-Luca-

  The morning came slowly, the forest bathed in mist as the sun struggled to pierce through the thick canopy of leaves above. Dew clung to them, the air damp and chilling. The remnants of our fire crackled faintly, thin tendrils of smoke curling into the air. Sacer’s friend, Edric I think his name was, remained asleep, curled up on his side with one arm draped over his stomach. The injuries he’d sustained in the battle against that dragon had worn him down more than he wanted to admit, but at least he was breathing steadily.

  I stood at the edge of the clearing where we made camp, staring into the trees as I let the quiet settle over me.

  Footsteps crunched over leaves behind me, and I knew who it was before he spoke. “Didn’t sleep?”

  I shook my head, not taking my eyes off the trees. “Didn’t need to.”

  Sacer yawned, stretching his arms into the air. “Are you sure you’re not part owl?”

  A small snort escaped me. “If I was, maybe you wouldn’t catch me so easily.”

  “That’s true,” he said. “I mean, even when we were kids, you were terrible at sneaking.”

  I glanced at him. “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, come on. You have to remember,” he said, leaning against a tree. “You were always tripping over something- roots, rocks, yourself. And then you’d get mad at me as if I did it.”

  “You did put them there.”

  He shrugged, barely holding back a smirk. “That sounds like a theory.”

  “That sounds like you admitting it.”

  A groggy voice mumbled, “You two are so loud.”

  Edric sat up, rubbing his face. “Morning, sunshine,” Sacer said, “Sleep well?”

  He stretched with a wince. “I’d sleep better if I didn’t feel like I got trampled by a horse.”

  “That’s because you got trampled by a dragon,” I said dryly.

  Edric blinked. “Oh. Right.”

  By midday, we reached the outskirts of another village. It wasn’t large, by any means, but it was bustling with enough people that we wouldn’t immediately stand out. That was good. We needed information without drawing too much attention to ourselves.

  “We split up,” I said. “Ask around, but don’t be obvious. We’re looking for anyone who’s seen someone that looks like me.”

  “Right, because a guy with black hair and red eyes wouldn’t stand out at all,” Edric said with a smirk. “Shouldn’t be hard.”

  Sacer rolled his eyes. “Just don’t get yourself into trouble.”

  “Me? Trouble?” Edric grinned, feigning innocence. “Never.”

  We fanned out, each of us moving through the village, keeping our ears open for any mention of someone resembling me. I overheard a merchant speaking about unusual travelers but nothing concrete. Sacer returned with little more than shrugged shoulders. Edric, on the other hand…

  We heard the commotion before we saw it- raised voices, the scrape of boots against dirt. Rounding the corner, we spotted a group of thugs harassing an elderly woman near the village market. She clutched a small bundle of goods, her face tight with worry and fear.

  “I told you, I don’t have anything else..” she said, voice shaking.

  One of the thugs sneered. “That’s funny, because I think you do.”

  Edric sighed dramatically. “Oh no, looks like some lowlives are being lowlives again. Guess I better save the day.”

  Sacer quickly chimed in, “Wait, Edric we can all-”

  Too late, Edric was already striding forward, his easy going grin firmly in place. “Now, now, gentlemen. Don’t you think you’re being a little too… forceful?”

  One of the thugs turned to him, sizing up his five-seven, lean frame. “Walk away, soldier.”

  Edric tilted his head. “You know, I would, but you’re standing in the way of me being a decent person. So, no can do.”

  The thug moved to grab him, but before his hand could even get close, lightning arced from Edric’s fingers, slamming into the ground at their feet with a loud snap of electricity.

  The men quickly jumped back. ‘What the-”

  Edric laughed. “Oh, don’t worry. That was just the warning shot.” He twirled a small spark between his fingers, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “Unless, of course, you want me to try again. The next one won’t miss, I promise.”

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  The thugs exchanged uneasy glances. One scowled. “Tch. Not worth it,” They turned and retreated down the street, yelling obscenities at Edric as they went.

  The old woman let out a relieved sigh, placing a piece of bread in Edric’s hands. “Thank you, young man.”

  He gave her a bright smile. “Anytime, ma’am. It’s all part of the job.”

  As the tension eased, a strange feeling began to prickle at the back of my neck. Eyes- someone was watching me.

  I turned sharply, looking for the source of my discomfort. There, in an alley across the way, two piercing red eyes stared at me. Just as I caught sight of them, the figure disappeared into the shadows.

  Without a word, I darted after them. ‘Luca-” I heard Sacer call, but I didn’t stop. My boots pounded against the dirt as I sprinted into the narrow passage, twisting through the labyrinth of alleyways.

  “Wait!” I called. “I just want to talk!”

  I ran. Then- fire. A burst of black flames shot toward me. I barely had time to dodge, feeling the heat graze my arm. My pulse quickened.

  They’re like me.

  I pressed forward, determined. Another flame shot toward me, but I veered left, pushing off the alley wall to propel myself forward. The gap between us shrank as I closed the distance. Another turn- another burst of fire. I leapt over a stack of crates, landing hard but not slowing.

