"So No Man's Land… that's where this village, Roka… is?" Lucian asked, his voice low as his horse's hooves clopped against the dirt road.
Amira trotted beside him, hood pulled over her silver hair, half her face hidden by a cloth mask. Her eyes curved with amusement as she giggled. "Yes. I'm surprised you've never heard of it."
Lucian glanced sidelong at her. "I've heard of No Man's Land. I just never thought anyone would be foolish enough to try and live there."
"That's what most people think," Amira replied, her tone playfully smug. "It's unclaimed by the three kingdoms, and since it sits right in the middle of them all, it's always a battlefield." Her lips curved into a smug smile. "Which makes it the perfect hiding place."
"And your… friend is hiding there?" Lucian asked, his voice sharpened with curiosity.
"Not hiding." She tapped her chin as if searching for the right word. "More like neglecting her duties."
"I've been to No Man's Land. It's nothing but a wasteland and a breeding ground for criminals and bandits. Have you ever actually seen this village?" Lucian grunted.
Ahead, the grey stone walls of a city loomed, their gates yawning wide beneath the afternoon sun.
"I've been there once when I was a kid, but that was a long time ago." Amira seemed a little melancholy, as if she was recalling a fond memory.
"Well, regardless. No Man's Land isn't very safe, so just stay close to me when we get there."
Beside him, Amira's gaze lingered on Lucian's broad shoulders and her heart fluttered a little. She was about to say something, but her stomach growled loudly.
Lucian spared her the embarrassment.
He tapped his own stomach. "Would you like to stop and eat? I'm starving myself. We have been on the road for three days, after all."
She nodded. "And maybe a nice bed. I'm tired of sleeping outside."
***
The gates were strongly guarded. Four men in battle ready armor stopped them before allowing them to pass.
The one without his helmet on stepped forward and patted Lucian's horse on the head.
"Identification and reason for visiting," he asked politely. He was slightly on in years, and his eyes had clearly seen a battle or two.
"Is there a reason spot checks are being done?" Lucian asked.
The guard stopped petting his horse briefly, realizing the person he was talking to might have had a few years in the military himself.
Adjusting his tone as if he was speaking to a fellow soldier: "Apparently there's a murderer or murderers on the loose. A few cities over, a couple of demon hunters died. Something they probably had comin' if you asked me. Givin' their reputation," he said with a dry chuckle. "Anyway, the bailiff wants us to amp up security."
"I see. My apologies, I was unaware of the situation."
Lucian pretended to search himself.
"It appears I didn't bring my identification with me. We were merely passing by and hoping to stay a night in an inn, if that's alright?"
The guard seemed a little hesitant. "Any other time I would've let you in, but I just can't today, friend. I hope that doesn't come off as sounding rude."
Lucian shook his head. "No, I understand. You're only doing your job." Lucian was about to turn his horse around when he caught a glimpse of Amira out of the corner of his eye. She was deflated at the thought of spending another night hunting for rabbits and sleeping on the ground.
Lucian sighed slightly to himself. He pulled up his sleeve, out of eyesight from everyone else besides him and the guard, and revealed his sigil. At the same time he quietly placed a finger on his lips in a shushing gesture.
The guard's face went a shade paler. "Your grace, I didn't mean to… if I had any idea, I swear…"
"It's alright, soldier." Lucian's tone was gentle and commanding. "You were only doing your duty. Besides, we were simply passing through. I'll let it go if you tell no one of my being here."
The guard gave a subtle bow and then sharply turned to the other guards, shooting his hand into the air, motioning for them to clear the way.
They rode past them smoothly and Amira rode up next to him.
"What was that all about?"
Lucian looked over at her. She seemed a little brighter now. "The guard was simply telling me to be careful. Apparently a few demon hunters were murdered a few cities over."
Amira chuckled nervously. "Is that so." She shifted uneasily in her saddle.
Inside, the air was alive with sound. Merchants who had stalls set up left and right for as far as the eye could see yelled out as they tried to push their wares. The tang of spiced meats sizzling on skewers could be smelled at every step. The pitter patter of footsteps echoed about as the enormous crowd hopped from stall to stall.
Lucian guided his horse through the crowd and the narrow alleys of vendors. Amira stayed close to him, head down, her hood shadowing her face. Whenever she saw something that caught her attention, a pastry, a roasted skewer, candied fruit, she poked him in the back and wordlessly pointed.
At first Lucian blinked, confused. Then he caught on. Using the little coin Amira had, he bought the first few items with ease.
