The next afternoon, he went to cover the cobbler shop window. He knew no one else would do it, and until the house was sold, everything but the stone walls could rot in case such storms recurred. Luke helped him remove the pieces of glass that remained in the window frames and nailed boards in their place. His chest tightened with every nail he drove in, as if with each one he was sealing the end. Nothing would ever be the same. Never.

  "Are you all right?" Luke asked when they finished.

  "I will be," Leon said, wiping away tears, staring at the mournful scene before him, dreading how everything disappears in a day—everything changes. "Let's go," he finally said.

  They stopped by the Golden Pot to invigorate themselves. Their mouths were full of food and words. Leon recounted his visit to Katya the previous night, and Luke, with wide-open eyes, absorbed every word, occasionally forgetting to swallow a bite. He stared at Leon as he casually gnawed on the pork ribs and recalled everything Katya had foretold to him, adding at the end:

  "Of course, none of it makes any sense, but last night, she instilled a fear in me like no one else ever has."

  Luke giggled meanly. "Coward, you got scared by that crazy woman blabbering a bunch of crap."

  "I'd see you if that same woman, with that lunatic look, under eerie candlelight, told you that you would die," Leon objected.

  "You didn't believe her, did you? Well, they don't call her Kat Splat for nothing."

  "Where'd you hear that?" Leon laughed.

  Luke straightened up, solemnized, and changed the tone of his voice: "You know I move in reputable circles."

  Their giggles mingled with other spices of the Pot: whispers, shouts, the creaking of chairs, the pounding of mugs on tables, loud laughter, burps.

  "Don't worry about that nonsense, darling." Addie, as usual, came out of nowhere with two full mugs of the best wine in Terrun, slamming them onto the table. "I overheard you talking about Kat Splat."

  Luke grinned viciously.

  "Whatever that walleyed hen told you, it's not worth mentioning. If she had any gift, we would have known by now. She better keep picking flowers and walking the streets like a loony—she really is good at that!"

  "Don't worry, Addie, I've already explained everything to him," Luke said knowingly.

  "She probably told you a lot of rubbish to scare you. They all use fear; that's their main trick. The more unrelated sentences wrapped in black, the better. The more frightened you get out of there, the stronger the impression they left. Forget about her! If it were up to me, none of them would be here. Double vote in the Council, ha!" She continued to circle around the tables, agile and swift.

  "Have you thought about what you're going to do next? I mean, you did make a living off the cobbler shop," Luke asked.

  "Actually, I have."

  "If you want, I can talk to my father; you know he has acquaintances in the southern part of the empire… He knows some shoemakers as well."

  "Do you want to see my back?" Leon feigned seriousness.

  "Don't talk nonsense," Luke awkwardly laughed.

  "Thank you, brother." Leon was finishing up his plate of ribs. "Last night, when I was at Katya's, I briefly thought about learning the trade and buying the cobbler shop so that I could pick up where Rafa and I left off. But then I realized I can't earn that much money. According to her estimate, it will be worth at least five hundred arkens."

  "That's a lot of money..." Luke exclaimed in surprise.

  "It is. Too much. However, last night, I realized that it's not what I want anyway. I got carried away by emotions and what the shop means to me. But when I looked deeper, I realized I don't want to be a cobbler. In fact, I never wanted that," Leon explained.

  "What do you mean? Wasn't that your dream?" Luke was confused.

  "That would be my job, not my dream. A dream is what smolders deep inside us, what gives us strength. A desire so great that it frightens us. That's why many never ignite it—out of fear. That's why it extinguishes. And when it does, we are just an empty shell, walking. A soul that has died, but no one has told the body yet. I have to try, Luke. Now or never."

  Luke paled. He knew well what Leon was talking about.

  "But Leon, you don't even know anything about..."

  "It happened again," Leon said.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I'm sure you know." His gaze remained unwavering.

  Luke's eyes widened. "You're joking, aren't you?"

  "No, I'm not joking."

  "When?!" Luke whispered.