  He was fast, but not fast enough. My footfalls echoed against the stone as I reached out. Just as he was about to turn another corner, I lunged, my hand clamping onto his shoulder. He flinched, struggling violently as I spun him around.

  A boy, not much younger than me, maybe thirteen, stared at me with wide, terrified eyes. He trembled, his breath coming in short, panicked bursts.

  “Please,” he whispered. “Don’t hurt me.”

  The boy trembled beneath my grip, his chest rising and falling with quick, shallow breaths. Up close I could see the soot smudged across his cheek, his black hair tangled as if he’d been running for far longer than just now. But it was his crimson eyes that held me in place.

  He swallowed hard, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Please,” he whispered again, barely above a breath. “I don’t want to die.”

  I released his shoulder, taking a slow step back. “I.. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  The boy hesitated, his gaze flicking between me and the alley’s exit behind me, as if he was calculating his chances at escape.

  “Who are you?” I asked. “What’s your name?”

  The boy licked his lips but said nothing. He was still tense, his hands twitching like he was ready to summon fire at any second. I didn’t want to push him too hard, not when he already looked ready to bolt.

  “Look, I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I just want to talk. I have a few questions.” I said, keeping my tone soft. “You have those eyes. You know what that means right?”

  He hesitated, his expression wavering- fear giving way to something else. Understanding, maybe. “Damian.” He finally said.

  “Damian,” I repeated. “I’m Luca.”

  He flinched at the sound of my name. He knew it. Maybe not my face, but my name? Definitely. I couldn’t be sure if that was a good thing or not.

  I took a step back, giving him space. “I’m not your enemy.”

  Damian let out a shaky breath, some of the tension in his shoulders easing. He looked me up and down, then finally muttered, “If that’s true, then you should run.”

  My brows furrowed in suspicion. “Why?”

  The boy took another half-step back, glancing toward the rooftops. “Because they’re hunting me. And if they see you with me, they’re hunting you too.”

  Before I could press him further, a figure materialized out of thin air to my left, his broadsword swinging directly at Damian’s head. I didn’t have time to think, I just moved- I kicked Damian’s feet out from under him, knocking him to the ground.

  The sword whistled through the air, missing Damian’s head by inches. The attacker staggered, momentarily thrown off balance, and I took the opening. My first connected with his ribs, or at least where they should be. My knuckles instead met metal- armor. He was a knight.

  Damian hit the ground with a grunt, rolling into the wall just as the soldier turned his focus on me. In the dim light of the alleyway I got a better look at our assailant. He was lean, not too muscular, but not scrawny either. The definition of a soldier. He disappeared again.

  “How-” I quickly jumped back, the sound of a blade striking the ground where I just stood reverberating off the walls, sparks flying off the ground.

  Damian scrambled to his feet and took off towards the alley exit.

  A shadow shifted on the rooftop above us. My stomach churned. There were more?

  With a deep breath, I let out a torrent of flames from my body. They latched onto the invisible attacker, wrenching a pained cry from him as he flickered into view. Now that I had him marked, I didn’t hesitate- I drove my fist into his face, sending him to the ground.

  “Whoo..” I shook out my hand, the pain still lingering. My gaze snapped to the rooftops- empty. The figure was gone, he must have taken off after Damian. Wasting no time, I turned and sprinted toward the alley’s exit.

  The village square was a mess of scattered market stalls and panicked civilians fleeing the scene. In the middle of it all stood Damian, surrounded by three armor-clad soldiers. Black fire licked at his fingertips as looked up at them in fear.

  “Friends of yours?” Edric called from behind as Sacer and he caught up.

  My brother, ever the practical one, spoke up. “That symbol…” On the soldiers' backs rested two swords and a sun. The Valtarian Royal Crest. “By my name as Gabriel, I order you three to leave that boy alone!” He barked.

  The knights didn’t even spare Sacer a look. Their focus remained on Damian, their swords unsheathed but held at ease- no urgency, no fear. One of them, a woman, stepped forward.

  “With all due respect, Hero,” she said, her tone firm, “this is royal business. I suggest you stay out of it.”

  Sacer’s jaw tightened. “And what does this boy have to do with the Royal Family?”

  The middle knight, a man with broad shoulders and a voice like gravel, scoffed. “Last I checked, you weren’t king.” His grip on his sword tightened. “Leave this monster to us.”

  Damian flinched, his black flames flickering wildly, uncontrolled. “I-I didn’t do anything wrong!”

  The third knight, a younger man, spoke, “You attacked your caretakers.”

  Sacer took a step forward, placing himself right behind the three soldiers. He placed a hand on the middle’s shoulder. “I demand an explanation.”

  He shrugged him off, summoning a wall of ice around the three of them and Damian. Sacer cursed under his breath. The knights weren’t going to listen. They didn’t care about his title or his birthright.

  Edric sighed, electricity crackling in his hands. “Guess we’re doing this the hard way.”

  Sacer didn’t reply. His sword was already drawn.