But when her gold and silver ran out, and Lucian saw how badly she wanted everything else, he caved in to her gleaming eyes full of hope and quietly showed each merchant his sigil.
'It's not like anyone will recognize me anyways. I've been on the battlefield my entire life and barely ever attended any social gatherings. Might as well get some use out of this thing.' He rolled his eyes as he hopped from merchant to merchant.
Every time, the reaction was the same. Wide eyed awe, hurried bows, and effusive promises that he was always welcome to return. Thankfully, Amira seemed not to notice the merchants' reactions, or that she'd gone bankrupt after the fourth stall.
Occasionally Lucian would tell her no, that she didn't need it, or that it was a waste of money, but she'd always give him the same answer back. "It's my money and I really, really want it," she'd say with pleading eyes.
Lucian didn't even bother fighting back and would just give in. Ultimately ending with Amira walking away with everything she wanted.
***
Later, in the privacy of a small inn room, Lucian leaned back in his chair and finally asked the question gnawing at him.
"So, are you gonna tell me who you're hiding from? Or maybe why you're hiding at all?"
'Come on Amira, just tell me what I already know.' Lucian thought to himself, half second guessing if he was right.
Across the table, Amira was stuffing her cheeks with food like a squirrel preparing for winter. Her mask and hood were cast aside, silver hair cascading down her shoulders. She swallowed and gave him a sly look.
"You know," she began with a giggle, "at first I thought you pretended to go along with my excuses because you knew what was going on. But now…" she tilted her head, lips curving mockingly, "I think you might actually just be stupid."
Lucian frowned. "Why do you say that?"
She leaned back, arms folded, eyes glinting red in the evening light. "Because if you don't ask what I'm concealing, then I don't have to ask what responsibilities you're running away from. Deal?"
Her words lingered in the air, playful on the surface but edged with unspoken warning.
Lucian glanced at the sauce smeared across the right side of her lips. "Mmhhm. Very threatening." He fiddled with an engraved rock that he bought while gallivanting around with Amira. It was the only thing he bought. "Why do you think I'm running away from my responsibilities?"
She snorted. "Honestly, what normal lad drops everything he's doing and follows some stranger around? To No Man's Land, at that!" she said with a mouth full of chicken. Swallowing her bite, she pointed the end of the skewer toward Lucian. "Someone who's running away from their responsibilities, that's who," she said, waving the end in a small circle. "So I won't pry into which family that sigil belongs to, and you don't bother prying into why I'm hiding." She said it firmly before taking another bite.
Lucian studied her for a long moment, then turned his gaze to the window. Beyond it, the city lights flickered against the afternoon sun, so different from the silence of battlefields he once knew. His thumb brushed over the engraving on the rock.
*Life is most beautiful when there's someone to share it with.*
And on the back was a naturally forming heart.
"Maybe I'm not normal… but regardless, this lad simply thought there was no problem giving someone a helping hand. Especially when they happen to be a world class beauty." Lucian said confidently as he stood, sliding the stone across the table to Amira.
Amira's cheeks reddened slightly at his words.
"Where are you going?" she asked as Lucian opened the door to their room, slipping on his coat.
"Putting some distance between me and my… responsibilities." He said it with a barely noticeable amount of venom on his last remark.
Amira watched as he closed the door. "Honestly, that guy…" She looked down at the stone, admiring both sides. "Is such a weirdo."
But the soft smile painted on her face betrayed her true feelings.
***
"We'll have to do something about our funds since we won't be coming back anytime soon… or rather, I will, I suppose," Lucian said aloud as he wandered the now quieter evening streets.
'I could go to a military embassy and pull out my savings… but they'd demand my ID. Might as well announce to the world that I'm still alive.' He joked to himself.
He thought of the gossip spreading through the markets about the "rich man" with a sigil. How quickly word could reach the wrong ears. How quickly Palin could repeat itself.
'Looks like I'll have to register with a bank.'
As Lucian walked toward the guild bank, a family crossed his path. They were all wearing smiles and laughing at each other. The father was carrying a little girl, maybe around six years of age, and her nose was significantly deformed, yet she was laughing the hardest and seemed to be the happiest amongst them.
Lucian smiles as A silly thought went through his head. One he had never let himself hold before, and did not put down as quickly as he should have.
***
The guild bank smelled of parchment and wax, the room filled with the soft scratch of quills. Lucian stepped to the counter.
"I'd like to exchange some soulstones for gold," he said evenly.
"How much, sir?" the receptionist asked without looking up.
