ManaChild (A Summoner Fan Fiction)

The First Domino

Jewel paused a moment, holding her tattered gray tunic closed over a faded cornflower blue shirt with one hand. In the other, a torch was grasped tightly as she scanned the horizon for any signs of wildlife. Sea green eyes darted around the area, searching for the someone... or someTHING that had made the twig snap, bearing an eerie resemblance to an arrow being shot or a fired musket.

Best-case scenario: it was the first food of the day. Worst-case scenario: they had caught up to her.The tingling feeling at the base of her neck, like she was being watched, faded like the last star in the sky on a dawning day. Ironic, for the day as of now was anything but dawning. Night had fallen, making the woods blacker than black. If not for her torch and experience in this kind of thing, she would have perished long ago. Jewel fingered her dagger, strapped to her side. It was a beauty, a foot-long triangle of bronze gleaming like it had been polished yesterday. Which it hadn't. Yesterday she had been trying to protect the deer she had bought down from the packs of wolves that roamed the area. The hilt, made of gold, fit in her hand like it was made for it. A design of a wolf's head had been carved into the gold.

Jewel had always liked wolves. They were beautiful, intelligent creatures, natural survivors, and deadly fighters. All of the above applied to Jewel. Hopefully. Naturally, Jewel only used the dagger for hunting and fighting, though she preferred her bow for hunting, and the dagger was mainly for self-defense.

She glanced over her shoulder, frowning as that feeling of being watched made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end once again. Seeing nothing, she trudged forward, the harsh wind whipping her hair out of her jacket and into her eyes, forcing Jewel to stumble one way, then another.

Jewel raised her torch as she saw a flickering shadow. A cave! Shelter from the storm!

For the first time in forever, she dared to hope that things were going her way. Then the howling wind snuffed out the light from the torch, making her drop the now useless piece of wood and draw her dagger. Her spirits plummeted, but she forced herself to head where she last remembered seeing the cave. Rain poured down in torrents, soaking Jewel to the bone. She extended one hand, feeling the trees as she passed them. It was a good thing she wasn't afraid of the dark.

Jewel gripped her dagger tighter and slung her satchel and quiver firmly on her other shoulder. Putting her head down against the wind, she trudged towards the cave. The wind pushed against her and the land turned marshy with wetness, making her almost fall on her face and stab herself in the nose. Suddenly her shoulder brushed stone. Relief flooded through her as she felt to the side until she could feel the mouth of the cave, which, she realized, sloped downward in a eastern arc. Having no better shelter, she entered, listening for signs of life. Stumbling into a bear's den was not a mistake one wanted to make at this hour.

Feeling one wall with her free hand, Jewel noted the indents and pockmarks in the wall as her hand brushed against it, as well as the weathered, smooth stone that meant it could have existed for centuries. She stepped as lightly as she could, avoiding puddles of water and clouds of pebbles that could alert a creature to her presence.

A flickering light danced across the worn wall as she turned a corner. Fire? After a moment, a loud guffaw shot through the silence, followed by rough, grating voices and laughter.

Jewel could hardly believe it. Human beings! She hadn't seen anyone during her travels excepting the rare travelers she encountered. She started to walk faster, until her water-filled ears made out what they were saying. She shook her head and listened again. What she heard made her stop short.

"So, what do we do with him? Kill 'em?"

"I thought we needed to keep him alive!"

"We are not killing him. We kill him ONLY if there's another as valuable as him out there; we've been over this."