Two Years Later...

The impending weather was not a surprise.

Teal lifted his head from his work. Distant but angry rumbles of thunder reached his ears, and flashes of lightning flickered through the breaks in the tree tops. It had been a hot, humid day, and thunderstorms were generally inevitable at this time of year in the Talbecan Empire. The evenings would be like this until the end of summer now, full of heavy, angry storms in the semi-tropical heat.

He shifted his gaze up to the sky directly above to find it full of stars. Satisfied that the storm was still some way off, he returned to his task of plucking the wild turkey he had caught earlier, his hand now working again in its quick methodical strokes, striping it clean. They still had time, enough time to prepare and eat their evening meal.

It had been a long, tedious day on the old and abandoned trails they were using. They had to take it slow so the caravan's wheels didn't become ruined over the many tree roots they had to go over. Several times, Cokrin and Teal had taken turns in climbing down to move a large branch or the trunk of a tree out of their path.

Cokrin had remained quiet, although he had appeared frustrated at their slow pace. Even Teal wanted nothing more than to forgo the quieter more discreet route and risk the road that was used every day. They both knew the trouble it would cause however, if people saw Teal's face.

Teal smiled as Cokrin walked past and placed a cup of beer beside him, a luxury item Cokrin had bought in a village they had passed earlier in the day. He continued to the other side of the fire and sat, arm resting against a log he had positioned there earlier, his own cup of beer comfortably in his hand.

Corkin gazed lazily at Teal through half-closed tired eyes, looking content and happy, and Teal's smile widened as he remembered how they had spent the past couple of hours. They had both collapsed in exhaustion in the back of the caravan after they had set up camp and seen to the horses, slipping into rightfully earned sleep before waking at dusk with renewed energy. Renewed energy that had turned into hard thrusting against each other's naked skin until they were both satisfied.

Their eyes met across the flames, and Teal smirked. No doubt, Cokrin was thinking the same.

They were on a journey to the Temple of Eternity to give offerings to Cokrin's ancestors, and while it was the first time Teal had left his mountainous hometown Hulena, there was also a sense of finality to the journey as well.

When they returned home, Cokrin would be promised to Matina, and the carefree relationship they held would end. Teal pushed the thought to the back of his brain. He hated to think about it. They would always be friends, but he would miss this where everything was comfortable and easy, and hot familiar skin, and hands that clasped sweaty flesh while they came, Cokrin often doing so first with deep, ragged breaths.

Cokrin wasn't just Teal's lover, he was also Teal's best friend. He was simple in his outlook but practical, humorous, and loyal. The word loyal was a fundamental aspect of their friendship. Cokrin was the only person in Hulena who had dared to engage with Teal in such a way.

Teal looked up again at Cokrin to find that his gaze had not strayed. He shook his head and grinned. "You're ready to go again? What about food?"

Cokrin leaned forward, but before he could respond, a soft wind rustled through the trees and the fresh smell of rain wafted through the air. Teal froze. In the blink of an eye, he was on his feet and turning in the direction of the disturbance. It was the sound of twigs breaking loudly.

It was the sound of someone who wasn't trying to hide their approach.

A man, in simple clothes covered in light, leather armor, was walking beside his horse several feet away from their clearing. Through the night sky, Teal's acute eyesight flickered over him. He was middle-aged, brown haired, tall and well-built with a short sword at his side.

A curse escaped Teal's lips, and he moved protectively to stand in front of Cokrin who had quickly clambered to his feet as well, spilling his cup of beer in the process. His human eyes were not able to pick out what Teal had seen and heard so clearly.

The man was staggering through the trees. He paused on the cusp of their clearing where his eyes met with Teal's. Teal's bright blue eyes glowed and a calming surge rolled through his body. The presence that resided within him come forth and calmness overcame his senses.

Teal took in more of the man standing before him. The fact that he wasn't actually standing but leaning on his horse for support, that his other hand was clutched around his middle, his clothes and hand stained with blood, and the fact that his horse was large, well-fed and powerful.

