Prologue

The country of Etrimund is a dangerous place for anyone, but for Sivi it suddenly becomes a death trap. Here, magic is a dangerous gift to have, one, punishable by death.

Prologue

“You! Stop!”

“Catch me first!”

The shouted invitation was a bold one, but Galean grinned as he ducked under a branch- making sure to pull it back and let it snap.

An annoyed yell confirmed the branch had struck its mark.

“You little--!”

The pain from the branches snapping across his face, arms and body simply reminded him he was alive. This chase, the one that could end his life, simply fuelled him and he relished in it.

“Can't run any fast-- aggh!”

A yell escaped his mouth as smouldering heat rushed past his head- ruffling his hair. The blue fire that could only be summoned by someone who had the ability to draw from the natural magic of the world struck the tree a couple of meters away from him, squarely in the middle.

“Oh, thanks for that! I don't need my head anyway!”

The chasing party had called the hounds it seemed. And the hounds only meant one type of people.

The Mages.

His cloak flapped around his feet as he urged his body to move faster, not caring that the branches had begun to claw at his hood, pulling it down to the back of his head to the people behind him. The clasp around his throat seemed to press heavier on his skin and the urge to draw his sword made him chance a glance backwards to see if it was worth to do so.

‘Oh Hell no.’

Air suddenly seemed in short supply as more fire raced past him- striking trees with blasts of flame and heat - and leaving marks of charcoal in their wake.

His head snapped back, and for the first time, a small ball of dread settled into his stomach. The forest was surrounded on three sides by land and towns - but they were too far away to make it viable for Gal to even attempt to make a run towards them. But the other side…..

A sound of rushing water suddenly reached his ears. A grim, satisfied smile lit up his face.

He skidded right, a clearer path starting to form in the forest as more worn paths made their presence known. He usually avoided these but given the circumstances…..

“Stop! Right! There!”

Whoever was yelling at him was getting out of breath and Gal let a loud laugh rip through the air. Years and years of these chases had left him agile and fast and more than able to outrun the Guilds that had tried - and failed- to chase him. Even the notion to chase down Galean Voidrian was a laughable one.

Gal was the hunter, not the hunted.

The path suddenly dipped, the dirt track becoming more sandy and the trees thinning so much there was hardly any there at all. He heard the sound of one or two bodies hitting the ground as they tripped over themselves trying to navigate the sudden dip and he let out a breathy laugh.

He made another turn, and then he was exactly where he wanted to be. A small patch of grass that stopped suddenly and made a precarious ledge that leads to a dangerous drop below.

He stilled and turned slowly, eyeing his chasers as they surrounded him. He memorised basic features - hair colour, eye colour, skin tone and most importantly, which ones’ cloaks shone with a gold glint in the evening sun because of the clasp that was tied around their throats. These people were all part of the nearest Guild, he knew that for sure. Which Guild didn’t really matter, they were all as corrupt as the other. The ones with clasps, they were the mages. The people that were supposedly trying to be eradicated from the earth. Gal looked on these people with particular disgust as they assessed him, looking him up and down.

He took a small step backwards. He whistled out, two short beats that ended abruptly. As silence started to spread across them in a thick blanket and the only sound Gal could hear was his own heart beating rapidly  - he heard an answering call.

Gal had few allies - they hardly ever crossed paths. Other times they were always there when he needed them. This seemed an occasion where they were exactly where Gal wanted them to be. Well, he hoped anyway.

“It was nice running with you ladies and gentlemen. Let's do this another time shall we?” A smile lit up his face, but it quickly turned to a smirk as one stepped forwards.

“You little--”

“Why yes, I am a b*****d.”

And with that, he fell backwards.

Author's Note

I'd really love a general review of this writing ^.^ Any notes on dialogue, prose or action is very welcome!