eod - chapter 01

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    Echoes of the Dream

    Bret Zawilski

    Ive been named a thief, a wanderer, a scoundrel, and a murderer.

    From birth, Fate has woven a treacherous path for my life, one I would

    wish on no other. Exiled from the lands of the Pact before manhood with the

    twin sigils of the RothAman seared into the flesh of my hands, Ive spent

    years wandering alone through the desolate plains. In those lands, one

    learned survival quickly, else one learned nothing more.

    I claimed my first life in that chaotic realm, that of a man who would

    have done me the same favor in an instant. I could have barely witnessed

    17 spans, but age never mattered to those desperate enough to live as we

    did. It certainly never mattered to the man who hunted me. On the darkest

    nights, I can still feel his warm breath on my face and the icy chill of his

    dagger running through the scar spanning my left side.

    He would have gutted me like an animal and left my corpse to rot in

    the brush running alongside the road. It would have been as easy as that,

    but in that moment the change claimed my soul. I remember little else, but

    for the screams that followed, and that night I gained my true name, Kessith,

    and forsook the last remnants of my old life as the flavor of blood filled my

    spirit.

    And yet Fate had such strange ways of repaying its debts. The only

    destiny I felt in my future was an early death at the hands of another man

    like me. But I must remind myself that Fate chooses its own course, and twoyears later, on the night I stumbled into Devarre half-starved and crazy, I

    found myself ensnared by its Will.

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    Chapter One

    A Shadow of Purpose

    It was nearly autumn. I could feel it in the chill breeze that swept down

    out of the mountains into the Shield Valley. My hands, even gloved, felt

    numb and dead at my sides. It was instinct that drove me forward, more

    than any manner of directed will. I could smell something on the wind, and it

    set my stomach to roaring.

    Dimly I knew there was a village ahead, a tiny place that Id glimpsed

    on occasion as Id tried to force my way across the barrier and into the Pact

    lands. That had been years ago, and I hadnt been this far south since.

    What was the point? It was dangerous being this close to civilization, but

    food had become scarce to the north, and what choice was left to me? I

    lived as a hunted creature in those days, scurrying through the woods silent

    and unseen. Id already lost count of the number of times my life had been

    threatened. It hardly seemed to matter since I was still alive. That was my

    plan for each day.

    Id lived with an empty stomach in the past, but I could feel new

    sensations tearing through my stomach. Though it was a bright day, the

    world darkened and blurred, the tall trees fading into a murky background

    while all that remained clear was the road beneath my feet. I realized the

    cold was a blessing. Without it, I doubt I could have found the strength to

    carry myself so far.

    Sounds kept drifting outward from the trees on each side of the road.

    They were ominous sounds, the kind I always kept alert for. Footsteps,perhaps. Patience, though. Again, a rustle came from the underbrush, but I

    feigned ignorance. Silently I slipped a dagger into my hand, releasing it from

    the sheath hidden within my sleeve.

    The rustling started again, and I turned, snarling wildly and flinging the

    knife with all my strength. It sailed off into the murky shadows, but I didnt

    pause. Charging off the road, I was determined I would kill the bastard

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    before he claimed me. It didnt matter that my vision was blurred and my

    balance skewed. Not until my feet caught upon a fallen branch and sent me

    sprawling onto my stomach in the dirt. Desperately, I scrambled to get back

    to my feet, but my legs refused.

    I was helpless and alone, and the fear took me. I didnt want to die.On all fours, I crawled back toward the road and toward the sunlight where I

    could at least somewhat see. Each second I feared I would feel a knife slice

    into my back, but it never came. When I reached the road, I turned and sat,

    expecting to see a grinning face greeting me. But all I saw was the murky

    outline of the trees.

    Ho, traveler!

    The unfamiliar voice startled me enough that I slipped lose my second

    and final dagger. I almost blindly threw it toward the sound, but some lastvestiges of sanity made me look first.

    Are you alright? The man was dressed in a dirt-stained brown tunic

    and carried a fishing rod across one shoulder. For a moment I was horribly

    suspicious. Id been fooled before by strangers who acted as friends.

    Fine, I growled. But after another attempt to regain my feet, I had to

    admit that I was far from fine.

    Let me help, he walked over quickly. It spooked me, but there was

    no apprehension in his movements. If this man was truly hunting me, thenhe would certainly be slightly more cautious.

    He came behind me and lifted me by the waist with almost no effort.

    Could I have wasted away that much already? You look pretty rough. What

    happened?

    I gave no answer. Nothing my addled mind could create would have

    sufficed.

    Are you headed to Devarre? he asked.

    Devarre?

    I figured you were one of the travelers to see the pilgrimage off.

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    Exhausted as I was, none of it made much sense. After spending years

    in almost total solitude, I found that I couldnt understand the ways of others

    if they werent vying for my blood.

    Can you walk?

    I nodded. Barely. Cant seem to find my footing.

    Come on, then. Ill give you some help. Balancing the fishing rod

    over one shoulder, he slid his arm around me in support. We started off at a

    staggered pace, tripping countless times before we found a rhythm.

    Who are you? He finally asked.

    Kessith, I answered. Normally I would have thrown one of a

    thousand false names, but as I said, my mind was not sound.

    Davael, he said. Ive rarely seen anyone come in from this path.

    Do you come from the Vale?

    Vale? I shook my head.

    I hear its treacherous out to the west of here. I could feel the

    anxiety coursing through him. The plains were known for their savagery,

    and any village beyond the Barrier was wise to be suspect of strange folk

    arriving from the north.

    Still, I smiled slightly. Only slightly fatal.

    Guess its a good thing I was out this way. You might have been in a

    bit of trouble otherwise.

    I began wondering if it was him that Id heard rustling through the

    trees alongside the road. He was lucky to be breathing if that was the case.

    Must be Fate, I said.

    Dont worry, though. Its only about another mile. Then youll find

    good food and some rest. The celebrations are about to begin.

    We walked in silence after that. If I had been in any sort of better

    condition, curiosity would have brought a hundred questions to my mind

    about what lay ahead. Id been starved of contact for so long that I could no

    longer remember most of my old life. Something about the celebration he

    mentioned felt important, but it belonged to another life. As it was, the

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    journey felt like it spanned a month of agonizing slowness before we finally

    came into sight of Devarre.