"1."
"2."
"3!" Hewg bellowed as he charged toward Dusk with an angry war cry.
Vy and I rushed to the tree line, our interlocked hands keeping us together. In the back of my mind, I surmised that Vy could've easily outrun me, but she didn't. I could vaguely hear Hewg's yells and the sound of metal hitting things. It was soon drowned out by a harsh beating in my ears.
We reached the dark blanket of safety and crouched behind a tree, anxiously peeking out from it.
"What happened? What else is out there?" Vy asked in a whisper.
"I don't know." I hurriedly replied, "Something whooshed past my head and then Hewg hit it and it made a loud ringing noise!" I took a deep breath and Vy squeezed my hand tighter. "I don't know."
"I hope he's ok."
I hope so too Vy. I hope so too.
We sat huddled behind the tree, waiting for a sign, anything to tell us that Hewg was alive, and the threat gone.
"Wait, I think we are close to Lake Birine."
"We are? I never realized how close it was to Dusk," I answered.
Vy tilted her head, "It might be safer by the water. If it's another Teiphyr, they hate water and it'll leave us alone."
"Okay, let's go."
We quickly navigated through the trees and brush and came upon the shore of the Lake.
"We don't have to get in the water, right?"
"Last I checked, neither of us can swim."
"So, is that a no?"
"Of course, you knucklehead!" Vy groaned. "If I wasn't exhausted right now, I'd clobber you."
"I suppose I should do it for you then." A distorted voice suddenly interjected from behind us. "If you two want to see the sun tomorrow, turn around slowly with your hands up."
We could only comply.
Leaning against a boulder while flipping a small dagger was a masked figure. They wore an oddly spiked black mask with a creme-colored hood and robe. Their arms, legs, and chest were armored in some glistening black material.
"Good, at least you two brats listen."
"What do you want?" I asked. If it was people after us and not a Teiphyr, then going to the lake was a bad idea. We would've been safer in the woods.
The person stood up and approached us. "Right about now, my colleagues are probably collecting that old fart's head. We'd just have to tie up any… loose ends. Then skedaddle."
The man's –yes man I've concluded– words were deliberate and dangerous, but his tone and aura were subdued and relaxed.
He placed the dagger at my neck. "This job calls for some extreme things, but I've never killed a child before." The blade was now touching my skin. All I could think about was just how cold it was, I never would've guessed...
Vy suddenly charged the man and kicked him in the groin. He keeled over with a groan and the dagger just barely nicked me in the fast motion. The mask fell to the ground.
It was a man.
"Argh! You stupid little shit. I wasn't gonna kill you originally. Now though..."
Vy grabbed my hand and yanked me down the rocky shoreline. "Come on, Rave! We have to go now!"
We hadn't even run for a couple of seconds before in a cloud of smoke the man reappeared. I stopped in my tracks. "Vy… There's no way-"
"Always a way Rave, always."
"You have some fire in you, little girl."
"Of course. How else will we burn you away, milkman?" She retorted.
"Not very well with words though," the man muttered.
Vy's eyebrow twitched.
"No matter, I would like to see your embers dwindle… when I extinguish his flames!" He gestured toward me.
Vy and I weren't going to make it. If what he said was true about Hewg, then it was just us. I made eye contact with Vy. "Together."
"Always," she affirmed.
It was just us two, those words meant everything. We were each other's life.
We raced toward the man. He seemed taken aback for a second before laughing, "You jest!"
I balled my fist. Just one hit. If I landed one hit on this guy, I could die happy.
If anyone saw this battle, I'm sure they thought we wouldn't last one second.
They were right.
He sidestepped both of our punches, tripped me, and grabbed Vy, throwing her to the ground. He stepped on my left arm and leaned down, "You have my condolences, young man. Sadly, it's just business."
Before he could plunge the knife, Vy jumped onto his back and began hitting his head. He angrily flipped her over and held her by the throat. "Let your flames be doused." And threw her into the lake.
I watched in horror as she arced through the air and hit the water. Hard.
"VY!"