The man gasped and stumbled backwards. He looked up at his horse, dismay filling his face as he gazed at the saddle.

"I won't hurt you," Teal said, his voice calm and controlled. "Even if I wanted to, I can't." He approached slowly. Whoever the man was, the presence that controlled Teal, had decided that he didn't pose a threat.

The man didn't look convinced. He glanced at Cokrin who had now moved to Teal's side.

Cokrin nodded in reassurance.

"Teal speaks the truth. He is my life-long friend," he said. "Your eyes don't deceive you, but he will not hurt you if he says so."

The man's eyes flickered back to Teal, and as if he was giving up, he dropped to the floor at his horse's hooves.

Teal squatted, body relaxed and nonthreatening. "Looks like you've run into a spot of bad luck. What's your name?"

"How is this possible?" the man croaked, ignoring his question. "How are you really here before me?"

"I am a Lombock," Teal spoke, confirming the man's fears. "My adoptive father found me abandoned on the outskirts of the Empire."

"Your silver and black hair," the man stated in amazement. "I thought your race was extinct or a legend. You've been living here in the Empire?"

"Yes, eighteen summers," Teal answered simply. "Although it apparently took a while for my village to get used to me." He said the last part with jest and a wink of the eye.

"He saved me as a child," Cokrin quickly added. “The myths of Lombocks eating people are all lies. He’s not a cannibal.”

Teal’s and Cokrin's gaze met. Only the two of them knew what had happened that day when they had been six years old. Cokrin had witnessed the power that controlled Teal. The power that Teal had only became aware of that day himself.

There was a short silence where the man looked at both Teal and Cokrin, their caravan and their two horses only a short distance away tethered under a tree. He drew in a jagged breath, looked down to his wound, and pulled his hand back to stare at the blood that soaked his clothes. His other hand rose to his mouth, and he sighed as he wiped away blood that had started to appear alongside his saliva. As if coming to a decision, he looked up at Cokrin and Teal and spoke.

"Brelen, my name is Brelen," he stated, his voice suddenly weak. "I'm a soldier in the Emperor's army."

“Really?” Cokrin asked surprised. “What are you doing here? The capital is a four-month journey from Hulena.”

“The Emperor?” Teal breathed. “I can’t believe it!”

"If you're a member of the Emperor's army, where's your uniform?” Cokrin asked suspiciously. “Where's your armor?"

"I carry a message for the Emperor," Brelen continued, ignoring Cokrin's questions. "It's an important message that cannot fall into the wrong hands." Weakly, his hands dug into his clothes and retrieved a scroll. Brelen coughed from the mere effort of the task, the sound of blood gurgling in his chest which he then slowly leaned over to spit out onto the dirt. "It would appear that I don't have much longer. Please, if you are loyal to the Empire, help me."

His eyes rested on Cokrin.

"Of course, we are loyal to the Empire," Teal stated firmly. He reached out, his hand shaking not knowing if Brelen would give the scroll to him.

Brelen hesitated, locked eyes with Teal again and then, placed it in Teal's hand.

"You must give this to the Emperor personally," Brelen told him. "No one else. Do you understand?"

Blood pounded in Teal's ears. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"The Emperor himself?" he asked. “The chances of me ever getting an audience with the Emperor in the capital would be remote. I don’t even know how I would make it into the city with the way I look.”

Teal glanced at Cokrin. Cokrin would be the wiser choice.

"It must reach him," Brelen gasped. "I will die anyway. Come." He beckoned with his hand. Teal was closer than Cokrin so he leaned in, and Brelen grasped him around his bicep. "You must leave now," he said. "The person who did this to me is dead, but they have friends."

He pulled Teal even closer and whispered more into his ear. When he was finished, Teal pulled back sharply and their eyes locked.

"Did you get that?" Brelen asked.

"Yes," Teal breathed.

"Beware, don't tell anyone you have the scroll. Don't trust anyone but the Emperor himself." Brelen's line of sight shifted behind Teal's head. "The people following me will also be following you in secrecy. They also don't want to be discovered."

