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Walking back home, Ki could still feel the tingles from touching the Chamber wall. Neither her nor Kattar spoke as they crossed Temple Street and onto Market Street, the quickest way home. It wasn't until they walked past Chi's Tavern that Ki noticed the absence of her uncle's usual request to go in for a bit. She glanced sideways at the older man and saw him walking deep in thought, brows furrowed and everything.

"Uncle?" she asked, a little hesitant. It wasn't often that her uncle would reply when he was in a state like this and sometimes he'd even snap at her for calling him back to reality. As she expected he did not acknowledge her presence, but when she laid her hand on his shoulder she felt his body tense under her touch and he looked up at her with a distant look in his eyes.

"Not here, child," he muttered, just low enough for her to hear. He increased his pace and all Ki could do was follow him the rest of the way home. She noticed a couple of people huddled together at a corner, whispering rapidly to each other. Frowning, she hurried after her uncle. When she glanced back over her shoulder the people had scattered. Looking up she saw one of the royal banners, the eagle's eyes looking straight at her.

She hurried the rest of the way home.

As soon as she closed the front door of their house, Kattar started muttering obscenities under his breath. She followed him into the kitchen where he sunk himself down onto a chair.

"Uncle, what is going on?" Ki asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"It can't be happening again," he mumbled, more to himself than to her. His face was somber, making him look older.

"What is happening?"

"Dead soldiers."

"What dead soldiers?" Ki was getting restless. "Uncle what are you talking about?" Finally, Kattar looked up at her, his eyes clouded with thoughts from the past.

"Soldiers of Royal Defence Guard patrolling the Northern sea border were recently found dead."

It wasn't uncommon for thieves and criminals to attack soldiers, but Ki didn't think this seemed to be the case.

"How did they die?"

"Black marks on their chests, handprints burned into their skin."

Definitely not common.

"It's a sign," Kattar continued, gripping a tuft of his dark hair with his hand.

"A sign?" Ki had never seen her uncle in such a state. Black handprints. Something stirred in the back of her mind. She'd heard about something like that before. When she was younger and was taught the history of Aethorin at school. It was from the dark times, way before she was born. Ki raked her brain for more information, but she couldn't remember.

The only history Ki had been interested in at the time was that of the Four Howlers. The finest and strongest warriors of the four Howler cities combined. Her great great grandfather, Kamphar, had been one of the Four. The mightiest Air Howler of his time.

There were only chosen one from each of the Howler cities in every generation. It was not the cities or councils or even the king who chose them, but the Chamber on Revelation Day. If the Howler mark on your arm was not only black, but also silver, then you had been chosen as a Four Howler. It was an immense honor, but it also came with a great sacrifice. Once chosen, the Four Howlers handed over their lives to protect the kingdom and its people. If one was killed, there would be no one to replace them. Ki's history teacher had told them of a time nearly two centuries ago, when the Four Howlers had all been vanquished in a great battle with another country. It had left Aethorin without their special protection and the country was in a vulnerable state for nearly twenty years before the next Four were chosen. It had been a dark age, full of wars and suffering. Even the king at the time had been overthrown by angry peers.

The Air Howler in the existing Four today was named Eldair, a rough man in his late thirties who spent most of his days at the palace in the capital. Ki didn't know much about him other than what she had seen of him when he'd been in town, which was rare.

Because of the current time of peace with the neighbouring countries, the Four weren't needed much out in the country like before and they knew time had come for a new generation. They would still occasionally take the trip to the major cities, but some would say that they were mostly placed in the royal castle just for show, for the amusement of the king. Ki couldn't really think of a fate worse than that.

Kattar's muttering brought Ki back from her thoughts.

"Uncle?"

"It's the mark of King Zagul's Shadow Walkers."

An involuntary shiver ran through Ki's entire body, making the hair on her neck and arms stand up.

"Zagul," she whispered, her thoughts back in history class.

King Zagul had once taken over the Northern parts of Aethorin, all the way down to the Aethorin mountains, claiming it as his own. He had sailed in on black ships from the Wastelands across the Aederlas Sea. With him he had brought Shadow Walkers. Their touch would weaken you and if it lingered for too long, it would drain your life energy as well as your gift. They were neither dead nor alive, but lingered in between. They had once been normal, some even gifted, but corrupted on their deathbeds, agreeing to take the lives of others in order to stay on earth. If it came down to it, Ki would not choose a fate as cruel as that. She would simply go into the beyond and never look back.

That night when she was laying in bed, instead of her nerves taking over by thinking of the inevitable tomorrow, Ki's thoughts wandered to Kattar and how much he had given up to take care of her. She had just been a little girl of barely five when she had been put in his care and he'd had to rethink his whole future. He had always been alone; no girlfriends not even potential ones. Ki couldn't recall the last time he had just hung out with his friends at Chi's. He may have spent most of his time there, but she knew he'd spent it up in Chi's office, alone, with just the food and ale for company.

Sleep eventually took over and Ki drifted into dream after dream of clammy Chamber walls and the piercing shrieks of an eagle.

The Air Howlers Book I ✔Where stories live. Discover now