Eldric's boots crunched softly on the gravel as he walked back past Brindleford, the fields silent under the faint glow of lanterns. A late traveler emerged from the shadows, a merchant with a sack slung across his shoulder.
"Keeper." the man called, his voice tense. "I... I didn't expect anyone else on the road at this hour."
Eldric's golden eyes met his.
"The lanterns need tending, even for merchants."
The merchant swallowed and nodded.
"I... I think something's following me."
Eldric's gaze shifted toward the dark stretch behind the man. The wind carried an unnatural chill, and in the shadows, he could make out flickers of movement: twisted shapes, crouching low, watching. Shadow wolves. Eldric's lips tightened. He had faced them countless times, yet their presence never lost its edge.
"Step back." Eldric said quietly.
He planted his staff into the ground.
The wick at its tip flared, then pulsed, sending sparks through the soil. Slowly, deliberately, he slammed the base again.
The lanterns along the nearby road blazed to life, their amber light swelling into brilliant orbs. One by one, the distant poles glowed as if answering an unseen signal. The creatures in the shadows hissed, recoiling, their forms shimmering and quivering. Their edges rippled as if the light burned them from the inside and with a final shudder, they dissolved into the forest, retreating from the lanterns' reach.
The merchant sagged against a tree, breath ragged.
"I... I thought I was done for."
Eldric withdrew his staff, its flame now calm and steady.
"The road protects those who respect it. But not every traveler will be so fortunate."
The merchant nodded, voice trembling.
"I will remember the lights. I will follow them, always."
Eldric inclined his head.
"Walk from flame to flame."
By the time he reached Wyrmgate, the boy Callen was waiting at the edge of the lantern-lit street, clutching a wooden toy lantern. His eyes widened when he saw Eldric approach.
"You again." the boy whispered.
"I... I followed the road and... and you saved a merchant!"
Eldric's lips curved faintly.
"Sometimes the flame must speak for itself."
Callen's gaze lingered on the staff and the faint glow still radiating from it.
"Someday... I want to know what it's like to do that." he said.
Eldric merely nodded, watching the boy's curiosity sparkle. He said nothing of the centuries, the shadowed creatures or the weight of the road. For now, Callen would remain a watcher, a small flame in the distance, learning through observation.
The streets of Wyrmgate were quiet beneath the watch of lanterns.
Eldric raised his staff to check the first lamp at the edge of the gate. Its flame steadied, bright and steady, as if acknowledging another promise kept.
And somewhere, in the dark beyond the forest, the shadows waited. But not tonight.
Tonight, the lanterns held.