Shadow's Advent

Chapter Two

"Because I gave you such reason too after saving you from those slave hunters," said Kytheran, glaring. 

She snapped her head towards him. "Wouldn't be the first time a man saved a woman only to attack her later," she growled. Her ears went flat against her head. 

"Wait," said Cipher. She waved her hands. "Look, yes, Caraka is a sorceress. She does not have a broken mind though. I can assure you of that." 

"How do you know?" asked Aaralynn. She stomped her foot. "You haven't seen her in years. You admitted it yourself!" 

"If she were to have her mind break, it would have happened long ago," Cipher insisted. She gestured towards Caraka. "She has been at this game since she was a child." 

Aaralynn still glared at the girl. Snorting, she flopped to the ground and crossed her arms and turned her eyes away from the sorceress. 

A thick silence hovered over the group. Caraka and Aaralynn sat petulantly not looking at each other.  

"What about you two, then? I may be a sorceress but at least I can defend myself," she said pointedly at the elf. Caraka eyed at Kytheran's bow and Aaralynn's lance sidelong. 

They looked at each other. Aaralynn grunted and tightened her crossed arms. "Like Cipher said, we are just a couple of revolutionaries who want to change society," said Kytheran. 

"And what, or who, are you trying to revolutionize?" asked Caraka. 

"The Drecona Kingdom, of course. We don't believe in Tamesis' silly little belief about the perfect world that he is feeding the royal family," said Aaralynn. "Or the war in Alezaire." 

Caraka grimaced and hunched her shoulders. 

Cipher glanced at her. "Did you ever go near the fighting, young one?" 

The girl hissed at the older half dragon. Cipher frowned, leaned over and flicked her on the cheek.  

Caraka shook her head and crossed her arms, still glowering at Cipher. 

Kytheran shifted closer to Caraka, staring at her swords. "Would I be able to look at them?" 

She furrowed her brows, blinking a few times. 

"Your swords. Can I look at them?" 

"Why?" Caraka leaned back, tilting her head. 

He shrugged. "I may be an archer, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate swords." 

She took out one of the swords and clutched it to her chest. Her body tensed and she looked around nervously. She licked her lips and reluctantly handed it to him. 

The entire sword was black, even the blade. The handle was wrapped in black dragon skin and a black crystal sat in a dragon's claw for a pommel. When light hit the crystal, it strangely gleamed silver.  

Kytheran twisted the sword in the air. The blade also gleamed a silvery color when light hit it. He studied the strange metal, running his fingers down it. "Why does the sword-" 

Suddenly, he felt something crawling up from the sword onto his wrist, then forearm. Only, he couldn't see anything. He tried to move his hand away, but something kept it in place.  

Everything went quiet. The smell of blood and gore filled his nostrils and goose bumps crawled across his skin. His heart quickened. His hand started to shake.  

In his mind eye, he could see the silver eyes. 

And the ticking of a clock. 

"Kytheran!"