When the woman, who clearly seemed to be on the run, heard the man's voice, she flinched in fear. The couple watched the scene uncertainly and did not seem to know how they should react.
With quick steps, the man with the scarf hurried toward the fleeing person and grabbed her by the arm.
"L-let go of me!" the woman cried immediately, trying with all her strength to tear herself free.
The man did not seem to have any difficulty preventing her from escaping. He ignored her pulling and struggling and instead turned to the two passersby. Tense, he murmured something. But since no one screamed or spoke loudly this time, I could not understand from a distance what he had said to the couple.
Completely exhausted from trying to free herself, the fleeing woman gasped for air. The tense man with the scarf turned away from the passersby and tried to drag her along.
Confused, I stepped back from the window. Before I closed it for good, I paused and thought.
The whole scene had been unpleasant to watch, but I assumed that the person being chased by those three men had to be a criminal or something of the sort. To me, there was no other way to explain the drama unfolding before my eyes.
Suspiciously, I waited until the men with the loudly struggling captive passed the part of the street where the light from the building across the way shone down. Now directly in the light, the three men and their captive were visible a little more clearly for a moment.
Because of their speed, they were only in the light briefly. But I was absolutely certain that the three men were wearing some kind of uniform. I was not sure which uniform exactly. However, it seemed strangely familiar to me. I tried to remember where I had seen it before, but I just could not recall it.
"H-help!" the woman screamed in panic. "They are going to kill me!"
Despite the frightened captive's words, I closed the window. Even though my heart was racing and for a fleeting moment I felt frozen in place. Because I had remembered where I knew the uniform from. Lucian owned the same one. I had caught a glimpse of it years ago when he returned from duty. Therefore, those three men had to be knights of the realm. More specifically, they had to belong to the Royal Guard, a special elite unit. Not the kind of knights you would simply encounter on the street. Taking a deep breath, I tried to forget the scene that had just unfolded before me.
I sighed and set my book aside. Even though the window was closed, I could still hear the captive woman's muffled voice:
"Help! Somebody!"
It is all right, I thought. It seems like the knights have captured a criminal. There is no reason to get involved.
With these thoughts, I tried to distract myself. Once again, I heard cries for help from outside. The drafty windows made it truly difficult to ignore them. Every single plea sent a stab through my heart.
Why was this woman fearing for her life anyway? Executions had not taken place since the coronation of our current king.
The prisoner's voice was now only faintly audible in the distance.
Do not get involved, Nova.
It is for your own safety. This has nothing to do with you. Let the knights do their job.
I bit my lip. Before I knew it, I had sprung to my feet in an instant without even thinking about it, grabbed my sword, and threw my brown travel cloak over my shoulders.
"Oh, damn," I heard myself mutter.
There was not much going on in the ground floor of the inn anymore. A few guests sat at the tables, talking quietly. Most seemed to have already gone home.
At the old staircase leading down, I took two steps at a time.
A young man who worked here, the one with the short blond buzz cut and greenish eyes, approached me as soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs.
"You are not planning on going outside, are you?" the young man asked in disbelief. Val had introduced him to me a few hours earlier, but I just could not remember his name yet. I somehow felt bad about that.
"I am sorry, I am in a hurry," I apologized and quickly slipped past the young man who had been blocking my way. I darted past the bar toward the door. My hand had already clutched the door handle when he hurried after me and said,
"You should not go out! A few men from the city guard were here earlier. They said it is dangerous outside! No one is allowed to go ou–"
That was the last thing I heard from him after I stepped through the door. Then I pulled it closed behind me. I had to hurry.
So I ran out onto the street where I had watched the disturbing scene earlier. Both the couple and the three knights with their captive were already gone.
Where could they have gone? I looked around, but it seemed I had arrived too late.
Maybe that was for the best.
Just as I was grinding my teeth and about to head back into the inn, I heard the captive woman's frantic voice from a distance:
"Help!"
The cry cut through me. I followed it. They were undoubtedly still nearby. They probably had not gotten very far. I followed the street until the end and then turned left, exactly in the direction the voices had come from.
