get as far away as we can!” Sasha said, getting more and more frantic. Legon started to pace.
“We need to leave and go to Salez. I have to find out why I’m being hunted, how they found out about me. We can’t just make it look like these men were robbed and hope for the best. We need to get answers,” Legon said,
“Salez? Are you out of your mind? We just killed a bunch of royal guard looking for you. If we go anywhere near that city, we’re dead,” Kovos said.
“Yes. Salez is not a good idea. They’ll know about you,” Sasha started.
“No. I have to go there and try and get some answers.”
“You’re part Elf. Why not try and kill you? What more reason do they need?” interjected Kovos.
“How did they know what part of the empire I lived in?”
Arkin needed to get them moving. It was unlikely that anyone would come by, but that didn’t mean it was smart to take the chance, and he did need to go to Salez. Besides, it was on the way. “I agree with Legon. We need to go to Salez, and I will come with you. If anyone comes by here they need to think these men were robbed and killed. Trash the place, but make sure to take anything of value. Don’t argue now, just do it.”
Kovos looked as though he was going to protest more, but stopped at a look from Arkin. He punched the air and began to tend to the men. Keither looked woozy.
“Sasha, take care of Keither. Don’t worry about doing this, we can handle it.”
They also needed to get out of here for all of their sakes. Sasha was on the edge of losing it, and Kovos, well, he had been downright scary. Sure, he had fought well, amazingly for that matter. It wasn’t the total lack of caring that was the problem, but more the situation. Legon and Kovos had every reason in the world to fight and kill the way they did, which was good, because now they could do it again. But at the end Kovos hadn’t just killed that man like the others. He had butchered him, and it was only then that he had calmed down and that his fear and anger had subsided. He would have to watch Kovos to make sure he didn’t turn, to make sure he stayed grounded.
Legon didn’t really see these men as people anyway, and in truth they did need the money and supplies, so he didn’t fight Arkin on it. The thing that had him going was that the carpenter was here at all. And what were those swords that he was using? They sliced the men without effort, even with the armor, and the commander, how did he make that shot? As he thought about the commander, he approached his body. Something seemed off in some way. It was the arrow that was sticking out of him.
As Legon got closer he noticed something strange about the end where feathers should be. He reached out and felt a bristle-like fiber on the end of the arrow. The shaft was narrow and as it led down it was covered in blood-a lot of blood. Way more than should come from an arrow wound.
Sasha was over his shoulder staring at her dead assailant. “Legon, why did he bleed so much? Does that always happen?” she asked, curiosity apparently getting the best of her.
He pulled on the shaft. As it came out he noticed another oddity about the arrow. “Arkin, maybe we should get those answers now.” Arkin looked up from the man he was robbing and a frown crossed his face.
“Please, Arkin,” Sasha said.
Arkin reached over his shoulder and plucked an arrow out of his quiver and tossed it to Legon. It was odd- looking too. The arrow was amazingly light. It had a three-bladed head, but the blades weren’t metal. “Wood,” he said softly. There was more. He ran his fingers up the arrow that was covered in holes for about an inch and then more about seven inches up. Understanding took hold as Sasha spoke. “What are the holes for? Is that wood?”
“Why the holes, Legon?” Arkin asked as he stood over them. Kovos and Keither were now moving toward them.
“When something is shot with an arrow you start to bleed out, but the arrow plugs the wound. Once removed the wound bleeds a lot, so you have to wait until a healer is around to pull it. But not with this arrow. You see these holes at the front of it?” he said, placing it in Sasha’s hand and pointing out the holes.
“Yes.”
“And how light it is?”
“Yes.”
“Well, my guess is that the shaft is hollow and the holes in the head vent blood to the holes up farther, basically holding the wound open so you bleed out fast, and I mean real fast. Arkin, what is this? There is no way a wood arrow is that strong.”
“It is if it’s made by an Elf,” Arkin replied. Legon felt his stomach drop.
“I am an Elven agent, Legon. I have been the whole time I’ve been in Salmont. I knew your mother, and you have been my mission.”
Chapter Ten
“I remember the first time my eyes were opened. From that point on I’ve had a hard time taking things at face value. Most people and things are so much more than what they seem. The question is, do you want to see what they are, and how do you know you’re seeing the correct thing?”
Legon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. There was no way that this was happening, no way that Arkin was telling the truth, but he knew he was.
“You’re an Elven agent and I am your mission?” he asked, just to confirm. Arkin looked put out. This probably wasn’t how he had planned on breaking the news to him.
“Yes, Legon, I am. You want to ask a lot of questions, but not now. Right now we need to move camp for the night. I promise you will have lots of time to ask questions. You have that right, and I won’t stop you.”
Time was not moving all that fast right now, and Legon’s brain was not working at the moment. It was done for the day and it wasn’t going to take anymore. He turned and looked at Sasha. She was still covered in blood, her face pale, mouth open. She looked at him, looked him right in the eyes. Never had she looked like that. She was defeated, hurt, humiliated, and her life was turned upside down. She hated violence, and yet all she’d gotten today was that and a lot of it. There was a pleading look in her eyes, and it was this that brought clarity.
His problems could wait. He’d been in the dark his whole life, but Sasha and Keither needed to get out of this place. He and Kovos probably did too, but they would have an easier time keeping it together. After all, they had been the ones to end the situation and in a way this gave them at least some closure. He didn’t want to sleep here in the blood and gore of the day, and the pressure of the situation was going to get to him eventually. He needed to move and sleep. Then, maybe, he would be fine.
“Ok, let’s finish up here and get moving. Let’s take their horses. We can sell them or use them for pack. I don’t think it would be good to let them wander off.” He let the pressure shape his thoughts, let it make the important decisions.
This was something that came naturally to him. Pressure focused him, made things clear, and presented the best and sometimes only options. Maybe that’s why he was a good fighter. Most people lost their heads in a fight, like the soldiers today, but you couldn’t do that, not if you wanted to win.
“I agree. We will be able to sell them easily and we can keep a couple for pack so we can move faster,” Arkin said, walking over to a tent and knocking it down. He began kicking it about, breaking random things.
Kovos was still gaping at Arkin. Legon jerked his head at Keither and Sasha, which brought Kovos back. Soon the campsite was trashed and the men robbed, so he didn’t think anyone could tell it was staged, maybe because they had actually robbed the men, but he wasn’t thinking about that right now.
He began moving toward the horses. The ones the queen’s men rode looked fine, a few with specks of blood on them but they hadn’t minded the violence. Their horses weren’t used to it, so they were jittery. Phantom was
