Page 47 of Marked

A short way down the path, Blake and Damien had just reached their destination, where the sharper sounds of metal and leatherwork echoed from an ironmonger's quarter.

They stopped before a stone building with a slanted roof and an anvil sign hanging from a thick iron chain.

Inside, the walls were lined with blades. .. curved, straight, and jagged,

Blake ran his fingers along a row of short swords. "I wish I could just magically shape things like you can. It would mean I wouldn't have to buy my weapons."

"Yeah, it is a bonus," Damien replied, watching him inspect another small sword. "Hey, thanks for helping us."

Blake picked up a dagger with a blackened hilt. "No biggie."

After an exchange of coins and a firm handshake with the smith, Blake strapped a new blade to his back. It was slightly curved, with a dark steel sheen and a grip wrapped in midnight-blue leather, accompanied by a pair of knives made for speed and precision to match his shadows.

Walking back to Blair, the town square appeared more of a broken circle.

The few vendors there curving in front of the dark, soot-covered buildings behind them.

A crooked fountain gurgled weakly in the center close to the sign Damien had pointed out earlier.

Blair was already there, leaning against the edge with her bag of food at her feet.

"Score anything good?" Damien asked, walking up and kissing her cheek.

"Yeah, enough to feed us for two weeks if we ration." her eyes moved to Blake, "Maybe one if Blake's really hungry."

Blake grinned and winked. "Food and weapons. Check and check," he said, drawing his new addition halfway from its sheath.

"Nice," Blair nodded, impressed. "That's going to make some hunters very nervous."

Just then, a soft shuffle brushed against Damien's side. He turned sharply and caught a small wrist in mid-motion.

A child, no older than seven, stared up at him, wide-eyed and filthy. His fingers wrapped around the small coin pouch from Damien's pocket. The boy's face was streaked with soot, his clothes too big and riddled with holes.

Blake reached instinctively for his weapon, but Damien held up a hand, addressing the child." I believe that belongs to me."

The child tensed at his words, ripping his hand away and straightening his body. "I'll fight you for it." the boy yelled, pushing his chest out, "I'll bet that I can take you down."

Damien watched with raised eyebrows as the child raised his fists and started punching the air.

"Come on, let's go. "

Blake scoffed, resulting in the boy quickly moving and punching him right between the legs. He dropped instantly, grabbing his groin and groaning, "You.. little.. shit."

Blair's mouth dropped open with a suppressed smile, and she stepped in front of Blake on the ground, "Hey there, bud, what's your name?"

The child eyed her suspiciously as he regained his fighting stance. "Ollie."

"Hi, Ollie. I'm Blair, and I'm gonna have to ask you to take it easy on my friend here. That one may be a better opponent." she said, pointing to Damien.

The boy turned, his body now facing Damien as he began to shift from side to side, pounding his right fist into his open left hand.

Damien watched the child move, a small smile breaking across his face. He kneeled as the boy braced, expecting to be hit. Instead, Damien used his hand to take out the pouch. He opened the pouch, counted out five silver coins, and pressed them gently into the child's palm. The boy stared, frozen.

"I guess you already won then," Damien said softly, voice stern but not unkind. "But keep your hands out of strangers' pockets, Ollie. Not all of them make bets."

The boy's mouth opened, then closed. He gave a stiff nod, then vanished into the alley behind them. Blair watched the exchange silently, her eyes brimming with tears as Damien pulled her beside him and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, beginning the walk back to their site .

As Damien led them, Blair's mind replayed the scene that had just unfolded, and soon, memories of her past students began to play in her mind.

She blinked away tears as she stepped. Damien paused, looking back at her, noticing the shift in her demeanor.

Walking up to her, he took the bag of supplies and slung it over his shoulder, grabbing her hand and squeezing it as he pulled her up next to him.

The next few moments were silent until Damien spoke, "Tell me about them?" he said, nudging into Blair's shoulder.

"Tell you about what?" she answered, kicking a large rock in her path.

"Your kids, did you have any like that sticky-handed fighter back there?" Damien asks, raising his eyebrows.

"I mean, yeah,…the ones who tested their strength in your forge?

" she said, a smile forming on her face as she watched the ground where she stepped.

"I actually had quite a few boys that thought they were bigger than everyone.

Nothing could touch them, and they weren't scared of anything.

They were the best. Each one had a different personality, but they all had hearts of gold," she recalled, stepping over a pile of rocks.

"And I loved all of them. I guess I miss them more than I thought.

" Her voice quieted in the last few words.

"I bet they miss you too. When this is all done, we'll go see them." Damien promised as they came across a turn in the road.

"Yeah, I'd love to meet..." Blake shifted, his eyes scanning the area around them. The two others looked back, watching his sudden change. A beat of silence passed, too long .

Snap .

A twig cracked behind them, and all three froze.

Damien moved first, rapidly turning his body toward the sound and pushing Blair behind him in one swift motion. Blair reached instinctively for her dagger. Blake vanished into the underbrush like smoke.

Then the shadows peeled back, and a figure emerged from the tree line, tall and cloaked in midnight leathers. A dark hood shadowed the face, but the shadows at his feet writhed around him unnaturally.

The Enforcer lunged fast, impossibly fast. A blur of motion. His blade gleamed silver as he came down toward Damien. Blake intercepted, appearing next to Damien and colliding with the attacker. The impact sent them both tumbling toward the ground, a whirlwind of shadows and skin.

Damien thrust his hands forward, and a wall of shadow erupted between him and Blair. "Go! Move!" Blair nodded and sprinted uphill, back toward camp.

The duel continued and moved closer into the forest, where the ground sloped back toward the town's river, slick with moss and roots.

Blake ducked a swing, spun low, and sliced across the hunter's ribs.

The man didn't flinch, but he retaliated with a vicious elbow to Blake's temple, sending him sprawling.

Damien was already moving, shadows spiraling around his arms like smoke made solid. He extended his hands, and tendrils lashed forward, binding the figure's ankles for just a heartbeat .

That was all Blake needed. The Enforcer roared in pain as Blake blinked out of sight and then materialized in front of him, slicing a dagger at his throat.

"Blake! move!" Damien shouted.

Blake rolled as his opponent unleashed a burst of raw force, cracking the earth near the river's edge.

Damien stepped in, hands raised. He drew the shadows from the surrounding trees and the hunter's own form, twisting them into spears of pure darkness. Then, he thrust his arms forward.

The spears struck, piercing the hunter's torso and chest. The man staggered, then dropped to his knees, breath wheezing in his throat. Blair appeared at the top of the hill, sliding down to join them, her dagger drawn and eyes sharp.

The hunter collapsed in the mud by the river, lifeless. A long silence followed.

Blake exhaled, looking around and wiping blood from his brow. "He wasn't supposed to be here."

"No," Damien agreed grimly. "I'm willing to bet he's looking for us. Normally, it's just a normal hunter as a scout, not an enforcer. We must be closer than we realize."

"We have to move. Now." Blake stated, staring at the lifeless form. Damien nodded in agreement, already turning and stepping away from the scene.

Blair stayed still, clutching the food bag, minus a couple of things that had fallen in the fight. As the two men continued to walk, Blair's heart began to race, "What if they sent him because they know we're coming?” Blair continued, chest heaving. "What if we don't know what we are walking into?"

"We'll handle it," Damien replied, looking at Blake, who wiped his new sword and sheathed it behind his back.