Kian hadn’t spoken since his decision to stop feeling. Patriono had taken Els and her child to their destination. She wanted to go south or at least be out of the land of the Northern Protector. He looked at the barrels around him. If they entered now, he would be trapped; there was no way out. Even the small slits of light were too narrow for his body to fit through.

  Where will this lead? Are they gone, or still watching? Have they fallen, or have they prevailed? How would I know, stuck here in the depths of a cellar? Even if they survived, how could I speak proudly against them when the only thing I did was hide? No, there is no time to feel proud. It is nothing but a waste of emotion. They need to die. Take the shadows as brethren, make them family, have them kneeling at my feet. What had Hraban said? Be more aware of your surroundings and you will be completely invisible.

  ’We need to hurry. The coach will be here soon, and it will not stay for long.’ Patriono said as he led Els through the city. He avoided heavily traveled areas, using passages where he knew his customers lived. Els followed his pace. ’What do you mean by that? Does he… do you know?’ she asked. How could a bartender know such things? No, of course it made sense. He smuggled people to the places they wanted to reach.The customers of his are they involved. Was the bar just a front? Was he, in the end, trying to do good or simply make a profit from it? It didn’t matter. Even doing something good for selfish reasons was still better than doing something bad or nothing at all. Els accepted it, but these thoughts sparked other theories. What did that boy know? At first he looked like a small man, but he was only a child. What had he done? Why cover his face? Didn’t only guilty people do that? If only this could reach the Count’s ears. They could spread it through the entire land. Maybe even the emperor would hear of it.

  They stopped. Patriono pulled Els in front of him with one hand while pointing to a coach with the other. That is the one you need. Travels fast, travels safe, and good luck.’ Patriono said. Els hurried inside the carriage. As soon as her last foot lifted off the ground, the coach began moving. Haste, speed, and distance were needed.

  Patriono went down into the cellar. Time to relay the news Hartmar brought me, and to do a timely check-up. He came down to where only the top of his cloak was still visible in the daylight. Muttering to no one. ’Kian, I’ve got some news. Hartmar brought me word of two cloaked figures who passed through this town. One was enormous, and the other had orange eyes. Nothing about a third one, however.’ Kian didn’t respond to that. He just said one thing, repeating it. ’I gotta go.’ Patriono walked over. ’Kian, I-.’ He stopped for a few seconds to think his words through.’I know what you want to do, and that you need to do it. You can go whenever you want, and if you find your companions and they need a place to rest, bring them here. You are welcome here as well.’ Patriono handed him a map of the village; a single house was circled in red. ’That is where I live. You can come by whenever you are safe. Just promise me you won’t dirty your hands. You have an entire life that still needs to be lived in. And dressed like you are, you’re not fulfilling it. Take care and go quickly.’

  Kian stopped muttering. Something was heard, something soft. ’Thank you, Patriono… for everything.’ He grabbed the map from Patriono. ’Yet I need to do this. However, I promise I won’t lose myself in it.’

  Patriono and Kian shared a small laugh together. Kian took his horse and went up the stairs Before Patriono could open the back door, the one Kian had first entered through.A thought came to mind. Fresh air. Full daylight. A life worth living when it’s all done. All the people he could visit when this was over… to live in the end with Krahlik, to live with the hidden. Life flashed through him as if struck by the best dream. If you looked at him, you could feel the smile. With renewed hope he wanted to go. Patriono smiled but before he could open the door, a bell rang for a new customer.The ones accustomed to this place never let the bell go off. ’Kid, go back to the cellar for a moment.’ It was quiet. Something was up for now best to listen to him. Kian went back and it was as if the horse knew what was going on.

  Patriono went to the counter. He saw a cloaked figure with a bow beside him.’What can I get for you, good si— I mean, madam? From a distance, you couldn’t tell. These damn cloaks. First that kid, and now this. Well, the customer will always come first. She removed her hood, revealing dead blue eyes, eyes of a husk without a soul.

  Before Patriono could react, she had already placed an arrow in his hand. It was hidden beneath the counter. There was no way to notice it. Patriono did not scream from the shock. He moved toward it. If he could, he would have fallen to his knees, but the pain in his hand kept him standing, biting his lip to push the pain elsewhere. His eyes were wide.

  ’Where is he?’ she said, twisting the arrow in his hand. Getting closer to him. Letting those dead eyes stare into Patriono’s soul as if to take it away like a sensemartyr.

  ‘Don’t know what you mean.’ Patriono tried to say through his pain. ′ If you don’t talk, I’ll make you scream.′ She thrust the arrow through the counter. She pulled his head against the bar. She broke the arrow and pulled him over the bar, letting him fall onto the floor. She grabbed the bow beside her, pulled an arrow. ‘Talk.’

  Patriono froze, putting one hand in front of his face as if it could stop an arrow. ′ Wait, I do have a kid! He’s at my house!′ He almost screamed it out. Some sort of pride kept him from completely giving in.

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  ’Finally. Bring me to him,’ she said, her voice chilling. Putting the bow away, she grabbed him roughly and slammed him over a table toward the door. Walk,’ she ordered.

  Kian hadn’t gone fully into the basement; he stood in the doorway. If something happened, it was better to jump them. A bell sounded again, and soon after, a second time. Could that mean something? It had been multiple days since the cloaked figures were seen. That means I can safely check, right?