The closer I got, the more I could make out. I tried to hold my ragged breath so I would not give myself away. At first only the woman's panicked voice was clearly audible, since she was crying out so loudly. But after I had approached the group I heard one of the men say:
"Do not make such a fuss. No one will help you."
I could not see them because of the house wall. Quietly, I crept closer and peered around the corner.
"You know, if you… if you hand me over, Aurel w-will…!" the woman stammered. The man with the scarf still held her tightly by the upper arm. No matter how much the woman pulled and struggled, he did not budge. Instead he dragged her along behind him. The other two men in the uniform followed him.
Now that I was so close to the group, I noticed that all three men wore a sword at their hips. If the men were indeed knights of the kingdom as I suspected, that was not particularly surprising. Still, it made me very uneasy. I felt my palms grow sweaty.
"Let us return to the palace quickly and get this over with," the man with the scarf murmured as he led the captive forward. So these really were not ordinary city watchmen.
"Understood, chief," the other two men replied.
Chief? A very unusual form of address for a knight.
The woman let herself drop in the hope of buying some time. She screamed at the top of her lungs in panic:
"Jarek! I beg you! Aurel will not leave me alive!"
"That is enough," hissed the man with the scarf, who seemed to be called Jarek, tense, and he yanked the woman back to her feet with a strong jerk. As if she weighed nothing at all. Even I, hidden and safe, jolted.
"It is useless to resist like this. I can just throw you over my shoulder," he snarled at her in anger.
Taking a deep breath and ignoring the slight trembling of my hand, I stepped onto the street and walked toward the group. Everything in me screamed that I should turn back. But I ignored the warning. I simply could not do otherwise.
Then I cleared my throat and spoke up,
"Excuse me, what is going on here?"
Whatever had happened, there had to be an explanation for all of this.
The knights turned around with raised eyebrows. Filled with fear, the woman immediately called out to me,
"Please get help!"
My shoulders tensed at once. What was happening here?
One of the two men asked in clear confusion,
"I thought the city guard told the citizens to stay inside?!"
The other replied,
"They did."
The sky cleared, and the two moons illuminated the streets of Grania. The woman currently being held captive seemed to be about my age, perhaps a little older. She had wild, curly hair that framed her round face in a messy way and reached down to her shoulders.
This Jarek stood with his captive in the center of the group. I immediately noticed the burn scars on his face. They stretched widely from his forehead across his nose down to his chin. Parts of his neck also seemed to be scarred.
His gaze rested on me, alert. The other two knights, one with light hair and one with dark, moved in front of the man with the scarf and his captive as soon as they noticed me. One hand rested on their sword hilts.
Instinctively, I stepped back as my heart pounded in my throat.
Finally, Jarek spoke,
"This does not concern you. It is not safe outside right now. Go home and wait for the city guard to give the all-clear."
"Kiyan! I am here!" his captive suddenly cried out and looked around desperately.
Nothing. Whoever that was did not seem to hear her.
She drew another breath and shouted,
"Kiy–"
Jarek silenced her by pressing his hand over her mouth.
"He cannot help you," he growled.
Then he turned to the two young knights,
"Let us go."
It seemed the matter was settled for him.
Desperately the woman tried to speak, but with a hand over her mouth she could only manage a muffled "Mhhmmh." Tears shimmered at the corners of her eyes in the moonlight and all color had drained from her otherwise dark face.
I swallowed hard. A queasy feeling spread through my stomach, a nervous tug. My hands began to shake more. Something was very wrong. My instincts were screaming and they had rarely been mistaken. I tried to rein in my feelings and spoke in a feigned steady voice,
"What has she done? And why does she fear for her life so much? You are knights, are you not? Would a criminal not try to escape quietly without attracting attention?"
The men had turned away with the captive and were already several steps away. But when they heard my pointed questions, Jarek paused for a moment. The rest of the group did the same. Without turning around he said in a threatening voice,
"Go."
