Prince Of Darkness

Chapter Two

I left the marketplace quickly, glad to get away from all that suffering, all that sadness. I turned into the woods. I started walking along a narrow path, created from all my years of walking through these woods. The woods have always been my refuge. They always make me feel safe and at peace. My father had felt the same way. He'd built our house deep in the woods, where we had no neighbors other than the songbirds and the animals. Being around nature always helped me feel closer to him. 

I shook away the thoughts about my father. I should be overjoyed right now. I have a large pouch of coins and an expensive watch that I can sell later. This was the most money that I had ever had on me at one time. I should be proud, yet I feel so empty. 

Lost in my thoughts, I forgot to watch my step. The  next thing I knew, I was being yanked upwards and left dangling upside down by my left foot. I had stepped right into a snare. A snarl of frustration left my mouth. How could I have forgotten this trap? I was going to murder the person who set it. 

I heard a snickering from behind a tree and then I caught a glimpse of light brown hair. Suddenly, I was staring into a pair of big, hazel eyes, twinkling with mischief. He stuck his tongue out at me and smiled. 

I growled. "Rian Deosa, let me down, right now!" 

He smiled again. "How bout no. You were the one stupid enough to get caught. I mean you were the one who had the idea to put a snare up here."

Oh, right. That was my idea. Oops. 

"So maybe I'll just leave you out here overnight." Rian continued. 

A thought came to me. I remembered that I had my dad's hunting knife in my pocket. I reached into my pocket and grabbed it and started to cut through the rope. Just as the rope was about to give, I called out for Rian. "Rian! Catch!" 

He turned around and sprinted towards me. He rolled his eyes as I fell right  into his steady arms. "One of these days, I'm just gonna let you fall on purpose."

This time, I stuck my tongue out at him and gave him a playful shove. I knew that he would never let me get hurt. I would do the same for him. That's how we worked. We were a team. 

I picked up some snow and hurtled it at the back of Rian's head. He turned around with a look of betrayal after the snow hit him. He dropped to the ground. "I've been shot! How could you Van? I thought you were my friend!" 

I rolled my eyes. Rian could be so melodramatic when he wanted to be. I smiled. I didn't even notice the snowball nearing me until it hit me square in the face. The next thing we knew, we were in a full blown snowball fight. 

***

It ended with us both drenched in icy water and shivering in the cold. Our cheeks were tinged with pink and our fingers were frozen. And yet, we were still laughing like idiots. This moment was perfect. I wanted to live in it forever. But sadly, we had to leave. 

"We should probably leave now, Van. I'm frozen." Rian said. 

I nodded. We started walking. "So why were you here?" I asked. 

Rian shrugged. "I thought I would catch a squirrel or something." Well that made no sense. He knows that there are no squirrels in this part of the woods this time of year. He must've seen the puzzled look on my face, because he quickly changed the subject. "You headed home?" I gave a quick nod and he smiled."Cool, I'll come with you. I've got nothing else to do." 

While I generally don't like talking to people, Rian was someone I always made an exception for. "So what did you do today?" He asked. 

"Rob rich people. You know, the usual." I shrugged. Then, I told him about camera girls and their brother. I showed him the watch that was gifted to me. 

"Huh, who would've known? Some of those snobby rich people actually have hearts." Rian commented. It was no secret that the aristocrats were despised by the residents of the Fray, but we did enjoy swindling them and stealing their stuff. With all of their flashy toys, they were practically sitting ducks. This was why Solstice was my favorite time of the year. 

We neared my house. Well, it was more of a hut really, but it was home. Here, I could forget about all my worries. Here, hidden deep in the woods, I can finally live.