Lucian tapped his chin. "Well… she went through about five hundred silver and two gold coins today. It's about 18 gold coins on average for an inn… hmmm." He exhaled. "Let's say fifty thousand soulstones' worth."
The pen slipped from the woman's fingers. Her head snapped up, eyes wide. "F-Fifty… thousand?"
Lucian scrunched his eyebrows. "Problem?"
She stammered. "N-No, sir. One moment, please. Follow me to the reception room! I'll fetch the branch manager."
Lucian's jaw tightened, but he followed. Inside, the room was lavish. A nice sofa, a table with freshly made hot tea and some desserts. He sat down with his arms folded. His gaze wandered to the daily paper. Notices covered the front page. Missing children, caravan escorts, minor bandit hunt groups looking for awakened. And there, in the center, was a bounty:
———
**The Palin Madman**
Wanted dead or alive!
Reward: 80,000 Soulstones.
Wanted for: Multiple homicide, destruction of property, interference in church matters, obstruction of demon subjugation.
Description: Unknown
Information: Killed over forty demon hunters and one Grandmaster baptized by the church. Bodies were mutilated and butchered and left to rot. Currently there is no description of the accused. If you have any information, please contact your local Hunter office.
Warning: May be in cahoots with the Moon Witch!
———
Lucian's eyes lingered on the ink, cold and still.
"Ah, I see you're reading that terribly fake news. Good evening, sir!" A cheerful voice broke his thoughts.
Lucian looked up over the paper. A round man in fine robes approached, wringing his hands. "My name is Mr. Delgado, manager of this branch. I hear you wish to exchange quite a sum."
"Yes," Lucian said flatly.
Delgado licked his lips. "Normally, without preparation and proper identification…"
"And seeing as you have nothing with you currently," he mumbled under his breath,
"we cannot simply give away such amounts due to the current going rate of soulstones. We'd have to treat it as… a loan, with interest, of course…"
Lucian's eyes narrowed. His patience thinned. Slowly, he turned his palm, revealing his sigil. "My last name is Bloodthrone. I am here on official business. For now, my identity must remain confidential and my being here a secret."
The change was immediate. Delgado dropped to one knee, sweat rolling down his forehead. "Forgive me, your grace! I had no idea! Fifty thousand will be no problem at all. Please wait here, I shall deliver it personally!"
Within minutes he returned, huffing and red faced, carrying four heavy sacks. "Here you are, sir. It has been prepared with the utmost care. The current exchange rate for soulstones to gold is 1 to 10. There's 125,000 gold in each bag, for a total of 500,000 gold."
"What about the formal registration slip?" Lucian asked while eyeing the bags.
Delgado blinked. "Register? Oh, no, your grace. The sum will simply be deducted from the Bloodthrone account in the capital."
"I see."
'My cousin is going to have a heart attack once he notices.'
Lucian stood up to leave.
"Your grace, if I may…" Delgado hesitated. "I'm not sure how close you two were, but coming from the same family… about General Bloodthrone. What exactly happened? You see, I never met him personally, but he saved my son during the last holy war. For that, I-"
"That's enough." Lucian cut him off with a stern voice.
"My apologies." Delgado bowed fearfully.
Lucian pointed to the newspaper. "What do you know about this?"
Delgado lifted his gaze and followed his finger. "I believe it's a farce, your grace. From what my connections tell me, the Grandmaster Demon Hunter had his throat ripped out. That couldn't have been done by any man. It had to have been that Moon Witch. I think they're simply blaming some random person to hide the fact that they let her get behind the walls of a city."
Lucian studied him for a moment.
"Good." He said, slinging the sacks over his shoulder. "That's all I require."
Delgado bowed deeply, voice trembling with reverence. "If you ever need anything, anything at all, please ask for me personally."
Lucian gave him a single curt nod and left, his shadow long beneath the late noon sun.
Lucian walked the markets a while before admitting to himself that the clothes he was wearing needed to be replaced. He was thankful for Amira lending him her brother's clothes but they were uncomfortably tight on him.
He found a decent outfitter two rows over. The man sized him without comment, made a face at the burn scar the measuring tape passed over, and adjusted a few sets of leather and cloth outfits to his size.
'With this much gold, even living slightly above our means, we'd be fine for fifty years. No more showing the sigil. And once we're out of the kingdom, money will be all we need.'
He was almost smiling when he took the bundle off the counter.
Then he passed a chicken skewer stand, and the boy behind it was turning eight of them at once, Lucian stopped walking for a moment.
'Twenty five.'
He started walking again.
'Twenty, if she finds a bakery.'