“No, please leave me. My place is with my people. But I have a daughter. Please find her and save her,” King Darick coughed as he choked out hiswords.
King Darick raised his hand slightly and pointed to the wall behind his chair. On the wall were three painted portraits: one of him, his wife, and one of hisdaughter.
“Octavia,” I saidquietly.
I memorized Octavia’s appearance and then quickly fled the dinner hall to the forest. I went pretty deep into the forest, and stealthily climbed a tree. Since I have exceptional vision, I watched a group of Carpe Noctem begin to hang bodies from the trees closest to the edge of town. This was the clean-up group for the Carpe Noctem. They were to steal anything ofvalue.
Distant noises made me turn my head in the direction of the Darick castle. More Carpe Noctem were there throwing fire bottles at the castle. I had to laugh to myself when I saw that they were notsuccessful.
“Fucking idiots,” I said under mybreath.
I stayed awake all night, and when I was certain the Carpe Noctem had fled, I got down from the tree. I began walking around the hanging bodies and looked for Princess Octavia. I felt sick from the stench of the bodies but keptmoving.
There was no one hanging from the trees that matched the portrait painting of Princess Octavia. Convinced that she somehow escaped, I set off to visit an old friend. I journeyed on foot and walked at an easy pace. As my body was tiring just before dawn, I resigned myself to sit down and rest. It was true that the forest was my friend. I had grown up in the forest and felt at ease in it. It was nightfall that I was not particularly fond of. Nightfall, and whenever I closed my eyes, was when the demons of others’ pasts visitedme.
I leaned my head against a tree and shut my eyes for a moment. I swear that it had only been a moment, but when I woke with a jolt, the sun was already out. I did not even know whose demons they were anymore. But they mixed together in my head as though they had been friends forever. And they would be with me…forever.
As the sun was setting, I could see Derwin’s place in the distance. Being able to see his home in the distance gave me a burst of energy. When I reached his door, I took a deep breath and knocked. He opened the door, and a huge grin spread across his face. Derwin welcomed me into his home and gave me ahug.
“It is so good to see you, River,” Derwin said and slapped my back as we pulled out of the hug. “I saw you coming,” hesaid.
We both spun towards his door as it opened.Merc!
“Merc!”
I walked towards Merc and met him in an embrace by the door. Merc was my brother, and it was safe to say that he raised me, even more than Derwinhad.
“I missed you, River,” Mercsaid.
“Like I said, I saw you coming since last night. I told Merc this morning,” Derwin explained and put ales on the table for all ofus.
We settled down at the table and caught up with oneanother.
“You still doing what you had set out to do?” Mercasked.
I left Merc and Derwin when I was twenty years old for my crusade of saving souls of the lives my father and his clan destroyed. I had not been backsince.
“I am, yes,” I confirmed and took a sip of ale. “How aboutyou?”
“Yes,” Merc said. He looked away from me for a moment before Derwin caught his attention. “I tried living in Stonewald for a brief time,” Mercadmitted.
“What?” I said and leaned forward. “Why did you not try to findme?”
“River, you are on a path to undo the damage by Carpe Noctem. I only want to live inpeace.”
I could not argue with him. I knew his life had been hell, literally. I could not blame him for wantingpeace.
“Have you thought about disappearing and going to another town? You could blend in,” Ibegan.
Merc shook his head and pulled up the sleeves of his shirt to reveal gray-skinned forearms. I was shocked and asked him what hadhappened.
“It is the effect of taking sins for so many years, River. Do not be alarmed. This may not happen to you,” Mercsaid.
“Derwin, is there nothing you can do forhim?”
“He drinks a potion each week, and we think it slows the progression,” Derwinstated.
All three of us knew better than to even give air to talk of Merc quitting sin eating. We were destined to do so, and if we stopped, Carpe Noctem would kill us. It would be a painful, gruesome death. We had beenwarned.
