A Disguised Singularity

Chapter 1 - Anartz

A full moon hung high and bright over the field that stretched between Anartz and the old, abandoned lighthouse. Recent reports of suspicious men visiting the nearby town and occupying the decrepit lighthouse and had been enough to warrant the attention of the Rurdinian military stationed close by. The Elurian men that came out to meet them didn't give Anartz and his fellow soldiers any time to ask questions. Instead, they immediately resorted to violence, ultimately leading to their own demise. One of them had even attempted to use earth magic against his team, but thankfully the Elurian wasn't proficient enough for it to matter. He wiped the perspiration from his face as he briefly surveyed the bodies of the deceased men that lay scattered about the field. Though it was middle of the night, the heat had barely subsided as the sun went down, leaving him practically drenched in sweat despite the relatively short fight. The random breeze that skimmed over the rocky coastline to relieve him wasn't frequent enough to properly cool him.

Anartz was one of the four members of Edur's team which had been temporarily sidetracked from their trip back to the capitol to discover what was amiss at the old lighthouse. This was to be one of Anartz's final missions away from home as a soldier of Rurdinia. Only a few weeks remained on his service contract with the emperor, then he would be a free man once again. He would finally be able to enjoy his family without the constant threat to his safety or long deployments. After struggling for years to conceive, Anartz's wife Amira had finally given birth to a son. As the years passed, Anartz found he was no longer satisfied with his life as a soldier and the long hours it demanded of him. Thankfully, there hadn't been any largescale wars since before he was born, so at least his time in the military had been far less dangerous than it had been for his father's generation.

Noticing the rest of his team were slowly gathering in the lighthouse, Anartz began making his way towards them while taking one final look over the fallen to ensure they were dead. As he approached, Anartz began to pick up on small pieces of a quickly intensifying discussion inside.

"They're Elurian, just like the rest of trespassers and should be taken care of in the same fashion as the men outside."

"Are you kidding? They're just kids, Rene. Not to mention, tied up. You can't seriously consider them the same as the men outside... and we all know those men weren't soldiers either. I've had tougher fights outside of bars!"

"Kids or not, they're still here... illegally. That makes them invaders, same as the rest!"

Anartz finally arrived, joining the half circle of man standing just inside the lighthouse. A gaping hole high up on one of the old, damaged stone walls, let in just enough moonlight to reveal the objects of the men's discussion. In a small alcove, huddled together on the floor with their hands and feet bound, sat three dirty children of various ages. Edur, their team leader was thoughtfully rubbing his well-maintained beard as he stared down at the children in silence. It was obvious that the only reason the children were still alive was because their levelheaded leader happened to find them first. Others on his team would not have thought twice about executing them on the spot. However, no one would try anything now that Edur was watching.

Their team leader sighed heavily before he spoke. "Well... we aren't killing them... that should have gone without saying." He stated as he peered over at Rene. "The real question is what to do with them. I'm sure very few Elurians would believe we weren't somehow involved with their capture and, as I hear it, things between our counties seem to be reaching a breaking point once again. So... walking them to a port and putting them on the next ship back to Eluria is out of the question... at least for now." Edur paused for a moment before looking at his men. "The smallest thing is likely to reignite the war our parents fought years ago and I'm not willing to let that happen again if I have any say in it. Far too many died... on both sides. Discretion is key here." Edur was a seasoned soldier, with over ten years more experience than any of the men on his team. Being the only magic user among them, Edur suddenly conjured up a small fire ball that floated into the air before it paused above their heads, providing the room with some much-needed light. As he knelt and went to cut the kids free of their bonds, Rene swiftly pulled his dagger free from the small of his back.