The Death Bridge

"Oof!", Raven grunted when a ball of silver mist struck her in the stomach.

Her sword glided away from Brongr's as she stumbled backwards, tripping over a rock and falling into the stream. She sputtered and wiped the water from her face.

"Lad, I think we should take a break", Brongr said, panting.

Raven glanced hopefully at Axil. But as soon as she got up, she heard the unforgiving words.

"Again", Axil said, his voice cold and commanding.

"Lad, we've been at it for a long time! We've been 'ere all day and the sun has already set!."

Axil walked towards the dripping wet and shivering Raven, ignoring the big man's words. He lifted his sword and attacked. Caught by surprise at his sudden attack, Raven barely managed to block his blow.

He attacked again and again, the strength behind each strike increasing with each blow. Raven tried her best to block and parry but her strength was slowly fading.

"Stop!"

The unforgiving blows kept coming.

"Axil, please!", she said desperately.

Axil's sword came down on hers and her grip around the hilt of her sword faltered. The sword tumbled from her hands and fell to the ground. She quickly stepped backwards, trying to avoid the incoming blade. The tip of the sword lightly scr.a.p.ed her arm and she lost her balance, falling hard to the ground.

She looked up into the white-haired man's determined eyes as he pulled his arm back for one last strike. Realisation struck her and fear clutched her throat as she watched the blade approach. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the blow.

But then she felt the burning feeling in her veins and she suddenly knew what to do.

In a split second, she lifted her hands and caught the blade inches from her face, her veins glowing. She opened her eyes and revealed her golden eyes. She pressed her palms tightly together and suddenly the blade between her hands shattered.

"That's it, Raven. Now feel your magic. Open your mind and let its essence fill your entire being", Axil said as he tossed the hilt in his hand away.

Raven stood up and closed her eyes. She felt the magic pulsating through her veins, binding with her soul. The soothing feeling overwhelmed her and she embraced it.

"I feel it… ", she whispered.

Warmth filled her entire body and memories flooded through her mind. She heard Axil's deep voice but the memories slowly drowned out his voice.

She saw herself falling from the tree. She saw the golden mist, preventing her from falling into the sharp rocks. The memory changed and she saw herself standing with an arrow in her one hand and the other stretched out. The memory became blurred as another scene appeared in her mind.

Raven frowned.

A woman, dressed in a long, black dress, stood in the shadows and for a second, Raven could feel a strange yet familiar power radiating from the woman. And then the woman disappeared and the memories faded away, leaving Raven confused.

She slightly shook her head, dismissing the wave of thoughts that threatened to crash down on her and turned her attention back to Axil.

"When you are ready, I want you to-"

Before Axil could finish his sentence, a beam of gold struck him in the c.h.e.s.t, sending him flying. With a loud splash, he fell into the stream.

Brongr burst out laughing at the surprised look on the white-haired man's face.

"That one's for earlier", Raven said with a smirk, her glowing eyes resting on Axil as she watched him get up from the water.

"I see that you're a fast learner… ", he said as he walked closer, wiping the water from his face.

"She got you good, lad", Brongr said, laughing.

Suddenly a stream of water hit him right in the face. Raven laughed as the big man stood frozen in place and his eyes shut tightly; the water dripping down his face.

"You were saying, Brongr?"

Brongr opened his eyes and glared at the white-haired man, a playful glint in his eyes. "I'll get ye for that!"

"How? I've got everything I need to turn you into a bird fountain and you've got nothing."

"I wouldn't say nothing", Raven said as she went over to stand in front of Brongr.

Axil arched his brows at her. "And you think that will make a difference?"

"Of course. After all, I'm the one with ancient magic here… "

"Still not going to help you very much. "

"Says the man who's about to face uneven odds."

Raven extended her hand towards the stream and flicked her hand towards Axil. The latter quickly blocked and countered. Raven couldn't summon her magic fast enough to block. Her instincts kicked in at the last moment and she ducked out of the way, momentarily forgetting that the big man stood behind her.

For the second time, the water hit him right in the face.

From her crouched position, Raven looked at the sputtering Brongr, surprised. When she saw the look of disbelief appearing on the big man's face, she quickly bit down on her bottom lip.

"Unbelievable!"

Raven bit down harder on her lip.

"I thought yer on my side?"

"Maybe she decided to side with the winning side", Axil said, chuckling.

"She already joined the winnin' side, ye twerp."

"Alright you two", Raven said, laughing. "Let's go back."

After a while, Raven sat by the fire. She pulled her hair over her shoulder and squeezed the excess water from her hair before tossing them back. She wrapped her arms around herself and scooted closer to the warm fire, her mind occupied by what she had seen earlier.

She stared into the fire with unseeing eyes. Who was that woman? Why did she see her? And that strange power she felt coming from the woman, what was it? Why did it feel so familiar to her? It felt so strange, so…cold yet, so familiar.

Raven was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Axil sitting down beside her.

"A gold coin for your thoughts."

Axil's deep voice startled Raven and she jerked her head towards him. She sighed and turned her face away, staring into the fire once more.

"You'll have to give me more than a gold coin for my thoughts…"

"And why is that?"

"Because I have more gold coins than I could ever possibly need."

"Is that so?"

Raven turned her face to him. She saw his eyes glowing softly, and a playful glint shimmered within them. She smiled softly. "Your eyes are glowing again."

Axil adverted his gaze. "Is that so…"

Raven chuckled. "Is that all you can say?"

Axil laughed. "Touché."

A comfortable silence fell between them.

"What were you thinking about while you were having a staring match with the fire?"

Raven lowered her head and smiled. "First of all, I wasn't having a staring match with the fire…I was just thinking," she said, lifting her head.

"About what?"

"About something I saw earlier. I saw some of my memories. Memories of my magic. And then I saw something strange. Or rather, someone strange. A woman in black. She stood in the shadows, I couldn't see her face."

"And it was a memory?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, it looked the same as the others but…"

"But something was different, right?"

Raven glanced at Axil. "Yes. I…felt something. Power. Not mine. It was coming from the woman. A strange power. It felt so real as if she was right in front of me."

Axil frowned. "That wasn't a memory, Raven. Or at least, not entirely."

"What do you mean?"

"Was there something about the woman that seemed familiar to you?"

"Not about the woman, no. But that power…it felt…I don't know, something about it just felt so familiar."

Axil stayed silent for a few moments, contemplating. "Sometimes, memories can mix with reality."

"I don't understand."

"You said something felt familiar about the woman's magic, right? Before you saw her and, without realizing it, that same feeling triggered your memories. But the last one wasn't a memory. So instead of triggering a memory, that feeling allowed you to see reality. You saw her."

The flames mirrored in Raven's eyes as she stared into the darkness.

"But then…who is she?"