  "Yesterday. In the woods. That same feeling overwhelmed me again. My whole body tingled. I had a panic attack, and..." Leon paused. "Suddenly, fire appeared around us."

  "But that's impossible..."

  "I don't even know why I'm telling you this," Leon snapped. "Everything is impossible for you."

  "It must have been a coincidence..."

  "Sure, because fire just happens to spring up from the ground by coincidence. This time, there was no fireplace to light a rag, Luke. Nothing around me could have caused the fire. I felt it—just like last time. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel it."

  "But..."

  "I know you don't believe me, but can you please stop? I'm telling you, I feel like the fire came from within me. I felt the magi..."

  "Quiet," Luke snapped, cutting him off. "Don't say that in here! If any of the locals found out, the news would spread quickly to the Council and..."

  "What would happen?" Leon frowned.

  "You know very well."

  "They'd banish me? Big deal! I want to leave anyway."

  "I don't know what's gotten into you today." Luke was agitated. "You're talking nonsense."

  "I'm serious. You know I never belonged here, Luke. Bruno confirmed it before he died. I know nothing about my roots, my origin. I have to leave. You know I've always dreamed of that. Nothing ties me to Terrun anymore except for the graves of those I love."

  "But Leon, we're no longer children, and this isn't child's play. Are you aware that what you want is almost impossible?"

  "Almost impossible and impossible are not the same," Leon said tersely.

  Every word struck his heart like an arrow. He hated losing, especially in advance. Impossible didn't exist for him.

  Above all, it's astonishing how painfully breathless we become when those from whom we expect to ignite the fire within us seek to extinguish that flame. Even when they believe it's for our good, it feels as though they're extinguishing a part of us—a part of life—for some fires are greater than ourselves. And Leon felt as if, his entire life, they had been blowing in his direction—not to kindle, but to extinguish him.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  "You know that young men and women across the empire prepare for that calling for years and still never make it into the Legion. It was a boyhood dream for us, Leon, but the reality is something else. Our reality is here, in Terrun. My family is here, my father's workshop, and..."

  "And what?"

  "Isn't that enough?" Luke replied. "The road to the north is dangerous. You know nothing about the empire or what you're getting into. All we've ever heard are just stories..."

  "I have to try," Leon said. "I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I don't dare to follow my dream. You may be able to live with that, but I can't. And I'm already late. I just turned nineteen."

  "Many have been preparing since they were sixteen, Leon, as soon as they developed magical powers. Some were mentally prepared even as children..."

  "Thank you for encouraging me," Leon snapped. "I intend to set off for the empire as soon as possible, precisely for that reason," he said decisively. "Besides, I have to avenge him, brother. I have to avenge Rafa's death!"

  "What are you talking about? Rafa died during the hunt." Luke got visibly upset, hinting at what Leon was trying to say.

  "Nonsense!" Leon burst out.

  "It's not the first time something like that happened; bears are very dangerous..."

  "I'll be disappointed if you really believe that story, Luke. I'm sure no bear killed Rafa, and you know it well. There's something else behind it..."

  "Something like...?"

  "A bestia."

  "Leon..."

  "Don't try to convince me otherwise. You have the right to think what you want, but so do I, and you won't change that."

  Luke silently stared at the empty mug in front of him. "You're not joking," he said reconcilingly.

  "And you will stay in Terrun forever. Who's the coward now?" Leon grinned.

  "Admit it, you couldn't wait to get back at me," he said, smacking him on the head. They both laughed. "I know you well enough to know when to give up. I hope you've thought this through..."

  "I have, brother," Leon decisively stated.

  "When are you leaving?"

  "Soon. In two or three days. I believe it will take me that long to finish everything and prepare for the trip."

  It was already time for Addie to be lighting the lamps. The night peered curiously through the windows, hiding the daylight. Aside from Addie, the tavern was filled only with a drunken crowd of men, and, as it often happens, everyone talked to everyone—a round of empty glasses, a round of lies.

