"Attack, Lacronian bandits, attack!"
A group of about twenty men rush towards us, surrounding us in an instant. Instinctively, I put Maiara behind me. She looks over my shoulder, but finally, I hear her snort, indicating she surrenders.
"Come on, guys, tell me what's going on. Blind, remember?"
"You won't need to know because if we don't find a way out of this, you won't even need to be breathing," Luke murmurs.
Now, under the dim light emitted by the bandits' torches, I can see small drops of sweat trickling down Luke's neck. I'm probably sweating from terror too. And because of that same fear, none of us move, we simply watch the group circling around us, doing what seems to be – and I know – a ritual.
"We can't let them finish whatever they're doing," I whisper only to the three of us. Luke looks at me for just a moment, not wanting to keep his gaze away from the bandits for too long.
"What, why?"
"Don't tell me you think it's okay for a group of strangers to be circling around you."
"That's not what I meant," Luke excuses himself, "but I want to know why you say that. Do you know something we don't?"
"There are a million things you don't know that I do, but this isn't one of them. It's just a gut feeling," I lie.
The truth is that the kingdom of Lacrontte is infested with these men who call themselves "Lacronian Bandits." They are natives of the kingdom of Lacrontte, who, in revenge for the theft of their lands, all plots on the outskirts of the major cities of Lacrontte, but a perfect place for noble and wealthy families to vacation, they dedicate themselves to taking souls and making them their slaves through this very ritual.
"We have to move," I urge Luke, but he doesn't seem to know what to do.
From what I've seen, Luke doesn't have a mark, or alternatively, he doesn't know how to use it or simply isn't powerful. But I counted on him being powerful. Somehow that was my reassurance, as his demeanor seems to exude quite a bit of power.
"But we..." Luke hesitates. "Keith, we're three preteens who don't know how to defend ourselves... Excluding you, who knows quite a bit about kicking ass. But that's it, none of us know how to use our mark."
So if he has one.
"I do."
We both look at Maiara at the same time. I couldn't explain it, but I feel a decisive spark in her when she speaks.
"Does your mark work? Because you didn't tell me before," Luke seems hurt in some way.
"It's not the time for that," she doesn't answer his question. "Better cover your eyes."
"What? Why?"
Now Luke seems scared, but Maiara doesn't stop to give explanations.
"Cover them," she orders. "Cover your eyes with your forearm and look at the ground."
"Fine, I'll do it," I say, covering my eyes with my forearm and lowering my head.
Maiara seems confident, and from the marks under her eyes, I have a small idea of which tribe from her kingdom Maiara comes from. So, without hesitating in her power, I obey her. Although, anyway, what good would it do not to? I can't control my mark, and neither can Luke.
"Are you going to do it just because?" I hear Luke speaking to me in my ear. He's probably shielding himself with me.
"We only have to trust her."
For a moment, nothing happens. The ritual continues, the bandits are circling around us, and I feel Luke trembling, although not only he does, my own fear of failing in my mission of revenge makes me feel powerless; but suddenly, a light appears that, although I have my eyes closed and covered while looking at the ground, burns my eyes.
"Deceso," I think I hear Maiara murmur. Seconds later, there is no light or noise.
I want to see the extent of her power, so, moved by curiosity, I try to lift my head, but Maiara's soft hand stops me.
"Before you uncover your eyes, please promise me something," Maiara murmurs. For the first time, I hear a note of fear in her voice.
"Of course," I say.
"Whatever you say, Maia," Luke confirms.
She takes a breath and then releases it abruptly. She's nervous, I can feel it thanks to her trembling hand on my head.
"Promise me that you... Promise me that you won't judge me."