Part 70

Epilogue 2

The road leading out of town was treacherous, but the stranger had traveled it before. Of course, he hadn't been alone the first time, and the strange priest's prayers had bought them some protection on the way into Eagle's Crown. Alone and with nothing between him and the wildlife but the speed of his horse and the blades of his daggers, the voyage would be much more dangerous on the way out.

Still, he expected to make good time.

As long as he didn't run into any more of those people from the town. He had had to put steel to a few of them already, and it wasn't even noon yet. A couple had even run screaming through his camp in the middle of the night. He'd heard them coming and ducked out sight, but he doubted it made any difference. They didn't seem to care about the camp, him, or the half-dozen ways they could die in the next twenty steps if they kept running and screaming like they were. He scouted around and found their corpses a while later.

The smell clinging to their robes made him uneasy...

He'd started to leave then, but instead he relocated his camp. He'd found a spot near an old barn that smelled like smoke. Spent the night there. He didn't find the body until dawn... one of the townsfolk stretched out in a field near that smokey smell. A closer look told him it was one of the same folk that had attacked him the day before. The bartender? It looked like him, but it was hard to tell with that expression frozen on his face... that scream....

The stranger stifled a shudder, and watched the road ahead.

He spotted the boy easily.

There was a large boulder by the side of the road, and the boy was standing in its shadow. He was wearing a robe, and the color... brown? dark red?.... helped him blend in. It didn't hide him, though. He wasn't trying to hide... merely keeping cool while he waited. He didn't run or even move as the stranger approached.

Didn't try to hide the knives or the blood on his hands either.

"Hmph." The stranger drew his horse to a halt beside the boy. He looked down. The boy stared up at him. He was about seven... his body was, at least. His face was hard. It spoke of darkness despite the eerie lack of expression.

The boy's robe wasn't dark. It was white. ...with enough blood soaked into it to turn it a deep crimson-brown. The blades he was holding looked like gold.

"Well," said the stranger. "Aren't you a sight."

The boy stared.

"You from the town back there?"

The boy nodded.

"Where are your parents?"

"I killed them." The response was flat and cold. The stranger took the same tone with his next question.

"Did they need killing?"

The boy nodded.

"All right then. Nothin' wrong with that. I don't suppose you've seen a priest around, have you? A stranger?"

No response.

"See... me and him rode in together. He said he had business here. I didn't ask what kind. Didn't care. Wasn't expectin' him to ride out with me, but I figured I ask. He didn't get caught up in whatever happened here last night, did he? ...did you?"

The boy's eyes left the stranger's face and took in the horse and supplies. The stranger was traveling light.

"Yeah, I got room for you. So lets make us a deal. You put those blades in my saddle bag, and for as long as they stay there you can ride with me. At least as far as the next town."

The stranger untied the strap on his bag and flipped it open.

The boy placed the knives inside. The golden blades glimmered amid the meticulously arranged daggers and sharpening stones. The boy paused to stare at the collection of weapons. The corners of his mouth twitched and crept upward.

"Tools of the trade," said the stranger. "Ever heard of a blademaster?"

The boy shook his head.

"Would you like to?"

The smile widened, but it was an odd expression. Genuine... with a touch of malice.

The stranger liked that smile. It reminded him of his own.

"Yeah, you like the sound of that, don't ya? Well, come on up. I've got some stories for you."

In another moment, the child was settled on the horse.

"What's your name, boy?"

"Eric," said the child.

"Mine's Synjen. Synjen Hood. Now... blademasters. Where do we wanna start..."