  Eager for his moment of glory, Payle recounted how, a few days ago, while traveling to pick up goods from the southern empire, three women had cornered him in a tavern in Rugham. Two were married, and one was a divorcee. All three had lavish breasts, which he described in detail. In the end, of course, he failed to defend himself, and the sex lasted until morning. He claimed they'd slipped something into his drink.

  "You know how women are in Zarnobia: by the time you turn around, they've already bewitched you. When I got up in the morning, I was drained. I'm telling you, guys, be careful when you go up there."

  They all burst into clamor at this story, seeking a valid reason to travel north and grapple with the buxom Rughamians.

  "Even if I had a magic potion, I would have avoided Payle, even if he were the last man in Eltrimera. What do you think, but honestly, has he ever slept with a woman?"

  "With a woman, hardly, but with one of his sheep—probably," Luke said, and they burst into laughter.

  They had a great time.

  Then Haurt and Bran talked about their catch from the last tennal: a bear that chased them through the Terrun Forest all day. When it stood on its hind legs, it was as tall as the two of them together.

  "We had already started saying our farewells and praying to the heavens..."

  "…And then we decided to ambush it," Haurt added.

  "We were only sure of one thing," Bran continued, "if we didn't try to kill it, it would surely kill us."

  "It drove us to the clearing; we barely escaped to the first trees."

  "Haurt hid in a big bush to my right; I was standing behind a thick cypress tree."

  "We didn't have any more arrows; we fired them all—they just bounced off it."

  "They've rehearsed this story well," Luke whispered, and Leon grinned.

  "When it came between us, we made a noise, and both jumped at it at the same time."

  "It was throwing us on the grass for a long time, honest to god..."

  "But we managed to knock it down and strangle it with our bare hands!"

  "Way to go, boys, you've got some guts," Luke shouted, and everyone loudly supported him. "You see, Leon, fortune favors the brave." He kicked him under the table, and Leon chuckled.

  "I don't know about you," Bart interjected in a shrill voice, "but after what happened to that shoemaker, I won't go into the woods again."

  Thunderous approval followed.

  "There's nothing that could make me go there," Trevor agreed.

  "Come on, guys," Payle interjected, "what's so strange about that? It's not the first time a man dies on a hunt, especially when he goes alone."

  These words wiped the smile off Leon's face. His gaze clouded, drifted.

  "Besides, you heard Bran and Haurt—who among us knows how many such bears rule the forest?"

  "Or wolves..." Haurt said.

  "That's not the deed of any bear, you fool. Even less so of wolves." An old man sat alone, scowling. He sipped a glass of dark draft beer and absentmindedly stared into it. Until then, he hadn't participated in the conversation, so everyone tensed.

  "Who are you calling a fool, Slaven?" Payle jumped, and Bart grabbed his shoulder.

  The old man didn't dignify him with a glance.

  "You," he burst out.

  "You know something we don't, huh?" Haurt snapped.

  "You know nothing," he said, swirling an empty mug on the table with his fingertips.

  "You want us to show you what we know?" Bran and Haurt were on their feet.

  "And do you want me to show you how this bat can ring on those hollow heads?" Addie stood before the bar, pounding a bat on her left palm. "Sit in your seats or get out and fight outside. Whoever tries it here won't have a good time."

  One by one, Payle, Bran, and Haurt sat in their chairs without saying a word. This brought a smile back to Leon's face. Luke clutched his stomach with laughter.

  Anyone who visited the Golden Pot often saw Addie deal with drunk guests at least once, a topic that was discussed for days afterward.

  "There, there, boys, let the man say what he's got," Bart said, trying to calm the passions. "What do you think, Slaven? What was it, then?"

  "It. You speak well, Bart. It." He mowed down everyone with his dark eyes nestled just below the eyebrows. "I spent decades in that forest. I hunted wolves, jackals, wildcats, even bears. Before my eyes, hunters died under their claws, but when I saw that cobbler's body, my stomach turned upside down. I don't know what it was, but no bear or wolf did it—you can be sure of that."

  Leon looked at Luke meaningfully, who anxiously averted his gaze. Silence suddenly ruled the tavern. Everyone looked confusedly at their palms or boots or the hems of their shirts, sipped alcohol out of their mugs or counted beams between the windows.