"Mhhhm," the captive whimpered in despair. Then they continued on with her.
I stood as if rooted to the spot. My throat was bone dry and my thoughts raced. Could I leave this stranger to these men with a clear conscience? Were they really knights of the Royal Guard, like Lucian? I doubted it. Either they were not knights at all or something else was rotten in this matter. And who was this Aurel and why did he want this young woman dead? If this woman had overreacted, the men would surely have reassured her that nothing would happen to her after her arrest. It was also strange that men from the palace were running about the city and arresting an alleged criminal. Normally such matters fell to the city guard and not to elite soldiers.
Turning away now would mean returning to my life and forgetting the whole thing. But could I really forget this evening? Could I simply erase that panicked face from my memory forever? The answer was no. I could not live with that. I was certain of it. If I looked away now, the life of this young woman might end as a worst case. And who knew whether she even deserved that.
One thing I knew for certain. I could not abandon someone who looked as terrified as she did.
My heart pounded so fast it felt as if it would explode. I felt sick. I knew this feeling. It always appeared when I was about to lose control. Perhaps I could, for once, use it to my advantage.
The promise I had made nine years ago echoed in my head.
Promise me. Promise me you will never use it again.
I knew why I had to make that promise. It was for my own safety. I truly understood that. For so many years I had lived with that burden. I hid from the world. I hid from that being.
Now it is up to you.
I remembered those words as well, and the person who had spoken them to me. She had always been my sun. I still feel her cold hand on my cheek, just before the life left her. I am sure she wanted me to use her gift for good. Her last words told me she had not bequeathed all this to me merely to protect me. Why else would it be entrusted to me?
I drew a deep breath of the cold night air. The trembling in my hand subsided. My right hand under the cloak reached for the sword at the left side of my hip.
I knew it was foolish. I knew I would get into trouble. But my heart was simply stronger than my common sense. I could not resist it.
There was a click of the latch as I drew the sword. It was not a loud sound, but the young knight with the light hair, whose front hung into his face in a short side fringe, noticed it. He spun around at once.
Another breath. Strength filled my body. Every muscle, every fibre of me thrummed with energy. But the price was high. I knew I had to hurry. And if things got out of control, it would become dangerous. I could not allow that to happen.
"She has drawn a weapon!" the young knight shouted. The others pricked up their ears. I lunged forward. While I pushed off the ground with my right leg to sprint forward, I drew my sword. The young knight did the same, but it was too late.
With a precise strike of the pommel directly to his temple, I knocked him out. His sword dropped from his hand at the same moment. His eyes rolled and his body sank motionless to the ground. I had struck him with such force that my hands, which gripped the sword hilt, burned.
I understood: that would not work again. My only advantage had been that the men had underestimated me. In a fair swordfight I would definitely be defeated by the knights, even by such inexperienced ones as these two.
The real danger, however, did not come from the young knights.
Jarek shoved the captive toward the remaining young knight, who had also already drawn his sword. He had previously been standing with his back to Jarek and the captive. When the woman was shoved, she collided with the young knight's back. He looked around in surprise. Jarek commanded,
"I will take over. Make sure she does not escape."
The young man nodded and grabbed the woman by the upper arm.
I stood about five paces from them. Beside me the other knight lay unconscious on the ground. He was, of course, somewhat alive, at least given the circumstances. His chest rose and fell. Barely perceptible, but there was movement. He would definitely wake up with a splitting headache.
Jarek approached me now and slowly drew his blade from its sheath. He watched me closely.
"Run away. You cannot win. He is a Leonis. Get help instead," the woman called to me, visibly worried.
Now he stood before me. I gripped my sword more firmly. A Leonis, she said? I had heard stories. If this man really was a Leonis, then I had an even bigger problem than I had thought. My fear rose to immeasurable heights. With trembling hands I struggled to hold the sword steady. But I forced myself to keep it together and to show as little of it as possible. Never show weakness. That is what I had been taught.
Then the captive woman shouted,
"Hurry. Run!"
