The Death Bridge

Raven slowly opened her eyes.

For a moment she did not know where she was. She jolted upright in her bed only to yelp at the pain in her side. She looked down and saw the linen wrapped around her middle.

She frowned. {"How did I get back here? Who took care of my wounds?"}, she thought, confused. She slowly got out of bed and noticed her dagger lying between the bloodstained linen on the table. She went over to the table and grabbed it, placing it back in its scabbard. She frantically looked around for her sword and whip when she realised they had been removed.

She finally found them under the blanket on the bed. Just as she reached for her sword she heard voices outside her shack. She froze for a moment to listen. The voices were far away. She grabbed her sword and quietly unsheathed it as she slowly walked towards the door.

She looked through the crevice and saw that it was getting dark outside. Her eyes caught sight of two figures in the twilight. They were talking to each other but she could not hear the words. Then one of the figures turned away from the other, carrying something on its back as it walked straight towards the shack. Raven saw the other figure bending down and picking up what seemed to be a c.h.e.s.t of some sort.

The figures approached the shack. Raven could see the first figure wore some kind of robe while the other seemed to be wearing armour. She could now see that one figure was bigger than the other and looked more like a beast than a human. Seeing the figures were now close to the shack, Raven pulled her face away from the crevice and stood behind the door. She clutched her sword tightly in her hand as she waited in the dark with her back against the wall.

Her heart beat in her throat and she felt her hands shaking. {"Calm down Raven! Calm down…."}, she thought as she heard panting outside. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

She heard a thud at the door and then the sound of the wooden bar being lifted entered her ears. She could hear the person outside struggling with the door. She clutched the sword tightly in her hand as a steely determination settled in her heart.

The door finally opened and the two figures entered the shack with their backs turned to Raven.

"Ach, it's dark in here…use 'at crystal of yours laddie...I can nae see a thing", a slightly familiar voice entered Raven's ears.

"That's just because your eyes are bad", a deep voice answered with a hint of annoyance.

Raven heard a deep sigh and then the deep voice spoke again

"Luminis"

Suddenly a white light appeared in the hand of the man wearing the robes and Raven realised that she needed to make her move.

"Oi, where'd that lass go?", Raven heard the one man say as she moved forward.

She lifted her sword and pressed the tip into the back of the man wearing the robes. He froze, feeling the sharp object in his back.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my home?", Raven asked in a threatening tone.

The big man turned around and Raven quickly pressed the sword tighter against the man with the robe's back. The big man froze.

"Lass, put 'at sword down, we're nae gonnae to hurt ye! We brought ye here. Ye would've died if we hadn't…"

Raven looked up into his face. She recognised him from before.

His emerald eyes looked straight at her and his attractive face had a gentle yet dangerous expression that somehow made Raven feel safe and like she could trust this rugged man with the slightly curly, brown hair. But she didn't want to let these two strangers off so easily. "I said who are you!", Raven asked firmly. The big man quickly glanced at the man with the robe and then he looked back at Raven and answered.

"My name is Brongr. I don't know thes lad's name", he said as he gestured to the man beside him with the hood of his robes still pulled over his head.

Raven looked away from Brongr and glanced at the man's back, her sword still firmly pressed against his back.

"Turn around, remove that hood and answer my question if you don't want me to run you through", Raven said, pulling her sword slightly away from the man's back.

The man slowly placed the crystal in his hand down and turned around. He slowly lifted his hands to remove his hood. Raven lifted her sword to his face as a warning causing the man to freeze for a moment before he removed his hood.

The first thing Raven saw was the man's striking white hair that reminded her of freshly fallen snow. Her eyes swept over his handsome face and she felt her face heat up as her eyes met his. She stopped breathing for a moment and she felt her heart beat in her throat. His eyes were the purest silver colour and were coldly staring at her. A shiver ran down her spine and she felt as if he was looking straight into her soul. His mouth was pulled into a thin line as his eyes held hers.

"Axil", she heard him say, his deep voice mesmerizing her for a moment. One single word from him caused her thoughts to become a mess.

"What?", she quickly said, confused.

The man sighed deeply.

"My name is Axil"

"Oh', Raven said as she slowly lowered her sword.

An awkward silence filled the air. Feeling uneasy, Brongr tried to break the silence

"Lass, you know our names but we don't know yours…".

Raven looked up into the big man's eyes. "You don't need to know my name…You'll be leaving soon and it won't matter", Raven said and turned around to sheath her sword.

'Why not?', Raven heard a voice say.

She turned around and looked at Axil.

"What did you say?", she asked as she lifted her sword to his face.

For a brief moment, she saw confusion flash across his face.

"I did not say anything", he replied as his gaze held hers.

'Are you too afraid?', Raven heard the voice say again.

She squinted her eyes at the man in front of her. "Afraid you say? Now, why would I be afraid?", she said as she pressed the tip of her sword against Axil's c.h.e.s.t.

"Whit are ye talkin' about lass?", Brongr asked, confusion written all over his face.

Axil frowned as he looked down at the tip of the sword against his c.h.e.s.t.

'Maybe because if they know your name, they will know what you have done?', the voice said mockingly.

"What?", Raven whispered. Her eyes fell on her sword as she slowly lowered it.

'Oh, you heard me…Raven!', the voice echoed in Raven's ears.

The frown on Axil's face deepened. He had heard the soft whisper. {"Is she hallucinating?"}, he thought as he saw her eyes dart around, looking for something.

"Lass! Are ye alright lass?", Brongr asked as he reached out to touch Raven's arm.

Suddenly he found himself lying on the ground, the cold floor pressing hard against his back and he felt the cold sensation of a blade against his throat.

"Don't touch me!", Raven said through gritted teeth.

Axil gave a step forward, but it was one step too close for Raven. Her leg swiped across the floor and Axil felt a blade against the back of his neck and a knee in his back as a hand pressed his face against the floor.

"Don't even try!", Raven said.

'See? You are afraid Raven…afraid of the truth being discovered!', the voice taunted.

Raven grunted and grabbed her head between her hands. She felt the darkness call out to her again. She had no more strength to fight it and the world around her darkened as her consciousness slipped away.

A soft thud sounded through the air. Axil felt the weight on his back being lifted and he pressed himself up. He looked to the side saw Raven lying on her back with her face as pale as the snow…