  Nothing like this has ever happened in this area, in this forest—their forest—and they believed they knew it so well. It was easier for them to justify crime with known felons. Terrunians were afraid of everything they didn't know, and in the air hung something none of them could grasp.

  "Old Joe says that on the night after Lunary, he was sitting here on the eve of the storm. As the clouds loomed over the forest, he headed home to avoid it. He claims to have seen a huge shadow flying over Terrun. Immediately after that, the storm started." Keeping his eyes on his boots, Bart believed that the quieter he said it, the more easily it would be accepted.

  "What?!" Trevor roared. "That old fool is drunk every night. He sees giant shadows hovering over his head even during the day. Come on, Bart, don't fuck with us."

  "Old Enoly saw the same thing when lightning shattered her roof," Haurt agreed.

  "Get me someone with proper sight," Trevor was determined.

  "Me," Bart shrieked. "I also saw a shadow over the forest the night before last. I went out to check if I had closed the cattle, and I swear something huge flew across the sky."

  "And common sense," Trevor didn't give in.

  "Are you saying the thunderer tore the cobbler apart?" Bran gazed palely from Bart to his hunting brother.

  "I'm not saying that," Bart quickly interjected, "I'm just saying what I saw."

  "No wonder the world is fucked up—blind old woman and drunken old man see a thunderer in the sky, and the next day everyone believes it."

  "I'm telling you, Trevor, I've seen it too."

  Trevor got up from the table abruptly and headed for the exit. "Addie, the money's on the table." He tossed a couple of silver forins and went outside.

  "I'm going too; Vera must be waiting for me." Bran stood up.

  "Wait, let's go together," Haurt lingered.

  One by one, the guests gloomily left the Golden Pot. Only Leon and Luke sat at their corner table, lost in thought.

  Addie hovered tirelessly around the tables, collecting empty jugs and glasses, rattling occasionally, frightening the silence left at their mercy.

  A fierce battle of rage and despair took place within Leon, his face alternating shades of red—partly from the wine, partly from the hot stone reigniting in his chest. The desire for vengeance flared up in him. Deep down, he felt that Rafa's death had nothing to do with bears, buffalo, wildcats, or any other animal he had hunted until then.

  "You see, I'm not the only one who thinks that," he finally said, unable to keep his thoughts to himself any longer.

  "There is no evidence. It's nonsense," Luke denied. "Just sheer speculation. Let's go, too." He rose as if scorched by Leon's words. "Everyone's gone, it's late."

  Leon didn't have the strength to argue. They wished Addie good night and said goodbye to each other at the entrance, so each of them continued their own way.

  In the sky, a beauty contest unfolded. The stars shone with such brilliance that it seemed each one was shouting: "Look at me!"

  "No, look at me," the next one would retort. "I am the most beautiful," the following one would say.

  Or maybe they were saying something entirely different—something much more important? Deeper? Perhaps, united, they were shouting something that needed to be heard but lost their voices. Who could say?

  Leon glanced up at the sky occasionally, but he didn't look at the stars. It was as if he were searching for something. An answer? A sign to confirm the doubts of his heart? Yet, that night, it eluded him.

  He was exhausted when he got home. Sleep was already claiming his eyes before he closed them.

  "Leon!"

  Hearing someone call him, he winced and straightened into a sitting position, but silence followed.

  I must have been dreaming...

  He pulled the blanket over himself again.

  "Leon!"

  He got up and approached the window, looking towards the entrance.

  "Luke, what's going on? I just lay down..."

  "I'm sorry, brother. I just talked to my father; he's finishing another delivery for Kotar. I thought you might want to go to the empire with the cargo. I know you've never traveled there, so I asked him if he minded..."

  "And what did he say, may I—"

  "Of course, consider it done," Luke grinned.

  "Great! Thank you, brother," Leon said radiantly. "I won't forget this."

  "There's only one small problem."

  "What's that?"

  "Delivery leaves tomorrow. At noon."