Paragon of Destruction

After Arran and Darkfire left the Governor’s office, a servant escorted them to the guest quarters, which turned out to be an otherwise empty building with a handful of bedrooms, a dining room, a sitting room, and several bathrooms.

Once they arrived, several other servants brought them food and drinks, then departed, leaving the two of them alone in the dining room.

For some time, Arran and Darkfire sat in silence, eating their meals while drinking the Governor’s fine wines.

Finally, Darkfire spoke.

"You can use magic," he said, a complicated expression on his face.

"I can," Arran replied.

"You didn’t tell me."

Even if Darkfire didn’t sound angry, Arran could hear some disappointment in his voice, and he knew Darkfire’s trust had been hurt by Arran’s failure to tell him earlier.

"I would have told you," Arran said, "but we only just met, and with the Academy after me, I try not to show it too much."

"No matter," Darkfire said, his expression softening. With a slight grin, he added, "That fight of yours was truly something. That Shadowblood idiot didn’t know what hit him."

Arran laughed, glad to change the subject. "I hadn’t expected it to go that far. I never thought he would actually try to kill me."

"I’m afraid I’m to blame for that," Darkfire said, looking uncomfortable. "They targeted you to get to me, and it almost cost you your life."

Although Arran wanted to deny it, he knew it was true. Even if he didn’t blame Darkfire for what happened, the Shadowblood novices’ true target had almost certainly been Darkfire.

After a moment, Arran shrugged. "Whatever their reason, they got what they deserved."

"And then some," Darkfire said, laughing. "When you stomped on his knee, I think people could hear him scream even beyond the city walls."

Arran winced at this. Although it had been the best decision in the heat of battle, he had not intended to be that ruthless.

"You’ve seen a lot of battle, I take it?" Darkfire asked.

"I have," Arran answered honestly. "Ever since the Academy came after me, it’s been one battle after another. What about you?"

"I’ve been in a few fights," Darkfire said, "though mostly against bandits and the like. I’ve never been up against real opponents. Not in real fights, at least."

The answer surprised Arran. He had expected Darkfire to be a seasoned fighter, given the young man’s obvious skill.

Seeing Arran’s confounded look, Darkfire laughed.

"It’s not that I’ve avoided battle, I just never had many opportunities to fight outside of training," he said. "I spent my youth in the Shadowflame Society, and after that, I moved here. Just about all good fighters I’ve met were Society members."

"What about the Shadowbloods?" Arran asked.

"Loathsome though they are, they’d never attack a Society member," Darkfire replied. "Not inside the borders, at least."

"What about outside the borders?" Joining the Shadowflame Society would require Arran to travel beyond the Empire’s borders, and he felt some worry about what could happen there.

A thoughtful look appeared on Darkfire’s face. "I suppose things will be different there. Many initiates and novices disappear beyond the borders every year, and there’s little anyone can do to find out who’s responsible."

The answer did little to ease Arran’s worries, but the wine proved to be more effective. They spent several hours drinking and talking, until they had all but forgotten about the day’s events.

When they finally went to bed, it was well past midnight, and Arran had barely fallen asleep when a loud banging sounded on his door.

"Time to wake up!" a voice sounded, followed by more banging on the door.

Arran rubbed his eyes, then called out, "Who is it?"

The door opened, and briefly, Arran saw only a broad-shouldered silhouette standing in the doorway. When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he saw that it was Captain Xiao.

"Get dressed! We’re leaving in half an hour!"

Seeing that Arran was well and truly awake, Captain Xiao moved on, leaving him to drag his weary body from the bed.

Although the fight the day before hadn’t been too bad — as far as fights went, at least — his body was still sore, and his shoulder still injured. Even if the injury was a minor one, he wished he had more time to rest and allow it to heal. Yet clearly, rest and healing would have to wait.

After Arran got dressed, he headed to the sitting room, where he found Captain Xiao and a sleepy-looking Darkfire. He greeted Darkfire with a nod, then turned to Captain Xiao.

"We’re leaving already?"

"The two of you can eat first, but I want to be out of the city a good two hours before sunrise," the big man said. "This time of morning, there’s few prying eyes. And after yesterday, I figure the fewer people who know where you are, the better."

They ate quickly, and before long, Arran and Darkfire were following Captain Xiao along the dark city streets, the three of them all covered in gray cloaks. When Arran remarked that the cloaks only made them look more suspicious, Captain Xiao laughed.

"The city is filled with suspicious people," he said. "What matters is that they don’t know which of them we are."

As Captain Xiao had said, they left the city a good two hours before sunrise, and by first light, they were already several miles away. Even if the man had not seemed especially nervous earlier, Arran could see that Captain Xiao’s became more relaxed as they put distance between them and the city.

The journey took them several uneventful days, and eventually, they arrived at an estate that was surrounded by farmlands. Although Governor Eddarin had said the estate was small, to Arran’s eyes it looked quite large, with several buildings surrounding a sizable courtyard.

"This is it," Captain Xiao said when they arrived. "I’ll be leaving you here, but there are half a dozen servants who can help if you need anything."

After they said their goodbyes it wasn’t long before Captain Xiao departed again, leaving Arran and Darkfire behind at the estate.

They settled in quickly, each of them picking an empty room in the main building. The rooms were simple but luxurious, as if they had been decorated according to a wealthy official’s idea of what a farmhouse should look like.

Once they finished picking rooms, they explored the area surrounding the buildings. It was mostly empty farmland, with a small vineyard and a few acres of rocky hills.

Altogether, it was a pleasant if somewhat dull place — perfect as a temporary hideout, even if Arran would prefer not to stay there for too long.

That night, Arran and Darkfire sat together in the sitting room, drinking wine as they talked about the city and the Shadowflame Society.

As they talked, an idea entered Arran’s mind.

"You have a Realm, right?" he asked.

"I do," Darkfire said, the topic bringing a gloomy look to his face. "I just never managed to open it. I tried for several years, but I never succeeded in even finding it."

Arran hesitated, but only for a moment. "I think I can help," he said.

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