"Why don't you try putting that sword to use, and see what happens?" Kael dared the noble holding a sword to his neck. A grin spread on his lips, showing no signs of fear.
When the rich guy saw the fearless look in the eyes of the kid he was trying to intimidate, he hesitated for a moment, knowing that his trick at intimidation was not working on this one.
But Mira was. Fear flashed in her eyes. She stepped forward, heart pounding, despite Kael trying to shield her behind him for her own safety.
Seeing one of them threaten to cut his throat, she was afraid for Kael more than she was for herself.
The other sellers at the nearby stalls could only watch. None of them dared to get involved, because they didn't want to get in trouble with those unmerciful nobles.
Kael tried to stop her, but she ignored him.
"Please," she said quickly, bowing her head. "He didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry. We're just fruit sellers. He doesn't mean to offend you, I promise ."
She forced a shaky smile, trying to sound respectful, submissive.
"Please… let this go."
The mustached noble smirked, amused by her sudden change in tone. The others chuckled again, emboldened by her fear.
The mustached noble finally lowered his sword and grinned, glancing at his companions.
"Well, maybe we won't cut his throat," he said, stroking his chin. "Depends on how nicely you ask, girl."
Mira froze. What did they mean? She wondered.
The noble with slicked-back hair spoke, "Come with us. Be obedient. Maybe we'll be merciful." His eyes beamed with cruelty and some bad thoughts.
Mira shook her head. Not okay with his demand. It was obvious that he was lusting after her. They all were, and wanted to have their way with her.
Kael already figured them out too, and he was having none of it. In Fact he was this close to snapping. He gave one last demand. "One last warning, fuck off, or…."
"Or what peasant." The mustached noble raised his sword back to Kael's neck, and then he drove it even closer to his neck than before.
He pressed it even tighter, so close it kissed his skin. "Quiet," he growled sardonically. "Or she'll be mourning your worthless corpse before the day's done."
Then, without warning, the other man reached out and yanked at Mira's shirt, tearing the fabric open at the collar. She gasped and stumbled back, arms flying up to cover herself.
The group burst into laughter.
"Look at those pretty things," one of them sneered, licking his lips. "No wonder he's acting brave."
Mira's face burned with shame. She covered her chest with her hands, and turned away so that no one could see her bare chest.
Kael's hand twitched, balling into fists.
They had messed up with that last move. He tried to warn them off, but this is where he drew the line.
In the next instant, he moved too fast for their eyes to follow. A blur of motion, smooth and merciless.
He seized the mustached noble's own sword in one hand, tore it from his grip, and drove it straight through the man's thigh. Bone crunched. The noble screamed and dropped like a sack of bricks.
Kael didn't stop there.
He rotated slowly. His eyes literally shifted color, darkening from storm gray to a deep, inky black. Not just with anger. It was something else. Something not entirely human.
The slick-haired noble, lunged at him, drawing the sword from his hip.
Kael parried before the blade had cleared its arc, then sliced through the man's wrist with great precision.
The hand was cut off, and it hit the ground with a soft thud.
The noble stared at the stump in horror, too shocked to scream, until the pain hit.
Kael spun, kicking the third in the gut so hard he flew backward into a pile of crates.
When the one noble realized he was next, he tried to run.
Kael grabbed him by the collar and drove the hilt of his sword into the man's gut.
He collapsed with a choking gasp, blood spilling as he curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach. He lost consciousness.
Silence fell over the square.
The other sellers stood frozen in place, their mouths slightly open, eyes wide with shock. No one dared speak. Some looked at the fallen nobles.
Others stared at Kael; at his eyes, which were no longer a normal color. There was something unnatural in them. Something dangerous.
He didn't just look angry. He looked like a demon wearing a young man's skin.
Kael's eyes returned to normal and he dropped the sword at his feet. He didn't even glance at the wreckage behind him. He turned to Mira instead.
She was staring at him with wide, horrified eyes. She managed to tie her ripped shirt together.
"Kael, what did you just do?" she half-yelled, her voice cracking with disbelief.
Kael finally looked at the people he just messed up behind him. Groaning nobles, bloodied and broken. One of them was even half dead, blood spilling from his stomach endlessly.
Kael didn't care, they deserved it. He noticed that he was even stepping on a severed hand, the one he'd cut off from the slick haired bastard a moment ago.
He stepped away and kicked it at the owner. "Take your hand with you!" He said coldly.
But deep down, the reality of it began to settle in. What he did will have consequences for him and Mira. These were nobles, sons of powerful houses.
Well, it was too late to regret anything now. He shoved the worry away, and sighed. "They deserved it."
"Let's go!" Mira snapped, grabbing his arm and yanking him forward before the city patrol could arrive and arrest him.
Kael didn't resist. They walked off, leaving the nobles alive but crippled.
Mira and Kael walked in silence. When they were far from the market, Mira let go of his hand and stormed ahead, her fists clenched, her footsteps loud and sharp against the dusty road. She didn't spare Kael a glance.
They arrived at home. Mira marched to the entrance, still not sparing Kael a glance. She was mad at him, and rightly so, because he didn't use his head and let his anger control him for the hundredth time.
"You know they deserved it," Kael muttered, "And I didn't kill them, even though I should've."
Mira stopped by the door. She spun around, furious. "You doomed not only you, but me and Sylvia too. And are you saying you are willing to kill people now?!" She sounded disappointed in him.
"I didn't mean that." Kael raised his hands. "I did it to save you."
She walked inside and slammed the door behind her. Kael sighed.
He looked at the small house before him. It was a worn-down cottage rather than a proper house. But it was all they could afford. It had a slanted roof and creeping ivy.
Kael followed inside. He lived with Mira and her aunt Sylvia, since he was an orphan. Sylvia had raised him, and she was like the guardian he never had. But he still wished he had seen his real parents though. Sylvia did her best to raise him, but she still could not replace his real mother.
And although he was thankful, he frankly never saw her as his real mom.
Walking inside the house, the scent of herbs and fresh bread lingered in the air. And standing in the main room, wrapped in a loosely tied robe, was Sylvia, Mira's aunt and Kael's guardian.
She was nearly thirty five, but her figure hadn't lost a shred of its allure. If anything, age had sharpened it. She looked even better than she had in her youth.
Silver hair fell over her shoulder. Her robe clung to full hips and a narrow waist, one long leg peeking through a high slit.
The robe showed a peek at a generous glimpse of her chest, where the robe sat a little too loose.
Kael averted his eyes. She always dressed like that at home, like he was still a boy, immune to the pull of her body. But he wasn't anymore.
Sometimes he found it hard to look away, because she always walked around like that. Did she not realize he wasn't a kid anymore? That his hormones weren't made of stone?
Her curves were the kind that moved slowly when she walked, like they knew they were being watched. Her hair was swept lazily over one shoulder, her lips naturally pouty and her eyes the color of deep wine.
Her eyes lit up when she saw them, then constricted slightly at the tension between them.
"Mira? Kael? You're back early," she said.
Mira didn't waste a breath. She glared at Kael."He fought nobles. In the market. Hurt them badly."
Sylvia stared at Kael with a growing expression of alarm. The air seemed to thicken between them.
"You did what?" she asked softly, voice taut with disbelief. "Kael… please tell me Mira's exaggerating."