The man sighed. "She was lighter than I thought."
I tried going in after her, but I was yanked back, falling onto my butt.
"Why are you doing this?!" I begged him. My sight was blurring as I felt my eyes water.
"I could tell you the reason why, but ultimately, it would be fruitless. It wouldn't ever leave this shore."
I felt my lungs burn with a newfound fury. This murderer- for he could be nothing else- appeared from nowhere and decided to ruin everything.
The murderer looked at me and chuckled, "Time to end this farce."
I made to get up but found I had no control over my body. I was stuck.
The murderer clicked his tongue, "It finally kicks in." He pushed me down, so now I was looking up at him and the sky.
"Say goodbye, little one."
I couldn't say anything, my mouth wouldn't open, and my tongue wouldn't move. My thoughts were overrun by regrets and lamentations. Oh Vy… I couldn't save you. I couldn't be your big brother. I'm so, so sorry…
I set my focus past the murderer and into the sky. Funny, they are the same color. You were right, sister.
I could feel the effects of whatever was holding me in place wear away as suddenly an object struck the murderer and red cascaded down onto me, staining my vision.
Several moments passed before I saw the blurry image of Hewg appear above me. He quickly looked around and kneeled, procuring a vial from his pocket and sitting me up to rest it in my mouth.
I grabbed his hand as he poured it. He twitched in surprise, I could barely make out his words, "That qey… healing."
Slowly, but surely, I began to feel my body come to life again and my wounds healed in front of my eyes. I welcomed the feeling with open arms, but it was quickly stifled by the realization of what happened. "H-hewg." I croaked. "Vy. Vy…"
"Where?!" He questioned intensely. He was looking around anxiously.
I had regained control of my movements by now and stood up, stumbling my way to the water to jump in after her. I felt Hewg's heavy hand on my shoulder. "What are you doing!?"
"I need to get to her! She's still in there, Old Man. She is still-"
Silence answered me, until a solemn, "You don't know how to swim, Rave."
I turned around and looked up at him, "You go after her! Please, she's still in there, she's still alive; she has to be!"
He shook his head. "It's been too long."
He's not going to go after her… I wanted to say something, really, but I couldn't. If he wasn't going to save her, then I would.
I swiped his hand off my shoulder and bounded into the water. I got waist-deep before I was lifted and slung over his shoulder. "Let me down! We can't just leave her! NO!" My voice came out strangled and hoarse. It was drowned in sobbing.
He carried me up the shore and into the woods away from my sister. Away from my life.
As her watery grave disappeared behind the trees, my voice went as well.
I'm not sure how much time passed when he began to speak. It sounded muffled and like he was far away." It is not safe here. More assassins are tracking us. If we stayed and tried to retrieve her, we'd-"
"She's gone..."
Hewg set me down and held my wrist. He kneeled and was suddenly placing something in my hands: it was a satchel.
"I recovered it before we left."
Oh. It was Vy's satchel.
He also wrapped my hand around a letter. "Keep it secret, keep it safe. You must hasten to Naminas. To the Heralds. You will begin anew, boy."
"W-what do you mean? I can't leave you! I don't want to be al-"
"It is not safe here anymore." He repeated. Hewg hesitantly grabbed my face with his two hands. His eyes seemed to be vibrating. "Losing someone you care about hurts, but it's not as painful as losing yourself to the past. Live, young one. Make new friends and enemies; see many more suns and moons. Fulfill your dreams."
I wanted to scream at him, my dreams were with Vy. They ended before they could begin and not only was she gone, but he was leaving me as well.
He stood up and turned to head back into the woods. I belatedly realized we were at the tree line facing the Outskirts. But I needed to know something before he disappeared.
I wiped my tears and stood straight, "Old Man."
He paused but didn't face me.
"Who are these people?"
He sighed heavily, "Those who have lost themselves to the past."
Before I could ask more, he disappeared into the brush, and I was left alone. Clothes tattered and torn, Vy's satchel in my left hand with Hewg's letter in my right and I had only one destination. Naminas, the home of the Heralds.