The two of them circled like predators who had learned the same lessons in different tongues bone against blade, discipline against abyss. Smoke and ash spun between their feet; the ruin of the village rang with the percussion of combat.
Juno planted his boots and barked, voice raw through the wind. "What happened to Master Vince?!"
Alaric laughed, no mirth, only a brittle edge. He slapped the open wound on his shoulder, the scar a pale crescent against burned flesh. "That old man? Beats me, that's what I'm asking for. We're looking for him."
"Looking? What for?" Juno demanded, every syllable a hammer.
Alaric's eyes glittered gold. "To kill him. To have our revenge. He almost killed us." He leaned in as if confession could sharpen the blade. "I will never forget what he did."
Juno's jaw tightened. "It was your fault that you became like that anyway."