  Kian waited a few moments before sneaking into the bar. Slowly, he crept up. Up the stairs, through the hall, and into the bar. No one was there. They had all gone away after something happened. A table had fallen over, bottles lying on the floor. Looking closer, he saw the arrow in the countertop and its broken shaft on the floor next to it. Walking outside, the answer revealed itself. One of the customers hadn’t run away. Actually, multiple stayed. One of them said,’somebody took him. A ranger.’ It looked like he still remembered Kian from last time. Where could he be? Did they take care of him? Losing another friend... It cannot happen. Kian ran back inside, whistled for his horse, and rushed back outside. With his horse coming in close, fast.

  Kian went around asking people if they had seen anything of Patriono; some answered and gave tips to help him triangulate where he could be. It all felt like false promises. When he finally pinpointed the location, Hartmar came over. ’Kid, you’re not going to find her here. She is visiting Patriono’s home. It will be best for you to move north to see your fallen friend and forget the cloaked figures. I warned Patriono about keeping you too long, and now I’m warning you.’ he said. That beggar voice was completely gone. He now sounded more like a noble.

  Patriono sat in what should have been a comfortable chair, but with no option to move, it felt anything but relaxing. The female ranger stood in front of him.′I didn’t mean your kid.′ It was hard to hear any emotion in her voice, but he could swear it sounded angry.

  Patriono gave a small grin, the only victory he could have. ′Sorry for that, but it was the only kid I could think of.′

  She grabbed an arrow, set it on the bow, and let it fly into his shoulder. It pinned him down as the arrow passed through his shoulder into the chair. Patriono could not hold it together anymore and screamed in pain.

  ′You soulless witch!’ He spat. ′Why do you want a kid?′ She walked over, grabbing the arrow in his shoulder. ’You know exactly why.’ Her eyes pierced his, the soulless form giving way to something that wormed itself into Patriono’s mind as if feeding on his thoughts. She twisted the arrow like a screw to read him better, knowing it was easier when he was in pain than stubbornly resisting.

  Patriono screamed, tears flowing, and his eyes drifted until they found something. Something that made him stop crying, the reason to help the kid. A small portrait of his family. How lucky that they were gone for the week. That they would only be back after another week.

  She followed his eyes until they locked on the portrait. She stopped, let go of the arrow, walked toward the portrait, and lifted it up. ′You know.′ She began, voice low. It still sounded dead, but a peaceful kind of dead. ′I had a husband once. This… this was something I should have had in life.′ she said, with what sounded almost like an emotion. She almost hugged the picture. ′But God had other plans.′ She threw the portrait aside. Breaking its protective frame as it hit the ground. Still, it did its job, not damaging the portrait itself

  Her voice wavered, just slightly. Only a parent could notice that kind of pain. ′My child died just after we had them. My husband… he gave up the next day. I didn’t know what to do. I felt empty. So I hunted animals, creatures, monsters, anything just to keep from thinking about what I’d lost.′ Not only to take lives, but hoping that one of those things might be smart enough to kill me. Patriono could do nothing as she spoke. He knew that once she finished, he would probably be killed. ′ Then one day, a man came. He told me that if I joined him, he could bring my family back.′ She stepped closer to him.

  ′Wouldn’t you do the same, if you had the choice? Wouldn’t you do everything to keep your family safe? Would you not surrender everything to keep them alive?′

  Patriono looked at the painting, bloodied. ′I know one thing for certain,′ he said. ′They wouldn’t want me to turn into a monster. They knew life only comes once. And if one of us dies... we move on.′

  She suddenly loosed another arrow into his other shoulder. Patriono clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth, refusing to scream. Not letting himself look at his portrait being ruined. He forced himself to look and stare at the ranger.

  ′You’re lying,′ she hissed. ′Because it never happened to you.′ Her face, Her face and voice weren’t soulless; it was pure madness. An anger worthy of a devil.

  She slung the bow back over her shoulder. She raised her fist and slammed it into Patriono’s face. Again. And again, until he spat blood.

  ′Tell. Me. Where. Is. The. Kid.′ Each word was punctuated with another brutal strike.

  ′In... the basement...′ Patriono croaked. Surely Kian had left by now.

  She paused, stepped back, and grabbed his chin, forcing his face up to meet her gaze. Their eyes locked. ′He is or was, at least in the basement,′ Patriono said, forcing a weak, bloodied smirk.

  Her eyes narrowed. It was as if she expected it to be said. Without another word, she moved out of the house.

  Kian went to the red dot. It took a while but once there he saw how a ranger left that place. Missing him as she went a different direction. When she was out of sight. Ran Kian towards the house entering it without a doubt, without checking for traps. Only with concern do take haste. Inside, the hallway splintered into a handful of rooms. One door hung open, swaying just slightly in the still air. No way to falter no reason to be scared. Kian went into the room.

  ′Patriono...′ Kian could muster. He went to his chair.

  His body slumped in the chair. arrows pinned his bloodied body to the chair. His head hung forward. Getting close he heard some of his breaths.

  Patriono forced his head up. Just for a moment. For it slumped back down. ‘Kian.’ He whispered. ‘Why.’

  Kian took no time to answer for it. He grabbed his knife cutting the ropes binding him in the chair, broke off the arrows inside of Patriono. And moved his body like a puzzle piece of the arrows. Patriono fainted. Kian took him over his shoulder and walked out.

  As Kian stepped out People stopped and stared, but no one moved. No one helped. They looked for a moment before moving one. Kian yelled for at least a direction. No one answered.

  Until one man stepped forward. ′Let me help you,′ he said, steady hands lifting Patriono’s weight with Kian’s. Together, they hoisted him onto Kian horse.