The Oathbound
241 Words
He emerged from the shadows like part of the night itself—tall, broad-shouldered, clad in dark leather and steel that bore no crest. A hood shadowed his face, but his eyes caught the moonlight: pale silver, sharp as blades.
“Do not scream,” he said quietly.
Ariyah scrambled backward. “Who are you?”
“Someone who should not be here.” His voice was low, edged with exhaustion. “But the stars have spoken, and I am bound.”
He knelt, offering a gloved hand. Up close, she saw scars across his knuckles, an old burn on his throat shaped like a star. Something in his gaze made her pause—resignation, perhaps. Or sorrow.
“I am called Kael,” he said. “And you, Ariyah Voss, are no longer safe in Thornvale.”
“How do you know my name?”
“Because I have waited three hundred years for you.”
He spoke without drama, as if stating the weather. Yet the words struck her like a blow.
Behind them, dogs barked in the distance. Torchlight flickered between the trees.
Kael stood. “Come willingly, or I carry you. But we must leave now.”
Ariyah looked back toward the village—toward the only home she had ever known, already swallowed by flame. Tears stung her eyes, but she nodded.
He pulled her to her feet, surprisingly gentle, and they vanished into the dark.
- Writer
