Chapter 1
292 Years Ago
“Cygan, get over here,” Vind yelled. “I’ve found more
tracks leading into this cave.”
Cy pulled his sword from its sheath and ran toward his
brother. The Nyrubi, they’d been tracking was one of Sivadia’s most vicious
predators. They weighed around twelve hundred pounds and walked on all fours.
If their razor sharp claws or six inch fangs didn’t rip you to shreds, they
could always spear you through with their large rack of antlers.
And why am I running toward one trapped inside a
cave? Oh, yeah, because my psycho brother told me to.
Nyrubies lived in Sivadia’s Great Sewol Mountains and
only came down to the villages during winter, when deep snows drove their prey
so deep underground, the Nyrubies were starving. The snows had only started
melting, and this predator was probably very, very, hungry.
Great!
Killing Nyrubies was left to the experienced big game
hunters. But Vind convinced Cy that killing one would prove to Father they were
becoming adults, and he would be proud. More than anything, Cy wanted that, but
they were only fourteen, a long way from adulthood. Deep down he knew Father
would be mad for them being so reckless.
Every year since they were ten, Father and Oz had
brought them to the mountains, teaching them to track, hunt, and live off the
land. Skills Father said every boy needed. With them being the king’s sons,
servants usually waited to appease their every whim. Cy looked forward to these
trips, to act like a regular person. He didn’t want to do anything foolish and
mess it up.
I better let Father know where we are.
Cy stopped and pulled out his communication link. As he
clicked the on button, he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. He shoved
it back inside his jacket; if Vind knew he was calling Father, he would berate
him for the rest of the trip.
“What took you so long?” His brother’s eyes were wide
and his face red. “Come on, before the Nyrubi gets away.”
Cy followed him up the incline to the cave’s entrance.
They both pulled headlamps from their backpacks, and then loaded their hunting
bows with an arrow.
“You take the right side of the cave and I’ll take the
left.” As always, Vind spouted the order at him, trying to control every
situation.
As they moved inside the cave’s opening, Cy stopped. The
place reeked of death; bones and rocks covered the dirt floor, making the
ability to remain upright next to impossible. Uneasiness grew in the pit of
Cy’s stomach. With one hand, he braced against the uneven walls and eased
toward the back of the cave. Bones crunched beneath their feet, echoing through
the silent cave. The sound betrayed their every move to the monster lying in
wait for his dinner. The two boys converged at the back of that room where two
corridors led to the next opening. As the animal emitted a loud roar, Cy tensed
and chills ran up his back.
“I’ll continue around the left corridor far enough to
get behind it and scare it out,” Vind said. “When it heads your way, be ready
to shoot. Aim for its neck or left side near the heart.”
“Why am I the one who has to get in front of that
thing?”
“Cy, just get your bow ready. Are you too incompetent to
even do that?”
“I’m not incompetent, Vind! Just get the thing out of
that room, and I’ll kill it.” Cy had always scored higher in archery
competitions than his twin.
He gripped his bow tighter, and headed down his
designated hallway. The closer he got, the harder his heart pounded. A loud
growl echoed throughout the cave, a beastly warning for them to back off.
Vind’s headlamp faintly glowed behind the Nyrubi. A
moment later, a torch lit and the long, bushy hair on the tip of the beast’s
tail flamed to match it.
Vind has set the thing’s tail on fire!
A high-pitched scream vibrated through the cave as the
Nyrubi rose on two legs. Cy pulled the arrow back and aimed for its neck, using
his chin as the anchor point
292 Years Ago
“Cygan, get over here,” Vind yelled. “I’ve found more
tracks leading into this cave.”
Cy pulled his sword from its sheath and ran toward his
brother. The Nyrubi, they’d been tracking was one of Sivadia’s most vicious
predators. They weighed around twelve hundred pounds and walked on all fours.
If their razor sharp claws or six inch fangs didn’t rip you to shreds, they
could always spear you through with their large rack of antlers.
And why am I running toward one trapped inside a
cave? Oh, yeah, because my psycho brother told me to.
Nyrubies lived in Sivadia’s Great Sewol Mountains and
only came down to the villages during winter, when deep snows drove their prey
so deep underground, the Nyrubies were starving. The snows had only started
melting, and this predator was probably very, very, hungry.
Great!
Killing Nyrubies was left to the experienced big game
hunters. But Vind convinced Cy that killing one would prove to Father they were
becoming adults, and he would be proud. More than anything, Cy wanted that, but
they were only fourteen, a long way from adulthood. Deep down he knew Father
would be mad for them being so reckless.
Every year since they were ten, Father and Oz had
brought them to the mountains, teaching them to track, hunt, and live off the
land. Skills Father said every boy needed. With them being the king’s sons,
servants usually waited to appease their every whim. Cy looked forward to these
trips, to act like a regular person. He didn’t want to do anything foolish and
mess it up.
I better let Father know where we are.
Cy stopped and pulled out his communication link. As he
clicked the on button, he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. He shoved
it back inside his jacket; if Vind knew he was calling Father, he would berate
him for the rest of the trip.
“What took you so long?” His brother’s eyes were wide
and his face red. “Come on, before the Nyrubi gets away.”
Cy followed him up the incline to the cave’s entrance.
They both pulled headlamps from their backpacks, and then loaded their hunting
bows with an arrow.
“You take the right side of the cave and I’ll take the
left.” As always, Vind spouted the order at him, trying to control every
situation.
As they moved inside the cave’s opening, Cy stopped. The
place reeked of death; bones and rocks covered the dirt floor, making the
ability to remain upright next to impossible. Uneasiness grew in the pit of
Cy’s stomach. With one hand, he braced against the uneven walls and eased
toward the back of the cave. Bones crunched beneath their feet, echoing through
the silent cave. The sound betrayed their every move to the monster lying in
wait for his dinner. The two boys converged at the back of that room where two
corridors led to the next opening. As the animal emitted a loud roar, Cy tensed
and chills ran up his back.
“I’ll continue around the left corridor far enough to
get behind it and scare it out,” Vind said. “When it heads your way, be ready
to shoot. Aim for its neck or left side near the heart.”
“Why am I the one who has to get in front of that
thing?”
“Cy, just get your bow ready. Are you too incompetent to
even do that?”
“I’m not incompetent, Vind! Just get the thing out of
that room, and I’ll kill it.” Cy had always scored higher in archery
competitions than his twin.
He gripped his bow tighter, and headed down his
designated hallway. The closer he got, the harder his heart pounded. A loud
growl echoed throughout the cave, a beastly warning for them to back off.
Vind’s headlamp faintly glowed behind the Nyrubi. A
moment later, a torch lit and the long, bushy hair on the tip of the beast’s
tail flamed to match it.
Vind has set the thing’s tail on fire!
A high-pitched scream vibrated through the cave as the
Nyrubi rose on two legs. Cy pulled the arrow back and aimed for its neck, using
his chin as the anchor point
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