Evening came without the trio returning. Hitch was growing anxious, finishing up a hut and glancing at the path, expecting them to return any moment now. There were three small houses built in total now - one for storage, two for sleeping, bedding made of leftover sacks and dried grass. Hitch, Mayhe, Tar, Hari and Luce would be staying in this one, leaving Anika, Palia, Olivia, Kunit and Nargha in the other one. Once done Hitch went for a walk, Tar tagging along, nervous as well.

  “They’ll be fine, right? I feel like I should have gone with them. I do have magic, what if they need it badly?”

  “Tar, they’ll be fine. I’m sure they’ll be fine. They have to be fine.”

  Hitch sped up, eyes on the trees, biting his lip as Tar followed.

  “Yeah. Yeah, nothing we can do now.”

  Tar clenched his fists, shook his head and had a little heat spread through his limbs, warming him up a little. The two walked to the stream and quenched their thirst and heard the leaves rustling. Looking at them were two people, a man and a woman. The man had a shield on his back and was leaning on a spear, dressed in thick leather armor, his hair dark and short, hands calloused. The woman had a large hammer strapped to her back and was reaching for it upon noticing the two boys, her hair similarly dark and short, face covered in cut scars.

  She spoke up as the man changed the grip on his spear, the two staying at a distance from the two boys.

  “Grits, travelers. Are you friend or foe?”

  Tar took a step back, leaving the other boy to talk, a hand on the hilt of one of his daggers.

  “Friend, I’d hope. Are you here for some water?”

  “Just passing by, decided to fill our waterskins. You two here with your family? Quite a way off the road.”

  “We… not really. We’re quite lost, actually. Could you tell us where we are now?”

  The man and woman traded glances, then she smiled.

  “Lost you say? How did you two get lost all the way over here?”

  “It’s a long story, can you tell us where we are or not?”

  She grinned, grasping her hammer in both hands, then took a step forward, the man holding his spear in both hands too.

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  “I don’t think it matters. Are there others cursed children with you?”

  Tar spoke up after taking a few heavy breaths.

  “What?”

  “Answer the question and I will make it swift.”

  She kept smiling, then the man jumped forward, his spear aimed at Hitch’s chest. The boy managed to draw a dagger and push the tip aside, turning his body to the side and barely dodging the blow. He crushed one of the dark seeds in his hand, tossing the dark smoke at the man’s eyes, the darkness spreading out. The woman was approaching too, swinging her hammer and forcing him back again, not giving him the opportunity to use the dagger for attack.

  “THAW.”

  Tar held his hand outstretched, nothing happening for a second other than the feeling of his power leaving his body. Then, the hammer the woman was wielding ignited, causing her to drop it.

  “Damn it! Galen, get the mage before he blows us up!”

  She yelled out, the man pivoting towards where Tar had spoken up, darkness still covering his face. The small boy was already retreating, running towards the camp. Hitch darted towards the woman, dagger aimed at her side. She turned fast, a burned hand blocking his strike, taking the blade into itself. Her other hand struck out for his head, grabbing him by his hair and dragging him, slamming him into a tree and eliciting a yell, his side bruised and insides screaming in pain. He had let his dagger go, falling on the ground as it slipped from the wounded hand. He reached for another, but was stopped by a heavy kick into his stomach. He nearly passed out from the pain, but had enough sense to roll away from a stomp.

  Tar was faring better, his enemy blinded, but he was not fast enough to be able to cast. The man was delivering swift stab after stab, the boy doing his best to dodge. But he wasn’t fast enough, getting stabbed in the thigh, then falling down on the ground.

  “Why are you doing this!?”

  The man didn’t answer Tar and stabbed down at him, the strike aimed directly at the boy’s heart.

  “THA-”

  The boy coughed, unable to finish casting, the failed attempts having drained too much power from him. However, the spear was turned aside by another. A lizard person, azure scales covering its body, hidden under some loose dark clothes and leather pads. She used her tail to push aside the man, then jabbed at him to force him back and stepped in between him and Tar.

  “Assin shuther shosh, achtontah!”

  The man drew back further, the lizard following after him, Tar back on his feet. Hitch was still down, the woman having delivered another powerful kick into his chest and was now pivoting to help her partner, the hammer back in her hand.

  “Aza, fall back.”

  The man’s voice was cold, authoritative. He took one look at the woman, who was ready to jump on the lizard, but then gave him a small nod, the two starting to retreat. The lizard person stayed between the duo and the boys, letting them disappear into the woods.

  “Ushse.”

  She turned to the two boys again, Tar frozen, Hitch barely conscious, getting picked up and carried back to the camp, the fire wielder having wrapped his leg and walking back too.