JetKinen

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Book 1


The Chase




Chapter I
The Intruder

Two guards charged against the unknown and the first one soon died with a kitchen knife between his eyes. The second one wavered, made a wrong move and was taken down by the jump of the stranger, who mounted on his chest with his knees. The guard felt his arm being firmly grappled, his wrist bones breaking and a sudden sharp pain; a bite to his neck. The intruder rose, the mouth and chest soaked in red and scanned his surroundings.


He was surrounded. Six other guards around him, the old man who screamed and two other younger men, but the intruder did not count how many they were. Maybe it didn’t matter or maybe he could not do it. Certainly did not understand completely what was happening. The intruder was more animal than man


Broke into the house because it felt hunger and there was a smell of food. From the two man who tried to stop him, killed only one; It didn’t matter as long as he reached his objective. The house had two floors, it was big and filled with rooms and furnitures but he soon reached the origin of that smell. Two womans tried to scream when he appeared, but now they laid silent on the floor with broken necks. He could not stand all that noise any longer, those unstoppable voices in countless gatherings of animals, men and things, always making some noise. He looked inside the big pot, caught it with his bare hands, left out a yelp of pain and dropped the pot. The burning contents had spread on the floor and so he kneeled to devour it. Then the bald man, who screamed and called all the armed men, appeared in the kitchen.


Now he was dirtied in blood and cold soup. His body stiff, waiting for the men to attack with their swords. The intruder knew that while the bald man was the weakest, he was also the leader. The two younger boys were close to the so called leader, not being sure if they should protect him or run away.


- Trennay, call the Captain of the Guard - said the bald man to the shortest of the boys - tell him that we need reinforcements

The boy ran away from the house. For a moment, the stranger focused his eyes on the boy and so two from the six guards attacked.


The stranger turned his body, trying to dodge it but was struck by it. Two swords pierced his insides and chest, entering through his back and leaving before his eyes. He finished the turn, facing again his foes. The large hands grappled the faces of the two guards.There was sickening noise of bones breaking when the stranger clenched his fists, shredding the two skulls. One of the surviving enemies did not contain his vomit. The bodies were thrown, taking down one of the remaining guards, while another slipped in a big puddle of blood. The only one in condition to fight was attacked by the stranger, who grabbed him in a hug stabbing him with the swords that were coming out of his own body.

He disentangled himself from the body with difficulty and went towards the bald man and the boy. They started to scream again and tried to escape but the long arms of the intruder grabbed them by their clothes and brought them to himself.

- Just. Want. Leave - said the stranger with difficulty. Stumbled on his words, it was difficult to remember all of them


The bald man turned his head, looking terrified to the intruder

- Go. Please - said - Just Go

Maybe the intruder did not understand what the man said, or maybe he decided that it wasn’t worth it anymore. With violence, he beat the man’s head on the wall and three more times he did it until a crimson river started to pour. Again, screams from the boy. The stranger, with no patience, dropped the body of the old man and broke the boy’s neck. He glared at the guards, but none had the courage to face him. Suddenly he heard a small voice and felt the the sting of many arrows on his back.

The first boy had return with reinforcement. Those didn’t want to get close, so they shot the stranger with bows and crossbows. The intruder looked directly to the boy, smiled with his red teeths and decided to start with him

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Irynna did not see her mother being killed, she only found the body in the kitchen. She couldn’t scream. By her side also laying on the floor there was the maid. Irynna saw everything, hidden in the darkness of a closet, while the intruder killed many of the towns guards. One had almost her age and had before, timidly, flirted with her. Killed. Another, she knew, had a two years old crippled son. Killed. Another was a stranger to her even though she always saw around town. Killed

She saw Dressen, her younger brother, die, after the death of her father. She thought that Treanny, the youngest brother, was going to make it, but unexpectedly the man attacked him ignoring the arrows that drilled his body in regular intervals. The fight left the house and she lost the stranger from sight, but she paid a lot attention on him. After all he killed his entire family. He was the most important person of her life


The intruder was very tall, maybe the tallest human she ever saw. His skin was white as chalk, and his short hair almost from the same color. The eyes were red. Maybe he was natural from Collen¹, thought Irynna


But no, he was just an Albino


He wore clothes much smaller than himself. He had a red coat that ought to have belonged to some noble, beige riding pants and a butcher’s apron white and dirty. Over all that he weared a tattered black cloak. He did not had shoes - certainly he couldn’t find a shoe of his size, thought Irynna, as he had gigantic feets.

Many hours later, the captain of the guard found her, still inside the closet. He tried to explain what happened, but Irynna interrupted him


- My family died. I know. I saw.


She noticed how devastated the captain was at having to give her the news. She thought it was better to simplify everything. The captain also said that the intruder had run away, disappearing in the middle of the forest, but Irynna also knew this. She thought she would knew if the Intruder died
The captain of the guard reluctantly ordered to store the bodies and organized a hunt. Ten from his men have died in that afternoon. All were in silence. That was Petrynia, the kingdom of stories, but that was a story that nobody wanted to tell

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- Eat - said Athela, the cleric of Lena, looking helpless at Irynna. The two knew each other since their childhoods

- I don’t want it - said Irynna - I’m not hungry, you know this.

Athela got up and put the bowl and spoon in a simple table. The two were in a temple of Lena, the goddess of life². Athela lived there, and Irynna too since four days ago after the stranger broke into her house. Athela learned to be patient and kind when she assumed the clergy, but now she had the urge to slap her friend. To take her in some way from her apathy.

- I don’t want to eat Athela, neither sleep. Until he is dead

The cleric walked through the room to nowhere in particular. Irynna was lying just as she had been in the last four days with the same clothes and with the same expression - Indifference and certainty

- That’s a lie - said Athela, giving her a saccharine smile - You slept yesterday and the day before yesterday. I saw it

Wrong said Irynna. She just closed her eyes and stayed immobile and controlling her breathing for eight hours. She did not sleep one minute, but she knew the cleric wouldn’t go to sleep without making sure her friend was sleeping, so thats why she faked it


Athela shuddered because she knew it was true, but she tried to convince herself the contrary

- My life is over Athela. I don’t need this anymore, i just need him to die so i can leave too. I’m already finished here

- It’s a lie too - the cleric almost screamed - You can continue your father’s business. You can marry, you’re in the right age for it

- My father is dead - said Irynna - And so am i

Like all clerics of Lena, Athela had given birth before she could enter the order. Only creating life, preached the goddess, the clerics could understand why they could never take it. Athela imagined if she would turn out like Iryanna if her daughter died

- You have money - said without even convincing herself - You can do whatever you want

- This money already has an end. Hiring someone to hunt and kill him

Athela sighed. That’s all she did nowadays, sigh and go deeper into her friend sadness. She prayed to Lena that Irynna’s misery did not engulf her

- If this what you really want - Another sigh - I have a friend that can help you

- For the first time in four days, a spark in Irynna’s eyes

- Really? - almost a smile - Who is she?

- A hero

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Translator's notes
1 - One of the silly kingdoms of Arton. Their entire gimmick is that people there have fancy eyes. Some of the eyes are magical, some are just in a different color.
2 - Goddess of Life, Fertility and Healing. Likes little kids. Takes shape of a little girl. Buddies with every other god, even the evil gods because they know you can't go wrong with life.

Lena

There you go Chapter 1.
As a bonus i'm also putting here the alternate book cover used in 2nd edition of the book


Also updated the first post with and index and a Map, if you guys want to check how the journey will go.Just go here to check out it.

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