like her very being was being caressed by an otherworldly force. It reminded her of the impression she had when he had survived her first arrow, but much more intense. Eventually, the feeling subsided.
"What was that? What did you do?" she panted, feeling weirdly exhausted.
"I'm sorry, but I needed to make sure," he said and gave her a sheepish look, his face taking on a more thoughtful expression shortly after. "So, you are telling the truth, you don't know. Interesting."
He continued before Eve could get a word in. "What I am suggesting is a soul-bind. Temporary, of course." He paused briefly. "You swear on both your life and soul that you won't intentionally harm me for, let's say, two years. During that time, you will lend me your services and after it expires, you are free to do whatever you want."
She looked at him suspiciously. "What services? I thought I was clear. I will not lie with you."
The young man laughed, running a hand through his black hair. "Not like that. Regardless of what you believe about your… abilities, you managed to avoid my senses until it was almost too late." He smirked at her. "If you had an enchanted bow or arrows, I would be dead now."
His face morphed into a serious expression. "Very few people would have been able to achieve that. What you have is a rare gift," he said and sighed. "Don't misunderstand me, I will use you. Not for pleasure, but for your gift. Your ability to stay undetected will be more than useful for the situation that I will soon find myself in. I want you to go where I can't go, be my eyes where I can't see, my ears where I can't hear, and, if needed, my weapon where I can't strike."
Eve looked at the man for a moment. She thought he seemed sincere, but she didn't know him enough to be sure. "You want me to be your spy? Your assassin? What is the alternative?"
"Well, I'm sure that Rivana's city watch would be perfectly happy to take you off my hands. You tried to kill me after all," he said with a broad smile.
Eve paled at the mention of the city. "That is not much of a choice."
"Do you deserve one?"
"Maybe not," she said with a reluctant smile as conflicting emotions played in her heart. "What will I gain if I agree to this?"
"Well, for one, I won't give you to Baron Camara's soldiers," he replied. "You'll also have my and the Black Swan's protection while you stay with me. I can teach you more about your gift, if you let me."
"My gift," she murmured, "you said it was magic. You will teach me more magic?"
He shrugged. "Yes, if that is what you want. I'm probably the most knowledgeable person on gifts like yours that you'll ever come across. It's a generous offer."
Eve looked at the man doubtfully. She thought he was roughly her age and way too young to know much about magic, but he had surprised her at every turn so far.
"Fine," she said, sighing, "if you agree to my conditions. One year, not two. And I want you to swear that you won't force me into your bed."
"A double sided soul-binding," he said in an almost-whisper, then nodded. "Your conditions are insolent, but acceptable. Follow my lead."
The young man rolled up his right sleeve and held out his arm. Eve looked at the tendrils that were still tying her to the tree.
"You don't think that you could make those go away?" she said hopefully, gesturing at the magic.
He laughed in response. "I think I will wait until after you have sworn that you won't harm me."
He grabbed her right arm with his own and looked her in the eyes. Eve could feel a pressure settling over the places where their arms touched. She looked at him questioningly, and he nodded.
"The hardest part of the soul-binding is already done, both of us have freely agreed to it," he said. "Now, you will have to start by swearing your oath on your life and soul. My oath follows and lastly, we have to both agree to the conditions."
She looked at him suspiciously. "No magic hokus pokus, no complicated formula, just words?"
He shook his head. "I'm already supplying the soul-bind with magic, you should be able to feel it." She looked at her arm and nodded. "Words have meaning, especially when empowered by powerful magic. Don't underestimate this oath."
"Fine," she huffed. "I hereby swear on my life and my soul that, for the duration of one Astralian year, I will serve you and won't bring you any intentional harm, directly or indirectly."
She couldn't feel anything happening, but the young man nodded. "I hereby swear that I will not force you to perform acts of pleasure with me."
The two looked at each other and together said, "I agree."
For a moment nothing happened and Eve was just about to ask if the ritual had failed when suddenly the magic that was keeping her tied vanished. It felt like a part of herself tore from her, replaced by something foreign. At the same time, the biggest headache imaginable overcame her. She stumbled forward and collapsed to her knees, vomiting a stream of half-digested food onto the forest floor.
Eve's retching continued for what felt like an eternity. After it subsided, she stood up, wiping her mouth with a dirty tissue from one of her pockets. She angrily looked over to the young man that she had just sworn the next year of her life to. He was breathing heavily as he leaned against a nearby tree.
"What the fuck was that?" she asked. She really wanted to be angry, but she saw that the man himself was struggling, as sweat was running over his pale face like rivers, and she added. "Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine," the man said and chuckled weakly. "It's quite unpleasant, isn't it? It will be less… volatile once you get stronger." He paused. "We should go. My guards should have woken up by now and I'm sure that my secretary is worrying himself senseless."
Eve nodded, and the two walked side to side for a few moments before he spoke up again.
"I should know your name if we work together," he said.
"Eve," she said, and when she saw his questioning gaze, added, "just Eve. What's your name?"
She thought she saw him struggle internally for a moment, then he said, "Aiden Silver. You can call me Aiden."