Jarek remained standing in front of me in a threatening manner. His sword was in his hand, but not raised. Before, he had been very tense, yet now he seemed the embodiment of calm. What was going on in his mind? He was a mystery to me.
Jarek said,
"If you leave now, I will turn a blind eye and not arrest you for obstructing the Royal Order."
Sweat ran down my forehead. I suppressed my negative emotions, especially the fear, as best I could. It was important that I did not fall into panic.
For me, it was certain that I would try anyway, despite everything. I could not bring myself to simply walk away. Even though I cursed myself for my stupidity.
I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword with both hands. I raised the weapon beside my face.
"I understand," he murmured and sighed.
One moment he stood before me unguarded, which I had intended to use to my advantage, but in the next he stood in front of me faster than I could follow. Exactly on the side that was currently undefended.
I swung my blade around and blocked the strike at the last second. The impact had so much force that the weapon almost flew from my hands. My palms burned, but I did not let go.
Blows rained down on me. I stepped back and parried in the rhythm of his strikes.
The slightest carelessness and it would be over for me. Only thanks to my body reinforcement was I still standing.
I braced myself for the next strike, but it did not come. Jarek stood there with his sword raised, sweat running down his face as he breathed heavily. For a heartbeat I thought he was at his limit, but then he suddenly lifted the weapon and feinted a downward strike. Instead of attacking from above, he came from below. I stumbled back just in time. The blow missed me by a hair's breadth.
More attacks followed. I avoided them with great effort, but I was being pushed back further and further.
Despite his obvious exhaustion, every one of his strikes carried strength and precision. I knew it was only a matter of time. The more he forced me back, the more panicked I became. And the more mistakes I made.
He managed to force my blade down to the side. The pressure inevitably pulled me forward. He released me before I could react and aimed at my neck.
Damn.
My heart stopped for a breath.
Just when I thought there was nothing left for me to do but die, every cell of my skin began to burn. It was a burn similar to the one on my palms, caused by friction. But this burn changed. It went from a light pain to a pleasant warmth. The warmth grew more intense and more intense. I was afraid I would burn. That was how hot it was. Yet the intense warmth, which had now become heat, did not harm me. Instead it surrounded me like a cocoon.
Unconsciously, I had closed my eyes. Something my father would have surely scolded me for, as he had always drilled into me that one should never close their eyes in battle.
The pain at my neck never came. I slowly opened my eyes and saw just in time how a whirl of flames erupted from me and hurled Jarek away.
The vortex hurled him quite a distance. With a loud crash, the man hit the ground. My whirlwind of flames had not only thrown him back but also burned his arms and upper body. His face was contorted in pain, but he did not cry out or scream.
Not even the uniform had been able to protect him. In the end, it was nothing more than a piece of cloth.
"Chief!" the young knight shouted.
Jarek lay on the ground. He seemed completely exhausted. Despite that and the burns on his body, he tried to push himself up.
I felt terrible. He seemed dangerous, but I had not wanted to hurt him. Truly, I had not.
The sight of his battered state made my stomach twist.
"Impossible," he muttered.
The stranger, the captive woman, watched the scene in utter shock. Even the young knight seemed to slowly realize what had just happened.
A paralyzing fatigue set in inevitably. My body grew heavier. I trembled again, but this time it was far worse than before. Damn.
Jarek struggled to his feet with great effort. He could barely stand. Why was he so worn out? It could not only be from the injuries I had given him. Something was wrong with him.
"You really are…" he said, as if he himself could not believe what he was saying.
"A-a human with magic?" the young woman stammered. She first stared at me in disbelief, then in intimidation. She tried to back away, but the young knight who was still holding her prevented her from moving, as he too had frozen in place.
Their horrified faces pained my soul. It was the same every time. Truly frustrating.
Suddenly my body felt so heavy that I nearly collapsed. My vision blurred on and off. But at least the whirlwind of flames protected me for the moment. I had to think of something. Jarek, despite his condition, lifted his sword again and exclaimed,
"It can only be you! You are the legendary Flame Hunter!"