The wind howled through the Black Mountain Forest, a dense tangle of gnarled trunks halfway to Valisar. Magnus Caldryn rode his black stallion, crimson eyes scanning the trees. His twin shadow sabers rested at his hips. The crossbow bolt in his thigh had fully healed, and his awakened dantian thrummed with new power. Beside him, Rhea Varyn rode with the grace of a black-veiled assassin raven hair tied back, gray eyes keyed to danger. The sealed scroll from the Gilded Ledger and the memory of the dockside raid were heavy in Magnus's mind. Why did the Valisar Kingdom want him dead? Why were they supporting a criminal hub? He needed answers, and he needed to find the woman with the quill ring.
The forest seemed deceptively peaceful: birds chirped, wind threaded through leaves, branches swayed. Magnus's enhanced senses caught a faint rustle above and a glint of steel in the branches. "Rhea," he whispered, voice low. "We're being watched."
She nodded. "I sensed it." Her hand rested on the hilt of her dagger.
Before they could react, a dozen figures dropped from the trees, encircling them in a ring of steel. The bandits leather-patched, scarred, brandished swords and axes with crooked grins. One of them stepped forward. "Well, well, travelers," he said with mockery. "Name's Raheal. We're the Tiger Claw bandits. This forest's our domain. You want to pass to Valisar, you pay a toll: fifty zerk. And what's your business, young noble?"
"Magnus Caldryn, young master of Caldera," Magnus replied.
Raheal's eyes gleamed with avarice, he knew Caldera held wealth. In mind, he says "Perfect," he said, licking his lips. "Kidnap the young master, demand ransom, and we'll line our pockets. Kekekeke."
Magnus's hand tightened on the reins. "We don't pay bandits," he said coldly. "Move aside, or you'll regret it."
Raheal laughed; his men snickered. "Big words, noble boy. You anger me for that a hundred zerk, or we take your horses and that woman." He leered. "If you don't pay, your lives are forfeit."
Magnus dismounted, movements fluid despite the tension. Rhea followed, dagger flashing. He reached into his cloak, drew a small pouch, and tossed it at Raheal's feet. Twelve zerk coins clinked inside, silver catching the dim light. "Take the twelve zerk and go back to your base," Magnus said, voice like a blade. "Or meet your makers."
Raheal kicked the pouch and laughed, villainous. "Twelve? You insult us." His men lunged, weapons raised, eyes gleaming with greed.
A sinister smile curved Magnus's lips. "These bastards never learn. Let me teach them." His dantian surged; a wave of dark, oppressive qi rolled outward like stormclouds. Shadows coiled around him; the air grew heavy. His crimson eyes burned like a monster's in twilight. The bandits froze. Some trembled; others visibly wet themselves as the weight of his presence crushed their will.
Raheal fell to his knees, eyes tearing. He stammered. Magnus stepped forward, a dangerous calm in his posture. "Take the money and go, or I'll destroy you," he roared. His voice shook the trees.
Raheal's bravado shattered. He scrambled for the pouch while his men stumbled over each other and fled, curses swallowed by the dark. Rhea watched, gray eyes wide with awe. "Thank the gods he isn't my enemy," she muttered, sheathing her dagger.
Magnus smirked and mounted his horse. "Let's go. Valisar's waiting."
By dusk, the forest thinned and the road stretched toward the Tiger Claw base: a cluster of wooden houses ringed around a sprawling mansion. Panic buzzed through the encampment. Arden, the bandit leader, lounged on a carved oak throne in the great hall, a cloud of smoke drifting up from his pipe. His brown skin gleamed with sweat; his dark eyes narrowed as he adjusted his leather jacket. A heavy chain dangled at his throat, and his bulky frame radiated menace. His fists showed the scars of countless fights.
A bleeding, trembling Raheal burst into the hall. "Boss, we ambushed two travelers, a noble and a woman. He refused the toll, threw twelve zerk, and his aura, boss. Like a demon. Crimson eyes, shadows everywhere. We took the coins and fled. He's heading to Valisar. He called himself Magnus Caldryn."
Arden rose, his bulk casting a long shadow. He struck Raheal's face with a sickening crunch; blood and teeth sprayed. The man slumped, ruined. Arden's voice was a low rumble. "A noble with that kind of power?" His black eyes blazed. "Find and Kill Magnus Caldryn before he reaches Valisar."
Fear rippled through the bandits; Arden's command overrode all other dread. Swords were sharpened, crossbows loaded, traps set along the road.
That evening, Magnus and Rhea made camp. Magnus gutted a deer they'd taken for lunch, skewering it to roast over the fire while Rhea gathered wood. Sparks rose; the meat hissed and browned on the spit. An arrow thudded into the nearby tree, Magnus deflected it with a casual flick. Rhea stiffened. "They came in force," she muttered.
A bulkier man emerged from the undergrowth, flanked by other bandits. Magnus's eyes narrowed. "So you're the leader of this gang?"
Arden stepped forward, voice cold. "Yes. And you're going to taste the wrath of me, you puny brat."
Magnus's smile turned sinister. "Puny little brat?" He drew his twin shadow sabers from their scabbards. "Let me show you how that 'puny brat' will haunt you for the rest of your life."
Arden laughed and yanked a brass knuckle from his pocket, its metal humming with crude aura. "You think that'll stop me? I use aura too. This is your end, Magnus Caldryn."
Magnus tilted his head. "This will be fun. Rhea, take the goons. I'll handle him."
They lunged Magnus and Rhea, shadows and steel against Arden's brawny force and the Tiger Claw bandits. The forest answered with the clash of blades.
To be continued in Chapter 11…