Hidden Warrior

Weary eyes

One year later

My slender fingers trace along the rough windowsill leading me up onto the chilling glass that instantly steals the heat in the tip of my finger. The image of town is blurred out by the constant raindrops plummeting against the window.

I feel a large hand clasp my shoulder gently making me tense for a moment before Brien the bar owners voice puts me to ease again. "You should probably be headin' to bed miss." I twist around to see his gruff frame before me. Anybody would feel intimidated by this is man if they didn't know him but I could see his soft side. His dark eyes become caring when he talks to me.

I bow my head and smile up at him. "Goodnight Brien." I gracefully swivel through the tables to the staircase leading up to the rooms.

The long hallway leads me to a old wooden door marked with scars and cuts in its strong wood as I twist the handle I find myself in my small room. A rusted metal framed bed in the corner, a desk lies in front of the large window where I keep my spell books and a single rose it's soft petals slowly wearing away and wilting, and a large stone fire place it's red hot flames flickering and cracking filling the room with dim light and casting monstrous shadows across the walls.

Finally my eyes land on the large orange cat curled up in front of the fire his turfed up fur matching the flames.

"Good evening Aslan." I nod my head to him giving a calm smile and heading over to my desk. Soon he's at my side watching intently as I shuffle through my mass of books opening up to a map of the area. Aslans slender body climbs across the table and stares at the page I tap on the small mark on the map named Karrzeel. I quickly slip down to the bottom shelf of the desk and open it up pulling out black metal armour.

Aslan leaps off the table and I watch as his skin morphs and twists, his bones grow larger, his strong jaw clenches and soon I'm staring at a handsome young man his long blonde hair falls to his wide set shoulders leading down his thick muscular body then back up at his eyes, a glowing yellow flickers one last time before settling into a subtle pale yellow with a hint of green.

My soft cheeks turn a light pink and I quickly take my eyes off him when I find his sly shirk. I soon run over to the small bathroom and change into my armour.

'Karrzeel was brought up today by two guards in the bar, I over heard them discussing a legendary staff of magicka that lies deep in the ruins. If we could get that it would bring us one step closer to figuring out the magick we need to use in Galmunds spell tomb." A small hint of sadness washes over me at the thought of him. I continue to explain heading to the windows and pushing them open letting a gust of cold damp air fly in flipping the pages of my books and extinguishing the few candles I had lit. 'Now we can sneak out through the river bank that leads through town so were not spotted by any guards being out past late hours." I begin to climb through the window when Aslans large hand grips around my arm gently.

"Listen, I understand you want to figure this out and fix things for Galmund but maybe we should spend a day or two researching and collecting books from the library or talking to some travellers who pass through the tavern." His low brows and sharp features cast worrying shadows through the dark light. "We need to know what we are up against before we just jump in."

I stall and stare hard at his face. "We've been researching for over a year now. It's time we go in and take action." I unsheathe my sword before taking a hard leap the ground.

I wait a few moments before I hear a soft landing from Aslan behind me, I turn to see his muscular body frame become a dark silhouette against the night sky lit up from the shattering lightening. I sense his cat like body tense up then fall back at ease. We wind through the village hiding beneath the shadows