A crash of a breaking branch behind Teal caught Teal’s ears. He didn't need to see it to know that it was a threat. It was as if the blood in his veins were flowing freely for the first time, as if the muscles in his legs had gained a new ability, and as if all the logical thoughts within his brain had been snuffed out. The presence that was always there, inside, had not come forward. He was free to let instinct take over and attack.

Teal spun on his heels and surged towards Cokrin, and somewhere in the back of his brain, Teal admired his friend's prescience to step to the side. He caught the glint of light from the large blade the attacker held that had been meant to slice Cokrin in two. A cry of shock and pain escaped Cokrin's mouth, and he fell to the ground. Teal hadn't been quick enough. His body continued to leap through the air, and he landed on the man who had just tried to kill Cokrin.

Teal took the man to the ground and brought his teeth to the flesh on the attacker's neck. They sank deeply, tearing through muscle and down to bone. He pulled away leaving half a neck, the man twitching and jerking, blood spurting in all directions. Teal wasn't finished. He went in again, this time a bite so deep it ripped the man's head clean from his neck.

Teal rose to his feet and took a step back, blood spilling down his mouth and down the front of his clothes. He shook his head, the blank primal need of fight cleared to allow rational thought to reappear. It was the first time in his life that he had killed a human, and he had killed in a manner so primitive and visceral to his very being. Guilt and horror flooded through him. He had been so brutal, so savage.

They had been right all along.

It was the first time the presence had let him attack since that day in his childhood, that first time he had become aware of the presence at all. His stomach turned at the bloody mess, and he dry retched, folding his body over and placing his hands on his knees for support.

"You saved my life," Cokrin gasped from where he lay on the ground, his hand clamped to his side.

His words shocked Teal out of his daze. He turned to his friend. Forgetting his own horrors, he remembered that Cokrin had been injured.

"Are you badly hurt?" he asked worriedly, kneeling down unable to look him in the eyes.

Cokrin reached out his hand and placed it on Teal's shoulder. It was the only spot on his shirt that was free from blood. Teal shied away, shame covering his features.

"You saved my life," Cokrin repeated. "You've done it before, once when we were kids, you remember?"

Teal lifted his eyes and nodded. "The wolf?" Teal recalled. It had been the turning point in his childhood. The villagers in Hulena had relented and accepted him as one of their own for saving Cokrin’s life.

"Yes," Cokrin confirmed.

"You're bleeding quite badly," Teal said, turning Cokrin slightly to get a better look.

He swore. It didn't look like a mortal wound, but it was a wound that would certainly need to be attended to so it didn't become infected. He looked across the clearing, Brelen's eyes half-lidded, breathing shallow. Whether he was aware of what had taken place, Teal didn't know.

More noise through the trees caught Teal's attention. He rose to his feet again, poised and bristling with the inclination to attack. His eyes pierced the darkness and spied more figures approaching.

"What is it?" Cokrin asked.

"There's more," he stated, and then swore loudly. The fact that the presence was holding back, allowing him to fight further only confirmed of the danger they were in.

"You need to go," Brelen whispered, catching Teal’s attention. "Before they get here. Take my horse, it will carry you both."

Teal assessed the situation, his eyes shifting through the trees and beyond their camp. There were at least five people moving through the trees. He didn't know if he could take all of them, but it wasn't only that. What would they do to Cokrin while he was fighting?

He looked at Brelen.

"I'm a dead man," Brelen smiled. "Go to Cleaven Estate along the Fortlena River. The Emperor will be there in three weeks' time. You can give him the scroll then. There's gold in my satchel."

"I will give it to him," Teal told him, making his decision. "I promise."

Teal turned to Cokrin. "You're coming with me."

"But..."

"I'm going to take you to that small township you visited earlier today. You will have to go alone so they don't think this was me. They would have to have a healer there."

Teal went back to Brelen, and he picked up the scroll he had dropped when he had turned to attack. Their eyes met one last time.

"Don't tell anyone but the Emperor," Brelen managed.

Teal nodded. "You can trust me."